Had a good session at least last night after a couple off, this time at 5/5/25 which happened to run. Always appreciate the opportunity to play in that game. Booked a really good win for a change. Just flatting with AA pre once very deep helped me win a bigger pot postflop when I oversetted someone. Played it very tricky too, x/c, donked river board pair. X/f AAJJ6 with Ac on 2s2d8cQc versus action player double barrel IP three ways. That one had be wondering. Action player left and I shortly did too.

Paul Simon originally titled it "Still Bipolar After All These Years" but it didn't quite sound right.

GdittoforWillieNelson's"Bipolar"G

Really nice to open up bravo yesterday and see a packed poker room awaiting me for a change. Nice energy. Hopefully a sign of things yet to come as the latest variant is cleared and they get progressively less serious and run their course as normally happens during pandemics.

I think I am almost unstuck or even a little profitable this month finally (don't know; old iPhone stopped working again . . . probably need a new one after over 5 years - it had a good life). What a slog it has been to start the year! I think at my worst I was stuck $8k. But at last on the right trajectory again, mainly thanks to 5/5. It's really unfortunate the game only runs once a week or so. Although by the same token, maybe I play better because it runs less often? Who knows?

One thing I do know is that I am trying to be more self-conscious about table presence and social interactions, even though I've recently learned that can often be a challenge with my condition. Listening to music helps, even if not the most sociable tool. My phone went dead again and I started reading card player magazine last night. An action player needled me for reading in a 5/5 game. I explained I didn't have a working phone and I was bored. We had a good laugh. I do fit a certain player stereotype sometimes.

They say four words. And they make me feel good about winning.

1/2 plo5 was running in the special back room with private screens, quiet, and extra comfy chairs. "Are you a teacher?" asked the man to my right when I sat down. He donned an adidas track suit. (Perhaps a comment on my own attire, a v-neck sweater over a flannel button down.) "No. What do you do?" "I teach." (I didn't ask what.)

After a few hours trying to avoid eye contact with the rest of the table, listening to music, and dealing with outsiders entering the room (called the "salon") just to watch from time to time - a distraction on my list of pet peeves - I meandered outside and was called upon by another player. "Join us! 5/5." "What? How long has the game been running?" I asked, my senses tingling. "Forever." "It wasn't listed on bravo." "Yeah, we had it incognito, incognito man," chimed in the action player who always uses that nickname, especially when I am in sunglasses. I quickly took one of the couple open seats. It looked like a very soft game; few pros had staked their claim yet, likely because the game was not listed online. I quickly decided to buy in for $2k, much more than usual for me. I had been stuck nearly $10k a week before and was nearly out of the hole. I made around $1k in the back room and wanted to add to that. 5/5 was my best game and I had high hopes.

I am dealt AAJ84 suited to the ace and jack and open to $75. The aforementioned action player doesn't think this is enough to play for and makes it $225 - a pot-sized raise. I oblige and make it $680 and he calls. His lady friend - a fellow gambler (slots player really) with a similarly large bankroll - reminded him I was the anti-prison advocate, perhaps a suggestion that I wasn't such a bad person to gamble with. The flop was quite lovely: 9-3-4hh (giving me the nut flush draw and bottom pair, along with my aces). He jammed for my last $1k and I quickly called. The runout was not great: I did not improve beyond my aces on K-5 and he tabled his low rundown, which somehow did not improve to two pair or better. "I was sweating like a - in church," I told my friend.

Shortly thereafter, the same action player opened to $75 and I called on the button with KKJ22ds, there had been a few calls by now and the big blind - a tight recreational player - raised to $405 (she actually went all in for $435 but the pot was slightly less). The next player to act says to make it $430, thinking the all in was for $430. I said the pot was $405 but if we all agreed we could let her make it $435 instead so we didn't have to leave her with $30 behind, which they agreed to. Two callers to me and I see an opportunity. I contemplated all my options but settled on what I thought would be the most profitable - even if risky - and potted it to $2,500.

The action player was unhappy - "man, that's some sht, asking to put in $435 and then raising." I defended my actions but there was no point (and it was a $30 difference what would soon become a $10k pot anyway) and we had to play the hand as they both called, somewhat annoyed they had been backraised and unexpectedly committed for stacks. The pot was collected and the action played asked if I had better than aces, "pocket zeros," and I let slip what I had ("double suited kings, I said), forgetting he and I had around $1k left to play for. The flop came a pretty safe Q-3-3ss (I had K-high spades) and he jammed, I snapped, and I asked if kings was good. "Way good, I need runner-runner," he said. The runout was 8h-6s and my K-high flush was tabled. The entire table looked in dismay. One of those moments when you are excited to win a big pot but also realize your windfall has come at the expense of many others' disappointment.

