The Obligatory "I'm Going Pro Thread," IDK Style

[IDKMyBFFJill]

Got hit a little bit. Had about 5 hours between meetings, so I played. Lost about $300.
Lost $150: Got my top 2 in against a set and straight draw, obviously losing. If I would have flat called the turn, and not raised, I would have been able to get away from re-raise that came from late position, knowing that 2 pair wasn't good.
Lost $100: I went spazzy and tried and ostentatious bluff. It was a good spot, but wrong person.
I kept missing with my suited connectors and the such. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it seems to cost me more money than usual today. I don't think I played poorly, I just didn't play well, and made a few mistakes.

If anyone, not that anyone has replied in a little while, would like a full on TR, let me know. I was going to wait until after/during my next trip to introduce my Leo Docesque writing skills.

BR: $8150

Going to be downtown tomorrow playing 2/5 if this last minute trip to Petosky (and Odawa Casino) falls through.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

Change in travel plans.
Headed to Hammond Feb 20/21. Coming back to AA, then off to AC Feb 23-Mar 4.
Looking for hotel options on the weekends. I dont really care about paying $100 or $150, but finding something like that is stupidly hard. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

A few things happened this weekend.

1. Bought QC3 Bose headphones. They are in the mail... Super stoked about it.

2. Re-did travel plans. Have to be in AA on Feb 23 or 24. Looking at the Saturday 185 at Soaring Eagle or Event #2 $350 and Event #3 $560 7 game at the CPC.

3. Got really drunk Friday and Saturday.

4. Played $1/$2 ($300 max) today. Got stuck $750 but got unstuck within 2 hours. Grinded out a meager profit.

5. Also, found a place in AC to stay during the weekend, which is an uber plus. Booked a room at Ballys from Feb 27 to March 1 for $105 all inclusive. I left the other hotel til we get closer to the date.

6. Talked to someone about playing the $1080 WSOPC in AC. Would rather play the ME, but I may not be in town.

7. Anyone play $2/$5 or $5/$5 PLO live? I would like to ask some (possibly stupid) questions.

8. Thinking about buying a tablet for use at the table. I know that I should be paying more attention at the table... Any suggestions?

9. If anyone is in AC during the WSOPC, I am looking for a fun sweat. Swapping 5% of my action on Event 6 $345 6 Max.

10. Lost my phone over the weekend, and I am thinking that this might be a good thing. Looking at the Droid Razr tomorrow. Also, can anyone help me load pictures onto Twitter from my mobile?

BR: $8001

[striiing]

gl

[extreme1991]

gl sir

[IDKMyBFFJill]

Looks like I am making a Firekeepers trip tomorrow morning. I don't know the specifics yet, but it looks like some 1/2 and maybe a little bit of craps.

[WildBobAA]

Update?

[DonkeyCopter]

Originally Posted by WildBobAA

Update?

.

Originally Posted by IDKMyBFFJill

Looks like I am making a Firekeepers trip tomorrow morning. I don't know the specifics yet, but it looks like some 1/2 and maybe a little bit of craps.

.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

It has been a while… I’ve been really busy between playing and some personal issues.
I’ve been doing lots of travel. I was in Battle Creek from February 1-3. I played a little bit of poker at Firekeepers. There is not too much to talk about in terms of hands, but I lost $200 in the end. With expenses for those 3 days was about $200, which was crazy, but hey, bar booze isn’t cheap, now is it. Thankfully, I run good at Ultimate Texas Hold ‘em and I got $150 of it back.

I left Battle Creek on the morning of the 3rd and stopped in New Buffalo at one of my newly favorite casinos, Four Winds New Buffalo. I wish I had pictures but I left my camera in the bag that I carry around. So, the casino; it is really small, maybe 20 table games and a lot of slots. It had some PokerTek tables as well as some live ones. However, there was only one game going, and I was only looking to make a stop, and play a few hands on the PokerTek tables. No go on that, but I did happen to lose $100 on Baccarat and make it back on craps about 3 minutes later.
I drove from New Buffalo to Joliet mid-day. I arrived in Joliet about 430ish. I had my travelling partner check into the hotel while I checked out the action. Now, for those that do not know, Harrahs Joliet isn’t all that nice of a place. That’s not a knock on the staff, but it just seems run down and un-CET like.

So, I sat in a shorthanded ½ PLO game. I didn’t really want to play super deep, at least at start, since it seemed the big stacks were all to my left. I folded for a little bit and then opened JJ86 double suited (club/hearts) from the button in a straddled pot. I got 3 callers for $15. I made a ¾ pot bet on a flop of 723cc. I got one caller, making the pot about $150 with $40 or so behind. Turn is a blank (10?). Goes check, check. Club hits on the river, and he bets pot. I call, thinking that I am probably beat, but okay to reload, especially after seeing the table for an orbit and a half. I win v the 10 high flush, something like 9984cc or something. I was just relived that I didn’t have to reload 6 hands in what I wanted to be a long session.

