August 26 - Games getting tougher?

Well I'm doing a fine job so far of making sure I play as little poker as possible! O well...3 more weeks of laziness allowed, and then its back to GrindCore. I would like to at least reach 30K hands this month, though I'm not figuring I will reach that point. I'm currently about 22.5K, which is officially my laziest month this year. I'm cutting myself some slack on that, and focusing on other poker related things right now.

Today was a very good day however. Had my intro session with a new student that went very well, and I think he's looking forward to smoothing out some of his rougher details. I was also approached by a backer today to stake me for live play. I'm currently a little light off-line, and thought some backing would help me get started splitting time between on-line and live poker. I am a huge bankroll nit and figured this would help me psychologically, especially while getting adjusted again to live play (which is a different beast than on-line play).

I was having a conversation with a player I respect the other day and we were talking about WR's in today's current 100nl (FTP) games. 2p2 has advocated often that 4pt/100+ is very attainable for the most solid player (top 5% maybe?). However, I think given the way the poker economy is evolving, that the WR cap is perhaps a bit lower than it was perceived to be previously. We were both thinking that 3pt/100 at 100nl might be the new “very attainable for the most solid players”.

Now I don't think, and I don't believe he does either, that the game has gotten difficult to the point of marginal WR. However, we do both acknowledge that 100nl (on FTP) has gotten harder and the regs have definitely improved over the last 7months. Anyone else agree or disagree here? I know, despite my current running this year, that reg quality has increased and the amount of huge weekend spew-fish have decreased. It can be assumed that the US recession isn't helping matters any, but also that the training tools available might be causing game conditions to noticeably change over the next year.

An on the note of improving players that will ruin the pond, my Poohbah is coming along well. I have a few people currently reading it and helping me with the logistics of the paper. It's a very lengthy work, and I suspect it will take people about 2-3 times of reading it to really start grasping all there is to it. I think the best way of describing this is a bastardization of ProfessionalNLHE, NLTAP, economics, and my thoughts. Hopefully that will help you understand what you're in for =)

Also, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm considering using this paper as a skeleton for an on-line FR NLHE book I'm looking to write. In thinking about it the other day, I was thinking of making this very Super System style, and was wondering if anyone had any interest in writing a chapter or so. The idea would be a compiled work with general play and then also specialized chapters based on that players personal strengths (like mine would be on bet sizing). Anyone interested in talking this idea out?

Alright, that's enough for tonight...a hand an then sleep:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7579732333: Table Hagan (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:54:46 ET - 2008/08/09
Seat 1: EYEfoldAA ($199.90)
Seat 2: NDirish80 ($200)
Seat 3: constas ($313.15)
Seat 4: Its RIGGIGGITY ($101.50)
Seat 5: DerkeDerkeDerke ($74.05)
Seat 6: dachs ($100)
Seat 7: MySecretGarden ($145.15)
Seat 8: shibainu2 ($94)
Seat 9: marketa555 ($144.40)
shibainu2 posts the small blind of $0.50
marketa555 posts the big blind of $1
dachs posts $1
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [8h 9h]
EYEfoldAA folds
NDirish80 folds
constas calls $1
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $1
DerkeDerkeDerke folds
dachs checks
MySecretGarden folds
shibainu2 raises to $5
marketa555 folds
constas calls $4
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $4
dachs calls $4
*** FLOP *** [Jh 9d 2h]
shibainu2 bets $21
constas calls $21
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $96.50, and is all in
dachs folds
shibainu2 calls $68, and is all in
constas folds
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [8h 9h]
shibainu2 shows [Ad Jd]
Uncalled bet of $7.50 returned to Its RIGGIGGITY
*** TURN *** [Jh 9d 2h] [8c]
*** RIVER *** [Jh 9d 2h 8c] [3d]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows two pair, Nines and Eights
shibainu2 shows a pair of Jacks
Its RIGGIGGITY wins the pot ($217) with two pair, Nines and Eights

*SS*

August 23 - Lack of play...

