VanillaChao

So i've taken a hiatus from the poker life and focused now on working to save up a bankroll. I've been doing delivery for Pizzeta, an Italian restaurant and so far since April 6th I've earned about $500 including working on the weekend doing casino night for an entertainment company and not including 2 more weekly paychecks that are owed to me for another $300-400. The job isn't bad and i don't mind taking a break from poker.

I've still been playing online mtt's on full tilt in my free time so between all of this i plan on just saving up a solid roll.

That's something i've never done before and in the past i've always built my bankroll from taking shots with a couple hundred bucks at 1-2 nl. I like this new approach as I know within me that once I have a solid 10k or even 5k bankroll that I will most likely never go broke again. I thought to myself, what would it be like if i just worked for 6 or 9 months and didn't play poker and just saved every dollar. I've been having poker dreams of what it would be like to have a solid bankroll and be able to play 5/10 and 10/20nl and learn with the game.

I think that's why it was necessary for me to take a break from school and to put in those hours at the 1-2 and 2-5 tables, just so i can prove to myself whether or not this is for me. Even though i went bust, all that time and all those hands did not go to waste. They hold real intangible value.
In the past though, working for me has been like pulling teeth. Mostly because the jobs were awful and i was miserable but with this new goal in mind i think it will give me the motivation i need to actually make this happen.

I guess we'll see in the days to come.

0 votes

Comments (19)

LSJDFLKSDFLSJDLFasdffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
i'm taking this one really bad. I just got back from Borgata and lost $1k this trip. This is my first time posting on this blog. Up until now i've been using blogspot and my site has been nycpokergrind.blogspot.com

So anyways, I'm really mad that I went broke again. I needed this money to help pay back my previous debt from friends that have put me in the game and have been waiting for their money. Some need it more than others and I had the money, it just pisses me off so much that now i'm back to 0. Basically this has been my last couple weeks. About 3 weeks ago or something I went to Borgata with my last $220. I borrowed $100 more on the way there and had $320. I played 1-2 and was down to my last $120 and decided to enter in the 7pm tourny. 91 players we got down to 7 and chopped 8 g's giving each person $1150.

Then i played 1-2 and 2-5 with the roll and got it up to 2k. The next week i left 1k at home since i was gonna give it to my friend who i owed $2900 and would've been huge to pay back. I went down to AC with the remaining $1k with my friend Mike who did the $1500+150 tourny and took down 7th place for $51g's. He goes by Hithenose. It was a sick accomplishment since he was shortstacked almost the entire tournament and that it was his biggest cash. Anyways i grinded out that week and towards the end of the week I was back to broke. I took a few beats at 2-5 when i rivered the nut flush and it made my opponent's straight flush, 3 clubs on the board. I moved down to 1-2 and flopped bottom set vs top 2, lost. Then I turned a straight and it made the guys boat and that finished me off.

So i was down to the $1k that i had left at home for my friend, he wanted all of it but i needed a roll for myself and so i gave him $600 leaving myself with $400. The next 3 sessions i played 1-2 and some 2-5 in nyc and won about $180 overall. I took the $580 and went back to AC and did another 7pm 100+20 mtt. This time there were 82 players and we got down to the last 7 and finally agreed to chop. I was down to 2 big blinds and made a comeback.

After that tourny i went back home and paid my mom $300 for the house and paid off $300 more for my credit card bill leaving myself with a roll of $1020.

The next day I went back to AC and packed my bags for a few days. My confidence had been regenerating after the terrible downswing i've been facing the last few months and finally i thought, i will turn all of this around.

So i get to Borgata 3 days ago, I did the 7pm 100+20 again but this time lost with KK to AJ all in preflop. Went straight to 2-5 after i got knocked out. I heard them call a 250+30 sng and decided to do it and left the cash game up a little. Everyone was playing so bad and we were down to 4 pretty fast. Chips got even and i suggested we chop up 500 a piece and play out for the remaining 400 and tip the dealer 100. We did that and when it got down to 2 me and the other guy chopped the 400 so total i cashed for 700. I got a room at Borgata and used my comps. My roll was at $1300.

The next morning i had a quick breakfast at bread+butter and went over to 2-5. I got in a nice rhythm going and finished up $350 after a couple hours. I was debating whether to go home or to keep playing. Something didn't feel right though and i felt like i was playing with scared money. I took a little break and then did something i've never done before. I went over to 5-10 and they were playing shorthanded. It was a must-move and i wanted to challenge myself. I sat down with 500, raises preflop were to 60-75 and i knew i had to choose my spots wisely. I dwindled down a little and then got moved to the main game. I was about even and then there was a limped pot. i had and flop came . Checked around to me and i bet out $40 into about 60ish. Sb makes it $150 and my immediate reaction was to go all-in for my remaning $350. Then i asked myself, do i really want to gamble in this spot. Even though it was an easy decision to shove i decided not to and folded and immediately regretted that.
I left a couple hands later down 150 and the went to a 100+20 sit n go. I busted out after having 4 big blinds and being card dead and went over to the Taj where i had a free room.

