Somewhere A Clock is Ticking...

...but not in Las Vegas. I lose all track of time when I'm there and for a week or so after I'm back...but finally I have enough energy and time to write about my trip to Las Vegas. It was awesome, but exhausting…which is too be expected I guess. I probably played between 40 to 50 hours of poker while I was there, and I ended up winning about $250. I was up $400 going into the last day, but I lost $150 because I was HUNG OVER. But the night before was definitely worth it.

I got a chance to do some things I didn’t get to do last time, like go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas, and head over to the Hard Rock Café, and to the Palms. I got some pretty sweet pictures of the Bellagio Fountains atop the Eiffel Tower.

The only 2 nights I really went out were the first night and the last night. I was usually too tired from playing poker all day (and sometimes all night) to really go out too much. The first night, we went to over to the New York New York hotel and went to Coyote Ugly. It’s a pretty cool place, but it gets pretty old after about an hour or so. The last night was the best night of the trip for me. A few of my family friends that I’ve known since I can remember were staying at the same hotel as us, so I got the chance to hang out with them. I have a huge amount of respect for the whole family, and a good time always seems to follow them. Well this night was no different, as we pretty much roamed our hotel and got HAMMERED. This night made the whole trip worth it…it was just good to hang out with them, because I don’t get a chance to that often, and we’ve kinda lost touch a little. But Courtnie and I said we were gonna start hanging out, so maybe we’ll keep touch better this time…I sure hope so.

Well, a fun night on Thursday leads too a LOOOOONG day on Friday. We had to check out at 11 a.m., but our flight didn’t leave until midnight, so I was stuck being hung over in the Sports Book all day. It was pretty miserable, but hey, you only live once, so sometimes you gotta suck it up. We ended up getting back to Marion about 12:30 on Saturday, so I slept the rest of the day. I was still exhausted on Christmas, but it was good to see some of the family.

That’s about all I’ve got…Two of my best friends, Kyle and Robin, are getting married on New Year’s Eve, so that should be fun…Good Luck you two, I love ya both.

Well, Happy New Year…and GO BUCKS!

"Losing your way on a journey is unfortunate, but losing your reason for the journey is a fate more cruel"

You Have to Go There to Come Back

T-minus 2 days until Vegas!!! I can't wait, but I'm already dreading coming back and going to work...that's gonna suck. I haven't posted lately because I don't really have anything going on. It's pretty much been me waiting for Vegas. I have been watching a new show called "One Tree Hill", and I'm hooked. I've watched the first two seasons on DVD, and I'm trying to catch up on the third season...you should check it out.

That's all I've got...I'm sure there will be a LONG post when I get back from Vegas...til then, Merry Christmas!!!

"Sometimes, you have to step out of the person you are, and start being the person you're supposed to be."

Winning is Sweet!

This weekend worked out pretty darn well for me. There was a series of 5 poker tournaments at the VFW here in Marion, and I played in all of them. There were 2 Hold 'Em tournaments at $30 apiece, a 7 card stud and Omaha at $30 apiece, and another Hold 'Em Main Event at $55.

The weekend started off horribly...I was the first one out in the first tournament, and I didn't cash in the second. The 3rd one was 7 card stud, and I managed to come in 2nd in that one making $143. I didn't cash in the 4th event, so all I had left was the Main Event to make something happen.

Believe it or not, I ended up winning the Main Event. That was good for $629. There also was a points system to determine the Player of the Series. $5 from every persons entry from every tournament went into the pool, and 1st place in the points got 70%, and 2nd got 30%. So with my Main Event victory, I was able to vault into 2nd place and take home $180 for that. So on the weekend I brought home $953 ($778 in profit). Not too bad considering the way the weekend started!

I ended up losing $82 tonight playing $2-$4 on Full Tilt. I played pretty bad, and had a couple of sets cracked, so that's never any fun...but my bankroll is at $2,200, so I can't really complain. I have to start playing better though, so I can keep increasing it.

I don't really have much else right now...16 days til Vegas!!!!

" Success is only a word, but achieving it is a lifestyle."

Foxwoods and The World Poker Conference

Well last Friday Pounds and I left at about 6 p.m. for Connecticut. The reason we were going there was for the World Poker Players Conference. We figured it’d be a good chance to learn from some of the pros there and we’d even get to play a little poker in the casino.

After a pretty uneventful trip, we arrived at the casino at about 4:30 a.m (with no sleep, I might add). After we got around and got a seat in the poker room, we started playing at about 5 a.m. The only game we could really get a seat is was the $4-$8 game. This place is absolutely huge!!! There are 100 tables in the room, and we had to wait for a seat at 5 in the morning!

Well, anyways, back to the poker. We ended up playing to about 8:15 a.m, and then headed for the conference. I ended up winning $77, and Pounds lost like $150. I only won a few hands, but I’ll go over a couple of them.

The first hand I won was when I had pocket Queens, and they held up. This game was very loose, and I had a couple of people call me down to the river. The J of spades hit the river and paired the board, so I checked, fearing that I was drawn out on, but the 2 pair held up and I had won my first pot of the night.

The next hand I won was a monster. I limped in with KQo in middle position, and 7 people saw a flop of 10 J A rainbow. Yes, I flopped the nuts with 7 people in the pot. I bet, and got called by 5 people…at this time, as happy as I was to have flopped the nuts, I was a little worried that maybe someone had two pair or something. Well, the turn brought the 8 of spades, which put 2 spades on the board. I bet out, and got called by 3 people. The river brought the J of clubs, and this obviously scared me, as I was worried someone hit their full house. Well someone bet into me, but there was no way I could fold, so I called. I had considered raising, but this was pretty early in the session and I didn’t know what the player betting into me was capable of, so I just called as did one other player. Well it turns out that the guy that bet into me had AQ, good for 2 pair, and I’m not sure what the other player had as they didn’t show. But my flopped Broadway was good enough for a monster pot, probably close to $100.

Those were really the only 2 hands of note…I won 2 more I think, but nothing exciting. The breakfast for the conference started at 9, so we headed up to the room and ate, and waited for the conference. At this time I had been up for about 27 hours straight and I was feeling pretty horrible. Well, the conference went off without a hitch, and at 6, after 36 hours without sleep, we were finished. We got to meet some cool pros, and get some pictures and such. My favorite pro was Mark Gregorich. He was incredibly knowledgeable and very down to Earth…he even told us to look him up when we’re in Vegas in December…pretty cool guy if you ask me. The conference did help me find a renewed passion for poker, and I left there truly believing that I will achieve my goal of playing poker for a living someday.
Well, we drove for about 2 hours and called it a night…Laying in that bed after all that time without sleep was the best feeling ever! The next morning we woke up and drove the rest of the way home.

On Monday and Tuesday, I proceeded to lose about $180 online…I was playing horrible and running worse. I couldn’t do anything right and was pretty much just bleeding chips the whole time. I played 10 straight 6 person $10 +$1 sit n go’s without cashing…I think that’s the worst streak I’ve ever endured. Luckily, I have a pretty good drive, so I didn’t give up.

So after those 2 autricious days, I managed to book a $42 win last night. Nothing big by any means, but enough to get off the schnide and get headed back in the right direction. I started playing much better and making much better decisions.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got for now, so I guess I’m out…Later!

" Never let your opponent play you, you play them...Look them right in the eye and let them know that they're defeated."

Poker, Friends, and Lots of Beer

This weekend went WAY too fast! On Friday night a few of my friends and I went to go see the movie JARHEAD. It was damn good, and I got to watch it with 2 of my friends who are in the Army. They enjoyed it as well, and said it seemed to stay true to the Army form. Jake Gyllenhall and Jamie Foxx did an excellent job.

On Saturday I played in a poker tournament at the VFW. In 5 hours, I saw one pocket pair...6's. I didn't get any cards, but despite that, I finished 4th...too bad only the top 3 paid! So after that we went to Columbus because it was my friend P.J.'s last night before he had to go back to Iraq.

We went to Adobe Gilas, and even though that place kinda sucks, we had a blast! My friends and I always have a blast, but even though we were kinda sad that P.J. was leaving, we made the most of it. He should be home for good in like 2 months, so hopefully everything goes ok and he gets home soon!

