Ended up breaking even yesterday, due to run bad in hold 'em, the usual losing 80/20s or not winning 65/35s. I am glad I have been running good in plo lately.

Up $500 plo tonight. After a rocky start, made a good comeback, capped it off beating the player who loved to heckle me for playing too tight. Delightful!

Modest win, just over $100, a little from plo, a little from 5/10/25 (!). I was the only short-stacker at the big game tonight and agreed to straddle after my first double-up, which I got with QQ 3! jam over a LP open, held, then topped off and bled down due to the straddle over the next hour or so before calling it an early night. It's a great vibe in this game, beats 2/5 by a mile, and more action too. Two nights ago I rip over a 3! and V goes "Ahhgh! I'm tired of doubling you up," and mucked AJs face up. Same V loses big pot with A3 v. JJ on J33 and is now short and rips over my $65 open to $600. "The roles are reversed!" I say. I add: "I'm tired of doubling you up." I muck KJs. Guy to my right cracks up and says, "I like this guy." Hopefully the beginning of something good? I think someone famous stopped by to play too. :P

Booked a solid win last night, all plo, up $1,400. Ran well, best spot was with KKhJ5h3 on Ah-Tc-4h, call psb, turn 6s, call psb, river 2d, ship, call, win! Wasn't sure if I just GII here spr 16 slightly behind top set...probably not. I like how I played it.

Made the apparent mistake of coming back to MGM “early” today and the lists are long as ***. I don’t have time to wait around. Pfft.

Also just ran into 5/10 reg who previously said my medication which shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol sounded like a “white person problem.” So many happy memories in this shthole. At least I’m up a couple grand again him, the mfer.

Up $2,150 at plo today, super first session back after a brief break. A new single-session record.

It's my birthday tomorrow so I donated to three effective giving-approved charities that focus on disease prevention in underdeveloped countries. Very small donation ($5/month to three different charities), but I want to do my part. If you are also interested in helping, check out givewell.org. Cheers!

Last couple sessions were swingy, Saturday left 1-2 plo5 a bit steamed for the 5-5-25 straddle game (super duper idea!), made a bad laydown in a big pot there against a player I probably should never be folding against, ended down $800 on the day. Made it back last night on MY BIRTHDAY (!!!), probably a first bday win for me in three years. Sweet! Got coolered KK v. AA AI pre at 5/10 5-handed $550 eff. then noticed two out of town players were signaling each other from across the table and called it, went back to PLO where my ds AAQJ3 held three ways for a big AI pre. That's pretty much it. Fanny pack arrived today, will take some getting used to, but thankfully bigger than I expected because if it was smaller my sht wouldn't fit.

Details on this?

V1 limped UTG. When it was on V2 in HJ, I saw V1 look at V2 and nod. V2 folded. I was BB and x/folded to V1’s bet otf. I told V2 they cannot communicate in the middle of the hand and rather than deny it, V2 offered to leave the table.

I already knew they were both from NY because I’d asked V2 about this earlier. It was easy to put two and two together.

Never going to eliminate poverty but nothing but good comes from this. For yourself the donor and the recipient both get benefits.

I always wonder do the charity's ever encourage the recipients to give to others who might have less than them from what they have no matter how large or small their donation may be?

Oh absolutely. I highly recommend it!

Lost $2k last night in brutal plo5 session, losing all my AIs, 55/45, 45/55, or better. Nothing else really to do in any of these spots (nfd+oesd v. middle set, top two in big bloated 3! pot against two FDs, oesd+nfd+OP against bottom set). Lost against players who are bad recs but really don't like me and were probably absolutely creaming themselves for stacking me.

These are obviously the best players to lose to.

True bruce. More of an ego hurt thing. One of them walked past me afterwards and said "aww..." and another made fun of my face when I looked at the board and saw he rivered quads (no glasses, sometimes hard for me to see). They like to rub it in and savor these rare moments I guess. All good. Up $700 something last night, most from plo5, back in it already.

Up $1,400 PLO, lost $250 at 1/3 (I am a 1/3 fish...stationing down with top pair over three streets against boat...but he bet $15 every street!). Good night, almost lost a lot back at 2/5 but fish paid me off when I went runner runner broadway with KQhh on T56hh and I just about broke even there.

Reminiscing about losing $800 in 20 minutes at Encore Vegas PLO a couple years ago and crying like a baby while the regs laughed. Oh how times have changed....

Up $1,300 today, most PLO5, wrap plus nfd plus OP beat set, a little 5/10/25, gonna call it soon.

Took a planned vacation day, played a good 10-hour session, up $2,300, most PLO, some 1/3 sunrunning, lost a little in a bad 5/10. On a heater again finally. Thank you, omaha!

Against my better judgment, played at MGM again to meet a friend for lunch. Dealer took $2 out of a pot I won that didn’t belong to him tonight. Players sitting next to each other (regs who are friends) talking in the middle of a hand when I am all in on other side of the table and can’t hear what they are saying when they are both committed to the pot in some fashion. Waitress who stopped taking my order mid-sentence and just walked away. Angle-shooter who hid MGM cards in his pocket is still allowed to play there. Ran bad and in sub-par games, as usual. Stuck $1,600.

All this is to say: I’m indefinitely headed back to where my poker journey started and not looking back. I got my BR at MGM from the whales that used to play 2/5, but they’re all beached. Time to keep hunting where 1/3 grinding began...MDL 2-2 PLO, come to papa!

Why do I always feel hungover after a bad night of poker? Waaay overslept today, yet another reason last night's post-midnight session was a bad idea. Bleh.

Last notable hand GII otf AsAdKhJh9c v. KQJT8cccc (four clubs!) on AK4cch and lost to a good short-stacked reg. Doubling him up was not the reason I joined this game.

Only bright side of the game was sitting next to a cute dude with the backwards pink cap, yellow shirt, and sick new yellow/green/red jungle tattoo on his arm. Digging his style. I wonder if people who wear flashy clothes are more likely to be gay. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to hit on a guy at the table, but if I did he'd be one of them!

At MDL - feel at home and in control.

nice updates dumbo, keep poasting

gl

Up $750 PLO5, but eventually got stuck in a lame must-move next up for main game for the last couple hours. Held out as long as I could but alas had to leave before work week starts again. Still nice to somewhat make up for yesterday. Bonded a little with a visiting NY pro, he seems chill even though he’s a peddler.

It’s hard to want to keep the day job with all the stress it entails when I am doing so well at poker. I’m regularly making a sht ton per session now that I’m in a soft field and deeper. My monthly paycheck is a pittance given the job description. But I need to remind myself that I am helping society. These people don’t deserve to risk dying of covid in prison. That’s a much higher calling than stacking fish.

Hand from last night: GII otf with AhQhJcTc9h against ?? on Kc-Th-4s and scoop both runouts, even against top set I am 46% with two back door flush draws, and I was OOP against a relatively short stacked player I was happy to double up.