I'm still trying to keep up with the jogging and exercise thing, it's going well so far. I jogged again yesterday and felt I did fairly well again. I didn't go today because it was raining, although I could easily have pulled it off. My goal is 4 days a week minimum so I don't mind taking off a rainy day here and there. I do, however, need to get more set on doing sit-ups and push-ups regularly, and looking at getting some free weights.
Poker continues to go pretty well. I've moved up and plan on forcing myself to play at least 1000 games before I decide to move back down scared or anything. I don't have to have a very high ROI at these games to make the hourly exceed that of my previous level, especially when considering the VPP/FPP difference.
If things go well over this sample I'll be pretty pleased. At that point I'll begin making more serious long term plans. Right now I'm still just splashing around with ideas of what I'll be doing in the fall. I'm well over halfway through my summer vacation so I need to get some things figured out about school, pick some classes, see what's up with that whole situation. Make sure everything in the horizon makes sense in that area.
I watched Step Brothers last night. It was as terribad as the previews made it looked, and I laughed at all the great stupid little jokes. I fucking love most of Will Ferrel's work and this was no exception. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who takes themselves too seriously, but if you enjoy some of Ferrel's work, I suggest checking it out. Bear in mind the story setup is fucking terrible and you're only in it for a handful of great LOL moments, but they're there. I'M PLAYING MOBY DICK FOR REAL.
Also got my order from Amazon this past week and have started reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Not far in at all yet, so not much to comment on as far as that goes yet. I also got Angels and Demons since I've been meaning to reading it since I finished The Da Vinci Code a year ago, and I don't want to see the movie before I read the book. Also, I recommend The Alchemist by Donna Boyd as well. I read that last year when the library ordered me the wrong copy of the book title, and although short it's a great read.
Welp, I'm spent on things to say. Volume could be better than it is right now, but I've been going through a really lazy period again and I'm working on that. Things will come around for volume and my energy levels just yet.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Things have been going well the last couple days. I've been reviewing 8 of my own hand histories and 8 of a really successful friend's histories before playing a session, every session. The review is helping a lot and I'm finding a ton of ways to chip up. I'm also running fairly well right now which doesn't hurt, but I feel better about each spot that comes up as well.
I just got back from a jog and it felt really good. I pushed myself harder on this jog and I'm pretty impressed with how far I was able to go. I realize now that I'm really out of shape and should be satisfied with any progress I gain this summer. I read blogs with guys talking about jogging for 7 or 8 miles and I'm just like "What in the fuck".
Today I almost met my jog distance goal for the summer and I'm very confident that if I stay on regime and stick with it I can be doing that goal by the end of this month with ease. I'm not completely sure of the distance but it's nothing staggering at all, but considering I smoked cigarettes from the time I was around 16 and was doing a pack a day habit right up until about two and a half years ago. Or was it a year and a half... I can't even remember what year I quit, but you get the picture. Add that to the fact that I still smoke weed fairly regularly, and nearly daily from December to March, I'll take whatever progress I get this summer.
The plan is to tone down on drinking too. I don't drink much to begin with, but I'm not against completely dropping it from my lifestyle at all. It does nothing positive for me as a person other than let me relax on a river trip.
My issue is moderation, I can't just drink a 12 pack on the sail and call it a day. No, I have to run out and grab more beer and hit that blackout point. I'll likely still enjoy a beer or 12 on the river but I'd like to reach a point where I can say "Okay, time to stop" so I don't become out of control.
As for weed I'm not sure what I want to do. I really love it as a relaxation tool and it's also a great tool for playing poker -- to a degree. It helps me focus and relax if I were playing around 20 games, but when I'm playing 30 or 34 tables it's simply detrimental to my game. I've come to realize that this past week. I was smoking some of the finest herb and just got completely lost with myself and my results reflected that.
Perhaps when it comes time to learn cash games I'll get back to ripping bongs while I play. For now I'm going to set it aside, at least when I'm planning to felt. I'll likely still toke on occasion when I'm not grinding. I may quit completely after this year, I've mentioned it a couple times and may follow through. Time will tell.
