I meant that for shot taking, but yes, I recommend deeper reloads in general; if you have no money behind you’re more likely to played scared money. If money is an issue, I’d suggest playing shorter with more reloads. 65-75bbs is a perfectly acceptable stack to play with, and you can have more reloads for the same amount of money. It’s also a generally easier stack size to navigate. Don’t be embarrassed to play shorter, do what you must. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice!! I definitely catch myself every once in a while not calling where I should be because of scared money. I might start doing this to see how I adjust to playing a tad shorter!

Session #8
Also, first session playing full time for the next 3 weeks before my intern starts.
Bought in at 4:30p for $200
Cashed out for $1136 at 2:20a
I take $100 from each winning session during these next 3 weeks for bills and expenses.
Technically cashed out for $1036. <- this will be the number I use for my bankroll.
Previous bankroll $5013, I forgot on last session update
Bankroll is at $5849

Session went pretty well for the start of the weekend. I played one hand like a complete fish late in the session when I was pretty tired. I have AA in sb I 3bet to $45 btn calls, flop comes JT8shh I check btn checks, turn 9s I check btn jams $101 effective, I folded. I should just be jamming the flop because what hands would he be calling a 3bet with. I sometimes screw up these plays against shorter stacks when flops like this happen, this was one of those times. I thought he had a Q and went with my gut. Beginning of the session the table was super soft and it eventually broke. I found this game with a guy who had 1.8k when I sat down and peaked at 3k, it was incredible to see how lucky the guy was getting. He dusted off about 500 to me. I made a really nice bluff vs a what seemed to be thinking player.

Session #9 (last night) April 30
Bought in at 4:00pm for $200
Reloaded at 5:45pm for $100
Busted at 6:15, took an hour break.
Bought in at 7:00pm for $200
Reloaded at 7:40pm for $200
Cashed out at 3:55am for $75.
Bankroll is at $5224

Session was pretty roller coastery. Every single hand I made in the first 4/5 of the session was beat by better. Top top vs 2 pair or set etc. After I busted the first 300 I thought about calling it quits for the day. But I needed to get in the hours for the week so I decided to keep playing. The table I was mainly at broke around 1:00 am and I moved to a table that was realllly juicy. It was playing super loose and I spun my stack up to about $650 ish before I lost a KK v KK vs QTss hand to a rivered trip Qs. Then I made a super non standard and totally gut feeling read depended call for the remaining chips I had. T8o on board of t24sdd turn 5. I just went with my gut and I was wrong guy had A3. Definitely not my proudest moment in poker. but I thought there was a better chance I was right than wrong. Oh well back to it today.

Session #10
Bought in at 6:25pm for $200
Reloaded at 6:45pm for another $200
Cashed out at 3:10am for $550
$100 goes to bills. $50 to bankroll
Bankroll is at $5274

Idk what it is but it seems that most of my sessions start off with me having to either top off or reload. I'm really not sure what it is. Thoughts?? I thought I played pretty well this session, I was making good reads on player types. Took advantage of a tilting player and got his stack. 3bet a know-it-all LAG with a super light holding. Didn't really have to make any tough lay downs or any tough calls. Tilting player was to my direct left and I was in sb and completed and he checked flop comes a45 i have 32, i bet he raises i 3 bet him loll, he calls and I get all of his stack on the river. Built my stack to around 650 ish on the beginning table and then that table broke so I moved to a table and got it up to about 750 before a guy called my raise pre flop, check min raised me on the flop with Q5o vs my AJs on a flop of QJ2r. I jammed on him and he eventually called?? lol. I guess I want those hands calling me pre in the long run. Last hour 3 plo players sat down and started bumping pre flop to 30-40 opens, I tried getting in there with them but it was really hard to with out pissing away money on whiffed flops. I lost a little trying to stack them. Back after it tomorrow!

