Some Hands from Jan 3 and 4

Hand 1

Villain (300): 40 yo black male - plays very loose preflop, both limping and raising between $7-$12, depending on the strength of his hand. $7 is a pot sweetener with small pairs, SC's, SG's, small suited aces, etc. Pretty fit-or-fold postflop.

Hero's Image ($235): 25 yo white male, TAG. I've been card dead so haven't played many pots, but I've cbet most of the pots I've opened. Have yet to 3bet.

Preflop ($3): Hero is in MP dealt AJ
Villain opens for $7, Hero 3bets to $27, Villain calls.

3bet for value here since I'm way ahead of his $7 opening range.

Flop ($57): J32
Villain leads for $55, Hero tanks/shoves, Villain calls

I hate this hand and think I played it like a complete fish. The "donk pot" line has been a set pretty much every time I've seen it at LLSNL. I think this is an easy fold on the flop

Hand 2

Villain (500): 25 yo white male, TAG/LAG - He plays TAG in EP but will loosen up in MP/LP. 3bet/cbet in a pot shortly after he sat down and showed a 3 when the other player folded. I've seen him 3bet smaller open raises a few times.

Hero's Image (900): 25 yo white male, TAG - I'm sitting two to the left of a big whale with a big stack. This game has been extremely loose preflop and I've been playing very tight. Got into one big pot with the whale where I held JJ on a board full of overcards - ended up being a $690 pot. I have a very tight image to anyone who's been paying attention. I'm also planning to leave in less than an hour since too much of my BR is on the table.

Preflop ($3): Hero is OTB dealt AQ
Villain limps in EP, 3 other limps, Hero raises to $17, Villain 3bets to $52, Hero calls.

I really don't think this guy is the type to limp/rr premiums, especially as loose/passive as this table has been. My initial read is that he's making some fancy move here.

Flop ($110): KJJ
Villain leads for $65, Hero tank/folds.

I really think I was scared money during this hand. I did not want to fold here. I wanted to go with my first read and float in this spot. But I instead decided to protect my win (which means I should have gotten up well before this hand).



Hand 3

Villain ($450): 50 yo white male, TAG - seems like a semi-competent regular. Bought in for 300, doesn't limp too much preflop, seems to play a generally solid game all around, albeit a bit straightforward.

Hero's Image ($825): 25 yo white male, TAG - same as previous hand, same table.

Preflop ($3): Hero is in MP dealt AJ
1 limper, Hero raises to $15, Villain calls, Whale calls, limper calls.

Flop ($60): AQ6

Whale and limper check, Hero bets $35, Villain calls, others fold.

Turn ($130): 8

Hero bets $75, Villain raises to $200, Hero folds.

Clear fold on the turn here but I'm not sure if leading out is too thin? I would expect him to raise two pair/sets OTF given the draws and the fact that we're 4-way.

*

Trying to be productive on my day off by posting on here. I'm actually itching to play right now but there is no way I'm leaving my house when it "feels like" -15 degrees right now. Excited to get started on a 5-day grind tomorrow though.

Good luck on the 5 day grind. Not sure what villain could have had in that last spot. Would be surprised if a 50 y/o TAG just made it a cool 200 after picking up TP/FD, but then again what could he have called with OTF? Has to have had AQ/66? Also Hand 2 from the previous post seems like a good spot to bet the flop given the opponent's tendencies of calling light and bluff-raising, and the board texture. Not trying to be results oriented though, because maybe in the long run that check will make you more money by inducing him to barrel. I'd probably still just bet the flop though. (AT v JJ hand)

Ha! That made my day.

Did my usual no-show on here last night following a big loss. I was going to post on here following tonight's session, regardless of results though. Here is a breakdown of each session:

Wednesday, 1/8/14

This session started out alright. I won a few small pots in my first half hour or so and was yo-yo'ing between $320-$350 for a while. Then I flopped top set on 874cc, got it in vs TT and saw a 9/6 runout. So that took care of my first buy-in.

