Updated 2011 Yearly Goal/Plan

Poker Related Goals:

• Progress through the limits to at least 400NL HU
• Treat poker like a job and make sure to fit it daily
• Reach Supernova Status on Poker Stars (200K if possible)
• Mix in FR and 6 Max play to spice up my game and keep myself from getting burnt out
  
• Learn to play tournaments and have at least one big score
• Make 40K including rakeback and bonuses

Life Related Goals:

• Don't get stressed out by school, but still work very hard to get good grades.
• Enjoy my summer while playing from home and not working the usual 9-5 minimum wage job.
  
• Get in shape, lose 15-30 pounds, and work out daily.
  
• Don't sweat the small stuff and remember how much I have to be thankful for when I'm in a bad mood or having a rough day as things could always be worse.

Looking forward to the new year grind!

December Month Review

Poker Stars

Days played: 20

Cash game hands played: 9807

Hours Played: 38

Hourly rate: $17.74

Winning days: 17
Losing days: 3
Most profitable day: +$198.35

Least profitable day: -$309.03

Amount Won: +$602.46

Bonuses Earned: +$71.50

Total Monthly Profit: +$673.96

Goal Evaluation :

-Play 20K+ hands FAILED (Did not meet requirement due to the change into HU play which obviously means a lot less volume was expected)

-$600+ in monthly profit ACHIEVED ($673.96/$600 earned)

-Achieve Gold Star VIP level FAILED (1,900 / 3,000 VPPs needed)

-Achieve Platinum VIP level FAILED (1,900 / 7500 VPPS needed)

Reflection:

I'm extremely happy with how the month ended up. I wish I had put in more volume, but I am as determined as ever to put in the time next month and for the rest of the year. I'm going to make a blog post later today with updated goals for 2011 as they have changed drastically due to my decision to focus on HU play much more than FR. I'm happy to have put up a solid winning month after the downswing I hit in the very beginning. 2010 was a solid year for poker for me as I really achieved a lot not necessarily in monetary profits, but I feel my poker game has excelled to more than I could have imagined in the short time and I'm happy to have the opportunity to play the game. It's unreal to think that alittle less than a year ago I put $175 on full tilt and started at 5nl as my last effort at getting good at poker and now I have grown it to over 4K and am about to take shots at 100nl in the near future.

December Week 4 Review

December 24th - December 31th

Poker Stars

Days played: 5

Cash game hands played: 2,138

Limits Played: 50nl, 25nl

Hours Played: 9.13

Winning days: 5
Losing days: 0
Most profitable day: +$198.35

Least profitable day: +$4.65

Amount Won: +$275.21

Bonuses Earned: +$30.00 Deposit Bonus($350/$600)

Goal Results:

Total for Above Period: +$305.31

Total/Month: +$673.96

Total Profit: +$2,026.71

Amount remaining to reach goal: $2,973.29

VPPs: 6,066.13

FPPs: 8,742.57 ($139.88 worth at $.016 per point)

New Mindset & Motivation.

So this blog is really a chance for me to vent out my ideas and feelings and I'm about to do so. Ever since I saw Jake and Steve playing last summer instead of working and doing something they enjoy instead of having to resort to the typical shitty summer job for $8 like I had done for so many years prior. I'm young and have very few obligations or financial commitments so why not take the chance at playing for the summer on my own time and enjoying my freedom from school?

I started planning it early on having a plan to make 5k playing poker over the school year in order to have money to fall back on if the summer playing goes poorly or I have a bad case of running bad. I have kind of half-assed the efforts so far and only have made about 1.9K in the few months of school so far.

My parents have always been supportive of what I have passion for so I figured they would see I'm treating it like a job and not entertainment with my purpose being making a profit and not purely gambling to see an outcome. Apparently I learned over the holiday's and tonight's dinner conversation that their views on the subject and my plans for the summer differ greatly. To my parents and my sister being a "gambler" and not taking the typical summer job is absolutely outrageous and not going to happen. My parents and sister (you know the super annoying, know-it-all, "I make measly salary a year and am better than you because I went to an ivy league school" kind of sister) claim it's "illegal" and that its similar to selling drugs.

They don't realize over the past 3 months I'm averaging $13 a hour and over the last 5000 hands I'm averaging over $33 a hour and hopefully will be growing that as I more high up and develope my HU game more. The only thing I want is to kill it the rest of the year and prove to them that my intentions are no joke. I'm upping my profit goals by May to 10K and will be putting in a lot more volume in hoping of crushing that goal. I'm sick and tired of not getting respect for the time and effort I've put into poker and I want to prove to my family once and for all that I'm capable of making very good money and enjoying my time off in the summer. If all else fails I'll be looking into renting an apartment of a house to live in the summer if my parents can't deal with it because truly and honestly their reasoning for not allowing me to follow my dream and take a risk once in my life is something that my mind is set on and I will be pursuing.

