I participated in my first stake out last night. All night. I watched Revenge until about midnight, a show that I've discovered is slightly too addicting as I am through two seasons in just over a month. At first there was only the flicker of annoyance, a slight buzz quietly humming around the ceiling of my room, but when the lights went out, war raged. The buzzing was suddenly insistent. It would swirl down from above, closer, and closer until it was at my ear! I'd shoot the covers up over my head and listen as it swirled back to the ceiling.

I was hoping it would go away. That the devil buzzer would lose interest in my warm body, but as soon as I would drift back off, another attack would ensue. At 3 am I was craftily positioning the sheets to cover everything but my nose. At 4am, I built a fort of pillows over my face. At 5 I was delirious. All hope of sleep was lost and I knew the next day was ruined. The buzzer had to pay.

I couldn't turn on the bedside lamp to attract him. He was too smart for that; could sense the trap. So it had to be the desk light, slightly further away, and a little more alluring. A Spanish newspaper that I'd been reading was to be the weapon, but it had to be hidden. I propped myself up on the bed and waited.

At thirty five minutes past 6, the buzzer had dropped down from the ceiling, not realizing he'd become a kamikaze instead of a bomber, he suicided into the wall near my head and with a resounding WHACK! it was all over. A one inch body of wings collapsed onto the floor and finally there was the most beautiful silence I'd ever heard.

With the stake out complete, and the guilty party brought to justice I attempted to sleep for four hours or so, before beginning a very long day of play with periodic naps and lots of caffeine.

Haha I like how you told that last story.

Didn't have to hide the weapon. We often give unseen villain too much credit.

mobile Phablet upload

lol

I've been trudging on through a very frustrating week of poker. The monster under the bed keeps reaching up and pulling down my protective covers. I go over hands every day, and tinker away to keep improving results. Of course, results are a funny thing to try and tinker with in poker.

Some of my closest poker friends know I'm an unfortunate micro-manager and am constantly checking numbers, hands, and stats in an obsessive manner. Sometimes I know I need to remove the pipe from my bum and relax a little... but it's against my nature. Instead of looking at my results today (grim again) I am trying to focus on my mental state, clear my mind, read, and have a coffee before my second session. I'm not completely used to the swings at 50nl. A $200 loss still hurts my head. I'll probably put in some time at 25nl this evening just to make sure I can keep my mind clear and not worry about the money.

This article I just finished reading was written two years ago, by Noah Stephens-Davidowitz on the variance of NL cash games. I've got about a 50k hand sample at $50nl, so I guess I don't know my true win or loss rate yet. Great article if you're interested in a recap on variance. Made me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside about my little 10k hand swing.

I would highly suggest staying at 50nl if you think you are ready skill-wise. It's well worth it to go through a few normal-but big losing days in order to develope thick skin, and a truely carefree attitude about how much you lost. After that point, you start playing your best poker. Mark my words.

u worry about the actual cash number... 200 dollars is 4BI thats nothing think like that

Hey thanks for the advice. I'm sticking to 50nl, had a good day today finally . Sometimes, I just need to drop down for a couple hours and rebuild my confidence. I don't know exactly how long it will take to develop this thick skin you speak of. It's strange, a year ago when I was playing live it took $1k loss to really get to me. Now all that's changed.

I may be slightly guilty of having a chip on my shoulder when it comes to poker. I can't stand being outplayed, losing, or just plain making mistakes. My blunders weren't so apparent to me live because a) there were far more recreational players playing worse than I was and b) I didn't have HM2 to permanently record results. Today, when I see a $200 loss playing $50NL I think, " at least $85 of that was post-flop mistakes and not just coolers" and it really upsets me. I pour over the hands, detail errors, ask advice from friends, draw trees etc etc. My obsession over playing well has translated into better and better results, but that doesn't make it healthy.

Looking forward to that day I can reach my poker best, thanks for the comment.

I can relate to this. I go on tilt most often because I make a mistake or two, and get angry and feel like a fish, thus it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

as far as checking results compulsively, i like to only look at my results to enforce my stop loss. this lets me just focus on hand reading, and making good play after good play.

good luck, really cool what you're doing.

Be cool, calm and collected at the table. The profitable decisions in the long term are correct, regardless of results. The calmness comes with acceptance of variance and experience over time (different amount of time for different people).

Be super analytical AWAY from the table during Hand History reviews and study time. You will often know immediately upon clicking when you have made a mistake, before you even see the results. Just mark it, if necessary, for later review.

When moving up in limits, just use good BRM. The only real difference as you move up each level, is there are less % of fish, and regs make mistakes less often. But it really is much less than we "think" it is, psyching ourselves out about moving up and down.

Don't set a goal for making XX dollars before logging off or ending a session. Ever.

DO set an amount of time you are wanting to grind and go with it as long as you feel good, and feel free to take breaks, or stop early, whenver you wish. You are your own boss.

Don't listen to just a few people, but instead listen to and read everyone, to see how varied everyone approaches the game.

And please keep posting, it's a fun read!

