Ultimate Poker Life Busto Stupidity

Ultimate Poker Life Busto Stupidity

I can now say I have been completely busto! Busto in every way. I guess it isnt something a poker player would ever like to admit, hell I don't care though, the truth is the truth, why hide it? I guess a poker player losing their shirt, entire roll and lifestyle leaving them begging for poker god mercy or in the case of some degenerates I have seen in the last year; funds from friends is certainly not something a guy would discuss openly. I however am happy to. People need to know what it is like to go busto and also what players in the USA that relied solely on online poker income are likely to expect within the next year!

My busto wasn't one that was planned, the same would apply to everyone I guess. Regardless of what the tourney players may think based on my stats they are able to see it wasn't due to playing badly or bad bankroll management either. In the case of me, it was un-avoidable - sudden and painful.

Never put all your eggs in one basket is definitely something many players in the USA have likely learnt is now a true and just saying, just like I have. Once I was sponsored with the fabulous feltstars I did just that worried about 1 roll only - my feltstars one. I cashed out and paid bills with some rolls on other sites, wasted the funds on others in fun drinking play and left myself with only 1 option - my 100% totally funded sponsor site. Being 100% totally sponsored meant I was given a roll to play with and what I made on cash tables I kept. Nice easy poker lifestyle, until I couldnt play there anymore.

FeltStars had done the right thing by me and still do, none of my busto had anything to do with them of course, it was my own stupidity. In reality with my contract due to be renewed in June I should have been prepared for the worst anyway. On the fateful day I was no longer able to play on Merge I gave my entire funded roll back to them. It was back to the 1c/2c tables for me! Quite the difference from $500 pots!

This crushed my soul, made me cry, left me in limbo, made me feel helpless, hopeless, useless and lifeless. Worse of course was to come when I had nothing to pay my bills. A long time between blog posts as i had my net cut off.

I pity anyone who relied solely on playing on the big 4 that live in the USA. I guess they are in the same situation, wondering how they are going to pay for things - obviously at a completely different level though as most of them likely have a lot more money and a lot less kids then me!

Regardless of anything you do in poker be sure you always have backup sites in case things go bad for you. Hundreds of thousands of dollars being frozen with no apparent way to make an income really sucks for a lot of people right now - especially those that do no live near live casinos. To all those suffering, my thoughts are with you as I get back on track.

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Loaning Borrowing and Transferring Money for Poker and Some Problems!

Loaning Borrowing and Transferring Money for Poker and Some Problems!

So you are short of cash on online poker sites and figure that you will find someone will roll you up? You have a fair amount of cash online and someone needs a loan? You plan on transferring money - swapping from one site to another? You have a live tournament to play and plan on getting staked? All of these things come under the categories of "Loaning, Borrowing and Transferring Money for Poker". I have seen a lot of these transactions lately and although it is not new and has long been a way to operate in poker for a long time, it can cause issues regardless of what side of the deal you are on.

Every poker player has their ups and downs no matter how good or bad they are. There is one thing for certain though. A very good poker player will never go completely busto. Let's think of the likes of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and the like. Can you imagine them going completely broke - EVER? These poker players have built thier bankrolls and have played accordingly and managed poker like a business. If you are needing a loan from a friend to play a game, I would suggest you start considering this factor, the factor of good poker management. Sure we cant help a downward spiral of losses but we can ensure we deal with them appropriately and lower our stakes to build things back up. Issue number 1 is obviously self control! Control yourself before you dig yourself a hole of debt you can not escape.

On the other hand many of us form strong bonds and relationships in poker and see a friend in need and want to help. The fact is, in poker you are always going to see friends having their very low down moments. We are not all Phil Iveys! Lets remember that poker is much like life, you do not loan your money (your car or your wife / husband lol). It has got to be a very trusted person for you to loan money to and a person who needs it for a good reason, right? Starvation, house burnt down, got flooded, robbed, needs medical care are all good reasons. Is a poker tournament? What are the chances of getting paid back? Sure they are your friend (for now), they are you very good friend but .... there is no guarantee they are going to win and then they are going to have to loan more money right? What are you going to do when you need that money back? Say goodbye to the friendship! I have seen massive fights that have never been resolved through loaning money to friends in poker. Issue number 2 is keeping your friendships. Simply not being able to afford to loan to a friend or not having access to funds is a good way to get out of it to avoid a permanent friendship breakdown.

Transferring money causes issues too! A simple transfer or helping a friend cash out can cause much chaos and a lot of tension between players. Sometimes we do not have a way to cash out but our friend does. We use them as a means to get our money. We can transfer to them on the online poker site and they can draw out funds for us. If something goes wrong their end however with bank and online merchant delays and screw ups let the fights begin! The same applies for the other way around. You deposit for them and transfer them the money expecting cash in return. The cash doesn't come and you are furious! Things happen, its not normally anyones "fault" as such, unless they are a rip off and planned it. If they are your friend though its unlikely! Issue 3 is keeping things calm when transfers go wrong, its hard but its a must and this issue happens regularly! Accounts get frozen and funds get held up, its a common and unfortunate thing!

