River 2

Got 80th out of 495 in the $330 no limit today but feel I played well. Never really had any chips and almost made it, lost AJo to 99 aipf. It was my 2nd hand at a new table and I was bb  with blinds being 1200/2400/300. UTG limps and then everyone folds to the sb who calls and I shove 40k w AJo, the sb calls and he had maybe 60k and with a board of 23KQ9 I was out.
I was able to pick up a few buy-ins at 2/5 after tho even with losing a full buy-in in first 10min so it was a decent day overall. GL ERRYBODY

The River Event 1

Event 1 $550 no limit had 406 players and I lasted a level or so past the first break. I shoved KJo w 15bbs from the co and the sb called all-in for 14bbs of it with K9o and rivered a flush and a straight, lol. I then managed to turn my 1bb into about 7bbs before losing AKo to 22 AIPF. The turnout was good and the staff handled it pretty well. As always the cash games were busy and I booked another small win at 2/5 no limit.
$330 no limit tomorrow at noon so time to get some sleep. GL ME

The River

I am in Gainesville, TX at my hotel about to get some sleep for the first tournament of "The River" poker tournament series at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, OK. I drove in last night and won a few buy-ins at 2/5 no limit and enjoyed a good chicken sandwich. Now its time to get some rest so I can play like "Benba" tomorrow and start the series off right. There is 8 preliminary tournaments and a main event with a 50k, 25k, 10k extra prize for "player of the series". SHould be fun, GL ME.

Live Update

Originally Posted by Jimmy Sommerfeld
Choctaw Casino
Spring $50k Series

No Limit Holdem
$300 + $45

12-May-11
12:00 PM

Players - 371 Prize Pool - $107,961
Directed by Poker Tournament Consultants
Place Name Hometown Prize
1 John Reynolds Tulsa, OK $15,188
2 Kenneth Piel Robinsonvl, MS $13,188
3 Mohammad Abedi-arani Dallas, TX $13,054
4 Ryan Bates Newcastle, OK $11,727
5 Shaun Jones Irving, TX $10,839
6 Drew Dumanski Richardson, TX $10,710
7 Isaac Do Irving, TX $7,745
8 Christopher Champeaux Fayetteville, AK $6,643
9 Kasra Khodayarkhani Plano, Tx $6,050
10 Andrew Hansen Dallas, TX $3,530
11 Omar Nawim Helotes, TX $1,130
12 Keith Budner Dallas, TX $1,130
13 Robert Layne Dallas, TX $1,130
14 Charles Hundt Austin, TX $930
15 Matthew Lawrence Tulsa, OK $930
16 Samuel Lee Mannford OK $930
17 Michael Bollinger Halstead, KS $777
18 Gregory Hyman Farmers Branch, TX $777
19 Grant Holmes Pilot Point, TX $777
20 Jody Rummel Frisco, TX $777

 A very well run event in Durant, OK by Jimmy Sommerfield. Five percent of the field from three day ones played SUnday for the money. Thursday five qualified, Friday 6 qualified and Saturday 9 qualified and we started with twenty people on three tables Sunday. We played down to ten and then did a chip chop when I was tied for the chip lead and played for 5, 3, 2 by taking 1k back from all ten players. I then got third and ended up with the most money. It was a good event and well run.

Going back this weekend for a 75k gtd event that is run the same way, gl to all.

Thursday 5-6

Sorry I haven't been blogging about my live play I haven't decided if I want to or not. I have been doing really well and am happy with my play and my hourly figures. Action has been decent and seems to be picking up. The Mid-South Poker Classic started today at the Hard Rock and I will be playing a $340 MTT tomorrow. Tonight there was a Jack and Jill but I chose to play 2-5 no limit instead and did very well. There was a really good player at the table amping up the action and I ended up making the correct play against him a couple times but he played very well.
I have been working on my live cash play but have not been playing many local MTTs leaving me fairly excited to go sling some chips around tomorrow. We have ten days of MTTS here and then I will be heading to Durant for their series and then Downstream is having the four states poker championship or something and I will go up there some too. Should be a busy May all in all and then I'll be heading to Vegas in June. I hope everyone is doing okay and making things work since Black Friday. I am sure like me several of y'all were not happy to see the bankruptcy for one of the AP/UB companies but hopefully they will pay us eventually. Meanwhile a big thank you to PokerStars for paying us so quickly and hopefully Full Tilt will soon as well.

Hold your head up and always remember today is the first day of the rest of your life. GOOD LUCK

Monday, Update liveaments

Poker on the live side of the world is still poker just slower and for the most part softer. When playing good and winning the fact that the game is slow isn't the biggest problem ever, but if a guy is losing and not playing optimally the fact a game is slow and can be quite frustrating. I was good winner in a PLO game saturday night and lost a huge pot and then began gambling a bit to much and lost. Sunday night I went to the casino and we got a round of each game going and had a few tourists in the game which kept things interesting but two big hero calls where I was right but wrong kept me loser. One time I had sixes and he had sevens with three over-cards and the other was about the same. Luckily I put twenty in a draw poker machine and hit four aces with a deuce for five hundred on a trip to the bathroom which kept me around even and then when it got late and I felt I was about to start gambling I picked up and went to blackjack and won a few hundred instead of spewing any at the table. All in all I am not happy with my spew Saturday night or the fact I played blackjack sunday but they are both rare occurrences. I knew I was spewing Saturday but kept on anyway and chose a different path Sunday although I don't know if playing blackjack is any improvement. While reflecting back on those two days I just laugh and learn from my mistakes.
Tonight I went to the casino after a text tells me they have a 2/5 game going and I win fifteen hundred in and hour and a half and busted two guys the last hand to break the game. I get into a four way pot for 15 pre-flop with 6h9h and the flop came 5s7cQs and its checked around with me being last to act. Turn is a 8c for 5s7cQs8c board giving me the nuts but leaving two flush draws possible. First guy leads 30 and gets called in two spots then I make it 115. First to act folds, next guy shoves for 300+ and the next guy goes in the tank. After a couple minutes the guy goes all-in for 400+ and then I call with the nuts and the river is a 4h. Guy with 300+ had 4c6c for a straight and a club flush draw and the guy with 400+ had Qc5c for two pair and a club flush draw. The first to act guy said he folded KK and played it poorly. All I know is the miracle 8c on the turn to give me the nuts followed by the blank on the river was pretty magical and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Mostly live poker is going pretty good and I am enjoying all the socializing after spending a year and a few months staring at a monitor. I hope most of you are also able to get out and play some live or are taking advantage of the small fields on carbon. Good luck to all of you.

