Weekly Bankroll Update 12/22-12/29

Well, this is my last blog post of 2018 and it's nice to be able to report good news. Not only is the bankroll at an all-time high, I also had my best week since I started this crazy quest in May of 2017. Let's begin with online. I changed my strategy last week to include a mix of MTTs and SnGs and it worked rather well. I played four SnGs winning three of them, and had a couple of deep runs in the MTTs. On Saturday I went to MGM Springfield to play some $1/$2 No-Limit. I played for around five hours or so, and only won maybe four or five pots, but they happened to be pretty good sized ones. First, about an hour in I picked up KK under the gun. I made a healthy raise and got one caller. I spiked a King on the flop and filled up on the river and took down a nice pot. Next, I picked up pocket Aces and got all-in pre-flop against KK. The aces held. Finally, I limped in with 33 along with five other players. The flop cam 9-9-4. Everyone checked and a 3 hit the turn giving me a full house. I was able to get one of the fish at the table to come with me till the river where he made a good sized bet. I came over the top of him and he folded (wisely). As I said, I had my best week so far. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 14,820,000 Up 787,000

Real Money: $1,445.45 Up $165.37

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week I have no plans to make any changes to my strategy. I need to see if this is truly a profitable mix and I figure two more weeks should be enough time. If all goes well, I will increase the amounts and play bigger tourneys. 2018 was a good year for me. I profited around $900, had three successful casino trips, and lots of wins in home games. I'm poised for success in 2019 and am going into the new year playing the best I ever have. Hope you all have a great New Year and thanks so much for all your support!

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/16-12/22

Losing $10 cash and going 0/10 in Sit N Gos is not how I wanted the week to go, but a $10 promotional win from Global kept a bad week from being a REALLY bad week. I literally lost everything I played up until Saturday night when I cashed the Daily Bonanza for $1.05 and took down one of the play money Christmas tourneys. Those were really the only highlights in an otherwise dismal week of poker. Here's where I ended up:

Play Money: 14,033,000 Up 419,000

Real Money: $1,280.08 Down $32.53

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week I'm going back to playing MTTs. I'll sprinkle in some SnGs to try and keep myself afloat, but playing straight cash just isn't working as well as I'd like, and obviously playing just SnGs is not a profitable venture. So I'll mix in SnGs with my MTTs to try and balance things out and hit the casino on the 29th. I'm really hoping to finish off 2018 on a high note so stay tuned for what will hopefully be some good news next week! Happy Holidays everyone!

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/9-12/15

Finally had a good week last week and was able to boost the bankroll a bit thanks to a 7th place finish in the $3 re-buy MTT. It was a 6-handed tournament and I ran really well, but bubbled the final table (and a nice pay boost) when this hand happened: I was in the BB with 8-9 and 40k in chips running 5th. The SB with 160k chips called and I checked. The flop came K-8-9. He min-bet for 2500 and I shoved all in. He snap-called with K-3 and rivered the 3 for a higher two-pair. Heartbreaking, but I was happy to pull out some profit. I pretty much broke even the rest of the week playing $10 and $20 cash games, and $3 and $6 SnGs. Here's how I finished my week:

Play Money: 13,614,000 Up 682,000

Real Money: $1,312.61 Up $19.56

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

I hadn't played a MTT in a while and it was nice to have a good run. Especially since I had to deal with a miracle hook-and-ladder by the Dolphins to knock me out of my survivor pool on Sunday. I was stunned for a good hour after that game. I made plans to hit the casino on the 29th and I'm hoping I can finish the year on a positive note. This week will be more of the same as last week. School is not a distraction right now and I'm able to put all my focus on poker. It showed last week as I had probably one of my best online weeks in the past two months. Let's hope I can keep this thing going!

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/2 - 12/8

I was up and down last week as SnGs played a dominant role in my game selection. I started out well cashing in the Weekly Bonanza, but tapered off as the week went on. I still ended at a record-high though. Sit N Go's can be tough sometimes especially if you're used to playing cash games. It's a very different pace and strategy. I also have an uncanny ability to finish 4th when 3 are paid. Anyway, take a bite of these numbers:

Play Money: 12,932,000 Up 174,000

Real Money: $1,293.05 Up $2.67

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)


School is over until Feb 2nd so I will be vamping up my play over the next two months. I'd like to focus mainly on the $20 cash game and $6 SnGs going forward. It does mean I'll probably have to undergo some swings, but I feel like my bankroll is healthy enough to withstand them. In order for it to grow, I have to be playing at an optimal level and $10 cash games and $3 SnGs just aren't cutting it anymore. It's hard to believe, but there are just three of us left in my football survivor pool. I have New England this week, and they have Denver and the LA Chargers respectively. Go Pats!

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/25 - 12/1

Well it's back to the peak for me. I didn't make as much as I wanted to last week, but I didn't play as much as I wanted to either. A couple of small wins in the $10 cash game and a 3rd place in a $3 SnG was all that went down. I also played in a "home" game last week with 9 players. Buy in was $40 and I was down $10. No harm no foul though because the buy in was made from personal funds not the bankroll. My cards were atrocious. I lost with trip J's to a full house, a full house to a higher full house, and then with just three hands to go, I picked up As Jc and here's how it went down. First let me say that somehow I was actually ahead $6 when this hand came and I was just trying to get the hell outta there with SOME profit so I really didn't want to play this hand. I was on the button and eight players were in the hand. Flop comes all clubs so I'm sitting on a Jack high flush draw. Everyone checked and the turn was a blank. Everyone checked AGAIN and the river brought a club making me a flush. Incredibly, everyone checked around to me and I bet $1.50 into a $4.00 pot. Small blind raised to $10 and it folded around to me. It made no sense. I was very familiar with the small blind's play and I really didn't think he would check-raise the river with a made flush so I called. Sure enough he turns over Ac 10s. I was livid (not at him of course, well ok maybe a little). Dude, you checked the nuts on the river?!? Sorry Benny, he says. I checked and actually forgot what I had so I looked down and was like Oh! I have the Ace! He accidentally made a very good play in my opinion. Checking the nuts on the river is gutsy but can be extremely profitable if someone has the second best hand. Especially in an 8-handed pot. To me it looked like a bluff. Plus they'd been bluffing me all night and I picked them off several times so this seemed like more of the same. Oh well. Here's where I ended last week:

Play Money: 12,758,000 Down 591,000

Real Money: $1,290.38 Up $4.92

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week will be short due to homework for my class that ends Saturday. Just 7 more Saturdays to go until I finish school and I can't wait. The MBA is in my sights now and I'm getting anxious. I'll get some playing time in this week though so I'm hoping to at least break $1,300.

As a side note, I just wanted to talk a bit about poker players that stream their online sessions. I just joined Twitch last week so I could participate in chat rooms of some of the players I like to watch. There are two in particular I follow: thegoldenblazer and SpaceMexican1. If you're on Twitch definitely check them out. A lot of people have asked me if I'll ever stream my sessions, and I just tell them flatly No. I think it would give other players too much insight into my game allowing them to exploit me somewhere down the road. Now this doesn't mean I'm totally against those that do stream, I just think personally it's not really my thing. I think if I were to use Twitch for anything other then following poker players, it would be to live stream myself playing video games. That would be a lot of fun. I actually like to watch other people play games sometimes especially if I'm thinking about buying one and I just want to see what it's like. For now though, I'll just stick to watching poker streams.

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/18 - 11/24

My goals last week were to try and make enough to pass my bankroll peak, and although I came up just short, I was able to still pull out a profit despite what was actually kind of a tough week for cards. I had one decent cash game session, and won one $3 sit n go last night after losing my first one, which officially put me ahead for the week. Here are my standings:

Play Money: 13,349,000 Up 1,151,000

Real Money: $1,285.46 Up $9.39

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

I'm pretty sure this is the week I pass my peak (rhyme not intended). It's been a real slow grind since I had that big losing week, but I'm happy to have earned almost all of it back. I will take a shot again soon, but I think I'd like to be living above $1,300 first. Somehow I'm still alive in my football survivor pool too. There were four of us left going into this week, and I picked the Cowboys who pulled out a win on Thanksgiving so no sweat till next week. I am thinking about getting back into the SnG groove in order to generate profits. As long as I don't play them primarily I usually do fine. A mix of those and the cash games should help going forward. I'll take it nice and easy until I can get comfortably above $1,300 and then I'll start opening things up a little. I may try and schedule one more casino trip before the end of the year. We shall see...