It's been a very busy last few days. I managed to pick up a few new students which I'm very excited about. Some of my current students are starting to get to the point where coaching isn't as necessary for them and I'm very stoked for them. Congrats to everyone so far! =)

Besides coaching, I've been working hard on being the laziest person ever (oxymoronic, I know). I think I've put in 1 session since my last blog post. Blah...I did exactly what I thought I was going to do. I knew I would lose motivation right before I left for Vegas. O well, at least I have income coming in from other things which always helps the lazy spurts. On a semi-related note, I added my stakee's blog “I vi ii v7” in the blogroll...so make sure to check his blog out and follow our progress. (I believe he's already +7BI in the first week...keep up the good work sir)

Been spending a lot of my non poker time with the GF. Trying to cram in as much 'seeing each other' time as possible before I leave. I set my launch date on September 8th. So we've just been bumming around, watching lots of movies, and enjoying each other a little more. Also, semi funny story:

So being that I'm taking Kingjamen to Vegas, she decided she wanted a pet, but something simple and easy. So she decided to go check out guinea pigs at Pet's Mart. So we take King and get his nails clipped, then go check out the lil guinea pigs. She picks one up, and is interested in seeing what King would do. LOL. She put it on the floor in front of King (who by the way, is the world's wimpiest dog ever), and wouldn't you know it, the chihuahua attacks the lil bugger. King snapped that thing hard too, and I'm pretty sure the guinea pig was bleeding badly. Lesson learned...King doesn't like guinea pigs. (Obviously she didn't buy that one...and yes, some animals were hurt in the production of this story)

I'm very excited about leaving. I'm going to try and take my time getting out there, but I don't want to slowpoke given how much I have in my car. Apparently I might I have to take my 32” TV with me as well (which originally was supposed to be re-bought and shipped directly to Vegas). If it does go with me, then I literally have a very uneasy amount of valuables in the car. I'm going to try to blog often on that trip and do different things + take pix. It will be just me and the puppy on the ride, so we'll see what the little guy is up to doing.

Also, the Poohbah post is coming along well. I've decided to use this Poohbah as the skeleton for an 'online NLFR' book I've been planning on writing for some time. My original plan was to look into 2p2 for publishing, but given the situation this week, I'm not too sure how I feel about that. They made me change my 2p2 handle because my website name = 2p2 handle. I've had my 2p2 handle for ~4years, and in that time have done nothing but give to the community. My website has been up for 2 months, and I promote 2p2 in quite a few places (links and such). However, 2p2, instead of PM-ing me and asking me to change my URL, flipped and told to change my handle (or have my Split Suit account shut down all together). Awesome! So the brand I've built around that name for 4 years is now gone!!! *^%#. My marketing professors would have been so proud...

But, all is said and done at the moment. So my new 2p2 handle is *Split* in case people were unaware. And on that note...a hand before sleep:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7614058215: Table Regena Rose - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:24:42 ET - 2008/08/12
Seat 1: tsirsilva ($126.80)
Seat 2: JayCe 24 ($100)
Seat 3: dzuropa ($85)
Seat 4: ShouldaWoulda ($5.55)
Seat 5: NDirish80 ($160.80)
Seat 6: ANT_NN ($19.50)
Seat 7: Irish Craig ($139.75)
Seat 8: pkrfrmhou ($56.70)
Seat 9: Its RIGGIGGITY ($106.90)
Irish Craig posts the small blind of $0.50
pkrfrmhou posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [Qh Qs]
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $3.50
tsirsilva folds
JayCe 24 folds
dzuropa folds
ShouldaWoulda raises to $5.55, and is all in
NDirish80 folds
ANT_NN folds
Irish Craig folds
pkrfrmhou raises to $20.65
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $68
pkrfrmhou calls $36.05, and is all in
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [Qh Qs]
ShouldaWoulda shows [Jd Jc]
pkrfrmhou shows [Jh Js]
Uncalled bet of $11.30 returned to Its RIGGIGGITY
*** FLOP *** [Kh 4h Ks]
*** TURN *** [Kh 4h Ks] [8h]
*** RIVER *** [Kh 4h Ks 8h] [3c]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows two pair, Kings and Queens
Its RIGGIGGITY wins the side pot ($100.15) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Its RIGGIGGITY wins the main pot ($16.30) with two pair, Kings and Queens

*SS*

August 19 - Some people...

Ok...new week and new goals! I'm attempting to be very optimistic and I have some fun things to help this.

