DonkeySquad

My Goals for 2008 did not get even close to being accomplished.  The goals were not good because they were based on results and not on dedication and hard work. Results is not something I can control, but the amount of time I put into my game and the way I play them is.  

My goals for 2009 in terms of poker is:

• Play 6,000 hands a week (20 hrs x 4 tables x 80 hands)
• Post on this blog at least twice a month
• Play within my bankroll and do not take shots
• Develop a pre-game routine so that I can play my A-Game
• Read 2+2 strategy forums at least 2-times a week to get sharper in my game

Well, it has been awhile since I posting on this blog. Things have been going up and down and up and down. I am pretty much where I was when I started this blog back in May.

I have been playing limit more and I like it. The game is more easy going and I am re-learning how to play. I forgot a lot about limit and am going over video’s to sharpen my skills.

I did not really like the look of the site and found one that is more of a blog style. I have lots of post I want to put up in the next few weeks and I really want to rework my goals for next year. I feel like my goals were all results oriented and in essence out of my control. My goals should be more about what I can do to make my game better and also about the amount I play.

Photography has been going well and I am really learning a lot. That goal is coming alone a little better than being a poker pro. I am assisting Ray and Erwin from www.aperturaphoto.com. They shot really high end Weddings and they are all around good guys. I am learning a lot from them and hope to be where they are at in a few years.

I bought a few toys for myself. One was a OQO 01+ UMPC computer which I love. It is a tiny little computer I can put in my pocket. I am planning on using it as a poker computer and also a portable Portfolio for my Wedding Photography. The other toy I bought was a Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II lens. This lens is like a little bit of magic. I will get to use it on the 18th and I am looking forward to trying it out in the real world. This is one of the most praised lenses Canon makes and I am happy I finally have one.

I will end with a list of topics I want to post about in the coming weeks.

Hand of the Day/Week
Weekly Funny Video from Youtube
Summary of 2008
Goals for 2009
Friend in Poker winning a Bad Beat Jackpot
Men’s Group that I am a part of
Starting a Photography Blog
Biggest Loser Shame

So I have not posted in over a month.  I have been pretty busy with photography and other things, but I want to get back into the swing of things.  My bankroll is at $668.00 and I want to move up and play bigger games.  I am finding it hard to do so at the limits I am playing and I feel like I am wasting my time at the NL10 tables. 

On the other hand, I don’t want to get crasy and destroy my bankroll on the count of “taking a shot”.  So I wanted to figure out the quickest way to earn money and move up in limits while keeping sound bankroll management in mind. 

There are three different types of texas holdem that I know how to play, Limit, NL, and SNG’s.  I have played a fair number of hours in each and I really have not figured out which one earns me the most money the quickest. 

First, I need to consider what limits I would play with the BR I have.  I should have between 50-100 buy-ins for NL, 300-500 Big Bets for Limit, and 50-100 buy-ins for SNGS.  If I hold to these guidelines, than that means I should either play NL10, 1/2 Limit, or $11 SNG’s. 

Too may surprise, Limit poker was by far the clear winner with more than 3x as much in hourly earnings vs NL and SNG’s.  Here are my calculations.

4 Tables NL10
5ptBB/100 = $1.00/100 hands
4 Tables x $1.00 = $4/hr
RB (calculated by a spreadsheet I made) = $1.75/hr
Total hr wage = $5.75/hr

4 Tables $11 SNG’s
Estimated ROI 12% = $1.32/SNG
4 SNG per Hour = $5.28/hr
RB (calculated by a spreadsheet I made)= $1.08/hr
Total hr wage = $6.36/hr

4 Tables of 1/2 Limit
4 Big Blinds/100 = $4.00/100
4 Tables x $4.00 = $16.00
RB (calculated by a spreadsheet I made)=$7.20/hr
Total hr wage = $23.20/hr

Even if my calculations were off a little, it is clear that limit poker would be best for me at this point. Limit poker games dry up at around 5/10 and that is where I would need to switch to NL. So for now, I am going to focus on Limit poker to build my bankroll and switch to NL when I reach a BR that is suitable for NL100 or greater.

A Friend of mine holds a monthly poker tournament the first Friday of every month and I just found out about it.  He is more of a friend of a friend, but when people are playing poker, I want to be there. 

This should really be a lot of fun.  There is estimated to be 30 people buying in for $25 so the price pool is nice and the play might be really bad.  I am hoping to do well, but with any poker game you need to get a little lucky. 

Hopefully, the structure of the game will make it more than a crap shot and give us some time to actually play.  I will update this blog with how I do. 

This is the first week of my attempt to lose weight.  I weighed in today at 161.8lb which is 7lb lighter than last week.  This is a good start for me, but I was hoping for 10lbs.  I did not work out as much as I should have this week, but none the less a good start.

My Goal for next week is to be under 160lbs.  I also want to put some more time on the treadmill and bike.  I worked out twice last week, so this week I am shooting for 3 or more. 

I am not sure how I am doing in relations to my oppoents, but I think I might be on top.  I still think I am a shoe-in to win the money.

My “Professional Day” did not go as planned.  I was up really late shooting a wedding and I just did not have the motivation to put in the hours on Labor Day.  I put in about 4 hours on Saturday and only 2 hours on Mon.  I ended down quite a bit.  I might still be playing too many tables.  One thing is for sure, I am not very good at the deep stack tables.  I seem to lose most of my money on those tables. 

I am not sure if NL10 is really all that beatable.  The rake is soooo high that it is hard to win.  I think the average player in my database loses 12.5bb/100!  That is huge amount to overcome.  To give you a perspective on how much that is, I paid over $40 in rake for 2,000 hands of NL10.  If we break that down, it would come to about $0.02 a hand.  If this rake was at the NL1000, then you would be paying $2 a hand to play (that is for every hand, not just the ones you are in).  That’s ridiculous!

I am just not sure if the players are that bad that I could overcome such a huge rake.   I might switch to Limt 1/2 until I am bankrolled for NL50 or higher.  I am going to continue to datamine the NL10 to see if there are actually any winner and what percentage of player are winners over a longer run.