April > March

"No one should rest. People who are doing that are setting themselves up for failure in the future."
--Taylor Caby

April was a great month -- in fact, I'm pretty sure it was my best ever as I won about nine 10/20 buy-ins. That's about the pace I always aim for. I want to win about 10 buy-ins a month because at that rate, my bankroll can grow pretty quickly.

I figure that if, on average, I win a buy-in 20 days a month and lose a buy-in 10 days a month, I'll come out way ahead.

My biggest hand of the month came when I flopped quad 7s against KK and a flopped boat. That'll pay off every time. That pot was worth about 3.5 buy-ins alone.

My worst hand of the month came just a few days ago when I turned a gutshot straight against a turned two-outer boat (55 on a 3345 board). I lost a full buy-in on that hand, and it would have been hard to get away from despite the paired board. The pot was already so large that I felt committed with what I thought was the best hand.

Mostly I tried to play consistently and smartly. I think the hit I took from paying a ridiculous amount to the IRS actually helped my mindset, in that I didn't feel as much pressure to build my bankroll to meet my $100K goal. Instead, I just went back to work. I'm still a couple of months away from my goal at this rate, but that's OK. You won't find me complaining.

My game continues to improve.

I realized that while I steal the blinds at a steady clip, I don't defend them quite as much as I should. I don't think that's a big flaw though.

I also figured out that I need to float in position more often and fold to continuation bets less.

Mostly though, I just played solid poker. Against calling stations, I kept the pot small until I had what I thought was the best hand. When I thought I had the best hand, I pushed hard. When I didn't, I folded. I know it's not always that easy, but when you're running good, sometimes it feels that way.

And if all else fails, I used my secret weapon: sucking out on the river.