Why is there a sand castle in the Borgata in February? I don't know, but I kind of like it.

My Biggest Leaks

I figured it was a good time to identify some leaks and try to fix them. My biggest, by far, is...

1. Lack of Table Selection - I have never asked for a table change in my life. I think this is a combination of two problems. One is that I am hyper competitive and want to prove to myself that I can beat any table, even if it's a bunch of nits. I believe I can do that, but that doesn't mean it's going to give me my highest winrate. I am also shy in asking for things and hate to cause extra work for others, so I dread going to the floor to ask for a table change. That's got to change.

2. Losing Focus - When I was in college I used to be able to sit at Turning Stone for like 12 hours and only get up to go to the bathroom. Now, granted, you could eat at the table. But my focus was intense. It hasn't gotten back to that level yet. I want Ivey-like focus, but I find myself struggling to stay interested in other hands sometimes - especially at bad tables, which is when I need to pay the most attention.

3. Calling too loosely OOP - I limp-call too many suited connectors and call too many raises out of the blinds.

4. FPS Bluffs - Sometimes I try really crazy bluffs. I haven't done this for a few sessions, which is ironic since I've lost 4 of 5. Still, I need to make sure to keep this at bay.

5. Not 3betting Enough - I have some specific strategic beliefs about 3betting at 1/2 NL that are going to mean my 3bet% is way lower than most 2p2ers. I want to start to increase it a bit, because right now it's like QQ+, AK and occasional bluffs. I'm not sure what to add in other than some suited connectors. I 3bet JJ maybe 25-30% of the time. I think there is a lot of value at 1/2 in flatting with pairs up to JJ for sets. I think they're more +EV for a raise in a 5-way pot than heads up in a 3bet pot.

Edited to Add: I'm just finishing up a lovely Starbucks breakfast and about to go crush it. I want to really up my focus today, so I'm going to add that to the list.

Grabbing some lunch/dinner/i don't know what meal it is because I'm a poker player. Firecracker chicken, honey walnut shrimp, chow mein and a chicken egg roll from Panda Express. May hit up Noodles of the World late tonight for my last meal.

I got a terrible table and I asked for a table change and after an hour still didn't have one despite probably 25 names behing called for 1/2. My table improved in that span and I'm going to re-evaluate after dinner. Do you have to wait until the list is empty for a table change? I thought you got the next open seat.... Maybe the floor forgot me, he didn't seem to be doing a very good job of keeping up with stuff when he opened our game.

I'm down like $10 or $15 or something. I'll do a full report on the day later. Had a mildly interesting hand I would love some feedback on.

The guy on my right (tight, not getting out of line, folding to most cbets) limps. I iso to $12 in the HJ with A8o. The button, an old guy who looks like Andy Griffith who's doing a crossword in the newspaper calls. He's shown down twice all day - two pair, both times a loser. He's fallen asleep once. Nitty as it gets.

Flop ($35): 5x5d3d

Guy on my right checks, I bet $20. The Andy Griffith looking dude folds, and the guy on my right calls pretty quickly, so I basically rule out the 5 - he'd consider raising there, especially with a diamond draw out.

Turn ($75): 5x

He's got about $60 left. I feel like this is a good turn card for me to fire on. Here's where I'd love some input - do we like barrelling this turn? If so, how much?

My thought process is that his range includes a lot of flush draws, and pocket pairs like 22-99. If I bet, I'm repping like 55-AA and he's going to fold out all of his flush draws and his smaller pairs most of the time IMO.

I bet $35. He thinks for like 10 seconds and jams for $27 more. I fold. He shows a 3. I'm honestly surprised he moved in with it - he even said he was shocked I folded cause I've been so tight he was pretty sure I had an overpair. This tells me two things:

A) He sucks at paying attention (I've been very aggressive in LP and this is probably like the fifth time I iso'd him).

B) He sucks at poker. "Hmm, I think you have me drawing nearly dead. I'm all in."

I still like the turn bet, although I'm wondering if it should have been a bit smaller or the flop should've been a bit smaller.

Upon return my table was better but all 40bb to 80bb for the most part. We were short so I couldn't get a table change. Lost a flip in a straddled pot with AQ vs. 99. Decided to take a nap so I can go back and get a new table, hopefully as the fight lets out. It was a 5 hour session, -111. I've lost 5 of my last 6 sessions and 6 of my last 8. I sense a big win tonight or tomorrow.

