The Big Five-Oh Oh…

This is post 500. Never in my wildest did I think that’d happen. I’m also 22 months into this and that is another that I didn’t think I would make. I suppose I could try to compare it to baseball’s record book of 500+ home run all-stars. But, lets face it, there were a ton of bunts and hit batsmen in my record.

My two year anniversary comes up in a couple of months. So if you divide the above by that it turns out I’m over 20 posts per month. Facing the facts, every day doesn’t bring about a Nobel or Pulitzer or even a vague idea for getting one. It hard at times and truly harder at others.

I’ll try to be more retrospective in a couple of months – knock on wood. Today, I just want to look back and around. I can’t look back with huge pride. I’m not an author and not being from New York I can’t be in your face about my greatness – perceived or otherwise.

When I got the offer, I chatted with a blogging friend – Felicia Lee. In her own inimitable way she beat the idea to a pulp. We agreed that – as authors go – I’m inconsistent at best. Along the way she has called a few of them good. That’s the difference between us I guess. She’s a home run hitter. If it isn’t going to be great then you don’t do it. If that the case requirement in blogging for both fun and profit. I would be in the double digits and my ego won’t let me be honest about how far down in those.

So, what do I have to be proud of? Well, I think I sometimes approach a topic from an angle that might be unique for some. I don’t think I’ve talked down like some can. Poker and blogging has been a wandering path for me. I’ve a pretty laid back life at this point. This dual interest fits right into that. I don’t want to be an Aaron or Maris. I like the utility roll.

I have noticed one negative tendency. You are welcome to point out the other 42. I do tend to beat some topics like a dead horse and not just over the head but to a jelly-like consistency. I think attitude is more important than winning. Even if winning isn’t far behind.

On day/blog ONE, I had a SnG and tournament background. I was above adequate at it but getting jaded. I’ve morphed in to a limit/ring player. I never thought limit would be where I’d gravitate. I’ve hated limit. And, my pre-Moneymaker days never included stud. We can end up in places well off the path most taken. Blogwise, I should have stayed with NL Hold’em. It is the more ’sellable’ flavor.

But, getting a mixed game has been my poker salvation. I can even play the occasional NL Hold’em tournament with more gusto. Like most folks, I look for some fun. Without mixed games, I’d be gone from the poker scene well before post 500.

I don’t know how it has been for you, gentle reader. For me, it has been a gas. Poker and blogging have expanded and hopefully extended my life. I’m reminded of a book on baseball that was in our school library. It was called “The kid that batted 1000”. That was done with a bit of angle shooting and became unsatisfactory to the young man. Well, I not going to get negative about my at bats. I thank all for letting it come to pass.

ADDENDUM:

At the tables I am playing a bit of a rush. I book a number of killer sessions and the at bat percentage is solid. I’ve had 4 losing session in the last 15 and those had a very low loss percentage. In the wins, there were a few barn burners. The worm seems willing to turn. I feel I have a handle on table dynamics that is more EV. But that’s been there for a while. Now there are the cards too – not all the time and total luck box; but, when they are needed I get my share of good draws from good outs. I think my reads have been better. When I’m beat it is often against the hand I was trying to play at.

Frankly, I needed that. I’m still marginally profitable at just about 2 BB/100 but that .50-1 failure – which is slowly recovering – halved my success. If I’d avoided or broke even there, I be at 4 BB/100.

Most of my play is at PokerStars. I’ve played a wee bit again at FullTilt. I cashed at Bodog. That wasn’t because of the funds the feds seized. That doesn’t really bother me. But, the stud side dried up. There used to always be a game going there I could get into and, playing stud, I had too hard a time finding a game there. Hold’em players won’t have that problem.

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One of the new features in our forum is at the bottom of the post. You can now put your ID for the site in your profile and folks can access your user name. So, stop by the forum and you can be a stalker of the/this fish.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Misc..