Diary of a Poker Diva - Liz Lieu

So much going on!! Sorry everyone for the long delay between blog updates. I’ve been busy running bad and trying to figure out how to run better! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not really having a very successful WSOP this year!! Ugghhhh. Since my last update, I’m down another $25,500 in buy-ins. This is getting yucky!!

Even more amazing is that I’m not even really that upset. Can you believe that? I actually feel pretty good about life. The way I see it, part of life is continuing to do the right things and no matter how many setbacks you have or how long you run bad, eventually the cards always break out even. Or at least get better!! At this very moment, I’m just doing the best I can and patiently waiting for my ship to come in.

So what exactly is going on? To be honest, I’ve been playing very well the past couple of weeks. I couldn’t really say that for the first two events of this year’s WSOP. I looked back and just cringed at how poorly I played in terms of all of the little things. Luckily I went home and realized some minor leaks and focused on strengthening a couple areas where I felt I played weak during the first two events I played. I will post some key hands and my experiences at the tables on my poker blog over at PokerListings soon, so keep an eye out for it.

(photo courtesy of PokerListings and Pokernews)

Hopefully, all of this bad luck is building up and creating a situation where everything needs to even out and I have a crazy run of good luck at the Main Event this year. Wouldn’t that be nice?! But again, I just need to weather the storm and be confident there is a big pay off down the road. Sometimes the most successful people aren’t the most skilled or the most intelligent. They were just the most persistent. The ability to move forward when everyone else gives up, sometimes it’s the single most successful decision you can make in life.

Anyhow, moving away from Poker, it hasn’t been all poker for me in Vegas! I’ve had friends come in and out of town all month. I’ve been catching some shows and going out to the clubs with different girlfriends of mine. I’ve played some cash games on the side and trying to mix it up and keep every week fresh and new. It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut in Las Vegas if you let yourself.

Interesting fact. I did go through a stretch where I battled some insomnia in the middle of the month. That was fun. =) Thank goodness I’m over that! OMG, I actually had to skip some events because I wasn’t able to fall asleep until the sun was coming up. I am not even kidding. I had plans to play at noon and it was 10am and I was still awake from the night before!! Not really a good recipe for success if you want to play against the best poker players in the world.

Anyhow, looking forward to the 4th of July and partying with some good friends that are coming into town this Friday. I have a few days off before playing in Day 1 of the Main event on the 5th. And will go out to TAO and XS with my friends. We’ll definitely be doing lots of bottle popping and just enjoy life and celebrate Independence Day.

I look forward to having some of my support system in town this week and I think this positive vibe will carry forward. And maybe give me some good luck, perhaps? I know poker players usually say “luck” doesn’t apply to poker and they are correct, in the long run, there is little luck involved and it’s a very skilled game. But in the short term, luck can play a huge factor in a single tournament.

All I can do is get my head straight. Stay physically and emotionally healthy and do my best next week. Play at my highest skill level. Not worry about the luck factor but at the same time if “lady luck” wanted to visit me next week and stick around for a little while, I won’t complain!! The Main Event has a very good structure. Deep chip stacks with lots of plays because the blinds only go up every 2 hours. So, I am pretty confident that if I play my “A” game and dodge some bullets, I can do really well.

I really hope everyone has a wonderful Independence Day!! I look forward to relaxing and enjoying this 100+ degree Las Vegas weather. Is that possible?! Honestly, I just look forward to having my friends and Alex arrive in town. I’ll go out to some dinners with them. I plan to hit the clubs but not get too wild or crazy. I hope everyone else surrounds themselves with family and close friends on this 4th of July Holiday as well!!

Cheers!

Quick little update everyone. I played in Event #24, the No-Limit event on June 11th and quickly busted out. I lasted two levels and ran into some big hands early and could never quite recover. I eventually lost by hitting the 2nd biggest possible straight only to run into the nut straight. Read my Pokerlisting’s blog on this event.

I had plans to play in the limit tournament the following day. My strongest event but I just couldn’t get any sleep that night. Actually, it’s been quite a problem for me since I’ve been back in Las Vegas. I’ve been battling a case of insomnia it seems like. Some days, going to bed as the sun was coming up.

