Thank you Friday

So much for writing on Wednesday. I am soooo tired right now from the weeks activities and having homework every night. Sounds like school again. The academy was a great experience and I decided to take the next step in my education and will take the Extended Learning portion that will last 12 weeks. I plan on starting this the first week of June and will last through August. This will be with a Mentor and this person will have classes 4 days per week. This is the education I have wanted and now have the opportunity to get this done. Being a trader in equities will be another item I can cross off of my list. I would like to make a business out of this and do this for a long time.

Poker for me has been on the side burner for the last week and a half and when I get home I will start up and play more. I will be putting a plan together for this as well as a plan for the trading. I would like to do both and be proficent in both areas. I think I can do this. Some of the ideas in the trading class can work in the poker arena as well. I am going to be playing in Pendleton at the Wildhorse Casino the middle of April and then I do have the WSOP Academy at the end of May. So as you can see I will be busy.

This last week has been sort of hard for 2 families because of the political nature of the hospital where they worked. I feel for both of them and wish things could be different. This could be an opportunity to do something else so they need to keep their minds open to the new possibilities coming their way. You never know. I am finding less stress and enjoying life a little bit more.

I am headed to bed and have one more class to attend tomorrow. This class is one that will put on paper what my trading plan will be and how I will function in this new job of mine. I don't call it a job. I answer to myself and Cindy now. I will be driving home over the pass tomorrow evening. I would like to get over before the sun goes down. We will see if I make it.

Is it Monday?

I have not gotten up at 5AM in a long time to do anything other than to go to the bathroom. Now that is way too much information. This morning I was awake by 5 and got up to get ready to go to class. We spent the last 2 days in preparation for this morning and now here it is. I walked outside and it was dark and rainy here in Kirkland/Redmond. Drove to the Online Trading Academy and went into the classroom. We talked for a few minutes about what we should see in the market today and then turned on the computers to take a look. We were expecting to see a big drop today and what we found was a move to the upside. Ok, it will correct but not today. The signs are there but when it will happen you just don't know. At that point you plan your trades and trade your plan. We were able to trade this morning and I did well. One negative and three positive trades. I was on the positive side of the $$ today. Tomorrow we go at it again. I like Day Trading and feel like that is where the income is at but will have to do Swing trading to get to the next part. I really enjoy what I am doing and am anxious to get started on our own. Found out that at the end of the week we will be known as professional traders. There are perks.

I haven't been able to play much in the Poker arena lately since trading equities have been the business at hand.

I had a full blog written and now it is gone due to the internet here at the hotel. Oh well. I will have a hard time remembering what I had in it so will wait till Wednesday to post again.

Friday Friday

Today is my off day before I start the long week of classes.

I am sitting in the motel/hotel room here in Redmond getting ready to pack up my stuff and head over to the new motel/hotel. I am going to be at the Marriott Courtyard here in Redmond just down the street from the Comfort Inn. It was nice that the Online Trading Academy was able to get me into the Courtyard by using a block of rooms they have for their instructors. I tried to get in on Tuesday night but since this whole thing has been moving so fast I was unable to secure a room.

Yesterday was a good day in that I sat in the classroom with one other person and we discussed trading and what we could eventually accomplish with the training that is provided. I felt this was a good opportunity for me to get back into trading the stock market and get the necessary training I needed. This will be an income for us and I can stay home and work. This is a business. It needs to be treated as such. The next step is to be here for the next week and study my heart out and getting myself prepared for this adventure. This is the opportunity I needed and will move on from here.

Last night I went down to the Muckleshoot Casino and played in a tournament. I met a classmate of mine while I was there. I had to look at FB and then look at him to see if they matched and I approached him and sure enough. We hadn't seen each other in a few years. Anyway, the tournament went well. There were 100 people that started the tournament and I ended up being in 42nd place. There is that middle of the tournament thing again. I can't wait for the WSOP Academy to help me get further in these tournaments. It was 500/1000 blinds and I had a little over $10,000 and I got QQ. I was able to get all in after the flop and was called by one person. He showed 55. Turn was nothing and the river was a 5. I am out of the tournament. I played well.

I was able to play in a FT tournament on Wednesday night and placed 2nd and that is good for some $$. Gotta keep at it. The coaching job from Chris is working and I need to keep working on the game.

I plan on driving out to Snoqualmie Casino today. Plus I will have to spend some time studying before tomorrow. Study, Study and Study some more.

Middle of the Week

I missed the Monday to write on the blog but then again I have been busy. I have more stuff going on now than when I was working 8 hour days. Where do I fit it all in.

I needed to take my parents in to the Doctor office and that was completed. Good news for Mom that her test was negative. That was a good sign.

I was visiting a friend the other day and he has a TV repair business. I noticed he had a nice flat panel for sale at a good price. I bought it and now it was time to get it home. I put it in our bedroom and wow, it was bigger than I thought it was going to be. I guess it will be nice to lay in bed and watch the TV without straining your neck to see the screen. Cindy did like it so now we are going to get a new DVD player and that will be the set.

Since I purchased Dad's car I needed to go to the DOL and transfer the title. The car runs well and I would like to sell the car. I purchased the car under fair market value not knowing what it was. The person at DOL made me pay full market taxes for this car. I hope I can get the amount out of it. It is being looked at for brakes and getting a tune up. Needs a paint job but that is not going to happen.

I did purchase a new laptop computer. It has a 17 inch screen and a regular keyboard I am used to. I really like it as I can get away from the office and work on the computer. It does have Windows 7 on it and I am getting used to it. Anxious to play some poker on it. I can have two screens up at once.

I have also ordered the new garage door. Will be done the first of April. That will be nice to be able to open the door and park the cars in there. Of course it will have to be cleaned out. Hoping we can get our storage stuff in there as well. That would save some money.

I am presently in Kirkland waiting for the first introduction class for the Online Trading Academy. If it goes well tomorrow I will be staying the week until March 27. It will be a long time away from home but will be glad to have the training done.

I played the last two days at Islands Casino at the Noon tournament. I do not plan on going back. The reason being is that it is a short stack tournament and is basically based on luck of the cards and not skill. I would rather have a deeper stack and be able to take the time to play the proper cards. I will be playing in April at the Wildhorse Fall Roundup. Maybe two tournaments. I will continue to play on FT and PS as well. The coaching session did go well and there are things I need to work on.

Enough rambling. I need to get to bed as I am tired tonight. I have a headache and my neck is sore. Could be the driving. My schedule for meds is off as well. We will see how this next week goes.

Fly By

Where did this week go? I wrote on the blog on Monday and here it is on Saturday and I was supposed to write on Wednesday and Friday. I figure if I write on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I could keep up with this. I didn't realize not having a job would keep me so busy.

One of the items I have been busy with is working on my poker game and studying. I have a book that I purchased from my coach and I have been reading this book trying to get ready for my session with him. I am trying to make sure that I can get into the money most of the time and play correctly. I ended up having my first session with him on Wednesday afternoon and it went as expected. He did say at one point that I have Pro tendencies. I felt great that maybe I am on the right track and he also said this should not take too long for me to get on track. He watched my game and took quite a bit of notes and I had to explain to him what I was doing and why I was doing it. This made me think on each hand why I was playing the way I do. Now I have the paperwork from his analysis and I also have the critique on what he wants me to do about my play. I will now study again and then play some more and incorporate this into my game and then have him start all over with another session to see if I am doing what he told me to do.

Another item that was finalized this week is my trip to Las Vegas on May 27 - 31. I will be attending the World Series of Poker Academy and staying at the Rio where the WSOP Tournaments will start on May 27. I will also be attending a class on hand analysis on the 30th. This will be a busy time but again I will be working on the game and trying to reach the money in the tournaments I play more often.

I am going to play in the Spring Roundup at the Wildhorse Casino in April. I am looking forward to two tournaments and some Cash game as well. They put on a very nice tournament three times per year. I would like to get involved with Northern Quest in Spokane as well if I could ever figure out when they have their tournaments. I watch them on TV but can't figure out the dates. I have contacted the Casino and am working on getting those dates.

