After waking from an unexpected nap and with the realization that I need to get the garbage out to the curb tonight, I began thinking about my game and how it's current version needs to get pitched also. I know I am whining, but my play has suffered the past few weeks due to exhaustion from the workload I traditionally have this time of year.

I have been playing in some excellent tournaments against bloggers the past several weeks. However, after scoring a first place in The Mookie a few weeks ago, I have played some mediocre poker (how is that for a rhyme?), and that just won't work against the blogger community. I have allowed myself to get run over by making poor decisions and am not playing my usual game that has proven to work so well this past year. Lose focus against better players and make one or two mistakes and you find yourself short stacked and fighting to stay. I saw this happen at the DADI, The Big Game, and Monday at the Hoy, all within the past week. I donked out again at the Blogger Poker Tour event last Saturday with play that is certainly not befitting last season's 4th place finisher in the Grand Final. I have been giving money away in the SNGs, where I usually go to lick my wounds after taking a bad beat.

What to do? Well, I least I can look at this all as a learning experience and hopefully recognize it in the future so that I can begin fixing it sooner next time. Even making that statement is in fact some improvement for this perfectionistic person who expects to play perfect poker and take down every tourney he enters. Sounds like I am beginning to resemble my man, Phil Helmuth.

My plan: Get the sleep I need, cut down my poker time the next week or so, use the Thanksgiving break to recharge my batteries. Maybe I'll even buy myself that laptop that I promised myself months ago as a reward for my play.

Why the Beatles for Sale cover? I remember reading years ago how the Beatles started getting tired after grinding it out for an intensive year or so. Contrast the cover of Beatles for Sale and the tired-looking men to the bouncy, enthusiastic lads featured on previous albums. Yep -- that's how I feel. Time for me to work on my version of Get Back.

And hey - a shout out to a few of my online poker buds who, in the past couple months, have given me encouragement along the way, helped me refine my game, welcomed me to a new environment, or just in general, helped me to become a better player:

murrythecat

shaggytrav

Shark

imjusthere4thebeer

slb159

sirFWALGMan

plaidbanana

mookie99

Enough moping around. Time to shuffle up and deal ...