Day 7 of Poker Trip

Still home, working through a mountain of work. The good news is when I leave tomorrow, the next 4 days should be smooth sailing back on the poker table.

I have a friend here locally that's a strong player but has some challenges around bankroll management, study strategies and tilt control. When he's focused, he's able to crush 1/2, 1/3 and solid 2/5 player. I offered to help him get organized, including suggesting he create a thread here in PG&C. I'm charging him a beer now and then when I'm at his house. Many of his battles are ones I've been working through myself over the years, I felt like once I started getting my act together when this thread started in January, things started to shift for me.

BRM is my biggest struggle. It's by far the hardest thing for me to control and the funny thing is, it's one of the things in poker that we're able to control the most!

It always cracks me up when they are surprised I'm not just playing the nuts. I didn't think I looked that old. lol What did you think of Macau?

Current Bankroll: $7,589 (+$165)
Money Earned Since Nov 1: $11,055
Games/Location: Homegame 1 -- 300 buy-in
Hours Played This Session: 2.5 hrs - 1/3
Total Hours Since Nov 1: 404.00
Financial Goal: Challenge 3 - $10k Bankroll
Mini Challenge: May Expenses $0 out of $1,000

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I wanted to see my friends before I headed back on the road tomorrow, so I stopped by and a had a beer at the 1/3 homegame.

Within the first few hands of the night, I lost an all-in preflop AQ (me), AJ and Q8. I wasn't the least bit concerned, I want that every time. I managed to win a medium size pot AJ vs A6 AAT39. Most of the night it was isolation with steals.

As far as lessons learned, I was happy to see I'm taking bad beats much easier than I was at the start of this thread. I feel good, especially at the lower limits, that if I play enough hands I'll be good. I'm looking forward to getting back to the great game of PLO.

I've decided to add some 7 Card Stud into my study rotation. I'd like to eventually be able to play some of the mixed games and need a better understanding of the fundamentals.

Macau was cool, didn't really go anywhere besides the City of Dreams where all the hotels were. I've never been to Vegas, but I can imagine it's similar. Very nice though, lots of money around.

Day 9 - Poker Trip 1

Current Bankroll: $7,691(+$102)
Money Earned Since Nov 1: $11,157
Games/Location: Homegame 1 -- 300 buy-in
Hours Played This Session: 6 - PLO (a little holdem)
Total Hours Since Nov 1: 410.00
Financial Goal: Challenge 3 - $10k Bankroll
Mini Challenge: May Expenses $0 out of $1,000

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2nd to last hand 1/2 PLO... K flush draw, open ended... guy rivers FH. Standard spot, sick sick game. I was down as low as 800 for the night, ended up with a small $102 win.

Starting to wrap my head around Stud. I can't wait until I can jump into the 8/16 mixed games. 2 more days and then spending a week in the lab before a 3 day mini trip.

I'm working on this on right now.

Straddle

As far as straddle, I will do it on the button in home games to juice up action now and then. The other circumstance is if the whole table is straddling. Otherwise, I've removed that from my leaks.

Light 3 Betting

I'm also toning down my light 3 betting. Unless I see evidence to the contrary, I am assuming raising ranges are tight at most 1/3 games. I will still look for squeeze situations.

Suited Connectors Up Front

I'm playing way too many suited connectors up front. It's even more painful when there are shorter stacks at the table.

Assume People Are Reading The Board

I need to stop trying to bet people off weak Ace type hands for example. I should focus more on value value value.

Lower Cold Calling Percentage

This is me being stubborn.

Subbed..gonna read it later..the preview looks good 👍

..and good luck in your trip to south East Asia..

Current Bankroll: $8,044(+$353)
Money Earned Since Nov 1: $11,510
Games/Location: MGM 1/3 500 buyin and 1/2 PLO
Hours Played This Session: 5.5
Total Hours Since Nov 1: 415.5
Financial Goal: Challenge 3 - $10k Bankroll
Mini Challenge: May Expenses $0 out of $1,000

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Oops, meant to label last session casino and not home game. I'm burnt, will update this session tomorrow. Played well, bluffed a little too much but still happy with the play.

Lessons Learned From Poker Trip 1:

1. I need to find a program on this Chromebook to rotate my pics.
2. Sporting the new EDC hat brings favorable flops
3. I really love Omaha, I will need some practice in maintaining tilt control under the increased variance.
4. I like playing deeper in 1/3 tables when waiting for a good Omaha game.
5. I'm continuing to monitor leaks and working on them actively
6. Love traveling to different casinos, you meet so many interesting people
7. As my Omaha game improves, I'm enjoying working on 7 card stud
8. I'll never be a 40 hour player on top of a full time job. I find the sweet spot for me is around 30 hours a week max. I like shorter sessions of 6 hours.
9. I'm doing better not going into autopilot at the tables
10. I seem to get too out of line in the beginning of sessions.I need to pay more attention to table dynamics.
11. I need to spot 3 betting nits and squeezing with weaker hands when people hate folding.
12. I'm having a good time.

