Very nice to read your blog.. Im here read from when you started it..
Good job and never hope only for 1k$ the sky is the limit...
I play at full tilt and got to 7500 ftp and wanted to play with them
played 3 9ppl sng 1800ftp when 1-3 win 26$
and cased in all 3 for a 78$ ...
Good luck and ill keep track here
Thanks guys, great to know there are readers out there, makes it even more worth while for me doing and gives me the push to not lose my way! ♦
Coming off the back of a real swingy session on NL25, $4 up at least after around 1.5k hands went down really low something like $30 down, but I think the really fishy night recreational players are slowly logging on! Best of the day for sure. 
I'm happy with the long breakeven/small periods of none profit at the moment, because i'm still making money based on the FPP count continually rising. Edging closer to the $40 instant cash credit, and also to the starting point of clearing my bonus! So as long as i'm not going backwards, i'm not standing still - I'm going forwards....or something like that!
BR: $216.47
nice going with br btw.
so your from shottz...sweet I am at trent uni studying moving in2 my house at the end of this month. You play on the poker circuit much around there? I normally play at gala, circus and ofc dusk til dawn
I don't often mate, I have been known to play at circus once or twice in the cash games at the weekend, but only dabbled when drunk! Which isn't the best time to play. Infact I was in Circus on Saturday night, but was found losing my money on the blackjack tables ♦ Live cash game is great fun though, love it.
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Midweek Update - Moving the goalposts
Right middle of the week, so update time. I've called this entry 'moving the goalposts' because i've now set myself a challenge within a challenge. I'd initially intended to play and raise enough FPP's for the instant $40 cash credit that stars have on offer for the month of September, but on closer inspection they do a $200 instant for 12,500 FPP's. My aim is to achieve this in the remaining 15 days of September, which means playing around 4k hands a day. Definitely doable on the SSS. So in total i've calculated it at around 60k hands. However, one thing I have on my side is, effectively after 18k hands I should achieve goldstatus - providing im still on NL25 SSS. Which means i'll collect FPP's at an even faster rate, and should knock a few thousand hands of the required amount to hit the 12,500 target by the month end. Especially if the bankroll develops sufficiently to start taking shots at NL50 SSS before the period ends. Another added, added bonus here would be during this mass grind period i'll also clear my $112 bonus that I have pending, so i'm looking for a real healthy boost before the end of 6/7 weeks total for the FPP challenge.
It may prove to be a little too far for this, but it certainly will not be a fail because I'll be well on my way anyway even if I fall a few hands short. I'll just buy the instant $40 instead and play satellites, which could produce more profit anyway - just the instant cash is, as it says instant. So that is the benefit right there, no T$ to turn into actual cash, or sell at a poorer rate.
Just having a break from the grind anyway, done myself 3k hands for the day, so I should hit my 4 quite easily. I'm also hoping to do this without compromising my play too much. I'm still focused, i'm using my stats and i'm not playing anymore than about 16 tables at a time. Bankroll as I write this has reached it's highest peak since I've begun.
So, a challenge within a challenge for the rest of September, it may be a close run thing, so keep reading and thanks for the support guys!
Bankroll: $250.57
Nice work Rav, you are eating this challenge alive!
I like the goal within a goal, its usfull to keep motivated.
Maybe I should do something like that to motivate me to play more than 30-40 sng's.....god im so lazy, thats like 2-3 hours work for the whole day!
Naughty ....... Oh thats right im a poker player so I will be lazy!
Thanks Len, i'm thinking this is going to be harder than I thought. The SSS is extremely draining and i'm hitting around 3k hands on it at the minute because i've been at work on the days i've started this challenge upto now. Doesn't help the grind!
Anyway, i'm 7k hands in after 2 days and this morning, looking at needing around 14k more before I hit gold status. The winrate upto now is satisfying though, as i'm still running at a profit. Within my next session i'll finally hit 2800 base FPP's to start unlocking my bonus of $112 from the reload offer. Really looking forward to that so hopefully the bankroll will climb and climb. Yesterday after my first 1.5k hands I was up like 10 BI's, around $50 but back to reality with a bump, when I ended up being a mere 2.4 BI's up on the finish of the day, lovely big downward trend on the back 1.5k of the day. But that is the way variance likes to work.
And the award for the biggest pot since I started the grind goes to this one, I only called because there was so much in the pot the value was there, didn't think I was ahead by that point obviously!
