RIP Bridkid

I have just found out that Betfred poker regular Bridkid (Graham Barkworth) died not long before Christmas. Betfred are running a memorial tournament in his honour which prompted this sad discovery. He was one of the regulars when I started playing poker on Betfred in 2006. Whilst I never met him, I have spent six years or so regularly playing against him and exchanging banter over the virtual felt. He was a super friendly player, the type who enhances the poker experience for both newcomer and regular alike. He was also a pretty decent player too.   Very sad news indeed.

Poker Plan: Coaching & Mental Game Update

I have played nearly one thousand games since I drafted my poker plan. This is aimed at helping me improve my win rate at the Maui Jackpot sit n go tables. My historical win rate in these games is 13% and I have set myself a target of 16% which would massively improve my chances of winning a jackpot. It won't be easy but making small steps of progress in a few areas could really help. For now 14% here I come. In February I have been refocusing on my plan particularly in the area of coaching and the mental game. In effect I have combined the two by signing up for Nick Wealthalls coaching program "The Winning Poker Blueprint." It is early days but I can already see this is going to be very worthwhile. There is some very good material being delivered and some good stuff for me to work on. Suddenly I have homework again! So far I have been working on how to think more like a pro, backing my judgement and making key decisions in big pots. One major issue I still have is that I am focused more on winning than I am on playing well. Why is this bad? I still judge my poker on whether I won or lost in a session or in an evenings play. This can be massively dependent on luck. I should be focused on how well I played and be satisfied with a losing session in which my play was good but my luck was not. Keep making the correct decisions and the money will come. Yes I understand that but I want it now! Something to work on and certainly something I am thinking about a lot. I possibly should get out more. Play well or good luck ........you decide.

Beating The Rake

In the Maui Jackpot sit n go games I play the stake is $5 for entry and $1 fee (or rake). I am looking to make an average of $1 per game for me and also cover the $1 rake. This is no easy task as it is double the normal rake % (which contributes towards jackpots and consolation bonuses). You have to play well and be lucky or at the very least keep on good terms with lady luck.   In January it would seem me and lady luck have fallen out somewhat, particularly in the early part of the month. Later as our relationship improved so did my results but not enough to beat the rake. I should state though here that whilst I did not run good in January I did not play my best game either. The Sharkscope chart below shows my overall results both with and without rake. It certainly provides an interesting slant on my results. I played 275 games and lost $100 if you count the $275 fees. Without them I won $175.           When you factor in rakeback (a proportion of your rake returned as a loyalty or volume bonus) the picture is complicated further. In practice I won $175 off other players and then gave it to the nice people at Betfred/I-Poker. I also gave them an extra $100 of my own because my results were not good enough. Then, for my loyalty they gave me around $50 back. So an overall loss of around $50!   On a positive note the Maui Jackpot has rolled over to $46,500, which is well worth my time and effort. In February I will refocus on working on my poker plan to try to improve my play. I will also try to stop focusing on the short term and luck.   Play well.