Long term poker goals

Thought i'd finally get around to posting a few thoughts which might actually set some direction for me over the longer term. I guess i'll start with a few questions for myself:

Do I have ambitions to turn professional? Well the short answer is no. I like the social side of working a regular job, and even though I am an introvert, I'm sure i'd go nuts just playing poker online day after day. It would be very isolating I think. Even if I have a day or two off work now and decide to play poker, I do not just play for the whole day, as I get tired of it.

What is my motivation to play? I like winning at whatever I attempt to do. I like money. I don't necessarily need to be the best though, so I won't play against the best players, or even those too tight for the game to be EV+

Will I switch to no limit or some other form of poker? To be honest, i'm not sure. I regularly read that people find no limit easier - maybe there are more fish in the pool. However, given I am doing okay, I guess I don't feel the need to fix something that ain't broke.

Will I move up limits? Well, I started at .5/1 effectively, so I have moved up from there. I'm not convinced I will go a lot further than $4/8, although with good table selection I will be playing the occasional $5/10 game in the near future. In a couple years though I suspect the easier money will still be up to the $3/6 level. Might need to think about this some more.

What do I want out of poker? For the moment its a bit of extra income on the side. I am certain I wouldn't want to be reliant on the game as my only source of income as I believe that would drastically decrease my enjoyment of the game. I guess I also enjoy the challenge of growing my bankroll. I'm not sure if this is to prove anything to myself, or if I see at as kind of a video game where your bankroll is effectively your score, and I like to do well in games so the bigger the score the better.

How do I stay motivated? Basically I play when I want to play. Admittedly this is quite often still at the moment, but as soon as I get sidetracked or a bit bored I quit and only come back when I really want to play again. I think the fact that there is no pressure on me to do well also is a significant factor. Just having a blog may also motivate me to a degree I think - at least it prevents me from being too lazy and ensures that I do analyse my play after a significant loss or win.

So where would I actually like to be in a couple years? I think i'll still be playing limit poker predominantly unless the games completely dry up. I think I will still be at the medium stakes level with play mostly at the $3/$6-$5/$10 levels, and mainly at the lower end of that scale. I can't see myself playing more hours, so it will still be kind of a hobby at 20-30 hours per month. In terms of monetary targets, i'd like to have a bankroll somewhere around $40,000-$50,000 mark, with a fair chunk of that offline earning at least $200 per month for doing nothing. I suspect I won't be chasing bonuses quite as much but relying more on rakeback and reloads as I would have already completed many of the sign up bonus offers.

What is wrong with the higher stakes? I don't want to reach my level of incompetence, where I am no longer good enough to beat the game, which will happen if I just keep on moving up. (And I do have plenty of leaks which would probably be exploited!). Although I think that if I find myself with a $40k bankroll, I might actually play some of the $10/20 or higher games if I happen to spot a fishy table. It does all become relevant after a while - when I started a $2/4 game would have appeared to be crazy, so I guess you never know, maybe the bigger tables won't look so big in a couple years.

Tournaments? I just don't have the patience, or the inclination to spend multiple hours just sitting there. I think smallish sitngos are about my limit for them to be EV+ so I can't see anything changing in the next couple years.

Live play? Whilst I do quite enjoy live play, 30 hands an hour and a 10% rake is just atrocious. The local casino here is very fishy though. To be honest, the only time i'll bother going there is if its with a mate or two and we're just going to have fun. Its always good to come out in front though, so I do play a TAG style against the fishes.

What about education? I guess I haven't felt the need to sign up for a website like stox or cardrunners or anything like that. I find experience to be a great teacher, as long as I have a sound base, which I think I have from the Stox and Boerer books. I will continue to look at hands on 2p2 though from time to time, and see if my thinking is consistent with others. If anyone brings out a new book that is raved about, I will probably give it a go. If I switch to no limit I have no doubt i'd get Harrington on cash first.

How will I stay on track to achieving these goals? Probably through a couple ways - this blog for one, and in particular making sure I continue to do everything in yesterday's post. You never know though, I might get bored one day and quit playing altogether. Not super likely right now, but it could happen. Or my game could develop so many leaks that I dont notice that my play becomes EV- ... and then I would quit whilst I was still in front.

So I am going to .....? just keep cruising along. Everything always works out in the end

Might add some more if I think of any ....