[Officer Farva]

I'm a quant/systems analyst at a global long short fund. I don't trade yet (have to take the series) but I do build tradable models. We operate on information arbitrage, taking advantage of slow market reaction to correlated events. We were flat during the summer (all of the euopeans go on "holiday"), but have had a great September, posting a %5 return and bringing us above 10 YTD, which is important as we just "got big" .

I crave action in my life and hence my affection for poker. I can't wait till I can get my fix through trading. Until then, I spend much of my day fantasizing about the 600NL I'll play when work ends. This is bad because I have an unusually great opportunity (I came here straight from undergrad), and I often don't apply myself as much as I should.

I often wonder what would happen I if were to pursue poker full-time. I am fairly certain that my short term life would improve. Instead of working 5am-5pm, Id work 5pm-5am. Instead of passing out at 9 when my friends were heading out to the bars, I'd be the one beraiding them for having to go home. Instead of building models, I'd by dragging pots. Instead of Excel, Pokertracker.

But in the long term, its not even a choice. I've got to stick to the more "legitimate" form of gambling.