I've been playing exclusively online for a month. My results have been good. I've made some huge adjustments to my game to adapt to a very different environment. I'm using some data tracking software to exploit opponents playing patterns in the absence of physical tells. I'm also using it by analyzing my own play for holes, leaks, and my own exploitable patterns.
I'm playing between 4 and 8 tables at a time. I'm making a big sacrifice in my hand reading abilities, and relying instead on a sort of formulaic style repeated thousands of times a day. In a business sense, my profit margin is much smaller, but my volume is much higher. I'm playing at a relatively small stake game, but across so many tables I usually have between 400 and 800 hundred dollars in play at once.
My goal for March is to play 50,000 hands, and be the winningest player at the 50NL stakes at the site. There are many websites that track this. I've been playing at a site called Absolute Poker under the name Jacekduda. He was the center on the 1984 PC Friars Final Four team. You can watch me play online by downloading the software and creating an account (it is very safe, does not take up much memory, and you do NOT need to make a deposit. Look for the tab that says "Absolute Buddy" to find me. It will give you a list of tables that I'm playing at, and you can go to one and watch without playing. Send me a text at 864-0682 and let me know you're there.
Anyway I'm renewed and ready to become the next online phenom!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Taking a break
I didn't make my challenge goals. I did pretty well, but fell a few thousand short. I got off to a bad start, so it was never really that close.
Tonight, for the first time, poker felt like work. I looked down at my chips - I had about $500 in front of me at the time, and realized that I didn't care whether I won or lost. Winning wasn't going to change anything, or give me any thrill, and losing wasn't going to hurt. I was bored. I looked around at the table, and noticed that although I knew 5 or 6 players by name, they weren't my friends, and probably never would be. So what was I doing there? This is the first I've had this feeling - and frankly I'm surprised that it took this long. It's not something that built up steadily, I just felt very strongly, in that moment, that I had taken at least this part of the poker journey as far as I wanted to go. One really great thing that's happened to me over the past few years is that I suddenly see things in my life amazingly clearly. This was one of those moments.
I've proven to myself that I can do this. I've been making money steadily for almost eight months playing poker, and I have loved it. I have been a professional poker player. I can say that. I've worked hard at it and I'm proud. There is no doubt that I could never have a real job again, and still have financial independence. I've achieved all of the goals that I laid out in one of my first blogs...what now?
Let me start with what I know. I don't want to be a "grinder" my whole life. If this is how good I am at poker, it's not enough. I don't want to beat up on low to mid stakes poker games every day. I've done it responsibly, and to the best of my ability. The money is fine. The challenge is not enough to maintain my passion. The thrill of the chase is gone. If I'm going to do something that basically gives nothing back to humanity, I at least better LOVE it, not just like it.
So I can go 2 different ways. The first is just to quit playing full time. I have saved enough money that I can take my time looking for a new career. In the meantime, I can write, volunteer, concentrate on fitness, and start going out more - find my next passion. I don't think I'm ready to do that.
The second way is to really a take my shot. I might be good enough to play at the highest level. The truth is that I've beaten every game I've played. How can I quit without taking a risk? Shouldn't I keep climbing the ladder until I get knocked down? "If you never try, you'll never know." This would involve risking a lot of my bankroll on some big tournaments - the kind you see on TV, where the cash is six to seven figures. I've worked my ass of for that money...taking a lot of it and spending it on a few tournaments is really bad bankroll management - but if I don't take my shot now, I will always wonder....and money comes and goes anyway.
So I'm going to take some time - certainly days, probably weeks, to think about it. Actually, I'm going to take some time to not think about it - but I trust that I'll find the answer in my quiet.
So I've enjoyed the ride. It's either time to get off, or speed up....I'll let you know soon.
Tonight, for the first time, poker felt like work. I looked down at my chips - I had about $500 in front of me at the time, and realized that I didn't care whether I won or lost. Winning wasn't going to change anything, or give me any thrill, and losing wasn't going to hurt. I was bored. I looked around at the table, and noticed that although I knew 5 or 6 players by name, they weren't my friends, and probably never would be. So what was I doing there? This is the first I've had this feeling - and frankly I'm surprised that it took this long. It's not something that built up steadily, I just felt very strongly, in that moment, that I had taken at least this part of the poker journey as far as I wanted to go. One really great thing that's happened to me over the past few years is that I suddenly see things in my life amazingly clearly. This was one of those moments.
