GasLand - Must See TV

Like all Americans, I care about this country. I believe in freedom for the individual such as online poker which I have discussed in previous entries. But almost everything pales in comparison to the health of our environment. If something is hurting our air or water, we need to stop it. But I was also trained as a scientist and real proof must be presented for all cases.

Josh Fox received a letter from a gas company offering him $100,000 to let them use his land in PA to drill for natural gas. He decided to look into the matter in detail and produced an HBO documentary - GasLand. The movie just came out on June 22. Its a chilling story. I urge everyone to see it. If you get HBO, its available on demand.

To put it tactfully, Josh is not happy with the gas and oil industry. He claims that the "fracking" process is poisoning wells all over the country. The industry says he is overstating the case. Since the story is so scary, I decided to do some homework on my own. Here is my take.

Josh did us a great service in bringing this story to light. It something that needs to be discussed openly. We also need much more data. Too many questions are not addressed. Such as, how many homeowners have filed complaints about their wells? Where are they located? What studies have been done to date? Who authored them and what do they show? If there haven't been any recent studies, then we need to get some good scientist on it right away. I'm also dissappointed with Josh's map of the waterways. It is drawn so far off scale and hurts his credibility. It looks like New York State is 75% water, for example. He also fails to show proper balance relative to the stories he tells. Some of these incidents were supposedly debunked. Give us everything, Josh, not just the pieces that help your argument.

Now on the industry side. The biggest problem I have with their counter argument is that they never fully explain why they are so fearful of having the EPA oversee their activities. Isn't that why we have an EPA? They claim the states are doing a good job of oversight. They also cling to a 2004 EPA report that purports to prove that the process is safe. First of all, I have trouble believing the Bush EPA was an impartial entity. The former CEO of Haliburton was the VP for crying out loud. Secondly the EPA did not do any independent research on the issue. It simply performed a mega-study and based its findings on other studies several of which were performed by the industry (which to me have no value due to sever conflict of interest).

I must say however, being the experienced poker player, I spied two tells on the industry website. The first one was that they claim that methane mixing with water does not pose a health risk because methane is a gas and it doesn't get in to the water. C'mon fellas. Who in their right mind would tolerate methane gas coming out of the tap when you turned on the water. The other tell was that they said they would take full responsibility for any damage to water wells that they caused. But they wouldn't take responsibility for a poisoned well if the fracture already existed and they just kind of inched it along. You kiddin' me.

Bottom line. To President Obama: Clearly this oversight must fall under the EPA. The industry defended the status quo by saying it would cost jobs. Not good enough. If this is as harmful as Mr. Fox makes it out to be, it needs to be addressed. Secondly, a panel of top scientists including a few from industry and from the environmental community (as long as they have stellar credentials) needs to be empaneled on a Presidential Commission. Finally, a moratorium on new drilling should be put in place until all this can be sorted out. I don't think anyone would disagree with the statement: Drilling for natural gas is fine as long as we can be absolutely sure that it is environmentally benign.

Next time I'll get back to poker.

A Good Run

In the end, the best you can do is have "a good run." We hear it all the time. Most recently in regards to Tom Watson. The guy is 60 years old and is still competitive on the PGA Tour. Witness the British Open last year and again in the US Open this year where he was tied for 16th after 3 days. He has had success at the sport for 45 years. Now that's a good run.

Another example is my father, Dr. Welton M. Gersony. The man has excelled at his calling, Pediatric Cardiology for 50 years. He still loves his occupation dearly and more than anything, at 78, wants to continued to be consider a leader in the field.

And in poker, no one has had a better run than Doyle Brunson. He has been playing poker for 65 years. Still loves it. Is still great at it. A lucky man.

Ruminating on the concept of "a good run," it seems that, especially when we are young, we think we can get more out of life than is possible. In the end, the very best we can hope for is "a good run." A period of time on earth where there is a beginning, a middle and an end in which things generally go quite well. Nothing goes perfect all the time during our run. Watson and my father both went through difficult divorces. Doyle survived the death of a daughter. They dealt with their difficulties and though I can't get into their heads, they, as well as many others, focused on the positive and got the most out of their passions.

Sure, we can all fantasize about having it all, money, great relationships, skill, recognition and fame. But rarely do we see these things for what they really are. They are fleeting. If they give us pleasure, satisfaction and happiness for some period of time, than we are blessed. Things that are not worthwhile need to be shed. For it is not only the thing, it is the thing in relation to time. If there is something you are dreaming of doing or acquiring, you need to do it when the window in time opens for such a thing to be done. If you don't, the window may be closed forever.

Poker, again, has proved to be an excellent microcosm of "a good run" concept. We even use the exact same phrase to describe it. We also call it "running hot" and "being on a heater." Every poker player can remember a good run. Sometimes it lasts for a few days, maybe a few weeks and occasionally for months on end. But one thing is always certain. It ends. But in poker we have multiple lifetimes. We may have many good runs (and bad ones - to be discussed some other time). Maybe that's why successful players rarely quit playing the game. There is a sense of immortality about the game even though we know, like everything else, it ends. Every session starts with a birth. Every hand is a new beginning.

