"Where are you now" Micros thread

[JerseyTom]

I've only been playing for about 1 1/2 years (like many). Did a lot of bonus whoring the second half of last year, playing mostly 1/2 full and 1/2 6-max on Party.

Had to take a long break back in March; I was spending almost all of my free time playing. It was too much - I wasn't exercising as regularly as I had been and it was starting to affect some of my relationships. Didn't play again until late May, easing back into things slowly as I rebuilt my bankroll from scratch (I withdrew everything in March to use as a down payment on a new car.)

Now I'm playing 2/4 while still dabbling in 1/2 6-max (I don't think my shorthanded play is very good yet) and O8 (quite possibly the best game ever). I probably play only about 2K hands per month now, which I think is about right.


Tom

[detruncate]

Thanks for this. It's been a while since I went this far back in my journal. It's easy to forget how much things have changed.

Last year I had just aborted a move to 1/2, and had decided to learn to play more than 2 tables instead (in preparation for a planned jump to 2/4 as soon as I was rolled and ready). I was writing about being comfortable 4-tabling .5/1, and about how much the new revelation of autorate rules + a gametime window for each table were welcome multitabling tools -- funny given all the HUD talk lately.

I was trying to set up neteller (wow) and freaking out a bit because I needed to get some money into my bank account ASAP. I was a bit more comfortable with my "learn to play poker profitably before going broke" project after the surprising revelation that I could hit my short term min monthly $ requirements at .5/1 if I was willing to play a lot of hands. Optimistic again after recovering from the disappointment of my failed move to 1/2. Looking forward to a little less stress. About to have a spirit crushing month.

A year later most of the financial pressure is gone. For now, anyway. I'm a little pissed off at myself for not playing enough lately, but not too worried about it. Perhaps not worried enough about it. I'm starting to put in a few more hands at 2/4 full again and probably won't get much futher until I find some more consistent motivation + confidence (and/or it starts snowing). Getting bitch slapped by variance and playing more poorly than I'd like at the moment, but generally ok with how things are going.

And last night I actually spent a little time writing for the first time in far too long. This is more important than it sounds -- giving myself the opportunity to spend buckets full of time time writing was a huge part of my decision to learn how to play poker in the first place.

[KingOtter]

Hmm... my last year...

Last August I really had only played play money on Pacific. I played with it pretty seriously, and had built up the free $1000 they give you to like $14000, playing various games but mostly hold'em. I preferred the SnG's, and I played some 7-card. I was very nervous to start playing with real money, but I had heard that a co-worker played for real money. About October I deposited my first $50 at Pacific. I mostly played SnG's to start with, and played by the seat of my pants. After having quite a bit of success I started taking money out in order to buy books to find out what I should be doing. I read about limit (I had always avoided limit, I hated it) and started playing it. My first book was Ken Warren's book. I liked it well enough, but felt really stifled.

So I got Phil Hellmuth's book. That felt better... a little more aggressive, but I still felt a bit lost. Like the books just told me to do stuff and I had a hard time knowing why I was doing it. My bankroll was starting to dwindle a bit.

So I went back to the bookstore. And there I sat, with SSH in one hand and Brunson's Super System in the other. I didn't really like the idea of a 'system'. I just wanted to play poker, and Doyle's book really only seemed to have one chapter for what I was playing, so I chose SSH.

By Christmas I had moved from Pacific to Paradise to play .25/.50 on more than one table, and then I moved from Paradise to Party to play .5/1, since that's where everyone seemed to play. I immediately took a nose-dive at Party (I'm sure people still my remember my 'Party is destroying me' posts), and kept waffling and going back to Paradise where I could win. Finally I got tired of whining, cashed out of Paradise, moved it all over to Party to play .5/1.

I'm now about 20k into 1/2, and am eyeing 2/4. Financial pressures keep dwindling my bankroll, but I'm just glad I have the poker money to fall back on. I don't know what I would have done in the past 8 months without my poker earnings. I'd be seriously up a creek.

I'm also a lucky-if-I-hit-10k a month player.

KO

[PokerBob]

I have taken a one year leave of absence from my job and gone pro......I currently play 10/20 6max 4-tables

[BluEsiNsOuL]

[ QUOTE ]

I'm currently stuck in a no man's land.

My roll is way too big for .5/1 or 1/2 but my game and my emotionally stability is not ready for 2/4 or greater.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm right there with ya.

[shadow.]

November of 2004 I started playing at Party .5/1, moved up to 1/2 around the first or second week of December (10k hands). Maybe earlier. Played 1/2 until January, when I moved up to 2/4. Played 830 hands and lost a lot of money (relatively). Moved down to 1/2 short, played for like 6k hands there, then went back up to 2/4 in February, where I played there until June of this year. I only played 15k hands in this time; school took priority. This summer I played waay too much at 3/6 short. I made a ton of cash. Like a ton, but I got burned out. Mega burned out. I also played 5/10 and 10/20 live (played a lot like .5/1, actually).

My game still needs a bit of work before moving up to 5/10 short. Blind defense, mainly. That stuff is difficult. Also, I'd like to get a better grasp on the mathematics of combinatorics, etc. before I move up. A few things were just starting to click a few weeks ago, but that's when I stopped playing. I withdrew everything from poker sites to Neteller, put a lot of money into my checking account.

Might as well come out of the closet now (not in a BigSteve way, though). I'm a freshman in college now. Davidson College, as might be surmised by my location, which is one of the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the States. I'm really smart. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I hope that I've built up enough street cred not to be dismissed outright because of my age and I hope that many of you don't change your opinion of me because of my age. I try not to act my age here, and with the exception of a few posts, I think I've accomplished that.

Anyway, I'm on indefinite sabbatical now. Right now, I'm bascially studying (not enough though), working on my pool game in the student union, getting drunk, and hitting on ugly chicks whilst intoxicated. In short, thoroughly enjoying my college experience. I envision returning to playing cards in the fall. Perhaps around November or so. Or maybe I'll return in mid-September, and hope to move up by November. Depends on school, really.

I'm not sure if any of you care about my story, but I figured that this opportunity is as good as any to come clean about my age. A couple of y'all knew, but whatever.

I leave you with three things:

1) I really rock at poker.
2) (Collective) You play too tight and too passive.
3) Poker is gay.

Later,

John

[V4P]

I thought you were like 33

[Kneel B4 Zod]

I'm glad online poker wasn't around when I was in college. Granted, I spent a lot of time playing video games (see avatar) but almost always in a hanging out/drinking game environment. not in the shut-in, anti-social world that is online poker.

as others have said, your priority should be enjoying college.

have fun...I know I'm jealous...

[Grunch]

I knew you were younger, I figured 20. I had respect for you then, and I still do.

[KingOtter]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm glad online poker wasn't around when I was in college. Granted, I spent a lot of time playing video games (see avatar) but almost always in a hanging out/drinking game environment. not in the shut-in, anti-social world that is online poker.

as others have said, your priority should be enjoying college.

have fun...I know I'm jealous...

[/ QUOTE ]

Me, too. Or MMORPGs. I played a lot of poker in college with dorm guys and fraternity brothers (the little sisters had posted a sign on my door that said 'I'd rather be playing poker'. I still have that sign) but I didn't make any money at it, that I recall.

KO