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Sounds like u r taking a gd approach, and best of luck if u decide to take a shot at it. If I can lend some advice I wd say take it slow, and start small. Be patient and don't go into it full throttle. The games will always be there the next day. If u make it ur job, it can be BRUTAL at many times. U have to be head strong, persevere and stay even keel. If u trust ur game, then go after it. If it isn't working, then have a plan B. Having something to fall back on will take the stress off a bit. (I.e. college degree, job prospects or traits,etc). Best of luck.
As far as style of play I prob lean towards LAG. But my position dictates my hands played/selection more than anything. I like to play hands in position. I will fold a hand like J8 in ep, but will limp w it in lp. Something like KQ I may call in ep, but may raise to $17 in lp if its a limp fest to me. In that case, I may take it down there, or get a heads up. Heads up in position is long term profitable. Also small pairs are played so horribly at this level. People never seem to pay attention to stack sizes. And either call too much preflop with their pps, or fold when they shd b calling preflop. Both of these are stack size dependent (implied odds). I also like to play as many pots as possible with the fish at the table. I try to mix it up too, sometimes I will bet draws, sometimes check call, sometimes check raise draws. Its all situational depending on primarily who I'm playing that draw against, and stack sizes. I may check call or lead out a draw against an aggro player, or check raise a tight player w draws. Again it's "situational". There are so many regs i play w daily, and i can read them easier than my 2yr old's book collection. They play same way everyday. I don't want to b that guy, and I want to keep my opponents guessing. I have folded some big hands that I wd call if person x bet it, but its becomes an easy fold if person y bets it. It all comes back to paying attention to detail, and understanding betting patterns with certain players. Some players i play w will only raise if they have the nuts, and its easy folds. I know this from paying attention to detail, and playing w them day n day out. In closing, i guess my style is - I do what makes since to me at that particular time. I try to be creative without getting too fancy. I do things that people prob don't have a clue why, but it always makes clear since to me. Sometimes i feel i must b playing a different game. One example of this came today when utg+1 made it 7x and 2 callers before i call in sb w A10. Then large blind said raise $10, and was clueless that it was already raised once from utg+1. Since verbal is binding he had to make it $25 total. I could tell he didnt really want to put in the 3 bet, and this is where the meta game comes into to play. So once he made it to $25, utg+1 JUST FLATS as does the other 2. It gets back to me, and i 4bet all in to $350. It was risky, but i thought i could squeeze it through since it was clear LBlind didnt really mean nor want to put in the 3bet, and since utg+1 and others flat. By just flatting the "oops"3 bets from lb, they must of not had AA,KK,QQ. If holding one of those 3 hands they wd most likely 4bet the "oops" raise from lb. Since they didnt, i figured my big 4bet shove wd take down the $125 pot. The only hand that would call that big of raise wd b AA,KK,QQ, and i already eliminated these hands. If i was wrong and someone did flat behind w a big hand, then i at least have a type of hand that could suck out with (possible over card, flush and straight possibilities). This play wouldn't work against more knowledgeable players tho. Higher level players can see right through that move. In this case, it was the right line up at the right time kind of play. @pokerphilosopher thanks again. Everybody plays differently. Just play every hand YOUR best, and do what makes since to YOU. Best of luck.
@h_ven thanks for checking in. Best of luck to u.

Ahh the squeeze play....I've pulled that a couple times.. . Congrats on the promo win btw! Lol im gonna try and make it up again sometime this week...maybe ill catch ya up their

Thanks for taking the time to post all that ButterflySymmetry.

Seems like good advice, only thing is the situation lends itself to going into it "full throttle"... I think.. A month ago, I moved to a different part of Canada. Been working one job, will soon be getting a second job to be able to save up more money. In about a year or year and a half or so, I'll be moving back to my old city. So I won't have a job when I move back. I could find a job back there first, but I think it would make more sense to just try poker full time first. Of course, I would make sure I had enough savings to give myself time to find a job if things don't go well..

Yeah, I can imagine that. I've experienced it playing online, and I've become good at not feeling too negative when things go bad, as long as I know I'm playing well. Now, if I'm playing poorly.. then that's a different story! :P

In the casinos where I used to play, a raise to $17 would only cause all the limpers to call lol. You'd probably have to raise to $25 to fold out most of them. A raise to $17 might work if you're first or second in the pot..

