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The last few days kind of escaped me. I have been out and about every day, playing relatively small amounts of poker, and trying to just kick it and relax rather than stress. I had some stupid things to deal with concerning the car. Pro tip: If you are going to play poker as your sole income, make sure you cashout enough per month to justify a consistent stream of income. I am lucky that I made this realization early in the year and had been cashing off enough per month to show what I needed…but I wasn’t so lucky last year when I had a similar incident. Hopefully this helps at least someone =)
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The last few days have revolved around food and the gym. The weather has been pretty shit with high winds, so disc golf has been out of the question. However, today is nice and I will probably go play some in an hour or so. I finally had sushi the other night (I hadn’t had sushi in almost a month, which is unheard of for me, lol)…and it was fantastic. I also decided to cash in this REI gift certificate that I had…so I got these odd five-finger shoes for the gym. They are taking some getting used to, but I can see the utility in having them…and while keep using them as my gym shoes…hoping that they don’t create any lower back pain.
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I’ve also been getting my ass handed to me in scrabble…taking my WR from 92% down to 83%. This one kid luckboxed one game from 360-300 with a few turns left. So I rematched and the next game he ended up getting 3/4 big letters…and all in good spots in the game. When I ask him if it must be nice to do such things, he said “luck of the draw, lol”…which life-tilted the fuck out of me. Now I am playing someone who has used a whole bunch of odd words “hyoid”, “jettons”, “keefs”, etc. He is either on a whole different level than I am, or using some sort of program. Either way, I am actually enjoying getting my ass kicked. It’s forcing me to improve some strats (cleaning up some of my “gamblery” tactics) and solidify more of my 4 and 5 letters words (my 2 and 3 letter is pretty solid). Enough nerd talk from me.
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I actually decided to watch a CR vid the other day to try and pick up some 6max stuff. I will say, if you enjoy strat vids, watch the new vid by Nikachu. By far and away the best video I have ever seen, ever. He is the nut-mixture of crazy, intelligent, entertaining, strategically-profound, and awesome. His video starts out with a 1.5min of him following his cat with his camera, then gets into 4 tabling 1006max. Incredibly entertaining, visually appealing, and over-all the best vid ever. I actually took away some interesting strategic notes wrt my AK/JJ play (3betting v flatting them) and also handling 3bets a pinch better (4betting or flatting similar hand strengths). Was something I can easily apply to FR as well, and should help me teach the spot better in the future as well. Again, I cannot praise this video enough if you are willing to do some extrapolative work on your own.
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And on that note, I’m going to go play a lil 6max and then play disc golf. Hope all is well!
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*click here* Free poker strategy video at 50NL *click here*
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This is a 35 minute poker video where I played 18/18 at 50NL full ring. I had an 11% 3bet, and played a very aggressive game. There were a few interesting postflop situations, and I talked about various concepts like stealing, seat selection, and bet sizing. If you wish to download the video, click here. I also did a lot of cursing and such, so if you are easily offended, then I would skip this video =)
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Enjoy!
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Today’s session was sick. Dropped 5BI incredibly fast (playing 6max, and I didn’t even realize I had hit my SL) between getting it aipf with QQvAK, QQvKK, AKvQQ, and AQvKK (positional). Took an hour off and watched some old 30rock, then came back on and made it all back in 20minutes. My graph for the day looks like a gigantic “V”, and I really don’t feel bad about anything but one play I made with a gutty in a spot where I wasn’t getting enough folds yet still barreled. O well.
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Speaking of sessions, I recorded two FR sessions today (I am doing some sessions at FR, and some at 6max), and I decided one was good enough to release as a free video. I ran like 18/18 with a 3b of 11%, over 35minutes or so. At first I didn’t think there were enough postflop spots to use it, but after watching it again I think there were enough useful spots (that are able to be extrapolated from). I will probably release that video tomorrow. And speaking of videos, I released the Dynamic Preflop Poker Strategy Video yesterday, so check that out (or at least the trailer!) if you have a minute.
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The last few days have been alright…mostly just the same ol work, talking poker hands, trying to get a better grasp on 6max, and finishing up the book stuff. I have been happy with myself for going to the gym at least twice a week, and my strength is certainly increasing. Hopefully I can get out and get some disc golf in tomorrow…but the weather has been pretty crap (cold and windy)…so hopefully it’s nice out for once tomorrow. And on that note…I’m going to go pass out so I can wake up tomorrow and get a ton of grinding and chores done. Hope all is well!
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(Click above to watch a quick trailer of the video)
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This video is 50 minutes of discussing dynamic preflop strategy. Being dynamic is incredibly important as the games continue to mature, as static strategies will gap value and stunt growth. In this poker strategy video, we talk about bet sizing, table selection, note taking, and review plays like 3betting and back raising. If you feel your PF game is a little stagnent, this video should help you visualize some new spots to increase your edge and WR! The intro price for this video will be $24.99, which is a great deal considering my $85/hr coaching price. Plus…you can watch it whenever you need a quick refresher course. Buy today, and start improving ASAP!
