February 25 - OMG I'm grinding

So I've been keeping pretty busy lately. Actually started grinding again which feels lovely. Only putting in an hour or three per night, but better than the zero hours I've been putting in due to complacency and being busy with other things. Today I started writing my book which also feels lovely. I have been meaning to get to this book for some time but today felt very motivated. I cannot go into details as to what the book is about (when released it will make sense why), but it should be received quite well.

I have a Stox video coming out next week that I have been prepping and well probably record and finalize on Friday. I am doing a “Critical Analysis” video in which I go through people's hands and talk about them and related variables rather than having people watch me play. This video should prove to be very helpful and be a nice follow up to the betsizing and theory video I had released a few weeks back. I am also going to try to get some more videos made for them like 100%vpip, a video focused strictly on LP play, and a few other video concepts I have. I also need to get a video or article done for my site soon...so just another thing to add to my goal sheet =)

I have been focusing on getting out of my house more. The worst thing about this job imo is that it is so solitary. It seems like an awesome thing for those that hate the people in their office (and I suppose in that respect, it is), but it is very taxing not having the socializing aspect. I did a preliminary phone call with a perspective student last night and he asked me why I wanted to get into the corporate world (when he was considering poker to get OUT of the corporate world)...and the real reason is the socializing and resume gap. Both are huge to me and set me up for a more productive future. Although, I suppose running your own business at 22 isn't bad for the resume gap, but people tend to look at it through odd eyes.

Well I'm going to get back to writing and then I have a student and then dinner plans in Boston. I will leave you with both a hand and a music video. The video is a cover of the Massive Attack song “Teardrop”. This dude is incredibly talented and the song is sick in and of itself. Enjoy!



(was really hoping he would blush the river given my gay-bet...o well)

PokerStars Game #25211771644: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/02/21 22:27:14 ET
Table 'Sirius II' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: yhavenames ($46.05 in chips)
Seat 2: En1gma 23 ($56 in chips)
Seat 3: raytusaw ($18.75 in chips)
Seat 4: bosoxx14 ($18.15 in chips)
Seat 5: sawns ($46.95 in chips)
Seat 7: 7curse ($77.40 in chips)
Seat 8: virulin ($36 in chips)
Seat 9: uglyowl ($56.65 in chips)
raytusaw: posts small blind $0.25
bosoxx14: posts big blind $0.50
ATACANTOS: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [Kh Ah]
sawns: folds
7curse: raises $1 to $1.50
virulin: folds
uglyowl: calls $1.50
yhavenames: folds
En1gma 23: folds
raytusaw: folds
bosoxx14: folds
*** FLOP *** [Qd 3d 6h]
7curse: bets $2
uglyowl: raises $3.50 to $5.50
7curse: raises $8.50 to $14
uglyowl: calls $8.50
*** TURN *** [Qd 3d 6h] [Ts]
7curse: checks
uglyowl: checks
*** RIVER *** [Qd 3d 6h Ts] [Kc]
7curse: bets $1.25
uglyowl: calls $1.25
*** SHOW DOWN ***
7curse: shows [Kh Ah] (a pair of Kings)
uglyowl: mucks hand
7curse collected $32.65 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $34.25 | Rake $1.60

*SS*

February 21 - Back in Boston

So this week has flown by. Got back to Boston on Wednesday and have been grinding since. Getting back was horrible as I walked right into snowfall (although minimal) while I was wearing shorts. My body gets used to warm weather very quickly, so this 30* nonsense needs to stop as it's very un-enjoyable.

The flight wasn't bad if you take away a screaming child who's parents might have been deaf, retarded, or possibly both. Seriously, if your child is screaming at the top of their lungs, on an airplane of all places...silence the damn thing. But thankfully I had enough volume left in my iPod to drown out the screamer...but I really wanted to punch those parents in the mouth.

