I wrote a few things I've learned and continue to learn in poker.

Position is king. It's the first thing that I consider before any hands are dealt. I'm learning again and again that the earlier my position, the tighter my opening standards must be, especially when there are good tricky opponents still left to act. The BTN and CO and sometimes the HJ are where most of my money come from. When I'm last to act, I have a lot of power. This power can make up to a certain extent for loss in card strength or skill edge.

Having a coherent overall strategy is the frame around which we can decide what to do with a certain hand/decision. It's ok to deviate from the strategy if a certain profitable situation arises, but still each hand should have a plan.

How big do I want this pot? Who do I want in/out of the pot? What flops/turns/rivers will I continue on? What kind of hands do I want my opponents to have? Will I trap or make it obvious I have a hand? Will I bluff, against who and will they really fold often enough? What tendencies am I trying to exploit? And what perceived (or real) leaks in my game are they trying to exploit? Is this a 1/2/3 street value hand?

Giving off a gambling image is the fastest way to build stacks but sometimes to lose stacks as well. People think I'm raising light (and sometimes I am) but I'm good at building pots when I have big hands. I want to have the discipline to keep pots small with marginal strength hands until I'm pretty sure I'm ahead. It's ok to check a medium/strong hand on a wet board OOP if it's going to keep the pot small against trappy/aggressive opponents.

Are you going to find a place of your own or are you moving back in to your mom's place once you return from LA?

Kinda surprised that you have a tilt issue as you don't come across as the type. IMO, some of your strong negative feelings toward the casino environment can probably attributed to your tendency to tilt. Your ability to self-reflect though leads me to believe that you will one day become tiltless.

hope you can climb out of your downswing soon.

My idea is that I'll grind it out for however long I can take the game in SoCal, and then mostly travel for a couple years. I only stay in AZ to spend some time with my mom. There's nothing else that keeps me here.

I don't remember the last time I was this long on extended tilt. It's been about 4-5 sessions now playing a lot of C game. But I used to build and give away stacks on the regular back in my teenage days.

My mind becomes so absorbed in this game and wanting to have a tiny sliver of fun, that I lose perspective on the importance of keeping money, protecting stacks. I get in this mood where I just want to call everything down and win every pot I'm in, instead of laying down to obvious strength. I become extremely impatient and easily annoyed with certain players who are bad for the game.

It's definitely a big issue, because if I don't call down light or make bad turn/river raises, I'm more or less guaranteed to win in the long run at these stakes. I want to just stick to value betting in position and drop most of my bluffs and marginal call downs OOP. Just fold is the mantra. Rarely are people bluffing a young Asian kid who has shown a perceived propensity to show up with any two at showdown.

I think, in general, games have gotten tougher and more boring/antisocial. The best 3/5 and 5/T players now are much better than they were just a few years ago and some regs have been playing for a decade, 15 years, 20 years or more, so even the worst of them have gotten better.

There are more people who study the math. Optimal poker play is much less of a mystery and most people know the basics, even if just at the theoretical level. People who haven't actually studied the game are at a massive disadvantage and a lot of these guys either stop playing because they realize it's impossible to beat the game or they are forced to start adapting in just a few weeks/months.

"Gamblers" have become a rare breed. People that just throw money in the middle calling everything down or making crazy bluffs every other hand. A lot of them just lose their money way too fast nowadays.

I've flown by the last few stints on mostly just intuition, but now I think I want to understand the deeper aspects of the math and theory behind the game. I think I have a relatively good basic understanding of the math behind ranges, but it's been mostly learning at the table, feeling probability while playing instead of studying the numbers behind things. But I know if my emotional state is relatively OK, I can play massively winning poker. Even without understanding the deep math, my intuition/confidence when I'm playing well is really tough to play against.

I think if I have the ability to table select better, I will do well. In LA, there are many rooms, and it gives me the ability to choose different stakes, games, game times. I really don't like playing at uptight weak-nitty small-pot tables. Although it's actually quite easy to make steady, low-variance money, these games make me dislike playing poker. I want to be at tables where there are a few loose guys mixing it up. I know how to counter their game relatively well (pot control, value bet, come in with stronger rangers, apply pressure) and it makes the game livelier and more gambly.

I want a change of scenery. I think I also like the true no limit games more. Having a 500 dollar max bet makes it harder to put major pressure on people on later streets in big pots and it's been affecting how I play in certain situations where I can't make some multi-street plays/bluffs because the river 500 bet would end up being a small portion of the pot and opponents would more or less be forced to call with lots of hands.

I'm taking a few days off. I want to be excited about the game. If I play nearly everyday for too long, my mind gets negative. Plus, the games are simply not good some nights and it's like an uphill battle to get straddles going with certain lineups.

