Hi All
Just played a 4 x sng session again and got a 1st and a 2nd, giving an overall profit of $5.40 on $2 sng's.
In the last heads up, I was in a clear chip lead and lost it in two hands, when my 10/J ran into 10/Q and my AJ ran into AQ, but that's how it goes. I can be more philosophical when I am winning. lol
BR = $69.51
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Just played a late night session of 4 x $2 sng's and only plaqced in one of them, coming 2nd.
To be fair, I was tired and probably got knocked out of two of them, making reckless shoves through tilting a bit when being continually raised. I shoved as a reaction rather than because it was the best thing to do. A danger when playing when tired.
BR = $65.91
All the best
Bryan
Dude, playing $2's on that kinda bankroll is suicide... You're gonna bust your whole BR in one downswing if you aren't careful. The $1's on Full Tilt are fine, grind through some of those til you've got your $100 then move up; thats what I'm doing at the moment.
Hi All
Thanks for your post gedwashere91, but I don't know if I can bring myself to play at such a low level. I don't know how many hands you play on a daily basis (maybe you play quite a lot), but just playing a couple of sessions of 4 at a time, like I am doing at present, would take me forever to get anywhere.
It is difficult enough at $2 level. I must admit I have thought about dropping down a level if my BR drops too far, but is it really suicide at the moment, when I have over 30 buy-ins ?
I appreciate what you are saying Ged' but as I get older (I am in my 50's now) I think a lot about the time factor. How am I spending the time in my life ? I am already thinking of cutting to one session a day in the evening, as the morning sessions are eating into my day a bit. Even if I go on a good run, I would still be playing for a while at $2 around the $100 mark, give or take a few dollars, and for what ? To prove I can start from nothing and build a big BR.
At present I am enjoying my weekly visits to DTD playing live poker, and would like to play more often when I can afford it. When I came 4th recently for £135, it wasn't a massive win, but at least felt like something worthwhile for my time spent. Spending hours on the pc to go up or down a few dollars is fast losing appeal to me.
It's ok for the likes of Chris Ferguson talking about starting with nothing and building a huge BR, but he is a millionaire with lots of time on his hands to do it. He can play 10 or 12 hours a day, if he wishes.
I will give it a bit longer, but I want to see the BR moving the right direction soon.
Have just played another 4 x sng's and the same thing happened again. I only placed in one out of the 4 and of the other 3, I had the best hand in 2 of the 3, but got outdrawn again.
I had AK against AQ preflop, the queen came on the river.
I had QQ against A/10, hit a 3rd Q on the flop, making me way ahead, then by the river my opponent had flopped a straight !
In the other I had AK against QQ so with 5 cards to come needed any A or K but of course didn't get one.
The above is just for the record, as I know it doesn't matter. You win some you lose some.
End result is the same BR at the end of the session $65.91
Am thinking of doing another session before I go to bed, whilst I listen to Stephen Nolan on radio 5.
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Last session I played 4 x sng's and got knocked out of every one, leaving BR = $56.91.
I decided not to do sng grinding any more. At least for the time being, I have had enough of it.
I looked into withdrawing my BR again, and yet more obstacles were put in my way, including a rule that I must make a deposit before I can make a withdrawal !!
Anyway, I have had a change of heart, and have decided that I will use my BR to play satellites. I will either lose it all or get lucky and have a big win.
There is plenty to go at, including Freerolls, FT points entry fees, micro stakes etc, so that I should have a good run for my money.
I am going to write about how I go on in a new blog I am about to start called Bryans satellites.
See you there
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Couldn't find a suitable satellite to enter tonigt so thought I would try 4 x sng's again, after having a break for a while.
I got knocked out of every one with the usual mix of bad beats and crap opponents lucking out on me.
One guy called my bets on an ace high board, and I just sensed my Ace 10 was good. When the river came a 4, and he shoved all-in with his big stack, I snap called, to see he had me beat with a set of 4's. He had called me to the river with a pair of 4's, when every card on the board was an overcard to his pair.
My jj was called by 89 that flopped a straight, and so it goes on. Bad play constantly rewarded.
I have been trying to play within my BR on the satellites, but am tempted to just take shots and get it over with one way or another. I can't play microstakes any longer.
BR == $55.11
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
The madness continued unfortunately, but I think I am over it now. I have reached a rock bottom kind of turning point.
I do a little sports betting too, again its pretty small/micro stakes really, as I learn the skills of betting exchanges. I recently took a big hit (relative to stakes) on one of the local sides (Nottingham Forest) when using a tactic of laying the draw, and foolishly letting the bet run, and seeing two top teams fail to score a goal between them in over 90 mins.