This is my last chance once and for all to motivate me to put in the hours I should be putting in and striving for the results that I have worked hard to be able to accomplish and I think I truly deserve.

Happy Holidays!

Just want to wish anyone reading this a happy holiday and hope they have a great one!

December Week 3 Review

December 19th - December 23th

Poker Stars

Days played: 4

Cash game hands played: 2,214

Limits Played: 50nl

Hours Played: 9.40hrs

Winning days: 3
Losing days: 1
Most profitable day: +$84.65

Least profitable day: -$91.15

Amount Won: +$89.95

Bonuses Earned: +$40.00 Deposit Bonus($320/$600) & $10 in winnings from home poker game

Goal Results:

Total for Above Period: +$139.95

Total/Month: +$368.65

Total Profit: +$1,721.40

Amount remaining to reach goal: $3,278.60

VPPs: 5,691.10

FPPs: 8,179.65 ($130.87 worth at $.016 per point)

December Progress

This month has been a swingfest so far. I'm happy with my transition to HU, just having some trouble dealing with the variance there. I've played plenty of fish in the past couple days that will get it in with gut-shots, overcards, and backdoor flushes, but seem to always hit. It is very frustrating although I know I'm playing solid so I'll just play through it till it evens out.

Here's a sum up of how I've been running vs fish:

Poker Stars $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 2 players
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

hctbu (BTN/SB): $21.80

Hero (BB): $83.00
Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 8 8
hctbu raises to $1.50, Hero raises to $5, hctbu raises to $21.80 all in, Hero calls $16.80

Flop: ($43.60) 6 J 6 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: ($43.60) K (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($43.60) 4 (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $43.60

hctbu shows 6 6 (four of a kind, Sixes)

Hero shows 8 8 (two pair, Eights and Sixes)

hctbu wins $43.10

(Rake: $0.50)


I just gotta keep the grind on the mind.

Update & Break finally begins =)

December 5th - December 18th

Poker Stars

Days played: 9

Cash game hands played: 3,932

Limits Played: 50NL, 25NL

Winning days: 7
Losing days: 2
Most profitable day: +$136.67

Least profitable day: -$309.03

Amount Won: +$76.80

Bonuses Earned: +$40.00 Deposit Bonus($290/$600) & $50 Stellar Reward

Goal Results:

Total for Above Period: +$166.80

Total/Month: +$228.70

Total Profit: +$1,581.45

Amount remaining to reach goal: $3,418.55

VPPs: 5,014.34

FPPs: 7,164.14 ($114.63 worth at $.016 per point)

So since my last update I hit the largest downswing I've had yet (thank god its only that small), and I reevaluated my game and my future. I dropped down to regain some confidence and started to see my other options. After watching the Pr1nnyraiding series from DC I decided to give a shot at HU play starting at 50nl. I fell in love with the format and really enjoy playing and thats to this I have officially gotten out of my downswing and back into the profit. To top things off I just cleared my first $50 stellar reward and cleared $40 from my deposit bonus in the meantime. Now that I have a break from school I plan on putting many hours in a day grinding and also hitting the gym since its been much too long since I've done that. I'll keep this updated more frequently since I won't be busy at school.

Praying for some more run good! Hope everyone is ready to enjoy the holidays and spend time with friends and family because I know I am looking forward to it.

Finals are pretty much over =).

Poker Stars $50.00 No Limit Hold'em - 2 players - View hand 1080384

DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

BB: $30.25

Hero (BTN/SB): $50.00

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN/SB with 5 5

Hero raises to $1.50, BB raises to $2.50, Hero calls $1

Flop: ($5.00) 5 A Q (2 players)

BB bets $2.50, Hero raises to $7.50, BB calls $5

Turn: ($20.00) 9 (2 players)

BB checks, Hero bets $11.50, BB calls $11.50

River: ($43.00) 3 (2 players)

BB checks, Hero bets $10.00, BB folds

Final Pot: $43.00

Hero wins $42.50

(Rake: $0.50)


Lol headsupaments.

Poker Goals for this School Break.

So as my first semester winds down (2 finals tomorrow, 1 friday) I'm getting very anxious and excited to start grinding over break. I really want to set the bar high in volume in order to get me more prepared for poker next year. I'm going to try and stay as dedicated as possible as this is truly going to be my "trial run" at playing as a source of income over the summer.

Poker Goals: (December 17th to January 17th)
-Figure out what format I'd like to really focus on and spend the majority of my time playing that format.
-Play 80-100 hours of poker
-Make $1k in table winnings
-Reach Gold Star Status for Month of December
-Reach Platinum Star Status for Month of December
-Reach Gold Star Status for Month of January
-Clear 2 more $50 Stellar Rewards.
-Clear the remaining $320 left of my deposit bonus.
-Grow as much as I can through videos, posting on forums, reading poker books, and talking over hand histories with my friends.

