LC: One year ago (Stolen from STT Forum)

[Lloyd]

Exactly one year ago I was in St. Marteen for the IPF tournament series held there. It was at the time my largest buy-in (I think $3k, won via satellite on Party). Nothing does more for advancing your poker skills then a solid week of live play with a bunch of crazy Europeans (particularly the Norwegians). That definitely took my game to another level (plus the confidence that came from my first live final table in one of the smaller events). I also met my first 2+2er - Enon, who doesn't post here as often as he should.

I had already started going deep in Party Supers and felt like I was an above average player.

Unfortunately, things haven't progressed much since then although I can't complain. I keep going deep in the Supers, I've had some nice wins live, but haven't really gone to the next level like Sirio's run a few weeks ago (an amazing and motivating feet).

I really want to make some advancements next year and include going deep in a major live event. I'd also like to make a final table in one of the big Sunday lottery tournies and also figure out how to freakin' beat the Stars tournies like I do the Party ones (and no, I really don't think it's hugely because of the quality of the field. for me it's more of getting into the rhythym of their very fast structure during the middle game - that's where I falter).

[Yuv]

I was starting to build my roll from the 10$ I got free on Pacific Poker after countless freerolls I played in every site known to man. Mainly playing 2-5$ Sng's and micro MTT's.

Now, hmm, I have no idea where I am. My A game has become quite good, but I don't show it as often as I want. I still have a very bad steaming problem that I need to control.

[Tenacious A]

I don't really have a home forum, so I'll post this here...

Oh, the memories….I started playing in November of 2003. So, one year ago I was a grizzled one year veteran of online poker. I just kept pumping money into MTTs, played uber tight and didn't understand why I never got that bail out rush of cards at bubble time. As much as I read the MTT forum, you’d think I’d absorb something, but I suffer from being extremely dumb.

At one point, I was stuck for $1200...got all the way back to even via Stars NL $100 ring games...and lost the $1200 right back thanks in large part to my MTT addiction. One Friday night last Novemeber, I decided to get it all back in one night and sat down at the big game on Stars (NL $1000 at the time). I bought in short on two tables...total of about $1000...and proceeded to lose a $1200 pot when my bottom 2 got outdrawn by an over pair when the board paired...I clicked on my other table to find AK...raise...called by K8...he flopped two pair and I was down $1000 in about 5 minutes...and $2200 overall in my online career. Good time to quit or acquire less expensive habit like cocaine, right?

Instead, I became a grinder...I turned some FPP points into some tourney dollars and found out about bonus whoring. I still donate way to often via MTTs (but did somehow get a 3rd in a Party $20 1400 runner event for $2300), but have become a winning ring game player and thanks to bonuses, I am now up over $10k playing nights, weekends and lunch hours. Poker is a great second job…way better than crack whore.

[Yeti]

Was crushing $25NL and making ridiculous posts about unsustainable winrates.

I had just made the jump from $5 to $10 SnG's and was occasionally taking a stab a $10 heads up games, though losing $60 in an hour left a terrible taste in my mouth!

[MrTimCaum]

1 year ago:

I was playing $5 sngs and MTT's and $10NL on a $100 bankroll. I was just beginning to turn a small profit, playing ultra-tight ABC poker, and I left my $7/hour college job on Dec. 15th. By mid-January I had run my bankroll over $1000 and stopped looking for a new job.

I found my LAG-gear in May with the help of Adanthar sweating my constant Empire $5k guarantee final tables. My bankroll topped off in mid-August at just under $7000, fueled by $12k in MTT cashes in about 3 weeks.

Now:

I'm looking for a job once again and keeping a small $300 bankroll online. In August I was a recent college grad living the dream, but I was playing above my head and a sick downswing pretty much wiped out my bankroll before I got my ego in check and moved down in stakes.

I'm still extremely proud of what I accomplished over the last year, but I've learned a hell of a lesson in bankroll management and just how much variance there is in MTT play. Hopefully when I build my bankroll back up I handle it properly. Back to grinding it out.

[KneeCo]

Pre-June '05
- Playing for Play Money on stars
- Lurking on 2+2
- Watching Poker on TV
- Playing home games with friends that were really about beer and pizza
- Started looking at some poker books.

Since June '05
- Sold 1.3 million Play $ for 70$ on PayPal (some people are stupid).
- Signed up for Instant Bankroll and built up a BR playing .5/1 LHE and $25 6m NL.
- Used the 60$ on Pay Pal to get HoH 1+2 off ebay.
- Moved to playing tournaments more than cash games, moved half my bankroll over to Stars in early November.
- Watching Poker on TV
- Playing home games with friends that are really about beer and pizza

One year ago, I was not doing any B&M or online playing. Six months ago I opened my first online account at UB. My total investment to date has been $450.

I've been a steady low$$ MTT winner, with regular wins and final tables. I've also had several money bubbles and FT bubbles. I've been losing money in the 3-6 and 5-10 ring games. Part of that has been admittedly due to early bad play, but play in recent sessions has improved quite a bit and results have been better.

Still too much in the short run (around 5000 hands) to tell if I am a winning ring game player overall. But I feel like I am playing at a winning level after 230+ MTTs, averaging over 100% ROI.

I have experienced large BR fluctuations. My bank has been as low as almost zero and as high as $6K. In particular, back in August I was in the midst of a bad negative swing, about to visit Tap City and quit playing for a while, then I had a great tourney knocking off a 500 runner $14.5K UB MTT for a nice $3200 cash. My current bank is back down to just below $4K.

It has been an interesting, enjoyable and at times frustrating experience. It is sort of like two steps forward, one step back experience. Like Albert Einstein used to say "The more I learn, the less I know." So too for me, just when I think I'm playing better and doing some things better than I used to, I make a stupid play and realize that it's time for some humble pie and reassessment of my play.

Still not ready to take the next step to playing larger, more expensive tournaments and ring games. But hopefully that time will come with more time and effort.

I've lurked 2+2 on and off for a couple of years, but only started actively posting when I started playing regularly. I've exchanged some PM's with several 2+2'ers. Good guys all and I'm grateful for their time and input.

Good thread, enjoyed everyone else's posts.

[PoBoy321]

[ QUOTE ]

- Sold 1.3 million Play $ for 70$ on PayPal (some people are stupid).

[/ QUOTE ]

Someone seriously did that? When I was trying to build a bankroll a while back, I thought about trying to do that, but then realized that no one would be so retarded as to buy play money chips.

One year ago today I...

- Didn't know if a flush beat a straight
- Thought Chris Moneymaker was the best player of all time
- Was getting straight A's in college
- Was addicted to Halo 2

Since then I...

- Went home for xmas break and found my older brother playing a $5 SNG
- Played one myself and somehow luckboxed my way to a victory
- Thought I was the sh1t and deposited into party again and again, found myself stuck for $350
-Read Stassa2's article in SI, went to 2+2, started lurking like mad (turning point.)
- Have won several tournaments, FT'ed a stars 500k, FT'ed two supers, have more money than I ever could have imagined. (thanx 2+2!)
- Am doing not so well at college
- Hope I can balance poker and school