1.)I think its fun to play poker again! I'm now spending a lot of time watching Stox vids of other genres of poker (lot of HU and 6max stuff). I'm considering getting into HU a bit (will for sure when I get to Vegas), so we'll see how that goes. I decided I would give that a go at HUPLO last night...didn't end up that well, but learned a valuable lesson: “don't bluff someone who hits the nuts often”

2.)I have a little money on PS that I keep over there for rainy day MTTs and such. Being that I want a bankroll on PS and don't want to have to deposit, I'm going to grind that up. My goal is to aggro bankroll that starting at 25nl. I think this will be fun, while also giving me some great insight to the current level of microFR (as it has been quite some time since I put in work at 25nl). I will still play 50nl-200nl on FTP during that time, but will probably split time between the two so I can get a move on my PS bankroll.

3.)Every single one of my students has increased their WR!!! Nothing makes me happier than watching my students succeed.

4.)Going to be doing a video within the next 2 weeks. I'm thinking I will do a 50nl video, and am debating between 2tabling and playing like 40/25, or 9 tabling and playing sTAG. Suggestions?

Other than that, nothing too exciting. Just bumming around for 2 weeks, then off to Vegas. O, random thought...was at the store today with my dad who was just picking up a quick bottle of wine. This old dude (probably late 40's) was at the cash register at the same time we were, and was hassling the hell out of the 17 yr old girl working it. This lasted like 3 minutes, and I finally just went over there to see what was going on...the old dude is bitching about $1. ONE DAMN DOLLAR. I was in shock to see this guy just grilling and steaming on this girl over $1 that the dude blatantly did not pay. I finally just gave the cashier a dollar to get things moving (because this really wouldn't have stopped if someone didn't do something)...AND THE GUY KEEPS COMPLAINING!!!

He's now bitching at me because I gave her a dollar. *sigh* Some people are just out there. But at the same time I thought about how this isn't that uncommon. Although generally I see it more with people an their coupons or arguing over a few dollars at McDonalds, but it's super sad. I don't know if it's because I'm a poker player and thus money movement, losing and earning, is commonplace, but a few bucks really isn't worth arguing over. I just know that I usually give people money in these spots just to get things moving (if I go to WallyWorld I tend to always bring a few singles in case people are complaining about something stupid, because its really not fair to the cashier getting paid $6.50 to hear you complain about a $4.99 item being rang up as $5.59). I just wish people could put things in perspective a bit better.

And a hand before bed:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7694143564: Table Hitching Post - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:06:47 ET - 2008/08/18
Seat 1: feel it burn ($10)
Seat 2: grizmaldi ($45.50)
Seat 3: kamunikator ($33.20)
Seat 4: bighowe05 ($52.20)
Seat 5: PokerQueen350 ($34.20)
Seat 6: MClark79 ($73.80)
Seat 7: Its RIGGIGGITY ($50.75)
Seat 8: missvoyage ($19.20)
Seat 9: unknowneinstein ($35.10)
PokerQueen350 posts the small blind of $0.25
MClark79 posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [3c 3s]
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $1.50
missvoyage folds
unknowneinstein folds
grizmaldi folds
kamunikator folds
bighowe05 raises to $5.25
PokerQueen350 folds
MClark79 folds
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $3.75
*** FLOP *** [2c 4h 5h]
Its RIGGIGGITY checks
bighowe05 bets $4
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $34
bighowe05 raises to $46.95, and is all in
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $11.50, and is all in
bighowe05 shows [Ks Ah]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [3c 3s]
*** TURN *** [2c 4h 5h] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [2c 4h 5h 2h] [3d]
bighowe05 shows a straight, Five high
Its RIGGIGGITY shows a full house, Threes full of Twos
Its RIGGIGGITY wins the pot ($99.25) with a full house, Threes full of Twos

*SS*

August 17 - Busy Weekend

Busy weekend. Family got in on Thursday (Godfather + Grandparents) for the benefit which was on Friday. I did a coaching session on Thursday afternoon, and after that it was crunch time to get everything together for the benefit. Spent probably 13 hours alone just labeling different gift items...which got super boring in a hurray...but w/e...“labor of love” as the family kept saying.

