Poker Update and Red Spade Open

Poker has been pretty brutal the last couple of weeks. In a repetition of a classic pattern, I was up a decent amount of money since my relocation to Canada, then withdrew some money to pay expenses and debts and buy a laptop. Then, during the last couple weeks in Mexico, I went on an ugly downswing, and now my bankroll is hurting again.

Due to a wedding and other obligations back in the States, I didn't even have the chance to put in as many days this month as I would have liked, yet I still managed to lose a lot. The difficulties of maintaining a  semblance of a life back in the USA and also getting in the work I need to do in front of my computer in Mexico is a subject for my next blog.

The only significant upwards spike in the below graph of the past few weeks is a satellite win for a seat in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, an annual live event that takes place January of every year and is basically a fabulous way to start the year as a poker player. Winning the seat was great in terms of morale and also securing the expensive tournament package, but that win is not cash, and the ~$16K uptick is locked up in tournament equity and a hefty hotel allocation. So, the graph below represents the results of a pretty violent downswing. When I come back from my Thanksgiving break, I will likely step down in stakes or seek out backing options, neither of which I am too excited to do.

November 2011

Still, I am up "for the trip" overall (below is my post-relocation graph), and I am aware that the reason I find myself in precarious financial situations is the result years of bad bankroll management and the compounding effects of living underwater financially. It's just a reminder of how far I have to go to set straight the mistakes of my poker career and correct my inherent personality flaws, like my poor money management. 

Graph since my September relocation

***

I'm also aware of how lucky I am to still be in the game, especially playing under the banner of PokerStars Team Online. My association with Stars was the clear deciding factor that made relocating worthwhile, and I am not quick to forget that.

It was really frustrating to sit on the sidelines when Stars unveiled its Red Spade Open back in July, when I couldn't play online poker, so it's a tangible reminder of how lucky I am overall that I did get myself set up in time to play the second one, tomorrow at 12:00 PST.

Stars manages to draw impressive crowds when they create these MTT promos, and I anticipate that well over 20,000 players will participate, and the $1M guarantee (with $200K being paid to first on a $55 entry fee) will easily be surpassed. As per the theme of the event, there will also be a $100 bounty for knocking out any member of Stars Team Pro and Team Online (I love making that distinction whenever someone mocks me in chat for being a "pro" after I make a bad play).

Hopefully I can have a big day before I head back to the States again for Thanksgiving, and that will allow me to erase the sting of the past couple weeks. If not, I hope you get my $100 bounty.