Day 9

Oooof, dug myself into a very early 1100$ hole only to slowly - very slowly -, grind myself to a 100$ win over 11h live I will not bore you guys with some bad variance whining ITT, unless it serves the purpose of the narrative, which the next story kinda does...

Early in the tournament today, villain opens UTG, I 3bet with 2 beautiful black KK, he shoves, I call (covering him) Villain shows KK, we get a good laugh and just to increase the lol frequency, I ask out loud for a black flop ; you obviously know what ensued, comes on the flop, followed by another dagger on the turn, thus separating me from 70% of my stack

I proceeded to repossess the chip lead over the next 2h, get to the bubble, lose 2 flips in a row and that's all she said

Well, the live games were pretty bad tonight, so will focus on online this week and spending some time away from the tables hiking





Challenge : -1331.42$

Day 10

So like I mentioned yesterday, I will not focus on (negative) variance ITT, thus preferring to contemplate on ways to improve my game and, of course, the narrative of this thread


Live things to Improve :

- The majority of last winter was spent in front of a computer screen where my reactions had no bearings whatsoever on the player field, but now that I find myself in the live arena once again, note to self : keep your disappointment tucked in Take a bad beat like a champ, say "nice hand" and move on

- Reduce the amount of bluff-catchers that you make ; this is live, no one is nowhere close to being GTO and players they oftentimes hold the goods, despite the blockers you are holding, yo

- Do not be results orientated. Yes we are doing this public challenge ; nonetheless, embrace variance, accept the downswings in all serenity bro, and things will be allllllright

- Reduce the amount of time spent grinding. May and June will be dead, so take off, go camping, meet a girl, enjoy yourself

#LifeGTOMamaFracker





Challenge : -1691.40$

Day 11

OK, I understand that Monday evening's is more of a fun evening splashing chips around with the old timers in a high raked 5-10 lolimit DC game, yet, for the ****ing life of my winrate in this game, I got to stop capping the bets with my nut low when it is a HIGH only game Losing 50$ on a weekly basis in this fashion is like chopping my WR by a third Also, I need to treat this game more seriously or simply take the night off all together +100$ in 4h live, +1k in 2h online



Thx friend and yeah, I do have a ton of faith, despite this terrible start



I have only played a little at both places, so my POV should be taken very lightly, but there are 2 things that strike me in those games.

Primo : Quebecois are gamblers so it did not come at all as a surprise to witness some absolute spewtards in the 2-5 and 5-5 games over there...

Secundo : While the rake at the Playground is absolutely ludicrous (5% capped at 15$ in the 5-5 game), Le Casino de Montreal rake of 8$ is easily beatable - me thinks -, yet remains miles away from the friendlier Vancouver (6$ but rarely any absolute droolers) or Albertan games (5$, I believe...). If I had the flexibility of choosing where to grind as a live 2-5, I would move to Alberta in a heartbeat.





Challenge : -587.04$

Day 12

Curiously, my meek volume put in the past 2 days coincide with my biggest upswing thus far, go figure Of course, you do not need much of a run good online to make up for the bad variance lately : up 1.4k online in the past 6h (+400$ since yesterday).

Funny run bad hand of the day : I 3bet QQ, see a AAA flop, A turn, K river

The next couple of days will be spent cleaning up my trailer, putting on 4 new tires on the van, playing some tennis and hopefully - if the Yukon Mighty God permit -, some hiking if the fracking rain stops Thursday's omaha NL game should be decent though





Challenge : -194.09$

Day 13

Got my (latest) router setup, the water flowing in the trailer, the place (semi) cleaned up and my hands are holding up on the virtual tables (for the most part) +1.7k in 4h online (3.5k in 11h this week).

It is looking like I might slack off the grind from Mon-Wed, using the latter for hikes, dinners, tennis, laundry, cleaning etc. I think I was going at it a bit too hard during my first week and will thus slow down to a much more desirable 50-55h weekly, with most of my volume coming from the Thursday to Sunday stretch, perhaps even at 10h/day clip...