I only played one relatively big hand for the remainder of the time.
I have 6542cchh (cant remember which was which but its not important). Not the best hand, but compared to what I have seen people stack off with, I am comfortable potting from LP and firing most flops. Probably not a good play in terms of long term profitability, but nonetheless, that was what I was thinking. We see a flop 3 handed. Flop is 47k with a club and a heart. Checked to me and I bet $40 with about $200 behind, being the shortest stack. I get both players to call, which I kind of hate, obviously. Pot is about $170. Turn is a 9c. Checks to me, I bet 100, thinking that I get 2 pair to fold. Players have seemed super passive, so I am thinking that a bet here might get through, if not, I have a wrap and a tiny flush draw. I get one caller, pot is $370. River is a 3. He bets his last $60 and I call. We chop when he shows 65ak no clubs. I don’t understand his call, but nonetheless, I didn’t lose but whatever. I have a stack of about $285 and I am basically content with wrapping up a W here and moving on to the 10/20 LHE game that is starting shortly.

I lost $45 by 3 bet folding QQJ8 sssx. Straddle is on (per usual) with a raise to $15 and my 3 bet to $45. I get a call and then a 4 bet from the original raiser to $140. I elect to fold since I presume the spazzy player to my left (cold caller) is most likely going to reraise to get the rest of the $100 in pre (his go-to play). Seeing as how I’m winning, and not willing to risk my stack with that hand, I just fold.
OR/4bettor shows AAJK or something like that, it was AA with 2 face. Spazzy player opens 5678 and wins with a straight on the turn. I laugh, play another 2 orbits, and fold a lot. Raise pre a few times and fold to flop bets, nothing out of the ordinary here.
So, I book a $120 win and move on to the 10/20 game, the reason I am in Joliet instead of Hammond (20/40 is the lowest LHE game spread, well 3/6 but whatever). I sit down about 6:30p to a 5 handed table, which we start up. It was nice to see that no one sat down with under $400. It was a good game. I was a little spewy to start, losing about $120 without really know why. I didn’t really have any good hands in terms of starting hands (and position).

A few hands are as follows: I’m down about $250 at the moment, kind of spewing, but I definitely tightened up over the last 40 minutes. I clamped down and played super tight to the point that I was bored, which is never a good thing.

We are 8 handed, and I look down at JJ in LP. I raise, obviously. Button folds while the SB and BB call. This seems to be the MO for the table, the SB and BB calling 2 bets with pretty much ATC. Knowing this, I liked the flop of J42dd. I bet with two calls on the flop, turn is 10x. I bet with one call. River is 3d. I call, wanting to raise, but this wasn’t a game that people were cold betting the river with anything but the nuts. So, I call, since I can’t really raise in this spot. I lose to 95dd and I just chuckle. I get up around 11:30 PM, down about $400.
Illinois doesn’t allow for people to wear headphones at the tables, which is wickedly stupid, but whatever. I sat at some 1/3 NL, but I wasn’t really into the game. I lost about $40 and got up to go back to the hotel.

With expenses and everything else, I lost about $500 in Joliet between PLO, LHE, NLHE, the Red Roof Inn, and a really good late night dinner/drinks. Not really happy about it, but what are you going to do, these things happen.

So, for the trip, I am down about $550, and this makes me sad. So, I get some sleep, wake up, and drive to Hammond. I set my friend up with some study space in the lobby of the Magnusson on Camulet. I go to the Horseshoe and find some NLHE. I win about $350. I flop a flush and turn a boat on two different hands, getting stacks in while holding the virtual nuts. I lost like $100 calling preflop raises. I can’t really remember much else about the Hammond. I was really tired and kind of tilted about the 10/20 game the night before.
I head home, about a $200 loser. I am a little upset that I lost when there was so much dead money floating around Joliet (the PLO game was super soft).
I take the rest of the day off (Saturday) and get some things done around the apartment. On Sunday I wake up at like 11am and go to Northville Downs. I sit down about noon and lose $100 on my 3rd hand. I quit super fast, which is unusual for me, as I usually just sit and grind for hours on end. I think the whole Joliet trip and some things that I have had go one personally really affected my playing ability. Maybe if I hadn’t lost the first pot I played, things would have been different, but I did feel when I sat down a little weary of playing. Usually I just fight through it and play, but not today. I go home and get some work done.

I don’t play again until Thursday. I head down to MGM on Thursday mid-afternoon. I would love to go into further detail about all of the hands, but I failed to write anything down, as well as the fact that it is like 5am and I am very tired. I won about $150 and was content with that, as I failed to play well. I have made some weird adjustments in the last few sessions that I have played. I seem to have tightened up in the last week or so, which is very unlike me. I don’t think that I am playing with scared money, as I know that I am rolled for the games and comfortable playing just about any game offered in Detroit. I don’t know, maybe it is some reflection and sub-conscious adjustments I have made after studying my game. I don’t know what it is, but the conscious and what I will call perceived sub-conscious adjustments I have made recently has really helped in terms of profitability.

