Today, out of the blue, there were 4 500/1k NLHE tables running.  That is a rare event these days so I decided to rail the games.  On the side, I opened the sole 300/600 PLO table 'This Is Nuts' that was running.  The following hand and chat occurred at that table.

Dealer: OMGClayAiken shows two pair, Queens and Eights
Dealer: Ziigmund wins the pot ($555,549) with a flush, Queen high

Immediately after the hand, Gus Hansen, who wasn't in the hand, felt the need to say something.  This is what ensued.

Gus Hansen: I have never seen Ziigmund loose a hand like that?????? very strange
Ziigmund: shut up u retard
Ziigmund: fcking atm maschino
Ziigmund: gus
Ziigmund: take refill
Gus Hansen: It is funny that Ziggy is up up 5.2 million on lucky 4 way pots
Ziigmund: huh
Gus Hansen: he claims to be the best
Ziigmund: gus is real pokerplayer
Gus Hansen: which is true I think he is the best drunk player out there
Ziigmund: ever heads up
Ziigmund: gus
Gus Hansen: change the tune you fukin finish retard
Ziigmund: whenever
Gus Hansen: in the chat you have no chance you barely speak english
Gus Hansen: of course I am drunk
Gus Hansen: My name is Ziigmund and I have put in ( million with the worst hand but I got 17 million back so it is OK
Gus Hansen: typo error 8 mill got 17 back

Ziigmund left a few minutes later, up around 300k on his short session.  I edited out all the railbird chatter, but for amusements sake, I thought I would include a few comments after Ziigmund left.

MPREDROCK (Observer): hit and run ziggy
reggi__bgd (Observer): Gus u pissss offf Zigiiiiiiiiii
CleverCastro (Observer): everyone here sucks, maybe thats why they have so much $. HMMMMMM!?!?!
superrrm (Observer): Gus u made ziggy leave.......
NyHustler14895 (Observer): next person pops off about gus is getting their teeth kicked in
Boludini (Observer): poor old gus freerolling nosebleeds on rake money
BullAtty (Observer): zziiigy gone to cry into his vodka over gus mean nasty words
BullAtty (Observer): next he'll fly to monaco for make up sex
Seamus Bloom (Observer): gus is shortstacking
poolepit (Observer): -5mil in like 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pink Chip (Observer): gus is running on fumes

Earlier this week, I went with my wife and two kids to visit a friend's farm.  She lives about 30 minutes away from our suburban neighborhood. We went to pick blackberries as a family and visit her animals.  She keeps award winning horses and goats, along with dogs and cats galore. Neighboring farms raise cattle, llamas, cattle, chickens and various other animals.  There are wild deer, coyote, turkey vultures, possum, and birds throughout the area. Right next door to her 20 acre property are the state forests that eventually lead up to Mt. Hood and the Cascade range.

The sights and sounds are so different from suburban or urban life. It got us to thinking on the drive home what it would be like living in the different settings. Ever since we planned on having a family, we moved away from more urban settings to have a home with a yard but close to the typical suburban necessities. I think if it were just the two of us again, we might consider either the urban settings, for proximity to the diverse culture, restaraunts and activities, or a rural setting where we could develop our love for the outdoors and living closer to the land. As it is, we are happy with the compromise that is the suburbs. It accomplishes our goals of raising a family in a supportive environment and having stability for our children.

I didn't have that stability growing up. I moved 5 times in the first 12 years of my life, 4 of those different countries. My childhood was very international and exotic, introducing me to a lot of different cultures and experiences.  But I never had the sense of home that I wanted for my children. That early transient lifestyle affected how I made friends and attachments as the years went on. I wonder how my kids will view it as they grow older, having lived their lives in one town.

It's fun and interesting to consider how those different settings and different priorities would affect our lifestyles.  I think there is value in each setting - rural, suburban, and urban.  Which is your favorite and why?

