Pokerlifter's Back

Like the classic Rambo III movie poster tagline - Pokerlifter's Back.

Watch this space for weekly updates including how out of shape and unfit I have become, my 60 hour poker session and a world record attempt.

Have missed you all.

Pokerlifter's May

Raising Pots

It's been a hell of a month and let me start of by saying sorry for the lack of a weekly update. There's been a lot going on and it got to the point where I thought it best just to put all my thoughts down in one monthly update. Part of my absence was due to getting mugged earlier in the month at knife-point which was a pretty terrifying experience which took me away from everything for awhile. But I'm back now so let's get on with the goods.

So May saw some big changes in my game and my poker landscape. Firstly I made the transition to $25NL when my roll hit 30BIs. Initially it was a short-lived start as a few sick coolers saw me lose a decent amount of buy-ins as I ran horrendously bad but being very strict with my bankroll management though, I made the switch back to $10NL in order to rebuild, and rebuild I did seeing me back at $25NL within a couple of sessions. Added to this Full Tilt Poker provided a bonus this month which also helped towards buffering my bankroll. So my second shot at $25NL was slightly more successful and saw me safely embedded into the limit. So the major change in my poker landscape came as a result of me deciding to shift my bankroll away from Full Tilt Poker and on to Pokerstars. This was something I felt I had to do due to the uncertainties at the moment surrounding Full Tilt Poker. Since Black Friday I think a lot of people have felt unsure about having their money on any poker site but with the way Pokerstars dealt with the US payouts compared to Full Tilt's procrastinations it certainly feels like a company that is run a lot better. What will happen long-term? I don't know. I hope Full Tilt can find a resolution that will see them remain as a significant player on the poker scene but only time will tell. So, that means that I will get no rakeback going forward and am unsure entirely how much I can expect from the Pokerstars VIP program, will be aiming for at least Gold Star in June.

OK, so let's get on with the tale of the tape:

Hands: 39,803

Hours: 84.48

BB/100: 1.67

$/hour: $2.10

Total winnings: $177.18

Total rakeback: $62.44

Total bonus: $140

Total for the month: $379.62

Barnstorming month and a tidy little profit though still my winrate is just far too low. So let's compare versus my goals I blogged about at the end of last month. So I wanted a winrate of 4BB/100 which you can see I didn't achieve, I wanted to get 5,500 FTP points (managed to get 6,957). Hit Silver for Ironman (managed only bronze; irrelevant now). Session analysis every 10,000 (didn't do this) Move up to $25NL (did this, yay!), if going up to $25NL get a new coach (have arranged this and will be getting coached by a Drag the Bar professional which I'm excited about).

Ok, so let's have some goals for June:

1) Play 39,000 hands (very precise but what Pokerstars website recommends for Gold Star)

2) Achieve a winrate of 3BB/100

3) If hitting this winrate with this volume I should be rolled for $50NL

4) Achieve 3,500 VPPs thus hitting Gold Star

5) Start my next round of coaching

Lifting Weights

Disappointing month again I'm afraid. What with my 'incident' at the start of the month and being away for a bit I didn't really get started. Pleased to say I picked things up towards the end of the month and went to the gym hitting the main Rippetoe exercises which really helped me 'bulk' last year. Have lost a lot of weight this month due to various stresses so am keen to pile on the quality pounds in the next few weeks. I will be concentrating on getting in 3/4 workouts each week with the main emphasis on the push/pull barbell exercises.

Here's to a more positive June in all endeavours.

Pokerlifter's April

Raising Pots

I always look forward to writing these end of month summaries, especially as since November 2010 they have all had positive winrates, but especially as it gives me a wider sense of perspective. Although I feel it is important to check my progress each week and see what changes, if any I can apply, I think these monthly ones can give us a broader perspective and certainly highlight any leaks.

So as a general overall feeling, how has this month been? Well, good for the most part I'd say. I suffered a major down-swing part way through the month, after running super hot for the first part, which really dented my confidence no end. No matter how much I tell myself it's just variance march on through, I still let it affect my game to the point where it becomes a mix of variance and bad play. Off the felt of course Black Friday hit the poker world square in the face and this was right in the middle of my down-swing and I definitely feel it affected my game, with nobody quite sure what was happening, whether the money was safe, or were the sites going to be able to continue, focus at the tables was definitely way off. Now, there is still no definitive answer to what is happening but right now I'm just carrying on as normal. The sites are still operating to UK and the rest of the World, I still want to play, so I am cracking on.

OK, so let's see those all important numbers:

Hands: 33,078

Hours: 87.80

BB/100: 1.26

$/hour: $0.98

Total winnings: $86.05

Total rakeback: $61.47

Total bonus: $65

Total for the month: $212.52

Graph looks like this (note the swings):

A record breaking month no less! Not a record profit at the tables either in terms of actual dollars or BB/100 but with the bonuses spewing out from FTP it certainly gave a healthy kick-up the backside for my quest to hit $25NL. I started to turn the corner towards the end of the month but in a bitter twist of fortune I lost 8 buyins in the final day of April.

You'll remember at the end of last month I stated my goals for April. They were:

1) Play 20,000 hands at a winrate of +4BB/100 - played a ton more volume but alas at a lower winrate so need to work on that elusive 4+BB/100 this month.

2) Complete my coaching and continue to analyse my play in detail - coaching finished and am very pleased with how it went and what I learnt. I analyse my play a lot more but still something to work on.

3) Sweat a session post coaching with another player - did not happen.

So, let's post my goals for May. May will be unabashedly volume orientated this month as I really want to clear as much of the free bonus money as possible. As such I will also be playing 9 tables at a time.

