Weekly Bankroll Update 12/24-12/30

Well, 2017 has come to a close and I'd say it's been a wildly successful poker year for me both live and online. It's great to be playing again on a regular basis, and it looks as though 2018 will be an even bigger year. I didn't start playing online till May, and live in November so it'll be interesting to see where I'm at after one full year of playing. This week was ok for me as I tried to recoup some of my losses from last week. I played five $.11 MTTs and cashed three times, and I played one $3.30 SnG and cashed with a 3rd place finish, so I feel like my focus is back. I also started playing Omaha play money cash games and had really great results. Here's where I'm at with one day to go in 2017:

Play Money: 2,921,000 Up 274,000

Real Money: $449.59 Up $5.96

Live Bankroll: $86 No game this week.

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)

Target for next SnG level: $1,100 ($55)

I'm hoping that Global changes its tournament schedule next month, and I'm going to stay conservative until then. I made back almost half of my losses last week, and will try and finish things off over the next seven days. The Eagle Cup also starts soon and I am determined to get first place on the leaderboard. 2017 was a great year, and I'm really looking forward to an even better 2018! Happy New Year readers!

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/17-12/23

This week started out pretty well. I pulled in a nice profit in the home game Sunday night. I had a solid gain in play money, and up until Saturday night was having a pretty good run in real money, but ended up hitting a wall in SnGs and actually ended the week down. It was my first down week, but I'm certainly not discouraged as this was inevitable. I will work hard to rebound this week and finish the year on high note. Here's where I stand:


Play Money: 2,647,000 Up 90,000

Real Money: $443.69 Down $12.66

Live Bankroll: $86 Up $56

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)

Target for next SnG level: $1,100 ($55)


I dropped the $3.30 MTT this week, and played primarily the $.11 MTT and $3.30 9-handed SnGs. It seemed to be working pretty well until Saturday night when I went on a bad run. It's hard to tell where the stop-loss point should be. I actually could have stopped earlier and ended the week even, but I couldn't shake off the bad beats. This week I will work on adjusting my strategy to try and compensate for my losses. The holidays coupled with a busy work schedule have led to me playing tired and a little unfocused over the past couple of weeks. It's going to be important to use last week's loss as motivation to play better.

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/10-12/16

SnGs saved my hide again this week as the slump in MTTs continues. I only cashed in one this week for $1.10. As of Friday night, things looked bad. I was down over $17 and decided to play a couple of $3.30 9-person SnGs and failed to cash in both. After fuming for a few minutes I jumped into a $5.50 18-person SnG and took 2nd place for $27. Saturday night I finished things off with three $3.30 9-person SnGs finishing 3rd and 1st and taking home a small profit for the week. It was a huge week in play money as another promotion scored me another 100k. Here's the numbers:

Play Money: 2,557,000 Up 261,000

Real Money: $456.35 Up $4.54

Live Bankroll: $30 No game this week

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)

Target for next SnG level: $1,100 ($55)

SnGs might just become part of my daily routine this week. I'm profitable in them, they go quick, and there are a lot of fish that play them. The MTTs are hurting me a bit right now, but I'm in no position to abandon them. I need to continue to put myself in situations for a potentially big score every night just to keep things interesting. Tonight is our bi-weekly home game and I'll be looking to boost that roll up a little. Small profits are still profits, and although my results have been less than spectacular, to profit when you're slumping is a very good sign.

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/3-12/9

It was an eventful week on Global this week. They have different promotions running every day until Christmas this month, and I was able to score 100,000 play money in one of them. In fact, this was a huge week for play money. Real money, not so much. It was up and down again this week, and I thought this might be my first down week since I started this blog, and after my tourneys Saturday night, I was actually down $6. I decided I'd play a $3.30 9-handed SnG and, by some miracle, ended up winning it. It was the only SnG I played, and the win gave me yet another up week. I also played in my bi-weekly home game Sunday night and was ahead $12. That makes $30 in total over two sessions. As a result, I'm adding a new category called "Live Bankroll." So, without further adieu, here's where I stand:

Play Money: 2,296,000 Up 194,000

Real Money: $451.81 Up $3.96

Live Bankroll: $30.00 Up $12.00

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)

Target for next SnG level: $1,100 ($55)


There really is no reason I should have been ahead this week. Every time I was all-in I seemed to be either up against AA, or I would get sucked out on by a weaker hand. I said I'd play SnGs if the conditions were right, and the only one I played helped me big time. I will continue to play them when ahead, or if I'm down slightly at the end of the week. MTTs will remain the same, one for $.11 and one for $3.30 each night. Hopefully, one of the Christmas promotions will help me profit this week as well.