Thanks for reading please leave a comment.

Happy Easter, Live Update

I am still doing decent playing live and handling the fact that I am one-tabling and not seeing very many hands pretty well. I have been doing good at NL and am even in two sessions of PLO. Unfortunately I won pretty good the first night of PLO and was up decent the second night but ended the night not playing very well after losing a big pot. I do know what I was doing wrong and why and will try to refrain from repeating those actions. I have been playing long enough to understand poker is a game of expectation and when you have a positive hourly rate just putting in the time is important. I do not think that the fact I kept playing after being ahead is why I lost, instead the reason I lost was because I changed the way I was playing after I lost a huge pot and started gambling to much. The game was still decent and there was money to be won, I just should have left as soon I stopped playing my best. I almost did leave a couple times and was aware that I was playing different but did not act accordingly. What I do know is that reflecting back on my mistakes and being honest with myself will help me avoid similar mistakes in the future and help me grow as a poker player.
Overall I am comfortable at every table I have played at and feel very good about my poker game. I do know I still have a lot to learn and plan on taking the steps needed to keep improving because poker is what I love to do and will be doing for a long time.
I am still anxiously awaiting news from Poker Stars and Full Tilt about when they will be able to process our withdrawals and am hopeful AP makes a deal with the D.O.J. to pay us as well.

Thanks for reading please leave a comment.

GL TO ALL

Thursday 4-21

I have been playing live everyday locally and doing pretty well. And as I always knew live is softer in general but takes more patience to put in the long one-tabling sessions to grind enough to have a decent hourly wage. And in a lot of poker communities 1/2 no limit is the most common game so you just have to grind. Luckily here in Tulsa, OK we get 2/5 no limit and 1/2 and 2/5 pot limit fairly often as well as a weekly game of 10/20 omaha hi/lo limit with a kill. The action is decent for not being a major gambling spot.
I was actually playing live a lot and doing fairly well before I started my mission to beat online poker in March 2010. It was an awesome journey of improvement and grinding. I am so glad I put in that time and went from thinking I was better than I was to understanding the game more and having a good idea of how I play after putting in the time to improve. By no means do I think I have it all figured out I am just on a better track and understand more about the game.  I am actually ready for this challenge of returning back to live and have been trying to tune up my cash game play with thoughts of playing some tournament series' soon.

I am glad Stars and Full Tilt made a deal to pay us our money and am equally happy that AP has started negotiations to do the same but we all are still waiting till they actually have a way to get us that money. Never the less it seems that all the sites and the D.O.J. have it as a priority to get us our money so I hope it happens soon.

Best of luck to everyone and hold your head up.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Monday 4-18

WOW! Crazy what has happened over the last few days. I got mildly lucky in a way, I have almost all my money online and for reasons unknown decided to play some live poker for the first time in over a year and played four days in a row and won 3k before the news hit Friday or I would be broke with all my funds tied up. All the sites are saying our funds are safe and they are waiting for word that they can pay us out or what not but it really all sucks.

I suppose most of us will be playing live if there is casinos near and not sure what the others will do. Luckily for me I have lots of live experience and should be able to make money. There is no telling how long this could take until we know something so best of luck to everyone.

I doubt I will be blogging daily but will still be blogging, gl all.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Took all three days off of online poker and played live instead. It wasn't something I had planned, it just happened. I hadn't really played live in about a year and a half ever since I started my mission to get winner online in March 2010. I decided Sunday I would probably take a few days off this week and Monday evening after I decided I was not playing that day I chose to go to he casino to see a friend that was playing in a tournament. He had already busted out and left so I played some 1/2. The live competition isn't always the toughest around here and I won 650 without losing a hand and enjoyed the socializing. Then Tuesday I decided to go again and had another winning session and another good time.
Yesterday I woke up and thought about playing online but decided to go to the casino again because the change of pace was fun. I played a fourteen hour session that started with a few hours of 1/2, then a 2/5 table opened up so I moved over. I stayed winner all night and then the game got three handed and we changed it to 5/10 and I played another few hours due to a very soft opponent that kept rebuying and helped me to a profit of over 100 an hour. All total I am up almost 3k in 3 days and have enjoyed it. Now all though I have been having fun i will not be thinking about going back to the live grind. It's softer with less variance but slow and not as much potential to get where I want. I may try to add a few days a month into my schedule to help stop me from being a workaholic because I grind a lot and the change of pace and interaction with people I know is fun.


Now its time to get some rest, good luck to all the grinders and GL ME. See you on the virtual felt soon.

Sunday

12pm start. Excited about getting my grind on and to watch the Masters, updates later.
Cashed in 8 out of 34 MTTs and 1 out of 1 satty's. I also made one final table but went out early. I had a few other deep runs but was not able to get winner on the day. I do believe I am playing well and continue to get it in good. I do need to work on winning more hands without showdown though.
It was a decent week overall that started with three winning sessions in a row and although those were the only days I won, the losing days were not to severe.
I have some errands to run and things to take care of this week so I may be taking some days off but I will play it by ear.
Good luck to all the grinders out there and GL ME.

