Background: I am 29 years old, live in Houston, Tx. I am married (26f) with a 3yr old boy and 1 month til new baby boy comes. We both work full-time and live a great life. We have 30% equity in our home and my truck is paid off and she owes approx 18k @ 0% interest. Approx. 1.5k in credit card debt. Both full-time jobs we make annually approx. 110k including bonuses. We have collectively 30k in 401(k) and 15k in savings and 5k in checking. Our monthly expenses are approx. 3k

My bankroll is approx. 20k This is money i have saved from working my 2nd job. My bankroll is separate to our living money and will not affect our way of life if i lose it all.

I will be playing approx. 2x week in various games in town ranging from 2-5 & 5-10 with maybe an occasional shot at 10-25 if my backer/best friend is feeling squirly.

1st week

Last Mon.
Played 5-5nl on south side of town. I was pretty card dead but there was plenty of action. I bought in for 500 and no big hand to talk about. Made a few moves here and there and ended up leaving +95. Left the game around 1am since i had to be at work @ 6am.

Last Thur.
Played 5-5nl on north side of town. Game had 2 full tables going and there was pretty good action. Interesting hand: dealt QQ and made it $30 in mp. 2 callers flop Q69. I bet 50 2 callers. Turn j. I bet 150 they both fold.

The player to my left was who i was after. He was playing every hand like it was his last. I Never had anything playable to get involved and i wasn't going to force it. 2 arabs got into about $5 fkn dollars when there was a mississippi straddle and small blind was like what's this s!&t. Anyways i thought i heard one of 'em say "allah akbar" and reach in his pocket for a detonator, but it was just my illusion. Bad karma. So i left the game +145.

Once again my full-time job inhibits me from playing really late but it is what it is. A responsible family life sometimes sux. Sometimes you just want to degen.

F.Y.I. I am not keeping time on how long i played. Frankly i don't care what my $/hr is.


Bankroll +240

Last Sat.

I decided to drive to lake charles to play 5-5 w/ some rec. players. I met up with my friend there and he was at the dice table. B.S.'d w/ him for about an hour then headed to the poker room. They had 4 tables and i sat down w/ 500. Action was pretty soft w/ most players playing abc. I chipped up and down when i finally caught a hand against some goofy player(GP). GP raised to 25 in mp, 1 caller, me in bb w/ ak. I raised 100more and he went all in for 240 more. i called and the board bricked out. he shows AJ. ship it. Cashed out +445. Played a little $10 bj waiting for my friend to finish up so we could eat. +60 in one shoe.

After dinner we parted ways and i went back to the poker room. By now it's 8pm and the action was gone. I sat down w/ 1000 and 1 player was on my s&*t cuz i could only buy in for 1/2 the big stack which was 1700. whatever. One thing i despise is intellectual abc players that think they're the s*@t. I don't know what it is but i keep my opinions to myself and i never tap on the glass. I soon moved tables cuz i couldn't stand to hear this woman talk poker theory.

The other table didn't have that much action either. Any hand i played i raised 3-5x not to be table bully but they were just oblivious to my tactic. I felt that i was a more compitent player and could outplay them. I raise w/ K7hh and get one caller to my left. Flop Ah610. i c-bet 30 he calls. turn 5h. i bet 75 and he raises 100 more. he has about 250 left and i call. Turn Qh i bet 300 and he calls w/ 55. +480 for session

I played til about 2a.m. then took off back home to houston (2.5hr) drive.

total session +985
so far so good.

Yesterday

Went to the s. side game for some more $$. I got there early and joined the game immediately w/ 500. I was absolutely card dead. I tried to be as patient as possible and not get frustrated. The first sucker punch was when i was check raised on the flop of J3h4h by some nit. I bet 50 and he raised 200 more. i thought for a minute and i believed he was on a flush draw. "Why so much? if you have the hand you represent don't you want to value me in?" i say to myself. i went w/ my read and shoved, he called. He flipped over AQhh against my J8. Flush on the turn and i reload for another 1k.
-note to self- having thought the hand over, i put him on a flush draw, i shouldve called the raise and evaluated the turn. Take a few more seconds and think about it.

I raise 25 w/ A10dd and get 2 callers. Flop Qd8d2. i lead for 50 and get 1 caller. turn 3c i bet 75 he moves in for 150more and i call. i shows A8. `I miss. " I can't believe i was just owned that hard or is he just that wreckless" I ended up fkn the rest of my $$ off w/ flush draw and over card. I buy 1k more

i change seats and pick up a few hands. I flop top 2 vs maniac mexican who is losing a bunch and pays me off 300. I pick up AA utg and raise to 25, 1 caller and another nit raises to 125. We both had about 1k and wasn't sure if i should raise it or call. I didn't think he would call a re-raise and i was hoping for a good board so i called, other player folded. Flop K22 i check, he bets 200 and i raise 300 more, he folds and shows 1010.

