2009 results/reflections, and 2010 goals thread

[risk2Dupside]

Hopefully many of you are goal-oriented with respects to poker, so I thought I'd set up a little goals/resolutions thread that everyone can feel free to add to, plus reflect on their experiences, and hopefully we all keeping getting better and crush in 2010.

2009 results - I started the year with a small bankroll, was working 60-80 hours a week researching stocks and was at best a breakeven poker player for the prior year. I chipped away at 4/180s and small MTTs for the first three months of this year while I was working, being really strict with respects to my bankroll and managed to grind up some good little scores in big fields simply by putting a heap of time in (ie what I lacked in skill I made up for in volume, study and railing everyone else). By March I was playing pretty much non-stop over the weekend and most nights, watching videos/reading forums and bugging the shit out of all of the good Aussie/2p2 guys for advice on hands and spots. I decided I had enough money/other interests to support myself for a while even if I never made a dime out of poker, so I bit the bullet and quit to play full time in June.

It wasn't exactly a risk-free decision, but I figured I was definitely re-employable and more interested in following my passions rather than simply making money for the sake of it, and my gf has been super supportive which helps immensely. I've played fulltime for six months now, and while I've had some ups (shipped the 5r, second in the nightly 70k), some disappointments (FT bubbling in some pretty gross spots, not closing out enough), and some downswings that have meant I constantly move up and down stakes, I am really happy I made the decision and am probably more hungry to crush now than I was when I started.

I'm also super grateful to a bunch of you guys that have helped me either with advice, encouragement, railing or just generally putting up with my shit/badgering - specifically Joel (Strong Play), Jarred (FlopNutsOnYou), Dean (Dinhjo), Jay (SEABEAST), Ben (CNT_CRUSHER), Nick (nickkaka), Damien (zedveron), kennl (whoever you are!), Mat Hawker, Grant (grunter) and JoeyDel...but a bunch of others too so sorry if you didn't get a specific mention - if you have even said 'gl mang' when I'm on an FT I appreciated it

2010 goals

- Keeping working hard enough at this to not have to go back to my old job! I'm definitely a good step down from the leading Aussie guys atm but I'm not gonna fail by not putting enough time in studying/playing or neglecting small stakes stuff where I can grind out a reasonably consistent income.
- Finally get some five figure scores after getting close with an 8k and a 9k, and hopefully six figures for the year.
- Get better at playing 50bb+ deep, both in MTTs and six max cash.
- Top 20 PLB for Australia by the end of this year (hard when everyone crushes so much!)
- Do more to help out up and coming players

Your turn guys... and gl in 2010!

[thkcduckworth]

Any thoughts on live aspirations for the year Risk?

Cash or tourneys?

[risk2Dupside]

Originally Posted by thkcduckworth

Any thoughts on live aspirations for the year Risk?

Cash or tourneys?

I kept live out of it, primarily b/c the variance is so sick, and the frequency of my live play is dependent on my roll/satellite wins/selling pieces etc. If I do anything live I'll be happy ofc

As for cash I would like to be profitable at 200NL online by the end of the year, which I am prepared to put some work into. Live cash is not something I play except casually (or the two weeks I grinded when our internet was getting set up down here, lol).

[Murphmaester]

Originally Posted by risk2Dupside

- Do more to help out up and coming players

You do a great job of this already IMO Risk.

2009

As someone who holidays in Vegas fairly regularly and loves a gamble I am amazed I never discovered poker earlier in my life. I played my first ever tourney in June and have spent the last six months donking it around Pokerstars losing a fair chunk of cash in the process and loved every minute!

I am getting better however and this site has been a fantastic resource for me. I am never going to become a grinder like the top guys on this site but do take my poker seriously, it has become my passion and is a game I wish I had found years ago as I do think I can become pretty decent at it. I have already had a couple of nice cashes but my crap bankroll management and poor discipline has resulted in a ROI figure that makes me look worse than I am. I mean, I finish 3rd in a $33 and then go and play some $200 buy-ins!! haha, I am a fool sometimes.

People like Risk and Nick have been especially helpful, I know I have been annoying at times but your guys patience and help has been greatly appreciated. I will certainly be buying you a drink if I ever bump into you next year. That goes for everyone else who has helped too, I am only sorry I never took up Jarred's coaching offer now that he is a superstar of Aussie poker! but my funds were a little light at the time.


2010

My ultimate goal for Poker is not to quit work and grind full time, I am fortunate enough to have a very well paid job which can support my playing to some degree. My aim is to play in some live tourneys next year and improve my game. I do believe I am capable of improving enough to take down a big tourney one day and this is my ultimate goal. So next year is about knuckling down and being serious about building my bankroll. I see Pokerstars as a place to learn and to make some money to invest in live tournaments.

