My Game, My Rules...

I have been addicted in the past, and I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to get onto that slippery slope and because of that I've made myself a set of strict rules that I intend to adhere too. Everytime I break one of these rules I'm going to donate some money to charity and stop playing for two weeks. These rules are a little bit more relaxed in terms of bankroll management than some, this is mainly because I'm just starting out and will be playing smaller, lower variance games. Plus I will mainly be playing live where there just aren't games smaller than £1/£1 available.

My overall goal is to build a bankroll of £10,000 and prove to myself that I can maintain discipline and follow my strict rules. If I adhere to the rules I've set out and prove that I am a winning player (through meticulous record keeping) then I want to turn professional by January 2011.

• Never play with more than 10% of my bankroll in a live cash game
• Never use more than 5% of my bankroll to enter a live tournament game
• If playing online, only use 5% for cash games (full ring and 6-max)
• If playing online, only use 2.5% for heads-up cash games
• If playing online, only use 2.5% for tournaments (both MTT and STT)
• If I lose two buy-ins then I must end the session
• Only play one session per day
• No session should last more than eight hours
• Do not play more than three sessions in a week
• If I lose five sessions in a row then have a one week break
• If I lose ten sessions in a row then have an additional two week break
• Never drink alcohol when playing
• Only tip up to 2.5% of the pot to the dealers while playing
• Tip up to 2.5% and up to £25 at the end of a session
• Dress for success (i.e. have “work” clothes when I plan to play live)
• Record every single session
• Note any key hands during sessions
• Maintain a poker blog to keep record of my progress and express my emotions

I'm sure there are more rules that I could add to this, and I will as time goes along. But these are my rules for the next six months as I attempt to turn my £2,000 starting bankroll into £10,000 bankroll that I think I require to play professionally on £1/£2 NLHE and PLO tables. I'm happy at that level and have no real desire to go higher at the moment, on a £1/£2 table on a good night I can make close to a month's wages.

That suits me just fine.