Micro MTT Mayhem - Bankroll Challenge Blog

Bankroll Challenge Week 19

Tournaments Played: 46
Profit/Loss: -$16.35
Current Bankroll: $55.38

Another losing week and I am now left with a third of my starting bankroll, not looking good. New Years Series is upon us, this is where i will turn it all around. I am off work for two weeks so will be looking to get a lot of volume in. I wont play at all over the next three days as i try to soak up all the joy from the festive season. Last years Christmas was really rough as my brother passed away on Christmas Eve so its very important to me to try make the next few days fun for the family.

The 3 goals i set two weeks ago are coming along nicely. I completed the push up challenge, i now have two power path 4 tickets. I didn't use the one i won last week as i have a really nasty cold so thought i better hold it till I am feeling 100%. Two shots at a silver pass, i really hope i can convert at least one of them. I will be taking some time to set some 2025 goals over the next week. I am looking to make my 40th year on this earth the most productive and successful one of my life.

Till next time, good luck on the felt

Bankroll Challenge Week 20

Tournaments Played: 176
Profit/Loss: -$55.38
Current Bankroll: $0

I have officially failed this bankroll challenge. A really bad run of results has decimated my bankroll but i will be re loading $50 and going again. Although at times i ran really bad, i would be doing a disservice to myself if i didn't try to take some learnings away from this challenge. So in no particular order, here they are:

1. Playing when ill is not a good idea. Professional poker players will sometimes have to play through illness as this is there main source of income. I am not professional, no where near it, so i dont have to do that. If anything it actually inhibits my ability to build my roll playing tournaments. No point in playing for 4 hours, only to start feeling the effects of fatigue from illness at the crucial end game moments.

2. I need to trust my gut more. There were many points during this challenge where i was facing bets from opponents i have gained reads on and i called anyway because there range should contain some hands i beat. They would inevitably turn over the hand i knew they had and i would beat myself up over not trusting my read, over and over again.

3. Discipline is the single most important skill i need to develop. It actually relates to the previous two points. i need to have the discipline to stay away from the tables when i'm ill and trust my reads more. More importantly i need to use discipline to stick to the goals and conditions i have set for myself. I have a BRM schedule set. It might not be the most optimal, but it is clear what tournaments i should be playing, and more importantly, the ones i should not be.
For example, according to my BRM, i should only be playing up to $1.10 tournaments until my bankroll hits $165 then i can start mixing in $2.20 games. I then build it up to $330 before mixing in $3.30 tournaments. I should only be playing satellites up to the value of half the max buy in i am allowed. While this is an arbitrary rule, i set it so i am not spending most of my daily buy ins on tournaments that only allow me the chance of a payout in a future tournament. The main point to this is, i haven't been following the rules i set myself. A new shiny series will come along, like the New Year Series, and i lose all control. I tell myself, there's just so much value in this $5.50 tournament, id be crazy not to play it. I need to see poker as the marathon it is, and not just a sprint to through the latest series. I wont get to play this $5.50 tournament right now, but by playing within the structure i have set myself, maybe when this series rolls round again next year, i will be able to play it then.

Those are they key learnings i took away from this challenge, and will be looking to improve on with my new challenge. I will start from $50 and still aim for that $1000 goal. I am starting this new challenge today. Tomorrow I will post my goals for 2025. I have admired Mantelos dedication to his accountability through his blog for years. This year i am inspired to go big like he does.

Till tomorrow, good luck on the felt

I have set myself some goals, 10 to be precise, some poker related, some life goals. I will be using this blog to track my progress throughout the year, aiming for a weekly update on the bankroll challenge and a monthly update on the yearly goals. So without further ado, here they are:

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. Its quite fitting that as 2024 drew to a close, so did my bankroll challenge. I already went over the reasons why i feel it failed in my previous post, so i wont go to much into that gain. The key theme this year will be discipline. I want to complete this challenge as quick as possible but i wont sacrifice my BRM to speed it up. Once i complete it, I aim to withdraw $500, so my wife can see there is some fruits to all this labour, and restart with a $500 to $5000 challenge.

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. I mentioned previously that I turn 40 during the Irish Open this year. I would love to compete in that prestigious tournament while celebrating such a big birthday. That would be my preferred option, however if it doesn't work out, i will happily accept any large tournament. I would consider any multi day tournament to qualify for this goal to be ticked off at the end of the year.

