Well, I am officially playing poker "professionally" again. I am only doing it part time as I do have other means of earning income, but due to some unfortunate business conditions, I am back in a must win situation.
I really dont like the pressure of a must win, but I have built up the bankroll a little to support something like this. My record keeping is good, but the pressure to make the bank each day does make it harder to stil to my rules of 2 buy ins per session. I have a couple of tournaments this week, including a $500 buy in that should be a big payout if I can money. I was thinking about posting my earning needs on here and track it with yall. Is that something that would be interesting to follow? Let me know.
Good luck!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sticking to your rules
As many of you know, I started tracking my results starting in January. I have started to track results many times, but always lost interest and eventually quit. I am now a month an a half in, and I am still keeping track despite having a terrible start to February. I have made up some ground this week, but it was tough to write down several big losses in a row.
Today I want to talk about avoiding those big loss days. When I started this tracking process this year, I set a couple of rules for my game to prevent the huge swings I have taken in the past. The rules were simple and they are below.
Today I want to talk about avoiding those big loss days. When I started this tracking process this year, I set a couple of rules for my game to prevent the huge swings I have taken in the past. The rules were simple and they are below.
- Maximum of 2 buy ins per day. NO EXCEPTIONS!
- No more than 2 drinks per session.
If it is a drinking session for fun. Max is one buy in.
I have failed miserably with rule number one in February and it has cost me. I went 7 buy ins deep on one day and they were increasing buy ins, so it got really nasty. A couple other days, I got 4 buy ins deep. It is so hard to get up and quit when you are stuck, but I had a huge eye opener after going through my results. If I took all the days I had more than two buy ins and just quit after those two, I would have $4600 more in my bankroll right now. Wow! I had no idea it was that big of a difference! That includes a session that I made a nice comeback as well.
So, I am now sticking to that rule and it is out here for all to see. That always seems to make it easier to hold myself accountable.
Quick side note: I won the weekly Tuesday touranment again this week, so I have a commanding lead in the points standings which will net me a $1500 WSOP buy in.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
January in the books!
Well, I closed out January and it was a good month in cash games and a loss in tournaments, even with a 2nd place finish. I am excited to continue accurate tracking of my play. So far, I am up more than I would have guessed. I am also doing a better job of managing my bankroll.
February started on a big down note with a two big loss days, but I made just about all of it back yesterday. I am a little tired from playing, so I will be taking a few days off. My next blog I will post a couple of key hands for everyone to evaluate.
February started on a big down note with a two big loss days, but I made just about all of it back yesterday. I am a little tired from playing, so I will be taking a few days off. My next blog I will post a couple of key hands for everyone to evaluate.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Travel and Poker
Look at me! Less than a month between posts!!
The last 3 weeks have been crazy with poker. I went on two annual poker trips with some buddies and it was a blast. Dead Money in New Orleans is always one of my favorite weekends of the year, at least what I can remember of it.
Last week I was in Vegas on business, but I did manage to get a little time in on the tables. I won about $600 in cash games, but crapped out in tournaments. I think my record keeping may help steer me away from tournament play for a while. I started out with a nice win early in the month, but now I am down for the month in my tournament play. I have two tournaments this week to try and turn that around, but my cash game play is carrying me this month.
I really like that I am sticking to my record keeping. I made a really nice spreadsheet with graphs and such. It is fun to enter data after each session and check out all the graphs. If any of you would like a copy of my creation, let me know. If you have some other good poker tracking tools, I would love to hear about them as well.
That is it for now. Hopefully I will be motivated to update tomorrow after I win the tournament tonight!
The last 3 weeks have been crazy with poker. I went on two annual poker trips with some buddies and it was a blast. Dead Money in New Orleans is always one of my favorite weekends of the year, at least what I can remember of it.
