May 31, 2012
Hi Everyone,
After a couple of aborted attempts to get back into poker I feel I finally really do have some time to study and play. Before my business grew, I got married and had two children (that now sleep!!!). So before all that back in 2006 I was a winning player (it was easy back then on soft UK sites). How the game and my life has changed since then!!!
I have zero interest in being a grinder I just see it as hobby to put with others I love but I did miss the buzz of a Final Table and the mental challenge. I was the flip king to FT a mid stakes 888 tourney a couple of weeks ago. I played abysmally I really did it made me realise how much I didn’t know anymore. Not realising it was a deep stack and going to bed after 3am with a 6am start brought back some memories. I loved it. I will be extremely low volume maybe 10-15 hours a week to study and play but would love to be one of the better players in my local live MTTs in the UK and if a few midstake online FT’s come along again then happy days.
I feel a bit overwhelmed with where to start my reeducation. Do I get Kill Everyone out again or something else more modern? Focus on a certain skill set or area? Would just like a bit of structure and advice on how and where you would split limited time between playing and studying please.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Cheers
Paul
February 9, 2014
TPE university is probably a good place to start.
As far as videos, i think its different for every individual. I would just give all of the pros a watch and see who you enjoy the most. Sometimes a pro lines up perfect with your style, other times you could enjoy someone playing completely different. The good thing is that we have a long list of pros so will be able to find at least a couple to watch.
As far as studying vs playing:
You are very lucky to be in a spot where poker is just a hobby. Having said that, I still think its important to study close to the same amount of hours you play. Although its a hobby, Im sure you dont want to be pooping money. I would focus on playing out of the blinds and from the Button. I feel most of my students struggle from the Big Blind and find this can be one of the biggest spots on the board to improve for the recreational player. Andrew Brokos has a series on playing out of the Big blind, give that a watch.
GL my man, feel free to ask more ?s and welcome to the TPE family!
Marc Alioto
Azn
May 31, 2012
I really appreciate the advice, will watch the Big Blind Video. Spookily I recently read and made notes from two articles I printed off from here on playing from the SB and then the BB by theginger45 as thought I was leaking chips on a grand scale and still probably am.
The key thing for me I have found is not be all or nothing with poker, just to make steady progress and enjoy the challenge. I just find I need constant mental stimulation even when I’m not working. However I have said to myself this is my last chance at getting back into it and to just take my time.
Thanks Marc
February 5, 2015
Hey Paul, nice to meet another UK player. I’m 41, so we are similar in that regard…ie we are the same age lol!
I used to put so much pressure on myself to succeed back in the day. And I ended up hating the game and burned out. I put so much emphasis on my results I lost the passion I had for the game and got actually very depressed that yet again in my life I had hit a career brick wall; I was trying to “go pro”.
So now I am in an interesting period. I used to use 100% of my winnings to re-invest in to poker. At the very least, I figured I was buying experience at a significant (to me) stake.
But this year I have had so much crap to pay for that every time I hit a significant score (ie > $400), I’ve been withdrawing. I now play one or two tables whilst either studying TPE videos, working at my desk on other things, or gaming. And I’m loving it again! I have given up on the idea of being a SNG pro…the very best when I was heavy in to it used to get 20% ROI, and that is with tons of study or experience or both…$25000 might be a lot to some kids or some dude in a poor country, but it won’t cover my bills!
Having said this, I can’t wait to get this year’s expenditure out the way (what a nightmare it’s proving), and start building a proper roll to grind a little – no pressure. Frankly, I can’t think of many more frustrating, frightening, nausea inducing, boring careers than being an MTT pro…although I bet it has huge levels of benefits also, and excitement at times.
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