Meh, after riding my upswing online for a couple of hours (+300$), dropped 400$ in 7h live. I will say this though, if I did miss the low-variance-low-volume-softness that live provides, I did not miss having that coked up dude on my left, cheering after every win, talking non-stop and sucking up all the energy at the table Slowly getting back in the swing of things, but found myself playing suited connectors OOP, opening too wide in a 10-11 handed game and transposing my LAGgy online style to a game where TAG works infinitely better. Oh well, I intend on crushing tomorrow I am tired, will sign out now.

Challenge : +3314.39$

Lolive Pokerz

Still tweaking my live game somewhat ; never easy to transition from 2-6 handed at 500+ hands/hour to lol 10-11 handed at a 25 hands per hour clip Not only do the opening ranges differ greatly, of course, but variables that are almost set in stone online like fold equity, barreling ranges and how blockers interact, are not as trivial live... TBH, I don't feel that my live game needs much tweaking (at least in these northern parts), but still decided to perhaps increase my VPP by 2-5% (which I am now against) and attack more frequently capped ranges (but my table image does not warrant a tremendous amount of fold equity ) : -500$ in 6h live (rapidly dug myself a 1200$ hole from which I had to climb out all night ), -100$ in 3h online. Pretty happy with my play though, where I took some high variance routes that were tremendously profitable, but variance did alas not fall my way


Hand of the Day


After a maniac LAG opens to 7$ UTG (something like 80/60/20 ), another equally laggy player makes it 15$ in UTG1 and a weak TAG calls in MP, I make it 70$ in the hijack with 99 ; CO calls (Axs) as does button (Axs as well), UTG folds, UTG1 calls (AJo) before MP decides to shove (AQo). I sigh call Bah, I need some sleep.

Challenge : +2819.39$

The Low Variance Income Route

As perhaps some of you remember from last year, June is not where live poker is at In the 2015 edition of the Old Lady, I had managed to squeeze out a 6.5k month (was running bad though) and had complained more than once about the lack of action. Not this year. First of all, we managed to convince the Poker manager to get us a 10-20 Omaha L08 game for this coming Thursday, secondly, I simply love to take a break from online, go socialize at the live table with people I love, goof around, share a few laughs, and scoop in some low variance income : +100$ online in 2h, +200$ live in 2h


Weekly Review


Great way to start off the season here, despite a tough weekend : 3k in 48h (62.65$/h). Online will be my main vehicle for the month of June (3.2k in 28h), but it is so relieving to get to alternate my grind with some live play (-200$ in 21h) and have this entertainment in my face




Some funky/sexy dancing that makes even da Ole Lady envious

As far as my mental game goes, maintained a solid B game throughout the week with flashes of A game, which seems to be the standard in this part of the world, as I manage to balance out, like previously mentioned, my live and virtual grind, maintain a balance lifestyle while soling focusing on the grind.


Challenge : +3027.11$

Swinging in Between GTO and Exploitative Play





There is a fine line in between GTO and exploitative play when it comes to live poker, one where even a tightrope walker would struggle to keep balance on...





You see, on the GTO side of things, you have blockers, balanced bluffing ranges, Checking frequencies etc., fundamentals that give you some solid equilibrium while walking through emptiness with that darn gravity applying constant pressure ... And then there is exploitation : knowing your surroundings, reading into the live atmosphere, staying in tune with the flow of things +200$ online in 4h, + 350$ live in 3h


How I almost got away with Murder, but got Sentenced to Life and then some


Speaking of exploitative/GTO dynamics, here is a hand that I felt I had to bluff 100% of the time for both balance and live reads.

Villain 1 is actually a pro, but from the old school OMC type, which, outside of occupying a seat that should be taken by a spewtard , makes him not very hard to play against. Villain 2 is as a LAG on the spewy side of things

OMC opens to 12$ from hijack, I call OTB with KQ (not a call I will make with great frequency, but with the nut position, I feel that I can work some magic, walk on water or something along those lines ) while LAGgy BB makes it 26$. Hijack calls, as do I.

Flop (79$)
AK7

BB cbets 15$, OMC calls and I decide to tag along.

Turn (124$)
AK7 3

BB double barrels a meagre 30$ ; villain 1 makes the call and I close the action.

