100% agree.

Whyt not just get in aipf and realize ur equity? He has commited 40%, if he folds ur printing money and if he calls ur like 60-70% vs all non-AA combos.

I think when you have position it's ok to have some AAxx in your flatting range. Sometimes it'll lead to you getting it in even better post than pre and in general just works ok as part of a balanced game. That said, I don't claim to be good and could be way off. However, if we're results orientated that hands summed up some of the EV spots we can get into by having some AAxx flat stuff to 4bets.

Poker

I played a bunch of zoom lately, 5k hands or so. I'm crushing 1/2 and kinda running like ass (in general) whenever I jump into 2/5 shots. Today there were 4 unique entries in the 2/5 pool that were legit run players so seemed like a good spot to take a shot.

Hands:

I'm a monkey pushing buttons -

http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-h...795_668DCC4283

This 2nd hand was so pure. It's vs a reg called NinoPino who I'd categorise as an ok reg, mass tabler, plays solid enough but isn't tricky at all. He does however relentlessly cooler me and makes poor over calls etc. He is so above EV vs me so it felt good to take a bunch back here-

http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-h...106_AA7D751C9F

Health

Today after the 2/5 shot I had a bad turn. I think the stress overcame me and I reverted back to some of the terrible physical symptoms I've had in the past month. After recently leaving the hell of those symptoms and returning somewhat to normal to have this spell of symptoms was pretty upsetting and distressing.

With that said I'm gonna offer a freeroll and if anyone see's me playing 2/5 zoom in the next 7 days and posts it in here I'll give them $50.

Be good all.

Interesting read. GL in your challenge.

Love this thread cuz your honesty and have struggled with a ton of degen **** in the past myself. You need to put way more emphasis on your health though man, it ain't worth it. GL. Sub'd.

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It's awesome that you got to admit the entire truth of the situation. Honesty and integrity will lead you to the right path. They are the keys to opening up your reality and intentions because you will able to see the universe truly for what it is, without any abstractions of the mind. When you can do that, you'll find infinite room for creativity and expression. To escape the abstract reality you have created for yourself, you need one simple thing - awareness.

To have a strong and sharp awareness, you need a strong mind. To have a strong mind, you need a strong body. This is why health should be your number 1 priority. Think of your body as an antenna. If you have a ****ty antenna, you will only be able to pick up a weak reception.

If you feel like you are too far behind health-wise, don't become discouraged and anxious. Being at a disadvantage in anything is actually an advantage in disguise. It means you will have to actually care and set up the right foundations, foundations that you will keep naturally even when you reach your goals.

Good luck, rooting for you.

Enjoyed this a lot, thanks for writing.

Hey guys.

Quick recap post of last week and gonna set out some goals for this week.

Primarily focused on playing sporadic amounts of online poker basically, was in pretty much full on health recovery mode and didn't feel like it was time to return to any live poker just yet. Played the majority of my volume at $1/2 PLO zoom and played 2k hands or so of $2/5 zoom in good pools, which didn't go so well.

- the good

- the bad

I won a little money in a range of 5c cards too. The 5c games at mid stakes seem really, really good on the occasions I jump in but the variance is through the roof, particularly with a bunch of people running it once a lot etc. So I think I'll be avoiding them more often that not until I rebuild further but might play the best games and sell some action.

I felt that I played really strong at 1/2 after spewing a bit at the start of the week. I definitely ran well, as evident by my sun running over EV. I think at 2/5 I'm currently outclassed. I'd been pool selecting and only jumping in when a few fun players were involved but I think the regs are tough, the majority much better than me and felt like I was getting exploited a ton in loads of spots. That said I think my play wasn't so bad at 2/5 and I was definitely on the wrong side of everything in 4bet pots and set ups.

Biggest pot won at 1/2:

PokerStars - $2 PL Hi FAST (6 max) - Omaha Hi - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BTN): 107.7 BB
SB: 323.22 BB (VPIP: 22.22, PFR: 11.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 9)
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 33.85, PFR: 19.78, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 465)
UTG: 48.96 BB (VPIP: 29.73, PFR: 16.22, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 37)
MP: 280.87 BB (VPIP: 83.10, PFR: 47.89, 3Bet Preflop: 3.23, Hands: 72)
CO: 158.2 BB (VPIP: 34.88, PFR: 16.28, 3Bet Preflop: 8.00, Hands: 43)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T T 4 4

fold, fold, CO raises to 3.5 BB, Hero raises to 12 BB, SB calls 11.5 BB, BB raises to 51.5 BB, CO raises to 158.2 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 95.7 BB and is all-in, SB calls 146.2 BB, BB calls 48.5 BB and is all-in

