Poker at My Fingertips

Tags

finger tips, online poker, poker, profitability

Whoa is me it’s happened again. A blog earthquake ripping a gaping hole between my last post and the one you are reading now. Even worse, the last post came with a cliffhanger. Your eyes which were previously grasping for a computer screen El Capitan, are long gone with no memory of written words past. If you are just reading my dream derailment post and have moved immediately to this post, let’s just say I found the discipline and the fortitude to go forward. The fear of corporate america served as the brutal whip I needed to get my fragile game into profitability submission.

But here we stand today with Covid crashing down on America’s social way of life. Live poker rooms, also, have been damaged by the wreckage. While a room here and there have started to reopen I have yet to go regularly. The mask and plexiglass precautions are just not conducive to the sociality of the game. And that, my friends, is one key component that makes the games so fascinating. And the risk of catching Covid is still abundant, even if more muted in the last few weeks. Yes I am looking forward to going back to live poker but I am biding my time. I am patiently waiting for the Coronavirus storm to dissipate even move.

And so online poker has become my most current reality. The hurdles of online poker profitability are like skyscaping high bars that require spring loaded power boots to propel yourself over. Unlike before with my live poker challenges, I have the confidence, discipline, and necessary perseverance to prevail. But having poker available 24/7 at my fingertips has led me down a path of game play absorption. And it certainly doesn’t help when there is really no place to go socialize, nowhere to go, and no place to be. Especially when the media, and rightfully so, blasts a bullhorn in our ears about the increased safety obtained by just staying at home. So here we are from March to August, my sole poker existence relegated to staring at a screen. I have been so entrenched in the game that I only just recently found the fortitude to take necessary brief breaks to be more attentive to my family and other various interests. Ok, maybe I have more work to do on this front but I am crawling like a baby down the path that ultimately winds its way to a teenager driving a car. A certainly wordy and shitty metaphor but hopefully you get the idea.

The jewel in the crown of this whole online poker situation is that I have played infinitely more hands online these last few months than I would have playing live. The speed and multi tabling aspect of the online game just allows for exponentially more hands to be played. So my game has taken a massive leap in development. I won’t say that my new found online poker self would crush my previously live pokerself. But if I was a betting man, which of course you know that I am, I would certainly slap down a few hundos on my online poker self. Especially once online poker self gets back to the proverbial live poker streets. So I stand here today very eager to get back to the physical felt. My new, freshly polished, game theory eyes are going to fatten up my wallet like a torch filled hot air balloon.

I hope you will stick around for next post, ideally to occur before we ring in the new year. We could certainly use a new calendar after the shit stained year we have lived through thus far. Until then, Smile Big and Dream Bigger.

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All In or All Out!

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All In, dream, Dream Big, poker, poker pro, professional poker player

So maybe you are wondering where I have been. No I have not disappeared off the face of the earth like an incinerated alien. I have been working my ass off to be successful at my dream job.

When I first started officially living my dream of playing poker full time I foolishly believed I could work on other business endeavors to make money during my poker downswings. I found out the hard way that during a downswing it’s a must to double down on your efforts when things are not going your way. No we are not truly doubling down as we are talking poker not blackjack. If you want to be truly successful at any endeavor, especially one that has a certain percentage of luck, you need to be willing to work even harder to learn your craft and grow through study and practice. In other words, to move forward with your dream without backsliding down the muddy hill of adversity, you have to go All In! You have to be willing to commit every ounce of effort you have to the task at hand. You have to be willing to stick every chip you have into the center of the felt.

The task at hand for me, is my dream of supporting myself and my family through poker income. You can’t go half ass at something as difficult as the high variance career of a professional poker player. Heck, they should probably change the name to professional poker worker. Who are we kidding, this in’t playing this is working! Despite all that, this is the work I truly love. This profession is going to test you like a AP Calculus exam. You better be prepared or your plan is going to be demolished. Like the famous Mike Tyson said… “Everybody has a plan until they are punched in the face!”

My plan has taken some hair pin twist and turns but I have gone ALL IN on my efforts to becoming a successful poker pro. It’s no cruise control for me as that undoubtedly leads to failure. I have a death grip on the wheel and my palms are sweating but I’m not going to let the winding road get the best of me. I don’t want to backslide and have to go back to the corporate world with my tail between my legs. I want to be standing proud on the dream stage when they open the curtain. So it is time to end this post as I have much more poker study to do and many more hours to work on the felt. While I will try to post more often here I can’t make any guarantees. Do you want to be a success at that one thing you have been dreaming about doing? Then you have to make a choice… you can be ALL IN or ALL OUT! As for me, I think you know which one I choose. Until then, I will see you at the final dream table. Smile Big and Dream Bigger!!

