Diaries

Sky_Poker

A discussion topic...

We've seen some great results from people keeping diaries on the Sky Poker forum with many getting good profits. So, does keeping a diary help to improve your profitablilty or is it just that good players are more likely to keep a diary?

It will be interesting to hear from those who have kept diaries to hear the benefits they have gained from doing them.

Thanks
Sky Poker

chicknMelt

In Response to Diaries:

A discussion topic... We've seen some great results from people keeping diaries on the Sky Poker forum with many getting good results. So, does keeping a diary help to improve your profitablilty or is it just that good players are more likely to keep a diary? It will be interesting to hear from those who have kept diaries to hear the benefits they have gained from doing them. Thanks Sky Poker
Posted by Sky_Poker

Since starting a diary I have not had the best of times - I'm hoping this diary run good will hit me soon!

FlashFlush

Or is it that the people who struggle stop their diary because they don't want to post their losses, so you are just left with the winning players. It's like survival of the fittest.

The_Don90

for me, probably the most lol diary and least profitable lol, but for me writing my diary isnt about profit loss or whatever, i get to have a place to let out everything thats built up over the coarse of the day. sometimes its disappointment and a rant, othertimes we've won something and i can show my elation, and everything inbetween. 

its also nice to read other peoples diarys when u have time too

Tikay10

It has definitely motivated me to play more, & better. Facing the music the next morning is a great motivator!

I don't think having a bad time would stop me, or I hope it would not. When I started mine, 2nd September, I started with £200, & day by day it dribbled down to £134, which I had to keep reporting, & it was the Diary that made me critically self-examine, & help find a way of turning it round. Without the daily Update to do, I'd have probably just said "too bad", but the Diary gave me the discipline. I did not much enjoy reporting those losses day safter day, so it made me find a solution.
 
I think they are great for the Community, too, such a mix of styles & people. I read every single one, obviously I enjoy some more than others - I'm not big on serial chunterers - but it's good to get an insight into people's minds.   

Diminuendo

IMO it has to have a positive effect on your play if your keeping a public diary because aslong as you are being honest about the ups/downs swings/swongs etc you are laying yourself bare for everyone out there to see and the only way to combat this is to knuckle down, concentrate and play your heart out.

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Diaries:

IMO it has to have a positive effect on your play if your keeping a public diary because aslong as you are being honest about the ups/downs swings/swongs etc you are laying yourself bare for everyone out there to see and the only way to combat this is to knuckle down, concentrate and play your heart out.
Posted by Diminuendo

BOOM!

There are no short cuts, you just have to apply yourself, or give best. A diary, log or chronicle definitely aids the self-discipline. IMO, of course.

 

Jac35

In Response to Re: Diaries:

IMO it has to have a positive effect on your play if your keeping a public diary because aslong as you are being honest about the ups/downs swings/swongs etc you are laying yourself bare for everyone out there to see and the only way to combat this is to knuckle down, concentrate and play your heart out.
Posted by Diminuendo

+1

I'm embarrased by my pokee at the moment. 

Having a diary makes it twice as bad.

Really gets me focused on getting back to basics and maybe even winning again from time to time

MAXALLY

Should the discussion be more 'too many diaries now' ? . Maybe a good time to move them all to a section of their own now? Team Talk I think has benefited from this move.

I used to read all the diaries, but there is too many now (IMO) with bad beat yawns, pages of HH's and only post when you are winning mentality. 

I do, however, enjoy reading about the odd bink or two and the feel good factor which that generates for others.

SJspanky1

I agree with Maxally that he diaries could do with their own section now but for different reasons...

I love reading them and it would make navigating to them a whole lot easier.

Tikay10

In Response to Diaries:

I agree with Maxally that he diaries could do with their own section now but for different reasons... I love reading them and it would make navigating to them a whole lot easier.
Posted by SJspanky1

Can't say I've ever seen those words in a sentence before.

bolly580

just had a scroll through the "poker Chat" fornt page and its just wall to wall diary's.

Make another section for Diary's?

