CARDRUNNERS

Mar 9, 10 01:49:55

first :)

igetmoneyobv

Mar 9, 10 05:17:34

nice to see your mood getting better.
This blog is a most to every low to mid level grinder who start blaming run bad on there current swings and forget to continue analyzing their game.

You sir are an inspiration.

D.Redstone

Mar 9, 10 11:09:28

Glad you are winning, just don't get too excited, it could turn right back around, and the happier u are now the more pissed you'd be if it does start to suck again. (Reverse Jinx?)

aenema

Mar 9, 10 12:25:06

Str8 up Townysauce. STR8888 UP.

SkinnyBrown

Mar 9, 10 15:35:05

play at mohegan sun as a warmp up. connecticut is gorgeous this time of year. :)

lana

Mar 9, 10 18:42:55

good to see your more positive

happypanda86

Mar 10, 10 01:13:32

Surprised you didn't rent a house last year.

I feel like i'd sleep better at an actual house away from the strip... mainly because it's away from the strip. When I was staying at the Wynn, you could hear the music from XS which was annoying since I am faint sleeper. Rather annoying when I wanted to sleep before 2am.

FakeSenatorKevin

Mar 10, 10 14:29:40

I hope you make it :)
And it is nice to hear that you have won some money!

KidFromSpace

Mar 11, 10 05:24:39

Still the same old results-obsessed Brian, analyzing tiny hand samples and making up silly things like 15% drop in win rate. Never seen a pro who was as obsessed with some imaginary bb/100 over 5000 hand samples.

jimpo

Mar 11, 10 06:06:30

funny story, sounds like the sort of thing I would do after winning a seat online.
good to hear your back on track, sure it'll make you a better player even if it did cost a lot.

GuitarmanUK

Mar 12, 10 11:14:07

Going for the donkament grind! I did the same thing as you (but in smaller buy in tournies). Giving myself a ridic schedule, only to grind cash games for 3 days before hand, lose and get tilted, and leave for home before any of the tournies started. The live grind is brutal, taking a lax schedule and mixing it with some online play in down hours is the way to go.

SixPeppers

Mar 13, 10 05:08:34

Just as an FYI in the 2009 50k horse, 91/95 players made day 2 and 53/95 made day 3, so it will take some time to near the final table... not to be discouraging

Timex

Mar 5, 10 04:29:33

take a week off.

Totals

Mar 5, 10 04:30:16

work out and read books everyday

Totals

Mar 5, 10 05:19:43

Im sure you are running bad but that one PLO hand you posted isnt palyed well and is such non comment worthy cooler. You flopped a weak FD and made a low str8 because of poor PF selection. So much of the time what looks lieka cooler on the river is a product of overly loose PF defense. Even that being said, you'd have to put him on bluffing with a made hand since his turn flatting range is more wrap heavy than FD since he checked back flop last to act. Hope things turn better for you.

--Zach

zachucsb

Mar 5, 10 05:20:58

It really sounds like you need to get away from the tables for a bit. I don't imagine anyone could still be playing well after the last few months you have had.

good luck with things, you deserve to run like god for a bit, man. I'll be on the rail when you do :)

GuitarmanUK

Mar 5, 10 07:27:09

You really need to realize you have an integrity issue...and it's coming back to haunt you. Ever since you shared hand histories your poker has gone down hill. Think about it.

rfine48

Mar 5, 10 08:34:44

conormills.....he hasn't done anything remotely wrong. Not only that he even admitted it...Is that what you said.....And I'm the retard...Please....Get your Head out of his rear for God's sake.

rfine48

Mar 5, 10 08:52:38

Why r u raising the turn? Also, what do u think about leading small on the river and folding to a pot sized raise? Obviously getting put in those spots are tough but its kinda hard that u can't find a fold in this spot where in the past you've been close to laying down nut flushes vs straight flushes

igetmoneyobv

Mar 5, 10 09:54:47

learn to play piano/guitar. playing has a sort of cathartic effect i find

lgl1

Mar 5, 10 10:16:00

Some of these comments are a joke.

I doubt this will make you feel better but...fair play on the fact that you keep blogging even when you are struggling, as a high profile player that takes guts. Also its reassuring to us SSnl grinders that even the best have tough times.

Good luck man

TallisKid

Mar 5, 10 10:23:18

Your a great inspiration. Thank you. I'm pretty sure I can't teach you anything with regards to poker. And I'm sure you've heard this before - but take a break. It's alot more refreshing and good for your mind than you'd think. Try it and enjoy!

NugaNuga

Mar 5, 10 10:45:18

Hi Brian,
that is tough situation for you, hopefully it turns around soon. Good Luck for that! Maybe try playing some lower stakes where the money cannot affect you just to regain confidence.

Separate

Mar 5, 10 11:39:06

Brian, the best thing I ever do during a downswing is to log on to FTP, scroll my mouse to "Requests", then "Responsible Gaming" and "Self-Exclusion" myself for a week. I ALWAYS come back and go on a major heater.

Drifter265

Mar 5, 10 11:39:31

Brian, the best thing I ever do during a downswing is to log on to FTP, scroll my mouse to "Requests", then "Responsible Gaming" and "Self-Exclusion" myself for a week. I ALWAYS come back and go on a major heater.

Drifter265

Mar 5, 10 12:23:37

You probably had your reasons for this play, but in a downswing, wouldnt it be better just to muck these garbage hands oop instead of getting in these difficult situations?

Anyway keep fighting, you re one of the best youll get though it soon enough

Mistawa16

Mar 5, 10 12:24:02

You probably had your reasons for this play, but in a downswing, wouldnt it be better just to muck these garbage hands oop instead of getting in these difficult situations?

Anyway keep fighting, you re one of the best youll get though it soon enough

Mistawa16

Mar 5, 10 14:56:43

Really sorry to hear that your downswing isn't ending but when is it +EV to defend your BB with that hand against a good player OOP? I just watched your PLO vids a few days ago and you couldn't stress enough that people defend too lightly out of the blinds. Don't forget your own solid advice because you are running poorly. GL

kona1987

Mar 5, 10 16:11:50

fold pre-flop. seriously.

amarillotg

Mar 6, 10 06:29:25

fold pre, self exclude.

BallinBT77

Mar 6, 10 06:30:00

fold pre, self exclude.

BallinBT77

Mar 6, 10 11:28:18

hey brian

sorry to hear your bad run is continueing.

i think you should try to masterbate 7 or 8 times a day its very therapeutic and will help you play your best.

hang in there buddy and im pretty sure when you finnaly run normally you will make like 5 billion this year.

arturboruc

Mar 6, 10 11:28:40

hey brian

sorry to hear your bad run is continueing.

i think you should try to masterbate 7 or 8 times a day its very therapeutic and will help you play your best.

hang in there buddy and im pretty sure when you finnaly run normally you will make like 5 billion this year.

arturboruc

Mar 6, 10 11:35:42

omg fold pre flop you whale

arturboruc

Mar 6, 10 12:48:47

ive never once commented on a blog, but you played that hand terribly on flop and turn, river is played fine but again, What else does he have to overcall here but a huge combo?.....take some time off from poker before u go broke

grfdogg10

Mar 7, 10 21:28:09

So you run mega bad for the first time in 5 years.

