It has been another decent couple of days, as the PLO 100 games are treating me well...I'm not killing them or anything, but I picked up another stack and a half in the last day or 2...I mentioned I have been playing some 45 seat NLO8 SNG's lately, and you just can't get tired of these E mails...

45 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2005/12/20 - 16:15:20 (ET)

Dear bobby,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.

45 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2005/12/19 - 16:38:59 (ET)

Dear bobby,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.


Plus I had forgotten I had a 3rd sometime last week, and a 9th that didn't pay, so I am pretty happy with these, even though the money isn't that big...

Poker plex took two bonuses away today, and I'm really not sure I want to go back and play there; quite irritating and horrible CS IMO...

Well, back to the grind---GL all

The family got together yesterday (Saturday) for the usual Xmas celebration of too much food! It was great seeing my Mom again, she looks great for 70...I still wonder how she has put up with Dad after all these years, but I guess she is more hard-headed than I am. Too bad my little brother is turning into "Dad"...What a pair!! I swear I have more fun in a day than they do in a week...I drove up north and stayed with my sister and it was great to see her as well...She has helped me out in the past when I didn't have many options---great gal...

Friday was a great poker night for me, as I cleared some more bonus money, plus picked up close to 300---mostly in 100NL and a bit in the 100PLO...

CAN WE SAY 5000$ BR?? woohoo!!!!

A very nice recovery from the darkness that was November!! It will be nice to finish off the month well over 5K, and it's tough to figure how that won't happen, because of all the bonuses that are still pending...I may get that big monitor yet!!

GL all and happy holidays

how can i support you any longer?? you voted for xaston!!!!

New Years Reflections

I have been playing online for a long time (1999?), ever since a friend got me started at Planet Poker...I remember he said something about having a certain amount of time to make a decision, and I said "WHAT? No way man, that's not enough time!!" LOL Now years later, I am multi-tabling...We just played the free games back then, and I can't remember if I ever funded the account. I do know I won a point tourney which gave me a few bucks and I have been on a small roll ever since. It has not been without a few dips (and a few drunken screw ups), but poker has been fun, as well as good to me. It goes without saying that you run into a lot of unhappy folks online, but on the other hand I have met (either online or in person) some of the best friends I will ever have, all because of this crazy game!!

It's more than a little fun to say I have been on BTP from near the beginning...I was way behind the learning curve as far as chasing bonuses, but I had read something that caught my interest, as I never took playing online too seriously. That is pretty much when I started this journal...50,000+ hands later, I turned 600 into almost 6K, learned a ton about poker and met some great people.

New Years Resolutions

I read the other day that most people don't get started on resolutions until March, which is a damn good thing because I probably wont even have my list done till then!! I will put procrastination on the "list of things to do" at a later date!!

Some ideas for the list----

Some people want (or try) to play more hours... I play plenty already, so my goal here is to play about the same, but perhaps less tables at a time...I want to take TWO HOURS a week, playing ONE game and actually analyze each and every hand, and take the time to compare it to all I have learnrd here. It doesnt sound like much, but it won't be easy...THINK MORE....

Goal---8PTBB/100 over 20K hands at 100NL.... 200NL full time after that...I have played a little bit more 200, and starting to get comfortable...

Omaha---I am probably a break-even player here, but it seems like I could kill this game down the road...I will play more and post more..I will get PTO later today and start paying more attention....

GOAL---nothing specific here-just want to learn more...

I am a pretty good tournament player...I have not won anything worth noting in quite awhile, so---

GOAL---play at least one decent sized MTT per week...

more tourney stuff---last year I really messed up and did not play all the WCOOP qualifiers that I should have. I have a ton of points...

GOAL---that will NOT happen again-play more of 'em

and---

GOAL---I will do the CJ challenge once every 2 weeks, starting at the 50s...Damn that was fun!!

GOAL---purchase one poker book per month

I have more, but I have a few things to do...



It has been a hella year overall---

Bankroll (AKA "retirement fund"

Mar 1st---600
Apr 1st---885
May 1st---1197
June 1st---2022
July 1st---1896
Aug 1st---2050 (+/-)
Sept 1st---2673
Oct 1st---3600 +/-
Nov 1st---4425
Dec 1st---4100
Dec 31st---5750

Not too bad for an old guy...

Just to keep it clean---

Jan 1st, 2006---5000K

and off we go---

GL all

Just a quick weekly update---

Bankroll (AKA "retirement fund"

Mar 1st---600
Dec 31st---5750

I finally took out a few bucks (monitor)

No more withdrawls till 10,000...

Jan 1st, 2006---5000K

Jan 1 to Jan 7----
1500 +/- hands (lazy)

1/2 LIMIT---(cryptos)---<27>
50 NL---(Party)---<108>
100 NL---(crypto)--- +303
1/2 7 stud---(crypto)---<22>
tournaments---(stars)--- +26
bunuses---+135

Weekly total--- +307

Not too bad for not playing much, but gettin' my ass kicked tonight!! One of them things---All my CB's are getting called in 2 spots, and I havent hit the flop in a hour...Oh well...

Not too much exciting lately in the poker world...I am just grinding away (as usual) at the various sites depending on my mood. Martins has been taking up most my time, and I changed to LIMIT there as those games seems much softer than the NL; it may be just the way I am running, but the 100NL is horribly passive with very few fish---I was not even coming close to getting paid off on my big hands, let alone stack anyone. The LIMIT games have been pretty good so far, and a pretty easy clear for the bonus.

I played a little at Paradise a day or 2 ago---A little 3 table 50NL as I have more pending over there as well...I picked up a few bucks...

All in all, it has been a decent start to the new year

Bottom line is---
I have made some money playing...
I have made bonus money...

I have played VERY well in 3 tourneys, but no love when needed..
10+1 Stars 328/1377
10+1 Stars 593/1032
20+2 Stars (180 seat SNG) 19th (bubble boy)

One thing I have in my favor in these things is---I absolutely don't give a shit about getting my money back or "squeezing" into the money!! I have bubbled so many times it is truly sick, but I want chips for the final table...That's where the money is...Now IF these were some BIGGER tourneys, I am not sure I could be quite so philosophical...

I made some soda bread yesterday afternoon (it is a bread without yeast) and it was great...It went nicely with the rabbit in a mustard sauce that I prepared later on in the evening...

cocktails!!!