As for the play, I went from Motor City to MGM on Saturday. I quickly win about $300 when I turn the nut straight against a spewtard with top two and a shorty with top. I had a friend that was going to MGM to play craps, so I said I would meet him there and grab a bite to eat at Pallete. I meet up with him, and win about $60 playing craps, buying in for the $25 in MGM chips I had.
After dinner I head upstairs to play some poker. I run good and win about $225. Don’t really have any hands to note. I know that I flopped trips and busted a shorty for about $100. Other than that, I did a lot of raise pre, C-Bet the flop, and took it down.

I went down to Motor City on Sunday and I lost $300 playing like a fool. I ended up spewing off $125
with AK when I 3-bet pre and had to call an all in.

I took Monday off, and got back to the grind on Tuesday.

I broke even on Tuesday, though was stuck $500 at one point. I played really well in all aspects. I think that I could have folded one of the hands that I went broke on. I had top pair with a flush draw, but was pretty confident that I was facing a better than 2 pair hand. There was a 3 to a straight on board, but I went with my read and was wrong. I was happy with my play overall, as I got to dig myself out of my whole. Moreso, I was just pleased with the fact that I was able to play just as well stuck $500 as I was even. I just know that I am pleased with my play.
As for the numbers, I have been really stagnant in terms of growth. I am stuck right around $8000. I think the accurate number is just below it, but nonetheless, close enough.

I am looking for a little bit of staking for the CPC coming up in a few weeks. I just want to play the following events:
Event 1a: $240 Re-entry NLHE
Event 1b: $240 Re-entry, though I don’t think I would re-enter, so I would probably play day 1b.
Event 2: $350 NLHE
Event 4: $560 7 Game. This is the one that I really want to play in.
Event 5: $240 NLHE
I would be okay as long as I play one of them. I will most likely play in one of the events nonetheless, but I don’t know which events. I was thinking Event 2 and/or 4, depending on how the cash games go. I just want to be able to cut the expenses as much as possible.

I know that this isn’t the staking forum or marketplace, but if someone is interested, please PM me.

Anyway, looking at staying in Hammond for at least several days anyway, no matter whether or not I play any tournaments.

So, on to future plans:
I have had to cancel my WSOPC AC trip for the time being. I wanted to be able to head out there, but I have family coming in to town as well as some potential Northern MI time, as long as there is still snow on the ground.
Looking at heading up to Lansing in a day or two, but not sure what my plans are as of yet.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

Heres part one of another stupendously long post:
HH/TR coming later...
I'm on 4 pages in word as we speak, so Ill post in two parts.

Spent the night in EL... Didn't really sleep... seems to be a recurring theme. Trying to figure out where to play this weekend. I have a rather large wad of cash on me as we speak, thinking about taking ANOTHER IL/IN trip... It would be my 3rd in like 3 weeks. I am thinking that I am going to drive from East Lansing to Firekeepers and then decide from there. If I feel like I'm breaking down mentally or physically, it is only 85 exits east to get home. If I feel good, I'll head to Hammond with a pit stop at my favorite small casino, Four Winds New Buffalo. I just want to try the PokerTek tables 1x, so I think that every time that I drive through NB, I am going to stop.
I am thinking that I might make an appearance at PLO more than LHE or NLHE this weekend. At this point, low limit live PLO seems to just be super juicy. Wish I would have manned up earlier than 2 months ago.
As for strategy, I think that I am going to stick with a $100-$150 buy in at a $100-$300 table. I think that the $100 is a little too short to be effective as it is more appropriate/easier to get all the $ in the middle when I can play a little more snug with a little bit more money and get much more value (lol PLO value) out of my made and strong drawing hands. I hope that makes sense, because that is the premise that I am operating under at the current time. Obviously most monetary decisions will be game. flow, and mental dependent. However, I am going in with the mindset that I can bring $200-$250 to the table (top up or rebuy).

A lot of the games LLPLO live games I have played have included a straddle, obviously leading to bigger pots. I think that $150 will be appropriate with a willingness to top up to $250 if the situation deems prudent.