Although most people think it is depressing to think of our lives as a finite time parcel, I think it allows us to live happier. We are aware of the transient nature of our existence so we try harder to squeeze every drop of satisfaction we can out of it. We don't let small things get us down, we learn to let a bad experience disappear into the past. We look at every minute as a gift and we learn that to achieve greater happiness, we must give happiness to others. For satisfaction does not only come from material acquisitions and a pampered life style. For some (myself included) these goals are only a small part of what gives inner peace. Achievement, help and honest actions are much higher on the list. In the end, it is not about us as individuals as much as it is about us as a whole.

Now go out their today, focus on your passions and enjoy your run.

Poker Etiquette

Etiquette? What does that have to do with the rough and tumble world of high stakes poker? I often feel this is what many of the young players think. To many of them, its something ladies worry about at tea parties - nothing to do with them.

As it turns out, poker etiquette is an absolutely critical aspect of the game - especially for anyone who expects to play fairly regularly. Etiquette is where you show the quality of your character. It indicates the degree to which you are to be trusted. It shows to the world whether you are a straight shooter with a good ethical backbone or if you are a conniver, a cheat, a selfish imp who has no respect for others. So if you play regularly, you will be playing with the same players over and over again. Furthermore, those players will interact and trade stories about your exploits at the table. It's amazing how fast a good or bad impression of a player will circulate through the table in cities all over the country, if not the world.

Obviously, if that impression is negative, that profile of you will stay with you for a long time to come. Here are a few examples; Jamie Gold refusing to chop after he made a deal; Rich Gordon's "back up the truck" comment on Poker After Dark; The discovery of tournament poker chips in a well-known players hotel room. (Rather not mention the name in case you are unfamiliar with the case.) Each of these players are going to spend years and years to live down these breaches of etiquette. Some will recover more easily than others, but once you cross the line, it is brutal trying to win back a reputation as a clean, trustworthy player. I always tell young players to err on the side of generosity. If you misread your cards and your opponent mucks the winning hand. Offer to give him the pot anyway (or some portion). If you catch a glimpse of an opponents hole cards, let them know that that need to protect their cards better. etc.

You want people to trust you no questions asked. If you offer a deal in a tournament or its a backing arrangement, you don't want to have to prove your good character over and over again. Keep being consistently honest and aware of all nuances to the etiquette game. Treat everyone with respect. Be careful how you talk about others. Its not hard and it may even seem silly at times, but in the end it is absolutely critical for aspiring professional players.

If you make a brazen breach there may be card rooms where you could never show your face again. If you make an honest mistake, go above and beyond the rules to make things right. In the long run, you'll be glad you did.

Position, position . . . Position?

We always how important position at the poker table is. As we all have heard a million times. Its best to act last - that's why we call it "having position."

For many years, I've understood why this is so, but as a player, I've haven't put a priority of having position as many others pros have. Something inside of me was saying; "Position isn't all its cracked up to be." But I could never really put my finger on why I subscribe to this notion.

The other enduring rule for the good poker player is to find a seat at the cash table in which the loose crazies are on your right and the ABC rocks are on your left. The theory is that you want all the raising to be ahead of you so your not so easily trapped into a big, expensive hand with marginal cards. And yes, you guessed it, I'm going to challenge this convention as well.

The cards have started to cooperate with me as of late after a horrendous down streak, probably one of the worst of my poker career. Part of my success was to position myself not to the left of a wacko player who continuously overplayed his hand, but to sit to his immediate right.

My strategy was quite straightforward. At the table were mostly experienced players, most of whom I had played with many times and all were very aware of the lunatic sitting to my right. Who couldn't notice that he was entering almost every pot and raising or re-raising 50% of the time. We all knew he was not valuing his hands properly. No one gets playable hands near 100% of the time and no one gets premium starting hands 50% of the time. The 5/10 no limit game we were playing was essentially a 25/50 game. We all knew that we were going to be putting in at least $50 into the pot pre-flop if we were to play any hand.

It was fairly early on that I realized that my position against this guy wasn't the worst position, but the best position to be in. Every time he raised, players would roll their eyes as they were forced to put in $50, $60 or up to $100 on a hand such as J10 suited, when in a "normal" game they'd rarely put in more than $40. What a set up this was for me. When a big hand came my way such as QQ, I'd limp. Mr. Mental Institution would immediately make it $75 or some such thing. Good players would reluctantly call. Often three or four. I'd then make it $500 or more. My position allowed the pot to be built up substantially so I was making a $300 or so win risk free. Occasionally, the lunatic would call me. Now I could push again on the flop and he'd fold. So my position still benefited me. It was a wonderful thing. I made a killing that night.

There were other tricks I was gathering well. For a full review of my revolutionary new strategy - the new position in position poker - go to my poker courses and have a looksy. Go get 'em.

Poker - The Evil Twin Paradox

One of the key tenets of understanding how to play winning poker is to understand the concept that I call "the evil twin."

