June is complete. Again wasn't the best, but I can't complain with the rakeback. Also, we FINALLY got some clarity on the Ontario situation!
Total was $622.34 + $5870 ($3200 monthly poker challenge, 8 $250 dollar chests, $150 leaderboards & $520 first deposit bonus) =
+$6492.34
June Goals:
-Hit PS Monthly Poker Challenge (✓)
-Clear WPN Matching Bonus (X)
I was able to grind enough volume to finish the PokerStars challenge, but unfortunately I sort of wasted the BCP first deposit bonus. I should've waited until PokerStars left Ontario before depositing, but I wanted to test it out so what can I do.
What I am sure a lot of you are wondering, now that PokerStars is officially Ontario only, what will be my plan going forward?
For those of you who haven't heard about the Ontario government situation I made a video about it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93C75w8FrPE&t=14s
I knew this was going to happen for months, but it was still hard to know what my plan would be without seeing how much traffic Ontario poker would have and how soft the games would be.
Here is the Stars lobby at 9pm (Sort of peak time) on a Friday:
Here is Party at around the same time:
Both have zoom, but there is always 0 players. GG is still to come as wsop.ca.
I debated some options:
#1 I could just retire. I spend quite a bit of time playing and studying even though I don't play for a living. Also, the local casino took out live poker after covid and replaced that space with video blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat. My goal was always to play high stakes, be one of the best in the world and open a stable of my own. With Ontario only now that is basically impossible unless I move. It would be the perfect time to get out.
The thing is I have build up a decent income and skillset. Also, my stream and YouTube are growing.
#2 I could grind WPN like I grinded PokerStars and play for mostly rakeback. I likely could get around 40-60% rakeback from my estimations. The games don't seem as bad as people say. However, I have only played maybe 30k hands. Not that big of a sample to tell.
The problem with this option is although profitable, it never really aligned with my goals and do I really want to live that life of grinding a small winrate with swings for hours and hours a day? Also, sites can change rewards at any time and take away my income.
#3 Grind apps. I tested some app games and I guess it depends on the club and who you know. Maybe it could be an option.
The problem is the rake is insane. Some games are around 15bb/100 rake and you're always at risk of getting cheated.
#4 Finally do what I've said I should do for months or maybe years lol. Focus on studying and reg tables. Table select well over a few sites and actually play for win rate. This would sort of future proof me and also help for live when I travel.
How much volume can I get on the Ontario sites and how high can I play? WPN I can play a bit higher, but my income might be capped and I could make way more picking #2 potentially.
After a lot of thought and consideration I decided to go with #4. What does that mean going forward? For the stream I am not sure yet. We will see how much volume there is during the times I stream now. It would be a lot slower with less hands. I don't want to commit to anything with it yet. It wont go away, I am just not sure what my plan will be. YouTube will stay pretty much the same as it is now.
July Goals:
-30k Hands
-1:1 Study To Play Ratio
-Don't be enticed by rakeback!!!!
That is my July goals. Lets see if I finally stick with it for once.
Now to end this long post since we hit the halfway point of the year I will do a mid year update:
Total: $10847.80 + $33670 Rakeback =
+$44517.80
Bless rakeback! I suppose that is over now though. I am slightly surprised that my win rate isn't much higher than last year. I tried to change a lot of things the past few months. Different strategies vs fish especially. It hasn't seemed to perform that much better than my "theory" based style. With that being said with small win rates variance can be insane. But it should be better than that you would think...
Anyways, that is all for this update. Let's hope I actually follow through on my plan and stay focused. Let's have a great rest of the summer now that we finally have some clarity in Ontario! 💰