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
saw flop | saw showdown
Button ($27.30)
SB ($28.85)
BB ($10.40)
UTG ($5.35)
UTG+1 ($6.45)
MP1 ($3.10)
MP2 ($7.10)
Hero (MP3) ($4.20)
CO ($36.70)
Preflop: Hero is MP3 with J
, J
4 folds, Hero bets $1.25, CO raises to $3.75, 1 fold, SB calls $3.65, BB raises to $10.40 (All-In), Hero calls $2.95 (All-In), CO calls $6.65, SB calls $6.65
Flop: ($35.40) Q, 10, 4
(4 players, 2 all-in)
SB checks, CO bets $19, SB calls $18.45 (All-In)
Turn: ($72.30) Q (4 players, 3 all-in)
River: ($72.30) A (4 players, 3 all-in)
Total pot: $72.30 | Rake: $3
Main pot: $16.80 between SB, BB, Hero and CO, won by SB
Side pot 1: $18.60 between SB, BB and CO, won by SB
Side pot 2: $36.90 between SB and CO, won by SB
Results below:
SB had 10, 10
(full house, tens over Queens).
BB mucked K, A (two pair, Aces and Queens).
Hero had J, J (two pair, Queens and Jacks).
CO mucked K, K (two pair, Kings and Queens).
Outcome: SB won $69.30
Tomorrow it will be a month since I started my challenge, so i'm really happy with the way it's gone so far. Especially considering the first few days were really tough and I was still finding out the most profitable way to cash those FPP's. I'll post up a picture of my cashier tomorrow. ♦
Just some stats from the SSS challenge within a challenge grind;
Hands: 7034
FPP: 1,613.35
VPP: 1,563.96
Base FPP: 2,762
Hours grind: 8 Hours 55 minutes
Bankroll: $259.97
No sooner had I posted this, a 1000 hands later and I cleared my bonus. I didn't realise that once I had collected the base 2800 FPP it would all instantly appear in my account. I thought I then had to clear it in stages but I have it all now. So this seems like a good place to post that image of the cashier:
Next step, Gold member status on Stars!
♦
Month One Complete
As the title suggests, the challenge is officially a month old today. From absolutely nothing I have managed to generate a fully playable bankroll using only FPP's that I had left in my account plus a pending reload bonus. As of yesterday i'm now happily taking shots at SSS NL50 which is pretty much where I left off a month ago when I cashed out to put money towards my new car. I really didn't expect to be back here so quickly, i'm amazed. It hasn't even been a case of playing poker every single day of the month so that's another great achievement on it's own. The first week was real slow progress, once I realised the most profitable way to cash the FPP's I was on a bit of a role but it was still tough at this point. Playing Heads Up SNG's was a big source of income in the early parts, and I've dabbled in about every variant possible except fixed limit!
I'm still knocking on the door of that instant $200 cash bonus before the end of September, and also the much coveted (in this blog anyway!) Gold member status on Stars. I'm a couple of thousand hands into my NL50 foray and really happy with the progress so far, it's rather scarier than playing NL25 but now i'm used to the bet sizing, it's enjoyable. The play is just as bad, if not worse than 25...i'm getting 4 bet with A7 suited, KJ off, it's a wonderful thing. Maybe this is just the poor weekend players, but who cares they keep aiding me in my challenge!
So bankroll update time, i've surpassed $400 now, only ever so slightly, but it is the biggest peak yet. How timely that it has come at the end of the first month. Let's hope month 2 brings as much, if not more return!
♠_cool:
BR: $402.08
Congratulations on being Blog of the Week & wishing you continued success in your quest.
Best regards,
Bart
Great going man! Keep up the awesome work, and coongrats on the Blog of the Week award 
Ah that's wicked! Thanks guys, real honour on the blog of the week title! ♦
Right today has got to be a real grinder. It's sunny outside but that means nothing to me in my eternal quest lol I'll post my weekend thoughts later on after some more play.
Very Nice Blog.
Is there a point in going for the 200.00 instant bonus when you have made more money by doing the satelites?
Not really a massive point. I think Goldstatus right now is more important to my progression. But you're right, I could essentially make more money from the satellites with the same amount of FPP's 12,500 = 44 BI for the 280, or 59 for the 210 20 man satellites. Which obviously has potential to make over $200 in T$ and selling them isn't really a problem, and I wouldn't lose too much. But that is still a lot of playing time, and the satellites of course are by no means a guarantee, I could run really badly and have nothing to show for my earnings of player points! So that $200 instant does appeal in that sense, and simply because they're not around every month. It gives me motivation to play the hands and such, and a target that has a nice prize at the end of it.
