Waiting...

I planned to play 4k-5k hands yesterday. Plan was foiled by absolutely awful tables. At the minimum, 6 regs were at each table. Some had over 8. Blah. Here's to hoping everyone who made new years resolutions will give up after a week, as is the case with 90% of the people that make them.

I did end up getting in around 1700 hands and making $642. My play isn't completely optimal as of late, and I think it has alot to do with being preoccupied with fulfilling my goals. My success over the past few months is due in great part to my ability to not think about how bad or good I am running. I could forget a horrible beat the second it happened, and not be able recall the hand at the end of the session unless I go back and review my big hands when I was done. Now, with pressure to make alot of money, I have been worrying a little too much about each specific hand. I worked hard from the middle of last nights session until the end to forget like I use to, and I think I will be able to from here on out. Preoccupation with how one is running is a major pitfall in poker. It is the one thing that can make or break a cash game grinder's career. The ability to continue playing, grinding, or doing what one is doing, regardless of the ups and downs that are occurring, can really help you get over the hump in terms of making consistent profit. This concept is the same in sports. Any collegiate or professional athlete reached the level that they are on because they had the ability to make it through adversity. Meh, I think I'm rambling a bit, and at some point I'd like to be able to write a succinct blurb about the intangible qualities that make a good poker player, but for now Ill drop it. Suffice it to say that 95% of the population couldn't be a pro poker player, just as 95% of the population couldn't be a division one or professional athlete.

Yesterday I received my second strip at BJJ. I am now allowed to go to intermediate classes and Randoris (kind of like an open gym where you go and roll..no structured class). I'm going to go to my first intermediate class tonight...translation, I'm going to go and get tapped out a bajillion times, and come home more winded than I ever have. Yay. Over time it will get better, and so will I. Getting your butt kicked only makes you want to get better faster. So its completely necessary :) in whatever it is that you do.

I also went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was entertaining and heartwarming, but Brad Pitt's character was pretty emotionally blah. Absolutely nothing he did made you feel like you actually knew him. It was like he was just there. Everyone else though acted very well.

I have my first weigh in since I started last friday coming up in two days, and I think things are going well..but we'll see. It also appears I will be playing alot of poker on the weekends based on the bad tables during the week.

Weigh in, Jan 2 - 188.1 pounds
Poker Profit as of Jan 6th - $1,962.58