By NAOMI PAZOL

2021 is here. It got here a while ago. I don’t want to rush into anything, but a new year means it’s time to make some resolutions and set some goals. 

My intention was to write a new blog post for the beginning of the year, January 2021. And yet, here I am on February 1st. When thinking of New Year’s resolutions in general, I have usually already set my resolutions and broken them by now. However, better late than never. I suppose, for a non-poker related resolution, I will have to work on my constant need to procrastinate. However, it looks like that can wait until 2022.

Back to poker … As I continue to make connections with women in the poker world, I hear people constantly talking about studying poker. There is much talk of reading books about poker, studying hand charts about poker, discussing ranges, working with pros, joining discussion groups such as the PLON group that meets on Monday nights, paying for online training through sites such Solve for Why, Jonathan Little Poker Coaching, and Red Chip Poker. Wow! I am just noticing that this is a long list. There are clearly so many ways to “study” the game of poker. With so many options out there, it seems like a no brainer that committing to studying the game should be my Poker Resolution #1. Now, to just stop procrastinating and open a book or sign up for a course. The first book gathering dust on my nightstand is The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler, so I think I’ll start with that one. I probably need to set more specific goals like read for 30 minutes a day and try at least two poker coaching sites for 30 days, but I am going to think about these for a bit. I wouldn’t want to rush into anything.

Since there is very little live poker going on and I am not fully vaccinated, you can assume that when I talk about playing poker, for now, I am referring to playing online. Live will come in due time. As I have been playing poker online pretty much daily since the world shut down, I have had a lot of time dabbling in a variety of small-stakes home games which brings me to Poker Resolution #2. In broad terms, I would say I need to get outside my comfort zone. For this, I am really referring to buy-ins. Over the past year, I have gotten very comfortable playing small games — small buy-ins, small number of entrants, small prize pools. To be honest, I’ve done OK at these. My bankroll has been steadily increasing, and I have not gone more than a day or two without cashing in at least one game. This is good. I feel good about this. It is comfortable and safe. However, it isn’t the best I could be doing. Case in point. I played two games last night. They were each $50 buy-ins and I chopped both games. For the first game, we chopped four ways for a profit of $272. In the second game, we chopped three ways for a profit of $116. Not bad but certainly not the big bucks we all dream of. In contrast, a poker friend of mine (PLON member Malia Miranda) played one game yesterday. It was a bigger game with a $200 buy-in with many more entrants and rebuys. She crushed it, winning the game and the $3,500 1st place prize.

I keep thinking about playing these bigger buy-in games, but then I chicken out, playing it safe and holding on tightly to the money I have already won. But why? It’s not change-my-life kind of money. And if this was the real world, I’d be playing most live tournaments in the $300-$1000 range. So, it’s time to get outside my comfort zone and go for the bigger wins. If I am not willing to risk losing money, I probably shouldn’t be playing poker at all. So, for this resolution, if we play online together, you can expect to see me enter some of the bigger games — soon. Really. I promise.

The above two resolutions feel like a lot for me but I feel like I should throw one more out there. Hmmm….. Poker Resolution #3? I think I am going to build on something I have started doing already thanks to PLON and the Donors League. Poker Resolution #3 is to continue learning new games and widen my poker-playing skills. Although I have played poker for over 15 years, it has been exclusively tournaments and cash games of No Limit Hold Em. I had a small understanding of Omaha, but didn’t really play anything except NLHE for money. I wouldn’t dare. There was no way I would sit at a poker table and just give my money away. Fortunately, I have been able to pick up the game of HORSE in the Donors League, and it has been great.

I can’t think of a better place to learn to play new games than in the PLON Donors League. For one $25 donation a month, you can play all the games including the Saturday HORSE tournament. The women who play in this game know what they are doing and are very willing to share their knowledge and encourage others to play. Google is also a wonderful tool to get the basics while playing. PLON members can also play in the Friday Fun Freeroll HORSE tournament at 4 p.m. PST every Friday for practice and bragging rights.

I also have been able to pick up Badugi in my Chicago boys game for a whopping $5. Again, these little stakes (practically free) games are a great way to pick up a new game. For the record, Badugi is so fun!  So, you heard it here first, Poker Resolution #3 is to play a minimum of one game a week that is not NLHE. Come join me!

Three poker resolutions for me seem like more than enough. Since I am just one random woman in the suburbs of Chicago entertaining herself with online poker while we wait out this pandemic, I thought it would be fun to see what some of the other PLON Ambassadors have planned for their 2021 Poker Resolutions. The field of #morewomen continues to get tougher by the day. Check out what some of our other Ambassadors have planned for this year!

Jeannette Mendez (lapokertina and Netty10 on GGPoker and WSOP.com) – Scottsdale, AZ — 2021 goal: To reach top ranking in Ladies GPI (Global Poker Index). She was #10 in 2020. She also hopes to surpass her largest payday of $32k.

Kim Lepa (PokerKarma96) – Jefferson, OH — 2021 resolution: To not play live poker, no matter how tempting, until she is fully vaccinated as “self-deprivation builds a strong character and tenacity which help my poker play.” As a result, she resolves to make big plans to play live in 2022 including but not limited to the Irish Poker Open, WSOP Circuit events, Las Vegas Summer Camp, MSPT, and the Heartland Poker Open. Meanwhile, in preparation for these events, she has resolved to:

• Never shove AK off unless she has 10 big blinds or less
• Study at least 10 hours a month (Split Suit Math Poker Course, Jonathan Little, Flopzilla, books, etc)
• Devote the month of December (as she has for the past 3 years) to study, playing only 10% of the time.

Jacqueline Britton (JacqMinx) -Las Vegas, NV — 2021 resolution: To improve her online results. Because of Covid, she is limiting her live play to strategic events.

Kitty Clark (Kittyclark13) – Las Vegas, NV — 2021 resolution: To add one new poker book each month to her reading list. She will continue to work to improve her game online in preparation for the “mass exodus to Las Vegas” when the Covid fears lessen.

JoLene Krawczak (Cerid711) – Oregon City, OR — 2021 resolution: To continue studying, including at least one lesson a week on LearnWPT. She is currently reading Greg Raymer’s FossilMan’s Winning Tournament Strategies. She credits PLON for helping her learn through Facebook Live Takeovers, PLON Poker Discussion Group, and the partnership with LearnWPT, which she subscribed to last year.

Tina Dubowy (tndrluvn1) – Las Vegas, NV — 2021 resolution: To study more, read some books, and don’t let emotions rule her play. Yes, we could all benefit from letting go our emotions. Note she was on track to win her home league prior to Covid.

Mary McCune  AKA Motorcycle Mary (Jadenjewell2) – Pratt, KS — 2021 goal: To learn the basics of each part of poker as best she can. “I just want to learn poker, play poker, live poker, and hopefully study enough that one day I can play in a WSOP event and feel like I belong and that I did my best.” Just a few things Mary has picked to work on include: bet sizing, put people on ranges, determine pot odds, slow down and think before betting, and understand that it’s OK to lose if you played it right. Well said, Mary.

In closing, bring it on 2021! The women of PLON are ready to hit the felt both live and online. We have made resolutions, set our goals and are ready to conquer the game. Bring it!

We’d love to hear your goals and resolutions. Please feel free to share in the comments on Facebook.