Lets look at a backing situation and what can go wrong! You offer to back your friend into a tournament for a 70% return on your money when he cashes. He doesn't cash, you expect not to get paid off. He does cash and doesn't pay you off as he has sold shares to others as well? I have seen people over sell themselves so many times and fall short with an inability to pay the return. Nasty! I have also seen friends furious with friends they have backed for making a move that they wouldn't and busting out. It isn't pretty! It also becomes a big issue when the backing money isn't dished up! I saw players at recent tournaments promised backing, the backing money was held up so they used other means until it came through, means ($$) they couldn't afford or didn't plan on using. The money backing money never arrived! Did someone say fight? Issue number 4 when it comes to money and poker and loaning and borrowing is ensuring backing transactions run smoothly. Don't just assume they will, even the biggest of players get caught!

All in all, to keep within your own means and funds is the best way for sure perfection when it comes to friendships and a smooth poker life. Keep your funds where they belong and don't mix and match them with your friends. If it is a business deal and done between yourself and colleagues, that can be different, but when it is a friend, the sure way to keep a friend is to keep poker business away from the friendship. Also watch who you are dealing with when it comes to business transactions. I have found some big fat rip offs of late! I would hate anyone else to encounter them!

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FeltStars Current Deposit Rewards

FeltStars Current Deposit Rewards

Please forgive me for not blogging of late, I have not been well. Below I pretty much copied and pasted adding a few little things from FeltStars itself. As shown on the FeltStars site, here are the latest deposit bonuses which i do not think can be beaten! Definitely the best bang for your buck I can see at the moment!

To kick off our FeltStars Deposit Rewards, for a limited time only, FeltStars will be offering a 20% Instant Deposit Bonus.

As a special thank you to all of FeltStars loyal players we will be rewarding all depositors from October 8th till November 27th 2010 with some huge rewards. The FeltStars Deposit Rewards levels have been outlined below:

Our first level is our Silver Star depositor, which is achieved by a player whose total deposits during the time of the promotion exceed $25.
Silver Star depositors will receive a coupon to play in our $100,000 Pro Bounty Tournament. it is shown in the FeltStars lobby and can be easily spotted by the big number in the title $100,000.00.

The second level is our Gold Star depositor, which is achieved by a player whose total deposits during the time of the promotion exceed $75.
Gold Star depositors will enjoy ALL the rewards that the Silver Star depositors enjoy and more. As a Gold Star depositor you receive free entry into a $1,500 Freeroll on November 27th at 12:00 Server Time which is limited to only the first 1,000 players who achieve Gold Star depositor status or higher!

The third level is our Platinum Star depositor, which is achieved by a player whose total deposits during the time of the promotion exceed $150.
These depositors will enjoy ALL the rewards of Silver and Gold depositors, but in addition they will also have access to an exclusive $5,000 Freeroll on November 28th at 13:30 Server Time which is limited to only the first 750 players who achieve Platinum Star depositor status or higher!

Then our highest level is our Diamond Star depositor, which is achieved by a player whose total deposits during the time of the promotion exceed $500.
A Diamond Star level depositor will enjoy ALL that is offered to Silver, Gold and Platinum depositors plus they will also receive a free entry coupon into our Sunday $50,000 Guaranteed Tournament($109 Value) on November 28th at 15:00 Server Time, as well as a special FeltStars Gift Package. In short you could say that a Diamond Star depositor WILL be hopefully buying some diamonds when they ahve finished playing all of the games!

Here is a table to show you how it works!

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Rakeback Does Pay In Online Poker

Rakeback Does Pay In Online Poker

Each day that comes and goes most people reading this article will have some game of online poker. Maybe it will be a 10c+1c Sit N Go, possibly it will be playing on a 25c/50c cash table. If you are playing bigger stakes such as $10+$1 or even $200 buy-in tourneys or of course higher stakes cash then rakeback is of most importance.

Regardless of your play level rakeback is money in your pocket. For those who don't know what rakeback is; let me explain!

Rake is taken from every tournament buy-in and from certain hands during cash table play (in short). The rake is how the casino makes their money. As an example a $10+$1 tournament pays the online poker room $1.

Many people have rakeback on every room they play. For those who don't think of the benefits! Let's say you play for 5 hours on a cash table. You are likely to get around 30% rakeback; some give 40% rakeback and depending on the stakes you play that can really add up! Some people receive hundreds of dollars in rakeback on a daily level (obviously they are high stakes players). Getting $1, $2, $3 or even $10 back in your pocket each day really pays off if you are a low limit player.

Many players signed up with the online giants without rakeback. This is a real problem as they are losing out on money they could otherwise be making without effort. I suggest to join up to another poker room in addition to the one you are playing on if you are lacking rakeback. If you play on a network and like the tournaments and games, you can always join up with one of the other sites on the network and you still get to play where you want (in a round abouts way).

If sticking with the online giant you are with is your thing then nothing really hurt except your pocket and not too badly. In my opinion though, as with everything "Every Cent Counts!"

