First I admit that I am not an economist. I have a very basic understanding of what's going on with this depression, what caused it and how to fix it. What I do know is that I spent a shitload of time researching Obama before voting for him and the #1 reason I supported him was because I believed he was extremely intelligent and capable of listening to all sides of a debate and finding the right solution. I deeply believe he doesn't pick a side due to politics and will listen to Republicans just as much as he does to democrats and take the good ideas from both sides. He already has the most diverse cabinet with more members of the opposite party in like 30 years. He's reached out to republicans like crazy and given them his ear, and they have nearly all complemented his performance. I think he's living up to what I believed he would do.
Basically I'm saying that in areas where I am not an expert, I trust Obama to make the decisions for me. I trust that he will get the best experts on the area together and get the best advice necessary. I believe he is intelligent enough to fully understand what these experts are saying, and that he is capable of seeing a much larger picture for the future and the long term, which I think is crucial. And I believe he will look at the advice objectively and filter out the partisan crap from both sides.
Take those beliefs and add to them the fact that everything I have heard about Obama's plan for a stimulus bill sounds good to me, and I'm backing him 100% here. My understanding is that Obama has a huge focus on getting Americans back to work doing jobs that will improve this country and set us up to be much better off in the long run, with a focus on green energy, breaking dependence on foreign oil, and infrastructure.
I know we need to do something. Things are bad and getting worse. It's scary driving around my neighborhood. There's houses for sale everywhere, apartments for rent, and closed businesses. I live in an area that 1 year ago was having a bit of a boom as people were throwing money into rebuilding it and businesses were moving in like crazy. It was on its way to being a new Denver hot spot. Today I see several businesses which have been here for over 50 years closed down, most of the new places that opened up are now empty, and lots of new buildings that were just built still are looking for tenants. It's pretty scary to see. Something needs to be done and I believe in Obama's plan on how to get things back on track. I don't expect any sort of instant fix and I know things will get worse before they get better, but if we can turn this challenge into an opportunity to pave a path to a prosperous future where we're not dependent on foreign oil, where we have green energy, where we have good affordable healthcare, and where all Americans are getting a fair shake and have the opportunity to achieve the American dream once again, then I am on board.
So here's his speech on the stimulus which I watched and thought was great. Below are some excerpts that I thought were very good, plus the entire speech in a spoiler.
(Speech starts out with jokes and thank you's so you might wanna skip that part by going to about 2:40)
So just as past generations of Americans have done in trying times, we can and must turn this moment of challenge into one of opportunity. The plan that you've passed has at its core a simple idea: let's put Americans to work doing the work that America needs done.
This plan will save or create over three million jobs - almost all of them in the private sector.
This plan will put people to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges; our dangerously deficient dams and levees.
This plan will put people to work modernizing our health care system, not only saving us billions of dollars, but countless lives.
This plan will put people to work renovating more than 10,000 schools, giving millions of children the chance to learn in 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs - and to all the scientists in the room today, you know what that means for America's future.
This plan will provide sensible tax relief for the struggling middle-class, unemployment insurance and continued health care coverage for those who've lost their jobs, and it will help prevent our states and local communities from laying off firefighters, teachers, and police.
Finally, this plan will begin to end the tyranny of oil in our time. It doubles our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels in three years. It saves taxpayers billions of dollars by making federal buildings more energy efficient, and it saves the average working family hundreds on their energy bills. After decades of empty rhetoric, that is the down payment that we need on energy independence.
It's great to be here with so many friends. I'm glad to see the House Democratic Caucus is getting by just fine without my Chief of Staff. I want to thank John Larson for inviting me here tonight. This is John's first conference as Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, so we're both new at this.
I want to acknowledge the great Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who has proven to be an extraordinary leader for the American people. I want to thank Nancy, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn and the entire caucus for your hard work in passing an economic recovery plan that is so desperately needed for our country.
You acted with a discipline that matches the urgency and gravity of the crisis we face. Because you know what's at stake. Every weekend you go home to your districts and you see factories that are closing and small businesses shutting their doors. You hear from families losing their homes; students that can't pay tuition; seniors who worry about whether they can retire with dignity, or see their kids and grandkids lead the better life that must be America's promise.
So you went to work, and you did your job. For that, you have my appreciation and admiration. As we meet here tonight, we know there is more work to be done. The Senate is still acting. And after it has its final vote, we will still need to resolve differences between the House and Senate bills. I urge you to complete that work without delay.
