A Heartfelt Message to all of FTR

[lambchopdc]

Well FTR...its been 6 months since I started posting here....18 months since I first found this site. I know I have had many disagreements with a few of you here and I hope you can accept my apologies and understand that nothing was ever personal. Anything critical I have posted has been meant to address issues I thought needed discussed and I apologize if some of those got out of hand.

I guess the reason I'm posting this is that I feel alot of new players can benefit from what I'm about to say. When I first started playing poker, I had a dream. The dream started small enough...just make a little bit of side money. Then as I progressed I started to realize that the potential of this game and the places it can take you. I can still remember the first day I came into IRC and darkwing duck and chicagokid coached me to the final 3 of the $1 MTT I was playing. That $210 win was the world to me that day. 2 Months later I trashed that win with a $2k second play on the $10 FO on Party.

That $2k win dropped the bomb on me. It put me in the black for my poker career and when I stepped back and realized what I had done I could barely handle it. Nothing feels better than the Congratulations message on Party or the e-mail from Pokerstars - Congratulations $2xxx.xx has been credited to your real money account. Amazing.

By mid-november my total poker profits were up over $7k. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep any of it in my BR as prior financial failings in life had me way backed up on my bills and money was going out faster than it was coming in. On November 14th I started a new BR building project with $3,000. As many of you probably guessed...my SNG project was a failure as I had a major downswing on Party. Within 1 week my $3,000 had shrunk to $500. Then it hit me. The feeling I had when I won the $2k on Party. I felt on top of the world. I had confidence in my game and I knew I could take down any SNG or tourney that I played. Within 2 days I had that $500 back up to $1000.

Then came the day my poker career took off. I was up about $300 for the day and decided to take a chance at a $50 FO. I wasn't really even in the mood for an MTT but Tracey was on Vent and begged me to play it. Damn I am glad I did. The first table I was on, I was seated directly to the right of JohnnyBax. I guess I should have been scared...worried...or something negative, but I wasn't. I can't say why but something came over me and said "you have the skill, you can beat anyone, including the best online tourney player in the world." I played one hand against JohnnyBax....I had mid-pair with A9o after raising his blind from the SB....the flop was K92 and he called my c-bet. The turn was a J...now right now the old me would either A. Take down the pot or B. Check it and give it up. But something told me otherwise, i felt my poker sense going into overdrive....I value bet him. He calls the turn. River is a rag...I value bet again....i'm raised...I instantly call with MPTK and JohnnyBax flips over Q9 and I win the hand. That did it...it was over...I just outplayed the best tourney player on the net...what the hell chance did 400 fish have against me? I played my way into the money and right before final table ilikeaces86 came onto Vent to lend me a hand. As I approached final table I realized that almost everything he told me to do, I was already thinking about doing. Talk about my head going through the roof. I won 2nd in that tourney for $2k.

In the 2 weeks since that tourney....wow....I can't even describe it. Less than a week later I won the $10 1/RA on stars for over $4k...my first 1st place ever on an MTT. That was Saturday nite....i played through Tuesday without anything else significant. I was up late that nite and decided to play the $109 FO on Party. The second the tourney started I knew I could take it down, by the time michael1123 stumbled onto Vent at 6 AM i was on Final Table. With michael's watching and commenting on my play I won 2nd for $2k. After sleeping all day yesterday I decided to try and take the nite off.....failure. After being up all nite I decided to join the $109 FO on Party at 8 AM this morning. Without any outside help I rolled through the tourney and took 1st for $2.6k. I can't even begin to describe the feeling I'm having right now.

Why am I telling everyone this? Because 6 months ago if you would have told me I would be winning $8k in less than 7 days I would have laughed. Every direction I have tried to take my life in for 22 years has at some point hit a dead end. Then I found poker. A long time ago I decided that this time....i was going to succeed no matter what. And now after almost a year of bad beats, fishy plays, and hard learning curves....I can finally look back and say "wow...i'm there...mission accomplished." I can't tell you how many times I started to think it was impossible.

