It has been one year since I endeavored to learn the art of poker. The year has had ups, and has been plagued with downs, but all together I think it has been successful in an academic sense. My approach from the beginning was to experience different tactics and strategies for myself. I gave myself unusual challenges just to see how other players reacted. For example, I played tournaments where I could only, call, fold or donk bet. These unusual tactics helped me learn the fundamentals of the game, plus learn some interesting things about opponent’s behavior. My first year was filled with experiments, but my second year is where I plan on becoming a winning player.

            My current class ends in two weeks and with any ending something needs to begin.  I plan on commencing serious poker studies for a few months. I want to concentrate on my game and nothing else.  My biggest challenge I set for myself is to stop min cashing and run deeper. I seem to sputter out of juice after the bubble. I want to see myself in more final tables. I have a good mathematical sense, but I need to be more aggressive. To be able to achieve this I need to increase my volume of play, but play smart.  My second goal is to grind out a bankroll on Pokerstars using sit n’ blows as the vehicle.  Pokerstars no longer allows direct deposits from my state. Because I keep most my roll off site, this caused a problem, but I look at it as a challenge.  Finally, when I do final table a worthwhile tournament, I would like to hire a pro for a hand history review, sticking it to Praetor per say. I am hoping to attend the TPE bootcamp to kick things off. Already rented a car for the drive and reserved a room at Imperial Roach Palace. Just need to grind out the fee. I plan on releasing my discoveries of my unusual play via TPE member blogs; once I finish the math- I found some interesting things and possible tactics.

        I hope that all TPE members have a successful 2011 and that our community grows.  For my intangible goal, I would like to see Killingbird contribute more hands for review on the podcast.

P.