Just fired up #7 and in between I watched a CBT video and took some notes, and applied some of the toolset to my own game, starting with bad bankroll discipline. I'll be working some more with CBT and my game over the coming weeks, here's my notes, and some work i've done thinking about applying it to my own bankroll discipline issue.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is based on the theory that: -

How we think influences how we feel -->
How we feel influences how we behave -->
How we behave influences the results we get in life.

CBT draws on REBT (rational emotive behavioural therapy)
view of pyschological disturbance.
A - Action
B - Belief
C - Consequence

REBT says that there is an Activating event, then a developed belief, as a result, then lived consequences.

Examination of thought processes in my poker game around bankroll

Unhelpful thought process
-------------------------
Situation : I 'lose' part of my bankroll.
Thoughts: I was doing so well, now I'm not. I want to get back there as soon as possible. If I play a higher stake or player wider, I might win it all back.
Emotional: Irritated, Desperate, Panic.
Physical: Feel a bit hot, not focussing straight, starting to auto pilot.
Action: Usually gamble with bankroll, and always end up at $0.

Helpful Thought Process
-----------------------
Situation: I 'lose' part of my bankroll.
Thoughts: My bankroll is a tool, it's designed to go up and down. If I stick to my A game I will always profit, poker isn't a short term game.
Emotional: Calm, Relaxed, Happy as I realise I am in control.
Physical: Aware of how I am feeling, able to take a break if I need to.
Action: Continue to play my A game or take a break.

haha yes software is funky awesome gl with the music!

#7 so far so good, very early days but have doubled up twice.

1st - First hand of freeroll and i need to take every slight edge I can because of payout structure, pot was limped to me, I shove middle position get called pf, I had ATs he called with KTo.



2nd - Called shove, with AK preflop

#9 out 339 AQ aipf, lose to ak

#8 5bbs and antes... out in 35th 25 paid. =(



I called his shove pf. Pleased with my play.

#10 12/67 top 50 receive €1 MTT ticket looking good!!

Good news, did indeed manage to cash that one, so have a 1 euro mtt ticket now.

#11 AQ < J7 aipf.

The CBT stuff is working too. I felt myself start to feel bad about losing that, then said to myself. Nice hand sir, and suddenly felt alot better, shrugging off the fact I just got busted. Early days yet, but i think there might be some mileage in this CBT.

#12 149th A7s < AJ shoved over 4 limpers at 30/60 blinds with 1300 stack, happy with the play as only 7 out of 200 get paid so got to take every chance to chip up early

Calling it a night 12/30 of the challenge played now and one cash for €1 nice to have a cash hopefully get another couple before this challenge is through. Pleased with progress in my mental game today. Night!

Subbed.



The early hour freerolls are the best, I have cashed 4 out of 5 in one night.

I take risks early on to triple up(lot of people shoving kx qx xx early on), then play normally and wait for the sat outs to disappear. Then near the end a bit of luck is needed depending on your stack, at this stage i have two moves shove or fold.

Understand your woes with BR management, 3 times i have built unibet up to 100euro + without depositing, 3 times the slots have eaten it(Just a quick couple of spins, is how it starts)

Started to build again from freerolls currently at 7.65 and 1 x 1 mtt ticket, plus the 3000 and 10000 freeroll tickets.

Good luck.

Thanks Jonny, nice to have you onboard!

Sounds like a good tactic yes I'm doing this alot e.g. shoving ATs early with 25-30bbs and getting called by worse, or flipping alot, to get a stack.

Sorry to hear Jonny, hope you make some decent progress. My bad discipline is the only reason I haven't profited, I've never had a bankroll for more than 3days in 7 years as far as I can remember...

Hope to see you in the freerolls (what sn you use in freerolls?) and good luck in the 3k, i've got a ticket for that too! Hope to see you on the final table

Thanks, good luck to you too

#13 and #14 non cashes, in #14 I took the 'double up early by taking risks' to the extreme which wasn't decent play (shoving J7 over a limper) and looking to get it in vs them. So need to tame that back and find the balance between profitable risk taking early in the freeroll and just donkey moves.

Spent last few hours tidying up my computer station and it's much better now. I'm looking forward to the 3k freeroll I won a ticket for earlier in the month, next freeroll in 45 minutes.

Only really been playing for a year, had a lucky decent win when i started and withdrew it before i did something daft with it.

I have noticed the mental part of poker seems to be the key to doing well, especially being strong minded when it comes to using your balance.


IcesForAll is my current SN. Hope to meet at the final table :-)
Heres hoping for 9 players and 7 sat out :-)

#15 Shoved AJs over an ep raise with a couple of limpers and he had KK, pleased with the play - on average AJ is good first couple of hands.

But there's a difference between shoving over limpers and shoving over raisers... need to remember that!

#16 out 298 88 < kj aipf

Out of 3k freeroll shoved TT over Limper's and got called behind by KK

OK here goes nothing, registered my €1 token in a Holden MTT, 66 registered 9 places paid

#17 omaha freeroll out bet every street with over pair AA but lost to a set

€1 MTT I've cashed I'm so pleased with my play, was at 10 or below BBS most of tournament but kept taking spots and managed to balance out win loss at showdown, only 12 out of 89 paid so had to beat 65 players to get this far, now I want to go on to final table and beyond 7bbs left which is an above average stack

Finished 3rd out of 89, with a K9 sb shove vs bb at about 7bbs, I played very well and didn't run great believe it or not especially towards the end! Now have a small bankroll I'm going to try to run up at the cash tables in between completing the rest of this challenge #18 playing now 20 euro freeroll 3.1k stack

#18 and 19 non cashed. Didn't run great at 4nl including a995 turn where I stacked of with 9T to get out kickered with QT, but good news is with €3.70 left on other table I came off and dropped down to €1 euro 5 man sngs so far played 3 and took one first for €.10 profit and just fired up another set, whatever happens I'm really pleased with my discipline don't feel bad at all which I would normally when my bankroll been hit like that and I'm not expecting too much as I still only have 3 buyins. That CBT work I did is paying off, gl at the tables all!

Played another 3 and took two firsts and a second , bankroll at €8.10 I can't tell you how good it feels to be in control of what I'm doing at the tables, I really hope it continues. Going to take a break now and watch a chess video. I started playing chess just recently. On YouTube there is a grandmaster called Yasser Seirawan and he's so engaging a brilliant teacher I love watching his videos so am off to check one out now.

Congrats on the win.

Hope you can build on it.

Thanks J didn't manage to do much with it, had it up to €11 but then lost two stacks at 4nl and a couple of €1 sngs well pleased with my mental game improvements though so all good!

Firing up the next freeroll now