In the past 30 days I have made a profit of $7450.93. This weekend I am going to drop the news to my parents that i'm playing poker full time. Trust me, they are not going to be pleased. Even with knowing the reaction I will get, I'm still looking forward to telling them that I've made more in the last 30 days than they have, combined.

So FTR....this is what is possible. The world of poker has so many opportunities for good players. More than you can possibly imagine. The beautiful part is...there is only two things you need to do to get there. Believe in yourself, and don't ever give up. There is a world of opportunity out there for you, and just because your aces got cracked 12 times in a row, don't start thinking the opportunities aren't for you. There is no downswing that can't be overcome, no game that can't be beat, no 1-outer than can't be forgotten, and no fish that can't be PWNED. All of your dreams are waiting for you out there, don't stop till you reach them.

[brian1175]

perfect

[ttanaka]

Heart felt and inspiring. Two thumbs way up.

You're right, I think many others can benefit from your story.

lampchop, congratulations!! (good luck with the parents!)

[Fortune 500]

Awesome story. We forgive all your past indiscretions.

Now, can you teach me how to play?

[bigred]

Great post and congrats man.

A few things I think you might want to consider before moving down that path are things I have considered when thinking about going poker pro. what will your life be like 2-5-10 years from now? I know you're making great money, which is awesome, but is that all you want from life? Things i struggle with when thinking about full time poker is the loss of job satisfaction of benefitting society as a whole. You're doing something you love and making great money, which is more than most people can say. I just want you to think about the consequences of not being those other things you want to be. While I love poker, my economic friends like to remind me that it is simply pooling wealth and then manipulating it. Besides money in party poker's pocket, there isn't much on the production side or economic growth. I'm not saying this is bad in anyway, just stating another opinion. The reason I'm saying this is do what makes you happy, that's what is important, but also consider the societal consequences. If they do not bother you, excellent, enjoy poker, you're a great player. however, I know they will bother me, I think I wrote this reply more for myself, so I don't think poker could ever be a full time job for me.

A few thoughts I have had is that I could be a teacher and benefit society by helping kids succeed and then playing poker at night as a second job, because we all know teachers don't get half the pay they deserve. The other option I've considered is donating a percentage of my profit to charity monthly. while not very constructive, you are helping people. These are just a few things to keep in mind because I do believe in the great saying that you cannot receive without giving and I do truly want to do that.

[chardrian]

Congrats!!

Now the downer part. Please, please, please realize that you are on a burner right now. I am not saying you aren't a great player and that you won't continue to make great gobs of money. It sounds like you are and will. But it also sounds to me like your BR is actually not in the overwhelming I can play any and all tourneys without worrying about going in the red again realm.

I have been to your mountain top time and time again, only to plummet due to horrible bankroll management. When I won over $6k a couple of months ago I didn't think it would be possible to ever go below $3k again and thought that my first 5 figure win was just around the corner.

Anyways - congrats again ... and don't follow my example.

[boost]

wait... clearify, you are droppingout of school? or you are just not working a job while going to school?

[salsa4ever]

congratulations!
most inspiring...

Great post and congrats man.

Things i struggle with when thinking about full time poker is the loss of job satisfaction of benefitting society as a whole.

A few thoughts I have had is that I could be a teacher and benefit society by helping kids succeed and then playing poker at night as a second job, because we all know teachers don't get half the pay they deserve.

That's kind of what I'd like to do, 'cept instead of school teacher i'd be a piano and dance teacher. Back to point, poker *is* a very satisfying job; can't deny it. Doesn't bother me one bit that i'm not "producing" anything. But the other social aspect - the isolation - would be too much for me, which is why i could never do it full time.

[elipsesjeff]

Great post and congrats man.

A few things I think you might want to consider before moving down that path are things I have considered when thinking about going poker pro. what will your life be like 2-5-10 years from now? I know you're making great money, which is awesome, but is that all you want from life? Things i struggle with when thinking about full time poker is the loss of job satisfaction of benefitting society as a whole. You're doing something you love and making great money, which is more than most people can say. I just want you to think about the consequences of not being those other things you want to be. While I love poker, my economic friends like to remind me that it is simply pooling wealth and then manipulating it. Besides money in party poker's pocket, there isn't much on the production side or economic growth. I'm not saying this is bad in anyway, just stating another opinion. The reason I'm saying this is do what makes you happy, that's what is important, but also consider the societal consequences. If they do not bother you, excellent, enjoy poker, you're a great player. however, I know they will bother me, I think I wrote this reply more for myself, so I don't think poker could ever be a full time job for me.

