Summer 16 - Work Hard, Play Hard
I can honestly say that overall, it was a good Summer. From a social perspective, I definitely had loads of fun and many great experiences. Unfortunately, I did not travel and my fitness/nutrition fell off once July hit. Naturally, this was a clear leak in my lifestyle, but there is no point dwelling on it. I will be making the necessary adjustments and chalking it up to going all out in August.
On the poker front, I definitely think that my volume should have been closer to 9-10k games, but that was not the case. It is tough to be playing daily when you are hungover multiple days per week. I am not one to just plug in serious volume for the sake of it. I want every game that I play to be meaningful in the sense that I am playing well and contributing to the highest possible EV manageable. Therefore, in spite of the lack of volume, I was happy with my overall EV, which says something about quality.
✫ 12$ Hypers ✫
Did not play very many of these and stopped playing them in August. Not much to say about them, pretty soft games for me, but was good for volume and bankroll building.
✫ 15$ Hypers ✫
Obviously I did not run the best at these stakes, but I am happy with my evROI even though I think it should be higher. They were very frustrating for a long time, but I just kept grinding and will continue to play them for added volume.
✫ 24$ Hypers ✫
I consider these my main stakes, but the volume is not always there, which is frustrating. That is why I tend to grind a lot of 15s and add 36s in as well. Cannot complain with this graph, feels good to have ran well.
✫ 36$ Hypers ✫
Only semi-recently started playing these stakes, but I am very comfortable at them and consider them my main stakes as well. It is a shame that the volume is not always there, but I ran well here also!
✫ All Hypers ✫
Overall graph of the Summer. Definitely like seeing it all in one to see how variance averages out. Solid evROI and decent overall volume. I think it is a somewhat solid combination of quality and quantity.
Summer 16 Results
Hyper Profit: 7011$
Bonus: 100$
Sharkystrator: -35$
Rakeback: 485$
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Total Profit: 7561$
On the last day of August, I felt a great sense of accomplishment once I checked my overall Summer results. I cannot express how good it felt to see that my evROI and actual ROI were somewhat similar. In such an uncertain game, it is very gratifying to be rewarded "accordingly".
Interestingly, the thought of being a full-time grinder has crossed my mind. I know that if I worked hard and did everything possible to better my game, I could make a respectable yearly salary. Although, I do not think that is in the cards for me as it is not the lifestyle that I want. It can be very tough working with nothing actually guaranteed. As I am currently a university student and have very few financial responsibilities, grinding poker is fantastic. Moving forward, I will continue to grind, but never with the intention of going full-time and solely dedicated.
This year it is extremely important for me to crush my university courses and boost my GPA as best that I can. I am essentially completing a degree in Political Science that I do not care very much for. Although, I am doing it as a stepping stone to apply for Law School, where my true interest lies. You can never be sure what the future has in store, but I am truly optimistic about where my life is headed.
Cheers,
Elliott