In 2003 I found myself unemployed with a crappy computer.  Turns out that if I played four tables of $2-4 LHE on Party Poker I could make $100 a day pretty easily.  I never had more than $1k online because that would be way too much.  I played until I made $100, then I went rock climbing, or camping, or kayaking, or something outside in Colorado after.  I cashed out $4-500 every week.  I thought I was rich.

By the end of 2005 I was actually decent and a bona fide professional.  I was beating $15-30 day in and out and loving it.  I still never felt like this was something that I would do long term, but it sure beat working some menial job.

Summer of 2006 I hit the tournament circuit, getting into the employees event with a still current Colorado gaming license, and going on to take 2nd for $66k.  I would finish the summer with $25k to my name, crush the Fall, playing and winning at everything from $30-60 to $100-200 LHE.  I won my first "major" live tournament, beating Jon Turner by hitting a gutterball all-in on the flop.  This was a couple of weeks after I finished 2nd in best all around at the Canterbury Fall Classic.  I was invincible, and the five diamond was coming up.  I would finish 2006 with less than $10k.

2007 followed the same pattern.  Rebuild all spring, bink something in the wsop, run hot at something (online tournaments), push it with my own money, run not hot, and end 2007 almost broke.

2008:  Run hotter than the sun in the spring, run like hell rest of the year, end year almost broke.

2009:  Continued run like hell, immediately post wsop stop running like hell, make enough to break even on the year.  Made it into the industry; started writing for CardPlayer, stopped writing for them when I missed a deadline mid wsop and they assumed I quit.  I began making for videos for PokerVT.  I signed with UB.  And even though I made the least this year playing poker, I ended the year with money.

This year was great.  The 10,500 mile, 62 day long motorcycle ride was certainly the highlight.  I rode in wind, fog, rain, 100 degrees, 30 degrees, snow, hail, and a tropical depression.  I rode over mountains and islands, along coastlines and cornfields.  I played a guitar on a stage in Key West.  I learned how to wakeboard.  I was the creepy old guy at a college party in Columbus.  I partied in a small town in Texas.  I had a drunken adventure with with a herd of elk.  I hung out in hostels.  I camped.  I met people.  It was wonderful.

I spent the whole year with the same woman.  Live with her now.  Still like her.

I'm stoked for 2010.  Hoping to run hot for an entire year.

Peace and good luck,

Devo