I believe that goal setting should be done using attainable goals. But I don’t mean that I should set the level of my goals too low, making it easy to obtain them.
It has taken me over three months to recoup my early losses at DoylesRoom.com. I was playing Limit Hold ‘Em trying to avoid the exact same losses that I sustained. Since that time, I have switched over to playing No Limit Hold ‘Em. I have had winning sessions that have grown my bankroll with Doyle’s to within $25 of what I had started with three months ago.
Having said that, my December goal is to increase my account with Doyle’s by $62 in winnings. At that point, I will move up from the .25/.50 cash games with a $30 buy-in to the .50/1.00 with a $50 buy-in. I realize that by moving up, the games will be a little harder as the players tend to be a little better and more experienced. In the event that my account dips below my November level, I would step down a level or back to .25/.50 until I rebuild my account.
My 2010 goal for playing at DoylesRoom is to steadily win and move up to the $2/$4 by the end of the year at the least. My ultimate goal is to be able to generate a steady income by playing poker, a game and a challenge that I enjoy.
My tournament goals for this year are being limited to mostly Twitter Poker Tour and Railbird events until my tourney playing skills improve. Yes, I will take an occasional shot at a satellite tourney but knowing that I still have a lot to learn, I will be patient until my skills catch up with my ambitions.
Do you set poker goals? How do you define them? Do you have a fall back plan to keep you from depleting your bankroll?