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15 or 16 1/2 NL tables running at the Borg and I get the same one when I come back. This time a lot more limping and people are starting to drink. Some dude also just flatted the nuts on the river in position against a guy who limped UTG and fired all three streets. Well disguised nut straight, sir. Way to maximize value.

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February 9 - "I will not lose, for even in defeat, there's a valuable lesson learned, that evens it up for me." (Jay-Z)

So the earlier session, you know a little bit about. I basically got no traction going, had a lousy table, tried for a table change and the floor never got me. I also ran kind of bad, not awful. But a lot of times when I picked up my big hands there was no action at all, even preflop. I was running over the table so it would have been nice to have that factor in and get some action, but oh well. Then I finally got some action on AA from a new player...

Two limpers, I raise to $12 on the button with AA. This has been my standard button raise and has been getting a ton of respect. UTG+1, a new guy who is old and wearing a sweater, calls. An MP player calls.

Flop ($36): 773 rainbow

It checks to me. I bet a little smaller than usual, $15. This is a great flop for me. No draws, Nobody can make two pair on me, etc. I'm not very worried about a 7. UTG+1 calls, MP folds.

Turn ($65): 6 completes rainbow

He checks, with like $65 behind. I'm in full-on extract mode now. What are the chances this old guy in a sweater limped UTG+1 with a 7? Not nearly as likely as 88-JJ. I bet $25, he calls.

River ($115): K

He jams $40, I call, he has 76 suited, it's good. "With the bad beat at $376,000, I'm never folding suited connectors," he says.

You know about a couple of my other hands - the bluff on the 5535 board, the straddled pot where I lost a flip w/ AQ. There was a straddle, I was in the SB, and a young Asian kid who had been pretty aggressive raised to $20. There was a call and I made it $60 from the SB, feeling like I was ahead of his range. He moved in for like $50 or $55 more, and I pretty much snapped him off and knew I was flipping at worst - I was, he had 99, and he held.

So I ended up cutting that session short and trying (unsuccessfully) to get a nap. Instead, after about an hour resting, I went and got a cup of coffee and ran to my car for Stevia sweetener. Everyone should try the stuff - it's the healthiest sweetener you can use and way better than sugar both cause it's calorie free and won't give you sugar rushes and crashes.

That coffee had me feeling pretty sharp and I went back to the poker room. Wouldn't you know, like 16 tables running and I get the same table I left. A few new faces, a little more drinking, but ultimately it ends up sucking. The bad players are short stacked, the only deep players are nits. This time I ask for a table change and get it right away. The new table is better, but not great.

Early on, the CO raises to $10 and I raise to $30 on the button with AKo. He calls. No reads cause I'm new, but he's a Rastafari looking dude. Long dreads, knit hat, hoodie, smells of weed, beard...

Flop ($60): 993cc. He has like $70 left and leads for $30. I'm like no way this guy hit this flop, and I think he jams an overpair preflop. If I get $70 in a $200 pot with like 25-30% equity, it's not the worst thing in the world (break even point is like 35%. This thought process happens pretty quickly and I move all-in. He tanks and calls.

Turn ($200): Kc

River ($200): Jc

I turn over my hand, and he shows ATo. I'm like, uhh, thanks.. Oh, wait, that's the A of clubs? You jammed it in there drawing to a ten or a backdoor flush? Nice hand. Oh, you're going to go blaze up and then come back in 40 minutes, play 5 hands and leave? I and I is not so sure I like that. (in my best imaginary Rastafari impersonation)

In actuality, I said "Nice hand." He got up, I knew he was going to go smoke up and then come back and leave, and I was exactly right.

Eventually, I ended up in the game for $650, but never stuck more than like $300. I worked my way back above even, then a big hand came up with the guy on my right. He was an older man and a nice guy, who apparently has a lot of money. He managed to find ways to talk about his wealth without coming off as an arrogant prick, which I give him a lot of credit for. I don't know how you talk about striking oil in Texas and playing home games with a chef and topless waitresses for tons of money without sounding conceited, but this guy was totally down to earth about it. Not sure how much of his stories were true, but I enjoyed them either way.