I wasn't feeling especially tilted after that hand - no physical feelings of anger or anything like that. Went to eat shortly after and came back. Though I wasn't really sweating that hand, I definitely let the fact that I started the session stuck $300 affect my play.

Ended up bluff-spewing off $170 and $260 in two separate hands. I debated whether or not I'd even post them. I mean, there is really nothing to learn from them. Just a matter of me developing my mental game to the point where terribad bluffs gradually happen less and less. Alright here's the one that cost me my second buy-in, just to show what a donk I am:

Hand 1

Villain - 50 yo Asian man, seems to play fairly ABC straightforward. Doesn't limp a ton/usually raises when he enters, plays straightforward postflop, etc.

Hero's Image - Losing/tilted (which means I'm even more of a donk for running this bluff)

Preflop ($4): Hero is dealt J9 in CO
Villain limps, Hero raises to $18, Villain calls.

Flop ($40): 662

Villain checks, Hero bets $25, Villain raises to $50, Hero shoves for $240 , Villain calls.

So I have absolutely no equity but level myself into thinking this guy is making a move since I'm unlikely to hit that flop. He ended up having KK. He probably isn't even folding a hand like QJ here. One of the worst bluffs I've ever made.

I actually buy in again after this. I was really on the fence about this but just told myself to strictly value bet and that if I could hit hands I'd be likely to get paid off. So I bought back in for another $300. Ended up flopping two sets in the next 2.5 hours and winning a few more pots. I eventually had chipped up to about $720 and was preparing to leave soon when this hand happened:

Hand 2

V1 ($300) - I actually can't remember this Villain, but he's not relevant to the hand.

V2 ($430) - 65 yo white male - one of the more prominent regulars in the room. Plays really loose preflop but is usually raising rather than limping. Varies his raise sizes on the strength of his hand. Fastplays most of his strong hands on the flop, especially two pair + sets, even more so on wet boards. Will often lead out for a big bet with those hands. Can get a bit stationy with tpgk type hands if the board isn't too wet. At the moment he is in the game for at least $1300 and still stuck/tilted.

Hero's Image ($720) - It was bad/losing/tilted but it has probably recovered a bit following my 3rd buy-in. It's still definitely a losing image but I have played a ton with this villain and I know he respects my game, has called me "a good player" more than once.

Preflop ($4): Hero is UTG (6-handed) with AQ
Hero raises to $15, V1 calls in CO, V2 calls in BB.

Flop ($45): Q75

V2 checks, Hero bets $35, V1 folds, V2 throws out $110 in a black and two reds, then says "I wanted to call."

It's ruled that it has to be a raise. He doesn't really argue too much about it. I think this would be a pretty dirty angle, and knowing what I know about this guy from playing with him so much, don't think he'd ever pull that kind of slimy move. Especially against another regular he respects. I believe that he didn't intend to raise, which IMO means my hand is definitely good here because he would never check/call with a set on this flop. So I shove for $415 total. He calls and says "I need a six."

Turn ($875): 6

River: Doesn't ****ing matter cause that dude had 84. "I need a six" lol.

I end up getting whittled down about $60 more before decided to rack up and take the $685 loss. Yuck.

Total for session: -$685
Time played: 5:15

*

Thursday, 1/9/14 Session

And of course I'm back on here the same night when I log a big win. I'm an a$$hole. I really enjoyed playing tonight though. My table was pretty wild at first, with a tilted and stuck regular playing spewy as all hell - open raising probably 60% of his hands, calling raises out of the blinds with **** like K2o, etc. Shortly after I sit down I get into this hand with him:

Hand 1

V1 ($300) - 45 yo Ukrainian male - Unknown player but so far seems to be your standard loose/passive 1/3 call station

V2 ($500) - 45 yo white male - Semi-regular at 1/3, plays very aggressively. Prior to tonight's session he had seemed somewhat solid and more TAG. Tonight he is clearly agitated and in monkey spew tilt mode.