This weekend Pounds and I are driving to Connecticut for the World Poker Conference. It should be a good learning opportunity, as well as an excellent opportunity to hear the pros speak. It's a 10 hour drive though, so I'm not going to get much sleep this weekend!

That's all for today, hopefully all is well in your world!

" The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of all of your past failures and heartaches."

Death Sucks

On Wednesday morning, my uncle who has been sick with cancer passed away. He was only 27 years old, so that's scary in itself, but this weekend was filled with all the rituals that follow someone's passing. I haven't ever lost someone who has been really close to me, so I'm sure that if that happened I would be an emotional mess, but excluding that, I usually don't get too emotional at funerals. I really didn't think that I would with this one, because in all honesty, it was the best thing that could have happened. He was in a tremendous amount of pain the past couple months, so he's better off now. I wasn't too emotional until I saw my mom and my grandma crying...then it started to get to me. I mean they were a wreck, so it made me emotional to see them like that. Friday night, after the calling hours, I came home and was watching this show about troops that just returned home. They were granting 3 wishes to a couple of the families, and provided them with new homes...it was actually a really cool concept. I think it was everything that has been going on, but I just lost it...I was a crying fool. I'm glad no one was home! It felt good to let some emotion out. I probably haven't cried in 2 or 3 years, but I think it's necessary every once in awhile...needless to say I'm glad all that stuff is over with.

Last night we played some poker at the VFW. We were playing a one table tournament...and I was probably chip leader with about 6 people left. The hand that busted me was some BS. I looked down to see two Kings looking back at me on the button. It was folded to me and I raised all in, hoping my overbet would look like a steal and I would get a call. Well the small blind called with A 10, and someone else had said they folded and Ace. The flop was nothing, but sure enough, one of the 2 remaining Aces spiked the turn and that was all she wrote for me. It really sucks when you can't fade a draw with 2 outs! After that we went to some guy's house I didn't know and played a cash game until like 4 in the morning. I bought in with $40, and cashed out with $39...so I lost $1. They were some crazy mofo's there...actually they were really, really bad. But I couldn't pick up a hand to get myself into a pot with some of those guys to take their cash. So, I played super tight and waited, and waited...and waited. Finally I picked up Aces, and got into a big pot...but I picked it up on the flop. So I guess $1 loss is ok in that game...I easily could have lost all $40.

One of my friends on Myspace posted the following, and after reading it, I feel much better about myself. It's been awhile since I've dated anyone, but when I am in a relationship, I think I do most of these things. So, I've decided to stop worrying about if I'll find someone or not...I'm a good guy, and if a girl doesn't realize that, then it's their loss. I mean I don't cheat, lie, or treat them bad...in fact the opposite is true. I feel that I'm a VERY loyal person...in fact I pride myself on that. And when I'm with someone I treat that like an absolute princess. So, whoever the lucky girl is that decides to take a chance on me will be reap the benefits.

1.Get kissed in the rain
2. Have that one hott kiss where your pressed against the wall
3. Have a guy that thinks you're the world
4. Have a guy that holds on as long as possible when giving hugs
5. A boy that whispers he loves you in your ear
6. Have that moment where you just gaze into eachother's eyes
7. When you cry, he kisses your tears away.
8. When you're not with your guy he's all that you can think about
9. Wearing his jacket and everytime you breath in, his scent surrounds you
10. A guy who will watch any movie with you, no matter how teary eyed you may get.
11. A guy who squeezes your hand
12. A boy that says he loves you and means it
13. A guy that will play her favorite song outside her window
14. A guy who is loyal
15. A guy that will sing to you no matter how bad he is at it.
16. A guy that will kiss you on the forehead.
17. A guy that will call you beautiful or adorable...not hot, fine, or sexy
18. A guy that will never judge you for how you look.
19. A boy that says cheezy stuff to you just to make u smile
20. A boy that is the same when he is with you and when with friends
21. A boy that tells you everything honestly
22. A boy that is good with your family and introduces you to his family
23. A guy that will always let you win
24. A guy who stands up for you no matter who it is against
25. A guy who calls you at night just to say 'hi' and see how your day has been
26. A boy who tells you that your smile makes his day and makes everything better
27. A boy who will sit on the phone with you when you're sad, even if you're quiet
28. A boy who you can hangout and have fun with
29. A boy that will just randonmly call you for no reason at all, just because he missed you
30. A guy who will hold your hand through the roughest parts of life.
31. A guy who would love you forever no matter the circumstance.
32. A guy who wouldn't mind you wanting to get all dressed up and do your make up for him. Even if he says he likes you better without make up.
33. A guy who you can be yourself with and he will never give a care and would still tell you that you are amazing to him.
34. A guy who runs his fingers through your hair, like he's washing your worries/troubles away.
35. A guy who tells you you make his day better, just for being you


That's pretty much all I've got for today, so live every day to it's fullest!!

R.I.P. Scott Adam Wyatt
1/29/1978-10/26/2005

" It is faith in one's self, when all else is stripped from us, that defines who we are and what we are truly capable of."

What's This All About?

I’m not sure if I’ve ever posted 2 days in a row, but I’ve got nothing better to do, so I figured “why not”?

Today is Tuesday and this week is going to be very long, I can tell already. The weather is really cold and rainy, so that makes the days even longer and more depressing. I plan on playing some poker tonight…I have to get back in the grove of things. I used to want to play all the time, and I would play for hours at a time. Now though, getting up at 6:15 for work and not getting home until 5 or so makes for a long day, so it’s hard to get enough energy to play after that long of a day. I need to stop making excuses and play…I’m never going to get to where I want to be if I don’t play.

I need to stop complaining anyways. My uncle is probably going to die any day from cancer and he’s only 28. So I should stop taking each day for granted. I get to live my life, and he’s lying in bed waiting to die…so I guess things are never as bad as they seem. I need to come up with a plan though that will get me where I want to be…but first I have to figure out where that is!

My friend Eric has been back from Louisiana for about a week now…I’m pretty excited about that. Besides Cheryl, we’re pretty much the only two single people in our group of friends, so we end up hanging out a lot. We’re both really into poker too, so we talk about that a lot. It sucked when he was gone because I didn’t have anything else to do besides hanging out with myself. It’s nice too, because I can talk about poker hands with him and get his input, which helps me become a better player.

I think that’s all for now, who knows when you’ll hear from me…(Not that it matters because I think this whole blog has only been read by about 3 people ever, so I could not post for a year and no one would notice) but I’ll probably post again sometime next week.

As Mike Sexton always says, “May all your cards be live, and your pots be monsters!”

"Remember that life's most treasured moments often come unannounced."

MGM It Is!!

After much debate, we decided we are staying at the MGM Grand in Vegas. We leave on December 18th and get back on Christmas Eve at 10:30 a.m. It is going to be myself, Pounds, Cheryl, Astrid (our foreign exchange student from High School) and Cheryl's friend Katie. I'm going to play so much poker I probably won't be able to see straight.

I've played quite a bit of poker in the past week. On Wednesday night, we played for 2 hours and I lost $40. I can honestly say I haven't played that bad in a long time. We played again Friday night for about 6 hours and I won $35. Then on Saturday night we played a 7 card stud tournament. I got heads up with Pounds with a huge chip lead...but I then proceeded to absolutely blow it and came in second...I won $25. Pounds is a good player, but although we're pretty close friends, he's my arch nemesis in poker. I have a horrible time against him, and it's very hard to beat him...but I like playing against him because it makes me better.

My friend P.J. is home from Iraq, so we're probably gonna chill with him this weekend. It should be a good time...it always is with him.

Well, I've got nothing else right now...I'll make sure to post if I come up with something!

" It is faith in one's self, when all else is stripped from us, that defines who we are and what we are truly capable of."

Where Am I Going?

This week I've been pretty depressed. I'm not sure why, but I know the gloomy weather around here has something to do with it. I'm also in a spot in my life where I need to figure out where my life is going, and where I want it to go. I want to be successful with my life, but I seem lost. All my friends seem to have directions...Beth is in the army and is going to Iraq, Randi is almost done with school to be an occupational therapist, Cheryl and Keith are going to be teachers. And I have a crappy job at an insurance company...I gotta do something.