Challenge : +1518.48$

Day 14

I have not put in much volume - or studying - into PLO since 2008-2009, back when the games were simply golden on Party Of course, I wasn't really any good at it - just clicking buttons, really -, but nor was anyone in those days, which effectively made me a crusher @ 200z PLO Ohhhh, the good ole days... Anyhow, how do you approach a 10 handed game where flops are always multi-way (5 minimum, even if I make it 55$ pre )? I have been playing exclusively JJ+ (and only good jacks), broadways, rundowns and As, so your potentially nutted hands, basically. I think it is a good default strategy, and one that I will probably maintain, as I don't think I will put much more thought/studying into this game (unless you guys have any suggestions, that is...). Besides, even if the game does play deep (5 of us tonight with 500+bbs stacks), we only play it once a week. +500$ live in 6h, +700$ online in 5h





Challenge : +2661.45$

Day 15

Spurts of variance, here and there... Thankfully though, I gracefully took the upswing, centered myself, then hung on tight for the turbulent ride down... Made 700$ in 10 minutes first thing this afternoon online (then proceeded to drop 1.4k ) only to repeat the bumpy feat when I sat in the live game and made 1k in the first hour (only to breakeven for the rest of the stretch ) : -700$ online in 4h, +1.1k live in 6h

The live action has been decent enough for this time of the year, especially given that the gold mining sluicing season has yet to start... This said though, I am hoping to leave a little this week and go hiking... Perhaps not for an overnight trip (still kinda cold), but at least to abandon myself somewhat in the bush...





Challenge : +3017.97$

Day 16

My live evening consisted of 1 pot basically (and the depletion that then on followed ) when villain GII with QQ 375bbs effective and my AA held up : +800$ in 5h live, +700$ online in 3h

There has been quite the amount of live misclicks in big pots lately, notably one vs me, yesterday, when villain shoved 2x pot the AQ7K10 river with Q9 when she thought she had the nuts (I had turned the str8 with J10 )

Ok folks, I will continue with daily pics of the Yukon which should constitute somewhat the narrative of this thread (or at least the eye candy part of it), but if you want something different (hand histories, Yukon stories or movie reviews, for example), just say so and I will comply





Challenge : +4470.89$

Day 17

I really enjoy the tournaments at the casino, but at a 100$ entry fee with a mere 25$ rebuys for 40 minutes, it is hard to score a decent hourly in them (35$/h last summer). Yet they remain so fun You know, you can get away with playing every hand in the rebuy levels, push chips around, bluff at an insane clip, bring out the fun player in you I was not too keen on making a 4 way chop when we were on the bubble, but didn't feel like being the arsehole, you know, besides, it is not always about extracting the max EV... Even in this game 0$ online in 3h, +200$ in 3h live


Week 2 in Review


Live Pokerz : Happy with my game, the little adjustments that I made (mainly tightening up in a nit 10 handed game yo), with my mental balance and table presence. A- game, 2.6k in 24h

Online Pokerz : A few light calls and spewish bluffs, but still a steady solid grind. Taking breaks when fatigue kicks in has been quite beneficial, even if it is costing me in terms of volume, it remains nonetheless desirable for my hourly : B+ game, 3.7k in 24h

Studying : Much like last summer, I will aim for 1h of videos (or Pio) weekly just to maintain fundamentals/instincts and combine it with 1h of poker related reading (presently finishing Black Swan, then Antifragile). I will probably wait until September before increasing the studying to 4h weekly...

Notes : I will pay extra attention to not reacting (especially negatively) at the table, will try to increase my volume to 50h+ (and perhaps even 55h+, barring some life activities...) and finish settling in my trailer.





Challenge : +4674.48$

Day 18

Ok, the trailer is almost - almosssst - setup, started jogging again (am only a few pounds from being under 200 for the second time in a decade ), tennis on Wednesday and hiking on Thursday ; looooooking good As far as this challenge goes, we are ahead of pace for the 50k, averaging 41$/h and just under 100$/h when adjusted with the upcoming RB +300$ live in 2h, +600$ online in 4h





Challenge : +5557.81$

Day 19

Really didn't feel like going to the live tourney tonight, but when my friend messaged me, I put on some pants, a shirt, a smile on my face, knocked a (ice) coffee - or 2 -, contacted a few people and voila!, easy game yo Except when your first AQ AIPF < QJ and second AQ < K10 -100$ live in 2h, +1k online in 4h

Will take it easy tomorrow as I will be prepping some food for a grad BBQ, as well as cleaning up my van + trailer. Really hoping it is sunny on Thursday to go hiking, as it would be a shame to not take more advantage of all the beauty the Yukon has to offer.





Challenge : +6393.25$

Day 20

Bah, am bummed out by life stuff and this mini downswing doesn't help much, so that's my update for today folks -1.2k in 5h online





Challenge : +5163.75$

Day 21

After noticing a few limped pots go north of 1k in the NL Omaha game, I opened my range up significantly, especially in CO and Button where I would VPP close to 50% in unraised pots... Certain obvious hand combos needed to be raised for isolation purposes, yet I would still get 4-5 callers when bumping it to 20-25$ pre Expect me to increase this to 25-35$ next Thursday... +400$ in 5h live, +200$ online in 4h

Next week, I think I will attack a different theme everyday ITT to try to mix it up a little and make things interesting





Challenge : +5765.56$

Man that place looks amazing .. I hope someday I am able to visit and check it out! I went to Alaska once for a vacation and loved it, it's so amazing!

