[cero_z]

Hi,

Saw Rounders in college. Went to Barnes & Noble to find a book with the rules of Hold'em. Found one, but the books on blackjack caught my eye. Learned to count cards, played a little blackjack and was lucky. Formed a small team with my friends, won some money, started traveling the midwest looking for better blackjack games.

Took a break from college for unrelated reasons. During our biggest session (up like 5000 to be split 3 ways), found poker on the same boat as the blackjack game. Played 1-4 Stud, got crushed by idiots to the tune of $50 or so. Immediately loved poker, and saw that it was like blackjack, except hard. Went back to B&N, got many books on poker. Read and read and read; luckily found Theory of Poker early on.

Played poker and blackjack, and eventually moved up to the "Big Game" on the aforementioned Iowa riverboat: 5-10 Hold'em (limit--there were no NL cash games then). Played 5-10 Hold'em and believed I could make a living at it. Quit my job. Went broke. Got another job. Quit again to play. Went broke playing. Rinse, repeat. Never went back to school, as my poker self-education showed me what a farce my college education was in comparison.

Moved to VA with my risk-averse girlfriend, combined finances, and planned on leaving gambling behind. Managed a video store. Yearned for poker. Found a very soft local game (10-20 Stud 8). Played a few times, with mixed results. Told my girlfriend I needed to try playing pro again, and that life with me would mean going through that. She was game, and cashed in our savings account the next day, giving me half. We made a plan: Win/Save $10,000, and I may quit the video store at will. A few months of crushing the game later (it only goes about 15 hours/week), I was there. Quit my job, headed to Tunica; did well. Girlfriend warmed to poker as money rolled in and I was happy/ often available. Married girlfriend.

Played 15-20 hours a week of live poker for 2 years, steadily grew the roll. Ventured into online poker seriously, had wild swings, didn't like it much. Somewhere along the way, got very far ahead (gave online up numerous times previously), and now I play exclusively online (1K 6-max, SitnGos, 30-60 limit Hold'em, Omaha 8, Stud 8), except when I travel to tournaments 3 or 4 times per year.