Few Updates

I FINALLY CROSSED THE 1k mark! Technically I did it a little while ago because I forgot $180 for coaching and $100 for table ninja. So I FINALLY HIT THE $1280 mark! WOOHOO! Took forever. Some people did it in the first 2-4weeks within the program and well then there is me who took 3 months, ha. Also for the first time playing on Stars I have achieved silver star status for this month. I am quite pleased with how the $3 45mans have been treating me and hopefully things will continue to allow me to move on up to the $6s shortly. Just really happy that every month has been in the positives and hopefully soon I will be able to go from part time to full time and live off these earnings. Below is how this year has broken down by profits and level of play:

Started 2010 with a $13 bankroll

Profit (ITM) Level of 45mans
Jan - $20 (37/122) $.25
Feb - $42 (45/163) $.25
Mar - $77 (133/594) $.25
Apr - $74 (156/781) $.25
May - $227 (225/1116) $.25 (Rainman Training Began)
Jun - $138 (166/776) $1.10
Jul - $493 (162/781) $3.25 (Month not over so hopefully this is higher)



Almost forgot to say Nick took 106th in the WSOP ME 2010, GG Sir for a score of $57k for a few days of hard work.

Rainey for the WIN

ARE you serious!?? This crazy random talented poker/life coach who tears up online poker and hates pipe dreams entered into the WSOP 2010..HA..This Tourney started with 7319 and just finished DAY 3 with 1205 remaining..I don't think Nick realizes how well hes been doing. He is currently in 33rd place as of this posting but that's not the shocker. Nick has been in the top ten for most of the day with a close call for tournament chip leader! Yes, this goes to show that poker is a game of skill and Nick has the ability to exploit the people who rely on luck. =) Well done sir. Keep up the good work. To keep track I have been following along with pokerlistings

JUNE (Delayd)

WOW, it has been a while since I have typed here and I apologize. I have lots to say because quite a lot has happened this past month. Where do I start? June started off rough.

After my first 500 sngs I was dead even. I was probably up 10 cents, woohoo! What a discouragement that was and I needed a break from the $1 45mans. So I started to dabble in the KO 9mans. These were great! So easy. Loaded ten $1.40 KOs up and won 4 of them, took 3 seconds, and 1 third only busting with a bad beat in one and coolered in another. What’s great about these is the KO part. Why would anyone even sign up for a regular 9man costing $1.20 when you can sign up for a $1.40 KO and win bounties of 25cents. It’s already cheaper stake wise because you should always go in or enter tournament with the mentality of a win. If you take down the tournament you win your own bounty and the guy who went out second. That’s $.50 right there. $1.40-.50= .90 < $1.20. No one should ever play regular 9mans if KO is an option. My record was getting 7 bounties with an average of 3 per tourney. So these are definitely profitable. After I played maybe 100 of these I got an email at the end of the week with Pokerstars telling me that I was a leader in Mercury division and they credited me some monies. I’m not gonna lie, it was definitely a good feeling and I was surprised because I didn’t even know they did this for low stakes. Hopefully I can have a repeat performance soon.

With new found confidence I loaded my regular $1 45mans again but this time variance was on my side and I was tearing it up. So much so that I was able to move up to the $3 45mans a little earlier than I thought. Still not balla status like all Rainman staff but I am steadily moving on up and with patience I will get there. No real moments of tilt this past month except for when the microwave was in use at the house. For some reason it felt like someone in the house was using the microwave every 15mins when I was deep in mtts or had 10 sngs running. Who knew high powered microwaves blocked wireless router signals? I had to look it up to make sure I wasn’t going crazy that I lost internet when I heard the microwave on. There are tons of articles related to kitchen microwaves blocking router frequencies. I timed out so many times or had to run across the house closer to the router so that I wouldn’t disconnect. Definitely not a fun experience being at 3 final tables and timing out before realizing the microwave is in use. HA. Sucks. Funny now, but not at the moment.

