Yes, that's staked....like steaked....not stacked. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

Background story: I'm a landscaper. I plow snow in the winter. This winter ain't snowin'. I've grinded online. I've been a winner....paying property taxes and taking vacations with the uNL money. Played as high as 100NL for awhile, but UIGEA fixed that and I haven't been higher than 25NL for a couple years. So, I ain't no pro. However, I feel I have a solid enough "feel" for the games to beat the local casinos at 1/2NL.

My brother is a little better player than me. He hasn't used his roll all that much. He and I talk and share HH's constantly....have for years. Bottom line: He offered to stake me and split the winnings. Winters are slow for me, so what the hell. It'll allow me to test the SSNL world. Because I don't want my brother to stake me the entire way, I have 2 more possible backers but am still working out the particulars with them as of now. (Save "wuss" commentary about not being rolled for 1/2....save it for the hands I report.)

I've played a dozen or so sessions of 3/6 FLHE and don't know where I am because of sample size. Days suck unless you collect the Aces Cracked promotions. Nights were much different and felt much softer. Not that days aren't soft, the old man nits just don't let go of their money making it hard to put up winnings vs rake/tipping. I've played 3 sessions of NL live, so I don't feel real confident/comfortable yet.

Bankroll starts at a "G." So, the risk is there...even though it's not mine. The added accounting won't be fun, but it's my penance for being in a seasonal business and not having the casual money of my own to take shots recreationally.

Initial goal: Get comfortable with live pokerz. Show some winnings to boost confidence after hearing how poorly people play. Possibly supplement winter income. Time goal: 3 days/wk, 15-20 hours total....peak times only. Long range goal: and, our "challenge"...Buy backers out completely and roll on my own.

So...
Bankroll: $1000
Sessions: 0
Profit/loss: 0

Boy, this sounds negative and I sound like a fish. Hmmm, maybe more of you will tune in to see if I crash and burn.....

Session 1...

Good start today, which is all I usually need to get the mojo rolling and knock the lid off.

Sat in nervous as hell today....planning a short session to get reacclimated. First hand in from UTG+2 I find JT. I'm looking at my cards to see if they are sooted as they are both read. They aren't. I drop the hand like I should. 6 to flop and it brings JT4r.....as it should. Action starts and T pairs the turn....lol. Oh well. One monster down for the session.

Obviously, I made the better decision. I didn't know anyone at the table. I didn't know any dynamics of raising, limping, overlimping, the wild ass raising limpers, bla bla bla. Just sucked to see the monster drop in the first hand from the shoot.

I sit for 3+ orbs with literally garbage. My image is a rock. I pick up on the guys to my left....all three of them....semi laggy players. Not afraid to limp and make some moves. If not a limped pot, they are raising with a little 3betting. The guy to my immediate left loves to put the $10 straddle on the button. (I folded so many "decent" hands from my blinds that would have been great in limpfests.)

One of the more reckless players opens for $15 in MP. HJ (aka straddle boy) calls. I look down on CO to find AKcc. BTN is rock and folds after I pop it to $60. Both players call. Flop is K87hh. My stack is about $95. Checks to me, I push, both tank and stare at me.......folds. MP says, "AK" and I instamuck with a smirk saying, "AK, AA, 99, you know I had something." Another not in the hand says, "but it was gonna cost you a hunge to find out." Table laughs and loosens up a little more.

I pick up another pot or two in the next couple orbits and my raises instantly start getting less respect. Straddle boy leaves to play another game, the action really dies. New player sits and starts limping like crazy. I start looking to iso-raise him. I find a spot and look down at KQcc. I pop to $12 from mp. Two callers and limper calls. Flop Ac 7h 4c. Check to me, I cbet $40....drag pot. 2 for 2. I'll take it.

Little action from there. Again, this stuff is super standard.

I hit another TP hand and b/b/c when c/c'd the whole way by a tighter player. My kicker holds when the flush completes the river.

