AQ: From a theoretical standpoint I mostly agree as given both players have relatively strong ranges we should be checking flop with a high frequency and AQ is one of the most logical hands to check (maybe less so without a heart). At the same time however, I think it's so hard for him to be x/j very much if he perceives my pre flop range the same way I think he would, and denying equity to hands like J10s etc has a lot of merits when the pot is very substantial as is. It's actually somewhat close to a call on the flop imo but prob not in a soft field like this.

A4: Yes, this hand was a complete disaster and I think that was partly the disconnection tilt manifesting itself in my river decisions lol.


thanks for ur thoughts m8

With the AQ you have a big range advantage and the board is amazing for your range, giving you obviously way more overpairs and him mainly high cards. Seems to me like a spot to cbet range and size down. 18k should be more than enough.

Agreed or almost close to range anyways

about AQ hand to make my reasoning clear because i was on mob when i posted
i prefer checking without heart and Cbeting with hearth because when we have hearth we are blocking his flush draws that he will c/r AI with (and there are cople of worse hands like AThh+ QJhh+ that are c/r AI on flop and we cant call) so when we Cbet AQ with hearth we got c/r AI less offten vs the time when we Cbet AQo no hearth for obv reasons
also is easier to have bareling bluff combos like that (with A or Q hearth barel when flush hits and not overbluf it plus ofthen enough our backdoor draw will be live and we might hit and win river when we barell turn and got called)

not that the stuff you say is irrelevant but with given SPR and extreme range advantage I just think it's better to be c betting a very high frequency because 1) we have so many strong hands that can snap a jam 2) villain has very few hands he can continue with 3) generally i think villains will over fold in these spots. we also cut variance a lot by c betting flop and taking down this big of a pot deep in tourney is quite valuable. i definitely do think we should be c betting a smaller size than i did and also the difference between betting or checking or x and y is probably not massive either way but def good to know because thin edges are thick in the long run.

Hey guys, thought I'd give a little post to clear my mind a little bit and maybe gain some insight from y'all. Gonna keep it pretty quick here because I need to be up early for breakfast/hiking with a friend and then firing Sunday grind. Had a pretty good weekend and went out for halloween last night was a great time. Took tonight off to play hockey/get cardio in.

A quick note about a GTO day first: Not sure why I feel the need to talk about this but it felt pretty good. So the other day I decided to just have a health and wellness day. Went for a massage in the morning/did a yoga/stretching session/did a gym session/meal prepped/went on a hike/called a couple friends/then had a chicken avocado bowl @ pure kitchen (very GTO dish my friend showed me which is basically just a mixed bowl of quinoa, chicken, avocado, tomatoes/onions which i told them to hold off on, cilantro, some type of hot sauce, spinach, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting about. Topped it all off with a meditation session and then called it a day.

Long story short I can't say enough about how good this type of day is for the soul and mindset. Just taking a day to focus on your wellness really soaks through into your mindset and health. So yeah, give it a try one day

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The main thing I wanted to talk about/ask for advice on would be my current situation in respect to how my bankroll is managed. I was backed for about ~5 years in MTTs with my cut starting @ 50%, and in the latter 2 years was as high as 70%. I've experimented with own-diming and it just never really worked great. Partly because I wasn't as disciplined and partly because I ran somewhat bad in those times. For the lion's share of the previous ~2 years I've been selling packages daily to a private group I have on skype. The %s I have of myself range from 35% to as high as 70%. Generally, I charge 15% markup. I believe my ROI in MTTs is roughly ~20%, so I make 15% ROI on~50% of my action variance free and then have the rest on my own.

PROS of selling action daily:
-make close to my ROI with 0 variance on half my action
-I seem to play better when others have a vested interest in me
-No grey cloud of makeup hanging over my head all the time
-I game select for myself as opposed to backers doing it for me
-I'm my own boss essentially
-I set my variance to what is comfortable for me at the time

CONS of selling daily:
-Takes a lot of effort orchestrating and setting up packs/managing them/sending out funds etc
-I take a slight cut on my ROI because I believe in giving investors a net postive return in EV in the long run...this isn't mandatory but I do set it as a personal standard.
-My liquidity isn't great so I need to have smaller pieces in myself
-It gets stressful from time to time

My conundrum lies in the fact that my liquidity isn't great at the moment and I'm really not sure how I want to move forward with poker. Not saying I'm in the poor house but I do have a lot of my net worth tied up in my condo (which inherently has a lot of holding costs), and some tied up in investments and crypto currencies which I do not want to touch.