It was my own fault for not trading the bet off, and exposing myself to far too much risk on a single event due to sentiment, and lack of discipline. I know better than this, and have exrecised much better br control in the past.
I relate this tale because it has parallels to my recent poker activity.
I don't drink alchohol anywhere near as much as I used to do, so when I do, it affects me more. So when I went out Monday night with friends and sunk a few beers, I of course decided to play poker when I got home.
I logged on the next morning to my FT PS account and discovered it was at < $20 and I couldn't even remember how I had lost it !!
I have since got the BR to just over $20, but an email link I followed this morning led me to an article on BR management. It told me nothing that I haven't read here many times before, but this was actually not poker related, it was sports betting related. Maybe the same message in a different context was what made me take more notice.
It proved to be a much needed wake-up call, as the author told me if I have an edge, and operate proper BR, I will win out long term.
So I am putting my poker into context here. I am going back to the grind from rock bottom, and will play $1 sng's (very reluctantly, but as a challenge), but I will play them only when I am in the right mood.
I will also play satellites - mainly freerolls - and I will be playing live poker as much as I can afford to.
A multi-pronged attack with everything in proportion. I will be patient awaiting results, and put poker into context with the rest of my life. I have other goals to pursue. I am philosophical, I am cool, and will take bad beats in my stride. I will succeed. lol
For the record, I start my fresh, fresh start with a
BR = $21.30
Hi All
If you haven't read my last post, read that first. Following from that, I have played my first session of 4 x $1 sng's, and despite placing in 2 of the 4 my BR has gone from $21.30 to $21.90.
If this is my reward from a relatively successful session, I am already beginning to doubt whether I can continue with this.
I like the idea of the challenge, and of being able to say that I have acheived a big bankroll from scratch, but realistically, and given the amount of time I am likely to be able to devote to the challenge, it is just not going to happen.
I am not being pessimistic, just realistic. I think you would have to spend 8 or 10 hours a day grinding at this level, in order to build a big br in a reasonable amount of time. Doing it occasionally, like I am, I would have had to have started as a much younger person. lol
I think I will go back to another idea of mine. I will take a shot boom or bust at a higher level, maybe playing cash games to try to get the br to a reasonable level, coupled with freerolls etc.
This coupled with my live poker play means I will be playing poker for more worthwhile sums of money.
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Well what can I say, I have done it again ? I took my remaining $21 BR to a 10c/25c cash table and doubled it in no time at all. Just played another short session wherer I won a small amount too. This time only risking $15 of my BR.
BR = $41.48
Thats the way to do it. Bankroll management is for mummys boys, this is the way to play poker Ha Ha Ha, I'm laughing all the way to the bank...
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Thanks for the good luck wish lessthanthree, I will need it.
I know I am playing a dangerous game in terms of BR management, but I am really enjoying myself. I have gone back to cash games, which I haven't played for a while, and a change is good as a rest.
I know I am playing too high, but I am playing one table at a time, and playing tight solid poker, focusing on my opponents, and giving the game my best concentration.
I have played several sessions now, with varying results, but am trying to avoid playing huge pots unless I am pretty sure I am ahead. I have played short 6 max when I can't get on the others without queuing, but when possible I play full ring. I am of the frame of mind, as I have read so many times, that it is like one big game. It's ok to fold, and individual session results aren't too important. I just try to play every hand in the best way possible. If that means folding, I fold eg in early position.
BR = $41.60
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
What can I say ? I am going from strength to strength since hitting higher level tables. I have been playing 10c/25c, with BR management being temporarily ignored in a quest to drag myself up from the gutter of microstakes grinding on a miniscule BR.
That's for anyone who is new to reading this blog. I just wanted to play for more meaningful amounts of money, or give it up online for a while.
Have played another couple of profitable sessions, and am enjoying my poker. Had a bit of a worrying hand when my AA saw a flop with KK on it, and as I continued to bet out, to find out where I was, I was again flat called by my one remaining opponent. When he subsequently bet into me on a harmless looking turn card, I nervously wondered if he was slow-playing a K. I re-raised him anyway, and was relieved to see him dwelling on whether to call or not. If he had a king he would have nothing to think about with the texture of the board.
He folded. I also won a further decent pot from the same player, when I open raised with AJ and he flat called me. The flop brought AK rag. I bet out my AJ and he flat called me again. After the huge pot I won from him a couple of hands before, what was he calling me with now ? Could he have AK? I fired a third time and he folded, so I don't know if he thought I was seeing him as a target or what?
Anyway, am going to bed shortly so I soon took the money and ran.
BR = $58.57 (this from < $20 a few sessions back, and playing 10c/25c cash games, on just one table at once).
