Diary of a MTT Grinder Wannabe

[Ant040689]

You looked into those hospital type trolley desk things (I think I mentioned these a while ago on here ?) that have adjustable height and could slide under the sofa.  also, what is wrong with your back ? would getting fit, doing some yoga help It would defo help with the state of mind if nothing else.   However, do pizza's get covered in that shizz that makes them morish ?? As I'm also a sicko for pizza once I start.....It is the food of the gods imo !!!!

The other thing from the above....Why the Fk rush to start not like there aint enough tournies gonna kick off.  rushing is a back thing.  I have really tried to stop that myself and even tougher as my sessions are short and 180 manners anyway (I work and play evenings), but I would prefer to play an hour less but get a run in and some munch in a relaxed manner rather than not exercise and eat something shit just to eat.  No idea if that actually helps my poker playing, but I feel mentally better for it.

GL with the grind....Get a proper life/poker schedule imo, including meals and exercise and even say a 3 hour window in there for chilling or summin.

BTW, imo, a schedule is up there in importance levels with most things in poker yet is probably the most overlooked

Sound advice.

Yeh before you did mention the hospital desk thingy and i took that on board but quickly got back into old habits. I have a back condition btw that sort of can't get that much better however much i exercise but i do need to make sure i don't further aggravate it but that is all i seem to be doing. I need a chair that won't have me in pain while i play, and i need to set it up so that is what will happen. The soft chair is amazing as i forget i even have a problem, but with nearly all other desk chairs i notice my back immediately and it is always playing on my mind, making fast decision making much harder and my poker multi tabling abilities much worse. It is funny how i am only realising now the importance of the perfect set up for sound poker play. Before i wasn't really analysing what worked and what didn't but now i know what will work i just need to set up how i can make it happen.

Getting a schedule is crucial but i don't have one just yet and i am not keen to get one with me retaking half my degree course for the next academic year and me not knowing what days i will need to be in and how much time i will need to give myself to properly study. I will find out later this month. The main reason i am retaking is because i had the problem with scheduling. I wouldn't be on top of anything so eventually i wasn't doing anything to the ability i have got. I am making sure now not to make the same mistake.

Rushing into playing is also a shit idea, i agree. I am making sure if i am planning to play for 12 hours straight, like i am capable of, i am going to have all of what i need within arms distance so i can eat/drink and give myself the energy needed to maintain high concentration levels for a very long period of time. I am basically trying to crack the nut of the perfect grind and realise i am starting from a little behind everyone else with my back problem but i could well be in front of others with how well i play loads of tables for long periods of time. I know not that many people can hack the computer screen for that long a period and to know that i can which is always a plus.

Even with that though it has had its pitfalls. With the amount of time i play and have played in the past i have reading/computer glasses and also when the glare from the computer gets too much i get another pair of sports sunglasses over the top to help me concentrate. As well as the computer makes you blink a lot less i notice my eyes dry very quickly which makes me irritable and so i have recently been adding eye drops to help out. With all things in place along with the chair to help my back out it means i need't have any lingering annoyances and i just concentrate on pwnage.

[wratsy]

http://www.google.ie/search?q=kneeling+chair&hl=en&rlz=1C1AVSX_enIE400IE400&prmd=ivnsr&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=nuhgTqDTJoi1hAfskK0f&ved=0CI4BELAE&biw=1081&bih=767


might be worth looking up?    test first ofc but could be what you need

[Ant040689]

http://www.google.ie/search?q=kneeling+chair&hl=en&rlz=1C1AVSX_enIE400IE400&prmd=ivnsr&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=nuhgTqDTJoi1hAfskK0f&ved=0CI4BELAE&biw=1081&bih=767


might be worth looking up?    test first ofc but could be what you need

Nice one will have to give it a test try.

I am off out soon to watch Ireland take on Slovakia at my local Irish pub. We really need to win as we are joint 1st with Russia and Slovakia and with Russia away to come we need to get these three points to try and secure second place and if a mini miracle happens we could then go onto Russia and get a cheeky 3 points. I am Irish descent and have always felt more associated towards supporting Ireland over England. Can't quite put my finger why i consider myself more Irish than English, when i have been born and raised here, but when it comes to football there is no choice for me.

