2012 Stake By Stake Results & Review

2012 Stake By Stake Review

NL5

So 2012 was the year that I actually bit the bullet and moved away from the god awful Ipoker network and started to play on Pokerstars and once again take Poker semi seriously after what really was a lacklustre 2011 where I fell out of love with Poker due to tilt problems and the Full Tilt mess which still left a bitter taste.

The joys of running my own business ment that in quiet times like at the beginning of the year I got to play Poker while I worked and I started playing at NL5 and played HUDless for the majority of the time and basically just donked around and started enjoying poker again.

Tables were pretty soft and results were good and tilt was kept to a minimum for most of my spell at NL5.

NL10

I quickly built up my roll and made the step up to NL10. Again for the most I was playing HUdless until I figured out that my works computer had just about enough memory to display about 5 stats on screen without crashing and that I actually could use my HEM license on another computer.

To be honest I really didnt notice that much, if any, difference between how the games played and the players for the most made the same mistakes by calling down too light and not been able to fold when obviously beat. If anyone playing these levels can get a good grip on value betting then they could crush them with out too much trouble.

It was at NL10 where a few of my tilt problems started to creep in. Now my tilt has never had anything to do with the amounts of money, its simply about losing most of the time and then splits off in to different types of losing. So about 3 months in and my rage tilt was back and was just the same at NL10 as it were at NL100 a couple of years previously.

The 20K break even stretch can basically be put down to me been on tilt for that whole time it were that bad. Obviously that would plague me throughout the year.

NL25

I found NL25 pretty tough to break in to and it took me a couple of failed attempts and about 15K hands before I got my head around how the games played. A combination of running bad when I did move up and tilting when I ran bad made this even more difficult for me.

After my 2nd failed attempt I honestly wondered if the games had passed me by and I could no longer beat the level that I used to do best at.

Once it did stick though things got better and better and results were better than I could imagine. This was the first level where I started to use some table selection and I use a pretty basic set up that helps me find pretty good tables.

This is also the first level where I would start tables religiously to try and get some HU practice in. What I found was that most regs who start tables suck pretty bad when it comes to playing HU and basically play it the same as when they play FR. This is also the first level where I got a taste of how much fake table starting goes on and some people would be sat at 5 or so tables and then not offer any action when you sit with them.

Stars really should do something about that. If you dont want to offer action then dont sit at a new FR table. During this time I also received coaching for playing Short handed and HU and this saw my game improve quite a bit and at times I were literally running over the regs who would offer action when starting tables. By the end of my time at NL25 literally non of the table starting regs would offer any action to me which also became a source of tilt as on numerous occasions I would get grimmed which itself would lead me to lose focus and tilt easily.

Results wise my target was to beat the 8bb/100 WR that I achieved in my last decent stretch at NL25 and I was aiming for about 10bb/100 which I ended up hitting. Realistically though it should have been about 15bb/100 if it wernt for the tilt problems that were making my poker life hell.

NL50

I once again got comfy at NL25 and basically didnt dare to shot take NL50 even though when I played the games it went quite well. Eventually we got the news that we were getting our FT money back and combined with the money I had on Stars I used it to help fund a car that I wanted to buy.

This meant one of two things, I either start at the bottom again and work my way up or try and get a stake. I decided on the stake because even though giving up part of my profit it meant I should make more than if I started at NL5 again.

The other plus part was that playing with someone elses money may actually help my tilt problems because I may be more caring with some one elses money. I was also wanting to be staked for NL50 which would help me make the step up. So thats what I did and in a couple of days managed to find myself someone willing to stake me.

At about the same time I was browsing through the coaching adverts like I like to do and came across a thread by Elliot Roe about Hypnotherapy. After a few discussions with him I started having sessions to try and resolve my tilt issues. Obviously I was a bit skeptical but now nearly 2 months down the line without any major tilt problems Im thankful that he has been able to help me so much.

Playing tilt free has made the step up to NL50 go pretty smoothly and now Im getting used to how it plays I can go about fixing up some of the areas that I am leaking and hopefully go about improving my WR quite a bit. Im not sure there is any drastic increase in skill level from what I have seen so far and Im wanting to kick on from here.

Overall Results For 2012 & 2013 Goals

2013 Goals

1. Keep playing tilt free poker.
2. Try and move up through the levels and win at each one I play.
3. Work on improving my game.
4. Have a +$2K month.
5. Have a +$5K month.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Just a quick post to wish everyone who reads this blog a Merry Christmas and also hoping that you all had a gone one.

Luckily the world didnt end and we are now coming to the end of another year. Its been a strange year when it has come to Poker but I will get in to that when I do my year in review in the New Year.

Poker wise at the moment its going very well, Im still playing tilt free, heading towards 2 months now, at NL50 and results so far have been promising. Im trying to identify my leaks as I go along which does seem pretty easy at the moment as my mind isnt filled with useless clutter like my own bad beat stories.

