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SlickHook's Nook Friends

If you get up one more time than you fall, you will always make it through

Date: Fri, Sep 11, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

I lost a close friend and teammate back in high school due to a tragic accident. RIP D you will never be forgotten. A couple years after, D's father told me the quote I used as the title in this entry. I still think of that quote every time I'm feeling down and out and need to get back on my feet. Just like America did 8 years ago on this day. God rest the victims of the 9/11 attacks and God bless our troops who are fighting for them and for America today.

Sometimes poker has to take the backseat to more important aspects of life. I can't play poker now and I shouldn't spend as much time thinking about it as I do, but I really love the game and the competition of Texas Hold'em. I probably always will and it's nice to know poker will be there for me the rest of my life. Everyone who gambles and plays poker knows that you can't win every time you play. Acceptance of losing streaks is key to long term success. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Losing and winning are both aspects of poker and professional poker players need to know how to handle both sides. Also, dropping stakes and playing at the lower limits is not necessarily a bad idea either. Lower stakes don't always mean less money. Consistently winning at .25/.50 is just as good if not better then winning big occasionally at the higher levels. Always play within your bankroll and in +ev games and avoid those you don't win at. This is why most pros also recommend you have at least 100 buyins or more at every level you play, especially more at the higher levels.

I need to get back to my studies and focusing on my classwork. I have a couple physical fitness tests I need to pass this week as well. Imagine that, me waking up everyday at 5 am in the freezing cold and running mile after mile in the dark. Like they say though, grass is always greener on the other side and sometimes its hard to appreciate what you actually have and how hard you've worked to achieve the success you have today.

I won't be able to keep up with my stats, but I will try to update my poker mentor's at least once a month. I know he's going to be successful and take all his buddies on a nice cruise some day.

Updated Stats:

Weassy_e: Current BR (UB): $1,900
Rakeback: $2,050
Cashed Out: $140
Total: $4,090
January 1st Target Goal: $10,000
Percentage of Completion: 40.9%

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A Stranger in a New World

Date: Sun, Sep 6, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Well, I survived the first two weeks of military college. It has not been easy for me, in fact this has probably been the hardest challenge of my life. Between maintaining my sobriety (15 days today) and surviving this rigorous program. There are so many rules to learn like how to make my rack properly, how to salute officers and NCOs, how to disassemble and reassemble my rifle, among about a thousand other rules and regulations. I'm not allowed to even go on facebook and gambling is not allowed here. I wear a uniform everyday. I also have to wake up around 0500 and go outside and down physical training in the freezing cold weather in the dark.

I haven't had any time to play poker let alone think about playing poker. I miss playing Hold'Em and I feel like I will be a much better player now that I'm sober and I'm starting to think like a normal person again. However, I will have to put poker on the back burner for now as I concentrate on my classes and surviving this school. I know poker will still be there for me when I graduate anyways.

I hope my good friend and poker mentor Weassy has been holding up alright on the tables. I know he's had a tough couple weeks on the tables but he's still a great player despite the variance in his results. I hope he sticks with it and his success shines over time.

And to finish with a quote from another poker player extraordinaire, Bobby Baldwin.

"You cannot survive without that intangible quality we call heart. The mark of a top player is not how much he wins when he is winning but how he handles his losses. If you win for thirty days in a row, that makes no difference if on the thirty-first you have a bad night, go crazy, and throw it all away."

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Sometimes Goodbye is a Second Chance

Date: Sat, Aug 22, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Here is my chance. This is my chance. Big day tomorrow and my nerves are a fucking wreck. I should be excited to go back to college but I'm more concerned about getting drug tested and kicked out the first week. I really, really hope they don't drug test for the first month so I have a chance to get clean and get through the program. At the same time however, I won't get disappointed if the Army doesn't accept me. My life will go on and I will still have a chance to get a great education at a great school.

Anyways, it's been a great summer and I've seen a lot of friends I haven't seen in a while. It's interesting how that when I start to put the drugs down and get my shit together, old friends and family come creeping back into my life. While my life isn't exactly as I pictured it being right now, I'm definitely headed in the right direction and I feel that Norwich will be a good fit for me regardless.

