Black Card Status & Getting Longer Sessions In
Black Card Status achieved.
Bit of a modest brag:
Cool stuff. Basically, Black Card status means about as much as a hill of beans unfortunately, but it shows that I'm getting volume in and it was a goal of mine to hit, which I have. I do plan to get this up to 1k a day average but that's going to take quite a while. For now, I'll just continue grinding it out.
Getting Longer Sessions In
I've fallen into a terrible habit of playing 30-40 minute sessions ... and sometimes I am sad to admit just 20 minutes, playing full ring rush poker. It's terrible but there are things that start to happen that prevent me from thinking I could play more. They are:
- Thinking "Hey i'm up 1-2 buy-ins lets just book this a win!" and quitting
- Thinking "Ahhh noooo I lose 1-2 buy-ins lets just take a quick break" and quitting
- At the 20 minute mark thinking I am feeling tired
- Getting thirsty/hungry or thinking I have to go to the bathroom
I have come to realize it's a real roadblock right now. Somewhere in the back of my mind these things always come up at the 20 minute mark. I saw BW play and saw him put in what turned out to be a 250+ minute session which got me thinking about what the longest session I played in 2010 was ... and I looked in my DB and it turned out to be 113 which was actually higher than I thought it would be.
So - when I saw that yesterday I decided I was going to break that record right here and now. So I did some work super early and blocked off 2 hours which also covered my lunch hour. I plowed through two straight hours and documented some of the following sensations:
- 20 minute mark = regular "panic" type of thing happening
- 30 minute mark = thinking I was 25% done and I had such a long way to go
- 40 minute mark = felt good, like I had finally gotten into a groove
- 90 minute mark = really started to feel super tired and realized it was 75% done
- 120 minute mark = felt extremely excited that I had achieved my goal and at the same time was extremely wary from such a long session
Notice something interesting? I had something go through my head strong enough that I documented it at the 20, 30 and 40 minute marks ... but then nothing from the 40 to the 90 minute marks. I think I found a bit of a groove period, like the first 30 minutes of the session are essentially a warm-up and "getting used to the temperature of the water" type of feeling. From 40 to 90 minute marks, I was great and playing and doing just fine. Very interesting!
Also, I tried this experiment playing 50nl which is well below the stakes I play nowadays. I had fun, was running bad and then got KK in against AA for the second time but binked a K on the river which I have to admit forced me to insta-fist-pump! I made 5 buy-ins which was really nice, and I am sure a bit high for what I could expect if I grinded 50nl full time lol.
Anyways, it was great to have a new "longest session" for the year and have it beat the one I had for 2010. I'm going to try to make it a goal to really set time aside during the day or night and really "see it through" and try to get in 70-80 minute sessions. That way I'm well past my "groove" period and do not hit that "wall of fatigue" at the 90 minute mark.
read moreNFL Playoff Predictions
NFL Playoff Predictions
I do this every year. Normally I get the Super Bowl winner right and the rest wrong. Let’s see how it goes this year!
New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
A rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game where the Jets overachieved to get there but lost out. This year it’s the Colts that overachieved due to a sick number of injuries to get in via a fairly weak division. This one is hard to call since Peyton Manning always kills the Jets and Mark Sanchez has been playing sooooo bad lately. I really want to pick the Jets. I really do. Okay, I will.
Prediction: New York Jets 24 , Indianapolis Colts 17
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Many people think the Seahawks are the worst playoff team this year. That’s probably the case but the Chiefs are a sham that aren’t far behind. The Ravens have had a Super Bowl hype all season long and I think they absolutely steamroll the Chiefs in a low scoring but non-contest of a game.
