what I learned in 2005

A simple list of things learned in 2005. Most are even poker related!!!

1. Never switch back and forth between Omaha and Omaha h/l online without a break. It creates too make hand selection mistakes. And never play those two games at the same time.

2. I don’t do a good job at chip accumulation in early/middle rounds. I need to work on this.

3. Most important fact that poker tracker did NOT tell me: I lose most of my big pots in the first 20 hands. Why? Don’t know, but it sure seems easy to rectify. (My theory is that I want to play and I get a hand that requires a decision. And I have to play without any good information on my table.)

4. My shorthanded Omaha play is atrocious.

5. Mrs. Columbo now plays so much poker, that *I* am the poker widow!

6. Poker has made me better at reading people

7. I am still better at game management and strategy, than I am at hand tactics.

8. You need to take family vacations, or the family falls into a rut. This is so dangerous as everyone becomes moody and no one knows why.

9. I go to the Gym and that’s good. But I need to be more regular about it. I have dropped the 10 pounds I put on years ago and did not need. Now I want to keep it off.

10. I have permanently switched to Dunhill as my cigar of choice and mojitos as my drink or choice.

11. Razz is a great way to learn stud, but players with a photographic memory have such an advantage in stud, I find it’s hard to get past that mental barrier for me.

12. I will never miss another blogger event, nor will I leave early. (more of a resolution)

13. I tend to play my good hands to fast, and my poor hands too slow. But in life, I don’t do this. When I have a play to make, such as maneuvering for a position or promotion, I move with surgical precision. I think it’s a matter of time elapsing. I have more time to plan the moves. So, I need to slow down and think during hands instead of after the hand is over.

14. The Lions will have a new Head Coach next year, and I will once again embrace him with hope and optimism. Despite its lack of justification.

15. I still think $30k is too much for a kitchen. What are cabinets made of anyways?

16. 2004 poker net winnings: $142.00. 2005 poker net winnings: $866.00 This may not seem like a lot to some of you high rollers, but considering I never play an event over $65 live, or over $20 online, I am happy with the improvement. If the IRS is reading this, the $866 is, of course, hypothetical. Note: NONE of the winnings were online.

17. Management books are fun, but experience and the act of leading is the key. Leadership creates situations where other things fall into place. This does not translate well to poker, as you can never delegate decisions, only deal at a strategic level, or work in teams. I am a very good manager at this stage in my career and this is my second stint as a VP. I have really increased my abilities to manage globally distributed groups and have gotten back into operations management, which I am also excelling at. Now, if I only had a job where I also had equity…

18. My kids have no interest in poker. They are kids. I have to remember that.

19. Like with software 20 years ago, people will continue to fight DRM (digital rights management) until the price drops low enough. Then no one will care and no one will need DRM. Movies will need to be available to high end home theaters. But it is now so expensive to make movies, that a US company can not delivery this innovation. So, expect it to come from somewhere else first.

20. I learned this about global politics from my brother. There is a ton of rhetoric in the world about policy and the like, but when you increase the standard of living for a general populous, how can that possible be as bad as everyone says? (and when you don’t…)