River (214$)
AK7 3 8

BB checks, OMC bets 50$, I shove for 175$, BB folds, OMC goes in the tank for 3 minutes


Challenge : +3583.98$

don't mind me, just trying to post some pics, as photobucket is down again...



edit : cool, it worked!

School's Out for the Summer

Despite crushing the Ole Lady last summer - I know, I know, we were a bit classless (pun intended) -, we did not study at all during those 15 weeks ; did not go over our database, barely reviewed any hands while nevertheless managing to transition from the 50z speed games to 100z I do not want to repeat the experience this year. First of all, we will dance wit da ole lady, no crushing no more, no, no (but profit more, yes, yes ) ; secondly, we will maintain 2h of studying : 1h for a couple of videos and another one dedicated to reading the DGAF thread which focuses on live pokerz : http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/11...r-obv-1167630/







On top of this self-imposing mandatory floor of studying, I will be reading 30 minutes/night before bedtime books closely related to the math part of poker, the first one being :



+100$ live in 1h, -300$ online in 5h


The "you would never do this online" Hand of the Day


We start the game 4 handed (which, alas!, broke off after the spot in the game went broke) and I naturally widen up tremendously my opening range. After a weak button limps in, I complete in the SB with 109, Spewy BB makes it 12$ ; both the button and I decide to tag along.

Flop (36$)
Q86

Really sweet flop for us, and one that remains disguised when we do hit one end of our double gutter, so after I check and the BB makes it 15$ and the button calls, I happily join the party

Turn (81$)
Q86 10

We have the best hand often enough, but it does stripe us of our deception level when we do make our 4 card str8 on the river... I elect to check, BB makes it 10$, button calls, I tank-make it 50$

Challenge : +3313.19$

Deadend

Showed up at the casino tonight to the sight of 4 people tossing chips around. A small game indeed, but one where the chips will almost always end up in front of me Given that the house gives us a rake-break (capped at 3$ for pots over 50$), I take a seat, and close in for the killing.




+200$ live in 90 min, -300$ online in 3h


The Massacre of the Day

SB is a mediocre player that had been folding often instead of limping, as I had squeezed him on a few occasions ; he limps in for 2$, I make it 6$ with the K8, he calls.

Flop (12$)
757

Villain leads for 10$, I make the call.

Turn (32$)
757 2

When villain checks, I decide to bet 15$ to extract value from all his str8 draws. Villain calls.

River (62$)
757 2 7

Villain leads for 25$, I snap-make it 115$, he bangs the table with his fist, goes in the tank for 20 seconds

Challenge : +3240.91$

Clockwards Grind





Synopsis of a 10-20 limit game : hero raises to 20$ and gets 8 callers (1 folds). Flop comes 863, hero bets 20$, 7 callers. Turn is 9, hero bets 20$, 6 callers this time. River is a K, hero fires 20$ again and gets called in 5 places : Hero scoops half the pot with A2

There isn't too much effort demanded in grinding Omaha 08 in these parts ; outside of a good preflop hand selection, squeezing those extra big bets by hero folding or extracting additional thin value bets, it remains such a relaxing grind I did get away with murder though today after raising pre with A4KJds and getting 4 callers, checking through a flop of 663, betting a 6 turn (when I noticed that none were interested and hence only got 1 caller) and barreling the 10 river (betting only turn or river would be utterly foolish, while barreling both with AA and KK blockers folds out smaller pairs and the A2 chop).




it grew from there on, but I forget to take more pics : + 800$ in 7h live, -600$ in 3h online

Challenge : +3476.50$

Greener Pastures

Always greener on other pastures isn't it... Except when you are staring at grass grow like freaking-mother-fricker-facker Such is the fate of live poker folks, especially when it is being played 11 handed





You see, not only does one need a tight starting range when facing off 10 other potential hands, but when someone like yours truly has been crushing the game for almost a decade and comes in for a 20-25$ open (or even a 60-100$ 3bet squeeze), he will get in the vicinity of 4-6 callers foks I keed you not friends, so I find myself having to play a very tight opening range, despite usually being one of the most LAGgy regs online... +600$ live in 7h , -150$ online in 1h

Challenge : +4081.50$

Damn those are sexy chips, I second the relaxing nature of FLO8 when compared to big bet games or even other limit games the decisions feel easier to me. When are you gonna convert some FLO8 players into Big O o PLO8 the money flows much faster in those variants...