Anyways, I played some golf earlier today with the family. It's always nice spending time with them although we are just a bunch of hackers out there on the course. Seriously I'm talking +60 on nine holes here ladies and gentlemen. But we always place side bets and keep things interesting and I driving around on the carts joking around with the brothers is always fun. And I did beat the little brother and Weasel in mini golf the other day as well. Typical domination by me.

I will miss living at home and Mom's cooking and cleaning. I will also miss my dog Buddy terribly! My parents volunteered to look after him so I know he'll be in good hands anyways. I will also miss my motorcycle which I've put over 1,000 miles on just cruising around these parts, learning how to ride. But I'm twenty-two years old and ready to move on with my life. I have a lot of maturing and growing up to do. I'm actually looking forward to the training and lifestyle that the Corp of Cadets has to offer and I really hope it works for me.

Poker has been going okay and I'm hoping it will get better when I get sober and back into a healthier lifestyle. My memory, ambition, and drive will all improve. I will be more successful and I'm looking forward to enjoying the chemical free life as well. I have been playing $3.25 45 man turbos on stars and they've been going okay despite the variance with 45 player turbos.

My old buddy/jedi master/professsional poker player just recently made it big on Ultimate Bet as he's surpasses his target goal of $5,000. He is now an ICON on UB, which is the top tier in their VIP program for people who don't play there. He's been killing the 6 player cash tables on UB and has made quite a bit of money this summer, a lot more than I made working the 9-5 flooring job for sure. He's basically like the guys on 2 Months, 2 Million but he's a lot nerdier and better at picking ladies up.

Anyways, I haven't packed yet and the chinese food will be arriving soon. And my mom is actually sitting in my room as I type, driving me insane. I don't know if I'll be able to post as much when I get to school but I will do my best to keep you all updated on here. I will also try to post mine and Weasel's stats at least once a month or more. The next time I post will be from Norwich with a sober state of mind.

Updated Stats

SlickHook: Current BR (Stars): $170
Weassy_E Earnings: $200
Total: $370
Target Goal: $1,000
Percentage of Completion: 37%

Weassy_e: Current BR (UB): $4,144
Rakeback: $1,215
Cashed Out: $140
Total: $5,500
August 15th Target Goal: $5,000
Percentage of Completion: 110%

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Turning a New Leaf

Date: Fri, Aug 14, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

I was officially accepted into Norwich University today as a transfer student in the Corps of Cadets Program. I plan on participating in Army ROTC and majoring in Business Management. I will undergo a 10-day basic training program which may include the high ropes course, rappelling, confidence course, survival swimming, the climbing wall, road marches, river/water obstacle crossing and/or distance hikes over rugged terrain. All 1st years and transfer students in the Corp of Cadets are known as Rooks. I will be a rook starting next Sunday for training and then classes start.

The following is a list of items that incoming rooks SHOULD NOT bring with them when they arrive at Norwich (as taken from their website).

* Alcoholic Beverages
* Bedspreads/Blankets
* Back Packs
* Bicycles
* Civilian Clothing (expect for athletes)
* Computer Games
* Desk Blotters
* Electrical Devices or Cooking Appliances (with the exception of electric shavers)
* Food, Candy, Gum
* High Dollar Value Items (jewelry, cameras, etc...)
* Illegal Drugs or Steroids
* Knives
* Music CDs or Cassetts
* Plants
* Plastic Crates, Posters, Framed Pictures
* Rugs
* Stereos or Tape Players
* "Boom Boxes"
* Stuffed Animals
* Television Sets
* Tobacco Products
* Wastebaskets
* Cell Phones
* Weapons

I will have to follow a strict variety of other rules as well. This will be good for someone like me who hasn't been following ANY rules at ALL lately. I will also be quitting pot and Norwich is a dry campus. The following is a typical day for a Cadet at Norwich (as taken from their website).

5:30 a.m.
First Call - At least three days a week, physical fitness training (PT) is conducted in the morning.

7:30 – 8 a.m.
Breakfast

8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Academic Day. In between classes you go to the library or one of the computer labs to conduct research or to study.