Thanks to all the readers for leaving their comments too, i'm sure i've had a lot more views thanks to the publicity from being blog of the week. Also it gives me the drive to keep going with this and hopefully make as much as possible.
So month 2, week 5 - staying on track
I set myself some targets at the beginning of week 4, and i'm happy to say i achieved them all. ♦ They're on the previous page I believe. So i'm going to set myself some more for the week ahead.
Weekly targets:
Weekend play was okay, didn't play a huge amount of hands which may have an affect on my progress towards the instant $200, it looks a long way away at the moment with another 10,000 FPP needed and only 9 days to go after today. However, I should achieve goldstatus soon, so depending on my rate of accumulating points, we'll just have to see what happens with this, otherwise I will just buy the $40 and play satellite's with the remaining FPP's. OR I could possibly save them even further and use them to buy future bonus offers. They provide a nice safety net too, knowing I can now create a bankroll using those alone.
I'm starting to really enjoy NL50 anyway and been making solid progress with it. I fear a huge downswing must be just around the corner, but for now I can't live in fear of that. My game is really nice at the moment, it's tight, but I think playing the higher level now has encouraged me not to take stupid chances, and i'm almost eradicated my need to play AQ and TT like they're the nuts! lol - I didn't do that much, but sometimes it's just too tempting to be aggressive with these marginal holdings.
Bankroll has reached an impressive height, i'm really happy about it right now.
/Quick edit to post an updated cashier pic and document the first time my bankroll has reached a mini milestone of $500 whilst doing this challenge. So here it is.
More edit's because it's just been a crazy session. Played 1030 hands of NL50 SSS since i've been back from work. Hand of the day goes to this monster that I was just loving because of the rake, and points. Also it took ages to unfold couldn't figure out who had what here. My trash even looked good at the end!
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
saw flop | saw showdown
Hero (UTG) ($8.25)
UTG+1 ($6.50)
MP1 ($29)
MP2 ($7.85)
MP3 ($39.25)
CO ($12.25)
Button ($25.15)
SB ($36.55)
BB ($44.15)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5, 9
2 folds, MP1 bets $1, 3 folds, Button calls $1, SB calls $0.75, 1 fold
Flop: ($3.50) 3, 8, 10 (3 players)
SB bets $3, MP1 calls $3, Button calls $3
Turn: ($12.50) J (3 players)
SB checks, MP1 bets $6, Button calls $6, SB raises to $15, MP1 calls $9, Button calls $9
River: ($57.50) Q (3 players)
SB checks, MP1 checks, Button bets $6.15 (All-In), SB calls $6.15, MP1 calls $6.15
Total pot: $75.95 | Rake: $3
Main pot: $75.95 between MP1, Button and SB, won by Button
Results below:
Button had J, 9 (straight, Queen high).
SB mucked 3, 3 (three of a kind, threes).
MP1 mucked K, K (one pair, Kings).
Outcome: Button won $72.95
So an amazing session, ended $88 up so my bankroll now unbelievably stands at;
Bankroll: $536.76
Week 5 day 2 - ups and downs
Ah the joys of the SSS, very up and down. Hopefully more up than down, today has been a little manic. Completed around 2.6k hands on NL50 today, some solid play, really happy with how i'm performing, my only losses some to come from the real bizarre awful beats and i've been running pretty hot! Was up around $60 for the day at one point I think, but that never lasts. As I right this entry I think im about $10+ from yesterday, so even after running a little cooler this evening i'm still on track.
The main news for today is on the Gold status hunt, i'm now just 435 VPP away from reaching that initial target. I'm averaging nearly 200 VPP per 1000 hands, so I should hit this tomorrow, or even tonight if I crack on with some more play. But that's pretty unlikely. All in all no complaints from me, even in light of some shocking beats. The hand I will chose to post today doesn't come in the form of a bad beat, but is my amusing hand of the day.
Sometimes you can play hands correctly but just wish you'd loosened up a tad. I was rather tempted to push all in pre flop on this one and just go over the top of the 2 opponents but I showed them too much respect and look what happened....
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP ($30.05)
CO ($52.75)
Hero (Button) ($10)
SB ($15)
BB ($10.50)
UTG ($10)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 10
1 fold, MP bets $2, CO raises to $6, 3 folds, MP calls $4
Flop: ($12.75) 10, 2, 10 (2 players)
MP checks, CO bets $7.50, MP raises to $15, 1 fold
Total pot: $27.75 | Rake: $1.35
♠_cool:
BR: $545.11
Week 5 Day 3 - a gold star, but at what cost?