Session #11
Bought in at 5:05pm for $200
Topped off for 5:45pm for $100
Cashed out for 12:45am for $350
$50 goes to bill. $0 to the bankroll
Bankroll is at $5723 (-$1 tip to the cashier)

Again had to top off in the early portion of the session. I was playing really well, making great reads and a few nice folds.There is this player at the casino I play at that we call homes, he is there every day buys in for like 60 bucks and never stops re loading, just a big donk/fish. Hes probably late 40s-early 50s and just kind of sloppy. He is also a know it all and is a huge bs'er. We played quite a few pots together tonight and I stacked him twice. 90% of the hands I play I either call a raise or I open the pot, and I play pretty TAG. I had been getting a lot of premiums and hands to raise with. I had my stack to around $550 and I pick up KJcc in ep and raise, homes is in lp and 3 bets to 40. I flat, knowing I can out play him or just out flop him, flop comes K34xhh, I donk 160 for the rest of his stack he calls. turn Tx river Ax he rolls over AQ? lol. Ill take that flop call all day every day. It kind of tilted me that he got there. But I controlled the tilt and just got up while still ahead and didn't spew at all. \

End of Week 1 playing full time.
Hours played: 37h 10m
Profit / Loss: $260 added to the bankroll
Bills: $250 for bills.

I am wondering tho if trying to hit 40 hours a week vs racking up and taking a solid profit which is better? I'm really focusing on the hours and volume and not really worrying about the money.

Reloading is part of poker.

For sure, I just feel like I'm always in the game for 3-400 and climbing out of a hole to get back in the black.

Session #12
Bought in at 5:40pm for $200
30 min diner break
Cashed out at 11:40pm for $916
$100 to bills. $616 to the roll.
Current roll is at $5889. (previous roll was $5273, typo on session 11)

Made all my loss back and then some from Monday. Pretty proud of that. Short session today, because I had about 900 in front of me and in 1/2 I feel that is a pretty solid profit & about as much as I could have beat the game for, especially when there weren't any other deep stacks like that on the table. The deck was hitting me in the face. I made a nice shove on a guy with top top and the nut flush draw going to the river. Im not sure what he called with. I feel like I have been able to tell were I am at in a hand the last 2 sessions. I know when I'm beat and I know when to go for value. I think one of the harder things to do when you are running well is getting max value or as much as you can squeeze out and I felt like I did a good job of that today, I might have missed a bit of value with some c bet looking bets that were actually value bets where I was going for 3 streets. Heading back to my hometown tomorrow, hopefully can get a session in at the casino nearby.

Session #13
Bought in at 6:40p for $200
Cashed out at 11:35p for $87
Current bankroll at $5776

Game was super boring. Didn’t play many hands, coolered a guy in the early portion of the session and the later part of the session. Laid down kk to a check raise on the flop. I 3 b in mp to 25 lp and ep raiser call, flop aq6r, ep checks to me I bet 50, lp folds ep check raises to 125ish, covers me. I fold. Asked him later and he had an a. Figured he’s never doing that with anything less. There were no fun players at the table so it wasn’t a good game and there weren’t any other seats.

Session #14
Bought in at 6:30p for $200
Cashed out at 2:30a for $350
$100 to bills, $50 to the roll
Bankroll is at $5826

Table was playing relatively tough. Had a lot of thinking players. I missed a bluff raise spot where I just called with bottom pair top kicker on a 3 flush board. My read was right as he had 2nd bottom pair, if I raise the river to rep the flush he for sure folds. I moved seats to get better position and went ultra card dead for the last 3 hours of the session. I was also playing tight so it amplified it. Picked up kk once and aa twice and 3bet them and got action and then took it down with a cbet, except for the last hand I played which was aa. I 3 bet from the blinds to 30, 5 callers, lol, obviously no one has been paying attention to how snug I have been. Flop comes 689ssc I bet 125, I cover everyone in the hand, 2 callers. K7xs wins the hand with a turned straight.??? I was dumbfounded he called pre. He was the first pre flop caller too. My stack was at 450 ish and he had about 100 effective. Kind of annoying he called that but I guess in the long run he’s losing. His explantion after he called was “my lucky number is 7, 1977 is on this lucky penny, I had 77, I’m my stack, and I’m a degenerate gambler” lol

Session #15
Bought in at 6:00p for $200
Cashed out at 12:30a for $478
$100 to bills, $178 to the roll
Bankroll is at $6004

Played well the last hour and half. Original game was really dead / boring. Pretty cars dead, couldn’t hit a flop and wasn’t in very good position. Game finally broke so I moved to the better of the 1/2 games. Definitely realizing how crucial game selecting is. I tend to start talking to people and then not wanting to leave the convo, but that is something that I will have to start doing. I moved to the other table and flopped a set but only got one street of value. I got put in a weird spot on like my 6 or 7th hand at the new table, I have akss in the sb, 4 limps, I raise to 20, 1 mp calls, flop 935r I bet 35 mp calls, turn 2h bringing a backdoor flush draw, I bet 50 he raises to 100, I tank folded, I thought about jamming here? I had effective 400 so my jam would have been for about 250 which would have been a pretty significant portion of his stack. I didn’t have any info on this guy or any hands he had shown down. He showed atdd, so I got bluffed... whatever. Lol. I moved over to his right after he won another big hand, he eventually left which kinda sucked so I had a big stack to my left who was pretty wild. I started limp re raising him with decent hands and then donking the flop and taking it down, he was not a thinking player at all. I also picked a really good spot to semi bluff with the flopped nut flush draw where there was a bet and re raise and a cold call in front of me. It was definitely a tougher session, need to game select better

