Glad to see another old lady!

I share similar sentiments regarding splitting your energy into something else that has nothing to do with poker.
Getting to play two or three times a week, only when I'd really enjoy it sounds like a dream scenario.
(Although I played even less then that for the past 10 weeks^^)
I know of a bunch of people who just go for what they are truly passionate about while being on the grind (be it poker or something else) and that's a pretty enviable spot to be in, provided you have the discipline/talent.

Keep us updated on your writing endeavors and gl on "datcanadiangrind"

Waking Life completely blew me away when I randomly got to see it zapping through the TV. Think I was about 15 and it sparked my interest in philosophy immensely at the time.
Linklater is just such a boss when it comes to writing.

Some o dat Salsa

Time to put on dem dancing shoes ole lady, shake dat booty like no tomorrow and swing away till da end of times, yo





Why? Simply because we can and we want us some of dat bombaclat groovy action :




or this popcorn perhaps...

Feels good to put in a few winning sessions in a row and get instilled with more motivation for the grind, even if only a couple of hours +200$ in 4h


Yeah man, I am really enjoying this laid back schedule of only logging in a couple of hours daily It is - life EV, me thinks, to set some poker monetary goals with a deadline... I will be most likely grinding around 50h/week in Dawson, but will nevertheless make sure to take at least a day off weekly to go camping.

Waking Life is definitely an elite film, yet I still go back and forth on which one with A Scanner Darkly I prefer... Probably Waking Life, along with Animatrix, Princess Mononoke, Walle and Ninja Scrolls constitute my top 5 list (Ratatouille and Fantastic Mr. Fox are not far behind).

Run good all

Sun is Shining, the Weather is Sweet

Darn, what a good day : moved into gf's new place (more on this in my travel blog), had a nice lunch by the beach, came back, watched the Raptor's game (they won in overtime ; series now tied at 1 a piece), logged in for 3 hours and booked a solid 600$ in the process ; easy game yo +1400$ in 23h this week.







Or something like that


Hey Matteo, that was a solid/heartfelt story in your last post by the way :

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=170

I can definitely picture many of Filipino lives/common suffering in that story


The non-believers Hands of the Day


These hands happened back to back on 100z Party, when I was in the BB then subsequently in SB (both are battle of the blinds action).

SB opens to 3.20$, I decide to defend J4. Definitely a loose defend and one that I would normally include in my 3bet bluff range, but his sizing seems polarized, I have no reads on villain, hence decide to realize my equity and take a flop with a hand that plays quite well postflop.

Flop (6.40$)
J54

Villain cbets 4$, I make the call.

Turn (14.40$)
J54 8

He continues for 8$, I make the easy call.

River (30.40$)
J54 8 3

Villain checks, I bet 18$, he snap-calls


Hand 2


I get dealt AJ in SB and open to 3$ ; reg villain defends.

Flop (6$)
455

Decent flop for our hand, but I see no reason in barreling ; it goes check-check.

Turn (6$)
455 6

A better card for him which he most likely realizes, as after I check, he bets 4$... I don't love life and all, but feel that I will get exploited quite frequently if I simply fold here...

River (14$)
455 6 T

After I check, villain puts in a bet of 8.61$. My first thought is to raise since I block the nuts and all, but I really don't rep a flush or 5x and feel that I have enough showdown value to make the call (I also block his JT, AT and flushes, of course)

Run good all

Virtual Hindsight

Darn, really like riding my recent upswing, so much that I am often quitting early just to keep the happiness EV at its peak I enjoy being on top of that wave yo, even though it might not be the most conducive attitude for maximizing EV. +200$ in 2h





Since poker is perhaps # 3 or 4 on my list of priorities at the moment, it is not a huge deal.

In other news, just ordered my summer reading from Amazon which will certainly revolve around poker, but from a math-centered perspective :

- Thinking, Fast and Slow
- The Black Swan : The Implact of the HIghly Improbable
- Antifragile : Things that gain from Disorder

All suggestions which I got from the Muffinman thread :

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...-more-1528126/

When I look back in what areas I have improved in my game over the past 6 months (and especially during my B/E stretch), a few things pop up to mind :

- Range advantage : before I seriously dipped into cash game theory, I was definitely completely-utterly in cretin-imbecile mode when it came to ranges : I certainly understood perceived ranges, but not how they specifically interacted with board dynamics, particularly in 3bet-4bet pots, where ranges are acutely defined.

- Positional Ranges : Kind of a sub-category of the latter, but ranges in single-raised hand from each position have now become crystal clear.

- 3bet pots : I nowadays manoeuvre with more agility in bigger pots when ranges are more defined. But in all honesty, I think that 100z players make a tremendous amount of mistakes in these bloated pots as far as their frequencies are concerned, and I just capitulate on these (while having quite a few leaks myself, albeit less). In the next few weeks, I will look into it from a more GTO perspective, to not get eventually exploited by 200z regs.

