Took the day off Thursday. Today got two sessions in, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. First session was 3.5 hours long. Made $97. Not too many interesting spots except raised QQ over a few limpers to $20 in BB and got four callers. Flop A-8-4r. I check-folded to an EP limper's $20 bet otf with one caller in between figuring one of them had top pair. I was wrong. They both had an 8. :/ For just a 1/4 pot-sized bet I probably should have continued and seen what they did on the turn. Isolated a bad player a couple times and GII with him on A-x-x when I had AJdd and he had A7o and held.

Later session was just an hour because soon after I started playing I got a headache. Once I raised KK UTG and got four callers, cbet and everyone folded. Then overlimped 88 on BTN and flopped top set on 5-7-8ss flop. BB leads out, two callers, I pot it to around $60, BB calls. Turn: Ks, BB checks, I jam $120, he mucks.

Then got QQ UTG, raised, got three callers. Flop A-high, I check-folded, this time to a 1/2 pot bet and call all in for less. The bettor had it. Given the two QQ hands I played today, I guess if I call with my big pairs multiway on A-high flops I will break even in the long run.

Winded up $207 in around 5 hours.

A quick one-hour mid-afternoon session before hosting a home game. Bought in $150. Raised AcJd in MP, CO and BTN call. Flop nothing but two overs and bdfd. We all check. Bet my J-high flush draw OTT when third diamond hits, both call. River Qd gives me the flush (only third nuts), I bet-fold to BTN's min-raise. Lost $75 this hand. Topped off. Then called CO open with AQo, A-7d-4d flop, shorty jams $40, BB calls, CO folds, I call. Turn: Ts. BB checks, I jam $90, BB folds a chop. Shorty mucks.

Only other big hand: raised Q5hh in CO, BTN (shorty from previous hand) calls, SB calls. Flop: 6-5-5cc. I bet $25 into $30, BTN calls, SB folds. Turn: 5. I now have quads with a Q kicker. I think that's a pretty good quads. I check, BTN checks. River: Jd. I go for the polarizing overbet, $100. BTN calls. I racked up shortly thereafter up $228 to get ready for home game.

Home game was fun and I made $150 on top of it all, so up $378 on the day. On a good run! Hope it stays this way for along time.

Keep it up. Seems like your playing better and tilting less. Winning helps

Yes, I'm definitely tilting less. Have been able to keep that under control. But like you said, when you're winning tilt isn't really a problem (other than perhaps "winner's tilt," which I am arguably experiencing by booking smaller wins early). It's when you're losing that it matters more.

For what it's worth, I don't think I tilted too much during my last downswing. For example, although I ran poorly, I didn't really donk it off by making terrible calls pre, forcing the action, or 3! light as I have in the past (see, e.g., 84dd hand). I'd say that's progress.

And I didn't mention this before, but last night during the home game I jammed with AdAQ7d in PLO and got called by AKJ4hhh and he rivered a straight - a one-outer - on a T-9-x-x-Q runout. I had a Q and the Qd was no good for him because I flopped the nut flush draw. Instead of berating him (he tends to be a donkey), I just said "nice hand" and moved on. I was up over $100 at that point so the $30 loss didn't hurt as much, but the point is I didn't go off on the fish or let the suck out affect my play going forward. I kept playing tight and made a tidy profit.

Played 5-hour session tonight. Bought in $150. Called raise with TT and GII on 9-high flop against JJ when V bet $20 into $70 multiway and I just ripped it in for $100. V was super yappy and annoying so I changed tables.

Won a nice pot with AKo in SB. CO raised to $15, I called, called him down on K-high flop ($20, $35, $75) and beat his KQ.

Later, flopped the nuts with AK as pfr, AAKQT runout, I slowplayed of course, c/r V's $5 river bet to $15, he raised to $35, I raised to $130, he called with the straight (J8o). Fool.

Not particularly pleased with how I played toward the end of the session. Called EP raise on btn with JJ with two callers in between, check around Q-high flop two diamonds, CO bets $5 into $50 OTT, I raise to $25, he calls with 64dd and rivers the flush (we both checked river). I like JJ here as 3! better.

