It's all about the Washingtons!

thanks for the picture of your profits, i had a hard time visualizing an amount of this magnitude :-) :-) :-)

You Americans have funny money.

Just quickly looked thru my records for most impressive lol wins:

$0 (twice, both over 6.2 hours)
$1 (8.2 hours)
$2 (5.5 hours)
$4 (6 hours and 10.2 hours)
$9 (12 hours)

GwinningatpokerG

Couple hands from last night I didn't go into because I was too lazy:

Iso AQ to $13 over EP limp, only limper calls. Flop ($22): 5-7-8r. V donks $15, I fold.

Overlimp BTN over four limpettes with AJ. Flop ($14): AKJ. CO bets $15, hero just calls, SB and BB call. Turn ($74): 6. Checked to CO who bets $10. Hero calls, SB folds, BB c/r $30. CO folds, hero folds.

In retrospect I think I could call turn assuming four outs (i.e., V does not have nut flush) since V had $100 behind and I could stack him on any A or J river, so implied odds get me to just over 8% which is my equity with two pair against a flush. Plus, I could still have the best hand some small portion of the time.

A few people have brought up the idea ITT or via PM of meeting in person. I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me does not want to blow my cover. I like my anonymity. Another part of me fears being outed to other regs who (if they were so inclined) could read up on me and gain a tactical advantage. The last part of me just wants to be normal/friendly and say hello and not worry about "tactical advantages" at 1/3.

Absolutely gorgeous weather today. High-60s/low 70s. A rare blessing for February in the DMV (the "District, Maryland, and Virginia"). Typing this outside on the front steps.

Tonight went fine. Got an early double up against young Asian LAG when he opened $12 CO and I 3! $30 SB with AsAh. Bet $40 on Q-8-4ss flop jammed $90 blank turn and he snap called. I am good.

Later iso’d AQhh over two limpettes to $20, aforementioned lag called BTN, one limper calls. I flop gin: A-Q-Q. Checks around. Turn: 8. I bet $15 into $60. LAG raises to $45. Limper folds and I call. Ace on river and I check he bets $85 I jam he tank folds. Dealer saw my hole cards as I was in seat 10 and he got a kick out of the whole thing.

Then weird hand. Limp/call BTN iso raise with 99 in CO multi-way, flop 8-7-5cc. Checks around. Turn: 4s. Checks to me and I bet $40, about 3/4 pot. SB tank calls (he had just bet $75 river and got called and mucked). River: Ac, just about the nut low river. He bets $125 and I tank fold. He later claimed he had a 6 for the straight ott and was trying to bet me off a chop. Meh.

Took my friends Leslee and her son Kevin out for Shake Shack, then came back for more to find our chips had been picked up literally minutes before. Kinda a waste of floor power if you ask me. There wasn’t even a list and we were gone 30 minutes tops. Whatever. Got our chips, sat back down in same seats.

Then lost a few pots: opened AK, shorty 3! jammed KQo $50 and made kings up. Opened KK, my friend Leslee (older lady) got there on river with Q6 after she bet turn on A-Q-8 flop, 4 turn, 6 river for 2p. Then I called a raise with 99 and check folded AQT flop. Lastly, l/rr LAG’s BTN iso with KQdd UTG and he folded 44 face up (a 4 had been exposed pre but he iso’d it anyway...lol).

Ended up $96 in four hours. Yeeeeehaaaa!

Interesting hand.

I used to be of the mind to always raise preflop here, but I'm now of the mind to just overlimp (especially after this many limpers).

In the "don't go broke in a limped pot" frame of mind, I'm also cool with just flatting the flop bet and seeing what happens.

Turn is interesting. The bet is for so little so obviously we're tempted to call, but in a 4way pot on this board there seems to be too good a chance someone hit their flush. I can't fault the initial call too much (especially since sometimes even smaller flushes may just call behind us this multiway).

Facing the raise, we're being asked to call $20 to win a pot of $125 + the $100 he has left behind = $225. So we're getting 11.25:1 to chase our 10.5:1 shot. However, I'm not sure that's including rake, plus it's also likely possible some of our outs are gone (having gone 4way to the turn). Plus the opponent has to pay off 100% of the time. I think it's actually a fold.

Ginterestinghand,lotsofdecisionpointsG

AQs preflop is whatever (I might limp with lag on Button cuz iso'ing is hard, but whatever). I probably bet small on the flop and more on the turn. I might reraise the turn being OOP unless I think he's always FOS here. Gross river card that can kill our action but if we think lag is FOS then I'm fine with check to induce.