You dont understand know how LUCKY youve been to have this happen now instead of lets say in 2006.

If this happened in 2006 without allin EV stats you would have QUIT POKER.

Like so many players have done, players who have far more raw talent than you, but didnt run like Usain Bolt for the first 5 years of their poker career.

Hionane

Mar 8, 10 01:11:12

Get ur highstakes buddies to review a video of your play. Or if allowed, do a joint session where they watch and comment. I think stinger says when he's not doing so good, he watches some vids.

FeFiFoFu

Mar 8, 10 08:57:51

sure you have heard it from a lot of people but taking time off is key and im sure you know that. A buddy of mine plays 10/20 non stop and was losing for about 3 strait months! Took a month long break(went on vacation and chilaxed) and now hes up playing 25/50. A break can def. help. good luck

chkwheelsdwn

Mar 8, 10 08:58:26

sure you have heard it from a lot of people but taking time off is key and im sure you know that. A buddy of mine plays 10/20 non stop and was losing for about 3 strait months! Took a month long break(went on vacation and chilaxed) and now hes up playing 25/50. A break can def. help. good luck

chkwheelsdwn

Mar 8, 10 16:00:44

Brian,
Please stop being a little bitch.

mhucker

Mar 3, 10 03:42:03

Great entry, you should do more like these.

DonnyCD

Mar 3, 10 03:43:44

Keep your head up bud, you're gonna have a newfound ability to appreciate it that much more when it turns around...all the very best buddy.

ridetime

Mar 3, 10 04:15:09

that plo sounds so sick,it puts me off trying it out!....hope things turn sround for you soon.

gilford1

Mar 3, 10 06:45:41

Thanks for writing about this Brian. A very honest entry. The part about how being 8 million richer might probably change you to being douchier made me laugh because few would admit that.

verneer

Mar 3, 10 06:57:25

I'm just gonna be blunt. Yeah it sucks running bad. But look at the bigger picture. I assume you are set for life financially? You have a loving family? A good group of friends? Without being a dick, what are you complaining about? You run so good at life so forget about Poker and stop moaning.

Think of the millions of people who are in debt, hate their life, have no friends, are stuck in dead end minimum wage jobs.. Sometimes you need to realise how lucky you are to be happy.

I'm not hating on you because I really think you're a nice, cool guy and one of my favourite pros. But suck it up man, stop being a big girl and start enjoying your life!

birchinio

Mar 3, 10 07:17:22

I´m pretty sure that most of the poker community knows that you are one of the most hard-working players out there, and even more so in the nosebleeds. It´s very few that can say that they have been within the absolute top of both NLHE, PLO and now 7-game...very few.

With that said I have to say that the mindset that poker owes you some reward for your hard work is wrong. Poker does not owe you or anyone else anything. If there were no variance, poker would not be what it is today.

alund1

Mar 3, 10 08:08:14

Unless you enjoy the emotional roller coaster that the huge variance in PLO seems to create for some, then maybe it's time to play a game with less variance for a while. Even if it might cut into your long-term EV, emotionally it might be worth. At the end of the day, you are still going to be rich.

playa

Mar 3, 10 08:45:36

You forget about how good you ran to have the roll to play at the stakes you play. Heres a thought stop playing plo and flipping for stacks.

HotChick28

Mar 3, 10 09:17:01

Stop looking at all-in EV please, all it does is cause tilt, frustration and/or depression when it reality its a pretty irrelevant stat.

Tw33Ty

Mar 3, 10 10:16:33

I disagree with the above about ev. It's a pretty good way to judge your performance which is often way different from results.
If he just looked at his results and ev charts didn't exist I can imagine he'd feel a ton worse.

NapDyn83

Mar 3, 10 10:35:20

stop playing durr and antonius hu that will help with the DS

DBKKK

Mar 3, 10 10:44:26

Brian,

You are an inspiration to poker players around the world. Don't give up and never surrender. I wish you the best of luck my friend. I want nothing more than to see you atop Mt. Nosebleed like the god damn champion you are.

SkinnyBrown

Mar 3, 10 11:33:13

maybe take a long vacation and make some more NLH CR vids :)

GL on and off the felt

ken aces

Mar 3, 10 12:57:44

Birchinio, what makes you think any of these high stakes players are "set for life" financially? The fact that they play these stakes probably means that they are several bad runs from being busto. Do you think if any of these high stakes players busted their online rolls and they had several million set aside that they could just be disciplined and walk away from the game or size down their stakes? (Brian has done this for only very brief intervals) No, they would rationalize that they are just having bad luck (which is kind of a ridiculous statement when it comes to PLO) and dip into the money they had "set aside". If you look at Brian's timeline on PTR, for the past 2 years he is up 630k in PLO having played LESS THAN 60,000 HANDS and down 183k in NLH playing LESS THAN 17,000 HANDS. Maybe a statistical expert could tell us how many hands someone has to play in PLO to even out the variance. I would bet that it's a few kajillion hands more than 60,000. Please feel free to bash PTR's stats, too. That way I can rationalize that my stats are flawed and that I don't in fact completely suck at poker. Brian-we really admire you always giving us your honest assessment. Do you think that 60,000 hands in PLO are enough to really show your edge over the other high stakes players?

bobkill

Mar 3, 10 13:20:57

I appreciate the honesty and realness of your posts as always. I think it is really inspiring to blog about this side of poker and the way you handle stuff when things arent working out.

Far be it from me to give you advice ,but the way I see it you are mostly running bad vs very very tough competition in a game where there is probably a very small edge for even the best of the best. I cant really understand why guys like you CTS, durrrr would play vs each other in PLO, because I think it is just whoever brings their A game on any given day will make the most \$\$.
I think basically your choices are twofold: 1. Drop down and grind smaller stakes, where the money doesnt matter as much. Also, game select vs easier competition im sure you know this better than me, but Id guess there are guys like PixKim , Luckexpress or Gus or w\e other better spots to play then Zzig,Cole,Durrr and PA. Someone like Urindanger does a decent job of this.

2.Take a break, travel a bit, get things into perspective and come back recharged and be ready to handle the crazyness that is nosebleed PLO, which I think you are doing a good job of as it is.

vanbasten9

Mar 3, 10 16:49:52

money is just the score in this game

igetmoneyobv

Mar 3, 10 22:44:07

Im still sticking to it... 30 minutes 200k flips with ivey or Ziggy.

streetfamep

Mar 4, 10 03:35:44

I have been a fan of you for a long time and you are the main reason I go against the grain and strive to be a great poker player like yourself. I have been reading your blog for along time. Every time I go on a sick down swing I read your posts and I inspires/grounds me. This is just like the time you went on your last big downswing about a year from now. You worked hard and came back. Variance is variance. Like you always stress its the little things that matter. The way you handle your swings, not going crazy and moving to Iceland, will be the reason you come back out. I hope this helped even a little bit because you sure as hell helped me a bunch.

happypanda86

Mar 4, 10 08:55:17

Karma cheater

madazrx4

Mar 4, 10 10:13:48

Brian,

My answer to you is to go play some live sessions and take a month off online. Win some live that is best advice for you right now. I would say do some meditating before you play or when you run into variance. Do more visualization exercises before you play picturing things going fine. I would also say Hire a mind Coach that specializes in Mind Linguistics. Mind Linguistics has many exercises to help you reprogram your mind. Paul McKenna is my favorite, but that Sam Cha guy that Esfiadiari is decent. As much as you think it is just the EV running bad in my opinion I think wiping the bad feelings and emotions of the variance is what is the most difficult. It sounds like you need something fresh to help you get to another level again and I know these Ideas will help you. You may think this is weird or out of your realm of beliefs, but I believe connecting your lower self, Middle self, and Higher self the most important for manifesting what you really truly desire. If any of those are out your conscious and subconscious cannot align you with what you are trying to accomplish. Anyhow, feel free to send me a message if you may need anything. I truly know there are things that can help you and it won't matter how good you play. I think it is essential to your success.

