Now We're Getting Somewhere

Well, last night I set a new milestone in the online bankroll. At least since July, when its really mattered. Nevermind the fact that $50 of it came from a referral bonus. Shhhhhh...

Starting at $59.70, I took 2nd in a $2 SNG and 2nd in a $5 SNG, and ended the night at $73. The $2 SNG was a real squeaker. I was 4th out of 5 and lost as a favorite to the only stack smaller than mine. I then doubled up twice in a row, made it to the bubble, and then the chip leader took out 3rd and 4th. Score. I think I might have even lost w/AK to K5 to lose heads up. The $5 went my way, to say the least. I cruised along for a while just keeping myself in the hunt, and then proceeded to take out two with KK, and the very next hand I picked up AA and took out the next shortest stack. This, after I had picked up AA earlier in the big blind when only the SB had called, and I raised him out. Do I raise my AA there, or take my chances with a flop and proceed with caution?? Anyway, the consecutive KK and AA put me in the lead with 4 left. The shorthanded play here actually took forever, and I ended up going out in 2nd when I knew my opponent had hit his flush on the turn, but put it all out there for the taking anyway.

So...bankroll wise, live and online, I am currently up about $270 since I started keeping track again in July/August. I'm not quite back to even for the year, but I've pretty much disregarded my weak attempts from the spring. In fact, I've chalked all my losing up until July 2006 to learning and experimentation. You'd better believe that when I do get it all back, however, I'll know...and I'll have a little celebration with myself. I actually may want to start writing stuff down and keeping *real* track of it to make sure I'm keeping things straight and keeping a close eye on things. I have also officially set some of my poker money aside from regular money, as when I have won live thus far I have pretty much just contributed it back to my regular money.

All of this leads to my next point. I've recently decided that my next poker milestone will be a trip to The Horseshoe in Council Bluffs for the WSOP Circuit's inagural stop there. I would love to fund this trip entirely (room, board, & poker) on poker winnings, but at the very least I'd like to plan on going out there for 2-3 days, playing some cash games, satellites, and seeing about getting into one or more of the circuit events. Naturally weasling into the $5000 main event would be the ultimate goal. I'd like to have a bankroll of at least $300...ideally $500 or more. The circuit events start at $300+$XX I believe, so if I even want to think about buying into an event I'll need either a bigger initial bankroll with something to fall back on, or to be successful in cash games or satellite in. So I've got my work cut out for me, but I'm technically already pretty close to my initial goal, even though I've only got about $150 in tangible winnings currently stashed away of the $270 I'm currently up. If I really want to, I can fudge the rest of it back to my poker stash, but hell, it'd be nice if I didn't need to.

If I get there, this trip would likely be a huge chunk of my bankroll, but obviously the ideal situation is that things keep going well for me and I'll be up a couple of levels and maybe $500 won't be a whole lot by then. Of course, I've yet to hit a really really bad run in the past couple months, so I'm due. Worst case scenario, I cash out most of my bankroll and find myself right smack dab back at square one, but with a great story to tell. Best case scenario, maybe I actually am decent at this damn game and I get the opportunity to prove that to myself and others.

Anyway, I just kinda crapped all that out from my brain to my fingertips, but that is my dream scenario at the moment. That's what I'm working towards. That's the next big shot. It was kind of a pipe dream until I made a little money at the casino Sunday...now it's actually looking a little feasible.

God willing I'll keep things going at the $5.50 level or higher, start doing a little bonus whoring once I get my online roll to $100, take a couple shots at low limit MTTs, and maybe make a couple more stops at B&M. Hell, even $25-30 wins at poker nights w/friends get me there. I just can't look past this month, week, tournament, or hand, and keep the focus that I've established over the past couple months, and maybe I can have a go at it.

Last night I took a few minutes loading up Google Reader with all the blogs linked on the right, and then some, so I can now hopefully start keeping up with everybody who's anybody, and maybe stick my neck into this bloggersphere. I guess we'll see.

I probably won't comment much on the legislature that passed on Friday because 1) I don't think any of us knows what it *really* means yet, 2) I'm not a good writer, 3) everyone else has has already dissected it to pieces, so there's nothing left to be said. All I know is that Poker.com is going to continue taking US business, and I'm going to continue playing there. Although the number of players there doesn't seem to have gone up yet, I'm hoping maybe they get a piece of the departed from the sites that will be refusing US business. I really think the software is some of the best (fast, with TREMENDOUS features), but they just don't market like the rest of them, claiming to spend that money on a better experience for their players. Which rings true, because I think the player experience there is great. Try it.

Yes, I am without shame.

Which brings me to my final point. I'd like to lodge an open apology to Matt Maroon for my moment of weakness in a comment that he seems to have justifiably refused. I shamelessly put a referral link for Poker.com in there, and I'm not "that guy", so I don't know what I was doing. Sorry Matt. All 3 of my readers should now email Matt if they want rakeback at FT, or check out The Stars Exchange and deal some W$ or T$ with him.

Look at that. My post got all long again. Shoot.