The first hand is the one where I'm the most unsure about. The others are more for entertainment purposes.

By the way, I've split my betting ranges postflop into a couple different sizings. The bet-sizings depend on the situation (how many players postflop, and whether it's a SRP, 3bet pot, etc.).

Hand 1:

I think I played this ok, and believe the river fold is probably correct. But would like to hear any other opinions here. Just an ugly river, especially with the stack sizes.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $6.02 (VPIP: 22.86, PFR: 17.14, 3Bet Preflop: 7.41, Hands: 72)
Hero (SB): $8.79
BB: $3.44 (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 40.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 5)
UTG: $2.48 (VPIP: 13.18, PFR: 9.38, 3Bet Preflop: 3.57, Hands: 133)
MP: $2.45 (VPIP: 44.44, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 19)
CO: $2.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 6)

Hero posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has 5 6

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $0.06, Hero raises to $0.18, BB calls $0.16, BTN calls $0.12

Flop: ($0.54, 3 players) 8 7 9
Hero bets $0.39, fold, BTN calls $0.39

Turn: ($1.32, 2 players) 3
Hero bets $0.64, BTN calls $0.64

River: ($2.60, 2 players) T
Hero checks, BTN bets $4.81 and is all-in, fold



-----------------------------------

Hand 2:

Surprised he didn't raise me on the river.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $2.08
SB: $2.06 (VPIP: 26.53, PFR: 8.16, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 50)
BB: $4.23 (VPIP: 22.22, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
UTG: $2.42 (VPIP: 46.43, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
MP: $3.54 (VPIP: 18.52, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 81)
CO: $2.90 (VPIP: 15.29, PFR: 12.94, 3Bet Preflop: 3.45, Hands: 89)

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has A J

UTG raises to $0.07, MP calls $0.07, fold, Hero calls $0.07, SB calls $0.06, fold

Flop: ($0.30, 4 players) K 5 3
SB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $0.07, SB calls $0.07, UTG calls $0.07, MP calls $0.07

Turn: ($0.58, 4 players) T
SB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $0.14, SB calls $0.14, UTG calls $0.14, fold

River: ($1.00, 3 players) 2
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $0.24, SB calls $0.24, fold



----------------------------------

Hand 3:

Fun hand.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.00 (VPIP: 19.61, PFR: 13.73, 3Bet Preflop: 6.67, Hands: 52)
SB: $2.32 (VPIP: 23.81, PFR: 19.05, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 22)
BB: $1.08 (VPIP: 36.45, PFR: 31.78, 3Bet Preflop: 9.76, Hands: 108)
UTG: $3.03 (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
MP: $4.00 (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 30.00, 3Bet Preflop: 18.18, Hands: 42)
Hero (CO): $5.02

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has A J

fold, MP calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.08, fold, fold, fold, MP raises to $0.27, Hero raises to $0.62, MP calls $0.35

Flop: ($1.27, 2 players) J 6 J
MP bets $3.38 and is all-in, Hero calls $3.38

Turn: ($8.03, 2 players) A

River: ($8.03, 2 players) 5



------------------------------

Hand 4:

I think some of the aggressiveness I've added into my game can be a bit tilting to some of the other players.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.30 (VPIP: 24.39, PFR: 19.51, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 42)
SB: $2.40 (VPIP: 31.11, PFR: 17.78, 3Bet Preflop: 4.76, Hands: 45)
BB: $2.00 (VPIP: 25.00, PFR: 25.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 4)
Hero (UTG): $9.44
MP: $4.12 (VPIP: 30.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
CO: $3.61 (VPIP: 21.05, PFR: 13.16, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 38)

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has 8 7

Hero raises to $0.06, fold, CO calls $0.06, BTN calls $0.06, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.21, 3 players) 5 9 3
Hero bets $0.15, fold, BTN calls $0.15

Turn: ($0.51, 2 players) Q
Hero bets $0.37, BTN calls $0.37

River: ($1.25, 2 players) 6
Hero bets $1.36, BTN raises to $1.72 and is all-in, Hero calls $0.36

Ok, here are the first few steps in my revised BRM strategy. The "weekly income target" is the amount I need to withdraw for life expenses (or adding to the liferoll). This week, it's $152.50 CAD, or about $122 USD. Other weeks will most likely be similar for the time being.