Benefit on Friday went very well. I think we raised quite a bit of money for the scholarship fund in my brother's name. It was a tad bit awkward though because of my mohawk. I'm getting it buzzed off on Labor Day, but am keeping it till then. Well the town we live in in Boston is very affluent, and thus I got quite a few snide comments about my 'hawk. O well, can't please everyone, but I wasn't going to not do my 'hawk when the 'hawk is in remembrance for my brother anyway!

Did a little sessioning today (like 2K hands). I don't know whats going on, but I feel like every session I'm starting very behind, and playing to breakeven. I know I'm not a breakeven player, and am not approaching sessions like “hey, lets break even today!” It just seems that I always lose 2 stacks before I even get my tables all up (exaggeration, but frustrating). I'm hoping that one of these days it will just all click again and I can combine playing well with running well, rather than just the prior.

I also mentioned my cash out situation last post. Well my CashPickup withdrawal got declined! *initiate Godmode* But, someone posted a thread in the Zoo that said there was some email addy that FTP had opened up if you needed a check badly (which I really do). Oddly enough FTP got an email back to me within an hour saying they could help me out, and I apparently now have a check in the mail. Hopefully all goes well with this one.

Well because I cashed out quite a bit for Vegas trip and everything, I left myself a small bankroll for 50nl (~$2K). (I decided that I would play 50nl for a little bit in an effort to regain myself and also work on some intricacies I haven't been utilizing to my advantage) I always play very over-rolled, but oddly enough, have no issues with shot-taking and such, especially in an aggressive manner. I figured that at the moment I would put in some grinding at 50nl, which has been going well as far as play goes. Not so much in the running department, but when u get another two set < sets (I'm actually -1BI with trips at 50nl this month, lol) and some other lovely hands, it happens. My style has changed quite a bit since I started playing 50nl a bit, which I'm keeping a close eye on, although I'm very confident its a positive change.

Thats enough for now...have to get some sleep before a coaching session at noon...and a hand for everyone:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7675465167: Table Port (deep) - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:31:32 ET - 2008/08/16
Seat 1: The Pure ($71.55)
Seat 2: Shadowbxr ($101.80)
Seat 3: BigJerry44 ($49.70)
Seat 4: Jaguardac ($55.10)
Seat 5: Its RIGGIGGITY ($55.10)
Seat 7: Menudencia ($50.25)
Seat 8: vlrhsgo ($102.80)
Seat 9: Windgat ($32.25)
Menudencia posts the small blind of $0.25
vlrhsgo posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [9d 9h]
Windgat folds
The Pure folds
Shadowbxr folds
BigJerry44 raises to $1.50
Jaguardac folds
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $1.50
Menudencia folds
vlrhsgo folds
*** FLOP *** [9c Ts Th]
BigJerry44 bets $2
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $8.75
BigJerry44 calls $6.75
*** TURN *** [9c Ts Th] [Kc]
BigJerry44 bets $12
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $12
*** RIVER *** [9c Ts Th Kc] [Kd]
BigJerry44 bets $27.45, and is all in
Its RIGGIGGITY folds
Uncalled bet of $27.45 returned to BigJerry44
BigJerry44 mucks
BigJerry44 wins the pot ($43)

*SS*

August 14 - Happiness

Lots of stuff I want to talk about right now...

1.) I got my first horse!!! “I vi ii V7” has officially been staked by me. We're going to be very aggro with the bankroll and hopefully get him to 100nl by Christmas (starting him at 25nl). Kid is very solid, and I'm very excited about this investment (as is he).

2.) I dislike FTP!!! 3 checks bounce, now 5 (leaning towards 6) days without approval on CashPickup. Then on top of that, I check the Zoo...and apparently CashPickup might be fading out. There is no check option for me, and nothing else. So effectively my money doesn't actually belong to me!!! (exaggeration I hope)

3.) I don't like this year very much. That is all.

4.) I got my resume in motion yesterday. Hopefully I can get some phone interviews and have everything ready for the my first week or two in Vegas. I'm looking at marketing (entry level) in Vegas, preferably in the gaming sector, but I'm open for everything. Anyone have a connection they wouldn't mind exhausting? =)

5.) The benefit for my brother who passed last year is on Friday. I'm very stressed about it because it's slightly emotional, but isn't meant to be. Anyone that has been in this situation before knows the fear of the “so...how are 'you' doing?” conversation that is guaranteed to happen about 90,000 times. We are also having a silent auction, and I was considering offering 2-3 hours of coaching for 2 people as a bidding item. However, I decided against this because people in this town (and well, 99% of towns for that matter) wouldn't have the slightest clue for the value on that, nor would there be much interest most likely. But who knows, my poker coaching always comes up at these kinds of functions...so maybe I can score some new 40 year old students.

