Mini UBOC is nearly upon us. Sunday at 1430 EST begins the adventure. So how have things gone, so far so good. I have been running deep regularly (lots of top 100 finishes in 1500-2000+ fields) so I am not terribly upset at progress. What I have noticed is that a few subtle tweeks to my routine have yielded some nice results. First off, spending some time at the gym just driving the stress from my body has been hugely effective in letting me sit down focused and prepared. Making sure I am eating better and not snacking on sugary things during my sessions has also helped. Not crashing in the late stages is pretty nice. Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated has been huge too. You don't really appreciate how much energy it takes to keep your brain operating at peak effeciency and effectivity sometimes. Another biggie has been leveraging HEM to mark hands during sessions to go back, asking more in chat and really trying to understand at a much deeper level why I'm doing things. Some plays are becoming more automatic (squeezing BTN callers to HJ/CO opens as an example) and now I am understanding why. My ability to see player types and to test new players to figure them out has greatly improved as well. What does all this mean, one thing
Clarity + Focus = Dominance
Pretty simple equation on the face of it, but breaking down a little further and here is what you see
Stress Management + Healthy Diet + Taking Care of Yourself + Positivity = Clarity
Discipline + Studying Properly + Constant Self Evaluation + Strong Fundamentals = Focus
Rolling it all up you get the Gman's Fundamental Equation to being a solid poker player:
Stress Management + Healthy Diet + Taking Care of Yourself + Positivity + Discipline + Studying Properly + Constant Self Evaluation + Strong Fundamentals = Dominance
So there is the recipe. It is still pretty complex. Achieving all those parts together is hard (otherwise we would all be winning all day every day), but it is important. I have been trying pretty hard myself of late to hit this and to really start to perform at a new level. I am excited for the next two weeks. I think there is a lot of promise there and my skills are sharp, my mind is positive and focused and ready to rock. I'm ready, my question now is are you? We'll find out when we meet at the tables. This is the Gman signing out. May all your flushes be royal!