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Building Your Bankroll With Online Poker Promotions

Building Your Bankroll With Online Poker Promotions

Whenever I go looking for a game of online poker on a poker site I have not played on, the first thing I check is the online poker rooms available promotions. Of course I ensure there is nothing too dodgy about the poker room’s background as I don’t want to join a room which may close and take my money; but mostly I go straight for the poker room’s promotions page.

Poker Online Promotions can add a substantial amount of money to your bankroll when selected and used wisely. The first promotion I look at is the sign up bonuses. Getting a good deal on a sign up bonus can double and even triple your bankroll. Some signup promos include free rolls for first depositors. Make sure you check on these also and ensure they are being played when YOU can play them! Living in Australia the 3am wakeups for tournaments can get annoying!

Many poker rooms also offer loyalty rewards, free entries into live tournament satellites, refer a friend programs and online stores where you can spend you loyalty reward points. It is very important that you look at all of these different promotions available and make sure you use them to your full advantage.

Let me show you just how much you can increase your bankroll from a $50 deposit.

Deposit $50 on a site where you receive a 100% signup bonus and you suddenly have $100 (this usually has conditions related to the amount of points you earn – the more you play the quicker it’s paid).

Refer a friend and have them successfully deposit and you may receive another $50.

Some sites offer up to 12 $1000 freerolls for new depositors win or place in a few of these and add maybe $300 to your account.

Summarised: for your $50 you now have $450 PLUS the tournament entry fees which would likely equate to another $60 making your total profit just from joining depositing and playing $460 give or take a few dollars – and that’s profit folks!

To look at this one step further at the same time you are playing you are earning points. These points also go towards tournament entries and merchandise purchases. With some online poker sites the promotions really don’t end! I do mean this too, with some offering free cash, VIP tourneys; monthly freerolls and Country related ones. Other things include raffle like cash wins and bad beat jackpots.

Now remember the above figures are just an example of what you CAN get and they have not taken into account the fact that some people may deposit $50 go to a cash table, spend their bankroll unwisely and use their $50 in one hand. Advice is NOT to do that!

All in all ensuring that you look closely at the online poker promotions available at all sites can be very profitable. Enjoy searching through some new sites available promos, don’t sit back and be ripped off, miss out and fall behind. Change rooms if your room doesn’t offer good promotions!

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Your Poker Career (1) How to Become a Pro Player

Your Poker Career (1) How to Become a Pro Player

Of recent times a lot has happened in the poker world, from UGEIA through to the EPT and the unfortunate passing of popular players in our poker world. Poker is televised every night on television and is indeed in a boom that I can not see stopping. Amidst all of this, there is one topic many people keep coming to me asking about. It is certainly a questionable topic that has been around for many years and also one that most recently has become thousands and thousands of peoples’ dreams. “How do I become a poker pro? How do I get sponsored? How do I live my poker dream?” This sums the questions up I have been recently asked.

It appears to many that I am the person to ask this, I guess I am. I have had discussions with many a poker pro in this world, from the biggest to the smallest; specifically on this subject. I have recently been a main contributor in the sponsoring process of Cindy “QUEEN-BEE” Morgan as the Brand Ambassador for raidbet.net from start to finish and indeed was one of the first to speak to Billy The Croc on his recent FTP signing. I believe I was the first to write both stories.


So to save everyone asking me all the time, I thought this would be a great thing to write down for you all; my thoughts, beliefs and advice on doing the above.

The 3 questions asked above indeed all need in depth answers. There is a lot to cover for all three. More then I can place in this blog entry. Because this is the case, I shall answer one of these questions for three weeks running.

Firstly as mentioned in Eat Professional Poker Players Alive, I wrote that “I myself am not a Pro!” I must make this clear. Many people do believe I am a professional poker player but again, I am not. This however is through choice. I would have been a pro player by now if I wanted to. I do not wish to do this at this time in my life. This brings me to answer question number 1 that everyone asks me. How do I become a pro?

A professional poker player can be defined as someone who makes their entire living from poker. A person whom is a professional, who pays taxes each year as a professional! Being a professional poker player needs to be clear in your mind. It does not necessarily mean “Sponsorship.” “Playing on an online site with a red mark against your name” or anything of that kind. It is a job in basic terms.

To clarify how to become a pro is simple for me to do. You need to have your timing and finances perfect, this is not an easy job/position to step into. Firstly, ensure that your poker earnings are exceeding your 9 to 5 job earnings. As the saying goes, don’t give up your day job! Until you are making a large enough income to pay rent, utilities, food and all living costs from poker you must not attempt to become a pro as your living. Many people get to this stage by working their normal job and designating an extra 4 hours minimal per day to increase their poker bank rolls. This is the most important factor of how you become pro. Ensure you can!

When you are making enough money to support yourself living wise and have a great “poker” bankroll to continue playing in tournaments and cash games which will fund you daily. Basically you ARE a pro. There is no real answer as to how do I become one, it happens through poker skill, bank roll management and careful planning. You will indeed know when you are at that stage. When reaching it, in the bin with your old job and best of luck on the felt. Remember though that as a pro you will need to pay taxes. Ensure you know all legalities revolving around your new job.

Stay tuned for question number 2 to be answered in my next blog, “How do I get sponsored?”

Danielle - AKA - Hot Aussie Chick xoxoxoxox

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