I started writing this Thought before Christmas, and wish you all a Marry Christmas ad Happy Holiday Season. Now I am wishing you all a very warm and Happy New Year.

You can now listen to me (sort of ) every week or so. I have joined Dr. Al Schoonmaker on his Internet Radio Show, “The Psychology of Poker.” and will be co-hosting most weeks. You can find these shows on www.holdemradio.com. Click on the podcasts. Dr. Al announces each show on my forum, which I also urge you to join. Highly informative and affirmative discussion. No one is belittled there for posting a question. And you get some pretty good answers from the members. I chime in when I can.

New Year’s weekend is Las Vegas is always a great time for poker. This year Betty (my beautiful and talented wife) and I broke tradition and stayed home, as we still have some health issues. In years past, we have gone to the Bellagio poker room, and even once ventured out on The Strip. Since the Metro Police close all of the entrances and exits to The Strip at around 6 PM, and re-open them around 3 AM, you need to commit over ten hours to your stay. We were not up to it for the first time.

If you have never been to Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve, I promise it is worth it. The city is even more alive than usual, every resort/casino pulls out all of the stops for parties and entertainment, and the fireworks are amazing as they launch from seven different roof-tops from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. This is a stretch of four miles of fireworks, all beautifully synchronized and amazingly colorful with the crowds in the middle of them.

I did play the three nights leading up to New Year’s eve, and did well two out of three (which, interestingly, is my lifetime average). Having New Year’s Eve on a Monday brought folks in early, and the action was excellent. More people play well these days, but the games are still good. There is a still a big difference between knowing how to play well, and doing it for several hours and days.

I will get back hands and poker specifics very soon. And I promise we will continue some explorations into No-Limit Cash Games. But a few (more) personal notes. I will have my second eye operated on Tomorrow to fix the cataract problems, and this should improve my vision. And the next week, we will be travelling back to Florida to visit my Mother again. She is doing great in her assisted living place.

Everyone take care, be well, stay warm, and have a great 22008!