I pick up TT, raise it up ip from a player I haven't seen play much but has played a bit more the last orbit. I have him covered. He limps, I pop to $15, he calls. Flop Jd 6h 7h. Check, check flop. Turn is Js. Check, I drop $25. He calls. River is brick. He checks, I should go for thinner value, but decide draws aren't calling a bet and check back. He shows a suited king trying to draw out.

I finish up $168 in two hours.

Roll: $1168
Sessions: 1
Profit/loss: +$168
$/hr: $84 (like that's gonna hold)

I'll take it, and felt much more comfortable after 15 minutes.

Session 2...

Last night was a different story. I thought Sunday of a holiday weekend would have some loose traffic. Maybe that's true on the big holidays like Memorial Day, but not so much last night. The games ran tight-passive, but stationy. Standard raise was anything from 3.5x to 5x, with 5x being the threshold for shutting the table down. Of course, I didn't figure that out for awhile. Turn barrels seemed to work, but it took that at a minimum.....hard to figure out when you don't know any of the players, though.

I made three or four mistakes of note:

- Table with tighter action and not paying off.......answer: Table change. (I didn't because I had a fish on my immediate right...but she was the only true fish and wasn't even that bad post flop.)

- Pay attention to your raise size and KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. I bumped to $12 with AKs, get reraised by the fish to 24. I think for a second and repop to 60....thinking 75ish total. She asks "was that 60 more or 60 total?" Like a rookie, I say 60 total. She hems/haws a bit and calls because of the tremendous odds I accidentally laid her. Had I said 60 more, I'm 75+% sure she folds by the way she was looking at her stack and cards and me. Flop was T55r. She checks, I fire 60. She min/raises me to 120 and I have to fold. She later tells me she has AT there and was only trying to get me off AK...and she had A outs backing her up. I thought, duh..., AK is all I'm folding there with 3/4 my stack in......and I even debated that. But, c/r's are just so strong live from what I see.

- Fell on my chip stack and was down what I "thought" was $300ish for the session. I couldn't hit a flop, and everything I raised got HU but was oop to passive players that loved to peel. I wanted to connect with a hand before cbetting to see if it would work in the future, but never connected in 6 raised pots in about 2 hours. I had 4 green chips in my pocket the AK hand made me forget about. I don't usually take chips in my pocket to top up with, or if I do they are a huge pile of reds...not greens. So, I couldn't feel them in there and forgot about them........mistake.

Summary: Change tables, top up, know what you mean to three bet and vocalize it so you don't get crossed up by a veteran's question trying to get you to pick the cheaper answer.

Bankroll: $1081
Hours: 6.75
Hourly: $12/hr...which I feel is very sustainable.

i love how she calls you with AT thinking you have AK, gotta love the fish

hang in there. I get the sense from your posts that you know what you are doing.

also, make sure you are reading the LLSNL threads and all the 2+2 "how to beat 1/2NL" threads, there are about a billion of them.


The guy that liked to straddle alot, did you get a chance to do seat change? You've just got to get on that guys left or even get 3-4 spots to his right so you are in the CO or BTN when he straddles.

Lastly, one of the most important things about playing 1/2nl is table selection. It makes a humongous difference being at the right table. Preferbly tables with lots of money, action, and talking. Bonus for players enjoying a round of drinks.

When you put your name on the list, make sure you canvas the 1/2nl tables and try to figure out which one you want to play at and try to get seated at that table.

Lastly, make it a point to start talking to all the floor people and person running the boards. Takes about a month or two to establish yourself as a regular.

Anyways, keep at it and good luck

Thanks for the help. Point by point of your post...

- I felt pukey bad with my mistake of "60 total" and will forever remember to say "total" and let the dealer do the math for me. Gotta laugh at how my mistake was mathematically correct in getting her to call with AT when I honestly feel she folds to 75. Gotta remember the "mistake" when I have AA vs her next time, as she's uber regular after chatting her up.

- I am reading a ton of the PAHWM threads and feel those give me the best help. I haven't seen the "how to beat" threads yet, but sure I'll come across them. Any chance you would throw a link in there if you can beat me to them?