99 preflop is all about stack sizes and raise size and how raisey Button raises (aggro button with lots of dead money to a juicer size raising with small stacks might be a limp/jam, but assuming we can ~setmine here multiway a call is probably fine). I might lean to a bet on the flop depending on how wid e Button raiser is preflop. I check the 4-to-a-straight turn; if betting, no reason to bet so large. I also fold to the river bet.

Gotherhandsseemok,gogogo!G

Had appointment in Baltimore so stopped by MD Live! on my way home since I hadn't been there in a while. Got food and found out somehow I had no more comps.... Sat at 2/5 for $300 and basically folded for almost two hours. Best hand I saw was AJo UTG+1 and folded. Meanwhile this whale was stacking off for 200bb with top pair on 9TJ flop and raise/calling KJo versus UTG l/rr and GII on KJ89 with top two against top set. It was a spectacle. One player made it blatantly obvious he wanted the whale to win, cheering when his AJ held on 9TJ (other V jammed AQo).

Once, it folded to me in SB and I looked at the BB (grinder type, 30 y/o white guy) and he bluntly said "I don't chop." Probably thought he was the sh*t for chop blocking, a real pro.... We were 9-handed. Prick. I called/folded to his raise but was pretty tilted afterwards and expressed my displeasure by sitting out every small blind and posting it from the BTN. Kinda kills the friendly vibe not to chop if you ask me.

Headed to MGM for some 1/3 and my first BB I am dealt black AA. Several limpettes and I make it $25 off a $150 stack. Only BTN (unknown MAWG rec) calls. Bet $25 on 9-9s-3s, he calls, jam Ts ott, he calls with 33 for bottom boat. There goes buy in #1.

Then called a raise with 96cc on BTN over one call in between (dude looked like the was considering a 3!). Flop: 9-5c-2c. 6s exposed after I called unfortunately, but I am still in great shape against overpairs, plus fold equity. Raiser bet $40 into $50, caller in between called, I jammed $180, raiser folded, caller in between tanked, started asking questions (I ignored them all), then did this move where he picked up calling chips and started making a calling motion and gaged my reaction. I guess between it all he made the call with Qc9d and held. Stacked again. FWIW, pfr folded TT, just ran into a V who couldn't find the fold button.

Opened QQ UTG, several callers including fish BB. Flop Q-9-6r. BB leads, I min-raise to $50, all fold to him and he jams his last $30, I hold against Q2o.

Called a raise in HJ with ATdd against EP open. Flop: A-A-J. Check, check. Turn: K. He bets $15, I call. River: J. He bet $35, I call, good thing I didn't raise because he had AK for top boat.

Then open raised A5o in CO and Q9 V calls on BTN. Flop Ah-Kh-8s. I check, he bets $15. I call. Turn completes flush, he continues for $40. I immediately start putting him on flush draw that got there but had to see one more card with the 5h blocking many flush combos. River was board-pairing 8, he bets $60 and during my tank he starts talking, saying he'd answer my questions even though I didn't answer his. I think I was probably not playing my best at this point because I didn't read into his table talk which I should have. I also didn't go with my gut and fold top pair no kicker when the obvious draw got there, so I wasn't even beating his semi-bluffs. I eventually called, he had 43hh.

This dude was the type to keep his chips in his rack forever, so I asked the dealer to make him leave or put his chips on the table--something I do sparingly and only with players I'd rather leave the table. He took them out for a couple hands then left. I wasn't unhappy he was gone. Lost $280 to him.

UTG raised to $13, I 3! AQo UTG+1 to $26, as soon as I put raising chips out he exclaims "Is that a raise!?" folded to him and he jams for my $150 effective, I folded.

Changed tables, got KQdd, raised SB, bet/jammed Q-high flop got called by A-4 for just ace high.... Then raised KK, got five callers and saw a dreaded A-high flop. SB led out ott for $15 into $100, UTG limper called, I called with the flush draw possible and the absurdly small sizing. River completed another straight (wheel already possible), SB checked, UTG bet $40, I folded and SB called. UTG had limp/called 34ss and turned the wheel.

Down $500 between the 2/5 ($50) and 1/3 ($450) sessions today. I feel like I need a day or two off.

I've mentioned this before, but if you're going to be doing a lotta hanging around the poker table you're really going to have to try your best to not let little things like some idiot not chopping blinds / playing out of his rack to tilt you. Just lol at the ridiculousness of it and move on, imo. A huge part of having success in this game is having a good mental attitude, and it seems to me you're struggling with parts of that.