My compadre's got Montezuma's Revenge. First reminder in a while I'm actually in Mexico where the water isn't potable. I catch myself waking up and walking into the hall to greet everyone in English still. I don't mean to, it just pops out. I started playing around on Duolingo. It's a language site that motivates me to learn by collecting 'lingots'.

I've discovered the bus system here, and enjoy "shooting" all around the city to see parks, and attractions. When I say shooting, I really mean it. The bus drivers are super aggressive hitting the gas and slamming the breaks to pick up and unload passengers. Everyone on board seems to be used to it, I just can't seem to hide my excitement. Akin to riding on Indiana Jones in a theme park I end up bouncing all over the place holding on to poles and seats while the wheels bring me closer to my destination. With a ride at 7 pesos, you can't get a better price for this kind of entertainment.

Poker is moving forward. I'm cramming in VPP's for the end of the month to hit Platinum (finally) and making a little money. I'm super close to getting the win rate I want, but am struggling to find those last few tweaks. I keep getting into a guessing game on the river. Call or Fold? Maybe I need a coin handy. Five more days until I hop on a plane to Playa del Carmen, last few days in Guadalajara will be packed with fun.

My hostel became a giant fraternity for a single 24 hours. Muddy footprints trailed the bathroom floor toward stalls of toilets lacking toilet paper. Beer cans littered the hallway, overflowed the kitchen trash, and decorated the bathroom sinks. There were so many people in one place that every chair, bed, sofa, and toilet was occupied by some kid who didn't have a place to be.

I'm trying to understand what the guys in the hallway have been staring at for the last three hours, as they bump their heads to bad house music wearing synchronized plaid shirts and fake Rey Bans. They sip Tecates and lean back with arms set up on the rests and feet spread out like their chairs are actually comfortable. Must be something super awesome in that hallway that I just don't know about.

I was trying to sneak out of my room unnoticed to grab water and food during my session, but kept feeling uncomfortable around everyone. If you've ever experienced that feeling of being watched by something, that was what it was like. Every time I reached up to grab something in the kitchen, or bent down to pull something out of the fridge, the energy in the room shifted. Like something was supposed to happen.

I found out what that something was at about 1 am when Montezuma's Revenge struck. Not for my compadre this time, but for me.

My whole body hurts. Pain shoots up from my legs to my back as my muscles cramp from dehydration. I read in a few forums that TREDA was the drug to take for treatment. What a terrible decision for me. The side effects resulted in severe nauseous. My bed turned into a giant raft and I got to experience sea sickness on land for hours.

I'm trying to take the day off, to relax and not think about it. I found a new show 'ONCE' to keep myself occupied. Sort of. I managed to eat a whole banana and some cantaloupe without tossing it overboard. I can't help but think about poker. I'm on my last 1800 VPP's to hit platinum on STARS this month, something I've been trying to accomplish since November. I can't let this illness set me back. Four more days to take them out. Hoping the nausea just stops so I can grind, please stop.

Hope you feel better, and hope you don't play while sick.

For me, learning when NOT to play was an important lesson. While Sick, Depressed, or too tired.

Bankroll balance, and winrate, are Both more important than platinum star.
A good reminder is that balanced long term goals are good, and short term "target" goals can be bad, ie: bankroll busters.

Hi Jen

Just wanted to say I really enjoy reading your thread, thanks for sharing your journey with us!

Thank you thank you

Montezuma bit the dust as soon as I ditched the TREDA. I've arrived in Playa del Carmen and have found a great place to live and I'm going to tell you all about it. Later.

For now I have another story.

So I'm sitting on the toilet. I look down at my toes, which are kind of fuggly, and out of the corner of my eye I see this squiggly black thing moving around on the floor. It's a scorpion! I was so excited I jumped up and ran straight to the kitchen with my pants half down and grabbed a jar. I *carefully* got it into the jar with a piece of paper and got a good look at. It was super small like maybe an inch long, I could have easily squished it. I delighted over my new pet. I proudly showed my roommate my new little friend and he freaked out and demanded I flush it down the toilet. He then proceeded to run around the house checking his shoes and clothes for more scorpions. The morale of the story? Not everyone is capable of delighting in the little things.

I've been trying to put up a post for like four days about Playa del Carmen and my place. Can't seem to get any photo links visible from image shack or flickr. Read the upload thread.. am I slow? Try again tomorrow

Cool thread, keep on updating, and gl in mexico

I arrived in Playa del Carmen about a week ago now. Went house hunting and found a place in only three days, super happy! The place is on the North end of Playa off 1st Avenue, nice breeze and about two blocks down to the water.

The beach is unlike any other I've experienced. The sand feels mushy and soft like I'm walking on air instead of something rough, the water is turquoise blue and salty. I'm looking around for a good map of local dive spots, and plan on seeing a sea turtle tomorrow.

Back at the house, I've found a few new creatures that keep trying to move in with me. Scorpions, geckos and mosquitoes. I've heard there are tarantulas here as well, but haven't encountered any as of yet. This gecko was crawling along my front door and I kidnapped him for ten minutes.