End of week 2 playing full time.
Hours played: 24h 55m
Profit / loss: $281 added to the roll.
Bills: $250 for bills

Unable to get 40 in this week because I went home Friday - Sunday. Finally broke the 6k mark! This next week should be a full one.

Session #16
Bought in at 6:25p for $200
Had to reload for another $200
Cashed out for $407
$7 to bills, lol, $0 to the roll
Bankroll is at $6004

Played okay, made a questionable jam after this solid player kept 3 betting me, I 4 bet jammed for like 150 with a6cc and he snapped me off with kk.. whoops. I reloaded and moved to a seat that had immediate position on him, and finally doubled up through him to about 450 with 88. Not sure what he called me with. Card dead pretty much all session. I was quite tired during this session, tomorrow I will be starting earlier looking to put in a longer session and hopefully play well run well. I am stil l doing a good job of knowing when I’m beat and avoiding putting my self in tough spots by letting my opponents dictate the betting/action. Definitely starting to feel the grind of actually playing to pay the bills.

Session #17
Bought in at 5:30p for $200
Reloaded for $200
Reloaded for $200 more
$10 to a guy who didn’t have the money to buy a beer
Busted at 11:00p
Current bankroll at $5394

Really horrible session. I busted the first $400 and went and got dinner and decided to try and spin up another $200. I was up to about $300 before I ran a tptk into a set and lost my stack. I played really bad tonight and am pretty disappointed in the way things played out. I also just ran some second best hands into best hands, which I understand happens, but sucks. Probably going to take tomorrow off to re group.

Stinks man. Sorry to hear. Refocus and keep playing well.

And yes table selection is VERY important. Every time I’m at the poker room I look at the average chip stacks. My room has 30+ tables but it’s just as relevant in a room that has 2.

Selection is crucial and position on the table is huge too. Sitting to the right of a big stack is my worst nightmare unless he’s a donk. But if he’s solid it’s miserable. I always try and move around to the immediate left of the money.

Session #18
Bought in at 6:30p for $200
Cashed out at 9:05p for $76
Bankroll is at $5270

Played better than my previous session. Thought the run good might be swinging back in my favor and had my stack up to 450 ish in the first 30 min and then never won another hand. I should have played longer to get volume in and play from behind to test my self but my mind wasn’t in it. Going into the final week of playing full time before my internship.

Session #19
Bought in at 9:55p for $200
Cashed out at 2:00a for $68
Bankroll is at $5345
I added $207 back to my roll since my 3 weeks is pretty much up.

Played pretty well and was up to about 330 before the last hand where I got a little out of line I think idk. I posted it to the llsnl forum. Sat to the immediate left of crazy mark, he’s the guy in few session back that is super annoying. I’m on a pretty solid down swing right now. Around 900 I believe. It’s really frustrating grinding up a stack all night and then losing it in one hand.

Session #20
Bought in at 5:35p for $200
Rebought at 6:00p for $200
Topped for another $100
Cashed out for $378 at 12:30p
Bankroll is at $5223

Tough table 3 players I’ve played with one other solid player. Felt like a win tonight being in the game for 500. Outat about my peak about 380. Hopefully the run bad is out of my system. Last 45min -1h wasn’t really pay much attention there was a 5/5 mix game that had a ton of action in it so I was railing that game. I was always quite card dead all night. Got put in a few awkward spots and I have those hands I’ll post in the llsnl.

Session #21 (5/23)
Bought in at 6:05p for $200
Re loaded for $200
Topped off for another $100
Cashed out for $572
Bankroll is at $5295

Pretty wild game. In for 500 really fast off the bat! I was getting beat up but finally settled in and played better. Fighting off a cold and first week of full work so I was kinda tired. Got paid on my hands that I made. Had AA 3x in first 30 min and lost every time.

Session #22 (5/24)
Bought in at 6:00p for $200
Cashed out at 11:00p for $502
Bankroll is at $5887, added $290 to the roll.

