Random Updates...

FCP Protege

First of all, I managed to squeak into the Seat 1 Semi-final for the FCP Protege contest. I got pretty lucky at least once, but I'm still pretty proud of myself. Managing to qualify while playing at home with the kids up is a pretty big deal :)

The way it breaks down is I'll play a 40 player tourney at 11 am PST on Sunday the 29th with the first place player getting the first seat at the protege final table. I'm not sure of the value of being at the final table (at least $4K in tournament entry equity, a trip to play it, possibly other perks). So I've got maybe $100 in equity -- really just being in the running for the big competition is priceless (1:400 chance!). The experience of being the Protege would be so cool -- I was telling my wife about it (she wasn't as excited because me winning would mean more travel and her getting stuck with the kids). She summed it up best when she said "... really it is just for you". Yeah, she's right. It is for me, damn it. Whatever, the chance of winning is slim, but at least I have that hope -- that is worth a lot to me.

There's also a pretty cool consolation prize -- an FCP hockey jersey with my username on it for the top 10. I've been debating if I should adjust my strategy to increase the chance of getting a jersey -- I don't think so. I think, since the trip is so cool, I should just go for broke and aim for #1.

Poker Reality

It is increasingly being pounded into my head that poker is great as a passtime, but it sucks if you do it for a living. The swings are so rough and it really is difficult to pull out a good winning rate after you leave the kiddy tables (which is $25 NL or .5/1 online). I've been putting in a decent number of hours trying to burn bonuses (which amounts to maybe 10-15 /wk with the family and such) and it is wearing on me. Obviously, I'll still keep doing it since we need the money (which I'm easily clearing from bonuses even though my bankroll has been stagnant). I don't think I'll be working towards a pro poker career though. I'm really realizing I have some major (personality) shortcomings for poker and I'm not sure if I can get past that ceiling that the limitations impose. More on that later...

At this point though, I think I should slowly work towards poker being a hobby I do 5-10 hours a week (or less). As long as I enjoy it, I'll keep doing it.

Another thing I'm trying to focus on is letting the losses and wins not get to me so much. I've gotten a lot better in this respect but I can still feel the tilt creeping in after a few losing sessions.

The Big Tourney

So Brian is organizing a satellite to the $2K Shooting Star event again this year with a $250 buy-in. While it's a huge chunk of my bankroll (something like 17%) I've decided to do it -- mostly, I think I'll regret it more if I don't. One of my goals back when I had a tiny bankroll was just to have the money to play things like this.

Assuming he can find a location for it, it's a great tourney to play with big stacks and long rounds. Last year I played it (as a stand-in for someone who couldn't make it) and got third. This year there should be a little money for second, plus all players get between 1-5% of the winner. I'm not expecting a lot from myself, but I will use it as a learning experience. The $2k event itself is awesome -- limited to 200 players, each table gets a 'star' (semi-well-known pro) with a $1000 bounty on their head. Last year a lot of the big name pros backed out, but Rob played it and we came down and watched a little bit. He even played at Dan Harrington's table before he busted.