But then, one of the other short stacks - the slots player with a large bankroll - said the four words that make me feel good about winning. Words I had heard verbatim once before from a wealthy hedge fund manager in another 5/5 game after I scooped a large pot.

"I'm happy for you."

When I heard those words, I didn't feel so bad about winning. I know I want to do good for others with the money, if not all at once, eventually. The action player bought me a shot to celebrate and I hung out with some old hold 'em buddies for a while before leaving, having booked the second-biggest win of my career. Not stuck this month anymore!

Cool story. Felt like I was living through you. Good writing.

Hey thanks so much, BobbyPeru. Means a lot to hear that.

Home game last night - even though not planning on playing at all - ended up breaking about even after being up a decent bit, lost a sizeable one pre with AAA98ds versus AQKJT or something similar (yes I was a very big - for 5c omaha standards - favorite).

Planning a family FL trip next month . . . will probably involve a huge shot take in one of the ridiculously big 5c games down there.

Where to? I'll be in Bonita Springs feb 3 thru 10....

Likely Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood (aka the guitar). That's where I hear the bigger 5c games go on the regular. Come say hi!

Just checked bravo...on a Thursday afternoon look at this 5c action:

1-2 NL Holdem 8 Max 8
10-25 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 1
10-10 5 card PLO^ 1
25-25 5 card PLO^ 1
5-10 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 2
5-5 5 card PLO^ 2
2-5 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 6
2-2 PLO 8 Max^ 2
Current Waiting List # Players Waiting
1-2 NL Holdem 8 Max 3
2-2 PLO 8 Max^ 4
2-5 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 18
5-5 5 card PLO^ 22
5-10 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 6
10-25 NL Holdem 8 Max^ 3
10-10 5 card PLO^ 5
25-25 5 card PLO^ 5
50-50 5 card PLO^ 11
100-100 5 card PLO^ 5

Thanks for the five stars ya'll...really made my day.

Re-posted from weirdest/funniest things in a poker room thread:

Playing local 1/3 game a few years back and an action player sits down. We get chatting about this huge prop bet he made with someone, that Trump would not make it through his first term before being removed from office. It was a six-figure bet. Anyway, he starts talking about drugs and asks if I did any. I said no, because I'm crazy enough already.

"Are you sure?" he asks, and pulls out a plastic sandwich bag full of narcotics in plain view for the entire table to see. "You want some molly? Just try it."

I lost my sht. I think everyone else was dumbfounded and speechless. (I told him to put the bag of colorful pills away.)

--

Chatted up this local veteran pro the other night about leaving the law at least temporarily and he said do it, better to be in control than let others control you. (He has also said why would you want to be constantly solving other peoples' problems.) He also thought poker was my best investment, and he's right: I outperform the market and my wages. He thought $200-300k a year was possible minimum playing plo and focusing on bigger games, which would mean I'd have to travel more to FL. (I agree with his estimate; based on just over two months of play I am over $25k/month at 5/5, very small sample though of course.)

If I made the switch I would have even more money to contribute to the causes I love, without the stress and mental health drawbacks of working seemingly nonstop. I know my mental health takes a hit due to stress and know that the new job has added quite a bit of stress to my life. I had to increase my meds recently . . . probably a combination of (mostly) law stress (waiting for a case outcome) and some runbad - which I am used to at this point. So mostly law-related. It's also challenging to stay on a relatively workable schedule with unpredictable mental health issues and I am beginning to feel like someone more functional could do a better job. With poker, it's not so bad because there's really no schedule aside from showing up when the game is running (almost always).

One thought I had was to keep doing some pro bono law work on the side while playing. Difficulties include breaking the news to employer/parents. And of course losing the feel good nature of the work. I think I would personally find the extra time and freedom liberating and don't anticipate any mental setbacks. Hmm....

Incorporating yoga into my exercise routine, really glad I did hot yoga with my friend a few weeks ago.

Quoted for untruth. Remember how stressed about variance you used to be? Having a safety net makes poker a lot less stressful.

Hot yoga? I'm picturing something erotic and sensual. Sounds awkward.

Point well taken. I guess it's a trade-off between stressors then and a matter of which is less stressful overall.