Our effective stacks are 500+.

He straddles, I'm UTG. I raise to $16 with AdKx. Folds to him, he calls.

Flop ($32): 8d6d3d

He looks at his cards and checks. I know he didn't flop the flush. I bet $20. He calls. I'm putting him on a pretty wide range. He'd defend his straddle pretty wide. He could have like K8, K6, Q8, Q6, J8, J6, etc with a diamond as the paint card. He could also have like 99-JJ with the diamond. He didn't slow play much and on this board, he wouldn't slow play a set or two pair IMO, like ever. I also don't think he'd draw to a straight.

Turn ($71): 5x

He checks, I bet $55, he calls.

River ($181): 8x

He checks. I think for a bit here. If I'm giving him that same range, which I am, I think he was mainly calling for the flush. He checked quickly, so I don't think he has the 8. He hasn't seen me make any big bluffs and thinks I'm solid, so if I make big bet here I'm basically repping either AdKd or QQ+. I bet $125. He tanks.

At times he looks like he's going to call, at times he looks like he's going to muck. I'm thinking in my head "Why'd we try to bluff the rich guy? He just struck oil! $125 is nothing."

Finally he says, "Alright, I'll donate to ya, I call." I flip it up and tell him he's good and he shows Jc6s. Wow. Sick call.

He says he put me on AK the whole way... Then leans over and says "I don't mean to rub it in, but I wanted to tell you something I noticed." I tell him okay, and he tells me he picked up a read on me and explains it. I don't want to get into it on here, but I genuinely thank him and say I appreciate that and he says he thought I would. "No other way to find out," I tell him.

I pride myself on being tough to read, and I think you'd have to be sitting right next to me to notice what he said - and it's also connected to a habit of mine away from poker, so I don't know if it's 100% accurate but I'm going to start paying attention to it. Might be the best $125 bluff I ever got snapped off, if it enables me to close a leak on a tell.

I ended up battling my way back, and after an almost 7.5 hour session with only 3 minutes in breaks, I ended my losing streak... barely. +$24. I didn't leave just to book the win, either. It was like 3:30 am and I needed to get at least some sleep.

I just had my Starbucks while sitting in my car writing this in the Borgata garage, and I'm about to go try to put 10-12 hours in. I'll update the bankroll and such later. I'm down like $265 on this trip, which, all things considered, isn't bad.

Some dude sitting with like $32 thinks he's on the bubble of the Main Event. This is great. Normally I'd be annoyed, but I'm taking great pleasure in his absurd agony on every hand. Great story about his tirade when I have time to type it up later. The working title will be "When Shorties Collide."

Basically got another weak tight table but it's a little more loose - passive pre flop so I'm going to stick it out probably. Ill take LP pre and WT post. A quick walk around the room showed a lot of gray hair, bald heads and short stacks in in the 1/2 games, but there are a couple tables I'll keep an eye on.

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Just lost a $400 pot with 94% equity all in on the turn. Sick. Dude miscalled his hand too, so it was an accidental slow roll. Knocks me back down below even on the week. Playing my A game today too, I was crushing it. Playing a couple more hours.

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When Shorties Collide: A Poker Tale Based on a True Story and a Lot Less Embellished Than You Might Think

There were at least nine different 1/2 NL games running at the Borgata on this cold Sunday afternoon. But when the man, the myth, the legend, rolled in, all eyes were on him... Or so he thought.

Actually, the insanely hot cocktail waitress behind him had dropped a napkin and bent down in an ungodly short skirt and all eyes were on her. But, he seemed to enjoy the pressure of the imagined attention as his gaze bore a hole in his opponents before the cards were even dealt. His huge, white over ear headphones weren't Beats, they were by Sony. But, if he could double up like three times, that might be able to change. Mr. Headphones had almost $60 and he was smarter than everyone, so it was only a matter of time.

Across from him was a dude who looked kind of like Phil Collins (the poker player), but younger. He was nursing a $40 stack with nary a care in the world - likely just trying to blow $60 while enjoying a few free mid-day drinks and scoping out some of the "talent," among the cocktail waitresses.

