*warning*longest blog post ever for me
Writing in this blog really helps me to keep tabs on myself more than anything. Reviewing this year of poker is pretty stressful in and of itself, never mind actually living it. Overall I made decent money, more money than a 9-5 corporate job would pay, so I am happy with that. The variance I went through though( ie having lots of breakeven stretches) and the unnecessary bad runs in games that I should have never been involved with, I have only myself to blame for. I had 3 decent tourneys scores throughout the year that really contributed well to the bottom line. In fact in the long run tourneys have been the game that has treated me the best and its a shame that I really didn't even play many tourneys this year. Never the less it's time to move on. In conclusion '08 was a year of adjustments for me. I got used to living by myself in the new condo (And the new monetary obligations w/ owning one)... At first it freaked me out a bit, but I'm really starting to like my place here. It has def. become home.
On to 2009 though. I really think that a lot of the reasons I switched games a lot in 08 and didn't play my best boils down to an element of boredom. The lifestyle of only playing only online poker as my sole source of income has become somewhat boring in and of itself. The solidarity and lack of change are probably the main contributing factors for this. You may think I'm turning this into a retirement speech but that is not the case. I'm basically leading into an introduction of one of the main goals of 2009, which is to get going on my alternative career in real estate. I've just signed up for two Real Estate Appraisal classes in January. This along with getting my name/resume out there will hopefully get me started in the right direction. I'm really just hoping the economy doesn't keep shitting the bed so hard, so that I have a decent opportunity to get this all going. I don't know a whole lot about this field in particular, but real estate has always been interesting to me, and I like the idea that this could eventually involve me running my own show in a couple of years.
Anyways poker will of course be part of the equation in '09. The goals are actually pretty simple. After analyzing tons of my results from 2008 it's become clear to me what the right thing to do is. I think in 2009 the best way for me to stay balanced and successful in poker is going to be to have my main game and source of income be $1/$2 no limit holdem spread across multiple tables. I know my monthly earning in this game is more than enough to afford my lifestyle and it will also produce the least variance. I've played no limit holdem cash games as high as $25/$50 no limit and it just is not worth it. I'm not trying to make millions and be famous, I'm just trying to make a good solid living and enjoy the freedom poker can afford me.
The second part of my 2009 goals are to invest more time/energy/money into playing tournaments again. I don't want to ever become a full time tourney grinder again. But I definitely think I owe it to myself to play more tournaments next year. In '08, with limited play in tourneys, I still had great results.
So anyways.... writing and saying all of this is one thing, but sticking to it is a whole other ballgame. I'm hoping by at least making this public on my blog it will help me stay honest and avoid the temptation to do stupid things in poker.
As far as other goals in 2009 I have a few in mind. They are quite similar to my fall goals that I made. Sports wise I want to run more, lift more, get a bit more serious about golf, and continue playing soccer or other intramural sports. Socially meet more people, specially and potentially a female :) Also read a decent amount. Do some travel. Open a Roth IRA. And start achieving a sleeping pattern that is more in line with the rest of America.
With all of that being said....If you've actually made it this far. I wish you a Happy Holiday, and a successful New Year.
TIM
Oh ya a song.
I've been on a rolling stones bender past few weeks. None of their songs beats Mixed Emotions.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
FTOPS
So I final tabled FTOPS event #19 last friday for my biggest score in long time taking 6th place. It was also the first big tourney I've played in forever. It feels great and I think it will propel me closer to my goal of playing more tournaments in 09. I did a goal sheet in Sept. on here and I'm happy to say that a lot of them are getting accomplished. That's it for now. My soccer team is in the playoff championship game tonight, it should be epic.
Song of Day -
TI - Live your life
Song of Day -
TI - Live your life
Friday, November 7, 2008
Long time...
Hey readers it's been a pretty long time since the last update. I've gotten in pretty good shape running wise...ran the Danvers 5k in 21:11. Pokerwise things have been going decent, nothing really stunning to speak of..but I've been enjoying playing the last few days. I've reduced the number of tables I'm playing at once and it has allowed me to really focus on my opponents. I like the direction it's taking me. Also mixed in some heads up cash at pretty low stakes.
That's bout it. Hopefully I'll have something more exciting to blog about soon.
I'll leave you with a few pics of my new hero (click on them to enlarge) and a song.
Song of Day
Keane - "Spiraling" from their new album Perfect Symmetry
That's bout it. Hopefully I'll have something more exciting to blog about soon.
I'll leave you with a few pics of my new hero (click on them to enlarge) and a song.
Song of Day
Keane - "Spiraling" from their new album Perfect Symmetry
Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday
Did 12X400 today, each in 90 seconds, felt great. 200 meter breaks between.
Check out the article below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14friedman.html?em
Also look at the major financial meltdowns today, if this country votes for the Maverick and Milf we are officially done.