Saturday

4pm start. I am ready to grind and watch a little of the masters. Here we go, updates later.
Cashed in 5 out of 24 MTTs with a few deep runs but could not get winner on the day. I feel like I played well today and if some hands would have held it could have been a great day.
There is a feeling a comfort that comes from knowing even though you lost you were ahead going in.
I have been playing some MTTs for the first time and continuing to adjust and fine tune my schedule and it's amazing the variety of MTTs there is on a daily basis. Online poker is HUGE!
My sleep schedule has been off kilter but I am sure I'll be up for the Sunday grind no matter what. Now it's time to relax while probably playing some PS3, finding something on Netflix or the dvr, and then maybe a few more pages of "No Limits".
Good luck to all the grinders out there, and GL ME!

Thanks for reading please leave a comment.

Friday

6pm late start but ready to grind a session out. I slept in after a five game back and fourth grind of MLB 11 The Show on PS3 with a friend that last into the wee hours of the morning. He ended up winning three games to my two but it was a blast, what an awesome game that is.
I have recently adjusted my schedule some and reduced some of my FTP volume and been playing a few more on AP and have enjoyed the results. For some reason I have had the least amount of success on FTP. By no means am I giving up there because I am sure I can turn it around, but plan on just playing a smaller amount of volume there for a little while. Stars and AP have been my more successful sites and will try to maximize that some.
Well, back to the grind. Registered for 18 MTTs so far and still in 10 of them, GL ME, updates later.

Cashed in 5 out of 26 MTTs with one final table and a few deep runs but ended my streak of three winning sessions in a row. Had two rough hands near back to back to get ko'ed out out the FT. The first I was behind but could win with a K, Q, 9, or a club. The other hand was AIPF, I had AK and lost to 45o. It does feel good to get deep and know I am playing good but all the money is in the top three. So my plan is to keep my head on straight and play as much volume as I can while still improving to give myself as many good chances to finish in the top three as possible. Good luck to all the grinders and GL ME.

Thursday

4pm start and ready to grind, updates later.
Cashed in 9 out of 24 MTTs with one final table. At the final table I was short most of the way but was able to hang on and then grind out a long HU match that got the best of me. I played well today and am happy about my third winning session in a row. With the variance in MTTs that doesn't happen often so I am enjoying it.
I had a rough couple days but and doing better now and should be grinding plenty in the days to come. Good luck to all the grinders and GL ME.

Tuesday, Wednesday

Tuesday I took the day off to relax.

Today I got a 6pm start after sleeping in trying to recoup from a night of awful never pains in my stump. My leg is still hurting but I am managing it well and plan on a constructive night of poker, updates later.
Cashed in 6 out of 33 MTTs with two final tables with one being a SHIP! It was a pretty good day overall and I actually enjoyed the shorter session. I registered for five hours instead of my normal six to eight and a half. I also had a deep run on stars and one on tilt but came up a little short.
Sheets chat on PxF was quite entertaining tonight and I was lucky enough for him to have both my final tables up in his sweat window for the chat and enjoyed the support, I was happy to be able to take one down.
I have been spending more of my time taking it easy and playing PS3 instead of being a constant workaholic like I was for about ten months straight. I am sure my volume will pick back up, but I hope that happens while infusing more study time and without removing my relaxation time. Its easy to make mistakes and continue making them if you're not studying your game and trying to constantly evolve.
I hope everyone is starting their April off with some wins, but no matter what keep working hard and put that volume in. Good luck to all the grinders, and GL ME.

Monday

Took the day off and slept in again. My sleep schedule is a little off after being slightly sick for a few days and sleeping in to rest. I need to make sure I am up around noon the next time I play to get back to the poker schedule I like.
Today I played some PS3 and then made a couple huge strip steaks for me and a friend to enjoy while watching the NCAA BBALL finals. I was rooting for Butler but they could not score the ball tonight.
Now for some more PS3, going to battle it out at MLB The Show 11 and then TW 12. Hope everyone had a good Monday, and good luck to all the grinders.

Saturday and Sunday

Took Saturday to enjoy the Final Four games and relax.

Sunday, 2pm start and ready to grind, updates later.
Cashed in 7 out of 50 MTTs with one final table and a few deep runs. I was able to get a little ahead on the day which is amazing considering all the multi entry MTTs I played. I had a good opportunity to possibly get out of my funk on FTP but lost a race AK
I had thoughts mid day when I still had several MTTS going a few majors on whether to stop registering and focus on the 7 MTTs I had up, or keep registering to get the value out of the triple guarantee day on FTP. I chose to grind on and was happy with my decision. It felt good to put a long session in. I had a couple spots to easily get past my hi score with a good finish but it just didn't work out today.
I plan on watching some poker videos and grinding some this week, but will also probably take a day or two off. Good luck to everyone grinding, and GL ME.

Friday

4pm start and hoping for a decent day, updates later.
Cashed in 3 out of 35 MTTs with one final table. I had several deep runs but my struggles on FTP continue. Now I am going to go play MLB on PS3 and relax. More grinding to come, GL ME.

Thursday

3:30pm start and ready to grind after two days off, updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 32 MTTs for a fairly rough day overall. I am still getting over a small cold and it affected me a little more than I thought it would. I thought I felt fine but the little bit of stuffiness from the cold and the goofiness from the medicine had me off my A game.
I have also noticed that I have by far least amount of success on FTP up to this point. Which brings up an important question, do I keep grinding there in thoughts that it will turn? Or do I stop playing there and focus on Stars and AP where I consistently do well?
I have never been one to give up or decide something is not beatable. I am more the type to keep trying until I figure out a way to win. But I am sick of all the non-cashing on FTP. I am also not a fan on the METs and have been trying to just 1x most MTTs with some exceptions. Well, enough ranting for now, I know I will keep fighting and figure out a way to win, but I may try to lower my FTP volume some for a bit to make myself feel as if I am not completely ignoring the obvious. Good luck all, and good luck me.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Starting feeling like I was coming down with a cold so took two days off to rest and relax.

