In the beginning....

Before my introduction to the world of poker I spent time with friends at BBQs, played my share of video games, and was addicted to Axis & Allies board games. I have been in the Coast Guard for over ten years. I was visiting my parents in San Diego with my family. We played Hearts with my dad and he kicked our asses. I could tell that he had a deep understanding of not only how to use the cards in his hands, but a pretty good idea of what everyone else was doing as well. One night while we were there he cleared the living room of any distractions and sat down to watch his "soap opera" - The WPT.

This was in '03 and I was stationed in small-isolated-Alaskan-town. When I got back home I looked into buying a small chip set. The best deal I could find was a 300-chip set of very plain clay chips. I paid out the nose for shipping - it was more expensive than the chips themselves. Teaming together with my buddy Eric, we hosted an event. The first game had eight people, including Daryl Mixan, who would go on to achieve legendary poker glory (for us anyway ), winning a PartyPoker Super Saturday and finishing second in a WSOP event. www.cardplayer.com/players/results/Daryl-Mixan/15711

Over the next three years our game grew to over 16 regulars. Each week there was at least one tournament and towards the end of my tour our cash games would be all-nighters with 9+ people every single week. My chip set was replaced when my dad arrived in Alaska with my new birthday gift in '04 - a 500 chip set of clay composites. In '05, after UPS changed their shipping options I ordered a 1000 chip set featuring the Coast Guard emblem. I realized somewhere during my Alaskan tour that poker would be a part of me forever. I love this game.

The now...

We transferred out to Maine in '06. I am currently serving onboard a Buoy Tender as the Food Service Officer. It's the best job I've ever had. However it is tough to get a regular poker game going. I play once a month with a great group near Augusta. Their play is exceptional and it reminds me of our games in Alaska.

My online play has been erratic at best. I tend to have brilliant stretches where I can't lose. Three times I've built my bankroll up from pennies to over $100. Over my lifetime I've pulled more money out than I've put in. However it takes a certain - I don't know, Mike The Mouth approach to poker to lose the remainder of your bankroll at least three times. I get arrogant. I get impatient. I always feel like I should be making money quicker than I am. It really is Kamikaze Poker. I tend to be over-emotional in the online poker environment. My late successes have come with this amazing ability to stand up a la PH and walk it off for a bit. Anything I can do not to target other players. Deep breathes are a normal part of my play when I am doing well.

The family....

I am married to a wonderful wife and mother. She's 26 and gorgeous. I pulled her out of Alaska where she grew up in the wilderness (no joke). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Alexander,_Alaska We have three amazing children together... all girls - 6, 4 and 3. The 4 + 3 have red curly hair. All of them will cause me great grief in the near future. My parents moved to Arizona recently. My dad worked as a dealer in Laughlin for a couple of years. He also has an accounting business. My mom is back at school - becoming a nurse. I have 4 siblings scattered throughout California and one up in Washington.