Another year, another beginning

I have spent a lot of time pondering over the past few weeks about the upcoming year. Although 2007 is already in its third week, it is not too late to discuss my goals for 2007. I will list them in no particular order and indicate the goals of greatest importance in bold.

Prop - Until the funds in my savings are made available (sometime in February/March), I will be a prop at Poker.com. I plan to take full advantage of the 100% rakeback offer I have on the site. I will multi-table .5/1.00, 1/2, 2/4 and 3/6 NL and play as many as 8 screen simultaneously. Goal: Generate 10K in accumulated rake & earnings of 5K by the end of February.

Borrowing/loaning $ - In all likelihood, this will be the most difficult goal to achieve. I should not have too much trouble not accepting/asking for cash advances from friends [even if I have the funds available for trade in a few days notice] or borrowing at all for that matter, but I have always struggled to stand my ground in terms of loaning money. However, I have been at the bad end of too many transactions in the past and simply can not afford any more misfortune. Goal: Don't borrow; Don't loan.

Staking - I have had a lot of success in the last year staking players. Through the instruction of other poker players, I have learned a lot about myself and corrected many of the mistakes in my own game, which I saw in my students. However, I have also experienced more than my fair share of stress. I was able to handle the fluctuation of each individual's bankroll, keep a positive attitude and remain optimistic even though all of my students experienced poor results in the early going. Although I have many success stories to share with future clients, I have a lot to learn from the arrangements that did not go so well. Goal: Have an integral role in the progression of each of my students through the entire duration of the arrangement.

Expenses - I have been improving in this area over the past several months, but I still need to do more. Over the next three months, I will not be traveling. Instead, I will spend more time playing poker and on others goals. Goal: Pay closer attention to expenses; don't spend unnecesarily. I agree it is broad. At the least, I will become more conscious and make better decisions. I hope.

Main Event - I will play in the World Series of Poker Main Event regardless, but I may have to sell shares. Goal: Qualify for the WSOP M.E. / Be in a situation so that I could comfortably afford the 10K buy-in.

Others:

- Have an open mind toward re-learning short-handed NL.

- Maintain my blog through regular updates and construct a beginners manual for Pasoi.

- Daily mind exercises (i.e. puzzles, Soduku), ski 2 days/ week, run a rack, hit a drive long and straight, healthier diet and maintain figure.

- Have fun, stay optimistic and avoid abuse behavior in the chat box


Also, it would be nice to make a televised final table, but I have many other areas to address. When the time is right, I will buy-in or satelitte into a major tournament. Until then, I will only be a spectator on the tournament circuit.