Every day/week/month on the grind I find my eyes being repeatedly opened to new and previously unknown horrors of the soul. And the stupid thing is, I'm always marginally surprised....

...It doesn't matter how many books you read, or how entirely plausible an idea might sound in principle, it's not until you're deep in it, experiencing all the vagaries of variance that you really ever begin to internalise some of these truths.

So what is it that's brought this maudlin aspect on?

Just a single, week of full time 9-tabling at the $11s, culminating in a -10% ROI and -$230. Not a big deal, all very banal, but for some reason I'm surprised!

Surprised that a man can run AQ into AK quite so often; or JJ into KK, or have my opponent hit that 2 outer on the river, over and over again. You know how this story goes so I won't bore on. My point is really that these neg runs can last much longer than a week, and over much higher volume than I've been playing too- it's an integral part of a grinders arsenal to be able to deal with these periods with equanimity and a zen like disposition.

I've some way to go but am getting better and better with every week. I honestly believe that if you can crack poker then you can crack life. I'm not sure this formula can be reversed however, such is the power of poker!

...Anyways, roll on tomorrow and a new week.

While I've got you- I just want to give a shout out to Andreas, Rob, Dakota, Thom and all the guys in our Skype SNG chat group. I'm not going to claim there's a ton of learning going on, but it's there if you want it and- when you live in your study grinding SNGs all day - a little cyber-community of this kind can be strangely comforting...

GL to you all!

Marv out.

....that leads to a tedious break-even week.

Never mind though, I coped well mentally (always an issue) and, let's face it, didn't lose (always another issue) so I can't complain too much. I did a bit of Wiz work and seem to have been unlucky more than anything else. For the week:

3% ROI / 198 at the 6 Turbos on FT

Overall since I stepped down to the 6s and have been working on adding more tables I've performed as follows:

13% ROI / 463

So here I am - 9 tabling with a degree of confidence and stepping up, this morning in fact, to the 11s. I'll let you know how I get on next week in a fuller blog. Don't want to short change my loyal readership! At least I'm decently rolled (about 150x) so I ought to be able to not freak out too badly if I lose a full set here or there.

Otherwise the ebb and flow of daily life is ticking along nicely nicely. Like Ferris said, if you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you might miss it!

Good luck to you all (unless you're at my tables),

Marv out.

....the 9-tabling that is!

Yes sports fans, I've finally got my 24" 1900x1200 monitor and my new graphics card setup and so, with my new screen next to my old one, I can comfortably play 9 tables at the same time (all at 'Default' Full Tilt size).

Needless to say this is awesome but, no doubt, it will take a while to get used to. That said I averaged 27% ROI over 36 x 6+0.50s today so still 'crushing'. In fact, I averaged 27%/122 over the whole of last week (6 tabling) so no obvious negative affects as yet.

My plan is to stick at the 6s for this week and then, assuming I haven't had a disaster, and assuming also that I am then comfortable 9-tabling, step back up to the 11s. I have about $1700 in my roll at the moment so can do so comfortably whilst maintaining my 100 buy-in rule.

Alright, job done! What else?

Oh yeah- Dirty.Brasil skyped me the other day at about 4am his time to say he'd final table'd a FT $10 rebuy tourny. He proceeded to chop 3 ways for about $8k. Not bad, sir! We who are about to grind salute you! Hopefully he won't mind me spreading the legend a little...

On other news: I saw Men Who Stare at Goats which I thought was pretty good. I love Jeff Bridges and this performance was not a million miles from his role (surely he's like that in real life?) as 'The Dude'. Quality. Clooney was very good too and Ewan held up his end for the home team. Quite thoughtful too without hitting you over the head...

Alright, enough nonsense from me. The smell of my girlfriend's pesto is wafting up the stairs (and that is not a euphemism) so I gosh to go.

Til next time,

Marv out.

Apologies for the late (1 day) update sports fans. Occasionally even we grinders have to emerge pale-faced and blinking into an uncaring world and get our jollies where we can. In my case I spent yesterday afternoon in the ever-so-smug Shoreditch House and a fine time was had by all. Not much star-fucking to report though we did spot Howard from Take That which impressed my girlie no end....

....to poker:

It's been a good week!