Good luck up there sir

When Shiit Hits the Fan





The setup is in place : Saturday evening, busy weekend, drinks are plentiful, the mood is jolly, chips are being tossed around and the perfect rec player has 2.2k sitting in front of him You see, it is as if this script was written by a divine hand... As if the narrative was premeditated... I am sitting with 350bbs+, building up my ammo before slowly coming in for the kill...





And then it happened : a few players go busto - 3, to be precise -, only to be replaced by the worst specimen to walk this planet... motherfracking shortstackers All 3 of them waited half a round for the BB before posting (about 20 minutes each), proceed to exercise the art of folding repeatedly (and going as far as redefining what it means to be a nit), only committing with the nuts before yours truly makes the easiest decision in his life thus far : I take my chips, pack my stuff and flip over the table (well, in my head, at least ). +350$ in 5h live, +400$ online in 5h



Yeah, you would know about dem chips, now wouldn't you Hank Is that collection of yours increasing at all?

Big O not coming here anytime soon : the rotation of new dealers in these northern parts is already hard to fill in, so getting hands of holdem dealt at a clip of 25 hands/h is never a given when a noob is dealing... (NL also showed up about 4 years late in these parts, as it must of taken the Stampede trail up here ).

Challenge : +4803.51$

Sunday Bloody Sunday

I do not have to set my alarm in the morning... Don't have a week of responsibilities ahead, nor mouths to feed or a boss to answer to, yet I nevertheless feel the heavy fatigue of Sunday settling upon me...





Here we are, tossing chips around in a quasi-unbeatable game (5-8 handed 5-10 08 limit), sharing a few lols and still this heaviness is weighing upon me (for the first time in 2 weeks since I have been on Yukon soil, I feel this depresion)... It all feels purposeless... Perhaps it is just fatigue... -100$ in 4h live, +500$ in 2h online


Week 2 in Review


Da Live Pokerz : Really happy with my settled and composed table presence, hand selection, acceptance of game flow and adjustments I made : 2.2k in 28h despite the games being mostly dead Got give myself an A+ here

Da Virtual Pokerz : Started the week down 1k or so, so had to climb my way out, regroup and focus - which I did -, and ended up week adding 1 table to my grind at the end of the week (now 6 tabling ; I know, I know, it is nothing compared to some of you 20 tabling freaks, but 5 tables of 100z euros + 1 of 200z puts me at 1000 CAD$ to start off a session... not too shabby - I find - not too shabby indeed ). Gotta give myself a B here, as I did get lapses of small tilt and lack of attention for small spurts... But at 500 hands/h, one should be lenient with oneself : 0$ in 24h

Studying : Managed 2h of studying with 4h of reading, which, when basing ourselves on the modest goal of staying sharp and increasing our intuition in terms of range advantage, blocker effects, sizing and board dynamics, this is clearly sufficient for the time being.

Challenge : +5260.90$

WTF

Found myself multi-tabling shorthanded games, stuck it in AIPF a few times in very standard spots, a la QQ < KK, QQ < AA, AA < QQ etc. and lost repeatedly like a mama-fracking-suckah





After getting smacked in the face continuously, checked my balance to mentally process the damage done, took a breath - or 2 -, logged out, laid down on the couch and past out.





Alas!, such is the fate of a mere mortal soul when he dares dance with that biitch lady luck, forever entangled with the sluts lead...




-1300$ in 4h online


We are still ahead of paced for our 8k month and, perhaps more importantly, there was no presence of tilt despite an utterly puke-worthy run bad

Challenge : +4006.27$

Dat Dam Beaver

Whacha u gonna do when dat dam beaver shows up and decides to chew up on your internet cable? Whacha u gonna do when the wild is after you?