I guess I really can't have my cake and eat it too, but here is some issues I would have with backing if I was to obtain a stake:
-I lose a lot of my freedom inherently
-Makeup always feels like a really big burden and I don't know how healthy it is for the mindset to just be grinding out of makeup 10 months a year.
-I worry that if I got into the games where I want to take a shot that I'll get into a heap of makeup and feel stuck. For some reason I've always felt that it would feel super gross to quit the game or a backing deal in a lot of makeup.
-I also feel that backers do not really let this happen without dragging your name through the mud (in most cases)
-My future in poker is not overly certain and it's not really a question of "if" I'm going to quit but "when". I've struggled my whole life with doing things in moderation and for me personally I couldn't give poker a halfass recreational effort. I don't want to have some contract or makeup burdening me when it's finally time for me to move on and cut ties from the game.

Here are some reasons I think backing would be quite good for me:
-There are some really good spots where I really think firing a lot of volume is sosososo + EV and I feel like I can really make the most of my ability that I've worked so hard to craft: ie Vegas WSOP, PCA side events, online multi siting/maybe some higher stakes/live tourneys around southern ontario, maybe some type of deal to travel to live stops with some expenses paid or something.
-Keeping my life roll and BR separate would give me quite a bit of peace of mind. I'd be able to keep $ in all my investments and be able to grind with a lot less stress.
-Far less maintenance than selling packages day to day.



So yeah homies, that's my conundrum and maybe someone can give me some solid advice or help point me into the direction of a backer who could accommodate the above. Like I said, I'll be fine selling packages but I'm not sure if I'm leaving too much EV on the table and not maximizing some of the spots I feel I could print EV.


Tomorrow is Sunday. Tomorrow I will grind. Tomorrow I will do my best to win as much EV as I possibly can. Good night and thanks a lot in advance for any thoughts/recommendations. Much appreciation.

Weekly Update:

Health:

Workouts Completed this week: (2/4)
Times leaving diet guidelines: 4
20 Minute Meditation Session: 6/7
Books Read: 0/1
Body Weight +/-: -27 lbs. (since beginning of year)

Wealth:

Training Videos Watched: 1/1
Hours in the lab: 2/2
Sessions played: 4/4
Hours put into researching new avenues of revenue generation:5
Yearly Profit: around 80k USD
Live Poker Profit This Year: around 10k USD

Book Review:

Sigh. Have really just been so focused on grinding and other stuff right now that I think my EV is a lot higher doing that stuff. I do spend a lot of time messing about though which would ofc be better utilized doing something productive such as reading.


Hands:

https://www.boomplayer.com/25745321_01A7A8D2D9
vs a decent reg. I think this line is pretty cool and I would have a lot of strong hands that play this way (or at least I think I would).

https://www.boomplayer.com/25720783_5C31A9D582
vs very loose german reg. not sure how I feel about it. Don't think the As blocker is overly relevant but figured this guy would prob be very stubborn to fold to 2 barrels.

Random Rant of the Week

Yesterday I went and visited my parents who asked if I wanted to come furniture shopping with them. This isn't the ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon but I thought yolo why not. As you probably know in these types of situations the ability to negotiate is absolutely crucial (if you are a nit like me). Here is a little story about my best negotiation ever.

This was probably my proudest negotiation ever and the friend I was with still tells people about this story haha...So last year when I was moving into my new place I decided that I wanted to get some nice and comfortable furniture as opposed to just buying cheap stuff from Walmart or kijiji or whatever. I wanted to treat myself for finishing school and also have some nice stuff in my place.

I asked my friend if he would come with me to help look for stuff and provide some advice or w/e. We ended up at a chain furniture store in my city and browsed it quite a bit. I was in search for: a mattress, bed frame, reclining couch (preferably leather), and a reclining chair that matched the couch. After browsing the store for quite some time I went to the salesperson that greeted me and asked "what type of package deal can you offer me? I'm working with a tight budget and I have a good idea of a few of the couches/beds that I'm interested in." She showed me a few various products and then I decided on a few that I might be interested in.