I make a few more moves and ended up getting about 800 back and called it a night @ 2:30a.m. -745

-acceptable loss, I didn't get out of line when the frustration couldn't have allowed me to. play your game, don't force the action and use your knowledge to make smart decisions-

Bankroll +480

Background on my poker history:
I started playing poker 9 years ago. I ran a poker game 5 nights a week for about 4 years. The game slowed down and i sold it to another person and i started to deal for about 3 years. I've been around poker & poker players for a long time now and have experienced alot.

I've won a seat to the WSOP main but i took the cash instead, i've been robbed 2x at these kind of games, met a bunch of cool people who have helped my game, and some nasty degens aswell.

subscribed

And you're actually better off than most people in terms of how much time you get to play poker while holding a full time job and supporting a family. Getting to play two or three times a week with your circumstances is definitely a brag...not a beat.

Good luck and make that money!

Family life interrupts

So i email my wife just a minute ago to tell her i'm going to play cards. Well she proceeds to rip my a$$ up for not being home enough. I try to convince her but w/o success.

Of course my wife has been with me over 8 years and has known me since i've been in poker. She still doesn't grasp the mental concept of the game. She understands to a point but never wanted to teach her. Couldn't afford to gamblers.

She's 8 months pregnant and she's already crazy, but i love her. So no t.r. for tonight, but i do get to come home and hear her b!^ch about getting the house ready for another baby.

How i envy the degens sometimes!

I hear you man. I'm in a similar situation but without the kids. Wife and full-time job, plus after multiple attempts of trying to explain the theory of poker, she still views it as gambling. I barely get to play once or twice a month. It is what it is. Make the most of it when you get your chance! That's how I look at it.

never getting married

but hey, maybe sometime next year we'll have our internet pokers back

We have similar situations - good job, savings, married life, poker as a side income. A couple of pointers since I've run into the same issue with the wife:

- Agree on a poker schedule. Maybe it's 2 nights per week, one night per weekend. Something like that that you can both plan on. My wife doesn't understand poker theory/variance/skill either, but giving her a schedule helped out with that issue almost 100%.

- Keep close track of your profits/losses and hourly. It's extremely important if you want to really know how successful you are. Being able to show the wife the $$$ in terms that she can understand ($/hr.) will be important.

Just my two cents, take it fwiw.

Yesterday

-2 full tables, lots of action- is the text i get at 5pm on my way to pick up my boy. We're driving home blasting "Put it down on me" which is my 3yr olds fav. song, if there is such a thing.

Call the wife and tell her it's on for tonight and i'm leaving when she get's home. So 2 hours after she gets home, i'm out the door. I tried to stick to my guns but happy wife, happy life. so true.

I get to the 5-5 game around 8:30 and sit down w/ 500 to a full 2nd table. Plenty of action with 1/2 table straddling $10. Played 2 big hands. I have AK and limp utg+2. Active player raises to 40, 1 caller and i 3-bet to 175. active player calls and other plyr folds. Flop Ad10c4d. I lead for 100 trying to represent JJ/QQ and look worried about the A but will fire 1 bullet. he calls. Turn low card, i check and he puts me all-in and i call. he shows AJ and i scoop.

Other big hand was when the button raised to 25 and i flat in s.b. with QQ. I had never seen this guy raise at all and he looked like a nit. B.B called as well and flop was j-high. Checked around to O.R. and he beats 100 i fold and b.b. calls. B.B. check folds a turn bet and shows me top pair. I told him i had u crushed and he didn't believe i folded QQ. I believe that was a crucial hand on which i could have lost way more then 25 and certainly an ego boost when player told me he had KK.

Got home around 2a.m. and now back at work for the daily grind. I through $40 in the wife's purse to let her know i'm the s*%t. +615 for the session

Bankroll +1095

-you never know how good you were running, until you start losing- make smart educated decisions and trust your reads.

My buddy calls me and tells me some of his people in the hood are playing 5-card omaha. I'm in. I've played w/ these guys a couple times. Sometimes dealers choice, sometimes we just shoot dice. Anyways, there's a bunch of $$ in there since most of 'em deal drugs.

6 of us playing 5-card omaha w/ $2 antes from everyone. Winner of last hand acts as the dealer. We use 2 decks and they stay on middle of table at all times.(a few weeks ago someone was trying to cheat and another dude pulled out a gun and told him to GTFO and leave your money. That was a little intense.

It's a great game w/ a lot of bluffing goin on. Two many cards to remember but i played for about 3 hrs and won $180.

I normally don't play omaha due to the high variance. I don't feel like flipping for 1k.

