9/29/2012

Keep on keeping on

Lets get caught up. Thursday the 20th I cashed in 2 out of 13 MTTs and 0 out of 1 satellites and broke about even on the day. I took Friday off and played Saturday cashing in 2 out of 14 MTTs and 1 out of 2 satellites. I also had been trying to get some money off Carbon although the reason wasn't from having to much online, I simply had some things i needed to take care of. I was able to sell some Carbon funds to another player for a fee and got what I needed off in two transactions.

Saturday I ended my session a little early and decided to go play live for the first time in several months. I played a lot of live poker 2005 to 2010 and then focused online 2010 until Black Friday. After BF I went back to live until May 2012, and since coming back to online in May I have played all online. After playing nothing but inline for the last few months I decided I would go play some 1/2 nl at the casino.

I ended up being stuck most of the night and then finally got winner as our table was breaking down after a seven hour session. It's amazing to me how many players live play a limp, flat style of play. They hardly raise but never fold. Its pretty awesome watching it for hours. I also get amusement out of the table talk and the one or two professors at every table, so funny. For the night I played about seven hours and won half a buy-in and was happy with my play.

Sunday I cashed in 2 out of 16 MTTs for another disappointing day full of the best MTTs of the week. I had a few deep runs but couldn't get through the big hands and both my cashes were of the minimum variety. Overall I feel I am playing well and enjoying talking poker and working on my game but there is some small frustrations that come with downswings. Truly though I have no worries as I am as relentless as they come and will power through and get mine.

Monday I had to run some errands but decided to play a short session after. I cashed in 0 out of 7 MTTs and 0 out of 1 satellites but again felt I was playing well just wasn't able to manage a cash out of this short sample.  Tuesday I played around the same schedule as I had something to do early and was able to cash in 1 out of 9 MTTs and 0 out of 2 satellites. Still a disappointing day but again I felt I was playing okay and losing a lot of flips.

After a mildly disappointing few days i decided to take a few days off and relaxed away from the game until Thursday night when I went to play 1/2 nl at the Casino again. I played for several hours staying about $50 winner the whole time but played no big hands. Friday I went to play 1/2 again and was small winner the first half of the session before a couple small coolers and then grinded a short stack a while before losing JJ to K8 on a 9 hi flop to a rivered straight. It was a decent night as I felt I played well but you can't win every session and I decided to call a night.

Saturday I was fully engaged in the Ryder Cup but did manage to play the 2 Freerolls I was in on Carbon. One was a 10k guaranteed nl MTT and the other was a satellite giving away 125 $109 tickets. I cashed in the MTT but not the satellite and decided to watch golf and football instead of register more MTTs.

Feels a little meh posting a bunch of days with no good scores but truly this is juts part of grinding and all we can do is keep soldiering on. Poker is wild as every player hits the upside of variance at different times and all we can do is work on our game constantly, keep emotion out of our decisions, and not give up.

Good luck to all the grinders out there, keep fighting hard until you reach your goals!

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.

9/20/2012

Seabiscuit n gravy

Sunday was the last day of Maximus 2 and I fired at all of the last four events. For the day I cashed in 2 out of 19 MTTs and didn't really have any deep runs. Overall I am happy with my play it was just one of those days. I took five days off before Maximus 2 began as I was trying to get recharged and past a small downswing. I started back playing the Friday before Maximus 2 and ended up having four positive days in a row. I was very happy to string some positive days together and was ready to try and ship a Maximus event. I had three deep runs but finished in 10th, 10th, and 11th. Overall it was a decent series and I was able to make a profit even with bricking the events on the last day including the Main.

After a good series but a rough last day I decided to take a couple days off. I took off Monday and Tuesday and mostly relaxed and watched movies. Wednesday I woke up with no intention to play but after cleaning my apartment for a couple hours I ended up at my computer and decided to play a session.