On the day of the limit event, it was already 9am, and I still couldn’t fall sleep. I decided I couldn’t play in that tournament because I just wasn’t going to be sharp enough to be successful. This off schedule sleeping habit is getting ridiculous!

On a positive note, I have been able to read Mike Matusow’s new book, Check Raising the Devil. I’ve known Mike almost as long as any other professional poker player. I’ve known Mike for more than 10 years now. In the mid 90’s, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, and myself were regulars at the biggest limit game at the Mirage. Those days, Mike was a bit quieter than he is now.

I must say, based on my personal experiences with Mike, that I’m really enjoying his book. I can tell you from what I know about him and other reputable sources close to Mike, that his book is very truthful. I know some of it seems unbelievable but it’s a really accurate and extremely entertaining account of his life. I would definitely recommend buying this book.

A lot of the stories are new to me but I’ve heard some of them before through other people and I remember Mike sharing some of his stories with me over the years. And the single biggest thing most people don’t realize about Mike, is that he is actually a very nice person. Mike is a really kind and caring individual. I know some of it gets lost in his outbursts and tantrums on TV but on a personal level, Mike is a very good person.

If you’re not already familiar with some of Mike’s challenges, it’s pretty public information that he suffers from bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When Mike was younger, he would self medicate himself with a cocktail or different types of drugs. Of course, this only led to bigger problems for Mike. All of which is pretty well documented in his new book.

Anyhow, that’s what I’ve been up to so far. Outside of playing some poker, I did have a chance to go out and socialize a couple of times with a few of my close girlfriends from Cali that are currently in town. We went out partying at the Bank this weekend. I also went to dinner at Jasmine’s at the Bellagio a couple of nights ago. One of my favorite chinese dining in Vegas.

There’s one event I’ve been looking forward to playing most besides the World Championship 10k No-Limit event is scheduled today at 5pm which is event #33 - 10k Limit-Holdem. I will definitely be playing in this tournament and looking to win my first WSOP bracelet! Wish me luck everyone!

Cheers!

I’m back in Vegas everyone!! I participated in my first WSOP event a couple of days ago. Event # 14 $2500 Limit Holdem (6-handed). I quickly built my chip stack to 13k after the first four levels of play, but ended up busting out late in Day 1 after going completely card dead after the dinner break. I’ve been back in Las Vegas for a week now. I was hoping to play in a few earlier events but as soon as I drove back from LA, I woke up the next morning with a bad cold flu. I had to wait almost a week until I was able to play my first event.

(photo courtesy of MadeInPoker.com)

(photo courtesy of Pokernews.com)

(photo courtesy of Pokernews.com)

(13k chip stack after 4th level before dinner break)

Since my last update, I made a sudden decision during my last week stay in London to hop on a plane back to Vietnam and spent a week there. I did some charity work for a few days and had an opportunity to clear my head from poker. This was my goal for staying in Europe and Asia for the entire month leading up to the WSOP, to mentally prepare myself for the WSOP and get myself spiritually and emotionally in the right state of mind.

While I was travelling through Vietnam, I had some amazing personal experiences that are a little difficult to explain. Through charity work, family, and friends, I was able to meet some very wonderful people in my recent visits. Some of the most wonderfully charitable and humble people I have ever met in my life. I had some eye opening experiences and moments that I cannot possibly explain in a blog. Let’s just say that I have a deeper understanding for life and my place in this world. I’d like to send out a very special thank you to Thay Hung, anh Phan, chi Thuy, and anh Banh for all the things they have done for me to make this charity journey a complete success!

(Xin thành kính cảm tạ Thầy Hùng (Hà Nội), người đã dành trọn tâm huyết cho chuyến làm từ thiện này. Và cũng xin chân thành cảm ơn anh Phán, chị Thuý, và anh Bằng đã cùng chung sức cho chuyến từ thiện này.)

Now that I am back in the states again, I am excited about playing poker again. I rarely get to step completely away from poker and I feel completely refreshed and with a strong desire to play really hard and put in the effort that is necessary when you are trying to navigate through some of these very deep and competitive WSOP fields.