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Here is a quick table of contents:

Intro
Player types
Core 5 (seat and table selection)
Dynamic stealing (adding in MP steals)
Dealing with aggro 3betters
Dealing with aggro stealers
Note taking (extrapolating from minute info)
Positional pots
Flat calling considerations
Dynamic relative position
Back raising
Open raise sizes
3bet sizes
4bet sizes
ISO sizes
SPR creation and considerations
IP 3betting and thought process
Outtro

(Acceptable forms of payment include FTP, PS, or paypal transfers)

After playing some FR on PS, and not enjoying the flow of the game as much…I decided to start playing some 6max. I am starting out just getting some traction at 25RUSH, but so far I am enjoying it. It is getting my brain firing again, which is making me enjoy the grinding. I am only 2 tabling RUSH, and taking my time with decisions as many aren’t autopilot yet. So far I have realized a few things:
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- Equity actually matters when stealing
- I am too aggro from the SB
- Holy Jesus do they love to squeeze
- Many players are super face up with their ranges
- There are actually IO when flatting or opening

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I haven’t been able to tighten up as much as I am trying to. I am trying to get down to like 18/16 and then expand from there…but somehow I keep running 22/20 every session. I am feeling super comfortable running like this, and I even remind myself about 20x per session to make a “big fold” from the SB with Q7o. So far, I am very much enjoying it. I am probably going to put in a few thousand hands and then jump right into 50 and start jumping quickly from there. We’ll see how that goes.
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The last few days have been good. I have been doing the gym and disc golf every other day, so I am getting out of the house even though it has been super rainy. I went to the DMV the other day, only to realize I can’t register my car without some silly green piece of paper that I don’t get for a few weeks. I also went to firefly (and am going again tonight)…amazing place off the strip if you ever get the chance to check it out. I have been listening to a ton of Gnarls Barkley the last few days while grinding. Cee-lo is too damn talented.
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Past that, things have been going well. Just coaching and grinding, and I also recorded my premium video the other day (on PF dyanmics and aggression). Hopefully I can get that edited this weekend, and then maybe make a free vid for the site as well. Also, for those interested, I sent my TOC out to people who joined my email list. So if you are interested in it, enter your email over in the sidebar ==>
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Hope all is well!
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So my friend and I decided to make a prop bet in order to motivate ourselves to put in more volume. Our prop is an average of X hrs/day until Thanksgiving (the X will remain disclosed). If one of us succeeds and the other fails, the loser owes the winner a big dinner at Naked Fish. All in all, I think this is exactly what I needed to get my ass into gear. So far I have been splitting my time between 6max and FR, and also between PS and RPM. Overall I am happy to be getting back into the swing.
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Yesterday I got my speaker box put into my new car. It is a MASSIVE difference when you take a big box from an SUV and put it into a car. The sound is much crisper, I am lucky that there is no rattling, and the trade-off for sound v trunk space is well worth it. It ended up taking about 4hrs to do, which was a massive PITA, but at least its done. And I ate at Hash House while waiting…so overall it was a good day =)
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I am in the process of getting all of the bureaucratic shit taken care of. Insurance, license, registration, etc. I will probably do the DMV thing tomorrow and hopefully just get it all done in one swoop. Then I can get the most awesome license plate ever and be done with it all. I might show pix after I do a lil modding and get my custom plates…even though that probably won’t be for a little while.
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Everything is going well other than that. I am getting some disc golf in, more poker hands in, and am prepping two vids (one free one for my site, and one premium one). Hopefully I can get both of those done this week…but we’ll see. Also, my drive is getting much better. I am hitting 325 very consistently, and putting muuuuuuuuuch better as well. I am posting up par games regularly, and hopefully will be doing -2 games soon enough. If I could get my ass out there daily I’m sure it would be no problem. And with that said…I am off to sleep so I can wake up early and do this DMV crap. Hope all is well!
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Not new as in the year of the car…just new to me =) I ended up getting a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg edition, and a price that I am very happy with. Coming from a Jeep Grand Cherokee…I am insanely happy. The car is quick, comfortable, and should prove to be quite reliable. The whole process took me the better part of 5hrs, and so long as I don’t get random last minute news…everything is solid and lovely today =) I’ll post pix and stuff once I get my custom plates…which should be 100% perfect, lol (PS. Jon is a car buying God…now it is officially known)
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The last few days have been good. Just a mixture of coaching and finishing up the book stuff. The book is fully edited (well, by my and my editor’s points of view)…and I am now playing the waiting game with publishers. Hopefully everything is able to get streamlined and the book can be released sooner than later. I am excited, as seeing the book in a clean form is sexy. I’ll give more news as I get it.
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I did a live coaching session last night at Venetian which was fun. Ended up getting the left of my student so I got to have some fun and got some good spots. Overall, I would say I cleaned up about $180 in leaks without breaking a sweat…and thats just in outright leakage. I think we might do another session in a few weeks, and hopefully I can help patch up some more details at that point. I love coaching like that. Being able to help someone patch up some core fundamental stuff…and then meeting up later to patch up the detail stuff (like specific plays, bet sizing, etc.). I didn’t really get any fun hands sadly. The night was really boring and I ended up losing $2. Very card dead and very spot dead sadly.
