Winning at Poker & Life

Bucket Lists

2011-04-26T19:11:00.002-04:00

Bucket Lists are a good way of measuring what you have done and what you have yet to accomplish to make sure you find yourself saying I did everything I could. They have become more popular with movies like The Bucket List and MTVs Buried Life so in an attempt to get mine jotted down I came up with just a few of the highlights of mine. Of course there will be more but for now I just want to get this out of my head and written out in virtual ink.

What Id like to finish/accomplish before I croak:

Stunt Driving Course (Burnouts, donuts fast cars and a lot of e brake usage)
Attend the Final Four and a Super Bowl (preferable one the Browns reach)
Own my own Marketing Firm
Create a website
Brew my own beer (and make sure it tastes great as well)
Attempt a Stand Up routine at a comedy club
Be an extra in a Hollywood movie
Retire at 55 and go on to teach Marketing at a college/university
Visit Europe (Turkey, Slovakia and Ukraine) & New Zealand
Throw out a First Pitch
Be a Commencement Speaker

But the thing I want to accomplish the most is being the absolute best man I can be to my friends family and coworkers.

These are some of the highlights of my bucket list and like I said I'm sure more will be added as I progress through life but for right now this gives you an idea of what I'm looking to do with my life.

What are some of things you'd like to do? Leave a comment below or as always tweet/facebook me.

Thanks for reading!

Weekend Shopping

2011-04-24T20:34:00.003-04:00

What started as a trip to pick up some chinos turned out to be a mini splurge weekend. I went up to the mall to discover a new buy sell trade game and movie store. I thought hell I'll look for Season 4 of Rescue Me since I am halfway through season 3 already. What I found shit on everything I possibly could have bought that day. Thats right folks as Im sure you have heard already if you follow me on twitter or facebook I found a copy of:

This purchase brought me back to freshman year of college when we would play this game for hours on end. Singles, doubles or whatever we wasted so much time playing this game. Now Im sure you are all wondering at this point, "Eddie, who do you use as your character?" and the answer to that question is none other than the man (or ape) himself:

Now here is the best part the first game I played I use Mario because I could not remember who I played as and every time I got a point I would do the fist pump bicep flex combo which just so happens to be DKs celebration which cued my memory on to why I used him to begin with. (It also does not hurt the ape has great style with the tie)

So to all my Nintendo 64 junkies if you are looking for a challenge in one of the many classic N64 party games bring it on.

Now my shopping was not done here as I said I was looking for some chinos with the back thought of a new pair of shoes. The shoes ended up coming to fruition as I stopped at Dunham's Sporting Goods and found me a sick pair of Nike's that I absolutely cannot wait to debut this summer. The classic Nike look is really going to set off the 514s this summer

These purchases really got me excited for summer for two reasons. The shoes are fly as hell and Mario Tennis just always brings a good time so I cant wait to debut the shoes and get some challengers in Mario Tennis.

Tweet me or FB me if you want a match and we can arrange something!

Life After Poker

2011-04-21T21:26:00.002-04:00

The US being the nice big brother it always has been officially locked out US players from Pokerstars, FTP and AP/UB on Friday. I'm sure many of you have seen my rants on personal freedoms being violated but Ill ignore that situation for now and focus on life after online poker.

I post on a poker forum and the conversation came up about what we will do now that these major players in the business are gone. Are there sites that still accept players from the US still running? Sure. Will I be able to 16 table tournaments in the near future? No. Now don't get me wrong if I found out Ill be able to get my money back and Ill probably put some of it back online and just mess around but for the meanwhile it looks like I will be finding new hobbies.

Ive been working out a lot recently and that takes up a good deal of my time and as always I'm still a big movie/TV guy. When it comes to TV I have to mention Traffic Light. This show is on 930 on Tuesdays and is simply hilarious. I swear Im bursting up laughing double digit times per episode. I have a feeling though that this show isn't going to catch on and will have a 2-3 season run and have a cult like following then its over.

This month has been rough because my Xbox 360 finally crashed after having it for 5 years I just have to find the time to call in and get it fixed so I can begin playing again. I just started to use it again playing NBA 2k11 and MK vs DC. Also with my new TV the HDMI was awesome so I'm missing that.

The whole point of the blog was to discuss my hobbies after poker and while I have discussed the ones that have taken up most of my time I have left a couple out. Ill have more time to read now and a couple of my friends have recommended the Song of Fire & Ice series. They cant put the books down so I want to check these out. I still have a couple novels I want to read as well including The Naked and the Dead.

The one thing Ive wanted to learn the last few years has finally seemed like a reality. That thing would be playing the guitar.. How cliche right? But heres the thing I suck at singing so I'm not becoming a musician anytime soon. I would be using it to make jokes Bo Burnham style. It would be just another outlet to get my wisecracking, quick-wittedness and parodies in motion which many of you have come to love/hate about me.

Ill have another blog entry soon on the topic of Bucket Lists and give you a preview of what I got on mine. As always thanks to those of you who read!

Wait.. I blog?

2011-04-06T23:59:00.003-04:00

I swear I didn't forget I had this thing but life has a funny way of taking over. These last couple weeks have had me super busy and my workouts are getting longer as I'm isolating muscle groups now instead of total body workouts. When I first moved home I wasn't sure how much of a social life I would have. I was going out drinking 3-4 times a week last semester at school and now not much has changed. Its hard to get drunk now working 50 hours a week but my friends at home and in Cleveland and Mount Union have helped keep me sane these last few months.

A lot has changed since the last entry. For one I am now in a new stake after turning the 340 into roughly 600ish. I took my profit and rolled it into a new stake with 3 backers this time and I have 75 of my 650 for all my action at the $6.50 18s. The 18s have been up and down thus far but I am playing pretty well and have a couple different guys looking over hands for me to make sure I correct in that previous statement.

Ive been looking more and more into getting my own website to start featuring my blog, polls, hilarious stories/pictures/videos and other things that have been happening in my crazy life. Being the totally awesome guy I am free raffle stuff like custom tshirts and the such could be incentive to participate in my site.

With all that said I wanted to bring up something that has struck a tiny nerve with me. What is grinding my gears these days you ask? That's easy the use of the word "love". Now I know what you are thinking Eddie you just do you why would this even bother you? I'll tell ya why because this word has been diluted so far to mean practically nothing. A couple years ago everyone was saying I love me some xxxxx.. Girls practically making sure nowadays to include it in every sentence. Now believe it or not I'm a softy at heart and this word really means something to me. Like my European friends say "We would never use love to describe our feelings towards friends why do you use this word so much? Granted that was a lot better than their broken English but you get my point. Love means something so quit diluting the word and lets get on with our lives.

As always thanks for reading and much love to all who do. (See what I did there?)

Quick Update 2/13

2011-02-13T14:33:00.002-05:00

The last time I blogged #thelasttimecavswon was a trending topic on twitter. Since then the Cavs had a great performance to hold on and win against the clippers. JJ Hickson has been on fire the last couple weeks and attribute this to confidence. He has always been a confidence player and now that he knows he is getting minutes he has been delivering. This is what I thought we would see when I said in the beginning of the season that I thought he would be Most Improved Player.

Part of my resolutions included getting to 180 by June. I need to put on about 20 pounds from now. However my body has seen some pretty drastic changes as my workouts have been quick and intense and I already notice the difference. I have not got any reading done this month and it does not bother me to much. I made a trip down to Mount and am making one to Cleveland this weekend to hang out with some friends.

Poker has been going alright so far this month and my poker goals should be attainable this month. I am not to far out of the race for the lead in the home league. The bankroll has been growing pretty steadily in February, combine that with the stake money I have been receiving from my horse I should be able to be playing on my own dime by the end of March.

The bankroll is currently standing at 547.02

February Goals

2011-01-31T22:14:00.003-05:00

Poker Goals:

750 games (47 sets)
10% ROI
Purchase the full version of SitNGo Wizard & use it (Trial just expired and its like free sitngo coaching)
Position myself to have my own roll by end of March (Id like to have my cut of the stake be around 150-200 by the end of this month)
End up atop the standings in my family league (Im currently in 4th)

With a little studying and a review session or two with ACBarone I should be able to land all of these goals as I progress in my journey to sitngo mastery.

