Thanks @ reddboiler @23straight @pureaggression @ jfcJ

I am now back on track and on pace to do this! Been playing close to the best lately. Well, except for this hand I had today. I peeled back two red 3s in ep, and limp. 6 players limped in and we see the flop of 33K I hate to double check my cards after the flop, but I had to look back. Sure enough, Yahtzee! I realize I might of given up my hand strength after I looked back, and paused for a bit too long when being first to act. But i still led out w 1/4 pot bet. Then I see all of my hopes and glory of maximizing my profit go out the window when it became a fold train. Winning w quads never put me on so much tilt! The following hour all I could think about was that I wish I wouldn't of looked back at my cards and paused. I wish I wd of just instachecked! These simple mistakes cut into my profits, and peeves me to no end.
Even though I won +$142 today I still think about the hands I played bad.
Playing well - currently have a 7 win seen streak going.

Thanks for keeping me motivated. I always appreciate the feedback, and encouraging words.

Good Luck on the challenge. As far as the quads hand I don't think it was that big of a mistake. Obviously if you check you may get a stab from someone which pads the hourly , but I don't think its a huge mistake. You are playing 1/2 it's unlikely someone even picked up on the fact that you double checked your cards. If one of the players has a king they are calling no matter what. You just got unlucky to have the whole board crushed.

GL sir. Do you only play in Hammond? I play in blue chip occasionally but have considered the horseshoe in the past.

90% of my play is at Southern Indiana Horseshoe in Elizabelth, In. Although I will b heading to horseshoe Hammond this weekend to play event 1 and some cash.
The polls numbers are interesting. After 125 votes, itseems like 50% think $28k or less is a realistic earning of a solid 1/2 player.

Hope you prove me wrong. Although when I voted I based my opinion on the 1/2 game at Hollywood. Which is obviously different than Horseshoe. $200 max and bunch of nits. Gamblers and action players at Hollywood are on the 1/3 game. I feel like I was one of the better NL players at Hollywood and over @ 813 total hrs of 1/2 I averaged $11hr. Haven't played much NL in past year (switch to PLO) but I do think I could have slightly higher winrate now. Since I have plugged some known leaks.
So I guess the higher buyin at Horseshoe could definitely help your winrate

I probably will be going to Hammond too for the first event. Hope to see you up there. Thinking about playing Sunday, what about you? Gl sir!

Still playing my great, but def not on track to do this! Today was my shortest session AND worse bad beat of the year! Im typing this just 1hr after the Qball hit the river. It was brutal, but I took it like a freaking champ! Straight up professional! That pot would of gave me a nice cushion, but it ended up being an unlucky setback. I know I mentioned I wouldn't b discussing bad beats, but I have to get this one off my chest...
After I get my 9yr old on the bus, I checked my Bravo App at 7am and see a 1/2 is going at HSI. So I call and get some info and the Pit Boss said its 4 handed with a couple 1k stacks. I tell them I'm on my way. I get there at 8am and sit down with $740 (half of big stack). The game was great - a lot of bluffing, bantering, and big pots. At 10am it went from fun to an ebrubt Done It all happened after I flopped Yahtzee against the biggest gambler at the table. This young buck was bluffing more than Lance Armstrong. He was drinking a strange combination of Jameson, coffee, and a coke. All 3 of his "energy" drinks were behind his big mountain of chips.
$742 Me, small blind: Q9
$850 Villain, Hijack: K9
Villain makes it $7 preflop, I call in the sb, and mp player calls.
The flop: 810J
I check the nuts, mp bets $10, villain raises to $35, I call, mp folds.
The turn: 5
A gd card for me as I still have the nuts and a flush draw. I check again, villain bets $105. Im thinking awesome, he fell deep into my trap! I raise to $280 and he hesistantly calls. After he calls Im already visualizing stacking my pot up, while at the same time hoping the river is a brick. I dont want to see the board pair (12outs), or clubs (9outs), or even a Q (3outs). Please brick the river!.....
The river: Q
Bad card, but still the only hand that beats me is the K9. I bet $200, he raises all in. Now I know its a bad card, and most likely chopping the same straight. I call my last $222, and he screams Nuts!! My stomach churned when I see the K9 OFF, not s, off. He stands up going bananas screaming ship it, SHIP IT, SHiP IT!!! I took it like a man, and walked out at 10am as a $742 loser -all in one brutal hand!
That hand dropped my hourly a couple of dollars. #sigh. But I will keep showing up, day n day out. For now, I gotta to leave this house, clear my head, and go to the gym. My physical exercise helps my mental, and vice versa.
My tweet yesterday was a Big Jinx! check it out for yourself - https://twitter.com/rayzrayl
11:57am

That was a horrific beat! He a called a $175 raise on the turn for a 3 outer! He was a gambler! Fwiw I really like the line you took here. Just a unfortunate result. Gl and get em tomorrow.

