2006 in Perspective
When reviewing this year it's very hard to see past the last couple of months which have been disasterously bad as far as the virtual felt is concerned. However, I think I'll find this excersice nicely cathartic and maybe I'll be able to put a few things in perspective.
My first post of January was to announce that I was quitting my soul detroying office job in an attempt to play poker fpr a living. That job was crushing my soul and it was great to get out.
February saw me hit my fist ever royal flush. It also brought the job offer that I'd been waiting for some time for so as quickly as I started I hung up my boots as a 'professional poker player'.
March saw little blogging action although I continued to update the Kenya Blog that I started, which was basically a transcropt of the journal I kept for the six months I spent out there.
I also set myself some goals of swelling the bankroll and not cashing out until I hit the $10,000 mark.
April saw my bankroll reach $5,000 and I started playing the $200 tables regularly. Mrs. Pink and I started house-hunting and I dipped my toes into the water of sports betting for the Oxford Cambridge boat race.
In May I got round to writing up about the Oxford Cup weekend which actually happened in April. It was a hell of a lot of fun and if it hadn't been fore getting bad beated by Simon Trumper I might have made some serious cash too.
May was also my first loosing month of the year after I foolishly decided to multitable the $60 turbo SNGs on a mad VIP Points chase.
June brought the World Cup and the WSOP. It also brought a good month at the tables. I won in cash games and I played the PokerStars Sunday Million for the first time finishing just inside the money.
July saw us finally exchange contract over our flat after lengthy negotiations with evil estate agents. My barnkroll also hit $10,000 for the first time.
Two massive milestones occurred in August. We moved into our own flat and the very next day, amidst piles of boxes we celebreated our first wedding anniversary!
We has a well earned break in September heading down to the French Pyreneese. Poker also came back from summer break and so began the massive autumn rush where I simply coudn't loose. I also went on a drunken ramble about religion and a few other things.
The rush continued through October and I came very close to qualifying for the Betfair Asia Poker Tour. I also wrote about the odd mistake that was creeping into my game and about how I was yet to experience any sizeable loosing session at the $400 and $600 tables. Right at the end of the month I witness someone blow through $10,000 in less than 3 hours at the $600 tables.
November brought a couple of nice tournament scores (although the really big one still eluded me). However it also brought a halt to the winning run and was the second loosing month of the year.
December is still with us and fresh are the losses I have endured. I seem to have forgotten how to play. Even when I remember how to play tilt seems to take over and forces me to stick my chips in with the worse hand. My bankroll is now back down under $10,000 from a $19,000 high in mid November (although I cashed out about $2,000).
Putting things in perspective, I've still had a winning year to the tune of $12,000. Assuming I can forget everything of the last couple of months, I still feel that my play has improved.
On a non-poker front it has been an excellent year. I'm ten months into a new job which is more enjoyable than anything else that I can imagine doing and has some very exciting future possibilities and Mrs. Pink and I are now firmly on the housing ladder and are very happy in our new flat.
But I dont think that I am truely putting things in perspective. Maybe poker is taking too much of a front seat. Maybe I should be focusing on other things more. Maybe I should be doingmore some music. Maybe I should be spending more time learning Turkish and getting involved in community projects.
I think that a balance is required. I dont ever see poker dropping off the face of my life, because I enjoy it so much and it is a handy source of income, but it can't and mustn't exist at the exclusion of most other activities.
A very Happy New Year to you all. I'll be seing you on the other side.
My first post of January was to announce that I was quitting my soul detroying office job in an attempt to play poker fpr a living. That job was crushing my soul and it was great to get out.
February saw me hit my fist ever royal flush. It also brought the job offer that I'd been waiting for some time for so as quickly as I started I hung up my boots as a 'professional poker player'.
March saw little blogging action although I continued to update the Kenya Blog that I started, which was basically a transcropt of the journal I kept for the six months I spent out there.
I also set myself some goals of swelling the bankroll and not cashing out until I hit the $10,000 mark.
April saw my bankroll reach $5,000 and I started playing the $200 tables regularly. Mrs. Pink and I started house-hunting and I dipped my toes into the water of sports betting for the Oxford Cambridge boat race.
In May I got round to writing up about the Oxford Cup weekend which actually happened in April. It was a hell of a lot of fun and if it hadn't been fore getting bad beated by Simon Trumper I might have made some serious cash too.
May was also my first loosing month of the year after I foolishly decided to multitable the $60 turbo SNGs on a mad VIP Points chase.
June brought the World Cup and the WSOP. It also brought a good month at the tables. I won in cash games and I played the PokerStars Sunday Million for the first time finishing just inside the money.
July saw us finally exchange contract over our flat after lengthy negotiations with evil estate agents. My barnkroll also hit $10,000 for the first time.
Two massive milestones occurred in August. We moved into our own flat and the very next day, amidst piles of boxes we celebreated our first wedding anniversary!
We has a well earned break in September heading down to the French Pyreneese. Poker also came back from summer break and so began the massive autumn rush where I simply coudn't loose. I also went on a drunken ramble about religion and a few other things.
The rush continued through October and I came very close to qualifying for the Betfair Asia Poker Tour. I also wrote about the odd mistake that was creeping into my game and about how I was yet to experience any sizeable loosing session at the $400 and $600 tables. Right at the end of the month I witness someone blow through $10,000 in less than 3 hours at the $600 tables.
November brought a couple of nice tournament scores (although the really big one still eluded me). However it also brought a halt to the winning run and was the second loosing month of the year.
December is still with us and fresh are the losses I have endured. I seem to have forgotten how to play. Even when I remember how to play tilt seems to take over and forces me to stick my chips in with the worse hand. My bankroll is now back down under $10,000 from a $19,000 high in mid November (although I cashed out about $2,000).
Putting things in perspective, I've still had a winning year to the tune of $12,000. Assuming I can forget everything of the last couple of months, I still feel that my play has improved.
On a non-poker front it has been an excellent year. I'm ten months into a new job which is more enjoyable than anything else that I can imagine doing and has some very exciting future possibilities and Mrs. Pink and I are now firmly on the housing ladder and are very happy in our new flat.
But I dont think that I am truely putting things in perspective. Maybe poker is taking too much of a front seat. Maybe I should be focusing on other things more. Maybe I should be doing
I think that a balance is required. I dont ever see poker dropping off the face of my life, because I enjoy it so much and it is a handy source of income, but it can't and mustn't exist at the exclusion of most other activities.
A very Happy New Year to you all. I'll be seing you on the other side.
posted by Pinky @ 1:06 PM
4 Comments:
At 7:36 PM,
Anonymous said…
Sounds like you had a good year. All kinds of great things happening. I am looking for a little blogger love my way. I have worked hard on my site and am looking for good blogs to link with. Check it out and if you think its link worthy let me know and ill put up a link to you. Thanks, happy new year
At 2:47 PM,
Mark said…
Hi Pinky, Happy new year and keep up the great work with your blog!
Noticed your header is partially covered by the blogger nav bar. Had the same problem moving over to the new version - this can be solved by choosing your template again from the list. I saved the old one in a text file just in case but was fine...
Cheers, Mark (from the planet gong!)
At 2:57 PM,
Peter said…
Happy New Year Pink!
I am yet to activate that account, but rest assured I shall. Mette is leaving for Russia tomorrow so that might be the time; nothing like a new addiction to ease the pain of prolonged loneliness.
Only joking, I shall get by on a little intercontinental travel and a little poker. Maybe some Twin Peaks. You know.
At 4:46 AM,
CC said…
Nice recap, and here's to a great 2007. Well done, sir.
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