I was going to travel January and take all month off as i sensed being burnt out. After 2 weeks off i returned to the tables and put in a record breaking January. Incredible start to the year with only half a month in the games. This month looks like it could be a record month too, the games have been really good plus i'm on a nice upswing.
Lets look at a recap of my 2016 Goals:
MTT: Play more live MTT when I feel motivated. Play more online satellites to reduce MTT costs. Record MTT stats separate to cash game stats.
Live Cash Games: Play 1000 hours total, at least 200 hours of £5/£10, and 500+ hours of £2/£5. Research bigger game locations in London and other cities. Look at options for relocating once bigger game locations and sustainability of these games are more clearly known to me.
Study: Keep on running simulations to compare the EV of different lines and continue to improve my game.
Travel: Visit 4 Countries.
Exercise: Exercise 3 hours per week, running, swimming, biking, and weights in addition to my average of 3.5 hours Yoga and 6 hours walking per week.
Sleep: Strive for much more sleep by improving my sleep pattern and get a better sleep cycle. Track my sleep with a sleep app.
Social Life: Continue making new friends and increasing my non poker and poker social circles.
Increase Blog Updates: Continue the blog updates and look into other media such as Instagram and Twitter. This will help meeting and maintaining new poker social circles.
2016 Reviewed
2016 was a great effort. I logged 1226.5 hours at cash games which was 198.25 hours more than last year. I played some £1/£2/£4, £2/£5 and 5/5 & 5/10 Euro games in Barcelona rougly totaling around 85 hours so no where near the volume i wanted in bigger games. My winrate increased by £0.89 in 2016. Even though that's almost a 0.5BB/hr increase i still think i can do better at the £1/2 level. I'm hoping i don't get chance to prove my theory correct as i'm currently making plans to log allot of volume at $2/$5 and some $5/$10 in the United States. One plan fell through for a long stint in Miami/South Florida which would have seen me fly out last week. Disappointing that the person i was in contact with didn't seem to come through on our plans for whatever reason, i'm hopeful i can find other accommodation shortly. I have a few contacts in LA now and the games are good there too. It would be nice to visit both places but i may adjust my plan and grind there though if i don't get to go to Miami/South Florida, we'll have to see.
I actual won money in MTTs last year. I only played 13 MTTs. 8 Events, 2 Casino small MTTs and 3 Satellites(2 of these were online). In total i logged 59 hours in all forms of MTTs. My hourly was considerably lower than cash games but still would be classed as a good hourly in a job. I bubbled a final table where £10k was up top. I busted out AQ v AJ all in preflop for 33BB pot. That was the closest i came to a good score all year. £550 there seemed a kick in the teeth for 2 days of MTT poker. That's the thing i hate about Tournament Poker, huge variance and i don't log enough volume to see the sunny side sooner.
My exercise targets were again exceeded. Like last year though i became very drained during the last few months and after my return from Barcelona in September i went from training 15-20 times a month to just 4. I plan to get back on track as i believe it's very important to be super fit playing so many hours of poker a month. It really helps me reduce mental and physical fatigue and vastly improves my ability to stay focused for longer at the table.
My study of the game could have been better but due to more hours logged that suffered a little. I still put the work in but not as much as i would have liked. My winrate reflects an increased ability so i know i'm on a good path. Extra effort is always going to increase your chances of greater success though. I discuss hands now and all other poker things with a very like minded guy from the US. We are from a similar school of thought, although i'd say he is maybe has a stronger grasp on GTO.
My sleep again needs tweaking. Since late September now my schedule has been all over which makes for really turbulent sleep cycles. I monitor my sleep using a FitBit and have taken measures such as wearing earplugs and an eye mask which has had positive results.
I signed up for a twitter and follow all the big card rooms in London. They are very good at updating the game status. I find that roughly every 15 minutes they update their twitter to reflect the game status. I didn't play any games in London, but signing up for Twitter has shown it can be used as a useful tool for information.
My social life has been better but more of an effort needs to be made on my part. It's harder as you get older and having a very odd job and irregular schedule makes it even more of a challenge.
Although 2016 was good i'm still very hungry for more success. I have thought long and hard about my main aim last year, which was trying to establish myself into bigger games. I still have the same view as last year, that i'm not willing to grind for a maximum of £20 an hour at £1/£2 and sacrifice sleep, social life and health by playing and traveling so much when i could be sat playing £2/£5 or £5/£10. I have confided my deep feelings to a few people very close to me and it's helped me gain clarity of what i must do. There is no question about it, i have to travel to play and potential relocate. I think LA and Miami are great starting points to get a good reference point into the profitability of bigger games.
2017 Goals
MTT: Play more live MTT when I feel motivated. Play more online satellites to reduce MTT costs. Record MTT stats separate to cash game stats.
Live Cash Games: Play 1000 hours total. Play at least 500 hours of $2/$5 and £2/£5. Play in LA & Miami. Continue to research bigger game locations in London and other cities. Look at options for relocating once bigger game locations and sustainability of these games are more clearly known to me.
Study: Keep on running simulations to compare the EV of different lines and continue to improve my game. Keep on talking with other players.
Travel: Visit 5 different cities for poker.
Exercise: Exercise 3 hours per week, running, swimming, biking, and weights in addition to my average of 3.5 hours Yoga and 6 hours walking per week.
Sleep: Strive for much more sleep by improving my sleep pattern and get a better sleep cycle. Track my sleep with a sleep app. Continue to use ear plugs and an eye mask when appropriate.
Social Life: Continue making new friends and increasing my non poker and poker social circles.
Increase Blog Updates: Continue the blog updates and look into other media such as Instagram. This will help meeting and maintaining new poker social circles.
GL Everyone
Mat : )
Live Cash Games: Play 1000 hours total. Play at least 500 hours of $2/$5 and £2/£5. Play in LA & Miami. Continue to research bigger game locations in London and other cities. Look at options for relocating once bigger game locations and sustainability of these games are more clearly known to me.
Study: Keep on running simulations to compare the EV of different lines and continue to improve my game. Keep on talking with other players.
Travel: Visit 5 different cities for poker.
Exercise: Exercise 3 hours per week, running, swimming, biking, and weights in addition to my average of 3.5 hours Yoga and 6 hours walking per week.
Sleep: Strive for much more sleep by improving my sleep pattern and get a better sleep cycle. Track my sleep with a sleep app. Continue to use ear plugs and an eye mask when appropriate.
Social Life: Continue making new friends and increasing my non poker and poker social circles.
Increase Blog Updates: Continue the blog updates and look into other media such as Instagram. This will help meeting and maintaining new poker social circles.
GL Everyone
Mat : )
