O-Poker

Poker has been a crazy roller coaster since getting back from the PCA in January. I was on a major heater from Mid-Jan through Mid-Feb, followed by a major cold streak (some sick beats/2nd best hands/poor play). I should have been playing 5/10NL with the a little bit of 10/20NL when the games were good. Instead I was playing 10/20NL with a little bit of 25/50NL.

I am still up a decent amount for the year in cash games, but no where near as much as I was a month ago. I have been going through some hand histories and trying to plug some leaks that I think have popped up in my game.

I think the major leak was not adapting to table/player conditions as quickly as I have in the past. I was becoming too robotic. I was making generic decisions based on typical situations instead of really thinking about how I should be playing against a particular opponent based on my image, his image, and what he thought I was capable of from past play.

Sometimes, it is better to give up a small pot with what might be the best hand instead of losing a big pot with a marginal hand. This is especially true if you can use the situation to your advantage to win a bigger pot later in the session.

I have seen a lot of different challenges and goals in the forums and blogs lately. They have inspired me.

I am going to take a "back to basics" approach between now and the Main Event of the WSOP. I am extremely busy at work and it will probably continue. I am setting a goal that I think is acheivable based on how much time I have available after work and family life.

I want to make $30K in cash game profits (including rakeback/bonuses) between now (Mid-March) and July 5th - WSOP Main Event. I will start at the lower limits and move up gradually.

Parameters
1. Will probably only be able to play 80k-100k hands between now and July 5th. (2-4 tabling part time)
2. Play 1/2nl until I make $4k profit at 1/2
3. Play 2/4nl until I make $8k profit at 2/4
4. Play a combination of 2/4, 3/6, and 5/10 for the remainder of the time frame - based on time of day, game selection, etc. - profit goal of $18k.

I tried to make this a realistic goal so I used 4PTBB/100 for 1/2 and 2/4 and 3PTBB/100 for 5/10. The key to acheiving my goal will be how fast I get to $4k and $8k at 1/2 and 2/4, respectively.

I have been a slacker with poker and the blog over the last few months. Hopefully, this will motivate me to get back on track with both. I'll post regular updates with key hands.