Not sure what stacks are but if they are shortish then I'd be raising a straddle to *much* more than $16 in any 1/3 NL game I've ever played in; heck, if stacks are like $120 I'd probably go $40 to setup a PSB shove against the maniac on the flop. Doesn't surprise me in the least we went 4ways to the flop, and if we're doing that we might as well have just overlimped, imo.

We're only getting about 5:1 on the turn to chase a 10.5:1 shot that might not even be clean. So we'd have to have a PSB+ paid off every single time (and be good, including when the Js comes) to just ~breakeven. And with the other guy in the hand I think we'll have a hard time repping the flush due to the fact he might actually have it. So I also fold.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Good sesh today. Short-stacked it as usual. First $100 buy in went bye-bye after I l/rr $120 AI with 99 in a straddled pot. Got called by raiser with K-10cc and he rivered broadway. Meh.

Not long after, I l/rr $130 with KK in straddled pot and got called by raiser who had QQ and held. Not 9s this time, boys! Heehee.

Then called huge raise to $41 in another straddled pot with AKo in BB and flopped trip Ks on KsJsKd flop. Pot was $160 and I had only 2x pot left, so I just shipped it on this fairly wet board after raiser in SB checked. No one called.

Last hand of note: fish raises in MP and I call on BTN with AQo. Flop 9-high and checks around. Turn A, fish bets, I raise, he calls. River is another 9, he bets 1/3 pot and I just call. I could have gone for thin value and jammed river (he had $75 behind), but whatever. He had A-10o. Scoop!

I left a couple orbits later about 6 hours in, up $205.

Bankroll: $3,365. Hourly: $19/hr. (6BB/hr.).

I just got back from a free poker tournament in which I placed 2nd out of 56. Not bad. Someone there commented that I looked tired. Probably a sign. Tomorrow is the regional tournament in the free poker league and I need to be up relatively early (2:00 pm...).

So I am taking the night off. Seems like a sin. It's Friday and prime time for playing, but I'm a little burned out after grinding all week non-stop.

Staying in to watch Lex Veldhuis, Neeme, Brad Owen, et al and to browse the forum. I might go out and buy some watermelon juice and fresh pineapple chunks at some point from the 24-hour Safeway nearby. Sounds like a decent way to spend a night off.

Anyone care to share their favorite poker streaming/blog content? I could always use additional suggestions.

I won the regional tournament today! 7 hours, 149 people. I won $200 cash, three nights hotel in Vegas for the national finals and some other stuff. Nice victory. Super tired after playing all day so no cash game tonight.

Back to the grind tonight. Went with poker buddy this time. I bought in for $100 as usual. Only two important hands.

1. Limp 10-10 UTG. MP raises $11, four callers, I see dollar signs and raise all in for around $120. Only clueless drunk idiot calls for a little less with 63o. I flop a boat (no, he didn't river quads . . . he still had six high by the river).

2. Limp/call BB raise to $15 with A5ss with two others in hand as well. Flop nut flush draw, which I bet, raiser min check-raises...? All three of us call. Turn gives me open-ended as well. BB checks, short stack jams for $16, BTN min-raises to $40? We all call again. I river the nut flush and the BB now bets $120, I call AI for a little less, and BTN jams for a little more. I ask the dealer is she's married already as I scoop the biggest pot I've won in a while. (BB had Q9ss, BTN had . . . I dunno. Short stack had horribly played pocket tens.)

I could have made more money at that table but I was happy to book a good win in just over three hours. Up $601, $701 if you count the lucky table promotion I also won. Before my friend and I were about to rack up, the guy who lost the flush over flush started taunting me, calling me little red riding hood because I hadn't been playing any hands. I told him I was clearly wearing blue. Then we left.

Bankroll: $3,884. Hourly: $21/hr.

Short one hour session tonight. Bought in $100 and ran it up to $227 before heading for karaoke. Might take another dip but probably call it a night.

Got AA in BB once. I noticed $16 raises were going five and six ways. With six limpers I made it $30. Only UTG called. I jammed flop; he folded.

Then AK took to down pre with $35 raise over five or six limpers. Made it $25 with AQ and got one caller. C-bet a 10-high flop with backdoor diamonds and took it down. Limped 88 CO and raised 7 on turn. Got called by I assume a 7 and won that one. Overlimped AJss in SB and checked A-K-7 flop, c/r 10 on turn, got called by I assume a K and took that one down. Limped 10s and was good on A-Q-Q-5–8 runout.

