Operation: 100k

I decided to start my first Blog/Diary of my daily activities, and am very excited to reflect upon my past in a few months time.

My reason for doing this stems from reflecting over the previous three months. It was during this time that I really hit a bottom. Not the kind of bottom you might see on a documentary about drug abuse or financial situations. Rather, a bottom that I am trying to set for myself based on my laziness towards productiveness.

Short term (30 days) goals:
Take my dog for a walk everyday
Smoke less
Drink less
Wake up before noon
Cardio for at least 30 min
Study and complete Phase 1 of OREA
Play 2k hands everyday

Long term (years end) goals:
I'm a good shape (155 lbs)
non-smoker
I drink casually
Consistently getting up at a reasonable time
Completed all 3 Phases of OREA
300k VPP achieved + $80k bankroll (doubling current roll) = $100k in Poker Assests

Don't forget: you're here forever.

I knew someone would catch on quick... lol

First update (positives):
Played 2k hands (broke even)
Took the dog for a walk
Studied for about an hour and a half

it's a start...

who's her?

Duh, its his dog.

robots have sex with dogs?

If you want to talk about robot beastiality, take it to another blog. I'm trying to change my life here.

I'm in a similar spot... but my bankroll is significantly less.

GL!

Take your dog for a walk today!


and good lucky

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Smoke less
Drink less
Wake up before noon

why?

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Long term (years end) goals:
I'm a good shape (155 lbs)
non-smoker
I drink casually
Consistently getting up at a reasonable time
Completed all 3 Phases of OREA
300k VPP achieved + $80k bankroll (doubling current roll) = $100k in Poker Assests

kidding, sorta.
best of luck! OREA?

GL GL!

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

...robot beastiality

this could be interesting.


srsly, GL on ur OP, I´ve blatantly failed when it came to getting up before noon

Thank you everyone for the kind words of encouragement. Update: 1:10pm

Originally Posted by daven

OREA?

Ontario Real Estate Association

I need to do something like this lol. GLGL

lol i thought by OREA you meant Overeaters Anon

Today was a great day... aside from information from my financial adviser.

First of all, I accomplished the following:
1) Took Ty for a walk (male) (not the one I'm referring to in the Subject Line)
2) Played a little b-ball and rode my bike (both were firsts for the new year). Finally the weather is starting to improve!
3) Played 2k hands +6 buy-ins
4) Finished studying section 1 of 3 of my Phase 1 handbook.

I 10 table 200NL FR btw

Bad news today:
1) Oliver says he went to a financial persons convention the other day (terminology? lol). He says that it is Canadian Law that all winnings from online gambling are TAXABLE!!!! gah.... He said that it's not taxable once I deposit the cheque into my bank account, but rather the moment the money enters my account on PokerStars. So, instead of me waiting till 2009 to withdrawal, I'm going to keep no more than 100 buy-ins on Stars. This will not only lower my tax bracket for 2009, but will also allow me to make my money work for me.

I'm still a little confused about the whole situation. Nonetheless, I withdrew $20k today and expect to pay around $10k in taxes for 2007

that is a little scary. Is that only if you are a professional poker player, or for all of us.?

congrats on the good day though

Originally Posted by pgil

that is a little scary. Is that only if you are a professional poker player, or for all of us.?

All of us. The Canadian government had a bite out of B&M casino's already, via the OLGC. The online community however, is treated a little differently.

I suppose B&M's are already taxing the casino through the rake. The way they get at us online gamers is during tax season.

My brother makes the occasional small withdrawal, and by law, he should be claiming it every year. But because it's less than a $5,000 income annually, he need not worry.

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

I'm still a little confused about the whole situation. Nonetheless, I withdrew $20k today and expect to pay around $10k in taxes for 2007

move to a tax haven ftw!

Yesterday,

12:30pm
Took the dog for a walk
Played 2k hands (-1buy-in)
Won @ Shady

Today,
Played 2k hands
+2 buy-ins
Going to Shady

Originally Posted by Jack Sawyer

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

I'm still a little confused about the whole situation. Nonetheless, I withdrew $20k today and expect to pay around $10k in taxes for 2007

move to a tax haven ftw!

Any suggestions?


Today was a great day!

2k hands
+6.5 buy-ins
Won $200 at the home game

...need to get back to exercising and studying.

2k hands
+5 buy-ins
got up at 3:30
might go to Shady
Need to study

2k hands
+1 buy-in
Won at Mitchies tonight and @ Shady last night... huge live streak going here... wish I kept track of all of March.
Read some, not enough.
Didn't workout
Got up late... fuck!
Come on man, get back on the bandwagon.

dude, ur avatar is awesome

so is yours

^^^^^ I can't stop staring!!