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/11 - 11/17

   It was another slow one last week, but I was able to generate some funds from a couple of profitable sessions at the $10 game. I had a ton of schoolwork to catch up on, and real work was super stressful, but despite that I was up on the week. It's full-steam ahead now. Here are some of my current integers:

Play Money: 12,198,000 Up 120,000

Real Money: $1,276.07 Up $15.68

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)


I'm just $14 off my peak and this week my goal is to top it. I'd love to even break the $1,300 mark if possible. I still have a couple of homework obligations, and the holiday of course, but I think I should be able to find the time to play enough this week to hit those goals. I just hope the cards are on my side! I want to take another shot at that $50 game too. I had a horrible beat in the last session at that level, but rest assured, I will make up for it. It wasn't easy having to grind that back, but it was the right thing to do in order to maintain proper bankroll management. It may be a while before I get back to the casino with the weather/holidays/school/work taking precedence so I have to be able to grind online right now. Stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 11/4 - 11/10

It was a slow one last week and I didn't play much as expected. When I did play I was up and down and finished the week with a small profit, but nothing to write home about. I'm hopeful this week things pick up a little, but it's getting a little tough to focus on poker right now with school and personal obligations. Here is where I am:

Play Money: 12,078,000 Up 437,000

Real Money: $1,260.39 Up $1.41

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

I feel like I'm playing my best game right now even though I'm not playing that much. If I can free up some time to focus and really hone my game, I can generate some real profit. I have no casino plans in the near future with school and holidays coming up, but I do have some profitable possibilities in other things that aren't poker related like my football survivor pool, and spread league. It's $1,000 up top with the spread league, and 5 places paid. Survivor is somewhere around $300 if I can be the last man standing so at least there's something to sweat over. Stay tuned...

Red Dead Redemption 2 - A Brief Review

   Well I finally got a chance to spend a few hours on this new title from Rockstar games, and I have to say, I'm blown away. I saw many of the reviews and game trailers prior to its release, but actually sitting down and immersing myself in this world was breathtaking. It has easily surpassed all the hype. I was expecting it to be epic, and it actually exceeded my already lofty expectations. I won't post any spoilers here, and I'll try and keep it brief since there are a ton of things you can do in this game. A full in-depth review would end up being the length of a novel.

   Let's start with the graphics. If I had to use just one word to describe them, it'd be: Stunning. The game takes place in 1899 and is made to feel like a western. Everything from the mountains and trees, to the characters, to the buildings, to the weather patterns are extremely detailed and lifelike. You mostly travel through this game on horseback, and it's easy to just wander around the various landscapes and explore forgetting where you're supposed to be going and why.

   Next, there is the voice acting. It's so much better than GTA 5. The dialogue is deep, and the characters are relatable and believable for the time period. The main character, Arthur Morgan, is pretty badass, and even humorous at times. I'm only about 25% of the way through the story so far, and I can't wait to see how everything plays out. My favorite character in the game is Dutch van der Linde, the head of Arthur's gang. He's quite a charismatic criminal who considers his band of rebels a family, leading their camp from hiding place to hiding place as the law aggressively pursues.

   Finally, the gameplay. Even though this game was made by Rockstar, don't think it's just a western version of Grand Theft Auto. It's a much different game with a much different pace. It's a lot harder to reek havoc in RDR2 without getting quickly gunned down by either lawmen or rival gang members. It's also a lot harder to kill people in this game without using the Dead Eye feature which slows time and allows Arthur to fire critical shots on multiple targets. During gunfights, Arthur constantly has to stop and reload his weapons which hold a limited amount of ammunition, unlike GTA where you can unload a 50 or 60 round magazine from a semiautomatic weapon taking down almost anyone who gets in your way. Arthur's guns are mostly pistols, revolvers and rifles which take time to load during heated gun battles. You also want to be cognizant of the crimes you commit as there is an Honor bar that goes up and down as you either help people or commit crimes, and you get different perks depending on your level. And it's not just gunfights that you can do. You can hunt, fish, play poker, blackjack, dominoes, and five finger fillet, craft food, tonics, and trinkets, rob stores, trains, banks, and horse carriages, and even shave and modify your hairstyle. Your hair and beard actually grow as the game progresses allowing you to style them many different ways at barber shops. As far as animals go, there are more than 200 different species, and 30 different types of fish. The map is massive. I haven't even scratched the surface of places to go, and I actually have no idea how big it really is. I just know it's big. Fast travelling is an option later in the game, and believe me, you'll need to use it. You can even pay to ride to and from different cities and towns. To put it in perspective, GTA 5 was somewhere around 50GB in size with patches and updates, and RDR2 downloaded at around 92GB.

   I'm confident this game will go down in history as one of the best ever made. If I had to give it a critique, I'd only say that sometimes it's hard to stay focused on what I'm supposed to be doing. Many times I've found myself riding my horse to a location to start a mission, and I end up getting sidetracked because some fool fell off his horse and hurt his leg and needs my help, or some poor soul got bit by a poisonous snake and I have to suck the poison out of his wound. I even got attacked by a bear on my way to find a treasure once, and let me tell you, I felt like Leo DiCaprio's character in The Revenant. It was terrifying! I hope all of you reading this eventually have a chance to experience this inevitable classic. It's worth every penny!

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/21 - 11/3

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I last blogged, and there hasn't been too much movement in the bankroll. I was in Virginia for a wedding last weekend, and spent last week catching up on homework and housework so I haven't really played too much, but I was still able to pull out some small wins here and there. My numbers are as follows:

Play Money: 11,641,000 Up 159,000

Real Money: $1,258.98 Up $15.13

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week may be a short one as well as schoolwork begins to dominate my free time. I'm just six months from getting my MBA and I want to try and focus on that as much as I can. If I do play at all it will be the $10 and $20 cash games mostly. I've made back almost half of my big loss from a few weeks ago despite a lack of playing time, and I'll just continue to stay conservative until I can focus 100% on poker again.

Side Note: I have finally had a chance to spend a few hours playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and will be posting my review on that game later this week so stay tuned for that!

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/14-10/20

Well, the Eagle Cup is about to come to a close, and I still have no trophy, but I sure have been close a number of times. Tonight the series concludes, and I've made 8 final tables so far. Last night I finished runner-up which was heart breaking. I came into heads-up at a 4-1 disadvantage, and just couldn't overcome it. We were 3-handed for a really long time and we each were chip leader and short stack at various points. I played a little real money too finishing the week with a small profit. The grind to make back my big loss from last week is underway and here is where I am:

Play Money: 11,482,000 Up 1,025,000

Real Money: $1,243.85 Up $12.03

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week is going to be a short one as I'll be away Friday thru Sunday, but I still have two more chances at a trophy tonight, and I'll probably play more $10 and $20 cash games throughout the week. I was happy to start making back my losses and will continue to grind hard possibly playing some MTTs. I ran really well during this Eagle Cup and my MTT game is sharp at the moment so we'll see. The casino will have to wait until next month, but no worries. I'm playing A-game poker right now.

P.S. - As a side note, please stay tuned for a blog post at the end of the month as I review Rockstar Games' newest installment Red Dead Redemption 2. I will also be posting it on writerjax' blog writerjax.net as part of her Blogtoberfest series so stay tuned for that. I haven't been this excited for a video game since I got a Nintendo when I was 14 years old. RDR2 is changing the open-world genre as we know it and I seriously can't wait!

Weekly Bankroll Update 10/7-10/13

I finally took a real shot at the $50 game on Sunday, and I wish I didn't. After folding for six straight orbits, I picked up 5-6 off in the big blind. I checked to see the flop which came 4-7-K. I called a $2 bet to see the turn with three of us still in the hand. The turn came an 8 giving me the nut straight. I checked and a player bet into me for $5. I raised to $19 and he called. The river came another 8 pairing the board. Figuring I was probably good there, I went all in and got called by 4-4 who'd made a full house. A terrible beat to start the week off down $50. The next night I jumped into a $20 game and promptly lost half my stack when my Q-Q got beat by 7-7. And that was about it for last week. I played a couple of nights at $10 and pretty much broke even. I also played some Daily Bonanzas and got nowhere. A couple of final tables in the play money Eagle Cup tourneys made things interesting, but all in all last week sucked. Here is how I'm doing:

Play Money: 10,457,000 Down $252,000

Real Money: $1,231.82 Down $58.60

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

Last week served me my first test of adversity and I have to say, I think I handled it pretty well. It can be difficult to fight off the urge to immediately try to get your money back when you take a big loss. A friend of mine half-joked that I need to jump back into the $50 game right away. And risk going down $100 this week? No chance, I said. The correct move, at least from my perspective, is to grind it back even if it takes a while. Other people might be willing to take more of a gamble than I am, and that's fine; for them. Despite taking that hit, I'm still ahead over the past three weeks so there's certainly no need to panic. I've only had three or four down weeks since I started this blog over a year ago, and the roll is still healthy. This week I'm going to continue to play the Eagle Cup tourneys. A win in one of those is worth $60 for me due to the Hometown Heroes promo on Global so if I can pull a win there, I'm back even. I'll also start my week at the $20 cash game. If I lose big there, I'll just drop down to $10 and grind it back. Anything can happen week to week as long as I stay confident in my abilities to not go on tilt, and to play my best game.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/30-10/6

