Hey guys,

It has been a long time since I have wrote a blog entry so I guess I am "due" for one.

I, like many of you, began playing poker online about 7 years ago. I started playing 5 dollar sit 'n' goes on UB after my buddy Brian transfered me 50 dollars. I never thought that would become such a life changing experience for me, but it has and I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world.

These past 7 or so years have been one hell of a run. I have made more money than I could ever imagine and that has given me the opportunity to do things I could only have dreamed of. I have met so many people and have gained so many friendships that I will carry on for the rest of my life. Online Poker was my job, but it was also a way of life. Online Poker gave me the opportunity to be my own boss, it gave me the opportunity to travel, it gave me the opportunity to pay for college without student loans, and it gave me the opportunity to create memories that will NEVER be forgotten.

On April 15th, however, the DOJ took part of that life away from me...and the real question is why??

I am not going to sit here and play the blame game because it truly is not worth it. What is done, is done and now the question is what happens next...

I realize that so many of you out there want a quick answer, but I hate to tell you...there isn't one. Will online poker be legalized? No one really knows, and if someone tells you that they do, they are lying.

The reality is that NONE of us can live in the past or worry about the future...we have to LIVE in the present. Don't make your decisions based on what has happened or what could happen, you need to live in the moment and start looking at our options.

For me, I have a few...

1) Play Live Poker--This is def the answer for right now until I can get a clear view of what direction I want my life to go. My issue is that I live in Saint Louis. Now don't get me wrong, as much as I call STL a piece of shit, it is my home. My friends and my family make it enjoyable to live in, but I can not make a living playing live poker in St. Louis which means at some point, if I pick this route--I will have to leave the ones I love...Easier said than done.

2) Move out of USA--Now I would not be moving out of the USA because I hate this country because of what happened with online poker, I would be moving because I would feel that is what is in the best interest for me moving forward. The other day, I was joking with a friend and said I could teach English in a European country and play poker online...This actually may not be a bad idea haha. Any information/suggestions regarding this topic would be appreciated.

3) Get a real job--Like many of you, it would be tough to walk into a business and explain a nice 6 year gap in my resume. Unless, I decided to fill in Bodog.com and CakePoker as employers, I will be out of luck. It also would be extremely difficult to have someone sitting there and telling you what to do 8 hrs a day and 40 hrs a week. I really would not like to go this avenue...lets mark this down as a last resort :).

4) Go back to College--Yes, I have my degree in Personal Financial Planning. But, what I have found out thru my friends is that one degree really means nothing in the real world. Getting a job is tough, getting a GOOD job is MUCH TOUGHER. I would go back to school and get my Masters. If you dropped out of school to play poker, GO BACK. Get a degree, Enjoy college. Be a KID again. College was the best 5 years of my life :).

Now I know that these options aren't available to everyone, but I hope that it gives some of you insight on what you could possibly do if you didn't know already. It sounds cheesy to say, but whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. All the DOJ did was throw us a Sandy Koufax curveball, now we have to find a way to hit it.

Just please, don't panic. The sun will come up tomorrow, I promise. Don't make any rash decisions that you may regret. Have a beer and if you are going to be in Florida for the next couple weeks for the WPT event, say hello and I will buy you a sasperilla.

Cheers and Best Wishes,

Drama

Its that time again for WSOP Circuit STL!!

Follow me at www.twitter.com/MichaelBerra

My road to a Ring starts tomorrow at Noon

Hey Guys,

Sorry about the lack of updates on my blog, I am sure all 3 of you who read this have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for my next update...

Vegas has been a blast so far this year minus poker. I have gone to a couple silly pools (Palms Place and Bare @ Mirage), a few amazing restaurants (Del Frescos and Nove to name a couple), and have had one big club night @ Tryst.

Our house is absolutely amazing! We are about 12-15 minutes from the RIO and it is by far the nicest house that I have stayed in Vegas. It is about 9500 square feet and has the coolest backyard ever which includes a pool, jacuzzi, basketball court, and gas fire ("If your feet are by the fire, LIFE IS GOOD"--PotOdds3).

In regards to poker, I have gone 0 for 3 in tournaments which I realize is not the end of the world but the way I have been going out has been absolutely sick. Tourney 1 (1500 9 max) was really the only tourney I can blame myself a bit, I thought I played pretty well but got bluffed out of a big pot by Shaun Deeb and kept bricking re-raised pots with AK. Tourney 2 (1500 6 max) was short and sweet, KK
Cash games have been so so, I am down a bit online but up a bit live. My first hand LIVE was KK vs KK and I four flushed a guy, OH TO RUN LIKE THAT IN A TOURNEY!

In regards to this weeks plans, I am not playing until the 2500 6 max next Monday so that should be fun, I plan on grinding cash games online/live, maybe playing a couple satellites at the Rio, and getting downright silly this weekend with Latestlines2's Boston Cronies!

