Tuesday, January 03, 2006

New Years Resolutions (part 31)

Everyone have a good holidays by getting their Christkwanzkah on? I finally got the rest I sorely needed since a weekend of praying to Loki and the porcelain gods in Vegas. Now it’s back to the cubes for “regular” life as I was met with a flood of work while turning on my email browser this morning.

Does anyone look back at what they wrote in for resolutions last year? Do you make such resolutions? Have you ever felt your lunch that you brought to work today is inadequate, tossed it, and then bought lunch instead? Good money management skillz I have.

Let’s see if I followed through on last year’s garble of promises:

1) Spend more time with Little Drizz and wife. Check, in fact I spent so much time with the wife I got her knocked up again! Maybe I should go back to playing poker and MMORPGs for six hours a night to prevent more tax deductions from being spawned.

2) Go Back to School. This one has been discussed thoroughly and will have to go on the back burner as spawn #2 is on his/her way and will take up the majority of our free time for most of the year.

3) Learn More About Poker. Between blogs, books, babes, and bulletin boards, I’ve read more poker knowledge then I ever studied while getting my A.S. degree in Business Management. Do any schools offer a bachelor’s degree in Check-raising PartyPoker chumps? Or a masters’ in Omaha flush card blocking raises (I’m still getting the necessary credits for that one).

4) Playing Poker When I’m Ready To. This one I greatly improved. Not entering tournaments that I’m not ready to play, or cannot finish due to other obligations. No more opening up more tables when the wife says she’s ready for her 15 seconds of heaven. The bloggers still get me to stay up way too late… but I can sleep when I’m six feet under.

5) Meet the Bloggers IRL. I vaguely recall being in Vegas twice this year and seeing a dwarf, a hippy, a GQ model, a princess, and a genius. Can’t wait till next time guys.

6) Win Another MTT But Learn to Play Ring Games Better. Funny how things change over the course of a year. I actually used to think I was a decent tournament player, and while I did have a couple of final table appearance, I did not win a MTT. The majority (if not all) of my profits come while playing ring games, and tournaments are seen more for their entertainment value. If I cash in a tourney, great, I get my entertainment paid for. Much like going to the bar and hitting a $100 pull-tab winner, or winning a bar poker tourney and receiving a paid bar tab. Or going to a strip club and seeing someone you went to school with and receiving a lap dance (literally) on her.

Except for the school thing, I’d say 2005 was a success. I’ve moved up to $2/$4 and $3/$6 limit and $1/$2 no-limit/pot-limit tables regularly. I acquired not one but two poker trophies. The laptop (obtained over the weekend) is the second coolest thing I’ve purchased evah (nothing beats the iPod of course). While lounging on the couch I managed to watch “The Weakest Link”, and play along on GSN.com, eat some Leeann Chin’s (orange chicken, fried rice, and cream cheese wantons if you’re wondering) and cashed in a PLO8 MTT tourney on Stars yesterday. It was much more comfortable then being in the cold basement where I have to make a choice on freezing my hands or feet from the placement of the space heater.

Being a taskmaster and goal setter, I’m looking to fail miserably at the follow things in 2006:

1) Move up to the highest PLO8 tables on Stars: This one is tough, since even the lower limits are riddled with “regulars” and make the games fairly tight.

2) Re-learn to play limit poker: Even though I’d find more pleasure in eating lutefisk naked with Walter Mathieu in an unheated ice fishing house on Lake Vermillion, limit poker is the bread and butter of the poker world despite what’s shown on TV. The big bet games may dry up in the future so learning limit will be critical to those who love this hobby. I’ve been dabbling in the $2/$4 and $3/$6 LO8 games with mild success, while donating in the $3/$6 LHE games. I’d like to move up to $5/$10 by the end of the year.

3) Win a MTT and/or Bust a Pro at Full Tilt: I like poker trophies, so getting one of those “I Busted _______ “ t-shirts from Full Tilt is definitely on the agenda for 2006.

4) Read and Re-read Poker Library: I’m about 1/4th of the way through SSII, having read a dozen other books in 2005. I’d like to read more into the psychological side of poker and thru past posts I have several suggestions from fellow bloggers and readers to follow up on.

5) Play in the 2006 WSOP LO8 tourney: The dear and patient wife has given the green light to play (she never ceases to amaze me) and will be escorting me to the Rio should my bankroll be able to take the hit. I’ve heard of potentially asking people to back me, and I’m sure there would be several kind people to do so. I’ll need to discuss with a few experts before seeking backers.

6) Come up with a name for the new spawn: Drizzette has too much of a double penetration porn queen sound to it. Like Wyatt’s name, I’m sure it will become clear before the baby checks in to our world.

7) Get Together With the Minnesota Mafia and Raid Canterbury: Being the least mobile of the group this will depend on the others to pick up my gimpy ass to go check-raise some ice fisherman off his pair and runner-runner flush draw. Maybe steal some poker magazines while there if Chad doesn’t take them all first.

8) Teach Little Drizz the art of the curve ball: If he chooses to play sports, I’ll be there to teach.

Thanks for dropping by, now check out Wil’s tourney tonight at Stars as there’s a prize within a prize for winning.

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