1) Play maximum number of hands at +4BB/100

2) Earn at least 5,500 FTP points

3) Hit 'Silver' for Ironman

4) Session analysis every 10,000 hands

5) Move up to $25NL (if this happens tables will drop back to 6 initially)

6) If number 5 is achieved start to source a new coach for $25NL

Lifting Weights

A mixed bag here too. The month started off super strong training really hard and certainly feeling fitter and happier than bang...I got ill. I was dreading this happening as I knew it would set me back and put me behind pace which is exactly what it has done. I have missed a few sessions over the last couple of weeks and although I am confident I can get back on track it has certainly derailed me momentarily. I for a strong May. I still have my eye on that holiday in the sun as a reward...

Bringing up the rear

Raising Pots

Short week again this week due to the extended Easter Break and of course the Royal Wedding but I still managed to get some volume in. As always I left the Iron Man challenge to the last minute requiring me to hit the last 3 days consecutive to earn my badge, not a problem and was easily achievable. In addition to this and the take 2 bonus Full Tilt Poker in its quest to keep the UK players has offered an add on bonus of $300 - a bonus which needs to be cleared in the next 21 days. To successfully clear this I will need to earn 7,500 FTP points which is a lot more than I would usually hit (only 4,500 April alone). However, it will be possible for me to clear a good chunk of this bonus if I grind it out every day. So how has this week been? Well, I really wanted to come here this week and tell you that I have moved up to the next level ($25NL) being as I was so close but unfortunately a sick end to the month saw me drop 8 buyins in one day taking me further from that goal. Nonetheless April overall wasn't too bad (end of month blog to come soon) but this week was pretty disappointing.

So, the tale of the tape:

Hands: 5,925

Hours: 13.12

BB/100: -5.50

$/hour: -$4.97

Total winnings: -$65.21

Total rakeback: $12.26

Total bonus: $20

Total for the week: -$32.95

As I say, a poor week and not how I wanted to finish the month. Played pretty poorly and let my emotions come out at the table on a few occasions. Seems no matter how hard you try sometimes the dreaded tilt just comes to remind you that focus needs to be 100% all the time. Well, new month starts today and I have a hell of a grind ahead of me.

Lifting Weights

Surprised I can even write this blog this week the hammering my arms took on P90x! Been 2 days since I did the back and biceps work out and I still can't move my arms fully! Haven't had 100% commitment to P90x again this week which is disappointing but and happy that I have done enough to move on to the next week.

Check back later for Pokerlifter's April...

Some see difficulties in opportunities, others see opportunities in difficulties

Raising Pots

Firstly sorry for no blog yesterday but have been away with family for the Easter break. Haven't been very well this week either so have not put in a ton of volume. After last week's upheaval in the poker world coupled with my atrocious week at the tables I was so disappointed in myself that I practically sat myself down this week and had a good talking to myself. I looked over some of my previous coaching videos and once again set out to plug some leaks. I think downswings have their uses. We're never gonna be without them in our poker careers but if we can put them to good use and learn from them then it's not a waste - In the word's of Winston Churchill "Difficulties mastered, are opportunities won". I think my problem at the moment is in thinking that because of the success I've had in the last few weeks that my learning for this level is over. I don't devote enough time to training at the moment, I know I've had a lot of coaching but I think session reviews need to become a firmer staple of my week. I will try in future weeks to devote some time on a Sunday to properly reviewing the previous weeks hands and plugging some leaks.

In he meantime, the tale of the tape for this week is as follows:

Hands: 13,263

Hours: 35.37

BB/100: 1.83

$/hour: $1.45

Total winnings: $51.19

Total rakeback: $13.80

Total bonus: $25

Total for the week: $89.99

Good to be back in profit this week and the the graph has taken a turn upwards which is good. The winrate isn't setting the world on fire and should be 3-4 BB/100 higher but like I say it has taken a little work to get out of the downswing. The tale end of the downswing was in at the start of this week where I saw myself 6 buyins down after 5,000 hands so I did well to get it back up into positive. I also received my take two bonus this week which was good for an extra $25. I'm hoping to play a lot of the next few weeks in order to clear a new bonus which will kick of this week which could be worth up to $300 depending on how much I can play so that will be a huge bankroll boost.

Lifting Weights

When starting P90x 5 weeks ago one of the main worries was that I may get ill along the way, miss a few workouts and then lose motivation. Well I got ill this week and missed a whole week's worth. I haven't lost motivation though as that holiday I talked of a few weeks ago is all booked, I'm now a week behind pace but assuming no more set backs I should finish the weekend before my holiday...what an incentive.

Black Friday

Raising Pots

Well, a monumental week for online poker. The landscape of Internet poker was changed forever on Friday when The FBI in America and The Department of Justice shut down the three biggest online poker sites (Full Tilt, Pokerstars and Absolute Poker) citing bank fraud, money laundering and unlawful gambling. Now online poker in America has been a grey area for a long time since Party Poker pulled out in 2006 following the passing of the UIGEA bill, a bill which has been argued as unconstitutional and is being challenged. Full Tilt and Pokerstars captured the lion's share of the approximately 15 million US players that continued to play by circumventing that law that deems it illegal for the banks to deal directly with the poker sites. By use of 3rd party payment processors the US continued to play. It has now come to light that the poker sites lied to the banks about the true nature of their business and for this reason have been shut down to US players and numerous members of top tier staff arrested and indicted. I must stress that none of the claims of any wrongdoing have yet to have been proved and there is so much wild speculation around at the moment that no-one is really sure what is going to happen. All we know currently is that FTP and Pokerstars are claiming business as usual for the rest of the world but speculation is rife that their businesses my not be able to continue if hit by the reported $3billion fines.

