Online Poker Tournament Rankings

Just took down my first $100 rebuy on stars today. It was a short-fielded Saturday tournament, surprisingly drawing only 81 players. My game feels very sharp as of late and I can't wait to wake up to play Sunday morning.

Final two tabled the $1k Monday on FTP...it seems I'm getting deeper and deeper in bigger and bigger tournaments. I've completely lost my respect for the buy-ins and am simply looking to make the most positive-ev moves at all times.

I had several p5'ers contact me regarding the negativity expressed at the end of my last blog. It's important to treat people with respect and decency in everyday life, but in poker it's kill or be killed. I've called security and had them walk me out of casinos several times. I'm not going to be pressed at the table, I'm going to be doing the pressing. It's important to stick up for yourself, give it your all, and do everything you can to fight to earn the most amount of profit possible when you sit down to play poker. Life's too short to be mediocre and unmotivated. If I came across as a bit crass in my last blog, I assure you,...it's only to let you in on the killer poker mentality that is present in many top players. Put up or shut up!!!! Give it your all or get out of the arena. If you're not going to take your life seriously, nobody will.

Over the past 6 months, I've seen many instances of what I would describe as "A-player-itus." This is a term I made up to describe B and C level players who truly believe they are A players. Whether it's a student that comes through Ari's training center, a "pro" that comes into Vegas to try their hand at a few live tournaments or friends I know from back-home that also play poker...unless you are making well into the six-figures every year...you're probably not an A player. If you can't be self-honest with yourself, the odds of you drastically improving is unlikely. My humblest students, the ones most eager to listen to what I have to say (and ask questions) almost always do the best.

Happiness is infectious (like winning). The buddhist monks cross their arms in front of themselves as a "ward off" if someone with negative energy tries to touch them or give them a hug. People with negative attitudes give off different energies/vibrations than those who are positive. Always try and remain positive in support of yourself and to set a good example for others around you.

Every time I walk into my bank I notice this teller behind the counter who is always smiling, happy, and conversive. The last time I was in the bank it was my turn after waiting in line and what do you know...Mr. Happy says, "I can help the next customer." I had a friend with me and as I was in line I was pointing out to him just how happy this guy always seems. While I was taking care of my banking needs I asked the guy, straight up, "I know this might sound odd...but, what's your trick? Every time I come in here you seem so damn happy. What's the deal?" He laughed and said, "It's the drugs. No, just kidding. Really, I just want others to treat me the same way and I feel like I have a better day if I treat others with respect and friendliness."

It's unfortunate to have others treat me differently than the way I treat them. So often throughout my life I've seen others cut corners for short-term gains and end up burning bridges...costing themselves greatly long-term. I'll do everything in my power to keep people who are negative out of my playing and living environment. To a large extent, we program others to treat us in the manner we're treated. Go out of your way to help others, but don't be so short-sighted as to allow any form of negativity in your life in return for short-term gain.

Information has the ability to change the collective mindset of a population...I had the opportunity to sit down with my Kung Fu master's master.  He's in his 60's, a Native American, and one hell of a fighting machine...10th degree black belt (the highest possible rank). He told me a great story about growing up in Watts/Los Angeles.  "There's nothing worse than being a minority in a minority area."  Just walking down the street was enough to get into a fight...and fight he did!  He mentioned that before Bruce Lee came on the scene...nobody knew anything about blocking.  Someone would start a fight with him and he'd just kick them right in the face, in the stomach, etc.  After people started watching Bruce Lee flicks, everyone started to BLOCK.  Even the most amateur of fighters knew the most basic of defensive measures. 

I've put serious time and energy recently into learning the mechanics of the stock market, as well as starting to price real estate properties both in the states and in Costa Rica.  I have a long-term plan in place as far as poker is concerned, but I also want to begin to diversify my talents and energies into other productive/profitable endeavors.  Alongside owning (ideally in the future, several) poker training centers, managing and investing my personal investments...I'd like to own a Kung Fu studio in Costa Rica (where I plan on permanently moving in the next 5 to 10 years).  So much is possible in the future...at this point I'm trying to arm myself with the skills to succeed as I look forward into the next phase of my life.

