Making Plans For 2008

Readers of my blog will recognise the fact that I make up stupid challenges, stick with them for a few weeks and then ditch them like a hot potato. There are a couple of reasons for this, first one is up until now I've been a bit of a mental mess and if I'm honest it took me all my focus and attention to get up and ready for work on a morning. Second one was the fact I lived in a pub so drank an awful lot, ate at the wrong times and was pretty unhealthy. I also ended up covering the bar a few times so couldn't try my arm at MTT's properly because of the time factor. Lastly, I started trying to run before I could walk by playing up to 10 tables of SnG's and 6 tables of cash when if I am honest with myself I hadn't even really mastered a single table.

Things have changed now. I am, for the whole, mentally sound. I've got a new flat, with a great new woman and things are going brilliant and that was 90% of my worries and mental anguish. I'm kind of back on track at work and even though it's not great or what I want to do for the rest of my life my job is pretty secure and back in my hands. Although I'm no fitness freak, eating healthier, at proper times and having plenty of sexytime have helped me shed over half a stone and my sleeping is, when not broken by a screaming baby, back to normal and a solid 6 hours a night and I feel on top of the world. Money is still tighter than a virgin's fanny but Mrs P is awesome and is helping out on that front too. The foundations seem in place for a long term challenge, the only problem I can see is the timing of things.

I'm pretty obsessive about a few things and one of them is starting points of anything. I couldn't, even if I tried, start a challenge or project of any sort on say the 9th of the month, it'd have to be the first of the month or it would niggle me to death which is why now is a bad time to start anything new because in 30 odd days we are at the start of a brand new year, The Year Of The Pudding! Now I'm not a great player, nor do I pretend to be, but I am know 100% that I am better than a lot of the donkeys playing at my stakes. I am a student of the game, I buy and read books and forums, discuss hands and situations and try to understand more advanced concepts and plays I see and read about. Half the retards at the micro's don't even know the odds of drawing to a gutshot, never mind reverse implied odds and the like. It's time to exploit these fish!

One problem I've had is focussing on a particular discipline and sticking with it. I started off two years ago with fixed limit hold'em cash, moved to no limit hold'em cash, and within the last 6-9 months I've played SnG's, NLHE cash, FLHE cash, PLO, 7 card stud, and MTT's and never once have I devoted enough time to log a good sample size to see how I cope with them. Also, during playing these games I've always played 4-6 tables and relied on PokerTracker stats displayed by PAHUD software so I'm never gathering reads or making proper notes, just assuming that because a player with stats of 20/7/1 has opened with a raise from MP2 and bet a scare card on the river it means result X and I don't want to be that player, especially as I want to play a lot more live poker in the coming year. I want to become a better overall player, not just one that makes money, if that makes sense.

So, on Tuesday 1st January, 2008 I will start a year long challenge that will take me 366 days to complete and even if I don't make my monetary goal I'll be delighted if I can achieve the others, even though you may think they are small and silly!

• Follow correct bankroll management at all times (details to follow)


• Play a solitary table until I feel I am reading the players properly and accurately


• Only add an extra table when comfortable, not just to log more hands per hour


• Do not educate the fish


• Only play when I want to not just because I can


• Use table selection correctly


• Discuss at least two hands per session on forums


• Dedicate a minimum of an hour a week analysing any data collected


• Play live at least 12 times during 2008, including one festival


• Make at least $15,000 clear profit!

Now they seem pretty straightforward goals in terms of someone who has played for a couple of years now but I'm going to go back to relative basics so that I can emerge from the otherside a much better player. Now I've still not decided on which discipline I'll be playing initially because I need to factor in a few things like my starting bankroll and time I can dedicate to playing. Before I could, within reason, play when I wanted despite having to help in the pub but now I have Mrs P to think about and although she's not bothered about me playing it's hardly fair me caning the tables for hours on end, night after night plus I don't want to play every day anyway as I lose focus and play like a shit head. Bankroll permitting I'll probably start by playing cash for a couple of months until I have the bankroll to be fully bankrolled for some half decent MTT's because I have never given MTT's a real chance and I'd like to play a couple of hundred of them and see how I fair. Oh and for earning $15k next year through poker, if I can do it I will spunk in my pants! It was just a number plucked out of my head by the way! Profit type goals are likely to change but the first 8 goals / projects are set in stone. The rest of this month and all of December will be used to play whatever I like and hopefully turn a small profit ready for January.

I'm also starting a brand new blog for the new year too which is being hosted by UK Poker Scene who have recently joined us over at Raise The River so it'll be a totally fresh start for me and hopefully a successful one! I'll sort you out with the address etc once I have it up and running properly.

As always, thanks for reading and good luck at the tables.