Dear 2p2,

BACKGROUND

In 2022/23 I:

• Stopped playing poker seriously.
• Lost between £15k to £25k on sports betting and casino games.
• Got into serious debt of approx. £15k including credit card, multiple pay day loans and bank overdrafts.
• Lived a very unhealthy lifestyle i.e. zero exercise, too much drinking, smoking and extracurricular activities.
• Stopped caring about everything because I always lost everything.
• Had a negative impact on lots of relationships.
• Somehow luckily kept my job and did well despite all the degening.
• Had other bad things happen to me.
• Was ready to run away and go and live in the forest in a tent.

THE SITUATION

In the last 3 months I:

• Have not played any casino games.
• Have still been degening micro stakes sports bets.
• Paid off £10k of debts and have reduced down to approx. £6k still outstanding.
• Completely quit drinking alcohol and smoking weed without a single relapse (almost 4 months clean).
• Tried to quit cigarettes multiple times but failed.
• Have been eating better and trying to do some exercise.
• Decided I am better than living in a tent and still have a chance in life if I get my world in order.

2024 GOALS

1. £25k combined life and poker bankroll / net worth minimum and zero debt. Currently -£6k in debt, so need to increase by £31k.
2. Weight 85kg minimum. Currently 71kg.

In 2024 - I am going in hard with no looking back at the past. How I will achieve this is set out below. My life has always revolved around doing what I shouldn't do, however this year will be different.

Do Not List
I will not play any casino games in 2024. Roulette is my favourite, especially 100/1 online roullete.
I will not place a single sports bet in 2024. My last bet was in 2023 on NYE. This will be extremely hard. No excuses though. No "just one bet". No deposit bonus, free bet, or special game will tempt me, not even the Euros competition in the summer. Break the rule once and my mindset is ruined and things will quickly spiral out of control and I will lose everything.
I will continue not drinking or taking drugs. If I end up drinking once a month for a special occasion it is not the end of the world. It is just a waste of money and time, but having fun with friends is not a bad thing.
Be lazy.

Do List
Play poker seriously to earn money.
Be healthy in body and mind.
Save money rather than waste it.
Make no excuses.

I am posting this to hold myself accountable throughout the first few months of 2024 where I attempt to clear as much as possible on my final debts before taking shots back into the games, which I intend to do as soon as possible (and before all debts are clear). I will not be playing any micro stakes - minimum stakes are £1/£2 live or online.

In the past, I have made a lot of money player poker and I am confident that I am still capable of destroying all the donks out there.

So, here is a detailed breakdown of debts that require clearing:

1. £530 bank overdraft 1
2. £250 bank overdraft 2
3. £2,325 bank credit card
4. £1,180 pay day loan 1
5. £900 pay day loan 2
6. £546 pay day loan 3
7. £572 pay day loan 4

Total: £6,303

January survival cash: £250

Next payday = January 31st: £2,250

January is mostly about survival until the next pay check. I will be listing a few items on eBay today to see if I can make a few extra hundred to help.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and harsh criticism are all welcome!

Good luck.

NL200 seems high starting stakes for your situation. Why not start lower and once you have figured out your win ratio and paid down debt a bit then move up?

Your journey is undoubtedly challenging, but your determination to make positive changes and learn from past experiences is evident.
Remember that setbacks are a natural part of any journey, but the key is to stay focused on your goals and consistently make progress.

Wishing you the best of luck in achieving your goals for 2024.
If you ever need support or have updates to share, feel free to reach out.
Stay resilient, and may this year bring positive transformations to your life!

There’s more EV in getting a job than playing NL100 for a living

This is a good question. I have no interest or passion in grinding mirco stakes to earn $5 an hour. The online games are extremely hard and boring and I will end up tilting playing against Eastern European nits for $10 pots. My job is stressful and takes up the majority of my time, I do not wish to give myself any extra stress or have to put in lots of study time to grind out a few hundred $. I believe NL200 and above is a much better and more profitable option, when the time is right, with the correct game selection. I also believe I would struggle to even beat NL10/NL25 online on most of the big sites these days without putting in some serious work because of the high rake and lack of fish / bad regs.

Thank you very much for your kind words, it means a lot! I keep doing my best I wish you lots of luck too.

This is true. I could make £400 - £500 a month extra washing dishes or making pizzas variance free, and to be honest I would much rather do that than grind micro stakes poker.

UPDATE

Today is payday. Last post I had:

TOTAL DEBT: £6,303.