The first thing I learned in intro to Economics is..."The key to making money, sustainable profits is to...look for expanding markets."  When I got into poker, I was partners in a water conservation business.  As prices for commodities (water, energy, etc) were increasing, companies were doing anything and everything possible to cut costs.  My uncle and I started a water conservation company for large-scale commercial operations like hospitals, colleges, prisons, etc.  Before the water conservation business, I studied at the graduate level (environmental studies, economics) and was preparing to enter the hybrid vehicle market in some form or fashion.  I was/am convinced that hybrid/efficient transportation is the wave of the future...I was looking to enter an expanding market. 

Times are getting tougher and tougher by the day.  The economy is going to turn upside down in the next 5 years.  We are living in interesting and volatile times.  Poker is going to be one of the businesses that has the ability (if given true free-market conditions) to continue to expand.  Markets like Central/South America and Asia are almost completely closed to poker...and a poker boom in these regions is a great possibility.  We all need to try and do our part to EXPAND THE POKER ECONOMY in any and all ways.  Remember, poker isn't just a game, it's also a business!!!  

When you're at the tables (especially live), you've got to be completely ruthless and cunning in regards to dealing with opponents.  I keep seeing references to psychological conditions and states that relate in some form or fashion to poker.  Below is a description of psychopaths from Barbara Oakley's Evil Genes (it seems I'm being called a "psycho" more and more as a compliment on and off the tables in regards to my poker game...interesting choice of words to say the least):

Psychopaths might best be described as "predators who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs.  Lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret...

I always used to laugh when someone asked what I did for a living.  I used to say I stole college kids' money for a living...I'd talk to my brother over the phone to get motivated before a session, "I'm going to destroy people's lives; ruin their careers, cause depression, make them bow down to my will, bring them to the lowest point they could ever imagine."  My brother would laugh and scream like a football coach, "Do it Dave,...do it!"

 

Looking forward to traveling the entire month of January. I plan on traveling to NYC, Miami, D/FW, and Costa Rica. I might sneek in a week of skiing at Lake Tahoe in as well. Life's too short to work all the time. I like to stay moving...visiting friends and family all along the way. Grab a half a dozen books and travel around with my girlfriend,...eating out at tasty restaurants and watching movies late into the night.

I've been going to a holistic doctor for nutrition, herbs, and weekly massages. If you feel overly tired, it's possible your diet and exercise routine (or lack thereof) needs an adjustment. I exercise seven days a week (twice a day 3 days per week)!!! It doesn't take much to get started...put on some tennis shoes and start walking around the block.

Ari and I had around 10 players living with us during the Venetian Deep Stack tournaments. Literally, more than half of them got sick...I know that my diet, supplements, and exercise has helped keep me from getting sick. Especially if you have aspirations of playing live poker (WSOP for example), you'll need to increase your immune system to feel healthy and energized on a consistent basis. Whether intensively grinding live or online...being in the best possible physical shape is a must.

It's been a bit of a joke the names that have come in and out of Ari's house as of late. I had the privelege to have a(nother) former #1 ranked pocketfiver sit down and watch me play tournaments for about an hour last week...we have a WSOP bracelet winner living with us...and the one of the world's top PLO cash game players has been gracing us with his presence as of late. I respect their privacy and would rather not name names, but some of our guests have been the creme-de-la-creme of the poker world and I couldn't be more pleased to be surrounded by such talent on a constant basis.

Again, I'd like to quote from the preface of Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War:

Depend on your own arms.

But true strategy is psychological – a matter of INTELLIGENCE, not material force. Everything in life can be taken away from you and generally will be at some point. Your wealth vanishes, the latest gadgetry suddenly becomes passe', your allies desert you. But if your mind is ARMED with the art of war, there is no power that can take that away. In the middle of a crisis, your mind will find its way to the right solution. Having superior strategies at your fingertips will give your maneuvers irresistible force. As Sun-tzu says, “Being UNCONQUERABLE lies with YOURSELF.”

