Hi all, I've been reading 2p2 anonymously for some time and finally decided to create an account. Today I'm starting a documentation of my poker experience as someone who is both young and naive (as many of you will undoubtedly point out) - something I hope to change.

A Little Bit About Me
I'm an 18yo kid living a relatively stable suburban life in the US right now. I've just recently graduated high school and will be heading off to college next fall, where I hope I can continue poker as a hobby once I get my foot in the ground. Right now should be that golden hour of time for HS seniors where we don't have to do anything and can party every other day, but coronavirus has made sure otherwise. That's why I've come to poker.

Why I've Started Poker & This Thread
It's difficult for me to find a reason for why I started playing cards. I suppose that's because the reasons always change, but the story of how I got into it was relatively lame. This February had marked the end of college applications, which freed up almost all my spare time. I was browsing the web out of boredom searching for anything to do when I stumbled upon poker - and that's how I started.

On a deeper level, I think I continue to play poker because I want to be good at something. Before high school, I was a very competitive chess player and would dedicate huge portions of time every week to learn & play. That levelled off as I eventually had to completely turn my focus to schoolwork, and now looking at my peers in chess I've fallen completely behind. Poker is something new, something fresh, and a unique hobby for 18yo's. And if I'm completely honest, what I really want is to stand out again.

Now I want to talk about why I've started this thread. I could say that it's to provide a venting outlet after games, get HH advice from people much more experienced than I am, or to just document my poker experience in general (which is all true). But what I really want is to be held truthful to what I do, because if there's one thing I've learned so far it's that my own mental game is the toughest obstacle to overcome. I ask that you don't hesitate to knock me down a few pegs when I seem overconfident and cocky, and vv during downswings.

Current Results & Poker Goals
Let me start off by saying that I don't have any plans of going pro, nor do I have any intention to (especially after reading some of the more horrifying stories on this forum). I'm heading to college for an economics major, something I'm also very interested in and something I want to make a career out of. That being said, I also want to become great at poker. I want to learn as much as I can, become a crusher at the highest stakes I can (a dream for everyone, I know), and make poker a defining feature of myself to not just be "normal." I know there's countless other hobbies that could serve the same purpose, but as someone who fell in love with chess poker seems logical.

Now onto a bit about my actual game history and stats:
- In February, I deposited $10 into Stars and played like a maniac, with absolutely no sense of the actual game whatsoever. I spun it up to $35 playing 5NL and 10NL (gotta love the BRM) and went busto a few days later at 30NL. That put the lid on my poker hobby for a while.
- By late March I started joining some clubs on the app Pokerrrr2, some of which hosted daily MTT freerolls for $30 top prizes. I would enter everyday and eventually saved enough money to buy a new laptop for poker by late May (something I needed anyways).
- In May I decided once again to deposit $10 onto Stars. This time, I practiced proper BRM and spent time on the free poker content I could get, mainly random Upswing articles and youtube videos. I made it to around $75 through 2NL and took a shot at 5NL with plans to move down if I dropped a few buyins. As of current, I've settled at 10NL and grinded my way up to ~$400 in around 50k hands total. I know I'll have to eventually take a shot at 30NL (no 25NL), but my bankroll still has to catchup quite a fair bit and I'm perfectly fine staying in the streets on 10NL for as long as needed.

Here are a few graphs from PT4:

Here is my all time graph, made up of all stakes.


Here is my all time 10NL graph (where I spent the majority of my time playing.


Here is my June 10NL graph.


I think one my biggest recurring fears is that I've been sunrunning the whole way, and as of the past few days I've flopped countless two pairs and sets.

My goals are relatively straightforward as of now, but as they say easier said than done:
- At least 1k volume every day of 10NL, until I have enough hands to (relatively) concretely say I'm winning.
- I'm currently 6 tabling, and I want to achieve a 12bb/100 wr at this stake consistently (more long term goal, will evaluate as time goes on).
- Taking a shot at 30NL in the future with a bankroll of at least 15 BIs (will move down and reevaluate the moment I lose a BI).

Thanks for sticking with me, and I'll do my best to post HHs every day as well as frequent updates on where the bankroll and mental state is at.

GL but i don't understand how you can have that winrate.

I mean NL10 it is a very easy game but still you will have some swings. If you are a good player, probably you will have ~8bb/100 on a big volume.

Good luck OP 10NL is a very comfortable stake to grind for a bankroll. I made quite a large % of my BR @ 10NL


Not true, NL10 can be beat for 15bb/100+ pretty easy.

I beat it for over 50k(smallish sample) hands for over 20bb even though at 10k they said I'd never maintain it. Largest BE stretch was 8k hands.

Ok then...you suck

This is the smartest thing I've read on this forum for a long time.


Very nice start

Good luck with your goals and I'm sure that you'll find 10nl to be very beatable.

What site do you play on?

In terms of taking a 1BI shot when you have 15BI...I'm all for aggressive shot taking at the micros but a 1BI shot seems a bit pointless. 1 KK into AA/set under set/a few 3bets, C-bets and folds and you're right back down at 10nl again. Maybe wait for 20BI and take a 5BI shot?

Anyway GLGL!

I've got my money on the world! And you shouldn't refer to yourself as a kid anymore, you're a man goddamnit! If not now then when? Now it is. Good luck.

Living in the US and playing Stars I assume you are in PA/NJ anyway good luck, Poker’s a nice hobby that can make you some side coin

Thanks for your advice! You're right, the more I think about it, the more I realize 1 BI is so subject to variance it's rather pointless. Since I'm focusing on 10NL right now, perhaps I'll wait a bit and see where the br is at before I
take a shot at 30NL. And I play on stars!