I’ve only had a chance to play 1 day so far but I’ve noticed a trend where there are more and more unrecognizable faces every year. I am pretty sure some of these guys and gals are experienced and successful internet players so I always need to take caution and not assume I have a huge edge just because I don’t recognize somebody.

I also want to congratulate my friend Steve Sung for winning Event #4 for his first WSOP bracelet. Steve took home a cool $771,000. I’ve known Steve for a couple years now and he’s a really good guy and I’m extremely happy for him. And what Phil Ivey did in Event #8 isn’t very surprising at all but still amazing. Ivey is truly an amazing player and I heard rumors that he won close to $10,000,000 on a side bet for winning the Seven to Deuce event.

I’m hoping to have some of the same kind of success too and right now, I’m trying to figure out which events I want to play next. I believe there are 56 events this year so I have a long ways to go still and I’m trying to pace myself. I don’t want to burn myself out and throw money away when I enter a tournament. I really want to win every tournament I play.

I think there are a number of different places you can get WSOP results and updates. Keep your eyes out for me. Hopefully, I’ll make some big waves in one of these events soon and generate some excitement. Until then, I will keep you posted on my progress. I look forward to catching up with old friends in Vegas and most importantly enjoying myself but don’t be fooled. I really want to win that bracelet and will give each and every WSOP event my absolute best effort.

Cheers!

Clearing my head before the upcoming WSOP. Preparing myself physically, spiritually and mentally for the grueling month ahead. Sorry to report, not much going on here!! Just looking out at all the people and cars passing by and really enjoying this down time!! Mostly I am clearing my head and taking an opportunity to step back and really reflect on the past year.

Recently, I’ve been travelling between several countries in Europe. I flew to Monaco for the Monte Carlo tournament and just decided to stay in Europe. It’s a good opportunity to clear my head for the WSOP and unwind from all of the poker and work.

I must admit, it has been enjoyable reflecting on life and recent events. I can laugh about it now, but I have really had some interesting dealings with some very shady characters. Ha-Ha. I am not going to get into detail about it but it continues to surprise me how many selfish and deceptive people there are in this world.

I don’t know, maybe my perspective is skewed as a poker player and my work leads me into more than my fair share? But what I am really happy about is my continuing improvement in letting stuff go and forgiving people. I just honestly don’t have room in my life for negativity or people who want to drag you down to their level.

I’m surrounded by so much beauty and have so many great aspects about my life sometimes I reflect back and think to myself, how did I get distracted by people who don’t offer beauty into my life or bring substantial value as a human being?

Anyhow, I am letting go of all regrets. I really believe that every experience was meant to be and creates a stronger more emotionally healthy person. And I also know that I don’t have to bring justice to people who do me wrong. Life has an interesting way of handling that for you. Sometimes, it doesn’t handle it in the timeframe you desire, but eventually life makes all things good.

“It Is What It Is”

Learn to understand the characteristics and traits of people,
and do not be so critical of them. Just accept them as they are
and you will not have any surprises happen to you
nor will you feel let down.

When you are able to grasp this, you will be free from all disappointments.
There’s an old saying… “It is what it is”

I really do believe that all of the positivity I feel about my life at the moment and all of the negativity I am stripping away from me this month will have some really good benefits for me. I may or may not win a WSOP bracelet next month. I cannot predict what will happen in the future but I do know I will come in with a clear head and a lot of good karma working in my favor.

It may be this year or it may be next year or the year after, but I really feel strongly that I am going to have a break out WSOP in the near future. I have gone thru so much and continue to forge ahead and be stronger for it and I know there is a reward for doing the right thing and living a positive lifestyle.

I hope to write another blog or two before the WSOP. I plan to fly back to Las Vegas very soon and look forward to visiting with all of my poker friends and peers and get back into the mix again. But until then, I will enjoy this beautiful view and enjoy the opportunity to reflect and cleanse. There is no better happiness than a happy soul.

Cheers!

