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....
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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.
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