Now the next day (today) is when i lost everything. I had about $1280 this morning when i went over to Borgata. It was PACKED due to the 300+40 tourny. I should've woken up early for it but i missed it. I sat down at a 2-5 and was feeling extremely confident. It was a new game and all of a sudden the action got crazy. Every hand was a raise and multiway pots. A couple hands in i pick up in the cutoff and a player raised it up to $20. 2 callers behind me, i smooth called and we went 5 way to the flop which came A Q Q. Checked around to me, i check. Turn blank, checked around to original preflop raiser who bet $80. Folded around to me and i just smooth call, we're heads up. Turn blank he says all-in, i initially bought in for $300 total so i call and he has KQ and i double.

A couple hands later I pick up AK in the sb, limped pot i make it 40 to go and a loose asian kid calls. Flop comes like and i knew that hit him, i continuation bet for $60 and he called. Turn came and I paused for 10-15 seconds and then bet out $100 and he folded.
Next hand i pick up on the button, couple limpers and i know i have to raise big so i make it $50 to go. 3 callers and flop comes A J 6, rainbow. Checked around to me and i bet $125. UTG was an extreme maniac and shoved all-in for $460 total. I had to call and he flipped over JJ, i lose. I was down to a little less than $200 and then very next hand fucking AK again.
This time there was a raise to $30 and i just smooth called in the cutoff, we went 4-way to the flop which came A J T, 2 clubs. checked to the preflop raiser who bet out $100 i shoved for like $40 more he calls with QQ i win.

Then the action really died down. I was waiting to pick my spots and hadn't really gotten any hands so i was just chillin. In the mean time i had been studying the table and the maniac who had the JJ against my AK earlier was really going on a heater. He had climbed up to like $1700 in chips and was running over ppl, bluffing and re-bluffing and i knew I'd pick him off.

I limp UTG with J9d and there's a limped pot 5 way.
Flop comes and i bet out 15 when it got checked around to me. The maniac makes it $30 and i know he most likely has a flush draw and i decided to just smooth call and see how he plays it out. Turn i check and he bets out $40, again i still think my hand is best and decide to call and see what happens on the river. River I check and he thinks for 5 seconds and then bets $200. A HUGE over bet and i want to snap call. I think about it for like 10 seconds and then call, he says STRAIGHT and flips over

After this pot I was down to like $150 and decided to step down to 1-2.
I proceeded to lose 2 buy-ins of $200 there pretty quickly when the guy to my left flops a set on my 77 on a flop of 2 3 6. Then the same guy flops trips vs. my 88 on 4 4 7 and i pay him off again. Then finally i pick up in the sb and its a limped pot. Flop comes i check bb bets $5 button calls i make it $25, both players call. Turn is another 5 and i shove for my remaining 70ish since i put button on a combo draw, bb folds and button insta calls with A5, river blank.

I was pretty mad and took my last $120 to 2-5. First hand i'm in the BB with and its a limped pot like 7 way. flop comes and i quickly check, goes checked around to a guy that bets $30 and button calls, i shove for $110ish and after some deliberation i get called by the original better and the other guy folds. Turn river blank, guy shows for a flush.

It wasn't really the beats that got to me but I was more so disappointed in myself for not quitting for the day after the 2-5 session and instead continuing to play while somewhat steamed. I didn't realize the value of my remaining $600ish and to a poker player the money is everything. Without even one buy-in you are useless and now I'm in a very uncomfortable position where i must get myself back in the game.

0 votes

Comments (17)

Ok, so this is a little auto biography of my life up to now. I'm 22 years old and first learned the game from a friend. I laid down a flush and didn't know i had a flush and that cost me $5. I don't remember if he actually took it since he just taught me how to play that hand. Anyways, since then i gradually played more and more. The asians in my school really liked hold'em too and so we started playing regularly that summer at a friends club house. That's probably what did it for me. We had regular games of .25/.50 where we'd get up to a couple hundred in the pot. Some kids went a little crazy and since my town is fairly rich, some kids had literally hundreds of dollars to throw away in a .25/.50 game. Needless to say it was a great game and we all learned from each other that summer. We'd play up to 2x a day, get some Wendy's and discuss hands and then play again at night.
After that summer I went up to AC at the end of September. I remember i made the drive by myself with 100 bucks because i just wanted to play some cards and there was no where else i could play. So i drove down to the Taj which i got stuck in my head as the place where the action is at (Rounders). I remember my first hand being KJ and hitting the flop. I was stunned by the amount of tables and ppl playing. The game had $5 red chips and it was so new to me, even going up to the cashier and buying in and the lady asking how i wanted my chips. I had no idea what to respond with and just said i'm playing 1/2. I didn't have a fake ID at that point so i had an excuse made up that I had forgotten my ID in my car. Luckily i was in the game with no problem.
I played for what seemed like a couple hours, finally losing my hundo and i remember feeling a huge rush of emotions. For one, i wanted to take out another hundred cause i knew i could beat these shmo's. The 2nd thing was that this was the most i had ever lost at one time. The drive back home was long but would be followed by many more to come.

