My story (also kind of long)

[sdill]

I saw aba20's post earlier today in this forum and I thought I would do one, although I am kind of on the other end of the sprectrum compared to him.

I have just started posting on the forum recently and I am ready to start my poker career over. A little about me: I started playing on Party in 2005 after reading several poker books and studying the game. I started playing $1/2 limit hold’em with just a $100 bankroll. I know, not proper BR management, but I didn’t want to play for less money that $1/2. Anyway, I started off doing pretty well, and avoided any big downswings. I started moving up limits. I was probably always underolled, but I have a high risk tolerance, and if I have to reload, then so be it. So I’m playing $5/10 LHE with about a $2,000 roll after about a year on a Party bad beat table and BAM! I’m involved in this hand. Sorry no converter, but you’ll get the gist.

I’m in the small blind with Js 9s, everyone limps, I call, BB checks
Flop 8s 10s Qs I flopped a straight flush, I of course slow play it with 5 or 6 in the hand
The flop checks around and the Turn brings 8c
I bet, everyone folds to button, who raises, I reraise, and the button calls
River 8d, I bet, button raises, I reraise, he caps.

Results
Villian Ks 8h (shows four of a king eights)
Hero Js 9s (shows straight flush)

All of a sudden a screen pops up saying I was won a piece of the bad beat jackpot (~$29,000 was my share)

OMG, that was a lot to me. So it goes on, and I play games that are way over my head. The next day, I’m playing $2,000 max buy-in PLO, big mistake. I think I dropped like $4,000 that night (twice my entire roll before the jackpot). So I think to myself, I can’t handle these type of losses, so I start playing $10/20 LHE and am getting killed because again, I am playing over my head. So I cash out a large portion on the roll (~$15,000) and pay off some bills and leave the rest in Party Poker. I continue to play on PP until U.S. players are banned. I cashed out my remaining funds (probably only $2,000) and proceed to donk off the rest of my funds on Bodog.

So I fast forward to today. I am a recreation player, playing a little online and a little live. I have around a $2k roll and am ready to get back in the game seriously after a long hiatus. I have rebuilt my game by studying and reading the 2p2 forums. I plan on getting rakeback and initially getting bonuses to help build my bankroll. I am approaching this in a business-like manner and have set some preliminary goals. Here are my preliminary goals:

1) Get rakeback on a few sites
2) Play properly rolled (I plan to deposit $1k on FTP, $500 on Stars, and $500 on Absolute to take advantage of bonuses, rakeback, etc.)
3) Play $.25/50 NL until rolled to move up and sporadically take shots at $.50/1
4) In 6 months be playing $1/2 or higher
5) Make final table of MTT with $20 or higher buyin (will enter satellites for bigger tournies)
6) Continue to study the game and improve
7) Post hands and participate in discussions on various forums
8) Develop relationships with serious poker players with whom I can discuss the game (if anyone is interested please contact me)
9) Qualify for large live tourney

These are just preliminary goals and I will continue to revise them and check them off as they occur.

I am also considering taking out a loan, maybe $4-5k to increase my roll. Assuming I can get a decent interest rate, which I know I can.

Notes: I plan on trying to play 15 – 20 hours a week, as I have a full time regular job as a CPA. I make good money on my job, but would like to make poker a form of supplemental income as I had done in the past.

I am really just looking for suggestions/advice/support from the forum on my plans.

I didn’t edit this, so sorry if it is hard to read.

Thanks