I faintly remember at 5 years old the reaction from the rest of my family when Ray Houghton scored that beautiful lob against Italy in WC 1994 and how we all went crazy. Similarly i remember the pain of going out on penalties against Spain in the world cup of 2002 knowing that was our real shot of getting a shock semi final entry, especially if Roy Keane could have dealt with staying on with our team that year! The massive highlight was obviously Roy Keane's goal in the last minute against Germany in the group stages to make it 1-1, i can remember watching it at home, seeing the goal go in, which was orchestrated from only a hoof up the pitch and proceeding to open the front door get into the middle of the road and going completely mental.

Jason Mcateer's goal against the Dutch when we won 1-0 at Lansdowne road in 2001 was a big deal as well, remember going completely crazy in a pub for that one. The whole game we were being pummelled and the team we beat on that day had Van Nistlerooy and other world stars but we kept them goalless to knock them out of the world cup before they even got there.

Would have to say that is not my favourite feeling as an Irish supporter. It came from a game i doubt any of you could have guessed and that was with France at the Stade de France where Thierry Henry decided to play his own form of Gaelic football and proceed to cross the ball to Gallas who then poked home to knock us out.

I was desperate to get to watch that game live in the stands. I had applied for an away end ticket but soon realised that i had norfolk enchance as i had gone to no away games previously. I then looked online at the home end and saw a couple for the third tier in the home stands on a ticket reseller site and decided to buy them for myself and my sister to go and watch.

When we got into the stadium i have never felt an atmosphere like it just before kick off, it completely blew me away. 80,000 odd all cheering. I am used to the noise at Selhurst Park but this was something to behold, real spine tingling stuff. Adding to the fact that Ireland needed to win on the night after being 0-1 down in the home leg, it was always going to be a stereotypically tense Irish affair as it always bloody is!

I was surrounded by the home support obviously and i was definitely a little bit nervous about concealing my Irish identity, going to the point of wearing a jacket over my green jersey just in case it got a little rowdy inside, but just before kick off there was absolutely no chance of that and i took the jacket off with aplomb whilst standing making sure they all knew where i was sitting. Never before was i anticipating a match on this sort of level and i was buzzing. There were also some Irish fans scattered all over the section i was in so there was a bit of distant head nodding of recognition from afar as we were planning to do the impossible on the pitch and get something from the night.

Now this next part is a feeling that has never been matched at any point of my life and is going to be where the bar stands in terms of the best moment i have ever experienced. Feeling really nervous and edgy as i always do in Ireland big games, when Damien Duff evaded France's right back and ran down the line i thought, right, he has a free run here this could be tasty, when i saw he had cut it back to Robbie Keane and he was getting a free strike at it i thought wow this could be good, all the time i might add expecting something to go wrong. Then i see him side foot it into the corner of the goal at a agonisingly slow pace but the accuracy was perfect and i saw it go into the net.

Now. I looked straight over to the linesman thinking this can't be real he must have his flag up, completely ignoring the fact Duff had played the ball BACKWARDS to Keane, and after those two seconds of initial shock and confirmation it was a goal i roared a shout that i have never matched since.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

YESSSS   YESSSSSS   YESSSSSS    YESSS     YESSSSSSSS

I just continued to shout that over and over. I was on an aisle seat and ended up about 5 rows down from my seating going up and down the stairs completely off my head. My shoulders were hurting from the excessive and aggressive fist shaking. It felt like i was the only one in the stadium celebrating the goal as when it went in the fan noise quickly turned to silence. I could clearly see the Ireland fans going crazy in the distance and it was muffled cheers as our supports allocation was so small and the France fans heftily outweighed us. I felt isolated but that added to the thrill i was literally in enemy territory and basically doing the windmill to all of these French fans. It was a total disregard of where i was, and i seemed to get absolutely no trouble. Mainly because i think at 6'3 and edging towards 20stone when a man like that goes off his head you let him do his thing and don't get in his way. It was the best thing i have ever experienced.

