NEW WEBSITE

I decided to upgrade to a better website with an actual .com, so...

My new blog, "Cain Is Abel" is now located at http://www.cainisabel.com/!

If you were not automatically redirected, please click here to be forwarded to the new site.

SNE Quest - Dec 16: Head Above Water

VPP COUNT: 956505

My head is above water in a couple different ways.

1) As of last night, I am ahead of the linear SNE pace for the first time in months! This brings the average number of points I need to earn per day down to about 2.8k, which is chump change.

I'll be continuing the hellgrind, which has consisted of a minimum of 6 hours a day for the past week. I need to do this for 1 more week, and I'll be close enough to finished that I can spend the 24th and 25th with family.

2) I am finally above the incredibly massive soul-crushing breakeven stretch I was experiencing. In $, the stretch lasted somewhere in the ballpark of 800k hands. This sounds incredibly terrible, seeing as most players wouldn't play close to 800k hands of poker in their lifetime. I may post a graph at some point, but I'm not too enthused about that. In BB, the graph is not nearly as harsh, which just means I ran really bad at higher stakes.

The year is coming to an end and I've barely had time to reflect. I'm glad I kept this blog.

SNE Quest - Dec 11: Looking Up

VPP COUNT: 940621

Since my last post, I've worked out a coaching deal with WCGRider. He is teaching me to play better and make money, since I haven't really been able to do that very well for the past couple months. His blog is at http://dougkpolk.blogspot.com/, and I have included a link on the left.

The results have initially been very good, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job of adapting to the style. Since I am playing so many more hands, and firing at so many more pots, it has been a much more intense experience playing 24 tables.

"On pace" tonight is 945345. I'm closing that gap quickly. The hellgrind has been successful so far.

Sophy is walking for her first times. She's also talking/mimicking quite a bit. Smart baby.

SNE QUEST - Dec 8: 2-Week Hell Grind

VPP COUNT: 920005

I had to take some time away from the quest at the beginning of this month to take care of some other things, so I am moving slightly slower than I would have liked.

I am going to be busting my ass for the next 2 weeks, in attempt to finish, or be close enough, to take the 24th and 25th off.

To get the remaining 80k VPPs in 14 days would require averaging about 8-9h per day. This is incredibly difficult to do for a 2 week period, and would require me to take no days off. I think my average will be closer to 7h/day, hypothetically leaving me at about 990k vpps on the 21st. This is the pace I'd like to maintain.

I call it the "Hell Grind" also because I've been painfully breakeven at 200NL lately, and it really has become a chore to put in the hours. Looking forward to not having my nose to the grindstone.

Off to the tables!

SNE QUEST - Dec 02: Slow Start

VPP COUNT: 908435

I have averaged about 4.2k points per day for the last 2 days, which is a good enough pace to finish by Christmas.

Unfortunately, I stopped running well in DoNs, and have been only making a little at FRNL.

I'll be trying to put in some late night sessions, as there are supposed to be more vpps/hr, and more fish. Tonights' session was a terrible nightmare of 2 outers and under-boats, and I ended the day even.

I think I'll be able to keep up this pace fairly comfortably...but would really like to run better for the last month of the year.

SNE QUEST - Nov 30: The Final Stretch

VPP COUNT: 900005

The results in November were MUCH better than October. Oddly enough, I put in more hours in November, but earned slightly less points. This is mostly due to experimenting with different games.

Assuming I complete the last 100K VPPs while breaking even at the tables, I will reach my earnings goal for the year. I could even lose some in December and reach my goal. Despite how frustrating poker can be sometimes, completing this quest has really REALLY boosted my bankroll.

So now there is just 1 more month to go. In the last 2 months I have earned about 108k and 104k VPPs. In December I just need 99995. This thing is in the bag.

I am still undecided as far as next years' plans. It is not TOO incredibly difficult to maintain SNE pace, especially if there aren't any holidays or trips to worry about. I am still very interested in building a nice MTT resume, and the DoNs that I've been crushing are also a nice option. I am very glad to have as many choices as I do, since this past year has pretty much been decided upon, leaving me very restricted.

Hopefully, I'll have a huge energy rush during the first few weeks of December, and finish this thing off before Christmas. I also may just get myself to 999999 vpps, and host a new years party or something where I get that final point... We'll see :)

SNE Quest - Nov 24: Bouncing around

VPP COUNT: 877061

Well, i've been exploring my other options in DoNs and ShortStacking for the past few days. It has been interesting, and fairly difficult to transition to multitabling in each of these styles.

