My Fourth Attempt At Succeeding

I’m starting this thread to document my attempt at moving up the NLHE cash game stakes in a structured, methodical way—going through self-prescribed learning routes instead of bouncing around different formats without a long-term plan, I’m aiming for a more disciplined approach this time around.

Backstory of me and Poker:

• 2014-2015: Losing at PLO
My first run in with the game was NLHE of course but in terms of actually spending a solid amount of time in one format, it was PLO and boy wasit a rough one. Intrigued by the action and complexity, I dove in headfirst but struggled with the game’s variance and postflop craziness. With no clear strategy or foundational knowledge, I ended up dropping money and confidence. I ran a total of 120 BI below EV (albeit at PLO10/5/2) but it zapped my enjoyment of the game and I took a break.

• 2017: Semi-Winning NLHE HUSNG Player
A few years later, I found success in NLHE Heads-Up Sit & Gos. The format played to my strengths—a small game tree, small adjustments, and a game that was easier to systematise. I benefited a lot from Upswing Poker’s methods, especially their “4 category” system for hand classification, which I adopted and expanded upon to fit my style. This structured approach helped me think more systematically about ranges, exploits, and adjustments. As a result, I enjoyed a consistent winning stretch during that period. I ended up quitting after a job offer coincided with a -30BI day beat-down at the €30 games on iPoker. I decided to quit while I was ahead.

• 2020: Back to PLO, Then On to MTTs
COVID hit and with not much to do during lockdown, I took another stab at PLO in 2020. This time, I made sure I had the time and energy to really focus on improving my game. But the brutal variance and big swings wore me down. It became less about poker skill and more about whether I could handle the emotional rollercoaster. Eventually, I shifted to MTTs, where I experienced a decent run—enough to keep me interested. However, when I weighed the long hours and study time against the relatively modest returns, it just didn’t feel worth it for me in the long term after getting another opportunity in my career that I thought was better to devote my time to.

Why This Approach Now?
Looking back, my main issue has been a lack of continuity and long-term planning, having an ego on how good I am and practising playing. The latter two really being the key reason. While I understand what good concepts are; studying, implementing and reflecting on these has really been lacking purely due to an arrogance inside me that I know these already. I believe I have matured a lot over the past decade and have had some successes in my career recognising this in other areas of my life and changing my approach.

The Plan – Level 1:
• Focus: Re-establishing fundamentals—preflop ranges, postflop lines, frequencies, bet sizes etc
• Goal: Achieve a consistent, positive win rate before moving up to the next stake. [Note: Initially starting at 10NL purely for practice, I plan to move straight to 50NL if I can beat this stake as the money element isn't really an issue it is more ensuring I have the fundamentals down]
Going forward, I’ll share updates, highlight interesting hands, and break down what I’m doing to improve each level’s specific challenges. If you have any advice or insights, feel free to jump in. I’m keen to see how far this structured path can take me. Next update, I’ll get into my initial sessions and identify a few areas I’m focusing on soon.

And before anyone asks, no I am never playing PLO again now matter how good someone says the games are!