Our neighbor cut part of the internet cable last year which brought down our connection for 4 days ; but tell me folks, would you prefer a neighbor story line, or an enticing beaver script

But perhaps losing his connection was exactly what yours truly needed, as, for some inexplicable reason, he just wasn't there mentally... He was absent... Elsewhere... Clogged in the brain... -400$ live in 12h, -600$ online in 4h


Notes on How playing a C+, B- game affected my Play

- When starting a session online, make sure to tag players as "recs" or "regs" so you don't end up triple barreling-shoving KQ in a single raise pot on an Axx Jx board... Yes you do attack a capped range and block AK and AQ, but a fish will not fold A4o

- Yes it is important to squeeze light in an action live game when there is a straddle and a blind raise to 10$ every single round when you are in the CO, but perhaps A9o is too light when you get 4 callers at 55$ a clip...

- Perhaps do not hero call as much...


That is all for tonight folks. It is time to regroup our troops, center ourselves and face a new battle in the morning... Yes this challenge took a hit this week, but it is with renewed enthusiasm that we will face our next battles


Challenge : +2958.05$

Week 3 in Review

Well that was no fun The week kept dragging on and despite the resurgence of my A game, the run bad would just not fracking stop





Mental State : Didn't feel that great all week, making the grind an extra burden at a time when it is necessary to put in the extra hours in order to be more slack this upcoming winter. Will focus on releasing this negative energy this week by playing 3 sessions of tennis, going hiking tomorrow, having a couple of dinners with friends, eat semi well and maintain focus during my 2h of daily meditation. Not much I can furthermore bring to the plate, really, and just have to hope to get back to my normal balanced self some time soon...

Live Pokerz : Decent play - probably B+ -, despite some clear signs of impatience, like tossing my cards after an out of towner fish sucked out badly, feeling that my sessions are more of a grind then fun, not always paying attention when not in the hand (lack of focus), nevertheless, it is hard to drop under a B in this game, as it is soft as **** : +100$ in 27h

Online Pokerz : Outside of ludicrous run bad, I did not tilt significantly (and quit when I started to steam inside), but could of gotten away from spots, could of focused more on opponents by lowering the amounts of tables (which I did at the end of the week) and keep adjusting my grind depending on my mood by tweaking in some 50z and lowering the table count to 5, if needed : -2k in 13h and C+ seems like an appropriate grading.

Alright folks, take 3 seconds after reading this, and send some good vibes this way for this upcoming to get this challenge back on track


Challenge : +3391.69$

Good luck! Your A game is gonna change the variance on your side this week and so on!

Stuck by the Side of the Road


Will from here on out try to leave town on Monday's, or to at least go hiking nearby... Unfortunately for yours truly today though, he got hit by some life run bad through the form of a flat on the remote Dempster Highway, and then taken aloof when trying to fit in the spare tire (the rim wouldn't fit ).








Was speaking with an out-of-towner rec player that was telling me how he could no longer win online - of course, he was also losing in our soft 1-2 game - and how the "computer generated players" (his words) were occupying 8 of the other seats in a 9 handed game Of course, what remains of his delusional comments, is a recreational player's perspective on the state of the online pokerz : the fellow is not upset over pros (he was more than happy to share his life story with me and even questioned me about the travelling pro's life ), but the invasion of bots... "Aren't we all" is all I could answer to our friend, while sadly being reminded that the online pokerz is a dying industry...





Hand of the Day

In a game lacking action last week, I raised KQ to 12$ from MP (in a good game, I happily make it 20$+ ) and get 2 callers, button and the SB.

Flop (37$)
J98

It gets checked around.

Turn (37$)
J98 2

After SB checks, I elect to bet 25$ only to have button make the call pretty quickly.

River (87$)
J98 2 J

I decide to check (I won't get any 8x or 9x to fold) when villain bets 40$. I tank for 20 seconds and even though my blockers interact poorly with the board (blocking missed str8 draws and s), I just don't seem him being good enough to go for a thin value bet with 9x or 8x and also believe that he oftentimes bets the flop with a Jx (even if it works better as a check...)


Merci mec


Challenge : +3728.82$

Swimming with Sharks





Reading DGAF's thread has me focusing more upon treating rec players fairly. But I mean, our poker community is unique given that it is located in a remote area of the globe (and that remains not easily accessible) in the sense that not much new blood is instilled in the community every year, muck like not much is drained out of the system : the same ole faces remain. Hence, one would be hard pressed to find a more tight-nit poker community - and enjoyable - on the face of this planet This said, I potentially ****ed up my win rate today with my mild neglecting table antics...





