Hello guys, my name is Marko. I am originally from Finland and I am 31 years old. I have played poker for living the past 8 years. I play mainly mid-stakes tournaments online. I always liked tournaments, because they are the most fun. I find cash games to be a bit of grind, although I started my career playing cash games, 6-max and HU, but after a while I figured tournaments are much more fun and profitable, so I changed to tournaments. That was probably 8-10 years ago. It's tough to remember, because it was so long time ago. Hah. Time flies fast.
I love to travel. I've been traveling around Europe most of twenties and playing online poker. Poker has given me good chance to travel the World and see places. I think traveling has helped me a lot in developing myself and my world view. If we stay in the same place our whole life, I think our life view is very narrow, so it's important to get away and see new things, feel new things etc.
About 2019, well It's been pretty good year. Poker wise hasn't been as good, but there's still plenty of the year left, so not too worried. I will still make it a great year, hah! I will have few projects coming up, so those should be good rail for the forums.
In general I will be talking about coaching, self-development, business, poker, life, travel, football etc. I hope you will enjoy the ride!
BTW, STEROIDhulk is the name I have on Stars, so that's why the thread name.
Anyone have experiences with it? Thinking of trying it. On one hand, studies have shown that there's potential in using it to treat depression and anxiety. The former has been an on and off struggle for me. On the other hand, there seems to be a small risk in lasting negative effects, and can be especially dangerous to people who are genetically at risk of schizophrenia (which may be me). Girlfriend wants to try it for woowoo reasons. And I'm curious if it will help me and on the fence. Thoughts?
Other news, I quit poker, launched web dev business and hussling every day of the week to make it happen. Networking my brains off, calling, selling, pitching and exhibiting. It's tough.
I'm closest to my dreams twice a day. I'm pretty close to my dreams right now.
My therapist today questioned whether or not activism was for me. I seem to always talk about it but I don't do anything. In one sense it is possible that it is not for me but on the other hand at this point in my life it seems like one of the only things. Educating myself is part of the process.
She asked me what I fantasize about my life being. I said Paris, France. That's just what I said at the time. I could have probably said something "better." The fact is I don't know if my life would be better in Paris, France. I could have said Sasha Grey and Faye Reagan in my King size bed. I honestly don't know what it would look like but my recent vacation sheds some insight into it. I think any vacation does. With that said I spend quite a bit of time at some place of work to earn a living. That's been a struggle my whole life. I want to treat it as a project that I don't have illusions of immortality and certainly not something that is going to be self-exploitive. I want to help people. Not because I am Jesus but because that is all there really is in this life. I don't want to help my boss get a bonus or my company to be more profitable either. I want to eat food and paint and do stuff. I want to somehow try and cover these massive medical bills for psychiatry and therapy. It's like I'm shit out of luck no matter where I go but I need at least psychiatry and honestly feel that therapy helps but therapy is a slippery slope. I can't not go to a Psychiatrist with my conditions but I'm not going to literally be in dire straights if I don't see a therapist. A therapist is a good spot to just like get real with me and push me on just exactly what the fuck am I doing with my life which it feels like I need that. Sometimes it feels that nothing is helping and I am just floating through life. I don't know. I honestly think these days many of us are floating through life we just don't like to admit it or there is just not really any other option. I think Sisyphus has a smile on his face sometimes but certainly not all the time or even most of the time. I get a reprieve from all of that on occasion when I paint. We all take showers, brush our teeth, put on our shoes, and all the other tedious things that sometimes make my life feel exactly the same everyday. I know I can't be the only one out there who feels this way at least from time to time. As Fight Club says we were raised on movies and rock n' roll or whatever Fight Club says. Chuck P has a point. Hell, I partied with Dan Bilzerian. That is supposed to be the pinnacle of life am I right? Well, I can't lie it was pretty fun and memorable... Should I be sad that I don't have an Instagram account? It's really no skin off my back. So, what do I want? I want friends around a campfire, a hike in the forest, some good museums, some good coffee, a fire Thai curry, a walk on the beach, a local coffee shop, a walk around town, some good sex, cats, a good novel.... notice I didn't list activism anywhere. A protest doesn't even cross my mind.
