Updates

This weekend the impatient bug hit me again, and I made mistakes too early into some tourneys. I played 3 and lost all of them due to impatience and pushing with hands that normally get me in trouble. Down $109+$44+$44. I know I can play at this level, but I need to be patient and wait for the correct oportunities. Getting chips early seem to make me want to play more hands and I don't think I play well that way. In general, I have been playing $3/6 shorthanded and I like the aggression and the play. I will continue to play that but not as often. I think I will go back to playing SNGs.

Goals

I want to play about 270 tourneys per month. I calculated about 9 per day. This is very doable. I will start with $10, and move up every month I can reach 20% ROI. I should be able to start playing the $20+2 tourneys next month and then it will be a fight to achieve 20% ROI. This is a quest that I trying to complete to determine whether I can play this consistently and achieve good goals. I am planning on my return to Brazil and I am looking for ways to make a decent living from poker. I figured the following:

buy-in	10	20	30	50	100
roi 25%	742.5	1485	2227.5	3712.5	7357.5
roi 20%	594	1188	1782	2970	5886
roi 15%	445.5	891	1336.5	2227.5	4414.5
roi 10%	297	594	891	1485	2943
roi 5%	148.5	297	445.5	742.5	1471.5

I haven't looked at two+two to see what are the expected roi for each buyin but at the $50 level the 10% Roi is still good for someone to live in Brazil. I am certain I will have a resonably good paying job by the standards and with this supplimental income I should be more than happy. Again, I would hope to make at least 2k per month. If I can consistently show that I am winning at the above levels, I should be convinced I can make it as a pro poker player in Brazil.

So I will start tonight. This will also be a test to my discipline as I will not play other games in the meantime.

Mixing It Up!

Today I got home a bit later than usual after a stressful day at work. I love playing poker and it relaxes me. I know most people get really upset and stressed about it, but mostly I enjoy it and find it rewarding in regards of relieving stress. The past weekend I didn't enjoy playing poker because I was so result oriented and I was forcing many different plays that I normally don't need to do.

I could have easily made the money in the two tournaments I played [$10+1FT(417) and $20+2PP(1567)], but while I showed patience in the FT tournament, I managed to get anxious in the PP tournament. I am talking about raising in the CO with 56s which is okay, but calling a reraise all-in after the button and the small blind called. Pot odds or not, I should have saved one third of my stack. I missed the flop, not that it mattered since the other two players had KK vs JJ. I couldn't win my next race and I was out in 267th out of 1567.

It was a different story in the FullTilt tournament. I was patient waiting for the right oportunities. I kept increasing my chips little by little. I made it to the final table with a short stack, but enough to wait for a serious hand. Two players got knocked out and I continued to wait for the hands. I managed to pick up blinds with good hands but no one would call me down. Finally the next hand played out...

http://www.pokerhand.org/?232311

... and I was out in 7th winning $135. The jumps were significant and I was interested in placing at least top 4. Unfortunetely it's poker and I know I will be there again if I continue to play solid poker.

To control the boredom of one table I started playing $3-6 shorthanded. It's a really good game, and I am learning a lot about aggressiveness and controlling it. I played really well and made about $90 bucks after a 270 hands session. I hope I haven't jinxed myself by making this "happy" post.

Anxiety Gone!

I think I played much better tonight, although the end wasn't pretty and the results not that great.

I started playing 2 PL Holdem SNGs. I won and took 2nd for a quick $58 profit. I then played the 10.5k Guaranteed at FT and played well, but made a mistake against a guy whose only move was to go all-in. One hand I raise 3.5xbb with AQ from early position and he jams for about half of my chips (1400). The big blind goes all-in with 1.5k+. I decide I am bit and I fold. They both show AQ. Two orbits later, table leader who has been very aggressive limps from the CO. He has been in a lot of pots, so I raise 3.5xbb from the SB with AJo. The all-in guy goes all-in for about the same amount. I normally fold in this situation as I didn't feel committed, but I decided he has a middle pair and wanted to race. He shows 99 and I ask for an A. Flop A J 9, the no more help. Unfortunate. I jam from early position with 88 for about 1.2k (blinds 120/240), and big blind who is the table chip leader calls with TT.

In the $10+1 at PP, I made the money and I played extremely well. I lost several races with AQ and AJ to 22 and 33. That upset me, but my aggression was keeping me afloat. I played really well. But got moved to a table with a lot of chips. My 5k in chips was not good enough to win and I felt pressured to double up (avg 13k). In the cutoff I have As 7s, and I jam. SB wakes up with KK. I manage to flop 2 spades, but no A or spade comes in the next streets and I am out about 143rd.

I played a $5 SNG with 45 people. But my hands, managed to find better hands. 88 vs JT flopped flush and 55 vs 66 flopped set. I had little chips by the time it got to 50/100. I pushed with A8 and found AT. Lost there too.

The worst one was my adventure into the $100 PP tourney. I decided to play as I am not sleepy at all. After 8 hands, I have KK in early position. I raise to 45 and the bb calls. Flop is Jd 9d x. He checks and I bet 50. He mini raises me. I reraise to 300. He thinks and reraises to 500. I jammed and he shows trip Jacks. I am out!

Overall I think I played really well and if the cards had helped a bit I could have managed to go further. I don't think I made any big mistakes.