Well, I have to write this one out of frustration. I don't play much poker, but not because of any other reason than I am focusing on some things at home. But, I thought that when I got back into poker, I would be in this with Aaron and Justin. And as much as I've tried to get those two on the same page, it seems I'm alone on this one.
No new goals.
No hand discussion.
No investment/money mgmt talk.
No encouragement.
No nothing.
I've been trying to manage my money better. I'm still paying my bills and working on increasing my net worth, but I need to put in more time. Waking up earlier, eating earlier, working out earlier, and then playing earlier will help. I just need to concentrate on the first one first.
If any of you fuck faces read this one, I just want to let you know that I've asked to offer help and have asked FOR help, and I'm not getting any response. It's really discouraging, but I'm doing fine right now. My total worth is around $19k right now, but I'm gonna pay bills and Christmas is here (try not to go overboard).
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Bankroll Info
I'm living off my poker bankroll. I don't like to do it, but I have to right now. I try to cash out as little as possible, but I'm doing what I have to do. The roll is at $16.8 right now. On a good note, I have been concentrating on position a lot more. However, I think I'm too quick to sacrifice position just to get into a pot with a weak player. I'll be actively trying to keep that to a minimum unless the situation presents itself (target is tilted or just calling too losely). $30k by the end of 2008 is possible, but is definitely a long shot. I don't see myself devoting the time, concentrating enough, not making withdrawal, and just plain having that good enough winrate right now to feel good about that goal.
On to clean the garage out....
On to clean the garage out....
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Start of November
I had one session on Halloween night for about -$800. I played a bit so far in November. Put in about 12 hours and went $-700. My bankroll is now about $15.8k. I'm not exactly playing badly in big pots. I need to reassess theories and try to get back into the proper mindset and concentration. But so far, I'm not concentrating on poker. I used to think about how to approach situations even when not playing, but enough of that (I hope). When I play, I'll definitely try to put in quality time. For now, I'll worry about cleaning my garage more than poker. $15.8k saved up is a nice thing; however, I'll shoot for $30k by the end of the year, we'll see how that goes.........
Saturday, October 25, 2008
It's Been a Month
It's been over a month since I've played poker. I did the little "self exclusion" thing on FTP to take a break from poker for a while. The self exclusion has been over for a while, but I haven't felt the urge to play. I've taken a few checks out for the past month to knock down my credit card and pay bills. My total bankroll is now $17.5k. That seems like very little to me now, since I had imagined I'd be on the way to $30k. But I decided to take a month off instead of grind hard for a month. In short, I put my money to good use: car insurance, health insurance, phone, car payment, recreation, credit card debt, student loans, etc. I really can't wait until my credit card debt is wiped out (I have a $2k limit on a new card w/ 0% for the first year, so that's helping reduce wasting money on high interest rates). Once my credit card debt and car is paid off, I will feel a WHOLE lot better about my money situation.
As of right now, I don't know what I'm going to do. It's like I want to get a job, but I'm discouraged that it's been SO hard to get one. I don't really want to play poker either, but the money is definitely good while not working. My next thing I want to do is move out so I don't feel so comfortable. I want to get out of my neighborhood/city/state/whatever to feel uncomfortable and pressured. But then I think about paying rent and throwing $500+/month at a living space I'll never own and then I'm discouraged again.....
As of right now, I don't know what I'm going to do. It's like I want to get a job, but I'm discouraged that it's been SO hard to get one. I don't really want to play poker either, but the money is definitely good while not working. My next thing I want to do is move out so I don't feel so comfortable. I want to get out of my neighborhood/city/state/whatever to feel uncomfortable and pressured. But then I think about paying rent and throwing $500+/month at a living space I'll never own and then I'm discouraged again.....
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bankroll Update
From now on I'll just state my poker bankroll. This will include money on poker site(s) and money in savings account. Whenever I take money out of savings to put into checking (most likely to pay for a bill or to buy something necessary), that will mean taking money out of my poker bankroll. Also, pending rakeback money will not be included in poker bankroll until it actually gets transferred INTO its respective poker site.
As of right now, my poker bankroll is ~$22.2k. $2k of that is currently set to be put into my savings as soon as I get the check. I still haven't gotten my first $700 check for this month's bills...
Niners beat the Lions 31-13 and are now 2-1, sweet.
As of right now, my poker bankroll is ~$22.2k. $2k of that is currently set to be put into my savings as soon as I get the check. I still haven't gotten my first $700 check for this month's bills...
Niners beat the Lions 31-13 and are now 2-1, sweet.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Infection
Haven't updated much. More time dedicated to studying. Anyway....
So I have two checks coming now--one for $700 and the other for $2k. The $700 check is to be used for my bills for the month, and the other is to go into a savings account. From now on I hope to keep at least 10% in savings (obv not to exceed $100k cuz the banks lookin kinda funny now). But, now I'm thinking I might want to put this $2k towards my credit card debt. I have about $5k of credit card debt at ~$15%. The obvious answer would be to knock off the high interest rate first. However, if I put it in savings, I get better piece of mind when playing: knowing my bankroll is safe and large. Personally, if I feel my money is running low, I tend to play worse (scared/anxious/nitty). So I could just pay the minimums for the next four months or so, eat the interest, but the piece of mind might just be worth it. I need a second (and probably third) opinion.
Other than that, poker has been up and down. I HAVE noticed that my numbers are slowly changing. From 13/9 to, well, I'm not sure yet, but I'll tell you when it evens out. (Right now it looks to be heading towards 16/12). I just finished a good session: 4 hours @ $400/hr for $1772.45. This was a very good session and definitely not the norm. A lot of hands were holding up in the beginning, but I got coolered for a few in a row. Towards the end, I got a few buyins back to finish on a good note. There were a LOT of loose fish playing this Friday night. Forget going out if Fridays are like this.
One hand that stuck out was a hand that even I don't fully comprehend. The villain hadn't gotten out of line much when he three-bet/squeezed my open. I just really got the feeling he was squeezing, especially w/ his 3b% at about 10% (fairly high obviously). I had KTs and thought I was good, so I 4b him. So far, this isn't too much out of the ordinary. I rarely 4b light, but I do 4b light nonetheless. Well, I typed in the words "hold" in the chat box before I 4b, and he instantly shoved for 100bb. I effectively had 30% of my stack in the middle when he 5b/shoved. Thinking I was good in the first place (and getting a good price at this point), I practically snap-called. Well, my "hold" was needed and he tabled J9s. No one paired, and I got to take down a pot in a more unusual way (at least it rarely happens with me).
http://www.pokerhand.org/?3215473
I'd like to get some feedback from some people on that. I'd like to discuss the minimum type of hands to feel comfortable doing that with. Hands to NEVER do that with. What to expect to be ahead of, etc, etc....
I had an ear infection exactly a week ago. I got penicilin, and the pain went away. But, I still must have fluid in my ear, because I can still barely hear anything in my left ear. The infection behind my eardrum hasn't drained yet. Very awkward and it's getting on my nerves that I can't hear well out of it yet. At least I won a 200bb pot w/ Khigh....
So I have two checks coming now--one for $700 and the other for $2k. The $700 check is to be used for my bills for the month, and the other is to go into a savings account. From now on I hope to keep at least 10% in savings (obv not to exceed $100k cuz the banks lookin kinda funny now). But, now I'm thinking I might want to put this $2k towards my credit card debt. I have about $5k of credit card debt at ~$15%. The obvious answer would be to knock off the high interest rate first. However, if I put it in savings, I get better piece of mind when playing: knowing my bankroll is safe and large. Personally, if I feel my money is running low, I tend to play worse (scared/anxious/nitty). So I could just pay the minimums for the next four months or so, eat the interest, but the piece of mind might just be worth it. I need a second (and probably third) opinion.
Other than that, poker has been up and down. I HAVE noticed that my numbers are slowly changing. From 13/9 to, well, I'm not sure yet, but I'll tell you when it evens out. (Right now it looks to be heading towards 16/12). I just finished a good session: 4 hours @ $400/hr for $1772.45. This was a very good session and definitely not the norm. A lot of hands were holding up in the beginning, but I got coolered for a few in a row. Towards the end, I got a few buyins back to finish on a good note. There were a LOT of loose fish playing this Friday night. Forget going out if Fridays are like this.
One hand that stuck out was a hand that even I don't fully comprehend. The villain hadn't gotten out of line much when he three-bet/squeezed my open. I just really got the feeling he was squeezing, especially w/ his 3b% at about 10% (fairly high obviously). I had KTs and thought I was good, so I 4b him. So far, this isn't too much out of the ordinary. I rarely 4b light, but I do 4b light nonetheless. Well, I typed in the words "hold" in the chat box before I 4b, and he instantly shoved for 100bb. I effectively had 30% of my stack in the middle when he 5b/shoved. Thinking I was good in the first place (and getting a good price at this point), I practically snap-called. Well, my "hold" was needed and he tabled J9s. No one paired, and I got to take down a pot in a more unusual way (at least it rarely happens with me).
http://www.pokerhand.org/?3215473
I'd like to get some feedback from some people on that. I'd like to discuss the minimum type of hands to feel comfortable doing that with. Hands to NEVER do that with. What to expect to be ahead of, etc, etc....
I had an ear infection exactly a week ago. I got penicilin, and the pain went away. But, I still must have fluid in my ear, because I can still barely hear anything in my left ear. The infection behind my eardrum hasn't drained yet. Very awkward and it's getting on my nerves that I can't hear well out of it yet. At least I won a 200bb pot w/ Khigh....
Sunday, September 14, 2008
First Cashout
If you've read this blog, you know on May 5th I started w/ $1k. As of 15min ago, my FTP roll was $20.8k. Looking at that amount is sort of depressing, but it's good at the same time. I set out to be at approximately $11k by September 5th to win the $7k in prop bets; in that regard I'm doing just fine. But, I'm not putting the time to study technique or the discipline to sit and play like I did when I started to grind. On the bright side, I'm rarely spewing, running "ok," and not SICK of poker like I was getting.
Also, taking out money from the bankroll is not what I want to do also. But, I lived off the prop bet monies (paying bills, eating, etc.) like I planned to. Justin still owes $300, but I'm not in a desperate need for that like I was before. I made my first cashout today for $700, putting my FTP roll at $20.1k. Playing for over four months and only cashing out $700. In one respect, it seems like I'm cashing out SO SO little. But at the same time, I don't want to take a penny out of my bankroll so it can continue to build up.
In my opinion, I need to feel a little bit more confident before I move up to the $400NL game. Floating and thin value bets become MUCH more common. Also, when I get to $400NL, I will probably cut my tables down to six, from eight. There are a few things I want to do at $200NL like having a $10k month and padding my bankroll to a certain amount. I'm starting to think about the money point where I'll feel comfortable playing $400NL. I remember when I first started out, I was ready to move up to $400NL once I got to $16k or so, but now I'm thinking more like $25k. A ten buyin downswing is $4k now! Just saying that sounds a little daunting. Maybe once I hit $26k, I'll take a shot and I'll drop back down to $200NL if the roll dips down to $22k.
Oh, and a funny hand happened. I didn't pokerhand it, but it's kind of easy to recall. There was a 80/5 loose/passive fish to my direct left that had a 6buyin stack. I opened 3d3h UTG to $7 and got 4 callers (fish called and I'm guessing the others called to stack the fish if they hit). That made a pot of $35 on a Qh6h3c flop. It was checked to me, and since the fish had shown a tendency to bet when checked to on decent-sized multiway pots, I checked to him. The fish ended up checking, but the cutoff bet $26 into the $35. The SB raised to $82+ (allin), I called hoping to not scare anyone off and also get put on a draw, fish called, cutoff repopped to $207 (allin), at this point I just put the rest of my stack in and raised to $260ish (allin), and the deep stacked fish even called! The pot was $875+ and four-way. I was expecting to have to dodge a bunch of cards, but it ended up that I was a HUGE favorite w/ everyone holding top pair (QKs, QK, and the deep stack holding QT.) All I had to dodge was a running full house or two running clubs, but they were drawing dead on a 9d turn. Now, $875 definitely isn't the biggest pot I've won, but to be allin four-way on the flop and to be such a huge favorite (and holding of course) is something that doesn't happen often. I can only recall one other time, but that was much more crazy than this one and a long time ago--holding 99 on 972 flop vs 77, 22, and JJ.
So, in summary, my FTP roll is $20.1k. I'm waiting on a $700 check from FTP--my first cashout. I'm not playing much, but that's almost alright. Feel like the favorite to get to $30k before Aaron gets to $100k or Justin to $10k. Will probably take a shot at $400NL when roll gets to $26k....