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Lunch

4 – 6 p.m.
Extracurricular Activities - You can participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics, intramural sports, or student club activities

5 – 7 p.m.
Dinner

6:30 – 7 p.m.
Commanders’ Time - Reserved for additional Corps training

7:30 – 11 p.m.
Mandatory Study Hall

11 p.m.
Lights Out

I will try to keep up with this blog and to play poker if and when I have any time at school. It will be hard to find that time but at least I will be busy and taking a step forward with my life.

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Angry Ann's Weekly Stats

Date: Sun, Aug 9, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Well, I tripped balls today with two of my best friends, Easy E and Weassy_E. Words can't even describe the experience we all went through and I won't even attempt to. I will say I haven't laughed that hard in a while and I had a helluva good time. My apologies in advance if my writing is scrambled or just complete nonsense. Well, actually I don't really care what any of you anonymous internet poker nerds think anyways. Well, that's assuming I actually have readers who keep up with my blog which is probably a bad assumption on my part. Why would anyone actually want to keep up with the live of a crazy/bipolar/22-year old/drug addict/alcoholic/degenerate gambler who's been arrested/been to rehab/etc. etc.?

Well, fortunately there's a lot more to me then just the drugs and alcohol and the demon they turn me into. I'm an intelligent and athletic leader when I'm sober, which unfortunately hasn't been often lately. Sometimes I really just feel like a shy little boy in adult's body with no idea of what to do in life. But what I do know is that I need to get sober. Life seems to be better for me when I'm sober. I'm a lot more successful and driven, as well as being a lot more emotionally stable. I also get along better with friends and family when dry and clean.

Now some of you may be thinking that this is some pretty deep stuff I'm talking about here. Well I find it to be somewhat therapeutic and relaxing to be spilling my guts to all of you and to get my thoughts out of my head and onto the pad and paper, err well keyboard in this case. Past councilors and psychologists have suggested to me that journaling my thoughts, emotions, and feelings on a daily basis would be helpful and while I don't keep an actual diary like your little sister does, I find this blog to work out alright for me.

And what this blog is supposed to all be about anyways is poker. Poker has been going decent for me, and espicially well for my friend I tripped with, Weassy_E, which is awesome because I get a nice slice of his action. But I can't seem to beat the micro $3.25 45 man donkaments while he has been killing the tables lately. I think he actually had another $1,000 profit week playing cash games. He's also on pace to reach his August 15th goal. Maybe the fact that he's sober most of the time while he plays and I'm not has something to do with it. Anyways, it's just another reason for me to get sober.

Well, I have two more weeks of work before the big trip to Myrtle Beach with Easy and my brother and his girlfriend. While Easy is a bit of a partier like myself, my brother and his girlfriend are a little more tame in that category which is probably for the better. I can't wait for this trip. It will be nice to get away for a while (ironic i know...) and it will be nice to spend some good time with the broseff as well.

And to end with another quote. This time from the poker author extraordinaire Lou Krieger.

"I believe in poker the way I believe in the American Dream. Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and - when played well, nourishes the wallet."

Stats Update

SlickHook: Current BR (Stars): $98.41
Weassy_E Earnings: $93.59
Total: $192
August 15th Target Goal: $1,000
Percentage of Completion: 19.2%

Weassy_e: Current BR (UB): $3,076
Rakeback: $570
Cashed Out: $135
Total: $3781
August 15th Target Goal: $5,000
Percentage of Completion: 75.62%

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$1300 Profit This Week

Date: Sun, Aug 2, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Well not exactly for me. For my poker instructor aka Jedi Master aka Weassy_E on Ultimate Bet. He's been making a killing recently 4 and 5 tabling 6-player .25/.50 and .50/1 on UB . He's also made quite a bit off rakeback and is already a "legend" (second highest VIP level on UB) after just a couple of weeks on their site. Congrats and keep it up! You have a couple big decisions coming up about working as a teacher/tutor or possiblby working overseas in Korea. It will be nice to know that regardless of your choices in life, you will have poker as a steady stream of cash if you continue to play your cards right.