I am a big fan of your game and want to see you back on track. I know your vision of winning when it is magnified can light a planet.

Sick

Sick Cards

Mar 4, 10 13:22:29

Hit up Antonio Esfandiari and ask him how his Life Coach has worked out for him. If you never had a life coach before, couldn't hurt to check it out. Just a thought! GL and play well...

vvega11

Mar 4, 10 13:23:13

holiday?

going somewhere beautiful with some friends or loved ones fora few weeks, having a great time, looking a things from a different perspective and a break from the game could probably do a lot of good.

GuitarmanUK

Mar 4, 10 13:49:05

I personally never get tired of pros blogging about how bad they run. It's great to see how someone like you handles swings like this and I think it sets a great example of which any player can learn. Keep up the good work and better luck at the tables mr Townsend!

LawnchairMafia

Mar 4, 10 18:34:40

@Bob

He is playing games where he can win and lose millions and you don't think he has enough equity tied up in other things such as CR and properties etc to let him live pretty well for the rest of his life? A lot of 25/50 grinders will probably have enough cash to retire before they are 30 and Brian has played higher than that for long enough to have been smart with his money.

birchinio

Mar 4, 10 22:14:03

I left a blog for you yesterday where i ran horrible and lost close to 17 buy ins in plo. It rarely happens where i go past 8-10 but I played well and I ran bad. As always when I lose big I read your blogs and watch your vids and i took back 12 in my last session. I hope it helps that you know your helping people at the very least. I dont play anywhere as high as you and neither am i posting this to brag or anything. Its just your one of my inspirations in poker and I cant wait till you bounce back and smack hoes again.

happypanda86

Mar 6, 10 15:39:02

This prob sound stupid,but i think it ur negativity thats your prob, obv you know your good so your expectations are high,but you have also won a bucket load in your time, i not saying its fair but its just the way it goes. i lost my entire roll last week taking a shot at 2 4, way underrolled and got burned. and i ran close to 5000 under ev, now im busto, no job and prob finished with poker. i dont curse my luck or ask why, its just the way it goes for some. i knew it was a risk but i got desperate after losing my job. and i accepted my fate. i love your vids, ur poker mind baffles me but should know what to expect in this proffesion. i do hope it turns around or you, and im sure it will, you seem like a good guy but some just dont run good. love n light. mike

mozilla66

Feb 25, 10 07:26:49

Sounds like you are questioning your PLO game when in reality you are just running bad. However, once your confidence has been hit--it is going to mess with your mind while playing. Therefore, I would grind out some hands at 25/50 PLO or wherever you can play without losing your mind if you run bad--or play the mix games which you are still enjoying the learning aspect (and winning!). Sometimes, you have to put happiness ev over \$ev...and in this case--I think moving down while you may not be playing your best is optimal.

Just my .02

cincy_swag

Feb 25, 10 07:52:34

Solution: run better at PLO

Ted_Maul6

Feb 25, 10 08:06:00

does anyone in the highest stakes PLO games win at a consistent rate without having these type of swings? If i were looking to feel better about a variance downswing that's what I would be looking for.

snakeater

Feb 25, 10 08:52:36

Withdrew a lot of your roll and grind it up. I think your downswing is 95% variance (and everyone tilts / makes mistakes 5% of the time anyway). I'm sure you're very financially secure, but it never hurts to withdraw and say, "this is profit that I can't lose."

Once you've grinded some decent reserves up online take another shot and your confidence will be back, even if you're game is close to identical to what it is now.

Could be worse man, could be worse.

Privacy

Feb 25, 10 08:53:26

LOL at my drunken grammar in the previous post.

Privacy

Feb 25, 10 11:06:52

I say "flip it"..Ask ziggy or ivey to flip some PLO 200k a hand for 30 minutes.

Its just money, its not your balls!!!

lol

streetfamep

Feb 25, 10 11:15:49

makes sense when your playing so high remember galfond said you should have at least 10 mil to be rolled for those games, not like your playing 500 1 k all the time but if your playing 2 4 or 36 with 400 k on the table on 4 tables vs guys like iilsdur you pretty much need 10 mil

DBKKK

Feb 25, 10 11:36:30

Why do you assume you are doing something wrong? The skill factor is close to negligible in the number of hands we are talking about here. If you run bad in PLO at those stake the risk of ruin is unacceptable hughe. Stay away from those game or be prepared to lose it all.

HariSeldon

Feb 25, 10 23:12:13

if you overdo things the only person you will defeat is yourself

wilneedheart

Feb 26, 10 03:09:10

Even if PLO variance is known to be huge I still think it´s way underated how huge it is.

3bet pot 100bb stacks 3bet call u dont need much hit on flop to stick it in there in the middle. Your highstakes opponents know this too. 33% is good enough vs pot size bet. Maybe you should do a mathematical analyze how huge variance this can create. It has to be so massive, And your opponents will rape you if you don´t stick it in. As someone mentioned here I think you need to be prepared to loose 10m as Galfond has stated to be rolled for those games.

fisherman112

Feb 26, 10 07:14:09

Play live

Totals

Feb 26, 10 16:31:17

Hey Brian,

I doubt you'll have the chance to even read this but I was hoping that you could help a fellow person from Santa Barbara out. I'm engaged to my beautiful fiance' and we are entered in this wedding contest. Well... we need votes! I was hoping that you could throw a shout out in your blog for us and give them the link to get us some votes. I was born and raised in Santa Barbara so you'd be helping a local out too! I think we have a great love story. The jist of it is that I weighed 421 pounds and my fiance was my health educator who helped me lose over 220 pounds! Check out the link for more about our story and hopefully you can help me out and throw it in your blog.

http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/25951

Thank you SOOO MUCH!

Gary

cats yearnin

Feb 28, 10 03:42:50

Hi!

Not sure You really read these comments, but any way. From my experience (playing significanlty lower of course :) ) these downswings are even healthy - the point is that even for the best players results are fluctuating with tendency do go up in the long term. When You are in your "recesion phase" and hit buttom You start questioning everything, inclooding Yourself. This is time, when Your priority is understanding what is wrong and what can You do better. Only this is period when You think of the game, not play it. Because of above said, You start thinking about things that were "common knowledge" before. And only during this thinking process You get yourself to a next level. This is how it is with me at least :) I can for sure say - downswings are pain it the as*, but Iam thankful for them, since each time I getmyself out of one recesion phase I am a much better player than before - because I have eliminated leaks which I did not even thought before
So maybe this is time for You to get Your game to a next level (Just not very sure there is next level at levels You play :) )

Good luck.