Also, taking out money from the bankroll is not what I want to do also. But, I lived off the prop bet monies (paying bills, eating, etc.) like I planned to. Justin still owes $300, but I'm not in a desperate need for that like I was before. I made my first cashout today for $700, putting my FTP roll at $20.1k. Playing for over four months and only cashing out $700. In one respect, it seems like I'm cashing out SO SO little. But at the same time, I don't want to take a penny out of my bankroll so it can continue to build up.
In my opinion, I need to feel a little bit more confident before I move up to the $400NL game. Floating and thin value bets become MUCH more common. Also, when I get to $400NL, I will probably cut my tables down to six, from eight. There are a few things I want to do at $200NL like having a $10k month and padding my bankroll to a certain amount. I'm starting to think about the money point where I'll feel comfortable playing $400NL. I remember when I first started out, I was ready to move up to $400NL once I got to $16k or so, but now I'm thinking more like $25k. A ten buyin downswing is $4k now! Just saying that sounds a little daunting. Maybe once I hit $26k, I'll take a shot and I'll drop back down to $200NL if the roll dips down to $22k.
Oh, and a funny hand happened. I didn't pokerhand it, but it's kind of easy to recall. There was a 80/5 loose/passive fish to my direct left that had a 6buyin stack. I opened 3d3h UTG to $7 and got 4 callers (fish called and I'm guessing the others called to stack the fish if they hit). That made a pot of $35 on a Qh6h3c flop. It was checked to me, and since the fish had shown a tendency to bet when checked to on decent-sized multiway pots, I checked to him. The fish ended up checking, but the cutoff bet $26 into the $35. The SB raised to $82+ (allin), I called hoping to not scare anyone off and also get put on a draw, fish called, cutoff repopped to $207 (allin), at this point I just put the rest of my stack in and raised to $260ish (allin), and the deep stacked fish even called! The pot was $875+ and four-way. I was expecting to have to dodge a bunch of cards, but it ended up that I was a HUGE favorite w/ everyone holding top pair (QKs, QK, and the deep stack holding QT.) All I had to dodge was a running full house or two running clubs, but they were drawing dead on a 9d turn. Now, $875 definitely isn't the biggest pot I've won, but to be allin four-way on the flop and to be such a huge favorite (and holding of course) is something that doesn't happen often. I can only recall one other time, but that was much more crazy than this one and a long time ago--holding 99 on 972 flop vs 77, 22, and JJ.
So, in summary, my FTP roll is $20.1k. I'm waiting on a $700 check from FTP--my first cashout. I'm not playing much, but that's almost alright. Feel like the favorite to get to $30k before Aaron gets to $100k or Justin to $10k. Will probably take a shot at $400NL when roll gets to $26k....
Friday, September 5, 2008
Change
I don't feel like I'm playing very well right now. My FTP roll is still $16.8ish, but not feeling the best about playing. My hourly rate, though better than some starting jobs, is in need of MUCH improvement. An hourly of $50/hr is the smallest I should be running at, in my opinion. So, anything less than that is definitely a disappointment. My game plan at the moment is, WORK FOR THE CITY! It's the job I want, and the job security I want (unless our economy keeps going to shiznit). But until then, I have some bills to pay and some debt to erase. Over two years ago, I told myself I'd pay off my student loans w/ poker money. I finally have enough, but paying that off would wipe out almost my whole bankroll--and obviously look very suspicious to the IRS. So when people say, "you should pay off your credit card now," know that I WANT to. But the ultimate goal with playing poker while not working is to invest in myself now, so that when I do decide to pay off a $5k credit card, it won't feel like I'm losing 25% of all I have. Hey, when I get to $100k, $5k will just be 5% and it won't hurt nearly as much.
Right now I'm living frugal to say the least--not buying much of anything for myslef except for food and gas. But when I finally get to where I want to be, I'll have my student loan and credit card paid off with a sizeable amount left to continue to grow. At that point I can do what I set out to do, and that's pay off the house note for Moms. But for now, not playing my A game means not earning at the hourly rate I expect to be at, and that's a problem.
Right now I'm living frugal to say the least--not buying much of anything for myslef except for food and gas. But when I finally get to where I want to be, I'll have my student loan and credit card paid off with a sizeable amount left to continue to grow. At that point I can do what I set out to do, and that's pay off the house note for Moms. But for now, not playing my A game means not earning at the hourly rate I expect to be at, and that's a problem.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
"Big" Review
Ok it's been a while. There's a lot to talk about, but I'll try to keep it short. Basically, I'm a little too used to playing poker. I'd much rather do some other things right now. The bankroll is doing fine, and August was ok. My FTP bankroll is a little under $16.8k. I was at $19k until I spewed off $2k, to end August just OK. August taught me a lot, and I got a subscription to DeucesCracked.com (DC). Lots of interesting, helpful things there. My rakeback for the month of August is approximately $2k.
I can say that my hourly rate while playing poker CAN be a steady $100/hr. If I play 80hrs next month, I should land somewhere in the $8k for September range (plus rakeback puts me close to $10k net for the month). I'm still racing to get to $30k. So the money seems fine and all, but my everyday life isn't near where I want it to be. Also, September will be for studying, so I don't see myself making the time to play much.
Oh, by the way, the four month bet is officially "over" September 5th. Also, I'll be moving money slowly over to PokerStars. The goal is to get the whole bankroll to Stars by the end of the year. Also, I'll take Aaron's advice and keep a minimum of 10% of my bankroll in my savings account for a little added interest.
I can say that my hourly rate while playing poker CAN be a steady $100/hr. If I play 80hrs next month, I should land somewhere in the $8k for September range (plus rakeback puts me close to $10k net for the month). I'm still racing to get to $30k. So the money seems fine and all, but my everyday life isn't near where I want it to be. Also, September will be for studying, so I don't see myself making the time to play much.
Oh, by the way, the four month bet is officially "over" September 5th. Also, I'll be moving money slowly over to PokerStars. The goal is to get the whole bankroll to Stars by the end of the year. Also, I'll take Aaron's advice and keep a minimum of 10% of my bankroll in my savings account for a little added interest.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Still Tryin
I'm still trying to have a $10k August. So far, it's only $4k ($5k if adding rakeback). This month I didn't put as many hands in, but I'm trying to play as much as I can these last 10+ days. My FTP bankroll is currently $15.2k, and I haven't checked my rakeback account to see what's sitting in there. The goal is still to have a $10k month (strictly poker earnings), but I'll settle for $8k in poker and $2k in rakeback.....
On a side note, I have had the luxury of not having to dip into the poker bankroll yet. I REALLY don't want to take any money out and just pad it so I can continue playing comfortably and giving myself a chance to move up as soon as possible. However, my monthly expenses come out to about $1.5k (paying off my car and debt). Going along w/ that is the fact that FTP has been experiencing withdrawal hangups, i.e. checks needing to be re-sent, moneygram being canceled, bad customer service, etc. So, I'm still trying to stretch my money as far as I can until I HAVE to make a withdrawal (a sad day that will be). J still owes me $1k and A $100; if I get that soon, I can postpone my withdrawal to about mid-September. By that time, I would hope to have about $21k--and would do everything I could to keep my roll above $20k.
The three of us are still trying to meet our goals ($10k for J, $30k for me, and $100k for A). I'm hoping J gets there first, and then me so that we feel like we're "catching up." So for now, I'm just thinking about getting trying to make this month as best as I can. I will post the August graph as soon as the month is over.
Oh, and 49ers offensive schemes didn't look half bad!
On a side note, I have had the luxury of not having to dip into the poker bankroll yet. I REALLY don't want to take any money out and just pad it so I can continue playing comfortably and giving myself a chance to move up as soon as possible. However, my monthly expenses come out to about $1.5k (paying off my car and debt). Going along w/ that is the fact that FTP has been experiencing withdrawal hangups, i.e. checks needing to be re-sent, moneygram being canceled, bad customer service, etc. So, I'm still trying to stretch my money as far as I can until I HAVE to make a withdrawal (a sad day that will be). J still owes me $1k and A $100; if I get that soon, I can postpone my withdrawal to about mid-September. By that time, I would hope to have about $21k--and would do everything I could to keep my roll above $20k.
The three of us are still trying to meet our goals ($10k for J, $30k for me, and $100k for A). I'm hoping J gets there first, and then me so that we feel like we're "catching up." So for now, I'm just thinking about getting trying to make this month as best as I can. I will post the August graph as soon as the month is over.
Oh, and 49ers offensive schemes didn't look half bad!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Quarterly Review
May 5 - August 5 (about). It's been a quarter of a year so far and it's time for a little review, observation, and conclusion. As you already know, I started playing poker "seriously" on May 5th to win a prop bet from a couple of friends (make $10k in four months playing poker). I succeeded in that on July 5th. However, since then I have stopped putting in the hours, dedication, concentration, etc. I've been playing much less and have been trying to focus more on a relationship, seeing daylight hours like a normal person, studying for an upcoming engineering exam, going to the gym 3x a week, and eating enough calories to actually put weight on.
I just recently purchased Holdem Manager (HEM) for $80. I've been hearing good things about this product as opposed to (PT), but have put it off for a long time. To be honest, I feared I might get TOO involved in just looking at stats and lose focus on game flow. But I'm playing $200NL and I can feel the competition as decent enough where I want to get used to reading more in-depth stats for when the competition gets even tougher.
HEM, after just a little exploring seems pretty damn nice. Very customizable, MUCH better at finding leaks (I already see some), and many more advanced stats to observe. As soon as I got it, I read the tutorial and got a little familiar with it. Then I graphed all my hands from the beginning of the prop bet and it definitely got my attention. So the graph below is from May 5 to August 12. You can see that HEM makes a sweet graph that includes rakeback! So keeping in mind I started out at $50NL, played $100NL, and played the last 75k hands at $200NL, I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping the gap between the blue and green lines would be smaller--that would mean more of my money was coming from my poker winrate as opposed to having rakeback be such a large portion. My goal from here on out (and always has been, but I guess more attention to) is to CONCENTRATE on doing what it takes to build a better winrate.
HEM has so many stats to disect that I'll be experimenting and concentrating on different aspects all the time. I will post up a picture of my HEM stats soon enough, and from time to time I'll talk about which ones stick out to me as in need of improvement; I'll be trying to plug these leaks one or two at a time.
Well, for now, I'm happy and a little disappointed at my winrate for the first three months. This is due to a lack of trying to improve. My problem is that I tried to improve in the beginning, it worked, and then I just went on "cruise control" since then. I need to find something to improve, work at it, and then find something else to improve--and there will always be something else.
Also, my $1,991 from July rakeback came in. It's also a little disappointing because I haven't put the hands in, but like I said above, I've been concentrating on other things. My FTP bankroll is currently a little bit over $14.4k. Yes, I'm one of those corny people that have poker chips in front of them to signify their bankroll. As corny as it is, I like it--it's a consistent reminder of where I'm at. I'm always trying to "color up" and can't wait to turn the black chips into lavender ones.
Finally, I just made a sort of "motivation" bet with Aaron. It's a "race to x amount" bet, and I haven't had one of these since Justin and I did a race to $10k a few years ago. I'm racing to $30k and he's racing to $100k. We both just installed HEM and are sort of enthusiastic about trying to make money with this new "toy." He is at exactly $60k, so has $40k to go, while I only have $15.6k to go. I can't wait to beat him.
On a funny note, I've teasted Justin a bunch of times that I'll buy my house with poker money and I'll tell my kids, "you know your uncle Justin leant me $500 when I needed it, and you can thank him for this house." And for my weak-ass motivational talks to Aaron he just told me, "hey u have already got ninong status." So, cheers to helping each other succeed. Justin's success is right around the corner, and might be a LOT bigger than hoped for if what he's been working on takes off..........
I just recently purchased Holdem Manager (HEM) for $80. I've been hearing good things about this product as opposed to (PT), but have put it off for a long time. To be honest, I feared I might get TOO involved in just looking at stats and lose focus on game flow. But I'm playing $200NL and I can feel the competition as decent enough where I want to get used to reading more in-depth stats for when the competition gets even tougher.
