Let's start back a few days.
Friday evening we went to dinner at Isla Bonita, a very good Mexican Restaurant. I must say the food and the service is very good and worth going to this fine restaurant.
Saturday evening we went to dinner at Ty's Bar and Grill for a Birthday party and I must say this is the worst food and service I have ever encountered. They were notified the previous day we would have a group there and they said no problem. It took up to three hours to get food served and trying to get drinks was a complete waste. Definitely will not be going back to that grill. I could have done better service than what we got from there.
Sunday afternoon we went to another Birthday party and this was at Eatza Pizza. Sort of like Chuckee Cheese but not as big. That is the problem. They did not have very many pizza's out on the counter to choose from and they couldn't keep up. Overall we had fun but just not satisfied as a customer.
I played in the TOC Jokers event last night and ended up coming in 8th place out of the money. I did play well but I still need to add some plays into my game to get more chips. My first goal in any tournament is to get to the final table but getting to the money is the elusive part.
This morning I woke up and looked at my emails on my phone and seen that someone was hacking into my Paypal account and draining my bank account. I quickly got up and got on the computer and went into the Paypal account to put a stop to the transactions. I have put in a resolution and hopefully my money and my account will be fine. They say it takes about 10 days to complete. I guess now I sit and wait and watch the accounts.
I was hoping to work on my stock account this morning but so far the paypal stuff has been keeping me rather busy.
Have a fun day......
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
I like Friday
I like the Friday tournament at Jokers Casino. It is the best structure available with 20 minute rounds and you start with T$10,000 in chips. It really gives you a chance to sit and watch and wait for the right time to play cards.
After the night before when I blew the chance to walk out with some profit I was anxious to get back and play in a tournament.
Everytime I have a bad run of tournaments and try to figure out what I am doing wrong I have a book that I will always turn too. The name of the book is "MsPoker: I'm Not Bluffing" by Susie Isaacs. For me she explains what to do and when. She explains it in a written form that helps me to understand what I am supposed to do.
I know I attended the WSOP Academy and got instruction there and have also gone through the WSOP Academy online classes but if I want a refresher I just reread the book on tournament play and I seem to do better.
This tournament went well for me. I played appropriately and as I should. I don't have anything to complain about with the way I played and will build on this. The only thing that hurt me was when I raised the pot pre-flop I wouldn't get any callers. This happened everytime I played a hand tonight. Yes, it is nice to get the blinds but I would have liked a little bit more. I am going to cut back on the raises to see if I can get callers and play my hands more post flop.
This Sunday is the TOC for the month and I am entered with the win I had a week ago. I am hoping I will do well. The structure for this tournament will be 15 minute rounds with T$3,000 in chips to start. Not much chips to start so will need to chip up early and then go from there. There will be a plan but I need to see who is at my table first. These are all winners for the month so you are not going to find weak spots.
I am really happy to see some of the states start to legalize poker and only hope that WA State will get their head out of the sand and legalize as well. I used to be a part of the RT board and when we were trying to get a license through the state it took us a number of years and money. We were told by the lobbyist group we had to pay our dues before it would go through. I hope they do their job and get it done. You always end up putting money into someones hand to get noticed and to get things where you want them. Those with the most usually get what they want.
Here it is at the end of the month and I am down overall in my Stock Market account for the year. Yes, just one month in and I have 11 months to go to get it back into the positive. One good decision and it could help the bottom line. I seem to do better with my Resort & Casino stocks but am trying to branch out and pick some others. That is what happened this month. Time and patience and a proper reading of the charts is what it takes.
Have a fun day......
After the night before when I blew the chance to walk out with some profit I was anxious to get back and play in a tournament.
Everytime I have a bad run of tournaments and try to figure out what I am doing wrong I have a book that I will always turn too. The name of the book is "MsPoker: I'm Not Bluffing" by Susie Isaacs. For me she explains what to do and when. She explains it in a written form that helps me to understand what I am supposed to do.
I know I attended the WSOP Academy and got instruction there and have also gone through the WSOP Academy online classes but if I want a refresher I just reread the book on tournament play and I seem to do better.
This tournament went well for me. I played appropriately and as I should. I don't have anything to complain about with the way I played and will build on this. The only thing that hurt me was when I raised the pot pre-flop I wouldn't get any callers. This happened everytime I played a hand tonight. Yes, it is nice to get the blinds but I would have liked a little bit more. I am going to cut back on the raises to see if I can get callers and play my hands more post flop.
This Sunday is the TOC for the month and I am entered with the win I had a week ago. I am hoping I will do well. The structure for this tournament will be 15 minute rounds with T$3,000 in chips to start. Not much chips to start so will need to chip up early and then go from there. There will be a plan but I need to see who is at my table first. These are all winners for the month so you are not going to find weak spots.
I am really happy to see some of the states start to legalize poker and only hope that WA State will get their head out of the sand and legalize as well. I used to be a part of the RT board and when we were trying to get a license through the state it took us a number of years and money. We were told by the lobbyist group we had to pay our dues before it would go through. I hope they do their job and get it done. You always end up putting money into someones hand to get noticed and to get things where you want them. Those with the most usually get what they want.
Here it is at the end of the month and I am down overall in my Stock Market account for the year. Yes, just one month in and I have 11 months to go to get it back into the positive. One good decision and it could help the bottom line. I seem to do better with my Resort & Casino stocks but am trying to branch out and pick some others. That is what happened this month. Time and patience and a proper reading of the charts is what it takes.
Have a fun day......
Friday, January 28, 2011
Lessons Learned
Sometimes you have to sit back and take the lessons and move forward from there. Tonight was one of those nights.
I played in the poker tournament tonight at Jokers and was doing well. I guess as well as could be expected. I wasn't getting the cards tonight. I was hanging in there though and almost got to the final table. Whenever I tried to play a hand I would raise appropriately and then most everyone would fold. I was not getting anyone to play back at me tonight. Most of the people at the table did not know me very well so I know they did not know about my game and how I play.
I made it down to 12th place tonight. Not bad for tournament play but I didn't make my first goal of getting to the final table. Tomorrow is another day and I will play in the tournament in the afternoon.
The hard one for me was after the tournament they got the live cash game up and running. I was thinking about playing and when I was asked and I was near the starting time I figured yes, lets do this again. One of the regulars asked me about playing in the live cash game and I started to say that since I started I haven't........He stopped me and of course I stopped myself and we both said don't jinx yourself.
I had ample opportunities to walk away from the table tonight with a profit and in the least break even. You can see this one coming. I kept sitting there hand after hand and kept right on playing. Knowing I was going to hit the big one. I was able to make it back each time, 3 times to be exact and as I said I could have walked away. I didn't and lost the buy in tonight for the first time. Should never have said that.
I had AK twice tonight and I won a big pot with that and then turned around and lost with AK to a set of 10's. I didn't see that one coming. I had two pair with AK and lost my whole buy in.
What did I learn from this experience? I think I am going to step away from the live game and just have fun with tournaments. I do better and there is less stress for me. Lower buy in and I have been winning at a rate of every 3 or 4 tournaments. I will do some more reading and studying and then go from there. One thing I won't do is dwell on the cash game.
