7/1/2010--June results and comments

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post. As in other things, I need to be more dilligent.

It's been strange over the last month or so. It continues to be really hard to get my hours in, or to be able to set aside an 8-hour block of time to play larger tournaments.

I've had two main problems. One is that there always seems to be something going on. This week, for example, my niece from South Carolina (I live in Michigan) is in town on a surprise visit, so there will be things going on related to that. Also, my son, who is stationed in Alaska with the US Army, will be on his way to Michigan tomorrow.

I don't know when my son will want to visit, or what his plans are, so it's one of those times where I'm "frozen", which is my term for not knowing how to plan. I don't really want my son, who hasn't seen me in a year, to come over and hear, "Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm at a final table." (I have ADD, so I have to be careful about distractions when I play).

That's the downside of being an online poker player. I'm available, and obviously, when family members are coming from far away like they are this week, I'm going to be there. I can't really say that I have to work certain hours, and it's not practical to say that I can't react until I know everyone's schedule. My son and my niece (and their significant others) are going to be out and about, visiting people, doing the things that 20-somethings do--and schedules aren't part of the plan.

The other, even bigger problem has been the weather. There have been a lot of weather situations that have me "frozen" (my term for not knowing how to plan). This weekend there are supposed to be three days of occasional or scattered thunderstorms.

I'm not interested in getting my computer fried, or in experiencing an internet or power outage after paying for several hours and going deep into a tournament. Several times I have played with weather.com open, watching the weather-in-motion radar to try to guess how long I can play before the next storm cell hits, and trying figure out what kind of tournament(s) I can fit into that time block. Or, even worse, sometimes I decide not to play, and the expected storm never comes.

The solution to the weather problem is to have a laptop with an air card, but there is no way I'm going to spend more on poker than I'm making. Even though it's inconvenient not to have that option, I not interested in going into debt, or spending more than I make, to keep poker going. That makes no sense at all. Technological and other improvments will come from my winnings, and if that takes a while, I have to live with that.

Also, I am at fault for not using my time more wisely. When I can't play, there is no reason that I can't spend several hours studying. Too many times, I decide that it's not safe to play, so I watch television. I need to manage my time better.

Now, on to the monthly results:

June 2010 starting bankroll, $193.34.
June 2010 ending bankroll, $215.34.
+$22.00

There are different ways to look at the progress I've made in the first half of the year. I started the year with a $50 bankroll, and now it's a little over $200. On one hand, I've only made a little over $150 in six months. On the other hand, I've quadrupled my bankroll in six months.

I feel really good about where things are going. Some of the things that I've been studying and practicing at the tables are starting to fall into place. I am a slow, systematic, plodding, step-by-step (pick your favorite adjective) learner, and when something major falls into place, it's a big deal. I'm a tortoise, not a hare.

What's really starting to work for me is aggression. Over the last week or so, there have been several times when I've felt like I was pushing people around at the tables. That's new for me.

I'm slowly developing a good skill set. Sometime I win because I'm more patient than my opponents, or because I understand the tournament situation better, or because I keep my composure when they don't, or because I know the math better. But being able to intimidate opponents, to make them fold when I have nothing, to make then think twice about calling or raising because they know that I'll keep betting on every "street" (every time community cards are dealt)--that's an important skill to being a really good player, and I think I'm finally getting it.

I'm expecting $100 weeks to become the norm sooner rather than later. When that happens, the financial part all starts to fall into place. I'll be close to the point where I can withdraw some money from the business for family needs and personal expenses (in accounting terms, withdraw owner's capital), and still be able to grow my bankroll and reinvest in the business.