KingJu1ian

Mar 1, 10 16:45:44

On the up side, at least Hastings didn't take you for 4mil.

ManWithBrisk

Feb 16, 10 14:11:55

Good to hear things are turning around for you. Hopefully that trend will continue.

chardukian

Feb 16, 10 14:18:46

talk to some private wealth management guys...they should be able to set you up with everything you need from banking to credit to mortgages to investment management. i worked in this business for a while but that was in asia...so don't have any good contacts for you here.

DrSatisfaction

Feb 16, 10 15:39:36

I'll take care of your money for you. I'll treat it very well. Promise

jjdodd27

Feb 16, 10 15:48:56

cell phones are helpful for your credit score. secured credit cards are good. local store credit cards are basically given away to anyone (home depot, target, sears, JCPenny, American Eagle). they are all great ways to get credit to start off with. otherwise buying a car with a large down payment or a house(no company is going to turn you away if you can front 30% to start). You'll want to always pay early or on time. obv paying in full each month is good. also if it's a retail installment loan (gym membership, car loan, etc) paying at least 5\$ over the min payment increases your credit score...

however if you can just pay cash you really only need credit for business ventures.

gymclasshero

Feb 16, 10 15:49:22

Working with Ashley on the QA team, she has always been kind and respectful. I enjoy working with her and will miss her when she moves on.

evilgaba

Feb 16, 10 15:52:04

You can build credit pretty fast.
at 18yrs old VISA gave me a card for \$500 limit. I always pay online as its very fast, easy and paperless. I usually even pay everything within 10 days of purchase even though I could only pay when the statement gets in +15 days.
Basicly, if your credit is 500, aslong as you dont buy anything over 500 at once its not really a problem as you can just transfer money on the card and its back to 0. Do this for a few months and they should give you better credit.
At 21 yrs old VISA was offering me over 25,000 credit on my card, which is WAY more then I would ever need.

Tw33Ty

Feb 16, 10 17:50:24

Unfortunately for you, one of the key considerations the credit bureaus (and thus banks and other lenders) use is the length of your credit history. All you can do is start that clock by getting SOMETHING. I know the secured card is insulting, but you really just need a history at first. Store cards are also a good place to start, as someone mentioned earlier. The difference between 1 year of credit history and none is big in their books. \$500k (or whatever) in the bank is not. Get a card, use it for something (gas stations only would be fine) and pay it off every month. They'll raise your limit in no time. But it will take years before you have the credit limit you deserve.

I have a similar story. I moved from the US to Canada. I had 2 US American Express cards, one with a \$25k (USD) limit history and one with "no preset limit." I had pristine credit. I applied for a Canadian Amex that wouldn't charge me a fee to buy things in Canadian dollars. They gave me a \$1000 CAD limit despite it being the same company that I could rack up \$50k easily up in USD. I called up and explained the inanity to a manager and he basically said sorry, but call back in a year and they could raise my limit when I had some history.

Different types of credit are good too. So it is better to have a car loan and a credit card than just one or the other.

Also, it is bad to apply for a bunch of cards at once. This lowers your credit score for a few months. Obv, too late for you on this one, but....

Finally, you can probably get your credit blemish erased with a little bit of work. If you write to the credit bureaus (there are three, but all of them might not have record of your past nonpayment) and tell them it is a mistake, they will try to get confirmation from the reporting party (who you didn't pay). Given that the dollar amount is so small, the creditor probably won't even bother to respond and you will get your credit fixed. Even if the reporting party does respond, you can offer to pay them if they agree to "unreport" you. Since, at this point the creditor is likely a credit agency who expects to get \$0 from you, they will probably do it.

There are lots of tricks like this. They are sometimes silly, but they do work. It is something you can get on top of and make right (or Ashley can). It will definitely be worth your while.

TitosTacos

Feb 16, 10 18:01:27

Oh yeah, and don't keep your money in a checking account! At the very least open a high yield savings account electronically linked to your checking account. ING Direct, Dollar Savings Direct, HSBC, and AMEX all have them (among others). "High" yield is a misnomer, but at least you get a yield and it is still FDIC insured.

TitosTacos

Feb 16, 10 19:18:44

Try a credit union.

RodeoBlue

Feb 16, 10 20:33:31

I do all my banking with Charles Schwab and am really happy with their service and customer support. They have the best credit card available for travelers (especially international), and the best rewards of any card I've found. Plus you can switch money easily between checking and investment accounts and they give around 1% interest on checking and no atm fees worldwide. PM me if you want more info or have any questions.
Cheers

pokeropera

Feb 16, 10 22:39:35

I accused Ashley of ghost authoring this blog, and she's vehemently denying it right now :P.

Totally agree with your opinion of her as she's been nothing but top-notch in all my dealings through QA. She will certainly be missed when she moves on to better things... unless you just teach her to crush poker and she becomes a CR pro.

nomo4life

Feb 16, 10 23:14:44

Wells Fargo is amazing and they are all about customer service. When I was 21 years old they where the only bank out of 7 that I tried that gave me a 1.6 million SBA loan solly based on the relatinship one of the sales guys had w/ my grandfather. They would for sure get you a fair deal on a credit card if you move you checking and savings over to them. Also great side note they have been the #1 profiting bank acrose the board for the last 16 months.

nordlaw

Feb 16, 10 23:36:59

lol, i had the same thing happen to me. my initial credit limit was like 1/200th of the amount i had sitting in another account.

take out a small loan and pay it back quickly. this may help establish some credit for the price of a few dollars in interest.

piriformis

Feb 17, 10 00:22:12

If I were her, I would work part time to pay the bills, and in my spare time take ONLY photos I loved, build an awesome portfolio, and start submitting my work to magazines.

Freedom.

wilneedheart

Feb 17, 10 01:31:11

Let the games and credit come to u bros.

If the good games go away, dont worry, they will be back. Your buddy isildur is back (heheh).

As for credit, I live in Canada, and had poor crdit until recently (last 3 years). Dont worry about the 500\$..It will go up to 1000/1500 in no time (next few months) just use ur CC and pay it when you get your bill.

Peace

streetfamep

Feb 17, 10 01:45:56

If you ever want to learn about how to build credit or need help navigating the world of personal lending, I'm happy to be a resource. People are probably going to hate me for this, but I was one of the core people behind what eventually became the juggernaut known as Capital One and played a variety of roles that ranged from building business units from scratch (i.e. - our Miles business and our subprime business) to corporate roles (i.e. - chief credit officer).

After 13 years building Capital One and a few more building a student lending company, I helped found a venture fund with one of the co-founders of Capital One and we're busy making investments as we speak.

Long story short, I'm happy to chat if you'd like advice, or alternatively, check out creditkarma.com if you'd like to check out your credit score for free and get advice on products and services that you qualify for based on your credit profile. The service is 100% free with no tricks and is a great place to learn more about where you are in terms of credit and what to do to improve your standing. I've invested in the company (full disclosure) but would recommend it regardless of my involvement.

You have my e-mail if you'd like to connect!

elric111 - Stars, elric1000 - Full Tilt

frotman

Feb 17, 10 01:54:04

TERRIBLE advice in the comments in this blog. EXCEPT for Dr. Satisfaction. He is 100% correct with "talk to some private wealth management guys...they should be able to set you up with everything you need from banking to credit to mortgages to investment management."