So, with that bombshell covered on to my week. In addition to the shocking news on Friday I had a pretty atrocious time at the tables too. Despite finishing my coaching on Wednesday and being set free to crush the micros I had a pretty appalling week. I played bad, tilted too much and got my money in bad in too many spots. I have had to grind every night this week in order to get my take 2 bonus so have not had the time to really sit down and study some hands and see where I am going wrong. Suffice to say I need to and I need to review my sessions with my coach in order to get my head back in the right place.

So the tale of the week:

Hands: 5,306

Hours: 16.05

BB/100: -8.56

$/hour: -$5.66

Total winnings: -$90.81

Total rakeback: $17.40

Total for the week: -$73.41

Good work, Pokerlifter. You manage to follow up your best ever week with your second worst. I'm not gonna let this affect my mood too much, I can't afford to. As things stand I'm still in a decent amount of profit for April and am both on course with my winrate expectation and on course for my best ever month. Just gotta keep on moving forward and remain focused and positive.

Lifting Weights

Added to my disappointing week at poker I need to add a disappointing week of training. I have my excuses though they shouldn't get in the way. I worked earlies this week which is always tough on me, added to this I had two late nights out plus one overnight trip to Manchester so all in all I have been a little all over the place. So, to make up for this I will be repeating week 4 of P90x this coming week in order to get me back on track. I didn't want to get into a situation where I was repeating weeks but I always figured it would need to happen at some point as life is bound to get in the way every now and then!

I'm feeling good

Raising Pots

Really great week at the tables this week. I feel like I'm playing the best poker of my life and am just so confident in my abilities right now. Had my fourth and penultimate coaching session this week and my coach is seemingly confident that I am ready to fly the nest and have the skills to beat $10NL. Certainly the way I have played since coaching began proves this to be true. Now I know that this is a short term sample and I shouldn't go proclaiming my self as t he next big thing (yet!) but, as I say, I feel like I actually know what I I'm doing now and my post flop skills over the last four weeks have improved immensely. I seem to spew dollars and tilt post flop a lot less and although this is easy to do when you are running good and hammering every flop this really hasn't been the case this week and have been on the end of some standard coolers, the difference is I'm getting more value out of the hands/spots where I'm ahead or can take advantage.

So, the tale of the week:

Hands: 8,073

Hours: 23.18

BB/100: 13.86

$/hour: $9.65

Total winnings: $223.72

Total rakeback: $9.50

Total for the week: $233.22

No complaints here. My best week ever in terms of dollars won and BB/100 so I am one very happy Pokerlifter. Two strong weeks in a row have seen a very positive start to April and although I don't expect to maintain such a strong winrate I'm happy that a positive winrate seems a more common occurrence right now. Plus, the way things are heading $25NL is just around the corner. My business plan for 2011 my very well need adjusting as currently I am smashing all my goals!

Lifting Weights

Week 4 of P90x and I am still going strong. This week saw the last week of phase 1 and as such was a 'rest week'. Still 6 workouts this week but no resistance, instead there was a lot of yoga, stretching, core work and cardio. The belief is this gives the body time to recover from the first three weeks of heavy lifting and allow it to be stronger and fully rested for the next three! As phase 1 was a fat stripping phase, phase 2 sees the carbs return and more emphasis on building up the energy levels and weight with some quality calories. To the end I have added Progain Extreme to my list of supplements to support this weight gain.

So this week sees phase 2 kick off for Pokerliter as well as the final poker coaching session. Bring it.

Push it hard

Raising Pots

Quick blog this week as most has been covered in my end of March review.

Managed to put a decent amount of volume in this week as I needed to achieve iron man before the end of the month and this required me playing each day up to the end. I'm pleased to say that I achieved it on 31st March for bronze level (silver is out of my reach really with my reduced volume) so I'm still on track for a good six month bonus and am extracting maximum value from my poker site - something everyone should be doing.

So, the tale of the tape:

Hands: 3,274

Hours: 8.82

BB/100: 9.18

$/hour: $6.82

Total winnings: $60.13

Total rakeback: $9.23

Total for the week: $69.36

Great week at the tables. This is the sort of winrate I want to be seeing on a much more regular basis and am confident I can. I have never felt so confident in my game as I do right now and am convinced I can get my game up to $25NL by my target of June.

Lifting Weights

Week 3 of P90x this week and the final week of resistance based excercises week of phase 1. Week 4 sees a recovery week with the emphasis not on lifting but on the core and cardio based exercises. So expect lots of yoga and stretching! The thinking behind this is that you allow the body to recover from the first three weeks of heavy lifting to regain some strength before hitting it hard in phase 2. Everything is heading in a positive direction right now and we just gotta keep the wheels turning! See you in a week.

Pokerlifter's March

Raising Pots

Really important month for Pokerlifter this month. It was my intention to do the following things:

Play 30,000 hands at 3BB/100

Arrange a sweat with a CCer

Database Analysis with 2+2er

Look at some coaching options

Well, I did only one of these. However, let me quantify that. Firstly, arranging a sweat session took a back seat as I did hired a coach this month so all my energy was focused on that and I didn't want too many influences on my game at the sam

e time so decided it wise to just keep with my coach. The database analysis has been extremely frustrating and I feel I have been let down a lot by the 2+2er that offers this service. Now, I understand he does it for free and that's great but clearly his intention is to convert these free students to long term paying clients, however based on his recent reliability that isn't going to happen. So on the subject of the coach, I looked in to a number of different coaches and finally settled on one that offers an exclusive service to micro players, his rates were very reasonable and after having a chat with him I figured he would be a good match with me. So, as it stands I have now had three of the scheduled five sessions and I really feel he has started to turn my game round. A few sessions leading up to my first coaching session saw me all at sea and in a terrible spot. Exactly half the way through the

month and I was stuck nearly 14buyins. As mentioned in previous posts a few minor tweaks have yielded a few major changes. I don't wish to talk too much strategy here but suffice to say it is working so far. One look at my graph shows the exact point the coaching took place and my winrate went soaring. Prior to coaching my winrate was -2.81BB/100 over ~17,000 hands, since coaching I have played 11,341 hands for a winrat

e of 5.25BB/100. As you can see this is a vast improvement and the sort of winrate I wish to achieve over a much larger sample.