(photo credit unknown)

I wasn’t always the easiest child to deal with growing up. I always had a rebellious and independent side. I’m pretty sure I drove my mom crazy at times but deep down I have always loved my mom and really value her as a part of my life. I consider family one of the most important aspects of anyone’s life. Family always comes first. I hope people take a step back on this day and really remember how important their family is to them.

M-O-T-H-E-R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.
-Howard Johnson

Mom, I hope you have the best day today. I cannot be with you physically but in spirit I am with you always. To all the other mothers and daughters, I hope you had a chance to share this special day. But more importantly, don’t forget every day is an important day to treat your mother well and to shower her with love.

Peace, Love, and Happiness! XOXO

As I am writing this blog it’s Cinco De Mayo. I hope everyone is celebrating with loved ones and friends. I am currently laying low in London and spending time with some friends in town. I will fly back to the states soon and get some rest and relaxation before this year’s WSOP.

I’m wrapping up a whirlwind schedule that ended with the Dream Team poker event at Caesar’s in late March. Quinn Do and Matt Stout were my Dream Team partners and we didn’t have much luck on our side. For my part, I went all in with pocket Kings vs. pocket 6’s and lost full house Kings full of 6’s to quad 6’s. Arrghhh.

In the last several weeks, I have participated in a fashion photo shoot, played cash games at the Commerce, travelled to London and Monaco and I’m currently in the process of revamping this website. The overall design of the website will be the same but some of the content will be updated and I’m switching out a ton of old photos with some new ones. I have also just added two wallpaper downloads which I hope you all will enjoy. 

Some of the photos that are going up are actually part of the photo shoot I did 4 weeks ago. The photo shoot took twelve hours with me going through six outfit changes and shot at two different locations. I was really pleased with how the photos came out. What do you think?

After the photo shoot, I drove to Los Angeles to visit my mom and friends and when I found the time, I went to the Commerce to play in some live cash games. It was up and down for me but overall, I managed to squeeze out a small profit.

The biggest downside of playing at the Commerce in April was it seemed to be extraordinarily slow. None of the big games were going. The games were much smaller and it was tougher to find a juicy game which sometimes the Commerce can be famous for. They always seem to have action games. Perhaps the economy is having a negative impact on poker?

Anyhow, I spent a couple of weeks in Los Angeles, before heading off to Monte Carlo, Monaco for the EPT Grand Finale. This is one of my favorite tournaments to play in all year long. Last year I missed this event because of food poisoning. I was determined not to miss this year’s event!!

In 2008, I ordered some room service from my 5 star Hotel and managed to catch food poisoning from a salmon salad. I couldn’t believe it when I woke up sicker than I’ve been in my life. I thought maybe I could post-pone my Day 1A start and play Day 1B but I wasn’t feeling any better. Alex, my Chilipoker sponsor, had to pull me out of the tournament.

This year, I managed to stay healthy and made it to the tournament. Perhaps it would have been better if I caught food poisoning again.. haha.. Jk!! The poker gods surely wasn’t too nice to me! I won a total of four hands, none of which are big pots during the nine hours of tournament play, but I did manage to make it to Day 2, despite being completely card dead on Day 1.

(photo courtesy of CardPlayer.com)

On Day 2, I had just enough chips to last 2 rounds of blinds. I was dealt pocket 6’s on my very first hand of the day, blinds were 500-1000 with 100 ante, a player in early position raised to $3000, I decided this was my spot to double up or go home so I moved all-in with $11,200. The early position player called and turned over pocket Q’s. Not what I wanted to see.

I didn’t really expect to see him fold because I was short stack but I was hoping to be in a coin flip situation. Unfortunately, I was far behind and didn’t hit a 6 on the flop, turn or river and my tournament was over.

Monte Carlo wasn’t a complete waste of time, however. Monaco is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is located near the Mediterranean Sea on the French Riviera. Squeezed in between France and Italy, it’s truly a sight to behold. I really enjoy coming back here every year. I cannot think of a better location for a poker tournament.