I got this e-mail from a friend at work, and it pretty much describes what I'm feeling exactly:


Being Twenty-Something, they call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One-night-stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender! What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion... "I bend but I do not break."

Well, hopefully I'll start to feel better soon, and figure some things out. If you have any ideas, e-mail me at shawnjustice@gmail.com. I'm taking all ideas! Peace out.

" Keep your spirits up, don't allow yourself to be depressed, and never for one moment doubt that matters will finish better and more quickly than you imagine."

What A Weekend!

Wow...I haven't had this much fun in a weekend in awhile. On Friday night, one of my friends from high school was in town. Beth is going to Iraq in November, so we all got together to hang out with her and have a good time. A foreign exchange student that was at our school from Germany was also in town, and her name is Astrid. We went to eat dinner, and then made our way to a few bars in the big town of Marion...I had a blast. It was great to see Beth again! Her and Randi, another friend of mine, I don't get to see too much, so it's always a pleasure when we get to hang out. The funny thing is though, I could go months or years without seeing them, but we pick up right where we left off when we do see each other. No awkwardness or anything...guess that means that they're real friends.

Saturday we went to Columbus to watch the Buckeyes game at another friends...this night was OOC...out of control. There were about 20 of us there, and we're all pretty good friends, so it was a great time. The Buckeyes didn't exactly cooperate though, and they lost 17-10. I drove about 4 other people down there, but I was passed out after the game! When I woke up, everyone was gone except Beth and I, and it was like 2 a.m. We pretty much chilled and talked, and I think we ended up falling asleep at like 3:30.

Hanging out with all my friends this weekend made me realize that I'm so lucky to have the friends and the family that I do...I wouldn't trade them for the world. I felt some weird connection with Beth this weekend, and I really wish she wasn't going to Iraq. Not necessarily a romantic connection, but like a strong friendship...it was strange and I don't know how to describe it. I'm kinda worried about her going over to Iraq, but she's excited about it. I'm sure she knows what she's doing, so Good Luck Beth! I hope we stay in touch!

Well that's all for now, hopefully I'll get some pictures from the other night and I'll post them on my next entry.

Justice...out!

" My will shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me, or I can be lost in a maze. My choice, my responsibility, win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny."

I'm Starting to Get Some Confidence

Well, last Saturday I played in a tournament with 15 other people at a friend's house. It was a $50 buy in and we started with 10,000 in chips and blinds of 25-50. My strategy going in was to play small pots, and try not to get involved in any big pots. I really felt that I was the best player, and it would be stupid for me to play big pots with players that I could outplay for small pots. The strategy worked out pretty well and I had about 12,000 when the antes kicked in in the 4th level.

I lost a couple of pots, and when we got down to 1 table I only had about 7,000. I had to move in a few times, but never got called, so I was sitting with about 11,000 or so until we got down to 5. Only 4 people got paid, so we were at 5 for quite awhile because nobody wanted to go out on the bubble.

Once we got down to 4, I really opened up my game and started to steal a bunch of pots. We all agreed prior to the tournament starting that everyone would have a $5 bounty on their head. So if you knocked someone out, they had to pay you $5. Well, I hadn't knocked anyone out when there was 4 people left, but I was able to knock out the remaining 3 players and win the tournament. First paid $375, plus the $15 extra for bounties, so it was a profit of $340...not too bad for a days work.

I've been doing pretty decent in online tournaments as well. I finished 21st out of 535 people in a tournament last weekend, and 6th out of 67 in a tourney this week. Neither was a huge payout, but I'm learning to play deep into tournaments and the big score is right around the corner, I can feel it.

Tomorrow or Tuesday I'll post about my weekend. Besides the Buckeyes losing, I had a blast with some old friends I havent seen in a while...Stories to come!

" There never was a winner that didn't expect to win in advance."

I'm Playing Great, but Running Bad

Not much going on lately. I've been playing great poker lately, but can't seem to fade other people's 5 card outs. Got all in with JJ against Q8o and K6o and the flop came KQx. What can I do? I managed to fold pocket kings after the flop of 9 8 2. I bet and got raised, and laid it down. I was right, because the other guy showed a set of 9's. I had a decent read on him, so I was confident my decision was right even if he didn't show his cards.

I'm playing in a tournment (and running it) on Saturday. Start with 10,000 in chips, blinds start at 25-50 and go up every 45 minutes. I'm really feeling confident about my game, and I think it's time for me to start winning like I should. I'm one of the best players in our game, and I'm ready for my results to start showing it. I'm going to stop playing big pots against inferior players, and chip away.

Well, I hope to post happy results this weekend! It should be fun regardless. I'm really ready to start taking this poker thing seriously, so I'm turning all my focus to Saturday. Hopefully no bad beats!

"Sometimes your bust and sometimes your flush, and when your up its never as good as it seems, and when your down you never think you'll be up again. But life goes on."

I'm Such a Slacker

I haven't posted in like two weeks, and there has been a lot that has happened since then. First off, the Buckeyes who were ranked #4 in the country took on the Texas Longhorns who were ranked #2. The Buckeyes pretty much dominated the game, but couldn't score in the red zone and ended up losing 25-22. It was a crazy atmosphere! This pic is one that I took on Lane Ave. before the game. Just a mass of humanity.

The day following the game I played in the largest live tournament that I've ever played. There was 135 people in the tournament, and only the top 10 spots paid. I played extremely well, and I was pretty much card dead all day. I ended up finishing 13th, just missing the money, but I was pretty happy with my performance. I played for 5 hours and only had 3 pocket pairs... 7's, and 8's twice. I had a really good shot at getting to the final table, and I was in great position to double up when I got it in with AK vs. A10, but the board paired twice and we chopped the pot. If I win that hand I feel like I'm for sure gonna cash, and have a good shot to win the first prize of $2,000.

Last Wednesday we played a cash game at a friend's house and I ended up winning like $7. Not a large amount by any means, but I felt like I played awesome. One hand of note: Guy in first position raises 4x the blind and the next guy, who is really tight calls. I look down at QQ, and decide to raise because 1. I know initial raiser has junk, and 2. I need to find out where I am with the caller who is a tight player. Well, initial raiser goes all in, and the caller calls. I now decide that I'm beat and lay the Queens down. Well initial raiser shows AJo, which was pretty much what I expected, and the caller shows KK. I made a great laydown, and I'm not so sure I could have done that 2 months ago.

I played a cash game today and lost $20. I had a couple bad breaks and I was down to about $9 when I picked up JJ, the best hand I'd seen all day, in the big blind. Small blind makes it 4x the BB, and I decided to push right there. He makes an absolutely horrific call with K10, and the first card off the deck is the King. If I win that hand I'm pretty close to even, but I lost the rest of my stack. I have the worst luck when it comes to hands like that, but I want that call every time. I'm winning that hand 75% of the time. Oh well.

The Vegas strip is calling my name! It's right at 3 months until my trip, so I'm starting to get excited. We're either gonna stay at Monte Carlo, The Mirage, or Treasure Island, and it looks like my friend Cheryl might join Pounds and I along with one of her friends from college. It should be a blast.

On another note, I've been feeling a little depressed lately because it seems like all my friends, and even people that I know that aren't really my friends are getting married. This is kind of depressing because I haven't had a relationship in like 2 years, so it doesn't look like I'll be getting married anytime soon. Not that I'm in a hurry or anything, but everyone seems to be starting their lives and families, and I seem to be stuck in neutral. I try to think that my time will come when it's supposed to, and that fate works in really weird ways, but you can only believe that stuff for so long. Guess I'll just go with the flow and see what happens.

Peace out homies!

" A person of nobility is one who can appreciate their noble
surroundings by appearing humble and gracious in the company of those who strive for nobility."

Hell on Earth

There hasn't been anything important going on in my life lately. Pretty much every night I've came home and watched the Hurricane Katrina coverage that has been going on. The hurricane hit Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi the hardest, and then devastated New Orleans when the levees broke and flooded the city. It is really like a disaster area down there, and my thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims down there.