One mistake was overlimping QQ in MP. Runout A-9-9-A-Q. Checked down to river four ways, I bet river and took it down uncontested.

Got paid for work the other day which I added to the bankroll.

Bankroll: $4,894, hourly: $22 (7 BB/hr.).

Congrats on your success so far!

GcluelessNLnoobG

Thanks! Hope it lasts and isn’t just “fish on a heater.” I really think I’m getting the hang of this though.

Good short sesh today after meeting young client in youth detention facility. Reminds me how lucky I (we) are to have the freedom to do what we want with our time, within reason anyway.

Went to Maryland Live since it was not too far from the detention center. First two tables were god awful. I was card dead and everyone was old. Not profitable. I changed tables pretty quickly. Next!

Third table was much better. Younger and more active. Only big hand I limped JJ in MP, flopped top set on all club board. BB led out, I raised, he called. I boated on turn. Bet, then bet river. He called down with 10-high flush he flopped. Most other pots were small. 3! AA once and took it down otf. That’s pretty much it. Up $168 in three hours.

Going out of town for a couple weeks so will be taking time off from the grind to relax.

August was a good month. Made $3,930 in 152 hours. $25.8/hr. (8.6 bb/hr.).

Overall:

Bankroll: $5,044. Hourly: $22.50 (7.22 bb/hr.).

A little accounting....

I compared August to July and they were pretty comparable. July was actually somewhat better! (I'm not counting high hand or lucky table promotions for either month.)

July: 137 hours, $3,924, $28.6/hr. (9.5bb/hr.).

August: 152 hours, $3,930, $25.8/hr. (8.6bb/hr.).

Not bad for under a 40-hour work week!

I played much longer sessions on average in July (10.5 hours) than in August (6.3 hours), but still *about* the same results. Looks like a difference of 1bb/hr.

I am liking the shorter sessions and short-stacking even if it is costing me a little on my ROI. I don't win as much on average ($300 per session in July; $163 in August), but I am generally more at ease at the table. I am almost never making decisions for hundreds of dollars in a single hand. If I bust in a coin-flip situation, I can easily reload without feeling too bummed out.

Another benefit of shorter sessions is less burn out. Believe it or not, poker is not as fun as it used to be. It has turned into work (for the most part). I guess that's why it's called "grinding." Another reason why I am glad I bought those wonderful headphones.

I will try to play some poker in Athens, Greece (where I am heading), and will post results if I do.

Cheers!

- DT

The amount of hours you are getting in as a "rec" player playing a "hobby" is insane! If it's mostly just a hobby, why not cut down the hours so it maybe returns more to being "fun"?

I've played a session of NL poker every single week since I first picked it up in 2010... with one exception, my two week poker-less honeymoon... to Greece.

GcluelessGreecenoobG

Excellent choice of honeymoon destination.

I guess I'm playing a lot because I like the additional income even though it comes at the expense of the fun. Honestly, I have started to view it as another job more than a hobby now...weird how goals change sometimes.

My day job is slow and I don't make as much as I'd like, even though my legal hourly is much higher than my poker hourly. I told myself I'd see how poker went for a few months and then consider just applying for a new job with better income and benefits in January so I didn't have to grind all the time on the side.

Off to the airport now. Yiasou! (Goodbye!)

Yeah, I mean I guess you have to ask yourself whether you'd spend ~40 hours a week at another job on top of the one you already have. I know if that's how poker felt to me I'd drop it in a heartbeat; I have no desire for another job, but your situation may differ.

Have fun in Greece, malakas! (lol, one of the few words I picked up there, careful how you use it!)

GcluelessGreecenoobG

Will see if I can keep it up or not. If it gets to be too much I can always slow things down.

Same to you, jerk-off! Taking off from DCA/Reagan—> Newark—>Athens. Arriving 10:00 a.m. local time. Jet lag will be a b*tch. Cya!

A little update from Greece. Wasn’t able to make it to Mount Parnes Casino in Athens before leaving for Peloponnesus. Apparently the casino in Athens isn’t that great anyway. Will hit Club Casino Loutraki in Peloponnesus instead.

