After admitting you got outplayed, don't you feel deep down yourself a desire to learn and outplay the guy in the future? To outplay more guys?

You say that coaching is for nerds and people with no confidence so let's take that out of the way, but if you enjoy the game so much, how about watching some poker videos of a mega pro reviewing hands on a training site for example?

I respect your journey and enjoy coming here but I'm still surprised that you're so stubborn when it comes to actually doing things to improve your game. I guess there's some pride involved? I.e: 'if someone has to teach me how to play (specially a nerd with no self confidence) means I'm not so good after all', so that's why I bring this up now after you admit you got outplayed.

Any way glgl and keep the updates coming

None of that would have made a difference in the hand I got stacked on yesterday. I feel a deep desire to go back in time and 3bet huge with the nuts on a fairly dry flop. That's how I got outplayed. I was on tilt and slowplayed and married a vulnerable hand. Thanks for the suggestion though.

I do things to improve my game. I talk about hands with people and I play poker all the time and think about hands I played all day long, it's not like my game is in a static state, I think I'm getting better everyday. I knew the right play yesterday, I just didn't do it. I need to work on my discipline not my knowledge of the game.

Was a lot of fun yesterday Rick, hopefully J managed to make his way back to the table in one piece

Regarding the hand, it's entirely up to you if you wanna post it, but I am 100% sure every person ITT will tell you you played it totally fine postflop (people will have their own opinions about preflop). Was a total cooler, one of the worst I'll hand out whilst I'm here.

Keep your head up

Thanks buddy. I'll post it with an in depth analysis of how I think I misplayed the hand. Feel free to do the same. J made it back in one piece, he left his phone in my van. He was pretty toasted.

Hey Rick, do you ever take any trips out to Vegas? A little Vegas action could be pretty cool for your vlog. Anyway, I'm a big fan. Gl bud.

Results 2/5: +$1955

Gary stacks me....again

Hero UTG (~1600) 99
J BB (~~) ?? Drunk rec
GazzyB123 SB (covers) 76dd - A box of live tells.

Hero limps UTG and everyone else folds to Gary in sb who completes and J tosses out a $25 chip to build a pot. I call and Gary says something to the effect that he want to steal the pot right here but he's going to control himself. This is a tell. He would not say this with a pocket pair in his hand. He wouldn't want to steal in that spot, instead he'd be happy to see a flop for that price imo. Anyway he calls.

Flop ($105) 953r

Checks to me and I bet 50, Gary check raises to 180 and J folds. I should 3 bet huge here to 650 I think. The reasons for playing this hand fast outweigh the slowplay reasons here. For one if I only ever call with the top of my range here I allow Gary to check raise me with impunity with his draws. Bad metagame. I need to punish him for check raising too many draws here and price him out. If he has the sort of hand he's representing (55,33) then he should continue in the hand anyway. Also in my mind the most prominent hand in Gary's check raising range would be 76. Some 64 too but 76 is right up there. I don't think Gary is the type to check raise with too many one pair holdings, so it's really a lot of draws and very few value hands here, especially with me blocking top pair. So I should 3bet to 650 and jam all turns but I instead just call.

Turn ($465) 9534r

Gary bets 360. I really hate this turn. I know I'm beat deep down. I call.

River ($1185) 95348

Sure, get there twice Gary. Gary says "all-in" putting me all-in. I can't fold. I should fold but I can't. Gary is over there eating ****ing oreos. I mean there's just a certain relaxation that comes with betting the nuts. This is never a bluff, this is never 55 or 33, this is 76. I call. Yup, I was right. Good. Nice hand Gary.

Took me a few minutes to get over the hand but eventually I get there. I made a sick check raise all-in with no pair in a 3bet pot after Gary went home for the night and got it through. And yesterday I played really well. I think I'm more focused now and losing that hand to Gary unlocked my special powers. Good.




Thanks. I plan on going out there for the series this year and will definitely do some vlogs. And more vlogs coming for the LAPC.

You also have a really bad habit of saying "I'll player better" or "I'll try harder" anytime somebody critizes your play. There is no magic switch you can flip on and play better. The sooner you realize that and accept your skill for what it is, the better you're be able to asses your life situation. You seem to have this idea that deep down your a super crusher, if you only did X differently.

I'm not saying you're incapable of being good, but right now you're mediocre at best, and until you accept that and understand you'll always be that way, you're only hurting yourself. So, UNLESS you put in some serious work and study, don't expect your situation to change.

You have to make it change.

Also, you seem to beat yourself up about hands like this that are super standard, but you happen to lose, and then seem to not pay as much attention to hands where you play poorly but won. Juts food for thought.

Not trying to be cruel, just telling you how I see it. As always, gl and I enjoy reading your thread

The last 6 full months of poker he's averaged $4,000
a month in winnings. I'd say that's pretty damn good
for what you call mediocre at best.

Can he improve? Sure. But to imply his lack of
crushing poker skill is the main reason for cause of
concern is something I can't agree with.

Obviously his spending is out of control which he has
agreed with. Also his bankroll management is a glaring
issue as well. Given his current bankroll he should
definitely be grinding 5/5 and crushing the inferior
competition and not playing at 5/10.

Hmm, you're partially right, the "mediocre" comment doesn't consider the fact he's won ~25 buyins over the last six months though. For his stakes, that's not a large WR, but its still a WR nonetheless, alibiet one that could certainly be a factor of variance.

Maybe the "mediocre at best comment" was a hyperbole -- I have no clue Rick's skill or lack thereof.

My other points remain true though. Yeah, it's not just about "crushing poker", but a large part of that is a solid mental game, and he often manipulates his perception based on results.