I think in retrospect, looking back at my time in Rosarito vs coming down to Playa del Carmen, this would have been the better choice. The weather is great, the people are still friendly and the rent is still reasonable. The two bedroom, third floor, furnished place I'm in two blocks from the beach is under 1k a month including gas, water and internet. I'll be putting up a post on my blog about how to find a place to live in Playa del Carmen in two days if anyone is interested in heading this way.

Always awesome to get a comment from someone at the top thank you and I will

Current Poker Status:

http://youtu.be/elTba3IDh9U

Haha, cute! You're my fave lets be bff

I somehow went from crushing 50NL to falling all the way down. I'm exploring ideas on mental coaching for myself including meditating, Tendler activities, and pre-session warm ups. Perhaps playing poker is like preparing for a school test, except of course, you test with dollars earned or lost.

I went to church yesterday. It's not an activity that I normally partake in, but from the push of a friend I ceded and went. The pastor was a small man with super red skin and square glasses. I tried to listen to what he said but somewhere after the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and praying once again for the holy spirit to enter me, I became lost on the take home message. Disappointed, I came home to bust a couple tournaments and once again evaluate my plan.

I discovered recently, on a trip over to Cozumel (island), that I'm actually a pretty good free diver. When I originally planned my trip to the Yucatan, I expected to do a lot of scuba diving, but the costs of renting the gear, paying for the dive boat etc etc. make it prohibitively expensive at this point. I compromised by buying a $40 snorkel trip on a glass bottom boat and seeing the local reefs. The first two reefs were a short twenty feet to the bottom, a fairly easy swim for most people, but the last one got deep.

As I lay face down on the surface, I could barely make out the fish below but I just HAD to see them. I sucked in and out short breaths to oxygenate my blood, and ripped in a full one to my gut before making the journey down. My ears began to hurt from the pressure and I had to stop every few feet to depressurize, by the time I made it to the bottom, my breath was half gone but it was all worth it. Somewhere between forty and fifty feet below, all the fish hiding beneath the reef shelves become visible and families of yellow, blue and rainbow fish come out at ease. They aren't used to seeing people there, and keep a healthy distance while propelling about their homes. It was the most peaceful moment I've found in Cozumel and I knew that I had to come back to this place with gear for filming, and perhaps a few real free dive lessons to make the journey last even longer.

Back to the mental coaching. Back to evaluating a plan, but at least, I found the ocean again.

I've booked six straight winning days and am feeling much better. Outside the humidity of Playa del Carmen, it's turned out to be a pretty nice place to grind. I'm back to putting in the time to write out a lot of range work... go over hands and read new threads. I turned back away from Zoom after my third attempt at playing it in hopes of larger volume. I really don’t get it. In regular 25NL games I’m a +4.8 EV bb/100 winner… on Planet Zoom I’m an -8 EV bb/100 LOSER. (sample size is zoom is 30k hands, more at regular tables) What am I missing? Jumping back up to regular 50NL tables tomorrow.

Random Thoughts

I discovered what a thread saver was two days ago. So the obvious question that popped into my mind was, ‘does that mean I should put up naked pictures of guys or girls?’ I mean… this thread is in the women’s section. I concluded that both options would leave the other sex angered or scarred in some way.

So as a new type of thread saver, I’m going to occasionally put up comics, funny videos, and hands I played where I gave someone a horrible bad beat. Why only those hand histories? Because a) I didn’t start this thread to give poker advice. b) it amuses me and c) I hate reading about bad beats. So here is my first victory dance.


Hand Information
No Limit, 0.3 BB (6 handed).
Hand History converter courtesy of pokerhandreplays.com

Table Information
Seat: 1 Player 1 ($26.33)
Seat: 2 Player 2 ($84.17)
Seat: 4 Player 4 ($48.49) Dealer
Seat: 6 Hero ($30.15) Small Blind
Seat: 7 Player 7 ($30) Big Blind
Seat: 9 Player 9 ($43.61)
Dealt to Hero
**

Preflop (Pot:0.45)
Player 9****FOLD
Player 1****FOLD
Player 2****FOLD
Player 4****FOLD
Hero****RAISE $1
Player 7****CALL $0.7

Flop(Pot: $2.15)
***

Hero****CHECK
Player 7****CHECK

Turn(Pot: $2.15)
****

Hero****BET $1.2
Player 7****RAISE $2.8
Hero****CALL $1.6

River(Pot: $7.75)
*****

Hero****CHECK
Player 7****BET $5.7
Hero****ALL-IN
Player 7****ALL-IN
Hero****RETURN $0.15
Showdown:
Hero SHOWS
**
Player 7 SHOWS
**
Hero**wins the pot: $7.75

I'm taking a hiatis from Mexico, bankroll is continuing upward, will be in LA/Vegas for a few weeks. I think my experience coming to Mexico to grind and learn was fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone interested in poker. Just get out of the country, pack your things, and go! I intend to continue my journey soon but for now, I think this is a good place to end this thread, hope you all enjoyed the read.