+1 to that advice being golden, and something that I'll look to do in the future

Just wanted to point out a funny tidbit. I enjoy writing in my free time, and one aspect of a good story is what writers call a “pinch”, a “fall”, or even a “regression”. It is a sharp dip in the plot development curve leading up to the climax. It makes for a much more interesting story.

Think of Mike McDermott getting his ass beat and money taken at the police game.



That was a regression in what was a steadily ascending growth curve. It is a necessary instrument in any great story.

So you needed this regression to happen...it just further develops your character. Or, in the words of the wise prophet Eminem, “I guess I had to go to that place, to get to this one”.

Anyways, nice word choice. Gl in 2019.

Yeah plus the fact he's carved out a fantastic poker career makes the advice stick out even more. Same to you man, excited to get going with the year.

Words to live by in all facets of life

Great post, and very interesting, definitely gives me a different outlook on some movies/books now. Also just want to say you're one of my favorite posters in PGC so hope you have a great year.

+1, when I get it together it's just a necessary adjustment I had to go through...+1 on any Eminem lyric as well, even if 'Not Afraid' isn't my favorite

Week 1 (1/1-1/6): "Through the Fire and Flames"


Growing up, like a ton of teenage boys, I loved my video games. Sports was #1, but man video games were not far behind. Madden, Halo, COD were just a few of the titles I loved to play.

I believe my freshman year (8th grade possibly), Guitar Hero 3 came out. It was all the rage, and a bunch of my friends bough the game. Quickly, it became a good part of after school activity after basketball practice.

I had never played previous versions, so I started off on easy and progressed through the game before eventually beating it. The final song/hardest game was a guitar riff-raff rock throttling jam called "Through the Fire and Flames.

After beating it on easy, which embarrassingly, took me a few tries (I sucked, ok). I went on Youtube to see how difficult it was on the highest difficulty and I saw....(Honestly, just google it)


First thought: Well **** I aint doing that

I continued throughout the year playing the game and naturally with the reps, improvement came. First, normal diffifculty....and then normal became easy...and then came hard, and after awhile hard just became the normal setting.

And 6 months after playing GH3, I beat all the songs on Expert.

Now what's the point to this story? (Besides me spending way too much time playing fake guitar?)

First, I didn't put pressure on myself to get to Expert and beat the game, I played because the game was fun and through a lot of reps I naturally got better.

Secondly, I didn't jump from Easy to Expert overnight, it was an arduous process.

Now, this whole story is mostly serving as a long ass metaphor (or simile) to my poker situation, so let me get to the point.

With life, I need to beat "Through the Fire and Flames", it's gonna be a process this year, and I'm going to try my best to just get back to having fun with this game. Like Guitar Hero, Poker is just a game and I play because I love stimulating my mind and competing against other people.


The Schedule

Gazzy backed out of the prop bet unfortnately, but we're looking at 3 straight days of grinding to start the year.

1/1: ON
1/2: ON
1/3: ON

1/4-1/5: Future Brother-In-Law Wedding

1/6: ON; half day


My girlfriend's younger brother is getting married this upcoming weekend and I'm l a groomsmen so will unfortunately be away first weekend of the year, but will be on majority of upcoming weekends after that.


Hands from Previous Week

1.) Calling off vs spazzy fish (BU). Flop slight mistake, although probably not too bad given CO's RFI and calling range here.



SB posts SB $1.00, Hero posts BB $2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $3.00) Hero has K A

fold, fold, CO raises to $4.54, BTN calls $4.54, fold, Hero raises to $26.00, CO calls $21.46, BTN calls $21.46

Flop: ($79.00, 3 players) Q 4 J
Hero bets $26.00, fold, BTN calls $26.00

Turn: ($131.00, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($131.00, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, BTN bets $162.51 and is all-in, Hero calls $162.51

BTN shows K 9 (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 29%, Flop 45%, Turn 27%)
Hero shows K A (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 71%, Flop 55%, Turn 73%)
Hero wins $453.02


2.) 33 no good

partypoker - $10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4


SB posts SB $5.00, BB posts BB $10.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $15.00) Hero has 3 3

fold, Hero raises to $25.00, SB raises to $100.00, fold, Hero calls $75.00

Flop: ($210.00, 2 players) 6 K 7
SB bets $69.33, Hero calls $69.33

Turn: ($348.66, 2 players) J
SB checks, Hero bets $240.00, SB calls $240.00

River: ($828.66, 2 players) 9
SB checks, Hero bets $590.67 and is all-in, SB calls $590.67 and is all-in

SB shows A A (One Pair, Aces)

Hero mucks 3 3 (One Pair, Threes)

SB wins $2,008.00


3.) vs Weaker reg

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4



SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has A K

fold, MP raises to $15.00, Hero raises to $45.00, fold, fold, fold, MP calls $30.00

Flop: ($97.50, 2 players) 7 A K
MP checks, Hero bets $31.19, MP calls $31.19

Turn: ($159.88, 2 players) T
MP checks, Hero bets $92.50, MP calls $92.50

River: ($344.88, 2 players) 8
MP checks, Hero bets $393.18 and is all-in, MP calls $298.81 and is all-in

Hero shows A K (Two Pair, Aces and Kings)
(Pre 70%, Flop 98%, Turn 95%)
MP shows A T (Two Pair, Aces and Tens)
(Pre 30%, Flop 2%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins $939.50


4.) Free red line


SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has A K

fold, MP raises to $15.00, Hero raises to $45.00, fold, fold, fold, MP calls $30.00

Flop: ($97.50, 2 players) 7 A K
MP checks, Hero bets $31.19, MP calls $31.19

Turn: ($159.88, 2 players) T
MP checks, Hero bets $92.50, MP calls $92.50

River: ($344.88, 2 players) 8
MP checks, Hero bets $393.18 and is all-in, MP calls $298.81 and is all-in

Hero shows A K (Two Pair, Aces and Kings)
(Pre 70%, Flop 98%, Turn 95%)
MP shows A T (Two Pair, Aces and Tens)
(Pre 30%, Flop 2%, Turn 5%)
Hero wins $939.50


5.) Nitty Reg getting wayyyyy out of line

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4


Hero posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has A A

fold, MP raises to $11.35, fold, BTN calls $11.35, Hero raises to $60.00, BB raises to $158.00, fold, fold, Hero calls $98.00

Flop: ($338.70, 2 players) 9 7 6
Hero checks, BB bets $474.20 and is all-in, Hero calls $474.20

Turn: ($1,287.10, 2 players) 5

River: ($1,287.10, 2 players) A

Hero shows A A (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 80%, Flop 77%, Turn 91%)
BB mucks T Q (High Card, Ace)
(Pre 20%, Flop 23%, Turn 9%)
Hero wins $1,284.10



Will report Next Sunday, GL all

Look forward to following along this new year, and good luck!