6.) Happiness. I've been very pissy-pants the last few days...a lot of it stemming from poker stuff (feeling like I'm running uphill constantly). I was reading 2p2 a few minutes ago and came across this gem:

“I'm one of the happiest people I know because I choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Every man who has ever walked this earth has faced similar problems in life. I read somewhere that all of life's problems can be related to your health, wealth and relationships and I have yet to come up with a problem that lies outside of these parameters. The difference between a happy person and a depressed person is that a happy person realizes what he does have, and views his problems as challenges. Instead of focusing on how bad he has it because of his problems, he chooses to focus on solutions to his problems, and grows from overcoming those problems. In time, he will develop new problems, but a happy person welcomes those new challenges because they present him more opportunity for growth. If you ain't growing, you're dead.” - JohnnyBeef

I am going to read this every single day for the rest of the year. I think my mindset has begun to slip from taking losses as challenges, and thus results in me being more upset about them. Hopefully by focusing on being happy and interpreting losses/issues as challenges to overcome, I will be able to get my psychology back on track.

Thats enough rambling for tonight. A hand!:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7624659770: Table Dancing Leaf - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:10:32 ET - 2008/08/12
Seat 1: DelhiCamels ($52.80), is sitting out
Seat 2: Nelli999 ($10)
Seat 3: Its RIGGIGGITY ($59.70)
Seat 4: azarf ($27.60)
Seat 5: MasterTCX21 ($39.25)
Seat 6: macman247 ($51.05)
Seat 7: NewStarIsBorn ($59.05)
Seat 8: thekid64 ($50)
Seat 9: olsenjun ($10.75)
azarf posts the small blind of $0.25
MasterTCX21 posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [Ks Kh]
macman247 calls $0.50
NewStarIsBorn folds
thekid64 folds
olsenjun folds
Nelli999 folds
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $2.50
azarf folds
MasterTCX21 calls $2
macman247 calls $2
*** FLOP *** [4d Js Kc]
MasterTCX21 checks
macman247 checks
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $3.50
MasterTCX21 calls $3.50
macman247 calls $3.50
*** TURN *** [4d Js Kc] [7d]
MasterTCX21 checks
macman247 checks
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $13.25
MasterTCX21 folds
macman247 calls $13.25
*** RIVER *** [4d Js Kc 7d] [Tc]
macman247 checks
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $32
macman247 calls $31.80, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $0.20 returned to Its RIGGIGGITY
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [Ks Kh] three of a kind, Kings
macman247 shows [Qd Ad] a straight, Ace high
macman247 wins the pot ($105.35) with a straight, Ace high

*SS*

August 12 - Idea...Thoughts?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, right back to normal we go!!! Back to effective breakeven in poker again this month. This has me questioning some things. Not really my play nor play-style (I do very heavy analysis on that after every session, and have really only found one minor weakness that is currently getting fixed up), but just my overall decision to keep doing what I'm doing. I think I'm going to follow the path of a few other very solid players and grind down at 50NL for a little bit of time.

At 100NL I've dropped my WR down to 1.4pt/100 (~250K hands). Not that I find this number unacceptable or anything (I mean hell, I realize its a + number, and that automatically makes me top 35% of poker players), I just don't find I'm maximizing my time playing poker. After talking with some people about the current level of 50NL, I'm thinking I can beat that level for 3.5-6pt/100 (which is a higher hourly).

My thoughts right now are to grind out 50NL for some of the weekday sessions, and really grind out 100NL during solid happy-hours and weekends. I'm also considering getting some table selection aides to help me hyper focus on table selection. My current table selection methods include # of shortstacks, # of solid regs, and overall table flow/position. I think with the use of TableTracker or maybe Telescope, that I can up my pt/100 a lil bit (an every lil bit helps).

I don't know...anyone wanna talk me out of this?

Hand:

(I wonder if this has anything to do with my WR dropping??)

