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View Full Version : A full year of Online poker- long, truthful, boring


dogmeat
08-31-2004, 12:40 AM
Wow, I'm not sure where a year went, but I have been playing online since the first of Sept. 2003. My most noted observation? I'm no David Ross.

I was finishing a job in New Mexico last year and although I have played a lot of poker in my life, online was new to me. My credit cards wouldn't work, but one of my wife's did. I started with $200 on Stars playing $1/$2 7-stud (because stud is where it's at, right?) and moved to Party in December. I was lucky.

I paid off the $200 I started with and ended the year of 2003 by playing .50/$1 HE on three tables and averaged $10.50 per hour. Not much, but enough to tell the tax man I made $2767.

In March my wife and I moved to Arizona with our two-year old daughter and I figured I would need to start working again, but............

I moved up to the $1/$2 games, then found 2+2 and moved to the $2/$4 games.........and I got stalled. Still stalled.

I got poker tracker and started learning some things, read TOP etc. and really tried applying myself. I have since made the decision to just keep playing for a living. This has allowed me to spend lots of time with my wife (who works) and daughter, and although there have been some ups and downs, each month (yes, all 12 months) had a positive income.

As I have moved up to 100+ hours per month, my income has improved. July was a struggle as I played some $5/$10 and lost. My play needs to be sharper. I need to play fewer hands, and be more aggressive for this limit. The $2/$4 game has provided about a $10 per table per hour income, and I will be playing three tables at a time from now on.

Don't read any further if you don't want to see some numbers!

For those of you thinking about playing online for a living, well, there are plenty of posters here at 2+2 that are doing great. I'm an old dog and having trouble learning new tricks. I made the least amount of money over the past 12 months that I have made in twenty years, but - I'm still thinking since the income is going up each month (almost), that I will continue to learn and earn.

So far this year I have made $15,585, and $18,352 for my full year. This is based on about 1300 hours of play. That's only $14 an hour, but my play in 2004 is more like $18 an hour. My earn for $2/$4 is right at 4BB/100 so if I play three tables (180 hands per hour) 1.8x4x$4= $28.80

It's a living.

I hope to move up to the $5/$10 games in October. My bankroll is only $1200, so I need a strong September. I take $1500 a month for expenses, plus the $170 for the quest, and I do have another $2210 put away for the WSOP Quest, and I know I'll be there in 2005.

I can tell you that poker makes you humble. I can tell you that I have had a $900 losing week, and a winning week of $1700. I can tell you that I don't really know too much about the game, but I do know how to manage my play and income, and I know how to survive. I've booked a winner every month. This year best month $2950, worst was $1100.

If I can do this, so can you. You can do better! Thanks for posting, thanks for reading - and Good Luck.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

submariner
08-31-2004, 12:57 AM
Good story, very encouraging. I just started getting my feet wet in Party 2/4 (was playing 1/2 til they took them off the jackpot tables). Are you planning on skipping 3/6, or did I miss something?

Blarg
08-31-2004, 01:51 AM
Great post and best of luck to you. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I also wonder what happened to the 3/6 though. It seems terribly risky to me more than doubling your limits by going from 2/4 to 5/10. The money difference, the quality of play difference, just the texture of the game difference...all make it sound like a jump like that could hardly help but be traumatic.

chezlaw
08-31-2004, 03:56 AM
nice post and good luck.

[ QUOTE ]
That's only $14 an hour, but my play in 2004 is more like $18 an hour. My earn for $2/$4 is right at 4BB/100 so if I play three tables (180 hands per hour) 1.8x4x$4= $28.80

[/ QUOTE ]

You may find that the win rate drops significantly if you multi-table. I was pulling in 3BB/100 over 100,000 hands (mainly 3/6) playing one table. When I started 3 tabling I think my hourly rate actually dropped, I've stuck with it and its picked up to about 1.5BB/100 and I think/hope its still rising.

Chez

ihaterivers
08-31-2004, 05:34 AM
Nice Story. I mostly play sit n go's and pot limit omaha hi lo but have been wanting to challenge myself after reading ssh by playing limit hold em starting at .50/1 or 1/2 but am worried that it will be boring and a grind. Do you still enjoy playing or does it sometimes feel like a job to you? Thanks

Baulucky
08-31-2004, 08:54 AM
Cool post. Thanks for your openness.

dogmeat
08-31-2004, 12:25 PM
I suppose I should have added something about my $3/$6 play. I have probably played 135,000 hands of online at this point. 10-15K of them at $3/$6, with about a $10/hr per table result (the same as the $2/$4). Based on this win rate, I was considering just moving straight to $5/$10 - but perhaps you are all correct and I should strengthen my game at $3/$6 first - good advice. FWIW, pokertracker shows me (only 50K on PT) winning 12 cents per hand, and this includes 10K at the $25 buy-in NL on Party where my rate is about $13/100.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

davidross
08-31-2004, 01:14 PM
Hey Dog,

I'm wondering how much you enjoy what you're doing? If you still look forward to playing each day then you're going to have a good year. It's pretty hard to put a dollar value on spending extra time with your family, and if your experience is anything like mine, the 2nd year will be much more lucrative than the first.

I can't tell you how many people think that what I'm doing is a dream, until I tell them that I play 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I happen to love it which combined with all the other benefits does make it a dream job for me.

I like your attitude, that's very important for surviving the swings that are bound to happen. Protect that bankroll, it's your lifeline. Keep working on your game, every limit you move up not only allows you bigger winning opportunities, it also reduces the impact the rake has on your bottom line. At 5/10 my rake number was almost the same as my earnings, at 15/30 it's less than 1/4.

Good luck.

dogmeat
08-31-2004, 01:47 PM
Wow, that is amazing that the rake is so much different! I love playing, and am sure Sept. will be my best month.

The only thing I struggle with is the competitive nature of wanting to move up like so many posters so I can make more money, but also prove to myself that I am as good as other players. The ego creeps in and makes it really tough to keep a handle on my limit. That part is tough. And you are right about the bankroll being a "lifeline". All the young men that post here and are in college see things differently than somebody like yourself with a family to support. A month ago when I was so close to $10K, I felt bullet-proof, right now I feel very vulnerable. I'm sure that has an effect on my play.

I'm also going to start playing more tournaments, including some of the $109 buy-ins, so when I finally pop one for first or second place, the payout will be substantial. Thanks for the encouragement.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

BusterStacks
08-31-2004, 01:54 PM
To all of you reading this, if you're going to skip a limit, make it $1/2. Don't skip 3/6, it's good poker.