I've been waiting for this month for a few reasons. One reason is that, I made a financial plan about 2 1/2 months ago to get my wife and I caught up on our bills by June 4th. Except for 1 bill that will still be due (thinks to car trouble) we have followed our plan and are now caught up. This makes it so that we are bringing in about double of what we are paying in our bills. That is always NIICE. Another reason I was looking forward to this month is because I would have a bigger bankroll. A lot of stress and worry has been lifted off of my chest. June will be used as a fresh start for me. So, with all new fresh starts I need a plan. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the future lately and trying to come up with some scenarios that would make my wife and I happy and bring in more income then we are making now. Because, even though right now we are doing well financially, it wouldn't take much for us to get back to where we were. Plus, we are both in our mid twenties and want to start having children. My wife has also discovered that the family she is a nanny for is moving in about 1 year and she will no longer have her job. I would like to be in a position where I am making enough money so that she doesn't have to work or at least she doesn't have to find a job right away. So, here it goes.
Financial Plan
*Start saving money. We haven't been able to do this yet, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to start now.
*I'd like to, in 12 months time, have $12,000 dollars in the bank. Why 12k? Because that is equivalent to 6 months expenses + 25%. This will apply for later in the post.
*Move to an apartment.
Poker Plan
*Can poker become my occupation again? I made a post about how I didn't think I could play poker for a living. But, lately, I wonder if I could. Last time i tried I did it for 6 months and had to quit. But, I think that if i was in a position where I was prepared financially, emotionally, and skillfully i could do it. At least I could do it well enough to make the amount of money we would need and go to school on the side to pursue a permanent career. Unfortunately, this part will be harder to convince my wife about. I think a lot of things would have to happen for me to be able to go this path.
1. Money in the bank. Remember that 6 months + 25%? It's for this. I could play poker and not worry about how the bills will get paid if i fail. This would allow me time to get settled and if i fail, time to find a new job.
2. It will be impossible for us to raise 12k just by saving the money we get from our jobs. I figure we could safely save 500$ a month, which after 12 months would equal 6k. So 6k would have to come from poker. This will also help to gain confidence from my wife. Making this money from poker will provide me with confidence and a track record, plus much needed experience.
3. Not only do i need 6k to put in the bank but, I need a poker bankroll. Now, what amount do I need? I was going over some numbers and I would like to make at least 900 dollars a week playing poker. Also, i want to work an average of 30 hours a week. So, I need to play at a level that will make me 30$ an hour. 4 tables of 100NL (assuming I'm making 5 ptbb/100) would be about 40$ an hour and 4 tables of 2/4 Limit (assuming I'm making 2 BB/100) would be about 32$ an hour. For 100 NL my bankroll couldn't be under $4000 (40 buy ins) and for Limit I would need a bankroll of $2000 (500bb). By no means are either of those LARGE bankrolls and shouldn't be a problem as long as I'm a winning player.
4. This part is very important. I will need a poker coach. I should be able to find on. Pokerfox.net has Limit coaches and Jared from pokerdynasty.net offers coaching on No limit. It will be important for me to not only learn poker from this coach but also the ins and outs of poker as a job. This is something that can happen throughout the year and in a year's time I should be fully prepared.
5. Poker still needs to be an option. I don't want to think negatively but the USA is doing everything it can lately to ruin things for Online Poker players. Will it even be an option to be an Online poker player a year from now? I don't know. But, if it isn't it will still be nice to get training and money, so can't really go wrong there. Live play is an option but in order to make 30$ an hour in live play i would probably have to play 10-20 or 20-40 limit. That would require a much larger bankroll and those games aren't that abundant here in St. Louis. Not to mention Live poker is BOOOORRRRRIIINNNGGG.
6. Last but certainly not least. A crisis cannot happen. Now, the occasional small things are a part of life. However, if 1 of us were to lose our jobs unexpectedly or we have to somehow (God, i have no idea how we would) get a new car. This could keep my plan from happening.
So, that is the plan. And what a plan it is. Naysayers be damned! Right now it seems very unlikely and really hard to imagine, but who knows what 12 months can bring? Why not aim high?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Summary of May
The Month of May has come and, in a day will be gone. I thought I'd look back on what happened in May.
In Poker:
At the beginning of May my Bankroll was 227$. Current Bankroll 620$. So, +$393. Not bad. at one point I was up to 870$ so kind of disappointing, but ups and downs happen.
I played A LOT of sngs in May. Got tired of them, but (at least partly) they were a success in building up my bankroll.
I feel like my Cash game as well as my SNG game vastly improved during the month. That alone makes it a success.
In Life:
Not a whole lot. Financially, my wife and I caught all of our bills up and are making a very good amount of extra money, which is always nice and helpful.
I think I read 5 books this month. quite a lot, but I enjoy reading.
I managed to update my blog regularly.
My wife got her tooth taken care of.
I can't think of really anything else. I live a boring life. Next post will be June goals that will include a lot more activity. I've been waiting for June for 2 1/2 months now. It's finally here, for that I'm excited.
In Poker:
At the beginning of May my Bankroll was 227$. Current Bankroll 620$. So, +$393. Not bad. at one point I was up to 870$ so kind of disappointing, but ups and downs happen.
I played A LOT of sngs in May. Got tired of them, but (at least partly) they were a success in building up my bankroll.
I feel like my Cash game as well as my SNG game vastly improved during the month. That alone makes it a success.
In Life:
Not a whole lot. Financially, my wife and I caught all of our bills up and are making a very good amount of extra money, which is always nice and helpful.
I think I read 5 books this month. quite a lot, but I enjoy reading.
I managed to update my blog regularly.
My wife got her tooth taken care of.
I can't think of really anything else. I live a boring life. Next post will be June goals that will include a lot more activity. I've been waiting for June for 2 1/2 months now. It's finally here, for that I'm excited.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
No Shame in My Game
I've begun playing 25NL more often (whodatdare is my witness, he sweated me for a little while, i appreciate the support, sir) and I've noticed 2 things. 1) I am winning and 2) I feel in complete control and confident.
Now, it's only been 3200 hands and I don't want anyone thinking that I believe I have it all figured out at this point and that I'm quitting my job tomorrow or anything. I take everything into perspective (or I at least try). But, its the most success I've had over 3200 hands. I've put my numbers into the poker graph and EV converter (or whatever its called) that are available on Pokerdynasty.net and there has been some variance and I am making less money then I should be. Which means, at least i think, that I'm not just running extremely well. I've been down 6 buy ins at one point and have come back and got ahead. So, I'm extremely happy with my results and I hope it continues.
I've changed my game to where I no longer limp. Or at least I hardly ever limp. If I want to play a hand, I raise or 3 bet. I hardly ever cold call raises, and if I do it might be with a small pair, that I'm set mining. I've began to look at people's stacks and stats before making an action to determine what the best play is against that opponent. I have been able to recognize betting patterns as well as aggression patterns. I pounce on weakness a helluva lot more then I used to. Before it was "I think he's weak, let me raise." Now its "I think he's weak. What could he have? If i raise how much do I need to raise to make him fold his hand? Is this person able to fold a hand? Is my raise believable?" A HUGE difference in thought patterns. It's really amazing that I'm able to figure that all out in a few seconds or less. I've read many a book that has talked about thinking like that, but I always thought it would take too long. But, it really has become 2nd nature for me. Another thing I've focused more on is position. Poker is SOOOOOOOOOO much easier to win at and play when YOU are the one acting last. Seriously, I can't believe how much better it is. I hope I continue to grow in this area and someday become a very good poker player.
I must say that I credit my entire success to the teachings and videos at Pokerdynasty.net. Ryan and Jared are truly great at getting their ideas and points across to everyone. Thank you sirs.
And if it all falls apart tomorrow, GG.
my numbers over the last 3200 hands of 25 NL
+$130 or 7.90 PT BB/100
Current Bankroll: $616
Now, it's only been 3200 hands and I don't want anyone thinking that I believe I have it all figured out at this point and that I'm quitting my job tomorrow or anything. I take everything into perspective (or I at least try). But, its the most success I've had over 3200 hands. I've put my numbers into the poker graph and EV converter (or whatever its called) that are available on Pokerdynasty.net and there has been some variance and I am making less money then I should be. Which means, at least i think, that I'm not just running extremely well. I've been down 6 buy ins at one point and have come back and got ahead. So, I'm extremely happy with my results and I hope it continues.