I've never been on a protest so not that surprising I wouldn't think of it. I think it is the kind of adventure that would be something positive in my life. Fight Club is a pretty brilliant story I think I may re-read the book or re-watch the movie. It's about getting out of the hum drum aspects of life. Our generation may get it but the one coming up may get it better. I don't know what our generation is. I want more out of life but don't know what and may or may not be willing to "do what it takes." I want to carve out a piece of life that's just ok ya know? Good enough. It's like I want to be Thoreau and live in the forest except I want that forest to be Paris, France. Except I don't really need that. The city I'm currently in is nice enough as it is. Oh well. I've written enough as it is. Ciao. Au revoir. Buenos Noches.
There is a lot of suffering and misery in lifeby RiKD, July 19
I see that Turkey is stacking the borders preparing to attack Rojava. I see Richard Spencer as a Nazi pundit on CNN. I see a Trump rally turning disturbingly fascist. I see the existence and behavior of these privately owned detention centers and private prisons. It was almost overwhelming for me yesterday. It's all still quite disturbing but I had a good vegan curry, a walk on the beach, a swim in the ocean, and studied painters all day. I bout some oil sticks as well which I can't wait to use. I used permanent marker on one of my paintings today because I had to add somethings but didn't want to get the paints out.
I found this interesting:
One of the things that is staying with me is how he talks about the subconscious and how 1 year later he'll realize what his subconscious was saying.
It's too early to tell really. All I see is a lot of Japanese calligraphy and stuff inspired by complex studies, and ecology.
I think my next painting is going to be a painting of Christ. I was thinking of copying Christ of the Incas by Rouault but I think I may do my own version. It makes me want to re-read the Gospels in Brief by Tolstoy. I don't know who I like better Buddha or Christ or the Spirit of Taoism. The thing about Christ is that he was just out for the marginalized people in life. You can't tell me he wouldn't be out their fighting for trans people, poor people, fucking kids separated from their parents in a detention center without adequate food and water, etc. Yet, some times I see some stunted out large black truck driving like an asshole with a license plate:
It has got to be the most obnoxious license plate in the USA. I don't really want to get on a rant about the USA, and God, and Manifest Destiny, and nationalism, though.... It's nationalism and perverted Christianity. Not that Christianity can ever get it all right because that is far from the truth. All I am saying is I actually like Tolstoy's "Gospel in Brief." Basically, a short story about Jesus that resonates with an atheist, anti-perverted Christian. Whatever perverted Christian even means. I am sure a 2019 Unitarian Church's Christianity is a better form of Christianity that has ever been. You know only 3% of the USA is atheist? There is not many of us. Especially, in a place like South Carolina. I like tapping into the spiritual though. The only problem is when it conflicts with science. Life is hard. There is a lot of suffering and misery in life. I wish I had more friends, I wish I had more family closer, I wish I felt part of a community. It seems as if today painting got me through the day. Not every day is going to be like that. At least I have something that soothes the pain of being more or less an isolated recluse. It's painting and activism at this point. No turning back at this point.
The akathisia continues. I've called my Doctor now twice and left 2 messages. I am almost looking to forward to going to work. I am pretty active there making pizzas and the akathisia doesn't bother me unless I am standing around. I want to start pacing or marching. The bad thing about work is I have been getting anxiety about it. Just worrying about every little detail. There is also the fact that they schedule me to do two peoples' jobs. There is also the fact that sometimes I don't feel like making pizzas. I can't always be expected to be really into the craft and making pizzas with passion and care, can I? I am free to starve though. Great.
