2012 Fantasy Baseball Draft Results...

   One of my favorite days of the year is the day I get to draft my fantasy baseball team. Last year I was champion of The New England League for the first time in my storied career as a fantasy manager. This year proves to be more difficult as the total number of teams goes from 10 to 12. A couple of managers have kids old enough to manage their own teams. That really makes it interesting. We don't bet any money or anything. Just for bragging rights. Finally, it's my year to brag.

Picking 10th out of 12 this year- Diamond in the Rough

Round 1- Robinson Cano (2B)
Round 2- Prince Fielder (1B)
Round 3- Felix Hernandez (SP)
Round 4- David Price (SP)
Round 5- Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)
Round 6- Aramis Ramirez (3B)
Round 7- Ichiro Suzuki (OF)
Round 8- Madison Bumgarner (SP)
Round 9- Jose Valverde (RP)
Round 10- Alex Avila (C)
Round 11- Cameron Maybin (OF)
Round 12- Corey Hart (OF)
Round 13- Ubaldo Jimenez (SP)
Round 14- Mark Trumbo (1B,OF)
Round 15- Carlos Marmol (RP)
Round 16- Billy Butler (1B)
Round 17- Russell Martin (C)
Round 18- Hiroki Kuroda (SP)
Round 19- Jemile Weeks (2B)
Round 20- Austin Jackson (OF)
Round 21- Scott Downs (RP)
Round 22- Alexi Ogando (SP)

   I'm happy with my draft considering I had to pick 10th. I had to break my own rule and draft a New York Yankee, but hey, I play to win baby! This lineup should hit a lot of home runs, and my starting pitching is better than last year. I guess we'll see!

Some Poker Survival Tips

 Perhaps one of the most difficult things a poker player has to endure is the inevitable downswing his/her bankroll will take. This will take its toll not only financially, but psychologically as well. How well you manage your bankroll and your emotions will define your success as a professional. Here are a couple of tips that have helped me immensely.

1. When you're not running well, don't play as much. It's impossible for a poker junkie not to play when they want to play, so the next best thing is to play less. Playing well below your maximum limit can help too.

2. Set your limits accordingly, and stick to them. 20 buy-ins for cash games, 30 for Sit and Gos, and 50 for Multi-table tournaments are the levels I have set for myself. That means I need $4000 MINIMUM to put $200 on a cash game, $6000 for a $200 Sit and Go, and $10,000 for a $200 tournament. If I don't have it, I don't play it.

3. Don't play hungry, tired, sick, broke, distracted, drunk, angry or desperate. If you do, you will almost always lose.

4. Learn how to play other poker games besides hold 'em, such as Omaha, stud, and 2-7 just to name a few. Also, learn the different variations (hi/lo, limit, pot-limit, etc.). Because knowledge is power!

5. If your bankroll is less than six figures, find a job if you don't already have one. I actually have three jobs at the moment. I don't have a bankroll big enough to live on, so I work. I don't like it, but it's what I have to do if I want to play AND pay my bills.

   These are just some of the things I try to do as I slowly work my way up to be a pro. Sometimes it's necessary to play above your limits when your bankroll is small, but I try not to make a habit of it. It helps if you have a residual income as well. I don't consider poker a form of gambling. I like to think of it as more of an investment. You're gambling when you play games against the "house", or when you can't afford to lose your buy-in. I tell people all the time: "I'm not a gambler, I'm a poker player."

Home Game Wrap-Up

     9 players in the game this week. We played a NLHE cash game with blinds at 0.25/0.50. I went down $40 early on when Jay Brown turned a flush against my top pair. A couple of hours later, with just 5 of us left, I picked up A-3 in the SB. I limped in and the BB checked. There were four of us in the hand and the flop came 10-9-3. It checked around and the turn came another 3 giving me trips. I bet $7 and the BB went all-in for around $45. I didn't call immediately. I was worried that my opponent (Phil Cohen) might have a full house. Phil doesn't play recklessly and he was in the BB and could have had anything. If I called and was wrong, I would have been down around $40 on the night. I came into the game up $156 overall, so after a couple of minutes thinking, I went for it. Phil turned over 6-3 and the river came an Ace. Even if he'd had a boat, I would have rivered him anyway. I ended the night up $105, most of it from that hand.