I just booked an Airbnb for 8 days near Hawaiian Gardens casino and I'm checking out flights now. I'm going to be using uber/lyft while I'm there. I'm going to buy a nice backpack to fit a bunch of my clothes. I'm going to test out different casinos. I'm going to leave my laptop behind. I spend too much time in front of this thing if I have access to it.

I think there are so many ways we can live life. Nowadays, things are convenient. We can be in whatever US city we want within a few hours. There are plenty of rooms for rent (though maybe not cheap everywhere) through Airbnb. We can get food in cities within seconds.

Am feeling quite happy now for a change of scenery. Variety is so important for me. I get bored and frustrated too easily.

I agree. This is my bread and butter.

This is generally good, but I think it's easy to overdo. I think the key is continually reassess how effective your adaptions are, because it's not easily quantifiable when you move into exploitative territory.

I think this is a lot more normal people let off (the best players I find are most honest about this). Acknowledging it is the first step!

I think being tighter calling down in mid-low live games is correct, in lots of spots where most fish don't bluff much (especially big pots). HOWEVER, I think it's important to change the way we look at poker and use our lingo, because "hero calling" be definition is a call that is thin, regardless of the strength of our hand, so it's not really hero calling if we're doing it with the top of our range (or a hand that is just good). If anything I think blockers are more useful for hero calling, or indeed, if a player never bluffs, then we can just never hero call (and only call hands that beat their value range)

You mention LA, where do you play usually?

I don't want to get into an antagonistic debate about this, but I think all men would do well to examine their relationship with women. I think there's no two ways around it, the way media depicts Asian men (and also Asian women) make it pretty tough, on both groups, actually, but in different ways. I know so many Asian men who get unfairly judged when trying to date, and Asian women who are expected to act like dolls. I read somewhere you mention something about redpill; like I said I don't really wanna get into it, but I like your posts (you seem to have a good attitude), and I want you to succeed, so I just want to show you my perspective here, and you can do what you will with it:

So as you can guess belief system is very opposed to redpill/mra/pua types. You might've read my thread where I mention I support women in my life--I have close relationships with my ex and other friends, and I do not feel exploited or used. They add so much to my life, they've helped me through so much **** and at times have devoted themselves to care for me when there was nothing they could gain from me (I have tons of health and mental health problems). Idk your specific ideology, so I don't want to assume, but I think it's easy for a person to be resentful of a lot of the typical way people view romance or relationships with women, and I think that's reasonable, especially seeing as, as an Asian man (I've lots of personal experience with that kind of dynamic), you've got the short end of the stick. What I want to say though is that redpill is not the only alternative perspective to the mainstream one. You can reject traditional ideas and expectations about relationships without going to that one.

I've found that becoming a lot healthier and independent as a person makes you a lot more successful in dating and relationship. I've mentioned the women in my life who've helped me a lot, but honestly, when I was dependent on them (and also at times when they were dependent on me) our relationship suffered, because relationships that aren't balanced have lots of trapfalls. It's not easy to have a positive equal relationship with someone you're dependent on, or whom is dependent on you (and that's why traditional relationships between men/women often end up feeling so parasitic at times). I feel like people glorify codependent relationships, but imo the best relationships are ones where the individuals don't NEED each other, but still choose to, because they want to, and because they enjoy and enrich each other.

As a poker player, and one who has to spend time focused on poker related pursuits, I think it's wise to look into more casual or non-monogamous dating if you aren't already. I think it can help with making relationships less restrictive, and more something that's enriching (it's quite popular with poker players from what I've read), and gives you more opportunities to dip your toes into dating without committing yourself and, I hope, being embittered or resentful about the whole process. I admit that not a lot of people are open to that kind of thing, though, so I guess your mileage may vary.

Poker is a lot tougher these days. I hear LA is filled with Europeans nowadays, and a bunch of players with online backgrounds.

That's why you should give PLO a try.

That said, if you work hard, you can always stay ahead of the curve. I do a lot of studying and have found that it remotivated me a lot, finding out how much more room I have to improve, and how much more better I can be than the opposition. I highly suggest developing an organised approach towards studying.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Been playing at Talking Stick in Phoenix.

I think adding in some low-stakes PLO, some good 5/T games, and lively deep 1/3 games that play more like 3/5 to the mix would reinvigorate my desire to play again.

Yeah, there are parts to my game that are really raw still, somewhat untamed. I know I can overcome these weaknesses by playing an alert aggressive game, but once I get emotional, I'm prone to play like a donkey. I play fast and impulsively when I'm emotional.

Being able to keep motivated and passionate about poker is very important for long term success. Sometimes learning new games and formats (and being able to do so even if stakes are smaller or if you're not making as much) is a very helpful way of doing it.

I find I put a lot of pressure on myself to hit certain monetary goals. It's some deep conditioned stuff.