Flop: (524.1 BB, 4 players) 4 3 6

Turn: (524.1 BB, 4 players) 2

River: (524.1 BB, 4 players) J

SB shows 4 9 K J (Two Pair, Jacks and Fours)

Main Pot [400 BB]: (Pre 27%, Flop 6%, Turn 19%)
Side Pot#1 [23.09 BB]: (Pre 30%, Flop 5%, Turn 17%)
Side Pot#2 [101.01 BB]: (Pre 42%, Flop 34%, Turn 45%)

CO shows A 2 6 A (Two Pair, Sixes and Twos)

Main Pot [400 BB]: (Pre 30%, Flop 12%, Turn 9%)
Side Pot#1 [23.09 BB]: (Pre 52%, Flop 28%, Turn 17%)
Side Pot#2 [101.01 BB]: (Pre 58%, Flop 66%, Turn 55%)

Hero shows T T 4 4 (Three of a Kind, Fours)

Main Pot [400 BB]: (Pre 13%, Flop 53%, Turn 59%)
Side Pot#1 [23.09 BB]: (Pre 17%, Flop 68%, Turn 67%)

BB shows Q 8 7 Q (One Pair, Queens)

Main Pot [400 BB]: (Pre 30%, Flop 30%, Turn 13%)

Hero wins 421.69 BB
SB wins 101.01 BB

Biggest pot lost at 1/2:

PokerStars - $2 PL Hi FAST (6 max) - Omaha Hi - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 100 BB (VPIP: 23.71, PFR: 15.13, 3Bet Preflop: 5.42, Hands: 1,760)
SB: 100 BB (VPIP: 29.44, PFR: 18.49, 3Bet Preflop: 8.63, Hands: 1,395)
BB: 260.59 BB (VPIP: 28.89, PFR: 14.44, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 90)
UTG: 250.84 BB (VPIP: 29.77, PFR: 18.16, 3Bet Preflop: 9.24, Hands: 1,448)
MP: 201.93 BB (VPIP: 27.63, PFR: 16.95, 3Bet Preflop: 5.73, Hands: 645)
Hero (CO): 297.28 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q J 8 6

UTG raises to 3.5 BB, fold, Hero raises to 12 BB, fold, fold, fold, UTG raises to 37.5 BB, Hero calls 25.5 BB

Flop: (76.5 BB, 2 players) Q 5 3
UTG bets 56.33 BB, Hero raises to 244.08 BB, UTG calls 157.02 BB and is all-in

Turn: (503.18 BB, 2 players) 3

River: (503.18 BB, 2 players) A

UTG shows K J A A (Full House, Aces full of Threes)
(Pre 60%, Flop 42%, Turn 75%)
Hero shows Q J 8 6 (Two Pair, Queens and Threes)
(Pre 40%, Flop 58%, Turn 25%)
UTG wins 501.78 BB

Health and Goals

I'm back in at the doctor's in 1 hour. I think we're going to discuss some options with relation to mental illness.

Undoubtedly the week was a success health wise though. I started the week running out of a restaurant mid meal with my parents and girlfriend through freaking out and ended the week at a meal in Covent Garden last night with 10 people where I felt fine and relaxed. I also went to the gym for the first time since these issue really starting affecting my day to day life. I just did some light cardio and lifting some small weights but on the whole felt much better for doing so.

My goals for this week is to try and play a live poker session, or maybe several if it goes well (mindset wide as opposed to results wise). I also want to try and research or practice some meditation for 10 minutes a day. I'm going to hit the gym frequently and work on regaining some weight and building up my strength also.

I really enjoy this thread and your last one. I admire your honesty. Good luck with the doctor.

Below is a link of a 9 minute mindulness mediation (from samharris.org) which I found helpful and which maybe be beneficial for you. Hope it helps.

Episode: http://podplayer.net/#/?id=35915

Really enjoyed your last PG&Cs thread mate and hoping you can conquer all your demons this year. Clearly a massively talented PLO player and definitely can make your way back to the top eventually with solid BR management.

All the best!

its a good thing to admit and working on things, keep it up.



this is qualify?

yup, that'll do it.

pm ur stars name

Gym=saved my life.Panic attacks started last october.