- I've seen several straddlers. I didn't realize how damned common it is here.....and with short stacks, too?! Crazy bad stuff. So far, the common straddles have been on my left or two seats to my left only.....lucky draws so far.

Obviously, when I'm in a blind my decision becomes so easy to button straddles. I'm only playing the tip top of my range there with all the "looser" players acting behind me. If I only call the thing, it may freakin go 5 ways with me in absolute worst position. That ain't happening.

One hand that really repaired damage last night I forgot to mention. I am stuck (300+ to my knowledge being that I forgot about the 4 greenies in my pocket...lol) and our table breaks down. I get put on a live table and face a btn straddle to 5x ($10) when I am in BB. As the cards get dealt around, I am thinking....praying...."just once drop the bullets in my hand." I look down....and see them. SB calls the 10. I pop to 40. Table starts to fold to MP3ish who jacks the pot for 135 and is AI. All fold to me, I snap call. He groans and says, "please tell me it's AK." I say, "You got a pair, huh?" We haven't flipped, but I feel nice and want to put him out of his misery and not show the table I'm some hold-onto-my-cards dick. I flip the bullets and he flips the KK immediately saying nh. We smile, I hold, and we move on.

As a question, I don't know if I even want to play JJ from a blind facing a straddle but know I should. I am really nitting it up at these tables while I'm getting acclimated to live play....lol.

- Good tip about table selection. I wondered when it would become an issue, and I found out last night. I stayed at my table entirely too long because the woman with AT was rocking and reloadin all night.....she mentioned she was stuck 400 when she beat my AK and she dropped another 3 BI's under my watch....and I never got another shot at her because I'm both a nit and the right situation didn't come up to iso her. (I seemed to get most of my raising hands in ep and mp after she limped. She folded to my raises because she knew how tight I was....which when I picked up on should have switched because no one else at the table was going to pay me, either.

- I want to canvas a bit, but have had no waiting both sessions so far. So, I've had to think more on the fly.

- And, great tip about friending up the desk. I get caught between friending the dealers and floor because I don't want to be recognized as a regular yet. But, it's gonna happen soon anyway. So, may as well make the most of it.

Thanks for the tips again. Thanks for taking the time to follow along. I'll take any constructive criticism and tip I can get.

This is going to be a light week due to kids and responsibilities. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights are all out. I will need to pop a couple afternoon sessions to make any hours count.

Session 3..

Uneventful session. I'm clearly a rock right now. I likely will be a rock for awhile until I get a lot more comfortable. That said, I am more comfortable in just three sessions and I got the chances to open up a bit and take advantage of my image last night.

I picked up a couple small pots early and the table had two very action players across from me. I never got the chance to get in a pot with them so I looked like my rocky self. Once the table went short, down to 4 players at one point, I took the shots to open up and start playing like I would online. I met almost zero resistance. Every steal went through. Every cbet took it down. I stole from CO 6 handed with 86hh and immediately showed because a couple of regulars have no clue it's in my range based on these three sessions. I heard a couple "hmm"s as they were clearly surprised.

I don't like showing my cards, but felt that was necessary for the two players I've played a bit with.

Table filled back up, I tightened back down. Made a couple marginal calls. One with T7s on a monotone board of AT7. I'm in position and called two streets of small bets after the flop checked around. I didn't like that there were 3 players including me, but couldn't really fold to these two. One rivered the straight and the other had the nut draw.

The other marginal call was oop to a player I had runnered off with the nut flush. I thought he was rather aggressive and made an apparent block bet on the river of 30 into about 120. I was certain he'd raise based on previous action. But, because it was me, he didn't. He made a crying call and mucked a middling heart cursing himself the whole time. In the marginal hand, I had KQs and flopped the K on an Ahi board. I raised pre, he flatted. I check flop, he fires half pot. I'm not a fan of the call, but know these guys will pick on the nit a bit. He checks back turn, which I actually planned on firing a turn flush card because donking would be a strong move from a nit after c/c'ing a wet flop. After the river bricks, I see him looking for chips and casually toss a greeny into a $60 pot. He says, "you already did this to me. 2pr? I have to see it, though." He calls and mucks to my K. I felt a whole bunch of things could happen there. I doubt he had the A or he double barrels. He likely has a weaker K or flopped btm pair. I wanted to keep those in and really confuse him with that bet. He isn't raising my lead because he saw it was the nuts earlier. I set my price for showdown and felt great I was keeping anything around that would call a bet because he has been stationy so far to everyone. He muttered, "knew it...why do I keep falling for that?"

