3 Months Later

Well, it has been just about 3 months since this began...

Sometime, actually it was about the middle of April, I became miserable with the thought of grinding $.1/.25 10 hours a day...when I wasn't working. I was playing anywhere from 4 to 10 tables and spinning my wheels. My play was erratic at best, ranging from robotic to maniacal; much of the time I was playing on megatilt and consistently calling off my stack.

I busted the account playing $1/2 HUNL which I was under rolled for and decided I was done. I went back to playing live and was puttering around on what seemed to be Life Tilt. I really enjoy spending my days playing cards but have not really figured out how to sustain myself. Again, when I say sustain myself I simply mean consistently building a bankroll that is large enough for me to justify the time I spend online. Which at this point is a large portion of my life.

I love my job and I have no interest in trying to play cards for a living but a nice supplemental income would be great. My boyfriend actually told me this would happen. He told me I did not have the constitution to grind online...I thought then and still think he might be right.

Anyways, I came to the conclusion (right or wrong), FOR ME, online NLHE is a very difficult game to beat right now With respect to cash game poker, Online and Live are two very different games. The skills that make me a good live player are not used in the same way when playing online and I can most effectively use these skills when playing 1 table at a time.

I have however come to the belief (again, right or wrong) that I do have an edge in a couple of spots online and I have been playing again consistently. I am playing a ton of tournaments, I think I am definitely +EV in online tournaments <500 people. I am again puttering around with a small overall return, but at least now I believe that once I figure out a consistent tournament schedule I can show a consistent ROI.

I am also trying to focus on Omaha 8, both FL & PL. It has long been my favorite game to play and I think it is the spot where I am most likely to have an edge. I thoroughly enjoy O8 tournaments and love to play FLO8, so for now this is where my focus will be but I will remain playing NL tournaments.

GG

3rd Bonus Clear

5,528 Hands.

At this point, I have been averaging about $.0182 per hand in Rake.  I believe I am in that neighborhood.

My poker tracker is way off.  I don't know what the deal is, and this makes me question the hand count as well.

In actuality, my account is negative $5.77 but PT shows me down...$30.77

2nd Bonus Clear

Just under 3,660 Hands.

Ran real bad this morning.

+$88.4 overall not icluding the bonuses.

1,013 FTP's

$2.41/100

Weird, my PT had me off by 12.34 or something before, now it is off by just over $9 the other way.  I can't figure it out.

I have also been playing some 6 max, that is where I lost the majority this morning.  Two major hands one where the other player hand to go perfect perfect to win with KT vs AK on a QQK flop, with runner, runner 10.

1st Bonus Clear

Graph of 1,940 Hands.  Poker Tracker has my winnings off by $10.  It is very annoying and I don't know why.  Also, I think the number of hands is right.

I am actually $10 to the good of this graph.  I am working a ton this weekend and don't have time to play or recap, which is frustrating.

The Real End of Day 1

I played some more when I got home from work last night and ended up booking a nice little win for the day. +$77 on the day.  I logged just over 1,700 hands and I was able to easily 5 or 6 table by the end of the night.

I still haven't cleared any of my bonus.  I thought that it was every 333 points but it seems I was wrong...I guess I get the first $20 at like 450FTP, approximately.  The only thing I can think is that they apply a factor to Happy Hour points.

And, for some reason my pokertracker is off by $9.23 as u will see by these graphs.

I ran at $4.5/100 or 18.3bb/100

Day 1 Results...

I am coming to the portion of the week that does not allow me to play poker.

I played this afternoon, not sure for exactly how long but played 1,084 hands.

One thing, my details show me down $15.80, when in reality I am only down $6.57

I have earned 212.6 FTP points.

So, I am down half a buy-in after 1,084 hands, not bad in my opinion.  Clearing the bonus is all about playing in happy hour at FTP, great promotion.  I was able to play from about 3-330 until I had to go to work.  About to fire up the tables right now.

I was playing 6 tables at once trying to clear this bonus; it was too many tables.  I adjusted much quicker than I thought I would, but it definitely affected my play.  But, I also took some brutal beats in the last hour of play.

Brave New World

Update 1

It just so happened that I actually have a day off this week and not only that but I have a day and a half...that is amazing.

Anyways, I decided on Full Tilt and deposited this morning.  I put in $250 as I planned  I have been playing for the last hour or so...actually maybe longer at this point.  Actually, I have logged 352 hands. Clearly not enough to determine a damn thing.

Couple of things I have noticed.

• The bonuses are ridiculously hard to clear.  I never did the numbers on the likelihood of busting the roll before gaining the bonus. (because I don't know how)  But I have to think that it is extremely likely for someone with no discipline.
• I am somewhat surprised by how easy it has been for me to multi-table.  I have been having no trouble with 3 tables.  I have been keeping 2 full ring open and then opening a third and playing shorthanded.  When the 3rd fills up I then close 1 and repeat.
• The players are not good at .10/.25 I guess that does not need to be said but there are a bunch of rocks and calling stations.

                                              

Account Bustoooooooooo!