I've changed my game to where I no longer limp. Or at least I hardly ever limp. If I want to play a hand, I raise or 3 bet. I hardly ever cold call raises, and if I do it might be with a small pair, that I'm set mining. I've began to look at people's stacks and stats before making an action to determine what the best play is against that opponent. I have been able to recognize betting patterns as well as aggression patterns. I pounce on weakness a helluva lot more then I used to. Before it was "I think he's weak, let me raise." Now its "I think he's weak. What could he have? If i raise how much do I need to raise to make him fold his hand? Is this person able to fold a hand? Is my raise believable?" A HUGE difference in thought patterns. It's really amazing that I'm able to figure that all out in a few seconds or less. I've read many a book that has talked about thinking like that, but I always thought it would take too long. But, it really has become 2nd nature for me. Another thing I've focused more on is position. Poker is SOOOOOOOOOO much easier to win at and play when YOU are the one acting last. Seriously, I can't believe how much better it is. I hope I continue to grow in this area and someday become a very good poker player.
I must say that I credit my entire success to the teachings and videos at Pokerdynasty.net. Ryan and Jared are truly great at getting their ideas and points across to everyone. Thank you sirs.
And if it all falls apart tomorrow, GG.
my numbers over the last 3200 hands of 25 NL
+$130 or 7.90 PT BB/100
Current Bankroll: $616
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Thinking about my Future 2
I've always felt like it shouldn't be as hard as it has been for me, to make money in life. Not just money, good money. Now, of course, that statement is different for everyone. To some people money is a certain amount and good money is even another term to be interpreted differently by different people. So that you can understand my meanings I'll be more specific. I currently make 300$ a week delivering papers. Hourly its a pretty good rate. I work 2 hours a night 6 days a week. So that comes out to 25$ an hour. Even after I pay about 75$ in gas I'm still making 18.75 an hour. This is the 2nd most I've made per hour and the 3rd most I've made weekly, in my life. I am fortunate to be able to do what I do, i know this. However, like I said previously, I should be able to make more. Good money to me, is at least 600$ per week. Ideally, what I would like in my life is 1000$ -1500$ per week and my wife being able to stay at home, so that we can start having or adopting children. Now, even though I want to make that much money, doesn't mean I want to put in 60 hours a week at some office or at some job I hate. Hell, I don't even like to work jobs that take 40 hours a week. Now some will say, "You have to work hard to make money." or "Why should you be able to slack off and be financially happy?" To which both I say, "No you don't" and "why shouldn't i be able to?" I know opportunities are out there. I know it is possible. And I feel like I'm smart enough to figure out how to make it happen. Now, I would like to mention, I don't mind working hard, as long as I feel like theres a reason to work hard. I don't like conventional jobs. I don't like the idea of settling on a job. I don't like the idea of being unhappy for money. There are people out there who have it all. A good job. A good amount of money. A good family. And they are happy. There is no reason that can't be me. I just need to figure out how. My wife wants to steal my internet cable, so I'll have to finish this later.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Something other than poker to talk about
Well, I think its time to put in an entry talking about something other than Poker. <---- Wow, how funny is it that I subconsciously put a Capital P on poker... like its a proper name. Anyways, so what can I talk about? (60 second pause to think) Hmm, maybe I'll just throw a bunch of things out there. Like in school when teachers would make u write down whatever came to ur head as a brainstorming excercise. So here it goes, in no particular order of importance.
Work sucked last nite. I'd give you all the details of why, but it would take too long to explain the reasons. Just know that most nites work is easy and last nite it was sucky.
I'm starting to think that I just wanna be able to log onto Full tilt and play whatever game I want and not worry about playing ONLY sngs or cash games. (damn, poker creeped in)
I still havent called the doctor about my problem.
I miss playing baseball. I played all thru my life then in High School and then even played and managed an adult amateur team for 2 years. But that stopped when i was 20, have barely played even catch since. I love baseball. Of course now if i tried to play some ball I'd probably die of a heart attack. That makes me sad.
My wife had to have an emergency root canal. Her boss was NICE enough to let her go to her dentist and even front her the 2000 dollars it cost. I do appreciate the fact that her boss did that for her, but its not easy for us to come up with 2000$. She is letting us pay back as we can, but even if we pay 200$ a month that'll take 10 months... that sucks. We've both had to go to Clinics our whole lives, my wife said "the office was really nice" ya, i bet it was.
I don't do a lot in my life and in the past this would really bother me, but it doesn't any more. That seems odd to me. I used to be very active and had to find something to do to occupy my time or else i felt like i was wasting my life. My wife has always been the exact opposite. She'd sleep 15 hours a day if she could. But lately, my stagnant life hasn't bothered me. I wonder why.
I play franchise mode on MLB 07 and I'm up to season 2045. Thats pretty sick. For about 10 years from 2010 - 2020 every other pitcher in the league threw a knuckleball. But its evened out some now.
My brother and I at a bar b Q last week played some HU freezeouts. If I won i got 200 silver pieces from him on Lord of the RIngs online and if he won I had to clean his apartment. We split 2 matches, and didnt feel like playing a 3rd. (poker again)
Well, I guess that is all. Poker still crept in there, guess it just shows how much poker has taken over my life. Cya.
Work sucked last nite. I'd give you all the details of why, but it would take too long to explain the reasons. Just know that most nites work is easy and last nite it was sucky.
I'm starting to think that I just wanna be able to log onto Full tilt and play whatever game I want and not worry about playing ONLY sngs or cash games. (damn, poker creeped in)
I still havent called the doctor about my problem.
I miss playing baseball. I played all thru my life then in High School and then even played and managed an adult amateur team for 2 years. But that stopped when i was 20, have barely played even catch since. I love baseball. Of course now if i tried to play some ball I'd probably die of a heart attack. That makes me sad.
My wife had to have an emergency root canal. Her boss was NICE enough to let her go to her dentist and even front her the 2000 dollars it cost. I do appreciate the fact that her boss did that for her, but its not easy for us to come up with 2000$. She is letting us pay back as we can, but even if we pay 200$ a month that'll take 10 months... that sucks. We've both had to go to Clinics our whole lives, my wife said "the office was really nice" ya, i bet it was.
I don't do a lot in my life and in the past this would really bother me, but it doesn't any more. That seems odd to me. I used to be very active and had to find something to do to occupy my time or else i felt like i was wasting my life. My wife has always been the exact opposite. She'd sleep 15 hours a day if she could. But lately, my stagnant life hasn't bothered me. I wonder why.
I play franchise mode on MLB 07 and I'm up to season 2045. Thats pretty sick. For about 10 years from 2010 - 2020 every other pitcher in the league threw a knuckleball. But its evened out some now.