Last week I was in Vegas on business, but I did manage to get a little time in on the tables. I won about $600 in cash games, but crapped out in tournaments. I think my record keeping may help steer me away from tournament play for a while. I started out with a nice win early in the month, but now I am down for the month in my tournament play. I have two tournaments this week to try and turn that around, but my cash game play is carrying me this month.
I really like that I am sticking to my record keeping. I made a really nice spreadsheet with graphs and such. It is fun to enter data after each session and check out all the graphs. If any of you would like a copy of my creation, let me know. If you have some other good poker tracking tools, I would love to hear about them as well.
That is it for now. Hopefully I will be motivated to update tomorrow after I win the tournament tonight!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
New Year, New Me
Once again, I apologize for taking so long to update this blog. I think my new strategy it going to be short and sweet and more often. For some reason I have felt the need to write large posts with lots of content, and that pressure keeps me from updating as often. So, I am going to try this new approach this year and see where it goes.
For the first time in my life, I actually decided to do some New Year's Resolutions. I never did them before because I saw so many people around me make the "promises" to themselves, but they were rarely kept. I didn't really see the significance of that date to make a change in your life. If you need to make a change, just make it. The time frame doesn't really matter. Maybe it was just that the stars aligned in such a way that I needed to make several changes in my life right at the New Year, or I just needed an excuse to hold myself to them. Either way, here they are for all to see. Hopefully, I will not fail in following through with these this year, and 15 days in, I am still going strong.
1. Keep complete and accurate records of my poker play: In the past, I have started and stopped so many times I cant even count them. I generally have stopped when the cards are running bad and picked up again when the cards are running good. HA! This year I plan on keeping it simple and just tracking net profit/loss on cash games and tournaments. So far I have stuck to it and will push through the rough rides to see my true winnings for the year.
2. Keep myself in better physical condition: I know that everyone's NYR is to get into the gym and workout. I joined my gym back in October and have been fairly consistent, but not to the degree I would like. So far I am keeping with the schedule, except for the fact that I have been sick the last three days. Once I kick this cold, it is back to the gym.
3. Don't drink while playing cards: This has been an on and off problem for me. I really enjoy drinking and I really enjoy cards. Put the two together and I have a fantastic time losing all my money. My plan is not to deny this beautiful Reces Peanut Butter Cup all together, but limit my buy in when drinking and playing. I wont say my limit here, but it is definitely a hard and fast limit. So all of you can stop salivating when you see me a little tipsy at the table.
Well, that is it for today. I guess I still made this a little long. ;)
For the first time in my life, I actually decided to do some New Year's Resolutions. I never did them before because I saw so many people around me make the "promises" to themselves, but they were rarely kept. I didn't really see the significance of that date to make a change in your life. If you need to make a change, just make it. The time frame doesn't really matter. Maybe it was just that the stars aligned in such a way that I needed to make several changes in my life right at the New Year, or I just needed an excuse to hold myself to them. Either way, here they are for all to see. Hopefully, I will not fail in following through with these this year, and 15 days in, I am still going strong.
1. Keep complete and accurate records of my poker play: In the past, I have started and stopped so many times I cant even count them. I generally have stopped when the cards are running bad and picked up again when the cards are running good. HA! This year I plan on keeping it simple and just tracking net profit/loss on cash games and tournaments. So far I have stuck to it and will push through the rough rides to see my true winnings for the year.
2. Keep myself in better physical condition: I know that everyone's NYR is to get into the gym and workout. I joined my gym back in October and have been fairly consistent, but not to the degree I would like. So far I am keeping with the schedule, except for the fact that I have been sick the last three days. Once I kick this cold, it is back to the gym.
3. Don't drink while playing cards: This has been an on and off problem for me. I really enjoy drinking and I really enjoy cards. Put the two together and I have a fantastic time losing all my money. My plan is not to deny this beautiful Reces Peanut Butter Cup all together, but limit my buy in when drinking and playing. I wont say my limit here, but it is definitely a hard and fast limit. So all of you can stop salivating when you see me a little tipsy at the table.
