Lotusphere 2006

No poker (although there was some hold 'em going on at the kick off party... but it was just for fun) but great weather and an interesting conference ahead of me.

I attended my first Lotusphere session, a jumpstart session for the Domino Administrator for Lotus 7. It was pretty informative and it seems like I will get a lot out of my time here. My attitude was also buoyed by the third road win by my Steelers!! I tried to warn Chipper, I suspect he did not heed my prediction. Sorry dude, but the Steelers are going all the way this year. I watched the game in the ESPN sports bar at the Boardwalk in Disney with 100 of my close Steeler fan friends, there was a lot of cheering and high fives. Way to go Cowher and Pittsburgh, the first 6 seed in NFL history to make the Super Bowl, and the second team to win three road games to make it to the big one. Personally, I think they are unstoppable. It was all downhill after the Colts (IMHO).

I have been playing some poker recently and things seem to be the status quo. I have not posted about poker because it has not been a priority or a joy in my life like it has in the past. It has been more vexing than pleasurable and I have had precious little free time in the past month. Add that all up, throw in husband duties and a wife and you have a recipe for little poker and less blogging. Sorry for the lack of new content if anyone checks this piece of the web out with any frequency. I have to admit I was a little surprised when HighOnPoker was so startled to see me railbirding in the DADI Omalympics and told me he was ready to remove my link because he thought I was done posting! Not a big deal, and I can't argue with his logic, but this blog is not dead yet.

It has been interesting to read some of the same feelings I have experienced with poker in GCox's and other blogs. He has been having a rough time and I can totally empathize. I wish I could assure him it will turn around, and I believe it will, but I cannot speak from experience. It seems to be a paradox: I was a winning bad player and a losing better player?!?! But so it is, perhaps it is a stage or plateau that I must breakthrough and learn from. The end result will be a better player and a better understanding of the game (or so I tell myself).

What have I learned? I could easily start with Donkeys Always Draw, but that is not an entirely correct statement and it is probably copyrighted by TripJax and Jordan. The truth is, donkeys don't always draw and budding poker players don't draw enough. How bout dem apples? I have learned that I need to loosen up my game depending on the table conditions. That makes sense right? I probably even read that in one of the many poker books I have consumed in the past year. Easy to say, harder to do correctly and profitably. I think my game has progressed from maniac, to tight passive (with flashes of aggressiveness), to a more well rounded neutral aggressive. It is still a work in progress.

I read these fantastic strategy posts and concepts in other blogs and I don't fell qualified to offer any of that in my blog. Who wants to read about strategies that seem to cost BB/hr? Perhaps that will come, but right now I can offer some company to the struggling players out there and some understanding. If I stick with it (and I will), the insightful strategy posts will come.

Good luck to all of you out there struggling to develop your own game and continued luck to those of you who have found it. Your mission is keep on developing and share some breadcrumbs of wisdom that are still following the path you have traveled.

Hopefully I will get a little free time this week to play, but the schedule is looking packed from 7:00 AM to 9 or 10 each night. Wish you all were here, the weather is fantastic and the scenery at The Swan in Disney is a welcome change of pace from the frozen gray Cleveland landscape. I can see why DNasty moved here!