After stewing over the options for a little bit I asked her to show me some pricing schemes for a few of the various combos that I was interested in. I had my heart set on this recliner+reclining couch made out of a material that is designed to feel exactly like leather (which I actually think is ideal.) She then paired it up with a mattress and gave me a price that was around ~3800$ after taxes.

Before going into the negotiation I set a maximum price of 2500$ for myself but neglected to tell them this. I told the sales person that I was only willing to spend about 1000$ for all of this and asked if she could speak with her manager and ask for a special price.

After waiting for a few minutes this guy came out who looked like the sleaziest "used car salesman" I have ever seen. Not a whole lot taller than 5 ft 6 in. but in a suit made for a guy probably twice his size. He was rattling off store mottos and trying to get me all pumped up for the sale. He told me he would be willing to go as low as 3300$ for everything...I told him I don't want to waste his time and I'm looking to spend not much more than 1 000$, unless he can give me a great package deal. After going to his office for a few more minutes he came back with 2750$. I said maybe he could switch the mattress or something to give a more reasonable price and that I was going to go out for a drink/dinner with my friend to consider all the options. On the way out of the store he pleaded "please guys I need your business I need to meet my quota for boxing week".

We went for dinner and came back roughly an hour later to meet the salesperson who now gave me an alternate deal with a new mattress for ~2000$. I told her I had 1000$ cash on me and was willing to snap make a deal if she could give me the price of 1000$ on the spot. After consulting with her manager she came back and said 1500$ was the lowest they were willing to go. Without beating a dead horse too much here I told her that in order for me to go outside of my budget I would need a few things thrown into the deal.

Long story short: Instead of paying 3800$ for the couch/chair/mattress I walked out of there paying 1500$ and received: a couch/chair/mattress/bed frame/fire place/furniture care kit/warranty/and free delivery. So many people would have went into this negotiation and just paid the full price just assuming it was non-negotiable. Of course the furniture company is probably still making a good margin on this stuff, I got a great deal and I'm very happy with the quality/comfort of everything.

The reason I wanted to tell that story is to illustrate the power of negotiation and that so many things in life are negotiable, but only if we realize it. The most dangerous negotiation is the one you don't know you're in. Whether it be in a staking deal, a rakeback deal, a relationship with your girlfriend/boyfriend, a furniture deal with a sleazy used car salesman, or even when buying/selling a home...negotiations are everywhere around us. Here's a few tips that I've learned/read about that will go a long way in your negotiations:

-Be assertive and hold your ground. Do not just succumb to the desires of your opponent and make sure to make it known what you want.
-Listen to the interest of the other person and pay attention to their trigger points. What makes them tick and try to understand exactly where their interests lie. Look for verbal cues and body language.
-Do not be impulsive to find a solution. Step back and take time to reconsider your options if need be. Rushing into things will cause you to take a worse deal.
-Do not be the first to make a move. Let them suggest a starting deal first. Sometimes they will give you a better deal than you would have suggested first.
-Lowball. Never make your initial offer your best price. Sometimes giving a lowball offer they will accept it or counter with a better one.
-Do the research. For example if you are negotiation salary make sure to research how much other people in this position are making @ this company and competitors.
-Do not give ultimatums. Ultimatums come from a position of powerlessness.
-The greatest negotiation power you have is the ability to walk away and mean it. That is the golden rule.


There's obviously a lot more to it and I'm just a novice. There is lots of books and reading content out there on the matter. I'd highly recommend practicing these skills and hopefully it will save you lots of EV down the road

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week is gonna be lots more grinding. Had a really good weekend at some parties and ended up FT ing the kickoff/27 6m turbo, and the 33 12k. My run on all FTs was quite bad but meh a winning Sunday is a good day. Have been grinding with and spending lots of time with some very very GTO guys and that has been rubbing off on me quite a bit.

Have a good week d00ds.

