Sorry about the lack of updates lately. Ever since School ended for me (Dec 13th) I've done a whole lot of lazying/nothing. Kind of pathetic, but it feels great :) Let's see if I can recap...
Dec 11th was my birthday. It sort of sucked, as it does every year because its right before final exams and most people can't come out to party etc... but this year there were a good amount of kids out as it fell on the last day of classes, and I did decide to say "F it" on tuesday and abandon any plans to study to make sure I enjoyed the day. The way I see it, 21 is too big not to remember. I didn't make it as big as I should have, but it was a good time. A new bar just opened in college park (finally) called "The Thirsty Turtle"...corny, I know, but probably going to be one of the better bars to be at in the coming months, and a big relief of the overcrowding issues plaguing our small college town of sex, drugs, and alcohol.
After I got through the proceeding next couple days, and final exam, I decided to really relax despite trying to refocus and pull back up from my recent major-downswing. I spent a good amount of time over the past few days hanging with friends, and seeing family and a cousin from Toronto that came to visit. We spent a good amount of time in DC at and around my brothers place in Georgetown. Overall, its been very relaxing and very nice to be on the "doing nothing" break and catching up with people that I so easily lose touch with.
Despite needing and wanting to relax, I do have serious plans to refocus poker-wise and otherwise. December began with my aforementioned huge downswing, and I still have barely put in the volume required to recover from said downswing. Amsterdam is coming up tommorow, so there won't be much poker time in it for me, which is absolutely fine. Recently, I read a thread posted by Phil Galfond (Jman28, an amazing poker player), which really reenforced the principles that I've tried to approach poker with in my time spent playing the game. It really seems to negatively impact ones self overall when they play when they truly don't want to or are not in the right mindset to, but to only play for the sake of playing, boredom, or just trying to put volume in blindly. By not playing when I don't feel like it or am not in the right conditions to, or have something "better" to do, it really helps me focus when I do sit and put the time in. This allows me to really "want it" when I put in my long sessions of multi tabling and cutting myself off from the world to focus to the best of my abilities and put in a lot of games. That said, December has really been a disappointing month with little to no volume, and almost all downswing. Its ok, though, because a lot of other stuff was good and I've continued to learn a ton via going over hands and continuing to prepare coaching lessons for post-holidays for my students.
My first order of business is to finish off 2007 with a bang, and do Amsterdam to its fullest extent. I really want to have a crazy time, so I can get it out of my system in time for a great January and year of 2008 to follow. A friend of ours is making the last minute booking of the Amsterdam trip with us and is bringing his dog, who he has a special note for as his "emotional support" and medical permission to have the dog sit with him on the plane and stay in the hotel with us :) Should be a good time.
When I come home, I expect to find a good bar with friends to hit for new year's, or at least something fun to that effect. Waking up January 1 will bring the new, full month dedicated to business (and seeing the people, of course). Being that I want the month to be poker-oriented mainly in order to finally make some serious moves, I decided to book a couple of trips to meet these goals. Atlantic City and Las Vegas are more or less officially on the docket. With WPT Borgata happening in mid january, it'll be a great opportunity to meet more 2p2ers in continuation of the summer's vegas experience, get some live tournament experience, and get some more cash game time in. Just after this I'd like to try and get to Las Vegas with the same goals in mind and really get my act together for 2008. I have an offer from some accomplished live Vegas professionals for partial backing in bigger cash games, but we'll see what develops with my own comfort, bankroll and planning on that front.
To my students- Don't worry about coaching, I will continue to accommodate lessons even with my travels, its a very important part of everyone's development, and, though a lot of lessons will need logistical shifting, it'll all be worked out for both parties. I also just came out with Donkit/Sharkscope video for 6 man SNGs and I should have another one going up of me 4-tabling micro stakes games (I felt this would be beneficial to many of the viewers). I didn't have time to record another one before getting stuff together pre-Amsterdam, but I will be making a couple more upon my return home.
