From Part Time to Full Time: 6 figures at Midstakes Online Cash Games
07-05-2015
, 05:58 PM
After graduating from University this year I'm finally ready to take the plunge into being a profession poker player. Hi, my name is Michael and I'm a 24 year old kid from Vancouver Canada. Poker has been my life for quite some time now and if you had asked me even a year ago if I was planning on playing full time, my answer would have been no. But hey, things change. I love playing the game. I love improving. And I love now that I get to play what many just consider a hobby as my profession for the foreseeable future.
(For those who want a short poker bio, continue reading. For those who just want graphs and goals, just skim to the bottom)
So how did this journey start? Like almost everyone, I started hearing about poker in the Moneymaker era. Keep in mind, I was 13 at the time. But seeing people win huge amounts of money by playing a card game was fascinating to me. The first time I saw poker on TV was in 2003 when Gus Hansen won a WPT. Then a year later I saw Barry Greenstein win a WPT. At this point I thought this was just an annual thing that only the select few people participated in. Like darts or pool. Something that everyone would only be a spectator for. But then in 2005 I saw that poker was way bigger than that. Poker programs were everywhere, everyone was playing, and I was addicted. Instead of being the teenager that was watching American Idol or whatever crap I was supposed to be watching, I was watching men sit in chairs trying to figure out what the twitch in someone's neck meant. Whether it was Joe Hachem winning the Main Event or 6 randoms playing a sit-in-go, I wasn't missing any poker programs. And I told myself that as soon as I was old enough to play, I was going to start playing.
Soon I was playing with my family. I probably drove them nuts with how much I wanted to play. Any time there was a family get together I'd always ask if everyone wanted to play poker, and I rarely got turned down. I was also playing play money online. Now, I wasn't playing play money on a poker site like Stars, but on an MMORPG called Puzzle Pirates. The cool thing was that eventually when I got a hold of a ton of play money, I found guys that would buy my play money for real money. I made about $5k doing this in my senior year of high school, and when I turned 18 I put $500 on Absolute Poker and I started grinding 25NL 6max. I had to quickly jump down to 10NL but within 6 months I climbed up to 200NL and stayed there for the next few years. I took some long shots at 400NL that didn't work out too well as you can see from my results (this is 2009-2011).
Black Friday hit at about the bottom of that $20K downswing, which wasn't the most terrible thing since everyone on UB/AP got screwed. The silver lining for me was that prior to AP actually getting shut down, they were still processing cash outs with a max of $250. Fortunately I learned that they were giving priority to those who were the most active on the site. And for some reason, sitting out on an empty table counted as activity. Every day I'd have my laptop up with 12 empty tables and me sitting out, which gave me probably more cash outs than almost anyone else on the site. I had $6K on there and I managed to get most of it out before it went under, I don't remember how much I lost exactly.
Anyway, during all of this, I still needed a site to play on. So which site did I turn to? Full Tilt of course! I had a friend transfer $10K to me, and well, you can guess how that turned out a few months later. I did eventually get my money back but I think it's clear that my site selection wasn't the best. So despite thinking it was the toughest site to play on, I made the transition over to stars.
At the beginning of 2012, I was still a break-even 200NL reg. I'm not quite sure what snapped in me but all I knew was that playing the same taggy style that I had for the past 3 years was not going to cut it anymore. And realistically, I hadn't been doing much to really improve my play. So one day I just decided that I was going to try and figure out new ways to play. I remember one day where I just told myself to play as many hands preflop as I possibly could and I went from 21/16 to 33/21. This style didn't completely stick but it did allow me to experiment with new stuff that in theory didn't hold up but in practise worked super well. I had also hired a coach, Tim, whom I had battled with on AP for quite a while and had a lot of respect for. During our last session, I asked him about some exploitative ideas I had been testing out and what he his thoughts were. He was impressed enough that we continued to stay in touch and started doing regular hand history and video review sessions. To give you an idea of how much these reviews improved my game, we started reviewing at about the point where this graph starts going up (this is 2012-2013)
I was still primarily playing 200NL 6max, but in 2014 I started playing primarily on 888 and started mixing in more 400NL and some 600NL. Results for 2014:
While happy with my results, my game was getting to a point where I felt like I was starting to plateau. I think it was because Tim and I had done so much work with each other, and our styles had become so similar that it was tough for either of us to come up with new ideas. So we both decided to get coaching from Nate, a pokerstars reg who was playing 500 zoom and up to 10/20 regular tables. His coaching honestly lit a fire inside of me that I didn't know I had. Not only did I improve a ton but he opened my eyes to a lot of concepts I could be working on that I know are going to take a ton of time to get a grasp of. But more than that, I was enjoying the work. Now I'm enjoying the game more than I ever have. And it's what has given me the drive and passion to play full-time. Nate was also a great life coach and gave me some great tips on how to create a structured poker life to not only to continue winning but also how to stay happy during the grind. I graduated university in April, went on Vacation in June, and now here I am: A full time poker pro ready to crush midstakes and beyond.
