I've calculated out that I need to average 5 SnG's a night at the $4.10 Knockout level to be able to attain the first increment of the bonus. I've been doing just that, and I'm on track, with 90 out of 200 point accumulated so far.
This past weekend was wonderful - in the SnG's I managed to put myself up $20, plus I did reasonably well at cash too. My bankroll advanced to $156 overall! How fast it climbs!!
Last night though, I played 6 SnG's, and only placed 3rd in one... So the bankroll has retreated to $139. How fast it falls....
I wish I could play at a higher BI to accelerate the point accumulation, but already, a bankroll of $139 makes a $4.1 Buy in quite volotile as you can see. Going to the next level at $6.75 would really make it swing out of control.
If I were to follow Phil Shaw's advise, then I would have to have 60 buy-ins. That would mean I would need $246 to be playing at the level I'm playing now. By extension, I should be playing the lower level of $1.4.
Shaw's advise seems sound, as a $20 swing at $246 wouldn't impact me at all. However, if I experience another dip of $20 from my current BR of $139 down to $119, I have to seriously consider moving down. And unfortunately, that $20 downswing is currently just 5 buy-ins away.
The reason I'm going to continue playing at this level though is related to rake percentage. The rake rate at $4.1 is 8.5%, which is far more reasonable than the $1.4 rate of 10.7%. The next level of $6.75 has a rate of 7.4%, but as discussed, the variance at $6.75 is much too high for my bankroll to handle right now. Upper levels after this remain at 7.4%, so there is nothing gained in terms of rake rate by moving up further than this.
In conclusion then, I'll be a little fast and loose with the buy-ins for bankroll requirements at these lower levels just to get my win rate up, given the lower rake percentage. however, as I approach the $6.75 level, I will tighten up those bankroll requirements, and require a 60 buy-in rate for anything above that.
I think this is a reasonable way to approach building a bankroll, as I am confident that I have a long term positive win rate that exceeds the rate percentage.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A New Bonus
I cleared the last of the bonus, and my bankroll stood slightly higher than before, at about $140.
As of a few days ago, there is a new pokerstars bonus. Its 20% of your deposit, and you get $1 cleared per 20 VPP earned. Interestingly enough, there are only 20 days to clear it. That's pretty challenging at the micros. On the other hand, it releases incrementally every $10. Incremental release is a big positive for us micros... its just too bad it won't matter with only 20 days to complete it!
As a result, I just deposited $75.00 for a total bonus of $15. After 200 VPP, the first $10 of the deposit will clear - I believe this is achievable for me in 20 days. The extra $5 is in case I go crazy and finish the first $10 early, there is something more to achieve.
I will, of course, withdraw this money at the first opportunity to keep my bankroll "untainted". :-)
Of course, I'm playing deepstacked NL5 tonight($12.50 BI) and I end up down $10 because my KK runs into AA all-in and loses. So bankroll is now down to $122
On another note, a friend suggested contributing to my poker cause. I thought about it a little bit, but I don't want the bankroll "tainted" like I said. Perhaps I would save them up and use the money for special events - like a pokerstars "$225 Sunday Millions" or something. I'm mulling the idea of donations. As I don't provide many great ideas to those who read this (is there anyone who reads this but me?), and as I don't know if I can make something great out of this, I would call it "The Pity Fund".
If you pity me, please donate to the pity fund, and I will use it to enter a large tournament. :-) I will keep all winnings (should it come to that)... but I may feel guilty at the end of it all and donate some to charity or something. This is the happy ending. More likely, the ending will be that I lose the buy-in and move on.
In other related news, I'm reading Harrington on Cash for the first time - borrowed from a friend.
As of a few days ago, there is a new pokerstars bonus. Its 20% of your deposit, and you get $1 cleared per 20 VPP earned. Interestingly enough, there are only 20 days to clear it. That's pretty challenging at the micros. On the other hand, it releases incrementally every $10. Incremental release is a big positive for us micros... its just too bad it won't matter with only 20 days to complete it!