Well, that is it for today. I guess I still made this a little long. ;)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
On a Roll....
I have been through quite a bit since my last post. I seem to have had a life changing moment and it has had a very positive effect on my poker play. For a long time now, I have had the wrong attitude toward poker and how I conduct my life in general. I didn't realize it until this weekend after I finished 12th in the $2K event #10 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
After playing some satellites and freerolling into the event, I left Caesars feeling happy about the $4700 cash, but upset about the fact that I once again missed the big prize ($126K) once again. I have won my share of small buy in tournaments battling fields of 100 or less to take first prize, but always seem to fall short when the big money is on the line. I didn't realize it before, but I was very bitter about it. I believe that I am a very good player. I know the math. I read people well. I make money at this game. I DESERVE to win one of these big ones! Why is it not happening for me.
I took this horrible attitude to the blackjack table and managed to blow quite a bit of my winnings. After being up over $5K to be up $3K, I felt like I was down. I was angry at the casino, myself, and the mystery of why I cant seem to hit the big one. Then something unlikely and unexpected happened. I read a feel good email from my sister-in-law. The email is below.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we`re here we should dance!
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America"
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
There was some of the typical, "pass this along to 7 people" at the end. I am not one who normally takes the time to read these emails, and certainly don't pass them along to 7 people. Well, maybe this time I did, assuming at least 7 people read this. Anyway, something in this story really struck a chord with me. I realized that I have been such an ass about the way I have approached everything lately. I developed this sense of entitlement. I deserve this. I deserve that. I had to think back and just laugh at myself.
I woke up the next morning and decided that I just needed to be thankful that I get to play poker, that I get to go to places like Las Vegas, that I am still up for the trip, that I have good friends and family, that I am healthy. I immediately felt a huge burden lifted off of me. I suddenly didn't feel all the pressure I was putting on myself, not only in poker, but in business and my personal life. I decided to head over to the Bellagio to play a little 2/5 NL before the $540 daily tournament at 2pm. I played well and won $500 in about an hour and a half. I never got upset about a bad beat or missing a big draw. I was just happy to be there. At 2:10pm I bought into the tournament and managed to build a huge stack and chopped that tournament at 4 people. I was 2nd in chips at the time and made more than 2nd place money. Again, I was just thankful to have the opportunity to play. I decided to take a good friend out for steaks at Ruth Chris to celebrate, and was thankful that I could buy. Finally, I spent my last 30 minutes before leaving for the airport playing 2/5 where I lost $300. Again, I was just happy to have the opportunity to play.
I love this game, but I got my priorities way out of whack. I still hope that someday I can take home a big prize, like a WPT main event, or a WSOP bracelet, but I will be thankful for the opportunity just to play.
PS. Last night I won our weekly Tuesday tournament as well. Lucky me. :)
After playing some satellites and freerolling into the event, I left Caesars feeling happy about the $4700 cash, but upset about the fact that I once again missed the big prize ($126K) once again. I have won my share of small buy in tournaments battling fields of 100 or less to take first prize, but always seem to fall short when the big money is on the line. I didn't realize it before, but I was very bitter about it. I believe that I am a very good player. I know the math. I read people well. I make money at this game. I DESERVE to win one of these big ones! Why is it not happening for me.
I took this horrible attitude to the blackjack table and managed to blow quite a bit of my winnings. After being up over $5K to be up $3K, I felt like I was down. I was angry at the casino, myself, and the mystery of why I cant seem to hit the big one. Then something unlikely and unexpected happened. I read a feel good email from my sister-in-law. The email is below.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we`re here we should dance!
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America"
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
There was some of the typical, "pass this along to 7 people" at the end. I am not one who normally takes the time to read these emails, and certainly don't pass them along to 7 people. Well, maybe this time I did, assuming at least 7 people read this. Anyway, something in this story really struck a chord with me. I realized that I have been such an ass about the way I have approached everything lately. I developed this sense of entitlement. I deserve this. I deserve that. I had to think back and just laugh at myself.