Non Poker Goals:
-Finish the second season of White Collar
-Choose the exact major I want to create through the BDIC program at UMass
-Spend lots of time with my friends and family
-Enjoy my trip to NYC with my parents and girlfriend (first vacation I'll have in a long time)

Now I just gotta get through these damn finals......:(

Recovering and Plans for Winter Break.

Since my last post I have moved back down to 25nl to regain some confidence. I ended up winning a buy-in in a couple hundred hands and took my first shot at 50nl HU on stars. I ended up winning $112 in 252 hands and really enjoyed playing the format. I'm seriously considering switching the majority of my play to HU depending on how I end up doing after putting in some solid volume in and reevaluate what format I'd like to focus on.

I was able to join a gym while I was home for the couple of days between classes ending and finals so I will be prepared to be going there at least 3-4 times a week hopefully 5 days a week if I can stay motivated enough.

Here's a rough schedule of my week during break.
Monday - Friday (Weekends I'll fit in as much playing as I can)
9 AM: Wake up, eat a small breakfast, get ready for the gym.
10-11AM: Workout at the gym.
11-12PM: Shower, Eat Lunch, Get prepared to grind.
12-4PM: Grind
4PM-1AM: Spend time with my family, girlfriend, and friends.
1AM-9AM: Sleep

I'm also going to put a hold on the whole volume situation that I stated earlier in one of my posts. I'm going to be determined to put in the 4 hours a day although I'm not sure it'll be a full 4 hours of grinding if I decide to go the HU route as I'll be waiting for action some of that time. Either way those 4 hours are dedicated to playing some sort of poker and if I'm waiting for action the time is to be spend studying hand histories or watching a CR video.

I'm back at school until Friday night so I won't be putting much if any volume in until then.

Downswonging.

Currently on a 7 buyin downswing at 50nl....sucks, but it's given me much needed chance to really re-evaluate my game since it's overall quality has been lacking lately. I've moved down to 25nl to regain confidence and once I get back into the swing of things and start playing solid I'll move back up.

I'm also watching the pr1nnyraiding series on DC and hopefully going to start mixing up my FR sessions with some HU as I really enjoy that format and think it could help my overall post-flop game. I'm also starting to read "The Poker Mindset" by Ian Taylor and hopefully it will help me deal with the psychological side of poker which definitely seems the most difficult to me.

Reid's Poker Bill Rant.

This could either be the greatest thing that's happened to internet poker (tons of fish once the blackout period ends and sites are up and running again) since the poker boom or the worst(online poker dies out, when blackout period ends sites charge rediculous rake/terrible software).

But either way a 15 month blackout period?!

How does this leave the the current players and people depending on their income for poker to pay for their expenses?

If this passes I will be forced to work a shitty job in the summer for terrible pay and waste so much of my time doing something I don't enjoy. I have worked very hard to get to the point I'm at today in poker and to have it all thrown away because of some ridiculous new legislation made is just downright cruel. My supernova run will not be able to happen if this bill passes.

To top this all of what if once the blackout period ends, what if my state does opts out? Where does that leave me? It leaves me with being forced to quit poker or move.

How come the government allows people to spend all the money they want on state lotteries and horse racing and such which is based purely on luck and give you horrible odds, but won't let someone spend their money on a hobby or career for some that does involve skill?

I'm getting fed up with all this stupid political BS...let me play the game that I know and love I don't care what you have to do to regulate it minus taking 15 months out of my life where I must go without it.

I'm curious to see if it does pass if sites like bodog and cereus will be able to handle the large player pools that grow there and the transactions that will occur through them. If it works out solid I will move my play to there for the time being until this whole mess gets figured out.

The rest of the world should benefit from this since the games will most likely become softer on the major sites such as stars and FTP without any US regs around.

Really curious whats going to happen from here and I guess the only thing we can do is wait it out and see. I hope either outcome I can find a way to make a living off poker through the summer as I really don't want to go back to a shitty summer job like I've had the past two summers.

Beginning of December.

December 1st - December 5th

Poker Stars

Days played: 2

Cash game hands played: 813

Limits Played: 50NL

Winning days: 2
Losing days: 0
Most profitable day: +$40.25

Least profitable day: +$11.65

Amount Won: +$51.90

Bonuses Earned: +$10.00 Deposit Bonus($250/$600)

Goal Results:

Total for Above Period: +$61.90

Total/Month: +$61.90

Total Profit: +$1,414.65

Amount remaining to reach goal: $3,585.35

VPPs: 4,316.60

FPPs: 6,117.97 ($97.89)

I got like no volume in so far this month, but I've been very busy so far since this is my last week of classes and I am loaded with homework and projects. I don't plan on getting hardly any volume in this week since school's obviously a first priority and I just want to get it all over with so I will have my vacation to relax, grind, and make some money. I'm very determined to get platinum status this month since I could use the extra FPPs during my grinding I'm doing during break and I also should be able to clear one or two more extra stellar rewards which would be a nice addition to my bankroll.