Tried c/r bluffing in multiway limped pot with nut flush blocker when flush completed otr, v called with straight even though last time I c/r him I had aces full of kings. Thought my image with him was solid enough to pull this off. Guess it didn't matter.

Then, raise A4ss in straddle to $20 over shorty's EP limp, straddler calls, shorty l/rr $60 AI, I raise $120, straddler folds, I don't improve. At showdown she announces "I have nothing," I say ace-high, then she goes "oh, I win" and tables 66. Grumble grumble....

After losing to nothing aka 66, I called it a night down $110. At least I won the $250 high hand for the aces full of kings, so technically up $140 overall.

Played 6-hour session. Back to graveyard shift, which I don't particularly care for. Prefer normal sleep schedule.

Anyway, pretty card dead this session. No remarkable hands except a small handful. Called a loose V's open with AJo on BTN, BB (very active gamoly type) calls. Flop T-6-3r. Pfr best $10 into $30, I call, BB crai $90, I decide to call with two overs and miss against his 96o. Ambitious call to say the least.

Gamboly type had just gone AI the last hand with 65s for $200 and lost to 88 when I limp with JJ expecting this to continue - and it does. I call his $100 jam and hold against his A-rag.

Later raise AKss, two callers, flop Qs-9s-4d, I check, V1 checks, V2 (young Asian) bets $15 into $30, I raise to $75 with about the same behind, V1 folds, V2 raises AI, I snap and improve to nut flush ott and hold against his 94. (I have no idea how he had two pair here.) Left shortly after this hand up $30.

Took Wednesday off to hang out with some poker buddies and watch super high roller on pokergo and play a little ACR. Nice change of pace.

I played two sessions yesterday, first in Horseshoe Baltimore then at MGM. Horseshoe was a bore, I folded left and right until I finally got QQ and limped in EP, but then the least active V at the table made it $20... I just called and binked top set in a multiway pot on a flop of Q-T-8r. Let him cbet, another EP limper called, I called with $90 behind planning on jamming most turns. Turn: 4c brining bdfd, I donk jam, pfr calls, limper folds a J for the gutshot and lucky he did because the river was a 9d. I scoop. This hand put me up $40. I left not long after to meet my sister for gift exchange.

MGM was a somewhat swingy session, was +$100 to -$150 a few times. First hand five limpers and I have AcQh in BB and make it $25. Only OMC calls. I b/b/jam a J-x-x-x-x runout (club flush-completing river) and he calls down with AJ. Is this a punt? He seemed uncomfortable calling each bet. I think my mistake was not leaving myself enough on the river. I bet $25/$50/$50. If I'd bet $50 otf/jammed turn I think I could have gotten a fold.

Lost with AK a couple times, once a big pot. I raised EP AhKc, two callers. Flop: 8h-7h-3c. I c/c BTN's bet as does shorty in between. Turn: As. I c/c again, this time $40 into $90. Shorty folds. River: 8c. I think a blocker bet that also could function as thin value against worse Ax is a good idea, so I bet $75 into $170. BTN thinks and then min-raises and I insta-muck. He is nice enough to show 87o for the boat.

Later raise AsAh in BB and two limpers call. Flop: J-7c-5c. I bet $30 into $45, shorty calls. Turn: 9c. Kinda hating this turn. I check/call $50 hoping he has AcJx or something. River: 3c. This hand is over. Shorty jams $50, I fold.

Last big hand, TAG opens over two limpers to $20 in MP, I have KK in CO and make it $65, folds to V who just rips it in for my remaining $240. Seems like I've run into aces, but can't be sure, so I call and sure enough he tables aces. Runout: 3-6-9-9-KING!!!!! Thank you very much. I left a half hour later just before rush hour hit up $110.

