January Review

I managed to get much more volume in to start the year than I expected. I’d still like to play a bit more if I can, but I’m on track to put in decent volume if I can carry on like this.

The games on PokerStars have been great, and there is still plenty of action at the stakes I play. In the current online climate I’m really grateful for such a solid site, and one that we can trust.

As for the training: so far, so good.

I have watched quite a few videos so far, and I have found them more useful than I thought. Setting smaller goals means I’m not trying to plough through something to get it done. I’m taking my time and making sure I’m in the right mood before I get started.

Hand reviews haven’t been quite so good. I did review a handful of tournament hand histories, but I need to get cracking and go though a more meaningful amount of data.

The math review has been a bit hot and miss. I have done a couple of short sessions with the good old ICM calculator, but each time I have been distracted by the lure of playing instead. I need to exercise more discipline and ensure I’m in the right mindset to learn, as I have done with the training videos.

I have also joined a discussion group, which really helps me concentrate. It’s quite late in the day for me, which means that it’s at a time I can’t actually play. That’s good, because I can focus on learning rather than playing.

2012: I'm ready for you

I didn’t get the chance to play as much as I would have liked in 2011, but towards the end of the year I started to get back into it, and really enjoyed playing again.

This year the focus for me will be on learning. I have played hundreds of thousands of hands but certainly haven’t done as much studying as I should have. So this year, I’m going to make a real effort, and here’s how:

Training Sites

I still have my DC subscription, so I’ll be making full use of that. I’m not a fan of setting huge targets, rather breaking them down and making them more achievable. So I think watching, reviewing and taking notes on at least two videos a week is a good place to start. While I don’t think they are the best way to learn for me personally, they give a great insight into other peoples approaches to the game. It’s rare I watch a video without learning at least something.

I’ll also look into some of the other sites to see if I’m missing out elsewhere. Sometimes a change is good and can re-ignite your interest.

Math

I have gotten very sloppy with my math, using rough figures to make decisions that can often be wrong. I need a quick brush up on the basics and a solid run though a bunch of hands from an ICM perspective. I’m playing a lot more MTT SNG’s so solid ICM is essential. Let’s say I’ll run 100 hands through in the next 4 weeks…

Hand Reviews

I also need to spend a decent amount of time reviewing hands and critiquing my own play. I don’t review hands often enough, which is bad because whenever I do I tend to find leaks and mistakes. Concentrating on previous hands is a great way to make sure what I’m watching in the videos is being applied in my play. I might think is it, but this will help me spot those areas that need work, informing my future video selections. I think I should spend 4 hours between now and the end of the month.

I think that’ll do for now. I’ll add more as I think of them.

Best of luck to everyone in 2012 - hope it’s a big year!