Hello all.

Just wanted to introduce myself to the general community and all that good stuff.

I learned how to play poker back in the early 2000's (in my 20's) when I was living in the San Fernando Valley (just north of Los Angeles). I was working at Office Depot at the time (not bragging), and one of my coworkers invited me to a private poker game at his place after work one day.

I had never played poker before, but I ended up cleaning everybody out that night. I never got another invite to that home game for some reason, but my buddy encouraged me to read a book on poker strategy and hit the casino. I purchased Small Stakes Hold 'Em: Winning Big with Expert Play by some math guy that apparently used to play at Commerce Casino and some guy named Ed (no relation to the famous talking horse, I assume).

I studied the crap out of that book over the next few weeks, then decided to hit Commerce up myself for a little 6/12 limit action. I made some rules for myself, which I always stuck to:

1) Only bring enough cash for one buy-in plus a little for incidentals, and leave all credit/debit cards at home after filling up the gas tank (it was about a 45 minute drive to Commerce from where I lived);
2) Play for no more than 4 hours, regardless of circumstances when time is up;
3) If/when I get up to $450 (from $300) at 6/12, if there's enough time left out of my 4 hours, if I feel as though I am playing correctly, take that $450 and move up to 9/18. Either way, if/when I double up from my most recent buy-in, I get up and go home regardless of the circumstances.

Following those rules, I generally made from $300-$600 every night, Thursday through Sunday for the next several months. Then the 6/12 game at Commerce just disappeared. There were usually at least 3 tables going every night I was there when I started, and it dwindled down to nothing. So I stopped going.

Except for the odd home game, tournament, or live cash game in a casino here and there, I haven't played much poker for the last 20 years or so. I even lived in Vegas for a couple years and hardly ever played. Limit is my game, and is doesn't exist anymore, really.

Well, I've decided to make NL my game now. I'm currently in school for IT stuff, and Rhetoric is a prerequisite for a programming class I want to take next term. For Rhetoric, I am doing a research project about GTO strategy and whether or not it is the most effective strategy for long-term, sustainable +EV play. I'm fairly certain it is, but this gives me an opportunity to marry my schoolwork with my desire to be a professional poker player!

I'm thinking about starting a vlog, as well. I am inspired by Brad Owen and would love to get to his level (or higher) one day. As it stands, I just went to the casino tonight and made just under 70BB/hr at 1/2 NL for 2 hours. I've been studying poker books (3 of which are 2+2), watching YT videos, and playing for fake chips on the WSOP app just to practice all the maths. I'm fairly confident that I was so successful because I have been immersing myself in poker for the past few weeks.

Some people at the table criticized my play here and there, but always when I was in more of a performative mode to establish my table image. I showed a big bluff that won me a good pot, and used that in later hands to extract a lot of chips from a few opponents who thought I was always bluffing. There was a maniac who either raised to 7.5BB or folded preflop, and was in almost every hand. I watched him blow through 2 full bullets, and partook of some of them myself.

There was an old, hispanic calling station who didn't speak English, was clearly drunk, and had no idea what he was doing. That was a stroke of luck. Speaking of luck - I watched him suck out on the river against the maniac quite a few times, which was always hilarious!

There was a strange, young fella wearing a Pikachu beanie two seats to my right. Another calling station. It was very difficult to get a read on him because he seemed like a bit of a space case. I got some of his cash.

There was another drunk guy to my immediate left sitting on an enormous stack. By the time I got to the table, I think he had developed a pretty good case of the eff-its and just called everything to the river and folded to any aggression. There was another guy with an enormous stack, but I generally avoided him because he was a TAG.

A few calling stations came and went throughout the session as well. Overall, it was a great session - especially as my first. I was thrilled to look down and see that I had almost doubled up my $300 buy-in after just a few hours, and decided that I was satisfied with my accomplishment and went home.

Anyway, if you're still reading - thanks! Feel free to tell your poker life story below, or insult my mother, or whatever it is people do around these parts.