My friend Eric and I were just down there over Memorial Day weekend. My cousin lives in Biloxi and we went to to visit with him and play some poker. I'm gonna post a few pictures that I took when we were down there, and then I'll post some of the pictures I got from the internet that were taken after the storm hit. It doesn't even look like the same placee, and it's going to take the whole Gulf Coast years to rebuild. Hopefully they'll decide to rebuild everything that was there and continue to provide jobs and income to everyone who worked there.

The Air Force base that my cousin was stationed at is 95% destroyed. His house is still standing, but a neighbor's tree fell on top of the garage and crushed it. That's actually good compared to what happened to most of the houses in Biloxi. He was smart and went to Alabama before the storm hit so he didn't have to worry about staying alive. I think he's coming back to Ohio for awhile because there isn't really anything left for him down there. I'm pretty sure he was planning on getting out of the Air Force anyways, so this pretty much just seals the deal I would think.

These are some pictures that I took of the nicest casino down there, the Beau Rivage. It's part of the MGM Mirage corporation. It was really a beautiful place, but I heard it suffered substantial damage in the storm. But it is still standing, which is more than can be said for most of the casinos.
This is a picture of the palace casino that was picked up and thrown by the storm. It is amazing what a storm with that kind of power can do...mother nature is an amazing force.

I forgot to mention that my friend Eric who went down the Biloxi with me is a member of the National Guard. He was called on Thursday night to go to Mississippi to provide support to the other troops who are contributing to the relief effort in the Gulf Coast. So good luck Eric, take care of yourself and get back so we can play some poker and gin.

The storm has also increased our gas prices because 30% of the country. Gas has gotten as high as $3.09 around here, and there have been reports of $6.00 gas in Atlanta. If that isn't price gouging, I don't know what is!

This is another picture of a building that was ripped from it's foundation and thrown by the 175 mph winds. It's amazing to see these pictures, but I couldn't imagine what it's like to see these things in person. Surreal I imagine.

Well that's pretty much all I have for now. I had some poker stuff, but it just doesn't seem all that important right now, so I'll save it for later.

" Success is knowing what you are made up of, in spite of what occurs to you. Greatness is a function of who you are and what you have. The difference between you and your place of glory is an event. Great men have dreams; great dreams rule the world. You are only a thought away from your dream and a step away from your greatness. Take a walk Sir!"

Football Season is Coming!!!

Hello all! Ohio State's first game is 8 days away, and I'm super stoked! I can't wait! I'm moving back to the parents house this weekend :-( But it will help me save alot of money for a house or the move to Vegas, whichever I decide to do. It's not so bad because I have a couple good friends who still live around my parents, so I'll get to hang out with them more. The drive to and from work is going to suck though...but I'll live. I still can't stop thinking about Vegas!

I started running this week, and I'm OOS...out of shape! The second time was easier than the first though, so it should be a little easier to swallow in a couple of weeks. It helps me with my self discipline though, which will help me with my poker.

Still absolutely no news on the girlfriend front...haven't had any news on that in well...there's never been any news on that in this blog!! I have my eye on someone, but she can't know. It doesn't really matter though because she is way out of my league. Maybe someday I'll find someone, but it's nice to do whatever I want whenever I want. I'm not sure I'd want to give that up.

My parents just got back from Vegas yesterday on the trip my sister and I bought them. I think they had a really good time, so that makes me happy.

Can't think of anything else important right now, so I'm gonna hit the sack!

"I'll take on a man from any land, in any game that he can name, and for any amount that I can count. Of course, I can count higher for some people than I can others."

My Birthday!

Well, my birthday was yesterday. The big 2-3. I'm starting to feel old. We went out Saturday night for a party at the Lodge Bar, and it was a BLAST! I was drunk by 9:30 because everyone kept buying me shots...I hate shots! Then yesterday since it was actually the day of my birthday we went out for some wings and beer. It was a very good time, and it made me realize how lucky I am to have such great friends. I may not have great looks, but I have a good personality and I'm a good person...I think that's why I have so many awesome friends. The friends that are really close to me are by far some of the best people in the world, but the friends I don't hang out with as much are really good people as well. I truly feel blessed.

This past Saturday I played a co-ed softball tournament with some people at work. It was pretty fun, but we got absolutely SMACKED. We got beat by a combined score of 59-7 in 2 games...how embarrassing! Oh well, I guess it could have been alot worse. Come to think of it, I'm not sure it could have been ANY worse. LOL!
Lately I've been feeling like I have no direction in my life. It seems like my whole life I've always had something to work towards, and right now I can't really think of anything in my life that fits that description. I'm severly lacking direction, and I need to get things straightened out & get some enthusiam back. I've really been sort of bummed lately, but hopefully that'll turn around. Football season is coming up soon, so that should make me feel better and provide something for me to dive into.

Nothing new really on the poker front. Haven't had too much time in the past week to play. I've been up and down, but seem to be losing in limit quite often lately. I still consider myself a beginning limit player, so that's to be expected. Just gets a little frustrating sometimes, but like the old saying goes, "That's Poker".

I don't really have much else to say right now so I'm gonna hit the sack. Til next time.

" The only things in life you ever really regret, are the chances you didn't take....to hell with the consequences!"

The Dog Days of Summer

Man, I wish I was there. It's been steamin hot here! I'm really tired of Ohio weather. It's so humid here it's almost unbearable. I can't wait til September and October when it starts to cool off.

In poker news, I got my bankroll over $1,000. That's not really a big deal, since it's been well over that many times before, but it's the first time it's been there since I cashed out a big portion of it a couple months ago. It's just a figure, but I hope I can keep playing well so it can keep rising.

I'm going back to Vegas in December, and my goal is to get the BR over $3,000. I think this is attainable, but challenging also. I would really like to be able to play $10-$20 by spring, but we'll see how things go.

Nothing exciting to report on really. This weekend we're going out for my birthday, so that should be fun. Maybe I'll meet the girl of my dreams! Psych...we know that will never happen. Oh well, girls just cost money anyway!

Until next time, keep grinding it out in the game of life.

" Dreams do not vanish so long as people do not abandon them."

It Was A Crazy Game of Poker

Last Sunday I won $200 playing $1-$2 on Bodog. There was one guy on there who was a complete maniac and lost about $240...I got most of it. I won a $91 dollar pot when I hit the nut flush on a 4 way pot that was capped on every street. I really don't know what these people were thinking.

One day last week my friends and I got bored, so we decided ot take some retarded pictures. Here are a few of them:


If you're that interested, you can check these out with the rest of my pictures with the link to the right.

Really not all that much to report, so I'll let ya go. I'm gonna post again sometime this week probably, so until then...dont' ya go dyin on me!

" The more sweat you shed during the peace time... the less blood you will shed during the war time."

What To Do, What To Do?

It seems like I'm at a crossroads in my life where I need to figure out which direction I need to go. I've seriously been thinking about moving to Vegas and getting a job in a casino. I love that city, and I really think it would fit me well. I also know it would be easier to try to make it playing poker, but I know that I still have a long way to go in that, and I'm not going to try to rush it. I mean, how could you pass this up?


On the other hand I could stay here and try to save money to buy a house. If I do that, I have to find a new job. When Ozzy Osborne wrote "Road to Nowhere", I think he was talking about my job. It is such a dead end job, and everyday I go in there I feel like such a sucker. I look at it as I'm losing money not having a better job, rather than making money. To put it in poker terms, this job has me "drawing dead". So if anyone knows of any jobs, give me a call and let me know about em'!

On the poker front things are looking about the same. Had a rough night last night and dropped $60, but got most of it back tonight. I got a sweet bonus for referring my dad to Bodog, so I'm trying to play enough hands to clear that. I also used my money to deposit for him, so I'm playing that to clear his bonus. I don't trust him to play it...he's not very good!

Well...that's all I've got. Til next time, keep dreamin!

" We know what we are, but know not what we may be."

Life's Been Pretty Boring

The reason I haven't posted in awhile is because I don't really have too much to talk about. Life has been pretty boring lately, so there has been nothing worth sharing.

I had a good weekend this weekend. Got to hang out with some friends I don't normally get to hand out with, so that was cool. We played in a softball tournament, but we got SPANKED every single game, so that sucked.