Thanks for all the strategy talk; I know it must have taken you some time to type all that. Definitely helpful.. You specifically mention about playing in position.. It's definitely how I play online, but it's an area where I haven't been worried about much live at this level (with speculative hands I mean). I won't play things like KJo, or ATo in EP. But I'll limp with suited connecters and 1-2 gappers, thinking it might still be profitable against these players. Maybe as you say, it might be better to save those for late position.


No, thank you! I was a bit curious about the best way to play at this level. I know what's worked for me a bit so far, but I don't have a whole lot of experience. And I haven't really read about any strategies/playstyles suited to the live $1/2 games. Good to hear some talk from someone with a bit more experience/success under their belt. Looking forward to hearing more updates from you.

Your killing cash man!

Are you playing Fri or Sat for Event #1 of HPT? If so, maybe I will see you around.

My dad is flying in from Florida Friday afternoon, and my niece has a middle school play Friday night, so family before poker. Ill hang w pops until he flies out on Monday, and prob just do a satty some time next week at Belterra. Gl to u in event 1! It should b a nice field w good payouts

@pokerphilospher no worries. This challenge is not only to motivate myself, but for ALL the $1/$2 grinders. So I welcome questions, and wish all of u the best in your own journey.

Today was fun! Not too many days where work is fun, but today was one of them. Dubbing up the VERY FIRST HAND might of had something to do with that! I flopped a set of tens and doubled through pocket aces. So up +$300 in 1 minute! I played 5 more hours and won $4 more. Yes $4! I was up as much as $600, but lost 2 big pots to my buddy Sean. One where I flopped a flush/gut shot draw, and turned the double gutter, I was betting the pot up. I missed the river, he checked river and I took a stab at 1/2 size pot bet of $90. He called, I lose $180 on the hand. Another hand I had top pair on a wet board, and called a 2/3 pot size bet of $75 on river. Again Sean got me, I was reading it as a bluff, only to see a full house.
But playing w my buddies and good competition today was fun! I am really competitive, so I enjoy these line ups at times. Sean was crushing today and built something that look similar to Ft.Knox w his tower of chips. My buddy Nick and Jim were also at the table. Both are as cool as today's temp, and always play top notch. Nick wasn't getting much going, but wasn't losing much either. I respect how he handles himself professionally at all times, win or lose. Stay classy and boss at all times. Don't let them see u sweat. No complaints. Cool, calm And collected. That's how we do.
I have another cash game win streak of going. Right now 10 winning sessions in a row. Which means I prob lose tomorrow. #TheJinxIsSet I'm not sure why I want to jinx myself, but I think it's because I'm trying to prove the jinx theory wrong. Maybe u can recall last month (pg8post#107) where I jinxed myself and lost $750 the next day on ONE HAND! I guess we will find out tomorrow.
I won a promo today where if u get Aces full of 10s or better, then u get to fill out a NCAA bball bracket. Person who has most points on their NCAA bracket wins $2500. I estimate around 50 brackets passed out this week. Gonna have to spend more time watching and listening to college basketball analysts. Might just go scratch the whole way tho.

Today update +$304 ($300 in 1 minute, $4 in 5 hours). Jinx tomorrow?

Wow! i just reread the previous post, and mayb now I will start proofreading before submitting. Laughable.
1st sentence) look = looked ,
2nd setnece) omit "of"
3rd sentene)omit "watching and"
Grade F-. Perhaps it's worth a few minutes to proofread next time. Sorry "Grammar heads". I'm positive these 3 errors aren't the only ones. Ill try to do better. Still surprised this thread has interest. Never thought a "rookie 2+2er" could last this long without getting bullied by someone, or banned. Toast to making it to the 1st quarter w/o incident. over/under 7months.

This is truly awesome! As a fellow 1/2 grinder I wish you all the run-good possible.

I just read through every page and I think too many people are underestimating what a good win rate in $1/2 is. I think you're going to hit your $40K and you're on pace for that.

I don't have the bankroll you do right now, but I'm rolling one up right now. Played a 9hr session at the Horseshoe in Hammond, IN last Saturday and profited $31/hr. Lots of bad players with deep pockets

I'll be following and truly this inspired me to keep my own records for the year so that I can attain my goals as well.

Lol. I was just bluffing on that whole proofreading thing.

