[Closed] BrYANS RISE TO FAME

Hello bryan,i am following ur blog from it's start but i dont post often,what i wanted to say is since i see that on ur stars acc u trying to hit some mtts,althought it will take a lot of time and maybe not "impressive" results,u could start grinding micro mtts 1$-3$ BI.They are extremely easy to get ITM if u dont get badbeated or extremely cold decked,and they can provide u
"cheap experience",and also getting lady luck to help and hitting a final table would boost u and ur BR in a decent way.

Best of luck at the tables

Hi All

Thanks for stopping by MRPavlos. I am flattered that you have followed my blog from the beginning.

I have tried MTT's but found them largely a waste of time, at microstakes, as the fields are so large, and so much luck is involved. Unless you are fortunate enough to get into the top 5 or so places, the payouts provide very little return for hours of play.

As for my recent play, I played 4 x $2 sng's last night, and got knocked out of every one. I won't bore readers with the details. Just now though, I played another 4 x $2 sng's, managed to place in 3 out of the 4 and the overall result of the two sessions is that my BR is exactly back to where it was before I started !!

BR = $128.16

I feel as though I am getting back into the grind again though and enjoying it following a bit of time away.

All the best
Bryan

Don't worry Brian, im reading....have u tried switching to cash games and using elephant (HUD)? Maybe try out NL 0.10 with SSS? Easier to boost ur bankroll that way i think.

Hey Bryan,

I just wanted to share my experience with you - I noticed that for me it's working out the best switching to different formats every now and then. As I've previously mentioned, I started my 'poker career' exactly like you - beat the $1 SNG in FTP really quickly and then I ran break-even over a long period at the $2. Then I switched to Omaha H/L cash games. I pretty much ran break even there as well, mostly because I was winning at first, but then getting bored to play at some time and I was loosing the whole profit I had made earlier in the day. Then I tried Omaha H/L 18-man SNG - again, I was winning at the beginning, but got bored and lost some... Then I returned to SNGs (even though I had bankroll for $2 (I had around $170) I decided to play some more $1s until I reach $200). I played 9-man turbos and 18-man $1 SNGs. I had very nice profit and for just a few days my BR reached $200. Then I started playing the $2 18-man SNGs and I also had a nice profit. Also, cashed in a $2 MTT with 517 entrants (finished 5th for $67) and now my bankroll is close to $300.

So, my point is that it has worked out best for me to mix the formats up a lot - 9-man SNG, 18-man SNG, Omaha H/L.... just I don't wanna get bored with some format. This way every time I sit down and play I'm finding it interesting and I pay more attention. If I'm bored, I just read some websites, watch videos and don't really play my best game...

I hope you can find something helpful in my story... Good Luck at the tables!!!

Hi all

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, and haven't checked my blog either, so apologies to the last two posters for not replying sooner.

I have been down the sss route wizard, and found it frustrating after a while, probably for reasons suggested in Letchlords post.

Though I have only just read your post Letchlord, what you say is almost psychic, as it reflects exactly how my approach to poker has been lately.

I have always liked playing different formats of poker, and just lately I have been experimenting quite a bit. My BR has suffered a little, and has dropped below $100 for the first time in a while. However, that was due to a few sessions I had which were a little too speculative. The same is true of my other account on Pokerstars, which I wasted a large proportion of it playing satellites. These really are mainly speaking far too speculative. That's why I have thought about injecting some money into an account, so that any profits, even small ones percentage wise, would still fund me into the occasional satellite.

I am not opposed to satellites, and I think the pokerstars steps program especially is good. However, the cheapest way of entry is $7.50 (the freeroll turbo crapshoots aside) and variance alone can soon see a <$100 BR wiped out. The MTT satellites are largely a waste of time, and you might have better odds of building a BR playing bingo online, but theres nothing wrong with playing them if you have lots of time to spare, which I haven't.

I have recently become involved in a part-time business which I am quite excited about, and with the recession hitting my full-time earnings quite hard, I have very little time left to play poker.