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/26-12/2

It was another up week for me at Global, although it wasn't without its ups and downs. I played all three game types (MTT, cash, and SnG). It started off well enough with a 10th place finish in the $3.30 MTT on Monday night making me over $17. Then it was a big hit in the cash game resulting in a loss of $10. I played a $1.10 6-handed SnG and finished 2nd which netted me $1, but as of Wednesday night I was actually down $1.06 for the week. Then it was another deep run in the $3.30 MTT on Thursday night where I came in 8th for $27 and change. Finally, Friday was a deep run in the $.11 giving me another couple bucks. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 2,102,000 Up 25k

Real Money: $447.85 Up $17.75

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)

Target for next SnG level: $1,250 ($55)


My assessment for last week was: it coulda been better, it coulda been worse. Cash games are off the table this week, and I'm gonna give SnGs a go. I'll play the $.11 MTT and the $3.30 MTT every night again, I'll do play money cash games in order to qualify for the $.11 MTT, and I'll try out $3.30 9-handed SnGs when conditions are right. If at any point I'm up a significant amount during the week, I'll give them a shot. I think I can be more profitable in SnGs then cash games right now, and I'm hoping it results in big profits this week. I also have another live cash game Sunday night and will post my results next week. Thanks for reading!

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/19-11/25

Well, the monkey is finally off my back. I got my first win on Tuesday night in the Daily $500 Bonanza tourney. 624 players entered and I received $89.75 for my first place finish. It was my only cash of the week, but I'm more than ok with that. I also played some cash games this week buying in for $4, and was up slightly in those. Sunday night I played in a home game buying in for $40 and walking out with $58 for an $18 profit. I was even up in play money this week. Lots to be thankful for as this was by far my best week on Global Poker. Here's where I ended up:

Play Money: 2,077,000 Up 7k.

Real Money: $430.10 Up $90.99

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000 ($50)


There are some serious decisions that need to be made this week as far as what games I should be playing. I will continue to play the $.11 Daily $500 Bonanza and will probably bump up from the $4 cash games to the $10 cash games in order to qualify. The way I look at it, I have $30.10 to play with. I do not want to go below $400 under any circumstances, and I will try and grind my way up to $550 so I can up my max MTT buy in to $11. If I play one $.11 tourney and one $3.30 each night, I will spend $23.87 in buy ins. As long as I can hold my own in the cash games and maybe get a deep run or two, I should be able to profit, but if it doesn't work, I will drop back down and work my way back. If I can get a little further above $400, I will play $5.50 MTTs every night instead of $3.30 MTTs. I'm super excited for this week, and will be bringing my A-game every night. Stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/12-11/18

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and my bankroll increases have slowed dramatically. I was up this week again (barely), but there just aren't many tournament options for me right now. I was 3/6 in the $.11 tourneys, but in cash games I was down slightly. I'm going to need to find a way to make money more consistently, but a down week seems virtually inevitable. I will spend this week being thankful for where I'm at, but I mustn't become complacent. This will be a slow week obviously with the holiday, and tonight I'll be playing in a live cash game. My first in quite a while, so stay tuned for next week's update to see how I fared. In the meantime, here are my balances:

Play Money: 2,070,00. Even.

Real Money: $339.11 Up $1.32.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/5-11/11

This week was a slow one on Global. I didn't play Wednesday or Saturday, and the tournament schedule has changed. There is one $.11 tourney per night, and it's a Turbo with over 500 players. This coupled with the fact that I sat out two nights, led to a very small gain. I played six tourneys and cashed in two. I also played a $.02/$.04 cash game and was down $.54. This week some changes need to be made. Homework will likely slow me down, and I have to find a new way to make money for the bankroll. Cash games will likely be utilized unless I have a large cash in the tourney. I still have to play 50 flops to qualify, and I'll probably make the $.02/$.04 my regular level. The buy-in is $4 and that seems like a safe wager from where I am. I could play the $.05/$.10 for $10, but that would be really tough to make back if I go broke. It's a little earlier than I wanted to start playing cash games, but the change in landscape leaves me no other choice. Low level SnGs ($.55 or $1.10) are also an option. The thought of playing two $3.30 tourneys every night has crossed my mind, but I'm not quite ready to commit to that yet. It would cost me $46.20 in buy-ins, and I'd need at least two cashes just to break even. Plus, since the schedule change, almost all the $3.30s are turbos now. The only one really worth playing is a 6-handed rebuy. I will try and stay active this week in order to turn profits. Adapt and overcome as they say. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 2,070,000 Up 51k.

