Hi everyone,

I'm from Berlin, Germany and used to be a software engineer and manager. However, earlier this year I decided to give poker a chance and work with the great and dedicated people at SpinLegends. My other job opportunities were ok and paid well, but I find them too unflexible and uninspiring. Still, SL kinda has to compete with them, so I'm starting this blog to track and evaluate my progress. Starting from August I'll try to see if I can do this (nearly) full-time.

Stream and community

I love poker and I also enjoy communicating with others who share the same passion and goals, so cheers to my SpinLegends collegues . This also made me start a late night spin and go stream on twitch (twitch.tv/xanham). Regular stream start times are Mon-Thu 11pm CE(S)T. Drop by if you find the time!

Progress and goals

I started mid February 2017 (part-time) and since then moved from 0.25$ to 15$ spins.

My total graph for chips won:


Next mid-term and fun goals:

[ ] Move up to 30$ spins by October 2017
[ ] Win a 100x or higher multiplier game on 15$+ (done on 1$ and 7$)
[ ] Win a 25x or higher multiplier game live on stream
[ ] 300 followers on twitch
[ ] Stop tilting by March 2021

I will define monthly goals in separate posts.

Music

On the private side, I'm a rock guitar player and currently active in two punkrock bands. I'll also keep my part-time job doing early music education for really little kids (6-24 months) one day per week, for balance . It's just so rewarding on a personal level. And no, I don't teach them punkrock (yet)

So feel free to talk about any kind of music here or on my stream (especially, but not limited to, all kinds of rock music).

Goals for August 2017

Minimum:

• 40h stream
• 70h offline grind
• 1k games overall
• 25h coachings and videos
• 10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc. (will be harder for me than it sounds)
• 50+ chipEV / tournament
  
• 1x/week running
• 1x/week short core / back/ shoulders workout

(145h total)

Optimal:

• One long extra stream on a weekend
• 100h offline grind
• 1.5k games overall
• 35h coachings and videos
• Read Tipton's Expert Heads Up No Limit Hold'em vol. 1
• 60+ chipEV / tournament
  
• Go running 2x/week
• Short core / back/ shoulders workout at least 2x/week

(~ +50h)

In general, three things are currently challenging for me:

1. Self-study, session reviews, spot analysis etc.

When I put in many hours grinding and learning passively (coachings etc.), it's hard for me to find the motivation to learn actively. Hence the small but important goal. I am aware of some leaks I want to work on, and probably could identify more.

2. Focus and stamina

I'm mostly happy with my A-game, but I don't always play it. To improve my mental fitness, I'm already changing my nutrition, replacing junk food and sweet softdrinks with more healthy food and water / teas. At least to some extent. Sometimes it just has to be pizza .
I'll also try to incorporate some modest workouts into my schedule to become more physically fit. I don't have time for more, because rehearsing and playing gigs with my bands is time-consuming and also replaces endurance training to some extent.

3. Multitabling

I really want to improve here. I definitely make more mistakes when I play 2 or more tables. Also, my awareness of villain reads and tendencies decreases. I guess it needs practise. Any suggestions on how to approach this?

Today I took down a 25x multiplier spin with a chipEV of 572, for a profit of 360$

Not many super interesting hands tough. Biggest postflop pot was this:

PokerStars - 15/30 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players

BTN: 23.4 BB (VPIP: 44.44, PFR: 22.22, 3Bet Preflop: 20.00, Hands: 9)
SB: 9 BB (VPIP: 29.41, PFR: 17.65, 3Bet Preflop: 16.67, Hands: 18)
Hero (BB): 17.6 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J 4

BTN calls 1 BB, fold, Hero checks

Flop: (2.5 BB, 2 players) 5 8 J
Hero checks, BTN bets 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB

Turn: (4.5 BB, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, BTN bets 2 BB, Hero calls 2 BB

River: (8.5 BB, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BTN bets 4.27 BB, Hero calls 4.27 BB



I might have folded the river unimproved to a reasonably sized third barrel. With rivered trips, I wasn't sure if I can get more value on the river by raising, with possible flushes, straights and better trips out there. Would you raise in this spot?

Nice stream you have going there. Keep it up.

Thanks!

Here comes the full hand history for the very first game on tonights stream:

PokerStars - 10/20 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players

Hero (BTN): 25 BB
SB: 25 BB
BB: 25 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6 6

Hero raises to 25 BB and is all-in, fold, BB calls 24 BB and is all-in

Flop: (50.5 BB, 2 players) 8 Q 9

Turn: (50.5 BB, 2 players) Q

River: (50.5 BB, 2 players) 7



Gotta love those players! <3

The other day on stream - really strange hand:

PokerStars - 10/20 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players

SB: 10.5 BB
Hero (BB): 24 BB
BTN: 40.5 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 7 Q

BTN raises to 2 BB, SB calls 1.5 BB, Hero calls 1 BB

Flop: (6 BB, 3 players) 9 8 Q
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets 3 BB, SB calls 3 BB, Hero calls 3 BB

Turn: (15 BB, 3 players) K
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (15 BB, 3 players) 8
SB checks, Hero bets 3.4 BB, BTN calls 3.4 BB, SB raises to 5.5 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 2.1 BB, BTN calls 2.1 BB



I bet the river for value, but after a call and a raise it's really strange. I found the call just because there was so little behind, but usually I'd fold that.

