Yeah that 99 just call on the river is really MUBSY imo. What hands beat you? Literally only A9, A7, A4 and the rarely slow played AA. You even beat two full houses he could have. You should be bombing the river, make it 180 yourself. When you induce and get the raise you should be jamming over top. Very MUBSY just call. Look at the range of hands that beat you vs the range of hands that you beat. If he had two pair on the flop (or turn) he probably isn't going to wait until the river to check raise you, he's going to put a raise in on the turn or lead flop turn or river himself. Mandatory jam with 99. If he has you beat you should pay it off and be fine with that.

DT, I'm subbed. I'm playing mostly at MD Live chasing their promo, but dabble over at MGM when traffic allows.

I like reading about your experiences and stuff your running into on the felt.

Will have to have a beer some time if we're in the same room (or, *gasp*, the same table)

Sent from my ASUS_X017DA using Tapatalk

Good points. I wasn't playing my best, didn't even bother thinking about combos. I just flicked in the chip pretty quickly not to get coolered for the max the few times he had aces full. I did think he'd have led aces up ott but then quickly forgot fact that once he raised. In one ear....

Thanks, (pri)mate! I sure hope we're not at the same table; I've heard that posters with post counts over 7k are crushers. I'm at MDL once in a while, although not lately. Might need to change that - the bathrooms here are deteriorating again.

Beer sounds good sometime. First one's on me.

Started off well, now stuck almost $400 due to some 5/10 runbad followed by a stupid f ing 5-card flip in which I lost to this complete a$&hole JT987sscc against his AcQc4c9h3s on 9724cc. Was 55% favorite flop and on 4d turn but he hit his flush otr. (All the money went in ott.) I may have called him a luckbox.

Now at 1/3. Just got accused by some random bad reg of intentionally trying not to pay my big blind (the dealer used the missed SB button). The idiocy is unparalleled at 1/3. Really didn’t need this loss right now. Fml.

Lost another $150 at 1/3 before calling it a day. Iso KK, three callers, UTG limper jams $110, I call, HU, lose to AJdd by runner runner nut flush. Definitely not my day. Happy to be home and no longer in the presence of a bunch of scumbags though.

I’ve also been hit by a little bit of variance recently

Sorry about that. Gotta roll with the punches and get back on it. That's what I plan on doing later today. Went to bed relatively early, got up pretty early (for me), took a shower last night so just gonna roll out of bed and on over to some casino.

Oh, and I must have inputted the hands incorrectly last night because I was actually a 60/40 favorite that omaha flip on both streets (he picked up a little equity with his second pair). Still sucks to lose to someone who is waaaay too aggro post-flop (like gets it in multiway 200bb deep with just top pair no redraw) and has made several unsolicited snarky remarks about me at the tables. He clearly doesn't like my presence. He also got kicked out of a casino for card counting at black jack, so he cheats. Poop head.

Not sure what your long term plan is, but I'm guessing poker might not be the greatest idea if this is how you often feel about it. Not trying to be a downer / negative / etc., but you've expressed thoughts like this in a decent percentage of your posts here.

I only play recreationally, and only for about ~550 hours a year (lol, probably about 1/4 of your impressive volume). But I almost never have personal thoughts / run ins / incidents / etc. like this at the table (off the top of my head, I can think of like 3 instances over ~6500+ hours).

Gsomethingtoconsiderregardinglongterm,imo;goodluck !G

Counting cards is not cheating. Obviously the casino would rather you not do it, but as long as there's no hole-carding or devices, it's not cheating.

+1 to this. I don't know whether this is related to the number of people who make snarky remarks about you, but I don't think I find most of my opponents nearly as odious as you do, and certainly don't call them names. And the ones I do, generally get themselves 86'd sooner than later.

You may not play omaha (at all or as often as I do) at MGM. People can be VERY mean-spirited and try to get under your skin any way they can. There is frequent slow-rolling, showing bluffs to tilt people on a losing streak, trash talking, angles like checking out of turn with quads, terrible calls fueled by a revenge mentality. At 1/3 NL you get your occasional goofball but at omaha people are overall very high-strung and out for blood. Pots get huge quickly and even at 1-2 (the lowest stake), $2k pots are not uncommon. It's way different from 1/3 or 2/5 and closer to 5/10 in terms of average pot size. I initially thought it was a friendly atmosphere but was quickly disabused of that notion.