Wednesday I cashed in 0 out of 8 MTTs and 0 out of 2 satellites. Obviously no cashes isn't great but it was still a decent day. While playing one of my students watched me play for an hour or so and we were able to talk about a couple hands which is always good. Later on that evening he won a MTT on Lock, and it couldn't have come at a better time as he had been on a downswing that I think was starting to affect his drive to play. I just want to tell him, excellent job shipping that MTT bro.

Tomorrow I am giving a lesson in the mid-afternoon and then plan on playing a session. I am kind of excited as this player has improved a ton and I can't wait to talk more poker with him. It's really cool seeing players improve and then improve some more. Good luck to all the grinders out there, if you put the work in you will get the results.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.

9/16/2012

GG Maximus 2

Today I cashed in 3 out of 9 MTTS and 0 out of 2 satellites. I was able to make one final table and win the $22 2k and also had another deep run in a Maximus but went out in 10th again. I said yesterday that I wanted to best my 10th place finish but was only able to tie it, maybe tomorrow. Overall it was a good day and I feel I played well but still have plenty to work on.

Tomorrow is the last day of Maximus 2 and I am expecting lots of players to be online tomorrow. I am sure there are lots of players with high hopes for tomorrow but all we can do is try to play our best and keep emotion out of our decision making. I feel that if I can do that I will have a good day.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.





9/15/2012

W, T, F

Wednesday I cashed in 3 out of 24 MTTs and 1 out of 4 satellites and was able to make one final table but went out fourth. It wasn't the greatest day overall but I felt I played well and did what I could.

Thursday I took the day off and went out to eat with a good friend. We had an amazing meal at Olive Garden and caught up on the last couple months. My friend is coming off a recent upper five figure score in a live MTT and it was fun talking poker and going over some of his final table that I was able to watch live streaming. I have been playing a lot so it was nice to get caught up with a friend and enjoy a great meal.

Friday it was time to get back to work and I did just that. I cashed in 3 out of 14 MTTs and 0 out of 1 satellites. I was able to make one final table but a two-outer and then being on the wrong side of a race had me going out in 7th. I also made another deep run in a Maximus getting 11th in the $11r 40k. I have a 10th and an 11th now and really hope to best that this weekend.

Good luck to all the grinders finishing up Maximus 2 and playing WCOOP. Make sure you are giving as close to 100% as you can and give yourself the best shot possible.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.



9/12/2012

Crizacked

Today I cashed in 3 out of 28 MTTs and 2 out of 7 satellites. I was able to make one final table and finished in 4th place. Overall I felt I played well today but it was definitely just one of those days that it seems there was no way to get ahead. 

I am never one to tell bad beat stories or dwell on played hands but I literally had aces cracked six times just to give you an example of what I mean by a tough day to win. I will say that I kept emotion out of my game and handled all the beats with class. I did crack a smile a time or two but never let it bother me I just kept grinding. Luckily, I did manage a few deep runs and the one final table so I will hold my head up high, do some review and prepare for tomorrow.

There is still several days left of Maximus 2 and I plan on taking advantage of the bigger fields and prize pools while I can. Good luck to anyone grinding Maximus 2 or WCOOP, may all your cards be live and your pots be monsters.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.



9/11/2012

grinding along, singing a song

Today I cashed in 5 out of 14 MTTs and 0 out of 2 satellites. I was able to make two final tables and win both tournaments. To be honest it felt really good to win two MTTs today and give my BR a little boost. The first MTT I won went pretty smooth as I had the chip lead through most of the FT, but the second went quite different as there was an overly aggressive chip leader just mowing guys down. I stayed patient and won a few hands then overcame a 3-1 disadvantage in chips to win. All in all it was a great day and every time I have a great day it feel as if I am being paid back for all the hard work.

With the smaller player pool we have for American sites it seems as if I am familiar with a few players going deep in all the big MTTs. It's nice to see lots of grinders hitting scores and continuing to improve. Maximus 2 is no WCOOP but I am happy to have some kind of online series to play and I hope to make the best of the opportunity.