While I've been dreaming of winning big on the tables, I've actually been spending a lot more time playing Call of Duty and caught up in the 9-5 grind. Only a couple more weeks of flooring, however, then a quick vacation to Myrtle Beach with Easy and back to college for moi. I still have another year of school before I get my bachelor's degree. I'm planning on taking a couple continuing education classes at Keene State this Fall and to transfer in the Spring to complete my undergraduate studies. I've already already started sending out transfer applications and have a couple more to do.

I like to finish some entries with quotes from professional poker players past and present. This week's quote is by a fallen poker hero "The Comeback Kid" who had a genius level IQ and eidetic memory. Stu Ungar had won the WSOP Main Event 3 times throughout his career as well as winning Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker 3 times as well. Unfortunately for Stu, he spent most of his winnings on drugs and sport bettings and his demons eventually got the best of him. He was still a great player regardless of his troubles off the poker table. I love some of his sayings as well, espicially this one.

"It's hard work. Gambling. Playing poker. Don't let anyone tell you different. Think about what it's like sitting at a poker table with people whose only goal is to cut your throat, take your money, and leave you out back talking to yourself about what went wrong inside. That probably sounds harsh. But that's the way it is at the poker table. If you don't believe me, then you're the lamb that's going off to the slaughter."

Stats Update:

SlickHook: Current BR (Stars): $94.48
Rakeback: $1.29
Referral Earnings: $39.05
Total: $134.82
August 15th Target Goal: $1,000
Percentage of Completion: 13.48%

Weassy_e: Current BR (UB): $1,952
Rakeback: $292
Cashed Out: $135
Total: $2379
August 15th Target Goal: $5,000
Percentage of Completion: 47.58%

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Stats Update

Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

I will be updating my stats and stats for a couple friends (Weassy_e and Masta_Ace4). I will be posting the updates every Sunday. We've also included some monthly goals to help keep us motivated. These may be adjusted as time goes on. Check at the bottom of the blog in the "Poker Nook" section to check on these updates.

The Weasel is off to a good start, but with a little help with some bankroll management I could might be able to catch up with him. Now Rat boy on the other hand......

Goodnight, gotta work early!!

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Broken Glasses

Date: Sat, Jul 25, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

I'm sweating and my heart is still pumping with adrenaline. The rush I felt tonight was much greater than I've felt in any poker game. I almost got arrested tonight. Luckily, I didn't. Here's how it all went down.

I was heading out of town with some friends to go get some tattoos done. It was me, Critty, Easy, and Critty's girlfriend. Easy was riding his Harley behind us, while we were in the Jenna's jetta. On the way out there, I poked my head out the window to look back and see if Easy was still behind us. As soon as my head went out the window, my glasses flew off my head and onto the pavement. Now these are $200 Serengetti glasses and I was pretty tilted but it was dark so I decided not stop but to come back in the morning to look for them.

Anyways, we get to Lou's Tattoo Shop and as soon as I step out of the car, Easy walks up and punches me really hard in the arm, and starts swearing and yelling at me. He was demanding to know why I "threw" something at him while he was on his bike. He kept telling me how dangerous that is. I told him to **** off and asked if he saw where my glasses went. He kindly told me that he heard a loud crunch as he ran over them as he almost veered off the road as he was apparently caught of guard. Delayed reaction time? Perhaps.

Now fast forward to later this night. We all go back to Critty's house and smoke and chill for a bit. I decide its late and that I want to go home to play some Call of Duty World at War (hence the reason I've been away from the poker tables lately) so I decide to hop on the bike and head home. Now I'm not wearing any glasses and it's a law that all bikers must wear eye protection. I figured it wasn't a big deal as it was just a short ride home. Boy was I mistaken.

I'm riding down Main St when all of a sudden I see blue lights flashing behind me. It honestly felt like a bad dream. Now I start to freak out as I'm really high and paranoid at the time. I also had pot on me. I have a clean criminal record, knock on wood, and I did not want to **** that up over something stupid like this.

So to recap: I get pulled over on a bike with no eye protection or motercycyle license/permit. I have pot on me. I'm really high and anxious about the whole situation. My body was literally shaking and tremblaing in anticipation.