Love it! Thank you

06/26/20 Grind - Up in $, but disappointing start

For starters, here is my graph of 1k hands today:


I want to feel accomplished by my results today, but honestly I played more than subpar with multiple mistakes. I coolered opponents one after another, but I suspect had I not run into such luck I'd be down on the session.

I can't seem to get hand history converter working (keeps on saying internal error), so I'll list out some more noticeable hands.

- Started the session off great, opening w/ pocket 8s from CO and getting min 3bet BU. BB calls and we go three way to a flop of A85 two clubs. Check, check, BU bets 2/3 pot and I call. Turn comes K bringing in backdoor flush draw, check check. River comes a board pairing 5, I raise to near pot and he tank calls with AJ. Nice little cooler.

- Next noticeable hand I open with 9s from CO, BU 3 bets me, I flat. Flop comes 842r, I check and he instajams for 2x pot. I sigh call and he shows ATs. He gets there in the end with runner runner flush but I'm happy with how the hand played out.

- This hand is a bit longer so I posted the PT4 history:

Seat 1: BU ($10.23 in chips)
Seat 2: Hero (SB)($12.26 in chips)
Seat 3: BB ($9.55 in chips)
Seat 4: UTG ($10.17 in chips)
Seat 5: HJ ($6.49 in chips)
Seat 6: CO ($10.66 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind $0.05
BB: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero[4h 5h]
UTG: folds
HJ: calls $0.10
CO: calls $0.10
BU: folds
Hero: calls $0.05
BB: checks

I complete

*** FLOP *** [5c 4d 2h]
Hero: checks
BB: bets $0.10
HJ: calls $0.10
CO: folds
Hero: raises $0.22 to $0.32
BB: calls $0.22
HJ: raises $1.68 to $2
Hero: raises $2.35 to $4.35
BB: folds
HJ: raises $2.04 to $6.39 and is all-in
Hero: calls $2.04
*** TURN *** [5c 4d 2h] [Kh]
*** RIVER *** [5c 4d 2h Kh] [9h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero: shows [4h 5h] (a flush, King high)
HJ: shows [2d 2s] (three of a kind, Deuces)

I really don't know what to do in my spot on the flop. I think that top two pair with 54 on such a board is seriously vulnerable, and literally any turn card drops the value of my hand significantly (not to mention a possible 4 card straight coming onto the board). But I also feel like leading from the SB is very difficult to balance as you're basically saying you have the nuts or a monster draw. The best drawing hand on this board would be an open ender, so I wouldn't really know what to bluff with if I ever did decide to lead out.

Also, thoughts on getting it all in on the flop? I know flatting (as in BB bets, I raise, HJ reraises and I flat) keeps his bluffs in, and I think I'd probably lean towards that with some less vulnerable top two pairs, but I feel like this is the best relative strength I'll have throughout the entire hand.

- I soon went on to run TT into KT on a KTx board, and then bluffed my way to the river where I made a flush against villain's straight.

- Here are some of the more "interesting" hands I played during the session:

Stubborn Queens
Seat 1: CO ($13.50 in chips)
Seat 2: BU ($10.26 in chips)
Seat 3: SB ($5.44 in chips)
Seat 4: BB ($10.02 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (UTG)($10 in chips)
Seat 6: HJ ($12.81 in chips)
SB: posts small blind $0.05
BB: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero (UTG)[Qd Qh]
Hero (UTG): raises $0.25 to $0.35
HJ: folds
CO: raises $0.25 to $0.60
BU: raises $0.75 to $1.35
SB: folds
BB: folds
Hero (UTG): raises $1.55 to $2.90
CO: folds
BU: raises $7.36 to $10.26 and is all-in
Hero (UTG) said, "oof"
Hero (UTG): calls $7.10 and is all-in (like a donk)
Uncalled bet ($0.26) returned to BU
*** FLOP *** [9h Qc 2h]
*** TURN *** [9h Qc 2h] [3d]
*** RIVER *** [9h Qc 2h 3d] [Tc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero (UTG): shows [Qd Qh] (three of a kind, Queens)
BU: shows [As Ac] (a pair of Aces)

If there's ever a time to fold queens, it's probably to a 6bet jam in the micros. If I'm honest with myself, I deluded myself into thinking that I have enough equity against his range assuming he also does this with AK. This was a definitely a heat of the moment call, and something I really hope I can lay down with discipline in the future.

Turning 4s into a bluff
Seat 1: Hero (HJ) ($15.03 in chips)
Seat 2: CO($4.85 in chips)
Seat 3: BU ($7.80 in chips)
Seat 4: SB ($25.16 in chips)
Seat 5: BB ($10 in chips)
Seat 6: UTG ($10.02 in chips)
SB: posts small blind $0.05
BB: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero (HJ)[4d 4c]
UTG: folds
Hero (HJ): raises $0.20 to $0.30
CO: calls $0.30
BU: folds
SB: folds
BB: calls $0.20
*** FLOP *** [6c 3d 2d]
BB: checks
Hero (HJ): checks
CO: bets $0.45
BB: folds
Hero (HJ): calls $0.45

I'm not 100% sure about this call here. It's a relatively large bet and my pair of 4s will probably lose value as the hand continues, while the only card I draw safely to is a 5. In fact, being OOP facing a rather large bet, looking back I'd prefer to just fold.

*** TURN *** [6c 3d 2d] [Qd]
Hero (HJ): bets $0.80
CO: calls $0.80

I don't know at what point I decided to turn my 4s into a bluff, because at this point I don't even know that my 4s aren't good. In my mind I believe that since I'm holding double blockers to the nut straight and the 4 of diamonds in my hand, this is a great candidate to pull the trigger with. Please do tell me if I'm going crazy.

