Starting over?

[Penguinfan]

Would you? Could you? If so where and how? I'm gonna be honest here I have lost a significant amount gambling in the past 3-4 months. Keep that in the context that it is bankroll I have built and lost, still my money, but it's not like I am running up credit card bills or selling blood or anything like that.

Really thought I was getting better but recently the bad beat/questionable play has cost me the max it could I think. I didn't tilt anything away, I didn't play outside my bankroll, perhaps I got too agressive playing against the low limit players, I don't know.

What I do know is I need to start over or quit. I just finished my 10th straight SNG out of the money, a couple bad beats, a couple hands I couldn't get away from, chased a flush one time for my stack, etc.....

I keep my gambling money seperate from everything else in my life, I have withdrawn money over the past year to pay for things around the house I just didn't want to put on credit of I didn't have to (new furnace, car repairs, bought the kids a watch dog, etc....).

After going on a bender with NCAA and NFL football this past weekend (we all saw how that turned out) my sportsbetting bank is in a bit of trouble. Maybe I tried to make up for poker losses by betting too much on that side of things, again, I don't know.

I also keep the poker money seperate from other things and don't/won't move money from sportsbetting bank to that one. I even tried playing $5 SNG's for a couple days just to try to get some kind of momentum back, that didn't help. So let's say just for example your poker roll went under $1000 where would you go and what would you play to build it back up?

Would you start over? Could you?

Or should I just play it out and if I go bust go get some real job or something? (another Rounders reference Pshabi won't get?

[BrianSwa]

$4 180's on stars,

they are simple, beyond simple, final tabled 2 yesturday for +$50 and +$40 something. How I play now is this I only play on Sunday's but play all day, pretty much just play tourneys all day, as many 180's as I can handle along with any MTT's I can handle.

I dont really try to keep a bankroll, building a bankroll dosent concern me in the least, I'am just playing because I love poker and love to play and Tourney's give me the most for my deposit. If I bust out oh well who cares I will deposit again and have fun my one day a week I play poker.

It really comes down to what you want from poker, do you want to sit there at .10/.25 grinding out a couple BB a hour? I know I dont want that! I want to play the game I love and have fun doing it and that is exactly what I'am gonna do! so I suggest you sit down and decide exactly what your poker goals are.

just noticed your bankroll is alot more then mine so my numbers really might not affect you but the basic Idea is the same.

[Kurn]

I start over almost every year. Then, usually around early November, I withdraw almost my entire bankroll for holiday expenses and leave myself enough to have 15 buy-ins at $10 SNGs.

Rinse, repeat, etc.

[Penguinfan]

I know exactly what my gambling goals are, I want to build to a big number and get the hell out, plain and simple. Not just poker, but gambling in general.

If that meant grinding it out and banking some along the way, that is fine. I was doing just fine sportsbetting, till I decided to take on the monthly mortgage out of that roll, even then I can say I built that roll from literally scratch and have made seveal mortgage payments on that roll.

Unfortunatly that roll is worth less than the money I have taken out of it over the past year+.

Build, build, build is my goal, thats it, nothing more.

I'm not in it for the thrill of victory, action, chasing pipe dreams of winning the world series of poker on ESPN, I play for money. (Another useless Rounders reference, sorry Pshabi)

[thrash1294]

I am starting over not that I went broke I just wanted to try something out.
I play for a hobby not A living so It may be different so see my blog

[Tony Cheval]

1) If you've taken out significantly more money from your bankroll than its current level, can you really say you're an overall loser?

2) What's a $1000 bankroll?

[JDMcNugent7]

i think starting over is a good idea.
just also be sure to take a break and forget about ur losses.
then come back strong.

[GeoffM]

Penguin, just what is a big number? You mention big number and out, but in theory, what number would that be? Once you make that number, are you certain you won't say "Look what I've done, I can keep winning".

And to answer the other part of your question, my response is very predictable of me: it's called bonuswhoring. It's my fight against swings. I get swings all the time in my roll, but the fact the bonus is there will usually cover my losses and still give me some profit for my time.

Just my $0.02.

[Penguinfan]

1. I didn't say I was an overall loser, quite the opposite, but recently every time I sit down at a table I jut wonder how bad the beat is gonna be that puts me out. As far as cash games go I am just bleeding chips every game I sit at.


2. Less than a weeks paycheck, but thats not the point, the point is playing $20 tourneys (mostly SNG's) and $25/$50/$100 buy in NL cash games I am down to that number from over $4K in about three weeks (I'd hate to tell you what I am down at the sportsbooks recently)

Like I said earlier, I know I haven't played the best poker along the way, but I am sure I am losing the max about now in every situation, and as far as catching a card or winning a coin flip, well I don't even hope anymore.

