My life has seen tons of variance, and I am currently on the low end of it now, AGAIN. This time, when I do turn things around, it's going to be on display, so let's do this!

Backstory:
-I am currently 40, divorced with 1 child, and have a 10k Life Roll. Outside of the lack of money, I feel very blessed to be mentally and physically fit, with a beautiful daughter (#summerholio) who is 8yrs old and a model for Kim Dawson agency.

-I graduated 3rd at Irving High School, TX and received a full scholarship to the University of Dallas in 1998

-I graduated with a BA in Economics in 2001 and an MBA in 2002

-I couldn't get a job because of the dotcom crash recovery, overqualified, and under-experienced

-I started my own import/export business, sold on auction sites, ran revenue up to 500k+ in 1st year, started to invest in a warehouse, build a dropship network site (similar to what Shopify is now), and invested in importing from China. A lot of bad decisions and bad luck hit our cashflow, and I had to shutter everything around 2004, and went broke for the 1st time.

-I discovered Sports Arbitrage, traded manually, hired my first outsourced coder in 2015 to build a bot. I started to build a bot for commercial sales, but Bush signed the UIEGA, and I lost all my money I had with online books, and didn't have enough money or outlet to continue building the bot.

-I discovered the Pay-per-head booking system, and revived my bot to arbitrage those sites. I was arbitraging credit accounts against credit accounts - literally printing money. I hit up a bookie big one weekend, and he said I bet with a software, so he's not paying. Then another bookie took my bets when I lost, and didn't pay when I won. Then I got led an agent at Betphoenix and lost my money (google betphoenixscammedme), all in one month. I went broke, for the 2nd time in 2005.

-I discovered Second Life in 2007 as the avatar Arbitrage Wise (google me), gave it a shot to use it as marketing for a platform sports arbitrage that has been by opening a bank and promising returns on deposits which was initially used for trying Sports Arbitrage again. In 3 months, the bank grew to close to 20,000 customers, with close to $200k USD in deposits. I started to build a shopping website, a rental payment system, an in-game ad server on every in-game ATM, a stock exchange. Then Second Life banned banking and caused a run on the bank. I had to turn over everything, used everything I had to pay back deposits I used to build the stock exchange. Didn't have enough capital to finish anything, and went broke in 2008, for the 3rd time.

-I got married in 2008.

-Acquaintances came to me and wanted to use my arbitrage platform on accounts they can acquire, on and off between 2007 and 2011. At the peak on November in 2011, the platform had placed over $1mil worth of bets on one Saturday. Some acquaintances couldn't remain silent, words got around about the arbitrage platform, and bookies started collecting when we lost, but not pay when we win, game over for everyone I knew. I got blacklisted.

-I've been playing online poker on/off since PartyPoker started, and was always a slight winner. I decided to look towards poker as a backup income in case I go broke in 2009. Invested $2000 in PokerStars and started at NL100, with a plan to get SuperNova Elite. I ran the bankroll up to 10k, and started investing in coaching. I spent about $20k in coaching, softwares, and coaching material. I got SuperNova Elite in 2009 and 2010, then Black Friday came in 2011.

-I decided around 2010 to invest a majority of my bankroll on silver instead of Bitcoin around silver's peak thinking I'm starting to set money aside for my daughter.

-I had my daughter in 2011. My relationship with my wife went downhill non-stop since then as my xwife lacked the skills and effort to raise our daughter to our expectations. I stopped everything to become a full-time dad in for 6 months.

-I started to grind Live Poker 2/5 after BF and was a slight winner for 6 months. I started winning in 2012, then invested everything I made in the Vapor Business in 2013, VaporXpress retail vape shops. We revenue'd 100k within 3 months, started to open more stores (up to 5) and build out the website. At one point, we had over 20 employees. We eventually crashed when my two other founding partners who never made it through high school brought in unintelligent friends to run the shops while I oversee everything else. Soon, I was running from shop to shop fixing issues and training everyone, while trying to not lose inventory because the business outgrew my partners' skills. We outgrew our capabilities and drowned ourselves in opportunity. Long story short, I came back from Vietnam with my family, got arrested off the airplane and spent overnight in jail, lost everything, and was charged with Money Laundering and Organized Crime in 2015, which I eventually fought down to misdemeanors and just did 6 months probation. I went broke for the 4th time, but also with 50k+ in debt.

-I started working on Mobile App Development skills in 2015 based on seeing outsourcing to Vietnam opportunities while I was there trying to expand VaporXpress. I was able to land a few small contracts and outsourced some jobs to developers I networked with while focusing on grinding 2/5 Live Poker to rebuild.

-I designed and released my own sports odds price comparison app, Valuebet App, but I didn't have enough money to keep it updated and do the advertising, and decided to give up the idea in 2016, and just went back to grinding 2/5 Live. At this point, I was winning about $50/hr after 2000hrs.