*** RIVER *** [6c 3d 2d Qd] [9c]
Hero (HJ): bets $2.20
CO: raises $1.10 to $3.30 and is all-in
Hero (HJ): folds
Uncalled bet ($1.10) returned to CO
CO collected $7.46 from pot
CO: doesn't show hand

It seems so stupid betting all the way only to fold to a $1.10 bet. I think my biggest mistake was not slowing down and going through the motion of what I could be representing with my raise. Do I really have a straight here and call the flop bet to lead turn when the flush hits? Probably not. Do I really barrel so aggressively with a queen? I'd probably check the river. Honestly looking back CO probably had a flush, but at the time I'll admit that I didn't go through the steps to play this hand well.

"Variation" play to confuse Villains
I'll admit I do stupid things very often in poker, but I hate it when I knowingly do stupid things.

Seat 1: UTG ($30.09 in chips)
Seat 2: HJ ($7.18 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero (CO) ($20.58 in chips)
Seat 4: BU ($16.69 in chips)
Seat 5: SB ($5.53 in chips)
Seat 6: BB ($10 in chips)
SB: posts small blind $0.05
BB: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero (CO) [Js Jd]
UTG: raises $0.30 to $0.40
HJ: folds
Hero (CO): raises $0.80 to $1.20
BU: calls $1.20
SB: folds
BB: folds
UTG: calls $0.80
*** FLOP *** [5c Qs Jh]
UTG: checks
Hero (CO): checks
BU: checks

"The guy to my left has been so aggressive, I'll check to trap" I told myself. Lol. Not as bad as it would've been on a board with two of the same suit, but regardless I definitely believe I should be betting for value here.

*** TURN *** [5c Qs Jh] [5d]
UTG: checks
Hero (CO): checks
BU: bets $0.10
UTG: calls $0.10
Hero (CO): calls $0.10

I definitely feel a lot better essentially checking this turn, as my hand becomes a lot less vulnerable and it really appears that my opponents have nothing.

*** RIVER *** [5c Qs Jh 5d] [Qd]
UTG: checks
Hero (CO): bets $1.27

Worst river possible comes out, but I still believe I need to get some value here as I doubt anyone has a queen.

BU: folds
UTG: raises $1.83 to $3.10
Hero (CO) said, "wow"
Hero (CO) said, "what a terrible river" I say as if I didn't slowplay a flopped set multiway.
Hero (CO): folds
Uncalled bet ($1.83) returned to UTG

Again, with my donk luck, it turned out that UTG actually had pocket 5s for turned quads, saving me well over a buyin. That being said, looking back I don't understand at all why I checked flop as the preflop 3better on a QJ board.

Any and all advice is appreciated, and thank you for reading . I will update tomorrow's HH as I continue playing.

Looks like a nice enough start. Are you going to play any MTTs/SNGs or are you focusing solely on cash?

Best of luck!

Nice thread. I'm currently playing NL25 on .com

I've subscribed and will be following. Best of luck

Thanks! I've tried my hand at tournies in the past, but I'm god awful at them and currently I'll be just focusing on cash.

Thanks! You too.

very nice start. Good luck and don't be afraid to jump up in stakes.

06/27/20: Very Satisfied

Very satisfied with today's play, especially letting weaker hands go that I would've floated had I been tilted enough.



Here are a few noticeable hands:

- Started up by picking up kings against aggressive reg (main villain for today)! He opens UTG, I 3bet, BB flats, he 4bets, I 5bet jam for 100BB, BB shoves (I got him covered), and aggressive reg snap calls (he's got 100BB exact too). I show KK, BB shows KK, and reg shows AA with both suits covering mine. 0.1% chance to win and a bit over 1% chance to chop, but unfortunately I don't hit the miracle flop and reg ends up scooping ~300BB pot.

- Next I pick up AKo and open UTG, and another reg directly left of me 3bets. He's usually very tight, but today he's been playing very off. I 4bet OOP and he flats. Flop comes T95r, and I opt to cbet for around 1/3 pot. He calls and the turn comes a 2 creating a backdoor diamond flush draw. At this point Villain only has a half-pot sized stack left, and I jam. He snaps with AJdd, the river bricks, and I scoop. Honestly looking back I think this hand was really poorly played, and I think I should've been patient and picked AKs with backdoor flush draws to pull the trigger by overbet jamming on the flop (he had around $7 with the pot being $6 on flop). Yeah, that hand was pretty poorly played.

- Next is a rather interesting hand:

Seat 1: HJ ($23.51 in chips)
Seat 2: CO ($18.99 in chips)
Seat 3: BU ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: Hero (SB) ($10.10 in chips)
Seat 5: BB (also the really aggressive reg, but not main villain in this hand) ($19.21 in chips)
Seat 6: UTG (reg from last hand, main villain) ($11.99 in chips)
Hero (SB): posts small blind $0.05
BB: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero (SB) [9c 9h]
UTG: raises $0.15 to $0.25
HJ: folds
CO: calls $0.25
BU: folds
Hero (SB): raises $0.75 to $1
BB: folds
UTG: calls $0.75
CO: folds

I'm on the fence about 3betting UTG with 9s , but this is the reg that's a bit tilted and has been playing crazy today. Since middling pocket pairs don't play well multiway I wanted to get it to at least heads up, which led me to eventually choose 3betting.

*** FLOP *** [4c Js 4d]
Hero (SB): checks
UTG: checks

I usually like checking more than betting as the OOP preflop aggressor (not always the case, just more in general), thoughts about it in this situation?

*** TURN *** [4c Js 4d] [6c]
Hero (SB): checks
UTG: checks

Is it time to go for some value here?

