^...This shows maturity as a player. I certainly don't want to sound condesending because thats not my intent.
I thinking you're developing more as a long term poker player, and the strategy stuff just comes out when you type because thats what on your mind much of the time. Sitting at the table, or away from the table, or keeping up on you blog, your mind is in the game....

Cush, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. Nothing worse than trying to operate at 100% when you're only about 70% physically.
And kindly keep in mind, money and assets come and go in life....you can always make more money, its just another commodity, no different than corn or pork bellys. Freinds and family have way more value than money and other assets...good job sir!

My thoughts exactly.

Thanks for the comments, doesn't sound condescending at all. My mind is always on the game and sometimes the problem is getting it to turn off when I'm taking a break. Yesterday I think I got that. Went an entire day and didn't play or think about poker at all, which I think I needed.

Not sure what spurred it, but the bolded is something I thought I believed already, and after being in Vegas for almost 4 months now I feel that way much more strongly than before.

Cannot agree more. Sometimes it just pops up. Always have strategy thoughts when I am showering for some reason.

Got a really good workout in today, it feels good to be back on that wagon after falling off for so long.

Ended up heading to the Venetian again, where I had a huge roller coaster session. Only had one hand in the beginning that I wasn't sure about, the rest I think I played well.

Right away I won a bit by hitting a couple flushes but never got fully paid off. I didn't really like my table because there were 4 or 5 short stacks and it was pretty tight so I got a table change.

At the new table was where I got in the one hand I wasn't sure about. I completed from the BB in a straddled pot with J8 and the straddler checked. Flop came 567, giving me an open ender and a flush draw. I checked planning on a check/raise, and another player bet about 2/3 pot. Then the next player raised and I was left with a decision. The stack sizes were such that if I raised less than all-in I wouldn't be able to fold to a shove because I would be getting too good of a price. I don't really like calling so I went for max fold equity and shoved. To my surprise both players called and the board ran out T A, completely bricking out for me. My opponents showed 45 and 89, with the straight scooping most of it and the 45 getting a very small side pot with his pair of 5's. Still not sure about this hand but I don't think I can fold and since my shove was just a bit more than a pot-sized raise I think it is better than raising smaller and calling off as it maximizes the chance that I will win the pot right away.

After this hand I rebought and chipped up a bit when this total maniac sat down. He was raising literally every pot, calling all raises and playing for stacks on the flop with just about any piece. I couldn't get anything at first but after a while I picked up TT and got all in preflop against his KQ and held up. Usually tens isn't a pre-flop all-in but against this guy its a fist-pump shove. Then less than 10 minutes later I doubled up against him again, getting QQ all in preflop. The flop came AK4 and I thought I was done for but I was still good against what he said was 88.

Unfortunately I would lose most of what I was up, but all were in good spots. The biggest hits I took were losing to KJ on an 8TQ9 board with AJ and losing to AJ on a J44A board with AQ. Both were all-in on the turn and stacks were shallow enough that I could basically never fold either hand.

Other than that most of what I lost was calling raises preflop against the maniac and missing. Once people realized how bad he was playing there would routinely be 4-6 players to every flop when he raised.

I wanted to stay longer because of him but was pretty tired so I decided to rack up with a decent profit despite losing a bunch of hands at the end. Sucks to be up so much and leave with what was about 1/3 of what I was up at my peak but like I said, I'm happy with all the hands I ended up losing so I can't really be disappointed.

Was this guy older like 65 white hair and kindof a mustache? I'm at 2/5 Venetian right now I think im playing with this guy, he has raised every hand he's played and will call any re raise

for me... J/8s is a clear fold in that spot. I know it's easy to say in hindsight, but a jack high flush against two players is problematic when it involves your entire stack. you didn't include any thought process in your post, so I think this is a severe leak... putting the idea of winning this pot in front of the effects of loosing your entire BI.

he is an older dude that wears reading glasses on the very tip of his nose. He is a total action junkie and there is absolutley no mistaking him. Seen him call 4 bets to 210 with Jto (effective stacks 700)...and bluff a g note with complete air while taking a nonsensical line.

agree 100% i think this is a sigh fold here

He raised to $30 tight guy made it $300 and he calls and flops a fh with 93 other guy only has $300 behind

sounds like a fun player... I probably know him. the suckage is when he actually makes a decent hand.