Have a fun day......
I played in the poker tournament tonight at Jokers and was doing well. I guess as well as could be expected. I wasn't getting the cards tonight. I was hanging in there though and almost got to the final table. Whenever I tried to play a hand I would raise appropriately and then most everyone would fold. I was not getting anyone to play back at me tonight. Most of the people at the table did not know me very well so I know they did not know about my game and how I play.
I made it down to 12th place tonight. Not bad for tournament play but I didn't make my first goal of getting to the final table. Tomorrow is another day and I will play in the tournament in the afternoon.
The hard one for me was after the tournament they got the live cash game up and running. I was thinking about playing and when I was asked and I was near the starting time I figured yes, lets do this again. One of the regulars asked me about playing in the live cash game and I started to say that since I started I haven't........He stopped me and of course I stopped myself and we both said don't jinx yourself.
I had ample opportunities to walk away from the table tonight with a profit and in the least break even. You can see this one coming. I kept sitting there hand after hand and kept right on playing. Knowing I was going to hit the big one. I was able to make it back each time, 3 times to be exact and as I said I could have walked away. I didn't and lost the buy in tonight for the first time. Should never have said that.
I had AK twice tonight and I won a big pot with that and then turned around and lost with AK to a set of 10's. I didn't see that one coming. I had two pair with AK and lost my whole buy in.
What did I learn from this experience? I think I am going to step away from the live game and just have fun with tournaments. I do better and there is less stress for me. Lower buy in and I have been winning at a rate of every 3 or 4 tournaments. I will do some more reading and studying and then go from there. One thing I won't do is dwell on the cash game.
Have a fun day......
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Rounders
Tonight for some reason I wanted to watch a movie. I wanted to sit and turn my mind off and enjoy what was happening on the screen. I chose to watch "Rounders".
I didn't get a chance to play poker tonight. The Alzheimers Care Unit had their night out with the families of the loved ones in the unit. It gave us a chance to sit together and eat a meal and then talk about the issues we are all facing. It gave all of us a chance to hear that we are not the only ones going through the guilt that we all feel. We are all feeling the same things.
I came away from the evening feeling like my Dad was maybe starting to understand why she is there. Sometimes I feel he is still going through that denial and that she will get better. In fact he mentioned tonight in the truck going back to his place that since she is starting to walk, eat better that the Alzheimers is getting better. Dad, he missed the point again.
Back home and wanting to watch the movie. I chose "Rounder" because I hadn't watched it for some time and I wanted to see if there was anything I missed from the first time I watched it. So, I popped my popcorn and started up the dvd player.
It is a good movie. I could do without Worm. I suppose you need to have a story line but playing bad poker just isn't what I like to watch.
What did I learn? I think the thing I picked up on was the tells. I need to pay more attention. Not so much the facial but all of the other actions that someone will do with the chips and cards. I need to focus more on those things and see if I can pick up something from the players that I play with at the casino.
I am still in a couple of stocks and watching them closely. They have the ability to move higher and the Technical Analysis points in that direction. I am hoping for a nice move soon. I am watching a couple of others that I am not in yet but again the TA is getting close to a buy point. The big question is when to pull the trigger.
Hopefully I will play poker tomorrow night and maybe some live cash afterwards. I need this bankroll to grow as well. Lets have another good week like last week.
Have a fun time.......
I didn't get a chance to play poker tonight. The Alzheimers Care Unit had their night out with the families of the loved ones in the unit. It gave us a chance to sit together and eat a meal and then talk about the issues we are all facing. It gave all of us a chance to hear that we are not the only ones going through the guilt that we all feel. We are all feeling the same things.
I came away from the evening feeling like my Dad was maybe starting to understand why she is there. Sometimes I feel he is still going through that denial and that she will get better. In fact he mentioned tonight in the truck going back to his place that since she is starting to walk, eat better that the Alzheimers is getting better. Dad, he missed the point again.
Back home and wanting to watch the movie. I chose "Rounder" because I hadn't watched it for some time and I wanted to see if there was anything I missed from the first time I watched it. So, I popped my popcorn and started up the dvd player.
It is a good movie. I could do without Worm. I suppose you need to have a story line but playing bad poker just isn't what I like to watch.
What did I learn? I think the thing I picked up on was the tells. I need to pay more attention. Not so much the facial but all of the other actions that someone will do with the chips and cards. I need to focus more on those things and see if I can pick up something from the players that I play with at the casino.
I am still in a couple of stocks and watching them closely. They have the ability to move higher and the Technical Analysis points in that direction. I am hoping for a nice move soon. I am watching a couple of others that I am not in yet but again the TA is getting close to a buy point. The big question is when to pull the trigger.
Hopefully I will play poker tomorrow night and maybe some live cash afterwards. I need this bankroll to grow as well. Lets have another good week like last week.
Have a fun time.......
Friday, January 21, 2011
Everything Poker
It has been a very nice three days. I was able to play poker for the last three days and have played not only tournament poker but have put in two sessions of live cash poker.
I was very close to the final table this afternoon. There were 36 runners and I came in 12th. Just missing the final table. I had the chips and was at around 12 BB's and I needed to gather more chips. I put my army to work and they came up short. My last hand was 88 vs QQ. I guess I could have waited for a better spot but I don't know what that would have been. This was one of my hardest losses to date. I was working hard at getting my chips and was so close to the goal of the final table.
I usually allow myself about an hour of feeling bad for myself and why did that person call when he should not have been in there anyway. Then I get over that and start analyzing my play to see if I could have done anything different. Usually it is the patience part that gets me. Maybe on the end but during the tournament I was rock solid. I even have the dealers on my side. Someone was complaining about a hand they lost with me and the dealer told them right out that "Steve is a good player and knows what he is doing". It makes you feel good about yourself.
I went back to the Casino after going home because of the Plinko game that they have going. I filled out a bunch of tickets that the players were just giving to me so I decided to fill them out and see if I could pick up a couple of hundred free dollars. When I got there they were getting ready to play the live game so I ended up playing in their 2-40 cash game. I don't like to do that high but since most of the people were buying in for less than the usual I decided to get involved. I picked up a good hand and increased my stack. At that point I play with that money and pull out my buy in. Once that is gone I back out of the game. I lasted an hour and a half playing with the money I won and ended up breaking even for the night. I was looking for another hand to win big with but it never came.
That meant it was time to go home. What a week. Wednesday tournament and I win. I play live after the tournament and increase my bankroll. Thursday I play in the tournament and bust out. Friday I play again in the afternoon tournament and do well but bust out and then Friday evening play in the cash game and break even. Overall for the week my bankroll did increase.
Now if I can get my stock picks to do the same. Sunday I will need to sit down and go over my picks for the week.
Have a fun day......
I was very close to the final table this afternoon. There were 36 runners and I came in 12th. Just missing the final table. I had the chips and was at around 12 BB's and I needed to gather more chips. I put my army to work and they came up short. My last hand was 88 vs QQ. I guess I could have waited for a better spot but I don't know what that would have been. This was one of my hardest losses to date. I was working hard at getting my chips and was so close to the goal of the final table.