Anyway, enjoing streaming so far and I'm on track to reach my goals. I will post detailed statistics each month.

Tune in if you find the time: Xanham Twitch stream

Nice graph, will have a look at the stream. GL!

Thanks! I will post monthly updates and compare the stats to my monthly goals.

Meanwhile I took down a 10x game on yesterday's stream with +1187 (!) chipEV

The craziest hand against a crazy player:

PokerStars - 20/40 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 2 players

Hero (SB): 28.78 BB
BB: 8.73 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has J 6

Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB checks

Flop: (2 BB, 2 players) 5 4 7
BB bets 1 BB, Hero calls 1 BB

Turn: (4 BB, 2 players) J
BB bets 6.73 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 6.73 BB

River: (17.45 BB, 2 players) 6



Turn call is a bit tricky, but I already had reads that this guy is crazy and will be doing this with any pair, any diamond, any gutshot+. Getting it in with 89% equity for the 10x win felt good! For one second But found a happy end later for a nice +135$.

On track to reach my time-based goals so far. I'll have about 50% of the minimum goals done this weekend. My chipEV/tournament is not great though, it's swinging around the minimum goal of 50.

But I'm excited about my upcoming 8h stream, as promised for reaching 300+ followers on Twitch. It will also be the first of the optional monthly goals I complete.

Tune in tomorrow, Sunday, 3 pm CEST (10 am EST): https://www.twitch.tv/xanham

I will be playing 15$ Spin and Gos (of course), but also trying other games just for fun on micro stakes, like the new Spin and Go MAX, possibly other jackpot-type SNGs, MTTs, cash...

Yesterday I hit a 10x on stream vs. two crazy recreational players. Very nice I thought! Then I got Aces. Great! I thought.

Then it went like this:

PokerStars - 15/30 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): 16.67 BB
BTN: 19 BB
SB: 14.33 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

BTN raises to 2 BB, fold, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, BTN calls 1.5 BB

Flop: (7.5 BB, 2 players) 7 6 2
Hero bets 5.57 BB, BTN raises to 11.13 BB, Hero raises to 13.17 BB and is all-in, BTN calls 2.03 BB

Turn: (33.83 BB, 2 players) Q

River: (33.83 BB, 2 players) 9



Tough times! No chance I can get away here, probably not even readless.

I had a rough month in general with less time for poker than I planned. I'll post a graph and a detailed goals evaluation at the beginning of next month.

On today's stream I was lucky enough to complete two of my motivational mid-term goals:

[✓] Win a 100x or higher multiplier game on 15$+
[✓] Win a 25x or higher multiplier game live on stream

In the first game I rolled a 120x and took it down with 820 chipEV.



Final hand:

PokerStars - 20/40 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 2 players

BB: 6.9 BB
Hero (SB): 30.6 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T 5

Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB checks

Flop: (2 BB, 2 players) T A 4
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (2 BB, 2 players) T
BB checks, Hero bets 1.05 BB, BB calls 1.05 BB

River: (4.1 BB, 2 players) 4
BB bets 4.85 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 4.85 BB


Not spectacular but what do you think about his river shove?

August 2017 recap

Graph on 15$ spins:


Time spent:


First off, not super happy, but all right with my August performance. Had a lot of non-poker stuff going on, working on the music side of life, playing gigs etc. I also had some health issues, especially with my "mouse arm", people who watched me on stream might remember. Still not fully recovered. But when I was unable to grind I should have probably watched more coaching videos.

On the other hand, I had some great achievements in August, like winning that 100x game on stream, increasing Twitch followers to 320+ and getting Twitch Affiliate status (you guys can all subscribe now ). My graph also looks really upswingy

✓40h stream
✗70h off-stream grind
✓1k games overall
✗25h coachings and videos
✓10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc.
✓50+ chipEV / tournament (well, it's close enough)

Extra goals:
✓One long extra stream on a weekend

It amazes me how much total time I spent in the "Other" category, which includes this blog, some administrative or marketing stuff and relevant Skype / forum activity.

September 2017 goals

Basic: (don't want to call them minimal, because they're non-trivial)

• 40h stream
• 70h off-stream grind
• 1k games overall
• 25h coachings and videos
• 10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc.
• 55+ chipEV / tournament

Advanced:

• One long extra stream on a weekend
• 100h off-stream grind
• 1.5k games overall
• 30h coachings and videos
• Finish reading Tipton's Expert Heads Up No Limit Hold'em vol. 1
• 60+ chipEV / tournament

Note that I didn't include workout goals this time. I have to think about it more and find and plan better activities. Also hopefully fully resolve my health issues.

