Reading through the thread, had to LOL when I came to this part. WP.

Only thing better than betting a gutshot in a raised pot IP, getting 6 callers, and then getting there on the turn is getting 2 streets of value with the hand afterwards.

Had another good day today. Seems like every time I bluffed people folded, and every time I had a hand they called. I like it when that happens. Usually equates to a good day.

No real stand out hands. But I'll post the one I alluded to earlier.


Villain 1: ABCish station. Won't abandon a pair or draw until the river. I wouldn't bluff him with air, but wouldn't be afraid to throw out a value bet on the river with a marginal holding. About $500.

Villain 2: Nitty nut peddler with no redeeming qualities at all. Pretty sure he enjoys fondling farm animals in his spare time. ~$700

I cover all players.


36 os. 4 limpers I call in CO.

SB makes it $20 to go, 4 callers I call and 6 see a flop:

Flop 257r.

Checked to me. I bet 65
2 callers.

Turn 4r

Checked to me i bet 85
(I wish I could give more insight as to why I bet that amount, but I know Villain 2 reads this blog, and let's just say with him in the hand I opted to tread lightly while at same time hoping to induce a reraise from villain 1.)

Villain 2 folds, V1 calls.

River Ax

Checked to me I bet $125 V1 tank calls.

He flips over 23. I win.

Just realized I have the action all screwed up in above hand. I had 5 or 6 callers on flop.
The 2 came from me only being concerned about 2 of the players involved and mixing up the action from an earlier hand with villain 1.

Didn't write down the hand when it happened because it didn't seem that significant.

Villain 2 may be able to recount the exact action (the hands and bet sizing are accurate, but I do recall laughing when everyone called my flop bet.)

Thank you for this description of me. At first I was offended... upon further analysis though, I realized that indeed, I do not have any redeeming qualities.

That was a different nitty nut peddler, the type that would never shove all in with 64dd.

Besides, you are a tourney donk now. And you do have a redeeming quality... You are the only one in the casino more fashion-forward than I am. Plus dat hair.

For the sake of accuracy, the preflop betting actually was King Fish raising to $25 and getting 7 callers. On the flop it checks to button who bets $100 with 3 callers.
The rest of the story is correct.

I was long overdue. -$1500 day.

Ran horribly and didn't play particularly well. Climbed almost out of a $1.5k hole then gave it all back because I'm a giver.

Some lowlights:

Made a hero call on a 1.5x pot bet with T9 on a 972KK board. He had J9. (To be fair I would have snap called with Q9. This was a deep ponderance "****it probably a bad call" call.

Did save a little money when I made a nitty fold with QQ in a 3-way pot when third player shoved and I was caught in middle. It ended up being JJ VS AK. J hit river so technically I saved about $500, tho I lost some Skalnsky Bucks.

Ran a bluff that *almost* worked on a king high board to a player who had AK. That cost me $700.

Then when I looked like I was tilting, loose player raises my Straddle for 30. I toss in a pike of chips that comes to 165 with AQ. I thought we were heads up. He flats with me having about $245 behind. Then a tight player I didn't even see was in hand who had called pre shoves. FML.

I make crying call hoping I'm up against just KK. Original raiser then tank calls.

"Hidden" player tables AA. I table my AQ. (Orig raiser doesn't show... Claims KK but I have my doubts)
Queen on flop gives me hope but bah i fail to suck out.

Oh, and to RoyalT... I did have QsXh that hand, I just didn't want table to think I was that easy. Turns out tho my heart would not have been good. (I said 8, but it was actually a bit higher, and not lower .

With way I had been running (and playing) guess I can't complain.

But damn, I want to.

Did feel good tho to get back on felt after about 10 days of real world events keeping me away.

How do you think having a second child will alter your poker playing career?

Well, it may end up postponing a return to Vegas by another year or two. Hopefully I'll be able to get out there this year, but what was once a sure thing is looking more and more like a long shot. Also have to start making the commute to bigger games down the beltway.

I actually don't play to maximize profit. I play to get best value between entertainment/enjoyment and making $$$. May have to rethink that approach, but not so sure. Just about all my poker friends (who are for the most part more successful than me in regards to bet earn at the tables) have come to hate the game and dread playing, even tho they do quite well. After god knows how many live hours and over 3 million online hands (which I know is not so impressive nowadays), I still love this game.

Wife will prob want guaranteed side income as well, so either need to actively step up coaching side gigs or focus on side business (which technically is suppose to be the main gig with poker on side...)

Have opportunities to expand both or neither, so guess I need to decide soon.

I've never really worried about money. I'm not rich by any means, buts it's something that in the last, whenever I wanted it I was always able to figure a way to get it (be that via 20-hour work days, playing poker, buying and selling collectibles, etc.) The more we add to the family the more I probably should stop taking that for granted.

It's not that I don't have respect for money, it's just that it's never been a huge driver or motivating force in my life. Money can't buy happiness, but I also know a lack of it sure can bring about misery.

I guess I need to cut down in days like today, and maybe take the game a but more seriously. (Tho to be honest if the cards did break even and I didn't press so much at end, it would have been a decent day overall, but I absolutely burned about $1k in marginal spots today.)

What was the question again?

One thing I should add about today that REALLY interfered with my game. I had someone who, in position, was basically soft playing me today. And I really hate that.

(Basically telling me to fold when she had monsters HU and then actually showing monsters.) Did it save me money? Maybe a little, but truthfully I never would have gotten myself in too much trouble. We have a lot of history, and she used to come after me hard, and TBH it was very, very profitable when she did this. But today (mostly due to a misunderstanding where I got a little peeved after she made me show a hand I would have rather mucked) she wanted to play "friendly" when we were HU. (All bets off when multiway, of course.)

