Hello PG&C,

After a mediocre 2013, I decided to straighten out a few things gambling related. So far this year I've lost $36 to non poker gambling, which is $36 too much. Starting this year, the only non poker gambling that I intend to participate in will be bonus slot play and match play offers from the casino. I'll get to the casino, make use of the offers to the best of my ability, and then play poker. Sounds easy, right?

It's easy on paper, but in two weeks I'll be put to the test. It's going to be a humble start with 4/8 limit holdem, which is my main game at the moment. It's a high variance rake trap that I intend to break out of, with a little help from lady luck.

In February I'll begin my 13th year as a poker player. It's a long story, the details of which are rather inconsequential. I'll spare you the self indulgent rants for now and leave you with some food for thought which a wise poster once shared:

"If you spend all of your winnings, your probability of going broke is 1."

First session of the year Friday night started with some 1-5 stud while I waited for my 4/8 holdem seat. I lost a little at first but then won a nice sized pot with nines full of Aces, which put me up $40. Then I got my holdem seat and proceeded to lose $228 in about four hours. I was winning a little until KK<88 and QJ<J8. I'm not complaining though, it was a pretty fun game with most pots going off 3-5 ways for one or two bets. I got my money in pretty good and am confident in most of my decisions. However, it may have been a little irresponsible of me to go play that night because it was raining, which turns a 1 1/2 hour drive into a 2 hour drive each way, which means I have about $30-35 in overhead to make up for, which doesn't happen if I only play for four hours.

Luckily they'll be building new casinos soon in my area soon, which will drastically reduce overhead cost.

Wish I could still play at Foxwoods. Glad to see you've got a thread going. I started one as a school/poker journal but I never kept up with it.

Looking forward to more posts. Enjoy those fishy $4/$8 games at FW.

Thanks for stopping by, Sir.

The game Friday night wasn't all that fishy. The limps were stronger than usual. Luckily I had the best seat with a couple tighties to my left and a lag two to my right. He beat me in 3/3 heads up pots at the end of my session, but like I said earlier, I think I got 70% of the money in with good equity. Sometimes the turn and river aren't kind, but I think I'm pretty good at letting stuff like that roll off my back at this point.

What's your hurdle for a 10/20 shot?

Do you play other games? Is 8/16 HOE an option?

Get in your preferred game and then turn to match play while on break.

The utility factor for me is pretty high, so I want a nice cushion for taking shots at 10/20; I want at least 100 bets of disposable income with which to take a 30 bet shot.

I've played just a little bit of OE online. I find handreading in the four card games difficult. I have small samples of a wide variety of games thanks to online poker and dealer choice homegames, but limit holdem is my favorite. I hope limit holdem thrives in the new casinos. My other favorite games would be no limit holdem, stud high, gin, and golf.

That's a good idea for the matchplay; it would force me to take a break, which is a weakness of mine.

The HOE game at FW is tougher than the 10/20. 10/20 FW is either a fish fest or a nitty fest with a couple decent regs here and there. Nothing different from a $1/$2 6 max on merge (before they ****ed their entire site circa April 2013).

This was my experience, though I thought 1/2 on merge was much tougher; both samples are small.

The 8-16 appears to be mostly OE, based on the website, as I've only played online since September. When it is HOE, most are O8 players and play the H round weak/tight. So while you will have an edge there, they aren't loose/bad and throwing a party with their chips. If you guys don't mind the anonymous tables, try playing some on Bovada if you're looking for online fix.

I always found Merge to be reg-infested and basically stopped playing there once they cut rb. But you could play 3 tables on Bovada at 1-2, get a small weekly bonus, and should easily make minimum wage.

You could also find me some guys in MA that don't mind losing some 'non-poker' gambling money and prosper . Looking forward to the thread, GL!!

Thanks.

Day 2 was full of work and driving around Mass, the details of which I'll spare the reader. I can say with all honesty that I didn't gamble a single cent today, so far. I consider it a bankroll building day, so it can be considered somewhat of a success. I'm one step closer to that 10/20 shot.

I play at limit hold'em at Foxwoods, also. Good luck. I'll be following your progress in this thread.

Thanks woody, you know we've seen you lurking.

Another day another dollar. I'm toying with the idea of saving enough for a good 10/20 shot instead of playing 4/8, but I can't help but think that a week of saving is losing money and the opportunity for some fun.