Cashed out for 502. First hour I was getting hit with the deck and was building a stack was up to around 500. Then went for about 2 hours looking down at J Q K suited rag and just kept folding and folding. I picked up QJo and opened from mp and got called and eventually lost. Last hour or so I started getting some hands and made a nice river check raise with KJ on a rivered 2 pair. J992K flush draw board. I was going to check call every river that wasn’t a flush card. But since I improved I figured I could maybe get AJ to call thinking I had busted flush. Peak stack was about 585. Went from 200 to 500 to 340 to 585. Lost a few decent pots were I just lost to dumb 1/2 bs.

Session #23
Bought in at 5:35p for $200
Cashed out at 11:20p for $640
Bankroll is at $6327

Dipped to 150 early in the session and then started to gain ground. Was up to 1000 before I lost 120 JJvKK then I lost 160 to homes who had AK I had AQ on an ace hi board. I started tilting right after that hand so I picked up and left right after that hand.. Played fine and made some hands. Mad at my self I didn’t go home when I had 1k. The game was good I felt I could have won more. I guess hands like those kinda play themselves out tho. Anybody else have a player they play against and can never win a hand versus them?? He is an inferior player too, super loose, gambling degenerate, compulsive liar, rude, impolite and just is horrible to be with at a table other than his action. But I just cant win vs him and it tilts me to no end. I know it was a good win but loosing hard earned chips is the worst.

Great job shake.
Two questions:
1. You know better than me, but why’d you add $290 to the roll after session 22. Are you speaking as cash in ADDITION to your win? Otherwise I don’t see the math working?

2. Bankrolls at $6000 so are you taking your shot at 2/5?
(I built my bankroll from 2,000-5,000 before I took my shot. But I bought in for 1000 which was a bit much in hindsight. Now in the process of building my roll to 6000 before I take two 500 shots., at 5,100 now)

In regard to your last session, good job, wins still a win.
Can you describe the JJ vs KK hand more?
And in regard to AQ, maybe I’m a NIT, but I don’t play it as aggressively as most. Short of a Q being on the flop, I’m always wary of an AK agajnst me, since what is another player playing so aggressively on a A board that I CAN beat... AJ? Unfortunately in my experience they have AK, two pair or a set: Just my thoughts though.

And thinking that against a player is results oriented. Yes I have players I play against that I KNOW I’ll have to be all in against them. All I do is tailor my range more specifically to nuts and draws. Players like you describe can NOT fold to a shove, so you can try and go at them with mid pair or top pair mid kicker ten times a night and win X (jn your case you say you never win)

But you can also get that player ONCE a night for their whole stack if you pick the spot right. Against an OMC I would almost never shove the nuts, agajnst a villain as you describe, get the biggest value when you can and don’t play the rest of your hands for as big of a pot (in my opinion). I think it just reduces variance against those types of players.

Thanks Skiing!!

1. My bad on not putting a reason to why I did that but yeah I added 290 in cash to my roll in addition to the winnings. I added it in because from when I was playing for 3 weeks full time, paying bills with cards I didn't use $290 so I added it back. Hopefully that makes sense, sorry for the confusion.

2. It is finally time I am able to shot take 2/5 at my casino!! The max buy in for the 2/5 is $500 here so that is kind of nice for someone in my shoes. But I am a little nervous about shot taking. My strategy is going to be shot taking on either a Friday or Saturday night when the games aren't as reg heavy and there is a more action. But I just have to muster it up and pick my spots.

The JJ v KK hand a pretty loud, looser player made it $4 dollars (lol, this is his normal raise size) in utg, folds to me in lp with JJ. Utg has $120 effective, so I made it $30 and he jammed, idk, against this player type it is really hard to put him on JJ+. I figure to be ahead here or flipping at least 75% of the time. So I called.

I think your advice is really good. Reading your comments on AQ I will be re thinking the way I play AQ, I am one of the players that over plays AQ and needs to work that leak out. It isnt a major leak it's just one of those things, like in the hand from the session, that I think I can find a fold.

That is what I try and do most of the time, against this guy, is going for the max when I have the goods and just seeing smaller pots with medium strength hands. The AQ hand just was kind of tilting, because then he rubs it in your face, and looking forward I probably find a fold in similar spots vs him.

Thanks for the advice and questions! I am hoping to shot take soon once the ideal spot comes up. Keep me updated on your grind, it sounds like you are playing pretty well building from 2-5.1k!! keep it up!