So I cashed out some money, donked off some more, and have not been playing much poker recently.  What I did do is leave myself $150 with which to attempt to qualify for EPT Prague - I'm pretty sure I won't manage it, but will update later with whether I get there or not.

People always suggest taking breaks from poker when you're tilting/just not feeling it, but not everyone follows that advice.  Having massively reduced my playing in recent times, I can assure you that it does rekindle a passion for the game.  We all love poker, sometimes you just have to take a step back to remember why.

I promised to run my poker like a business when I returned, and as soon as I finish with these satellites, that's exactly what I'll do.  I'm lucky enough to be in a well paid job that I enjoy, and therefore there's no rush to hit the top of the poker world (although obviously that is the long term goal).  In the past I have been in situations where I've felt poker is my escape from hated jobs, and played tried to work my way up underrolled as a result.  Seeing a bankroll as a tool, instead of much needed money should ensure I play a much more optimal game from now.

And talking of bankroll, this is how I intend to achieve my rise to the top levels of the game (as you can see, I will be slightly underrolled at first, becoming more responsibly as the "business" grows).

$0.05/$0.10 - $100
$0.10/$0.25 - $300
$0.25/$0.50 - $700
$0.50/$1 - $1700
$1/$2 - $4000
$2/$4 - $10,000
$3/$6 - $18,000
$4/$8 - $28,000
$5/$10 - $40,000
$10/$20 - $90,000
$25/$50 - $250,000
$50/$100 - $550,000
$100/$200 - $1,200,000
$200/$400 - $2,600,000
$300/$600 - $4,200,000
$500/$1000 - $7,500,000

Very ambitious, I know, but I also know I'll get there one day.

Right, I'm off to qualify for EPT Prague, report back later

What a difference 6 hours can make.  I'm now back in love with poker (although still planning a short break).

After crashing out of a $50 tournament through some awful play, and a $5 tournament through a horrible beat, I was giving up hope of cashing before my week off.  However, I refocused, and waded through a field of 1100 (which included 1996 WSOP Champion Huck Seed), to finish 2nd for $649 in a $5 NLHE tournament on FullTilt.  I was a little disappointed that I couldn't overcome a 6-1 chip deficit heads up, having pulled nearly level before an ill timed river bluff left me crippled, but that was the most focused performance I've played for sometime, and I was totally in control of almost every table I sat at throughout the tournament.

 

 

Sometimes, poker is the greatest sport in the world.  And I call it a sport without hesitation.  The best players require physical endurance, mental agility, natural ability that most can only dream of.  They must work their way from the bottom of the game, and fight hard to maintain their place at the top.

Why is it so great?  Because when everything is going well even the worst player can feel that he is playing a world class game.  Every read you make is correct, every card you need hits, every hand you feel unbeatable.

Sometimes, however, poker is the worst sport in the world.  Even the best players experience downswings and, wow, today's been one hell of a downswing.  Now I don't claim to be anywhere near the standard of the best players, but the point I'm making is that this is a sport where you can play everything as you should, and still get destroyed.  Combine that with some tilt issues, and you get a bankroll that has shrunk by over 80% in one day.

So, I've decided that it's time for a short break from the game.  And by short break, I do mean short!  However, with $71.45 remaining in my bankroll, I will be playing several MTTs tonight, cashing out anything I win (which I expect to be $0), and returning to the tables with a new $200 bankroll, and new sense of purpose in the next couple of weeks.

Gone will be the days of taking shots, playing games I barely understand, making plays that I know are wrong.  But first, I have to have one last degen night of MTTs.  Wish me luck ...