Back From Business

[moustache]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

[RED-DOG]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

Matt, are you a kid with red/ginger hair, far too young to be associated with narrow boats?

[moustache]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

Matt, are you a kid with red/ginger hair, far too young to be associated with narrow boats?

Indeed I am, although rather scarily I turn 30 in 6 weeks, doesn't time fly!

[RED-DOG]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

Matt, are you a kid with red/ginger hair, far too young to be associated with narrow boats?

Indeed I am, although rather scarily I turn 30 in 6 weeks, doesn't time fly!

Ahh, I've got you now Matt. I would have got there sooner but your story and your lifestyle suggest someone much older.

You said you were open to questions about what you did in the years between poker, so tell us, what did you get up to?

[EvilPie]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

Matt, are you a kid with red/ginger hair, far too young to be associated with narrow boats?

Indeed I am, although rather scarily I turn 30 in 6 weeks, doesn't time fly!

Ahh, I've got you now Matt. I would have got there sooner but your story and your lifestyle suggest someone much older.

You said you were open to questions about what you did in the years between poker, so tell us, what did you get up to?

Clearly spent most of it just frozen in time. He was at least 35 when he played at DTD.

[moustache]

There are a few key differences between pros and amateurs that I see and I thought I'd share my opinions and experiences.

The first point is that a pro doesn't have to be better than an amateur, there are some amateurs that are stunningly good, some of them even win consistently and just choose not to make a living from poker but most of them lose for some of the following reasons.

Game selection; this is key and very challenging for pros. A pro has to choose games that they can beat for the most money possible while keeping their chances of going busto acceptably low, this is often a balancing act. Usually smaller games are easier to beat but sometimes it isn't the case, and finding a good enough hourly rate with enough hours available is a challenge.

Bankroll management; a pros most useful tool is cash, running out of cash is a disaster but it is (999/1000) avoidable. Correctly analysing the risks involved in the games you play and correctly deciding how many buyins are needed to survive downswings is key, and something most people fail at. 100 buyins is the standard that was accepted for a long time but it is far too simplified, it has to be fluid depending on the games and stakes played. The ability to correctly move up and down stakes while still being able to take living expenses out each month (or whatever interval you choose) makes a working bankroll much more effective.

Living expenses; a pro is at such a large disadvantage by having to take living expenses out of their roll each month. It is the equivalent of starting each month with a 1k-5k loss depending on what you spend. The problem with this is most pros do it for the lifestyle and refuse to live a meagre existence equivalent to what they could earn in a day job with their skills and experience. And who can blame them? Surrounded by cash all the time, huge winning days and all their peers and rolemodels spending lavishly. I was one of them, I spent my money on eating out most days and a couple of years later it caught up to me. Correctly estimating your earnings and leaving room for bankroll growth is key, if this isn't achievable with your skill level and roll then maybe it isn't the job for you.

Discipline and self honesty; this is mainly around tilt and the reduction of tilt but is woven in to the fabric of all the other points, choosing the right games, resting well, staying healthy physically and mentally, playing as close to your best as much of the time as possible, not playing games you know are beyond you, checking you ego are all potential stumbling blocks.

Giving back; pros are parasites on the games and the community, removing money from people's bankrolls and spending it on their own living is their goal. This is particularly important in the live game because it is a smaller group and you are spending a lot of time together on a regular basis. Therefore they need to give back to the community in other ways, being pleasant at the table, arriving on time and staying for a while if leaving will break games, buying a round of drinks every now and then, giving a little advice to help very new players to lose slower, showering and brushing their teeth cause no one wants to sit next to a smelly hippo all night, playing honestly and not taking angles, not ever berating a recreational player for their play regardless of how irritating it was, not wasting time etc.. The list goes on, just be nice and considerate.

Good post tashy.

Do I I know you btw? Have we shared a table?

Yes we have shared many tables, usually at DTD, I remember one night in particular when the evenings conversation centred around apple pie and hoovers, not exactly the group of hardened gamblers many people think we are! Il come and reintroduce myself when I see you around.

Matt, are you a kid with red/ginger hair, far too young to be associated with narrow boats?

Indeed I am, although rather scarily I turn 30 in 6 weeks, doesn't time fly!

Ahh, I've got you now Matt. I would have got there sooner but your story and your lifestyle suggest someone much older.

You said you were open to questions about what you did in the years between poker, so tell us, what did you get up to?

Clearly spent most of it just frozen in time. He was at least 35 when he played at DTD.

Made me lol! No ones ever over estimated my age!

