The modest 2017 goals of a part-timer grinder

Here's a link to the podcast, theres also a great excerpt from Ben Hayles new book.
Post Flop Poker podcast

Week 38 summary
(18th Sept - 24th Sept)

Games played to date 785 - 52% of 2017 volume goal achieved

I have studied this week for 3 ¼ hours
Study time to date is 57 ¼ hours - 48% of 2017 study goal achieved

Bankroll = $41

Comments
I am very disappointed with my results. I am running under ev but even so my HM ‘luck adjusted’ graph is still losing. It’s demoralising to face such consistant poor results. However, my sample size is small, and I realise its not helpful to be entirely results orientated.

I am more pleased with my study regime over the last week. I have been studying hand reading using the following method. In HM2 I make an ‘alias’ and add several reasonable or good regs whom I have a good numbers of hand on. Then I filter by ‘hero saw showdown’ and ‘BB less that 100’. This generates hands which feature action over several streets, making good hand reading fodder. Also, I can then update my notes on these regs should their observed ranges fall outside what I had expected.

I have spent a lot of time using ICMIZER coach also. I am managing to achieve streaks of 2, 3 even 4 sometimes. (This is when you correctly pick each of the four options as push/fold). In general the ICM work I am doing is paying off and I mostly have a good idea of shove ranges in late position at various stack distributions. I have been tending to concentrate on bubble ICM and I am now looking more at 5 and 6 handed spots from CO and HJ.

I am continuing my ‘commute’ study, where I listen to my own recordings or poker pod casts (The Poker Guys, Sky Matsuhasti, Post Flop Poker Podacst). I am realising that the recordings I have made are a little too information dense. There seems to be a limit to the information I can process while driving to work. After the first 20 mins or so of my recordings, my brain seems to become saturated, and I feel less able to take in further information. I will modify this study method and build short focused play lists.

Week 39 and 40 summary
(25th Sept - 08th Oct)

Games played to date 794 - 53% of 2017 volume goal achieved

I have studied this week for 1 ¾ hours
Study time to date is 59 hours - 49% of 2017 study goal achieved

Bankroll = $34

Comments
Study was the following:

Reseals at BB80 level with eff stack 16 - 24 ish bbs. I found that of the times I folded to steal, a resteal would have been correct in about 33% of instances. I am targeting thinking player types would are stealing with a 35-45%ish range and calling with around 6-8% range. This topic is a huge leak in my game at present, and I feel addressing this alone will improve my results significantly.

Also studied bubble SB shoves at diff stack set ups, and ICM dynamic with one larger stack and 3 equal stacks and how ranges are altered as larger stack moves round positions.

I also studied with ICMIZER sng coach and some random spots from recent games, mainly estimating my equity versus villain range.

The slight changes I made to my commute study routine have made this commute study time more productive, even although the total amount of content I am listening too has decreased. I now listen to 15 or 20 minutes of my own recordings, then I stop listening and spent the next 5 or 10 minutes recalling the information I have just listened to. This completely avoids any information overload, when things begin to go in one ear, and straight out the other!

General comments
Another very busy two weeks. Here’s how it went (all work hours include commute):

Mon 25th - Tai Chi 1.5 hours and worked 7 hours teaching guitar
Tues 26th - worked 14 hours at audio hire company
Wed 27th - worked 13 hours (audio hire)
Thurs 28th - day off
Fri 29th - worked 12 hours (audio hire)
Sat 30th - worked 10 hours sound engineering
Sun 1st worked 10 hours (audio hire)
Mon 2nd - worked 7 hours teaching guitar
Tues 3rd -worked 13 hours (audio hire)
Wed 4th - worked 12 hours (audio hire)
Thurs 5th worked 14 hours (audio hire)
Fri 6th - worked 15 hours (audio hire/engineering)
Sat 7th worked 8 hours (audio hire/engineering)
Sun 8th - day off

That’s 136.5 working/commuting/Tai Chi hours. If I add 8 hours sleep per day, and the 90 mins it takes me to have breakfast, make packed lunch, shower etc on a work day, I’m left with 72 hours. Leaving my 2 days off aside, that leaves about 3 hours per working day to have an evening meal, shower, do laundry etc, and to squeeze poker play and study in.

I actually a bit surprised that this calculation shows 3 hours per day, as on most of my working days I arrive home between 8.15 and 8.45pm and have to be in bed by 10.45pm for early start next day.

Week 41 summary
(9th Oct - 15th Oct)

Games played to date 820 - 55% of 2017 volume goal achieved

I have studied this week for 2.5 hours
Study time to date is 61.5 hours - 51% of 2017 study goal achieved

Comments
Study was the following:

ICM check of push/fold spots from in game, constructing re-steal ranges using ICMIZER.

Week 42 summary
(16th Oct - 22nd Oct)

I have studied this week for 1.5 hours
Study time to date is 68.5 hours - 57% of 2017 study goal achieved

Note: the above figure is corrected.
Somehow my addition in previous posts missed some hours. This is possibly due to the template which I use to post. I do not always save the template after entering the new weeks activities, so when using the template in subsequent weeks, the previous weeks hour would be missing.