Poker can be so amazing at times and so brutal at times. Its wild how poker momentum can flow in swings where we cash in several MTTs and get some wins for periods of time, and then other times it may seem as if whatever we do, its not enough and we come up short. Variance is real, the game is ever evolving, and the players are constantly improving. All these variables helps lead to the fact that if we want to win we must try to play our best, keep emotion out of the way, and be prepared for variance.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.





9/10/2012

Don't hate, increase your win rate

Today I cashed in 5 out of 19 MTTs and 3 out of 6 satellites. I was able to make one final table but did not crack the top three as I finished in 4th. I had a couple other deep runs as well, one ending in 11th to a two-outer, but I feel as if I played well. After taking a few days off I have now had three positive days in a row and I hope to keep it going this week with several good Maximus events left to play.

I don't quite understand why people share their thoughts if they are only going to be negative and hateful. Especially considering in most cases they do it with little to no information or reason. Life is to short and no one should waste anytime hating when they could be doing so many other things. From what I have seen no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. We are all human and should be able to handle the good and bad in everyone. If something happens we should do our best to move on through the wreckage and live our lives to the fullest. We should all worry about bettering ourselves and not spend anytime trying to bring anyone else down. End rant.

Good luck to all the grinders playing Maximus 2 and WCOOP, may you run good and play good for the win. I will be playing several more Maximus events myself and plan on trying to make the most out of the opportunity.  I feel as if I am playing well but I still have things to work on so I continue to try and improve daily. The chat was active today and we discussed several hands posted by players. I enjoy the poker talk and feel as if we helped everyone that posted a hand. Talking over a poker hand can really help. Usually you will either find assurance that the hand was played correctly or insight into how to play it better. No matter which of the responses you get both are very helpful.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.



9/09/2012

Keep improving

Friday I cashed in 1 out of 11 MTTs finishing 10th in the $109 30k Maximus. To be honest I am not rolled for $109s and I bought in with FPPs, and it was nice to turn an FPP buy-in into a decent cash. I feel I played well but was a little disappointed going out in 10th. After my session I went to the store for groceries preparing for a weekend grind. Bubbling a FT is never fun, but as usual I decided that no one MTT or hand will ever bring me down and tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities.

Saturday I cashed in 6 out of 15 MTTs and 0 out of 3 satellites. I was able to make two final tables finishing 5th in the $22 2k and winning the $16 1k. Pretty good day overall and it actually could have been better if I would have made a different decision in a spot or two or held when ahead a time or two. I had two spots where I made a play verse an overly aggressive player and both times my timing was off as they had monsters. I also noticed that I need to take a conscious effort to take a little more time when really deep and make sure I allow myself time to think. I felt as if I made one of my decisions a bit quickly and will be working on taking my time. But, to be perfectly honest it was nice to have a couple decent days in a row after a rough August so I am thankful for some decent results.

Taking most of last week off before starting back Friday was good for me. I hate to admit it but a couple days before I took a break I found myself waking up and wanting to play, but after a couple hours I would get tired and start to lose focus. I am sure most of y'all know how brutal it can be to be dozing off while playing. I hate registering for an MTT and then mid-way through be wishing it was time to relax. Both days I kept my sessions short and powered through but was very disappointed in myself. That is not a feeling I want to allow to happen, so I took some days off to rest up and get refreshed.

Truly I think it stems back to the fact that when I start doing something I go all out until I almost burn out. For example when I was 15 and saw a real good pool player I decided I wanted to be a good player. So I played nearly everyday for a good four or five years and reached my goal. Another example would be when I decided to improve at online poker in 2010 and I played everyday until BF. Then when BF hit I did the same thing with live poker and played everyday up until March 2012. In March I decided I would take a break and then I obsessed on Tiger Woods 13 for a couple months before deciding to tackle online again. In May when I decided to get back to online I did the same thing and I have been pretty much playing everyday and doing nothing else.