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens 20, Kansas City Chiefs 3
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
Both these teams have sentimental meaning for me, but obviously I’m a big Saints homer sporting my Drew Brees jersey all through last year’s playoffs. Although I don’t believe that the Saints can put it together for another run, it’s hard to think that they lose this one. Remember, Seattle is one tough place to play so I think this will be closer than most think it will be.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints 27, Seattle Seahawks 24
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
In the pre-season I said Packers vs Ravens … unfortunately a slew of injuries have devastated Green Bay and I really don’t like their chances. However, you have to wonder if Packers LB Matthews lays Michael Vick out early that it might swing the entire balance of the game. Philly played terrible in their last two games which sucks because I was all over their bandwagon this season. This one is tough to figure out but Philly just seems to be one of those special teams … assuming their stars can stay healthy.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Green Bay Packers 16
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SECOND ROUND
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Wow. This is going to be a real slobberknocker of a game, in Pitt in the cold of January. I might just have to wear a cup to even watch this one. Baltimore beat the Steelers without Big Ben early, then totally blew it in the rematch. The Steelers will be rested and ready and the Ravens will be exposed as a good, but not great, playoff team.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 14, Baltimore Ravens 10
New York Jets at New England Patriots
I am still not sure about my Jets pick. But, I’ll go with it and if these two teams match up, I think New England will play well. You have to wonder about the Pats young defense and how they respond to a bye week. Just ask Charger fans how their team responded last year (hint: they crapped themselves in front of millions). That said I can’t imagine this one being close.
Prediction: New England Patriots 38, New York Jets 13
New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons
Maybe this is the one team that Atlanta doesn’t want to see in their first playoff home game this year. The Saints beat the Falcons only a few weeks ago, but unless some things chance for the Saints and they get everyone back healthy and Brees starts clicking again, I think the Falcons pull this one out.
Prediction: Atlanta Falcons 28, New Orleans Saints 20
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Why do I hate the Bears this season? There’s a perception around the league and sports columnists that nobody rove the wave of good fortune like the Bears did this year. I mean, they faced FOUR third string quarterbacks in games this year. When has THAT ever happened!? The Bears seemed to get every bounce, call and break during the regular season. What happens when Vick shows up? He runs around Chicago making it his personal playground. The Bears are “that team” this year to have a great regular season and fall flat on their faces in the playoffs. Bears fan, see Chargers fan on how to cope.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 26, Chicago Bears 17
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CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Wow, another great game coming from the AFC side of the world. The Steelers have a rich, proud tradition of killing everyone in the playoffs then getting killed by the Patriots. That tradition will continue as the game is being played in New England which helps the Pats, although the weather won’t really be a factor. Expect a close game though with some last minute heroics by Tom Brady to get the Pats back to the Super Bowl.
Prediction: New England Patriots 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons
It just seems like a lot of these games are destined to happen. Steelers vs Pats – again. Now … it’s time for Mike Vick to return where it all began in Atlanta. This is the matchup of his life against a good Falcons defense facing the fresh face of the franchise who replaced him when he screwed over their organization in Matt Ryan. There will definitely be battle lines drawn in the fan base for this one. Will Mike Vick redeem himself and play the game of his life to get the Eagles to the Super Bowl? Or will Matt Ryan shine through to prove that it’s his team, his city and that good can triumph in the end (assuming you think Vick is evil). Personally, I pick evil winning because good is dumb.
Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Atlanta Falcons 24
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SUPER BOWL
Philadelphia Eagles vs New England Patriots
A lot of people hate Mike Vick and I don’t blame them. I actually read the federal report on what he did. It was pretty horrible and although he did pay his debt to society and seems to be a man who wants to be redeemed, many can understandably root against him. On the other side, I don’t think there’s a team more despised than the Patriots in the NFL. Everyone outside of New England pretty much hates their guts and their pretty boy two-timing QB. The Super Bowl will be full of intrigue and this rematch should be pretty entertaining. But the Pats just look like their old selves this year, dominating their way in clutch fashion every single week.
Super Bowl Prediction: New England Patriots 34, Philadelphia Eagles 21
read more2010 Personal Recap
Alright, let's recap 2010.
Poker Wise
In January of 2010 I was playing 100nl 6-max on Full Tilt and the month before (Dec of 2009) things had gone well and the coaching I was getting from Clean was great. Unfortunately I fell flat on my face and went through what turned out to be the roughest stretch of my life by dropping 22 consecutive buy-ins. It devastated my bankroll and confidence and it took me months to recover both in terms of drive and confidence. I sputtered playing between stakes and games for the better part of six months and basically, my poker playing life was totally put on hold. Getting the job with Protos Marketing also had a hand in that, which started on April 1st (no joke) which really kept me busy, especially during the WSOP months.