Purchased a cool mug from Starbucks that caught my eye: it says “RISE AND GRIND.”

Been thinking more about my poker goals and I’d like to move up to 2/5
at some point. I just want a roll that can tolerate the increased risk. By the end of the year between poker income and job income I should have around $25,000. I’m guessing that will be enough to start playing 2/5 more often...so goal #2 in addition to $10k challenge by end of the year is to play at least one 2/5 session per week beginning in January 2019.

As Garick commented in my poker wins and bankroll post, I’ll probably need to begin playing deeper at 1/3 again like I used to. I’m not sure how well a ss strat will work at 2/5. Has anyone tried this? Maybe I’ll experiment with it for a couple sessions first and if it is going miserably, play deep instead.

I think this will mostly depend on your BI rules. We have a 2/5 NL game that only runs here once and a blue moon, but I believe the minimum BI is $500 and yet the preflop raise sizes are in-line with our 1/3 NL game (i.e. ~$30) which means even on a "short" BI you're still playing fairly deep.

Gclueless2/5NLnoobG

Min BI here is $300, max $1,000. Average single raise is $20. 3! are $60+, squeezes $125. If I ss at 2/5 it would be for $300 and just play my normal strat that I use for 1/3, probably l/re-raising my EP, or raising larger from on other positions to set up low spr, and of course 3! a bunch.

If the minimum BI is $300 then that is at least somewhat shortish and definitely not deepstacked, so I would recommend doing that until you get comfortable in the game / stakes.

Ggoodluck!G

Sounds like a plan! Thanks GG.

So the World League Poker Championship is in early November at The Orleans in LV. Basically a bunch of free bar leagues from around the world descend upon Vegas. I qualified for the main tournaments there. Thinking about extending my stay beyond the tournaments to grind in Vegas for a couple weeks, see how it goes. Maybe stay longer? Anyone who knows of cheap places to stay lemme know. Or anyone who will be in Vegas around that time who wants to split an Airbnb. Found one for as cheap as $40 a night ($20 per person). Prefer known 2p2er. PM me.

Found a place to stay with 2p2er Zefa. November 10-25, two weeks following the WLPC tournaments. Good location 10 minutes from Bellagio. Reasonable price. Even with a $10 Uber there and back each day, it’s still loads cheaper than a place on the strip. Best part is the house is occupied primarily by 2p2ers, so I’ll be surrounded by poker grinders! Should learn a lot from them even if I’m only there for a couple weeks.

Based on what I’ve heard from people in the LVL forum, I will mainly play at the Bellagio (maybe for 2/5), MGM, and Planet Hollywood. It will be interesting to see just how much tougher Vegas poker is. Everyone has been commenting that LV has become a difficult poker market. I hope I can stay above $20/hr. at 1/2 and 1/3. I’ll dip into 2/5 once.

If anyone who grinds in LV or plays there enough has any suggestions feel free to chime in!

Tomorrow I am heading to Loutraki Casino. Let’s see how the Greeks play poker!

Greek poker session report....

Arrive at Hotel and Casino Loutraki Monday around 4:30 PM local time. Enter casino, attempt to pass through security when tall guard says (in Greek) “you need pants to enter the casino.”

Oops. Didn’t bring pants on this trip. This poker player is used to playing in the U.S. where you get away with pretty much anything as long as you aren’t naked.

I ask where I can buy pants. He has a ready response: “you can rent them for 10€ at the gas station across the street.”

They have this all figured out.

4:45 PM: enter casino with rental pants on. Pass through security. Get player’s card (6€ fee) and ask about poker. Receptionist calls poker room. No tables open. *Groan.* She has no idea when a table will open.

Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore. [Insert meme.]

Enter casino anyway to get 6€’s worth. No smoking signs everywhere. Smokers abound.

Get to poker room (10 tables max), one local dude standing there looks to be waiting for table as well. His name I learn is Jacob. A poker regular who he says has been playing for 15 years. He’s 34. He tells me to put my name on the list, which I do. Six waiting but floor won’t ooen table. He says he might go to the casino in Athens where there are six tables open. Six! That’s like a million! In typical Greek hospitality fashion he is willing to give me a ride there and home.

5:30 PM. Floor opens one and only table. 1-2€. Players slowly trickle in.

