My Two Cents

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_johnnydrama_'s Blog

April 20 2011

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

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