anomaly16

Online Cash

It was a great start to the year playing 100NL having just had my first real coaching with Baz. However, the joy was shortlived as the new ways to use aggression opened me up to a whole new world of poker that I wasn't truly ready to deal with. I definitely played with quite a lot of tilt when the results didn't continue and exposed a few nasty leaks within myself.

I then decided I had to knuckle down and took on some coaching from Kush. It didn't have the instant effect I'd hoped but I think it was the first time I'd truly realised something that I just hadn't been applying to my game - it seems so obvious now but it was the need to play hands differently against different kinds of opponents. I didn't really get the value I should have from Kush's coaching but this little nugget alone was worth it.

It still took some time for the tilt to bottom out and my work situation wasn't helping how I was feeling and playing. I had dropped down to 50NL by this point despite being over-rolled but I think the decision was a good one.

Around the time I took the decision to quit my job I got a new coach (Jason) and really approached the sessions with a new vigour and desire to learn and improve. He boomswitched me over a few sessions which definitely helped as well as offering some really solid practical adjustments to make.

I've definitely been playing better since but still have leaks and plenty room for improvement. Being able to put in volume and concentrate on it fully has helped a lot. I've had a few sweat sessions with other regs as well as just starting with a new coach (Andrew) and I'd say I'm comfortably beating 50NL/50PL at the moment and have been flirting with 100NL/100PL again with some success.


I've not looked at my yearly results graph for quite a while as it was depressing, but looking at it as 2009 ends I'm encouraged I'm back to where I was at the end of the Jan/Feb boom and hope I can move onwards and upwards from here.

Online Tournaments

I've continued to play some MTT & STT. I probably should focus exclusively on one form of poker, but I do enjoy them still and there is always the chance of a big payday with series such as Full Tilt's miniFTOPS. I'm not losing money at them at least!

I'm playing some larger tournaments these days rather than waste time too much on the small ones and I think my tournament play has improved over the year so it would be nice to get a decent 4-figure cash in 2010.

Live Poker

After a whole year of the Office Poker league Jas and I finished exactly even in 3rd= with 43pts! I guess our bet will just have to continue into 2010. I think we both probably feel we could and should have beaten the other with some pretty bad mistakes but its all part of the learning experience.

Its probably not a great return /hr compared to multi-tabling online but I do enjoy it, and if I ever do go to Vegas the experience will be invaluable.

Playing full-time

Going full-time has allowed me to put in a record 37k hands in November and then 41k this last month. Its also enabled me to play on a couple of sites and take advantage of rakeback and loyalty programmes on both.

Mentally its definitely tougher when the results aren't going your way or when real life bills affect the way you play (huge car bill :(). As a grinder I'll need to learn to keep playing A-game through these times and not let the volume drop which has been my tendency. There are plenty other aspects of playing full-time that I need to work on too - schedule, eating well, exercise..

Results-wise things have been ok but not as good as I'd like or really need. However, if I can put in more volume, continue to improve my game and move back to 100NL it shouldn't be a problem at all so I'm not worried.

2010

I'm hoping for a good 2010 and perhaps I'll start to feel like a real professional poker player by the end of it!

I've been offered some contracting work I think I'll enjoy in 2010 although the details are sketchy so far. I hope that it will provide some solid income to take some mental pressure away while allowing me to continue to play poker and provide some life/poker balance.

If 2010 starts well and I don't have to dip into my savings I really hope I can get away in June and go to Vegas for the WSOP and play in a couple of events.

I'm still not sure yet if the decision to quit my job to concentrate on poker is a foolish, brave or a great idea.. you'll just have to come back and see.

p.s. I'll try and post more often this year.