As the cards were dealt, the intensity cranked up from Headphones. He was under the gun, and he put his $2 in forcefully. His up front limp with QJ with 30 BB was not to be effed with. The Collins Clone casually tossed his two whites in, and there was another limp, as well as the completion of the small blind before an old Asian man raised to $7. Because, nothing narrows the field of limpers in a 1/2 NL game like a raise to $7 out of the blinds.

Headphones gave him a glare before carefully placing his $5 into the pot. Everyone else casually chucked in a red.

Flop ($35): JcTs5c

Two checks, and Headphones decided to slow play his monster. They weren't going to see his QJ coming until it was far too late. Then he'd only be two double ups away from an upgrade to some Beats. Collins Clone bet $11, leaving $18 behind. It folded to Headphones, who contemplated his next move. Now, or later? Or wait, was his hand even good? With such a massive pot and so much money behind, this was a pivotal moment.

[150 seconds later...] (The dealer and I exchange a frustrated look and a smirk.)

He called. Good Lord, this hand is going to take longer? S***!

Turn ($57): 3h

Headphones stared a hole in Collins Clone. Did he spike that 3? Would he bet again? Or maybe he was just thinking about Vegas and the Effing Mirage, or perhaps cheap hookers and blow, who knows? He checked. Collins Clone quickly checked, likely annoyed by the fact that he'd never get the last 3 minutes of his life back.

River ($57): 8c

Headphones stared at Collins Clone like he'd just put a gun to his grandmother's head and forced her to kick his puppy over a cliff while banging his girlfriend and dissing his sleek Sony headphones. It was not a happy look.

[30 seconds later...]

He checked. Collins Clone casually tossed in his last $18. Because, you know, it's only $18. He was in the 4 seat and Headphones was in the 1, so it wasn't exactly hard to see... Three reds, three whites. Easy.

Headphones: "How much?"

Dealer, while giving a look that said, "WTF dude, really?": "$18 sir."

[9,999,999 seconds later] (The dealer and I exchanged several smirks and glances. A cocktail waitress took all of the orders and returned with the drinks. The Most Interesting Man in the World showed up and fainted from boredom. A wolf howled at the moon. A snowstorm blew through. Time. Stood. Still.)

Headphones: "I call."

Collins Clone "Flush." as he shows Ac3c.

Headphones hasn't put his chips in yet. "How much?"

Dealer, who I bet has taken this time to come up with a lot of creative ways to inflict pain on Headphones, "$18."

Headphones counts out three whites and tosses them in. Then one red. Then another red. Then another red. For the love of God, why do people take so long to pay off all-in bets? It's $18 freaking dollars, dude.

Then we have ignition. Headphones slams his cards down onto the table. One shoots into the muck, the other over to the 7 seat.

Headphones: "What are you chasing me with this bull**** for?"

Collins Clone, politely and shrugging: "You let me get there."

Headphones: "I was nice on the turn, why did you bet?"

Collins Clone looks confused and shrugs, as if to say, "Because I had the stone cold nuts?"

Headphones: "Why did you bet? I was nice to you and checked the turn and you bet with that garbage! The f***? No more nice guy. No more nice play. I've got to stop this bull****. You bet that on the end? I've got to put a stop to this."

Now he's only about five double ups away from replacing those Sony's with some Beats...

Legit LOL'd at this. Nice update.

Thanks, glad you like it. I figure if I can't pull some humor out of that stuff, grinding with people like that will drive me crazy. Better to laugh at them then get completely annoyed.

I also liked the guy who walked into the bathroom while I was washing my hands. He goes into a stall and you hear him sit down, then, "That m-fing 10!"

Full update from the trip in a couple hours, everyone!

cool thread

do you ever play at harrah's chester?

Thanks! And no, not yet. Should I be? I've heard mixed things. I was thinking of trying to hit the WSOP Circuit there in April if the bankroll is in good shape for it. I do expect to be playing more at one of the Philly casinos in the coming months, but from everything I've heard I was leaning toward Parx. So far I haven't been to any.

Its nothing special. Same old.

Just wanted to know if I've ever played with you.

From what I've heard, the games in Philly are decent both at Parx at Harrah's. Not bad games but also nothing special.

Oh ok, gotcha. Probably not then. All of my play has been at Borgata recently, and in the past some at Delaware Park, a couple sessions at Caesars AC and the Taj and at Turning Stone in upstate NY. Also on a trip down to Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock.

