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Orford's blog: Stardate 14-12-09
It's a great read Rich.
You make a far better writer than Presenter.
Seriously, I loved it.
Keep that Bankroll Challenge going, it's a terrific tale, & we can all learn from it.
Bankroll discipline is vital - and as you have shown, it makes us better players.
Comments
Yes I've started my own blog, detailing my trials and tribulations on the Sky Poker tables.
To read it, head to the blog section or alternatively click on this link https://www.skypoker.com/secure/poker/sky_lobby?action=show_static&page=poker_community_blog&plckBlogId=Blog:d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&userId=d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckPostId=Blog%3ad4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90Post%3a7e7af450-0cd5-4abd-8475-ee48a29df0a0&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
That web address- too short? OK, I'll see what I can do...
Oh, and please feel free to leave comments on the blog.
Seriously though, I hope that my exploits will serve as a reminder of the dangers of bankroll mismanagement and also inspire people to set themselves realistic goals to hit before the year is out.
I'd love to hear about them. Please post all your Sky Poker stories as comments at the bottom of my blog entry. I will endeavour to answer each and every one.
I should also point out that the £100 I stuck on the site at the beginning of the year is my own money and not Sky Poker's. This is not a pretend challenge, it's a real one with my hard-earned cash at stake.
Yes, yes, and before you question how prancing about on TV makes my salary 'hard-earned', remember- I have to listen to Tikay's train anecdotes. For 3 hours at a time. You have the option to switch off. If you look at it like that, then I'm sure you'll agree I am in fact a worthy contender for a pay-rise.
Answer me two questions Rich - and I mean answer them 100% honestly.
Since you began your Bankroll Challenge...........
1) Have you played better? And why?
2) Have you enjoyed your poker more, or less?
By the way, from here on in, I think we should call "BankRoll-Challenge "B-R". It's quicker, easier, & those initials remind me of British Rail.
As you won't need reminding Tikay, at the height of my success on the DYM tables I went to play in my first live tournament at Luton casino and won it. And I would attribute that to the style of play I'd taken from my online play in the DYMs.
But on the other hand, I can't seem to get anywhere in the Sky Poker MTTs. I think I'm now playing too tight in those games. In Double Your Moneys, I fold every hand to an all-in in the early levels apart from AA, KK, and maybe QQ at a push. I certainly let AK go. But in our fast-paced MTTS I can't afford to be that choosy.
It's certainly taught me the value of discipline and patience during the game. And I've definitely enjoyed my poker more now that the financial aspect has been made a lot safer. I've effectively put a stopper on my losses (£100) so that's the most I can lose, making the whole experience a lot more comfortable. Plus of couse, I only ever have a fraction of that amount on the table at any one time. Well, most the time, see blog for further details
But it's amazing, after playing on the £2/£4 tables at times last year, how quickly you get used to playing at 2p/4p. It feels like a bit of backward step at first. But you simply adjust your targets and soon become obsessed with making the next pound! So, whilst money is a big part of playing poker, it's not necessarily the overall amount that's exciting, it's more the amount relative to your bankroll.
Rich said......
But it's amazing, after playing on the £2/£4 tables at times last year, how quickly you get used to playing at 2p/4p. It feels like a bit of backward step at first. But you simply adjust your targets and soon become obsessed with making the next pound! So, whilst money is a big part of playing poker, it's not necessarliy the overall amount that's exciting, it's more the amount relative to your bankroll.
And that's a great point.
You do NOT have to play nosebleed stakes to enjoy poker.
Sky Poker has been a revelation to me. I've played Tournament Poker at the highest Level, regularly paying £1,000 to buy-in, more sometimes, & play £100 to £500 Events regularly. I've turned a profit, & enjoyed them, too.
But now, at Sky, I play every size Tourney, from the Primo & Big Monthly Opens, to the £5 Deepstack.
And I'm enjoying my poker more than I ever did, & I'm not exposed to much by way of financial risk.
Big is not always beautiful.
The key thing most seem to forget, is why we play poker - to have fun! And if we can win a few bob on top, all the better. At break-even Level, it's free entertainment. And who, famously, said that? None othere than WSOP World Champion Greg Raymer.
Do you think I'd have pulled that stunt if the cameras hadn't spun round on me at that precise moment?
Besides, on a Q-3-J board I wasn't exactly drawing dead. I had some outs. Which, I seem to recall, I proved rather spectacularly...
I've played 25/50p for a long time, making regular withdrawals, my BR stands at £1,600 at the moment, I don't think its quite enough to take the step up just yet.
