The 2010 World Series Of Poker is in full swing in Las Vegas. Since 2006, I have made a yearly WSOP trip during the Main Event. The first couple years I was worked for CardRunners and handled reporting duties with a press pass, while the last couple years I went on behalf of Poker Curious. This year's trip will be the first 9 days of July. It is always a good time to arrange business meetings, network, see friends and take in some of the Main Event. I have a press pass again this year, and I will be doing some reporting or interviewing from a human interest standpoint.

For a poker player, it is the most exciting time of the year. All the best players gather in Las Vegas during part or all of the six week series. There are smaller tournaments all around town and lots of cash games going. In addition, there are lots of parties and get-togethers. Everything builds towards the the Main Event.

I thought it would be a fun to share some of my best memories from past visits. These top 10 memories aren't in any particular order and some reflect my innocence of being new to the scene at the time, of which I'm obviously less of a noob now.

1. Having ready access to every poker player I had ever watched on TV or online, whether utilizing my press pass reporting on players or just walking the Rio halls surrounded by all the players I had ever admired or watched.

2. Attending a small charity poker party where Devilfish, Cowboy Kenna James, Marcel Luske and numerous other well known poker regulars all sang karaoke.

3. Touring the '2 Months 2 Million' mansion with Jay 'Krantz' Rosenkrantz.

4. Catching a lift back to the Strip from a private poker party with Phil Galfond and Hac Dang.

5. Reporting and railing Lee Childs as he made it from obscurity to WSOP ME final table.

6. Enjoying the July 4th Everest Poker Party on Caesars rooftop as 4th of July fireworks went off above us.

7. Observing the first prize sweat session of a CardRunners member flown to Las Vegas to be individually tutored by Brian Townsend and Taylor Caby.

8. Eating wonderful meals at Vegas restaurants, many of which were cost free due to winning credit card roulette, and some where I lost.

9. Ruining my potential political career when Stinger snapped a shot of me with a dancer's derriere next to my face at the CR party at Saphire.

10. Attending a high stakes private poker party where 3 bracelet winners and 10 poker millionaires 'actively' railed one player playing 200/400 PLO online.

One of the challenges that serious and improving poker players, those who join training sites or really focus on improvement, can suffer from is entitlement tilt. It is the sense that because you work very hard on your game, you are entitled to consistent good results. If they don't come as you expect them, it can put you on tilt. A less experienced or knowledgeable player can avoid that type of tilt because they don't expect good results regularly.

A subset of this type of entitlement tilt is something I call 'noobmonia'. Of all the types of tilt, it seems to aggravate me the most. The condition flares up when I see opponents making very bad plays, but rewarded for them. For instance, I was railing a friend in a Stars 90 man SNG last night, when an early position player with 80 BB's open shoved over an UTG limp with A,10 off suit. He was called by the small blind's K's, who covered him, but he sucked out when an Ace hit on the river. With six people to act, two other stacks that covered him, and knowing that the only hands that would call him in that situation would be way ahead, it was not a wise move that deep. He went on to make numerous ridiculous plays throughout the SNG, but ended up in 4th, as the cards didn't punished him for his poor play.

It it that type of dynamic that consistently gets under my skin. Due to my training and poker education, I am aware when players are making sub-optimal plays. It is something I should relish and look to exploit, but when they suck out or when they don't suffer from their poor play it really boils my blood. I have this sense of justice associated with poker. Good plays should be rewarded, bad ones not.

This can lead to the last type of tilt I wanted to mention. For lack of a better term I'll call it justice tilt. It is when your opponent is regularly rewarded by their bad play that you get so frustrated that you justify loosening up and making similar long shot loose plays because you feel you are owed. If it worked for him, it will work for me. You abandon what you know to be solid plays and start gambling it up.

Poker players who focus on improving their game and playing optimally are more susceptible to all three of these related types of tilt. It is something you have to manage, along with all the other kinds of tilt. For your peace of mind, sometimes it feels like it would be better to not know better, sometimes...LOL Although it should certainly be more profitable in the long run to play more optimally, if only we avoid the associated tilt when our opponents don't.

