There is no real life, only AFK.

Good morning everyone:)

Just turned on my PC and my skype screams:" people wants updates! been a week alrdy!"

Time flies so fast , sometimes I think I am gonna die so soon:) Enough of bullshit!

Hard week behind me but I've managed do earn some moniez and stay happy. First weekend in a long time that is not absolute minus. Instead, 4BI+ for this weekend which is not bad at all, given that my week usually looks like this: mon-fri = breakeven or plus, weekend = MEGAMINUS!!!!!

Real life affects so much! Some things are going better and I think that reflects to the game too. Much more A/B sessions, C game only when I am so tired of busy day or something like that.

So, my coach decided to have coaching this week and if it goes well, I'll shot NL25! So excited! Haven't been there for a year or more. Most of the time I feel like my game has sense now, even though I still have soooooo many leaks. But who doesn't?

Real life? After almost three years, I've gathered my band,We Come One, back! We have first gig 24.6.2014 with well known Croatian folk-punk band called Brkovi!

If anyone is interested about my band, you can hear it here: https://soundcloud.com/we-come-one

It is specific mixture of brass instruments and classic rock/metal band, we are playing mostly instrumentals, themes from movies, covers of famous bands and of course our own things. So happy about this, can't even say how much it means to me. I'll post some links down there, feel free to comment. (Achtung: videos from supertalent back in 2009. are here just because of quality, atm I think our biggest mistake was entering that competition. We have reached semifinals.)

All in all, BR = 445$, feeling good, hoping to shot NL25 this week!

Stay tuned!

If you'd like to hear another metalhead's opinion (disclaimer: I'm totally earless!)... for some reason, I and the likes hate the tuba when it's too prominent, maybe because the lowest sounds we're used to are growls, bass guitars and percussion. It fits nicely as a back instrument in 'The Mist' and 'War', but there's too much of it in many other pieces.

The trumpet is a nice addition, though. I don't remember it being used prominently by a big-name metal band.

As for the general style, you might rightfully dismiss the option of becoming yet another symphoblack metal band as 'too pop', but the bass instruments already add a twist into your sound. Your only local rival in pagan metal is Stribog (lol at my noob research of Croatian metal scene), btw, a solid option for future joint gigs.

To conquer local metalheads before you have enough own material, you may cover Vega's deeply patriotic anthems, they must suit you well.

And of course try to find a screaming vocalist.

I'm not sure if you're getting much life quality from the radio job, you're sounding like it's taking a lot of force from you and you'll be happy to drop it when you become a reg at like NL50.

But poker is not forever, you'll have to drop it too when you start touring with Dimmu Borgir (much loved by one of my Finnish PLO comrades, btw).

Sretno!

Back in black...

Hi all, time to report.

Tonypmm - thank you for your honest opinion and research time you put for regional bands. I could agree that brass could be arranged a little better, but at the time , most of us had 16-20 years, still going to high school, with no proper musical education. We started again, and new arrangements are different in some things, time will tell. About covers- even we got "through" with them, we try to play as less covers as possible, but of course there will be no gigs without some covers. We are picking them as we feel, sometimes that is Iron Maiden, sometimes SOAD, sometimes it is theme from Ghostbusters Thank you once again for your response, I would appreciate opinion from other people too.

Poker- not good, not good. I had black period over three days where I lost 10-11 BI due to bad play, not reviewing hands as I should, just few setups and bad mindset. All that in combo = minus. I've managed to return 10BI in last two days but I am still staying on NL10. I don't feel comfortable to shot NL25 and to be honest, my skill is not on that level atm. I told that to coach and he agrees to stay here for a while.

There are days like last three when I have full focus over one or two hours( usually I don't play longer than hour) and everything goes well. Then there are days like yesterday or last weekend where I just spew money. Graph just goes down, down, down, whatever I play. It makes me sick, but I hope that it makes me stronger. (Still don't know how, but I'll figure.)

After 67260 hands, I have exactly 2bb/100 which is really shame for me, I really need to improve. Still calling river too much. Still not cbeting enough. I can't go on higher limit which such low winrate, they will kill me.

Again, I'll try to do more updates. Thinking about posting some hands here, but than this blog will be like any other and I think there are a ton of posted hands from micro limits. I hope my next text will be about feeling good, having great BR and shooting NL25.

Still not....

Just saw my graph for last month. God it is awful. I feel sick. I mean, I know it was a bad month but that bad?

When I see something like this, it feels like I'll never be winner in poker. Never. It just seems too hard for me in the moment. So many things, so little time.

