Post a recap of the best/worst drug induced hallucination or dream from the dilaudid!

Sorry to disappoint, but I'm pretty resistant to drugs and don't really get much effect other than feeling a bit spacy and (obv) lowering my inhibitions enough to post stuff ITT that I usually wouldn't bring up to a bunch of random degens.

I theorize (I have no idea if there is any physiological verity to this) that when the narcotics have a lot of pain to deal with, there is less "left over" effect to go to your head, so you are less likely to get weird hallucinations. If you just take these things for recreational reasons (the which I cannot imagine,a s that is not fun for me), I'd guess that way more of it goes to your head because it's not "busy" dealing with the pain.

Birthday Bump and Update!

So, since the last time this thread was open about 6 months ago, I've:
- Gone to the WSOP and played a $1.5K NLHE event
- 50% belonged to backers from this forum
- Finished 113/2247 iirc. for $3640
- Trip report here: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...-wsop-1345493/
- Got comfortable at 2/5, finally.
- Taken my BR up by 65% (not including donkament results)
- Failed to regain full nerve function post back surgery. I still can't raise my left foot without lifting the whole leg.
- Otherwise recovered from my back ordeal. Very little pain now, and back doing martial arts. Had to re-learn my footwork, as many of the things I used to do, I no longer can, but probably fighting at 95% of where I was before my nerve function tanked.
- Turned officially into an OMC.

Well is officially back open for a few days, if you have any questions.

Attention whore. Someone had to say it.

You forgot to add:

-Got outplayed by RP.

Happy Birthday!

... advice on stout beers? I like a lot of beer, yet I cannot recall ever enjoying a single stout Is there a stout with training wheels?

Would love some reflections on switching from 1/2 to 2/5. Had a good year, and crushing the last few months, am considering the jump myself.

ldo
lol I think I ended up down about 10bbs to you. Congrats on the big win.
What is it that you don't care for about stouts? I'm going to guess that a smoother stout will be easier for getting into the style, like an oatmeal stout, or a milk stout, but more info on what you have trouble with will help. Do you drink other dark beers? What's your take on porters?

The best thing I can advise is practice. The money is more intimidating, and can lead you to get weak-tight. Once you get comfortable, the games aren't that different, except the games are pretty much never so drooly (in my experience so far) to do a few things that can be OK at some 1/2 tables, like limping SC in early position or overlimping Kxs.

The big change for me was just the $s. Even if you're fully financially rolled for it, it takes a while to get mentally rolled for it. Losing one BI at 2/5 is almost as much as my 3BI stop-loss for 1/2. I would ease my way into it, just playing 2/5 when the games look really good, and having no shame in dropping down whenever you note yourself playing weekly or getting very tilted about beats. When you get to the point where a beat at 2/5 doesn't bother you any more than the same beat at 1/2, you're ready to move up full time, imo.

TBH, I'm not sure I'm quite there yet, but it's hard to tell because 2/5 doesn't run here, so I can only play it when I'm travelling. I have made it to the point where I don't find it intimidating and don't turn weak-tight, even at the beginning of a session. I'm not sure I'm ready to handle a multi-session downswing at 2/5 yet, though. I hope that I never have to find out, but I know that's not realistic. If I play enough, the downswing will come.

da fuq i wanna drink oatmeal in my beer for?

Makes me feel less guilty about drinking beer for breakfast ldo

Can I haz milk stout if lactose intolerant

Depends on how lactose intolerant you are. Milk stout isn't made with milk, but it is made with lactose, which ferments notoriously poorly, so it can still affect the intolertant. For most people, however, there isn't enough of it, and the fermentation process breaks it down enough that it isn't a problem.

Is Garick playing tomorrow night?

Depends on how epic his birthday pub-crawl is. Is APD playing tonight?

Ummmm... oooo... I forgot about that game.... I think I will... Let me check with wife.

@ stouts - might as well include porters too... pretty much dark beer.

They all just taste stale and bitter to me... I've never tried a milk stout that I know of, will give that a shot

It sounds like it's the toasted malt you're not enjoying so much. How are you with British ales? Do you like British milds, bitters, or Scottish ales? Those are good steps towards porters and stouts.

Alternatively, you could work towards it in the German ales, starting with a dunkel-wies, then a straight dunkel (dark lager), and up to a dunkel-bock.

I hate Garick for reminding me that there was a game last night. Swongs, bro! I don't think either of us hit a draw but you binked the hell out of that last hand.

A two-out FH draw is still a "draw." But yeah, for the most part, draws just refused to come in last night. And the V's were giving us such nice odds to draw...

Love British ales - (at least the popular ones) - Newcastle / bass are among my favorite beers.