The rest of the game was just hard toil to deal with. Ireland squandering golden opportunities to finish the game within the 90 mins and we eventually lose. I never really did care too much about the Henry incident because i would have probably done the same in his position, but regardless of that i want to share with you my top 4 moments that really hit home.

4.

3.

2.

1. No need to watch after 1.10

[Ant040689]

Not sure how much i am up because i haven't added it all up yet.

Deffo at least break even and thought i did alright tonight. came third in two tournies which was slightly annoying considering the pay jumps but i know if i keep plugging away it will all come good in the end. Enjoying it and hopefully won't be too long before i have a comfortable roll.

[Ant040689]

Deciding now that I need to take logs on all expenditure and make sure I make savings where I can so that I protect my prof and can save more. I waste the most money when going out and am currently having my br stay still as I pay for silly lifestyle expenses.

Tempted to get on the water on all nights out and to eat well at home on a budget and avoid restaurants full stop. Takeaways need to gtfo aswell.

Hope amatay and Greekstein a safe and fun trip aswell btw!

[mondatoo]

Deciding now that I need to take logs on all expenditure and make sure I make savings where I can so that I protect my prof and can save more. I waste the most money when going out and am currently having my br stay still as I pay for silly lifestyle expenses.

Tempted to get on the water on all nights out and to eat well at home on a budget and avoid restaurants full stop. Takeaways need to gtfo aswell.

Hope amatay and Greekstein a safe and fun trip aswell btw!

Yeah I generally waste most of my money going out, as opposed to staying in 

[Ant040689]

Deciding now that I need to take logs on all expenditure and make sure I make savings where I can so that I protect my prof and can save more. I waste the most money when going out and am currently having my br stay still as I pay for silly lifestyle expenses.

Tempted to get on the water on all nights out and to eat well at home on a budget and avoid restaurants full stop. Takeaways need to gtfo aswell.

Hope amatay and Greekstein a safe and fun trip aswell btw!

Yeah I generally waste most of my money going out, as opposed to staying in 

Right. You have opened up your thread to a whole lot of pain from me :p

[mondatoo]

Deciding now that I need to take logs on all expenditure and make sure I make savings where I can so that I protect my prof and can save more. I waste the most money when going out and am currently having my br stay still as I pay for silly lifestyle expenses.

Tempted to get on the water on all nights out and to eat well at home on a budget and avoid restaurants full stop. Takeaways need to gtfo aswell.

Hope amatay and Greekstein a safe and fun trip aswell btw!

Yeah I generally waste most of my money going out, as opposed to staying in 

Right. You have opened up your thread to a whole lot of pain from me :p

Haha

[Ant040689]

Just watched my bro play centre back for croydon fc. They're in the combined counties premier division. 8 leagues away from the premier league just to let you know . The standard really isn't that good and I know I can slot in if I was fit and I have the first real impetus to train very hard so I can make a shot at it. I'm 22 and think young enough to turn the negligence of my body around, get rid of the belly overhang that actually can be lifted up and down and see what it is like to be nimble.

The ability to run without ruining my knees on impact, the chance to get from one place to another without waddling, the chance to see my cheek bones. Tonight has hit me hard. I really want to get out to the park and just do shuttle runs and the sort and improve my agility and just keep at it until the weight and my movement improves until the evidence of my slothful past is behind me.

I sound down on myself but I'm not. I'm just now determined to make a shot at serious football to see how far up or how low I can go and never have a nagging question hanging over me into old age of what if?

On the poker front I went to the opticians for an eye test and they told me I have been using the wrong glasses all along for poker. I was prescribed distance glasses instead of reading ones and always thought my bad concentration levels and irritability was coming from something  and when those new badboys come in I should be more content.

Have had a small winning session on Monday btw, and will be blogging more about that when I have my routine up and running by the end of the month when I get my uni schedule. I will be going much harder at grinding then and I can't wait until I play without an excuse to turn to because my preparation is spot on.

Also off to Leeds on Saturday supporting palace and hope for all the best and for this dream start we have had to continue.