A PC member asked me today about blogging on Poker Curious.  Were there any rules?  What made a good blog?  My immediate answer was regularity.  The blogs that have the greatest success have a consistency to them.  Not only does that mean you build in an expectation for delivering new content, but that your creative 'voice' is also consistent.

I only started blogging in May 2007.  One of my main missions at the time was to demonstrate to the pros at CardRunners how to improve their blogging.  While I can't say that my experiment influenced many of them, it clearly showed that you can develop an audience despite not being a celebrity/promoted pro, high stakes player, or even talk about poker on a poker site.  Simply from blogging regularly with a consistent 'reasoned voice' I developed a following.  I blogged more than any other blogger, with many disparate thoughts.  I blogged about those issues important to me.

In the final analysis, people will connect with your passion and voice.  They come back if they appreciate your perspective.  They can find it entertaining or educational.  They can find it outrageous or stimulating.  Readers like to delve into the mind and experiences of others; no matter how weird or obsessive they may be.

There is no one formula of what or how to write it.  Some blogs employ unusual formats that people connect with; using photos and video, stream of consciousness, lists etc.  But there are some helpful hints to reaching a wider audience.  They are common to all good writing.  If you are telling a story, have a beginning, middle, and end.  Whatever story you tell, please use paragraphs and punctuation to break it up. 

Often times, your title is the most important part.  It creates a set of expectations before your reader ever starts reading.  So invest time to create a title that is interesting and appropriate to your blog.  If you don't, it is likely to make your reader confused and uncomfortable without even knowing why.

While a stream of consciousness blog can be effective, the more focused blogs tend to generate more readers.  From a practical standpoint, it makes it easier for search engines and non regular bloggers to gravitate to your blog if you are focused.  You also want to be relevant to the target audience. When you stimulate their minds, it is beneficial to link to other relevant information so they can persue this new interest.

Ultimately, you are sending your readers on a journey.  If they enjoy that journey, they will return again and again to see where you take them next.  If you don't blog regularly, they will grow disenchanted and search elsewhere for what they thought they had found in you.

Good luck.  I look forward to reading your blogs.

Even though I'm not really eligible to win the Rex55 Blog contest, I thought I would contribute my entry on the last day of the contest.  If you haven't given it your shot, you really should because every poker player should ask that question of themself and you can win a free hour of coaching and tourney stake.

What holds you back from being a better poker player than you are today? What are your shortcomings and weaknesses?

Time - I'm 42, married, father of two, home owner and business owner.  Balancing all those priorities with my poker interest has never left me the time to really work on my game.  The time I do have, I would usually prefer to play rather than study.

Multi-tasking limitations - The greatest number of tables I've ever been able to play effectively is two.  While I can physically play more tables, I find I don't play them optimally.  So that limits the numbers of hands I play.  I allow my play to be regularly interupted by work or family, so my focus isn't always what it should be.

Fear - I'm a conservative player.  I like to play hands with strong values so I play tighter than most of my opponents and don't bluff enough. Unless I have history with a player, I tend to give them credit when they are representing a strong hand.  I practice strict bankroll management, so I don't feel comfortable taking shots or moving up under rolled.

Software laziness - I've never used poker software to analyze my game.  I don't use Poker Tracker or Hold'em Manager.  There are many programs available that can assist you to evaluate your opponents or refine and evaluate your game.

Lack of aspiration - Frankly, I haven't aspired to be a great player or one who plays for high stakes.  I'm somewhat content playing profitably at whatever level I play that I'm rolled for.

Lack of creativity - Because I play the lower limits where players don't respect advanced moves as much, I typically play a straight forward game and don't deviate too much from my tight aggressive style.

Mentor - While I've worked with many great poker players, I've never asked for help/coaching/advice.  I tend to respect their space and life, not wanting to burden them with helping me because they get requests from so many others.

Money - It takes money to make money.  While I haven't redeposited since my first $100 deposit in June 2006, these days my bankroll is regularly drained by Poker Curious expenses so that limits what I can play.

I'm sure I could come up with more shortcomings and weaknesses, but that's enough for now.

