I have been playing real money poker for about a year and a half now and what do I have to show for it? Nuthin. What is this due to? A mixture of things - bad money tracking, lack of focus and control, ambitious goals. So rather then just playing the game like I did this year, I’m going to make some specific changes as listed below.

1. Give Myself A Proper Bankroll I’ve decided to give myself a proper bankroll for the year - $AU2000. A lot of money for a person in my case. It’s a bit excessive as I only spent about half this on poker this year - but I have no way to track this. The reason I gave myself so much is that this cash will be all I will be spending the entire year on poker - whether online, live in the casino or in home games. I’ll actually be able to make some realistic choices on how I spend it to - so I don’t go crazy one day and to buy in for $250 at a 2/3 game at Crown or play multiple SNGs at a home game (something which I have done). I’ll be tracking everything I spend too so I can see what games I am actually good at and what games I should stay away from - and to track hot and cold streaks too. Of course, I’ll keep you in the loop.
2. Break-even for the year Really this ties in with number one, but I felt the need to separate it. As I wrote earlier, I have nothing to show for the year in my poker play. By at least breaking even for the year, I can be proud that I accomplished something whether it be my skill of the game, my bankroll management, or my plain luck. Going broke is not an option - so I will be making sensible decisions on what I play based on how much money I have and what the proper limits for me to play are.
3. Improve my game and eliminate distractionsReally two different points but they are similar so I’ve grouped them together. Playing online especially, I get way too distracted and worry more about reading web pages or listening to music then playing the game. If I’m going to play poker, poker has to be my 100% focus - nothing else. By improving my game in this regard, I then have to turn to the books and the web to learn new elements, and improve those elements that I may not use in my game enough right now.
4. Stop worrying about getting the bad side of the coin so often While I can usually control my emotions, I need to stop worrying about bad beats and worrying about folding winning hands. It happens so often that I just need to let it go and move on, so rather then re-read hand histories and paste them to my friends or talk about bad beats I will just focus on the positive and only the positive.
5. Focus on what I’m good at and learn what I’m not good atI have made a little bit of money from playing low level NL holdem yet I lost it when I moved up in stakes. In 2007 I am going to play where I am comfortable in hopes of beating those people who are not comfortable more often. I’ve also taken to playing Ohama Hi/Lo, Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw, all games I don’t properly know how to play. Before I take to these, I need to sit down and learn more then just how to play them, but the basics in the same way I did for NL Holdem.
6. Qualify for the Aussie Millions 2007 and Win a decent cash tournament These two I tried to do this year and never really completed, despite getting close. I am able to cash in the smaller tournaments however I have not been able to do so in the bigger ones, even if it means I am satelliting my way in. With an improved focus and improvement in my game, I feel I will be able to do this.

Hopefully if I can cover all of these, I will improve my game and when looking back at the end of next year, have six new goals to set poker wise. Here’s to the new year of poker.

Well we are getting to the end of LIST-O-MANIA for 2006 and I figured it is time to look at the three things that let me down this year, be it music, television, movies or something else completly. Once again in no order, the disappointments are..

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So I was preparing to write up this entry on my favourite ten movies of the year when I realised - I haven’t really watched much released this year. Don’t get me wrong, there was a whole heap of stuff that was released this year that I had plans of seeing, but I only ended up watching maybe ten of them. I didn’t see any of the top grossing films in 2006 (which shows you my taste in film, hah!). So by default - my top three movies of 2006 in no particular order.

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2006 has been a really big year for video on the web. Whether you were one of those guys who got attached to video blogs on YouTube (like a certain writer on the SMH tech site) or just wanted to sit back and watch FIFA World Cup matches at your office desk you were able to do it. Here is a look at my top five picks from ‘06.

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A story has blown up in the blown up in the blogosphere today about Microsoft (along with AMD and Acer) sending bloggers free Acer Ferrari 1000 or 5000 laptops pre-installed with Windows Vista and Office 2007 to keep, no strings attached. The bloggers do not need to write anything about the system unless they want to, but these are bloggers we are talking about so of course most will brag about scoring some free gear (wouldn’t you?) Comments vary across blogs ranging from “you work hard, you deserve it!” to “you were given a bribe and must send it back or I will never read your blog again!” From one extreme to another, that’s for sure.

I’ll be honest now, I wouldn’t mind a PC for ‘nothin, let alone an absolute beast like the Ferrari 5000. I doubt I would write about the machine of Vista on here even if this was a tech blog. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has “rewarded” bloggers to push out info on it’s new products either. Magazines and newspapers will receive products in exchange for reviews (on loan for the majority of the time), but until recently we had never seen this been extended to bloggers. So what is all the fuss about?

First, the ethical dilemma. Personally, I do not see anything wrong with taking a free machine when offered. It’s pretty clear that Microsoft want people to talk about Vista, they know that people are turning to blogs for the news and opinions, so why not take advantage of it? Send out 100 machines with Vista to bloggers, and you should get 100 entries back about their experience with the OS. Even if ten per cent of the thoughts were positive, it may just influence readers enough to go out and buy a copy of Vista. By holding this promotional stunt, Microsoft gets an instant win.

