Chipless Wonder's 2010 Poker/Personal Goals

**Chipless Wonder** · 12-23-2009 03:04 PM

Over the last few years I seem to have become somewhat unambitious. I dealt with quite a bit of stress in my businesses and personal life. Consequently, I just haven’t been pushing myself hard enough to reach my maximum potential. I plan to change that in 2010 by establishing some aggressive stretch goals. These aren’t all poker-related, but anything that helps with my mental focus will also improve my poker game.

1. Bench press 350 pounds.
2. Dead lift 500 pounds.
3. Earn black belt in tae kwon do.
4. Become a profitable NLHE cash game player (overall > 2.5 BB/100 hands per PTR).
5. Become a profitable PLO cash game player (overall > 2.5 BB/100 hands per PTR).
6. Final table a major online tournament ($150 or higher buy-in).
7. Earn $125,000 in total profit from poker (live and online combined).
8. Donate 10% of all poker profits to charity (cancer research and/or animals).
9. Pay off all remaining debt.
10. Take a real vacation.

Disclaimer: I may need to adjust these goals after meeting with a professional mindset coach early in 2010, in order to prevent conflict with a required directional change.

**Chipless Wonder** · 12-23-2009 03:07 PM

And now for some comments on these goals…

1. Bench press 350 pounds. I used to be a competitive drug-free powerlifter, with a best competition bench press of 410 pounds. That was with the aid of a denim bench press shirt though, which I am much too old to wear now. I would guess that my best non-shirt bench would have been in the area of 350 back in 1994, so I’ve set this as my 2010 target.

2. Dead lift 500 pounds. My best competitive dead lift was 565 pounds, wearing a dead lift suit, in my last competitive meet, which was January 1997. So I think a reasonable target without any special equipment is 500 pounds.

3. Earn black belt in tae kwon do. I started tae kwon do in 1991, and by 1998 I was within six months of achieving this. Then my father got cancer and I redirected all my spare time into helping to run our business. After nearly twelve years away, I believe I can return to my previous skill level within six months, then earn my black belt within the following six months.

4. Become a profitable NLHE cash game player (overall > 2.5 BB/100 hands per PTR). I just don’t feel like I should be a loser in these games.

5. Become a profitable PLO cash game player (overall > 2.5 BB/100 hands per PTR). Same as above.

6. Final table a major online tournament ($150 or higher buy-in). Once I start laying more MTTs, I think this one will just be a matter of time.

7. Earn $125,000 in total profit from poker (live and online combined). Basically, my target will be to earn $100,000 online, then turn that into $125,000 playing live. Here are some monthly targets that show one way to make this happen:

$75 ABI x 45-player SNG x 25% ROI x 150 games = $2,813 profit
(historical data: ITM = 16%, FT = 24%, W = 3.3%, 22% ROI over 1,586 games)

$52 ABI x 90-player SNG x 50% ROI x 75 games = $1,950 profit
(historical data: ITM = 18%, FT = 18%, W = 3.3%, 87% ROI over 242 actual games)

$50 ABI MTT x 25% ROI x 75 games = $937 profit

Online Cash games = $1,133 profit

Online Knockouts = $800

Online Rakeback = $600

Online Bounties = $100

Live tournaments = $8,333 x 25% ROI = $2,083 profit (note: live games to be funded by online profits)

Total: $10,416 monthly average x 12 months = $125,000 profit

8. Donate 10% of total poker profits to charity (cancer research and/or animals). This one is easy.

9. Pay off all remaining debt. This will require some major poker success coupled with extreme financial discipline.

10. Take a real vacation. Another easy one.

**tnlovells** · 12-23-2009 05:49 PM

Good Luck Chipless!

So many people talk about goals in life, but as has been said millions of times, very few people actually write them down. It is the number one key to long term success!

In my professional life I am a sales trainer. This time of year we spend countless hours on goal setting and for those who take this process seriously, the results are easy to see year in and year out.