As you can see that kept me busy. The other stuff I have been working on is getting things prepared to start my stock trading again. I am trying to decide which area I will put my efforts. I have 2 or 3 areas I can work towards but then I want to get good at one area before moving on to something else. I have just about made the decision not to get back into trading the currencies at this time. That would probably stretch me rather thin. Remember I am not into stress but having fun with what I do. I was working with the bank yesterday making sure everything was put where it would earn the most money. I think I achieved that.

The next remodel project looks like the garage. Our son is going to help with this so we won't have to contract that out to someone else. My list of projects for this house is long and now that I am not working I will try to get some of this stuff started as long as the $$ are there.

As you can see it has been a busy one. Today is the memorial for a friend that passed away about a week ago. He will be missed. He was always giving me a bad time, in a good way, and now he is gone. RIP Ray.

The Weekend

Having the construction done is so nice. We have been cleaning up from all the dust this created. Our sinuses are happier and I now enjoy some quiet in the house. In fact yesterday I went out and mowed the front yard. Once I start mowing it will have to be watered. I think I started something. I would really like to have Under ground sprinklers put in. That would really save me some time and the water bill.

I have been playing quite a bit of poker and am still holding my own. Not good or not bad. I have been playing more HU and I am going to continue that play. As long as I can get past the stupid plays I will be fine. These HU matches do not take very long to get through and that is nice. I try to play a number of them before taking a break or stopping for the day. I talked with the person from the WSOP Academy the other day and will finalize the trip to Vegas soon. This trip will be right at the start of the WSOP so maybe I will be able to find some of the Pros I watch on TV. That would be exciting.

We watched the Oscars last night and normally this is something I don't do. My wife likes to watch this stuff. I was so surprised to find out that Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were both left off of the memorium. They said they couldn't get them all on the screen and had to leave some off. Now, come on two individuals that are well recognized? Of course, they did find space for Michael Jackson. That was a joke. I think they blew it and they know it.

New week and a new day.

Construction is Done

It is such a relief to have the construction/remodel done on the 2 bedrooms and the bathroom. They look great. We still have some painting and touchup to do and Cindy will have to decide about putting some tile on the wall behind the vanity. I think she will go with it. Here are some pictures. Triple C Construction did a fabulous job. Way to go guys and Bill you are the best in knowing what Cindy wants to do.

I have been playing Poker the last few days. My Heads up record for the week is 5 wins and 5 losses. Not great but it will do for now. I have done better in tournament poker and have been able to get in the money. My tournaments at Jokers is another story. I need to get better at the live tournaments and have talked with a person that works with the WSOP Academy and will be setting up some time to head to Las Vegas and get some education. I am excited for that and anxious to get going. Have someone teach and watch my game to get me where I need to be. It will be fun to work with Raymer, Annie Duke and the likes. I am looking at the end of May heading to Vegas.

I am working on putting together the information and getting back into trading the Forex Market. I made contact with a person that started about the time I did and he has done well. I am renewing my contacts and hope to get started soon. I am looking at starting up the Stock Market trading as well. I really enjoyed my time working with this market and starting to renew my contacts. I have one other item I am working on and that is getting involved with some education on working with the taxes. It is seasonal work but I do enjoy that as well.

Am I going to be too busy? Well, I hope to bring in some income enjoying the things that I will enjoy doing. For me it is about time to do something and have fun doing it. You have to have the proper people around you that you can rely on to help you and will talk with you and lead you in education and mentoring. Something that was missing where I was at before. You have to be around people that care about what happens to each other and be willing to help when needed.

I am now headed off for my daily walk and then have lunch with a friend. Go see my parents later on and start cleaning up the house from all the dust. Have a good weekend.

Birthday

Today is my Birthday. I am now considered in my mid 50's and since we are already signed up with AARP I still go after any discounts I can get ahold of. Today is a beautiful day and Spring is in the air.

I went for a walk this morning around the neighborhood. People are starting to get their yards ready to go. I know once you start to water and mow it is a weekly project. I guess I now have the time for that. I will start watering probably within the week and start once a week for a couple and then start every other and see where it goes from there. I am considering some landscaping for the back yard and get underground sprinklers set up. That would really save me some time. Probably water as well.

Now that I am home and not working I am working on finalizing the break from the hospital. I am working on Insurance, Retirement and completion of some education I was doing this last year. I have a number of things that I am going to look at and see how I can best accomplish them. One being getting back into the stock market. I need to continue to find income and if I do this right I know I can achieve this. I am also looking at working with CD's and how they would benefit me as well. I am pulling my 403b out and will take a hit from that but who better to try and get this to grow and be there for retirement. Plus this will also set us up for the years to come as well. We have been working on this for a while and since we are in a hurry up mode now this will push us to be prudent with what we have.

Another area I am going to look at is some Poker Education. I will probably look at the WSOP Academy to see when I can head to Las Vegas to get some proper education in the game and to help me be a better player and have more opportunities to get in the money. I really like the game and want to further my skills.

Remodel is going well. Pictures are coming soon. The bathroom vinyl is down and today the carpet is being laid in the two bedrooms. We were able to paint the rooms over the weekend and it is now so close you can smell it. Literally. Wow, the smell gets to you. There is sooooo much dust in the air my nose is rebelling. May be nice to hire someone to come in and dust and clean just to save us from having to deep clean the whole house.

Well, things to do.

Roller Coaster

This past week has been a roller coaster of a ride with emotions riding high and trying to figure out what I will be doing next.

On Monday I went back to work and after three hours working on my computer trying to catch up from being off for four weeks on medical leave I had a meeting with my boss. This meeting did not go very well. She presented me with a 4 page Corrective Action on two of the applications I work on. Testing on one of the applications did not go well and the Asst. Medical Director of the ED was wanting me replaced on the application I helped put in 6 1/2 years ago. He stated I did not know the application. I think he just wanted a new face to push around. At that time I went home and the next day turned in my resignation. I was done and I will persue other avenues now. I have worked with this hospital for 23 years and this is how I leave. It is sad but life goes on. You have to remember that now days longevity means nothing to business. We now part on good terms after talking with my Director a little bit a couple of days later. We had time for the emotions to settle down and talk to each other.

My next order of business is to start the process of cashing out my retirement from my 403b and see if I can do something with that on my own. We will also pay off a few bills that will make it easier for us to live on one income until I see what I can do with myself. We will be alright and it will be a new chapter in our lives.

I would like to play a little bit more poker now to see if I can make it profitable. I have been doing alright in the higher stakes and will continue with my 9 player SnG's. I ventured out into a couple of tournaments yesterday to see how I would do and I need to stay where I am at and be satisfied that I can win some profit and move up in stakes. It is time to make it happen. I will need to back off in the live casino tournaments until I get a better bankroll. I do not want to deplete what I have and use this sparingly for the proper tournaments where I know I have a chance to place in the money.

We are still working on the house and I will post pictures as soon as we get closer to being done. We have been painting the rooms and now we are going to have the carpet and the flooring put in this next week. After that the finish work can begin as the vanity, and toilet will be put into the bathroom. Having Nick home to help has been great and this weekend Cindy will be able to help paint and possibly grout the bathroom tiles.

Today is a rainy day here and I am glad we are not in the area that has snow. I always say that our spring always starts on March 1. I am ready for spring and I am ready to start feeling better. I love the sunshine and how it makes me feel.

Having Fun.......

Last Day

Last night I played at Jokers Casino in the $30 tournament. Where did all the people come from? On Monday we had about 30 people show up and then last night we had 36 show up to play. It was nice to see the group grow from the last few months were we barely got two tables.

One of the things I hate to see is the celebration at the table when someone wins a hand. We had a young person at the table that played his pocket A's well and pulled in a nice pot. I will give him that much. What he did next was the problem. He must have clapped for about 15 to 20 seconds in your face type clap. Everyone just looked at him and just stared. No one said anything. You could tell people were not happy with this show of excitement. Hopefully someone will say something later to him on the side.

I went out in 21st last night. I was trying to hang in with nothing. I did win some pots that allowed me to get to the 300-600 level but when I got down to 4BB I knew it was find the best cards and go ahead and shove. I got A10 and went in. I was called by one person and he ended up getting an 8 on the flop to get a pair and take me out. At least he wasn't clapping.

