- 07.05.2010, 23:43
- 0
- This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by ProlinePoker: 07.05.2010 23:45.
About myself
My name's João, I'm 28 years-old and currently I work as a part-time teacher. I have a BSc in Biology, I already did scientific research (I'm midway in my Masters degree) but I'm changing gears in my life and now I'm devoting myself to become a high-school teacher. It's just that working in Science implies moving from place to place very often (I already worked in Sweden for 6 months) and I'm trying to settle down in my own country, in Portugal. I live happily with my girlfriend, we share a nice apartment in Oporto and we have a little dog, which is our passion right now...
Poker and me: Part I
When I was working in Sweden, my colleagues invited me very often for home-made poker games. Considering what I know today, I'm glad I never joined, because I think I would be crushed by them! One of them insisted with me to join along, he was very passionate about the game, he talked to me about his PokerStars account but I never cared much, I was too focused with my work to care about what I thought to be the game where you loose your money, your car, your house and your wife...
As soon as I returned to my country I met an old friend from college. He had quit his degree to dedicate to poker. He was actually quite happy with that as he told me he was now a high-stakes player and making around $8k a month. That doesn't surprise me as the guy always had a "sixth sense" for card games, he had been a very successful Magic player...
Somehow the "$8k" thing ringed a bell in me, that altogether with my Swedish friend who also claimed to be making money from the game: well, if they can do it, why shouldn't why give it a shot?
Poker and me: Part II
Therefore, I started playing online immediately! That way, I registered to some mac-supported poker rooms, namely PokerStars and FullTilt, and by then I had already made my first mistake. I heard of PokerStrategy later so I could no longer use the $50 starting capital in there, so I had to go to Party Poker. As expected, as a beginner I lost my $50 in a matter of weeks playing SSS in NL5, so I was back to freerolls, with virtually no success with the exception of a top20 place in Full Tilt's $150 freeroll (which allowed me to get $3).
Poker and me: Part III
While I was still thinking on what to do, I just looked in the web for other free deposit bonus. I got $20 to play at Titan Poker and by then I had already quit on cash games, I just found them too complex for a beginner. I was playing 10 man SnG but the traffic at Titan is so depressing that you hardly can manage playing 4 tables at the same time, even at the $1 stake. In the meanwhile, I was reading some blogs about HU SnG and several things made me realize that this would be the game I would devote my time to: first, the potential high hourly rate (a turbo HU SnG hardly lasts more than 15 minutes...) and second the high action it involves (I just hated the first fold-fold-fold stages of a SnG...). I started playing HU at Titan, where the competition was kind of soft...
Where I stand right now
I decided to devote to HU SnG. I like the psychological aspect of this game, where reading your opponent accurately is more important than holding a pair of aces in your hand. This mind game is more challenging, in my perspective, than just following rules of thumb. I made a $120 deposit in Full Tilt Poker, where I have rakeback, besides this 100% deposit bonus to clear. I set up a 50 buy-in bankroll management, however I might go down in stakes if I hit a downswing or I might take some shots at a higher stake if I confident enough. But the 50-buy-in rule is the standard and should stand as a good buffer against variance.
My goals
Generally speaking, I don't aim to become a professional player. First, I just think that socially I couldn't stand that, I mean, I want a normal job with a normal (and guaranteed) paycheck by the end of the month. I see poker though as a decent second-income source, even an extra $100 or $200 by the end of the month will at least allow you to have some free dinner at a fancy restaurant!
Regarding HU play, I will not demand from myself anything I can't realistically reach. As I'm not a full time player I won't set up time-based goals as my volume of playing will surely fluctuate along my availability to play online poker. So, here they are:
1) achieve a ROI around 5% in the first 1000 games
2) clear the $120 bonus at FT
3) finish reading Moshman's book on HU SnG
So why bothering writing all this?
Sorry for this long, long post, but as an introduction it had to be that way. With this blog I intend to accomplish three things: learn, learn and learn! I'll update graphs/stats every 100 games and I intend to reply to every message in a daily basis. I intend to post trouble hands and make nice strategic discussions with players that are more experienced than me. I find the PS community a great one and this chance to learn from you guys is already a blessing.