I just got back from a jog and it felt really good. I pushed myself harder on this jog and I'm pretty impressed with how far I was able to go. I realize now that I'm really out of shape and should be satisfied with any progress I gain this summer. I read blogs with guys talking about jogging for 7 or 8 miles and I'm just like "What in the fuck".
Today I almost met my jog distance goal for the summer and I'm very confident that if I stay on regime and stick with it I can be doing that goal by the end of this month with ease. I'm not completely sure of the distance but it's nothing staggering at all, but considering I smoked cigarettes from the time I was around 16 and was doing a pack a day habit right up until about two and a half years ago. Or was it a year and a half... I can't even remember what year I quit, but you get the picture. Add that to the fact that I still smoke weed fairly regularly, and nearly daily from December to March, I'll take whatever progress I get this summer.
The plan is to tone down on drinking too. I don't drink much to begin with, but I'm not against completely dropping it from my lifestyle at all. It does nothing positive for me as a person other than let me relax on a river trip.
My issue is moderation, I can't just drink a 12 pack on the sail and call it a day. No, I have to run out and grab more beer and hit that blackout point. I'll likely still enjoy a beer or 12 on the river but I'd like to reach a point where I can say "Okay, time to stop" so I don't become out of control.
As for weed I'm not sure what I want to do. I really love it as a relaxation tool and it's also a great tool for playing poker -- to a degree. It helps me focus and relax if I were playing around 20 games, but when I'm playing 30 or 34 tables it's simply detrimental to my game. I've come to realize that this past week. I was smoking some of the finest herb and just got completely lost with myself and my results reflected that.
Perhaps when it comes time to learn cash games I'll get back to ripping bongs while I play. For now I'm going to set it aside, at least when I'm planning to felt. I'll likely still toke on occasion when I'm not grinding. I may quit completely after this year, I've mentioned it a couple times and may follow through. Time will tell.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Regaining Composure
From Thursday to Sunday I didn't do much with poker. I went back home to run the river with some friends which turned out to be a pretty great time. By the end of the day I had ended up drinking 18 beer and smoking an uncounted number of joints. It was a good time, I look forward to the weather being nice so I can make the trip again, this time with less alcohol involved so I can still grind the weekend softies. The rest of this month is about the grind.
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As much as I intend for the remainder of this month to be about grinding, it's quite evident I'm going to have to ease back into this somewhat. I did log 132 games today, which is good but still shy of where I want to be at. I also moved down a level just because I feel out of my comfort zone a bit. I'm going to review a lot this week, log games at this level, and move back up on the weekend.
The most difficult thing for me right now is getting into that grind mindset, the one that allows you to put in 3 or four hours without losing your cool. I played one 2.5 hour set tonight where I didn't lose my shit, I could have probably gone longer but I was starting to get tired.
I'm also trying to force myself to only be at the computer if I'm grinding, reviewing, setting up downloads or something at least mildly productive. Just sitting here and surfing Reddit and Digg and shit is such a huge time waster for me lately, I have to break the mold on that.
Tomorrow I'd like to hit 200 games. It's not a terribly pressing task, it's just a matter of focusing and doing it. I plan to move up more aggressively after I tweak my game this time, just the way things played out for my last shot threw me off my game and forced me not only down a level, but two. Two drops wasn't necessary, but if I feel off my game I'd rather tweak it at a level I'm comfortable with -- I have a clearer mind to learn with.
My cat's being an overtired jerk, biting my keyboard and shit.
I'm looking to do another 3000 games by months end. That still leaves me about 1000 games shy of what I actually wanted to do, but July got off to a weird start for me. I wasn't in my zone. If I end up hitting 4000 games I'll be quite satisfied. I didn't quite do 4000 last month, so that would at least be an improvement. There's really no reason I can't exceed that however, it's just a matter of finding my comfort zone through reviewing, playing when I feel rested and well, and logging hours. I did 122 hours last month, I'd like to do at least that this month even with being somewhat slowed down by the start of the month.