Summary: Start to use image. Open up a bit more after establishing reads and self as a rock. 3bets will work against the attentive players, as will squeezes. Cbets and turn barrels will show profit until caught. Continue using position vs passives and continue valuebetting them with a strong range.

Bankroll: $1207
Hours: 10.25
Net: +$207
Hourly: $20/hr

I don't feel I've hit any kind of stride yet. I don't feel I'm running as well as I can, either. Nitty may make $10-20/hr at these tables. Wow, but still not convinced at $20/hr.

Session 4..

Again, non eventful. Table dynamics were better for me being a little tighter and more passive. Finally, some limping to take advantage of. Stack fluctuated up and down in it's normally tight channel, but I was definitely more active.

Finished day off $5....wheee. No summary needed.

Bankroll: $1202
Hours: 12.25
Net: +$202
Hourly: $16.50/hr

GL man. What poker room are you playing at?

Thx. All of them in town. Games don't change much at 1/2. Just trying to take my time in becoming a "regular."

Session 5..

Finally hit the dream table of loose passives I hear about. Most tables have a couple aggros these days. This table really didn't. 8way limps happened multiple times. Raises of 6x + limpers took down everything, but $8 and $10 raises in limped pots folded no one. Standard open was $8. Mine was $10+limpers after a few orbs....I'm not going below that.

Deck hit me square in the face today. No real discussable hands. Everything is standard playing this way. Up $199 in 3hrs.

Bankroll: $1403
Hours: 15.25
Net: +$403
Hourly: $26.50/hr

Session 6..

There's card dead and there's card dead. Well, it's not that I didn't catch cards, I just didn't hit flops in multiway pots. The few pots I thinned, cbets took down without fights. Very uneventful for 95% of the time.

Two hands...

AhQh...I raise it up to 12. 4 callers....all pretty passive and chasing. Pot ~50 and flop comes 8s Qs 7d. 1 player checks to me, I fire 50. All fold. Sure, it was a big bet, but from what I saw earlier, no one minded paying off overbets....let alone psb's.

Last hand....I'm stuck about 70 after being stuck 120ish. Calling it a day, but playing my LP hands before I go. On BTN and pick up Jc9c in 5way limped pot. Sure, TAGs raise that up. I limp along and nut camp. (fyi, I used to play well in games like these with a 20/10 style and am trying to emulate it again.)

4way, not 5. Pot 48 and flop comes Jh Jd 6s. Checks to me, I lob 20. SB calls....rest fold. Pot 72 and turn comes Qs. Checks to me, I lob 30, villain calls. (Villain just sat down and this is the second hand he's played...first was limp and fold on flop.) Pot 132 and river comes brick and I don't know that he's chasing, or holding pp or Qx. I decide to go small when he checks and bet 40. He pays off and instamucks as dealer says after the call, "My boy shows trip jacks and new guy shows....err mucks a flush draw."

These guys pay off with about anything.

And, another tip I picked up so far as a default.......sudden donkbets are real. I have yet to see it be a one pair hand except twice I've seen it as a bluff and never shown when called. Each time I've seen it called, which is going on two dozen times easy, it's random two pair or the draw that came in on the river. Thanks for the cheap info.

Oops, another hand I remember.....villain is old man limit player waiting for 3/6 table. Calling EVERYthing down that connects. Chasing draws for any price. Dragging bottom pair, too. Each time he leads, it's at least TP. I pick up TTish in MP. I raise, all but old man fold that is on BTN. I follow up on flop and check scary turn with overcard and draw coming in. He checks back. River is an A. Pot is about 40. I check, thinking nothing pays me. He looks at his stack, about 75 left, and cuts out a red and 5 whites. 10 into 40 vs a man that has never shown a bluff in the time I've been sitting with him? I fold. He flips over the ace. Duh.

