I have been getting hammered

I have been getting hammered my bankroll is back down to $110.00. I have played about 3 sessions since my last blog post and each one was a losing session. I have stepping back down to $10NL. I really have had a combination of being card dead, getting sneaky (getting caught), and inpatients. I often start bluffing and slowing playing when I get impatient looking to win the big pots. This has proven to go against what my poker coaches have taught me. I will step back down to $10NL and stick to ABC poker.

The funny thing is I don't intentionally not stick to ABC poker. It starts out gradual on this one hand or another and then I realize I have no idea what style I am playing other than a wild man who is clearly losing. By that time I realize I wish I was playing against myself instead of with myself. That is sad, when you realize that your play is so horrible you wish one of your opponents was that bad.

I am still planning to play that marathon session this weekend. Now it will be at $10NL most likely. If I don't play ABC poker I will end up losing my bankroll. So one way or the other I guess I will learn.

Thanks again for reading,
Brandon Mark

Why do people always leave the table after getting stacked

At the micro limits most people always leave the table after they get stacked, why is this? Where else are they going? I am confident they aren't all just quitting... How frustrated can you be it was only $20. This was just an observation I had during my recent session. My bankroll has taken a hit but I am building it back up. I am now at $211.71. I am holding my own at $20NL, over all I have been satisfied with my play. My biggest enemy is probably impatience, but I continue to tell myself Rome was not built in a day and neither will my bankroll.

I am considering doing a marathon session this Saturday. I need to see what my fiance's plans are. I think she is working all weekend. If that is the case then I will play like a 10 hour or 12 hour session if all goes well this Saturday. I will not do this in one sitting. I will break it up into 3 or 4 sessions doing 3 or 4 hours at a time. As long as I don't run horrible or get exhausted I will play throughout the day. I will update this blog on each break that I take. As we get closer to the weekend I will mention this more.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon Mark

Taking a shot at $20NL

Over the weekend my bankroll tipped $200 NL and I decided to step up to $20NL and to take a 10 buy in shot. So far so good. I finished up a session last night at $240. I played very tight aggressive poker. I think this strategy will take me far, I just have to be very patient and stick to it. In some future posts I am going to start discussing where I play poker, how often I play, where I get coaching at, and more details on my Poker goals.

Stay tuned,
Brandon Mark

ABC poker wins at the microstakes

Current Bankroll: $149.84

Since my last post my Bankroll has been down to $104 and is now over $140. I have to focus on playing ABC poker as best I can and to keep my bluffing and blind stealing down. However, I do find myself raising "Pot Sized" bets often because I get called often enough that it seems that it could be profitable. I played very conservative tonight, and was able to keep from getting coolered for the most part or getting to showdown with the second best hands. I most liked the way I played tonight because although my wins were slow and steady; I didn't end up losing and winning big hands with big swings in my bankroll. That style of play causes me to make more mistakes than I should.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon Mark

Bankroll at $135.57

I played for about 4 hours today. My bankroll had dropped to $99 so I stepped down to $10NL. I built my bankroll back up and I am now at $135.57. I will stay at $10NL at least until I reach $200. At the micro stakes I am using some aggressive bankroll management because I want to move up to 50NL as quickly as possible. I believe the same skill that beats $10NL will also beat $20NL I just have to show some consistency in my play. Mistakes also aren't as costly at the lower levels either. I may be done for the day but overall I am happy with my play this afternoon.

Brandon Mark

Bankroll unchanged

I played poker over on Cake Poker for about 2 hours yesterday. I was up at one point to over $150 but my bankroll is now back down to the $120s. I am playing right now so I will be updating you later today to let you know how I am doing.

Brandon Mark

About me Brandon Mark

I am growing my bankroll starting with the micro stakes. I have been playing poker off and on for 6 or 7 years. I have only been serious about poker for the past 2 years. I wanted a way to chronicle my poker exploits so I have decided to start a poker blog. You will see the ups and downs of my poker bankroll. I have a lofty goal of taking my total bankroll to over $1,000,000. I have no idea how long this will take but I invite you to follow along.

My current bankroll is at $120.

Brandon Mark