Great questions.

I was actually spending some time reflecting on it this morning.

My hourly for live after 6 months in 2014 is $12/hour. My hourly online in that same time period is $57/hour. Obviously that is a large difference.



I think that I fulfill some needs and wants via live play such as the things you mention: the desire to socialize, the esteem boost/validation that comes from being recognized as a "better player" by the locals, etc. I also think it is a self destructive activity, and on some levels and I may be subconsciously self sabotaging - or at least using it as an excuse to avoid knuckling down and doing the "real" grinding (or living the life) I know I am capable of. I can pursue those underlying in goals in a variety of more healthy and fulfilling ways than via poker.

3 hours of online play today for a profit of +$50.

GO USA

dude you're such a ****ing god. Unreal

Thanks man, although 1) that's over the top and 2) I'm an athiest

Was thinking a bit more about live poker, and I think in some ways it has also become a replacement for playing World of Warcraft (which I used to play way way too much). Some of the hidden motives I was talking about in my previous post very much also applied to WoW, and when my brain thought of it in this context it kind of shed a whole new light on things within my own self awareness and perspective.

I have some chores and errands to handle this afternoon, then group coaching session and perhaps a stakee review meeting with skraper, and then hopefully some grinding tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to see my favorite band Phish!

I listened to a live stream of the first show of their summer tour last night, and they seem to be playing well. I have orchestra pit seats and I am pumped! I'm not doing the whole 3-day run up at SPAC with camping and all that, though - just driving up band back with a friend for the one night.

subbed

Haha i use to go to mad phish when i was young. ( over 30). Have fun man !!!!

Thanks!

I'm 34 myself, I will always probably enjoy going to see live music. A show is a good time.

this is so sick. awesome graph.



BEAST

Thanks! Hopefully the next 100k hands are even better.

I had a bit of a busy day today, doing some errands and yardwork in the morning, followed by some stakee/affiliate work, then a lengthy group coaching session and finally a meeting with skraper to review the stable. After a dinner break I put in a 3 hour online session for a profit of +$1400. I ran poorly in the beginning of session, losing several medium sized pots at 1/2, but I was happy that I was able to shake them off fairly easily and grind at a high level throughout session. At the end of session I coolered a whale and also ran well in some other spots obviously to finish with a nice win.

Tomorrow I'm gone all day to see Phish, and I imagine Friday I'll be a bit partied out but likely able to play at least a short evening session.

Phish was awesome. Our view before the show facing the stage:


and then turned around facing back away from the stage:


We were very close and it was a great show!

The drive home was brutal, though. We weren't going to get home until at least 4am, and as it turns out it was about 6am. My friend very much wanted to stop off at Turning Stone on the drive home to gamble for an hour, as he is married with kids and very rarely gets away and it was directly on the way. I just wanted to go home but he drove and he bought the tickets so what the heck. Well, of course I get smashed for several hundred in the pits almost immediately, basically not winning a single bet on anything. I waited around and he was ready to go after a while. One positive I drew from that though is traditionally I have always felt very compelled and excited to play games in the pit, and this time I felt much more like it was a bit of a silly chore and didn't have that mental excitement of chasing a big score - so I'm quite pleased about that I think it's partly because I was just so exhausted but also partly because my mental outlook and approach to life has changed a bit over the last couple years.

Yesterday was basically then a day of recovery, as I got very little sleep before waking back up, and spent the day mostly watching world cup and eating and couch tour'd some Phish at night. Today I'm looking to get a bit of exercise and get back to the grind.

Gosh getting old sucks. I'm in my mid 30s, and if I get partied out it really takes its toll on me over the course of a few days. Last night I caught up on sleep and slept for 11 hours, and today I have felt kind of tired and groggy throughout the day. However, I did get some exercise this morning and was able to get to full alertness for a session of online play. I can tell that my body will be back to normal tomorrow.

I put in 3 hours of online play, mostly at 1/2, for a profit of +$550. I ran poorly in many small to medium pots in the early part of session, but wasn't too frustrated by any of it and ended up running well at the end of session. I was zoned in for a while, but near the end I started to get a bit frustrated and insecure against a reg who was playing a bit too laggy and running well against me. I was able to effectively breathe and inject logic and keep things in perspective quickly, though. It's nice to start the month running well.

Also, to update the tally:

YTD Totals (Live + Online):
January: +$6,360
February: +$5,095
March: +$2,010
April: +$6,525
May: +$1,035
June: +$4,380
Total: +$25,405

Graph

Really interesting thread that I'll follow closely.

Got to the gym this morning, then had a coaching session with one of the guys from the stable this afternoon. I put in two sessions of online grinding for a total of 4 hours played for a profit of +$350. I was grinding at a high level and I am happy with my process lately - although everything is far easier when running well and I've obviously been on the positive side of variance more often than not this month. I felt like I could have played perhaps another hour but my tables all were dying down and game selection was thin so I decided book the session. So far this month I am at 13 hours played for a profit of +$2,350.

Another coaching session this afternoon, then 2 sessions of online grinding tonight for a total of 4 hours played for a profit of +$425. I am continuing to run well and play well, and the positive variance certainly helps make it easier for me to play my best and stick to a good daily process. I've been playing a range of limits from nl100 to nl600, but overall the majority of my play has been at 1/2 so far this month. I will be off for a few days upcoming with my girlfriend coming over, with a possibility of getting in some small grinding on Tuesday or Thursday but definitely not Wednesday.