Here are my results for 2015 so far playing 400NL+ (final semester of university really crippled my volume but I can't complain about my results):
Poker goals for 2015:
-Win $100K
-Regularly review hands and videos with friends
-Constantly work on my game and never stop improving
-Start coaching
-Start playing tournaments (both live and online)
Personal Goals:
-Exercise Regularly. I'm way happier when on a regular basis I'm out running, hiking, playing sports, etc. When I don't exercise, I get lazy, and it bleeds into all aspects of my life. And I don't like that.
-Be proactive. This is a bit of an odd goal but it's one that I've struggled with a lot in the past. Usually when I wanna do something, it's because someone else has taken the initiative and then I just kind of tag along for the ride. Whereas now I'm doing my best to seek out more things that I enjoy doing whether it's outdoor activities, travelling, reading books, playing games, etc. The most important aspect is that I'm keeping my life fun and interesting to myself.
-Stay happy. I think that speaks for itself.
(For those who want a short poker bio, continue reading. For those who just want graphs and goals, just skim to the bottom)
So how did this journey start? Like almost everyone, I started hearing about poker in the Moneymaker era. Keep in mind, I was 13 at the time. But seeing people win huge amounts of money by playing a card game was fascinating to me. The first time I saw poker on TV was in 2003 when Gus Hansen won a WPT. Then a year later I saw Barry Greenstein win a WPT. At this point I thought this was just an annual thing that only the select few people participated in. Like darts or pool. Something that everyone would only be a spectator for. But then in 2005 I saw that poker was way bigger than that. Poker programs were everywhere, everyone was playing, and I was addicted. Instead of being the teenager that was watching American Idol or whatever crap I was supposed to be watching, I was watching men sit in chairs trying to figure out what the twitch in someone's neck meant. Whether it was Joe Hachem winning the Main Event or 6 randoms playing a sit-in-go, I wasn't missing any poker programs. And I told myself that as soon as I was old enough to play, I was going to start playing.
Soon I was playing with my family. I probably drove them nuts with how much I wanted to play. Any time there was a family get together I'd always ask if everyone wanted to play poker, and I rarely got turned down. I was also playing play money online. Now, I wasn't playing play money on a poker site like Stars, but on an MMORPG called Puzzle Pirates. The cool thing was that eventually when I got a hold of a ton of play money, I found guys that would buy my play money for real money. I made about $5k doing this in my senior year of high school, and when I turned 18 I put $500 on Absolute Poker and I started grinding 25NL 6max. I had to quickly jump down to 10NL but within 6 months I climbed up to 200NL and stayed there for the next few years. I took some long shots at 400NL that didn't work out too well as you can see from my results (this is 2009-2011).
Black Friday hit at about the bottom of that $20K downswing, which wasn't the most terrible thing since everyone on UB/AP got screwed. The silver lining for me was that prior to AP actually getting shut down, they were still processing cash outs with a max of $250. Fortunately I learned that they were giving priority to those who were the most active on the site. And for some reason, sitting out on an empty table counted as activity. Every day I'd have my laptop up with 12 empty tables and me sitting out, which gave me probably more cash outs than almost anyone else on the site. I had $6K on there and I managed to get most of it out before it went under, I don't remember how much I lost exactly.
Anyway, during all of this, I still needed a site to play on. So which site did I turn to? Full Tilt of course! I had a friend transfer $10K to me, and well, you can guess how that turned out a few months later. I did eventually get my money back but I think it's clear that my site selection wasn't the best. So despite thinking it was the toughest site to play on, I made the transition over to stars.
