Progress as a poker player
Its funny, these posts always seem to be either super hopeful, or full of despair, depending on how ive been running in the weeks before the post. This particular post comes as im running some numbers on this year, and realizing that Ive played far more this year, and won much more than before.
It looks like im up to roughly 20 hours a week, which may not seem like much, but is an improvement on the 12-15 hour average week i put in last year. Im also transitioning from online to live play. 2007 was about half and half, 2008 has been maybe 2/3 live. I feel much more confident than I ever have before. Im playing higher than i ever have, and I often feel in live games like im the best player in the game (a little game selection helps in this). Im also feeling very strong in several different games right now. Im routinely playing 20/40 LHE, 15/30 HORSE and 2/5 or 3/5 NL live, and then also playing th 30/60 razz online (with some smaller razzes, and some other smaller limit games). In the past, Id always felt horrible that I could never really specialize or stick with one game, and climb the ranks at that. Now I dont feel that bad about it. Im moving up in a bunch of games. So much of it is where youre at mentally, and not how adept you are at the particular game itself. It also helps if you can find soft games.
There are a couple bigger local games that I have my eye on. Ive taken a few shots at local 5/10 NL games with mixed, but generally bad results. Id like to rail that game a bit more so i can know when its good and when its not. Id also like to take a shot at some point at the 75/150 LO8 game that I keep hearing is juicy at muckleshoot. Again, id like to know a little more before I throw myself in the deep end. I wouldnt mind being backed into one of these games. Speaking of which, it seems like im the only decent poker player my age who ISNT staked. I had no idea there was this much staking and backing going on in poker. At first, staking seemed awful for the staker, but JD was telling me that most tourney staking deals include makeback, so now im not so sure i think so anymore. I guess that would make short term deals good and long term deals bad for the backee. Anyway, i may write more on staking later, including some sort of explanation for my non-poker minded friends.
It looks like im up to roughly 20 hours a week, which may not seem like much, but is an improvement on the 12-15 hour average week i put in last year. Im also transitioning from online to live play. 2007 was about half and half, 2008 has been maybe 2/3 live. I feel much more confident than I ever have before. Im playing higher than i ever have, and I often feel in live games like im the best player in the game (a little game selection helps in this). Im also feeling very strong in several different games right now. Im routinely playing 20/40 LHE, 15/30 HORSE and 2/5 or 3/5 NL live, and then also playing th 30/60 razz online (with some smaller razzes, and some other smaller limit games). In the past, Id always felt horrible that I could never really specialize or stick with one game, and climb the ranks at that. Now I dont feel that bad about it. Im moving up in a bunch of games. So much of it is where youre at mentally, and not how adept you are at the particular game itself. It also helps if you can find soft games.
There are a couple bigger local games that I have my eye on. Ive taken a few shots at local 5/10 NL games with mixed, but generally bad results. Id like to rail that game a bit more so i can know when its good and when its not. Id also like to take a shot at some point at the 75/150 LO8 game that I keep hearing is juicy at muckleshoot. Again, id like to know a little more before I throw myself in the deep end. I wouldnt mind being backed into one of these games. Speaking of which, it seems like im the only decent poker player my age who ISNT staked. I had no idea there was this much staking and backing going on in poker. At first, staking seemed awful for the staker, but JD was telling me that most tourney staking deals include makeback, so now im not so sure i think so anymore. I guess that would make short term deals good and long term deals bad for the backee. Anyway, i may write more on staking later, including some sort of explanation for my non-poker minded friends.