The Beginning

A couple of weeks ago I was doing some research for our One Stop Poker (OSP) site.  Since my timing was just about right, I entered a $50.00 Texas Hold ‘Em freeroll (a tournament that pays out but you don’t have to buy-in) on UltimateBet (UB) [an OSP affiliate].  What the heck, right?  I’ve nothing to lose.  Long story short, I blasted my way–4 hours later–through about 4,400 players and ended up finishing… 29th or so.  I really don’t remember now.  Impressive?  Possibly, it was a large field (group of players).  But it was a freeroll.  And people played like they had nothing to lose; which they didn’t.  So I consider it more of an exercise in patience than really taking charge of a tournament.  Although I do think I played well and was happy to have won a whopping $0.70!

So What Did I Do With My $0.70?

Like all players, I was eager to see what I could do with my $0.70.  I checked into the ring games (cash tables) to see if I could turn the jingle into rustle (coins into paper).  I was disappointed to find that on UltimateBet even the $0.01/$0.02 Texas Hold ‘Em tables required $0.80 minimum to sit down.  At that point I was tired, it was late and I needed to sleep.  So I put the computer to bed and then me.

A week passed by and that $0.70 sat in my account.  But I happened to jump back on UB to do so more research for OSP’s review of the site.  Lo and behold I found out that UB has Sit n Gos that pay cash for as little as $0.30 ($0.25 entry, $0.05 to the house)!  Well with $0.70 in my account, I could enter two of those before I got felted (lost all my money) again.  Since I’m writing about Sit n Gos, of course I had to play.  It’s difficult to tell people about an experience that one hasn’t had.

Yeah, So What Happened?

In short, I cashed.  I took 3rd at a nine player table.  I know, I was amazed too!  I haven’t played much on-line poker recently but was pleasantly surprised to find that my game was still fairly sharp.  The competition at these low levels might be less too.  I’m certainly not the best around.  But I was finding, using the poker adage “if you look around the table and can’t spot the weak player, it’s probably you”, that I was spotting those weak players almost immediately.  My traps (playing good hands weak to drain more chips from your opponent) were working and I was taking down tables, or at least getting paid.  I played 8 single table Sit n Gos that night and only failed to cash in 3.  By the end of the session, I’d run my $0.70 up to around $6.00.  Needless to say, I was pretty happy.

So Now What?

Keep it in your pants.  “What?”  You heard me.  Just because I had some luck and played myself into a small bankroll (the total money I have to play poker with), doesn’t mean I should go blow it.  I’m NOT going to take my $6.00 (as of today $7.20) and find the first $5.00 game and take my chances.  I’m going to stick to the smaller games, $0.25, $0.50 and possibly $1.00 tournaments.  There’s no real math to do here just yet because the bankroll is still too small.  [If you're interested in the math of bankroll management and building from nothing, read Chris Ferguson's article here, or search for it on Full Tilt Poker (an OSP affiliate).]  It’s about maintaining and growing my stack, not about taking unnecessary risks.  If I lose in a $0.50 Sit n Go, I’ve still got plenty to fall back on.  I can even drop down to the $0.25 game if my confidence is shaken.  I’m probably going to stick to the Sit n Go tables for now.  While I enjoy playing the cash (ring) games, I believe I have a better chance to win more at a Sit n Go and I don’t have to worry about how deeply stacked (bankroll) another player at the table is.

Can I Rail You (Watch You Play)?

If you like.  I can’t give you specific times when I’ll be on UltimateBet, but if you’re on there and you’d like to watch the action,  just look for player name WOFFICE.  More to come…

SUMMARY

• Play the freerolls (no buy-in tournaments)!  Make sure they pay cash, although points and/or tournament dollars can help you on your quest.  It may take you a good while before you make it into the money.  But stick with it.  I personally feel that freerolls are a great proving ground for any poker player.  Many people complain about the quality of play, but that’s where you learn to adjust your game.  Anybody can play any style in any tournament, you need to be prepared for that.  In freerolls, you’ll see it all.
• Once you cash, don’t blow it all!  Assuming you’ve made enough to enter more than one tournament or one trip to the cash tables, be aware that you only have so much to lose and try not to give it all away in one go.  I stuck with micro-buy-in ($0.25) sit n gos where if I didn’t cash, I would still be able to play another.
• Don’t force it.  Yes, we all get excited when we win (cash).  But understand that that one win doesn’t mean you’re on a hot streak.  Work on your game.  Stay patient.  Adjust to every new situation.  Pay attention to the table and use the information you pick up to make correct decisions.

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