Bankroll: $1391
Hours: 17.75
Net: +$391
Hourly: $22/hr

Session 7...

Not much time to note things. I was paid on 2, count 'em 2, hands today. Nut flush where aggro led all action after I nutted the turn. I went for the 2 overcallers instead of raising river, which I debated, but also 4 paired the river. Felt for sure someone would call the final 100 into 200. And, vs same aggro, I flopped a set on an A7Jr board he led for me again with 5way action calling a $15 raise. Thanks. Nutpeddling at it's finest...nothing to brag about.

Good stuff.

Bankroll: $1531
Hours: 19.25
Net: +$531
Hourly: $28/hr

Sessions 8 and 9..

Last night and this afternoon went pretty well. I was learning a lot about 1/2 tables. Some were aggressive, some were passive. Some were a bit harder to get paid, some were easy. My stack went a little more like this post, too, yo-yo style.

All told, up $64 over both sessions. I am definitely opening up my game now. I am taking some swipes at pots when I feel my image will take it down. However, you just can't bluff often here. Whatever your natural tendency to bluff is, cut it down by about 90% and you might be getting in the right spots.

Some cbetting, on dry flops, works well. Donking is only moderately effective. Raising and following up only works when you are both on air, too. They just call so much....and thank God for that. It's what pays the bills. They never believe you, no matter how tight you are.

I think the only areas I am not playing close to optimally is getting in spots where I can pick thinner value and also bet sizing. I may be betting things a bit small trying to bring their ranges in or avoid serious action on nut boards when I'm only "strong." I don't know how long that will take to figure out.....may be awhile.

One hand I know I missed today was a BB hand for me. I look down at 45cc. I check in the multiway pot and flop 2c 9c 3s. I check, someone leads for $11 into about $16, another caller, I call.....instead of c/r. I didn't want to be oop and firing on that 3rd club yet. Tc hits turn and I check and of course it checks around. River Kh. Now, I'm screwed for getting paid off by much worse. I check hoping to induce. Nothing. This is a spot I feel I need to work on. It's just hard playing correctly oop in these games. Getting paid off can be tough because everyone fears the nuts.

Bankroll: $1600
Hours: 27
Net: +$600
Hourly: $22.22/hr

Session 10..

Lots of things didn't go well yesterday. I paid off a small river c/r with QhJh when the fourth heart hit the turn and he c/c'd and the Ad fell on the river. I can make this laydown if he leads, or if he'd had more in his stack. As it was, I paid off the Ah flush. I didn't get paid fully on a turned set because villain sniffed it out...and it was so well hidden I'm sure villain just didn't have anything worth calling. I also c/c'd an old Chinese lady down when I flop trips from the SB with J2s only to control the hell out of the size of the pot and find KJ. Whoopsie.

The more I think about yesterday and the days earlier in January, variance comes in many forms. Sometimes it's missing flops. Sometimes it's getting rivered. Sometimes it's a straight preflop cooler. But, sometimes it hides in the form or relative position, too. I folded 3 winners yesterday alone because of relative position and the stationy players still to act behind me when I thought raising marginal hands per board texture would be overplaying the hand I held. Yuck.

Bankroll reset yesterday per staking agreement: $1200
Net yesterday: ($153) $1047
Hours yesterday: 3
Hourly yesterday: ($50/hr)
Overall net: +$447
Overall hours: 30
Overall hourly: $15/hr

Session 11..

First back to back losers. Really variance-y stuff. I shouldn't complain about not getting cards. I've had AA 5x in the past two days. And, quite a bit before that. I swear I may not see them again this month! Good news...they haven't been cracked but once (I'll share later). Bad news, they haven't paid, either.

Three hands today stick out.