Check out the article below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14friedman.html?em
Also look at the major financial meltdowns today, if this country votes for the Maverick and Milf we are officially done.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
21:44 for 5k! - - - And Rest of 2008 Goals
So I just binked off a 21:44 for the 5k at the Danvers5k tonight. I felt really strong the whole race too. This cutie with tight blue shorts was about 10 feet in front of me for the first 2 miles and I have to thank her for giving me a solid target to chase! This is pretty good stuff though, when I first ran this race on July 9th I went all out 100% effort and ran 24:48, so I have taken a full 3mintues off.
On a poker front it's been going like shit. I was having a great August, up a considerable amount going into the last few days, and then ran into some bad setups and monkey tilted most of my months profits off in 3 days. Totally fed up with it. It's been a long shitty stretch for a bunch of months now. When I say shitty I don't mean that I've been losing, I just mean I haven't been making much, and that pretty much blows.
So with that being said, September is upon us and I saw a stat on CNN today that there are approximately 111 days left in the year. Which got me to thinking that I should make a "rest of the year goal sheet" for both life and poker. So here it is.
Rest of 2008 Goals
LIFE
- Become a Real Estate Appraisal Trainee
- Break 20min at the Danvers 5k.
- Spend more time at the gym lifting.
- Meet more females :)
- Continue playing on sports teams.
- Work on achieving a more normal sleep pattern.
- Read more books.
- Try new foods, also wanted to try acupuncture after seeing it during Beijing '08.
- Plan a Winter ’09 trip.
POKER
- Become primarily a tourney player on stars and tilt.
- Play full ring cash games to supplement tourneys.
- Follow strict bankroll rules.
- Work on avoiding tilt and staying in the right mindset.
Ok so there they all are, for the world to see. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in the blog, but I've decided to pursue more of a normal job path in the future. Of course it's not a 9-5 because I will never do that. But what I really want to do is become a real estate appraisal trainee and see if I like it. I've always been interested in real estate and I think this would be a great start. I like the idea that I could be me own boss with it, set my hours, and make a schedule so that I can fit in playing tournaments when I want to. If anyone has more information on it I'd love to have you send me a message.
Song- I haven't done this in awhile, So here's a great gem from the band simple minds. You've probably only heard their famous song from the breakfast club, "dont you forget about me"....well this is one of their lesser known songs, but it's very solid. The vid's a little bizarre, song is good.
Simple Minds - Glittering Prize
On a poker front it's been going like shit. I was having a great August, up a considerable amount going into the last few days, and then ran into some bad setups and monkey tilted most of my months profits off in 3 days. Totally fed up with it. It's been a long shitty stretch for a bunch of months now. When I say shitty I don't mean that I've been losing, I just mean I haven't been making much, and that pretty much blows.
So with that being said, September is upon us and I saw a stat on CNN today that there are approximately 111 days left in the year. Which got me to thinking that I should make a "rest of the year goal sheet" for both life and poker. So here it is.
Rest of 2008 Goals
LIFE
- Become a Real Estate Appraisal Trainee
- Break 20min at the Danvers 5k.
- Spend more time at the gym lifting.
- Meet more females :)
- Continue playing on sports teams.
- Work on achieving a more normal sleep pattern.
- Read more books.
- Try new foods, also wanted to try acupuncture after seeing it during Beijing '08.
- Plan a Winter ’09 trip.
POKER
- Become primarily a tourney player on stars and tilt.
- Play full ring cash games to supplement tourneys.
- Follow strict bankroll rules.
- Work on avoiding tilt and staying in the right mindset.
Ok so there they all are, for the world to see. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in the blog, but I've decided to pursue more of a normal job path in the future. Of course it's not a 9-5 because I will never do that. But what I really want to do is become a real estate appraisal trainee and see if I like it. I've always been interested in real estate and I think this would be a great start. I like the idea that I could be me own boss with it, set my hours, and make a schedule so that I can fit in playing tournaments when I want to. If anyone has more information on it I'd love to have you send me a message.
Song- I haven't done this in awhile, So here's a great gem from the band simple minds. You've probably only heard their famous song from the breakfast club, "dont you forget about me"....well this is one of their lesser known songs, but it's very solid. The vid's a little bizarre, song is good.
Simple Minds - Glittering Prize
Monday, September 1, 2008
Fall = Politics *warning, post below is about politics*
An excerpt below from Bill Clinton's Speech at the DNC.
America can do better than that. And Barack Obama will.
But first we have to elect him.
The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.
They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty - and millions more losing their health insurance.
Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: More tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.
They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let's send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.
On another note the Republicans are total and complete joke. While I'm tolerant of family member's and friend's differing views...At this point I can't fathom what is going through the heads of anyone that supports Republican policies. Get a grip people.
On so many issues the only responsible and logic choice is to lean toward Barack and the democrats. I'll run through some of them. How about guns. If you vote republican you are voting with the NRA.
-Right to bear arms?...Ya, sure right after the American revolution when people feared the English would still reign over us the right to bear arms made lots of sense...Now the right to bear arms should be limited to a hunting gun, and not automatic people killing weapons.