As for NL, I have maintained that buying in full is the best way to go for me. I feel much more comfortable firing 2+ barrels if need be with a 150BB starting stack (well, at 150BB at any time). So, for the weekend, if I play some NL, it will be a full buy. I might try and get sneaky and play on a 2/5 table. At that point, 100BBs is fine for me. It is not as if I have never played 2/5, but I am trying to not get too deep into 2/5 as 1/2 is big enough for me at the current time. TBH, I wish that I could get into more 2/5 games. I really like the way I play in terms of adapting to the players, situation, and monetary increase (risk and reward). Obviously, if you have played any 2/5 in your life, the game is not that much different from 1/2, just double the stakes. I don't want to say that I play more tepid in a 2/5 game, but I do notice a shift in terms of my gameplay. I'm starting to move these adjustments from 2/5 to 1/2. I think its making a difference not only in the pocketbook, but also in terms of how I feel during and after playing. I spoke a little but about it in my last mammoth post (and it seems this will be another) and have made a few observations.

I understand the way I have approached poker at this time is as a job. I'm at the casino to make money. That should be the end of it, right? Well, maybe I overvalue the mental aspect of the game. Since the last post, I haven't really cared about the money in terms of monetary wins and losses (won quite a bit in the last 48h). I've more cared about whether or not I have thought that I have played well. I don't want to say money doesn't matter, because, as we all know, money makes the world go round. I also don't want to say that I am predispositioned that I am going to win every time, but it feels that way every time I walk up to the table in a good mindset. It kind of sounds silly, eliminating the monetary aspect from poker, but it really is a lot of fun not fretting over bankroll numbers, lost equity, or suckouts. I am not dismissing the significance of any of those things, but being able to brush those aside and just play good poker makes this experience very much well worth it. Sorry for the ramble, but I just don't think I am explaining anything well enough, ever, hence the long posts.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

As for the last few days, I have been very busy. On Wednesday morning, after a wonderful 4 hour slumber, I got up and went to go play at MCC. I don’t mind playing with the morning nits. It is refreshing to raise to $12 pre, get 3 callers, lead $25 on basically any flop and take it down. Rinse, repeat, profit. Obviously, there are times that that doesn’t work, and then adjustments need to be made. I started with $200 and chipped up to $275 without much fanfare. I got an old man angry at me for raising so damn much. I wasn’t even too terribly out of control. So, I get 56hh in late position and open for $12. I get Button, SB, BB, and EP limper to call. I have a good flop when Ah4h7x comes out. I get moderately excited because, well, I don’t have a pair yet. Pairs are no fun. Much more fun to play with 6 high than a pair. So, I lead $40 into $60. I get 2 callers. I am thinking about checking any turn, except a 4 or 7 (thinking 3x barrel). I would check most turns anyway, no matter my cards, so not only do I exercise pot control if I don’t get there on the river, but also to hide a strong hand. How many times have you seen the following line in a LL ½ game: Raise pre, fire a C-Bet on a not so good board for your average opens, check the turn, and fire the river no matter what when everyone checks around to you again. I see it a lot. Sure, sometimes it’s a set, but from my experience, it is top 2+ or nothing. Back to the hand. I bink the straight on the turn with an offsuit 8. EP checks, I check, Button (covers) fires $125 into $180ish. EP calls ($200 effective before the call) and I ship for my remaining $230. I get called by A8 and KQhh. I dodge the heart ball on the river, and scoop an $800+ pot. My usual SOP is that I quit the game if there is less than $1500 on the table (minus my stack). It’s not that I don’t like playing the poker, or can’t play small pots, but what’s the point when I am down there to play big. Also, I wont play with 4BI if theres another 4BI stack on the table. No need to play a $1600 pot at ½. I am blessed that there are 3 casinos and 23823943 charity rooms within 20 minutes of the downtown area. So, I get up about 20 minutes later, booking a $700 win. I was a little disappointed to only play for 2 hours there, but hey, $700 is a nice win.

Part of me wants to go home and take a nap (haven’t really been sleeping very well) with the intention to play most of the night. That, of course, didn’t happen. I end up playing at Greektown for 3 hours. I lost $150. Nothing memorable, I just raise folded or bet folded a lot.

