I never really got going in 2007, whether I won or lost as a whole is really not important but I am comfortable either way.  I really didn’t keep great track this year but I am pretty certain I didn’t win much or lose much.  This stood in stark contrast to 2006 which may have been my best year as a poker player, 2005 though was very similar to this year, so I am not worried.  There is one big difference though, in 2005 I had a lot of distractions and I felt my poor showing wasn’t indicative of my skill level, so when I came back firing in 2006 it reassured me in a way I don’t think I will ever need to do again.  The fact is, poker will always be here and if I use the tools I have learned over the last 15 or so years, I will always do fine if that is what I choose.

For giggles though let’s look at why this was a not a typical year for me, it can be explained in three words No-Limit-Holdem.  I spent a good portion of this year fascinated with the game and banging my head against the No Limit wall while all of my opponents were getting a lot better.  I did have some good runs of 30k and over but they were usually followed by semi-tilty sessions that erased the gains and then it was back to the drawing board.  When I played live however I played at a different level than my opponents and rarely lost, unfortunately, I didn’t play live more than a handful of times.  Towards the end of the year I have become fascinated with Mixed Games and I am up marginally.  I don’t think I am playing optimally at this point and I am not sure I plan on finding out what is optimal play in Mixed Games but I am fairly confident I am profitable in most mid-range Mixed Game formats.

Another big reason (or reasons) this was not a great year is twofold, the games got a lot tougher and when the games are tough I don’t feel a need to play.  Finding an easy game was a stretch and most of this year there seemed to be a dark cloud over poker and I think that affected me a bit. 

There was some good news though, I began working on this site (which got me to the poker tables more than I would have played without it) and so far it seems things are coming along fine.  I think I am figuring out a lot about what readers want and I expect 2008 will be a breakthrough year for AlwaysBluff.com, if you are reading this you are not alone and I truly appreciate that.  I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday, whichever holiday you are celebrating.

On Saturday my immediate family and I exchanged gifts and it was a lot of fun.  I think everyone was really happy with what they got, for me it is always exciting giving gifts and seeing people’s response.  If I put my gifts in a pile you would think I was a woman, I got a mini-messenger bag (something I sorely wanted for when I travel, it is essentially a purse) and various soaps and lotions.  I likely bathe more than anyone you know; there is nothing more refreshing than a nice hot bath IMO.