Blog wise Im thinking of moving over to wordpress.org the same place where my works website is held. I do find that interface a bit easier to use for some reason and It should make my blog posts on here look more professional than they do at the moment and just makes it a bit easier for me to update both blogs on the same platform with the same tools.

Thats all for now but will update with my years results and goals for 2013 along with my review of the year at some point. Happy New Year to you all.

Elliot Roe Poker Hypnosis Review

Back Story

Originally Posted by MartL 2nd Sept 2010 View Post
Getting seriously tired of all the BS.
Had someone call my 4bet with 67s then call a bt on a dry flop with a gutshot then call my shove on the turn when he hit his 7. The guy is 13/10 and its just total BS i play the hand the same with AA KK QQ JJ yet of course this time i have AK. Had a Nit suckout on me when i had AK and the flop came A34. Im OOP and know i wont get any value from him so i check and let him bet, of course he catches 2 pair on the turn with his AQ. Now if i pull moves like this my opponents always have premiums. I think im best just playing like a robot and just bet when hit, cbet most flops but fold to any raise. Its pathetic poker but it wins at this level.
Needless to say i have loss it. Lost 2 BI`s and now i have a hole in my bedroom wall. Not impressed. Im starting to think that the temper inside me just can not be controlled. Im the most laid back person you can meet away from the tables but just see red mist occasionally when im at the tables. I need to sort it but i have no idea how.

Originally Posted by MartL 30th March 2011 View Post
If this dosnt turn around soon i think i will be calling it quits again, its not really good for my health when im hitting things because i lost a pot or somebody didnt fold when they should have done. I either get used to been out flopped or everyone hitting hands against me or thats it,im done. Also no more Rush, theres more fish at the normal tables and Rush just sends me mad.

Self banned for 3 days to start with until i decide what i want to do. Ive been reading through the pschology forum and it does seem the problems ive been having are quite a common occurence. I genuinly believe when i look at hands away from the table a lot of the time i can pick out how i should be playing the hands in the best way possible so although i could watch a ton of videos on how to get better im not sure they can have much effect on me because i will always have these tilt/spew/boredom problems in the back of my mind holding me back. I really need to do something on the mental side of things and try and work on that to get better. Its really annoying as i can sit at a table and play really well and then i take a stupid beat or someone 4bets me and i do something stupid. Its crazy.

Ive been playing poker for a few years now and have been a winning player up to and including NL100. I have a problem though, quite a large one, that has plagued my entire Poker playing life.

I tilt, I tilt really bad. I have broke monitors, mice, speakers and earphones. I have broke chairs and desks. I have kicked holes in my wall and I have punched holes in my wall and Im pretty sure that later on in life Im going to have problems with my hands because I wouldn’t be surprised if at one time or another I have broke bones in my hands by doing that.

Pretty soon after I have had a major tilt I realize that what Im doing is stupid and is costing me a lot of money and also not helping in other aspects of my life. I make a pact with myself that I am not going to do it again and have this new found focus which can last between a couple of hours or a few days until my next major tilt. In fact the only good thing that has come out of it all is that I am now a dab hand at re-plastering.

Present

I have not tilted since 12th November 2012(32 Days). Thats right, over a month without even getting close to the levels of tilt that I used to get to. I used to check Hem what seemed like every single minute of every session. I have not done this since the same date. I seem to be playing with a ton of focus at the moment and what is even more encouraging is that I have done all of that while moving up levels which can tend to be more of a stressful time than usual and In all honesty I have not run that well either which can be a good test for where you are at mentally.

The significance of that date is that was when I had my first contact with Elliot. I have now had 5 sessions with him and I have had a month of playing pretty good, tilt free poker.

To even go a week without tilting would be a miracle for me so to go a full month is just out of this world. If someone had of told me that a month a go I would have cried laughing as the thought of that happening was just absurd.

Before working with Elliot I felt that I had tried everything. I had read books, I had watched videos, tried meditation, amongst other things but the tilt would still return. I even worked with Jared Tendler, now I enjoyed working with Jared and we did see some improvement but in my opinion for whatever reason it only scratched the surface of getting to the actual route of the problem. Thats not to say what Jared does dosnt work because he has proven results its just that it wasnt right for myself at that time.

I forgot to add that I am that person who dosnt think he can be hypnotized but lets just say my girlfriend coudnt believe it when during my first session with Elliot he had me running round the house pretending I were a chicken.

Im joking obviously but thats how I saw hypnotherapy mainly thanks to television. I am skeptical at the best of times when it comes to things like this and after trying many things I probably had it in my mind that this would fail as well. Elliot provided me with a ton of information about what he does and was also kind enough to put my gf`s mind at ease as well as she was also a bit worried about what could happen.