At the beginning of 2012, I was still a break-even 200NL reg. I'm not quite sure what snapped in me but all I knew was that playing the same taggy style that I had for the past 3 years was not going to cut it anymore. And realistically, I hadn't been doing much to really improve my play. So one day I just decided that I was going to try and figure out new ways to play. I remember one day where I just told myself to play as many hands preflop as I possibly could and I went from 21/16 to 33/21. This style didn't completely stick but it did allow me to experiment with new stuff that in theory didn't hold up but in practise worked super well. I had also hired a coach, Tim, whom I had battled with on AP for quite a while and had a lot of respect for. During our last session, I asked him about some exploitative ideas I had been testing out and what he his thoughts were. He was impressed enough that we continued to stay in touch and started doing regular hand history and video review sessions. To give you an idea of how much these reviews improved my game, we started reviewing at about the point where this graph starts going up (this is 2012-2013)
I was still primarily playing 200NL 6max, but in 2014 I started playing primarily on 888 and started mixing in more 400NL and some 600NL. Results for 2014:
While happy with my results, my game was getting to a point where I felt like I was starting to plateau. I think it was because Tim and I had done so much work with each other, and our styles had become so similar that it was tough for either of us to come up with new ideas. So we both decided to get coaching from Nate, a pokerstars reg who was playing 500 zoom and up to 10/20 regular tables. His coaching honestly lit a fire inside of me that I didn't know I had. Not only did I improve a ton but he opened my eyes to a lot of concepts I could be working on that I know are going to take a ton of time to get a grasp of. But more than that, I was enjoying the work. Now I'm enjoying the game more than I ever have. And it's what has given me the drive and passion to play full-time. Nate was also a great life coach and gave me some great tips on how to create a structured poker life to not only to continue winning but also how to stay happy during the grind. I graduated university in April, went on Vacation in June, and now here I am: A full time poker pro ready to crush midstakes and beyond.
Here are my results for 2015 so far playing 400NL+ (final semester of university really crippled my volume but I can't complain about my results):
Poker goals for 2015:
-Win $100K
-Regularly review hands and videos with friends
-Constantly work on my game and never stop improving
-Start coaching
-Start playing tournaments (both live and online)
Personal Goals:
-Exercise Regularly. I'm way happier when on a regular basis I'm out running, hiking, playing sports, etc. When I don't exercise, I get lazy, and it bleeds into all aspects of my life. And I don't like that.
-Be proactive. This is a bit of an odd goal but it's one that I've struggled with a lot in the past. Usually when I wanna do something, it's because someone else has taken the initiative and then I just kind of tag along for the ride. Whereas now I'm doing my best to seek out more things that I enjoy doing whether it's outdoor activities, travelling, reading books, playing games, etc. The most important aspect is that I'm keeping my life fun and interesting to myself.
-Stay happy. I think that speaks for itself.
Last edited by Stupidhead; 07-05-2015 at 06:27 PM.
07-05-2015
, 09:19 PM
07-06-2015
, 12:24 PM
Random HH's from the last few days.
This pretty much sums up how I run HU:
Oops
Cuz **** you
This pretty much sums up how I run HU:
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 2 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014761
Hero (SB): $414 (103.5 bb)
BB: $465 (116.3 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 8
J :: ::
Hero raises to $8, BB raises to $32, Hero calls $24
Flop: ($64) 4
6 J
(2 players)
BB bets $36, Hero calls $36
Turn: ($136) 4
(2 players)
BB bets $80, Hero calls $80
River: ($296) 8 (2 players)
BB bets $317 and is all-in, Hero calls $266 and is all-in
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014761
Hero (SB): $414 (103.5 bb)
BB: $465 (116.3 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 8
J :: ::Hero raises to $8, BB raises to $32, Hero calls $24
Flop: ($64) 4
6 J (2 players)BB bets $36, Hero calls $36
Turn: ($136) 4
(2 players)BB bets $80, Hero calls $80
River: ($296) 8
(2 players)BB bets $317 and is all-in, Hero calls $266 and is all-in
Spoiler:
Oops
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014781
CO: $466 (116.5 bb)
Hero (BTN): $509.40 (127.4 bb)
SB: $400 (100 bb)
BB: $410 (102.5 bb)
UTG: $414.95 (103.7 bb)
MP: $408.85 (102.2 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BTN with J A :: ::
UTG folds, MP raises to $12, CO calls $12, Hero raises to $48, 2 folds, MP calls $36, CO folds
Flop: ($114) 7 3 7 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($114) Q (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $85.50, MP calls $85.50
River: ($285) 7 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $375.90 and is all-in, MP calls $275.35 and is all-in
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014781