I don't seem to be very good at merging my activity ranges. When I am into something it usually has my attention so everyday when I wake up that is what I do. Another factor here is that I am a grinder and am not financially stable to the point that I can do whatever I want. When I wake up the decision is usually simple, try to make money. Luckily for me, my two passions have been pool and poker and in both high volume can really pay off. One of the only downsides is worrying about burning out some, but I am trying to get better at taking a few days off. I suppose an ideal situation would be to play a few days a week, relax a couple days a week, and between it all stay social with my friends and find time to do other things like play pool, go bowling, go fishing, or play video games with friends. You would think it would be easy but I get so involved and then end up pretty much playing poker all day everyday. I'll keep working at it.

For now my plan is to keep grinding and trying to improve. I am enjoying giving lessons and everyone I work with gives me more motivation to keep improving. The chat has been going well and I am hoping for several deep runs for #TeamVariance101 tomorrow and the rest of Maximus.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.




9/07/2012

Time off

I have been taking a few days off to recharge the batteries. It's been pretty quiet here and I have been watching sports and movies while taking it easy. The Dallas game was great and Tony Romo played an amazing game. He is such an impressive player and I expect him to get a Super Bowl ring before he is done. I finally got to see the new Batman, wow, what a great movie.

Good ole Oklahoma weather has been at its best. August cooled off pretty nice but now that its September the temperature has gone back over a hundred some so I have been taking it easy. I am ready for fall, but truly I don't spend a ton of time outside so I don't let it bother me.

I have still been giving lessons and visiting the chat daily just not playing any poker. The lessons have been going well and I really enjoy talking poker. Maximus started today and although I didn't play, I am sure I will get some Maximus MTTs in. It's nice to have an online poker series for players in the US but, it's amazing how big a difference there is between Maximus and WCOOP. To compare them is like comparing an ant to an elephant. I suppose all we can do is wait and hope the government figures out a way to make online poker legal and Poker Stars comes back. Its either that or move out of the US to play.

Good luck to all the grinders playing WCOOP and Maximus. Run good and play good for the win.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.



9/01/2012

A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man perfected without trials.

Thursday I cashed in 2 out of 15 MTTs and 0 out of 2 satellites. Friday I cashed in 2 out of 11 MTTs. Overall a decent couple of days as I kept my volume down and enjoyed a couple short sessions. I haven't been crushing by no means but I am improving and continuing to work in my game. We all long for the satisfaction that comes with shipping MTTs, but for me every downswing is a motivational tool to keep improving.

I am ready to hear that poker is legal but who knows if and when it will happen. For now I am happy that we can still play online and I am stoked about Maximus. I see several players gearing up for Maximus and to all of you I will again say, you get out of it what you put into it. So do what it takes to keep improving and make sure you are giving your all when you play.

I feel as if my blogs have been lacking a little but I want y'all to know I am committed. Recently I have been kind of taking it easy but I feel as if a series of long sessions are coming soon. Balancing some time away from the tables has never been my strong suit but lately I have been trying to give it more thought in an effort to make sure when I am playing and giving 100%.

Tomorrow I will be giving lessons again for the third day in a row after having a couple days off and I am excited to get to work. Tomorrow I will be working with a new student for the first time and after reviewing part of the HH he sent I am confident tomorrow will be a great lesson.

I will never forget the Chinese Proverb Quote my mentor at the time shared with me when I was training dealers at Hard Rock Casino. "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime." I get great joy out of coaching poker and helping players improve. For all the players out there that have been doing the same thing day after day and are not actively trying to improve, get off your butt and try harder. We will get out of this game, what we put into it. So no matter what I am going to keep trying harder and harder and reach my goals. 

Good luck to all the grinders, keep working hard and improving. One of the most important learning tools is talking poker so reach out and find some people to talk poker with.

If you are interested in taking poker lessons or would like any information, contact me at variance101@gmail.com and/or visit http://variance101.com/# and http://variance101.blogspot.com.