"So much of life is a negotiation - so even if you're not in business, you have opportunities to practice all around you." -Kevin O'Leary

Very cool story sir. It's common knowledge to always negotiate when buying furniture, electronics etc

Hi bud,

When i was in uni for my masters we had a class called "Negotiation power" or sth like that.

Day 1, we snap jumped into a simulation, after being devided in groups of two randomly, where the one was a real estate agent and the other one was a buyer.

The buyer had a fixed price that would be "ideal" 4 him and two price levels above, one that would make him struggle and one that it would be impossible 4 him (didnt have this amount of money, at least instructions given) to buy any house.

The real estate agent had an ideal price too and he as well had two other pricing levels. One that would be quite bad and one that would cost him his job, if the house sold at that level!

Of course both students werent supposed to let the other know these price ranges amd werent "allowed" to agree to a deal outside of their potential!

The "diffucult" part of the excercise was that the ones "struggle level was the other one's "NO-GO" level, so "technically" a deal could could never been made right away without someone "lose".

It was a cool excercise and it was really effective! After all the negotiations on a 1vs1 base, the results would be collected by the professor and would be announced publicly in the class.

You could see some UNBELIEVABLE results on that excercise and that was a major realisation of my abilities as a negotiator at the time, as some things may seemed natural to me or come with somewhat ease, but def NOT the case with everyone.

Anyway, it was a really cool story from you that reminded me exactly that exercise so just wanted to share it with you.

Have a great new week buddy, peace!

do.not.get.backed.again.

subd. GL with the grind.

@Colin: Ty sir like always. It definitely is common knowledge but you would be surprised how many people just won't do it. When I went into the same store with my parents on the weekend my mom told the salesman right off the hop "I really like this couch and want to buy it." The salesman went to go get his manager and I told my mom "never express that much of interest and that willingness to pay the full price at this type of store right away." By this point it was already too late and I told the salesman we were going to check out a few other places to compare the price but my mom revealed her hand too soon making it a walk in the park for this salesman to pounce on a high commission sale. She got the couch she wanted but likely paid a price far higher than was necessary. A lot of people (myself included) will just not negotiate because they feel that it is quite uncomfortable at times...because they are conditioned to "be nice" and it's nice to give other people what they want.

@scarecrow: that's a cool exercise. It's cool in those "class-room simulations" to see how people react and the type of results that happen. Some people take them very seriously and tempers flare and some students are just there to collect their 60% average and move on with little give a fk factor about the result. thanks for ur post and gl to u this week as well.

@ LG: I'm fairly in agreement with this. It was almost necessary to get backed in the past because I needed a network to improve and also school/living was so unaffordable as is, that being bankrolled for mid stakes MTTs on my own was similar to writing a letter to the pope asking for a BJ. Nowadays, I'm sort of on the fringe of retiring from poker I think and there is a lot of uncertainty where I will be in the next ~2 years. If it's time for me to give the game up i don't want to be hunkered down by 50k makeup or something and that's the biggest factor holding me back from applying for backing.

To be honest, if I was going to get a stake it would need to be some type of hybrid agreement: I can quit poker when in MU, can sell some action on the side, big transfers at a time for my bankroll (was always so annoying and stressful having to ask for 500$ reloads before every session, especially when it was 5 weeks in a row.) I'd also want some travel expenses paid and good coaching/backing reputation from the backer...and all of the above too, is like writing a letter to the pope asking for a BJ.

@sauce: thanks man you as well

hey guys way too tired and withered atm to make a big update. i do want to make a quality update and i want to talk a little bit about a topic that's quite important to me. so yeah, have been grinding so hard and played live all day just don't have the energy atm to post in here. if you care to hear a good ole' beat story i encourage you to keep reading...if not then dont

2/5 game me and villain are both 100bb deep.

I open UTG to 20$ w/ AKcc. 4 callers. SB who has been a little bit aggro and quite loose raises to 75. Normally here my default is almost always to call but for some reason I just felt like he was light and fos. Decided to bump it up to 175. He swiftly called. We're heads up to the flop.

FLOP: AK8r. He checks. I bet 100 (very tiny c bet, a little under 1/4 pot, leaving myself only 200$ behind.) He jams all in. I snap (with the 1$ chip throw in call).