[moustache]

Here's the first part of the 'in between' story, unfortunately some parts of it are very unpleasant but il tell them as they happened and try to keep the overall tone positive as much as I can.

2013-2014 Brazil letdown

The reason I left poker the last time was I was offered an opportunity I really couldn't refuse, a job in a fast growing construction company, partly family owned, based on the coast of Brazil with accommodation and shares included as part of a generous remuneration package. The reason I was given for being chosen for this position was that I am smart and hard working, trusted as a family member and last but certainly not least, able to get Brazilian citizenship through marriage as my wife is from Brazil. One condition was I had to stop poker immediately and be available to work in London, and abroad, to learn the trade while my job was being sorted. After some discussion we decided to go for it even though we were very wary of being involved with my Dad, who is a truly awful man. (that is another story) I spent the next 9 months working for free, basically apprenticing, learning about steel and concrete construction and most of the aspects of management of the company, I travelled to London on a weekly basis and Brazil, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay monthly to get to know the teams in the different regions the company operates in. I sorted my visas and work permits for Brazil too which took many frustrating trips to the embassy. All the while my Dad was promising me that my pay would start next month, and then next month, and then next month... I nievely trusted him and was hungry for opportunities to impress him and develop a good career as well as the significant financial gains the shares would bring. Over this time I was living off my roll but with travel and living exes I had spent the best part of 40k and was very close to running out! I had been trying countless times over the months to finalise my contracts and sort out all the details of the job but was being put off and the details sent to me changed on a weekly basis. I explained the situation to my Dad and the other major shareholder in the company and told them that I needed to start being paid immediately because I couldn't afford to keep living without any income. I was met with the rather unpleasant answer of 'we won't pay you a penny cause there isn't a job for you at all, on your way'

In the middle of all this my wife got pregnant with our first baby girl, it wasn't meant to be though, she died before she ever took a breath. It completely broke our hearts and the coldness of my parents and the company I was working for and the lack of support was truly awful. My dad barely even acknowledged it when I told him we were expecting, he focused on how inconvenient it was and tried to push me in to moving permanently to Brazil and leave my wife in the UK have the baby and maybe join me later. My mother was equally destructive and played her part, lying to us and pretending to support us while using the situation for her own gains.

Looking back now I believe that the whole job offer was fabricated by my dad to try to gain financial control over me and to put distance between me and my wife to try to split us up. (there are lots of other things that happened too to support this) and make me lose my roll so I couldn't continue to play poker professionally.

To be continued...

[Doobs]

Here's the first part of the 'in between' story, unfortunately some parts of it are very unpleasant but il tell them as they happened and try to keep the overall tone positive as much as I can.

2013-2014 Brazil letdown

The reason I left poker the last time was I was offered an opportunity I really couldn't refuse, a job in a fast growing construction company, partly family owned, based on the coast of Brazil with accommodation and shares included as part of a generous remuneration package. The reason I was given for being chosen for this position was that I am smart and hard working, trusted as a family member and last but certainly not least, able to get Brazilian citizenship through marriage as my wife is from Brazil. One condition was I had to stop poker immediately and be available to work in London, and abroad, to learn the trade while my job was being sorted. After some discussion we decided to go for it even though we were very wary of being involved with my Dad, who is a truly awful man. (that is another story) I spent the next 9 months working for free, basically apprenticing, learning about steel and concrete construction and most of the aspects of management of the company, I travelled to London on a weekly basis and Brazil, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay monthly to get to know the teams in the different regions the company operates in. I sorted my visas and work permits for Brazil too which took many frustrating trips to the embassy. All the while my Dad was promising me that my pay would start next month, and then next month, and then next month... I nievely trusted him and was hungry for opportunities to impress him and develop a good career as well as the significant financial gains the shares would bring. Over this time I was living off my roll but with travel and living exes I had spent the best part of 40k and was very close to running out! I had been trying countless times over the months to finalise my contracts and sort out all the details of the job but was being put off and the details sent to me changed on a weekly basis. I explained the situation to my Dad and the other major shareholder in the company and told them that I needed to start being paid immediately because I couldn't afford to keep living without any income. I was met with the rather unpleasant answer of 'we won't pay you a penny cause there isn't a job for you at all, on your way'

In the middle of all this my wife got pregnant with our first baby girl, it wasn't meant to be though, she died before she ever took a breath. It completely broke our hearts and the coldness of my parents and the company I was working for and the lack of support was truly awful. My dad barely even acknowledged it when I told him we were expecting, he focused on how inconvenient it was and tried to push me in to moving permanently to Brazil and leave my wife in the UK have the baby and maybe join me later. My mother was equally destructive and played her part, lying to us and pretending to support us while using the situation for her own gains.