In July I met up with Jared Tendler, who really fixed my brain and got me thinking in a healthy and constructive way again. If it wasn't for that meeting, I definitely think I would have quit playing poker for good. That was the turning point in the year for me and from there, I at least started logging hands again.
I had a successful run goofing around 4-tabling 50nl Full Ring Rush on FTP and then gave 100nl FR Rush a try and it went very poorly as I ran terrible and wasn't playing an A+ game either. Looking back though that 100nl FR Rush run was a really bad stretch of cards and something I should have stuck through, but I took a little break and came back and started winning again.
It was then I jumped (with a little help) into the 200nl FR Rush games at the beginning of November. The first 30k hands there were just brutal lol ... there was obviously a huge learning curve to deal with but at the same time I was going through another very difficult run of cards. Right at that 30k hand mark I then went from first gear to fifth gear and rallied in December to have the best month I've ever had - a new record. Confidence is good and it was nice seeing decent profits again ... but at the same time I have such a good appreciation for variance in this game.
Heading into 2011 I'm still playing through my 100k hands at 200nl FR Rush and will be clinching Black Card status in the next 10 days. I'm winning overall so far and seeing the game very well and recognizing what the regs are doing and countering it very well while at the same time optimally playing against the fish. There's still a ton to learn but I think my game has evolved two new levels up from where I started the year. I'm hoping to really establish myself at this level and game.
Poker Industry Career
I went from part-time writer to full time journalist in the industry I love so much. I met a ton of new pros, got to participate in a lot of cool events and got a first hand insider look at the WSOP. I even got to meet most of the November Nine when it was down to 27 making their journey a bit more special for me personally. I basically "lived the dream" for a lot of people by being able to eat, sleep, drink, think, write and talk poker for a living. I really owe a debt of gratitude to the guys behind Protos, specifically Mike Jackness, Nat Arem and Adam Small.
My work on Poker News Daily has been noticed by a lot of people and the comments I hear are all overwhelmingly positive. In an industry where pretty much everyone backstabs each other and everyone is quick to insult someone as soon as they leave the room, I've been pretty fortunate in my interactions in the industry.
The highlight was covering the WSOP in 2010 and the run to the November Nine. That was a special time for sure and also being caught by the ESPN cameras was kinda cool too. Maybe it'll be old hat and no big deal in 2011. However, if I am fortunate enough to continue through with what I do for the new year, I think as long as interesting and passionate people play the game, I'll be interested and passionate about covering the game they play.
Life
I don't exactly live an exciting personal life. I'm married, no kids. I continued to do a lot of charity and community work which was nice and something I'll continue to do in the new year. I think it'll be more of the same but you never know what life will throw at you. Sometimes you just duck from the fastball headed at your face while other times it'll throw you a softball down the middle that you can hit out of the park. Being in the batter's box just means you gotta be ready for whatever life might throw at you, even though that's pretty much impossible given the wide spectrum of possible outcomes.
So I wish the best of skill and mental health to you, the readers out there, in 2011. I don't have the capacity to wish you good luck, so sorry about that 
. Here's to hoping 2011 will be happier, healthier and more profitable!
Full Tilt Down
Full Tilt Poker down! Ahhh yes, it had been far too long since the last time their server/system crashed but it went down again around 3:40 p.m. pacific time today. Since I cover the poker industry I went to check to see if it was indeed down ...
So ya, that kinda proves that it is indeed down. I then double checked the Full Tilt Poker homepage, because they have a server status page to see what happened and when the system will be back up.
Wow, really guys?
Well, it only took 30 minutes but we finally have a message up. Never mind this happened right in the middle of peak hours today...
No Substantial Updates for a while …
Sorry guys. Some things are happening in both a professional and personal sense and I can't update my blog here until things are finalized. Stay tuned.
read moreDead Blogs, State of Poker and More
Again, sorry for not updating. I'll take this in small chunks.