Do you feel there is generally a noticable increase in standard from 50nl to 100nl?
I notice Michelle has added a caption too. It's a shame that as a Sky Poker employee she won't be allowed to win the T-Shirt, because (a) her caption is really funny and (b) a Sky Poker T-shirt would be a marked improvement on the tat she normally wears...
Thanks for the question. The general consensus is to sit down at a cash table with the maximum amount allowed, which is 100 big blinds. Often the pros will top that amount back up to 100 big blinds every time they lose a hand until they are above their starting stack. This is to maximise their winnings when they pick up a monster hand.
Based on this theory, you shouldn't be sitting down at this level until you hit the £2,000 mark. As only then would £100 be no more than 5% of your bankroll. So, in my opinion, if you want to minimise the risk to your bankroll, wait until you've got another £400 in the kitty.
As for your other question, personally I've never noticed a distinct increase in standard from 50nl to 100nl (for those wandering what these terms means, it's blind levels based on 100 Big Blinds- so 50nl is 25p/50p and 100nl is 50p/£1 etc) or indeed between any two levels immediately next door to each other. It's only when I've started skipping levels that I've really noticed it.
Hope all that helps and good luck!
Cliokid,
You do know that Rich gets me to answer these questions for him, yeah?
You want proof? OK, ask him a Train Question.......
And I'm up for train questions everyone, so fire away....*
*Please note, this offer is strictly subject to me having access to Google and Wikipedia
What's the average speed of a train from Bournemouth to Waterloo?
Michelle you just ripped Rich there, but Rich is a legend : A) because he presented The Big Breakfast and
Rich when we going to get another Blog entry on your BRM challenge?
Dave
I don't have the shakes yet, but whenever anyone presents me with a choice e.g "do you take your coffee black or white?" an imaginary countdown timer starts going down in my head and I start hearing little bleeping noises to remind me to make a decision. I think that's pretty normal though and I'm certainly not going to follow the advice of everyone I've spoken to so far and seek urgent medical assistance.
I've got plenty to bang on about though so should have something posted by the end of the weekend. Meantime I'm doing Play The Presenter tomorrow night (Friday 19th) so that will get me back on the tables and back in the groove.
(Ok, so maybe I was actually going to Bournemouth to do some filming but seriously, how about that for a coincidence off the back of your question?)
So, genuinely straight from the horse's mouth, with no help from the internet: the journey took me 2 hours and 10 minutes (it was the slow train) and I travelled 86 miles. So my average speed was 86 divided by 130 minutes and multiplied by 60 minutes. Which is 39.69 mph or 40mph to the nearest mile.
Next!
This month, photographic evidence of me loitering with intent on Hampstead Heath, And of course, the big reveal: is my bankroll UP or DOWN since the challenge began?
Only one way to find out...
https://www.skypoker.com/secure/poker/sky_lobby?action=show_static&page=poker_community_blog&plckBlogId=Blog:d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&userId=d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckPostId=Blog%3ad4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90Post%3a3e1068fd-ed2c-4167-bbd7-96b6a2fd3173&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
Please feel free to leave comments below it.
Cheers!
It's a terrific read - go see. Please.
Nice one Rich.
Phew, he didn't read the 'nonagenarian' bit
lol sometimes you two remind me of a old married couple, but who is the husband and who is the wife? hmmmm
i now have scary pictures in my head............
back in a bit, feel like i need a shower...........
My latest blog is up, as of this evening (1st September). To read it click on this link
https://www.skypoker.com/secure/poker/sky_lobby?action=show_static&page=poker_community_blog&plckBlogId=Blog:d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&userId=d4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&plckPostId=Blog%3ad4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90Post%3a0f474dfe-f5b1-4b76-b536-24c2b265a466&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
For new community members, to start at the beginning of my poker challenge- go to my blog home page here:
https://www.skypoker.com/secure/poker/sky_lobby?action=show_static&page=poker_community_blog&plckBlogId=Blog%3ad4ad8f1d-37e1-475b-a599-35f7af86ea90&sid=community.skypoker.com
Please leave your comments below the blog, so I don't feel like I'm writing in vain. Even though writing blogs is quite vain when you think about it...
1) It's funny
2) Hard lessons in Bankroll management on display - the good and the bad...
For those now expecting to wait another month for my next blog, you may be surprised to learn that I've already written it and will be posting it later this week!
It will focus on my exploits on Play The Presenter nights with Sky Poker's money and also on my live game.