Grinding to the TOP: NL200 to NL5K+
05-10-2024
, 07:35 PM
Hey everyone,
It's been a while, but I'm back in the action!
After a long break I've set myself an ambitious challenge – grinding from NL200 all the way up to the big league (NL5K+).
Quick backstory: I play since many years (recreationally most of the time) and I was around breakeven up to NL100/NL200. However, my attempt at higher stakes proved to be a complete disaster, but that's all in the past. So after a long break I spend the last couple of months working on my game off-tables, learning completely new strategies.
Some of my old graphs:
The data here isn't comprehensive; I should have over 2 million hands total (maybe 3m+ ). Anyway, overall I'm probably around breakeven at NL100/200, but I've taken some significant losses at higher stakes, not just because of poor skills, but also due to some HU matches against solid regs and lack of mentality. Overall, I estimate I'm down around 5-10bb/100 at NL500+ when considering all hands played. This is just one of many reasons why I'm starting this thread: to stick within my bankroll, play exclusively 6-max, and keep a detailed journal of my progress.
I've already done a bit of a warm-up over the past few weeks , just to get a feel of the games. Well, while I've still got a long way to go, I'm feeling confident about the road ahead. I've given some challenges a shot before, but I didn't manage to see them through to the end. Mainly, it was because I lacked the necessary skills and mindset. However, I'm optimistic that this time will be different.
The plan is simple: I'll follow a kind of aggressive roll management, 20-30 buy ins with 5bi shots. I'll play 6-max reg cash tables only, 4-6 tables, for 20-25 hours a week, plus I'll dedicate at least 10-15 hours a week to off-table work.
My goal? NL1K by the end of the year and NL2K+ by 2025. For now, I'll keep my nicknames anonymous.
BANKROLL:
NL200 -> 20 buy-ins ($4,000)
NL500 -> 20 buy-ins ($10,000)
NL1000 -> 25 buy-ins ($25,000)
NL2000 -> 25 buy-ins ($50,000)
NL5000 -> 30 buy-ins ($150,000)
* When down -5 buy-ins, I'll drop back down in stakes. And I'll only move up once I've hit the required profit (no bonuses or rakeback).
So today, I start with a $4K roll at NL200. Once I reach the $6K profit (+30 bi), i'll shoot NL500 or if I lose $1K (-5 bi), i'll step down to NL100. I'll be playing on the major networks: party, ipoker and pokerstars. And as I get higher (over NL1K) and need more high-stakes action, I'll add ggpoker.
I'll try to provide regular updates, at least 3-4 times a week, but possibly even daily.
It's gonna be a ride. Stay tuned for updates.
See you at the tables!
It's been a while, but I'm back in the action!
After a long break I've set myself an ambitious challenge – grinding from NL200 all the way up to the big league (NL5K+).
Quick backstory: I play since many years (recreationally most of the time) and I was around breakeven up to NL100/NL200. However, my attempt at higher stakes proved to be a complete disaster, but that's all in the past. So after a long break I spend the last couple of months working on my game off-tables, learning completely new strategies.
Some of my old graphs:
The data here isn't comprehensive; I should have over 2 million hands total (maybe 3m+ ). Anyway, overall I'm probably around breakeven at NL100/200, but I've taken some significant losses at higher stakes, not just because of poor skills, but also due to some HU matches against solid regs and lack of mentality. Overall, I estimate I'm down around 5-10bb/100 at NL500+ when considering all hands played. This is just one of many reasons why I'm starting this thread: to stick within my bankroll, play exclusively 6-max, and keep a detailed journal of my progress.
I've already done a bit of a warm-up over the past few weeks , just to get a feel of the games. Well, while I've still got a long way to go, I'm feeling confident about the road ahead. I've given some challenges a shot before, but I didn't manage to see them through to the end. Mainly, it was because I lacked the necessary skills and mindset. However, I'm optimistic that this time will be different.
The plan is simple: I'll follow a kind of aggressive roll management, 20-30 buy ins with 5bi shots. I'll play 6-max reg cash tables only, 4-6 tables, for 20-25 hours a week, plus I'll dedicate at least 10-15 hours a week to off-table work.
My goal? NL1K by the end of the year and NL2K+ by 2025. For now, I'll keep my nicknames anonymous.
BANKROLL:
NL200 -> 20 buy-ins ($4,000)
NL500 -> 20 buy-ins ($10,000)
NL1000 -> 25 buy-ins ($25,000)
NL2000 -> 25 buy-ins ($50,000)
NL5000 -> 30 buy-ins ($150,000)
* When down -5 buy-ins, I'll drop back down in stakes. And I'll only move up once I've hit the required profit (no bonuses or rakeback).
So today, I start with a $4K roll at NL200. Once I reach the $6K profit (+30 bi), i'll shoot NL500 or if I lose $1K (-5 bi), i'll step down to NL100. I'll be playing on the major networks: party, ipoker and pokerstars. And as I get higher (over NL1K) and need more high-stakes action, I'll add ggpoker.
I'll try to provide regular updates, at least 3-4 times a week, but possibly even daily.
It's gonna be a ride. Stay tuned for updates.
See you at the tables!
05-13-2024
, 11:35 AM
Hey everyone,
Over the weekend, I ended up playing about 24-25 hours over 2-3 days, which is more than I planned for the entire week (and obv what was reasonable). I got really into it and didn't leave much time for off-table work. But going forward, I'll make sure to balance my time better.
During those long sessions, fatigue kicked in, leading to some questionable decisions. So, I'm getting back to my regular routine - 20-25h play/week, short sessions, 4-6 tables.
As I won't be putting in as much volume, I'll share updates 2-3 times a week. See you at the tables!
Over the weekend, I ended up playing about 24-25 hours over 2-3 days, which is more than I planned for the entire week (and obv what was reasonable). I got really into it and didn't leave much time for off-table work. But going forward, I'll make sure to balance my time better.
During those long sessions, fatigue kicked in, leading to some questionable decisions. So, I'm getting back to my regular routine - 20-25h play/week, short sessions, 4-6 tables.
As I won't be putting in as much volume, I'll share updates 2-3 times a week. See you at the tables!
05-19-2024
, 05:42 AM
It's been a week since I kicked off this challenge and while I haven't put in a ton of volume since my last post, everything is going as planned. I've been playing for a few hours a day, and dedicating 1-2 hours/day to off-table work. Anyway, nothing too exciting happened over the past few days, so I’m hoping to have more interesting updates to share with you next time.
Week 1 results
Week 1 results