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I have been off of serious poker and grinding for a bit. I am putting together some notes for different things that I want to be conscious of and also a few to be working on.

Bankroll Issues and Plan

First, my redeposit will be in the range of $400-$450. That means bankroll wise; I am dealing with mostly a micro limit strategy for building. My game selection will be $25NL tables or less and $6 or less SNGs or MTTs for when I wish to play tourneys. Will want to limit to at most 4 tables at once. Playing beyond that becomes too robotic and predictable in my opinion.

Just because I don’t wish to have a quarter of my bankroll on the table at any one time, I will have to start cheaper than the 25NL tables. I honestly have trouble consistently beating levels that low, so I most likely will start with working on the SNGs to build my bankroll and some MTTs for taking my shot at moving my bankroll up in a hurry. I really want/need my bankroll to be over $750 before I start 4 tabling 25NL and going back to SNGs and MTTs if I drop to the $550 mark. I am going with at least 30 buy in rule for when to move up on SNGs and if I hit 20 buy ins, I will be moving back down.

Habits to Cultivate

You are in the micros buddy, so the biggest thing is practice you’re ABCs. Old habits must go goodbye or you are screwing yourself.

Know your villain. Don’t credit your opponent with any more intelligence than a bug until proven otherwise. Think of what he is thinking (level one or level 0 thinking).

Pot attachment issues; find those that don’t like to fold after putting money in the pot. You want to play a lot of pots (preferably in position) with these players. If they can’t fold, it increases your implied odds for any hand you play against them.

Ask why a lot. Why is the person doing what they are doing? Why are you doing what you are doing? Use that line of questioning to put together a plan of attack.

Plan ahead. You don’t want to get in a situation where a person does something that completely surprises you. Think ahead to possible actions for every circumstance.

Always keep implied odds in your mind. The stack sizes of every individual are at risk every hand. If you are in the hand, think of every risk reward situation and exploit every mistake you can.

Win the battle of mistakes every night. If you do this consistently you cannot be a losing player.

Force players into making mistakes as often as possible. Play aggressive poker and always work to get and exploit any edge you can in each and every situation that you are involved in.

Folding is still your friend. Play to make fewer mistakes. One of the most common mistakes is getting into that mess in the first place. Don’t be afraid of laying down what might be the best hand.

Big pots should only be played with big hands. Don’t freaking risk your stack on a low edge situation. If it is time to play for stacks, play it with a big hand.

Don’t be afraid to take down a big pot in tournaments. Protect your stack, if that means taking down a very strong but vulnerable hand by betting hard, do so.

Don’t be afraid to use up some time clock to reason out a situation.

Listen to what your opponents are telling us with their actions. When bet, call, or raise they are always giving you information. Let that information make sense.

Have a purpose with each and every bet. Don’t spew chips. Betting or calling without a plan or purpose is spewing.

Always bet your good hands strong. These guys will pay you off at this level. If you don’t get paid, then at least you added to your stack.

Metagame and Study

Ask more questions about situations you have had problems with. Don’t be shy, stubborn or prideful. Search out and find the answers you need to be a better player.

Watch and learn from the best. If you aren’t up for playing, don’t waste time, you can learn at times just by watching how better players handle situations.

Don’t play when your mind isn’t in the game. If you fail to be in the right place of mind, you will fail.

Consistent profit is made by consistently making the right decisions. Make the smart choice at all times.

Patients can lead you to profitable situations to exploit. Don’t rush things.

Look not at the results but by how you got there. If you wish to keep being a winning player, screw the results and look to the data to see if you are really playing well.

Review your game. Don’t stop looking at what you have done. Know what mistakes you have been making. Know what sort of situations lead to trouble so that you can improve on those areas.

Always keep working on your game. Be willing to gather inspiration and advice from anywhere if you can usefully apply it to poker. If you stop working on your game, the game will pass and you will end up losing.

Remember, you are playing to earn. You aren’t there to make friends or to be their pal; you are there to add money to your pocket. That is all.