The Finale: Surpassing the $10,000 Bankroll Challenge
Today marks a significant milestone. After about 130 hours of grinding across 18 weeks, with disciplined bankroll management and continuous study in the solver, I have successfully completed the $10,000 bankroll challenge. On this day, the 9th of January 2024, a session pushed my cumulative profit to $9,217.80, bringing the starting bankroll for this challenge of $1,000 to a completion total of $10,217.80.
Reflecting on the Challenge
The $10k challenge was not just about reaching a monetary goal; it was a journey of self-discovery, discipline, and updating outdated GTO strategies. I’ve had a lot of fun along the way, even though the stakes I’ve been playing are much lower than what I was used to back in the day. That didn’t bother me. In fact, I would have been delusional to think I could jump straight into higher stakes and start winning immediately. Overall, my impression of the state of the games across NL100 and NL200 in 2023/2024 is that they should definitely be beatable for most up-and-coming grinders willing to spend time developing solid fundamentals with their preferred solver. However, be wary of the rake trap, and it’s probably a good idea to select tables carefully to increase your winrate by playing against weaker opposition. This is especially true if you are still at NL50 or below, where the rake is even more punishing.
All in all, I remain bullish on my view that the dream is still alive - at least for now. The bigger challenge still lies ahead.
Tracked hands
You have already seen the full graph at the top of this post. Unfortunately, most of my volume has been on a poker site that does not allow tracking, so I have had to manually input each session result into a spreadsheet. That’s why the graph you see at the top is not a PT/HEM graph. Thankfully, some of my volume was on GG, so I can at least share an almost 11k hand graph:
And here are the overall stats:
It goes without saying that this is a very small sample size of tracked hands and this winrate is obviously not sustainable. It’s called running good.
Lessons from Phil Galfond
As I reflect on completing the $10k challenge, a particular insight from Phil Galfond’s “Poker Mindset Strategy” resonates with my experience. He writes:
It’s not how much you win on your best days that determines your success in poker. It’s how you perform on your worst days that truly counts. Your ability to handle bad luck and losing streaks will make or break your career. Learning to lose like a champion is one of the most important ways to gain an edge.
This philosophy was a guiding light throughout my challenge and made me think back on my earlier career, which saw at times very large swings in dollar amounts. Embracing the highs and lows, understanding that success in poker isn’t just about the triumphant sessions, but also about how you handle and recover from the challenging ones, was a key takeaway. It was refreshing to be reminded of this mindset when crossing the finish line of the $10k challenge.
What Lies Ahead?
With the $10,000 bankroll challenge now behind me, I’m excited to continue on with the $100k challenge. As I venture into higher stakes and new challenges, I carry with me the strategic changes I have made and the confidence gained from this journey, affirming that I am not a complete fish.
Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported my journey. Your encouragement has been a driving force behind this achievement. Here’s to many more successes and growth on and off the poker tables!
I am going to end with a somewhat cheesy quote, because I think it applies really well to all of us trying to climb the stakes:
Success is not a destination, but the road that you’re on. Being successful means that you’re working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That’s living your dream.
– Marlon Wayans
