I'm currently 22 years old and began playing poker when I was in high school with friends. After realizing that it could be profitable I began to play more seriously and continued to do so part time while finishing college. I saved up $1,200 for my first roll and in about 400 hours of play at 1/2NLH I made slightly over $12,000 which gave me a win rate slightly over 30 an hour. I've also played 2/5 Nl, and NLH Sit and Go's and Tourneys all with decent win rates.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of bad bankroll management (I used part of my roll to pay off my school debt, go on vacation, and lost some playing 2/2 PLO when Its not my best game) and an unfortunate series of events (got 3k stolen from me and experienced the worst side of variance) I found myself at my last 300 of my BR.
I realized the emotional strain and mental toll the negative swing took on me. I also realized that I had stopped enjoying the game and would often find myself trying to chase my money because I was no longer in a good state of mind. I came to the conclusion that I needed a break. I decided I WOULD NOT come back until I looked over my poker notes/my session information in order to determine my major mental leaks establish some goals/rules for myself.
After reviewing my data I realized that 1. I was often spreading myself too thin by playing so many different styles of poker and decided to focus only on 1/2NLH. 2. I decided to limit the number of hours I play, and set a strict rebuy limit. I've had some marathon sessions 24 hours+ and I realized that this was because I would buy in for more than I felt comfortable loosing which would cause me to chase my losses and play ****ty if I ever lost it. Also, my play my play would typically worsen after 12-14 hours, whereas my best sessions were typically around 8-10. Most of all I would feel absolutely disgusting after the marathon sessions and really just never want to feel that way again.
Below are the goals and rules I set for myself
Goal:
1.To become the best poker player possible in terms of financial gain.
2.Run up my BR to 10k
3.Only play 1/2NLH until I reach 5k at which point I can take a shot at 2/5NLH
Rules:
1. Don't play if not well rested!
2.Always play in your best state of mind
3. Put in practice and study hours at home.
4. Try not to play more than 8 hours. 10 hours tops unless specific circumstances say otherwise.
5. Don't play to get even. Play to play your best.
6. Always hunt for fish. If there's none, don't be afraid to change tables.
7. Take notes and be attentive.
8. If you're losing focus stop playing or take a walk! If you begin reading or doing something else stop playing! You win using psg not waiting for the best hand.
9. Take care of priorities before playing. Family and responsibility is more important than poker.
10. It's all part of the game. Don't take losses personally and don't feel bad for beating others. Always try to learn from mistakes.
11. Don't feel the need to explain yourself or show your hands. There's no reason to give away free information. Only give information if you have an objective behind providing it
12. Don't carry too much money on you. Make sure you have enough available but that it's in a secure location.
13. Never forget your humility were all human
14. No more than two buy ins of 100 big blinds
Conclusion
I took my well needed brake and came back ready to kick some ass, deleted my previous data because I felt like it was holding me back mentally and wanted to start fresh. Starting with $300 Ive managed to run up my Bank roll to $2,857 in a total of 44 hours and 45 minutes. Going to keep updating this thread with my progress in order to keep myself motivated, and committed to my rules and goals! Wish me luck!
Played for 5 hours today and lost 250BB at 1/2 due to being a little too aggressive in spots I shouldn't have and getting 3 outed against a couple times. I'm feeling pretty tired today so I decided to just stay home tonight and study rather than play a second session. Currently reading the Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler.
Ran 400 into 2257 by the end of my session. 