YouTube Adventures

I continued reading and dabbling and kept my radar open for opportunities.  I purchased a small / cheap course on creating profitable YouTube channels.  Everything was simple and easy enough to understand.  

I noticed a small channel with videos of top songs every year. But it had horrible thumbnails and I knew I could do better. I downloaded the top 30 songs of every year from Billboard and took 20 second clips to stay under copyright. I taught myself basic video editing with Adobe Premiere.  I started stitching these clips together. The first few videos were pretty anemic, but I committed to creating 50 videos. After about 15-20 things started to snowball and engagements went through the roof. At the peak, the channel was getting 1-2M views/month resulting in $5-10k revenue.

It was a great start and really boosted my confidence. Unfortunately there wasn't a great way to continue to scale and grow the channel.

Black Friday Aftermath

Games were getting tight and more and more reg-infested when Black Friday hit.  April 15, 2011 is a date that forever changed poker.  That day, the US Government shutdown PokerStars and Full Tilt poker and seized their funds.

Overnight I was pretty broke and unemployed.  I had approximately $100K locked up between both sites.  I got my PokerStars funds within months, but it would take a few years before I got my Full Tilt money back.  

I knew a good number of people that moved overseas to play, but I was locked down with a house.  I'm not sure how I got by but it took me almost 6 months to find a job.  It's a real big hit to your identity and confidence to keep sending resumes and applications down black holes.  Eventually I started working as a Financial Analyst for a small Wealth Management firm.

The work was interesting at times, but when it came down to it, it just felt like babysitting for rich folks.  There wasn't much that you could do that was too brilliant or smart and was mostly managing people's emotions.  The boss and I were a bad personality fit, but ultimately I just had a HUGE chip on my shoulder that I was meant for more and needed to do my own thing.

I'm Alive !!!

Wow, can't believe it's been 16 years.  I've been taking steps back into the poker world over the past year.  A lot has happened since then, will most likely have to catch up over multiple posts.  But to tide you over, a nice little spicy hand from this past week.

$1/3 NL, $300 stack effective

UTG raises to 10, and villain solid-reg calls behind.  I'm on the BTN and raise it to 65 with AKo.  Blinds and UTG fold, and villain tank calls.

Flop is JJT rainbow.  Villain checks, and I check behind.  I can't rep much, and I don't want him to blow me off my equity.

Turn is 5.  Villain checks, and I check again for pot-control and figure he's calling any bet with mid pocket pairs that are beating me.

River is T.  Villain bombs it for $200 and I snap-call.  He says I'm good, and I table the A-high to the amazement of the whole table.  Pretty easy call imo.  My pre-flop raise strongly defined his range and he's never calling with any hand that has a J or T unless it's specifically JJ or TT.  I put him on counterfeited mid pocket pair and his river bet was just super bluffy.

Circles

A virtuous circle or a vicious circle is a complex of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop. A virtuous circle has favorable results, and a vicious circle has detrimental results.

Vicious cycle
Since Vegas, I've been on a breakeven stretch.  I had fairly healthy (delusional) expectations and as a result my confidence in my game was shaken.  Hard to describe, but I was definitely out of the zone.  Felt like I was floating in space when I played; didn't know where I was at with ranges, etc.  Desperate to win again, I prob started adopting random pieces of other people's games.  I also developed a defeatist attitude that the games had become unbeatable.  As a result, I didn't want to play at all.  Started dabbling in other games, which can be a good idea but in my case, was just starting over at the bottom of the learning curve.

Virtuous cycle
More lately, I've been expanding my poker network to surround myself with people who have similar goals, work ethics, and approaches to the game.  Hearing others' thought processes, as well as having to explain / defend your own thoughts really strengthens your game.  I went over some "golden era" vertek HHs and that definitely reminded me of what worked for me before.  I definitely have an idiosyncratic style and timing to my game, and for the most part, have good reasons behind why I do things.  I hate talking poker with people that assume things and rely on certain standards.  Obviously they are already playing perfect poker and don't need to think about things.  On the other hand, I need to continually think and adjust to the changing conditions.  You're only as good as your last game.

I've also stepped up my HH review game ten-fold.  Everyday before I start my session, I go over the previous night's HHs.  At the very least, gives my brain time to get back into poker mode.  Shout outs as well to portlypig, yx32mike, and chip210 for helping to sharpen my weapons.  There are two times when you need to go over your HHs:  when you don't think you're playing well, and when you do.

ALSO:
Special thanks to Daleroxxu (world's best poker blog) for hosting his NLO H/L Hyper Shoveament Freeroll, which I was lucky enough to take down for 1st place.  Video highlights and commentary here.

June Results

Profit: +$4647
Rakeback: +$636
Games: 1961
Hours: 190

Hourly: $27.81 / hr
Per Game: $2.69 / game

Ran hot for first half of month.  Hit some turbulence for the last week or two.  The importance of daily routines / schedule cannot be stressed enough.  With that being said, I'll be looking to experiment with a few changes this month.  GL me!