Meh session. Pretty card dead to be honest. Only four noteworthy hands:

1. Raise AQo over two limpers to $25, get three callers, jam A-K-Tr flop and everyone folds.

2. Call EP raise with AKdd, c/r 5-7d-9d flop, take it down.

3. Limp/call BB raise to $21, one other caller. I have 88. Flop: Q-4-5r. Pfr checks, MP limper bets $21, I call, pfr calls. Turn: 8, completing rainbow. They check to me and I really don't know what to do with $90 behind and $120 in the pot, so I bet $60. I have no idea about this sizing to be honest, it was awkward. Jamming was the other obvious option, or maybe checking and hoping the river improved someone else? Didn't matter, they both folded.

Changed tables. Some random guy who remembered me from a previous session said his table was action-packed and I should table change to it, so I did.

4. UTG raises $12, MP calls, I make it $50 with AA, UTG folds, MP calls. Flop: Q-5-5. I jam for his remaining $100, he calls with K8o. I hold.

For those who don't think highly of table changing, I hope this hand shows why it can be very profitable to do so.

Despite the big win with AA, I only ended up $73 in six hours, mainly due to missing flops and just folding a lot. Didn't make any big mistakes tonight, so I'm happy with the result.

Another good session. Played quite a few hands in the 1.5 hours I was there.

1. Raised QQ over two limpers on BTN and got two callers. Flop: J-9-5cc. CO donks $35 into $50. I call. Other V folds. Turn: 3h. CO bets $50. I jam $90, he calls with AJo, we hold.

2. Limp AA in EP, BTN raises $15, BB calls, we l/rr $75, BTN calls, BB folds. Flop: 6-4-2r. We bet $150, BTN tank folds. (Bet too much.)

3. Limp/call TT in straddle, AJx flop, fold.

4. Limp/call JJ in straddle. Flop A-K-T. Fold.

5. Limp/call TT in EP multiway, flop 9-8-5cc. Checks around. Turn: 4s. I bet $35 into $60, V with AJo previously calls. River: Ks. We check and MHIG against AJcc.

6. Called CO raise with AKo on BTN, bluff-catched cbet on a low uncoordinated board, we checked turn and river and MHIG against ATo.

Random folds: Folded 77 on BTN to shorty's $25 CO raise. Also folded KQcc and 22 UTG. Bet-folded in limped pot with Q7hh in BB on Ah-6h-Qc flop when old Asian EP limper made it $50.

Got bored soon after I was up a chunk, biggest win in a while, so I called a friend to hang out and left. Up $305 in under 2 hours. Easy-breezy winning session.

No MGM tonight. Instead, stayed in and hung out with poker buddy Dennis and played micros on ACR. KK cracked by QTo (89JKA runout), AA cracked by KJo (K49TQ runout). Called a SB 3! with AQo on BTN and lost on A-high flop. Meh. At least we weren't playing 1/3.

Speaking of 1/3, up $2k this month so far, making up for last month.

Happy holidays! Heading to NY tomorrow to visit grandma, back on Christmas day. Peace.

Happy holidays, all!

Took a couple days off to spend with friends and family. Back to it late last night/early this morning. Up $461 in around 9 hours. Heading back now. Spending Christmas at a casino isn't what I consider to be a "merry" one, but at least I am with my poker buddy Jeff. He's new to live cash games, so he's learning. Reminds me of when I first started back at MD Live. Poker noobs....

Got a free trial of Crush Live Poker. Started watching tutorials. Good review of fundamentals so far, but not picking up a whole lot I didn't already know. Good sign? Then again, just watching the basics. Nothing advanced yet.

Reporting back later (tomorrow morning).

Headed back for another (short 3-hour) session. Ended up $378. Started on an upswing, but then got QQ and misplayed it when limp/caller donked 8-high flop and I didn't raise otf, allowing a third V with KT (two overs) to see a cheap turn, a K. Third V rivered two pair and I paid off his half-pot bet as two straight draws and a bdfd missed.

Then GII in single raised pot with KThh on T-9-5ddh against gambooly old Asian man. He raised otf to $130 with T3ss...I jammed and held. If this was my first hand against him, I would have folded just based on the fact that he was old and Asian, but some prior hands led to me the opposite conclusion.

