The Micro Stakes Grinder

After a great holiday in Cambodia, I didn't really know what to do back home. From the busy streets of Phnom Penh to the big, lonely apartment in Brussels...

Poker doesn't interest me much these days. But I can't just lay on the couch, smoke weed and watch TV all weekend, every weekend. I need something to do. Something to pass the time while I'm saving my monies for The Fishy Trail. Then I saw an add for PartyPoker Mac software. Tired of dividing my time between Angy Birds and a Murakami novel, I downloaded the software. On PokerNews there's a promotion that promises a free $50 for every new Party-account. I don't believe in 'free money' but followed the instructions anyway. A day later, there was $25 in my Party-account (for the other $25 I'll need to get to 200 Party Points in 45 days, but I'm not complaining). Soon I was playing $4NL full ring cash games and enjoying it. Actually, poker is still kind of fun. I just can't afford to lose significant amounts of money any longer. Before all I wanted was play, play, play and move up in stakes. Now it's different. There are better ways to get the most value out of my hard-earned dollars.

This morning I tried to launch PokerStars only to discover that they are now PokerStars.be. In the light of recent events, I'm very much in favor of government regulation. All the games (cash and tournaments) are still available in the PokerStars.be lobby. No worries. It should be all ruled and regulated now. That's good. It makes me feel safe. I checked my account balance. It's still too much. I don't want to gamble for these amounts anymore. The numbers look different now. Not so long ago, $50 didn't mean much to me. Now it equals two days of living like a king in, for example, Kampot (Cambodia).

If I want to keep playing poker it will be like going to the gym. Exercise, nothing else. Something to keep my brain sharp while I prepare to get away. So I cashed out half of my PokerStars bankroll. It felt good to convert PokerStars dollars into cold, hard euros.

It's a grey, rainy morning in Brussels. I don't mind. I'm ready for Belgium winter now. I got PokerCopilot, PokerStars.be an PartyPoker running. Looking for some games to play. Something like 10NL cash games on Party and maybe a few $3 sit 'n go's on Stars. It's alright. Money comes and goes. Adaptation is an essential survival skill.

Back to the micro stakes!