That is a basic recap of whats gone on and what I'd like to have go on. In addition to my poker goals and desire to finally finish school, I'd like to get back in shape also and continue my world travels. This will most likely be my last blog post of 2007, so expect an Amsterdam recap, and big things in 2008!!! Thanks for reading.
-Alex
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
LALALA
Most of these occur at or near a bubble, or are just ridiculously gross. Not quite sure what the hell is going on other than inexplicable horror. All of these in themselves are standard. I've never seen it all happen like this at once. Have a peeksie on my blog!
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1783047
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1782940
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1767928
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1790733
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1790742
everytime i get KK an ace flops or i bubble etc etc....
my worst full table- sng downswing ever....kinda sucks. Compounded by marginal error , these swings will be among the worst i ever face in my career id say in terms of severity of negative earn (as opposed to total $ swings)
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1783047
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1782940
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1767928
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1790733
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1790742
everytime i get KK an ace flops or i bubble etc etc....
my worst full table- sng downswing ever....kinda sucks. Compounded by marginal error , these swings will be among the worst i ever face in my career id say in terms of severity of negative earn (as opposed to total $ swings)
Saturday, December 1, 2007
End of the month
I finally had a semi "quiet week" with school, but unfortunately I came up just short of platinum star because of my detrimentally low volume at the beggining of the month. If only November had been a 31 day month....
On the bright side, I killed it on PokerStars in the last sessions of the month going for platinum star, mainly at the the 60 dollar tourneys playing 10-20 at a time continuously. It seems that most reading this aren't inerested in non-poker stuff so here are some stats of my last 3 days (aka most of the months volume) for those that wish to view them, and also for those that wonder if I actually ever play (click on image to clear it up)
or same thing at: http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5541/chargery1.jpg
Definitely a strong finish to what was a disappointing month in the way of volume. Not a huge sample of course, and I did get pwned at my small sample at the 60 STTs of the last couple sessions, but it's not too big a deal, the downswing had to come in some form! I have to say, if thats what I can look forward to in the way of downswinging then I think I'll get by :)
My 4th Donkit/sharkscope video should be up soon as well. I am just playing one table to go over some 6 man SNG strategy (39 turbo). Turned out fine, though one hand heads up I had Freudian slip of the tongue and assigned a range of "Aces and Kings" to the button opener when I mean to illustrate a tight range of Ax and Kx hands, not just AA/KK. Sorry for the confusion, a note will be posted with the video to clarify the commentary on that one hand, otherwise it looks ok. My next video will be made shortly as well, though I haven't decided on the content just yet.
I have some school work coming up again for final exams so my volume won't be much better, but I'm essentially completely done for the semester on December 13th. Look for things to bump up big time after that (including Amsterdam!). Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Alex
On the bright side, I killed it on PokerStars in the last sessions of the month going for platinum star, mainly at the the 60 dollar tourneys playing 10-20 at a time continuously. It seems that most reading this aren't inerested in non-poker stuff so here are some stats of my last 3 days (aka most of the months volume) for those that wish to view them, and also for those that wonder if I actually ever play (click on image to clear it up)
or same thing at: http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5541/chargery1.jpg
Definitely a strong finish to what was a disappointing month in the way of volume. Not a huge sample of course, and I did get pwned at my small sample at the 60 STTs of the last couple sessions, but it's not too big a deal, the downswing had to come in some form! I have to say, if thats what I can look forward to in the way of downswinging then I think I'll get by :)
My 4th Donkit/sharkscope video should be up soon as well. I am just playing one table to go over some 6 man SNG strategy (39 turbo). Turned out fine, though one hand heads up I had Freudian slip of the tongue and assigned a range of "Aces and Kings" to the button opener when I mean to illustrate a tight range of Ax and Kx hands, not just AA/KK. Sorry for the confusion, a note will be posted with the video to clarify the commentary on that one hand, otherwise it looks ok. My next video will be made shortly as well, though I haven't decided on the content just yet.
