Event Notice – High Heels Poker Tour Women Only Event – WSOP Qualifier
Are you in the Tampa Bay area? Do you yearn for a chance to enter the World Series of Poker® Ladies Event but just don't have the cash. Then, this is a fantastic, affordable opportunity to win your way into this year's Women's Event in Las Vegas.
However, you must get on your horse and get there TODAY!
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010
Time: 3:00pm – 11:55pm
Location: Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa, FL…The Silks Poker Room
WSOP LADIES EVENT QUALIFIER
Buy-in = $125
Starting Chips = 10,000
1st place = Seat to the WSOP Ladies Event + $500 travel expense
2nd place = Seat to the WSOP Ladies Event + $250 travel expense
Rest of the prize pool will be distributed after the top prizes have been paid out.
Even though there is a minimum of 50 players, as of 9:30am Eastern today, there were 53 confirmed on the High Heels Poker Tour events page on Facebook.
Remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call.
Donna Blevins
Poker Pro and Poker Coach
When you are ready to take your poker game to the next level in, it's time for 8-weeks of live poker coachingplus 12-month access to private membership site & resources including updates
Live Poker Coaching Has Started BUT You Can Still Get In Flex-Start Orientation Available
April 21-May 27, 2010
What is Flex-Start? You can start any time during the Flex-Start period and still receive your 8 full weeks of live poker coaching in real time. You will automatically get your step-by-step lesson modules each week starting with the orientation. Then, you will fluidly join the live coaching at the end of your first week.
Take advantage of the FLEX-Start and take your poker game to the next level.
One of the new members of my Poker Pure & Simple™ 8-week live, poker training program is playing in a major poker championship this weekend. In preparation for the tournament, last night I asked her to answer one question instantly with whatever came to mind:
The Question: What will be your greatest challenge during this poker tournament?
Her Greatest Poker Challenge:
My greatest challenge during the tournament will be staying disciplined and only playing premium hands. Then, if I lose with a premium hand, not getting on tilt. That can leave me feeling defeated, especially if I lose a big pot.
My Response:
What you're telling me is that your biggest challenge is mindset.
I understand 100%. Every poker player has been there.
You told me that I'm sitting on your shoulder whispering, "When you can't raise, you can't call!"
Here is your second whisper:
"Stay in the Moment."
Regardless of where you are in the poker tournament, focus on making the correct decisions… not just some of the time, not just part of the time, but all the time.
You already know how to make correct decisions. You have proven that. You have earned your way into this poker championship by making correct decisions.
The key is that correct decisions come for staying in the moment.
Tilting is simply a case of staying in the past and being judgmental about how you acted. Even if that action took place only a split second ago, it is still The Past. It is not The Now.
It's the "Should'uvs" and "If only's" that will defeat you, not the cards.
You already know what and how to play. When you stay in the moment, it is easy to trust your instincts and your read on the situation.
Ask yourself over, and over again, "Why do I always make the correct action at the poker table?"
Your subconscious then searches for answers that reinforce the fact that you always make the correct action, rather than searching for reasons why you do not. That strengthens you and serves to raise your confidence in your decision-making abilities.
When you ask empowering Why Questions, your subconscious mind will do the rest.
Until next time, just as she has, remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call!
Donna Blevins Poker Coach
PS: I am dedicating this post to my poker coaching clients, who honored me by allowing me to share their journey with them.
When you are ready to take your poker game to the next level in, it's time for 8-weeks of live poker coaching.
If you go on tilt at the poker table or in the conference room, people usually just think you're a jerk. Who would ever imagine that it's because you rarely see the light of day and have a Vitamin D deficiency?
Several years ago, I heard a TV doc say that Vitamin D was not just for bone health, it was also one of the most powerful healing chemicals in our body. He went on to recite a long list of features and benefits of Vitamin D. Three got my attention:
1. A lack of Vitamin D can contribute to depression and mood swings
2. Virtually every cell in the body has Vitamin D receptors and must have Vitamin D to function at their peak
3. Our skin makes Vitamin D naturally as a response to sunlight, but it cannot create it on its own
Around the same time that I saw this on TV, I ran into a poker player acquaintance, who had been playing full time for about 12 months. He had always been a solid player and made a good living playing cards, looked healthy and was pleasant at the table.