3. Workout Consistently. The last year, i have been terrible at keeping any sort of consistency with working out. I had started back at the gym with my little brother back in 2023, hitting it 3 times a week for a good few months. He passed away on Christmas Eve 2023 and i took it extremely hard. I couldn't face going to the gym because it flooded me with memories of him and i just broke down over and over again. Im in a much better place now thanks to therapy and i'm ready to start going hard this year. I've always had an all in or nothing mentality with fitness which i now see as very counter productive. My goal is to workout 3 times a week this year. That can be anything fitness related. Whether it be hitting the weights, cardio at home or a long walk, it all counts.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. This ties in with the last goal but is more directed towards my diet and nutrition. I comfort ate heavily over the last year, gaining 20lbs over a few short months. I am currently sitting at 214lbs. If i was a boxer, that would qualify me for Light Heavyweight. I am 5ft 7in. I should not be this heavy. I want to get back to my fighting of 180lbs and get back to Super Welterweight. I will achieve this through god old fashioned calorie counting and meal prepping.

5. Quit Smoking. I started smoking at 15 years old. It has now been 25 years, minus 2 short stints of being a non smoker. I am really feeling the effects of this continuous abuse i have put my body through, both physically and mentally. My grand daughter turned 1 year old a few days ago. If I want to have any hope of seeing her turn 40, i need to quit this year and make it stick.

6. Read 12 books. I used to read a lot and i miss it. Reading used to be something i just did every day without having to force myself to, i would read every single night to go to sleep. That all changed 6 years ago when my big brother passed away. I couldn't handle the silence any more so swapped reading in bed to listening to podcasts and youtube to drown out my thoughts while i passed out from exhaustion. This new habit has continued on for the last few years and its time for it to end. I will be reading a mix of fiction, non fiction and poker related books.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. Last year i took my son to his very first gig. He loved it and, being a 14 year old, he is obsessed with music right now. This one is simple. I will take him to 3 gigs across the whole year.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. My sons other big love is football. He plays in the team i coached for 3 years and has really developed as a footballer in that time. He dreams of one day pulling on the Scotland National jersey. I have taken him to a few football matches over the last couple of years but this year i want take him to some of the smaller grounds around Scotland. One per month is the goal.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife My wife and I celebrated our 15 years of marriage last year and I realised we have become very bad at making time for just us. The goal is to go out for a simple meal, once per month, at a different restaurant this year. It doesn't have to be a fancy place, heaven knows we are anything but fancy. We may take in a show, or a movie or just have a long walk together along with the meal, as long as we have the meal.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month We tend to get our Granddaughter overnight once a week, at worst every two weeks if work or sickness gets in the way. We tended to just have her in the house as she was too small to take anywhere for kids. Now she is 1 year old I want to be mindful about taking her for new experiences as much as possible.

So there we have it. Some big goals, and some that should be easier to accomplish. As i stated earlier, the key will be discipline and accountability. I will keep this blog updated with progress each month. Till then, good luck on the felt.

Bankroll Challenge Week 1

Tournaments Played: 59
Profit/Loss: +$50.37
Current Bankroll: $100.37

Great start to the new challenge, doubling my starting bankroll straight away. I felt really good about my play this week. I was very intentional with my actions and I got the rewards for it. First tournament win of the year, of many i hope.

I also made the final table of the Big $1.10. I arrived at the final table with a short stack and managed to ladder a couple of spots before going all in here.

Poker Stars, $0.98 Buy-in (7,000/14,000 blinds, 1,750 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 7 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: 87,283 (6.2 bb)
BB: 714,856 (51.1 bb)
MP1: 381,763 (27.3 bb)
MP2: 1,032,016 (73.7 bb)
MP3: 772,365 (55.2 bb)
Hero (CO): 120,388 (8.6 bb)
BTN: 471,329 (33.7 bb)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q♠: K♦:
3 folds, Hero raises to 118,638 and is all-in, BTN folds, SB calls 78,533 and is all-in, BB calls 104,638

Flop: (335,059) 7♥: 8♥: 9♠: (3 players, 2 are all-in)
Turn: (335,059) 2♠: (3 players, 2 are all-in)
River: (335,059) 8♦: (3 players, 2 are all-in)

Results:

All in all, i was very happy with my play this week and hope i can continue to keep this focus in the upcoming week.

Bankroll Challenge Week 2

Tournaments Played: 39
Profit/Loss: +$41.05
Current Bankroll: $141.42

Another good week in the books. I felt really focused with ok energy levels this week, can definitely improve this by upping my training. I made a final table coming 2nd place, im really disappointed i didnt convert it into a win. I came into the heads up as a 2-1 underdog but I really felt like i had an edge on the opponent. He was playing very passive to begin with so i was able to to take the lead in chips with some aggresive 3 bets. After I got the chip advantage, he switched gears and just started going all in on every hand so i just had to wait for a decent hand to call with and got it in with AJo v 54s to take 2nd place.