I usually allow myself about an hour of feeling bad for myself and why did that person call when he should not have been in there anyway. Then I get over that and start analyzing my play to see if I could have done anything different. Usually it is the patience part that gets me. Maybe on the end but during the tournament I was rock solid. I even have the dealers on my side. Someone was complaining about a hand they lost with me and the dealer told them right out that "Steve is a good player and knows what he is doing". It makes you feel good about yourself.
I went back to the Casino after going home because of the Plinko game that they have going. I filled out a bunch of tickets that the players were just giving to me so I decided to fill them out and see if I could pick up a couple of hundred free dollars. When I got there they were getting ready to play the live game so I ended up playing in their 2-40 cash game. I don't like to do that high but since most of the people were buying in for less than the usual I decided to get involved. I picked up a good hand and increased my stack. At that point I play with that money and pull out my buy in. Once that is gone I back out of the game. I lasted an hour and a half playing with the money I won and ended up breaking even for the night. I was looking for another hand to win big with but it never came.
That meant it was time to go home. What a week. Wednesday tournament and I win. I play live after the tournament and increase my bankroll. Thursday I play in the tournament and bust out. Friday I play again in the afternoon tournament and do well but bust out and then Friday evening play in the cash game and break even. Overall for the week my bankroll did increase.
Now if I can get my stock picks to do the same. Sunday I will need to sit down and go over my picks for the week.
Have a fun day......
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Next Day
After the excitement from last night I was anxious to go try it again. You know the saying if your on a roll keep going. Well, that didn't work out so well for me tonight. I just couldn't catch a hand tonight. I thought at one point I had the best hand and put a lot of chips in the middle and lost them to a better hand. Should have known better. I had two pair and lost to a set. I should have seen it coming.
After I got done playing the tournament tonight I went over and sat down and played some live 2-20 cash game. I would prefer the 2-10 but they don't like to play it here. It looked like everyone was buying in for the same amount so at least we were all the same. I was thinking about going with a deep stack but decided to try the shorter stack tonight.
My big hand was AK and the flop was AAx. K on the flop and x on the river. I had a nice boat and the person following along had an Ace as well for a set. That was a nice hand. When I did finally leave the table I was up for the night for playing both the tournament as well as the cash game.
I would like to continue to play the cash game and if I can travel some I would then stop and play at the local casinos and see if I can make it that way. First things first with this "Pipe Dream".
After I got done playing the tournament tonight I went over and sat down and played some live 2-20 cash game. I would prefer the 2-10 but they don't like to play it here. It looked like everyone was buying in for the same amount so at least we were all the same. I was thinking about going with a deep stack but decided to try the shorter stack tonight.
My big hand was AK and the flop was AAx. K on the flop and x on the river. I had a nice boat and the person following along had an Ace as well for a set. That was a nice hand. When I did finally leave the table I was up for the night for playing both the tournament as well as the cash game.
I would like to continue to play the cash game and if I can travel some I would then stop and play at the local casinos and see if I can make it that way. First things first with this "Pipe Dream".
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Poker Time
The last few days I have been rather down on myself and all the stuff going on with me. My ankle is swollen and I don't know what is causing it to be that way. My neck is still hurting from the surgery. I am stuck in the house all day going through stuff on the computer. Stocks, Poker and whatever else I can read. Not being able to play online anymore really makes my growth difficult with poker. I know I can win in the casino and it takes more money and I just want to be sure I am doing the right thing.
I was watching TV the other day and saw this show on the golf channel "Pipe Dream" It piqued my interest and I watched the first episode and then watched the second episode today. Wow, the things this person is going through and here I am with a home and family and I was feeling sorry for myself. Get up off the mat steve and brush yourself off and get going again.
Another area that got me going was reading the blog "Living in my car". Wow, that got me thinking again about what I could do and quit thinking I couldn't do anything.
I went to Jokers tonight and played in the $35 buy in and received T$20,000 in chips with 10 minute rounds. I told myself to be patient and I could do this structure. I had some lumps during the first part of the tournament but by the time I got to the final table I was ready to rumble. I always say get me to the final table and I know what to do. I ended up first place tonight and was a big boost to my confidence again. I am now in the January Championship game in a couple of weeks.
My goal is to find a small trailer or motorhome and be able to start going to the WSOP circuit events close by. I know I can do this. I can do this without the help of the internet. Watch me!!!!!
I was watching TV the other day and saw this show on the golf channel "Pipe Dream" It piqued my interest and I watched the first episode and then watched the second episode today. Wow, the things this person is going through and here I am with a home and family and I was feeling sorry for myself. Get up off the mat steve and brush yourself off and get going again.
Another area that got me going was reading the blog "Living in my car". Wow, that got me thinking again about what I could do and quit thinking I couldn't do anything.
I went to Jokers tonight and played in the $35 buy in and received T$20,000 in chips with 10 minute rounds. I told myself to be patient and I could do this structure. I had some lumps during the first part of the tournament but by the time I got to the final table I was ready to rumble. I always say get me to the final table and I know what to do. I ended up first place tonight and was a big boost to my confidence again. I am now in the January Championship game in a couple of weeks.
My goal is to find a small trailer or motorhome and be able to start going to the WSOP circuit events close by. I know I can do this. I can do this without the help of the internet. Watch me!!!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Rants
I have always tried to stay away from three items when it comes to discussions. I think most people do but today I am just about at my wits end. Oh yes, the three topics just in case you were wondering. They are Sex, Religion and Politics. I will discuss most anything but I am a loner when it comes to my believes on these subjects.
Right now I am having a problem with the new insurance that I had to get for my parents. A few years ago I needed to take over their financial stuff and start working with the Medicare, Medicaid and Pharmacies. So far I haven't had that many problems and I have a very nice product specialist that helps me out when I have questions.
This past Thursday I found out that the pharmacy was no longer a preferred pharmacy with the new insurance that my parents have. At the time there was not a problem but when my Mom had to move into an Alzheimers Care Unit they then requested Mom change her pharmacy to the one they use.
Now she basically doesn't have any pharmacy until we get the insurance and the pharmacies and the Doctor to speak with one another to get this ironed out. I was hopeing it would be today. We are getting closer as we speak as the phone calls are now moving everything. I say just get me out of the middle of it and let them talk to each other and things should go smoother.
I could discuss more political stuff but I am going to shut my mouth before I get myself into more trouble. I will say this though that those people up on the hill have everything handed to them and they do not care about those of us that have to live our lives trying to get by with their dreams of the perfect land.
Enough for the day.
Right now I am having a problem with the new insurance that I had to get for my parents. A few years ago I needed to take over their financial stuff and start working with the Medicare, Medicaid and Pharmacies. So far I haven't had that many problems and I have a very nice product specialist that helps me out when I have questions.
This past Thursday I found out that the pharmacy was no longer a preferred pharmacy with the new insurance that my parents have. At the time there was not a problem but when my Mom had to move into an Alzheimers Care Unit they then requested Mom change her pharmacy to the one they use.
Now she basically doesn't have any pharmacy until we get the insurance and the pharmacies and the Doctor to speak with one another to get this ironed out. I was hopeing it would be today. We are getting closer as we speak as the phone calls are now moving everything. I say just get me out of the middle of it and let them talk to each other and things should go smoother.