I really am hoping for improved luck in tournaments because I am seeing all these guys make deep runs and I want to be the guy people are sweating on the rail...and I want a dam BRACELET!

Drama out

Well the time has come that every poker player looks forward to every year, the WSOP! I leave Friday for Las Vegas. Since I have been 21, I always tell my friends that I am going to go to Vegas and win a bracelet! However, I always end up going out to Vegas and partying like a monkey. The town is just full of distractions and it is very easy to wander away from your goal. I have a feeling that this summer is going to be different...Let me tell you why!

1) I am focused and playing some of the best poker of my life. I know that sounds really funny but I just feel like my game has really blossomed since I have been 21. The games have changed, but I feel like I have adjusted well. I have my eye on the prize and I really feel like it is put up or shut up time in these events.

2) I am in the best shape of my life. This also may sound funny but if you have ever played tournaments for an extended period of time, you will know that their is a "conditioning" factor involved. As much as I love poker, it is a grind and you have to endure through some long and grueling days.

3) I am living with some insanely talented poker players. I have been really lucky over the years to room with some great poker players during the WSOP and this year is no different. Latestlines, Stinger, Taylor, Wiggins, Gaucho, Scott (Irockhoes), and Mr. Shipitthisway are my roommates and as you can tell they are all extremely talented players. I feel like I will learn a lot from these guys and I am pretty pumped to do so.

and finally

4) I am very excited about my tournament selection. Over the years, I have just kind of picked as I went with the tournaments I wanted to play but this year, I have a well thought out schedule. I am going to play 7 events...8, 17, 26, 30, 45, 56, and the Main Event (I may add one or two pending my results). I feel like setting a schedule will keep me in line while I am out there. It is really sad that my most successful summer was my first summer out in Vegas when I cashed in 2 of 3 WSOP events and went 2 of 3 in Bellagio tournaments. I feel like I had success because I was focused and excited to play and I have that same feeling this summer!

Well I feel like I have probably bored everyone enough for now. I will try and blog while I am out there but I will be twittering throughout my events if you for some unknown reason would like to follow me.

Drama out

So, as I mentioned in my last blog, I am in a weight loss prop bet. I am supposed to be down to 150 before June 1....Well I am down to 153 as of right now so this is looking like a bet that I am going to win. A lot of my friends and family can not believe the weight that I have been able to drop in just 4 weeks of time (22 lbs to be exact). I personally can not believe the results that I have achieved, however it has not come easy....

I always figured losing weight while balancing poker would be impossible, but I finally found a way to do both...Here's what I do on a daily basis and when I say daily..I mean EVERYDAY

Afternoon (lets not kid ourselves, I normally wake up around noon if not later)

I start off by eating my breakfast/lunch. I have been basically sticking to 3 "meals." 1) Bowl of Healthy Choice Soup (Garden Vegetable is my favorite) and a Mini whole wheat bagel. 2) Healthy Choice Chicken on a Mini whole wheat bagel with a small side salad (with no fat dressing of course ). 3) Bowl of Special K cereal with a banana--this is my favorite.

After lunch, I get a mini workout in...1) 100 push ups, 2) 200 ab crunches, 3) 5 minutes on the Ab Circle (it actually works), and 4) Slendertone Ab workout.

After lunch, I normally will play poker for awhile and/or run errands if I have any.

For dinner, I eat a Lean Cuisine. I know a lot of you probably think that these meals are awful tasting and blah blah blah. They are actually pretty good, you just have to find the right ones. I am a big fan of the Chicken Tuscan Pasta with Mixed Vegetables (290 calories) and the Meatloaf and Whipped Potatoes (260 calories). There are a couple others, but you guys get the hint.

I try and keep both meals under 750 calories. For a desert/snack, I will eat some grapes or a banana.

After dinner, I normally will play poker or run errands again and then around 10 o'clock, I hit the hard stuff. I do 30-45 minutes of the tredclimber machine that I bought and then do some minor lifting for 15-20 minutes. The treadclimber is amazing, it burns 2X the amount of calories as a treadmill only going half the speed. I normally burn 500 calories during my cardio workout.. My weight lifting consists of basic chest presses, shoulder raises, bicep curls, etc etc.

After the weights, I hit the abs for another 5-10 minutes and then I am done for the day. Obviously, this is not the type of workout/meal routine a personal trainer would suggests but it works for me and that's what matters.

I mentioned I have been playing poker and I actually have been putting in a good amount of hands. Poker seems like a roller coaster ride of late, I am up and then I get down and then I squeeze out a small win. When I run like this, I am convinced there are leaks in my game so I move down stakes and play more basic poker. So I have been mixing some 1-2 NL in with my normal 2-4, 3-6, and 5-10 games too figure out what in the world I am doing wrong. I hope to get the leaks worked out before Vegas which is only 17 days away!! These 17 days are going to go by real fast I think because I leave for Detroit on Friday with the hockey team I coach and don't get back till Monday the 17th...then Vegas is 11 days out, SCARY.

Well that is all for now, talk to you later.