My nose is finally rebelling with all the dust in the house from the remodel. They put the texture on the walls yesterday and I am really feeling it today. I thought I was coming down with a cold but now it has to be all the dust. Keeping the doors shut and windows open I hope will help. Nick will be here this next week and he will be able to help with the painting in the 3 rooms. It will be nice to have all of this completed. Carpet is next week and then the bathroom will be done as well. I don't want to see the cost of this project. I think it is more than what we expected.

Took Parents out to eat yesterday to Olive Garden. I really like that place and we had Salad and Soup with the breadsticks and sauce. What a meal. Parents went away full and that was my intent.

Hope to have a good weekend and then start work on Monday.

Hump Day

I have been looking at the Wildhorse schedule to see what poker events I can attend. This year the dates are 4-14 to 4-25. I try to play at least one tournament during this time. It looks like 4-22 there is a No-Limit tournament that I can try to get to. I also contacted NorthernQuest to see when they were having their tournaments and the next one will be 3-31 thru 4-3 and they are giving seats to to the WSOP events in Las Vegas in July this year.

I stopped by Islands Casino and spoke with them about their tournaments and basically they have their 6PM tournaments going but that is it. I was thinking about playing some more there but I am better off at Jokers Casino. I ended up going there during the day and had lunch and then played Blackjack. I haven't played that game for awhile. I don't like the casino advantage. When I finished playing I was equal as when I started. Not bad for spending time at that game. I also played the Ultimate Texas Hold'em table game. I ended up getting a profit on that game. Not bad. I really am not a table game player anymore since I like to play Poker more.

How are you doing with your Retirement account. We have a 403b account and the hospital has a very good program. They ask "where do you want to be when you retire". How about a million dollars? Well, I am no where near that and so I have to be aggressive and watch this account. I am presently moving funds into the Money Market account since I feel that the market is not through the downswing it is doing right now. I will still be diversified but not like I was. Got to watch the account and do what I can to get the most money I can for the end.

I played on FT tonight and came in 2nd in the 9 SnG game. That was good ROI. I also moved up in the levels. I liked the game better since it now gets me closer to how I normally play in the live game. Just a little bit different but the players play a little bit better and respect you more if you have a hand. Hopefully I can stay here and play to increase the bankroll. I haven't started the live games yet. We will see how that goes as well. I will probably use PS for that play to keep things separate.

Next week I start back to work. Anxious to get started again. I have two weeks before I go back to the doctor and then another surgery is around the corner for me. I am not looking forward to this but I understand it needs to be done.

The remodel project is getting closer to being done. Pictures will be coming as soon as I can see some improvement.

Tuesday

I am not good at making up titles for the blogs. As you can tell I make them very short and not to any point. I do the same thing with my emails. Why say everything in the subject line when you are going to write about it anyway. I usually will just put the date in the subject box and leave it as such.

Last night was the tournament at Jokers Casino. I don't know what happened. Maybe because I am still hurting from the procedure of last Friday or just not in the mood to sit and concentrate on Poker. I did start out trying to win pots when I didn't have the cards. I don't think I got any type of cards last night that you would consider premium. I did have pocket 4's at one time and did win the pot in a showdown. Nothing seemed to work. I was able to stay afloat last night and worked it down to the bubble of the final table. Talk about a struggle.

I am going to try and go to Island's Casino today and play in a tournament there. I haven't been to that one for awhile. It is a nice place to play and the space is bigger than Jokers Casino. Maybe change it up a bit and play with a different group of people.

I have also been toying with the idea of trying to do what Daniel Negreanu is doing and play a live game and try to grow a bankroll. I would start with $10 and play until I reached a certain amount and then that would allow me to go to the next level. If a pro can do it why can't an amateur. It would mean playing more live and not so many tournaments. I think it would be fun to try and I can update here as well where I am at in the process. My first level will be $0.01-$0.02 and will not move up in level until I get to $25.

My sister came over for a one day visit. I was thinking why do that? Drive over and then turn around and drive back the next day. Then it hit me that Cindy and I do the same thing but we do it all in one day. It was nice to have them here and to be able to visit our parents and our family.

The remodel is going well. The bathroom tileing is almost done and the bedrooms are close to getting ready for paint. Carpet is being looked at for the bedrooms as well. So much going on and I just try to stay out of the way.

Next week I go back to work.

Weekend After

On Saturday evening we sat down and watched some olympics. One of the things I enjoy watching during the winter olympics is the track skating. I enjoyed watching Ohno back in 2002 and that got me interested. The one race that was interesting to watch was the Koreans and they had the final all wrapped up in a pretty bow for gold, silver and bronze. That didn't work out very well. This is what happens when the 3rd place person wants to be in the 2nd position and he takes out himself and his teammate and they both don't get anything. Of course this allowed Ohno and Celski to come in silver and bronze. I will just about bet the coach had something to say to the person that caused that disaster. If I was in 2nd I would have said something to my teammate as well. I am happy that we got silver and bronze.

I had a tournament on PS starting at 1:35 on Sunday. This was the Jonathan Little tournament he was putting on for a group of us that answered the survey he put out. There were 33 individuals involved. My goal was to try and make it to the money and not be the first person out of the tournament. I did learn that in a higher stake game people tend to play a normal type of poker. Something I am used to in a live tournament so that was nice. I played well during the event and at one point had Jonathan on my left. That made me a little nervous and I tightened up just a little because I know that he can shove at any time. I was able to make it to the final table and was even leading the tournament for a while. Then within 3 hands I went from top to out of the tournament. I had KK and one of the callers ended up going all-in and we went to a showdown. He showed JJ and he got the J on the flop. That crippled me and within the next 2 hands I was out of the tournament. I ended up in 9th place and was 4 out of the money. It was fun and was a good learning experience.

Tonight I am going to go down to Jokers Casino and play in the Monday tournament. It has been a couple of weeks since I have played.

Our remodel project is underway for the second week. Hopefully the bathroom will be close to being finished and the bedrooms will be done real soon. Not much has to be completed to be ready for painting.

TGIF

Yesterday I wanted to eat fish so I went into town and ate at Ivar's. Now this place is one of my favorites to go to as a fast food type of place. I hadn't been there for a while so was excited to have the opportunity to eat there. I ordered a 4 piece and to my surprise when they came up they are now very thin pieces. Paying $10 for the plate was another surprise to me. Talk about getting nothing for my money. The taste was very fishing tasting. Yes, it was fish but the taste was that of being possibly old? I don't know, I was very disappointed with the food. I don't know where to get good fish and chips anymore.

Played on FT last night and came in 1st again. I am finally getting comfortable with playing the 9 player SnG's. I am reading a book by Scott Fischman and he talks about playing one game until you get good at it and before moving on to something else. I understand that and maybe by staying with this I am finally understanding how to play this game. Of course now that I have said that we will see if I can duplicate the win from last night. I was going to play at Jokers Casino last night but that didn't pan out as well. I will try to get a game in this next week. I like live play.

Our Remodel is going well. The bathroom is coming together and the bedrooms are almost done. Maybe tomorrow I can get some pictures put on the blog as well. Cindy went out today and picked out the carpet and the paint she wants to use on the walls. This next week should see a lot of improvement in the remodel project.

I had my medical procedure done this morning. Wow, that really hurts. Remind me not to have Kidney Stones again where they have to put a stent in and then have to go take it out. The nurse said she used Lidocaine but I couldn't tell. At least this chapter is about done and I can get back to work. During this Kidney Stone the Physician found another problem and now wants to address this in about three weeks. Another surgery and time off. So far this year has not been kind to me. At least I still have a job and good insurance. The Insulin Pump is working well for me. I am getting the hang of making the changes and using the bolus wizard.

Now we have the weekend to rest up before next week.

Rain, Rain go Away

One of my favorite shows to watch is the Deadliest Catch. I have watched all of the episodes and have gotten to like to watch these reality shows because of it. I think watching the lives of some of these individuals is interesting instead of watching fiction all the time. Ok, I am a reality show fanatic. Well, I found out yesterday that Phil Harris, the Captain, from the Cornelia Marie past away from a stroke. They were in the middle of the Opilio season up in Alaska. This will be a sad show this year with the loss of Phil. May you Rest in Peace. You will be missed.