As a result, I just deposited $75.00 for a total bonus of $15. After 200 VPP, the first $10 of the deposit will clear - I believe this is achievable for me in 20 days. The extra $5 is in case I go crazy and finish the first $10 early, there is something more to achieve.
I will, of course, withdraw this money at the first opportunity to keep my bankroll "untainted". :-)
Of course, I'm playing deepstacked NL5 tonight($12.50 BI) and I end up down $10 because my KK runs into AA all-in and loses. So bankroll is now down to $122
On another note, a friend suggested contributing to my poker cause. I thought about it a little bit, but I don't want the bankroll "tainted" like I said. Perhaps I would save them up and use the money for special events - like a pokerstars "$225 Sunday Millions" or something. I'm mulling the idea of donations. As I don't provide many great ideas to those who read this (is there anyone who reads this but me?), and as I don't know if I can make something great out of this, I would call it "The Pity Fund".
If you pity me, please donate to the pity fund, and I will use it to enter a large tournament. :-) I will keep all winnings (should it come to that)... but I may feel guilty at the end of it all and donate some to charity or something. This is the happy ending. More likely, the ending will be that I lose the buy-in and move on.
In other related news, I'm reading Harrington on Cash for the first time - borrowed from a friend.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Last Three Months
A lot has happened in the past few months.
To clear the bonus in January, I played in NL 25 and PL 25 - which is way above my BR level. I was successful, pulling off the bonus, and getting my BR up to the lofty peak of $330. But this was to be short-lived.
I went back to playing $3.4 SnG's over the next few months; but, I continued to play a smattering of NL 25 and PL 25 as well. Unfortunately, I hit a downturn in the $3.4's. At the same time, my luck changed in NL 25 as well - and unfortunately, a $330 bankroll does not whether a downturn all that well. What makes things worse is when you can't seem to win the game you've consistently made money at!
It took exactly one month - from late January to late February - for my bankroll to fall off a cliff. $79.97 was the bottom of the chasm. Since then, it has been a jagged up and down struggle in an attempt to achieve some degree of respectability.
Currently, I stand at $123.33 clear. I had lowered the stakes on the cash tables to an appropriate level, and I started winning at the $3.4 SnG's.
Now, all of a sudden Pokerstars makes two important changes to me.
The first is a change to the cash tables. Short stacks cannot Buy-In to the same games as medium or deep Buy-In's. This is mostly positive. There are far too many short stacks at some of these tables, simply waiting for 77+ so that they can shove. It hasn't been very long, but already, I feel the poker feels a bit easier, as everyone at the table is playing the same game.
The second change is a new format called a Knockout Sit and Go. Basically, it’s a standard Sit and Go, but every player stakes a bounty. If you eliminate someone, you get to claim their bounty. The fee structure for a $3 Buy-In Knockout SnG is $3 + $0.35 in rake + $0.75 in bounty. From a rake perspective, this are a far superior game for me than the $3 + $0.40 in rake Turbo SnG's I'm playing currently. I'll get to why this makes so much more sense during my next post.
In the meantime, there is another hiccup to deal with. My old computer went on the fritz. A new computer has arrived, and I've got to decide whether to try to import my Hold'em Manager hand histories. But maybe it's just too much hassle, and I should simply start afresh! Considering my play now is dramatically different than when I started out, there is much to be said for starting out new in terms of the management portion of the app (ROI, ITM%, BI type of numbers). The only thing I would be missing would be the hand histories of players I've played with… but to be honest, its rare to see the same people over and over again at my level. And when it happens, it won't take long to figure out where they are coming and get them back in the DB. So I'm more or less leaning to starting again from scratch.
To clear the bonus in January, I played in NL 25 and PL 25 - which is way above my BR level. I was successful, pulling off the bonus, and getting my BR up to the lofty peak of $330. But this was to be short-lived.
I went back to playing $3.4 SnG's over the next few months; but, I continued to play a smattering of NL 25 and PL 25 as well. Unfortunately, I hit a downturn in the $3.4's. At the same time, my luck changed in NL 25 as well - and unfortunately, a $330 bankroll does not whether a downturn all that well. What makes things worse is when you can't seem to win the game you've consistently made money at!
