Poker Goals for 2009

I'm not big on new year's resolutions, but now is as good a time as any to set some poker goals. I haven't posted in over a year since I didn't play too much in 2008 and I cashed out everything except $250 on PokerStars. I've been super focused on getting my new business off the ground and I was getting home at 10pm every night so I really never had the energy to play.

I'm really re-invigorated now and I'm ready to take my game to new heights. I've realized that one of the major things that has held me back is volume. I don't play nearly enough to overcome variance in large MTTs. Not having a big cash for long stretches at a time can start to make you question your abilities. I am confident and understand that even the best players only win/final table a small percentage, so I'm cool. But knowing this and the time I can allot for playing poker, I am going to re-distribute my play to the following:

1. Single table SNGs = 70%
2. Multi-table SNGs (45 & 90 man) = 20%
3. MTTs = 10%

I started using PXFs bankroll manager, and although I have a small sample size it's made me realize that in order to get my bankroll where I want it, I'm going to have to grind 3-5 tables of SNGs at a time. Everytime I read something about successful MTT players, they all say they started out grinding SNGs and cash games. I kinda have gone through this stage already, but I've never been focused and consistent. I keep bouncing around and never quite "grind" enough to build up.

So...goals for 2009.

1. Build the bankroll to $5,000: I will do this mainly from multi-tabling sngs and the occasional sprinkling in of multi-table sngs and MTTs. I know this will take some time, but I'm ready to start multi-tabling more.

2. Have bankroll patience: It's not like I used to take a lot of big shots, but I think one thing that has held me back is negative streaks while playing slightly above the "unprotected" bankroll recommended playing level. I know myself and I know that I don't play as confident if I feel like I'm breaking the bankroll rules. It holds me back sometimes and perpetuates the downswings. My sticking closer to the protected level, and only taking a few small shots when I "feel it" it will allow me to reduce the impact of downswings and not affect me mentally.

3. Increase my volume: Since I can't play poker every night, I will start increasing the number of tables I play in a given session. Instead of playing 2-3 at a time, I will start playing 3-4 and eventually 5-6 tables. I'm not going to rush this process, but I'm going to work on getting in 6-12 games a night.

That's it.