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.

Twitter...

I have created a Twitter account. Feel free to follow my microblogs on there where I will update whenever I publish a new blog post on this main site as well as give various musing when I feel like it.

You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/potamophobia 

Introduction...

This is therapy!

I am a poker addict. I started playing poker in sixth form at a friend's house during lunch breaks and free periods. We didn't know what to do, we knew the rough rules but that was it. So in an effort to improve our lunch time sessions I decided to learn the game, I started by playing online on Everest Poker. Depositing $10 here, $20 there, $200 when I could afford it.

I would lose consistently.

Eventually a colleague introduced me to a local poker club where I befriended the fellow degenerates and I honed my abilities. I finally became profitable, and as I become a better player I became more addicted. While my skills at the table improved my money management didn't. Soon I was given a job at the poker club and that is where things turned bad.

I started to neglect my friends and family, and was concentrating more and more on poker. Eventually things took a turn for the worst and I ended up getting into a fight which resulted in me losing my job. I won't go into what the fight was about, but I will say that I blame poker for what happened.

That was well over a year ago now and since then I have moved into a nice flat with my girlfriend, sorted out my money situation, sorted out my life and found a new sense of direction. However, the love, the passion, the addiction is still there. Recently, I've decided to give poker another go, I know how low I sunk, I know how bad it can get, and I'm hoping I've learnt from my mistakes.

Because I can't afford to go there again!

Playing poker for a living is the dream. This is my chance to live that dream, but I know I am still addicted so I need to manage that addiction. This blog will be my therapy when things get rough and help me maintain my discipline and if it doesn't, then every car crash moment as my life falls to pieces will all be blogged here for your amusement.

So why "Confessions of a Potamophobic Gambler"?

Potamophobia is the fear of rivers and running water, the final card dealt on the board during Texas Hold'em also holds the nickname "the river" and the hand isn't over until the river is out. Sometimes the river can make your hand, sometimes it can break it, but every single hand dealt there is always one thing in common... You fear the river!