Micro MTT Mayhem - Bankroll Challenge Blog

Bankroll Challenge Week 14

Tournaments Played: 77
Profit/Loss: -$40.66
Current Bankroll: $283.70

This was one of those "could've been so good" weeks that turned out to be "no, no please no" kinda weeks. I only played Saturday and Sunday this week. I had my grandaughter over on Friday, spending some quality at the park which was lovely.

I couldn't get much going this weekend, making a small amount of min cashes. I did manage to satty in to the Hot $11 but only managed a small cash in that too. On Saturday, while playing my regular tourneys, a freeroll table popped up that i had no idea i had been registered for. I went on to finish 11th in it, winning a Sunday Million Anniversary ticket. Happy days.

I excitedly registered to the Milly the next day, hoping for another run like i did a couple weeks ago. It started so well, getting up to double starting start within the first hour. I went a bit card dead for a long time but still managed to keep my stack around average for most of the night. I then lost a couple of small pots in a row to reduce my stack down to 18BBs 10 mins before the end of Day 1. Then it happened, i get dealt KK. You can imagine my delight at the thought of going into Day 2 with near 40BB stack. I put in a raise and immediately get shoved on. I call. He shows QQ. A smile breaks across my face. It is then quickly wiped away when another Q lands on the flop. I have never made it to Day 2 in any multi day tournament, and sadly that record remains.

I was a bit depressed at this, partly because a min cash would've doubled my bankroll and partly because it was nearly 1am and i needed to work in the morning. It has lit a fire in me though, I want so badly to make a Day 2 I will officially be adding to my yearly goal list.

I'm only working Mon, Tues and Wed this week then im off for 12 days. I m looking to put a huge amount of volume in.

Bankroll Challenge Week 15

Tournaments Played: 162
Profit/Loss: +$24.59
Current Bankroll: $308.29

I had some time off this week that coincided with my wife working a batch of night shifts which meant i had some uninterrupted time to play. Happy with the volume and its good to book a winning week. I am slightly disappointed it wasn't a larger profit as i had a few very deep runs that were crushed with some bad beats before i got to the big money, still good to have the graph point upwards though.

I didn't play any of the two day events yesterday as the wife and i are away to a spa hotel for a couple days and i don't think she would be happy if i spent the first night on my laptop. Im off all week so will put in a good amount volume, except for these two days and Friday, when i turn 40. I'm hoping the spa rejuvenates me and i come out the end fully rested and able to attack the felt with a calm, assassin like focus.

I'm looking forward to the SCOOP Warm-Up on Sunday and hope i can satty into a couple of the events. Who knows, maybe this time next week, i will be updating you all on how i have finished this challenge.

Sick swings! Its well know that tourneys involve high variance. I am nanostakes cash player willing to slowly transition into mtt's initially adding tournaments only on sundays because fun day! Any suggestions on getting started?

Rooting for you! only 2/3 away of your goal!

Keep Hwaiting! 🦾

Originally posted by Gurofox
Sick swings! Its well know that tourneys involve high variance. I am nanostakes cash player willing to slowly transition into mtt's initially adding tournaments only on sundays because fun day! Any suggestions on getting started?

Rooting for you! only 2/3 away of your goal!

Keep Hwaiting! 🦾

Thanks for the lovely message Gurofox, I hope the graph keeps going upwards.

As for suggestions, I'm not sure I'm the best one to ask as I mostly just play tournaments cause it's the most fun format for me. I've tried cash before but I didnt find the slow and steady approach to building a bankroll motivating enough. I like having the dream of hitting a big score alive and would find myself struggling to just keep adding a couple buyins a day to my bankroll.

The approach of just playing tournaments on Sunday is a great way to get started though as that is when the biggest prize pools are up for grabs. Make sure to be well rested before loading up tournaments for the day as it can be a grind to get to those final tables.