You may recall from my last blog I was humming and hahing over whether to ramp up the number of tables I play or not and, if so, how best to go about it. This has been my problem for the longest time but I finally made the decision to man-up, grow a pair, and swing my danglies firmly in the direction of mass multi-tabling.

To that end:
- I played 6 tables (tiled) simultaneously all week
- I ordered a brand new graphics card and a brand, spanking new 1900 x 1200 24" monitor. Luuuuuurvely!

The monitor came the next day but I am still waiting for my graphics card which has no doubt been half-inched by one of our marvelous thieving posties (note to yanks: our posties are the scum of the earth and, when they're not stealing your stuff are on strike. Currently they are striking which means they have even more time than normal to raid juicy looking packages. Bastards! Rant over....). The net result is I am not yet ready (though oh so willing) to step up to 9 tables and then, hopefully, to 12. Sometime this week or early next...

Anyway, I have been crushing the $6+50 FT turbos this week - 20% ROI / 151 games - pretty, pretty good.

I feel confident and motivated. And you can't say that every day!

I haven't managed to check in with my soon-to-be-retired coach Dirty.Brasil recently, but am plugging away, doing a bit here and there in Wiz and generally enjoying being a profitable, if low stakes, player again.

Good luck to you all!

Marv out....

Bankroll management is a bitch...

...I have just stepped back up to the $22s and, despite doing nothing particularly wrong, have given up all of this week's modest gains (earned so painstakingly and prudently at the $11s).

Why I stepped back up I cannot tell you. It was in direct contravention of my own stated policy of having a 100 buy in minimum for any given level and also served as a distraction from what I should have been doing which was ramping up the number of tables I play from 3/4 to 6.

"Could do better!"

I don't want to whinge too much but I think I might just be one of those guys who can't play 'cascade' tables. I need all of my tables to be at least visible at all times. When they pop up, then disappear, it freaks me out and prevents me subconsciously maintaining any semblance of flow.

I would be interested in any of my reader's views on this subject? All I can think of is to get a bigger monitor and tile 6, and ultimately, hopefully, 9 tables on the one large screen.

I don't know whether to step back down to the 11s and try and get more volume in, or play 5 sets of 3x $22+2 instead. The latter approach means I can make Iron man in 1 month but also, critically, means I can still 'work on my game' in a meaningful way. Playing 6+ tables means all the little sub optimal mistakes I am still making now will only be magnified. Curses!

I will let you know what I decide next week.

Otherwise, I played a little cash over the weekend and lost (for the 5th time in a row). This is my fortnightly home game which I annihilated for the first 4/5 sessions and am now in the process of redistributing through a complex process of quantitative easing.

I know I'm the best player there though (not saying much) so hopefully just a matter of time...

Some of you may have heard that Dirty.Brasil is giving up SNGs. I feel like my goldfish just dies or my cat runaway. Nothing but the best to you though, sir, in your future endeavors!

Also, have just seen the shout out in the forums for a goodish sounding SNG skype based discussion group. Hook me up fellas!

OK- gotta go gotta go more piece to bake up...

Marvelon out!

Evening all,

This week I played a meager 89 SNGs for an ROI of 6% and a total profit of $60. Pretty pathetic really. Still, I have already made bronze level on FT Iron Man and will make silver with 3 more days of low volume play. I guess it's true what they say- small things really do please small minds.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed both with my low volume and low profit this week. I will endeavor to ramp it up significantly next week and will be playing 6 tables at a time for the first time! Hopefully that should allow me to get improved volume in.

Next month I'm setting myself the challenge of reaching 'Iron' Iron Man- ie the highest level. That's 200 points a day minimum over 20 days, or about 29 $11+1 SNGs a day over a 20 day period. Should be fairly doable, though it's a major increase from what I'm getting in at the moment.

In other news- I'm feeling slightly jaded cos the weather's turned to crap, the clocks have just gone back and- let's face it- this grinding business is a solitary and, at times, dispiriting affair. Still, I'm determined not to get down about it and will be hitting the gym a fair bit next week to knock the S.A.D right out of me!

Apologies for the lack of vim and vigor in this week's blog. Truth be told I'm knackered and the smell of meatballs is wafting upstairs into my study!

Have a good week!

Marv

Gentlemen,

Thank you for keeping the faith during this turbulent period in my SNG career. I'm pleased to be able to take you all with me on this journey and chuffed (finally) to be able to report that the tables seem to have turned.