Hero's Image ($500) - 25 yo white male - Just sat down and have yet to get involved in a big pot. V2 probably views me as a straightforward TAG.

Preflop ($4): Hero is OTB with KQ

Folds around to BTN, Hero raises to $15, V1 calls, V2 3bets to $41 (meant to make it $45), Hero calls, V1 calls.

Saw no need to turn my hand into a bluff here. I was anticipating him 3betting before I even raised - I'm way ahead of his range here and IP so I decide to take a flop.

Flop ($123): QJ3

V1 checks, V2 bets $70, Hero calls, V1 folds.

See no point in raising here. Plan is to just let him spew off his stack.

Turn ($263): 6

V2 thinks a bet and checks. Hero bets $120, V2 folds.

I hate this bet. His range is like 100% air when he checks the turn. Why am I bailing him out by putting a bet out there? I need to check it back and give him a chance to hang himself on the river. That bet guaranteed no more value for me on this hand. FWIW, I actually don't think he would have fired again on the river against me but it's possible. Especially if some kind of "scare card" came out (like a ). Think this is a pretty big mistake.

The majority of the rest of my session was very straightforward. This was a very relaxing and fun session to play, because after the above villain busted out and another solid player racked up, my table became extremely loose/passive. I just raised in LP and c-bet favorable flops all day. I had direct position on two of the fishier players.

Hand 2

Villain (650) - 60 yo white male - Plays a little more aggressively than the rest of the table. Will open raise much more often, but also limps hands like 69s from EP. Will chase draws to the river. Will take stabs with draws when weakness is shown. Will call down with TPGK type hands on dry boards but also has a fold button when the board gets too connected.

Hero's Image (480) - 25 yo white male - Very solid winning image right now. The guy two to my right has commented on me raising his limps though. So I'm definitely viewed as aggressive.

Preflop ($4): Hero is OTB with 64

Villain opens for $12 in the CO, Hero calls.

Flop ($27): 857

Villain checks, Hero checks.

This board misses most of his range and I find it hard for him to have any kind of value hand when he doesn't c-bet. I did see him c-bet in a 4-way pot with AK on a 922r board earlier in the session. I think he likely has two overcards here, so decide to check and hope he catches up.

Turn ($27): J

Villain bets $12, Hero raises to $47, Villain raises to $137, Hero raises to $237, Villain snap folds.

I didn't think anyone at 1/3 was capable of bet/3b/folding the turn. I thought for sure he flopped a set here and slowplayed it OTF. Not concerned about T9 because I think he is always c-betting with that. I guess he could show up here with 69s but I was prepared to get stacks in. I couldn't believe it when he snap folded. He said "I wanted to see where I was at with my Jack" which I think is BS.

Hand 2

Villain ($715) - Same villain as above

Hero's Image ($690) - Same as above

Preflop ($4): Hero is in CO with A7

Villain opens for $9, Hero calls, both blinds call.

Flop ($36): AJ5

Checks to Villain who bets $30, Hero calls, blinds fold.

Very on the fence with this call. I'm obviously not ahead of any of his value hands here - this call was more of a float than anything else. If I didn't have the BDFD I would never call here. I called hoping for a spade, 7, or club to rep on the turn. His small PF sizing here made me think he had a weakish Ace.

Turn ($96): 4

Villain bets $70, Hero calls.

His large bet here changes what I think about his range. Definitely seems stronger at this point. Which leads me to believe that I have sufficient implied odds in the event that a spade does come in on the river. Still plan to rep clubs if they come., since the front door flush coming in is much more of a scare card.

River ($236): K

Villain bets $100, Hero shoves for $580, Villain tanks, turns over JJ face-up, tanks some more, and calls. Ship a ~$1400 pot.