I was discussing Poker Curious with Rex55 the other day and she remarked at some of the features on the site that she didn't even know about.  So I thought I would give my top 10 of the features that I like on the site.

1.  My favorite page on Poker Curious is The Community.  It gives a great pulse for the activity of the site.  It shows me who has posted a blog, forum post, comments, edited their profile, or become friends.  It shows me the Poker Thought of the Day.  It has the latest Poker Curious News.  It shows me the newest members and where they are from.  It has several featured blogs and shows me the latest pictures that have been uploaded to the site.

2.  Poker Curious is a very large site.  On most of the content and review pages, there is a club shape to the right of site name.  If you click it, it turns red and favorites that site.  It then brings that selection to your custom My Favorites page with My Community.  It is a great option to favorite all your regular sites you visit, and resources you want to read to one easy to use place.  You can also favorite PC blogs.  The My Favorites page sections can be edited and re-ordered to suit your interest.  That day's blogs are highlighted in yellow, which is a quick reminder they have a new blog.

3. My Buddy List.  I have a lot of friends, both new and old.  I love being able to see the green light next to their name that tells me they are on the site or the blue light that tells me they are playing cash games.  I then click on their name to see the details of where they are.  I can then message them or check their profile from there as well.  It's great to make lots of friends and keep track of them.  I like to go to the site and give a shout out when they are playing.

4.  There is so much information at my finger tips.  I can't possibly remember all the poker sites, articles, interviews, blogs, identities, or informational resources I have visited over the last several years of being in the poker world, so having it all here and organized to revisit and remind me is so helpful.

5. The messaging system is very straight forward and convenient - My Messages.  I can click on your username in the forums, chat room, buddy list or most other places on the site and message you quickly.  It strings the messages like gmail and I can delete them later on.

6. I like checking what my friends on PC have been up to on My Community Feed.  The Community features everyone on the site, but here I can see what my closer friends have been doing (blogging, commenting, forum posts and replies etc.)

7. The My Profile area is easy to update and use, as well as changing your avatar for the forums.

8. I like the My Preferences options.  I have all the options checked so I can be notified by email whenever I get a Friend Request, New Message, Blog Comment or Freeroll notification.  That way I can keep on top of everything even if I don't have PC open. 

9. Another feature in My Preferences that I like is the ability to change your Start Page when you click on the My Community button.  You can select My Favorites, My Community Feed, My Friends, My Messages, or My Blog.  You create and change your forum signature there in addition to managing your password and email associated with your account.

10. And lastly, I like the design and colors of the site.  I've never been a big fan of all white websites, so I prefer the white lettering on a darker background.  It is easier on my eyes somehow.  What do you think?  We are planning a home page redesign in the near future to better show off the best features of the site, but other than that what else should we look to implement?

Thanks to all those who contributed comments on yesterdays blog.  It was encouraging to see people are passionate and wanting to share their perspective.  I think where the discussion runs into difficulty is when people are making blanket statements rather than providing specific situations.  While I'm not advocating JackDogWelch's slippery slope of relativistic morals, I do feel that discussing specific situations is necessary to define what is acceptible or not online.

Before I get into a couple questions/comments regarding specific situations, I wanted to share part of a previous blog related to this subject.

According to Webster's Dictionary, greed is a noun defined as excessive desire.  One person commented to me that the motivation of all cheaters was pure and simply, greed.  Is greed the source for most cheating?  Is it an excessive desire to reach a goal that we go to any means to achieve it? 

This is a tricky subject, because society values those who aspire and desire to better.  Where do we draw the line of what is reasonable desire and what is excessive desire that we over step the boundaries of the acceptable.  Society puts up restrictions, guidelines, and rules for most activities.  Looking at professional sports, we see individuals and teams constantly overstepping, side stepping or blatantly disregarding the rules to gain an edge.  If they aren't caught, and succeed, they are lauded as winners and we admire their abilities.  If they are caught, shame is often the result, unless their talents or popularity overcomes the shame.  Those that abide by the rules accepting a reasonable desire have a harder time competing against those that don't.  They must rely on an inner acceptance that they did it the right way, even if they suffer in comparison.