A few thoughts I have had is that I could be a teacher and benefit society by helping kids succeed and then playing poker at night as a second job, because we all know teachers don't get half the pay they deserve. The other option I've considered is donating a percentage of my profit to charity monthly. while not very constructive, you are helping people. These are just a few things to keep in mind because I do believe in the great saying that you cannot receive without giving and I do truly want to do that.

To everyone who has ever said this to me:

I quote Office Space:

"All for Bill Lumberg's stock to go up a quarter point"

Point, set, match.

Fuck society.

[Pingviini]

Quitting school just because you have run good for a while is really stupid. Yes, you are on a roll now but the downswing will come again, believe me. At one point I was winning tournaments left and right and then I had a long period when I barely made ITM. When you have a steady record from MTT's you could say that you are a long term MTT winner, but you should have at least 1k MTT's there. Bigred made a fairly good point saying that you really have to think what your life would be in, say, 5 years. Poker boom will be more or less over. You should have a back up plan. I have thought about these things quite a lot lately myself. I am only saying these things because I care about people's future. Do not make any hasty decisions..

If going pro here means quitting your side-job when you are studying things change quite a lot.

[bigred]

To everyone who has ever said this to me:

I quote Office Space:

"All for Bill Lumberg's stock to go up a quarter point"

Point, set, match.

Fuck society.

Don't really see how Bill Lumberg and a kid who has his mind opened coincide. I didn't say don't play poker and work on wall street or some impresonal profit guzzling corporation. All I said is that you should search your feelings towards social implications. Obviously, in your case, Jeff, you don't care about society. Not a problem. Just telling lamb he might want to consider all angles and hopefully I am presenting him with a few angles he might not have considered.

[lambchopdc]

Ok before this thread gets way off topic (my threads have a habit of this)....let me stress a couple of points.

- The decision to not be in school was made for other reasons that have nothing to do with poker.
- I haven't had a job for months now and haven't had any intention of doing so even before this "good run."
- Yes I know i'm running hot....i've been on many many huge swings since I started....enough to know this won't last forever...hell as of this moment I've busted my last 9 MTTs without a cash.

Now...about being off topic....this post was not made to be a critique of what i'm doing with my life...although I thank everyone for the comments so far...very good points made. The reason I made this thread was to show those who haven't experienced as much success as I have what it possible if they keep working. I've talked to quite a few FTR'ers that have dealt with feelings of frustration because they can't get that big cash. I hope my story can inspire some of these players to keep at it and not give up.

[DaNutsInYoEye]

I think bigred brings up some valid points, although I don't agree so much with the societal implications. Poker is quickly becoming more mainstream and professional poker players are starting to lose the degenerate gambler stereotype. Even if it wasn't becoming more accepted, if that's really what you want to do then, as Jeff said, fuck it.

Job satisfaction would be my biggest concern. I doubt anyone would voluntarily choose to be a professional poker player if they didn't love the game, but what else are you getting out of it besides money? A large part of job satisfaction has to do with what you provide, not just what you get in return (ie. money). In my opinion, that is the biggest drawback to being a poker professional. Teachers foster the intellectual development of their students and they enjoy that. Physicians help the sick and it makes them feel good. Construction workers provide a service for others and have the satisfaction of knowing that what they created was done with their own hands.

The income you earn from playing poker is derived from taking it away from other people. That obvioulsy doesn't bother me or I wouldn't play, but at the same time that process doesn't make me feel better outside of putting more money into my bankroll. Everyone has bad days at work. If you're a mechanic and you have a terrible day at least you can take solace in knowing that perhaps you were able to fix someone's only source of transportation and they didn't have to take a day off work. If you're a poker player and have a shitty day, then you just have a shitty day. Due to the nature of the profession, I'd wager that poker players have more than their share of bad days as compared to most other lines of work. It's not a matter of if you'll run bad, it's a matter of when.

