Week 17


Well, the bankroll took a hit but not through losses at the tables. With my wife and I moving at the beginning of October and wanting to have as much money as possible for moving in and whatnot we had a bill come up, actually an old one that had been forgotten about, but needed to be paid and utilizing the bankroll for this was the best thing to do. The bill was for $240 so that was a huge hit to the bankroll, but household will pay my bankroll back sometime later on, but that could be quite a ways off. At the point I spent the $240 I was down a bit for the week and in the end it leaves me a bankroll of about $240. What to do next is the question.

I have won over 100 big bets at the .50/$1 tables and this justifies a permanent step into $1/$2, but with a bankroll of $260 that is playing with fire to say the least, but I do have $250 owed to the bankroll from the household finaces later on so even if something went wrong I have that to fall back on later on.

I decided to make the permanent step into $1/$2 with no turning back. if I tap out when I bankroll gets the $250 I will start up again at the .50/$1 tables and the process will go on as normal. I know in the grand scheme of things this is not the best use of the bankroll management, but this limping back and forth between limits is not the answer either. I would rather put my poker skills to the test and see where it takes me, good, bad or indifferent.

So far the process has started off reasonable well. I started the $1/$2 trek this morning and as of this posting I am up 21 big bets in 2.75 hours played and 155 hands. Just starting I know, but it is a nice way to start things off. I just need to remember to play my game. Don't push for it and it will come. I'm there to take their money, plain and simple, so time to simply do it.

I will edit this at the end of my session, but as of this entry the bankroll stands at approximately $280.

Bankroll: $284.47

You know Piers, your idea sounds logical and something I should do, but, theres always a but, but when i have tried to bonus chase in the past it's a disaster.

Maybe because it is a different site or maybe I am conscious that a bonus is due and I may play more carelessly or it may be any one of a dozen other reasons, but every time I got hammered. UB, Pokerroom, Hollywood, Full Tilt. Bonuses were abandoned because I started losing too much. It's a shame really and I wish i could figure out why because I know if I bonus chased i could have a nice little addition to the bankroll each month. Perhaps I might give it one more shot. I hate to pass up free money.

Could someone give me a list of a site that is a crypto so I can check out their software?

Week 18 Mid Week Report


It's either foolish or brilliant I'll let others be the judge of my actions, but I am currently playing $2/$4 even though when I started doing this yesterday my bankroll was a mere $240 or so with another $250 owed to it from the household finaces, but that will be collected down the road someplace after the move in October and looking at it realistically, probably sometime after Christmas.

I had decided to make a run at $1/$2 even with the limited bankroll currently available and did so with my eyes wide open knowing what could happen. All the while I had a back-up plan of what I would do if I hit a bad run. I was playing $1/$2 and not having a great day when I saw a nice tight and equally passive $2/$4 game With only about $240 available I decided to throw caution to the wind and sit in, deciding that if I dropped to $200 I would leave so in reality I was only going to risk 10 big bets. Not a lot really. I ended up winning $64. I also found a level where the players seem much more intelligent about their play and this helped as I don't think I was outdrawn once and the preflop raises were actually respected.

I found that at $2/$4 I play tighter than usual and this could be because the bets are more and if so that's something I need to work on because the cost of a bet should not dictate how I respond to a particular situation in poker. My thoughts turned to building a bankroll at this level, but starting with only $240 it's borderline suicide. But could it be done? Can I build the bankroll to proper levels playing $2/$4 with a relatively small amount to start with. I think I can, but I won't know for sure until I have played many more sessions that I have so far. In the end I decided to play this level with what I have earned at it thus far. Even if I end up taking a bad turn I will be no worse off than I was when I first sat at $2/$4 yesterday.

I have decided to run my poker more like a business in the fact that I will have a start time and end time. I play 5am-10am. On days I am off from my regular job, I will play a maximum of 8 hours or 5am-1pm. In the evening if I feel like poker I will play a $1/.20 5 table SNG or a $1 Mtt, but my cash games will be restricted to the times stated previously. This will give my poker some sort of structure and will keep me from getting burned out in a way when I am playing cash games 12-14 hours a day on some days. I also seem to have better results in the mornings it seems so this is all the more reason to have a more structured schedule.

So at this point this morning I have been playing this morning a bit over 2 hours and 146 hands and am showing a profit of $17. Will play to 11 or 12 today unless I get too tired. Overall as of this entry I am +$81 at $2/$4 over 5.92 hours and 413 hands. So far so good, I just hope i can keep these winning sessions going.

Starlight-

I dunno dude. First off, i am not a careful gambler, so take my opinion how you will. On the other hand, i am not a reckless gambler either, and i have 'made it' in this game, so im not totally talkin outta my ass either.