So my approach is that when I play poker, I want to enjoy it, rather than grind it out. I still aim to make a profit longer term though. So I play whatever game I am in the mood for, and usually one game at once, to focus my attention fully. Just lately I have really started to enjoy playing heads-up games, and as I write I have just played two on the trot, and won them both. I have also played some which I have lost recently, but I really enjoy them at the moment, and it is easy to focus on your opponent when there is only one of them. It is also plain when a hand has been won using skill, or just when luck plays a part.

Obviously the games I won have been done using skill, and the ones I have lost have been down to luck. lol

Whenever I want to try a different form of poker like this, I trial it on pokerstars, then when I am feeling confident, I play on Full Tilt which is linked to my Pokerstrategy account.

For the time being I haven't the time to watch the coachings etc, or get hung up about my status. I am Bronze but happy. lol

I will try to post a bit more regularly again with how things are going.

For the record:

Current BR = $93.71

So my first goal is to get above $100 again.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Following on from my last post. Have just played a $2 heads-up and won it. I am not playing any more just now, as I have a lot to do today, and it's nice to end on a high note and post it here.

BR = $95.56

Looking to go higher than $100 a.s.a.p.

All the best
Bryan

Hey just wanted to say gl and hope you make all your goals. Maybe ill meet u in one of them 300£ deepstacks I assume your talking about DTD, one of my fav places to play at ♦ im from just out of Nottingham in Mansfield.

Hi Mattcoz and all,
I live in Arnold Mattcoz, so just down the road from you really.

I have played a few HU with varying results in last couple of days, but just now, played a late session. Was on just over $90, aiming to get $100, so decided to have another crack at $5. Played 2 x $5 HU against the same opponent, beat him twice, and Br is now $101.37, and I can go to bed a happy man.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Haven't had time to post individual sessions lately, but played a number of $5 Heads up, and I feel I have held my own against most opponents, and even had the edge in many cases. However, have lost overall, so I am either not doibg something right, or the luck factor and the rake has had a big effect on the relatively small sample.

I think, as I am only normally playing one at a time, I should try to document the details a bit more.

I still enjoy playing whatever I am in the mood for though, especially on my second account.

Yesterday, I returned to the full ring game for a short session, and I think the heads ups have definitely helped my game. Unfortunately later in the day I played a full ring session on my FT account, and whilst everything started off really well, I ultimately lost a quarter of my stack in one hand with set over set. I suppose I should pat myself on the back for getting away so lightly really, as it is easy to lose ones whole stack in those situations.

My BR got into a very low state at just over $70, so I thought I should maybe drop back to $2 stakes, and then it happened, the high note to end my post on from last night !!

I enjoy a game of Omaha, and last night entered a 2 table 18 entrants Omaha Pot Limit HILO and won it !! $14.40 credited to my account. So I am now back to around $83 and poised to rip up the Omaha tables...possibly...lol

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Last night I continued with the Omaha HI/LO theme. Entered 2 x $2 STT SNG's. I was knocked ouit of the first one, but placed 3rd in the 2nd one. This left an overall slight loss due to the rake.

However, I then went on a cash full ring NL Omaha HI/LO (yes I really said NL) and almost double my $5 stack at 2c/5c, giving me an overall profit on the day at Omaha.

BR = $89.09

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Played in a ring game and made a small profit, but then entered 2 x $2 sng's stt and got knocked out of both. All play was plo hilo.

Br = $84.59

Bryan

Hi All
Just a quick update, to let you know that I have been sticking with PLO Hi Lo, which I am really enjoying at the moment.

I have veered more towards the cash game than the tourneys, in the last few sessions. I like to keep things small, or even fold with middling hands, but play my big/potentially big hands aggressively. You might think that such a strategy would be easy to see through. It may be for decent holdem players, but a lot of plo players seem to just get their chips in regardless. They either don't care or don't notice how tight I have been playing, so when I hit a monster I often get paid off anyway at these micro stakes.

I don't like the rising blinds with the turbo tourneys, which force you to get all-in with substandard hands or be blinded out. In other words they can turn into gambling crapshoots. I prefer the cash ring games whether full ring or short handed 6 max.

