jechtsphere

After spending the entire day working on code I’m pretty tired. It wasn’t something I planned on doing today, but I got started and something screamed solve me. It took me a lot longer than I would like, but I learned a few valuable things along the way.

I had intended to take the morning off to wait for a package to be delivered but it ended up coming really early, so I could have had a full schedule for grinding. Unfortunately I felt drained yesterday and had been looking forward to a day off, so I stuck with that.

After I set my new monitors up and got everything just how I want it for poker, I decided to poke around some of the code I’ve been working on. Then I decided I wanted to dedicate an hour or two to a specific function. Now, over 12 hours later, I’ve basically got the shell of what I wanted. The joys of learning as you go.

The function should save me time in the future for reviewing, as well as be valuable as a fleshed out idea I can implement when I begin working on a larger tool with several functionalities.

I’ve also finished Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire; let the waiting begin. I want to move right on into more books I have piled up, but after today I feel the reads I need to be doing are Python focused. So many things to read, so many games to play…

Over the past few months I’ve been slowly working away at a few Python scripts to make reviewing hand histories less of a hassle. Things are coming together nicely, the idea of sitting down to review a few games doesn’t seem as daunting when the first few minutes aren’t spent loading all the various tools I need. It’s actually becoming very routine.

Creating my own tools is something I wish I had been doing much earlier for poker. I likely could have saved myself a lot of time over the years.

Making the tools I currently use work together seamlessly has been a very effective method for improving my review experience. I’m considering broadening the scope of what I want to do with these tools, so I may soon move away from simple Python scripts toward a more interfaced tool. Ideally I see myself with one tool for the job rather than having to load 2-3 tools for one focus: reviewing. I feel an all in one tool can only improve the process further. It’s something I look forward to working on over the next several months.

Coming off a week hiatus back to the tables today, booked almost 7.5 hours. I’m rusty, so reviewing is of the utmost importance at a time like this. My intention is to find focus by forcing myself to be committed to getting things done through planning, goals. It’s worked in the past, so I’ll make it work again. It’s a lifestyle, really, getting shit done.

After having taken off nearly two months and coming back to poker with the intent of giving Supernova Elite another run for all it has to offer, now and in the future, I must concede defeat and admit this isn’t happening this year. Between SNG restructuring, the US market being pulled out from under everyone’s feet, and my inability to find my grind gear for two months during the summer, I’ve let the opportunity slip through my grasp. Rather than reach the one million landmark I now only see myself sliding safely into 500k, with the possibility of 600k although even that has a bleak outlook.

I’m torn, but not broken. Mostly because the final straw that broke the back of the operation was of my own volition. I chose to take such an extended period of time away from the tables. I couldn’t control PokerStars’ awful decision to alter the games so drastically directly after losing such a significant player market, but I was able to control the way I reacted to that change, and I chose poorly. I’ll take it as a learning experience and look to use the remainder of the year to amass what I can through more concentrated efforts at the tables.

Poker was never something I anticipated I could use to support myself until the end of my days. I did, however, anticipate it enabling me to launch other opportunities with the spare money and free time it could afford me. Unfortunately I never worked as hard on my game as I should have, repeatedly becoming complacent with my ongoing profit and never giving great consideration to when, not if, the games would become much more difficult.

The only thing I can do now is own up to all of these facts and do my best going forward. They’re life lessons that will carry over into anything I choose to do in the future.

What I choose to do in the future regarding poker is become more study oriented. I want to become good, rather than just good enough to abuse poor players. I want to become the player at the table other regulars learn to fear.

Just wrapped up the first of what will certainly be multiple plays of Deus Ex Human Revolution. Had a really great time playing through this title. I played on the hard setting (titled Give Me Deus Ex) and didn’t find it incredibly difficult, though I do anticipate enjoying the second play more due to a deeper understanding of the stealth aspects. Although my second play I may run through with the intention of decimating everything that moves so I can explore every nook at a free pace. Eventually I want to do the pacifist/no alarm run however.

If you’re on the fence about grabbing this one, don’t be. It’s a title packed with lots of different things for many play styles and a world enriched with detailed background information, all driven by a compelling story supported by interesting characters. Good for an easy 30-40 hours, many more for those sick with completionism.

A poker related post tomorrow.

I’m feeling as though I should be transitioning heavily away from cards, which leaves me with plenty to consider. Running out and getting some low-end job isn’t an appealing idea and I’m not qualified on paper to pursue anything with respectable pay at this time.

So my intent is to find a decent avenue in poker, something that will slow the drain on my savings while I find a way to diversify my earnings. The first thing I’m gonna try out is MTT SNGs. Having basically only ever played SNGs it will be the least transitional effort.

The plan is to put in three 10 hour days a week while using the other four days to teach myself to program. I’m currently working on learning Python and having a surprisingly good time with it. If it weren’t for the nagging fact I’ll need an income sooner rather than later I’d completely throw myself to the coding.

I was never completely pleased with the way I had to review poker across several tools, so one thing I’d like to do is create a single tool for the entire review process. If I’m able to satisfy my own review needs in a more concentrated tool I’m confident others will find value in it as well.

I’ve also been gaming at Call of Duty MW2 a bit more again. I haven’t played regularly for months. I want to get my skill up for when MW3 comes out in November. It’s been fun so far, just a handful of matches a day.

Things aren’t looking good for the SNE pursuit.