Hey Jerrad I just caught up on everything and wish I had known you were going through a tough stretch. I've hit a bit of a wall myself with a real lack of volume and motivation to end the last three months of my year. It appears you're becoming a "real person" a bit more quickly than I am so circumstances have really called for you to wake up and make sure you're doing everything in your power to make this game work for you as a means of making a living. I'm hoping to make sure this year that I get my ass in gear before I find myself in a desperate situation.

I'm gonna get my thread back up and running again soon as well. When I was reading your summary of the entire year it was funny how similar I felt to it all. Good times in the first few months with the Vegas MTT win in late February. Decent results leading into Vegas where things didn't go as well as I'd hoped but I still had a fun time. The slump when coming back, a little resurgence in August/September before really losing sight of things in October-December. That feeling of shame has washed over me more times than I care to admit. But rather than dwelling on it the key is to only focus on the things that will help you improve and then take the steps to get past the shortcomings. I'm glad to see you're making progress and working hard to get to where you want to be. It's motivation for me and I think I'm slowly finding the desire to play again (I was playing on my phone while walking from the train station to my house today when I was at one of your 200nl tables lol).

One of the things that stood out to me the most was your comparison of loving the game to playing a video game that you enjoy. You didn't play that video game because you HAD to. You did it because you WANTED to. It was FUN. This has always been what's gotten me back into poker after a downswing of motivation. I'd remember why I started playing in the first place. Instead of getting overwhelmed by win rates and solvers and and egos I'd just turn off the HUD and one table a tournament I really liked playing and just have fun with it. It's shocking how often that tournament would go well as if to say "yep, getting back to your roots is the way to do this."

Please reach out to me in the future if you're going through a tough time. Hell, hit me up even if things are great I don't live far away and I wouldn't mind making the drive/taking the train. Here's to crushing it in 2019.

Thanks for following along my dude.


Hey man, thanks for reaching out and always being an earpiece if I need it. For sure, my situation kinda forces me to grow up ASAP. But I think despite the circumstances, it's a blessing.

Yeah, I saw you playing cash, I'm not saying you should transition to it, but I find the flexibility of cash may be way more appealing to your long term love of the game than tournaments, just a thought!

You also have one of the best blogs on PGC so def not alone in hoping to see more consistent updates. If ya ever need to vent, seeing as we are in some similar situations, don't be afraid to hit me up.


Week 1 Overview (1/1-1/6)

1.) 30 minutes of mediation Yearly Goal: .5/50

2.) 45 minutes of Yoga Yearly Goal: .75/60

3.) 23 hours dedicated to poker Yearly Goal: 23/2200

4.) Hands played approx 10,000 (8,000 tracked)




Not bad, but a lot of room for improvement, it was a shortened week for me and I only put in 3 days of volume, so a shade below 8 hours a day. Hoping to slightly improve week to week. Results sucked (won at 200, got smoked at 500/1k) but I ran very poorly, and played below my standard so not really worried about anything. Effort was there for most of the week.


Stackin Wins

I think a great approach is just aiming to "win" each day. A typical day is won doing x minutes of meditation, eating reasonably well, getting a workout in, y hours of studying specific areas thought out in advance, z hours of playing. Not necessarily easy to do but not overwhelmingly daunting.

I'm going to implement this going forward for the upcoming year. I had a great first day, second day, I still put in 7 hours but procrastinated more than I liked so I won't count that as a win.

I want to shoot for 75% win rate. If I don't do all my daily goals I get a loss... Not necessarily easy to do but not overwhelmingly daunting

Ready to live by this wisdom.

Week 1 Results: 2-2


Off Topic

Had a short week since my friend had his wedding and I was one of his groomsman. He also happens to be the brother of my girlfriend, so the wedding was a big deal.

It was a ton of fun, food was great and they had a live band which let me tell you makes all the difference in the world.

I meant to play Sunday, but I was a bit too hungover (although I managed a workout) and my girlfriend was on the struggle bus. We managed to clean up decently for the wedding though.






Hands of the week:

1.) Spice for the New Year

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 2 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: $1,223.85 (VPIP: 36.10, PFR: 25.43, 3Bet Preflop: 10.38, Hands: 4,140)
Hero (BB): $697.47

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has Q 7

SB raises to $11.60, Hero calls $6.60

Flop: ($23.20, 2 players) 9 7 Q
Hero checks, SB checks

Turn: ($23.20, 2 players) J
Hero bets $16.65, SB raises to $65.49, Hero calls $48.84

River: ($154.18, 2 players) 9
Hero checks, SB bets $275.00, Hero raises to $620.38 and is all-in, fold

Hero wins $703.18



2.) vs. reg

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 3 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): $500.00
BTN: $1,247.62 (VPIP: 33.78, PFR: 26.24, 3Bet Preflop: 11.35, Hands: 2,964)
SB: $697.36 (VPIP: 28.96, PFR: 20.60, 3Bet Preflop: 7.92, Hands: 26,665)

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 7 3

BTN raises to $12.50, fold, Hero calls $7.50

Flop: ($27.50, 2 players) 3 3 4
Hero checks, BTN bets $19.59, Hero calls $19.59

Turn: ($66.68, 2 players) 6
Hero checks, BTN bets $48.51, Hero calls $48.51

River: ($163.70, 2 players) Q
Hero checks, BTN bets $121.28, Hero raises to $419.40 and is all-in, fold

