A look back at 2007 and your goals for 2008 (Pokerwise)

[Jon MW]

My goals for 2007 were

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Ambitions for 2007:
   (1)  Learn 2 or 3 more poker variants,
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Did that but only the 2-7 triple draw has really stuck, other than that I think I'll just be sticking to the HORSE games from now on.

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Ambitions for 2007:
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   (2)  Actively work on my HE cash game...
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Technically I did try and improve my cash game, but I'm still a bit rubbish at it so I think that counts as a fail.

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   (2)  ... aim for at least a money finish in an Omaha, a Stud and in a Razz tournament,
...

Oh yes  the Razz cash was particularly memorable for some reason

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   (3)  Enter more live tournaments and obviously aim for a live win.

I did enter more, but 2nd place is still my best result - I'm kind of running out of time for this one this year.

In hindsight mentioning something about the WSOP would have been a good idea in last years goals. I'm not going to make the mistake of being under-ambitious again. So my aims for 2008 are:
      (i)   Qualify for at least one big domestic tournament (e.g. GUKPT)
      (ii)   Qualify for at least one big European tournament (e.g. EPT)
      (iii)  Qualify for at least one 'Rest of the World' tournament (e.g. WSOP)
and (iv)  To cash in at least one of these big tournaments.

[MKKfish]

I gave up a £120k a year job in August to play online full time, (I am a contractor so it's not a real risk as I could return whenever I wanted).

Five or so months later I am up about $70k and going out of my mind. I cannot deal with being home alone playing day in day out so am packing it in and returning to work.

I'm glad I did it but it is just so not the life for me.

For 2008 I plan to play a couple of hours a day and spend all winnings on loose Swimmin and booze... seriously!

FYP..but why you would want to swim and drink at the same time goes beyond me.

I did have a witty riposte but got distracted by your floatation device avatar...is that you?!?

[The_duke]

As poker is essentially a hobby for me 2007 has been a fantastic year. I have met loads of people through the medium of poker and had loads of fun at the live games etc etc. I went to Las Vegas and funnily enough won a few bob that covered the whole trip. To me this is what poker is all about, the people, the craic and a few drinks along the way. Wins or cashes are then purely a bonus

2008 -- much of the same please

Ger

[GlasgowBandit]

2007 has been indifferent year, I have had a number of decent cashes both live and online but I am hopeless at managing my own finances and tend just to piss it against a wall or gamble it all back on the cash tables,  house games, horses, dogs football etc!  In short I'm a degerate gambler.

2008 curb the gambling instinct, to do this I aim to put an ammount aside in one account and play only on one site for the first half of the year, stay out cash games I dont have the bankroll for and start to keep a proper record of tournament profits and losses. 

I hope to play more sats online I seem to play these quite well and try and get into the bigger freezeout games and live tournaments with as little expenditure as possible and who knows a cash in one of these would be very welcome

[MAF]

One of my goals for 2007 was to work on my MTT game.  I've spent the last 2 years grinding away at SNGs, but I wanted to be able to challenge for the bigger tournaments.

I had a poor first half of the year and wasn't getting anywhere.  My bankroll was on a steady downward slope.  I'm not sure what turned it around, but I've had some nice results in the latter half of 2007:

- Won my first Stars 180 at last;
- Finished 3rd in Full Tilt $13.5k Guar for $1700 (disapointed to blow monster chip lead but still my biggest cash to date);
- Cashed in my first ever Full Tilt $750k Guar for ~$330

I also had some decent results playing live:
- APAT Cardiff - finished 17th for £300
- Finished 3rd in Gutshot £5 rebuy for £220
- Finished 2nd in APAT Regional last month for £199 (chopped 1st + 2nd)

My goals for 2008 are therefore to play more MTTs and work more on my game.  I'd also like to qualify for a major event, such as GUKPT. 

Its funny, a year ago my response would have been something like 'I want to play in all the EPTs and some of the highest stakes games online'. But 12 months on I realised where the real value is in poker. Instead I would like to continue finding easy and profitable games online and reserve my tournaments for good value games - GUKPTs/DTDs/Green Joker Poker thingies.

This is exactly my thought as well.  Last year, I was saying I'd like to play in an EPT.  Now with the high buy-in, I realise this is near impossible for me to even qualify.  The GUKPT presents a decent high-profile tournament with a realistic chance of qualification from someone with my bankroll and modest ability.

[SuffolkPunch]

2007 has been fun and certainly interesting:

Blogging for PokerStars all over Europe and in Las Vegas, becoming an analyst on Sky Poker, writing about poker for various magazines. Together with playing a little online, it was all a scream. BUT I felt that each "job" was taking up a lot of time yet collectively the financial reward was not really comparible to my old stomping ground at The Sun. Basically, as I hit 40 and started on the rocky road through middle age, I felt I needed the security of a full time "proper" job again. So, all the above were jacked in and I took up an offer from PartyPoker to be their head of copy.

2008:

Work hard, hopefully making some contribution to the general good of poker. On the playing side, I have recently started a Bankroll Challenge on Stars to regain some much-needed discipline. I dusted off the $3 that sat forlornly in my account there and have spun that up to $284 in a month using the strict 5% rule.  I want to grow that in 2008 to something worthwhile and treat the family to something nice. I spent too much of 2007 away from them.

Good luck to everyone else in 2008.

Nice thread, by the way.

[DaveShoelace]

2007 has been fun and certainly interesting:

Blogging for PokerStars all over Europe and in Las Vegas, becoming an analyst on Sky Poker, writing about poker for various magazines. Together with playing a little online, it was all a scream. BUT I felt that each "job" was taking up a lot of time yet collectively the financial reward was not really comparible to my old stomping ground at The Sun. Basically, as I hit 40 and started on the rocky road through middle age, I felt I needed the security of a full time "proper" job again. So, all the above were jacked in and I took up an offer from PartyPoker to be their head of copy.