Overall very happy with the play. My volume will be lower this week as I wont be playing today. It is my wifes birthday tomorrow so we are going out for a family dinner later.

Bankroll Challenge Week 3

Tournaments Played: 57
Profit/Loss: +$1.43
Current Bankroll: $142.85

This week started well but lost all momentum in the last couple sessions. Yesterday especially, i didn't feel like i was playing anywhere close to my A-game. I still managed to eek out a small profit however which is the only positive. I wont be playing at all today due to work commitments in the morning, which is the second Sunday in a row I will miss, hopefully I wont miss many more this year. This coming week I am hoping to get in a lot of volume. My BRM allows me to start mixing in $2.20 tournaments once i hit $165 , so i am aiming to get the bankroll above that by the end of this week.

Bankroll Challenge Week 4

Tournaments Played: 52
Profit/Loss: +$0.89
Current Bankroll: $143.74

What a week!!! It all started so well on Friday, getting to a final table and making a nice little profit. Saturday was a bit so so, making a small loss. Today made me question why the fuck I play this evil game at all. It felt like every single time I went all in, i was a big favourite and every time i got 2 or 3 outed. Just one of those days that just about fully wiped out my profit I had made for the week. Aw well, at least im still up. Here's hoping for a better week next week.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. My sons other big love is football. He plays in the team i coached for 3 years and has really developed as a footballer in that time. He dreams of one day pulling on the Scotland National jersey. I have taken him to a few football matches over the last couple of years but this year i want take him to some of the smaller grounds around Scotland. One per month is the goal.

Not from Scotland but I would go to Fort William

Hi @vickolay, thanks for stopping by.

That is a great idea, its a beautiful part of the country. You can see Ben Nevis from the stands, it would be a fantastic view.

Bankroll Challenge Week 5

Tournaments Played: 40
Profit/Loss: -$5.30
Current Bankroll: $138.44

A small loss this week. I had one of those sessions on Saturday that S should have ended much sooner than i did. I went in unprepped, rushed and playing just for the sake of playing. I should have either taken an hour before I started my session to get myself into the correct mindset, or just not play at all. I did manage to make back a chunk of the losses on Sunday but couldnt regain it all. I'll just chalk up the loss to my tax for playing stupidly.

On a positive note, I did manage to win a Step 4 Power Path ticket. If i manage to turn it into a silver pass, I will most likely use it to play in the Irish Poker Open unless I can qualify through the satellites.

January Monthly Goal Review

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. Good progress made so far, a 176% in one month is not bad at all. If I can repeat this in February I would be setting myself up well for completing this challenge this year.

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. I haven't had much luck in the satellites for Irish Open so far, however I do have the Step 4 Power Path that I will use next week.

3. Workout Consistently. I have stuck to the 3 days a week this month. Just some basic bodyweight moves and walking to begin with. Looking to up it more this month.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. Weighed in this month at 213lbs. Only managed to lose 1lb the whole month. My eating has been better than last year but need to dial it on more. I wont be hitting the target at this rate so really need to step it up

5. Quit Smoking. Still smoking, so this is failed so far. I have started reading the Allen Carr Easyway to Quit Smoking so hoping that i will be highlighting this green next month.

6. Read 12 books. Started with a fiction book to get me back in the swing. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre. Really fun read from a brilliant Scottish author.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. I have bought tickets to 2 gigs so far. The first is in March, the other in July. Really looking forward to them but I wont tick this off until after we have been.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. We watched Falkirk vs Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup 4th Round. A good game that ended up going to extra time. A bit gutted the opposition scored late in the last 5 mins of extra time as ive never witnessed a penalty shootout in a live game.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife We went for a meal down at our local pub, at her request, as we hadn't been in a long time. Good old fashioned pub grub that hits you right in the soul.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month We visited both sets of her great grandparents in the same day. Fair to say she was knackered after being fauned over for the full day.

Bankroll Challenge Week 6

Tournaments Played: 57
Profit/Loss: -$24.56
Current Bankroll: $113.88

Tough week with the biggest loss since this challenge began. I played shortish sessions on Friday and Saturday, both small losing days. I did manage to win another $55 Power Path ticket which is a lovely bonus. I didnt feel i was playing my best both days, tired on Friday and distracted with my granddaughter on Saturday, I probably should have just stayed away from the felt.