I realized how much I love sleep while I was on vacation. I was getting like 4hrs/night as I would have to wake up at like 7a to get moving for the day. I am still trying to get back on a sleep schedule that makes up for all the hours I missed, but it's failing miserably. Hopefully I'll catch up this weekend and be back on track for next week.

So I'm back on my coaching grind. Averaging about 3hrs/day and I'm putting more playtime back on my plate as well. I've been pretty lazy this year and really want to start getting more hours in. But for now I am loving the coaching thing like usual. Since reading some more about coaching/teaching methodologies I feel I am taking an even stronger approach. I also got my first student for SS-ing, so I look forward to that as it is my first one (though I've written the lesson plan in the past, and am very prepared for it).

Also got my dog back today. I haven't seen him in almost 2 weeks (I left him with my ex while I was on vacation) and he was as excited to see me as I was to see him. So spent a lot of today just working and playing with him. Also went into Boston today to hang out with a friend from high-school that I hadn't seen in almost 3 years...was nice catching up and rekindling some old friendships.

And on that note, I'm exhausted and need to get some sleep before another 3hrs of work tomorrow. Hope all is well with everyone!

*SS*

February 17 - More Disney

So the weekend flew by. Had my grandmother's party on Saturday and I found it quite funny that the average age was probably hovering around 56 (thanks to my cousin and his friend at 8 and 7 respectively). Felt pretty out of place, but still tried to do my best with the whole thing. Also realized that in social situations where I take out alcohol I really need my beta-blockers (which I of course left back home).

Sunday was very relaxing. Though sadly it was the first day since I've been down here that the weather was un-enjoyable. It was like 55* and gray the whole day...which put a huge damper on going water skiing. But my little cousin and I decided to take the kayak out and did about a mile trip through the lake. It would have been no problem had he actually done anything to help the process, rather than not paddle and try to turn the kayak for no reason, lol...but I ended up getting a huge arm workout. Also took the maiden voyage on my uncle's new boat which was quick given weather, but nice none the less.

Woke up early today and did Disney again with my lil cousin, dad, and uncle. Did some more of MGM/Hollywood and then did some of Magic Kingdom. Was very busy today thanks to 80* weather and President's Day, so the waits were pretty nutty. Favorite ride of the day was the Toy Story game where you ride around and shoot targets in this 3D environment. Very cool and, even though I sucked thanks to my colorblindness, was very fun. I also met a winner of the American Idol experience thing, so if a “Gabi” ever wins...let it be known that I met her =)

Got back just in time to get a coaching session in (finishing up a leakfinder). I am looking forward to getting back to work soon as I would like to start making money again. I was honestly expecting to do quite a bit of grinding while I was in FL, but it turns out my time was pretty well filled up. I have enjoyed my vacation very much so far and it reminds me that I want to start traveling more often. Being I can do my job from anywhere where I can get an Internet connection, I might as well take advantage of it. So that is going to be a goal in the next little bit.

My betsizing video is doing pretty well on Stox. Not many people have discussed the video but it's doing 4.9/5 in ratings so far. And I have another video coming out in early March. If people have hands they would like me to review in the video, please email me raw HH's and reads to splitsuit@gmail.com . The video will be a hand review video using software, good hands, and some variables to make the exploration that much stronger.

I need to crash out before waking up at 7a again to do Universal Studios tomorrow...hope all is well with everyone and I'll write again once I get setup back in Boston.

Some more pix:


*SS*

February 13 - Did Disney

The last few days have been awesome. Just lounging down here in Florida, relaxing, and soaking up 80* weather. I love warm weather and am amazed at how quickly my body adjusts to warm temps (and conversely, how terribly my body adjusts to cold). The only thing that sucks about warm weather, and this is a small gripe if any, is that my jewelry (ring + watch) are sized for cool/mild weather, and get uncomfortably tight in heat. O well...a small price to pay.