Elevate yourself above the battlefield. In war, strategy is the art of commanding the entire military operation. Tactics, on the other hand, is the skill of forming up the army for battle itself and dealing with the immediate needs of the battlefield. Most of us in life are tacticians, not strategists. We become so enmeshed in the conflicts we face that we can think only of how to get what we want in the battle we are currently facing. To think strategically is difficult and unnatural. You may imagine you are being strategic, but in all likelihood you are merely being tactical. To have the POWER that only STRATEGY can bring, you must be able to elevate yourself above the battlefield, to focus on your long-term objectives, to craft an entire campaign, to get out of the reactive mode that so many battles in LIFE lock you into. Keeping your overall goals in mind, it becomes much easier to decide when to fight and when to walk away. That makes the tactical decisions of daily life much simpler and more rational. Tactical people are heavy and stuck in the ground; strategists are light on their feet and can see far and wide.

Keep working hard, keep your spirits up, be kind and appreciative to those around you and make the most of everyday.

It's been another interesting past couple of weeks. I almost had a simultaneous triple crown...I had three final tables on the monitors and ended up winning two of them, getting 2^nd in a third (all in kk v.s. aq). All and all, I'm very happy with the way I've been playing. My attitude is great and I'm excited to play on a day by day basis. Per the usual, below are some tidbits of info I'd like to share.

Studies show that children with poorer eye-sites on average get poorer grades. Why? They have more trouble seeing the chalkboard and end up receiving less INFORMATION. I've run across many students who could barely see the monitor. If you haven't had your eyes examined...I highly recommend getting that done ASAP. I even have over-sized glasses made specifically for the distance I sit away from my monitors (see Sam Rothstein in Casino), which makes the tables look even bigger. Consult your eye doctor; tell them you'd like to get some COMPUTER GLASSES.

Being a doctor, scientist, computer technician, etc seems so much harder and more intricate than winning at MTT poker as a whole. The hardest part about poker is dealing with people. Gaging the different poker players' poker personalities and adjusting accordingly makes the game complex. The math involved in winning poker is remarkably easy (especially once simplified). Realize the game is more than beatable, set yourself on a path to improve your game, and greater profitability can be expected.

An interesting article about watching t.v. (surprise, surprise):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081115/sc_livescience/unhappypeoplewatchlotsmoretv

The style of Kung Fu that I prefer the most in the Shaolin Kung Fu system is MANTIS!!!! The Preying Mantis is the ultimate killing machine. Once born, the mantis will kill anything and everything in it's path. Around 500 mantis' are born in the same area and immediately they go at it...attacking each other until the death. Only the strongest of the litter survive and wander out into the wilderness on their own. They have no friends/peers and have zero relationship with their parents/family. The mantis will directly approach and kill animals and insects up to 10 times its size. It does not flank or encircle it's opponent; instead, it directly approaches and begins killing. It will never engage an opponent without killing it or being killed. Even when they mate, the female will reach around afterwards and break the neck of the male.

I attached a couple of Youtube clips as examples of the Mantis Kung Fu style. Practically all strikes are to the eyes, throat, and groin (in the video, since it is only sparring, most head shots would be to the eyes). The goal is to never have to block...rather, CONSTANTLY GO ON THE ATTACK!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0wRqR9J8WA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlInJFHw5mQ&feature=related

I'm currently reading The 33 Strategies of WAR. Below is a paragraph that meshes well with a proper poker mindset:

Look at things as they are, not as your emotions color them. In strategy you must see your emotional responses to events as a kind of disease that must be remedied. Fear will make you overestimate the enemy and act too defensively. Anger and impatience will draw you into rash actions that will cut off your options. Overconfidence, particularly as a result of success, will make you go too far. Love and affection will blind you to the treacherous maneuvers of those apparently on your side. Even the subtlest gradations of these emotions can color the way you look at events. The only remedy is to be aware that the pull of emotions is inevitable, to notice it when it is happening, and to compensate for it. When you have success, be extra wary. When you are angry, take no action. When you are fearful, know you are going to exaggerate the dangers you face. War demands the utmost in realism, seeing things as they are. The more you can limit or compensate for your emotional responses, the closer you will come to this ideal.

Thanks for reading my blog and I look forward to your comments.