I could discuss more political stuff but I am going to shut my mouth before I get myself into more trouble. I will say this though that those people up on the hill have everything handed to them and they do not care about those of us that have to live our lives trying to get by with their dreams of the perfect land.
Enough for the day.
Monday, January 17, 2011
New Week
I was going to play poker on Friday but then I ended up having some health issues that kept me in bed til one in the afternoon I didn't have the energy to play the game at that point. The pain from my neck surgery seems to just flair up whenever it wants and then I start taking my pain pills and it just keeps me from wanting to do anything.
I got a call late in the afternoon about my moms medications that needed to be changed to a different pharmacy due to the medicare changing insurance. This is such a hassle and then there are people that will not help out in rectifying the situation to make it easier. No customer service sometimes. Very frustrating for me since I am hurting and not being able to drive to the pharmacy. This needs to be taken care of by the pharmacies themselves but they won't do it over the phone.
Over the weekend I was able to watch the PCA live on the internet. That was very enjoyable since I can sit back and watch the tournament and see everything that is happening. I did watch a little bit of it on Sunday as well. Between that and football. I really don't watch football as much as I did when I was younger. I guess my attention span for watching is not there anymore. I can sit and watch a poker tournament though. Go figure? I think it is really good that pokerstars.tv shows these and hope they will continue.
My plan this week is to try and play a couple of tournaments. I am not sure which days of course. It will be Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Those are the best structures that they have at Jokers Casino.
After reading some of the traveling blogs I am starting to look for a small travel trailer even if I have to do some fix up I think it would be fun to take some time to travel. Some people have done some great stuff in fixing some of the trailers or vans to travel with. I would like to visit some of the WSOPC events that come close to Washington State. At this point I am looking for something to work with. If you know of any small trailers with a bathroom I might be interested.
I cooked dinner last night. Here are a couple of pictures of what I did. I took the hamburger and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Put very little oil in the pan and started to fry the burgers. I put water in the pan and let the burgers steam. When the water would evaporate I would put a little bit more. I also cut up some potatoes and deep fried them and made our own french fries. I used sea salt on them for seasoning.
Have a good day....
I got a call late in the afternoon about my moms medications that needed to be changed to a different pharmacy due to the medicare changing insurance. This is such a hassle and then there are people that will not help out in rectifying the situation to make it easier. No customer service sometimes. Very frustrating for me since I am hurting and not being able to drive to the pharmacy. This needs to be taken care of by the pharmacies themselves but they won't do it over the phone.
Over the weekend I was able to watch the PCA live on the internet. That was very enjoyable since I can sit back and watch the tournament and see everything that is happening. I did watch a little bit of it on Sunday as well. Between that and football. I really don't watch football as much as I did when I was younger. I guess my attention span for watching is not there anymore. I can sit and watch a poker tournament though. Go figure? I think it is really good that pokerstars.tv shows these and hope they will continue.
My plan this week is to try and play a couple of tournaments. I am not sure which days of course. It will be Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Those are the best structures that they have at Jokers Casino.
After reading some of the traveling blogs I am starting to look for a small travel trailer even if I have to do some fix up I think it would be fun to take some time to travel. Some people have done some great stuff in fixing some of the trailers or vans to travel with. I would like to visit some of the WSOPC events that come close to Washington State. At this point I am looking for something to work with. If you know of any small trailers with a bathroom I might be interested.
I cooked dinner last night. Here are a couple of pictures of what I did. I took the hamburger and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Put very little oil in the pan and started to fry the burgers. I put water in the pan and let the burgers steam. When the water would evaporate I would put a little bit more. I also cut up some potatoes and deep fried them and made our own french fries. I used sea salt on them for seasoning.
Have a good day....
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Another Day at the Grind
Last night as I was sitting on the couch something happened to my neck that I can't explain. Wow, it really started to hurt and was having a hard time moving from side to side. I know the surgery I had is not completely healed and I need to take it easy for three months waiting for the wedge to heal and connect to the bones on either side. Hopefully today it will settle down.
I went to the casino last night to play in the live cash game and when I got there they were finishing up the tournament play and there was no one getting ready to play the cash game. That meant no poker last night for me. The manager told me that Thursday's are a better night so maybe tonight. I might even play the tournament before the game. I do like the structure of tonights game.
My stock picks from yesterday are not doing anything as of yet. I have to be patient and wait for things to happen. I will continue to look for the stocks that are giving me the right signals and proceed from there.
I did change up the look of the blog yesterday. It will take some getting used to. I tried to add some blogs that I like to follow and that didn't go very well. I will have to spend some time trying to figure it out.
Today I will try to get my neck to feel better and get ready for tonight.
Have a good day....
I went to the casino last night to play in the live cash game and when I got there they were finishing up the tournament play and there was no one getting ready to play the cash game. That meant no poker last night for me. The manager told me that Thursday's are a better night so maybe tonight. I might even play the tournament before the game. I do like the structure of tonights game.
My stock picks from yesterday are not doing anything as of yet. I have to be patient and wait for things to happen. I will continue to look for the stocks that are giving me the right signals and proceed from there.
I did change up the look of the blog yesterday. It will take some getting used to. I tried to add some blogs that I like to follow and that didn't go very well. I will have to spend some time trying to figure it out.
Today I will try to get my neck to feel better and get ready for tonight.
Have a good day....
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Poker Thoughts
I am done with my daily viewing of the stock market. I did get back into the market this morning and will now try to sit on my hands and let the market do what I think it is going to do. If not I will get out and try again. This has been an ongoing thing with me this past year and I am starting to get more aggressive at the trading part of it now. It has been hard to try to find my comfort level and how I want to treat the market. My goal is to earn an income and travel at the same time playing poker. See how these two fit together? But first the capital has to grow and that takes patience.
I have another blog that talks about my time trading stocks but am starting to wonder about just combining the two and only have one to keep up with. I think it might work. I was reminded today while reading a blog about how we are so much into technology these days. I am going to try and learn how to get this blog more tech savy and maybe put some ads on here. I have a number of blogs I follow and I could attach them here as well. Maybe learn something new.
Today was another one of those days that I was beating myself up on what to do with my tournament play. I am not a fan of the structures that I play and I have to wonder why do I keep doing this to myself. So, I have decided to turn my efforts on the live cash game. It puts more money out front but if I play like I know how to I should be alright. I went through my black book the other day and I show that I play better and bring home money when I do play cash. Tonight I will call the Casino and see what they have available. I won't play 2-40 spread but will try to get in the games of 2-10 and 2-20 when they are available.
Now that I feel better about that I will need to brush up on the Cash game play book.
I have been reading some blogs on travel. There are quite a few people that travel in their RV's and do well. I started thinking about a way to travel out of state and still be able to play online. Wonder if going out for a couple of days at a time and put in some quality time playing with my laptop. We are only about 35 miles from the Oregon border. This is something I will have to work on.
Have a good day......
I have another blog that talks about my time trading stocks but am starting to wonder about just combining the two and only have one to keep up with. I think it might work. I was reminded today while reading a blog about how we are so much into technology these days. I am going to try and learn how to get this blog more tech savy and maybe put some ads on here. I have a number of blogs I follow and I could attach them here as well. Maybe learn something new.