The next time I saw him, a little more than a year later, he was short tempered, and his face was an ugly, grayish color. He frankly looked sick.
I asked his wife how much time he spent outside in the daylight, and she said none. He played until the wee hours of the morning, came home, slept until dark, then went back to the card room. Once I told her about what I had just heard about Vitamin D and its impact on our overall well being, she vowed to get him outside once a day.
She did just that. He now looks and feels better, and his poker game has dramatically improved.
Vitamin D is perhaps the single most underrated nutrient in the world of nutrition. It may also be another important part of playing winning poker.
Until next time, remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call!
Donna Blevins Poker Coach
Receive the benefits of a poker boot campwithout leaving home. Stay home and still get individual, live poker training brought to your personally by Donna Blevins. Take your poker game to the next level in my 8-week live poker coaching program:
"The road to perfection is one basic step after another."
In poker and in life, C is for the Courage to take action, even when fear overwhelms you. Have the courage to let fear be your friend.
Fear may just be telling you something is out of sync. Rather than allow fear to choke you at the poker table, tap into your courage and use fear's energy to heighten your awareness.
In the fall of 2008, I experienced my first vision quest during a woman's retreat. Frankly, I was skeptical when they said the intention of this exercise was to find my animal spirit guide. Even though people often say that my approach to life appears New Age, at my core I have constant battles… conservative vs. liberal… being fixed vs. demanding change. You could say that I am never bored!
Since I was having a fun few days with a wonderful group of women, I decided to jump into this as an experiment. What could it hurt?
After 20 or 30 minutes, I was startled when I came upon a regal, male lion sitting under a tree in the middle of a wheat-colored mesa. He was sitting very still with his front paws crossed. I felt no fear, just surprise.
He looked up at me and in the deepest, calmest voice you can imagine, he said, "What took you so long?"
At that moment, I realized that for the better part of my life, I had been looking for my courage. Maybe one of the reasons I love poker is that to win at poker, you must be courageous. You must face your fears. You must play your game, not someone else's.
Today, at the poker table and in you life, may you act with courage and honor your lion spirit.
Until next time, remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call!
Donna Blevins Poker Coach
Receive the benefits of a poker boot campwithout leaving home. Stay home and still get individual, live poker training from the comfort of your home or office. Find your courage and raise your confidence at the poker table in my 8-week live poker coaching program:
Poker forums are a great way to connect with other poker players as well as pull people together for a great cause. Today, at 2pm EDT, Full Tilt Poker is hosting a charity tournament sponsored by PokerNations forum to benefit PokerGives.
PokerGives.org was founded by four of the icons in the poker industry. I am honored to call these four special people my friends:
Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Lisa Tenner.
Bravo to PokerNations.com, PokerGives.org and FullTiltPoker.net.
If you have put off getting a Full Tilt account, take action right now so you can play in today's charity event. Here's my online poker resource page if you need a quick way to download their software and get the latest bonus.
Today and everyday when you sit down at the poker table, remember my motto:
Poker mirrors life, and everywhere I turn, I discover poker lessons in plain sight. Poker and life are both about making correct decisions while balancing priorities. Women are particularly good at balancing life situations, which is one of the many reasons women make good poker players.
If you are a woman poker player who has struggled with balancing the many facets of your life, I'd like to tell your story. Please email me directly: Donna at BigGirlPoker dot com.
Here's my most recent balancing act.
Yesterday, when our temperature in Florida finally topped 80 degrees, my 83-year-old mother announced she was giving our five dogs a bath. Even though I had hopes of briefly zoning out in front of the TV before planning strategies for next week's poker coaching, then on to a poker tournament, mom handed me a huge stack of towels.
While sitting on the couch juggling two wet, squirming Yorkies, my coffee cup, and the TV remote, I surfed into a highly underrated TV series, In Plain Sight. As I absently watched the replay of the pilot while brushing and drying Herman and Starr, I wondered how the lead woman character would fair at the poker table… especially since she lives her life on tilt, wearing her anger on her sleeve while suppressing her softer side.
