Thanks for the advice! I feel I need to put the volume in now, I'm 24 now and I feel I need to work as hard as I can while I'm able to. I want to be playing at a decent level of poker within the next couple of years and I think I have to work as hard as I can at it now to get there sooner.

Another reason for the volume is to qualify for the monthly loyalty freerolls. These offer the chance to bink a decent score and add to the bankroll.

Finally, if I'm honest I'm not completely happy with my career trajectory at the moment. I'm not saying I want to turn pro, but I'd like to be playing at a decent level to perhaps open some possibilities of job hunting in the future while playing.

I'm not cool enough to get the reference

haha no reference, just exciting to see you potentially wanna play poker full time!

I'm a long way off but who knows what will happen in the future...

The aj seems like an alright call vs this player type but we can't 've overly surprised to be shown 5x every now and then. Also in these games I'd look to value bet more than pick off bluffs to make profits

Absolutely agree with your last sentence. I guess I just had a plan for this player having seen him play. I'm trying to focus more on value betting to win big pots rather than picking off bluffs as u suggested.

Met up and played with 2p2er likealeica who has just started uni in London. Hopefully by introducing him to live poker I haven't screwed his degree...

Good luck OP, I lasted about 5 weeks in that industry (pharma) then decided to just do poker on its own ^^

I'm playing horribly tonight and tilting because of it. Fine now but really disappointed with first couple hours, especially as I was up a buyin at one point, now down one and a half...

Hit quads and got paid, down a bit less than a buyin, let's get this back in the black!

Isn't Moorman having a party in The Vic tonight for his book launch? Seen any famous faces?

Just read whole thread, you seem ultra determined to succeed in poker and I wish u all the best getting to where u want to be.

My advice would defo echo others ITT, in these 1/1, 1/2 games it is all about betting for value and getting the max out of your hands. If you play good solid poker, I believe you can be a long term winner.

Like the vic for 1/1, 1/2, and comfort tbh, the 1/2 on a weekday can get a bit dreary tho, leading up to weekend a lot better.

Empire at the weekend is very good too and they have one of the softest cash game free rolls as in doesn't take a lot to cash. So if u do decide to move up to 1/2, defo think that's worth a shot as always around 7k ftw so decent bankroll booster and think it's run on a monthly basis.

I feel the hippo is the softest tho but would probably play there if I was looking to carry on playing an all night er or something, the games are so juicy at 4am+...

glgl

Thanks for the advice! I'll certainly try to get out more and see some other games once I've made the move up full time.

I was at the London Freeski Film Festival last night; I work part time for a ski clothing company. Loads of great films coming out this year and I caught up with a load of old friends and had a few beers!

I'll be working at the London Ski and Snowboard Show at Earl's Court next week from Thursday to Sunday, if you're about come and say hi!

Hi, do you mind if I message you some questions about working in financial recruitment please ?

Update:

Sorry for the lack of updates, been super busy with ski stuff recently, just finished working 4 days at the London Ski and Snowboard Show.

I've decided to pay off what little debt I had left and that has left me with a bit of a short bankroll. I won't really be playing much until I have a new bankroll to work with but hopefully that won't be too long!

hey mate best to be debt free in the long run. I have set up shop in Stratford and noticed just the other day that there is a casino just down the road, Aspers I think it was called. have you ever played there?

Hey guys, hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!

I've been approached by a former backer about getting back into the game with a roll for £1/1. I'm hesitant to take any form of loan having paid off my debts last time around, getting stuck on a staking deal isn't really something I'm looking for, however, I do want to be back in the game. Thoughts?

Personally I'd always rather play on my own rather than (essentially) playing for someone else, even if it was at lower stakes.

In this case since there are no lower stakes, I definitely don't think it's worth getting staked for 1/1. But it all comes down to your opinions on staking and how much money you have available to put towards poker. Would it take long to get together at least a few buyins/semi-proper roll?

I can try but at the moment my living expenses are roughly equal to my income so I can't put away a huge amount every month. I'm considering taking a smaller stake online. He is offering a £2k stake for live play which to me if he suddenly recalled it would be a lot of money to me! I'm also not really a fan of borrowing money overall.

In the other hand, I consider myself a winning player, and I would guess he does too as he's offering me a stake. This would be the fastest way to get myself back in the game without waiting 6 months or so to put a healthy roll together.

As a tip, you shouldn't really consider a stake as being lent money, the backer is investing in you.

If you're down on the £2k stake and the backer decides to pull out, the loss should be on him. That's the risk he takes in return for splitting half your winnings, or whatever you agree on.

Likewise, the stake should be purely for your bankroll, so if he did pull out at any moment, it should have no impact on your personal finances, beside the inability to play live poker.

Hope that helps your decision.

I completely agree with you, and I also appreciate he is being generous in getting me back in the game. I just think we have different ideas in a staking deal and I'd rather stay friends and let no feeling get hurt.

As GIC says, a £2k staking agreement isn't a £2k loan. You don't owe him anything if you lose it or if you end the stake in the red (unless there's some weird agreement that you do, which you obviously shouldn't take). There shouldn't be any feelings hurt, otherwise it shows you don't fully trust each other, but that's up to you.

I think I played on a few of your tables at the Vic a few months back. Have been playing more online the last few months but still enjoy playing the tourneys there.

Thanks for the advice, we met last night and had a good laugh. First and foremost we're friends so anything we figure out will be amiable but clear and concise.

Hey everyone (or should I say anyone?) I'm looking to get something sorted by the end of the month and am hoping to be back in the game by February. I'll keep you updated on any opportunities that arise.

I've also been keeping up my reading and will post some more reviews this evening. Currently halfway through War and Peace and loving it.