17 Posts and 110 Comments
November 2008 - Posts
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By
The Maven
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Nov 28 2008, 04:08 PM
Looking forward to traveling the entire
month of January. I plan on traveling to NYC, Miami, D/FW, and Costa
Rica. I might sneek in a week of skiing at Lake Tahoe in as well.
Life's too short to work all the time. I like to stay
moving...visiting friends and family all along the way. Grab a half
a dozen books and travel around with my girlfriend,...eating out at
tasty restaurants and watching movies late into the night.
I've been going to a holistic doctor
for nutrition, herbs, and weekly massages. If you feel overly tired,
it's possible your diet and exercise routine (or lack thereof) needs
an adjustment. I exercise seven days a week (twice a day 3 days per
week)!!! It doesn't take much to get started...put on some tennis
shoes and start walking around the block.
Ari and I had around 10 players living
with us during the Venetian Deep Stack tournaments. Literally, more
than half of them got sick...I know that my diet, supplements, and
exercise has helped keep me from getting sick. Especially if you
have aspirations of playing live poker (WSOP for example), you'll
need to increase your immune system to feel healthy and energized on
a consistent basis. Whether intensively grinding live or
online...being in the best possible physical shape is a must.
It's been a bit of a joke the names
that have come in and out of Ari's house as of late. I had the
privelege to have a(nother) former #1 ranked pocketfiver sit down and
watch me play tournaments for about an hour last week...we have a
WSOP bracelet winner living with us...and the one of the world's top
PLO cash game players has been gracing us with his presence as of
late. I respect their privacy and would rather not name names, but
some of our guests have been the creme-de-la-creme of the poker world
and I couldn't be more pleased to be surrounded by such talent on a
constant basis.
Again, I'd like to quote from the
preface of Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War:
Depend on your
own arms.
But true strategy
is psychological – a matter of INTELLIGENCE, not material force.
Everything in life can be taken away from you and generally will be
at some point. Your wealth vanishes, the latest gadgetry suddenly
becomes passe', your allies desert you. But if your mind is ARMED
with the art of war, there is no power that can take that away. In
the middle of a crisis, your mind will find its way to the right
solution. Having superior strategies at your fingertips will give
your maneuvers irresistible force. As Sun-tzu says, “Being
UNCONQUERABLE lies with YOURSELF.”
Elevate yourself
above the battlefield. In war,
strategy is the art of commanding the entire military operation.
Tactics, on the other hand, is the skill of forming up the army for
battle itself and dealing with the immediate needs of the
battlefield. Most of us in life are tacticians, not strategists. We
become so enmeshed in the conflicts we face that we can think only of
how to get what we want in the battle we are currently facing. To
think strategically is difficult and unnatural. You may imagine you
are being strategic, but in all likelihood you are merely being
tactical. To have the POWER that only STRATEGY can bring, you must
be able to elevate yourself above the battlefield, to focus on your
long-term objectives, to craft an entire campaign, to get out of the
reactive mode that so many battles in LIFE lock you into. Keeping
your overall goals in mind, it becomes much easier to decide when to
fight and when to walk away. That makes the tactical decisions of
daily life much simpler and more rational. Tactical people are heavy
and stuck in the ground; strategists are light on their feet and can
see far and wide.
Keep working hard, keep your spirits up, be kind and appreciative to
those around you and make the most of everyday.
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By
The Maven
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Nov 21 2008, 03:20 PM
It's been another
interesting past couple of weeks. I almost had a simultaneous triple
crown...I had three final tables on the monitors and ended up winning
two of them, getting 2 nd in a third (all in kk v.s. aq).
All and all, I'm very happy with the way I've been playing. My
attitude is great and I'm excited to play on a day by day basis. Per
the usual, below are some tidbits of info I'd like to share.
Studies show that
children with poorer eye-sites on average get poorer grades. Why?
They have more trouble seeing the chalkboard and end up receiving
less INFORMATION. I've run across many students who could barely see
the monitor. If you haven't had your eyes examined...I highly
recommend getting that done ASAP. I even have over-sized glasses
made specifically for the distance I sit away from my monitors (see
Sam Rothstein in Casino), which makes the tables look even
bigger. Consult your eye doctor; tell them you'd like to get some
COMPUTER GLASSES.