Also, sorry for late responses in comments section:

I don't use a HUD because I've never figured out how to, or what the stats even mean.  On the other hand, playing HUD-less has forced me to pay attention to player tendencies and whatnot, so I usually try to avoid auto-piloting.

The link to the 2+2 thread referenced in the prior post can be found by hovering over the words "thread on 2+2" in the same post.  I guess the link text color was too similar.

I Got A 33% Raise!

Not in the traditional sense, but in poker terms I did. I was inspired by this thread on 2+2, so now I'm 16-tabling tiled continuously on dual Dell 30"s in portrait mode. Took a bit of time to find some Torx wrenches, but it was fairly simple to get them standing up without having to buy extra mounting equipment.


This should increase my volume and hourly rate. I'm probably too nitty to ever use a stacked setup, but I'm ok with that. I've been playing well lately and the results are strong. I've ran a mile or two in the mornings a few days / week and that has definitely helped a lot. I have tons of focus and energy. I want to strike while the iron is hot, so I'm looking to set some volume records this weekend. My first 15 hour session, and 200+ games in a day for Saturday and maybe Sunday if I'm feeling particularly randy. Wish me luck!

A Tale of Two Graphs

April 1 - May 9

May 10 - June 7

So for 5 weeks, I got in 1700 games at $10 / game for a grand total of $17 K. Then for the next 4 weeks, I got in 1200 games at -$2 / game for a grand total of -$2.4 K. If a magic genie had appeared to me back at the beginning of April and told me I'd play 3K games at $5 / game, I'd be fairly pleased with myself. Instead I spend a few weeks feeling like a poker god and then a few weeks feeling like a total loser. And even though my wins totally eclipse my losses, the emotional impact of those losses is far greater. I've played a fairly consistent game throughout both periods, but shit just happens. Deep down, I am still a good, thinking, winning player.

Swings suck, but if we peel the onion back another layer, we reveal another aspect of grossness. I've been really examining my game and have finally figured out that I've developed some pretty major leaks. These leaks began in April, but I kept on winning DESPITE these leaks. So the "upswing" further reinforced my leaks and made them worse. Lesson learned, and none too worse for wear. I'm just glad that I'm continuing to improve in ALL aspects of my game.

May Results

Profit: +$4309
Rakeback: +$630
Games: 1620
Hours: 143 .5

Hourly: $34.42 / hr
Per Game: $3.05/ game

I ran pretty well for the first week, and then blehh for the rest of the month. All in all, the results were decent, but I'm still disappointed because I had aggressive goals and high standards for myself. Ended with a long streak where I was cashing a decent % of the time, but they were all mincashes which are basically negligible. I'll go over a bunch of HHs today and then get back to work. This month's goals will be simple: work hard, play well.

Quick shout-out to msusyr24. He's currently 23rd in the WSOP Event 5 $1.5K NLHE. He was chiplead for a large stretch, but took some tough beats to get knocked down. If anyone can come back, he can, so GL today!

Week 3

Profit: +$1115
Rakeback: +$78
Games: 323
Hours: 28.5

Hourly: $41.86 / hr
Per Game: $3.69 / game

Finally broke out of my downswing and got the ship righted again. Last week's poor results were definitely the result of poor play and not variance. My A-game is a subtle mix of aggression and caution, so it doesn't take much for small shifts in my style to throw me off. Had some life distractions, so blehh volume. Before I sign off to crush the Sunday crowd, will leave you with this piece my friend posted on his FB. Original here.


You can’t change your entire life.
You can only change your next action.
—
You can’t change a relationship with a loved one.
You can only change your next interaction.
—
You can’t change your entire job.
You can only change your next task.
—
You can’t change your body composition.
You can only change your next meal.
—
You can’t change your fitness level.
You can only start moving.
—
You can’t declutter your entire life.
You can only choose to get rid of one thing, right now.
—
You can’t eliminate your entire debt.
You can only make one payment, or buy one less unnecessary item.
—
You can’t change the past, or control the future.
You can only change what you’re doing right now.
—
You can’t change everything.
You can only change one, small thing.
And that’s all it takes.

Week 2

Profit: +$308
Rakeback: +$87
Games: 396
Hours:34

Hourly: $11.62 / hr
Per Game: $1.00 / game

Started off hot last Sunday with a $36 180 win, and then have mincashed my way down since then. I can definitely say that I've been making some superthin calls lately, so will go over some HHs to look for spots to improve / avoid. Have also spewed a number of times at early levels, which was totally avoidable.

Surprises come when there are differences in expectations and outcome. I've been running so well lately that this week feels like a losing one. Just have to remember to view things in totality. The most important thing is to align expectations and effort.

Week 1

Profit: +$4,184
Rakeback: +$216
Games: 545
Hours:50

Hourly: $88.00 / hr
Per Game: $8.07 / game

I'm about on track as far as profits go, and a little bit behind on volume. Healthy ROIs (50-60%) at 12s and 36s. I was a lil concerned that the daytime crowd would be tougher, but haven't noticed too many differences. 6-8 hour sessions are definitely my sweet spot. 2-3 hour sessions are a waste (load-up / wind-down) and with 10+ hour sessions, I start to get hungry and lose focus. I also hate playing with fewer than 150k ppl online since load times are unbearable.