Real Money: $337.79 Up $3.22.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/29-11/4

Another week in the books as I continue to inch my way to $400. The Eagle Cup has wrapped up and thanks to deep runs in the final tourney (12th), and the Main Event (8th), I ended the series 9th on the Gold Coins leaderboard. I received a 400k payout for that accomplishment and my play money has surpassed 2 million. It was another so-so week in real money. I cashed in four out of 12 tourneys with one final table (7th). Here's where I am going into this week:

Play Money: 2,019,000 Up 532k.

Real Money: $334.58 Up $12.06.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)



I have a lot of school work to catch up on this week so I probably won't play every night. I will be playing at least one $10 cash game though. It'll likely be later in the week once I've played a couple of tourneys. If I run good in them, then I'll put the cash game on hold till next week, but if I run bad, it's time to take a shot and see what happens. I've been up every week, but progress has been slow lately. Cash games will eventually be added to the arsenal so it's not a bad idea to get my feet wet now especially during slow tourney weeks.

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/22-10/28

As expected, variance has caught up with me. To put it simply, this week was brutal especially in the Eagle Cup tourneys. It started off well enough with a cash on Sunday, but that was it. I played eight tourneys and cashed in just one. Real money wasn't much better. I played 14 tourneys and cashed in four. A double cash Sunday night finishing 27th and 22nd, a 12th place finish Thursday night, and a 13th place finish Friday night. I finished up this week, but not by much. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 1,487,000 Down 70k

Real Money: $322.52 Up $9.32.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)

An up week is an up week no matter how you get there, and this week I got there, but if the gains continue to come slowly, I will switch over and try my hand at a cash game. I'm holding out as long as I can, but eventually I'll have to at least play a session and see what happens. In the meantime, it's business as usual for one more week. The Eagle Cup wraps up tonight and I'll try and steal some last minute leaderboard points to try to finish in the top 10. I'm currently in 11th. Real money will be the same this week. Two $.11s each day.

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/15-10/21

Another up week on Global, but not without some swings. I slipped a few spots on the leaderboard as it was a dismal week for play money tourneys. Played eight and cashed in two. No final tables. In real money, I played 14 tourneys and cashed in six. Friday night was the only night I didn't cash. A 28th place finish on Sunday, 18th Monday, 35th Tuesday, 23rd Wednesday, 25th Thursday, and ended the week strong with an 8th place finish Saturday night. Even though I wasn't up as much as in previous weeks, I thought I played well despite some really horrible beats. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 1,557,000 Down 6k.

Real Money: $313.20 Up $14.70.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)


This week I will probably play the same tourneys as I did last week. Try to move up the Eagle Cup leaderboard, and play the two $.11 tourneys each night. I feel like variance is starting to shift a little, and I'm gonna just play it safe. If I can make it over $400, I will start incorporating the cash games a little, but until then, I'm just going to keep banking.

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/8-10/14

  








It was another crazy week, but slowed down a little by schoolwork. I finished the first class towards my Master's degree though and now I have two weeks before my next class starts. I didn't play Wednesday night, but it was still an enormously profitable week. In the Gold Coins leaderboard I'm in 3rd. I made a bunch of cashes and final tables in the Eagle Cup tourneys this week finishing 6th Sunday night, 17th Monday night, 2nd on Thursday night, 5th place Friday night, and 11th place Saturday night. Still lots of poker left. In real money, it was a great week for me as I had a few deep runs finishing with a 32nd place finish Sunday night, a 2nd place finish Monday night, a 34th place finish Thursday night, a 33rd place finish Friday night, and a 7th place finish Saturday night. Here's where I'm living:







Play Money: 1,563,000 Up 447k.

Real Money: $298.50 Up $37.91.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Target for next MTT level: $550 ($11)


I just missed breaking $300, but that should be no problem this week. It's hard to decide what to do from here. I'm about $100 from the next marker for cash games, and a long way away from the next MTT level, with not a lot of insurance to play the $5.50s. I think it'll be business as usual for the $.11s, and I'll play any $3.30 Eagle Cup, but that's it I think. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I could be looking at $400 just a few weeks from now if I play carefully. Hopefully one of these $3.30s will be a deep finish and I can get a nice score. I've been considering playing cash games, but it hasn't seemed to be necessary. The tourneys are going much better than expected, and as long as I'm profitable there is no need to switch, although eventually I need to take a shot and see what happens. Until then I will keep bankrolling my small winnings.