Will make you feel better about yourself.Exercise will clear your head.Lifting weights will make you feel stronger both mentally and psychically.Working through a workout program means you have something to focus on other than poker.The gym has a really good atmosphere.There are a lot of positive people there.

I hope you make it through, i'm still trying.

subbing

subbed, really enjoyed last thread.

might be worth looking into breathing therapy (hope it's translated right ), a friend of mine was totally burning out and had some real bad physical issues / near death from over stressing, studying and working too much etc. and it did wonders for him.

best of luck on rebuilding both your health and the bankroll!

Just wrote out a message only to have 2p2 log me out and for it to be wiped. I ****** hate the 2p2 time out system it's a complete pile of ****e. Oh well, I'll try again. It'll be a shortened blog post however now.

Online Poker

Played about 10 hours online this week so far. Mixture of zoom and 5c. Basically breaking even in zoom, winning small in 2/5 and losing small in 1/2. Been getting a little bashed in 5c. 5c is going to see a big migration of action over the coming months in my opinion. The variance and equities are absurd and I think the more savvy fun players will come to realise this and enjoy the fact they'll get slightly better chance on return for their punts in 5c over 4c.

Does anyone ****** know how to beat Odd Oddsen in an all in!? If you do PM me the secret code and i'll pay you high gold for doing so.

Thoughts on this stack off? Felt ok at the time but could be a little spew?

PokerStars - $5 PL Hi FAST (6 max) - Omaha Hi - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 89 BB (VPIP: 35.51, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 4.83, Hands: 493)
Hero (SB): 133.5 BB
BB: 1086.82 BB (VPIP: 30.41, PFR: 18.67, 3Bet Preflop: 7.28, Hands: 716)
UTG: 108.98 BB (VPIP: 37.29, PFR: 30.51, 3Bet Preflop: 17.39, Hands: 59)
MP: 11.93 BB (VPIP: 30.77, PFR: 23.08, 3Bet Preflop: 5.41, Hands: 92)
CO: 172.3 BB (VPIP: 34.46, PFR: 19.05, 3Bet Preflop: 8.41, Hands: 1,122)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 8 7 6 9

UTG raises to 3.5 BB, fold, CO calls 3.5 BB, fold, Hero raises to 15 BB, fold, UTG calls 11.5 BB, CO calls 11.5 BB

Flop: (46 BB, 3 players) T 2 A
Hero bets 45.44 BB, UTG raises to 90.88 BB, CO raises to 157.3 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 73.06 BB and is all-in, UTG calls 3.1 BB and is all-in

Turn: (376.98 BB, 3 players) 6

River: (376.98 BB, 3 players) 8

Hero shows 8 7 6 9 (Straight, Ten High)

Main Pot [327.94 BB]: (Pre 39%, Flop 41%, Turn 44%)
Side Pot#1 [49.04 BB]: (Pre 49%, Flop 40%, Turn 43%)

CO shows T 4 K A (Two Pair, Aces and Tens)

Main Pot [327.94 BB]: (Pre 30%, Flop 20%, Turn 18%)
Side Pot#1 [49.04 BB]: (Pre 50%, Flop 60%, Turn 58%)

UTG shows Q T A J (Two Pair, Aces and Tens)

Main Pot [327.94 BB]: (Pre 31%, Flop 39%, Turn 38%)

Hero wins 376.42 BB

This hand was kinda interesting. Villain is Kaju. Pre from me is smalls disastrous, I was autopiloting at the time about 3am, thought I was defending to a raise and then realised. i think Kaju turn play is kinda spew as I don't think this goes b/f at all on the turn. I guess his hand is probably an ok to have in the turn jam no pair bluff range (this is a real thing ).

PokerStars - $5 PL Hi FAST (6 max) - Omaha Hi - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 103.94 BB (VPIP: 30.84, PFR: 22.43, 3Bet Preflop: 6.98, Hands: 109)
Hero (SB): 140.88 BB
BB: 100 BB (VPIP: 28.79, PFR: 15.15, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 70)
UTG: 601.53 BB (VPIP: 28.17, PFR: 15.30, 3Bet Preflop: 4.64, Hands: 1,042)
MP: 214.13 BB (VPIP: 38.04, PFR: 22.67, 3Bet Preflop: 10.20, Hands: 1,045)
CO: 103.16 BB (VPIP: 35.92, PFR: 23.24, 3Bet Preflop: 11.54, Hands: 149)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 6 9 8 T

