Well practically nobody knows me on LP, so I feel the need to reintroduce myself every blog. Those who know me on TL, yeah, it's me.

My name is Mike (DUH) and I'm 17. 18 in 9 days. I have about seven PMs asking why I care how old I am before I start poker, and pretty much my entire extended family has a bad track history in gambling and obv my mom doesn't understand why poker > roulette. In fact, she believes roulette to be more profitable.
Anyway.
So I'm starting on Stars or FTP with $500 so I can play NL25. I have been "studying" poker for about 3 years (lurking, books, etc.), but a little more intensely in the last couple months (actually registering at LP and checking it daily, Harrington on Hold'em). I avoid giving advice on low stakes as I am not a current player. However, I treat every hand posted there as a 'quiz' to see if I would, in the same situation, make the correct play. I seem to be doing quite well, my worry is that I'm not exactly sure how to play super-solid. I've been watching some the low stakes videos that I have access to. I used a friend's account for a bit to play NL10, and I was a winning player there (8bb/100), albeit on a relatively small hand sample (10k hands).
I plan on starting in two weeks, playing 30 hours a week. My goal is to hit NL100 by September (birthday Jul 13).

So my questions are:
1. My mom doesn't want me doing this, but my dad understands and is actually buying 20% of me for 100k hands. However, this means I cannot play at home, so I need to go to my friend's place on weekdays to play.
2. My mom has badgered me about getting a "real job" (I sell knives atm, making as much as a full time job thank you) for 2 months now. What do I tell her? She checks my bank account and reads my mail, so I cannot lie about having another job. It is also absolutely out of the question to tell her the truth. I really hate saying that I can't trust my own mother.
3. 6max or FR? I know this is a personal preference, but my goal for the first few weeks is not to generate a greater bankroll, it is to gain valuable experience and knowledge in poker.
4. PT2 + PAHUD? PT3? Gametime? Is any of this necessary? My friend wants to split with me on PT3 but I'm pretty sure that's not allowed. (I'm what you might call a life nit)
5. Should I screw around with SnGs? What bankroll do I need to play the 180 man 4.40s? Rule of thumb?
6. Finally, I have to admit that I am prone to tilt. Considering my family history, it might as well be in my genes. Is anyone willing to PM me their MSN or something so I don't lose it all? As a precautionary measure, I have offered my stakers an insurance of sorts, refunding everything if I lose money on massive tilt. (Playing outside my br, etc.) Free copy of my newest CD (we sing a cappella, but hey, free stuff) to the first five (if any) NL10+ players who can PM me their MSN.

Anybody who read everything, THANK YOU SO MUCH, I really appreciate it.


Comments (7)

It's not worth it for me to ask this in the Main Poker section, so hoping I get some answers here.

Right now I have a bunch of people (friends, family) willing to stake me to try my hand at poker.

Could someone just give me an example of a long term stake, i.e. Person A gives X amount of dollars, and what is expected of both parties?

Thanks.

PS: Any other general advice is appreciated, too.


Comments (7)

Let's start with a summary of my last blog.

"I'm 18 in July and want to hit NL50 by September, which is unlikely, so I'm looking at maybe November, I am planning on starting with $200 at NL10 from free promotions etc."

So how do I do this?

I feel like I have a good grasp of the game, however I'm not 100% sure so I'm carefully avoiding the banstick for now, leading most of my posts regarding hands in Low Stakes with something along the lines of "I'm not sure... kind of new... better ask someone else... but I think that [whatever it is] is the best play here." And then I write the thinking behind my statement.

I know I can't really understand where I'm at until I play for myself; all I have is about 5k hands played total at NL10.. eventually I was 12-tabling (friend's account). While dumping a load of hate on the shortstackers, I started to wonder if this style of play, (played effectively,) can be good for a player like me? Players are generally quite bad at the lower limits, and shortstacking makes many decisions much much easier, and there is (I think) less risk to a strategy like this. On the other hand, I feel I am competent and can beat the NL10 games at least.

My problem is my discipline (or lack thereof). I see a lot of incredibly bad beats when viewing hands, and I'm not sure that I can take it. My parents have told me that if I lose this initial $200, they won't allow me to ever deposit into a poker room again. I understand that by this point I'm 18 and an individual, but it's the whole Asian parenting concept of respect etc. and I've already pissed them off quite a bit these last 17 years.

I've heard that NL5/NL10 are the grindiest levels and pretty much I want to get through that as quickly as possible. However, I absolutely cannot afford to lose this. Maybe I should stake someone who I know is competent?

I am continuing to study poker through LP, watching games, playinglivewithfriendswhichisn'tthathelpfulbutheyI'lltakewhatIcanget, reading books, etc. The book-reading is more to see what other people may or may not be reading, and how others view the game. This is all about learning to me, as I have been in love with game theory for a number of years, but being able to pay tuition ($4k a year) is definitely a goal which I think I can reach eventually.

For the record, I think I can play 5k-10k hands a week.

To sum up:
-- Not wanting to risk my bankroll to a nasty downswing/tilty play/just bad play, but
- I think I am adept enough to beat NL10;
- I have the drive to continually learn.
-- Bigstack play or Shortstack play?
-- $4k a year too lofty of a goal? How many hands of NL50/NL100 will that come to in a year? Assuming I play a solid, TAG game?
-- How many hands does it take an average player to advance from NL10 to NL50?

Thanks in advance if I get any answers.

PS: I can't register for the free offers at LP, but what is actually free and not some sort of "get points to generate $ bonus"? I know:
CDPoker is $50
VCPoker is $10
Refer a Friend is $7.50 each
What exactly is the promotion for Titan?

Anything short of $200 comes straight from my wallet. But I know enough other promotions that can probably add to $200.

Thx for reading!


Comments (3)