Our Remodel project is moving right along. I was going to put some pictures up but was too late in getting new ones. The crew is here working and so I won't bother them. It is looking real nice and the bathroom should look good when done. The bedrooms are looking nice and will be better when we get the carpet put in. I may have to move in to one of the bedrooms myself. Maybe claim the new bathroom as well. Of course the next project will be the Master bedroom with its bathroom and will have to do the Family Room at the same time since they share a wall. Wow, that would be nice. At some point we need to turn our attention to the outside and get this house painted and get a new roof put on. We are only doing what we can pay for up front and not going into debt with this. It is taking awhile but we are not going into debt for this. We have a good contracter that works with us on our projects and he has a good crew.

Last night I played in a FT 9 player SnG. I am trying to get better at this level and not bounce around playing all the different SnG's. Last night I placed first. I am starting to understand what I need to do to get in the last three spots and get paid. Position is important especially in the early stages of the SnG. Patience is another one that you definately have to maintain. I get anxious to start playing but if I just wait and take the pots I can and let the rest go I seem to do alot better. If I wait till the blinds get to a point where it is imperative that I play then it is time to move. I also watch the percentage of hands played. Don't let that get too low. You also don't want this to get too high since loosing good hands make a difference as well. Stay within the range. Managing all of this does help to get into the final three spots. I am hoping to play in a Live game tonight at Jokers Casino. I like to play on Thursday night because they give T$5000 starting chips and I don't feel like I have to push and try to get lucking right off the bat.

I keep thinking about a hand I had in November in a Live Ring Game at the Wildhorse Casino. I had just been taken out of the Tournament and I wanted to play live. I took along my bankroll to see if I could get into a game. I put my name on the list for a 2-5 game and when it was called I bought $300 worth of chips and sat down at the table. To my right was a very aggressive player which was good for me. The hand in question happened fairly early in the game. I had a very good hand and was ahead at the time. I was going to win this hand and I knew it. I had extracted about as much as I could from the guy to my right. He all of a sudden went all-in. I had to really think about it since this guy had about $600 in front of him. He had friends around the table and I knew it was a bluff by what they were doing with the table. My gut told me it was a bluff. The way he bet the board told me it was a bluff. The way he had been playing told me it was a bluff. The only decision I had to make was to put the $300 into the middle and take his $300 and add to my stack. Then my mind took over and was I willing to risk my $300? In the end I folded. That fold still bothers me because I gave in and surrendered. If I would have lost the $300 I would not have been hurt but at that point I just could not pull the trigger. Could I do it today? I think I am more mentally prepared to go all-in with him now. I tend to read people better since then and I think my game has improved. Oh well, I think this will stick with me and the next time I play a live game I will be ready.

Tomorrow is the day for the next procedure in my medical saga. I am not looking forward to this procedure. Basically I just want this to be done so I can go back to work and get on with what I do. It has been nice for the time off to get my body ready to go again. Am I ready for that? We will soon find out.

Remodel

Today the remodel is starting on our house. The crew came in around noon and they are now working on the two bedrooms and the bathroom. They should be done in about a week. This will leave the Master Bedroom and the Master Bath and the Family Room to be completed before we try and get the Kitchen remodeled. Just to have the two bedrooms done will be nice. I will put pictures up as soon as I can when they get close to completion.

I was at the Doctors yesterday. He was very impressed with my diabetes control with the insulin pump and the work we have done with the education nurse. We will be making some tweeks on the insulin but we are very close. I am learning about the dual wave bolus and how it can best help me with the Blood Sugars. We went over the stay in the hospital with my Kidney Stones and the surgery I had. I have another procedure to go through this Friday. I am not looking forward to that. I was able to read the surgery report from the doctors laptop and like I said before the Dr. and I have some discussions to go through on Friday as well. We will see what he wants to do and what timeline we are looking at. In the meantime I need to get back to work and will be off for another week after this to recuperate from Friday's procedure.

I have been playing live on PS and today dropped some of my bankroll. I was not getting the cards and I was pushing when I shouldn't have. I then went over to FT and got myself into an SnG and got to third place when the remodel crew showed up so I started pushing all-in so I could get out of the game. I don't like sitting out and just blinding off. I was in second place at the start of that and probably could have made it to second but I know it is frustrating for the players when someone isn't playing. Third place is not bad and will get into another game later.

I am also contemplating getting involved again in the stock market. I enjoyed it when I worked with it the last time and if I have a chance to do it again I will have a better understanding of what I want to achieve.

Sounds like we are going to try shopping again and get the vanity that we looked at the other day. Time to pull things together and see the remodel finish.

What a Weekend

We went to Red Robin for Shala's Birthday lunch. Another fine restaurant. I love to eat the Guacomole Burger and the Onion Strings. Everyone had fun and the grandkids did well. Our oldest son and his wife had lost their drivers licenses the last week and had gone to the DMV to have them replaced. Now when you get the replacement you get a paper copy of the license. Our two oldest sons went into the bar to get a drink and Red Robin would not honor the paper copy of the drivers license. Instead of one of them having a drink they both walked out and did not drink during the event. My hat is off to them both. Both of them handled the situation very nicely and everyone still had fun.

After the meal we all split up and we headed over to:



Yes, we went back to Lowe's because Cindy wanted to make sure on pricing and to look at the vanity's one more time before making up our minds. Or I should say her mind. So far Home Depot is better in pricing. Sorry Jimmie Johnson (48) and now we spend with (20). I am a NASCAR fan. We do start the remodel tomorrow. Today we are going to be working on the rooms to get them prepared for the week.

Speaking of NASCAR I did watch the race last night. I think the new restricter plate rules and the spoiler will make for an interesting race next week. I am a Jeff Gordan fan (24) so will keep an eye on the year. I really would like to see Junior win and do well this year. Makes you wonder why his car does not perform like the other three. Same team but somehow things are different.

Today is Superbowl and really I don't have a favorite. I would like to see the Saints win today just for the sake of it. I am a Rams fan and have been since the 60's. I do like the Seahawks but my allegience goes to the Rams.

I did play some poker last night on FT. I was able to break even for the night. I was 1-3. That one win did make up for the 3 losses or should I say in the money and not in the money. Doesn't have to be a win to get to positive or break even. The first three games was hard. My QQ's lost to a set of 6's and then my two pair lost to Quad 3's. Wow, I was having a real hard time but I figured the cards would come back my way if I just stayed with it. I got real passive last night and laid down a number of hands that I would normally play. I was at the bubble and wanted to make sure I was going to get into the money. Once I made it I then opened up my game a little bit more. I do better if I have a bigger chip count and can start to bully the table. I didn't have that last night so I had to take my lumps and fight through and try to move up in my chip count.

I started watching the videos last night that I received from Jonathan Little. He is talking through players games and showing us what we should be doing and what the player is doing wrong. He likes to shove and that is one area I don't like to do unless I am sure of the winnning hand. I don't like to put myself at risk to get put out of any tournament.

Have fun watching the Super Bowl.

End of the Week

It was a good day playing on FT and PS. I won the 9 player SnG and added to the bankroll. I then went over and played live on PS and did well there as well. As long as I keep adding to the BR I am very happy. One of these days I will move up and play a different buy in.

I donated to the Haiti Fund today and was able to get the 8 videos from Jonathan Little. I enjoy listening and watching his videos on how to better yourself playing online. I learn by watching and this has really helped my game. I spent some time today going over the PPA and keeping up on the actions in our nations capital and trying to make this game better. I would hate to see something happen that would make us not be able to play poker online. When you don't have a casino close by it is hard to enjoy the game. Our Casino in town does not have the amount of tables and the buy ins available for all to play. Mostly what is available here is 2-10, 3-6 and then some Omaha. Will have to keep fingers crossed this will work out.

Went to dinner at Red Lobster last night. I really enjoy the food there. Had Salmon and Shrimp. It was nice to be able to sit and relax and have a nice dinner. We then went over to Lowes and Home Depot to look for Bathroom tile for the shower area. Actually the price was not bad at Home Depot at about .20 better than Lowes for the same tiles. The hardest part was trying to figure out how it was going to look and the size that was needed. Big ones, little ones, insets and different color insets. We finally decided on what was the best and we purchased the tiles. At least that was done. Now we get to look at vanities and toilets. We have a good idea of what we want and that will be the next purchases. The remodel starts next week.

Have a good weekend.