Monday

2pm start although not feeling 100%, hope I am not getting sick, updates later.
Cashed in 3 out of 34 MTTs for a blah day. I had some decent stacks but could not make them work out. Fwiw, I hate the METs on FTP. I think I will just 1x everything I play and not worry about the MET. I will be grinding more this week, but might take tomorrow off, GL ME.

Sunday

12pm start ready to grind some Majors and make lots of good decisions. Also pulling for Kansas to cover and North Carolina to win. Lost of great value on the virtual felt today, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 32 MTTs but played all the majors, so came out quite a bit loser. Also lost both NCAA games. Can we say MEH? Oh well, it could be worse. I was impressed with the play in the NCAA and the games were awesome.
And for the poker, I was taking some shots. I calmed down some the last two Sundays after playing high for a few weeks prior. So I decided today was a decent day to take some shots. I cashed a couple but could not build a stack big enough to keep myself out of some race type situations, like AK vs Pair AIPF. It takes running well and playing well when you have a vulnerable stack.
Congrats to Ryan Beckwith and Apology7 for winning the March mid-stakes, they closed will a stellar Sunday.
I hope everyone is having a good March, mine has been a bit different. I took my first couple of long breaks in a year and have battled some adversity but feel good about going forward. Now I am going to make a couple t-bone steaks for me and my friend and enjoy the rest of the evening. More grinding to come, GL ME.

Saturday

1:30pm start and ready to grind. I am feeling good, coming off a win yesterday and then some fun playing MLB on PS3 afterwards. My friend hurt his leg pretty bad and is laid up so I was helping to entertain after the NCAA basketball and my poker was done for the day. We had a good time and I hope we play some more soon.
I am excited about a few ideas I have for mildly tweaking my schedule to help my efforts of less tables and more focus. I also think that even though I haven't been watching as many videos as I need or reviewing my HHs enough, I am still improving with trial and error. But I do plan on watching more videos, taking more lessons, and reviewing more HHs. Well, break is almost back to the grind, updates later.
Cashed in 8 out of 36 MTTs with a final table in the $75 24k on FTP. I finished in fifth place but feel I played well through most of the tournament. Today went well and I had several deep runs. I also am enjoying working on some of the things I am currently working on to improve my game.
Tomorrow is Sunday so I am looking forward to all the huge prize pools and large fields, GL ME.

Friday

1:30pm start and ready to grind. Hoping for a high level of focus today, updates later.
Cashed in 5 out of 39 MTTs with two final tables. All five cashes were on AP so that means I went 0fer on Stars and FTP, mehaments. It was a decent day overall and I am very happy to have gotten winner on the day and to have gotten past 4th place in a MTT. It had been a little bit since I got past fourth. The HU match was over an hour long and I really wanted to take it down but came up short. I just need to keep progressing and trying to improve my game. In some of my most recent sessions I have been noticing some things I need to work on and hope some more trial and error will help me towards that path. Still a couple days left for the P5s comp, GL US, and GL ME.

Thursday

Day off! Went with a friend to Hooters for lunch and then we battled it out on PS3 move playing the new Top Spin Tennis game, and Bocci ball. He ended up a couple dollars when we quit, damn. Now I am sitting around watching the Sweet 16 play. In a little while I will be going to dinner at Olive Garden and then to watch Limitless or The Lincoln Lawyer.
I am trying to add an occasional day off in to my schedule more often than before. Good luck to all you grinders out there playing today, and GL ME.

Wednesday

2pm start and ready to grind, updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 35 MTTs with a few deep runs but could not make my big hands hold late. Its all a work in progress and a realization that you need to build stacks to be able to absorb blows. More grinding to come, GL ME.

Tuesday

2pm start and after an hour I feel like I am playing a little distracted and going to try to focus more, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 5 out of 39 MTTs with one final table but came up a little short on the day. Overall I think my play is slowly improving but I would like to step it up more. I have two HHs I need to review and would also like to get back to watching more videos. I spend so much time playing that when I am done its usually time to relax. Then when its time to start the day all the good MTTs are starting so I want to play instead of study. I am sure a lot of players go through this. So far I have done most of my recent studying while taking lessons and playing a huge percent of the rest of the time. I can do it, GL ME.

Monday

6pm start after sleeping in and then going for a haircut and some food. I am feeling good and my mind is very poker friendly. I was able to see the correct line and explain my thoughts clearly in the Fox HH discussion on PxF tonight and had a long conversation with a friend that is switching to MTTs from cash and was able t help him a lot as well. It is nice to feel like things are making sense. So back to the grind, updates later.
Cashed in 0 out of 26 MTTs and did not run particularly well. There is always tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and so on and so fourth. I was happy with most of my plays and like I mentioned my mindset was in a good place but today was just not my day. Still one week to try and pull out of last place in the mid-stakes team comp on P5s so I will be doing what I can, GL ME.

Sunday

12pm start and ready for the Sunday grind, updates later.
Cashed in 3 out of 23 MTTs with a final table on Stars. I kept my volume down to day due to playing mostly majors and saving room to 6x the Mini-FTOPS Main. I had a pretty good day overall, but did take some brutal beats. Luckily I know that everyone takes brutal beats and I choose to go at it with the mindset of trying to handle my brutal beats better than the competition.
I am starting to get a good idea of how I play and know I need to keep improving. I am trying to get my chat group motivated to all start putting more of an individual effort to improve and to stat scheduling HH reviews with other members. I think if we all start reviewing more HHs and talking about it the whole group will improve. I will also be taking more lessons soon and am excited for a leak-finder video by AJKhoosier over my 2nd place in a UBOC. I have recently been slacking on the video watching and forum activity and need to step it up. It takes work to improve at a decent pace. I think its easy to play to many tables and slow down the process of improving and thats not what I want, GL ME.