All the best...
My name's João, I'm 28 years-old and currently I work as a part-time teacher. I have a BSc in Biology, I already did scientific research (I'm midway in my Masters degree) but I'm changing gears in my life and now I'm devoting myself to become a high-school teacher. It's just that working in Science implies moving from place to place very often (I already worked in Sweden for 6 months) and I'm trying to settle down in my own country, in Portugal. I live happily with my girlfriend, we share a nice apartment in Oporto and we have a little dog, which is our passion right now...
Poker and me: Part I
When I was working in Sweden, my colleagues invited me very often for home-made poker games. Considering what I know today, I'm glad I never joined, because I think I would be crushed by them! One of them insisted with me to join along, he was very passionate about the game, he talked to me about his PokerStars account but I never cared much, I was too focused with my work to care about what I thought to be the game where you loose your money, your car, your house and your wife...
As soon as I returned to my country I met an old friend from college. He had quit his degree to dedicate to poker. He was actually quite happy with that as he told me he was now a high-stakes player and making around $8k a month. That doesn't surprise me as the guy always had a "sixth sense" for card games, he had been a very successful Magic player...
Somehow the "$8k" thing ringed a bell in me, that altogether with my Swedish friend who also claimed to be making money from the game: well, if they can do it, why shouldn't why give it a shot?
Poker and me: Part II
Therefore, I started playing online immediately! That way, I registered to some mac-supported poker rooms, namely PokerStars and FullTilt, and by then I had already made my first mistake. I heard of PokerStrategy later so I could no longer use the $50 starting capital in there, so I had to go to Party Poker. As expected, as a beginner I lost my $50 in a matter of weeks playing SSS in NL5, so I was back to freerolls, with virtually no success with the exception of a top20 place in Full Tilt's $150 freeroll (which allowed me to get $3).
Poker and me: Part III
While I was still thinking on what to do, I just looked in the web for other free deposit bonus. I got $20 to play at Titan Poker and by then I had already quit on cash games, I just found them too complex for a beginner. I was playing 10 man SnG but the traffic at Titan is so depressing that you hardly can manage playing 4 tables at the same time, even at the $1 stake. In the meanwhile, I was reading some blogs about HU SnG and several things made me realize that this would be the game I would devote my time to: first, the potential high hourly rate (a turbo HU SnG hardly lasts more than 15 minutes...) and second the high action it involves (I just hated the first fold-fold-fold stages of a SnG...). I started playing HU at Titan, where the competition was kind of soft...
Where I stand right now
I decided to devote to HU SnG. I like the psychological aspect of this game, where reading your opponent accurately is more important than holding a pair of aces in your hand. This mind game is more challenging, in my perspective, than just following rules of thumb. I made a $120 deposit in Full Tilt Poker, where I have rakeback, besides this 100% deposit bonus to clear. I set up a 50 buy-in bankroll management, however I might go down in stakes if I hit a downswing or I might take some shots at a higher stake if I confident enough. But the 50-buy-in rule is the standard and should stand as a good buffer against variance.
My goals
Generally speaking, I don't aim to become a professional player. First, I just think that socially I couldn't stand that, I mean, I want a normal job with a normal (and guaranteed) paycheck by the end of the month. I see poker though as a decent second-income source, even an extra $100 or $200 by the end of the month will at least allow you to have some free dinner at a fancy restaurant!
Regarding HU play, I will not demand from myself anything I can't realistically reach. As I'm not a full time player I won't set up time-based goals as my volume of playing will surely fluctuate along my availability to play online poker. So, here they are:
1) achieve a ROI around 5% in the first 1000 games
2) clear the $120 bonus at FT
3) finish reading Moshman's book on HU SnG
So why bothering writing all this?
Sorry for this long, long post, but as an introduction it had to be that way. With this blog I intend to accomplish three things: learn, learn and learn! I'll update graphs/stats every 100 games and I intend to reply to every message in a daily basis. I intend to post trouble hands and make nice strategic discussions with players that are more experienced than me. I find the PS community a great one and this chance to learn from you guys is already a blessing.
All the best...