I stick around for 2 more orbits (5-handed) after this before finally getting up. Still have trouble bringing myself to immediately rack up after shipping a huge pot like that. Just feel like too much of a dick. The guy I stacked left though and the game was about to break up anyway so 2 quick orbits was good enough.

I really enjoyed playing today man. I had a soft, easy table with opponents that never put me in tough spots. Before that last pot, I was getting ready to leave with a ~$300 win. It was a slow grind for most of the day, just chipping up by scooping $30-$60 pots. Then I got lucky to hit a BD flush. Would be interested to hear some feedback on my thought processes during that hand.

My mental game was in the gutter following last night's session. Was stressing about money and getting down on myself for letting my aggrotard demon resurface. A session like tonight was exactly what I needed. I feel much more comfortable with my roll and like my head is in the right place. Definitely ready to build up some more positive momentum this weekend.

Total for session: +$993
Time played: 4:45
Bankroll: $4355

That's why I told you to fold AQo utg pre lol

Nothing but trouble out of position

Played two sessions since my last update, both at Harrah's 1/3. Put in 10 hours Friday night, and 5:20 on Saturday. In both sessions, I found myself stuck a couple hours into the session. Both sessions I was stuck about $480 at my low point, but I managed to turn a small profit in each of them.

This is just going to be a short post with a hand from each session. I'm pretty proud of how I played overall this weekend. I didn't tilt in either session despite getting stuck early. Just continued to play solid and was psyched I was able to turn it around both times. Definitely feel like I made strides with my mental resilience this weekend.

Here are some hands:

Hand 1/Session 1

Villain (900) - 60 yo white male, LAG - Semi-regular in the room. Dealers know him by name. He can be a bit loose/passive preflop but he's aggressive postflop. Wouldn't really call him a fish exactly. There seems to be a method to his madness. He is the only guy over 60 I've seen make frequent use of overbets at 1/2 or 1/3 - both as value and as bluffs.

Hero's Image (500) - Solid winning TAG. Villain has showed me his cards before making a big laydown, and tried to talk strat about a specific hand.

Preflop ($4): Hero is UTG+1 with 99

Villain limps, Hero raises to $18, folds back to Villain who calls.

Flop ($40): 965

Villain checks, Hero bets $25, Villain calls.

Turn ($90): 8

Villain checks, Hero bets $50, Villain raises to $100, Hero calls.

River ($290): 3

Villain bets $150, Hero calls.

Not sure if I can fold here or not. This villain is definitely capable of repping a straight when he has a FD on this board. But his sizing seems really strong to me, and I think he's less likely to run bluffs against me since he seems to respect me as a solid player.

Total for session: +$192
Time played: 10 hours

Hand 2/Session 2

V1 ($300) - 30 yo white male, loose/passive

V2 ($800) - 30 yo white male, tight - He's been fairly tight overall with a mix of limps and raises. Gives up pretty easy when he misses, even when he's the PFR. Hasn't gotten to showdown in any big pots thus far. Kinda looks like a stereotypical grinder.

Hero ($350) - TAG, losing at the moment - Only big pot I played I had JT on a 952:board: in a 6-way pot. Ended up getting it in with a ~$100 stack (V1) who had 93s. I hit my flush on the turn but he hit runner-runner for a boat.

Preflop ($4): Hero is OTB with QT

V1 raises to $13, V2 calls, Hero calls.

Flop ($43): 853

V1 checks, V2 bets $20, Hero raises to $60, V1 folds, V2 calls.

This is a pretty weak looking bet and I expect him to do this with hands like 87s, 89s, SD's and FD's. When he calls I'm more inclined to think he's drawing.

Turn ($163): 8

V2 checks, Hero checks.

Not sure if this is a case of me leveling myself but I decided a check back would make my hand look the strongest, since I'm basically trying to rep a flopped set with my flop raise.

