Whether you celebrate XMas, Festivus, 3 Kings Day, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah, I hope everybody has a Happy Holiday!

I have met plenty of sociopaths through online poker. Then there are those who think when you raise you are "being a bully" or those who believe that because you don't raise 10 2, you must be a fish.

Regardless, I am thankful for all of you people. Without the players, there would be nobody to play against, and the site would not exist! And thanks to Party / Borg etc for making it possible too.

So enjoy the holidays everybody!

You too ghost. Have fun my friend

Hey Ghost, I appreciate you taking the time to wish me a happy holiday. Not to sound lame or anything but I never take Christ out of Christmas because after all if you believe in Him, it's his birthday lol. Keep Christ in Christmas. But happy holidays to you and yours.

To anyone else I have a friendly request from anyone that's up to meeting a very good and loyal friend.

I just finished junior college with a 4.0 GPA and I am looking to apply to Columbia University (Ivy League School). The likelihood of me attending if I do get accepted may be on the slim side due to the high amount of tuition that I would like to avoid and instead go to a state school to save money.

Please do not mistake my informing you of my grades as a ploy to be arrogant as I do not think grades in school define intelligence. I just want you all to know that I have the ability to learn and work hard in doing so.

Back in the day when there were many many fish in the sea and the poker boom was still fresh, I turned $10 on Full Tilt into over $8,000 in just 13 days. I was strictly playing 6-man short-handed tables and heads up sit-n-gos. No I was not using proper bankroll management and I would like to remind you there was a moment when I got very lucky when I could have lost it all in just a few hands (due to bad luck and due to being outplayed but getting lucky).

I was once watching a good movie and in it was a quote. To summarize, if you think it, dream it, love it then that's who you are. When it comes to poker I literally do all 3 of these things on quite a regular basis, with the exception of the dreaming, but when you've had several (and I mean quite a few) dreams of playing online poker, you know it's in your blood.

I've finally thrown in the towel and said I cannot get by on my playing millions of hands of online poker and relying on my experience alone. As I know several legends in the sport of MMA (namely the UFC) went on a huuuge final losing streak as they simply could no longer compete with the more evolved, well-studied, younger athletes and were forced to retire.

I am not old, I am still young and strong at 30. But I have stated that I must start changing my game up if I want to start competing in online poker. It is legal in New Jersey and after the New Year I plan on getting back at the tables. Before doing so however, I want to get as much knowledge as I can to study the game and start using optimal strategy to crush low stakes as right now it is all I can afford. I've almost completed Dan Harrington's book but I fear that many, many, MANY others have done the same.

So what I am looking for is a mentor, a peer, can be older or younger than me, that has a grasp on the game and can talk poker with me, as well as perhaps know some very good third party software I can look into and possibly invest in. So far I know of Sit and Go Wiz which I intend on buying and Poker Tracker.

I am very friendly, funny, social, witty and a great great friend. I am easy to get along with and fun to speak to. I am as loyal as they come and eager to learn and I NEVER forget favors people do for me. As the good Lord stated what you do in life out of good will be rewarded 10 fold and I live by it and believe it.

Perhaps if the holidays weren't so great for you you can make it great for someone else. Again, I won't forget the good deeds you've done for me and I am not a selfish or greedy person. I help those that help me. It's how it should be. So if anyone is interested perhaps email me at coolrainfall28@gmail.com and we can exchange viber or skype information to be able to talk in person. I would be very very grateful and I won't forget the favor. Thanks guys and a very blessed, safe and happy new year to you and your families.

Take care.

So I'd love to help but I only know that I know only air about the game.

mr neilyoungshe, when one has the heart to keep life simple & wish his piers a merry Christmas , why do we feel at liberty to correct him on the nature in which he has done so? Do we not have the power to make peace & not religious confrontation?

If you desire a mentor, I suggest you walk the earth in search of your potential tutor rather than search here. If you find help in life than your poker game will help itself. I argue, 85% of the game does not require a poker mentor. Find yourself & you will find your game. The remaining 15% yes I agree, a good poker mind can only help.
Perhaps not coincidentally, I tend to agree with nearly 85% of your inquiries. You've reached out , opened up your notions , & spoke passionately about your aspirations & visions regarding your future.