Following my best week ever, I was fully prepared to add on to it by upping my cash game level and playing some MTTs, however a deep run in the Weekly Bonanza caused me to re-think things a little. I started off up around $12 and change and went the conservative route instead. I did take a shot at the $50 game on Thursday night resulting in a $7.35 profit, but it merely made back some of my losses at the $10 game earlier in the evening. All in all I was happy with how the week went. I got to play all the Eagle Cup tourneys for play money, cashing in a bunch, took a shot at the $50 game, and made a couple of Eagle Cup final tables finishing 7th in both. I chose to sit out the real money tourneys in order to protect my week's profits and took a couple of hits in play money cash games. Here's my status:

Play Money: 10,709,000 Down 475,000

Real Money: $1,290.42 Up $12.33

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)


It's hard to gamble when I start my week off well. Sunday is usually my "gambling day" because if things don't go well, I have the rest of the week to make it up, but if I play the Weekly and turn a good profit, I am much more reluctant to risk those earnings. Saturdays are normally my "make up" days in order to either make back losses, or hit earnings goals. Either way, as long as I come out of the week ahead, I'm happy. I see any week of $20 or more as a success. Even though last week was for less than that, I was happy because it followed my best week so far and the bankroll is at a record-high. It's unlikely I'll play the Weekly Bonanza today (a little short on qualifying hands), so the $50 game will be played again at some point, but the $20 will be my go-to. I'm hoping to get another casino trip in this month, but we'll see how things go.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/23-9/29

I started last week off terribly losing $23 on Sunday night, but was able to grind most of it back by Friday. Saturday night I went to the all new MGM Springfield and played some $1/$2 NLHE. The casino was really nice and easy to get to, and the poker room was comfortable, roomy and well-lit. My cards were good too as I took a $140 profit home with me. It was my best week so far and forced me to make some decisions about what to do going forward. First, some numbers:

Play Money: 11,184,000 Up 982,000

Real Money: $1,278.09 Up $132.83

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)


Most of my casino profit came from two flopped full houses, and QQ holding up all the way to the river where I made a value bet and got paid off. I was never down at any point and the four-hour  session went smoothly. The Eagle Cup starts tomorrow night on Global Poker and runs for three weeks. I plan on playing every $3.30 and $5.50 buy-in as well as all the play money ones in order to get another trophy (I'm assuming it will come in the form of a giant eagle). The real question now is, what cash game level should I play? $20 or $50? Should I play the $20 and just sprinkle in the $50 from time to time? Should I play primarily $50? I still haven't decided, but I can guarantee there will probably be one session this week where I buy in for $50. Stay tuned because things just got very interesting.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/16-9/22

Up until last night, things were going well. I was up as much as $16 and change, but lost my full $10 buy in plus a SnG last night. Still had a small profit, but lost with a ton of good hands. Had AA cracked, lost with 10s four straight times, lost w JJ and KK and 88. It was brutal. Not to worry though as it seems like the 29th is a guaranteed casino day. Here's where I ended up:

Play Money: 10,202,000  Down 413,000

Real Money: $1,145.26 Up $1.84

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

I can't let one bad day define my week. I was happy to pull out a profit, but it was tough. This week will be more of the same. Conservative approach and see how Saturday goes.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/9-9/15

As the grind continues I find myself having to hold back the urge to raise the stakes and play longer sessions just to keep from being bored. That's why video games are nice. I can just zone out and play for an hour or two after a short session and protect the roll. Last week I stayed conservative and profited once again. It wasn't a huge profit, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Here are my current bankrolls.

Play Money: 10,615,000 Up 15,000

Real Money: $1,143.40 Up $19.27

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

I have a casino trip scheduled for the 29th and I can't wait to check out the new MGM in Springfield. My plan is to continue staying conservative until that trip and play $1/$2 NL when I get there. Obviously I will not be using my bankroll to buy in to that game, but the profits will go in, assuming there are any.

Weekly Bankroll Update 9/2-9/8

I had a pretty decent run last week, but one bad day erased four straight days of small profits. I mainly played the $10 game, and had a first and second place finish in a couple of SnGs to turn a small profit. Even though it wasn't a big week, I was very happy come out ahead. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 10,600,000 Up 343,000

Real Money: $1,124.13 Up $10.48

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

Taking the small profits from cash game sessions is still working well for me, but bad days can quickly erase them. Supplementing with SnGs seems to work  pretty well when the cash games aren't so I'll stick with that strategy. I'm hoping for a casino run at the end of the month which could boost the roll if I run well.

Weekly Bankroll Update 8/26-9/1

I decided to drop down to the $10 game last week and shorten my sessions, and it seems to have worked rather well. My strategy was to get up from the table as soon as I turned a profit of at least 10% or more. I had to play for a while on a couple of sessions to get there, but on one session I doubled up on the second hand with KK and called it a night. I didn't have a losing session all week so I think it's time to bump back up to the $20 game. Here are my rolls:

Play Money: 10,257,000 Up 361,000

Real Money: $1,113.65 Up $34.17

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

It was great to be able to recoup my losses from two weeks ago, and my cash game strategy seems to be working so far, although it's still a very small sample. I will try this at the $20 game this week and see how it goes. I'm hoping to make my first visit to the new MGM in Springfield sometime this month, and the home game should be starting back up soon too. Lots to be excited about as we roll into September!

Weekly Bankroll Update 8/19-8/25

It was a tough grind last week as I played a pretty fair number of hours at the $20 cash game, but just couldn't get any value from my big hands. Most of my losses came from one hand where I had QQ and lost on the turn to 66 when he hit a set. Otherwise I pretty much broke even. I might change up my strategy a little bit this week to include SnGs if I start running poorly. Here are the current numbers:

Play Money: 9,896,000 Up 213,000

Real Money: $1,079.48 Down $22.98

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

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

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

MGM Springfield officially opened its doors on Friday and will be my primary casino stop for the fall. I'm going to wait a month or so for them to work out all their kinks and get their dealers trained. I might drop down to the $10 game for a little bit to start the week. It wouldn't be good to take too many hits from where I am right now. The $20 game has been tougher for me than I thought, and I feel a lot more comfortable at the $10 game. Plus I've had much better results there. I also want to take a shot or two at the MTTs again this week so we'll see if I can manage any success there. There are still no live games in my immediate future so I'll continue to stay conservative until I get a big score.

Weekly Bankroll Update 8/5-8/18

Hello again readers! It's been two weeks since my last post and the bankroll has crossed another small milestone. I was camping last weekend so I didn't play for four days, but I had a good run before I left going up close to $40. Coming back I had three straight down days, but was able to recover most of it Friday and Saturday night. The $20 game has been pretty tough so far. The players are actually pretty solid, but they tend to try and bluff off their stacks to get their opponents off hands. Most of my big hands have been a result of that. Last night I won a $38 pot with AA when some clown went all in on the river with Q-9 off and no pair. Anyhoo, here's where I landed:

Play Money: 9,673,000  Down 820,000

Real Money: $1,102.46 Up $31.52

Target for next MTT level: $1,650 ($33)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Target for next SnG level: $2,200 ($110)

This week I'll continue to grind the $20 cash game, but if I'm running well I'll add in some MTTs and SnGs to the mix. I need to have big weeks going forward if I want to get to $2,000. MGM Springfield opens on Friday and I want to go and play live $1/$2. That will help me boost a little. If I can get just a little more cushion I'll try my hand at the $50 game online too. I'm going to need more insurance than usual to get to the $50 game because if I have to drop down I go from $50 to $20 and it's actually worse than having to go from $100 to $50 because of the percentages. Bumping up before I'm ready will cause me to play too tight and miss out on opportunities to win big hands. I actually like playing 10-9 suited better than KK or QQ because there are more ways to make a hand but I tend not to play them unless I'm already up in the session. I'm really excited to be where I'm at right now, but I will not be complacent. Got to keep grinding!

