Hey all, its one year since i downloaded my first poker software (Sportsbook). So i would like to get some opinions on how i`m doing in your opinions. And throw in some random observations (talking points) about the game.
First, i`ve made 2 deposits, $20 @ Sportsbook and $20 @ Full Tilt. The $20 at SB i turned into around $280 in 3 days playing $2 & $5 SnGs and micro mtt`s. Jeez i was planning my next holidays its so easy. I decided to make some real cash playing ring games and 2 days later i`m looking at 30 cents in my account and back freerolling. I was either terrible or card dead but the bankroll was busted. My $20`s at FT was a little more successful, i got up to $480. For my $20`s i played 496 SnG`s AV stake $3....Av Profit $0....ROI 5%.....Total Profit $41`s (according to sharkscope). Personally, i think around 500 hrs frustration and frustration for $20`s is excellent value for money. This roll finally fizzled out when i went card dead, flop dry for days. At one point i played 34 $5 SnG`s and had only 3 thirds . I`m not sure why that swing was so bad but i think i started making to many adjustments to my game and basically ended up making it worse.
My only roll now is at Ultimate Bet, which i got after playing my 2nd pokerinfo.net duckyroll two weeks ago. I finished 3rd and got a handy $35`s for my efforts. My Sharkscope stats are as of now 185 SnG`s....AV Stake $4....Av Profit $0.....ROI 2%....
In between i play freerolls winning around 18 (approx) since i started including 2 @ AP, 6 @ cake network, 1@full tilt, 1@Bodog. $96`s my best prize at SB but its more about beating three or four thousand other people that gives me a thrill.
So thats a brief synopsis of my fledgling poker career and as i have no friends who are remotely interested in the game so i`m asking you guys for my yearly report. I just want to know how i`m doing (i personally feel i`m doing good for a year but i definately feel my improvement is slowing) any tips to improve at this stage greatfully accepted.


Random thoughts
1Conspiracy theories: I don`t think Elvis lives on the moon, Oswald probably shot JFK, and i don`t think poker sites on the whole are fixed but i find it very strange that when you make a 1st deposit at a site either though cash or a freeroll win you run hot for the first few days and then have to grind forever more. Is it possible they deal you better cards as a new player to a site so as to get you to get attached to that site and so keep going back. It would be good buisness and seems to happen to a lot of people.

2Trash Talk. I have worked in construction for thirty years, played hard in some of the roughest bars in Dublin and England and many other places around the world, and although i don`t do it on poker sites trash talked with the best and its a part of poker. But when a woman minding her own buisness sits out of a tourny cos some clown is telling her he has her IP Address and that he is coming to rape her and her daughter and the site in question tells her thats part of the game and in future block him. WRONG...WRONG....WRONG...trash talk is one thing but to me to talk to a woman like that is intimidation and he should be kicked off and banned from all sites.


3Contradictions, Hold em`sites and forums and books are full of them. As a new player its a maze of contradictions. A tight playing expert(a la Ferguson / Negreaneu) will tell you one thing and then a loose playing expert (a la Hansen) will tell you the absolute opposite. Example. I read an article by Negreaneu where he says you should`nt raise to the big blind when your the button or small blind without AA,KK,QQ,AK as the BB has position pre flop. OK, that sounds right. Lets just see what Gus Hansen says. Well Gus believes we should should attack the BB pre flop with almost anything.....MMMMmmmmm...as a new player it gets a little confusing (i now know that your playing style dictates your tactics so i tend to read and watch stuff by players i like to model my style on)In my opinion the main three things a new player should learn about is;

1 POSITION: It took me 3-4 months until i realised exactly how important this one thing was and it is the #1 thing to learn for a new player and is really the one thing that will transform your game when fully understood. Some may say pre flop strategy is the most important but i say to any new player just memorize the Harrington System and pre flop selection will take care of its self. You can run hot and not finish ITM. I have won SnG`s without ever hitting any big pocket pairs, AK etc. Just using my position to take hands down.

2 Patience and consistancy: Again, in my opinion , trying to stuff the pot when you have AA may work well in freerolls but when people are putting up there own hard earned cash to play they become a lot less likely to call your all in with ace rag. There are players on some sites who are so utterly predictable and robotic i can guess correctly a high percentage of times as to what there holding. Consistant betting improved my game a huge amount in tournies, it keeps them guessing if you three bet everytime even if you have 22 or AA