Drama out

It is early in the morning (late at night for me) and I was scrolling through all of the blogs and just noticed that I haven't blogged since my rant on my WSOP Circuit...WOOOPS!

Honestly though, nothing exciting is really going on in my life. I continue to grind about 1500-3000 hands a day on good old Cake Poker. I know people were saying that the games on Cake were going to die once this whole Merge Network thing developed but the games are as good as ever. I am on quite a good heater and I hope to keep it going, I feel like I am playing really well. I don't know what it is, but after I play Live Poker for an extended period of time and then come back to Online Poker..I play a lot better. I have been mixing up my limits, playing 1-2 NL, 2-4 NL, 3-6 NL, 5-10 NL, and yes even 10-20 NL when it gets going. I am very comfortable with my game and feel like there isn't a level I can not beat.

In my last blog, I also mentioned this weight loss bet I am involved in and I am happy to report that I am doing extremely well with it. I am expecting a buy out since I am getting really close (down to 157, need to get to 150 by June 1). Being down to 157 is quite a jump from the 174-176 I was at a month ago, I am really proud of my progress and with 4 weeks to go...I am really going to push myself!

OHHH and I forgot to mention that I got another tattoo. I know a lot of people consider "tats" hoosier but I have a reason behind every one I have. My first one is a design that contains my Grandpa's initials and an Eye...Kind of a reminder that he is always looking down on me. My new tattoo is my friend Steve's initials and YOB and YOD. Steve passed away in 2007 and I have been meaning to get a tattoo in tribute of his life for some time...I finally did it and it turned out pretty well. It is located down my side and is actually pretty big, I will say this much...it kind of hurt! Hahaha.

Soo basically over the past week and half that I haven't blogged....I have been doing well in poker, have lost 10lbs??, got a tattoo, and been a gentleman. Talk to you later.

Drama out

Hello All,

So....... I told you guys that I would write up a big blog entry talking about my WSOP Circuit Events but I really do not see this happening. To be honest, I really do not want to remember it but here is a short little summary.

I played 5 events..A $350, a $550, a $1060, a $1590, and then the Main Event $5260. I busted out early in the $350, I had an awful table draw and missed 3 straight flush draws so GG me. The $550 was awesome even though I was soo card dead. I ended up cashing, coming in 16th. The $1060 also was not a good tourney for me, I lasted until the last level before dinner and jammed in my 9bb As9s into AA...GG ME. The $1590 was a decent tourney for me but once again I ran sooo card dead and ended up bubbling the event, bubbling is awful! After these four tourneys, I was pretty bummed out because I had yet to see ANY hands at all. Poker is a frustrating game to begin with but when you never get cards and get stuck in awful spots all day...it becomes miserable. My buddy SteveyBallgame came in town for the Main Event so that gave me the second wind I needed. Of course, I probably drew the toughest table in the room. To my right was a young kid who just won the $1590 event, Blair Hinkel (A WSOP bracelet winner) and to my immediate left was Hinkels older brother (Another WSOP bracelet winner). SO ya that was fun, I increased my stack early but after the first 2 levels, my stack just kept shrinking. I played a weird hand with QQ on a 7-6-3 board, Hinkel obviously had 7-6 so that was fun. Um then I got two pair turned on my top pair top kicker...So ya well, like I said I hate talking about it--I was out before dinner break.

Other than that, poker has been pretty good. I won a decent amount the past two weeks...I have run pretty awful the last few days but I was due for a cooler. I really would like to go on a nice little heater before I leave for Vegas on May 28 so I can play some big live cash games.

I told you guys that I would also update you on the progress of my youth hockey team....We have yet to play a game but we are 10 practices in and I think the kids are progressing really good. I just started introducing them to system work so they are really confused. Majority of them are pretty bright, so I don't see it being a problem. We have our first game next week and a few more practices and then we go to Detroit May 14-16 for a tournament.

Ummm other than this, my life has been pretty boring. I am in midst of a good prop bet. I had a buddy tell me that he would give me 6-1 that I could not get back to how much I weighed freshman year in high school. I obviously took the bet since I was already trying to lose weight. About 3 weeks ago, I jumped on the scale and weighed 176...I couldn't believe it, I don't think this is the highest I have ever weighed but I wasn't happy. So I started eating right, drinking less, and working out hardcore. I am already down to 163 and I need to get to 150 before I leave for Vegas....13 more pounds in 4 weeks is very doable I believe...Maybe I will ask for 8-1 if I get to 140 haha.

Well everyone, I will talk to you later.

Drama out

The WSOP Circuit has come to an end for me....I can only say one word right now about my run and that word is "FRUSTRATING."

I will write an extensive blog about the five tournaments I played in either tonight or tomorrow....Right now, I am just making sure I do not break anything expensive out of frustration.

Till Later,

Drama out

The weekend is here and its time to Final Table the WSOP Circuit...the 1k Event is today

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Event #2 starts today..$550 buy in

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