I am tending to take $20 to the table and play tight solid poker. I intend to continue as long as possible playing 10c/25c, but will consider dropping down a bit if I take a big hit. I just want to ride the good run whilst I can.
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
A quick session of NL25 again (10c/25c cash) before going back out to work from a break, and managed a profit again. The machine rolls on lol.
BR = $63.20
And this on a day when I have just read on my diesel receipt from the garage, that my Nectar points value is 666 !!
All the best
Bryan
Hi Bryan,
I hope this works out for you!
Just thinking though, all you need is for your AA to get cracked preflop three times in a row (which, as anyone can tell you is entirely possible) and your bankroll is caput.
I'm crossing my fingers for you but I think that even playing the $0.02/0.04 tables would be better than this - you'd have 15BI and the game would be the same (in fact, your edge would be even bigger). If you then really wanted to be aggressive with your BRM you could allow yourself to move up to $.05/.10 with $100 (10BI) (though I would not recommend it).
At the moment, buying in with 1/3 of your bankroll is pretty suicidal. There are all sorts of spots in poker when you are justified in believing you have the best hand and it is right to invest your whole stack and you nevertheless run into a monster or otherwise get coolered.
Oh well. I don't want to be the boring old nag. It would just be a shame to read another "I went broke because I didn't follow any kind of BRM" story from someone who clearly enjoys the game.
Hey Bryan,
I have to agree with the comments readers have posted regarding brm. Also, I need to disagree with one part of the Multitabling article you were reccommended (but who am I to disagree?) I don't like the idea of not making any adjustments to the brm when playing multiple tables. For example, you have a BR of $100, so 2% is $2. It's pretty safe to play one or maybe two $2 tables with a $100 BR, but if you fire up 16 tables I'll bet you will be in a lot of trouble.
Also, if you think that you can't win in the microstakes because opponents just play too bad, you are just wrong my friend. The lower the stakes, the donkier the players, and of course you are going to be sucked out on, not a few, but several times. But that exactly is the situation you want to be in, that the opponent HAS to suck out to win.
And also remember that this is a test on your patience. In the micros, if you are a winning player you should expect an ROI between 10%-15% over a large sample (thousands of tourneys). That is around $0.20 to $0.30 average earnings per $2 tourney played. What that means is that if you play sessions of four sngs you should be happy if your bankroll increases an average of $0.80-$1 per session. So, yes, it will take a while to climb limits, but that is a fundamental part of the learning process.
My suggestion is that you drop levels and start with maybe two tables until you correct some leaks you surely have... as calling a push on the river with A high. Hope you do good!
reading your blog with interest - variance is a bitch!
i'm rooting for ya ♠_biggrin:
Hi All
Thanks for your advice Tim64 and Aquaman, as I know you mean it for all the right reasons, and I know you are right.
I doubt I will be at this level indefinitely, but I am enjoying it whilst it lasts. I won't allow myself to go broke. I am taking $20 to the table, and the first time I lose my whole stack, I will be dropping down for sure. At the moment though, I am doing ok.
Aquaman, I didn't mean to suggest I thought I couldn't beat microstakes because players were bad, of course you are right that is what you want, bad players at a table long term. It is just that when the luck factor of sng's goes against you a lot, I just think why the hell am I putting myself through this for pennies?
Even at 10c/25c cash games, the level of play is noticeably better, and I feel more like I am playing for more meaningful amounts of money, which focuses me more. The level of thinking required is higher, which I enjoy the challenge of. The upside is more worthwhile too.
Re your comments on leaks in my game. I admit to that, but am working on them in a more focused way at these tables, for the reasons I said above. I don't recall offhand what you mean by calling a shove with Ace high, as I would never normally do that. If I did, it must have been based on what I felt was a very accurate read of my opponent. There are times when you have to move away from ABC poker and take these chances, on instinct, in order to develop as a player. I don't consider this a leak. If I made a habit of calling shoves with Ace high, I would call it a leak.
Appreciate your advice though mate, and thanks too to adammz for rooting for me.
At the moment things continue to go well.
BR = $80.23
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Played a short session just now before going out to work, and doubled my stack with a nut flush, hit on the flop, flat calling a poor guy who bet into me, then called my shove on the river.
I had previously folded so many garbage hands, I was almost ready to give up on the session.
I have now obviously got this game licked at this level. Nothing can go wrong. lol
BR = $103.15
All the best
Bryan
Hi All
Just played another session late at night, which was again profitable.
BR = $119.98
All the best
Bryan
The "hi all" at the beginning of each post is pretty annoying lol, but the blog is nice. You should tighten up in the bubble when playing micro stakes and I'm sure you'd get a better ROI if you haden't always played a "late" session 
Good luck! 