DoNs might actually end up being the most profitable of the 3 for me, but I only make about 400-500 VPPs/hr depending on how many are running.
FRNL is probably my second best option as far as table winnings, and brings me about 600-650 VPPs/hr.
Shortstacking is my last resort, with the lowest expected return, but about 900-950 VPPs/hr.

It really has been discouraging seeing the diminishing returns as the year has gone on. It makes me not want to do SNE next year, because to get the amount of VPPs/hr needed, you need to play either very high stakes, or mass table. All of the mass tabling options are being exhausted by other players, because of how easy it is to make a high $/hr income with a simple strategy. So all of these games will be extremely overrun by competent players, and it will only be worse in 2009.

My game will need to evolve again in 2009 if I want to advance. While SNE is an amazing 110k over the year (and about 135k if I were to repeat in 09) it really hinders my ability to experiment, play less tables, and increase my win rate.

Next year, that is what i'll be focusing on. If it doesnt work out so well, I can always take another shot at SNE, because I know I could do it again. I'll know by February if it is worth it to me.

I expect to be over 900k points by the end of November. I'd love to finish before christmas.

SNE Quest - Nov 13: A short detour, and other options!

VPP COUNT: 834371

I moved down to 100NL for a short period of time, just because of how awful the table selection always was at 200NL. Though I ran a bit better at 100NL, it just did not give as many vpps/hand as I need to be able to finish this thing. Back to 200NL it is for me.

I was extremely happy with my play today, and hope I can keep it up. My spirits are still fairly high even though I run so bad.

I've also discovered these "Double or Nothing" tournaments, which are barely even poker. They're a pretty good way for me to boost the number of VPPs I bring in, and can be done much more casually than FRNL. Essentially, they're just elaborate coin flips (with an edge of course), but they bring in some OK vpps.

This will also be a nice backup option if FRNL just gets too unbearably tight. The 52$ buyin DoNs arent high enough, but the 104$ ones could turn into a pretty significant VPP rate. Not sure if it's a good idea yet, but it is nice to have a backup plan....besides shortstacking that is.

I'll be getting in a whole bunch of hours today, and hopefully tomorrow as well, because I'll be gone most of Saturday.

Closer and closer every day...

SNE Quest - Nov 5: Slow and steady

VPP COUNT: 812784

I'm feeling fairly overwhelmed this week, but still steadily getting in those sessions.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a few other days that have already been taken off, i've got probably 50 working days ahead of me. Not much time to relax.

Less than 2 months to go and its over!!

I am really wanting to devote more time to MTTs and other games after this all is over. I think MTTs are much softer, and will stay much softer than FRNL. I'll probably need to mix FRNL games into my schedule, but more MTTs will be good to mix things up.

SNE Quest - 800k MILESTONE

VPP COUNT: 800025

Just a short update while I get started on a session.

I've gone back to playing only 200NL tables, as the table selection and swings at the higher stakes have been terrible for me.

Also, I'm beginning to work on my videos for Cardrunners.com, where I'll be contributing in the near future! I'll be doing a series on multitabling. I'm very excited! This was the "big news" I mentioned in an earlier post.

Haven't had time to do the Galapagos TR yet, my plate is pretty full. It is on the way though!

Back to the grind!

SNE Quest - Oct 29: October blows

VPP COUNT: 783892

Just a short update as I am starting a session.

I have been breaking even for most of October. It really has been rough. I've still been getting in the time though, and as of yesterday have broken 100k vpps earned this month. So even with my awful run at the tables, I'm up significantly in bonuses.

So hopefully I can finish these last few days strong, but either way I'll just keep grinding out those points.

Ecuador & Galapagos Part I

The trip to Ecuador went very smoothly. Mary and I have recently discovered the secret to being comfortable while traveling. Beer. Going through an airport sucks. Waiting in an airport sucks. Being on a plane pretty much sucks. Beer makes all of these things much more awesome. We tried some "Sweet Water 420" while we were waiting in the Atlanta airport for about five hours. It made the time fly by.

(I like this picture because you can see Mary and I in the reflections)

Ecuador was a culture shock. We had a honeymoon suite at the Cafe Cultura in Quito. It was a very nice room, but not by American standards at all. The water was very unreliable, and during certain times of the day you could not get running water. Heating was also a bit of an issue, but it was the colder season. Very few people spoke English, so we were forced to learn and try Spanish - and I think we did a pretty damn good job of it.

