What are Goals Without Accountability?

Happy New Year! (half way through the month I know) While my blog entries have dwindled over the life of this blog, my focus on my goals for the year has not. Last year, I reviewed my goals through a blog. This year will be no exception. Without further ado,

After much thought and reflection, I've come up with some of my goals for 2009.

1. Win 1 major online tournament series event including the UBOC, FTOPS, WCOOP, SCOOP.

Ship it!!!!!!! I won a WCOOP in September in the $215 Limit Hold 'em. I actually just returned from the Bahamas where they gave me my official WCOOP bracelet. I hope it's the first of many....
I know I got a 3rd in the UBOC Limit Hold 'em tournament as well....hmmm. Maybe I should play more limit tournaments even though that UBOC should barely count as a major online tournament series for a small limit tournament.

2. Final table 2 major online tournament series tourneys including the UBOC, FTOPS, WCOOP, SCOOP

See number 1. Mission accomplished..kind of. The FTOPS has eluded me this year.

3. Win a World Series of Poker Bracelet
3rd place in Pot Limit Omaha...very close but no cigar and this will from now on be listed as the number 1 goal.

4. Win a live tournament
3rd place in the WSOP and no cashed in any live tournament outside of the WSOP. I don't know exactly what's going on in the live arena. I haven't played that many and maybe just volume is where I'll find that win.

5. Win 10 online tournaments
I think this needs to be more specific, but what I meant was online multi-table tournaments with probably over 100 players.
I won 10 on Full Tilt including those small $75 other game tourneys (3 wins in Pot Limit Omaha, HORSE, and Omaha Hi/Lo), a $26 7-game mix and $26 heads up, so not as impressive as NL Hold 'em wins.
I won 2 on Pokerstars, the WCOOP and a PLO8 $215.
I won 2 on Ultimate Bet.
Total wins of 14 and I don't feel satisfied at all. I had a total lack of no limit wins. (Foreshadowing my goals 2010 post of course...)

6. Play a satellite to every live tournament main event where I enter a preliminary event
I'm pretty sure I did this except for when it was not +EV for me to do so. I did not win any of these satellites, so while I accomplished this goal, it did not achieve the desired results of putting me in a big tournament.

7. Reach 80 final tables including all events with over 50 entrants (not including sit and gos)
45 final tables on Full Tilt
16 final tables on Pokerstars
7 final tables on Ultimate Bet.
Total of 68 final tables online + 1 final table at the WSOP= 69 final tables.

8. Win an entry to a European Poker Tour event and go play it.
Fail

9. Play at least 5 events in every live tournament series I enter where there are at least 20 events.

I did not complete this goal because the Bellagio had bad numbers for tournaments. That being said, it shouldn't be considered a failure because I had specific reasons for not playing at least 5 events. I played more than 5 at the LAPC and WSOP because they had great turnouts and soft fields. The Bellagio was a different story at certain points of the year.

10. Win 1 Sunday major from the following list of tournaments: Sunday Brawl, Sunday Million, Sunday 500, Sunday Warmup, Full Tilt 750k or 1 mill, UB 200K, Full Tilt Mulligan, Stars 200 Rebuy

None of my wins included one of these.



Overall, I had an exciting year when it came to poker, but it was much different than 2008. In 2009, I had two larger cashes in games that weren't even No Limit Hold 'em that basically gave me what I needed for the year compared to 2008 where I won several more mid-range prizes. All in all, I'm still playing poker and have goals ready in the next blog....