The next year i played a little bit during my senior year, couple times a month and made a few trips to Turning Stone and experienced playing 1/2 legally. They had $100 max tables so that seemed to fit my small stakes needs. The players weren't that good i remember and i knew i could definitely learn with this game. Throughout the year I also made a couple more AC trips with a friend and by the end of my senior year i knew that poker was the oxygen for my bloodstream.

I think that summer I played a lot in the city at a place called Straddle on 3rd ave(midtown). I played 1/2 and made a poker friend who played 2/5 and really knew what he was doing. He used to play 80/160 at Borgata and was a big gambler, which resulted in big swings and eventually going broke. I knew i didn't have any vices such as gambling on sports or table games so as long as i sticked to poker i thought i had a good chance. After that summer i had learned even more and was more determined to keep growing as a poker player. I had gone broke plenty but always found a way to rebuild and take shots and keep myself in action.
I was balancing going to classes at Rutgers (nwk) and playing poker when i could. I had still been categorized as Undecided in school and realized that this just wasn't for me. I had taken physics, calculus, and business classes all of which i passed but had no interest in. Then after my last semester i registered for some new psychology classes. I was kind of interested in this but at the same time my obsession with poker overrode my academics and i thought it was time to really put in some hours and see where this would go.
Everyone hated this decision but for me it was my only real option. Get out of class while i'm still not pot committed.
So i promised my mom i would work and save up money but quickly i began taking shots and playing in AC. I ended up going broke and found a job working at an architectural firm doing some office help and deliveries. The job wasn't bad and after 2 weeks i had about $400 and went to Turning Stone. I stayed with a friend who lives upstate and for 3 weeks i'd make drives to the casino. I didn't end up coming back to that job and instead kept playing in the city. I was doing well at first. I remember taking a shot at this club called Genoa, it was 5-5 and was the biggest game i've played in. They had 1500-300 buy in and 2k after midnight. There was probably around 20k on the table. I played that game for 3 days and had 3 winning sessions each of about $1k. I ended up paying back some debt that i owed to friends, my credit card bills and some money for rent to my mom since her rule was that i couldn't live for free and still had a 2kish bankroll.
This went on til the Fall of '08. I had been playing in new york and AC about 3-7 days a week, and had been winning enough to cover my monthly expenses (credit card + rent). I was successful in paying that but then i hit a downswing at the end of September that went on until January '09. For 2 months straight i couldn't win. Finally in December i began to break even and in Jan. had a couple winning sessions but ended up going broke and staying there. The downswing was a very harsh hit from reality and I went into debt with my friends, couldn't pay rent to my mom, and began making minimum payments on my credit card.
Then in February I got a job for 2 weeks working at CVS. The manager was a nazi and I couldn't handle it there. I remember going to AC with my paycheck and being determined to go on a run. I think i began doing okay but once again I was down to the felt. I played the 100+20 7pm at Borgata with my last $120 and finished +$1150, we chopped $8k 7ways.
With that money i paid back some expenses and debt but still had so much more to pay. I was down to $400 and tried again 2 weeks later in the same tournament. Finished $1080 after we chopped again 7 ways.
I also had a decent run from cash games (1-2 and 2-5 mostly) but eventually lost everything which was like $1300 2 Friday's ago. I took that hit really bad and realized I can't continue putting cash on the line that could be used to pay back the people who put me in their in the first place.

So right now i'm taking some time off of playing and working at Pizzeta doing deliveries for lunch and dinner. The hours aren't consistant and its not great money at all for now. Maybe i'll get better hours soon or can move up to a waiter but overall the job isn't bad. I'd much rather work at this job even if it may pay slightly less than a job which makes me miserable.

I'm still confident in my abilities and know that soon i'll be back at the tables. The competition is really not that tough now-a-days and i find live to be much easier than online- Dollar to Stakes wise. (5/10 live much easier than 5/10 online). I still have huge ambitions to learn more about this game and get better as a player. The only reason why people don't make it is because they're not good at losing, by that i mean they're not in control of their emotions. If you can't handle losing then you don't deserve to have it good when you're winning. That's just my basic philosophy.

0 votes

Comments (5)