Name: Frank
Age: 25
Location: Sydney
Venue: The Star
Goal: AUD $45,630 in 2016
Games: Live NLHE and PLO
Stakes: 2/3 - 5/10/20

Hey gents,

My goal is to make $45,630 next year playing live cash games approximately once a week. The frequency of my visits to the casino may change in March, however, if I get made redundant. If this happens, I will likely play full time.

I've decided to write here to keep a log of my progress. I welcome any type of input: opinions, thoughts, comments etc.

I believe writing may help me deal with bad variance, which I am currently going through.

In terms of experience, I don't have that much; only 300 hours and mostly at 2/3, 2/5 and 5/5 but I intend to play more 5/10/20.

I should probably include that there are a lot of things that will inhibit my ability to effective work toward my goal, the foremost reason being that my friends and family can never no I play poker... yet.
Nevertheless, I will try my best.

***

Last session: (-$1000)

5/10/20 PLO
50bb effective

Three way pot, money goes AI pre. My AAxx loses to KKxx on K turn.

***

Subbed.

Why can't your friends & family know you play? Having a support system is critical in any endeavor, especially poker.

I do like that you've started your thread well before the start of the new year.

'Good luck is where preparation meets opportunity.'

I'm sure my friends and family won't like it if I told them about my poker.
If I run good next year, I will open up about it but at the moment, no good can come of sharing my poker ambition, imo. None of my friends play poker to make money so they won't be able to understand.

But I would love to join a 'poker group' or poker house here in Sydney etc, I believe this will probably help lift our skills to the next level but until then, I'll have to go about it on my own. I've posted in the 'looking for a poker house' thread in the Travels forum, so we'll see how that goes.


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Today's session: +$1537

Stakes: 5/5
Game: NLHE
Length: 3 hours

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Can you give some details about your poker background?

Why will the frequency of casino visits possibly change in March?

Posting some HH's & strategy discussion would make it more interesting for your readers...

Good session btw.

I was introduced to poker in 2010 by a friend who played 25NL and 50NL on Full Tilt. Soon after, I started playing online at 2NL. I found myself playing for a couple of days only to go broke pretty quickly, vowing to "never play poker ever again". And then a month later, I would try at it again but with the same results. This went on for two years and then I stopped playing altogether for a couple of years. I was a losing player for sure and wasn't very good.

Then in late 2014, I tried playing live poker at 200NL but I didn't know how to beat the games. Anyway, I started reading 2p2 threads for the first time and saw more improvements in six months, than the couple of years of passively watching poker training videos.

In March next year, if I get made redundant, I'll be able to play more often pending whether I can convince my parents. Otherwise, I will look for a new job or try to get into the family business.

I'm happy to post HHs but I'll stick to interesting or tough spots.

At the moment, my biggest weakness is dealing with variance in my results. I've noticed that I don't deal well with adversity along the way particularly with regard to suck outs by villains in consecutive sessions that lead to multiple losing sessions in a row. This is tough because I only play once a week and it can really be a downer when looking back at what could have been. But yeah, I think I'm getting better and better at approaching my losses, variance etc and hopefully I master altogether.

Im 18 and live a few hours south of of Sydney.
Hopefully see you at the Star some time sir

Almost recovered from the flu.

First day back at work after taking off three days. Might play for three hours after work today.

Is it alright to play three hour sessions?

Also, how do you make love to variance? Like, to the point of wanting it, welcoming it, loving it, not being afraid of it and not being hurt by it... Rather, looking forward to it, jizzing over it, hopefully you get the idea.

Any help is appreciated. If you have any posts you've come across on 2p2 that you've saved, and refer back to during difficult times dealing with variance, please feel free to share with me as that would be awesome.

Today's session: (-$140)

Games: 5/10/20 NLHE
Length: 3 hours

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gl mate, might see you around.

tyty

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Today's session: $545

Games: 5/10/20 PLO
Length: 2 hours

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Up until very recently when I moved to playing full time online I regged these games 5 days a week. I think your profit goal if playing one session a week is unattainable imo. I would suggest playing minimum 6 hour sessions as travel costs etc makes playing short sessions a poor choice. Not sure who you are but am certain we would have played a bunch together, mainly played NL. Gl with the grind and hope you run better for the end of the year!

Just to give you an idea of winrates etc. For you to hit your target you need to make roughly $900/week. The best reg would be making roughly $100/hr at 300-700 and around $200 for the 5/5 PLO (would assume a similar wr for shortstacking the 10/20 PLO). Also need a significant roll to handle the swings of that 5/5 PLO game, like I wouldnt go near it without a 100k bankroll.

LC, may I ask why the move from live games 5 days/wk to playing online fulltime?
Last time I checked, there were so few fish on Pokerstars games 200NL and above? Isn't there usually like only two tables running at 400NL and 600NL?
Surely, you would've been pwning the tables at The Star.

bodybuilder frank yang??

Yeah online games are significantly tougher but you can play several tables, get rakeback, get to play from home etc. I only play 200zoom so theres always a game up. The NL games at the star just werent big enough and my hourly is similar for both so was a no brainer.

Another thing that really pushed me towards online full time were the people who frequent those 5/5 games. Yeah sure I had plenty of friends and generally had fun but couldnt handle the filthy bum hunting nature of the weak regs there. Like they would come over when a whale sat and instantly leave when he left or if they ran up a stack because they were too scared to play deep I assume.

Also your ability to improve by playing predominantly live poker is stunted massively just because you play like 1/50th the amount of hands/hr and have no database to review.

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Today's session: $3,175

Games: NLHE, PLO
Stakes: 5/5, 5/5/10

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Today's session: $245

Games: PLO
Stakes: 5/5/10
Time: 6 hours

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Saw the spewiest calls and shoves of all time today, left, right and centre. PLO is crazy.

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Today's session: ($-655)

Games: PLO
Stakes: 5/5/10
Time: 4 hours

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Ouch.

- Lost my $1,500 stack with AAxx in a pre flop three way all-in pot to KQT6cc that flopped the queen high flush

- Won my first pot with a wrap! I was lucky though, I rivered it.

- Saw a couple of young whales who kept potting it and going all in preflop, without even looking at their cards and doing this for 10 consecutive hands while reloading everytime

I don't even know how many $5,000 chips they had in their pants. Scary how rich these kids are. I thought I was a degen. These boys were literally playing any four cards.

But... it was awesome to watch.

#nomoneyproblems

To limit the impact of potential swings to my bankroll, I've decided not to push all in with 100bbs or more preflop with AAxx.

I think I'm overvaluing it.

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Today's session: $325

Games: PLO
Stakes: 1/3

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Today's session: $1,315

Games: PLO
Stakes: 5/5/10

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Really enjoying playing PLO at the moment. Not only is it a new game for me, but the new player pool that I am being exposed to, is full of colorful personalities.

I don't see myself playing too much NLHE in the near future

Table atmosphere is second to none in my opinion. Rarely is being card dead any fun in holdem. But in PLO, the spewiness in general coupled with the funny table talk, makes the time spent at the tables, worth my while. This is rarely the case at holdem which totally felt like a grind.

Anyway, I've noticed some pre-flop leaks in my game. The main leak being limp-calling speculative hands in early position which I should really be open folding. Those pocket pair combos are killing me; JJ9x, 788T, QQ9x type hands.

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Today's session: $1,027

Games: PLO
Stakes: 1/3 + Straddle

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Achievement Unlocked: Reached $10,000 in Lifetime Profit

(Date: 7th December 2015)

In before OP loses the roll on live PLO