I've proven to myself that I can do this. I've been making money steadily for almost eight months playing poker, and I have loved it. I have been a professional poker player. I can say that. I've worked hard at it and I'm proud. There is no doubt that I could never have a real job again, and still have financial independence. I've achieved all of the goals that I laid out in one of my first blogs...what now?
Let me start with what I know. I don't want to be a "grinder" my whole life. If this is how good I am at poker, it's not enough. I don't want to beat up on low to mid stakes poker games every day. I've done it responsibly, and to the best of my ability. The money is fine. The challenge is not enough to maintain my passion. The thrill of the chase is gone. If I'm going to do something that basically gives nothing back to humanity, I at least better LOVE it, not just like it.
So I can go 2 different ways. The first is just to quit playing full time. I have saved enough money that I can take my time looking for a new career. In the meantime, I can write, volunteer, concentrate on fitness, and start going out more - find my next passion. I don't think I'm ready to do that.
The second way is to really a take my shot. I might be good enough to play at the highest level. The truth is that I've beaten every game I've played. How can I quit without taking a risk? Shouldn't I keep climbing the ladder until I get knocked down? "If you never try, you'll never know." This would involve risking a lot of my bankroll on some big tournaments - the kind you see on TV, where the cash is six to seven figures. I've worked my ass of for that money...taking a lot of it and spending it on a few tournaments is really bad bankroll management - but if I don't take my shot now, I will always wonder....and money comes and goes anyway.
So I'm going to take some time - certainly days, probably weeks, to think about it. Actually, I'm going to take some time to not think about it - but I trust that I'll find the answer in my quiet.
So I've enjoyed the ride. It's either time to get off, or speed up....I'll let you know soon.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
$10,000 in 30 days
$10,000 in 30 days.
That's my self-issued challenge. I'm going to try to do it playing only 1-2 no limit. No tournaments or bigger games - just killing the same game 40 hour per week. In order to do it, three things have to happen :
1. I need to play well.
2. I have to play at least 40 hours per week.
3. I can't run bad - I don't have to be super lucky, just not really unlucky.
If I had to bet (I think about odds a lot), I'd make myself a 2-1 underdog to do this.It's basically $60 per hour for 40 hours for 4.5 weeks. That's a lot of grinding.
The reason I'm doing this is to see whether I am ready to make the kind of money I need to stay in this for the forseeable future. I want to be at around 10k per month. As of yet, I haven't made the kind of time sacrifices needed to do it - and that's fine. I've made enough to get by averaging 20-25 hours per week. I have to find out whether I can handle the mental grind of an increased playing schedule.
I'm going to upload some quick video blog updates detailing how I'm doing.
I have until October 22 to do it. Wish me luck!
That's my self-issued challenge. I'm going to try to do it playing only 1-2 no limit. No tournaments or bigger games - just killing the same game 40 hour per week. In order to do it, three things have to happen :
1. I need to play well.
2. I have to play at least 40 hours per week.
3. I can't run bad - I don't have to be super lucky, just not really unlucky.
If I had to bet (I think about odds a lot), I'd make myself a 2-1 underdog to do this.It's basically $60 per hour for 40 hours for 4.5 weeks. That's a lot of grinding.
The reason I'm doing this is to see whether I am ready to make the kind of money I need to stay in this for the forseeable future. I want to be at around 10k per month. As of yet, I haven't made the kind of time sacrifices needed to do it - and that's fine. I've made enough to get by averaging 20-25 hours per week. I have to find out whether I can handle the mental grind of an increased playing schedule.
I'm going to upload some quick video blog updates detailing how I'm doing.
I have until October 22 to do it. Wish me luck!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Still Playing
Hey,
I'm looking forward to writing regularly in the blog again. As the summer fades away, I'll have more down time inside, and am planning to do alot of writing. I've actually written a few pages detailing poker strategy. They are a little too detailed and "pokerish" for this blog, but are fun to write. I may start another blog and try to circulate it within the poker world. I think I have alot to say about how to win at small and mid-stakes live poker. Maybe someone wants to pay to read it.