Conversely I tend to disagree with the remaining 15% of your writings which contain religious innuendo that may or may not deter someone from welcoming you into their mind. Was your approach controversial in nature or one of confrontation? I do not believe so. Nevertheless, coming from someone who may wish to think freely & peacefully, he may remain skeptical on your fun filled & easy to converse with & get along with self-proclamations. How do we not know that you do not have the propensity to brainwash people you deem intellectually inferior to you & manipulate them into conforming to your right wing conservative religious ideologies; when all this time all we wanted to do was make peace love & play poker.

Vertcetti I sort of feel hurt by your reply. I just wanted to keep Christ in Christmas not because I'm trying to convert anybody but because it's His birthday. That's all. I humbly ask for your forgiveness if I offended you but please do not jump to any wrong conclusions as to what I meant when I said what I said. I simply wanted to keep Jesus' name in His birthday that's all. If you're Jewish, atheist, Muslim, or any other faith, I don't mean to disrespect you or offend you. I simply just said what I said for me because I felt in my heart it was the right thing But you are very articulate and I appreciate you at least taking the time to respond to me. I saw you TODAY at the .25 .50 NL tables on borgata/party lol. You sure do enjoy the game man and I do as well because I see you often. Hope you have a safe and blessed New Year. Even if you don't believe in God I do, and I pray everything goes well for you and the poker community in general. Take care man. And BTW, I think conservatives/republicans just be working together with liberals/democrats. We're a team in America, one nation United. Let's not judge each other and love one another (not implying you do or did or said anything wrong). Take care buddy and good luck!!!

I agree dude. We all walk the same earth & we're here solely as guest on this universe. Who's or what's guests I am still unsure & am yet to be convinced, but nevertheless , our swift stay here is a magnificent gift. Thus I agree with you, we are a team.

I do apologize if I came across as confrontational or judgmental. You seem like a driven individual with goals & aspirations. I can not say the same for myself. I live for the moment & I've given up on the whole goal setting thing. I fight my own demons everyday, for my toughest opponent is myself.

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; the hardest victory is the victory over self." Aristotle

Peace out my teammate

Don't read books, sign up for one of the training sites. Do a little research to figure out which one suites you the best, I would recommend Phil Galfonds site from what I've read. Most of the bookes available wee nearly out of date before they were even published.


The more you are willing to devote to a religion, the more likely you will conclude that poker is rigged and the less likely investing any effort into this game is worth your time.

I agree with mr punfunnies. Books on poker strategy is archaic.

Yeah yeah we've heard the story " the game is constantly evolving & we must keep up." Nevertheless, the ideology seems not simple to refute.

Mr neilyoungshe, considering you play low limit cash, I recommend you look up the name Evan Jarvis ; "Gripse poker strategy." The dude has perhaps 100 videos & he's the real deal. Also, he's entertaining, articulate, funny, & down to earth. As far as the Phil galfond shi-t; I'm sure his stuff is an abundance of resourceful information that you can transfer into your game; minus all the enjoyable commentary contained in gripse poker. IMO, Evan Jarvis is the best at commentating & doing his own play by play.

As far as being a religious man & letting it deter you from continuing your poker mission ; as stated by the punfunnies myster: I'm unsure where or if the bible makes a reference to internet poker & its potential corrupt enterprise. But again, wtf do I know? Last religious class I had was in the 9th grade attending Christian Brothers Academy. I got thrown out of that joint by Christmas. No chicks. Dude fest. Just too many fights with arrogant little spoon fed rich little brainiac narcissistic specimens.

To clarify - I view the super religious types (ie someone who comes to these forums praising jesus) as the same type that either concludes there must be some mystical power controlling the cards, or "they" rig dat sht.

Poker isnt rigged.

Life isn't rigged.

There is no mystical power controlling what we don't understand.

If you must worship something, worship math and rationality.


Also +1 to gripsed. Get to stackin.

Also praise (g)al(fond)ah

Why do we feel at liberty to classify a human as anything "super" when we do not see who is first?

You claim to classify that mr youngshe is on a "super" trip ?

He in my thought was simply being him, he was not on a "super" trip as you claim.

He is being him. A human. An individual.

We've already come to a consensus.... We are 1. We love & we love one another.

We are in between left & right. We are love. We are friends.