My long poker journey

Hello, my name is Justin and I've been an avid poker player for over 2 years now.

Over the years, I'd play the odd home game here and there, with friends and family. You know, just the typical "fun game" that often ended up with bitter arguing over whether a straight beat a flush or not, or if check-raising was allowed.

I don't remember what exactly got me started playing online, but I do remember feeling overwhelmed the first time I sat at a table. And that was just playing play chips.

After a while playing with fun money and reading the odd article, I figured I was an expert so I decided to make a small $30 deposit. Well how wrong I was. That $30 lasted me all of around an hour or 2 at the .01/.02 cash games.

 I remember feeling angry, blaming everyone but myself for the losses. After all, I was an expert. I knew everything there was to know about the game right? Well, I ended up making a few more small deposits, $20 here, $30 there. And it was always the same result. I'd lose it in no time flat and end up mad all over again.

After around my 5th deposit, I decided to do more reading and started to watch some videos. It was a real eye opener for me, realising that I was playing absolutely horribly, making just about every mistake a begginer does. The 5th deposit lasted me a lot longer this time, but I was still losing money pretty consistantly.

I read more articles and decided to start giving single table sit n go's a try. They seemed to offer a lot of value for begginers, as you got to play a lot more hands for $1 than you would at a cash table. I ended up blowing the last $5, but before that I did end up cashing in a few so I made it last quite a while this time before ultimately going bust again.

After the 5th deposit, I decided to make 1 more deposit. I told myself I'd stick to playing the sit n go's this time, and if I went broke again I would stop playing. Well I deposited another $20 and this time things changed. I started playing better and started consistantly winning. Over time I managed to win back all the money I had lost, plus started building a rather healthy roll. I made a few small withdrawls along the way to reward myself.

Today, I reflect on the player I used to be, and how much progress I've made since then. I still don't consider myself an expert, but I work hard to constantly improve my game. It is my goal to someday make a career out of poker and I know with dedication I will get there.