I've posted more than 10k times in this forum over ten years, and with one post, you've already posted more words than I have!

Ray will probably read it though....I can tell he likes challenges and will at least want to take a look.

The challenge will be reading it in one sitting....

@dealers_Choice nice post. I thought it was pretty awesome what u wrote.
U seem to have a competitive drive and the will to succeed. I get a lot of inspiration from those that try to do better. Keep up all the hard work, and keep fighting for what you believe.
It's a honor to hear that this thread has motivated you. It has always been my desire to help others along the way in my poker journey. This thread is hopefully a tool that we can all use to b better poker players, and anything else that is a positive is just icing on the cake.
Great job on your backstory, well written. As u know life parallels poker, many ups and downs, bad beats, coolers, euphoric and devasting moments. It's how we handle ourselves through it all is what matters most. This is why I try my best not to ever get too high or too low. I know at anytime in life or in poker things can flip on a dime, so I do my best staying even keel. It's prob why I have a horrible personality, I'm never really upbeat or too low, I'm just in the middle lane cruising along.
On the bets...first of all I respect it, but I don't really gamble. I just play poker and that's it. I don't bet sports (only fantasy Ftball one or two leagues once a year), and I don't play Carnival games (bj, roulette, craps, slots, etc).
With that said, I WILL though bet anything I think I have an edge on. The word gamble to me is where I don't have an edge...thus, gambling.
If I have an edge I see it as taking a calculated risk in my favor. Sometimes they work out and sometimes they don't.
The bet proposal peaks my interest. Especially the tennis. Let me gv it some thought.
Thanks again

Cliffs on prop better, dude needs to lose weight by any means.

I'll bet him $100 he can't beat me in a game of 21 in basketball, spotting him 10 points.

Today:
-$6 Playing 3/6l for 25mins
+$101 playing 1/2nl for 6hrs 3 mins.

Card dead pretty much all day,but stayed patient and kept folding.



Day 11 on the culprit that dented my bankroll.



@dealers_choice I decided to pass on all bets. Only thing I wd b interested in doing is playing u in tennis and spotting u 2 games in every set and 30 love in the third. Best of 5. I consider u a gd guy, and I don't want to prob bet a gd dude, so please refuse my offer.

^^^Sweet. tramp next to the pool. Bet ya $10 I can clear the concrete and make it into the water with one bounce!!

Might be some good advice and get that padding they use at kid waterparks and make sure the neighbor hood kid doesn't kill him self when he doesn't listen to you telling him not to jump from tramp to h2o

For those that need to know, 6' from trampoline to water's edge.

A hand from a couple hours ago on 1/2/5nl

I raise my $5 straddle to $35 w A♠️2♠️ in the cutoff after 6 limps. 5 of those limpers called the $35.
Pot is $210/6players see the flop of Q♠️9♠️10♥️.
It goes 3 checks, and player 4 bets a small $35, I call, and another player X in middle position check/calls.

3 players starting stacks going to the turn are: $700, $700, and me w $500.

Pot $315/3players see the beautiful turn 8♠️.
Player X bets $75, player 4 folds, and action on me.

This is where it gets interesting, yet comical.
After Player X tosses out his 3 green $25 denominational chips, he says I don't want a call, and tables a J♥️!
I tank for a bit, and wondering what I shd do w my $430 stack behind.
Player X is drawing completely lifeless, so how do I go about getting the most value.?????
What's ur play?
*I have no history w Player X and I just joined the table.

Wow weird spot. Pretty wild that regardless of his other card he has 0 outs. I think I probably call and hope the river is not a spade and does not pair the board. I can at least rep a missed flush draw then and try to make my play look bluffy. I guess the other play is to shove now and hope he levels himself into thinking you're on a flush draw. And then I guess you could even click to like $175, and even though that makes your hand most look like what it is, he might just not be capable of folding a straight for "only $100 more."

I'm going through all the options and keep changing my mind as to what I think is best. I think if we make it $225 he's really really really gonna have a hard time folding a straight, being able to convince himself you're just taking advantage of the fact that he's shown a card, and flat. Then he'll convince himself he's committed on the river when you shove. I really am having a tough time committing to the best line though! Very interested in results.

