Hello, and welcome to my 2013 blog!

The main aim of this blog is to track the things I’m learning through study and experience, so that I’m more inclined to do some study in the first place and more likely to learn if I’m forced to write something down. This will include study notes, hand analysis, book and video reviews and anything else I think of along the way. If the blog somehow helps any other improving players in the process, then all the better.

The second aim of this blog is to track my progress against the five poker goals detailed below. I’d like to think that with hard work and determination, the first four goals are more than achievable.

Finally, I’ll also be posting some irl stuff too, as 2013 is likely to be a busy year full of change.


2013 Poker Goals

1) Bankroll @$10k by the end of the year
Current bankroll is $3.6k and I’ll be disappointed if I don’t at least double my BR this year (as long as irl stuff doesn’t get in the way).

2) Obtain a win rate of a minimum of $15 per hour including rakeback

3) Beat 50nl by the end of the year over a decent sample
I’ve been playing 25nl for 2 months now and beginning to beat it, but I gather that 50nl is a big step up. I need to ensure I’ve obtained sufficient knowledge and experience to be ready for it and not be afraid to step down if I’m getting owned. Ideally, I’d like to be ready for 100nl by the end of the year.

4) Mix up the games I play
I think this will make me a better all-round player and ensure that I don’t get too jaded with 6-max. I won’t do this too often, but I think the main focus will be HUSNGs with some mtts and non-NLHE thrown in there for good measure.

5) Qualify for a decent live tournament e.g. the UKIPT
I thought I’d add this as I’d love to play a big, live mtt with a high buy in at least once in my life. I doubt I’ll achieve this goal this year given I find grinding mtts too time consuming and the variance a bitch, but I’ll certainly spend at least one or two months in 2013 giving this a right good go.


Current Issues

i) Tilt
I’d be amazed if there was a form of tilt that I haven’t exhibited at least once in the past couple of years of playing that has cost me a few buy-ins. Too tight, too loose, too passive, complete maniac, auto-piloting – you name it, I’ve done it. I’m getting a lot better at playing through the tilt as I become more experienced though and the impact is less severe, but I need to ensure that I continue to assess whether I’m on tilt in-play or sit out if I can’t shake off the tilt quickly - self-awareness of the issue is clearly the most important stage in the process.

ii) Not thinking creatively and exploiting player types often enough
I’ve been thinking a lot lately that ABC is only good enough up to a point i.e. mainly when trying to beat the fish. If I’m going to beat better regs as I move up, I’m going to need to think more creatively about how I can exploit that particular player more and should start experimenting sooner rather than later.

(iii) Not folding the river
I’ve got a bad habit of misapplying some new concepts I learn the first time of application, but one habit I’m struggling to get out of is when I add extra, unrealistic combos into a villain’s range on the river that turn a fold into a a call (probably out of some weird curiosity and need to prove myself right). This needs to stop asap and I need to just deal with laying down a big hand sometimes.


So that’s it for now – time to get to it!

tl;dr