Gosh I have sure been neglecting the blog. No time now either....off to Vegas in a few hours in pursuit of a bracelet....only one event planned for this week long stint, but that will do for now.
Will update trip when I return!
Monday, 30 May 2011
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Delayed Gratification
I have been thinking a fair amount about delayed gratification of late. It is a concept that my mum used to talk to my sister and me. It mostly had to do with how we spent our allowance, and saving for items that we wanted. As much as I wanted to have Guess jeans or Nike pumps...I knew I would have to work for them and that may have meant giving up other things. Even now, with regards to money, I save in some places (no cable, take the bus to work, cut coupons) so I can live extravagantly when I want to. I told my dad once that "I don't like to shop, but I really like nice things"....it's probably a learned behavior of mine to not like to shop, otherwise my credit card bills could be disastrous!
The reason I have been thinking about this, is that with WSOP coming up in less than three weeks, I have been trying to finalize which tournaments I want to play and if I want to sell % of my action. For the most part, I have always had all my own action but am usually willing to trade % with other players in the same tournament. That is usually as far as I go to reduce variance and have some fun in the meantime. I have never been backed, because I think that gives up equity for me and when I win a tournament I want to win it all. I feamel confident enough in my abilities that I want to be the first person to put me in a tournament. It is still tempting for some of the bigger tournaments.
As a rule, I don't think long term backing agreements are good for poker. I am not worried that these arrangements will wreck the game or cause the game to disappear, but I do think that the players who are backed will have a shorter livelihood in poker, largely due to the burden of makeup. In my opinion, there is something so valuable about working and grinding your way up the limits. You learn patience, bankroll management, the value of a dollar and how to grind out a living. It is hard to keep things in perspective when you play 4 and 5 figure tournaments on a regular basis. You stay strung along because you only ever one good day away from a big score.
I guess ultimately it just depends on the individual as to what path they want to take, but if the focus can be on delayed gratification, the individual will be better off in the end.
The reason I have been thinking about this, is that with WSOP coming up in less than three weeks, I have been trying to finalize which tournaments I want to play and if I want to sell % of my action. For the most part, I have always had all my own action but am usually willing to trade % with other players in the same tournament. That is usually as far as I go to reduce variance and have some fun in the meantime. I have never been backed, because I think that gives up equity for me and when I win a tournament I want to win it all. I feamel confident enough in my abilities that I want to be the first person to put me in a tournament. It is still tempting for some of the bigger tournaments.
As a rule, I don't think long term backing agreements are good for poker. I am not worried that these arrangements will wreck the game or cause the game to disappear, but I do think that the players who are backed will have a shorter livelihood in poker, largely due to the burden of makeup. In my opinion, there is something so valuable about working and grinding your way up the limits. You learn patience, bankroll management, the value of a dollar and how to grind out a living. It is hard to keep things in perspective when you play 4 and 5 figure tournaments on a regular basis. You stay strung along because you only ever one good day away from a big score.
I guess ultimately it just depends on the individual as to what path they want to take, but if the focus can be on delayed gratification, the individual will be better off in the end.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
April Review...
May 1rst already....what a busy month.
Yoga
I completed my 30 day challenge. I did 30 classes in April, had to double up a few times to make up for the days where work/life got in the way. Overall, I am really happy I did it, but I know that without a doubt I need a break. That being said, I signed up for a one month pass to another studio...maybe soon I will be doing handstands and wheels, but probably will just be content with being comfortable in a down dog.
Poker
I already briefly touched on "Black Friday" but now have a better idea as to what the impact is on me. As a person, I don't like that the US government is preventing the citizens from playing online, but as a poker player, I think it may have been better for me than originally anticipated. While it is a bit tougher to get an omaha 8/b game going, it is definitely better when it finally comes together. I have had better tournament results also, including finishing 101rst in the Sunday Million on PokerStars tonight. Maybe it is variance, or maybe I underestimated the poker prowess of our neighbours to the South.
I am really happy that PokerStars has been able to process cashouts for the US players, that will help and maybe even improve the flow of money during WSOP (less than a month away now...) because some players will have their whole roll in cash rather than keeping the majority of their cash online.
SCOOP starts on the 8th of May. I hope I get to play some of the events, but it isn't looking likely because with the absence of the US players, PokerStars decided to move the events 3 hours earlier. In the past, I was able to catch some of the evening events after work if I wanted to, or take an afternoon away from work if the event warranted it. It will be tough this year to take the time....will have a look this week to see what I want to do.
Personally, "Black Friday" has impacted some of me and some of my relationships with American friends. We don't have a normal banter about how our days have gone, or hands to talk about, or tournaments to review. Some have dealt with the situation really well, and things are normal, but it is evident that others begrudge that I can still play where they used to.