Hero wins $404.26


3.) Was snap folding vs shove, level myself into a poor call

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (SB): $956.95
BB: $638.33 (VPIP: 26.44, PFR: 20.35, 3Bet Preflop: 8.81, Hands: 59,695)
UTG: $500.00 (VPIP: 27.90, PFR: 20.02, 3Bet Preflop: 8.22, Hands: 62,466)
CO: $136.25 (VPIP: 30.41, PFR: 9.52, 3Bet Preflop: 1.43, Hands: 151)
BTN: $529.32 (VPIP: 22.27, PFR: 17.51, 3Bet Preflop: 7.02, Hands: 139,448)

Hero posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has J J

UTG raises to $15.00, fold, fold, Hero raises to $60.00, fold, UTG calls $45.00

Flop: ($125.00, 2 players) T 8 9
Hero checks, UTG bets $86.00, Hero calls $86.00

Turn: ($297.00, 2 players) 8
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($297.00, 2 players) 4
Hero checks, UTG bets $142.00, Hero calls $142.00

UTG shows T T (Full House, Tens full of Eights)
(Pre 18%, Flop 68%, Turn 95%)
Hero mucks J J (Two Pair, Jacks and Eights)
(Pre 82%, Flop 32%, Turn 5%)
UTG wins $578.00


4.) vs reg

partypoker - $2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: $203.00 (VPIP: 25.61, PFR: 17.04, 3Bet Preflop: 7.08, Hands: 21,958)
BB: $206.94 (VPIP: 19.00, PFR: 13.40, 3Bet Preflop: 4.83, Hands: 49,602)
UTG: $233.18 (VPIP: 26.49, PFR: 22.74, 3Bet Preflop: 10.26, Hands: 1,080)
CO: $446.89 (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 18.82, 3Bet Preflop: 6.82, Hands: 87)
Hero (BTN): $331.58

SB posts SB $1.00, BB posts BB $2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $3.00) Hero has A Q

fold, fold, Hero raises to $5.00, SB raises to $20.00, fold, Hero calls $15.00

Flop: ($42.00, 2 players) 8 Q 9
SB checks, Hero bets $20.00, SB calls $20.00

Turn: ($82.00, 2 players) 2
SB checks, Hero bets $40.00, SB calls $40.00

River: ($162.00, 2 players) 6
SB checks, Hero bets $251.58 and is all-in, SB calls $123.00 and is all-in

SB shows J T (Straight, Queen High)
(Pre 40%, Flop 97%, Turn 100%)
Hero shows A Q (One Pair, Queens)
(Pre 60%, Flop 3%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins $128.58
SB wins $405.00


5.) OR is reg, fish is CC.

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: $648.38 (VPIP: 29.31, PFR: 23.31, 3Bet Preflop: 11.53, Hands: 35,434)
CO: $814.04 (VPIP: 28.28, PFR: 19.90, 3Bet Preflop: 8.38, Hands: 31,771)
Hero (BTN): $538.56
SB: $1,043.98 (VPIP: 56.67, PFR: 32.22, 3Bet Preflop: 12.12, Hands: 93)
BB: $535.45 (VPIP: 25.56, PFR: 17.00, 3Bet Preflop: 7.07, Hands: 22,074)
UTG: $507.50 (VPIP: 35.92, PFR: 21.00, 3Bet Preflop: 6.91, Hands: 2,714)

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 5 A

fold, fold, CO raises to $10.00, Hero raises to $35.00, SB calls $32.50, fold, CO calls $25.00

Flop: ($110.00, 3 players) 4 6 7
SB bets $35.66, CO calls $35.66, Hero calls $35.66

Turn: ($216.98, 3 players) T
SB bets $125.00, CO calls $125.00, Hero calls $125.00

River: ($591.98, 3 players) T
SB checks, CO checks, Hero bets $342.90 and is all-in, fold, fold

Hero wins $931.88



6.) Reg copying my bluff from last week

PokerStars - $10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 2 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): $1,059.00
SB: $1,590.67 (VPIP: 24.68, PFR: 17.77, 3Bet Preflop: 8.37, Hands: 3,267)

SB posts SB $5.00, Hero posts BB $10.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $15.00) Hero has A A

SB raises to $25.00, Hero raises to $100.00, SB calls $75.00

Flop: ($200.00, 2 players) T Q 4
Hero bets $65.67, SB calls $65.67

Turn: ($331.34, 2 players) 8
Hero checks, SB bets $200.00, Hero calls $200.00

River: ($731.34, 2 players) 5
Hero checks, SB bets $1,225.00 and is all-in, Hero calls $693.33 and is all-in

SB shows 3 3 (One Pair, Threes)
(Pre 18%, Flop 8%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows A A (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 82%, Flop 92%, Turn 95%)
Hero wins $2,117.00




Week 2 Overview:

Much busier schedule, working every day except Tuesday, but Tuesday is a big one.

Girlfriend has her appointment with her cardiologist then and we find out if she's approved from her doctor to undergo invitro (she has to take hormones) that affect her heart, so surrogacy is riding on the doctor's ok.

It's out of my control with whatever happens, so I'm at peace but obviously girlfriend is fairly worried. Hopefully we get good news here and I can build off a decent first week.


Final Note:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...6&postcount=22

Doing a 7 day no social media blackout along with SOF and others. Going to keep Skype and Spotify up since they're work related but everything is off limits, hoping this increases my production.

I'm also cutting of 2+2 til then too, so see you guys next week and hoping to read some new comments!

Why is JJ a fold otr? Are the blockers that bad so you prefer to call ATs/KK/AA?

Btw, stylish photos haha! Gl with everything!

Vaaaamoooo

gl with the doc appt!

Has everything to do with villain's tendencies and sizing scheme

Thanks, figured it was worth sharing that everything went as good as possible. Cleared IVF and her aorta has not increased in size, so very happy day off.

