Hello my fellow 2+2 friends let me go ahead and tell you a little bit about myself and my poker journey up until today.

First thing I would like to say is that I been a member for a longtime and been a lurker on this forum for years. My account got deactivated probably due to the fact I haven't logged into it in years. So even though it says I joined today. I actually joined about 10 years ago.

My journey started for most when the moneymaker poker boom happened. Remember I was just freshman in college and always been a gambler. Playing card with friends at lunch and always betting on stupid random things. My friends and I were are gamblers and loved to make money. I never really knew poker to well but after watching the WSOP and seeing moneymaker take the championship from a satellite entry I think we all though to ourselves, "I could do that!"

So that's what I did. I opened up an online account and started to learn the game. In the beginning I was just playing low stakes and grinding the low limits. I didn't know the difference to much between no limit and limit at the time. I just knew that the limit game I wouldn't lose all my money in one hand. Limit Holdem is how I started to learn playing the game. I love the game and all the action that it brought with limit poker. But with all that action also brought alot of badbeats and suck outs. Not saying NLHE you won't get that, but in limit it will happen more often because it's very hard to get people to fold to only 1 bet.

After a few years of playing low limit I eventually graduated up to the bigger games, i.e., 10/20, 15/30, 20/40, 30/60, & 40/80. I felt that I knew the game well enough and also had the mental discipline & toughness to handle all the variance it comes with. Well let me tell you I was dead wrong!

Don't get me wrong when I started playing the higher mistakes limit poker I was doing very well and crushing the games. I had built up over a $100k bankroll playing online. But as you all know the doomswitch was about to be activated. Over the course of the year, my bankroll started dropping. Eventually to the point where I was broke. Couldn't believe I did this to myself. I just wanted to crawl inside a hole and never come out. The sick feeing I had in my stomach and the emotional stress it brought was almost uncontrollable to the point I really wanted to kill myself. But obviously that's really STUPID thinking!

After finally giving myself some time to rethink everything and try and comprehend what just happened that's when reality set in and I was faced with a decision, do I go back to playing poker or get a real JOB? What do you think I did? Well if you chose me continuing to play poker you are wrong! I quit poker out of my life a a few years.

During this time in my life I just didn't have the motivation or excitement to play anymore. I think it was stress of building a bankroll again and than going down the same road in losing it again. I felt that is what scares me to return. I knew that I was a good player but didn't know how to handle that variance. It was hard cuz I had never experienced such a downswing like this. I felt untouchable, like I couldn't lose but only crush the games! That mentality is good but you cannot sustain it forever. Your going to have your swings but I could never tell myself that it happens to everyone I felt like it was just me and in every single spot where I can get 1 outed for a huge pot it happens like it was suppose to. Theses badbeats just took away the passion I had for the game and punished me for how I played bad and ran bad during that period.

Let's fast forward a few years. During this time I got a job and worked a normal 9-5. From there I ended up becoming a manager at my position and also ended up opening a couple of my own businesses. Poker was the last thing on my mind and I was just happy with life and how things were going. Everything was looking up for me. I felt like during this time I have matured as a person mentally and able to adapt to situations as my current job makes me so that. I don't let people or situations get to me or affect me throughout the day.

So now this year I started to get myself back into the poker grind. I live in Portland Oregon and we have what we called poker clubs down here. They run a 1/2 - 2/5 and a Big O game. Not sure what big O is but doesn't look fun. These poker clubs are not casinos but establishments where people can come to play. They do make you pay a door fee but there is no rake. Gambling is illegal here and only casinos we have are in Lincoln city or chinook winds. Unless you wanna drive over the border to Washington and play at a couple local casinos there. Only Limit games there. So now I have started to play at these places but it's NLHE. In my earlier statement I said that I was a limit player which I am. But I wanted to try and transition to NLHE, I felt like this was a perfect way to jump in. Let me remind you this place has NO RAKE! How they work is "1 hour tournament segments" after every hour players can cash down there chips to the minmum, keep what they have in front or can leave. Remember you have to stay for the whole hour session. It's illegal to have cash games so I guess this is the way they get around it. There is always action and a lot of money on the table.

