It was more like awkward silence and stares as we walked away, like "did that just happen?" I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for the table talk afterwards.

Thanks! I was lucky enough not to spend much time playing casino poker when I was a total clueless noob. I think I played exactly twice. Other than the Vegas trip, the only other time I ventured into a poker room was in Missouri while I was interning at a local public defender's office in southern Illinois one summer. The PD took me out to a really nice dinner at the famous "Tony's" in St. Louis and afterwards we drove over to a nearby casino where I bought in for $100 and doubled up with a flush, then used the profit to pay him back for my half of the dinner tab. Good times.

To be clear. I was just making a remark on how fate of circumstances can have such an influence, positive or negative, on our lives. Young guy( in this case our hero DT) wins a big pot in his first Vegas trip, gets positive reinforcement of poker as a positive, continues to make poker a part of his life. Other young guy, loses big pot first time playing poker, and probably, because of this negative experience, forms a very negative view of poker, and never plays poker again.
It could have very easily have been reversed. DT could have easily been sucked out on, become disgusted with the result, and vowed to never play poker again. Because of this one hand, that one moment in time, Dt's life took the course it did, when it could have so easily have taken a very different direction. The point being, a large part of the lives we each lead, our fate, are sometimes decided by, at the surface, inconsequential events.
Was I, with my initial remark, insinuating that DT was wasting his time playing poker? No, of course not. It was just a simple, neutral, philosophical observation, if you will, about the influences that sometimes steer our lives in the directions that they take.
Anyways, I'll never make it as a novelist, I'm getting a headache trying to write a logical and clear point.

Bottom line is, I think that poker, especially live poker, can be and is, an enrichment in some people's lives. Maybe for some people it's a negative, but those people would have, if it wasn't poker, found the negative somewhere else. Like, the roulette table or craps for example.
Well, this is getting out of hand. For anyone who's brave enough to read this whole thing, bottom line is....
I don't think DT is wasting his life at all. To the contrary. DT is living the life he wants. That's all that matters. Life is meant to be enjoyed. We all try to live our own lives. Who cares about the status quo dude? About the wife and kids and picket fence and church on Sunday? Why are you such a judgemental negative person?

Obviously not. I've loaned money a handful of times, but all but a few they transferred me $ from their bank accounts on the spot and were good friends who I was certain were good for it. Just sometimes that 1/3 plot becomes a 2/5/10 plo game and they're stuck 2 or 3 buyins in an orbit.
To people you don't know well? Gl getting it back.

2/5 doubled up twice, first time with AQcc on K-T-3cc (iso $50 over two limps, jammed flop, beat a worse draw), bled down, got another double AI pre KK v. AKs (AKx flop - if only we were deep!), then lost with limped AdAs in CO expecting BTN to raise (bad rec LAG), he didn't, x/called him down on J-8-3dd-2-K (no diamond) for $25/$50/$150 on a basically brick runout for every draw imaginable and he had K2cc. Bleh. Down $60 at 2/5.

Then went to 1/3 to bumhunt the fun V from the other night who I stacked with KK and unfortunately someone else stacked him before I could and I left down another $120 from just missing. One interesting spot was bad loose rec raises $12 over UTG ss limp, fun V calls (range: ATC), I call ATss BTN, two more callers, UTG rips $180, pfr folds, fun V tank calls his ATC, I consider re-jamming to win a bigger side pot against fun V but chicken out since my plan depended heavily on V cooperating and calling off the rest of his stack against me (around $250). Certainly a higher-variance spot. Probably should have pulled the trigger. Ss ended up winning with KQ on K-Q-6-9-2 runout. Fun didn't show.

Home game tonight.

Home game was a much-needed change of pace as usual. 2nd in tourney, up $110 there, +$35 cash too, so not a bad night by any means.

Moment of the night involving fun player and my friend/host Dennis:

Fun player (AI otf with QT on T-high flop; Dennis called): "Do you have me?"

Dennis: "Yeah."

Turn: K.

Fun player: "Do you still have me?"

Dennis: ". . ."

Hand of the night: double-board PLO bomb pot, I am dealt K89T, flop 1: T93r. 2: KK7r. GII with same fun player with naked AA and I hold.

I swear to god if I chop just one more time on a straight board holding an OP this month....

Last night was a Saturday. Wtf is up with me losing on Satudays? 5-card GII top set against wrap+nfd and lost, then GII AJJ95 on 997 and lost to BTN's 97 (checked to her multiway in single-raised pot, I just went with it $230 eff.). I guess I could have folded, but I'd have to put her on a boat already, I'm blocking 9x, and am not in terrible shape against 77, plus she could have some wraps+fds when checked to her in theory. Someone on 2+2 strat said just x/f this hand? Lost $600 at 5-card.