I like everything except the river play. What hands are you getting value from with the 200 bet? Is this player going to toss off with a set or blown flush draw based on your experience with this player ?

Are there past hands that indicate that CCJ (coffee coke Jamison). Is that loose ?

Usually check raises at lower limits are the goods.

I really believe he thought he had 8 outs (7s,Qs) to win the pot. But the 7 would have been brutal for him, so yes that leaves 3 Qs he is drawing to. Also mayb he called the raise thinking he could bluff me if a river scare card comes like a club. Who knows? I took this one on the chin, like a straight up boss!
Even after the nightmarish river Q ball, I feel CCJ (coffee coke Jameson) will still easily call $200 w any 2 pair, sets, and of course any 9x.

Another interesting question I been asking myself is . . .
Q) With the stack sizes and pot size - What would i have done if a club, or board pairs on river against CCJ?
A) Check call to a small bet, check fold to a big bet, defense bet, or bet $x

I feel if I check the river scare card, I could get bluffed off best hand, so I might def bet $135, and can fold to a raise. Plus I feel I could still get paid off from sets and mayb 2 pair ONLY from this CCJ type of player.
What would your decision be w a club or paired board hitting the river?

With a river club, i most likely check and folding to a bet more than $200. You mentioned he was hesitant to call the raise, so maybe he is drawing. If river completes draws and he doesn't want to go to showdown, then he probably has it. I fold to a bet, but im nitty. If he bluffs me, it wouldn't be the first time, and won't be the last. I can also see reasoning for the defense bet of $135 you said you might do. Defense bets can also be viewed as weakness if not careful, and he can still try to steal. I like check the river if draws are completed, and decide after his bet.

No need to think about it. Gambol! Shove it all in the dark.

I would have to check and hope he checks behind. If Ccj bets any $amount, then I wd have to reassess and figure if its a bluff or the goods. It would be soul read time. Hard to say without seeing his actions.
Looking forward to the end of month results. gl, op

You stated "K9 was the only hand that could have beat you". How about AK? Or were you certain there was no way he could have had that? Enjoy reading your posts, wish you the best.

Yes AK definitely wd beat me. It's not a likely hand unless it was ak then it would make since. I pretty much ruled that hand out. I dont think he wd call the $175 raise on turn w a gutter ball. That wd b a little bit of a stretch even for ccj (coffee,coke,Jameson). If he had Ak he would prob call quicker w/o the long delay. Another player called the clock on him, and he almost folded once I raised the turn. So I fig he was drawing, just not sure what draw I.e (clubs,full house,pair w straight draw.).
Thanks and gl to u too.

AK also possible there, but not likely, based on his preflop raises with premium hands (usually $15, something like K9o the usual $7). Also based on the "almost" fold on my raise turn bet. (Meta Game) Ccj wd snap call the raise with Ak, or Ak if holding. Seeing that ccJ had K9o, i now see why the "almost" fold on turn.
I was craving for more misery, so I ran it on my poker calc only to see I was a 93.2% fav after 43% of my stack goes in on the turn. With him calling the raise on turn at a 6.82% dog, I did some analysis/disection of this hand trying to determine if my raise amount was on point. What I found out, if my math is correct is he needs to be getting 14 to 1 on his money for it to be a profitable long term call. 14 x my raise of $175 = $2,450 (has to be in pot) - river implied odds (which I have $422 behind) = $2,026 for it to be profitable. And the total pot after he felted me was $1,517 = Horrible Call. A -ev call long term if he knew he was up against the nuts. I guess he didn't put me on the nuts, and mayb a set. Then he's 5 to 1 dog, and has a reason to call factoring river implied odds if he hits AND gets paid off! If he's hits and doesnt get paid off (which is very likely sets folding to a 4 card board straight) on the river its a -ev call long term. This hand was such a turning point, and buzz kill in my $40k challenge. I was running better than Forest Gump up until that hand! UGh!

It was nice to score a weakly $100 yesterday and a bit of a confidence booster heading into the Chicago Poker Classic...
These next 30 days will have more ups and downs than Space Mountain. I haven't played any tournaments all year. In my first entry, I stated I will spend up to $5k in tourneys this year. These results will be recorded separately, and added/deducted to year end cash game totals. The first tourney buy in will be Monday (day1F) of event 1 CPC. Looking forward to this trip for many reasons. First off, the tourney itself. Secondly, I will be taking the fam w me, and staying downtown Chicago for some entertainment, and much needed mini getaway. Being a die hard Cub fan, our family loves the city of Chicago! 3.) Outside of grinding and trying to make it a positive trip, im looking forward to the Science Industry Museum with the kiddos and some Chicago Pizza, but dreading the All American Girl Doll store ! Following the CPC, HSI will be hosting the Midwest Poker Championships, 3/1/13-3/11/13. Then Hollywood, IN has a $550 deepstack, and Belterra is hosting the HPT, all of these in the next month! WARNING!-Swings are coming ahead!!
UPDATE BEFORE THE SWINGS AHEAD (tourney time)!:
As of 2/23/13 Running Total = 224.6 hrs @ $20.10/hr = $4,514
$0 (of the $5k) has been bought into tournaments -All of that is about to change! Make or Break time...
Glory to God, Rayz