River ($163): 4

V2 bets $100, Hero tanks and folds

This is a pretty tough spot and I tanked for a solid three minutes before folding. I couldn't come up with a value hand that I beat, besides 76s. Had only been playing with the guy for a couple of hours so I didn't really have much of a sample size to base reads on, but his play up until this point had bordered on weak/tight. I don't think he shows up with a boat here though because I think he is 3betting me on the flop when he's flopped a set. So basically I have the third nuts. I think this was a bad fold.

Total for session: +$34
Time played: 5:20

I played poorly in my first two weeks of unemployment. At the start of this week, my roll was down to $3365, which means I had lost almost a third of what I started with. After this weekend, my roll is close to what I started with. I'm excited to get it back over $5k and start to make some real progress.

I booked a comped room at the Borgata for Friday 1/24. Hoping to have my roll back into shot taking territory by then. I need to ramp up the hours a bit over the next week and a half. So far I'm only on pace for about 90 hours this month - I need to put in at least 120.

Bankroll: $4550

Two more sessions since I last checked in. A very short 3:35 session at Parx 1/2 (+$15) and a 5:15 session at Harrah's 1/3 (+$260).

Had to cut the Parx session short since it was my friend's birthday. Also got there later than I wanted since my bike had a flat and I had to take it to a shop to get that fixed, and some other work done. Got myself stuck a little bit early when a straddle was on and 3 players limped to me OTB. A lot of limp/folding at this table so I made it $25, the SB shoves for $58, folds back to me. Getting a little better than 3-1. I put this into pokercruncher vs. a range of 22+, ATs+ KJs+, AJo+, KQo and got 35% equity so that would suggest a call. He ended up having AA though.

I table changed since there were a lot of short stacks and doubled up on the first hand at my new table:

Hand 1

V1 (75) - Complete unknown, 40 yo white male
V2 (150) - Complete unknown, 60 yo white male
V3 (500) - Complete unknown, 35 yo black male
Hero's Image (230) - blank, 25 yo white male though

Preflop ($3): Hero is in SB dealt AK
V1 opens to $6 UTG, V2 calls, V3 raises to $20 OTB, Hero calls, V1 folds, V2 calls.

Flop ($66): QJ4

Hero checks, V2 checks, V3 bets $50, Hero shoves for $210, V2 folds, V3 calls.

Turn ($486): T

River: 4

MHIG. I didn't auto-shove this. Wasn't sure if I had much fold equity but I figured it might be a tough call to make with one pair if he's any type of thinking player. However I'm obviously not expecting anyone to fold AA/KK in this spot at these stakes. I also don't like calling because if I brick on the turn, he's going to bet me off of my hand, and if I do hit (especially a heart), I might not get paid.

Ended up running my stack up a little bit and was hovering between $520-$560 for a while. Then I got into this spot where I think I could have folded:

V1 (85) - 30 yo black male, loose/passive - extremely loose preflop. Like, he's limp/calling with 75% of his hands. Chasing down to the river with any draw. Stacking off with top pair or better. Has bought in for $100 at a time 4-5 times so far.

V2 (145) - 30 yo white male, loose/passive - not terribly loose preflop and plays ABC straightforward postflop

V3 (300) - 60 yo white male, loose/passive ABC - pretty much the same style as V2

Hero's Image (560) - Solid/winning image. I've been playing tight and had the goods when I've gotten to showdown. Might be viewed as aggressive because of Hand 1. But only V3 witnessed that hand.

Preflop ($3) - Hero is in HJ dealt AJ
V1 open limps in MP, Hero raises to $17, V2 calls in CO, V3 calls in BB.

Flop ($68): J95

V1 checks, Hero bets $50, V2 shoves for $128, V3 folds, V2 calls for ~$60, Hero tanks/makes a crying call cause pot odds.

Getting almost 4-1 here but I think I should just fold given V2's line. He shoved very quickly too which probably makes my call worse. I think if he did this with KJ/QJ he'd at least think about it. Not sure if he would ship it in here with the NFD.