So it can be very profitable, but you won't be making any friends there if you are a solid player and therefore a threat. I can't remember at this point how many times I've been trash talked for absolutely no reason other than someone didn't like my playing style. (E.g., "Do you raise a lot because you're short?" is one that came up recently. First thing a$shole said in reference to me was "he only plays one hand every two hours," and later "if you straddled I was gonna make it a blind $20.") I doubt I'd get this much heat if I was a winning player like ProX (a chick). People just don't like winning players because they can't compete, they get jealous, and they find ways to try to combat them - other than by improving their own game. F 'em. I'm gonna keep winning and taking their goddamn money as long as I can!

Rant over.

The point is this is the path you're choosing. Is this the environment you want to put yourself in, day in, day out? I mean, ya, there are probably worse jobs, but it sounds like you might be in a position where you can do whatever you want with your life.

GgoodluckG

Yeah I mean, I'm more saying that if you can't let that sort of thing roll off you -- and instead let them know that they *are* getting under your skin by talking back at them -- it's a vicious cycle. You're a clearer target for them because they know they're getting to you, and I mean, it sounds like you engage and say nasty things back to them, which obviously tends to encourage these sorts of interactions as well.

I'm not saying to go in there and turn the other cheek or anything, just realize that as an outside observer, you seem to be getting too involved in this sort of stuff, and it's bad for your winrate and your well-being.

To be honest, I've generally thought to myself that the trolls in this thread are likely people you've dealt with in your room -- which is not a good sign for you or them.

I've probably totaled as much lifetime live poker as you've played in the last 1.5 years or so (say around 3-4K hours), and I mean, I've been in all sorts of games in all sorts of places. I think the only place I actually got into it with somebody, the person kept overbetting the pot in PLO, and the dealers in that room wouldn't say anything about it unless a player called it down. So I called it down every time.

I dunno, if you really feel like the 4-5 card is that nasty at the MGM, I have no clue why you're playing it -- the edge can't be that much higher than NL and the variance is definitely higher.

Also +1 to GG again, got in under me while I was typing.

None of it is your own doing? Calling people luckboxes etc? Some kind of negative feedback loop perhaps?

It's obvious you have a bad attitude about the other players. When someone gets mad at me for raising too often or whatever it doesn't bother me. I find it funny. So what if a guy says "he only plays one hand every two hours"? People are going to say things like that. Get used to it. Maybe they don't like you because you're a bad winner and a sore loser. I'm only pointing that out so you can reflect on it and change for your own benefit.

People don't like winning players because they come there to gamble and have fun, not be taken advantage of. Gamble it up with them a little bit from time to time and put out a fun vibe and they will dislike you less. When someone asks if you raise a lot because you're short just agree with them and say you are overcompensating for a small dick. Maybe they'll laugh. Who cares what people think about you? Try to be engaging. When someone says you only play one hand every 2 hours say something about how you can only afford one hand in 2 hours, I don't know. Don't get mad though. And don't call people names, unless it's in a playful way.

When they know they are bothering you they are just going to keep saying nasty things. Instead just laugh in their face when they say something meant to hurt you. That's off-putting enough to get them to quit.

Good luck.

someone playing 100s of hours per month for $20 per hour in a environment where he dislikes the atmosphere usually doesn't have any other good options

I think (?) he's a lawyer, so I'm assuming well educated / means to an education of his desire.

But, ya, if this is the best / only option (really?), then going to have to take the advice above of learning to deal with things better.

GgoodluckG

speaking from experience here?

Yeah it’s part of the game..twice I lost with monster draws and didn’t get there..but I know it’s part of the game..also..I have identified some leaks in my game..so at least I can benefit from that..I was coming off a great heater too

I’ll try to lighten up a little going forward but honestly I think that ship has sailed. The people who dislike me will continue to and I’ll just do my best to ignore them and the future haters I come across. FWIW, if someone first antagonizes me I may return the favor, but I don’t start the verbal sparring myself.