Weekly Bankroll Update 7/29-8/4

Last week was pretty good for me as we finally had a home game Wednesday night resulting in a $24 profit. I basically won all my money on two big hands, one where I rivered a full house, and one where I rivered a flush. The game didn't go too long since we had a couple of noobies that cleaned a couple of players out and left early. I have requested the game be moved from my house to my friend's house for matter of convenience. It's becoming a hassle to get home from work and set everything up, make dinner and get my daughter ready for bed before everyone arrives. By the time the game starts, I'm pretty much exhausted so maybe by moving it, I'll have even better results. The Daily Bonanzas were kind to me last week. I was able to cash three times, and the $10 cash game worked well for me too. More than half of my profits last week were from online play. Here are my bankrolls:

Play Money: 10,493,000 Up 39,000

Real Money: $1,070.94 Up $53.77

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

It's nice to finally have some insurance above $1,000. I will be switching from the $10 cash game to the $20 cash game starting tonight. Pretty soon it won't be necessary to play the Daily Bonanzas. My time would be better spent playing cash games and eventually upping my tournament buy ins. I really want to start playing the $7,000 guarantee. It's a $5.50 rebuy and has quite a lucrative first place payout each night. Once I get myself comfortable at the $20 game, I'll start playing that. This week will be pretty slow since I will be camping with my family this weekend. There will be no blog post next week needless to say, so I will be posting nightly updates on my Twitter feed (@BenRagusa) this week and next so stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 7/22-7/28

Never ever give up. That was the theme last week as my first round of cash games came to a close last night. I started off struggling mightily going 0/6 in the Daily Bonanzas and even losing my one $10 bullet after a five day grind when my KK lost to QQ on Thursday night. I was down over $11 going into last night, then it all turned around. I finished 8th in the Daily Bonanza winning $10 to start with. It was my first final table in that tournament in I don't know how long. Immediately after that I played a $10 cash game winning another $5 and change. It was quite the turnaround from how I was running most of the week. Every big hand I had got beat. I was losing to two-outers over and over again, but I never gave up. Sometimes when you're running bad you have to play through it if you feel like you're playing well. I wasn't losing because I made bad decisions (although I probably played too tight at times), I was losing because the cards favored my opponents. All you can do is get your money in while you're ahead. If the cards are against you, then there's nothing you can do. You just have to believe that eventually things will turn around, and last week they did. Here are my numbers:

Play Money: 10,454,000 Up 385,000

Real Money: $1,017.17 Up $4.84

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

Although it was a small profit last week, I'm really happy to have it. Things could have been much worse, and now I can play a bit more comfortably in cash games, although I'll have to drop down if I go broke in the $10 game. The Daily Bonanza really bailed me out Saturday night, and I will continue to grind them while using the cash games to qualify. There are no immediate casino plans, but I'm confident we will have a home game on Wednesday. I anticipated July being a slow month, but it's actually been quite lucrative all things considered. As always stay tuned to my Twitter feed for home game updates and any major bankroll updates.

Weekly Bankroll Update 7/15-7/21

At long last I finally hit a milestone with the bankroll. I officially cracked $1,000 this week as Global credited my account $20 for my casino pic. I also had a few cashes in the Daily Bonanzas going 3/6 for a small profit. Things start to get interesting now. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 10,069,000 Down 837,000

Real Money: $1,012.33 Up $25.39

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Target for next Cash Game level: $2,000 ($100)

So, here's how this is gonna go. I don't have a lot of insurance above $1,000 so I can't go crazy. I will continue to get my 50 hands per day so I qualify for the Daily Bonanzas, but I'm going to play with real money to get them. Starting tonight I will buy in for $10 and play my 50 hands and see where I'm at. If I go broke (worst-case scenario), I will just go back to what I was doing before; getting 50 hands with play money and playing the Daily Bonanzas. If I'm between $1,005 and $1,010.99  I'll play $4 cash games. $1,011 and $1,020.99, I'll play for $10, and $1,021 and higher, I'll play $20. The point is not to go below $1,000. $1,100 is the next target and I don't anticipate that being too difficult. I'm hopeful this Wednesday we will have a home game and that will be a great opportunity for me to get some added cushioning.

In my last post I forgot to mention a hand that occurred during my casino trip. It was a situation I was unfamiliar with, and I'm curious if any of you have ever had this happen, and if you think it's kosher. I picked up K-Q suited in clubs in middle position. There were a couple of early limpers, and I limped in as well. It got around to the BB who checked. The flop came Q-9-4 rainbow. It checked around to me and I led out and bet $15. The BB called and everyone else folded. The turn was the 2 of diamonds putting two diamonds on the board. The BB had about $60-$70 in front of him and I put him all-in. He thought for a while and suddenly said; "this is not a call or a fold", and turned over his cards showing A-6 of diamonds. The dealer said: "that's not a call or a fold." Everyone stared at me. I didn't know what to do so I turned over my cards too and stared back at him. "That doesn't influence my decision", he said. He thought for a few minutes more and finally folded. A little while later I asked the player next to me if I was supposed to turn my cards over or not. He said no and that he didn't think you were allowed to show your cards without calling or folding. He also said he'd done that once and was told by the dealer not to. I asked why it was ok for that guy to do it, and he said "it depends on the dealer." Now I'm sorry, but that's bullshit. The rule should be universal, and quite frankly, the hand should be declared dead once you turn your cards over without calling or raising. It shouldn't be at the dealer's discretion. That's something I feel like Rivers Casino needs to address, so if you're reading this anyone at Rivers, address it!

One other poker side note: Justin Bonomo has topped the all-time tournament earnings list by winning WSOP's Big One for One Drop $1 million dollar buy-in tournament. Justin won $10 million by taking that down and now has $25 million in earnings this year alone, and $43 million lifetime! His run continues to mystify the poker community, and personally, I feel like he is a great ambassador for the game, and it's nice to see nice guys finish first for once. Well done Justin!

Weekly Bankroll Update 7/8 - 7/14

A rare casino trip last night resulted in a nice profit for the week as I spent a good five-hour session playing $1/$2 No-Limit. I went to Rivers casino in Schenectady, NY and bought in for $200 (max buy-in was $300) and won a good sized pot with KK early on. I also made some huge laydowns that not a lot of amateurs would have been able to make. First, the KK hand. Guy two seats to my right straddled for $4. I raised to $15 with KK. It folded around to the straddler who called. The flop came 2-3-6. I bet $20 and he called. Turn was a K giving me a set. Straddle boy checked again and I bet $25. He called. River was a blank and straddler goes all-in. It took me a minute to call because I wasn't sure if he had 4-5 for the straight. He certainly played the hand as though he did. I asked the dealer for a count. The bet was $90 which I had covered. I took a deep breath and called. He turned over 6-6 for a lower set and I raked the pot. Needless to say he was pissed. Mostly because I busted him, but I also don't think he was happy that I asked for a count. Most players would have insta-called, but I had to be sure he didn't have the nuts and the count gave me an extra few seconds to think.

A couple of hours later after spinning my wheels a bit, I picked up A-Q in early position. I limped in and the guy on the button raised to $16. I called and a player two seats to my left called as well. The flop came A-9-3 and I led out for $15. The guy two seats to my left called and the button made a $35 raise. I tanked for a couple of minutes before folding and the guy two seats to my left called. I sensed one of them had A-K. My instincts were right as they got all-in on the river. The guy two seats to my left was bluffing with 5-8 of spades, and the button, who had to call his all-in river bet, had A-K! After that hand I knew I'd be ok. That was a tough laydown, but when you feel like you're beat, you have to let the hand go no matter how good it may look to you. I felt like I made really good decisions the whole session and it resulted in a decent profit. I was down as much as $35, and up as much as $150 so to walk out with a $97 profit was fine with me. I also played the Daily Bonanza five times last week cashing once. Here's where  I stand:

Play Money: 10,906,000 Up 437,000

Real Money: $986.94 Up $97.65

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

So even though I'm a bit shy of $1,000, I'm happy because Global Poker will give me $20 for taking a picture of myself in front of the casino with the Global hat a T-shirt on. As soon as they credit my account, I'll be over the $1,000 marker! We didn't have enough players for the home game last week so we will try again for this week. Things are about to get very interesting now as I try to get some insurance over $1,000. I will wait until I either turn a nice home game profit, or Global credits my account before I open things up and start grinding real money again. I also have the Bonanzas to play as well to try and make up the difference. It's an exciting time for me and I encourage you to follow along on this blog and my Twitter handle @BenRagusa for updates!

Weekly Bankroll Update 7/1 - 7/7

It was a hot one last week as the Northeast saw record temps with most of the week in the mid 90's and never really getting below 70 at night. The heat wave finally broke and I was able to cash the Daily Bonanza Friday and Saturday after going 0/6 to start. I think the heat really had an influence on how I played. I made poor decisions and got bad cards, but despite that I was able to pull out a small profit and had another record week in play money. Here are my amounts:

Play Money: 10,469,000 Up 1,460,000

Real Money: $889.29 Up $3.57

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

My daughter turns four years old today so the Weekly Bonanza is not in the plans, but I'll be playing the Daily Bonanzas most of the week. Last week was a grind for sure, but I'm very pleased with how things have gone these past few weeks with no home game. I protected and increased my roll and even passed the 10 million chip mark in play money, not that it matters since 20 million is the next target. The next home game is this Wednesday and I'm pumped. I've been keeping tabs on the Main Event at the WSOP (today is Day 4 and they're in the money) and it has me pretty fired up to play some live poker. As always, check my Twitter feed for info on my home game results.

