1. Natural gift
I incorporate into this class the intrinsic characteristics of a man, as well as his childhood, nature, and exercises during the time spent growing up, diversions, and additionally intrigue and inclination to the investigation of poker.
From early youth unmistakably I have an ability for arithmetic. I recollect how at five years old I strolled home from school and duplicated two-digit numbers in my brain, while cohorts endeavored to discover that 6 + 3 = 9. The appeal of numbers did not vanish throughout the years, I still frequently digitize day by day occasions and circumstances.
Seeing this propensity of mine, my folks showed me how to play connect at six years old. Unbelievably troublesome diversion, yet I had enough knowledge and intrigue. The majority of my companions played Lego and officers, and I was attached to chess, riddles, and cards. "Star Wars" I favored riddles from Mens' course book (CATTELL I-tel.).
Each mid-year my mother, uncle, auntie, and their two youngsters left for several months outside the city, where they played scaffold consistently. Without a doubt, such an early colleague with the cards incredibly helped me in my future vocation as a poker player.
Moreover, I have dependably been keen on connections between individuals. One reason why I seldom smoked weed around then was on account of at such minutes I was totally inundated in the investigation of human connections, both my very own and those of others. What's more, albeit in some cases it troubled, all in all, this enthusiasm of mine additionally helped my profession in the live diversion.
As a rule, I was fortunate regarding natural characteristics, and as far as instruction. My pastime for poker has created in the most regular route conceivable from an energy for taking care of sensitive issues, love for numbers and an enthusiasm for the brain science of connections.
Be that as it may, as should be obvious, I set the characteristic blessing the most reduced need. I trust that ability alone isn't sufficient - he will require the help of alternate columns with the end goal to achieve his potential.
For my situation, common ability, enthusiasm for the amusement, and close poker classes as they grew up made this classification the most grounded: I put myself 5.
2. Work discipline
To this classification, I incorporate the measure of exertion that a man spends on playing and learning. Individuals with an abnormal state of work discipline invest much energy in principle, talk about poker with partners, and play a ton.
For me, work discipline has been and remains an issue in numerous territories. Since secondary school, my evaluations just deteriorated. I was not in the slightest degree motivated by the material being considered, however, I would not like to endeavor to procure the "five" as it were.
There were different objectives throughout my life (to put on weight, for instance), which I didn't completely accomplish in light of the fact that I didn't work much. From early adolescence, we are informed that on the off chance that we buckle down, we can accomplish all that we need, however actually work for this situation ought to fulfill, it's staggeringly hard to keep up inspiration without even a small amount of joy.
Luckily, in poker, I have never had issues with work discipline. Throughout the previous three years, I have been giving poker 40+ hours seven days, playing consistently. I am pulled in to the scholarly premise of this diversion, I continually endeavor to make for myself new circumstances that propel for advancement. I frequently converse with companions about poker, perused 2 + 2, watch instructive recordings and commit a great deal of time to the amusement.
Be that as it may, despite the fact that I have a request with work control and inspiration, a portion of the time spent on playing and learning can securely be viewed as lost. The truth of the matter is that occasionally my control falls flat me. Delayed sessions in tilt or tired state just block the way toward making progress in poker.
Likewise, I am excessively lethargic, making it impossible to dissect my hand chronicles. I frequently talk about particular appropriations or circumstances with companions, however never completely examine the session played in an HU SNG, reserve, or MTT. This work may appear to be tedious, yet it is vital in discovering defects in the amusement - here and there real slip-ups lie in the least complex hands.
I adore poker enthusiastically and will invest a great deal of energy playing and learning. I think I merited a decent evaluation in this classification: 4 +/5-.
3. Professionalism
This category is probably the most extensive of all. This includes everything related to the ability to control oneself at the poker table as well as outside it. This discipline, and self-control, and the ability to manage money, and the creation of conditions for the game.
This is the most important category on the road to success, but it is with it that I constantly have problems. On my way I stumbled more than once, it is very difficult to talk about this, but I have to be honest with myself if I want to improve my professional skills.
Discipline and composure
This is definitely not my strongest side. I have always been a very impulsive person, which brought me some wonderful opportunities (such as a spontaneous decision to go to Europe and live for three months in Amsterdam), and a negative thing, like a break in friendships on emotions.
Poker discipline involves several directions - to leave the game in tilting or tired state; maintain a reasonable number of playable tables; do not open social networks and other sites during the game; schedule a day, etc.
Worst of all - the game is stressful about the problems of life, pure ludomania (playing for the game), as well as a session under the influence of alcohol or drugs. I went through it all.
Money management
Depending on whether you are playing poker for fun or doing it professionally, the following will apply exclusively to your poker bankroll or include livelihoods.
I sometimes marvel at how people like me, who absolutely cannot manage money, call themselves professional players. From June 2009 to June 2010, I rented an apartment in Boston, and instead of spending a day or two and finding who to rent it during my travels around the world, I paid for it all the time. I spent on rent $ 10,000, although I lived in this apartment only twenty days.
This is a pretty vivid example of improper handling of money. This also includes a phone with an American SIM card in Canada, thousands of dollars for exceeding credit limit and interest on it, as well as about $ 85,000 lost in the casino all the time (I'll come back to this later).
As for the money for the game, I recklessly violate all the rules of bankroll management, relying on the fact that if something happens, I can find a Becker, or relying on my skills in sessions at the limits above. It is amazing that after three years I still show such disrespect for bankroll management.