Bankroll Challenge Week 16

Tournaments Played: 141
Profit/Loss: -$56.53
Current Bankroll: $251.76

Its been a roller-coaster this week, so much has happened. First of all, the bad news. This is the worst week, results wise, of the challenge so far. I was determined to get a good amount of volume in but that may not have been the best idea due to the other news I have. I have been smoke free for the last 4 days. I had set myself the goal of quitting before my 40th birthday on Friday and i pushed it right till the end but i finally did it. The withdrawal pangs definitely affected my play. I seemed to be getting a lot of bad beats, but i usually do when playing a lot of tables, but the way i reacted to them was certainly not optimal. I think i let myself get tilted a bit too much. But in the grand scheme of things, losing a bit of ev on the poker tables for the massive plus in life ev is definitely worth it.

I only made one final table this week, in the Bigger $1.10, which could have put me in the black for the week with a 4th place or better finish. I crashed out in 9th place when i shoved 10BB on the button with QJo, running into AQo from the SB. I really struggled to get anything going on the final table as I had a really aggressive chip leader to my direct left who kept 3-betting any raise i made which dwindled my stack a bit.

Im back to work tomorrow so my volume wont be as much this week, i will try to get at least 100 tourney played though. I'm hoping the withdrawal pangs have eased off by the weekend so i can play my A game. Historically in my challenges, whenever I have a record bad week it is followed by a record good week. Lets hope that trend continues.

Bankroll Challenge Week 17

Tournaments Played: 91
Profit/Loss: -$48.21
Current Bankroll: $203.55

Uh oh, another bad week. In the space of two weeks i have managed to wipe out a third of my bankroll, oh tournament variance, how cruel you are to me. I really struggled to get anything going this week. I have had a look through the hand histories and there was many a flip lost and a lot of suckouts from opponents in the later stages. of tournaments. On Sunday I actually cut my session short after only 3 hours as I could feel the constant bad beats were starting to affect my game.

This coming week I have a gig so my volume wont be as high as previous weeks. Im hoping for quality over quantity. I'll see you in a few days for my end of month review.

Bankroll Challenge Week 18

Tournaments Played: 42
Profit/Loss: -$43.12
Current Bankroll: $160.43

Another awful week in the books. I just couldn't get anything going at all this week. In 42 tournaments, i only managed to cash in 5. That is woeful. I felt the bad beats getting to me so cut my sessions short on both Saturday and Sunday. Im hoping this is just the bad run before SCOOP rolls round and i hit a big score but that sounds a bit like wishful thinking.

April Monthly Goal Review

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. The bankroll has taken a beating in April, losing more than 50% since its height of $353 in March. Having reviewed the tournaments, it looks like a down swing but also looks to be compounded by making some bad plays after a bad run. I need to tighten it up and get back to foundational poker to see me through it.

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. I have set my sights on 3 potential tournaments that are happening in Scotland over the next few months. 888Pokers UK Poker League Edinburgh in June, APAT Glasgow in September and GUKPT Edinburgh in October. I will try to qualify for the first online and if unsuccessful I will just buy straight in to the APAT one.

3. Workout Consistently. I have been really poor with this one and I think it may just be a contributing factor in the downswing. I turned 40 last month and was using that as an excuse for living it up and just having a bit of fun all month. Time to dial it back in.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. Weighed in this month at 212lbs, which is 4lbs added since last month. Again, birthday celebrations and generally eating all the good tasting food is to blame, im actually surprised it isn't more. Again i need to dial it in but i also need to be more precise with my targets.
To meet my yearly goal i need to lose 32lbs with 8 months left to go. That works out at 4lbs per month which is what I am going to aim for.

5. Quit Smoking. I haven't had a cigarette since the 18th of April, which was over 2 weeks ago. I have been using nicotine patches and lozenges as part of my weaning off process. I wont count this goal as completed until i haven't had any nicotine for a month. I have now stopped using the patches and will continue to use the the lozenges for a week or two more.

