Let's build some bankroll - who's with me?

[Wonka22]

first day

Been Playing MTTs, SNGs. I NEVER EVER PLAY ring...I just cannot play that type of poker.

Today, I played a 1 dollar MTT, made a little. the 50 cent Tourney, not ITM. ITM in the 25 cent tourney. Played 2 1 dollar SNGs didn't make the money in one, 3rd in the other, I believe that's how it went down today. I don't take notes but I should. Maybe this can be a good start to that.

day 0 100% 220.00
Day 1 100% 221.38


I've been getting to the money alot lately, I actually started with 237 dollars that I won by winning 1 dollar on the Negreanu tourney, then played a 50 cent and won that tourney. So, I'm actually behind, but, I didn't start until today!! LOL

Until Tomorrow!!

 

[Cheetah]

Been Playing MTTs, SNGs. I NEVER EVER PLAY ring...I just cannot play that type of poker.

Today, I played a 1 dollar MTT, made a little. the 50 cent Tourney, not ITM. ITM in the 25 cent tourney. Played 2 1 dollar SNGs didn't make the money in one, 3rd in the other, I believe that's how it went down today. I don't take notes but I should. Maybe this can be a good start to that.

day 0 100% 220.00
Day 1 100% 221.38


I've been getting to the money alot lately, I actually started with 237 dollars that I won by winning 1 dollar on the Negreanu tourney, then played a 50 cent and won that tourney. So, I'm actually behind, but, I didn't start until today!! LOL

Until Tomorrow!!

Tomorrow never begins before today

Please post your results. You will only get positive feedback from Chris(who started all this) and anyone else in this thread. Should that not be the case, leave it to me I have claws to scratch with

 

[Chris_TC]

This is where I am at now. I can start from day 12 if you want. I actually started on Oct 24th, but I dont have the time to play everyday so I just counted each day I played as one day. Let me know if this is ok? I created a chart also.

Since you have the data, just keep adding from here, this is perfectly alright. And thanks for joining in!

I dont feel the players are much better in the 20s but it seems like I get alot of bad beats there. What do you think of the 2/10 record so far? You agree I should drop down?

I've played a lot of SNGs to date, and sometimes I still have trouble accepting how swingy they can be. 10 tournaments means nothing. I've had streaks of losing 15 SNGs in a row.

In my experience, the players don't really get that much better as the buy-ins increase (just yesterday in a $100 SNG someone doubled me up in the second hand with Queen high vs. my trips).
If you're profitable in the $10 SNGs, then there's no reason why you won't be profitable in the $20 ones. Just make sure that you're comfortable with the buy-in, but considering your bankroll I don't think you have anything to worry about.
At the same time however, I don't know your bankroll management rules. NEVER VIOLATE THEM NO MATTER WHAT!

Of course, the ideal is unachievable so we all have to live with our emotions when our bankroll dwindles despite our best game. This is what makes poker so difficult. We don't necessarily have a positive feedback when we play well. Sometimes we play our best game, and we are "punished". Other times, the opposite is true.

This is something I'm still working on very hard. By now, I have my play under control to a point where I don't "blow up" after a series of beats like I used to.
But while it doesn't affect my play anymore, it still tends to affect me emotionally i.e. gets me in a bad mood. I think that dealing with bad runs is the single most difficult thing in poker, and it's also the one hurdle a lot of players don't overcome.

I hope this thread is a help to anyone following it because it'll prove that bad runs can be overcome and that dips in the graph are not the end of the world.

day 0 100% 220.00
Day 1 100% 221.38

Thanks for joining in!

 

[Boltneck]

This is something I'm still working on very hard. By now, I have my play under control to a point where I don't "blow up" after a series of beats like I used to.
But while it doesn't affect my play anymore, it still tends to affect me emotionally i.e. gets me in a bad mood. I think that dealing with bad runs is the single most difficult thing in poker, and it's also the one hurdle a lot of players don't overcome.

I hope this thread is a help to anyone following it because it'll prove that bad runs can be overcome and that dips in the graph are not the end of the world.

I'm glad that the subject of dealing with downswings has cropped up. I've suffered them, which is why I decided to restart my poker playing experience to coincide with this thread. I have suffered any significant down turn yet since this thread started, but when it does I am not sure how well I will cope with it.

I can be as patient as a saint when sitting at a poker table - if I get dealt a horrendous series of crap hands, I never loose my patience and play at stuff that I know that I shouldn't. However, when 2 or 3 loosing sessions come my way, that saint like patience deserts me - big time. Stick around chaps - it's bound to happen soon!

