I feel like I am jealous but taking a sabbatical to ride out your poker dream then getting back at a firm and on-paper income etc would be something to think about. It’s really fun running killer and being in the moment competitively but even playing 25/50 PLO you can lose 15 huge pots in a row and have to be prepared and if you reread your own words you seem winning focused and enjoying the ride which maybe it’s time to re-think it’s overall value. Poker is really socially and mentally isolating and sharing time with people at a good firm if that’s doable has to be more positive

Maybe so, depending on who your coworkers are. Personally I didn't like some of my coworkers at my last job, very negative personalities, a couple were nice though. The problem is, the toxic or negative ones really sap all your energy and outweigh the positive vibes from the good ones, in my experience.

Ended up winning around $50 last night, $2k at 2/2 early on, mainly AKK87ds in 3! pot on AA3 to a cold called J9933 (...) and AKQhT5 in a 3! pot to nut flush on KT5hhh, checked through twice and I jammed turn and didn't get there with my three pair against the nut flush.

At the big game, was pretty card dead and spot dead, won AT987ds multiway early on then slowly lost it back from the blinds, the blind $300 was on one hand courtesy of me ($100/$200 and the pro to my right offered to make it $400 if I made it $300...I obliged, prompting fist bumps and "you're invited to the next three games" from the organizer lol), but didn't wake up with a hand. Folded crappy AA752 no nut suit preflop once to a squeeze and would have won, flopping a bad flush. Finally got the double with top set near the end before the game broke. Did see a $35k pot KK v. 77+nfd on K72cc, the loser was pretty shell shocked. I would have been too, brutal. Game will be good and running tonight again, will try to get a seat. Was donning my new sweater half zip, green and blue tints and green slacks and hat last night, looking very chic if I am say so myself.

Running good today so far, 76654ds got frisky pre figuring facing a raise 3! and cold 4! we had an edge with lots of high cards out, and it paid off as the flop was 235r lol. Getting AA and holding today as well…hoping to get a seat in the big game before too long.

Ended up winning over $2k at 2/2 while waiting for a seat at 25/50, the opposite of the other night when I lost $2k there. Got to hear a story about a dude who sold a fake Cartier watch for $400 at a casino and got punched in the face for it years later by the dude he sold it to, and a player who was drunk and crashed his car earlier in the night. What a crowd.

Pretty much as soon as I sat down in the big game it broke, I think I replaced the action player and no one was too happy about it. I did manage to flop quads against top boat again at 2/2, but sadly V only had $150 this time.

Sis and her bf are shadowing me at pokerz tonight, they want to see me in action lol. Hopefully it's a smooth night!

Some top HS pros I admire in my poker world and why.

High stakes plo pro, jovial, dresses pretty well too, favorite catch phrase is "I've lost millions of dollars playing poker." Encouraged me to stick with lawyering, asked if he could follow me around on camera for a day, thought I was an interesting person. Married, great player. Doesn't really lose his cool, worst I've heard was after getting slowrolled in a big all in pot pre "the cream rises," lol. I think engineering background.

Stoic plo crusher turned HS mixed games reg, usually with a beer in hand but not as often anymore. Always puts his dog's needs first, often leaving a game to walk an feed the doggo. When I asked if I could go pro he said I'd already proven I could. Taught me about ikigai and finding meaning in life. Said the world doesn't need poker. Biochem background, super intelligent.

Organizers of the HS mixed game, veterans of the game, one pretends to get upset but never really is, make it a welcoming environment for newcomers. I would like to eventually make as much money as they have playing.

They are all highly skilled players and they are all highly intelligent. Sorta a reminder that it takes a lot to become a top pro, probably some innate ability to go along with hard work and discipline.

Got stacked in front my my sis and her bf at 5/10/25, iso AKcc to $175 $1,100 eff, limper calls, flop AJ9hh, cbet he jams I snap he has AJo. Womp-womp..! :/ the fish got me. Back at plo now, had a great time and my sister is interested in getting into poker. I told her it’s a long process and takes years and to think of it more like a degree and not anything easier than that. Hopefully seeing me lose today will dissuade her from getting into it seriously!

PLO went well afterwards, got it in with AA pre three ways and held, then got it in AKKds and held again, both times involving a little bit of a wild card player who liked to get it in preflop liberally, ended down just a few hundo on the night, not bad at all! Would have scooped a monster pot if I put in a speculative call pre with AQ976ds but it went open 3! and a short stack behind me was likely to jam and reopen the action so I folded, she did jam and everyone went all in, would have won a $5k pot against dsAA and dsKK. Oh well.

