Sink or Swim Challenge
GOAL: $12,000 in career earnings by October 2007
For the past little while, I've been over-bankrolled for the limits I play. While it would be far safer to continue along this same path for the next couple of years, I can't do it any longer. I need to find out whether I'm cut out for this poker thing or not: it's time to sink or swim.
Starting today, I will force focus solely on full ring fixed limit games.
Instead of sticking with my usual stakes, I'm forcing myself out of my comfort zone. I'll now be playing the $3/$6 tables almost exclusively ($2/$4 may be played when no $3/$6 tables are available). Although I plan on making certain frivolous expenses over the next few months, I plan on maintaining at least 300 BBs worth of working capital on hand to use in the $3/$6 games.
With only 300 BB at my disposal, I'll have to be fairly careful. I'll do my best to pad my winnings (or cover my losses) with bonuses, rakeback, and various casino bonuses.
I'll continue playing two tables of $3/$6 limit poker until one of two things happens:
My ultimate goal is to be able to win enough by playing $3/$6 to buy myself a new home theatre system ($1300 USD), a PS3 ($500 USD), a new laptop computer sporting a 17" WUXGA screen ($1500 USD), and some other goodies. I'd like to purchase all these things within one year's time (in addition to the purchase of a 42" plasma tv and Xbox 360). In that line of thinking, I'll try and hit the $12K in career winnings mark by October 2007.
Please don't misinterpret my intentions here. I am not trying to commit bankroll suicide here: I just want to find out if I can make it or not. For those of you out there just starting out at the micro-limits, I'll do my best to give an honest account of the time I spend playing with the slightly-bigger boys.
And if I happen to fall, I'll always have my wife and kids to support me emotionally, and my toys to keep me forever busy.
Finally, if anyone has any advice on the best places to play $3/$6 (excluding Bodog - Canadians not allowed to play there), please drop me a line via comments or e-mail.
Have a great weekend everybody!
Ready or not, the challenge starts now...
Update: I've added a footnote to this challenge in this post.
14 comments:
3/6 full ring at Party is soft but sometimes very aggressive, the 3/6 at Pokerstars is almost a constant ATM. It really is some of the softest play I've found anywhere. Good luck!
I hate limit but good luck with the challenge! (and happy birthday to Mrs Klopzi btw)
falstaff-
If only I'd posted this before I withdrew all my money from PokerStars...
I may give the $3/$6 a try when PS offers their next reload bonus.
As for the aggression, I'm a little worried but not much. I'm feeling a certain sense of liberation right now and I don't mind going toe to toe with anyone trying to push me around.
That being said, nut-peddling will be the name of the game...
littleacornman-
Limit can be a little slow at times, but I was looking for a better way to build my bankroll without introducing too much variance.
I could've gone the $50 SHNL route, but I think the $3/$6 is a more sane choice for me right now.
And thanks for the b-day wish for the wife. I'm actually taking her out for her belated b-day dinner in an hour's time.
Bankroll, shmankroll......
Let's focus on the fact that you've turned $5 into a plasma TV and an XBOX 360 in much less than 2 years' time, with money to spare!
You could lose your entire bankroll in one drunken night at a $1000 ring game and you'd still be ahead. The only point to accumulating money is to use it to buy stuff. And if that means that whether I'm visiting you or MrV I get to watch plasma TV, so much the better.
Good Luck man.
I hope you swim.
Good luck :)
Marl,
Yea, I know, what's the point of winning if you can't spend it?
Although you may have to hold off a little bit on the plasma - details to follow in a later post.
Thanks derby - me too.
I would echo falstaff's Party direction. The only thing I would add would be throwing in some solid diagnostics/analysis during your pursuit to ensure you are experiencing normal variation vs. leaks whether you start to go up or down. You know I'm the king of stupid bankroll decisions, so take it for what it's worth.
Dude, you just became my hero. I wish I had the sack to truly "go big or go home". Here's wishing you a monster of a heater to start it off.
Thanks grinditout -
Here's hoping I do ok.
And I also hope you find a better hero: I don't even own a cape...
Hey cc-
I'll be looking at my numbers at the end of each session (best 5 hands, worst 5 hands) to see what went wrong and/or right.
Actually, given that I'm only playing an hour or so, I may be able to get away with top/worst 3 hands.
When I played the other night, I had AKo once and I managed to sneak one pocket pair in as well. Other than that, no playable hands. Pretty boring...
As for Party, the only thing I don't like is the fact that there is zero overlay available for me there. Without rb or bonuses, it'd be like walking the tightrope without a net.
Anything's possible though...
Ah, the grind of poker. I admire your no-guts-no-glory attitude. You should go over and read The law school dropout's poker blog if you haven't already to see how he went from 2/4 limit to pretty much 2K/4K or something crazy like that.
As far as where to play, Party is always full of fish, Stars with 5M subscribers is also full of 'em. Maybe the lovely iPoker network (Titan, CD, Fair, etc.) would be a good place to look.
Try to make it fun rather than making it a grind, because otherwise, what's the use in doing it? Right?
Hey Kaja -
I've read the Law School Dropout.
Yep, he started at 2/4 and worked his way up to 100/200 - although I believe he's decided to drop back down to the low stakes games (30/60, 50/100).
Actually, his was one of the first blogs that I read and I think it's great!
Anyway, I plan on playing a little at Party and PokerStars (when they do another reload bonus though). I won't mind the grind as much as long as I keep my table hours down and my winnings up.
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