Fresh Start

Today's officially the new start. I ended the last run with the trip to Vegas and thought after the vacation it was a good time to renew my dedication to improving. I'm starting out much better than I was this time last year, even though my bankroll is much smaller. I'm going to get my sleep schedule back on track, start back exercising and eating healthy, and set up some new goals to work towards over the next several months.

I wrote down a simple schedule to go by. I've learned that trying to build a strict schedule is just going to fail, so I've left several extra hours in the day in case things come up or I'm running behind. One thing I must do is to stop wasting time. While I'm doing those things, my opponents are getting better. I need to always ask myself "What are you doing now that will matter tomorrow?"

I also looking into some things about getting into the "zone." One thing I'm going to try is conditioning myself and priming my concentration with music. I have never listened to much music, but it may be able to help me out. If I create a comfort zone with music, it may be perfect for situations that come up such as the WSOP next year where I'm a bit uncomfortable around so many strangers so far from home, playing against some very good opponents. The music may have a calming effect and allow me to focus. I dunno, we'll see.

I also heard something that was really interesting and possibly helpful. One of my biggest problems is that I get nervous in clutch situations. I have a fear of failure or success or something, because whenever I'm about to do something exceptional, I can't help be think about failing. And of course, often I do. Then I feel the pressure immediately leave as I feel I have nothing to lose anymore, and I get back to normal. This happens in all kinds of situations, including poker. A lot of times when I'm in Jasper, I feel I'm so much better than the players at the table, I should win. But that sets much up to constantly think about "what if I lose?" I'm so focused on the results in the end, that it takes focus away from more important things in the "now." But once I get stacked, even by a cooler, I feel the pressure taken away.

What I heard was something that (I'm almost ashamed to say) I heard Phil Helmuth say. He said that when he's in high pressure situations where something really good can happen, he's not thinking about missing that chance or being nervous that he is in that situation; he's thinking that here he is, in a position to do something great. That's where he wants to be as often as possible. To have a chance to do something great...That almost makes it sound like a freeroll to me now. Before it was more like a situation where it was mine to lose. I should achieve it. To miss is to fail. But looking at it in that light makes it sound more like the success has already been achieved: to reach that postion. Now, it's just a shot at something awesome. I haven't had a situation to use it in yet, but I'll be sure to try this new way of thinking out and hopefully I can get over that fear of failure.

Well, the grind starts tomorrow. I'll be eating and breathing poker. I've learned a lot of the fundamentals over the last year. This next year I need to focus on execution. Getting in hands, developing reads, and executing the things I've spend the last year learning. I just hope NL doesn't completely dry up; everyone is so good these days. Maybe Florida will open up and my live game will be better as well as my overall game, and I can leverage that against all the incredibly weak players that live there.

Finally, I need to make some money and make a move this next year. There are no players here really. To be the best player I can be, I need to be in the scene with other good players. I need to be talking with them and playing against them. I have to be that seasoned veteran. Living here will just leave me too green when it comes time to jump into shark infested waters in Vegas. I can't get that experince here, so I know the move is something I'm going to have to do.