The cop asked why I wasn't wearing any eye protection. I kept thinking that of course the one day I shatter my $200 glasses I get pulled over for not wearing eye protection. I mumbled some illegitimate response about how I wasn't planning on riding in the dark and that I left my glasses at home. I thought for sure he could tell my eyes were red or smell the ganja on me. He then asked for my license and registration and went back to his cruiser.

Another cruiser had pulled up in the meantime and I was really starting to worry. Time seemed to creep by as people drove by and stared at me sitting on the curb waiting for the officer. When he finally came back he quickly told me that he was giving me a warning for not wearing eye protection and a violation for operating a motorycke without a motorcycle license, as well as a $100 fine. As he was telling me this I starting to see a glimmer of hope.

He then told me to call a friend who has motorcycle license and for them to ride it home. I called Easy and he actually answered his cell phone and stepped up the plate. He came down and road the bike home for me, while I drove his car home. I was so estatic that I didn't get in more trouble, but in all seriousness, I really need to start acting more mature and need to stop doing such idiotic things.

Anyways, I'm going to stick to the poker tables and Call of Duty for a while. Not more riding until I get my learner's permit. I also should probably stop smoking pot or definately cut back on the amount I smoke. That would help my motivation, memory, finances, social life, relationship with family and friends, etc, etc... Smoking is fun and all but seriously I need to grow up a little bit.

Speaking of which, good luck to you Masta Ace and your big move to the City. Congrats on the big job! I'm sure you'll do fine and have a helluva good time ballin' in the city. Stay in touch you rat bastard you!

PS Weassy_E's been running the NL cash tables lat ely. He's already made over a $100 in rake from rakebrain as well. Keep it up little weasel.

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Rakebrain and Road Rash

Date: Sat, Jul 18, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Yet again, the title says it all. I'll begin with Rakebrain. Wow. I can't believe I've been playing poker all these years without rakeback. I feel like I've been basically giving these enormous poker giants thousands of dollars in rake over the years without getting anything back, except an occasional t-shirt or book from the "VIP" store. I was never a high roller or anything but something in return would have been nice. Rakeback might be the answer I've been looking for, and is definitely a wise choice for any serious poker player.

Secondly, I'm glad I chose Rakebrain as my affiliate for rakeback. This past week after I joined Rakebrain I received an email from customer support personally thanking me for joining their site and mentioning it on my blog. I have no idea how they actually found my blog or that people even read my blog other then my best friends who understand all the inside jokes, people, and places I talk about. But anyways, I can earn around 30% rakeback from most of the major sites. Also, you can earn 3-4% kickback when referring your friends. So if any of you readers sign up for it, make sure to use my SlickHook for the referral ID. I will keep track of my rake statistics at the bottom of my blog.

Now most poker players I know use poker tracker to keep track of their stats and everything. Now if you fall in this category, check out how much you've paid in rake on your poker tracker. I bet it's a decent chunk of change. Now multiply that number by .3 and that's roughly what you should have made back. Now if you're a serious professional poker player playing high stakes at a high volume, then you can make a steady income off your rake alone. Winning of course helps. Using bankroll management is also good ideaso you don't go broke.

Now back to the motorcycle. I failed the written test at the DMV to get my learner's permit as you can only get 4 questions wrong out of 20 and I got 6 wrong. Now I have to wait ten days until I can take it again. I still got it registered and inspected so obviously I've been riding it all week regardless of if I have a license or not. Live free or die.

Well, my second day on the bike I decide to ride to work in the morning. I rode around for a half hour or so bright and early and then decided to stop by my buddy Easy's crib for some bonghits for breakfast before we had to tile floors on our hands and knees all day. So I wake his lazy ass up and we take a bunch of gravity hits of some really nice headies. Now he keeps warning me: about the perils of smoking and riding but I pay little attention to his advice as the ganja just soothes my soul.

So we both hop on our bikes. It's a little embarrassing riding with him as he has a wicked nice Harley with a custom paint job, and the bikes all chromed out and everything while I'm putting down the road in my little 250 cc honda nighthawk. Anyways, we pull out his driveway and down the street until we reach a stop sign at a 3-way intersection. He turned right after stopping (notice the blue arrow in the diagram below) while I tried to turn but basically went straight up over curb, where my bike stopped and launched me into the air onto the grass. The noise was extremely loud and a lot of people witnessed the accident. Luckily, I didn't land on pavement and no cars were coming the other way or else it might have turned out a lot worse. I gave the people who asked if I was okay the thumbs up, I put the bike in neutral, I pulled it off the curb, and I pushed it into a driveway down the street.