Oh no, not too awkward (not for me anyway), but very therapeutic. Also some great energetic and calming music. It was a blast. And it wasn't uncomfortably hot, either. Maybe in the high 80s. I would go back but it's quite far away. Looking for local options now actually.

How many hours do you spend per week on poker and law work combined? You seem to put in more hours than a lot of pros on top of a job which is probably a contributory factor.

Something I've been working on from the start is finding the right balance, and this is a good point as well. I probably work much more than most overall. I've made a point of limiting my poker time so things aren't too unmanageable, however. But sometimes a lot happens at once (like work deadlines and poker downswings) that can become quite taxing mentally.

+ to the yoga. Also, you don't need the "hot" yoga. Regular does it.

Was up a bunch and then up much less by the end of the night after I lost against two AA (which I correctly deduced from preflop action). Was a favorite for the main and unfortunately still a dog for the side pot given V's exact holding (he did have AA but we were sharing side cards...!). Stung because the game broke and I had been up a lot before this hand. Made some back at 1/2. Still a really good month given how it started out. Did I need to push it preflop towards the end of a session? Perhaps not. Could have just locked up and booked the win. I thought I had an edge so I took it, oh well.

Does locking it up count as a skill in poker? Are bigger winners playing a lower variance style after they have booked a sizeable session win?

I want to take some shots in bigger 5c games in FL next month but I am not sure what to buy in for or what stakes are reasonable given my BR...any thoughts? In the past I've sat down with $5k but that was the most (at 25/50 hold 'em) and I felt less confident in that game. What's a decent number of BIs for a shot? Say I sit down in a 10/10 plo5 with $5k...and was planning on firing one or (maybe) two bullets. Would I need a BR of $100k to do that a couple times? $200k? Just wondering what is typical.

Had a nice uber ride over tonight (bad weather). Chatted up driver a little and he asked what I play, asked if I won and how much. I told him rough estimates...he was very excited and asked me for my number. I gave him 2p2 and pokerstars free money as starting points and a nice tip. I guess it was a lesson in gratefulness for me. I wasn't always doing this well but things have worked out a few years in. A good reminder not to take anything for granted.

Good session, ran good at 5/T for once and less good at 5/5, but it's nice to remember what it feels like to win at 5/T. A good reminder about short-term variance. Another solid month in the end - amazing, given how poorly it started.

Now celebrating dad's bday!

Go to home game, action player who I'm on friendly terms with and owns or manages a club asks where I bought my shoes (which I bought on his recommendation), I tell him the store, he asks which location, I tell him. I can't fall asleep later because I'm worried he's going to have someone track me down using the info I gave him. Smh.

Ended up stuck last night, played one orbit of hold 'em on new player's suggestion and lost every hand I played, KK<J9 (V called $65 pre with a $2 BB) on 999 and KQ to Q6o (new player who asked for hold 'em called a raise otb?!) on K66. Same thing happened last time - started off winning then lost it all by the time I left, same timing too, literally just before I was going to leave. Bleh.

Not much to report lately, a lot of the same, lost AAQJT on 983r versus 88, won Ad67d9T on 278dd in 3! pot, running fine overall for a good start to the month, an upswinging year still. Playing even less (shorter sessions), got a gym membership that offers yoga a few times a week too.

Very bleh session, probably some of the worst runbad in recent memory in one session, lost JJ to J5 on two boards (both runner runner straight and flush), lost set over set KK to 66 (binked quads otr), lost KK to JJ (runner runner quads after I flopped top boat on K33JJ), on top of it all lost AKJT9ds in 3! pot to AA and QQ on A-Q-9r (I 3! pre and they both flatted). Sigh. At least won some at 2/5, flatted KK v. 3!, CRAI turn 456Thh, won versus...QQ maybe? Dicked around at big o to work on my game there a little too.

I ran better, played one hand marginally...GII versus unpredictable V for stacks spr 3.5 in srp on A95r with 55688...could have folded as I was pfr and bet almost pot otf and he insta jammed anyway. Usually a raise over a psb is very strong. But I had seem him do some questionable things earlier and convinced myself he could have A9. Oh well.

Took an evening off to play board games with dealer and friends, nice change of pace. King of Tokyo was a good one I'd played before. Fun times.

So shady! Getting hustled at the Hustler: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...tream-1802649/

Does anyone wanna buy some action when I shot take the bigger PLO5 games in FL later this month?

whats the point of taking a shot if your selling action?