12. Most important by far.

Glad you were able to get something out of it! It's funny you put it on your bedroom wall, I put my workout equipment/notepad/timer in my shower room for the first couple of weeks to confront them every day.

I don't play the stakes you do but I'm really into strategy and mindset.

The way I see it and like to think of it is that you can control your strategy but you can't control the cards, and you can't change what happened but what happened can change your strategy. So by staying in control of your strategy, by default you're keeping a controlled mindset, and when your mindset goes off track, by default you are no longer in control of your strategy.

So if you got in bad/good/gotcoolered/etc, but it was the best line to take, then it is what it is.

The only times I get a little frustrated with the game is when I have no idea what line to take with my hand, but I look at that frustration as a friend, and it's telling me that's a spot I need to go away and build a strategy for. So I take a mental note and move on.

Today's quick summary:

- Spent time working on my 3 betting and squeezing ranges after listening to the latest 2 top shelf podcasts at CrushLivePoker

- Spent about 90 minutes after work reading about 7 Carx Stud and watching CeeGee at DeucesCracked

- Have a 1-on-1 lesson with Bart Hanson (CLP)

I'm back on the road for 10 days Fri night, it's nice relaxing at home for a few days.

I feel the same. I'm not putting in the hours I originally thought I would, however, I'm having a fun time traveling and building the roll. I already have an intense job, I don't want poker to add to that stress.

I just finished a great coaching session with Bart Hanson over at CrushLivePoker. I'm taking a shot this weekend at 2/5 NL (and 1/2 PLO). It's time to get out of my comfort zone and start getting better idea of that player pool. If I drop 4 buy-ins, I will just grind up again.

Current Bankroll: $7,404(-$640)
Money Earned Since Nov 1: $11,940 (fixed)
Games/Location: Homegame 1 1/3 500 buyin
Hours Played This Session: 6
Total Hours Since Nov 1: 421.5
Financial Goal: ,Challenge 3 - $10k Bankroll
Mini Challenge: May Expenses $0 out of $1,000

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It's one of those moments when I have to admit to myself I played like crap. I was overtired from a really stressful week at work, lost focus, called down too light, tried to push the action and bluffed too much.

I accept it and will use it as a learning experience. I'm ready to take on the 2/5 this weekend!

Current Bankroll: $7,961($557)
Money Earned Since Nov 1: $11,940 (fixed)
Games/Location: Casino MGM 1/3 500 buyin
Hours Played This Session: 3
Total Hours Since Nov 1: 424.5
Financial Goal: Challenge 3 - $10k Bankroll
Mini Challenge: May Expenses $0 out of $1,000

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Poker Trip 2 - Day 1 of 13

Got here about 8:15am, decided to play a few hours before I get checked-in to the AirBNB. The 2/5 looked terrible, so I went to 1/3 500 buy-in (hopefully the new standard). Bluffed a bunch of small pots, ran down an overpair with a straight. He was mad but his betting gave me the right odds each street.

Here's an interesting hand:

($500 effective) Hero UTG +1 raises to $13, SB reraises to $35, Hero reraises to $95, SB all-in... Hero ughhhh

I havent been at the table long, so no reads. I happen to fold, here's my thinking:

- At a 1/3, I doubt he's doing that with QQ
- I discount some combos of AK with 2 K blockers
- I showed a lot of strength raising early
- He shows even more strength out of small blind

I don't remember the last time I folded KK preflop. Thoughts?

(from last post). I also believe villian put me on a hand I couldnt fold after putting $95 into the pot. Maybe I am being too nitty here.

This isn't anything but a call read-less in a live poker setting.

You are going to lose money KK vs AA theres no way around it. When you raise to $13 preflop if anything the game is playing like a 100BB deep 2/5 game.

If you can learn to shrug off spots like these, and instead focus on the hands that actually matter you will be a much happier and more successful poker play in the long-run.

gl!

You're also getting 400:600 = 2:3 or about 1.5:1 - you need 40% equity to call.



If he's only doing this with AA and 50% of his QQ combos its a call; this doesnt take into account the times he has AK, or is clicking buttons with AQ etc.

Thanks for looking at this hand. I'm discounting QQ.. I can't think of the last time someone at 1/3 was this aggressive with QQ with deep stacks pre. Maybe that's my mistake, assuming they will typically be more passive with QQ JJ.

I'm not sure what 2/5 game you are playing in but that's ridiculous ($13 lol)

He discounted it in his calculation. Should also include some KK hands, JJ, AK and spew once in a while.

Actually the worst part about this hand is that you posted absolutely no reads which is the primary component necessary to make a fold here.

Thank you for the feedback. I mentioned I wasn't at the table long, no reads. This might have been like 2nd rotation.

Sounds like the fold was too tight, thanks to everyone that chimed in... I reread the posts and understand the analysis.

No lols needed, I mentioned this hand happened 'Games/Location: Casino MGM 1/3 500 buyin ' The 2/5 didnt look good at 8am, so did 1/3 500 buyin.