Save for a holiday weekend, like presidents day. There will probably be more people there then which means more donks. That way, you spend a month saving and learning towards a goal.

What are your main reasons for playing poker? If it's just fun and gambling, then stay at 4/8, but if your goal is anything like getting better at the game or enjoying the challenge of tougher opponents I would save for some shots at 10/20 especially around a busier weekend like Breich suggests.

Noted.

Last year I intentionally put fun ahead of profits as my main motivation for playing. If I was faced with a close decision, I took the action that had a higher potential for fun. It was fun, but looking back, I probably made some costly errors.

This year, fun is still high on the list, but profits have been prioritized ahead of fun.

Getting better and enjoying the challenge has always been on my list of motivations. This year I intend to get better at the mental game. Maybe I'll reread "Your Worst Poker Enemy," which I recommend as a decent first psychology book.

Another day another dollar. We got out early today.

I have the day off so I'm rereading threads that helped me. The one which motivated me to change my motivations for playing can be found here:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...ssion-1126734/

I happened to have the final word in that thread, but DougL and jesse8888 dropped the serious knowledge which helped me reform my motivations. While I have again reformulated these motivations to put profits ahead of fun, I learned a lot about myself and the mental game last year. I had more fun than ever at this silly game, and turned a small profit. If any of you feel that you have a mental game problem regarding quitting a game, whether it be good or bad, I suggest reading the above linked thread.

What I should do with myself today is look for a new job. I put in my two weeks notice yesterday because 1) I just really suck at and hate driving the work van around Boston, where we get most of our work, 2) I have this tension in my shoulders from the work and driving that just doesn't go away, which really sucks, 3) I hate responsibility, which I know is my own problem, but I can't help but think that there's something else out there for me in a low stress environment, which would make me a much happier person. So basically I'm looking to get paid for drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

Also, I'm looking forward to the Saturday of Super Bowl Weekend, when I will be having a homegame in honor of my birthday. We had a pretty good turnout last year with nine players showing up, most of which saw the flop for one or two bets, which made for a very enjoyable game. Everyone knows each other, and while some have had their differences in the past, I expect good behavior from all parties involved, as we had last year, which makes me happy. There are still a few seats open for non randoms if anyone's interested, sorry randoms . We'll be playing .25/.50 limit holdem, with free coffee, but you got to bring your own beer and quarters. PM for details.

IIRC, Anfernee is in Beantown. You should PM him for your game.

I have another day off today. That's just over 20 hours for the week, which coupled with last week will make for a nice check next week, as I get paid every other week. When I get paid I'm going to clear some recently accumulated debt, and then it's on. To you younger readers: I'm not really the right person to listen to for advice, but here's my take on debt: debt sucks! It's like this cold rain cloud hanging over your head that reaches down into your pockets and takes your wealth. I've managed to avoid debt for most of my life. Unfortunately, that's not how you get ahead in today's world. Most people must go into debt to get what they want, whether it be school, transportation, or other circumstances which require the borrowing of money. Luckily we live in a time when it's socially accepted to be in debt. I remember learning about debtors prisons in elementary school. We're the lucky ones to be living in such a time and place where and when it's ok to be in debt. Having a plan is key to success. Sometimes plans don't work out though and you're stuck there with massive debt and nothing to show for it. Sometimes though, things work out and you end up with more than you invested. If this describes you, consider yourself lucky. I wish I had the answer to that problem. You might be thinking, "well if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem." I simply disagree. I've never had a credit card. My debt is minimal; I can pay it off as soon as next week. I won't get into political opinions because politics suck as well. Ok I guess that was a political opinion, but from now on, no politics talk. I promise.