I just arrived home and I wanted to post before today’s thoughts escaped me. First off, I proved the jinx theory wrong today. +$552. Secondly, I picked up on something today with a particular morning routine I have done upwards of 8 times this year. I bring this up because; I think I have won every time with this clocklike morning routine... A Fluke? or No Fluke? The routine I’m referring to is- Take my daughter to McDonalds before school (7am), after dropping her off at school then head directly to Planet Fitness (8-9am), followed by a quick fresh up and end up in the poker room around 10am. The sample size is small (8ish times), but there might be something to this “rise early/breakfast/work out before poker thing”. I believe the work out does help clear my head, and the breakfast fuels the body; but not sold on it being that big of a factor. All of this crossed my mind as I was cashing in my chips today, so I thought I’d share that with ya.
More thoughts…I noticed 2 above average females playing at the table today. These 2 females were easily the 3th and 4th best players at the table. I was very impressed with their play. Don’t get me wrong, females can definitely play cards; but I just don’t see too many great female players at the local Horseshoe. When I notice a good female playing there, it’s worth noting. So Big Ups to the ladies in 2 and 4 seat!
Continued thoughts… I feel I made a real good deal by buying a poker player’s NCAA bracket for $10 today. A few posts ago, I mentioned that the poker room is running a promo where a player who wins w/ Aces full of 10s or better will receive a NCAA bball bracket. The most points on the bracket will then win $2,500. I also found out today that the winner of rounds 2-6 will receive $1,000. So the overall $2,500 winner really has a gd chance of winning $1k bonus too. U feel me? Yesterday I was thinking maybe 50 brackets will be awarded out, but now I’m projecting upwards to 80. The promotion started on Monday, and as of 4pm today- 15 brackets have been passed out. Hypothetically, let’s assume 80 players paid to be in a “winner takes all” NCAA pool that collected a $2500 prize pool. That would = $31.64/player to fill out a bracket. Not including the $1k bonus money in rds 2-6. So I believe that $10 was well invested! Now I have 2 total brackets. Thinking about going chalk on one-Thoughts?
I was glad to be on @emptinpockets left today! Not just for position, but we got the chance to bounce a little strategy off each other. Always trying to improve, Rayz

Heater alert. 3000 last week and so far 1100 this week in the cash games. Very good bro! The hourly has to be close to 30$ now.What's your average buyin? You are inspiring me to do a challenge sometime. Thanks for your reports.

/Following. Gl!

Agree $10 was a good price. Not sure about going chalk with some much parody in the top 25. This is going to be the year of the upsets. Toss the seeds out the window. Go Illinois.
Keep the heater going. Gl op

The streak ended at 11! Took a $298 loss today (all in 1 hand). 4 hrs of play.

All good streaks come to an end. Looking forward to the updates. Gl

Shhhhhhh! wtf is wrong with you? Move along 2 + 2. Nothing more to see here. In other matters...subscribed. How will I know if you add some of my money to your totals sometime when I'm in the area playing? GL

I don't think it's any secret that Horseshoe Casinos attract deep pockets. They're well run poker rooms with direct ties to the WSOP. I don't play at HSI, I play at H Hammond(Chicago) and I can confirm that it's pretty normal for someone to sit down with 3 buy-ins MINIMUM in their pockets and one on the table.

Hell of a lot better than the local Charity rooms where dudes buy in for the minimum, jam with the first pair they get, lose and leave.

Agreed w/ the parity in the top 25, but I'm not so sure this is going to be the year of the upsets (every year I hear it is going to be the year of the upset, BTW).

Best piece of advice I can give a guy filling out a bracket in Kentucky or Southern Indiana: Do NOT have UL, UK, OR IU winning it all. Best value is having your champion be the best team that nobody else has winning it all.

I've been reading these forums for over 4 years now and couldn't help but stop and read every page of this goal that you have. I too am from Louisville, and am trying to do almost the exact same thing as you, at the same casino! I however am single, with no children, but about the same age as you (I'm 29). That is why I've reactivated my account (finally) and am replying to this post. I played with you this past Tuesday and I specifically remember those two hands that you and the big stack got into. If I recall I think the one where you bluffed the busted flush draw on the river he had 6-3 offsuit and hit the gutshot straight on the turn? That kid (Sean I think?) was running insanely good, even after you left. I've played with Jim (the older guy) many times and he's one of the few players I don't mind losing a big pot too. He's nice both when he loses and wins, and I respect a guy who carries himself that way.