*

I'm not going to get to last night's Harrah's session right now, because I want to leave so I can go play again and writing these posts with HH's can become time consuming. So I will make a double post for last night and tonight's session, either after I play tonight or tomorrow.

Bankroll: $4720

Hey if you need help hit me up i play at parx poker. I average 58 an hour and 580 a day. GL!

hahaha

Subbed, gogogogo....looking forward to your progress. GL

So did you play a 10 hour session and cash out up $580 or 2 five hour sessions where you cashed out up $290 each time.

Just a quick update before I go play again. I planned to write an actual post with HH's for the last two sessions today, but didn't fall asleep til damn near 7:00 AM. Always have trouble sleeping after I play. Which means I should probably just do my write-ups the same night instead of waiting til the next day. Didn't roll out of bed til 3:45 and now I want to get started on another session. This thread feels like a bit of a chore sometimes. Honestly all I want to do right now is grind, grind, grind.

I think I played my A-game pretty much my entire session yesterday. I felt completely dialed in. Didn't win any huge pots - the biggest was about $400 when I flopped a boat against trips. Before that I had just steadily grinded up about $300 in profit. Ended up finishing out the day +$560 after 4:35. I had intended to play longer but my first table (which was amazing) broke, my second wasn't as good, and I had a decent percentage of my BR on the table, so I decided to cash out early.

Got my roll back above it's starting point, which I'm excited about. I have 8 days to get my roll into shot-taking territory for the Borgata on 1/24. Back to the grind over at least the next four days. Might just play every day between now and then. Maybe one day off.

Total for session: +$560
Time played: 4:35
Bankroll: $5270

10 hour session of 1-2. Used play 2-5 but i lost about 40k in baccarat and only 21 so right now 1-2.

Three more sessions to report on. All at Harrah's 1/3.

Played 5 hours Thursday and left -$417
Played 4:40 on Friday and left +$411
Played 7 hours on Saturday and left +$455

Session one was mostly run-bad. I had to bet/fold with big hands in a couple of spots. I raised KQ in a straddled pot, bet a KQTr flop and then folded when I got c/r on the turn. I had just joined the table and the player was unknown but he played very ABC and seemed to be a bit of a rec-fish overall, after playing with him for a while. Also had to b/f top set on a monochrome flop against the same villain. Also tried to take down dead money later on when 3 people limped for $6 in a straddled pot and I made it $36 with A5o OTB, got one caller and c-bet $55 on a K73cc flop. He c/r all in, but I don't think that play is terrible since this villain was very fit-or-fold, and will usually miss the flop. There was generally a ton of bet/folding during this session - a lot of $45-$60 losses made up of preflop raises and c-bets. Some failed c-bets with air on good board textures my opponents happened to hit, and some where I had to fold to unfavorable turn cards or when facing aggression from straightforward players.

Session two I was card-dead for long stretches but built up a small profit from taking down small pots early on. I was in for $325 and going back and forth between $500-$560 for a while. Ended up getting into this hand shortly before I had planned to leave:

Hand 1

V1 (180) - 40ish white male. Straightforward ABC. Hasn't played many pots. Plays pretty ABC when he is in a pot. Not especially aggressive.

V2 (300) - 50ish Asian male. Is stuck and on tilt. Obviously chasing losses. Plays loose preflop, both limping and making pot sweetener $10 raises with a ride range of hands. Calling a lot of raises preflop, chasing draws, etc. Not really making moves though.

Hero (500) - 25 white male, TAG. I've been playing pretty snug preflop because this is a pretty wild table.

Preflop ($4): Hero is in MP with AK

1 limper, Hero raises to $18, V1 calls in HJ, V2 calls in SB, limper folds.

Flop ($54): K72r

V2 checks, Hero bets $35, V1 calls, V2 calls.

Turn ($159): 6

V2 checks, Hero bets $65, V1 raises to $126 and is all-in, V2 folds, Hero cry-calls.