The Dream Fulfillment Litmus Test

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dream, just this, litmus test, living room show, Mike Doughty

Last night I attended the Mike Doughty living room show in Arizona. Many don’t know Mike Doughty by name alone but he got his claim to fame as the lead singer of the band Soul Coughing in the mid 90’s. In the last 15 years or so, he has had a pretty successful, although flying mostly under the radar, solo career. Last night was the second time I have seen him play at a living room show. This type of show is just as it sounds; He plays a very intimate show in somebody’s living room with no more than 30 attendees.

During his first set of living room shows in 2015 some feedback was given to him about his overly shy nature. In an intimate setting such as a living room show, it should have allowed for much more interaction with the crowd. Since Mike didn’t want to get overly involved in a conversation, as it was still a music show after all, he decided to add a question jar to his 2016 living room show tour. This was a jar in which many folks in the room could add a question to. Throughout the show, he agreed to periodically answer the jar questions from the crowd. Many of the questions were interesting, unique, and funny.

The most interesting question, at least for me, was the following… “What would you rather be doing right now?” And there it was, the question that every dreamer should be asking him or herself. Mike gave the answer that I think most individuals with a fulfilled dream should give. His answer was…. “Just This.” He did decide to incorporate a funny addition, “…and maybe a pizza right here”, pointing to the table just to the side of him.

And there you have it. The litmus test revealed. If somebody asks you what you would rather be doing and the answer is “just this,” than it is most likely that your dream has been fulfilled. Here’s hoping you will one day be able to say, “just this” and smile big while you realize there is no need, at least for now, to dream bigger.

Top 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Dream of Winning the PowerBall Lottery

Tags

burden, dreams, financial, happiness, money, PowerBall

Don’t get me wrong, it would sure be nice to win the PowerBall.  I would be stupid if I said I don’t want to win.  That’s not really what we are talking about here.  I am talking about if you should actually dream to win it.

It may be bold to say, but here are my top 3 reasons you shouldn’t dream of winning the PowerBall lottery.

 

1.  Money won’t buy you happiness – It sounds like a cliche I know.  And having millions would definitely alleviate most financial burdens.  In particular, your concerns about paying your bills every month would disappear like a magicians coin. Perhaps, more specifically, the thought of how you might escape that dreadful office cubicle also disappears.  But there are plenty of happy people who are poor and miserable people who are rich.  Much of the research I have read talks about a minimum threshold for happiness so your basic needs are taken care of.  I have heard it can be as low as $40,000 a year and as high as $70,000.  After that, it’s more of your own personal circumstances and attitude based on factors unrelated to money.

2. Dreams are aspirations – Dreams are things you want to do or achieve based on passions you have.  Often times the best dreams happen when your passion, skill, and concept of helping others collide.  Winning a lottery takes no effort.  And when is the last time you heard somebody proclaim, “I am passionate about winning the lottery?”  Well if they did say it, I am sure their tongue would be pressing a ditch in their cheek.

3. Small money small problems, big money big problems – I can hear in your head what you are thinking when you read this.  “Those are the problems I would love to be faced with.”  I am not going to try and convince you that you wouldn’t want to win the lottery.  I will say, there are a host of huge problems that come with having money that you can’t even imagine.  Do you I know from experience??  Absolutely not!  Do I know others who have had these experiences??  Absolutely!  With money comes freedom but freedom with strings attached like a marionette.

So there you have it.  My top 3 reasons why you shouldn’t dream of winning the PowerBall lottery.  I guess that gets us down to one last question which is probably swirling around in your head.  Did I put my money where my mouth was?  Well…. sort of.  I have not dreamed of winning the lottery but I did put $2 into an office pool.  Why would I do that you ask? Because having fun talking with my co-workers about what we would do with all that money is worth $2.  It’s also funny to think what my company would do if they lost a whole team of workers on a single day.  That’s right, $2 worth of wonderful and giddy entertainment.  Maybe next time I will just put $2 to flame and watch it burn away.  Cause after all, that sounds fun too.  Until next post… Smile Big and Dream Bigger!  Not about winning the lottery though.

 

My Turn, My Dream: Next Man Up

Tags

$10 Million, attitude, Bruce Arians, desire, dream, Martin Jacobson, Next Man Up, Phil Jackson, Super Bowl, World Series of Poker

This past week I have been an observer of one man dream’s coming to fruition, and one team heading in the direction of their dreams. Who would have thought that a man which almost quit poker could become the World Series of Poker Main Event Champ? Who would have thought that one of the worst football franchises could be having a dream season with a backup quarterback and individuals severely injured or out at their positions.