It has been a good day!!!

I can't believe the pain is still here and it is taking so long to get rid of it. I still have another week to go before I go through this process again. Lets just get this done. I don't like the fact of getting better just to go all the way back to hurting all over again.

Every third day I change the site on my insulin pump. I had to do that this morning. So far it is going very well. It is so nice not having to give myself shots during the day. Counting carbs is not bad and I am trying to put the carbs of the meals I eat in my iPhone. I can't find an app that would be good. Maybe I could find someone to help me build one. Maybe sell it for usage on the iPhone. Anyone out there want to help?

I responded to an ad in my email this morning on working from home. I don't have a lot of faith in them. Mostly it is people wanting you to buy a system and they are the ones getting rich. Or do they? Everyone after the same thing and I have to wonder if it could actually happen. It would be nice to work from home and I have always said I knew the computer would earn me money. Know I have to find the right way to do that.

I got an email last night that the father of our childhood friends passed away on the 30th. RIP Harry. When we were growing up he was a police officer and did his job well. Boy, are there stories from both of our families. We played alot with Duane, Linda and Donna. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time.

I am reading a new book called "Winning Poker for the Serious Player". I will have it finished tomorrow. It talks about most of the games that are available and how to play them. Everytime I read this type of book I am looking for that one bit of tidbit that will help me progress as a poker player. I find the game so interesting and fun to play. So many things to watch and learn while playing against the players at the table.

Today I played at FT and was 1-1. I came in first on my last game of the day. I would like to do that more often. I will keep working at it. I did go and play at Jokers tonight and I came in 3rd place and was in the money again. Second place was so close again. I got AA twice tonight and was able to win both hands. I played tonight waiting for position and betting the amounts that would help me win the hands when needed. I think the one thing I am getting used to is the amount to bet and not just going all in and putting myself at risk. Use what I think will win the hand and not be at risk. Position, Position and Position. Patience works well to along with Confidence.

I also put an item on Craigslist. Maybe earn some money and get rid of items I will not use anymore.

I did some walking today. Need to keep that up and get some fresh air. There are decisions to be made and I hope with a clear head the proper ones will be made. Well, until tomorrow have a good night.

Recuperating

Here I am trying to recuperate and make sure I can go back to work on February 22. I have one more procedure to go through, maybe, and then I can start up again. You spend so much time working and building your EIB ( Extended Illness Bank ) and times like this you would hope it is available to you for use. I have been given a 4 page application and it needs to be filled out by the physician so I can have the time off. My next procedure will be on February 12. I know this is going to hurt. Everything was so fast that I never got a chance to talk with the physician about what was going on and now I have to wait till next Friday.

Yesterday Cindy and I went out to lunch and on my way back I was able to stop at one of my best places to go. I stopped at Hastings to look at their magazines and books. I always look for the latest Poker Magazines and then go back and see what is available in the used books on Poker. I found 2 books, one on poker strategy and the other was a book on Chris Moneymaker. He was the WSOP 2003 Main Event winner and helped start this poker craze. I was able to read this completely in 12 hours and I must say it was a very interesting book. His life growing up and his thought process for winning the Main Event.

Last evening we went to the Mall and guess what? My other favorite store, Barnes and Noble, is there and I was able to pick up a magazine and another book on how to play online. I guess reading and watching the training videos can't hurt. Always trying to get better.

I had an appointment with the nurse yesterday as well at the Diabetes Learning Center. I am doing well on the pump. Hopefully in March we will be able to fine tune the pump a little bit more. I must say at least I feel better diabetes wise and my BG is not running all over the place. I watch my Carbs pretty close and try to give myself the proper insulin.

We are going to start a Remodel project again. This time we are going to work on two bedrooms and the 2nd bathroom.






Here are some pictures of the before. This all starts next week.

Monday Monday

Monday and it is time to get busy with the day.

I start out by working in the office here at home. Since I take care of my parents finances now I need to keep an eye on what is getting paid. Keep track of the checkbook and all of the paperwork. I could not believe that the City of Richland sent my parents to collections. We changed the address to ours when they moved to assisted living. And when the letter came it came to our address. Now, what fool would not even send a statement to us before making a fool mistake like that. Ok, enough said. Get with it people. This makes me want to get all pennies and go in to pay it with that. This will work out. Thank goodness my better half will be contacting them and discussing this matter.

For lunch today I went over to the McDonalds and tried out the new McDonald wrap. Wow, that was pretty good and because I am watching Carbs, because of Diabetes, it was only 26g. I was impressed with the taste. Hit the palate with the right amount of the flavors that you would expect. Can you tell I watch the Cooking Shows on HGTV?

I have been reading a site on passive income lately and trying to figure out what they do to earn an income. This person is very open about what he does and he made over $10,000 last month alone. That is pretty neat. Could I do that?

I spent some time with my folks today. Just sat and talked with them about whatever. Dad especially since Mom has Alzheimers and the conversation seems to go in circles. Dad is having trouble with his eyesight. I am sure glad we got him to stop driving.

I played 3 games today on FT in the 9 player SnG. I can see I need to go back to the drawing board and listen to Jonathan Little and Micon on playing the SnG's a little bit more. I do well and then I forget what I am supposed to do. I came in at 5th in 2 of them and 4th in the final one. I had opportunities in all of them but did not complete the deal. Seem to be at the bubble and can't burst it right now. Not discouraged just more driven to do well.

We watched the Worst Cook in America tonight and watched the final. I really wanted Jenny to win and Rachel took the $25,000 and the win for Chef Ann. Jenny made more complex food and really did well. Of course I was not the judge. I should be a judge. I like food and enjoy cooking.

Off we go to sleep land and will see you tomorrow. Be good.

Poker Time TOC

Today is the day I get back to the Jokers Casino and play the Tournament of Champions. I am excited even though I am still not feeling great but anxious to go out and see what my thought process is for playing a live tournament again.

I spent some time today watching Daniel N. play on PokerStars and get my mind focused on what I need to do. When 5:30 rolled around I was ready to go. I drove down to the Casino and paid the entry fee and now I wait for the start.

We had two tables at the start. I started with T$3500. It was nice to get back with the group and mix it up again. Seat 3 seems to have my number and was reading me very well. He could tell me everytime what cards I had in my hand. I decided to change it up a bit and play a junk hand and go all the way to the end with it so I could show the cards. I got 78o and called with this hand. I had seat 4 call me and we ended up playing to the end but I came up with a straight and he had AA. I was able to show the hand at least and throw Seat 3 off a little bit.

I made it to the final table tonight. For being off 3 weeks this is a pretty good showing. I finally went out in 5th place on the money bubble. I hate when that happens. I had KK and I raised and got two callers. After the flop I figured I was still ahead and went all-in and was called by the other two. I showed the KK and the other guy showed 44 and the third was Ax. In the end the 44 had a full house and I had a K high Flush. Wow, I was out of the tournament in 5th place.

I have ideas of how to correct this play. I will work on this on the next tournament I play. Remember the guy in seat 3? I had him guessing at the final table. I was able to semi bluff and won the pot. He was talking to himself during the hand. " He doesn't bluff." You keep thinking that.

Now the new week is here and I will probably get back to some online play at FT and PS. I am entered into a invitation only tournament on PokerStars on February 14. This should be fun. This is by invitation by Jonathan Little. I have been learning online play from him by watching videos of him teaching while playing. Some of this is rolling off onto my live play as well.

Hope you have a good week.

Day of Rest

We have now come upon the weekend. Most people will now use this time to rest and get themselves ready for the next week. You have to recharge those internal batteries to keep doing what we do. Don't you feel like you are in a rat race? Work your 40+ hours per week and then get ready to do it again. What do we achieve by doing this? Money? Fame? Retirement? What happens to those years when you are doing this that you could be enjoying family and seeing sights? Need money? We try to pack as much stuff as we can into our lives. It is called possessions. Got to fill up the garage, the house, the extra rooms and for what? When is enough enough? When do you ask that question what am I doing and is this worth it? Got to have money? How much is enough? I keep hearing what do you want for retirement? I would like a million dollars in retirement. Do you think you can actually get there? Will it be enough? What if you don't make it to retirement because the last I heard nothing is guaranteed? Now what do you do? I would go back and Rest and Relax because we all have to do it again on Monday.

