PURPOSE and DETERMINATION - Keys to Victory at the 2011 WSOP

With the WSOP starting this week I thought I would just mention two principle words that will greatly affect who wins a bracelet and who doesn't.  Those two words are Purpose and Determination.  

DETERMINATION 

Determination is a word that may be easy to say, but not so easy to execute.  Which is the reason why so many experts and professionals quote it as a necessary quality needed to succeed.   While we think we may know what determination means, often times it is more of a generalized term or concept in our head.

The dictionary defines determination as:  "firmness of purpose; resoluteness" 

Which is why these two words go together.  You can't have one without the other.  They are in a sense married, and go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Like Laurel and Hardy.  Like...well, you get the idea.  Determination starts when your purpose encounters obstacles and challenges.  Any purpose without challenges is not much of a purpose.  When you encounter challenges,  is when the level of your  determination will be tested.  Your level of determination can actually determine who you are as a person, and what you will accomplish in this life.  Low levels of determination will produce little more then survival.  While high levels of determination, can produce a life worth living.

PURPOSE

One of the struggles early on in my life, was to have a clear and defined purpose for my actions.  Without a clear and defined purpose it becomes easy to drift, and rather difficult to be resolute at anything.  Your purpose, in the sense of your doing-ness in life, must be something that inspires you! Almost as much as breathing.  You don't think about breathing, you just do it.  Your purpose is such.  It's not something you have to think about because it is a part of who you are as a person.

If you are unsure of that, then that's when it becomes necessary to find a good coach, guide, or mentor to help you.  Btw, I happen to be available if you should qualify to be one of my students.  Luckily, I've had a few great teachers and mentors in my life, and who have given me the tools necessary to teach effectively.

So it takes both, purpose and determination, to accomplish anything significant in life.  Especially if it is something that requires a consistency of effort over a period of time.   Which is what it takes to win a WSOP bracelet in 2011.

Hope to see you in the winners circle this year!

Kenna James

Last Months Meanderings

It's been a month since I posted my last blog, and I apologize to those faithful readers who make the effort to tell me how much they enjoy it.  I love to write, but as a perfectionist, it takes a lot of time to quantify and lay out my thoughts on a page that serves a greater purpose then dumping the meanderings of my daily life.  That said, here are some of my meanderings in the past month.

Fast Eddie Felson, a mentor of mine, who is better known publicly as "Fast Eddie," Felson, has agreed to make a rare public appearance in speaking at my first Live Poker and Life Seminar at The Silverton Casino in Las Vegas in July.  The subject will be on how to become a professional.  The material which I've been in developing with Eddie is awesome, and I am looking forward to really making an impact on those players who really want to learn and understand what it takes, and how to do it.  It's not the kind of material you will find in any book, I can assure you.  Eddie's main purpose in teaching is help people operate and manage better, and I'm confident you will find his presentation compelling.

With only two weeks before the World Series,  I'm still looking for a sponsor for the series.   The one I had lined up backed out, so after training hard the last 3 months both physically and mentally, I may now have to play a different schedule of events then I had hoped.  Years ago I would have been crushed, but after 12 years, you learn to roll with the ups and downs of the business.

Heading to Vegas this weekend to support the Saphire Foundation for Prostate Cancer.  There's a poker tournament Sunday night at the Saphire Gentlemen's Club in Las Vegas, which I will be running and giving poker lessons.  Then a golf tournament on Monday which should be a hoot with the girls of Saphire acting as caddies.  The club has bought out the whole golf course, so it should be a lot of fun!

I was in the second row of the debut of the Glendale Pops Orchestra last night.  Kenny Loggins and David Benoit were the featured artists and they were awesome!  I also got to meet and go back stage with David Cassidy in another concert earlier this month.

On a rather personal note, this last month saw the death of my uncle George.  He was a great man, and a true cowboy.  Then there was the death of online poker which was a significant blow professionally. But I've learned that even though their are big swells, and low troughs in the games of poker and life, you don't have to rise and fall emotionally through the journey.  You just need to learn how to navigate and manage well.  I'm doing the best I can, and I hope you are too.

Enjoy the Journey,

Kenna James

Michigan Poker Monster Episode 3

I recently did a spot on this podcast Michigan Poker Monster.  Fun interview, and you gotta love their mascot!  Awesome baby, check out this monster!

Michigan Poker Monster Episode 3

Advancing my Blogging Skills

I'm in the process of learning some advanced strategies in Blogging.  Okay, maybe not so advanced for some of you experts, but for me, a bit challenging.  I'm talking about posting video's, pics. etc., right into my blog with the goal to provide more interesting and dynamic content for my readers.  Please bare it lol, or with me rather, while I work out the kinks in my game.  I hope you enjoy the content.  So I'm starting with the basics.  Such as this video, which covers the basic components that make up any game.

Here is a video I recently shot that is also available on my youtube channel.  Please feel free to leave your comments and any suggestions for any topics you would like to see me cover in short 2-3 minute videos.

Welcome Michigan Poker Monsters!

Welcome my fellow MIchiganders!