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

The way they get at us online gamers is during tax season.

Wait, you pay taxes on your poker winnings?

I read an article in my local paper about a guy who apparently made the most money on Party Poker during the month of January or February.
He owns a $1.5million home, a couple Escalades, etc... All of it purchased with his poker winnings.
I got the impression that he doesnt pay any taxes. It said something about the winnings being classified as lottery winnings.

Then again, in my tax class, I learned that gambling winnings can be taxed if the gambling activity is so extensive that it constitutes a business.

What are your thoughts on this?

Good on'yah man. Dogs are a good motivator to stay in shape what with their constant need to be walked.

I also flirt with the booze n' smoke a wee bit much. expensive habits they can be. Instead of quitting, I tried to counter-balance it with jiu-jitsu, but so far that's just making me a lazy fighter...


Sounds like you've found a way to make fairly good coin at this game, so might as well log a number of hands, eh?

I like to fuck around with 45 man turbo $3.25
I'm prolly up like $100 so far
so drunk

I hear ya with trying to get into a better sleeping schedule. Just don't sleep one night, then the next goto bed at like 10pm, wake up at 8am, and just try stick to it.

Iv'e gotten from 5am-1pm to about 2am-10am so far.

Originally Posted by ChrisTheFish

I hear ya with trying to get into a better sleeping schedule. Just don't sleep one night, then the next goto bed at like 10pm, wake up at 8am, and just try stick to it.

Iv'e gotten from 5am-1pm to about 2am-10am so far.

I think I'm going backwards. Maybe I'll try what you suggested about an all nighter some time.

LOL @ drew donking around with micro turbos.

Turbos are probably best played drunk. Loosen you up right good.

At least you go cheaper when you're drunk. When I'm drunk I usually end up playing way over my roll

Well, here's the update. I decided to take some time off from this thread (lol what like 4 days?) and now I'm back.

I chucked my empty cigarette pack last night because the weather is improving, which means outdoor activities, which means I need maximum lung capacity, which means smoking is out. I truly think I'm a seasonal smoker and will pick it back up after the first snowfall of late '08.

The first time I ran anywhere was 8 days ago for a road hockey game, it was the first time I did anything physical other than shaggin' since the warm weather of '07. It felt good, until my back went. I was bed ridden for a couple days, on Asprin, Codene, Robaxacet, A535, and a strap with a heating pad. By Friday I felt great. Yesterday I went back to the school for another game. This time I was goalie and it was awesome. No problems what so ever as far as physical pain or being able to stop the puck proficiently. Looks like it'll be a few times a week event, including tomorrow afternoon.

I got my bike out of the garage today, tires pumped and everything. Took it for a spin, played a lil basketball, felt great. I can't wait to enjoy this weather for the next 5-6 months then take up smoking again.

I won at Shady again. I think that's like 7 or 8 out of the last 10. Man some of those guys are brutal.

I think I'm down like 2 buy-ins over the last 6k hands or so. Feels like a cooler, feels like a tad tilty, feels like I need to keep focused.

What requires more focus these days is my education. I have the test on the 26th. I can be ready for it, but I need to dedicate myself more so than I have been. I really look forward to the day that I can say I have my license. It'll be great for my first big purchase too.

The purchase being a house. My goal is set for June'ish 2009. I'd like to put $100,000 down. The June time frame is for student schedules, because I'd like to purchase a place that I can rent out to post secondary people in the area (waterloo, london, oakville, niagara.... etc.) Not set on a location yet. That will be determined by hot spots in 14 months. So, $100k + Pokerstars bankroll + $10k - $20k to spruce up the new place... I'm looking at HOPEFULLY having about $150k in 14 months. I'm about 40% of the way there. All I have to do is make about $8-10k/month (barely achievable).

The 'wake up earlier' goal has gone to the shits. I've been getting to sleep around 5am and getting up at 2pm consistently recently. I should be trying to sleep right now actually....

Why put such a big down payment on a house? I'd shoot for 25% down payment as (I believe) that's all you need to avoid CMHC fees. The monthly decrease in mortgage payments you'd get would be negligible IMO. Changing payments to bi-weekly, and paying more to principal than you have to makes as much or more of a long-term difference, and gives you a bit of an easier time hitting your target.