Weekly Bankroll Update 6/24-6/30

I was on vacation last week, but that didn't stop me from playing. I was 4/7 cashing Daily Bonanzas, and I crushed the play money Rapido tourneys again. It was a little frustrating to bubble the Weekly Bonanza as I finished 202nd when 198 were paid, but I'm over it. It wasn't a huge week, but I didn't expect it to be. The next home game is in 10 days and I'm just trying to bide my time until then. Here are my integers:

Play Money: 9,009,000 Up 355,000

Real Money: $885.72 Up $2.62

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

A lot of you might wonder why I spend so much time playing for play money. It's not because I'm trying to be a play money high roller even though I take play money just as seriously as real money. It's so I can get myself used to the idea of dropping down levels when things aren't going well. My real money bankroll is still very small, and there aren't many levels for me to drop down to if I get stuck, hence the reason I'm so ridiculously conservative. Play money keeps my game sharp, while at the same time keeping me in the right state of mind of moving up and down levels. It's like practice for bankroll building. As my real money roll gets bigger, it's going to be very important for me to be ready to drop down when my cards are bad, and to take shots when I feel like I'm running well. One of the reasons I'm so excited to get above $1,000 is because I'll have many levels to play at for cash games: $4, $10, $20, and $50. That kind of range allows me the freedom to play comfortably at multiple levels and build my roll quickly while at the same time being able to drop down if I run bad. This week it's back to work and my normal routine. I will do the usual Daily Bonanzas, but sadly, the Rapido tourneys are over. I really made a killing on those the past two weeks! The grind continues...

Weekly Bankroll Update 6/17-6/23

It was a dismal week for real money as I went 0/7 in the Daily Bonanzas taking bad beat after bad beat. One that I can recall was with QQ against 99, and he hit quad 9s. There were a bunch of AK losses to small pocket pairs as I struggled to hit flops. The good news is I was only down a small amount, and I had a record-setting week in play money making a slew of final tables and even winning one. Global is running a tournament series for two weeks called Rapido Tournaments. They are turbos and hyper-turbos and I seem to be doing very well with those structures. There are no trophies or leaderboards in this series, but they are still pretty fun to play. Here are my current numbers:

Play Money: 8,654,000  Up 1,341,000

Real Money: $883.10 Down $0.77

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Normally I would have played something on Saturday night to try and save myself from having a down week, but since I have no home game to fall back on for a while, I just went ahead and took the small loss. I'm also on vacation this week and didn't want to go on a sour note, so I will take a stab at the Weekly Bonanza and Daily Bonanza today and see if I can make it back. I don't expect much to happen this week so it may be uneventful, but that's fine by me. Vacation is more important!

Weekly Bankroll Update 6/10-6/16

A good home game run was my big score last week as the bankroll slowly creeps toward $1,000. I caught crazy cards Wednesday night to snatch a $62 profit. I didn't play much online other than three Daily Bonanzas where I cashed twice. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 7,313,000 Up 220,000

Real Money: $883.87 Up $63.76

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

No plans to change anything this week as the roll just somehow keeps growing. The next home game is July 11th potentially, and I don't expect much movement between now and then. Just the seven Daily Bonanzas and hopefully the Weekly Bonanza this week, and then I'm on vacation for a week so not sure how much I'll play then. At least I have a nice break from school and I'm happy to have some free time.

Weekly Bankroll Update 6/3-6/9

Not too much to recap from last week other than the fact that Global finally credited my account for the pictures I sent in. I played the Daily Bonanza seven times cashing twice and that was about it. Here are my numeric digits:

Play Money: 7,093,000 Up 701,000

Real Money: $820.11 Up $41.63

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

This week will be shortened by school and personal obligations, but the home game is Wednesday night and that'll be my chance to boost my roll a bit. I'm just $180 away from my next target and I need all the help I can get. I'm staying conservative and banking cash till I get there and then things start to get very interesting. I've already begun formulating a strategy for when I pass the $1,000 marker, and I'm ready to carry it out when that happens. I won't go into details just yet, but I'll be playing a lot more, that much I can tell you.

As a side note, I just wanted to briefly touch upon something that's happening in the poker world right now that I think any fan of the game should be aware of. Poker pro Justin Bonomo is having an amazing 2018. He's earned something like $14.5 million already and we are only one week into the WSOP and not even halfway through the year. What he's been able to accomplish is nothing short of extraordinary. He's won nine tournaments already with three of them being over $1 million, and two of those three being over $4 million. I think what's really impressive is that in his most recent win, the $10,000 No-Limit Heads-Up Championship at the WSOP, he defeated seven opponents heads-up. That alone is impressive, but the fact that he also won his last eight heads-up matches coming into the tournament makes it even more impressive. So basically, the last 15 times he's been heads-up he's been victorious. To say he's on a "heater" doesn't do this run justice. We will have to come up with another word to describe what he's doing right now. I can't wait to see how the WSOP plays out for him, and the way he's running right now should make the Main Event very fun to watch! Keep it up Justin!

Weekly Bankroll Update 5/27-6/2

Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. I haven't played much online poker in the past couple of weeks, and it seems to be paying off. I started off playing the Weekly Bonanza and squeaked into the money after winning just one hand the whole tournament with AA. Wednesday was my home game where I was up $52. I was running so well I didn't want it to end, but was more than happy to take a nice profit. Thursday and Friday were homework days, and the Daily Bonanza on Saturday netted me another small profit. Playing less and cashing more seems to be working right now and that's fine because I have a very busy summer life schedule so I won't be playing too much. I skipped the Berkshire Poker tournament Saturday night due to exhaustion from work and school. It was a busy week all around, and I don't like to play when I feel tired or my head's not in it. Berkshire Poker resumes again in September, and I'll try and play as many as I can, but for right now I'm relying solely on home games and online to move up. Here is where I stand:

Play Money: 6,392,000 Up 35,000

Real Money: $778.48 Up $58.51

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Global has still not awarded my the $40 for my Hometown Heroes photos, but I'm confident they will eventually come through on their end. I will be re-assessing my online strategy over the next couple of weeks as soon as I get through some of this school work, my MBA is top priority right now. I have managed to raise the bankroll quite a bit over the last couple of months even with my busy schedule and that's great, but I will have to make some changes to my online play in order to break $1,000 by the end of the summer. Stay tuned.

Weekly Bankroll Update 5/20-5/26

I didn't play very much last week, but I was still able to pull out a nice profit. I played the Weekly Bonanza with no success, a $1.10 SnG with no success, a $3.30 SnG where I finished 2nd, and the Daily Bonanza four times with two cashes, one of them a 7th place finish. This week might be a little light as well with homework starting to ramp up, but I'm hoping to get $40 off of the two pictures I shared with Global Poker as part of their Hometown Heroes promotion. My trophy finally came in the mail the other day, along with the hat and T-shirt, and is proudly being displayed on my bookshelf at home before making its way to my office later this week. And now some numbers:

Play Money: 6,357,000 Down 185,000

Real Money: $719.97 Up $19.86

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

I was quite surprised how well last week went despite taking most of the week off to decompress from the Rattlesnake tourneys. Saturday's final table run in the Daily Bonanza was a great way to cap things off. This could be a monster week if I can get on a good run in my home game Wednesday night and get the $40 for my pics. There is also one more Berkshire Poker tourney on Saturday night that I'll probably try and play. I'm getting closer and closer to that $1,000 target and this week could get me there if I play my cards right.

Weekly Bankroll Update 5/13-5/19

Last week was kind of an up and down week for me. I am in the beginning stages of a slump, but my home game bailed me out Wednesday night. I have slipped out of the top 10 on the leaderboard with one night to go, but I feel like the win a couple of weeks ago was what really mattered. I'm kind of glad that the Rattlesnake Open is over as I could use a break. Here are some numerical figures:


Play Money: 6,542,000 Down 633,000

Real Money: $700.11 Up $22.01

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)


I have no real interesting hands to report from my home game the other night. I pretty much had a slow grind and we only played two hours because three players went broke rather quickly. I was happy to take the small profit of $23 out of a short session. This week it's back to the normal grind of playing the Daily Bonanza and racking up enough hands to play the Weekly Bonanza. I may play some $4 cash games depending on how I'm feeling. It's been a rough go over the past six or seven days, and I don't like to play too much when I feel a slump coming on. It's not just bad beats that contribute to it, but bad play as well. I'm just $300 away from my next bump up, and it's clear that I can't just rely on the home game to get me there so I'll be looking to maybe play in another Berkshire Poker tourney in a couple of weeks. It's the last one for a few months so probably not a bad idea to take the opportunity to play if everything lines up right. I'm getting really excited for the MGM Springfield to open on August 24th. It's only 45 minutes away from my house, and I'm guessing they'll have a nice poker room there. That could be just what I need to help accelerate my bankroll building process. Until that time comes, I will continue to be conservative and protect what I've earned so far.