I also watched great documentaries on some successful poker players after listening to one of the radio links from the guys at www.pokerstatic.com Anyone who likes poker or even has heard of poker would be interested in viewing them at http://robustothemovie.com/

I have more to add but I think this has been enough info for now. I’ll post in the next couple days with more. Good skill guys.

Good Bye May (Month 1/3)

So much has happened since I last wrote. I have been learning so much while playing and reviewing HHs. Having today off has been great. Hope everyone enjoyed their cookouts and memorial weekend. I must say not having to come home from work to take nap to start the grind was definitely a plus. I could just wake up and boom start getting ready for a session. This month has definitely been a learning experience. Grinding is tough but I am really starting to enjoy it and can easily see myself doing this for a living once I am at the right stakes. It’s easy to start enjoying something when you are getting exponentially better. I ended up going above and beyond my goal of 750-900 games. I hit 1100+ not bad for my first month of putting in that much time and still managing to make a small profit. Most of my games were at the 25 cent level but towards the end of the month it was strictly $1s. Hopefully by the end of June I will have a sufficient bankroll to be moving on up the $3 45mans. I managed to make around $230ish which is extremely weak but I am still proud because at the 25 cent level a first place pays a measly $3.52.

Learned how to comfortably use table ninja to help me 12-18table. Poker Tracker I am still not completely confident with it but I still learning how to use it. I also have a lot more I want to say but I am having a rough time formulating my thoughts into words. The only thing that’s been really giving me a rough time is my mental side. Handling bad beats and suck outs is no longer a problem; for that I created a bad beat folder and I just throw the text history in there and just smile and move on. It’s odd but it works for me, I don’t even think about it after it has been copied and pasted. The problem is I want this to work so badly and I am afraid of failure. I know that if you‘re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough and that inactivity always guarantees failure which is why Nick wants us to put in volume. I have no problem with putting in the time and incorporating what is being taught in this program it’s just what if I don’t get the results that are expected? I know I am just psyching myself out and I need to get over this crap but it bothers me. Maybe I will write about it later to get it out of my system. Till next time, Good skill.

I have been told that OPR isn’t accurate because they round numbers but for my purposes they are almost spot on with the difference of a dollar or two. So here it is.



Don't know much about Top Shark but seeing this made me smile.

Set up

Not too long ago Rainman himself was showing us pretty extraordinary setups. For example: Dual monitors , stand up/sit down desk, aeron chairs that kept posture and feel as if you’re on a cloud, game pads/mice for hot keying during multi tabling, gunnar rocket glasses to protect from headaches from long sessions, etc. All these things can add up to quite a sum, however it’s worth the investment on yourself because it will allow you to go longer without burn out. I am quite impressed that Nick takes proactive measures for his health when it comes to poker and also takes time to educate his students on the subject. Being in the PT field it is a shame to see how badly people mess themselves up for something as stupid as wearing a wallet in their back pocket.

I wanted to post my set up so when I look back in a couple years I can laugh about where I had to start from. The only quiet place in my house is my bed room with my headphones on so my set up is a bedroom end table as pictured below. HA, got to start somewhere. So sad =/. On a lighter note I finally crossed the $300 mark and Nick said to now incorporate the $2 180s so I will be testing the waters today. Good luck and most importantly good skill.

Roller Coaster!

First couple days of really trying to succeed within this program I immediately go up 70 buy-ins at the 1.10 level. I thought great! At this rate I will be moving on up soon. HA..Then this wonderful thing called variance poked her ugly little head out. So many 80/20s and 70/30s were losing and I was slipping downward over the next 4-6 days. So much so that even after taking a couple tourneys down I was still slipping. Finally got to almost break even and was completely discouraged. What a wonderful roller coaster of emotions and bank roll. So I decided to move down to the lowest limits Poker Stars has and build my confidence back up. Over the last 3 days I was able to take $5 to $50 playing these limits. Ha, now that I’m 200 buy-ins up at this level I think I have gained my confidence again to try and put my foot back in the $1s. Hopefully I wont have to visit the grinders at the $.25 45mans again anytime soon but it definitely allowed me to become comfortable multi-tabling and shrugging off bad beats. I almost have my emotions completely in gear now. No more tilting for this guy while using bank roll discipline.