Saturday

12:30 pm start and ready to grind the mini-ftops 2-day tournament. Feeling refreshed after my day off yesterday and ready to get that money, updates later.
Cashed 6 out of 34 MTTs with a few deep runs but came up short. I had a long battle with gags30 in the mini-ftops HU MTT and he ended up getting me in the end but I feel I played well.
Sunday shipaments tomorrow so going to hop off here and wind down, GL ME.

Friday

Due to being distracted yesterday playing with March Madness NCAA basketball games on in the back ground I chose to take the day off and watch and relax. I was still happy with my play yesterday until the last few hours when I started yawning and lost some focus and desire. I must have been tired because I don't do that often. This is also one of the reason for the day off to reflect on my mistakes and try to get past them. I have not been watching very many training videos and have never done as much reviewing of my play as I need. I think I will have to just schedule in review hours and just stick to it. Maybe that will help me build better habits and start regular review. I just feel if I keep playing all the time with no review I will really slowdown my growth process.
Poker is an awesome game but to reach the goals I have set I need to take another step forward and plan on doing what it takes, GL ME.

Thursday

2pm start after a lesson with shanetrain, updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 34 MTTs for a meh day where I played more distracted than I should due to March Madness. Overall I am happy with some MTT selection changes I have made and know I will continue to improve. Gl with your brackets.

Wednesday

3pm start and ready to continue my comeback of late, updates later.
Cashed in 7 out of 30 MTTs with a few deep runs but overall came up a little short. I continued to work on eliminating some MTTs out of my schedule to focus more on the best value ones with less distractions. Hopefully this will help me improve on a faster pace by having more time to think and get reads. I also hope to find more time for review, and although this is something I say I keep wanting to do but end of playing mostly instead, I do planning on reviewing more.
Hopefully my team in P5s mid-stakes is having some success and we can pull out of last, but I will enjoy my own personal grind either way.
Good luck to everyone tat fills out a March Madness bracket, I hope someone I know has a perfect bracket, would be so sick. I am in three pools including one of my own, two have the same bracket and one is a little different. I also filled out nine other brackets on espn hoping to get one right.
Now its time to eat the t-bone steak that is almost done cooking on the foreman and watch soem DVR, GL TO ALL and GL ME!

Tuesday

2pm starts after a one hour lesson with shanetrain22, updates later.
Cashed in 6 out of 34 MTTs with one final table and another winning day. Again it wasn't a big win, but a win none the less. My lesson with shanetrain22 went well today. We had one spot we reviewed that surprised us both after we plugged in the numbers and saw how profitable it was. We also had a nice discussion about MTT selection and I already put some of that to use.
I will be putting in a lot more grinding this month and hope to keep improving, GL ME.

Stay at it!

I first started playing online poker in 2004 on Party Poker. I remember starting at SNGs and running up my account a few times but never getting anywhere. I only played occasionally and in spurts because I was a pool player and made my money gambling at pool. Poker was more for fun although I would be trying to win money and had always had marginal success when playing in home games. I even ran a poker game from my apt. for about a year around 2003. In 2005 poker was legalized in OK and several of us pool players got a job at the casino thanks to one of our pool playing friends getting in as a shift manager of the poker room and giving his friends with poker experience a call to come apply. Once I started at the casino poker became a bigger part of my life and pool faded out. Five months into my new career I was in a motorcycle wreck and was in the hospital for four months. About two months in to that four as I was getting better I started playing some online and it helped so much to pass the time. I just wish I had a clue about improving at poker at this time, I sure had some time on my hands.
Well, I get out of the hospital and I was living at a friends house I haven't known that long due to my girlfriend of over four years dying while I was in the hospital. Kristie was a great person and I miss her but she had cancer and got a blood clot and had complications. The house we were renting had been getting packed up for me and my family lived in another state but I was keeping my job at the casino so staying with a friend it was. Well, due to these new circumstances I consumed myself with work and poker. We could play at the casino when we were off work so I would work eight hours then play 1/2 or 2/5 no limit for hours everyday. I would also play in any tournaments that I could when I could.
I thought I played well. I won more than I lost and always felt like I had an edge at the table. I kept playing online in spurts too. It was always spurts though because I didn't understand bankroll management. I had made my money gambling for about ten years before working at the casino and never had a clue about bankroll management, so amazing.
June 2008 I lose my job and start playing live poker in hopes I can make it. I was doing okay but my lack of bankroll control gave me false feelings of comfort when I was actually always risking most of my roll. I would usually make it a while before a mistake cost me and then would take a breather and sometimes switch to online for a while. After a few years of never getting anywhere online I had started to think I couldn't beat it, then in late 2009 with some help from a friend I started to understand BRM and finished the year a small winner.
In 2010 after a good live series I bought a new laptop and chose to devote myself to online poker and try to get winner. I am exactly one year into that journey and am winner and have improved a ton. It took strict BRM, lots of volume, a poker chat group, P5s, PxF, TPE, and I took some lessons. I had a great January but a less than stellar February and a rough start to March. I just took a five day break for the first time in a year, I had only took a couple one day breaks and not very often. After my five day break I played for two and half days and was not in a good spot. I took two more days off and during those two days has two great conversations with a couple close poker friends. Now I am a few days back from that break and I feel so good. I have been motivated and taking all the beats well. I have also been getting back to actively reaching final tables. I haven't shipped one but feel like my game is charging forward. I really want to be more active in review but tend to spend most of my time playing.
The moral of the story is work hard and stay with it. I will get everything I want by putting in the hard work it requires, you can too.