Life Goals:

Finish For Whom the Bells Toll as well as my book on secret societies & start reading The Naked and the Dead
Add muscle as I continue my workout regiment
Figure out my finances and come up with a budget for my monthly expenditures so I can start saving for a new vehicle

I said at the beginning of this year I wanted to weigh 180 by June. I currently am tipping the scales at 160 and have been adding loads of protein and protein shakes to my diet to help get me there. My reading has fell off this month as I have been training for the new job and studying materials so I can have some knowledge about our products. I'm hoping my car can get me through summer so I can go out and either buy a new car or get a couple year old vehicle which is more dependable than mine.

Interests Are Renewed

2011-01-30T20:54:00.002-05:00

That's right to me poker was just becoming a grind while I was six tabling. While that does not seem like much to me in the grand scheme of things I am sitting here telling you I have enjoyed putting in volume again. Did my heater help things out? I would be lying if I said no, however, since I began stacking my tournaments to play 16 at a time I find myself a lot more focused than the six tabling. This can be contributed to quite a few things, the first one being 6 tables was just boring. I had time to play poker and browse Twitter, Facebook, check my fantasy basketball team as well as post on 67suited, my poker forum. Also, there is the fact that I was dwelling on bad beats and tilting. Now I still check back to see what is going on in hands but also I can say it is not affecting my play as much now that I stack as it did when I was tiling. With constant action every second it is hard to dwell on what just happened especially when its buried in a pile of other tables. I believe this has allowed me to make better shoves and use my hud a little more effectively.

Anyways January has been a pretty solid month for me as I have been putting in more volume and again have reached SilverStar on Pokerstars. Playing 16 tables now should make it near impossible to not reach SilverStar for the remainder of my playing sitngos. I only have to play on 22 days of each month to reach this level and thats playing one set a day which is hardly ever the case for me. We left off on my first stacking themed post with a bankroll of 387.42. The bankroll has grown rather steadily over this past week and currently sits at 441.92.

I Am A Poet

2011-01-26T18:56:00.003-05:00

I used to joke with my friend back in college, about how we were poets of the English language. No, not the kind of poets who rhyme every sentence or even speak in meters, the kind of poet who could leave you hanging on my every word. Until recently, did I notice that there was some truth to that statement. In my life journey thus far, I have been accused several times of using my words ambiguously. I won't deny that I do, because fact of the matter is I do. I will just let you figure out and listen how I do next time we talk.

As human beings we are always trying to figure out how and why people deliver their words. This is what makes politicians who they are in our world and a big reason why they are in power. The same could be said for CEOs and anyone in power really. They have the ability to captivate us as an audience and make us feel like we are confident in the direction that want to lead us.

I find this topic interesting because of a certain politician who recently promised hope and change, but never really defined what they truly meant. However, his broad ideas kept a lot of people in suspense. His campaign reminded me of my studies in history of JFK. JFK was a young, good looking guy who ran a campaign geared to the younger people in those times. The women, specifically, hung on every word he said because he was ambiguous in his delivery.

Speech is a very powerful tool that we use in everyday life. Some people get it and a majority don't. Those that get it tend to have high profile careers or you see/hear about them in the media or hell, even on your local college campus. The art of speech can bring someone from nothing to riches.

Stacking

2011-01-22T00:45:00.002-05:00

So the other day it was brought up the argument of tiling vs cascading vs stacking when it comes to online poker tables. I have always been a proponent of tiling until I tried stacking tonight. The stacking option allows you to keep your tables default size and literally does what it says by stacking them. With TableNinja it can bring the action to the "top" of the pile every time a table needs a move. I felt comfortable playing 16 and this is going to help my volume I put in tremendously. I used to play 6 at a time and now I'm playing 16 what a great day for me to trial run the stack.

BR currently stands at: 387.42

I like the way I have been playing and found out I was missing quite a few spots that I should not have been missing. I attribute this to my recent downswing and it forced me subconsciously to play a little tighter in spots where I should have been opening wider. Now that I have fixed that I have seen some pretty good results over my last 100 games or so. Also now with the stack I should be seeing a nice rise in the bankroll with the extra volume.

Inaugural Poker League - Sulecki Style

2011-01-16T20:20:00.002-05:00

Pokerstars now has an option to create a "Home Game" which short and sweet is pretty awesome. You can invite family or friends or both and create tournaments or ring games and get everyone in on the action. This new feature was put to the test tonight in my first league experience as the Suleckis took to the virtual felt to put their poker skills to the test. A lot of laughs were shared and it was cool "hanging out" with the family tonight. It was a good start for myself followed by a rough middle followed by a rise to the top which resulted in a crash to come in 5th out of 11. It was an all ladies cash tonight as two aunts and one cousin made the final 3. When it was all said and done Aunt Vic took the crown defeating Aunt Deb.

The cool thing is you can schedule tournaments for whenever and we have another scheduled for Wednesday. This new feature should allow for friends and family alike to keep in touch over a shared interest of cards. It also keeps track of stats from all the games played so at the end of the year someone is going to have bragging rights as the best player in the Sulecki ring.

WBCOOP

2011-01-13T00:27:00.001-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: XXXXXX 885158

January 2011 Update

2011-01-09T22:53:00.002-05:00

Well 2011 is upon us and its been rather exciting for me thus far. I was able to land a job at Intermessage.com selling cell phones, Alltel plans and Dish Network. Its a good jumpstart to my career and am looking forward to the sales experience. If you need Alltel solutions I will be in the Saybrook store for the time being. With the job I now have ample time to grind and go over hands because my schedule is fixed which is a luxury I have not had in awhile.

Which leads me into the poker part of my blog. January has been about as well as I could ask for. Comparing it to December in which I contemplated shipping back the bankroll to my staker and taking a break from poker altogether. Variance is a brutal thing in this game and there were times where I felt I was not playing my best. These two factors combined can be disastrous for a poker player and their bankroll and I think that is what happened in December. In January thus far I feel like I am playing well and reading spots a lot better plus I am motivated to put in volume. Hopefully 2011 will continue the run good and jumpstart my poker bankroll so I can start playing on my own dime.

Another November Entry? I must be crazy

2010-11-28T00:30:00.004-05:00

After the long grinding weekend my volume has been tapered off due to school work and spending time with family and friends over break. The rest was welcomed and needed and I am ready to get back at these last couple of weeks of undergrad.

We last left off about 10 days ago with my roll standing at $437.30. I have since put in 54 games with a ROI of 6%. Ive been getting it in ahead but just have not had the holds these last 9 sets. Currently the roll stands at $451.15.

On the personal bankroll front I cashed out a majority of my roll and left $88.51 left on FTP. I am not sure if I will leave this part of my roll in or cash out with the $150 I currently have tied up in a stake. More to come on that front in the next blog. Until then I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend and good luck in your Christmas shopping!

Goals Exceeded!

2010-11-15T13:21:00.003-05:00

Well this weekend was very successful for me. I was able to exceed both goals and severely cut down on the amount of play Ill need for the next month and half to reach my $50 Stellar Reward from Pokerstars. Let us take a look at the goals again and the results will be next to it in parenthesis.

120 games (121 games)
10% ROI (12% ROI)

+$48 profit

Overall I was very happy with my play. I did have a few hands come up regarding spots I am unsure but I ironed those out with the coach. The weekend started with a huge upswing and finished Sunday with a nice ole downswing to bring my ROI back to reality.

There are times in our game where we feel like we cant lose and by that graph Ill let you guess how I was feeling until Sunday.

Bankroll: $437.30

Im Challenging Myself This Weekend

2010-11-12T20:21:00.002-05:00

That is right I finally have some free time and am looking to put in some volume this weekend. I am looking to put in 120 tournaments with an ROI of 10%. I need to put in some volume so I can get closer to unlocking my first $50 stellar rewards bonus. At this point Im about 12% of the way to the 1000 points I need to achieve to get to my goal. Its going to take some work because my 6 table sets only unlock 13.2 points. At this pace Id have to put in 141 sets. By putting in these 20 sets Im aiming to it can drastically cut down the amount of volume Id have to put in before the New Year. And with final exams and paper I can clear myself of the stress of having to deal with volume and school towards the end of the year.

I will update my progress on this challenge on Sunday night when I finish my last set. Good Luck to me and may I have the run good with me this weekend.