Just a funny hand I want to share:

PokerStars - 10/20 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players

BTN: 25 BB
Hero (SB): 25 BB
BB: 25 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9 J

BTN calls 1 BB, Hero calls 0.5 BB, BB checks

Flop: (3 BB, 3 players) 9 9 3
Hero checks, BB checks, BTN bets 1 BB, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, fold, BTN calls 1.5 BB

Turn: (8 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero bets 4.55 BB, BTN calls 4.55 BB

River: (17.1 BB, 2 players) 6
Hero bets 8.2 BB, BTN calls 8.2 BB



Nice river call, I guess he put me on 32 for the chop

It's been quiet here, so a short update. I'm busy with band / music stuff, having some good small gigs and working on a new music video. Might post it in a month or so

Poker-wise it's a rough month again, 15$ spins are still very swingy for me. The good thing is that my stream is getting viewers consistently and there's more and more interesting twitch chat interaction. Some very nice people hanging around

I'm working on several fronts to reach my goals:

• studying and improving my game - kinda stuck around 50 cEV
• improving consistency and mindset - there are some bad days that ruin my overall results
• improving multitabling - I'm still having trouble when playing more than 2 tables
• better time management - it throws me off for 2-3 days whenever I'm busy with other stuff (e. g. music) for a day or more

Hey mate, I grind spins too. Currently playing 15s, likely to shot take 30s soon. If you want to talk over some hands and stuff I'm happy to help. Pm'd. Gl

Thanks, I contacted you!

September 2017 recap

Graph on 15$ spins:



Time spent:



I had a great start in September for the first 300 games. Unfortunately, the rest wasn't very good. Maybe I had too high expectations? All in all I'm happy that I still got ok-ish volume in, because I tend to lose motivation when things are not going well. At least I managed to meet my learning / studying goals.

✗40h stream
✗70h off-stream grind
✓1k games overall
✓25h coachings and videos
✓10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc.
✗55+ chipEV / tournament

Extra goals:
✓One long extra stream on a weekend

October 2017 goals

• 40h stream
• 80h off-stream grind
• 1.4k games overall
• 10h coachings and videos
• 10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc.
• 50+ chipEV / tournament

(140h total)

In October I'll try to use my studying time more effectively and focus on volume. The way things are right now, I have to postpone my goal of moving up to 30$ spins.

Always feels good to get it all-in with aces preflop, right?

PokerStars - 10/20 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 2 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): 20.8 BB
SB: 54.2 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

SB calls 0.5 BB, Hero raises to 2.5 BB, SB raises to 54.2 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 18.3 BB and is all-in

Flop: (41.6 BB, 2 players) 8 T 7

Turn: (41.6 BB, 2 players) 5

River: (41.6 BB, 2 players) 4

Last weekend was a lot of fun. I played another gig with my band, we opend for Kitty in a Casket. Check them out, really nice people from Vienna:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdjXrkYHtqI

Poker-wise I'm doing ok this month, but variance doesn't like me:

Spins played: 317
chipEV/T: 61
evROI: 5.39%
Net won: -225$ (-15 BI)

On the brigt side, my Twitch stream grows slowly but steadily, join me Mo-Thu from 11pm CE(S)T.

Hey everyone, just a quick update: I'm having some health-related issues, so not able to stream this week. Also won't be able to reach my October targets. Wish me luck that I'll be well soon so I can plan for a successful November

That's unfortunate to read, hope you recover soon and get back on the grind. Health is wealth ��

Thank you! <3

Meanwhile on 15$ Soin and Gos:

PokerStars - 15/30 NL (3 max) - Holdem - 3 players

Hero (BTN): 17.67 BB
SB: 12 BB
BB: 20.33 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

Hero raises to 2 BB, fold, BB calls 1 BB

Flop: (4.5 BB, 2 players) 5 3 J
BB checks, Hero bets 1.53 BB, BB raises to 4 BB, Hero raises to 15.67 BB and is all-in, BB calls 11.67 BB

Turn: (35.83 BB, 2 players) J

River: (35.83 BB, 2 players) 9

October 2017 recap

Good news first: I was able to slightly improve my chipEV in October (don't tell me it could be variance )

:

As mentioned before, my monthly goals became unreachable due to health issues so not evaluating those. Here's a results summary:

Spins played: 968
chipEV/T: 56
evROI: 4.56%
evBI: +44.2
Net won: -270$ (-18 BI)

Yeah that's 62 buyins under EV. Let's do that the other way around next month!

November 2017 goals

• 30h stream
• 70h off-stream grind
• 1.4k games overall
• 10h coachings and videos
• 10h self-study, hand reviews, homework, reading, etc.
• 55+ chipEV / tournament

I'll probably start streaming again next week on my regular schedule. November goals are very ambitious because I have many music/band-related plans that will take about 12 working days in total.

Finally able to stream again! Starting with a short stream in a few mins

Hey guys, first half of the month was very quiet. I had several studio recording sessions and some more band stuff. Was super fun and productive!

Spins are going well chipEV-wise (60+), but on low volume so far due to the band activities. Also couldn't stream much this month.

I'm thinking about starting a specific challenge just for next week, any ideas?

I want to play a (relatively) big volume, but ofc tied to decent EV. I'll be able to grind on 5.5 of the 7 days which is rare for me.