Then lost against old Asian V with JJ v. his 52cc on 5-10c-9c flop, bet pot, he called, turn 2d, I jammed for his last $70, he snapped and rivered the flush on top of his turned two pair. Meh. Shrugged it off.

Then raised AA in SB, two limp/callers. Flop was atrocious: 9-T-Jhh. I check/called all three streets and MHIG against J7cc. Phew.

Last big hand, raised QQ over two limpers to $20, two callers. Flop: Q-Q-5. Apparently I was due for a quad queens again as I haven't had it for a couple months or so...heehee. Now, fish leads into me for $25. I raise to $125, putting him on 55. Lol j/k. I call, and other V calls as well (this is same V who floated earlier hand with KT). Turn: 9. Fish bets $25 again, we both call. River: T. Fish bets $25, I raise to $75, other V folds, fish snap calls saying "I have to see it."

He saw it.

Played 4-hour session tonight. Up $137, and another $100 for lucky table promo, so $237 overall.

Got QQ three times, held twice. AK whiffed once, AQ whiffed once in straddled pot and I cbet/folded to OMC's c/r on T-4-4hh (he said he limp/called JJ in EP - something OMCs do a lot). Raised KJdd in MP over a couple limps, cbet J-x-xss flop, took it down.

Last pot was a meager one: limp/called raise with AQo and called cbet on A-7-6sss (I have no spade). Turn: Qc. Check/check (sucks being OOP in this spot). River: 7d. I bet 1/3 pot, V called, MHIG.

Pretty uneventful session. No big mistakes. That's what I like.

Watching Crush Live Poker training videos, they're good. Used promo code MVA401 for free trial. Recommended.

Up $131 in 9 hours. Plus won lucky table $200 (split with Jeff, so $100).

Call raise with KK in SB against MAWG fish/whale heads up, flop all spades, T-high. GII on Kc turn, V calls with just AJ with Js (naked flush draw).

Many interesting spots followed with this V. Checked option with 33 in BB, flop AJ3r, I bet, fish calls. Turn: J. I bet, fish raises to $50. I know from previous hands that fish thinks trips is the nuts, so I flat and plan on GII on safe rivers. River: A. F.M.L. Fish bets $125, I fold, fish shows KJo, apparently not worried about an A.

Funny thing about this hand is that a couple hands before Jeff had 33 on 3-4-7 and fish raised a 4 ott, Jeff flatted, and bet/called AI on J river. Fish had limped in with J4o from EP and overboated him.

Raise 98cc in EP, same fish calls. Flop: 8-4-2dd. I cbet, fish calls. Turn: 4. I bet again (not too big), fish min-raises. I call. River: 6d. I check/fold to $125 bet otr. Fish shows 66. The two-out semi-bluff!

I raise AQcc in EP, fish and a few other call. Flop: 9-J-Q. I check, fish bets $6 into $45, two callers, I c/r $50, fish calls, all others fold. Turn: A. I jam $50, fish tank folds.

I leave to run an errand but fish is gone by the time I return. Instead, couple grinders show up to my immediate left. I seat change ASAP, but not before my AA is cracked by QJo. (I tried trapping by limp/calling active BTN's open and this backfired when he turned trips.)

Limp AA UTG in straddle and unfortunately no one raises. Straddle who cracked AA earlier bets into the field, I call one street on QT5, fold on 9 turn to continued sizable aggression surmising I was behind. Straddler claims he had QT. Figures.

Later, 3! QJdd on BTN against same active V's CO open, EP limper fish jams for $6 more, CO folds, and we lose to KTss which rivers trip Ts.

At this point, stuck around $100 when I get a couple nice pots.

Call raise with 66 v. same active V, call small flop bet on KK5. Turn is a 6, V checks, I bet half my stack, river 9, I jam, he tank calls with AA.