Back to my self-imposed black out but felt this was worth sharing. GL at the tables everyone

Great to hear, hope she continues to get positive results going forward. Unfortunately dealing with health stuff is a ****ty part of life and you guys are having to deal with it more than most your age, but you seem to be handling it all as well as anyone can so keep it up! Attitude in the face of adversity is half the battle for sure.

Amen. Just a part of life, and in the meantime we both came down with a stomach bug late Saturday night. Wasn't too bad but has been horrible today.


With me feeling very, very crappy going to make this update brief-ish

Week 2 Overview (1/7-1/13)

1.) 30 minutes of meditation. Yearly Goal: 1/50

2.) 0 minutes of Yoga. Yearly Goal: .75/60

3.) 28.66 hours dedicated to poker. Yearly Goal: 51.66/2200




Graph is a pretty poor reflection on how things went, am down approx 10k over 1300 hands at 1kNL this month, obviously not going to make that up at 200/500.

Have run very brutal in that very small sample size which is frustrating as it's been the eptiome of my career, but it's more frustration than anger. Had a few days where I would be up a bunch of buyins and then still be down 1-2k

When I get off to a busy start and do my morning routine I notice I'm much more productive and getting things done, so that will be a focus going forward.

Despite no yoga time, still had a great fitness week, really crushed the gym, went 5 times this week and hit 200 on my bench for the first time since college. Obviously want to increase that and meditation time going forward.

Had to quit a few sessions early do to frustration but I've been a lot more cognizant of my emotions... Definitely realizing at times "Hey I'm frustrated and that's ok, lets take a deep breath. Recognizing these emotions I feel like is a positive step with the mental game. I need to be more on top of the meditation though.

Also have traditionally been very bad at volume when I'm running bad, but def pushing through on days where I've gotten killed early. Had 2 seperate days where I had to quit, did some deep breathing, watched an episode of friends with the GF and got back to it.

I have 23k hands so while not amazing it's not exactly horrible either.


And through this entire week, my girlfriend is healthy and we're taking next steps which is priority #1.


Week 2 Record

2-3

Season Record: 4-5



Hands of the week:

1.) Rekt by fish. Went for thin value raise on turn and punished

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $565.80 (VPIP: 26.45, PFR: 20.36, 3Bet Preflop: 8.81, Hands: 59,970)
SB: $983.24 (VPIP: 38.38, PFR: 27.03, 3Bet Preflop: 10.99, Hands: 17,768)
Hero (BB): $502.22
UTG: $567.77 (VPIP: 26.44, PFR: 20.10, 3Bet Preflop: 8.07, Hands: 30,546)
MP: $849.96 (VPIP: 28.38, PFR: 17.82, 3Bet Preflop: 4.42, Hands: 307)
CO: $790.20 (VPIP: 26.36, PFR: 16.12, 3Bet Preflop: 4.30, Hands: 3,441)

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 8 J

fold, MP raises to $15.00, CO calls $15.00, fold, fold, Hero calls $10.00

Flop: ($47.50, 3 players) 4 9 6
Hero checks, MP bets $22.56, fold, Hero calls $22.56

Turn: ($92.62, 2 players) J
Hero checks, MP bets $45.00, Hero raises to $131.00, MP raises to $300.00, Hero calls $169.00

River: ($692.62, 2 players) 4
Hero checks, MP bets $165.00, Hero calls $164.66 and is all-in

MP shows 9 9 (Full House, Nines full of Fours)
(Pre 67%, Flop 73%, Turn 82%)
Hero shows 8 J (Two Pair, Jacks and Fours)
(Pre 33%, Flop 27%, Turn 18%)
MP wins $1,018.94


2.) vs extremely aggro reg

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $1,266.34 (VPIP: 27.19, PFR: 19.15, 3Bet Preflop: 7.11, Hands: 12,234)
MP: $491.61 (VPIP: 33.56, PFR: 20.34, 3Bet Preflop: 12.40, Hands: 298)
CO: $438.36 (VPIP: 32.81, PFR: 5.21, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 195)
BTN: $500.00 (VPIP: 25.61, PFR: 17.14, 3Bet Preflop: 8.01, Hands: 6,489)
SB: $504.72 (VPIP: 35.61, PFR: 21.41, 3Bet Preflop: 7.10, Hands: 2,230)
Hero (BB): $500.00

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has A T

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to $15.00, Hero raises to $45.00, SB raises to $137.50, Hero calls $92.50

Flop: ($275.00, 2 players) 2 5 2
SB bets $155.00, Hero calls $155.00

Turn: ($585.00, 2 players) 8
SB bets $212.22 and is all-in, Hero calls $207.50 and is all-in

River: ($1,000.00, 2 players) 6

SB shows 9 9 (Two Pair, Nines and Twos)
(Pre 53%, Flop 50%, Turn 68%)
Hero mucks A T (One Pair, Twos)
(Pre 47%, Flop 50%, Turn 32%)
SB wins $4.72
SB wins $997.00

3.) Extremely annoying spot vs nit reg, who has spzzed in past vs me. As played, I don't think I can fold this hand on the river

partypoker - $10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: $403.67 (VPIP: 27.20, PFR: 14.74, 3Bet Preflop: 6.63, Hands: 3,047)
BB: $1,677.07 (VPIP: 29.64, PFR: 18.76, 3Bet Preflop: 7.42, Hands: 8,422)
UTG: $1,165.13 (VPIP: 46.91, PFR: 29.97, 3Bet Preflop: 11.90, Hands: 316)
CO: $1,161.94 (VPIP: 25.62, PFR: 17.12, 3Bet Preflop: 8.03, Hands: 6,467)
Hero (BTN): $1,171.00

SB posts SB $5.00, BB posts BB $10.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $15.00) Hero has Q A

fold, CO raises to $25.30, Hero raises to $80.00, fold, fold, CO raises to $211.00, Hero calls $131.00

