jasonHoldEm
12-24-2003, 11:18 PM
I started playing poker a little over a year ago. I’m not sure exactly what drew me to poker in the first place, probably a combination of boredom and curiosity mixed with easy internet access.
My first year had a number of ups and downs but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. After I found the 2+2 forums I really started to get more serious about the game and even got to play “professionally” for a few months in the process. In the end, I made a number of discoveries my first year, but I know that I still have much to learn.
Lately I’ve been thinking about poker quite a bit. Have you ever stopped to really think about why you play? For me it’s not the money, but the challenge of the game that drives me. Don’t get me wrong, the money is nice, but what I really enjoy is that poker is a difficult game to play well. It’s that simple truth that allows a skilled player to turn a profit in the long run.
I mentioned earlier that I got to play “professional poker” my first year as a player. I use the quotes because looking back I realize that I wasn’t playing professional poker at all; instead I was merely playing poker tightly. When I was playing that style the game lost much of its appeal because it wasn’t a challenge anymore. Quite frankly, anyone with half a brain and a modicum of self-control can grind it out at the low limits online. Just because you can grind the low limits successfully doesn’t make you a good poker player.
I have always had a very strong desire to become a good poker player, and as I enter my sophomore year of poker I am going to start a project to that end. I’ve put quite a bit of thought into my project and I believe I’ve created something that will balance my quest for improvement with realistic goals. I want the project to push me, but at a pace I’m comfortable with...I don’t want to risk burnout or going broke.
I’m made some long-term plans, but they should be looked at more as a framework to build upon rather than something that is set in stone. I’ve never played above 5/10 so I’m sure that when I’m playing 10/20 on a regular basis thing will look differently than they do now...as I learn more about poker and myself I plan to change the project so that I can get the most benefit from it.
I’m sure most of you are now familiar with the Open Internet Challenge (started by Mike Haven). My project is loosely based on the OIC, just on a much larger scale. I plan to start with $50 at .50/1 and slowly work my way up to 15/30 over the coming year. I am a regular at 2/4 and have a fair amount of 3/6 experience, but I want to return to .50/1 to give myself a sense of “starting over”.
In a nutshell I’m starting at .50/1 and winning 150 BB’s at that level, then moving up to 1/2 and winning 200 BB’s, then 2/4 and 250 BB’s, etc...each level I move up I also increase the number of BB’s I’ll earn at that level before moving up to the next level. I think this will help me balance my desire to improve my game with the reality factor of challenging my learning curve and adapting to the new styles I’ll see as I move up.
I expect the project will take a considerable amount of time, possibly even more than a year, but that really doesn’t bother me. Since I started playing I’ve wanted to become a successful middle limit player, and I think I’ve finally reached the point in my life where I can begin to pursue that goal. I know it will be a difficult task, but in the end I believe the reward will be worth it.
I plan to post a weekly update on my status in the Texas Hold’em Forum. Please feel free to add your feedback.
For more info on my project please visit Sophomore Poker (http://www.pokerodyssey.com/challenge.html) at my site (ad free).
Peace and thanks,
Jason
My first year had a number of ups and downs but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. After I found the 2+2 forums I really started to get more serious about the game and even got to play “professionally” for a few months in the process. In the end, I made a number of discoveries my first year, but I know that I still have much to learn.
Lately I’ve been thinking about poker quite a bit. Have you ever stopped to really think about why you play? For me it’s not the money, but the challenge of the game that drives me. Don’t get me wrong, the money is nice, but what I really enjoy is that poker is a difficult game to play well. It’s that simple truth that allows a skilled player to turn a profit in the long run.
I mentioned earlier that I got to play “professional poker” my first year as a player. I use the quotes because looking back I realize that I wasn’t playing professional poker at all; instead I was merely playing poker tightly. When I was playing that style the game lost much of its appeal because it wasn’t a challenge anymore. Quite frankly, anyone with half a brain and a modicum of self-control can grind it out at the low limits online. Just because you can grind the low limits successfully doesn’t make you a good poker player.
I have always had a very strong desire to become a good poker player, and as I enter my sophomore year of poker I am going to start a project to that end. I’ve put quite a bit of thought into my project and I believe I’ve created something that will balance my quest for improvement with realistic goals. I want the project to push me, but at a pace I’m comfortable with...I don’t want to risk burnout or going broke.
I’m made some long-term plans, but they should be looked at more as a framework to build upon rather than something that is set in stone. I’ve never played above 5/10 so I’m sure that when I’m playing 10/20 on a regular basis thing will look differently than they do now...as I learn more about poker and myself I plan to change the project so that I can get the most benefit from it.
I’m sure most of you are now familiar with the Open Internet Challenge (started by Mike Haven). My project is loosely based on the OIC, just on a much larger scale. I plan to start with $50 at .50/1 and slowly work my way up to 15/30 over the coming year. I am a regular at 2/4 and have a fair amount of 3/6 experience, but I want to return to .50/1 to give myself a sense of “starting over”.
In a nutshell I’m starting at .50/1 and winning 150 BB’s at that level, then moving up to 1/2 and winning 200 BB’s, then 2/4 and 250 BB’s, etc...each level I move up I also increase the number of BB’s I’ll earn at that level before moving up to the next level. I think this will help me balance my desire to improve my game with the reality factor of challenging my learning curve and adapting to the new styles I’ll see as I move up.
I expect the project will take a considerable amount of time, possibly even more than a year, but that really doesn’t bother me. Since I started playing I’ve wanted to become a successful middle limit player, and I think I’ve finally reached the point in my life where I can begin to pursue that goal. I know it will be a difficult task, but in the end I believe the reward will be worth it.
I plan to post a weekly update on my status in the Texas Hold’em Forum. Please feel free to add your feedback.
For more info on my project please visit Sophomore Poker (http://www.pokerodyssey.com/challenge.html) at my site (ad free).
Peace and thanks,
Jason