I've often heard from die hard sports fans in debates about corked bats, spitballs, and performance enhancing drugs, that if your not cheating your not trying.  Is greed the currency of our nation?  Just don't get caught? Is excessive desire to succeed the acceptable norm?  Is it just bad judgement when we are caught?

This discussion can be reformulated into the classic question of do the ends justify the means?  To me greed is just another form of laziness  It is a lack of belief in yourself doing it the 'right' way that you have to take short cuts.  The key word in this discussion is "excessive".  It is a subjective term, because everyone will define it differently.  Gordon Gecko from Wall Street exhorted that "Greed is good!", but look where it brings most who become obsessed with it, in the long run.  Society must continue to provide boundaries and rules of what is deemed acceptable and reasonable desire, but the ultimate responsibility falls on the individual to recognize and deal with the excessive desire within.

Returning back to the previous question of what is considered cheating in online poker, I feel it is the responsibility of the online sites to establish the standards.  They host and conduct all online play.  They are responsible for enforcement.  While I respect MinCashFTW's perspective that the regular online community can influence and lobby that effort, smaller groups of individuals deciding on their own what they want to do doesn't make it right.

I'll use the example of mariuana in the United States.  It is clearly illegal, except in special states with medical marijuana laws have been established.  And yet there is a pretty pervasive culture that finds nothing wrong with it.  There is quite a bit of use within the youth and alternative culture in the US.  They can lobby to have it de-criminalized, but they don't ultimately decide its legality.  Even if they don't accept the laws, they have little standing to debates the penalties of being caught.

Full Tilt's stance on prohibited programs is....

In order to maintain the highest standard of integrity in game play, all actions taken in Full Tilt Poker’s games must be executed personally by the individual player at all times, without advice or support from external software programs or algorithms. Further, the use of external player assistance programs designed to provide users with an unfair advantage is prohibited.

It is the sole responsibility of the individual player to adhere to Full Tilt Poker’s rules and standards for acceptable conduct at all times. (They break down the programs and offenses fairly clearly)

Full Tilt Site Terms are HERE

PokerStarshas their Question and Answers HERE

I'm running out of steam on today's entry, but I look forward to hearing specific instance of potential or clear cheating brought up from this ongoing discussion.

People refer to the internet as the last wilderness.  It has become the dominant mode of information, communication, and commerce.  It has yet to become fully regulated, domesticated or taxed.  Somehow, people feel freer online and will express themselves differently than in a similar live setting.  There are certain societal behaviors that aren't acceptable live but online they are frequent.  People falsely feel there aren't reprecussions for their actions online.  You see this at the online poker tables where people show little courtesy or etiquette.  If they tried to pull that stuff live, they would either be escorted from the casino or face bodily harm.

I wanted to share some thoughts to foster a healthy debate in regards to morals, ethics and regulations in online poker situations.  The main object for debate is the classic poker rule - one player, one hand.  Live, it is very clear that in a tournament or cash game, no one is to influence your decision at the table.  You are not to receive assistance, advice or prompting.  You are certainly not allowed to have someone else finish your tournament for you.  Somehow all these lines get blurred online.  You don't see your opponent, only a username.  You know little about your opponents other than their statistics or tendencies.  You may have a history of playing them before that you factor in.  Your opponent may be playing multiple tables or tournaments.

The question becomes where do we draw the line of one player, one hand.  If a player is having a private lesson, and a coach is sitting over his shoulder or on the phone lending advice is that appropriate?  What about 'ghosting'?  If a team of players are playing one account, should they inform their opponents?  Is it okay to play a tournament, get deep, then 'sell' your seat for a more seasoned player to finish when you get close to the big money?

