The Coming Year

New Years Resolutions for 2015 look surprisingly similar to previous years, but with some twists and turns and tweaks thrown in along the way:

1. ABC Training App. The highest priority poker resolution for the coming year is definitely this one. It has taken Le Monsieur and me a little more than six months to get the basic lesson template, syllabus, and overall plan in place, and then of course create the first twelve or so lessons. I honestly believe we have a really solid foundation in place, with some innovative and useful instructional material written-- but there's a lot more to do. A whole lot. In the coming year, my resolutions on this front are to continue meeting with Le Monsieur and cranking out lessons, with a goal of generating at least three lessons per month. I also resolve to work with Le Monsieur to prototype the app itself, test it on some willing participants, and then... well, I'm not really sure what comes next. Stay tuned!
2. The Blog. As usual, I'm going to try to post on average 1x or more per week. This coming year looks pretty horrible in terms of biz travel, which always has a negative effect on both the quantity and quality of posts-- but I'm still going to give the 'ole college try. Posting helps my game, period. Ergo, I resolve that I will continue to post as much as possible. 
3. WSOP 2015. I missed last year's WSOP due to work, and there's no guarantee a big conflict won't happen again... but I really, really want to play again in the circus in Vegas that is the WSOP. I'm kind of intrigued by the $565 Colossus event they're planning this year, but of course the $1K Seniors holds special appeal, too, as does the $1500 Monster Stack event. Ergo, I hereby resolve to enter at least one event this coming year. 
4. Leak Plugging. I feel like I'm playing pretty sound poker, but there is always room for improvement. I hereby resolve that I'm going to keep better and more regular records of my play (maybe here on the blog) and see what, if anything, I can improve upon. 
5. SnG and MTTs. As practice for the WSOP, I need to find windows in my schedule to get in MTT and SnG seat time. Ergo, I resolve to play at least 2 MTTs and 4 SnGs every month. 
6. Fitness. All I can say is: Ugh. I have to do something drastic on this front. My biggest issue is excess body mass, which stems from two key things: diet and exercise. Not very earth shattering, is it? Nope, but this isn't really rocket science. Our bodies are nothing more than energy processing devices. The engineer in me tends to think of the human form in terms of free body diagrams. Energy can't be created or destroyed, so what goes in the mouth that isn't used up by the body for basal metabolism needs, either comes out in the form of useful work performed or as waste, and what's left over gets stored away as fat. It's an energy balance thing, and of course there are lots of variables (e.g., efficiency of the body, types of calories consumed, etc.) but... well, like I said, it's not rocket science. I hereby resolve to eat better and exercise more. I might also dedicate a couple of off-topic blog posts in the coming year to just how I'm going to tackle this gorilla.
7. Poker Training Materials. I always *want* to watch videos, but the honest reality after a few years of including this on my resolution list is that I just don't watch them regularly enough. Podcasts, on the other hand, I am almost always able to find time for (usually on lunch-time walks at work). Poker books also remain a staple on my education front, but the truth is I'm using them lately more as reference materials for the ABC App than I am as true learning media. Therefore I resolve to keep up the podcasts on a regular basis, and fit in whatever else I feel like as time allows. 
8. Perfect Practice. With time so short, I often find myself multi-tasking when playing online. Email, surfing, researching, even writing blog posts, often occurs in parallel with play time. Not good. I think the key is to shorten my play sessions, and then close all windows on the machine and just focus on playing. Again, I don't have any major leaks in my game-- except perhaps this one. Ergo, I resolve to shorten play sessions, and to focus better when playing. 
9. PLO. I'm still really enjoying the process of learning to master Omaha, and while I'm now a modest winning player the small stakes, there is a ton of room for improvement. Ergo, I resolve to study the game more diligently, including some posts on the topic herein this blog. 
10. Have Fun. My perennial favorite resolution is this one. I enjoy poker, still, and as long as I continue to enjoy the madness, I will continue it. When it ceases to be fun, I won't play. That's my resolution: have fun while the getting is good. 

Hope you all have a fun and profitable 2015.
All-in for now...
-Bug