Hiatus from blogging

2010-11-12T19:57:00.003-05:00

My hiatus from blogging has been caused by this damn thing called school. In my last semester my 18 hours are keeping me extremely busy and while I still put in some sets its nowhere near the amount I looked to start playing when I first started this stake.

Anyways we left the last blog post with a BR of 387.55 and in the midst of a downswing. The downswing happened to continue for another month or so. I ended up losing 7 buyins in September and 27 in October. It was ugly nothing I did would work out for me. I am running a little better now and actually luckboxing some hands that I should not be winning. Variance is fun isnt it?

Either way its important to note that November is going extremely well for me right now. It started with me putting in some volume while I was working security for a tour company. I get paid to make sure kids stay safe on DC trips and play poker & facebook all night. Well I was 4 tabling and simply crushing. I feel I have my confidence back and noticed some spots I was missing in the past month and half.

Bankroll for my stake currently stands @: 389.70

Now an update on my personal Bankroll.

After a couple successful stakes being returned I had some money that I could play around with. I don't remember the last time that I updated my personal bankroll and that's probably because its been ~6 months. Having a personal bankroll to mess around with while I grow my stake is rewarding because I can play some games outside of the parameters of my stake. While I am not playing $25 tournaments with 2000 people its nice to fire up a small stakes MTT like the 8.80 180max on FTP. These are perfect because they allow you to play a MTT without wasting 6 hours of your day. Fortunately for me I was able to make a nice cash in this tournament when I finished 2nd out of 118 for $175 and company that with a 2nd in a 45man $11 sitngo for $113 I was able to withdraw some money for the holiday season.

Also while in DC I was able to win a ticket to the SitNGo Madness Freeroll on FTP. It takes place tomorrow night which is a bummer because I'm not sure I can play it at 11:59 since my friends are having a blowout party. The private bankroll currently stands at 156.47 which consists of:

FTP: 89.42
Pokerstars: 67.05

Chips and A Dip

2010-09-06T19:40:00.003-04:00

Well lack of chips but a huge dip.. Ive officially hit my first downswing of the stake. Ups and downs of poker happen all the time, when dealing with games of stats variance will always creep in. However, you will never get better if you are content on calling a downswing just variance. One can get so caught up in variance that they ignore spots/plays they usually make and thus further spiraling them into a downswing.

I once was that guy. I now know that minimal effort will get me to be a break even player. But I cannot settle for break even. I want to win and not only win but CRUSH. I have a coaching session tomorrow to go over my play. I am doing what it takes to break over the hump and start CRUSHING.

Back at school.. and Im Feeling Good

2010-08-31T22:12:00.002-04:00

Got back on campus for my last semester on Saturday. I proceeded to head out to Canton and visit with some old friends. Besides the guys at the bar wanting to get into a dick measuring contest it was a good night.

Anyways on to the poker update. I had a coaching session today and was generally pretty happy with how I played. I did fudge up a few hands but those mistakes are happening few and far between. Today was a great day as was yestarday. The last two days over 39 games Ive ran my stake up $71.80. Besides those days Ive had one losing day since my last update and it was less than a buyin.

Currently the Bankroll stands at 459.80

The weekend slowed me down

2010-08-18T23:05:00.003-04:00

After a weekend of work and a blackout drunk HS 5 year reunion I was able to put in a few sets the last 2 days. Monday I put in 6 tournaments and cashed once in 3rd. Yestarday I put in 6 sets and I cashed in 2 giving me +2 buyins on the day. Today I played 2 sets the first set went great finishing in 1st and pulling in 2 3rds however the 2nd set was downright awful. I was making good shoves and just was being punished. That happens in our game.

Overall the stake is still up and Ive been up in 5/7 days Ive played. Got a HH review with the coach/staker tomorrow and Ill be back with another quick update.

BR: 383.40 (+43.40)

Stake Update

2010-08-13T15:23:00.002-04:00

The stake started Monday and Ive put in ~ok volume for my week. I started 6 tabling and bumped it up to 8 but I wasnt happy with my play at the 8 tabling so I lowered it back to six. I really like how Ive been playing and while Ive missed a few spots because Im shaking off the rust I still think my plays are sound. The stake started at 340 and after 44 tournaments this week Ive run it up to 386 and have been beating them with a 22% roi (Im running pretty well) 22% roi is high I think a 12-15% clip is more realistic. Ive had two sessions now with my coach and my game has really been getting back to A Game shape. Lets keep up the br building.

The Stake

2010-08-09T16:20:00.003-04:00

In the past and currently I have been dabbling in staking people. I knew it was going to be hard for me to put in sitngo volume this summer and decided to let other people work my bankroll for me. Ive had good stakes Ive had bad stakes but all in all I would say Im making money off of the people Im staking.

Which leads me to my next point. Starting today I will now be the benefactor of a stake thanks in part to a good buddy of mine The Rant!

The stake is for $340 and will last 3 months. I will be grinding the $3.40 18man turbos on pokerstars. The stake is 60/40 split and I get coaching once a week. I plan on trying to put in around 75-100 sitngos a week. More sitngos means more money for both of us so lets hope thats the low end of the spectrum of the volume I can put in.

So lately..

2010-08-06T19:30:00.002-04:00

I have started to get that desire to play some more poker. I fired up a few tournies the other night and profited a whopping $7 but the nice thing was knowing that I have not lost my edge. As the people who read my blog you all know I was playing 18 person turbos in my latest poker endeavor (and probably will be again soon) however right now I am ignoring all aspects of bankroll management and trying to hit a big score really quick. So here I am on a Friday night about to fire up some more tournaments instead of going out drinking like my normal people my age. Oh the life I live.

Quick Update

2010-07-30T14:12:00.002-04:00

I rarely play poker anymore.. This summer is my last summer before I graduate and I want it to count. So far this summer has been pretty damn fun. Ive made quite a few new good friends and partied a lot with the fresh wave of foreigners that work at the Firehouse Winery with me.

I have been playing a little Rush Poker on Full Tilt when Ive had the time and at first I didnt like it but now when I realized I can beat it and put in 1000 hands in about an hour playing 2-3 tables I really cant focus on any other form of poker.

I wish I had the time where I could go back to my cash cow and play some MTT but this summer has been so hectic that when Im not working/partying Im usually sleeping. When I get back to school I plan on setting aside some time so I can play some MTT again and make me some money. That is if I even remember how to play haha.

Love and Peace,
Eddie

Quarter Year Update, March Update

2010-03-31T17:55:00.003-04:00

This year started off with a BR of $150. My goal was to reach $2000 and be grinding the $16 18 man turbos. January was a rough month. It was the first time Ive reached silver star status on Stars but I just was not playing well. I ended up losing about 1/2 my bankroll. That is when I got coaching and since then things have been great. Ive increased my bankroll 5x over and have a better understanding of bubble plays. This graph below is a graph of my sitngo winnings. The one thing it doesn't include is the Final Table I made in February for a score of $185 (5th).

March was a very fun month for me. They say that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb and according to my graph I 100% believed that. It was time for me to put some work into my game. I went back over some old HHs from earlier in the month and found out I was missing quite a few spots. It took me a couple sets but now I'm making those push/folds I should have been making in the first few weeks. The last week or so have March has been a skyrocket month for me. My last couple sets were rough but I did end up making some money when things were looking bleak the first 3 weeks.

My bankroll started right below the $600 mark in March and is currently sitting at:

AbsolutePoker: 281.56
Pokerstars: 326.30

Total: 607.86

This year has been the most successful year of me poker playing despite only being at the end of March. I have taken my game more serious than I ever had and am putting in efforts that I never thought about. I just used to be content with playing break even poker and now I crave winning. I mentioned earlier I got coaching and it has been paying huge dividends. I plan on playing another 1000-2000 6.50 18s before moving up and in this time I want to make sure I get a few more coaching sessions and that I'm ready to make the jump to the $16 18 man sitngos. Since the coaching Ive got about an 8% ROI which was my goal to have for the $16. I figure I need a bankroll of around $1500 to start grinding the $16 and am my way there.

Feb Update 2

2010-02-27T13:08:00.004-05:00

The bankroll stood at 539.46 since the last update. Since then I have unlocked my 2nd $10 bonus on Stars and also bought $50 (5%) of a buddies action who plans on grinding .25/.50 on FTP.