1/3 and 2/5 fared not much better. Very card dead. Chopped QQ v. 52ss on 457r on 3-6 runout (I raised EP, three callers, checked to BTN fun Indian who jammed $175, only I called). Then 3! QQ against LP iso and SB cold called, LP tank called (he was contemplating a 4! I think), expecting almost no flops I like with SB cold calling his presumably 99-JJ and pfr probably having overs, as expected flop AK4. I folded turn when LP bet $85. Flopped a set of 8s and quad 6s as pfr, didn't get paid much either time. Got bluffed at 1/3 with A3cc as pfr, x/c $15/$20 on A-2-J-2 and x/f for $50 on J river. V showed a rare bluff, KQo. Lost another $300 in HE.

It's been tough this month. Halfway through December and I have very little profit to show for it. Some play bad mixed in, probably should be up around $1k more than I am, but I am certainly not running well apart from that. Assuming nothing drastically changes in the next couple weeks, looks like I'll be closing in on around $48k profit for 2019 (sans promos), 6.16 bb/hr. overall. January - June 2019, 7.5 bb/hr., July - December, 5.05 bb/hr. I played much more 5-card in the second half of the year (and didn't run as well in 2/5) which I suspect accounts for the drop in the hourly. Still, certainly a vast improvement over my first six months tracking from June - December 2018 when I made $7,500 or 2.7bb/hr. Gotta, say I am pretty proud of myself. And hopefully things will only get better in 2020.

That’s a solid win for the year. How much did you win from promos and how many hours did you log? I think I’m below expectation on promos. 478 hours at 1/3 for the year and only $600 won in promos.

Thanks. Well, you beat me. 2,200 hours and around $2,200 in promos. (That's just pure coincidence.)

But then again, about 600 hours of mine were PLO, which isn't promo-eligible.

$50k for 45-hour weeks ain't too bad, but there are much easier jobs out there that earn the same or more. Speaking of jobs (although not necessarily easier ones!), I just applied for a public defender gig in upstate NY. Very low cost of living (a 3 BR goes for $150,000), I could actually afford a down payment with the money I've saved by playing. It's times like these I am glad I didn't buy a car. The job plays $61k plus benefits, but I'd probably be working more like 60/70-hour weeks.

Oh, and speaking of "the universe" speaking to me ($2,200 and 2,200 hours) - the "DTs" are going around in MD license plate circulation, so I am seeing DT everywhere I drive. Lol.

Below exceptions on promos ... You think?

Don't see how you could have 478 hours of 1/3 at MGM and only have won $600... That is crazy. You must play a lot when the promos aren't running..

Speaking of promos, won high hand tonight with my favorite: quad 8s. $300. Lost $50 otherwise on the night, most 5/10 and 2/5, offset by +$250 at 1/3. 5/10 was good until someone suggested doing a round of bomb pots at $25 a pop. No thank you. Lost $35 at 5-card too. Extremely card dead throughout today until the very end when I went on a little heater at 1/3 (AA in straddle, top set 8s). That's pretty much it.

You left the table because someone suggested bomb pots?

We were already doing one bomb pot at the start of every dealer's down, which I was totally fine with. I actually enjoy the occasional bomb pot. But then someone suggested either a round of straddles or a round of bomb pots, and he decided on a round of bomb pots, and I (stuck $150) didn't feel like potentially losing another $200, so I decided to leave. It's OK, an action player was next on the list and took my seat so the game probably got much better after I left.

if you consider being down $150 being stuck in a 5/10 game you don't belong anywhere near a 5/10 game

You are entitled to your opinion sir. If I was doing well this month I probably wouldn’t have had a problem with a round of bomb pots. But the month was already going poorly and I wasn’t really in a gambling mood. Maybe I just should have skipped 5/10 altogether.

But seriously tho $150 is barely a blimp on the graph, it should affect you little to none

Last night was more of the same. Played a good 5/10 session, just bled down, no big hands (TT once opened HJ $75 in straddled pot, BTN 3! $250, straddle cold called, I had $450 left and just folded - mediocre equity against two and no fold equity, plus I have a tight image with this V so I'm probably crushed). -$450. (-$50 1/3 too.)

Made most of it back in 5-card though, lost some when I flopped bottom set on 2-6-T and pfr went bananas, potting flop and Jh turn (bringing bdfd). I let it go ott, probably should have folded pre anyway (AKJ22ss). Lost about $70 on the night.