3Multi tabling.....Just dont do it new players....i did it way to soon and you cant learn the game when your trying to learn the game playing 4, 3 or even 2 is hard .....i now play sets of 4 x $5 SnG`s but if i feel my game slipping i will drop back to 1 or 2 tables....IMO..its better to concentrate on one game and improve than to play 3//4 freerolls at once and learn nothing


ok guys sorry for waffling....i`m bored now and can here the sound of chips clattering at UB so off to play a set of $5 SnG`s...if i dont get 2 2nds or a 1st and a 3rd or better i`ll be slipping back down to the $2 SnG`s which really is very depressing as the mixture of fish, bad beats, and the usual mico stake variances at those levels usually destroys my roll. sorry this was so long and very boring for a good player but it is more to get a measure of my own progress, thanks guys and heres to a successfull 2nd years poker for me and all the poker info crowd. I like the site guys(even though your aimed at more the cash game player and ring games were invented by the devil) and have picked up some great tips but i`d like to see more tourny and SnG tips info and vids.......

hey all, well i get married Saturday to my beautiful actress , model, theater director girlfriend......2 nd time lucky ........also feeling good about the poker at the moment as i`m on a streak of 11 ITM finishes so life is pretty sweet right now
Hope y`all enjoy the upcoming weekend as much as i will be.....economy sucks.....war is shit....Peace guys

Hey Blacky....you inspired me dude....i have won open FR`s @ Full Tilt, Absolute, Sportsbook, Ultimate and Carbon (still waiting for my ribbon) in the last 3 months. I gave up trying at Bodog as it just seemed like an all in or fold fest (worse than Absolute even....lol). After seeing your win i thought i`d give it a go again and finished 43 (ok nothin` special but my best in around 100 attempts). Oh....another thanks cos` i decided to learn how to get a screenshot....... Just a quick edit.......screenshot did`nt work lol....back to the drawing board....if u read this blackbird give us a heads up on how to load a screenshot from my comp(saved as jpg.) or photobucket,thanks

Hey everyone, Simon from Dublin, Ireland although living in USA now. Played my 1st Duckyroll saturday (limped out in 30th totally card dead) but had a good time and can`t wait for the next one. Only started playing last christmas and made my first deposit last month @ Full Tilt $20......Turned it into $236 in 4 days playing $1, $2, and $5 sng`s and using strict bankroll management. I decided that the real money was in ring games and so after a bit of railbirding decided that the 10/25c games were a good starting point (the lower limits looked about the standard of facebook poker). Three hours into my ring game adventure my bankroll was less than a $100`s.
i went back to $2 sng`s , then $1`s, never won a thing for a week and my bankrool was gone:\
My first question for you guys is after i went back to sng`s i felt i was playing my a-game again but i was totally card dead or suffering one suck out after another, this was`nt just a few tournies but more than 100. Do swings like this happen often, i actually stopped playin for a couple of days as advised. Back freerolling now until i can afford another deposit (economy sucks)

Great win dude, i`ve been trying to win this one everyday for a year now with very little success
Also like whateverman, its refreshing to see someone admit a big suck out was a major factor in there win.
I have won around 25-30 freerolls since i started playing a year ago and i don`t think there was one i did`nt have a bit of luck along the way. Just out of interest, i personally think Bodogs freerolls are the toughest to win, with Full Tilts 2nd, Carbon 3rd. Any thoughts? and once again great result Blackbird and i`ll be marking you as dangerous on my player notes at Bodog...........peace

I only started playing around 9 months ago, and i am totally self taught as i don`t know another soul who plays. So my opinion probably does`nt  mean much. BUT, unless i had a huge stack i would`nt call any raise more than 3*BB with 99 or less in a tournament or SnG and that would depend on my position........I don`t play ring games very often, but the odd time i do i would`nt play 99 or less to any raise .......Is it me playing too tight or  (no offence Whateverman) is Whateverman veering toward being a very loose player????

Hey guys.....that was supposed to be a little tongue in cheek....although i do have some bad luck with them when i`m around the tournie bubble. Heres 2 examples since i posted that 2 days ago.  Sportsbook yesterday, i was playing the $250K qualifier freeroll and got AA. Were down to 48 and i`m 42 (20 places win ticket to semi)  with 3*BB left in chips. I push all in from the cut off and BB calls with A3o and low and behold the flop is K34 Turn K River 3......GRRRRRRRR!!!!! 

The previous day in a huubles hold em` at poker stars were down to around 200 (74 places paid) , and i get AhAc while in the BB and everyone folds to the button who is a maniac with a big stack. I`m praying he goes all in like he had pretty much doing the whole time he was at my table, and getting lucky. He does, the SB folds, and i shove.  Button shows Jd 6c....flop Kd 2d 4d.....turn 6h......river 9d....GGGRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Hi Guys, my first contribution to the site, (you may want it to be my last) so here goes,

OMG......your all wrong....AA is my worst hand by far.....I think most people get a little rush when they see them, i just get ill. Mike Sexton called AK, Anna Kournikova cos` it looks pretty but does,nt win much. Well AA to me is Anna Anna cos it looks twice as pretty and wins even less. I have been ko`d on the bubble with this hand (playing solid or shoving) so many times, Please poker gods , give me AKs anytime.