I gave myself this year to try poker, to learn, play and succeed, but at the moment all I see is fail. After 74 000 hands, I am earning 0.64$ per hour. Embarrassing, gambled time, not sure if even time which is spent right way?

I've read Learning Poker by WiltOnTilt yesterday, started Poker that matters (again, because it seems that I don't know how to calculate FOLD EQUITY (give me formula pls), which is, again, embarrassing), gathered few new instructional videos and really trying to get best from it, not just read/watch/listen brainless.

It just feels like pressure atm, because, at January 1st, it seemed like I have all the time of the world for my poker quest, but now, four months later, I've earned 30 lousy dollars. I know I shouldn't be result oriented but it seems like my game is going nowhere too.

Now, I did my boo boo here, time to regenerate and go once again. Is it going to be like Don Quijote vs windmill? I really hope it woun't.

See you soon.

That you're breakeven pre-RB is not a bad news, I wish I had ever been... Play more, get a better Edge status... profit!

@ tonypmm: I don't wanna be rude, but my goal is not to collect 10$ per week from rakeback and be breakeven on NL10. I have daily job for that kind of money. I wanna crush micro limits, not be stucked here and most important, I want to improve. I was here before and I was happy with few bucks per week, but now I am not. There is no point in wasting time on micro limits and be happy about rakeback. I would be happy if that situation is on NL400 or NL1K.

Micro limits should be here to learn the game, tendencies, sorts of opponents, hand ranges and when that is complete, we should crush them. Leave them and never go back. But that takes time, willpower, knowledge, lot of learning time out of tables, etc. I must be honest and say that I don't have that time right now, my game is not even close to my best ( 3 weeks I can't fold TPTK which is no good since 2010 ).

Still, I am not planing to quit yet. I'll try to sleep a little bit less, organize myself better and find time to study the game.

interesting read.

do you really think you are lacking technical knowledge, or it's more like you can't bring yourself to do what's correct?
i feel that what you actually need is to hire someone to punch you in the face every time you calldown a stack with tp

It think it is combination of both.

I've watched about 100 videos for 6max poker in last 2-3 years. I've read 4-5 books and I am reading one of them again. I've spent some time off tables on Pokerstove/Equilab.

Here is how I see the problem. For example, I've read Poker Math That Matters one year ago and I don't remember sh*t from it. I lack basic math knowledge. When I read it , I understand it. I practice it. I use it. For two weeks. Then I forget, find something new and keep myself busy with that.

Another example is Gordons book. I forgot 2/3 what it says inside and my whole topic and challenge is based on it! Now I am reading it again.

About videos...I think it is understandable that atm I don't know what Ironlucky said, what McDorand said, what is the difference between Baluga and Verneer.... it seems like I've done all this things on autopilot, as I was watching the movie/series or reading a crime novel.

About punching in face...yep I think it would help. I've never tilted much. Never broke something. Something I curse something and that is that. But I am not happy with my play and I am thinking about it for long time. It doesn't feel good but I can't help myself.

Bottom line is that atm I am not learning from my mistakes and that could cost me badly. Time is flying around and I am standing in one spot. And you know what they say... who doesn't improve, he deteriorates.

Nice blog, very interesting to read so far!

To me it seems like the problem is not with how much time you spend on improving your game, but how you go about doing it. If, like you said, you learn something new but forget it a few days/weeks later, then you might have done it wrong.

I'm not sure what your studying process is when you're trying to learn something new. I'm also not going to say what you should or shouldn't do, because everyone should know how the prefer to study and remember new concepts. Some prefer just reading over a text multiple times, some prefer taking a ton of notes on articles/videos, some prefer making large summaries and then summarizing those summaries, etc. You should find out what your preferred method of studying is and then stick with it. Of course, it should be an effective method. Just reading over an article once is obviously a bad idea.

About auto-piloting when watching videos, yeah, that's pretty bad. You might as well not watch them in that case, because you're probably just listening to the audio without realizing what they're talking about. Regardless of how you try to learn, you should be focused all the time, otherwise you'll simply miss out on the information.

If you can't seem to get these things figured out on your own, perhaps it's an idea to try and get coaching from someone? This could really help you get back on track not only with your game, but also with the way you approach the game and improving your game by yourself. So regarding this:

And you know what they say... who doesn't improve, he deteriorates.

I agree. And if you can't improve by yourself, then maybe you should considering getting some help for it!

Will be following this blog!

Heh title got me here!

Well done sir!