It took exactly one month - from late January to late February - for my bankroll to fall off a cliff. $79.97 was the bottom of the chasm. Since then, it has been a jagged up and down struggle in an attempt to achieve some degree of respectability.
Currently, I stand at $123.33 clear. I had lowered the stakes on the cash tables to an appropriate level, and I started winning at the $3.4 SnG's.
Now, all of a sudden Pokerstars makes two important changes to me.
The first is a change to the cash tables. Short stacks cannot Buy-In to the same games as medium or deep Buy-In's. This is mostly positive. There are far too many short stacks at some of these tables, simply waiting for 77+ so that they can shove. It hasn't been very long, but already, I feel the poker feels a bit easier, as everyone at the table is playing the same game.
The second change is a new format called a Knockout Sit and Go. Basically, it’s a standard Sit and Go, but every player stakes a bounty. If you eliminate someone, you get to claim their bounty. The fee structure for a $3 Buy-In Knockout SnG is $3 + $0.35 in rake + $0.75 in bounty. From a rake perspective, this are a far superior game for me than the $3 + $0.40 in rake Turbo SnG's I'm playing currently. I'll get to why this makes so much more sense during my next post.
In the meantime, there is another hiccup to deal with. My old computer went on the fritz. A new computer has arrived, and I've got to decide whether to try to import my Hold'em Manager hand histories. But maybe it's just too much hassle, and I should simply start afresh! Considering my play now is dramatically different than when I started out, there is much to be said for starting out new in terms of the management portion of the app (ROI, ITM%, BI type of numbers). The only thing I would be missing would be the hand histories of players I've played with… but to be honest, its rare to see the same people over and over again at my level. And when it happens, it won't take long to figure out where they are coming and get them back in the DB. So I'm more or less leaning to starting again from scratch.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Stars Bonus Shenanigans
Bankroll: $295.12 (but really, its $265.12)
This weekend, I deposited $30 for a new reload bonus at Pokerstars. Due to the strange way in which reload bonuses at Stars work, I will need to keep that money in the account for the next 2 months.
The full story is that you're allowed up to 3 separate deposits. The 2nd and 3rd need to be made within 60 days of the first. Each deposit has its own expiry to clear which is 90 days after the deposit date.
Therefore, it behoofs you to deposit a small amount first, then deposit the 2nd and 3rd deposit exactly 60 days after the first. This extends your expiry for the bulk of the bonus from what would normally be 90 days to 150 days.
Concurrent with that deposit, I decided to take a shot at the $6+0.50 turbo Sit and Gos, up from the $3+0.4 level.
I played in 6 of the $6.5's. I had a 2nd place finish, a third place finish, and 4 losses. So, for 6 SnG's, I am down by $12, or just short of two buy-ins.
My initial impression is that playing at the $6.5 level feels different. Very different. I'm sure some of it has to do with the higher buy-in level; but, I suspect the majority of the feeling has to do with the fact that these are only 9 player Sit and Go's at this level, rather than the 10 player Sit and Go's I'm used to at the lower level.
So, for now, I will move back down to $3.4's for awhile and stick with the original plan of waiting until I've got another 100 or 200 buy-ins first.
After that, I might consider playing a few dozen 9-man Sit and Go's at the ultra-low $1+0.2 level - just to get used to the differences in preparation for the move back to $6+0.5.
In other news, I cleared the 2nd portion of my earlier reload bonus - which amounted to $12.50 into my account. How I cleared the last of this bonus was utterly reckless, and I'm thankful I made it without incident. Stay tuned for that story!
This weekend, I deposited $30 for a new reload bonus at Pokerstars. Due to the strange way in which reload bonuses at Stars work, I will need to keep that money in the account for the next 2 months.
The full story is that you're allowed up to 3 separate deposits. The 2nd and 3rd need to be made within 60 days of the first. Each deposit has its own expiry to clear which is 90 days after the deposit date.