Full Tilt Poker Game #7614338011: Table Camden Rose - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:53:57 ET - 2008/08/12
Seat 1: MClark79 ($122.95), is sitting out
Seat 2: supermanthat ($86.95)
Seat 3: shooter6926 ($100)
Seat 4: Blakester143 ($157)
Seat 5: vagabond07 ($67.80)
Seat 6: nttflox ($20)
Seat 7: bwals ($116.45)
Seat 8: Its RIGGIGGITY ($100)
Seat 9: reDZill4r ($114.75)
vagabond07 posts the small blind of $0.50
nttflox posts the big blind of $1
shooter6926 posts $1
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [Ac Ad]
bwals has 15 seconds left to act
bwals folds
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $5
reDZill4r folds
supermanthat calls $5
shooter6926 folds
Blakester143 folds
vagabond07 folds
nttflox folds
*** FLOP *** [5c As 2h]
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $6.50
supermanthat calls $6.50
*** TURN *** [5c As 2h] [5s]
Its RIGGIGGITY checks
supermanthat bets $12
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $31
supermanthat calls $19
*** RIVER *** [5c As 2h 5s] [4c]
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $45
supermanthat calls $44.45, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $0.55 returned to Its RIGGIGGITY
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [Ac Ad] a full house, Aces full of Fives
supermanthat shows [5d 5h] four of a kind, Fives
supermanthat wins the pot ($173.40) with four of a kind, Fives

*SS*

August 9 - Lazy Grind

I'm very happy with this month so far. Although I'm not running particularly well or anything, I think I'm running fairly average, which is a nice change of pace. I generally would prefer average over a sample than the extreme variance I normally get (normally because extremely well doesn't do anything for me while extremely bad does). I've played a whole 8K hands so far (I really thought I would have grinded more), and I'm doing about 1.5pt/100. Nothing to write home about, but certainly nothing to piss and moan about.

I've been doing lots of poker thinking lately as well. With lots of coaching happening, and more students in the pipeline, I realize how much I personally get from coaching. I not only get the financial benefit, but I get to learn, think deeper, and also focus on my image (both professionally and at the table). There have been a few things I have tweaked already after coaching (mostly in terms of pf and flop play) that I may not have realized without going over it so many times.

Things I've been thinking about include:

1.)when to CB, how to CB, why we CB
2.)double barreling
3.)VB-ing tighter

My Pooh-Bah post will look at all of these more in depth, and my goal is to have that posted by the 20th of this month. Writing this is really giving me a good chance to think a deeper level, while also focusing on conveying my message on the 1st level. I was reading a post the other day on what makes a good coach, and one of the main bullet points from people was “the coach can think deep, play well, but give me this me time that really sets me apart (and I think a big part of the reason why 2p2 is so receptive to my videos and posts). information in a way that is easy to understand and apply.” I think this is something I've been doing for quite soSo hopefully I can continue doing that through this Pooh-Bah post.

I've been very lazy this week personally. Sadly I only got to the gym once, and ran once (albeit, 2 days left this week)...but I'm proud for getting even that done. My GF also noticed that I'm starting to do more things per day (when I'm in a depressive state I often tend get 0-1 things done per day, no matter how big/small they are). I also noticed this, and think I snapped out of that mini-depression I was feeling late last month!!! I think a lot of this came about when I got some new motivation, started being more organized (professionally and personally), and started getting more exercise.

Also, I just added my BlogList on the right side of the page. So if anyone wants me to add their blog there, just drop a link in the comments and I'll hook you up so long as 1.) you hook me up, and 2.) your blog is acceptable. Everyone loves a little extra exposure, so lets all help each other out =).

Alright, again, another late night. So here's a hand before bed:

(“never go broke in a limped pot”...lol)