Being a doctor,
scientist, computer technician, etc seems so much harder and more
intricate than winning at MTT poker as a whole. The hardest part
about poker is dealing with people. Gaging the different poker
players' poker personalities and adjusting accordingly makes the game
complex. The math involved in winning poker is remarkably easy
(especially once simplified). Realize the game is more than
beatable, set yourself on a path to improve your game, and greater
profitability can be expected.
An
interesting article about watching t.v. (surprise, surprise):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20081115/sc_livescience/unhappypeoplewatchlotsmoretv
The
style of Kung Fu that I prefer the most in the Shaolin Kung Fu system
is MANTIS!!!! The Preying Mantis is the ultimate killing machine.
Once born, the mantis will kill anything and everything in it's path.
Around 500 mantis' are born in the same area and immediately they
go at it...attacking each other until the death. Only the strongest
of the litter survive and wander out into the wilderness on their
own. They have no friends/peers and have zero relationship with
their parents/family. The mantis will directly approach and kill
animals and insects up to 10 times its size. It does not flank or
encircle it's opponent; instead, it directly approaches and begins
killing. It will never engage an opponent without killing it or
being killed. Even when they mate, the female will reach around
afterwards and break the neck of the male.
I
attached a couple of Youtube clips as examples of the Mantis Kung Fu
style. Practically all strikes are to the eyes, throat, and groin
(in the video, since it is only sparring, most head shots would be to
the eyes). The goal is to never have to block...rather, CONSTANTLY
GO ON THE ATTACK!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0wRqR9J8WA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlInJFHw5mQ&feature=related
I'm
currently reading The 33 Strategies of WAR. Below is a
paragraph that meshes well with a proper poker mindset:
Look
at things as they are, not as your emotions color them.
In strategy you must see your emotional responses to events as a kind
of disease that must be remedied. Fear will make you overestimate
the enemy and act too defensively. Anger and impatience will draw
you into rash actions that will cut off your options.
Overconfidence, particularly as a result of success, will make you go
too far. Love and affection will blind you to the treacherous
maneuvers of those apparently on your side. Even the subtlest
gradations of these emotions can color the way you look at events.
The only remedy is to be aware that the pull of emotions is
inevitable, to notice it when it is happening, and to compensate for
it. When you have success, be extra wary. When you are angry, take
no action. When you are fearful, know you are going to exaggerate
the dangers you face. War demands the utmost in realism, seeing
things as they are. The more you can limit or compensate for your
emotional responses, the closer you will come to this ideal.
Thanks
for reading my blog and I look forward to your comments.
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By
The Maven
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Nov 10 2008, 01:56 AM
Below are some tid-bits I've learned from talking with and reading books written by my Kung Fu Master, the honorable monk Fa Chuan Shakya.
RIGHT PROGRESS: Right Progess is changing for the better. Each day we should strive to become wiser, and we should attempt to make fewer mistakes. Right Progress can also mean putting good effort into what we are doing. On a daily basis we should put forth a good effort to understand and think on a deeper level. Right Progress also means to apply relaxed focus to whatever we find ourselves doing. If we do not put good effort in the task at hand, we can sometimes end up with a less than desirable result.
Before and after the Shaolin Monks of southern China went into battle, they would go through meditation rituals to prepare themselves mentally before battle. Today I will share with you a meditation that I have learned. Practiced and perfected...it can be one of many tools in your arsenal to keep you motivated, playing your best, and getting the most out of life.
Pre-Battle Meditation: The exercise is intended to last exactly five minutes. Play the following scenario over and over in your mind...Sit comfortably on the floor, keep your back straight, breath through your nose (tongue on the roof of your mouth) and close your eyes. Relax fully.
Imagine you are a tiger. You are hungry. Very hungry and you are about to go out hunting. You are standing on the top of a mountain or hill. Imagine the last time you were so hungry you couldn't take it. Slowly, you start creeping down the mountain looking for food. You are having to hold yourself back as gravity keeps trying to pull you down. As you are creeping down the mountain, you are wild with intensity and concentration. Letting gravity pull you down the mountain, you are prowling looking for food. You are ready to leap and tackle any prey you see. You've never been so hungry! Now go out and kill!