Boltneck

 

[Wonka22]

Well, today I'm going to first play the 500 dollar 10 FPP point freeroll on PS, I cashed there yesterday going to try to go deeper today.

Then I think I'll play a few SNGs while waiting for the Negreanu tourney, and then probably hit up the 50 cent tourney on PS.

 

[haystack]

thats a good way to keep track of what is really going on it is a good idea

 

[wsorbust]

I have nothing really to report, partly because I went to see Beowolf at the Imax and hardly played. I'll try to fix that graph too. cyas.

Progress:

Day 13 : 116%
Day 14 : -%
Day 15 : -%
Day 16 : 180%
Day 17 : 180%

 

[Boltneck]

Day 19: 212% (279.07)
Day 20: 216% (284.07)
Day 21: 246% (324.09)

There can’t be too many more pleasant things than knowing you played your A game, and you didn’t get a single suckout of consequence. That said, neither did I get any outrageous good fortune. If only all days were this good (from a poker playing perspective) I would be a very happy guy!

Boltneck.

 

[wsorbust]

After some decent ringage, I decided to play a few sitngos.
I'd rather not explain in full detail, but, for the first sitngo I ended up in second, when I should have came out with first. Then the second went the other way. I took first when all odds were against me, and should have taken second. Sharkscope has me as "Super Hot" because of my 7 game ITM streak. Let's see how long it can go for. I hadn't realized how long some of them can actually last until I started playing them extremely seriously. Good luck to the new entrants into the thread. Ciao.

Progress:

Day 16 : 180%
Day 17 : 180%
Day 18 : 198%

 

[Boltneck]

Day 20: 216% (284.07)
Day 21: 246% (324.09)
Day 22: 249% (328.58)

Only had time for a few hands today. I don’t normally play unless I have at least a couple of hours to spare, but the situation was rather out of my hands. Pretty much a non event.

Boltneck

 

[Chris_TC]

Progress Update

Day 21: 268% ($5,353)
Day 22: 270% ($5,395)
Day 23: 291% ($5,813)

I've not played any SNGs over the past two days, I'm only playing $1/$2 NL cash right now.
Hopefully I can finally crack 6K for good and not look back. Fingers crossed.

 

[Wonka22]

day 0 100% 220.00
Day 1 100% 221.38
Day 2 98% 216.54

Finished ITM in the ten cent tourney, nothing else yesterday.

 

[skd1337]

Been Playing MTTs, SNGs. I NEVER EVER PLAY ring...I just cannot play that type of poker.

Today, I played a 1 dollar MTT, made a little. the 50 cent Tourney, not ITM. ITM in the 25 cent tourney. Played 2 1 dollar SNGs didn't make the money in one, 3rd in the other, I believe that's how it went down today. I don't take notes but I should. Maybe this can be a good start to that.

day 0 100% 220.00
Day 1 100% 221.38


I've been getting to the money alot lately, I actually started with 237 dollars that I won by winning 1 dollar on the Negreanu tourney, then played a 50 cent and won that tourney. So, I'm actually behind, but, I didn't start until today!! LOL

Until Tomorrow!!

just a quick question... why are you playing such low stakes? Your bankroll can easily cover $5 sit and go's (almost $10 SnG's) and anything around $4 MTT. Is it a comfort thing?

 

[Wonka22]

I get really donkish at times, but I am going to play a 4+.40 later tonight.

As much as I preach patience, I think I lose mine at times...LOL

 

[wsorbust]

Well, the streak continues after finishing two sitngos for the day, making it 9 straight ITMs. I overcame the chip leader in the first sitngo I played, heads up, only to cripple myself when my A10 didn't crack his pocket 2's. Probably not the greatest play I've made. I'd take it back if I could.

This streak is definitely messing with me now. I'm playing probably too tight and cautious, causing me to get pushed around slightly. The second sitngo I came in 3rd. My re-raise with AK pre caused it to not catch anything against someone's all-in pocket 3's. The first table seemed to disheartened me more because I was close to taking it, and at the second table, I was surrounded by foreigners. A couple from Germany, I'm not sure about the others. There didn't seem any Americans locations under their names. No one chatted either, surprisingly. Probably the toughest table yet.