No luck for me in day 1E. I saw a lot of horseshoe southern regulars, but couldn't find ya. How'd ya do in 1F? Btw good recap above. It was pretty much over my head, but I am still learning a lot from ya. Preciate it good buddy

@callygal thanks
Busto in event 1 -$350
With playing just 1 day1, I'm not sure if this event had as good as value as I thought it was going to have. Too much $ was taken out for the players making the $3k bonuses. It's hard to tell how many players attempted the chase for the $3k bonus, but it seems like there was more value in chasing the bonus than playing to get a nice score. I wish I wd of played both day1 A&B and if I made day 2, then play the rest of day1s w the "$3k hunting mind set" which = nit to day 2. If I busted both A&B, then their is no value in going ahead and stop!
Chicago cash game +$473
All this came before the tourney on day1F. I get there early to play cash, and my first hand is KK and flop Kings full of tens. Nice double up through Ace 10. After this, I had the "free roll smile" going into the tournament! The tournament lasted all of 4 levels when AJ went down in style to quads. The hand played itself...Heads up to flop, and villain flopped a set vs. gut shot/Flush draw. After flop He checks, I bet , he raises, I shove, he calls. He turned quads, so I need the miracle Qhearts on river for the Royal. #earlyexit.
After 2 months $4,987 Cash and -$350 on Ts = $4,637

No. Not even close, no matter how many hours you play. Not at 1/2 nor 1/3. Cheers.

Curious to how many hrs you've put in so far?

"It's not gambling [in my version of my religion] if you have an edge."

This is my favorite part of this thread.

Thanks @magoo @plochrisc @theriz for checking out the thread. @The Riz, True gambling was when i had money in the stock market 10 years ago! It was then I decided to take it all out, and invest it in myself. The stock market was way more of a gamble than poker and/or real estate is for me. If u r a fish then poker is definitely gambling. If u are r solid player w gd bankroll management, then poker is investing. Your exactly right, I define gambling if u DON'T have a long term edge on something. Ive never had a losing year in the 10yrs of playing poker. Not even close to a losing year. I believe $20k(ish) was the worse year for me in the last decade. I don't think the same would be true if I played slots, blackjack, roulette, or anything else where i dont have an edge (= gambling). This is the hardest part to explain to people that just don't get it. I mention that I play poker for living to people, and i sense the first thing coming to their mind is a degenerate gambler. People outside of the poker community just dont understand, and think I'm just gambling for a living. Thats the farthest from the truth! I am SO against gambling, and way FAR from a gambler!! I haven't played any casino (blackjack,roulette,slots,craps,etc.) games in over 5 years, and no plans ever to play against the house! It does nothing for me. #valuemoney

233 hrs.

It's good to be back home from Chicago, and looking forward to grinding hard in March! Thanks for the support, and keeping me motivated in this challenge.

I've learned to not talk about poker to people outside of poker. they just don't get it. I swear 90% of the ppl I talk to (parents, family, non poker friends) think I play against the house and they say the house always wins. lol. They just don't comprehend that you play against other players. And my dad will swear that he could go over there and play and win. Because he's been playing poker for "40 years". lol he'd get crushed

First day of Midwest Poker Championships
Event 1- $350nlhe +$20 add on = -$370 Busto. Thought I played well, but sometimes you play great and still lose. Just could never get anything going at the "all star" table. I garuantee my table was with out a doubt the toughest table in the field. It wasn't even close. There were just way too many familiar faces. I was sitting at a table with players i see at all regional tournaments.
I hand 2 crucials hands, and neither went my way. One of them - I made a bad read and called an "all in" drawing dead. That was fun . The other - villain made a nice call on my semi bluff and I missed.
Following the Busto, I took a 15 min break to regroup, and then took a seat at $1/$2. After 4 hours of play, I crushed for $708. I was feeling good about the cash sesh, so I decided to play the $100nlhe nightly turbo. Needless to say, I was out in 2nd level! Tournaments are getting on my nerves!
Today's pendulum went like this -$370+ $708 + (-$120) = $218

Just read through the whole thread and found it to be excellent. I had a couple of questions:

1. About how many hands do you play in an hour? I enjoy reading about the hands you post but I'm wondering about how active you are. Do you limp in much? What kind of image do you have at the table? Do the others think you're pretty tight?

2. Are you taking any of the casino comps into account for your goal? I believe you get $1 per hour of play. In addition you get 15000 points which takes about 1500 hours if I'm not mistaken. This puts you at the Diamond tier which comes with free meals and some comped hotel stays. This should add to your bottom line by reducing your meal expenses somewhat.