What Cafe Cultura lacked in American amenities, they made up for in quality. Their service was amazing, and the food was even better. Every morning we had fresh squeezed blackberry juice, coffee with hand whipped sweet cream, water with mint/lemon, and that was just the beverages. Despite the amazing food, the altitude must have been doing something to mess with our stomachs, because we could barely finish our meals.

The markets were somewhat disappointing. It was pretty much the same 5 or 6 stores over and over, and 90% of the things you saw for sale were extremely mass-produced. This may be because we visited during the down season. We did find a few gems, and were able to find gifts for most of our relatives.



On our 3rd day, which was a Sunday, we visited "Old Town" in Quito. Ecuador is a very Catholic nation, and their mass was in progress while we were visiting. There were quite a few bands playing, and people in the street, so we definitely picked the right day to visit. The markets there were...more of the same. We did get to eat in a nice little place in the center square, where we had some Pilsener. (Ecuador's beer brand)

After staying 3 nights at Cafe Cultura, and basically being forced to immerse ourselves, our trip got easier. We met our guide, Roberto, who took us through Ecuador for 2 days before we left for Galapagos. We stayed at the JW Marriott the night before.

The Marriott was awesome. They upgraded us to a honeymoon suite, which included access to the executive lounge. The executive lounge meant free food, and 1 free drink! Very awesome. We also got to see a little Ecuadorian TV. Like most TV...nothin' special.

Our first day with Roberto was a long drive towards Otavalo, the "Largest indigenous street market in the world!!". One of our stops was Cayambe, a small town that is known for their "biscochos". The biscochos are basically buttery biscuits that you generally eat with cheese. Mary and I each had some, and were incredibly sleepy during the remainder of the car ride.


At one point, Roberto had mentioned that eucalyptus is used in the biscochos. I knew that eucalyptus had a narcotic effect, so I asked if that effect stayed in the biscochos. Apparently in that town, they also have saunas where eucalyptus is used as well, and it is supposed to "enhance your relaxation". I'm pretty sure we had an experience with a true opiate of the masses!

We stayed in Hacienda Pinsaqui, outside of Otavalo. It was a lavish, hidden Hacienda, which was almost empty because it was the off-season. As soon as we arrived, a band started playing just for us, people came and took our bags, etc. We are not used to that kind of treatment, so it was just a little awkward. The room was a bit more modern than Cafe Cultura, and had a sweet wood-burning fireplace. That night, the band played for the handful of guests at the bar. They served us tea, and some sweet liquor that I've never had before. It was a good stay.



Otavalo market was pretty disappointing. Sure, it was the off-season, but they were selling all of the same mass-produced stuff that the other markets were. Almost nothing was unique to Otavalo at all. Oh well.

After Otavalo, we started our trip back to Quito. We stopped in the national park, and walked down a little hiking trail next to "Guinea Pig Lake". Apparently they eat guinea pigs in Ecuador. The scenery was beautiful - a lake at the base of a volcano. We made use of Mary's new camera and the panoramic setting.



The drive to and from Otavalo was also noteworthy. Their roads are filled with 1) Diesel trucks that cant go more than 15mph, 2) Small cars trying their best to weave between traffic on 1-lane streets, and 3) INSANE buses that would literally run other cars off the road. Also, cows are just wandering along the sides of streets. They obviously are owned by somebody, but they just chill on the side of the highway.

We stayed in the Marriott again that night in Quito. No suite upgrade that night. We just swam in the pool and relaxed before tomorrow mornings' trip to the Galapagos...

Stay tuned for tales of dragons, pirates, and Ecuadorian moonshine. Part II and the Galapagos TR are coming soon!

SNE Quest - Oct 23: Breaking ANOTHER downswing

VPP COUNT: 764185

After another pretty significant downswing which left my October earnings pretty scarce, I'm finally bouncing back into a solid profit. I'm putting in 6 and 7 hour days repeatedly, and still pretty damn motivated. As of last night, I was within 44k points of being "on pace" and closing the gap quickly.

The 800k milestone will be a great confidence boost, and I'd like to hit it before Oct 31st. This would leave me with 2 months and 200k VPPs to go - a very attainable pace, even with the Christmas season.

