December 2007 Recap & Year in Review

December Results

Cash game net profit = $452.85 (71.40 hours of play)
Tournament net profit = $398.10
Total net profit = $850.95

For the last month of 2007, I posted winning numbers across the board, which was nice but not anywhere near where I want to be. Before I jump into cash game analysis, I'll go ahead and break down my PokerTracker online tournament results:

Tournaments played = 21 (12 MTTs; 9 SnGs)
ROI = 30.93% (26.99% in MTTs; 36.84% in SnGs)

Because of the small sample size, these statistics are essentially meaningless. In fact, the only number I'm paying any attention to at all right now IS the sample size. The bottom line is that I need to play a lot more than 21 tournaments per month, especially if SnGs continue to comprise 40-50% of my total tournaments played. I just canceled my weekly Sunday home game for the foreseeable future (leaving me with only my Friday game), so this should go a long way towards boosting my monthly online tournament count.

As for cash game play, I think I played well for the most part, but there were a few glaring mistakes:

- First of all, one of my biggest ongoing problems is that I can be reluctant to fold at times even when my gut is screaming at me to do so. This basically goes along with trusting my instincts, but the problem is exacerbated when I'm up against a decent aggressive player because I simply don't want to be outplayed. If a player who is even semi-aggressive flops a set against me in NLHE, my entire stack is as good as gone.
- I've developed a bad habit of playing tired lately. No matter how bad the competition is, it just isn't practical for most players to expect to play even their 'C' or 'D' game when they're tired, much less their 'A' or 'B' game.
- Lately, my home game has started to add some fixed-limit HORSE games to the rotation. I believe that I have a decided edge in this format against the generally loose-passive competition I play against, but I've had a hard time gearing down from the No Limit and Pot Limit cash games I've become accustomed to. I'm just playing a far too loose-aggressive style to expect to succeed in this game.

Beneath each of these mistakes lies what could very well be the single largest leak in my game:

My ego.

I recently read an article in Card Player Magazine (the title and author escape me right now) which described all of the potential pitfalls of letting your ego get in the way of good decision making. In short, for a true professional, poker is all about making money. Glory may come for the very best, but even a poor player can be a winning player as long as he surrounds himself with even worse competition. I know that I have to leave my ego 'at home' whenever I play poker; unfortunately, I have a feeling that it could take a few sessions before that lesson finally sinks in.

On to the December goals:

"1. Put all the bad beats behind me without letting them change the quality of my play"

I've definitely gotten better at forgetting about bad beats, but I did have a few bouts with a different kind of tilt - 'chip envy' is probably the most accurate description that currently comes to mind. There were a few players in my home game who've had some absolutely monster sessions in recent weeks, but while they are some of the better players in my game, there's no denying that the deck has been very kind to them as well. It's been frustrating at times to have to endure being cold-decked when some of the players around me have been running so hot. This probably goes back to the whole ego thing, at least in part...

"2. Trust my instincts without exception"

I'd have to give myself a D+ on this one. I've done a better job of following through when I've sensed weakness, but as I mentioned earlier, I've also lost way too much money making calls in spots where I'm practically certain I should fold.

"3. In tournament play, do a better job of playing for first place rather than just going deep in the money"

I'd say that I've done a better job of using my chip stack to accumulate more chips, but I haven't quite yet been able to assume the role of Table Captain (at least not in my opinion), even with a commanding chip lead. I do believe that it's better to err on the side of aggression; I just need to get better at pulling the trigger more consistently.

Goals for January:

1. First and foremost, I have to stop letting my ego affect my decisions; this is very possibly the most important improvement in my game that I'll ever have to make.
2. Develop the discipline to stop playing as soon as I know that I'm too tired to play.
3. Play more online poker. 'Nuff said.

2007 Year in Review

Cash game net profit = $5509.23 (650.23 hours of play)
Tournament net profit = $5720.57
Total net profit = $11,229.80

In looking back on 2007, I definitely didn't get as close to becoming a professional poker player as I had hoped, but I've certainly made some strides. Even though I'm still living paycheck to paycheck, I've at least reached a point where I could maintain my current quality of life without ever having to go back to a 'real' full-time job.

That said, I think I'll finally have every opportunity to seal the deal in 2008. I recently put my rental property up for sale, and once I'm relieved of that burden, I will literally have no obligations which my 'real' paycheck won't handle. In other words, just about every dollar I make from poker this coming year will go towards moving up in stakes. As long as I remain disciplined (which can be a real challenge for me at times), I should be able to show some real progress. I just need to make sure that I put in enough hours at the table...