Lastly, limp KQo in straddle, bet 2/3 pot on KJ2r. Fish calls. Turn: Q. I check/ship for his remaining $90, he calls, I hold. Called it a night. Home game tomorrow night, nice night off from the grind. Up over $3100 in December so far, hourly for the month is $25, highest up to this point.

Running good again!

Went for quick early afternoon sesh before home game tonight. Gotta get those hours in before the end of the month/year!

Pretty uneventful except my last two hands. Called HJ raise to $20 over two callers with AQcc, flop Q-T-8c. Pfr bets 2/3 pot, BTN calls, I call. Turn: 5c. Pfr jams, BTN calls for less, I call for less and river the Jc. SCOOP! (Pfr had QT and BTN had T9cc.)

Then limp/call BTN raise. BTN was short ($100) but a deep-stacked whale was in the hand too, so easy call. Flop: 8-8-7cc. Check to BTN who jams, easy call, unfortunately whale folds. MHIG.

Ended up $375 in just under two hours. Raking in 'dat cheddar!

Roll is healthy as ever again. Now getting ready to see friends for low-key home game and white elephant gift exchange. Really grateful to have found poker and all the joy it has brought me. Important to remember this on my next downswing (which will be never).

Happy 2019!

Had to take a couple days off. Caught some bug that made me nauseous and pass out twice in the middle of the night when I got up to take a leak. Ended up falling down a small flight of stairs and bumping my hear on the wall. Not fun.

Last session of the year was +98 in just under 6 hours. Called shorty's AI for $52 with AA, held against his 99. Later, min-raised same shorty's AI for $26 to $46 with 99, he flopped a pair or Ts with his KTo, but I rivered a straight.

Called a raise with 99, TTK flop checked around, I turn 9s full, call pfr's delayed cbet OOP (should be a c/r?), river checked through (should have been a donk?). Pfr had KJ.

Called a raise to $8 in BB with four other callers with J8o. Flop T95, call one caller's bet, turn 7, he bets $40, I call. River: 6. He checks behind with set of 5s. Turn should have been a c/r.

Miss a lot with high cards and either whiff so badly I c/folded or cbet once, got called, and c/folded unimproved ott.

Not a bad way to end the year. Between promos and profits, up around $4k in December. Finally made up for my run/play bad in October and November.

Ended up making over $13k since June, most of that from 1/3. Hourly is around $9.50 right now, on the rise. Would like my hourly to be higher, but hell I'll take it for now! As I continue to study and play and control my emotions, it should hopefully keep going up. (Also, can't read into it too much because of 800 hour sample size and large standard deviation due to good 2/5 and bad PLO results.)

Here's to a healthy and happy New Year, everyone!

Started the new year off with a bang!

Up $570 in 3 hours. Biggest pots: isolated one loose EP limper with J8o, BTN called, SB called, limper called. Flop gutter to the nuts on 9-T-5cc, call SB donk (limper called too, BTN folded), turn nuts, SB leads again for 3/4 pot ($40), limper calls, I ship for $180, SB folds, limper calls AI for less, I hold on brick river.

Call EP raise with J9dd in SB (loose call, meh), flop trip Js, call cbet, OOP turn checks around, lead river and get called by pfr and old lady fish fish and MHIG.

Lastly, closing action in BB with five callers, complete after raise to $10 with Q3hh, flop flush draw on 5h-8h-6s, call bet, get there on Th turn, c/r turn $80, and old lady fish jams for $30 more with a pocket 7s with 7h for...drawing dead.

Made one bad fold at first table, after which I left. Limped pot, I have QTo, flop T-8-4dd. SB leads, BB calls, I call. Turn: Tc. Checked to me and I bet $45 into $55. Only BB calls. River: 5d, completing front door flush. BB open rips it in for $120, I fold, he shows J9o for missed straight draw. Decided there were easier tables.

One play I am happy about: floated SB lead into the field ott with I assume 2p (I had T9o for gutshot), front door and back door flushes out there, so I have loads of bluff outs, we're heads up, river completed front door flush, he bets 1/2 pot, I min-raise plus a little with ten-high, he tank folds. He's smart enough to know that raises on the river are always nutted. Heehee!