Villain had been 3betting every hand 2x, barreling all streets with pretty much all of his range (most of the time air), so when I looked down at KJo, I happily open-raised/called his 3bet. After a checked flop, barreled turn and barreled river on AJx x x board, I literally snap-called him with second pair, almost beating him across the line with my chips ... Villain quit 2 hands later. Not saying he would of stayed had I acted accordingly, but a simple 5 second tank on the river might of kept him and his 150bbs 30 minutes longer...




+200$ in 2h live (action is dead during the week, but loving the 3-7 handed action ), +700$ online in 7h


Challenge : +4502.24$

Blockers




Another small game at the casino, which will remain the standard until July. But really don't mind it. At all. Because...

Primo : if you find yourself complaining about a couple of hundies in a few hours of play while your friends at the casinos are grinding their arses off to scoop in 20-30$/h, then you lack perspective.

Secondo : it is a good exercise to tighten up your opening range, maximize the potential profit and work on fundamentals in order to preserve a sound hourly : +100$ in 3h, +100$ online in 4h


Lol Live Pokerz or when Blockers don't matter


Villain had been recklessly pushing his weight around, as is of standard in your early 20s So after a straddle and a call, I happily squeeze to 20$ from MP with AK ; both button and the straddler make the call.

Flop (63$)
5Q10

Decent flop, but after the EP checks, I elect to check as well (I would probably fire with 2 on board...) only to see button bet out a tentative 10$. We both follow suit.

Turn (93$)
5Q10 3

If on the flop I debated the possibility of raising and potentially playing for stacks, I elect to check after EP decides to do so as well ; button fires 25$, EP reluctantly makes the call and I snap-call.

River (168$)
5Q10 3 Q

We both check to the aggressor who fires 75$ this time ; EP whines, mumbles , hisses some, before finally tossing his cards in the muck. As of me, given that I block a ton of nutted hands (AQ, KQ and flushes), I instinctively find myself in a shoving mindframe... After all, my blockers act very poorly as a bluff catcher (I block all the draws)... But I do have the nut draw showdown hand and after 8 seconds or so into the tank, I decide to go against sound logic and make the call Who needs math when you have live poker lol





Challenge : +4622.24$

Still Got Luv 4 Da Game

It is still present, even after 6 years of playing professionally





My ideal job has always been to be a writer which combines various appealing elements, at least to me. Like creativity. Freedom. Solitude. Personal growth. Spirituality. Existentialism. Most of which can be found in poker. So even after 6 years of at times an exhausting grind, a lot of mental fatigue, disheartening swings, broken expectations - and what not -, I still love this game Sure, I would not recommend this path to many aspiring souls and its predatory nature can wear down the most resilient of souls (although the community aspect of it is like nowhere else up here )...




Da Hustle of da game is not 4 all, yo


Feels great to have recovered from that 3k downswing in a mere 6 days, despite that potentially 8k month seemingly a stretch now... +200$ live in 1h, +400$ online in 5h


Challenge : +5112.33$

Brain Fart





Not a ton of action tonight, especially that 2 shortstackers sat at our table which is a BIG NO NO for a Friday evening (but I am sure this will be addressed, as the fellow is a new dealer at the casino and should be told to wait for the second table...).

Am pretty happy with my play this week, but did have a mental lapse of inattention that cost me 300$ that went something like this... I open AxJ from the button and get the blinds and a limper to call. Flop comes an uninteresting 4x102 which gets checked around ; turn brings another and after villain donks 7$, I make it 55$ before he reluctantly calls and says "I just got those chips" making my upcoming shove on 100% of rivers a trivial one ... Until villain spoils my plans to conquer the world and jams on the 2 , to which I am taking for a loop (have only played with this opponent twice) and snap-muck... only to instantly realize that villain does this with A almost always (which he confirmed) and that it was a fairly easy call to make, had I taken those extra 5 seconds...





