Colgin's 2004 Poker Year in Review (Low Content)

[colgin]

I know that a lot of you take a look back and forward at the beginning of the New Year. In that regard, and for my 1,000th post, I thought I would sum up for the forum my 2004 poker results on a month-by-month basis with my contemporaneous thinking at the time.

January

I was playing $1/2. I started off pretty good. Then I ran really good (“hey I’m getting pretty good at this thing”). Then things leveled off. Then I started running bad (“it was inevitable”). Then things get worse (“this ain’t as much fun, but it’s probably just the cards”). Then I ran really, really bad (“maybe I am not so hot after all”). Then the losing continued (“poker is a complete waste of time; maybe I should quit already and do something productive with my free time”). Then just as I was hitting rock bottom I slowly started to win. Then I won some more. And I cleared a bonus. And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

February

I started off pretty good. Then I ran really good (“watch out fish, shark on the loose”). Then things leveled off. Then I started running bad (“it was inevitable”). Then things get worse (“this ain’t as much fun, but it’s probably just the cards”). Then I ran really, really bad (“maybe I am not so hot after all”). Then the losing continued (“poker is a complete waste of time; maybe I should quit already and do something productive with my free time”). Then just as I was hitting rock bottom I slowly started to win. Then I won some more. And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

March

I started playing $2/4. I started off pretty good (“wow, these games are as good as $1/2). Then I ran really good. Then things leveled off. Then I started running bad. Then things get worse. Then I ran really, really bad (“lose, loser, I am a LOSER”). Then the losing continued (“poker is a complete waste of time; maybe I should quit already and do something productive with my free time; or maybe I am addicted and can’t stop”). Then just as I was hitting rock bottom I slowly started to win. Then I won some more. And I cleared a bonus. And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

April

I finally jumped to $3/6. I started off pretty good (“wow, these games are not quite as good as $2/4, but still pretty good"). Then I ran really good. Then things leveled off. Then I started running bad. Then things get worse. Then I ran really, really bad. Then the losing continued. Then just as I was hitting rock bottom I slowly started to win. Then I won some more. And I cleared a bonus. And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

May

Great month. Pretty much no losing. I run over the tables (“I am a low limit poker god”). And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

June

I get destroyed and humbled (“certainly this losing must stop at some point”). Just when I am about to quit for the hundredth time, I slowly started to win. Then I won some more. And I cleared a bonus. And at the end of the month my bankroll was bigger than at the start.

. . . .

December

Playing $3/6 and some $5/10 online (and $6/12 live). I started off pretty good. Then I ran really good. Then things leveled off. Then I started running bad. Then things get worse. Then I ran really, really bad. Then I started winning again. And I cleared several bonuses. And at the end of the year my bankroll was bigger than at the start of the year.

I am looking forward to 2005 and beyond! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[sfer]

Awesome!

You forgot to add that you made consistently good posts in Small Stakes the entire time.

[colgin]

[ QUOTE ]
You forgot to add that you made consistently good posts in Small Stakes the entire time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the kind words. I feel like I take much more than I give, but I do at least try to contribute.

[arkady]

How many hours would you say, you invested during all of 2004.

[colgin]

[ QUOTE ]
How many hours would you say, you invested during all of 2004.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very few as I have so little time. I could be more precise when I check with PT at home but I would estimate somewhere 250-400 hours of online play, with my gut telling me it is no mre than 325 hours. In the upcoming weeks I will be getting a laptop for the living room which means that I can play late after my significant other is asleep. I then hope to be able to log an average of 1.5-2 hours a day instead of my likely <1 hour per day for the past year.

Now if I quit my day job (which usually goes late into the evening), I expect my numbers to skyrocket. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Also, at the beginning of 2004 I was doing no more than 2 tables at once. Now I 4-table the full games unless I also want to surf the net, in which case I drop down to 3.

[arkady]

ahhh ok, that explains the dramatic "swings". Judging by your older posts, your BR would definitely benefit from an increase in play time - keep up the good work, this forum sorely needs thinkers.

P.S. Dont even joke about quitting your job /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[J.R.]

[ QUOTE ]
this forum sorely needs thinkers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't you quit posting for like 2 months last fall. Do you think we had similar thoughts at that time? /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

<font color="white"> I'm just giving you a hard time, and I generally play 5-10 6-max, but I'm all over the place. I type this because I recall you asking me that at some fairly recent point and me saying something snide like 16 tables of .50-1 </font>

This is still a pretty good forum, but it needs some Roundup.

[colgin]

[ QUOTE ]
ahhh ok, that explains the dramatic "swings".

[/ QUOTE ]

arkady,

My post was somewhat of an exaggeration which was meant to be humorous; hence, most all of my months being identical, even though in reality they were more varied and much less "swingy". Whatever else you can say about me I try very hard not to post bad beat stories or talk about swings in one direction or another. Nobody cares. My point is that we all go through these and all but the most Zen of us do feel some emotional frustration. But if we are patient, and are actually winning players, then generaly (and hopefully) we should see an upward swing over month-to-month and year-to-year periods (although the unbelievable volatility of poker can mess even that up). We all go through these cycles and I thought I would have a little jab at our sometimes collective obsession with swings by reviewing my year in terms of the inevitable ups and downs (which are meaningless in and of themselves) rather than the substantive improvements in my game which I made (of which there are many, IMO).

Jeez, I am such a dork for feeling the need to explain myself. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

All the best.

Colgin

[BottlesOf]

Very funny and very true. I've gone through similar things myself. I look forward to meeting you Saturady.

Oh, you didn't say you were coming?....Well, I just did.

Be good,

JBB

[J.R.]

I thought that line at the end of each of your paragraphs was a wondeful bit of humorous satire. I lost and lost but at the end of the month... Our memories, and our actions, are heavily influenced by our natural predisposition to risk aversion. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[colgin]

JBB,

Where am I supposed to be on Saturday and I will try to make it. PM me if you like.

Colgin