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/1-10/7

As expected, this week I was forced to slow down due to schoolwork obligations and did not play Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I played in only 13 tourneys this week. Sunday I cashed in the Eagle Cup freeroll finishing 324th out of over 2600, and had two 18th place finishes (1 in the $3.30), and a  41st place finish on Monday night. So 4/13 cashed last week. I had a huge jump in play money and became a "play money millionaire" as I finished 3rd in the opening Eagle Cup event and actually spent Monday night in 3rd place on the leaderboard. Here is where I'm at:

Play Money: 1,116,000 Up 257k

Real Money: $260.59 Up $12.45

Target for next MTT level: $275

Target for next Cash Game Level: $400

Target for next SnG level: $440


This week it' s back on the horse and I'll be looking to move back up the Eagle Cup Play Money leaderboard. I'm currently 30th. I'll also be looking to get over the $275 marker in order to bankroll myself for the $5.50 MTTs. There are a couple of $3.30 Eagle Cup tourneys coming up so I'll play those, but I'll be backing off playing $3.30 tourneys every night until I get over $275.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/24-9/30

Well this week I was finally able to incorporate a higher buy-in tourney to my repertoire. Although I finished the week up, I'm not entirely sure I want to keep playing the $3.30 buy in. I haven't had enough plays yet, but this week I was only 1/7. I'm gonna give it one more week, but if I'm not profitable, then I will stop playing it. My results were not as good as the past few weeks, but with school work and other family obligations, I really burned the candle at both ends. So I had five cashes out of 20 tourneys played, and they were as follows: a 20th place finish Sunday night, a 13th place finish Tuesday night in the $3.30, a 6th place finish Wednesday night, a 47th place finish Thursday night, and a 29th place finish Friday night. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 859k Up 33k.

Real Money: $248.14 Up $6.69.

Target for next MTT level: $275.

Target for next Cash Game level: $400.

Target for next SnG level: $440.

This week Global Poker kicks off its month long Eagle Tournament Series beginning with a $10,000 guaranteed freeroll tonight. I will be playing in that, as well as Event #1 which is a $3.30 buy in tomorrow night. I'm hopeful this week will be a bit more profitable, but if not, I will be dropping down to play just the $.11 tourneys.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/17-9/23

This week on Global Poker was another big one. I played 13 tournaments and cashed in six of them. An 18th place finish Sunday night, a 31st place finish Tuesday night, a huge double cash Wednesday night finishing 24th and 3rd, a 20th place finish Thursday night, and a 12th place finish Friday night. I have definitely elevated my game over the past month, and cashing seems to be the new norm. As a result, I am adding a $3.30 tourney to the mix and I'm hopeful I'll be able to play 21 tourneys this week. This will result in an investment of $24.64 (14 x $0.11 tourneys, and 7 x $3.30 tourneys). It's gonna be tough with schoolwork piling up, but I think I can get it done. If I happen to run bad, I have no problem dropping back down and dropping the $3.30 tourney, but I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 826k Down 4k.

Real Money: $241.45 Up $36.17.

Target for next MTT level: $275 ($5.50)

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Target for next SnG level: $440 ($22)

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/10-9/16

Another monster week on Global as I played just 10 tourneys, but cashed in five of them. An 8th place finish Sunday night, a double cash Monday night finishing 9th and 13th, a 20th place finish Tuesday night, and a 22nd place finish Wednesday night capping off seven straight nights of cashing dating back to last week. In that time I cashed 9/14 tourneys and appeared at three final tables. The bankroll has finally cracked $200 and soon I'll be playing tourneys with larger buy ins. Likely $3.30. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 830k Up 44k.

Real Money: $205.28 Up $19.08.

Target for next SnG level: $220 ($11)

Target for next MTT level: $275 ($5.50)

Target for next Cash Game level: $400 ($20)

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/3-9/9

It was another wildly successful week at Global Poker and the bankroll continues its push to $200. I played 14 tournaments again this week and cashed in five of them. An 8th place finish Sunday night, a double cash Thursday finishing 15th and 10th, a 7th place finish Friday night, and a 35th place finish for a min cash on Saturday. No big cashes, but a couple of final table runs was not too shabby. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 786k Up 35k.

Real Money: $186.14 Up $26.23.

Target for next Cash Game level: $200 ($10)

Target for next SnG level: $220 ($11)

Target for next MTT level: $275 ($5.50)

Weekly Bankroll Update 8/27-9/2

    Well it was back  to work this week, and I was able to have a lot of success on the virtual felt coming fresh off my staycation. It was back to playing two $.11 tourneys per night. I played 14 tourneys in all this week and cashed in four of them. A 12th place finish Monday night, a double cash Wednesday night finishing 4th and 11th, and a 21st place finish Friday night. This was one of my best weeks on Global Poker, and the bankroll is at its all-time high. It's now been exactly four months and I'm averaging $40 per month over that span. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 751k Up 25k.

