Second to One Income - £1k/month in 6 months from practically nothing

Originally posted by sol8921
I need to rally my discipline for the month ahead – it is a tough one, requiring consistent work from 6:25 until 21:00-22:00 at night.

You work 14-15 hours a day?

Anyway, I guess I'm out of ideas concerning the issues with PokerTracker, so it would probably be worth a shot to create a thread in our PokerTracker forum with a detailed description of your problem.

Also, you mentioned that one of your goals is to win consistently at the $5.50 games. Is this your current limit, or are you just planning to get there by the end of next month? What are your bankroll management guidelines?

Originally posted by Harrier88
You work 14-15 hours a day?
I get up at 5:30AM, get ready for work, go to work until 15:30-16:30...get back at 16:20-17:20ish (if I don't go to gym). After that it's usually poker related until ~22:00, although my focus has become weak since the issues in my relationship which is why this month will be relatively tough getting my discipline back. I end up in bed between 22:00-23:00.

Originally posted by Harrier88 Anyway guess I'm out of ideas concerning the issues with PokerTracker, so it would probably be worth a shot to create a thread in our PokerTracker forum with a detailed description of your problem.

I will do that as soon as I run through the process one more time to see if I've missed some crucial detail, thanks Harrier!

Originally posted by Harrier88 Also, you mentioned that one of your goals is to win consistently at the $5.50 games. Is this your current limit, or are you just planning to get there by the end of next month? What are your bankroll management guidelines?

The $5.50 was based on 888poker buy-in's, but anywhere around there would be great progress by the end of this period. I'm currently still on $1.50 which is frustrating. I think this is mainly because of my state of mind and studying in such a state isn't very effective. The lights in my flat have a tiredness inducing effect, so I have ordered daylight bulbs to keep my usual alertness throughout the evening as apparently a colour temperature of 5500-6500K is ideal for working in.
Anyway, that is a tangent. Bankroll management is x50 buy-in. It is a lofty goal, but I will shoot and shoot again until I hit it successfully! I'm not one for giving up after a few failures.

Today I woke up at 4:55am, had a light breakfast, and went to the gym. I came back and went to have my haircut. After this post I'm onto ICM Trainer, a cup of coffee and some light poker reading, with notes.

Sorry, bankroll guidelines:

x50 buy in minimum
If lower, go down to a lower buy-in.
I'm embarrassingly on the lowest and my bankroll is easily under 50x due to recent failure.
There's not much I can do butat the moment but continue to play and study.

Do you suggest anything else?

You should set yourself clear goals... for example...

- X games played per week
- X hours session reviews per week
- post X of your hands played in the forums for discussion
- spend X hours per week to analyse one of your regular villains based on the history you have on them and try to find an exploit in there game

and so on...

your main issue is that you want something but you haven't set a clear goal... in one post you mention the $ 5.50s and in the next you are suddenly ok with everything close to that (which could be the $2.20s depending how you look at it)...

so to sum it up -> the main trick is to define clear goals... they should be motivating and not to easy, but also possible...

Originally posted by RaucheCh1987
You should set yourself clear goals... for example...

- X games played per week
- X hours session reviews per week
- post X of your hands played in the forums for discussion
- spend X hours per week to analyse one of your regular villains based on the history you have on them and try to find an exploit in there game

and so on...

your main issue is that you want something but you haven't set a clear goal... in one post you mention the $ 5.50s and in the next you are suddenly ok with everything close to that (which could be the $2.20s depending how you look at it)...

so to sum it up -> the main trick is to define clear goals... they should be motivating and not to easy, but also possible...

Hey, thanks for dropping in!
You are right in a sense, in my last month there was barely anything quantifiable as I wasn't quite sure of how I'd measure my goals. I have however, made myself some quantifiable goals recently, but haven't posted them on here. For example, I will spend an evening of 3 hours after every '2 days' of play (I don't have full days remember) on analysing my play.
Thank you for suggesting those criteria though, as I hadn't thought about villain analysis before or posting hands on the forum - very helpful!

You misunderstood or I miscommunicated what I meant in regards to the $5.50. I meant that I haven't checked what the equivalent buy-in on Pokerstars is, not that I am happy in lowering the standards of my goal :).

Sorry for the confusion and the lack of clarity in my posts, Rauche. I generally try to type them including as much of the main points from my activities as I can remember at the time, and I usually do it in a rush so it is easy for me to forget things. With documenting my goals (writing embeds it better in my mind than typing) on paper as well as on here, it is hard to find the time to do both properly.

