Best day ever in cash games

I kicked ass and took names yesterday, winning $7.5K over 1.5K hands. This is the most I've ever won in a single day (in cash games) to date. Just like any time period where you run really hot, I both outplayed people and got lucky. I was lucky to land fish at all stakes. Most of them had more than a measly 40 big blinds to lose. Heaters definitely make you feel on top of the world, even if you logically understand you're experiencing the good side of variance. Here are a couple of the most interesting hands from yesterday:

Hand 1: I looove hero calling.
This is the opponent I won the most from yesterday. He was solid for the most part but made a few spewy plays postflop that made him quite +EV to play. Timing tells played a big part here, but my gut also told me he wouldn't over-bet shove a king here.

Hand 2: Where do I find these people?
I had a couple hands yesterday where my opponents literally just gave me 100BB+ on a silver platter. Not that this would be a fold against most people anyway, but this is the biggest snap call ever given how maniacal he was playing.

Hand 3: Awkward spot with OESD in 3 bet pot.
I asked a couple friends about this hand already. My opponent had been pretty snug, but at the same time I had little/no grasp on how he played postflop, especially in 3 bet pots. It was hard to imagine that he would raise the flop with Qx, especially given the fact that I had been pushing him around during the match. In spots like this, I expect my opponent to just call down with a TP-type hand. Given he has little money left after his raise, it seems apparent I have little fold equity. Regardless, I thought a shove seemed right (and still like it) given my equity versus his range.

Hand 4: Suckouts are inevitable on your biggest day ever.
This looks pretty gross for multiple reasons. My double barrel versus this opponent is questionable since I'm going to get little credit given how draw-heavy the board is. I also apparently suck at poker math, because I'm not getting the 4.1-to-1 needed to call when he shoves the turn. I can imagine he was throwing stuff.

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Last night I also went to a Belgian restaurant with a couple friends. They had a large beer selection with many hard-to-find imports, and great food all around. Their specialty is an appetizer with a pound of mussels in a white wine sauce, served with a side of pomme frites (french fries) that you dip in mayonnaise. Probably the best appetizer I've ever had. A female friend of mine has agreed to do a tour of different restaurants throughout Pittsburgh this year. In recent years, I've greatly expanded what foods I'm willing to try, so it will be interesting to experience the exotic dining hidden throughout the city.

Should be doing one of 17 other things

For the first time in my life, I feel like my plate is completely full. I have enough activities and obligations that I need to actually develop good time management to get everything accomplished. That being said, I'm doing a shitty job at time management thus far. I've played an embarrassingly amount of hands so far this month, and I'm not getting consistent piano practice in. Anyone have advice on how to manage my time better?

By the way... I don't know about you guys, but I still love to rail the high stakes games. I doubt these 500/1K NL games are going to run for a long time, so I try to stay updated on what has been happening in the games lately. The supposed NL fish (David Benyamine, Ziigmund, Gus Hansen) have been running really well in the games, which adds a huge twist. Patrik being the biggest loser is probably even more shocking. We've all had pre-conceived opinions about who the best NL hold em players in the world before these games ran, and these beliefs are being questioned for essentially the first time in a long time. Nosebleed NL has not run regularly since summer 2007.

Relaxing back home

I have been back home in the Philadelphia area since Friday. University of Pittsburgh gave students a short fall break (1 day off, to be exact) for the first time. Usually I only drive back home during academic breaks, so it was nice to get to see my family before Thanksgiving. My mom (whose house is my primary residence while home from school) lives in a fairly rural setting. Being here reminds me of how much I love nature, and would like to be a homeowner with a large yard. Home also reminds me of how much I want to have a dog (or two). My mom has a golden retriever and a chocolate lab, while my dad has a yellow lab. Big dogs are awesome, and I believe having pets is a great compliment for being a professional poker player.

Lately, I have an increasing appreciation for poker as a profession. Many of us young poker players are quick to complain about any possible negative aspect. We take for granted that this is one of the only things that you can easily make 6 digits as a young person with little/no assets, as well as the copious amount of freedom poker provides. Yes, the amount of human interaction is limited. It forces poker players to either be happy with ample time to themselves (which does not apply to me), or work harder to maintain an active social life. Fortunately, college has helped me have an easily-accessible social network. This does makes me scared about how life will change after graduation next year.