HEM, after just a little exploring seems pretty damn nice. Very customizable, MUCH better at finding leaks (I already see some), and many more advanced stats to observe. As soon as I got it, I read the tutorial and got a little familiar with it. Then I graphed all my hands from the beginning of the prop bet and it definitely got my attention. So the graph below is from May 5 to August 12. You can see that HEM makes a sweet graph that includes rakeback! So keeping in mind I started out at $50NL, played $100NL, and played the last 75k hands at $200NL, I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping the gap between the blue and green lines would be smaller--that would mean more of my money was coming from my poker winrate as opposed to having rakeback be such a large portion. My goal from here on out (and always has been, but I guess more attention to) is to CONCENTRATE on doing what it takes to build a better winrate.
HEM has so many stats to disect that I'll be experimenting and concentrating on different aspects all the time. I will post up a picture of my HEM stats soon enough, and from time to time I'll talk about which ones stick out to me as in need of improvement; I'll be trying to plug these leaks one or two at a time.
Well, for now, I'm happy and a little disappointed at my winrate for the first three months. This is due to a lack of trying to improve. My problem is that I tried to improve in the beginning, it worked, and then I just went on "cruise control" since then. I need to find something to improve, work at it, and then find something else to improve--and there will always be something else.
Also, my $1,991 from July rakeback came in. It's also a little disappointing because I haven't put the hands in, but like I said above, I've been concentrating on other things. My FTP bankroll is currently a little bit over $14.4k. Yes, I'm one of those corny people that have poker chips in front of them to signify their bankroll. As corny as it is, I like it--it's a consistent reminder of where I'm at. I'm always trying to "color up" and can't wait to turn the black chips into lavender ones.
Finally, I just made a sort of "motivation" bet with Aaron. It's a "race to x amount" bet, and I haven't had one of these since Justin and I did a race to $10k a few years ago. I'm racing to $30k and he's racing to $100k. We both just installed HEM and are sort of enthusiastic about trying to make money with this new "toy." He is at exactly $60k, so has $40k to go, while I only have $15.6k to go. I can't wait to beat him.
On a funny note, I've teasted Justin a bunch of times that I'll buy my house with poker money and I'll tell my kids, "you know your uncle Justin leant me $500 when I needed it, and you can thank him for this house." And for my weak-ass motivational talks to Aaron he just told me, "hey u have already got ninong status." So, cheers to helping each other succeed. Justin's success is right around the corner, and might be a LOT bigger than hoped for if what he's been working on takes off..........
Friday, August 8, 2008
Heater/Cooler
This was an annoying session, obviously. I QUICKLY won 10 buyins. And since that, as you can see, it got worse and worse. I was losing 100bb buyin after another, until it finally got to me. I didn't necessarily play bad, but the quick up and down got to me--even my good thin calls ended up with another stack being shipped over. This isn't a problem, it's just when they compound...
I actually said, "this looks like something 88 would do," here before I called. There was zero history and he hadn't gotten out of line--it was just a good read. (I was happy I was right, but it wasn't the consolation I was looking for at the time: http://www.pokerhand.org/?3014993
I played a little over 6k hands, and as you can see, ended up down a buyin after this NICE heater. (The heater was getting my stack to near $600 and playing a overaggro player w/ QQ vs A6 on AQx flop; this was followed by AKs vs KQ on J97 flop: http://www.pokerhand.org/?3014580
$15k roll by Sunday is the goal; I'll update later...
I actually said, "this looks like something 88 would do," here before I called. There was zero history and he hadn't gotten out of line--it was just a good read. (I was happy I was right, but it wasn't the consolation I was looking for at the time: http://www.pokerhand.org/?3014993
I played a little over 6k hands, and as you can see, ended up down a buyin after this NICE heater. (The heater was getting my stack to near $600 and playing a overaggro player w/ QQ vs A6 on AQx flop; this was followed by AKs vs KQ on J97 flop: http://www.pokerhand.org/?3014580
$15k roll by Sunday is the goal; I'll update later...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Poker Peer
It always helps to have someone to talk poker with to improve your (and their) game. It's especially helpful when that person is a peer playing the same level. Justin is currently at the 100s and basically doesn't have the time for poker yet. Aaron's been busy lately too, and he's playing the 400s/600s. But on the bright side, I found someone who plays on FTP that I can learn from.
About two weeks before I started to play the 200s exclusively, I was seeing on the 2p2 forum's datamine list that "GarbageLady" was doing well. I was interested in that list so when I moved up to the 200s, I could see who to avoid and maybe even observe their game since they're winners--they must be doing something right. So, I've played over 50k hands so far at the 200s and I'm down 4buyins. I haven't been running hot or cold, I just have a few leaks in my game I'm aware of.
Anyway, I've been on the "FTP Regulars" thread almost daily and "outted" myself to the other regs recently to improve my game. Hopefully now that the others can connect my screennames, they can comment on a bad play they see (or a good one? meh probably not). Moreover, I now have spoken to "GarbageLady" (Austin) and agreed to exchange hhs to improve each others' game.
What I'm hoping to get out of exchanging hhs is confidence, and maybe a few enlightening observations and methods he has. I'm hoping if I can SEE someone win consistently at the 200s, it will rub off on me and help control my occasional chip spewing. Since he's already been established as a winner at the 200s, I'll try to offer little advice here and there, and just be someone to question his moves. But what I'll try to help him more with (and help myself learn more in the process) is floating more frequentlly. He will be playing the 400s more exclusively in the future, and I'll just try my best to help him gain a broader outlook on the more aggressive opponents.
BTW, I'm still aiming to make $10k in August....
About two weeks before I started to play the 200s exclusively, I was seeing on the 2p2 forum's datamine list that "GarbageLady" was doing well. I was interested in that list so when I moved up to the 200s, I could see who to avoid and maybe even observe their game since they're winners--they must be doing something right. So, I've played over 50k hands so far at the 200s and I'm down 4buyins. I haven't been running hot or cold, I just have a few leaks in my game I'm aware of.
Anyway, I've been on the "FTP Regulars" thread almost daily and "outted" myself to the other regs recently to improve my game. Hopefully now that the others can connect my screennames, they can comment on a bad play they see (or a good one? meh probably not). Moreover, I now have spoken to "GarbageLady" (Austin) and agreed to exchange hhs to improve each others' game.
What I'm hoping to get out of exchanging hhs is confidence, and maybe a few enlightening observations and methods he has. I'm hoping if I can SEE someone win consistently at the 200s, it will rub off on me and help control my occasional chip spewing. Since he's already been established as a winner at the 200s, I'll try to offer little advice here and there, and just be someone to question his moves. But what I'll try to help him more with (and help myself learn more in the process) is floating more frequentlly. He will be playing the 400s more exclusively in the future, and I'll just try my best to help him gain a broader outlook on the more aggressive opponents.
BTW, I'm still aiming to make $10k in August....
New Goal
It seems like I need to have a goal to get myself focused and on track. I've found myself abandoning what got me to where I'm at and forcing big pots in bad spots. It's more than that, but basically I'm not playing like I used to and I need to set new goals for now.
Goal #1: Have a roll of $20k by the end of August. I'm currently sitting at $9.6k and aggrivating myself at times. I have about $1.8k coming in rakeback for July, and I haven't put in much time to get there.
Goal #2: Post a weekly PokerEV graph. It comes down to not doing my homework. I haven't cared much to improve my game since I got the the 200NL level as much as I did before. It's been getting more and more uncommon for me to take down enough non-showdown pots. This is THE leak as I'm trying to take down the wrong ones and leaving some out in the open.
Goal #3: Apply to more jobs/week and keep life schedule where it's at. I've been more concerned with things other than poker, and that's good, but I'm still wasting a LOT of time not being as productive as I want to be. Making a consistent $50/hr is VERY possible now, and when it's time for poker I need to concentrate.
Goal #1: Have a roll of $20k by the end of August. I'm currently sitting at $9.6k and aggrivating myself at times. I have about $1.8k coming in rakeback for July, and I haven't put in much time to get there.
Goal #2: Post a weekly PokerEV graph. It comes down to not doing my homework. I haven't cared much to improve my game since I got the the 200NL level as much as I did before. It's been getting more and more uncommon for me to take down enough non-showdown pots. This is THE leak as I'm trying to take down the wrong ones and leaving some out in the open.
Goal #3: Apply to more jobs/week and keep life schedule where it's at. I've been more concerned with things other than poker, and that's good, but I'm still wasting a LOT of time not being as productive as I want to be. Making a consistent $50/hr is VERY possible now, and when it's time for poker I need to concentrate.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Session Length
Poker sucks right now. I keep playing these two-hour-or-less sessions, and it's not going good at all. My FTP bankroll is $10k right now. My goal is to get my FTP roll up to $13k by the end of the month, while still getting things done and practicing golf. I'll update after I put a few sessions in; as of now I'm going to take a short break.....
Monday, July 14, 2008
Latest
The 200s aren't going that great, but I would definitely be the one to blame. I'm not running hot/cold, I just think I'm spewing a little bit from time to time. Last week (7/6-7/12) I lost $929.95 @ -$34.44/hr. From a player's perspective, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Obviously, you can't expect every week to be a great one, and sometimes you have to accept a losing week.
I try to update this blog thing as often as I want to, and I obviously am not in the posting mood after a losing session (let alone a losing week). So what does this blog mean? It means I just got finished w/ a winning one of course. I played a LOT of hands (6.9k) and profitted $1.5k+ @ $142.77/hr. My FTP roll is at $11,350.11, and rakeback is still accumulating.
I feel like venting about life shit, but I'll just keep this strictly poker and kill a spider or something.....
I try to update this blog thing as often as I want to, and I obviously am not in the posting mood after a losing session (let alone a losing week). So what does this blog mean? It means I just got finished w/ a winning one of course. I played a LOT of hands (6.9k) and profitted $1.5k+ @ $142.77/hr. My FTP roll is at $11,350.11, and rakeback is still accumulating.
I feel like venting about life shit, but I'll just keep this strictly poker and kill a spider or something.....
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sitting Back Down
Last time I updated, my total bankroll (including July's rakeback) was around $11.1k. Since then I took a break and Aaron flew in for a short time so he, Justin, and I could talk about where we're at and our short-term goals. He already paid me the bet, so it's basically settled between him and I. And what I'm most happy about is putting that money in the bank and paying bills with it for the next three months. Justin still owes a thou, but basically I'm not thinking about trying to get to a certain dollar amount--from here on out, I don't have to force myself to put the hours in like I have been.
I put a few hours in, and went on a small downswing, but I would say most of it was poor play. I wasn't paying attention and my mind wasn't in it. But on a brighter note, $1703.20 transferred into my FTP account from June's rakeback. Also, I played a small 3.5 hour session (2453 hands) on the $200NL game. In the really short amount of time playing, there do seem to be less obvious fish, but the game wasn't exactly tough either. I'll spend the first two weeks probably playing a little weak to get used to the speed of the game, and I'll open up after I get settled. My total FTP bankroll is $10.4k as you can see below.
I put a few hours in, and went on a small downswing, but I would say most of it was poor play. I wasn't paying attention and my mind wasn't in it. But on a brighter note, $1703.20 transferred into my FTP account from June's rakeback. Also, I played a small 3.5 hour session (2453 hands) on the $200NL game. In the really short amount of time playing, there do seem to be less obvious fish, but the game wasn't exactly tough either. I'll spend the first two weeks probably playing a little weak to get used to the speed of the game, and I'll open up after I get settled. My total FTP bankroll is $10.4k as you can see below.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Halfway Mark
July 5th is now officially over, and I am now on the second half of the four month bet. My current total bankroll is $9k+ in FTP, $1.7k for June rakeback, and $400 so far for July's rakeback--that brings my roll to approximately $11.1k. This means that I have won both bets in exactly half the time allowed.
A few things to note: I started off on the wrong foot and with an incorrect mentality. I wasted time (and money) in the early stages, but I learned enough to know I'm more prepared now and have a LOT of room for improvement. The players will continue to be more aggressive (especially preflop) and smarter. I won't start the $200NL game until my June rakeback is converted over on the 10th. Also, I decided not to think about moving my roll over to PS for the time being and give myself at least two months to continue playing comfortably on FTP.
Here are some screen shots as requested:
A few things to note: I started off on the wrong foot and with an incorrect mentality. I wasted time (and money) in the early stages, but I learned enough to know I'm more prepared now and have a LOT of room for improvement. The players will continue to be more aggressive (especially preflop) and smarter. I won't start the $200NL game until my June rakeback is converted over on the 10th. Also, I decided not to think about moving my roll over to PS for the time being and give myself at least two months to continue playing comfortably on FTP.