My graph for the month looks like this:

So, the tale of the tape for March:

Hands: 25,090

Hours: 47.28

BB/100: 0.15

$/hour: $0.01

Total winnings: $3.01

Total rakeback: $60.94

Total for the month: $63.95

So, the cut down in tables has obviously seen a dramatic reduction in volume but this is fine, if it means the winrate is positive this is all that matters. Tables and volume can return in time. What's important here is that March was profitable! Yes, only by $3 but it's profitable. I had a goal at the beginning of the year to not have a losing month at the tables in 2011 (not including rakeback). A big goal for sure but one that look destined to failure by the midpoint of March so I was desperate to get it into the black. At the end of my session last night on the last day of March I was resigned to the fact that it was likely that March would be a loser but I was remaining positive about the fact that progress was the key. Then this hand came up...

Full Tilt Poker $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players - View hand 1259236

DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

BTN: $3.50

SB: $10.61

BB: $5.00

UTG: $9.40

UTG+1: $15.06

MP1: $10.62

Hero (MP2): $20.20

CO: $14.73

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is MP2 with 8 8

1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.30, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.30, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.30, 2 folds

Flop: ($1.05) 8 8 3 (3 players)

UTG+1 checks, Hero checks, BTN bets $0.60, UTG+1 calls $0.60, Hero requests TIME, Hero calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.85) 3 (3 players)

UTG+1 checks, Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($2.85) 5 (3 players)

UTG+1 bets $1.50, Hero requests TIME, Hero raises to $5, BTN folds, UTG+1 raises to $14.16 all in, Hero calls $9.16

Final Pot: $31.17

UTG+1 shows K A (two pair, Eights and Threes)

Hero shows 8 8 (four of a kind, Eights)

Hero wins $29.17

(Rake: $2.00)

This hand was literally on my last orbit and was going to sit out the next big blind. As you can imagine my joy at flopping quads was tempered by a sense of how do I get value here? I could only assume that come the river the villain had a 3 but alas no, clearly he thought his Ace kicker played I guess? Who knows, can't second guess these fish!

So. I'm going to take the new stop of publishing April winrate and other goals here.

1) Play 20,000 hands at a winrate of +4bb/100

2) Complete my coaching and continue to analyse my play in detail

3) Sweat a session post coaching with another player

Lifting Weights

March was an important month for Pokerlifter. For too long the 'lifter' part of my name had been little used. For all all sorts of reasons I had let myself slip out of shape and a last minute dash to a train one day showed just how unfit I had got...time for a change. I discovered P90x on recommendation (not personal) by Daniel Negreanu and decided to check out what all the fuss was about and there certainly was a lot being said about it's effectiveness so I shipped the necessary money and received my pack, bought the equipment and kicked it off mid way through March. Boy was it hard, the first three weeks (which I have now completed) really kicked my ass and although I am yet to see any really changes physically I can certainly feel them starting, I already feel fitter and stronger and getting up at 5:30am to work hard is super rewarding. In addition to the extreme level of exercise I have also taken on board their nutrition advice and changed my diet. Right at this moment I feel really excited about the course I am on and positive about it, sure my body ached from head to toe and I feel exhausted but it is all worth it. The programme should finish approximately mid way through June and I am treating myself to a super hot Mediterranean beach holiday at the end of it as both a reward and, right now, a goal to aim for...beach body beautiful by end of June? Bring it...

Bring It...

Raising Pots

Firstly, once again many, many apologies for failing to blog last week!! Blame my best friend that visited and our 17 hour drink session which finished at 6am last Sunday and wrote off any chance of me writing a coherent blog. As such I will treat you to a double blog this week...lots to cover too so let's not waste any more time.

So last week I had my first lesson with my new poker coach and have to say it was a revelation. I managed to find a number of spots where I wasn't extracting maximum value and also a few (a lot) where I was spewing dollars post flop. It was also interesting just to try and build my game from the ground up. There have also been some major changes to my game on recommendation from my coach. Firstly, and most importantly, the number of tables I play has been cut down to 4-6. For a volume junkie like me this has caused a major slow down in pace but has allowed me to find better value spots and help me to better maintain my 'A' game. I think for too long at 12 tables I was just playing on auto-pilot and, I whether I like to admit it or not, was just button mashing like the players I seek to exploit. This slow down in pace has caused my some minor difficulties in Iron Man due to it taking a lot longer to hit the points I need, however I am confident to hit bronze in March. Silver could have been on the cards at 12 tables but until I get my leaks plugged winning on the tables is far more important than bonuses. This is also true of rakeback and I will expect a major reduction in my weekly pay cheque. However, I am confident that once I have started playing better I can increase the tables one at a time.

So the tale of the tape (13th March - 19th March):

Hands: 6,600

Hours: 10.25

BB/100: -6.02

$/hour: -$8.17

Total winnings: -$83.79

Total Rakeback: $13.91

Total for the week: -$69.88

I know. My worst week at the tables ever. It felt like it too. Towards the end of this week I felt sick of the game. I was playing terribly, I felt tilted and was playing the worst poker of my life. My coaching could not have come at a better time. My mind and game were in desperate need of focusing and that is exactly what I believe it has done...enough said about this week except to say the huge loss was all down to me tilting off money following some cooler hands...no excuse for it and my coach has recommended a stop-loss of 4 buy-ins a session.

