My First Year as a Successful Sober Pro: Doing the Damn Thing - Page 13 - Poker Blogs and Goals -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

I am in the midst of coming down with a cold so I haven't been 100% the last week or so...but I ended up with that big upswing and was really happy with November. Played a short session this morning but my sore throat was bothering me. My workouts have been really solid but I am going to take a few days off to recuperate. I'm flying out on Thursday to visit the family for the holiday season, but will still try to get in some volume. I've been keeping up with cardio every day and have been meditating for 10-15 every morning.

I won't have any database issues and want to get back into recording my results in here. I think maybe once a week is best, that way I won't be looking at them on a daily basis, but will still hold myself accountable.

I watched that French documentary 'Nosebleed' last night. It probably only appeals to poker players, but I enjoyed it. All in all, the best poker documentary I've seen anyways. The only thing that I thought was lame was them trying to play up how much money everything was (dinners/hotel rooms/wins and losses, etc). Maybe that's appealing to some people though. It definitely makes me wish I had gotten into poker earlier. And gotten sober earlier, ha.

11/29 - Chest, cardio
11/30 - Back, cardio

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12-02-2014 , 02:05 AM

#303

happyniss

enthusiast

Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 58

very nice thread, do you use a hud?

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12-11-2014 , 01:26 AM

#304

clydetheglide

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 448

I ended up taking my first real vacation this year and headed to Denver for a week. We rented a car and I am road tripping back down to Mexico. I'm in Moab now. Going to do a bunch of outdoor stuff on on the way down, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, sightseeing etc. I'm super stoked to be doing this. I haven't been playing at all and am enjoying it. Will be getting back into the swing of things upon my return!

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12-11-2014 , 11:18 AM

#305

zippymoose

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 401

Hey, Vacation sounds nice! Enjoy. I was wondering do you play 6max, full rign or a mix of both? You probabaly have mentioned this before. I am currently trying to transition from full ring to 6max.

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12-11-2014 , 04:12 PM

#306

Aries77

journeyman

Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 211

Quote:

Originally Posted by clydetheglide

HELL YEAH!!! Using the free time poker is giving you wisely.

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12-12-2014 , 04:32 AM

#307

Finja

enthusiast

Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 83

Enjoy and have a great time!

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12-16-2014 , 01:32 PM

#308

zippymoose

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 401

Quote:

Originally Posted by clydetheglide

11/24/2014

Hey, so I haven't posted in awhile. I wanted to address that, both for myself and for ppl who read.

Everything is going good, I am still down in Mexico, I've gotten into the groove here. I work out every day, play poker every day, and watch movies/shows/games/read at night. It's a very solitary existence, and I'm finding it very challenging but also rewarding.

I've stopped posting my results so often because I want to be capable of living life the same way regardless of how I'm doing in poker. I am wondering if that's attainable. I would like to think that if my bankroll got to a certain point, I would just focus on playing good, and that would be enough.

But I'm finding a hard time not having goals, and that means being focused on my results. Earlier on, when I set these lofty goals, I worked really hard to attain them, and had really good results. But I literally thought about poker almost around the clock, and although I could step away from it, I really wasn't that far away from it mentally. I am trying to get in this happy middle place that I am not sure if exists, where I appreciate my time "off" and put in good solid work hours. Not having any outside distractions, for the first time (in New York I always had my girl, so she was what I looked forward to outside poker, doing stuff with her, we always had plans) is proving to be kind of challenging because I end up asking myself these existential questions, like, is this all there is? Which is kind of funny for a number of reasons. I worked reeeeeaaaaally hard to work up a roll big enough to move down here and now that I have been able to take a little of it off, I feel pretty good and comfortable financially. But then it's like, my daily routine, which is the same every day. And I am a creature of routine, I like having one, so it suits me, and I'm happy, but then I wonder if I am living a life of substance, because its not like I really have goals or aspirations or am doing anything that makes me feel really good about myself, because all I have at the end of the day is whether I'm up or down, and I'm trying not to focus on that.

I realized that a lot of my "good days" were days where I was just up a lot of money, and riding the wave that comes from that. I don't want it to be like that.

So, I'm probably making this out to be a much bigger deal than it is. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely know I will never be able to go back to a normal job now that I've lived this lifestyle. I love being on my own schedule, and am as happy and at peace as I've ever been. But that doesn't mean there aren't things that I think about, or want to improve on.

I suppose it would be different if I had someone to share the time with, but then again I don't want that, because like I said its been good to be alone during this time, to figure out how to get the best results work-wise and life-wise, maintaining a healthy balance. If I was with my girl I wouldn't have been able to figure this out on my own.

I have met a couple cool guys down here and we grab lunch or dinner once in awhile, so that's cool. But I'm really just not that social anymore and even the one night I went out with a bunch of poker players in Tijuana I didn't really enjoy myself. That might just be getting older, or maybe that's just what it's like to go out sober with a bunch of guys you don't really know. I had never done that before.