I still am 8 tabling $6.50 turbo 18s and probably will be at this level for awhile. I want to put about 1000 games in before I move up just to make since I am confident in my push/fold ranges. I had another review of a few tournaments with my coach and found I was still missing some spots. Since we went over those I have been on a nice little heater. I need only one more tournament to reach Silver Star staus.

This was a quick update I know but the Bankroll currently stands at:

Pokerstars: 337.60
Absolute: 271.56

Total: 609.16

February is Almost over.. Why not update?

2010-02-22T17:43:00.004-05:00

Time for an update. When I left off the bankroll was at 167.37. I was playing 6 $3.40 turbo 18s. I was in a downswing/playing bad so it was time for me to get some coaching. I turned to the one guy who I knew wouldnt steer me wrong and that man is ACBarone. Barone has been beasting sitngos for the last few years and I knew he would help me find leaks in my game. You can read his blog here: The Rant

Getting coaching from Barone completely changed my outlook on sitngos. I didnt realize I was one huge leak. After getting the advice I have seen nothing but an upward swing in my results as evidenced by this graph:

Anyways January was a pretty crappy month for myself. It really was depressing knowing I was not playing well. But the coaching humbled me and now I know what I have to do to improve my game. Anyways onto January's figures:

February has been a completely different story and the coaching has been a big part of that. My confidence is at an all time high and I finally think Im starting to get the hang of this monster they call sitngos. Im very close to achieving Silver Star status again on Stars and should be able to deliver that by the weekend. I now am starting to 8 table $6.50 18s and so far the results have been a little better than I know I can sustain but for right now Im just enjoying the ride:

Another big boost took place on Thursday Feb 19th when I Final Tabled the $3 rebuy and finished 5th. It felt good to get a MultiTableTournament in and felt good to be back where I belong at the Final Table. Obviously when I make it that far nothing but 1st is a disappointment but in growing my bankroll any score is great.

The bankroll stands right now at:

Absolute: 271.56
Pokerstars: 267.90

Total: 539.46

WBCOOP

2010-01-21T08:17:00.001-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: 637975

Mid January Update

2010-01-18T21:42:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of the month I made it a goal to achieve Silverstar Status on Pokerstars. Ive strictly been playing turbo 18s. I decided to jump start the grinding by starting to 6 table. Now usually I dont play anymore than 3 but with my monitor I can tile and have no problem seeing all six tables at a time making it much easier to focus on the action. I got in about 100 tournies before getting back to school on the 10th. Coming back to school was definitely going to hamper my ability to grind. I have not had to much difficulty yet as my classes have just started and have not had to much reading/homework to date. Thats why I need to reach silverstar so I dont have to put in as much volume in the later months when school starts to become hectic.

The first two weeks so far have brought an average run of card with some pretty average run good. Its tough trying to build a roll when all you are doing is going up 2 buy ins then back down 5. (Click the thumbnail to take a look at the graph below to see what Im talking about.) Id love to get a boom switch but with the boom switch comes the lack of evaluating on my part. Ive been posting lots of hands concerning bubble play because that is where I need the most help. Id love to get some coaching/teamviewing sessions but I do not really have the disposable income at this point.

Just finished today (18th) with my new record for sitngos in a day with 50. Im 74% of the way to silverstar and should not have much of a problem reaching it with 13 days left. I have been using my FPP to try and satelitte into the 250k guarentee and then if I win withdraw and keep the $T.

Bankroll currently stands at:
Pokerstars 71.18
Absolute 96.19
Total: 167.37

2010 Life/Poker Goals

2009-12-28T19:14:00.002-05:00

Damn it has been a long time since I have been in the mood to blog.

First for those who did not know I am officially re-enrolled at Mount Union College (or University now I suppose) and will be graduating in December with my degree in Marketing and Psychology. Getting accepted back was one of the best things I ever experienced.

Taking this last year off was tough for the simple fact that my best friends all graduated in the spring. Not being able to walk down the aisle and receive my diploma with those people is one of the few things I have regretted to this point in my life. Taking this time off though has allowed to me focus on what I am really looking for myself in my future and I have really grown a lot as a person therefore its hard for me to have called this year a total failure.

Anyways onto the goals:

Make the Deans List both of my last semesters (I have a 2.0 cumulative gpa to date)
Miss less than 10 classes each semester (compared to the 50 or so I missed the last semester)
Add 6-8" to my vertical so I can dunk
Cut down on my fastfood intake

Poker Goals for 2010:
Beat the $16 18 person turbos on Pokerstars with an 8% ROI
Win 5 Tournaments with fields of at least 500
Dont break my Bankroll Management
Bankroll of $2000
Dont withdraw money (this will be the hardest part for me and I probably will if I have any significant cashes in my 5 tournament wins)

Havent updated in awhile..

2009-08-17T15:20:00.002-04:00

but I just finished reading my new favorite book. Escape From Bellevue is about Chris Campion the lead singer of the Knockout Drops. Its basically a memoir of his life and his struggles of alcoholism and coke problems. He loses everything from his faith in God to his family because of this and also loses his love for music at one point calling it a "griding chore".

I would definitely recommend this book because it was one of those 'page turners' as I like to call them.

Haven't been playing to much poker as of late but I'm gonna be getting back to the grind here shortly.. I recently deposited back onto AP (a site in which I have had many positive experiences (like my first MTT win and many heaters there after) with but couldn't handle playing on a cheating site). I haven't played much on there but I am up about $20 thus far and already FT'd a MTT. Plus 30% rakeback is super legit.

August has been good to me thus far the weather has been nice and my tips are finally getting back to what I had been accustomed to during my first 2 summers at the Old Firehouse Winery.

September is always a good month for me because the second weekend all the guys on my Dads side go up to the Allegheny Mountains rent a cabin, get a keg and cook a hearty tenderloin. The amount of booze and gambling going on creates for a great weekend. The best part besides food and beer (obviously) is the casino is 10 minutes down the road. I played in there Saturday morning tournament last year and split heads up for roughly $800. The card room is small but the dealers and staff were the friendliest people I have experienced in my live experiences thus far.

With Browns season right around the corner Im not expecting much I would like to think we could pull out 6 wins but the QB play in the first game was awful so Ill go with 4 wins at best and probably end up 3-13. I would not be surprised if either of these QBs are on the team next year. I could see the Browns drafting Bradford with the 1st pick already.

Shaq is a Cav!

2009-06-25T00:40:00.002-04:00

Welcome Shaq lets get a ring!

My Thoughts on Lebron Walking Off the Court

2009-06-04T22:49:00.003-04:00

If some of you are still living under rocks LeBron walked off the court after the Magic clinched the East. I have no problem whatsoever with this.

He was quoted as saying he hates losing and why congratulate someone who just whooped your behind. I am all for sportsmanship during the game. Helping a player up after a foul, picking up a bat after a batter gets knocked on his ass etc. However in this case I think LeBron's attitude is perfect. I can guarantee you he went to the gym the next day and only had one goal how can I make myself better and my teammates better. IMO every athlete should have this attitude.

So LeBron hats off to you and keep doing what you do!

Go Cleveland

Mass Effect & Mass Effect 2

2009-05-29T04:31:00.002-04:00

Currently I have been spending about every waking moment playing Mass Effect. What a game IMO.. I know it has been out over a year now and Ive had it for about half that time but sheesh I just finished it and damn. I really want the 2nd one to come out now. I have been doing some brief readings about Mass Effect 2 and let me just say I think it might be one of THE TOP GAMES Xbox has ever put out.

If you have not played the first one get off your ass and rent the damn game. YOU will get hooked!

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T00:26:00.002-04:00

This is my video we put on my Moms Digital Picture Frame we bought her for Mothers Day!

My Annual Big Summer Purchase

2009-05-06T00:00:00.002-04:00

Just finished ordering a Sony Flip from OfficeMax and it should be here shortly.

Ive been wanting to make some short movies/take pictures for quite awhile now and now Ill have the capabilities to do that!

2009 Browns Draft Grade

2009-04-27T23:13:00.002-04:00

i think they were smart for passing on rey (hides in room and locks his house up) because he isnt a wrap up drag down tackler

i like Alex Mack alot and think hes gonna anchor that center spot for 10 years

then the WR.. when was the last time we had two guys in the same season who could actually catch the ball? (winslow and JJ i know lol but still not to often in cleveland)

I see MM and Robiskie anchoring this WR staff for quite a few years

This DE from Hawaii really intrigues me I really like his potential and high motor

The Kaluka kid is gonna be a steal IMO I see him moving inside with DQwell and having some big plays from both these guys for years to come.