So the tale of the tape (20th March - 26th March):

Hands: 5,389

Hours: 14.88

BB/100: 0.87

$/hour: $0.63

Total winnings: $9.36

Total Rakeback: $8.91

Total for the week: $18.27

Better, a positive week and a much better approach to the game. The week was looking a lot better until I had one of 'those' sessions yesterday when I lost the usual set over set type coolers and lost two buyins. On the whole a more considered approach to my game, a lot tighter (in position) and really thinking about the positions I'm in, who my opponents are and when/why I'm betting, calling or checking. I really am starting to feel like a thinking player and although I'm still not a good player and sometimes make plays that even make me wanna weep I'm improving, of that I am sure. I have managed to get myself into quite a rut in March and am likely to be on the end of my first losing month since November 2010, a losing month at the tables at least, which is all that really matters. The bonuses and rakeback should be just that...bonuses. I will be playing everyday between now and the end of March in order to hit my iron man and will try my best to limit the damage for March.

Lifting Weights

I'm now two weeks into P90x and it is killing me...in a good way. There is no denying that it is extreme and it's gonna be no easy challenge to complete but hopefully I will prevail. Not one part of my body doesn't ache as I sit here writing this but all the aches are worth it. The workouts are tough and involve super-setting muscle groups in order to completely exhaust the body and keep it guessing - there is a strong cardio element too and also some workouts I have never tried such as Plyometrics (the mother of all workouts) and Yoga (extremely difficult). The first phase is all about fat stripping and creating a lean base in which to add bulk to later so I'm also on a high protein low carbohydrate diet for the first four weeks. It has been great to be eating some healthy food and knowing that I am complimenting my workout with the right fuel. It hasn't been easy to stick to and at times has been a struggle to create three new main meals a day but as I say I'm really hoping the results will be positive.

See you mid-week for an end of March review.

Super Excited!

Raising Pots

Hi all! Sorry for missing a post last week but as I think I mentioned I was off skiing down a mountain in Switzerland, but I'm back and in one piece and happy to do double tale of the tape for you all. So the first couple of weeks of March have been fairly up and down to be honest. Not to be an EV adjusted obsessive as I'm aware of its limitations but I'm running pretty far below EV, as much as it shouldn't be read into too much it is reassuring to see that losing streaks are down to variance and not too many horrific plays, though they still exist! I don't think I'm in any kind of swing at the moment anyway, be it up or down. I seem to be running fairly break-even (slightly ahead perhaps) but nowhere near where I want to be. To this end I have been on the hunt for a coach and may have just got one that I'm fairly happy with. Was disappointed to lose one that I was really excited about but some changes meant that he was unable to take new students. Anyway, I have found a reasonably priced one now who I am hoping will be able to cork some of those dastardly leaks and get my winrate where I want it.

So, tale of the tape (27th February - 5th March):

Hands: 10,372

Hours: 14.32

BB/100: -1.46

$/hour: -$2.11

Total winnings: -$30.20

Total rakeback: $25.15

Total for the week: -$5.05

So, not a great week at the tables, 3 buyins down is in no way horrendous and the lovely rakeback saved the day as always making the week as near as dammit break even. Fairly pleased with the volume though I had a few sessions where I should really not have played at all due to feeling under the weather and being slightly distracted but am not too disappointed. When AKs and KK make up your two biggest losing hands of the week you know it just wasn't gonna be your week! On to the second week!

So, the tale of the tape (6th March - 12th March)

Hands: 4,186

Hours: 6.22

BB/100: 4.01

$/hour: $5.41

Total winnings: $33.61

Total rakeback: $12.97

Total for the week: $46.58

So, as you can see not a ton of volume put in this week due to getting back from holiday and being out most evenings but managed to get 5 sessions in (4 winning, 1 losing) for a pretty good winrate. The sort of winrate that I strive to achieve over a larger sample. My current winrate at $10NL is around 1BB/100 which is not great at all and needs improvement. This is where the coach comes in and more on that next week I hope.

Lifting weights

Wow am I super excited!? Tomorrow sees the start of my P90x - I have been waiting to get on this now since I got it a couple of weeks ago and am so excited to be kicking it off tomorrow. It's such an intensive workout but I think I have the heart to see it through. Have been sorting the nutritional side of things out this week too for you see P90x comes with a whole 'healthy eating' plan. Phase 1 (first 30 days) is all about high protein, low carb - Phase 2 (second 30 days) ups the carbs to get the energy up and the final phase (last 30 days) kicks in with a high carb diet. I am so excited to be starting this and to be eating some great healthy food and can't wait to blog week 1 for you all next Sunday!

Until then!

Pokerlifter's February

Raising Pots

Oh what a month. My 'business plan' for 2011 had me hitting $10NL by April, a little conservative in retrospect, and I'm pleased to report that the main change to poker for Pokerlifter in February came in the form of playing $10NL when my bankroll hit $300. A real achievement and one I'm very proud of, moving up in limits when you've really ground out a profit and 'cut your teeth' at the level before is a very satisfying feeling. As with my move up to $5NL it was a nervous start and I dropped down to 6 tables at

the beginning to really 'feel out' the level - later moving to 9 tables and back to my standard 12 by the end of February. I had a huge upswing at the start of my $10NL adventure and felt, as you do, invincible. Just like my move to $5NL - BOOM - I dropped back to $0 profit in the space of few sessions. A reality check and some analysis later and I was abl

e to grind out a profit by month (see numbers below).

