I will give you the high level stuff first. In 6 months I have lost $647. I played 43,508 hands playing 270.75 hours for a lost rate of $2.39 an hour. My monthly win loss rate is as follows.
Jan +$96.85
Feb -$768.45
March +$27.55
April +$14.51
May -$69.35
June +51.89
As you can see February was my big set back. After February I did a compete analysis of my 5 years of playing on-line poker and came to the conclusion I was a break even poker player. Yes, after hundreds of thousands of hands I had not won or lost any money. Yet over that same 5 years I had withdrawn thousands of dollars from Poker Stars. In fact in just the last 6 months where I had lost $647.00 I had withdrawn $1,225.00. So how could this be?
What I realized is I was making money on the points and the bonuses. Poker Stars has a loyalty programs just like airlines give you miles for flying. Poker Stars gives you points for playing. Sometime you can trade the points for cash and sometime you use them to play in tournaments that you can then win cash. So I have been playing enough poker to win enough points to make a nice profit while at the same time my poker is good enough to break even so I do not lose money.
Once I figured this out I change my strategy. I moved down several levels of play. I am now playing at the 5 cent 10 cent tables. This way I still get my points and I can polish my poker skills. If I do lose I do not lose as much so my swings are much smaller. I will not move up a level until I win consistently over thousands and thousands of hands.
I have been using this strategy since February and you can see over the following 4 months I am up $24.61 and my biggest lost was a -$69.35 (May). Below are some of the players I have been playing.
Cheers,
DUG
bigacsiga, vettejunkie, RagEm, Skrimpwrench, Patjeritzel, sarouman10, CodeRedRulez, lazrom, ShanZ, luskid, CK the 1, Soply, anthony0076, Shumbis, rodjeur1982, gutter23, ShaRo1, SKobold, Ahinogood, justtocol, Carletheman, t.kazasov, ibanribas, INcinerate, e306, EesYksiPotti, teus78, Bhappens, Marshall000, Raynor_88, SpainT9, Van Belle, ZEUSNR1, bertucho, arraco, boedje, Loveu2ja, saro5, lllFSlll, Raoul8778, JamesFuture, elgrenhornet, seppmann7, JimboNYY24, rucktseca, jarmiXL, BOKKIE81, Ben-Pi, xanja, Mr Right 00, pesheraj, fromwhere1, ValeTudo23, Sweden_Pound, NomadMystic, Duffryder7, Mokoman80, _eLcAp0_, zzn1980, Sgt.pepper73, 29206298, AALLPPIINNEE, TexasBill74, CMulls14, Elbeto87, Marcin7878, kobepaul8, ChangLeeSun, BowDownUW, JadenWSOP, Juicy Junket, zugos, Smaug, dodddd2807, vinivici9586, E1C836, knetter84, Maggiolo, mat12124, picardsflute, sig1111, Hydra80, Michael171, kristiano772, awicked, pacox, michael979, RageIllumina, benigna, Tao_64, whiterice197, JustDoIt898, backspace513, 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