Do you have a blog? It's always interesting reading more experienced player's accounts.

All good on the Pokertracker front

Out shopping with the girlfriend at the moment, having a sweet coffee. Enjoy life

Glad to hear that you got the PokerTracker HUDs to work properly. I'm also glad to hear that you don't actually have to work from 6:25 to 22:00...

There is absolutely no shame in being stuck at the lowest limits for a while. Think about it, you have been playing for just a little longer than a month, and you didn't even play a big volume of games. I believe I had to re-deposit about five times in my first month. Of course, I didn't take the game that seriously back then, and I also wasted money on casino games and sports betting.

SNGs are a relatively variance-heavy format, and you need thousands of games to make accurate statements about your true win-rate. Downswings of 20-30 buy-ins or even more are common, and even pro players go through break-even stretches - or worse - than can last for a thousand tournaments.

Always judge your decisions based on their long-term profitability, and not on their results. As long as your decisions are profitable from a mathematical point of view, you will make money in the long run. The only problem is that this "long run" can be quite long indeed...

Your bankroll management guidelines are absolutely fine. I don't think Pokerstars offers any $5.50 STTs, but I'm only familiar with the 9-manners. After the $1.50 games come the $3.50's, and after that, the buy-in is $7, which is quite a big step up.

Originally posted by Harrier88
Glad to hear that you got the PokerTracker HUDs to work properly. I'm also glad to hear that you don't actually have to work from 6:25 to 22:00...

Thanks! I think that's a mutual feeling

Originally posted by Harrier88There is absolutely no shame in being stuck at the lowest limits for a while. Think about it, you have been playing for just a little longer than a month, and you didn't even play a big volume of games. I believe I had to re-deposit about five times in my first month. Of course, I didn't take the game that seriously back then, and I also wasted money on casino games and sports betting.

SNGs are a relatively variance-heavy format, and you need thousands of games to make accurate statements about your true win-rate. Downswings of 20-30 buy-ins or even more are common, and even pro players go through break-even stretches - or worse - than can last for a thousand tournaments.

Always judge your decisions based on their long-term profitability, and not on their results. As long as your decisions are profitable from a mathematical point of view, you will make money in the long run. The only problem is that this "long run" can be quite long indeed...

Thanks for your kind words Harrier, it's nice to know I'm just going through a "stage". I really enjoyed reading these three paragraphs, they help to tackle the bigger picture - so much so that I'm printing them out and sticking them in my journal straight after I've finished this post.

Originally posted by Harrier88Your bankroll management guidelines are absolutely fine. I don't think Pokerstars offers any $5.50 STTs, but I'm only familiar with the 9-manners. After the $1.50 games come the $3.50's, and after that, the buy-in is $7, which is quite a big step up.

That's a relief!! That is a large step so I will try to adjust my goals accordingly.

On another note, I apologise for the long delay in my reply - life is taking me on it's roller coaster at the moment!

___________________________________

As I mentioned above, the last couple of weeks have been extremely eventful resulting in one ex-girlfriend and being severed from my family. These two have hit me pretty hard but I hope I can mend both of them within the next month or two. Obviously, and very annoyingly, poker hasn't had a chance to be a priority. I could say all of this has come at the wrong time, but there never is a right time - it is happening and as such I have to rearrange poker around it, as the people in my life are more important to me.

Originally posted by sol8921
Do you have a blog? It's always interesting reading more experienced player's accounts.

Not yet. Thinking about starting one in the next days. Thanks for the compliment I might be more experienced BUT I haven't been playing much since I moved from Austria to Thailand in summer 2013 and now to the Philippines. And every time I got the chance I was just playing for fun and the gambling ^^ resulting in quite huge losses in the last 1.5 years.

Anyway don't want to use or blog to spam about my (poker)life but I will keep following it
in case I start my own I will post the link...

ps: sad to hear about the issues in your private life. I always try to remember the
good times after a break-up instead of whinning about the break-up. Perhaps it's also a "good" timing since it's just a new year -> a chance for a fresh start...

gl in the new year and keep going and pushing your limits

Originally posted by RaucheCh1987
ps: sad to hear about the issues in your private life. I always try to remember the
good times after a break-up instead of whinning about the break-up. Perhaps it's also a "good" timing since it's just a new year -> a chance for a fresh start...

gl in the new year and keep going and pushing your limits

That's good advice :). The circumstances are so complicated though that it isn't a break-up that either of us really want, mainly thanks to my family (religion complicating things yet again!) so my goal is to try and mend the broken relationships between my now ex-girlfriend as well as my family and also between them both.