Sitting in a crazy PLO game and witnessing lots of tilt-induced terrible play. I am running bad but keeping my sanity/not punting. Discipline really is the key to surviving in poker long term.

Yup. That and likely developing a playing strategy that your mental health can handle long term.

Ggogogo,imoG

Last night up $100 2/5, lost $20 at 5-card, and up about $200 at 1/3. A welcome change of pace.

5-card was crazy action with multiple gambooly players sitting. Bled down a little, missing with AA in 3! pot, losing with AAQT2 on 522 in 4! pot against 34 which rivered straight. I made the mistake of not topping off and had to fold a couple winners pre (like KKT73 which would have flopped the nut straight plus K-high flush draw - plus top set ott!), so I finally topped off. Didn't lose my sanity even though it seemed like the rest of the table was on absolute donkey tilt, GII pre every other hand.

At one point this miserable rec player who does all the unethical things in poker (goes south, keeps his chips disorganized and concealed so you can't get an accurate count, slowrolls constantly), and is generally overly demanding and entitled, slowrolled someone totally undeserving and this reg/onlooker standing next to me called him a f*gg** under his breath. I didn't tell him I was offended by his word choice, but I did agree with him that this player was one of my least favorites. I don't think he likes me because I once called the floor on him for going south (he was up $1k and left and came back 30 minutes later to the same game with a min buy-in).

Eventually opened AKQ96ddss and we go multiway to AJ4dd and I GII three ways and river the nut flush for a decent $800 pot. Game broke an hour or so later after action players left for the bigger game. Got on waiting list since no more seats available and played a little 2/5 where I made a set against rivered top pair, got a couple premiums which I 3! and took down pre.

Got called for 5-card again and flopped top set AAA and bdnfd, GII otf against AKQJT (no flush draw) and he spikes his straight ott, giving me the bd nut flush draw too, but I don't improve. I just called it after this hand. Wasn't feeling like getting stuck again after digging myself out of a $400 hole earlier. :/

1/3 raise QQ otb, three callers and flop middle set on KQ7dd, GII against shorty OTT and hold against KTo. That's pretty much it.

Just 3! AAQ99ds and forgot I had 99 on 934cc (no fd). Had to x/f 2 ott to BTN psb. Pulled myself out of the game and now playing 1/3. I really don’t feel like I’ve been playing my best this month and it’s so much more costly to make these mistakes when you’re running bad than when you are in god mode. :/

Take a break and come back fresh. Reset.

My break was short-lived as I ran bad at 1/3 (QQ into KK which V raised $9 UTG, I 3! squeezed SB $40, bet small ott on A-high flop, then JJ got 3!, K flop x/f) and soon after I found myself back at 5-card where I held with top set against wrap+nf and then re-sucked out on this somewhat unpredictable rec who raised BTN, I defend BB HU 99568 and flop top set on 249, c/r pot flop, pot J turn which V re-pots AI, I call and V turned top set JJJ but I rivered the gutterball 3 for the nutz. Lesson 1: they always have it when they "POT," even when it's a brutal suck-out. Lesson 2: sometimes you make a (rare) bad call for your entire stack with the second-best hand and the poker gods let you off the hook because they feel badly about how poorly you've been running this month (lol).

Overheard this rich business type mouthing off loudly at 5-5 and decided to sit in it. 1-2 wanted to break short-handed, there weren't enough seats at the other 1-2 game, plus I wanted to eat dinner anyway and wanted the food runner to get it for me which is only possible in time-raked games. Rich business guy says to me, "no beards allowed, you have to shave." I said OK, I won't play then. He goes, "no, not shave your beard, shave your balls." The rest of the next hour involved him talking about sucking d in some fashion. It was kinda hilarious. I lost $100 bleeding down but it was worth the spectacle and the dinner.

Ended down $75 2/5 (open QQ, bet flop and turn small on KK4Tr and V CRAI turn, fold), down $275 1/3, up $800 5-card. Not a bad day by any means.

Last night was par for the course. Ran it up a little at 5-card but then lost a decent pot when I opened AAJT8ddhh and we went five ways (including gambooly player) to K-8-6hhd. Checks through (per Nandez, Kx flops hit preflop calling ranges more). Turn: 7d, giving me two nut flush draws, a pair, and a gutterball to the nut straight. Checks to me and I bet 1/2 pot, folds to straddler (Mr. gambool) who raises to $150, I call. River: Ac. He says "POT." I fold. Even with the T blocker I think this is a clear fold in 5-card. Oh wellz. Ended up $100. Would have stayed longer if it wasn't already 3am. The table was well above average. But, for better or worse, I'm not doing that to myself anymore.