If you switch to another bank, you'll be worse off cuz you will start with exactly zero history... some dude off the street. At least at BofA the private wealth managers can look into your account and see you've had a big balance for years. They can see the cash flowing in and out of your account.

Building your credit up from $500 is ridiculous. You'd be able to turn a $500 poker bankroll into $1,000,000 faster than you can build your credit.

To clarify, "private wealth managers" aren't the stupid financial advisors that sit in cubicles at the retail bank. The peons in the retail bank have zero discretion. Go to the link below, it shows you the level of service a Bank can provide... you should pick the "US. Trust, Bank of America, Private Wealth Management" even if you don't have $3million in investable assets. They are willing go lower for people who have growth potential.

https://www6.bankofamerica.com/planning/investments.action

Once you find an suitable office near you, call them and setup a meeting. You then have to "interview" them to see if they are what you are looking for - just like a interviewing a PA. They should listen first, then build a specific wealth strategy for you. If they just spew off what they can do for you without understanding your situation then you need to keep looking.

FeFiFoFu

Feb 17, 10 06:08:53

I'm glad to hear things are going better for you Brian! GL!

Bullitos

Feb 17, 10 08:48:29

I agree with FeFiFoFu; it is laughable for you to be asked to deal with a \$500 secured credit line, regardless of your history. Call BOA wealth managers; if they won't work with you, go somewhere else. I use UBS for my investments, and a couple years ago started using them for credit as well (it's handy to have only one place to log into). Highly recommeded.

BTW, not that it's any of my buiness, but it's silly to keep >\$5-20k in a checking account. Even if you're in a business that requires you to potentially (if not unfortunately) access cash quickly, there are FAR better options. A good wealth manager can set you up with a "system" of CDs and/or corporate bonds (depending on your risk tolerance) so that you have money maturing every month/week/whatever that will provide you with A TON more interest than leaving money in a checking account. (If you don't need the money, you just roll it over into a new CD and wait for the next one to mature). I'd recommend a short term cash management strategy to anyone who has \$100k or more in liquid (non-equity) investments.

StayingWarm

Feb 17, 10 09:21:09

as a banking heir. \$500 is standard for your first credit card.

you can easily get around this by prepaying each month. if you pre pay your bill \$5k every month, you effectively have a spending limit of \$5500/mo.

the man

Feb 17, 10 12:02:45

Hey Brian,

Why not try opening a Canadian bank. I am not sure what restrictions you would have or how it would effect you in regards to taxation laws and such and your citizenship, but I mean there must be a way of setting up a business acct in canada and having some type of business license attached to qualify.

Sick Cards

Feb 17, 10 12:55:56

Brian
You need to be with your banks private banking division. All large banks have private banking. Usually if you have $1 million with the bank you qualify no questions asked. I have private banking with Regions and it's great. I would ask your branch manager at Bank of America to refer you to someone in private banking. This will save you so much time. You will have a point of contact to call and they will do things like wire transfers for you over the phone(even though there not supposed to). They will get you letters of credit or credit lines asap if you need them. They also will put your money in the highest yielding money markets so at least your getting some interest unlike a checking acct. And last but not least, they take me to lunch a few times a year.
Also I have a brokerage acct with raymond james, which is similar to private banking but more specialized. You dont have to buy funds or stocks. You can keep your money in savings accts / money markets with check writing capabilities for minimal cost.

jamesfh

Feb 17, 10 13:42:56

I have the perfect private wealth manager for you. His name is Chris Lee and he is a Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch. He is also my cousin. He only deals with clients with a net worth of \$2M or more in order to provide excellent service for them and I believe you fit into that category. I am pretty sure he can solve your problems. Email me at stevejb86@gmail.com so I can hook you up with him and help you out. Good luck to you.
-Steve

wilde123

Feb 17, 10 18:05:25

Chase has a great private client bank. Everyone bank has a separate division for high net worth clients(private client bank_You would be able to buy securities, wires, etc all thru your representative. As well as access a credit line, etc.

mattyrye

Feb 17, 10 20:00:05

I'd dump shares in BOM ASAP ...

Not giving you an enourmous credit card seems beyond retarded, from a business perspective.

fee's/interest they could make of you .... especially if you purchased somthing big with it.

Aristo

Feb 17, 10 20:00:11

I'd dump shares in BOM ASAP ...

Not giving you an enourmous credit card seems beyond retarded, from a business perspective.

fee's/interest they could make of you .... especially if you purchased somthing big with it.

Aristo

Feb 18, 10 10:23:33

i'd stay away from the huge corporate banks and find a smaller privatley owned bank. I don't know about in California, but in Illinois they are all over. They are much more accomidating, you can tell them your situation and you don't have to fill out a million forms. A lot of the time you can deal directly with the president of the bank and he is the one that makes the decisions. pm if you have more specific questions. Also once you have developed a repoire and made or have large deposits into the bank, there really isn't any need for credit. They will give you a real estate loan or a line of credit solely based on on your deposit history and by your word and doing what you say our're gonna do.

ajones9er

Feb 18, 10 10:23:55

i'd stay away from the huge corporate banks and find a smaller privatley owned bank. I don't know about in California, but in Illinois they are all over. They are much more accomidating, you can tell them your situation and you don't have to fill out a million forms. A lot of the time you can deal directly with the president of the bank and he is the one that makes the decisions. pm if you have more specific questions. Also once you have developed a repoire and made or have large deposits into the bank, there really isn't any need for credit. They will give you a real estate loan or a line of credit solely based on on your deposit history and by your word and doing what you say our're gonna do.

ajones9er

Feb 18, 10 17:18:09

Thats unreal that some1 as wealthy as you has trouble getting a credit card. America must be a joke for certain things. I had 3000 euro in my bank account in Ireland and that was enough to get me a credit card with a 3000 limit per month lol

smccr04

Feb 18, 10 17:41:46

I d get an account at an the Barclays if I was you.

http://www.barclayswealth.com/americas/contact-us/our-offices.htm

If you're rich, they won't ask any questions.

gl

jaysonrr

Feb 18, 10 17:41:57

I d get an account at an the Barclays if I was you.

http://www.barclayswealth.com/americas/contact-us/our-offices.htm

If you're rich, they won't ask any questions.

gl

jaysonrr

Feb 18, 10 17:42:34

freakin double post sorry.

jaysonrr

Feb 18, 10 18:59:24

Brian,

I know a guy who knows a guy....who knows a guy. He can get you 5 points a week on your money, as long as you have no problem with his "people" breaking legs if people don't make their payments on time.

lmk.

Taylor

Feb 19, 10 15:01:03

Ask her to a dinner

nikolaspares

Feb 19, 10 15:04:32

In Venezuela a woman calls u ands asks ( yeah, just asks ). How much do you earn per month? If u answer, 10 000 dollars, u have a credit card with that limit. Simple huh?

nikolaspares

Feb 19, 10 15:06:33

By the way, so what do u do?!?!!?! I mean, u travel to europe with 20 000 dollars on ur POCKETS?!?!!?!?!

nikolaspares

Feb 19, 10 22:24:06

Brian,

I am stunned by the fact that you can't get a credit card. Even with the one small blemish on your credit, I would think that you would be able to get one with at least a 1K limit unsecured.