I did kick myself for some time afterwards, as it is not a habit of mine to act so promptly... +100$ in 7h live, +300$ in 4h online

Oh well, time to rest before another long day of grinding tomorrow

Run good all

Challenge : +5572.42$

Bienvenue OP

I wished you good and it happened! I don't read for a few days and you're almost +2200$ when I get back... Keep on winning :P

Week 4 in Review

Well, that was interesting : was stuck 1200$ yesterday only to make most of it back today : 0$ in 14h live, -200$ in 2h online





Live Review : My mental state was solid and balanced throughout the 7 day stretch. But curiously, I misplayed some hands (in a vacuum) that affected my win rate quite negatively ; at 25 hands an hour, one cannot afford to be so careless Like in areas pertaining mainly to light cbets (exploitative adjustments yo, like firing with second pair which we will now bring back into our checking range). Inattention. Fatigue. B for the week, which in this soft of a game, is unacceptable as a standard : +800$ in 31h

Online Action : Perhaps my most solid week in ages Maintained a good equilibrium, quit when I felt signs of fatigue creeping, kept my emotions in check and paid attention to the action on all of my 6 tables (barely any browsing or chatting while grinding ). I do fall in love dearly with overpairs on 2 tone flops and while this affects quite negatively my win rate, it is the easiest leak to fix in the world : A- and 1300$ in 24h

Studying : Maintained my standard 3h of studying and about 2h reading this week, which is fine, as the goal is to stay fine tuned, not work on spots just yet... I will wait for the wintertime before running some sims through CREV...

Volume : I am really happy to have finally reach the 55h mark of grind this week, but did feel troubling signs of exhaustion yesterday after being at the casino for 11h str8... I tried to go home, but 4 friendly players voiced up when I tried to pick my meagre 200$ in chips I knew that sticking around would be -EV given that the lack of focus/interest was making me dip into a C game, but 2 of the player are out of towner that give a ton of action, so decided to listen to their request. Besides, we were having a ton of lols

Life EV : Happy with my 2 tennis matches, my hike and time off both the live and virtual tables Will once again leave briefly town tomorrow and play 2 tennis matches this week.


Challenge : +5497.42$

Liquidity

In the beginning, when online poker made its appearance in the virtual world, pros were treated as VIP customers. You see, they were the ones that stuck around, those faithful loyal customers that provided liquidity for the game, while the fish seemingly came from a seemingly bottomless source... Then came Black Friday, UB scandals, regulations... you name it, it happened To the extent where sites decided to drain every drop of the dying ecosystem, disregarding the regs in the process and treating them as unwanted and expandable predators... Thankfully, there is live poker

A few years back, my LAGgy-unconscious style of play, sent people packing one after the other : if I ran good, I crushed the game, breaking a few handful of players per evening To the extent of pissing off the poker manager Ohhhh, how times have changed... I got older. Soberer. Maturer. Or - to put it in 3 letters : became a TAG.

Even though I treat this game as a grind (while nonetheless still enjoying it), I feel certain obligations towards rec players that treat it as entertainment. Like action (if someone asks me to straddle, I will). Or sticking around - despite being exhausted -, when an action player wants me in the game (as was attested this weekend). Or showing up to a small game like 5-10 limit, like was the case tonight, simply because a player asked me to : +200$ live in 1h, +900$ online in 2h

P.S. Live poker also acts as my social outlet (and most of my friends play the game), so it is not as if these small obligations feel contrived... But lets just say that since I do well for myself, I try to make sure to give back (in non-monetary terms) a little extra, if I can...


Challenge : +6394.13$

Portrait of a Synopsis

Well that was fun... Kind of... Not I get up, meditate some - you know, to release some of dat accumulated stress/tilt -, log in, grind, get smacked in the face by bad variance - God me hates dat nasty-unwarranted-Tuesday-negative-variance-of-just-getting-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed-to-simply-relegate-to-ether-all-of-Monday's-run-good -, go grab dinner with a buddy, go to the casino, play the tournament, bust out, tell another player to go f*** himself, get back home, grind to no results. Get up to welcome in the Wednesday afternoon, go on a heater, cancel all of Tuesday's run bad, go to the casino, dust off a buy-in in the worst/nitty game to ever see daylight, get back home, write these words. Are you exhausted yet I am. Which is a concern. Don't know why my mind is not more focussed on the grind... Don't know why Dawson holds less appeal for yours truly this summer... -300$ live in 3h, 0$ online in 8h








Thx man, I can use all the run good vibes possible sent this way!!! Hope your grind is going good as well (despite not knowing what games you do grind...).


Challenge : +6009.67$