Since I'll be relying on poker for income while at nl2, I'm wanting to build a bit of a cushion there. It may be excessive to have 200 BIs while grinding nl2, but there may be a week or more where I'm not able to make enough in that week to cover the amount I need to withdraw. So gives me a bit of breathing room for those weeks.

This will be a long road until I'm able to grind nl5 as my "regular" stakes. Most of my time will obviously be spent on grinding for the amount I'll need to withdraw. I'll only have a bit of time left for growing the BR and taking shots, and for study. However, once I'm established at nl5, things should start moving quicker. I'll probably need a lot less time to make the weekly income goal, and will thus have more time to grow the BR and take shots.

I am now 4-tabling zoom, so getting about 1000 hands/hour. So that will make it a little easier.

Oh, and for the plan below, I've "split" my bankroll into a "Main BR", and a "shot-taking BR". Technically, it's one big bankroll. But I visualize it as two. The Main BR is the part of the BR I play with in my "established" stakes. But when I'm also taking a shot at the next level, I'll (visually) take part of that BR and treat it like a separate BR for the purpose of shot-taking.

--------------------

Step 0: Grinding NL2 for income; building NL2 cushion

-Play NL2 (Main BR)

End of each week:
- Withdraw weekly income target from Main BR
- Move to Step 1, if both: [100k hands at NL2 with profit] & [Main BR >= $400]

--------------------

Step 1: Grinding NL2 for income; and building NL5 shot

- Play NL2 (Main BR) until Main BR is [$400 + weekly income target + $50]
----- At this point, move $50 to NL5 BR, and play NL5 (as below)

- Play NL5 (NL5 BR)
----- If NL5 BR = $0, play NL2 (as above)

End of each week:
- Withdraw weekly income target from Main BR
- Move to Step 2, if: [100k hands at NL5 with profit] & [Main BR + NL5 BR >= $1200]
----- Add NL5 BR back to Main BR

--------------------

Step 2: Grinding NL5 for income; and building NL10 shot

- Play NL5 (Main BR) until Main BR is [$1200 + weekly income target + $100]
----- At this point, move $100 to NL10 BR, and play NL10 (as below)
----- While playing NL5, if Main BR drops below $600, move back to Step 1

- Play NL10 (NL10 BR)
----- If NL10 BR = $0, play NL5 (as above)

End of each week:
- Withdraw weekly income target from Main BR
- Move to Step 1, if: [Main BR < $600]
- Move to Step 3, if: [100k hands at NL5 with profit] & [Main BR + NL10 BR >= $2200]
----- Add NL10 BR back to Main BR

--------------------

Steps 3 & beyond: To be determined..

Week 26 (Jul 12 - 18):

NL2: 26.25 hours
Total Playing Time: 26.25 hours

Hands Played (NL2): 25,483
Profit (NL2): +$30.19

Stars Chest Bonus: +$2.00
Total Profit: +$32.19

Started out playing great, then went through a rough stretch. Started playing worse, and there were a few BIs worth of spew in that last stretch. Will look to play better next week.

NL2 (this week):


Half a year into this thread, and I have a couple bucks profit so far. Not so great lol. I didn't feel the pressure to improve quickly enough, and was content to just try playing at stakes that I hadn't beaten to try and move up quicker. Time to turn that around for the second half of the year.

What will be different? If I can stick to the plan, I will be spending a lot more time grinding at stakes I have a history of beating, and less time taking shots. Don't get me wrong, I want to climb the stakes. But first and foremost, I want to make money. And I need to make money to support myself. So will be cashing out what I need to, weekly, and then trying to shot-take after (according to the revised BRM plan guidelines).

The game plan for studying is to do database analysis, and find areas where I'm losing (or not making enough) money. I already did a bit of that last night, and this morning. Should be able to increase the winrate around 1-2 bb/100 at nl2 after implementing the changes. Will attempt to do something like this each week.

Working a few extra hours this week, so will only need to withdraw about $93 next week. Cashed out about $124 this week.