Weekly Bankroll Update 5/6-5/12

Well, I finally achieved one of my goals for the Rattlesnake Open tournament series. I got my first win on Monday night taking down the 2x Chance Event. The win nets me a Global Poker hat and T-shirt, as well as a customized snake avatar and a trophy which I'm assuming is of a giant snake. It was one of my goals to win one of these, and if I can finish 8th or better on the leaderboard, I will have accomplished everything I set out to do. I didn't play any real money games last week, but was still up $5 thanks to a promotion Global offered me. By depositing $10, they gave me $15. I'll take it. Here are some numerical digits:

Play Money: 7,175,000 Up 508,000

Real Money: $678.10 Up $5.00

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

I'm currently 10th on the leaderboard with one week to go. This week I have a home game on Wednesday, and will be playing as many Rattlesnake tourneys as I can in order to move up. I'll try and play the Daily Bonanza as well to try and bump up the bankroll a little. Stay tuned...

Weekly Bankroll Update 4/29-5/5

I got a bit slowed down this week with homework and being sick, but still managed to pull off a small profit and some deep runs in the Rattlesnake Open tourneys. There are still a couple of weeks to go and my goals are still within reach. The home game was at my place once again, but I was unable to use my home felt advantage to keep from losing. Here are a few hands that ultimately led to my demise:

Hand 1- I'm on the button and limp in with J-9 offsuit. Flop is 10-8-4 with two diamonds. Turn is a diamond and river is 4 of diamonds. I have the Jack of diamonds for a Jack-high flush and lose to 8-4 who rivered a full house.

Hand 2- J-9 off suit again. Flop comes Q-10-8. I flop a straight. Turn is an 8 and river is a Q. Lose to another full house to the same guy who was holding a Q.

Hand 3- A-6 of hearts. Flop is K-J-5. King was a heart. Turn is a heart, and river is Jack of hearts. Lose to K-J who once again rivered a boat. It was the same guy.He hit three full houses on the river to beat me each time. I ended down $40.

These things happen if you play long enough. Although rare, you have to expect bad luck can catch up with you. I've run pretty well in the home game and I don't let one bad night define me. Anyhoo, here are my tallies:

Play Money: 6,667,000 Up 387,000

Real Money: $673.10 Up $2.87

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

I will continue playing conservative and try and work my way up the leaderboard of the Rattlesnake Open this week. I might not even play for real money this week in order to focus on the play tourneys. If I do, I'll just play the Daily Bonanza to try and turn a small profit. Stay tuned to my Twitter @BenRagusa for daily results.

Weekly Bankroll Update 4/22-4/28

It was a pretty good week for me considering I didn't play much. I didn't have much luck in the live tourney, but a couple of really good cash game sessions online and my home game winnings from last time contributed to a highly profitable week as the bankroll hits a new high. Take a look:

Play Money: 6,280,000 Up 230,000

Real Money: $670.23 Up $80.86

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Today the Rattlesnake Open begins on Global Poker with a $5,000 guaranteed freeroll and another $2,000 guaranteed freeroll on Tuesday night which I've already qualified for and will be playing in. Then tomorrow begins a 3-week series of play and real money tourneys complete with leaderboards and a trophy to tournament winners. My goals are to win a trophy and finish higher than 9th on the play money leaderboard. There are a couple of real money tourneys I might try as well. My game is sharp right now, and I feel poised for a big boost. Hopefully this Wednesday we can get enough players for another home game too. It's gonna be a very exciting three weeks of poker and as always I will be posting any nightly news on my Twitter feed so stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 4/15-4/21

For those of you who follow my Twitter feed, you probably know that I was up in the home game last week, but I will not be including those winnings in the weekly tally because it takes about a week for me to get the funds into my account. So, I basically had a slow week online, but I really didn't play that much as I focused on homework. Here are some numbers:

Play Money: 6,050,000 Up 114,000

Real Money: $589.37 Up $1.11

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

There are some exciting, and potentially profitable, poker events coming up over the next couple of weeks. The home game is at my house now, and I put out the invitation for it to be a weekly game instead of a bi-weekly game. We'll see if that catches on, but either way, it's nice to be able to play in my own home. Today I will be playing in a local tournament that is put on by Berkshire Poker, and will benefit the Cheshire Lions Club. Stay tuned to my Twitter and Instagram feeds as I will be live tweeting throughout the day. I will post the payouts, my chip counts at each break, and my results. Finally, Global Poker is running another tournament series starting on April 29th with a $5,000 guarantee. The tourney is free to enter, and the series, lasting three weeks,  will have a few $3.30 and $5.50 tourneys worth playing. I will be playing all the play money tourneys too as I try and improve on my two previous 9th place finishes on the leaderboard. They are calling the series "The Rattlesnake Open." It's going to be an exciting few weeks so stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 4/8-4/14

Things went fairly slow for me on Global last week as I tried to continue climbing out of the losses I incurred. I played the daily Bonanza six times cashing in two of them. I also kept my game sharp in play money actually taking down the 500k guarantee on Friday following it up with a 4th place finish on Saturday. I feel like I'm on top of my game right now and will be using the home game this week to try and capitalize on my good frame of mind. Here's where I'm livin':

Play Money: 5,936,000 Up 480,000

Real Money: $588.26 Up $2.54

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

There are a couple of cool events coming up this week for my poker bankroll. For starters, I will try and play in the Weekly Bonanza tonight. We switched our home game from Sunday nights to Wednesday nights, and the game is at my place for the foreseeable future so I get a little "home felt advantage" there. Then, next Sunday the 22nd, I plan to play in Berkshire Poker's charity tournament, so there will be a good shot at some money there too. Until then, I will stay on the conservative path as school work begins to mount its ugly head once again. I know I may catch some heat from poker players that think I'm playing way too conservatively considering how much I have in the bankroll, but I don't have a lot of options, and I'm not really in much of a hurry. Global really doesn't run any quality $1 and $2 tourneys in my time slot which is the level at which I'd prefer to be playing. The only viable $3 tournament is a 6-handed re-buy which I've had little to no success in. I'm geared more for 9-handed single bullet tourneys, and there just aren't many of those running on Global these days. I'm counting more on my live success to help me build right now, and with the home game being at my actual home, I might try and see if I can make it a weekly thing. If I can pull that off, it's game on.

Weekly Bankroll Update 4/1-4/7

I have officially begun the process of making back my losses. Last week I kept it simple by playing the $0.11 Daily Bonanza. I played seven times and cashed in five in a row with one final table (8th). It was a pretty good run to follow up two dismal weeks of bad beats and bad play. I also played play money to help keep my game sharp, and that went well too. Here are my numbers:

Play Money: 5,456,000 Up 479,000

Real Money: $585.72 Up $14.43

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Last week was good, but this I think this week could be better. We didn't have a home game last week, but I'm hopeful we'll have one tonight. I will stick with the Daily Bonanza again and try to work back over $600. There's also a charity tournament coming up this month that I'm considering playing. For a $75 buy-in you get 15,000 chips. For an extra $10, they start you with 2,000 more, and if you pre-register online, you get 2,000 more, so 19,000 for $85. During the first hour, you can add-on for $50 and get an additional 15,000 chips. I prefer to pay the $85 and start with 19,000 to see how I run. If I can avoid paying the $50 add-on and save my money, I will, but I usually end up adding on at the break (assuming I stay alive that long). I feel like I need to take advantage of every opportunity to build my roll. Simply playing small online tourneys could take me forever. I'm closing in on one year at Global Poker, and it'd be nice to get a big score to finish off what's been a wildly successful first year.