I left there for a juicy home game in Jackson, on the other side of Ann Arbor. I had never been before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I phoned my buddy to make sure that he could extend me a line of credit for the game. It’s not like I don’t have money, but what’s the point of walking in to a private residence that you’ve never been to, in a city that you don’t know, with over $600? I wasn’t overly concerned about getting mugged, as I have known (moreso hearing about it through table talk) about this game for several years. I roll into the game ($1/$1 NLHE/PLO) with $200. I buy in for $200 and play for about an hour without having much to mention. Started out pretty passive, but I picked up a decent pot with 2 pair. The game was pretty splashy pre-flop. So, I got into a 7 way pot ($35) on the BB with 4c7c. Flop is 234xxx. I don’t really know how to proceed here, so I just fire. I know it is a donk bet and everything, but tbh, if I check there, I think that I check fold to pretty much any bet. I don’t know if that’s the right play there, but that’s how I was feeling. I hadn’t really mixed it up to this point, so I figured I would go with it. I have all but one player covered, but everyone is playing $120-$150, except the guy with $300 (who mucked). I get 2 callers, which I am pretty happy about as I was expecting more/a reraise. I am kind of hoping the board pairs here, makes it easier to fire again, and then decided if I want to fold or not to the shove (which I was thinking I was going to do). Turn is a Kx (pot $95). I surmise that this might be a good card for me, so I just put $100 out there and kind of expect to see 2 folds. I get one call. Guy shows 23 for 2 pair. We run it 2x. I bink a King ball on the river of the first board, and miss the second.
I’m not really happy, per se, with the play there. I don’t think that it was very good. There are a few flaws with it, starting with donk-betting a pair of 4s 7 ways in EP. With the effective stack size of $105 and a pot of $95, I’m not upset with the pot sized bet. During and after the hand I was thinking that betting $60 does the same thing as shoving. The more I think about it, I think that if I bet $60, it would freeze him up on the river, in which I am checking all rivers sans a 4. The more I analyzed it, there was no need to throw $100 out there other than for show. I think that $60 is the right bet in terms of pot size, effectiveness (getting weak hands to fold, strong hands shove, and mediocre hands are a mix of fold, call, and shove.
Nothing really out of the ordinary happened for about 2 hours. Granted, I coolered someone KKvQQ AIPF for about $100 each, but that is pretty standard.
At this point, we are playing 6 handed, and I am the 2nd shortest with like $350 in front of me. There are 3 played over $500 and only one below $200. Its getting late at this point, past 2 AM, and I was thinking about quitting, since I have been up for a while and I have a little drive ahead of me.
We are playing ½ PLO at this time. 5/6 of us are putting a straddle on. Big stack ($700) is nitting up and not interested in putting any money into the pot without the mortal nuts. I get A233sssx. Not a great hand, but I am OTB in a short handed game. I get 3-bet, I can just muck. So, I make it $15 and get SB, BB and UTG to call. Flop is 33Qddx. Like I said before, pairs are no fun. Quads are so much better. Checks to me and I check. (Any thoughts on betting $30 here, as I would if I had flopped a set or big pair + flush draw, or air). Turn is a Jx. This makes me happy, as I can now bet $45 and expect one caller at the min. Checks to me, and I bet $45. SB (covers me) makes it $125. Folds back to me. His bet size screams full house to be, hoping that I ship it in on him, reading his small bet for weakness. So, that’s exactly what I do and he snaps me off with JJxx. I double to about $740.
I lose a pretty big pot in a weird spot. I’m SB, facing a button raise to $12 (1/2 NLHE). I look down at Q10. I 3 bet, because, well, I just did. I make it $40 and the BB folds. Button calls. Flop comes 8 high, super dry. I am thinking that this is a good board for me in and a quick check on the flop will tell me if he has a PP (by him betting, and checking with anything else). He was a pretty straight forward player, so I was pretty confident in my read. He checks back to me. It’s at this time that I can throw sets into the checking range. I think that he still would have bet, but we are playing $600 effective, so maybe not. Turn is a 9x. I lead for $50, as I would with any pocket pair, set, two pair, or good ace. He raises timidly to $125. I don’t tank tank, but I do think about this one for a little while. Playing so deep allows him to make this play with hands like AK or low, single pairs, as well as sets. I make it $275 thinking that anything less than a pair of 9s folds, a set ships, and a call is a terrible play, unless you’re calling with a set, thinking I might have one. Worst case, he calls, and I bink a J on the river and scoop a 1.3k. He finally calls the $150 more. I am really thinking that he might fold for the remaining $200, but he folds so rarely, I don’t know if that is the right play. In fact, I’m going to say it isn’t a good play, unless a J hits. Well, I miss the river and it goes check check as expected. He shows JJ and scoops the $600+ pot. I’m curious if anyone ever folds JJ to a 3 bet there?
So, I cash out $450, a nice win.
I go home, get some sleep, wake up, and drive up to East Lansing. I play a decent amount, and quit around 10p. I ended up about even after being stuck a buy in pretty quickly. I’m waiting to leave here and decide where I’m going. Update later.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

Alright, it has been about 2 hours since my last monster post, so it’s time for another. In this post I revisit my goals that I outlined last month, reflect on them, and then create new/improved goals for the next week, month, quarter.

I will not play higher than $20/$40 LHE, $10/$20 Mix, $500 NL (mostly $200 NL $300 max), and $200 PLO until at least June.
I have kept to this, as it isn’t that hard for me. As I stated before, I want to adhere to very strict bankroll management. At no point do I want to stretch myself too thin and create the opportunity for financial harm. However, I think that I might have to step out on this if the proper situation comes up. It won’t happen anytime soon, I think, but nonetheless, being fluid is a good thing.