Monday

2:30pm start and ready to grind, updates later.

Cashed in 10 out of 40 MTTs with three final tables and was able to get winner on the day. I was not able to get past 5th but am glad to be having deep runs. I do think I played pretty well overall and was happy with my progress on emotional detachment. I am getting back in my grind mode and I like it.

Lesson with shanetrain22 tomorrow and I'm stoked to work on my game some more. I uploaded the $55 40k HH from today in PxF for us to go over. 

Not a whole going on for me right now except to improve my poker game and keep building my roll. I do have some things I want and plan on doing the work to get it. 

The team I am on in the mid-stakes comp on P5s if finally out of last place and I hope to keep contributing, but for us to do any good the other players will need to step it up, GL US, GL ME, and GL ALL!

Sunday

12:30pm start and ready to grind.
Cashed in 3 out of 25 MTTs with a couple deep runs but did not get winner on the day. I felt that there was lots of value in the MTTs I played today and as long as I keep improving and putting in volume the scores will come. Hopefully our team in the mid-stakes comp had some scores today, it would be nice to pull out of last place. I plan on grinding and doing some HH review this week and finishing out March with lots of volume, GL ME.

Saturday

2pm start and ready to grind through the phantom pain I'm having, updates later.

Cashed in 8 out fo 40 MTTs with a final table in the 5r 50k on Stars and my first winning day in a while. I didn't win much but it felt good all the same. My game is progressing and I am noticing leaks and mistakes faster and trying to fix them as I go. I have saved several tough hands and will improve my game with review as well. I am so glad to be back working hard at poker with my mindset feeling correct, this is my passion. Lost of grinding to come as I try to help my team as much as possible in the March mid-stakes comp on P5s, GL ME.

Friday

12:30pm start and ready to get back to the full time grind. I took five full days off then played two and half days and took two more days off. I am now refreshed and so ready to go. I did realize today that my first couple bad beats where quite annoying and I wondered why it bothered me more than before, but I realized  it is like any sport or process. If you take some time off, it might take a rack of balls to warm up, or a bucket at the range, or some swings in the batters cage, and it deff got easier with every beat I took. I also think that after having gone through this I will also just be more mentally prepared for any beats when I play after a break next time. Just the process of all the improvements is a huge part of why I enjoy poker so much. Updates later.
Cashed in 8 out of 52 MTTs with two final tables in a couple small field MTTs on AP. Overall a good day even though I did not get winner because I feel like I noticed several things and improved my game. I am excited to be back on the grind and plan on doing the work necessary to improve, and then some. GL ME

Wednesday and Thursday

Took both days off, got a rim replaced and two new tires on my van and enjoyed a relaxed evening on Wed. Thursday I went to a friends to play PS3 Move Bocci Ball and MLB The Show 2011, it was a blast. I have also had a couple good conversations about life and poker with friends that have been there and the conversations help.
I do want to clarify that I am doing well and just taking a small break. I did go on a small downswing and had a tilty day last week, but truly I am just taking a few days and reflecting and preparing myself for more grinding to continue on my path. I love poker and enjoy it immensely and will reach the goals I set.
I hope everyone is doing well and I would like to leave you with a couple thoughts.
Hard work pays off!
Positivity rocks!
You get back what you put in!
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

GL ME, GL ALL!

Tuesday

4pm late start, was not going to play today but the tire shop won't have my tires till tomorrow so I will run that errand then. Hoping for a night of good decisions and definitely not going to spin on a tilted top, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 0 out of 16 MTTs and stopped registering early, got to have more fight, but think I need a couple more days off, GL ME.

Monday

2pm start and feeling good, ready to make good decisions, updates later.
Cashed in 6 out of 40 MTTs with a few deep runs but could not get winner. I took a brutal river beat in the rush mini-ftops that  spun me on tilted top. As I spun on this tilted top I overplayed a few hands and was punished to the extreme for every mistake. I stubbornly registered in a couple more MTTs but then realized I was still spinning on the tilted top and tried to work my way through what I had going. It was not pretty but I hope I can take something away from the experience. I try really hard to stay in control of my emotions and always remain positive, but I broke today.

Hoping for better days, GL ALL!

Sunday

12pm start and ready to try and tackle a big day, updates later.
Cashed in 3 out of 30 MTTs with a couple decent chances but just another expensive Sunday. It was nice to shoot at the huge prize pools but will be back to the grind this week, GL ME.

Saturday

2pm start, back to the grind. Updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 40 MTTs with couple deep runs but loser on the day. Tomorrow will be huge with the Sunday Million guaranteeing five million, this will probably also inflate several other MTTs throughout the day. Good luck to everyone playing, make good decisions with emotional detachment.
It was nice to be back playing after a week off, my wrist got a little sore but other than that it went okay. P5s March team contest starts tomorrow and so does Mini-FTOPS so let the grinding commence, GL ME.

Friday

Fifth day off in a row! Today I took my dog to the groomers, went to the apple store and bought a ten-key keypad by SMK-LINK, cleaned my apartment, did laundry, and then had an awesome dinner with a friend at Olive Garden. It was a complete day. Tomorrow I am back to the grind and will be excited to get back at it. I plan on doing things a little different by picking a better schedule of MTTs and play a few less tables. The March P5s contest starts Sunday, good luck to all the teams. I am usually a captain and know most of the players so I usually pick a decent team, but since I was taking the day off I did not captain and ended up on a team that does not look to strong on the surface, but hopefully we can sneakily have a few good weeks. I will definitely try to be a captain from now on. Hopefully my team will surprise me, we do have one player with a 500k badge, GL US.


