If you've ever worked long hours in a demanding job then you'll know that it's easy to form some bad habits. I know I did. Fast food at lunch time, drinks after work every Friday, and just enough energy to put that ready meal in the microwave before slumping in front of the TV. Playing Poker professionally has afforded me the opportunity to change some of those habits, and I'm now regularly working out at the gym, playing sports again for the first time in years and eating a healthy, balanced diet. The effects have been dramatic. Personally I'm happier and more content than I have been in a very long time, and the benefits of that extend to my fiance, my family and my friends - many of whom have commented on a remarkable change in my temperament in the last couple of months.
At the same time, my persective on many aspects of poker is evolving. My perception of the luck and skill involved in the game is really changing now that I'm putting in so much more volume than I ever have before. Perhaps more importantly, my own ambitions are evolving. Initially my only concrete aim when going pro was to prove I could make a living from this and find out whether I enjoyed it. Now I begin to wonder whether I may be able to achieve more. Personally I believe that SNG poker has a limited shelf life, and I hope to nake as much hay as possible while the sun's shining. I therefore think it's very important to continue to push myself to improve as a player and challenge myself to play higher stakes, and more tables. Got to keep getting outside of that comfort zone! Otherwise I'd still be one tabling $5 SNGs...
I've been thinking a lot about longer term goals, but haven't come to any concrete conclusions yet. For now my aim is to focus on improving my multitabling and hitting that 1000 game target in March. February was a mixed bag of variance and I'm currently about $3k under all-in EV for the year. However, I'm not sure how much I can really read in to that and I'm certainly not complaining. In fact it gives me some peace of mind that hopefully my results so far this year have not been a fluke!
February Profit: +$2698
Yearly Profit: +$7,434
Yearly VPPs: 26,550
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
January Results
One month in and so far things have gone very well. I ran fairly good for most of the month although I ran in to some variance in the final week where I pretty much broke even and ran approx $2k under all in EV. This trend seems to have continued into February as I've just completed my biggest ever losing session at about -$600. On the plus side I also had my biggest ever winning session this month at over +$1k.
Unfortunately I didn't manage to meet my volume goal, finishing at 784 games according to sharkscope, although my HEM has it at 827. Room for improvement. I was also lucky enough to achieve 3 gold stars on sharkscope, although I don't expect to maintain them throughout the year and it won't be on my list of goals.
[ ] Play at least 1000 SNGs
[ ] Maintain an average stake of $35 (nearly)
[X] Join the gym and go at least 3 times a week (16 times)
Unfortunately I didn't manage to meet my volume goal, finishing at 784 games according to sharkscope, although my HEM has it at 827. Room for improvement. I was also lucky enough to achieve 3 gold stars on sharkscope, although I don't expect to maintain them throughout the year and it won't be on my list of goals.
[ ] Play at least 1000 SNGs
[ ] Maintain an average stake of $35 (nearly)
[X] Join the gym and go at least 3 times a week (16 times)
Saturday, 1 January 2011
January Goals
I am focussing on 6-max SNGs on Pokerstars:
1. Play at least 1000 SNGs
2. Maintain an average stake of at least $35
3. Join the gym and go at least 3 times every week
At the moment my goals for 2011 are as follows (these may change):
1. Play at least 10,000 SNGs
2. Achieve Supernova by June
3. Achieve an average profit of at least $4
3. Earn at least $40,000 before bonuses
1. Play at least 1000 SNGs
2. Maintain an average stake of at least $35
3. Join the gym and go at least 3 times every week
At the moment my goals for 2011 are as follows (these may change):
1. Play at least 10,000 SNGs
2. Achieve Supernova by June
3. Achieve an average profit of at least $4
3. Earn at least $40,000 before bonuses
Going Pro
It's January 1st 2011 and it's my first day as a professional poker player.
So how does it feel to be a 'poker pro'? If you enjoy player poker then there's a good chance you've day dreamed about doing it for a living. You can be your own boss, work whatever hours you choose and, if you're good enough at it, make a lot of money. What's not to like?
Certainly for me the word 'pro' in the context of poker has long carried a certain romance. You see it plastered on the covers of poker magazines and thrown in your face by articles about teenage poker-made-millionaires. But for me the appeal really boils down to a single word. Freedom. Freedom from the 9 to 5; freedom to make life decisions on my own terms; freedom to spend time with friends and family and invest time in hobbies and interests; and, hopefully, freedom from most of my financial worries.
Sound too good to be true? It probably is. Will I really be free, or simply a slave to a new master? Can I really continue to enjoy the game now that I've turned a hobby in to a job? Most importantly, is it a good way to spend my life?
Not easy questions to answer, hopefully time will tell. This blog will document my progress as I give 'going pro' a go.
So how does it feel to be a 'poker pro'? If you enjoy player poker then there's a good chance you've day dreamed about doing it for a living. You can be your own boss, work whatever hours you choose and, if you're good enough at it, make a lot of money. What's not to like?
Certainly for me the word 'pro' in the context of poker has long carried a certain romance. You see it plastered on the covers of poker magazines and thrown in your face by articles about teenage poker-made-millionaires. But for me the appeal really boils down to a single word. Freedom. Freedom from the 9 to 5; freedom to make life decisions on my own terms; freedom to spend time with friends and family and invest time in hobbies and interests; and, hopefully, freedom from most of my financial worries.
Sound too good to be true? It probably is. Will I really be free, or simply a slave to a new master? Can I really continue to enjoy the game now that I've turned a hobby in to a job? Most importantly, is it a good way to spend my life?
Not easy questions to answer, hopefully time will tell. This blog will document my progress as I give 'going pro' a go.
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