For the last half of August and first few weeks of September, I only played a few days a week. I took some time off and tried to do as many fun things with Amber as I could. Then she started kindergarten and I made sure to be there when she got off the bus, etc.,
When I have been playing I've been winning regularly. Mostly I'm playing 1-2 no limit, and crushing it. Here are my last 3 weeks results :
8/31 - 4 hours, +$924
9/1 - 4 hours +$67
9/7 - 5 hours + $694
9/8 - 4 hours +$412
9/9 = 4 hours +$155
9/10 = 8 hours +$421
9/14 = 4 hours -$612
9/15 = 4 hours +$260
9/16 = 4 hours +$561
9/17 = 4 hours +$347
9/18 = 4 hours +$614
Total = 49 hours = + $3843 $78.42/hr
That is an absurd rate. I can't keep it up. Obviously I'm running well. However, I am amazed at how differently I play this (1-2 no limit) game than even a few months ago. I have a completely different style. I used to play fairly solid, and rely on people to make mistakes. Now, I am raising constantly, and forcing people to play uncomfortably big pots with me, when they almost always make mistakes. When there is more money on the line, people make HUGE errors. They are either too scared, and play too passively, or want the pot so badly that they are overly aggressive. I am cultivating a maniac image, when in actuality I'm in complete control. For every one big pot that I'm losing, I'm probably winning 4.
For now, I'm going to concentrate on continuing to kill this game. There is no real reason, other than ego, to play bigger - and leaving with full racks of chips almost every time satisfies the ego quite nicely.
As we settle into Amber's new schedule with kindergarten, I am going to try to get back to 30-40 hours per week. It's just too profitable not to start paying babysitters, etc., Obviously my priorities remain being there for her as much as possible.
I want to give myself a challenge, like "$4000 in two weeks," to keep myself motivated. I'm working on the details.
Let me know if you're ever down at Foxwoods!
I'm looking forward to writing regularly in the blog again. As the summer fades away, I'll have more down time inside, and am planning to do alot of writing. I've actually written a few pages detailing poker strategy. They are a little too detailed and "pokerish" for this blog, but are fun to write. I may start another blog and try to circulate it within the poker world. I think I have alot to say about how to win at small and mid-stakes live poker. Maybe someone wants to pay to read it.
For the last half of August and first few weeks of September, I only played a few days a week. I took some time off and tried to do as many fun things with Amber as I could. Then she started kindergarten and I made sure to be there when she got off the bus, etc.,
When I have been playing I've been winning regularly. Mostly I'm playing 1-2 no limit, and crushing it. Here are my last 3 weeks results :
8/31 - 4 hours, +$924
9/1 - 4 hours +$67
9/7 - 5 hours + $694
9/8 - 4 hours +$412
9/9 = 4 hours +$155
9/10 = 8 hours +$421
9/14 = 4 hours -$612
9/15 = 4 hours +$260
9/16 = 4 hours +$561
9/17 = 4 hours +$347
9/18 = 4 hours +$614
Total = 49 hours = + $3843 $78.42/hr
That is an absurd rate. I can't keep it up. Obviously I'm running well. However, I am amazed at how differently I play this (1-2 no limit) game than even a few months ago. I have a completely different style. I used to play fairly solid, and rely on people to make mistakes. Now, I am raising constantly, and forcing people to play uncomfortably big pots with me, when they almost always make mistakes. When there is more money on the line, people make HUGE errors. They are either too scared, and play too passively, or want the pot so badly that they are overly aggressive. I am cultivating a maniac image, when in actuality I'm in complete control. For every one big pot that I'm losing, I'm probably winning 4.
For now, I'm going to concentrate on continuing to kill this game. There is no real reason, other than ego, to play bigger - and leaving with full racks of chips almost every time satisfies the ego quite nicely.
As we settle into Amber's new schedule with kindergarten, I am going to try to get back to 30-40 hours per week. It's just too profitable not to start paying babysitters, etc., Obviously my priorities remain being there for her as much as possible.
I want to give myself a challenge, like "$4000 in two weeks," to keep myself motivated. I'm working on the details.
Let me know if you're ever down at Foxwoods!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Doc
Doc is a Rheumatoid specialist in Cranston. He's a conservative poker player, only playing good starting hands, but ultimately lacking in any imagination or creativity. He's unable to play by feel, and when he likes his hand, it's really easy to tell what he has. He learned to play mostly by reading books. This makes him the ideal opponent for a pro. For Doc, poker is a little like prescribing medicine - when a patient has certain symptoms, he prescribes the same medicine every time. When he has a certain hand in poker, he makes the same play every time. To him it's a science, not an art. This makes him a huge target. In order for me to get him to do what I want, I just have to act a little. If I want him to think I have a big hand, I just do what he thinks someone with a big hand does. And then he folds. When I want him to think I'm weak, I act weak - and he stays in.