Here are some screen shots as requested:
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
June Recap
Not counting rakeback, for the month of June I played 102k+ hands in 160 hours. Net profit from poker alone came out to $5.8k+ @ $36.31/hr. Final bankroll for the month of June is $8,203.51 (FTP) and rakeback for the month is approximately $1.6k (won't know exact for maybe a week). So my total roll is approximately $9.8k.
I have a lot of things to think about now that I'm this close to $10k and with still over half the time left to complete. I'm definitely happy with my poker hourly rate, but I know it needs to improve. I have life issues I need to iron out, and a constant schedule is still unknown to me. I'm going to start taking working out more seriously, because I feel like a stiff old man sometimes. Also, when July 10th rolls around and my rakeback money is combined w/ my FTP roll, I should have over $10k accessible. At that point, I can consider playing the $200NL game. And starting a new level is always a little nerve-racking at first. I have to test the waters and/or just jump right in.
I also have to get my finances straightened out. I'm currently prioritizing what bills are most important and figuring out the best strategy for my bankroll. My initial thoughts are to (once I get to $10k and $11k and actually get the money in my hands) create a 3-month plan to stretch $4.5k out. After 3 months, I will be in a different (hopefully better) situation in life.
Also, thinking about moving the bankroll from FTP to PokerStars will become more and more important. There are a few reasons why PokerStars is better once I get up in bankroll, I'll talk about that when the time comes. For now, I'm just going to concentrate on getting my schedule in order and doing a few things I need/want to do. I'm just going to take my time getting to $11k for a while and think about what the next step is.
I have a lot of things to think about now that I'm this close to $10k and with still over half the time left to complete. I'm definitely happy with my poker hourly rate, but I know it needs to improve. I have life issues I need to iron out, and a constant schedule is still unknown to me. I'm going to start taking working out more seriously, because I feel like a stiff old man sometimes. Also, when July 10th rolls around and my rakeback money is combined w/ my FTP roll, I should have over $10k accessible. At that point, I can consider playing the $200NL game. And starting a new level is always a little nerve-racking at first. I have to test the waters and/or just jump right in.
I also have to get my finances straightened out. I'm currently prioritizing what bills are most important and figuring out the best strategy for my bankroll. My initial thoughts are to (once I get to $10k and $11k and actually get the money in my hands) create a 3-month plan to stretch $4.5k out. After 3 months, I will be in a different (hopefully better) situation in life.
Also, thinking about moving the bankroll from FTP to PokerStars will become more and more important. There are a few reasons why PokerStars is better once I get up in bankroll, I'll talk about that when the time comes. For now, I'm just going to concentrate on getting my schedule in order and doing a few things I need/want to do. I'm just going to take my time getting to $11k for a while and think about what the next step is.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Last Two Weeks
Well it's the start of a new week, and last week was my best week to date (within these past two months that is). My FTP bankroll is currently at $8.2k+, and the last time I checked, my rakeback for June was at $1.5k+. This is getting dangerously close to $10k, and winning the $6k portion of the bet (the other $1k portion is if and when I hit $11k).
I guess now it's time to start thinking about the $200NL game, since when I have $10k I'll have 50 buyins. I DEFINITELY learned my lesson when trying to move up to the $100NL game, and I'll definitely wait until my rakeback money gets into FTP (I just feel that much more comfortable). I haven't done much research on the $200NL game yet, but my guess is that there are more regular players there, but who knows. I'm not rushing to get to the next level because the level I'm currently at is in my comfort zone now. I've been at the $100NL game for 3 weeks now and am very comfortable here.
Anyway, I've posted a graph of the past two weeks, dating back to June 15th. I played 24.3k hands during the first week on the graph, and you can see the difference in profit from before and after that point. The first week was not horrible at all, but was a losing week: -$405 @ -$11.35/hr (for 35.75 hours). The following week was, as I've been saying, very good: +$3,049.05 @ $99.16/hr (for 30.75 hours).
One thing the graph shows, is that during the second week, I ran above expectation--in other words, I can be "accused" of running good. That is definitely something to think about from this point on and to stay humble and not expect, but hope, for good sessions/weeks/months. All the while, I have to constantly keep concentrating and do my best to play the best I can. I actually expect the worst, and when good things happen, they'll be appreciated more.
I guess now it's time to start thinking about the $200NL game, since when I have $10k I'll have 50 buyins. I DEFINITELY learned my lesson when trying to move up to the $100NL game, and I'll definitely wait until my rakeback money gets into FTP (I just feel that much more comfortable). I haven't done much research on the $200NL game yet, but my guess is that there are more regular players there, but who knows. I'm not rushing to get to the next level because the level I'm currently at is in my comfort zone now. I've been at the $100NL game for 3 weeks now and am very comfortable here.
Anyway, I've posted a graph of the past two weeks, dating back to June 15th. I played 24.3k hands during the first week on the graph, and you can see the difference in profit from before and after that point. The first week was not horrible at all, but was a losing week: -$405 @ -$11.35/hr (for 35.75 hours). The following week was, as I've been saying, very good: +$3,049.05 @ $99.16/hr (for 30.75 hours).
One thing the graph shows, is that during the second week, I ran above expectation--in other words, I can be "accused" of running good. That is definitely something to think about from this point on and to stay humble and not expect, but hope, for good sessions/weeks/months. All the while, I have to constantly keep concentrating and do my best to play the best I can. I actually expect the worst, and when good things happen, they'll be appreciated more.
Friday, June 27, 2008
On a Tear
I'm not sure exactly what it is, but this week is going extremely well. So well, in fact, I think I just might make the #1 spot on the 2p2 earners board at the $100NL 6max game. I'm up approximately $2.9k so far this week and my FTP bankroll is now $7.7k! If I keep this kind of rate up, I'll definitely be done with the bet sometime in July, well ahead of schedule. There is definitely no need to force anything or change anything up right now. I'm taking down unwanted pots. And I believe the result of that is people trying to show more bluff resistance. Also, I've been doing an "alright" job of catching weird lines bluffing and have been running fairly well. This week's graph is going to be good to see, and I look forward to comparing actual and expected winnings. Long, sleepless hours are paying off more than ever. I'm just on a very good streak and don't expect every session to be a winning one, let alone nearly this good. I haven't had the "stuck" feeling in a long time.
Oh, and one thing that has really helped me out is actually rooting for the opponent to draw out. If I win, hey of course I'm happy. If I lose, I've put myself in a better mood of seeing the underdog win. Of course it isn't what I want, but not tilting is extremely important, and rooting for the other guy helps me avoid getting aggravated.
Oh, and one thing that has really helped me out is actually rooting for the opponent to draw out. If I win, hey of course I'm happy. If I lose, I've put myself in a better mood of seeing the underdog win. Of course it isn't what I want, but not tilting is extremely important, and rooting for the other guy helps me avoid getting aggravated.
Played Like Crap
I'm going to go over a few hands, and talk about just how horribly I played the hands. This session was definitely a badly played one.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811812
Ok, the preflop play was standard w/ 3betting QQ on the button. Flop brings JJ7 and IN POSITION I check. This is definitely not the way I usually play this hand on the flop, especially in position, but for some stupid reason I checked behind. The turn brings a 5, essentially nothing much to be scared of, and the villain leads for $19. These hands where the board has a paired broadway card usually cause me to want to play smaller pots (unless of course I hold said card). This is a "safety" measure I sometimes use, but I feel like I'm starting to get into the habit of checking these. What's my reasoning? I guess there's that feeling of both not getting any value because of showing so much strength and not wanting to be bluffed off my hand. This kind of hand is sometimes leaky, and I think I have to go over some strategies to play these flops better. And HOLY SHIT, did I just CHECK BACK the river??? That was 5x worse than the flop check! What checks on the river here that beats me? Basically nothing, and I check behind?
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811815
This hand just stuck out as one I almost NEVER play like this. I posted it up here just because the line I took looks so horribly weak and nitty. In my defense, I think this guy's preflop raise was around 5% or so. If that was the case, I must have put him on AK at worst (MAYBE AQs, but I thought AQs would cbet to end on flop), esp from UTG+1, in essense playing my JJ to set in a family pot instead of my usual line of trying to get it heads up against a weaker hand/player. Just goes to show, even people w/ very nitty stats have strokes of genius and raise w/ 54s from early.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811819
This one ALMOST takes the cake and tilted me. Wow, so many mistakes. Family pot, I'm deep, I DON'T MIND the call preflop at all. Some might say folding pre is good, and of course that wouldn't be bad at all, but deep, screw it, "one time." Now on the flop is where I feel I made the biggest mistake: I led out in this pot, hoping for a raise? Looking back, the damn preflop raiser was on my left, meaning I would be the one to close out the action on the flop after his cbet!!! Horrible! After I lead for pot the preflop raiser calls. The turn is a T, giving me the effective nuts (if he had QQ then chalk one up to the coolers and I wouldn't mind), so what do I do? I check like a new player! I got zero value on the turn! I mean, I could have at least done some kind of weak bet. The turn check was bad, but that was the result of leading the flop like an idiot. The river is the A (AA/AT now win, but AA definitely doesn't check on turn, and AT I would not mind losing to). At this point I consider a check/raise, but was just WAY too scared to see him check behind w/ a good hand and risk feeling ABSOLUTELY stupid. I value bet the river for $35 into $48. He calls the river w/ the nut straight, and I'm definitely steaming. I won so very little from a hand I should have won much more from. These are the types of hands that tilt me, not getting setted on or 3/2/1 outted, etc. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing that I could have easily won much more, but lost so much value. The obvious mistake in this hand was leading into that pot, no question about that. (Now if the flop would have checked around, eh I don't even want to think about it.)
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811821
This one takes the cake! It's self explanatory. Playing this way and seeing this hand on showdown. Playing my hand like this makes me feel like I pissed my pants in front of strangers.
So all these horribly played hands, and the bankroll suffers. This doesn't mean I didn't have a winning, it just means I lost value and my winrate was lower than it could/should have been. I played a shade under 4.1k hands in 6 hours, with a profit of $568.55 @ $94.76/hr. My FTP bankroll is at $6955.66, and I hope to get over $7k by the end of the month. But I need to exercise a little more common sense and slow down my thought process more. There's no way I should have checked back on the river..... eh, forget it.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811812
Ok, the preflop play was standard w/ 3betting QQ on the button. Flop brings JJ7 and IN POSITION I check. This is definitely not the way I usually play this hand on the flop, especially in position, but for some stupid reason I checked behind. The turn brings a 5, essentially nothing much to be scared of, and the villain leads for $19. These hands where the board has a paired broadway card usually cause me to want to play smaller pots (unless of course I hold said card). This is a "safety" measure I sometimes use, but I feel like I'm starting to get into the habit of checking these. What's my reasoning? I guess there's that feeling of both not getting any value because of showing so much strength and not wanting to be bluffed off my hand. This kind of hand is sometimes leaky, and I think I have to go over some strategies to play these flops better. And HOLY SHIT, did I just CHECK BACK the river??? That was 5x worse than the flop check! What checks on the river here that beats me? Basically nothing, and I check behind?
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811815
This hand just stuck out as one I almost NEVER play like this. I posted it up here just because the line I took looks so horribly weak and nitty. In my defense, I think this guy's preflop raise was around 5% or so. If that was the case, I must have put him on AK at worst (MAYBE AQs, but I thought AQs would cbet to end on flop), esp from UTG+1, in essense playing my JJ to set in a family pot instead of my usual line of trying to get it heads up against a weaker hand/player. Just goes to show, even people w/ very nitty stats have strokes of genius and raise w/ 54s from early.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811819
This one ALMOST takes the cake and tilted me. Wow, so many mistakes. Family pot, I'm deep, I DON'T MIND the call preflop at all. Some might say folding pre is good, and of course that wouldn't be bad at all, but deep, screw it, "one time." Now on the flop is where I feel I made the biggest mistake: I led out in this pot, hoping for a raise? Looking back, the damn preflop raiser was on my left, meaning I would be the one to close out the action on the flop after his cbet!!! Horrible! After I lead for pot the preflop raiser calls. The turn is a T, giving me the effective nuts (if he had QQ then chalk one up to the coolers and I wouldn't mind), so what do I do? I check like a new player! I got zero value on the turn! I mean, I could have at least done some kind of weak bet. The turn check was bad, but that was the result of leading the flop like an idiot. The river is the A (AA/AT now win, but AA definitely doesn't check on turn, and AT I would not mind losing to). At this point I consider a check/raise, but was just WAY too scared to see him check behind w/ a good hand and risk feeling ABSOLUTELY stupid. I value bet the river for $35 into $48. He calls the river w/ the nut straight, and I'm definitely steaming. I won so very little from a hand I should have won much more from. These are the types of hands that tilt me, not getting setted on or 3/2/1 outted, etc. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing that I could have easily won much more, but lost so much value. The obvious mistake in this hand was leading into that pot, no question about that. (Now if the flop would have checked around, eh I don't even want to think about it.)