Also...big news is coming...
Big BIG news
I'll give an update on this as soon as I can :)

SNE QUEST - Oct 9: Focused and Moving Forward

VPP COUNT: 719428

I've been focusing much more than usual, taking a ton of notes, and really working on advancing my game as opposed to just putting in the time. I am 100% sure I am playing better, and taking down more of those uncontested pots than I was previously.

I have also been putting in a solid 5+ hours per day since Oct 1, so I'm well on my way to being in good VPP shape.

The next blog entry was supposed to be a Galapagos/Ecuador trip report, but I literally have not had the ~2-3 hours necessary to throw it together. Once I have regained some more ground, I'll be more comfortable about skipping/postponing a daily session to do side projects like this. Luckily, I woke up at 1am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I had plenty of time to put this one up.

Back to the grind :)

PokerStars Concierge is Awesome

Before I leave, I'd like to give a public "Thank You" to William and Scotty from PokerStars.

The Stars Concierge has taken care of this entire wedding for me, and every single step has gone smoothly on their end. William and Scotty have made the SNE challenge much more enjoyable - it really is a VIP service.

Thanks again!

Married!

VPP COUNT: 679833

There has been a big lack of updates lately...mostly because I have been busy getting married. I've also been using every hour of free time to get back into reasonable condition to achieve SNE. The blog hasn't exactly been a priority :)

After today, I should be around 682-685k VPPs, and will be returning from the honeymoon on October 1st. This means I'll have to average a bit more than 100k points per month. It won't be easy, but I'm extremely confident.

As of 9/12/08, I am a married man!

We will be leaving tomorrow (Friday) morning for our honeymoon in Ecuador, and the Galapagos. We are both extremely excited

Yes, that is a pineapple-upside-down-wedding-cake in the picture above. We are that awesome.

I don't have time to write much more... ~6h of play and lots of packing/preparation before I can sleep tonight.

I'll be back in October to rock the tables on my way to SNE!

Another Funk, Another Recovery

VPP COUNT: 576968

I basically burned myself out in the beginning of July with the 2xVPP promotion. After that, pretty much every (rare) session I played was a minor loss, and it became harder and harder to sit down and work. By the time July was over, I was about 20k points BEHIND pace, after having built a 30k cushion after the 2x promotion. Pretty bad.

August became yet another "do or die" month, as September will be mostly devoted to the wedding and honeymoon. I've gotten back in gear once again, and the last 3 days have been very solid. I'm still trying to stick more to the 400+ tables, but the game quality is still rough.

Our trip to the Galapagos is booked and paid for by Stars Concierge :) The wedding is a bit more than 1 month away. Not enough time in the days.

SNE QUEST - July 15: Sporadic Sessions

VPP COUNT: 550815

I've only put in a few sessions this week. They have been damn successful, but I haven't put in enough time. Mary's classes are ending tomorrow, so that will free up my Wed-Thurs work days.

The wedding is less than 2 months away, and I need to have quite a bit of cushion before then. I currently have a 10k point lead, and should probably have about 40-50k lead by the 10th of Sept. That gives me a max of 56 days to do it, requiring an average of 5 hours per day. That should not be difficult at all. If I can get in another big couple of months, I'll be at 750k+ points and 3 full months to finish.


Sophy is almost 8 months old... I guess time seems to fly by so much because our days are just jammed full of things to do.

Life will calm down much more after Friday.

SNE QUEST - July 13: That break went a bit long...

VPP COUNT: 544824

So I took a total of 5 days off, from Mon-Fri. My breaks always tend to go longer than I plan, but at least I still have a significant cushion on SNE pace.

Table winnings have been pretty boring and small this month, but July is looking to be my biggest bonus month.

Sophy has figured out crawling, and has been crawling to, and propping herself up against pretty much anything she can get near. The more she can move on her own, the more difficult taking care of her is going to get. She also figured out how to chuck her toys out of her crib...oh boy.

The wedding is less than 2 months away!

SNE Quest - July 8: Taking a little break

VPP COUNT: 538016
Just a short update today.

I took Monday off, and will be taking today off as well. The first week of July was way too freaking stressful, and the break has been amazing.

I earned a total of 51,523VPPs for the 6 day 2X event. Not bad at all. I went from 10k points behind pace to 25k points ahead. It was a very significant boost.

I'll be back at the tables tomorrow, possibly this evening.