The second major change was my discovery of the Iron Man promotion on Full Tilt - basically it's another form of point collecting and bonus making. The key to any profitable player is making sure they squeeze all t he value they can out of their poker site and take advantage of all the promotions.

So the tale of the tape:

Hands: 35,765

Hours: 60.42

BB/100: 1.54

$/hour: $1.61

Total winnings: $97.21

Total rakeback: $68.72

Total for the month: $165.93

So my most profitable month on record and good to see poker profits outstripping rakeback profits. Aoll this aside I think there is still plenty of room for improvement and 1.54BB/100 is not good enough. My aim is to double this in March and hit 3BB/100 and play a minimum of 30,000 hands. I'd also like to hit silver in March for Iron Man.

Lifting Weights

Nothing much to report here except my excitement at the discovery of P90x and am just itching to get started. Hopefully the March update will have a lot to talk about!

See you soon...

Poker 0 Lifting 1

Raising Pots

May I begin by quoting last week's post..."I recall my first weeks at $5NL were a huge upswing and I then came crashing down to Earth, I need to avoid this as much as possible". This week I came crashing down to Earth....I had a terrible start to the week which involved me dropping a staggering 13 buy-ins in my first 4,500 hands, this was 6 buy-ins below EV which makes dealing with these swings somewhat easier. I'm pleased that I played well for the most part and was just losing some big pots which I' always going to lose; Set over set, flush over set etc. I tilted a few buy-ins, of this I'm positive, but for a lot of the time I was just getting my money in good and losing. All other aspects of my game appear solid I just need to find those extra leaks. To this end I have a database analysis session booked in for this week with a 2+2 forum member who I am hoping will be able to shine some light on areas where I am spewing $$s. Think he's gonna have his hands full!!

So the tale of the tape:

Hands: 12,871

Hours: 24.55

$/hour: -$3.37

BB/100: -3.21

Total winnings: -$82.74

Total rakeback: $27.55

Total for the week: -$55.19

So, not an horrendous week, -5.5 buy-ins with rakeback and running well below EV. So, I'm not disheartened I'm confident with the right attitude I can beat these stakes. Really good volume t his week and I'm please to say that I will hit bronze for Ironman which is great, it has been a real grind what with missing the start of the month but has been worth to hit it. Will aim for silver in March so watch this space.

Lifting Weights

The post title refers to the fact that poker wise this week hasn't been great but fitness wise it's been a revelation. A revelation without actually lifting a finger! You see I have rediscovered my motivation and it's all thanks to P90x. For those unaware P90x is a 90 day, 6 days week extreme fitness plan that I have just purchased. I'm not sure what the 'P' stands for but should be poker as this workout has been recommended to me by a number of poker players that do it. Now, I can't actually start this programme until week commencing 14th March which is a little annoying but I want to start it when I am able to have a clear period in front of me to maximise my chances of success. The reason I can't start this week is because I'm off to Switzerland at the end of the week so won't be able to complete this first week. The future is bright, I'm confident in both the pot raising and the weight lifting right now.

Look out for a mid week blog reviewing February!

You Raise Me Up

Raising Pots

I finished last wee full of excitement being ~$1 off $10NL and I'm happy to say that the last session of $5NL I played I made $1.65 over 2,000 hands which pushed my BR above $300, 30 buyins for $10NL. Do I decided to take my shot and move back down to $5NL if my roll fell to $280. So, much like the 10th October's post (http://pokerlifter.blogspot.com/2010/10/up-up-and-away.html) I set off with trepidation to the $10NL tables and tried not to get myself blinded by the increased pot sizes and just continue with my style that I had adopted over the last month or so and be confident in my ability. The only change I made initially was to drop to 6 tables to begin with. I was keen just to make a good start, give the tables my complete attention and try and win a few sessions to 'bed' myself into this new limit. So the first session was profitable albeit a very small amount....as for my welcome to $10NL this was the second hand that I was dealt. Although I felt sick at the end it was reassuring that there still plenty of fish swimming around!

Full Tilt Poker $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players - View hand 1190222

DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter

UTG: $4.78

UTG+1: $4.15

MP: $10.94

CO: $10.13

BTN: $10.00

Hero (SB): $10.00

BB: $7.35

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is SB with A A

2 folds, MP raises to $0.30, 2 folds, Hero raises to $1, 1 fold, MP raises to $1.70, Hero requests TIME, Hero raises to $4.70, MP calls $3

Flop: ($9.50) 6 9 5 (2 players)

Hero requests TIME, Hero bets $3.90, MP raises to $6.24 all in, Hero calls $1.40 all in

Turn: ($20.10) J (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($20.10) 9 (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $20.10

MP shows Q 9 (three of a kind, Nines)

Hero shows A A (two pair, Aces and Nines)

MP wins $18.76

(Rake: $1.34)

So, the tale of the tape:

Hands: 7,375

Hours: 14.33

$/hour: $10.43

BB/100: 10.25

Total Winnings: $149.53

Total Rakeback: $21.15

Total for the week: $170.68

What a start?! As you can see I crushed $10NL to the tune of 15 buyins and have had my most profitable ever week. Now, as always, I'm keen to temper this with a realisation that it is not sustainable to be beating $10NL for 14.03BB/100. Fantastic? Of course, but not going to happen over a large sample. I recall my first weeks at $5nL were a huge upswing and I then came crashing down to Earth, I'm need to avoid this as much as possible. I'm keen to just get stuck into the limit so I have a safe buffer for any down swings that come my way and once $10NL rakeback takes effect (this week's rakeback is predominantly $5NL) I should hopefully be safely a regular at this limit.