Find out if poker can sustain the lifestyle I have become accustomed to without revolutionizing everything I have worked hard to build in terms of mental, physical, and financial health.
As of right now, it seems that travel expenses, lack on a hard, long (6 days/week, 50+ hours) grind, and low stakes, this part has not worked out, in pure financial terms. Mentally, I am starting to feel great, as mentioned a few posts above. Physically, I am eating a little bit better, but not really working out. Cut my pop intake, so that was good. Financially, I am in no worse shape than before. In fact, I am about $1000 ahead after several trips. Acclimation has been a little touch and go, but overall has been a positive experience. Winning money helps too.

Travel to different places. Now, this one is hard for me. When I have gone to AC, I have played more than I have slept. Same thing holds true for my two trips to Hammond. This means that I need to gtfo of the casino every once in a while. For AC, I’ll wait until beach season, but I’m sure you understand. As for Hammond, I’ve seen it all, as my family is from Gary (30 years ago when Broadway wasn’t burnt out). However, how much fun could a day trip to Chicago yield? One of the reasons I am looking to do this is the freedom it gives me.
This is a mix of success and failure. I have traveled quite a bit in the last 2 weeks. I’ve been to Battle Creek twice, New Buffalo, twice, Harrah’s Joliet, Horseshoe Hammond, East Lansing, and wherever I head to today as I don’t really want to go home. All of this typing makes me want to play. Traveling is a success. I feel that I am winning enough to cover my expenses and I am enjoying myself. Perhaps I traveling, and paying for hotel rooms and the such, unnecessarily. To be honest, why am I going to Hammond to play 1/2 NL? They have a lot of that in MI. No need to pay $60 for a room, 500 miles on my car, and $30 on gas. On top of that, I have to add in all of the food that I eat out, if I don’t comp anything at the casino. So, though I have shone profit, I am curious how much I have spent on expenses on these travels.
Let’s examine that: 4 Nights in a Hotel (1 Comped), $175. Gas/Other Car Costs driving all over MI and Northern IL and IN: $150. Food/Drink: Estimate $12/meal, 2 meals a day. I’ve overcompensated how much I spend on food as I wish to include alcoholic beverages in this cost, while also including the comped meals, allowing for a $12 average/meal. Food total for 7 days on road: $170. So, for the few travels I have been on, while extremely fun, mentally stimulating, and helpful in terms of learning, I have spent about $500 on expenses for 7 days on the road (including my time here in EL, which I spend at my brothers apartment). So, for an average ½ NL player with an EV of $15/hour playing ½ NL, for every week that I am gone playing anything lower than 10/20 LHE or 2/5 NLHE or ½ PLO I have to play for 35 hours just to break even. This is, of course if the deck “breaks even.”
So, I want to edit the goals. I don’t want to halt travel, as I think that it might be worth the costs in expenses for the therapy that going places affords me, but I need to cut expenses as much as possible, while maintaining a good work ethic.
I also wanted to adapt the travel to include more of the charity rooms north of 696 and east of Telegraph. Basically, I want to play at every charity room from East Lansing to Ann Arbor to Sterling Heights to Woodhaven. I have been to every charity room from Ann Arbor to Northville to Wayne to East Lansing, but nothing east of the Electric Stick. Well, I played at Cada’s place once the 2nd day they were open.
Here is a list of all of the charity rooms that I want to play in that are a reasonable distance from my apartment that I wish to plan in. The ones I already have played in are in bold.

Washtenaw County:
Heidelburg
Roundtree
Belmark Lanes (Closed, thankfully)

Wayne County:
Trip Kings Canton
Electric Stick
Northville Downs
Docs Sports Bar (Haven’t played here recently, like 2 years)
Vision Lanes
Sharks Club Canton (Closed)

Oakland/Macomb County:
Snookers
Cadas Room
Uptown Grille
The River
Big Beaver Tavern

Hopefully by the end of March I can complete this list.

Be spontaneous. I have found that I like to take random 2 day golf trips up north on about 2-24 hours notice. They are always fun. Who says I have to be spontaneous in Michigan alone?
I haven’t taken a non-poker trip yet, though I did leave for Firekeepers/New Buffalo on about 2 hours notice. I am looking at a trip up north for a drinking/snowboarding/golfing depending on the weather in the next month. I hope that I can take at least one. Even if it just to Grand Rapids, that would be okay.

Enjoy thyself.
I have to say, mid-last week I was not enjoying myself. I kept questioning my decisions, plays, and strategy. I was going through some things as well in terms of family, so that didn’t help. Most of the family stuff has dissipated for now. The play has improved due to studying and analyzing my game. This has helped with the overall happiness factor, I think. I re-read what I wrote early about how the money factor in the ½ NL games hasn’t affected me recently. I didn’t mean to come off like I thought I was going to win every session, and that all I needed to do was sit at the table. Not at all, I know that I won’t win every time, but I feel on point as we speak, that is all. It is something new that I haven’t felt in a while.