But enough about Tuesday, I just wanted to say good luck to you in your journey. Making the goal you're striving for can be attainable at HSI for sure. From what I recall Tuesday I thought you were pretty damn solid, and tried staying away from you as much as possible. The doubtful people reading this thread really don't understand how good the $1/2 games are here. Saying it plays like a $1/3-$2/5 game is a very accurate assessment. The only downside to HSI is that there are A LOT OF REGULARS. Some nitty, some bad, some easily readable, but the majority are pretty good IMO. I think you already know that though. But again, good luck to you. Your goal is definitely achievable, and I think with the right mindset you'll be able to do it.

Have you made the trip to Cincy yet? Not that bad a drive and I think there's lots of money waiting to be taken. I'll be up there next week to grind the 1/2 and 2/5 (if it's good).

And one other note, that March Madness money is mine! I hit quad 2's against Jamal after you had left and your boy (the big stack) tried buying the bracket from me for $10. Yeah right!

@Soncy thanks. @Bahbahmickey good advice on not going w a local team. As much as this hurts me to say it, I’m predicting the BigTen teams will have the best showing in NCAA tourney. @JohnyCasino thanks! I was trying to picture you, but there were a lot of people running in and out of that game. Good luck to you in your grind, and I’m glad you found interest in this thread. No plans for Cincy yet, but for sure will head there when they host a WSOP circuit. Also I agree w you, there are A LOT of REGS at HSI, but only a select few that I think are very solid.
Mid Month Update as of 3/16/13
Cash Games = +$8,816 on 269hrs. @ $32.77/hr.
Only put in 24 hours in cash games the first 2 weeks of March. The various tourneys I bricked took some time away from my cash sessions. I’m looking to log more hours the rest of the month to get me back on pace. Per $40k challenge, my goal is to average at least 30hrs/wk in cash games this year. Right now I’m averaging 27hrs/wk @ 4.5 days/wk average. My average buy-n to date is $345. Average won is $349. Average loss is $351. 45 total sessions (averaging 6hrs a session). Win rate at 78.13% of total sessions. It’s not likely the win rate will continue in the high 70s. I found in previous years’ stats, it’s been ranging from high 60s to low 70s. Also I noticed the current hourly at this level being way higher than the norm for me. I’ve never been in the $30s/hr at the $1/$2 level in any prior year of my poker career. The highest being $27/hr on a VERY small sample size (213hrs). I truly believe this thread is motivating me to do better. I’m striving hard to take all the necessary steps to achieve this $40k goal.
The average losing session is higher than I would like it to be, but I understand why. I get involved in a lot of big hands where sometimes it doesn’t go my way. These hands are usually for all the marbles. Once I get felted, I choose not to reload. I learned from previous stats that when I lose my $300+ “all ins” I don’t play as good afterwards, so I prefer to just call it a day. Therefore my average losing sessions’ #s are high.
Promo Wins +$100 & Tournaments -$1780 (Brick City)
After reviewing my current stats, I need to log more hours, somehow try to manage my average losing sessions, and continue to table select to where I believe it will be most profitable for me.
I wish all the grinders best of luck. Play your best every hand, and always review your play. I learn the most from losing sessions. What could I have done differently? Could I hv taken a different line? Did I consider the player’s image/stack size? Cd I hv put him on a better hand range? Shd I hv found a better spot? Etc.
I will continue to keep the focus, and nose to the grindstone. Thanks again for the encouraging words, and the interest in my thread.
God bless u, Rayz

Nice update!! Great post!! Keep it going!!

Def fun read

still planning on this? I think it could be a great addition to this awesome thread! just wondering. i will still follow either way.
updates are looking good. on track to do it

Kudos for not reloading after taking a tough beat and losing a buy-in. Doubling down usually turns a 7-8hr session into 16. Which over time will really put a strain on focus. Great strat to just accept the loss and come back the next day to win again.

Your win% is a little higher than I would have guessed thus far. I have a theory that I put together using hand ranges, percentages of winning, and pot-odds that would give any decent player a 70% win rate if they followed it. It's worked for me, and you are obviously doing some things right!!

Nice job, great updates, keep it going man!