My problem is that cards keep getting in the way of me busting him. I've had him right where I've wanted him 6 or 7 times. He's right about to dump his whole chip stack to me and then BAM! One card destroys a beautiful plan.
On Friday I had him directly me to my right. I raised with A9 of spades, and when the action came to me he called. The flop was K99, giving me three 9s. He checked and I bet the size of the pot. He called, obviously with a King, thinking that I would not have made a big bet with three 9's. He paid another $150 on the next round of betting, and had about $300 left, which he was fully prepared to give me. The last card was a King, the only card in the deck that beat me. I knew this gave him a bigger full house than I had. He bet his whole stack, and I had to fold. He smiled at me, like he had caught me in a bluff. I resisted the urge to tell him how lucky he got. I stopped myself from telling him that if he kept coming to the game every week that he would lose thousands of dollars to me, and that I would take Amber to Disneyworld on his dime. No, no that's not the right thing thing to do. Instead, I tapped my hand on the table and said, "great hand, Doc. You caught me again."
My problem is that cards keep getting in the way of me busting him. I've had him right where I've wanted him 6 or 7 times. He's right about to dump his whole chip stack to me and then BAM! One card destroys a beautiful plan.
On Friday I had him directly me to my right. I raised with A9 of spades, and when the action came to me he called. The flop was K99, giving me three 9s. He checked and I bet the size of the pot. He called, obviously with a King, thinking that I would not have made a big bet with three 9's. He paid another $150 on the next round of betting, and had about $300 left, which he was fully prepared to give me. The last card was a King, the only card in the deck that beat me. I knew this gave him a bigger full house than I had. He bet his whole stack, and I had to fold. He smiled at me, like he had caught me in a bluff. I resisted the urge to tell him how lucky he got. I stopped myself from telling him that if he kept coming to the game every week that he would lose thousands of dollars to me, and that I would take Amber to Disneyworld on his dime. No, no that's not the right thing thing to do. Instead, I tapped my hand on the table and said, "great hand, Doc. You caught me again."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Maybe today...
I'm in the middle of a deep run at a large tournament at the Mohegan Sun. With 74 people left out of an original 745, I have double the chip average, probably good for a top 15 stack.
The top prize in the tournament is $60,000+, but it is likely that a deal will be struck at the final table to divide the money more equally. I am guessing that the final ten will each get around $15,000. Deals like this are allowed, but it only takes one player to object. In this type of payout, however, it is very likely. $15,000 is roughly 4th place money, and 10th is only $3,000. Most players will take the guarantee of a good payout instead of playing for 1st. Hopefully I'll be there to make a choice.
No matter what happens today, I had a blast yesterday. I really can't think of a major mistake that I made all day. There are a few hands that I would have played a little differently, but overall when I put alot of chips in, I was a favorite. That's really all you can do in a tournament. I am loaded with confidence. If I don't make mistakes, and pick up a few hands, I'll be there when it counts.
As I mentioned before, I've been twittering updates, and will again today. You can find me at Bmaggiacomo.
Looking for any positive energy you can spare!
The top prize in the tournament is $60,000+, but it is likely that a deal will be struck at the final table to divide the money more equally. I am guessing that the final ten will each get around $15,000. Deals like this are allowed, but it only takes one player to object. In this type of payout, however, it is very likely. $15,000 is roughly 4th place money, and 10th is only $3,000. Most players will take the guarantee of a good payout instead of playing for 1st. Hopefully I'll be there to make a choice.
No matter what happens today, I had a blast yesterday. I really can't think of a major mistake that I made all day. There are a few hands that I would have played a little differently, but overall when I put alot of chips in, I was a favorite. That's really all you can do in a tournament. I am loaded with confidence. If I don't make mistakes, and pick up a few hands, I'll be there when it counts.
As I mentioned before, I've been twittering updates, and will again today. You can find me at Bmaggiacomo.