As always really enjoy your challenge updates 👍

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Day 22

Whiffed was the theme of this evening, as not only did I whiiiiifffffffff every draw that would come my way, but would not get any fold equity when I would X-shove, for instance, 5x the bet with a nutted draw/overs Dug myself a 1.5k hole midway through the evening and made a half ass comeback : -900$ in 7h live


Yeah, the Yukon is simply magnificent, and am very thankful to have discovered this place and spent a good portion of my life here I take it is quite similar to (northern) Alaska, with 10% of the population on the Canadian side though I have quite a few posts in my travel thread about the Yukon, if you have not checked it out yet...

Who you going for in the finals? I put 1.4k on Golden State

Thx Pronto, hope Cambodia is treating you well





Challenge : +4935.56$

Day 23

Old Crow is located at the northern tip of the Yukon, only accessible by plane or boat. It comes as no surprise that after a long winter of isolation, the natives fly/boat down to Dawson and get their gamble in Problem is, their definition of gambool-gambool is diametrical opposite to mine : buy-in short (100$), limp every hand, and play fit-or-fold post Anyhow, I decided to take my small winnings and call it a night after 2h, as I felt I was going to shoot myself in the face : +700$ online in 2h, +300 live in 2h





I usually grind for 55h week while in the Yukon, but fatigue, disinterest are clearly obstacles this year. I will not force the issue and simply let things naturally unfold, even if this means lowering my volume to 45h/week ; this said, in order to cross the 50k line, we will thus have to average north of 50$/h... Which should be relatively easy to obtain, barring a big downswing, of course


Challenge : +5925.81$

Go dubn go!

Day 24

Grinded 2h online, watched the Golden State beat the living crap out of Cleveland - always a delight -, then grinded 2h at the casino : +600$ live, +400 online


Week 3 in Review


Volume is noticeably lower this year. Nonetheless, I don't believe it will be much of an issue, given that stuff like life balance will be more emphasize this time around then in previous challenges... Also, even if I do not expect to maintain my standard 55h/week like in the previous years (more like 48-52h...), the lower volume should nevertheless help my hourly online, as fatigue is quite a (negative) factor for my 40 year old arse when multi-tabling the virtual tables (a non-factor for single-tabling live though).

Live Pokerz : A decent week - negative variance not withstanding - and feel that all the necessary adjustment have been made I might be lowering my live volume, as some (conflicting) issues arose in the lolimit 5-10 DC game, so might be taking Monday evenings off from now on... A game, +600$ in 20h

Online Pokerz : A solid week as well, and where short sessions punctuated by breaks and meditation had me attack the tables with an equanimous mind Volume has been weak and I will focus on increasing this at the detriment of the live volume (better hourly anyhow) : A game, +5.6k in 24h

Studying : Zilch. Nada. Zero. Ok, I understand being balanced and LIfeGTO and all, but I need to push myself to 1h of studying and 1h of poker related reading every single-God-Damn-week

Exercise : Lacking in this department as well, as only ran once this week which, when combined with 1 meagre tennis match, falls short of my 4-5 weekly goals...

Like mentioned, I wont a 4.6k package which, rumour has it, will be in Vegas in late September. If I end up going and thus bringing this Dawson challenge to a premature end, 45k will be the new 50k

Thx for consistently following bob





Challenges : +10, 870.10$

The (pro) Light Side of Da Grind (Day 25)


So a "concept" week it will be ITT, as each day I will dissect some aspects of da pokerz - just for the hell of it, you know

I have been pro for 6 years now, just beyond that 5 year threshold where one's sanity (or the lack of), has been tested on multiple occasions. But today, I will focus on the lighter side of a pro's life

Unlike the testimonies of many 5+ years professionals, I have not been overly exposed to the hellish aspects of most casinos. You see, I spend 4 months a year grinding in magnificent Dawson City, home to the first Canadian casino that once catered the 1896-98 Stampeders ; Trip advisor's page :

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractio...ity_Yukon.html





What brought us up here, in the far desolated regions of the globe, is an insatiable thirst for freedom. A different lifestyle. To be permanently on the fringes of civilization. Whatever the reason, a silent bond unites us, Yukoners, bringing a whole new facade to what is generally known as the communal aspect of poker Unbeknownst to us are the ipads, ipods, hoodies, sunglasses and entitled attitudes that populate the tables in the south Sure, now and then you have an insecure wannabe-grinder that watched a bit too many clips of Tom Dwan on Poker After Dark that pops in and donates a buy-in or 2 to the game, but for the most part, we are old school, engaged in conversation and sincerely appreciate each other.