I am talking about Martin Jacobson and I am also talking about the Arizona Cardinals. Martin Jacobson was the next man up for the Poker Championship and the Cardinals are relying on the Next Man Up philosophy to pave the way to be the first team ever to play in a Super Bowl in their own city.

I can’t help but get energized by these two stories. Thanks to my wife, who is an angel, I was lucky enough to be able to attend and watch the World Series of Poker Main Event final table in person. To see one man win $10 Million playing a game of cards is indescribable. Some would say its just dumb luck, but others who know better (I include myself in this category), realize that there is a reason some folks can make millions of dollars consistently beating the game while others can’t find a way to win under almost any circumstances.

As for the Arizona Cardinals, there is not that much talent difference between the worst team and the best team in the NFL. Don’t believe me?? How can a team that has been so bad for so long bring in a coach and 2 years later be the best team in the league. It’s all about attitude and desire. The attitude to believe it can be done under any conditions and the desire to do it on a team level even with some bench players. It’s the next man up to play that has to deliver the effort of the starter so they can participate in a team effort to continue the win streak. It’s not about one individuals efforts, its about team wins under adverse conditions. This is the attitude that Bruce Arians has brought to the Valley of the Sun. If you ever wonder how coaches can be fired when they don’t play the game, the Cardinals are showing you why. A good coach creates a great team. Just ask Phil Jackson who teaches his team meditation and visualization. There is a reason he is thought of as one of the best coaches ever in the NBA.

So as I see it, it’s my turn. It’s my dream that is due to be fulfilled with enough effort, attitude, and determination. I AM the Next Man Up. Smiling Big and Dreaming Bigger all the way to the Main Event Final Table. Look for me soon on an ESPN poker broadcast near you.

Love Inc.

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corporation, cubicle, dream job, Howard Schultz, love, Onward, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, work, Zappos.com

Some people don’t love entrepreneurship so they seek out their dream job at a corporation. If you are cubicle averse, this idea probably makes little sense to you. It does exist, however, and there ARE people who work for a corporation they love.

A great example is Zappos.com. If you walk into their headquarters you would notice that the cubes tend to resemble a kindergarten classroom more than a corporation. Zappos understands the importance fun can play in allowing their employees to provide an exceptional service experience to their customers.

In most corporate settings, love is a forbidden word at worst, and not spoken about at best. But there are companies that infuse love into their culture. Starbucks is a good example. I was recently reading, at work, the book Onward by Starbucks CEO and Founder Howard Schultz. Chapter 2 is titled “A Love Story” and discusses his love for espresso and the associated coffee house experience. When one of my co-workers looked over my shoulder and just saw the chapter heading on each page, he said…. “awwwww, a love story.” And then I turned over the cover and said… “a love story about Starbucks.” As you can imagine, his mouth dropped and was gaping wide open. That’s because we don’t associate love with a company and definitely not the corporate world.

One company, Southwest Airlines, believes so much in the importance of love that they used the concept to create one of their logos. Yes, dreams come in all shapes and sizes. Even if the shape is a cubicle and that size is a corporate monster. Or should I say, a corporate teddy bear. So if entrepreneurship isn’t your thing, find that dream job at a corporation so you can Smile Big and Dream Bigger!

Why I Have Been So Quiet Recently

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blog, difficulty, dream bigger, dreams, quiet, quiet phase, restraints, smile big, writter

I know it has been awhile since I have had a blog post. To be honest, at times I have struggled to come up with a new idea about following your dreams. I have, however, not given up on blogging. I have a second blog with no particular topic in which I blog about anything. No topic restraints. This is actually part of gaining some of the skills required to ultimately achieve my dream. See one of the key requirements for a potential business idea I have is to be a good writer. I wish I had the content to post a blog a couple times a week about following your dreams. Unfortunately, I am finding much difficulty in being successful at this task. This does, however, teach me an important lesson about having to be persistent.

Please bear with me as I go through this period of pause. I know that practicing my writing on another blog without constraints will lead to better and more frequent posts on this blog. Dreams take practice, learning, and patience. I am learning about this the hard way but I won’t let this deter me from smiling big and dreaming bigger.

