Monday 25 January 2010

Update coming in ~1wk.....can't divulge atm....

Saturday 2 January 2010

HNY/ Year Review / Future

I guess first start off with the P+L for the year for online

Poker: +£2196.25

Sports Betting: +£29.35.

The only reason sports betting is in profit is because of a free £100 sign up bonus thingy earlier in the year. If not i'd be stuck - small leak i guess!

Right, well, a year in review:


High points:

1. Without doubt, winning the UK Student Poker Championship. Was an awesome night, saw my Vegas flights paid for and is something i'll always be able to remember!

2. Vegas. Too much to list....see the vegas blog for details!

3. London with the gf - i highly reccomend going to the Jazz Cafe just before Christmas to see their concert if you want to be on a buzz for the next few days.

4. Sweden - beautiful country, was great to start seeing Europe and will go back again one day.

5. Madrid - basically turned into a weekend of poker with a tiny bit of shopping in between. Classic jeal getting shat on moment after he gets a pot taken away from him 3 hands after the pot had happened. Spain is rigged imo

6. Warwickshire (again with gf) - the view when you're having dinner from the saxon mill inbetween stratford and warwick made the holiday.

7. Running / saying goodbye to the poker society. Given it went from 10-12 people to two sell out tournaments, sponsorships, online tournaments etc in the 18 months Me and Joe ran it, i can safely say i'm pretty pleased.

8. In my 2nd Blog of January (my first big post on the UEA blog), I said this:

Got the postgrad day @ uea coming up in a week or so, am gunning for the full scholarship for either the exp. econ or industrial econ courses, gl me


Only just read it back to see if I had set any goals or anything. Looks like I achieved them. In 2008 I made ~ £1.5k online, so have beaten that too. Woot!

9. Graduation - was pretty cool tbh.

10. Staking - I've run great this year with percentages. Just waiting for the $30k sunday million scoop...

Bad Points:

1. Never going to in and out burger in vegas - what were we thinking.

2. Losing to an old man (admittedly a reg) HU in the 2nd tournament we played in vegas, when hu is what im supposed to be good at.

3. Losing that flip when mid stacked with 38 left in the sunday million. The whole house were subdued for a good 15 mins.

4. Bubbling pretty much every sattellite to any $200+ comp i've played in has sucked.

5. Learning I can't swim (!)

6. Not been running properly since easter.


As for the past 3 months (you'll notice a lack of many posts) I've basically just been working really hard, pulling through the MSc. It's tough but I think I'm over the preverbial mountain for now.
Poker wise it's been few and far between as far as a decent session goes. However, once I'd finished for Christmas it turned out I had treated myself a bit too much over the semester and needed a few pounds, so deposited $300 onto an Ongame skin that were offering me effectively 70-80% RB and though i'd give the doubleornothing sngs a crack. I didnt play many at first, spent most of the time reading one MONSTER strategy thread on 2p2, and once I felt I had the basics then i'd give them a go.

Results so far:



Still a small sample size imo, but relatively steady. Don't think I've ran particularly good or bad really, had a few spots where I lost a few in a row thanks to losing 4-5 80:20s etc but thats to be expected. Definately sucked out a few times myself so all in all is fine!
I think unless you specialise in these you should just avoid them, especially on ongame where the rake is 10%. At $50+ on stars there's all sorts of metagame going on between the regs ffs! It's not really poker, to me I view it as a big game tree (lets get some 2nd year economics in whilst we're here) - given most spots are against unknowns, you treat every situation like you're in a vaccuum and play optimal strategy. Example: if folded to in the CO when blinds are 100-200, look at your stack, the button, sb, bb stacks, how many are left, your holding vs their calling range based on the fold equity you have against an unknown (sometimes you do get spew called, but often K-hi and Qxs are ahead of this range so is not a problem) and decide whether to shove or fold. Of course when you're playing 6-7 tables and have a 15 sec timebank this can be tricky which is why knowing the strategy pretty much inside out is essential, but all in all i think i have the hang of it. Raked nearly $800 too, take off my small losses at MTTs (note to self, just stake people in future) and I'm up about $700 or so in 3 weeks. Will be withdrawing this time next week as its back to studying, will leave me a nice little fund to pay for what I have planned over the coming semester.

Random things I liked in 2009:

Brand New- Daisy (Going to see them at wembley end of this month, citing)
Maceo Parker - Life on Planet Groove
Black Eyed Peas - I've Got a Feeling - vegas baby!

Away We Go! - fav film of the year

Getting asked if I was in Vegas for the Magic the Gathering convention whilst in Tiffanys buying hannahs xmas present. fml.

Owe waking up with an iPhone and not knowing where or who it came from.

Spotify.

Right then:


3 Month Goals:


Clear the rest of this bonus and get back to studying- will buy %s in people if i think its profitable itlr, asides from that I don't have too much time to play.

Average 60% this semester. If I can do this I'll have a good shot at getting 65%+ at the end of the MSc (nb, 50% = pass, 70% = distinction). Going to be bloody hard given one Economic unit is apparently very tough, but we will see. Since I did OK last semester I don't see why I can't get back on the horse and see this one through well.

Go to the gym once a week and play badminton/tt/tennis/squash or w/e once a week. Will see if Owe/Jeal or whoever is up for this. Good physical wellbeing = good psychological wellbeing, the former being something i've let slip over the past 4-5 months.

12 Month Goals:

Well, this is much harder. I have two options- stay on and attempt the PhD, or look to put a foot on the career ladder. I have applied/am in the midst of applying for a couple of different places (I will update this with any progress as and when), and am really looking forward to a meeting I have with a friend's sister in a week or so. Her background is in Economics and she is now high up in a Fortune 1000 firm, I imagine it will be of great benefit to me to hear her story and get her advice.

So, goals...

Either have a job or be studying for my PhD - dependent on what I think I'll be happiest doing.

Obtain over 65% in the MSc (at least 60.)

Visit one new country

Be happy with my fitness/weight etc

Have a year half as good as the one just gone....!


All in all, its been the best year on record for me for a multitude of reasons, from academia to women to big sessions grinding at jeals listening to celine dion and meatloaf(!) - I count myself very lucky.


Wishing everyone all the best for the next decade, for all of those graduating this year gl and all those taking a shot at professional poker or looking for a career I hope you find whatever makes you happy- its more important than you think.

Until next time,

Adam