CO: $466 (116.5 bb)
Hero (BTN): $509.40 (127.4 bb)
SB: $400 (100 bb)
BB: $410 (102.5 bb)
UTG: $414.95 (103.7 bb)
MP: $408.85 (102.2 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BTN with J
A :: ::UTG folds, MP raises to $12, CO calls $12, Hero raises to $48, 2 folds, MP calls $36, CO folds
Flop: ($114) 7
3 7 (2 players)MP checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($114) Q
(2 players)MP checks, Hero bets $85.50, MP calls $85.50
River: ($285) 7
(2 players)MP checks, Hero bets $375.90 and is all-in, MP calls $275.35 and is all-in
Spoiler:
Cuz **** you
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014771
CO: $407.50 (101.9 bb)
Hero (BTN): $532.60 (133.2 bb)
SB: $425.35 (106.3 bb)
BB: $461.78 (115.4 bb)
UTG: $400 (100 bb)
MP: $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BTN with 6 6 :: ::
UTG raises to $8.80, 2 folds, Hero calls $8.80, 2 folds
Flop: ($23.60) 7 K 8 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($23.60) 5 (2 players)
UTG bets $17.70, Hero raises to $68, UTG calls $50.30
River: ($159.60) J (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $455.80 and is all-in, UTG folds
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37014771
CO: $407.50 (101.9 bb)
Hero (BTN): $532.60 (133.2 bb)
SB: $425.35 (106.3 bb)
BB: $461.78 (115.4 bb)
UTG: $400 (100 bb)
MP: $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BTN with 6
6 :: ::UTG raises to $8.80, 2 folds, Hero calls $8.80, 2 folds
Flop: ($23.60) 7
K 8 (2 players)UTG checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($23.60) 5
(2 players)UTG bets $17.70, Hero raises to $68, UTG calls $50.30
River: ($159.60) J
(2 players)UTG checks, Hero bets $455.80 and is all-in, UTG folds
Spoiler:
08-01-2015
, 01:58 PM
Haha, half Asian although nobody can ever tell.
I don't really play too many unorthodox hands but heads up can bring the spew monster out of me sometimes.
Results for July:
Overall I'm very happy with how the month went. I don't think I'm ever going to be someone who can put in a ton of volume since my ideal grinding sessions have me playing 5-6 tables of 6max and 1-2 of HU. And it works out nicely since I can drop my worst tables and try and start better ones. It kinda sucks when I'm just helping out all the campers and scripters, I learn a lot from playing HU and short handed so it's a fair trade-off.
Last Sunday I took my first shot at playing a tourney schedule. I bricked everything but I'm not disappointed at all. I'm actually pretty excited to take another shot tomorrow. It's pretty fun to learn how to play the shorter stacks and I'm playing low enough where the variance isn't really gonna get to me. And if I'm going to play the WSOP next year I really want to have my short stack game nailed down. It feels so weird playing the 20bb-35bb stacks in a full ring game but with practise I'm sure I'll get comfortable.
Work away from the tables has been going great. A while ago I contacted Max (lilmax on here, he's got his own PG&C thread I recommend reading) to see if he was interested in working on our games together with Tim and I. In short I think Max the better HU player and I'm the better 6max player, but our approach to poker and life balance is very similar so it's been very easy working with him so far. It helps that he's already figured out some concepts on his own that took me foreeeever to properly look at. Between him and Tim I don't think there's much work we can't take on. If I had to do all this work on my own I'd probably reach burnout very soon.
July outside of poker: I moved out of my parents place to my new apartment on the 15th and I've been loving it so far. The place is in a quiet location where I can be fully focused during the grind, and it's also close to the facilities I like I to go to when I need to get out (rock climbing gym, yoga studio, etc). Just a few days ago I finally got my treadmill desk (inspired by Sauce) and it's been awesome so far. I've had a standing desk for a while but being able to casually stroll has been a lot more comfortable than just standing around.
Goals for August: I'm not going to set myself any real poker goals since I find that if I making productive use of my time, the poker work just comes naturally (although making 5 figures again would be nice). The only poker goal I have is to put in more volume at 3/6 and improve on my tourney game (and hopefully not brick everything this month!). My main goal this month is to get some recreational activities going so that I have a more balanced routine from week to week. I started meditating regularly a week ago and I've been surprised how beneficial it's been. It kinda reminded me why I enjoy yoga as much as I do (which I plan to jump back into this month). Taking time to just sit back and let my mind relax has been very refreshing and I've been asking myself why I didn't try this sooner. Right now I'm using an app called Headspace but I'm open to the idea of other forms of guided meditation. I also want to get back into bouldering as well as getting my advanced scuba diving license. I got my open water diving license in June when I was in Thailand and I want to be able to explore as much as I can below the ocean surface. The sensation of being underwater in a completely foreign environment is just indescribable, and I can't wait to dive again.
