Quote:
Originally Posted by SimpleRick
It was a pleasure to meet you the other day. Good luck at the poker tables and with everything else!
Thank you, it was cool to meet the infamous Rich Checkmaker in person. Cool jacket too
I'll eventually roll more 5/5 at the Commerce into the rotation but as of late I've been playing primarily at the Bike. We'll likely see more of each other once that happens since you're putting in them hours. Just sit on my right please thanks
On the Grind
-------------------
It's been too long since my last update. I've honestly been struggling a bit trying to maintain balance, specifically between poker and spending time with the wifey. The week and change after my last update was primarily spent playing and taking small trips before my wife started her new job this week. It took a bit of adjustment to get used to getting in line with her schedule again but it's also easier to do when she's at work all of the time I'm home before heading to the casino. Having alone time to myself is key in getting my routine solid.
Here are some action shots from our escapades.
Joshua Tree
San Diego (Sunset Cliffs and Grass Skirt Tiki Bar)
I've recently started up a more high volume training split so that I hit smaller muscles more often after doing research about the recovery cycles of muscle groups. Apparently I had it twisted: smaller muscles (biceps, calves, etc...) actually go through their entire recovery cycle within 1-2 days whereas larger ones can take 3-5 days. With that in mind, it makes sense to train larger groups less often and hit those auxiliary groups more often. I've modified the split to hit those lacking spots at a higher frequency so hopefully that'll translate to some gains. I've also added a powerlifiting/crossfit day into the mix once a week to work on Olympic lifts, athleticism, conditioning, and explosiveness.
Diet has been pretty clean as of late partly due to fasting more often. I'm eating roughly the same amount of calories just condensed into a smaller time frame. I've lost close to 10 pounds since we've arrived and it feels fantastic. I'm about 10 pounds away from my ideal weight given my wee height so it's a great start. Once I get on the jarred salad grind eating one per day again that excess poundage is going right in the trash.
Another epic fail on getting started reading. I have a fairly long commute to the casino via train/bus and I just haven't capitalized on that time to read. Part of it is that I really enjoy listening to podcasts while I'm on the go, part of it is my propensity to get dizzy reading in moving vehicles for any reasonable amount of time. Definitely considering going the audiobook route to counter this.
Also big fail on taking session notes. My focus level overall from session to session is pretty consistent at around 8/10 and I find myself dialed in to the point where some earlier hands in the day tend to fade from memory as it gets later. I've jotted down a few hands via voice memos which helps so I'll continue doing that so I don't forget crucial hand details during weekly reviews. The ultimate goal is to get in the following cycle:
- take notes of hands close to when they happen in session
- write up some general notes post session (how I played, villain tendencies I noticed, any deviations in mindset or focus, weird spots to study later where I wasn't sure of the appropriate action)
- review individual session notes and compile them into weekly reviews
Once I get this cycle consistent, I'll be able to invoke a trend of continuous leak plugging + strategy adjustment based on population or specific villain tendencies. I've been doing a decent amount of this informally but I think systematically organizing it all will really help integrate the thoughts into a holistic strategy. The weekly reviews will also give me some material to post about in this thread and keep up consistent updates.
On to the Poker
-------------------
Since my last update, I've logged 91 hours of play comprised of...
- 60% live cash
- 20% online MTTs (pretty much any $1K+ GTD tourney on Global)
- 15% live MTTs (3 failed bullets at a $1mil GTD)
- 5% online cash
I've consciously upped my tournament play to prep for the $1 mil GTD LOP tournament at the Bike. Nothing particularly exciting in any of the three bullets. Run up a stack early, blinds get huge, get in flip 4 hours in with 12BB, gg. One thing I've taken away from those bullets is that I have quite a bit of work to do on my sub 20BB tournament game. Right now I default to looking for a 3b gii spot and mostly open shoving at around 15BB or less. I feel like I can add a ton more nuance to my game at that crucial stack size with smaller bets, limps, and blind defending.
I fired a bullet at the 5/5 game after running it up from a relatively s***ty 2/3 game (lots of walkers, nits, minimal action). The game offered plenty of action and I guess I had a target on my back. Not sure if the regs were taking shots at me cuz they hadn't seen me in the game before or if I just caught them blasting away but it was pretty silly. Two of the biggest pots I played went like this:
Hand 1
-----------
Reg raises MP to 20 I raise to 75 from SB with AA, heads up. Flop is Q78ssc, I bet 100 he calls. Turn is 4c, I bet 300, he raises all in to 700 I snap call and he shows TT
He leaves the table after that hand and the good reg next to him even said "I play with him a bunch and would never expect him to run that bluff there"
Hand 2
-----------
Not sure of exact board cards but I had KK (with spade), bet 2 spade undercard flop and spewy reg calls. Turn brings flush, I check call his pot sized bet. River is a brick, I check and he just ships it. I tank call and he has nothing. He rage quits that hand and moves to what I presume to be 5/10.
Maybe not #chipporn quality but I do love the $25 chips and they don't play at the 2/3
This Week
-------------------
Now that the milly is out of the way I'll be heavily on that live cash grind. The games have been pretty solid as of late with the LOP series at the Bike. With my session review strat I'm looking to bring some interesting hands to this thread to give an idea of how the games are and a bit of insight into adjustments I'm making. Until next time!