Operation: Make it to $200 NL

I have been playing poker for about 5 years now. Started off playing Sit and go tournaments. I had a really good run, more by luck than judgment looking back. I mean I really thought I was a good player back then.

To cut a long story short, I lost all the money I won, when I moved from sit and goes to cash games. I still thought I was a good player, and blamed it all on bad beats etc etc. Then I stopped playing for quite a while.

I started playing again by chance more than anything. I was at a mates on day, and he was playing poker. He was playing $2 NL 6 Max on Ladbrokes. He was rubbish ! Although I never told him so :D

When I got home I decided to have a go, I had a Ladbrokes betting account, so I set up a poker one too. I messed around with the micro limit 6 max, and did not to bad. I really enjoyed it. I worked on my game a lot more, reading forums was my main help. (not this one) I never really had time to take poker to seriously, was just the way my life was at the time.

My circumstances have changed recently and I have much more time on my hands, and since I started reading FTR on a regular basis, I have really learned just how little I actually knew. I have been playing at $10 NL of late, a little outside my bankroll to be honest. Now I have decided to really give poker a go, and give it my best shot. I have topped my bankroll up to $250 to allow me to play $10 NL. (it wasn't that far off anyway) and I have made myself a plan.

I wanted to post it on here, and update regularly so that you can all LOL at me when I spew money. It will encourage me not to make bad decisions, when my head is telling me I am doing it.

This is my plan. I don't claim it is perfect, or not flawed in some ways, but I have done a lot of reading and research to make it the best I possibly could.

Long term goals
03/01/2009

I want to be a winning player at $200 NL within 2 years. In order to even play $200 NL, I want a bankroll of $10,000 (50 buy-ins), but on top of that I need to be a winning player. The natural progression of limits to reach $400 is $10 -> $25 -> $50 -> $100 -> $200 -> $400. My way of gauging whether or not I'm winning is if I show a profit after 10,000 hands of a certain limit.

Bankroll management

I will be using strict bank management. These guidelines are taken from spoonitnow at flopturnriver.

$100, play 5nl. (20 buy-ins)
$250, play 10nl. (25 buy-ins)
$750, play 25nl. (30 buy-ins)
$1750, play 50nl. (35 buy-ins)
$4000, play 100nl. (40 buy-ins)
$10000, play 200nl. (50 buy-ins)

If at any time I fall below the bankroll guideline at any level -5 buyins. I will drop back down a level. Work on my game, until I have the bankroll to move back up. Example. If I am playing at $50 NL,the guideline is 35 buy ins ($1750) if my bankroll falls below 30 buy ins ($1500) then I must go back down to $25 NL.

I shall review my status after every 10,000 hands to see whether I am eligible to move up a Level. If I am lucky enough to have any surplus money above the guidelines for the next level, I will use it for Multi table tournaments, which I also enjoy playing.

I currently have $250 dollars in PokerStars. I will begin at $10 NL

Studying

It is vital that I constantly work on my game to keep progressing. I will use Holdem Manager to analyse key hands from every session, and plug leaks in my game.

In addition to this, I will do research by reading books, reading and posting on internet forums, and working on adding new theorys to my game all the time.
Short term goals will be set out on a monthly basis.

Let the big grind begin !

Sorry for the lack of updates.

Things haven't really gone to plan so far. Not in a bad way though.

First of all, I decided to really do some study before I went in and started my operation. I had a severe case of insomnia the other night. I had my daughter all day, and my brain really wasn't focused for playing poker when she went home. So I decided not to play poker, and have an early night. After two hours of counting sheep, I decided to look though my books. I didn't want to put PC on or it would have definitely ended up in me playing poker !

I got Super System out. I hadn't read it for a long time. It wasn't a book I ever got that much out of really. I don't think I ever really took any of it in.

Reading it again, I found some real good stuff in the NLHE section. The topic where Doyle explains it is no good trying to be to clever against bad players. Also some real good bits about when to Cbet (most the time in Doyle's case) more importantly when not to.

I decided to cash out of pokerstars, and move the bulk of my bankroll to Full Tilt. (I already have some in FT) I should have done this in the first place , as I have a rakeback deal there, and the Iron man free rolls are pretty good too. I just like the software at Stars, but software don't win you money I guess.

Then it came round to the FTR $500 added. Blimey I won it ! So now I have over $500 in my FT account, and still some in Stars, which I intend to use for Mtt's (I play about 2 a week usually $2 or $5 Buy in)

I'm not going to let the extra cash change my plan in any big way. I was always quite good at tournaments (Sit and goes at least) But I am determined to get better at Cash games.

The BR guidelines remain the same despite the extra cash. I'm not moving up a level until I can beat $10 NL.

Should actually get round to playing some cash games sometime today. So will report back soon.

Good luck mannn. Making your 1st thousand bucks is always the hardest..but once u've reached it, they come quicker. yeeeeeya.

Congrats on the FTR500 score!