For the past three weeks I have been on a prolonged vacation from poker and the results have been stunning.† I feel that I have come alive.† I feel the daily highs and lows of gambling numb your emotions and with the absence of gambling my emotions are slowly returning.

For the past few months, hell almost a year now, I have found it harder and harder to focus on poker.† The additional money I made was no longer improving my lifestyle, as I was now an ëexpertí player the game was no longer interesting as I was learning and had to think about the game less and less.† But to fill the void that this left I played higher and higher to get the same ëhighí or to ëget in the zoneí, and after playing in these games Iíve been left to deal with gut-clenching variance.† I had found myself more stressed out, less fulfilled and simply less alive.† And I achieved almost zero monetary game (although in these games that could change in one session).

Iíve recently been spending more time with my friend, Antonito Esfandiari.† Antonio is one of the most social, fascinating and just plain awesome people I have ever met and he surrounds himself with interesting, intelligent and passionate induvails from all walks of life.† Just being around these people I find myself simulated and have a new lust for life.† Iíve conversed with people ranging from 27 a year old CEO (who still manages to be a hell of a poker player), to the best video game player in the entire world; to down to earth hippie-girls raised in the woods in Alaska. I find myself simulated and stretched in so many ways.†

This enjoyment of meeting new people and hearing their stories is what has made me play more and more high-stakes live poker (which is stocked full of interesting people) and less †and less online (which is more lucrative); since it is an isolating experience.† Iíve met and befriended part time comedian and multimillionaire record mogul Alan Meltzer, gotten to know street performer turned Billionaire Guy Liberte, and talk real estate with real estate legends Rock Clotier and Bob Safai.† All of these people are fascinating, inspiring and make me truly aware of what humans can achieve.†

Poker has given me some much.† It has given me the economic power to meet these people, the flexabaitly to travel the world or read and study whatever is on my mind at any given time and achieve the finical security to not have to work a ëjobí to support myself.† But it no longer simulates like I used to I rarely find joy and happiness in just playing like I did for so many years.

For me Itís become harder and harder to focus on poker when they are so many new things to learn and new experiences to be had in the world.† With the addictive nature of gambling and the stress and frustration caused by variance Iíve often found it hard to achieve balance in my life. ††So for now I might just take more time off for poker. †

I donít plan on giving up poker.† Iím so good at it, and itís unlikely that I will ever make the money that I can make playing it.† Plus, I enjoy the extravagant lifestyle poker has afforded me and donít know if Iím ever going to be able to give it up.† But Iím enjoying this prolonged break, I think I might just extend it, expand my mind, stretch my limits and maybe just maybe fall in loveÖ

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Also I didnít post a blog last week, so I will have to send someone $50 in addition to another $100 to Alec Torelli who I have a bet with for the next three months where we both have to blog once a week.† Iím not exactly sure who Iím suppose to send it to, so Iíll put my assistant on it and ship it out shortly.