Therefore, it behoofs you to deposit a small amount first, then deposit the 2nd and 3rd deposit exactly 60 days after the first. This extends your expiry for the bulk of the bonus from what would normally be 90 days to 150 days.
Concurrent with that deposit, I decided to take a shot at the $6+0.50 turbo Sit and Gos, up from the $3+0.4 level.
I played in 6 of the $6.5's. I had a 2nd place finish, a third place finish, and 4 losses. So, for 6 SnG's, I am down by $12, or just short of two buy-ins.
My initial impression is that playing at the $6.5 level feels different. Very different. I'm sure some of it has to do with the higher buy-in level; but, I suspect the majority of the feeling has to do with the fact that these are only 9 player Sit and Go's at this level, rather than the 10 player Sit and Go's I'm used to at the lower level.
So, for now, I will move back down to $3.4's for awhile and stick with the original plan of waiting until I've got another 100 or 200 buy-ins first.
After that, I might consider playing a few dozen 9-man Sit and Go's at the ultra-low $1+0.2 level - just to get used to the differences in preparation for the move back to $6+0.5.
In other news, I cleared the 2nd portion of my earlier reload bonus - which amounted to $12.50 into my account. How I cleared the last of this bonus was utterly reckless, and I'm thankful I made it without incident. Stay tuned for that story!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
2009 Year in Review
Bankroll Starts Jun 27 2009: $50.00
Bankroll End on Dec 31 2009: $233.35
Expenses: HEM Small Stakes $55
Books =~ $150
Here is the 2009 graph. It includes the first few days of January 2010 as well.
It has only been half a year of playing for me, as I only started at Pokerstars in late June. In that time, I've played part time in the evenings - for generally a couple of hours a night.
I did my best to accumulate a bankroll starting with a $50 deposit. No additional deposits were made, except those required by reload bonuses, which I withdrew once the terms and conditions of the bonus were met.
During this time, I've learned a tremendous amount, and I realize I still have an even greater amount still to learn! I look back at some of the comments and questions I asked, either to friends, or on twoplustwo.com, and some of them look ridiculously elementary now. At the end of July, I'd played my first 5 $5.2 Double or Nothing tournaments (10 players, top 5 get double the buy-in). I was so impressed with myself for having won all 5!
My goals for 2010 include:
1) moving up in stakes
a) SnG's: I should be moving to $6.5 turbos soon. I'll make the move when I feel I have enough buy-ins at $3.4 to assure myself that I'm consistently beating the buy-in. Here's the graph of all my SnG's and Tounies for 2009 and the start of 2010 - this is since the end of September when I bought HEM:
b) Cash Games: I had a great deal of trouble with cash when I first started. It essentially eroded the money I'd made playing the DoN's, and almost caused me to lose my entire first deposit. Since then, I think I know how to beat NL2, but so far I've only posted a 2.5 BI profit. Very inadequate. Ironically, my NL10 shots have a greater profit posted than entire NL2 history. Once I've played to 20K hands in NL2, if I'm still ahead and bankroll allows, I'll move to either NL5 or NL10 (both have a $10 Buy In). Here is the graph of my NL2 history for 2009 and the start of 2010 (same caveat - this only covers hands since my purchase of HEM at the end of Sept):
2) build my bankroll enough to withdraw my initial capital of $50, as well as the expenses I've incurred (the HEM and the books). Poker should pay for Poker!! I may do this should my bankroll hit around $600.00
If you're reading this, have a great New Year! Best wishes for 2010.
Bankroll End on Dec 31 2009: $233.35
Expenses: HEM Small Stakes $55
Books =~ $150
Here is the 2009 graph. It includes the first few days of January 2010 as well.
It has only been half a year of playing for me, as I only started at Pokerstars in late June. In that time, I've played part time in the evenings - for generally a couple of hours a night.
I did my best to accumulate a bankroll starting with a $50 deposit. No additional deposits were made, except those required by reload bonuses, which I withdrew once the terms and conditions of the bonus were met.
