An Introduction

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."
-Andy Dufresne

"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain."
-Red

Ok, so the title for my first blog post is a little uninspired and bland, but you have to start somewhere right? And essentially, an introduction is exactly what this is, so why not start there. First off, to all who come here, welcome to my blog. For those who know me a little or not at all, I hope the blog gives you an opportunity to understand who I am and what I am all about. To those who know me well, I hope that you will take the opportunity to learn even more about me.

With that out of the way, a little about me for those who don't know me; and a little more about why I'm starting this blog for those who do. My name is Matt, I'm 26, married and have two children; a 7 year old girl and a 21 month old boy. I have a happy healthy home life and a job for one of the leading wireless phone providers. As of right now, that's me in a nutshell. Pretty straight forward, with what you see being what you get. Recently, I have been given the opportunity to work towards something I have wanted to do since I was 16.

Ten years ago I started playing poker on a regular to semi-regular basis. At first with friends following our time when we were younger playing Magic:The Gathering. Then more and more online and live whenever I could actually find a game. Living in Tennessee makes it quite difficult to find a game, as you have to depend on making the long drive to Tunica. So while I have dabbled in poker, read the books, watched the videos, and all in all absorbed what I could about the game, other obligations have kept me from ever pursuing it to the degree that I’ve wanted. Since I have started playing, I have recognized that I have the skills to be a winning player and that with polish and a bankroll could make an honest attempt towards supporting my family primarily through poker as a profession.

So why now then? What is it about November 2009 that has made me decide to get off my ass and actually attempt something like this? As I said before, and opportunity has presented itself. One in which I cannot pass up. I took the plunge and went to a poker coach, one of the top online players in the world, asking for assistance, coaching, and guidance in what it takes to become an online pro and one of the best in the world. Along with coaching from him and one of his star students who has come a long way in a few short months, I will be broken down, coached, motivated, and molded into a player who can make a living from home, setting hours that I want to keep and working hard towards providing a living for my family that up until this point I have not been able to provide. As for my coaches, although I will not be naming and names at this time, as I get to know them more and more through my sessions, you too will understand more about them through my writings.

As long as I go on doing this, I am going to keep this blog. Maybe not every day, but as I progress I want to take the opportunity to track and evaluate my lines of thinking and give not only myself, but all who choose to read this an insight into how I am improving. As this will mostly be a blog about poker and my attempt to make it in the poker world, there will be a lot of poker terminology and situations that may not be completely clear to those not involved with the game. In those situations I will do my best to explain everything that I am talking about along the way. For now though, this introduction will serve as a welcome. And those two guys up there, Andy and Red? Get used to seeing their names. The Shawshank Redemption has some of the greatest words of wisdom in all of cinema. If you have not seen this movie yet (And seriously, if you haven’t, what size boulder have you lived under to keep you away from it) go out and get it, this very second and watch it. Then watch it again. And again.

I’m writing this blog and attempting this foray into online poker because what Andy says is true. Hope IS a good thing, and if you have the skills on top of the hopes and the dreams, nothing can stop you. I’m setting out to put that to the test and to prove that it is true.

Along the way I will post about any marathon sessions that I am planning or any big shots that come my way that I can take. If you want to follow me, I will be on Pokerstars, under the name Master3004. Hence the name of my blog of course. There will be much less rambling to come, but come if you will. I would love to have you along for the ride.