6. Read 12 books. No books read this month. I will double up this month to get back on track.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. Second gig is in the bag. We went to see Kyle Falconer, the lead singer of The View. My wife came along to this one as well. I have mixed feelings about the gig, as it was probably the worst planned gig i've ever been to. There were three support acts but when the last support act finished, there was a full hour of standing about doing nothing before the headline act came on. That is far too long and pretty much ruined the experience.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. No games this month. This is actually going to be a tough goal to complete for two big reasons. Firstly, the season in Scotland is pretty much over until August so I wont be able to fit in any games in June or July. Secondly, my son now has a girlfriend who he wants to spend every weekend with which massively limits the amount of games we are able to attend. I set this goal to spend more time with my son, but he is young and in love and as long as he is happy, im happy. I will still try to get as many midweek games in as possible.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife We went away, just ourselves, for a couple nights in a spa hotel as part of my birthday week. We had two fantastic dinners, one at the hotel and the other in restaurant in town. It was great getting some alone time. I certainly came back more refreshed.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month We went to a few of the local parks this month with the little nutter. She is getting braver each time on the swings and slides. The weather has been uncharacteristically good over the last couple weeks, which has made it much easier to fulfill this goal.

Its been a mixed bag of results this month. My personal goals, poker, reading, weight loss and working out have not gone well but i knew they would take a back seat due to the birthday celebrations. As long as i now bounce back better it will all be good. I am happy with the social goals though, and isn't that what life is really all about.

Bankroll Challenge Week 19

Tournaments Played: 72
Profit/Loss: -$16.29
Current Bankroll: $144.14

I was really hoping when i started this challenge that I would have a bankroll large enough to play most of the low buy ins in SCOOP when it rolled around. It seemed a few weeks ago to be on track to accomplish that. The last few weeks have been brutal. This was another week that felt like it could have gone either way. I was cruising along slowly building up stacks before, bam, right at the point of being in a position to build a huge stack to go and attack the big payouts, I lose a big 2 or 3 outer to send me off to lick my wounds. I have dropped back down in stakes after losing more than half my bankroll in 4 weeks. Time to dig in and see if i can turn it around.

Bankroll Challenge Week 20

Tournaments Played: 65
Profit/Loss: +$91.15
Current Bankroll: $235.29

What a great week, stopping the run of bad results in style and getting myself back on track. I did quite a bit of studying mid week, looking through previous tournaments to glean any leaks. The quickest fix was just tightening up. My opening had widened quite a lot over the last few weeks without me even realizing I was doing it. I was very conscious this week in tightening the ranges up a bit and it definitely resulted in me getting in less spots in which i wasn't sure what to do.

I made a couple of final tables but couldn't get the wins. The best result came from a deep run in the Bigger $11 which i had satellited into. 14th Place finish, crashing out after getting it all in pre with AKo vs 55. Couldn't win the flip, which was disappointing as even a 3rd place finish would have completed the bankroll challenge.

A good week had by all. This coming weekend my sons football team have their annual post season Dads vs Lads game which im really forward to. If i survive the match, I will be looking to play a long couple of sessions this week.

Bankroll Challenge Week 21

Tournaments Played: 135
Profit/Loss: +$18.56
Current Bankroll: $253.85

It was one of those up and down weeks. It started off brilliantly, making a few final tables and adding a good chunk to the bankroll before I threw the bulk of the winnings down the toilet on a soul crushing Sunday session. I was so close to hitting a new bankroll high, but a combination of trying desperately to satellite into the SCOOP Main Events, and running as bad as an asthmatic donkey, I could only just save myself from throwing away all the profit.

I did make a few final tables but really struggled to get any big wins from them. I think i need to study final table situations more over the next few weeks.

Bankroll Challenge Week 22

Tournaments Played: 52
Profit/Loss: +$196.24
Current Bankroll: $450.09

I didn't play a huge amount of poker this week. I played a small session on Monday due to finishing work early for the bank holiday. I was out with friends on Friday and over indulged on whisky which led to me being in no fit state to play at all on the Saturday, damn these 40 year old hangovers. I loaded up a small session on Sunday, still not feeling 100%. Due to not feeling fully fit, i decided to only register for a couple of hours then just play out the remaining tournaments. This turned out to be an excellent choice as i ended up going deep in a couple of tournaments , even getting my best score yet of the challenge.

My bankroll now sits at a challenge high, nearly halfway to the finish line. This coming weekend, I will have a lot of opportunity to play, so will be hoping to get some good volume in. I will be posting the monthly review in the next couple of days.

Good luck with you Challenge man. This can be very nerve-wracking and you need a lot of patience to complete something like this. I hope you have a lot of free time to do this.

