For my introduction to this beguiling game, I must thank Steve Jobs, and the H5N1 swine flu virus. For it was during my convalescence after a particularly nasty bout of flu - definitely swine flu, not ‘man-flu’, although I don’t have the lab test results to back this up - that I downloaded a simple poker app onto my new iPhone.
Using this app, and playing against it’s virtual opponents, is what taught me the nuts and bolts of the game. That was in early 2011. I opened my first account on 888 later that year. And so a fish was born.
During 2013 and ‘14 I began playing more regularly. I read Moshman’s Sit-and-Go book, and I managed to became a modest winner on 888. My ROI was around 1.5% over 2k reg speed 9 man sit-and-gos.
My small bankroll on 888 was treasure. Not because it was a significant amount of money, because it represented the turnaround that I had been working hard to achieve. From loser, to break-even, to modest winner.
I was keen to keep this trajectory, and move on to higher ROIs and higher stakes. And when I logged on to 888 in Dec 2014 to load up some tables, the ’Insufficient Funds’ message startled me for a second. Then I checked my bankroll amount, and I checked it again, for I did not believe what my eyes were telling me. My bankroll, my treasure, was gone.
My account had been hacked. I thought that 888 customer services would be able to quickly resolve this, and reinstate my funds. It didn’t quite happen like that.
888 support, as seems to be commonly known, is terrible. And the battle which ensued left me furious, and determined never to give 888 another cent in rake again. The battle lasted months, during which 888 would not release even the most basic information on my account. And in one email, 888 suggested that ‘I speak to someone in my house about this matter’, blaming a member of my family for this theft. (Although the IP logs, which 888 finally released, confirmed that the funds were withdrawn from a location hundreds of miles from me) This accusation, of course, left me fuming. I moved my action to Pokerstars.
I did not bargain for the tougher field, and subtle adjustments to my game, which Pokerstars 9-man turbos presented and required. 2015 was a losing year.
Coaching from Ben Hayles and Ben ‘Machine’ Smith turned this around and 2016 was a successful year. Both these coaches played a huge part and I would recommend them to any player wishing to improve.
In future years, I hope that poker can provide a useful side income, to supplement my earnings as a self-employed guitar teacher and sound engineer. I also wish to use poker as an area where I can apply personal development practices, such as those mentioned in Sky Matsuhasi’s excellent podcasts.
Thanks for reading this.