Bankroll +1275

gl man. I've been playing in Houston games fairly often now too after BF. If you have any sort of poker skills whatsoever, you should be printing money daily.

Last Monday I went to the 5-5NL South Side game. they had a full table and i was 2nd on the list. i grab the 4 seat when it opens and recognize all players in the game. There was a good mix of players w/ about 8k on table.

I bought in for 500 and chipped up to 630 when this happens. $15 straddle, i limp w/ 3s5s and 6 players see a flop of 5c6s8c it gets checked around and turn 4s. it gets checked around to button who bets 100. folds around and i ck-raise to 300. He puts in another 25 and he's all in. He shows 1010

I know i didn't have the best hand but i decided to raise for 2 reasons. (1) I know the player takes some weird lines and has the ability to fold good hands. (2) he had $325 when we saw the flop, after he bet the 100 i believed he had enough $$$ behind him to fold and if he did call, this player always deals the river 2x.

So i could either take the pot down right away or get 2x chances to win. We deal it twice and i miss both. Ended up leaving early and with a profit of $90

Bankroll +1365

Running it twice is such a good concept. I wish it was accepted at all casinos.

And I like your play on the turn. It's def +ev when considering the fold equity you have.

When i have the best hand i never deal 2x. I will either deal 1x or take insurance for what i've invested in the pot and gamble for the rest.

Yesterday

I got invited to a 5-10 at a local country club. My mom's neighbor is a regular in the game and we've talked strategy b4 and told him if a spot ever opens up to think about me.

So he called me yesterday and asked if i was still interested. I met up with him at the bar in the country club and had a beer while I asked him how each player was playing, if they were stuck, etc etc.. This man is prob 50-55yr old and has no clue what type of player i am and if i was in his spot i wouldn't put a capable, thinking player into this game. Hell i could be runnin into a buzz-saw.

There was a professional dealer, no rake, but obviously worked on tips.

I sit down with 1k and introduced myself to everybody. Table was full of older guys and i tried not to talk like a poker player and was very cordial w/ them. Table was full of banter and i soon realized they had no clue what they were doing. As i made small talk i scooped up a $700 pot w/ top pair and some value betting.

I pick up KK in mp and raise to 50. I get 2 callers behind me and the sb raises to 300. I'm sitting w/ approx 1800 and i have him covered. I wasn't too worried about the players behind me so i call and the others fold. Flop KQ6. He checks and i bet 200. He goes all in and i follow. He shows QQ. We deal it 2x from the flop and i scoop it all. The villain laughs it off and re-loads. yum yum

I'm not one to hit-n-run especially how great the game was. I've been there for about 3 hours and the table has approx 20-25k. i'm up about 2.5k and get involved in a 3-way. I cover villains. utg bets 30 and i 3-bet w/ 10Jss to 80, 2 callers behind and utg comes along. Flop 8s9hKc. checks around to button and he bets 150, utg calls, and i do. 1 folder. Turn Qc. Utg bets 500. I move in. button's all-in for 1200 more and utg's all-in for 1300 more. I'm against utg's KsQs and buttons 8c8d. The table oohs and aahs at the hands and we all agree to deal the river 3x. I scoop. i play for another 1hr and end up leaving around 1:30a.m.

I cashed out with the man that was running the game for profit of $6200. nice boost to the bankroll. I'll let you know if i get invited back.

Bankroll $27,565
Total Profit: $7,565

Fun read, I'm enjoying the stories.
GL with the wife, women get a bit insane when they're pregnant.

she never ask's $$ amounts just if i won or lost. 3 more weeks til 2nd baby boy comes so my schedule will be all out of whack. I hope you guys enjoy my blog. Just trying to let you guys know how it is to try and do something you're good at and make $$ and being told no you can't. i.e. wife.

Is this the type of game where that many callers is normal if you 3b?
If so, why are you 3betting when you'll be oop in a multiway pot with a weakish hand?
Just trying to develop a crazy image?

I 3-bet cuz i wanted to build a pot. I know if someone 4-bet i was done with the hand. Didn't expect so many callers, but the game was pretty social. I assume the people playing this game had a bunch of money and not as much skill so i knew i can outplay them.

No reason trying to create an image, i was just trying to give action and hopefully they enjoyed having me so i could be invited back. Not sure if that's gonna happen cuz of what i won.

emailed wife a minute ago and asked her if i could play after work. She got a little pissy and said it depends what time she gets off work, since one of us has to pick up our boy. She doesn't realize is i'm going anyways. will post recap tomorrow.

Wow, gl. Hope you win lots of monies. Then slip her a fifty for shopping and everybody's happy.

Update

I had to pick up my son and my wife worked late and didn't get home til 9pm. So no pokerz. That's what happens when you get married folks and don't use condoms