Haven't really made too much money playing poker online, but I've been slowing creeping my way back up. Hopefully I can get a big score in a tournament, but that hasn't happened yet so I'm not holding my breath.

I just finished the book "One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar". It was a great book, and made me wish that I had the natural talent for cards that he was blessed with. It also made me sad that someone with that talent couldn't defeat his personal demons, and ended up paying the ultimate price. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes poker.

That's all until next time...cheers!

" Failure is the messenger of success."

So Much For Posting More Often!

I've been so busy I can't even see straight. I've also been really tired. I think I might go to the doctor for a physical, I shouldn't be this tired. I did get a chance to read the new book "The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King". It is terriffic. I recommend checking it out if you even remotely like poker. Reading that book makes me realize how much I want to be a professional poker player and live that lifestyle...but it also made me realize how far away I am. I'm still not going to quit trying, but we'll see what happens.

Well, that's all for now. Don't really have much to say.

" No matter how hard things may seem, the diamond of your soul is harder."

I'm Baaaccckkkk!

Well, I've decided to move my blog back here. I just like the setup and the look better. I know I've said it before, but I'm going to start posting at least 4 times a week if possible. So for the probably 2 people who might read this...you'll have more to read soon!

Last week saw me lose about $200 playing online, and it was rough to take. I really think that if I wasn't as mentally strong as I am, I might start to get depressed with everything going on in my life right now. The $200 loss just added to the frustration. But what can you do...I played well for the most part until I tilted off the last $50. I'm over it.

Well now my bankroll is down to about $500. I have $135 on UB and $300 on Gamesgrid. So I decide I'll start playing the $10+$1 6-handed sit n go's on UB. It worked out pretty well as I cashed (1st or 2nd) in the first 6 I played. So I'm up to about $220 on UB. Then last night I sat at the $1-$2 dealers choice game on Gamesgrid and won about $50 in about half an hour. I key hand was in 7 card stud.

My hand started out with K J 5 all spades, with the K showing. On 4th street I caught the J of clubs...this helped, but at this point I was still looking for the spade flush. Well, on 5th street I caught another Jack, and this gave me trips, but my lone opponent continued to call my bets. He now had the A Q 5 of spades showing for his own spade flush draw. I caught a blank on 6th street, but continued to bet it, and once again I got called. Well, I caught another King on the river, giving me Jacks full of Kings. Although I didn't see it, I think the other guy made his Ace high spade flush, because when I bet he raised me. I obviously reraised, and he just called. I took down like a $30 pot in $1-$2...not too bad.

Well today has been a different story. When I quit last night I was up to about $570 total. So far today I've played 3 sit n go's (playing a 4th right now) and I haven't cashed yet, so I'm down about $33...which sucks. I'm playing solid, but cards just aren't falling. For example, last sit n go I lost. I had AK, and raised before the flop. I was reraised by the player to my left, and I called. The flop was K Q 9. I pushed all in...he called and showed 10 10. Well the river brought the Jack to give him a straight and that's all she wrote for me. Just a little rough patch, I'll fight through it.

I think I'm going back to Vegas for about a week right before Christmas. Now I know this may be a little out there, but I'd like to have my bankroll up to about 5 grand by then. I've got alot of work to do, and I've got to get alot better, but I think I can do it...we'll see I guess.

That's all for now...God Bless

" You are the world's greatest, when you say you are."

Poker Blog

Blog has moved...check it out here

http://www.jaysonweber.com/blog/Poker-Blog-shawnjustice.php

I'm gonna try this place out, and if I don't like it, I'll move it back here. Check it out!

Why?

Well, I just found out the other day that my uncle has cancer. That sucks. It makes me wonder why God does the things that he does. This uncle was in a car accident about 7 or 8 years ago and was severly burned, lost a few fingers, and still feels the affects every day...so why does he have to go through this too? It's just not fair. This makes me look at my poker experiences in a different light though...poker is just a game...not life or death.

Lately I've just been spinning my wheels in poker...not winning, not losing. There are somedays where I just want to quit, but quitting isn't in my blood. It's simply not an option. So I'll continue to try to make my way through the minefield that is low limit poker, and hopefully be able to score a tourney win soon.

Life is pretty blah right now...I have nothing to look forward to, people around me are dying, and I hate my job. It's just one of those gray stretches everyone goes through, but it sure sucks...gotta find something to pick me up. Hopefully something good will happen soon, but I'm not counting on it. I honestly feel like I couldn't be more lonely than I am right now. I need to find someone to hang out with...preferably a girl :-) We'll see what happens. Enough of this deep stuff, next post will be all about poker, and hopefully it'll be good news!

" No matter how many times you fail at something, you are never a failure until the day you quit trying."

Isn't Life Grand?

Well...Ive just been hanging out and trying to figure out the best way to build my bankroll...haven't quite figured it out yet. I tried 1-2, but that game is so hard to beat due to the chasers, I can only beat it when I'm playing my best, and that's hard to do all of the time. I need to find away to get the roll up to about $1,500 or so...that way I can play 3-6 comfortably. I'm pretty sure I can beat that game, because there are still fish, but it costs them alot more to draw, so the bad beats don't come as often. I still have a long way to go to be a good player, but I'm on my way...Hopefully I can keep improving. Well, that's all for now.

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die tomorrow."

3 Day Weekend?

This past weekend felt like it was one long day, not 3 and ½ days. I left work at 11 a.m. on Friday, because I was making a trip to Biloxi, Mississippi to see my cousin, and to play some poker down there. Before I start this long rant, I'm going to tell you about my trip to the Westerville Armory on Thursday night.

Well, I heard about this charity casino that is held at the Westerville Armory every weekend. I figured I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't check it out, so Thursday after work I went to see what it was about.

It doesn't have a casino feel at all, but it's an organized limit poker game, and you can't find too many of those not on the internet. There is a rake taken out for charity, which is what allows this game to take place. Without that, it would be illegal in Ohio. It was a good experience, and a good payday too.

I ended up making $140 in 2 hours! That's unreal for a 3-6 game. The players there are not good at all, but I did catch a few hands that allowed me to maximize my profit. Ironically, the only hand I'm going to share is one that I lost. I feel like I played it as well as possible, and hands like these make me think that I'm close to becoming a very, very good player.

Ok, a player in 1st position raises to $6, and I call in late position with AK. I thought about putting in a reraise here to see where I was at, but with 6 people in the pdidn't really didn't think it would accomplish anything. The flop comes down A Q 9, and the raiser checks. I bet $3, and the raiser check raises to $6. Now I'm thinking he either has AQ or a set of Q's or 9's. Given his apparent skill level (or lack thereof, who knows), these are all hands that he could have raised in early position with. So I call his raise with every intention of folding if I don't improve on the turn. Well...the turn comes King, which gives me top 2 pair. While this could have filled a straight draw, I'm still pegging him on AQ or a set. If he has AQ, I have him dominated, and if he has a set, I'm screwed. So I check and call it down, and he shows AA. I didn't really expect that hand, but I was very proud of myself for the fact that I was going to correctly lay down my top pair top kicker hand until I improved on the turn. I've talked to a few people, and they said there is no way I could have lost less on that hand. I was just surprised how well I read him, and that if the king doesn't come, I lose hardly anything.

Back to the trip to Biloxi. It was supposed to take 14 hours to get there, so that would have put us there at 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Well, as soon as we roll in to Kentucky, we get stuck in a traffic jam that lasts 3 HOURS! It was unbearable!

We finally get to Biloxi about 5 in the morning, and get 1 ½ hours of sleep. So Saturday my cousin gives us the tour of the town, and then we go to the casino to play some $4-$8. We sit down, and I don't win a hand for an hour and a half! I was catching cold cards, but playing with discipline. About 3 hours in, after floating around $150 for awhile, my flush loses to a full house when some RETARD fills up on the river. He was calling any bet with any 2 cards the whole day, and sucked out on me for a $150 pot. Needless to say, I was furious, and I played bad the rest of the session. I ended down $130. It sucked pretty bad.