Full Tilt Poker Game #7521236528: Table Montpeliar - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 15:22:21 ET - 2008/08/05
Seat 1: Its RIGGIGGITY ($102.10)
Seat 2: x1a137d2 ($38.15)
Seat 3: FlashOver ($106.05)
Seat 4: Wazzamaniak ($45.60)
Seat 5: R1986 ($30.70)
Seat 6: HoldThsNutz ($118)
Seat 7: kotzii ($60.20)
Seat 8: adrianus13 ($39)
Seat 9: Dr-Sarcasm ($115.95)
FlashOver posts the small blind of $0.50
Wazzamaniak posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [8d Td]
R1986 folds
HoldThsNutz folds
kotzii folds
adrianus13 calls $1
Dr-Sarcasm folds
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $1
x1a137d2 folds
FlashOver calls $0.50
Wazzamaniak checks
*** FLOP *** [8c Th 4d]
FlashOver bets $4
Wazzamaniak folds
adrianus13 folds
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $16
FlashOver raises to $52
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $101.10, and is all in
FlashOver calls $49.10
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [8d Td]
FlashOver shows [Jh Tc]
*** TURN *** [8c Th 4d] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [8c Th 4d 6d] [6s]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows two pair, Tens and Eights
FlashOver shows two pair, Tens and Sixes
Its RIGGIGGITY wins the pot ($203.20) with two pair, Tens and Eights

*SS*

August 5 - Positive

Decent start to August. Breakeven so far, over a whopping 5K hands. But...I'm feeling much more motivated to grind out...which I'm very happy about. I was worried that I might get lazy this month, and not really grind out till Vegas. However, it seems my body+brain are finally working together, so grindcore it is.

I did 2 coaching sessions in the same day today (something I don't normally do). Feels good to be mixing in playing an coaching more than I ever have. I feel my playing has improved quite a bit thanks to this. It's also forced me to look at myself psychologically more. I no longer feel as though I can flip out in a chat thread or go off about how baddly I'm running. This forces me to focus on positive things, and not dwell on dumb variance crap. No one cares that I'm down X amount of buy-ins, and no one cares about whatever cooler crap happens. I think more people need to remember that dwelling on the little dumb things is counter productive in general, and they should really spend more time focusing on playing and improving in other areas (no, this is not a slight on anyone).

I was talking with WhiteWhale a bit tonight, and we had an awesome conversation. One point we talked a lot about was motivation in this game, and its overall importance to playing. I think this is something that may have been missing from my game, whether entirely or partially I'm unsure. This motivation can come in the form of a new topic being presented, an interview being watched, or just talking with another card player. Right this moment (and I think the conversation with WhiteWhale was my motivational moment) I am very grindcore oriented, which I think will keep me grinding sessions longer, harder, and better.

It's been a nice relaxing few days. The GF has been back so I've hung out with her the last few days. I finally got my mohawk trimmed up, got to see my dog for a few days, and saw a few flicks (Step Brothers + X-files ) with her. I also helped her paint her room (an of course by this I mean that I did 80% of the painting while she stepped in paint and did other silly things). She's also letting me do some tagging on her walls when they are done (yea, its like periwinkle blue and will have tagging on it)...which is cool because I haven't tagged anything in years. So I need to plot out something nice, then get practicing =)

Alright, its 4a, and I'm exhausted. A fun hand before sleep:

***** Hand History for Game 7517888422 *****
$100.00 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, August 05, 12:19:02 ET 2008
Table Pink (deep) (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: MyEntourage ( $178.70)
Seat 2: URazEiFOld ( $153.15)
Seat 3: meatyballz85 ( $60.75)
Seat 4: MClark79 ( $149.10)
Seat 5: Its RIGGIGGITY ( $205.10)
Seat 6: Chadmw ( $83.75)
Seat 7: ohodge ( $313.70)
Seat 8: tylerf13 ( $223.75)
Seat 9: davenigma ( $98.50 )
MClark79 posts small blind [$0.50].
Its RIGGIGGITY posts big blind [$1.00].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [ Ks As ]
Chadmw folds
ohodge folds
tylerf13 folds
davenigma folds
MyEntourage folds
URazEiFOld calls [$1.00]
MClark79 folds
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to [$4.00]
URazEiFOld calls [$3.00]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 2h, 2s, Qs ]
Its RIGGIGGITY bets [$4.50]
URazEiFOld raises [$16.00]
Its RIGGIGGITY raises [$60.50]
URazEiFOld raises [$133.15]
Its RIGGIGGITY calls [$84.15]
URazEiFOld shows [Jc, Kh ]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [Ks, As ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6s ]
** Dealing River ** [ 2c ]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows a flush, Ace high
Its RIGGIGGITY wins $303.80 from main pot

*SS*

August 2 - New month!