...just a thought

I don't have enough and won't have enough for this summer for 25% (still keeping in mind student housing). So I'll aim for next year. It just so happens that it's possible to have 40% of a down payment by then. I see what you're saying though. The 25% was initially my goal after last years attempted purchase of a condo in Burlington. $127k, one bedroom + den, brand spanking new, structural problems = no insurance on loans where the down payment is less than 25%.

So, that + CMHC fees are reason enough to not go past the 25% mark. but since I have about 80% of what I need (need as compared to the goal I set for june '09), there is zero reason why I shouldn't be able to buy a place next year.

I think changing payments to b-weekly is a great idea. It not only cuts a few years off of the loan period, but it might also be easier to handle in terms of money management.

bi-weekly is certainly easier when you get paid bi-weekly as I do

When I first got my place I went the variable mortgage route, and increased payments by about $50/payment. For a while there I was paying 3.65%, and about 65% of my payments went to equity.

Wifey got spooked with rising rates, so we locked in a year or two ago, and now like 70% of payments go to interest at 5.4%. Depressing

Good luck on yer goal man ... pretty cool to have a house that cards built (so to speak)

So it's been nearly a month since my last update, here goes...

Some things I've been happy about, others have not gone so well. I want things to turn around, but they won't until I truly want them to badly enough.

Negatives:
I have played online less than a dozen times since my last post. I find that winning is habitual and since i have broken this habit, I've been on a losing streak. I was reviewing my OP and noticed the goal of 2k hands/day. I haven't even come close to this, thus played break even poker since the beginning of April.

I have not studied for my license since April, my next test is in June, but realistically should take less than a couple weeks.

Picked up smoking again after winning a smoke free bet with a friend of mine.

Have not been active everyday and have actually gained about 5 lbs.

Things have gotten really bad with my girlfriend. She does not believe in me what so ever and cannot stop complaining about me playing poker for a living. She's 100% convinced I'm not only addicted but that it will also ruin my life one day.

Sleeping habits have not improved.

Positives:
Passed my Phase 1 test with an 80%. Registered for Phase 2.

One thing I forgot to mention:

Believe it or not, much of my time has been going towards things that do not help me long-term. So I've decided that as of now, I am cutting out the following leisure activities:

FTR Community Forum
YouTube
Video Games

Things were going really well for me before I dedicated a lot of my time to these -EV things. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I don't see the harm in trying. I'll give an update on the first day I'm happy with the turn around.

Hope you're able to get things figured out. Good Luck!

Sounds like you're having a tough time of things... Your insecurities and your gfs unhappiness at playing poker is possibly creating an unwanted pressure to win every session. Try as hard as poss to remove this from your play and just play your best game. Forcing it will not help.

Good luck

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Things have gotten really bad with my girlfriend. She does not believe in me what so ever and cannot stop complaining about me playing poker for a living. She's 100% convinced I'm not only addicted but that it will also ruin my life one day.

This operation thread is badly named.

Originally Posted by Warpe

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Things have gotten really bad with my girlfriend. She does not believe in me what so ever and cannot stop complaining about me playing poker for a living. She's 100% convinced I'm not only addicted but that it will also ruin my life one day.

This operation thread is badly named.

agreed
[/URL]

rofl @ thread title change

Girls will never understand what we´re doing.

luv the title change, GoGoGo

for your title change:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dSJxvi767kQ

good luck getting back on track.

Update (past week or so)

Positives:
~I've been getting into the habit of daily 3hr sessions, while also adding a couple more tables (13-14). I'd think it might be possible to attain SNE next year if I were to 15 table 1/2FR for 6hrs/day. Number tweaking would be appreciated from those here whom are striving towards this goal.
~I've been getting up a little earlier as of late. Not quite 11am yet, when I've been setting my alarm for, but I do see improvements
~Occasional smoker. I bought a pack a couple days ago and soon after threw it out the car window.... this may be the 6th time I've done this, so I'm not looking too much into it.
~Biking/playing basketball frequently

Negatives:
~I'm still not playing as much as I would ideally like. I'm hovering around 15 hrs/week right now, and as an unemployed person, I feel like I should be tripling my game time.
~Melissa still and will probably always hate what I do. Things are not looking too bright for our future, as we talk about breaking up quite frequently. I really hope I'm making the right decision in sticking with my goals and career choice. It's hard when you hear some people say "the richest men in the world are those with the love of their lives." Then I hear other people say "Don't let a woman hold you back from your dreams/goals in life, because if you do, you will resent her forever." Ironically, today is our 4th year anniversary.
~Have not opened the books yet for Phase 2. I postponed the in-class because I wanted to go over the encyclopedia beforehand. Well, I haven't started that yet... classes begin a week into June I think.