Yep, thats him. He had lots of chips when I left so he had been winning some pots, though he was in for a lot too.

Yea I think you guys are right. I considered folding but I thought they would fold often enough to make it profitable. However, when the second guy raises I think he has a made straight so often that I should just fold. As it happened I got a pretty good situation in that no one had a higher flush draw, and I still only had 30% equity 3 ways.

Nittery going on in here.

Shipping that like all day long with a straddle on and assuming we are 100 bb or less (50bb effective with straddle). This hand could of just as easily been 7x vs two pair and then they both might fold. Second guys range on this board is much wider then the nuts unless he is some nitreg or something.

Why does he have a made straight so often? We block 89 and people don't really limp with 84. 34 is possible too but we're like literally 50/50 against 34. Even if he has 89 we're 60/40

Worst case is made hand + bigger FD but assuming people do wierd stuff in live poker, and have any type of hands they can fold this is 100% a ship.

I think your being a little results oriented.

agreed... AGAINST ONE PERSON. against a raise and a three bet, fold and onto the next hand IMHO... mainly based on what can happen to the entire stack.

when ever I see a decision on whether or not to call off for your entire BI based on implied odds... I always error on the side of discretion. Now, if you are trying to be Selbest and you think I am folding to any test... you would be very wrong. this is not what we are talking about here, exploitation was not occurring in my humble O

Mmmmmmm.... Obviously depends somewhat on the read on the villains involved and stack sizes, but if a typical 2-5 I'm not sure you can induce two folds there from much. Maybe other open enders or non nut flush draws, but other than that isn't he likely to be called by made hands or at least hands that can redraw on him (2 pair or sets) only?

Yea, effective stacks were 107bbs, so 53.5 with straddle. I thought that with the 8 in my hand I didn't have to worry about someone having a straight and FD very often so fold equity+hand equity if called made me lean toward a ship. Thanks for comments, working on that bolded part.

It wasn't a raise and 3-bet, it was a bet and raise to me, which I shipped over.

honestly, this i why its better to lead out here. If you get raised and stuffed its an easy toss. Going for the ck raise was a bad play - he is lost in the hand...this is not nittery. I have played a ton both live and on line. On line i go with it. Like I said live i believe its a sigh fold

I agree. Lead with a bet.

Posted this hand in LLSNL with more details for those interested.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...d-pot-1250726/

Had a couple fairly good sessions the last couple days, all Venetian 2/5. Yesterday I played from behind most of my session due to getting a pretty bad suckout. I flopped middle set with 88 on a T82 board and got it all in on the flop against KT. Board ran out 5A and I lost to his flush.

Other than that I pretty much folded and picked up a few small pots until this hand. I hadn't played a hand in about 2 orbits and picked up AQ. One guy raised to 15 and I 3-bet to 50 and got five callers. Not exactly normal but ok. Flop came queen high, checked to me and I bet 150, one guy called and another guy went all-in for 230. Because the all-in was not a full raise I cannot re-reaise so I called the extra, as did my original caller. Turn was an ace and I shoved for what I had left, which was about 170, and surprisingly the guy folded. The river came another queen and I scooped it with my full house. That brought me just barely above even, and I pretty much stayed at the same stack until I left.

Today was a bit more up and down, but I think I played really well and didn't get into too many interesting spots. The first major hand I played, it folded to me on the button and I had A6o and raised to 20, just trying to steal the blinds. The small blind made it 60. I had played with her for a couple orbits and noticed that she was pretty aggressive and I had been fairly active so I think she viewed me that way also. So I thought that she was just trying to make a move because my range when it folds to me on the button is pretty much any two cards. So I called, as I don't mind playing the pot in position. Flop came AT3, she bet and I called. The turn was a wonderful 6. She checked, I bet and she called. The river was a K, she checked I went all-in and she called. I would later find out that she had a bigger ace, so I got lucky this time, but I think calling with position even with A6o is going to be profitable.