The CBs i dont know much about but Kokinis was intrigued by their size becasue they match up against the bigger receivers in this division. works for me

James Davis is another guy I see becoming a very solid player for this team. I really think he compliments Jamal well.

Im very excited to get these guys in camp and of course Go Browns!

Back to the jobhunt

2009-04-27T11:16:00.002-04:00

I just found out today that I will not be able to keep my job at Giant Eagle. This bums me out because I really need to find another part time job and this one took me almost 2.5 months to find.

Im not really sure what Im going to do. I do have my serving job at 40 hours a week but I really wanna be working 60-65 hours/week this summer.

Heres to the job hunt :(

What a beautiful weekend

2009-04-24T13:37:00.002-04:00

started it off by drinking a 12 pack then going to the bar and drinking a couple more brews and a shot of jager.. didnt feel so hot this morning though LOL

today playing MK vs DC which might be one of the best games Ive played in awhile.. grill up some chicken and drink some beer

Been awhile

2009-04-08T18:56:00.004-04:00

Just a brief update on the BR since I left off on St Patty's day:

played 75 since then... grinding out a nice little profit..

I sent my Grandpa 40 bucks since he went broke (again) and my dad 15 (for his bday)

Pokerstars: 337.71
Fulltilt: 35.62

Total BR: 373.33

Im finally figuring it out!

2009-03-17T19:40:00.002-04:00

These past two days Ive basically doubled my account up. Sure part of it is variance but Ive really improved my sitngo game drastically and am beasting the 18 person turbos.

My last two days have been absolute heaters!

Finally winning sitngo player:

Niagara Falls

2009-03-14T20:51:00.001-04:00

For my 22nd birthday on Monday my girlfriend took me to Niagara Falls so we could spend some time together since Ive been working 3rd shifts! Anyways we arrived around 5 o'clock and went out to dinner. Went to TGIFridays and it was meh lol but she paid since it was my bday so I couldnt complain. We went back to the room and changed to go see the falls. (We had both seen them but the other couple that went has not). We walked around and checked everything out only to get misted by the falls and freeze our asses off haha. We then walked down Cliffton Street (the touristy place for tourists) and we decided to retire back to the room (Got no sleep the night before because I had to pick up my bro at noon from work). I ended up going to bed, taking care of me and my girls needs, thinking I was not gonna even play poker. So I woke up finding out Lebron went off for 51 and further solidifying his MVP status. This was around 8 when I decided I felt awake and clear-minded to go play.

I took a shower and was on my way to play 2/5. Got my chips which amounted to $313 Canadian and sat down at my table. Posted right away and looked down at AQ in which a called a raise of 20. Whiffed the flop and folded to his C-Bet. Folded the next few hands to look down at AJ. I raised and got one caller (he was AZN) He bet the flop and I called. I felt he had air so I raised the turn (after a 3rd heart came) and he tanked and folded after about a minute of deliberation the pot was about $115. I then picked up a few hands and raised only to fold the flop pissing my stack into the low 200s. I won a decent pot off some tool looking guy in a weird ass mohawk and business suit when we both had 10s but my 9 played which put me back around 300. I then went card dead for quite awhile until I caught pocket fives. It held vs the guys overs and I won ~200 there putting my stack back to around 250. My last big hand came when I had pocket nines in which I raised to 25 from the BB. The flop came K32 and I bet 40. The other caller in the hand called me. I bet 75 on the turn when my 3rd 9 came. He called again. Last card came out and put a possible flush on board. He started talking asking how big my flush was saying his was J high(dead give away he didnt have it cuz he would talk about his 'hands' and either fold or call with a weak showing) I bet about 100 so I didnt lose him in the hand and he paid me off with K8. This put my stack at around 630. I called one more hand for 15 and folded the flop. I then left and cashed out for 483.75 for my 233.75 profit in 1.5 hours. (rake tips and my redbull cost ~$30)

My Bankroll Challenge

2009-03-11T11:51:00.008-04:00

I have been meaning to make this entry for quite awhile now. Finally I am making it.

Heres the premise. I tilted off/pissed away most of my Fulltilt bankroll so I decided to find a site to sell my play chips to on Pokerstars.

* My Fulltilt account is the secondary account in this challenge

Found a site and sold my million play chips for a solid $4. I played a $2.20 180 turbo sitngo before I cooked up this challenge. After I did not cash I decided to play strictly .25 90 persons to grind my roll up and now my challenge started on the 31st of January.

February was a pretty rough month.. I got staked by my dad in quite a few tournaments and was able to pull together a couple cashes but nothing major. I won a bet for $10 by betting on the cavs -4 vs the pistons. This put my roll right around $20. I started playing $1.75 18 person turbo tournaments. I ended up grinding my roll to around $45. This is when my grandpa called and told me he needed some help setting up his new laptop since his old one broke. 15 minutes after setting it up he shipped me $20 on Pokerstars and I havent looked back since.

I was lucky enough to take a 2nd in a $2 tournament on Fulltilt Poker:

I scored 89.10 for the deep run. I then proceeded to ship the money over to Pokerstars thanks to a buddy from 67suited.com

Turns out February was a pretty decent month for myself. With the 89.10 for my Fulltilt win and -47.07 I lost on Pokerstars I still had a net of 42.03

Things werent easy though.. I did go through quite a few rough patches including reaching super tilt for only the second time in my online career

March has been very good so far: I still am playing 18 person turbos and mix in a 45, 90 or 180 on occasion.

So overall the total bankroll looks like this plus my Fulltilt account winnings of 85.85:

Heres the Pokerstars ROI to date

Pokerstars: 131.63
Fulltilt : 4.55

Total BR : 136.18

Feeling Good!

2009-02-23T15:58:00.004-05:00

Went deep in the 2.25 at 11:06 on FTP

Finished second had a couple big hands to get me their including cracking AA with my QQ 4 handed.

Ak < a3

ultimately lost k8 < a8
the guy was a terrible heads up player.. seems to be the case whenever I get HU haha anyways heres a pretty pic for you

25 random things you might not know about me

2009-02-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

1) I believe all things happen for a reason. i feel like taking this semester off is gonna help me figure out my life and who and what I want to be with and do

2) I am a cyber nerd. I post on three different forums. (CavFanantic, Sportstalkcentral, 67Suited).

3) I am hopelessly addicted to facebook! right britt ;) I have my browser set to my facebook home page when I open it

4) I play a lot of poker. If you ever feel like losing money give me a call. I would rob a blind man of his last nickel at a poker table.

5) If i could I would play poker as my career.. Its very unrealistic but if I had a proper br and not much responsibility I would make it work

6) My family made me the man I am. Thats just not my mom and dad but everyone from my grandparents to youngest cousins. You guys are my some of best friends and I love everyone of you!

7) My friends >>>>>>>>>> you

8) I love drinking, sometimes a little to much, but im only 21 why not be irresponsible

9) My birthday is March 9th.. I share the bday with quite a few friends as well as Bow Wow. Im a pisces.. you wanna party with da fish?? haha

10) Eventually I want to own my own bar and bowling alley.

11) I feel like I am starting to grow up to fast.. I dont even play video games anymore.. I even thought of selling my xbox 360

12) I love my dog Chica. She is a german shepard and without a doubt the coolest dog I know.

13) Mike Brode and Shawnna Sulecki I am glad you guys are happy and getting married and cant wait to celebrate with you guys!

14) I work at Giant Eagle in geneva for the time being and will return to the Old Firehouse Winery this summer.. fuck haha

15) Although most of you dont know this I am a very religious person. I am always asking god for guidance with my life.

16) I have the worst luck with cars in the world. I am on my 3rd car in 4 years and probably am going to need a new one soon.

17) The most disappointing thing in my life to this day is the day I found out Taco Bell discontinued volcano tacos.

18) It bums me out knowing I wont be able to chill with all my friends that are graduating in the spring! Although I will graduate in 2010 in my heart im a 2009 grad with you guys!

19) I am one of the easiest people to get along with and love chilling with anyone and everyone. I just like to have fun.

20) I am never serious. I have always lived my life by the motto that 'life is to short to be serious'. some find this to be inappropriate, annoying, irratating etc etc..