Thoughts have been running through my head of getting a personal assistant. Someone to clean, do laundry, handle mail, emails, shopping, and errands for like $15 / hr. Would definitely be worth it if they can free up more time for me to get games in. My MO in life has been to suck at most things and do a few things really well. Specialization / division of labor and all that jazz. Also need to start working out again regularly.

April Results

Profit: +$11,249
Rakeback: +$255
Games: 1075
Hours: 103

Hourly: $111.69 / hr
Per Game: $10.70 / game

Has been an interesting month. Set a new personal record for monthly earnings as well as a new daily record (3.6K). Cracked top 200 for the monthly TLB so got a lil bonus for that. Was able to take down 4 $12 180s in a day and took down my first $36 180.

I ran at expectation for $12s (40% ROI) and ridiculously well at $36s (280% ROI). Only played 65 $36s, but managed 3 1sts, 2 2nds, and a 3rd so GG me.

Much of this month, I've played in the "zone". Hard to describe and sortta mystical-sounding, but I'm 100% in the moment, just reacting to situations. I'm paying attention to everything but afterwards, I can't really recall the details or outcomes of any individual hands won or lost. Plus if you consider yourself a poker player, bad beats should be boring to you. It's like I sit down at my station, and stand up 4-8 hours later after I get really hungry or the games are loading too slow. In an NLP sense, I 'd like to think I've reached the level of Unconscious Competence.

1. Unconscious Incompetence (we don't know we don't know how to)
2. Conscious Incompetence (we know we don't know how to)
3. Conscious Competence (we know we know how to)
4. Unconscious Competence (we do it without knowing how we do it)


Also rewarded myself for having a good month by buying myself a used Aeron chair. $340 but long overdue and well worth the price. Super adjustable and feels like you're sitting on nothing.

For May, I have very aggressive goals. 3K games and $15K profit. No excuses.

Can We Do It Again?

$36 180 Win!

Pretty nice considering $1800 was what I used to earn in an average month at poker. Special thanks to MI_Turtle for being in my corner and railing me to victory.

Epic Win

Due to a super active table and me being an ICM nit, I found myself HU at a 180-man at 1.5/3K with 12K to his 254K. I pulled out all my luckboxing tricks and 19 hands later, it was all over.

New Daily Record

Profit: $2,365
Rakeback: +16
Games: 91
Hours: 9

Hourly: $264.56 / hr
Per Game: $26.16 / game

I'm BACK, bitches! I took a few hours this weekend to go over some vintage vertek HHs. My game is back to its tablecrusher style, instead of whatever the hell happened last month. Today's session started off alright, but I ended up winning 4 $12 180s in a row at the end. GG me!

March Results

Profit: -$1,238
Rakeback: +107
Games: 850
Hours: 86

Hourly: -$13.15 / hr
Per Game: -$1.33 / game

This was my first negative month in online poker. Welcome to the club, I guess. I was out of town 2 weekends, so I probably made up for that with more volume, and less focus. But to put things in perspective, 850 games is small. Gotta get back to focusing on those few things I can control. People can be such mindless lemmings.

“Learn how to ignore the examples from others when they are wrong, because few skills are worth more having.”

-- Charlie Munger

One Year Anniversary

Few days ago was the one year anniversary of my 1st blog post, and when I began taking this game seriously. I played and read books before then, but this was the beginning of respectable volume and reliance on poker to supplement my income. I was inspired and had a few coaching sessions with vers. He was killing every $12 45-man back then and his blog opened my mind up to how much money could be made. Another thanks to all those who have helped me along my journey, including reasons14, wbmustang, msusyr24, mi_turtle, johnnyhilldo, and chip210.


$26K, 18K games, and hundreds of hours later, I feel like I've proved some amount of skill. Looking back, I could have definitely progressed faster if I had signed a coaching deal or used a training site, but I'm pretty damn stubborn. The experience definitely helped me develop my own style and I've learned a ton by running into every tough spot imaginable. You can tell on the graph where mi_turtle stepped into the picture, and I'm looking forward to getting better and better.

If you're wondering where I got "vertek" from, it actually was my bboy name back in the day. I used to be in shape and vibrant, haha. Trip down memory lane...

Bruce Lee side-by-side comparison

On a set for a music video

The infamous VerTek boombox courtesy of Totem2

February Results

Profit: +$4734
Rakeback: +140
Games: 747
Hours: 73

Hourly: 66.77 / hr
Per Game: 6.52 / game

This month had a great ROI & hourly rate, but lower than desired volume. I'm very confident in my game and my ability to hang with the good 180-man regs. I'm even more proud though, of the developments I've made in my mental game. I don't think I've tilted once this entire month. If you look at my graph for this year, it's almost a straight line. Some people talk of running good, or running bad, but I just need to keep running.

Last bit of news, Chip210 and I will be coaching a few students in the Rainman School of Poker. My initial plan is to feed them raw meat until they develop a taste for it. After that, they're expected to eat what they kill. We choppin' necks!

Cracked the Leaderboards