My brother and I at a bar b Q last week played some HU freezeouts. If I won i got 200 silver pieces from him on Lord of the RIngs online and if he won I had to clean his apartment. We split 2 matches, and didnt feel like playing a 3rd. (poker again)
Well, I guess that is all. Poker still crept in there, guess it just shows how much poker has taken over my life. Cya.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Can't give up
Okay, this may just be the very tired after work Flamm talking but, I've decided that I can't just give up on building my bankroll. I at least have to get it to 1200$ by playing sngs. So, I've decided that from now until the end of May, i'm going to play at least 50 SNGS a day. That should net me on average about 75$ a day, and since there are 7 days left in may that makes $425. Wow that math took me a very long time to do. Early morning math = -EV. Plus 425 also wont put me at 1200$. I probably should've thought this out more. OKay, new plan. I play 50 SNGS a day from now until the end of May. At the end of May I assess my bankroll situation and pick a cash game to play in. ALRIGHT. good plan. Oh, i just remembered Im due over 130$ in rakeback next month. So by the 15th of next month my bankroll ............... okay, I just fell asleep writing that. I'll talk to you later.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Getting a little bored with Poker
I'm sure its no coincidence that my boredom is coinciding with the swings I'm experiencing. Over the last few days My bankroll has jumped continuously between 700 and 500 dollars. I find myself wandering over to limit Hold em and playing stud hi lo more each day. Sngs have been very good to me even if my bankroll never gets past 500, but its becoming increasingly harder to play them. I've pretty much come to the realization that I don't think i could play poker full time. My love for the game is wavering and I only play about 3 hours a day right now. But, even so, the monetary benefits of poker, even as a side hobby, cannot be ignored. Ideally what I would like to get from poker is this: average an extra 250$ a week, or about 1000$ a month. However, I also want to be able to put in as little time at the tables as possible to do that. Studying poker, is not a problem for me. I'm starting to think that I enjoy learning about the game more than I am enjoying playing the game. I guess that's because on paper you can't lose anything and it's easier to think that you're a good player. Building a bankroll is fun when everyday you are gaining some ground. Its been quite a few days now and i have done nothing but lose ground. I honestly still believe it has nothing to do with my level of play in the sngs. It's just the way it is. I guess the variance of poker has always been my biggest problem. Bankroll management of course being a very close 2nd. Another thing I'm beginning to realize is that my REASON for playing poker (and we all have one, and not all of them are money related) is just to get better and feel like I can win at it. Money is nice and trust me I want money, but mainly I just want to feel like all the time and effort I've put into reading and learning about poker has made me a good poker player. It's hard to feel like that if I don't see results. I know I'm way too results oriented, but how can I get over that? I don't know. I constantly second guess myself when I lose, even if I know there was nothing I could do about it. "Why, what?" I seem to mutter to myself constantly. I've been playing poker since I was 8 years old, I should be better. I have a lot of respect for people who can build their bankroll from scratch up until the point where they are at a level they want to be at and can make lots of money at. I just don' t think I can do it. I feel like just trying to save up some money and put it into my bankroll so that I can play a level that I want to play at and get lessons from someone on how to play at that level. I dont want a 500$ bankroll or a 1000$ bankroll. 100 NL would probably be the lowest I would want to play. So for that I need a bankroll of at least 3k, probably more since it'll be the first time I play at that level. Hell, if I could just make a little money at that level, I would make enough in rakeback each month to keep me happy. Grinding it out is for some people but it's just not for me.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
What the F.... (a crazy sunday) Part 2
I played 9 more 24$ sngs. I cashed in 7 of them. For a profit of $198. My bankroll was back to $770. It was the most amazing run in a set of sngs I've ever done. Pretty sweet, huh?
However, since then my bankroll has dropped down to $550. For whatever reason, I'm getting a lot of swings all of a sudden. I still can't seem to get 1st place. It's so crazy. I keep looking for where I'm making mistakes and it appears as though I'm not making any more then I have in the past, in fact I'm making less. Variance is a son of a bitch.
Btw, the season finales of Heroes, CSI, and smallville were very disappointing to me. Heroes was too happy of a finale (i wanted the bomb to explode). CSI and Smallvile were "to be continued" which I think should be illegal. You watch an entire season and get to the end, where every hole should be plugged and you expect answers and then they just make it to where you have to wait 4 months for that to take place. ITS SICK!!! I feel like writing a strongly worded letter. But hey, that's poker.
However, since then my bankroll has dropped down to $550. For whatever reason, I'm getting a lot of swings all of a sudden. I still can't seem to get 1st place. It's so crazy. I keep looking for where I'm making mistakes and it appears as though I'm not making any more then I have in the past, in fact I'm making less. Variance is a son of a bitch.
Btw, the season finales of Heroes, CSI, and smallville were very disappointing to me. Heroes was too happy of a finale (i wanted the bomb to explode). CSI and Smallvile were "to be continued" which I think should be illegal. You watch an entire season and get to the end, where every hole should be plugged and you expect answers and then they just make it to where you have to wait 4 months for that to take place. ITS SICK!!! I feel like writing a strongly worded letter. But hey, that's poker.
Monday, May 21, 2007
What the F.... (a crazy sunday)
So, my last post was about how I was running bad. Soon after I wrote that I played 18 sngs and I got my ROI back up to 12%. That running bad thing didnt last very long. Okay, I thought, Sunday is the day I make enough to go up to 24$ sngs. I soon realized, however, that those weren't the Poker Gods plans. I only managed to cash in 2 of my first 26 sit n goes. 2 of 26. GODDAMMIT!!!!!! WTF! Nice call again, ASSHOLE. Oh ya, you were right to figure that ur 1.4 to 1 odds made the call with K2 right!!!! I hate fucking poker! SHIT! I think you get the point.
I decided to play some stud hi/lo to blow off some steam after that shoddy performance in sngs. After 2 hours of play and being up about 30 bucks, i blew it all back to break even. Okay, 5$ limit stud tourney starting. That'll help me get my mind off sngs. Half an hour in when my starting hand of AAx doesnt improve for a 3rd time and I once again lose to someone who caught their magic 2nd pair after calling the entire way with 66, I am out of the tourney. Every time I do this i remind myself that low buy in MTTs are an utter waste of time. NOTHING is going right. I want to cry. So, of course, I raised up my chin and declared that tomorrow is a new day and I would just take the loss and move on from it. At least that is what that voice in the back of my hand was telling me to do. I quickly put on some music to drown that guy out. Instead, I said "Fuck IT" and moved up to 24$ sngs. Pretty smart, huh?
Before I tell you my results, I must admit that I am very disappointed in myself. This is basically what happens to me EVERY time I build my bankroll. It's really sad how easy I fell back into this trap. My Bankroll was down to 580 when I decided to do this. I was minus 270 on the day. Some people are sick in the head and I'm beginning to think that I am one of them.
Anyways, so my results. I played 7 24$ sngs and made like 20 bucks back. The next set of 24$ sngs were a completely different story however.
Oh shit, i gotta go to work. Guess I'll have to finish this later.
I decided to play some stud hi/lo to blow off some steam after that shoddy performance in sngs. After 2 hours of play and being up about 30 bucks, i blew it all back to break even. Okay, 5$ limit stud tourney starting. That'll help me get my mind off sngs. Half an hour in when my starting hand of AAx doesnt improve for a 3rd time and I once again lose to someone who caught their magic 2nd pair after calling the entire way with 66, I am out of the tourney. Every time I do this i remind myself that low buy in MTTs are an utter waste of time. NOTHING is going right. I want to cry. So, of course, I raised up my chin and declared that tomorrow is a new day and I would just take the loss and move on from it. At least that is what that voice in the back of my hand was telling me to do. I quickly put on some music to drown that guy out. Instead, I said "Fuck IT" and moved up to 24$ sngs. Pretty smart, huh?
Before I tell you my results, I must admit that I am very disappointed in myself. This is basically what happens to me EVERY time I build my bankroll. It's really sad how easy I fell back into this trap. My Bankroll was down to 580 when I decided to do this. I was minus 270 on the day. Some people are sick in the head and I'm beginning to think that I am one of them.
Anyways, so my results. I played 7 24$ sngs and made like 20 bucks back. The next set of 24$ sngs were a completely different story however.
Oh shit, i gotta go to work. Guess I'll have to finish this later.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Finally, Running poorly
At least I think so. I knew it would happen. It is the nature of the beast. "But, Flamm, you almost sound happy about this" you say. Well, in a way I am. Yes I'm sick in the head. I say I'm running bad and not playing poorly because a) I'm still making money (which by itself doesnt mean anything) and b)I've been analyzing my play with the SNG wizard tool, and according to that I'm not making many mistakes. My ROI has dropped to 9% from 14% over my last 43 sngs. I really think the main difference is my 2nd place finishes. Let me check my stats real quick. After some recalculations I would have an ROI of 14% again if just 5 of my 2nd place finishes were 1st place finishes, and since the difference between 1st and 2nd is usually a coinflip I'm not worried about it. Another reason I'm happy for the variance is because I'm handling it so well. I was concerned with how I would handle a downswing or things not going my way. I haven't been on tilt or altered my gameplan in a long time, for this I am very proud of myself. So, the plan on moving up will have to wait, which is no big deal. I have all the time in the world (unless of course i get hit by a dumptruck, but hey thats poker!)