Flop: ($437.00, 2 players) 3 5 K
CO bets $155.88, Hero calls $155.88

Turn: ($748.76, 2 players) Q
CO checks, Hero checks

River: ($748.76, 2 players) 2
CO bets $795.06 and is all-in, Hero calls $795.06

CO shows K A (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 76%, Flop 97%, Turn 95%)
Hero shows Q A (One Pair, Queens)
(Pre 24%, Flop 3%, Turn 5%)
CO wins $2,334.88


5.) Vs overly aggressive tourney reg

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: $113.90 (VPIP: 53.75, PFR: 15.00, 3Bet Preflop: 4.65, Hands: 87)
SB: $1,174.69 (VPIP: 31.52, PFR: 23.84, 3Bet Preflop: 7.80, Hands: 10,153)
BB: $565.70 (VPIP: 33.94, PFR: 26.30, 3Bet Preflop: 11.48, Hands: 3,052)
Hero (CO): $527.97

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 8 T

Hero raises to $12.50, fold, fold, BB calls $7.50

Flop: ($27.50, 2 players) 5 2 8
BB checks, Hero bets $8.62, BB raises to $32.50, Hero calls $23.88

Turn: ($92.50, 2 players) T
BB checks, Hero bets $67.88, BB calls $67.88

River: ($228.26, 2 players) 2
BB checks, Hero bets $415.09 and is all-in, BB calls $415.09

Hero shows 8 T (Two Pair, Tens and Eights)
(Pre 65%, Flop 91%, Turn 100%)
BB shows T 7 (Two Pair, Tens and Twos)
(Pre 35%, Flop 9%, Turn 0%)
Hero wins $1,056.44


6.) River justice for bad preflop call by reg


PokerStars - $2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: $170.24 (VPIP: 27.78, PFR: 8.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 36)
CO: $201.47 (VPIP: 30.56, PFR: 13.89, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 36)
BTN: $265.85 (VPIP: 26.32, PFR: 20.01, 3Bet Preflop: 8.07, Hands: 31,385)
SB: $191.48 (VPIP: 26.59, PFR: 19.15, 3Bet Preflop: 8.24, Hands: 2,761)
Hero (BB): $207.50
UTG: $584.06 (VPIP: 26.60, PFR: 20.41, 3Bet Preflop: 8.52, Hands: 102,603)

SB posts SB $1.00, Hero posts BB $2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $3.00) Hero has 7 5

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $5.00, fold, Hero raises to $23.00, BTN calls $18.00

Flop: ($47.00, 2 players) 8 J 5
Hero bets $14.73, BTN calls $14.73

Turn: ($76.46, 2 players) K
Hero bets $48.00, BTN calls $48.00

River: ($172.46, 2 players) 5
Hero bets $121.77 and is all-in, BTN calls $121.77

Hero shows 7 5 (Three of a Kind, Fives)
(Pre 41%, Flop 73%, Turn 11%)
BTN shows K 6 (Two Pair, Kings and Fives)
(Pre 59%, Flop 27%, Turn 89%)
Hero wins $413.00


7.) Probably one of my few bluffs that got through this week

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: $576.49 (VPIP: 25.33, PFR: 16.91, 3Bet Preflop: 7.03, Hands: 23,330)
CO: $698.82 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 21.36, 3Bet Preflop: 7.71, Hands: 2,949)
BTN: $662.20 (VPIP: 28.96, PFR: 20.60, 3Bet Preflop: 7.92, Hands: 26,677)
SB: $520.84 (VPIP: 22.27, PFR: 17.52, 3Bet Preflop: 7.00, Hands: 142,385)
Hero (BB): $500.00
UTG: $135.71 (VPIP: 47.89, PFR: 24.11, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 150)

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 8 9

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $10.00, fold, Hero calls $5.00

Flop: ($22.50, 2 players) 2 7 8
Hero checks, BTN bets $10.62, Hero calls $10.62

Turn: ($43.74, 2 players) J
Hero checks, BTN bets $55.00, Hero calls $55.00

River: ($153.74, 2 players) 4
Hero checks, BTN bets $115.00, Hero raises to $424.38 and is all-in, fold

Hero wins $690.12




Looking for some improvement in Week 3 and hopefully not dealing with this stomach bug too long, gl all in the coming week

Hey! Glad to see you making concentrated effort in different areas. I REALLY like the weekly review and I might copy and add in some yearly big picture goals that I can add up (x out of y).

Just fold the flop in h3 mang

I assume you’re jamming any river other than maybe a J in h6 100% of time?

Everything else looks good! Glad to hear the gf is healthy!

Thanks, definitely allows me to refocus my goals every Sunday. Had a lot of people just say fold flop while some said it was ok. Folding flop gives me the least headache for sure though.

Yeah jamming a ton of rivers unblocking his entire folding range.


Physically, today was very rough, had a stomach bug and was in the bathroom far more often than I care to admit. I toughed out a gym session in the afternoon although I felt pretty crappy.

I studied a good 2.5 hours which felt great, haven't really played great so far. I only managed about 1.5 hours but ran as pure as can be and my month is back in the black so hopefully I can start a heater.

Hoping to feel 100% tomorrow to get a healthy grind in, have a meeting with the IVF doctor tomorrow and keep up the productivity.

This is a great thread, keep up the good work

Appreciate it man, thanks for following along.


Just a notice, I will be on BTS's twitch Sunday at 2PM ET with Head Coach, RunLikePanda if anyone wants to come hang out!

Hey man, best of luck with the IVF doctor, sending positive vibes!

You read about the new ruling from the DOJ? There is a strong probability in the next 90 days the tri-state compact will be broken apart and will revert back to a single state poker pool. Also a non zero chance intrastate poker is shut down completely. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I saw no mention of it in your thread. I would be very concearned if I was an online poker player from NJ. As a resident of PA I was looking forward to a growing legal poker market with more and more states expected to legalize. This will likely never happen now.

Going live in 15 minutes for a podcast with BTS, check it out if you have the time

https://www.twitch.tv/bluffthespot

Hey, I have followed along with this news, it's definitely a topic of conversation between regs. I'm personally in wait and see mode, but tbh it is out of my hands and I'm not going to stress over it, I have plenty of other topics to do that over

If disaster strikes, I will be ready and adjust to whatever's the new precedent.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Week 3 Overview

First week of regression in the volume department, unfortunately. This is my biggest goal this year, so this will be refocused on and I won't let it snowball. No excuses, let my schedule get off the rails a bit with life and I didn't do great job getting it back on track.