TURN: 8
RIVER: J

Villain shows J8dd and says "I got real lucky man sorry brother." I believe the former half of the statement to be true, the latter maybe not so much


Anyways, I figured I should be checking there on flop almost always but didn't really want to let him realize equity with gut shots or w/e and maybe he could tool out with this exact type of holding. Either way I extracted the max. amount of sklanksy $ from him and that felt quite good.


Whine over. Tomorrows grind starts with a work out and a little meal prep then will hit the tables for a big session. Not without a nice pure 8 hours of shut eye though. GN and GL.

that HH at the waterloo game?

No sir. Casino rama actually

Great read as always.
Can you please share source for this?

@blank: thanks dude. actually the above is from a combination of stuff that i've read or learned and i think i got a few points off an internet article. i'll briefly list a few of the sources.

-"Getting to Yes" is a book on negotiation. Don't actually recommend reading this book but it was one from a uni class I did on negotiation.
-The uni class/lecture notes etc.
-The last 2 points I actually got from a guy called Coach Corey Wayne and his book that is called "How to be a 3% Man". The line about ultimatums is something that he states in his book a few times in regards to relationships.
-The last point about the greatest negotiation power is being able to walk away and mean it is something he preaches constantly in his book and youtube channel. I believe this is a common statement in deal making as well.
-The part about trigger points is actually something that I heard Gary Vaynerchuk say. He was talking about how he was always really good at sales because he was good at spotting the interests and trigger points of his customers when he was a young kid hustling garage sales and baseball cards.

hope that helps.

Hey guys gonna do a quick informal update and then get into a rather timely topic of November to close.

Things have been going well for me. I'm now in a very stable routine of Sunday,Tues,Thurs heading over to my friends condo for a workout then grind. Our diets have been ok ish but could definitely use a little work. There is 2-4 of us grinding there on those days and our grind motivation has been crazy. Putting in 14 hour days most of the time makes the days off feel quite relieving. We've really put a lot of structure into "the poker life" that it's not just rolling out of bed and registering tournaments. We're hungry for poker success and we've been getting a decent chunk of it thus far.

On PS I've been running absolutely horrendous. I'd actually put it up there as one of the worst runs I've been on PS through my career. Haven't lost a tonne of money but getting dirtied to come 9th place in a few majors hurt and a few days of literally feeling like I haven't won an all in. But without further damper of the post I'd like to note I've been running pretty good on other sites Shipped a 109 on ACR within the last few days for ~6k which felt nice. Can't just focus on results though...I'm really liking my process and in time results will come.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------




November 11th is a date that we remember all of the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty since the conclusion of WWI. It's mind boggling to think that WWI took the lives of ~18 million people only to be followed by WWII which took the lives of ~60 million people. Among innocent children, women, and men millions of people lost their lives due to war.

As the years pass it's extremely important to remember the sacrifice that all of the brave hero's made for their family, friends, country, their ancestors, and the world.

My grandfather was a bombardier in a Lancaster bomber and was responsible for sighting and releasing bombs, among working the turrets from time to time. I only recall a few meetings with him as he died when I was quite young but he did leave behind his hand written log book detailing all of the missions he flew. According to my dad, he never liked talking about the war.

It was not uncommon to be playing a board game before heading out for a bombing raid one night and then coming home the next night to have half of the guys from the game missing. The average Lancaster recruit lasted only an average of 2 weeks in the force. Many were killed by anti aircraft guns, enemy fighters, crashes, or became prisoners of war. If you are interested to read more here is an interesting article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ying-raid.html

I know it is 2017 and the wars were several years ago, but there are still troops in the line of duty to protect our freedom today. I know we all have busy lives and have tonnes of things on the go. Lest we forget the ultimate sacrifice of all of those who fell in the line of duty. On November 11th remember to take a moment of silence to remember...and please...make sure to wear your poppy.


In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

-Colonel John McRae

Great post sir. NZ and Australia have our day in April not November but yeah very similar things.

Tyvm

Hi there
I would love to consult with you regarding a brand I am planning to launch.
This would still keep you in the game of Poker - But on the 'Calm' side of things as I need an adviser and a social media manager.
Please reply back to me at DigitalMGB@gmail.com

Much thanks!