Current Bankroll: $835
12$ sng stats
Total Sngs: 199
1sts: 22
2nds: 35
3rds: 24
4ths: 29
ITM: 40.7%
ROI: 9%
Net gain: +$215.70
Current Bankroll: $835
12$ sng stats
Total Sngs: 199
1sts: 22
2nds: 35
3rds: 24
4ths: 29
ITM: 40.7%
ROI: 9%
Net gain: +$215.70
Friday, May 18, 2007
I wish another day had been lost
ARGH!!! I finally get back on and play some sngs and what happens? I have what is probably my worst set of sngs EVER. 4 of my first 5 sngs, I get 9th place! 9th place!!!! I NEVER get 9th place. Bad beat city. In fact out of my first 10, i didnt cash in a single one. OUCH! After about 18 of them I was down about $140 dollars but over my last 9 I made 35 back so I ended the day down over 100 bucks. Worst day I've had so far. Luckily I have like 70+ buy ins at my current level so it didn't hurt my bankroll too much. It's just gonna take an extra day to build up to the next level I guess.
I was asked how I thought SNGS have helped me build my bankroll by MO D under the comments of one of my entries and I thought i would spend a little time answering that question here.
He wanted to know how many i play as well.
The answer to the first question is that I think sngs have helped tremendously with building my bankroll. For some reason I am much more comfortable playing sit n gos then I am cash games. It probably has to do with the fact that the moves are automatic in sngs and theres less emphasis on hand reading and post flop play. I feel like I understand situations better and I make good preflop decisions. Another reason I like sit n goes is because I really dont like 10$ or 25$ NL. I'm not wealthy by any means but I think at these limits its just hard for me to be happy when I double through someone. I also have to play for a significantly less amount of time to make what I would consider pretty decent money when I play sngs as opposed to cash games. I know for a fact that my bankroll would be no where near where it is right now if I put in the same amount of time over the last few weeks in cash games. I would probably be even or up a little bit.
I play 9 turbo sngs as once. 9 because that's the amount of tables i can fit on my screen with no overlap (thanx to full tilts new resizeable tables). Also, i like to play sngs in sets instead of continuously. By sets I mean, I start 9 and when all 9 are complete I am finished. This usually takes about 45 minutes to get thru them all, assuming i've gone deep in a few of them. What this does is it allows me to take breaks after just 45 minutes of play and it keeps all the sngs at the same levels. I tried to play them continuously a few times, where when a table closes i bring up a new one, but i found it difficult to keep track at where i was in all the games. I made a few mistakes where i thought we were on a higher blind level then we actually were. How many sets i play in a day depends on how I do in them. If i do really well in my first 9 i will not play any more. However if i break even or make a little money I keep going. I usually play no more than 3 sets a day. Most of the time the numbers look like this
1st set +55$
done
or 1st set +10$
2nd set +30$
total +40$
Done
or 1st set - 50$
2nd set +30$
3rd set +65$
total +45$
done
pretty much that is about the norm. When I decide to get back into cash games will depend upon the amount of success I have at the 22+2 level of turbo sngs. I just see no point in getting into cash games until I can make more money there then I can at sngs.
I was asked how I thought SNGS have helped me build my bankroll by MO D under the comments of one of my entries and I thought i would spend a little time answering that question here.
He wanted to know how many i play as well.
The answer to the first question is that I think sngs have helped tremendously with building my bankroll. For some reason I am much more comfortable playing sit n gos then I am cash games. It probably has to do with the fact that the moves are automatic in sngs and theres less emphasis on hand reading and post flop play. I feel like I understand situations better and I make good preflop decisions. Another reason I like sit n goes is because I really dont like 10$ or 25$ NL. I'm not wealthy by any means but I think at these limits its just hard for me to be happy when I double through someone. I also have to play for a significantly less amount of time to make what I would consider pretty decent money when I play sngs as opposed to cash games. I know for a fact that my bankroll would be no where near where it is right now if I put in the same amount of time over the last few weeks in cash games. I would probably be even or up a little bit.
I play 9 turbo sngs as once. 9 because that's the amount of tables i can fit on my screen with no overlap (thanx to full tilts new resizeable tables). Also, i like to play sngs in sets instead of continuously. By sets I mean, I start 9 and when all 9 are complete I am finished. This usually takes about 45 minutes to get thru them all, assuming i've gone deep in a few of them. What this does is it allows me to take breaks after just 45 minutes of play and it keeps all the sngs at the same levels. I tried to play them continuously a few times, where when a table closes i bring up a new one, but i found it difficult to keep track at where i was in all the games. I made a few mistakes where i thought we were on a higher blind level then we actually were. How many sets i play in a day depends on how I do in them. If i do really well in my first 9 i will not play any more. However if i break even or make a little money I keep going. I usually play no more than 3 sets a day. Most of the time the numbers look like this
1st set +55$
done
or 1st set +10$
2nd set +30$
total +40$
Done
or 1st set - 50$
2nd set +30$
3rd set +65$
total +45$
done
pretty much that is about the norm. When I decide to get back into cash games will depend upon the amount of success I have at the 22+2 level of turbo sngs. I just see no point in getting into cash games until I can make more money there then I can at sngs.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
A day Lost
On Tuesday night it stormed around here and every time it storms my internet goes out. So on Wednesday it came back on, for an hour. I haven't been able to get on the internet until today when the Cable company sent someone out to fix it. There are few things more annoying these days then having your internet go out. But it's fine now, so its all good. Quick update, before playing any sngs today (or yesterday) My bankroll is at $878. Just about 80 more dollars til i move up to 22+2 turbo sngs. Hopefully these will be the last 11+1 sngs I ever play.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Bankroll is over 800
So yesterday I got my bankroll to over $800. I've been doing pretty decent so far in 12$ sngs. Through 156 of them I have an ROI of 14.8%. I know it could be even higher, I have way too many 2nd place finishes, mainly just getting screwed when it gets to heads up play, whether I'm the big stack or not. I actually had a heads up match the other day, where i was down to 400 chips with blinds of 300/600, I couldn't even post the blind. I somehow managed to come all the way back to take the chip lead back from this guy. Then he raises and I push, I have AQ he has K3, he wins to send me back down and I couldn't recover. So sick. Heads up has so much luck involved. Anyways, so I'm pretty satisfied with my play at this level. 156 sngs is not a good amount of sngs to judge your game upon, but I'm just trying to make money not play 1000 sngs at each level. I've also began to put some stud and stud hi/lo into my bankroll building plan. Not too much but just when I don't feel like playing sngs. I actually like stud and stud hi/lo a lot. I grew up on stud. Plus so many people just don't know how to play it well, especially Hi/Lo so its very easy to make money. I try to make sure i stay within my bankroll when choosing a limit and I play tight. People are seriously just so bad that you can just play premium hands/draws and they will call you every time. I would play more stud or even consider playing primarily stud if I could find a site that had enough tables. I hear pokerstars does, but due to my brother I am not allowed to play at poker stars. Full tilt seems to have 2 or 3 tables of 1/2 or 2/4 every nite going, so that will just have to do. I used to play Stud MTTs on partypoker before it closed its doors to the USA and did pretty well in those. Stud is definitely the game I understand the most. Anyways, over the last 2 days I've made about 60 dollars in about an hour of play at stud. And since I began trying to build my bankroll up on April 30th (16 days ago) my bankroll has grown from $160 to $830 (+$670) not too bad. I discovered that the next level of sngs is at the 22+2 level, so 40 buy ins at that level equals $960, so i will move up when i get my Bankroll up to $960, which should be soon. GOOD LUCK ME!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Goals in LIfe
Short Term goals: (week or two)
1. Get my Bankroll in poker up to 1000 dollars
2. Have sex at least 3 times with my wife this week (for some reason I don't have as good of a sex drive as I should at the age of 24 and this displeases my wife very often, perhaps that can be another post topic, soon)