Today was another one of those days that I was beating myself up on what to do with my tournament play. I am not a fan of the structures that I play and I have to wonder why do I keep doing this to myself. So, I have decided to turn my efforts on the live cash game. It puts more money out front but if I play like I know how to I should be alright. I went through my black book the other day and I show that I play better and bring home money when I do play cash. Tonight I will call the Casino and see what they have available. I won't play 2-40 spread but will try to get in the games of 2-10 and 2-20 when they are available.
Now that I feel better about that I will need to brush up on the Cash game play book.
I have been reading some blogs on travel. There are quite a few people that travel in their RV's and do well. I started thinking about a way to travel out of state and still be able to play online. Wonder if going out for a couple of days at a time and put in some quality time playing with my laptop. We are only about 35 miles from the Oregon border. This is something I will have to work on.
Have a good day......
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It's Cold Outside
I spent my afternoon reading a blog on travel. What an opportunity. It makes me want to get out and travel some. There was a person who took a Van and turned it into a mini home for herself. It makes me wonder if they can do it why can't I. What would it take? I have a pickup and all I would have to do is put a top on it and then maybe put a tent hooked up to the pickup and make a bedroom out of the bed of the pickup. The bathroom and shower would be the only part that would concern me. I don't know it is a thought. If others can do it why can't I do this? Then you would have to find those places where you can stay.
After I got done reading the blog I headed out for my walk to the little drug store and get some bills mailed. It was cold and the wind was blowing against me as I walked. It only took me 15 minutes to get there.
Once that was done I headed out again and this time I was headed to Jokers Casino. Tonight they had a tournament that was structured as a Freeroll. The house was adding $200 and you had the option to rebuy or add on chips for $10. You will start out with T$1,000 in chips and the rounds were 10 minutes. By the time I got there it was just a little after 5 and I was put down as the 16th alternate to get into the tournament. Jokers has 3 tables so that meant that there was 46 players when I arrived. At 6 when the tournament started there were about 56 runners for the night.
By the time I got into the tournament the blinds were frozen until all the alternates are in the game and it was 100/200 blinds. When I sat down I immediately purchased another T$1,000 in chips and I had to post $300 to start. So immediately I was at T$1,700. Everyone else has the time to build chips and when you enter the tournament you have to start off running and hopefully you can get the cards going your way.
I am now down to T$1,300 in chips and I get 1010 and this is basically an all in for me to see if I can get started. One person goes all in with T$1,200 and I raise the pot to the T$1,300 that I have and he calls. I turn over my pocket pair and he turns over AK. The flop comes out xKx and the turn and river doesn't help me. I am out of the tournament that fast.
Even though this tournament is free it just doesn't give the playing time I would like to have. I talked to the manager about the tournament and he said he was probably going to change it and not have the freeroll any more. It is not helping by bringing in people to play the other table games. People are more interested in Poker and not the other games.
I sure miss playing online these days. I was doing better and playing more often and it was helping my game. Wouldn't it be fun to travel around and play in different games around the country. If the bankroll was there I would persue playing more live cash and that would be better income than playing the tournaments right now.
Have a good day.
After I got done reading the blog I headed out for my walk to the little drug store and get some bills mailed. It was cold and the wind was blowing against me as I walked. It only took me 15 minutes to get there.
Once that was done I headed out again and this time I was headed to Jokers Casino. Tonight they had a tournament that was structured as a Freeroll. The house was adding $200 and you had the option to rebuy or add on chips for $10. You will start out with T$1,000 in chips and the rounds were 10 minutes. By the time I got there it was just a little after 5 and I was put down as the 16th alternate to get into the tournament. Jokers has 3 tables so that meant that there was 46 players when I arrived. At 6 when the tournament started there were about 56 runners for the night.
By the time I got into the tournament the blinds were frozen until all the alternates are in the game and it was 100/200 blinds. When I sat down I immediately purchased another T$1,000 in chips and I had to post $300 to start. So immediately I was at T$1,700. Everyone else has the time to build chips and when you enter the tournament you have to start off running and hopefully you can get the cards going your way.
I am now down to T$1,300 in chips and I get 1010 and this is basically an all in for me to see if I can get started. One person goes all in with T$1,200 and I raise the pot to the T$1,300 that I have and he calls. I turn over my pocket pair and he turns over AK. The flop comes out xKx and the turn and river doesn't help me. I am out of the tournament that fast.
Even though this tournament is free it just doesn't give the playing time I would like to have. I talked to the manager about the tournament and he said he was probably going to change it and not have the freeroll any more. It is not helping by bringing in people to play the other table games. People are more interested in Poker and not the other games.
I sure miss playing online these days. I was doing better and playing more often and it was helping my game. Wouldn't it be fun to travel around and play in different games around the country. If the bankroll was there I would persue playing more live cash and that would be better income than playing the tournaments right now.
Have a good day.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Just One Of Those Days
I played in the tournament on Friday at Jokers Casino. I thought it would be good for me to walk to the Casino today and give myself some time to think and get some air. It only took me about 30 minutes to make the walk. That wasn't bad at all.
The tournament was structured as a $35 buy in with T$10,000 in chips to start. The rounds were 20 minutes long. This structure is the best one they have and I enjoy playing this tournament.
I wish my play would have been better. I have been putting my cards that I do play in my iPhone after the play is over so I can keep track of what I am doing and the cards I am playing. Today it seemed that everything I did was wrong. I had AJ, A8, K10, JJ and then I just stopped putting the cards in the iPhone. Everytime I played I was beat by something better.
Today I am going to play in their Freeroll. It does have rebuys and you start out with T$1000 in chips. The rounds are 10 minutes long. This is very fast and you have to play this like a SnG. At least that is what I have to think of it as. They will have about 40 people playing. I usually buy one add on and go from there.
Over the weekend I watched "Wall Street". I thought that was a very good movie. I enjoyed the first one and thought the second one meshed real well.
Have a good day.
The tournament was structured as a $35 buy in with T$10,000 in chips to start. The rounds were 20 minutes long. This structure is the best one they have and I enjoy playing this tournament.
I wish my play would have been better. I have been putting my cards that I do play in my iPhone after the play is over so I can keep track of what I am doing and the cards I am playing. Today it seemed that everything I did was wrong. I had AJ, A8, K10, JJ and then I just stopped putting the cards in the iPhone. Everytime I played I was beat by something better.
Today I am going to play in their Freeroll. It does have rebuys and you start out with T$1000 in chips. The rounds are 10 minutes long. This is very fast and you have to play this like a SnG. At least that is what I have to think of it as. They will have about 40 people playing. I usually buy one add on and go from there.
Over the weekend I watched "Wall Street". I thought that was a very good movie. I enjoyed the first one and thought the second one meshed real well.
Have a good day.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Middle Boomer
I guess I can consider myself a middle baby boomer. I was born in 1956 about in the middle of that generation. Every day I can read something on what is happening with that generation. Yes, we are getting older. Yes, that was a time when everyone was more concerned with themselves than about others. We were still in the industrial generation as well. Working for the man and trying to earn and work your way up the ladder to make yourself as important as possible.