Real Money: $159.91 Up $25.76.

Target for next MTT level: $165 ($3.30)

Target for next Cash Game level: $200 ($10)

Target for next SnG level: $220 ($11)

Weekly Bankroll Update 8/20-8/26

Well, this week was a relatively slow one as far as earnings. I was on a staycation from work, and chose to focus on my play money balance to keep my game sharp. Having all this extra time I felt could be dangerous for the roll where it is right now, so I played six $.11 tourneys this week and cashed in one. The play money roll was up quite a bit and it was nice to be able to play without a sweat. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 726k Up 214k for the week.

Real Money: $134.15 Up $1.14 for the week.

Target for next MTT level: $165 ($3.30)

Target for next cash game level: $200 ($10)

Target for next SnG level: $220 ($11)

This week should be a bit more eventful, but I'm still going to be rather conservative until I get to $200. The closer I get, the more active I'll be to try and take shots to get there, but for now, slow and steady wins the race.

Back in the Saddle

  Hello again readers. It has been quite some time since I've written to you and for that, I apologize. This has been a crazy year so far. My daughter turned three years old last month, both of my parents turned 70, my stepmom turns 60 this week, my girlfriend's parents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next month, I have a family reunion in New Jersey next month, and my girlfriend herself turns 40 in November. Not to mention I'm beginning the pursuit of my Master's degree in the fall. Yup. That's 2017 in a nutshell. "Milestone Year."

  Despite all these big events taking place, I have somehow been able to carve out some time to play online poker. Back on May 2nd, I set up an account at a site called Global Poker. It's a legal site for U.S. players, and they use a sweepstakes model that they've patented in order to exist in an environment that outlaws online poker. I won't go into specifics about exactly how it works (you can visit their website at globalpoker.com for details), but you can cash out through PayPal. Global gives you 10,000 Gold Coins (aka "play money"), and $2 cash for signing up. I took the 10,000 Gold Coins and the $2 and as of the date of this post, my bankroll currently sits at over 500,000 Gold Coins, and $133.01 in cash without me putting in any of my own money. Just three and a half months in, and suddenly I've found myself grinding it out again nearly every night with a bankroll that is growing at a rate of $40/month. I'd be lying if I said I saw this coming.

  So now that I'm back to playing online poker again, it's become apparent that I better start setting some goals for myself. I never expected to have over $130 in my roll this quickly. When Chris "Jesus" Ferguson started his $0 to $10,000 challenge back in 2006, it took him nine months to break $100. Nine months after that he cracked $10,000 adhering to strict bankroll management rules. In the spirit of Ferguson's accomplishment, I have hereby decided to start my own challenge. I'm calling it the $2 to $40,000 challenge. The reason I'm setting the bar at $40,000 as opposed to $10,000 is because the highest cash game limit on Global Poker at the moment is $10/$20. That means you can buy in for a max of $2,000. Following the same bankroll rules Ferguson set for himself would mean I would need $40,000 in my bankroll in order to play those stakes. I will be tracking my progress on a weekly basis and will be posting my results on this blog. I am not giving myself a time limit as I believe it's unrealistic to do so. I am confident it will happen, and it doesn't really matter to me how long it takes.

  Here are the bankroll management rules I will follow (please note: they are basically the same ones as Ferguson's).

1. No more than 5% of the bankroll will be used for cash games or SnGs (single table tournaments).

2. No more than 2% of the bankroll will be used for MTTs (multi table tournaments). If it's a re-buy tourney, I'll re-buy as many times as is necessary as long as the total amount spent is 2% of the bankroll or less.

3. If my winnings in a cash game ever exceed 10% of the bankroll, I must leave the table before the blinds reach me.

4. Satellite tournaments are currently not offered on Global Poker so no worries there.

  Since my bankroll currently sits at $133 and change, I can play cash games at the $.02/$.04 level buying in for the maximum of $4. The next level up from that is $.05/$.10 for $10. I need $200 or more for that. Until I get to $200, I am going to be extremely cautious because there is no level for me to drop down to if I run bad.

Short-term goals are as follows:

Current bankroll: $133.01

Target for next MTT level: $165 ($3.30)

Target for the next cash game level: $200 ($10)

Target for the next SnG level: $220 ($11)

Again, please stay tuned to this blog for my progress updates which will be posted every Sunday.