I don't really play too many unorthodox hands but heads up can bring the spew monster out of me sometimes.
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 2 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37037091
BB: $400 (100 bb)
Hero (SB): $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Q 6 :: ::
Hero raises to $8, BB raises to $30, Hero calls $22
Flop: ($60) T 3 9 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $30, BB calls $30
Turn: ($120) T (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $100, BB calls $100
River: ($320) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $240 and is all-in, BB folds
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37037091
BB: $400 (100 bb)
Hero (SB): $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Q
6 :: ::Hero raises to $8, BB raises to $30, Hero calls $22
Flop: ($60) T
3 9 (2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $30, BB calls $30
Turn: ($120) T
(2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $100, BB calls $100
River: ($320) 5
(2 players)BB checks, Hero bets $240 and is all-in, BB folds
Spoiler:
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 2 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37037090
SB: $592 (148 bb)
Hero (BB): $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BB with K T :: ::
SB raises to $10, Hero raises to $40, SB calls $30
Flop: ($80) A 2 A (2 players)
Hero bets $28, SB calls $28
Turn: ($136) Q (2 players)
Hero checks, SB bets $35, Hero calls $35
River: ($206) T (2 players)
Hero checks, SB bets $88, Hero raises to $297 and is all-in, SB folds
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37037090
SB: $592 (148 bb)
Hero (BB): $400 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is BB with K
T :: ::SB raises to $10, Hero raises to $40, SB calls $30
Flop: ($80) A
2 A (2 players)Hero bets $28, SB calls $28
Turn: ($136) Q
(2 players)Hero checks, SB bets $35, Hero calls $35
River: ($206) T
(2 players)Hero checks, SB bets $88, Hero raises to $297 and is all-in, SB folds
Spoiler:
Results for July:
Overall I'm very happy with how the month went. I don't think I'm ever going to be someone who can put in a ton of volume since my ideal grinding sessions have me playing 5-6 tables of 6max and 1-2 of HU. And it works out nicely since I can drop my worst tables and try and start better ones. It kinda sucks when I'm just helping out all the campers and scripters, I learn a lot from playing HU and short handed so it's a fair trade-off.
Last Sunday I took my first shot at playing a tourney schedule. I bricked everything but I'm not disappointed at all. I'm actually pretty excited to take another shot tomorrow. It's pretty fun to learn how to play the shorter stacks and I'm playing low enough where the variance isn't really gonna get to me. And if I'm going to play the WSOP next year I really want to have my short stack game nailed down. It feels so weird playing the 20bb-35bb stacks in a full ring game but with practise I'm sure I'll get comfortable.
Work away from the tables has been going great. A while ago I contacted Max (lilmax on here, he's got his own PG&C thread I recommend reading) to see if he was interested in working on our games together with Tim and I. In short I think Max the better HU player and I'm the better 6max player, but our approach to poker and life balance is very similar so it's been very easy working with him so far. It helps that he's already figured out some concepts on his own that took me foreeeever to properly look at. Between him and Tim I don't think there's much work we can't take on. If I had to do all this work on my own I'd probably reach burnout very soon.
July outside of poker: I moved out of my parents place to my new apartment on the 15th and I've been loving it so far. The place is in a quiet location where I can be fully focused during the grind, and it's also close to the facilities I like I to go to when I need to get out (rock climbing gym, yoga studio, etc). Just a few days ago I finally got my treadmill desk (inspired by Sauce) and it's been awesome so far. I've had a standing desk for a while but being able to casually stroll has been a lot more comfortable than just standing around.
Goals for August: I'm not going to set myself any real poker goals since I find that if I making productive use of my time, the poker work just comes naturally (although making 5 figures again would be nice). The only poker goal I have is to put in more volume at 3/6 and improve on my tourney game (and hopefully not brick everything this month!). My main goal this month is to get some recreational activities going so that I have a more balanced routine from week to week. I started meditating regularly a week ago and I've been surprised how beneficial it's been. It kinda reminded me why I enjoy yoga as much as I do (which I plan to jump back into this month). Taking time to just sit back and let my mind relax has been very refreshing and I've been asking myself why I didn't try this sooner. Right now I'm using an app called Headspace but I'm open to the idea of other forms of guided meditation. I also want to get back into bouldering as well as getting my advanced scuba diving license. I got my open water diving license in June when I was in Thailand and I want to be able to explore as much as I can below the ocean surface. The sensation of being underwater in a completely foreign environment is just indescribable, and I can't wait to dive again.
