Starting Over

[cryallyouwant]

Hi all,

Let me introduce myself. I started playing poker early last year. I only played for about 4 months then I quit. I was never a winning player due to several obvious reasons that I'm sure some of you can relate. I was never a student of bankroll management. I would deposit a twenty, play NL10, bring the roll up to $100, then play NL100, win a couple of buy-ins and poof, we all know how the story ends. This happened to me several times. I even invested in Pokertracker but hey, what was the point. Never used it. Clever me right? I also joined CR but hey, those videos never help right? So in the end after the frustration and all that goes with it, I decided to quit. That was then, and this in now.

I've decided to take this game seriously. I need help. I've been working on a personal project but unfortunately haven't been able to finish it because of my 9-5 job. I've decided to take 6 months off starting next May and get a part-time job. I'm hoping that by May, I will be able to play 5/10 live ( I live in Los Angeles.)

Here is my plan so far. Please fill free to chime in.

1. Deposit $200 at Fulltilt or Pokerstars.

2. Learn how to use Pokertracker.

3. Practice bankroll management religiously.

4. I'll start playing NL10 until I reach thirty $25 buy-ins. Play the NL25 until I reach thirty $50 buy-ins. My first question is - I've never really paid too much attention to winrate stats. What is the winrate that I should be content with before moving up?

5. My next question is - In order for me to beat the 5/10 live game here in Los Angeles, which stakes should I be beating online? I've played live before at Hollywood Park and actually won on all those occasions (about 4 in total playing the 1/2 $40 buy-in.)

Is this something that I can achieve in 7 months meaning is it enough time to make the roll that I need for the 5/10 live games?

Thanks.

[RyverRat]

at the lower levels NL10 obviously higher winrates are possible. If you have a winrate of +5 ptbb/100 then that is good. remember the ptbb is the bigblind x2. so a 5ptbb/100 at $.50/$1 game = 5 ($1 x 2) = $10 per 100 playing 1 table.

You can then work out how long this will take to get to your 30 x $25 buyins. but obviuosly you need to know your winrate to work this out and this only comes with playing.

Atleast you can understand why you went bust. BR management is key. You wont get rich overnight so it has to be a stuctured increase in levels as you have laid out.

There are a few posts on 2p2 on understanding PokerTracker. I find it critical to spotting bad players and helping me make my decisions. Get PAHud to overlay those numbers onto the tables you are playing.

i havent played much live cash but im guessing live 5/10 is the same as only 1/2 ?

Another note is remember the play at those levels is loose. just play ABC poker and do nothing fancy. They are level 1 thinkers there and wont see your play as to how you are showing it. ABC poker works there.

good luck

[basementproject]

1. @ Stars.

2. PT is really easy to use and very helpful. However if you aren't going to use it, you're right, there is no point in having it. Make it a nightly ritual to review ALL your sessions. Check over your losing tables, see which hands screwed you over, replay them and find out why. Plug the leaks right there and then. Might I suggest a HUD as well, once you get to 50NL.

3. Easier said than done, 'specially for repeat offenders, but... Yes, good plan.

4. A lot of people say 7-10bb/100h. In my experience +10bb/100 is sustainable at 10NL, atleast on Stars. Anything over 25bb/100 is generally insane and/or unsustainable.

5. Seriously? $25NL. B&M is always a joke if you have discipline.

Re: 7 months. It depends how many hands you play in that time.

Desired Bankroll=(((running winrate BB per 100)*(BB))/100))*X

Play 10,000 hands, then solve for X to figure out how many hands you'll need to play to make 20k.

i.e.

1000=((10*.05)/100)*X
1000=.005*X
200,000=X

I need to play 200,000 hands at 5NL running @ 10bb/100h to make 100k.

Average tables play 85 hands per hour, let's say. I play 9 tables at once. That's 765 hands an hour.

200,000/765 = 261 hours I need to 9-table 5NL to make a grand @ 10BB/100h.

etc.

Hope this helps.

[cryallyouwant]

Thanks RyverRat and basementproject. I do appreciate your input. I also have to get a 23" LCD monitor to use with my laptop so I can multi-table.

I was just reading about Pokermods. Can I use that on my 15" laptop? I've had a problem in the past multi-tabling because of the small screen.

Thanks

[basementproject]

Pokermods, like the skins you can put on Party tables?

I don't think they're hardware specific. You can use 'em on any kinda computer.

[Scuba Chuck]

Cryallyouwant,

I think your goals are random and very likely to lead to disappointment. They are too vague. I wouldn't be surprised if this affects other parts of your life. Your story reflects a lack of discipline. Poker is gambling and risk. If you want to be profitable when dealing with risk, you have to have discipline.

So how can we be better about setting goals? Focus more on things you can control. This should be emphasized. You cannot control results, you can control what you do, and how you do it. An example, I would focus more on how you manage your time. Perhaps things like, I will spend 2 hours a week learning (not dinking around - but reading FAQ, using PT's forum, etc) how to use PT for one month (then re-evaluate how you spend this time). Another one is to spend 10 hours per week playing poker. Again, spend 10 hours per week studying poker, posting hands, responding to hands by asking questions, reading books, cardrunners, etc. I hope this helps.

This approach will better help you realize your goals. In addition it will help you structure your life. I would specifically schedule my time each week to reach the goals that you set for yourself. In the end, IMO, it will provide you with more self-satisfaction.

To the New, Aspiring Player. I responded in this post (wow, 2 years ago now) about how I think the challenges of golf and poker are similar. There is so much to learn in poker, that there are constantly reasons for you to move back down to redevelop/learn skills at a cheaper price.

Be humble and patient. GL, Scuba