So this is in shortlist for BBV thread of 2011 ja? I hope so. Anyway gg man you made it, been railing your ups and downs so im happy for you bro, keep the grind on the mind.

Good luck on the outside. I wouldn't worry too much about the culture shock you're going through, I think it's probably pretty normal. Just take a couple days to relax and I'd suggest doing some physical fitness stuff to help your mood (if your back allows it).

Great thread NWB, just read it from start to finish

When you get your 8k, PM me, we have a good 1/2 PLO game once a week here in Adelaide

OP

I think you should go in vacation, according to your last post you need some change in your life...You were in a place where they took care of you everyday, gave you food (crappy food but still), had a social circle... You need to take time to figure yourself out, even if you were isolated I doubt you figured out yourself in that 42 days trips. really I think going in vacation somewhere with no computers (You going to LANs places to update us) would be good for you. Enjoy fresh air, enjoy life, enjoy the sun.....

Nice profit of 14 tick marks.

Dude tbh that breakfast looks kinda rancid. basically everything about it other than the coffee looks substandard. i think u actually have to come to the uk and try a proper bad boy breakfast. GJ on your guinea pigaments sir.

I didn't read the whole thread but what does the drug do?

Day 42 + 7

It's now been a week since my fellow subjects and I were released back into the wild. I thought I'd give an update for those that are interested to see how things have been going.

No third testicle or strange growths, for those that were wondering. I've officially begun studying at university. I'm doing a Bachelor of Arts with the intention of majoring in Psychology. In this my first year of study, my classes are: Psychology, Philosophy, and Linguistics, and as predicted, I am loving it. It's so fascinating. I picked subjects that I am deeply interested in, because I have a very low attention span for anything that doesn't interest me. But yeah, it's pretty much the best thing for me right now. My family are happy that I'm finally doing something with my life and not just wasting away in the sh*t jobs I've been in for the past 8 years.

The bad thing is, I'm broke. And I have bills and owe $120 to various friends that have been really great and don't mind helping me out because they know I have money coming in. I have, in fact, around $11,000 in total due to me; $8,160 from the drug study, $1,000 from the government to help cover textbooks and other studying needs, $960 for my bond (assuming I get it all back), and somewhere around $1,000 - $1,500 in holiday pay that my former employer has to pay me. The problem is, all of that is still weeks away, and I'm broke now with bills and debt. I'll be living off rice and the frozen vegies that I have in my freezer for the next month, but I'll manage, no big deal. I'm more focused on what to do when I get that money, because now that I'm a uni student, it's going to be a long long looooong time before I get any money like that again.. unless I ship a donkament or whore **** myself out to the drug company :P

In regards to poker, I haven't redeposited, which is kind of a moot point considering I'm broke lol, but I'm still playing with the money that was in there before. In fact, I have only played two sessions since getting out, and both were (slightly) profitable. My bankroll is $62. It's small, but it's beautiful to be able to play at all.

I just finished 24th out of 765 players in a $2.20 PLO rebuy tourney. Was very happy with how I played, and built my stack steadily and consistently. I was solid, and then this happened:




I was 97.5% favourite on the turn (if my odds calc is right), what can you do. I took it in my stride and slowly built my stack back up. These low buy in MTT's have such soft competition, I can't help but think in a way they are more profitable than micro PLO cash (I realize this is probably a dumb thing to say :P ). Didn't make very much from coming 24th unfortunately

Went to Soundwave festival yesterday. My friend had a spare ticket and owed me for a plane ticket I booked for him, so I scored it. Slayer, Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age, Dimmu Borgir all played, too bad I was completely annihilated and hardly remember any of it. Had been drinking all day from money borrowed from friends, degen? At the end of the night, instead of catching a bus or a taxi I decided to walk home, think it was around 11 km's (6.8 miles). Yeah, I turn into a bit of a weirdo when drunk. I like long walks.

I am burnt to hell today, my face mainly. Apart from playing the tourney and slowly recovering from my hangover, I've spent today reading threads. This is a great site, so much to read about, so many stories.