My main problem with money management is that in life I am ready to spend money lightly on anything. In the past six months, I have somewhat died down my ardor, thanks to a large downstream online. It has recently ended, mostly due to the fact that I was able to concentrate on other factors, which I will discuss below.
Conditions for the game
Until last month, I did not really understand how important comfortable conditions are for the game. My most successful online month was August 2008, when I lived in my homeland in Halifax. I had a very comfortable chair, two monitors and a clean desktop. Then I won about $ 40,000, mostly on $ 1/2 NL HU. One day I won 48 buy-ins on the NL100 and NL200. I'm not kidding.
All year until last month [post written in September 2010 - approx. Ed.] I played in disgusting conditions. In Amsterdam, I had a computer with two monitors, but the chair and the quality of communication were just awful. After that, I usually played on a laptop, lying on a bed in hotels or on couches with friends, and again with bad internet.
A month ago, I returned to Halifax to almost the same conditions that I had in 2008 (I bought two new monitors), and immediately won about $ 45,000 (including $ 25k in the WCOOP HU tournament). I am sure that this is not a coincidence.
It is difficult to convey how important it is to work in a comfortable chair that supports the back, with a suitable mouse and keyboard, behind a large monitor. People often underestimate such things. Until recently, I myself underestimated them.
Problems with Ludomania
This is the most painful thing for me to write. I have spent about $ 85,000 in my life. $ 20k was spent on betting (mainly on table tennis), $ 45k on blackjack, and another $ 20k on roulette and other casino games. The peak of my ludomania fell on the period from August 2008 to August 2009.
Such behavior is completely unacceptable. Stu Ungar and TJ Cloutier are vivid examples of great (although the latter may not be the case) poker players whose bankrolls destroyed ludomania.
One of the problems of professional players is that they are surrounded by the world of gambling, most of the games in which have, at best, zero EV, and more often negative. I do not deny that I have a gaming addiction. But the paradox is that if I completely get rid of her, I can not continue to earn a living by playing.
It is very important for me to treat poker as a business, I am driven by the desire for success, earnings, passion, competitiveness, belonging to a community, and not ludomania accompanying the game, even when it comes to playing poker. With regard to other games, it is very important for me to understand what is permissible and what is not, and set clear limits for myself.
At the moment I have forbidden myself to play in the casino in the next two months (whoever notices me while playing will receive $ 500, for repetition $ 2k). I also imposed restrictions on various bets and sports betting.
The point is not only that the propensity to play against the casino ruined my bankroll. This is just a worthless exercise. I remember when I was just starting my poker player career, it seemed to me that it was cool to drop a couple thousand dollars in blackjack. Now I think it is stupid.
Sometimes I still want a half-dozen, especially when I get to the casino drunk. Until I completely overcome this habit, my bankroll will suffer.
Professionalism is my weakest point. But this is at the same time the most important of these qualities, the blunders in which more than others prevent me from achieving success. Previously, I only wondered how much I could earn if I had become more professional in treating poker. Now I have already taken the first steps - I improved the conditions for the game, signed up for the gym, I often close the tables if I was tired, and forbade myself to play in the casino. If I want to achieve my goals in poker, I must continue to move in this direction, but for now: 2.
4. Life balance and self-confidence
In this category, I include a variety of hobbies in addition to poker, sports, as well as sleep and diet. I included “self-confidence” in the name because I believe that the absence of problems with all of the above leads to a feeling of self-confidence that is immediately transferred to the poker table.
In fact, I have to thank my mother for the fact that she was able to explain to me how important a balance is in life. She was always for the fact that I played sports, slept well and ate, played poker for less time and maintained a balance of life. Despite active resistance, in the end, I realized that she was not just grumbling but really was right.
It is difficult for me to evaluate my achievements in this category - I somehow seemed to succeed, but I did not achieve anything at all.
Over the past few years, I have played poker a lot (perhaps even too much), traveled a lot and did a lot of things besides poker.
I was lucky - I have enough friends all over North America (and on other continents too). I love to travel and am very glad that poker gives me the opportunity to travel and meet with them. Last year I spent at least three weeks in Amsterdam, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Halifax. I also visited Italy, Paris, London, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. In November, my friend and I are planning to go to south-east Asia and Australia.
I have a lot of interests - golf, rowing, cities, restaurants, cinema, bowling, sports, bars, and clubs. Even when I stop somewhere for a long time, every day I devote time to at least one of these hobbies.
But I don’t forget about poker either - I usually spend at least five hours a day on it. And it often happens that on busy days, instead of donating hours to playing poker, I donate hours of sleep. Because of the long gaming sessions, my sleep mode is constantly shifting.
My other problem is diet. I often play MTT for a long time (especially on Sundays), without planning ahead that I will eat. Usually, this ends with an order for the house of any rubbish or a long hunger strike. In short, I still have to work on my sleep and nutrition regime.
Recently, I decided to do more serious sports. I have always played a lot of golf, although I don’t know if this should be attributed to sports. This summer, in addition to golf, I played tennis five or six times, ran, did a couple of times with a barbell and rode a mountain bike just once. Not the most sporty summer, in general. Recently, I signed up for the gym, which I plan to attend 4-5 times a week.
In general, I am pleased that I have many hobbies and interests other than poker, but I still think that I spend too much time playing the game and do not pay enough attention to scheduling, playing sports, and sleeping and eating: 3 + / four-.