The end of the beginning, the start of a career as a poker pro

It's crazy, it seems like not so long ago, in January 2010, I was taking my first shot at 100NL (and crashing and burning).

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I almost gave up on poker entirely that day. That was nothing new. I started playing poker in 2004 (limit back in the day). Ever since then, I dreamed of making it as a pro, yet failing miserably at every turn. I just couldn't handle it psychologically & emotionally. The best I could do was grind out a small profit by clearing bonuses every now and then. In 2009 I had a burst of motivation and had moderate success playing as a prop at various small sites, but perseverance was shortlived.

Finally, at the end of 2009, Athene (Chiren80, http://www.pokertableratings.com/sta...earch/Chiren80) made his big entrance on the poker scene. His huge success, making over 100,000$ with a meager 0,33BB/100 winrate gave me hope. I had been following him since his first Athene clip in World of Warcraft and I considered gaming speed/reflexes one of my strength. The transition to 24 tables seemed natural and Athene's success only made it seem that much more attainable.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. First of all, my bankroll was only a couple thousands dollars, not enough to 24 table 100NL. So I started off grinding 50NL and barely breaking even. After a while of that, I cashed in my first 650$ Platinum star bonus & the initial 600$ deposit bonus. With a bankroll of 4,5k, I decied to take my shot at 100NL and basically emulate Athene. Again this, didn't turn out so well (see above). I remember that day vividly, the feeling of despair and I thought that despite my best efforts, poker was probably just not for me. Fortunately, I already had a Bachelor's degree in computer science (and just now finished another in French/English translation), so I had other options.

Yet, something inside me just wouldnt give up. I guess deep down, I knew I could make this work and that I just needed to find a way that worked for me. So I stepped down to 50NL with my bruised 2.5k bankroll, bought Leakbuster and started some serious studying (the Concepts of the Week found in the sticky here were a tremendous help :http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/78...ntents-397190/

I made the resolution to read one per day, including all the discussion, and take 1 page of notes. I did this for 2 months, and by the end I had over 60 pages of notes and a good grasp of poker fundamentals. After that, my game finally started taking off. I was starting to show a decent profit at 50NL so I hopped on Fulltilt to try 50NL 6-max Rush poker while clearing the initial 600$ bonus. For the first time ever, I was doing solid. Won 1,000$ at the tables, 600$ from the bonus and 400$ from rakeback.

Confident in my newfound skill, I went back to Pokerstars to resume my much neglected Supernova race. Even though I was a small winner, the battle was far from won. I had the summer off from college, yet I could barely get in more than 50,000 hands a month 24-tabling. I had crazy mood swings, bouts of depression and basically all kind of weird stuff getting in the way of my A-game (or even playing at all). This wasn't new, but in a context where everything should have been perfect, it just didn't make sense, so I sought help.

I was diagnosed with bpd (type 2, mainly depressive). In a way, it was a relief to finally find out what the hell was wrong with me. Fortunately, medication was not only available, but very effective. In short order, my mood was finally back to normal, as in not off the charts or insanely depressed for no reason at all. Needless to say, my poker game improved by leaps and bounds, both in quantity and quality.

Shortly after that, my bankroll was back up to a respectable level for 100NL (50 buy-ins). I read Miller's new book twice in October, Small Stakes No-Limited Hold'em and it really took my game to a new level in terms of turn & river play. Almost a year later, I was ready to take on 100NL again and this time, it was do-or-die. Fortunately, it seems my efforts were not wasted and I was very happy with the results : 

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Granted, 74k hands is not exactly a huge sample to determine a winrate, but it was enough to give me a huge boost in confidence in contrast with my first shot at 100NL. All that was left to do at that point was finish what I had started : Supernova status. In my haste, I played a couple of monstrous sessions (up to 48 tables at some point due to Pokerstars' table bug). Playing at that pace like a total zombie robot was disastrous for my winrate to say the least, lol :

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But in the end, it was all worth it!

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Today feels like graduation day and after all this work, I can honestly say it was definitely one the biggest achievements of my life, not really in terms of money earned this year, but in terms of player progression. I am confident that next year will be a very succesful one, and in a way, this is all thanks to Athene. His success inspired me and kept me going during the toughest times, so thank you Chiren80!

We don't often hear about success stories from the micros, so I write this to all the struggling micro-players who dream of poker success. As Chiren inspired me, so I hope to inspire others. A wise man once said that a true champion is not someone who never fails, but someone who keeps getting back up, no matter how often he falls. Best of luck to all the grinders out there!