Ain't variance great ?!?

I'm in the middle of a very rough streak. I seem to have been on the wrong side of variance for quite a while. I make second best hands a lot, my sets are cracked at an absurd rate and I can't hit a draw to save my life. And all that and the frustration that comes with it makes me play way worse than I should.

The good point is that I am definitly playing a lot of hands and should hit my volume goal for January. the bad point is that I stuck being slightly in the red.

I have a few things planned to get my focus back, while I can't control variance, I know for a fact that I am making things worse by being frustrated, playing a bit impatiently or scared. So what's the plan?

- More game studying. I need to start to study my own play and the other regs play more regularly. About 6 months ago, when I was in my best poker period, I was doing that a lot. That includes session reviews, posting hands on 2+2, discussing specific hands a lot with Alex, Joff and whoever else wants to discuss poker.

- Spend time just "focusing". I realised a few days ago that if I take time to just close my eyes, try to relax and take a few deep breath (even if only for a few seconds) it helps putting me back in a calm and positive state of mind. Gotta do more of that, especially when I feel myself becoming frustrated at the tables.

- Keep on playing. I cannot let that rough patch sidetrack me. If I do the two other things I've mentionned and just keep on playing I know the results will come back.

January goals

Well now that we're halfway through January, it's about damn time I post my goals for the month don't you think?

So here they are :
- Play 15,000 hands of online poker
- Have a winning month
- Review my play in depth once a week

2009 goals

We're almost at the halfway point of January and I still haven't posted my yearly and monthly so I figure I'm way overdue. I'll start off by the goals for the year, goals for January will come up shortly...

Move up to NL100 before the end of the year

But, Nic, you're not even at NL50 yet?

I know but since my goal for NL50 is ASAP I didn't think it was worth mentioning. So NL100 before the end of the year it is! To move up to NL100 I want to have 30 buy ins. This might seem like a lot, but I put a bigger guideline than usual for 2 reasons.

First, I think bonus clearing might make me increase my bankroll a lot faster than it has in the past. Second, NL100 kinda intimidates me. So I now need a $3000 bankroll before the end of the year.

Play 250,000 hands of online poker

I did some math and this would be a pretty big increase in volume. I know a lot of people put this kind of volume in just a few months, but for me it is a realistic yet challenging goal to achieve. In my wildest dreams I'll crush this one...

Start playing more PLO and add it in my regular playing time

A few reasons for this. One, I think Omaha is a really fun game. Two, the fields in Omaha are much softer than in No Limit Hold'Em. Three, when I started focusing on Omaha a bit last year, it also forced me to think about poker outside of the Hold'Em frame, which in turn improved my play even at hold'em tables.

Visit the Charlevoix casino and go to Atlantic City at least once

There is only one casino in the province I have not visited and I plan on changing this. I also think it's ridiculous that I have not paid Atlantic City a visit yet.

Keep updating that blog even more frequently

I want more posts at the end of 2009 than I had at the end of 2008.

So there you have it. This is where I will stand at the end of 2009.

2008 recap : falling short

Well 2008 has come and passed, it had it's big ups and down both in poker and in life and now is the time to take a good hard look at the year and think about the future.

At the beginning of 2008 I set a few goals for myself.

Move to NL25 before this summer and to NL50 before the end of 2008

Well I did manage to move up to NL25 around May, but as the clock hit midnight and 2008 was a thing of the past, I am still an NL20/NL25 player, my bankroll being a few buy ins short of moving up. Part of me is telling me that I should cut myself some slack. My father's sickness, moving to a new condo and having my laptop stolen sure took their toll on my playing time and who knows if I would have made it if not for these events.

I still managed to take a few shots at NL50, and bonus whoring combined with the renewed motivation I have should put me back there pretty soon.

Play live games on a more regular basis

That one I just let go. Went to the casino a few times and quickly grew tired of the electronic tables the Montreal and Gatineau casino spread (yeah, I know, the Gatineau casino is now spreading real tables and the Montreal one should be doing so soon too). I frequented a few poker rooms in Montreal and had fun, but it's my feeling that "poker rooms" attract poker players, while casinos attract, well, anybody. Hence I don't feel that playing in poker room is as +EV as playing at the casino.

So with all this I just decided to let that one go.

Develop a game studying routine

Did I manage to do that? Yes and no. For quite a while I was participating in frequent session reviews, posting hands on forums, reviewing my own play and the play of the regulars I meet often. Then I just stopped. Right now I'm trying to get back into it all but I have to list that one as a fail.

Put more serious time in another game than NL Hold'Em

Again that's a mixed one. I spent some time on the Pot Limit Omaha tables and read a great book on that game. I still love that game and I'm pretty sure I'll keep going back to it from time to time. That said, if I want to be honest with myself, I did not play as much as I intended when I stated that goal. I guess that's one of the good things about setting goals, with hindsight it helps reassess your priorities and where you're really at.

So, what to make of all that? 2008 was mostly a good year for me poker-wise. Reading back my archives I see how far I've come (and how far I still have to go!). Sure I fell short a bit, but one year ago I was barely playing NL10, now I'm on the verge of playing NL50 and that is despite everything that life threw at me.

I am proud of what I've achieved, thrilled about what's to come and ready to face the challenges of 2009.

December 2008 online results