Calling a preflop raise with 96soooted with our smallish stack is *so* bad. Huge leak, imo.

Calling an EP raise HU with ATs isn't quite as bad, but it's not good, imo.

I've commented on your A5o hand in the Low Stress thread.

My default is to fold AQo to an EP raise (especially this early with so many behind us who can wake up with a hand).

Ggoodluck!G

Yeah, 96 was not my proudest moment. I knew I'd get flack for posting the hand, just needed to get punished in the forums to reinforce what I already knew was a bad call pre. I'll live with the postflop results.

It's official! Going to Atlantic City the weekend of February 15th - 18th (President's Day weekend). Will be staying with a group of buddies at an inn 15 minutes from the strip, super psyched! Borgata spreads 1/2 and 2/5, will probably do 1/2 mainly but will dabble in 2/5 if I am feeling it.

Got to the gym today for the first time in weeks. Immediately felt tired afterwards. Shows how little I have worked out. I have a tiny tiny home workout routine I do every other day or so, but it was nice to actually use the gym membership. After all, I am paying for it.

I feel like whipping out the headphones for tonight's session. February is off to a somewhat rough start (down $500 overall), and I haven't pulled them out in a couple months. Paid for them, might as well put them to good use.

Oh, my friend Dennis and I are splitting a Johnathan Little Pokercoaching.com membership. Three years for $300, $150 apiece. Seems like a serious investment; hope Little will keep the site running that long!

Tonight was fine. Played well, no tough spots. Just didn’t win a whole lot. Bought in for max $500 since I think I’ve developed enough of the skill sets needed to play deeper.

3! AQss over loose rec’s open. Call-happy BTN flatted, pfr called. Cbet K-9-5ss and took it down.

Then bled down for a while until got KK and iso’d to $20. Only SB (aggressive reg) called. Flop J-8-5r. He checked and I checked behind. Turn: 3. He bets $20. I call. River: Q. He bets $65, I call and MHIG against AQ. Thin value raise otr...?

Then raise JTcc UTG+1 in straddle and only rec BTN calls. Flop J-9c-4. I check it once and he bets $30. I call. Turn 6. I check he checks. River 2d. I check he bets $65 I call and MHIG against Q8.

Ended up $59 in 4 hours. Very proud of myself for applying the concepts I’ve learned through study and playing deep. Now waiting for my turn to sing while nursing a beer.

Going to play day shift today. Woke up early after a bad dream involving a televised poker game show where I flopped top boat SB v. BB on 884 and V (a reg at MGM) went runner runner bigger boat with 98 on 9-9 runout. Then flopped set over set on 3-7-9 (77 v. 99). This show is rigged!

Poker dream? I'm taking tomorrow off for sure. Actually, I really am due for a day off. I don't think I've had one in over a week! Even only playing 4-hour shifts, that really is a little too much for my liking.

Oh, and apparently I'm now considered an "old hand" on 2p2 after 1,200 posts? I don't know how I feel about that name. I much prefer grinder or adept.

Abs are burning from gym workout yesterday too.

All this bad juju early in the morning and I have barely even started my coffee. This better be one helluva session...in a good way. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

So long as we're deep / not a committed shortstack, I like the KK hand. Raising river is too thin since QJ/T9 both got there and he may have outflopped us, and it's likely rare he wakes up with a hand good enough to pay off a river raise, imo.

I'm not in love with raising JTs in EP but we managed to get it HU, so whatever. I probably lean to betting this vulnerable hand on the flop, but if Villain can be bluffy (which he proves to be) then I think our bluffcatching line is fine. I think this hand is a really good example of getting value by not initiating a single bet into the pot postflop ourselves (a highly underrated concept in poker which is overly swamped with "aggression is good"), imo.

GcluelessNLnoobG

This session was a lesson in "they always have it." Played long-a$$ session, over 13 hours, because karaoke is too crowded on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bought in $500. Started off well, on a winning streak. Floated SB with AQo against OMC who cbet and checked turn on 8-7-7-5-9 runout and I donked river and he folded. Then got black AA. Went four ways to a Kc-7c-4s flop. Cbet $20, two callers. Turn: Th. Bet $70, 65 y/o Asian man jammed $350 and I folded. He claimed he had a set of Kings. I think given my sizing ott this was an easy bet-fold spot against this V in particular. I shook it off.