Where are the appropriate lines to be drawn?  With the multi accounting, super-user, and ghosting scandals of the past, the burden has been on the poker sites to crack down and draw the line on what is permissable.  That line has shifted over time.  The playing sites need to be very clear and consistent and vigorous in their enforcement.

I have argued in the past, that if poker is ever to become more mainstream and accepted in society, that it needs to be as open and even handed as possible.  Every whiff or report of underhanded play hurts us all from having poker taken seriously by the legislative bodies around the world.  It scares newer players and their money from joining the game.  

The winds of change are very slowly arriving for a more permissive environment for online poker.  It may still be years before we reach an openly regulated, taxed and legal environment.  But to speed that process, I think we are benefitted by having healthy discussions regarding some of the fundamental understandings of our game.

Everyone should play by the same set of rules, or you run the risk that the loose interpretations of one player, one hand, be used against you to your detriment.

Everyone says, but the internet is different, but is it really?  Are we as people different because we play online instead of live?  Do you have relativistic morality and ethics?  Wherever you go, it changes?  Is it fair if it gives you an advantage, but unfair when used against you, harming your results?  I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

After reading my lengthy introduction to Z cents, someone asked "that's all well and good, but what does that have to do with poker?" So I'm going to try to apply it to your approach to poker at the global, local and micro decision making level. First let's re-identify what the key elements of Z cents are; self awareness of strengths and weaknesses, goals and priorities, and compromise (understanding the other party). We often read in poker how everyone is trying to make an +EV decision. Everyone is trying to reach the ultimate right decision. I don't think there is one right decision that is best for everyone. Certainly there are points when the math of the situation dictate making a certain move but there are plenty of times when it doesn't. The old maxim "it depends" holds sway. But what does it depend on?

Looking from a global perspective first, identify what your goals and priorities are?

1. What is your goal for poker? Do you play poker professionally, as a profitable hobby, or just for fun?
2. What does the money implications mean to you? Can you reload over and over or is this bankroll your ultimate roll?
3. What is your priority? How much time do you have to give poker? Do you have to balance work, home, family or hobbies?

Looking from a local level second, identify how you sit down and play

1. What is your natural style? Do you fall on the more aggro or tight spectrum of play?
2. How many tables can you play optimally?
3. How long do you maintain optimal focus in your sessions?
4. How do you handle losses and the inevitable variance associated with playing?
5. How do you go about selecting tables to play?

Once you have answered the global and local questions you can start to focus on the appropriate micro level potential decisions. For me there is no one right way to play a hand. Brian Townsend or other high stakes professional players would answer the above questions differently than I would and thus their perspective at the table would reflect that difference. An optimal decision in a marginal situation for them might not be the same for you or me when factoring in everything.

I'll use myself as an extreme example. As I've blogged about before, I am not your typical CR player. I am not a professional. My goal is to improve over time and become more profitable long term as a hobby player. I approach my bankroll as the ultimate roll, not to be replaced and reloaded. I don't prioritize playing and have to balance many competing interests from home to work demands.

My natural style is to play TAG, occasionally lapsing to weak tight play at very aggressive tables. I only play one table effectively at a time. I don't have long periods of focused time to play. I don't like tremendous variance and employ a strict stop loss. I take time to select tables that have decent mix of players, stacks and position to suit me.

Adding all these factors together will often lead me to make different decisions at the micro level than another player might. I'll give an example of a marginal hand situation and how different players might play it. Let's say I have 10's on the button, checked to me and I raise pot, with the big blind calling. The flop is Q,8,3 with two diamonds. Checked to me and I make a 3/4 cbet and called. The turn brings a 7. Check, I 1/2 pot bet and called. The river is a non diamond 5 and the OP shoves for a larger than pot bet. Now I haven't given you any prior history which would have a significant bearing on what is the correct +EV decision? In this scenario, you don't have that additional resource of understanding your opponent's perspective. Is it to call or fold? Certainly if you knew he was a floating maniac who likes to outplay people, you might lean toward a call. If he's a very tight player, it might warrant a fold.