Another failing point in my game during the first part of this month was playing while high. While it's something I'm quite comfortable with when playing around 20 tables, it's far too intense to be high while playing 30 tables. The relaxation doesn't mend well with the pressure of 30 tables, so that's out permanently. I don't have any intentions of smoking (or drinking) much longer as it is. It just doesn't appeal to me like it used to, although I'd still take a joint over a beer or a shot almost any day.
Other than that, it's grind time. Here's to having another great month once I start applying the pressure in all the right places.
As much as I intend for the remainder of this month to be about grinding, it's quite evident I'm going to have to ease back into this somewhat. I did log 132 games today, which is good but still shy of where I want to be at. I also moved down a level just because I feel out of my comfort zone a bit. I'm going to review a lot this week, log games at this level, and move back up on the weekend.
The most difficult thing for me right now is getting into that grind mindset, the one that allows you to put in 3 or four hours without losing your cool. I played one 2.5 hour set tonight where I didn't lose my shit, I could have probably gone longer but I was starting to get tired.
I'm also trying to force myself to only be at the computer if I'm grinding, reviewing, setting up downloads or something at least mildly productive. Just sitting here and surfing Reddit and Digg and shit is such a huge time waster for me lately, I have to break the mold on that.
Tomorrow I'd like to hit 200 games. It's not a terribly pressing task, it's just a matter of focusing and doing it. I plan to move up more aggressively after I tweak my game this time, just the way things played out for my last shot threw me off my game and forced me not only down a level, but two. Two drops wasn't necessary, but if I feel off my game I'd rather tweak it at a level I'm comfortable with -- I have a clearer mind to learn with.
My cat's being an overtired jerk, biting my keyboard and shit.
I'm looking to do another 3000 games by months end. That still leaves me about 1000 games shy of what I actually wanted to do, but July got off to a weird start for me. I wasn't in my zone. If I end up hitting 4000 games I'll be quite satisfied. I didn't quite do 4000 last month, so that would at least be an improvement. There's really no reason I can't exceed that however, it's just a matter of finding my comfort zone through reviewing, playing when I feel rested and well, and logging hours. I did 122 hours last month, I'd like to do at least that this month even with being somewhat slowed down by the start of the month.
Another failing point in my game during the first part of this month was playing while high. While it's something I'm quite comfortable with when playing around 20 tables, it's far too intense to be high while playing 30 tables. The relaxation doesn't mend well with the pressure of 30 tables, so that's out permanently. I don't have any intentions of smoking (or drinking) much longer as it is. It just doesn't appeal to me like it used to, although I'd still take a joint over a beer or a shot almost any day.
Other than that, it's grind time. Here's to having another great month once I start applying the pressure in all the right places.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Patience, Sold Out
Really out of my element right now. My mindset is shot. I can't focus to put in long sessions, and when I do log a short session it's brutal. I don't feel confident at all anymore. I'm on up the month but I'm also on a huge downswing from where I've been this month. I really don't feel like the style I'm playing is the style I was winning with so hard during the middle of last month. The adjustments I've made since have yielded mostly negative results. I've never swung at this buyin level like I'm swinging right now, so either I'm running like complete shit or this style is complete shit.
I'm considering moving down a level again. I need to figure this shit out again, but I'm not myself so it's making it terribly difficult. I have no determination, I'm straying, lost. I probably need a break, but that's just gonna make me further lost. I may take the next two days regardless. Use it for review and gaming, use it to just feel away from it even if only to learn.
It's still just poker. It will always throw you this fucking curve, regardless of how good things appear to be going. It's not humbling though, it's humiliating. It literally feels like poker amnesia. Every time, it feels the same. This is it, I've forgot how to play again, is this it? The bottom gonna come out of this shit now? It always comes to that for me.
I feel like nobody else can humble me, so I'll humble myself. Moving down seems like the most humbling option but I could just be cutting my own throat for profits. I guess it will just be a ton of studying, a break. Find a way to calm myself the fuck down and get some volume in.
Thoughts have been run to move back to 9mans also. I'm really at an annoying bump in the road, I just don't know.