Look, I value the constructive criticism and healthy debate that is a foundation of American democracy. I don't think any of us have cornered the market on wisdom, or that good ideas are the province of any party. The American people know that our challenges are great. They're not expecting Democratic solutions or Republican solutions - they want American solutions. And I have said that to those who have criticized the plan.
But what I have also said is - don't come to table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped create this crisis.
We're not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that in eight short years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin. We can't embrace the losing formula that offers more tax cuts as the only answer to every problem we face, while ignoring critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, the soaring cost of health care, failing schools and crumbling bridges, roads and levees. I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV - if you're headed for a cliff, you have to change direction.
The American people are watching. They did not send us here to get bogged down with the same old delay and distractions. They did not vote for the false theories of the past. They did not vote for the status quo - they sent us here to bring change, and we owe it to them to act. This is the moment for leadership that matches the great test of our time.
If we do not move swiftly to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, an economy that is in crisis will be faced with catastrophe. Millions more Americans will lose their jobs. Home will be lost. Families will go without health care. Our crippling dependence on foreign oil will continue. That is the price of inaction.
This isn't some abstract debate. Last week, we learned that many of America's largest corporations are planning to layoff tens off tens of thousands of workers. Today, we learned that last week, the number of new unemployment claims jumped to 626,000. And tomorrow, we're expecting another dismal jobs report on top of the 2.6 million jobs we lost last year.
For you, those aren't statistics. They are constituents you know and families that you care about. Now, I believe that legislation of such magnitude deserves the scrutiny that it's received, and you will get another chance to vote for this bill in the days to come. But I urge all of us to not make the perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary. The scale and scope of this plan is right.
So just as past generations of Americans have done in trying times, we can and must turn this moment of challenge into one of opportunity. The plan that you've passed has at its core a simple idea: let's put Americans to work doing the work that America needs done.
This plan will save or create over three million jobs - almost all of them in the private sector.
This plan will put people to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges; our dangerously deficient dams and levees.
This plan will put people to work modernizing our health care system, not only saving us billions of dollars, but countless lives.
This plan will put people to work renovating more than 10,000 schools, giving millions of children the chance to learn in 21st century classrooms, libraries, and labs - and to all the scientists in the room today, you know what that means for America's future.
This plan will provide sensible tax relief for the struggling middle-class, unemployment insurance and continued health care coverage for those who've lost their jobs, and it will help prevent our states and local communities from laying off firefighters, teachers, and police.
Finally, this plan will begin to end the tyranny of oil in our time. It doubles our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels in three years. It saves taxpayers billions of dollars by making federal buildings more energy efficient, and it saves the average working family hundreds on their energy bills. After decades of empty rhetoric, that is the down payment that we need on energy independence.
You know, there's a lot about running for President that is difficult - I don't miss sleeping in a different bed every night, or not seeing my kids as much as I'd like. But the best thing about being a candidate is that you get to see the country, and you get to know the character of the American people.
Over the last two years, I visited almost all fifty states. I've been in so many of your districts. I've passed through towns and cities, farms and factories. I know that people are hurting. I've heard their stories, and I've sensed their deep frustration. But I also know that these struggles have not diminished the strength and decency of the American people.
We hold within our hands the capacity to do great things on their behalf. It starts with this economic recovery plan. And soon, we will take on big issues like addressing the foreclosure issue, passing a budget, tackling our fiscal problems, fixing financial regulation and securing our country. We must not approach these challenges as Democrats - we must overcome them as Americans. That is why we must work in a serious, substantive, and civil way to build bipartisan support for action.
I promise you that my door is open, and my Administration will consult closely with you - the peoples' representatives - as we take on pressing priorities like energy and health care; education and infrastructure.
Already, you have made a difference. I'm pleased that in my very first days in office, I signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to make sure that all of our daughters have the same opportunity as our sons. I signed the Children's Health Insurance Program to provide coverage to 11 million children, and to make a down payment on comprehensive health care reform. I know it wasn't easy - it was a long time coming, and I appreciate your hard work over several years on behalf of America's children.
Tonight, I am confident that if we continue to work together, we can fulfill the promise of health care that is affordable for all Americans. We can create that new energy economy. We can provide a world-class education for our kids. We can unleash the talent, and innovation of the American people to compete in the 21st century. We can do all of that.
Now, we have a choice to make. Future generations will look back, and they will ask what we did when we confronted this crisis. What will they say?
Will they say that - once again - we failed to make the tough choices that lead to progress? Or will they say that this was the time that we came together, that we found our stake in one another as Americans, and that we voted for bold and aggressive action?
Together, we hold in our hands enormous responsibility. We also have an enormous opportunity.
