January

I saw a total of $475 cashed out for the month. This is excellent progress towards my goal of $1200 for the year. Actually it puts me on pace to earn nearly $5600 for the year (@ over $15/day). That is an unrealistic expectation, as I likely won’t play as much as I did in January in the coming months. However, you never know, since the ever-increasing bankroll allows me to take larger risks.

My most consistent success came on PokerStars at the $1 S&G and the .10/.25 cash game at the end of the month. Most of my money came from FullTilt however, as I hit the $26 45-person S&G and finished first. Since my cash out from that site, I have done nothing but lose. I have some theories as to why this always seems to happen after a cash-out. I’ll have to write about it sometime. I want to say right now that it’s no master-plan of the poker sites to make you lose money after you cash out. That theory simply makes no sense (you already have your money, what does it matter if you lose?).I have been terrible in the last two weeks at Full Tilt MTTs, and I am convinced that it is my aggression level compared to their blind structure. When I switched back to PStars, I saw a lot more success and consistency.For February I am going to stay focused on my cash game. So far everything is going great. In limited action on the 1st, I was able to secure another $100 cash out, bringing me half-way to my goal for the year. I am terribly excited about my play right now, and I can’t wait to take my game to the real life felt in Laughlin later this month.

Speaking of Laughlin, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support they have shown since my Uncle’s passing. My family and I are doing much better of late. There is a small sense of normalcy that has returned to phone conversations with my dad (poker stories, rooting for the less-hated football team together, a general sense of disappointment after another football season with the bad guy at the top, you know – normal). I’m able to tell stories about my uncle to my coworkers and my kids without choking up. In general, there is a lot more smiling and laughter this week than there was last week.