My first three vids are up on Pokerxfactor and the reactions have been very positive so far. I know there will be some negative reactions as well since you can’t please everyone all the time but it really feels good to get PMs from people you don’t even know telling you how you have helped them out!! I have this idea in my head for a video series that I really need to work out because I think it would be really cool and unlike a lot of the other stuff out there.  Hopefully that will be one of my summer projects…

My kids and I are thinking about getting a dog.  They have been asking for a while now and it’s been over a year since I had to have our cat put down due to illness.  Did some scouting on www.petfinder.com and found 5 or 6 dogs that might be a good fit for us.  I’m planning on going to see my top choice on Saturday to see if the kids and the dog get along.

I think getting the dog is actually another good step in my life after divorce.  Honestly, I am not sure if I have really done anything in the last three years that wasn’t just focused on the present.  Getting a dog is a big commitment and I am ready to start making those commitments again. You only have one shot at this thing called life so you have to do everything you can to make the most of it.

The kids were on spring break this week so I tried to do as many fun things with them as possible.  Poker allows me to set my own hours and it is at times like this that I wonder how I will ever go back to a normal job.  I mean we went out to dinner, went to the movies, played outside all day, went to a birthday party, had a few sleepovers and went for some homemade ice cream.  I can honestly say that I don’t think a lot of Dads  are able to do all that when their kids are off from school but I love that I can.

I recently downloaded the latest albums from Counting Crows and One Republic on iTunes.  Both are great but seeing as Counting Crows is one of my all time favorites, I’d have to give them the nod here.  The download also included a video interview with Adam breaking down the thoughts behind each song.  That was really cool although I found it a little sad that someone as successful as he has been can’t seem to find happiness in this world.  He’s in his forties, single and says he doesn’t really relate well to people. Life is too short bro….

Watched the new Lost last night.  After such a long break between episodes, I think I would have been happy with anything they put into the episode even if it was crappy.  However, I think this was a very solid episode. I won’t reveal any spoilers here but I was impressed!

Picked up the Harrington on Cash books at the store earlier this week.  I know a lot of players don’t think poker books are really worth it once you have a lot of experience but I have always enjoyed reading them and I think I’ve taken at least one thing from every one that I have read. It got me motivated to play some cash anyway and I booked two small winning sessions so far.  I’ll have to try and get more hands played each month (especially in a month like this when tournaments are just killing me.)

Been getting re-focused on exercise again and it feels really good. Walking 2-3 miles plus weights and crunches afterwards. This can only help my poker game as being phyically fit has always helped me stay mentally focused.  It’s really sad that I let myself fall off the exercise wagon so easily when the kids started school in the fall. I can’t let that happen again.

I think that’s it for now, my next post will be more poker related I promise.

- Mark

It was one year ago that I woke from my bed as a man without a real job. I was not exactly sure where my journey would take me when I left the corporate world behind but I knew the timing was right. I had spent enough time feeling underutilized and unimportant, I had enough money saved, I had enough leads for other lines of work, and of course there was this thing called poker that I could not stop thinking about.

I really didn’t think that I was going pro – I was just hoping I could make enough money from poker plus some of these other lines of work that I would be able to maintain the lifestyle I wanted for myself and my children. Well, those other things I was thinking of doing never happened and poker quickly took center stage. Only once over the last year did I really worry that I couldn’t make it and that I might have to start pumping out resumes looking for a traditional job. But luckily that never happened and I am happy to say that I am still in love, still learning, still passionate, and still moving forward with poker.

For those that don’t take the game seriously, poker is something to do. It is a night out with friends. It is drinking a few beers. It is enjoying a good cigar. For a poker player, it is a lifestyle. It’s a way of thinking. It’s looking at all the options before making a decision and choosing the path that is best for you. It is very much more than a game – it is a way of living and looking at the world. Poker and life have so many similarities that becoming good at one can certainly help you become better at the other.

I would say that it has been a good year. It has not been easy. There were good times and bad times but through it all I grew stronger, I learned, I persevered, and I moved forward. I am better today than I was yesterday but not as good as I hope to be tomorrow.

- Mark

PS I wouldn’t change a thing!

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I hate when I second guess myself into making a bad play. I have been playing this game long enough that I really need to trust my instincts every single time I play. I mean I trust my instincts most of the time I play but I swear that 10-20% that I doubt my first reaction has probably cost me over $20k in prize money! And the strange part is I’ll usually say something to myself like “well if he raises me here, I’m done with this hand.” But then I start to think too long and too hard and decide to go with the losing play of calling or re-rasing when my gut tells me not to do it. If you have been in this same situation then you can relate to what I’m saying. Correcting it is the harder part.

(By the way, if you don’t believe me about this gut reaction thing, then I suggest you pick up Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book, they look at situations where people are able to predict many things with only minimal observation becasue they have such strong experience in an area that they are almost able to make correct decisions in the blink of an eye. It is an interesting book and one that every poker playe should read.)

So how do we correct the problem?

Step 1 – I now have a post-it on my computer that reads “TRUST YOURSELF.” Hopefully the visual cue will at least keep the thought top of mind.

Step 2 – trying to figure out where the doubt comes from in those moments and eliminating it.

Step 3 – re-reading parts of Your Worst Poker Enemy by Alan Schoonmaker (another book I recommend) especially the chapter on destructive emotions.

We will see what happens next………the journey continues!!