I was mad at myself after this hand because I picked up what I thought might be a live read on V1 OTF. Just the fact that he thought before calling and looked like he was considering grabbing chips to raise, then flatted. This is always a huge sign of strength. I think live tells can be a bit underrated on 2p2 but in situations like this I need to trust my own instincts. Instead I bet again cause the board was so dry, and then found myself making a crying call even though it was less than a min raise. It doesn't matter what pot odds I'm getting when I'm drawing dead though.

The very next hand I pick up AA and win a ~$750 pot lol. And it involved me making another crying call of an approximately min-raise shove because I was getting over 4.5-1, on a T73r flop. Thank god the guy was slowplaying KK preflop.

Session 3 was just a slow, steady grind. I woke up feeling ****ty from a night of heavy drinking. Usually I smoke weed to cure my hangovers but I've stopped smoking before sessions, so I just ended up feeling a bit hungover early in the session. After a couple of hours and some TUMS I started to feel better though. The games weren't that great this weekend, probably due in some part to the Borgata Poker Open. I didn't win any huge pots last night. I got good boards to c-bet in LP and my opponents happened to miss most of the time. Just played solid, patient poker for 7 hours and grinded out a nice win.

I took off today to watch the football games. I'm going back tomorrow and the next four days should determine if I can play 2/5 at the Borgata on Friday. The bare minimum my roll needs to be at is $6k. It's pretty close to that mark now but ideally, it would be closer to $7k. I'm looking to put in 30 hours over the next four days, although I will be flexible with that (i.e. if I make a big, quick score I will cash out early).

I've also burned through my liferoll money pretty quickly and will need to make a transfer at some point in the near future. I've been taking $20-$50 out of my BR for beer money on the weekends, instead of going to the LR. So my BR is probably a couple hundred lower than it would be if I had left it completely untouched. I've decided to start tracking every $ I spend, and come up with some kind of budget.

Bankroll: $5650

Session 2 I think "angry call" was more accurate than "crying call" lol

What is causing you to burn through your liferoll so quickly? Unanticipated expenses, spending leaks, or something else?

Hey buddy, I play fairly regularly at Harrah's Chester, I play 1/2 usually but sometimes 1/3, keep a lookout for me: I wear a white penn state hoodie and worn penn state hat. I work full time so I only play a couple week day nights and either Friday or Saturday night. If I play in your game let me know!

The 1/3 game isn't too bad from when I've played, the 1/2 game just couldn't be any softer in my opinion

I think I just underestimated my monthly expenses, which is why I'm going to start tracking my spending and come up with a budget. I probably have some minor spending leaks but nothing egregious. I have a ~$100/mo weed habit, probably spend somewhere around $200 per month going out to bars and partying. I have covered about two months worth of living expenses since I quit my job - about to pay rent for the second time (which is what will wipe out the rest of my roll), 2 months of utilities and other bills (i.e. phone bill, student loan payments). Some one-time expenses that won't be recurring (a $69 sign-up fee for a gym, $50 for repairs on my bike). Christmas/New Years lead to a bit of increased spending for a week or so as well.

Yesterday I started off what was supposed to be a four-day grind leading up to the Borgata on Friday. It was a good start, as I finished +$488 after 6:15 of 1/3. Unfortunately, I'm sitting here typing this update, instead of grinding again since Philly got walloped with snow once again. I'm feeling pessimistic about the games tomorrow as well, since the roads will still be in bad shape and it will be bitter cold.

Last night's session was on easy-mode. I was on one of the softest tables I've seen in weeks. There was one other player under 40. Game was extremely loose-passive and I just sat back and value bet for the most part - and sprinkled a few moves in which were usually successful. Here are a couple hands:

Hand 1

V1 (250) - 60 yo white woman - very loose/passive preflop. Will stack off with TPGK on dry enough boards (and they don't have to be all that dry). Will chase down with draws. Semi-regular rec-fish.