During this time, I've learned a tremendous amount, and I realize I still have an even greater amount still to learn! I look back at some of the comments and questions I asked, either to friends, or on twoplustwo.com, and some of them look ridiculously elementary now. At the end of July, I'd played my first 5 $5.2 Double or Nothing tournaments (10 players, top 5 get double the buy-in). I was so impressed with myself for having won all 5!
My goals for 2010 include:
1) moving up in stakes
a) SnG's: I should be moving to $6.5 turbos soon. I'll make the move when I feel I have enough buy-ins at $3.4 to assure myself that I'm consistently beating the buy-in. Here's the graph of all my SnG's and Tounies for 2009 and the start of 2010 - this is since the end of September when I bought HEM:
b) Cash Games: I had a great deal of trouble with cash when I first started. It essentially eroded the money I'd made playing the DoN's, and almost caused me to lose my entire first deposit. Since then, I think I know how to beat NL2, but so far I've only posted a 2.5 BI profit. Very inadequate. Ironically, my NL10 shots have a greater profit posted than entire NL2 history. Once I've played to 20K hands in NL2, if I'm still ahead and bankroll allows, I'll move to either NL5 or NL10 (both have a $10 Buy In). Here is the graph of my NL2 history for 2009 and the start of 2010 (same caveat - this only covers hands since my purchase of HEM at the end of Sept):
2) build my bankroll enough to withdraw my initial capital of $50, as well as the expenses I've incurred (the HEM and the books). Poker should pay for Poker!! I may do this should my bankroll hit around $600.00
If you're reading this, have a great New Year! Best wishes for 2010.
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years Eve - not my night!
Happy New Year's everyone!
But not for me so far!
2 more 5th place finishes. Seems I'm always hitting fifth. This time, I get blown away on 2 tables by the most unlikely of hands... oh well, here you go. Enjoy the BBV:
Poker Stars $3.00+$0.40 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players - View hand 450341
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): t2815 M = 9.38
BB: t4495 M = 14.98
UTG: t1745 M = 5.82
CO: t2070 M = 6.90
BTN: t3875 M = 12.92
Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is SB with K
9
2 folds, BTN calls t200, Hero calls t100, BB checks
Flop: (t600) 9 3
7 (3 players)
Hero bets t2615 all in, BB folds, BTN calls t2615
Turn: (t5830) 7 (2 players - 1 is all in)
River: (t5830) J
(2 players - 1 is all in)
Final Pot: t5830
Hero shows K 9 (two pair, Nines and Sevens)
BTN shows 7 9 (a full house, Sevens full of Nines)
BTN wins t5830
and this one is even better!!!
Poker Stars $3.00+$0.40 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players - View hand 450342
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
UTG: t1175 M = 3.92
CO: t2445 M = 8.15
Hero (BTN): t845 M = 2.82
SB: t6183 M = 20.61
BB: t4352 M = 14.51
Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is BTN with A A
2 folds, Hero calls t200, SB calls t100, BB checks
Flop: (t600) 2 J 7 (3 players)
SB bets t200, BB folds, Hero raises to t645 all in, SB calls t445
Turn: (t1890) 7 (2 players - 1 is all in)
River: (t1890) 2 (2 players - 1 is all in)
Final Pot: t1890
Hero shows A A (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
SB shows 3 7 (a full house, Sevens full of Deuces)
SB wins t1890
But not for me so far!
2 more 5th place finishes. Seems I'm always hitting fifth. This time, I get blown away on 2 tables by the most unlikely of hands... oh well, here you go. Enjoy the BBV:
Poker Stars $3.00+$0.40 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players - View hand 450341
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): t2815 M = 9.38
BB: t4495 M = 14.98
UTG: t1745 M = 5.82
CO: t2070 M = 6.90
BTN: t3875 M = 12.92
Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is SB with K
92 folds, BTN calls t200, Hero calls t100, BB checks
Flop: (t600) 9
3 7 (3 players)Hero bets t2615 all in, BB folds, BTN calls t2615
Turn: (t5830) 7
(2 players - 1 is all in)River: (t5830) J
(2 players - 1 is all in)Final Pot: t5830
Hero shows K
9 (two pair, Nines and Sevens)BTN shows 7
9 (a full house, Sevens full of Nines)BTN wins t5830
and this one is even better!!!