BR = $87.07

All the best
Bryan

Played another session of PLO Hi Lo and came out winning. Some short stacks were coming to the table (6 max) who must have been reading the articles that say PLO is all about aggression on short handed tables. They couldn't get their money in the middle fast enough, with often the worst hand.

I was the beneficiary a couple of times in big pots.

My BR = $91.57 so its slowly getting back towards $100 again, just playing 2c/5c.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Am at least holding my own with Omaha hilo. Had another couple of sessions. The first went badly, as I just wasn't hitting a single flop, and dribbled away most of my stack. last night though, I more than doubled my stack.

Overall BR = $91.95 as I am about to start a session tonight, but its late so I won't be playing too long. Funny how I went from heads-up holdem to omaha hilo, but that's the way I am going with Poker at the moment. I play whatever I am comfortable with at the time, with no pressure on myself.

At the moment I love omaha hilo.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All
Following on from my last post. Have played the session, and finished with a small profit.

BR = $92.78

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Been playing more Omaha hilo and keeping ahead slightly.
Some heads up and some ring games, depeneding often on what I can get onto.

BR = $97.34 so not far off the $100 mark. Am going to play some more shortly.

All the best
Bryan

Hi MAGICBRYAN,

You seem to be enjoying yourself at the moment which is great. Do you sometimes find that switching games a lot makes it difficult to improve your game, though.

It's only an observation and I would say that the most important thing is to enjoy what you play, which you are. So well done and keep it up!

I shall be reading...

Tim

Hi All

Thanks for dropping by TIM64 it's nice to hear from you again mate. I think that's the key for me, at the moment, the fact I am enjoying it. I don't get a lot of time to play, and I am only on micro stakes, so the money isn't really going to affect my life at all. I want to increase my BR overall, of course, so that challenge is still there, to do it from my free start on here.

I have started a new business venture, as I have mentioned here before. It is a network marketing business, and I truly believe that is where my future lies financially. So, whilst I enjoy the challenge of building my BR here, I am in no hurry, and I don't like robotic multi-table grinding.

Uusally nowadays, despite the micro stakes, I play one table only, and try to focus on the feel of the table. I am not so good at analysing every hand a player plays, as omaha hilo is so complicated anyway, by the time I have figured what a players hand was, and what different combinations he was drawing to etc, we would probably have played another three hands!!

I do get a good "feel" of the table in a more general sense, of where the aggression is coming from, and whether a particular player is as strong as they are making out they are etc.

In the absence of evidence to the contrary though, with omaha hilo at this level, usually when someone is playing a hand very aggressively, they have got what they are saying they have got, especially betting big on the river, or even the turn.

Last nights session, I dropped a few dollars,as I was just not connecting with the flops at all, despite good starting hands. Played a short session just now, and I made a bit back, but have to end to go to work at the day job. I normally play at 2c/5c, but occasionally - as with the session I just played - 5c/10c, as all the 2c/5c tables are full.

I am normally playing cash games too, so I always have control over how much I get involved. With sng's and rising blinds, you are sometimes forced to shove when you wouldn't normally, with eg drawing hands, to avoid getting blinded out. I don't like the feeling of say, thinking, I am probably behind here, but if I fold I may get blinded out, whereas if I hit my draw I will win, so the hell with it, I have to shove. To me that is not good poker, its gambling/dodgy poker.

So its cash games for me.

BR = $95.85

I will get over $100 again soon, I am determined.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Well I made it shortly after my last post, to $100 as I said I would. It was, however, a short celebration, as I soon went on a downward slide to just over $80 at one point.

I am back in the ascendency now though, and am on over $90 again.

Will try to post more regularly in future again, but its not easy finding the time.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Apologies for lack of posts again. I have been playing mostly omaha hi-lo pot limit, with varying results.

I had a bad run for a while whereby my BR dropped to a low of $78.

However, a recent good run has seen me claw my way back to over $100 again, including a session I have just finished playing.

BR = $103.14

Usually whenever I get over $100 I start losing again, so I will be doing my best to play my A game to try and build from here.

All the best
Bryan