That night we went out to dinner with my cousin and checked out a few of the casinos we hadn't been to, and then called it a night. We planned on waking up early and heading to the casino to play some more poker.

Well we got to the casino about 11:15 a.m. and sat down for some more $4-$8. I started off losing, but by the time we left at 3:30 p.m., I was up about $75. I hit a few sets, and played pretty well, so I wasn't feeling too bad about yesterday. We stopped at 3:30 to head to the barbeque at my cousin's house.

My cousin makes some good barbeque! He has his own sauce, and it's pretty good. So we ate and chilled out there for a couple hours, and then packed our stuff up. The plan was to head to the casino and play until about midnight, and then head back to Ohio. We got to the casino and started playing about 7, and I lasted until about 9. I didn't play my best, and I was getting sucked out on like crazy. Some guy calls a raise to $8 before the flop with 4 6, calls a $4 bet on the flop, and hits and his INSIDE straight draw on the turn to take a huge pot away from me when I had TPTK. Now I know people like that are what allow people like me to make money playing poker, but damn...it's frustrating when things like that happen to you. I lost $150 in that 2 hour session, to put my down $200 for the weekend. Not as successful as I had planned.

Well we got back to Marion at 11:30 in the morning on Monday, and I slept all day. Nothing to report on for that day.

Yesterday I lost $40 more playing online. I lost $25 when my top 2 pair lost to an inside straight draw, and $25 more when my Ace high flush lost to a straight flush. I ended up getting $10 of it back, so that's how we arrived at $40. Things haven't really been going my way the past couple of days, but I'm going to fight through it and turn it around. Despite the recent losses, I really feel like I'm coming close to playing some amazing poker, and I think I can break through soon and really start to make some money. Let's hope so, this losing stuff is overrated. It sucks.

Well that's all for now...hopefully some good news on the poker front soon...I'll try my best. Here are a few pics from the trip. Enjoy!


Troy and I



The front of the Beau Rivage


Troy, Pounds and I

" If you encounter difficulty, don't change your decision to go, change your direction to get there."

Back from Biloxi...

...and I'm beat. Slept 1.5 hours on Friday night, and no sleep on Sunday night, so I'm exhausted. The trip details will come tomorrow, but it was a blast. Who would've ever though I'd say this...but I could live in Mississippi! Peace out.

"Welcome to the grossness of poker. If you have an ace high flush, someone will have a full house. If you have a full house, someone will have quads. If you have quads, the lights will go out in the casino and someone will grab your chipstack."

It's Been Awhile...

...since I've posted anything worthwhile on here. Nothing worth posting really.

I got 2nd in a $20 buy in live tournament on Friday night with 25 players. I got $120 for my efforts. But then yesterday I proceeded to lose $140 playing 2-4 on Full Tilt. I was getting outdrawn like you wouldn't believe! But, I could have saved a few bets here and there, and I proceeded to give my money away on a few hands. That's my biggest weakness in limit hold em'. I always call the extra bet when I know I'm beat, and that's something I'm trying to get better at. Limit Hold Em' is really a different strategy, and it involves laying down good hands like overpairs, or top pair with top kicker frequently. That's something I'm learning to do, but it's not easy!

Friday I'm leaving for Biloxi, Mississippi to see my cousin Troy. Pounds is going with me, and I think it's going to be a pretty fun trip. I imagine we'll be discussing poker quite a bit, and we're gonna play at a few of the casinos down there. I'm pretty pumped for the whole thing.

I also bought some new poker chips that were pretty expensive, so I'm gonna cut back on the money spending for awhile! I did hear about a charity casino down the road from our house, so I might try to hit that up the weekend after next and see if I can make a little money. Should be a good learning experience anyways.

Well...that's all for now, have a good day!

" I will not accept fear, weakness, or failure. The only defeat I will accept is a matter in which is out of my hands. Therefore I will reach out my hands and change it."

Big post coming tomorrow. Haven't had much time to post, but I have been thinking about what to write for awhile. I'm gonna try to get to this more than once a week, I've been slackin'!

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes."

A Little No-Limit Hold Em' and Daniel Negreanu

Yesterday was a terrific day. I had the opportunity to play in a Charity Texas Hold Em' tournament and meet my poker idol, Daniel Negreanu. The tournament was a blast, but meeting Daniel and gettin a few pics with him was the highlight of the day.

As for the tournament, we started with 2000 in chips and the blinds started at 5-10, going up every 10 mins. The blind structure sucked, but they were forced to do it that way with that many people. There were 330 people at 33 tables, and each table played down to 1 winner, shoot out style. I was fortunate enough to win my table, and I received a $40 Best Buy gift card for winning, which was cool because we only paid $10 to get in. Sadly I didn't make the final table. My cards were awful, and with the blinds going up so fast, it was hard to do anything. My last hand saw my QJ offsuit lose to AA. Oh well, it was a blast!

Daniel is as down to earth as he seems on TV, and really seemed to be a geniunely good guy. While he was signing autographs, he did steal my sharpie.. He owes me now. Hopefully I can pay him back one day at the final table!

It was truly a great time, and made me want to pursue playing poker professionally even more. I'm still gonna stick it out and see what happens...I think someday I'll be able to make it. I have to get much better though.

Here are some pics from yesterday:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s_dogg1032/album?.dir=/6197

"I am in control of my own destiny"

A Humbling Experience

Last night I had the chance to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Not the one in Washington D.C., but a replica about 1/10 of the size that has been traveling around the country. I made the trip with my parents, and I'm very glad I had the chance to see it. Now...I don't pretend to know everything involved with the War, or even all the politics, because I wasn't alive then. But it really makes me sick to think of how the soldiers were treated when they returned. While I understand alot of Americans didn't agree with the war, it's not like the soldiers wanted to be over there. They were simply following orders and serving their country. There were more than 58,000 people killed over in Vietnam, and to think that the soldiers that came back were treated the way they were treated really just makes me sad.

My dad served in the war, and actually was awarded a bronze star with a V, which indicates "bravery in ground combat", when his helicopter had to land in the jungle to save another crew whose helicopter had been shot down. It was a very humbling experience seeing my father react to all the exhibits and things that were present at this event. I really had never seen him like that, and I could almost see him reliving some of his experiences right there in front of me.

On the ride home, the subject of Jane Fonda came up. What she did in Vietnam is an absolute act of treason, and she should have been put in jail. That women absolutely disgusts me, and I will never see a movie she is in.

Well, I'm not sure what the point of this post is other than to share with everyone what a humbling experience that was. Everyone of us Americans should be grateful for what those soldiers did, and what the soldiers of today do to protect our freedoms.

God Blesss

"Lest We Forget"

Well I was right...almost

Last time I said I felt like I was right on the cusp of a big score via poker, and I was ALMOST right. This weekend, I played in 6 tournaments on the internet, made 3 final tables and a 12th place finish. On Friday night I finished 6th out of 524 in a $5 + .50 tourney on UB...good for a $91 cash. Saturday I finished 6th out of 173 in a $5 + .50 tourney on Full Tilt, good for $49. I finished 9th out of 50 in a TEC satallite on UB, no prize, but a final table nonetheless. And finally, last night I finished 12th out of around 400. I got $25 for that. Now I understand none of these are big paydays, but I really feel like I'm playing the best poker of my life right now and the big, long awaited "W" is right around the corner.

I just need to catch a break in crunch time. My final hand last night that sealed my 12th place finish was when I was dealt Ac Kc, and had two callers of the 3,000 Big Blind. I figured I could either steal the chips from the limpers, or have a chance to triple up, so I moved all in for about 27,000 more. Well, one guy flopped a set of fives, and that was it for me. I also lost another key hand in that tourney when my A K went up against A J and the guy made a flush with his J c. Bummer huh.

I came in second in a razz sit n go on Full Tilt earlier tonight. I've never played razz, and I really think I could've won it, but I was getting extremely bored, so I loosened up a little trying to get it over, and ended up coming in 2nd. Better than 3rd I guess.

Well that's about it. Nothing else really has been going on in my life the last few days. My sister and I are paying for a trip for my parents to Las Vegas, so I'm pretty excited for them to get the chance to go to Sin City. My dad also seems to be catching the poker bug, so we'll see where that goes.