*** RIVER *** [4c Js 4d 6c] [7c]
Hero (SB): bets $0.74
UTG: raises $2.49 to $3.23

I tank call

Hero (SB): calls $2.49
*** SHOW DOWN ***
UTG: shows [Tc Ac] (a flush, Ace high)
Hero (SB): mucks hand
UTG collected $8.37 from pot

Normally against such a bet sizing (and it being a river raise) from the normal 10NL population I'd snap fold. But this reg has been playing crazy all day and he seemed a bit spewy ever since that AK hand (which was just a few hands ago). I ultimately decided to call down since I had 9c, and I didn't think of any hands he'd be representing.

- Opened 4s in the HJ and got flatted by a random villain to the left of me. Flop came J4J, and normally I would cbet small, but a huge portion of 10NL pots it on dry flops when checked to (including this guy). I check and he does indeed pot it. Call, turn comes brick 2, I check and he pots it once again. I call, and at this point I'm pretty sure he has a J. Unfortunately, river comes another 2, and after I check it to him this time he rips it in. I fold, as painful as it is. I'll get these guys some day.

- Not very many other out of line hands, but managed to get a few 4bet bluffs through as the game was a lot more aggressive today than usual. Played a lot more trappy, and I think it paid off relatively well. Looking forward to tomorrow's game .

Woke up a bit tired today after sleeping late last night and took a while to get going. I was doing pretty alright at the start of the sesh, but got a lot more fatigued as time went on. Definitely would not say I played my A game (making a few wrong bet sizings, cbetting instead of checking, etc), but didn't tilt or spew either. Need to get that sleep schedule in order.

Graph for today:


It's only a matter of time before my heater runs out, but I'm determined to face an inevitable downswing by playing the best poker possible.

Luck graph for the past 3 days:


As for specific hands, nothing too interesting today. Managed to iso one player who had a pfr of ~50 by 3betting a lot, ended up taking around 200BB from him. Ran a flopped set into top and bottom pair which is always nice, and flopped top two into a turned two pair for villain. Did unfortunately run kings into aces again, but what can ya do.

Most interesting hand in my memory by far is the following:

Seat 1: CO ($11.01 in chips)
Seat 3: BU($7.98 in chips)
Seat 4: SB($11.11 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (BB)($25.72 in chips)
Seat 6: UTG ($10.35 in chips)
SB: posts small blind $0.05
Hero (BB): posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero (BB) [Kh 9h]
UTG: folds
CO: folds
BU: calls $0.10
SB: calls $0.05
Hero (BB): raises $0.20 to $0.30

Maybe a check, but since some of these guys vpips are around 70 I tend to lean towards raising for value.

BU: folds
SB: calls $0.20
*** FLOP *** [2h 6c 2d]
SB: checks
Hero (BB): bets $0.22
SB: calls $0.22

Standard cbet, but things go off the rails real quick from here

*** TURN *** [2h 6c 2d] [Qh]
SB: checks
Hero (BB): bets $0.80
SB: raises $0.80 to $1.60
Hero (BB): calls $0.80

Turn came a scare card and a heart, a great spot for a second barrel. Because of how passive this player had been placing, when facing the check raise I was fairly certain he had trips or better. That being said, with the odds he was giving me by min raising I called to see if I could complete the flush.

*** RIVER *** [2h 6c 2d Qh] [Qd]
SB: checks
Hero (BB): bets $3
SB: calls $3

I figured if there was ever a time to fire the river on a brick, it was now. I was almost certain he didn't have a queen, and as the majority of 10NL (including me) underbluff this spot, I decided to pull the trigger. However, looking back, I feel I definitely should've been betting much larger, maybe around ~150% pot (instead of the 75% sizing I was choosing).

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero (BB): shows [Kh 9h] (two pair, Queens and Deuces)
SB: shows [As 2s] (a full house, Deuces full of Queens)
SB collected $9.82 from pot

Thats all for today, the br is up to a bit over ~520 and I may look to take shots at 30NL soon, especially in the coming month.

Thanks for reading, and if anyone could help me figure out how to get hand history converter working (keeps on saying internal error) I'd be grateful.

Started off today's sesh a bit out of it. Seemed to take longer than normal to process cards, flops, etc, probably dye to my sleeping schedule. That being said, today's grind took place after 5pm, making it a completely different game. People were potting it left and right, triple barreling with hands like J5o. I saw multiple people open jamming their 250BB stacks, but unfortunately I didn't manage to pick off a single one before they all inevitably went busto. Did manage to catch some bluffs, but also got stacked a few times calling down with TPTK. Definitely much more attentive and playing my A game towards the end.

Graph:



Did get a bit unlucky with the cards I was picking up, but can't complain about how it ended up.

Here are a notable hands:

- 3 handed at a table with a player who has a pfr of around 50 and a history of calling down light. He opens from the BU and SB calls, I 3bet with JTcc. Player calls, SB gets out of the way, and we go to a flop of T96 with two spades and a club. I check (working on defining that OOP check range right now), and opponent checks back. Turn is a brick 5d, and I lead for 2/3 pot. He calls. River is 6s, pairing the board and bringing in frontdoor flush. Normally I'd probably look to check call, but since I have slightly less than a pot sized bet left and villain likes calling down with 3rd pair I shove. Villain calls and turns over pocket 3s. Lol.

- Here I find myself with A6hh and open from the BU. BB flats and we go to a flop of AQ8r. He checks, I cbet 1/3 pot and he calls. Turn is Jh, bringing in my backdoor flush draw. Now things get dicey. He bets a bit over 2x pot, and I'm in a position where I feel like I'm forced to call with TP and nut FD. Some straights have got there on the turn, but besides that, I have no idea what would make villain play this way. The river brings a brick 5s, and villain shoves his remaining stack which is a bit under 1/2 pot. Again, looking back, I probably could've gotten away from this hand at multiple points, but in the moment I called thinking it was a cheap price. Villain shows AQ for flopped two pair.