Volume is crazy, I have never played this many games in a week and a half. Approx. 560ish. I will definitely get my goal of 700 I had sent Nick , HA. I forgot to add that during my grind at the 25 cent level I asked Nick for his table image so that I could change mine and maybe my raises would start getting some respect. I inverted the colors and it looks great! Only problem is I couldn’t shrink it to have it all fit in the circle provided by PS and I don’t know how to manipulate pics. Other than that I am quite pleased with it. I don’t want to believe in superstition but I have definitely been destroying the games since I changed it.

Congrats to Nick on taking down a Step 6 and gaining a seat into WSOP in Vegas through steps. Amazing how you can turn a $7.50 Step 1 to a $10k seat in one of the biggest games in the world. I will hopefully be able to do that next year. Good Skill to all.

New table image.

Trimming the Fat

Nick has mentioned on numerous occasions whether on mental Mondays or mixed Saturdays that we should all get in the habit of routine. Starting this Monday I plan on starting mine. From the moment I wake, I will brush teeth, snack on something, and start the workout plan called Insanity. This will ensure that I don’t become a bigger fatty than I already am and will help keep my mind focused on playing poker when its time. I will have to make rules such as no poker until I work out and if you know me you know I enjoy poker (even though I still suck) and hate working out (even though people think I already do) so this will definitely be quite interesting. I probably will post before pics just so I am held accountable. I will also be trimming the fat on the poker tables’ as well. I told Nick I wanted to be one of the best turbo 45men out there so in order to do that I will cut out the random 9mans, mtts, and anything I used to just happen to sign up for and strictly stick to welllll the 45mans.

Today was a great 4 hour review. As always learned a ton and left feeling satisfied with the lesson as I do during the week with Daniel and Aarons lesson. Now if they can teach me how to run better and win my flips. More exciting news is the new rainman website will be up and running soon and Nick said whoever attended the lesson today would get a piece of his action in steps. WOW to that one because he won 7 step ones at the end of the lesson today. GOOD SKILL NICK.



OH, Happy Mothers Day!

Day 3

Final Table 3 handed.

Felt powerful after this.

7 Hands later

Today's session was brutal. I have never taken so many bad beats in my life. I got my AA all in pre versus two guys and both flip over KQs and my As get dominated to QQJ flop. I know bad beats are expected but I am taking the worse beats at final tables. Two examples QQ < 1010 between chip leader and me (2nd in chips) or at another Final table I am overwhelming chip leader..3:1 closest stack with 4 left. Button pushes on me with A3o, I call with A10s in BB. Both of us flop A, he rivers 3..Okay, I can handle that..I am chopped down and barely chip leader but I can run this table..next hand I pick up AA new button pushes 106o with me of course calling..ha..he flops two pair..fantastic..I'm eliminated a couple hands after in 3rd and I wasn't even tilting.

I was amazed by what I saw. More than half of the tourneys I got it in with a 70/30 favorite and lost =/ even my 80/20s weren't holding. Extremely odd that I would lose in 7 rooms at the exact same time when I was favored to win in all of them...HA..oh but you better believe my 33 > KJ and A10 when it didn't matter..geez. I'm still in the positives so I am still smiling and looking forward to variance being on my side so I can kill this level and move on up. I did have a couple tough spots today that I will definitely send to the coaches because I really had no idea what to do.