During my stay in Monaco, I was able to catch up with my sponsor Alexandre Dreyfus. Alex and I had a nice lunch and it was so pleasant to see his smile. Alex is one of the most positive and fun-going people and he was extremely exuberant during this trip.

It was good to hear that Chilipoker is doing very well and Alex is involved in some other business ventures that have him smiling. One of those business ventures is a partnership agreement with the WPT for the first ever World Poker Tour Marrakech on the continent of Africa.

Alexandre Dreyfus, Chief Executive Officer of Chilipoker, commented in a press release distributed by the WPT, “Chilipoker is delighted to be associated with a world-renowned brand like the World Poker Tour in the creation of this unique and attractive event. With the creation of WPT Marrakech, Chili Poker also intends to emphasize Marrakech’s attributes as a highly-desirable destination for European and African poker players.”

In Monaco, I was able to meet with some key members of the Chilipoker team and discuss the upcoming Marrakech event that will take place from the 12th-19th October. I cannot release names yet, but so far we have commitments from some very high profile poker players to participate in the event. Television coverage of the tournament is also expected. Stay tuned for more details.

I also won a “last longer” bet with Alex. We both played in the Main Event and had a friendly wager on who would last longer in the tournament. I made it to Day 2 and unfortunately for Alex, he was knocked out on Day 1.

I also had a chance to do some sight-seeing in Monte Carlo since my tournament was cut a little short. The island itself is pretty small. Somebody told me only 3,000 residents actually live here but it’s a destination for some of the richest people in the world including many celebrities. The country is spectacular and the views are gorgeous.

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I promise the next one will be within the week and we will not go a month without another update. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the update. Stay tuned for some interesting and entertaining journal entries. I want to write some really personal stuff over the next few weeks while I rest up for this year’s WSOP which is right around the corner. Until then, Ciao.

I think many of you will find this journal entry is pretty topical considering recent economic events. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing poker at the Commerce in L.A. and something is definitely up. I’m not sure if it’s the economy or what but all of the high stakes games have temporarily dried up. I’ve been playing 100/200 at the Commerce lately because that’s the biggest game going in the high limit section right now. The few times we’ve been able to kick up the stakes, the game will fall apart within a couple of hours.

Las Vegas has been the same way if not worse in terms of high stakes cash games. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. I know some of poker players are struggling lately. I’ve heard rumors of different players going broke. I know a ton of players spend a lot of time travelling or playing online. And the live cash games have suffered because of it. But it’s okay because I’m going to adapt and stay the course until better days.

In Nautical terms, staying the course means not altering your path regardless of the obstacles in your way. You weather the storm and reach your destination. In 2008, I ran into a bunch of different storms, personally, spiritually, physically, and professionally. And a few times I was thrown off course and had to find my way again and it’s prepared me for everything to come in 2009. In the past week, I’ve been able to stay pretty even playing the cash games. I ran pretty bad early, losing on some pretty horrific beats. I was able to finish the week strong booking 3 straight winning sessions. I took a lot of personal time in 2008 and now I’m back stronger and better than ever.

After pulling several all nighters grinding the cash games, I was wearied! So what did I do to get away? I took a short break! Last Friday night I went out with my girls to celebrate one of our girlfriend Kayla’s birthday at iLounge Nightclub, one of the new trendy hot spots in Newport Beach. We managed to get the best table in the joint in the Presidential VIP suite, which in my opinion felt like we were trapped in a cell behind bars. HaHa!! Nevertheless, we had a awesome time!

(Birthday girl Kayla)

At the moment, I see clear skies and sunrise. I am really looking forward to this weekend’s tournament at Caesar’s. The Dream Team Poker Event. Quinn Do, Matt Stout and I make up the Pokerlistings team. I know Poker Road has a team in the tournament headed by Joe Sebok. Also, Eric Morris of Bluff Media will have his team there ready to play. My good friends Lacey Jones, Maria Ho, and Tiffany Michelle will make up an all-female team. I believe they are going by the name “Yo Mamma” or something like that. Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Dennis Phillips, Jamie Gold and Jerry Yang are some other players with teams entered into the Dream Team field.