Why do I still write these up on here? Do I need to be heard in some regard? Do I value the comments? I am surely looking for sympathy or suggestions or whatever I can get. But, does that lead to anything? My akathisia is too the point that I don't even want to go out and socialize because it is uncomfortable to sit there. I can't watch movies. That 50 min. militant anarchist video was incredibly difficult to get through. I did because I was interesting in the topic but I had to break it up into parts. I have mostly been sleeping as much as possible and then filling in the gaps as best that I can. I can look at it 2 ways. 1 way is that I am living a more Taoist way and doing nothing but the other way is that surely there is more to life to just sleeping a lot and filling in the gaps. My friend told me to stop torturing myself. I wish my Doctor would call me back. I am a dog sitting on a nail. Whining and whimpering. I still haven't bought more canvases or more paint. That would be something worthwhile. But, honestly, I think they are closed now and wouldn't want to drive out there anyway. So, I write. I write on here. In this moment it feels a little sad. More than a little sad. This is the best I can think of? This is the best I can come up with? Where's my creativity? Where's my living spirit?
Last Year to Pennsylvania Pokerby Ryan Neilly, July 11
Hey there LP,
Wanted to give the poker world a lil update.
Been a while in 2015, I stopped MTTing after a relationship, just got lazy as fck. Took a year off
Came back, had no confidence, couldnt beat nl50 lol..
My buddy Peter Jennings came in and took me under his wing, we went nl50-nl200 before goin back on my own
Soon after Global stopped payin me out... mothafucka... had 4k to my name last july, jumped on a plane to vegas
Soon after, I got there and grind 24/7 nl10-nl100 (table selection) with mtts, did quite well, but ran into a wall, i had never had to beat the same small pool all day everyday. They had an edge in cash. I put all my time into cash games, eventually having $100 on thanksgiving. It was bleak. Literally didn't understand the equilibrium on where you need to be calling and folding vs over bluffers to well, and just wasn't executing well. After many months of timid play, trying to be peter (trying to play perfect GTO 6max Poker or damn near it)
I finally decided to play MY GAME. This was the BIGGEST CHANGE, The game got Fun, Bluffs left n right, but with everything peter taught me about boards "ie xx that fuckin qq4hh board, TJQdd with TJ etc, a lot more etc"
Now its a mix of exploitation with a GTO baseline...
so yeah this was the most intense poker experience ever. I was in Vegas 1 year and went out a few times, grinded 24/7, finally got my balls back around February and been doin good since. PA Poker launching with no other states in 4 days, looks like we may be back in the top of the Tourney World in under a week... Wish me well, Lets finally do this RIGHT.
We don't need staked anymore, John (jlost88) has been really proud I understand the business of the game and expect huge things. I Wish you all the best, GL, will keep updating on PA Poker and hopefully uploading hands for the LP TOO.
When I had $100 at thanksgiving, my roommate Rob offered for me to work for him for $10/hr in his mattress shop, I put in 100 hours quickly, thinking poker 24/7.. This was my first job since 2005 or so.... That lasted about 6 weeks, and I got back on the felt, still had $100 on. This is where I realized my leaks were all ICM related (where I worked non stop after)
1st mtt back, we won a small $11 1250 for $500 and another $400 right after.
Back to a grand.
Thats where we stayed with cost of living all year, winning around 2.5k a month and cashin out about 1.5 month.
The HUGE plus is this, I was NEVER ever balanced, I didn't even know what it meant. Now i actually have a strong balanced game, all those shitty grueling hours helped more than I would ever want to admit.
Since hitting the ACR Felt (arrived back in PA 11 days ago), we've had a 5 ft's in roughly 60 mtts, couple 1sts and a 2nd in 7 days of play.
Now with Pokerstars coming in, the gates are being held so no Jersey or Vegas regs can play in PA, this LOOKS to be the biggest miniboom for anyone looking to make money.
I STRONGLY urge people with 3-10k bankrolls to come here if you are a winning reg for weekend trips, or even move here short term before next year (january we may be adding to jersey n vegas), these will be as soft if not softer than Jersey when they opened etc.