Haha, yeah I guess that breakfast was a bit ghastly, but after being inside for 42 days it was the drizzling *****. Wouldn't it again anytime soon though :P

So there you have the past 7 days in the life of this guinea pig. Now if you'll excuse me my brain is starting to melt from the exertion. Grind on the mind.

Post us some photos of your day-to-day life. A lot of people are invested in your story!

Is anyone else having to scroll from left to right to read this thread now? No other threads are like this, not even earlier pages from this thread....

Hey man, I am unable to PM you, I think it is due to your post count. You need a minimum # of posts before you can send/receive PM's as far as I know. But I'm interested, troll some forums and then PM me the details when your count is up :P

Thankyou very much mate, it was indeed a strange adventure, and it definitely had a change on me. Without this opportunity I would not have been in a good place that's for sure.

If you ever see me around Stars say G'day!

tyvm bro, I'm very glad you liked it Haha, man that would be fun, but it seems the only writing I'll be doing for the next few years will assignments and random 2+2 posts

Thanks to all. 10 days to go until I receive my cheque!

Heh, I'll take those odds!

Haha, Charlie Sheen keeps popping up ITT, is it that obvious how much I envy his lifestyle? Or is it some degen likeness? Either way works for me.

No hookers, no blow, no drugs.

Suggestions for the 8k are encouraged, especially ones like yours. Wouldn't want it to be wasted on some boring, responsible crap, pffft bring on the madness!!!

ty ty, will do

Cheers man. Most people I've talked to about this subject share your opinion and are apprehensive/doubtful about it, I guess you just gotta put it in perspective and ask yourself if it's worth it. What are the risks involved, what is the background of the drug companies, and of course, how badly to I need the money haha. It was a good experience overall, they treated us well and they took our health very seriously. I'd do it again (but hopefully a much shorter one).

Awesome man, and you never know, 2 years from now I could bump this thread from a Philippines jail cell appealing to 2+2 to bust me out or something haha.

It was just a transitional thing, and things actually are different. The 42 days I spent inside that place were very soul searching times indeed. I'm not saying everything is magically resolved, of course they're not. But I feel much farther from the place I was, and the problems I had, so in that regard the whole experience was a massive personal accomplishment.

Hopefully I can disappoint you in 3 months time.

Thanks man. Hey I know this may not be exactly your kind of thing, but if you're looking for something different, download: Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult. I've been listening to it for the past week solid, would recommend it. Like I said, might not be your thing, and the vocals take a lot of getting used to, but it's all about the guitar and the drums and the atmosphere they create. And when you finally get your head around the strange vocals they work well with the music.

Hell yeah. Taken by Force was the first Scorps album I heard and was under the influence of illegal substances in a strange state, so it brings back fond memories. But I love everything up to Love at First Sting.

Gonna grind when I get my cash

tyvm man.

Thankyou man. And also for what you said about Melbourne being behind me back in the thread. I really want to go to the Crown some time soon. I was wondering if you or anyone else could please tell me: is poker running 24/7 at the Crown Casino or is only on certain times like in this sh*tty town? And how often is a game of PLO running? If it's perpetual I'm moving to Melb asap :P

Youre welcome and congrats again. Crown runs 24/7 and is pretty lively once you find your way around the massive place it is. I can say that there are some pretty juicy tables of PLO at crown when they do come up which isnt all the time as you predicted. Its sporatic so sometimes near the end of the month cash games running might spike up but you can rest assured you will be well catered for in terms of fairly well organised tourneys that run for both plo and nlhe that run week in week out in certain rooms.

The best way to get a good grasp would be have a good squiz at the poker section of their site (not the tourist section but theres one which lists heaps of the tourney schedules ive forgotten where) and check the times and structures etc.

In fact im going down on the 13th this month for a joe hashem (idol) tournament that he is endorsing which is $75 entry and looks like it will attract some fish http://www.crownpoker.com.au/Assets/...0PokerNews.pdf


You sound like youre enjoying yourself at uni as am I, currently starting a bachelor of business degree at latrobe and I cant stop my mind running away with making links of every little concept I hear about. Find myself smiling in class when lecturer explains opportunity costs of 'going swimming for the day' (grinding) and going to uni...