My goal for this PG&C thread is for me to just see my progress of changing from limit to NLHE. I'll be playing mainly 1/2. Trying to strengthen my game and fix and leaks that I may have. With a minimum buy in of $100 and max of $300 I feel like I want to buy in $200 at a time since most people buy in for a minimum $100, like having that chop advantage. I'm not really good with posting hands and trying to explain my reason for what I did. I'm really a feeling type of player I just go with my gut. But also I would say I'm decent in figuring it people's ranges and calling when I feel I have the best hand. But for analyzing play and breaking down the hand that's not really what I'm good at. So if I do post hands and situations I'll be more than grateful for some advice from my fellow 2+2 members.

I appreciate everyone who has read my PG&C and I hope to crush it! Thanks for anyone who follows my journey!

Goals
-Make $10,000 by end of year.
-Study the game & players
-BR management
-Live & eat a healthy lifestyle
-Play 100 hours this month

Bankroll - $1000

which club(s) do you plan on playing at in portland? if youre good at MTTS encore(which has crappy parking) and final table both have pretty decent guarantees on some of their tourneys. final table has a 20k first friday of every month i believe. buyins arent too high, fields arent too tough overall and a bink in 1 of em could give your roll a real nice boost in the right direction, only play these though tho if you have alotta experience in tournaments. as far as cash there are some really good 2/5 games that get off in different parts of town different days of the week, while they are juicy they also contain a few beasts so probaly best to avoid taking shots in those till your roll is atleast over 10k cuz while they are 2/5 blinds some of em play really deep. when you do jump to 2/5 maybe try out final tables 2/5 game at first cuz i believe they cap the buyin@100bb's($500). spirit mountain has a 2/5 game that runs on the weekends and while its definitely beatable i think it is run with no cap so probaly best to avoid that as well till your roll is super healthy. as far as 1/2 goes avoid the coast casinos and paying their rake(which is awful raking the sb before the cards are even dealt) and stick to playing in pdx. most 1/2 games are soft overall all over town just like 1/2 anywhere else in the country youd play live and youre only paying 10 bucks a day as opposed to rake so your winrate should be much healthier than playing 1/2 in a casino. there are also some supersoft games that are run in select strip clubs believe it not different nights of the week, those could be really good for building your roll if you can deal with surroundings

last but most importantly i definitely dont wanna tell anyone not to follow their dreams but you listed your bankroll as only 1k. are you still working, can you add to/replenish this at any time? sure you can start off on a heater and run it up but most likely youre setting yourself up for failure. your limit HE experience will def help you as far as reading players,understanding position etc but you are inexperienced you said at NL and alotta things will be foreign to you at first and youll be put in alotta spots where you are clueless. i said the games are very beatable in town and they are enough so that a really good experienced player can make a living off them in portland(lol which isnt a cheap city btw). you spoke of variance so you know about that and it can affect even a great player in soft 1/2 lineups and wipe a 1k roll away like nothing so again its important to keep a regular job while youre working on your game and grinding up a roll at the clubs in town. hopefully you get to the point when you grind up a 10k+roll with several months living expenses saved up seperate from that and then maybe give it a crack full time. good luck!

Thanks 4GET2PWNED0. I been actually playing at Final Table cash games for a little while. I have actually played at encore once for a tournament but never a cash game. I'm not too much of a tournament player due to the fact that my patience is very low. I really hope to in the future play some more tournaments and actually make the money in one. I have played both the 1/2 and 2/5 @ final table and know that it can be very soft but I know that a BR is very important. My main problem definitely is the tilt factor. If I get a bad beat I start to get really angry and play bad as well. So after playing both games I decided for my BR I'm gonna start playing 1/2 more consistently. Having only a $1k bankroll is not the ideal amount I want to have and start with but I know that I'm capable of building it up. If need be I do have a job and can replenish it if I have too. I really appreciate all the info and maybe one day we will play together if you come play at final table. I'm currently here writing as I play. Not doing so well down about $300. Hopefully I can get some good luck vibes from the thread.