Have you checked your credit report to make sure that there is nothing else bad on it? Identity theft is huge these days.

wetleg

Feb 19, 10 22:24:33

Brian,

I am stunned by the fact that you can't get a credit card. Even with the one small blemish on your credit, I would think that you would be able to get one with at least a 1K limit unsecured.

Have you checked your credit report to make sure that there is nothing else bad on it? Identity theft is huge these days.

wetleg

Feb 19, 10 22:24:55

Brian,

I am stunned by the fact that you can't get a credit card. Even with the one small blemish on your credit, I would think that you would be able to get one with at least a 1K limit unsecured.

Have you checked your credit report to make sure that there is nothing else bad on it? Identity theft is huge these days.

wetleg

Feb 10, 10 03:30:26

'Sorry, this is a private hand. You do not have rights to view this.

* Friends of aba20 may view this hand. '
either add me as friend or make the hh public!:P

reallygambling

Feb 10, 10 04:32:31

Does playing durrrr HU really classify as a great or even a good game?

JLocke

Feb 10, 10 04:32:58

good god...

RodeoBlue

Feb 10, 10 04:39:47

Hey Brian,
You work harder at this game than anyone I know, and you know as well as I do PLO is the most brutal game when it comes to swings. You will definitely bounce back eventually, you just need volume.

I believe in you :)

Good luck!

Eric Liu

Feb 10, 10 04:40:55

Playing a massively swingy game versus a LAG HU, swongs are one thing.

I suggest keeping a picture of Hastings by your monitor as a run good idol.

MarkWahlberg

Feb 10, 10 04:44:45

Brian, durrrr is probably as good a poker player as their is on the entire planet. How does that classify as good/great game selection?

gofast44

Feb 10, 10 05:11:50

I wish I were your friend Brian.

paulee

Feb 10, 10 06:08:46

Hang in there man. You've been there before and you'll come back again. Just give it time and come back witih a fresh start mindset. Forget how far below x you are and start at 0.

Benji2813

Feb 10, 10 08:22:00

Phil Galfond might say that Bayesian probability is injecting doubt into your brain.

I think that when one feels that "it just won't end" and is not sure how to assess their game anymore, they should just walk away from the tables for a few days, have some good time with friends/girls/whatever and then come back to work with a fresher brain. It's part of my stop loss policies, anyway.

Thanks for sharing so much with the CR community.

uohpar

Feb 10, 10 10:11:00

I agree with Eric Liu and uohpar here. I'm sure you completely understand the swings of PLO by now and how brutal it can be at times. Look at Stinger tho, I'm pretty sure you mentioned Stinger being one of the top 3 (if not the best) PLO players in your opinion. In his latest video (possibly 2nd most recent) Stinger mentions that he went on a 50 buy in downswing last year. For a top 3 player in the world to go on a 50 buy in downswing just shows that PLO is insanely swingy. I don't know about the specific amount of your downswing, but just know that it will turn around.

Please do yourself a favor and take a couple day break and spend some time with a couple friends away from the table and go skiing, go out to a couple nice dinners, or go buy something nice to show yourself what you have earned up to this point from poker and enjoy what you have been blessed to do. Then after you've been able to clear your head come back to the tables refeshed and you are able to play your A game. Best of luck.

chardukian

Feb 10, 10 10:46:44

you did not have swings like this when you played nlh. you should get back to that game. plo is a crapshoot when playing against high stakes pros especially short handed, and the standard deviation is so high that you could run like this over hundreds of thousands of hands which would take years to play given how often these games run and the general quality of the opponents you will be playing against.

return to nlh. you cannot count on consistent results in plo. how many times do you really need to learn this lesson?

tilllttt

Feb 10, 10 11:43:15

Maybe you, Stinger, and CTS can gang up and take a few million off durr to get you out of this downswing.

OnSight

Feb 10, 10 12:09:15

When you run the worst, you feel completely left alone with your misery and the injustice. PLO can be such a joke.

HariSeldon

Feb 10, 10 12:10:28

Brian I'm a big fan of yours, but didn't you just blog about quitting the high stakes game? Then you go and play Durrrrr heads up?

Seems like you might have a problem. Good luck man, lots of people are rooting for you.

vampa

Feb 10, 10 12:12:37

edit: spelling

vampa

Feb 10, 10 14:05:16

I thought you weren't going to play these games for the rest of the month? You probably need some time off from cards all together and then to stick to the plan of playing low for a while.

ManWithBrisk

Feb 10, 10 15:04:40

He said he wasn't going to play above 100/200

TheTechnologist

Feb 10, 10 16:20:18

some of these comments are just retarded

C.R.E.A.M

Feb 10, 10 16:20:31

some of these comments are just retarded

C.R.E.A.M

Feb 10, 10 18:13:25

Good/Great game selection is now Durrr HU? Surely theres better games at 100/200 and below? Where's Ben Grundy?

cormacbuzz

Feb 10, 10 18:23:11

PLO can be such a sick sick sick did I say sick game? Yeah u probably know this. I mean your all in EV clearly says that you are not doing much wrong just running into a lot of bs. Have you analyzed different solid players styles like PA for example he seems to win huge year in and year out. Maybe you bloat the pots too much so you sky rocket your variance?

fisherman112

Feb 10, 10 18:41:49

borrow money and play durr more? wwsd, what would stu do?

zackmorrisfive

Feb 10, 10 20:43:23

brian i think u should take a break or something, this will help cooldown abit. btw if ur on a downswing i dont think playing vs a very good and swing packed player like durrr woulda help.

Link9

Feb 10, 10 22:01:45

playing durrr hu and moaning about variance get a grip. this makes me mad reading this as a 3ptbb over 1mill hands player ive lost 70 bi table selecting and not tilted once, that is a downswing, get real jesus christ.

to all those saying he will be back he is the best ect, how lol, time to realise the nose bleeds is a sad state of kids with to much money tossing it around in a sickening degenerate manner as each one wants to prove there the best when infact theres basically no clear edge not to mention there isnt even enough hands played at these stakes world wide in a year to even begin ito see "the long run"

even if townsend is the best (which he isnt) he cud easily keep losing for another 5 years.

this might seem cold hearted but its the only post here offering any geniune help.

get a grip be happy with what youve got and for once in your life live it with some integrity.

arturboruc

Feb 10, 10 22:23:57

why do you play durrrr?

how big do you think your edge is in reality? it can't be more than 10% and the stakes make the swings huge.

I just don't get why you put yourself in these situations when you know you can beat other players. Just because DURRRRRRRRRRRR is the only guy sitting at the level you want to play doesnt mean you should play him.

If you were good at Karate would you challenge Chuck Norris if he was the only guy at the Dojo ?

Poolside

Feb 10, 10 22:24:10

why do you play durrrr?

how big do you think your edge is in reality? it can't be more than 10% and the stakes make the swings huge.

I just don't get why you put yourself in these situations when you know you can beat other players. Just because DURRRRRRRRRRRR is the only guy sitting at the level you want to play doesnt mean you should play him.

If you were good at Karate would you challenge Chuck Norris if he was the only guy at the Dojo ?

