Golden Moments

June has not going brilliantly on the poker front from a financial perspective, but on reflection there have been some very positive moments. At at time when my love of poker is dwindling, perhaps because my edge is diminishing, a series of moments have reminded me why I play the game - why I love the game. Sure I have made mistakes in June. I should not have played those $20 and $50 Jackpot sit n gos when frustrated. I can't beat those games even at my best. I know I should not have played loads of Sunday Million hyper satellites where luck is a massive factor. But even in a thirty day period there has been some golden moments. The highlights were:

1. Freeroll second for £80 - Early in the month a few hundred players competed for £500 in a weekly freeroll which I only occasionally play. Things went well and I had a nice cash.
2. Jared Tendler Webinar - I attended a exclusive seminar based on pre-ordering his new book. It was great to listen to his insight on key aspects of the mental game. It has also motivated me to revisit his second book and focus on the aspects that most relate to me.
3. Golden Sit N Go for $14 - I played maybe fifty sit n goes during this Pokerstars promotion and it was nice finally to play in a Golden sit n go were I was rewarded with a free double buy in. I just missed out on a bigger payout when sixth of eighteen
4. Contact from Rio Jackpot regular. It is always great to hear from fellow Jackpot players and share strategy advice. This German grinder plays a high volume of Rios and I will watch his progress with interest this summer.
5. Maui win rate at 16% - This is above my target of 14% and although only for a month is very encouraging.
6. Maui Consolation win - The great thing about this win is that I was able to play the final game on its own and used my own advice (from my blog post, see below) to help me have a top two finish in the final game. I had no distractions, played just one game, told no one of my opportunity, was totally focused on it. I even practised game selection by waiting for a game the solid regular did not play in. I made good decisions and was rewarded with a second in a game that went  almost perfectly for me.

For the second half of 2013 I will focus more than ever on the Maui games but I will try to only play when super motivated to do so. Good luck.

http://kartajana.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jackpot-sit-n-go-strategy-winning-final.html

Kartajana: What's in a name?

The Horse:

Kartajana was originally a racehorse trained by Michael Stoute and owned by The Aga Khan who ran in the early 1990's whilst I was at University. On my Nineteenth birthday in 1990 she made her first racecourse appearance at Leicester where me and several friends clubbed together to have £35 on her to win the last race. She romped home and started what was to be a very top class racing career, though she never quite fulfilled her potential. For example she flopped when strongly tipped for the Oaks later that year but finally won a group one contest in France the following year. I followed her throughout her career which included six wins. Possibly her best run was when third in the Arlington Million in 1991.

The Student Band:

In early 1991 me and two friends formed a band which we named Kartajana, with me as lead singer! We only played together for a few months and only played in public twice but it was a really fun time and is a special memory for me. One night we played support for a well established student band at a Valentine's day event at one of the halls of residence. We played four songs, three of our own and a cover of Rain by The Cult. I still see one of the other band members Andy occasionally but rumours of the band getting back together are greatly exaggerated!

The Poker Player:

Fifteen years later when choosing my poker name, Kartajana was an easy choice. Full of positive memories I have always played poker under that name. The choice of your poker name is quite interesting I think. Many choose a name that identifies them or like me one that gives them confidence, others try to influence other players by suggesting a style of play or skill level like QuiteTight or BadPlayer777. I am a big fan of the more comical ones such as xxxsitoutxxx, luckyknickers or the quite appropriate for me imbaldsowhat. My favourite though is probably NeedJackpot.