Comments
Study was the following:
Constructing re-steal ranges using ICMIZER and listening to The Poker Guys podcast

Also, unfortunatley we have a family member who is unwell at the moment. This is likely to impact on my working life, and also my poker.

Week 43 summary
(23rd Oct - 29th Oct)

I have studied this week for 1 hour
Study time to date is 69.5 hours - 58% of 2017 study goal achieved

Comments
Study was The Poker Guys pod cast and PostFlop Poker pod cast.

And lordy lordy, I'm on my second day of a ten days straight work marathon. I will barely have time to eat, let alone study or play. Good for the 'life' bankroll tho'.

Week 44 summary
(30th Oct - 5th Nov)

I have studied this week for 2 hours
Study time to date is 71.5 hours - 60% of 2017 study goal achieved

Comments
This week I worked seven days straight with several 12 hour shifts. I am pleased with the small amount of study time I managed to squeeze in. My study was ICMIZER quiz, great for study session when time is short, and listening to pod casts on my commute.

Week 45 and 46 summary
(6th Nov - 19th Nov)

I have studied this week for 1.5 hours
Study time to date is 73 hours - 61% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date 850 - 57% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Bankroll = $42

Comments
Again I find that a heavy workload at work is impacting on my table time. (This year has been my most successful since I became self employed). I have also chosen to get back to the gym over the last two weeks, rather than study or grind.

I hope to have some time to play over this coming weekend. That said, I am enjoying taking time out and relaxing with free time at present, after such a hectic year.

Week 47 summary
(20th Nov - 26th Nov)

I have studied this week for 1 hours
Study time to date is 74 hours - 62% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date 863 - 57% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Bankroll = $37

Comments
I had some time over the weekend to play, but I choose to fit in two workouts and watch a great film, Ex Machina. Also, my father is not too well at present which reduces my free time. But of course, I gotta look after the ‘old man’.

My only hope of making significant volume progress in to use the festive holiday period to grind my volume up. That’s fine, there’s never much else to do during the Xmas holidays anyway!

Week 48 summary
(27th Nov - 3rd Dec)

I have studied this week for 3 hours
Study time to date is 77 hours - 64% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date 876 - 58% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Bankroll = $39

Comments
Study was listening to pod casts and doing ICMIZER SnG quiz. I had an unexpected day off on Sunday but rather than grind I choose to watch a Columbo film (Death Hits the Jackpot), have a workout and take my father, who is not too well, on a short walk. I did study so I still managed to get some poker-time into the day.

Week 49 summary
(4th Dec - 10th Dec)

I have studied this week for 1 hours
Study time to date is 78 hours - 65% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date 891 - 59% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Pokerstars Bankroll = $54

Unibet Bankroll = $118

Comments
Study was listening to pod casts and doing ICMIZER SnG quiz

Week 50 summary
(11th Dec - 17th Dec)

I have studied this week for 0 hours
Study time to date is 78 hours - 65% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date:
Pokerstars - 891
Unibet - 39
Total games played 930 - 62% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Pokerstars Bankroll = $54

Unibet Bankroll = $141

Comments
HM2 HUD stopped working on Pokestars games. Many user experienced this, there was some gremlin in the system. HM2 were very quick to fix the problem with an update, the fix took around two days. (When the same thing happened to PT4 at 888 years ago it took them weeks to resolve, which is why I moved to HM2).

As I was unable to play at ‘stars, I opened the Unibet client and played some games there. Unibet do not allow tracking software, and users can have up to five playing id’s, so essentially everyone is an unknown. The software is very basic, no shortcuts. However, at Unibet the field is perhaps the softest of any poker site. I look forward to playing more there.

Before I return to ‘stars I need to back-up my database and dl the beta update that fixes the ‘stars HUD issue.

Week 51 and 52 summary
(18th Dec - 21st Dec)

I have studied for 3.75 hours
Study time to date is 81.5 hours - 68% of 2017 study goal achieved

Games played to date:
Pokerstars - 891
Unibet - 78
Total games played 969 - 65% of 2017 volume goal achieved

Pokerstars Bankroll = $55 (-$147 for the year)

Unibet Bankroll = €155 (+€30 for the year)

Comments
My father is increasingly unwell. This will affect my poker time as I am having to spend a lot of time caring for him. Love the ol’ guy tho’.

I have decided simply to continue with my current goals until complete.

Jan 2018

I'm very sad to say that we are assuming my father is suffering from a demetia type condition. I have had to leave one of my jobs in order to keep an eye on him. Poker will have to take a back seat at present.

June 2018

Several months ago my father was diagnosed with dementia. This was not a surprise. My family have been working well together to care for my father and ensure he is comfortable and his needs are met. I have been unable to play or study much poker so far this year. Over the past few days however, I have played a little at Unibet. I will keep this blog going simply to track my balance at Unibet.

Unibet bankroll = $157