As you may recall I lost nearly half my roll at the $33+3s on FT; due largely to variance but also, certainly, to a fatal and corrosive combination of complacency and lack of focus. Not cool at all...

...well, I swallowed my pride, bit the bullet and stepped back down to the $11+1 turbos where I would have a 100 buy-in plus bankroll (another new bankroll feature which I have decided to introduce). And you know what? Best-thing-I-ever-did!

Since Monday I have played just over 90 SNGs and my Sharkscope results are as follows:

- past 100 games, 25% ROI (+$305)
- past 50 games, 39% (+ $232)

Now, I'm not that good and- critically- I know that I'm not that good (and, practically speaking, I don't think anyone is that good). So let's keep a little perspective here. That said, I am playing with a new resolve and general level of concentration and commitment and there is no doubt in my mind that it is paying off. I am doing particularly well at coming back from situations that, in the past, I would probably have all but given up on (like when you have just lost 90% of your stack getting it all in running QQ into KK, only to be left with a 240 stack at 40/80, or whatever). I've cashed plenty from these kinds of positions recently and it all points to a healthier relationship with the game and greater clarity and dedication on my part.

So, you heard it here first sports fans!

There's still plenty to do of course - my calling ranges are still too tight and there are one or two more standard 'pokery' spots that I am having trouble with (such as how fast to play open-ended straight and 4 flush draws on the flop etc) but, overall, I'm confident I can 'crush' the $11+1s for the foreseeable future. Don't worry though- hubris is a bitch, and I'll be playing these until a) my roll reaches $2400 and I have 100 buy-ins for the $22+2s and b) I am playing at least 6 and- preferably- 9 tables simultaneously, and have been doing so at a winning rate over a minimum 1000 SNG sample.

I don't see any point in stepping back up, even if rolled appropriately, if I am not able to get in the volume and still maintain a decent ROI?

OK- that's it for the poker. I'd just like to give a big shout out to my coach Dirty.Brasil who has fairly transformed my game over the past several months and, without whom, I'd be just another bummed out victim of the credit-crunch going cap in hand to an endless series of smug, self-satisfied and entirely soulless companies to lie my way into yet another life-sapping, mind-numbing 'why the fuck do I have to live my life this way?' job. So there you go- he's a great coach and if you want your SNG game sorted out, and are prepared to listen, Dirty'll get you there!

Also, thanks to Filite for the kind words and birthday greetings. As someone entirely new to blogging it is hard to describe the lame-o thrill I get whenever I log on and see a new comment - 'oh joy!'. This pathetic thrill was only eclipsed when I logged on just now and saw I had over 300 hits! Bring on the movie deal....

On other news:

Marvin the Cat has been trying to get back into my good books by bringing home 5 mice over the past 7 days. On two occasions last week he brought live ones into the living room and then seemed surprised when they scarpered into the hallway! Good times- me, the missus, a bottle of something new worldy, a Chinese and a house full of rodents...P-L-A-Y-A! I think I'm ready for Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........

That's it for this week fellas. As usual, if you've got anything to add or wish to get in touch, feel free and I'll do my best to respond. I intend as part of my continuing poker rehabilitation to start being more visible in the SNG forums but we shall see! One day at a time - 'My name is Ben and I am a SNG grinder'.

Good luck at the cyber-baize!

Marvelon out.

"Hyman Roth always makes money for his partners. One by one, our old friends are gone. Death, natural or not, prison, deported. Hyman Roth is the only one left, because he always made money for his partners"

Godfather II, Johnny Ola aka 'Junior Soprano' to - I believe- Michael Corleone.

Not one of you was able to identify my avatar, shame on you; All I would say to you people is - poker's all well and good but if you're not steeped, and I mean steeped in gangster and war film trivia then, ultimately, what are you doing it all for?!?!? What's the point?!?!?

Big up the man like 'ManWithBrisk' though for at least recognising the Floyd quote....

...To business:

I'm still largely working on my ranges, and suffering at the hands of variance. Rumsfeldian 'unknown unknowns' and the series of 'impossible' black swan events that so nearly plunged us all into a new dark age aint got nuffin' on the endless series of flips, 60/40s and beyond that I have been losing recently. At least I know it's not entirely my fault.