What did that do to families? I think at that time it put a lot of stress on the relationships and with kids growing up. Parents not being at home and I know that during this time both parents needed to have jobs. Things were getting expensive.
Now why am I thinking about this? Here I am at almost 55 years old and now not working at all. I walked away from my job in 2010 and now what do I do? The stress of trying to maintain what was happening in 2010 was just too much. You would need to look at my year in review to see what was going on. Now, not all was put in there but you get the drift.
I actually got my first real paying job at the age of 14. I started working in a Health Food Store. Wow, I was getting a real paycheck and I was more independent. Of course a lot of my money was going to pay for my private education. We were raised in a christian family and it was important to go to private schools. We also had to work to pay for that opportunity since my parents weren't able to pay for the education themselves.
If it wasn't for my fiance I would never have gone to college. I was ok with not going to college and working around the area in whatever I could find. Again, it was a private college. I earned my Associate Degree because I ran out of money to pay for the Accounting degree I wanted.
About five years later I saw an article in the paper about the new opportunity of working in hospitals as a Respiratory Therapist. I jumped at the chance and completed that program and went on to work 20 years in that field. I had fun working in the hospitals and helping not only older individuals but spent a lot of time working with the neonates. That was a highlight for me. I was trained by one of the best neonateologists to intubate and help these little ones have a chance.
It came a time that I was having issues with my feet and back being able to stand for long periods of time. Due to my pre 14 age I was lifting over 100 lbs over my head stacking. Being less than 100 lbs myself. I was putting in the work ethic and showing I could do the job.
After the years in Respiratory I decided to take a job as a computer specialist that would work with hospital software. I enjoyed that job and after 7 1/2 years it was time to walk away.
I guess after all this I am in a new area in my life. What do I do next. Where are the jobs that a 55 year old can help and still stay active. After all of 2010 I am hopeful that 2011 will be a year I can get back to being a more productive person in this society. Now, I understand we are no longer an industrial nation but we have moved into a more informational society. There has to be something out there.
I don't know why I started thinking about this today. Maybe reading the AARP magazine spurred my thoughts since they were talking about the baby boomers moving into retirement.
Hopefully playing poker this afternoon so stay tuned.
What did that do to families? I think at that time it put a lot of stress on the relationships and with kids growing up. Parents not being at home and I know that during this time both parents needed to have jobs. Things were getting expensive.
Now why am I thinking about this? Here I am at almost 55 years old and now not working at all. I walked away from my job in 2010 and now what do I do? The stress of trying to maintain what was happening in 2010 was just too much. You would need to look at my year in review to see what was going on. Now, not all was put in there but you get the drift.
I actually got my first real paying job at the age of 14. I started working in a Health Food Store. Wow, I was getting a real paycheck and I was more independent. Of course a lot of my money was going to pay for my private education. We were raised in a christian family and it was important to go to private schools. We also had to work to pay for that opportunity since my parents weren't able to pay for the education themselves.
If it wasn't for my fiance I would never have gone to college. I was ok with not going to college and working around the area in whatever I could find. Again, it was a private college. I earned my Associate Degree because I ran out of money to pay for the Accounting degree I wanted.
About five years later I saw an article in the paper about the new opportunity of working in hospitals as a Respiratory Therapist. I jumped at the chance and completed that program and went on to work 20 years in that field. I had fun working in the hospitals and helping not only older individuals but spent a lot of time working with the neonates. That was a highlight for me. I was trained by one of the best neonateologists to intubate and help these little ones have a chance.
It came a time that I was having issues with my feet and back being able to stand for long periods of time. Due to my pre 14 age I was lifting over 100 lbs over my head stacking. Being less than 100 lbs myself. I was putting in the work ethic and showing I could do the job.
After the years in Respiratory I decided to take a job as a computer specialist that would work with hospital software. I enjoyed that job and after 7 1/2 years it was time to walk away.
I guess after all this I am in a new area in my life. What do I do next. Where are the jobs that a 55 year old can help and still stay active. After all of 2010 I am hopeful that 2011 will be a year I can get back to being a more productive person in this society. Now, I understand we are no longer an industrial nation but we have moved into a more informational society. There has to be something out there.
I don't know why I started thinking about this today. Maybe reading the AARP magazine spurred my thoughts since they were talking about the baby boomers moving into retirement.
Hopefully playing poker this afternoon so stay tuned.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Wednesday Poker Night
It seems that lately I have not written much about my poker experiences and what I am doing. Now that I am unable to play online that also slows down any poker playing that I do. Last night I decided that I wanted to get down to the Casino and play the game.
I have spent a lot of time going through the WSOP Academy training and trying to finish the semester, as they call it, and see what else they provide for us as students of the game. I would like to start talking about each of the chapters in my blog and hopefully that will help ingrain what I am supposed to be learning.
I arrived at Jokers Casino and paid my buy in of $35 for the tournament. The tournament structure is T$20,000 in chips with the rounds at 10 minutes. I am not a fan of this structure but you have to play what is given to you. I am in seat 10, which is a good seat for me. It gives me the button right off the bat and I am able to wait and watch the players to see what kind of table this is going to be.
Right off the bat this table is going to be a wild one. You talk about Loose/Aggressive. Big pots with a 25/25 blinds. Why would you do that so soon? Ok, with this type of table I am going to play tight and only with the premium hands. Here I will try to take someone out that is playing loose which is about half of the table.
My first good hand was AK and I was in LP. I just called to cap the betting and see what the flop will bring. Nothing for me but a couple of players bet big again and I went ahead and folded. The same thing happened to me when I had 66 in LP and on the flop two players again bet big, way over the size of the pot, and I let them go since I didn't hit my set. The next hand I recieved was AJ and the number 9 seat was overbetting alot of hands so I raised him all in. I won this pot of about T$10,000. I was now about T$30,000 and felt I was doing well at this point. The table was still Loose/Aggressive and I was maintaining my tight play. The next hand I played was AJ and this time I was in MP and I put out a 3X bet to see if it would hold. No one wanted to play this hand so I brought the chips home. I thought at this time maybe the table was calming down. Next was 88 and I was in EP so I just called and then ended up folding when the pot was raised and I hadn't hit my set.
The last hand for me for the night was AK and I was in EP. It seemed the table was starting to turn tighter and at the level of 500/1000 we were starting to loose some players that were hanging on. I don't like this play but for some reason I decided with AK suited that I was going to go all in with my T$29,000 in chips and I had most everyone covered except one or two people. I wanted my all in move to signal that a tight player had a hand and I would be happy with the blinds. No, that is not what happened. I had three callers. There was a 77,99 and Qx. The board came out with a Q on the flop and a 9 on the river. I was out of the tournament.
I have had time to think about this hand and I really don't like my play. This does not show patience and I don't think this was in any way how I should have played the hand. AK is still a hand that if it does not pair up on the flop is just a normal type hand. It is a premium hand but for me doesn't play well when you don't hit the flop. What I don't like is the all in with the T$29,000 in chips. I could have raised 3x to see what the table would do especially in EP. I let this one hand beat me where I could have had the opportunity to get to the final table.