Until next week...

Update

Went to Casino Rama last night on one of those bus sponsored trips. It cost $20 and you got: $10 cash (I know, weird), free buffet, bus ride there and back. Great deal, worst poker room ever. I broke even on the tables even after buying a few drinks with my chips. Good night, until that evening when I was trying to sleep. Brother kept me up, we fought about it, things are going to change for the better.

Today I actually made myself an awesome breakfast. After that I rode my bike and played a little basketball in the hot sun. So, it was a great start to the day. The great thing is that I can't see any reason why this cannot become a trend.

Bought myself a new wireless mouse from Logitech. It works great. This was a result of the previous wireless Microsoft piece of crap that I had... hopefully this one lives a long life. I'm still using only one monitor and I think this will one day change because I'm stating to implement 14 and 15 tables. I can only see one table at a time...lol wow I'm so ghetto. I also need to build my own little office. I play poker from my laptop on the coffee table in the living room, I sit on the couch.

Even with the one monitor, 14 tables, coffee table set-up - I still manage to have my best day ever. I dedicated 6 hours to gaming and came away with 10 buy-ins (I must include that I lost a full stack AI pre with AA vs AA lol, at the beginning of the session no less) + rakeback ($150). My goal for 2008 is to have 100k saved up and it looks like I can do it. I'd be nice to have it finished by the end of November. My other small goal is to produce 300k vpp, which will provide me with a couple of really nice bonuses, but I'll need to play my ass off to attain that second vpp milestone.

Anyways, I just hope my routine can be the same tomorrow... no distractions.

GL DREW!

Especially good luck with your personal stuff. Poker can easily complicate personal relationships.

thanks a lot kmind

Yup, good luck with your personal stuff! I know it can be hard!
You need to find the think that works the best for you. Just know that there is no perfect solution, there will always be compromises.

So I broke up with my girlfriend of 4 yrs on Thursday. I've had enough of her always complaining and nagging regarding my career choice. She comes from a traditional religious Portugese family and thus, what I do is immoral. Hence the Morality thread I created early last week in the Strategy forum. I decided to finally lay down the law and put my significant other on the back burner of my career. Whenever I watch final tables on TV, there are family and friends in the stands cheering the players on. I cannot fathom the hypocrisy of her presence there.

I've been killing the tables recently. I'm up about $10k since May 1st. Grind-O-Matic is in full swing and I can't wait to see where I'm at by the end of the year.

$10k in may? SICK!

never MIND the $200 you robbed from us drunkasses last friday

I've decided to rename my Operation thread once again. My goal is to have $100k by years end.

66%

dude i want my money back rich prick. buy me beer next time too. and while you're at it a new ball, some dude stole mine from BMO field last week.

thanks bud.

fuck bitches.



btw you comin to algonquin this year?

peaaaaaaaaaaace

I think I said I was going in Sept. or Oct.

Tough luck on the loosing of the ball. You can buy your own you cheapskate.

Bottle of beer I can do.

sept or oct? no dude i meant with us in august. we have 8. 70k (distance) in 5'ish days!

I dunno man.

8.70 km sounds like a lot.

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

I dunno man.

8.70 km sounds like a lot.

HAH!

We have 8 (people coming probably)

70km over 5 days = 14km/day. You feel like a man at the end of each day. A tired & hungry man, but it's somehow satisfying

Just start stepping up your bike rides from leisurely strolls around a subdivision to something a little more intense, and your cardio'll be good to go for august.

holy jebus

count me in

btw, "leisurely strolls around a subdivision" makes me sound like a pussy.

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

btw, "leisurely strolls around a subdivision" makes me sound like a pussy.

Yeah I'm trying to go all drill sergeant on yah t'help motivate you to get yer ass in shape for august

NOW GIT OUT THERE AND PEDAL, MAGGOT

The next two weeks are going to be painful.

Monday I begin classes, for 11 days. It's Phase 2 time for my license and I can't wait to be finished. The 60 hours in class is not the part that I'm not looking forward to, it's the breaking of my 'groove' I've gotten into over the past couple weeks playing poker. I know that I can get back into it when I come back, but it's the transitional period that sucks... because even a 12-day break can throw any pro off of their timing a little bit.

I'm booking a room in Niagara Falls on Saturday because of a casino trip that myself and a few others have planned. I'm fuxored because it's sort of an unofficial 'couples trip,' and I broke up with the anti-supportive ex-girlfriend a week ago.... thus I'm a fifth wheel. Why is that such a big deal? I'm responsible for my room = myself paying full cost. Lemon and Jesse think I'm their friend but in reality I just wanted to cut the cost in half. Oh well, Seneca is going to be sick.

