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how did you get started in NL tournaments
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The most important thing that ever happened to my NL MTT game was HoH.
After just putzing around for fun, probably like everyone else, I decided I was going to take it serious. I had played a bunch of NL ring games - not as much as limit. I had read the Ciaffone/Rubin book. Then I read TPFAP and HoH. HoH was the big watershed book for me. Not only did I feel like I got tourneys, but I also felt like I got NL play in general. I mean, I'm no expert. But I think HoH changed me from the type of player I usually destroy in limit games to a solid advanced-beginner.
I got it in to my head that I was better than most of the dead money that goes to the WSOP. This was probably 90% unjustified ego and 10% justified ability. But it made me set a tangible goal for myself: win a seat at the 2k5 WSOP ME.
I had been winning a bunch of money at the 2/4 tables, so I skimmed some off and as soon as the satellites started, I went over to stars and started entering tourneys. At first I started playing 3-table $10 sit & gos and scheduled low-buyin rebuy tourneys. I did OK, but I needed study. I reread HoH, ToP and HPFAP during my annual ski trip. On one of the last days of the trip, I
entered a WSOP satellite on stars. It was $33+rebuys, and paid seats to the WSOP. I came in 11th out of something like 1200. I got nothing - only the top 7 got paid.
THat tourney was a pretty signifigant one for me, for a couple reasons. For one thing, I felt that I played pretty well. I busted out of the tournament not becasue of a bad beat or getting blinded away - I busted becasue I made a mistake. I deserved to lose. But I did learn from my mistake, and I know what I did wrong.
For another thing, I realized that if this had been a regular cash tournament, I would have been paid about $600 for my 11th place finish. I decided then and there that I would never play in an other satellite - only cash tournies for me.
With rebuys, addons & the buyin, I paid $100 for that tourney. Probably some of the best $100 I ever spent. Becasue I spent $100 and it didn't really hurt too much (bankroll wise), $100 buyins were about right for me. I also knew that I prefered no-rebuy tourneys to rebuy tournies, so I started playing the $100+9 MTTs exclusively. My goal now was to go to the WSOP ME, but pay cash when I got there. I'd get that cash exclusively from MTTs. I would not tap in to my limit roll to pay the 10k entry.
The rest, as they say, is history. I entered 4 big MTTs, and cashed in 3. 2 of the cashs were huge - 1500 and 3000. There was not a small number of entrants - over 1000 in one case. That was it, I was hooked.
I almost made my goal. I came within 2 more big cashs of going to the WSOP, and then my
tax fiasco happened. That's ok - at least I could pay the bill. My wife was very happy when I transferred all that money to the house account, and so its all good.
Now I've build my bankroll back up to where I'm very comfortably grinding the 2/4 limit games, and I'm ready to get back to the 100+9's. I've only got a few weeks left. But if my lucky streak continues (I'm feeling very lucky right now and my winrate is showing that luck), I have a remote chance of going to the WSOP.