Saturday, April 17, 2010

Halfway through April

April has been going really well so far. I've been pretty much playing every day, getting in between 15-25 games daily. I'm really happy with how I've played this month and have really just felt in complete control of most of my matches. I'm actually really happy with how I've played this whole year, and my results are showing it. I'm on pace to make my 150k goal. If I keep going along the way I am now I should have no problem achieving that goal.

I really feel I've improved as a player since this time in 2009, just like in 2009 I improved from 2008, and in 2008 improving from 2007. The main reason is just putting in the games, day after day, week after week, month after month. Just grinding is what improves my game so much. And for the most part it doesn't even feel like a grind, just because I enjoy playing this game so much. The downswings can be a bitch, but they just make the upswings that much more sweet. I've played about 20,000 heads up sng's in my lifetime now. After that kind of volume not only do I feel confident against almost anyone I play, but I've been though the inevitable downswings so many times that I think I'm getting way better at controlling tilt then I ever have before. I think the one stat that really shows how much I've controlled my tilt in 2010 is 0. 0 as in 0 broken mouses this year. It might not seem like that big of a deal, but in 2008 & 2009 I prob wrecked a total of close to 20 goddamn mouses. I mean that's almost a mouse a fucking month I go through. It prob sounds crazy to anyone who doesn't play a lot of poker, but I think anyone who plays poker on a regular basis can understand how totally frustrating it can be. But here I am midway through April, still using the same mouse I was on Jan 1. Overall I just feel so much more calm after taking a bad beat/cooler, or after getting owned in 6 straight games by some dipshit. I mean, I still cuss up a storm like it's nobody's business sometimes, just no mouse slamming.

Ok, enough of that BOLOGNA. Like I said earlier in this post, April is going quite well. Not quite as well as March, but good nonetheless. I've played 325 HU games booking about $29/game. My April profit is right around 10k. The last 2 months have just been too much fun. I'm really not looking forward to that next downswing when it comes creeping on me.

Twins are off to a hot 8-3 start. Best record in the AL baby!!! I got $300 on them to finish over 83 1/2 wins. They look like a really solid team this year. I'm hoping for 90+ wins.

I think that's all I got!

bartchalker

6 comments:

Risk Oriented said...

20,000 games shows commitment. Anybody who can put in that much volume will be successful at anything they do. I've got about half that, and I thought I had put in a lot of volume! Good luck!

HokieGreg said...

glad ur doing well man. keep grinding.

risk - u'd be surprised how many guys there are that have played 15-20k+ games with little or no profit. practice doesn't make perfect in poker.

bartchalker said...

Hey Risk, thanks.

I have to agree with you Hokie. I've come across a number of players who I'm just amazed how shitty they are after putting in sooooo many games. You obviously have to "want" to get better and not just be some rich guy treating poker like any other form of gambling. And by wanting to get better you have to be willing to put a lot of time in not just playing, but studying and thinking about the game too. Plus, a lot of people just don't have the right mental makeup. There are quite a few players who seem to play pretty well when they have been running good but it takes like one bad beat and they are playing like a drooling idiot. I mean everybody tilts at times, some people just seem to take it to another level, and can never really learn to control it.

Anyways, good luck to both you guys.

aurimelisHU said...

good read! how many tables do u play at a time bartchalker?

bartchalker said...

1-2 tables aurimelis. Usually 1.

Did you axe you blog???

aurimelisHU said...

thanks for reply!

yep bart, decided that I wasn't writing anything useful. you can delete the link.
I'll inform u when I'll be back with a new blog :) I hope to be playing 110-220s fully then