Annoying session in 10/20 mix, lost with the exact same 8752 low draw and got scooped running it twice. Then folded the winner for half the stud pot with bad two pair thinking I was against better two pair. Left for 5/T, got a double 44 v. 24 on 235r and then played plo, lost wrap nfd to set, straight and fd blockers to set and fd all in ott, and finally wrap to top set with lots of dead money on the flop with a low spr. Grinding it back up since then and currently stuck a few hundo, getting food at the new diner now before heading back for more plo.

sounds like youre giving up on poker? I havent caught up everything yet but last I read you were aiming for 30k every month lol

Haha no…was short of that goal last month but would have been close if I didn’t play the big mix at all. That game has set me back a little the past couple months to be honest. Still grinding away trying to finish the year strong, aiming for a couple hundo this year.

It’s much better to be the guy people like…much easier existence!

Been chatting people up, being nice and pleasant. Rounding out the day in a good 5/T/25 incredibly card dead but putting in the hours anyway. Big plo at live tomorrow will try to get a seat again.

Nice sweater !

Thanks! Got another one too, a cream merino quarter zip, one of my favorites. On sale of course.

Wrapped up the night card dead mostly, nothing really happened. No premiums dealt to me except AKdd which chopped all in pre with JJ.

Funny dream last night, I was in the eatery of a casino and a HS game runner from MGM said I wasn't a real PLO player because I wouldn't do the 1,2 step dance (by Missy Elliot), so I walked in front of the poker room and shouted "one two step!" and started dancing, lol!

Lol

My parents' acquaintances have a 19-year-old son who just had surgery for cancer. They found out he has a tumor on his heart that is probably inoperable.

It was just a reminder to be grateful for what we have in life, especially health and peace. I'll do a few extra push ups for him tonight. I hope you do something in his honor too and for everyone else out there who is living a harder life than us, whether due to disease or war.

I hope everyone who reads this can find happiness and fulfillment and be grateful for what they have. If you are reading this, you probably have a lot to be thankful for. Pay it forward!

Won $1k at plo, lost that and some more in the mix, losing t dugi in badugi to some drawing hands and my 96 draw in single draw missed twice running it twice against a T, made an 8 dugi t low in badeuy and got scooped too. Won A642 on 735 for nut nut in oe and chopped up a third player's money in big o with dsAA. Was also pretty card dead. 3! a 7 dugi and won in badeuy after making an 8 low, but it was a small pot. A small loss on the day.

I'm reading it and I am thankful for being humble. It makes me aware and see things people don't want to normally have shown but the only way you could see these things is if your perfectly non judgemental towards these secret things about people or uncomfortable things. I'm truly thankful for this... thanks Dumbo 8)

20/40 mixed ran yesterday, was doing really well but ended up winning only a little, upstuck. I mistakenly misread my hand and had a pair in badeucy and got scooped, when I thought I was dealt a pat 7/8, then I had a brain fart and broke a 7 low (with a 5 dugi) against two people drawing 1 in badacey with one draw left, forgetting I was ahead for the low since they were drawing...I just remembered 7 lows can be hit or miss in badacey and mechanically broke it without realizing neither of my opponents had a made low yet lol. Lost with an 86 in 2-7 triple draw, but won a big one with a dealt 5 dugi and drew a 6 low in badacey multiway, scooping that one. Won some in big o as well, feel most comfortable in the big bet games tbh.

At plo, lost second nut straight plus two flush draws and nut gutter all in on the turn to nut straight one better flush draw, but won top set fd blockers to nfd, and then AAJTTds in 5! pot and AAKK9ds in single raised pot to someone who tried to bluff river against me but I'd seen too many of his shenanigans already and looked him up with my AA on Q9533 facing a couple hefty bets. All in all a decent day up around $1,300.

Slept all day, got 13 hours, guess I needed it, tomorrow is MGM's 7th anniversary event and I will probably play overnight to avoid the crazy lines.

They froze the plo lists at mgm and were not going to open another game until 8am so I decided f that and left my crappy 2/5 for horseshoe baltimore again where the 5/5 plo has started running recently. Playing in a good hold em plo mix. Just coasting right now nothing too crazy.