-In late 2017, I discovered PPPoker and started to work for them for 1 month. However, I had to quit due to conflict of interest as I had a 20% stake in what would eventually be the largest Club in the US in the largest Union in the US. I was the brain behind the club, setting up a 24hr Agent hotline for chips with a monitoring team in Pakistan, and the same team generating weekly reports for agents and sub-agents. At the peak the Union was raking over 500k a week. We met around Spring 2018 and the Union guys didn't want to push my system to the other clubs to make them more efficient, or kill the big games as I suggested, and shift focus to micro-games. My partner and a friend also offered to give me a FREERoll on developing an app like PPP so that we can move our club and Union to it. My friend and I went to Vietnam in the Summer of 2018 and put together a team. In the Winter of 2018, the games got too big, fumbles started happening, and the Union and Club fell apart, and we've spent close to 75k on the app. I went from making $1k+/day to $0, and had to focus on building the app and live off savings. My Club partner ran into financial troubles due to fumbles, and at my advice that we should continue, my other partner bought the the Club partner out. By Spring of 2019, our team was under-delivering, and our lead to build the first app was no longer viable. I pivoted to building a Reporting App for all the clubs combined (which I soon decided was a bad idea after our first iteration).

-I went to Vietnam in Spring 2019 with my friend for 3 weeks to work on the Report Pivot and discovered some Vietnamese PLO PPPoker Clubs, playing as high as 5/10 buying in 500bb deep. I shifted my attention there.

-By the Summer 2019, I won over 60k developing a systematic strategy, and was to training my friend how to execute the strategy. I invested $15k in a Salon & Spa in Vietnam with a girl friend, who's friends managed to convince her to let them join. I discovered the repeal of the PASPA act, and decided to Pivot the app again into Sports Betting. I went all-in, and agreed to take 50% equity of the app in exchange for developing it and being responsible for 50% of the funds. My partner just has to front the money.

-I went to Vietnam in Summer 2019 with a healthy bankroll, a good system to beat the bad Vietnamese PLO players, and a side investment in Salon. After 1st week in Vietnam, my friend goes monkey tilt from running bad, bust our entire 'company' bankroll, won't get off even when I'm begging him online, seeing him donk off thousands per hour. The clubs collapsed while I was in Vietnam as well. My girl friend's friends turned out to be scammers and I lost the Salon after a month, but did leave a blog about it (heavensalonspa.com). I stayed back in Vietnam 2 weeks longer than planned and canceled a trip with my daughter to fix the issue.

-I came back from Vietnam at the end of summer losing both my bankroll & salon. My relationship with my xwife had deteriorated since my daughter's birth, and we stopped talking for a period of over 1 year while just co-living delaying our divorce for tax purposes. Things went off the deep ends while I was in Vietnam, so we went ahead with the divorce after I got back, with me being the person initiating the paperworks. I officially divorced the beginning of Fall 2019, on the date of my 11th year anniversary, walked away and gave everything to the xwife, took on all the debts, etc. I went broke for the 5th time.

-After the dust settled, I am here. I have my health, a beautiful daughter, a 10k bankroll to use as income, and a shot at the lottery with the App. I have cleared major liabilities outside of the debt for my share of equity in the app. It's time to build the bankroll, and see where this shot takes us in 2020.

Goals for Vlogging:
1) Create Youtube Videos for each Session I play
2) Do a Facebook/YouTube Live at least 1x per week

Contents of Vlogging as it pertains to Poker:
1) Physical Health - I will share, discuss, and motivate you to get healthy by helping you change your habits, and start building new habits, while also working on my physical health.
2) Mental Wellness - I will show you how you can use Poker to systematically build Mental Wellness, while also dedicating my grind to mentally train myself.
3) Poker - I will talk Poker knowledge, theories, and strategies with you. I MAY show my results to you. If I do, it will probably be biased.
4) Traveling - I will show you how fun it is to be able to travel and play poker, especially in Vietnam.
5) New Age Metaphysics - I will discuss the correlation between The Game of Poker and the Game of Life.

Reasons for Doing VLog:
1) Stay discipline and rebuild Life
2) Share Knowledge
3) Help build daughter's career as a model and YouTuber
4) Promote and be the face of the App
5) Create a visible log of 1 year of my life for my daughter to see later

So without further adieu... Here is the 1st VLog of 2020!:

2020 Pker VLog #1: 1st VLog of the New Year starts in Michigan at MGM Grand Detroit

Sheesh that's one hell of a ride!!! Good thing is you're not braindead and you know how to RIU if you have some sort of capital. I suggest getting started in investing in rental properties in Michigan it can help supplement your income and is just always a great investment in general imo. Just watched your vlog you need a better camera and you should watch this kid's vlogs named marianno poker he has really good vlogs average player at best but his videos are very crisp. GL in 2020!!!!