I did not do as much studying or review many HHs this week, but the break was good for me. When I set goals and try to achieve things like improving at poker I usually stop doing everything else and give it 100%. I think it is juts part of my personality, when I have poker improvements on my mind doing other things just does not seem to occur to me. I wake up and start my day and then it's time to play poker, the few times I did other things I constantly had all the MTTs I was missing running through my mind every :00, :15, :30, and :45. Is it sad I have the entire schedule across three sites memorized? I guess not, I now to get what you want you have to put the time in.


GL TO ALL, and GL ME

Thursday

Day off! About to go eat at Red Robin with a friend and enjoy the day. I'll be back.
Lunch was good, then when came back to my apt. and played PS3 move bocce ball for $1 a point and I won $21. Lolaments. Now trying to decide what to do with myself, I could easily start a session but I am trying to make myself take a few days off. I will definitely be playing by Sunday for the 5 mil and mini ftops.

Wednesday

Day off! Today was my third day off in a row in an effort to recharge my batteries and catch up with a few friends. I'll be back.

Tuesday

DAY OFF! Going to take my daughter shopping and entertain her for a few hours.I did still join in on the HH discussion PxF yesterday and will be doing some HH reviews this week too. I will be laying some this week but deff enjoying a couple days off, gl to all playing.

Monday

DAY OFF! Went to a friends to play PS3 move and hang out, Bocce ball is so awesome.

Sunday

12:30pm start and ready for a big day, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed 4 out of 50 MTTs and ended up way behind. This was at least my fourth expensive sunday in a row and I think it is time to go back to conservative for a little while. I am also going to take a few days off this week to get some things done but I will try to do some HH reviews and watch some videos on the days I don't play. There are a few things I want to work on and improve in my approach and schedule and I think after a few days off I will start on the right foot, GL ME.

Saturday

2:30pm start, updates later.
Cashed in 7 out of 45 MTTs with a few deep runs but again came up short. The struggles of the grind are just part of it, a good MTT player will get ITM 13%-19% of the time, that leads to 80% of disappointing finishes, but knowing your target goal is that small percentage helps keep it in perspective. It is not fun or easy to deal with the rough days, but it is just part of it and if you keep the emotion out and find strength in knowing you're improving then the wins will come.
Tomorrow should be a big day, there is the Sunday majors and it is the last day of the P5s comp, GL ME.

Friday

1pm start and ready to grind, updates later. 

Cashed in 4 out of 42 MTTs with one final table bit could not get ahead on the day. I did have a few deep runs but ultimately came up short. I do feel I am still improving but have had a few recent struggles. I think I am due for a day off but would like to finish strong for the P5s comp. I am debating going to play a HPT live event tomorrow but undecided as of yet, GL ME if I go.

Thursday

4pm start after a good lesson with shanetrain and a nice chat with a local friend that is trying to beat online six max cash games. I plan on giving it my all tonight and trying to keep improving my decision making, updates later.
Cashed in 3 out of 44 MTTs for a pretty rough day. I had a small time in the middle of my session where I was feeling tired and frustrated and working through that to finish the night making good decisions was the highlight of the day. Just a couple days left in the P5s comp and we are now in second place, so I will be putting some grind in trying to put us back in first and take a shot at the MVP, GL ME.

Wednesday

5:30pm start after running a couple errands. Cashed in 6 out of 39 MTTs with a couple deep runs but did not get ahead on the day. Overall my play is still improving and I am excited for my next lesson tomorrow. The chat session on PxF were good today and I think they set PxF apart from the other training sites.
I have been noticing several new blogs and I hope they stay with it I think blogging is more for the writer, but it is definitely nice to know it's being read. I hope everyone is playing well and having a positive 2011, GL ALL.

Tuesday

2:30pm start after a great lesson with doubledave. We went over several tough hands I had saved from the days before and it pointed out a similar spot with an easy math fix that I had been struggling with. He taught me how to calculate the equity in a hand which was very interesting too. I was able to use it today and am quite pleased with what I am learning.
I cashed in 7 out of 43 MTTs with a few deep runs but could not get winner. I plan on doing some small MTT selection changes over the next few days to slightly reduce the numbers of tables I am playing and make sure I am in the ones with the best value for me. I think it will be easier to fix a few of my auto-pilot habits and work on the math with a few less tables through out the day. I do believe most of the improvements on the math will come during review and then translate to the tables.
It is nice to start to get a feel for the level I am at and have a plan on how to improve. I think the closer someones opinion of their own game is to the truth, the better the chance of them reaching their full potential. So although I try to stay confident, I try to be very realistic about how I play in hopes of not missing out on chances to improve.
Still a few days left in the Feb. team comp on P5s and I will be putting in some volume, see you at the tables.

GL ME

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment.

Monday

4:30pm start and ready to grind. My team has been leading the Feb. midstakes comp on P5s and over the weekend a couple of teams pulled close. My plan is to grind, grind, grind and hopefully maintain the lead. GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 7 out of 37 MTTs with one final table and a few deep runs. Overall a decent day although I did not get winner. I have a lesson with doubledave22 tomorrow and I have saved a couple dozen tough hands from the last few days to go over. It should be a good lesson, he is so helpful and plays so good. We have about five days left in the midstakes comp on P5s but out lead is diminishing. I will be putting some serious volume this week going for the win in the comp and the MVP race, GL ME.

