One year ago today, I...

[IHateKeithSmart]

[ QUOTE ]
Wanna ride w/us to *STTF-HUC-II* [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

lol, I already booked my flight, but I'll chip in for a sidecar or uhaul to drag some more socal ggmilfs with you guys. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[johnnybeef]

Alright, I suppose that I should make a serious response in this thread.

One year ago I was waiting tables playing on ub as a marginal winner. I won a decent amount of home tourneys by playing tighter and more aggressive than anyone else, but I was by no means a tough player.

since then:

I won a 130 person tournament for a 5.5k score in december, deposited $500 of it on party, blew the rest in 3 weeks on clothes, booze, and women. I lost the 500 after i cashed it out to settle a debt that i made playing a 10/20 spread limit home game. In february I contacted Irie about being coached, and learned a great deal from him. In April I arbitrarily decided that I was good enough to make a living playing this game. Since then, I have had my share of ups and downs, and would be way ahead of where I currently am at if I could learn some discipline. I have seen some very rough times in which I was scraping by to get bills taken care of, but I am a much better person for it. I have learned some very good life lessons (like the importance of patience, learning to control my temper, learning to think before I act just to name a few.) I have also met some great people in my two trips to Vegas this year who have helped me out along the way, and I look forward to returning the favor some day. I have also coached about ten or so students, and I have taken a great deal from it.

My plans for next year are to maintain a healthy bankroll and to continue learning. I also hope to move out to either Vegas or LA where I can focus on playing live more often. I really do enjoy playing live much more than online as poker is a social game and I am a highly social person (which is probably the reason why I enjoy playing it so much.) Online may be more profitable, but there are more important things in life than money.

In closing, I would like to wish all of the friends that I have made (and ones that I will make soon) a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Good luck at the tables everyone,
John

[skipperbob]

Ni Han [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]Beefy [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] CU @ *STTF-HUC-ii*

[junkmail3]

This is a hard format to write in. So I'm not going to bullet.

A year+ ago, I was grinding 2/4LHE. I started my career 4 years ago in college playing $11 LHE SnGs. Not too much money, and certainly a grind. I also didnt' play as much as I play now.

Since then I took another stab at SnGs and noticed my BR skyrocket, NLHE and progressed over the course of 2000 SnGs and 6 months to the $55s.

Bought a Samsung 213T to four table and not go blind. Purchased a Dell 9300 for mobility/second monitor, and have probably made more than I did in first four years - this year.

Skills increased, emotions decreased. Gap from where I am to where I think I want to be has increased, speed of improvement has decreased.


------------------------------------------------------
This thread has made me think of a lot of things. Most notablly that there seems to be a point in each one of these threads where something clicks and things take off.

I know that point for me was when I started to trust my ability, took a small risk, and took a stab at the $22s - logged less than 250 and moved up to the $33s (where I put in about 1000) but during that time I took three stabs at the $55s before I hit a good enough initial run of variance to stay. It pushed me from my comfort zone and I think that's one of the most important things in becoming a successful poker player. (two notes - I don't consider myself hugely sucessful and I don't advocate taking stupid risks - but calculated and sensible)

One year ago today...

I had been supported myself solely with SNGs for 11 months (this January 2006 is my 2nd anniversary)

I was 4-tabling the 30s and 50s... Just starting to make the jump into solely the 50s and gaining confidence.

I had just put in my order for the Dell monitor.

I was looking for apartments in Vegas.

I had just come back from a month long trip to London, Vienna, and Croatia-- paid for by poker.

I was lurking here on the 2+2 forums, and probably owed more to Strassa's posts than any others... it was the pre-"Power Tools" era, and I really think he had a better handle on bubble play than anyone else at the time.

I knew that I wasn't good, but was confident that I would improve.

[GrekeHaus]

One year ago today, I...

1. Played on a 17" LCD two-tabling and didn't think it was possible to effectively play more than 4 tables.

2. Played without rakeback

3. Had only ever met 1 2p2er. (Yugo)

4. Had an account on 2p2, but rarely posted.

5. Had a bankroll that I had gotten mostly from 2 big MTT wins.

6. Played almost exclusively limit.

7. Thought I wanted to study computer science.

8. Thought I was smart.

9. Had financial aid.

10. Had never been to Vegas.

11. Had never made a calcutta/betting website for real money.

Since then, I have...

1. Purchased a 2001 and a Samsung 213T with poker winnings and 10-table Party.

2. Made more money in rakeback than I made playing poker in 2004.

3. Met a bunch of 2p2ers and hated all of them.

4. Rarely post on 2p2, but only because I'm busy as [censored].

5. Have a fatter bankroll mostly built off of SNGs.

6. Play almost exclusively SNGs.

7. Think I want to study math.

8. Am pissed off because I'm way smarter than most people, but there are still people in the world way smarter than me.

9. Had my financial aid cut off because Masters students aren't supported.

10. Have been to Vegas twice and got to spoon with Yugo.

11. Made a sweet Calcutta/Betting site and lost money because of it (but got a free t-shirt).

[EddieMoney22]

One year ago I

played mostly 5 + 1 and 10 + 1 but the thought of hitting a big score in those big mutli table games kept making me lose my bankroll and buying into those big games.

I finally got lucky and in a 10 day span made to final tables for a little over $11,000

read a few books but never really studied the game just play for fun.