Two hands later, got AhAs. Iso'd over UTG limper to $20, BB and limper called. Flop: 2-5-6hhh. I cbet $20, BB folds, UTG limper (unknown YBG) c/r $75. I sized down because I could get c/r and feel good about calling, pretty underrepped here with Ah. Turn: Td. UTG open jams $385. This sucks. Aces cracked twice in a row? I did some table talk, told V I had aces again and his face visibly changed in disappointment. He said "they're no good, fold them." I did the fake chip call move and he looked at my chips but didn't instinctively grimace like many will. I ended up calling - most likely out of frustration - not drawing dead against anything (and, optimistically, ahead of strangely played overpairs) and bricked. He had 666. The devil! They always have it.... Easy fold the first time, why so hard the second time? Hmmm....

Eventually changed tables to sit with my friend Franco. L/rr QQ over UTG+1 raiser and fives callers to $75, all fold to SB who calls. Putting him on some pair or possibly big ace. Flop: A-9-8. F.M.L. He leads $75, about 1/3 pot. I call once to see if he blinks. He doesn't. $75 again ott. I fold. He shows Ah.

Never really recovered from getting my aces cracked (and calling) by 66, chips fluctuated up and down a bit afterwards but ended down $200 on the night.

Off to the races again today. Gonna meet up with a 2/5 reg who reached out on 2p2. Good to make new acquaintances, especially when considering moving up.

i personally think playing deepstack is kinda pointless except for SPECIAL villians. the games changed so much its pretty rare to see two players each put in 500$ postflop in a single raised pot. **** even in 3bet pots it doesnt happen very often and even if you have AA villians arent sticking in the rest of their money post unless they have you beat or massive equity against an overpair. personally id keep buying in for 150$ n if a SPECIAL villians at the table top up to 500$

the only reason for deepstack play is if your willing to put 500$ in on bluffs vs villians who wont call with anything but the 2nd nuts+. otherwise were just playing a cooler game for the most part.

"Wait, they don't always have it?"

Last night's session was a raise/miss kind of night.

First table I sit down, open first hand AQo from LP and BTN calls. BTN had hand over his stack so I ask if he has any green chips and he says yes. I ask to see his stack and he says no. Wtf? So I have to ask the dealer to ask him to show his stack and he has only one stack of reds. I end up c/folding anyway. After the hand I tell V he has to show his chips upon request and he puts his finger up to his lips and goes "shhhh!" Clown. I decided to table change after this interaction and got the floor to explain the rule to him.

Got bluffed out of a couple bigger pots. Raised TT on BTN over EP limper (older Euro white guy) and call-happy SB and limper call. Flop: 8-7-3dd. SB donks $25, limper calls, hero calls. Turn: 8. SB checks (??), now EP limper takes over the betting lead for $45. From what I've learned, the preflop caller should be donking this turn 100% of the time against a pfr, and I'd heard V's friend come over earlier and ask if he was going to play 2/5, so I knew he'd played higher and was probably capable. I called the turn to see if he blinked on the river. (SB folded.) River: 7s. V bets $110 into $220. I try to get a read but all I get is a little smile out of V and I fold. V shows J9ss....

Still reeling from this hand, I decide to change tables again and as I leave this unknown player to my left says "dead money leaving the table." Why are strangers complete a$$holes? This is why I sometimes hate casino poker. People lack manners and are outright d*icks for no apparent reason. Maybe I have a target on my back for some unknown reason or people perceive me as the "good player" and want to needle me. Anyway, later on I happened to walk by the table again and the jerk who called me dead money was nursing a short stack after buying in for $400. I chimed in, "where'd all your chips go?" as I walked by. I'll give it back if someone deserves it. I'm not above it!

No hands of note for a while, just a couple raises/misses. Moved to my friends' table. Limped JJ UTG and tag raises $16 in MP, BB calls, I call with $200 behind. Flop: 8-8-4. We check to pfr and he bets $30. BB calls, I call. Turn: 3. BB only has $42 behind and donk jams. I call. Now prf raises to $125. I fold figuring prf put BB on an 8 and wanted to create a side pot with me against his big overpair. BB had 99, pfr had TT. I asked pfr why he raised to $125 and he said he thought I was weak....

Got JJ two more times, tightest player at table 3! and bombed flop both times. I folded my overpair both times. He had AA both times.

Ended down $588 in 13 hours. Officially on a downswing, but not a huge one. Back to normal routine today, respectable schedule not involving 13-hour shifts. Hoping for some rungood.