Over the last couple of years I have learnt to be a pretty good judge of character and it is easy to see that Elliot enjoys what he does and more importantly is very good at what he does. All of my dealings with him so far have been excellent and although I dont want to nag him all the time or give him constant updates, Its does feel like there is someone there for me who can get to the point of exactly what is wrong and knows exactly how to help. That in itself is a pretty good feeling.

I have held off writing this review because I didnt want to do the usual have one session and then go on about how good a coach some one is without a sample size. The sample size may still be small but I can tell you that I have no intention of and also no desire to ever tilt like I used to again. This is going to save me a lot of mental energy which I can hopefully put to good use and improve as a Poker player instead of worrying about flying off the handle every two minutes.

I really cant thank Elliot enough for what he has done for me and hopefully over time I will get the chance to repay him for helping me(I will get the beers in Vegas after my Poker winnings pay for the trip ). I will keep updating my results on here as Its an ongoing process but lets just say Im delighted so far.

The long and short of it is that if like me you didnt think anyone can help you then give Elliot a shot. Im confident you wont regret it. Even if you havnt tried anything Im pretty sure that Elliot would be a really good first point of call for improving your mental game and also your life away from the tables. Failing that buy his Mp3`s and give them a go, again these are an absolute bargain and a must have for anybody taking the game even half seriously.

There is a reason you are reading this thread so if you havnt already then get in contact with Elliot, you will be a better person for it.

Thank You Elliot.

Long Awaited Update

Hey Guys,

Sorry about the lack of updates but I have been so busy with work that the blog has taken a back seat for the last month or so.

Im still doing my hypnotherapy coaching with Elliot Roe which is going really well. Im pleased to say the last time I tilted was on 12th November 2012 which is now over a month ago. I really have no desire whatsoever to tilt at the tables which is such a big change around its almost unbelievable. Im going to have a full review of Elliot’s coaching coming up pretty shortly but I would urge anyone who wants to try it to either contact me and I will pass you on to Elliot or contact Elliot direct. Even if you just give his Mp3 a shot Im sure you wont be disappointed.

Poker wise results have been ok. Not tilting is starting to show some pretty big leaks in my game. Im still playing Nl50 and winning at 2.43bb/100 since I started my stake and 4.26bb/100 overall and although it is encouraging Im still making some pretty basic mistakes although I think that variance is playing a big part so far which is good for practicing my tilt control. So far I havnt really noticed much difference between NL25 and NL50 and there seems to be plenty of bad players about.

My redline is taking a battering at the moment which seems to be the norm for me when I move up a level until I get a feel for how it plays but If its the same in a couple of months time I might have to take a closer look at it.

Thats it for now and hopefully my next update wont be too far away. All the best.

 

November 2012 Results/December Goals

Tilt hit its highest point this month just before me getting staked so although I managed to play a bit of NL50 the results at the beginning of the month wernt that great mainly for that reason.

This is my graph since starting my stake and also after working with Elliot to reduce my tilt:-

 

Pretty happy with how things have gone from that point although getting volume in has been tough simply because we are so busy at work at the moment.

December Goals

Main goals for December are to keep working on my tilt issues and a lot of the Poker will take care of itself. I also want to repay the faith a couple of people have shown in me and thats going to be by working hard and playing good poker.

Need A New Name For My Blog

Well I might do if I cant tilt anymore.

Ive now had 2 sessions with Elliot and I have yet to tilt since we started. Its not a big sample size but any improvement is obviously welcome.

Im still playing NL50 as my main game and so far its going really well and Im pretty happy with how Im playing.

At this moment in time I think it would take something pretty special to tilt me at the tables and I have taken a few horrific bad beats in the last few days but Im just seeing it as a way to practice my tilt control. Saving this mental energy is making more more focussed at the tables which is probably why the shot taking is going well.

We are coming up to our busiest time at work now so its going to be tough to put in any big sample sizes to get a real good check on things but lets just say in the days before talking to Elliot I were playing some of my worst poker of the year and in the days since I feel Im playing some of my best. I dont think its a coincidence at all.

Hopefully after the weekend I should have some more results to report.

Hypnotized For The First Time

I had my first session with Elliot Roe who specializes in reducing tilt in poker players by way of hypnosis.

I was very skeptical if Im honest and didnt think there was any way I could be hypnotized. By the time the session had finished I dont think I have ever felt as relaxed as i did during parts of it.

Elliot tries to get straight to the route of the problem and some very interesting stuff came up for me as to where my tilt problems at the table may stem from.

From my first session I can start to imagine how powerful a tool hypnotherapy could be. just by talking to me Elliot was able to induce how I feel at the tables when i am in full blow tilt and I had the feelings that I need to lash out, my face was getting flushed, and my heart was racing and then from that he could take me back to a relaxed state and have me feeling totally calm about that very same situation.