There is a famous line from Leonard Cohen's song "Anthem" that I heard for the first time last night.

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

Leonard Cohen is a legend in American music culture; known for his poetry, lyrics and song craft. There was something about the refrain that I could relate to in my life. In our lives, we look to project an image of 'having it together.' We hide our faults and cracks at every opportunity. But it is those very cracks that allow us to grow as people. It is those cracks that make us vulnerable, but interesting. It is those those cracks that permit the light to get in.

Interpreted a different way, it is often through failure that we are able to truly succeed. A couple weeks ago, I posted this quote by Michael Jordan on the PC home page quote of the day.

"I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed."

Until we understand our weaknesses, we can't really understand what are our strengths. Until we accept our failures, we can't comprehend what it means to win. In the poker world, the players who achieve the greatest success aren't those that just ran well. Sure, that can get you off to a great start, or propel you much faster up the poker ladder, but only those players who are constantly examining their game, strengths and weaknesses will prevail in the long run. The best players have all failed at one time or another, but they learned from their failure. They acknowledged their cracks and learned from the experience. They didn't give up. Sometimes the lessons need to be repeated over and over, but each time is an opportunity for growth and reflection. Humility may be the best thing gained from the entire experience.

Every time that I look in the mirror, I see cracks. Each time I look around me, I see cracks. It is my opportunity to let the light in, or not.

Keeping your composure is one of the undervalued skills in poker. Driving home from lunch today with Mrs. Zimba, I was listening to a baseball interview where Tom Seaver was discussed. He is a Hall of Fame Mets pitcher who won over 300 games with a career ERA of 2.50. He was a model of consistency, always pitching the same regardless of the results. He was a consummate professional who didn't let his outward emotions or his results affect how he approached his pitching. Watching him, you couldn't ever tell whether he was winning or losing. The best poker players are able to keep that same sense of composure so they can keep making optimal decisions.

Lately, I've been watching a number of streaming movies online, late at night, as I unwind from the day. Some of them have been horror movies, reminding me why I have never been a big fan of that genre. Despite not being a big fan of gore or being scared, I never like when characters totally lose it. They freak out in a situation and start making really stupid decisions. Their emotion and fear overwhelms them, usually costing them their lives. It is a real skill to remain calm in the face of peril or losing a few buyins.

The final movie I watched last night was called Vertical Limit, which stars Chris O'Donnell and portrays the issues of serious mountain climbing on K2. Once again, in really tough stressful situations, some characters are able to remain calm, not panic, and make the tough and important decisions to save lives, while other just lose it.

I don't know if it's something that can be taught, something gained from experience, or something genetic, but keeping your composure in the face of adversity isn't apparently a common skill set. Allowing your emotions to overwhelm you will rarely serve you well in times of stress and uncertaintly. Those are the times you need to think most clearly to find a solution.

Ever since the 2007 Rob Reiner movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the concept of creating a Bucket List (what you want to do before kicking the bucket) has become quite popular. I have seen several live poker themed Bucket Lists, but I thought it would be fun to present one for the online poker world.  It isn't necessarily my personal list, but more of a dozen highlights from an ultimate online poker Bucket List.  Leave your suggestions and additions in the comments.

1. Win a low buy-in satellite package to some exotic tournament (e.g. SnowFest, Monte Carlo, Macau or some exotic tropical destination).

2. Win a 180 man SNG without looking at my hole cards.

3. Become a Supernova Elite and buy a Porsche with my winnings.

4. Have a massive photoshop thread about me on twoplustwo.

5. Build the ultimate home computer poker set up with a wall of monitors and kicking speakers.

6. Play Ziigmund while we're both drunk, and beat him, berating him in the chat box.

7. Have my very own custom avatar on Full Tilt.

8. Win the WCOOP ME, SCOOP ME, or FTOPS ME while sitting in the lobby of some foreign resort hotel with 50 poker players railing and rooting me on.

9. Win one of the massive bad beat jackpots on UB with four Aces to a Royal Flush.

10. Win an online prop bet with Mike Matusow or Phil Hellmuth where the loser has to wear a 'dunce' costume throughout the WSOP ME. 