All I was thinking at the time was "Oh Shit! I don't have a permit or license and I don't want the cops to see this". I was pretty high and out of it the entire time. I think I was in shock or something because it kind of felt unreal (and no I didn't hit my head and I was wearing a helmet). The bike itself was pretty much fine. The front light fixture cracked, the front brake lever cracked off, the gas tent got scratched, and the handle bars got a little bent. My left arm was a little scraped up and my left leg was also scraped and bleeding. I called Easy and told him I dumped the bike and needed a ride to work. I rode the bike back to his apartment using just the rear brake and then he gave me a ride. Luckily, his brother and dad who own and run the company both know me well and ride bikes themselves. They understood the situation and everything was fine.

I brought the bike back to the shop after work and got a new brake lever for it. I then proceeded to ride around for a couple hours with Easy until it got dark out. What a day it was. I learned some important lessons: not to drive under the influence and that motorcycles aren't toys and should be taken very serious. I'm human and prone to making mistakes, anyone who knows me knows I've made more then a few throughout my life. But the important part about mistakes are learning from them so I don't repeat them in the future. But I did get on the motorcycle again and I've been riding it all week. A man once told me if you get up one more time than you fall, you will always make it through. I happen to believe that.

I'm going to finish this entry with another quote for a friend of mine known on the tables as Weassy_e. I thought of you when I read this in Slansky's the Theory of Poker the other night. The quote isn't by Slanksy but rather Bobby Baldwin from the 1981 World Championship of Poker.

"I've heard good players complain to me about how they get drawn out on all the time. But if they want to better their game and better their emotional state while playing, they should realize it's a mirage. If you are an excellent player , people are going to draw out on you a lot more than you're going to draw out on them because they're simply going to have the worse hand against you a lot more times than you have the worse hand against them."

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UB/AP and the Nighthawk

Date: Tue, Jul 14, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

I emailed Ultimate Bet ahead of time just to make sure that I didn't have multiple accounts that I was unaware of. My memory is really bad by the way if you haven't already noticed. They kindly checked and replied saying that I was good to go. I will also be receiving 30% rakeback on UB courteous of rakebrain. In addition, I will be earning a nice 4% cut on weass_e's (my jedi master) Ultimate Bet account and hopefully he will put in some high volume at the larger stakes.

By the way, Absolute Pokerchanged their mind and emailed me back again saying that I can now change my username:

Dear Mr. *******,

Thank you for contacting us. After checking in our records we found that the nickname SlickHook is already in use, Please note that at Absolute Poker, we do not allow players to change their usernames.

This policy is in effect for security purposes. If we allowed players to change their usernames, other players would have no idea who they were playing with. We do realize that some players may wish to change their usernames because they accidentally used their real name or picked a name that is very similar to another player's name.

We will be happy to make an exception in your case. Kindly provide us with three new username options (no longer than 12 alphanumeric characters) and we will gladly change your name to the first available option.

Please also send us the Following information:

- Answer to your security question "What is your city of birth?".
- Deposit method and ID details (if you made a credit card deposit, please provide the last 4 digits of your credit card, and if you used any other method, provide the full account number)

Once this information is confirmed, we will help you with the email and nickname change. If you need further information, please do not hesitate on contacting us.

Best regards.

Alex
Customer Support Department
AbsolutePoker.com

Finally a surprisingly reasonable response from AP. Maybe if they offered me rakeback or the username SlickHook I would play there, but there's no real reason to play there now. Sooo, I believe I will be playing primarily on Pokerstars and Ultimate Bet for the time being. Unfortunately, the alias "SlickHook" was taken on UB so I had to settle for "SlickNook". Hopefully Weasel and myself will have some success on UB and hopefully the rakeback will help as well.

Random life note: Picked up my motorcycle at the repair shop today. 1994 Honda Nighthawk 250cc. Cost of repair work: $625. Cost of bike: $200. Total money spent: $825. Zipping around the neighborhood while annoying neighbors give me dirty stares: priceless.