- Towards the very end I get dealt KK UTG and open it up. Villain 3bets me from the CO, and I 4bet. I'm silently praying I don't see a 5bet shove, as while I'm fine stacking off for 100BB with kings, my effective stack against this villain is around 150BB at the current table. To my relief villain flats, and we go to the beautiful flop of K84 with two diamonds. I check, and villain checks back. Turn is 2d, bringing in the flush, and while I don't worry too much about it at this point I decide it's time to start betting in case a 4th diamond decides to roll off the river. I half pot it and villain calls, with the river bricking off with the ten of spades. I shove the rest of my stack in there, villain tank calls with AK, and we get a bit lucky in this matchup and scoop. Can't complain about luck today

- And as always, most interesting hand for last.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 3 players

BU: $11.96 (120 bb)
SB: $10.16 (102 bb)
BB (Hero): $11.13 (111 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with Q♥ A♥
BTN raises to $0.30, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $1.20, BTN calls $0.90

Flop: ($2.45) 3♣ T♠ J♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.77, BTN calls $0.77

I'm torn between cbetting here and check calling. Looking back, I think check calling is probably better here with ace high because of showdown value as well as increased equity with the BDFD. Learning when to cbet, especially in situations like these, is still a constant struggle for me (although it's definitely improved over time). However, I do decide to rip it here with the plans of double/triple barreling with my gut shot.

Turn: ($3.99) 2♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $1.90, BTN calls $1.90

I'm sad that I don't improve to a flush draw here, which would probably give me a more justified reason to fire a second barrel. To be completely honest, even at the point of making this decision I knew that this was a marginal play at best, but I really hadn't pulled any bluffs in a while and I wanted to send a message (terrible mindset, I know!)

River: ($7.79) A♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $7.26 (all-in), BTN calls $7.26

Total pot: $22.31 (Rake: $1)

Miracle ace hits the river, and I rip it in. My thought process was this: I only have a pot sized bet left at this point, so I was paying off villain regardless. As such, if villain did have something like AJ, JTs or a set I would probably get stacked regardless. By jamming I could (maybe?) get some second best hands to call. Please let me know of what you think of my logic, or if you think that check-folding to a jam would be more appropriate here.

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows Q♥ A♥ (a pair of Aces)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 75%, Flop: 33%, Turn: 16%, River: 0%)

BU shows A♦ T♣ (two pair, Aces and Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 25%, Flop: 67%, Turn: 84%, River: 100%)

BU wins $21.31

That's it for today. Although I'm on a heater at the moment, I am definitely excited to start taking shots at 30NL, hopefully on the first day of the new month

First losing sesh today! Down a bit over a buyin, but I think I played my A game besides a few questionable call downs (that I'll go over below).

Graph:



I'll go over some of the swings briefly before going to the main hands

- 5 bet jammed AKs and got called off by JJ, he held.
- Maniac who open jammed/raised huge every hand opened to ~20BB from EP. I iso jam for 100 BB (maybe a bit questionable???) with TT on the button, get called by a ~45 BB stack in the BB and maniac calls. BB has QQ and EP has K8o, flop comes K8x and rest is history. According to PT4 however it was relatively breakeven in EV for me.

Now for the questionable calldowns:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players

UTG: $12.16 (122 bb)
MP: $12.13 (121 bb)
CO: $12.33 (123 bb)
BU: $19.83 (198 bb)
SB: $10.52 (105 bb)
BB (Hero): $10.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with T♠ T♣
UTG calls $0.10, 1 fold, CO raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to $1.20, 1 fold, CO calls $0.90, 1 fold

Preflop pretty standard I think.

Flop: ($2.85) 9♠ 6♦ 2♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.89, CO raises to $1.78, Hero calls $0.89

By the flop it's already getting a bit dicey. I cbet 1/3rd pot on this great board and get surprisingly minraised. I call, but I'm very confused to what villain has here. On such a dry flop there aren't many natural nutted hands, except 9s or 6s (that call a 3bet). What the hell is he raising with? A flush draw maybe? 78s?

Turn: ($6.41) 3♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $3.05, Hero calls $3.05

At this point I only have a pot sized bet left, so I decide whether or not I should commit. Even if the river brings an overcard I'll probably have to call if I do call this turn bet. And to be honest, this is where I think I made my mistake. I automatically assumed that villain would play like me, where he would 4bet overpairs QQ through AA.

Additionally, I do have the ten of spades in my hand, which is an unfortunate card to hold. All in all, I lean towards laying this hand down here in hindsight.

River: ($12.51) J♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $6.30 (all-in), Hero calls $3.97 (all-in)

River is actually a good card, making it less likely he has JJ (the only overpair above TT I would flat a 3bet in position with). I stick to my plan.

Total pot: $20.45 (Rake: $1.02)

Showdown:
CO shows Q♣ Q♠ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 82%, Flop: 90%, Turn: 95%, River: 100%)

BB (Hero) shows T♠ T♣ (a pair of Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 18%, Flop: 10%, Turn: 5%, River: 0%)

CO wins $19.43

I think this was an example of me thinking that players play just like me, and tunnel visioning into possible hand combos. Definitely something I work on improving in the future.

Another questionable call:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG (Hero): $13.73 (137 bb)
MP: $13.26 (133 bb)
CO: $5.76 (58 bb)
BU: $12.33 (123 bb)
SB: $19.88 (199 bb)
BB: $10.62 (106 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is UTG with A♠ A♣
Hero raises to $0.35, MP calls $0.35, CO calls $0.35, 3 players fold

Flop: ($1.20) K♥ J♦ 9♣ (3 players)
Hero bets $0.75, MP calls $0.75, CO raises to $2.20, Hero calls $1.45, MP folds

Even in the moment I was very torn between calling and folding here. I think I gave a bit too much credit to villain for raising with a bluff here at 10NL, especially seeing that he flats UTG raises with J9o. That being said, there are really no value hands I'm beating (seeing how he would flat any single pairs), so I definitely didn't go through the motions well enough before making this call.