Today I went out and walked around the block. It was nice to get out of the house.

I really enjoy the single and MTT's and am trying to get myself to play more HU stuff. I think I can build the BR better with HU than with the others.

Way to go JB on your WSOP place this past week. Placing 59th was fantastic. Your first cash. I bet that was a nice vacation for you.

Let's start playing

I have spent the last week either in bed or in the hospital having surgery and have been trying to recoup and rest.

I waited til tonight to get started with playing poker with somewhat of a clearer mind than the last few days. I play on FT and PS and will go back and forth depending on where I want to play. I will usually play in the $2 HU or the SnG's. I have spent a lot of time going over Heads up play from HeadsUpPro and watching the videos from Jonathan Little. I have a hard time staying with one type of play. Oh, and I do play live at the local Casino. In fact I am supposed to play in the Tournament of Champions on Sunday. I won a monthly tournament which allows me to play with all of the other champions. This is my fourth month in a row playing in this tournament which means I have won a tournament in each of the past months. I am hoping not to miss this one.

Tonight I played in three tournaments. The first was a 9 player SnG and I went out in 7th by playing way to aggressive to start out. I know better than that but that was my first tournament in over a week. The second one was a HU tournament and I won that one. The player was overly aggressive and I just waited to get some good cards and won it real early on. The third one was a 27 player SnG and I worked it down to getting in 6th place. On the bubble of getting paid for the tournament. Talk about not getting cards and trying to play position was not working either. I did something right by getting down to the bubble but couldn't pull off the double up I needed.

I am a person that is a Type 2 Diabetic and I just started on the Insulin Pump over a week ago. I was diagnosed in 2001. My doctor was suprised I moved so fast with this process. Of course this runs in my family.

Hopefully I can keep you up to date on my play and trying to build my bankroll. I will usually play 1 to 3 games a night if I can. I will let you know how I am doing with my diabetes. For me it is a way of life and I don't put myself down for having this disease.

I may even talk about my work life a little bit. I work on computers all day. I have been working on my A+ Certification. Maybe some day I can take the test and get it done.

I am back

I am still here and have been very busy with work, parents, poker, family and one of the items I was unable to squeeze in was more time with my blog writing. I will try this again. I may not write every day and may put this on a schedule so you get updated every other day. I do keep twitter and facebook updated due to family and my poker playing.

Spokane

I just got back from Spokane yesterday evening. I am working on my A+ Certification and was finishing up my class time. I did get through the class and was able to pass all of the tests. Now I need to start working on the final test and become certified. What does this do for me? Well, I have been asking for years to get some training on the computers I work with. I am a Respiratory Therapist by trade and all of my computer skills were self learned. Nobody would give me any definite ways to get skills with computers. I finally looked at the group of people I have worked with before and had done some training with. New Horizon in Spokane. They do a great job and really help you get to the point of testing. I had to travel to Spokane and spend the night in the motel. Now I need to pass the tests.

While I was there I had the opportunity to go to Northernquest Casino and I was looking for a game of poker. It is also a nice place to eat since most casinos have some good restaurants and you can eat cheaply and then go play at the tables. They had a couple of tables going and then were looking for interested people in about 3 or 4 different categories. I looked at the 1/2 game and they still needed 6 people to sign up before they would get a game going. I didn't want to spend a lot of time waiting so I went and played Video Poker. I at least doubled my money at the game. I do stick with a strategy and have always done well playing that game. After that I went ahead and went back to my room.

I decided to play some online poker. I went to Pokerstars and got into an SnG table and I guess I really wasn't in to it. I played very loose and went out in 8th place. Not a good showing. I do know what I was doing and I wasn't paying much attention.

I am now at home and getting ready for travel to Dallas for the week. I have a Conference to attend and maybe in the evening if I am lucky I might look for a casino nearby.

I am not a fan of flying but will get through this. Hopefully I will have a good week. I am taking my Netbook and maybe play a little online as well.

Irwin blow up

This weekend I am playing at Wildhorse Casino in the Spring Tournament. I tell myself to have patience and play the best hands. Don't do anything stupid because the tournament will last about 12 hours and I need to pace myself in getting the chips and working my way up the chip count.

The Tournament started at Noon and I was ready and excited to be able to play again. I started on Table 15 seat 1. There were actually two people I was very concerned with at this table. My chip count went down then back up and then slowly started back down and then it went back up again. At this time our table broke and we were all sent to new tables. I was sent over to Table 24 seat 1.

When I played in the Fall Tournament last year I played at table 24 seat 2 so this table is familiar to me. When I sit down I look at the players to see who I would be going up against. In seat 6 is Marsha Waggoner. I saw her in the Fall Tournament but if you remember I played at the same table as Tom McEvoy. Along with Marsha are two others that will be tough as well.

I usually like to see flops when I have pocket pairs. Maybe I get lucky and get a set. Well, this one hand I had pocket 9's. There were 2 raises before me and so I decided to lay the hand down. When the flop came there was a 9 and after the hand finished I would have had the best hand with a set. I would have taken quite a bit of chips with that hand. I have to let that hand go and move on right?

We started with T$3000 in chips so I was at T$2625 in chips at the end of Round 3 with 50/100 blinds. We are getting ready to go to 100/200 blinds. The person in seat 7 had T$350 left and he went all in. I looked at my hand and had pocket 9's again. I look at my chips and decide in all my wisdom to go all-in. Marsha looked over at me and said "Why would you do that?" I think my mind had a brain fart and I couldn't control myself. All I needed to do was just call the raise and see where it would come out. Marsha called my all-in. I turned over the Pocket 9's and at the end of the hand Marsha had 2 pair K10 and I had 2 pair K9. Goodbye tournament.

During the tournament they have a wheel that a person spins for a gift when a professional player takes you out. I was able to spin that wheel and ended up with a blanket from the Pendleton Mill. I was told there that this was the best gift on the board so I felt lucky about that. This blanket is priced at $200 to $330. So I guess I went down there for a blanket and played a tournament. Ok, I feel a little better but no not really.

I need to learn to not make those plays. I could have seen that hand for a lot less money and who knows I could still be playing. In tournament I have to remember it is also about survival and keeping and building chips not trying to build it all at once.

Now, when I see that blanket I will always remember the irwin blowup and Marsha Waggoner. Oh yes, she is a very nice person. It was fun playing at the same table and to watch her play.

Getting Ready

Why do I hate to go to the dentist? That word is so strong and I don't like to use that word. Everytime I go I say to myself that I have been going to the same one since 1983 and he has never hurt me. Everytime I get a little bit of pain he takes care of it and I can continue.

Back when I was a young kid my parents would take us to a dentist near Palm Springs. I can remember what his office looks like. The brick glass and even how the dentist chair and office looked. I would sit in the chair and he would take his tools of the trade and then start to work on my teeth and take care of the cavities that I had. I would wince in pain some times and then he would stop look at me and tell me to stop that because this did not hurt and if I continued he would slap me. Is that why I don't like to go to the dentist? Is this in my mind and everytime I go I expect to be hurt and I am supposed to get through this? I get worked up just thinking about going and my day is just lost afterwards because I am so tired trying to get through this. Here I go again.

I have been playing quite a bit of poker lately. Mostly cash game trying to learn something new. I need to play more tournament right now since I have a game on Sunday in Pendleton and the Wildhorse Casino. I am looking forward to the tournament and hoping I do well. I am going to only play in one tournament for the Spring Tournament unless I cash in this one.

I was at the doctors yesterday and he said I was doing well with my diabetes. My A1c was at 7.4. This is alot better than the 9.4 a few months ago. I am increasing my insulin a little bit to see if I can get my FBS down a little bit more. I do well with the Lunch and pre Dinner. I have to work on the food part of it just a little bit more. I don't mind the foods that I am eating. Maybe even develop some new tastes. It's all about the numbers.

Spring is here and now the yard has to be mowed and watered. The seed I spread out in the backyard is now starting to sprout and grow. Will need to water the backyard as well now. Since our dog passed away the yard in the back is coming back around.

I also need to continue to work on my Certification for A+. I am headed to Spokane in another week to finish the class work and then its the tests. I really need to study some more. After the tournament I will turn my attention to that.