So, I just laid in bed and watched somebody busto their full tilt account...That was fun.  No bankroll management.  This is also part of the challenge to myself; after having watched someone struggle with online tilt control and bankroll managment, to see if I have the concentration which it must take to grind online.  I know this from having the wonderful displeasure of watching someone who does NOT have the constitution to sit in front of a computer for hours on end.

It was actually perfect, not the emptying of the account, but that was pretty funny to watch in the end.  However, I was using my desktop reading the statistical refernce book for PT3 which I had downloaded to the laptop which full tilt was operating on, technology is a beautiful thing.  So in the end we got to really go through the stats and I have begun to understand some of the information.

And upon the emptying of the account some conditions have been put on me and my little experiment.  At the end of the PT3 trial period I have to have at least grown my buy-in by 1.5 times.  There is however a second part to the wager.  The other person involved, who shall remain nameless...can't deposit into any online poker site for the duration of the wager and will be relegated to live play which will be verified through reviewing the histories on the accounts.

The wager is an actually somewhat interesting idea for a simple concept.  The bet is for dinner but the twist is...We have a large change jar that we call the "vacation fund" in the kitchen.  Upon completion of the bet, the vacation fund will be counted and the loser will be responsible for using an amount equal to or greater that what is in the jar for a night of dinner and wine and whatever.  We have emptied the change jar before and tallied just over $1,100.  This time I can guarantee there will be considerably more...Someone doesn't know that I had some $20's in the bottom and the middle.

Should both participants either fail or succeed, the bet will be considered a push and the vacation fund will be used for the night on the town.

My ulterior motive was to get him off the laptop for the next 58 days while I focus on this.  I will gladly pay to have that done.  With that accomplished, I can now decide which site I will deposit on and begin the voyage.

The Obligatory Who, What, How, Where and Why Post

Who

I am your average 36 year old female, I am employed as a server at a very high end restaurant, where during season, I work approximately 80 hours a week. I spend my free time riding my motorcycle and playing between 20-40 hours of live 1/2 No Limit poker a week. I work retarded hours during "season" but have the luxury of doing whatever I want during the summer, even taking 2 months off.

I began playing 7 card stud in high school and spent a considerable amount of time playing cards with the fellas until 1997 when I was introduced to Texas Hold Em. I was instantly hooked, I began playing 5/10 Limit Hold Em in 2 local underground games and at the casinos. I also used to deal a Stud game on Saturday mornings in one of the rooms. From 97-04 I spent my time grinding live Limit Hold Em games. I would play between 5/10-20/40 and made a nice bankroll that I predominantly used to travel all over the world.

Since I have moved to Florida I have become strictly a 1/2 NL player as I refuse to buy into a game for 10 or 20 bb's. I play an extremely loose aggressive style in position and feel that I have a much better understanding of the theory and math than almost every single person I play 1/2 with.

In the last 12 years I have had 2 stints where I only played poker for a living but look back on those combined 2 1/2 years as some of the most unbalanced times of my life. I have never aspired to be a "professional poker" player and am comfortable playing whatever limits I can beat, as small of stakes as that might be. I do love the supplemental income that playing has provided me and would like to be able to earn the same amount if not more while playing online.

What
I am giving up live poker and plan to focus exclusively on playing pokahh on the intertubes. Not just planning on playing online but to fully become an online "playahh". What this means is setting up an account with rake back, downloading Poker Tracker, funding an account with a specific amount that will allow me to grind up a bankroll.

I have never really played online. Although, that someone special in my life, has played, albeit not well, online for many years. In other words, there is a lot of poker in my life and I am very familiar with online poker and have long been a lurker on a 2+2 account regularly.

How
This is where it gets interesting. I have been focusing on this for a few days now but thinking about the transition for quite a while now. I joined a rakeback site and then proceeded to open 2 accounts, 1 on Full Tilt and 1 on Cake Poker. At this point, I have yet to deposit as I wanted to test the software. I was playing two tables this morning on Cake in freerolls and didn't find it too difficult. I am also trying to figure out how to use PT3 proficiently. I downloaded the trial version of the software and am currently reading the statistical reference guide but I am starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Where
My plan is to deposit $250 and playing $.10/.25 (.10/.20 on Cake). I am comfortable buying into a game with 50BB's. This would equate to 20 or 25 buy-in's respectively and 40/50. I know the sites make u clear the bonuses so I am trying to figure out how quickly I should expect to achieve the bonuses at this level of play. I am also wondering how much I should plan to achieve in rakeback at these micro limits playing 30-40 hours a week. I anticipate being able to play at least 3 full tables relatively quickly I have not decided whether to use Cake or FT. I would like the extra 6% from cake but the FT software is so much better. Also, unless I am wrong, I can't use PT3 on Cake's site. That may be a deciding factor.

Why
I am sick to death of B&M poker. While I do love the physical aspect of the game, I am done with the incompetent floor people and dealers. I can also no longer stand the pace at which the game is played and am constantly looking for ways to keep myself occupied while playing. True story...Last week I had 1 dealer so high on pills that she basically was incoherent, the entire table noticed but none of us called the floor. Also, I am done with the disgusting ass-clowns that want to talk to me at the table. I am wearing headphones for a reason. Additionally, these 100 max buy-in rule is killing me. Although, I do believe it has helped my game tremendously, especially my bankroll management.