Online poker would be particularly hard for me. It's essentially devoid of human contact. Obviously some people are more suited for such a lifestyle, but for the most part, humans are social creatures. Of course one wouldn't be in front of a monitor all the time but, if you play professionally online, the only interaction you're getting for the better part of the day is through an electronic medium.

I'd love to be able to play professionally. It would be a dream come true. In the grand scheme of things though, I don't know how satisfied I would be with my life when it was all over. When I'm 80 and my kids finally ship me off to the nursing home, I think I'd be more happy reflecting on a life as a virtually unknown physician in a small town that potentially helped thousands of people than as a 6-time WPT champion and member of the Poker Hall of Fame. Maybe that's simply my way of coping with the fact that I'll likely never be a poker great, but I'd like to think there is more to it.


All the above are my personal feelings. From a practical standpoint, what you wrote in your post worries me. You're talking about "the day (your) poker career took off." Your speaking as if you recent success guarantees your future success. It does not.

You've been on a tear lately and are obviously still high off that feeling. Your decision to do this full time is based up your results of the last 30 days? Any hitter that starts out with an average of .427 for the first month is being unrealistic if he thinks he'll end the season with the same average. If at the all-star break his average is still above .400 then maybe he can start to think it's possible. It isn't until the time that the middle of August rolls and he has experienced all the highs and lows of a full season that he'll really understand how legitimate his chances are.

You're not always going to be able to bounce back from a downswing by conjuring up the feelings of your prior wins. We all wish you the best, but the reality is that the vast majority of people that try to do this fail.

[bigred]

I just want to emphasize I'm not critiquing in anyway. I mean to simply point out some things you may not have addressed.

Job satisfaction would be my biggest concern. I doubt anyone would voluntarily choose to be a professional poker player if they didn't love the game, but what else are you getting out of it besides money? A large part of job satisfaction has to do with what you provide, not just what you get in return (ie. money). In my opinion, that is the biggest drawback to being a poker professional. Teachers foster the intellectual development of their students and they enjoy that. Physicians help the sick and it makes them feel good. Construction workers provide a service for others and have the satisfaction of knowing that what they created was done with their own hands.

This is what I was mainly trying to say besides positivie social implications. Will you look back on online poker and feel great about it? I think the reason you're receiving a lot of these responses is because w edo actually care about your future, etc. I think I would just say good luck to most players but I sincerely want to make sure you know every consequence, good or bad.

But honestly, by all means, kick some ass. Do what most of us daydream about during a boring lecture or a horrendous finals week.

[boost]

dominating other poker players, its quite satisfying. Also I know its kinda hypocritical towards my political beliefs, but I feel wealth is like the biggest competition known to man. And of course I would not just be greedy and horde all this money, I would do charitable things, and all that stuff. But I think the pursuit of personal wealth is looked down upon for the wrong reasons. Its like having the ambition to be the best at a particular sport, or the ambition to start a company and become the best in the industry. The only difference is that in this competition you are not ranked by how good your perform in a particular sport or how your company has done, or whatever. Its just how much money you have.

I think it all depends on your definition of personal success. Some people feel that going to college, starting a career and moving up as far as you can, then retriing when youre 5ft into the grave, is the definition of sucess. Maybe it is for them, but I wont lie, I want to be as rich as I possibly can be. However I wont be ruthless to get there. I wont be a ladder climber and I wont forget my freinds, and those close to me.

sorry I know I rambled a lot, I hope some of it makes sense to someone. Also I hope I didnt stomp on anyones opinions, thats not what I meant to do.

[Muxy]

gl man, you are awesome and inspiring.