- Blockers : It use to take me much longer to identify what card combinations the card removal effect blocked. Not so much nowadays. A second or 2 baby, and I can naturally move on to range advantage and board dynamics when looking down at a flop

Run good all

Interlude

All quiet on the Eastern front, as I have only spent a couple of hours in the virtual office during the past 3 days +300$ in 4h





Will be spending the majority of the next 5 days in and out of airports with 1 day stops in HCMC and New York, so much of the same for the next little while as far as the grind goes...


Hand of the Day


I must admit that I oftentimes straw away from ABC lines vs rec players which might cost me some $$$ in the process (like when I decide to triple barrel them, for instance, with a range advantage while being fully aware that fish will not lay down top pair ), but I nonetheless do like the line I took in this next hand... I think

Rec (61/9/0) makes it 2$ UTG, I raise to 6$ OTB with AQ ; he calls.

Flop (13.50$)
662

Not a dream flop, but one that I nevertheless decide to attack when villain checks ; I bet 6.75$, villain calls. I think that I prefer a check in hindsight, as villain only raises the top 9% of his hands preflop (more than half of which are pairs), but a cbet has the triple advantage of extracting value from Ax, keeping initiative on the turn and realizing equity.

Turn (27.00$)
662 7

After villain checks on the turn, I decide to check back. No use in turning my hand into a bluff now vs a fish.

River (27.00$)
662 7 K

A card that hits me slightly stronger then villain (yet I do not expect him to realize that), but he still leads for 13.50$. I decide to utilize my blockers and make it 42.50$

Run good all

Momentum

Back on Canada soil and it appears like that in between family time, meeting up with friends and whatnot, I will manage to sneak in quite a few hours for the grind : + 300$ in 8h

Darn, running bad in life internet bookings : not only did I get charge twice for the airport wifi in NY (had to lose it on the sales rep on the phone to get my refund), but Eurobookings booked the wrong hotel for me in hcmc and their support totally sucks ass and has yet to refund me (NEVER use Eurobookings )


Movie of the Day


What better entertainment at 10k+ kms in the air then to watch a film featuring a tightrope walker





The walk narrates the story of Philippe Petit, an obsessed dreamer that sets his ambitions high, quite ****ing high Interesting biopic, especially when considering the grandeur of the feat coupled with the oddity of its nature ; but, like states one of my favorite quotes of all time (taken from a juggling book, nothing less ) :

If you do not do what doesn't deserve to be done,
then who will




Run good all

Da Skills to Pay da Bills




Perhaps my last month + of semi-hiatus from poker has helped restore my A game, but darn, really happy with my play





Good to be back on track and feel motivated for the grind once again, especially with Dawson coming up in 2 weeks +500$ in 5h


The Art of Playing Deep Stacks


Villain is a solid 200z player, so when he makes it 3$ from the SB (212$ effective), I elect to simply call with TT from the BB.

Flop (6$)
QT5

Villain bets 4$, I make it 14.50$, he calls.

Turn (35$)
QT5 8

A card that slows down the action ; when villain checks, I check back.

River (35$)
QT5 8 2

When villain checks, I go for value by throwing in 18.25$, villain makes it 56$, I tank-call

Run good all

NICE POST DUDE

Bumps

Well, that was tilting : started off strong with 4 BIs in 20 minutes, only to get hit by variance only to subsequently empty the clip on some very optimistic bluffs (not tilt related, thankfully ) : -400$ in 7h



Thx man, still down for some live pokerz at Le Casino de Montreal next week


Movie of the Day


Caught a great little movie yesterday that reconciles elements that I usually look for in a flick. Like great character development. Conceptual ideas. Alternate realities. A solid script.





What if you found a better version of your spouse? A replica that carries with them all those exquisite qualities that endear you to your partner, without those cringe-worthy flaws... What if you could cheat on your partner with your partner's clone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCOvhojlZzQ

Run good all

Taking Arms

Hard to find that balance at times, isn't it... That fine line in between total aggression, dominance and absolute LAGgy-spewy territory... But truth be told, not many 100z regs will have a balance enough range OOP in a 3bet pot, so I found myself barreling until the end of times yesterday, emptying the clip like no tomorrow and would of kept on firing had those rivers not put an end to my aggression





Say you 3bet AK IP and the flop comes 27Q. Is there any God damn reason in the world not to empty the clip when you hold blockers to AAs and KKs and villain's range is capped at AQ (with few sets of deuces and sevens) With a range advantage (and villain not protecting his range by flating AA and KK in a 3bet pot OOP), there is no reason to fire until you find resistance, right!!!





