I gotta admit last Monday morning I was down on poker.  I've got some decent live events coming up including a trip to Vegas so I was clinging to those but a downswing was weighing heavily on me.  I took some terrible beats online immediately after deciding to play some higher limits in the ring games and had min cashed all my big events lately, whiffed on the middle sized events and made deep runs in the tiny events, a bad recipe for the bankroll.  Then, two weekends ago, I stone bubbled the Lock High Roller after a brutal day online and suffered through a meh live event on Sunday making me wonder what I was doing there.

What did I do about it?  I decided to take some time off, joined TPE and found people to help me obsess about my ICM spot in the High Roller.  I got over it.  I gave myself a day to think about variance and why I play this game and all of you helped me come to terms with the decisions that we make all the time.  In order to play this game, we do our best to make +EV decisions; we think, we analyze, but in the end variance is fundamental both in poker and in life.  All you can do is work hard and put yourself in the best possible situation to succeed. After that, screw it.  It's good to analyze decisions but it's bad to worry about results.  I remembered that. 

Anyway, I haven't even found time to watch videos yet but I was inspired to get better and work on my mental game.  The conversation also inspired me to get right back into it.  I think my first day back was last Thursday and played two tournaments I think shipping the $4K GTD.  Took Friday and Saturday off to hang out with the wife and then played a medium schedule on Sunday and finished 3/1040 in the $100K during my first ever visit to the TPE chat room!  My first ever five figure score (ok ok 9980 or something but it's five figures with the entry fee!) I'd had a lot of near misses and this one really felt good after the spot I was in not so long ago.  A perfect way to start my first ever poker playing trip to Vegas…and I don't think I would have even been back on the felt without the TPE message board giving me a sense of resolution to my downswing.  Just talking it out helps so much especially when given access to such talented thinking players. 

Wish you all similar success and looking forward to being an active TPE member for a long time.  Can't wait to get started watching the videos…I've heard great things.  See you on the felt. 

Clarke