Subscribed since i like and want to start ZOOM too

@OP: it's OK that you started at the micros and didn't lose money when you were a fish. But immediately after you go through the learning period and feel you're playing well - learn ranges, opponent profiling etc. as you listed - not necessarily when you have a 'crushing' monetary result (the variance can make the actual results lower than your skill would produce) - please consider skipping as many limits as you can (I guess NL50 requires pretty much the same skill level as NL10, at least I know that's true for PLO20 and PLO4) because the games are drying up too fast.

(That's also why I see you rather as a successful musician in the long run - music will always be decently paid for, while online poker is a short-lived craze that can't be superior to other occupations forever, it's already been too good for too long.)

In 2009, hailing from the middle class, I already had €10K in a personal checking account (a brag, I know) and a (semi-)orphan pension of €200/month and could afford to learn poker by grinding decent stakes by trial and error... instead, I was too stubborn to deposit and didn't get a remotely decent rakeback %, and as a result, I skipped the 3 yet juicy years when I could have made enough money for retirement (by the age of 25, hehe).

Carpe diem!

Wow, thank you all for responding! Quality posts and answers, I really had a lot to think about.

Last night huge turnover happened. I turned on my skype and message from my staker and "coach" was there: "We are canceling this deal, it doesn't make sense..."

It really didn't came as shock to me, as my results were bad lately.
I've made 30$ of profit in 82741 hands.
I've played that 82741 hands since May 1st 2014 which is , given mine free time - ok, but if I wanna be honest, it could be 100 000.

I had two and a half sessions with my coach in that period, we have managed to analyze some hands, but most of his responds to my questions were "Equilab". Since I lack poker math knowledge I was very slow... For example I was figuring out one hand more than 10 days!!!( I've mentioned it here)

To be honest I felt good with him only in those live sessions, other relationship was pretty cold, slow and ignorant.
I've started again with No Bull*** 6max poker book and Baluga 3rd edition..

And here we are... crossroad. I've told myself I'd give this year chance to catch NL50 and earn some "serious" money or quit poker. Almost half year later, after split with my staker, I have about 15$ on my acc.

There are two options:

1) Try to find staker+ coach here
2) Start from NL2 again.

First option: I can play 2-3 hours per day on regular basis (sometimes more) and that is what I can promise. I LIKE live sessions, hand reviews. I LIKE "monkey see monkey do" teaching with understanding of course. Some things I can't learn by myself since obviously I have holes in my basic knowledge. It is ok for me to split everything 50/50 and I would like to start at least at NL10, not lower.

My graph and stats from last staking.

Second option: I'll start NL2 with 15$ and try to grind it out, be my own man but without coaching I am not sure about myself atm.

If you have ANY suggestions I would appriciate them! If, somehow you want to offer me staking+coaching, please message me here or in PM.

This is huge thing for me, and decision through next few days could determine my poker future, so feel free to say anything.

Very sorry to hear that

I can't really help you with staking unfortunately. I would suggest you to apply for a staking in our staking forum, but you need at least 300 posts for that, so that's not an option either.

The best thing I can recommend is to follow our coachings and videos closely. For example, this series might be perfect for you:

w34z3l's 6max walkthrough - (microstakes edition)

Also, we have a "Zero to Hero" coaching series coming up which could be useful for you.

[Coaching] From Zero to Hero - Master the Basics and Refine your Game

You do need Silver status for both of these, but that shouldn't be too difficult to get

Dependent on the stakes you want to start playing and the money you have available to you that you are willing to spend, getting a coach might not be worth it at this point because you might simply not be able to afford it yet. If you do want to look for a coach though, maybe you can find someone here:

Private coaching forum

That's about all the advice I can think of at the moment. Hopefully you will be able to figure something out! You set yourself a goal of reaching NL50 by the end of the year, so don't let yourself down and go for it!

Don't give up

A psychologist working with poker players once told me that 80% of players feel more comfortable when staked but 20% (incl. me) feel better when playing on their own (I for one feel guilty when I make mistakes and other great people - stakers - lose money because of that)... Plus the warmth of the relationship you establish with the staker is very relevant indeed.

One thing you should ensure when getting staked is a detailed contract, preferably with a significant fine for the staker for the decision to end the deal prematurely. Otherwise stakers will be just freerolling on you, dropping you when you get into makeup early, but taking their share for the whole period when you're up. A legit staker should accept that losses can happen and absorb all of them in the entire agreed period (or up to an agreed stoploss), otherwise the profit split should be made in your favour. Dropping a horse whenever the staker's left foot wants is a poor business practice.

Wow again! Incredible posts you are writing here! Thank you a lot!