Like what I'm able to do starting from no roll is insane for most people, and I don't appreciate what a gift having money is and actually how much 10-20k is in the real world. Poker screws with my relationship with money.

I think I just want to find games where people are spewy. Otherwise it's tough to spend hours at the table when the pots are staying small and people are folding early and often.

If you're leaving your laptop behind, does that mean you won't be updating the thread while in LA?

dunno. i think i want to spend less time on 2p2 anyway. ill still have my iphone so who knows....

eliminating distractions from my life is going to lead to better results in poker. everybody is trying to get my attention; the more i pay attention to distractions, the more i lose focus on the mission which is to stack paper. ive done it before so i know what's holding me back. focus. focus on making good well-thought out decisions. protecting stacks (if i could learn this skill, i'd be a way better player). being able to fold big hands. i think learning to fold is an underrated skill. to subconsciously equate more folding with winning instead of losing -- maybe this is the switch that i want to make.

im leaving my laptop behind. i want my time with technology to be as limited as possible. having a greyscale iphone 6 is distracting enough. ive lived for months on end several times with little or no computer/cell phone time, so ive seen what technology does to my mind.

i'm really positive about leaving AZ. my relationship with my mom is beautiful and stronger than it's been in many years. i'm lucky to have spent some quality time with her and look forward to a more of it during the next few years as she gets older.

ive lived a relatively nomadic lifestyle for the last decade of my life, so packing and moving has become routine. nowadays, making a move is easy, if one travels light and doesn't feel the need to have many possessions. flights + accommodations + transportation can be purchased with a few clicks. instantly.

i'm going with one suitcase and a backback. that's plenty of room for clothes and toiletries and a few other necessities.

i really feel like im going into an upswing. it's this mindset of being really confident. i already know what kind of games i can be very profitable in, and im happy to have some more choice in the matter. i think game selection is such an underrated skill to have. it can make small winners into absolute crushers.

plus, even though i lost quite some pieces of paper these last few days, i still have a decent chunk of cash to play 3/5 with. i have zero debt, which feels great (i've dug myself into and out of debt several times during the last decade).

RE: learning PLO. I think I could learn the basics if I spent a month playing/studying it.

ive only played at the gardens a few times, commerce a few times. this will be my first grinding stint in LA. I might also fly up to the Bay area and play M8trx and Bay 101 for a week or more.

Which countries do you plan on visiting next?

GL in the grind/coming out of the downswing

Lol I have no idea still. A few that come to mind.

Anywhere there are some serious salsa/batchata dance classes/workshops. It’s something that been on my mind for more than a year. Dominican Republic, Columbia, other South American countries.

Brazil for the dance beach and beautiful women.

Back to live on the island in Thailand. Or up north in Pai and/or Chiang mai (through probably not any significant time in the latter).

Amsterdam for the mushrooms and dance.

Japan if my mom wants to spend some time at a hot springs town.

Costa Rica for some different semi western style island life.

Maybe Berlin. Spanish islands (Ibiza, menorca, mallorca). Portugal.

Dunno yet. When the time comes, the mind will make itself up.

If I may add to the latter in terms of psychedelic journeys : Ayahuasca in South America. GOAT experience

Thank you for the rec. I will probably try ayahuasca this time out of the country. I was around a bunch of it this last year, but i would probably want to do an authentic one in peru if anything. so many westerners wanting to make money from psychedelic/plant medicine now.

where did you do yours? any other plant medicine you try? i was living with someone who gives kambo treatment and that looked intense for many participants.

Yeah, I did quite a few psychedelics in my 20s, namely mushrooms, acid and DMT. I did it in Pisaq, in the Sacred Valley in Peru :

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...&postcount=505

I have not tried kambo, but it is fairly commun in Iquitos (in the northern jungle in Peru) where you can do a 1 month retreat mixing in ayahuasca, kambo and san pedro.

huh, that one month retreat sounds super intense. i might be into some more structured psychedelic journeys this time. mushrooms for sure too. there's a group that does week/10-day long mushroom retreats in jamaica that sounds interesting as well.

there's nothing like good quality mushrooms for opening the heart and letting the light in/out. ive heard some mixed reviews with ayahuasa but i think with meditation and other psychedelic experiences under my belt, its going to be a good journey.

I had a very good experience with Ibogaine -- helped me tremendously with some addiction issues.

huh, could you describe the major shifts that happened?

Dub,

That was quite a read. I've done a few psychedelics myself and I look forward to trying ayahuasca someday. I don't think I can ever do acid again though. I was given an opportunity to do it when I was 30 and I chickened out. When I first did it as a freshman in college though, nothing has been able to top that experience.

True that.

Yeah, I would not do acid again neither. The last time I took a hit, was at the age of 20 (am 41). I would do mushrooms again though. But ayahuasca is stronger than acid And immensely spiritual.

Great thread, think you have lots of potential. GL!