From what I've heard the 2/5 is better at Parx than the Borg cause it's deeper? I know the buyin is 1K instead of 500, right? I figure once I'm up to 2/5 and well rolled I definitely need to check that out.

Yeah, that's very true. I played 2/5 at Borgata during the Winter Tournament series and it was really good at that time. But other than that, I've heard the Borgata 2/5 isn't anything special. I just overall don't like Borgata, though. For whatever reason, I feel very uncomfortable there and have trouble playing my best game. Also I generally think Borgata 1/2 isn't that great. Like, before 1 AM, I have trouble finding good games. There are a lot of fish, but there shortstack and sometimes kind of semi-tricky. The whole place also attracts a lot of hoodie/beats grinder kids who play a 10/8 type nitty game and just annoy me in general.

I need that Chester homefield I guess

I've also never been to Parx FWIW - just going off what people who I know grind at Parx say about it. I'll probably make a trip there at some point, though. I hear its a lot nicer than Chester, which is pretty much a dump in regards to how pretty the casinos are.

Also, one big difference I've noticed between Philly and AC is that in AC, especially 1/2, I see like 9 guys who are obviously fish but playing super serious poker. Like the table is dead silent and everyones just grinding it out even though they're terrible. The table talk is mostly poker related. Its just depressing I guess.

In Philly, people seem like they come to the poker room to chill and blow some money. Table talk rarely is poker strategy at 1/2 and people are either gambling hard or playing super loose/passive nitty fit or fold where they slowly bleed. That's my favorite part about Philly compared to AC. Never played anywhere else, though, except 1 session in South Florida where the games were obviously amazing

I usually am able to find better games, but this weekend was pretty bad at the Borg. I was also a little under the weather, so I wasn't striking up a lot of conversations - I usually try to get the table talking sports or whatever the topic of the day is to loosen people up. I've been fighting an asthma cough so I was trying not to do that so much.

But you've definitely driven up my interest in Philly. I may be doing more work there in the coming weeks, making it more convenient to hit up Parx or Chester... Does SugarHouse have poker? I don't even know where that one is.

Right now the big advantage to AC is the free rooms, so I can grind a long session, crash 6-8 hours and grind another long one.

Very enjoyable thread so subbed

Also, GL Sir! I keep lurking in people's threads and vicariously living through some of them (I keep fantasizing about pulling the trigger on full-time)

February 9 - "You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you get hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done."

For whatever reason, I don't sleep particularly well in the casino. I think part of it is that I have trouble shutting down my mind from all of my plans and goals. So I wasn't particularly well rested today, especially since I was only hoping for about 6.5 hours when I went to sleep after last night's session.

I got into the game a little after noon and my coffee had me feeling very sharp and I was on my A game from the jump.

Early on, there were six limpers and I limped the button with 4c5c.

Flop ($16): Q67dd

It checked to a guy in a knit hat who seemed decent, but not great. Tight and somewhat aggressive. He bet $15. I called, and it folded around to an old guy in a Punta Cana hat who called. He was gambling a lot, but seemed to know what he was doing.

Turn ($56): Jh

Punta Cana hat checked, knit hat checked, I checked after some thought. I put Punta Cana on diamonds and knit hat on 88-TT or a 6 or 7. No way he'd check a queen again IMO.

River ($56): 5x

Punta Cana hat checked and knit hat bet $15. What the hell? I don't think he'd fire 89 on the flop on that board, so I don't think he has a good made hand. This looks like a blocking bet with a weak one pair hand, and I could very easily have 89. I raise to $55. Punta Cana insta mucks. Knit hat thinks for a while, says "You got it," and folds.

A while later, I limp Ks4s in a six or seven way pot in the cutoff.

Flop ($14): A55

It checks around.

Turn ($14): 3x

It checks to me, I bet $10. A middle aged guy who's been betting horse races raises to $20. I saw him check min-raise the turn earlier with a bluff, then fire one more. I call planning to steal it on the river, or smash my gutter ball.

River ($54): Q

He checks, I bet $35, he thinks for about 10 seconds and folds... Then claims he had Q3. I'd believe a 3, but I don't think he hit the Q. Either way, who cares?

