One Year Anniversary (For Online Poker!)

So much has gone on with me personally since my last update it's not even funny. So I will just stick with my original intention to talk about my first year playing online poker. A little over one year ago on March 31st, I made my first (and only)deposit on Ultimate Bet. Many withdraws later, i'm still playing and have learned a ton. So, while in the last few months I have seen my bankroll swing up and down, I have made a big decision. I'm going to start all over again!

Here are some things that I have learned this past year:
1. I am a winning SnG player. Ok, I didn't trak my ROI, but I know I am in the money in one table tourneys about 40% of the time.
2. I can win a large online tournament. A combination of excellent cards holding up, patience and a little skill mixed in, rewarded me with a nice new and improved bankroll.
3. I am a pretty good Triple Draw player. I feel like I understand this game and could play this every day with the right bankroll.
4. Bankroll Management. I started off extremely patient with my bankroll. But, once I hit certain points in my 'roll, I put a little too much on the table at one time.
5. You need a much larger bankroll for Triple Draw, at least the $2/4 games and up. I am probably break even at this level and I think it mostly has to do with having "scared money". For some, it might not matter. For instance, lets say you have $1500 in your bankroll and you buy in to the $10/20 Triple Draw game. Well, yeah, you can buy in for $500, but it may or may not hurt if you have a 10-20 BB swing, which happens all the time in this game (at least for me).
6. Sometimes you win and give it right back. Perfect example here. Played a $20 SnG and took 1st place for $100. Seconds after the tourney window closes, I take it all to a tough $2/4 TD game that was also shorthanded and lose all my profits for the day and end up stuck. That blows.
7. I need to stay away from the Blackjack tables on 'Party. That site is sooooooo soft, but I put too much of my winnings on that damn BJ table. Sure, I won a lot, but that was a fluke, and it will never happen again!!

So what is this all telling me?
Quit TD! This is going to be a real test of my will. I LOVE that game so much. It has the perfect amount of action, skill and luck. But, the swings (as i've said before) are horrendous, for me at least. I value my bankroll way too much to let it effect my emotional state.

How am I going to quit the game?
Well, for one, I won't have the $$ anymore. At some point I may go back to it. But that won't be for a long time.

What's the plan?
Like I stated earlier, I originally deposited $50 on UB, but I had $100 in reserve, in case I went broke with my initial $50. So I am going to try it again. But this time I want to diversify a little and either open up another account on Full Tilt or 'Stars (mayyyyyyyyybeeee 'Party). I will focus on $5 SnG's until I hit $200 on that given site. I will then move to $10 SnG's until I reach $500. At any time that I hit $500 or more, I am giving myself the option to withdraw $100 or more and drop down a level or "let it ride". At $1,000 I will step up to $30 SnG's and move up a level for every $1,000 or more. My plan for cash games will be to use the 5% rule of bankroll management. Never putting more than 5% of my 'roll on a table at any time.

What about TD?
I think i'll eventually go back to that game, who knows how strong my will is? I'd like to have about $2K to play the $2/4 and $3/6 games regularly. But only time will tell.

Finally, I keep coming back to the fact that I need to do a better job of record keeping. Thankfully, my good buddy "Snadly" hooked me up with a nice little excel spreadsheet that I have already used. I guess I have to face the music; and, my piano teacher in 4th grade said it best: "I am the worlds worst procrastinator" (or would it be "best"?). So I guess it's try and try again.

I plan on updating this blog at least every week or so to keep track of things.

Wish me LUCK!!