2008:

Work hard, hopefully making some contribution to the general good of poker. On the playing side, I have recently started a Bankroll Challenge on Stars to regain some much-needed discipline. I dusted off the $3 that sat forlornly in my account there and have spun that up to $284 in a month using the strict 5% rule.  I want to grow that in 2008 to something worthwhile and treat the family to something nice. I spent too much of 2007 away from them.

Good luck to everyone else in 2008.

Nice thread, by the way.

My new aim is to get Simon drunk and challenge him to a $284 heads up game, then he has to do the Jesus challenge instead.

[boldie]

2007 has been fun and certainly interesting:

Blogging for PokerStars all over Europe and in Las Vegas, becoming an analyst on Sky Poker, writing about poker for various magazines. Together with playing a little online, it was all a scream. BUT I felt that each "job" was taking up a lot of time yet collectively the financial reward was not really comparible to my old stomping ground at The Sun. Basically, as I hit 40 and started on the rocky road through middle age, I felt I needed the security of a full time "proper" job again. So, all the above were jacked in and I took up an offer from PartyPoker to be their head of copy.

2008:

Work hard, hopefully making some contribution to the general good of poker. On the playing side, I have recently started a Bankroll Challenge on Stars to regain some much-needed discipline. I dusted off the $3 that sat forlornly in my account there and have spun that up to $284 in a month using the strict 5% rule.  I want to grow that in 2008 to something worthwhile and treat the family to something nice. I spent too much of 2007 away from them.

Good luck to everyone else in 2008.

Nice thread, by the way.

My new aim is to get Simon drunk and challenge him to a $284 heads up game, then he has to do the Jesus challenge instead.

 

[77dave]

I havent got any plans for 2008 no idea what ill be doing or where ill be doing it really

[Grier78]

2007 - Having spent 2006 learning the basics and playing pub poker I made my last deposit of $200 into Full Tilt in Feb and have managed to be a winning player since. Managed to stop playing games with buy-ins of less than $10. Done ok at a couple of live games.

2008 - I want to build a proper live bankroll or at least make enough money online to spend at DTD. Stop going on positive tilt and chucking away all of my profits (I am a poker God, hey wait where did all that money I just won go?) Play live more in games with really good players so that I can learn.

2045 - Retire and move to Vegas.

[vegaslover]

Didn't achieve any of my poker goals for 2007, partly due to hardly ever playing. Did finish the year in profit, all that really matters to me as a recreational player.

Goals for 2008.
Play more, particularly live. Only really played live whilst in Vegas and made a decent profit, even with the appalling rake the house takes.
Play more cash.
Rebuild a roll so I can move away from the bloody micro levels again.
Attend a GUKPT. The WSOP and EPT are probably too far away to realistically aim for.

[bobby1]

My 2007 goals were to play more poker, improve my game and try to win enough from poker and punting to stay away from the 9 to 5 in an office, in a tie, hating it.

What actually happened was I played less, my game is worse but overall on the year I made more than last year. Strange innit?

[amcgrath1uk]

My 2007 goals were to improve my game, be in profit ( for a small time player like me important) and hopefully be more consistent.

Those have definitely happened, am rapidly learning from errors in my game and results have steadily improved. Instead of being happy to get in the money and be in profit.. I now take more risks and shoot for the stars.

Think it has worked taking $1.7k ( nearly triple my previous highest cash) only a couple of days ago, and higher and more final table finishes!

My 2008 goals are a tough one to decide. I suppose it'll depend on where I'm living lol.

I'd like to aim for decent live tournament qualification ( GUKPT etc).. but who knows.

oh, and I'd like to learn to play cash!

[Royal Flush]

2007 has been a good year, every year so far has outdone the previous year for me so i guess that's my goal for 2008, beat 2007.

In practical terms i want to play less UK events, they are on the whole a waste of time, when you consider expected return against the time spent. EPT's on the other hand have added benefits, like you just have a holiday if you get busted! I guess my aim is not to play more than 3 UK festivals, somehow get myself into EPT's either via sponsorship or sats. Continue to improve at the FLHE games i am playing at the moment, they are serious money spinners. Hopefully get a 6 figure tournament cash if i don't i won't be upset. Invest enough of my money that if i go bust i will have enough of an income to never have to work.

What i don't want to do......care about European rankings, care about winning major events, play online PLO when drunk.....

Have one of my 'horses' develop into a shit hot player, capable of making some serious money, that would bring more joy to me than anything else......especially when i am counting my cut!

[madasahatstand]

For 2007 I didnt have any serious goals except to get better at poker. I seem to remember a thread like this last year and i  said something about trying the wsop ladies event. I didnt try to get in but after seeing all the comments about womens tourneys being easy id give that a bash. I think I've achieved that and exceeded my own expectations this year. Ive got a bankroll 100 times more than i had this time last year and have won a good few grand. Ive had some intensive coaching and its incredible how much my game has improved. I even got the courage to post in the PHA threads:) Ive won about 8 or 9 blonde tourneys and that was more fun that winning the other thousands:)  I used my winnings to get my neices and nephews some holidays:)

This coming year, Id like to play some live events to test my new skills but its difficult while I'm working. Im off to vegas soon so that will be a bit of a test. Apart from that I just want to  have fun and keep my aggression in check. Ive mastered my patience (most of the time..lol) because I now play to a solid theoritical framework. Poker is still lots of fun but learning is better:)

Good luck everyone for next year