Of course, definitely had some positives. Had my biggest study week so far (6.5 hrs) and crushed the gym again.

Life wise: having a very tough setback with my Crohn's and dealing with a flareup. I called for the doctor and he sent me stronger medication. But of course my new insurance doesn't cover it and I wasn't gonna shell out $2,300!

1.) 40 minutes of meditation. Yearly Goal: 1.66/50

2.) 0 minutes of Yoga. Yearly Goal: .75/60

3.) 24 hours dedicated to Poker. Yearly Goal: 75.66/2200


Slight improvement on meditation time, def want to build on that. No more sub 30 hours week, just can't happen. Owning up to it on the blog sucks and isn't fun (which is part of the reason I'm doing this: Accountability).

I'm going to refocus tomorrow and start strong with a great coaching plan for a new student.

As far as poker, when I did play/study they were clean hours as far as no distractions and I played much better this week, I am definitely not running great which is unfortunate, but gotta keep grinding and it will turn.



Played a decent amount of volume on my untracked site (and lost), so slightly winning week. I'm currently at about 33k hands so I definitely want to finish strong to end the month. No specific hand goals, just show up and work, worry about the results later.

Weekly Record: 2-4
Season Record: 6-9


IVF Doctor

So had this meeting Tuesday with our fertility doctor. She's great, and laid out all the steps that we have to take. Definitely feels like we went to a great place to get this done.

We've done the beginning steps, so now we go the actual retrieval process where they inject hormones into Victoria for 2 weeks before going and retrieving her eggs. We decided we are going to start this end of March (we'll be engaged at this point). The whole process is much more rough for her, multiple shots every day and a needle going into her privates.

I pretty much just finish off in a cup 3 times so not too bad for me.

Anyway we payed off our beginning fees which were about $3k, and the process going forward is about 20-22k to retrieve the eggs and fertilize them with my sperm for a round. There's no guarantee this will work so it's possible we have to go multiple rounds.

Her parents have offered, no, demanded that they pay the money. I having a very strong mixture of both gratitude and guilt, both often spilling over each other that I'm not sure what's winning.

Could me and Vic pay for it? Yes, we could and we wouldn't be paycheck to paycheck, but it would be a pretty big hit to our finances and it would be super stressful. How can I not feel only gratefulness that we have people in our lives who would do that?

At the same time, her parents are not rich people and I found out they are getting this money from their retirement fund. I feel guilty (again) because if I took care of business, I'm a strong enough player to have made the money needed to work this out. On the flipside, they feel guilty for their daughter having Marfans. (None of her previous genealogy had it, btw)

So overall, I feel morally conflicted, but I can't lie it's a huge help to receive this unexpected gift, we have an amazing support system. When I get to where I want to be and I don't have to worry about money, I am definitely hoping to return the favor to them.

My girlfriend felt a little overwhelmed on Tuesday, so I took the day off but I figured it was worth it.

Ok, back to poker and more handsss of the week.


Hands of the Week

1.) vs new reg. I should probably have more of a read before I start making call downs like this...but went with pure instinct here on the flop, snapped river

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (BB): $543.50
UTG: $609.00 (VPIP: 28.24, PFR: 19.89, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 33,507)
MP: $1,385.84 (VPIP: 38.31, PFR: 26.95, 3Bet Preflop: 10.95, Hands: 17,933)
CO: $500.00 (VPIP: 22.26, PFR: 17.52, 3Bet Preflop: 7.02, Hands: 144,758)
BTN: $231.22 (VPIP: 26.61, PFR: 8.06, 3Bet Preflop: 5.45, Hands: 129)
SB: $505.00 (VPIP: 26.93, PFR: 20.50, 3Bet Preflop: 9.09, Hands: 581)

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has Q 8

fold, fold, fold, fold, SB raises to $15.00, Hero calls $10.00

Flop: ($30.00, 2 players) 8 3 2
SB bets $9.41, Hero raises to $32.00, SB raises to $80.00, Hero calls $48.00

Turn: ($190.00, 2 players) 2
SB bets $120.00, Hero calls $120.00

River: ($430.00, 2 players) K
SB bets $290.00 and is all-in, Hero calls $290.00

SB shows 9 T (One Pair, Twos)
(Pre 46%, Flop 30%, Turn 14%)
Hero shows Q 8 (Two Pair, Eights and Twos)
(Pre 54%, Flop 70%, Turn 86%)
Hero wins $1,007.00


2.) vs Aggro reg

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: $800.34 (VPIP: 26.28, PFR: 19.96, 3Bet Preflop: 8.07, Hands: 32,187)
CO: $1,164.68 (VPIP: 37.02, PFR: 26.14, 3Bet Preflop: 7.98, Hands: 1,843)
BTN: $243.92 (VPIP: 56.32, PFR: 27.59, 3Bet Preflop: 7.32, Hands: 89)
Hero (SB): $538.62
BB: $1,432.55 (VPIP: 38.05, PFR: 11.50, 3Bet Preflop: 5.36, Hands: 115)
UTG: $704.81 (VPIP: 27.41, PFR: 18.81, 3Bet Preflop: 7.21, Hands: 4,378)

Hero posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has T T

fold, fold, CO raises to $13.00, fold, Hero raises to $50.00, fold, CO calls $37.00

Flop: ($105.00, 2 players) 6 5 5
Hero bets $51.00, CO calls $51.00

Turn: ($207.00, 2 players) 4
Hero bets $102.00, CO calls $102.00

River: ($411.00, 2 players) T
Hero checks, CO bets $500.00, Hero calls $335.62 and is all-in

CO shows 7 6 (Two Pair, Sixes and Fives)
(Pre 20%, Flop 17%, Turn 23%)
Hero shows T T (Full House, Tens full of Fives)
(Pre 80%, Flop 83%, Turn 77%)
Hero wins $1,079.24