In the absence of that information, I would try to use my Z cents. I would employ the collective reasoning described above. For me, I am trying to reduce variance. I play tight, safe poker that preserves my bankroll. I'm not going to play big pots with one pair hands when I can wait for a better spot because i'm only seeing a few big pots playing one table. I've selected this table because I thought there were weak players but not in these marginal situations. My ego doesn't mind being outplayed on one hand as long as I can profit overall. Thus my Z cents would probably opt for the fold.

Another player evaluating the same situation could easily arrive at the correct decision for themself to call. Let's describe that potential player. He is a professional player at the mid limits. His goal is to grow his bankroll quickly and move up limits. He regularly sees significant variance and it doesn't bother him. He regularly 6 tables for 5-6 hours a day. His focus is on poker daily. He plays an aggressive slightly LAG style. He doesn't worry about the table makeup because he plays a more automatic hand range style of play. He feels that against the range of hands of the big blind player, he is often still ahead. The flush draw didn't get there and no straights were possible. He feels that for meta game purposes it's okay to make the call here to inform the table he is not to be pushed off a good hand. He is not to be bluffed. He will use this image in future hands and on the other tables he's playing with the same opponents. Thus his Z cents arrives at his correct decision to call.

I could illustrate using other hands, possibly better marginal situations, but I think you get the idea. The point is that depending on your Z cents at the global and local levels you may arrive at different decisions at the micro level. One decision isn't more correct than the other. It is more important that you have effectively evaluated your perspective towards the game so you can live with your decisions. Your Z cents influences how you play a hand in different situations. The important aspect is to be constantly thinking about the factors that make up your Z cents so that it is optimally tailored to achieve your goals and priorities. If they are out of alignment, you won't probably see the results you are looking for and will need to adjust.

While I was searching through my blog from a couple years ago, I located this interesting two part blog...(part one today)

Recently, I have been involved in a number of conversations regarding valuation. How do you value a company? How do you value an individual and what they bring to a company? There are many accepted ways to arrive at both, but the truth of the matter is that it's all in the eye of the beholder. We color our perceptions by our experiences as well as our hopes and desires. A large part of the equation is the supply and demand curve that exists in the market and between the two entities. When you are the buyer, you naturally look to get the best value you can for your investment. If you are the seller, you focus on your potential and putting your best side forward. But what if you are both a buyer and seller?

Today, I spent some time reading about Sklansky dollars and G bucks in Phil Galfond's well known Bluff article. It inspired me to invent my own term to help discuss valuation. I'll call it Z cents. It can be applied in your approach at the poker tables, but has more to do with making informed decisions. It's also a nice play on words as I often like to pontificate in my blog (Z cents ~ Zimba's sense). So what is Z cents and how to we utilize it. It is more of a process than a forumula or currency. Its a way to evaluate the various factors that are important to you before making an important decision.

I have never relied solely on math, formulas and numbers when making my decisions. They play a part, along with other factors. I am also not just an instinctual person who instantly knows what the best decision is to make through some otherworldly feel. The best way I can describe Z cents is to say its an evaluation of the totality of the situation factoring in my priorities. It is my priorities that are primary. Self knowledge is key in this process. You have to spend time thinking about yourself and what you really want. You have to know your weaknesses as much as you know your strengths. When you know yourself and what you want you are prepared to evaluate the situation.

If valuation is fluid and essentially in the eye of the beholder, how do you find any agreement between two parties. This brings in the other key component in Z cents, compromise. Compromise is the art of trying to understand your potential partner. Whether it be business or relational. Without compromise there will be no meeting of the minds. There will be no deals made. I could wake up today and feel my business acumen is worth $100 million dollars, but if no one is willing to pay it and I never budge, am I still worth that amount? As a buyer, if I identify the New York Yankees as the most valuable sports franchise, will they agree to my $100 million price tag I assign to them from my perspective? How much to appreciate the other parties perspective is where compromise is negotiated. If I were able to throw a 150 mph fastball for a strike regularly, I might be able to command my $100 million from George Steinbrenner. If George were about to be killed by some mob guy for a bad outstanding debt tomorrow if he didn't come up with $100 million cash, he might agree to my offer. Timing and external factors are so important to valuation.