3. Maintain a clean house all week (my wife works a lot and I'm home a lot, so its my job to do housework)
4. Buy a spare tire for the car
Medium Term Goals (3-6 weeks)
1. Get my Bankroll in poker up to 3000 Dollars
2. Get all my bills caught up completely
3. Get my cats fixed so they'll stop killing each other (2 boys very territorial)
4. Get the back brakes done on the car
5. Look into a new apartment (my wife and I live in one of the worst parts of St. Louis and since St. Louis was voted as the most dangerous city in america you could say we live in one of the worst parts of America)
Long Term Goals ( up to 6 months)
1. Have a Poker Bankroll of 10,000 dollars ( 10k in 6 months, no problem, right? we'll see)
2. Be in a new apartment in a new part of town
3. Figure out why my wife can't seem to get pregnant (maybe not enough sex, HA)
4. Either be in school working towards my career or at least Know what my career is gonna be
5. Savings of at least 2000 dollars (never been able to maintain savings)
6. Be able to look back on this blog and be happy with what I've achieved or how far I've come
1. Get my Bankroll in poker up to 1000 dollars
2. Have sex at least 3 times with my wife this week (for some reason I don't have as good of a sex drive as I should at the age of 24 and this displeases my wife very often, perhaps that can be another post topic, soon)
3. Maintain a clean house all week (my wife works a lot and I'm home a lot, so its my job to do housework)
4. Buy a spare tire for the car
Medium Term Goals (3-6 weeks)
1. Get my Bankroll in poker up to 3000 Dollars
2. Get all my bills caught up completely
3. Get my cats fixed so they'll stop killing each other (2 boys very territorial)
4. Get the back brakes done on the car
5. Look into a new apartment (my wife and I live in one of the worst parts of St. Louis and since St. Louis was voted as the most dangerous city in america you could say we live in one of the worst parts of America)
Long Term Goals ( up to 6 months)
1. Have a Poker Bankroll of 10,000 dollars ( 10k in 6 months, no problem, right? we'll see)
2. Be in a new apartment in a new part of town
3. Figure out why my wife can't seem to get pregnant (maybe not enough sex, HA)
4. Either be in school working towards my career or at least Know what my career is gonna be
5. Savings of at least 2000 dollars (never been able to maintain savings)
6. Be able to look back on this blog and be happy with what I've achieved or how far I've come
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Crazy saturday
So, on Friday I'm dealt pocket KK in a sng. I think to myself, man its been awhile since I've run into AA with KK. SO what happens the guy to my left goes all in, I call, he has AA. LOL i suckout though, so that was sweet. However, on Saturday, which is today still, I have run into AA 6 times (NO LIE). Poker is so sick. I lost all 6 times but once, i sucked out with KK again. I don't know what it was about today, but it seemed like i could not catch a break in sngs. People just kept calling and calling with ANYTHING and catching on me. I couldn't win when i was ahead or behind. Some how I ended the day with 1$ in profit. But that was after 36 sngs. So my ROI dropped tremendously. I also, played a 5$ Horse tourney only to keep me busy while i played a satellite to FTOPS number 3 with 2500 FT points. (Which i lost in after about 20 hands, I had KK he had AK, u know how that goes) I also spent a little money on smaller buy in Super satellites, unfortunately i didnt win a seat in any of them. I might do some more this week, Im not sure. I'm definitely not gonna buy in to 1 for me than 10 bucks. I don't have a big enough Bankroll to try MTTs, and i know it. I fell into that trap before, but not this time.
On a side note, I bought some much needed clothes today. It's starting to get hot here in St. Louis, and I had NO shorts. -200 bucks for 4 pairs of shorts 2 shirts. OUCH. but that's alright my wife and I are finally making a good amount of extra money from our jobs than what we're paying out each month. Not much else going on. Maybe I'll post something tomorrow on another topic in my life. I'm really enjoying being able to write this blog. Glad i decided to do this.
On a side note, I bought some much needed clothes today. It's starting to get hot here in St. Louis, and I had NO shorts. -200 bucks for 4 pairs of shorts 2 shirts. OUCH. but that's alright my wife and I are finally making a good amount of extra money from our jobs than what we're paying out each month. Not much else going on. Maybe I'll post something tomorrow on another topic in my life. I'm really enjoying being able to write this blog. Glad i decided to do this.
Rakeback is the NUTS
nothing like signing into your poker account and seeing your bankroll bigger then you left it the night before. +73$, thank you very much!
Bankroll: 725$
Only about 300$ more till i move up in sngs.
Bankroll: 725$
Only about 300$ more till i move up in sngs.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Sngs drive me nuts
Well, yesterday I had my first losing day of sngs since i began this Bankrolling plan. So, what happened today? I made back all the money i lost yesterday plus an extra 23 dollars. LOL. I played 9 sngs and made 100 in profit. Never a bad day when ur ROI is over 100%.
Bankroll - 612$ thats right, I'm over the 600$ mark now. I'm definitely still making mistakes in these sngs and I'm missing out on some profit, but I'm always looking to improve, thats a good sign. Another thing I'm really proud of myself with is that I haven't been on tilt since this began. Even yesterday when I lost 77$ I never went on tilt or knowingly played poorly. I must say, playing 9 sngs at 1 time has really helped me stay focused and not watch my immediate results. I have no down time really, so i don't stew over hands that I believe i should've won. A lot of times, I push with a hand and never see the results. Which, I think is a good thing for me personally, cuz I already made the decision, I made it cuz i felt like it was the right play, so what do i need to watch the results for? I'm really happy with myself so far. Hopefully this continues. Maybe at some point I'll go ahead and go into full detail about my sng play. There are a lot of guides out there, but there arent many Extensive guides, IMO. That will be a long post though, so maybe ill do it on Microsoft word and put it on here in parts, I dont know yet. If i continue to have success I will definitely do it, but I' d rather wait for more results to prove that I'm playing well.
Bankroll - 612$ thats right, I'm over the 600$ mark now. I'm definitely still making mistakes in these sngs and I'm missing out on some profit, but I'm always looking to improve, thats a good sign. Another thing I'm really proud of myself with is that I haven't been on tilt since this began. Even yesterday when I lost 77$ I never went on tilt or knowingly played poorly. I must say, playing 9 sngs at 1 time has really helped me stay focused and not watch my immediate results. I have no down time really, so i don't stew over hands that I believe i should've won. A lot of times, I push with a hand and never see the results. Which, I think is a good thing for me personally, cuz I already made the decision, I made it cuz i felt like it was the right play, so what do i need to watch the results for? I'm really happy with myself so far. Hopefully this continues. Maybe at some point I'll go ahead and go into full detail about my sng play. There are a lot of guides out there, but there arent many Extensive guides, IMO. That will be a long post though, so maybe ill do it on Microsoft word and put it on here in parts, I dont know yet. If i continue to have success I will definitely do it, but I' d rather wait for more results to prove that I'm playing well.
ARGH! It finally happened
The inevitable happened. I had my first losing day of SNGS. sigh. I dropped 77$ today in 18 sngs. BOOOOOOOO. I have about 75 12$ sngs in the books now, with about 75 in profit, so still a healthy ROI. Lots of bad luck is what caused the loss today, so I'm not worried about it. Seemed like everytime i was ahead I lost, every race I lost and I ended up with a lot of 4ths and 5ths because of it. I didn't feel out of my element or like i played poorly, it just was expected variance in sngs. Hopefully, tomorrow begins another 8 days without a losing one.
Monday, May 7, 2007
My spiritual Life
I've been contemplating how I was going to approach this topic on my blog. I'd really like to get some written records of what I'm thinking, I just don't exactly know how to approach this subject. Nor do i know where it will lead me if I start to typing. So, i will just write what comes to mind, as though I was writing in a personal journal or diary.
*Disclaimer: I in no way intend for anything I write here to be taken as FACT or do I intend on persuading someone to choose whether my beliefs are RIGHT or WRONG. I do not intend to disenchant or lead someone into a new path or line of thinking due to what I write here. Lastly, assuming someone reads my blog, I am not looking to be preached to or looked down upon for what i say. If you would like to comment feel free, but please do not do so with your own personal agenda in tow.