21) I have troubles sleeping at night. I have since I can remember. Idk what started this but damn does it suck.

22) I am practicing my cooking skills and have delivered some pretty good dishes lately. I make a mean BBQ Beef and delicious Lemon Pepper Chicken.

23) my best memories include wasted nights with good friends. piecing the night together the next day is one of my favorite things to do.

24) Yes im cocky, yes im funny, and yes I have a great sense of style? my fault? YES

25) I am a huge cleveland sports fan.. I will bleed cleveland til I die.

This was a lot harder than I thought but big ups to my friends and family. may 2009 be a prosperous one!

Taking a break.

2009-01-09T00:59:00.001-05:00

I have been running like absolute dogshit. I need a break; the 9 losing months and tilt coming back into my game have made me decide its time to take a break from the poker scene.

Royal Flush.. That is All

2009-01-05T14:50:00.002-05:00

Full Tilt Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Preflop: I Stack Green is Button with Q, J

4 folds, CO calls, I Stack Green calls, SB calls, BB checks

Flop: (4 SB) 4, K, A (4 players)

SB checks, BB checks, CO checks, I Stack Green bets, SB calls, 2 folds

Turn: (3 BB) 10 (2 players)

SB bets, I Stack Green calls

River: (3.8 BB) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $1.90 (3.8 BB) | Rake: $0.05

Results in white below:

I Stack Green had Q, J (royal flush).

SB had 6, 5 (flush, Ace high).

Outcome: I Stack Green won $1.85

The 10K Challenge and Thoughts on Life.

2008-12-13T12:08:00.002-05:00

Last time I posted I was currently sitting at 108. After losing a $25 bet and a small losing session I am currently sitting at $72 and some change. I feel like I have been playing pretty well. I am really loving the 18 person sitngos and am cranking out a positive ROI in those. I am not sure what my ROI is because my harddrive crashed. If I had to guess Id say its around 20% at the $2 stake.

I recently completed my semester at school. I have gotten 3 of my 5 grades and am sitting with a 2.0 which is good considering I was on academic probation this semester. The other two classes I think I did better than C's so I should be able to raise my gpa.

The Cavs. What else can I say? They have been balling out of their mind. They have won 19 of the last 20 and already have had 2 win streaks of 8+. Their defense has been spectacular this season and they lead the nba in oppenents fg%. They also lead the league in point differential with a 13 point clip. They currently sit with a 20-3 record.

The Browns? What the hell happened? Actually I can tell you what happened. We dont have a NFL head coach or any good cordinators on this team. The Browns lack any fundamentals and its disgusting to watch these "professional" athletes step foot on that field. If it were up to me I would only keep a handful of players on this team. Those include: Josh Cribbs, Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, Brodney Pool, Eric Wright, Derek Anderson and Jerome Harrison. The rest of the team is pathetic. Fire Romeo and the whole staff let me get a real head coach please.

Back On The Horse & The 10k Challenge

2008-11-15T19:10:00.004-05:00

Well my break lasted about 2 weeks. It was very much needed and allowed me to clear my head. I started playing again on Wednesday the 12th and run my bankroll up to 115 from 85 in less than a day. Im currently sitting at 108.

The money bubble has been killing me I keep running into monsters.

Here's a couple hands to sample why I havent won a sitngo since I have been back:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 2+0.25 Tournament, 50/100 Blinds (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB (t3420)

UTG (t655)

Hero (MP) (t2990)

CO (t1910)

Button (t1645)

SB (t2880)

Hero's M: 19.93

Preflop: Hero is MP with J, J

1 fold, Hero raises to t300, 3 folds, BB raises to t3420 (All-In), Hero calls t2690 (All-In)

Flop: (t6030) 9, K, 10 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: (t6030) 5 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t6030) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t6030

Results in white below:

BB had A, A (one pair, Aces).

Hero had J, J (one pair, Jacks).

Outcome: BB won t6030

Now I never claimed to be an ICM master (or know that much tbh). Was this a fold?

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 2+0.25 Tournament, 40/80 Blinds (5 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP (t3075)

Button (t2270)

SB (t1205)

BB (t4985)

Hero (UTG) (t2260)

Hero's M: 18.83

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J, J

Hero raises to t240, 1 fold, Button raises to t2270 (All-In), SB calls t1165 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero calls t2020 (All-In)

Flop: (t5805) 5, 10, Q (3 players, 3 all-in)

Turn: (t5805) K (3 players, 3 all-in)

River: (t5805) 6 (3 players, 3 all-in)

Total pot: t5805

Results in white below:

Button had 10, 10 (three of a kind, tens).

SB had K, A (one pair, Kings).

Hero had J, J (one pair, Jacks).

Outcome: Button won t5805

November Goals and The Recap Of October

2008-11-01T14:33:00.002-04:00

October Goals:
20,000 hands at 10nl.
Didn't even come close to this. I put in 11332 hands at -5.37 bb/100

5o MTT with at 3-5 FT and a win
I only played 28 but FT 2 never came away with a win though. 4th was my best effort.

roi.. closer to positive and probably was positive for october cant really tell.

November's Goals are simple:

Taking a break for awhile & When I return make a profit.

October Goals

2008-10-01T14:30:00.003-04:00

This is something I have been doing a lot more of lately. I want to have a good measure of how I am doing. Anyways I laid out a few goals I would like to achieve this month.

I want to put in 20k hands at 10NL this month. I am trying to figure out the science and art of the cash game. I want to be able to have positive win rate and be able to move up to $25 NL in November.

I want to play 50 MTT this month and final tabling 3-5 of them with a win. I do not think that cashing in 10-12 is out of the question.

My final goal is to get my sitngo ROI into the positives. Just downloaded the free trial of SitNGo Wiz so that should help.

One final note. I have a tournament scheduled for the first saturday of this month. $100 buyin 10 people. First place is looking at $700. Looking to take that down. Its a deepstack event with the family and I think it has my name written on it.

Here I go Again.

2008-09-15T16:26:00.003-04:00

So I had seriously considered stop playing poker at one point in the last month or so. However I went to Seneca Allegany Casino and chopped (heads-up) an $120 MTT. I had been wanting to start and account on FullTiltPoker for some time now so I can get rakeback. Finally had the cash and a little extra time to do it.

So I deposited $250 of my winnings onto FullTilt and I Stack Green was ready to go. Started off playing 10 NL max (.05/.1) and $6 sit n gos. Lost a few buy ins and no real end of the downswing was in sight. Until I discovered the $13.75 token heads up tournaments. Way outside my roll but I consider myself to be an above-average heads-up player. I have won 3/4 I played in. So the first one I won I used my entry into FT's 11500 guarantee KO tournament. Finished in 29 outta 712 for 68.35 and collected $16 in bounties ($4 each). The very next night I won another token so I decided to play the 32000 guarantee. Had a very nice run, making the final table, finishing 5th outta 1405 and a cash of $2024. I was in 7 coinflips all night and the only one I lost was the last hand of the tournament. Fitting I suppose because I doubled up the first hand of this tournament on a coinflip.

Plan on withdrawing 1200 to put on my loans and get my car fixed. Roll will stand right around $950 once I get the approval to have FT send me a check. As of now I am playing in $15 MTT, $20 Sit n Gos and 25 max NL. First time I have had a decent bankroll and I am looking to start making decent cash. Could also potentially have a few referrals for rakeback so that helps the account as well.

I am playing some pretty good poker at the moment and look forward to building upon my success.

First Live Results

2008-08-06T01:37:00.002-04:00

Ouch is all I can say. I wasnt mad with how I played more shocked at how live poker is so much looser. I have read others accounts on live experiences and guess I couldnt gain a full appreciation for how bad players are until I played. Anyways on to the results.

I played in Mountaineers $60 tournament at 715 P.M. 59 people entered and I liked my chances to make the final 7 (ITM). I finished either 15th or 16th couldnt tell you exactly. I really messed up on what turned out to be my last hand. I called an allin when I meant to push. I had AK and checked down to the river on a pretty harmless board so I pushed allin. Dude hit his A5 on the river to knock out myself and the other allin guy.

1/2 was a trip! Very loose table hit a few hands but nothing major. Miracle rivers knocked me down to next to nothing and it was push and pray time. I know I could make money at 1/2 just bought in for 100 then 75. Thats a game in which you need to BI for the max or pretty damn close. I would have liked my chances sitting on 200 in that game.