Looking for any positive energy you can spare!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Update
It's been about a month since my last blog. I'm really tired and I don't feel like writing much tonight, so I'm going to just do some bullet point updates that don't require me thinking.
1. Vegas was great. I won a few thousand, and finished 8th in a tournament where the first prize was 14 thousand. Call it a near miss.
2. I didn't try to qualify for the World Series when I was out there. For five hundred dollars, there just wasn't enough value. There were so many other good games and tournament around the World Series that I decided there were better places for my time and money. There's always next year.
3. I've won 2 tournaments since I've been back, both small buyins but paying over a thousand. I'm super confident in my tournament game.
4. My cash game results have settled in at $35/hr., lower than the first month, but still 40 percent higher than I expected at this point. I'm playing about 30 hours a week, so I'm making enough to get by. The plan is to continue to grind the cash games and to find good tournaments to take shots at five figure scores. I'll definitely break through soon.
5. I'm starting to play online again, with good results. I want to build my bankroll there slowly as opposed to depositing alot of cash. It will be awhile before I am playing stakes online for as much as I play live, but if I play 10 hours a week or so, I should have built up a few thousand by the end of the summer. Then I can start playing bigger.
6. I am devoting some time to practicing other poker games, notably Omaha. It's keeping me interested on days where I don't feel patient enough to play good Hold'em.
7. I'm not sick of poker at all. I still wake up excited to play.
8. There is an unspoken agreement between the pros that play at Foxwoods. We don't play hard at each other - instead we go after the fish. I am realizing that selecting the right game is unbelievably important, and that it is important to get up when you feel that you don't have a very big edge because the competition is tough. That's a very difficult thing for a competitive person to grasp, but humility is a huge part of being a winning player.
9. I'm playing in a large tournament on Wednesday. There will be at least five hundred players, so my chances of winning are slim but...$50,000 to the winner...trying to put myself in position for my break. What is it that they say, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity..." something like that.
10. Several people have told me that I should Twitter my poker results. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with it, but I'll try. My twitter is Bmaggiacomo, or Brian Maggiacomo. I'm not sure how to find me but I'm on there under one of those names. I'll start tommorrow, with the tournament on Wednesday. I'm just going to do Poker stuff.
I hope to have a specific, one topic blog out soon.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as much as I am!
1. Vegas was great. I won a few thousand, and finished 8th in a tournament where the first prize was 14 thousand. Call it a near miss.
2. I didn't try to qualify for the World Series when I was out there. For five hundred dollars, there just wasn't enough value. There were so many other good games and tournament around the World Series that I decided there were better places for my time and money. There's always next year.
3. I've won 2 tournaments since I've been back, both small buyins but paying over a thousand. I'm super confident in my tournament game.
4. My cash game results have settled in at $35/hr., lower than the first month, but still 40 percent higher than I expected at this point. I'm playing about 30 hours a week, so I'm making enough to get by. The plan is to continue to grind the cash games and to find good tournaments to take shots at five figure scores. I'll definitely break through soon.
5. I'm starting to play online again, with good results. I want to build my bankroll there slowly as opposed to depositing alot of cash. It will be awhile before I am playing stakes online for as much as I play live, but if I play 10 hours a week or so, I should have built up a few thousand by the end of the summer. Then I can start playing bigger.
6. I am devoting some time to practicing other poker games, notably Omaha. It's keeping me interested on days where I don't feel patient enough to play good Hold'em.
7. I'm not sick of poker at all. I still wake up excited to play.
8. There is an unspoken agreement between the pros that play at Foxwoods. We don't play hard at each other - instead we go after the fish. I am realizing that selecting the right game is unbelievably important, and that it is important to get up when you feel that you don't have a very big edge because the competition is tough. That's a very difficult thing for a competitive person to grasp, but humility is a huge part of being a winning player.
9. I'm playing in a large tournament on Wednesday. There will be at least five hundred players, so my chances of winning are slim but...$50,000 to the winner...trying to put myself in position for my break. What is it that they say, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity..." something like that.
10. Several people have told me that I should Twitter my poker results. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with it, but I'll try. My twitter is Bmaggiacomo, or Brian Maggiacomo. I'm not sure how to find me but I'm on there under one of those names. I'll start tommorrow, with the tournament on Wednesday. I'm just going to do Poker stuff.
I hope to have a specific, one topic blog out soon.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as much as I am!
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