Breaking out of a Funk

I currently find myself in my usual post live poker online funk. The two games are just so different that I always find myself struggling to get back into the swing of things after spending some time playing live. Things are different this time though, normally I brush it off and move on and find myself slipping back into my winning ways and going on with my game as normal. However, this time I have decided that I really want to improve.

As many of you know, I haven't really made the progress online that most people have expected me to make. Its really a function of the fact that I haven't wished to progress through the limits and have settled into $50nl and $100pl like it is a cosy home. This needs to change. I don't want to look back in the future and have regrets about my poker career. I need to know that I did everything possible to be the best player I can be. I do not possess the natural talents for the game as some of my friends do, so it will require a decent amount of work but I would like to be able to give the higher games a shot. If I fail, I fail, its not like I can't just fit back into the lower games and make a solid amount of money. My modest goal then will be being established at $200nl by the end of the year.

For the first time in a long while I am going to use a coach to help me. I have settled for the time being on RobSainter. He is something of a legend in the online world and is certainly someone I am excited to be working with. My first session is tonight so hopefully after our session I will be further motivated to succeed.

Going to focus on my volume for the next couple of weeks so I am going to posts graphs to motivate me to concentrate on my A game.

Good luck at the tables.

Flux Vegas Review

Flux decided to take on Vegas the first 10 days of February during the Venetian Deep Stack. We took out a total of six cash guys including myself and we played a range of cash games from 1/2 to 5/10. Whilst I won't mention individual results of people on the trip, it is safe to say that we are noticing there is a huge difference between online and live poker. It is a work in progress and getting good in the live environment is something that over time we will all excel at but in the short term we have hit some bumps in the road.

On a personal standpoint, I played exclusively 2/5 with one short sitting at 5/10. I have notoriously struggled at live poker due to being unable to adjust to the slower pace of the live game. However, this trip proved to be a turning point in my live career. I posted 7 winning days out of 8 and found myself feeling really comfortable in the games. Some of the days were only small wins but on those days I really think that the changes I have made in my game came to the forefront. On some of those days, I would of just thrown in the towel and posted a $500 or $600 loss for the day but I managed to battle throughout and grind out a positive result.

The 5/10 game I sat in was probably the softest of all the games I played in Vegas. I didnt get the chance to play many pots, but surprisingly I felt very comfortable sitting in the game even when double barreling for $180 on the turn. Its amazing how small of a bet $180 is in a 5/10 game. People snap it off like I just threw in a $5 chip.

With the WSOP looming on the horizon this trip is really going to make a huge difference on my summer if I can take what I learned over these 10 days back to the felt in June and July.

Aside from the live grind, we hung out at the Flux house with some of the 180 man guys we have living there and it was pretty much a blast. I rediscovered my love for pool and quickly got back in the groove. I think over the next few months I will continue to get back into the game and by the summer be ready to play a lot again. Certainly need to make a trip to the store to get myself a cue. Also figured out that FIFA 11 on the Xbox is a big hit. I love the game being from England but didnt realize how much others loved it too. In the beginning I couldnt be beat but as they got more practice, Mr Gambino in particular began to give me a great game each time and after all was said and done we are about even. Going to have to work on my formations for the summer.

Nothing is planned on the travelling front for February so I will be hitting the online felt hard for the next month or so. The next time I will be travelling will be my trip to the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland. I owe Steve a special shout out for the help planning the trip. He really is a great friend and I appreciate it all.

Starting to be an essay now so I am going to close...

Good luck at the tables.