Problem is, I shot myself in the head yesterday, found myself barreling against fish to whom the notion of laying down top pair remains quite foreign.





Thankfully, was back on track today, getting away with murder at an acceptable clip +800$ in 5h

Not sure how this thread will define itself once I get to Dawson... Not many people are following it, so hopefully that will change...

Run good all

The Art of being an utter-complete Arsehole





You and me don't know each other. I don't want you at my live table, fellow 2 + 2er. I don't want you digging into my win rate, offering resistance to my 3bets, forcing me to bring balance to cbet frequencies, checking ranges and overall general barreling tendencies You see, I might miss you when I feel the urge to discuss theory or any GTO ranges really, but I can skip on the latter if it means I get to preserve a solid hourly So I rather surround myself with gold mining talk, fishing or hunting discussions, sports ranters or any other outdoorsy-Dawsonite-redneck-banters - which I love - while keeping my winnings at a pristine level That said, you are not there to back me up as the sole arsehole at a final table when I turn down a bubble deal when holding the chip lead





In a place and time where a 50-50 chop HU remains a karmic-standard-ethical-practice, I am that arse that will say "no" to the old timer when I hold a 65-35 chip advantage to his limp-check-fold style (I know, I know, such an arse I am ). I am that guy around which the disapproving whispers revolved last year when I turned down a bubble deal when I was holding the chip lead 6 handed and the tourney already paid out 20% of the field Yup, I am that guy that will push his deal discussing edges to no tomorrow, given a chip stack So I ask you fellow 2 + 2er, where are you when I need your support...

I am up 1k+ since I got here in Montreal, but will post more detailed results soon, and especially when I actually dedicate more time to the grind.

Run good all

Those Damn Blue Collar Tweekers

Was on a sweet 2k upswing since being in Montreal, until someone flicked the doom switch : lost AA vs KK and KK vs AA 4 times for stacks 200bbs+ AIPF




Thankfully though, I will be clearing 1.1k in RB in the next few days, so that will a decent compensation

Lets play a game folks, if I get 10 replies (from different posters) in the next week (probably won't ), I will start a 30 or 35k in 4 months challenge like I did last summer. If not, we will keep the format established ITT.

Run good all

Let's go for the challenge! 1/10

In the Ass

When was the last time we woke up to a positive poker regulation being inaugurated? When was the last time that a week wasn't fueled by a couple of negative news?

1- Greek increases online gambling taxes to 35% : https://www.highstakesdb.com/6885-gr...tax-to-35.aspx

2- Quebec's decision to block the .com sites a la Stars, 888 etc. : http://www.princepoker.com/nouvelles...quebec-adoptee (link courtesy of Mfbkevin35, who previously posted ITT).

As you folks well know, I have spent the last 2 weeks in Montreal meeting up with friends and family. And many of the latter have become quite a lot of successful people One has had his company evaluated at 6 mil+ (he sold 20% of it), another is now the assistant director at University of Quebec of Montreal (the dude still has long hair and a Yukoner hippyish beard, like our early 20s all over again ), yet, here I am, having chosen poker as a safe career avenue








Thx man for being the last poster in the previous old lady thread and the first one for the possible upcoming challenge

For the record folks, if I get 9 posters within the next 6 days, I will start a new thread, create a poll and document a 30k challenge in a much detailed fashion If not, we will remain ITT. One way of the other, I will dedicate lots of love in either thread, given that I will totally immerse myself in the grind. This said, if I was originally indifferent to either outcome, the lack of responses so far has me rooting for a new challenge : LETS GO FOLKS, SHOW SOME ENTHUSIASM AND LETS GET A NEW-OLD LADY GOING FFS

Run good all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ2HcRl4wSk

In! 2/10

sorry for answering so late (one month lol) but wasn't in the mood for writing on 2+2

now in backsight i would say that it wasn't just variance,a probably big part of it was also me calling way to wide on every street and especially the river

was to affected from all the gto hype and tried to find better/unexploitable calling frequencies which is just burning money on limits like NL50/NL100 because most of regs don't bluff nearly enough for that in most of spots..

i still like phnom penh a lot,but how everything went there poker/live wise i decided to give up my appartment and go back to sihanoukville to rebuild roll and get in a better state of mind.

at the moment i play around 90% of my volume on the microgaming network with a pretty small winrate but around 80% rakeback on top of my winnings,i like the idea of ano tables alot because i don't have to focus on stats which is the main reason i still play there..

also in for a challenge like last year,it's a shame that i'm only 3/10 three days after your post

should be 10/10 after one day for this thread

30k challenge is a good idea

Home or Similar Whereabouts

Finally back in Dawson Went to the casino, grinded a few hours of 5-10 Omaha H/L - small game, but mainly to catch up with everyone - : +200$ in 3h

Moved into my new apartment : it is a sweet/cozy place, with everything I need. Have yet to get my working quarters together, but will probably install my monitors and laptop just in front of the tv (I know, I know, not the most optimal way to grind, but love having the tv in the background ).