Somewhat swingy session. Stayed within the $300 (2BI) I bring with me though, which was nice. Made a quick $100 off a shorty when he l/rr me AI with 77 (my KK held). Several hands later, all including aforementioned V limp to me in BB and I have AKdd and make it $28. All fold to Mr. 77 on the BTN who makes it $100. I rip it in for his last $120 and he has AA, which he limped on BTN like a genius.

At first I felt like I was punting with AK again, but then I realized against this V in particular it certainly wasn't.

Overlimp J8o over several limpers and flop 8JQ, checked around. Turn: 8. I c/r fish's bet, fish jams for $90 effective (me), Mr. 77 overcalls, I call, I "hold" against fish's 98 and A9dd (OESD+FD).

Then raise AA UTG, fish calls, UTG+2 3! $45, I make it $100, UTG+1 fish jams $150, UTG+2 jams $200, I call, I'm up against fish's JThh and three bettor's QQ, flop: 9-Q-K. FML! QQ boats and I lose to both of them. Brutal. Apparently someone folded KQ pre. One-outed!

Not long after I've topped off and raise 77 UTG, flop 789ccc, raise Mr. 77's donk, one caller (Mr. 77 folds), I jam turn, he calls, MHIG on clean runout.

Won a few smaller pots throughout the rest of the session and ended up $101 in 5 hours.

I played way too long (17 hours) and lost $2,400, the most ever in one session. Played aggressively like I thought I was supposed to, but it didn't work out.

Started off on the wrong foot: called a raise with ATo in MP (EP raiser was tight, but I figured I could flop/turn two pair or trips), lost to b/b/jam on A-high flop against AK. -$150.

Then, l/rr AJss AI and ran into AA. -$150.

Rebought using the ATM and sat down with the max. Probably not the best idea since I was steaming from the two previous hands. Anyway, raised AKo UTG, three callers, CO makes it $85, I jam $300, CO calls and we don't improve against KK.... -$300.

Bought in another $300, this time called raise with QJo in SB, flop K-T-3ss. Pfr bets pot, I raise to $120, V jams, I sigh call and don't improve against top set. -$300.

Raise AA, three callers, flop 9-T-Jr, cbet pot ($60), V min-raises, I think he'll fold two pair and I have all the sets in my range, so I jam, he snaps with KQ for the flopped nuts. -$300.

Lost a bunch more raising and missing, calling raises and missing. I am so unlucky!

If you got this far believing everything I just wrote, you must have thought I was a terrible player. Thankfully for me, none of it is true. I took tonight off to hang out with friends and get laid. I did a little day-to-day analysis and noticed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays were really good days, but I had a sudden drop-off on Thursdays. My friend Dennis thought it was burnout, so to test that theory I've decided to take Thursdays off for the time being.

Hosting a home game tomorrow night. Back at it Saturday!

This concept helped me tremendously dealing with tilt:

- Casinos have to be willing to lose to win in the long-term. Gamblers aren't spinning roulette if they don't hit big now and then.

- If poker was able to somehow minimize variance, the closer it would come to chess. In chess, the novice stands little to no chance of winning. The novice knows it and that's why their money stays in their pocket.

Be grateful for the suck-outs, the more obnoxious, the better.

You're lucky I kept going. Almost wrote you off as a player when you claimed to have limp-jammed AJs.

Oh yeah, that AA v. JT v. QQ I didn't say a word afterwards. No berating, no complaining. Took it in stride like any decent rec-pro would do. (That's what I've concluded I am.) But when I did scoop with J8o I commented jokingly that I would be folding AA and exclusively playing garbage from now on.

I thought that would get a rise out of people. Can't wait for GG's reaction too.

For the visual learners among us:



I haven't checked my graph for over two months. Was worried visualizing my downswing would only hurt my game. Figured I didn't need even more negativity to top it all off.

Lol, had me going until the last line, was about to rip you a new one for all those HHs!

Ggiraffeisgoingintherightdirection,imo,gogogo!G