Back to my groove. Feels so good to be in a half decent routine that I can be quoted on longing for earlier in this thread. For some reason, PT3 isn't showing a single hand, piece of shit. Anyways, I think I'm up about 4.5k in the last 4 days.

70%

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

I'm responsible for my room = myself paying full cost. Lemon and Jesse think I'm their friend but in reality I just wanted to cut the cost in half.

hotel PWN3D!!1!1

Congrats on the winrate. $1k/day is Sick!

Thanks Jesse. I really don't want to go to school!

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Thanks Jesse. I really don't want to go to school!

I spent 5 years after high school getting a BMath Honours Computer Science degree (Psych minor).

I fucking hated my math/cs courses for the most part. It was a grind to say the least. After less than 6 months of grinding cash, my hourly rate 9-tabling is better than my hourly rate at the day job I got out of my degree, and I'm assuming your hourly rate is considerably better than mine.

In conclusion, school is fer SUCKERS!

j/k man...it has its place. If you wanna do it, you will. Just grind it out like you would a BR...

Your education of choice is at least +EV for real estate investing that's fer sure. I'll use you as an agent when I start buying investment properties

Goto school and stack the bitches. Best part of school. You'll be fine young grasshopper. Move downtown! There's a casino opening up at the CNE grounds for the summer!

Originally Posted by d0zer

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Thanks Jesse. I really don't want to go to school!

I spent 5 years after high school getting a BMath Honours Computer Science degree (Psych minor).

I fucking hated my math/cs courses for the most part. It was a grind to say the least. After less than 6 months of grinding cash, my hourly rate 9-tabling is better than my hourly rate at the day job I got out of my degree, and I'm assuming your hourly rate is considerably better than mine.

In conclusion, school is fer SUCKERS!

j/k man...it has its place. If you wanna do it, you will. Just grind it out like you would a BR...

Your education of choice is at least +EV for real estate investing that's fer sure. I'll use you as an agent when I start buying investment properties

Looking at an education only in terms of how much you make in the career it finds you is very shortsighted.

Educations

Originally Posted by bigred

Looking at an education only in terms of how much you make in the career it finds you is very shortsighted.

Educations

LDO

My post was just a lil' tongue & cheek


Though right now I enjoy grinding cash tables more than my dayjob so I'm slightly biased

I'm not studying for my license because I want to make money in the business. I am studying the program because 1) I want to have a fall back plan in case online poker goes belly up (ceases to exist, I go busto, etc.) 2) I think the knowledge gained could be tremendous towards my future investments.

back-up plan / good knowledge to have

It's absolutely a good move on yer part drew. Even if I went balla makin' 10k+/month playing online I wouldn't quit my dayjob. Gotta have the backup.

Originally Posted by d0zer

It's absolutely a good move on yer part drew. Even if I went balla makin' 10k+/month playing online I wouldn't quit my dayjob. Gotta have the backup.

You can have the backup but still able to keep it on the back burner, just in case. Sounds to me like you'd rather keep your day job because you enjoy it more than poker.

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Originally Posted by d0zer

It's absolutely a good move on yer part drew. Even if I went balla makin' 10k+/month playing online I wouldn't quit my dayjob. Gotta have the backup.

You can have the backup but still able to keep it on the back burner, just in case. Sounds to me like you'd rather keep your day job because you enjoy it more than poker.

I'm kinda concerned that if I started treating poker as a dayjob that I'd get burned out with it. I'm already kinda burned out with my dayjob, and would far rather be home grinding...

Plus in my field it's not a good idea to take a few years off and jump back into it. Technologies change so quickly, and you've gotta keep building & updating yer resume to be able to land the good jobs, otherwise you get pushed into fairly crap work.

Originally Posted by d0zer

Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Originally Posted by d0zer

It's absolutely a good move on yer part drew. Even if I went balla makin' 10k+/month playing online I wouldn't quit my dayjob. Gotta have the backup.

You can have the backup but still able to keep it on the back burner, just in case. Sounds to me like you'd rather keep your day job because you enjoy it more than poker.

I'm kinda concerned that if I started treating poker as a dayjob that I'd get burned out with it. I'm already kinda burned out with my dayjob, and would far rather be home grinding...

Plus in my field it's not a good idea to take a few years off and jump back into it. Technologies change so quickly, and you've gotta keep building & updating yer resume to be able to land the good jobs, otherwise you get pushed into fairly crap work.

ain't that the truth eh bud. Total good move on ur part drewski