Call it a comeback

So I didn't get to put a whole lot of volume in, but ran VERY hot last week. I played 28 sit n goes and am up 9 BI. I also played 6 MTTs and took a first and a 2nd. I had limited opportunities to play because of other obligations, but I've been playing sit n goes after work and then MTTs on the weekends. That seems to work well for my schedule and keeps things fresh for me. I find myself looking forward to it every day. I've also been watching MTT Principles and listening to The Eight-fold Path as a podcast every day while I work out. I'm hoping to get more volume in this week!

Man, this site is pretty quiet compared to how I remember it pre BF.  It makes me a little bit sad, but I suppose it's understandable. 

After some more consideration and tinkering around in various games, I've decided to play sit n goes with a few MTTs mixed in on the weekends. I've found there to be quite a few fishy players in these games on Bovada and ACR.   I haven't played a whole lot this week so far, but I took 2nd in a $30 MTT on ACR and won some sit n goes since Sunday, so I'm running well, and I find my thought processes to be working pretty well ATM. 

I've also started watching Real Life SNG Grinder as well, and am about to start episode 3. Not a bad series at all. Are there any other SnG series on here that you'd recommend when I'm ready for a new one to watch?  Anyone else looking forward to seeing Bet Raise Fold?  I am!

Hi all, with the beginnings of regulated online poker in NV, I'm thinking its only a matter of time before we all have access. I've been playing mostly live for the past couple of years since Black Friday, but lets face it, the online game is much tougher. I would like to start sharpening my game again.   I've sort of given up on playing online over the past year.  The games just don't seem very profitable, and I'm not going to deposit a substantial portion of my roll on any of these sites that are available to us now.

As a US player, my choices are very limited. I have a little money on Lock, America's Card Room, and Bovada. I've dabbled on each of them, but the games just don't seem good enough to make me want to invest a lot of time. With regulation hopefully looming around the corner, I am feeling a little more motivated.

My primary game has always been NLHE cash, but I'm not sure if this is even worth playing ATM. I play 25NL (not willing to risk any more of my roll on these sites), and the games are ridiculous. I sat at some tables this week and everyone is playing 12/10 and 9/8. Every once in a while you run into the "crazy" guy playing 19/17. The games are basically just everyone taking turns winning the pot preflop until two big hands collide to break the monotony. Sure, you can up your aggression and steal some blinds, but eventually they will start playing back, and I hate getting 3-bet by a 9/8. It makes me nervous. These games are not my cup of tea.

Another cash game option is playing stud games on Bovada. I'd rather not play NLHE on this site because everyone is anonymous and I feel like I'd be losing a lot my edge against some of the bad players. You can't use a HUD either, which would really cramp my study style. The stud games seem pretty soft, and it's probably my favorite game in terms of pure enjoyment, so maybe I can just play these to hold me over.

The other option I'm considering is MTTs. Sit n goes don't run often enough on these sites to occupy my time, but there seems to be enough MTTs between the three sites to keep me busy. Perhaps this is an opportunity to improve my tournament play?

So Sunday evening was my first time playing live poker in close to a year.  The owner of a local Thai resteraunt was hosting the game in the back of his building.  This meant free food (anything on the menu) for the players.  Not a bad deal at all!  The game was loose, but not crazy, and the rake was minimal.  I got off to a pretty poor start, but made a comeback at the end.  I lost the only big pots I was involved in, and had to just pick spots to win pots here and there because I was card dead for most of the game.  After tipping the host, I was down only $10 for 5 hours of play and some good food.  Not the best start, but it could have gone worse.  I felt pretty good about my play overall.

As for the online stuff, I got through the first episode of "From the Ground Up".  It was pretty elementary, but I want to start from square one and work my way up so that I don't miss any steps this time around.  Starting off at 25NL, and after my first 300 hands, I was down 2 buyins.  After 700 hands, I am now up over $2.  :-)  I made some calls that I know I shouldn't have made, so I have already identified my first leak to work on.  These guys (for the most part) don't bluff at this level.  There are crazy players here and there, but most people seem to play ABC poker.  I guess I need to work on a strategy to beat that.

Doug

So I guess I should begin by telling whoever takes the time to actually read this a little about myself. I'm 33 years old, married, and the father of four amazing children. I have a good job that pays well, so poker has been more of a hobby and supplemental income for me. I don't care too much for tournament poker, but love live cash games. I played pretty seriously in various home games/underground casinos, usually $200NL to $500NL (3/5 blinds). I would play 3-4 nights per week and did very well, putting my children through various sports, buying new furniture, and getting my family 100% debt free. I spent most of my profits on things like this, so my bankroll stayed about the same over the course of several years. I'm not reliant on money from poker, and I don't use money from my family's budget to play poker with.

About a year ago, I went through a change at my job and they put me on a rotating schedule. I now rotate between night shifts and day shifts every month. This had a dramatic effect on my sleep schedule and mental state. I quit playing live poker for the most part due to my schedule. I went into a depression for a while, as I was unable to work, sleep, and spend time (time that I didn't feel like a zombie) with my family. I dabbled with online poker for a while (Merge network), but due to my poor mental state, I was unable to play properly or concentrate on one game, and didn't have the mental stamina needed to succeed at the online game, even at the micros. I found Deuces Cracked, but the videos I watched didn't seem to help me. Fortunately, I stuck to the micros and didn't lose very much money. I hated my job, and my depression continued to progress, until my wife convinced me to get some help. After several months of therapy and sleep meds to help me with the constant schedule change, I was able to adjust to my work change and get back to the happy person that I was before. Sleep deprivation is a real thing, and it was kicking my butt.

Anyway, I won't go too much further into that, other than to say that you should make sure to be in a good mental state in order to play well at poker. I haven't played any serious poker since last winter, and now that I am in a good place mentally, emotionally, and physically, I am ready to start playing again. I logged onto this site for the first time in quite a while and saw TecmoSuperBowl's blog post here: http://www.deucescracked.com/blogs/tecmosuperbowl/87531-Lessons-Learned This is sort of what I want to do, only he put it more eloquently and thoroughly than I ever could.

I plan to make a return to the local cash games and work my way back up to where I was playing before. I'm also going to give the micros online another crack, and attempt to move up as far as I can. Online poker is so much more challenging! I will watch 2-3 videos on this site per week, taking notes, and work on my game from the ground up. Fittingly, I have watched the first episode of "From the Ground Up". I will finish this series, and then move on to some of the other video series mentioned in TecmoSuperBowl's blog post. I have deposited some money on America's Card Room (I hear good reviews so far), and will be starting off at 25NL. I have a sufficient bankroll for this level, and am not worried about going broke a couple times, as I have disposable income every month. My wife gives me some allowance after we pay the bills, so I can continue building up, even if I go through a bad streak while playing. :-)

My immediate goals are to improve my online game and become a winning player again in live poker as well. Long term goals are to become a winning player online and hopefully move up to mid-stakes eventually. Poker is not my primary source of income, so I'm doing this for the love of the game and for my own personal sense of accomplishment. I have no set timelines for anything, and as long as the quality of my game is headed in the right direction, I will consider my journey to be a successful one. I will be studying 2-3 videos per week as stated previously. I'll play at least seven 2-hour sessions online per week, in addition to any live games I go to. This blog will be a record of my progress, and hopefully I'll have some interesting stories to tell as well. I have been invited by a friend to play in a live cash game this afternoon, so this is day 1. Let the fun begin! If there is anyone who read this far, congratulations. :-) This blog is for me, but I hope someone else will find it interesting to follow as well. Feel free to throw in your 2-cents and advice. Thanks for reading!

Doug