[Ant040689]

Playing a high end grind tonight with my bankroll

It is going to be a layout of about 1/5 of my poker bankroll. Playing less tables though so around 9-12 only at a time and not getting crazy with any more. The nature of the tourns as well is mainly 100-200 entrants ones where i could hope to reduce variance as i won't be playing the 1000+ ones.

Playing a lot of 6 max as well as my results in these tourns are just drastically better than the full ring 9 and 10 seaters. I think this is because my mid game is poor in the full rings in not manoeuvring my 20-30bbs stack well enough and not putting in enough 3 bets in position. However if i get a run of cards and develop a comfortable stack of 40+ i am often very good at pampering this stack with coy plays, but lower and i tighten up a bit too much until i only have 10 bbs left and i am then in a lot of trouble.

My final table game i feel is my best element and i think playing 6 max most resembles the sort of aggression you need on a final table to thwart your opponents. The way i will combat my mid game lameness in the full ring is to just be aware of my stack dwindling and push my stack around in spots i don't normally do but could well work. Always looking for the non showdown route for chip nurturing. Also i get put off by the amount of players on the table in the full ring games as its more dangerous to be aggro as its more likely someone has a hand.

I know i said i was going to wait until i got my glasses in to grind but I'm ill disciplined and think i should be okay. Saying that with only three tables atm, if i see at 6 i am struggling, then i will unregister from all the rest of the other tourns.

[dreenie]

How did this go Ant? and how much did u layout in the end? - What was your highest buy-ins etc?

[Ant040689]

How did this go Ant? and how much did u layout in the end? - What was your highest buy-ins etc?

Cheers for the interest. I am not sure how much exactly i laid out. I know that i got rid of most of the grind after 8.30pm because i was getting restless. I had a 7th place finish in a $33 entry 6 max and got $180 back and i think that was my only cash. Highest buy in was a $55f but this was a one off as the tourn in question i have a big roi in and is a very nice value shot.

The $180 cash was unfortunate as i had Q10 and raised into the bb from the dealer button and he called with just us two to the flop. It came 1086, he checked, i raised, he reraised and me knowing he knew i like to be quite aggro thought that he was just trying to make a statement with less than Q10 so i re reraised all in and he called with 89 and he got there. I know i have given you nothing of blinds or anything but i cba to remember that.

Would have left me chip leader in a 6max tourn and i really would have pushed the accelerator down to keep my domination going, and i would like to think i would have won the $900 1st place. Weren't meant to be though and beats like that don't really affect me at all, it is only when i get my money in bad that i always look to find out what it is i did wrong in my judgement making.

Not sure if i was up or down last night but do know that i am down on my overall monies about $400 since last week, and i have probably spent about that in what i have been up to. So would say i am around break even for the last weeks play. If you are wondering how i worked that out i keep a list of where all my money is and just update it when i can be bothered, so it took me a week to do this which is pretty unacceptable really. Need to do a massive overhaul of my organisation and am now going to bore you with how i plan to do that.

I am now deciding not to play again until i make a list with different sections defining each tournament I'm interested in. Probably going to be the buy in, what site, time, how many runners predicted, blind structure notes (time they go up, starting stack, how the blinds go up under what increments). General feelings on the tourn (have i done well in it before, do i feel i have a good edge in it, do people in this tournament like to limp strong or weak, am i generally in the know about what to do to certain types of bets because this varies greatly from site to site), layout of the table/site nice enough for me to feel comfortable in a grind with and anything else which i feel is pertinent.

Want to do the above because i notice that i feel disconnected from certain sites and the styles of play on there. This is because i sometimes am used to a winning formula on one site and transfer it over to another but realised i do a lot worse with it. I need to have a decent study of each tournament i enter because i know at the moment i am dead money in some but am great money in others, and i don't want any dead weight messing up my profitability which i know it is doing right now. So i need to make sure every tournament i play i know exactly how to play it as profitably as possible.

I can then log my results of each tournament and a little section for notes on how i think i played in it, and if i am not happy with any of my plays or if i feel i blinded down too easily i can look to change that with future plays. I can also have a look that if in 10 consecutive sessions i have failed in that tournament then maybe its not for me and it needs to be dropped especially if i feel i am being outclassed rather than unlucky through variance.