I just maintained my monthly quota to remain a Supernova on PokerStars this month...
Fun
April bring basketball playoffs for us every year, we sailed through the semis, with a couple games this month and are headed to the finals for our division this year, have a solid chance of shipping it too! Needless to say.....
Mid-month, a group of friends went out to a rural community hall for the 2nd annual curling extravaganza, it was entirely too much fun. An evening of curling (really everyone should try it) interspersed with a Ukrainian feast of pyrogies, cabbage rolls and skor cake....what else could you ask for? The rum slush definitely helped to keep us warmer on the ice!
Finally, this week, I went to Riverdance. I never saw it on it's first run through after the boom of the Celtic Tiger in the early 2000s. It was an awesome experience that I thoroughly loved, I do still wish I had seen it with a huge full cast. For those of you who are wondering, I only cried a small amount at the beginning, something about Irish hard shoe dance makes me super emotional! My favorite clips from Riverdance....I could watch them over and over! Michael Flately is so haughty and arrogant, but I love it!
I also read a couple books during April...I read Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren and Still Alice by Lisa Genova. The latter was an incredible book that was told from the perspective of a well educated woman as she became increasingly affected by Alzheimer's Disease. If you read it (and you should), I recommend you avoid reading on the train/bus or other public arenas, as there are some intense moments that really take your breath away (and may bring a tear to your eye). It is what I consider a very human book, with situations that you can feel yourself in.
My basement also flooded around Good Friday...thankfully I have people in my life (my mum and step-father) who are proficient at dealing with such emergencies. I didn't have the time to put a diving board in my basement, it was dried up in no time! (Thanks)
All in all, it has been a crazy month, periodically I think about things I should blog and am sure that I have forgotten a number of things tonight....not to worry, I'll be back!
Yoga
I completed my 30 day challenge. I did 30 classes in April, had to double up a few times to make up for the days where work/life got in the way. Overall, I am really happy I did it, but I know that without a doubt I need a break. That being said, I signed up for a one month pass to another studio...maybe soon I will be doing handstands and wheels, but probably will just be content with being comfortable in a down dog.
Poker
I already briefly touched on "Black Friday" but now have a better idea as to what the impact is on me. As a person, I don't like that the US government is preventing the citizens from playing online, but as a poker player, I think it may have been better for me than originally anticipated. While it is a bit tougher to get an omaha 8/b game going, it is definitely better when it finally comes together. I have had better tournament results also, including finishing 101rst in the Sunday Million on PokerStars tonight. Maybe it is variance, or maybe I underestimated the poker prowess of our neighbours to the South.
I am really happy that PokerStars has been able to process cashouts for the US players, that will help and maybe even improve the flow of money during WSOP (less than a month away now...) because some players will have their whole roll in cash rather than keeping the majority of their cash online.
SCOOP starts on the 8th of May. I hope I get to play some of the events, but it isn't looking likely because with the absence of the US players, PokerStars decided to move the events 3 hours earlier. In the past, I was able to catch some of the evening events after work if I wanted to, or take an afternoon away from work if the event warranted it. It will be tough this year to take the time....will have a look this week to see what I want to do.
Personally, "Black Friday" has impacted some of me and some of my relationships with American friends. We don't have a normal banter about how our days have gone, or hands to talk about, or tournaments to review. Some have dealt with the situation really well, and things are normal, but it is evident that others begrudge that I can still play where they used to.
I just maintained my monthly quota to remain a Supernova on PokerStars this month...
Fun
April bring basketball playoffs for us every year, we sailed through the semis, with a couple games this month and are headed to the finals for our division this year, have a solid chance of shipping it too! Needless to say.....
Mid-month, a group of friends went out to a rural community hall for the 2nd annual curling extravaganza, it was entirely too much fun. An evening of curling (really everyone should try it) interspersed with a Ukrainian feast of pyrogies, cabbage rolls and skor cake....what else could you ask for? The rum slush definitely helped to keep us warmer on the ice!
 | ||
| Yoga kept me flexible I guess.... |
I also read a couple books during April...I read Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren and Still Alice by Lisa Genova. The latter was an incredible book that was told from the perspective of a well educated woman as she became increasingly affected by Alzheimer's Disease. If you read it (and you should), I recommend you avoid reading on the train/bus or other public arenas, as there are some intense moments that really take your breath away (and may bring a tear to your eye). It is what I consider a very human book, with situations that you can feel yourself in.
My basement also flooded around Good Friday...thankfully I have people in my life (my mum and step-father) who are proficient at dealing with such emergencies. I didn't have the time to put a diving board in my basement, it was dried up in no time! (Thanks)
All in all, it has been a crazy month, periodically I think about things I should blog and am sure that I have forgotten a number of things tonight....not to worry, I'll be back!
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