Profit.
On January 21st, I said that I had a bankroll of $7500, a savings account $1000 for expenses, and $3000 for a rainy day fund. I guess I can update all three of those figures. I quickly realized that separating the bankroll and expense account was very hard to keep track of on the run. I am pretty good with bookkeeping, but it is just easier to combine those, so I did, without adjusting the bankroll update numbers I submitted in the thread. Now, as I stated a short while ago, I have spent $500 on expenses, which came right out of the bankroll number. So, I get to add $1000 to the most recent bankroll number, which was submitted on February 15th ($8000). So, add the $1000 of expense money that has just been sitting in the bowels of Bank of America and I have a bankroll of $9000. Add in my play for the last few days, sans expenses, and I am near $9500. My rainy day fun has had a recent capital gain from a sale of a long position in my portfolio. I don’t wish to go into that, because it is not important. I will say my rainy day fun is still $3000, though I have dipped into it for some non-poker related things, so call it $2500. So, on January 21st, I had $11500 liquid for this venture. At the time of writing, February 17th, I have $12000, with $500 being non-poker related expenses. So, I have made about $1000 playing poker after expenses in one month. That is nothing special. I haven’t really put in too much volume, so I am pretty pleased with that number for the stakes I am playing. However, for the next 5 days, I am looking to put in some pretty good volume between ½ PLO, 2/5 NLHE, and ½ or 1/3 NLHE. With the amount of volume I am looking at putting in, I shouldn’t have any problems covering expenses as long as I keep my head on straight and stop donk-betting in terrible spots.


New Goals

Remove never from the poker vocabulary.
I think this is simple. Removing never from the vocabulary, it allows me to consider obscure plays that I most likely won’t make. However, it should allow me to expand my thinking. Maybe by doing so, I am combine two ideas, one from the play I would usually make, and one from the play I would have ‘never’ made, to make a really good play. Maybe this costs me money, maybe I am over thinking it, we shall see in short order.

Play more live PLO
I made mention multiple times that I am going to start this. A quick note; I feel that I play pretty nitty in 9 handed PLO. I will continue this until I feel more comfortable playing a little looser. Once I feel more comfortable, I can evaluate what type of game I prefer to play, which one is more profitable, and which pieces I can merge together to make everything more profitable.

Put money back online
I had a Merge account a while ago, opened in early 2008. So, I am looking into depositing back onto Merge. However, in my undying quest to be liquid, I might go to Lock, as I have heard you can get Western Unions in 2 days or something. I will have to investigate. As for online play, I would probably put somewhere between $1000 and $2000 online. I will probably go with $1000 and start at $50 NLHU, PLO 6 Max, and NLHE 6 max. I would like to play a little higher, but I will most likely play at least 8 tables, so we will see. I’m not really looking to have a lot of money online at any given time, so moving up any higher than $100 NL/PLO is probably not going to happen. Now, I may decide that this is not prudent, and that I should focus on live play more. It kind of depends on my research and my family’s need of my presence or close proximity in the coming 6 weeks.

Figure out CPC/WSOPC trip.
I would like to have a plan sooner than later. I would really like to play the CPC. I can’t really justify playing any other the tournaments. I see lots of value, but in terms of cost effectiveness at this time, I am not interested in putting $300 or $500 for a tournament AND expenses for however many days. Also, I hope they do not have the problem of 100 person cash lists like they did during the WSOPC. As for AC, I would really like to go because I just like AC. I will try to play in some tournaments, but as for putting myself in any of the tournaments, I highly doubt it. Once again, anyone interested, let me know. I can get play history/reference ect. Would be more interested in the CPC than WSOPC, as I think I will be glued in the back room of the Borgata for most of the week that I am there.

Sleep more/Longer
I don’t care if I have a normal sleep schedule, as I have no problem being up and playing for 36+ hours. I just want to be able to sleep at least 6 hours every time I put my head down.

Keep better records
I know how much money I put into the game and how much I cash out, but when I play at multiple casinos for hours on end, (while mixing chips and cash), sometimes I forget. Even more often, I just fail to write it down. I would like to keep a graph, much like HEM. I guess it would be more interesting in terms of upswings, downswings, and fluctuation of money in real time than of any practical use (except for a backer if that ever happens in the future).

I would love to hear some feedback from some of the people that are reading this thread, if you haven't given up reading my novel.
I will try to update a little more regularly instead of 12 pages at a time.
I think I am going to treat myself to a Shamrock Shake. My high school "mascot" was the shamrock, yet ours was blue and white, not green and filled with awesomeness.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

I'm looking at some travel options for the next 4-6 months.
Only thing that is relatively certain is that I want to be in Vegas from June 3/4/5/6 to June 10/11/12/13.
Other places that I am considering:
2-4+ days:
Hammond/Joliet
Mt. Pleasant
Pittsburgh
Battle Creek/New Buffalo/East Lansing (seperate of combined)
Toledo (when it opens)

3-8 days:
Vegas
AC
LA
Tunica
Biloxi
Philadelphia (including AC)
Foxwoods

It's not like I can't leave for longer, I just don't if I want to be gone longer than 10 days. I have no problem making multiple trips to Vegas during the WSOP if it's worth it.

