Let the 'sponging' begin!!!!!

This'll be a relatively brief post today, as I'm at work and have only got an hour before I've got to do my shift. For those of you who give a toss, this is the mob I work for. 12 - 6pm weekdays. Tune in if you can. It's all QUALITY! Heh.

http://www.spiritradio.com.au/bun/index.html

Yes, my purchase. I'll start from the start. I've been reading a lot of posts on other Poker Blogs (check some of my regular reads below) and a lot of the guys refer to some of their favourite reading material from time to time. Well I figured that I could use some help in at least thinking differently about the game, and hopefully playing it differently too. So I made some notes about their recommended reading, and started doing my research. I settled on Harrington on Hold'em 1 and 2, Doyle Brunson's Super System 1 and 2, and just for some lighter reading, The Proffessor, The Banker and The Suicide King - Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time. I did some price checking at various online bookstores, both Aussie sites and Amazon.com in the US and crunched the conversion. Thank christ the $A is reasonably favourable to the $US at the moment. Hands down, Amazon won the price battle.

But being a loyal local to the Bunbury economy, I thought I'd at least go in to Angus and Robertson and check what they could do. Eeeeeep! ONE of Harrington's books was going to cost me at least HALF as much as ALL FIVE books coming from the States. It's a global economy now baby, and I don't earn enough $$$$ to just give the shit away! Besides, the difference might be enough for a couple/few buy-ins for our cash games! Lol!

Well they're here. In all their chunky, informative glory! And I tell you, I haven't been as chuffed to receive a package in a hella long time. The first book I got 'into' was Harrington 1. I don't really know why. Just all the positive talk about it around the traps I spose. And while I'm about a third of the way through it, I can't get enough. Example, I jumped into bed last night around 11pm (after Full Tilting for a good few hours. Suzie was at a work do last night!) and didn't turn off the bed lamp til 1am! I haven't done that for God-knows-how-long! It's a riveting read for a poker-head. The hand examples are a real trip, but to be honest some of it wasn't too far off my thinking at the table.

If there was one of the earlier parts of the book that made me stop and think deeper about the game of Hold'em, it was the concept of the Super-Aggressive Player. I mean Jesus. How long into a hand can you really be aggressive with shit cards? 'The Hammer'? (For a more detailed explaination of the Hammer, I highly, HIGHLY recommend Hoyazo's blog. The link is provided below.) It makes perfect sense that all competitive poker players need the ability to 'change things up' and vary their style, but Super-Aggressive ALL THE TIME? Fuck me, that would be a draining way to play.

Anyhoooooo ..... the books! Harrington 1 I am loving, altho it'll definitely be a 'double or triple read' book for my stegosaurus sized and much abused brain. I did also flip through a few pages of Super System 1 by Texas Dolly, (C-nut said I was mad if I didn't pick it up) but it didn't read as well as Harrington, to me at least. But i'll reserve judgement because it was only a brief looksie. I'm sure given some dedicated time my perception will change.

So yep, let the 'sponging' begin!!!! I couldn't be happier with my decision to invest in some reading material. I've been working my arse off with the mobile DJ-ing in particular, and haven't got any hobbies that I pursue anymore, aside from the occasional hit of golf, so I don't feel I have to justify the expenditure. Zac's got decent shoes and we eat well, so why the eff not?!!!

If you're a nOOb, why not do the same?! Just tell Amazon.com I referred you!

(Ha! So much for a brief post today!)