I will definitely need that luck thanks Christian!

Originally posted by sol8921
That's good advice :-). The circumstances are so complicated though that it isn't a break-up that either of us really want, mainly thanks to my family (religion complicating things yet again!) ...

Oh, I see. Had a break-up like this after 2.5 years when I was 16 cause her dad did everything he could so we couldn't see each other anymore and ended up breaking up.
Today I'm also in a similar situation. My girlfriend is Indian (born and raised in Thailand) and comes from a very conservative (and rich) family, so they are not really happy about her dating a foreigner. Goign to be intressting to, but I will just post about details in my blog. Don't want to abuse yours.

In my opinion if it's ment to be, nothing can get in the way. I'm sure you are going to make the best out of it, even if it just means being friends. I find it always awefull when people brake up and start to "hate" each other like teenagers.

Originally posted by RaucheCh1987

Originally posted by sol8921
That's good advice :-). The circumstances are so complicated though that it isn't a break-up that either of us really want, mainly thanks to my family (religion complicating things yet again!) ...

Oh, I see. Had a break-up like this after 2.5 years when I was 16 cause her dad did everything he could so we couldn't see each other anymore and ended up breaking up.
Today I'm also in a similar situation. My girlfriend is Indian (born and raised in Thailand) and comes from a very conservative (and rich) family, so they are not really happy about her dating a foreigner. Goign to be intressting to, but I will just post about details in my blog. Don't want to abuse yours.

In my opinion if it's ment to be, nothing can get in the way. I'm sure you are going to make the best out of it, even if it just means being friends. I find it always awefull when people brake up and start to "hate" each other like teenagers.

Really sorry to hear about your situation also...it's crazy that some people seem to think they have a right to interfere in other people's lives...
Thank you for the advice also :-).

I have hit rock bottom in the past week or two, so apologies for not posting or replying to anyone.
Each bad situation in my life came together in my life to hit me a lot harder than expected, and made me do things I never thought I would do or consider doing.
I think I'm over the worst of it, but I will be tentative with that statement.
Hope is coming to me, so that's something :-).

I think for now, at least publicly, I will have to put this goal on hold.
I will be trying to increase back to normal activity ASAP, and I will post when I feel it is right for me to do so. Time frame? I honest couldn't tell you even a rough guess.

Do not see this as me giving up, see this as me regathering my strength.

See you all soon and best of luck with your goals in the mean time!

Nice to hear from you again!

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through a rough patch right now. If you ever need some advice on anything, whether it's poker-related or not, just let us know and we'll see what we can do.

You are wise to take a break from the game when you're not in the right mindset. Some people insist on blindly pushing through in these situations, and inevitably end up digging themselves an even deeper hole.

You're not even missing that much right now. Pokerstars is currently experiencing some widespread technical difficulties that can cause games to freeze up without warning.

Thanks for you reply... Take your time, like Harrier88 already said -> whatever it is, don't be afraid of asking us here. It's not all about poker and $$$, there are way more important things in life...

When I've learned one thing in my life than it's that even with stones people throw in your way, you can build something beautiful.... as long as you keep going and always try to find something positive in each situation, or to quote a person you might have heard of...

Dalai Lama
When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength. Thanks to the teachings of Buddha, I have been able to take this second way.

and so far it looks like your trying to find your inner strenght, so I'm very confident that you will be on top pretty soon again.

Oi mate, are you still on your break?

Originally posted by Harrier88
Oi mate, are you still on your break?

Hey! Yeah I am....It's been a while since I've last posted but things are looking up. I'll reply to your message within the next few days (probably Saturday).

For now though, and for anyone lurking:
-Girlfriend has seen the sense and is giving us another shot, as IMO we shouldn't have been apart in the first place
-I've been applying for better paid jobs - this is my priority at the moment. I have an interview with a big train company next week and have had a telephone interview and also an assessment with one of the Big Four audit firms in the world
-Poker is definitely on the back burner for a while. Up until I am getting paid a decent amount for what I actually do for full time work in any case
-I do miss it and think about it quite often, and I think I will give Harrier's advice to me a go and play a few games every now and then for the entertainment factor alone

The only thing that has got worse is my performance in the gym haha!

I'll try and keep this updated with random stuff from my life

BTW I watched the seasons of Suits on Netfliix (love it) - and thought I'd finished the series. I found out there were a few more yesterday....couldn't believe my luck! Anyone else like it/watch it?