A United States Marshall, attached to the Federal Witness Protection Program, Mary Shannon works in a male dominated professional world and has a dysfunctional personal life. As I watched Mary's ongoing life struggles, they reminded me of the challenges faced by virtually every women in business, including women poker players: balancing our professional life, with the relationships within our business community, while tending to the care and nurturing of our personal life.
The beauty of poker is that it gives women the ability to work through balancing these roles while taking baby steps without huge commitments. It's reassuring to know that practically any woman with the desire to learn the game can step into the poker arena and seriously compete on whatever level she chooses.
Every time we sit down at a poker table, we have the luxury of starting over. If we screwed up last time, we start fresh. If we played at our peak, we still begin anew. Poker is all about learning lessons and releasing baggage. The very nature of poker enables us to learn at lightning speed with minimal risk.
For me, poker initially was a diversion from the incessant stress of my all-consuming business life. Within the game, I found joy, truth, and lighthearted fun. Then, poker became my passion.
Now I live in paradise, surrounded by love… my husband, mom, and five dogs. I will play poker today, come home to clean dogs tonight, and coach other poker players this coming week. It is plain to me… I am a very lucky, woman poker player.
Remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call!
Donna Blevins
Poker Coach
Poker Pure and Simpletm Live Poker Training From the Comfort and Convenience of Your Home or Office
Stay home and still receive the benefits of a poker boot camp, without the added expense and stress of travel… The new "Staycation" of Poker Training.
At a fraction of the cost of what live poker coaching used to be.
No high cost of travel and lodging.
No time away from home and family.
No time away form your job.
When Gus Hansen first published the poker bookEvery Hand Revealed in 2008, I got it and spent the better part of a week absorbing it. I was thrilled with the close-up look at the motivation behind much of Gus' action at the poker table. It gave me valuable insights that helped me open up my personal poker game.
Recently, I recommended this book to a relatively new poker player, who later said he just didn't get it, and he gave it away. So, this week, I pulled the book off my shelf and revisited it.
Do I still recommend this poker book? Absolutely.
Do I recommend this poker book to players new to poker? Maybe, IF, and this is an important if, they have the patience to work through each hand AND are serious about their game. They also must have a full understanding of how the physical aspects of Texas Hold'em, the importance of position, the value of the check-raise, and so on.
Certainly, going through 329 hands can be tedious; however, Gus' comments on every hand are priceless. Often he gives What-if's as well as his optional actions. Sure, it took me nearly a week to absorb the book, because I would carefully go through 50 or so hands and lay the book down. It is not a quick read, nor is it intended to be a casual read.
Who can benefit most from this book: Poker players who want to get into the mind of a world-class poker player and take their game to the next level.
Until next time, remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call.
Donna Blevins
Poker Coach, Speaker and Consultant
NOTE: I am referring this poker book because I own it, have read it and personally benefited from it. If you decide to purchase this book through my link, Amazon will pay me a referral fee. Even though it is a tiny referral fee, I thank you in advance for using my link. Donna
High Stakes Poker is one of my favorite poker television shows. Every now and then, I come across a particular hand that is a great poker lesson.
In this segment from Season 5, watch Patrick Antonius' style of play. Watch his eyes. You can see him thinking and evaluating. Regardless of the outcome, I want you to watch the way Patrick takes his time.
Poker is a competitive sport requiring concentration and focus. That is one of the things I love about poker.
Poker tournaments are long and often go well into the early morning hours leaving little time for social gatherings. That is one of the things I like less about poker. Sure poker is, by its very nature, a social event, however, like every other profession there are tradeoffs.
This morning, when I sat down to check my emails, Twitter, and Facebook before I dash off to a $10,000 guaranteed poker tournament at Ocala Poker, I was delighted to find two emails from my husband as well as a love note on Facebook! How sweet is that!
Sure, he is sleeping soundly about 50 feet from me… and when I say 'soundly', believe me, he sleeps. He even slept through Hurricane Andrew in 1992 when its 120 mile-an-hour winds just missed our home in Florida!