I'm at the HOT44 FT with ya, dude!

P.S. Nice thread, glgl!

actually wasn't really remembering that a lot of the guys on here aren't canadian actually not even sure if rememberance day happens on november 11th in other countries.

cheers! hope ya shipped

not sure what to say to this haha. solid 1st post though.

Went to the bills game in Buffalo yesterday (NFL team) with my dad. Had a few beers and enjoyed some of the tailgate party etc. On a more sour note the bills lost 48-10 which was actually their 5th worst home performance of all time apparently. Was actually really tilted to drive all the way down there and watch the bills get blown out since the first quarter. It sucked missing a sunday grind cuz my rythm really seemed to be coming but meh I think it's good to do stuff other than poker once in a while and hang out with family and friends. When it's all said and done poker is such a small matter in the grand scheme of things. Flicked in a decent session today in which I didn't play great but also felt a little bit off for whatever reason. Last week made about ~10k, ate ok, got in a few workouts so it wasn't bad. I'm gonna try to put in a solid post about something that has been on my mind for a lot of 2017...hopefully I can avoid passing out and hitting my head on this glass desk in which I type.


As 2017 has been the first full year in which I've done poker with no other side gig I've really had a lot of time in the solitude of my own head. There hasn't been University exams or projects stacking up that would burden my mind for weeks up until their start date. There hasn't been any bosses or employers phoning me to come in for my shifts or asking me to work over time, I haven't had that overhanging feeling all weekend that I need to be at work for 9 am Monday morning. Now that I think about it, 2017 has been the first full year that I haven't had a committed girlfriend for some stretch of a year in quite a few years. 2017 has been a year where I've really just focused on myself and trying to make sense of my mind and the world in which it operates. Moreover, I've really tried to focus on my happiness and well-being.

In late 2016 I went to speak with some type of psychologist (actually two of them) regarding my mental state. I really just didn't feel great a lot of the time and I wanted to talk to someone regarding strategies that could help me feel better. It's sort of hard to describe how I was feeling but I'd say it was a combination of always feeling occupied and a little bit of numbness. No matter what I was doing my mind would be in some other place and it was tough to enjoy and be present with the activity at hand. After running me through a bunch of questions and various tests the doctor told me that I displayed quite a few signs of depression. I mean, it kind of hit me because I've always known myself to be a fairly happy guy. She recommended that I took some medication and a few other strategies to help. I actually told her I didn't want any medication because I believed a lot of my problems were self-inflicted and I didn't want a band-aid to cover the problem. Finding the roots of my problems and fixing them was in my opinion, the purest solution (for me personally).

As I read a little bit about depression I couldn't help but notice there is an alarming amount of young people who are overwhelmed with it. Why is it that rates of depression have sky rocketed in recent years? Perhaps, it's because it has become more widely recognized and people are more likely to seek help. I think that is partially true but I do want to outline a few things that I believe are huge contributors to depression. I truly believe that finding ways to maintain our mental and physical health is one of the biggest challenges that face our generation.

1. The chasm between reality and technology is rapidly shrinking. When you really think about it, the internet as we know it has really only been around for ~15 years. Along with internet, comes social media, another avenue for advertisement, and more time for us to fixate our attention towards the rectangular screens in front of us. Young people are constantly being bombarded with pictures/messages/updates of their friends and people they follow displaying the top 1% of their lives. Maybe they see their friend post a picture of themselves with a perfect smile and fit body, holding a bottle of Goose, among a bunch of sexy models on a beach in Turks and Caicos, or a Linkedin update of their University room mate getting a 6 figure a year job at Berkshire Hathaway, or maybe just some advertisement about how to grow their manhood 3 inches whilst they browse the depths of a "sister site" of youtube, or maybe a picture of Fedor Holz swimming in a pool of money after winning his 39th EPT event.

Young people spend so much time looking at media/social media that the unconscious effects of this are drastic. Subconsciously, we feel the need to fit into this "perfect" role because we're given an unrealistic projection of how we should be based on movie stars, actors, instagram models, or even our own friends.

