Goals for May 2008

The Sunday million on poker stars is on 4 times this month so I figure, why not win them all!
So there's my goal for this month, 4 wins @ approx $250,000 per win. Yes I will be a millionaire by June.

NOT!

My goals for May 2008 are as follows:

1. Don't abuse any player under any circumstances.

I've previously had a tendency to hurl abuse at people for making the most shocking plays and still winning. Then I asked myself the question, 'What am I achieving from this'? Think about it, you can lose your hard earned winnings from a solid session on top of your original buy-in with 1 bad hand. After losing that money and typing in the chat box "HOW CAN YOU CALL THAT YOU F***ING DONK", where did that get me. I'm still broke and they will possibly come back with some witty retort forcing me to either buy back in with the wrong frame of mind or change tables without thinking and continue my down streak.

Overall I no longer see the value in abusing someone due to being unlucky.


2. Play with discipline - walk away when going down NOT going broke

Relatively straight forward here, yet quite hard to do. So many past instances have had sessions that go the wrong way and playing with the mentality, "Ill play until I double up or go broke". Why do this? If a session is going bad - stop playing.

Lets look at an example:
If playing a full ring NLHE, blinds 01/02, buying in for $3, and after 45 minutes I've dwindled down to $1.20 why do I feel the urge to make that back to $3? It becomes my only focus which dramatically changes my style of play. When trying to make money back, people tend to play with a scent of desperation, this at the poker table is what professionals prey on.

Overall - if things aren't working out, get over it. Will be better to walk with a -66% profit from original buy-in opposed to -100% buy-in.


3. Start to Multi-Table cash games - starting with 4 tables - aim for $5/hour on .01-.02

As I write this it is Saturday the 10thof May. I drafted this goals on April 30. After several sessions I've become extremely comfortable with multi-tabling cash games, but feel $5/hour may be unachievable. Even though that is disappointing, it is also fantastic, and I'll explain why....

I believe anyone can write & set goals for the future, being short-term & long-term. By acknowledging early in this month that i am profitable in my game play but not reaching my expected hourly rate, I can focus on re-adjusting my strategy and ask the question, "How do I achieve my earnings expectation"? - This question will not get answered until the end of the month. For the time being, I will continue to play how I play, then analyze it all at the end of the month.


4. Bankroll at month end to equal - $159.20

May 1 2008, Bankroll was $106.13. My goal is to increase my current bankroll by 50%. Whilst a $53 monthly profit won't allow me to jet off to Vegas next month, its a positive and its an achievement of a goal set 31 days back. Lets see what happens.