I'm going to be a guest on Frank Panama's Podcast in just about 30 minutes and wanted to give a shout out to those that stop by to visit my blog.  PLEASE leave a comment just saying HI and if you heard the show.  Also click the subscribe button on the page here and you can get notice when a new blog is posted.

I'm looking forward to the interview and sharing some stories growing up in Michigan and how I came to be a professional poker player.  To get in the mood I'm playing online right now and listening to the soundtrack of Across the Universe - The Beatle themed movie.

The most important thing you need to know about me is that I teach.  What do I teach?  How to work your way out of Michigan playing poker! lol.  I mean nobody is in MIchigan that really wants to live there is there?  Except for my brothers and sisters perhaps.  Just kiddin' - I love Michigan - cough...cough...except for the whether.  Being in Southern California the past 25 years has definitely thinned my blood.  

Question:  Is it true that they are thinking about turning Detroit into farm land?  

Alright, no jokes there.  Anyway, welcome to my blog.  Hope you come back and visit, and look forward to your comments and shout outs!  If you would like to subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter with Tips and Strategies - just email:  michele_mcleod@hotmail.com with the subject - Subscribe.  Keep the chips piled high and make sure to -

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna James

www.winningatpoker.net

MEALS WITH “FAST EDDIE”

Last night I had dinner at Triple George’s, the finest steakhouse in downtown Las Vegas, with “Fast Eddie.”  The same “Fast Eddie Felson,” that Paul Newman portrayed in the movies, “The Hustler,” and “The Color of Money.”  I know him simply as Eddie, and he has been both a mentor, and a friend over the past three years, while I've had to face some rather difficult personal challenges.  You may have heard of the book “Tuesday’s with Morrie,” well, I have “Meals with Eddie.” 

While enjoying our meals, Eddie imparts valuable life lessons and gaming techniques, which are invaluable in learning to operate and manage more effectively in life.  It seems a crime to keep these lessons to myself,  and I got the idea to put on a seminar-workshop to bring some of these winning techniques to the poker market at large.  So last night, I asked Eddie if he would be willing to come out of retirement for a Special Engagement and share the stage with me.  He said YES!

The kind of material that we will present will not be something you will be able to find in a book.  This will be a very special, interactive multi-media seminar-workshop, on how to win at the game you’re playing.  We’ll secure the venue in the next couple of weeks, and plan to hold it the first week of June, as a kick-off to the WSOP.

At this point I’m still putting my support team together, so if you’re reading this and you have any special skills that can contribute to staging this dynamic event, please let me know.  I would be happy to speak with you.  I’ll blog from time to time on the development of this special event.  Let’s hope that you will be able to join us in Vegas in early June!  This just may be the missing link, and the one lesson you need that will take your game over the top, and make this World Series of Poker memorable.

Enjoy the Journey!  

KJ

P.S.  Hit the SUBSCRIBE button to have an alert sent to you when I have a new blog post.

My Thinking and Play of a Hand during The Sunday Millions

This past Sunday I played in Poker Stars Sunday Millions tournament.  $215 buy in NL event with a 5 million guarantee!  56,000 people showed up!  I went pretty deep, finishing 970^th for a $1700 payday.  1^st place paid over 1.6 million dollars and as if that wasn’t enough, a brand new Lamborgini.  I had many interesting hands along the way, but I thought I would pick one out and talk about my thought process during the play of the hand.

BLINDS 4,000-8,000/ 1K Ante                         

MY STACK:             350K

MY POS:  CUT-OFF

OPP STACK:  420K

HIS POS:  High-jack

THE HAND:  A7

Opponent raises to 22k, I Re-Raise making it 75k to go, everyone folds and I win a 43K pot moving my stack from 350k to 393k. 

MY THINKING:

A7 is obviously far from a premium hand on a full table, and shrinks up even more facing a raise.  However, there were a few elements that existed that made this situation perfect for this profitable play.

First item of consideration was my opponent’s hand frequency.  It was above average and with one of the bigger stacks at the table, I figured his range to be wide. 

Second item of consideration was OPP table position.  He was in late position.

Third item comes from seeing the situation from in his perspective.  The Big Blind was short stacked with 82k and a regular size raise would put the big blind in a tough spot to call or raise without a premium hand.  From his perspective a raise would be profitable often enough with almost any two cards. 

Fourth item of consideration was that my move was un-exploitable.  If my opponent 4 bet or shoved on me, I could safely fold and still be in okay position in the tournament.  For him to re-raise me without a real hand based on the size of my stack seemed improbable.  My play would force him to a premium hand and put him in a tough spot calling out of position with any mediocre hand for a large percentage of his stack.

Fifth item of consideration was taking advantage of the situation to keep up with the quickly increasing blinds.  Not waiting for a hand, but aggressively looking to hold my slightly above average chip position in the tournament. 

These were the five items of considerations and evaluations before deciding to execute my decision to make my play and raise.  Unfortunately there were a couple of situations I didn’t taken advantage of because the margins for error were too small.  As a result, I became hand dependant and allowed my stack to dip too low before taking a stand with pocket 88’s in back position versus KK’s pre-flop and hit the rail.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna James

www.winningatpoker.net

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