Kartaska Igra (best person in the world) posted this image on her blog as a gift to me. She was saying to me "There is a part of you that I can see ... and this is what he looks like."

I don't always take myself this seriously ... but I just thought I'd post this ... as that "letter" I wrote a few posts earlier was coming from this source. This is the disciplined and esoteric side of me.

Yah, sometimes I take my poker pretty seriously. Not always but sometimes.

Great video here ... this was the art that I studied for about 8 years. Watching the movie "Perfect Weapon" was what inspired me to learn this particular art. This video is excellent on a number of levels ... has some good clips from that movie ... has some explanation of the art itself from it's founder Ed Parker, and high ranking practitioner Jeff Speakman ... and also has some rare footage of Mr. Parker himself performing technique.

And yah ... I can still do that stuff. The form at the beginning is quite awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kQIgkQoC9U

Today was pretty decent. My first day back at 50PLO full time and I finished +$240. There were some interesting hands in both directions. This first one was pretty straightforward. It was a big raise to call preflop but my read on the villain was that I’d stack him if I hit. And I did. And I did.

- pokerzen sitting in seat 1 with $55.25
- joesoccerus sitting in seat 2 with $71.20
- goalan sitting in seat 3 with $33.64
- KALJAMI sitting in seat 4 with $63.60
- Maristar sitting in seat 5 with $96.78 [Dealer]
- Titan-no1 sitting in seat 6 with $60.96

Titan-no1 posted the small blind - $0.25
pokerzen posted the big blind - $0.50
** Dealing card to pokerzen:
joesoccerus folded
goalan folded
KALJAMI called - $0.50
Maristar called - $0.50
Titan-no1 called - $0.50
pokerzen bet - $2.50
KALJAMI raised - $8.50
Maristar called - $8.50
Titan-no1 folded
pokerzen called - $8.50

** Dealing the flop:
pokerzen checked
KALJAMI bet - $6.50
Maristar folded
pokerzen raised - $45.50
KALJAMI went all-in - $48.60
pokerzen went all-in - $1.75

** Dealing the turn:
** Dealing the river:

pokerzen shows: King of Spades, 2 of Spades, 10 of Hearts, King of Hearts
KALJAMI mucks:
pokerzen wins $117.50 from the main pot


Then there was this gem … (Been quite awhile since I lost nut full to quads … I was long overdue.)

- steve66sp sitting in seat 1 with $5.25
- Difmicke sitting in seat 2 with $46.28
- tennistosse2 sitting in seat 3 with $6.90
- pokerzen sitting in seat 4 with $53.49
- KALJAMI sitting in seat 5 with $102.01
- essjr sitting in seat 6 with $45.85 [Dealer]

steve66sp posted the small blind - $0.25
Difmicke posted the big blind - $0.50
** Dealing card to pokerzen:
tennistosse2 called - $0.50
pokerzen called - $0.50
KALJAMI called - $0.50
essjr folded
steve66sp called - $0.50
Difmicke checked

** Dealing the flop:
steve66sp checked
Difmicke checked
tennistosse2 checked
pokerzen bet - $2.50
KALJAMI raised - $10.00
steve66sp folded
Difmicke folded
tennistosse2 folded
pokerzen called - $10.00

** Dealing the turn:
pokerzen checked
KALJAMI checked

** Dealing the river:
pokerzen checked
KALJAMI bet - $22.50
pokerzen went all-in - $42.99
KALJAMI called - $42.99
pokerzen shows:
KALJAMI shows:
KALJAMI wins $105.48 from the main pot


Villain was actually a jerk enough to say “ty” after I pushed on the river and just before he called. I was a good sport about it … laughed it off and congratulated him on his hand.

About 10 hands later this happened:

- Difmicke sitting in seat 2 with $32.88
- DrPsycho sitting in seat 3 with $48.00
- pokerzen sitting in seat 4 with $56.25 [Dealer]
- KALJAMI sitting in seat 5 with $135.80
- essjr sitting in seat 6 with $76.50

KALJAMI posted the small blind - $0.25
essjr posted the big blind - $0.50
** Dealing card to pokerzen:
Difmicke called - $0.50
DrPsycho called - $0.50
pokerzen called - $0.50
KALJAMI raised - $3.00
essjr folded
Difmicke called - $3.00
DrPsycho folded
pokerzen called - $3.00

** Dealing the flop:
KALJAMI checked
Difmicke checked
pokerzen bet - $10.00
KALJAMI called - $10.00
Difmicke folded

** Dealing the turn:
KALJAMI bet - $15.00
pokerzen called - $15.00

** Dealing the river:
KALJAMI bet - $60.00
pokerzen went all-in - $28.25
KALJAMI shows:
pokerzen shows:
pokerzen wins $114.50 from the main pot

I made sure I said “ty” before I called the river. He left the table immediately thereafter. The guy to my right busted a gut.

My last and favorite hand of the day was:

- pokerzen sitting in seat 1 with $148.23 [Dealer]
- Gobi sitting in seat 2 with $31.17
- pacific7 sitting in seat 3 with $52.00
- VISA_CARD sitting in seat 4 with $9.48
- Haawkz sitting in seat 5 with $28.09
- annemaj sitting in seat 6 with $60.40

Gobi posted the small blind - $0.25
pacific7 posted the big blind - $0.50
** Dealing card to pokerzen:
VISA_CARD called - $0.50
Haawkz called - $0.50
annemaj folded
pokerzen called - $0.50
Gobi called - $0.50
pacific7 checked

** Dealing the flop:
Gobi checked
pacific7 bet - $2.50
VISA_CARD folded
Haawkz folded
pokerzen called - $2.50
Gobi folded

** Dealing the turn:
pacific7 bet - $4.00
pokerzen called - $4.00

** Dealing the river:
pacific7 bet - $7.75
pokerzen raised - $38.75
pacific7 went all-in - $37.75
pokerzen called - $45.50
pacific7 shows:
pokerzen shows:
pokerzen wins $103.50 from the main pot

I don’t get straight flushes too often … so when I do it’s nice that the other guy’s got a boat. I don’t think he could have felt to good about that call … not even having the nut boat. Oh well.

So all in all … a good day. Those are just the highlights … I think I logged almost 2K hands. Lots and lots of sparring in between. Did you notice that the first 3 hands were all against the same guy? His stats are ... let's see 1 sec .. 82/23/1 ... my favorite type of target. And that's why. He was only the 3rd biggest donator today ... but easily the easiest to defeat.

I think I've hit 2 flops in the last 1000 hands. -$400. That is ... discouraging.