Focused and Ready

Now that I've thrown down the gauntlet, I guess it's time for me to outline my plan for turning things around in this blog and at the tables.

First off, when it comes to the blog, I'm going to do a few things differently.

1. I'm going to do my very best to leave the baby talk at home. My son is cute, he's great, and I love him dearly. That being said, I'm pretty sure that's all you need to know about him. Telling you that my son crapped out a ball of what can only be described as chocolate spinach-feta cream cheese last night does very little to help your poker game or your appreciation of my mad poker skillz.


2. I'll no longer be posting updates regarding my site stats. I may post the occasional funny keyword searches that hit my site, but I'll leave it at that. Honestly, could any of us care any less about the number of hits I get?


3. I'll keep posting somewhat-relevant pictures with each post. All the cool kids seem to be doing it, and I like the extra splash of colour it gives the site.


4. I'm going to stop keeping track of my bankroll numbers. However, I'll keep posting a career earnings number because I've got a rather large ego that needs stroking from time to time.


5. I'm going to maintain a posting frequency of at least 3 days a week. You may not always get poker content, but I'll try to stick with themes surrounding gambling and other degenerate activities. I can't guarantee that you won't get the occasional Xbox 360 update: I'm a nerd and there's very little to be done about that.

On the poker front, here are some changes I'll be making:

1. Most importantly, NL cash games will be re-introduced into my "curriculum" of online shenanigans. As of last night, I'm forced to concur with others that limit hold'em has really taken a beating since Frist ruined our fun. If I want to play against the worst players out there, it will have to be in the no-limit hold'em arena.


2. If I do play any limit hold'em, I'm going to force myself to play no lower than 3/6. That means that certain bonuses, such as the Will Hill monthly bonus, will no longer be available to me since the Cryptologic network doesn't seem to enough traffic to support games above 1/2. I know I made a similar promise months ago, but I have found myself jumping into a number rocky and craptacular 1/2 games in order to clear silly little bonuses: no more!


3. I'm going to continue hitting up as many blackjack bonuses as possible for the next little while. When it's 2 o'clock in the morning and a little someone doesn't want to sleep, blackjack can be a good friend. InterCasino and Will Hill are my most recently visited online casinos (and they're both great!).


4. I am going to force myself to play at least one MTT each and every week. I'll start out at the $10 buy-in tournaments and work my way up from there. I will, however, make an exception for CC's Thursday Bash on PokerStars on Thursday November 9. Although I've never played a tournament with that big a buy-in before, I feel that I owe many bloggers out there the chance to pocket some of my bankroll. That being said, my showing up will depend largely on how my wife and son are feeling that night! As I mentioned to CC earlier this afternoon, I may be forced to start pushing in level 1 if my son wants to spend some time screaming in my ear.


5. I'm going to really start focusing on my BB/100 numbers. For my 3/6 limit game, I'm looking for numbers in the 1.5 - 2.5 BB/100 range over 10K hands. For my NL cash games, I'll be looking for numbers in the 6 - 10 PTBB/100 range over 10K hands.


6. I'll start out playing the $50 NL full ring games on Stars, InterPoker or Full Tilt. Although I'm looking for consistent results (as outlined just above), I'm going to try and force myself up to the $100 NL full ring tables ASAP. In order to do so, I'm going to really work on my game. I'll most likely use the 2+2 Forums, Mr. Vercetti, Phil Gordon and Sklansky as my guides through the soul-crushing world of NLHE.

So I've got a number of things to do and work on for the next while. I'll start by updating the blog this weekend. If you have a blog that you'd like listed on my site, let me know via e-mail or comment (and if you've asked before, please do so one last time and I'll really make it happen this time). I'll check out your site and if everything looks on the up and up, I'll add you to my blogroll.

Lastly, if you want to have your blog super-pimped, sign up with one of the sites at Rake The Rake and let 'em know Klopzi sent you (account number RTR03302) when you're signing up with a site.

Alternatively, why not sign up directly with one my affiliates? If you're an international poker player, all the sites listed at the right are ready and willing to take your action. And if you're a U.S. player, why not sign up at Doyle's Room, PokerStars, Full Tilt, or Ultimate Bet? These are all great sites and they love you crazy U.S. bastards!

Have a great weekend everyone! I will most definitely see you at the tables!