UTG raises to 3.5 BB, MP raises to 12 BB, fold, fold, Hero calls 11.5 BB, fold, UTG calls 8.5 BB

Flop: (37 BB, 3 players) Q J 4
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP checks

Turn: (37 BB, 3 players) 8
Hero bets 31.76 BB, UTG calls 31.76 BB, MP raises to 163.46 BB, Hero calls 97.13 BB and is all-in, fold

River: (326.52 BB, 2 players) K

Hero shows 6 9 8 T (Straight, King High)
(Pre 55%, Flop 69%, Turn 80%)
MP shows T 6 7 5 (High Card, King)
(Pre 45%, Flop 31%, Turn 20%)
Hero wins 325.96 BB

Fun one from 1/2 vs everyone's favourite multitabler FoR:

PokerStars - $2 PL Hi FAST (6 max) - Omaha Hi - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 118.57 BB (VPIP: 33.30, PFR: 21.79, 3Bet Preflop: 7.92, Hands: 1,156)
SB: 54.6 BB (VPIP: 31.06, PFR: 22.98, 3Bet Preflop: 11.46, Hands: 237)
Hero (BB): 129.12 BB
UTG: 236.07 BB (VPIP: 29.72, PFR: 18.17, 3Bet Preflop: 5.78, Hands: 1,712)
MP: 172.87 BB (VPIP: 31.82, PFR: 21.21, 3Bet Preflop: 8.00, Hands: 68)
CO: 296.88 BB (VPIP: 24.95, PFR: 14.49, 3Bet Preflop: 6.61, Hands: 507)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A 7 9 J

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 3 BB, SB raises to 10 BB, Hero calls 9 BB, BTN raises to 31 BB, SB calls 21 BB, Hero calls 21 BB

Flop: (93 BB, 3 players) 2 7 7
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets 11.75 BB, fold, Hero raises to 23.5 BB, BTN calls 11.75 BB

Turn: (140 BB, 2 players) A
Hero checks, BTN bets 12 BB, Hero calls 12 BB

River: (164 BB, 2 players) Q
Hero bets 52.5 BB, BTN calls 52.07 BB and is all-in

Hero shows A 7 9 J (Full House, Sevens full of Aces)
(Pre 50%, Flop 98%, Turn 100%)
BTN shows 2 K A T (Two Pair, Aces and Sevens)
(Pre 50%, Flop 2%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins 266.74 BB

Health

I think if you're someone who suffers with mental illness, the greatest tool at your disposal is the ability to get into a routine and schedule. I have found this to be the greatest solution to feeling better since my lapse. On tues night i ended up grinding zoom from 11pm-6am because the games were soooooo good. As a result I ended up sleeping at 7am with sunlight dripping through and only slept for 4 hours. Unsurprisingly Weds was the worst day of my week health wise. Felt groggy all day, couldn't really get going at all. Took a walk to try and feel better but ended up just feeling edgy and jittery the whole time. Last night I slept at my gf's after we'd been out for a meal. Got a solid 8 hours, woke early and had a long walk and feel 100% better today.

I've been struggling to manage my relaxation, which is something my doctor said i've got to get on top of. I sit for 10 mins in the morning and watch sports news whilst drinking a tea and that's really the only time I'm letting my mind relax. For some motivation it's freeroll time. If I don't do a proper 10 minute meditation today and if I don't do a dumbell session then I'll give the first 3 poster's to respond $50. I'm honest with this stuff (playr has already been paid out etc) so gl guys, although I hope ya don't get it .

Live Poker

Played live Monday and Tuesday night. I won £1k Monday and then lost £800 Tuesday. I played really poor on Tuesday night, playing online hampered my live game because I was just balancing my range in loads of spots (LOL ITS LIVE POKER JUST ****** BET FOR VALUE) and as a result really undercut myself in a ton of spots. I got bored and spewy too. It's really hard to find motivation to grind live as I just hate it so much. I'm gonna try and play Saturday night tho as the game is traditionally excellent.

I'll do a graph update at the end of the month when I'll do a recap.

Have fun and be good all.

I mean it seems kind of obvious and all, but not sure i read it anywhere ITT.....so...... dont you think these health problems are really just a result of the stress involved in playing high stakes poker and your body/mind is trying to tell you something?

You probably hate the idea of quitting and building a new career/life but if you were my friend thats exactly what I would be telling them to do ....theres tonnes more to existing than just poker

all the best with everything but, esp.,the health thing, cos it sounds scary/suffocating/stressful

Gl with the meditation and the workout. All the best

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I seriously can't handle those days after nights where you pull a late session either. If you find a solution to how to combat this please do let us know!!

