Tuesday 23 December 2008

Various things

I've been playing a lot recently - probably a little too much and have definitely played some sessions when not in the best frame of mind - consequently its not been a hugely profitable month so far especially running $500 below EV. However, the volume of hands I have played have given me a good taste of the grinding lifestyle and what I'd need to do if I ever tried to play professionally. I never quite appreciated what an apt word "grind" is before this. I've beaten my records for most hands in a day, FTP and rakeback a few times (2164 hands, 1100FTP in a day and 21.5k hands for the month so far). I've also started playing at another poker room on occasion due to the softer tables as well as bonus & more rakeback opportunities - the software isn't as good but there are some real idiots.

Software & HUD
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I've made a few changes to my setup recently: a clearer customised deck on FT as well as replacing PT3 with HoldemManager and a new HUD. Holdem Manager (although lacking a couple of tiny features of PT3) is SOOO much better. I'm still on the free trial but will definitely get a license soon. It still took some time to import 1.5 million hands!

Coaching
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I've had my first session with my coach now. He railed me playing 3-4 tables for a couple of hours and we discussed various things as they came up. I'm not going to go into the details but there was some really good advice and I've made some small adjustments to my play as a result. I've got a second session tonight and am looking forward to some more good advice.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the month so far: even if it isn't the most profitable I feel I'm investing in a better poker future. I'm 1 day away from Gold iron man level so will have secured at least a $300 bonus to start me off in January.

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