[Sarahhhh]

<3 u lambchop.... Im so proud of what you've done so far. I know that there is still a long road ahead, and a lot of bumps in the road , but I will be there every step of the way supporting you, and helping you reach every single one of your goals. I've watched you day to day for the last year, and you have grown so much as a player and as a person, and its great to see you have passion for something as strongly as you do this. This the first plateau..now keep climbing higher and dont stop! I believe in you. Oh btw....sooo not fair that you have gotten better than me, considering that i started off as the better player back in the day with our 2.50 sngs on pacific

{This post has been removed}

[DoGGz]

You didn't win anything tonight

[DoGGz]

<3 u lambchop.... Im so proud of what you've done so far. I know that there is still a long road ahead, and a lot of bumps in the road , but I will be there every step of the way supporting you, and helping you reach every single one of your goals. I've watched you day to day for the last year, and you have grown so much as a player and as a person, and its great to see you have passion for something as strongly as you do this. This the first plateau..now keep climbing higher and dont stop! I believe in you. Oh btw....sooo not fair that you have gotten better than me, considering that i started off as the better player back in the day with our 2.50 sngs on pacific

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

everyone with me now

aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Sarahhhh]

<3 u lambchop.... Im so proud of what you've done so far. I know that there is still a long road ahead, and a lot of bumps in the road , but I will be there every step of the way supporting you, and helping you reach every single one of your goals. I've watched you day to day for the last year, and you have grown so much as a player and as a person, and its great to see you have passion for something as strongly as you do this. This the first plateau..now keep climbing higher and dont stop! I believe in you. Oh btw....sooo not fair that you have gotten better than me, considering that i started off as the better player back in the day with our 2.50 sngs on pacific

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

everyone with me now

aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I hate you doggz :P

and btw...big fake teeth arent cool

[gabe]

i just donated what would have been a significant amount of money to me last year to charity. that helps society.

[bigred]

<3 u lambchop.... Im so proud of what you've done so far. I know that there is still a long road ahead, and a lot of bumps in the road , but I will be there every step of the way supporting you, and helping you reach every single one of your goals. I've watched you day to day for the last year, and you have grown so much as a player and as a person, and its great to see you have passion for something as strongly as you do this. This the first plateau..now keep climbing higher and dont stop! I believe in you. Oh btw....sooo not fair that you have gotten better than me, considering that i started off as the better player back in the day with our 2.50 sngs on pacific

Does this mean you're not going to run away with me then?

[Sarahhhh]

Does this mean you're not going to run away with me then?

sorry kid...you're out

[ZenOffsuit]

Very inspiring post! Will be a great post to re-read when things suck

But why are people feeling so guilty about finding success doing something they love and reaping the benefit of the hard work they have put into it?? It is so knee jerk to attack wealth and the wealthy.....

How you live your life is more important then how you earn your money or how much you earn for that matter. Poker players that make alot of money are great consumers, which helps people that sell products. Isn't that a societal contribution? As Gabe said, you can contribute to charity. Do you think they care that the $200 you sent was a result of you cracking Aces at a poker table?!

[JoseyWales]

another fine fine example of what is possible when one is willing to put the work into achieving one's dreams, I'll read this post a thousand times I'm sure, follow your gut on the rest is what I believe, listen to it every day, those that have real faith in you will eventually get onboard, Congratulations, gl with the ex-providers

__________________________________________________ __
""We thought about it for a long time, "Endeavor to persevere." And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."" - Lone Watie

[DoGGz]

<3 u lambchop.... Im so proud of what you've done so far. I know that there is still a long road ahead, and a lot of bumps in the road , but I will be there every step of the way supporting you, and helping you reach every single one of your goals. I've watched you day to day for the last year, and you have grown so much as a player and as a person, and its great to see you have passion for something as strongly as you do this. This the first plateau..now keep climbing higher and dont stop! I believe in you. Oh btw....sooo not fair that you have gotten better than me, considering that i started off as the better player back in the day with our 2.50 sngs on pacific

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

everyone with me now

aaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I hate you doggz :P

and btw...big fake teeth arent cool

Jealous

[boost]

FUCK SCHEWL!!!oneSHIFT!!!111!!!!

OH MY FUCKING OGD ITS MY BIRTHDAY... ERR ITS SIX IN THE AM BNOW BUT IM STILL DRUNK SO ITSN STILL MYB IRTHDAY BITHCES! HAHAHAHA