With this i can then tally all the tourns i plan to play in a night, total the buy ins up, if it is way too much i need to get rid of some or draft in some lower buy in ones. Will need to update the BR after each days play as well to keep fully on top and will also do a similar list for my life expenditure. This is pretty low at the moment because i get mates rates from my parents fro rent, who i live with, but i seem to not be taking advantage of this by fucking about way too much with silly purchases. Will be making a list again of where all my monies go and where i can make cuts and always be looking for ways to keep as much money as possible!

The main drawback for me is always getting takeaways which are expensive, especially Indian's/Pizza. Also getting ciders on a night out at £4.00 a pop can add up quite quickly, with club entry and the sort. Also acting the big man and getting rounds can just hurt but i do this rarely as i normally go much slower than my mates with drink so they can gtfo.

I am probably going to be shocked about how much cheaper my food bill will be when i decide to use the kitchen to cook instead of using my phone to order.

Need to get my set up on point as well. I need to find out what chair i can use at a desk that can help with my dodgy back and not piss me off. Often when at the desk i am moving too much because i am unsettled which aggravates me and then anything can happen with my grind, just completely erratic. Been given good advice by readers of this blog about different chairs and set ups but i have to find out what will be best and need to look into where i could go in person to try new setups out, maybe in desk shops or something. I am not sure. I do know that i could probably purchase a chair online and if i don't like it i could send it back and i might just keep doing that until i get a perfect fit with the desk and chair.

It might be the case that i can't deal with sitting up right at all for too long, such is the annoyance i have with my back and if that is the case i would need to get an elevated sofa chair where i can sort of recline, but be surrounded by the monitors so i can play on more than 12 tables. It is a headache but i need to put the work in to get the setup right and make sure that it is so good that the comfort i get from it will make me want to grind all day everyday.

I think this overhaul of how i deal with my finances/setup will really have me on top of things and make me much more confident when attempting a successful grind as i have no lingering doubts about anything and i can just concentrate on my game play and look to start owing people. Its the legwork that is needed for a nice steady rise to a comfortable bankroll, which i don't have yet, but with all of this work and a good study of my gameplay, i can get there eventually. I just want to make sure i am doing all i can to make this happen.

[dreenie]

Nice post, I'm sure if u put your mind to it, u can achieve what u want, As long as u climb that mountain steadily, then u are highly unlikely to come toppling down from it, so take your time and be sure with what's right for u.

Maybe look at doing spreadsheets, I find these are really easy to keep track of different comps u play each day, and easy on the eye to.

I think u can get a massage chair online, but I think it's pretty expensive, if you can affors some sort of chair like that, I would probably vear to amking that 'one off' purchase, and quit take aways for a couple of weeks, to justify spending that amount of money on one thing, having said that, it sounds like a major element in your game in order for u to play the best u can, so I would seriously consider it.

U talk about different sites, obv I know u don't like saying your names on here, but what sites do u play on atm, and which ones do u prefer?, If u were only allowed to play on 2 sites maximum which ones would they be and why?

Really hope it works out for you, keep this updated

gl

dreenie

[Coggy]

If yr not playing til u decide yr schedule and the games, why not watch some of the games from mid late stages and see if u can get a feel and make notes whilst watching ? (if that is not in yr plan).

Good luck on the fitness.  If yr pretty overweight, it should fall off to start if yr eating better, drinking less and doing exercise where u aren't already.  Maybe sign for a lower league team where u can get a game to start ? extra fitnes work and will start to imrove yr touch and get u back into it.  also, and additional weight loss thing.

And if u like it, drink mainly water, fridge it a bottle for the start of a sesh. 

Good luck with it all

[Ant040689]

Figured now i can only play 12-14 tables max and will only register for tourns that accommodate this.

I also have the perfect setup finally, pretty ingenious i feel, despite it looking ramshackle. Picture(s) to follow soon.

Today i won a tourn for $550, but have otherwise registered way above my br because i was in very high spirits today and am failing a little bit. Have 15 tourns left for the night, 12 of which i am playing now.

Disappointed with a couple of my plays today, but hopefully i can recoup now.