Before I go start with stories of Shanghi; a brief update is in order. Training has been very good. Im starting to cope with the workouts and be able to do daily activities without being tired. During the workout, I feel good and usually feel like I can do more when its over. Its a really good feeling and Im happy with my progress after two weeks (25% through). My body is shaping up well and I haven’t been drinking as much. I’ve also been sleeping more often and with some regular patterns (which is a new experience for me).  Poker has been going very well. I’ve only played several short sessions, all of which have been very profitable. For once something went right. I was about to leave for the gym on my final day in Hong Kong when I got caught up online doing some last minute busy work. I had forgot that I put my name on the waiting list for 100/200 NL game with a $20,000 buy in. Just as I was about to leave (45 minutes late for the gym) the table opened. One of the biggest losers and worst players (imo) at NL was sitting alone. His name on ftp was “frooodo.” Those of you that know him know what Im talking about. I ran sick sick sick well and stacked him four times.  Within thirty minutes I was up $80,000 and he quit me. Not a bad hourly rate lol :). It had been a good week month so far (+$150,000 or more) and I was looking forward to continue playing on partypoker as well as the APPT. This is just a recent idea but I really want to invest in property and this was definitely a good start!!! Now for the fun part...

Lately I’ve been getting into this subject rather frequently with friends and the first few times I was presented with the question, I was dumbfounded. While there are many reasons I continue to play the overwhelming reason can be put into one word, “MONEY!” Before you dismiss me as shallow, let me explain. Over the past five years I’ve played an estimated 2.5 million hands of poker over 10,000 hours and I have probably only spent five of those thinking about why I actually play the game. I mean lets face it, there’s countless reasons one turns to the game. In my experience I’ve come across nearly every one of them. Some play for fun, money, to relax, to think, not to think, to compete, to win, to be the best, some are addicted gamblers (no comment) and everything in between. As a matter of fact I once saw in an interview that a famous NBA player would play poker during half time to get his mind off the game. So now you ask, “Alec of all those reasons, why do you play solely for money? An explanation is in order. Perhaps comparing poker to other professions and looking at some of the differences will help you better understand where Im coming from.
Growing up, nearly everyone dreams of becoming a certain profession, even if its just for a short while. When I was five, I wanted to be a cop. I dressed up in Cop gear and went full out. I loved the billy club and handcuffs. Everyone has different aspirations that they strive to achieve. We are constantly reminded of this. We are told at a very young age we must go to school, get an education, go to a good college and progress from there to seek out our passions. Lets take a look at a few career paths and see how they compare to the game of poker. Please note (and this is very important here) a lot of what Im about to describe below are generalizations. I understand there are many reasons one chooses their career. What Im talking about concerns primarily about money, and the main reason or benefit one gets from a given job.

Well Im back home now and pretty settled in here. With christmas coming, training, family, gifts and everything else, i've been extremely busy. I have two families to see (my parents are divorced) over the holidays as well as dinners, friends and other events. On the 27th, I leave for Vegas where I will spend New Years. On the 2nd I fly back to OC for a day and then leave the 4th - 11th for Bahamas. Australia on the 13th is still up in the air, but I think rumors of an Italy trip for the month of March sound way more appealing. (for vacation, EPT San Remo and EPT Monaco). Like always, Ill keep you posted.

Live Tournament Results

Apr-07		A$ 500 No Limit Hold'em 2007 Melbourne Texas Hold'em Championship, Melbourne	1st	$5,101
11-Jan-07		A$ 1,500 No Limit Hold'em Feature Event 2007 Aussie Millions, Melbourne	18th	$3,989
27-Sep-06		$ 5,000 Championship Event 2006 UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, Palm Beach	8th	$39,730

Online Tournament Results