I woke up the next morning and decided that I just needed to be thankful that I get to play poker, that I get to go to places like Las Vegas, that I am still up for the trip, that I have good friends and family, that I am healthy. I immediately felt a huge burden lifted off of me. I suddenly didn't feel all the pressure I was putting on myself, not only in poker, but in business and my personal life. I decided to head over to the Bellagio to play a little 2/5 NL before the $540 daily tournament at 2pm. I played well and won $500 in about an hour and a half. I never got upset about a bad beat or missing a big draw. I was just happy to be there. At 2:10pm I bought into the tournament and managed to build a huge stack and chopped that tournament at 4 people. I was 2nd in chips at the time and made more than 2nd place money. Again, I was just thankful to have the opportunity to play. I decided to take a good friend out for steaks at Ruth Chris to celebrate, and was thankful that I could buy. Finally, I spent my last 30 minutes before leaving for the airport playing 2/5 where I lost $300. Again, I was just happy to have the opportunity to play.
I love this game, but I got my priorities way out of whack. I still hope that someday I can take home a big prize, like a WPT main event, or a WSOP bracelet, but I will be thankful for the opportunity just to play.
PS. Last night I won our weekly Tuesday tournament as well. Lucky me. :)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Back in the Saddle
I feel bad for having two blogs in a row apologizing for not keeping up my blog weekly. I am not going to promise to keep it up weekly in this post as I failed to live up to that promise after the last one. I do intend to post more entries in the coming weeks as I have a lot going on in my poker world. Thank you to those who have continued to check back and then remind me that I have been a slacker!
Some highlights from my recent poker play.
I have final tables at least four tournaments the past month. All have been relatively small (30-50 people and $100 buy ins), but it feels good to have my tournament game getting back into shape. Until recently, I think I was letting bad beats interfere with my patience in tournament play. I am playing in another one of these tonight, and hope to break the 3 way tie on the leaderboard for this particular tournament series.
I have been playing cash games about twice a week as well. I am up and down in these, but overall, I am slightly up. I have fallen victim to the cantgetupwhenahead disease! With the exception of one session in the last 45 days, I have been ahead by at least double my buy in, but couldn't pull myself off of the table. I think it is more difficult for me to be ahead $900 at one point and leave when I bleed back down to only being up $100, than to drop $900 out of the gate and leave. There is nothing more frustrating to me than to give up a big stack after being ahead. I am working on a cure for this disease, so if any of you have a remedy, please let me know. :)
I plan on playing at least 5 tournaments a month leading up to Tunica in January. If you haven't been to the WPO at the Gold Strike in Tunica, you are missing my favorite tournament series of the year. If you want to get in a great cash game or tournament with me, plan on spending January in Mississippi. I wont miss it!
Some highlights from my recent poker play.
I have final tables at least four tournaments the past month. All have been relatively small (30-50 people and $100 buy ins), but it feels good to have my tournament game getting back into shape. Until recently, I think I was letting bad beats interfere with my patience in tournament play. I am playing in another one of these tonight, and hope to break the 3 way tie on the leaderboard for this particular tournament series.
I have been playing cash games about twice a week as well. I am up and down in these, but overall, I am slightly up. I have fallen victim to the cantgetupwhenahead disease! With the exception of one session in the last 45 days, I have been ahead by at least double my buy in, but couldn't pull myself off of the table. I think it is more difficult for me to be ahead $900 at one point and leave when I bleed back down to only being up $100, than to drop $900 out of the gate and leave. There is nothing more frustrating to me than to give up a big stack after being ahead. I am working on a cure for this disease, so if any of you have a remedy, please let me know. :)
I plan on playing at least 5 tournaments a month leading up to Tunica in January. If you haven't been to the WPO at the Gold Strike in Tunica, you are missing my favorite tournament series of the year. If you want to get in a great cash game or tournament with me, plan on spending January in Mississippi. I wont miss it!
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