Head hurts today. Two long sessions in a row and I'm pretty drained. Gonna take the night off and regroup tomorrow.

Been taking some cash game quizzes on Jonathan Little's coaching site and there's a whole lotta bluffing going on at 5/10 and above. Not sure how applicable it is to low stakes to be honest. 1/3 is primarily about value betting strong hands.

You really gotta get some thicker skin if you're playing live poker. There is literally no reason to interact with a guy knowing he is hiding his stack, especially if you then cave in and table change. Just assume every player on the table is out there to **** you over and make sure they don't get a chance. I'm not saying you should know everyone's exact chip stack before every hand, but unless he just lost a big pot he's been short stack for a while and that's something you really should have been aware of before he called a raise.

I'd literally just sat down at the table. This was the first hand I was dealt. No time to glance at his chips. But I get your point. Lots of people itt have said the same thing. What can I say, I dislike a$$holes.

IMO, one of the nice things about playing in a big room is being able to avoid these jerks by table changing.

February has been rough. Last night was no exception.

Finally flopped a set - of sixes - on QJ6ddd, raised/GII on Kc turn, short stack V1 AI had QJ, fish V2 had T9 no diamond for the straight....

Went to raise KK in BB but apparently I put my hand down on the felt in what someone considered to be a checking motion (one pat). The flop was A-high anyway and I missed my nut flush draw otr.

Raised and missed a helluvalot. Loosened up a little short-handed, missed, iso'd loose player with JJ, ran into a 4! and folded pre.

Won AQhh v. 99 on 7-5-3hh and won the race on A-A runout.

Raised AQo, one caller. Checked A-T-8 IP, he donked 7 ott, I called. He donked 3/4 pot on A river, I raised to $75, he called, MGIH.

My sets lately haven't been winning at showdown (the other night I flopped a set of 8s and V flushed me ott and checked to me otr and I value-owned myself). My aces are getting cracked more often than expected (by my count, 3/4 times). I'm missing flops. I'm card dead for hours on end. Set under set . . . whales binking 4-outters. Throw in a couple bad calls here and there. Frustration mounting. All adds up to losing at poker this month so far. Makes me sad.

Another loss last night. Down $200 in 4 hours. No big hands, lots of missing. Limped a lot with speculative hands since this was a very passive table preflop. Nothing materialized. Once got AJdd in straddled pot in SB, raised big, c/folded OOP three-way on T-high flop no diamonds two hearts. KK, limp UTG in straddle, limped around, A-high flop, folded. AT, raised HU BB v. straddle, delayed cbet T ott (top/top), c/folded river when two straights completed and V bet $35 into $75. This one was a close call. Only decent victory was calling little raise by loose SB/V OTB with four callers with 54cc and calling 6c7d-Th $25 bet on flop, jamming $150 on Qc turn when V bet same bet and I had OESD+FD.

Back at it tonight. Tomorrow is a night off for date night, then Friday heading to Atlantic City!

It is super frustrating to have completed all this training recently and improved and not to see it in reflected in my results....

WHAT IS GOING ON?!

Phew, finally won a session. Up $101 in 7 hours. Most of the win came from getting it AI pre with KK in a l/rr spot where active V in straddle said he was going to raise blind to $68. I limped UTG, MP raised to $21, straddle raised to $68 anyway, I jammed, straddle called with 35o and he made the straight ott but I four-flushed him down the toilet otr.

Chopped with strangely played AKs who limped MP first to act, BTN raised, I 3! AKcc, limper called, we GII on A-rag flop and he tank called, putting me on AA. Lol.

No real other hands of note. 3! AK and got called by KJo and made some money when we both hit top pair. That was pretty much it. Pretty card dead overall to be honest, for 7 hours. At least I won!

Drinks tonight on Valentine's Day. Borgata tomorrow for awesome weekend trip with friends. Woohoo!

Bally’s tonight. Good $1/$2 session. Up $160 in 2 hours. First hand ran KK into a limp/called AA and got stacked post flop when I bet/jammed T-high flop brick turn. Then 3! black AA and got max value on all club flop and nut flush by the river. Then stacked dude who rivered second nut flush against my nutz.

The Bally’s room is fine. Poker tables could use a little refurbishment. Security oddly hanging around near the tables rather than off to the side. Dealer called me out on tapping table with one white chip to convey a check since “we play the line here.” Rofl.

Bally’s charges $25 for parking on weekends. Luckily my friend had a veteran’s discount and we got it for free.

Borgata tomorrow. Gonna meet another 2p2er hopefully for a beer.