Just wondering how many tables do you play online at a time? Thx!

Thanks.

5-6 generally

Nice couple of days with the girlfriend. Looks like she will be moving in about a month or so from now - things are going well. She left this afternoon and I got in an evening session of grinding to get back into the swing of things before the weekend.

3 hours of online play for a profit of +$500. I played well and ran well. Although I did get a bit distracted/unfocused and also frustrated a couple times, I was able to quickly correct the situation and keep to a good grinding process.

well I said it already but I think it's never too much
U facking rock. GG keep going

Thanks.

I did a good bit of work around the house today before going to the gym. I was able to get in 5.5 hours of online grinding for a profit of +$750. I played all 1/2 and .50/1.00 today as that seemed to be the best game selection to me.

I had a couple of leaks during session. Firstly, when I started session I couldn't find much action and decided to table start. The problem with this is that playing HU against an aggressive opponent requires many more frequent decisions for medium and large pots than playing 6max, and that is not the best way for me to start a session. Table starting is fine once I have been playing for a while and am in the groove, but it's not the right way for me to start a grind.

My opponent either ran me over or ran well against me over a smallish sample, and then hit a set vs my top pair in a 3bet pot and stacked me. I felt very frustrated, but I at least had the good sense to quit the match. I had thoughts along the lines of "pffft I bet that guy thinks he is so good and owned me, he is just lucky he godmoded me" after getting stacked. That is an unhealthy reaction and an ego driven sentiment. Who cares whether or not he thinks he is better than me? Maybe he IS in fact better than me - why would that be some sort of a problem for me to accept?

I took a moment and was able to quickly regroup and get into a proper mindset and just took my time game selecting 6max. I got stacked again shortly thereafter at a 6max table in a 3bet pot in a cooler situation, and was able to handle the poor start well and just continue on with a good grinding process.

The other issue was that I was listening to a stream of a live Phish concert tonight, and at times got a bit too distracted from the tables. I can listen and enjoy the stream but if I want to go check on the forums to see what fans are saying that is too much of a distraction and I can't be doing that. I realized it was too much and cut it out in the end, though.

Anyways, these issues aside, I still feel very happy with my grind today. I was in the zone and making some nice plays throughout most of the day, and again obviously I ran well to finish winner after the early hole and it's always easier for me to play my best when running well. Still, I'm pleased that I feel like I'm making the most out of the heater so to speak. Particularly, my bluff catching is greatly improved from where it was a year ago and that is generating extra winrate for me.

I should be able to continue to put in some healthy sessions over the next few days, and I'm looking forward to the World Cup finals this weekend. I root for Bayern Munich in Champions League, and that is mainly because I got into a soccer video game a couple years ago and had to pick a team to play in dynasty mode and I chose them. Robben is maybe my favorite player, so I tend to root for Germany and Netherlands in international play (always USA first though). Should be a good final. I'm also curious to see what Brazil looks like after the debacle against Germany. Haha I saw that Pornhub had to ask users to stop uploading clips of the Germany/Brazil game to the "Humiliation" porn category.

A bit tldr; of a post but I wanted to get my thoughts about my leaks today written down because that helps me improve. They were relatively minor and I was able to correct them fairly quickly, but nonetheless it's important to continue to try to get better.

Here is a hand I recently played that is an example of an induce and bluff catch line against a certain opponent type that I am more comfortable with now than I used to be. (I had some reads on villain)

subbed and GL

Thanks.

Long day of grinding. I put in 6 hours of play over 3 sessions, for a profit of +$150. I played mostly 1/2 throughout the day, and mixed in some .50/1.00, 2/4, and 3/6 here and there as well, choosing my spots. I faced a fair bit of negative variance throughout the day and I am very happy with how I dealt with it. I was satisfied with the prospect of booking a loser knowing I had made the most out of the day, but then I ended up winning a few pots right near the end to finish winner.

I notice that I'm gravitating towards playing a lot of 1/2. Part of that is simply game selection, but also part of it is that I am off to a good start this month and want to "protect it". My mental game has come a long way, but an amount like $5k is also still more meaningful life money for me than it really should be to comfortably grind 3/6 (or higher) all the time. However, my mental game will continue to improve over time, and if I continue to apply myself that sum will relatively soon be a bit less meaningful. The bottom line is I'm happy to grind a solid base of 1/2 and take my shots at the midstakes when the games are good, and not play scared money while doing so, but also I'm not going to force all my tables to be 2/4+ just for the sake of "grinding the midstakes".

Anyways, I'm happy with how I handled the runbad and tough spots throughout the day both in my technical play and mental acceptance, and that is more important to me than being able to play well when running hot. Obviously the fact that I've been running well all month creates a much easier framework from which to handle the short term negative variance, but nonetheless these type of days also help "inchworm" and set the personal bar a bit higher.

I get into that mode a lot where I am trying to "protect" profits or whatever. One of my bigger issues probably. If you find a way to work through it be sure to let me know because I definitely feel that, especially when I am winding down a month.

Ya it's definitely always worse right at the end of the month. For now my plan to address is to 1) practice at it and 2) increase my savings.