January 2012

So the end of January has come and as I've had my biggest downswing in my life you'd think I'd want to forget this month. However, I think I've learnt a lot from it. It has taught me to review my play more and evaluate how I could have played certain situations better and if I feel I've played optimally, then it is important to remain confident which can drain away after a while.
This month I've made 32k VPPs so my volume has been good and puts me well on course for around $30k of rakeback for the year which would be an excellent basic 'salary' so to speak which doesn't take into consideration the money that should and could be made at the tables. My swing has generally been down to very poor card distribution mainly giving me holdings that are good but not quite as good as my opponents making it difficult because the optimal (and percentage play) has often been crushed by their hand. Nevertheless, as I posted before I continue to make deep runs in MTTs but just cannot catch a break late on with countless top 50 bust outs, several bust outs in the top 20 and usually the 1st person to bust on a final table mean I'm not quite making the top 3 where the real money is at.
I feel I'm on the cusp of a turnaround, but I don't like to tempt fate. My game is solid, I've reviewed my play and I feel I'm playing players as well as I have in a long time. I think it will take a very small change in fortune to see some drastic results, looking at my play and results this month.
Due to this swing, I've stayed away from playing live cash as I know the variance there is higher. This is disappointing as far as my goals are concerned but once I put some more money in the bank I'll be sure to get back into that as the profitability of the games in Empire is enormous.
I think I've been professional about all of this too. Whilst I've been tempted to just sack off 'work' I figured it important to put in the volume so that the variance evens out quickly. Admittedly there have been occasions where I've uttered a word here or there but on the whole I'm quite pleased with my demeanour at the tables.

Times like these are the toughest part of being a pro. Like the saying goes 'it's a tough way to make an easy living' contrary to people's belief that it's just a life of dossing around 12 months of the year. There's a reason they call it a grind and when you play as regularly as I and many others do it can become tedious like many other office jobs.

Hopefully I can move on in the next few weeks and really kick start my 2012.

bigstealer