Consider this my 2017 restart. In
my original 2017 thread, I played a handful of sessions and had some decent early results. Unfortunately, I didn't keep my "gamble tiger" in its cage, and I ****ed around at the blackjack tables twice. I won, but this challenge is all about staying out of the pit, and figuring out whether I'm a winner at poker. So, I'm throwing the $1000 or whatever I was up so far in savings, and starting over with some slightly different parameters.
As I've said in my previous threads, if you're looking for a diary of ultra-conservative bankroll management, this isn't the thread. I'm going to embrace the reality of my situation -- I want to build a bankroll, which I'll need to learn to be more protective of over time. For right now, though, reloading wouldn't be the end of the world, and I'm choosing stakes accordingly.
A Bit About Me
Poker's been a part of my life for about a decade. When I was in college, I used to cruise to the casino with my friends, try to "squish the fish" at $2/2 LHE, and mess around in home tournaments. As my friends all moved on, I got more and more serious about the game.
Over the years, I've played cash games, big and small, binked my fair share of live and online MTTs, etc. But, discipline has always been a serious problem. When I found the cash games online were exceeding my skill level, I essentially gave up. I've thrown a couple hundred dollars online a handful of times over the past couple of years, but I've never focused on building a future in poker. I might go play live for a few hours a few times a year. No structure at all. All that is about to change.
At this stage of my life, things are going well. I have a good job. Married. Two young kids, and one more coming. My family is happy. I'm generally fulfilled. I don't need to be in any rush to find real success in poker. I do, however, need to be able to justify the time. So, some goals are in order. A little more structure. And hopefully, with some effort and patience, I can turn poker into a profitable hobby that helps me spoil my family in the present, and prepare for a great future.
The Game Plan
$3,000 starting bankroll. I travel a lot for work, so I'm hoping to put in most of my playing while away. I'll be posting updates here, and tracking results using RunGood.
$1/2 NLHE and $1/3 NLHE may be played. If bankroll falls below $2,000 at any point, $1/3 NLHE must be discontinued until bankroll recovers to $3,000.
When bankroll reaches $5,000, $2/5 NLHE may be played. If bankroll falls below $4,000 at any point, $2/5 NLHE must be discontinued until bankroll recovers to $5,000.
When bankroll reaches $15,000 $5/10 NLHE may be played. If bankroll falls below $10,000 at any point, $5/10 NLHE must be discontinued until bankroll recovers to $15,000.
Allowable tournament stakes:
Bankroll <$5,000 - Single Buy-In Maximum of 10% of Bankroll
Bankroll $5,000 - $10,000 - Single Buy-In Maximum of 7.5% of Bankroll
Bankroll $10,000 - $25,000 - Single Buy-In Maximum of 5% of Bankroll
Bankroll >$25,000 - Single Buy-In Maximum of 3% of Bankroll
Some General Rules
[ ] Absolutely no casino/pit games. Ever.
[ ] Stop-loss for live cash games - 3 buy-ins
I'm hoping to end 2017 having achieved the following:
[ ] Played 500 hours live cash games
[ ] Played 10 live MTTs
[ ] Total bankroll $20,000