Turn: ($6.35) 6♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $3.21 (all-in), Hero calls $3.21

After calling flop I basically committed myself to the pot, as villain only has a half pot sized bet left. I call.

River: ($12.77) J♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $12.77 (Rake: $0.64)

Showdown:
CO shows 9♥ J♠ (a full house, Jacks full of Nines)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 17%, Flop: 73%, Turn: 82%, River: 100%)

UTG (Hero) shows A♠ A♣ (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 83%, Flop: 27%, Turn: 18%, River: 0%)

CO wins $12.13

Ouch

Other than that, I think I played very well. I managed to iso a lot of interesting villains, but RNG destroyed me quite a bit today. Here are a few hands against one specific villain for your viewing pleasure:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $11.65 (117 bb)
MP: $12.26 (123 bb)
CO: $14.36 (144 bb)
BU: $6.07 (61 bb)
SB: $10.26 (103 bb)
BB (Hero): $10.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with J♣ T♣
1 fold, MP calls $0.10, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.10, SB calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.35, MP calls $0.25, 2 players fold

Flop: ($0.90) 5♦ J♠ 9♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: ($0.90) T♥ (2 players)
Hero bets $0.57, MP raises to $2.60, Hero raises to $5.30, MP raises to $11.91 (all-in), Hero calls $4.35 (all-in)

River: ($20.20) 7♦ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $20.20 (Rake: $1.01)

Showdown:
MP shows 8♦ 9♥ (a straight, Seven to Jack)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 32%, Flop: 24%, Turn: 23%, River: 100%)

BB (Hero) shows J♣ T♣ (two pair, Jacks and Tens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 68%, Flop: 76%, Turn: 77%, River: 0%)

MP wins $19.19

And another one:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $5.72 (57 bb)
MP: $10.00 (100 bb)
CO (Hero): $13.54 (135 bb)
BU: $10.18 (102 bb)
SB: $6.32 (63 bb)
BB: $15.66 (157 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is CO with J♠ T♠
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.30, 1 fold, SB calls $0.25, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.70) 9♣ Q♠ A♣ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.44, SB calls $0.44

Turn: ($1.58) A♦ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.10, SB calls $1.10

River: ($3.78) 2♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $11.70 (all-in), SB calls $4.48 (all-in)

Total pot: $12.74 (Rake: $0.64)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows J♠ T♠ (a pair of Aces)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 72%, Flop: 54%, Turn: 39%, River: 0%)

SB shows 9♥ 2♦ (two pair, Aces and Nines)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 28%, Flop: 46%, Turn: 61%, River: 100%)

SB wins $12.10

Damn. Absolutely owned. Did enjoy playing a lot today as I minimized the HUD and felt like I had so much more space on the screen, and I think I played a lot better because of it. Bankroll is still at ~550, so I will be taking shots at 30 NL tomorrow!

Haha, does not get more micros than that last hand. Really like this thread that you have started. I have been thinking of creating one of them myself to be able to document my progress. I am a 19 year old living in Spain at the moment that is on his way to University, so this thread hits close to home. You have great results so far and I will be following this journey for sure. Best of luck!

FWIW, last hand is a case of knowing your villain. He called a raise from the SB vs a 3x. He's likely a fish.

You don't need to ever have a balanced sizing and you can go small and get the same results flop/turn. And in general you shouldn't be double barreling unknowns/fish here.

Bluffing river is suicide.

hand is fine.

gl oP

Either way definitely a great reminder to label and pay attention to individual villains, I do find myself overgeneralizing a lot multitabling. Thx guys

Thank you! Definitely recommend starting a thread yourself, it keeps you on your goal and I find that it helps make me make better decisions in game. Good luck!

First day taking shots at 30NL! Very happy that I remained focus and attentive throughout, although after today I know there's a lot to improve on.

For starters, here's today's graph:



I did make a ridiculous amount of sets today (according to PT4), so I'd probably be losing overall on a normal day. A few things I learned after the grind:

- Don't multitable 6 tables at once. At 10NL most decisions were just instinct, but at 30NL I'm much more likely to get 3bet, squeezed, check-raised, etc. Towards the end I switched to 3 tables for max attention, and I'll stay that way until I get more acclimated to it.
- Don't look at numbers. Everytime after a hand PT4 shows how much you won or lost, and seeing things like -40 dollars a hand scared the daylights out of me. Will definitely work on that.
- 30NL still has a ton of fish, but overall the population is generally better and the massive limping culture from 10NL is mostly gone.