We can write that next great chapter in American history. If we stay focused on the big picture; if we never forget the people who we are fighting for; if we represent the strength and dignity of the American people, then I know we can answer's history's call and renew America's promise.
I think I'm playing pretty well lately. doing HU and 6max mixed. Really enjoying it. I think I might start doing FR again too. I didn't realize how much fun it is to switch to different forms of holdem, so if I add FR back into the mix I'll have lots to choose from, depending on mood and what games are available. But I haven't played FR in over a year and a half, and I played FR in micros only so I have no idea what I'd do differently FR @ NL100. But it would be fun to learn =)
Despite playing pretty decently and learning a lot I am definitely running bad. HEM has me down $550 in EV. Not maynard level epic but definitely frustrating. Still waiting for a heater. Been waiting for a long time.
NL50 HU / NL100 HU / NL100 6max / NL200 6max:
That's Feb so far. Oh well. It will pick up soon enough, I'm sure of it. The only place where I'm winning is NL50 HU, lolz. I'm up EV wise in NL100 but actual results I'm down a few BI. Also I'm like breakeven on NL200 EV(I did some on superbowl sunday), but down over a buyin in actual results.
The shitty thing about HU is that you get dick for VPP, especially on NL50. I wonder if it's better on NL100 / NL200 HU. So I'm definitely gonna have to grind 6max but I actually enjoy that a lot more now than before I was doing HU. It's fun to do a HU session, break, then a 6max one. I'm playing a lot of poker that way but it doesn't feel like it, because when I do the 6max it feels like a completely different adventure.
I also think the HU is helping me loosen up a bit in 6max and to play postflop. Just a little bit.
Man, it's funny cause I'm happy and excited but at the same time I've got a LONGGGGG way to go.
HU is such a rush. It's weird how you can be down 2 BI so quick and then win it back and be up. Gets the heart going. I'm enjoying this very much. Every time I play I feel like I learn a million new things. Luckily I'm just donking around on the lowest stakes so there's plenty of soft competition for me to recover off of when I lose. I try to play anyone though cause it's all new to me. And vs every different player type there's a different strategy, so I'm learning a lot no matter who I play.
Also started watching prinnyraiding and it is awesome. It is my kinda style for videos. I am excited to keep going on that. Tomorrow is a poker day for me and it's gonna be funnnnnnn!
Yeah Phantom of the Opera is playing in Denver so I bought tickets. Gonna take my GF. She's never seen it and it is a fucking awesome show. My dad took the family when my brother and I were little and we spent like 2 months running around with hand made paper half masks pretending there were secret passages in our house and that we were gonna kill everyone or some shit. I can't wait! But I will have to cause it's not till mid-march, but oh well, I've waited for like 15 years so I can make it.
Spent forever trying to get good tickets for a decent price. Finally got some right in the middle section and semi-close for only $148 (for 2 tickets). I think that's pretty good.
I started my journey into HU today (as I said I would in an earlier blog post which you should scroll down and read since it got bumped off the main page really fast). My coach and I spent the morning going over HU basics and then doing a session. Obviously we ran bad and lost a few BI, cause I am cursed, but it was educational.
I've always sucked at HU. From the very first time I played poker HU perplexed me. My natural instinct lead me to a tight strategy and I'd always make it to the final 2 people when we'd do live tournaments amongst friends, but I'd lose HU because I had no clue wtf I was doing. When I started playing online I would do a lot of $5.50 SNG's and always make 2nd place in those too. Finally I tracked down some articles on SNG HU and learned enough basics that I began winning those micro SNG's and finally thought I was good at HU.
But when I tried cash HU I got raped, cause that's a different game. Blinds aren't constantly rising, people can reload, and you're not in shove/fold situations all the time. I ended up spewing a few BI on NL50 HU and pretty much never playing it again. Till today.
So after the lesson I kept going and lost another BI and then took a break. Came back and grinded for a long session and bottomed out at -5BI. Eventually things started to click though and the things my coach had said made more sense and I started seeing things differently, and I recovered up to -1 BI. Running better obviously was part of it but the big thing is that I started to feel less clueless, which is definitely good.
I've still got a lot to learn about HU but the more I play the more fun it is, so I'm excited to keep learning. It's fun learning a new style of poker - it brings back those feelings of excitement I had when I first started learning poker and felt like there was a huge world to explore.
Down $450 in EV over 4.5k hands, and that' doesn't factor in coolers. I hate when the tables are so juicy but the fish always suck out. Such a tease.
At least I got a lot of FPP.
Why can't I ever hit a heater on these types of days? A heater would have been awesome.
