The first challenge was to jump through various Pokerstars hoops, at
least twice, to be even allowed to play. It too me six weeks, off and on, just
to prove I was me! Even allowing for the significant time gap, the fact that I
was using a new laptop and growing security concerns online, this was far from
ideal. I nearly lost patience and fell at the first hurdle.
So why am I back playing poker? The main reason is a practical one. My
son has moved rooms in our house and as a consequence I cannot play Fortnite on
his X-Box when he has gone to bed. I need an alternative diversion. In truth I
have been planning to return to poker for a while. The time was right, my
initial ID challenge has been completed and I am ready to play. I deposited $25
with the aim of quickly turning that into more. I was fascinated to see if,
after many years, I could still play. The answer was yes, it all quickly came
back to me and in a good way. It was like meeting an old friend. It was great
remembering to be disciplined, both patient and aggressive in the right
moments, trying to embrace the devil that is variance but most of all to enjoy
playing whilst zig-zagging your way to profit.
So what has changed on Pokerstars since I have been away? Not a lot
really, some of the sit n go games are structured differently and there are
less players overall but I can still get quick action at my chosen levels.
Significantly, there are Brazilians everywhere on Pokerstars. Poker has taken
off there in a big way and that is great news as it means new players. New
players learning the game at my chosen lower levels means only one thing –
poker profits potential. Now at the age of fifty, can I turn this new poker adventure
into ongoing profit, making a steady profit each month on my chosen games whilst
having fun? Generally I plan to play a regular game say ninety percent of the
time but also mix in a few higher level sit n gos plus a few MTTs. In April I
am challenging myself to play 100 $2 sit n gos and see what I can achieve. Then,
if successful, I will perhaps move up to the $5 level and test the difference.
I have been playing again for a few weeks now prior to my April
challenge and am enjoying the action and have made a modest $50 profit playing some
low stakes games. The only negative so far has been an upsurge in back pain as I
spend extra time now hunched over a laptop. I will report again in early May
about my progress.
Take care and be lucky
Jason (Kartajana)
