2012 Here we come.

So as we end 2011, I have already set some of my plans for 2012.  I will indeed be working part-time now and will be dependant on poker as an income to feed my family.




I am excited and scared but largely optimistic.  Ultimately, I am confident my game has improved hugely in 2011, thanks to my coach who I worked with for 4 months and the hours I put into studying.  I hope it is enough to get to where I want to be in 2012 and that I can continue to improve so I can exceed my own expectations.

While 2011 was a good year in most ways, I am still disappointed I did not get to the WSOP this year and tho MTT are low on my agenda right now, I am hoping SNG profits will help me expand into some big live tournaments in the years too come.

So my goals,


JANUARY Goals

1500 games- Any SNG type.

12 hours study -Mainly in HEM but also finish Moshman HU book.

Blog each weekend - This is enjoyable and helps me focus from week to week.

15 Fitness sessions - I would like to think I have gained a few pounds over Christmas but if truth be known, the last nine months have contributed to me being at my heaviest weight ever and at the age of 37, if I don’t get it gone now, it will probably be here forever. As I am struggling to reach round to wipe my own arse, I had to add it.

Profit target $1500. - I don’t usually aim for cash targets but as this money will now be feeding my family, I have included it as a necessity.

2012 Goals
Reach Supernova on Stars.

Profit target $20,000

To be on at least 1 Sharkscope Leaderboard throughout the year.

For the first year as a semi-pro, I am aiming low and hoping to smash these targets in order for me to calculate more worthy targets to reach in 2013.

2012 Bucket List
Have a poker related article published in a magazine.


I wish you all a Happy New Year, good luck at all your tables apart from the ones i'm sat at.  Enjoy the celebrations.

Christmas Treat

Prior to the New Year, I will be posting my January goals as well as my longer term 2012 goals but for now thought I would just post something you may find useful over the festive period and into next year.


Top Ten Tilt Tips
　
At number 10 -
The classic, simple yet effective, TAKE A BREAK. Do something else, if it cannot be something un-poker related, make it some poker study, read a book or magazine, watch a video or surf the forums.
　
At 9 -
If the BR has a shocking look about it because of the bad cards, do something about it. Cash in some of those player points and boost your role. On paper it makes no difference whatsoever, but a small part of your brain will welcome the sight of a healthy role and the good feelings will translate into better decisions during the down periods.
　
In at No 8 -
If you cant take a break as you are soaring towards SuperNova Elite and you are saving your player points for the car then try this.
Each time you are sucked out on the river after being called by K3 for all you chips only to have your AA beaten foe the 3^rd time in the last ten minutes, LAUGH OUT LOUD. Seriously the power of laughing holds huge benefits. It will keep the good chemicals flowing to and from your brain and enable you to accept the tough cards and continue to make the correct decisions time and again.
(The Chinese have classes purely for laughter, like we do for aerobics. Business men and ladies walk in on there way home from work to just sit in a room and laugh out loud at each other. Sounds stupid, looks ridiculous but it works.)
　
Number 7 -
While the cards are playing up and every opponent seems to be calling you light and hitting, use this to your advantage. Make some effective notes on your opponents dubious plays and benefit from them in the future.
　
At 6
A change is as good as a rest. Try a set of something different. I am predominantly a 9man turbo SNG player. I recently turned to 18mans during a particular bad spell and have not played a set of 9mans for the last week due to instantly going on a heater.