I have some school work coming up again for final exams so my volume won't be much better, but I'm essentially completely done for the semester on December 13th. Look for things to bump up big time after that (including Amsterdam!). Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Alex
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Quiet week
Thanksgiving break was great. Spent a few days down south at my grandparents and got some much needed family time in. It's always nice to see my grandparents, aunt and uncle and family friends, as I probably get down there two or three times a year, tops nowadays. The actual thanksgiving feast was amazing, by far the best meal of the year, and lived up to every ounce of expectation that I had for my grandmother and aunt's excellent cooking.
I came back friday night and got to spend saturday with some close friends from home. I went to lunch near home with a few of them, and later that night my closer friends came to my apartment at school for football, beers, and relaxing. It was definitely a great time. I don't think I'd seen one of my closest friends from home in 6 or so months, and most of them are not around in general so thanksgiving still remains a closely tied holiday.
School has been quiet since friends left and classes started up for the week. Luckily, I have a couple of days off from heavy course work until final exams start up again soon. The bright side is a likely great winter break is on the horizon.
I haven't played much poker...and by not much, I mean I think I've played 2 sessions this month. Pretty pathetic, but I'm going to charge ahead to sneak in platinum for the month regardless and turn up the heat. Then, when break starts, I can continue. Hopefully that plan works, I am certainly capable of disappointing myself. We'll start with 300 games in the next couple days, and go from there. Thanks for reading.
Alex
I came back friday night and got to spend saturday with some close friends from home. I went to lunch near home with a few of them, and later that night my closer friends came to my apartment at school for football, beers, and relaxing. It was definitely a great time. I don't think I'd seen one of my closest friends from home in 6 or so months, and most of them are not around in general so thanksgiving still remains a closely tied holiday.
School has been quiet since friends left and classes started up for the week. Luckily, I have a couple of days off from heavy course work until final exams start up again soon. The bright side is a likely great winter break is on the horizon.
I haven't played much poker...and by not much, I mean I think I've played 2 sessions this month. Pretty pathetic, but I'm going to charge ahead to sneak in platinum for the month regardless and turn up the heat. Then, when break starts, I can continue. Hopefully that plan works, I am certainly capable of disappointing myself. We'll start with 300 games in the next couple days, and go from there. Thanks for reading.
Alex
Sunday, November 18, 2007
hrmph
The week was tough, as expected. I got lucky midway through the week and found out that my 30 page final english paper was due monday (tommorow) and not friday. I have gotten to play no poker, and spent about 20-25 hours outside of class doing school related work. Unfortunately, my exams did not go as well as I'd hoped despite starting preparation earlier than I normally do, but hopefully I can stop the bleeding and finish the semester reasonably. There isn't much more that I can think to do beyond what I am already doing, so I'm just going to stick it out.
The plus side to finishing the week was a very very fun weekend. Friday night we had a party in the apartment and had a nice showing, and an overall good time (highlights: my roommate running around in a poncho and an off-duty stripper showing up). Last night, my friend Leah had a "WTF" theme party, where the idea was to dress in something that would elicit a "WTF?!?!" response when walking down the street. With no time to gather an outfit, I went in a nice array of sweat pants with baseball spandex on top, brown dress shoes, gloves, and the very same poncho from the previous night. I must say, I think I may have been the best dressed. My roommate Tim ended up showing up with a few friends and shared enjoyment, with lots of beer and some really good 7 layer been dip. Tim couldn't resist topping off the party with karaoke, and I must say I've never seen anyone get quite so into it before. Another good, fun night.
This week brings gathering the loose ends of my english paper together, go over some coaching stuff, and getting to the last couple days of classes before thanksgiving break. I am very much looking forward to a couple of days off before the last leg of the semester (including birthday!) I don't know that heavy poker volume will continue until after final exams, we'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading.
