Keep in the sunlight

I have quite a few topics to cover in this post. Alot has happened since my last post. Nothing too crazy, though. Since the primary subject of this blog is poker, I will start with that.

The title of this blog is from part of a Ben Franklin quote. Ben Franklin is the man. Having a ten day break from poker was really good. When was the last time I had a ten day break from poker? Hmm.. Im still thinking. the break allowed me to clear my head from what has been a somewhat dismal 2008. I've realized the signifance of keeping a positive frame of mind while playing. When Im expecting a negative outcome, it happens. At times when running bad, its eay to complain to myself or feel sorry for myself. I think that most poker players can relate. This contributes to negative thoughts. Psychologically, Im thrying to no longer accept complaints or sorrow for myself. I read some articles non-poker related that emphasize maintaining a positive frame of mind. the importance of this concept from wrestling. After ironically coming across several "poIve learned sitive thinking" articles (non-poker related) in the span of a few days, it was a good reminder of its importance. The full quote of the title is, "Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight."

David Sklansky insists in "Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players" that study, but more importantly experience and alot of thinking about the game away from the tables are paramount to improving as a player. I consider myself very lucky for the support network I have. UF2B has been a cornerstone for improvent to my game. We all learn from each other, and also, when you're in a group, it forces you to think about poker alot away from the tables. My relationship with Hookem and Verneer has been extremely important to my game. Hookem recently said that I should reduce my number of tables to at the most four. I agree. I am now three tabling, and four if games are good. With 5+ tables, I become mechanical. The toughness of today's games dictate that most of my edge will come from knowing my opponent. Not only knowing his overall style, but knowing him in the moment. I have notes from Brian Townsend's first video. One of the first points he made in the video was, "Play no more than three tables at once. FOCUS is a huge benefactor." Granted, it was a 10-20 video. I fell behind on watching videos from the break. Ive always been a visual learner, so I really benefit from them. Leggo is turning out some excellent content lately, because their pros are familiar with the nature of todays games at the respective stake of the video. Greg Brooks (MYNAMEIZGREG) insists on playing fewer tables, as well. So from now on, Im not worrying about number of hands, etc. The focus will be on playing in each moment I am in and considering all of the information I have on my opponent(s) to make the perfect play. I think that performance goals are terrible for this game. How many hands? How much money? What bb/100? My goal is to constantly improve. I want to master the game. I find it tough to improve while playing many tables. I find myself improving at a much quicker rate at three tables. Hopefully I continue to improve.

Its past my bedtime so Im going to cut this one short. I got the poker out of the way, so for my next post I will include my Spring Break and Btimm Party report. Thanks again for hosting that party, Brian. We all had a really good time. Details to follow in my next post. Kinda sucks to leave this post at a cliffhanger.

Btimm Challenge

I have to make this short and sweet bc Im pressed for time. My results for the challenge were not too good. I ran at -10bb/100 over 5200 hands. Oh well, get 'em next time.