Reset the Clock
A restart, a bankroll challenge, and a year built on process.
I meant to write this on January 1.
That was the plan. New year, fresh start, first post, all that. Then New Year’s Day was busier than expected. Cleaning up after our hosted party on New Year’s Eve took more out of me than I wanted to admit, and by the time I headed out to play, the blog post was already dead. Then the weekend got busy. Then life happened.
So here we are. January 7. Better late than never.
This is the first entry in a restart. I’m deleting the old “first post” and starting from scratch. This year I want the blog to feel more like a real record of what I’m doing and learning, not a random pile of poker thoughts scattered across time.
A birthday gift that actually matters
Miriam gave me an incredible birthday gift this year: a personal coaching session with Tommy Angelo, plus two of his books, Elements of Poker and Painless Poker.
On my birthday we did a quick video call. I’m pretty sure that’s not standard for him, but Miriam can be extraordinarily persuasive and charming. He wished me a happy birthday, we talked for a few minutes, and he asked what I wanted to get out of the session.
He was great. Calm, down to earth, and the kind of person who makes you feel like the work is simple, even when it isn’t.
Miriam is amazing. She brings magic to everything she touches.
The coaching session is scheduled for February 25, which gives me plenty of time to work through his books and get better at taking notes so I’m not showing up like a fanboy with vague questions.
2026 goals and the challenge I’m choosing on purpose
My primary goal for 2026 is to get better at poker. That’s obvious.
But what I really mean is this: I want to keep moving away from results and toward process. That was a 2025 goal too, and I’m not pretending I’ve mastered it. I just know it’s the only way this game stays healthy long term.
I study both GTO and exploitative poker. The games I play aren’t filled with solver bots. Most of the time, the money comes from adjustments. But I still want the GTO baseline in my head so I know what “normal” looks like before I start deviating.
Most of my actual playing is exploitative. Overfolding in spots where people don’t bluff enough. Overcalling in spots where they can’t stop value-owning themselves. That kind of thing.
Weekly rhythm right now
If things go according to plan, a normal week looks like:
2 live MTTs
1 live cash session (usually 1/3)
1 online MTT on Hijack Poker
I’m in Texas, and Hijack is one of the few legal options, so I’m still learning the player pool and figuring out what “normal” looks like there.
Study-wise, I’m aiming for 20 to 30 minutes a day on weekdays, and then doing deeper work in batches. One week might be big blind defense at 30 big blinds with no ICM. Another week might be something totally different. The point is to focus, not to pretend I’m studying everything at once.
The bankroll reality and the goal that makes this interesting
I’m also doing a challenge during the first half of the year.
It might be a bad idea. I’m doing it anyway.
I know too many talented players who stay stuck in low level games because they don’t track anything, don’t manage a roll, and don’t have a plan. Some of them probably cash a decent percentage of tournaments and still couldn’t tell you their numbers. That’s wild to me.
So I’m giving myself a question:
Can I turn a small seed into a WSOP Main Event seat this summer, and not just barely?
Here’s the seed:
$3,000 live bankroll to start the year
$500 online bankroll deposited
I’m not aiming for “hit 10k and fire the Main.” I want to cover travel, play some events, and come home without lighting the rest of my year on fire.
Trailblazer II: the longshot path
There’s also a longshot route that’s at least worth talking about.
Texas Card House is running Trailblazer II. It started in 2025 in Dallas, then moved to Spring, and just finished in Rio Grande Valley. The next stop is Houston starting January 14, then it heads back to Dallas, and finishes in Austin.
The points leaderboard pays a WSOP Main Event seat to first place.
Right now I’m sitting in 9th.
First place has a monster lead. Kris was smart and went to RGV to rack up points in a softer field. I didn’t go, and that might’ve been a mistake. If I’m going to make this interesting, I probably need a strong series in Houston, then do well again in Dallas, and let Austin decide it.
It’s a longshot, but it’s still a shot.
And I’m not rooting against Kris. I like Kris. I’m just acknowledging reality while I do what I can control.
That’s the starting line
So this is where 2026 begins for me:
A coaching session on the calendar
Books on the nightstand
A small bankroll challenge that forces discipline
A tournament series that could turn into something big if I run well and play well
More soon. For now, I’m just getting the year started.