Tournaments, SNGs, Pokerstars and how to loose at poker

Fast forward to Age 23. I've been playing poker for fun for a few years now. I love poker, its totally awesome but I still have a balanced life and I don't go mad with it. I play on Ladbrokes poker. I play 10 seater SNGs and MTTs with a $200-300 roll. I've won a few 100-200 MTTs. I win SNGs a lot and I haven't got a clue what a Bank Roll (BR) is and definately wouldn't know how to manage it effectively. The players on Ladbrokes are just a joke. They are mainly gamblers who play unorthodox (manily maniacs) and I find it very tough to play them, they get lucky and they tilt me.

Then one day I stumble across WSOP on the TV, I think it was WSOP 2005 and i'm hooked. Its the best poker show i've ever watched. I think to myself, "I have to get to this place". Then before the break up pops an advert for Pokerstars. The advert is inviting and awesome. "I'm gonna give this site a go" I think to myself.

I instantly fall in love with Pokerstars. It's amazing. People play real proper poker, the way I was taught to do in my books. They are good players but I can adjust to them and pick holes in their game. I win MTTs, qualifiers, SNGs. I'm hooked. Pokerstars has all the Tournament action I ever need. I get cocky, I get complacent. I have no concept of BR management yet and play 18 seater $33 SNGs with a $600 roll and MTTs way above the limits I should. I go broke, time after time.

The I discover www.pokerforums.org , people talking about poker. How to win. BR management (although I still don't read these posts). They talk through hands. It's great. Then I win some W$ on stars in a qualifier and I wanna sell them. I throw up a post and a guy called Wota says he'll but $375 worth for $300 on stars. Awesome I think and take him up on the offer.

Wota is a nice guy. He's a pro online player. I get talking to him about my game and poker and everything. He asks me about my roll. He asks me about my stakes. Then he laughs at me and asks if I go broke a lot. Well i'm an honest guy and I say I do. So he explains BR management to me. It makes sense, I guess. Pity I didn't start practicing it that day.

Fast forward 6 months. I now practice bank roll management. I haven't gone broke in a whole 6 months. My sharkscope stats are in the positive. Then one day I play the $10,000 guarenteed, $10+1 buy in. There are 2500 runners. I play well for the first 3 hours and build a nice stack. However I get to the bubble and i'm a low-middling stack with a big stack who's a bully to my left. I get frustrated and shove on him with QJo when i'm the SB and it folds to me after he's pounded me for 5 orbits, he flips over A9o and I hit a Q and double through. He lays off me a bit now and I start to steal, still playing tight. I 3 bet with 99 from the BB to a button raise and he shoves for 2/3 of my stack. I call and he shows A9o. My 9s hold and I draw close to the final table as a mid stack.

The final table starts 9 handed and i'm 5th in chips. One guy is a total maniac in every hand. I 3 bet him from the BB with 66 and he shoves on me. I call for 2/3 of my stack to find him with AK. I flop a 6 and its game over for Mr maniac. I proceed to take everyone out on the final table apart from 1 guy and go HU with a 2/1 chip lead. I pretty much dominate the guy and its over in about 10 hands when my J8o beats his J6 on a J high board. GG and $4500 to the winner, which was errrrrrrrrrrrr, ME!!!! :)

Some where along this path I almost managed to qualify for the WSOP 2006. But with 33 left I raised a SB limp and called a shove for half my stack with 44 and the guy had 96o. He rivered a 9 to beat me and I shoved the button 2 hands later with KJo to find the BB had woken up with AK. Cest la vie.