I dont think u can. To start playing optimal again u need at least 12-14 hours in between to start fresh again. And i tend to go for 14-15. If im playing consecutive days that is.

i simply dont allow myself to play if i dont do certain excersizes.

Good luck OP

I think that the lifestyle I've led since 2012, with the Macau, the Vegas, the Aus and the constantly chasing the biggest and highest games definitely burnt me out. Lost me my perspective on the world and my perspective on what was important outside of money.

I'm fortunate to me friends with some of the best poker players in the UK, they do give me a lot of advice. They know that deep down I still enjoy and want to play poker, perhaps not grinding out low stakes live every day but online etc I enjoy > a job. I should beat these levels for an ok clip but obviously if I don't I'd have to look into other options. I think it was the playing and swinging so big that hurt me more than poker as a whole....who knows, this could be denial.

Thanks, started meditation today. So unfortunately the free roll doesn't pay out this time. However, it was great, I felt instantly far more relaxed and at ease in the aftermath. I will now try and work it into my routine every day.

Online is so fun! I sometimes jump on intending to play for 1hr and look at the clock and 5 hours have flown by etc!


I think this is a great approach and something I'm going to look into. Perhaps meditating before session and after sessions.

Thanks.

I have to say the 2p2 community has been really good, I've been inundated with skypes and PM's and everyone has been super kind. It definitely all helps.

i assumed you like live poker since that what you've mostly done over the last few years? but as you've said you hate it now maybe you're better off cutting it out for a few months while you get your health on track...
w zoom nd mb w 5c too, you can play 1,2,3hrs at a time and take 20 mins break here and there to exercise/get outside/stretch/meditate/eat/whatever any time thoughout the day. which is obv better for you than being sat in a chair for 6-10 hours at a time.
it's also better for improving your game, and you can play within your br by just excluding yourself from the stakes you're not rolled to play.
if you're not really rolled for 2/5 atm and you're printing at 1/2, stop being so desperate to move up and learn to control yourself (again, self-exclusion) and beat the games you can play without stressing. you'd be surprised how good it'll feel sticking to the same limit for a full month and winning even a small amount when it helps you get control over other parts of your life. even try setting a goal of grinding 50k hands at 1/2 Z and see what bb/100 you can end up with at the end. if the relatively small money doesn't motivate you despite being in a situation where you kinda need it atm, find out what some other grinders' wr are and aim to beat them.
might feel like an overly modest and boring way to go about it but removing yourself from situations where you allow yourself to be a self-desturctive dope is gonna be good for you.

on the health front, have you been tested for various food allergies and/or things like crohn's disease, coeliac disease? don't let doctors tell you that you just need better sleep and regular exercise or anti-anxiety pills when you know that something just isn't right. doctors can be lazy,careless, and bad at their jobs too.
also even if you're bipolar,depressed, or suffering other mental blocks, don't just always allow yourself to use that as an excuse for doing things you know you shouldn't let yourself do. it's too easy to win a couple k at lower limits and then say "really wanna play higher and my bipolar tendencies sure do feel like they're kicking in so weeeeee here it goes" and then later feel like there was no way to avoid what happened because ohnoesimselfdestructiveandwillalwaysbe. especially online where you can just set your lobby preferences to a) not see the higher games at all and b) make it impossible for you to join those games anyway.

also remember that ultimately noone really gives a **** if you're good enough to beat 100/200 live, or 10/20 online, or whatever games, and noone really gives a **** if you're just playing at low stakes either. there's nothing wrong with being where you are. objectively asses your finances, play the games you can comfortably afford, and cutout any notions you have of where you think you should be, where you think other people think you should be, where you want other people to think you should be, and all that other bolix because none of it means dick.

good luck, will defo be following the thread. hope to see a winning graph without a wild highstakes swing in the middle of it at the end of the month

No nonsense post Adi, and thorough! Appreciate ya taking the time to write it. Really good points.

As for underlying health. I've been through pretty rigorous tests, blood tests, x-rays (had my stomach x'rayd etc so can probably rule out chrons and the like). All my physical tests have been passed and both GP's and Doctors in the hospitals say that physically I'm healthy.

Totally agree with those points about online. I do find online healthier and allows for better life control. Live I definitely have a bigger edge though cos as you say it's what I'd done for years.

Thanks for the post and gl on the tables.