Actually, i think KennyG mentioned something about this in a thread a while back... Of course, the answer to your question is dependent on your household needs and the replaceability of your roll-- but:

Like i think kenny said, a roll is much more replaceable at the lower end, like a few hundred bucks, which makes it alot easier and less inadviseable to play outside it.

For me, if i busted my roll (god forbid) i have no way to replace it and would probably have to borrow my way back into the game to be in any sort of action like im used to-either that or become a lawyer (GAG)--so i am careful not to play too big. For someone who actually has a 'real' job and who is playing lower limits, this isnt so crucial because if you take a 2/4 or even 3/6 shot lets say and go broke, well, you can replace it (I am assuming)

So like i said i dont know what your personal finances are and how tight everything is around there, but if you just have a 'normal' job and no kids or anything, then i think this may apply. The general point is at the lower end, its not as bad to play over your roll because the roll can be replaced, while it cant be later on.
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Also, and i have said this before so ill keep it short since i know no one cares to hear about it over and over, but i think you need to have some balls to play this game, and that means taking a shot once innawhile. Lots of people are firm beleivers in scratching it out at the micro limits till they buildup something, and most of them will never get there because of the rake primarily, and also because those limits really arent that easy to beat! I have to tell you that when i mess around TW's 3/6 tables, i see more weak tight, 12% VP dreadfully crappy play than i EVER see at the 15/30's and above.

All that said though, dont do it unless you can take a close look at yourself and your play and think that you are ready for it. If you dont mind me saying, from your PT Dbase deletions and your general tone in your journal, you sound like you might be a little bit prone to self deception. Dont get me wrong, i have the utmost appreciation for a man in an existential quandry, and it makes for a great journal. But, you should not fall prey to that, as it is easy to do in poker, and is one of the worst pitfalls a poker player can fall into. If your not ready, then your not ready-- stick around a while, you got plenty of time, ya know?

Anyways, these are just my discontinuous thoughts on the matter. I hope they help a bit...

Back To Reality


Well my $2/$4 experiment lasted about 10 minutes after posting my last entry. $50 loss and that is over. Then I spent $20 in a Omaha H/L table. Think I'll stick with Holdem.

Bankroll is currently $240. Decided the $250 that household owes the bankroll will be going towards a couple of kittens from the animal shelter. So for all intents and purposes my bankroll is $240. Time to be realistic and go back to grinding it out at the low limits.

Bankroll says .25/.50, but I refuse to go lower than .50/$1. Bankroll is 240 big bets for that limit. I will droop down to .25/.50 if I HAVE to, but only if bankroll were to drop to $150 and I don't see that happening.

I guess I was pushing too hard for the bankroll increase. A lot of time my problem is simple impatience and it takes a bit to snap me back. I guess anything worth having is worth taking the time to get, but I sure did enjoy playing $2/$4. I'll get there, but I'll do it the right way. No shortcuts allowed.

I don't like your plan of setting hours to play everyday.

I tried something simliar and it didn't work for me. Many times when you're "supposed" to play, you'll be in the wrong mindset and lose more money then you should. If you're gonna gamble, you want to gamble with your "A" game.

I now have a goal of 20 hours a week, 4 hours for 5 days. That gives me 2 days off, and i can split up sessions if I have too.

20 hours is a lot for me beleive it or not... but it's also very acheivable. so far it's working out well.


One more thing, if you keep taking out of your bankroll, it's gonna be very hard to build it. I still liked iceman's idea of not touching it until he got 10k. If I had done that, I'd be a lot better off right now.

Day Off To Think


Took the day off to think, really think about bankroll management, The Road To Pro, my current stakes and just everything going on in my poker career and personal life. Wife and I went to the coast today, the town we are moving back to, so the day away from the tables was a good break for me I think. It gave me a lot of time to really think hard about my poker, and what I want out of it and what I need to achieve that.

When I had to pull out the nearly $250 from my bankroll for a household finacial obligation it needed to be done, but I didn't realize what effect it had on me psychologically. Instead of saying to myself, "time to grind it out and earn that back." I decided it was needed to get it back NOW! Immediately and that's how I started playing $2/$4 with this foolish thought to get it back quick. I know long by now things are not done like that. It's a slow but steady process and one if I try to go around will have unfortunate if not devastating results. I was lucky, I was not hurt too bad by this foolishness.

