Poker Odyssey

03:11 pm - Moving the blog

This will be my last post at LiveJournal, please update your links. To see the new version of my blog please visit: http://blog.pokerodyssey.com

Thanks,
J

10:47 pm - Mid-Summer Update

Poker has been ok to fair (I've been running sorta bad to breakeven). This is mostly due to my decision to learn to play shorthanded poker. I started playing the 1/2 6-max at party but quickly graduated to the 2/4 6-max at UB and the 3/6 at paradise. These games are a little more challenging (especially the paradise 3/6) but have found them to be beatable. I still have much to learn about shorthanded strategy, but I've become a much stronger post flop player thanks to the expereince playing short-handed. I'll be returning to my regular 3/6 and 5/10 games within the next couple weeks and (once I build up the bankroll a little) will feel confident moving into the 5/10 6-max at Party.

The challenge is still going, although I'm well behind pace at this point due to my decision to learn the short-handed game. At this point it's sorta pointless because barring a huge rush (HUGE) I won't get anywhere close to my original goal. I don't really mind, I've really enjoyed playing shorthanded and am a better player for it.

Hope everyone is having a good summer. Peace.

06:07 pm - Stuff

The last month has been a very exciting time for me. I've put in a considerable amount of work and have turned my game around and improved more than I thought I could in such a short time. By making the proper adjustments to my game I have successfully moved up a limit and over the next couple weeks I will be moving up again into the next higher limit.

On Monday of this week I started a personal challenge to win X dollars in Y days. You'll probably remember that I've talked about these "results oriented" goals in the past....I've changed my tune a little. I think these sort of projects are flawed because they are based on results and because of the luck factor in poker you can run hot or cold over the short run and the results can be misleading. Despite their flaws there are some positive aspects to these challenges and one of the biggest is that it is EXCITING.

I've only been working on my challenge for the last four days, but I've really enjoyed my time at the tables this week, I now have a "goal" to shoot for instead of just grinding it out. I'm sure the other full-time players out there know what I'm talking about. I'm going to keep the right attitude about my project (if I hit a cold streak I'm not going to let it bother me), and if I maintain that attitude throughout the challenge I feel I'll have an enjoyable experience regardless of my results. I'm going to keep the details of my challenge private, but lets just say that if I am successful it will be significantly more money than I've ever made (in a 2 month period at least).

After some debate, I've decided that I'm going to put the blog on hiatus over the summer. These days I'm working a lot more than I have in the past and I rarely have anything new to say...I might pop in here or there and make a post, but I doubt I'll be making regular posts again until September. I hope all of you have a great summer. Peace.

01:52 am

I had a couple people take a look at some hands for me this week and give me feedback on what they saw. Both of them identified similar weaknesses in my game (including a couple new leaks), and I'll be working to fix those mistakes over the next couple weeks. I'm "happy" that some new mistakes were discovered because it shows that my game is evolving. I am making changes/improvements to one area and in turn causing other mistakes to appear in another area. For example, I've said before how I've become more aggressive with betting and semi-bluffing over the last couple weeks (which is a good thing), but I took it a bit too far and as a consequence I was missing some good opportunites to maximize my earn by going for a check/raise. So now I'll go back and work on that side of the equation until I get things back in balance.

I feel very much on top of my game right now. The changes I've made over the last month or so have dramatically improved not only my earnings but my confidence as well. I've realized that I was too passive about learning & improving my game in the past...always worried I'd go too far in one direction or the other and consequently I wasn't moving at all. I was trying to discover some magic formula that would turn me into a perfect player in just one step, but now I realize that simply isn't possible....you need to get in there with a sledgehammer and beat the hell out of your game if you want to improve. Don't be afraid to push things too far, it's not a bad thing if you can learn from it. Each time you push too far and then make the correct adjustments you're getting closer and closer to your goal. I still have a long way to go, but at least I'm moving again. Peace.

11:05 pm

I took some things down and will be moving stuff around over the next couple days....I'm working on an update. This past week was my 3rd best ever. Woot!

03:37 am - card rack

Incredible 3/6 session this afternoon, a non-stop rush for about two hours. One of those days where you catch great cards all day, hit the flop or make your draw everytime...and those few occasions where you're behind you're able to see what's going on and dump your hand. It was mostly luck and I realize that, but it was certainly a lot of fun while it lasted.

01:00 am

Yes, I'm still alive. I just haven't felt like writing very much. Poker is good, although I'm still not working enough. I've been playing 3/6 more frequently with pretty solid results. I've been crushing the 2/4 games which has been fun and gave me enough encouragement/confidence to get back into the 3/6 games. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Still smoke free after two weeks...now I just need to get my lazy ass to a gym.

12:32 am

I think I figured out why I've felt like crap this past week and haven't been wanting to play, as of today it's been a week since I last had a cigarette. I know that sounds really weak, but for anyone who's been in this sort of situation they probably understand.

To be honest I'm surprised I'm surprised I didn't figure this out sooner. I just feel numb/foggy/groggy without the constant stream of nicotine flooding my system and consequently I don't feel focused enough to play. I'm going to start walking next week (the second half of my secondary goals for summer), I think the activity will help me with my cravings and help to clear my head as well. I'm gonna be way behind schedule after this week.

10:23 pm

I haven't been playing the last few days. I felt "off" my game (which is strange because the last two weeks have been very good), but whatever...I generally don't play unless I feel like I'm 100% and I haven't felt that way so I haven't been playing. Today I finally sat down and put in a few hours, I posted a modest win which felt good.

I had my first phone meeting with my coach tonight. I had been really nervous to speak with him (I was a bit intimidated because of his level of experience/skill/etc), but it turns out he's just a regular guy who happens to know a thing or two about poker. We only talked for a few minutes tonight, but I'm really glad I finally made the jump and spoke with him. We reviewed a couple hands and he was able to explain things as we walked through the hand which was very helpful. I'm confident that as time goes on and I can speak with him more frequently it will really improve my play.

12:26 am

2+2'r Brings Home the Bracelet!!!!!

Congrats Fossilman!!!