I really lost focus the past weekend. I had fun though going out both Friday and Saturday night. I put in a 4.5 hour session Sunday and that was the only poker. I lost almost -$200, running under $200 in EV. My 3-bet % was around 4%, which is good for me. Especially good considering I was playing full buy in some, and limp re-raising some as well. I was going to put in 3 or 4 more hours later, but a boycott was going on at the 100NL tables making them unplayable. Players were taking up seats and sitting out to screw games. I got the feeling that the only parties impacted by this were regulars and the casual player looking for a game. The casual players probably went elsewhere, so really it only screwed the regulars. I’m sure Pokerstars really didn’t care all that much. When players couldn’t find a game they probably just played tournaments or another format.
That being said I understood the point of the boycott and found it commendable that player’s united and did express their outrage. I won’t get into the entire story, but I know Stars raised the rake tremendously on French players due to some legislation by their government. I’m pretty sure Stars released another version that French players will be forced to play on. I think Italy might be approaching the same boat. If these boycotts were done on a larger scale I think Pokerstars would be forced to take notice. No I did not participate in the boycott I’m already doom-switched enough. I logged out and chose the path of avoidance like a coward. I really wasn’t caught up on the issues enough to decide if I should participate. The boycotting players really didn’t do a good job of explaining what the hell they were doing. People would ask something like: “Why the hell are you sitting out?” I didn’t see anyone appropriately explain the situation and people were very confused. If the Russians were forced to play on their own rake-increased platform I certainly wouldn’t complain, they need to gtfo. That would be a hilarious day!
If anything I think this shows the uncertainty of relying on online poker for a living. I’d recommend at least getting a degree if you haven’t already. One can never have enough back up plans. The poker boom is over and when stuff like this goes down it really has to make players even more concerned. This does not just affect France and Italy. This affects online poker as a whole. This could set a nightmare example in Europe: how a government should deal with the “problem” of “online gambling”. This could also spread to other regions of the world. Even in the U.S the future of online poker is not a safe of bet.
I’m going to write a few quick goals to try to keep myself focused during the long week. By the start of next Monday I would have liked to:
1) Completed all 5 days at the day job last week. Just do it, just another check for future plans.
2) Worked out at least twice in addition to tennis.
3) Cleared at least 5,000 more VPPs.
4) Looked at rent prices in Brigantine City during the week. Get a feel for the cost.
5) Scheduled a vacation. For the weekend of the 23rd, 30th, or Aug 6th. I need something to look forward to.
6) Resumed and completed some sweat session studies.
7) Deposited the next $600 installment online. That will be $1,800 out of the 3,000 total I wanted to get in this month.
8) Not drank or gone out wasting a night. I had enough fun last weekend; it’s time to get focused for a week.
9) Come really close to hitting Supernova.
10) Ran EV for one fucking session during the last week. Just ONE please.
And while I’m playing sessions remember:
1) DON'T TILT. Stay focused no matter what happens. It's a war not a single battle. Nothing in the past affects or has any influence on the current sessions taking place.
2) Keep the VPIP and PFR up.
3) Focus on expanding your 3-bet % pre whenever an ++EV situation arises.
4) Religiously focus on weak players and attack with full buy-ins when necessary.
5) Record situations where you're not 100% sure, go back and analyze later.
-bag