Cliffs would be:
-- Drop down in stakes until you get another 10-20k
-- don't tell yourself "im going to play better", just start trying to think about things more objectively
-- track all your expenses and eliminate unnecessary costs.

Yes I'm not saying that's a crushing win rate at 5/10 but the amount
of money he's winning is definitely enough to sustain a comfortable
lifestyle.

The thing is I think he can win $4,000 a month at 5/5 without the
big risk to the bankroll. He may have to put in more hours than at
5/10 but I feel the trade off would be worth it due to significantly
less risk of ruin at 5/5.

In my experience losing players don't play that many hours that
Rick has played the last 6 months and win an average of $4k per
month due to variance/luck. It just doesn't happen that often.
Losing players would be hard pressed to be up after 2 or 3 months
of playing significant hours each month (100+ monthly hours).

I win online without a HUD and I beat 5/10 live without studying. I don't play GTO. I am GTO!!! You think I need to study??? People come to the casino to study me!! I make a play and like a hundred monkeys you guys are all doing it soon after. I invented the downbet!!!

But for real my studying involves watching the best 5/T players do their thing and trying to figure out their preflop ranges and how they play hands postflop. Live poker is an art not a science. The best players have a certain finesse that's impossible to teach and incredibly difficult to master. I'm working on it.

Results 2/6: +$250

First Hand Aces Cracked

Hero CO (covers) AA
Villain HJ ($530) AJhh

Villain opens to 30 and we look down at aces for our very first hand. Pop it up to 90. Only villain calls.

Flop ($190) Q76hhx

Villain checks and we bet 65, villain check raises all-in for 440 and we happily call.

Turn ($1070) Blank
River ($1070) Heart.

Wah wah wah. First hand in and we're in the hole 500 bucks. Kind of sucks but played for another 4 and a half hours and managed to claw back in the black.

Nice. Looking forward to it.

I'm primarily playing PLO these days, but is that flop bet size standard in a 3 bet pot on this board? What does it accomplish? You're giving a really good price to flush and straight draws. I think I'd rather just pot and stack off, or check at this SPR (vs betting 65).

Maybe PLO has broken me.

plo definitely broke you lol. Rick's size is fine, but I like 80-85 because it gives us a pot sized jam ott. with AA it probably looks weird/feels better to check because we don't need to deny equity to overcards, but range betting ~33-40% here priiiints (if you have enough bluff 3bets). if I had a check back range AA def goes in it tho

I've been in a hand like this where I 3bet 43s pre, bet 40% otf and the guy open folded a weak top pair and said he was trying to flop 2p to stack my aces. live poker is so lol I can barely contain myself at the table

Are you betting 1/3 regardless of the flop texture with AA?

no, this texture I prefer 40% at these stack sizes. if we're deeper I'm going more like 50% IP, still 40% oop.

flops that are less dynamic I like 25-30%

larger sizings are fine, but I prefer keeping ranges wide (and if they don't play wide then I insta-print so it's a win-win)

(also vs whales or super stations I'm just betting what I think is just below their point of elasticity in their fold frequency)

Results 2/8: +$2520

Had a weird hand happen yesterday. Andrew the young guy who cracked my aces with king-jack opens to 30 and I call with a pp 5 ways to the flop. Flop is 883 two spades and I don't see Andrew check but he's in seat 9 and I'm seat 2 and the dealer is clearly looking at me like it's my turn, so I assume he checked. I bet 75 the next player folds and another player calls. Now Andrew says "I haven't acted yet". Uhhhhh, what? So I take my bet back, now Andrew checks, I decide to check it now and the other players check. The player who folded is now like "Woah, woah, woah, what's going on here?" At this point the floor is called over and the situation is explained to him (but not well) and he says Andrew has to be allowed to act. And the guy who folded can't get his hand back. He asks "well can I get my 30 bucks back?". After the floorman leaves Andrew tries to bet 65. Uggghhhh, wtf is going on? Me and the dealer are both like no dude you can't do that you already checked. The dealer told him out of turn action isn't binding and I'm like yeah dude if you weren't sure you should have asked when the floor was here. Turn blank he bets 65 and me and other player call. River blank everyone checks and my pair is a little bigger than his. I give the the player who folded out of turn a "$10 rebate" saying he got to see the flop so I think that's fair and I apologized to him and said I didn't intend to do anything improper. He was cool with it.

When I see Rick posting green numbers I can't help but be happy.

When I see Rick posting red numbers I can't help but wish doom upon the rest of the table.

Heading to your table soon first beer is on me.

Results 2/9: -$2750

GG. I gave it all away in the end to seat 5. Flush over flush.

Ouch, cooler....

I stopped by later to try to donate some more (ran back all my losses at Baccarat ) but you were gone and Gary told me what happened.

Tried to get in the game but it was full and floor wouldn't allow us to add a tenth seat.

Lives in a van and yet his spending is out of control. lol

I mean, for as much as your spending per month, maybe you could put 1k/month towards renting an apartment instead? Surely that will improve your quality of life enough to the point that you won't feel as much of a need on other expenditures.

Not that easy bro. There's a reason tgiggity moved to Mexico, it wasn't his first option. Kinda hard to rent without a job. And the thought of living with randos makes my skin crawl. And my grandma is gone about 40% of the time with her bf so I'm at her house for the next few weeks. I dunno I might get my bus driving job back soon and rent an apartment. I gotta get out and do more **** one way or the other. I'm definitely missing out and if I continue living like this then old man me is going to hop into a time machine and kick my ass! I better do something to prevent that.

If you would have put half your bankroll towards paying rent upfront instead of your bankroll they would surely go for it. If you went busto they just kick you out haveway through the year/lease.