So is toasted malt what distinguishes stouts and porters?

Lol I love this. Anyways great thread and awesome story. Thanks for the share.

Yeah. By the time you get to porters and stouts, the malt is referred to as "roasted," rather than just "toasted" as it is cooked to a dark color. Roasted malts tend to impart a coffee-ish or roasted nut taste if they are done well, and a burnt toast taste (some even call it a charcoal flavor) if overdone.

Thanks very much. I don't think I've made any particular history, but I think my two great secrets to success are persistence and luck-boxing.

Enjoyed your thread. A couple thoughts and questions.

In your perfectly played hand, do you think your decisions were good based in your read but if your hand reading was more accurate and included sets in her range you would feel you played poorly. And finally if you read of how weak tight she was (willing to call, call, fold a set) would you have just triple barreled and felt confident. My point isn't to pick apart your play but noticing there are really at least three skills you have to assess and work on as a poker player: hand reading, player characterization (which contributes to the hand read of course), and then lines to max EV based on the first two. I think a lot of folks post or reply on hands without tying the three together. Most often I see folks respond and completely ignore OPs reads and characterizations. Which skill has been most challenging for you?

You mention that you only get to play 2/5 when you travel. I assume that means you sit down with the image of recreational tourist (i.e. fish) until folks develop a read on you. Do you ever try to take advantage of that? It certainly depends on table conditions but I find in general I am in the same boat and find I often develop a rhythm of starting out looking weak tight as I assess the table, switch to inducing some bluffs (there's always 1 or 2 who identify me as the analytical CRC(?) and try to take advantage of bluff spots) with medium strength hands that would only get called by better (especially if they see me as weak tight), then picking some bluff spots when they think I'm a calling station who calls too much but doesn't bet without the nuts. Then if I get caught, it's time to just play (or maybe leave if I feel too many players out class me). It's rarely as scripted as I make it sound here but that's the general list of things I can do to maximize value until the table figures out I'm not a fish. Do you do anything like that or feel it's better to just reveal yourself as a thinking player and getting the associated EV as part of that reveal?

Thank you. Great comments and questions.

First, I wouldn't really call that hand played "perfectly," but it was the closest one I could come up with that had significant decisions in it, but hadn't already been discussed ITF.

In all honesty, I wouldn't have felt that I played poorly if I'd included sets in her range, because I gave her soo many opportunities to make mistakes with that part of her range. Without the flop raise, I wouldn't have been able to play for stacks if I hit the flush, but I also offered her very attractive odds for the FD part of her range (and, I think, taking NFDs way down in my perceived range) maximizing the amount I can win if the flush comes in. I did have sets marginally in her range OTF (marginally because I didn't think she'd offer such good drawing odds with a monster), but I figured they would either three-bet or call and donk most turns, so they were pretty much out of my ranging by th time she c/c turn

As for the second question, I did triple-barrel, though I will admit that I didn't feel confident, because I did see her as weak-tight. I never would have though w/t enough to fold a set on that board.

I completely agree. Reads are the big advantage of live over OL. Sure, we don't have a HUD to keep track of it for us, but we have a LOT more information available to us. The extra ability to range this gives us is much offset by the wider ranges and lack of standard lines among most live players.

I think the part I have the hardest time with is ranging thinking players. I am not very used to adding competent moves into people's ranges, and I think I overdo it.

No, I pretty much never intentionally out myself as a thinking player in cash games. I have a friendly "just an average guy here to have some fun" table persona and I talk a LOT about anything but poker. I also like to overlimp speculative hands, which makes me look looser.

After a while though, people notice that I can betsize, and that I fold a lot. I tend to get pegged as an uncreative ABC player who bets only for value by those who are paying attention. I also get a read on who can fold. I steal a lot of small-medium pots in good spots, but I very rarely get caught at it. Having an image of one who can VB a bit light and pretty much never showing, people seem to assume that I was just outkicked, or some-such, when I actually had air. I tend to encourage that with my comments.

Fair enough - I thought "perfect" was part of the question so just using that for reference.

Right. I understood you triple-barrelled. Just wondering if you still would have if you still had sets as a bigger part of her range and assuming your original characterization, that she wouldn't fold a set, was still in effect.

I find live reads, especially based on initial appearances can get me in a lot of trouble though. Older lady I played with my last trip took me for a lot while I was assuming she was weak-tight but in reality she was definitely capable of bluffing and being aggro.

Yeah, I didn't mean announcing it; just maybe making some decisions to perpetuate your fishiness vs. revealing your are capable of making some plays. Your decision to be sure not to show and (I assume) bet-fold some spots so you wouldn't have to show is one thing.