First of all, I've always loved card games. The ones that are similar to Magic, not to name any names and I actually traveled a lot playing them =). I remember when I saw the WSOP on espn, the crazy amounts of money regular looking people were making. I started watching poker on tv a lot, even though I was lost on how to play, I caught on very slowly. Then at work I helped someone with a pokerstars shirt or something and I asked him about it. He told me how easy it was to deposit and play for real money. He also told me about poker that is played at bars for free. I started playing them almost every night and slowly started learning. Months later I deposited $50 on stars. I dont remember much, just that I lost it very quickly, then repeat. I started asking around at work to see if anyone played and eventually found a small group, but they were never caught the bug. Then, a local poker room opened up about 10 minutes from my house. I drove by many times before eventually playing 1/2 NL. I bought for like $60, I remember my heart beating out of my chest from playing but I came out up like $50.....I was hooked. From there up and down, up and down. I remember going close to broke and seeing that there was a 30 man sng about to start and I entered it...being on tilt.....and I don't know how but I won it for $500....bam hooked again......up and down, up and down more, then I decided to go back to poker stars I probably had like $12 bux or sumthin....lost it, deposited more, lost it, then I had like $6 left and I played a $2 180 man sng and won $216, I decided to stop going to the poker room and play online cause i saw so much potential in it, but the transition from live to online was rough. More ups and downs at one point I wanted to quit because I was down like $800 and I figured poker just isnt for me. I took a break for a little while but I met some people at work that started going to the poker room and after getting my money up I deposited on Full tilt, up and down again. I started reading every issue of card player, i bought like 7 books on poker, and began studying videos on youtube. I still wasn't seeing results but I was very determined. Then on day someone told me about the $3.30 knockout on FTP and my eyes lit up. I played lots of them and ending up getting 1st 2nd and 3rd in a couple. I was on a rush and I decided to take a shot at the $24 knockout and I took it down for +$3,000 wow, I remember I had the biggest smile on my face and wanted to yell but I couldn't because it was like 4am, plus I had to work that morning at 9am, but I was jacked on adrenaline. I don't know how I found pocketfives but I remember looking at the top 10 and looking at their winnings. It blew my mind, 90k, 100k, 300k, and since then I have won a small 30man sng in vegas for $500, took 3rd in the 24knock for a lil over 1K, and got 132nd in Ftops event #1 for $945. I remember FTOPS last year, way before my 3k win, I took a shot at a satellite to one of the $200 buy in events and making it in, but I decided to keep the tournament money because I didn't want to play scared, but I promised myself I would play this year. I almost didn't play I thought to myself 6,000 people wow, but I figured everything I cashed in, I almost didnt play either, and I figure you gta be in it to win it, and that you only live once. It has been a long road, there is probably a lot in this blog that is out of order and some things i have missed out, but that is it in a nutshell. Some things ive learned is never give up, always play for at least 1st place, and most important which I have written on a random sheet paper on my wall is practice makes perfect.

-Nate