Weekly Bankroll Update 3/25-3/31

Easy come, easy go as they say. This week I got slaughtered. So much so, that I am taking this week off in order to regroup. It was a week of bad beats, bad breaks, and bad play. There is a tendency to play bad when you've been losing. You start to get gun shy, afraid to enter pots you'd normally not think twice about. To play too tight, or too loose in order to make back losses. There are some positive things to take from this losing streak I'm on though. For one, I didn't go on bankroll tilt. I took a lot of losses, but I didn't up my stakes to try and catch up. I also didn't overplay. If I had a bad day I'd stop. I know when I'm running bad, and I've learned over the years to cut my losses. This run could have been a lot worse, and I'm actually glad I didn't go off the rails. Here's where I fell to:

Play Money: 4,977,000 Up 56,000

Real Money: $571.29 Down $41.99

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

Losses are part of the game. Everyone has them, but the key is to lose as little as possible during a losing streak, and to know when to stop. Even the pros have trouble with this concept. Ego gets in the way and clouds your judgment, and that can be very dangerous. This week I'll be playing for play money primarily, and I may take shots at the $0.11 Daily Bonanza, but that's about it. I'm going back in the tank to slowly make up my losses. Hopefully it won't take too long, but my home game is tonight (hopefully), and that'll be a good opportunity to start climbing again.

Weekly Bankroll Update 3/18-3/24

I ain't gonna sugarcoat it. This week sucked. I played the $5.50 MTT five times going 0/5. That makes 0/7 overall, and the majority of my losses this week were because of that tournament. I have since switched to the $3.30 MTT also with no success. Things did get interesting though as I won my way into a Round 3 satellite tournament to the $540 Madness MTT off a freeroll. I took some horrible beats though in the satellite, and all my hard work amounted to nothing. No worries though as I'm sure there will be many more opportunities to get into big tournaments. Global Poker seems to be growing rapidly, and the fact that they're even running a tourney that big is a very good sign. Global also launched a new poker game, that frankly I've never heard of, called Crazy Pineapple. It's only available in play money cash games right now. Basically, you get three cards to start with. There's a round of betting, then the flop comes. Before the turn, you must discard one of your three cards, then it's pretty much No-Limit Hold Em from there. Another good sign as it appears Global could be preparing to launch some new games like Stud, Razz, or maybe some Omaha Hi-Lo? Come on Global! Bring on some mixed cash games and tourneys! Anyhoo, here are my current numbers:

Play Money: 4,921,000 Up 127,000

Real Money: $613.28 Down $33.20

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)



I don't expect another down week this week. My experiment playing the $5.50 MTTs was a disaster, and it's time to shelve that tourney for a little bit until I can get more insurance. Not to say I won't take a shot if I'm having a good week, but playing that tourney every night gets expensive when you're not cashing in it. Now you see why it's so important to have insurance. This week I'll be working to make back my losses, and to facilitate a deep run in the $3.30 MTT. This bankroll challenge is a really tough grind, and being patient is imperative. Hopefully next week I'll have some good news to report.

Weekly Bankroll Update 3/11-3/17

Last week was my most profitable since I began this blog back in August of last year. Most of my winnings came from a monster session in my home game and was capped off by some online winnings. There were seven of us in the home game and we play a cash game with $0.25/$0.50 blinds. I started with $40 and walked out with $137 for a $97 profit. I wanted to go over a couple of hands that came up that night that I thought would be interesting to talk about here. There were three really big hands that I won to get most of my profit.

The first one came about two hours into the session. I picked up 6-7 of spades in middle position. There was a pre-flop raise from early position to $1.50 and I called as did the big blind. The flop came K-8-9 with two spades (the 8 and 9). I had flopped an open-ended straight flush draw. Big blind checked and pre-flop raiser bet $2.50. I called and the BB folded. Turn was a blank. Pre-flop raiser bet $5 and I called. There was now $19.75 in the middle. The river was a spade giving me a flush. Pre-flop raiser checked and I bet $8.50. After some thought, the pre-flop raiser called. I turned over my flush and beat his two pair. The river bet was just enough to get him to call. Any more than that would have chased him out I figured and I was right. A lot of players have the tendency to bet too much when they hit their hand on the river costing them a lot of potential profit.

A few hands later I picked up Q-10 off on the button. There were a few limpers so I popped it to $1.50 and got four callers. Flop came K-J-4. There was a $2.00 bet and a re-raise all-in for around $7. One player folded, and I called as did the other player. The turn was a 7. The other player bet $5, and I called. The river came A. I rivered broadway! The other player bet $6.50 and I raised to $15. He called and turned over a set of 4s. The all in player had a weak King, and my straight took a pretty good sized pot. Again, I made a small enough raise on the river to keep the guy with the set of 4s in the pot. "I didn't even see the straight possibility," he said.

Finally, late in the session, I picked up A-K in early position. Under the gun player raised to $1.50. I re-raised him to $4.50 and he called. Flop came A-Q-6. With $9.75 in the middle, UTG bet $5 and I raised to $10. He called and the turn came a K. I had top two pair now. UTG bet $15 and now I was a bit concerned. What could he have here? A weak ace? A set of 6s? Did he turn a straight? I casually threw my $15 in the middle trying my best to look unphased. The river came a 10 and now I was like "Oh shit!" in my head. A jack would make a straight. Amazingly, he checked and I immediately checked behind him. He flipped over A-Q. My two pair beat his and I finally exhaled.

One other hand that came up I wanted to talk about. It didn't involve me, but I registered it in my memory because I think it shows the glaring difference between casual amateur players, and the big-time every day pros. The button, with around $60 in front of him, raises pre-flop to $1.50. UTG player, who had limped in, called with about $75 in front of him. Flop came J-J-10. UTG bets $2.50 and button calls. Turn is a 10. UTG bets again, this time for $5 and button calls. River was a 8 or 9. Can't remember exactly, but UTG bets $20 and button calls. "Well, I think we are chopping unless you have two 10s", said the UTG player turning over K-J for a full house. "I have two 10s", said the button player. After some ooohs and aaaaahs, I looked over at the button player and said, "Dude, you should have been able to double up there." Why did the button not raise the river bet with quad 10s??? I'm positive the UTG player would have called anything. "I don't know", he said. "I just figured... I don't know."  The guy who had quad 10s eventually busted losing his $40. The UTG player ended the session down just $20. And that, my friends, is why I love my home game so much. Easy pickins!

Anyway, I have been getting some requests to make this blog a little more interesting so I thought sharing those hands would liven things up a bit. Here's where I'm at right now:

Play Money: 4,794,000 Up 432,000

Real Money: $646.48 Up $108.22

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

This week, I will be playing the $5.50 rebuy tourney every night starting at 8pm. It's a $5,000 guarantee, and I treat it like a regular $5.50. I don't re-buy and I don't add on. I played it twice last week with no luck. First place normally pays between $1,200 and 1,500. I have also been playing the $3.30 SnGs, but may abandon those soon for the $10 cash game. I still haven't decided, but it's certainly nice to have some insurance to work with above $550. $1,000 is the next target and there's a long way to go to get there.

Weekly Bankroll Update 3/4-3/10

It was another short week for me on Global Poker and I was up and down, but down in the end. Again, a small loss, but with homework taking up the majority of my time, it's really no surprise as it's hard to focus when I'm not playing every night. Here's where I reside:

Play Money: 4,362,000 Down 18,000

Real Money: $538.26 Down $8.50

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

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

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


This week I should be playing a little more as I made it through my 3rd class toward my MBA, but class #4 starts this Saturday. No rest for the wicked. I need to come up with a more profitable plan other than playing SnGs. They are very hard to profit in and even harder to win when playing them exclusively. I have to get back to playing MTTs. Almost my entire bankroll has been built on those. Tonight is my home game and I have had a dismal run there the past four sessions: -$36, even, -$14 and -$9 for a total of -$59. That ends tonight! If I can just get some insurance above $550, I will expand my range and play higher stakes. Hopefully this week I'll be successful.

Weekly Bankroll Update 2/25-3/3

It was a pretty slow week on Global Poker for me as homework, job, and family took precedence. I played a little and was down a little, but no big deal as I was basically a part-timer last week. I took a shot at the 200,000 cash game for play money and was reminded why I need to be overly patient as I lost my entire stack on the third hand when my aces were cracked. I was also down $8.75 in my home game as that now makes four consecutive sessions without a profit. Here are my tallies:

Play Money: 4,380,000 Down 114,000

Real Money: $546.76 Down $3.51

Target fpr next MTT level: $550

Target for next Cash Game level: $1,000

Target for next SnG level: $1,100

Homework is going to take up almost all of my free time this week as I count down the final week of class #3 for my MBA. Expect things to be a little quiet for the next couple of weeks as I try and keep up with life. I have a very comfortable bankroll right now, and I'm in no hurry to rush things.