-The right for a women to make her own decisions concerning her own body and her own future. No one else should be invading her privacy in that regard. With McCain and this joker hockey mom in office, there is a real danger that Roe V. Wade could be overturned.
-Sex Ed. , The Hockey mom's own 17 yo daughter could have used some. Republican "abstinence-only" education is not only wrong, it is a contributing factor to teenage pregnancy... when you don't know the alternatives, you get pregnant.
-How bout the right for gays to marry. I for one could care less what two adults decide makes them happy, It in no way effects my freedom or happiness.
These are just a few of the core differences. The list could certainly go on.
On another note this Sarah Palin thing is complete and utter joke, and not because she's a woman (there are plenty of women he could have picked that are qualified)but because she is a totally clueless nobody from the boonies in Alaska. And now McCain wants to put her one heartbeat away (in the event of his own death in office) from having to negotiate with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Kim Jung Ill, and Mushariff. It's straight up frightening.
America can do better than that. And Barack Obama will.
But first we have to elect him.
The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.
They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty - and millions more losing their health insurance.
Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: More tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.
They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let's send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.
On another note the Republicans are total and complete joke. While I'm tolerant of family member's and friend's differing views...At this point I can't fathom what is going through the heads of anyone that supports Republican policies. Get a grip people.
On so many issues the only responsible and logic choice is to lean toward Barack and the democrats. I'll run through some of them. How about guns. If you vote republican you are voting with the NRA.
-Right to bear arms?...Ya, sure right after the American revolution when people feared the English would still reign over us the right to bear arms made lots of sense...Now the right to bear arms should be limited to a hunting gun, and not automatic people killing weapons.
-The right for a women to make her own decisions concerning her own body and her own future. No one else should be invading her privacy in that regard. With McCain and this joker hockey mom in office, there is a real danger that Roe V. Wade could be overturned.
-Sex Ed. , The Hockey mom's own 17 yo daughter could have used some. Republican "abstinence-only" education is not only wrong, it is a contributing factor to teenage pregnancy... when you don't know the alternatives, you get pregnant.
-How bout the right for gays to marry. I for one could care less what two adults decide makes them happy, It in no way effects my freedom or happiness.
These are just a few of the core differences. The list could certainly go on.
On another note this Sarah Palin thing is complete and utter joke, and not because she's a woman (there are plenty of women he could have picked that are qualified)but because she is a totally clueless nobody from the boonies in Alaska. And now McCain wants to put her one heartbeat away (in the event of his own death in office) from having to negotiate with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Kim Jung Ill, and Mushariff. It's straight up frightening.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I don't think it gets better than this
In reviewing my day today...I'd have to say it just doesn't get better than this. I woke up at a reasonable mid morning hour and hit the online tables. I made a good deal of money and decided to call it a day. It's turning out to be good month. And it's only a 1/3 over.
So later in the day I decided to get together with "JR" for 9 holes at Rowley CC. We play a gambling game , $5 for every hole won, along with a game called "dots"...meaning a dot is awarded for 4 diff. categories. (longest drive in the fairway, first on the green, closest to the pin, and first in the cup). It ended up being a huge bloodbath and finished up $23. Ship it.
Then tonight I ran the Danvers 5k again. I ended up feeling really good, and I found a great pack to run with. I ran a big course PR. of 21:59 for 5k. This a huge improvement and it's pretty sick. To top if off I drank a bunch of beers after, and then partied with my neighbors who have their cousins from New Zealand visiting....so it made for a pretty decent day. Ship it.
I'll include some hands from today. If you know anything about poker, these hands should sign you up for Full Tilt ASAP.
Hand 1
Hand 2
Hand 3
Song of Day
Bryan Ferry - Crazy Love
I loved this song when I was living in Notting Hill, London. I had taken the CD out from the Notting Hill Public Library. Peace
Tim
So later in the day I decided to get together with "JR" for 9 holes at Rowley CC. We play a gambling game , $5 for every hole won, along with a game called "dots"...meaning a dot is awarded for 4 diff. categories. (longest drive in the fairway, first on the green, closest to the pin, and first in the cup). It ended up being a huge bloodbath and finished up $23. Ship it.
Then tonight I ran the Danvers 5k again. I ended up feeling really good, and I found a great pack to run with. I ran a big course PR. of 21:59 for 5k. This a huge improvement and it's pretty sick. To top if off I drank a bunch of beers after, and then partied with my neighbors who have their cousins from New Zealand visiting....so it made for a pretty decent day. Ship it.
I'll include some hands from today. If you know anything about poker, these hands should sign you up for Full Tilt ASAP.
Hand 1
Hand 2
Hand 3
Song of Day
Bryan Ferry - Crazy Love
I loved this song when I was living in Notting Hill, London. I had taken the CD out from the Notting Hill Public Library. Peace
Tim
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