April Recap







Not a bad month overall. Got 3rd and 1st in the FullFlush bi-weekly rake races. Reached my hourly goal finally. And ironically, imjusthereforthe$$ missed his freeroll win from last month. That makes it all worth it.

Fun Hands

$1/$2 NL

I(SB) raise to $6 with KK, BB 3bets to $10, I 4bet to $25, BB calls

Pot: $50

66Q

I bet $18.75, BB raises to $37, I call

Pot: $124

Turn: 66Q6

I check, BB bets $90.75, I call

Pot: $305.50

River: 66Q6K

I go allin for BB's last $11.04, BB calls and shows



$1/$2NL

UTG raises to $4, BUT calls, SB calls, I(BB) raise to $20 with AK, UTG folds, BUT calls, SB folds

Pot: $48

Flop: 669

I check, BUT bets $48, I call

Pot: $141

Turn: 6699

I check, SB bets $127.19(AI), I call, he shows KQ

River:

Most are on Full Flush. History had a bit to do with it, along with a couple other thing. Plus you gotta bluff sometimes, and 7 high is a fine hand to bluff with. Second worst possible hand if I remember the board correctly.

Blast no free money this month lol. Nice work on those hour and only way you win with second worst had

May Recap

Hey guys. May was a weird month. I'll try to recap as best as I can remember. So I ended April with a big push to both avoid the freeroll and to win the rake race on FullFlush. So I ended the month a little burn out from playing and with the good problem of having a fairly large balance on FF. I mitigated the problem slightly by losing $1.7k first session of the month, but I still had a large amount of money on FF and hadn't gotten a payment processed in a while. I decided to just take it easy for a few days until a check processed. A few days turned into a week pretty quickly, and so I decided to start playing Bovada again.

It was tough to be motivated to play on Bovada especially since I had a low account balance and started off running bad. I only had about $1.5k in the account and quickly lost a several buyins at $200nl, and left me with a few hundred in the account. I fell into a pattern of getting to a few $100 playing HUSNGs and getting the account up to $800-$1000, losing a few buyins at $200nl and repeating. It wasn't very much fun playing with a short roll and while the SNGs were kinda fun and very beatable, they were also lowish stakes and didn't run often enough for my liking.

After a week or so of this, I decided I might have to play some live poker. I went to Parx on 5/14and won $245 on a Friday morning playing $1-2and had a decent time. On 5/18 went to Harrah's Philly and got some short stack HU $2-5 action and won nearly $800 in 3.5 hrs. It was fun playing HU live(plus the guy was awful) and then the game went three-handed and I busted both players. Unfortunately they were both buying in for $250 at a time. Then on the 22nd, I went up to Parx to play some $2-5 and it was just miserable. The atmosphere of all the live pros/semi-pro/nits and the super predatory/bum-hunty attitude is just sickening. The table was made up of 7 people who were obviously regulars who all knew each other, me, and one maniac who was obviously gonna lose, but was a fun poker player. He had good ideas about the game, and would be a nightmare HU or 3-handed, but 9 handed the nits took turns taking the nuts vs his hand.

There is nothing wrong with that. They were adjusting correctly. The gross part is they all talk about him while he's at the table to each other like he's not there. They don't give action without the nuts, and almost shamed him for playing the way he did. Berating him, asking why he would do something like that, doesn't he know he's only gonna get called by the nuts, etc.. When he eventually busted, the 8-handed(???!!!) table broke within 5 minutes? The were all fist-bumping and congratulating each other on "how bad" that guy was. I was left with a real nasty taste in my mouth, and its the main reason I hate live poker. All the mediocre regs who nut-peddle and are just soul-draining to play with. Even though I won about $100 in the game in a couple hrs, I was depressed after playing.

All that being said, I was planning on playing a bunch at Harrah's bc the room was running strong promotions for June, and I would be able to make $10-$15 hr just from promotions, on top of really soft games. Then about a week ago, ChicagoJoey had PLO endboss Ben86 on his YouTube podcast. While watching it, I fired up some PLO tables on Bovada and enjoyed it and won a little money. I've dabbled in PLO before and started reading Jeff Hwang's PLO book, watched PLO vids on RIO, etc. So I decided to play a little more just for fun. And I won. And I kept winning. The more I played, the more I love the game. I think I may be completely over to the darkside now. I've played 15 sessions of PLO since then and have won single session. That's pretty crazy since lifetime I only win about 58% of NL sessions and PLO is a much swingier game.