Wow this is a pretty interesting spot. Readless, and given that he's shown you a freaking card I'm going to assume he's a standard bad rec player. If he has the k or j of spade, he may call a shove but unless he's a whale I think shoving is a little silly. A raise that gets our SPR in a better place so we can shove river is optimal I think. Raise to like 165 is good then shove river if he calls. Lots more thoughts on this hand honestly, maybe I will update later.

I love situations like this. I think hands like these are what separates average/break even players from winning players.

I would just call, hope the river bricks and then check again. He will likely feel compelled to fire again at which point I would raise about 1.5X what he bets (assuming he bets between 100-150)

It's so hard to raise the turn here. There was a small bet on a flush draw flop with 2 callers. The draw completes on the turn. Even an average player has to assume that one of the calls was a flush draw. (although him showing a non-spade card out of his hand lends me to believe he is just there for fun and not to win)

In a situation like this I like raising the flop. Player 4 bets 35, I make it 90. If I get a caller, great, if not I take it down. With this situation if the spade comes it also looks less likely that you have it. Average players usually don't put someone raising on only a flush draw, they think it's more likely a made hand on the flop.

Just my $.02

He doesn't technically have 0 outs. If his other card is the J he can hit the 10 and vice versa.

This is a rec guy, in this spot you have to use some speech play. Gots to.

"What's the other one?? Is it a King?"

Hem and haw, then say let's find out... Make it 175. If he calls, ship the river.

Don't underestimate the value of speech play against recs/fish!

^ u r correct. not completely lifeless, barely a pulse. Paddles on standby/On life support.

Also @Dealers_Choice u mentioned just calling and checking river, and let him bet. He is first acting, I am in cutoff.

To b cont...

I'd turn over the A, say "I don't want a call either" and shove.

Tbh, it's either call turn or shove turn. Raising anything else screams value.

True. I think it's still the same for me though. Call the $75. Hope for a brick and hopefully he leads out on the river.
IMO, Odds of it bricking and him firing > Him calling a raise on the turn

You guys really think he's going to fold a jack to a small raise here cannot have played much live poker. People don't fold straights. Especially when they've given this info! It's a good point too that he could have a spade with this. Another thought is that he could have KJ here and be hoping we just rip Jx in here thinking we're freerolling. There's just so much this villain can have in mind with this weird "show the jack" line and we're missing so much value by not putting more chips in on the turn. So I guess I have made up my mind on that front; I'm raising turn. And I think a jam is too much so $175-$225 (I just don't think he's folding to a non-all in raise so bigger might be better) is the sizing I'm making it here.

I support gluiperig, mostly a shove. A couple of reasons.

1. It makes it look like a bluff( and if he calls u get max value)
2. When he shows the jack it almost automatically makes me thinks he's got the king, and most likely king of spades. So when you shove he might call thinking he still has equity in that card.
3. If he only has a jack with no other spade he will never call a raise( unless he is the worse player ever and obviously that's situational and knowing your opponent), but a small chance he calls a shove because of reason #1

If you call river I think you pray for another spade and then shove river hoping he has king of spades.

I think by showing the J. He has a straight 100% of the time and thinks he has the best hand. Now is the time to raise it up.

he could have 10 spades and j of spades

I've played enough to know that i've lost a lot of value on hands very similar to this BECAUSE I raised the turn.

Novice players always assume the flush got there if three + people see the turn and it completes... you hear it all the time.. "OMG i'm so unlucky.. you hit your flush and I hit my straight... I never hit my flush when i'm drawing!"... etc..

I'm just calling... You really think if a brick hits he's not going to fire out on the river?

He's showed us his hand what point is there in betting the river if you are him???

Right pretty sure he thinks he has a straight showing the J BC he does have a straight. . qt98+j

I think this dude has mubs and getting value is going to be hard.

Because it looks like he still has the best hand. We didn't raise him on the turn. (Any middle flush WOULD raise the turn)

Our hand could look like we had JUST the A by calling so maybe he thinks we missed the river...

Or.. He has KJ and thinks HE just wants to get value from a Q high straight.

Either way... Even if he checks the river and we bet $125.. you think he's folding? what's the difference between that and raising to $200 total on the turn?