Ring play just doesn't seem where it's at anymore. Especially after looking at Chuckts downward 7 day graph. Ups and downs constantly. Some left and rights also, if you catch my drift. I guess it's easy to say when I'm on such a tear at the Sitngos, also. Happy Thanksgiving Americans. Happy Boxing Day Canadians, though I'm not sure exactly when it is, I remember it to be relatively close to that of Turkey Day. Pick up the new Angels and Airwaves cd kids. It's rad.

Progress Update:

Day 16 : 180%
Day 17 : 180%
Day 18 : 198%
Day 19 : 206%

 

[Boltneck]

Hey Chris - you've commented a couple of times about the psychological $6000 barrier. Have you considered that it may be having an effect (subconsciously or otherwise) on the way that you play?

The reason that I ask is because it got me thinking about something that happened to me a while back. I had come back from a very large defecit and was a couple of BB's ahead. I had other things that needed to be done, and had decided to leave the game when my next big blind came around. It's trrivial, and stupid I know, but was determined to finish the day in front having come back from such a huge defecit so was playing as tight as a camels **** in a sand storm (to be honest I might as well have left the game).

Although the example I quote is trivial, the point is not. It's important to maintain ones normal game and not play differently for reasons uncnonected with the actual poker play. However, I personally find this quite difficult sometimes.

Boltneck

 

[Chris_TC]

Hey Chris - you've commented a couple of times about the psychological $6000 barrier. Have you considered that it may be having an effect (subconsciously or otherwise) on the way that you play?
(...)
Although the example I quote is trivial, the point is not. It's important to maintain ones normal game and not play differently for reasons uncnonected with the actual poker play. However, I personally find this quite difficult sometimes.

I can confidently say that my play hasn't suffered at all. Amazingly, I've reached a point where my emotion is completely detached from my play. I can be in the worst mood due to a neverending series of beats and yet have the discipline to fold a hand that is no good. Yes, even to a guy who has stacked me twice in the last 30 minutes.

Yesterday, I lost just about every big hand I played (1,700 hands) - the only reason why my bankroll ended up with a profit was because I had cleared a bonus. Whatever I played, it just didn't seem to work, and I was steaming like crazy.
But I did fold hands like AA and KK postflop, I folded Queens several times (once preflop) and I didn't make any bad calls (the good calls of course ended up getting sucked out).
It was terrible having to lay these hands down amidst all the bad beats, but I did it anyway, and they were all good laydowns.

Then came a few hours (I 4-tabled, so I saw a lot of hands in that time) where I caught virtually no good starting hands, so I kept folding and folding and folding. I was in a terrible mood, but I forced myself to be patient.

And towards the end of the day, I finally made a few hands that held up and managed to break even. All that patience had finally paid off, and it made me feel ridiculously good just to have broken even.

I think what's very important during these tough times is to have confidence in your own play. If you know for a fact that you have been playing almost perfectly (as cocky as it sounds), then it's much easier to deal with bad beats and streaks of bad luck.

I always make sure to identify what happened in a hand. If I just lost a big pot, I'll immediately go over the hand again and find out whether my play was off. Did I make a mistake or did I just get unlucky? If I conclude that I just got unlucky, then I'll leave it at that. If I conclude that I made a mistake, then I'll keep it in mind for future situations.

What I still have to learn is to properly deal with bad luck emotionally. It's good that my play doesn't suffer, but I want to be immune to mood swings as well!

So in case you're wondering how to make your play bad-beat-proof: realize that only your A game is going to make you big profits. Giving in to your emotion is completely counterproductive.

 

[Chris_TC]

Progress Update

Day 22: 270% ($5,395)
Day 23: 291% ($5,813)
Day 24: 333% ($6,651)

Playing $1/$2, I went up to beyond $7,000 today. After that I decided to play a few SNGs and did horribly.
While most of my hands seemed to hold up in the cash games today, they didn't at all in the tournaments.

 

[wsorbust]

Anxiously wanting to see what sharkscope makes the level after "super hot" is, but, well, the ITM streak ended in the 10th after faulty play early-on. Someone hit two pair and I knew it, but I called with faulty kicker anywhoo. The pressure of the streak definitely messed with my game.

It was nice to know the ups can come just as the downs did. It definitely put me in the black again, as far as sitngos go, for my career. (Graph Below) I finished the night by taking third, then first in the last one, making a new 2 game ITM streak. I should probably not even keep track and just play my game.

I really want to thank everyone for their encouraging comments. It helped me get out of a horrible downswing, if that's what you want to call it. I would call it lost in the woods, to be honest. Lucky I made it out alive, not that my ring play wouldn't have supported it.

