18:12 - The experiment begins

Ok, I know I shouldn’t have played this, but I started to play a couple of hands whilst I was cooking dinner, I knew I was only going to have a limited number of hands, but you need to start somewhere. So how do I start to turn 50 into 1,000,000? Chris Fergusson will tell you not to play with more than 10% of your bankroll- this will mean that I can sit down for a max of 5 bucks. So the two choices would be sit down at a 0.01 / 0.02 game or sit at a $5 sit and go. As I don’t have time for a sit and go ill roll into a cash game. I don’t really fancy sitting down to play 0.01 / 0.02 levels as I just won’t be able to play properly – I will bet every hand to the river… and ultimately im never going to grow my stack playing at this level. Poker is a game of taking calculated risks and I decide that im going to have to sit down with my entire stack in front of me. Heres what happened…

Game, Omaha hi, 6 handed ring game

Blinds 0.25 – 0.50

Pre game theory
I know that the blind level is too high for my very delicate stack. If im going to sit and play this im going to have to play tight and hopefully hit a monster to get an early double up. If I don’t hit anything in 5-10 hands (literally all I have time for otherwise I get a burnt diner!) then I will only be down about 2-3 bucks, I just hope I don’t get an internet bad beat and cripple myself straight away.

Shuffle up and deal…

Hand 1,
I get the luxury of the big blind first hand. It’s a straight forward hand, im dealt, JC, 7S, 10S, 4H, nothing to get excited about facing a raise and a re-raise. I fold.
Hand 2,
3D, 7H, 3C, KC, Again not brilliant but a for more options to play with, Flop comes, 4S, 10D, KH, iv all but missed my hand but in good position and without facing a raise in front of me I pop a pot sized bet out there. So, much for playing tight, luckily I don’t get any action and I win the pot there and then.
Hand 3
2D, 10D, AH, 10C Not the best starting hand, but after last hand I feel the table is week so I pot it pre flop in mid position, Flop comes 2C, 3D, 7D, First position bets half pot, I smooth call, I don’t know why really, Turn is the 6S, first position checks, so I bet pot, he smooth calls, im not to sure where I sit with this hand now or why im really playing it, I know that my 10 high flush draw cannot be good but im hoping to represent a big flush if the right card pops off on the river. River is a 5D, he checks, so I lead out with a pot sized bet to follow through with my plan… I don’t want a call… im called, that’s half my stack in the pot – 25 bucks about and im not happy at all, why did I get in this position, I should have stuck to no-limit holdem, a bluff like that could work there, insta muck by opponent, I take down another pot and move up to 75 bucks. I feel im lucky but im playing with fishes. Im now 2nd chip leader at the table
Hand 4 is a trash hand on the big blind which is promptly raised. Iv just built a stack so I need to stick to my pre-game plan, or try at least. Fold
Hand 5, I have already decided this is my last hand as dinner is ready – the distractions of a high roller hey…
4C, AS, AH, 6D, on the small blind, smooth called by all players to me so I pot it, why not, I have been aggressive so far and if I lose this hand I hopefully will still have more than I started with, Im called 3 ways, board comes, JS, 8D, AD, gives me trips but on a very dangerous board, in first spot I lead out for the pot hoping to take it down there, I get called once, The turn, miracle card, the 4th A, the AC, monster, I bet half pot hoping not to scare of my opponent to much, but wanting to make it look like a stopper bet, I get insta raised all in he has about a 35 stack total, I insta call, im not going to slow roll it, river is 2H, the other player has 2S, 8S, KD, 2D, shame… I did put him on the big flush draw when he called on the flop, I have to lead out and bet there though. I finish up leaving the table with $112 dollars. Not bad for 5 hands, and the dinner isn’t to burnt. Il try and get my head down after dinner for a proper session of cards.

THE START

The basic premise for this idea is to turn my attentions to playing internet poker to see how much I can win or lose. I have been playing poker for a couple of years now but have mainly be playing out in live games or Casino's over the last year. I have been reasonably successful playing at different levels but will never make a decent amount from these games.
I have dabbled in internet poker before but have never really given it the proper attention it deserves, so I am conducting this experiment / blog to see what my fortunes can be.
I will update regularly after each session posting my starting stack for the evening, my game selection, buy in amounts, my hand histories, but I will also post comments on key hands which arise during the session and my thoughts on how I played these hands. I will not only highlight what good moves I made and why, but also what bad moves I made.
It is at this point where you can feel free to post any comments on my style of play, hand selection, betting ect... that you feel fitting.

I will also update once a month what my goals and plans are for the month ahead so I can reflect on what I have done over the month. Obliviously a million is a very long way off if not near unattainable, but if you don’t set yourself goals you cant fail properly...

For this experiment I will invest $50 dollars into fulltilt.com, a site I have played since it started but never properly played cash.

As much as I want to chuck $2000 bucks into my account to see me past all the low level tables of fish and start at a reasonable level, this will not represent a true starting point for many a player depositing for their first times. In other words, the first 3-6 months are going to be a pure grind, something I am used to, but am not looking forward to having to do. As a result I will have to set myself realistic goals, the main one being for the first 6 months of trying to freeroll, lowroll into one of the medium sized guaranteed tourneys.

Let the journey begin....