A few things I have learned in the year I have been playing

1) Playing cards isn't supposed to be gambling
2) I was the fish!!!!!!!!
3) I tried to make small hands into big hands and didn't wait for them to come to me
4) I really should purchase Poker Tracker..................
5) I need to quit moving up levels trying to make my money back quickly. Turning small losses into large ones......

My main objective of this journal will be to help grow as a Poker player which I hope in turn helps me make a little coin on the way.

Poker is a marathon and not a sprint..........

Well with the Xmas Holiday haven't had a chance to do a lot of hours playing. I think I have logged about 6 hours now. Up about $50.00 playing at 25NL mostly and a bit at $50.00. I feel my game is really coming along. I really need to get over this feeling of dread when I am just sitting down now. For some reason I feel that since I have been on a good run for sometime now (about two weeks) everything is going to come to crashing halt. We will have to see..... Some really good signs I am reading my opponents a lot better. A few times all I have had to do is raise just a bit and take down some pots. And if they call or raise back I know that I can get away from the hand. Over all I am very happy with my play. Staying away from the tournies has really helped I think. I am will over where I wanted to end the month of DEC. Maybe that is why I am so apprehensive in playing so much, that and the wife has been on me about playing so much. Oh well if she wasn't complaining about this it would be something else
Can't Win no matter what but that is for a different time.

Well its a new year. Wish I could say 2005 was profitable but it wasn't. Did end on a really good month that I hope contiues in to 2006. I have been very succesfull so far at the 50NL and 100NLs and don't plan on moving up for awhile. The reason for this sucess is staying away from the tournies and limit games. Playing a varitey of hands and bowing out of hands when the betting becomes just a gamble. I also think that my bank roll strategy is really working. Starting at one table and pulling up another table after I have seen a few hands. Plus I have been getting out and walking away once I hit what I think is a reasonable profit for the time playing. So far so good. Suited connectors and flush draws so far have seen like the biggest pots that I have won. TPTK are hands that I have been hands I seem not to be able to get away from. Will need to work on that a bit more.

Will I finally am posting my first losing session. But I am very happy with my play. I got sucked out on an all in bet by a guy that I knew was bluffing. A/Q to his A/10 and he hit a ten on the river. I did everything right. Reraised him preflop and when all in knowing he didnt have anything. I asked him how he could justify calling a $110.00 dollar bet he said he put me on QQ and it was a race situation. I stayed and played a while longer but I just wasn't mentally in the game any longer. Total lost for the day $90.00. I hope I meet that guy again and he makes that call again :0) Man what a terrible suck out. 3 outs and he calls. But overall I am very happy with my play. Although I did tilt a bit after this it wasn't for my whole bank roll as it has been in the past. I am gaining more and more confidence in figuring out what the other players are doing. I have made some moves that I was really happy with and although the pots aren't rolling in I know its just a matter of time when I am doubling and tripling my buy in when I sit down. One leak is I need to stop playing low suited cards out of position it is really killing me the most I belive.

Allstar is right.....

This was just an experiment not only to take some of my profits and make them into a large stack that I could take to Vegas with me this weekend and to see how I really matched up against the big guns. It wasn't dipping into my original stack and I went in with the mind set if I lost it I would be right back where I was with my 2k to start building it back up. I figured with the successes I have had over the last 6 weeks the more I could make the better knowing that a downward turn might be just around the corner (or not lets hope) Anyway I am going to post what I know to be my biggest leak and see what advice BTP members can give me.

Allstar you won't have to warn me again...... No more 5/10NL until I get the 10k bankroll.