Sunday was different, I felt I was playing some good poker but lost most of my flips and was rivered many a time with the 2 or 3 outer. I was close to the final table of The Big $1.10 when this hand happened.

Poker Stars, $0.98 Buy-in (9,000/18,000 blinds, 2,250 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 7 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: 307,897 (17.1 bb)
Hero (BB): 204,178 (11.3 bb)
MP1: 328,782 (18.3 bb)
MP2: 277,012 (15.4 bb)
MP3: 558,544 (31 bb)
CO: 417,550 (23.2 bb)
BTN: 309,705 (17.2 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q♣: T♣:
2 folds, MP3 raises to 39,600, 3 folds, Hero calls 21,600

Flop: (103,950) 3♦: 8♥: Q♥: (2 players)
Hero checks, MP3 bets 34,304, Hero raises to 162,328 and is all-in, MP3 calls 128,024

Turn: (428,606) 5♥: (2 players, 1 is all-in)
River: (428,606) 6♥: (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results:

I also made the final table of an on demand $1.10 Bounty Builder, arriving as the smallest stack with only 7BB after going card dead for the last few tables. I had the chance to nearly triple up but lost the flip.

Poker Stars, $0.98 Buy-in (4,000/8,000 blinds, 1,200 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

Hero (SB): 54,185 (6.8 bb)
BB: 431,528 (53.9 bb)
UTG+1: 363,509 (45.4 bb)
UTG+2: 210,048 (26.3 bb)
MP1: 309,408 (38.7 bb)
MP2: 216,332 (27 bb)
MP3: 229,056 (28.6 bb)
CO: 409,630 (51.2 bb)
BTN: 161,304 (20.2 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A♠: J♥:
UTG+1 raises to 16,000, 5 folds, BTN calls 16,000, Hero raises to 52,985 and is all-in, BB folds, UTG+1 calls 36,985, BTN folds

Flop: (140,770) A♣: 4♣: Q♣: (2 players, 1 is all-in)
Turn: (140,770) T♣: (2 players, 1 is all-in)
River: (140,770) K♥: (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results:

If either of those hands had held, we could be looking at the biggest profit of the challenge rather than biggest loss, but alas, thats why we love this game.

I will be playing a lot more poker next week as i have a couple days off. Hopefully I can get the challenge back on track

Bankroll Challenge Week 7

Tournaments Played: 82
Profit/Loss: -$46.80
Current Bankroll: $67.08

An awful week on the tables., wiping out nearly all the progress i have made since the beginning of the challenge. I could not win any flips and went through many tournaments playing very few hands, card dead for most of the time. I was really hoping I wouldn't have as bad a time as last week, only to have it end up twice as bad. I am going to go through my database and see what leaks I need to plug because it cant just be running bad that's causing this swing. I do have a good run of 3 or 4 weeks that where I will have few distractions when im playing on the weekend.

Here's hoping I can make a strong bounce back next week.

Bankroll Challenge Week 8

Tournaments Played: 97
Profit/Loss: +$54.06
Current Bankroll: $121.14

What a difference a week makes. From the worst loss of the challenge to the biggest win so far. Friday went very well. I won a Bounty Builder $1.10 On Demand tournament which accounts for all of my profit. I felt I was really on it this day, my focus was good and I felt like I was making good plays.

It then went a bit downhill on the rest of the weekend. I woke up on Saturday really struggling with a cold i had picked up during the week. Later when I was playing poker, i felt i had no energy and the brain fog was making it harder to focus. This should have been the moment i stopped registering and protected my bankroll but this seems to be a lesson i never learn. I think its because all week at work I look forward to the weekend so i can start playing tournaments, dreaming of a big win and heading to the fucking Mirage. So when im struggling to stay awake, it never occurs to me that i can just wait till next week. I continued playing and lost some of the profit back. I did the same on Sunday, although i did manage to at least curb that session after only a few hours.

I'm hoping the cold leaves my body, or at least eases up, by the weekend so I can get right back to the focused play i had on Friday. But if it doesn't, I will try to remember what i wrote here today and just take a break.

Bankroll Challenge Week 9

Tournaments Played: 99
Profit/Loss: +$99.67
Current Bankroll: $220.81

Another fantastic week, i could get used to this. I played the most amount of tournaments this week since the challenge started and it felt like i was really in the flow. The cold has definitely eased up a lot, but its still there a bit. I cant wait until its fully gone so i can be fully zoned in for the next few weeks.