The Dream, Dream Team

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Chris Guillebeau, dream team, James Altucher, Jonathan Fields, Leo Babauta, live your legend, Scott Dinsmore, Shawn Achor, the happiness advantage, Tim Ferriss, zen habits

I have many authors and invididuals that inspire me daily and help me towards achieving my dreams. I call this group my dream, dream team. While the list is far short of being all inclusive, these are some of the key individuals that have recently inspired me to continue my dream quest.

1. Chris Guillebeau – Travel hacker and author of “The Art of Non-Conformity” he is the epitome of living life unconventionally. Chris hasn’t worked for anybody in the last 10 years and has taught thousands how to find their life’s passion. He sets goals and achieves them like visiting all 193 by the time he was 30.

2. Tim Ferriss – The master of learning anything with profound efficiency and greatness. He is author of “The 4 Hour Work Week” and teaches you how to achieve more with less. From facing his fear of swimming to mastering languages after years of struggling, he will inspire you to try to achieve what feels like it is un-achievable.

3. James Altucher – Reading Altucher’s books and blogs is like riding on an emotional roller coaster. He is, however, willing to reveal all and uses his mistakes to teach you how to succeed. James is not afraid to explain how he became a multimillionaire, lost it all, then became a multimillionaire again, only to lose it all again. Like I said, his life and work is an emotional roller coaster. He wrote the book “Choose Yourself” and believed in the message so deeply that he was willing to give the book away for free for the first 3 months of publication.

4. Leo Babauta – One of the top bloggers in the world he focuses on living life more deeply through simplification. His blog Zen Habits is read by millions. Leo went from a hyper stressed, unhealthy, overworked individual male to a clear headed peaceful individual. He feels that people sharing his message serves him and his readers much more than protecting it through copyrighting. If you are blogger yourself I encourage you to share his message with your readers.

5. Shawn Achor – He will show you how to be happier through 5 different things you can do every day. While it sounds too simple to be true, he is a Harvard Grad in Positive Psychology and has countless studies to back up his claims. The proof is in the pudding and he has lots of pudding.

6. Jonathan Fields – He’s a career renegade that wrote a book by the same name. Jonathan gave up a high profile NYC lawyer job to pursue multiple business opportunities including starting his own yoga studio. He now teaches others how to be their own career renegade.

7. Scott Dinsmore – Scott believes you can do what you love while simultaneously changing the world. He believes in the concept of living your legend and runs a web site by the same name.

There are plenty of others that inspire me but these are the ones I am most focused on currently and impacted me over the last few months. If you are looking to fulfill your dreams, the individuals above will provide a great spring board.

Smile Big and Dream Bigger.

Your Dream Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date

Tags

amazing feats, dream, dreams, expiration date, late in life, never too old, old people

As I celebrated my 42nd birthday this month I couldn’t help but be a little sad that I have not accomplished more in my lifetime. I quickly realized, however, that I still have time to make all my dreams come true. That’s because my dream and your dream too, do not have an expiration date. As long as your heart still beats and your brain still functions, you still have time. So with the passing of another birthday I am increasing my focus on achieving my dreams and you should too. Use your next birthday as a springboard into the pool of accomplishment.

Everywhere you turn there are examples of individuals fulfilling their dreams late in life. There is Lucille Singleton from Harlem who started running at 67 and finished her first marathon when she was 75. There is Diana Nyad who after decades of not swimming decided to tackle the extremely challenging swim from Cuba to Florida. After 4 failed attempts, at the age of 64, she successfully swam the route. And there is Genevie Kocourek who was interested in medicine early in life but didn’t have the financial means to pay for med school. She decided to switch career paths much later in her career progression and ultimately achieved her dream of becoming a doctor at the age of 53. These are just a few of the endless examples of ordinary people succeeding at their extraordinary dreams much later in their lifetime. Want a taste of even more examples? Then here is a list of the 25 Oldest People to Accomplish Amazing Feats.

So whether you are 5 or 95, it’s not too early and it’s definitely not too late. Dreams are the milk that does not spoil. The milk does, however, very slowly evaporate. Don’t let your age be a barrier to your dreams. There already are way too many barriers. At 95 or 105, you still have some time to smile big and dream bigger.

Ride the 2014 Horse to the Promised Land

Tags

2014, dream, New Year, Promised Land, Year of the Horse

I feel, more than ever, that this is the year. It’s time for all the building blocks to come together and create the master puzzle that are my dreams. When the necessary innings come to a close I will score a dream home run. The year of the horse is the year I plan on riding into the Promised Land. Where I spend every day doing what I love and make money from it. Not rich money but money enough to live on. Since I am busy doing rather than writing about doing, that’s all for now.

Smile Big and Dream Bigger!