Poolside

Feb 10, 10 22:29:11

Sure, it's all about ebb and flow. Those hands are just nasty. If you can't stop playing PLO for a while, and I know my advice is not warranted here, try getting into some live games. Take a break from your computer. I also agree with the post about evaluating, seriously evaluating, where you started, and what you've done to make yourself one of the best.

Clearwheezy

Feb 11, 10 00:34:45

Take a break... Relax...

Not 1 day or 2...Take 10 days minimum off.

Go to Paris or Rome , dont bring your laptop (ban yourself from FTP for a time if u bring a laptop).

Just relax and do things you like to do besides playing poker.


Its very important to take breaks.

peace

streetfamep

Feb 11, 10 01:44:40

lol at people telling him what to do. He's a grown man and is plenty capable of deciding what to do with his money and who to play. He played durrrr because he thought he had an edge. And for anyone cursing him for complaining about a downswing, do you not complain when you have one? Now imagine downswinging at the biggest games in the online world. I think i would bitch too. Brian, you're a great player. Just keep at it and you'll have your ah ha moment and all will be right with the world.

macgyver72

Feb 11, 10 02:50:22

Good luck man, even the best players lose sometimes and for long periods of times. It will end. Take a look at a graph of your last year's winnings and you won't feel so bad anymore.

FWIW, I think the 5568ss big blind defense is a leak and +1 to everyone saying playing durrrr & Ziigmund at plo isn't exactly a "great game" in my opinion and even if you are playing well realize that they may have an advantage playing you because they aren't downswinging and you are which will lead to them
1. Being more confident and comfortable in the plays that they make and
2. Being able to deal with the swings better.

andr3w321

Feb 11, 10 04:21:44

"lol at people telling him what to do. He's a grown man and is plenty capable of deciding what to do with his money and who to play. He played durrrr because he thought he had an edge. And for anyone cursing him for complaining about a downswing, do you not complain when you have one? Now imagine downswinging at the biggest games in the online world. I think i would bitch too. Brian, you're a great player. Just keep at it and you'll have your ah ha moment and all will be right with the world."

the point is this isnt a downswing, its brain being a fud and moaning cos he isnt running like god. the honest truth is there are 1000s tht have the knowlege he has but will never make it so high. he happened to be in the right place at the right time. it tilts me he continues to treat the nose bleeds and high stakes in general as a game that he will beat when he probably gets 50k hands in a year or summin ridic. to reach the long run in them variance mad games you probably need millions of hands.

arturboruc

Feb 11, 10 06:22:22

Brian u suck

wilneedheart

Feb 11, 10 09:52:08

Brian I am sure u will do great! But stop playing durrrr.

Stolpskottet

Feb 11, 10 11:08:24

Yeah, as others have stated I'm not really sure durrr is the one you want to be playing when your on a downswing.

MoBeer

Feb 11, 10 13:41:57

hard not to get compulsive when losing while gambling.....gets better with maturity.....but not always with everyone.......# 1 key to even being able to atleast enjoy gambling is discipline....over 95% of people who try to be succesful from it fail....not to preach but.....theres alot better s**t to do in life making money, keep it as fun,if your personality doesnt suit it you will evetually be broke....happens all the time.

kurtco

Feb 12, 10 17:50:15

Ur an oustanding worldclass-player, don't forget that even don't u might don't feel that way now

Wonipion

Feb 13, 10 04:22:22

"I don't really know what else I can do beyond that."

Take a break? Step down in stakes? Fine tune your game selection?

Max Ghezzi

Feb 14, 10 12:53:09

I dont know durrrr's game much, but i wouldnt be surprised to know that townsend has an edge on durrrr in plo. Townsend is one of the best @ plo, and if CTS and Hastings could take down durrrr then there's no reason why townsend can't either... it doenst mean he's not playing good or not on their level.

Keeep playing imo... durrrr has to run a little good since he ran bad vs isildur a while ago

igetmoneyobv

Feb 8, 10 06:14:19

That's just sick, no idea to take a hit like that.

GL sir

Disarm

Feb 8, 10 09:34:13

gl Brian I have no doubt you will be back next month.

Taylor

Feb 8, 10 10:06:47

Keep your head up man. No doubt that things will turnaround. Best of luck!

nomo4life

Feb 8, 10 11:28:58

Best wishes your blog posts are always inspiring and I have no doubt you will kill the games very soon. Especially when you're feeling up to it.

SickReadsWPT

Feb 8, 10 11:44:18

Stay strong buddy

ridetime

Feb 8, 10 12:33:15

Bad Karma ...due to lack of integrity...never fails.

rfine48

Feb 8, 10 13:15:50

slamming a door, thats a big deal, keep it up things will change

Playitlikeaset

Feb 8, 10 15:05:28

GL Brian, we all know you're a winner at these games. It's just a matter of time till results come in. If you haven't watched all of Jared Tendler's videos on tilt control(or anything else for that matter) they might be helpful.

Enjoy life.

pjj

Feb 8, 10 17:11:36

Hey Brian,

I lost half my BR over Xmas break (not a scratch on your loss obv.), spent an entire month without finishing a session +EV. I was stressed everytime I sat at the table. I ended up dropping 3 levels for a 2 weeks just to try an regains ome confidence in my game. At first it bored me a little but after I booked a few decent +BI sessions I just started to have a lot of fun.

I'm back playing my regular games again now and playing well but it was nice to play for fun for a few weeks. I think sometime we lose track of why we started playing in the first place and need to get back to that playing for fun to rekindle the love for the game.

To take a positive from a negative situation, when this all passes which I'm sure it will, perhaps you could put together a nice article on how you got past this.

I'm trying to word this correctly so its nots taken badly, but its kind of encouraging for some of us to see that even a super man of the game can lose it occasionally.

Rhys

Celt81

Feb 8, 10 18:00:36

I feel kind of stupid giving advice to Brian Townsend because, what the hell am I gonna say? But, here's my attempt to cheer you up. Below are a few selected posts from early last year:

-I hate poker (The heater is over) January 22, 2009
-poor 50/100 results January 28, 2009
-Bad start... February 08, 2009
-More 100/200 PLO, more frustration... March 06, 2009

And of course:

-A great year January 04, 2010

My point is just that you will do what you have to do to get better and the variance will work itself out like it always does and hopefully a year from now this stretch will just be a little dip in an otherwise great year. Good luck.

ManWithBrisk

Feb 8, 10 18:35:26

great post man with brisk -- gl

Shrewww

Feb 8, 10 22:29:36

Best way to come out of this down swing is make an "I like to move it, move it" serious for horse/mixed games just saying...

Matt98568

Feb 8, 10 22:29:47

Best way to come out of this down swing is make an "I like to move it, move it" series for horse/mixed games just saying...

Matt98568

Feb 9, 10 00:37:06

I'm with Taylor, you'll be back!! Start working out more or something like that to get more physically fit (if you're not doing so already, that is). MMA training is pretty sweet too... Worked for me. I'm more focused and feel great!! Best of Luck!

vvega11

Feb 9, 10 09:55:12

Not to discourage u from making vids but assuming that a not insignificant amount of your opponents could be watching your vids, could that be somewhat negatively affecting your edge, i.e if they pick up on your sense of reasoning and logic?