I feel playing the new game has revitalized my interest in poker. Having new goals and challenges makes it much easier to stay motivated, and I feel that I had pretty much plateaued in NL. That's not to say I can't get better, because there is room for a ton of improvement, it's just that in my poker environment I had reached a bit of a peak. I enjoyed playing on FF and was imo, one of the top dogs, at midstakes. There was only 1 other player who would play HU with me and I was beating the games significantly. There were players at high stakes that I'm sure were better, and would play me, but with the slow payouts and concerns about US sites, I didn't want to build or have a bankroll on the site big enough to start play $1k HU vs good players. I enjoyed playing FF midstakes but playing the same games on Bovada isn't as fun bc of the anonymity factor. Without the dynamics of playing the same opponents, it gets boring just playing standard ABC poker on Bovada.

I'm happy to say that after a month and a half I did get a check from FF and have gotten money from MoneyGram also, so I have gotten about half my money off the site. I'm also really enjoying trying to learn this new game. I'll be back in a day or so to set some goals for June. It really doesn't look like I'll reach my ultimate thread goal, as I had very lazy, unmotivated first 3 weeks of May, but I'll still do the best I can. GL to everyone out there. Cheers.

Monthly Graph all games



PLO $.25/$.5 to $1/$2

That PLO chart is boss! Any crazy PLO hands you care to share with us?

I feel like any time you show up at parx during the day during the week, you will be sitting at a table with all regs who know each other and know everything there is to know about poker, limping with every single hand in their range and playing nut poker. Driest possible playing ever. I try to only play. Nights, only play weekends and just go fishing. I know your game is possibly better, but they will never pay you off, and you are asking for just a terrible time. That's been my experience with playing mid day poker.

Have you tried playing on ACR?

I'll try to save a couple. I really am very unsure of what I'm doing most of the time, so it's hard to tell what is a sick hand and what is a standard hand. Tbh, most feel like sick hands haha. The chart doesn't look quite as boss anymore though.

The tilting event was Friday night 8pm-midnight. If that's not prime recreational hour I don't know what is. Also, the regs skill level ranged from below average to atrocious. I wasn't complaining about the games not being good, I was complaining about the atmosphere and attitudes.

Unfortunately, I use a Mac computer, and thus am unable to play on ACR without jumping through several annoying hoops.

June Goals

Without goals set for May, I really had a lazy month pokerwise, with less than 90 hrs played. As mentioned before, losing my main site because of payout concerns, since eased, contributed heavily as well, along with other real life issues that took a ton of time. This month, back on the grind.

FREEROLLS

Read Jeff Hwang's PLO book in its entirety or pay $50

Play 120 hours of poker or pay $100

Watch 25 videos on RIO or pay $50

Finish top 3 in FF midstakes POP race for 2nd half of month or $100

Back in the NL Streets

$1/$2 Bovada

I(BUT) raise to $4 with A5, SB raises to $14, I raise to $37, SB calls

Pot: $76

Flop:AKK

SB checks, I bet $18, SB calls

Pot: $112

Turn: AKK2

SB checks, I check

River: AKK24

SB bets $58, I raise to $137(AI), SB

My schedule is probably gonna be play one variant (NL or PLO) until I have a losing session then switch. Will keep me playing one variant while I'm running well and playing well, and give me a break when it changes. Should be interesting.

Playing live at parx last night... I flat a 10 raise from cut off with 2 4 spades on button. 6 people see the flop. Flop is q59sss. Checks to me on the button. I bet 50. Sb ask me if i flopped it. I said yes. Sb tells me, I have top pair with a good spade. I said, if you call, and another spade comes you don't get any more of my money. He calls. Everyone else folds. Turn is possibly the best card in the deck. Qc. He checks and I go all in for his last 150 plus. He calls. Brick on the river... Ship it!

And by last night, I mean at about 330 am

.... Don't call with 24ss

Lol. I don't know how you do it. But you got the money and a lovely conversation, so......

This.

So my 2nd check from FF is coming in so I will be chasing the FF POP crown for the second half of June. Been off FF for the last month and half, time to come back like Jordan.

