Hello fellow poker players,
Where to start? Well I've been a online poker tournament player for many years. I live in sunny South Africa. Life was good, even though I never really made any big cashes. Then disaster struck. All online gambling was outlawed here unless it was operated by a licensed South African casino. It was worse than Black Friday. Suddenly we were no longer welcome or able to play on our favorite sites. So poker faded out of my life for many years.
In the meantime I had a lot of ups and downs in my personal life. The biggest disaster was falling back into drug abuse. You've probably heard people say they have an addictive personality or disorder if you will and many people would discard this as an excuse. Well trust me, those of us who really get addicted to just about anything from love to alcohol to drugs know that being a slave to yourself is the worst nightmare imaginable. Even before I finished high school I was drinking and smoking too much. After school I got into the world of drugs and only managed to escape when I was nearly 30. Nothing as bad as Heroine but what we called "party drugs" like Ecstasy, Acid, Coke, Cat you name it.
So I got clean, got a good job and life was good. I discovered poker and dabbled in it on and off for a few years. Then life took a turn for the worst. I slipped and fell in a shopping mall and broke my femur bone just below my hip. So off I went to hospital and got pumped full of Morphine. Big mistake. After two weeks they had to slowly take me off it as the doctor noticed I had become totally hooked on it.
Then a few months later I met some folks who were into hard drugs and fell off the bus completely. I started using Crystal Meth nearly every single day for nearly a year. Of course it was nobody's fault but my own. I could have said no. I wanted to say no. I didn't. Yeah, when you got a mind that just don't think about the consequences as long as it can get more of that good feelings you're in trouble. It got so bad I hair started to turn orange! I was in hospital a few times unable to breath, thinking I'm having a heart attack.
So I took stock of my life after getting out of hospital the last time and phoned my brother. He's always been my rock in life and during my bad time more so than ever. I came to live with him and got away from the temptation and suppliers. It probably saved my life. It was hell going through the withdraw period and I won't wish it on anyone. I stared that demon in the eye though and I said no more. No more shall I be a slave to my own desires. No more shall I throw away the miracle of life. I shall live demon and you shall die. And the demon looked back at me wearing my own face and vanished.
Fast forward to the current date. I have been clean for 4 years now. I am 43 and there is much to do. I stay far away from pure gambling games like slots or dice because I'll just get hooked on the thrill. I'll probably get hooked on poker but it's a different kind of hook. It's a game of skill and maneuvering. Yes, luck plays a part and it sure is a rush when you out-flop or outdraw your opponent but it's also very analytical. The better part of my mind is all logic and analytical.
Phew, that was a rather lengthy introduction so I'll try to keep the rest short. I recently got a 8 Euro free bankroll on NetBet and quickly turned it into 80 Euro. I didn't consider bankroll management or anything else really I just played a few 0.50 an 1 Euro tourneys for the hell of it and finished 3rd in two of them. So I brushed off an old dream and said, this is the year we're gonna do it. We're going to the WSOP in 2016.
So this is what I need to achieve as a main goal. Turn 80 Euros into 20K Euros. That will cover my entry fee and other expenses for the event. However, I need to break it down into smaller milestones to keep track of my progress. And this is where I'm a bit lost. What realistic milestones should I set for myself? For now I'll stick to 0.50 and 1 Euro tourneys until I get to 300 Euros. Then I'll move up from there. I'll try to keep regular updates but for sure should manage once a week at least.
So if you got any advice for me on how to reach my goal let me know. Am I being too optimistic? I hope not but if I'm gonna shoot I might as well shoot for the moon right?
That's it for now. Feel free to comment and if anyone is battling a drug addiction or have someone close to them fighting the good fight feel free to comment or PM me. The same obviously goes for straight out poker chat.
Peace.