A bit later, I limped AdTd in EP and there were five to the flop.

Flop ($10): Ts6s3x

The SB, a tight guy in a Phillies hat bet $12 and there was one call. I put the Phillies hat guy on a T and the caller has a really wide range. I raise to $35. Phillies hat folds and the other guy calls. He's an older gentleman in a cowboy hat. He's been playing loose-passive.

Turn ($87): 8x

He checks and has like 80ish behind. I shove out a stack and he thinks for a bit and calls.

River: Ax

I turn them over and he starts complaining as he looks at his cards. "My two pair no good! I had you." Of course, as he's doing this, he's flashing his cards accidentally while checking them (he's right next to me)... As3s. He continues to lie to me and tell me I sucked out on him.

Later on I was put to my toughest test of the session. There were a few limpers and I raised to $15 in the HJ with AsTx. This had been a pretty standard raise for me with limpers in LP. The button called, and he was relatively new to the table and had played about 10-15 hands. He was wearing a backwards Braves hat and I could see some tattoos on his arm. I pegged him as a mediocre LAGGY player.

Flop ($34): 9x8s5s

I bet $20 and he calls.

Turn ($74): 7x

Interesting card - I kind of had him on a draw, and now I'm open ended and may have the best hand with A high. If I don't, I have a good number of outs and the A of spades, so all of my Aces are clean if he has like Xs9s. I ask him to lift his hand to see what he's playing and it's around $150. I bet $50 and he SNAP calls.

River ($174): Ah

Hmm... I think his range is pretty polarized here. It's one pair hands that just didn't want to go away, maybe hands like 9T or even JJ or something... It's busted flush draws... And it's the flopped nuts. I don't think he flopped two pair, but I suppose 78 or 97 are possible. I debate value betting and decide he can't really call me with any weaker hands so I'm better off checking and trying to get to showdown.

I check and he quickly shoves out his stack and spills it over. I ask for a count and it's $108. I tank. It just feels like a busted flush. What is he doing this with, unless he flopped the straight. I decide to try to extract some info. I ask him if he flopped the straight, and he's dead silent and motionless. I find that most people give off a little something if you call their hand on the first try. He looks nervous. I call and he says you're good. I show and he says "Wow..." Then tells me I didn't even need the pair, A high was good.

The interesting thing is if that river was like the Kh, I might have played it the same way. He's so polarized and it felt so bluffy.

Another interesting hand later. There are three limps and I raise to $12 in the HJ with A5 and get four calls.

Flop ($57): 882dd

There are three checks and I decide to fire on this one because it's so hard to hit and I have a pretty good image at this point in the session. I bet $30. It folds around to a guy in a Ralph Lauren Polo t-shirt. He calls. He's been pretty tight and I think he probably has the 8 or a flush draw.

Turn ($117): 7d

He checks and I check. I think he wanted me to bet. I think he probably check-raised the flop if he had the 8 given the flush draw and that AdXd could be a lot of my range and live 1/2 NL players are always terrified of flush draws.

River ($117): Td

He looks disappointed and checks. I don't have like a soul read, but he didn't seem to like the card. I think he was trying to check-raise the turn with the flush and doesn't have a big flush and is tight enough to fold. I bet $65 and he thinks for a bit and shakes his head and folds.

I was up to a stack of over $1,000 at one point. I think it was like 1,070 which put me up $770ish. I dwindled back down to about 700 by missing several flops in big pots and having this guy flop trips on me a couple times on good boards to double barrell.

Then UTG (a very aggressive kid) raises to $10 and I call with 33. There are two more calls.

Flop ($40): AT3 rainbow

One of the blinds (awful loose player) checks, UTG bets $30. Normally I don't slow play sets, but this seems like the perfect spot. He's probably got like AK or AQ and if I raise here we may not get the money in, but if I wait until the pot is inflated and the SPR is better, I can get it all. I call, there's a fold and the guy in the blinds calls. Interesting, he could have a lot here.

Turn ($130): Kx

It checks to me. The guy in the blinds has $125ish and UTG has like $220-$250 and I cover. I bet $70. The BB thinks for a bit and moves in for $60 more. UTG goes into the tank for a while and folds, and I of course snap call.