There were a lot of interesting hands today, so I won't comment too much on each:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $32.63 (109 bb)
MP: $31.68 (106 bb)
CO: $43.90 (146 bb)
BU (Hero): $69.67 (232 bb)
SB: $45.08 (150 bb)
BB: $30.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with K♦ J♦
UTG calls $0.30, MP raises to $0.60, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.60, SB 3-bets to $2.70, 2 players fold, MP calls $2.10, Hero calls $2.10

Flop: ($8.70) 4♥ 7♦ 3♦ (3 players)
SB bets $3.90, MP calls $3.90, Hero raises to $10.49, SB folds, MP raises to $17.08, Hero raises to $63.40, MP calls $11.90 (all-in)

Turn: ($70.56) Q♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($70.56) 6♥ (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $70.56 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BU (Hero) shows K♦ J♦ (high card, King)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 64%, Flop: 25%, Turn: 14%, River: 0%)

MP shows 6♦ 5♦ (a straight, Three to Seven)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 36%, Flop: 75%, Turn: 86%, River: 100%)

MP wins $68.56

Is raising on the flop appropriate here? I have two overs and a FD so I have >50% equity around most pairs, and I feel like this comes off extremely strong. That being said, I'm also priced in just to flat here. Maybe I should call with my higher flushes and raise my weaker flushes? After the flop reraise by Villain I feel like I was basically committed to the hand.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 4 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.22 (101 bb)
BU (Hero): $34.56 (115 bb)
SB: $27.56 (92 bb)
BB: $89.20 (297 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with A♠ 7♠
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.75, SB calls $0.60, BB calls $0.45

Flop: ($2.25) A♣ 7♦ 6♣ (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.71, SB folds, BB raises to $3.56, Hero calls $2.85

Turn: ($9.37) K♣ (2 players)
BB bets $4.90, Hero calls $4.90

River: ($19.17) 9♦ (2 players)
BB bets $10.02, Hero calls $10.02

Total pot: $39.21 (Rake: $1)

Showdown:
BB shows 6♥ 6♠ (three of a kind, Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 54%, Flop: 83%, Turn: 91%, River: 100%)

BU (Hero) mucks A♠ 7♠ (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 46%, Flop: 17%, Turn: 9%, River: 0%)

BB wins $38.21

Feel like I played this one horribly. I would've probably got stacked anyways, but I allowed the board to get extremely dicey. I figured by flatting villain's reraise on the flop I would keep his bluffs in, but is a 3bet more appropriate here? Ultimately I decided to call down because the AK of clubs on the board blocked a lot of his flushes, and I couldn't imagine villain raising me with a naked gutshot on the flop.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $39.63 (132 bb)
MP: $31.20 (104 bb)
CO (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)
BU: $14.78 (49 bb)
SB: $80.93 (270 bb)
BB: $32.24 (107 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with J♦ J♣
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.90, 1 fold, SB calls $0.75, BB calls $0.60

Flop: ($2.70) Q♠ 5♥ 9♦ (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($2.70) J♠ (3 players)
SB bets $0.90, BB calls $0.90, Hero raises to $3.53, SB calls $2.63, BB raises to $31.34 (all-in), Hero calls $25.57 (all-in), SB folds

River: ($64.43) Q♣ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $64.43 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BB shows T♣ K♣ (a straight, Nine to King)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 32%, Flop: 19%, Turn: 77%, River: 0%)

CO (Hero) shows J♦ J♣ (a full house, Jacks full of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 68%, Flop: 81%, Turn: 23%, River: 100%)

CO (Hero) wins $62.43

Can I get away from this one? I figured that even if I was up against a straight I'd have ~20% equity to draw to a FH, but the turn jam by villain is extremely strong (especially multiway).

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $13.66 (46 bb)
CO: $30.62 (102 bb)
BU (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)
SB: $27.82 (93 bb)
BB: $34.46 (115 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BTN with K♥ 6♥
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.75, SB calls $0.60, 1 fold

Flop: ($1.80) 5♣ 8♥ A♥ (2 players)
SB bets $1.71, Hero calls $1.71

Turn: ($5.22) 7♦ (2 players)
SB bets $4.96, Hero raises to $27.54 (all-in), SB calls $20.40 (all-in)

River: ($55.94) 9♠ (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $55.94 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
BU (Hero) shows K♥ 6♥ (a straight, Five to Nine)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 41%, Flop: 38%, Turn: 32%, River: 100%)

SB shows 7♣ A♠ (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 59%, Flop: 62%, Turn: 68%, River: 0%)

BU (Hero) wins $53.94

A little bit of background on this one. This specific villain would pot it with any pair (including low pocket pairs) on the flop, and often continue essentially turning their hand into a bluff. I know that I did run into the top of villain's range here, but would a more passive strategy of waiting for a strong top pair and calling villain down be better than incorporating bluffs? Also my turn jam looks a bit spewy looking back.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $71.46 (238 bb)
MP: $39.18 (131 bb)
CO (Hero): $45.11 (150 bb)
BU: $30.00 (100 bb)
SB: $12.78 (43 bb)
BB: $35.80 (119 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is CO with T♠ J♠
UTG raises to $0.90, MP calls $0.90, Hero 3-bets to $3.60, 3 players fold, UTG calls $2.70, MP calls $2.70

Flop: ($11.25) 9♣ 2♥ K♣ (3 players)
UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $3.53, UTG folds, MP calls $3.53

Turn: ($18.31) 7♠ (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $37.98 (all-in), MP folds

Total pot: $18.31 (Rake: $0.92)
CO (Hero) wins $17.39

Here's one that I liked. Probably my first time incorporating large overbets on streets other than the river, although I'm not sure if its correct in this situation.

And finally:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $126.26 (421 bb)
CO: $22.81 (76 bb)
BU: $52.29 (174 bb)
SB: $56.63 (189 bb)
BB (Hero): $40.82 (136 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is BB with A♣ Q♠
3 players fold, SB raises to $1.20, Hero 3-bets to $3.60, SB calls $2.40

Flop: ($7.20) 5♦ Q♥ J♦ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2.26, SB calls $2.26

Turn: ($11.72) 2♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5.57, SB raises to $14.40, Hero calls $8.83

River: ($40.52) 7♠ (2 players)
SB bets $36.37 (all-in), Hero calls $20.56 (all-in)

Total pot: $81.64 (Rake: $2)

Showdown:
SB shows 5♣ 5♥ (three of a kind, Fives)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 54%, Flop: 96%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

BB (Hero) shows A♣ Q♠ (a pair of Queens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 46%, Flop: 4%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

SB wins $79.64

Do you think I can fold this? Normally TPTK wouldn't be too bad of a laydown, but there were just so many missed draws on this board (straight, flush, backdoor flush) and so few value hands (55, JJ, and maybe QJs?) that I felt like I had to call down. Do I just get stacked here?