08-17-2015
, 12:11 AM
Glad you enjoyed the read 
Quick Update: I've been playing a lot more 3/6 this month and to say I've ran good is an understatement.
It certainly wasn't because of this hand. Shoulda bet the flop but then the result wouldn't of been nearly as cool.
Let's play a game: Guess how many times I misread my hand
I'd post more hands but it'd just consist of fish punting stacks or me coolering everyone.
Life outside of poker has been a work in progress. I made a series of prop bets with Tim to make sure that I actually stay healthy and productive. Stuff like exercising, cooking, etc. Not that I've ever really been unhealthy, but I do have phases where my productivity is complete trash. Right now I'm at a point where my social life isn't quite as active as I'd like it to be. So I'm gonna my best to balance poker work with getting out of the house more often. So far I've taken a bouldering class last Thursday (it felt so good to get back to climbing) and I booked an advanced diving course for September. I still need to sign up for some recreational sports (still debating what sport I should pick) so hopefully I'll have that taken care of within the next week or so. There's other activities I wanna get going but I'm trying to pace myself so I try to juggle too much at once.
Quick Update: I've been playing a lot more 3/6 this month and to say I've ran good is an understatement.
It certainly wasn't because of this hand. Shoulda bet the flop but then the result wouldn't of been nearly as cool.
Pacific, $2/$4 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37073302
BB: $498.53 (124.6 bb)
UTG: $393.15 (98.3 bb)
Hero (MP): $575.15 (143.8 bb)
CO: $401.30 (100.3 bb)
BTN: $762.83 (190.7 bb)
SB: $442 (110.5 bb)
Preflop: Hero is MP with A A :: ::
UTG raises to $8, Hero raises to $24, CO folds, BTN calls $24, SB calls $22, BB calls $20, UTG calls $16
Flop: ($120) 7 Q 5 (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks BTN bets $60, SB calls $60, BB calls $60, 2 folds
Turn: ($300) 8 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, BTN checks
River: ($300) 2 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, BTN checks
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37073302
BB: $498.53 (124.6 bb)
UTG: $393.15 (98.3 bb)
Hero (MP): $575.15 (143.8 bb)
CO: $401.30 (100.3 bb)
BTN: $762.83 (190.7 bb)
SB: $442 (110.5 bb)
Preflop: Hero is MP with A
A :: ::UTG raises to $8, Hero raises to $24, CO folds, BTN calls $24, SB calls $22, BB calls $20, UTG calls $16
Flop: ($120) 7
Q 5 (5 players)SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks BTN bets $60, SB calls $60, BB calls $60, 2 folds
Turn: ($300) 8
(3 players)SB checks, BB checks, BTN checks
River: ($300) 2
(3 players)SB checks, BB checks, BTN checks
Spoiler:
Let's play a game: Guess how many times I misread my hand
Pacific, $3/$6 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 5 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37073301
CO: $400 (66.7 bb)
BTN: $1,403.80 (234 bb)
SB: $600 (100 bb)
BB: $600 (100 bb)
Hero (MP): $600 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is MP with 6 8 :: ::
Hero raises to $18, CO folds, BTN raises to $48, 2 folds, Hero calls $30
Flop: ($105) 7 J 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $52.50, Hero calls $52.50
Turn: ($210) 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks
River: ($210) K (2 players)
Hero bets $206, BTN calls $206
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37073301
CO: $400 (66.7 bb)
BTN: $1,403.80 (234 bb)
SB: $600 (100 bb)
BB: $600 (100 bb)
Hero (MP): $600 (100 bb)
Preflop: Hero is MP with 6
8 :: ::Hero raises to $18, CO folds, BTN raises to $48, 2 folds, Hero calls $30
Flop: ($105) 7
J 5 (2 players)Hero checks, BTN bets $52.50, Hero calls $52.50
Turn: ($210) 2
(2 players)Hero checks, BTN checks
River: ($210) K
(2 players)Hero bets $206, BTN calls $206
Spoiler:
I'd post more hands but it'd just consist of fish punting stacks or me coolering everyone.
Life outside of poker has been a work in progress. I made a series of prop bets with Tim to make sure that I actually stay healthy and productive. Stuff like exercising, cooking, etc. Not that I've ever really been unhealthy, but I do have phases where my productivity is complete trash. Right now I'm at a point where my social life isn't quite as active as I'd like it to be. So I'm gonna my best to balance poker work with getting out of the house more often. So far I've taken a bouldering class last Thursday (it felt so good to get back to climbing) and I booked an advanced diving course for September. I still need to sign up for some recreational sports (still debating what sport I should pick) so hopefully I'll have that taken care of within the next week or so. There's other activities I wanna get going but I'm trying to pace myself so I try to juggle too much at once.
