Didn't remember there were going to be yearly updates, so I just had the pleasure of reading the '08, '09, and '10 updates.

Thanks.

I agree with what you are saying. I offer absolutely no negative judgements towards Dynasty. Being an infrequent reader of 2+2 I am amazed that I seem to always catch the forum when Dynasty offers an update on his journey - starting 4 years ago (Christ I am getting old!)

My reflection on these amazing updates, in conjunction with the above comments, is that in the beginning there was much more "My Life and My Poker Life" association to Dynasty's journey whereas the latest years seem to focus soley on the poker - both game and life.

Not that I am complaining - great reads all. I just enjoyed the personal journey with the poker journey and how each effected the other as offered in the early years.

Anway - much success to you and I applaud your commitment both to your desired profession in life but more importantly to this yearly journal.

sick read Dynasty, thanks for sharing!

what planet do you live on? the last 8 years havent been the best time to buy a house and invest in a 401k. and you think that this will produce more than 500k? this is just laughable nonsense.

I remember this thread when I first joined 2p2 because it was linked in one of the stickies in the micro limit forum. It's kinda crazy to me thinking about how much better and more aggressive the good limit players are now vs. then. Never made the switch to NL myself, but I know everyone says the same is true there, even more-so.

OP do you think your limit game has recently evolved or is still evolving? Or do you feel like you sorta reach a plateau in that game and were as good as you'll ever be a few years ago? And as a related question, what do you feel are the biggest differences between mid and high stakes LHE players?

It's cool that you played a role in the Venetian developing. There's a casino near me opening soon that's going to model their games after them with 8/16 and 15/30 and I can't wait.

i liked raymers post weeks before he won the ME and joetalls post foreshadowing the red sox world series win in 2004, epic thread

I'm not going to bother derailing this thread over an argument of numbers, and how much more he would of had if he'd have worked making an above average salary over the last 9 years, but I think you seriously undervalue what 9 years of an above average salary can bring you in terms of overall net worth.

lol.

youre just wrong. http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/ret..._wealth_a1.asp

and theres a million other links. unless you are in the upper 10% of american income youre not worth 500k.

Ok, fair enough. Maybe not 500k. But let's say between 200k-300k is more than reasonable after 10 years?

Keep in mind:
"In March of 2000, I was working as an accountant at Investors Bank & Trust in Boston. I had been an employee there for four and half years."

Average salary of an accountant in Boston? I was going to guess 60-70k, which is pretty much spot on..

http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Accou...oston,-MA.html

And at this point he'd have 10+ years of experience, plus bonuses, benefits, maybe a cash balance plan, DENTAL, you know. Little things that add up to thousands and thousands of dollars a year. Not to mention peace of mind.

So, can you honestly say that you think he makes more now a year playing poker than he would be if he'd was working at about 10 years of experience as an accountant in Boston? And, lets say its close. In the last 10 years, do you think he'd have done better as a whole?

I think the only person who can truly answer these questions is the OP, with an honest breakdown of

1) what he made as an accountant 9 years ago and we can come up with a chart with approx figures of what he would have made in the next 9 years, not even counting any big promotions. Remember, we count this as an "all-in" number. Benefits COUNT.

2) what he made each year in the last 9 years playing poker. Remember, paying out money for doctors visits and stuff counts against it.

3) the difference between the two.

I would be willing to bet my estimate of multiple hundreds of thousands would really not be that far off. Maybe the number is as low as 200k, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was double that.

Think about it. I'm not pulling numbers out of thin air. I'm sure he had years he made very little money. Maybe he had a year where he made as little as 20k. Do you think he'd have made 20k working in year 7 of being an accountant? Far from it.

As an accountant, with 10 years of an experience, he would easily be making six figures with the added benefits. Whether or not he would be enjoying himself is another story. Financially, it's safe to assume he would have been way better off keeping the job. Not just for the present, but for the future. Accountants have great job security even in this economy.

Exactly. I was using lowball figures, too. I was going to say he should be at 100k but I didn't want to get in that argument either.

There's MUCH more to life than trying to maximize your net worth. Certainly one could argue that at some point the potential return is worth being miserable in the interim (spending a couple yars to launch a business you think will earn you tens/hunders of millions is my threshhold but to each his own) but to suggest someone made a mistake by walking away from a $70k/yr job (or $170 or $270) suggests the person suggesting that 1) has never been in said position himself and 2) is still wrestling with an unhealthy relationship with the function of money in his/her life. Certainly everyone is in a different place in life so I'm not suggesting that anyone who stays in a secure job is a coward, just saying it's certainly not the only option that can make sense.

Walking away from a safe, secure job that you don't really care about to do something that you love can be an amazingly rewarding feeling and give you a sense of confidence, purpose and command of your life that no dental plan can match.


Keep rocking what you love, Dynasty (and keep sharing it with us in such a well written, open fashion, eh!)

23 is tops of weather. sweltering

I never suggested he made a mistake, I'm simply saying it's not a lifestyle for everyone. If anything I complimented the guy and told him I'm a bit envious.

Don't knock a good dental plan until you don't have one, though.

Sucks that we have to wait another year for an update!!!

Why do people like you bother getting out of bed in the morning? Your whole goal in life is to not HAVE any life IN your life.

Oh, no, life is coming. Run!

But enjoy that dying-moment look back when you tell yourself, "Hey, I had dental! I didn't have ups, I didn't have downs, I didn't have adventures, I didn't take chances, I didn't have freedom, I avoided all that because I wanted ... dental!"

I've had 4 root canals in the last 5 years. Avg cost I guess about $1600 each. Know what? It's just another thing to buy. I buy it with money; you buy it with the humiliations that come from being a cubicle bitch. And if you don't recognize the humiliations? That's worse than anything.

i hear what your saying ...going out and living on your own terms...freedom etc....but you also gotta realize that many people have a family with children and maybe other dependents.....they CAN'T have that year where they only make 20k....they NEED that dental and medical...btw consider yourself lucky the most expensive "medical" type procedure you've needed was an "affordable" 1600 dollar root canal....how much do you think Phil Laaks' little medical episode is gonna cost him? god forbid you ever find yourself in that situation....what then? do what Mizrachi did in the 2010 wsop and win a few million....gl bro....

Awesome line.

Wait. Did you not think you can play professional poker and have great medical/dental insurance?

Also, brush your teeth, man.

very good assessment.

Also, I've learned the hard way that there is nothing worse in life than having to look back and say "if only I had....." No matter what it was that one wishes they had tried, and didn't - it hurts to realize that an opportunity, even if only an opportunity to fail at something, wasn't taken. For whatever reason.

Sometimes, responsibilities keep us from taking those opportunities. Such is life. Other times though, it is fear. Fear of failure. Even sometimes fear of success.

Me? Like I said, I probably will never be rich from playing poker. But I expect to keep the bills paid - and I won't have to look back and say "what if" as I know darn well I'ld be doing (with great regret) if I'ld stayed on as a paralegal or some other such job.

To me, that's worth more than all the money in the world.

YMMV.

Lee

Who cares he chose not to lead this life! All of this means nothing.

Dental was a joke, fellas.

tl;dr