It ain't a pretty bike but it's a good, small bike that will be good to learn on and get my license with. I still need to get it registered and inspected, and I also need to get my learner's permit this week. Easy (that's the big guy in the pic who I work with) really helped me out by picking the bike up in the company van and driving me around. The big guy looks pretty funny on the little bike eh?

Easy and Weasel came over to check it out after work. Easy gave me a quick rundown on how to drive the monster and I hopped right on it. I'm not going to lie, it felt pretty damn. I sped around the parking lot a couple of times and then took it up and down the neighborhood. It was a lot of fun messing around on it today. It was even more fun watching Weasel give it a try and then proceed to lose control of the bike as he drove it off the road. Luckily, he didn't damage the bike or himself or anything and we all had a good laugh from it.

Anyways, it's time to play some poker, chill with weassy_e, watch some allstar baseball, smoke some headies, call it a night, gotta work early tomorrow. Catch y'all on the flipside.

-Slick

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Confessions of a Multi-Accounter

Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Once again, the title says it all. I had an old account that I never use anymore because I don't like using my real name on poker sites and I didn't get rakeback. I think it's really dumb on Absolute's behalf to not offer this to existing players who have been playing there for many years. So much for player appreciation and loyalty huh?

Anyways, I emailed Absolute telling them I had two accounts and would like to close my old one because I didn't want my last name to be the account name. So sure enough they closed my new account (SlickHook) left my old account (my last name) open. I also had $11 from when my friend SelrySakee transfered me money before this mess. I had built that up to around $23 grinding $1.20 9 player SNGs.

So I open the old account and there's only $10 in there. I check my email and they explain how multi accounts are not allowed and that they left the original account open. I quickly fired off an email to Absolute Poker's support letting them know how I feel:

Karol,

I know I had multiple accounts as I was the one who told you. Please close my account (*********) as I don't want my real name connected in any way to online poker because I'm from the United States and it's illegal here.

I'd also like to know what happened to the $11 my friend SelrySakee sent to me (SlickHook or slickhook@gmail.com) and I built up to $23 this past week? Do you just take players' money like potripper did on your site? This doesn't surprise me as your website has a terrible reputation online. I realize that I had multiple accounts but I told you why and would now like both of them closed.

I will no longer be playing on your site.

PS. Pokerstars allowed me to change my username when I made the same mistake. They must be doing something right when they have over 300,000 players typically and you can barely attract 25,000. Sincerely, SlickHook

I wasn't surprised when I checked my email later. There's still $10 in the old account. I told them to close it anyways.

Well all that hard work and drama for a little pocket change. I will no longer be playing on Absolue Poker. Also, I will no longer be playing on Full Tilt Poker because the same thing actually happened. It will just be PokerStars from here on out unless I try a new site or the U.S. legalizes internet poker.

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Back to the Absolute Grind

Date: Sun, Jul 12, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Title says it all. My Jedi Master kindly transferred me $11 on Absolute Poker after I paid for his ticket to see Bruno Saturday night, which happened to be a huge waste of time and money by the way. That movie was just plain awful, and it's too bad because the premise had some potential. After the movie I felt like the people who got ripped off by Potripper on Absolute Poker way back when...

Anyways, I'm going to stick to my guns and by guns I mean bankroll management. I've been grinding single table $1.20 SNGs on Absolute while I wait for some money to go through on stars. The rake on these games are kind of brutal considering I'm paying 20%, which adds up fast. Luckily I signed up at rakebrain which offers 30% rakeback for Absolute players.

I've also been reading Colin Moshman's SNG Strategy which I feel has really been helping my game improve. I feel like a total beginner and that I have a lot of leaks to fix. Basically the book is broken down in different stages (low blind, mid blind, high blind) as in a typical SNG and discusses the different hands and strategies to play at the different blind levels. Moshman also talks about position, stack size, pot odds, implied odds, equity, bankroll management, and various other topics that apply to these games.

There is an abundance great information, software, strategy, and books available online to help improve player's games. I've found a lot of this via 2+2 forums. I'm really glad to be playing poker again lately. With work and everything lately I haven't had much time. It feels go to be putting in some quality time on the virtual felt with SelrySakee on my side, analyzing my play and coaching me along the way.

