In December of last year I made a decision to take my funds offline and focus on school as I had one semester left and had to nail it in order to not retake certain classes to raise my upper level GPA. Until then I had supported myself for 2 years playing poker, while attending Missouri State University. In the beginning of March I decided to put get back into the mix, as classes have been going well. There are some differences now though. A) I can only play 2 days a week and B) I will be playing MTTs all day on those two days instead of MTT SNGs as I used to reg.

Really, none of that is the point of this blog. It is just more of a very brief Prelude.
Well, on my first full day of grinding back I played 30 tournaments with an ABI of $18. I was lucky enough to bink the $22 5k gte on Stars for about $3,000 which was a nice start. Then on my next day I made two small FTs for 600ish apiece which was nice again. Then I went about 3 weeks worth of grinding without binking anything. I ran poorly, but the point of this blog entry is certainly not to complain. The point is, I am realizing while I do have a good, competent MTT game, I need to be constantly studying. It isn't that I became completely complacent, just more so than I used to be.

So here is the point of this blog, which is ironically the briefest part of it. It is time to take this game seriously, more so than I have before. I have had a good solid game for about 3 years. I have been blessed with a good amount of poker talent. Any time I have applied myself I have succeeded, but I have never applied myself the way I should have. I have some small goals, and some larger goals, honestly I think I should be able to reach all of them.

My number one goal is not quantitative or measurable, which is normally looked down upon in goal setting, but it is key so I will keep it at number one.

1) Be disciplined in all facets. I have always been disciplined, but I could be more so. I know BR management and generally follow it extremely well. I probably take more shots than I should (1-3% of BR). Also, I occasionally spazz out of frustration deep in tourneys when it is obvious I am behind. I need to reign all of this in. That is goal number one, and the only way to achieve it is to be super conscious of it and brutally honest.

2) 12-16k in my account by June. This one is quantitative and mildly obscure. It is also priority number 1 results wise at the moment. Basically, some buddies and I go to Vegas for a week and play some events. More importantly, this will be achieved through volume, discipline, and most importantly studying my game fanatically. You should see me post more and more HHs on P5s and 2+2 as well (StaxXL there) in a constant effort to improve. You should also see them in blog posts. If you don't, I am failing myself.

3) 10k in a bank account, and 15k in my poker accounts by the end of Summer. At this point I have a daily schedule of 40 tournaments over Stars and FTP. I will be able to play 3 days a week instead by July. At this time I will be graduated, and on my own again. with those two numbers I can do this.

4) Be ranked by this time next year. This is both ambitious and really unimportant. The fact is, I have a good game, I just never even attempted to put in a full MTT schedule because I prefered the freedom of SNGs. For whatever reason, this is something I want now. I think it is because poker is one of the only competitive outlets in my life anymore, and I am highly competitive.

5) Reduce autopilot/ increase focus- THINK ALWAYS! This is of paramount importance. It is only at number 5 because it can't be measured quantitatively, which is an important function of goal setting. Also, it is extremely elementary and obvious. The point is, I know standard as a primary instinct at this point, so sometimes I autopilot in spots that focus would have shown more optimal lines. I will be actively seeking optimal. <---- go grammar go.

6) Design a bad ass avy on adobe.

Thank you for reading, I have intentions of keeping a fairly fresh blog. Again, if I don't I am failing myself in my goals.