My pushing ranges are now pretty much fixed I reckon. It's the calling ranges that are proving irksome. I've been looking through all my bubble and ITM calling situations and still have work to do. I have finally opened up the quiz feature in SNG Wiz (I think there's something similar in SNGEGT too?) and, so far, so good. Should have done it years ago, like buying a HUD, and getting shortcuts, and getting a bigger mortgage (<<< weird, that should read 'monitor'! The Freudian fears of the newly unemployed I guess <<<) and...and....and...you get the idea.

Haven't racked up a whole lot of volume due to my homework sessions but am clawing my way piecemeal back to some kind of dubious respectability. At least anyone scoping me will think me a total clown- can't hurt.

On other news it was my birthday over the weekend, which happened to fall on the night of our 2/3 weekly live game. This is a revolving game that takes place around London and features any 7 of about 12 waifs and strays on any given night. Lots of beer, lots of weed, and then out come the single malts! Everyone can play- kind of- and we get a dealer in to free us up for ever more immature antics. This time I lost a few quid (about £100 I think) but it's very much swings and roundabouts. We've recently discovered the pointless joys of the straddle and got up to £4/£8 a couple of times from out 25p/50p starting point. No one felt able to take it to £16s on this occasion though. Anyone winning a hand with 27o gets a £2 win-bonus from all the other players at the table. Yes- a £15-£20 sweetener is nice but should not, you would think, radically alter your play in a £100+ pot? You have got to be kidding- it's all about the bragging rights. I won it twice and victory was sweeeeeeet. If you know of any other needlessly distracting ways we can ruin an otherwise perfectly enjoyable home game, please let me know! The lads will appreciate it.

Speaking of the lads - at the most recent game, the nicknames ran as follows: Mr Shampoo (me), The Anvil, Finlay Mouse, Race Hate and Billie Piper's Dad. David Niven sadly couldn't make it and the others have revolving self-appointed nicknames so you never know what moniker they plan on using til they sit down and unveil their latest (self-appointed) creation. If it wasn't for the nicknames, the reefer and the Scotch, I think I'd switch to the ponys...

Ah poker- as good a chance as any for grown-men to behave like total twats. You gotta love it.

I realise this blog has been a little light on results of late. Don't worry, at the weekend I'll set you straight; just a little dispiritng at the moment, clawing my way back to a positive ROI down at the 11s. All good soul food.

Take it easy fellas,

Ben

"Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way"

So....Last week I dropped half my bankroll at the $33+3s and, more worryingly, I couldn't figure out what I'd been doing wrong. Marvin The Cat was so displeased with my performance that he has stopped visiting me in my poker den during the day altogether other than to brutalize my ankles. The Marv Machine does not tolerate losers.

Following a lengthy session with Dirty.Brasil and several hours in front of SNG Wiz it turns out that- whilst I thought my SNG game was more or less unchanged at the 'pretty good' level - it was actually fairly toilet. In a nutshell I was suffering from that most banal of SNG complaints - not pushing widely enough; and calling too tightly.

Certainly, I was on the bitch end of variance for most of that period and - yes- I suffered more bad beats in one week than I have ever done previously; the truth however is that I got too comfy, started believing my own hype and not putting in the hours. Anything that happened as a result of this fecklessness has surely to be on me.

It aint rocket science people!

However, another issue flagged up by Dirty.Brasil (and not generally highlighted enough elsewhere imo) was that - for career play - the standard 'recommended' bankroll of somewhere between 30 and 50 buy-ins is nowhere near big enough. Something nearer to 100 is required if you want to make variance your bitch and draw a paltry sum at the end of each month.

So, with my roll down form just over $2000 to just under $1200, I'm now playing the $11+1 turbos. A shame I suppose but not a difficult sell. My poker ego- thankfully- is pretty well in check and I can take this blow to my self-esteem.

So that's where you'll find me in the weeks to come. Way down on the $11s, working on my ranges, putting in the hours with Wiz and hopefully 'crushing' with extreme prejudice. I won't be moving up until I have $2200. I'm also looking to dramatically ramp up the number of tables I play from 4 to 9+ so watch this space!

Other than that, not much to report. Saw 'District 9' - moderately entertaining I spose. 'The Fly' meets 'Robocop' meets 'Star Wars' meets 'Cry Freedom' meets 'Schindlers List'. Still with me?

