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Poker Goals 2008

Comments (14)
by , Dec 18, 2007 | 6:49 pm

Tom and Karridy and I have been talking a lot lately about our various goals for next year — poker, podcasting, and otherwise. Apparently Tom thinks he knows a thing or two about setting and achieving said goals … man, how long do you think he’s gonna try to ride this 2007 WSOP Player of the Year-makes-me-smart thing? Anyhow, below is an email I sent to my partners in crime — including Karridy was really just a courtesy — and I figure, hey, I’ve got nothing to hide … so I might as well share them with you folks as well, and perhaps you’ll have some insight that can help me accomplish what I set out to do … whatever that may be.

(Already am thinking of adding “Make one ‘major’ final table” and/or “develop a strength in NL 2-7 lowball single-draw.”)


From: Dan Michalski
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 5:29 PM
To: ‘Tom Schneider’; ‘Karridy Askenasy’
Subject: poker goals (on the table)

Care to help me? So far I’ve got two:

• Keep perfect bankroll records (came close to it in 2007, but messed up a bit here and there)
• Finish the year +$12k for all gambling.

I think I was down about $2k for 2007. my big problem is playing too many hands and getting myself into trouble. And not stopping soon enough, when I get that leaving feeling. And because I do know how to effectively wield, for example, the 4-6s, I get in a little phase where I start doing it non-stop … regardless of position or game situation, as opposed to once in a while. 7-8o in late position? Looks good! J-9s in the big blind? Sure, I can call a button raise! A-7o in middle position? Sure, I can call a raise there, too, because he obviously has kings or queens, and if I flop either trips or an ace, I will be golden!

Online my weakness is playing when I know I shouldn’t be … tired-wise and all.

My strengths are getting people to put all their money in when I have the nuts … though I often bet people out of the pot when I flop a set or straight.


Tags:
  • http://taopoker.blogspot.com Pauly

    Dan is only down $2K?? Come on Danny Boy… what’s the real number?

  • http://hungerfan.blogspot.com Ed

    I guess only being up $1,100 for the year is better than being down $2k. I don’t feel so bad now. Thanks for picking my spirits up a bit before the holiday, Dan!

    BTW, my XLS spreadsheet is not perfect but it does help me keep my bankroll in check. If you have Excel and want to try using it next year let me know and I will clean it up and have it ready to go for you.

  • Anon

    Do you include the proceeds from your garage sale in your bankroll calculations? Including the chairs of questionable ownership? Are the chairs a +$20 or a -$380?

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    ***Dan is only down $2K?? Come on Danny Boy… what’s the real number?***

    Pauly, while it’s possible I may have left out a zero here or there, you have to remember that some of us didn’t make any money during the WSOP and had to rely on our on-the-table action to pay our bills/prop bets.

  • http://www.BeyondTheTable.com Karridy

    Yes, good idea. Don’t ask me about poker.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    Honestly, I shoulda included Goldfarb. Next year, maybe.

  • 85nutz

    Those are pretty good goals to have Dan, I think keeping perfect records should be a goal of anybody serious about poker. Also +12k is a good goal, averaging 1k a month is reasonable, I also think you should plan ahead as to what major tournaments you want to play in and budget your bankroll accordingly.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    I agree on the tournaments, John … but how to get there is another story. I gotta think I have to find a low- to medium-buy-in event that I can regularly cash in first … no? Like maybe a $200 Venetian deep-ish stack event to play regularly? Or a $100, 100-player Aladdin tourney? I’m not really clear on the plan here. But I do know my 2007 tourney performances were very weak, and I would prefer not to replicate that in 2008.

    I did, however, win the very last one I played (about a week ago) … an 11-player $6 (w/ rebuys) single-table at an Audie Murphy-inspired restaurant in Addison (not to be confused with the Audie Murphy VFW). It was good to remember what taking down top prize felt like, even if it was against some very weak competition.

    Note: Cool structure, btw … a $5+1 buy-in, with the $1 going to a separate prize pool, where you won a dollar for each person you knocked out. That made me a bonus five bucks! But obviously I need to do better than that if I plan to make $12k.

  • http://pokerati.com/?author=104 Robert Goldfarb

    Keeping perfect records is an integral of being a winning and/or professional player. If you aren’t keeping records, you aren’t a winning player. (NOTE: Keeping records in and of itself will not make you a winning player) Accurate records remind you that it’s all about the long run, and help you make the best decisions in regard to game selection along the way.

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    All good, but why is no one telling me to fold J9s in the big blind?

  • Deuces Wild Poker

    [spam deleted from deuces-wild-poker.wetpaint.com via casinosgoingmobile@gmail.com ]

  • http://www.pokerstage.blogspot.com Falstaff

    Really?

    How am I more stuck in 2007 than Michalski?

    There’s my 2008 goal right there – be less stuck than Michalski in 2008.

    Side bet, Dan?

  • http://pokerati.com/about-us/#danm DanM

    Ooh, I’m up for it Falstaff … and that will require some perfect record-keeping on both our ends.

  • http://www.michelelewis.com Michele Lewis

    At this point, my goal is just to play frickin’ poker. I won’t even confess how long it’s been.