Today I have paid:

1. £530 bank overdraft 1 - PAID ALL
2. £250 bank overdraft 2 - PAID ALL
3. £2,325 bank credit card - PAID £100
4. £1,180 pay day loan 1 - PAID £108
5. £900 pay day loan 2 - PAID £300
6. £546 pay day loan 3 - PAID £50
7. £572 pay day loan 4 - PAID £165 (some extra interest added on this one)

£700 RENT ALSO PAID.

CURRENT DEBTS

1. £0 bank overdraft 1
2. £0 bank overdraft 2
3. £2,225 bank credit card
4. £1,072 pay day loan 1
5. £600 pay day loan 2
6. £497 pay day loan 3
7. £433 pay day loan 4

TOTAL DEBT: £4,828 (decrease of £1,475)

I now have £2.17 left in my bank.

Once again, I will be surviving in my overdrafts until next payday and spending as little as possible this month.

I am extending this goal until the end of January 2025 to give me one full year from today's date. It makes sense as my contract with my job expires then, so my goals should be in line with this.

My usual routine on payday is lose all of my money on sports betting and roulette as quickly as possible. I am not doing that today, despite all the juicy football games on tonight and for the rest of the week.

I checked out Party Poker for any tournaments to meet my gambling fix, and they all suck. I am not paying $55 to buy into a tournament where first prize is $500.

In January, my diet was bad so no weight gained, and I won't lie - I lost a few hundred betting on sports. This month there are no excuses! I am a really good position now if I can hold out for a few more months of debt payments to take some poker shots. This month I might visit the casino and buy in with £100 and see what happens once or twice or play a live tournament.

I also watched 6 hours of Andrew Tate on setting up businesses. I did learn some things even if some people don't like him.

Has anyone ever made and sold an eBook or a book? I have an idea which I am considering going for.

FEBRUARY GOALS:

1.) No sports bets or roulette.
2.) Eat as much cheap and healthy food as possible and on Feb 29th weight 75kg or more.
3.) Do weights and press ups etc. every single day no excuses.
4.) Spend as little money as possible.
5.) Play at least 2 poker sessions somehow but don't lose all my survivial money.

Good Luck OP. Nice progress trying to turn your life around.

I'd suggest not doing any gambling until you clear all the debts and build at least some type of a bankroll. Until then you are dead ass broke and even if you have some edge in the games, its not gonna end well 99.9% of the time.

Also: Just self ban from everywhere or find some activity to increase serotonin levels. You already broke it in January, just do anything to cold turkey with betting. You don't have an edge there, just lighting money (you need desperately) on fire.

Thank you my friend.

Your advice is good and I agree 100%.

Not that I should be, but I am slightly proud of myself for being paid and doing zero gambling so far. It has only been just less than 48 hours, but these are the crucial hours where I normally always make bets and then depending how good or bad I run, I end up busto within a few days / weeks. The temptations are extremely real to place some bets since I got paid.

Upon reflection and after reading your post, I have decided to take the whole of February off from gambling.

If I manage to spend very little this month, next payday on February 29th, I can pay the same amount I did yesterday towards debts and have £600 left to take a 3 buy in shot at £1/£2 live.

I have booked off Feb 29th - March 5th from work and I will be playing my first sessions then so I have something to look forward to and a goal to work towards.

This month then, it's all about not gambling, spending little money, gaining weight, and grinding poker training videos in preparation.

I also just weighed myself for the first time in ages and somehow I am 76kg on the scale. This doesn't seem right tbh. Regardless, it means I am increasing my end of month weight goal to 80kg!

Daily minimum food includes: apple, orange, banana, pint of milk, x2 slices brown bread & butter, half a chicken (or equivalent), salad / veg, ice cream + as much other random food as possible including eggs, yogurt, olive oil, beetroot, tuna, baked beans, rice, pasta, cheese.

I used to eat 1 apple, 1 sausage roll, then sweets / chocolate everyday and smoke 50 cigarettes with coffee to stay alive, so the above is a lot for me. I find if I eat sugar half way through the day I can't eat anymore normal food, plus they are a waste of money and bad for me - so no more sugar!

I just did my first weights session and it feels good. I was going to join the gym but I know I will never go and it costs ££. I have dumbells and they will be stuck to my arms this month.

If anyone has any tips on not looking as thin as a stick, please do let me know. Right now I am just freestyling weights with no plan and hoping for the best.

I am also now 4 months without smoking any weed at all which is crazy considering I did it all day everyday for about 15 years. I miss it, but I am not going back. I fully intend to smoke weed when I am 60 years old living in a mansion on a hill though.