Until next time...keep ya head up and keep reaching for the stars. (corny, I know)

" I sit in this world watching, listening and learning. All this hell that surrounds me will not bring me down. I am too strong, I love life too much to forget what is possible to attain, if you work hard and never give up."

A Couple of Boring Days

I haven't posted since Tuesday night because...well because there hasn't been much to write about. The past two days have been pretty boring, so I figured I'd save the trouble.

I've been trying to build up my bankroll a little for a trip to Biloxi that I'm taking over Memorial Day, but I haven't been real successful. I keep treading water and staying pretty much even. I have this feeling that I'm really close to making a big score, but it continues to elude me. Hopefully I'll have some good news to post soon. Until then, I'll keep grinding it out.

Well...actually just finished 6th out of 524 in a $5 + .50 tournament. Ended up getting $91.25. It's not a big score, but it's a step in the right direction. Maybe I can use this to get something going.

I imagine that this weekend will be a typical one...boring. Hopefully not, but we'll see. I'll try to post something tomorrow, but if not, Sunday for sure.

Until then, safe travels and God Bless.

" If you have been given the bowl and spoon, rest assured, as it is the nature's way of saying, 'We are going to serve you soon.'"

Today was Better...Sort of

Today started off the same as yesterday. I woke up in a bad mood and didn't really feel very well. I went to work and decided that I needed to take a half day off so I could try to get feeling better, so I worked to 11:45 and then came home. I proceed to sleep from about noon until about 3:45. I felt like a new man when I woke up! I was ready to go! So about 5 I drove to Marion to play a couple of softball games.

Now, before tonight, I hadn't played softball in about 3 years. I figured I'd be way out of shape and embarrass myself. Now although I am out of shape, I actually played pretty well. I hit the ball pretty hard, and really didn't have to play defense because nothing came my way. I'm actually pretty happy with the way I played, even though our team got smoked in both games. That sucked, because I'm not a big fan of losing, but I think we'll be ok after a few games.

I think I might have figured out why I've been in a bad mood the last couple of days. I just realized that I'm probably going to be alone the rest of my life. The realization is a little discouraging, because it's no fun being lonely. Now I don't need to have someone, because I am fully capable of supporting myself, both financially and emotionally, but it would be cool to have someone to share my life with. I guess I'll just have to get used to it, because it doesn't seem that a wife, or even a girlfriend for that matter, are in the cards.

I've also had a pretty important decision weighing on my mind. If I decide to go through with it, it will seem like a step backwards in journey of life. It may in fact be a step backwards. But I really believe that taking this step backwards will lead to a pretty big leap forward. I'm struggling with the decision though, and I think that has contributed to my bad mood.

I haven't talked about poker much lately, because I haven't played as much as I would've liked in the past week. I'm going to start trying to play a little more, so hopefully there will be more poker talk on here soon.

That's all for tonight. Have a good day tomorrow. Who knows, it could be the best day of your life!

" Sometimes only the struggle makes it worth it, only the pain makes it sweet, and only victory is the answer."

So Much For the New Me

Today I woke up in a bad mood and it didn't change all day. I was very tired, grumpy, and I really didn't want to speak to anyone if I didn't have to. I have no idea why I was in this mood, and I have no explanation. It felt like something was bothering me all day, but I really couldn't figure out what it was that was bothering me. So, I just sat at my desk all day and avoided all human contact. Not only was it Monday, but I was in a bad mood, so it made the Monday even worse.

Today why I was sulking I started to think about stupid things. One thing that popped into my mind was the dreams that I have. I don't know why I have dreams that are hardly possible, but I'm sure that everyone has dreams. I think that is what keeps people going. If you didn't have dreams and aspirations, why would you continue to do what you do? If you knew nothing would get better, there would be no sense in continuing. Although most people would think that my dreams are unattainable, I truly believe that I can accomplish the things in my dreams, and as long as I have any life in me, I'm going to keep trying to reach them.

Something I've been blessed with (or cursed with, depending on how you look at it) is the ability to follow through with things. When I was little, I started playing baseball, and it consumed my life until the time I graduated high school. When I get involved in something, it completely consumes my life, and I don't let it go until I'm the best (or the best I can be). The same thing has happened to me with poker. At times poker completely consumes my life, and I'm ok with that right now. I don't have a girlfriend, I don't have a family to take care of, and I have a minimal amount of responsibility right now, so I'm ok with poker being my main concentration. I love playing, and I don't see myself giving it up anytime soon. I've got to be the best, and I won't stop until I am.

I can't think of much more right now, so I'm gonna watch Las Vegas...man that's a good show. Until then, don't you go dying on me!

"Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

Where to Start?

Hope everyone (well the maybe 2 people that actually read this) had a good weekend. I had a pretty decent one. Had fun Friday, had a pretty good time yesterday, and I had a good time today visiting with my parents. I went home to see them today, and it was really good to see them. I'm really close with my parents, and it's been 2 weeks since I've seen them. I have a wonderful family, and I don't know what I would do without them. If anything ever happened to any of them, I would be mentally unstable, and that's no joke. I don't know what I would do with myself.

I also have two brothers and a sister, and to be honest, I'm not as close with them as I would like to be. My two brothers are actually half brothers. We have the same dad but different mothers. I love all of them very much, and I hope that we can gain a closer relationship in the future. I'm sure you'll see me mention my family alot in these entries.

I have so much to write I don't know where to start. This journal thing is really helpful to me, because it lets me get things off of my chest and put my thoughts into words. I look forward to posting in this, and throughout the day I'm always trying to figure out what I'm going to write about.

One thing I realized while playing poker this weekend is that I have a severe lack of self-discipline. I noticed it while playing poker, and this is a vital skill in poker. But, my lack of self-discipline is not confined to the poker table. I'm really pretty lazy and I definetly don't excercise enough. I recently slowed way down on carbonated drinks like pop, but I still need to eat healthier. I'm trying to make myself a better person, and I'm going to work very hard to become more self-disciplined, because I think it could make me a better person in many different ways.

This weekend, mainly today, I realized a few things about poker. The first thing I realized is that when I play my best poker, I can play with pretty much anyone around, except for maybe the pros. I really think that I'm a very good player when I'm playing my best...but that's the problem. My lack of self-discipline doesn't allow me to be at my best all the time. When I'm not my best, I'm an average player at best, and this is when I lose the profit that I've gained when playing at my best. I'm going to make a conscious effort to get myself in the right frame of mind everytime I play, and not play if I don't feel like I can play my best.

Another thing that became painfully obvious is that you have to be mentally unstable to play poker. Poker is a game of skill, with some luck involved. This makes it a very hard game to play, because you could play perfectly, make the right move every single time, and still lose. You can have the best hand to start, and end up in last. Sometimes there will only be 1 or 2 cards in the deck that can save your opponent, and when one of those cards come, it feels like someone just punched you in the stomach. You have to have a very resilent personality to play poker, and almost have to like to take abuse. You can catch bad cards for a month or two at a time, but you have to have confidence in yourself that you will still be able to win. Poker is a game where the obstacle is to make the right decisions, not to win or lose. If you constantly make the right decisions, you'll be a winner in the long run. But it really stings when you make the right decision, and end up a loser in the short run. Like I said, you have to be mentall ill to play poker.

Well, I think I'm going to treat tomorrow as a new beginning...I'm going to change. I'm gonna work on my self-discipline, work on my self-confidence, and try to look at the positive in every situtation. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life...or at least that's how I'm gonna look at it.

Until tomorrow...let this week be the best week of your life, and God Bless.

" The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be. But for all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap!"

Oh What a Night!

Well...last night was pretty fun. When went to Ohio State and hung out with my buddy Josh and a few of his friends. We started at Josh's place, went over to Ty's (Keith's cousin) and then headed to Hendocks. We had a pretty good time, and I got pretty drunk. Nothing really exciting happened to write about though.

Well, I'm heading outside to play some cornhole...Later!

"Happy are those that dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true."