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2811821
This one takes the cake! It's self explanatory. Playing this way and seeing this hand on showdown. Playing my hand like this makes me feel like I pissed my pants in front of strangers.
So all these horribly played hands, and the bankroll suffers. This doesn't mean I didn't have a winning, it just means I lost value and my winrate was lower than it could/should have been. I played a shade under 4.1k hands in 6 hours, with a profit of $568.55 @ $94.76/hr. My FTP bankroll is at $6955.66, and I hope to get over $7k by the end of the month. But I need to exercise a little more common sense and slow down my thought process more. There's no way I should have checked back on the river..... eh, forget it.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Quick Update
As far as my computer goes, it WORKS, but I know there is still traces of the virus that need to be removed/cleaned. I've actually been working with someone at bleepingcomputer.com to help me fix it. (Basically a computer forum where you can post different problems and logs so someone w/ experience can evaluate and help.)
As far as poker is going, it's going well. I had a very loose guy on my right who was one of those "I called this much so I'm gonna call that to see the flop" guys. So I got the limp/reraising w/ big hands pre. I ended up getting into a 400BB pot with him when I limped UTG w/ AA. UTG+1 raised and there were callers, including the loose guy on my right. I got my reraise in there and he of course called. I was lucky enough to have a "dream" flop versus this guy w/ all baby cards. He ended up betting the pot on the flop, which was somewhere in the vicinity of $60, and he called my push w/ 99--ship it...
Anyway, my current FTP bankroll is now a shade under $6.4k. I'm doing very well so far this week and I hope I can keep it up. Hey, now I can aim for $7k by the end of the month (but won't be disappointed if I end up falling short). As for the rakeback for June, it hasn't really updated itself. I can estimate that I'm around $1.25k for the month, give or take.
At the end of the week, I'll see about posting up two graphs: one for last week (not good) and the comparison for this week (hopefully stays good). Also I can post up my daily log for the month of June when it's said and done.
So right now I'm feeling good about where I'm at and can't wait to hit $7k soon.
As far as poker is going, it's going well. I had a very loose guy on my right who was one of those "I called this much so I'm gonna call that to see the flop" guys. So I got the limp/reraising w/ big hands pre. I ended up getting into a 400BB pot with him when I limped UTG w/ AA. UTG+1 raised and there were callers, including the loose guy on my right. I got my reraise in there and he of course called. I was lucky enough to have a "dream" flop versus this guy w/ all baby cards. He ended up betting the pot on the flop, which was somewhere in the vicinity of $60, and he called my push w/ 99--ship it...
Anyway, my current FTP bankroll is now a shade under $6.4k. I'm doing very well so far this week and I hope I can keep it up. Hey, now I can aim for $7k by the end of the month (but won't be disappointed if I end up falling short). As for the rakeback for June, it hasn't really updated itself. I can estimate that I'm around $1.25k for the month, give or take.
At the end of the week, I'll see about posting up two graphs: one for last week (not good) and the comparison for this week (hopefully stays good). Also I can post up my daily log for the month of June when it's said and done.
So right now I'm feeling good about where I'm at and can't wait to hit $7k soon.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Playing Through
I've STILL be trying to get the computer to work right and give it a thorough cleaning. Even though it's fairly stable, I haven't completely wiped out the problem. I finally resorted to asking for help on a forum, and I'm confident these smart guys will help and get the computer right. Seems very nice of these computer geeks to just lend their time and go over a stranger's log files and steer them in the right direction to get their computers running right. Hey, not everyone is an asshole right?
Well, since the computer is basically stable enough, I've been playing a little bit. My FTP roll is a bit above $5.4k and I haven't been on the rakeback site this past week to know where I'm at with that. I am disappointed because that number is not going to be where I had hoped it would be. This computer problem consumed all my time and I'm still not finished fixing it; however, I did get to relax and not think about poker for a while. I think that helped my game a little bit and so far I'm feeling "alright" about my game this week.
I'll be sure to have a more detailed update in the coming days when my computer is working more smoothly....
Well, since the computer is basically stable enough, I've been playing a little bit. My FTP roll is a bit above $5.4k and I haven't been on the rakeback site this past week to know where I'm at with that. I am disappointed because that number is not going to be where I had hoped it would be. This computer problem consumed all my time and I'm still not finished fixing it; however, I did get to relax and not think about poker for a while. I think that helped my game a little bit and so far I'm feeling "alright" about my game this week.
I'll be sure to have a more detailed update in the coming days when my computer is working more smoothly....
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Lost Time
Computer seems to finally be working the right way (hopefully stays this way). I will try my best to "catch up." Here goes....
Sunday, June 22, 2008
While I Can
Some might be wondering where I've been for the past few days. Well, my computer got infested with things that do bad things. I've spent the past few days trying to go through the registry and scanning the hard drive for viruses. Shout out to AVG, Ad-Aware, RegCleaner, and HijackThis for helping. I recommend these programs to clean your system and keep it that way, but it does take a little googling to find problems.
On the poker note, my FTP roll is at $4.8k and I haven't been able to play as much as I should have this week. My current rakeback for June is approximately $1.2k. I plan on doing my best to get as many hands as I possibly can starting Monday/Tuesday if the computer is functioning properly. Not being able to play actually feels like a good thing though--the weather's been nice, got to get my mind off/on certain things, and feel relaxed. Basically, I feel refreshed and ready to go at it again. HOPEFULLY, I can get my FTP roll up to $6k by the end of the month. That would really be nice, but even ending the month at $5k would be fine with me. I feel ahead of the pace for $10k, and I'm now shooting for $16k. More updates to come.....
On the poker note, my FTP roll is at $4.8k and I haven't been able to play as much as I should have this week. My current rakeback for June is approximately $1.2k. I plan on doing my best to get as many hands as I possibly can starting Monday/Tuesday if the computer is functioning properly. Not being able to play actually feels like a good thing though--the weather's been nice, got to get my mind off/on certain things, and feel relaxed. Basically, I feel refreshed and ready to go at it again. HOPEFULLY, I can get my FTP roll up to $6k by the end of the month. That would really be nice, but even ending the month at $5k would be fine with me. I feel ahead of the pace for $10k, and I'm now shooting for $16k. More updates to come.....
Monday, June 16, 2008
Doing Bad Isn't Bad
Ever since I hit $5.2k, I've slowed down and the sessions seem/feel like I'm not doing good. I can't say I'm playing my best right now, and it shows. I'll make a nice move and then "spew" it back with a move on someone else. The roll is at approximately $4.8k.
My goal last week was to get into the top players list on twoplustwo.com (2p2). They basically have a datamined list of the winnings of the players for the week. I had a fairly good two sessions during last week, and it showed up on the list. I ended up at the 16th spot, with a recorded $1460.80 made for the week. 1st spot made a little over $3k, and 2nd turned in $1.8k. I hope I can get my name back up on that list for the week, and hopefully improve.
We'll see what this week brings, but I need to concentrate a little more while playing.... That seems to be a recurring problem. Maybe I can download some new music instead of what I've been doing....
My goal last week was to get into the top players list on twoplustwo.com (2p2). They basically have a datamined list of the winnings of the players for the week. I had a fairly good two sessions during last week, and it showed up on the list. I ended up at the 16th spot, with a recorded $1460.80 made for the week. 1st spot made a little over $3k, and 2nd turned in $1.8k. I hope I can get my name back up on that list for the week, and hopefully improve.
We'll see what this week brings, but I need to concentrate a little more while playing.... That seems to be a recurring problem. Maybe I can download some new music instead of what I've been doing....
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Another Day
The session before last went very well at the 100s--I had made over $800 at $146/hr. I just got through with another session and it actually went even better--$1040 at $181/hr!!! I broke the $5k mark and my FTP bankroll is currently at $5204.41. I knew I'd be comfortable and profitable at the 100s, but I didn't think I'd be doing this well so fast. I finally looked at my PT stats and I'm in the black in the $100NL game after being down so much (started off down 17 buyins I think). So things are going alright, and I'm going to try to keep this up. I don't exactly expect to keep up a pace of $150/hr, but "just" making around $40/hr right now would be highly welcomed.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Comfort Level
I guess I can say that I proved to myself today just how comfortable I am at the 100s. I played another 5.5 hour session of 3591 hands. I don't know exactly what it was today that prompted such a nice session--maybe because it was Thursday, school is out, or whatever. My latest session consisted of netting a little over $800 at $146.05/hr. This is my largest winrate so far and I really feel like I'm rolling along now. I feel the same way about the 100s as I did the 50s now, and playing 8 tables isn't just a factor, it's THE factor. I'm paying attention and not doing other things when I'm 8-tabling. This also helps me play more hands-per-hour, which increases my rakeback per session. I've already accumulated well over $500 in rakeback this month, and I haven't even been playing as much as I feel I should be (in my last four sessions, I never played for more than 5.5 hours).
My FTP bankroll is at $4163.51, and from now on I won't talk about my rakeback money as included in my whole bankroll until it's actually in my FTP account (it makes me feel like I have more money coming and it jinxes me).
I still see missed opportunities to make money, and need to concentrate more on what my opponent might think I have. At the 50s (and for the most part at the 100s) opponents aren't exactly always thinking about what I'm holding and just looking at their own cards. But as I move up in the future, I need to be aware of what my opponent is aware of, especially what my bet-sizing might mean.
So, I'm comfortable now and I just had a good session that lifted my spirits a little. I hope to be one of the players that crushes this level, and then I'll be on the way to the 200s. I'll probably wait until I have about 35-40 buyins before attempting the 200s, but that's a long way away. I guess the biggest chunk of the $10k will be made at the level I'm at now.
I feel that days like this don't have to be so scarce and winning at a consistent $50+/hr is definitely possible over a larger sample. My first two tries at the 100s were daunting, but since then I've become just as comfortable at the 100s as the 50s. I haven't played the 100s long enough to talk, so I'll just be content with this session and work harder at the next one.
Oh and thanks to the guy who called every pot bet I made (from preflop to the river) and put me allin on the river holding AJhigh to my quads, I appreciate it.
My FTP bankroll is at $4163.51, and from now on I won't talk about my rakeback money as included in my whole bankroll until it's actually in my FTP account (it makes me feel like I have more money coming and it jinxes me).
I still see missed opportunities to make money, and need to concentrate more on what my opponent might think I have. At the 50s (and for the most part at the 100s) opponents aren't exactly always thinking about what I'm holding and just looking at their own cards. But as I move up in the future, I need to be aware of what my opponent is aware of, especially what my bet-sizing might mean.
So, I'm comfortable now and I just had a good session that lifted my spirits a little. I hope to be one of the players that crushes this level, and then I'll be on the way to the 200s. I'll probably wait until I have about 35-40 buyins before attempting the 200s, but that's a long way away. I guess the biggest chunk of the $10k will be made at the level I'm at now.
I feel that days like this don't have to be so scarce and winning at a consistent $50+/hr is definitely possible over a larger sample. My first two tries at the 100s were daunting, but since then I've become just as comfortable at the 100s as the 50s. I haven't played the 100s long enough to talk, so I'll just be content with this session and work harder at the next one.
Oh and thanks to the guy who called every pot bet I made (from preflop to the river) and put me allin on the river holding AJhigh to my quads, I appreciate it.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Three Sessions
I've played three separate sessions at the 100NL game. First session was -$212.55 in 5.25 hours (-$40.49/hr), the second session was +$77.75 in 4 hours ($19.44/hr), and I just played a session at +$316.35 in 5.5 hours ($57.52/hr).
There's good news and bad news. The good news is I'm comfortable with all aspects of the $100NL game. I'm playing my game and starting to adjust accordingly. Also, I'm seeing decent winrates. The bad news is that I hated that last $57.52/hr session. I REALLY shouldn't even be feeling that way, but I didn't adjust properly to a fish I was focusing on. I would win money off him and tilt some back, win some off him and tilt some back. I ended up only playing on his tables and got off my game. The whole point is for me to play 8 tables so that I don't focus too much and try to do too much--which is exactly what I ended up doing.
I'm still very much in the red at the 100s, but that should change as time goes on and as I play more hands. My current bankroll is at $3360.26, but I will need to get back to normal before my next session--the last session was definitely me not playing my best even though it was a decent winrate....