TODAY

I still am not nearly as good as I should be at this time I only 4 table the 10's and sometimes the 20's. Biggest issue is I always cash out to keep the wife happy so she never complains about me playing. so my bankroll is never high enough to try and move up levels. My goal for a year from today is to try and mutli table the 30's and 50's and to learn the Limit game

[BeerMoney]

[ QUOTE ]

- Fold AQ probably more than anyone who posts here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just before I read this, I was chatting with someone about how when I die they'll say "BeerMoney could fold AQo."

[Shakespeare]

One year ago today, I...

1. 2-3 tabled the 3/6 full ring on a win 98 19inch crt.
2. Thought rakeback was a viscous rumour started by the blackjack community.
3. Thought Viagra would help my limping.
4. had never met any 2+2ers in RL due to belief that you are all very strange.
5. had never bought directly in a tournament with a buyin over 100.
6. Made 1k for the whole of December, breaking the 1k barrier for the first time.

In 2005,

1. purchased Poker computer with 20inch lcd.
2. Flushed my Viagra but still limp with 55 (No raising)
3. Still never met any 2+2ers, but now think I have caught “strange” from the community.
4. Bought directly into a $215, placed ~40 after a stupid push.
5. played 6 tables max successfully.
6. Made $2.4k in one day, breaking the 1k in a day barrier for the first time.
7. Made it two the $55 and stayed.


2006 …..

1. Need a new machine.
2. Will meet at least 1 2+2er
3. Go to Vegas.
4. Break 10k for the month.
5. play a live tourney.
6. make a final table of a >$200 > 1000 person tourney.
7. Take family on well deserved holiday.
8. Get rakeback once again.

[wuwei]

One year ago about this time:

I was a 5 months into my online poker hobby, playing 2 tables without rakeback on a 19 inch CRT.

I had one early MTT cash on Prima for $1200 that helped me get started and proved I was a star in the making. My formula for success here included picking up AA on the first hand of a rebuy and stacking two people, playing tighter than a thing that is tight, being the short stack with 25 left (20 paid), winning 7 all ins in a row, luckboxing my way to 3rd place.

Deposited $100 into Party, because that was the place to be. Couldn't decide what kind of poker to play, so I split my time between .5/1 ring games and $11 SNGs.

Set a goal to play 100 $11s, because that was what I needed to determine if I was a winning player. ROI of something like 15%, so of course I'm a winning player but...

I ran better at ring games. Built roll up to $1200, enough to start playing 2/4 last December. Clearly this what where I should be.

At this point, I had not met any 2+2ers, nor had I really contributed anything of value to the forums. I sucked at posting interesting hands.

So... since then:

Ran well early in the year at 2/4, confirming that I was a winning player. Limit poker was my calling.

Hit my first patch of Variance in February, breaking even at 2/4 over 10,000 hands!!!!!

Thought limit poker sucked.

Played a $22 SNG one night in February to break up the monotony. Took 1st. Nice, that makes up for some lost BBs at 2/4

Played 1 $22 SNG each night for the next 5 nights. Took 1st each time. On the 7th night, instead of resting I played one more $22 - took second. Started having serious second thoughts about limit ring as my calling...

Got back into reading the STT forum. Stopped playing ring games and started to focus on SNGs. Played 100 $22s, and riding the wave of my initial heater I finished with a ROI of something like 55%. Cleary, I was a winning player and should be playing SNGs full time.

Continued playing the $22s. Tasted variance yet again, but still ran well.

Managed to score my second free lunch from a 2+2er, Scuba Chuck. Took [censored] from my wife about meeting strange men on the internet and letting them buy me lunch. Had a good time, Scuba is a very thoughtful guy.

Lunch conversation helped me formulate some plans. Decided to pursue coaching, but of course my desired coach was already retired [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

At some point around here, I picked up rakeback and made a very small amount of money compared to most others around here. Also picked up a 2001fp. Started 4 tabling SNGS.

My wife and I had a son in April. Life changed. A lot. Seriously.

Continued on, moving up and down between the $22s, $33s, and $55s for the next few months during my "limited" play time.

Attended the STTFHUC, with the goal of not making a fool of myself. I think I succeeded. Learned that Lacky is the man. Was a bit suprised that the ratio of cool, quality people:moerans was as high as it was. Had a very good time.

Developed my skills in a variety of games. I believe now I can somewhat competently play LHE, PLHE, NLHE, Stud high, and Stud/8.

Managed a little time to work on MTT game. Added multiple >$1k cashes in $20-50 buyin tournaments.

Post a lot more now than I did a year ago on the forums. I'm not positive, but I think occassionally I even say something people might find useful. Still suck at posting interesting hands.

And as the year winds down, I find myself completely comfortable 4-tabling the $55s. I'm here to stay for a while, taking shots at the $109s when running well. Knowing me, I'll stay at the $55s longer than I should.

Playing poker this year, I've made roughly 40% of my annual salary from my real job. Not bad for a hobby.

As for the coming year...

It will be interesting, I'm sure. I'm about to lose my real job. Very possibly in January, maybe February. May end up living the life of a poker pro for a while, we'll see. I would prefer to keep it as a secondary income stream, but I may not have a choice in the matter.

At some point I plan to learn Omaha and Omaha/8.

Would like to get back into MTT play when my son starts sleeping through the night.

Should probably score rakeback again.

Pick up another monitor shortly, start playing more tables.

Contribute more to these fine forums.

Ship it.