The change to something that is not as comfortable will increase the concentration you will have to engage in the game and thus assist with your decision making and minimise any tilty decisions.
　
Number 5 -
NIT UP. Nobody likes playing uber tight and not really taking part in the game, but if the cards are taking the piss don’t give them too much opportunity to do it over and over. Don’t do it for too long but if only one river screws you in a SNG and you go out, you will feel better than if you get screwed on the river 10 times in the same tournament.
　
At 4
As the big pots lost mount, make a note of them. List your hand and next to it put the hand that beat you. List each big pot whether you lost or won. You may realise once its on paper that you are not being that hard done by after all. If your list continually shows AA beat by K3o and KK beat by Kjo, then try the other 9 suggestions on the list.
　
At number 3
While you have a pen and paper making lists, try dividing a piece of paper into two columns. Have a private competition between yourself and the tilting devil within.
When you make a bad decision on tilt, you usually know that it is a bad call, shove or raise even before you do it. When this is the case mark a point down for the devil, when you perceive the play to be correct mark a point down for you. Your competitive streak will minimise the bad plays as you will not want to lose this game too.
　
New at number 2 -
Now this will sound stupid BUT I guarantee that if you give it a go, you will handle tilting in a much more effective way.
Firstly, I once saw footage of Mike Matusow in a big tournament. He was way ahead with only one card to come. He verbally declared something like “I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO STIFF ME, HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, THIS WILL BE A QUEEN”. His opponent only had two queens to win the pot and sure enough, there it was a big fat queen on the river. Now think of what effect that verbal comment had on MATUSOW, I bet he felt way worse than if he had sat in silence and was willing to accept any outcome.
Now that may be a big coincidence yes, but I implore you to give this a go.
As the hand is in play and you have your money in good, AGAIN, of course. Verbally call for cards which will not hit your opponent.
I KNOW this sounds ridiculous but I tried it once and now use it every time I play. Obviously you may call for a 4 and it might not be a 4, but you will come to realise that many cards that come don’t make your opponents hand and it is only a sparse few that are pissing you off.
Plus you will find yourself hurriedly calling out for cards that don’t even exist like the “16” that I shouted for yesterday that did not materialise which will in turn put a smile on your face.
　
And the Christmas number one way of reducing the effect of tilt.
Go back to basics and ensure you are making the right plays. I would recommend going back to your own safety blanket of whatever that may be. I have some favourite strategy videos that I will watch again, you may have a favourite book or chapter of a book. On top of this, if you have it, get HEM up and start working through previous hands and any other study tools or software you have like SNGWizard. After this you will be able to see how amazing you are playing, how unlucky you really are and be able to understand that the more you play in this way, the cards will turn and you will get back to winning ways.
　
DO NOT THINK THE POKER GODS OWE YOU ANYTHING - MAKE THE CORRECT DECISION BASED ON WHAT THE CORRECT DECISION IS, NOT WHO OWES YOU WHAT.
　
Merry Christmas everyone!!



SNG coaching opportunities at
http://www.doubleagentpokercoaching.com/

　

Good week and almost ready for the leap..

A good week at the tables in an unexpected format has been a welcome feeling as we run towards Christmas and a couple of weeks of minimal poker as I get back to family times.

Almost entirely 18mans and the first time I have played them, so suffice to say, i'll be sticking with them for the foreseeable.  The good news is that I dont see some of the names in these games that send fear up my spine.  Yes, you Mr abarone68, although your Canadien crew TimmyOx and N0BigDeal pop up a bit too often too.  Sick of seeing this at my tables 

Whilst I enjoy the way these boys play and learning from them, I am usually happy to see them playing somewhere else.

I am spending more time with a couple of students I have at the minute and enjoying that especially as they have some good potential, hopefully post some graphs early next year when their results really kick in.

It should be a quiet couple of weeks pokerwise as I scale it down over Christmas so I can go hell for leather in January.  My work is almost sorted and it should be January 1st when I get to work 9 days per month and aim to use poker profits to feed my family.  (Hope they eat well over Christmas).

I doubt I will blog on Christmas day, unless something insane happens, so

Have A Merry Christmas guys and girls, hope the big fat guy in the red suit brings you something nice.  I'll take some rungood if you read this big guy.



You should be so lucky!!!

See you at the tables.

BIG News

Well, if you have not already heard.  My time with my Team MOSHMAN coach came to an end and I was promptly offered a position on the coaching team as their newest coach.

Needless to say, I snapped their hand off and I am now a bonafide coach, way before I planned to be.  And if Team MOSHMAN think that I have the knowledge and capabilities to bring something to their stable of coaches then that is enough of a tick in the box for me.

So - check this out -  http://www.doubleagentpokercoaching.com/ I am going to see if I can grow a stable of students to get my coaching off to the biggest and best start that I possibly can.  If truth be told, I really enjoy coaching and while it is probably never going to be as profitable as playing. it comes with a lot less stress and worry and more of a warm fuzzy feeling.

So massive changes in my plans this week and what do you think happened to my game with that vote of confidence, I must have been unplayable right?  You could not be more wrong, I am in the middle of the longest losing streak I have encountered for a long time, and I don't seem to be able to get out of it.  Same old story, I have not won a flip for an eternity, I have not outdrawn anybody in a big pot for the same length of time, and playing poker sucks again.  So as I start to ask people to trust in my abilities my form takes a turn for the worse. 

Fortunately we are coming to the end of the year.  I say this because the leaderboards on Sharkscope hold a lot of weight and accountability in the poker world.  While at the beginning of the year I was all over them (well the $15 9man ones, anyway), the middle of the year saw me concentrate my focus onto the satellites for the WSOP and with Black Friday, I ended playing them under that screen name altogether. 
Having set up my new home on Stars, I have no doubt, I will be in the top half of the leaderboard again, if not all the way at the top. Plus this time I will have a nice Team MOSHMAN Coach badge next to my name.

I have made an offer of some free Hand Histories on The Hendonmob.com so you can see how by  following this link http://www.thehendonmob.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41990

Time to go make some of this money back before I get too many students.  Lucky I got some rest last weekend huh.