I've talked with my good friend Dendra, he is kind of life coach, I mean he does not do it as pro, but everything he says makes sense and makes me calmed.

I've told him that I can't start on NL2 again after 3 years of poker, it would feel as defeat and waste of time. He responded in a way: .."and you think that not making any money on NL10 is winning? At the end of the day money is why you are playing and what you are looking for. Why wouldn't you crush NL2 and NL5 again and make some serious money in few months than confidently attack NL10 and higher? Why is NL50 important? You need to change perspective... what looks as defeat to one, it is win and chance to rebuild and do it right way to another."

I think he is right.
Combined with what You said... I have no money for coach and if I wanna do it, I have to do it my way, slowly, correctly, in detail. I'll give myself one more day but NL2 is probably good way to start. I am not interested in rb deals, rooms with bad traffic. I'll go to PS, play a lot and crush them. There is no other option. When I am NL10, I'll go back to FT, use my points for ring game tickets and crush them.

If you have any other suggestions, just write. I REALLY appreciate all of your comments, all kind of angles are welcomed.

Stay tuned.

Stars are actually a great place to play NL2-10 because they award more VPPs per $ of rake (10 @NL2, 8.5 @NL5, 7 @NL10), so there's no need for a RB deal for these limits - Silver-Goldstars there get a bigger % than Supernovas at NL25+. FPPs can be effectively used to buy tourney tickets with no visible loss of value (in comparison with the Supernova $600-1600 rewards). Stars do care about nanostake players, it's rake at NL/PLO25-200 that yet needs to be fixed.

As for starting from the bottom... it's really necessary to eliminate the ego anyway - if you preserve it, you won't go far in poker. I wish I had the balls to start low and learn the basics... and I hope you can do it!

But again, once you learn those basics and prove that you're skilled enough to crush the nanos, move up regardless of the luck because you have a side income which can fund your shots. The purpose of playing NL2 (or NL5-10 for that matter) is rather not to win money as such but to 1) lose less money during learning and 2) eventually gain confidence when you start outplaying the field (thought processes in poker, such as range construction, adjustment to opponents, don't depend much on the limit, do they?).

Added you on here. If you make a 40min video of you playing I'll go through it with you and see if I can help.

Far from a coach but beating nl20/25 comfortably so I'll do my best to help!

I've read just several last posts of yours, didn't read all of them, maybe will do next day, but everything I see that you are too much money oriented talking about NL10 blah blah blah, seriously is this your goal?

Forget the money, why aren't you concentrating on making the best decisions instead of that cents. You won't make money at these stakes it doesn't matter if it's NL2 or NL10 or NL50. If you are grinding for food at these stakes it's still paycheck to paycheck. Firstly learn the game, money will come by itself. Trust me, I have went through all of this, you can read it in my blog, which I'm not updating anymore, but getting my bankroll busted from 5k to 50$ after 2 years of playing didn't look so cool too until I realized that I'm a huge fish.

Watching videos, reading books imo it's just pretending that you are studying the game. I know that feeling when I'm just sitting and watching a video and thinking: "yeaahh, I'm studying my game, investing my time, I'll crush I know", but it's just cheating.

I would suggest you to start getting more deeper into analyzing you own game, not looking just at results graph. Start posting hands on the forums, post it here on your blog(I'll check them too(not promise, coz sometimes I'm really lazy ♦)). Getting ideas from the other people and hearing their thought process is really important. It doesn't matter if these people are terrible at poker or crushing the game, you have to know how all types of players are thinking, you just need to pick the most relevant stuff and implement to your game. Find a Skype group of motivated people, for daily discussions(it was one of the best decisions I've ever made).

I'll finish now, already wrote a wall of text, feel free to ask anything, I'll check this blog from time to time. If you really like this game and you want to succeed, just chin up, keep working and grinding hard and one day you will be where you want to be. Peace.

So many golden nuggets you've written here, they should be on a wall in a frame! Especially the one about getting into fish's minds, giving me a legit reason to spam STT / PLO strategy forums by my nonsense

I just feel amazed about you guys that posted here to help a guy when it is needed. You are the best honourable members that stand up for someone not just watch and keep silent.

My bit of a help would look like this.
I went from stable nl25 witha roll of ~1000$ to not being able to beat nl2.
One of the main reason actually was a will to be better so I was becoming a huge lag and that lead to an aggressively spewy fish.
What I did?
I started by the basics- tight preflop ranges. Search for Harrington`s recomendation for this.
Then watch weazel video where he talks about cbetting ang game plan. Evolution of poker.
Then go and crush nl5 and up.

I am currently able to beat nl20 on ipoker.