A lot to do and little time.

Poker at Jokers

I haven't played in almost two weeks. I have been out of town and even tried to play in Spokane while I was there but was late getting to the casino.

Tonight I am back in Jokers playing the evening tournament. There were 30 individuals starting. I played with patience and played the best cards and did not over play any of the cards that I had. I had a number of pocket pairs and I did let quite a few of them go because I was not in position and someone raised the pot after the flop.

I did make it to the final table this evening. I like the final table because anything can happen. You just have to give yourself the chance to move up in chips and get some cards that will help you. I had to tell myself a couple of times to remain patient and not move all in just because I felt I was getting low on chips. Keep playing and when I played correctly I kept adding to my chip count.

I ended up in 4th place tonight. I did make the buyin back so I got to play the tournament for free, so to speak. I missed the bigger money by just one spot. At that time the blinds were 3000/6000 and only had enough for two rounds. I had K7 and the person that called me had Q7 and he got the Q on the flop.

I feel very good about my play tonight. Patience and Position really played a role for me tonight.

New Toy

I purchased this new toy last week. I have been trying to load my stuff on the little guy. It is 8.5 inches and travels very well. 1GB of RAM and 16 GB Hard drive. It has a video cam on the lid with speaker. 3 USB ports and a port for a Video Monitor if I want to use it with my bigger screen. It has an ethernet card in it as well. It will be a great traveling companion.

No poker this week. I have been working later trying to catch up at work and studying for the A+ Certification as well. I am trying to take a practice test every night and now reading another A+ Cert Book by Mike Meyers. I will have to go back to Spokane for another day of Videos and more testing to prepare. I would like to get this done sometime within the next 2 months. I hate tests. I have never done very well with them. I usually like 2 answers and find it hard to pick just one. There is always a 50 - 50 chance I will get it right.

I am getting ready for the Spring Tournament at Wildhorse this next month. I have decided not to play the satellite this time and just play in one of the regular tournaments. I will be playing on April 19. I have been reading poker books as well. I haven't played at Jokers in a couple of weeks. I will try to play this week at some point. I see they have a Sunday tournament for $60 and may try that one as well.

Nothing new on the Diabetes front. Still taking 5 shots per day and watching the numbers.

Have a good week.

Jail Time

Not really.

This is what it must feel like though. I am in Spokane for the week and taking a computer class. I am now working on getting myself certified in CompTIA A+. I will also be working on Remote certification as well. I have been getting to the classroom around 0730 in the morning ( it opens at 0830 )and since it is open I have been going in and starting the computer learning. I watch videos all day and take Quizzes after each module. Today we actually opened up a computer and took it apart and we then talked about the pieces and then had to build it back and it had to run after we got done. It did.

Getting back to the room around 5:00 and then quickly going to get something to eat. I am back in the room and then I start studying again for the next day. I have to be done with all of the modules by friday. I think I am going to make it. I will have a week off and then need to come back up and do some more computer work. After this week it is all preparation for the test.

This room must be 12 X 12 if that much. That is why I say a jail room.

I did go to the Players Club Poker room on Sunday when I got here but they started their tournament at 6PM instead of 6:30 like it said on the internet. It was a nice small casino about the size of Jokers. Maybe when I come back up and need to spend the night I will be able to play.

Well, I need to get back to studying. It will be nice to be home friday evening and have a weekend to rest up before I get back to the office.

Wrestling

Our Grandson's first match yesterday at Benton City. Way to go Darion on your second place.

Learning the Game

When I see new people sit down at the tournament table it brings back memories of how I once started the game. I didn't know the proper way to bet, or where to sit, play the cards, betting and when to bet. The other night it brought back the memories again. Two individuals sat down at the table and they were very new to the tournament scene. Now I am sure they played online and were now trying out the live scene.

I started out in the small blind and this new person called. Since the BB had not sat down yet I figured I could just take the pot. Well, the new guy kept betting and he did eventually win the hand. I wasn't playing a good hand so I was just trying to win the pot. After about two hands and these two people playing just about every hand I decided to back off and wait for a real good hand and take them out. I think the rest of the table caught on as well. It was interesting to watch the dynamics of the table and see what they would do with these guys. Basically they stopped playing.

One hand in particular the guy bet $1000 on a pot that had $150 in it. Not worth calling this unless you can take the pot with a good hand.

I was able to get AA and just called to see if I could get the two guys in the pot. Instead I got the person next to me. I raised the pot on the flop and she followed. I then did it again after the turn and the river. I won the hand and pulled in a nice pot. The next hand I played was 1010 and this time one of the new guys called and I again raised the pot and he followed. On the River I got a 10 and I put him all in at that time. He called and I took him out.

I really hope to see these two people again. I hope they don't get discouraged. It is a good game but it does require patience and time to learn the game. I am still learning how to bet and when to bet. I am getting better. I ended up in 12th place on the tournament and felt good about my play.

I am headed to Spokane for the week and maybe tonight I can play a tournament up there. The rest of the week will be study, study, and more study. No time to play.

Poker Time Tonight

I sat in seat 5 on the spade table. This table is to be the final table for the night. I was ready to sit in the same spot throughout the night and be there at the end.

The hands I was playing throughout the evening were winning hands and when I lost the hand it was not by much. In my mind I was ready.

Why was I so upset with myself tonight at this point? I was concentrating so well and not taking chances unless I had the best hand. I was making others make the decisions to play for their chips. I wasn't loose and not real aggressive. I had the game tonight. Why was I walking out the door with still 12 people playing?

Well, it was a loss of concentration and where I was at in the tournament. One person was all in and we had a number of people in the pot. I called from the blind. The flop came 810Q. I was holding Q9. I have been aggressive at this point throughout the night. This is when I pushed all in as well. The guy next to me couldn't believe what I did. Neither could the guy in seat 9. I was supposed to check it down and eliminate the other all in person. The guy next to me calls my all in at the same time berating me for making the all in move. The turn comes 9. I now have 2 pair. It looks like I might win the pot afterall. That is when the J came on the river and he has a straight to my 2 pair.

Walking out the door I am talking to myself about the hand I just played. How poorly I played because I could have gotten away by loosing a small amount and could have continued to play in the tournament. I was doing well and I blew it. Not paying attention at the end to get another person out and I could have still made the final table.

Keep learning and next time don't get anxious to throw all your chips in the pot. Pay attention to what is going on around you.

All things Good

Today we worked on the bathroom to get the sheetrock up on the walls. Now that this is up the next thing to be done is the taping. We went to Lowe's last night to look at tile and other items to see what we can do to update this bathroom. We even found some stuff that we want to do to our bathroom in our master bedroom. That should be fun. Get rid of the bath tub and make a shower only.

On Thursday I went to Jokers Casino and played in the tournament. I ended up in 17th place. I got AA and won the hand when I forced the person next to me in a hard decision. He had 2 pair but didn't want to risk what I had in my hand. He folded the hand even though he had the best hand with 2 pair. My very next hand was AA and again I forced the guy next to me into a hard decision and he folded again. I did get enough chips to help me stay in for a while.

I got 44 and ended up throwing them away when someone raised before me. I also got 33 three times during the tournament and I threw them away and played the last 33 and lost to Q's.

One of my early hands I played was 1010 and I got a 10 on the river for a nice set. Again the amount of chips I got really helped me.

I was looking forward to playing the live game and they decided to have a 2 - 20 game. Not too sure about that. This spread might be a little better since more people may not just limp in with anything. I would rather play something not so much but maybe this will be a better game.

I am reading a book by Tom McEvoy on Limit Hold'em as well as Tournament Hold'em games. I am starting to understand a little bit more on the hands I need to play.

I am trying to get ready for the Spring games at Wildhorse in Pendleton in April. I would like to play a regular tournament this time instead of the Super Satellites.

Having Fun

Poker night

Last night I played in a tournament for the first time in about 2 weeks. I was doing well playing only hands that I knew would be winners. I played AA and the person next to me took quite a bit of time before finally folding. He figured I had the pocket Aces and I found out later he had two pair. He just didn’t want to take the chance that I would take him out of the tournament. The very next hand I played AA again and this time the same person just couldn’t believe it. He wanted to play but again didn’t want to chance it. I did play 84 BB and won when I came up with a full house. 4’s over 10’s. I would have and did win the hand as well. After that It was time to just try and hang on. I was card dead and wasn’t picking up any hands. I finally went out in about 17th place in this tournament.