3.) vs weak thing , overfolding

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $604.65 (VPIP: 31.85, PFR: 21.41, 3Bet Preflop: 6.39, Hands: 24,213)
CO: $1,059.58 (VPIP: 37.06, PFR: 22.63, 3Bet Preflop: 8.19, Hands: 1,713)
Hero (BTN): $500.00
SB: $806.00 (VPIP: 42.03, PFR: 20.12, 3Bet Preflop: 4.52, Hands: 3,674)
BB: $709.36 (VPIP: 36.65, PFR: 25.93, 3Bet Preflop: 10.65, Hands: 4,332)

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has T 8

fold, CO raises to $15.00, Hero raises to $45.00, fold, fold, CO calls $30.00

Flop: ($97.50, 2 players) 9 A 6
CO checks, Hero bets $31.19, CO calls $31.19

Turn: ($159.88, 2 players) 2
CO checks, Hero bets $95.00, CO calls $95.00

River: ($349.88, 2 players) Q
CO checks, Hero bets $328.81 and is all-in, fold

Hero wins $346.88


4.) Getting reg off the chop

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: $510.44 (VPIP: 32.91, PFR: 16.93, 3Bet Preflop: 5.17, Hands: 1,851)
Hero (BB): $558.60
CO: $500.00 (VPIP: 27.99, PFR: 21.22, 3Bet Preflop: 8.31, Hands: 25,614)
BTN: $500.00 (VPIP: 26.74, PFR: 19.93, 3Bet Preflop: 8.22, Hands: 11,873)

SB posts SB $2.50, Hero posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 5 7

CO raises to $12.00, fold, fold, Hero calls $7.00

Flop: ($26.50, 2 players) J J K
Hero checks, CO bets $8.34, Hero raises to $33.00, CO calls $24.66

Turn: ($92.50, 2 players) 8
Hero bets $67.00, CO calls $67.00

River: ($226.50, 2 players) 8
Hero bets $172.00, fold

Hero wins $396.50



5.) v annoying hand vs reg. Like my line til river, straight impulsed call without even realizing how big the bet was. Playing a better game and I can fold this.


PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: $222.54 (VPIP: 55.85, PFR: 26.06, 3Bet Preflop: 21.88, Hands: 190)
BB: $894.11 (VPIP: 22.26, PFR: 17.52, 3Bet Preflop: 7.03, Hands: 145,012)
UTG: $523.00 (VPIP: 38.24, PFR: 26.91, 3Bet Preflop: 10.93, Hands: 18,143)
Hero (MP): $624.15
CO: $675.13 (VPIP: 18.49, PFR: 13.56, 3Bet Preflop: 5.12, Hands: 98,873)
BTN: $587.18 (VPIP: 28.20, PFR: 19.85, 3Bet Preflop: 8.30, Hands: 33,798)

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 8 A

fold, Hero raises to $12.50, fold, BTN calls $12.50, fold, fold

Flop: ($32.50, 2 players) 8 8 4
Hero checks, BTN bets $10.19, Hero raises to $35.00, BTN calls $24.81

Turn: ($102.50, 2 players) 3
Hero checks, BTN bets $79.60, Hero calls $79.60

River: ($261.70, 2 players) T
Hero checks, BTN bets $460.08 and is all-in, Hero calls $460.08

BTN shows T T (Full House, Tens full of Eights)
(Pre 68%, Flop 9%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows 8 A (Three of a Kind, Eights)
(Pre 32%, Flop 91%, Turn 95%)
BTN wins $1,178.86


6.) Value owned myself vs big fish

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $500.00 (VPIP: 32.53, PFR: 18.08, 3Bet Preflop: 5.21, Hands: 5,731)
MP: $618.74 (VPIP: 40.17, PFR: 24.79, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 118)
CO: $500.00 (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 7.92, 3Bet Preflop: 3.30, Hands: 244)
Hero (BTN): $545.00
SB: $609.60 (VPIP: 32.47, PFR: 23.79, 3Bet Preflop: 11.26, Hands: 14,865)
BB: $542.01 (VPIP: 32.52, PFR: 24.83, 3Bet Preflop: 10.93, Hands: 27,138)

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00, CO posts penalty blind $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $12.50) Hero has 7 7

UTG raises to $10.00, fold, fold, Hero raises to $37.00, fold, fold, UTG calls $27.00

Flop: ($86.50, 2 players) 8 6 5
UTG bets $62.62, Hero calls $62.62

Turn: ($211.74, 2 players) T
UTG bets $156.55, Hero calls $156.55

River: ($524.84, 2 players) 7
UTG checks, Hero bets $288.83 and is all-in, UTG calls $243.83 and is all-in

UTG shows 4 4 (Straight, Eight High)
(Pre 19%, Flop 10%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows 7 7 (Three of a Kind, Sevens)
(Pre 81%, Flop 90%, Turn 95%)
Hero wins $45.00
UTG wins $1,009.50


7.) More mad at myself for this one, def expect to induce some raises with river sizing, but this reg is never going 8x as a bluff. So yeah I suck.

PokerStars - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (CO): $533.62
BTN: $500.00 (VPIP: 28.25, PFR: 19.89, 3Bet Preflop: 8.33, Hands: 33,459)
SB: $1,387.90 (VPIP: 38.32, PFR: 26.96, 3Bet Preflop: 10.94, Hands: 17,880)
BB: $713.59 (VPIP: 26.30, PFR: 19.99, 3Bet Preflop: 8.07, Hands: 31,955)
UTG: $281.22 (VPIP: 27.93, PFR: 8.11, 3Bet Preflop: 6.00, Hands: 115)
MP: $587.20 (VPIP: 25.47, PFR: 19.47, 3Bet Preflop: 9.30, Hands: 549)

SB posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has 9 A

fold, fold, Hero raises to $12.50, fold, fold, BB calls $7.50

Flop: ($27.50, 2 players) 8 9 3
BB checks, Hero bets $19.59, BB calls $19.59

Turn: ($66.68, 2 players) 6
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($66.68, 2 players) A
BB checks, Hero bets $31.87, BB raises to $223.00, Hero calls $191.13

