The Marketplace of Ideas, Slot Demo Update, and More Well, in one sense I've made it through one part of the course I mapped out, and in another I've gone even further into the waters of 10/20 and above. I honestly never would've expected this to happen, and at least one of the things that helped make it happen was pure longshot luck (the jackpot). Whereas 2004 was a year of firsts, 2005 was a year of applying what I knew and refining my game while plowing through the small stakes games. Significant parts of that second year process were not necessarily fun or immediately rewarding, but extremely worthwhile nonetheless. Learning to take the pain of my first large downswing, to play four or even five tables at once, to respect variance and plan for it, and to relentlessly value bet regardless of the short term results -- those were not easy things to do, and I'm still learning in each area. Learning to play live with confidence and full enjoyment was another thing...