I have been getting this question a lot lately. It’s nice to know people are thinking about me and I’m happy to say that I’m doing just fine. So where have I been anyway? Well I have been focusing on two things this month – kids going back to school and cash games. With the kids back in school I have had some changes to my schedule and have not had as much time for MTTs. So instead I have been playing more cash games (primarily $200NL or 1/2NL depending on your naming preference.) When I am playing the cash games, I tend not to log onto AIM or Skype since I really can’t chat as easily as I can during an MTT.

I also realize that I haven’t made a new video this month. The reason for this is two fold. One – I haven’t been playing many MTTs at all so I have less content to work with than usual. Two – I don’t really know what kind of video to make next. There does not seem to be much discussion about the previous video series I have done so I’m just not sure if it makes sense to keep making videos. Several people have suggested I put together a lecture series or set of courses on MTT play but that would be very time consuming and I just not sure I could do it without charging an additional pay per view type fee. I guess I’m not really sure how best to help people as an instructor at the moment. If you have ideas, please let me know.

Also, for those of you still looking for one on one poker instruction, I am sorry to say that I am not taking on any new students at the present time. I will continue to serve my past and present students and if my schedule opens up, I will let everyone know.

Good luck at the tables!

- Mark

Goal setting is very important – not only in poker but in life. With summer winding down, I have been thinking about what else I hope to accomplish in poker this year. One thing I have been doing lately is re-working my cash game which up until now has not made me much money at all. I don’t know what my problem was in the past but this time around it seems to be going much better. I have been trying to develop a plan for each player at my table based on their style/history rather than playing the same way vs every player. I have also been working much harded on table selection – sometimes choosing not to sit at all if I can’t find a good table.

I have only logged 12k hands so far this month, but I feel very different this time around. I have a lot more confidence in what I want to accomplish during each hand. I’m sure I have a lot to learn but one of my goals is to keep improving my cash game each month through the end of the year.

Unfortunately, this focus on cash games has me playing fewer MTTs so far this month. I think I’ve only played like 12 total so far this month. The good news is I did take down the $50 single rebuy on Pokerstars and also took 4th place in the $50 rebuy on Full Tilt. Obviously, September is off to a very good start. I still hope to have another 5 figure MTT score before the end of the year as well. I will have to find a way to balance my time between MTTs and cash games for the rest of the month/year.

So with the changing seasons upon us, ask yourself what else you want to accomplish this year. Then create a plan and get it done!

- Mark