UPDATE: week 4 of my commitment to make money playing online poker

KPIs:
Bankroll at the end of the week: -€21,9 (week-on-week)
overall ITM: 37% (down 6% from 43% a week ago)

Notes:

• I didn't play enough.
  
• Many times I was in a bad mood - stressed out on fighting with my ex-employer, or with my fiancé,
  
• I have been trying to adjust my style to aggressive and properly tight style getting away from a 'rockish' style.
  
• The key problem was not being properly tight, neighter properly aggressive at times.
  

Earlier posts:
1. The original post on my commitment
2. the first week's update
3. the update of the second week
4. the update of the third week

Just so you don't forget it here's my disclaimer.

UPDATE: week 3 of my commitment to make money with playing poker online

KPIs:
Bankroll at the end of the week: -€1,26 (week-on-week)
overall ITM: 43% (down 2% from 45% a week ago)

Notes:

• I still have not played enough. An average of 1 and a half hours per day.
  
• Sometimes I played when I shouldn't being moody.
• I was sick throughout the whole week.
• I have still being adjusting my style to aggressive and properly tight style.
  
• The key problem was not being properly tight, neighter properly aggressive at times.
  

Still swinging with the new style, scoring 4th or 5th (just out of money) in every 3rd game I have entered :(

Resources:
1. The original post on my commitment
2. the first week's update
3. the update of the second week

Just so you don't forget it here's my disclaimer.

Step 1.1 - Are there any threats in online poker

Just like in every business you should be aware of risks. Life itself as a business is risky, and there is an end that is far too evident. What are the specific risks you should be looking at when playing online poker?

Internet connection problems
This is not that evident to many. But it can simply cause you grieve and make you loose more by not letting you play the monster hand in the final you hoped for. Did not happen to me yet, but heard horror stories from fellow players.

Identity theft Beside the classical phishing type of login password stealing here are two ways you can get the 'bait' and get caught:

1. Downloading an 'amazing' poker tool that just claims to do everything under the sun you can imagine. Only to find somebody wrote a tiny piece of code that steals your online poker room login and password to take your money away.
   
2. The same story as above without any special software involved - i.e. the shady poker room operator trying your login and password on other pokerroom sites where you might be playing.

I had a strange session last month before starting my poker commitment month. I have been mostly involved in freerolls and was trying to figure out if there are poker rooms that give you free money to start with. Have found a seemingly fine site (from the CD poker network). It was advertised to give you $50 + $100 just for signing up. 'Bingo, that's my place', was my initial thought. However when going through their quizzes that I passed with a fair 80% back then - before even reading a single book on poker - my firewall sent an alarm to my screen. It was about some malicious piece of code found in the installation software pack I was just about to download. I sent an email to pokerroomschool.com as a result, but the only reply I have got was this:

"Thank you for your interest in .

Please try to download the software from the following link:
Or from the attached file. We would like to advise you to switch off your
anti- virus programme during installation the client."

Would you install it?
Anyway, I didn't and I haven't even looked back since! It might be that my antivirus is bugging me but I didn't have the same problem with other softwares, thus...

Illegit software / poker tools used
First, you shall not use any tool that gives you an unfair advantage over your opponents. If you are looking for these type of helps than please stop reading here and go find another blog. This is an integrity question thus you have to decide, clearly.
The realm of software that are banned by various sites vary. Also, some tools has use for all players and some are clear cheats. However, there are a few types of software that you must clearly avoid - such as random numbe generators (that tries to give you the next possible card to come from the 'dealer' based on the same type of computation that is used by the online poker room servers),

Collusion
Did not happen to me yet, but it comes in various forms, such as cheaters engaging in telephone calls or instant messaging, discussing their cards. This is hard a hard to spot issue since nobody can see them. However, responsible online poker rooms keep records of hands played. Thus collusion can be detected by finding any of the detectable patterns - such as folding good hands to a small bet.

Poker room going bust...
...with your money flying out through the window. There were a few scandals and if the going gets harder (probably it is already hard enough though) there will be more to come. In todays financial instability there might be pokerroom operators on the dire straits. Not highly like, just as any major bank to go bust!

Tips to save you from most of these threats

• Get a solid Internet connection or don't play high/no limit games through non-solid connections to save your mind and money!
• Have a good antivirus/complete firewall on your computer and make sure it is updated and turned on.
• Don't use the same password - at least - on different online poker rooms.
• If you are suspicious of any of your opponents playing dirty tricks (illegit software or simple collusion)
• Monitor your pokerroom and cash out time to time.
  

Find other posts of the series on online poker strategy:
1.0 What is in it for you?

Also, read my disclaimer here that gives a few more hint about the threats ahead should you slip out of control.