I met with my new accountant for the first time today. We had a long consultation where I outlined what being a poker professional is like. He advised what I should be doing to prepare for the upcoming tax season. He also commented at the end of the consultation that I was one of the most unique clients that he has met in a while. I strongly, strongly advise any US poker professional to talk extensively with an accountant about how to file. We are in an incredibly unique situation, and with that comes extra responsibility to file as accurately and thriftily as possible.

Weekend happenings

On Friday night, I participated in a drinking competition. I am honestly not much of a drinker... I do it socially about once a week, and rarely get hammered. However, I decided to be captain and form a team when a friend informed me of the event. Teams comprised of 8 people. Each had to drink the following: 12 bottles of beer, a fifth of vodka, and one box of wine. Somehow, a team completed the competition in merely 16 minutes. I suspected that whoever was responsible for the boxed wine would suffer the most. My friend Ben (who, of course, chugged the boxed wine) ended up blacking out, and we had to carry him home. Needless to say - it was a fun experience, but competitive drinking is extremely illogical from a health perspective.



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I have taken 3 piano lessons so far, and enjoy it a lot. My teacher has a background in classical music and is focusing on me building strong fundamentals. If I don't mind going through music-reading and finger-strengthening exercises, then it will be awesome once I begin learning actual songs. It is disappointing that I have a very poor singing voice, though. I'm considering getting a vocal teacher sometime in the next few months so I can at least improve from an awful singer to a mediocre singer, and combine that with my newly-learned piano skills. I definitely get a satisfying feeling from getting back into music for the first time since I was 14 years old. It is a great way to challenge myself, use my creativity, and express myself. If you're like me and feel that life needs to feel more fulfilling, I strongly recommend doing something musical.

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I'm very objective about the poker economy, and constantly analyze the bigger picture. As I've said before, it is undeniable that poker is a negative sum game. Rake, taxes, and cashouts (especially by professionals to cover their expenses) mean that the poker economy is constantly shrinking. The only way to balance this depletion is for new blood to be constantly depositing money into the economy. This simply is not occurring at a large enough rate to offset the factors mentioned. As a result, the poker economy is drying up. It is not strongly related to the state of the US economy. It is also NOT strongly related to the legislation passed about online gaming in 2006. Online poker does not even resemble what it did two years ago, and conditions are unlikely to improve. That being said, I will continue to play poker for as long as I can comfortably make 6 figures doing so. I'm already starting to consider my other options for what to do after poker, because I don't realistically envision this being my main source of income 5 years from now.

September Results

September ended well and was NOT my worst month after all, but it was the most challenging. I went through my biggest downswing ever ($13.5K, or roughly 17 buy-ins). On a positive note, I did not let the downswing affect my overall outlook on life. I have a tendency to get depressed during downswings, allowing it to affect my entire life. 2008 has been a mostly joyful year with few bumps in the road. I had a conversation with a friend about this, and we agree that good HU players at mid-stakes NL rarely go through big downswings. Rather, they do endure breakeven stretches. Thus, it is a testament to my mental toughness that I stayed strong during this downswing, in spite of it being my first big downswing in a long time.





My confidence in my poker game is higher now than it was 30 days ago (surprisingly). Now my work ethic is what needs improvement. Playing 15-18K hands a month is not sufficient. Granted, I do lead a more balanced life now. I have other hobbies, difficult classes, and make a stronger effort to socialize on weekends. However, I should still be able to log about 100 hours a month (which comes to 25-30K hands of heads up). Do you guys do anything specific to push yourself to play poker during times when you aren't busy, but don't have a strong drive to play?

I'm going to make more of an effort to discuss my private life from now on. I find that the most interesting poker blogs are ones in which the blogger updates about their personal life. Writing is very therapeutic for me, and my blog would likely be more interesting if I include aspects of my personal life. I'm a very extroverted person by nature, and enjoy expressing things to others. Besides... I'd like to think that my life is somewhat interesting enough. ;)

Goals for October:
-Play 20 to 30K hands
-Ease back into playing 5/10 NL heads up
-Play live a couple times
-Begin playing tennis regularly
-Continue practicing piano for 5+ hours a week