Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:12 am GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
I know everyone else does it, so I might as well also.
Let's see, first we'll talk about how I got into Poker in the first place. I learned to play 5-card draw along with 5- and 7-Card Stud when I was about 10 years old, but never really played seriously. Then, the summer I graduated high school (2003), I saw the World Series of Poker on ESPN. I never even knew there was such a thing, but I was very interested. I started watching Poker on TV trying to figure out the logistics of Hold'em. A few friends started getting interested in Poker, too, so I figured it was time to start a home game so we could all have some real excitement. I ordered a chip set and started hosting $10 buy-in tournies once a week, which became a real hit. I learned very quickly that the other players weren't very good. I probably won the tournament at least once every third week, and was cashing well over half the time. It was small money, but still nice for a college student--but what I really enjoyed was the competition. Before long, a friend brought up the prospect of going to play Limit Hold'em at a casino--I had about $160 set aside from my winnings, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was scared to death when I sat down, because I figured the bets would be raised, re-raised on every street and everyone would just bully me. Then I realized that this wasn't the case. I won $100 my first night there, and that was it for me. I knew that Poker would become more than just a fun excursion--it could be a way to make money.
I won my next 12 straight trips to the casino, racking up a bankroll of $1000 or so very quickly before I hit my first rough patch. I also started playing online Poker a lot more and learning some of the other games. I bought Poker books. I watched every piece of Poker on TV I absolutely could. In short, I educated myself on the game. I steadily went up and down for the next few months, improving my game gradually. Then came the robbery...
My apartment was robbed last year, and I had over $1500 in cash in my drawer from my bankroll, and the thieves made off with that, my computer, and my TV. It took the rest of my roll to recover. Slowly, I started playing micro stakes online again, but I was frustrated playing so far below where I'd been used to playing. It took a big score at a local tournament to boost my roll back up to a comfortable level. From there, I started going crazy--playing way above my limits. I got cocky, to say the least. I played Poker 35+ hours/week, sometimes to the detriment of my school work and my newfound relationship with a great girl. I honestly believed that I was on the path to winning a WSOP bracelet by the time I turned 22--how naive I was.
It took a four-month losing streak to wake me up. It was horrible. I was losing money left and right, and yet I was still convinced that I could make it big. "If I could just make it into a major tournament," I thought. Then came the fateful weekend where I demolished my bankroll trying to roll myself into the Bay 101 event. I realized that I needed to change my ways, or I was going to go broke, and probably lose my girlfriend, too. I put Poker to the wayside for awhile and concentrated on school and my girlfriend--I improved things with her, and brought my GPA back up to a 4.0 last quarter.
This almost brings us up to present, where another big score changed things for me again. I won $300 in a Heads-Up Elimination tournament, and turned it into $1200 in one day at Party by getting extremely lucky at the right times. From there, it's been one good break after another, in live cash games and online--I've rolled myself up past $3600, the highest I've ever been. But, I have vowed not to go crazy with the stakes I play, and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop; I know I could have another big losing streak at any time, and I want the roll to cover it. I don't want to go broke again. I think I'm playing as good as I ever have, but I think it's because I've prioritized. There's more to life than Poker, and when everything else in life is lined up, then Poker starts going right for you. I'm putting off the quest for glory in the big tournaments until I finish college, but I still want to get there. For now, though, my priorities are school and my wonderful girlfriend, without whom I wouldn't be where I am.
I feel very lucky to have gotten where I am, and my only goal in Poker is to play as well as I can whenever I can. If I do that, I figure the winnings and the yearning for WSOP glory will take care of itself.
Cheers and good luck to everyone!
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Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:27 am GMT by kainARGH
| Quote: | | It took a four-month losing streak to wake me up |
ugh , i hate reading about these streeks. I'm going on with a 15 day sh*t streek , And would hate to imagine it going on for months.
Congrats though on keeping with it , getting your priorities str8 , and building back to a healthy roll!
Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:19 am GMT by tame_deuces
Good read and good luck further on (never hurts). Your posts and advice on here are always good and analytical, so keep them coming. 
Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:45 am GMT by UrAteUp
Good read Diamond. Never knew you were that young. Keep up the good play and next year I will be either playing with you in the WSOP ME or I will be watching you there.... .
Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:40 pm GMT by BeerWench13
What a great rags to riches to rags to riches story. An excellent read, Diamond. It's good to see that you've got you priorities in line. Congrats on your 1000th post also. Keep them coming. You actually know what you're talking about.
One little piece of advice about the girlfriend. Don't forget to tell her what you told us about how you feel about her. An appreciated woman will stay with you through thick and thin.
| Quote: | | Never knew you were that young. Keep up the good play and next year I will be either playing with you in the WSOP ME or I will be watching you there |
I didn't know you were such a yungun either. I hope to see you win the big on some day. I won't be playing with you as I never want to be on television, but I'd be happy to see you from the comfort of my living room.
Posted Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:23 pm GMT by wEbMaStEr
Keeping it real 
wsop will still be there after college. and being in a stable mindset helps your game.
good luck
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