Anyways, I'm going to wrap up a couple of the AP SNGs and call it a night ladies and gentlemen. I need to get up early so I can bust ass on my hands and knees flooring all day. I just can't wait. But seriously this work makes me want to go back to school and get that damn bachelors degree. Goodnight!

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Happy Birthday Masta Ace!!

Date: Wed, Jul 8, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

Congrats on the big 22! It's too bad we didn't have a chance to properly celebrate but I'm sure there will be a time and place for that in the near future. It's always good seeing you and it's been way too long! Too bad Easy is so damn paranoid. Anyhow, you seem to be doing pretty damn well for yourself as you just graduated from one of the best universities in the world, you're getting a new apartment in the city, and you're going to the Bahamas next week with your lady lover. Keep it up big guy and have fun during your travels!

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Bankroll Bust and Home Game

Date: Tue, Jun 30, 2009 Internet Live Tournament

The title says it all. I'm sure most of you readers out there aren't really surprised anyways are you? Basically I experienced a bankroll management disaster. The feeling right after losing my entire roll is the worse (and the feeling tends to linger for quite a while). I knew I was tilting and playing above my bankroll, yet I continued to play in a vain attempt to get back to where I was. This kind of poker mentality is a recipe for disaster. My Jedi Master was there to witness my meltdown. I can't say it surprised him either. I should have listened to him when he told me to stop playing instead of wasting away my bankroll which I've been slowly building for weeks.

I will play again. How soon? I do not know. I need to go back to my bankroll management plan and stick to it. Although I wasn't a very profitable player while playing $1.20 9 player SNGs, I was slowly making some good progress and I always had money to play cards. It took less then an hour to blow through an entire bankroll playing $3.25, $6.50, and $12.00 SNGs on Stars. I've experienced similar meltdowns in the past, and I've come to the understanding that the only way I will become a winning poker player is to stick to my bankroll management guidelines.

I usually get pretty upset and angry after tilting away money. Last night was actually different for me. I wasn't surprised that I lost the money and know that bankroll management would have prevented that disaster. I need to learn from my mistakes and not make the same mistakes over and over again, in poker and in life.

Anyways, other than online poker not going so well lately, life is pretty good. My parents are vacationing this week in Europe so I have the house to myself which is nice, although Europe wouldn't be bad either. My mom just sent me a message saying she was going to snowmobile on glaciers tomorrow. That will be an amazing experience for them. I've been busy with work as well, basically everyday from 8-4:30 busting my ass and smoking trees with Easy. It will be nice to put some money in the bank as well. I dropped my motorcycle off to get looked at as well. I'm hoping there won't be too much wrong with it and the repairs won't cost me much. Who knows.

I had my home boys over to play cards the other night. Masta Ace, Jerry, and Selry Sakee came over to watch some baseball and play a little poker. A quick breakdown of the players for this home game: Jerry - Tom Dwan. Ultra agressive and is always betting and reraising. Hard to put on a hand. Masta Ace - Daniel Negreanu. Smart, methodical, good at reading players etc. Kind of small and rat like as well. Selry Sakee - Phil Helmuth. Egomaniac, annoying, bitter, etc. Always complaining about other players and their hands. Myself - Mike Matusow. Aggressive, emotional, and has a history of substance use. To make things interesting I offered $10 bounty for anyone who knocked Selry Sakee out of the game, and Masta Ace accepted the offer with a $5 bounty on his head if anyone knocked him out.

Anyways, it was all in fun and everyone had a good time. I don't really know how to play cash games so I was experimenting with different starting hand and just messing around. Jerry ended up the big winner for the night and walked away with some extra spending money for the bars. He must have had pocket kings at least four times and was catching hands all night. Masta Ace finished in the red a couple bucks as I managed to knock him out and collect the $5 bounty. Selry Sakee pretty much complained all night about his cards and Jerry.

Well my Jedi Master just brought some pizza by and I think I'm going to go take some bonghits outside. It will be a nice night for some Californication, poker, and ganjica. Catch ya on the flip side.

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