08-31-2015
, 07:49 PM
Results for August:
My motivation to grind has been a bit shaky this month. It's tough to convince myself that I need to work on a lot of theory when going through a heater. And even though I know it's work, sometimes I feel a bit less satisfied at the end of the day when I've put in a bunch of hours working off the table instead of when I'm grinding. Still, I'm pretty happy with the number of hours I put in and I obviously can't complain about results . I do want to start taking shots at 5/10 soon but not until I prove to myself that I can actually stomach the potential swings at 3/6 since the best way to describe my experience at 3/6 so far is "One massive heater".
If there's one thing that's been enforced this month is that life balance is soooooo crucial to keeping up the grind. There were a few days where I got a bit sloppy with my routine and then ended up not playing or doing much in general. But when balance was there it was awesome. I've switched my eating habits so that I'm only eating twice a day and I doubt I'm gonna stop anytime soon. It's been much easier to plan meals ahead of time and it prevents me from eating too much (mostly due to late night snacking). I'm debating about trying out this Ketogenic Diet as I've heard a lot of people say that their mental energy has improved. I need to read more before I decide. It also feels pretty strange to start September and not have to go back to school. Not that I'm complaining So far playing full time has been awesome and all I really care about is that I position myself to enjoy the ride for however long it lasts.
Best of luck to everyone at the tables!
My motivation to grind has been a bit shaky this month. It's tough to convince myself that I need to work on a lot of theory when going through a heater. And even though I know it's work, sometimes I feel a bit less satisfied at the end of the day when I've put in a bunch of hours working off the table instead of when I'm grinding. Still, I'm pretty happy with the number of hours I put in and I obviously can't complain about results
. I do want to start taking shots at 5/10 soon but not until I prove to myself that I can actually stomach the potential swings at 3/6 since the best way to describe my experience at 3/6 so far is "One massive heater". If there's one thing that's been enforced this month is that life balance is soooooo crucial to keeping up the grind. There were a few days where I got a bit sloppy with my routine and then ended up not playing or doing much in general. But when balance was there it was awesome. I've switched my eating habits so that I'm only eating twice a day and I doubt I'm gonna stop anytime soon. It's been much easier to plan meals ahead of time and it prevents me from eating too much (mostly due to late night snacking). I'm debating about trying out this Ketogenic Diet as I've heard a lot of people say that their mental energy has improved. I need to read more before I decide. It also feels pretty strange to start September and not have to go back to school. Not that I'm complaining
So far playing full time has been awesome and all I really care about is that I position myself to enjoy the ride for however long it lasts.Best of luck to everyone at the tables!
09-16-2015
, 03:15 PM
Pacific, $5/$10 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37118592
CO: $1,360.12 (136 bb)
BTN: $1,831.50 (183.2 bb)
Hero (SB): $1,532.75 (153.3 bb)
BB: $1,000 (100 bb)
UTG: $1,871.50 (187.2 bb)
MP: $2,458.75 (245.9 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with J J :: ::
UTG folds, MP raises to $30, 2 folds, Hero calls $25,
BB folds
Flop: ($70) 7 7 A (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks
Turn: ($70) J (2 players)
Hero bets $35, MP calls $35
River: ($140) J (2 players)
Hero checks,
MP bets $100,
Hero raises to $440, MP raises to $2,393.75 and is all-in,
Hero calls $1,027.75 and is all-in
MP showed 7 7
Results: $3,075.50 pot ($4 rake)
Final Board: 7 7 A J J
Hero showed J J :: :: and won $3,071.50 ($1,538.75 net)
MP showed 7 7 :: :: and lost (-$1,532.75 net)
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #37118592
CO: $1,360.12 (136 bb)
BTN: $1,831.50 (183.2 bb)
Hero (SB): $1,532.75 (153.3 bb)
BB: $1,000 (100 bb)
UTG: $1,871.50 (187.2 bb)
MP: $2,458.75 (245.9 bb)
Preflop: Hero is SB with J
J :: ::UTG folds, MP raises to $30, 2 folds, Hero calls $25,
BB folds
Flop: ($70) 7
7 A (2 players)Hero checks, MP checks
Turn: ($70) J
(2 players)Hero bets $35, MP calls $35
River: ($140) J
(2 players)Hero checks,
MP bets $100,
Hero raises to $440, MP raises to $2,393.75 and is all-in,
Hero calls $1,027.75 and is all-in
MP showed 7
7Results: $3,075.50 pot ($4 rake)
Final Board: 7
7 A J J Hero showed J
J :: :: and won $3,071.50 ($1,538.75 net)MP showed 7
7 :: :: and lost (-$1,532.75 net)
09-30-2015
, 12:10 PM
Results for September:
I started playing a lot of 5/10 this month and ended up having my best month to date. Ran 10K above EV and that doesn't factor in the rungood of quadz over quadz'ing regs. I only check my results twice a month so it was kinda surreal yesterday to see my graph when my previous best month was 22k. Still doesn't quite feel real honestly. Part of me wants to do something to celebrate but I've never been a big spender on anything flashy or luxurious. I'm open to any ideas if you guys have any.
