Not to belabor this too much longer (it seems like we agree about the basics), but unlike at MGM in this casino if there’s no action on the river the worst position shows first and I was button. Thanks for your reply.

Oh ok. I'm guessing you mean in all-in pots before the river since it's standard for last action to show. That's how online poker works. Anyway, why announce your hand at all then? Unless it's a fun player that announces a worse hand or "You're good" I just wait to show until it's my turn. If someone's confused who's turn it is to show and they don't want to show, I just ask the dealer, "Who's turn to show is it?"

Yeah I dunno why I said “set.” I guess just wishful thinking that I was still good somehow.

Have you read The Mental Game of Poker (1 and 2) by Jared Tendler? That might help you out in overcoming some of the tilt you experience and the negativity that flows from that. For example he outlines what he calls "entitlement tilt" which is when you feel entitled to win a pot that you lost. Maybe that's why you announced your hand? Just gotta accept that variance is part of poker. Good luck.

Finally, a decent day. Up $100 5-card, $175 2/5, $880 5/10 (3! QQ, three callers, b/jammed turn and held v. pair+draw). Had to leave for parents' holiday party which I'm off to now.

Up $400 something today, about half 5-card and 2/5. Small loss at 1/3. Gotta stick with a reasonable sleep schedule for at least the next two weeks until after my upcoming (and first) oral argument (at 9:30 a.m. - yuck!). Nice to have some rungood for a change while I prep for that.

Didnt run into any c*cks today, although he did make an appearance at MGM yesterday. I quickly asked the floor for a table change and explained why. That’s pretty much it.

Watching Phil Helmuth punt/tilt in his "Holidays with Helmuth" special on PokerGo. If you have a subscription and haven't watched this episode yet, I recommend that you do. Seeing Phil berate Jennifer Tilly, and her reaction, is priceless. *Poker heaven.* (By the way, he short stacks too.) Speaking of people who need to read (or re-read) The Mental Game of Poker....

Last session of the year ended down $250, most from 5-card. Just missing everything. At least I got to spend the tail end of it with my pal Dennis. Good times.

Off to la la land before waking up in the new year. Happy New Decade, everyone!

Happy New Year! You plan on playing any poker while in LA? I'll probably be at Commerce Casino tomorrow and probably also sometime this weekend. Say hello if you see my ugly mug at a table. I look like my avatar only older.

DT, you haven't posted in awhile. Are you on a gross downswing or something?

Nah, just busy with work. Nothing remarkable lately in terms of poker. Running pretty poorly at 5-card, basically breaking even this month so far. Trying to keep a level head for day job.

But thanks for checking in! I’ll probably be back to more regular posting after my oral argument later this week. That’s been keeping me very preoccupied/busy.

Good session yesterday, mostly 2/5 (although some 5/10 and 5-card too). Funniest moment of the day, if not my entire poker experience: I just got the the 2/5 game and unknown 30 y/o WG opens HJ, I flat QQ CO, BTN calls, reg/SB $125, original raiser folds and I rip $300 or so, SB snap calls. I ask if he has a pair and he says no. Flop: Q-T-5hh. I decide to show. Turn: J. "Nooo!" I exclaim, prompting V to turn over AKo. "Don't pair the board!" he says. River: 2. V then yells - loud enough for the table next to us to hear,

"I FINALLY SUCKED OUT ON DUMBO'S TRUNK!"

I cracked up. I am quite sure most of the people at our table though V was a complete lunatic. But it was utterly hilarious to me.

Ended up a decent chunk on the day despite the QQ debacle. Oversetted someone at 5/10, won a lot more at 2/5 playing on steroids. New decade, new Dumbo.

Left to see some friends at bar poker and ran into this other MGM reg there doing trivia. "What's the capital of New Mexico?" he asked. I guessed Santa Fe, then Albuquerque. Anyway, small world.

When u get back to work..ur volume will drop down a bit?

Money got in Pre flop.

Oral argument over and done with. Phew! And I did a pretty good job, especially considering I was quite nervous to start out.

Now back to it, up a chunk at 5-5 5-card and 2/5, likely 5/10 soon.

Did really well last night (must have been the leftover adrenaline from oral argument). Played on steroids basically. Opened my first two hands (unusual for me), so unknowns probably thought I was really aggro to begin with (AggroDumbo - ha!). Later get Ac4s, open CO, three ways to 4-Q-8cc. I cbet, only MAWW calls. Turn: 3h. X/x. River: Jc. Bingo! Even better, V leads out $60. I raise to $250 and she folds after 20 seconds. Call open with AQdd, flop the world on J-T-8dd and raise big otf, take it down. 3! AQhh early in the session, V calls with KQo and we GII on K-Q-3hh and I turn better two pair and double up.