Weekly Bankroll Update 2/18-2/24

Winter rages on, and as it does my bankroll continues to creep up little by little. I didn't play as much as I wanted to last week due to homework obligations, but I also didn't do as much homework as I wanted to either. It was baby steps all around, including at my job, as I continue to try and piece together the responsibilities of my new position. Poker mirrors life and life mirrors poker I suppose. I focused primarily on 9 person SnGs to raise the roll last week, and I played one play money MTT finishing 4th and recouping my losses earlier in the week from ring games. I was able to make back my losses from last Saturday's debacle, and it's up in the air right now as to whether or not I'm playing the home game this week. Here are my numbers to date:

Play Money: 4,494,000 Up 2,000

Real Money: $550.37 Up $12.32

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

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

Things will certainly slow down this week as I delve into homework. If I can get it all done by mid-week I will jump back on the tables, but that's being optimistic. I desperately need to get some insurance over $550, and I might go back to "small ball" mode to get it.

Weekly Bankroll Update 2/11-2/17

The Grizzly Games are officially over and I managed to get 9th on the overall leaderboard (again). I played six tourneys on the last day and had three top 10 finishes to get there. I didn't hit my goal of top 8, and I didn't win any events, but finishing 9th overall and getting a runner up finish was close enough I guess. I took a break last week from playing, but started up again last night and was down a bit after getting slaughtered in SnGs. I'm not very concerned though since it was just one day. I have all week to make it up, but homework may derail me a little. My home game was only 5 players last week, and I was down $14 after some very frustrating beats. Here are some numbers:

Play Money: 4,492,000 Up 632,000

Real Money: $538.05 Down $12.08

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

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

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

This week is going to be a bit slow as I try and stay caught up with my schoolwork. I'm also in the process of trying to learn my new position at work which can be mentally exhausting. It's looking like $3.30 SnGs are what I'm going to be focusing on to try and get over the $550 mark, but there have been whisperings of Global changing up their MTT schedule this week. I also have my home game next Sunday night to try and add some to the roll. As always, stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 2/4-2/10

It was a busy week for me on Global as I tried to move up the Grizzly Games leaderboard, worked to get to 2,000 flops in order to qualify for today's $10,000 guarantee, and made the push toward my next real money target. I was down in play money, but up in real money. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 3,860,000 Down 187,000

Real Money: $550.13 Up $5.25

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

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

Target for next MTT level: $1,100 ($22)

The Grizzly Games ends tonight, and I may not be able to play all six tourneys running today, plus the $5,000 Weekly Bonanza, plus the $10,000 Monster Challenge, plus my home game tonight. Needless to say, no matter where everything ends up for me tonight, I will be taking a much needed break next week for homework, and because, quite frankly, I'm burnt out. I've had loads of fun this past month playing, but too much of anything can't be good. My game is showing signs of wear and tear as my play money results last week indicate. I am absolutely ecstatic about getting to $550, and with such a long road to the next target, a break would serve me well right now. I'll have plenty to write about next week with today being such a busy day with the home game, and as the Grizzly Games come to a close.

Weekly Bankroll Update 1/28-2/3

Last week was a pretty good week all around. I cashed in the weekly Bonanza for $5.50, and made 4 final tables (2nd, 4th, 6th, and 9th) in the Grizzly Games tourneys catapulting myself into 13th place on the overall leaderboard, and 5th place on the weekly leaderboard. That means over the past six days, only four players have fared better. Tonight is the Super Bowl so I'm not sure how much I'll be playing, but here's where my bankroll is at:

Play Money: 4,047,000 Up 355,000

Real Money: $544.88 Up $5.65

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 made the decision this week to stop playing the daily Bonanza and I think it worked in my favor as my Grizzly Games results have shown. It's too time consuming having to get 50 flops every day just to qualify, and it hasn't been very fruitful since my win back in November. So my only sources for real money are going to come from $0.55 9 handed SnGs, the weekly Bonanza, and my home game. I only need $5.12 to get to my next target and I'm going to make absolutely sure I get there without any hiccups. We are coming to the final week for the Grizzly Games, and I'm going to be trying like hell to crack the top 10.

Weekly Bankroll Update 1/21-1/27

This was an up and down week both on and off the virtual felt. On the same day my girlfriend's dad went into surgery, I found out I received a promotion at work. He came out of it ok thankfully, but I had to deal with a little animosity with someone at my job after my promotion was announced. This weekend we went to a comedy show and stayed overnight, but nagging back spasms from pulling water out of my flooded basement kept me from sleeping well. This was kind of the theme last week as my poker results mirrored how things were going. I was down a few dollars last week, but was able to make a $50 deposit from winnings at my home game, and I was down around 500,000 play money due to a dismal run in the Grizzly Games tourneys, but a resolution with Global Poker regarding a connection issue coupled with the 250,000 play money I got from my deposit resulted in an up week for me. Ironically, in my home game, I finished dead even. Yeah, it was that kind of week as bad news was mixed with good news. Here's where I stand after the mayhem:

Play Money: 3,692,000 Up 223,000

Real Money: $539.23 Up $47.91

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 currently sit 26th on the leaderboard after dropping 12 spots last week. It really has been a tough run so far, but I'm staying positive and will look to improve on things this week. I am very close to hitting my $550 target for an MTT bump up, and I will look to stay relatively conservative until then. We don't have a home game again until Feb. 11th due to the Super Bowl (Go PATS!!), and there are still two weeks left of Grizzly Games fun, plus school starts back up for me on Feb. 3rd. If I can stay consistent for the next few weeks, I think I can start making some changes regarding what I'm playing. The gap between $550 and $1,000 is a big one, and playing small ball won't get me there. Some shots will have to be taken in order to boost my roll. It's great to know that my home game winnings can be easily applied to my online roll, and I really believe that will make a huge difference in the weeks and months to come.

Weekly Bankroll Update 1/14-1/20

The Grizzly Games are officially underway, and it was a very eventful week for me. I started off slow on the play money side of things going 0/4, but finished strong going 5/10 after that which makes 5/14 for the week, and ended up 14th on the leaderboard. I spent 409,000 in buy ins, and made 348,785 so I was actually down about 60k, but did very well in Omaha cash games and had a profitable week. It was a good week for real money as well. I had one deep run in the daily Bonanza, and actually had a deep run in $3.30 Low Event #2 of the Grizzly Games. Here are the numbers:

Play Money: 3,469,000 Up 190,000

Real Money: $491.32 Up $15.37

Live Bankroll: $49.50 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 will be discontinuing the Live Bankroll updates, and any money I make from my home game will be deposited into my online account. Winnings are winnings, and it doesn't make any sense to try and build a legitimate live bankroll off a bi-weekly home game, so this week I will try and make a $50 deposit onto Global Poker. This will result in not only boosting my online roll, but my play money as well. I get 250,000 for a $50 deposit. I'm hopeful that I can jump up a little higher on the leaderboard this week as the Grizzly Games march on, and as always, stay tuned to my Twitter feed for updates, and this blog for weekly updates. Thanks for reading!

Weekly Bankroll Update 1/7-1/13

A deep run in the weekly Bonanza last week contributed to the majority of my profit as the Grizzly Games kick off tonight. I had a good week in play money too, but I ran terribly in my home game. Here's where I'm at:

Play Money: 3,279,000 Up 235,000

Real Money: $475.95 Up $16.29

Live Bankroll: $49.50 Down $36.50

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

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

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

The long-awaited Grizzly Games begin tonight with a $5,000 freeroll, and I plan to play at least two MTTs for real money this week. I will also be playing all the play money tourneys as well in order to hopefully win the leaderboard. There are going to be a lot of opportunities over the next month to really give the bankroll a boost. I will be updating my leaderboard status daily on my Twitter feed, and of course my weekly status right here. Stay tuned!

Weekly Bankroll Update 12/31-1/6

2018 is finally upon us, and the first week of the new year was pretty good to me. I finished ahead in play and real money, and tonight is my first live session of 2018. I had a good cash in the weekly Bonanza on Sunday for $6.50 which set me up for a profitable first week of the new year. I also cashed a few times in the daily Bonanza and didn't really have to put too much at risk. I think I spent $.88 in buy-ins this week, and all losses from my down week have been recouped. Here's where I stand:

Play Money: 3,044,000 Up 123,000

Real Money: $459.66 Up $10.07

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 was thinking about possibly setting some poker goals for 2018, but I decided against it. I don't want to be disappointed if I don't achieve them. You can't predict results in poker, and my goal is to get to $40,000. If it takes one year or ten, it doesn't matter to me as long as I get there. I will, however, set up goals for the upcoming Grizzly Games that start next week. It's Global Poker's revamp of what was the Eagle Cup. A month-long series of tournaments for both play and real money and leaderboards for both. I finished 9th on the play money leaderboard during the Eagle Cup, so my goal is to finish in the top 8 for the Grizzly Games. I will also try and play any $3.30 or $5.50 MTTs that are offered during the games. It all kicks off with a $5,000 guaranteed freeroll on the 14th. Stay tuned to my Twitter feed for daily results, and of course, this blog for the weekly results.