The other good news is that I reached my goal of making 6 figures this year
Not gonna set myself any new goals for the year other than not let the heater get to my head. There's a bunch of spots I still want to improve on,like facing aggression in 3bet pots and check/folding too much as the PFR. Plus I leave for vacation at the end of October so I have absolutely no reason to slack this month. I also want to start coaching soon so expect a post in the coaching section sometime in the near future.
I started playing a lot of 5/10 this month and ended up having my best month to date. Ran 10K above EV and that doesn't factor in the rungood of quadz over quadz'ing regs. I only check my results twice a month so it was kinda surreal yesterday to see my graph when my previous best month was 22k. Still doesn't quite feel real honestly. Part of me wants to do something to celebrate but I've never been a big spender on anything flashy or luxurious. I'm open to any ideas if you guys have any.
The other good news is that I reached my goal of making 6 figures this year
Not gonna set myself any new goals for the year other than not let the heater get to my head. There's a bunch of spots I still want to improve on,like facing aggression in 3bet pots and check/folding too much as the PFR. Plus I leave for vacation at the end of October so I have absolutely no reason to slack this month. I also want to start coaching soon so expect a post in the coaching section sometime in the near future.
09-30-2015
, 01:39 PM
10-04-2015
, 02:25 PM
Thanks man! I decided I'm gonna hold off on coaching until I get back from Vacation in mid-November. Not quite sure how much I'll charge but I'll base it a lot on what current coaches are charging.
And wp Tim
10-30-2015
, 10:06 PM
Results for October:
Only got to play for 3 weeks this month since I've been on vacation in China since the 25th. And i definitely can't complain about the results. Kinda silly that 50% of my volume was at 3/6 yet nearly all of my profit this month was from 5/10. #fishonaheater. I'm very tempted to take some 10/20 shots soon but I think that'll be something I'll save for 2016.
This month I started to play a bit more live and I'm starting to toy with the idea of playing live more if I can find more games to play in.The problem is anything above 2/5 is pretty much dead in Vancouver casinos. I did manage to find a 10/25 home game and i made I got an invite back by dumping nearly 10k in my first session But no worries. It only runs once a week so it'll probably take a few months for the swings to even out. It is kinda strange that I can handle -5k days a lot better online than I do live. I guess most of it has to do with me only checking results every 2 weeks. Whereas live I'm used to constantly counting my stack.
Goals for November: Lol I'm on vacation bro. For now i just wanna relax and enjoy this trip with my Mom and grandpa. I'll figure out my goals when I'm back on the grind.
Only got to play for 3 weeks this month since I've been on vacation in China since the 25th. And i definitely can't complain about the results. Kinda silly that 50% of my volume was at 3/6 yet nearly all of my profit this month was from 5/10. #fishonaheater. I'm very tempted to take some 10/20 shots soon but I think that'll be something I'll save for 2016.
This month I started to play a bit more live and I'm starting to toy with the idea of playing live more if I can find more games to play in.The problem is anything above 2/5 is pretty much dead in Vancouver casinos. I did manage to find a 10/25 home game and i made I got an invite back by dumping nearly 10k in my first session
But no worries. It only runs once a week so it'll probably take a few months for the swings to even out. It is kinda strange that I can handle -5k days a lot better online than I do live. I guess most of it has to do with me only checking results every 2 weeks. Whereas live I'm used to constantly counting my stack. Goals for November: Lol I'm on vacation bro. For now i just wanna relax and enjoy this trip with my Mom and grandpa. I'll figure out my goals when I'm back on the grind.