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With all of that being said…I am going to go play some halo and then pass out. I am really tired, and after a long day of negotiation and paper work…I need sleep. Hope all is well!
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The *sigh* is that the car thing most likely isn’t going to go through. The car was pretty much perfect (price, loaded, etc.), but they randomly at the last minute wanted a bigger down than I wanted to put. The size of the down is due to something totally out of my control, which has been kicking my ass for the last 2 years…and the rungood continues. More car shopping in the near-future though.
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I’ll recap some of the trip. We got in around 8p on Friday and just ate dinner and chilled out for the night. Woke up at 5:30a on Saturday and went over to the balloon fest (which was a very small walk away due to our awesome parking spot). That lasted for couple hours and then we ate breakfast. Jon and I headed out shortly after and decided to play the 1p tourny at the local casino (Route 66). Not sure why we did that, but it was total LOLs. The structure was 4K chips, 25/50, and 15min levels (doubles with no mid-levels). Couple that with the fact that their $1K chips were white chips with a “1″ on them, and their $500 chips were pink with “$2.50″ on them…it was a classy establishment, lol. I ended up losing most of my stack with 77vJ9 aipf, and then busted with KQvKTv99 aipf (KTx flop, ldo).
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We then headed over to some disc golf course at a park off the 25. It was a pretty nice park, very hilly and green, and pretty busy as well. I didn’t play all that well, as the new drive I’ve been working on didn’t work well at such a technical course. O well…it was still fun to get out and play at a new course. We then headed back to the RV, but decided to stop off at a dealership on the way to see if we found any good deals. Ended up meeting “Moe” who was the worst salesman ever. Basically had no idea how to sell, was too aggro in spots that didn’t call for it…just an odd guy. O well. Got home, had dinner, and crashed out a little while later.
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Woke up at noon the next day, did birthday breakfast with grandpa, and then headed out to play some more disc golf. We went to this course about 20minutes away, buried in no-man’s land, and totally off the beaten path. It was by far and away the most difficult course I had ever seen or played. Many holes were buried in trees, in cages, or on the sides of sharp hills. It was also very long, at 7000ft straight through, and the entire desert floor was covered with foot high prickly brush. I managed to lose my 165g Ace, which isn’t in production anymore…which lifetilted the shit out of me. Couple that with getting a horrific score….it was an interesting afternoon.
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We got home, passed out, then woke up early to get driving. Decided to stop off a dealership on the way home, found the car I was bitching about in the first part of this post, and then crashed after writing the previous blog post. Today I am lifetilting about the car and am going to go to the gym later and try to sweat off some of the frustration. Hopefully all is better with yall!
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I got back earlier this afternoon, and am super tired after a very long weekend. It was a great mini-vacation, and the first time in almost 3 years that I have been without my laptop for more than a day. I will write up a more detailed post later, but I wanted to get something out before I went to bed.
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I only saw balloons one of the days. I decided to sleep through the other day because I was running on minimal sleep, and sleep was necessary, lol. The trip there took about 10hrs due to traffic, but split between Jon and I, it was relatively easy. We just listened to random mix discs, played 20 questions (which I suck at), and took turns taking naps. I was proud of Jessica (my car) for doing so well…though I think I am buying a new car tomorrow. Random, but I’ll give more details as I solidify things.
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That being said, here are some pictures from the balloons (there are tons more and I will try to make a slideshow at some point):
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I have to be up early to get some coaching done and then go do the negotiation stuff. I’m a little stressed about it all, but I always am when it comes to bigger purchases. O well…Hope all is well, and I’ll write up something longer and more detailed later.
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I am looking forward to tomorrow. Not the waking up at 6a to start driving, nor the 8hr drive part…but the leaving and going to NM part =) I have been working my ass off the last few days between editing and coaching and writing, and need this little mini-vacation. I took my car into the shop the other day and apparently the car is in tip-top shape, despite needing a new catalytic converter. I can’t get it replaced until next week, but doing so will restore all of the power I had felt my car losing. So this trip will be a bit slower than my normal 80mph trips. O well.
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The book is coming along very well imo. It is so nice getting notes from my editors, and seeing chapters that weren’t that marked up (I just take that to mean that I did a fantastic job =P ). Of course almost all of the notes are grammatical ones, as writing for poker is odd and I write like I speak, for better or worse I suppose. A few notes here and there about content placement or a total “wtf does this mean?”…but they are few and far between =)
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I hope to finish almost all of my editing today in the next few hours and then head over to the park. I am still working on my driving form, and want to work on a stand still drive today. I think my legs have actually been hurting me as they force me to lean in a way that bends my shots. And being that I plan on playing a bunch of disc golf with Jon out in Albuquerque, I want to be strong as some of the courses out there are relatively big. I will get to 375ft consistent…
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Past that, life has been peachy. I have been teetering on depression the last few days, but I think it has passed. I listened to this song called “Twice” by Little Dragon, which I’m pretty sure was making me super depressed. Ever since I turned it off I have been much happier, lol. So now I am listening to a ton of “Mom’s Revolver” by Omega One…a must listen for anyone who likes trip hop blends. And on that note, time to get more writing done. Hope all is well!
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