Gonna be playing and living a fun balanced life, working on health and wanna start working out. Just found an apt, gotta wait a couple weeks to move in though, they wanna make it real nice, thank god...
been goin out a lot, stuff I can't say on here but lifes been a fckin blast !
I am sitting in an empty house. I am uncomfortable. The akathisia lingers.
I think what I really want to do is masturbate but that's not true. I want a woman. I am in a strange place though. I am also going with out "male gaze" porn. I am exploring Feminist porn. It's a bit of a shock to my system. Which means the porn I usually watch is desensitizing and gradually damaging. But, the feminist porn is too non-gender binary and queer for me. I think it's a good shock to the system. I may not masturbate to the stuff but it is interesting. Not overly so. It makes sense. We are all people that want to play with ourselves and play with others besides the people that do not want to do that.
I am back on Tinder and boy what a bad decision that was. It's like fucking crack. My akathisia is heightened at least three fold when I run out of likes. I just did it as an experiment to see how many likes an intersectional feminist, anti-capitalist, vegan would get. It's actually a lot. Of course, I am in a certain part of the country. The experiment is not worth it though. I need to abort but I know I won't yet. I matched with Ariel, a fucking gorgeous anti-capitalist who makes me want to move here.... Well, one of many reasons to move here. All of my matches have been intriguing. These are women I would actually want to go on dates with. Not the bougie Sorority types that seem to permeate my hometown. OVERSIMPLIFICATION, RATIONALIZATION, NOT TRUE! Oh well, curating some perfect Tinder account is degrading and being a zombie to the swipe right is even more degrading. Ugh, it's addiction 101. But, it makes me so happy that Ariel exists, that Erika exists, that Amy exists, et al. I need to get out more.
One thing that jumped out to me is that list is 10 things I could be giving my time to. 10 areas I could be meeting people. Perhaps figuring out how to get to a protest is the most important thing for me right now.
The veganism is going pretty smoothly or is it? I hit some food deserts on the way up here which was educating in itself but at one gas station I was tired and hungry and grabbed some honey, Sriracha Combos with out thinking. We commodify bees too. It feels so benign. There is no Earthlings including bees it seems although I am sure it exists on YouTube. But, so far so good. I have come to this location just about every year my entire life. I had to pass up Magical Black Raspberry from the Magical Ice Cream Shop but it actually wasn't a big deal at all. I didn't go out to dinner tonight because I just didn't want to deal with no vegan options. The town my sister lives in was great for that. Just about every restaurant had multiple vegan options if not up to 4-5 vegan options. While in a food desert at an Outback Steakhouse I had to get more creative. House salad without cheese and 2 sweet potatoes with out butter. There. Not so bad. Pretty easy actually. I stayed home tonight and had leftover veggie burger and Hippeas. These things are fucking perfect for a crunchy snack, apertif, or go well with a veggie burger or whatever. It is also tradition to eat a lot of lobster and clam chowder but fuck that. I'm good with a hummus+veggie wrap or a vegan burrito. There is also the issue of my mom buying blueberry muffins especially for me thinking because we are in Maine and that is tradition that I would just change my mind. The only thing really viable in the house is bananas and almond butter which isn't ideal but it will work. Even though the bananas are probably conventional and inhumane. Chiquita from Honduras.... ugh. Do I eat the English muffins with trace amounts of whey?
I want to explore intersectionality in my blog tonight. I currently cannot sleep. I never really understood intersectionality and I still might not but I figured maybe writing about it will show the leaks.
Intersectionality meaning everything is connected. For example, I like the idea of carnism being a root evil. It starts with domination and oppression of animals and it makes it easier to dominate and oppress people. The holocaust took strategies from factory faming and factory farming takes strategies from the holocaust and slavery.