Because of this, the "killer instinct" I usually play with was gone. I have no qualms about friends stacking me or me getting stacked by them. When we are in a pot I have no emotions as it pertains to external factors. I feed in anger/tilt in a way. I kind of like it. Sort of like that first hit in football or that first punch taken in a fight. When I'm a little punch drunk and beaten up, I'm usually at my best.

I struggled when she was there. Hands I normally hammer down hard I found myself playing more passively out of this deference I am suppose to show. I just don't believe in the softest at all and hate it, but at same time I don't want to scare people from the table.

Once she left, I began to rebound. Played more of my hyper aggro spewtard approach and settled back in to my comfort zone. (And granted I did give it back later by playing more of my hyper aggro spewtard approach).

It's easy to say "soft play is bad never do it," but when a person who is good for the table is in a HU situation and they want to "play friendly" (especially when in position) I do try to do what I can to make the player (and table) enjoy themselves more. (To be clear... This person in past games would also lie when she said "fold I have it" or "go away" and very well could have been doing this today, but the two hands she showed were both monster hands (albeit susceptible to draws, but as it turns out in both situations I did happen to be drawing dead (in small pots)).

Ok right now I'm drinking and rambling. The cliffs are: Please... Even HU, even if we are related and you owe me money... Don't soft play me. Ever. And in return I promise I won't soft play you.

And before anyone gets on that moral high horse an says soft play is cheating u should never it's collusion etc. I reiterate I would NEVER do it in a tournament situation, when others are in the hand, or if it on any way affects anyone other than me and the other person. And if it was up to me it just wouldn't ever happen.

Come at me bro, Please.

This post brought to you by about $80 worth of good bourbon.

Uggg. I suck at Poker. #Mondays

Yeah I know what you mean, whenever I am at a table with anyone I am friendly with we still go after each others chips and treat it as a rivalry. It is lame to soft play.

I played at a table last night with Miss "Soft Play". She was doing the same thing with me and another guy, telling us when to fold. It made it hard to go after her when I knew I was ahead in a hand. I constructively advised her not to do it and why, and referred to the other day when she was doing it. I think she understood and said she wouldn't do it anymore. So if you find yourself at a table with her in the future, go for it. I don't think she'll be taking it easy anymore.

Soft playing is hella lame.

Also let's say it's 5 way to to the flop for $25 and pot becomes ~$125. Two soft-players are left on the turn and they decide to then check it down. This is *not* cool.

Nice little losing streak going. Down about 4k this week. When spewtards miss, they miss hard.

Mostly coolers, but hands I generally could've gotten away from. About 1k pure spew.

Extra bonus was a $5k hit on outside expenses I wasn't expecting. That comes directly out of the bankroll. Puts a 10/25 shot on the side burner for time being. Time to rebuild!

soooooo what was the 5k hit? Should you put it in the Degen thread or the Anonymous confession thread?

You have to shove this river!! It is clear you are ahead of his range, even if you value own yourself against Ax; Lose the ~$100 behind he has in value.

Think I'll start posting in your epic/awsum thread now....( but only to alcohol induced posts).
I agree 110% with not soft playing......I think it's better to just play hard ( even harder against friends ) , no one gets hurt this way. And if someone , like in this case your describing, starts doing it, I usually just just go into total mental warfare and try to mind fu*k them to death. Tell them I have a huge hand , "don't call, I just turned the nuts" or what ever. And if it ends up that I have to show down and get caught in a total lie....so be it, things will be back to normal anyway, right?
The other thing I hope your readers take from this , Kfish, is to always , always, always be as friendly as possible to all poker players so they come back. I know I have people/fish/ loosing players that are happy to sit on my right and ship me money because they enjoy the game and not having to sit next to a jerk.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Likely ruptured some tendons in my arm/shoulder and waiting for an appointment with the surgeon (2 more weeks...ung!), so haven't played much past 2 weeks because pain has been distracting and really haven't slept much this month at all.

It also out the nail in the coffin for a possible trip to Vegas this year to play the ME.

After swapping spit at 1/2 for 30 minutes, got into this hand at 2/5 after my second orbit at the table:

I have about $450 to start the hand.

Limped 6 way I complete in SB with A 7

Flop 5 7 T

Checked to HJ, who bets 25 (solid player, $1.7k behind). I flat. Station UTG ($1100) flats.

Turn A

I lead out 60, knowing station will call. Station calls. Big stack raises $500+ I snap call but don't love it.

Station folds.

Villain has K 4. I don't improve.

(Actually even worse a 5 falls on the river and for a second I think I made my boat but then realize I didn't so I sort of slow rolled myself.)

Then I leave, go home, and drown sorrows in muscle relaxers and Percocet. May try again Friday.

I'll add that a main reason I left was because I just instacalled without thinking. When I called I figured I likely have 11 outs and was behind.

Not saying I fold there if I took my time to think before auto calling, but the fact that I didn't even give it 10-15 seconds of thought irked me.

I've caught myself acting without thinking about why I'm acting too many times the last few weeks. Goes against my style. I always have a reason behind my plays, even if the rationale is a bit ****ed up at times.

Also, because of the pain I have definitely fallen into that "double up or go home" mentality a few times, and that type of unnecessary pressing rarely leads to the "double up" scenario.

have I missed how you busted your shoulder.

my Dad had a tendon in his shoulder fixed years ago and it took him a good 6 months to get over it. I think it was over 12 months before he had full movement back in it.

Though he would be a fair bit older than you, which I believe increases rehab time.

Stopping an armed robbery while slam dunking a basketball.

Also, it made me late to World Cup practice and I think that's why Brazil lost.

you fell over masturbating again didn't you

In.

*waits for tendon story*