The games I’ve been counting on (since DoNs were pulled in February) have become incredibly difficult since PokerStars changed the buyins. I’m sure it wasn’t entirely due to the buyin alteration, but I feel it was definitely one of many catalysts. Combined with Black Friday and Full Tilt Poker not paying the entire US market, consumer confidence is likely at an all time low for online poker.

In addition, not only had many regulars likely already parted ways with Full Tilt in favor of PokerStars, once Full Tilt’s license was officially revoked the byproduct is further loss of consumer confidence and a further influx of regulars to PokerStars.

My anticipation is this results in recreational player confidence dropping off significantly. Those not scared off will tend to be regulars of varying degrees of skill and pure degenerates. Unfortunately I also feel the regulars of varying skill will continue to vastly outnumber dead money. We are left with increasingly difficult games.

Not only will games be increasingly difficult, the loss of the US market combined with decreased recreational player confidence is likely to be an incredible shock to the online poker ecosystem in terms of volume. This will effect certain formats more than others. I’ve already bore witness to this effect at my own format of choice, and it was already once of the more popular SNG formats.

Poker is and always will be a game where one must change gears to capitalize on situations. I feel this applies just as much to the ecosystem we’re playing in as it does to table conditions. Starting the year, pursuing SNE made perfect sense. After all of the obstacles that have been thrown our way, I no longer feel it is the best option for me. It’s a decision I’ve not arrived at lightly and has certainly left me feeling exposed to the uncertainty of my own future.

With the acceptance that my main game has seemingly slipped through my grasp I’ve been incredibly aimless with my time. I’ve been channeling my energy into working on things outside of poker, but questioning the next pursuit of money is never further than the back of my mind.

While I’m confident I can parlay the personal growth and funds I’ve achieved through poker into a new path for myself, it will take time. In the interim I’d still like to use poker for further growth in both areas. It’s a new ecosystem, there will assuredly be avenues. Opportunities are already presenting themselves as online sites vie for the open market share Full Tilt’s absence has inevitably created.

I will find a lane. It may be a new SNG format choice or a complete transition to cash. Time and effort will reveal what’s right for me. In the meantime, I have to rake another $500 or so on PokerStars to release my next bonus. By that time I will have a more concrete idea of what my next game of choice will be. Until then I will try out various formats while putting in the $500 rake.

Despite my best intentions I still feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels. I finally have a rather empty week after today. I’m hoping I can really start to apply some pressure and start putting this blueprint in place.

I started yesterday having a really great couple of sessions at the $30 level. Then I proceeded to play terrible while deciding to take a shot at the $60s, losing back everything and more on the day. Surprisingly the vast majority of the losses were at the $30 level, I only lost slightly more than one buyin at the $60s. I just lost focus during the session.

I posted a winner during my first session today, recouping myself about back to even where I started the day yesterday. I have the drive to put in another 5 hours or so but I’m going to the movies tonight so I probably won’t get the chance. Think I’ll just take it easy after the movie and play a bit of The Withcer and come back fresh to the grind tomorrow.

I’ve been jogging a lot lately, between 2-3 miles a day. I did 3 yesterday but when I went today I had no drive to push the envelope and came home after only 1.25 miles. I might take the day off from running tomorrow, think my legs might need a break.

I’m really hoping I can start putting distractions aside and really get down to business with the grind again, I’ve got this hunger to put a real dent in the VPP requirement. I’m considering grinding out enough to take a shot at $200NL, because I’m really not sure the $60 and $100 level of the Fifty50s are going to be enough to propel me where I need to be… we’ll see.

For now the focus is putting in enough games at the $30s to get my next 250k FPP bonus. It’s about 9 full grind days away. I’d like to nail it down no later than 10 days. At that point I may start mixing $60s and $100s and see how things go. Depending on a few days results of doing that I may continue or jump back down to $30s with the intentions of grinding out another chunk of cash to start $200NL with.

All I can do is adjust to whatever I need to achieve this goal.

The laptop I ordered didn’t get processed in a timely manner and, since Monday is a holiday here and I won’t be home next Friday, I decided to cancel the order. I didn’t want to have to run out to the depot to pick it up, so I’m just gonna reorder it when it can be delivered while I’m here. Why Newegg doesn’t have rush processing in Canada is beyond me, but it’s partly my own fault for not considering express next day shipping so it would arrive even if they processed it slow.

I’m still not sleeping on a great schedule, but it’s starting to come around again. I was on a great system in April and the first week of May. Taking a break always seems to crush that. Easy to break, tough to fix.

Despite working around awkward waking hours I’ve managed to book around 8 hours since I last posted, not counting the 4 hours in the PokerStars Supernova+ $1,000,000 Freeroll. I’m up at my grind games and I came in the top 350 out of some 3000 runners to place in the money in the Freeroll, TT < 66 on a great turned board when the chips got all the way in. No regrets on that.

PokerStars made some changes to the Fifty50 buy-ins again, and changes to all SNG buy-ins as a whole. Positive changes overall this time I think, although I would have still loved to see the rake come down more than it did.

With the winnings I’ve accrued since leaving myself $500 online I’ve been able to move from the 5s to the newly instated 15s, and I’m well on my way to taking a shot at 30s. My intent is to grind enough to be there by the end of the month.

The overextended break I didn’t anticipate taking this month is going to reign some hell on getting on pace, but I still have no question I’m gonna knock SNE out the park. Once I’m at the 60s and 100s I’m not letting up til I break the 50% mark, and then it will be the briefest of breaks. With the new 200 level I can make up some lost ground when my roll is sitting extra comfortable later.

Looking forward to achieving a better balance than I’m in right now. I feel it coming. Always a process.