2. The Shift of our Dynamics in Relationships: Up until 20 years ago when you wanted to speak with a friend you would need to: write them a letter that took 7 days to reach them, phone them, or go speak to them in person. In 2017, it's as convenient as a few characters typed on a keyboard and hitting enter. We can stay connected with everyone from our most distant peers to our closest friends and stay up to date with their everyday activities. This is as much of a blessing as it is a curse. We're so connected yet so disconnected at the same time.

I was actually reading a Harvard study that said the number one factor in the happiness of humans was the quality of their relationships with friends and other humans. That's it. It wasn't about who has the best smart phone or the coolest car, or the most money. Over thousands of years we have been crafted to be social beings and this is a lot of where our happiness is derived from. We challenge that essence everyday as our face to face time is ever decreasing and the way in which we interact is digital as opposed to face to face.

I think the amount of time we spend on our phones and on the internet has caused a society that severely lacks social skills and is ridden with anxiety. We have so little time practising social skills face to face that when social situations happen we are a nervous wreck.

3. Diet and Exercise. Ever heard of S.A.D? This is the acronym for what they call "The Standard American Diet". Humans were not meant to drink liquids with 15 table spoons of sugar, or chickens that were pumped full of steroids, or fast food that has enough salt on it to sustain that of the Pacific Ocean. The ways in which food is produced nowadays and the types of foods that North Americans eat is just screaming for trouble (not to mention the portion sizes.) Obesity rates are catastrophically climbing and heart related disease continues to be the number one killer year after year in North America. The sugar/fat/preservative contents in today's food towers over that only 50 years ago. This screws around with hormones, blood sugar levels, and overall health of humans. If you are feeling down the first place to question is your diet and exercise.

One of the most eye opening things for me was at the end of 2016 I went in for some blood tests and the doctor said that my testosterone levels were the equivalent of a 65 year old man..."right in the toilet" in his words. He was explaining this is due to poor diet and lack of exercise that the body's estrogen starts to block testosterone production. That's what eating lots of unhealthy fats and sugars will do to you. Thankfully, the cure was just a matter of eating healthier, working out, and taking a few supplements for a few months to get my levels back to par.


Honestly, the above 3 factors are just my own theories that have very little (if any) research or proof. I just have a hunch that increasing technology is forcing us to disconnect from the natural things that have made humans happy over time. It's weird that we can literally do anything that a King/Queen/priority person could do in the past...yet we still feel dissatisfied.

I do not want to say the above is a definite cause for those suffering from depression. There is no doubt that depression is a very serious condition and there are many people who have natural chemical imbalances or struggle with their mental health. I just want to say that if you are feeling down try to eat healthier, exercise, meditate, or write a long winded blog on 2p2

Thanks for reading my hombres. Taking the day off tomorrow and going to watch a hockey game with some friends but you best believe I'll be back in the streets later this week. Best of luck and have a good week d00ds!


"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.' -Corey Ten Boom

Fu.ck that shiet hit me hard.

Being in the absolute crossroad ive ever been in my life so far, this post had a solid grab on me and my mental "game" atm.

Im at my late 20s and contemplating the bigest change ive ever made in my life so far. The "change" im talking about isnt the type "im going to try pro-poker and gtfo of my ****ty pay day - job", is much more about the "what i wanna be doing in life".
(i know that "if im contemplating then i guess im not ready" but most of my hesitation is soooooo standard fear-levels. Fear of failure. Fear of approval etc. Which obv i shouldnt care less, but im working on it every day).

I honestly do believe that we are smashed with info from everywhere in todays world and actually what u said about technology and how it affects people's mental situation (depression/jealousy etc) is supported by quite some researches, so its not only in your mind/assumption/personal experience.

Stereotypes and fear are 2 major factors that not only affect, but sometimes rule completely, the lives of many people in todays society. Once you realize to ur core that life has no "stage room" and its just "showtime" every day, things get a lot clearer.

Anyway i got a bit carried away again itt but i guess that means ur posting inspire me, but its your thread after all and i have one of my own for my more extensive thoughts, so ima stop here.

I am glad 2017 has been a good year for u so far, in many aspects not only poker but self-knowing as well.

I wish to you all the best in the rest of the year and obv years to come.

Keep it up buddy, peace!