Many have commented that if a blogger takes the PC, any views on Microsoft, AMD or Acer will be tainted by the fact that they received a free machine. After all, these people are not journalists writing proper reviews in magazines or web pages, they are just random people who may not even be reviewing Vista if it wasn’t for Microsoft being kind and sending out then a free copy (along with a free machine to make sure it runs to it’s fullest potential). Many of the bloggers sent machines have disclosed that they only received the machine because Microsoft contacted them and sent it out, some bloggers only revealing this after they received the machine. Since these bloggers are not journalists, it’s easy to think that they would be more tempted to go easy on Vista - after all why bite the hand that feeds you?

Any decent independent writer should have enough self-respect to write impartial words. A workmate of mine writes movie reviews for a film website, and as a result is sent free DVDs to review (which he keeps, may I add). Let’s say a major studio approached him to review a new film not out in cinemas, and offered to fly him up to Sydney for the weekend and put him up in a four star hotel. Would I be worried that his review would be favourable since he got a free holiday, or that he would prefer the film over another where he didn’t get special treatment? Hell no, because he respects his readers enough to give the honest truth on the subject he is writing on, and only that subject.

The ones who can’t write these impartial words are not worth reading in the first place. I don’t have a lot of respect for the person who writes AV reviews in the midweek paper because it’s pretty obvious he gets a lot of free installed equipment in his home to review, ranging from high-end DVD recorders to DLP projectors to Dolby Digital set-ups. How can I tell? Because he gushes over every piece in each review, constantly telling me how great Item X is and how I should spend $5,000+ on it right now. But hey, there are plenty of reviews to read on products, and there are plenty of bloggers in the world so I don’t need to spend a long time finding a better one.

All in all, if you are a blogger who receives one of these gifts and cannot write an impartial review - don’t take it. You will only be doing your reputation no good, something which many have tarred to anyone receiving a free machine which I think is a bit undeserved. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival will be starting in April and I plan on contacting their offices to try and get some free tickets as I plan on writing about the festival for as many nights as it is held. Will I be disclosing which shows I got free tickets to? Right now I’m unsure. Personally, I believe that I can write a decent enough review to not warrant listing this information. A horrible show will be horrible and a great show will be great if you get in for free or not, and this will be the case as many bloggers sit down and write their entries about what Vista.

I’m one of those guys who has a lot of access to music, yet would rather listen to the same song fifteen times in a row. As a result I tend to stick to the same music so here is a quick look of the five albums I liked in 2006.

1. Various Artists - Justice League Mixtape - N.C. State of Mind

Near the end of 2005 I really got into Little Brother which meant I had to check out all their old stuff. I think I was spinning this album on the warm New Years Day while playing some poker and it ended up being my default work out music throughout the summer. Some good tracks, but generally I’d listen to track one then skip to track five, where the mixtape really took off.

Favourite Tracks: Edgar Allen Flow - State Of The Art, Away Team featuring Cesar Comanche - On, Cesar Comanche - Pest, The Away Team featuring Joe Scudda & Big Pooh - On The Line

2. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twits - Rabbit Furcoat

Came across Jenny’s video for Rise Up With Fists on rage one late night before going to bed and I don’t know what it was, but I didn’t turn the channel until that video had finished. Up to then I’d never heard of Rilo Kiley or been a big country/folk/soul rockc guy but this stuff is just really easy to listen and chill out to due to it’s lovely music mixed with some chilling lyrics (so you must pay attention to what is coming out of Jenny’s mouth). One of the great unknown finds of the year.

Favourite Tracks: Big Guns, Rise Up With Fists, Melt Your Heart, Rabbit Furcoat

3. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor

My favourite hip hop album of ‘06. I heard of Lupe thanks to Kanye West’s second album (which I thought was pretty average) and while I found him decent, never really made any attempts to get into his music. Then around June I kept on reading hype into him since his album leaked (just like what happened with Talib Kweli’s last year) and he was going back into the studio to add a few more tracks. So I got a hold of it and wow, it sure was something special. Just an incredible album full of vivid storytelling plus some great beats - the way rap music should be.

Favourite Tracks: Kick Push, The Instrumental, He Say She Say, American Terrorist, The Emperors Soundtrack

4. Panic at the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out

Yeah I’m not afraid to say it, I really liked this album. I’ve never been one for boys who wear girls jeans (which reminds me of the time I saw an asian emo in the city, boy that was funny) or songs with really pretentious titles but these are just great wrong songs where you really have to pay attention to the lyrics, otherwise you may as well not bother.

Favourite Tracks: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage, Time To Dance, Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, I Write Sins Not Tragedies

5. Girl Talk - Night Ripper

I really used to be into mash-ups. Go Home Productions once did this nine minute track which from memory was called pop-comp-a-lation where he mashed up different songs where the lyrics flowed together. Girl Talk takes this one step further by taking a whole bunch of hip hop beats, pop lyrics, oldie guitar samples and rap flows and managed to blend them together near seamlessly. Illegal as hell, but go and check it out before some stupid music journo declares it “the new Grey Album”. “Uh huh, this my shit.”

Favourite Tracks: That’s My D.J., Too Deep, Summer Smoke, Hand Clap

Apologizes go to The Wreckers - Stand Still Look Pretty, Sway - This Is My Demo, A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory, The Roots - Game Theory and Laura Imbruglia - Laura Imbruglia.

I had grand plans on my time off of resting and blogging each day. However, all I have been doing is resting and drinking, and it’s been gooooooooood. All I’ll say is, Good Christmas, Good Boxing Day, good everything. See you tomorrow for a proper entry.