My investment is The App that we're releasing soon. Any money I have or will have will go to the app. They say you need to commit and put everything on the line if you really believe in your ideas. I'm already all-in on the app, and all my focus is on that single project.

I'm currently using a Pixel 4 but will eventually upgrade to the phone with the best camera. If someone has inputs about phones, please advise. I do my production in between hands and want to be able to wrap up the vlog within 60minutes after I get back from a session, otherwise, I won't be able to put in the hours I plan. So I do have to sacrifice production quality, but hope that content and quantity will make up for it.

Closing the session and vlog for the day. Feedbacks appreciated.

2020 Poker VLog #2: The Sufferings of Poker

2020 Poker VLog (Session #3): We hit up MotorCity Casino for 2/5 NLH

Oh the Ugliness... we have some grounds to make up when we get back to Dallas.

Back in Dallas and able to also share my workouts. My Poker results are definitely disheartening, but it allows me to show my mindset when things aren't as expected.

Poker Life VLog (Session #4): How you can start meditating at the Poker Table

Poker Life VLog (Session #5) - Our Perceptions & the Need to Improve

I had to cut out the section of showing the poker action due to lack of time to record the play, note things down, stay focus on the action, focus on my Mental Training at the table, and work on my outside work.

Maybe as I move further along and find more efficient ways to do things, I can add it back in. My goal of this VLog is to share with the public my knowledge on the metagame as it relates to both Poker & Life, as that is where I am strongest in and feel I have valuable information to share.

Are you creating a poker app? I know PokerBros came out recently and thats been getting a lot of hype their daily 10kgtds go over everytime.

We were, but pivoted to Sportsbetting, and we just cleared into Apple's store yesterday.

Isn't that illegal unless you have a license or are you just going to use it as a platform and have random agents use it kind of like PPPoker

Exactly like PPP, but for Sportsbetting. We're a Platform and have no relationship with the activities of the clubs.

Holy ****, that history made me nervous just reading it. Pretty incredible story man, good luck this year in the live arena and with the app.

Just a side question, you clearly have a healthy risk appetite. Looking back what would expanding more slowly would have done for some of the business ventures? Do you think any of the enterprises would have eventually succeeded long term with a slower build or was it necessary to get big quickly?

Thanks, and GL in 2020

Appreciate the positive feedback.

The problem (and concern with this app also) is that we outgrew our (in most cases mine) capacity, not only in terms of resources but also in intellect. I was always the Alpha on the project, and my limited network never allowed me to associate with many others capable to lead when I wished badly to be led. I think slower growth and more patience would have given me the necessary time to make more experienced and skillful decisions.

Outside of the Vapor business which now looks like a blessing in disguise, I think I could have had a shot at these ideas:

-Build something like a Shopify
-Build something like a Roblox


Now at least I can say I built....

I didn't get a chance to go play poker in this vlog as Business took precedence, but I feel like I'm starting to get a groove on the Topics of Contemplation and feel excited to get the opportunity to share it. I hope you guys are enjoying the talks. I apologize for the lack of Hand Analysis if that's what everyone is looking for.

Poker Life VLog #6 (No Session): Poker Life VLog #6 (no Session): Improving Perception Leads to Discernment

Back at it...

Poker Life VLog #7: The Joy is the Process

Another Loser...

Poker Life VLog #8: You Shouldn't be Results-Oriented in Life Either

Damn, sounds like the beginning of the story about the guy who became a millionaire on his 50th birthday with his 1000th idea. Subbed and looking forward to following.

It's going to be a fun ride...

Managed to log a small winning session on this day... Moral Victory!

Poker Life VLog #9: Life is a Never-Ending Process of Self-Cultivation

Another loser... some bad luck, some bad plays.

Poker Life VLog #10: Misplayed KKs after losing with QQs

Managed to sneak in a winning Saturday Session... a little chipporn. In for $500

Poker Life VLog #11: Poker as a Tool for Self-Cultivation

Follow me in my 2020 Dedication to using Poker to Mentally train myself if you:

-Need an Anchor of Motivation to work on yourself.
-Want to be both Physically and Mentally tougher.
-Have failed in the past to stay disciplined; because you don't know how.

Everything I show you will be systematic and practical. Nothing that you cannot achieve on your own, anywhere you currently are, with a little discipline and motivation.

Here is the boat, there is paradise. You must row yourself there to know it; the journey will be joyful.

Poker Life VLOG #12: Good Patterns Lead to Good Habits

If we want to transform ourselves, we must first recognize our patterns and tendencies. Once we start to recognize our patterns of behavior, we can start to root out the bad ones by consciously developing and iterating good patterns that will ultimately turn into good habits.

Last few sessions