Hope to see you down here in the city of lights soon and Im sure you will feel its wayyy more buzzing than Adelaide even though i have only been there like 3 times. Good luck.

http://www.crownpoker.com.au/

definitely browse up that tournament calender in the bottom right hand corner but so far I havent come across any PLO tourney's being advertised. I guess nl is more fish friendly so they dont put it up there but Im sure there are plo sng's going on just not written down. Maybe need to ring em up or have a visit.

Ill ask around for ya when I head in next week!

Did you get the payment? any updates?

heard op died from the experiments they did on him.

RIP

RiP 1986-2011 Goodnight Sweet Prince

OP, you have created an excellent thread, highly entertaining, congrats. Your writing became a captivating narrative and I enjoyed the read very much.

I have a few questions for you.

1. Considering poker and alcohol have seemingly affected your life in very negative ways, why do you remain involved with them?

I am merely curious as to what your motivation and insight is in regard to your continued participation in those 2 activities. This is especially interesting considering that both obviously contribute towards your personal enjoyment and yet at the same time have also had admittedly devastating effects upon your life.

2. Is your payment tax-free?

I do not recall this being mentioned, so forgive me if I missed it somewhere.

3. Are there any surgeries that would help you with your back injuries/pain? Or is physiotherapy sufficient? Have you seen progress with your back therapy?

4. Roll update?

5. Are you studying university online or a B&M school? Are you full time?

6. What are your current plans for the $8K?

Anyway, thanks again for writing this thread and appreciate any responses.

You battled Nurse Ratched! You shipped a 988 man tournament! You survived bed 1! You captured nurse boob!

Epic.

Hope everything goes well for you, good luck!

Only read the first page so far, but your story reminded me of this book, you should give it a read if you get the chance:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Died...el_in_His_Hand

Hey all, some great questions to answer so time for an update. Not much to report other than this week I have been very sick with some crazy virus. On Monday night I was in bed, my back had been aching all day, and I was feeling real run down. Soon I was frozen to the bone, and wrapped myself in 3 blankets and began sweating like crazy and didn't really stop for 3 days. It was horrible. Except for the hallucinations, they rocked. In one I cashed in some tournament winning 4k. I kept rechecking the screen in my mind to confirm and it kept showing up. I even made plans to re-adjust my BRM to accommodate the new funds, but unfortunately when the sun came up the presence of sun light in the room was enough visual evidence to dispel the fever landscape and reality came back, albeit haggard and deathly. I was f*cked up, possible after-effect of the drug, will report it when I go in to get my cheque.

Thanks a bunch man! According to someone who posted in this thread about 20 posts back, there's a 1/2 PLO game here in Adelaide, but I can't get in contact with/PM him with him because of his low post count, so I am still without live PLOaments Can;t wait for my next Melbourne trip to check out the Crown, but it will probably be a fair while before I'll get the chance.

Not yet bro, another few days to go.

Hey man I'm very glad you enjoyed reading the thread, it was a lot of fun and it definately kept me sane while I was in that place. Was like keeping a journal, except it had the positive result of connecting me with some awesome people and it taught me a lot. It was a great experience.

1. That's a hard question to give a short answer to, so here's a tl;dr.

I guess you read about how I got hooked in the beginning, there are a few reasons why I continue to engage in these two things, despite the negative impact they have both had. The fact is that both activities are very deep, very fundamental elements of my life, and have been for some time; alcohol for 11 years, poker for 3. If I could kick one, it would be easier to quit poker. I'd like to say it would be alcohol, but the endless attempts at removing booze from my life have all failed. There have been three times prior where I have quit drinking, and all three times I lasted exactly three weeks. Then in the time of this thread, I made it to 7 weeks, upon which time I noticed a great improvement in mental focus, physical health, and general sanity.

I still drink mainly for two reasons. Firstly, sometimes I get extremely restless, and am drawn to drinking and roaming around, searching for excitement/meaning. I seek raw experience, interesting encounters, people, humanity. I crave something to get me high, to reduce inhibitions, to bring me closer to whatever it is I'm looking for, to break down the barriers. I seek to accomplish this with alcohol, drugs, positivity, intensity, exertion, exhaustion, whatever. I usually push it too far though, of course, and am left regretting. But any period of abstinence, while giving me a fresh amount of energy/health, results in that same feeling of restlessness coming back, and hence I end up drinking again.