Chiptrade

Feb 9, 10 10:08:09

I thought you decided that you liked downswings in your last blog....haha. What a fking joke!

jkipfer

Feb 9, 10 21:00:59

to all those saying he will be back he is the best ect, how lol, time to realise the nose bleeds is a sad state of kids with to much money tossing it around in a sickening degenerate manner as each one wants to prove there the best when infact theres basically no clear edge not to mention there isnt even enough hands played at these stakes world wide in a year to even begin ito see "the long run"

even if townsend is the best (which he isnt) he cud easily keep losing for another 5 years.

this might seem cold hearted but its the only post here offering any geniune help.

get a grip m8 be happy with what youve got and for once in your life live it with some integrity.

arturboruc

Feb 1, 10 15:26:34

good blog Brian

overbet56

Feb 1, 10 15:52:30

lol I still remember that game where I was crushing you until I realized there was a clock

RodeoBlue

Feb 1, 10 16:46:10

>I am stuck 2.75 million dollars
and you can call that a blip in variance. You do have your head screwed on properly

Sal Parody

Feb 1, 10 19:06:12

+1 on your philosophical view on variance, also, dont underestimate its limits.

slmfast14

Feb 1, 10 19:12:11

31 buy-ins EV down in 36 000 k hands?

Fuck, i wont play omaha ever.

Seriously.

nikolaspares

Feb 1, 10 19:31:34

Mindsight by Daniel J Siegel is pretty good read. Addresses how the brain works and creates the kind of emotions that ruins your happiness outside poker as a result of your unfortunate results.

NitramLetsGo

Feb 1, 10 21:36:01

only a few bloggers , internetpokers also, are so honest and freshesing...thanks for bringing the emotionsl aspect of game into play so much...

lockportwopoker@yahoo.com

Feb 1, 10 23:24:17

good insight.. I think its important to keep in mind how crucial a steady mindset is and how, in the end, it may be what distinguishes the few from the pack. Learn and become stronger through your hardships, not just in poker but in life.

llGtPhshll

Feb 2, 10 05:27:24

a sophisticated excuse is still an excuse.

wilneedheart

Feb 2, 10 07:42:25

It sounds like the "man" has separated himself from the "boys." keep up the good (tough) work!

dentist9836

Feb 2, 10 10:46:19

Doesn't this mean one should play MUCH smaller PLO games?

Rant2112

Feb 2, 10 13:49:39

I have played very little poker the last 3 or 4 months as I am really busy in school finishing up my Econ/ Operations Research double major. I have been reading backgammon and also playing it on my blackberry. It's a great game. I would love for cash games to become popular again with backgammon.

Good luck Brian and keep your head up.

epdog

Feb 2, 10 14:24:47

"Its this variance that creates the illusion to people that they are winning poker players."

u just described durrrr

mmfb

Feb 3, 10 08:32:52

Great blog, keep your head up BT

Stinger885

Feb 3, 10 12:11:37

so at what point would an omaha player conclude that a site is rigged? would that even be possible?

ai3

Feb 3, 10 12:12:00

so at what point would an omaha player conclude that a site is rigged? would that even be possible?

ai3

Feb 3, 10 12:12:22

so at what point would an omaha player conclude that a site is rigged? would that even be possible?

ai3

Feb 3, 10 23:35:00

Your an idiot!

jkipfer

Feb 4, 10 12:21:17

I was just telling Shana yesterday, I don't control how much money I make, all I really control is how much time I put in.

SixPeppers

Feb 5, 10 02:19:10

the developers at HEM need to add commas to the \$ won/lost so I can more easily read BT's results.

I was feeling sorry for myself about running a mere 6 BI below EV today until I read this. gl Brian

nutedawg

Feb 5, 10 02:19:37

the developers at HEM need to add commas to the \$ won/lost so I can more easily read BT's results.

I was feeling sorry for myself about running a mere 6 BI below EV today until I read this. gl Brian

nutedawg

Feb 5, 10 06:16:34

hope u get ur EV back, hang in there man.

Link9

Feb 5, 10 13:36:49

Very simple reason for your downswing....Bad Karma due to lack of integrity!!!

rfine48

Jan 27, 10 21:32:10

Hi Brian,i wish you good luck for this year.I think you are a hard worker and you will win alot this year because of that.Im new to cardrunners and i think its fantastic.I want to improve my game and subscribe to cardrunners but is it possible to succeed in poker these day with the games getting tougher than ever??This year i want to put a lot of work and succed is it possible?Or poker is dead a lot of the pro are now playing other game now because their edge arent that big as it was.Does holdem no limit is dead?Gl

RUNSOFAR

Jan 27, 10 23:19:20

I am going to try to put half the effort that I think you put in and see how it works for me. I am trying to analyze every hand I play, and study as much as I can, watch videos. I am keeping a weekly blog just to get my ideas out and try to make sure I am noticing everything. Hopefully I can run good and stay motivated. Good luck to you as well

whodey0544

Jan 28, 10 03:12:19

That was a nice way to serve your 1 month red pro suspension.
Good luck.

uscjustallin

Jan 29, 10 10:14:07

Sick hand that AQ vs J7, you´re joking about lky to fade the flush right? He´s making a checkraise with a non nut fd on a paired board where ur likely to have an A or at least just as strong of a draw and his FE is very bad. I dont get that play.

Chiptrade

Jan 29, 10 10:14:19

Sick hand that AQ vs J7, you´re joking about lky to fade the flush right? He´s making a checkraise with a non nut fd on a paired board where ur likely to have an A or at least just as strong of a draw and his FE is very bad. I dont get that play.

Chiptrade

Jan 22, 10 16:53:28

how many people you know that LOVE losing? i don't get why people say i am competitive person and i hate losing....i am sure every one hates losing.

muckemsaywaaa

Jan 22, 10 17:28:03

I hate losing too.

RodeoBlue

Jan 22, 10 23:21:44

No one likes losing but some people despise it so much that it gets under their skin until they turn it around. This usually fuels them to work 100x harder than before to right the ship.

gl brian, i am sure it will turn around. I'm on a similar frustrating period and it's a good test for sure.

Stake Monster

Jan 23, 10 02:44:37

One of the things I really like about your blog is that you are willing to address the bad with the good. I wish you all the best as you come out of this funk.

jeff218

Jan 24, 10 12:34:08

I am surprised that you ranked LHE before NLHE. Did you make that ranking relatively to ypur mixed game opponents or according to your absolute competence at those games?

blma

Jan 24, 10 14:20:36

I don't think I've ever seen a high stakes pro who seems to misunderstand variance so much, at least from your blog. News flash: when you win 500K, its not always because you outplayed everyone and when you lose 500K, its not always because you played bad and need 7 separate coaches. Suck it up, play hundreds of thousands of hands, then look at how your doing in these games. imho.

Asgrow13

Jan 24, 10 19:23:45

Well, we can say DURRRR is Townsed´s oppostie. He said he lost 60 buy-ins to isildur1 due to variance.

LOL

nikolaspares

Jan 25, 10 10:21:47

agree with jeff - awesome that you blog even when things aren't going well.

too bad you had to go to tahoe, stupid trips messing up your games.

see you in LA? :)

lana

Jan 26, 10 01:16:11

U the best !!! humble and very good
i never post comments but U re one
of people that i respect the most in poker

plz can U own PA for me?

flouka