In the course of a cash session, you will be presented with a number of decisions. And you will be creating decision situations for your opponents. To the untrained eye it seems impossible to know what to do. For example, lets say you raised pre-flop with a pocket pair of sevens. Its folded around to the big blind who immediately calls. The flop comes out:

Queen; Five; Deuce

The big blind comes out betting. Its your turn to act. What do you do?

These situations come up over and over again. Your opponent either has you or the evil twin is that he doesn't. In a nut shell, this is what good poker is all about - dealing with the situation of the evil twin. The player who makes the right move in these situations more often, will be a winning player over the long run.

So how do you make the right play? The short answer is that its much more complicated than it appears. I've created a course on the "Evil Twin" concept at PokerSlamU.com. But in a nut shell, you are in a duel. The more unclear you make it for your opponent - the better. Most people will just fold if they are unsure. The more data you can pick up on your opponent - the better.

When it comes to your image, the most common and best strategy is you want to be perceived as a relatively tight player. You, most of the time, want your opponent to fold. Believe me, those pots add up fast. If you're having a card dead day, you can still have a profitable day if you can successfully create a tight player image, raise no more than once every two rotations or so. Consistently bet your cards. That is the best I can tell you in a paragraph.

When it comes to choosing a twin when you are put to the test, take as much into account as possible. Most players who are betting out do not have it. Most players do not like to be raised and are intimidated. Understand what each player is capable of doing. Most recreational players, for example, are incapable of making a big bluff re-raise against a tight player. These are only a few of the critical pieces to the puzzle that you are putting together.

Feel becomes critical. I'm most comfortable in a 5/10 no limit game. Whenever I dip down to 1/2 or 2/5, I don't do as well. I find the players are more willing to call. There is less at stake. Smaller stacks. Less at stake. So if I'm card dead, I have a hard time manufacturing wins.

Find your comfort zone. What game best fits you. The better you get, the more successful you'll be at the higher limits.

Leaving it All Behind

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get this strong urge to move on out. I'm not sure if its because I moved a lot when I was a kid and its in my blood, or its my need for adventure or maybe I just need a change.

Don't get me wrong, I sincerely believe that each and everyone of us who have the privilege of living in the 'ol US of A are blessed. I think its more about the way we live that causes me angst. I'm tired of the treadmill. Make money to pay the bills. Be sure to have health insurance. Each day that passes I feel regret for the things I could be doing. For doing things that I personally value. Things that are simple but are hard to do because of the need meet the requirements of our ever increasing responsibilities.

What am I talking about exactly? I'm not exactly sure but I think it revolves around an urge to chuck all the "stuff" and experience life freely on a more basic level. And by golly, I'm going to do something about it.

The wonder of the Internet (as I discussed in my past post) does allow freedom. My poker course web site is run by a webmaster in Colorado, whom I never met. I use a graphics designer from Long Island and the site itself resides on a server in I don't know where - Internet land, I guess.

My current plan is this: I'm going to continue to upgrade and develop my poker courses, give away all my key poker knowledge which has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for me over the course of my poker career (about 9 years). I'm going to develop a few more web sites with my partners and build them into premiere sites. Then, in October of 2012, I'm hitting the road with my wife and my #3 daughter and my son. (Maybe my #1 and #2 daughters will join us for a while.) I'm going to design and build a specialty van, buy a pop up trailer and sell my house. Then for the next year or two or three or longer, we are going to hit the road. Really get to know this country and all its natural beauty. Believe it or not, my wife loves the idea (what a wife!). I can continue my poker career (mostly online) and continue to work with my partners on the web sites - have cellular broadband will travel.

Has anyone else thought about doing this? It'll be a journey within a journey. An experiment in living. An adventure like none other. Hope I can pull it off. I'll keep you posted by documenting the trip right here. Stay tuned.

The Birth of a Company

After I sold my company, CEU.com, in December 2009, I thought I'd take some time to think. Think about life, family, friends, goals and, of course, my next business venture. I thought it'd take a while, but lo and behold, in a matter of months, I have not one but three ideas for my next Internet business. I'll only consider Internet businesses because its what I know, it doesn't require oodles of cash to get started, it comes with a free distribution and communication system, no inventory . . .

You may think that its all been done. But after taking some time to think, nothing could be further form the truth. Why? Because the Internet is constantly changing. New tools become ubiquitous (e.g. smart phones). New capacities are added (e.g.wireless broadband). People are using the web for new things. There are always new combinations waiting to be discovered. My biggest issue is editing my choices. I'll continue to offer advanced poker courses through PokerSlamU.com. That goes without saying. But I've been approached by experts in several fields and some investors, now it becomes an issue of matching and making decisions on where to focus my time and money.

But I can see why the entrepreneurial road isn't for everybody. There is no job security. You need to go with your ideas and live or die by your own hand. I have certainly found myself in many panicky situations. But when I come face-to-face with trouble or a hurdle, I've learned that they always seem insurmountable at first. Over time you find a series of solution options. You pick one. If that doesn't work, you pick another. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten about this was from Bob Stupak, the founder of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas. "The most important thing for an entrepreneur is perseverence. Almost any company can be a success if you keep making appropriate changes and don't ever give up."