I hope I have more to report after this weekend. I expect good things and even if the cards or chips don’t fall my way, I will stay the course!

Bonjour everyone! So much going on this month, I am not sure where to start. I’ve been playing a fair amount of poker in the last couple of weeks. I spent some time at the Commerce Casino playing in the limit games and I also played some poker online. I plan to play some more this week to warm up for the Dream Team Poker Tournament March 27-29.

The Dream Team Poker Tournament takes place at Caesar’s Palace and is a team format. Every team is made up of three players and a ton of big names have committed to the event. Including Mike Matusow, Phil Helmuth, Jerry Buss, T.J. Cloutier, Tom McEvoy, Dennis Phillips, Todd Brunson, Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold, Kenny Tran, Shawn Sheikhan, Actor Mehki Phifer, Hoyt Corkins, Tiffany Michelle, Quinn Do, NBA Player Chris Mills, Jeff Madsen, Joe Sebok, Maria Ho, Lacey Jones and a ton of other well known players.

More than 100 teams are expected to enter. You can view the format or get more details on dreamteampoker.com. It should be a fun event and I haven’t participated in many “team” formats so this should be pretty interesting. My team is made up of Quinn Do, Matt Stout, and myself.

So, what else is going on with me?? Well I want to report that I am officially a trendsetter!! LoL. Actually my friend Chesty Kemper called me this, because I’ve been trying to get him on Twitter for the past year. He told me this week he saw Twitter being featured on the TV news 2 times and once on MSN.com as the newest craze!! I told him he would be addicted to Twitter because he’s pretty good about keeping up on his facebook account. I tried to get my girlfriend Lisa on Twitter as well. Both of them have refused to participate on Twitter out of stubbornness and Chesty admitted to me last week that it’s becoming tougher because so many people are joining Twitter every day.

Liz Lieu Twitter

I also want everyone to know there has been a Liz Lieu Fan page created on Facebook if you haven’t had a chance to check it out. I approve of the page and I encourage those of you who are not linked to my facebook account to go there. I have had a ton of requests to my Facebook account lately and I am only adding friends. I feel like I need something personal for me. People can get a hold of me on my website and myspace among other places and I want to continue to keep my facebook page for my friends and family. I hope nobody is offended if I turn them away. 

Liz Lieu Fan Page

So what’s going on in this crazy topsy turvy world? Hopefully we’ve hit rock bottom on falling stock prices. It was good to see the stock market go up for a couple of days last week. It was getting pretty depressing. On top of that, AIG is paying out more than $160 million in bonuses to company executives after they received almost 200 billion in bail out money from tax payers!! That was crazy. Congress just passed a bill to tax them at 90% to penalize their greed. It was about time somebody in govt. did the right thing to stop some of this nonsense.

This economy is affecting everything! I’ve noticed the bigger games are starting to slow down and Vegas suffering a little bit in their tourism. I’ve been playing at lower limits than I have in the past just to get a good game. I also spend more time online because the games don’t last as long or run as frequently as they used to 3-4 years ago. I might need to look for another job!! HaHa … JK!

I don’t think I would make a very good employee. I’ve been playing professional poker since I was 18 and have always been self-employed. I don’t know how long I would last taking orders from somebody else. I was going to play in Bay 101 but the week before that tournament, I was running so badly online and live cash games, so I decided to take a break and play in the Caesar’s event instead and prepare for my trip to Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand Finale. Before that I will also be participating in the Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio right after the Caesar’s event.

Keep an eye out for me on the poker updates. I’ll update everyone soon and hopefully I’ll have some good news to report. And don’t forget to add Twitter!! If you haven’t heard of it yet, you heard it here first. And yes, that includes you, Chesty and Lisa!! You know you want to do it!!

Cheers!

I have some great news to share. My sponsor site, Chilipoker.com has just announced an exclusive three year agreement with the World Poker Tour (WPT). 

Chilipoker and World Poker Tour® (WPT) Launch WPT Marrakech in Morocco - www.chilipoker.com/wpt-marrakech

I would like to applaud Alexandre Dreyfus for putting this agreement together. I know he’s been working on it for quite awhile. If you remember back to my blog when I visited with Alex in Los Angeles, he was in town working on this deal.