Here's and update for the past couple days. Nothing to big to report but I did get in two sessions @ 1/2. The tables weren't that great. Just a lot of folding and waiting for the right hand & position.
1st session = +$200
Only had I remember getting it in was when I was on the big blind with 10/4 off suit. It was a 7 way flop no raise. Flop comes 4 4 10. Flopped the nuts! Flop goes check around. Turn comes a J. I bet $15 into a $14 dollar pot folds all the way to the button who raises to $50. I tank for a minute 1 minute and move all in for my remaining. I started with $200 before start of hand. Button tanks for couple minutes before calling. He shows 4/K. We both flopped trips and I had to dodge the the river. Luckily it blanks and I take down a decent pot, doubling my stack.
2nd session = -$100
Card dead only played for 2 hours, had a dinner to go to. Didn't end up going back because I was so tired and got to work early next day.

Bankroll - $1100

Yesterday's session was not good at all. Ended up playing a tournament for a the second time in my life. $10k guarantee which went over the prize pool with extra rebuys and add-ons. There was about 109 people and buy-in was about $50 but I rebough to twice and added on which brought my total to $180. I was playing well and had more than average size chip stack. But when the ones start to go higher it's hard to just sit and wait while your getting blinded out. So eventually had to take a stand with pocket 6's. Unfortunately was called by K4 spades and he flopped trips. Did turn a straight draw and still had my two 6's to hit but ended up not hitting. So my dream of final tabling a tournament or just even making the money ended.
So now I moved to cash game 1/2 and nothing really to say but did not play well. I believe the tournament was so slow and I barely played any hands which that made me start to play hands I normally wouldn't have in the cash games. Was playing loose and over calling in certain situations. Just wasn't hitting anything and when I was hand just doesn't hold up. So I end up losing about $300 from the 1/2 session and than my name gets called for the 2/5.
At the 2/5 I had same results not hitting any cards and my when I did I get rivered. Especially on a decent $900 pot I have too pair and two maniacs calling with gut shots and hitting. It's just so demoralizing, makes you play so bad. How do you not tilt after that. It's like someone always has our number at the table and when our out in the reverse situation, you can never hit on anyone else. Ended up losing $300 at 2/5 as well.
I'm currently working now but I'll probably be stopping by to play later tonight. I been itching to play some 20/40 limit but not sure cuz I know this thread is about me transitioning to no-limit. We will see how I feel. But current bankroll is hurting and not sure if I can withstand the swings in 20/40 right now but it always a last minute decision with me. I'm so indecisive.

Bankroll - $300

10,000 shouldn't be too difficult by end of the year. 5 months, 2k a month. If you play 100-150 hours a month, it should be reachable, but.. it'd be close, especially for a new player.

Big O is 5 card omaha. definitely a gambling game and one needs a ton of money even for a 1-2 Big O game.

id stay away from tournaments for now, your roll is too low first and foremost and youre very inexperienced as you stated and that inexperience makes you very -ev especially in those tournaments where the fields are triple digits(or close to) in size. with fields that size youre gonna make too many mistakes in too many situations. if you really wanna learn and get some experience in tournaments you can do so much cheaper by throwing a couple hundo online. id suggest starting with micro stakes single table sng'z and once you start gaining experience/beating them regularly you can try some lower stakes MTT'S. theres so much you have to learn to be able to crush MTT'S and online you can learn much quicker and again for alot cheaper. for now stick to 1 form of NL live and to solely 1/2! youre already practicing bad BRM and being undisciplined jumping in games beyond the means of your roll which is a bad habit and its a habit you dont want to stick cuz it can lead to disaster down the line when you actually do grind up a nice roll.


who doesnt wanna crush and make a ton of money, i get it. right now tho you need to focus on one game(1/2nl cash), improving your game and making the correct plays and not being results oriented. from your most recent post you also need to focus alot on your mental game and avoiding tilt. GL

I don't think you're going to make it with a bankroll of $1,000.

Even if you played rock-solid nit-fest abc poker, it's tough to sustain the variance of a 1/2 game with just 1k.

A better suggestion to start with is $3,000.

And I'd stay far away from tournaments with 0 overlay.

Thanks I appreciate the info I know that I'm under rolled for sure but I know that I can always reload but thanks for the advice I'll take it into consideration and put maybe a little more aside to start grinding 1/2. Gonna stay away from tournaments as well can't handle the long waits with no hands and not playing any hands for hours.

Why do you think this will change if you're playing 1/2 ?

Sorry but I'm not sure exactly what you mean by what will change in 1/2?