So I have set myself a target of playing in the ANZPT's this year, maybe them all if I can win some seats on Pokerstars. I will definately be buying into the Queensland and maybe the Sydney event regardless of satellite success.

But my ultimate aim is to play in the WSOP, I already have permission from the wife who is strangely quite happy for me to go to Vegas on my own this year. I am going to make it my number one goal for this year to win a seat and everything I do online the first half of the year is going to be geared towards achieving that. If I do get to play in the WSOP then next year will have been a success regardless of how I actually play in it.

So there you go, some fairly simple goals for 2010!

Thanks to everyone for your help, and hope you all achieve something next year. Hopefully I will meet one or two of you at a FT next year.

[thret]

My aspirations for next year:

a) Any FT at AM, by which I mean in either the O8 or HORSE.
b) Somehow not go broke.
c) Somehow get to WSOP.

[Nick the Greek]

2010 GOALS

1) Put more volume ( if time permits ) and be serious with online play .
2) Watch more vids
3) Try and get someone to coach and pick up things i might miss .
4) Win at least one major
5) Try and make it for the circus in 2010
6) Become balla enough to quit working

[bazooka87]

2009
Started the year with something like a 10k roll and making nearly no progress in 2008 due to Macau and some other expenses. Forced myself to put in a lot of volume, but eventually backer had to drop me around September because he was buying a house. Found a new backer pretty quickly and since then I've made a ton, including a 50k month in November during the 2+2 tlb contest. Also finally forced my way into Aus top 10 on P5s due to others around me dropping their volume. While poker has been going great, uni has been going pretty lousy. I'm passing everything, but not nearly as well as I have the potential to do. I'm a reasonably smart guy (I think?) but my marks aren't exactly showing this.

2010
Poker wise I want to try playing unbacked at some point next year. I may have to drop some higher buyin stuff but I think it'll be worth it because I can crush everything up to $109s but my roi in the $150s and most majors is pretty terrible. I wanna be top 10 at the end of the year again, but may fall off at the start. More than anything, I want to do well at uni in my last semester. Hand in everything on time, and get at least a credit in everything. I definitely have the potential to do this if I drop the volume I play. When I finish, I also want to explore some other degree options. My degree is pretty much useless, especially with my marks, so I want to try and get into some kind of business/commerce/etc. degree. I also really want to get fit. I'm a scrawny weakling, and while I'm definitely not fat by any means, I have almost no muscle to speak of either, and I think some fat may creep in if I continue to put off going to the gym. So while I'm going to Thailand in January and February, as soon as I get back I want to go the gym at least four times a week, and the days I don't go I want to go for a jog or bike ride or something. I feel all this is pretty achievable if I work hard enough. So yeah, gl me and gl to all you guys!

[Nick the Greek]

backed > uni = nice life .

[TurnRiva]

Mine are simple, be healthy, cash more than one WSOP event, win more than one live tournament, get beastly at the nlhe... gl 2 all for the coming year..

[TurnRiva]

Originally Posted by bazooka87

2009
Started the year with something like a 10k roll and making nearly no progress in 2008 due to Macau and some other expenses. Forced myself to put in a lot of volume, but eventually backer had to drop me around September because he was buying a house. Found a new backer pretty quickly and since then I've made a ton, including a 50k month in November during the 2+2 tlb contest. Also finally forced my way into Aus top 10 on P5s due to others around me dropping their volume. While poker has been going great, uni has been going pretty lousy. I'm passing everything, but not nearly as well as I have the potential to do. I'm a reasonably smart guy (I think?) but my marks aren't exactly showing this.

2010
Poker wise I want to try playing unbacked at some point next year. I may have to drop some higher buyin stuff but I think it'll be worth it because I can crush everything up to $109s but my roi in the $150s and most majors is pretty terrible. I wanna be top 10 at the end of the year again, but may fall off at the start. More than anything, I want to do well at uni in my last semester. Hand in everything on time, and get at least a credit in everything. I definitely have the potential to do this if I drop the volume I play. When I finish, I also want to explore some other degree options. My degree is pretty much useless, especially with my marks, so I want to try and get into some kind of business/commerce/etc. degree. I also really want to get fit. I'm a scrawny weakling, and while I'm definitely not fat by any means, I have almost no muscle to speak of either, and I think some fat may creep in if I continue to put off going to the gym. So while I'm going to Thailand in January and February, as soon as I get back I want to go the gym at least four times a week, and the days I don't go I want to go for a jog or bike ride or something. I feel all this is pretty achievable if I work hard enough. So yeah, gl me and gl to all you guys!

Beer race to top 10, cant forget that ish...