Thx guys

Hey Pronto, good to hear from you

Man, everywhere I look on 2 + 2 - myself included -, people have had a hard year on the felt I also see players dropping out of the game like flies, a tendency that will only pick up in amplitude, I am afraid... But it seems as if Microgaming is treating you well... Hope you crush it, pre-rakeback and post

As far as I am concerned, I will grind heavily for the rest of 2016 (been slacking for 2 months, which was highly + life EV ), but plan on doing meditation retreats and working on a novel for the first half of 2017 (will work on the outline this summer). Of course, none of the latter will be much beneficial financially, but life EV is where its at, yo

Thx for the love ITT Pronto And as far as not getting many replies, well, this thread is not attracting much of a following (significantly lower than the other Old lady threads, and much much less than the travel blog), but I don't really concern myself too much with that stuff anymore... Of course, at times I wish I would garnish a bigger response and more in tune with the effort I put in my threads, but I fully know that threads that attract fellow 2 + 2ers, focus either on highstakes or on hookers & blow. Since I am a blue collar low stakes crusher and I do not snort coke off hooker's tits , I try to be creative in other areas The rest will follow... or not. Either way, I am in a good state of mind

OK folks, we got 5/10 responses and we are only lacking 5 within the next 4 days LEGGO

Run good all

In. I don't post a lot, but can say I've really enjoyed following all of your threads. Keep it up GLGL!

Quiet Days

In between catching up with friends, getting my place organized, looking to purchase a van and matches of tennis (2 today ), I still managed to squeeze in 5h of grind. Unfortunately for yours truly, the action will not pick up until July at the casino : +100$ live in 1h, +400$ online in 4h

Haven't really studied all that much in the past couple of months, but will try to integrate 3h weekly with 55h of grind

Thx man 6/10, 3 days left

Da Tango of Love

The thing about the old lady, is she oftentimes takes you for a loop : you let her take your hand, your follow her steps, spin, go for the kiss, only to lose your footing and get smacked in the face Such is the life of a grinder that dares to dance da tango of luv with dat ole lady





You see, by all appearances, all is gracious when you get dealt that KK, and villain starts leveling you preflop.... All is pure exquisite movement, in tune with the world, with life...





All makes sense when villain calls your shove, flips over AK and you see a flop of 578... It is as if the gods actually do exist, actually care for your meagre bottom-world being... the 9 on the turn doesn't change much, albeit you do catch yourself saying "no 6, no 6!!!"... The A on the river is just that killer moment, dat instant when you step on the ole lady's foot and she retaliates with a final deadly kick





Such is the life with da ole lady : moments of pure bliss, perfect tangos and orgasmic communions, only to be interrupted by emotional storms, conflicts and her damn-hell-bent-imperfections went on a 700$ downswing yesterday, only to bounce back with a 1800$ upswing since : +800$ in 5h

Run good all

Sustain

Riding a nice upswing which comes just at the right time. You see, the taxman is knocking at the door and making lots of noise in the process (just paid an accountant 3k to look into my situation) :




+1k in 5h


Well folks, 1 last day to gather 4 posters which, in all likelihood, will fail to happen. So barring the unlikelihood of a sudden fan eruption, we will not be creating a new challenge thread, alas, but nonetheless might find a happy compromise and initiate one ITT... we will see, we will see.


Hand of the Weak


Button, a weakish reg, opens to 3$ ; I defend K7 in the BB.

Flop (6.50$)
K53

After I check, villain unfortunately checks back

Turn (6.50$)
K53 8

I donk 4$, villain makes it 11$, I call.

River (28.50$)
K53 8 A

I feel villain will give up and check back too often, so I donk an inducing 10$, he makes it 37$, I shove for 87$

Run good all

New challenge would be cool!

The Journey Continues

The people have spoken (or not) : we will be continuing our journey ITT.

Thx man for the encouragement, but alas, we fell short by 3 : 7/10 is the end result





On the other hand, I do appreciate the support and will settle for somewhat of a compromise : a new polled thread with daily results will indeed not be initiated, but we will nonetheless inaugurate a more casual one in this thread.





The challenge will constitute of a monetary floor/minimum target of 30k in 4 months, with the true ambitious goal fixed at 40k





I will not force myself to update on a daily basis in favor of spending time camping this summer and other life EV stuff ; but fear not folks, lots of love will nevertheless be infused ITT and we should easily cross that 30k line with good odds of conquering the world

Challenge : +3392.07$