I spent Tuesday doing yardwork for most of the day. Which seems like it would suck on vacation, but it was nice to get out in the nice weather, sweat a bit, and get some stuff accomplished. Ended up sore as all hell the next morning, and my lower back is still shot, but at least the yard looks good. I finished it up on Wednesday after a few students during the day, so my outdoor chores are done for the week!

Picked my dad up from the airport on Tuesday as well because we took separate flights down here. Turns out my GPS hates FL and it forced me to drive almost 20min out of the way before finally correcting its path to the airport. Stupid GPS. Got home, played hours of Wii bowling, and just relaxed. One thing I love about family get togethers is insane amounts of good food and also hours of Wii bowling (in which I am currently trying to perfect my “bowl from the recliner while not standing up” technique).

Woke up retardedly early on Thursday to go to Disney (I think it's the first time I've seen 6a waking up for almost 8mo). It was my grandma's birthday (turned 80, yikes!), so we went to Epcot to start the day out (with dad + aunt Kathy). Did Soaring, Test Track, and some other ride before scooting over to MGM (or more recently named “Hollywood”) Studios and doing Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith ride. Not a bad day at all, though it took us almost 2 hours to get from Epcot to MGM because we missed a few boats and never really hustled at all. O well, vacation is all about relaxing and taking your time =) Also got some pix on my iPhone because it's the only camera I wanted to bring with me...so I have some cool shots to remember the trip by (even though I'm going back to Disney next week with my little cousin)

I have a coaching session in the morning and then have to go pick up my cousin (another James) before coming back to do more cleaning (mostly inside stuff, which has a high % chance of being done before I even get home). Also, my new video comes out on Stox tomorrow (Poker University video on bet sizing and bet theory)...so be sure to check that our if you are a Stox member. Hope all is well with everyone!

(Some pix of the day):


*SS*

February 10 - In Florida!

So I just got into Florida today. Was a nice and easy 2.5hr plane ride and went pretty damn quick. I sat next to a big dude that took up the entire arm rest, and if I didn't know any better, I might have guessed that he would have reached across my lap to put his fat ass arm on my OTHER armrest. And there were some crying children on the flight, but that's why God created noise-canceling headphones.

I also got some reading done. Got about 50 pages read of the book I just started on the teaching gap. Very interesting book about the differences in teaching with a heavy focus on the USA v Japan v Germany. There are some very odd things that I would never imaged to true...such as a high end testing school in the USA tends to score lower than the lower sections of Japanese schools. Also, Japanese schools tend to have almost 150% more students/class than a US school.

I am learning quite a few interesting techniques I can add to my own coaching through reading this book. One thing that stood out is that in Japanese schools it is common for the lessons to focus on complex problem solving and the teacher acts as a mediator between the students and the information. In Germany, teachers tend to dole out the information from a powerful and authoritative perch. And in the US, teachers tend to focus on the relationship with the students, while seemingly forgetting about the information. Also, in the US, the teachers tend to focus on teaching the answers and not so much the process...which is why I believe Americans tend to lack a lot of logic...because we have been taught to focus only on answers and memorization rather than learning WHY something is.

Enough of that, as I could easily go on for hours. Over the weekend I met up with ForGlory from 2p2. We grabbed a bite at Quincy Market and talked poker mostly. Nice kid, and since he sent “hello's” to me from others, I owe a “hello” to NotOnTilt and Kflip. Was nice to get downtown again, though I still don't enjoy Boston by any stretch. But I'm thinking we'll do lunch or something again, so if anyone else is in the Boston area and wants to join, just give me a HU....and same rules apply as I gave to ForGlory...no candy and no white vans =)

Hope all is well with everyone. I'm going to grab a few hours of sleep before getting up to start prepping the house for the party over the weekend. My grandma turns 80 this week, so the family is coming in for the party...and because I'm here early I get to help setup. But way worth it for the warm weather + family time!