All together the night cost me 235 plus gas. I liked my play and I plan on going back with the roommates during the school year.

First Live Experience

2008-07-31T13:06:00.003-04:00

Sure I have played in bar tournaments a few times and also while I was in Florida last summer I played a tournament in there cardroom. However today is my first live ring game experience. I am going to Mountaineer Casino in West Virginia and plan on playing 1/2 for anywhere between 150 and 200. I will post a new blog with my results either tonight or tomorrow.

Updating my 10k progress

2008-06-26T18:07:00.003-04:00

Over the past two months Ive been extremely busy with finals and working like crazy. Plus I met a great girl so time has been scarce. Anyways here is my progress:

On Pokerstars I have played 106 tournaments with total buyins of 718 and total payouts of 774 for a profit of $56.

Cash game wise I have made $47 over 69 hours and 17 minutes.

Account stands at 113.04

On AbsolutePoker I have played 60 tournaments with $710 and total payouts of 600. A net loss of $110. The highlight was winning a PLO tournament only the second time I played it.

One cash game made $3 over two hours.

Account stands at 281.65

Total: 394.69

10K CHALLENGE

2008-04-25T14:01:00.003-04:00

Short and Sweet Version here it goes since March 6.

Absolute Poker: Sent my friend $50 to get $50 on PokerStars. Sent a different friend $10 to play some blackjack. Also have withdrew $225 to buy kegs and food. Account is currently at 378.87.

Anyways played in 73 tournies with total buy ins of 965 and total payouts of 1360. A profit of $395

Cash games I have played in 6 (quite a few more actually but I don't record gains or losses of less than $1) I have lost $69. 40 of this was from taking a shot at .50/1 which obviously is way outside of my bankroll but was feeling dumb that day.

Profit in the last month and a half is 325.60 on Absolute and 7.62 on Pokerstars.

PokerStars: Started with the $50 that my friend sent me. Played in mostly sitngos with a couple MTTs. Have had minor success. I have played in 19 tournaments with buy ins of $62 and payouts of $77 for a profit of $15. I must be missing some number because my account only shows a 57.62 for the balance. Oh well not really concerned about PokerStars that account is mainly for fun.

40 to 10k challange update

2008-03-06T02:25:00.003-05:00

Haven't had much time this past couple weeks because i got a job. But hey here it goes anyway. The past couple weeks have been good to me I'm up 239.99 and my account is at 344 now. I also cashed out 100 bones to pay for some of my spring break trip coming up. I have final tabled two straight Mtts the last two nights coming in 4th in both made stupid mistakes by not folding when I'm beat you think I would know better at this point but for some reason I still cant lay some hands down sometimes. Oh well other than those mistakes I'm playing pretty well and I attribute that to not playing 10 tournies every day. My mind is fresh and I am able to concentrate hope this continues.

Cavs Make A Trade

2008-02-24T01:34:00.002-05:00

Let me first start of by saying that I am huge cavs fan. Personally I thought the cavs would be ok if they did not make a trade before the deadline. I thought they were the best team in the east as of right now. With the trade being made I think this puts us head and shoulders above everyone and here is why: First we got a legit PG in Delonte West his driving and ability to knock down the open shot is gonna make Lebron better. Wally can hit the 3 ball like its his job (and it is) and this spreading of the floor is gonna give Lebron so much room to operate. Ben Wallace is a legit 4 who now will be rejuvinated now that he is on a championship team. Pairing him with Z and Lebron gives us the best frontcourt in the NBA. Joe Smith has a nice midrange jumper and is an adequate defender. Overall I give this trade an A and look for the cavs to make a serious push to win it all this year.

Another Update

2008-02-19T13:18:00.001-05:00

Sunday started out well won the first and came in second in the first two sitngos for a profit of 50 only to lose the next two. Gave me a profit of $28.

Monday was an up and down day came in second of one and 3^rd in two others then lost two sitngos and a $5 and $ 10 MTT for a total loss of $7

Tuesday was a long day played in a $5 MTT didn’t cash, lost a $7 sitngo, came in third for $7 won an $11 18 person sitngo for $61 the lost two straight sitngos, followed by a lost at $5.50 and $11 and sent $10 to my roommate. I also played and lost $20 at .05/.10 which was a loss of $12.50 for the day.

Wednesday I lost two sitngos and transferred another $10 to another roommate so I lost $32.

Thursday played two sitngos lost the first and came in second in the other for a profit of $5l

Friday played in two and lost both for a loss of $22.

Saturday I didn’t play because we had a rave party at our house.

Sunday I played in a few tournaments winning one and coming in second in another. Then lost an $11 and $7 tournament. Switched to tables lost my initial $20 buyin and won 12.70. For the total weekly profit of $25.70.

Overall for the week I lost $14.80. I didn’t really play too much because I had a few tests and was planning for the rave party we hosted.

3rd Update

2008-02-10T14:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday got back from OU and got right back to the virtual felt. I played in 7 sitngos and cashed in 5 with a net profit of 48.20. Monday didnt play much just a sitngo and $1 rebuy in which i rebought and double addon came in 10th in the rebuy for a profit of 17.90 which brought my profit to 10.90 for the day and 59.10 for the week. Tuesday was the first day i moved up to $10+1 sitngos and had mixed success. I bubbled in 3 of 4 and won the other for a net profit of $1 and a weekly profit thus far of 60.10. Wednesday had nothing to do so I played a lot; played in 10 $10+1 sitngos came in 2nd 27 person and 2nd in a 9 person didnt cash in the others, played in a $2 MTT and came in 138/404 decided to play in $6 sitngos since I was at 190 came in 3rd and 2nd. Altogether this brought my profit -7.20 for the day and 52.90 for the week. Thursday I couldnt play much because I had to study for a test on Friday but I did get two sitngos in Came in 2nd and 5 in $10+1 which brings my profit to $9 for the day and 61.90 for the day. Friday had a decent day played in 7 $10 sitngos cashed in 5; 3 3rds, 1 1st, 1 2nd, and I won a $5 satellite to into a $20 10k guarentee. For the day had a profit of $63 and a weekly profit of 124.90. Saturday was a pretty crappy day played in 8 $10 sitngos cashed twice one being a win in a 27 person for $61 profit and another cash for 5.25 which brought me to a .25 profit so I decided to play some .25/.50 for a switch up after I left both tables I made a profit of 5.06 which brought my daily profit to 5.31 and 130.21 for the week.

2nd Update On the 10k Challenge

2008-02-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

The week started out pretty slow. On Monday I was able to place in 5 out of 9 sitngos with a net profit of 3.14 on Monday and on Tuesday I had a net loss of 2.20 bringing my winnings for the week to .94. Wednesday I played a few sitngos and did not place in one. I decided to switch it up and entered a $2 MTT. This gamble ended up paying off, as I took 2^nd out of 361 people for a profit of 89.98. This brought my winnings of the week to 83.77. This brought my BR up to 128 and me to the $5 sitngos. Thursday was a good day I cashed in 4 out of 5 sitngos with one of them being a 27-person tournament for a cash of 30.50. After these cashes it brought my bankroll up to 158.98 and then I sent my roommate 10 bucks. Friday and Saturday I was partying at another school so I did not have poker on my mind. Bankroll is currently at 148.98 and I will give you another update on Sunday.

The first update on the 40 to 10k challenge

2008-01-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

I had such a nice chart made out for this but it didnt work out like I wanted so I will have to do this the old fashion way. On Friday I played at some 5/10 cent and ended with a negative 1.03 for the day. Had a couple suckouts nothing too bad but that stung in my bottom line. Sit n gos didnt help my cause either. I ended with a loss of 5.40 for the day. It was one of those days were middle pairs would be getting beat by top pair with weak kicker. My losses for the day were 6.43

Saturday I didnt play that much because I had to fulfill my 20 year old college male duties. I played for about an hour at 5/10 cent and doubled up to eight only to lose 3.90 for the day. The last hand was brutal I raised with AK and the flop came A 8 4, I went allin because the guy was a maniac and paying people off with middle pairs. He called and hit his J on the river (AJ). I also played one sit n go and lost to runner runner flush. That cost me a buck twenty. That brings my losses of the day to 5.10.