There's good news and bad news. The good news is I'm comfortable with all aspects of the $100NL game. I'm playing my game and starting to adjust accordingly. Also, I'm seeing decent winrates. The bad news is that I hated that last $57.52/hr session. I REALLY shouldn't even be feeling that way, but I didn't adjust properly to a fish I was focusing on. I would win money off him and tilt some back, win some off him and tilt some back. I ended up only playing on his tables and got off my game. The whole point is for me to play 8 tables so that I don't focus too much and try to do too much--which is exactly what I ended up doing.
I'm still very much in the red at the 100s, but that should change as time goes on and as I play more hands. My current bankroll is at $3360.26, but I will need to get back to normal before my next session--the last session was definitely me not playing my best even though it was a decent winrate....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Rakeback Successful
I logged on to FTP and it seems the rakeback was automatically transferred to my account. My FTP roll is now $3178.71, exactly as expected. I am very pleased with that, and am even more encouraged to play more hands.
Just over a month....
Ok it's June 10th and it's been a month and five days. My FTP bankroll is $2348.30 and I earned $830.41 in rakeback for the month of May. That brings my bankroll to $3178.71. That's not bad. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about making that much. Well, I guess I can say I'm happy. I'm winning; I'm putting in a "decent" amount of hands--85.3k hands in the month of May. Also, thinking I should have more money is just going to cause me to play worse. Forget that, I'm happy to be where I'm at. I'm at $2.3k, and this is after LOSING $1.6k on my two shots at $100NL. Saying that makes me feel a lot better. After playing 85.3k hands, you can officially estimate that "running" either bad or good has, for the most part, evened out; I can't sit here and whine about this or that.
Over the last 62k+ hands at $50NL (6max) I've earned over $2.1k at 3.48ptbb/100. Over the last 318 hands at $50NL (heads-up) I've earned almost $800 at 249ptbb/100 (I only play fish w/ money and I run good as you can see.) Over the last 7.2k hands at $100NL (6max) I've lost over $1.6k at -11.29ptbb/100 (not good obviously.) Over the last 69.7k hands at all levels, I've earned $1.25k at 2.99ptbb/100.
How I'm looking at the previous month is that I learned a LOT! Looking back at my daily poker spreadsheet, you can see how each day went, and how things turned around after making certain adjustments. If I didn't adjust and humble myself early on, I would probably be sitting at something closer to $1.5k and probably wanting to DDT someone off the top rope. So, again, I'm happy at where I'm at--basically I'm at where I'm at and it is what it is.
What is next is obviously the $100NL game. Again, a few adjustments need to be made. Not getting discouraged is important. Putting in the time is important. Constantly reassessing the plan for each hand and asking myself why I played certain hands incorrectly is VERY important. Not messing around online is crucial to observing the temperament and texture of the table. Basically I need to take the $100NL game seriously and not feel like it owns me. I've previously had two separate $2k profit sessions at this level (it was a while back, but it counts). Lately, I've gotten crushed at this level, but it's VERY VERY VERY beatable, and I'm 100% positive I'll be looking back and seeing just how easy the $100NL game has turned out to be.
So as of now, I'm trying to be patient while I'm waiting to move my $830 into my FTP account. I would be that much more comfortable playing at the next level, with the money more liquid and consolidated on FTP. 30 buyins is "safe" to many people; however, there are those that might say 30 buyins might be a little borderline as I'm playing 8 tables at once. I honestly think playing 8 tables at the 100s is going to keep me more even-keeled and less creative. (I mean that in the best possible sense as I'll still keep some creativity, but I won't feel pressured to play a hand just because it's the best thing I've seen in 15 minutes.)
Enjoy observing the month of May......
Over the last 62k+ hands at $50NL (6max) I've earned over $2.1k at 3.48ptbb/100. Over the last 318 hands at $50NL (heads-up) I've earned almost $800 at 249ptbb/100 (I only play fish w/ money and I run good as you can see.) Over the last 7.2k hands at $100NL (6max) I've lost over $1.6k at -11.29ptbb/100 (not good obviously.) Over the last 69.7k hands at all levels, I've earned $1.25k at 2.99ptbb/100.
How I'm looking at the previous month is that I learned a LOT! Looking back at my daily poker spreadsheet, you can see how each day went, and how things turned around after making certain adjustments. If I didn't adjust and humble myself early on, I would probably be sitting at something closer to $1.5k and probably wanting to DDT someone off the top rope. So, again, I'm happy at where I'm at--basically I'm at where I'm at and it is what it is.
What is next is obviously the $100NL game. Again, a few adjustments need to be made. Not getting discouraged is important. Putting in the time is important. Constantly reassessing the plan for each hand and asking myself why I played certain hands incorrectly is VERY important. Not messing around online is crucial to observing the temperament and texture of the table. Basically I need to take the $100NL game seriously and not feel like it owns me. I've previously had two separate $2k profit sessions at this level (it was a while back, but it counts). Lately, I've gotten crushed at this level, but it's VERY VERY VERY beatable, and I'm 100% positive I'll be looking back and seeing just how easy the $100NL game has turned out to be.
So as of now, I'm trying to be patient while I'm waiting to move my $830 into my FTP account. I would be that much more comfortable playing at the next level, with the money more liquid and consolidated on FTP. 30 buyins is "safe" to many people; however, there are those that might say 30 buyins might be a little borderline as I'm playing 8 tables at once. I honestly think playing 8 tables at the 100s is going to keep me more even-keeled and less creative. (I mean that in the best possible sense as I'll still keep some creativity, but I won't feel pressured to play a hand just because it's the best thing I've seen in 15 minutes.)
Enjoy observing the month of May......
As you can see, as of late, I've been making good strides in my winrates. It is more consistent in the green. The week before last I averaged $16.62/hr which is decent. And the last week was looking to be even better until I walked down the wrong alley the last day of the month. I had three $50ish/hr and a $30/hr sessions in the last week, but I screwed it up when I took a shot at the 100s. So, other than the 100s, my winrate was a steady improvement. You can see some session notes ont he side.....
Here's to the month of June.
Friday, June 6, 2008
New Toy
First thing's first. The FTP bankroll is at a little over $1900. I will stop talking about rakeback money, most importantly because it's making me feel like I have more money than I actually have. I'll talk about how much rake I've earned once in a while, like at the end of months. I took another shot at the 100s and did good at first, then did bad again. So, of course, I'm back at the 50s trying to follow a strict buyin guideline. I will go strictly to 100s again when my FTP bankroll is at $3k. At that point, I shouldn't have to go back down to the 50s unless I get hammered badly. From that point, things should start to get a little exciting.
Anyway, I had to give Zook back his monitor I was borrowing. I pulled my old CRT out and just played 4 100s. And what I've noticed is that I don't like playing only 4 tables anymore. I used to do it to focus on how the fish play to get their money, but I think I can do it just the same on 8 tables. Also, when I only play four tables, I tend to want to get too involved. I get overly involved to the point where I want to see my opponents' cards at a steep price. Playing 8 tables keeps me more even-keeled.
Back to what I was saying. I had to return the monitor I was using, so I put a 22" Dell on credit. I had it delivered 2-day shipping (it was worth it obviously). I had to update the drivers for my video card to use the 1680x1050 resolution so I can comfortably get 8-9 tables up w/ minimal overlap. However, on the monitor I was borrowing, I got 9 tables on w/ ZERO overlap before. Maybe his was 24", I don't know. Anyway, I'm still happy with the new monitor. I put in 8.5 hours just now and over 5600 hands. I DID NOT play well at all today. I did however run into someone I played heads-up. And he forked over a good chunk of change, considering it was a 50NL table--$575. He was open-pushing his stack so much that I just had to wait for something solid enough. When I got deeper, I obviously tightened up, but still got to catch him when I flopped good. So, today's session was -2 buyins, but the heads up match ended up helping me to net $464.
Oh, this is a PS to Justin, I know tourneys are off limits, but remember, bonuses are NOT off limits. If I have a freeroll and win some dough, IT COUNTS.... I mean, the chances of me winning any sizeable money from a freeroll tourney is slimmer than Amy Winehouse, but it could happen.....
Anyway, I had to give Zook back his monitor I was borrowing. I pulled my old CRT out and just played 4 100s. And what I've noticed is that I don't like playing only 4 tables anymore. I used to do it to focus on how the fish play to get their money, but I think I can do it just the same on 8 tables. Also, when I only play four tables, I tend to want to get too involved. I get overly involved to the point where I want to see my opponents' cards at a steep price. Playing 8 tables keeps me more even-keeled.
Back to what I was saying. I had to return the monitor I was using, so I put a 22" Dell on credit. I had it delivered 2-day shipping (it was worth it obviously). I had to update the drivers for my video card to use the 1680x1050 resolution so I can comfortably get 8-9 tables up w/ minimal overlap. However, on the monitor I was borrowing, I got 9 tables on w/ ZERO overlap before. Maybe his was 24", I don't know. Anyway, I'm still happy with the new monitor. I put in 8.5 hours just now and over 5600 hands. I DID NOT play well at all today. I did however run into someone I played heads-up. And he forked over a good chunk of change, considering it was a 50NL table--$575. He was open-pushing his stack so much that I just had to wait for something solid enough. When I got deeper, I obviously tightened up, but still got to catch him when I flopped good. So, today's session was -2 buyins, but the heads up match ended up helping me to net $464.
Oh, this is a PS to Justin, I know tourneys are off limits, but remember, bonuses are NOT off limits. If I have a freeroll and win some dough, IT COUNTS.... I mean, the chances of me winning any sizeable money from a freeroll tourney is slimmer than Amy Winehouse, but it could happen.....
Monday, June 2, 2008
It Wasn't Over Till It Was Over
Well well now....
I was riding really high on how well I was doing at the 50NL game. As you might have read the last time, my FTP roll was at $2.3k. That would have been an 18buyin week, but I decided to give 100NL a shot and hit the wall. My roll went from 2.3k to 1.3k in one session--a 10buyin downswing. I could tell I wasn't being as aggressive and trying to just hit big flops instead of taking them down. I ran into some players that will prove to be very profitable for me in the future, but that night was their night. A lot of things went wrong, but the main thing that went wrong was my comfort level. I am VERY comfortable at the 50NL game, but playing the 100NL, well, I was playing to cautiously to be profitable. Then my monsters started getting involved w/ sets and it got all bad. So I ended the week with a FTP roll of $1563.90. Today I played 8 tables of 50NL, and crushed it fairly well at $58/hr for 8hours. So NOW my FTP roll is sitting at $1994.05.
It's a new month, it's a new week, things are looking good. I checked my PT and saw that over the past 44k hands I've been running at over 4ptbb/100. I'll be playing 8 tables instead of 6 on the 50s to get even more rake, and besides, I don't think it's affecting my winrate.
My rakeback for the month of May isn't official, but it's sligtly over $750 that last time I checked. So, I think I'll be playing the 50NL game (8 tabling) until I get $3k in my FTP account. It'll make me that much more comfortable playing the 100NL tables, and I'm not having a problem making at least $20/hr on the 50s now. And on a positive note, I've been reading some 2p2 and many people are saying how the 50NL game is tougher than the 100NL game. If this is true, I really can't wait to get to experience this and get more comfortable on the 100s......
In summary,
Took a shot at 100NL and it didn't make me smile.
Went back to the 50NL and I'm doing very well.
Total roll is $2000+$750= $2.75k (approximate)
I was riding really high on how well I was doing at the 50NL game. As you might have read the last time, my FTP roll was at $2.3k. That would have been an 18buyin week, but I decided to give 100NL a shot and hit the wall. My roll went from 2.3k to 1.3k in one session--a 10buyin downswing. I could tell I wasn't being as aggressive and trying to just hit big flops instead of taking them down. I ran into some players that will prove to be very profitable for me in the future, but that night was their night. A lot of things went wrong, but the main thing that went wrong was my comfort level. I am VERY comfortable at the 50NL game, but playing the 100NL, well, I was playing to cautiously to be profitable. Then my monsters started getting involved w/ sets and it got all bad. So I ended the week with a FTP roll of $1563.90. Today I played 8 tables of 50NL, and crushed it fairly well at $58/hr for 8hours. So NOW my FTP roll is sitting at $1994.05.
It's a new month, it's a new week, things are looking good. I checked my PT and saw that over the past 44k hands I've been running at over 4ptbb/100. I'll be playing 8 tables instead of 6 on the 50s to get even more rake, and besides, I don't think it's affecting my winrate.