As mentioned last week, the Ironman promotion has meant that I have played every night this week (except Friday when Pokerlifter hit the town!) however the 7,000 hand volume is fairly disappointing but this is due to the drop from 12 tables to 6 meaning my average hands per hour has dropped from ~750 to ~450. Hopefully will be back to 12 tables soon. I have two days off from the day job this coming week too so am hoping to stick in some serious volume and grind ~16 hours in those two days.

Lifting Weights

I have a plan now for the gym which has really helped focus my mind, have had a difficult week getting down the gym due to the (late night) hours at the tables meaning getting up for a 6am gym start is more tricky. But, like I say I have a plan and this week in addition to the gym I will make (another) start on the 100 push-ups challenge which served me really well last year and needs no real commitment as it takes no more that 10 minutes a night but yet is extremely effective strength builder. I also have someone spurring me on and helping to motivate me now which is a real boost.

In summary - a good week and I am a happy Pokerlifter.

Eye of the tiger

Raising Pots

I started my February grind this week, missed the first few days of February as I was away in my beloved in Cornwall. I approached this week with the same enthusiasm that I ended January with, a desire, commitment and belief to really start making some progress, I've played for too long now at the same limit style and decided it was time for some changes. Nothing major or indeed ground breaking but just stick a cork in a few leaks and play a little more aggressively. I'm far from a passive player and can sometimes be too aggressive but I needed to find the line between controlled, well timed aggression and being a total spew monkey which can sometimes happen! Looking through my database, which is something I have only really recently started to do properly I noticed a few interesting things. When 3 betting preflop my BB/100 is a staggering 216.50 yet I only 3 bet 2.20% of the time...very low. Now clearly this is high as I'm only 3 betting the premium hands but unles there's a showdown, who's to know what you're 3 betting right? So I decided to introduce a more aggressive approach to my pre-flop play by 3 betting more and isolating limpers more. Also, I discovered to my horror I was playing a far too 'fit or fold' stlye of poker post flop so have also made some changes here - c-betting more and barrelling scare cards. An aggressive approach is certainly high variance but I think it's another gear that needs to be added to my game and I should switch more freely between being tight and aggressive and looser, certainly in position.

So, the tale of the tape:

Hands: 11,299

Hours: 15.72

BB/100: 1.02

$/hour: $0.73

Total winnings: $11.48

Total rakeback: $0

Total for the week: $11.48

Another profitable week to the tune of two buyins and with a 13th place finish in yesterday's Cardschat tournament this all amounts to one thing...I'm approximately $1 short of where I want my bank roll to be for $10NL. Very exciting - I wanted to hit this by month end so all being well should be able to get there a little earlier.

I discovered also this week that I have, metaphorically speaking, been 'leaving a lot of money on the table' by not opting in and taking part in Full Tilt's Ironman promotion. In a nutshell you need to earn a certain number of points each day for either 15 or 20 days of that month. If achieved you get bonus points and cash bonuses every six months. As I have started late for February I now need to play on 14 of the remaining 15 days of February to qualify. Quite a grind but can see no reason why I can't achieve it.

Lifting Weights

No gym work this week. Back down the gym first thing tomorrow morning. Starting to feel sluggish with the lack of exercise now but can hopefully turn a corner this week.

Pokerlifter's January

Raising Pots

I realise I have only done one monthly round-up on this blog (last September) and that's just not good enough. So I will look to get 2011 off to a good start by rounding up my first month.

So January only saw one major change in my game itself and that was the introduction of three additional tables taking me up to 12. It still remains unclear at this stage if I'm over stretching myself with this amount of tables, it was definitely tricky to accommodate at first but after awhile it does start to feel natural. The benefit of this amount of tables is of course the increased volume I can put through and with this the amount I'm getting back in rakeback will shoot up. I'm currently playing approximately 700 hands per hour which means to hit my monthly target of 25,000 hands I need only grind 35 hours a month. Of course, this is the minimum and in previous months I have been able to grind upwards of double this amount, so all being well I should be in for a massive February...but enough about 'what ifs' let's stick to some facts and talk about January.

Let's look at the tale of the tape:

Hands: 34,268

Hours: 55.87

BB/100: 0.31

$/hour: $0.19

Total winnings: $10.63

Total rakeback: $19.88

Total for the month: $30.51

So, a profitable January and a great way to start 2011. OK, so I'm far from crushing it and 0.31 BB/100 is pretty poor, I really want to be hitting 4-5 BB/100 per month and as yet I have come nowhere near that in any months. I haven't had a losing month since November but have also yet to have a month where I have really crushed the tables. I have however run massively below EV this month so to come out with a profit following the down swing is pretty pleasing. To illustrate, here's my graph for the month (the yellow is my EV whereas the green line is my actual):

So you can see I should have been up ~$55 on the tables.

So, what do I want to achieve in February. Well I want to play 25,000 hands at a profit of 4 BB/100, hands wise this is easily achievable and I believe I have the ability to hit my winrate target too. This will make me $100 and roll me for $10NL. How do I wish to achieve this? Well I want to become more active in the wonderful cardschat.com hand analysis forum - both posting my own hands and studying others. I have also trawled through my database and isolated a few areas where I seem to be leaking dollars and want to see if I can plug some of those. A more longer term objective and not just for February is to get a coach and/or arrange some sweatsession. So, bring on February and see you for a monthly round-up soon.

Lifting Weights

So the poor cousin of my blog hobbies? Yes, very much so. I have had an appalling January for lifting. I seem to have had neither the time nor motivation to hit the gym with any kind of routine. God loves a trier though and boy do I try. I will aim to hit three steady sessions a week in February. That's all.

See you soon!

What a difference a week makes...