The reality is valuations change constantly depending on many factors. On a personal level they change most due to our priorities. If our priorities change, the valuation of something will rise or fall. The items intrinsic value hasn't changed, it is still the same thing it was before, but our estimation has changed because our perspective has changed.

I will try to illustrate the Z cents concept in action. Hypothetically, let's take someone who is trying to decide whether to work for a company or start his own. Each person in this situation would decide differently depending on their priorities. They must evaluate their priorities. One individual may be drawn to the potential windfall of a startup. That individual would probably be involved in many aspects of the company, working long hard to develop the business from scratch. They would relish that freedom and the uncertainty. They would sacrifice the security up front for the potential down the road. They would accept that the startup might fail as most do.

Another individual might choose the established company. They might value the security and infrastructure. They could build off the base to contribute what they can. They can afford to specialize and not have to do a little of everything. They can leverage the prior success to ensure future success of an established entity, helping to sharpen the processes already created.

Neither individual is correct in their choice. Neither choice is absolutely more valuable. What is important with Z cents is that they look within themselves to see what is the best fit for themselves. Have they fully evaluated their own circumstances, their wants and needs?

A friend recently messaged me that he was going to start up his own company with a couple friends. He has worked very hard for a small but very successful business the last year or two. He has felt at times as if he didn't have enough control and compensation for the level of his contribution versus others within the company. Just a couple years ago he was without a serious job or direction. He valued greatly the security and experience available at an established company. Today he is a more experienced and focused individual. He has confidence and knowledge he can take and apply to new business situations. He is taking a risk for sure, but he has evaluated his priorities and feels this is a wise choice. Whether it is or not only time will tell.

Lastly, I want to return to the question I posed earlier if you are the buyer and seller. In this situation you are both investing your resources and selling your capabilities to your potential partner. Marriage might be a good example of this situation. Not only are you investing in a partner, hopefully for life, but are selling that you are worthy of their lifetime commitment as well. You will need to evaluate your priorities as well as appreciate and compromise with your partner on their priorities. Sticking too closely to only own priorities without any compromise will find you alone most likely. Compromise is essential. Is it worth it saying you will never go to the ballet cause you don't like it, if it means you won't be with someone?

In the business world, if you are both a buyer and seller, it's usually a situation of becoming an owner of a business. You are negotiating purchasing a piece of the company while selling yourself as valuable to the business. You are thus on both sides of the fence. Compromise is also essential in these circumstances to achieve your goal as the two strategies are counter to each other. On the one hand you are trying to represent what you bring to the business in the best light, while on the other hand minimizing the value of the business so you can get the best deal. The key to effective compromise is to find commonality of perspective. Where can you agree? Where can you see from the same perspective? If the priority of the two parties is to work together and make each other prosper, compromise can be found and partnership made. If either party values their perspective to the exclusion of the other party's perspective, then no compromise and progress can be made. Is it worth it saying you will never give some % if the cost is no valuable partnership?

Z cent's contribution is to encourage those who find themselves in these situations of making important decisions to search within. Evaluate their priorities and desires. What are their true goals? What are those that can be compromised? What are their strengths and weaknesses and how do those best fit within the choices laid out before them? Don't focus on some outside formula or valuation. The only valuation that counts is yours. But don't make your valuation frivolously. Invest the time and thinking necessary. If you decide you are worth $100 million and no one will pay it, live with those consequences and don't complain. If you feel that by compromising you will achieve your goals and make you happy, then by all means compromise. Learn to be responsible for your decisions and don't blame others. Live by your decisions and learn from their outcomes. Z cents urges that you don't fool yourself into thinking you will never have to compromise to achieve your goals.

I thought I would wrap up my week long retrospective of previous Africa themed blog entries with two shorter posts I made in June of 2007.  I'll get back to poker themed posts this week.

