As I've stated in the previous blogs all things poker have been quite positive lately. I woke up Wednesday ready for a solid day of grinding. I went through my normal morning routine and thought I was ready to play. I loaded up the $11r PLO TCOOP along with five 2/4 tables. Its hard to explain but something was wrong. I just wasn't there mentally. I often refer to PLO as Neo seeing the Matrix of numbers and for no reason I just wasn't clicked on. I knew I wasn't in the zone of tranquility that accompanies crushing session. I quit my session 22 minutes in and walked away $250 richer. I was in a mind state that winning an extra few buyins wouldn't have improved my mood but losing would have really pissed me off.

By 12:30 I declared a state of 24 hour staycation. A staycation is when you don't leave your city but treat the day like a holiday. For the next few hours I played COD3 and planned my evening out. Sophia and I were going to hit up a lot of nice restaurants for an appetizer and drink per location. By the nights end we had spent $200 at three fine dining restaurants. We split a lobster bisque, spicy popcorn shrimp, seared ahi tuna, smoked blue cheese plate, jumbo prawn cocktail and bacon wrapped shrimp. To drink we had a nice bottle of Australian Shiraz along with some scotches and the mandatory Kronenbourg blanc. I'm very lucky to have a girlfriend who shares my love for food and drink. Restaurant hopping is one of our favourite activities and a great way to explore new cities.

We made our way home around 11PM so she could go to sleep. Having a 9-5 job does impede her ability to make it out on weekdays passed a certain point. Not to fear my friend Shawn came over to watch a retro SNL and wait for Tom to get off at midnight. Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon put on a clinic during the Weekend Update while we downed a few vodka waters. FYI the best vodka vs price has to be Uncle Tito's handmade vodka from Austin Texas. At midnight we collected Tom and heading to Pier 21 for $3 drink night.

When I got in the door I saw two empty bottles of Grey Goose on the front bar. Pier is not a bar that sells bottles so I was confused. I ordered my drinks and continued chatting to my friends. It wasn't until 30 minutes later when I asked about the GG bottles that the bartender told me the guy I was standing beside for the past half hour was NHL player Claude Giroux who was in town for the All Star game. The rest of the night was filled with laughs and good times.

Today I woke up a little fuzzy around the edges. I knew poker wasn't possible yet so I settled into a Spartacus watching session. Eventually I gathered my strength and decided to grind after a shower. From the moment I sat down to the moment the session ended I crushed everybody. 500 hands and 9 BI later I was happy with my $3600 win. My edge was back in fantastic way. Running good and playing well is a lethal combo.

If you find yourself struggling at the tables I suggest taking a staycation and just be nice to yourself. Do whatever gives you the most joy. I've made so much money lifetime from the sessions I don't play. Forcing it rarely has a happy ending. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

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