Next week, after the debts have been cleared, I'll be left with enough for either a 50 big bet shot at 10/20, which carries a high risk of ruin, or a relatively low risk adventure in 4/8 land. That doesn't mean that if I play 10/20 that I can't move down to 4/8 if I'm running badly. With some discipline I'll probably cut my losses at 10/20 if the situation dictates that I do so, but I'm aware of the risk involved with taking a 50 big bet shot. The risk is high, but the potential for payoff seems worth it. I'm trying to be realistic, though I could be described as just another gambler with a dream of running it up. I've had ridiculously good runs in the past, which shouldn't affect my decision making, but being aware of the possibility of a 30k hand 4.4BB/100 heater just makes me wonder when my next rush of awesome cards will be. It also makes me wary because I'm aware that I could run horribly on any given day. I'm currently riding a slight skid, which with a little luck and good play will be turned around next week. I'm ready for whatever the cards bring my way. With regards to life: I've been way up and I've been way down. This past year had me weeping tears of joy at the high points and sobbing like a baby at the low points. I've fallen in and out and in and out and in love. I've been in and out and in and out of hospitals. At the high point, I felt emotionally invincible. At the low point, let's just say that I was really down. I'm at a nice middle ground right now. I feel like my head is screwed on somewhat correctly. I'm ready.

The suspense is awesome, and I can hardly wait.

Thanks for reading.

Ok sorry about that self indulgent rant. I'm going to try to keep those to a minimum.

Last night I hung out with a friend. We played .10/.20 heads up limit holdem till about 2 o'clock in the morning. She kicked my ass for about 60 big bets. She had the ability to hit nearly every flop, and while she only check raised once in the whole game, she donked the flop with about an 80% frequency during the ~five hour match. Luckily her out of position checks were very weak, which allowed me to pick up the other 20% of pots on the flop, but her ability to smash the flop was quite remarkable. The donk bets, on the other hand, were pair heavy, which was quite frustrating, yet I can't help but be happy about it because I'm positive that she missed tons of flop value by donking.

In all though, we had fun, which is of course the most important factor in a homegame between friends.

Another day done with zero non poker gambling. My special lady friend took me out for a Mexican steak last night, which was awesome. Thanks honey.

I have some words for the lurkers: Post more!! Now I don't necessarily mean for you to post in this thread, though it is always welcome. I mean post strategy!! I can hardly speak for the massive improvements I saw in my game when I started posting more. Previously tough spots become routine. Previously routine spots become even easier. If you have a tough spot or hand that you played, post it!! Don't be embarrassed or shy. Both of those traits will hinder your learning. The forums are here for us to use and participate in with the best of our abilities. Regarding poker specifically: the game is ever evolving; if you're not learning then you're falling behind. Sure, you could play small stakes for your whole life without putting in much study, but that's like learning how to ski or snowboard so that you can ride the bunny slope for as long as you want. There are much more fun and challenging trails to be adventured when you're ready, but you got to improve if you're going to enjoy these trails and poker games.

Thankfully, in the forums in which I post strategy, we have many seasoned poker players who are kind enough to share their expertise. Once in a while though, something bad happens and we lose valued posters. This makes me sad. We may or may not have lost such a poster yesterday no thanks to an unkind person with some choice words for this ever valued poster. The loss is the forum's. His genius was in the simplicity of his posts. He doesn't need paragraph upon paragraph to get his point across. The genius simplifies, but has the ability to elaborate if he so chooses. If you can't explain something in simple terms, then you just don't understand it well enough.

/rant

On a lighter note: this coffee and these cigarettes are delicious.

Looking forward: it's a "limbo" kind of week shaping up. There's no work lined up, but payday is coming. It seems as if it's the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new. I wonder what the future has in store for me. I called my old boss to see if I still had a job there, to which he replied, "Yes, but there's no work right now." Maybe I should go into hibernation for a while.

Also, the planned homegame is currently over filled. I hope we get a nice turnout.

Don't you worry, I'll be playing poker soon enough, at which time I'll tell you all about it.

Another day done with zero gambling. I'm gonna hit the books, forums, and equilab today. I'm currently studying playing bluffcatchers multiway:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...tcher-1409015/

and I'm looking into exploiting players who coldcall in the small blind first in after a raise:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/35...blind-1316647/

and of course I'm always down to discuss the effects of mental illness:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/26...e-mad-1292768/

Still haven't gambled a penny on anything but cards since starting this thread. I take my shot tomorrow. I'm going to rest up good tonight, make good on some responsibilities tomorrow, and then hit the road.

Good luck and can't wait to hear how it goes!

Thanks for the support otts! Every little bit of it helps. Luckily, I've been blessed with great friends, family, and a lovely lady all of whom are generous with their support.

The first five hours put me up ~35 big bets. The last four hours were not so kind. While I'm confident that I was the favorite, the cards did not fall in my favor. I still consider it a good investment, and I left with some cash in my pocket. I'll be back soon.