Goodbye Dead Blogs
I've noticed that several of the blogs I had in my link blogroll section are dead, so you've been removed. I defined dead as the last update was back at the beginning of September. If you want your blog listed go to the contact page and send me a link. Obviously, I'll expect a link back from your blog to mine, but ask me first.
Which gets me on the topic of dead blogs. When I started playing three years ago everyone and their left nut had a poker blog. They posted updates, thoughts, graphs and videos. Now, it seems that all decent poker-theory blogs are dead. I still get emails from Ed Miller, which is kind of surprising since I haven't heard a peep from him at the tables in any capacity in years. Other blogs that I occasionally follow include Nat Arem's blog, Pauly's blog and occasionally the one from Leatherass9. But, sadly, as many of you know I like Dusty personally but he does tilt me to no end, so I stopped reading that one for now.
Maybe poker training sites are to blame because I see a lot of players blog there instead at blogspot or on their own WordPress blog. Whatever the case may be, I barely ever check my RSS reader anymore.
Poker ... Please?
I was real sad to hear that eWalletExpress got shut down, but hey, that was really only a matter of time. I think for Cake and Merge players it was the only way in the United States to get money on. Now ... who knows. The money situation of offloading or reloading is getting straight up ridiculous and it's beyond me how a recreational donk might do it here in the United States. Well, maybe they simply don't anymore. The word is that there's a very slim chance that the online poker portion of the legalized online gaming bill might be passed in lame duck, much the same way the UIGEA was sneaked in. I'd say the chances are slim. Sadly, we really might be looking at the crappiest days of online poker in history. I hope we can finally get through this soon.
The NAPT
The NAPT at The Bike was a lot of fun and that place was packed. I talked to a few pros I know and they all said what I was thinking and that the $5,000 Main Event there was as tough a field as any of us could think of for a live event. PokerStars did a great job making players feel welcome and did a bang up job taking care of the media as well. The food at the Bike, by the way, is absolutely awesome ... and CHEAP.
End of the Year Approaching
The end of 2010 is right around the corner and I'll have to look back at my goals for the beginning of the year to see how I did. I can say though that I am a colossal failure in the "playing poker" department as this year has been slightly above breakeven and my volume not even half of last year, which is really sad. However, I'll give life a big victory (so far!) since I was able to get a great job in the poker industry and have a lot of fun doing it. I think goals are important and that you should stick to them, but yearly goals are so hard to attain and figure out, especially in poker.
read moreWords of Wisdom
Sorry, not about poker. This is about life. This year I had two very sad events happen to friends of mine. Back in February a friend of mine, Sarah, died in a one-car crash in San Diego. She was the stone cold nuts. Outgoing, full of life, life of the party, and everybody's best friend. She is still very much missed.
The other occurrence was with a lifelong friend, Amir, back home in San Diego. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and his battle has been long and extremely difficult. He didn't want friends and family flooding him during his recovery, so he kept a blog which I read from time to time. Frankly, reading it every day and looking for an update upset me to a degree I never wish others to share. Fortunately, the good doctors at Scripps Clinic have managed to put Amir on a path to recovery and his tumors are either gone or shrinking to a significant degree.
Amir posted on his blog something I just read that I hope has as much impact for you all as it did for me when I read it. You should understand that Amir is a great guy, athlete, a total bro kind of friend and one of the absolute most positive and fun people you'll ever meet in a lifetime. Amir celebrated his birthday a few days ago, one that frankly some of us worried he wouldn't reach. Through his absolute strength, tireless fighting and positive energy he's here to celebrate it. Here's what he wrote:
"I once read somewhere that the secret to life is breath...well now I know the secret to life is purpose...purpose to be happy and purpose to just be. Today I'm 32, and my purpose is to heal and be here for a long time and love every moment through it. So here's a happy birthday to me and happy living to all of us...not living with your breath, but living with your purpose and love around us."
read moreAbout Me
My name is Sean Gibson and I am a poker journalist and part time poker player. I work full time at PokerNewsDaily.com where I host a daily news show called "The Daily Deal" and also handle the bulk of the live player interviews. In terms of poker you will find me playing $1/$3 No Limit Hold'em in Vegas or in Los Angeles (or San Diego) and online playing small stakes games.
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