With a bankroll left to me of $228 my stubbornness continued. My statement of .50/$1 mininum was simple stubborness and nothing more. .25/.50 is what I need to drop to, but I was looking at it as failure having to make this drop. Such arrogance on my part is self defeating and not worthy of a future professional player, nor is this foolishness I do with bankroll management. Playing stakes I should not and then saying I will "try" not to do it is such a phony cop out I am quite didgusted with myself for trying to make myself believe such obvious phoniness. There is no try. There is simply do or do not, nothing more, nothing less.

So,to that end, here starts a new future for me. There will be no excuses, no lies to myself, there will simply be nothing but pure discipline. A new leaf if you will has been turned. However, I have to prove it first. Prove it to myself and to those that have kept up and read my journal. They may say they have seen this before and they would be correct and if anyone reading this has doubts about ability and devotion to doing things the right way those doubts are warranted. But I'll prove it to you and to myself. Just keep reading, and I know i will make you proud and I'll make me proud of myself.

So with $228 I am committing $200 to cash games at the level of .25/.50 which gives me a nice comfortable roll of 400 big bets. The other $28 I am going to try and make a run at limit SNG's since I do better in them than anything. Played my first 5 while writing this entry. Finished 1st in 2 and out of the money in 3. hmmmm need to improve on that. I understand that a SNG bankroll is supposed to be 20 SNG's, but this is just something I want to try with the extra $28. My schedule for limit increases in the cash games are listed below.

Bankroll Limit

$200 .25/.50

$400 .50/$1

$800 $1/$2

$1600 $2/$4

$2800 $3/$6

$4800 $5/$10

I will try each new level for 200 big bets and then drop down if need be, but I will never look on it as failure. Simple reassessment. Overall I think taking the day off from poker was a good thing. It gave me a chance to look deep into myself. I didn't like what I was seeing, but now, I like it. I like what I see within me a lot more than I did when I woke up this morning.

Good luck dude, Im shure i speak for all of us when i say I hope you make it to where you want to be, mentally and bankrollwise. Study up, dont tiltl, and whatever you do, dont listen to poker advice from me!

Week 18 Complete


Not really a lot to report as I have made 2 or 3 journal entries this week. The SNG experiment is not progressing well at all. Granted I only gave myself a 5 SNG bankroll to work with as the rest of the money is reserved for my .25/.50 ring games, but I thought I would either bust out quick or make a nice profit. This has not been the case. I have played 26 Limit SNG's and only been in the money in 8 of them which equals 30.77%. Far lower than the 40-50% range I need to be profitable. At this juncture I am down $12.50 in the SNG's, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Poker Tracker numbers look good with a VPIP of 14.34% in the $20?$40 level and the VPIP only goes up slightlyfrom there as would be expected. I have finished 4th only 4 times so it's not as though I am having problems when I am on the bubble. It is really irritating not knowing the why of it all. I have room for 3 more buy-ins give or take a few cents.

My .25/.50 play was limited as I have been concentrating on the Sit and Go's most of the time and I only recorded a couple of sessions with only 84 hands played. I am down $2.70. Current bankroll figures are as follows:

Total: $213.02

Cash games:$197.30

SNG's $15.72

I will use the half a buck needed to give me 3 more SNG's and hopefully in the next 3 I can pull into the money in at least 2 of them, but for this to continue much longer I am going to have to bring that In The Money percentage up at least into the high 40's.

Its been great reading your journal, thanks.

For what it is worth I thought I would put in my 2 cents on the whole BR and playing thing. I am currently playing with the aim fo playing pro for a few months when I move to America. Since I know this is going to happen I am trying to put myself in the conditions that will make that work. This means I am bullet proofing my game as much as possible but also thinking about how I am going to manage myself.

I have decided not to bother with hour targets. I am instead going to merely try to play 20 days of the month. How long I play roughly depends on me since I have sat down at a table for 20 minutes, won $120 odd and thought "sweet, off to the pub". Other times I have put in maybe 6 hours. I have set myself earning targets though since I want to get used to having pressure on me since going pro means there is that pressure, how you deal with it is what counts. I play $100NL so I have set my target as being $40 a day, $800 per month. Since I will include bonus' in this I don't see this as being impossible.

As far as you BR is concerned it, how you run it is really up to you. I agree with your idea of seperating a certain number when you take your shot at a higher level. I did this when I make the move to $100NL and for about the only timer ever I hit a hot streak and solidified my BR for this level. Had I lost though I would have gone straight back hopefully better for the experiance. As Kenny and Mecos have said, you know your situation so whether you play higher and reload or play within your limits and work up it down to you. Since you seem to think deeply about this I am sure you will make the right decisions for you. So long as you make sure that the money you are playing with isn't going to be scared money and prevent your A-game all is well.

Good luck and look forward to hearing how things go.

Rich