Secondly, I lack confidence. I think too much, and too much going on gives me too many thoughts. I find it hard to communicate, especially with girls, and because I can't capitalize on my intelligence through the means of conversation, I get judged on my initial appearance, while although being not entirely unattractive, does mean that the long hair, tattoos and beard are what is taken as the first impression, and often acts as a barrier. But this is really not my biggest problem, as I am interested in those that look beyond the surface, but first impressions count, and we all judge by appearance, whether we're shallow or genuine. Times on E or the right amount of booze + other substances have yielded incredible results where this problem disappears, hence my continued usage.

With poker, it's a bit different. I don't want to stop. I don't want my previous stupidity to prevent me from engaging in what could be amazing. I love poker, I love learning about it, I love reading it, I love studying it, and I love making money from it. And, I know that with the right self control and the right discipline, that I don't have to stop, that I can profit from the worse players. It's just hard knowing that I possess degen tendencies that make me one of those worse players. But I have a passion to improve.

2. Yes, tax free.

3. Although I have given thought to possibly getting surgery, I've been told it should be a last resort. It is not the road I want to go down, but I will if it is the only solution. My back is funny. Sometimes I think it's getting better, then it will flare up and I will be a f*cking cripple again, hardly able to walk, spine all crooked like a freak. It is a source of depression when it's bad, and I hate it, but I don't really know what I can do. It's hard to find time for physio at the moment, in between studying, organizing my relocation, maintaining all the day to day activities like food shopping and preparation, clothes washing, getting apartment ready for final inspection etc. I still can't sit comfortably, which is great considering how many hours of sitting in lectures I do each week, but meh, just gotta go through it.

4. My BR is now $112. I've been playing low buy in MTT's and PLO10, despite being underrolled, because that's what I'll be playing when I get my drug money, and I have the plan where if I bust I will soon have the money the replenish it. But I've been going well, and if I make it to $500 then I won't even need to deposit any drug money.

5. B&M, full-time. A lot of it is centralized online though, but I still have to go in every day. I don't mind though, it gives me a routine that I need.

6. Ahhh my plans. Well, I'm still not 100% certain. I'm not going to degen it away, that's what I do know. I'm pretty much going to try and save as much as possible so that I never need to feel the stress and anxiety of being completely broke ever again, or at least in the foreseeable future. There is still a chance I will put somewhere around 5 - 12.5% towards a new bankroll, but more likely I am going to try and work with the Stars $$ that I already have in my account, and only redeposit if I go busto.

I know these were long answers, but hopefully they answer your questions. Thanks for your interest!

Haha! This sounds awesome! For some reason I always thought this was some dumb movie, should have at least read what it was about. Will check it out for sure, maybe the book like you suggested instead of the movie.

whyyy when uv just got 8k are u trying to get into a 1/2 live PLO game the guys only inviting you so he can bust you when you tilt dude, he's got a good read on your state of mind based on the last 60 or so pages dude lol

NWB,
Don't wanna be a downer but I also vote against the 1/2 game. 20 BIs of 100 BBs is what's needed to give yourself a good shot at not going busto as a winning player with an edge. 4k > 12.5% of 8k. Variance can be a beotch; this game is ruthless and heartless. I know you are in school (well done sir), but what's the employment status?

Recreational player, witha jobby job and security...sure they can walk in with 8-15 BIs for a good time but they gotta be OK with walking out broke. I just think it's too much risk at this point. Make the online roll move up consistently for awhile and gradually move up. No reason that $112 can't get you there with patience and pressure.

I'm rooting for you, keep those grades up. Keep that chin up. Make solid decisions.

Hey WestSideVB, will address that awesome post in a sec, right now I'm in the final table of another MTT, come rail me! I'm against 4 Europeans, gotta take this one down!! My bankroll is already set to double at the least from this one

In route