It appears the problem either starts with capitalism or rich white males or racism or specieism or sexism. See, it's all inter-related. Feminists like to call it the patriarchy. I just like to call it rich white males. Capitalism sort of formed around rich white males. White males got rich through capitalism and it kind of spiraled into this twisted behemoth that we see today. It's kind of difficult to not be a bit of a twisted soul to make it in capitalism today. So, we have these twisted people running things in this twisted system and it causes a lot of problems. And, one of the problems is the forms of control and changing and getting more devious. The achievement-subject is a project of being an entrepreneur of the self. We are master and slave in one. I try to avoid this like the plague. I honestly try to avoid corporations like the plague too but it's a tough thing to do if you want to eat.
I remember this book had a tremendous impact on the way I viewed life about 8 years ago. It's a great book for budding achievement-subjects looking to burnout or even just live a life of tiredness and undeadness. That is the thing. I don't think as humans we are inherently doomed to a life of tiredness and undeadness. I definitely feel it these days but not as bad as I once did for a large multinational. But, I didn't feel the tiredness and undeadness when I took that month off of work. There was still boredom and restlessness and whatever but there wasn't the tiredness or the undeadness. I am sure those of you who work for a living know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean then tell me how you do it please.
But, this is why capitalism still exists. Because, we are well controlled. We are docile but not in the same way as in Michel Foucault's "Displine and Punish." It's like capitalism and the rich white men have set up this video game that we try and beat. Most of us will fail. Maybe not even most of us on this website which is why it's so hard to see this point. If you are entrenched in the achievement-subject project - the self imposed (best) video game/simulation that fact is obviously going to be a blind spot. The game is made for cis white males. The game is made for cis white males and I failed. How does that make me feel? What about all the others who failed or never had a chance? One of the problems with failing is that there is no alternative. It's like once you step out of that video game which sucks for most people you are still in a video game that sucks. It is very difficult to escape the tiredness and the undeadness as long as one is working for a corporation in a capitalist society. I would much prefer to just linger contemplatively. I prefer that lifestyle but don't know how to achieve it at this point.
It's funny the fact I am intersectional x I have so many avenues for activism and I don't really actively engage in any of them. Maybe, I am still learning. Did Occupy Wall St. even accomplish anything? I suppose we have to continue to fight. That is all we can do. That is a project in-itself. A pure project. I remember a day when I would work 12 hours and come home and check emails and be woken up by phone calls. Holy shit that was terrible. At least at my current job there are no emails, no texting, no phone calls. What are we all working towards? A big house and a country club membership? Come the fuck on. It is bigger than that. It has to be bigger than that.
You know I am not even completely sure that the feminists get it all right with their condemnation of the patriarchy. It's another complex entrenched problem. I took 0 gender studies courses in college though so I really don't know what is being taught in the universities. I took a social work course that touched on it but nothing nitty gritty. And, honestly, I never cared that much about it because it didn't effect me although I was always pro-woman. It's tough. I want to be a feminist but parts of the movement turn me off. At the end of the day I want to get rid of hierarchies, domination, and oppression. I want to be as understanding of all of this stuff as I can be. There is a lot of suffering in this world that can be alleviated if we just work together within our communities and hopefully come together on a global scale to take down some of this stuff.
"We are the children and citizens of the Earth" - Edgar Morin
I am going back to Seoul this summer, and I'm checking to see if any of you will be there.
I will be in Seoul from June 19 to July 31, and my apartment is in Cheongpa-dong, which is right next to Seoul Station. If any of you want to meet up, let me know, and we can make it happen.
I will definitely be watching UFC events while in Korea, but I probably won't make any detailed threads on LP.net while I'm there.
I wish to linger on commitment. My therapist said I should think about it. I am always on this idea and that idea and the next one not really committing to anything ever. I think it's mostly related to jobs/careers/whateveryouwanttocallit. I am supposed to think about that too. What am I good at and what do I like to do? There is always like a spirit in the air that seems to whisper teach. Teach. But, then that just seems like just another one of my ideas. I have never commit to it. So it's 3 questions:
- What am I good at?
- What do I like to do?
- What am I willing to commit to?
