How did you get where you current are?

DavidC · #1 10-13-2005, 02:59 AM

Hey guys,

I'd like to hear about how some of you got to your current place in your poker careers. Things like what you studied, things that helped you learn, bankroll management stuff, whatever you feel you can contribute, would be helpful.

If this has already been done, I'm sorry.

If not, this would be a great opportunity for me to learn something about you guys, get some ideas about how to plan my development as a player, and something to post a link to in the micros. Perhaps some of the players here would also benefit from this discussion... I'm not sure.

--Dave.

CardSharpCook · #2 10-13-2005, 03:29 AM

I got here in a funny way. My Culinary buddies all told me I was a natural NL player - tournies especially. Hell, even strangers would tell me I would/did make a great NL tourney player. So a little over a year ago I put some money on PP and started playing SNGs. Wasn't too long before I was $1400!!! in the red. So I quit poker. Then I started playing 3/6 live. I recorded 5/6 positive sessions and decided I had it down. So I go back to party and start playing more. I'm $2400 ($2400!!!!) in the red before I start making it up. I'm playing 2 50 sngs and 2 5/10 tables. Well, I notice that no matter how I am doing in the SNGs, I am winning in the limit. So I turn over to limit.

I work my way up to 10/20 and then I notice this guy. He is a super tag, my PT has him at 14/10 and I respect the hell out of his bets and his play. So I come up with a list of questions I want to ask him about limit and about poker, and I send him a buddy list message asking if he wouldn't mind talking to me for a minute. He replies, "DUDE I GOT 13 TABLES GOING RIGHT NOW. NOT A GOOD TIME!!!" I give him my AIM, and he messages me later on. He introduces me to 4+ tabling and to 2+2. On the tables, he notices donkish moves I make and corrects me. I owe that guy a lot.

I win a little tourney called the Sunday Stars 350K which helps me move up to 15/30 permenantly (I had been bouncing back and forth before). 3months later I'm making about twice as much per week in 10 hours of poker as I am in 40 hours of cooking. So I quit cooking in May. Now it is full time poker and my wallet couldn't thank me enough. I miss cooking terribly though. I am a happy person when I cook. I will go back to it after a while.

As far as books, sure I've read the usuals and they have helped a little, but mostly I learned from intuition, experience, these boards, and that guy. During my SNG days, I would write down all the "poker rules" I learned. This helped me think about what I was doing.

Anyway, if you find something in there that helps, that's awesome. It may just be me rambling.

DcifrThs · #3 10-13-2005, 03:35 AM

ha.

i tripped and fell. i arise in may. 2006.

Barron

smurfitup · #4 10-13-2005, 03:48 AM

i started playing a couple years ago at the club at my school.. break-even player at best... i would play 3-6 at hollywood park and i usually won by virtue of being the tighest player at the table... unfortunately, i've never had good bankroll management, but over summer i won about 25k in tournies and built up the br to play 20-40... i've read almost all 2+2 books and i'm a huuuge lurker on 2+2... i'm trying to post more because i know that'll help my game improve a lot.

mc123 · #5 10-13-2005, 04:04 AM

started going to casino right before my 19th birthday, played house games at first lots of blackjack and bacarat.

played home games with friends at home with pennies and dimes while drinking whiskey, and eventually started playing 4-8 live.

became a winning player, moved up to 10-20 live where i broke even. Then one fine day bought in $50 with my credit card online about 1 1/2 years ago and since then haven't looked back.

TaintedRogue · #6 10-13-2005, 05:25 AM

Sounds like you're writing a book..........have a title yet?

Jeff W · #7 10-13-2005, 05:28 AM

[ QUOTE ]
have a title yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

Enjoy!

DavidC · #8 10-13-2005, 06:01 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
have a title yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

Enjoy!

[/ QUOTE ]

That has a nice ring to it...

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bugstud · #9 10-13-2005, 06:54 AM

Alright, the brief version. Start playing frosh year, $5 games. Quickly notice one guy never loses. See him play online. Move in with him soph year and start playing online on his poker.com (haaaaahahahaha) account, then UB. I win lots of little multis, buy pizza, life is good. Start running hot in limit, cash out a grand, leave 2k online to play 5/10. Lose all that, start grinding with the 1k left on my own accounts. This during the 3/6 heyday where if I keep that 2k I probably progress a lot faster. Anyway, eventually get to 5/10 6 max and have to cash out almost everything for "other reasons" in life. Get staked by roommate for 5/10 on party and UB. Run 3k on UB to -500, then take over a plo8 mtt I think and win it, give the guy 200 and take 500 to a 5/10 6 max table. win 1250 that night, start running the stake back up. I take a shot at the 30 on ub when all my 10/20 fish are in it with 10k, win like 5k? or something absurd, "never look back". Run it up to 60k, drop to 30k, cash out and we chop it up. I start playing 10/20 6 max, get second in the party sat 200k tourney two weekends in a row for 58k and all of the sudden have a real bankroll. Kinda stagnated ever since and been bouncing around in limit and whatnot.

nokia1566 · #10 10-13-2005, 07:23 AM

Been playing for a little over a year. Started by ordering Internet Texas Hold Em by Matthew Hilger and went straight to 3/6 and 5/10 after only about a month of playing lower limits like .50/1 and 1/2. I ran up to about 12k in a couple months and then took a shot at the Party 15/30 and got lucky and ran good and made 15k in 1 week. From there I played a bunch of 5/10-15/30 short with mixed results (broke even for a couple months) until I gained more experiance and read books like Sklanskys Hold em for advanced players. After that I was able to run my 20k roll up to about 55k (which was when I got off from school for summer vacation, I'm a freshman in college). From there I went on Pokerstars and UB and played anywhere from 30/60 to 150/300, mostly playing 30/60-80/160 and taking occasional shots at 100/200 and 150/300. I also went to Turning Stone Casino (only option since I am 19) during a big tournament week and ran pretty good in the cash games there (made like 10% of my roll there that week). I did OK online and today I am sitting on 90k after my first year. Despite all of the higher limit cash games I've tried out and played since I started, they are really stressful (with huge swings, especially online) and I find myself more attracted to tournaments and learning how to become a strong tourny player (for which I'd suggest both of Harrington's books).