River ($390): Tx

He says, "I got the tens," as I'm turning over the threes full. I then look down and he has KT. Meanwhile, UTG is all upset because he folded AT. So, he had 2 kings and the case T and spiked it, then miscalled his hand so I thought I was good. Lovely. I was significantly more calm about it than the guy with AT, and someone at the table even said dude if you can't handle it don't play, and the dealer then said yeah look how calm he is, gesturing toward me... So I've got that going for me.

That knocked me down to like $490 or something, and I fought back up to $790 through a series of relatively small pots (nothing over like 50bb and nothing overly interesting).

I took a break for dinner and hit up Noodles of the World. I got the BBQ Pork Slices for an appetizer. Delicious.



I had the Chicken Pad Thai again for the main course, which you've seen in this thread already - it's awesome and I highly recommend it. I ate about half and boxed the rest to g.

There wasn't a ton of eventful action after dinner. I ended up cashing out with $711, so a +411 session that turned the trip into something like +145. Full math on the bankroll and some goal updates and such coming up tonight or tomorrow. I think the live roll is around $3600, though.

As promised, the updated numbers...

Live Roll: ~$3,600

Online Roll: ~$200

Old Online Roll on Black Chip I need to withdraw: $500ish (I'll stick 200 back in the bank to account for the deposit)

Total Roll: ~$4,100

Live Stats to Date

Total Profit: $3,506
Hours: Just over 125
Hourly Rate: $27.98
Winning Sessions: 7/14

February Stats
Profit: $145
Hours: 25
Hourly $5.86

My goal was 100 hours in February, and I'm right around where I need to be. I have a room Thursday and Friday night, then Sunday at Monday night at the Borg. The plan is to play 10-12 hours each on Friday and Saturday, so call it about 22 hours. Then play from noon Saturday til about 2pm Sunday (26 hours), then 10-12 hours each on Monday and Tuesday. That's 70 hours, and I may not be able to get back to the Borgata in late February but I want to put some hours in at Delaware Park so I should easily surpass 100.

However, this snowstorm may mess with my travel plans out to AC.

I'm just under my goal of averaging $30/hr after 300 hours, but still within striking range. I need to average $31.39/hr for the next 175 hours. Everything else is kind of hard to project right now.

Some short-term mini goals:

1. Process the withdrawal of the $500 on BlackChip Poker this week. I've been putting this off out of laziness for a long time.

2. Lose 17 pounds by end of February (from 242 to 225). Ambitious, but achievable.

3. No fast food or soda between now and 2/18. I tend to eat pretty healthy when I'm not running around busy, so I need to plan ahead with healthy meals and alternatives. I eat a lot of salads and chicken, and I juice vegetables. The soda one shouldn't be too hard for me, I almost completely cut it out months ago and have maybe 1-2 sodas a week now.

I'd add a workout goal but I've been dealing with some lingering asthma problems for a couple weeks and need to wait til that clears up. How do other grinders get exercise when they're staying at a casino? The gym at the Borgata costs money on a daily basis, which I think is absurd (I could see $10-$20 a week, but $12 a day? Cmon!). If the Borg were on the boardwalk it'd be easy to just go for a walk/jog, but jogging around the parking lot of the Borg seems kind of ridiculous.

Thanks! I fantasize about pulling the trigger too instead of this part-time poker part-time broadcasting thing, but I need to get all the bankroll and financials in order before I really have that tough choice to make. It may never be 100%/0% for me, but right now it's like 75% broadcasting, 25% poker, and I may swing it as far as like 90% poker, 10% broadcasting. I'd imagine a high percentage of poker players have side investments/businesses/etc.

I'd also LOVE to get into poker broadcasting, but the problem is that my poker knowledge isn't a huge asset there. It's not like they are breaking down 3betting ranges and calling ranges on ESPN during Main Event coverage, because the average viewer is far more interested in a wise crack about someone's ugly shirt or hot girlfriend.

There's a path that goes along the water from Borgata to Harrah's that you can jog.

Good call... I'm looking at Google Maps and it's like 8/10 of a mile. Do you know where you exit the building to get to the beginning of it? Is that over by like the Event Center or something?

Not sure the ideal way to get there I've only taken the super long way of taking the exit by the poker room.