Oh well, will probably give it one more shot later tonight now that the superbowl is over and catch some drunks. Not like that matters - it's been fish central all day and finding bad players has not been the problem, having hands hold up is.
I think I'm gonna create a kind of format for my month end posts so I can track stuff.
Goals Going In To Jan:
I started this month having recovered from a horrible holiday downswing and determined to do well. I wanted to get up into NL200 and was willing to take shots as long as I was over 4k. I wanted to hit 6k and do a 10 BI NL200 shot. I also wanted to start a new work schedule where I spent 3 days on poker and 2 days in the office. Lastly I wanted to clear a 1.5k supernova bonus and get at least 20k vpp so I'd be on track to hit 100k vpp in June and not lose supernova.
I got killed on NL200, mostly running bad. Did a lot of mixing 1-4 NL200 tables in with my NL100 ones which worked well. It allowed me to play the higher limit without feeling different or nervous. I played the same game on the NL200 tables as I did on the NL100 ones. I notice that sometimes if I 4 table NL200 then I don't play the same as I would if I was 4 tabling NL100, but mixing tables in really stops me from doing that.
I did great in NL100 for the month and got my BR up to 5k. Came up short of 6k but I feel like I will make it there soon. Ran pretty bad for some stretches and never had any solid heaters to make up for it. Dropped to NL50 a couple times when I was feeling tilted or like I was running bad and grinded mass tables there. Broke even on NL50 but I think I overall saved myself money by being at the lower limit for a bit where I could get my calm back.
Also got over 20k vpp and cleared my 1.5k bonus which I cashed out, and that's really nice. Gonna keep going for the 1.5k bonuses even though it does take a while to earn the FPP and then clear, but if I make it to NL200 that time will be cut in half and be pretty reasonable.
Jan Results Snapshot:
Total Profit: $2,058.90
Bonuses: $1,500 cleared / cashed out
BR: $5,041.46
VPP: 21,544
VIP Status: Supernova
# of hands: 56,270
Hours: 82.08
bb/100 / ptbb/100: 4.72 / 2.36
Goals For Feb:
I'm gonna grind 6max tomorrow (Sunday Feb 1st) around the superbowl time and hopefully hit a heater and get up closer to 6k. Will mix in some NL200 tables if they're juicy, which I think they will be. Then starting Monday I'm on a mission to learn HU from my coach. I'm gonna start @ NL50 HU till I learn wtf I'm doing. That could be 1-2 weeks, it could be a month. I can be quite a slow learner and variance can always be a bitch, so I'm not gonna rush it.
Once I hit 6k I'm gonna focus 6max sessions on NL200 for a 5 BI shot. If I drop under 5k I will mix in NL100 tables with the NL200, and if I'm under 4k I will only do NL100.
Going for at least another 20k vpp. That should put me at 100k fpp and allow me to buy another 1.5k bonus. So by the end of Feb I hope to have bought the bonus and then I'll be clearing it in March.
Longer term my goal for the year is to be a NL200 reg with a 50 BI bankroll and 3 months of expenses in the bank, and be taking shots @ NL400. I think I can do better than that but I'd rather aim a bit lower with poker goals since downswings do come and shooting too high or too fast can lead to serious tilt when you fall short of the goal due to variance.
When I first started coaching with sakisaki everyone was asking me if I was gonna be learning HU since he's a HU specialist. That was never my plan - I was a 6max guy and learning a new form of poker sounded daunting. Plus my BR was hurting and I wanted to rebuild to a level where I could actually get some profits. Then of course, I just had so much to learn about 6max.
Now I've learned sooooooo much from the coaching and feel my 6max game has improved like crazy. There's still more to learn, but I realized that the areas I want to improve would be served by learning HU. Basically postflop poker and hand reading are what I need to get better at and if I can become a good HU poker it will greatly improve my 6max postflop/hand reading game.
So I asked sakisaki to teach me HU now and he's agreed! Awesome =) My plan is to finish out this weekend / jan playing NL100/NL200 6max and then starting monday I will switch into my HU lessons. Feb will be a HU month. I'm excited!
wtf are all you people doing posting january results right now? YOU STILL HAVE A FUCKING FULL FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT! How can you consider January over when you've got 2 great days left for poker? Are you just trying to get a post in before the rush or did you just have a good session and decide that you'd do your jan post now to secure a winning month?
I hate the end of the month. Blog section ends up being so boring and if a good blog does get posted it gets pushed off by a million month end results posts.
Anyway, January ain't over yet baby. Here's to hoping for a good friday and saturday night!
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