My rakeback for the month of May isn't official, but it's sligtly over $750 that last time I checked. So, I think I'll be playing the 50NL game (8 tabling) until I get $3k in my FTP account. It'll make me that much more comfortable playing the 100NL tables, and I'm not having a problem making at least $20/hr on the 50s now. And on a positive note, I've been reading some 2p2 and many people are saying how the 50NL game is tougher than the 100NL game. If this is true, I really can't wait to get to experience this and get more comfortable on the 100s......
In summary,
Took a shot at 100NL and it didn't make me smile.
Went back to the 50NL and I'm doing very well.
Total roll is $2000+$750= $2.75k (approximate)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Hello $100NL
I don't know why it is that I usually start off on the wrong foot in my sessions, but I have been good at turning it around and then some. Started off down 3 buyins, but was playing decently. There was one hand I can recall where I made a standard raise of AQ. All of a sudden, someone pushed his stack in of about 60bb. It was not warranted, and it's not like he had just lost a big pot and was tilting; however, it did seem for the past 2 orbits he couldn't take down a pot. I felt he was a little frustrated and I snap-called and he showed A7. Even though he took down that pot, I felt good. (I didn't feel so good about getting a buyin in w/ JJ though and seeing AA.)
Anyway, I turned things around and got to run good. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for the best tables, and today that happened to include a heads up table. I was watching two guys go at it, and the fishier of the two had got his $50 stack up to about $750-$800, until he gave it back. Well I was first on the waiting list for that game, and when I got called he was still sitting there with about $100. He was pretty bad, and sent 3buyins my way. After 7.25hrs playing, I averaged $49.45/hr, and I'm definitely pleased.
Sooooo, my current FTP roll is $2329.45, and my rakeback account is at $679.56. That adds up to a total roll of just over $3k!!!
That means it's time for the $100NL game. I am feeling good right now, and I will be showing a graph at the end of the week. I would show a graph from the start till now, but I filled up my PT database during the 2nd week. (I should've created a new one, but oh well.) It's going to be hard to say goodbye to the $50NL game, but it's definitely time to move up. I'm sure the $100NL game will be difficult at first, but will become easier in 2-3 weeks. We'll see.....
Anyway, I turned things around and got to run good. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for the best tables, and today that happened to include a heads up table. I was watching two guys go at it, and the fishier of the two had got his $50 stack up to about $750-$800, until he gave it back. Well I was first on the waiting list for that game, and when I got called he was still sitting there with about $100. He was pretty bad, and sent 3buyins my way. After 7.25hrs playing, I averaged $49.45/hr, and I'm definitely pleased.
Sooooo, my current FTP roll is $2329.45, and my rakeback account is at $679.56. That adds up to a total roll of just over $3k!!!
That means it's time for the $100NL game. I am feeling good right now, and I will be showing a graph at the end of the week. I would show a graph from the start till now, but I filled up my PT database during the 2nd week. (I should've created a new one, but oh well.) It's going to be hard to say goodbye to the $50NL game, but it's definitely time to move up. I'm sure the $100NL game will be difficult at first, but will become easier in 2-3 weeks. We'll see.....
Quick Update
Sitting at approximately $1970 in FTP. I've accumulated approximately $650 in rakeback for the month of May (hope to get that over $700 by the end of the month). So I'm sitting at about $2600. I feel this is slightly ahead of schedule, but not by too much. I wasted a lot of time, but learned a lot in the first 2-3 weeks. I've rode out bad swings, played badly, played well, ran good--but most importantly am playing a style I'm comfortable with. I am looking forward to the $100NL game. I'm not sure when to start, but it should be soon......
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
As of now....
OK ok ok. It's now time for me to get a little organized. Waking up everyday at the same time, having time for studying set aside everyday, and relaxing at night (well I'll do that once I make more headway). As of now, I still have one table open, my bankroll is at around $1800, but who knows what's gonna happen in the next few minutes--I'm almost 4buyins deep and there's someone w/ 3.5buyins. Currently rakeback is sitting at $562, so that puts me above the $2k mark, but I won't see the rake money until sometimes in the middle of next month.
Disclaimer to JUSTIN. My bankroll includes my rakeback, EVEN if it isn't actually in my FTP account, it is in my bankroll. Just a heads up for when the last month is upon us, if it's close, the money in my rakeback account is PART of my bankroll. For example, my roll the day the bet is over is $9k and I have $1.4k sitting in my rake account, my actual ROLL is $10.4k.
Well, I misclicked TWO TIMES today, and I almost NEVER misclick. I've played so many hands and I rarely misclick. I had AA on one table and AQ on another at the same time. On both tables I 3bet and had an opponent on each table allin pre. I meant to click call on the table w/ AA, but instead clicked the one w/ AQ. Well I won the AA hand (KK, sorry). The other table I ended up going against QQ and spiked the Ace on the river. So, that proceeded to get him on tilt (he still had a full buyin left) and he pushed pre everyhand until he got called. Well, he got called by ATs and KK, while he held 88. KK took it down, and by the way, I was lucky enough to get the KK that hand. So, from that misclick I profitted 3buyins. Lucky eh?
The other misclick didn't turn out the same, well, this actually isn't a misclick at all. I read my hand wrong, and it isn't the first time I had trouble differentiating between the T and 8. (I need to count the pips or something.) Well I'll show you the hand, but keep in mind I thought I was holding TT.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2675892
As you can see from the graph, my winrate so far this week hasn't been great, but it's a winrate nontheless. I started off rushing things and not paying much attention to the tables. I picked it up and was running fine until around the 10k hand mark. I started getting beat in a nice variety of ways. Then I proceeded to run good and play against big stacks that didn't realize they could actually lose. I really wanted to get into a 8buyin pot, but I was waiting for something that didn't come. So far I'm up 6.5buyins this week, but need to pay more attention to what I'm doing and stay fresh.
Disclaimer to JUSTIN. My bankroll includes my rakeback, EVEN if it isn't actually in my FTP account, it is in my bankroll. Just a heads up for when the last month is upon us, if it's close, the money in my rakeback account is PART of my bankroll. For example, my roll the day the bet is over is $9k and I have $1.4k sitting in my rake account, my actual ROLL is $10.4k.
Well, I misclicked TWO TIMES today, and I almost NEVER misclick. I've played so many hands and I rarely misclick. I had AA on one table and AQ on another at the same time. On both tables I 3bet and had an opponent on each table allin pre. I meant to click call on the table w/ AA, but instead clicked the one w/ AQ. Well I won the AA hand (KK, sorry). The other table I ended up going against QQ and spiked the Ace on the river. So, that proceeded to get him on tilt (he still had a full buyin left) and he pushed pre everyhand until he got called. Well, he got called by ATs and KK, while he held 88. KK took it down, and by the way, I was lucky enough to get the KK that hand. So, from that misclick I profitted 3buyins. Lucky eh?
The other misclick didn't turn out the same, well, this actually isn't a misclick at all. I read my hand wrong, and it isn't the first time I had trouble differentiating between the T and 8. (I need to count the pips or something.) Well I'll show you the hand, but keep in mind I thought I was holding TT.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2675892
As you can see from the graph, my winrate so far this week hasn't been great, but it's a winrate nontheless. I started off rushing things and not paying much attention to the tables. I picked it up and was running fine until around the 10k hand mark. I started getting beat in a nice variety of ways. Then I proceeded to run good and play against big stacks that didn't realize they could actually lose. I really wanted to get into a 8buyin pot, but I was waiting for something that didn't come. So far I'm up 6.5buyins this week, but need to pay more attention to what I'm doing and stay fresh.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Nothing Much
Sitting at $1580.10 + rake. I just need to concentrate on my tables when I'm playing and pay less attention to roaming around on the internet. If I had to guess how much I've earned in rakeback it'd be around $530ish. My goal is to get to $2000 (w/out rakeback) as soon as possible, move up to the $100NL game, and have the rake pad the roll up to about $2700. That should leave me comfortable at that level. One thing I need to do is start collecting data on the $100NL regulars. Justin is actually playing that game right now and we'll probably be running into each other. I guess we'll try and avoid each other unless a table is juicy......
Friday, May 23, 2008
Overtime
Well now. Here's an update. I sat in front of the computer for 11 hours playing today! I played the most hands I've played yet in one session: 5684. And I had an up and down day until I won 6 buyins from an action junky to put me at $1474.35 + rake. I can't wait to throw some of that rake into my bankroll. The rake is at aroud $400 last time I checked. So what that means is that if I can have a good week playing I should be at the $100NL game. Oh it's starting to get interesting.
I was playing fair, but went through a stretch where I was down 4 buyins. At that point, things turned around and I got into some bigger pots with good hands and took em down. I told myself the other day that I need to remember to keep table selection a high priority and today it paid off. I found a table with someone with about $300 on a $50 table and he was overbet/pushing his stack on flops. I got first-hand sight of this when I 3bet someone w/ KK, and the maniac flat called. On a JJx flop, he open pushed his stack. I think he was really used to people paying him off that he was hoping I had a big pair in my hand and I wouldn't be able to drop it. I dropped those Kings there, and then doubled up on that table (through this same aggro guy) by inducing him to push pre w/ AQs vs my AA. It held up and I got my stack up to about $120.
I played a few small pots with him, and let him bluff at me a few times. I had the feeling he would call big bets pre "just to see the flop." So, like I used to do on PartyPoker, I started raising my monsters accordingly. I tried raising AA one time by almost open-pushing my stack, but it didn't work (made it $100.50 to go pre). So I thought maybe he'd call something small like 30bb pre (to him it was small).
This hand went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651733
This hand went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651739
And this one went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651742
As you can see on the graph, I had a big upswing because of my new friend. So, the 11.25hr session ended with a net profit of $350.25 @ $31.13/hr while 6tabling $50NL 6max (5684 hands). Total roll is $1474.35 + rake (~$400) = ~$1900. I will definitely try and keep this upswing from changing the way I play and still play patient and try and get value from the hands that deserve value. But I won't walk away from somone like the guy I played with tonight....
I was playing fair, but went through a stretch where I was down 4 buyins. At that point, things turned around and I got into some bigger pots with good hands and took em down. I told myself the other day that I need to remember to keep table selection a high priority and today it paid off. I found a table with someone with about $300 on a $50 table and he was overbet/pushing his stack on flops. I got first-hand sight of this when I 3bet someone w/ KK, and the maniac flat called. On a JJx flop, he open pushed his stack. I think he was really used to people paying him off that he was hoping I had a big pair in my hand and I wouldn't be able to drop it. I dropped those Kings there, and then doubled up on that table (through this same aggro guy) by inducing him to push pre w/ AQs vs my AA. It held up and I got my stack up to about $120.
I played a few small pots with him, and let him bluff at me a few times. I had the feeling he would call big bets pre "just to see the flop." So, like I used to do on PartyPoker, I started raising my monsters accordingly. I tried raising AA one time by almost open-pushing my stack, but it didn't work (made it $100.50 to go pre). So I thought maybe he'd call something small like 30bb pre (to him it was small).
This hand went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651733
This hand went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651739
And this one went like this: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2651742
As you can see on the graph, I had a big upswing because of my new friend. So, the 11.25hr session ended with a net profit of $350.25 @ $31.13/hr while 6tabling $50NL 6max (5684 hands). Total roll is $1474.35 + rake (~$400) = ~$1900. I will definitely try and keep this upswing from changing the way I play and still play patient and try and get value from the hands that deserve value. But I won't walk away from somone like the guy I played with tonight....
Monday, May 19, 2008
Happy Birthday Nick!
Yeah it's my birthday, so fold to me please. I'm still out in Vegas playing scarcely. It's hot as shit out here, but I'm having fun. I'm playing a session right now without PT or any other aides. The 50NL game has been very soft lately, but I haven't been putting the work in. Well in other news, my rakeback is at around $300, and my poker roll is rigt now around $900. So if I could look back, I'd say I learned a few things in the past 2 weeks. I started off playing a very loose/passive style, which had way too many leaks. I changed it to a LAG style that, in a few words, I wasn't ready for. As of now, I'm playing TAGish and will most likely stay this way well into the 200s. More updates and possibly some hands to come.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Rakeback
Revelation time
#1) Rakeback is nice and I just realized how it is going to be the main factor of how I will get the roll up to $10k
#2) Playing at THIS level, and playing at the pace I'm playing, I've been making $40/day in rakeback.
#3) $40/day, playing CONSERVATIVELY 20 days/month, for four months = $3.2k.