As always, thanks for reading . I'm going to take it slow with 3 tables at a time at 30NL, which probably means less volume everyday, but I want to put quality over quantity first while shot-taking.

Had a very busy day today irl. Seeing how it's 9 PM here and I'm a bit exhausted, making the decision not to put in any hands (as I'm probably a losing player at 30NL rn even when concentrating haha). Should have plenty of open time tomorrow however, will be continuing to take shots at the new stake.

You were definitely put in some rough situations here. I am not sure if it changes much for NL30, however, it seems like the general population for microstakes raises with semi-bluffs or bluffs on turns and rivers very rarely. Especially in that hand where you had a set of jacks, where villain first calls and then raises over the top. It looks extremely strong to me, however, I do not blame you since I would have a hard time laying down almost top set myself even though it probably would be the correct move in this case. Some of these situations are just about knowing your opponents too. If it is a bad recreational player I feel like I can never fold a set since they might think that bottom two pair is good.

meh, if youre the type that "bluffing fish = bad" then youre losing money at the table. the hand is fine.

Thx guys. Only played 500 hands today, but will be looking to get that number up as I gradually increase to more tables.

Graph:



Picked up aces a lot today, but really get any action from them.

Here's a hand where I did get a lot of action from aces however...

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $41.58 (139 bb)
MP (Hero): $30.00 (100 bb)
CO: $50.26 (168 bb)
BU: $12.89 (43 bb)
SB: $26.73 (89 bb)
BB: $28.66 (96 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is MP with A♦ A♥
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.90, CO calls $0.90, BTN calls $0.90, SB calls $0.75, BB calls $0.60

Flop: ($4.50) 5♥ 7♦ 4♦ (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $3.30, 2 players fold, SB calls $3.30, BB calls $3.30

Turn: ($14.40) 9♥ (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($14.40) 4♣ (3 players)
SB bets $15.90, BB folds, MP (Hero) folds

Total pot: $14.40 (Rake: $0.72)
SB wins $13.68

If it was heads up with aces here I'd have a much easier time w/ two streets, but since the pot ended up going to the flop 5 ways I laid it down. I feel like the board definitely contained a bunch of missed draws as well, so it was difficult making the decision.

- Did run queens into aces in a 4bet pot (that giant spike down). UTG opened, BU 3bet, I 4bet from the SB and BU flats. We go heads up to a flop of all undercards, I cbet and then jam on a brick turn.

- Here's one I am definitely not proud of, probably the biggest spew of the session:

A bit of history first, however. This player sat directly to the left of me and I found myself heads up with him multiple times SB v BB. He was extremely aggressive (not in a bad way, I give him a lot of credit) and I felt like I was overfolding to repeated bets. I decided to find a spot to call him down, and this was that spot.

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $38.36 (128 bb)
MP: $30.00 (100 bb)
CO: $26.71 (89 bb)
BU: $50.59 (169 bb)
SB (Hero): $33.96 (113 bb)
BB: $25.80 (86 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with J♦ 8♠
4 players fold, Hero raises to $0.75, BB calls $0.45

Flop: ($1.50) 8♣ 7♥ 9♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $1, Hero calls $1

His standard bet size when I check the flop. Not going anywhere with 2nd pair and a gutter.

Turn: ($3.50) 4♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $2.52, Hero calls $2.52

Here's where my mistakes begin to add up I feel. I decided that since I held a J in my hand, I blocked a lot of his value hands like J9 and JT while still allowing some of his bluffs with tens or sixes in them. After this call I decided to call him down all the way.

River: ($8.54) K♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $8.11, Hero calls $8.11

In the end here I decide to call because I feel like I'm blocking a lot of his hands that would play like this (two pairs and straights). Looking back actually, I don't think it's the worse call down ever, but the decision was definitely partially attributed to more emotions than logic - something I need to improve on, especially as I move up the stakes.

Total pot: $24.76 (Rake: $1.24)

Showdown:
BB shows 9♥ K♦ (two pair, Kings and Nines)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 63%, Flop: 65%, Turn: 80%, River: 100%)

SB (Hero) mucks J♦ 8♠ (a pair of Eights)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 37%, Flop: 35%, Turn: 20%, River: 0%)

BB wins $23.52

And here's the last hand, ending on a relatively good note:

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.15/$0.30 - 5 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $30.00 (100 bb)
CO: $5.72 (19 bb)
BU: $83.16 (277 bb)
SB (Hero): $50.08 (167 bb)
BB: $34.99 (117 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.45) Hero is SB with J♦ A♦
1 fold, CO calls $0.30, BTN raises to $1.50, Hero 3-bets to $5.40, 2 players fold, BTN calls $3.90

Flop: ($11.40) 3♦ T♥ 6♦ (2 players)
Hero bets $7.15, BTN calls $7.15

Turn: ($25.70) 3♠ (2 players)
Hero bets $37.53 (all-in), BU folds

Total pot: $25.70 (Rake: $1.28)
SB (Hero) wins $24.42

The good part is that I got the bluff through, bad part is I'm not sure if it's the right play. Am I overbluffing here if I start doing this with every flush draw? I mean I'm really only repping overpairs and tens potentially, so maybe I need to choose my bluffs better. I'll probably do this with 78s, 89s, and other suited combos that make much more sense because they don't have the same showdown value as an ace. That being said, I feel like it would be an extremely awkward spot if I checked to the button and he bet big.

Thanks guys, will keep you all updated