My return to poker

Hi all,

Some of the old timers may remember me but most probably don't know. It has been over 2 years since I last played or participated in this forum. As I look back on things, a lot has become very clear. I tried to start a BR a few times with a few hundred dollars but ultimately lost it all. The biggest reason was simply life. My life was in shambles and I was in the midst of losing my small business...not exactly the best mindset to be disciplined in poker.

Things are a lot better today however....I did lose my business but I now have a state job with a solid retirement. Finances are not great but were a lot worse....so now that I'm more stable, I'm giving poker another shot. I started with a small $20 deposit on Pokerstars about a week ago and am now up to $36...not a bad start. My discipline has been pretty good..but when its not...I SEE it and back off immediately. For me, that's so important! I'm doing $1 knockout SnG's (man I love them!) with one ring game on the side. I usually switch between PLO and NLHE .01/.02 I play one until I lose my buy in and then go back to the other. I've been true to my TAG nature and so far so good. I find that in NLHE ring games, I'm a lot more aggressive than normal so that's something to work on. That's about it. I'm looking forward to a few more buck so I can do $2 SNG's while ensuring I never put over 5% of my BR in any one event.

Welcome back and good luck this time!

Good to have you back. Always nice to see a familar "face".

Sounds like a solid return, GL and stick to yr BRM! Welcome back also...

Welcome back and gl gl gl I think you'll find a lot has changed with Online Poker since you've been gone. Again gl gl gl

Welcome back! and.. yes for sure.. it can be difficult to play one's best with a bunch of stuff goin' on.

Wishing you a successful journey.

i belive that in life the only sure thing you cant count on is change..so im glad you didnt let life get you down. Good luck in your poker adventures

Welcome back, and nice start to your new BR almost doubling up your BR. I wish you the best of luck.

Welcome back, good luck & enjoy.

Welcome Back, Hope you crush the tables, take it nice and slow

Thanks very kindly to all who responded. I certainly intend on doing it slow and (hopefully) correct. I was reading a post about a college student who took a small amount and recently checked back in with a 25K BR...I could only dream. I guess its nice to just play to enjoy playing...I used to be so angry when I got a bad beat...my mentality was life sucks AND poker sucks....that's so poor for good performance..not to mention tilt :O

Off to the tables I go to try and grow my BR!

I hope that everything will be better for you this time around. Keep to the strict bankroll management and it SHOULD. Keep all of us updated on your progress. Hope to hear more soon.

Small update; things are going well and the BR has approached nearly $50 now. I'm on one of those hot streaks where everything seems to be going right. As much as I'm enjoying this, the reality is that a rough patch is on the horizon...so I'm mentally preparing myself for the inevitable run of bad beats.

I have focused on getting tighter in the ring games and that has gone well. There is so much money available there if you sit back and wait for it. I've watched people go all in with garbage and get crushed by decent hands. Most of the time, I sit back, identify the players who like to get "crushed", and wait for my opportunity.

One final thing I'd like to touch on. There have been a few threads that have mentioned sticking with SnG's or ring games specifically. The theory is that you'll focus on one game and improve your proficiency. I understand the theory BUT I always have one ring game on during my SNG. It allows me to stay disciplined and only play the hands I want to play...not play something because I've been card dead and am tired of folding...that leads to trouble and tough decisions. Obviously, if I'm having a good run in the SNG, as I get closer to the money, I sit out the ring game and focus on the SNG. Just my .02 on this