Up $600 or so today, mix of different games and stakes. Snapped off this jerk at 1/3 who showed me a bluff at 5-card last night right after I took a bad beat. Felt good to put him in his place.

as a matter of fact yes. except I got into poker back in the golden online era when there was easy great money to be made.


no one should ever be putting in these sort of hours into poker in 2019 unless you absolutely love everything about it and are somehow making great money to set up your future

this thread is fascinating to me as sooner or later OPs attitude towards poker will change and I hope he keeps blogging when it does.

to much ego and entitlement. let it go or people will continue to dislike you

+1. Being good at poker does not make you a good person. No one will visit your grave (or anyone's for that matter) and talk about what a good poker player you were. It's inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and putting stock in it just makes you look like a small person (figuratively speaking I'm not making fun of your short stature I'm a 5'7" 115lb dude myself =P). I can't imagine this attitude you feel towards other players doesn't bleed over into other aspect's of your life. You'd be helping yourself a great deal if you started being nicer but maybe it's just in your nature. A dog can't change his spots so to speak. But I believe you can change. I believe in you bro.

Let's hear some stories of people being jerks and you letting it roll off your back like water off a duck's back. Turn the naysayers and haters into friends. It feels good man trust me. That's what the readers of this thread want in my opinion.

Was he a jerk because he showed you a bluff or was he a jerk who just so happened to show you a bluff?

@wj294:

He was a jerk who showed me a bluff right after I lost an AI pot with AA77 against J933 in omaha (33 flopped a set, I didn't get there with two overpairs and the nfd). I was clearly steaming after that hand and he still showed a bluff right afterwards. I feel like there are times when showing bluffs can be especially inappropriate and right after a payer loses an AI in a bad beat fashion is one of them. It was in poor form. "Salt in the wound" is the phrase, I believe. (Or kicking him when he's down.) He also sat directly to my left at the 1/3 game. The fact that I owned him anyway OOP was a great confidence booster. This was certainly payback.

Of course none of this came out on the table last night; it's just my own sense of accomplishment for getting him back for trying to put me on tilt the other night.

Also, I don't think there's anything wrong with this form of tilt (revenge, not entitlement) if it is channeled appropriately. Michael Jordan is known for using this form of tilt to work on his game. See, e.g., Tendler's Mental Game of Poker (citing Jordan example); Kill Bill Vols. 1&2 (Uma Thurman kicking a bunch of mutha f*ckin a$$).

And the funny thing is, I consider myself to be a very nice person off the tables (I really am - I have many great friends). On the tables I am very stoic and quiet for the most part until I get heckled, at which point - usually depending on whether I am stuck - I will respond in kind or just laugh it off.

@Rick:

I disagree that "putting stock in" someone's poker abilities makes them look small. People can be proud of their accomplishments - and should be - while still maintaining humility. Mine are nothing to brag about (as others have noted, my overall hourly is still around $20, although that increases over time and stakes), but I've saved and become financially independent with a bankroll through my own sweat and blood, and that is something to be satisfied with.

"I can't imagine this attitude you feel towards other players doesn't bleed over into other aspect's of your life."

As I've said before, I don't like mean, hostile, or negative people. Period. I have no shame in admitting that. And bullies sometimes need to be told to shut their mouths. They didn't like me to begin with, and they probably dislike me even more once I speak up for myself rather than act like a doormat. If that tilts them, good. If I take their money, good - they now deserve what they had coming.

Oh, and I am very friendly with most of the regs. I treat other respectful people with respect.

Oh, and another thought that popped up right after I lost the edit function: I am, after all, a lawyer. I argue for a living. More specifically, I advocate for people without the means or education to do so for themselves. I uphold constitutional rights. I stand up for the underdogs. I am used to confrontation, even heated confrontation. So it's probably no surprise that when I believe someone is bullying, my first instinct is to speak up, defend, argue against it. Looking at me, people might be surprised by how vocal I can become and that may be off-putting to some who would prefer that I keep quiet. F 'em.

And with respect to demeanor at the tables, yes, I am pretty reserved for the most part. On a couple of different occasions at 1/3 I've been called "the terminator," or "the executioner," probably referring to my flat affect and rungood (affect a side effect of playing so long? Or meds?). Flopped quads last night, won at showdown, didn't phase me. "He's the terminator," the loser commented. In an effort to not be totally stoic and somewhat interactive I said "I was hoping to flop one 9, not two!" I try to meet people halfway when I think I need to.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Gobble-gobble.