Thanks to Filite, Clickys and Dirty for their kind words last week. Someone else posted something which I couldn't see it for some reason so apologies for not giving you your shout. If you want to PM me, or have anything at all to add to this blog, feel free to get involved. No one has called me a complete tosser yet so if you've got it, bring it!

I will leave you with a pop quiz, the prize of which is a place forever high, high up in my esteem:

1) Where does the quote at the top of my blog come from (you are on your honour, as Men of Poker, not to Google)?

2) Who is the handsome chap in my avatar/blog photo (clue: it's not me or Marvin The Cat)?

Marvelon out.

My name is Marvelon and I am a SNG grinder...

OK- my name's actually 'Ben' and calling myself a 'grinder' is probably slightly premature as I've only just started full-time...but you get the picture. This blog is by way of keeping me honest and will record the highs, the lows, the swings, the roundabouts and, of course, the continuing adventures of my co-pilot and spiritual adviser Marvin the cat, from whom I derive my CR screen-name; and without whom none of those 'unexpected' paw-induced raises would be possible. Other than that look out for random tangents, snippets of the high life, vignettes from the gutter and whatever other crazed rantings I decide to bless you with.

A little bit about me:

I've been playing SNGs - with varying degrees of seriousness - for 2/3 years now and in that time racked up just under 3000 between $10 and $50 playing mainly standard speed NLHE SNGs on Full Tilt. I oscillated between 6-8% ROI overall during this time. Not bad, but I only recently got up to multi-tabling 4 tables so played 1 or 2 tables (!) for most of that period. Recently I've moved on to 4 tables and hope to step this up soon to 6, 8 and then the stars! I've had a little coaching from the very cool 'Dirty.Brasil', re-jigged my game somewhat in his honour, and now play turbos exclusively. I had just stepped up from the 22s to the 33s but- having got my arse (English for 'ass') handed to me in week 1 - look set to step back down to the 22s form tomorrow morning (but more on my tumultuous week below).

Other than that I'm in my early 30s and lost a 'good' but mind-numbingly, soul-wrenchingly dull and worthless job in the city this past June. I've decided a change is called for and that change involves, as step 1, grinding a basic/subsistence living ($30k) from SNGs. If/when I get to that point (baller-wannabe I aint) I'll look to improve my cash play too and - armed with both SNGs and a decent SS cash ganme, take it from there. I've a mortgage, bills and a live-in girlfriend at vet school. Sounds pretty reckless right? But you know what - I've no kids, and the worse that can happen is I give it a year and then have to go back to some other pointless, life-sapping drudge of a day job. I'm not proud, but I'll give it my damnedest at the baize first!

What else? Erm, I live in central London, could probably lose a few pounds, and consider Knish the true hero of Rounders.

OK- to poker for a bit. Well, you've got to give me points for disclosure. I could have waited for a week when I made money and got in big volume but, alas, this week has been all about heartache.

Monday 21/09: played 27 @ 33+3 for a total profit (including RB) of $279.51 ("woo hoo...I'm the best...if I keep this up I'll be rich!!! etc)

Tuesday 22/9: played 24 @ 33+3 for a total LOSS (including RB) of $131.76 ("oh dear...ah well, if you add it to Monday's and divide it by two I'm still looking good")

Wednesday 23/9: played 24 @ 33+3 for a total loss (inc RB) of $187.00 ("shit.....")

Thursday 24/9: played 24 @ 33+3 for a total LOSS (inc RB) of $278.28 ("fuck....")

Friday 25/9: convinced myself I had proto swine flu but, in truth, had lost heart.

So, all in all, my first week as a grinder resulted in minimal volume, a day off 'sick' and a net LOSS of $317.53

I don't think I played particularly terribly and am putting this one down to 'variance'. That said I haven't yet had the courage to go over my HHs fully and see if my recollection of a 'black swan' series of lost all-ins/flips and pseudo-flips corresponds in any way to reality! When I do you- my loyal readers- will be the first to know.

Other than that: back on the grind tomorrow and I will blog again next weekend (and every weekend thereafter).

News? Views? Question? Drop me a line and I will do my best for y'all.

And that's word to Big Bird

Marvelon out.