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!