Secrets of the Amateurs

This month

I stepped up to the plate and bought in to tournaments for a total of $3700, compared to the previous montly maximum of $2000. Thanks to finishes of 4th, 6th, 5th and 2nd (the 2nd being quite a small tournament) I cleared $1600. Can you spot what's missing ? And I don't mean 3rd. I think I have been guilty of playing too passively at a few final tables. My 3 recent place finishes in the Cryptologic £15K guaranteed have been 3rd ($2640), 4th ($1980) and 6th ($1320), total $5940. A 2nd and two 9ths would have paid about the same. A win and two 299ths would have paid $7400 ! There's a big jump from 3rd to 2nd on Crypto (it's the same as the jump from 2nd to 1st). Trying to play for 2nd has, inevitably, resulted in the 3rd/4th/6th finishes. Next time I should keep playing the way that accumulated the chips in the first place.

This year

Overall online figures for the year, 287 tournaments, paid $16800, returned $34300, profit $17500. Online cash/bonuses/live tournaments pretty much break even. I'm very happy with that in my spare time. As I said below, virtually all of that profit was made on Betfair and associated Cryptologic sites. If I can make something similar in 2006, then we might think about career options, because that would be enough in certain circumstances, and how much more than enough do you need ? I read a Q&A the other day where a young player said he aimed to make £150K online next year and I just shook my head, what on earth do you need all that for. Here's to a 2006 of meeting sensible goals to all readers :-)