OK, bare with me. This may get a little long. It's basically going to be a blog by some guy who has sucked at poker up until Oct.1st/2006. This will be monotonous and slow for the action junkies and people looking for advice, but I could use a few regulars to pop in and give me shit or tell me i'm right once in a while when things go bad.

Basically, This is going to be my poker concience. Every poster on FTR that has a blog is doing good things at the tables and with thier bankroll. I have had some problems in the past with distractions and feeling rushed leading to bad bankroll management. Not to the effect of having my whole roll on the table, but as an example, I have played at party in the past on the $25NL tables with $300 and had a bad run. Alot of the times I play at too high a stake just to clear a bonus that I should not have even attempted because of not having the full deposit and wasting $$$. (i.e: Ultimatebets super slow bonus) I have wasted time and money chasing a bankroll. All my attempts have been successful for a short period but the variance is too much. I read about guys like Biondino hanging around too long at a limit and killing it. I wish that is was what I did at the beginning to just keep grinding the roll but that's in the past.

Here's what I hope to accomplish with this thread and poker in general.

>Stop playing out of my roll.
I know this is wrong, no matter how good you think you are, because the swings and short term variance is a killer.

>Get my bankroll up to $500 to play $25NL properly rolled.
This may take a while, but in order to feel that I'm actually winning this will be my first magic number.

>Play 20+ hours a week.
This is not a major problem with winter coming and and agreement I have with the wife.

>Start posting some hands and get some input into my play.
instead of having to rely on myself all the time. I also want to start spending more time in the stategy forum than the commune.

>move the computer desk out of the living room
If I'm going to do this, I'm going to get serious and give myself the right enviroment.

I will add to this post as my goals change or if I come up with anymore.

History:
Started at party poker with $50. (wasted the first deposit bonus and busted) I did alright but should have been on the $2NL tables not the $25NL but I thought you played higher and dropped if needed. Bankroll management????? What's that.

Wanted to try again so I thought, what the hell pokerstars has a $20 min. deposit and $5 S&G's plus $1 tournies. I attempted that and had no Idea how these guys were killing me at the lowest limits and could not beat anybody in a tournement. You guys know the drill, I don't need to explain how I played, you've all seen it.

Last chance. I decided to learn a little about the game. I new that there had to be advantages to certain plays and styles. Hell I'm not that stupid. I knew how a casino loaded the games for an advantage by manipulating odds, but poker is against other players, the casino doesn't have cards to play so they can't effect the winning, somebody has to win. I hate gambling but this was different, it's like a sport, a game or any other competition, I'm playing morons. So like everything I do, " I become obsessed with learning". I google "poker strategy" and find several sites to read, (you know what they all are) and FTR sticks out because it's the same look as my Bodybuilding and Nutrition site. (still can't read 2+2 unless someone links an article)

So I read and read and then "I got it", bankroll management, pot odds, preflop hand selection and what the hell c-bets are. I deposited another $100 into party poker in March and get to $350 and start moving up to fast. Long story short.( Ya, Ya, I know) I've been to ultimatebet, pacific, paradise, party, pokerstars and now Prima trying to get my bankroll up. I've been too quick to get into another bonus. I deposit with less than maximum wasting a good bonus, just to try and get my roll up. It's been a rollercoaster of not clearing bonuses, playing a little above my roll and riding a coaster. I've managed to buy Poker Tracker, PAhud, Handgrabber and still have just under $200 again in my bankroll. So yea, that's it in a nut shell, one big fucking nutshell.

So if your still with me, you won't have to read that again, I need your help, I promised the wife that:
>I'd finish the bathroom that I demolished down to the 2x4's and floor joists in april and have just the tiling and paint left to do.
> I'd have a thousand dollars to withdraw at Xmas time for gifts instead of our own money or quit because I obviously suck.
>Get her, her own computer so I don't need to get off mine.

And in return she will not bother me about the time I spend playing as long as things are taken care of at home.