1.. T6dd on button in family limpfest....seriously, like 9 ways. Flop comes 8d9dJc. BB (aggro 28yo guy) leads for 12. Folds to me, I want free river, so I raise to 35. Villain calls. I know he's not folding, but I doubt he donks again until I turn my Thi hand face up on the river. Turn is Kh. He checks, I check back. River is 4d. He leads $50. Getting close to 4:1 I feel he could have a higher flush, but also could have 2pr-ish and be b/f'ing. I call after about 10 seconds, and he tables Khi flush.

2.. Black aces in MP3. Folds to me..I raise to $8. I have always opened aces for 12+, but vary my raises as the button nears when I'm opening the pot. In other words, I've opened for 8 before several times. Folds around to BB who calls. Pot $17 and flop brings 8h9h8s. Villain is also a bit aggro and isn't necessarily donking super strong hands. He checks, however, and I put $15 out. He calls quickly. Turn is Th. He checks, and I check back. River is Js. He leads $25. I instamuck. I mean, what do I actually beat?

3.. I pick up red KK in UTG1. I open for $12. Loose btn calls, blinds call. Pot 48 and flop brings another scary board...8s9sTh. Checks to me, I bet $35. Btn (tight old man and passive) calls, blinds fold. Pot 120ish and turn is Js. I check, btn checks back. River bricks. I check, BTN checks. I drag pot as BTN tables AT.

Bonus hand... I overlimp TdTc after 2 limpers and limps around another 3 ways. 8-handed pot of $16 and flop comes 7h8h9s. I lead $12. 2 callers. Pot $52 and turn is 8s. BB donks $15. I call and so does another. River 7c. BB leads $35....instamuck from me. A station tables T6o from the SB for the flopped straight. Of course, BB tables the 8.

That's how it's been for me lately. Decent hands flopping terribad spots and boards getting worse when I don't take them down with flop bets. Can't wait for my heater to come back.

Net today : ($77) $970
Hours today: 3
Hourly today: ($25/hr)
Overall net: +$370
Overall hours: 33
Overall hourly: $11/hr

Session 12..

Brutal week continues. I'm weak/tight and people know it. I'm not really getting picked on, but can't seem to hit flops to balance myself. And, I'm not barreling or courageous enough to make things happen in spots I know I could....to keep the stack from bleeding off into irrelevancy. This has been an exercise in coolers, a couple bad calls/payoffs, running cold, and discipline/patience to stay the course and wait for my rush. After all, there's no increasing blinds....so I can sit all day. I just hate my image going so nitty as I become more regular. I know nitty pays, but damn this sucks. I want to make a couple moves for some reason.

Today changed, though. I had one nice hand, and one really bad hand I feel I played fine...just high variance.

Hand one....villain isn't much. He's apparently a bit trappy....or playing my image that I go all the way with overpairs/TPTK+ on dry boards and size accordingly. I pick up 88 in MP and open raise with it. V flats me in CO. Table folds. Flop is 846r. I bet 3/4, he calls. Turn is 4 putting a bdfd up. I bet 2/3, to set up a river shove, he calls. River is a brick. I shove, he tanks and calls. He shows AA and is truly shocked I played 88 so fast. I double up.

Session goes cold on my nitty ass again, and my stack bleeds down slowly due to missing flops and not cbetting. I also get c/r'd off cbets a couple times by players. I'm feeling beat up....and I think I have been once or twice, but not as constantly as it feels. I go into a rash of AK hands dealt to me on about a 300 stack. It bleeds off to just under 200 by weak/tight play and whiffing flops.

Hand two... villain is BB. Ive seen him overbet donk flops in efforts to pick up the pot. He has been successful, but done this far too often to have a hand everytime. I doubt he knows what balancing is, but can't confirm that. I pick up AxKh in early MP again. I raise to 15 and this time get 3 callers including BB. Flop comes Ah4h3c in $60 4way. I finally hit a flop and plan to lead out when checked to, but villain open shoves $150. I tank...

I eventually call based on my read that he could more easily have air or hearts. Once I call, he mumbles, "guess I gotta go get more chips...damn." I feel good about hearing that, but as I process what happened, another villain (completely new to the table) pushes all in immediately.....oops. There's the set. First villain never shows his hand...didn't even have hearts. And, villain 2 tables the 4's. I lose after making a good initial call.