11. Learn to 24 table profitably.

12. Play Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Durrrr at 500/1000 simultaneously.

There once was a boy with many dreams...

He dreamed of becoming a top athlete.
He dreamed of becoming a scholar.
He dreamed of becoming president and fixing the countries problems.
He dreamed of many exotic adventures around the world.
He dreamed of marrying the perfect woman.
He dreamed of becoming rich.
He dreamed of making the ideal family.
He dreamed of changing the world.

Many years later he sat facing his past dreams. What had become of his life? He questioned why he had been so idealistic. He was questioning his impact when his grandson walked up to him and said "Grandpa, I dreamed that one day I would be like you."

We may never fulfill our lofty dreams and goals, but they are our companion in life's journey. Without them we would be aimless. Our dreams may become smaller and smaller as we get older, but my one desire is that I never stop dreaming.

There is a quote by John Lennon from his song Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) that sums up my thoughts quite well "Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans."

My 11 year old son recently tried out for a select soccer team, after years of playing community co-ed soccer that accepts anyone. My family is on the East Coast, so they don't get to see him play. One asked what made me think he was good enough to make the select team with the best players. My answer was that I felt strongly that he has some intangibles that you need to succeed in soccer.

As I watched the tryouts, it was easy to notice that he is one of the smaller boys in his age group. He is slight and not one of the stronger kids. He gets knocked down a lot in games. There were many other kids who could dribble better, shoot harder, or who probably practice a lot more. But what I noticed is that he has something that not many kids have. For lack of a better word, I'll call it heart. He leaves it all on the field. Every time he falls or gets knocked down he gets right back up. He throws his body around the field. He is able to disrupt or outmaneuver better skilled players through his hustle and determination. While he may suffer from nerves before a game, in the moment, he has a tremendous will to compete. He needs good coaching to improve in many areas, but any good team needs players like that. We shall see what the coaches who evaluated the talent conclude, but I was proud of him for showing certain intangibles that I didn't always have when I played.

As I often do, I related this example to the poker world. So much emphasis in the poker world goes into improving tangible skills. Knowing your odds, percentages, hand ranges, and when to make certain moves against certain opponents. There are hundreds of poker books, training sites, and poker forums that can assist you. These are clearly important, but equally important are those intangible elements that define the great players; tremendous observation and perception skills, emotional control, and a will to win.

Whether to raise, fold or call may seem to depend on what the probability of the game dictates, but it's rarely that simple. Yesterday, I played a session where I encountered two opponents I had played briefly before. Thankfully, even though it is Rush PLO, I had taken notes on them. In each case, I had noted that they could bluff off their stack, triple barreling, if they had showed strength in position pre-flop and I didn't ever raise. It was quite scary to call down their displayed strength, in one case with only top pair, but I decided to go with my read and stacked them. If I hadn't of taken disciplined notes, there is no way I ever call a pot sized bet on the river, after two previous pot bets, with only top pair in PLO.

Soon after those hands, I lost three consecutive big all in hands where I was a 70-30 favorite on the flop or turn. I was very annoyed, but I accepted that I had hit my stop loss and that was enough of a bad run for me. Time to call it a day. My competitive drive is healthy, and part of me wanted to keep grinding until I got it all back, but I also realized that I was likely too annoyed to continue playing optimally. Poker will always be there. Thankfully, I don't play it for a living. It is important that I use both the tangibles I've learned over the years, along with my personal intangibles that I've nurtured to my favor, if I am to continue being a winner player.

What do you consider your personal poker intangibles?

When you sit down at the virtual poker table, what are your motivations for playing?  Is it the challenge of figuring out the game? Is it the competition and desire to best your opponents? Do you like action? Is it the social aspect? Is it for the love of money and profit? Obviously for most players, it's a combination of all these factors.

As I thought about the subject further, I thought of a method of examining this question more closely.  Let's look at the situations in poker that give you the most joy and pleasure.  What do they indicate about your motivations?  I'll list several examples and let's see where you fall.