As far as the virtual tables go, well, being able to travel the world in the winter months while grinding from the comfort of pyjas in hotel rooms of different countries, is nothing to frown upon

I am happy to say that I figure to be in the (very) small % of pros past the 5 year mark that still are grateful to play this game for a living Of course, there is also a darker aspect of this equation, and one which I will explore tomorrow... +800$ online in 5h


Challenge : +11, 621.67$

I watched your posts . I find it wonderful what makes you good luck yet

The Darker (pro) Side (Day 26)


You are sitting at the casino, 10 hours into your session, feeling the fatigue creeping in... You sip on your coffee, try to clear your mind, stretch your back and look around the table, perhaps trying to find some sort of refreshing complicity... But alas!, the same dreadful lethargy paints everyone's faces... Some are trying to get back into the black, others are simply indulging their gambool-gambool degeneracy... And then it strikes you with all its pristine clarity : this game feeds off pain. The pain of variance, swinging you in all directions, spinning you around nonstop... The pain that you inflict upon your opponents to maintain your hourly... The pain of seeing that hard-working degenerate, dumping his salaries-worth on a nightly basis... Pure, simple, generalized pain, floating around the casino, squirming upon the gamblers and staff alike, wriggling its way underneath the skin, within our pores, running up our bloodstream... P-A-I-N

In the wake of my 40s, the positive existential components that rivalries/competitions originally provided me with (like inner growth, surpassing oneself/exceeding expectations, transcending obstacles etc.), are slowly dissipating, making way for more selfless attributes (like compassion or a balanced mind and lifestyle). Yet, here I am, making easily 4-5 times more in the poker world than I could in any other jobs (at this point), so I put my head down, make the most of it, and saving enough to retire within the next 5 years. Still, I want out. I want to be that rec player that gets all hyped up for his weekly session, yo I want to focus my (creative) energy on bettering myself and making the world a better place ; our sole purpose in this bottom world, is alas not to inflict pain upon others. This said, after my evening tennis match and after being done showering and meditating, I will once again login and extract money out of the virtual tables, yo +500$ in 5h online







Thx bro


Challenge +12, 110.47$

Defeat (Day 27)

I remember those good ole days where I would fight for my life for every single pot ... Where I would not concede any ground... I would put villain on an appropriate, and try to make them fold the upper part of it (by repping higher )... Everything was existential, a challenge, a way to surpass self, and I would expect the same attitude from villains until, that is, it stroke me how their was a great amount of honour in defeat Sure, we go to war, fight the best we can, but when victory eludes us, it is time to smile, to bow down and say "nice hand".

Think about the number of times you have to let go, to release your hand in the muck... Think about the pain induced, this scar reopened on multiple occasions... We are all in this together and to accept defeat is a humbling lesson like none other. 0$ in 5h online






Challenge : +12, 170.09$

I actually haven't watched any of the finals ... Actually haven't watched a game since kawhi got hurt in game 1 on of the wcf ... but I have to say I guess I'm going for golden state. I don't like either team lol I can't stand LeBron and I couldn't stand golden state last year and then adding Durant made me like them even less (I've been a huge okc fan since they moved to okc with Durant being one of my faves until he left ... )

I actually saw online that a NFL player (I can't remember what his name was) wager $200k on golden state to win the series to win $62k lol

Day 28

The mood got darker and darker as the evening dragged on... Perhaps it is the fact the NL Omaha game happens to be our big weekly game, thus digging a massive gulf in between the winners and the losers... Or that most of the winners had already racked up their chips, leaving the losers behind to dwell on their poor outcomes... But the negative vibes became clearer by the hour, conquering the best of us with its dark lure... It is nights like these that I shamefully scoop in the chips, amassing the wealth while spreading the pain... +600 live in 6h

Perhaps that face of defeat is easier inflictable online, where the faces of our opponents are anonymously hiding behind the screens... +1k in 5h online



I think it was as safe of a bet as comes in the sports world, yet, here I am, probably recouping only 35% of what I lost last year with the same, supposedly safe bet

Ok folks, I think I will be back from Mon-Wed with some conceptual-inspired posts, but not so much during the weekend, where the grind occupies a huge chunk of my days.





Challenge : +13, 843.34$