I was asked if I wanted to play the live game $2 - $10 spread. I was not ready to go home yet so I sat down with $100. Second hand in I came up with KK and played this hand really strong and made a set on the river for a big pot. I really didn’t play anything else until I got another KK and again I won with this hand and ended up with about $190. I stayed a little bit longer and finally when I was down to $175 I decided to call it a night.

It was a good night. I will try to play again on Thursday night this week. Maybe do both again if the time allows. I would rather win the tournament and place in the money.

Cash Game

I played in the live game last night. $2 - $10 spread

What did I learn:

1) When you play just pay the $2 to see a flop no matter what 2 cards you hold. If someone raises the pot then go ahead and call the raise of $10.

2) After the flop go ahead and put in the $10 to see the turn no matter what cards you have.

3) After the turn if you still do not have a hand go ahead and call just to see the River card because you never know what will happen and you might get lucky and get a pair.

4) After the River card is out you might as well pay the $20 because it is the nice thing to do and helping your fellow poker player and you never know you could beat 2 pair with a straight.

5) Oh yes, and never play for 2 pair or the set because someone will always have a straight. Of course the two cards they are holding are a 3 and a 6 offsuit.

6) Don’t play for pairs always play for straights.

7) Of course you could always take your $100 you started with and just pass it around the table and then call it a night.

Ok, I played pocket pairs, I would get 2 pair, I played AK and got two pair and lost to a straight. I think everytime I lost was to a straight.

While I was there they were finishing up the tournament and at the final table there were 5 women and 1 guy. The dealers were saying they had never seen this before where the women were dominating last night.

Working on House

I have always told C that I was not a construction worker. I find it hard to do construction. Now I am really good about tearing things apart. Here are a couple of pictures of the newest project C and I are doing. Have you ever watched the HGTV show about Bathroom Renovations? Here we go.

We are going to put tile on the walls. The shower head has been raised to allow for one of those rain type heads. May have to claim this bathroom as my own when we are done.






Didn't get a chance to play poker this past week. Maybe the time off will do me good. Haven't been feeling well. My Diabetes is doing better. I have been able to get my FBS down to a respectable 150's. The rest of the day before meals are close to the 120's or less and my weight is down by 5 pounds.

What a trip!!!

My brother and I were travelling together up a long winding road to the top of a mountain. It was beautiful knowing that when we reached the top the view was going to be some site to see. When we reached the top and parked the car we got out and worked our way over to the area where we could see the view. There was a fence up just on the other side of the path at the top. That is when we noticed that when we got closer to the edge there was no gradual slope going down on the other side but a cliff that looked like it went for a very long ways. Hence the fence.

Now I am afraid of heights and will not go close to the fence to look down. I had to work at flying years back. I can now fly since I do this for my job. I still do not like the take offs and landings. When the plane gets to flying altitude then I can settle down and I seem to do alright.

Back to the story. I was hesitating to look down the cliff and would not go near the fence. I especially do not like to have people behind me when I am in a situation like this. My brother, knowing my fear, then picked me up and pushed me towards the fence. When I reached the fence, I woke up and I was actually hyperventilating. What a scare for me. This dream seemed so real.

It has been a few years since I seen my brother but I will have to hit him when I see him next time. That wasn't nice of him to do that. He should know about that.

Poker tomorrow night.

Winter Blues

Since the last blog I have not been feeling well. Of course having to try and find out how much insulin is needed when I eat and taking the 5 shots per day and then having to do the blood sugar testing 6 times per day. I have to think though that there are people out there that are worse than I am and I need to look at this differently. This is something I need to work through. I have a saying I like to use and that is "Work the Solution not the Problem" I have to remember that and I will get through this.

I have changed my eating habits and trying to eat the right things. I have found out that any bit of Carbs affects me quite a bit. I then make a change and try again. I am one of those that if you tell me what to eat I will do it and then I have boundaries that I can live within.

I did play poker last week and it was not good. I decided to take a break and then I will try again maybe next week. I think I am trying to hard. I am putting more stress on myself to do well that when I think I have the best hand I implode not looking at the big picture. I have said you have to have patience. Position works well too. I am still wanting to play some cash games and see if I like that better than the tournaments. You never know.

I am home today again from work. I got a cold on top of the other stuff going on and so working from home was an option for me. Love computers.

Health

I visited the doctor on Friday and the lab personnel took the usual A1C test from me. You sit in the room and wait for the physician as well as the news of what your newest A1C is going to be. I figured it would be close to the last one which was 7.4 and that we would have to make some minor changes to the meds I take for Diabetes. Well, the news was not that wonderful. I was surprised to find out it was at 9.4. I was not expecting that.

Now I am on Novolog and Levemir for control of Diabetes. Today being the first day of the new regimen and 5 shots for the day. I would never have believed this day would ever come. Hopefully I can get my Blood Sugars down to a respectable 80 - 120 number and feel better.

We had the family over last night for dinner and that was nice to have everyone here except our one son and daughter in law who is in the Navy and she is in Spokane studying. Another year and they all will be around here. The five grandchildren are fun to have around as well. They grow up so fast.

May the cards be good to ya.

Bring it on!

Revenge of the best kind.

Tonight I am sitting in seat number 1 at the heart table. In seat number 7 is the person that keeps getting the better of me. If I get those pocket Aces again I am definately going to play them differently. I can't let him keep walking over me.

I am slowly learning the players again at the Jokers Casino. It is nice playing so close to home as well. Some are tight, some are aggressive and know when to push and get you out of the hand. I tend to let my BB and SB go at times when the cards are just not the ones I want to play and someone has raised ahead of me.

The hand of the night. I have AA and seat 7 raises the pot to $400. I reraise to $800. I want the pot right now. He calls $400 more. Each time I put more money in the pot he keeps coming along. Has he picked up something and does he have a tell on me. I just don't think so. This time it is my turn. He turns over QQ's and I win the pot with AA's. I crippled him at that time. He did get some chips back but eventually went out. My nemisis is gone for the night. What did I learn from him? I do like his style of play.

The hand that took me out of the tournament. I had KK and again decided to go 3X the blind. I put in T$1800 in chips. After the flop he went all in and I followed with the rest of my chips. Again I am walking out of the casino after he came up with a straight on the river. So, on one hand I get the chips and then I go out playing the same way.

I have a hard time playing against the women in the tournament. I can't figure it out. Loose, tight, aggressive? There are about 4 or 5 that play regularly and it seems lately they are at the table I am playing at. I am going to have to figure them out. First of all I have to get to the final table with some chips. I have to keep at it. I need to play more hands.

I have a Wii WSOP poker game now. I am playing the tournament and trying to get points or chips to move on. Maybe get some help in playing hands. I watched Daniel Negreanu yesterday play online at Pokerstars. That was interesting to see him play on the internet. Of course you don't see what hands he is playing but you do get to see how he bets and in what positions.

Just having fun------

Back at Jokers

Position, Decisions and Greed

Last night I had the worst person I could have on my left. The previous week he made a good decision on a hand that just really hurt me. He plays very good and you can tell he studies the game. This week I had QQ and after I put in a raise he went over the top on me. I thought about my QQ's and figured he wouldn't push with a low hand and had AA's or KK's. I folded my hand. He had JJ's. That is what position will do for you.

When playing KQ and two people raise in front of you you have to figure someone has the better hand. I folded and when the hand played out the person with K7 won the hand with a pair of K's with a 7 kicker. A better decision and trust my gut in telling me they don't have a hand.

When playing AA and slowplaying them to allow more people in the flop to get more chips in the pot may not be a good thing. If I would have raised in the beginning and gotten it down to one player I probably could have taken the pot down. Would it have been for a lot of chips? No, but I would have still been playing. I wanted the big score and I wanted the chips that this hand could have given me. Instead I was walking out the door when I allowed him to get his flush on the river.

I don't consider these bad beats just the fact that learning from the hands you play and why you play them. I have come back to Jokers Casino and playing with the same group that I played against when I left this casino. They are now starting up the evening tournament again and this brings me closer to home. Hope they stay this time.