One thing I am starting to do is put my hands in my iPhone for later to look at what I did and what hands I was willing to play. I have to find my hand range and then will look for ways to play then appropriately. Hopefully I learned something with this one. Any suggestions comment to me.
I have spent a lot of time going through the WSOP Academy training and trying to finish the semester, as they call it, and see what else they provide for us as students of the game. I would like to start talking about each of the chapters in my blog and hopefully that will help ingrain what I am supposed to be learning.
I arrived at Jokers Casino and paid my buy in of $35 for the tournament. The tournament structure is T$20,000 in chips with the rounds at 10 minutes. I am not a fan of this structure but you have to play what is given to you. I am in seat 10, which is a good seat for me. It gives me the button right off the bat and I am able to wait and watch the players to see what kind of table this is going to be.
Right off the bat this table is going to be a wild one. You talk about Loose/Aggressive. Big pots with a 25/25 blinds. Why would you do that so soon? Ok, with this type of table I am going to play tight and only with the premium hands. Here I will try to take someone out that is playing loose which is about half of the table.
My first good hand was AK and I was in LP. I just called to cap the betting and see what the flop will bring. Nothing for me but a couple of players bet big again and I went ahead and folded. The same thing happened to me when I had 66 in LP and on the flop two players again bet big, way over the size of the pot, and I let them go since I didn't hit my set. The next hand I recieved was AJ and the number 9 seat was overbetting alot of hands so I raised him all in. I won this pot of about T$10,000. I was now about T$30,000 and felt I was doing well at this point. The table was still Loose/Aggressive and I was maintaining my tight play. The next hand I played was AJ and this time I was in MP and I put out a 3X bet to see if it would hold. No one wanted to play this hand so I brought the chips home. I thought at this time maybe the table was calming down. Next was 88 and I was in EP so I just called and then ended up folding when the pot was raised and I hadn't hit my set.
The last hand for me for the night was AK and I was in EP. It seemed the table was starting to turn tighter and at the level of 500/1000 we were starting to loose some players that were hanging on. I don't like this play but for some reason I decided with AK suited that I was going to go all in with my T$29,000 in chips and I had most everyone covered except one or two people. I wanted my all in move to signal that a tight player had a hand and I would be happy with the blinds. No, that is not what happened. I had three callers. There was a 77,99 and Qx. The board came out with a Q on the flop and a 9 on the river. I was out of the tournament.
I have had time to think about this hand and I really don't like my play. This does not show patience and I don't think this was in any way how I should have played the hand. AK is still a hand that if it does not pair up on the flop is just a normal type hand. It is a premium hand but for me doesn't play well when you don't hit the flop. What I don't like is the all in with the T$29,000 in chips. I could have raised 3x to see what the table would do especially in EP. I let this one hand beat me where I could have had the opportunity to get to the final table.
One thing I am starting to do is put my hands in my iPhone for later to look at what I did and what hands I was willing to play. I have to find my hand range and then will look for ways to play then appropriately. Hopefully I learned something with this one. Any suggestions comment to me.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Doctor Visit
I was pretty excited to be visiting the physician who did the surgery today. Figure out what we were going to do next. I was finally able to stop taking the Hydrocodone pills and after a little bit of withdrawals I worked through it and I am now free from taking anymore. The problem I am having is the muscles are hurting me when I try to have some range of motion with my neck.
I finally drove my pickup yesterday and even though my issue of turning my head to look at traffic, I was able to turn my shoulders and get the job done. I still don't like the driving part because of this so will let Cindy do the driving for me if I have to leave the house.
My understanding was that this was a three week episode and I would be ready to be in full motion. Wrong. The doctor told me today it is a 3 month process and to expect some more time recuperating. Ok, maybe I was pushing this thing too fast. Three months is a long time but what else am I going to do? So, three months it is. She gave me some Valium to help calm the muscles and I will use them at night and help me get some sleep and keep the muscles from hurting. My hardest time is the night time trying to lay down on my sides.
So, as it is right now no big movements and no lifting of anything over 5 lbs. I can't lift my arms over my head. No problem with that anyway. It was a good visit with the physician and if I had to do it again she would be my pick.
Tonight I played poker for the first time since early December. I will write a blog tomorrow about my tournament run.
I finally drove my pickup yesterday and even though my issue of turning my head to look at traffic, I was able to turn my shoulders and get the job done. I still don't like the driving part because of this so will let Cindy do the driving for me if I have to leave the house.
My understanding was that this was a three week episode and I would be ready to be in full motion. Wrong. The doctor told me today it is a 3 month process and to expect some more time recuperating. Ok, maybe I was pushing this thing too fast. Three months is a long time but what else am I going to do? So, three months it is. She gave me some Valium to help calm the muscles and I will use them at night and help me get some sleep and keep the muscles from hurting. My hardest time is the night time trying to lay down on my sides.
So, as it is right now no big movements and no lifting of anything over 5 lbs. I can't lift my arms over my head. No problem with that anyway. It was a good visit with the physician and if I had to do it again she would be my pick.
Tonight I played poker for the first time since early December. I will write a blog tomorrow about my tournament run.
Monday, January 03, 2011
2010 Review Pt. 2
So far the first six months were very busy and it started a new path for me. I want to enjoy life and do what makes me happy. I want to learn some new things and try to make my life mean something. I am a very competitive person when it comes to playing games. I just want the next six months to build from the last six months.
July- I continued on my XLT training and learning the ins and outs of trading the stock market. The difference of support and resistance and when to make a trade. I also went to the Summer Roundup in Pendleton to play at the Wildhorse Casino. I was interested to see how much I learned from the WSOP and if my skills are getting better. I placed 80/245 players. That was a great showing. I know I can make it in the tournaments.
August- This month was our 35th anniversary. She is my rock and I appreciate what she does for our family. This month we also got word that my Mom's Cancer had come back after a year from surgery. Now starts the process of finding out what we can do for her. Alzheimers and Cancer. We were able to get her started on Hormone therapy and to this date it seems to have gone into remission. This month ended my three months of XLT learning.
September- During this month I started having issues with my neck hurting quite a bit. This pain would travel from my shoulder to my arm and then to my elbow. I was also loosing feeling in my fingers. I had also decided to start a class from H&R Block. I have tried in the past to take this course and work towards preparing taxes and then take some time off and play poker. I also took a Rich Dad workshop. It was an interesting workshop and also helped me with my stock trading. The biggest blow was having Pokerstars shut out all Washington players.
October- I was doing well with the H&R Block class and was holding a 99%. I then got gout in my knee. I could not get out of bed or move for a number of days. I had it confirmed that it was gout and started taking medication. I ended up stopping my education with H&R Block since I couldn't keep up anymore. I started some physical therapy for my neck to see if it would help. I also became very active in my stock trading at this time.
November- This month we finally had to move my Mom into an Alzheimers Care Unit and separate my parents. Mom was not doing well and if we would have left her there we would have lost her for sure. She is being well taken care of. I ended up skipping the Fall Roundup this year at Wildhorse Casino. With all of the medical stuff going on it just didn't work out. Since the physical therapy did not work for me I ended up getting an injection in my neck. This did not work out for me as well. Back to the Neurologist to see what the next plan of action was. During this month another blow to playing online saw Fulltilt stop all Washington players from playing on their site. Before they stopped the players I was able to triple my account during the month. That let me know I could play at higher limits.