Made $300 in the horseshoe game, it was so-so, ran good at live after and made another $1,500 for a nice day despite all the driving from place to place. Best part is not dealing with the insanity of the anniversary promo monkeys. Worst part was hearing dudes are proud to be homophobic at the table and bragging about it. Oh well, this crazy fggt just quietly took their chips.

Running fine today, got a late start after sleeping all day, thankfully this game is so soft my losing pots donÂ’t hurt too bad. Lost top and bottom and second nut flush draw and nut gutter to mid set open ender. Keeping my exercise on point, upping the cardio a little lately too. No gym necessary! Feel great. Got a compliment even.

I feel like IÂ’m one of the top 5 card players around. It took years. I remember someone telling me a while ago that my game had changed from when I first started playing. Now if only I could say the same for my mixed game skills. Will probably take just as long to say I am very good at mixed. ItÂ’s only been a few months. I know I am still playing too loose in certain spots. I need to work on my opening ranges better.

Reflecting on my mixed game results, I am losing small in the big game and winning small in the smaller games. IÂ’ve heard itÂ’s a volatile game though so maybe the results could easily be flipped if I ran a little better in the big game?

I need to not be so hasty to want to crush these games immediately and just take it one step at a time, putting in my hours at the smaller games and building a strong sample size of positive results before seriously considering taking on the big boys. I am a little impulsive at times.

At least I have decent style!

The more I think about it the more I think of poker as investing, something I’m doing more of. Each hand is an investment opportunity. You invest in high likelihood of success hands or +EV hands by playing them, playing for as much as possible with the best hands to generate the most profit. You don’t invest in the lesser hands, sorta like bad companies. That’s the key to winning poker!

That is a nice preppy and cozy look I will admit. Is it a Columbia quarter zip and flannel shirt again? Do you shop at a Columbia outlet or a Nordstroms or something?

Yes coworkers can indeed ruin one’s life and that’s something to think about. For me I try to reflect on how regulated I am and how in control of myself I feel when playing cards/pots/flips where I’m dependent on luck in some way for my validation it’s not mentally healthy and the greediness and manipulation of people and poker tablemates internalizes in other ways. I really don’t know if there are many “healthy” poker players because it’s so consuming. Garrett is a player I’ve always admired because he seems to embrace his natural self and competitive and hustling side but for every winning story there is a dark side, like how he clearly didn’t respect himself post Robbie and needed to take a year off after getting soul owned. Too much poker isn’t healthy even if winning. But you do seem to be building some solid self confidence and reassurance lately even if winning less props for that. I hope you’ll eventually find a good firm with people you like. I took a year to play cards and crushed but the entire time was an unregulated mess and missed having rich community and connection in my life which I know have at a 9-5 specific to my career. Do keep in mind going back to something more people positive and on-paper income positive if you ever want to buy real estate etc not just straight up cash. I think you know all that. You’re winning so much in DC area but you should also travel and play some big games and enjoy yourself. I’ve really been enjoying the start of Xuan Liu’s Canada bankroll challenge she seems healthy with poker and about traveling and living a vibrant life while you do have this precious time at least. Don’t take it lightly which you aren’t but you like I still have a lot of personal real and connected to others growth to do of course. Apologies for the wall of text. Look forward to hearing some 10/25 monster pot HHs where you run a rare bluff :-)

I shop online mostly these days, the key to my eudaemonia. Thanks for the life advice!

Last night ran ok, lost an AA pre but otherwise an uneventful session, up around $500. Only played 7 hours, the game slowed down and seemed locked up.

Had poker dreams I was slowly bleeding down and woke up worried I wasn't keeping track in my bankroll app and then realized I was just dreaming lol. Then dreamed I flopped quad aces and someone got half the pot with the nut flush and I corrected the dealer.

Starting my sessions late at night lately, games have been pretty good for the most part. Game selection #1.

Slow grind tonight, 10/10 plo was still running but it quickly went south and I quit and the game soon broke. 1/2 plo is slow tonight, not very many action players. Up a meager profit so far, hopefully things turn around soon. Could have gone to horseshoe again but I didnÂ’t want to play with this anti-vaxxer Russian couple always in the same game, seemed vaguely collusion-y.

Still focused on the yearly profit goal and br challenge, getting there slowly. Playing well so far at least. Browsed some saved old cute animal photos while folding.

Edit Got my beautiful AAJT9 cracked by KT742Â…in a 3! PotÂ…223 flop, oh brother. This dude has bluffed before and heÂ’s been very aggressive in low paired flops so I paid him off this time.