Sunday

1pm start feeling good and ready to grind, updates later.
Cashed in 4 out of 30 MTTs and took several shots at majors. I did have a few deep runs but came up short. I was able to save a bunch of tough hands that I came across and will be sure to go over them in a lesson with doubledave or shanetrain. It is amazing the amount some of the MTTs pay on Sunday, it is hard to not let the thought of the money creep in, but I am sure in time it will not be a big deal.
I have a few things on my mind so I am going to hop off here and relax and think. GL ALL

Saturday

3pm start and ready to grind. Today was also the last decent mtt at the Ok. State Championship at the Hard Rock in Tulsa, Ok. It was about a two week series and I did not play any events. I am winner playing up there but right now for me personally, I see more value online. I plan on a playing a full schedule, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 10 out of 40 MTTs with a couple deep runs but no great finishes. To be honest with myself I do not think that I played up to the level I am capable of. I made several mistakes and punted a stack or two.
I am improving but I think there is a point where you are questioning several of your old standard plays and trying to make new better standards, or just not play standard at all. During these times being patient with the learning process is important because you do not want to stop trying to do what you think is right in fear of the results.
Sundays are a bit of a challenge for me to figure out the best schedule for myself. Obviously I would like to play the majors and do some but where do you draw the line. And with the METs on FTP now where do you draw the line. The 3 million guarantee on FTP tomorrow allows the player to buy in six times, damn that is a lot of money. I do know that there is not many MTTs anywhere that guarantee 3 million though, so it might just have to get played.
I have actively been saving all my tough hands I come across to a text file. Mostly hands I have a bet sizing question on, a question about the line I took, an equity question, or it could just be a spot I think I need to review. I was actively saving hands like this a month or so ago and picking out a few every Monday for the Fox HH discussion on PxF, but so many of the hands didn't get the proper review. This time I am loading them all up in the PxF replayer and going to go over them in lessons with doubledave and shanetrain. I will also still be going over a few with Fox every week, that chat session is awesome.
Well, it's approaching 3am here and I want to be awake and ready to play by noon tomorrow so I should probably start trying to wind down. I generally wake up, take my dog out, shower and get dressed, then prepare for a lesson if I have one or start grinding. I then grind from usually 1pm till midnight or later and then watch some poker videos and troll the forums before going to the DVR or a movie. I try to treat poker like a job, but it is a job I really enjoy. I am a bit of a workaholic, but it comes from my drive to be great. I have a hunger for improvement. When I started playing pool at 15 years old I got a small taste of improvement after watching a real good player play and I tried to imitate.  For me improvement is like a drug and I love it. I played pool everyday all day long for about ten years always trying to improve. Now that my love is poker I am back to the all day everyday I want to improve attitude and loving every minute of it. Poker is so challenging too, as soon as you start to figure a few things out those few things bring on a few questions each, what an awesome game.
Okay I am going to stop rambling for now, grinding hard tomorrow, GL ME.

Follow my twitter @cracker76 for poker updates when playing online and live.

Friday

5:45pm start and ready to grind. Just got done eating at a great mexican restaurant here in Tulsa with one of the best online players from this area, and one of the best live players from this area. It was great conversation, food, and just nice to get out of the apartment for a while. Had another great lesson with doubledave today before lunch, we reviewed some of my NSG 2nd place HH, some tough hands I saved from yesterday, and he helped me understand how to find if you have equity in some spots. I truly believe these lessons are helping a ton, I am thinking the game better and making better decisions. Mostly because talking with doubledave and shanetrain more and more is helping my understanding of the game in general, and how to think during a hand. Time to grind, updates later.
Cashed in 7 out of 32 MTTs with a couple deep runs but nothing special. Overall my play is improving and I feel better about my decision making but I still have lots of work to do. I plan on continuing to take lessons for a while and really get my game in shape. I also have been telling a few of my poker chat friend to upload a HH into PxF replayer and set up a time for us to go over it. I want to start doing a little one hour HH review and I know it will help us, but scheduling them when guys all have different start times can be challenging. I think as soon as we do a couple more and the guys doing them start to improve from it, they will be a regular thing.
One cool thing about improving is the more questions you answer, the more that come up. I have been improving immensely and at the same time having to save several hands a day for review later because I get in spots where I have so many questions. Luckily with poker you can get back what you put in it. If I keep working hard, I think I will answer these questions as they arise and keep improving.

I hope you enjoy the blog, leave a comment.

Thursday

2pm start after another awesome lesson with shanetrain22. Today we covered some spots in the early stages, it was very beneficial. Now to the grind, updates later.
Cashed in 8 out of 49 MTTs with one final table. It was a pretty good day overall even though I did not get winner. The lessons are really paying off and I am thinking the game a lot better. I am excited for my next doubledave lesson tomorrow and then I'll have more lessons w doubledave and shanetrain next week. I am also trying to get all the guys in my chat group to start uploading some HHs and trying to set a time with someone to review. If we all start doing this more we will all improve. I am happy to report my team is leading the P5s Feb. team comp and I am leading the yearly low-stakes comp, hoping to keep it up. Time for some rest and then a lesson to start the day before grinding tomorrow, GL ME.

Wednesday

2pm start after an awesome lesson with shanetrain22, updates later.

Cashed in 6 out of 46 MTTs with two final tables and a few deep runs. The recent lessons are paying off and I am thinking poker a lot better. I have lessons the next two days as well and more next week. My chat group is also trying to get more regular HH discussions so we can all learn from each other and get better at the HH review process. Both Fox' and Sheets' chats were awesome tonight on PxF, Sheets is so entertaining. The chat sessions definitely set pxf apart from the rest. I have been getting lots of support on the rail when playing and I want to say, thanks for the support. Time to relax and watch some television and then sleep, 1pm lesson comes early. GL ME.

Hope you are enjoying the blog, please leave a comment.

Tuesday

1:30pm start, had to reschedule todays lesson too, shanetrain had two root canals, ugh, hope he recovers well I hate tooth pain. Going to play lots of MTTs today, GL ME, updates later.
Cashed in 9 out of 47 MTTs with three final tables with one being a 2nd in the NSG on Stars. Overall a great day and an awesome score. Tired now, more tomorrow.