Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh Blog

The weather out here in Delaware has been quite ridiculous. Last week, we received a total of 26 inches of snow and the past two days another 14. This year, we’ve already passed the all-time record of snow accumulation! It’s even more frustrating that I just bought a car and I have only driven it twice! Don’t get me wrong, I love playing in the snow but enough is enough.

I haven’t had the best couple of weeks at the tables and I would attribute that to cabin fever and logging too many hours when I’m clearly not running well. Sometimes, when the cards aren’t in your favor, it’s just best to cut your losses early and call it a day. But, my spirits are still high and I’m sure the next week will bring better results. I’ll be in warmer weather because I’m going to be in Las Vegas on the 18th, so maybe that will end my “cold” streak!

I frequently receive questions via email that really impress me because they are well thought out. Instead of answering some of them directly, I got permission to post the question publicly. Here’s a great one:

Q: Hey Jen,
I just wanted to ask you about being a full time poker player and the REAL story. On TV, every WPT or Poker Stars celeb looks pretty glamorous. How is it for real? Is being a full time gambler tougher than it appears on the surface? If you could give advice to wanna be players now that you’ve been out there, what would you do differently if you could rewind and live the last 5 years all over again to make things smoother for you?

A: Playing poker for a living is one of the hardest ways to make an easy living. It’s not unusual to see someone on top of his or her game one year, with over a million dollars and completely broke at the end of the year. In actuality before someone turns “pro” they should have at minimum a year of savings behind them for their living expenses on top of their actual bankroll. This usually is never the case for many young players and when their luck runs short, often they find themselves having to start all over. It’s very easy to live outside of your means as well when you’ve been running hot and then the spending along with the cold run of cards catches up to you quickly. With all that said, the most important key in poker is managing your emotions, bankroll and spending.

Personally, looking back 5 years if I could do it all again with the knowledge I have now, I wouldn’t know where to start! There are always a few hands and decisions that I replay in my mind, thinking how I could have played them differently for better results. Overall, looking at everything in perspective, learning from mistakes that I made in the past is most important. For me, I think the biggest thing I wish I had done is focused primarily on tournaments, rather cash games. I was strictly an online tournament player when I first started playing in 2004 and I really enjoyed it. I’m currently moving back towards the tournament circuit because I find them the most gratifying.

I hope everyone has had a great week and good results on the felt! If anyone ever has any reasonable questions that you’d like answered you can email me directly at jen@jennicide.com.

Comment

Reading my last blog brought a smile to my face. To be quite honest, the past two weeks have been really positive and refreshing. I keep going deep in the Sunday tournaments (last week I placed 404th out of over 8000 on Stars.) This week, I didn’t go that deep, I went deep in the Full Tilt tournament although I didn’t cash, still played well! Overall, whenever I sit down and play, I feel that I’m finally at a place in my life where I can enjoy poker to it’s fullest again and play really well. Finally!!!! I really feel like I’m getting my “groove” back.

A common phrase for the poker professional is, “It’s a hard way to make an easy living.” There are a lot of key factors that make that saying absolutely true. The most common issues with people who choose this living for themselves is lacking structure, a routine and overall balance in their life. Frequently, I too find myself lacking the above factors and sometimes look back at my own faults helps gain perspective in what will make me happier overall.

I made a promise and commitment to myself to be healthier, more positive and follow a specific routine that I will follow for optimal structure and balance. Being consistent with my fitness, diet, sleep schedule, can only benefit me in the long run. In just one week of following the routine I set for myself, the results have been amazing. Although my appetite is through the roof when I’m finished a work out (if anyone has any suggestions for this PLEASE let me know) my overall energy level and confidence has been incredibly high. This has definitely helped each session of poker. It’s easier for me to sit at the tables, completely focused, confident and clear-minded.

I also purchased a beautiful silver Lexus SC430 (pics below) that will be arriving Thursday and I’m really excited to drive this beauty around during the spring/summer! I’ll keep this blog moderately short and hopefully post a recap after this weekend, as I have my best friend’s birthday party, my mother’s birthday and my puppy, Kaia’s! I can’t believe she’ll be a year old on the 28th! I’m going to try to head to Best Buy sometime during the week so I can get a better video camera and post some video blogs.

Wish you all the best week possible and play your hearts out! Always remember, balance is key!!!! =)

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It’s a New Year and I feel the best way for me to start the New Year off right, is by learning from the experiences I had in the prior year. Each year, we strive to be better versions of ourselves and that’s my primary goal this year. I want to focus on myself and get back to the mindset I once had before I got caught up in looking for love. I’ve learned that each attempt would fail because I’d lose parts of myself, specifically my passion for poker. I stopped living for myself and in turn, whether the relationship was good at times, I felt empty.

Even when I played poker online in San Francisco, I never had the focus or the drive that I once had. So, when I played, sometimes I’d win, sometimes I’d lose, but it didn’t matter. I was unhappy. Right around Thanksgiving Shawn and I split up and I came home to Delaware with my puppy, Kaia. I have been trying and spend as much time with family and friends. It’s been helpful. Sometimes spending time with people, who have known you your whole life, helps you gain perspective on a lot of things. It’s always good to know that I will have the best support system that one could ask for. I’m very thankful for that.

This year is going to be a fun and exciting ride! I am going to start studying and brushing up on poker. Sure, I know how to play, but I want to play better. I want to play the best I have ever played. Next week, I am going to go through my finances and figure out a reasonably sized bankroll for online poker and of course play the big Sundays but I also need to get on a routine. A close friend said to me, “treat poker like a business.” I wholeheartedly agree with him. Taking a lot of advice from people has been helpful as well. I’m at a point in my life where I’m confident that I will succeed because the only distractions that take time from my poker sessions or poker studies, will be my family and friends and since they totally understand me, their support will be an great bonus! Having a place to blog once a week, will definitely help add some more structure in my life. I could go on and write a 10 page blog, but I don’t think the guys at Bluff would like that Thanks Eric Morris and the staff at Bluff for giving me the opportunity to publicly write about venturing back into poker! It’s going to be a great year! I hope everyone has had a great year so far and everyone had Happy Holidays!! =)

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