Another thing is with this recent HEM update, I deleted the wrong database once it automatically created the new database, and it's only showing like 20k hands on the month for me. I've been trying to learn HU and it's actually been going pretty badly, but that's a whole different story, and one I'm not that upset about actually.

I am getting in really good shape for the first time in years, and its definitely due to cardio. I have incorporated cardio into my schedule every day, even days I don't lift. I was running on the beach, but it started to really bother my feet (I have had some plantar fasciitis in the past) so for now I am walking on a hill on a treadmill, until my knee can handle running on harder surfaces.

I'm really loving my apartment and the freedom I have here. My days are simple, and quiet, and I do what I want, and I love that. I'm not lonely even though I am alone 99% of the time. I signed a 3 month lease, so I will be here til the end of January. Then, if I've actually made some money, it will be decision time.

I've struggled with my coffee intake but it is getting better. It has cost me a lot of money, since I play bad when I've had too much. I want to switch to tea, but still love that morning cup.

Every day, i wake up, have coffee on the balcony, watch the ocean, get a little sun, play a session, get a workout in, go grab tacos at one of the awesome taco place in town, play some more, take a break, play an evening session, and then hang out. I don't want to make it sound like I'm complaining because that is a pretty damn good day. I think when I turn things around poker wise I will maybe not question everything so much, but then again I'm not necessarily happy about being tied to my results.

That's it, kind of a ramble, but have had a lot on my mind and want to get it down. No more taking time off from the thread, and I'm back to posting in here regularly.

You are a gun and have proven that very quickly in this thread so if you arent having a good day one day just keep that in mind. I wanted to comment on how you wonder if "that is all there is". I found this interesting and thought I would give you my feedback as something to think about if nothing else.

I would love to be as successful in poker as you are someday in the near future and know that if I was there would be odd mixed emotions like you are having. But really the freedom you have from that lifestyle is amazing and should be taken advantage of. With such great financial stability which I assume you have, depending on how you manage your money, you can do many things.

Think of ways you want to give back to your community or something that is important to you. This will bring more meaning to your success. If you are a goal oriented person you can also set more goals in other areas of interest. Think about what else you are passionate about. Maybe food since you were a chef/ cook? With the capital you are attaining you could easily venture into entreprenuership or even just investing in businusses that you are interested in and becoming involved in them. This could give you a lot of added responsibility on top of your poker work if that is something you want to bring meaning to your life. Or you could simply do something like this with no expectation of mentary gains if you are just a creative person and like building or creating things.

Just considering these things would to me be the added value of crshing poker so substantially. It opens doors to other paths that might not have been there before.

Not sure if any of this will mean anything to you but these are simply the options in life I want to open up for myself. I love poker and would love to be generating such income from it one day soon, but down the road I probabl;y like you would be wondering if there is more. I certainly do think there is more if you decide you want there to be.

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12-17-2014 , 09:30 PM

#309

clydetheglide

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 448

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippymoose

Thanks for all this. You know as I look back on that it was during a lull in how I was feeling in general. I've been able to travel now and do some things away from the tables and it's really affected my view on things for the positive. You are right though, in everything that you said, and I do plan on doing other things away from the tables down the road.

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12-17-2014 , 09:43 PM

#310

clydetheglide

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 448

12/17/2014

POKER

I took some time off, and flew to Denver to visit family and friends. I flew my girl out to meet me there, and we road tripped back to Mexico (well actually to San Diego where a friend met us and gave us a ride back here). I haven't gotten even close to my normal amount of volume due to that and the fact that I was sick for like 2 weeks (worst sore throat I've ever had).

I am playing on 2 new sites, and am getting HU coaching. I finally got my stars account figured out on there and have been playing high stakes HU, and I'm really happy with my progress. I use pokertracker 4 for my HU so these are just my 6max stats. Overall on the month I think I'm up around 25k. I am having some problems with my HUD importing correctly on stars (I am using that pro poker HUD) but I will start including my HU stats as well once I get it figured out.

My girl is still down here with me so I am balancing having a great time with her and showing her around, and trying to make up for my big lack of volume. I am going to stay here for the holidays (I think) and try to grind a bunch and make up for it.

Without a doubt, I am playing the best poker of my life. I have improved drastically and with that, my mental game is getting stronger, just because I am getting more confident. I'm also drinking much less coffee, which may seem laughable, but I guarantee it's cost me tens of thousands of dollars this year. I get tilted easily when I am overcaffeinated, and almost always play worse than I normally would. It's been a real struggle bc obv I have an addictive personality, and it's tough for me to stop something that doesn't have an obviously negative impact on me. I tried justifying it in different ways but in the end, I just look at my hands after I'm overstimulated, and I would never play that way normally.

WORKOUTS

I am getting back in the swing of things after the aforementioned bout with a bug of some kind. I lifted legs on 12/15, chest on 12/16, and will do back today. I've done cardio every day.