I think the commitment piece is key. I remember when I was committed to poker I usually did really well. When I was down on poker and looking for ways out and mopey I generally lost and was miserable. It's the same with that corporate sales job I had. I was committed to lacrosse and put together a strong four years and had a lot of great times. It just seems to be the way the world works. I don't know a way around it. I prefer multiple disciplinary work. I would love to be a shiny ball consultant. I don't know if jobs like that exist in this world for me. I don't know if I'm qualified. I don't know what I am qualified for. I don't know if I will ever find something I feel is worth committing to. Nothing has ever been good enough.
Maybe I'll ponder this some more and write more later. I think a lot of issue with commitment deals with FEAR(s) even if it is a +ev play. There is always going to be a lot of unknowns. Sometimes getting out of commitments at a certain point seems impossible or unbearable. At the end of the day though everything is a wager and we have to bet on whatever is going to give us the most overall life satisfaction (short-term and long-term). Which is actually another interesting discussion. Do we care if we are crippled and decrepit at 80 if 40 is really awesome? What if I really like cigarettes and cheese? I love red wine too.............. I was committed to red wine.
I am in the middle of finding myself. It feels like I've been finding myself my whole life. Do we ever find ourselves? I've encountered people where this seems to be the case. It is almost unfathomable to me. I am serious. Are there people on here that feel like they have found themselves? What does that mean?
I have goals. Like I've said I want to find an (altruistic) cause to spend time on, I want good friends, and I want a girlfriend. I also want to eat less shit and move more. I don't know how I want to move. Maybe get back into tennis. Maybe get back into improv. I still have to actualize all of this stuff. It seems easier but more painful to just continue doing what I've been doing if that makes sense. That sounds like classic alcoholic behavior to me. I have so much freedom yet I seemingly continue to not make the right choices. The social anxiety has me a little shaken up. It makes me more fearful to do something new even though it is just a worry.
I don't know how to make myself choose right. What do I believe in? What do I stand for? I am like a cat with shiny ball syndrome that let's the corporation I work for dictate my life. I glide with the confines of my work schedule. I have mostly been a night owl my whole life. That is my natural temperament. It kind of sucks to be in that zone in a city where everything closes early and I don't drink or do drugs and there are no late night AA meetings/communities that I particularly like and I have barely any friends let alone any friends on this later night schedule.
My therapist mentioned that I wasn't present during a lot of my development and that is kind of a bear of a problem that compounded over time and I am still dealing with it. I think some on here maybe get that if they were addicted to BW and/or poker in their teens and twenties. So, I am still finding myself. My first reaction is like "Fuck, still?" I mean of course I am still finding myself but do I ever find myself? Maybe not. But, you know what? Just relaxing a bit here listening to some Robert Glasper Experiment and writing these thoughts out I don't feel so bad. I truly want people to try and answer some of these questions in here. I am trying to learn in anyway possible to reduce suffering and live a better life. I realize there is no magic pill. I am just a lonely SOB that is questioning myself at every turn. It feels like I have lost my smile or my personality or both. Sometimes I catch glimpses of a swagger but it doesn't seem to stick. What happened to my smile? I have a pent up zest for life waiting to burst. I think I have a feeling what I have to do. Yet, I sleep in and take naps and don't call people to do stuff and let the dishes pile up and overall don't take action. It's easy to just fall into the everything is determinism mode and just float by. Complain or hide behind determinism rather than embrace responsibility. Fuck man, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what will make me change.
I am afraid to hop back on stage. I never had major social anxiety with improv or stage fright ever but things have changed. Maybe they haven't. The only way to know would be to try it. That should really be my motto for into the future. The only way to know would be to try it. Except, If I want to know what the warmth of heroine is like. The warmth of a campfire or the warmth of a woman sounds like a better idea.
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I understand the business of the game and expect huge things. I Wish you all the best, GL, will keep updating on PA Poker and hopefully uploading hands for the LP TOO.
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