Quick update:

New computer is (almost) fully operational.  PT4 is having some issues, so I have a troubleshooting chat session with them for Wednesday.  But outside of that, I'm ready to go.  I started playing some cash games over the weekend, just to retrain my endurance a little bit.  I think of it often like running.  You can't just go do half marathons.  You have to work your way up to them. I figured I'd play micro cash sessions for a half hour, then an hour…I got up to two today. Today was the first day I felt that I was able to think about things at a slightly higher level again.  So that was a major step.

Also put together a spreadsheet of every (non-hyper turbo, or 11r) tournament of $11 or less on BCP, Bovada, and Carbon on a daily basis, with the <$5 tournaments on Lock, from 8AM-10PM CDT.  I might have missed one or two, but I figured this would give me a good way to look and plan out my days, working within my bankroll.  It also does not account for the Sunday action, but gets M-Sat.  So…I think that was a good place to build from.

I hope that by Wednesday afternoon, I'll be able to give it a go, and play some tournies.  Starting very small this week, and working my way back up for next week.

Thanks for reading.

Well, I finally had a day to play tournaments.  I've had terrible internet service (THANKS COMCAST!), and it cost me at multiple points during the day where I had drop outs, but I think I might have had my best day ever playing tournaments.  I had about 6 hours, so I got in a total of 13 tournaments during that time, ranging from the Fast Fifty, to a $6r on BCP.  Of the 13, I reached 5 final tables.  5.  I was stunned when I went back and thought about that.  That included a win in a fast fifty on Lock, 3rd place efforts in a Bovada $1 and the BCP $6r (for $84), and a runner up finish in the Bovada $4 Beginner, which is seriously the softest tournament out there.

The things I was happy with today: My short stack play.  I made very good all in decisions, and only had 1-2 times when I sucked out.  I have been pretty conscious about that over the last several months.

I was also happy with my mindset.  I took a terrible beat on the bubble of my first tourney of the day, a $5 Deepstack on Bovada, with 1010<99 with about 22 left (18 pay) for heaps.  I was able to bounce back and just keep rolling. 

What I'm not at all happy with is my bubble play.  I find myself giving up too easily on pots at this point, thinking to myself that I need to just cash, and then see what happens.  It's a terrible mindset to have.  I'm trying to be better about it, but days like this…well, it reinforces the bad play.  I have to get out of that line of thinking, and be more aggressive.  

All in all, a $140 profit day is fantastic.  If the goal is $500-$1000 a month, that's a great start.  

I haven't written in quite some time.  Unfortunately, I'm just putzing around when it comes to this goal.  Life has been busy, good, but busy, so I get to play maybe once a week, twice if I'm lucky.  It's hard to get in a good rhythm, and I'm making bad decisions late.

The good news is that I remain break even.  I've inched ahead barely, but just keep struggling trying to find that big breakthrough win that could help me get in to some good tournaments.  The bad news is that while I'm playing $2, $3, $5, and sometimes $10 tournaments, I just pull a Chris Moon and finish 7th when I FT.

I think the biggest weaknesses in my play remain bubble play, and when I get to that weird 20-35BB stack size.  Today, I absolutely biffed the two biggest tournaments I was in on those two very things.  One, I blinded down to about 6BB 3 off a bubble, and shoved with A9 only to get called by A7 by a huge stack, who binked a 7.  I shove with 15-20BB, he's likely not calling.

I also had a situation where I had 21BB, getting close to the bubble, and had AK.  From EP, I just 2.1 raised, was called in two spots to a J44 flop which was checked around.  A K hit, I lead out, was raised, called.  Blank on the river, and was shoved all in by 94s.  I find myself second guessing again whether I should have just shoved, but then think maybe that's results oriented thinking.

Either way, it's fun to be able to play, and I'm glad I'm not LOSING money, but I really wish I had some bigger successes.