It seems odd doing a look back at the entire year here on Railbirds, when I have been a member just four days; but it is something I really should do, and I know nowhere better to do it.
I think before I can talk about what happenned this year, I need to explain where I was at the end of 2006. At the end of my first full year of playing poker I was a losing player - those losses were small because I had the good sense to play at the micro limits all year. In 2006, 9 of the 12 months were losing months for me, with the losing months being much further in the red than the winning were in the black. In many ways I was quite depressed about poker because I felt I was capable of being much better, yet the results were not coming. In 2006 I played 282 hours on my way to an annual loss of $80.77.
Although in many ways 2007 did not live up to my expectations, perhaps that is just a sign that my expectations were too high; this year was a massive improvement over 2006. I made a profit of $282.50 on the year during 689 hours played. Although just 6 of the 12 months were profitable, my winning months were all respectable wins, and with one exception(September), my losing months were small losses.
In 2007 I learnt some valuable lessons, ones that will hopefully stick with me forever (and not have to be relearned when more money is at stake). I learnt the importance of playing at a level I can afford, and just how horribly wrong things can go when I don't (this is what happened in September, and my annual profit may have been double what it was had I been smarter then). I learnt the value of having a regular game and limit, rather than playing whatever I happen to be in the mood for. I have begun to appreciate just how long a winning or losing streak can last, and am beginning to wrap my brain around how to not get too cocky or depressed.
In 2007 I massively expanded the knowledge base I am drawing from. The library of books I own has tripled in size, and the quality of books I have been seeking out has, thanks to research, been much higher. Though I have no way of knowing just how many articles I read online this year about poker, I feel that several hundred would not be unrealistic.
In 2007 I went from watching WPT every other week to watching more than six hours of poker per week on television. In addition to the greater quantity, I have become much better at analysing the hands I see, making the time spent of greater quality as well.
All in all, 2007 has been a great year, both in terms of how my play has improved and in how I have begun to give myself a greater chance of succeding in the future. A year ago I felt like I deserved to succeed, even though I had never put much work into it. Now that I have had a taste of both the work and the success, I relish the opportunity to continue both. I hope that when I write my year end for 2008 I can say that it was a banner year, and that I have 2007 to thank for it.
© Copyright 2008
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