Hey man, Good luck to you. I'm also 31, grind in South Florida. I grind $2/5 NL $200-$600 buy-in at Hardrock Hollywood. 10% rake up to $50 and a $2 jackpot drop, so $7 rake total on a $50+ pot. I've been grinding since January and almost at $20k. I got a thread/blog going on here also. Sub'd and good luck to you man, I'll be checking up on you!

Thursday 7th April

With an APL (Australia Poker League) tourney running tonight at the Star the tables were full of self proclaimed experts and advice givers who love visiting their local pub and playing some self dealt poker tourneys. A 2-5 or 5-5 game at the sydney casino is their shot at glory and worse case scenario is that they lose their chips with a good story to take home to the safe surrounds of their local pub.

With this in mind I planned to play a long session of 2-5, thinking most of these guys will prefer the slightly lower buy in. I sat in an average 2-5 game and after an hour of mundane action I transferred to the 5-5 when my name was called. Game selection was key and I the table seemed better than its lower buy in cousin.

One amateur at the table didn't have a fold button. A friendly neighbour supplied me with this information not long after sitting down and I planned to use this to my advantage.

After check calling 3 small bets on 3 streets with KJ on a J33xx board and losing to 35o (he was first to flat a $35 open with 35o) I knew this guy would be in my sights.

Straddle was on but never is live making it 5-5-10. Amateur limps, asian man limps and I raise to 65 with 8:: knowing this guy is never folding pre. Both players call my raise.

Stacks

Hero - 750
Villian - 850

Flop 1087

Bingo.

Amateur is first to act and motions as if he wants to bet but both players check to me.

I slide 175 into the 215 expecting a call and then a fold from the two players to act. The amateur quickly raises to around 400 in a messy stack of black and red. with both of committed I choose not to waste time and shove with my middle set.

A friend asks which cards are helpful to me. I respond with 'pairing the board would probably be good'

Turn 10

My wish was granted.

River A

Amateur looks at me, gestures me to open my hand but the action in Sydney is on him so I let me go first, readying to flip my cards quickly as I don't want to anger him.

I look over the corner of the table where he is sitting.

108

2 outers are not a lot of fun. Villian later kindly donates all the chips to my friend who ask me which cards I was looking for.

I opted for a dinner break as my parents were in town for a couple of days. Some pizza and a beer helped me reset my mind and focus before the night grind.

I just arrived after a 45 minute break to take my the first seat on the list back at the 5-5 game. It had gotten tougher but still was good enough and my 2-5 seat would be 45min-1hr away. I would grind away and play solid, aiming not to get out of line.

After about 30 mins of accumulating some small pots I had about approx 700 in my stack when a tight asian man opens for 25 after I had limped utg. BB calls and I call with QJ

Flop: K73

I plan on check raising this tight player as his C-betting range seems weighted towards value hands.

he obliges with a $30 bet into 95 and after the BB blasts I make it 135.

He tanks calls and BB folds.

Turn: 10

with 550 left behind I bet 250 into the 400 pot. He gives his bets asian al [pacino impression before dropping 3 blacks and in front him and questioning the dealer as to where his change is. It was right in front of him.

River: 4

I shove my last 300 into the pot after my usual postering as he snaps it off. chinese acting class was over he was shipped the pot with his A5

He laughed at my misery while raking the pot as I quickly decide to head home. 2 hour sessions are a rarity for me but I am confident that was the best decision I made all day.

A negative day to the tune of $1685.

At least I was able to take the ferry home and enjoy the salty air and sea breeze.

Back at it tomorrow

JM

Thank you and good luck to you too. Ill check your P&G thread.

Interested to see the differences in games and casino life from across the globe.

The poker Gods give and the poker Gods take away

Update:

Lots of hands have been played since the 7th of April with mostly good results.

The games are good with both the 2-5 tables and the 5-5 tables seemingly profitable and enjoyable lineups. My aim is to stick with the 2-5 because as I have mentioned before, the game plays less aggressive than the 5-5. Players are more fit and fold types and 3bets usually mean they have the goods.

Played an interesting hand yesterday that had my table laughing, berating and shaking their heads at me.

Villian 1 (400 stack) is UTG & limps and Hero (820 stack) opens AJ UTG +1 to 25, Villian 2 (covers both) in Cutoff calls and initial Villian calls.

Flop is KQ2

Villian 1 checks, Hero Checks and Villian 2 bets 40 into 82 pot. Villain 1 calls and I decide to make it 140. Villian 2 plays ATC and likes to bet but also gives respect to raises and turn/ river strength so I can rep a big hand here and get him to fold even AK on the turn. Villian 1 is scared money and would lead with any real strength and fold to multiple barrels also.

To my surprise BOTH players call my 140 bet and I decide check/fold is now optimal on the turn.

That is until the beautiful 10 is flipped and my minds starts thinking how of the best way to get the chips in here. with a little over 500 in the pot it is checks to me and I continue with a bet of 235 leaving 440 behind for a river shove. Villian 2 calls in the cutoff and its obvious his range its much stronger than I thought initially.

The river is the 4 and my nut straight remains in tact. In flow I shove and he tank calls with his set of 2s for a 350 BB pot.

Table needles me, berates me, shakes head for about the next hour as I laugh it off and confirm their opinions that I am a luckbox in the hope they don't give me any respect in the future and call me down light

Any thoughts on the hand ?