I'm considering moving down a level again. I need to figure this shit out again, but I'm not myself so it's making it terribly difficult. I have no determination, I'm straying, lost. I probably need a break, but that's just gonna make me further lost. I may take the next two days regardless. Use it for review and gaming, use it to just feel away from it even if only to learn.
It's still just poker. It will always throw you this fucking curve, regardless of how good things appear to be going. It's not humbling though, it's humiliating. It literally feels like poker amnesia. Every time, it feels the same. This is it, I've forgot how to play again, is this it? The bottom gonna come out of this shit now? It always comes to that for me.
I feel like nobody else can humble me, so I'll humble myself. Moving down seems like the most humbling option but I could just be cutting my own throat for profits. I guess it will just be a ton of studying, a break. Find a way to calm myself the fuck down and get some volume in.
Thoughts have been run to move back to 9mans also. I'm really at an annoying bump in the road, I just don't know.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Weather Patterns of Our Lives
I'm delirious. My mind won't focus at all, I have no will to grind right now. I have no idea how to get out of this slump other than to just get on the felt and log hours. Even this proves to be a difficult task. Working around other people's hours and shit. So far gone on volume. Gotta get back at this shit quick.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
It's Been A Minute, My Mind's Made Up
Some time has lapsed without too much change. The month ended on a low note, but the month itself was record breaking results so I'm satisfied. The last few days of the month I really fell off my grind wagon. I still booked 120 hours as per goal, but the last couple days I decided to take a shot at the next level -- with some encouragement. I don't think I was prepared at the time, especially to end a month with. As arbitrary as months and days may be, it keeps me balanced so I think I have to stick with what's comfortable for me while still managing encouraged risks appropriately.
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Always getting sidetracked by doing random things these past few days too. Gotta get back on a more regular grind schedule after this weekend. Was about to log a session but some friends wanted to come hang out so I'll just play later.
As for moving up, I'm in the black for the sample, and I'm really in the black for July since I adjusted a few things in my game. That being said, playing with so many familiar faces all the time really does not bold well for my game, I have trouble adjusting to each reg's habits when playing so many tables.
I think the optimal line right now is to play some more 20s before I log more games at the 52s, and when I do log volume at the 52s drop some tables again. I'm getting a little aggressive with the number of tables I've been playing and I think my game is still a little too weak for this level. With some more focused attention to each of the decent regulars oddities then I can then abuse them to my advantage, both with their preflop shoves and their postflop play. I think playing 20-24 tables will be good territory for that.
Tonight I plan to 30 table the 20s for the most part. If the 52s look exceptionally soft I may decide to play however many of those are running, while staying under 25. It's usually not possible to have 30 52s running at once during the later hours of the evening.
As far as this month goes, I'd like to have as impressive a month as I did last month. With the proper focus and dedication to the grind I can get that done. It's all about volume and playing your best and, the more you discuss and notice things, adjusting.
Always getting sidetracked by doing random things these past few days too. Gotta get back on a more regular grind schedule after this weekend. Was about to log a session but some friends wanted to come hang out so I'll just play later.
As for moving up, I'm in the black for the sample, and I'm really in the black for July since I adjusted a few things in my game. That being said, playing with so many familiar faces all the time really does not bold well for my game, I have trouble adjusting to each reg's habits when playing so many tables.
I think the optimal line right now is to play some more 20s before I log more games at the 52s, and when I do log volume at the 52s drop some tables again. I'm getting a little aggressive with the number of tables I've been playing and I think my game is still a little too weak for this level. With some more focused attention to each of the decent regulars oddities then I can then abuse them to my advantage, both with their preflop shoves and their postflop play. I think playing 20-24 tables will be good territory for that.
Tonight I plan to 30 table the 20s for the most part. If the 52s look exceptionally soft I may decide to play however many of those are running, while staying under 25. It's usually not possible to have 30 52s running at once during the later hours of the evening.
As far as this month goes, I'd like to have as impressive a month as I did last month. With the proper focus and dedication to the grind I can get that done. It's all about volume and playing your best and, the more you discuss and notice things, adjusting.
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