December- I was pretty much home bound for the month of December. I did not play much poker because of my neck problem. The physician and myself decided to have the surgery done to fuse my C6 and C7 together. When the physician opened up the neck she found the disk was breaking apart and was free floating in the neck. I am recuperating from that surgery still.
I am excited to be able to drive again and start my 2011 at the casinos and start working the game again. I ended the year for stock trading in the positive as well. I guess patience will serve me well for both poker and stock trading in this new year. Stay tuned for more action.
July- I continued on my XLT training and learning the ins and outs of trading the stock market. The difference of support and resistance and when to make a trade. I also went to the Summer Roundup in Pendleton to play at the Wildhorse Casino. I was interested to see how much I learned from the WSOP and if my skills are getting better. I placed 80/245 players. That was a great showing. I know I can make it in the tournaments.
August- This month was our 35th anniversary. She is my rock and I appreciate what she does for our family. This month we also got word that my Mom's Cancer had come back after a year from surgery. Now starts the process of finding out what we can do for her. Alzheimers and Cancer. We were able to get her started on Hormone therapy and to this date it seems to have gone into remission. This month ended my three months of XLT learning.
September- During this month I started having issues with my neck hurting quite a bit. This pain would travel from my shoulder to my arm and then to my elbow. I was also loosing feeling in my fingers. I had also decided to start a class from H&R Block. I have tried in the past to take this course and work towards preparing taxes and then take some time off and play poker. I also took a Rich Dad workshop. It was an interesting workshop and also helped me with my stock trading. The biggest blow was having Pokerstars shut out all Washington players.
October- I was doing well with the H&R Block class and was holding a 99%. I then got gout in my knee. I could not get out of bed or move for a number of days. I had it confirmed that it was gout and started taking medication. I ended up stopping my education with H&R Block since I couldn't keep up anymore. I started some physical therapy for my neck to see if it would help. I also became very active in my stock trading at this time.
November- This month we finally had to move my Mom into an Alzheimers Care Unit and separate my parents. Mom was not doing well and if we would have left her there we would have lost her for sure. She is being well taken care of. I ended up skipping the Fall Roundup this year at Wildhorse Casino. With all of the medical stuff going on it just didn't work out. Since the physical therapy did not work for me I ended up getting an injection in my neck. This did not work out for me as well. Back to the Neurologist to see what the next plan of action was. During this month another blow to playing online saw Fulltilt stop all Washington players from playing on their site. Before they stopped the players I was able to triple my account during the month. That let me know I could play at higher limits.
December- I was pretty much home bound for the month of December. I did not play much poker because of my neck problem. The physician and myself decided to have the surgery done to fuse my C6 and C7 together. When the physician opened up the neck she found the disk was breaking apart and was free floating in the neck. I am recuperating from that surgery still.
I am excited to be able to drive again and start my 2011 at the casinos and start working the game again. I ended the year for stock trading in the positive as well. I guess patience will serve me well for both poker and stock trading in this new year. Stay tuned for more action.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
2010 in Review Pt. 1
This will be the first time I will attempt to put the year in review. I am sure I won't have everything listed but this is what I could locate in my black book.
January- This month started out fine but near the end things started to happen. One of the highlights was me starting on the insulin pump. I was giving myself 7 shots per day for diabetes and now I will be able to put the line in once every 3 days. What a change for me. I also had a kidney stone that was too big to pass normally and ended up in the hospital for a few days and had surgery to break up the stone and a stent was placed to allow the stone to clear. This meant I was not working and was on medical leave.
February- At this time we were remodeling our two bedrooms and the bathroom preparing for our son to move back in with us since he is now on reserves for the Navy. He just spent the last two years on active duty. The first part of the month also saw the removal of the stent in my bladder. At that time I was getting ready to get back to work and get off of the medical leave. The unexpected happened when I got back to work and ended up resigning my position and now was one of the unemployed. What will happen now that I was without my job?
March- The start of the month I turned 54. Now that I was unemployed I was looking for my next adventure. I started playing more online poker. I also started playing regularly at the local casino. I started winning more and my online play was getting better. I decided to get a coach from Las Vegas to help me with my online play. I found a Stock Trading Academy in Seattle that I attended for a week and a half. Now I was playing poker and learning how to trade stocks. Two of the things I have wanted to do for some time.
April- Once I got done with the Online Trading Academy I then set up my account to allow me to trade online. I then played in a poker tournament at the Spring Roundup in Pendleton in the Seniors event. Working on my poker game was important to me and this is one way of checking how I am doing.
May- I enrolled in the WSOP Academy to make a trip to Las Vegas where I would train with 4 professional players. At the time I was in Las Vegas the WSOP was also getting under way. I was able to watch many of the poker pros play in the evening after my classes were done. Attending this class has helped my game improve and I am continuing with the WSOP Academy with their online teaching.
June- When I got back from Las Vegas I then started my 3 month class on Trading Stocks. This class was 3 to 4 days per week. This will take my mornings and then also allow me to watch the stock market and learn when to trade. My online poker and the casino playing continued during this time.
January- This month started out fine but near the end things started to happen. One of the highlights was me starting on the insulin pump. I was giving myself 7 shots per day for diabetes and now I will be able to put the line in once every 3 days. What a change for me. I also had a kidney stone that was too big to pass normally and ended up in the hospital for a few days and had surgery to break up the stone and a stent was placed to allow the stone to clear. This meant I was not working and was on medical leave.
February- At this time we were remodeling our two bedrooms and the bathroom preparing for our son to move back in with us since he is now on reserves for the Navy. He just spent the last two years on active duty. The first part of the month also saw the removal of the stent in my bladder. At that time I was getting ready to get back to work and get off of the medical leave. The unexpected happened when I got back to work and ended up resigning my position and now was one of the unemployed. What will happen now that I was without my job?
March- The start of the month I turned 54. Now that I was unemployed I was looking for my next adventure. I started playing more online poker. I also started playing regularly at the local casino. I started winning more and my online play was getting better. I decided to get a coach from Las Vegas to help me with my online play. I found a Stock Trading Academy in Seattle that I attended for a week and a half. Now I was playing poker and learning how to trade stocks. Two of the things I have wanted to do for some time.
April- Once I got done with the Online Trading Academy I then set up my account to allow me to trade online. I then played in a poker tournament at the Spring Roundup in Pendleton in the Seniors event. Working on my poker game was important to me and this is one way of checking how I am doing.
May- I enrolled in the WSOP Academy to make a trip to Las Vegas where I would train with 4 professional players. At the time I was in Las Vegas the WSOP was also getting under way. I was able to watch many of the poker pros play in the evening after my classes were done. Attending this class has helped my game improve and I am continuing with the WSOP Academy with their online teaching.
June- When I got back from Las Vegas I then started my 3 month class on Trading Stocks. This class was 3 to 4 days per week. This will take my mornings and then also allow me to watch the stock market and learn when to trade. My online poker and the casino playing continued during this time.
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