Time and Space

Traveling throughout Africa over the years has always been an extreme learning experience. Africans experience time and space very differently from the more developed parts of the world. Things move at a much slower pace in all aspects of their daily lives. You have to slow down your expectations for everything when you are living within African communities. This often forces you to focus on the in the moment realities of survival and living.

To illustrate this concept, I'll share a situation I've encountered on multiple occasions in Africa. Walking is the most common mode of transportation. Most people walk many times the distance the average Westerner walks in a typical day. I will be traveling by foot and ask for directions to some rural destination. Invariably the person you ask directions of will offer to take you/lead you to your destination. You begin your journey fully expecting to reach it shortly if he's leading you there personally. You walk for 15 minutes and ask, "is it close?" They respond it's just ahead. You walk another 15 minutes and ask again. Once again the same answer. You wonder how you can get the same response when you've just walked another 15 minutes. After the next 15 minutes you ask specifically "where is it, how close are we?" They will often say it's just around the hillside, or around the bend ahead of you. Each new hill or bend seemingly brings you no closer to your goal. Exasperated and tired, you ask for a rest. They indicate "but we are almost there". You get up again and continue on. Eventually you reach your destination. You may even ask why they didn't tell you it was going to be this far? But they don't understand. It takes what it takes; time and space are all relative. When you have lived centuries walking by foot, the journey is not to be diagnosed. The destinati on will arrive when it is supposed to, no need to dissect it too closely.

In the West, our first priority is usually the efficiency of our time. We don't worry about the excess resources used to get to where we are going, only that it take as short a time as possible. We often micro manage our time as if its the only consideration. It is the destination, not the journey that often matters to us. That is not the case in traditional Africa. The journey is just as valuable. You live in the moment more and simplify your life in the process. Those are difficult things to do living in the US, so I was always glad of the reminders when I traveled abroad.

The Masks of Africa

African people, on the whole, are some of the most hospitable people on the planet. Regardless of their wealth or poverty, they will shower you with incredible hospitality and priority. The balance to this incredible hospitality to strangers is their private parts that they will hide from you no matter what. If they ever do open up about deeply personal issues or secrets, consider it an immense honor and rare privilege.

I have always admired and collected masks from Africa. I have always relished the diversity of expression and technique they create in them. I had always wondered how so many 'old' masks could end up in markets, and tourist shops around the world to be sold. At the end of my 9 month 15 country trip in 1990 and 1991, I was shown the secrets behind the masks of Africa. While many masks have been created over the centuries, the mass majority nowadays are faked 'old' masks.

The last country I visited on that extensive trip was the Ivory Coast. A Belgian friend I had known for 15 years lived and worked there. He had suggested if I appreciated masks that I visit Korhogo in the north of the Ivory Coast. It was one of the remote epicenters of the crafts created in the Ivory Coast. I took the all day trip up to the town with a trusted local as a guide. Because of this connection I was shown the world of 'making old'.

So much energy goes into faking old because that's what the public wants to buy. But so many centuries of people collecting and removing masks from the continent have depleted the authentic versions. The craftsmen use a multitude of methods to give the appearance, even to trained professionals, of being an antiquity. They will put the wood mask in animal guts and bury it in the ground. They will immerse it in urine, tanning liquids, and astringent agents to prematurely age and degrade the wood and appearance. They brought me to a workshop with hundreds of 'fresh' new looking masks waiting their turn for 'treatments.' After the tour, I was taken to where the finished masks were stored before their sale to galleries and shops in the capital Abijain. In the end, seeing this process didn't diminish my interest or appreciation of masks. It only provided a better context for understanding these beautiful and stirring creations. It did influence my decision in later years to not sell "old" masks in my gallery in the US, because I didn't want to play the game of misrepresenting the artform.

Masks are created for many reasons; to educate, inspire, channel the spirits, instill fear or simply mask what is underneath. They represent Africa in so many ways and I will always treasure each and every one I've ever collected.