[IDKMyBFFJill]

So, I am looking forward to making several different trips to several different places.
The first trip that I am looking for is in early June for the WSOP. As for right now, I am looking at June 3/4/5 through June 10/11/12/13.

So it seems that the cheapest offer is $260 from June 5-12. I’ve checked my Total Rewards account and the cheapest hotel is $450 at the IP. I searched hotels.com and found 2 nights (Fri./Sat.) at Crestwood Suites Las Vegas for $100. The 5th-8th is comped at the Imperial Palace and $40 at the Rio. The 11th is comped at the Rio and Imperial Palace. So, it looks like it will be $140 at most of the hotel, most likely closer to $120 as I am sure I missed some taxes somewhere.

To be honest, if my room and airfare costs me less than $400, that would be great. I have no idea how much food costs and cab fares are in Vegas, so I’ll just over-budget and be happy with it. I was thinking that most of my meals will most likely be comped due to my expected amount of play. However, I can’t say no to an x-course sampler meal at some swanky place, but that will be something dealt with later. As for partying and everything else, I’m not really into the party scene. I am far from an introvert, but clubbing and the such, is not my style, so I’m not going to plan on any extreme bar costs.

I have looked at the GN tournament series and made a list of all the ones I want to play, will play, will play if I have the bankroll, and won’t play, no matter what. For those that are wondering, yes, I have a lot of time on my hands in the middle of the night, as I have a really awful sleep schedule. My days last about 18-40 hours on average. I won’t share the entire list unless asked for, but from the lack of response I have gotten, I have a feeling that that won’t be an issue. So, here is the list:

June 6: $225 NLHE (Probably won’t play this, but leaving my options open)
June 7: $230 Stud 8/Omaha 8 (Most definitely won’t play this)
June 7: $125 NLHE (I think that I will play this, just to see the layout and tournament series in general)
June 7: $215 PLO (Won’t play this)
June 8: $125 NLHE (If I play this it will be because something went/is going wrong in cash games)
June 8: $230 Badugi/2-7 Triple Draw (I really want to play this, but I don’t know about the cost at the current bankroll level, a recurring theme)
June 9: $125 NLHE (Nope, I’ll pass)
June 9: $230 Limit O8 (Nope, pass)
June 10: $125 NLHE (Pass on this one, too)
June 10: $230 PLO8 (Pass, again)
June 11: $125 NLHE (Boo, a lot of these, pass)
June 11: $230 HORSE (I want to play this, but it is HORSE and $230, a wait and see approach)

Obviously, there are WSOP events, but that is a no go unless I hit a Bad Beat Jackpot in the near future.

As for now, the range of buy ins is between $355 (1 NLHE and Badugi or Horse) and $810 ($225 NL, $125 NL, and $230 Badugi and HORSE). I have a feeling it will be somewhere in the middle, near the lower end.

For those that like lists better, here it is, in terms of projected expenses for my 7 day jaunt. I put the numbers in bold so if you want to skip the rhetoric, you can.

Airfare: $260. (includes taxes and baggage)

Hotel Costs: $120. (Presuming IP/Crestwood stay) Depending on what information I get, I might choose to stay somewhere else for a small cost (like $40 at the Rio!)

Food: $105. Presuming $15/day not including comps.

Cab Fare: $130. I have no idea what cab costs are, but I figures $40/RT Airport, and $15/day to the casinos. I am sure that there are trams or something of the sort, but since I decide to play/go home, I want to go to my destination immediately, not wait around for a tram.

Tournament Buy In Costs: $600. I am obviously pretty unsure about the prizepool, EV, time, and willingness to play, along with my bankroll. I might play a Rio satty or two, but, once again, bankroll, time, availability, and randomness will decide my fate.

Other: $400. This will include my drinking, pit games, and anything else that I might decide to do while in Vegas. I don’t think I’ll do much else other than play poker, sleep, and eat, but one must have a contingency plan.

Cash Games: $6000. I am planning on having a lot more than this in the bankroll, but I am willing to put all of this into play during this trip. However, I have a feeling that if I lose around $4000 that I will quit, relax, and then come home and rebuild.

Total: $8000. Seems a little high, but at this point, I’m in the planning stages.
I’m pretty well set on making this trip. Should be a hell of a time, I’m looking forward to it. I am thinking about postponing booking the flight for 60 days or so. I booked the comped rooms already, no cost to cancel, so no point in not doing so.

[maxostoch]

gl sir.