This is going to be a pretty big surprise for a lot of people, but I've decided poker as a living may not be for me anymore. I moved to Cabo about two months ago and have done pretty well here. I didn't really have any losing weeks and I had a lot of fun. With all that being said, for the first time in my life I just simply do not enjoy grinding poker. I've really only felt this way when I was on huge downswings. Feeling this way for weeks while having the time of my life and crushing poker is certainly a sign.
Moving to Cabo has given me a lot of time to think about things. I kind of moved here on a whim as I didn't see myself going to college for a year or two. I still loved the game and believed I could beat HU and 6-max for 6 figures a year pretty easily on Stars and Party. I still believe this is true, but I'm no longer happy doing this. I'm going to look for something else I'm passionate about and have fun doing as a career.
While I can see myself playing a lot of poker if/when the US legalizes it, I think moving out of the country for a long period of time is not the best choice for my life. By being down here I'm pretty much putting my life on pause. I'm moving to California (Temecula) with my best friend and his family. I've been close to his family for a pretty long time and believe it's the best move to make. I'm going to live there for a month, then probably head back home to Michigan for Thanksgiving. After that I'm going to start figuring out going to college as well as many other things I've kind of blown off for a long time.
I do not regret moving down to Cabo San Lucas in the least bit, even though I'm leaving my condo with almost a month remaining. I've had an absolutely amazing experience living here. It was a shock to me at first as I've never lived in another country for any relatively long amount of time. You still see things here that you'd never see in the US almost every day, but it's very safe here and the people are quite friendly. I learned a ton about myself from being down here for a while and met a lot of cool people. I also made a bit of money so that's always nice as well.
I've really never had a "normal" family and have been very independent since I was 13 or 14. I consider my friend family and have visited Temecula a couple of times and loved it every time. It just feels normal to sit down and eat dinner with your family, have emotional support, etc.
It's been a lot of fun and I appreciate everyone for their support and input. It really has helped me on my way to becoming a better person. I had a great run and hopefully you'll see me back online in a year or two playing here and there. I expect to be in college by the absolute latest Fall 2012.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Update on other things
As for the rest of my life, everything is pretty much sorted out. My grandma is working diligently to try and keep my house, but it's pretty likely it's going to get foreclosed on at this point. I feel horrible, but I knew it was coming so it's not really that big of a deal. I know when I go back to the states I have so many friends and family members I would have a place to stay no matter what.
My Grandma was an emotional wreck after the death of my father, but she seems to be alright now. I really feel horrible for her as she was the one working with him on his health constantly. She would literally be over my house 5 days a week 12 hours a day just sitting by his bed, talking to him, cheering him up, and making sure he felt comfortable and wasn't drinking or in pain.
As for my future? I'm not really sure. It's hard to look years in advance and I've learned that very quickly. I'm just trusting my instincts and doing whatever I feel is best for my life. I make sure to talk to a lot of people I trust and soak in their opinions, but overall it's about what I want to do with my life. I strongly believe I will still go to college, but now is not the time for me. I just went through an absolutely devastating period of time and I'm simply not prepared for it.
Moving to Cabo was a great idea and has been a lot of fun. I've already met a ton of cool people here, and our realtor (Greg) has been the most helpful person in the world. His assistant Vianey has been very helpful as well. They've shown us around town, driven us wherever, and have done us countless favors. If anyone reads this and wants the best realtor in Mexico you can send me an IM, facebook message, email, whatever and I'll give you his info. He really is not only our realtor but a friend as well.
I still have a very strong passion for poker and it's never died out. I can truly see myself playing poker professionally for the next 5-10 years and still loving the game. The moment it's 100% about the money is the day I quit playing for a living. It's not only a job, but a hobby as well and it's the most mind engaging thing I've ever done. It's provided me opportunities that I certainly would not have had without it, and has gotten me through some rough times in my head. Just being able to load up some tables online, or go to a live poker game to get my mind off things just makes me feel great. It really is one of the best games ever and I'm blessed to be able to make a good living doing what I love.
I've gotten a lot of pressure from a few family members to go to college right away, but I'm just going to listen to my heart and do what makes me the happiest.
Sorry for the long winded posts as usual. Thanks for reading everybody...
-Brandon
My Grandma was an emotional wreck after the death of my father, but she seems to be alright now. I really feel horrible for her as she was the one working with him on his health constantly. She would literally be over my house 5 days a week 12 hours a day just sitting by his bed, talking to him, cheering him up, and making sure he felt comfortable and wasn't drinking or in pain.
As for my future? I'm not really sure. It's hard to look years in advance and I've learned that very quickly. I'm just trusting my instincts and doing whatever I feel is best for my life. I make sure to talk to a lot of people I trust and soak in their opinions, but overall it's about what I want to do with my life. I strongly believe I will still go to college, but now is not the time for me. I just went through an absolutely devastating period of time and I'm simply not prepared for it.
Moving to Cabo was a great idea and has been a lot of fun. I've already met a ton of cool people here, and our realtor (Greg) has been the most helpful person in the world. His assistant Vianey has been very helpful as well. They've shown us around town, driven us wherever, and have done us countless favors. If anyone reads this and wants the best realtor in Mexico you can send me an IM, facebook message, email, whatever and I'll give you his info. He really is not only our realtor but a friend as well.
I still have a very strong passion for poker and it's never died out. I can truly see myself playing poker professionally for the next 5-10 years and still loving the game. The moment it's 100% about the money is the day I quit playing for a living. It's not only a job, but a hobby as well and it's the most mind engaging thing I've ever done. It's provided me opportunities that I certainly would not have had without it, and has gotten me through some rough times in my head. Just being able to load up some tables online, or go to a live poker game to get my mind off things just makes me feel great. It really is one of the best games ever and I'm blessed to be able to make a good living doing what I love.
I've gotten a lot of pressure from a few family members to go to college right away, but I'm just going to listen to my heart and do what makes me the happiest.
Sorry for the long winded posts as usual. Thanks for reading everybody...
-Brandon
The Move
So I moved down to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with a couple friends of mine. So far it's been absolutely amazing and I plan to stay here for at least another 3 or 4 months. I'll visit home a couple times in between then, but living here was the best move I've ever made. I feel stress free, anxiety free, and I'm just enjoying my life in general. I'm doing pretty well in cash games too so I feel like I have my groove back. I haven't done too much partying down here, as I consider it a business trip, but we did go out the other night and it was one of the best days/nights of my life.
I'm not sure how long I want to stay here. My lease is up in a little over 1 month, and as much as I love it here I miss the US a lot. It's hard to meet anyone new here and I've just mostly been staying in my condo playing poker. I do love playing, but I find when I play too much I am depressed regardless of how well I am doing.
I'm not sure how long I want to stay here. My lease is up in a little over 1 month, and as much as I love it here I miss the US a lot. It's hard to meet anyone new here and I've just mostly been staying in my condo playing poker. I do love playing, but I find when I play too much I am depressed regardless of how well I am doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)