Challenge day #5.

I'm somewhat annoyed with FTP. My sessions were cut off halfway through the day due to "unscheduled maintenance" going on over at FTP. I wasn't able to play as much as I would've liked to and I also wasn't able to earn the points I was going for. Hopefully FTP makes good and credits me with the points so I don't lose any traction in the Iron Man race. Here are the session stats.

DAILY SUMMARY:
$.05/.10 NLHE, 2 hours
Hands: 641
Winnings: +3.20

$1.00/2.00 HU 7-card stud, 0.5 hours
Hands: 107
Winnings: +11.25

$.05/.10 PLO, 1 hour
Hands: 211
Winnings: +3.75

Net: +18.20
Total hands: 959
FPPs earned: 6
FTPs earned: 139.9

OVERALL SUMMARY:
Days played: 5
Hands played: 4924
Net +/-: +183.75
Winning days: 5
Losing days: 0
Highest winning day: Day 4, +70.20
Lowest winning day: n/a

GAME BREAKDOWN:
NLHE hands: 1962
NLHE winnings: +93.25

Limit HE hands: 167
Limit HE winnings: -11.35

Stud hands: 2584
Stud winnings: +98.10

PLO hands: 211
PLO winnings: 3.75

HORSE hands: 0
HORSE winnings: 0

I've been listening to a lot of poker radio on iTunes via podcasts lately while I play. It's a good relaxer and always great entertainment. if you ever have time, you should definitely check them out. My favorites are the 2+2 podcast from twoplustwo.com and all of the ones over at PokerRoad.com.

In the most recent 2+2 podcast, they talk with Eric "Sheets" Haber. I was really interested in the part where he talked about staking.

"Investing in the stock market is the same thing as investing in horse racing or investing in poker players or investing in anything. So when I think about staking a poker player, I just think of it as another place to yield a positive return."

"It's very hard and in today's day and age, where everybody can play a little bit, to rely on results is very, very dangerous. I could tell you some results of some of the people we've staked that have made a lot of money that were atrocious if you just look at their [results]. And I could tell you people who came to us with incredible [results], but what I always do is I look at all of their hands... so that I can get a full dynamic look at how they play and I rely on my own subjective opinion on the way they play certain situations. I can don't care what their results are, I think a person can either play or they can't, and that's it."

These are excellent points by Haber. I've always been a fan of taking or giving some action. I believe it is a great way to invest your money. With solid judgment and good research, staking can be a very profitable practice.

If you have time, check out these radio shows and others out there. Or if you're like me, just listen to them while you play.