V2 (400) - 50 yo white man - another rec-fish semi-reg. Used to be very loose/passive preflop but has been playing noticeably tighter. Pretty weak/tight postflop. Will call down with top pair but doesn't value bet too thin. Saw him bet AA on a K65r flop, check back a 7 turn, and then only call a $20 bet on a 2 river.

Hero's Image ($400) 25 yo white, winning TAG regular.

Preflop ($4): Hero is UTG+1 with KQ
Hero raises to $15, V1 calls in MP, V2 calls OTB.

Flop ($45): Q76r

Hero bets $35, V2 quickly calls, V2 counts out $35, thinks a bit, and calls.

I initially thought he might raise, but then he called. Usually when it looks like someone is going to raise, and then they call, it's bad news for me.

Turn ($150): 6

Hero checks, V2 checks, V3 bets $45, Hero tank/folds, V2 calls.

I know he is value betting here - this guy is very straightforward and passive, he's not stabbing with some kind of draw like 98s, and I have trouble coming up with a value hand I beat because I would never expect him to value bet QJ/QT or any other Q I beat here. I think best case scenario is that I run into the same hand.



Hand 2

Villain - 65 yo white male - loose/aggressive rec-fish I've posted about before. Raises a wide range preflop but greatly varies his sizing according to hands. $7-$10 pot sweeteners with SC's/small pp's, and $15-$30 with AK/AQ, 99+, KQs, AJs, etc. He will also call 3bets at least 75% of the time and give up if he misses the flop.

Preflop ($4) Hero is in SB with A7
V opens for $7 in mp, 3 loose/passive players call, Hero raises to $47, V calls, others fold.

Flop ($110): 883

Hero bets $60, V folds.

This is a play I don't think I exploit quite often enough. There are other players who will make smaller raises with speculative hands, call 3bets, and then give up when they miss. There are plenty of people who will play this exploitably with hands as good as AK/AQ as well. This regular is a prime example though and this spot was way too good to miss, with a pot sweetener raise, 3 passive callers between us, and a hand with blockers and a bit of equity.

*

So I originally said $6k for a shot take- well I've eclipsed that number but I really do want to get it a bit higher before Friday. I'm not holding out too much hope for playing tomorrow - definitely not going to go if the rooms are dead on Bravo. Should at least get one more session in on Thursday though, before the trip.

Extremely excited to be back at the Borgata and playing 2/5 again. I expect the games to be very juicy this weekend with the tournaments going on. I remember seeing over 20 tables of 2/5 running at points this past weekend. You can't beat that kind of game selection.

Bankroll: $6100

Is one of the 65 yo guys you are mentioning known as "coach"? He is def better then some older regs at harrahs but often plays face up post flop and spews pre

Good fold in hand 1. Unfortunately he was at the very bottom of his range here. I'd probably continue to b/f, though. I wouldn't check/fold until the river. Also with V1 lady in the hand, I like your 75-80% pot bet sizing which I saw you were not really doing in your previous HHs. I'd be tempted to make it even bigger, though, like $40-45 against her even on this dry board. She pretty much makes up her mind whether shes calling or not and you can't bet an amount to convince her to do otherwise.

H2 is standard. **** Coach, though lol. This is definitely not my favorite board to c-bet after I 3-bet someone light, but that villains range is definitely definitely wide enough to c-bet almost every flop texture.

Looks like you're playing well and you have your mojo back.

Pretty sure Coach is over 70.

Duke, respect your elders. Coach is one of the nicest people in that room where you run into scummy degenerates every day. Guy would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

Seriously, coach lends money to people he barely knows and rarely even asks for it back. First time I ever played with him I was chatting with him for a few hours, then I got felted and he offered to put me back in the game for $200. I have friends I known for years who wouldn't offer that lol

Not too mention his table talk is generally hilarious

Yea he says some pretty out of line **** that's allways hilarious