BB shows 6 6 (Three of a Kind, Sixes)
(Pre 56%, Flop 16%, Turn 100%)
Hero mucks 9 A (Two Pair, Aces and Nines)
(Pre 44%, Flop 84%, Turn 0%)
BB wins $509.68



8.) Standard fold, but just glad I didn't mash call

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: $520.62 (VPIP: 28.11, PFR: 19.80, 3Bet Preflop: 8.24, Hands: 34,379)
CO: $577.92 (VPIP: 36.36, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 12)
BTN: $234.79 (VPIP: 32.82, PFR: 23.04, 3Bet Preflop: 12.97, Hands: 803)
Hero (SB): $502.50
BB: $528.20 (VPIP: 25.13, PFR: 16.80, 3Bet Preflop: 6.97, Hands: 24,340)
UTG: $996.50 (VPIP: 32.52, PFR: 24.77, 3Bet Preflop: 11.00, Hands: 28,380)

Hero posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has K K

fold, MP raises to $15.00, fold, fold, Hero raises to $55.00, fold, MP calls $40.00

Flop: ($115.00, 2 players) 4 4 J
Hero bets $37.33, MP calls $37.33

Turn: ($189.66, 2 players) 8
Hero bets $121.00, MP calls $121.00

River: ($431.66, 2 players) 2
Hero checks, MP bets $307.29 and is all-in, fold

MP wins $735.95


9.) Nit life is the only lifeee for meeee

partypoker - $5 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $507.50 (VPIP: 32.48, PFR: 24.76, 3Bet Preflop: 10.88, Hands: 27,457)
MP: $500.00 (VPIP: 23.89, PFR: 17.38, 3Bet Preflop: 7.30, Hands: 15,289)
CO: $243.15 (VPIP: 49.38, PFR: 26.71, 3Bet Preflop: 12.70, Hands: 170)
BTN: $502.14 (VPIP: 56.69, PFR: 19.23, 3Bet Preflop: 8.79, Hands: 161)
Hero (SB): $618.25
BB: $528.06 (VPIP: 25.17, PFR: 16.83, 3Bet Preflop: 6.97, Hands: 24,029)

Hero posts SB $2.50, BB posts BB $5.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $7.50) Hero has Q Q

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $15.00, BB raises to $45.00, Hero raises to $115.00, BB calls $70.00

Flop: ($230.00, 2 players) 7 8 J
Hero checks, BB bets $113.50, fold

BB wins $340.50


Had some fantastic hands on WSOP but obv can't post those, def playing stronger lately which makes me happy, studying was also on point, so gearing up for a big bounceback week.

should look into whole food plant based diet for crohns, I had a severe case of UC, tried everything over the span of 2 yrs from 2014 through 2016, lost a loooot of blood and in 2016 I completely overhauled my diet, very high fiber diet, plant whole food and I have had no symptoms at all for 3 years now, no blood, no diahrrea, no constipation.

I know crohns a little bit different because symptoms target the entire digestive track as opposed to UC which is primarily the colon but I believe the root cause is the same thing, anyway PM me if you want to discuss it, these flare ups can be hell.

Great news about the fertility thing, I hope it goes well, all the best

I don't have anywhere near the issues you guys seem to be having, but I have some mild stomach issues from time to time. Are you saying you completely gave up meat and basically became vegetarian? I've thought about giving up meat and dairy just to see if it takes away the mild issues, but I love meat and dairy lol.

-------------

Gl with the fertility treatment OP! It's understandable why you feel guilt at the thought of them paying for it especially if they aren't rich, but like you said you can always pay it forward to them down the line when you've built up a better financial cushion. As long as it doesn't majorly impact their ability to retire (which I can't imagine how 20k at their age would have that impact) I'm sure the pure joy they will get from their grandchild will more than make up for any small monetary loss. Spending 20k of your own money I assume would put a solid dent in the bankroll which would prob impact your income potential by more than 20k since it'd take longer to be able to play bigger games. Imo take the help, try not to feel guilty because it's no biggie, and show them the same level of care/help in the future when they need it.

yeah I completely gave it up overnight, I mean I just figured if I want to see some changes in my body I need to make actual significant changes in my diet, don't regret it one bit. I really liked the taste of meat and cheese by the way, I don't think anybody gives it up because they dislike it :P

Hey, in general I think Xeno has/had it way worse than me, I do have to watch what I had to eat. Milk was literally my favorite drink growing up and I had to pretty much stop 95% of that consumption, and I'm 26 and have had 2 colonoscopy's, but in general the disease is more of an everyday annoyance than something truly horrible. I had sciatica for 2 years starting senior year of highschool and that was truly hell.

Very fair points you make, although my future in-laws are crazy Italians (in a good way), so I really think they just love taking care of their family. But yeah 20k saved atm is def big for me, so I will just forgo the guilt

Just want to give Xeno a shoutout, he's given me some great advice. I too really like meat, but I'm not a massive foodie where I can't live without something.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know I said above that my Crohn's in general isn't bad, but I'm currently dealing with one of my worst flareups since I've had the disease. Pretty much in the restroom for 2 hours a day last 4-5 days *****ing blood. Also making it tough to grind since I had to take a bunch of breaks during play yday. I'm down like 8 pounds already and mostly just eating a ton of foods that don't aggravate me. (eggs, oatmeal, bananas, pasta, plain chicken)

Have coaching sessions every day this week so spent a lot time preparing for those and bit of studying. Would be pretty content to end up with 60-65k hands by end of the month, so hopefully this flare up just dies soon.

Hope so too man. Crohn's is not joke.


I know this won't help with what you have going on but i started metamucil about 2 years ago and it's been life changing. I eat really clean but adding that 1 time daily has helped more than I could ever imagine.
By eating clean I mean lot's of meat and a decent amount of dairy because imo that's what we are meant to eat.
God didn't put all those cows here because he was bored

what you’re essentially saying barney is your diet lacks fibers, guess what’s not in meat and dairy