Bovada Hands

Crazy in the NL streets lately

$1/$2 NL

CO raises to $6, I(BUT) 3bet to $19 with 8T, CO 4bets to $39, I call

Pot: $81

Flop: 795

CO checks, I bet $28.5, CO raises to $199.55(AI), I call, CO shows Q3

Turn: 4

River:

$1/$2 NL

MP raises to $6, BUT calls, I call in the BB with Q9

Pot: $19

Flop: K7J

I check, MP checks, BUT checks

Turn: K7J9

I check, MP bets $9.5, BUT folds, I raise to $33.75, MP calls

Pot:$86.5

River: K7J98

I check, MP bets $28.45, I raise to $160.25, MP

It's amazing how you see and bet three streets. I have no idea how to do that anymore, playing live at parx. It's usually check raise the flop, call all in, watch cards come for two streets, muck hand when they hit their flush. (Higher straight, higher two pair, quads to your top set...lol, games are good)

In for watch 25 RIO vids freeroll. BOL on the grind this month!

So is the Q9 a pure bluff in this spot? Knowing he can't call without the 10 or at least 2 pair.

Variance is a bitch. Keep getting the money in good and in theory, you will win some day.

Welcome aboard. TY

Definite pure bluff, I think I probably make him fold a T some if not most of the time too. He can never have the nuts because of how he played the hand, I can, I have a blocker(which isn't that important bc his line shows that he can't have nuts anyway), and people tend to overfold a bit in the Bovada midstakes games, bc the amount of people that play the nuts slightly tricky are >>>>>>>>>>>>>than the people who bluff in those spots.

Variance is a bitch... in theory, I will win some day... Gonna get this on a banner and hang it from my wall.

Sub,gl

Don't you think you should bet river instead of check raising on that Q9ss hand?As you said, villain never has the nuts,so he'll check back a ton

I like it. Order me one too please.

You are right. Good observation. However in this particular hand, I just felt that he would have a T a lot and bet the river. A T probably always pays off a river bet, but is in a bad spot against a raise. It was a gameflow/timing/lolread that a bet wouldn't work but a c/r might. Once he bet had to go for it.


Quick FF update, already have busted the account, redeposited, and climbed all the way back above initial balance plus redeposit. I'm out there swinging hard with my eyes closed, maybe will connect with something soon. Fun few days. Games are good, just hard to get enough tables and win all-ins sometimes. GL to everyone out there.

Hero Callin Ain't All its Cracked Up to Be

$1/$2NL

I(BUT) raise to $4 with KQ, BB 3bets to $14, I call

Pot:$28

Flop: K89

BB bets $17, I call

Pot: $59

Turn: K898

BB checks, I bet $32.75, BB raises to $78, I call

Pot: $215

River: K8986

BB checks, I bet $98.6(AI), BB calls with

$1/$2 NL

I(CO) raise to $5 with 46, BB calls

Pot:$11

Flop: K52

BB bets $5.5, I call

Pot: $22

Turn: K522

BB bets $8, I call

Pot: $38
River: K5222

BB bets $8, I call(6hi ftw), BB shows

June Wrap-Up





Had a strong second half of June on FF and managed to win the Rake Race for the second half of June. I'm trying to win for the first half of July but have missed 4 days of play so far for vacation, July 4th, and did a Spartan Race the other day.

I got 140 hrs. I won the rake race, but I did not read the PLO book or watch enough videos(probably only 15-20). So I have two $50 freerolls to be paid out. I will post shortly with how I'm gonna do that.



I will be very likely playing in the WSOP Europe as I will be in Germany around that time. I will probably play some combination of events 1,2, and 4 and might sell off some action for events 1 & 4. Event 1 seems exciting as its 6max and thats what I've played almost exclusively for the last few years.

Now I'm gonna post a few hands that are gonna make it look like I have no clue what I'm doing at poker.

$1/$2 NL

UTG raises to $6, I(BUT) 3b to $18 with 69, BB calls, UTG calls

Pot:$55

Flop: QKA

BB checks, UTG checks, I bet $19.75, BB folds, UTG calls

Pot: $91.5

Turn: QKA2

UTG checks, I bet $55.75, UTG calls

Pot: $203

River: QKA23

UTG checks, I bet $248.05, UTG

Hand #2

I(BUT) raise to $4 with 46, BB 3bets to $12, I call

Pot: $24

Flop: J23

BB bets $12, I call

Pot: $45.6

Turn: J237

BB bets $22.8, I raise to $61.33, BB calls

Pot: $168.26

River: J2375

BB goes AI($112.42) with Q3

easy game