I'm sunk. From up $200 to stuck $185. Nice day at the office....

Net today : ($185) $785
Hours today: 4
Hourly today: ($45/hr)
Overall net: +$185
Overall hours: 37
Overall hourly: $5/hr "whheee, below minimum wage"

Session 13...

Today continued the crap. I started off nitty and waiting for bigger hands, and waited, and waited. Flopped 2pr early with Q9 from a blind and c/r'd flop on KQ9 two tone board...knowing draws call. I lead turn for pot and fold the table. Nice $70 start to the day. But, the deck goes cold again.

I overlimp ducks and flop the set oop. Again, players are really betting their draws today, so I have no reason to think they won't. I check a ton oop, so c/r is how I have to balance when I run this poorly. It's my plan, but 4 others check behind. Of course, diamond hits turn and ep players lead and raise. I'm out....no longer with odds to draw to boat. And, yes, I saw the flush. Suxors.

However, later I pick up QQ in MP in a straddled pot. For the back story, read here: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...t-pre-1162373/

Crazy, sick spot. Long and short, I made the call because I felt SB had a lot of AK in his range after the laughter, and felt like villain behind me would start the avalanche with either AK or KK...hoping AK since he kept saying "I have to call with this hand, but I'm not raising pre with it." Sounds like SB and villain behind me could be sharing AKs hands.

I was wrong, though. SB tabled the aces....confirming my first read of "act mad when you're happy." Oh well. Villains behind me tabled, respectively, AKdd, KJhh, and 44.

5way all-in pot with side pots all over the place, 3 floor personnel watching the chips, at least 10 spectators surrounding like rubber-neckers in traffic jams, and my lunch arriving at the same time.

$950+ pot and flop brings ThTc9c. Turn....Ks. River.... the most beautiful, bail-me-out Qd I've ever seen. I scoop all but $40 of that pot, and about have a heart attack on the spot.

So, after a couple days of loose-ish payoffs, one good call yesterday that got wrecked by a lucky set popping, I get bailed out by the same Gods that took it all away in one hand. I still contend the QQ call is at worst a small mistake....but very high variance. And, after running the ranges I put the players on at the time, I actually was the favorite at 30% in the 5way....with SB at about 28%. In actuality, SB was a smashing fave at 47% with me 2nd at 18%.

I hate spots like these. So much so, the players were all super nice and saying things like wow...huge pot. Or, nice hand on the river for you. Or, man, I was so close...if that river had only been the 7....bla bla. One looked at me and said, "I bet that makes your Friday, huh?" I said, "Make no mistake about this hand......I didn't enjoy any part of it at all. But, I may start to enjoy it in my mind next week."

I can't stand 2-card bingo. Which is exactly what that was in reality.

Net today : $596 bankroll.. $1378
Hours today: 4
Hourly today: $149/hr
Overall net: +$781
Overall hours: 41
Overall hourly: $19/hr

Session 14..

Finally, a non-eventful session. Highlights were the deft choice to sit 2 seats behind a LAGgy playing reg that I have talked with in the past. I 3bet him twice and checked back a nutted flush to induce a river lead from him, which I raised. I calmed him down today so I could play the table in my favorable more straight up fashion. Also, in the middle of this run, I was dealt AA, KK, QQ in 3 consecutive hands, in that order. I had to let go of the queens to a river c/r, but was paid very well on the kings.

Up session $142 and only played for 2 hours because the entire dynamic of the table changed and I was suddenly in a terrible seat. I wasn't feeling like playing oop most of the time, and instead of requesting a seat change for the remaining hour and a half, I just left and called it a day.

Today's net: $142, Bankroll.. $1520
Today's hours: 2.25
Week's net: $142
Week's hours: $2.25
Overall net: $923
Overall hours: 43.25
Overall hourly: $21.35

Sessions 15-17...

Laziness, a time commitment, and family/holiday time set in last week. I didn't go at all. I had a nice $600 cooler, $200 one session and $400 another late the week before. Today I was off $25. The total runs out down $631ish in about 13 hours.