I made 4 final tables, managing a 5th, a 3rd and two 2nd's. I'm happy with the way I played all the final tables, getting the chips in with a flip or better in 3 of them and cooler 99s vs QQs in the other. Whenever i go on a run like this where i feel im making good decisions, i just wanna keep playing and sometimes end making stupid decisions like loading up a full session when i get home from a long day of work. I'm going to make sure i don't fall into that trap this time round. Due to to having spent the last couple weeks ill, my other goals have taken a bit of a back seat, which i will go into more detail with when i do my month review tomorrow. I will focus on getting those goals catered to during the week so i can maximise my time at the tables this weekend.

This was the best score of the week. I was gutted not to close it out for the win as i went into heads up a 10-1 underdog and battled away till i was only 2-1 down when this happened.

Poker Stars, $0.98 Buy-in (8,000/16,000 blinds, 2,000 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 2 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

BB: 1,308,764 (81.8 bb)
Hero (SB): 605,236 (37.8 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with T♦: 8♦:
Hero raises to 32,000, BB raises to 100,000, Hero calls 68,000

Flop: (204,000) 7♦: 6♥: J♠: (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (204,000) T♥: (2 players)
BB bets 118,000, Hero raises to 503,236 and is all-in, BB calls 385,236

River: (1,210,472) K♦: (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results:

All in all, really happy with this week from a poker point of view. I will post here again tomorrow with the February monthly update.

February Monthly Goal Review

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. After a poor start to the month with consecutive big losses, which left me with near starting roll, it was saved with the two biggest winning weeks of the challenge so far to put me at a new high. .

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. Still no luck in the qualifiers yet. I will address this by studying satellites more closely over the next month.

3. Workout Consistently. This has been a massive fail this month. Mostly due to having a horrible cold for two weeks that affected my ability to even walk upstairs without getting out of breath. I'm definitely over the worst of it now so i will be looking to up the intensity gradually over the next few weeks.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. Weighed in this month at 210lbs. Lost a small amount this month. Eating has been so so but the lack of any physical exercise has really hampered the progress. Still a lot of time to get back on track, but i need a good run at it this month

5. Quit Smoking. Still smoking for now, but i am close. I started reading the Allen Carr book and have nearly finished it. It has been really slow going, i know a lot of that is down to my addicted brain trying to put it off by giving me other things to concentrate on. I will finish it this week.

6. Read 12 books. I spent most of the month taking my time reading the stop smoking book. I will finish it this week then move on to Poker Satellite Strategy by Dara O'Kearney with Barry Carter.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. I now have all 3 gigs planned, the first of which will be this month.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. We didn't manage to get to a game this week, a mix of being ill and terrible weather, including the worst storm in years in Scotland. We will get back on track by attending two games this month.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife We did hit this goal this month. We went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet. It was amazing, the food was all very fresh with a huge selection of dishes. Would definitely go again.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month We took my granddaughter to a big soft play in Stirling. It had been recommended from a coworker due to it having a large area for little toddlers as my granddaughter is only just over a year old right now. She absolutely loved it, and it was great to see her interact with other kids her age.

A bit too much red this month, only outright succeding in two goals, but i will give myself a bit of leeway due to being ill for most of it. I will aim to get them all back on track this month.

Bankroll Challenge Week 10

Tournaments Played: 94
Profit/Loss: -$47.40
Current Bankroll: $173.41

Big loss this week. My volume was good, playing the full 3 days this weekend. I only made 2 final tables, one a 6th place finish and the other i got 3rd. If i had just managed to turn that 3rd into a win, i would've broke even this week, that's how tight the margins can be in this game it seems. Overall i felt my play was a bit meh, not great and laser focused but more C+ to B game, solid but nothing spectacular.

This coming week there will be a bit less volume as me and my son will be going to a gig on Friday night. I should be able to get some sessions in on Saturday and Sunday.

Bankroll Challenge Week 11

Tournaments Played: 32
Profit/Loss: -$26.53
Current Bankroll: $146.88

This week was not a fun time at the tables. I Friday i went to a gig with my son, ticked that off the goal list, and most of Saturday was taken up with visiting family. I did try to play a small session on Saturday night but it went horribly, a mix of bad variance and even worse play on my part. Sunday didnt fare much better. Not much else to say on this week, just looking to move past it and get back to winning ways.

