Hello and welcome to my Poker Journal, thanks for stopping by! Here, I will document my efforts of improving at Poker and working myself out of the micro stakes.

About Me
I'm a 20 years old student (3rd semester computer science), born and living in Germany. I've been playing poker for nearly exactly two years at this point, starting out by bascially not studying and trying to beat the Micro MTTs. I never really succeeded before deciding to take the game more seriously about 9 months ago (at least that's when I bought PT4 :P). At that time I first took interest in cash games which will be my absolute main focus for 2017. I've played about 170k hands of 2NLz to 10NLz to this day, most of which I have no access to since I had to re-install windows twice and never backed up Pokertracker. My current stake is 5NLz (6MAX).
My current financial situation is such that I can pay rent and 'survive' while being able to save about $50 a month. As you might imagine, it's tough to be on that sort of budget and still be partying, buying reasonably expensive stuff (clothes, tech, etc.) or going on holiday once or twice a year.
Finally, my Pokerstars bankroll is at $124. I am not planning on depositing any money on that account anytime soon. This is where my poker goals come into play...

Goals - Poker
Short term (~2 months):
- play an average of >1000 hands per day for multiple months
- move up to 10NLz and 16NLz rather aggressively (start shot-taking at 10NLz with 15BI, 2BI stop loss and 16NLz with 20BI, 2BI stop loss respectively)
- study RIO Essential vids, discuss hands on various platforms
- keep this journal updated at least weekly with results, interesting hands and general things I did to improve my game.
Mid term (~1 year):
- move up to 25NLz once my Bankroll reaches $750 (also: figure out a stop loss, maybe 4BI?)
- play at least 75k hands there without taking shots at 50NLz even if I was rolled for it
- manage to beat 25NLz at a rate that allows me to make >$10/hr (>5bb/100 post-rakeback)
- actively work on my mental game
- basically have Poker as a solid side job to always fall back on if needed
Long term:
- move up to higher stakes if I feel mentally and financially prepared
- maximise profits and enjoy playing Poker on the side while studying/having a job
- take a poker trip to a big European city (Prague?)

Goals - Personal life
- start going out more, actively look for a partner
- spend as much time with friends and family as possible
- become more open about my Poker hobby (very few people I'm close with even know about it at this point)
- become a happier person in general (I'm generally not unhappy about my current life but it could be much better)

Goals - Studying
- not let Poker get in the way of my studies
- achieve satisfying results in upcoming exams
- actually visit the majority of classes
- become a more organized person

Here's my results over the last 72k hands which I have accumulated from the beginning of December '16 to now.

Finally, I want to thank you for stopping by and encourage you to comment, it will certainly help to keep me motivated to do this blog and will make stuff more interesting for both you and me.

GL at the tables!