Chilipoker.com and WPT Enterprises announced recently that they have finalized an exclusive partnership to launch the first ever World Poker Tour® (WPT) event to take place on the African continent — WPT Marrakech. The three-year deal enables the partners to create annual televised broadcasts around the events. The first WPT Main Event will take place next October, while several satellite tournaments on Chilipoker and other rooms of the Ipoker network are authorized to qualify players online as soon as March.

For those of you who don’t know, Morocco is located in North Africa and has coast lines on the Atlantic Ocean, Straight of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. I wasn’t exactly sure either. I had an idea of where Morocco was and I decided to go to Wikipedia and look up some interesting and fun facts about Morocco.

Here is an interesting fact: Morocco is the only African Country that is not a member of the African Union. Morocco is part of the Arab league but is an Ally of the United States of America. Most people are probably familiar with one of its biggest cities, Casablanca.

Casablanca of course is a famous American film popularized in the early 40’s by such legendary actors as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The film won an academy award for best picture. Okay, well that’s my history lesson for the month!! Ha-Ha.

Fun facts aside, I just wanted to share with everyone this great news. The WPT in partnership with Chilipoker will play its first WPT event in Marrakech, Morocco in October and I am excited to be a part of Chilipoker and I’ve already confirmed my presence at this event in the fall. I’m hoping to see many of you there!

I also want to thank everyone who cheered me on and sent me words of encouragement during the Los Angeles Poker Classic (LAPC). If you did not hear, I did make it to Day 3 of the main event but I busted out just before the money.

(photos courtesy of Pokerlistings.com and Cardplayer.com)

I have been in Los Angeles for a few weeks now. Besides playing in the LAPC, I have been playing a bit online and also spending time with family and friends. It’s a rough time for many people because of the current economic conditions so I hope everyone continues to hold their head up and press forward with hope. I will update this blog again in a couple of days.

Cheers!

This week I want to cover the subject of patience. Something I have had to use a lot of in the past year. I am sure many people are having their patience tested right now in lieu of the difficult economy. I know many people have lost jobs and trying to persevere the best they can. I really feel for them as they struggle and do the best they can.

Patience is defined as the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. There are many different types of patience. Sitting at a pressure filled final table at the WSOP main event could be considered a test of endurance under difficult circumstances. This is of course the type of “patience” I would gladly welcome.

Most of us have to deal with a different type of patience. The patience to endure truly difficult circumstances. I cannot pretend to have it as bad as many because I’ve been very blessed in my life to have a lot of freedom, to travel a lot and make a lot of money. It does come with its downside however. I am constantly being approached by people with “business” opportunities. Some legit. Others not so legit. I have loaned out my fair share of money. I have not always been paid back.

I have had friends come and go depending on how much they could financially benefit from being around me. It is all a test of patience. “He that can have patience can have what he will.” – Benjamin Franklin.

Regardless, I am thankful for the opportunity to be tested daily. “Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind.” – Leonardo De Vinci

In patient times it’s important to remember what you are being patient for. I am being patient for better results this year on the poker table. The APT in Manila was a good start. Final table in my first tourney was pretty good especially since I never really accumulated many chips. I just seemed to be hanging in there the entire tourney and before you knew it I had outlasted most of the field.

I want to be patient enough to continue to surround myself with high value people. I’ve been able to surround myself with more quality people than ever before and I hope that trend continues in 2009. I want to be around people who are independent and charitable. People with good spirit and positive outlook on life.

In patient times, I want to persevere whatever loose ties I have with people in my past who haven’t had my best interest at heart. To endure long enough to put those relationships and failed business transactions completely behind me. To be patient enough to learn from the decisions I made.

Most of all I ask everyone to have patience in their own lives. To be patient with the ones they love. To be patient enough to endure whatever hardships you have and to continue to learn from life’s experiences and have a wonderful 2009. I have the LAPC coming up at the end of the month. Hopefully I will have enough patience to outlast the entire field and make another final table.

Cheers!