Mountain Dews

The end of the year is approaching and as I look back on my poker this year, I noticed it has been filled with way too many swings that could have been prevented. I took huge shots that generally ended up in me running bad while taking a shot and losing a good % of my roll. The fish were worth the shot, but the variance may not have been. Which brings me to a good point that when playing professionally it is very important to take into account your br management giving yourself room to take small shots while still grinding out a solid base.
I took the extreme philosophy that Mike Mcd (Rounders) took to heart when risking 30k against Teddy KGB.
Mike McDermott: You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle.
[pause]
Mike McDermott: But you can’t win much either.

Essentially I started the year in the small stakes grinding meticulously moved up to the mid stakes continued to grind while taking huge shots and ended up at the high stakes playing with the best mixed game players around. The swings I’ve taken are not pretty, often dropping thousands in hours or profiting that, not the worst swings in poker history, however for a midstakes grinder not ideal. So here I am at the end of the year with a good profit (as I’ve always made sure to withdraw throughout the year) and a fairly small bankroll. The money I owe for college is something I’m definitely concerned about as a lot of my poker earnings will go to paying these loans off.
My goal of becoming a full time poker pro will be one that I hope to achieve by the end of next year. This January 2010 I will start to grind, building my roll while taking a small % for expenses. The main idea is to practice better BR management and a tiltlessness approach to a big profit in 2010.
some goals for 2010 include
-Graduate College in May with a BA in Philosophy concentration in moral and social philosophy
-Begin my grind towards full time status
-Play a few WSOP events including the main event (Stud Hi, Razz, NLHE)

Coaching is going very well as my student base is very diverse and fun to teach. Having played a ton of 7 game this year, it will be interesting to see students excel in the new year ahead of the curve of new players coming in. The action at 7 game is very juicy right now and I’d advise any limit player to get in on this. When coaching this year, I have learned a lot about how certain people think and adjusting my teaching method in order to help everyone and anyone. I have also come to understand better how a poker player should think and shouldn’t think. I have a few article ideas involving philosophical concepts and poker, and some Stud Hi articles involving strategy. Look for these in the coming new year!