Matt's Blog

I've been wanting to write about poker, specifically Texas holdem', for a while, but wasn't sure what to say. There are a number of poker blogs and discussion boards where one can get better information than I'm sure I can offer. But it's something that I'm interested in. That's actually a bit of an understatement. I pretty much love it. If I have a vice, poker would be it. Not because I lose money playing, because I don't. But because it is very easy for me to spend too much time playing. I have made arrangements with myself not to play when the kids are here and awake, to spend time with them instead. (Although I have sort of been giving Maly lessons. She's to the point where she can recognize good and bad starting hands. If she continues to learn and be interested, I predict a WSOP final table appearance for her.) I try not to play too much when my wife is here and awake either for the same reason. But when the house is empty, or everyone's asleep, it's time to shuffle up and deal, baby!

Lately I've been bonus chasing at Ulitmatebet. Most poker sites will offer deposit bonuses of 20-50%. So if you deposit $100, they will give you another $25, with the agreement that you play a certain number of hands at the site. So that's what I've been doing, and it's been going pretty well. Last night I did have as bad a night as I've had in a long time and dropped $35 pretty quickly. But my bankroll is at about $550 and I'll probably report winnings this year of about a grand. So while I have no future plans of becoming pro, or even semi-pro, it is a fun hobby that makes me a few dollars and gives me some practice in self controll.

In the future I'll write about my poker experiences in more detail. My wife will probably be about as interested in these entries as she is in my brewing journals. Of course the rest of the world will be waiting in eager anticipation.

(name changed to cut down on comment spam)