Now sunday was my day to play. I felt good today and it started out slow by cashing only once out of my first 4 tournies. After that I went on to cash in 4 of the 5 I played afterwards with 3 wins and 1 second. So for the day I played in 10 sit n gos and won 7.50 on the day.

This brought my net loss for the weekend to -2.37. I liked this because I was telling my friends I was trying for this and was joking I was gonna make it to zero before I even got back to 40. Right now my br stands at 36.31

$50 to 10k Bankroll Challenge

2008-01-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

The time has come. I have accepted the bankroll challenge. I am planning on turning $40 into $10k. I will start by playing 2.40 turbo sitngos and $4 in 5/10 cent table games. When I reach $150 I will move up to 5.50 sitngos and the 10/25 cent. After that we will see how it goes. I will keep you updated throughout the week with a breakdown blog from each day.

playing well

2008-01-06T00:32:00.000-05:00

About the last month or so I have been in the zone. Since I was fired from my last job it has kinda awakened me. I have been playing the best poker of my life to date. The only downfall is now I have been running cold.. you know what I'm talking about: the pocket pairs getting cracked by two under cards, runner runner straights and flushes.. I'm not getting discouraged however finally I've realized that poker is a long term game and my plays are profitable in the long run. Ive always known this I think I'm just starting to accept it more and more as each day passes. As I do this I notice myself progressing.

Another thing I'm starting to do is play within my BR. This was my biggest weakness and finally I have began to correct it. Do not get wrong I have played outside of it but I don't like the constant grind so I chance it every now again. I have faith in myself to not religiously play outside it anymore to ruin the little roll I built.

Well I am gonna get back to the $1 rebuy. Goodnite.

New Years Resolution

2007-12-31T13:59:00.000-05:00

My New Years Resolution for this year involves two parts. The first part is my poker life. This year I would like to play around 8-10 MTT a week. Also I would like to learn games like Omaha and improve my 7stud play. I have read countless articles that have been intriguing me into getting into these games for different reasons. The first reason would probably be the most important. It improves my strongest game Holdem. In these other games I might noticed something I never thought to do in Holdem. I believe this was Steve Zolotow who said this.
I would like to make double what I made this year and I do not think that this is an unreasonable task because I did not play that much this last half of the year. If I could accomplish only one of these though I would like being a better overall player. Im gonna try and accomplish this but playing in at least one omaha, stud, or horse tourney a week out of those 8-10 I mentioned above.

As far as the second half of the resolution goes its pretty much been the same as the last two years. Get my life together. What I mean by this is Im not putting 100% effort into college right now. Im only cheating myself. I need to pull my grades up. They are not bad but they are n0t 3.6 either. I could improve this by not procrastinating ridiculously like I do right now. Studying for a few hours a night before the exam is not the best way to go about things and I am slowing realizing this. I also need to start doing more HW even if its not the full assignment but a few problems here and there so I can realize what I need to work on. I know if I improve on this then I should be able to pull a 3.0 next semester and my senior year as well.

I would like to say 2007 was a good year and I hope 2008 is even better. Good Luck to you all with your resolutions and your health and prosperity in 2008.

Ahh The Rush

2007-12-31T13:34:00.000-05:00

I am in the zone right now. I was fired from my job at school before I came home for Christmas break and I think that was exactly what I needed. I have been playing MTT on AbsolutePoker and have had great success in the two weeks Ive been home. I have played around 20 tournies cashing in half of them in which I had 6 FT appearances. I now have my living expenses paid for the next two months and should be able to eat more than the dollar menu at BK, Wendys, etc..

I have noticed that I have become quite comfortable with NL Holdem now and I would more identify myself as a LAG player rather than a TAG. I have noticed that I have been able to pick up on betting patterns far more than I was in the past. Also my live game has improved considerably too because I have bettered my ability to read body language. I have made some money playing live over the break but I do not let those results get in the way of me just naturally playing better. The other night for instance I was playing in a live home game tourney. I was dealt the 64off in UTG+3. I made my standard raise of 3x the bb and had only my uncle call. (A TAG player). The flop came 974 rainbow so I threw out a bet of around half the pot. My Uncle went in the tank and I at that point I had him on an overpair but he was thinking I had flopped a set. He said after he folded that he had to lay his hand down because I flopped my set of 4s. I was chuckling in the inside as I took down the pot with bottom pair.

I busted out of this tourney on a weird hand. I was dealt AJ in UTG+2 the utg decided to limp in early position(very loose put him on a mediocre hand) and I raised 4x the bb. I had the guy to my left call and the utg call. The flop came J85 and the UTG player bet 1k I raised to 5k and the guy to my left called my 5k raise. The UTG player went allin and put me in the tank this time. After about a minute I call and the guy to my left calls. I show my tptk and the guy to my left shows his pocket 10s. What really befuddled me was the utg showed j8 for two pair. This only confused me because I had shown a few hands to set up my table image. I showed two pair twice with my premium hands. Long story short is I was the second one out of the tourney as my TPTK did not improve. I know over the longrun I would empty this guys pockets but did not really understand his call here. Then I thought about it the good old phrase DAI (Dont Assume Intelligence.) and realized that was exactly what happened to me here.

Overall I have been playing very well excluding the misstep in that last tourney I mentioned. I am very happy to be playing like this after a dismal month of November and first week of December. I hope I can continue this in the upcoming year of 2008.

What Poker Taught Me This Year

2007-12-15T01:14:00.000-05:00

This year has done a lot for my poker game. I have realized that I have an innate ability to read body language now. I have become very good at this. The one thing that sucks is that I still do not always trust my gut instinct. I have lost out on several things other then poker because I did not act upon this feeling. This has been my only regret of the year. I feel if I can improve on this in 2008 not only will I make more money playing cards but I will also succeed outside of the felt and get the things I want out of life.

The Browns

2007-12-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

What a win today. I thought for sure that the Browns were gonna give this one away. Jamal stepped up and had a very nice game. He was right this is his time of the year. Congrats to Braylon for tying the record for most reception TDs in a season. This guy is a stud and am looking forward to him breaking many records in the future. The offensive line is by far and away the MVP of this team and their performance this season is the reason we are 8-5. (cough 10-3 cough). The defensive line has also improved and its mostly because of the Smiths play. Robaire made some plays and the goal line stand was awesome. Our secondary is also looking really good and dont look now but we got a gem in this kid McDonald. I never doubted Savage and his talent evaluation this kid is going to be good. Sean Jones is another defensive playmaker and one of the handful of guys that Butch Davis got right. This team faces a good Bills team next week and if we pull this one out I know they make the playoffs. Couldnt be happier for Romeo I would have been upset if he lost his job because Quinn was put in the starter role and struggled.

The first

2007-12-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

I am officially blogging now. Wow what an experience. lol. I have been meaning to make a blog for a while to share my thoughts on whats going on in the world.

The first thing that comes to mind is my Cleveland Browns. What can I say? Anyone who thinks that the Browns are a joke now. These guys are for real. The one thing I'm not sure is how can your team defense be the strength of you team since the return of the Browns and now it is our wekaness? Thats the only complaint I have. But to be honest I thought that they would be a seven win team at best this year and all of the sudden they are 7-5 with 4 games left. Finally Cleveland has something to hang its hat on. If the "D" can improve our offense can compete with anyone and we will be a force in the playoffs.

The second thing that comes to my mind is my poker endeavors as of late. I have no idea how Ive mad what Ive made this year playing like I am. I am paying off hands I know I am beat and generally have been ignoring my reads all together. I bet when I should fold and fold when I should raise. I know that I can correct these things but it seems as if I do not want to. I cannot believe that we barely play poker here anymore either. I was playing 3 nights a week last year and now I do not know if I have played 10 times this year. Luckily for me I still have online poker to fall back on.

The other thing that was cracking me up was the fact that Colbert was running for president. I loved this. I feel bad for those who do not watch the show and think that this was hoax. The whole purpose of his show is to get people who do not care about politics to start caring. I know it seems like a hoax but it was definitely for a purpose. I wish that he could have ran but he did not fill out the paperwork in time.
As far as next years presidential election I am finding no strong candidates with whom I feel comfortable yet. Hopefully as the time gets closer and more and more debates are televised a better feel for who I like will emerege.

This was the first of many blogs I hope to post and feel free to comment on them.