Jacks flopped set and were two-outed on the turn after getting ai on flop. Lots of missed flops where cbets wouldn't have been effective oop on wet boards. Drawn out on a lot, but tight image wasn't getting paid much either. Generally, running a bit bad....even for a nit.

Made a small adjustment to carry a bit shorter stack in the beginning of a session. Today, bought in with $150 (75bbs) to control my SPR better. My thought is that a full $200 is awkward for me past the turn when I am receiving action and playing tight with a lot of premiums in my range. It also leaves awkward/committing 2barrel spots I am not willing to take advantage of....but should some.

The 75bb stack worked like a champ today, except the table was abnormally tight/passive after the one reckless player left. My SPRs needed to be in the 2s and 3s and the other table in the casino was playing about the same. I was up a bit after being called on the flop with my AA and villain folding turn, and nothing else of note happened. I did 2barrel once per my image, and I did call the maniac down with bottom pair/top kicker when he led the flop into me after a min3bet pre. We checked the rest down and we held the same hand.

Summary...

75bb stacks and varying raise sizes pre helped me control SPRs much better, leaving me much easier decisions the whole session. I need to play nights. Daytime regs have a tight grip on their money and are happy to play tons of small pots that allow the rake to rape you and only stack off with TPTK+ on dry boards and only very strong near nut hands on wet boards. Yet, I'm not good enough yet to run them over post flop. Time to cast a new net for fish.

The math will have to wait to update the rest.

Session 18...

The crushing continues. Soul searching starting to kick in. I'm not making big mistakes, but wonder if I'm not making some small ones. However, it would be nice to hit a flop that someone didn't hit harder, have something worth bluff catching, or actually improve as the hand goes on instead of constantly turning to doodoo. I know my fundamentals, and I know I'm still playing close to my best. It's just hard to keep getting back up after the incessant beat downs in big pots.

Whatever it amounts to, bankroll down to $591. We've given all of January's gains back. Ouch.

I am experimenting with a shorter buy in number. I used to play well on 100bb tables with 75-80 bb's myself. I never understood the science behind it online, but at a live table, it really shifts my TPTK style much closer to mathematically correct when looking at SPRs. Of course, my first run at it went pretty doodooey.

I picked up QQ in a straddled pot, as I sat in BB. SB folded, I raised to $18 (after observing the table was a little tightish to the bigger raises like $15). Even though, it's a little small pre, I felt my SPR would be manageable and felt the table would give me a flop 3-handed at the worst. Nope, 3 called making it 4-handed. I also noticed immediately after raising, the guy to my immediate left (tightish, almost nitty, player) looked at my stack for what I can only imagine was set-hunting purposes.

Pot was $67ish and flop was 863ss. I have $135 and a straight push by me never gets called by worse. I figure my best move on an effectively short stack (table has me covered btw) was to c/r ai. I can see anything nasty develop and get it in vs one guy taking a stab at the pot. The wrong villain, the nitty player that likely set hunt me, cut out $60 and bet. Table folds, and I sort of level myself into thinking he "could" feasibly have 99-JJ here, sets, and maybe overs with spades like AK/AQish. I decided QQ was too rich to let go on this stack and shoved over to find 88.

I had several other hands fail and force me to give up on turns and/or cruddy rivers. Meh.

Session 19...

I know I'm being results-oriented, but I finally get off the schnied.

I went into the casino today with a different attitude of "loosen up ip a little and fuggit, play some cards when your gut tells you to."

Of course, I ran well, but I called down in 2 spots I never would have to pick up a couple decent pots. And, I realized my implied odds better than I had been by continuing with strong draws.

Instead of hearing, today, "Nice ace" or "seat 7 has it." I, instead, heard "I never put you on that," multiple times. In a nutshell, I played better poker today.....and caught pretty well.

Today's net: $200, Bankroll.. $791
Today's hours: 3.50
Week's net: $200
Week's hours: 3.50
Overall net: $191
Overall hours: 57.25
Overall hourly: $3.50