1. You raise the best hand pre-flop and value bet the best hand on each round, getting paid off.

2. You call with a marginal or speculative hand pre-flop, but hit a great flop and check raise your opponent who overplays his hand.

3. You sense weakness in your opponent and bluff raise them, causing them to fold their best hand.

4. You make a hero call with a marginal hand against a hard betting opponent and snap them off.

5. You take a creative line (much different from how you usually play it) in a hand that works out well.

6. You raise the best hand pre-flop, bet your best hand on flop and turn, your opponent chases his two outer and hits on the river.

The first example gives you satisfaction for playing solid winning poker and being paid off.

In the second example, you like action and the gamble involved.  You relish coming from behind to surprise/upset your opponent.

The third example rewards your ego and perception at the table as you move your opponent off a better hand.

The fourth example also rewards your ego for making a really tough call with a marginal hand.

In the fifth example, your non standard play is rewarded.  You look to maximize value by out thinking your opponent.

In the final example, you play the hand perfectly, but the odds go against you.  Do you play to play well, or do good results equate to good play?

Examining what situations give you the most pleasure can help you determine your true motivations for playing poker.  It can also influence your future strategy and choice of style of play.  There is no right answer as to why you play, but once you understand it clearly, you can better adapt your play to achieve your goals.

Someone unfamiliar with Poker Curious asked me, "why should I sign up? What is there for me, if I don't play freerolls?"  The feature that immediately came to mind is favoriting.  It is a great feature that I utilize every day.  It saves me a ton of time to have my favorite poker sites and poker blogs all organized in one place, so that I can visit them quickly and efficiently.

As you visit the many informational pages throughout Poker Curious, you will see a club shape to the right of many items.  If you click on the club shape, it will turn maroon.

That indicates that the item has been favorited and sent to your My Favorites page. 

Go to your My Favorites page and you will see a list of all your favorited sites and blogs, organized by category and color.  You can re-order your lists by clicking and dragging them.  You can also click on the little x on the right to delete them if you don't want it as a favorite.  I really enjoying seeing which pro blogs have been updated, with their titles.

Every day,  I have a number of poker sites that I like to visit to check the latest news or activity.  In one easy to use page, I can navigate most of the poker world that matters most to me.

I love it and so should any poker player who values their time.

Over 15 years ago, when I first moved out to Oregon from the East Coast, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" was one of the first bumper stickers I saw that seemed to capture the elan of the Pacific Northwest. It embraced the desire for adventure and exploration both personally and geographically. Where I had come from professed to have all the answers and most of them felt hollow to me.

Recently, I read James Michener's The Drifters. It is set in the early 1970's at a tumultuous time where six far flung young adults are all alienated by their local culture and environment and seek new adventures abroad. They all encounter one another in the young tourist Spanish enclave of Torremolinos. From there they travel to Algarve, Portugal, then Pamplona, Spain for the running of the bulls, then Mozambique and finally Marrakech, Morroco. Along the way, they begin to find their own identities and destinies.

At the beginning of each chapter, Michener includes a number of quotes that capture the spirit of that character or destination. I thought I would share a few of them the help convey a sense of the novel.

- Youth is truth.

- War is good business, invest your sons.

- With men, the normal state of nature is not peace but war - Kant

- The permanent temptation of life is to confuse dreams with reality. The permanent defeat of life comes when dreams are surrendered to reality.

- The blunders of youth are preferable to the success of old age - Disraeli

- Soul is the ability to manipulate adversity so that it becomes tolerable.

-The use of a university is to make young gentlemen as unlike their fathers as possible. - Woodrow Wilson

- The best way to change society is to replace it one man at a time.

- Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow.

- Nature is the balm that will cure all the ills created by those who have abused nature.

- The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history. - George Eliot

In the final pages, the main characters summarize their experiences together..."We agreed that a young person's years of indecision were not wasted if they provided thinking space fortified by relevant data, even though some of the latter might not be understood at the moment, so that when the lucky moment of inspiration struck, it found tinder to ignite."

And my personal favorite quote... "Every man over forty is a scoundrel" - Shaw