Made good chunk at 5-5 5-card too, ended up $1,400 on the day.

Fun moment from oral argument:

80-year-old old white judge in a low, shaky, drawling voice that took up at least half of my oral argument time (I hardly got a word in edgewise):

"Could your client have just left if he refused to hand over his fare card to the officer?" (In a fare evasion case where a legal question was whether the client consented to the search of his fare card which the officer asked for after stopping him.)

Me: "Yes, he could have walked away since the officer didn't have probable cause to arrest him."

Judge: So you're saying he could have evaded fare and just gotten away with it?

Me: "Crimes go unsolved every day because the police don't have enough evidence, and this just might be one of those cases, your honor."

Lesson: don't consent to anything the police ask for.

U don’t usually open?

Pretty bleh session yesterday, severely card dead, a couple loose calls didn't help; ended down $600 ($400 with $200 lucky table) between 2/5, 5/10, and 1-2 5-card. Was running poorly at higher stakes so dropped down to 1/3 to stem the bleeding. Thankfully, got a double up AA v. AKs AI pre for $320 near the end, which helped cut my losses. Minimized losses? Check! Happy about that at least.

Hosting home game tonight, long overdue - new year's resolution to have more. Bought another bright green plant and accompanying ceramic pot to celebrate the oral argument milestone (what can I say, I'm a pot head!), a little retail shopping afterwards to perk me up even more. To top it all off, enjoying the warm weather. "Living my best life," as my friend would say. Bipolar, gay, lawyer, poker player: happy. Pretty amazing.

I am driving up to upstate-ish New York to interview for an entry-level public defender job in a few days. $61k/yr. plus benefits. Probably long hours, large caseload, high stress, but rewarding work. The last time I did trial work I was mentally unstable, perhaps because I was (unmedicated and) extremely overworked/stressed out. Trial work is waaaay more demanding than any other work IME.

I have no friends, family, network (legal or medical) to speak of up there. I am beginning to wonder why I am bothering. Anyone wanna chime in with their experiences moving for a new job and trade-offs/regrets after the fact? Part is me is dreading the possible move, with all the risks it entails, and I haven't even gotten an offer yet.

Anyway, home game went well, up $90 there, down $20 at 1/3 afterwards for a couple hours (an ill-advised trip to MGM that threw off my schedule). Hopefully will get back to my "normal" schedule. At least the interview is in the afternoon.

I don't have much experience but it sounds like a bad idea. I've lived by myself before and only worked and never visited any friends. It's depressing and I wouldn't do it again. Stay near the people that you love IMO.

Ok, I decided to cancel. I’m happy here.

While I would definitely discourage any thought at attempting poker full time...

... I also wouldn't go for a long hours / large caseload / high stress job, especially with no friends / family / etc.

Ghastobebetteroptions,no?G

Yeah, thinking along the same lines. It would be a good experience but at what cost? Too many. Not to mention risky.

Plus I have good momentum in my current gig after the argument.

Running poorly in 5-card (losing with AA AI pre a whole lot, often running into another AA and ending up a dog to a third player's non-AA hand...bleh), playing a little weak/tight in hold 'em (folding OPs multiway too soon sorta thing...flat JJ BTN v. UTG pro open in 5/10, four ways, rec SB donks 1/2 pot on 598r, pro folds, I fold), makes for a breakeven month so far. At least I'm expecting a nice paycheck from the case I just argued, which somewhat makes up for it. Boy it can be hard to play winning poker when you're running bad.... But at least I'm not just punting heaps. That's something I've seemed to keep under control so far. Probably why, when I run bad, I usually just break even and don't hemorrhage. But a $2k downswing always hurts, no matter how you get there, especially when it makes a somewhat profitable month not. And I was so close to the $60k mark! :/ Granted, I have had to focus a lot more on work this month, which may account for the worse play/lower volume/profit as well.

Oh, as promised to myself for 2020, got a solver (the cheaper GTO+), tinkering with it, seems to mainly tell me what hands to bet, but can't seem to figure out what hands to call with facing a donk. Anyone use it know?

More losing today at 5-card. GII AKKT9ds against triple suited KK77 and lost to his flush, then JT987ds lost AI pre against same player’s AKKQJds. I was 45/55 pre and otf of J74ss wrap plus top two against OP and nfd. Just couldn’t hold either hand. Now 1/3. Sad.