*SS*

February 6 - My ironic name

So my GF and I are broken up. Very odd since I haven't been single for over a year at this point. Doing pretty well with the whole thing right now, but not really putting in sessions because of it. Have been doing all my coaching but just relaxing afterwards and doing some introspection. At least my vacation to Florida is well timed =)

I met up with one of my students on Thursday night to grab dinner before we hit up a homegame. The game was through the back side of an Italian bar and had about 7 tables. It really felt like my freshman year games playing on non-felted tables and having to deal yourself. Was a very softgame in a pretty decent atmosphere, but alas I get action never when I have a hand and catch 2nd best like it's my job. *sigh* ...Good times and nice company...so had fun for sure.

I also need to finish my Stox video. I have it outlined, now I just need to record it, edit it, and pump it over to Stox. I am locking myself in my office until I am done. So hopefully I am done around 2a. It's an hour long video on betsizing...so fingers crossed that it's easy as pie!

Also got my new laptop from FTP a few days back. It is awesome! Decided to go buy HEM instead of PT3 for this computer because PT3 has become my new enemy. In love with it so far and was amazed that it imported ~1M hands in less than 8hrs. Haven't put in a new session on my computer yet...but I look forward to it and probably will when I'm down in Florida. Speaking of that I told a student I was going (he's from England) and he claimed a vacation to FL is better than a vacation to Europe. Where I feel the exact opposite solely because of relative location. Perspective is a funny thing.

And on that note, I'm gonna go finish my pizza and pump this video out. Hope all is well!

PokerStars Game #24544107552: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2009/02/02 22:19:21 ET
Table 'Beagle II' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: joshil3 ($50 in chips)
Seat 2: 7curse ($50 in chips)
Seat 3: gokings1 ($42.25 in chips)
Seat 4: tolmen617 ($55.70 in chips)
Seat 5: LayerCake31 ($51.65 in chips)
Seat 6: jiacstrap ($58.70 in chips)
Seat 7: DaVinci27 ($96 in chips)
Seat 8: bewrong ($15.55 in chips)
Seat 9: bethewill ($36.05 in chips)
gokings1: posts small blind $0.25
tolmen617: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 7curse [4d 4h]
LayerCake31: calls $0.50
jiacstrap: raises $1.50 to $2
DaVinci27: folds
bewrong: calls $2
bethewill: folds
joshil3: calls $2
7curse: calls $2
gokings1: folds
tolmen617: folds
LayerCake31: calls $1.50
*** FLOP *** [Qs 2s 2d]
LayerCake31: checks
jiacstrap: checks
bewrong: checks
joshil3: checks
7curse: bets $5.10
LayerCake31: calls $5.10
jiacstrap: folds
bewrong: folds
joshil3: folds
*** TURN *** [Qs 2s 2d] [7h]
LayerCake31: bets $3
7curse: calls $3
*** RIVER *** [Qs 2s 2d 7h] [Ks]
LayerCake31: bets $4
7curse: raises $35.90 to $39.90 and is all-in
LayerCake31: folds
Uncalled bet ($35.90) returned to 7curse
7curse collected $33.30 from pot
7curse: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $34.95 | Rake $1.65

*SS*

February 2 - Goals for the month

January Goals:

[x]2 new students
[/]Finish my “Range Merging” article
[x]Cutout 400 calories/day
[ ]Get a new place
[x]Find at least one new reason to enjoy life
[/]Socialize more
[x]1 new video for my site
[/]1 new video for Stox
[x]33hrs/wk of job-related activity (coaching, playing, vids, etc)
[ ]Write more of my book(s)

January wasn't the worst month in the world. Did very well financially and got a lot of stuff done. Total hours came out to about 115 of total coaching + playing, and probably came out to about 160 all things totaled. I started eating better, went to the gym at least once per week, and have spent quite a bit of time reading non poker related books.

In personal news apparently my GF and I are on a break? I say this with a question mark because I am not totally sure what is going on...but I suppose time will tell. I guess space was necessary so I'll flow with that until I am updated.