A little background. Since the age of 14 I have been a Christian. Non-Denominational. Before I was born my mother was a lutheran and later after deciding to bear children out of wedlock and live with someone she wasnt married to, she claims she felt like she was pressured to leave the church she had attended since birth. From birth to Age 13 I had never attended church except on Christmas Eve (my mom's way of staying connected, i guess). When I turned 14 though I became a member of a friend of mine's church and later married my pastor's daughter, live in my Father in Laws (pastor) house, 1 block away from the church I've been going to for 10 years. However, over the past year a change has come over me and my wife. I find it increasingly difficult to believe that it is my purpose in life to submit my will to a being that no one can ever be sure even exists. I have seen a lot of documentaries on the Bible, religion, GOD, and many other things, and even though i don't believe that TV is 100% accurate, i have become disheartened. Most people when they reach a point in their life in which they start to question their beliefs its due to a personal tragedy or a feeling of rejection from someone or something. Thats not the case with me. I haven't lost anyone and I don't feel less loved then before. I just look back at bible stories or bible teachings and quite frankly a lot of it doesn't make much sense to me anymore. As your growing in spirituality you begin to be told and accept the answer that "God can do anything" or you shame yourself when you begin to question things because "who are we to question God?" Not that I went to that kind of church. not at all in fact. Things weren't hammered into us nor were we condemned for saying out loud what everyone was thinking. I just don't like the idea that these things are taught as fact and as an ABSOLUTE truth. Not many things in life are absolute. Why should spirituality be? I just feel like a lot of times, people WANT to believe in GOD and an afterlife. It provides their life meaning and purpose and a reward that exists at the end of it. I don't believe that anyone is wrong in having Faith or purpose in their life. But, I honestly don't NEED it in mine. I don't feel like it's ever wrong to question anything in life. Where would any of us be if no one ever questioned authority or power? Well, first off their would be NO Christianity. I guess my main problem is always in that people aren't trustworthy. The bible has been written and rewritten many times by many people and many different nations. You cannot tell me that the bible that was initially recorded is still the same bible that exists today. It is IMPOSSIBLE. People have personal agendas. Priests made more money and had more power then anyone in those days. OF course they would do everything they could to keep it that way. Political leaders would take the bible and have their scholars rewrite it according to how they wanted it to read. Written by the hand of God? hardly. Plus, i know a lot of people who take the bible absolutely literally. There is no way that EVERY part of the bible is written literally. The bible was written by poets and song writers. People who wanted their name to be known and wanted their works to be read. A lot of the bible was giving by oral accounts. Stories passed down from family to family from generation to generation. U cant line up 10 people and tell the first one a sentence and by the end of the line with everyone whispering into the next ones ear have the last person say the exact same sentence that was spoken of from the start. And people try to say that hundreds of generations can remember with 100% accuracy how a specific event happened. NO way. I refuse to trust that much in man.
With this all said, I'm not gonna say that I have shut my spiritual door or mind to GOD or any other Higher being. I'm not going to say that something Bigger then me DOESN'T exist. I don't know. that's all I'm saying. I don't know. Yes, I've had feelings from "GOD" and I've felt guilt and peace and joy and all that good stuff that comes from "knowing GOD." But I wanted to feel those things. I can honestly say that since I've taken this stance on my life, I have felt more in control of my life and less burdened about who I was sinning against or if what i was doing was wrong then I have ever felt. Does a God-less life lead to doing bad? NO. I still have a moral obligation to mankind and to the people around me. I am still a part of this universe. But it is me that decides what is best for me. Not something or someone that decides it for me. I feel life is a gift. But once its gone, its gone. And thats enough for me.
Hope this doesn't do anyone any harm in their own feelings. I just really needed to express this.
*Disclaimer: I in no way intend for anything I write here to be taken as FACT or do I intend on persuading someone to choose whether my beliefs are RIGHT or WRONG. I do not intend to disenchant or lead someone into a new path or line of thinking due to what I write here. Lastly, assuming someone reads my blog, I am not looking to be preached to or looked down upon for what i say. If you would like to comment feel free, but please do not do so with your own personal agenda in tow.
A little background. Since the age of 14 I have been a Christian. Non-Denominational. Before I was born my mother was a lutheran and later after deciding to bear children out of wedlock and live with someone she wasnt married to, she claims she felt like she was pressured to leave the church she had attended since birth. From birth to Age 13 I had never attended church except on Christmas Eve (my mom's way of staying connected, i guess). When I turned 14 though I became a member of a friend of mine's church and later married my pastor's daughter, live in my Father in Laws (pastor) house, 1 block away from the church I've been going to for 10 years. However, over the past year a change has come over me and my wife. I find it increasingly difficult to believe that it is my purpose in life to submit my will to a being that no one can ever be sure even exists. I have seen a lot of documentaries on the Bible, religion, GOD, and many other things, and even though i don't believe that TV is 100% accurate, i have become disheartened. Most people when they reach a point in their life in which they start to question their beliefs its due to a personal tragedy or a feeling of rejection from someone or something. Thats not the case with me. I haven't lost anyone and I don't feel less loved then before. I just look back at bible stories or bible teachings and quite frankly a lot of it doesn't make much sense to me anymore. As your growing in spirituality you begin to be told and accept the answer that "God can do anything" or you shame yourself when you begin to question things because "who are we to question God?" Not that I went to that kind of church. not at all in fact. Things weren't hammered into us nor were we condemned for saying out loud what everyone was thinking. I just don't like the idea that these things are taught as fact and as an ABSOLUTE truth. Not many things in life are absolute. Why should spirituality be? I just feel like a lot of times, people WANT to believe in GOD and an afterlife. It provides their life meaning and purpose and a reward that exists at the end of it. I don't believe that anyone is wrong in having Faith or purpose in their life. But, I honestly don't NEED it in mine. I don't feel like it's ever wrong to question anything in life. Where would any of us be if no one ever questioned authority or power? Well, first off their would be NO Christianity. I guess my main problem is always in that people aren't trustworthy. The bible has been written and rewritten many times by many people and many different nations. You cannot tell me that the bible that was initially recorded is still the same bible that exists today. It is IMPOSSIBLE. People have personal agendas. Priests made more money and had more power then anyone in those days. OF course they would do everything they could to keep it that way. Political leaders would take the bible and have their scholars rewrite it according to how they wanted it to read. Written by the hand of God? hardly. Plus, i know a lot of people who take the bible absolutely literally. There is no way that EVERY part of the bible is written literally. The bible was written by poets and song writers. People who wanted their name to be known and wanted their works to be read. A lot of the bible was giving by oral accounts. Stories passed down from family to family from generation to generation. U cant line up 10 people and tell the first one a sentence and by the end of the line with everyone whispering into the next ones ear have the last person say the exact same sentence that was spoken of from the start. And people try to say that hundreds of generations can remember with 100% accuracy how a specific event happened. NO way. I refuse to trust that much in man.
With this all said, I'm not gonna say that I have shut my spiritual door or mind to GOD or any other Higher being. I'm not going to say that something Bigger then me DOESN'T exist. I don't know. that's all I'm saying. I don't know. Yes, I've had feelings from "GOD" and I've felt guilt and peace and joy and all that good stuff that comes from "knowing GOD." But I wanted to feel those things. I can honestly say that since I've taken this stance on my life, I have felt more in control of my life and less burdened about who I was sinning against or if what i was doing was wrong then I have ever felt. Does a God-less life lead to doing bad? NO. I still have a moral obligation to mankind and to the people around me. I am still a part of this universe. But it is me that decides what is best for me. Not something or someone that decides it for me. I feel life is a gift. But once its gone, its gone. And thats enough for me.
Hope this doesn't do anyone any harm in their own feelings. I just really needed to express this.
