My Poker Goals - Summer 2005

[KingOtter]

Okay, it has taken this long for me to get to the point where I feel comfortable enough with my game and start making goals.

First off, I need to move up. I'm beating .5/1, even after some kind of nasty downswings (I'm now in a considerable unsustainable upswing, but that's how it all evens out, eh). But I can't move up because I don't have the bankroll (I'm actually barely bankrolled for .5/1). So I need to get there.

I don't want to make my goals based upon bankroll. That'll make me too results oriented and increase my emotional swings when I hit some bad beats or the inevitable stall in my current upswing.

So, I need to play hands. Lotsa lotsa hands. I've been tracking my game in PT since January, and I've played 27000 hands. Six months, 27000 hands. I don't get to play alot, do I? It boggles my mind people play that many in a month.

But I have a family, 2 kids, help my wife cook and clean up after dinner, teach my kids math (we homeschool), and read to my kids every night.

Anyway, I figure if I can sustain a 1.5 BB/100 pace, and play 30,000 hands then I will have more than adequate bankroll for 1/2 + some bonus money I can take out and reward myself.

And I'm going to do it in 3 months. The summer months. When I'll be going on trips every month. So it is going to be a real challenge, for anyone who doubts.

I must play 333 hands/night, for 90 days, and maintain a 1.5 BB/100 pace. That's my goal. Right now I mostly 2-table, but will probably need to work up to 3-4 tabling to complete this.

Target date: 9/7/2005
Target hands: 30,000

------------------------

My first night:

Hands played: 339

Tonight was tough because I ran so very well early. Usually when I run that well I close the tables, call it a night and go to bed. But I was only at 200 hands! So I had to keep playing!

So I kept playing, and I didn't lose it all, so that was a good thing.

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I probably won't update this thread, unless there is interest. I am keeping track of it on my blog (which someone suggested me to do not so long ago).

Thanks for listening.

KO

[DeathDonkey]

Hi,

I think your plan of attempting to play an approximately set number of hands per night to be silly. It's also going to cost you money. Some nights you will want to play more, you may be winning, you may be concentrating, you may have a good feel for your opponents, whatever. On these nights you will probably win more money if you continue playing. Some nights will be the opposite, and continuing to play may very well cost you money.

Attempting to treat poker like a 9-5 job goes against some key components to playing that make it profitable. Like S&M point out in at least one of their books, if the game is a good one for you the time to quit is never.

Oh, and do some bonuses and you should be bankrolled for higher limits in like a month.

-DeathDonkey

[scotty34]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh, and do some bonuses and you should be bankrolled for higher limits in like a month.


[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly, I just whored around a little bit, and after a month of just over break-even poker, I was more than bankrolled for 2/4. It's a little more difficult now than a few months prior due many sites changing their bonus structures, but there are still more than enough out there to keep you occupied.

[imported_exelius]

Sounds good except I agree that you should play when you feel good and not play when you feel down or whatever. I homeschool too so I know how that is, but if I'm feeling pumped up I skip a night and maybe read SSH some more instead.

As far as the bonus deal, what do you guys do to get that. Just pool your money play out bonus's then withdraw it and deposit it into another site and rinse repeat. I have neteller and play at Party and Stars. Is it easy to do it that way or am i missing something? Which sites dis you do that at to get BR for 2/4?

Thanks
ex

[meep_42]

If you're only beating .5/1 for 1.5/100 over a 30-60k sample, I'm not sure you should be moving up with such excitement.

-d

[alien freak boi]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as the bonus deal, what do you guys do to get that.

[/ QUOTE ]

read the microlimits faq. there are some links at the bottom. homer talks about building a bankroll using bonuses...

cheers,
afb.

[aces_dad]

As far as bonus info goes, check the 101 cheat sheet at
www.bonuswhores.com.

I am in a similar situation to the OP with family etc, and
can't play as often as I'd like. However, I still only
play when I want to and feel good, and wouldn't worry about
meeting a certain hand count number. If you can slowly
add tables and get to 4, your hands per hour will increase greatly.

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
So, I need to play hands. Lotsa lotsa hands. I've been tracking my game in PT since January, and I've played 27000 hands. Six months, 27000 hands. I don't get to play alot, do I? It boggles my mind people play that many in a month.

[/ QUOTE ]

Playing lotsa hands is good for you, but don't forget that it's also important to read, study, and reflect. I've got less than 20,000 hands in the last three years, but I've improved in leaps and bounds because of the non-table time I spend on poker.

Good luck.

[detruncate]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi,

I think your plan of attempting to play an approximately set number of hands per night to be silly. It's also going to cost you money. Some nights you will want to play more, you may be winning, you may be concentrating, you may have a good feel for your opponents, whatever. On these nights you will probably win more money if you continue playing. Some nights will be the opposite, and continuing to play may very well cost you money.

Attempting to treat poker like a 9-5 job goes against some key components to playing that make it profitable. Like S&M point out in at least one of their books, if the game is a good one for you the time to quit is never.


-DeathDonkey

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends what your goals are. It's certainly better to have the flexibility to adjust your sessions to conform to how you feel + how the games are, but sometimes you don't have the luxury, especially if you're facing time constraints. It's not uncommon for people who play frequently to build their schedule around time or hand count. I know I do. There are certainly times where you're not at your best, and learning how to improve the quaility of your play on the less than optimal days is a skill in itself.

Whatever. Do what you want. All I mean to say is that I find consistent, planned sessions easist to sustain over an extended time period -- there's always a clear understanding of when I'm going to stop, and it goes a long way toward aleviating the desire to bank a win or get unstuck. It also helps me compartmentalize, as my poker time is clearly defined.

Best of luck in your quest, Your Royal Otterness.

[DeathDonkey]

Ok but you're leaving money on the table. And for a guy who "needs to move up" that is a problem.

-DeathDonkey