I'd really like to move up a level in these sitngos, since I'm doing well now, but I don't think I feel comfortable with 18 seaters or the turbos they run.



Progress Update:

Day 18 : 198%
Day 19 : 206%
Day 20 : 219%

 

[Boltneck]

Thank you for your response Chris, I have a lot to learn, and even more to master.

Boltneck

 

[Chris_TC]

I should probably not even keep track and just play my game.

I agree, you shouldn't keep track of these things. It really doesn't matter how often in a row you cash or lose. But obviously, the longer a streak the harder it becomes to ignore it.

Just to give you a rough idea of what to expect, here are my streaks after 800 Non-Turbo 10-man SNGs.



As you can see, my longest cashing streak was 6 tournaments. My longest streak of 1st places in a row was 3 tournaments which happened three times so far, and my longest losing streak was 15 tournaments.

 

[Boltneck]

Day 21: 246% (324.09)
Day 22: 249% (328.58)
Day 24: 220% (289.69)


To describe the day’s session as dreadful would be a huge understatement! My first winning hand (other than a couple of small wins where there was no flop) was hand number 121! If that was not bad enough there were four horrendous bad beats to contend with leaving me nearly 40 BB’s down after a little less than 3 hours play. My VP$IP at this point was 10.7% (about 6% below my norm – despite playing no tighter than usual) and although I was getting a reasonable number of premium hands, I either had to put most of them down. Things did improve marginally after than – it’s was mere a poor run of hands rather than dreadful!

The only positive thing that I can say is that I didn’t tilt, and remained patient and (reasonably) calm throughout. Since the recent relaunch of my poker experience, things had being going well until today. I guess this is when I will learn a little bit about myself, and my ability to deal with the downswings.

 

[Chris_TC]

The only positive thing that I can say is that I didn’t tilt, and remained patient and (reasonably) calm throughout.

That's great to hear man! If you look at your graph, you can see that it's really not that big a deal.
I know how much it sucks to spend hours and hours playing just to make a big loss. But you have to take it for what it is and start fresh tomorrow from where you're at now.
Don't make the mistake to keep thinking about your peak bankroll! Your bankroll is where it's at, and it WILL grow back to the peak and beyond. Just don't try to force things and play patiently and solidly.

To all the others: keep them coming, folks! I love reading your updates!

Progress Update

Day 23: 291% ($5,813)
Day 24: 333% ($6,651)
Day 25: 374% ($7,480)

I spent a few hours playing SNGs and ended up with just a bit of profit.
Then I played cash games for 2 hours and doubled up several times. Of course the cards were working for me, but I think I also played really well today.

A few situations off the top of my head:
I made one big river call with Queens on a fairly dangerous board. My opponent turned over 4 high for a monster bluff (he check-raised the flop, bet the turn, bet the river) and I took the pot worth over $500.

I also folded Jacks once to a large preflop reraise. Somebody else called the reraise with 77 and lost to the reraisers AA.

In another situation I got away from AK on a board of A3QJ6 (no flush possible) against Two Pair Aces and Jacks.

It just feels so awesome to end the day with a big profit. All the times when things aren't working out so well are completely forgotten on these days. They are totally worth all the hard work.

 

[Boltneck]

Day 22: 249% (328.58)
Day 24: 220% (289.69)
Day 25: 215% (283.12)

The sequence of below par hands continued where it left off yesterday, but I still managed to show a small profit until the last few hands. However, my pocket A’s were beaten by a set of 2’s then my set of J’s got rivered by a villain with QT that hit his straight. Still, I was pleased with the way I played, and resisted the urge to play on to try to get my money back. Hoping for better things tomorrow.

Boltneck

 

[wsorbust]

For the Thanksgiving break, I took some horrible beats and definitely gave some.

It seems the % of decent players coming out on the weekends/holidays outweighs the donkeys who play. I found myself in sitngos where the loosest, luckiest player at the table took the chip lead only for the other 3 or 4 people left to sit there and barley play a hand. Granted I was one of those people, and couldn't catch a decent hand to save my life, but luck would have it when I did grab something, the chip leader out kicked me or caught better by calling with "nothing". Two in a row the calling station wins out. Well, maybe not as for the tournament goes, because I didn't stick around to see who won... Very disheartening. I was having fun playing sitngos until turkey break kicked in. Bah. Now I can't say I want to play another.

Progress Update:

Day 20 : 219%
Day 18 : 210%
Day 18 : 208%