Alex
The plus side to finishing the week was a very very fun weekend. Friday night we had a party in the apartment and had a nice showing, and an overall good time (highlights: my roommate running around in a poncho and an off-duty stripper showing up). Last night, my friend Leah had a "WTF" theme party, where the idea was to dress in something that would elicit a "WTF?!?!" response when walking down the street. With no time to gather an outfit, I went in a nice array of sweat pants with baseball spandex on top, brown dress shoes, gloves, and the very same poncho from the previous night. I must say, I think I may have been the best dressed. My roommate Tim ended up showing up with a few friends and shared enjoyment, with lots of beer and some really good 7 layer been dip. Tim couldn't resist topping off the party with karaoke, and I must say I've never seen anyone get quite so into it before. Another good, fun night.
This week brings gathering the loose ends of my english paper together, go over some coaching stuff, and getting to the last couple days of classes before thanksgiving break. I am very much looking forward to a couple of days off before the last leg of the semester (including birthday!) I don't know that heavy poker volume will continue until after final exams, we'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading.
Alex
Friday, November 9, 2007
The weekend before death
If death came in school form, it would be next week with a 30 page paper and two exams. This won't leave time to do much else, so any desire to go out would have to happen this weekend. I guess it was bound to happen eventually. Thanksgiving break will still be amidst work, so most other things will be waning in the final month+ of the semester.
All that said, I'll either go out and do something tonight or stay in and grind, as I just won't put in much other time this month. I'll still be allowing plenty of time for coaching and videos but won't be getting too indulged until winter break arrives. FTOPS (Full Tilt's big tournament series) recently began so I may be jumping into a few events this weekend, perhaps starting with tonight's 200 buy in pot limit hold em event. We'll see what happens.
After all that is over with I'm really going to have to take proactive steps toward finding a house for next year, as we do not really want to stay in campus apartments anymore and having a house allows for much more freedom and entertainment. Also, since I'll likely only be here for half the year next year, I'd need a place to go in the spring and a house would solve that issue. Moving back home is not something I can ever really foresee, but I do love the area I'm from so I'm not opposed to staying locally for now. TBA, a year off abroad is also in the cards. Thanks for reading.
-Alex
All that said, I'll either go out and do something tonight or stay in and grind, as I just won't put in much other time this month. I'll still be allowing plenty of time for coaching and videos but won't be getting too indulged until winter break arrives. FTOPS (Full Tilt's big tournament series) recently began so I may be jumping into a few events this weekend, perhaps starting with tonight's 200 buy in pot limit hold em event. We'll see what happens.
After all that is over with I'm really going to have to take proactive steps toward finding a house for next year, as we do not really want to stay in campus apartments anymore and having a house allows for much more freedom and entertainment. Also, since I'll likely only be here for half the year next year, I'd need a place to go in the spring and a house would solve that issue. Moving back home is not something I can ever really foresee, but I do love the area I'm from so I'm not opposed to staying locally for now. TBA, a year off abroad is also in the cards. Thanks for reading.
-Alex
Monday, November 5, 2007
A slow start to November
Well, with all of the BS ive had to deal with in school and what not, I really haven't had time to sit down and start grinding for the month. My main focus is going to have to be getting through school work, so I expect volume to wane for the next several weeks. Coaching/posting/videos will have to make up for lack of table time.
There really hasn't been too much going on thats note-worthy, I'm still trying to qualify for WPT (world poker tour) bahamas so I can spend winter break at a couple of WPT events, as our apartment has already planned to get up to Atlantic city for the world poker open at Borgata in January. I'm extremely excited for this as it will be my first live tournament series as 21+...at long last, in about 5 weeks it'll be time.
Also, my fraternity's semi-formal/dated party is on wednesday in D.C and im planning on going to that, which should be the highlight of the week. Hopefully more exciting updates to come. Thanks for reading.
-Alex
There really hasn't been too much going on thats note-worthy, I'm still trying to qualify for WPT (world poker tour) bahamas so I can spend winter break at a couple of WPT events, as our apartment has already planned to get up to Atlantic city for the world poker open at Borgata in January. I'm extremely excited for this as it will be my first live tournament series as 21+...at long last, in about 5 weeks it'll be time.
Also, my fraternity's semi-formal/dated party is on wednesday in D.C and im planning on going to that, which should be the highlight of the week. Hopefully more exciting updates to come. Thanks for reading.
-Alex
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