Totals:

Current Step: 0

Current Bankroll: $178.14
+ Total Cashed Out: $123.79
- Starting Bankroll: $300.00

= Total Profit: +$1.93

A couple notable hands from this week:

---------- Hand 1 ----------

Something in my gut was telling me that something's not right here... Most times, I wouldn't mind playing for stacks. But I slowed down here.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $2.00 (VPIP: 12.20, PFR: 2.44, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 41)
SB: $2.07 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 2)
Hero (BB): $10.74
UTG: $2.01 (VPIP: 20.69, PFR: 17.24, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 30)
MP: $3.02 (VPIP: 17.24, PFR: 11.49, 3Bet Preflop: 2.86, Hands: 88)
CO: $4.60 (VPIP: 27.17, PFR: 19.65, 3Bet Preflop: 6.06, Hands: 181)

SB posts SB $0.01, Hero posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has Q 9

fold, MP raises to $0.06, CO calls $0.06, BTN calls $0.06, SB calls $0.05, Hero calls $0.04

Flop: ($0.30, 5 players) 9 T 9
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks, CO checks, BTN checks

Turn: ($0.30, 5 players) Q
SB checks, Hero bets $0.22, fold, CO raises to $0.50, fold, fold, Hero calls $0.28

River: ($1.30, 2 players) 5
Hero checks, CO bets $1.25, Hero calls $1.25


---------- Hand 2 ----------

Fun hand. At one point in this session, my stack at this table was over 12BIs deep. I don't think I've ever been that deep before.

PokerStars - $0.02 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): $19.64
SB: $4.38 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
BB: $1.48 (VPIP: 31.71, PFR: 19.51, 3Bet Preflop: 15.79, Hands: 41)
UTG: $1.90 (VPIP: 27.27, PFR: 15.15, 3Bet Preflop: 5.00, Hands: 34)
MP: $4.43 (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)
CO: $2.86 (VPIP: 20.12, PFR: 18.29, 3Bet Preflop: 15.38, Hands: 167)

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.03) Hero has 8 8

fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $0.06, SB calls $0.05, fold

Flop: ($0.14, 2 players) 6 7 6
SB bets $0.06, Hero calls $0.06

Turn: ($0.26, 2 players) 8
SB bets $0.06, Hero raises to $0.30, SB calls $0.24

River: ($0.86, 2 players) T
SB bets $0.82, Hero raises to $19.22 and is all-in, SB calls $3.14 and is all-in

Read the whole thread now. Sorry dude - but I dont think you van make money with poker. You make x plans and never stick to it. Your hand histories look not very good.

Have fun at NL2 - but forget to earn money with poker...

Very true. I keep changing things up, taking shots higher (and wipe out my profits), and generally mess around too much. And slack off too much with the hours. Part of the latter is due to not having a feeling of urgency. I felt I could afford to spend the time messing around, and as a result, I didn't concentrate on trying to make money. Rather, I concentrated on having fun and trying stuff out.

I allowed myself one more week (this week) of slacking off a little bit, as I was spending some time figuring out a plan for looking at my monthly financials, and determining how to figure out my weekly amounts I'll need to withdraw from my poker account. Got that sorted out now. For the last two weeks in July (Jul 19-25, and Jul 26 - Aug 1), I'll look to withdraw $100 CAD at the end of both those weeks.

Looking ahead at next month, looks like I may only need to withdraw about $50 CAD over the whole month (about $10 per week), as I was pretty good about cutting my spending this month. So this will give me a good chance to grind hard at nl2, and build my roll up so that I can advance to step 1 of the new BRM Plan and start taking nl5 shots a lot sooner than I thought.

I will look to prove you wrong. I will make money from poker. And I am determined to stick to this plan, now that I have a clearer vision of my overall financial picture and the path ahead.

EDIT: Anyone know how to post a link, but to replace the string of text with word(s) instead?

EDIT 2: Nevermind, looks like I figured that out

gl

Thanks wacker. In the end, you're right. I'm just all over the place in terms of plans for moving up. And I'm ok with that right now. My approach for reaching nl10 might change from week-to-week, or day-to-day. Depends how I feel, and how important it is to make a guaranteed dollar at the lowest stakes (for my life roll).

Right now, I feel like giving nl10 another shot, so I'm doing so. We'll see how things continue to go.

Weeks 27-28 (Jul 19 - Aug 1):

NL2: 28.5 hours
NL10: 11.5 hours
Total Playing Time: 40 hours

Hands Played (NL2): 23,793
Profit (NL2): +$23.31

Hands Played (NL10): 4,776
Profit (NL10): +$33.52

Stars Chest Bonus: +$7.00
StarsCoins Bonus: +$10.00
Total Profit: +$73.83

NL10 (This week):


Ran well in all-in EV spots, but ran bad when it came to completing draws. All-in-all, a decent start, and will look to build on that this week.


Totals:

Current Bankroll: $251.48
+ Total Cashed Out: $123.79
- Starting Bankroll: $300.00

= Total Profit: +$75.27