Definitely got a lot more volume in that i am used to (Thanks to 12 tabling). Watched Daleroxxu's multitabling vid and with table ninja had it signing me up as tables closed so that was new and fun. Look forward to learning how all these programs work together. Still don't understand how to use poker tracker. Importing files? ha..clueless. However I doubt it will matter at the $1 level since people call and push crazy loose anyways. I'm so glad that at these levels AX is always the nuts to them, ha..Its still surprising to me that A2-J is a 60-40 to KQ when I see KQ taking down a lot more hands. Odd how weak aces rarely hold when the odds say they should. I can only imagine what Nick feels with the volume he puts in and if he gets this many beats wow. I read Poppy Diegos post on bad beat stories today and it was definitely motivating to keep pushing on whether its live or online because bad beats are going to happen and a few payoffs more than cover the losses. Key is not to throw stuff or cry like in his post and I think will be okay.

You better believe I am going to keep trekking on like this girl on the treadmill.

http://www.funny-videos.co.uk/videoBarbyGirlOnTreadmill.html

First Session

Was so motivated and excited to finally play that I couldn't sleep. Woke up around 3am eastern..read poker, thought poker, ate, did some push ups and decided to load up some games. I currently have the ability to 8-10 table comfortably soon to 50 table like boku, (ha, yeah right) so for two and half hours before I had to start getting ready for work I played without any distractions and played better than I usually do. Only got in 18 games but I felt super comfortable and in the zone. A great start to the program. Definitely didn't want to go to work, don't get me wrong I enjoy my job however nothing compares to the feeling of stacking, floating, check raising,min raise bluffing, etc. This first session, I tried something new, I played as if I didn't need the money or care about it, just wanted to make the best decisions without clicking my cashier after every game. I also told myself I was going to play for 2 hours and keep a min of 8 tables running at all times. Session started off with me picking up first hand with AA in late position. Perfect! Early pos limp, next guy raised, mid pos re raised, and I re raised all in because we are at the $1 levels, ha..Two callers. 88 and Q7o..Flop brought a beautiful 8..eww.I was gone first hand with AA, ha..roughly 71% vs 17/11%. I just smiled and loaded up more. It was weird knowing I got it in with great odds and not feeling anything except happiness because I played it to receive max value at these levels and just so happened to not go my way. Oh well, with continued good play I would still come out a winner. I know I didn't play that many games but here are my results so far for my first day of RainMay.



Day two I will bring a ton more volume.

Great first webinar by Rainman! Reviewed HHs, to some live play, to almost kicking a student out of program already, and can't forget bribing the neighbors to stop banging. Ha, we definitely had quite the experience within the 3 hour webinar. I'm even more excited than before because it has really begun. He broke down the program to us and also asked us to send him screen names, real names, goals, bankroll, etc. This is pretty much what I am working towards. However, as I get better they may change.

Goal:

Short term - Roi 50%+ at $1-$6 45mans (Turbos) over large sample size, and learn to become emotionless
Mid term - 50k+ a year (eventually want to reach the point that I grind $27 45mans)
Long term - Run like Rainman Staff



Here's the starting point, guess we will see what this month will bring.

IT HAS BEGUN

Finally N.Rainey has done away with the wait list and let a limited amount of people sign up for his coaching in this wonderful psychological skill game called poker. When I received his email on the 21st of April for pre-registration I without hesitation sent money his way to lock a position. I'm extremely excited and hope I can reach the same level of success as his previous students, many of whom are now his side kick coaches. Coaching begins May 1st, and until that day Nick and his fellow staff are allowing the students to sit in on their fun intriguing reviews. Look forward to keeping whoever cares updated with this blog.

Seeing how this is the first blog entry I will tell you a little bit about myself. Name is Christian, born in Puerto Rico, 25 years of age, currently a massage therapist/physical therapist tech during the week and bartender on weekends. Definitely willing to put life on hold to make poker work. Hoping it will provide an avenue towards freedom but I have lots to learn until then. Take care and hope you're having a good day.

Christian