The second thing we teach is accountability. In order to have the real success we want, we have to let others know what our goals are (which you obviously have done)....

One suggestion to all of the BBP members that are setting 2010 goals, make a visualization of some of the goals (a poster board, printout etc...) that is somewhere that you will see it every day. It will remind you why you are doing what you are doing....then when things aren't going as well as you like, that reminder can help kick you into gear!

Good luck!

**AAron the B** · 12-23-2009 08:23 PM

YES YOU CAN!!!

glgl

**PaintedHeart** · 12-24-2009 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by Chipless Wonder

10. Take a real vacation. Another easy one.

Easy one for you! I have to find a pet/house sitter who can relate with reptiles, fish, parrots, rabbits and canine's! Not to mention being a backup for the equines!

**AlphaDion** · 12-26-2009 02:51 PM

Hi Chipless,

I am fairly new to the game - I've been playing since July this year... You have set a list of goals which are specific and reasonable. I have a similar list and I shall appreciate if you help me by sharing some experience.

- When did you start playing poker? Did you start online or in B&M casinos? Whats the best for new players - MTTs, SnGs, SH Cash or Heads Up?

- I read books on poker and I am learning a lot by reading the forums too - I've read "P. Hellmuth's Texas Holdem", "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book" and now I'm on "Negreanu's Super System", co-written by some of the best players worldwide. Which ones do you recommend?

-When did you achieve your first significant results? (I dont seem to have any significant results by now unfortunately, I win occasionally on small stakes but still making a lot of mistakes which are too costly. I'm trying to figure out my weak spots and to plug the leaks in my game, so can you share a bit more on that topic, please!)

- Have you taken any poker coaching? If so, where?

I am also in power lifting but these forums are mainly for poker, so I'll leave that aside for now

I hope that asking you for answering these questions will not cause you too much trouble...

Good Luck in achieving your goals!

**Chipless Wonder** · 12-26-2009 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by AlphaDion

I shall appreciate if you help me by sharing some experience.

I'll certainly try.

When did you start playing poker? Did you start online or in B&M casinos?

I started a little less than five years ago. Here's a link to my poker story:

http://www.badbeatspoker.net/forum/p...html#post22411

Whats the best for new players - MTTs, SnGs, SH Cash or Heads Up?

It really depends on what you like, what you know, and what you want to learn. From a tournament bankroll management perspective, variance and ROI potential correspond directly with field size. So heads up tournaments have the lowest variance and ROI potential by far (~ 5%). 9-player SNGs have about twice as much variance and ROI potential (~ 10%). 45-player SNGs have two to three times as much variance and ROI potential (~ 25%), and 90-players probably double these numbers again.

I read books on poker and I am learning a lot by reading the forums too - I've read "P. Hellmuth's Texas Holdem", "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book" and now I'm on "Negreanu's Super System", co-written by some of the best players worldwide. Which ones do you recommend?

Some of my favorites include the Harrington series and Tommy Angelo's Elements of Poker. You can search this forum for "book" or "books" and get some good input from others.

When did you achieve your first significant results? (I dont seem to have any significant results by now unfortunately, I win occasionally on small stakes but still making a lot of mistakes which are too costly. I'm trying to figure out my weak spots and to plug the leaks in my game, so can you share a bit more on that topic, please!)

I started playing in 2005. and lost a little money the first year. I think I broke even in 2006, made four digits in 2007, five digits in 2008 and six digits in 2009. This seems to be an exciting trend!

Have you taken any poker coaching? If so, where?

I went to Camp Hellmuth a few years ago. I have read at least 25 poker books. I subscribe to every poker magazine. And I participate in hand play discussions here daily.

I am also in power lifting but these forums are mainly for poker, so I'll leave that aside for now

I haven't been on the lifting platform (i.e. in a real meet) since 1997, but I'm always happy to talk powerlifting. In fact, I just started a new thread about that:

http://www.badbeatspoker.net/forum/l...ng-thread.html