[Talking Poker]

Ask bdawg.

You say your goal is to win a lot and then get out. What's a lot? Do you have a number in mind? Honestly, you sound like a gambler talking when you say that, and almost no gamblers can actually "get out" when they are winning... and why would they? If they have won $x, why not keep going and try to win $2x or $3x?

Anyway, my advice is to determine what your actual bankroll is and play within it. Sounds to me like you have really been struggling with the SNGs and MTTs, so why not switch to cash games for a change of pace? That way, ONE bad beat won't ruin your day. Just reload and shake it off...

[Penguinfan]

To answer your first question, six figures would be enough to start a small business (and yes I have one in mind). When I set out to do this I knew it would take time, but as long as I was increasing the bank and working toward something it didn't seem like a waste of time.

Would I say "I can keep winning", NO, not at all. This was the goal all along and I am very goal oriented. My goal, no matter what is to stop working for somebody else, I am simply tired of it, bosses are like politicians IMO.

I guarantee if I won, or even got to the final table of the WSOP it would be my last trip to Vegas EVER.

As far as bonus whoring, well I get rakeback at Full Tilt and play there almost exclusivly (Did shift some to Stars for the bonus going on now and wouldn't you know I got two-outed the first chace I got?) Anyway, with rakeback bonuses don't make me THAT much more elsewhere.

I'm not an alchoholic who swears he's quitting every day, I may seriously be at the end of this.

[omahilo]

This is what I do pretty much...

I will run my poker bankroll up to $3-4K then I will withdraw all of it but 800-1000 bucks and put the rest in my savings account and save it.

I think you might be better off building up to 3 or 4K then withdraw most of it then rebuild again and the levels you are used too. With the money you withdraw put it in a CD or something so that way you dont spend it and will have it for when you want to start your business.

I think poker would be a great way to save towards starting a business but you have you do it in very small steps unless your name is JD then you can just withdraw 100K from your account and leave yourself like 20K to play on.

[Tony Cheval]

[Zybomb]

I dunno about you, but a $500 bad beat beat sounds a lot worse (getting stacked in a cash game) than a $55 dollar bad beat (getting a bad beat and getting knocked out of a 50+5 SNG) ... but yea i get what you're saying

[Zybomb]

Seems like someone has been chatting with Eric Molina too long

[GeoffM]

This is something I have typically done in the past, but this time I believe I will be moving up in limits with that 4K. Thanks to TP having rakeback at FullTilt offer (the only major site I haven't played at), I plan on bumping up to 2/4 limit or maybe 1/2 PL O8 in the near future. I heard that O8 there is very tough, but I think I'm finally mentally prepared to take on the challenge.

[Talking Poker]

Wait... why would you play in $500 cash games and $50 tourneys? Let's compare apples to apples here.

But regardless, you can just freaking reload and win it back in the cash game. In the tourney, you are S.O.L.

[bdawg31]

Starting over kinda sucks. After about three pretty solid years - this year has been a total disaster - pretty much from January up til now. Even taking away my big WCOOP hit - i was a fairly solid earner going into 2006. But, this year has been a mess. I cashed out a decent chunk of change (if i had lost that - i would have been clinically depressed) and I am now in the process of starting over again.

As TP can attest - i have felt like quitting a hundred times over. But, overall i do enjoy playing. And its more of a competitive thing with me (that i keep pushing forward) as opposed to a 'gambling' type of thing. Does that make sense? I have no problem qutting 'gambling' (again as TP can attest to).

[JDMcNugent7]

actually i do the same the same thing. i always have.
i love seeing guarenteed wins. once $ hits my bank account it will Never come out for poker. Evertyime i get like 5k over what i want in a certain site i cash it out. I just like seeing $ grow really. thats the only reason i can really say i play.

[ChipFish]

With the amount of money you win at a final table at a WSOP?
I'd be there EVERY year!

[Tony Cheval]

Yeah, even if I never played another hand of poker otherwise, I think I would set aside enough money to have at least a few more stabs at it, I mean if I'm set for life moneywise, what else is there but to go for the crown itself? Who wants to be That Guy constantly muttering 'I coulda been a contendah' when you can take that shot?

[Penguinfan]

Guess what the best way to get un-set for life is.

This is a means to an end for me, nothing more.

[Tony Cheval]

I believe my point was AFTER making sure that didn't happen.

[Penguinfan]

Mike Matusow has had the same strategy several times.

[Tony Cheval]

If you don't think you have more control of your life than Matusow, what are you doing here?