5:45 PM. Ten players seated and chipped. Mostly over 60, a couple young guns including my new buddy. Most buy in for 150€ (max 300). I choose my standard 100. Casino uses 10€ chip at the 1€-2€. Weird. We pick a dealer and the cards are dealt. Adrenaline rush commence.

First fifteen hands are unplayable. Gives me a chance to observe. It’s a loose passive table. Few raises; lots of limping. Finally get dealt ATcc on BTN. Everyone limped to me. I play it safe and limp behind. Flop gutter to broadway and backdoor nfd but Jacob in CO ruins my plans and bets pot. I fold. Run out gives him trip Ks and he tank calls versus V’s 60€ (2/3 pot) donk lead. He’s good versus bottom pair.

A few hands later, an old man l/rr AKdd. He probably considered that a bluff. He out-turns JJ to scoop a 250€ pot. Make that 238€. House gets 5% - UP TO 12 EURO. Dealer puts rake directly into chip rack rather than separate rake box.

Card dead for 30 minutes...surrounded by smokers. *Cough.*

Then five limpers in straddled pot, I have AKo in BB. Finally a premium. I make it 25€ by announcing “25” in my best Greek accent possible. Thankfully verbal is binding here too as I mistakenly put out five 10€ chips. Everyone folds. I’ll take that 21€ thank you. Heehee. House takes 1€ even if no flop.

The QJo on BTN and I iso a loose spewy type who limped UTG. Everyone folds. Guess it’s to be expected given that I am tightest at table.

Not too long after that, my family calls and says it’s time to go. I have to leave one of the better tables I’ve played at in a while, up 4€ in just under an hour.

6:30 PM: return rental pants, drive back to Athens and arrive 12 hours before departure back to U.S. Take three ibuprofen for headache from second-hand cancer.

November: Vegas, baby! Normal grind until then. Will be coming back to you from the states soon....

Mt. Parnes casino definitely draws more traffic then because I found a short handed table that gradually filled up at 2-3pm on a Tuesday. Had gone there with the intention of playing only for a bit because main reason was to reg for next day's tournie and seats were limited.

Cash was good. Just like anywhere live....passive with one mediocre player. Tourney structure sucked.

Never got to see peak traffic.

Yep super passive. I saw two different people limp JJ in an hour. I wish I had time to visit Mt. Parnes. According to the dude I met at Loutraki, Parnes is where all the “pros” play. Funny you thought it was super passive there. Doesn’t sound pro to me.

"The four queens."

Back to the normal grind at MGMNH. Nice to be home. A winning friend said he started playing 2/5 at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV. I checked Bravo and Charles Town was only running two tables, so I decided to stick with MGM which had 19. Maybe I'll try it out this weekend.

Woke up early due to jet lag and got to casino early (3PM) as a result. The wait to get onto a table was quite long for a Wednesday afternoon. I decided to sit at 2/5 since the list was shorter. Bought in for the minimum ($300) and planned on short stacking.

First good pot I 3! squeezed to $100 with KQo in BB after LAG in EP $30, two callers. Everyone folded. Very few spots of note after that until I got QQ in BB and 4! jammed $270 over MP $20, BTN call, SB 3! $100. I flopped a Q and turned . . . a Q. He mucked in disgust and left the table. Must have had me pre?

Put myself on the list for 1/3 at this point. Before I was called, I lost $200 or so in two hands. First hand, UTG raises $20, 4 callers, I 3! squeeze in BB to $100 with A9dd. UTG jams, I fold. Second hand, I call a LP $20 open with A9cc. He pot controls QT on Q-high flop, checking flop, I turn a 9 and he got two streets out of me because backdoor spades missed and it looked like it could have been a missed flush draw. Meh.

Ended up $85 in just over 3 hours.

Finally got called for 1/3. Bought in $100 as usual. First hand of note, six limpers and I have QQ. I jam $100. MP limper calls. Flop: Q-Q-3. Quad queens again!

Later get QQ in MP, 3! to $38 an EP shorty's $12 open over two limpers, limper 2 backraises AI for $100, raiser folds, I call. I river second nut flush and V tables flopped set of 5s in frustration, lamenting his "bad luck," leaving the table. 1/3 is so f*cking stupid easy.

End the 1/3 session in 1.5 hours up $191. Overall up $276 on the night.

Hourly: $23. Bankroll: $4,580 (spent some in Greece).