Lambert180

Maxally may be right, it may finally be time for a new section for diaries with how many are running now... it does raise the question though of what threads would be left in Poker Chat ... apart from BL moaning about tour names lol... and would it kill Poker Chat or encourage more threads to start to get some chat going.

I think diaries are a really good idea if you go into it with the right mindset. I agree it shouldn't just be a case of post when you're winning and disappear when you're not, I like to think I'm quite an advocate of still posting when things are going far from well. As others have said, it's certainly a motivator to do well and post good results but at the same time, in the past it has sometimes put unnecessary pressure on myself to want to win in the short term to be able to post good results.

Personally, when I started mine, I always thought it was a shame that non of the 'big players' had a diary cos I (and am sure lots of others) was always interested to hear the swings of swongs of people who player higher up on the site, so it was always my goal to get there and be the person that does show them swings/swongs. Not there yet, but getting there slowly

Tikay10

Diaries come & go, sometimes loads of them, they they go quiet.

The whole Forum, or Community, has "moods", good & bad, this & that. Diaries are part of that.

I genuinely think this Community needed some change of tempo & mood, it had become a bit moany-minnie, & the Diaries have helped change that. The place for complaints is Customer Care, not the Community, but CC don't handle Diary questions. Hopeless.     

gazza127

When I first started my diary I hit a bit of a rough patch, and lost a bit of money... mainly due to my lack of proper BR management.  What did help however was being honest about how things were going.  Losing money feels bad in its own right, but posting it up on the forum for all to see certainly adds to the embarrassment.  However there are many advantages to having your play scrutinised by the forum.

1) You do improve youre play if you post HHs and ask for opinions.

2) You engage with the lovely folk on the forum

3) It keeps you motivated to prove to the forum you are capable of powering through a downswing and be a profitable player.

I've been through a couple of mild swings (to say the least) in my diary.  There has been a constant flow of advice to help me... good advice too.  I've just gone through the biggest downswing ive ever had, but having a diary has helped me a bit with BR management (its far from perfect) to stop me getting carried away... and I have managed to build a lot of it back.

Documenting everything you do is also good for use as a learning tool as you can refer back to old HHs when you are looking at leaks you need to cut out.  Its also a bit of experience sharing the highs and lows in the diary.  The lows of losing my entire initial BR, but also the highs of binking an SPT Notts seat in a Frenzy sat and going on to min cash.  I like to think people like seeing the highs and lows of a poker journey.

And if they don't... well it keeps me focussed anyhow as I dont really want to embarrass myself again.

So yeah... I do think you can improve your game through having a diary, however I think it takes a bit more than just creating a diary to get better.  You've got to post HHs and listen to advice and put a bit of work in to improve.

CraigSG1

I was a bit dubious about starting my own as a few people have moaned about how many they are. I only started mine this week but the reason I have done it is because I want to improve. We rarely improve as players when winning, its only when running bad that we improve IMO. I fully intend to post even on my losing days and hope to get insight and help when I do. 

Reading other peoples diarys, especially GaryQQQ, can show you that you are not the only one to run bad and get hit by one outers and bad beats etc, etc and by reading through these you can see that everyone has swings. Its just the better players deal with them better and in a more positive way and therefore able to not lose too much and get out of them quicker.

FlashFlush

I do sometimes think of starting a diary. Like others have said though, there are quite a few already, and it would just add more when the forum doesn't need it.

If anyone would actually like me to do a diary I could do one until the end of the year, but I feel it would just be a case of me putting my results/stories of the day and nobody actually reading them. lol

The_Don90

In Response to Re: Diaries:

I do sometimes think of starting a diary. Like others have said though, there are quite a few already, and it would just add more when the forum doesn't need it. If anyone would actually like me to do a diary I could do one until the end of the year, but I feel it would just be a case of me putting my results/stories of the day and nobody actually reading them. lol
Posted by FlashFlush

goooo gor it

rancid

diaries mostly are dull mundane affiars which report the utter dullness of poker

cause poker in the main is really boring

but.... they do focus the mind.....