Moved up to 11$ sngs
Actually come to find out the next level of turbo sngs is 12$, 11+1 not 10 + 1. But i moved up anyways, because i reached a Bankroll of $436 by playing out what i hope to be my last 9 6.50 sngs. First 9 12$ sngs in the books with a profit of $50.40. NOT BAD. My bankroll is now at $486. How sweet is that? When i started this SNG plan my BR was around $160, and that was only 1 week ago. Im up 326 dollars in 1 week. Theres no way I'd be up that much playing 10 NL. Unless of course i 10 tabled for like 60 hours or something. I hope this continues to work out for me. If you've ever seen my sharkscope, It pretty much was the same last time i spent alot of time on SNGS, I had great success early on, but then moved up too quickly and lost all of my profit. I have no reason to rush this time, so it should work out. Hopefully I'll have a little more to write about then SNGS this week. It's just that they are what is on my mind lately and I'm excited about my results.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Revised: SNG bankrolling plan
I was going over some resources and I ran into Fox's bankroll management article on Pokerfox.net, it also exists at pocketfives.com. If you dont know how to manage a bankroll, then you should really check out this article. This article has pretty much become the standard for managing a bankroll and is HIGHLY respected around the poker community.
Anyways, I've read it before, but I decided to see what he believed the SNG br management is and its actually less than what i was aiming for. I was gonna aim for 100, according to his article, Pro= 85 buy ins, Protected = 45 buy ins. So, I've decided that I should be somewhere in the middle, because i want to be protected but I also want to be setup for PRO status (bankroll wise) so i will now aim for 65 buy ins. At 65 buy ins at my current level I will move up to the next level of sngs, and I will set my floor for 45 buy ins at the previous level.
Here are the numbers:
6.50 x 65 = 422.50
6.50 x 45 = 292.50
422.50 gives me 38 buy ins at 11 dollar level
11 x 65 = 715
11 x 45 = 495
My current bankroll is 407, so 15 more dollars will allow me to move up with this new Floor/ceiling.
lets go ahead and look at the next level's numbers
715 = 27 buy ins at 26$ level
I really dont like the idea of moving up and only have 27 buy ins, so i will adjust the bankroll required to move up to 26$ sngs and make it 40 buy ins which equals 1040.
26 x 65 = 1690
26 x 45 = 1170
So my Bankroll landmarks will be $422 to move up to 11$ sngs. Then $1040 to move up to 26$ sngs. No need to go past that right now.
Anyways, I've read it before, but I decided to see what he believed the SNG br management is and its actually less than what i was aiming for. I was gonna aim for 100, according to his article, Pro= 85 buy ins, Protected = 45 buy ins. So, I've decided that I should be somewhere in the middle, because i want to be protected but I also want to be setup for PRO status (bankroll wise) so i will now aim for 65 buy ins. At 65 buy ins at my current level I will move up to the next level of sngs, and I will set my floor for 45 buy ins at the previous level.
Here are the numbers:
6.50 x 65 = 422.50
6.50 x 45 = 292.50
422.50 gives me 38 buy ins at 11 dollar level
11 x 65 = 715
11 x 45 = 495
My current bankroll is 407, so 15 more dollars will allow me to move up with this new Floor/ceiling.
lets go ahead and look at the next level's numbers
715 = 27 buy ins at 26$ level
I really dont like the idea of moving up and only have 27 buy ins, so i will adjust the bankroll required to move up to 26$ sngs and make it 40 buy ins which equals 1040.
26 x 65 = 1690
26 x 45 = 1170
So my Bankroll landmarks will be $422 to move up to 11$ sngs. Then $1040 to move up to 26$ sngs. No need to go past that right now.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
My first 110 $6.50 Sngs
my stats look like this
110 sngs
45.5% ITM
34.4% ROI or $2.24 per sng
$246.20 in profit
Current Bankroll: $407
1st: 21
2nd: 15
3rd: 14
4th: 17
5th: 10
6th: 10
7th: 15
8th: 5
9th: 3
what those numbers show me, since i have many more 1sts then 3rds is that when the time comes to turn it up a notch i am doing it. Since i have so many 4ths, that means im not just trying to squeak into the money, im trying to build a stack, which coincides with my 1sts. I really dont know how i have so many 7th place finishes, thats kind of weird. And as you can tell i hardly ever go out in 8th or 9th, those are definitely big hands that I have that get busted. KK, AA or a flopped made hand that gets drawn out on.
GREAT numbers!! hopefully i can maintain for my next 110 sngs.
110 sngs
45.5% ITM
34.4% ROI or $2.24 per sng
$246.20 in profit
Current Bankroll: $407
1st: 21
2nd: 15
3rd: 14
4th: 17
5th: 10
6th: 10
7th: 15
8th: 5
9th: 3
what those numbers show me, since i have many more 1sts then 3rds is that when the time comes to turn it up a notch i am doing it. Since i have so many 4ths, that means im not just trying to squeak into the money, im trying to build a stack, which coincides with my 1sts. I really dont know how i have so many 7th place finishes, thats kind of weird. And as you can tell i hardly ever go out in 8th or 9th, those are definitely big hands that I have that get busted. KK, AA or a flopped made hand that gets drawn out on.
GREAT numbers!! hopefully i can maintain for my next 110 sngs.
Friday, May 4, 2007
My Plan of Building my Poker Bankroll
I decided i should come up with a plan on how I'm going to build my bankroll and what my requirements will be for moving up in games or changing over to Cash NL games. Even if i decide to change this plan later on, its good to have one to build from.
Play Sngs
Start at $6.50 turbo Sngs on Full tilt. If I try really hard i can play 20-25 of these an hour. I expect to have an ROI of at least 15% (i believe this is the lowest number i can expect to maintain) in these.
.15 x 6.50 = .98 so almost a dollar per sng, i expect to average. So if i play 20 in an hour i expect to make 20$ an hour.
I dont plan on moving up to higher sngs until i reach 100 buy ins of my current level. Seems like a lot, especially considering that most people consider 11$ buy ins equivalent to 6.50$ buy ins, but I'm gonna stick with that. My current bankroll is $ 382 which is 59 buy ins. So i need approximately 270$ more to move up.
270/20 = 14... approximately 14 more hours of play or about 270 more sngs.
So then i would move up to 11$ sngs. at the 11$ level i'll have 59 buy ins. IF i were to go on a downstreak, I will put my "go back down a level" or my floor at 60 buy ins of the previous level. So with my bankroll at 650 for 11$, if i were to fall down to $390 then i would drop back down to 6.50$ sngs.
At the 11$ level i expect to have a ROI of 10% (this number could be higher or lower, but for the sake of caution, we'll take what i think would be the lowest number i will be able to maintain)
.10 of 11 = 1.10 so i expect to make $1.10 per sng at this level. 20 per hour
20 x 1.10 = $22 an hour.
I expect to get to 100 buy ins of 11$, which would be a Bankroll of $1100 in 500 sngs which if i try hard would be approximately 25 hours.
No point in discussing the next level yet. We will do that when i get there.
Another good point to make is that I am currently receiving Rakeback from FullTilt for 27%. So That extra money will not only help build my bankroll faster but it will actually add ROI to each SNG i play.
Lets go over those numbers real quick.
I pay .50$ in fees per sng at the 6.50 level. So i make @.14 cents per sng. Which adds about 2% to my ROI. and If I play 270 more 6.50 sngs, I expect to earn $37.80 in rakeback.
at the 11$ sng level I pay 1$ in fees. I make about .27 cents per sng that i play. Which adds 2.5% to my ROI. So if I play the 500 sngs that i plan on playing i make an extra 135$.
Rakeback is a godsend.
I still do not know at what level i will begin to get back into Cash games. I really want to wait until i am a) at a level of sngs where i think I'd make more money playing cash games b) hit a wall in sngs c) am able to play at a Cash game level that I consider worth my time.
I really dont like playing 10NL or 25NL, Im not sure about 50 NL because i dont have enough time at that level. I may wait and aim for 100NL.. However that would cause me to have at least 4000$ in my Bankroll. If I can build my BR up to 4000$ playing sngs that would be pretty sweet. Also, I plan on getting coached from someone from Pokerdynasty when I do decide to move into cash games. Basically, I want to be able to get to a point where I am just ready. I'm not worried about moving up quickly so this project can take as long as it needs to. I want to be able to someday make my living playing poker professionally or at least if i decide on another career, I want to at least know that poker is an option. Either way its a great 2nd income.
Hopefully I am on my way with this.
Play Sngs
Start at $6.50 turbo Sngs on Full tilt. If I try really hard i can play 20-25 of these an hour. I expect to have an ROI of at least 15% (i believe this is the lowest number i can expect to maintain) in these.
