So today I did three shows with Ali Nejad. We did the commentary for the World Cup of Poker event that occurred in the Bahamas. That was two shows, and we did the first half of the High Rollers event from Bahamas also.

Tomorrow we’ll do the second show of the High Rollers tomorrow, and then knock out four episodes of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. I’ve worked with Ali before on the Protege show I did years ago and we breezed through day one. Late tomorrow night, that’s when you usually hit a wall, but whatever, you get through it.

So anyway, I’m home now and was just surfing the net and looking at the forums. I found a link to a blog written by HossTBF. Never read his blog before, but met him last year in Copenhagen at the Scandinavian poker Awards. The kid is a monster at limit hold’em. I’d always see him sitting in the high limit games online at PokerStars waiting for challengers, but people I respect all told me he’s just super tough.

I’ve never played him, and don’t plan to. I’d play HORSE with him, but no way I’d play straight limit hold’em against him. He’s made a ton playing that game and likely plays the game in such a way that he’d be difficult to exploit. Word on the street is that he isn’t as good in ring games, but heads up, he just doesn’t really lose.

So anyway, their was a link to his blog. Apparently he was playing online with my favorite whipping boy, Phil Hellmuth who doesn’t seem to think Hoss plays all that well at all. I’m in bed right now, but Phil’s chat transcript, which is in Hoss’ blog had me laughing so loud I woke up Mushu! Here is a link to the blog: http://hoss-tbf.livejournal.com/18125.html

One of the toughest thing for any athlete or poker player to ever admit, is that things get tougher. That the game they once were able to dominate simply doesn’t exist anymore. You see it with boxers who get pummeled well past their prime, and you see it with basketball players riding the pine, with their best days behind them.

Poker should be totally different. I stress the word “should.” Poker is a game where wisdom is king and experience should trump youthful exuberance. It can, BUT, that is only possible if you can be realistic about what is going on. It can happen only if you are willing to learn, improve, and always question what it is you think you know.

Doyle Brunson is past 70 years old. He’s played the game for ages and has seen the game change and has always been able to survive the next challenges. The reason Doyle can do that, is because he understands that if you don’t learn each day, and your game doesn’t get better each time you play, there will always be someone on your heels that IS learning everyday and improving. Doyle has almost made it a lifetime mission to never let anyone catch up. When they do, he gets better. Pretty amazing actually.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to some of the young online pros discuss poker. They think about the game in a very different way. Some of it is very advanced, while with other things, I often spot holes in their thinking. Holes they might fill with experience, or it just might be that I’m wrong. That they aren’t holes at all, and what I’m actually spotting are holes in my own game. I’m sure it probably goes both ways.

I’ll just never get to a point in my life when I think I’ve got it all figured out and that nothing more can be learned. With every new generation comes a new style of play and a new array of weapons. That’s never going to change.

I have a ton of confidence in my ability. More so in mixed games than straight hold’em as I think the young players have yet to fully grasp all the games like me, Ivey, Cunningham, and Juanda did in our 20’s, but I’m not foolish enough to think I can be the best without practice.

I plan on getting loads of practice before this years WSOP and have spent almost a year planning for the WSOP 2009. I’m physically stronger than I’ve ever been, and it’s really not even close. I’m playing online a little bit in the $400-$800 8-game mix on PokerStars and I enjoy playing in that game more than any game online I’ve ever played. It’s like the mix in the big game and the game changes every six hands. It’s so much fon.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention! StefanProdan won the Sunday Million two weeks ago. I’m telling you this, because he did it after signing up for www.pokervt.com. He followed my instructions in terms of bet sizing, hand selection, and how to play in marginal spots, and in just a month, he turned that into a big score in the Sunday Million.

Congrats kiddo! I love hearing stories like that. He credited my teachings as well as Jason “JCarver” Somerville’s teachings mostly. I am very proud of PokerVT as a product and we’ve been getting incredible feedback in the PokerVT forum from subscribers. We have a deep list of online pros now and loads of new weekly content.

It’s been straight no limit hold’em until now, but I just put up my first non-hold’em video from the 8-game mix at PokerStars. Expect more mixed game stuff from me as well as the micro limits I’ve been playing in my little challenge.

Time to get to my Tivo… I’m behind on Heroes.

My favorite line:

PH: I should have 50k right now.

HossTBF: maybe if you started with 200k…