Bankroll Challenge Week 12

Tournaments Played: 93
Profit/Loss: +$206.70
Current Bankroll: $353.58

After a poor couple of weeks, what a week this one ended up being. It started with two losing days on Friday and Saturday, however i did satty in to the Sunday Storm and won a bronze pass in the Step 4 power path, to give me something to look forward to. I decided to use the ticket in the Sunday Million yesterday. It turned out to be a fantastic decision as i went quite deep picking up a couple of bounties along the way.

I could only manage a small cash in the Sunday Storm, but every little helps with the challenge. To cap off a great weekend, i even managed to hit a royal flush.

Poker Stars, $0.01 Buy-in (400/800 blinds, 100 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 8 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

SB: 16,915 (21.1 bb)
Hero (BB): 31,909 (39.9 bb)
UTG+2: 13,669 (17.1 bb)
MP1: 48,386 (60.5 bb)
MP2: 17,823 (22.3 bb)
MP3: 49,934 (62.4 bb)
CO: 6,576 (8.2 bb)
BTN: 94,961 (118.7 bb)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J♠: A♠:
3 folds, MP3 calls 800, CO folds, BTN raises to 1,680, SB folds, Hero calls 880, MP3 calls 880

Flop: (6,240) 6♦: K♠: Q♠: (3 players)
Hero checks, MP3 checks, BTN bets 2,059, Hero calls 2,059, MP3 folds

Turn: (10,358) 9♥: (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (10,358) T♠: (2 players)
Hero bets 7,015, BTN calls 7,015

Results:

I should be able to play a couple of long sessions this coming weekend. Lets hope i can qualify for the Sunday Million once again.

Bankroll Challenge Week 13

Tournaments Played: 93
Profit/Loss: -$29.22
Current Bankroll: $324.36

Not a great week results wise. I am somewhat happy with the volume, i would like to push this further over the coming weeks and breach the 100 tourneys mark, which i haven't managed to achieve since starting the challenge. I'm not sure if it will be possible this week as i have a lot on at work but I have some time off the following two weeks.

I wasn't happy with some aspects of my play. Having a look through my database there has been quite a few spots where i have called off a significant portion of my stack against opponents who just always have it. Looking at the stats of the players in question, i should have been folding due to their tendencies but i have rushed the decision. I am going to make this the key focus over the next month, taking more time to think through the hand.

I only made two finals this week. I didn't manage to close out either.

March Monthly Goal Review

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. The bankroll has trended upwards for another month which is a good sign. I am now able to mix in some $2 tournaments into my schedule, giving me more chance of binking larger amounts. I am hopeful of completing the challenge by end of June. If i manage this, I will be looking to start a new challenge straight away.

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. I failed to qualify for the Irish Open so I will need to set my sights on a new target tournament. I will focus a lot on Power Path, trying to win a Silver Pass and figure out from there where is best to go.

3. Workout Consistently. Mixed month for working out. Two of the weeks I smashed it and completed 5 workouts in each week. I then only managed two in each of the next two weeks. Im not giving myself a pass or a fail for this month as i really need to be hitting at least 3 each week.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. Weighed in this month at 208lbs. Still not dropping weight quick enough. I will be reducing my calories further for three weeks of April. The other week I have my 40th birthday and have planned to go away for a couple of days and have a big birthday dinner so that week will be a write off. You only turn 40 once though, so i will give myself a break.

5. Quit Smoking. I did finish the book, however it didnt have the same impact it did when i managed to quit for a year 10 years ago. I have contacted my GP for help with quitting and I am awaiting a call from the smoking cessation people to get some help.

6. Read 12 books. I finshed both books this month. Allen Carrs Easy Way to Quit Smoking and Poker Satellite Strategy by Dara O'Kearney with Barry Carter. I feel I understand the concepts delivered in the book well and hope to see results in these tournaments soon.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. We went to our first gig of the year. They are a small up and coming band from Glasgow called The Rants. If you like indie music, you should check them out on Spotify. The gig was great, they have some really good songs and the lead singer has a great presence on stage.
Looking forward to see how they progress

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. We only managed the one game this month as my son had strep for the last couple weeks of the month. The game we did see was the Stirlingshire Cup final between Falkirk and Stirling Albion. The game ended 5-1 so we got to see a lot of goals which is always fun.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife My wife has been very unwell this month. She had a chest infection which got worse and could potentially be pneumonia. She is currently on her 3rd round of antibiotics and has started to perk up. We didnt manage to get out for dinner but we do have a couple nights away this month so we can make it up then.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month Same story with this one. Didnt manage to get out due to wifes sickness. We will make up for it this month.