I lost a bit back in just a few spots where I raise, get called, miss, cbet, and get raised or get called and didn't have good barreling opportunities.

Then I got moved to the main game, where the girl from the A6 hand had already been moved. Now my seat was to be directly to her right, same as where I was at the must move. Because we were both deep and she was an aggressive player, I was hoping to have position on her, or at least be on opposite ends, so I didn't really like the seat I was about to take. For those that don't know, the seats are numbered 1-10, starting with the seat to the left of the dealer and going clockwise. So she was in seat 8 and I was to take seat 7. Before I could sit down, the woman in seat 5 said she wanted the 7 seat. I said ok, Ill go to your seat, which I was much happier about. Then the 10 seat says he's leaving, and I say, well then I'll take that one. Now, this girl, realizing what I'm doing, says no, I have a seat change button, and I want the 10. I say ok, no problem, I'll take the 5, and now the woman that originally was going to take the 7 says she will take the 8 after the girl moves. But now because I'm gonna sit in the 5, the girl says "no thats fine I'll stay here". At this point I say ok fine, I'll take the 10 if you don't want it. So we basically had this chess match, where we both are trying to get the best position, but she wanted to keep me out of the 10, and the only way she can do that is to actually take it. At this point half the table is laughing, some understood what we were doing, and some had no clue. She basically wanted to keep me out of the 10 without actually taking it. I wasn't having it, and eventually said "we can play chess as long as you want honey, either you take the 10, or I will". To my surprise, she let me take the 10. Really she should have taken it and let me sit in the 5 so we would be on opposite ends, instead I have position on her. Fine by me. I was thoroughly amused by all this, as it was just a fun little war to have. It would set up for a pretty fun session.

Once I got settled in, I stacked a few short stacks in all-in preflop situations, one with QQ and the other with AA. Also got some good value with AT after I flopped an ace and got 3 streets from KJ which flopped a king.

It was a really fun table, largely because of this dude from Seattle, who was a bit drunk most of the time, was talking a lot and having fun. He, the girl from the A6 hand and seat fiasco, and I were getting into a lot of friendly banter and also battling on the felt, as the AT hand above was against that guy. I was sitting next to him, and I always try to make sure rec players have a good time, but this guy was actually fun to talk to and I had a really good time. It did detract my attention from the game a little, but I think the value in entertaining a rec player is going to be higher than what I might miss if I could be 100% focused on the game.

Once the guy from Seattle left, I played about another orbit and took off myself. The game wasn't all that good anymore and the only other main 2/5 didn't look great either. I had played 5.5 hours and I decided that was enough, so picked up, booking a solid win. Still trying to get in longer sessions but it seems 6-7 hours is about my limit, which I'm really ok with. Would like to make up the hours I lost last week playing a bunch of short days but I'm not gonna do it unless I can play those hours on my A game.

That said I'm very happy with my sessions the last couple days. Haven't gotten in any spots where I've been lost and haven't had any hands to put in my word doc at all. Thats not to say I've played perfect, but I think I've plugged most of my major leaks and therefore am making much fewer big mistakes. Still have some things to work on, but I'm pretty happy with my progress since going back to holdem.

I think I know you, sitting to my right a few nights ago against the old guy who raises every hand? Anyway I remember hearing that beat story I'm the guy with Atlanta hat playing really lag and slightly tilted with you today

Good update cush. Keep it up bro

Yea I remember you, played all night waiting for your hotel room right?

the woman with the a6 hand middle age grey/black hair (kind of looks like a witch)??

No, younger, maybe mid-late 20's, really short/small. First time I've seen her but she said she's a local.

Edit: Now that I think of it though, I think I know who you are talking about. She was also at the table. Always wearing way too revealing clothes for her age, face kinda looks like she's had some work done?