Great, I left you a reply to an old comment. It's been a rough week.
But now I'll see your latest post. (I'm still not familiar with blogs)
And I see it's been going well for you!
Great!
Let's continue this week of good luck!
This is my newly started blog
https://forums.pokerstrategy.com/forum/thread.php?postid=3529159#post3529159

Last post...
Come on, you can do it!
Shark Mind!
My last week was tough too. It's interesting how the mind can sometimes create nightmares.
Meditation helps me a lot.

Good luck, this week will be great! Let us know later.
I'm just starting out with this blog. I just started one.
Good luck, I'm not into tournaments... I'm sticking with cash.

Bankroll Challenge Week 23

Tournaments Played: 105
Profit/Loss: -$5.77
Current Bankroll: $444.32

Happy with the volume this week, managing to get above the 100 tournaments i aim for each week. I played the whole weekend starting off on Friday with a win in a small tournament. I also made the final table of the Bounty Builder $1.10 on Saturday but didn't manage to pick up many bountys along the way. All in all it was a near break even week, with a few deep runs that could have been massive for the bankroll if i could have held on a bit longer.

I also hit a royal flush for the second time in the challenge. I even got a full double up with it, exceptional.

This coming week should allow for a good amount of volume again. Hoping to break the $500 mark.

May Monthly Goal Review

I meant to post the monthly update earlier but better late than never.

1. Complete The Bankroll Challenge. The bankroll bounced back brilliantly this month (gotta love that alliteration). I finished the month with the bankroll sitting at $450, a new challenge high. This will be the month i complete it.

2. Play in a Big Live Tournament. I will not be able to play in the 888Pokers UK Poker League Edinburgh in June, instead i will be going to see Tim Minchin in concert with my wife and son, a damn good reason not to play poker. I will still be aiming for APAT Glasgow in September and GUKPT Edinburgh in October.

3. Workout Consistently. I only managed 3 times a week twice this month. I will be aiming to make this 3 times a week for the full month coming.

4. Reduce Weight to 180lbs. Weighed in this month at 210lbs. Down slightly from last month. I really need to get this under ccontrol or i wont be able to make it in time for the end of the year.

5. Quit Smoking. I haven't had a cigarette since the 18th of April, which was over 7 weeks ago. I haven't had any nicotine at all in 3 weeks. I will class this goal as complete once i go a full month without any nicotine.

6. Read 12 books. No books read again this month. Really struggling to fit this one in I will aim to get back on track with a fiction book this month before getting onto the big boy books i want to read.

7. Attend 3 Music Gigs With My Son. No further gigs attended yet. I will be going to see Tim Minchin this month.

8. Attend 12 Football Matches With My Son. No games again this month and with the season now over, it will have to wait till the friendlies start in July.

9. 12 Dates With My Wife We had a lovely dinner in restaurant in Dunfermline. WE went for the small plates, which i love cause i just want to eat a bit of everything.

10. Take my Granddaughter Out Once Per Month We had a lovely day at the beach, would have been better if it was warmer but she had a great time playing in the sand.

Im really disappointed in the progress towards the reading and physical goals. I will be looking to make it the main focus of this month.

"Great results! You have no idea how much I miss PokerStars. It's really hard watching you all play there.

PokerStars has fallen in my opinion. They are no more the same room like before but I still like to play there from time to time

If you compare the activity around 2010–2012, then during the Covid pandemic, and now, you can see a huge decline in the number of players.

Additionally, the policy adopted by PokerStars of eliminating more and more countries with unregulated gambling laws only deepens an already bad situation.

Bankroll Challenge Weeks 24 and 25

Tournaments Played: 116
Profit/Loss: -$69.79
Current Bankroll: $374.53

I completely forgot to update the blog last week, its been a hectic couple weeks. On the tables its been one of those rough patches, only making 1 final table in the whole two week period. I have had a quick look through my database and it mostly looks coolers and bad beats but ill do a deeper dive to see if i can plug some more leaks.

I will be looking to play a lot of tournaments over the coming weekend. Im also thinking of taken $50 out of the tournament bankroll and trying to spin it up with a Tankroll BRM in cash games during the week as i dont have the time for tourneys on weekdays.