Not much today

I've been playing poker all night with my buddies, so I don't have much to post. I ended up a $16 winner, but that took a back seat to the fact that the OC wasn't on tonight because of the president's speech. Come on...couldn't George W. reschedule? Oh well, had a good time with my friends. I ended up 7th out of 17 last night in the freeroll at Bodog. Got drew out on again...imagine that. Had KJ of spades, flop comes J 10 x, I go all in for about 2000, which is about 4th highest stack, get called by chip leader. He's calls 1/2 his stack on AQ and hits his K on the river to give him a straight. I'm used to that kind of crap though.

Not much planned for the weekend as of yet...probably not much will go on. My friends and I used to go out all of the time, but lately we've been pretty boring. It kinda sucks when you're single and you don't go out much, because it's pretty hard to meet new people, but I still have fun with my friends. It would be nice to go out on a date once in awhile, but I guess it saves money by hanging out with my friends. Maybe some day I'll meet someone, but I'm not counting on it. :-)

Today at work was take your child to work day, and there was the coolest little boy there named Gavin. That's a pretty slick name, and he looked a lot like I did when I was 5. He had a big mop of blond hair and bright blue eyes. Man...what I wouldn't do to go back to the days when I was cute! It would be pretty cool to be 5 again...If I only knew then what I know now, my life would be completely different. Oh well, you live and you learn I suppose.

Well that's all for tonight, time to hit the sack...Tomorrow's Friday!!!!

"I'd rather lose knowing my opponent was running for his life than win knowing I was running for mine."

Work Sucks

Well today at work was a typical Wednesday...Boring. I really can't take much more of this office stuff. I'm not going to post about work much, but I will tell you one thing. If you don't already know, insurance companies are complete snakes. I was in a meeting today, and the meeting pretty much consisted of people talking about how they could deny claims from the insured's, and doing anything possible to get out of paying. Pretty much makes me sick, but until I find something better, I have to keep showing up.

Now on to other stuff. I learned something about one of my friends today that I didn't know. It's nothing I will share here, but it opened my eyes a little bit. I alrady had a ton of respect for him, but this new information make me gain even more respect for him and the person that he has become despite all he has been through.

Speaking of my friends, I'll go ahead and introduce my closest ones. I live with my 4 closest friends: Jordan, Kyle, Keith and Ben. I went to high school with all of them except Ben, and I met Ben in college. We live in a 4 bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. My other close friend would be Eric. He lives in Marion by himself.

Jordan and Keith are my oldest friends. We graduated together, and they are my 2 best friends. Jordan is pretty laid back, but he can get pretty fired up at times. I sometimes think he has an anger problem ;-) He has a wonderful girlfriend named Maria, who is really cute and a great person. If I ever find another girlfriend, I hope she is as cool as Maria.

Keith isn't as laid back as Jordan. He likes to have fun and joke. He is VERY opinionated though, and he doesn't like to budge on his stances, but he's still my friend, so I gotta back him up. He has a fiancee named Sam who is also wicked cool, and I think they'll be very happy together for the rest of their lives.

Kyle is engaged to another one of my best friends, Robin. I graduated with Robin, and dated her best friend for a couple of years in high school...now neither one of us can stand her. Kyle is a trip, let me tell you. I think he has a slight drinking problem, but I also think he's a couple fries short of a happy meal ;-) Robin is freakin' awesome. She is so much fun. I would like my wife to be a cross between Jordan's girlfriend Maria, and Robin.

Ben is the only other roommate who is single. He was engaged once, but she totally screwed him over and shacked up with some other guy. It was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. He could easily get another girl, but seems to have a few committment issues. Who could blame him? He's pretty happy go lucky, and he's always laughing, even at his own jokes. That pretty much covers my closest friends, tomorrow I'll introduce the fam and a few other friends.

Eric is a pretty down to Earth person. He is very laid back, and has alot of self discipline. He is in the National Guard, and is nursing school, so he has a pretty full plate. In our home games, I would say he is my biggest nemesis. He has busted me countless times, but most of them involve him drawing out on me.

Now on to the important stuff...poker. Won about $52 bucks tonight on Party playing .5-1.oo tables. Running pretty good and playing pretty decent too. Played 2 $10+1 sit n go's on Ultimate Bet and didn't place in either. First one had AA, flop was 8 2 J, I bet the pot and the other guy raised all in. I called and he showed J 9 for a pair of jacks. The turn was a Q, and the river was a 10. Thus giving him the straight and putting me down to 100 chips. I was pretty much screwed after that. In the second one, got down to 3, and I made a stupid play with A 5 and that was that. So I'm still up on the night about $30, but it's a little frustrating. I might play one more after this tourney I'm in.

I signed up on Bodog.com poker the other day, and they sent me an e-mail saying I was eligible for a freeroll for new players tonight, so I'm playing in that. There were 17 people, and top 3 get paid, so we'll see how I do.

Well, I think that's all for now. I'll probably try to post some pictures on here soon. Hopefully these things won't be as long after I finish introducing the people in my life. Until tomorrow, God bless.

P.s. I'm going to try to post one of my favorite quotes each day if I remember...so here is today's.

"If you wake up tomorrow and you're still breathing, be thankful. You get another chance."

About Me

Well...I'm not sure if this is necessary, because after much careful thought, I realized that no one besides myself will probably read this. But, I figured if nothing else, I could work on my sorry writing skills that will become painstakingly clear after reading this.

So. My name is Shawn Michael Justice. I am a 22 year old single male that recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Adminstration. I live in Westerville, Ohio with 4 of my best friends. I'm orginally from Marion, Ohio but I moved here last August because of my job.

I work at a company called Century Surety as a loss control assistant. It's not a bad place to work, but I'm definetly not making the money that a college degree warrants, so I've got my eyes open for other opportunities. Truth be told, I can't see myself working in an office for the rest of my life, so I'm gonna try to do something about that. Until then, I'm stuck doing too much work for too little pay, and wasting my degree on a job that any person with a High School diploma or GED could get.

This brings me to my passion, which is poker. I've been playing poker for probably about 2 1/2 years, but the first year or so consisted of home games like Follow the Queen, Midnight Baseball, and Guts. But after that year, my friends and I have really begun to play the real poker games such as Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha, 7 card stud, etc. We play occassionally on the table that my dad and I built, but I play mostly on the internet, since there are no casinos within 3 hours drive of Westerville, Ohio.

I consider myself a pretty decent player. I win on a consistent basis, but haven't really gotten the big break. Stealing a quote from Dutch Boyd "I never catch the big break, but always seem to catch the little ones when I need them the most". I've cashed in all but 2 tournaments I've played in at the VFW in Marion, and my highest finish was third. I got all my chips in against the chip leader (I was in second) with AK against his A5, but he proceeded to spike a 5 on the river to send me packing with 3rd place money. I ended up with $340, when 1st got over $1,000. That pretty much sucked.

I've gotten my bankroll up to about $1,900, but went to Vegas about a month ago. I broke even gambling, but spent about $300 while I was there. When I got back, I proceeded to lose $300 more playing online, so that put me at about $1,300. I decided I would put about $750 in the bank, so that took me down to $550. So that's about where I'm at right now. I've been playing the .50-$1 tables, 10+1 Sit n go's and the $5 and $10 multi tables to start to build it back up.

My biggest frustration with poker is the luck factor. As all of my friends will attest to, I'm the unluckiest player alive. Well maybe not, but pretty close. I always seem to get my money in with the best hand, only to have people hit 3 and 4 outers on me. I seem to be fairly consistent in big tournaments, but I always seem to lose the coin flip hand once were down to the final 15 or 20. This has cost me alot of money, as many times I've had the chips to get to the final table, but have failed to do so. Sometimes it's my fault, but sometimes I'm just plain unlucky. It's something I have to work on, but it's a cruel reminder that in Tournament poker, one wrong move could cost you your whole stack.

Well...that's all for now. Next post I'll introduce my family and friends, and talk some more poker. I've been doing pretty well on the Party Poker tables, so maybe I'll have some good news to post.

P.s. I'm going to write this as if other people will read it. They probably won't, but maybe some day if I'm lucky enough to do something important with my life, maybe people will read it.

The Inaugural Post

Well...Just figured out how to use this thing, so hopefully I can update it frequently. I'll introduce myself and explain my life in the next post, as long as I can keep this thing working!