I am also looking forward to my vacation next week. I'm just going to FL for a week and a half, but it should be fun...not to mention nicer weather than snow and junk. I'm going to try not to do any coaching while I'm there, which will be odd because I'm so used to scheduling my day-time around coaching sessions. And somewhat related to this is my new laptop is coming tomorrow! I cannot wait to set it up!

I guess I'll just put down my February goals now and wrap it up:

- 3 new students
- 85hrs of poker related work
- Read a book all the way through
- Write something
- Get a new place or at least get one lined up
- Gym 2x/week while not on vacation
- 1 new video for either my site or Stox
- No food after 11p at least 5 days per week

Happy February everyone!

*SS*

February 1 - Highway drivers...

So FoxWoods was a terrible trip. I am sick of bitching about running bad, I know I am left side of luck and maybe someday that will change, but for now...I'm just content being there. Ended up down a few BI's and am still waiting for that session where I hit hands, hold a few times, fade a few draws, and enjoy a lovely session. I did find it funny that I played with a dude I knew from Cuse who reads the blog (thanks for not blowing up my spot =) )...but other than that...was pretty damn uneventful for over 15hrs of play.

On my way down, and then again back up, I made a list of 8 things I dislike when driving on the highway (or “motorway” for those across the sea):

1.) People that don't use blinkers:

Seriously, it really isn't that hard to flick the stick on the left side of your wheel. Does it take that much energy just to signal your intent so I, and the other people around you, can have a damn clue as to what you're doing? It is so annoying watching dumbasses cut me off at a whim and being way unprepared for it.

2.) “OMG, there is a cop pulling someone over up ahead!”:

I understand seeing a cop with his lights on makes us all slow up a bit...it's natural. But when flow traffic changes from 75mph to 45mph (on a 65mph road) because there is a cop 1mi up ahead...it's insane. If traffic is flowing...a cop will not pull people over. They don't have enough paper to give tickets to everyone going the same damn speed. Idiots.

3.) Brake riders:

Wtf is it with people that just constantly tap their brakes? We are going 70mph...you don't need to keep tapping your damn brakes...If I'm unsure if you are brake riding or have your flashers on...there is an issue with your brain and driving skills.

4.) Fast slow people:

Ok...there is a 2 lane highway and the person in the right lane is going 65mph and the left lane is flowing at 75mph. DO NOT PASS THE PERSON BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GO 66mph. It will take your dumbass about 4 minutes to complete the pass, all the while slowing shit up for no reason.

5.) Trucks:

I hate you for oh so many reasons. One being that you create a wind pressure that causes my car to slightly waver. Another is that you have a blindspot comparable to that of a 400lb dude. Another...is that you for some odd reason cannot maintain a speed that is anywhere near acceptable. Another is that you think you are supposed to be in any lane BUT the right one. Get your slow stupid ass in the right lane, stay there, and don't break #4 either

6.) Poor planners:

So if poker has taught me anything other than how to endure long periods of the worst and train your psyche to be dead to anything involving luck...it is how to plan. So when I see a 3 lane highway get congested with dumbasses trying to make a 2 lane cross to make their exit that is in a 1/4mile...I get furious. Because that cross now backs up everyone...and it's not just you doing it...it is 80 other morons like you. Seriously...know which lane you need to be in, and get there a mile or so ahead of time...don't be retarded.

7.) Women multitasking:

it amazes me that women are better multi-taskers than men...and yet when faced with the task to drive and do anything else simultaneously...they fail like a paraplegic in a hula hoop contest. Seriously...if you can't talk on your phone, do your makeup, or change the radio station without endangering other people's lives...don't do them while driving!

8.) People that merge on without looking:

Hi...if I am driving on the highway and you are trying to get onto the highway...I, not you, have the right of way. This means you do not cut me off. This means if you are going to merge on...you better be doing at least 60mph by that time. This means that if you cut me off while going 40mph and then give me the finger when you get honked at...I have the right to stomp your ass at the next reststop.



That is all. Cheers to a new month!

*SS*