#4) The bet was if I will have a $10k ROLL at the end of the four months. I know you'll try to nitpick on this one Justin that's why I'm being clear (remember pointing to the corner pocket?). Money earned by the end of the alloted time, INCLUDING RAKE, is included.
So with all that said, after I add up all the rakeback I stack up in the allotted time, I should be close.
Bankroll on FTP: $720.90
Added bankroll already on rakeback: $200+
Time to grind homie....
#1) Rakeback is nice and I just realized how it is going to be the main factor of how I will get the roll up to $10k
#2) Playing at THIS level, and playing at the pace I'm playing, I've been making $40/day in rakeback.
#3) $40/day, playing CONSERVATIVELY 20 days/month, for four months = $3.2k.
#4) The bet was if I will have a $10k ROLL at the end of the four months. I know you'll try to nitpick on this one Justin that's why I'm being clear (remember pointing to the corner pocket?). Money earned by the end of the alloted time, INCLUDING RAKE, is included.
So with all that said, after I add up all the rakeback I stack up in the allotted time, I should be close.
Bankroll on FTP: $720.90
Added bankroll already on rakeback: $200+
Time to grind homie....
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Follow Along
Besides using PT and occasionally checking my graph, I post a few hands on pokerhand.org (PH). There are different reasons for posting hands on PH, but the main reason is if I feel I either misplayed my hand or played it well/made a good read. I go through a bunch of hands every session, and there are bound to be a few coolers--those hands won't be posted unless they're really nasty. I currently feel fresh right now and I'm playing good poker. I've noticed people 3betting me pre with hands I shouldn't let them in with. I need to work on 3betting my own good hands, or just letting them go earlier, especially if out of position. The sooner I have more information on the opponent's hand, the sooner I'll know if I'm ahead or not. The $600 bonus is getting close to being compeleted, and I've noticed I've made over $100 in rakeback so far.
My roll is around $1k right now. So if I were to calculate my bankroll without bonuses, I'd be down about 10 buyins, but that was when I was playing much worse. Since making a change in my playing style 3/4 of my sessions have been me averaging winning 4 buyins. Going on vacation for a few days, but I'll still be playing poker, just without PT, and not playing much. It's still possible for me to get to $1.5k by the end of this week, I just need to put the time in.
Well, if you want to check on some old pokerhands, and some that I'll be continually posting from time to time, check this site: http://www.pokerhand.org/index.php?page=list&user=nbermudez415
My roll is around $1k right now. So if I were to calculate my bankroll without bonuses, I'd be down about 10 buyins, but that was when I was playing much worse. Since making a change in my playing style 3/4 of my sessions have been me averaging winning 4 buyins. Going on vacation for a few days, but I'll still be playing poker, just without PT, and not playing much. It's still possible for me to get to $1.5k by the end of this week, I just need to put the time in.
Well, if you want to check on some old pokerhands, and some that I'll be continually posting from time to time, check this site: http://www.pokerhand.org/index.php?page=list&user=nbermudez415
Monday, May 12, 2008
Well Now
I tried to play a quick session and tried to run the table over too quickly, even when I ran into big hands. I'm going to take the rest of the day off and start the rest of this week early in the day and play more relaxed sessions. My goal for the end of the week is to have a bankroll of $1.5k. We'll see if it happens.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Week 1
Well, week 1 is finally over, and I couldn't be more happy that it's over. This first week was a big learning experience as to how the game has changed over the past 2 years. I put in a little over 26k hands and 48 hours. My net profit was -$151.80 and my total bankroll is $838.40. My hourly for the week was -$3.16. I started the week off with 3 sessions of full ring, but have moved to exclusively playing 6max tables--all of which were $50NL. I have a new outlook now on the current trend the game is at and have plugged up some major preflop leaks and postflop intentions. I'm predicting week 2 to be much better, but we'll see how I run.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Long Session
Well, I woke up at 5 something and started playing poker before 6am. I was determined to have a good poker day. Well, it didn't go as planned, but today was a really good day. I was examining my graphs, and even though I was having HORRIBLE luck to half-stack players, my all-in graph is excellent. This is basically something I don't really need to work on. What I do need to work on is the limping to try to stack loose players. I'm ALWAYS looking to stack someone, but I've been getting caught up trying to do it against the wrong players. All of my leaks seem to be not getting those river value bets and from limping against the wrong players. I am going to continue to 6-table and keep them full of the more active tables. Getting the hands in is going to be no problem. Getting my money in good has been, and won't be a problem. The problem is trying too hard to profit. I just have to let it come to me and choose the right players to go up against. My current bankroll is at $807.40. By my bankroll requirements, I should be moving down to the $25NL game, but let's just say that isn't going to have to happen. I intend on using a more accelerated buyin rule to get up to the $200NL game. Once I get there and plug some leaks, I should be on my way...
Yee.
Yee.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I Can't Wait
A few updates on progress.
PT is up and working again. At the end of the day I'll have my current bankroll and daily graph for the day's session.
Everything is going GREAT so far--aside from running badly. The graph will show what I mean.
I added another $1k to the prop bet. This time it's for me to reach a bankroll of $11k. There's no way I reach $10k and then not be able to reach $11k, so adding on another $1k on to the prop bet was a simple no-brainer.
Finally, I'll say a word about my opinion on how people play. I've heard that playing this and that sort of PT #s are good and others aren't and I understand the concept. But post-flop is where the money is made, so we'll see if I can come out on top in the end w/ my supposed pre-flop leaks...
PT is up and working again. At the end of the day I'll have my current bankroll and daily graph for the day's session.
Everything is going GREAT so far--aside from running badly. The graph will show what I mean.
I added another $1k to the prop bet. This time it's for me to reach a bankroll of $11k. There's no way I reach $10k and then not be able to reach $11k, so adding on another $1k on to the prop bet was a simple no-brainer.
Finally, I'll say a word about my opinion on how people play. I've heard that playing this and that sort of PT #s are good and others aren't and I understand the concept. But post-flop is where the money is made, so we'll see if I can come out on top in the end w/ my supposed pre-flop leaks...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
5/5/08
Had a 4.5 hr session and a 6.25 hr session after the gym. Played 2.5k and 5k hands, respectively, dont know how i doubled my hands and didn't double the time, but whatever. I'm slowly releasing the $600 signup bonus and have released $80 so far. Bad news is that even with bonus money, I'm break-even right now. It's not exactly a bad thing at all to break-even, but I'm not exactly super happy. I need to work on playing at the right times, and using PT stats to make reads. I was just playing to play and on autopilot for first few hours of second session. I've been posting hands to pokerhand.org and I took a snapshot of my PEV graph. I'll be posting that when I blog--usually. The graph shows I had a break-even day, but ran bad. Losses were recouped through bonuses and current bankroll is $992.45.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Preparation
Money is in, everything working. I prepared PokerTracker (PT) to my screenname and set preferences on PT to make sure things are running correctly. I had to spend time w/ PokerEV (PEV) to get used to making graphs and saving them. Before I officially begin, here is a sample of what I'll be posting up on a usual basis.
Graph shows how I played, bankroll shows ending bankroll for the session. Enough said.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Background
May 3rd, approximately 12:30am, Lucky Chances Casino.
Aaron was in town and we decided to hang out and have a little dinner with his brother, cousin, and Justin. A bunch of poker talk finally got down to motivation bets. I first offered Justin a bet so that we could race to 10k. Now, we had already done this in the past and it was fairly successful for both of us. Back then we were both playing on Party during school and summer was about to begin. We recently got rakeback and both of us were playing fairly well. I ended the bet at about 11.7k and Justin ended with a respectable 8k. So it would only make sense for us to motivate each other with another race to 10k.
However, this time Justin would be starting off with 4.5k and myself 1k. He would have a huge edge in being basically already half-way there, but he has a 9-5 so I would be able to put in more hours to hone my game and catch up. It went back and forth, but in the end I decided against that bet. I offered Aaron's brother a race to 6k, but it wasn't as interesting.
We then got to the subject of me deciding to work instead of play poker, but still REALLY wanting to have my bankroll increase. (I basically want to get out of debt through poker and save money through work.) My argument was that I would rather dedicate myself to getting a job and earn about 1k/week steady. I told them in four months I would have earned 16k working, while playing poker I estimated I'd earn 10k. "I would need 6k to make up for the 'loss'." That's when I said, jokingly, that if I could be compensated somehow I'd consider taking poker more seriously.
Well, Aaron's eyes lit up, and he said he would consider giving me that action. And even more surprisingly, Justin said he'd like to buy some of that action! So now I have two of my closest poker friends talking about betting against me making 10k in four months. That was a slight jab to my ego, but when they both jumped at the thought of putting up 6k to back it up, I couldn't believe it. I have already accomplished this in less time; however, the poker world has DEFINITELY changed since then.
Now what was going on in MY mind at this point was, if I made 10k in four months, I'd be making an additional 60% bonus. This sounded too good to be true. I added a small stipulation that took them a while to agree to. I asked for a varied extension if I got a permanent job within those four months. If I got a job in that time, I would get an extension equal to HALF the time remaining. So if I got a job at exactly the two month mark, I would have two months left, giving me an extension of half that--one extra month. (If I got a job two days before the end of the four months, I get one extra day, etc.)
As of now, the bet is on. I am in the process of loading the 1k on Full Tilt Poker (FTP). I will be receiving FTP's $600 bonus. The account I will be playing on will have 27% rakeback. I will probably be starting on the $50NL tables, possibly playing anywhere from 6-9 tables at a time, full ring. When the time is right, and if I can find better tables on PokerStars (PS), I may transfer total balance to PS and give up rakeback if the tables are that much better. I may switch over to 6max tables if I deem ready/appropriate. There is no stipulation on what games I play. I can build this bankroll only by playing poker, receiving poker-related bonuses, and rakeback. I will be updating with PokerEV graphs and screenshots of total bankroll.
The game begins May 5 and ends September 5, 2008.
Aaron was in town and we decided to hang out and have a little dinner with his brother, cousin, and Justin. A bunch of poker talk finally got down to motivation bets. I first offered Justin a bet so that we could race to 10k. Now, we had already done this in the past and it was fairly successful for both of us. Back then we were both playing on Party during school and summer was about to begin. We recently got rakeback and both of us were playing fairly well. I ended the bet at about 11.7k and Justin ended with a respectable 8k. So it would only make sense for us to motivate each other with another race to 10k.
However, this time Justin would be starting off with 4.5k and myself 1k. He would have a huge edge in being basically already half-way there, but he has a 9-5 so I would be able to put in more hours to hone my game and catch up. It went back and forth, but in the end I decided against that bet. I offered Aaron's brother a race to 6k, but it wasn't as interesting.
We then got to the subject of me deciding to work instead of play poker, but still REALLY wanting to have my bankroll increase. (I basically want to get out of debt through poker and save money through work.) My argument was that I would rather dedicate myself to getting a job and earn about 1k/week steady. I told them in four months I would have earned 16k working, while playing poker I estimated I'd earn 10k. "I would need 6k to make up for the 'loss'." That's when I said, jokingly, that if I could be compensated somehow I'd consider taking poker more seriously.
Well, Aaron's eyes lit up, and he said he would consider giving me that action. And even more surprisingly, Justin said he'd like to buy some of that action! So now I have two of my closest poker friends talking about betting against me making 10k in four months. That was a slight jab to my ego, but when they both jumped at the thought of putting up 6k to back it up, I couldn't believe it. I have already accomplished this in less time; however, the poker world has DEFINITELY changed since then.
Now what was going on in MY mind at this point was, if I made 10k in four months, I'd be making an additional 60% bonus. This sounded too good to be true. I added a small stipulation that took them a while to agree to. I asked for a varied extension if I got a permanent job within those four months. If I got a job in that time, I would get an extension equal to HALF the time remaining. So if I got a job at exactly the two month mark, I would have two months left, giving me an extension of half that--one extra month. (If I got a job two days before the end of the four months, I get one extra day, etc.)
As of now, the bet is on. I am in the process of loading the 1k on Full Tilt Poker (FTP). I will be receiving FTP's $600 bonus. The account I will be playing on will have 27% rakeback. I will probably be starting on the $50NL tables, possibly playing anywhere from 6-9 tables at a time, full ring. When the time is right, and if I can find better tables on PokerStars (PS), I may transfer total balance to PS and give up rakeback if the tables are that much better. I may switch over to 6max tables if I deem ready/appropriate. There is no stipulation on what games I play. I can build this bankroll only by playing poker, receiving poker-related bonuses, and rakeback. I will be updating with PokerEV graphs and screenshots of total bankroll.
The game begins May 5 and ends September 5, 2008.
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