Im not going to claim that I am fixed as i havnt even played poker since but I have a sneaky suspicion that my first session may be played with less stress than normal.

Elliot seems to have this confidence that he can pass on to you and I now believe that he can help me with my tilt problems and thats something I wouldnt have said a week ago.

I have another session on Sunday night and will get some hands in at NL50 over the next couple of days so people will have to look out for the new improved me.

Busy & Exciting Past Few Days

The last few days have been pretty manic and exciting for me. Loads of stuff to report and loads of stuff that has happened.

After the other day and the hands above I decided to take all my money off both FT and PS to put down as a deposit on a new car. I had it in my mind that if I couldnt get staked then I would just do the same as when I started playing on Stars and just deposit a couple of hundred bucks and work it back up. Even though thats probably leaving money on the table it wouldnt be that much of an issue. Obviously the better option would be to get staked to play NL50 & Nl25.

So Sunday I went to test drive the car I had been looking at and I loved it and they seemed pretty keen on not letting me leave the forecourt without sorting out a deal so I managed to knock them down over £1K on the price as well as getting a favorable deal on my car that I was part exchanging. Im picking the car up tomorrow night so that should be fun.

So thats that out of the way which left me with no money on either site to play Poker though but Im very happy to say that I have sorted out a deal which allows me to play my normal volume and also play at NL50 & NL25. I did quite a bit of research when it came to approaching people as a lot of the time in the staking forum people are just contacting everyone which Im not sure is the best approach and wouldnt fill me with confidence.

Im very happy with the deal that I have got and hopefully this will give me a chance to move up to NL50 permanently and then hopefully spring board me above that. We just have to sort out the fine print tonight but I must say I am quite looking forawrd to this and hopefully it will give me a bit more structure and responsibility which may see me tilt less.

On that note I also contacted Elliot Roe who specializes in hypnotherapy and mindset coaching for Poker. My problems have been well documented in my threads and I were at the point of just stopping trying to improve in that area and just accept that I tilt and cant do much to stop it.

Ive had a long chat with Elliot about the way he works and ways that he looks to help people, again I did some research and the reviews he has had seem pretty impressive. Im willing to give anything a try to try and help me with this problem which I feel is holding me back far too much so Ive booked some sessions and Im going to be working with Elliot for the foreseeable future.

Im really excited and nervous about this and have my first session with him on Thursday. I really dont know what to expect, I feel almost unhelpable and Elliot has a lot of confidence in his work and what he can do for me. He says my history makes me a really interesting subject for him to work with, I wonder what he is letting himself in for. 🙂

One thing is for sure that tilt over the years has cost me thousands and if I can improve even a fraction on that then the long term benefits will be clear to see.

Elliot’s thread can be found here:- http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/164/cash-game-poker-coach-listings/mindset-coaching-hypnotherapy-poker-coaching-profit-deals-now-available-via-pm-1240494/

Why Do I make The Same Mistakes Over And Over?

Thats a question Ive asked myself a lot when it has come to poker. I have a very bad habit of calling when I know I am beat for a reason that really can only be described as curiosity. A couple of those stupid calls can have me on crazy tilt very quickly.

I would be very angry then after the session and having done my usual hitting the desk or whatever and having a chance to sit down and reflect for a short time I get this wave of optimism that seems to come over me where I will tell myself that Im going to cut out all the stupid mistakes that I make which then means that Im going to be making more money.

Obviously that never happens though, not in the long term anyway.

Time To Embrace The Tilt

Im playing like a total tool at the moment. Its always been the same with me, I get a few bad beats over a short time and then my poker play just goes tits up.

Im tilting more at the moment than I can remember for quite a while and with my tilt creeps in the bad play. Its got so bad that today i withdrew all my money off Pokerstars and will be doing the same off FT tonight.

Now that does sound a bit extreme but it does coincide with me finally changing my car and so the money has gone on a deposit for the car and also to pay off my credit card which has crept up since we started the business.

So basically the money was coming off one way or another anyway as I decided a few days ago that I was going to look for a stake to play NL50 or NL25. Im hoping playing with someone elses money will help keep the tilt in check and also drawing the money out is going to just give me a few days away from poker which i probably need.

Whilst i try and sort out a stake It will give me the chance to start reading Jared Tendlers book again as this usually coincides with me playing the best poker I play so will give it a chance again. I usually manage to get half way through the book and then stop because Im playing well and then it seems to work for a few months before I end up at the point im at today.

On the staking thing I am in talks with someone so Im just waiting to see if that will go anywhere but it seems a major problem is my lack of volume that I can put in but im hoping my good results will make up for that(apart from the start of this month anyway). If I cant sort anything out then I will probably just deposit $100 or so and start out at NL10 again and just grind my way back to NL25.

First thing though is to get refreshed and then start to try and grab my tilt by the horns whilst sorting the staking out. Will report back.