Still don't believe in karma, but...

Full Tilt just banned my chat privileges for 3 months. I mentioned in a blog entry months ago about my tendency to cross the line in chat. When frustrated in a match online (particularly against competent players), I have berated my opponent.

Here's the email. Yes, part of the reason I'm posting it is for humor, but also as a form of public humiliation for myself. It's hard to believe that any adult would talk like this to other people, let alone a professional poker player. I very rarely talk like this against complete fish, but that does not make it any more acceptable.


The chat ban has definitely been punishment, and it's costing me a lot of money.
-If I need to go to the bathroom, I can't tell my opponent this. My 2 options are to either hold it in, or just sit out and pray that they will still be sitting when I return. The latter rarely works.
-People get alienated when they ask me a question during a match and subsequently think I'm ignoring them.
-If I have played a fish in the past and discover them sitting in a different game, I cannot ask them if they want to play heads-up NL again.

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If you guys don't read Raptor's blog by now, you absolutely should. I believe he has the best blog of any poker player. It covers all aspects of life, and has been great motivation for me in terms of diet & exercise. I have begun to learn a lot about nutrition and my overall diet is excellent at this point. My work ethic with exercise is inconsistent, but lately I have been back on the ball. I'm not shooting for bulking OR cutting, but just to be overall more fit. I'm roughly 5'8", 145 pounds, 15% body fat right now. My goal is to get to 150 pounds and 10% body fat over the next couple months.

A specific aspect of Raptor's blog that fascinates me is how he has taken up Jiu Jitsu. I have not played an organized sport since middle school, and jiu jitsu seems like the ultimate sport. It involves strength, endurance, reflexes, and reading your opponent. I've found a gym that does group jiu jitsu in Pittsburgh, and will likely try it out after spring break. In the mean time, I need to continue lifting in the gym and doing cardio in order to increase my overall fitness level before I even attempt jiu jitsu.

Stephen Bennett, professor

This week I am lecturing a class called "General Poker Theory". My friend Danny is the instructor and wanted me to guest speak. He created the class (1 credit course) at his school, Carnegie Mellon, which is probably the best overall university in Pittsburgh. The class has 2 sections that meet on Monday and Wednesday evening. I chose to lecture about turn & river play. Some of the concepts include double/triple barreling and value betting thin.

Only about 15 students showed up for Monday's class, but they were very enthusiastic and assaulted me with questions. The lecture would have only lasted about 20 minutes if people didn't participate (I don't think I made the Powerpoint long enough). However, the class lasted 45 minutes with the high level of student involvement. It is very gratifying to be able to teach a large group of people, and know they have the confidence in your knowledge on the subject. Wednesday's class should be 30-40 students and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

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In other news, I am going to Jamaica with John/PuddlePirate for spring break. We booked a stay at a 4 star resort in the city of Negril. I haven't experienced spring break yet, nor gone anywhere international in many years. Even though it is only the two of us going, we are outgoing guys... I expect to have no trouble making friends. I wanted to go to the Caribbean and not Mexico/Florida. I'd like a spring break that is slightly more diverse than 7 straight days of being shit-faced in a huge sea of college students. This way, we will party but also get to try scuba diving, riding dolphins, get pampered by the resort, etc.

Here to stay, ladies and gents

January was strange. I had two $5K days and basically broke even for the rest of the month. I know it sounds bizarre to complain when I won almost $1/hand, but my confidence in poker has not been great lately. The state of the HU poker economy has really stung me. I have to wait so long for games, and the wait itself frustrates me and can take me off my A-game before a match even begins.



My poker game has been completely complacent the last 6 months. I had great months in October and November, solidifying the incorrect belief that my game needs zero work. My confidence has begun to break down lately and it's time for change. I finally gave in and purchased Hold 'Em Manager a week ago. I have been using PokerTracker 2 for the longest time. Watching poker instructional videos is another must. I have not watched one in probably 4 months... quite alarming given that I pay for 2 subscriptions. Most other online winners are watch videos regularly. If I continue to neglect this, I will fall behind the rest of the pack.

In the non-poker world, I went out more in January 2009 than any other month of my life to date. My passion lately has been on improving my overall social skills, in particular with women. I've become a voracious reader on the topics of social dynamics and body language. On a related note, my wardrobe has also improved greatly over the past month or two. I'm finally graduating to my own style of fashion and leaving the American Eagle's of the world.

P.S. You guys fully have the right to hassle me if I go too long without blogging.