    The live bankroll now sits at $3100, while online has jumped to $145 thanks to a couple of profitable Blackjack sessions. I don't normally play Blackjack, but I hadn't been running too well in the poker games so I decided to chance it, and it paid off. Sometimes when you have a small bankroll, it's necessary to take some chances to get going. I didn't invest any money online anyway, so I felt like I was freerolling. I'll be taking a break from the Blackjack though now that I'm up a little, so it's back to the grind!

Another Week, Another Game

   This week's game drew only 6 players. Some people were out of town on vacation, so we played a $20 tourney which was won by the great Phil Cohen ($80). Yours truly finished in 2nd place ($40) once again. After the tournament we played a cash game with a three-game mix of NLHE, PLO, and 7-card stud hi. I ran hot in the PLO portion and made an $80 profit. All in all, up $100. Not a bad week considering the shortage of players. I think this Thursday we might feature a double-up tourney followed by a cash game. The double-up should be cool. It won't run as long because when you get down to 5 players it's over. Everyone that cashes gets paid the same, and it'll still be early. Plenty of time to lose back your winnings, or perhaps improve on them.

   The live poker bankroll still sits around $3000, but the online bankroll has crept above $70 as things continue to go well. Had to play out of my limits a couple times to get there (and keep it there), but I'm cashing in the right tourneys, and staying profitable in the cash games. Hopefully I can keep it up. Until then...

A Crazy Home Game And A Bankroll Update

   This week the home game drew 9 players. It was the first time we've done a cash game and it was action packed. Blinds were .25/.50. There was aggressive play by what are primarily conservative players. The theme seemed to be: play junk and win. I took a couple of brutal beats. One was when I got all-in on an A-A-8 flop with A-10. Unfortunately my opponent was holding A-8. No 10 came of course. Another good one was flopping a straight with J-10. Flop was Q-8-9. Turn was a 10 and river was a K. My opponent was holding A-J. Nice.

   When all was said and done I came out ahead $6. I was lucky enough to win a $40 pot with 2 hands left before we called it a night. The cash game was fun, but I actually prefer tournaments. Thinking that's what we'll play this week.

   While the live bankroll stays at $3000, the online bankroll has jumped to $35 thanks to my first MTT win on Lock Poker. It was a $0.30 buy-in with 209 entries. 1st place payed $14.11. Everyone keeps asking me why I don't deposit any money on there, and my answer is always the same: because I don't have to. Plus, after the whole Full Tilt debacle, I'm a little hesitant to say the least. Bodog also got shut down recently, and I can't help but wonder who's next.

   As I write this, 4am approaches (thanks to daylight savings time), and my eyes are getting heavy. Tomorrow will be my 7th day in a row of working with no end in sight. I can't turn down work in March even though it means I have to sit out my 2nd straight Berkshire Poker tournament. Guaranteed money is always better than a potential loss. The Berkshires can be a tough place to make a living in the winter and I'm happy just to be able to pay my bills this time of year.

   Well, that's it for me. I'm going to bed.

Marching Through March

   Week 4 of the home game is in the books, and the winners were Matt Sinico and the other Ben chopping $360 giving them each $180. It was a 9 person tournament. $30 1 re-buy and/or 1 add-on with 3 players paid. That now makes the third consecutive week that no one has repeated. I think this week is a cash game, and I'm lickin' my chops already. Due to my inconsistent work schedule, I had to miss last week's game.

   The online bankroll is now approaching $20. Lock Poker is the site I play on now that Full Tilt is out of existence. The real money bankroll still sits at $3000, but hopefully this week I can increase it. Not a whole lot going on this month, but at least I'm working a lot. This time last year I wasn't working at all so I'm not complaining. There is a Berkshire Poker Tournament being held this Saturday at 2pm,, but unfortunately I won't be able to play that one as work interferes once again. I'll have more next week. Until then...