By Natasha Tatta
Where have I been since introducing myself a year ago as I dove into the poker world? Grinding my way on my poker quest, of course. Here is an update of how it has been so far.
You can find my introductory article here:
I should probably start with my trip to Vegas in July of 2019. I’ve been traveling to my favorite destination every year, but 2019 was different. I finally got the courage to hit the biggest and greatest poker felts. I didn’t play any WSOP events, however I played at the PH Goliath series, and I played morning until night every single day. I loved every moment of it. I didn’t manage any huge wins, other than a few final tables at the Flamingo daily Bounty tournaments. The countless hours I spent playing in Vegas served me well, as I won a Montreal Playground tournament upon my return, even though it was a small one.
End of August, I won my very first big WSOP Circuit Satellite, and I got to play the $1,100 Main Event at Playground. I busted an hour short of the end of Day 1. I was so excited to be playing that event that my emotions were all over the place, and that probably kept me from playing well!
October brought the WPT Tour in Montreal that I was longing for since summer. I played regularly and studied hard every day preparing for this local event. I was pleased to cash in all three events that I played. My best result was finishing 19th (327 entries) in the $250+$250$Bounty event with four bounties.
Then, I made the biggest mistake any player can make. I overestimated myself and my winning streak. I took all my winnings and played the $3,300 WPT Main Event, only to bust a few hours into the game. It was a dreadful moment, but most of all, it was a lesson!
When I dropped my first few lines on this blog almost a year ago, I never imagined that I would be playing in such big events the same year, much less do well in them for a first timer! It gave me the confidence and the courage to persevere. What I appreciated the most from these events was the numerous players, professional ones and less professional ones, that I met at the tables, or in the corridors. I enjoyed spending countless hours discussing poker with so many people in a festival atmosphere. Most of all, I learned A TON! I had read about how important it was to have poker friends to analyze hands with and discuss strategy. It made so much sense when I could finally be part of discussions with players far better and more experienced than I was. So I may have unnecessarily busted my bankroll a few times, and I may not have final tabled any of the big events, but what I did gain from the experience was PRICELESS. It definitely helped me improve my own game and mindset.
A pro that I met during the WPT Tour suggested that I play more online. According to him, you cannot succeed at live poker today if you aren’t already succeeding online. Even though there are mixed opinions about this, I figured I had nothing to lose in testing it. I started reducing my live sessions and increased playing online. It turns out he was probably right. Playing more online was another way to improved my game, with a greater ROI. I had also read about how important it was to play cash games to build a bankroll, as opposed to only playing tournaments. Turns out that was also true!
So, after a year of reading and studying the game every single day (books, newsletters, articles, blogs, podcasts, twitches, videos), playing five days straight in Las Vegas, and 2-3 local live tournaments per week, I’m now playing more online, and more 2/5 live cash games (I’ve moved up from playing 1/2 last year).
I’ve been through several ups and downs, yet I’m happy with my achievements so far, and I’m confident of being on the right track. I’m still reading every day, however at this point I’m looking into implementing equity calculators and solvers into my training, and I’m exploring GTO. I’ve come a long way since a year ago, and I can’t wait for our next local large MTT events, as I still prefer tournaments to cash games, and live ones to online! Nothing beats the excitement of playing live games, and the pleasure of meeting so many interesting people to learn from and to exchange with.
My biggest lesson so far is that there isn’t any specific winning recipe, as I thought a year ago that there might be, and I was eager to discover. There are so many strategies, player profiles, training content, and ways to explore and improve the game. The only winning recipe I’ve discovered is finding the one that best suits your personality, capacities and routine. We all learn in different ways. Have a plan that best suits your ways and stick to it, and never stop learning. As Jonathan Little said: poker is a process, enjoy the process! How true!