.15 x 6.50 = .98 so almost a dollar per sng, i expect to average. So if i play 20 in an hour i expect to make 20$ an hour.
I dont plan on moving up to higher sngs until i reach 100 buy ins of my current level. Seems like a lot, especially considering that most people consider 11$ buy ins equivalent to 6.50$ buy ins, but I'm gonna stick with that. My current bankroll is $ 382 which is 59 buy ins. So i need approximately 270$ more to move up.
270/20 = 14... approximately 14 more hours of play or about 270 more sngs.
So then i would move up to 11$ sngs. at the 11$ level i'll have 59 buy ins. IF i were to go on a downstreak, I will put my "go back down a level" or my floor at 60 buy ins of the previous level. So with my bankroll at 650 for 11$, if i were to fall down to $390 then i would drop back down to 6.50$ sngs.
At the 11$ level i expect to have a ROI of 10% (this number could be higher or lower, but for the sake of caution, we'll take what i think would be the lowest number i will be able to maintain)
.10 of 11 = 1.10 so i expect to make $1.10 per sng at this level. 20 per hour
20 x 1.10 = $22 an hour.
I expect to get to 100 buy ins of 11$, which would be a Bankroll of $1100 in 500 sngs which if i try hard would be approximately 25 hours.
No point in discussing the next level yet. We will do that when i get there.
Another good point to make is that I am currently receiving Rakeback from FullTilt for 27%. So That extra money will not only help build my bankroll faster but it will actually add ROI to each SNG i play.
Lets go over those numbers real quick.
I pay .50$ in fees per sng at the 6.50 level. So i make @.14 cents per sng. Which adds about 2% to my ROI. and If I play 270 more 6.50 sngs, I expect to earn $37.80 in rakeback.
at the 11$ sng level I pay 1$ in fees. I make about .27 cents per sng that i play. Which adds 2.5% to my ROI. So if I play the 500 sngs that i plan on playing i make an extra 135$.
Rakeback is a godsend.
I still do not know at what level i will begin to get back into Cash games. I really want to wait until i am a) at a level of sngs where i think I'd make more money playing cash games b) hit a wall in sngs c) am able to play at a Cash game level that I consider worth my time.
I really dont like playing 10NL or 25NL, Im not sure about 50 NL because i dont have enough time at that level. I may wait and aim for 100NL.. However that would cause me to have at least 4000$ in my Bankroll. If I can build my BR up to 4000$ playing sngs that would be pretty sweet. Also, I plan on getting coached from someone from Pokerdynasty when I do decide to move into cash games. Basically, I want to be able to get to a point where I am just ready. I'm not worried about moving up quickly so this project can take as long as it needs to. I want to be able to someday make my living playing poker professionally or at least if i decide on another career, I want to at least know that poker is an option. Either way its a great 2nd income.
Hopefully I am on my way with this.
Please do not drink and Drive Part 2
Very sad and very preventable. This is a person that had so much to live for professionally. Just sickening.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cardinals-hancock&prov=ap&type=lgns
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cardinals-hancock&prov=ap&type=lgns
PLEASE, DO NOT drink and Drive
So a crazy thing happened on my paper route this morning. I was driving to my route when i saw a car that appeared to be parked on the side walk at the entrance of a suburban neighborhood. As i got closer i realized it was actually parked in a tree, or more specifically a group of small trees and a few bushes. I u-turned and got out to see if anyone was injured. As i approached the car the lady in the driver side seat looked at me.
"ma'am are you ok?"
"ya, ya" in the most intoxicated almost whisper of a voice you can think of
"Are you hurt ma'am, should I call the police?"
"no, no" same voice as above
At this point it was clear to me this lady was completely out of it. However i didnt see any blood or other sign of injury. It was like she had decided that that was where she was sleeping for the night.
I tried one last time
"ma'am do you want me to help you get of here?"
"no, no"
"are you sure?"
"ya"
Well, I'm not about to force myself upon this woman to rescue her. She didn't seem in any immediate danger and wasn't about to be able to get the car out by herself. So i decided it was best to call the police and let them help her. They are much better suited to deal with something like that. So I called the police, hopefully she was okay.
PLEASE folks DO NOT drink and drive. I know some of you out there will say either "I know my limits as to what i can drink before it affects my driving TOO MUCH" or "I've driven drunk before and I know I'll be alright". BULLSHIT ok just UTTER BULLSHIT. Don't you think that everyone who has ever gotten in an accident and either died, got severely injured, or killed someone else said the same things before they got behind the wheel?? IM sure they have/did. ALL it takes is ONE time. ONE lack of concentration and its over. ITS NOT WORTH THE RISK. Not only that but it is going to cause nothing but pain and sorrow to everyone who loves and cares about you. Your life is all you have.
I'm the guy who when i go out or my wife goes out with a group of people is the first one to ask, "who's driving home or how are we getting home?" and I know, i can tell by their faces or remarks that they get annoyed by me asking this everytime, but i dont give a shit. I would rather be an annoyance and be looked at as a tight-nit or nerd or whatever you wanna call me, then allow someone i care about drive drunk. I never mind being the designated driver, alcohol doesnt mean that much to me. This lady was so hammered that she wasnt even able to ask for help. She was in a fucking tree!! Just ridiculously stupid and pointless and irresponsible.
Be safe people.
"ma'am are you ok?"
"ya, ya" in the most intoxicated almost whisper of a voice you can think of
"Are you hurt ma'am, should I call the police?"
"no, no" same voice as above
At this point it was clear to me this lady was completely out of it. However i didnt see any blood or other sign of injury. It was like she had decided that that was where she was sleeping for the night.
I tried one last time
"ma'am do you want me to help you get of here?"
"no, no"
"are you sure?"
"ya"
Well, I'm not about to force myself upon this woman to rescue her. She didn't seem in any immediate danger and wasn't about to be able to get the car out by herself. So i decided it was best to call the police and let them help her. They are much better suited to deal with something like that. So I called the police, hopefully she was okay.
PLEASE folks DO NOT drink and drive. I know some of you out there will say either "I know my limits as to what i can drink before it affects my driving TOO MUCH" or "I've driven drunk before and I know I'll be alright". BULLSHIT ok just UTTER BULLSHIT. Don't you think that everyone who has ever gotten in an accident and either died, got severely injured, or killed someone else said the same things before they got behind the wheel?? IM sure they have/did. ALL it takes is ONE time. ONE lack of concentration and its over. ITS NOT WORTH THE RISK. Not only that but it is going to cause nothing but pain and sorrow to everyone who loves and cares about you. Your life is all you have.
I'm the guy who when i go out or my wife goes out with a group of people is the first one to ask, "who's driving home or how are we getting home?" and I know, i can tell by their faces or remarks that they get annoyed by me asking this everytime, but i dont give a shit. I would rather be an annoyance and be looked at as a tight-nit or nerd or whatever you wanna call me, then allow someone i care about drive drunk. I never mind being the designated driver, alcohol doesnt mean that much to me. This lady was so hammered that she wasnt even able to ask for help. She was in a fucking tree!! Just ridiculously stupid and pointless and irresponsible.
Be safe people.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday SNG updates
On tuesday i played 9 sngs and made a whopping 65 dollars, thats over 100% ROI. NIICE
on Wednesday so far, I've played 19 sngs, just to break even. LOL and so it goes. I was really proud of my play though, i had some rotten luck (maybe that should be changed to normal sng luck) by placing 6th or worst in 8 of my first 11, but i held true and ended up making the money in 6 of my final 9. I was happy to break even!
I plan on posting again later tonite, about something other then sngs.
but here are my stats for last 2 days
Games played: 28 sngs turbo 6.50
Amount made: $65
Bankroll: $292
on Wednesday so far, I've played 19 sngs, just to break even. LOL and so it goes. I was really proud of my play though, i had some rotten luck (maybe that should be changed to normal sng luck) by placing 6th or worst in 8 of my first 11, but i held true and ended up making the money in 6 of my final 9. I was happy to break even!
I plan on posting again later tonite, about something other then sngs.
but here are my stats for last 2 days
Games played: 28 sngs turbo 6.50
Amount made: $65
Bankroll: $292
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