Looking back now I believe that the whole job offer was fabricated by my dad to try to gain financial control over me and to put distance between me and my wife to try to split us up. (there are lots of other things that happened too to support this) and make me lose my roll so I couldn't continue to play poker professionally.

To be continued...

I had a few issues with my father, but this all seems really dreadful.  It is astonishing the things that some people's family's do that they excuse by saying they are in the interests of their children.   

[RED-DOG]

Here's the first part of the 'in between' story, unfortunately some parts of it are very unpleasant but il tell them as they happened and try to keep the overall tone positive as much as I can.

2013-2014 Brazil letdown

The reason I left poker the last time was I was offered an opportunity I really couldn't refuse, a job in a fast growing construction company, partly family owned, based on the coast of Brazil with accommodation and shares included as part of a generous remuneration package. The reason I was given for being chosen for this position was that I am smart and hard working, trusted as a family member and last but certainly not least, able to get Brazilian citizenship through marriage as my wife is from Brazil. One condition was I had to stop poker immediately and be available to work in London, and abroad, to learn the trade while my job was being sorted. After some discussion we decided to go for it even though we were very wary of being involved with my Dad, who is a truly awful man. (that is another story) I spent the next 9 months working for free, basically apprenticing, learning about steel and concrete construction and most of the aspects of management of the company, I travelled to London on a weekly basis and Brazil, Switzerland, Thailand and Uruguay monthly to get to know the teams in the different regions the company operates in. I sorted my visas and work permits for Brazil too which took many frustrating trips to the embassy. All the while my Dad was promising me that my pay would start next month, and then next month, and then next month... I nievely trusted him and was hungry for opportunities to impress him and develop a good career as well as the significant financial gains the shares would bring. Over this time I was living off my roll but with travel and living exes I had spent the best part of 40k and was very close to running out! I had been trying countless times over the months to finalise my contracts and sort out all the details of the job but was being put off and the details sent to me changed on a weekly basis. I explained the situation to my Dad and the other major shareholder in the company and told them that I needed to start being paid immediately because I couldn't afford to keep living without any income. I was met with the rather unpleasant answer of 'we won't pay you a penny cause there isn't a job for you at all, on your way'

In the middle of all this my wife got pregnant with our first baby girl, it wasn't meant to be though, she died before she ever took a breath. It completely broke our hearts and the coldness of my parents and the company I was working for and the lack of support was truly awful. My dad barely even acknowledged it when I told him we were expecting, he focused on how inconvenient it was and tried to push me in to moving permanently to Brazil and leave my wife in the UK have the baby and maybe join me later. My mother was equally destructive and played her part, lying to us and pretending to support us while using the situation for her own gains.

Looking back now I believe that the whole job offer was fabricated by my dad to try to gain financial control over me and to put distance between me and my wife to try to split us up. (there are lots of other things that happened too to support this) and make me lose my roll so I couldn't continue to play poker professionally.

To be continued...

Christ!

I almost wish I hadn't asked.

Almost   

[Steve Swift]

Sounds  bit like a JR Ewing story. 

[Woodsey]

Jesus Christ I didnt even know that families like that existed. I hope karma kicks in and you get a well overdue upswing in life luck.....

[moustache]

Jesus Christ I didnt even know that families like that existed. I hope karma kicks in and you get a well overdue upswing in life luck.....

Thanks mate, Iv already had the life luck upswing, 😉 I'm out of the bad situation now, Iv got a wonderful, beautiful, supportive wife, living the dream on a boat with very little stress, Iv spent the last year and a half driving massive trucks that Iv always wanted to try...
Iv never been so happy!

[Woodsey]

Jesus Christ I didnt even know that families like that existed. I hope karma kicks in and you get a well overdue upswing in life luck.....

Thanks mate, Iv already had the life luck upswing, 😉 I'm out of the bad situation now, Iv got a wonderful, beautiful, supportive wife, living the dream on a boat with very little stress, Iv spent the last year and a half driving massive trucks that Iv always wanted to try...
Iv never been so happy!

Great to hear that 

[moustache]

I had a long shift today, spent 6 hours on a sainsburys site waiting for a load to be tipped, 'piss up' and 'brewery' come to mind! Oh well, at least I get paid by the hour. Enjoying the evening drinking beer and watching from dusk till dawn, class! Taking the boat out tomorrow for the last time till the spring, going to be a fun weekend.

[atdc21]

Good luck , sounds like you deserve it.