That's right 5 weeks in, and i'm gold star status on Pokerstars at last which means i'll be accumulating FPP's at a really nice rate now. I grind it out big style all day long, i've played 3370 hands as I type this. The first 2.5k of which I played without stats so I could 24 table. My laptop can't handle 24 tables + stats unfortunately! So what cost was this to me? Well the morning session wasn't so great. I started the day on $513, so i'd lost a few already after posting my blog entry last night. Played a little BSS 6 max which did not go down well!! So, gold status was the aim for the day, and I got there. But i've been on a bit of a rollercoaster, 7.6 BI was the lowest of the low for today from the $513, so the roll had really taken a hit, what with losing around 3 BI's last night. So i'd dropped to around $100 down. Fortunately i've been on the up again since achieving gold status. I'm now playing with stats again. Just ended a session 4.6 BI up ($46 for those not so good with the maths lol).
So Gold has come, at quite a cost, however i'm not too down about it all. If I achieve the bonus then it's certainly not -VE. I have 4000 FPP's again now, and 48 BI's for NL50 SSS. I'm armed and ready to go. I think if i can hit 20k hands i'll make the $200 instant cash. So that's 2.5k hands a day, including today. Not masses, but still enough to mean it'll be a close call at the end.
BR: $486.61
Week 5 Day 5 - The roller coaster ride continues
Well it has been a crazy couple of days for me at the tables. Mainly playing SSS NL50 still, and a little bit of 6 max BSS NL10. The latter has provided a lot of the downs, and the former a lot both!! I think i'll 6 max for a while until I feel i'm totally ready to return, some of the play is wild and I love it for that, but at times the beats just kill me!
So, I got Gold a couple of days ago, which was great news. I realised I was never going to accumulate enough FPP's in such a short space of time to go for the $200 instant bonus, and after much contemplation I settled for playing 6 280 FPP buy in satellite's which I cashed in 3 out of 6 for $33 in T$, I also took the $8 and $40 instant cash bonuses. In total from my FPP's I made $81, not bad at all really. They were much needed too, as i'd suffered a couple of days of bad play and bad results, they've kept me floating in profit. I peaked at $601 just about an hour ago, but since dropped off the pace a little. But going into the weekend i'm happy once again. A total maniac on one of the tables cheered me up, donked off $70 in about 70 hands, unfortunately none of it to me, as I went card dead typically during this point! It was fun to watch though.
I'm going to load everything into elephant at some point and look at the graph for my SSS forays. I've just been using RealTime HUD for my stats at the minute, and it is nice and simple as a database, but doesn't produce any graphs. So will be interesting to have a look at that, I predict many ups and downs!
Bankroll: $585.71
Originally posted by excelgeo
you are a sick man
Thanks..i think ♦
playing some full ring, BSS NL10 today, weekend fishes a plenty!
♦
This is a prime example, what a nightmare flop, but I managed to push it through. I felt I had to bet the flop even though I thought I was behind, didn't wanna give these guys chance to catch up, and a c-bet is obviously believable in this spot, i'd like to think i was able to push out some better hands at this stage:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
saw flop | saw showdown
UTG+1 ($10.25)
MP1 ($10.85)
Hero (MP2) ($25.80)
MP3 ($3.60)
CO ($3.65)
Button ($10)
SB ($10.35)
BB ($0.20)
UTG ($4.75)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Q, Q
UTG calls $0.10, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.10, Hero bets $0.60, 1 fold, CO calls $0.60, 2 folds, BB calls $0.10 (All-In), UTG calls $0.50, MP1 calls $0.50
Flop: ($2.65) A, 4, K (5 players, 1 all-in)
UTG checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets $0.70, CO calls $0.70, 2 folds
Turn: ($4.05) 8 (3 players, 1 all-in)
Hero checks, CO checks
River: ($4.05) 9 (3 players, 1 all-in)
Hero checks, CO checks
Total pot: $4.05 | Rake: $0.15
Main pot: $1.05 between Hero, CO and BB, won by Hero
Side pot 1: $3 between Hero and CO, won by Hero
Results below:
BB mucked 9, 10 (one pair, nines).
Hero had Q, Q (one pair, Queens).
CO mucked 10, 10 (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero won $3.90
Bankroll: $611.31