Raising Pots

Ok, ok so I know last week I came here waxing lyrical about how I was going to play $1 MTTs and give cash games a rest. Well I did, it's true...however the lure of cash games was too much. I'm a cash game player at heart and though I love the MTTs cash games are where it's at...it being money! So after seeing how paltry the rakeback was that earned despite playing 112 tournaments in one week I decided to get back to cash games, prompted in no small part by main man Pokerpoopy (good luck with the world record attempt mate!). So, I hit the cash game tables and decided to, once again, up the number of tables. I now play 12 tables of $5NL. My dedication to the game right now is strong, really strong. I want to improve and really start to see some results so yesterday I sat down and really trawled through my database, which now contains ~152,000 hands, to plug some leaks in my game. Now, I have no doubts that there are many but I decided to focus on a few that seem to be costing me and see if I can plug those. So I have made a list of 5 leaks, noted how much these were costing me and have decided on a course of remediation to see if I can successfully plug them over February. I have made a note in my diary (I don't have a filofax at the moment) to review on 1st March.

So, how did this week go? As mentioned I played both cash and a few MTTs and on the whole I think it went Ok, a few swingy sessions on the cash table where I ran hugely below EV but these downswings do occur. So let's see the tale of the tape (tournaments first then cash):

(tournaments)

Tournaments played: 28

ITM: 7.14%

ROI: -27.27

Average finish: 41.44

Net won: -$8.10

(cash)

Hands: 17,465

Hours: 26.88

BB/100: 0.07

$/hour: $0.01

Total winnings: $1.28

Total rakeback: $8.70

Total for the week: $1.88

Well, as you can see a pretty paltry profit for the week but, as stated, I ran massively under EV this week and should be up ~$35. Well, you can't go broke making a profit. Bring on February.

Should be down at the Fox Poker Club in London tomorrow at 2pm to play their £25 freezeout tournament for the second time. Will let you know how it goes next week!

Lifting Weights

A week on from sitting and aching from a good session and I'm still here, though not aching, but that's to be expected. It's still frustrating not being able to work as hard as I used to but, again, that's to be expected and I'll get there in the end. Good things come to those who wait...and work hard....and I'm doing both so I should expect good things...right?

So, just to let my lovely readers know that I'm not here next week, heading back to my beloved Cornwall for some rest and recuperation and some quality time so won't be able to blog on Sunday. I may, if I'm clever enough, schedule one to post in my absence with details of what I have managed to achieve before going home.

Love to you all...

Here I go again...on my own.

Raising Pots

Hey faithful readers! So my first proper blog of 2011! Happy New Year to you all...I still can't believe it's 2011 and I haven't seen some of my (much, much loved) readers. Hey ho...I will soon, I'm sure and I can't wait!

Anyway, so how's the poker been Pokerlifter? Up and down in truth. I have given cash games a bit of a rest for the moment as I have started to play some 45 man $1 sit 'n' go tournaments. The reason for this? Well, I think they're pretty soft and beatable to a decent ROI plus, right now, they're just a bit different and I need something different so I figured, why not? I've enjoyed the change - sure the fact that targeting the fish is a lot harder as one bad suck out and you're on the rail is difficult to deal with whereas with a cash game you just reload and hunt them down! That said I've found that I can run pretty deep in these and cash a fair amount of the time with a pretty solid ABC strategy for MTTs. So the tale of the tape looks like this (different format for tournaments):

Tournaments played: 112

ITM: 13.91%

ROI: 15.85

Average finish: 23.53

Net won: $19.70

Rakeback: $1.37

Total for the week: $21.07

So not a bad week. So my plan initially for January is to finish with the following stats:

ROI: 12%

ITM: 20%

Realistic I think and potentially a little light but if I can hit that for Jan then I'll be very happy.

One other exciting thing that happened (admittedly last week but whatever) is I played my first ever live tournament at the Fox Poker Club in London. Was very excited, and a little nervous, but had a day off from work so thought I'd go for it. It was the £25+5 Bounty Tournament. There were approximately 45 entrants and dear old Pokerlifter finished in....6th place!! Regrettably one off the money but for my first attempt at live poker I was very pleased. I plan to play the same tournament at 2pm on 31st January so come and rail me!!

Lifting Weights

Ouch, that hurts! Thank Goodness!! Yep, I lifted some weights this week and boy can I feel it. Have been really down recently and feeling so very lost so the gym has been far from my mind but the week I thought, come on, it's time to get the endorphins flowing and start pumping those weights. I'm feeling really out of shape at the moment and not happy with my overall level of fitness so it felt good to make those first steps back at the gym even if it did feel like I was starting from scratch. It's kind of depressing when you can't do as much as used to but it will come back soon enough, I just got to keep plugging away - I need to be physically and mentally strong over the coming weeks. The poker will keep my mind sharp and the lifting will keep my body sharp. It's gonna be worth it in the end...so, very, very worth it. Motivation for the future is high, the future for Pokerlifter is bright even if the short term prognosis isn't. Out of 10? 10. No 5 out of 10s here! Come on Dunkey, drag the bar up to 10/10....

One Lonely Dunkey I Be...

Raising Pots

Hey readers!!! Wow, I've been away for a long time. I haven't been anywhere and I've been grinding like a demon still but what with Christmas/New Year etc I just haven't had time to blog. This post isn't going to be a full post I'm afraid just one to say that I'm still alive and haven't forgotten about you...I'm extremely busy and distracted right now 'shuffling my cards' but will get some solid action in soon and post a proper update. Just thinking.

Lifting Weights

Haven't gymmed once yet in 2011...am working earlies at the day job this week so hope to put a few hours in!!

*PS anyone get the song reference in the post title?