With that run good and a few other solid session my results are as follows

9/4/16 - 2-5 session (6 hrs) = 760
10/4/16 - 2-5 session (7 hrs) = 1000
14/4/16 - 2-5 session (3 hours) = 835
15/4/16 - 2-5 session (5.5 hrs) = 1120
17/4/16 - 2-5 session (3.5 hrs) = 1550
18/4/16 - 5-5 session (2.5 hrs) = 365
19/4/16 - 5-5 session (10 hrs) = 1200
21/4/16 - 2-5 session (6.5 hrs) = 1375

Still plenty of improvement left in my game and I have been leaving money on the table in certain spots and making bad river calls but slowly I am working eliminating these from my game.

Hopefully find some time this weekend for a decent session too

Table is right. You are a luckbox

Nice results though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Of course, Villain 2 is at the top of his range and he also made a mistake by flatting your flop check raise because there's a load of scare cards on the turn.

Are you really check folding all non 10 turns?

Also lol at Villain 1 who he to fold or shove when the 140 comes back to him


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Yes I am

My plan when I made it 140 was that if one player called I would certainly be barreling almost any turn. Once both called I felt more hesitant and it would have been a close decision.

Image is everything!

Friday 22/4

Day session of about 5 hrs and another tidy profit of $780

With my previous days image of check raising with a draw fresh on the tables mind (most day time players are regs) I decided to make an interesting semi bluff after about an hour at the table.

hero raises AK from EP and older competent but usually face up player flats button. BB flats too.

Q73 flop and Hero leads 60 into the 77 pot. Button flats which is mostly a good Q in his range.

Turn is 2 and I think a check raise shove is my best line. He obliges with a bet of 120 into almost 200 and I shovel 480 total. Eventually, after much deliberation and questioning he calls and I brick the rive rand he rakes in the pot.

Some solid poker followed despite this setbacks and the main pot I can remember is where I squeezed with AQ in the BB after a solid reg opens in EP to 25 and gets 4 callers. I make it 135 and he basically shoves for 500ish. I called it off and he is very light. A in the window and by the turn he says he 'has no chance' and mucks.

Game flow and dynamics play a huge part in small stakes aggressive 100 BB poker.

Saturday 23/4

Typical saturday night at the Star with bigs stacks, big stations and big suckouts.

Many hands and build up a big stack before punting most off it off with bad play.

Very frustrated with my decisions, especially late in the evening (3amwhile watching Man Utd play)

Good reality check though as I have been running good and need to keep on top of things instead of thinking I have solved the game!

Monthly Wrap up

April 2016

Hours played - 86

Solid considering my girlfriends sister was here from sweden and played tourist around my own city. Hopefully play 100 hrs in may before the 25th

Total Profit - $ 7395

Very happy with this because it included 3 x > 1k losing days too. being disciplined and sticking to 2-5 over 5-5 seems to be working. Aim is to continue this trend in May


Hourly Rate: ~$85

Above EV for the month but feel as if I have definitely taken a few steps to improving as a player and exploiting the vast majority of players and their tendencies. Games are good, player pool is large, gamble is everywhere.

Improvements in my game:

Exploiting players by focusing on their mistakes and taking advantage of them. This may seem vague so I will elaborate further. 'aha' moment I had earlier this month. 90% of the player pool at 2-5 give people credit for big/massive hands on turns and rivers. After getting folds on some turns and rivers the comments that players make are mostly 'you had a set', '2 pair minimum' 'you must have the straight'. Understanding which players feel this way (and it is really 9/10) allows for bluffs, semi bluffs and exploitable play. Timing this to perfection is extremely profitable.

Negatives:

My decision making still needs improvement. My thought process in games occasionally feels likes it disappears during important hands and defining ranges of villains can be improved. This is and endless struggle and although I will be forever perfecting this I feel it can be improved even in the short term.

Goals for next month:

• 100 Hours
  
  10k profit
  
  Game select well
  
  Improve range analysis in game and thought process during hands.
  
  Plan out lines for remaining streets on the flop/preflop.
  
  Pay attention to players patterns
  
  Follow reads and play accordingly
  
  Don't be a pussy

Question, why wouldn't you let villian show his cards? It sounds like you got excited and flipped over your cards before villian did. This is such valuable information to see his cards... I would suggest next time to let the all-in player show his cards so you can get a read in the future...

Good thread btw and I wish you luck OP.

Thanks fly.

I have made that mistake in the past for sure.

This time however the rules at the star in sydney are weird in regards to who shows first. when the money goes in pre flop, on the flop or on the turn the player OOP shows first regardless of the action

On the river however if I shove and get called call then normality resumes.

If your goals for this month are 100 hours and 10k profit you're planning for $100/hr? One of those numbers should probably change (unless you mean 10k profit to date).

Fair call. I meant over 100 hours as a minimum and would aim for 10k as a goal regardless of the hours played. Hopefully I can achieve this as close to 100/hr but I understand this would require a lot of run good. Definitely not impossible given the games at the star and my improved reads on some regular players.

Played for 6 hours today. First 2 hours I played well and built my stack to 1200. Next 2 hours I played poorly by losing concentration and putting my self in spots I should really never be in. This meant I donated 900 of my 1200 back to the table. The last 2 hours I pulled myself together and told myself to focus on every aspect of the table I could take in. Thankfully this resulted in me cashing out a $935 winner. I'll write up some disastrous hands and some well played hands over the weekend

Need to take a break from poker due to football opportunities coming my way. Training > tables so will be back to update in a few weeks time

Thank you to everyone for reading