It was especially heartwarming to find his public and private messages this morning. He even found a 1999 photo he took of me in front of the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, and posted it on Facebook along with the caption: "My beautiful wife." He makes me blush! (My goodness, I looked like such a 'little girl!')
Our days and nights are turned around, so I may not see him until tomorrow, especially since my intention is to win the poker tournament. Not just play in it, but win it. That is not egotistical folks, that is a vital part of my poker strategy. And, it must be your state of mind… IF you plan on being a consistent winner at the poker table.
If you only say to yourself "playing" rather than "winning", which would be more likely to happen?
How do you think of yourself as you prepare for a poker tournament? Do you see yourself struggling to amass poker chips, or do you see yourself breezing through the levels controlling the tables?
Here's the email message my husband sent me as his thought for today:
Practice Makes Perfect
Perfect practice makes for perfect results
Repetition makes for consistent results
Imperfect practice makes for imperfect results
He is so wise.
I am a lucky, lucky woman!
Today in your poker games and in life, remember my motto:
If you can't raise, don't call!
Donna Blevins Poker Coach, Speaker and Consultant
If you are ready to take your poker game to the next level, take a look at my upcoming program. You can experience this personal live poker coaching from the comfort of your home at a fraction of the cost of what live coaching used to be.
This past weekend, it was poker for me, and visiting with family for my mom. She traveled with me the three hours across Florida to Orange Park where I had a blast playing in the No-Limit Hold'em Tournament while she spent time with one of her two surviving brothers in Jacksonville.
When we left to come back home Sunday, I noticed this photo carefully wrapped in a towel in the top of one of her bags. As far as we know, it is the only existing picture of her entire family: her mother (Lillian Marian Fugate), her dad (James Hopkins Reasor) along with my mom (Peggy Reasor) and her 9 brothers and sisters.
We figured mom was likely 8-years-old in this shot, which puts the photo around 1934. That makes grandmother 45-years-old with 10 kids! No wonder she looks weary in this photo. (Think about that the next time you whine about how long it takes to get to the money in a poker tournament!)
My grandmother was born in 1889 and was an amazing woman with a strong work ethic. In those days, even though there were few choices for young women, my grandmother finished school at the age of 16 and went on to college.
On Sunday afternoons while at LMU (Lincoln Memorial University), grandmother rode an ole' white mule the five miles from her home to the University. Then, on Fridays after classes, she rode the mule back home so she could help with the chores over the weekend.
She eventually met and married my grandfather, who was a traveling dry goods salesman. They literally homesteaded a mountain. It was treacherous terrain with little flat land for crops, so they raised milk cows and had the allotted tobacco patch each year.
My mother, whom everyone calls Mama Peggy, is now 83. She grew up during the Great Depression, and mom tells stories of getting up before daylight to milk the cows and bottle the milk. Grandpa would go to town each day to deliver the fresh milk and "trade."
Even in those days, Mama Peggy remembers her dad playing poker with farm hands until the wee hours of the morning. I wonder if he played my way…
If you can't raise, don't call.
Donna Blevins
Poker Coach, Speaker and Consultant
Looking for poker training, pure and simple?
Then, reserve your seat at my next live, poker coaching program. It is unique, based on what you want to learn, and will help you take your game to the next level:
This site is about poker from a woman's point of view. It's about how to play the game, insights, and life lessons. Poker only takes five minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master. Read more...
One of the new members of my Poker Pure & Simple™ 8-week live, poker training program is playing in a major poker championship this weekend. In preparation for the tournament, last night I asked her to answer one question instantly with whatever came to mind:
Poker forums are a great way to connect with other poker players as well as pull people together for a great cause. Today, at 2pm EDT, Full Tilt Poker is hosting a charity tournament sponsored by PokerNations forum to benefit PokerGives.
It was especially heartwarming to find his public and private messages this morning. He even found a 1999 photo he took of me in front of the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, and posted it on Facebook along with the caption: "My beautiful wife." He makes me blush! (My goodness, I looked like such a 'little girl!')