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Diaries:

diaries mostly are dull mundane affiars which report the utter dullness of poker cause poker in the main is really boring but.... they do focus the mind.....
Posted by rancid

Ouch. I'm hurting, hurting I tell ya.

DOHHHHHHH

In Response to Re: Diaries:

I do sometimes think of starting a diary. Like others have said though, there are quite a few already, and it would just add more when the forum doesn't need it. If anyone would actually like me to do a diary I could do one until the end of the year, but I feel it would just be a case of me putting my results/stories of the day and nobody actually reading them. lol
Posted by FlashFlush

I would, I prefer this type of diary, which is based 90% around poker, it is a poker forum after all.
 
That's probably why mine is v much results based.

Garys diary was probably the most successful, and it was very 'matter of fact'. Every day his results would go up, win or lose, occasionally a hand history and some thought processes, and very little else aside from poker.
 
Suppose that was more of a challenge thread than a 'diary', so maybe abit different.

Not really a fan of too much life stuff, although there are exceptions, and that style does seem very popular.

Think mine was one of the first diaries to come in, Sky asked me to start it to promote the hyper HU sngs which I asked to be introduced. (they're 1 of the few innovations that have stood the test of time btw!)

I've retired and re-started it on multiple occasions since then as my volume has fluctuated, seems to work well that way.

Done 6 weeks updating it every other day, will prob give it a break again soon.

Do 1 till xmas then re-assess, can always come back to it!

+1 to a diary section btw.

Lambert180

WTAF has happened to your avatar JJ!!!

What is it? And why is it not brent?

DOHHHHHHH

ugh just noticed. It hasn't shown up very well.

It's supposed to be turboman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=labtcpEsmSQ

craigcu12

the thing I like best about doing a diary is it makes bankroll management easier, of course mine is terrible at the minute as I just can't stop playing MTT, so have lost my full lot.

Phantom66

I think most people who start diaries are decent players - profitable already or who want to learn to be - maybe know they can beat a level if play correctly and want to either move up or control a leak e.g. B/R management / TILT.

Right now there are a lot of diaries a couple of months ago there weren't so many - I guess as we have started the prime season more people are coming back to it and wanting to set a target and keep themselves honest about reaching it.

I just hit a downswing and carried on posting - not really a diary if you only post on good days - I guess anyone who is posting just to show off results isn't doing it for the right reasons so good riddance if they stop when they are losing.

I don't think a separate thread is really necessary but happy to go with the flow though.

IDONKCALLU

i think people do diarys to stop themselfs from tilting and setting thereself goals to aim for so keeps them disciplined 

peter27

In Response to Re: Diaries:

I do sometimes think of starting a diary. Like others have said though, there are quite a few already, and it would just add more when the forum doesn't need it. If anyone would actually like me to do a diary I could do one until the end of the year, but I feel it would just be a case of me putting my results/stories of the day and nobody actually reading them. lol
Posted by FlashFlush

Haha, interesting you should say that!

As you guys probably all know, I started a diary recently and to be honest I didn't expect anbody to read it. Who would care about a relatively new and low-stake poker player? In actual fact, it seems to have been a fairly popular addition to the forum (correct me if I am wrong!). However, even if no-one read it, I would still continue the diary as it is helping me.

I wanted to learn and sustain good BRM and the diary has helped me tremendously! The key thing is not how many people read it, but the fact that someone could potentially read it. Knowing that someone could have a read and judge me for my BRM really helps me to not go crazy with my money as I don't want to be seen as completely rubbish! When I have the urge to play the Turbo Tuesday main event with a bankroll of just £50, I open the lobby of the tournament and think to myself "I really want to play, but I can't because others will think of me in a negative way". Sure, it's my money, I can do what I like - but I do want to use good BRM, it is just trying to ignore the gambler inside me that is the problem. I guess being seen as a solid player is more important to me than having a gamble! :-)

GaryQQQ

Blimey, four new diaries have started so far today. I'm sure DrRunGood's Primo bink is just a coincidence lol.

#DiaryFever