Remaining balanced in life seems important. Now, I'm not sure who said that, and as I'm an ill-educated Mofo, I'll take credit for it. As some understand, I have been busy, working for everyone else's benefit. As balance is necessary, I'm sitting on the best part of me at the present time and watching all the televised partying going on in NOLA. There must be balance there also, although all those good times in that city don't seem to weight the tip in the scales they are paying. Even though they have had no trouble since 1812, well possibly, since 1860 - 65. Sticking to the theme of the entry. I went broke (my kind of broke) in my poker playing sites. I also determined to take my penny poke and see what I could do with that. I keep two penny sites. The way I have done those, is, I will minimum deposit those sites if need be -- truth to tell, I haven't had to make a deposit for them in almost two years. I also play them both about an hour a day, or better, at the NL games. So, like I said, I went broke and will use the penny poke for a while. That has done a couple of three things. 1/play tighter., 2/bottom feed., 3/set a firm cut-off, mostly directed to poke levels., 4/go down in blinds as soon as need be. Umm, these are all NL games, no matter the blinds. I figure the game levels by the blinds level and think (for the small, small, games) Poker Stars has adequate minimum buy-ins. By balance, then, I'm five times buy-in at one site with a start of three-quarter buy-in. At the other, I'm six times buy-in after a start of a single buy-in and at both I'm playing dime/quarter. I have also done something else, but before telling anyone about that, I would like to say this: At one point in the blog stuff, I became enraptured with the Poker Tracker program. I a numb-nutz at making a program work - although, I can and do program my robots to perform for me, using machine code or basic. So, I got cross-wise with PT and don't use it. I found another that works pretty well. Actually, what happens is, I'm able to see the win possible percentage of my hole cards and -- to me, the better deal, is the ability to see the pot odds for the demands of the betting round. That fact makes the game better for me. Those two things allow me to concentrate on the player, the pace of his betting, position, and amounts he bets. A case of that is, today, I caught a guy over betting because of his doubling off his initial bet, tripling of the initial bet on the river. I tripled my buy-in from him. It also has another function I like. It doesn't seem like much, until you use the program for a while. That's a little chart or graphic that has a Mendoza line across it. On the top half, it indicates LOOSE and on the bottom TIGHT. It took me a while, but finally it dawned on me that if ones name was in either half, change you ways. The best possible conditions was not to show up on it. The second choice is TIGHT. I cannot recommend the program. The largest reason is the DEARTH of the more popular sites. I not exactly sure that is a draw back though, with all of the consolidation going on in the industry and skin sites popping up so quickly. Up-dating a poker cheat is going to become a chore. By cheat, I do not mean WINPOKER. Perhaps, crib program would be better - by either name it is still a cheat, Yes?___ Poker Pundit: I don't know who you are and the fight you are picking is not my fight. Well, actually, you are picking several fights at the same time; which no one should engage in, but, sir, find your own way to fame. I have read your blog (not all of it, nor consistently, but sometimes) and I have noticed a couple of things. First. You have had several posts on poker advice. The advice is published in several books. Second. I don't know your poker credits, but the person(s) you pick on are professional players. Third. You had several readers that follow your advice and you hie-off to other places with no excuses and when they ask you what about them, you ignore their pleas. Fourth. Followers have needs, you readers will not increase without those needs being addressed, though your fame is sure to parallel their recommendations. Fifth. Your choice of handles, is not, one hopes, indicative of your mental status.___ There is one other thing I would like to lay-out, my view, if you will. There is a site out there called BLOGSONPOKER. I was asked very nicely if this site could be placed on that new site. I agreed. And so it came about. After a time, there came a ranking on the side and this site went up and down and eventually stayed in top portion of the ranking. For that I thank all of the readers out there. After a time, several voices of the "more popular" sites rumbled in the canyons of the blogosphere. There seemed to be unease and discontent. I enjoyed the hell outa it. Several of the elder writers got their toes stepped on. Too damn bad. You come very close to being "Older", but not "Wiser." By indirect information; comments on other blogs and comments of the operator of the new site, and specific person visiting my site and their comments, I developed the feeling that the elder egos were attempting to polarize groupie opinion - to their view. Some minds out there, on their blogs, showed independent thinking and wrote indirect entries that may or may not have pertained to the situation. To them I say Thank You, for fairness transcending friendship, without friendship being endangered. Poker is not the sole entry to any of the "Poker" Blogs. And should not be. Poker is, after all, a game of people. That includes the viewer, as well as the actor. Subscribing to that, I attempt to include people in my writings -- at least provocation. The reader site kept me, in some manner, in the top list for two months or more -- I'm vague about that and amazed. The methods used by some of the bloggers to minimize that ranking tapered off after a bit. Although some changed styles. Just after the First of September this year, I requested that this site be removed from the blog roll of that reader site. I rejoice to say the operator complied. KUDOS to him and his. And I hope the "difficulty" he spoke of now fades, though he apologized to ME for them. I had none. That alone indicates he received some from "out there." His integrity is impeccable. How's your balance?___ Aces to you.

Source: Poker Solstice