Hurray for it no longer being July! Although August is off to a superb (sarcasm) start, I'm just happy that July is in the past. I ended the month +$1.3K, and although I'm not thrilled with the results, they could have been much worse given the events of the month. As for August, I put in a 3K hand session earlier just to grind it out a little bit. -1.5BI in the more annoying ways (I ran into the nuts 3x, got 5 outted twice, 4 outed once, etc). But, I'm still very confident about this month.

I've also been exploring staking a bit. I have wanted to add some passive income to my plate for awhile, so I figured now is a great time to do so. I'm looking into long-term stakes (3-6mo minimum) starting at 25NL. Investment is lower here, and I also get time to work with the stakee while they are still learning, and patch leaks before they become flood-holes. I'm in talks with one person now, that will probably go through next week. Also, Mpethy is awesome and helped me write up an awesome contract for the arrangements, so props and thanks to him!

I decided to buy the 100Kpt thing with my medals (and 1 $26 token for fun). So if anyone thinks of anything they want from the FTP store, just leave a note in the comments and make me an offer. I have 315K points, and will probably buy an iTouch 32GB at some point soon, but if some1 really wants the monitor or something, I can always put it on hold.

My GF finally gets back later today! I haven't seen her in almost a week, so that should be good times. I also haven't seen Kingjamen...so I'll finally get a few days to chill out with him (GF and I share him atm). I think we're all gonna go off to the beach tomorrow and just chill out because I haven't seen the beach in like 3 weeks (which very unacceptable when you live 10min from the ocean). I put in the majority of my work this morning so I could spend more time with her tomorrow, and then Sunday is right back to the grindstone.

I'm not putting any more hand goals on myself if possible. My goal is just to grind the most when I'm feeling right, and not force myself to mega-volume if the games aren't in peak condition. I decided I'd rather make my goals in terms of hours, so I guess I'll aim for about 20hrs/week, and 5hrs/week of coaching. I also want to play some more MTT's this month. The only thing that sucks about MTT's (other than the life-tilting variance) is that best ones run during peak hours. Sadly, my brain cannot handle MTT and Cash at the same time...so I'll have to figure something out.

BTW, I very much dislike FTP right now. Besides running me the way they do for the sample they have...I believe 3 of my checks from July bounced. Thats awesome! I love that I have to wait 9million months for my, yes MY, money! O well...I'll just live a little light off-line for a bit longer. It's really time to get to hustling as well. I'm figuring my trip to Vegas will cost me about $1K in gas + w/e else I spend along the way. Not to mention some little fix to my exhaust system as well. So $1.8K will probably be the cost to get out to Vegas. And yet another piece of the bankroll gets torn apart!

A hand:

Full Tilt Poker Game #7475430357: Table Blossomwood - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:17:47 ET - 2008/08/02
Seat 1: DISPOSABLEHERO1 ($37)
Seat 2: ProudDonkey ($56.80)
Seat 3: rivahata ($123.20)
Seat 4: freakinrican815 ($89.50)
Seat 5: PChop22 ($44.65)
Seat 6: HiPolymer ($119)
Seat 7: snow_mann3 ($0), is sitting out
Seat 8: kaizoku318 ($100)
Seat 9: Its RIGGIGGITY ($118.60)
kaizoku318 posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Its RIGGIGGITY [Kc Ks]
Its RIGGIGGITY raises to $3
DISPOSABLEHERO1 calls $3
ProudDonkey folds
rivahata folds
freakinrican815 calls $3
PChop22 folds
HiPolymer folds
kaizoku318 adds $1
kaizoku318 folds
*** FLOP *** [6h Th Qs]
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $6.50
DISPOSABLEHERO1 calls $6.50
freakinrican815 folds
*** TURN *** [6h Th Qs] [6c]
Its RIGGIGGITY bets $15
DISPOSABLEHERO1 raises to $27.50, and is all in
Its RIGGIGGITY calls $12.50
DISPOSABLEHERO1 shows [Qh Ts]
Its RIGGIGGITY shows [Kc Ks]
*** RIVER *** [6h Th Qs 6c] [Qc]
DISPOSABLEHERO1 shows a full house, Queens full of Tens
Its RIGGIGGITY shows two pair, Kings and Queens
DISPOSABLEHERO1 wins the pot ($75) with a full house, Queens full of Tens

*SS*