Once this group meditation had taken place, the monks would go out and fight with the highest levels of intensity known to man. It is said that many monks would literally bite people's throats off and devore their enemies...ripping limbs off their enemies with ease. Once the battle was over and they had defeated their enemies, the monks would perform another meditation exercise involving climbing back up the mountain and returning to the mental state ideal for normal everyday life (imagine walking back up the mountain, completely full and content, about to return home for a nice long nap...again, this exercise also is intended to last 5 minutes). The more advanced I get at poker, the more I realize how important it is to be good at many different things. You must be an expert at being extremely tight and extremely loose. You must be able to adapt to the always changing conditions. You get out what you put in. Don't leave your life's pursuits and ambitions up to chance....don't be a leaf blowing in the wind. Take control of your life. Be the person you know you can be. Don't let anyone else define who you are or your capablities. Strive to better yourself everyday. A wise man once said, "Hard work makes life easy." Go out there like the hungry tiger you are deep down inside. Hunt. Kill. Win. Comments welcomed as always. All questions/comments will be addressed in the forthcoming blog. Until then,...Work towards living up to your potential; nobody is going to do it for you. D
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By
The Maven
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Nov 03 2008, 02:32 AM
I'm in the process of signing a deal with an online training site. Some of the biggest names in the industry are associated with it and I'll be happy to be a member of their team. Sometimes just getting your foot in the door is literally half the battle.
The first time I ever met Ari, he was sitting in Calvin Ayre's living room playing in a cash game; chain-smoking, playing very LAG, and wearing his trademarked yalmika. Everyone at Calvin's house, whether playing in the game or watching, had heard about Ari and his exploits. At the time, pocketfives had him ranked #1 and he was brimming with confidence.
Almost immediately, I knew I wanted to get trained by Ari. I asked him that night if he trained anyone for a fee, etc and he basically brushed me off..."I've trained my landlord, but only because he lives in the building and is a nice guy. I'm not interested in training anyone and besides, I'm very busy these days playing live and online."
"NO" is the one word I don't like to hear. It just makes me want to dig down and try even harder. So...after returning back to the states I emailed Ari and again asked to be trained by him. AGAIN, he said no...his excuse, specifically, this time was that he had a live 10k event he had satellited into coming up and would be busy/traveling. (I remember thinking to myself, wow, a $10,000! event...one day I'll be playing in those). No problem, what's the worst that can happen...he said no!
About a month goes by and I'm playing online in the $100k on Bodog one Sunday. Ari is seated at my table. As the tournament begins I start up small chatter with him to break the ice and get the ball rolling. And once again, I ask him if he'd have any extra time coming up where he could train me in mtt's. To my surprise he said YES! He tells me to pm him and he'll respond with his address. I booked a flight and was at his door-step within the week.
I spent 6 days sleeping on a mattress on the floor right next to his computers. Every waking minute of the day was mtt's...he literally played from 9am to 4 am non-stop...I'd never seen anything like it. Long story short, after training 6 days with Ari I returned back to Texas. The very next week I made $15,000 profit, including a 3rd place in the $100k on Bodog for $9k. I continued to play for another month or two, paid off all of my credit cards and headed strait to Costa Rica. I was only planning on staying a week; I ended up staying 4 months! Needless to say, my career was finally on track and I couldn't be happier.
The info Ari gave me was the closest thing to a magic trick I've ever seen. I went from a break-even basically clueless player to an advanced 'A' player in 6 days. The following summer, I went and visited Ari in Vegas for a week during the WSOP. I had the opportunity to train from some of the best players in the world, including gboro780. I've met and been able to train with many of Ari's friends in the meantime. A memorable trip was when Ari and I traveled to the Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL for a dual training session with a Bodog player. While we were there we hung out with Chad Batista. I was able to ask him a litany of questions and again, I immediately changed my game for the better (played way way more aggro than before) and had my first $25K month immediately thereafter. Obviously, many thanks to Ari and everyone else who's helped me along the way. The moral to this story is to never give up. If you know it will improve your life, do everything you can to make it a reality. Everyone Ari touches turns to gold...obv, for anyone interested in stepping their game up to the next level...I highly recommend his training services.
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Beginner Meditation Exercise: Beginner level meditation. Intended to last exactly five minutes. Sit down on the ground in a comfortable manner. Close your eyes and remain motionless. Concentrate on the feeling of your breath entering and leaving your nose. Sit up straight to align your back and energy centers of the body. Concentrate on the feeling of your breath entering and leaving your nose. Relax and enjoy the moment. Clear your mind. More exercises to come...
Thanks to everyone for their support. As always, comments are appreciated. More to come in the very near future.
D
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