Poker Stars $3.00+$0.40 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players - View hand 450342
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
UTG: t1175 M = 3.92
CO: t2445 M = 8.15
Hero (BTN): t845 M = 2.82
SB: t6183 M = 20.61
BB: t4352 M = 14.51
Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is BTN with A
A2 folds, Hero calls t200, SB calls t100, BB checks
Flop: (t600) 2
J 7 (3 players)SB bets t200, BB folds, Hero raises to t645 all in, SB calls t445
Turn: (t1890) 7
(2 players - 1 is all in)River: (t1890) 2
(2 players - 1 is all in)Final Pot: t1890
Hero shows A
A (two pair, Aces and Sevens)SB shows 3
7 (a full house, Sevens full of Deuces)SB wins t1890
Monday, December 28, 2009
Post-Holiday Play!
Tonight I decided to get back into it, after a short Holiday break.
First up was Pokerstar's Multi-table tournament promotion for getting all the questions on a quiz correct. By responding correctly, you can join the tournament with a $5 entry fee, but they add $20000 to the prize pool. I checked just before the time-slot, and it looked like just over 2000 players joined, so I hopped in, seeing as how only $10,000 of the $30,000 prize pool was covered by the players (kinda making my $5 worth $15, if you think about it!).
Unfortunately, I had to sit out of the first hour of the tournament due to nagging household chores, but after I jumped into the saddle to play, I actually placed quite well. The bubble was at 324 players, with prizes starting at $15.00. I was knocked out at roughly 425th - so just out of the bubble.
I then proceeded to play 2 separate $5.5 sit and go's! (an attempt at moving up in stakes!). Regretably, I ended up placing 5th in one and 6th in the other.
Thinking that perhaps I'd chewed off more than I could handle, I fired up 2 separate $3.4 sit and go's! (back to what I'm used to!). I lost both in 5th place again! (What's with me and 5th place?).
In the end I played 4 more. I was 2nd place in the last 3, so this made up for the other $3.4 losses at least.
At the same time, I played a little bit of NL2 cash during the low and mid blind play when my concentrated isn't needed as much, and came away with some small change. This makes my last 4 sessions positive, which almost makes up 3/4 of a buy-in. So I'm happy with my progress there.
Anyways, the bankroll is now at $221.78. Still off from the higher point of $254, but still quite respectable.
Have a happy holiday everyone.
First up was Pokerstar's Multi-table tournament promotion for getting all the questions on a quiz correct. By responding correctly, you can join the tournament with a $5 entry fee, but they add $20000 to the prize pool. I checked just before the time-slot, and it looked like just over 2000 players joined, so I hopped in, seeing as how only $10,000 of the $30,000 prize pool was covered by the players (kinda making my $5 worth $15, if you think about it!).
Unfortunately, I had to sit out of the first hour of the tournament due to nagging household chores, but after I jumped into the saddle to play, I actually placed quite well. The bubble was at 324 players, with prizes starting at $15.00. I was knocked out at roughly 425th - so just out of the bubble.
I then proceeded to play 2 separate $5.5 sit and go's! (an attempt at moving up in stakes!). Regretably, I ended up placing 5th in one and 6th in the other.
Thinking that perhaps I'd chewed off more than I could handle, I fired up 2 separate $3.4 sit and go's! (back to what I'm used to!). I lost both in 5th place again! (What's with me and 5th place?).
In the end I played 4 more. I was 2nd place in the last 3, so this made up for the other $3.4 losses at least.
At the same time, I played a little bit of NL2 cash during the low and mid blind play when my concentrated isn't needed as much, and came away with some small change. This makes my last 4 sessions positive, which almost makes up 3/4 of a buy-in. So I'm happy with my progress there.
Anyways, the bankroll is now at $221.78. Still off from the higher point of $254, but still quite respectable.
Have a happy holiday everyone.
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