One more W

The Huskies pulled off one more win over the weekend taking first place in the Mid Indiana Conference finishing with three champions and five runners-up.

My son knew he had a tough day ahead of him and that the best he could hope for was probably third place because there are two wrestlers in our conference in his weight class ranked in the top 12 in the state.

I had a HUGE “that’s my kid” moment however when my son beat the wrestler ranked 12th in the state 11-9 in one of those matches that makes you proud to be a coach and a dad. He wrestled his heart out and refused to give up against a wrestler nobody would have picked him to beat and took the kid down with a minute to go and held on to win the match.

The sectionals begin next Saturday.

GO HUSKIES!

Finishing Strong

My Huskies finished the dual meet season Wednesday with only two losses out of 35 dual meets. Last Saturday we competed in the Tri High Super Duals, wrestling five dual meets in one day and I couldn't be more proud of the team's performance. We had six wrestlers finish the day undefeated and knocked off a formerly undeafeated team along the way.

To make it even more fun, my son was one of the wrestlers winning all their matches and received a nice medal for his accomplishments.

We have our conference tournament tomorrow and then we start the tournament individual tournament series next Saturday as we host the sectional at home. A couple of tourney wins would be a great way to end a very successful senior season for my son.

Accomplished this season:

Season record: 33-2

Champions: Western Invitational, Peru Invitational, Tri-High Super Duals, Holiday Tourney

GO HUSKIES!

Big win

A huge win for the wrestling Huskies last night as we knocked off the team ranked 15th in the state by a score of 43-34!

We take a strategy with our team that occasionally works well for poker players. We don't try to get the team or individual wrestlers ranked in the state. We know that that ranking and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee and little else. Okay, $4 at Starbucks, but the thought is the same; you still have to walk out there and wrestle. If you're flying under the radar and a team (or individual) takes you for granted because you're not recognized by some anonymous ranking organization, you might sneak up and pull off a win.

It happens in poker all the time. An amateur player, unknown to the "name" players comes in a walks away with first place because he is taken for granted AND because he has done his homework on the "name" in the game.

It happens in poker. Last night it happened in high school wrestling. GO HUSKIES!

Painful truth update, things to remember, and future goals:

2005 on line totals:
April 30, -- $179
May 30, -- $375
June 30 -- $610
July 30 -- $1197
August 30 -- $1227
September 30-- $1337
October 30 -- $1514
November 30 -- $1615
December 30 -- $1680

It’s been a while since I updated with poker related content so this will be my make-up report. Poker playing as a hobby goes the way of every hobby during thos times when real life takes over. Wrestling season, and especially this one as it is my son’s last year on the mat, has taken most of my time and so everything else goes on hiatus.

One thing that I have tried to remember from the many lessons I’ve learned at the poker table is that poker can’t be played when you are rushed for time. Yes, the internet poker boom allows the opportunity to pop in on a table, play a few hands, and pop out. But I only do that at the very lowest limits now. When grinding out a little extra income, popping in for a few second best hands and a bad beat or two by the donkeys who will soon be bleeding their money back to the table only to find ytourself called away before you are refunded your tithe and more is something I have been able to steer clear of.

It just makes good sense.

I’ve been able to glean a little over $100 per month on average from the Party Poker chaff and as a low-limit grinder, I’m more than pleased with that. In addition, I’ve traveled to Las Vegas twice and have both times made enough money at the tables to completely pay for the trip.
In 2005 I started in April playing $2/$4 limit Hold Em on Party Poker under very strict guidelines. I played for only one hour. I only played premium hands. I got out when up between $40 and $50. I played so tight I squeaked every time I clicked the mouse. On other sites I played one-table sit-and-goes, Omaha 8b, seven card stud (also 8b), and a variety of other games. On all sites I made money in 2005.

In 2006 I hope to continue on with grinding out a little extra cash, but will occassionally take some of the pure profit to the no-limit table and see what I can eek out there. I also plan to play a few more tournaments and see if I can catch a big payday.

Blog-wise, I don’t care if anyone reads it. It’s therapudic, it keeps me honest about winning/losing, and it serves to remind me what I’ve learned along the way. If there’s something in here that helps someone else; I’m glad they read.


Ten things to remember about 2005:
1. My second trip to Vegas, the Blogger’s Tournament, and seeing the WSOP
2. Dating a Bulgarian
3. Going from $179 to more than $1600 on Party Poker
4. Cashing out a cool $1000 from Party Poker
5. A girl named Jane and holding out for something special
6. My son turned 18, qualified for the regionals in wrestling, and began his senior year
7. I won a car hood
8. Palm Springs
9. My first year with a new motorcycle
10. Starting part-time work for CPO Science

Goals for 2006 (a work in progress)
1. Solve a Rubiks Cube
2. Rebuild the $1000 I cashed out and move to $3/$6 Hold Em

Favorite quote this year:We are creatures of flesh and light and movement. We go through life. Things happen. We do things. We remember things. Things hurt us, things delight us, things frighten us. We go on. We describe the things that have happened to us and look for the light of understanding in someone's eyes. We are creatures who love and hate. We love and hate and are loved and hated and we go on.