Feeling good

Don't know where or how to start. I have so many things in my mind right now, that if I write them all down this can turn into the longest blog post ever. I'll try to keep it short and have some order.

1: Jerry "Herschelw" Watterson.

For those of you who don't know him, he is my current backer.

Past February he read that I was playing micro and low stakes SNGs, and sent me a PM in a poker forum offering me a deal. At that point I was done with anything related with backing-staking, or however you wanna call it. I have had enough of it, and had already say "no" to no less than 6 offers. So I answered him exclusively to avoid been rude, but saying that I preferred to stay the way I was. He told me he'd like to have a phone conversation, and we agreed to a call for the next day.

What he told me on that convo was what I always wanted to hear from a backer, and even more. I just couldn't believe that right when I was getting mentally ready to give up on my poker career, this opportunity would arise.

A week after, I was playing under this new deal, and all I can say is that if every professional poker player out there was treated by his backer the way I am treated by jerry, they would be happier, play better, and make more money. Mental relief is so important when you do this for a living, that having someone looking after you, calling you every time he feels you need support, listening to you when you had a bad day, etc, is at least as important as your poker skills. I have found all this and more in Jerry, and I will never forget what he's done for me.

2: The aftermath.

After 3 days, the real feelings that my 6 figures score generated are starting to sink in.

I have been smiling non stop, I don't look at next month bills with fear, I don't register for a session thinking that if I don't win today my wife's fear level will rise again. We have gone through so much stress, that it's hard to describe. I've got to the point of selling my action to play a $100 tourney here in Anchorage, just so I could make a few bucks. I am not repeating the experiences we had in the past 12-15 months.

3: Poker friends

I have received so many emails, text messages, PM's in poker forums...and the 3 threads that ran about my score had above average traffic in the 3 forums where they were posted. I enjoyed reading every single email, phone text, PM, or post. Some were funny, some were sent by persons that really know what that score meant for me, some were from people who only had contact with me through the forums, but all of them gave me a minute of happiness.

There were also a few notable absences, mostly from people I know personally. They know who they are, and I know exactly why every single one of them haven't said a word. Karma is a bitch my friends...

4: Going to the WSOP and Venetian series.

I will finally be able to get the monkey off my back, and play some WSOP events. The last 2 years I had people willing to buy me in some tourneys, but I just couldn't afford the expenses of living in Vegas for a month, and not be able to keep grinding online. This time I'm going, already have my plane tickets and hotel reservations. I don't dream about doing anything impressive, I just want to have fun, live the experience, and met a lot of people.

5: Buying a new computer:

I'm out of here, running to the computer store and having the guy build me a kick ass CPU, that I hope I can use this Sunday to play the SCOOP ME, weeeee.

Later guys, good luck.

This is a crazy job that I have...

On February 28th I had a $1,500 bankroll, was playing $6 and $12 SNG's on PokerStars; absolutely broke, and waiting for a call to go back to my old job as a carpenter, because poker had been not so good for the last 15 months, and my financial situation was absolutely desperate.

Tonight, I can't sleep after chopping the FTP 750K for my first 6 figures score: $105,528. I am very happy, but the feeling that stands up the most is relief. The journey was so long, and the difficulties were so many, that all my thoughts are focused on how to pay the most bills, and how not to go back to the previous situation ever again.

Playing poker is my biggest passion, I think about the game at all times; I try to find new solutions to old problems while I walk, I think about difficult hands when I go to bed, and I have developed what I believe is a deep understanding of the game...but playing high stakes tournaments while you can't pay your mortgage, your credit cards are maxed out, your wife goes to work every day while you stay at home not knowing if it's even worth the time...I'm not going through that stress again, it's just not an option.

Today is time to celebrate, maybe go out for a nice dinner, and start looking for plane tickets to visit my family in Spain. But tomorrow I'll make a plan, and I will follow it, because playing tournaments with a buy in larger than what you have in your bank account can not be good for your sanity.

Later this week I will update this blog, and talk about the tournament, but right now I needed to talk about how I feel.

A Sunday win, the process of picking up students, and the dumbest MTT I've ever played

I won a tournament on Sunday! Yes sir, as amazing as it sounds, there was a tournament played on Sunday, with more than 2 players in it, that had my name at the top of the prize pool.

Now you might be thinking if it was the Sunday Million, or the FTP 750K, or the FTOPS Main Event. The answer, my friend, is no. Who cares about those donk festivals when you can win the $26 15K guaranteed Rush Turbo? Now, that is a dreamed event. 1,800 runners, $7,600 for first, over in 2 hours, and the rest of the day at your disposal so you can dump your winnings around.

I won't lie, having a first place finish felt so good, I had forgotten what it was like. My last MTT win was on March, in the PS $109 40K. Ever since, I had accumulated around 25 final tables with no victories, and it was getting old.

Other than that, it was an OK Sunday for me, I felt like my game was really good, and I could have made at least two more final tables, both on UB. I played the FTOPS ME, and after 4-5 hours of play I busted whit 77 against A3os all in pre flop for a 50BBs pot at 800-400-100. In the rest of majors nothing happened either, and the only one where I went semi deep was the UB 200K, but I lost a 4 way all in pot with KK vs AJ, AQ, and 44, when a 4 fell on the turn, sigh.

Changing the subject, this week I will pick 5 students. It is a new and exciting venture, to which I will dedicate myself for the next 6 months. I have a friend whom I've been helping in daily basis for the last 8 months, and there are quite a few persons who ask me for advice regularly, but this is going to be different. We will set weekly coaching sessions, we will review HH's, I will rail them, and hopefully I will help them to become better players.

One last note:

Playing $20 tournaments with 27,000 runners, 2 day events, is the single most stupid thing a human being can ever do, period. And if you don't agree with me, it's because you didn't single table the SCOOP L event for 5 hours, after all your others tournaments were over, and for a total of 12 hours of play, just to bust 200th for not even $300. If I'm ever found playing one of those again, you are welcome to remind me how stupid I can be.

This is gonna be a big tourneys packed week, may the luck be on your side.