On Tuesday we had 2 plays both in MLB.
We had a 1 unit play on San Fran -119 which lost 3-6 and a 1/2 unit overnight play on Houston +115 that won 7-2.
So far today I have sent out 1 overnight and 2 additional plays.
For those of you that missed it, the “Big Move Games” are now overnight 1/2 unit plays. I went over the first 2 months and saw no reason not to add them into the mix.
I am still tracking the Big Move games for % correct moves and average move amount.
May is coming to an end and after the 0-9 1 unit play start we have been flatlining since.
Nothing however unusual about that. It is very similar to the way last season went except the 0-9 start was not there.
I was going to go into length regarding poker and stock trading.
Right now, however, I do not have a lot of time to do it justice.
Let me make a few short comments.
Poker is a fun endeavor. I have been playing the game my entire adult life with the exception of a short span when I got obsessed with playing bridge:)
As most of you that have been following me, I fulfilled a life dream I had of moving to Vegas to become a full-time poker player. It’s typical of many of my life dreams, I usually get around to fulfilling them.
My intent at the time was to play in Vegas for 3 to 5 years to see what I missed out on 40 years ago.
5 years turned into 10. Then 10 into 14 at which point I went over the time and energy of the last 14 years and decided there was a better way to spend my time.
You are hearing this from a person that of the 14 years or so had only 1 losing year. In addition, except for mixed games, I had a positive earn in every game I played.
So then why not keep playing?
1. It requires an incredible amount of time
2. Many of the people you play with are what I call ” down and outers” They are broke with much borrowing money to play.
3. Many of the players have severe antisocial disorders. As a young player asked me who I had played with over the years (a tourist) “How do you stand to be around some of these players every day”
4. Your earn rate is dismal. Forget the big bet an hour fantasy. In limit poker, it is more like a small bet. And even then that is an optimistic number.
5. Now if your playing 200 400 you might be able to make some money depending on your skill level. But at the 5-10 up to 40-80, the house gets most of the money available. At 5-10 it’s almost 100% and at 40-80 its more like 60%.
6. And then after the house gets their cut you still have tipping expenses, along with whatever else comes up.
So the gist is there just is not enough there to make it worth your while.
Now, I now many of the old timers (Not me) But people like Pearson, Slim etc made successful careers out of poker.But the old timers were a rare breed. Poker was wide open back then and anything goes was the theme. And I mean anything.
So the bottom line is this. If you have the brains to beat the limit poker games for any kind of money year in and year out, then you have the ability to make real money in about any other field you choose.
Whether its law, medicine or stock trading you will make more money with a much better life.
For instance, swing trading stock and ETF is much easier and much more profitable then grinding out day in and day out 20/40 Omaha 8 or better. Or any other limit game for that matter.
In addition, you can do that from the comfort of home without being exposed to the 2nd hand smoke that you find in every casino in Vegas.
Now a few things to clear up.
Not everyone falls into the type person I outline above that plays poker. I have made some good friends over the years and also some acquaintances from all over the world
But still, there is a core number of players that I have to say makes it unpleasant to play with. They refuse to keep their issues apart from the tables and make life miserable for many that play. Not only do they have attitudes and personalities that are extremely negative but also they are fringe personalities.
Also, one other thing is Brunson, Greenstein, Reece. These are all player that have been extremely successful as poker players. These types of players are 1 in a million.
Now the purpose of this is toward younger players that are considering being “professional poker players”. You can begin playing to see how it goes and before you know it 5 years turns into 10 to 20 and then your 80 and still playing day in and day with very little to show for it.
I went longer than I should have this morning as I have some things I have to finish up before the market closes.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to send me an email.
RickJ
RickJ’s Handicapping Picks
