Background

Had a few floundering PG&Cs before this one so I’ll try and keep this brief. Started dabbling with all different types of games online from the time I was 18-25 starting with Full Tilt all the way to American sites post Black Friday. I was up roughly 10k during those years mostly just playing for fun as a borderline fish-reg.

Last year, I decided to focus or give up this game as I started to feel I was wasting my time. I decided to focus almost solely on PLO cash games as deep down I’ve always been an action junky. I started studying (use that term loosely) and identified some major mistakes in my game. Figuring out the game more in depth led me to the most success I've seen in poker so far.

Starting from May 2017 until the end of the year I profited ~30k playing on American sites playing part time. Most of my volume was at 2-4/3-6 games. Unfortunately, all of these hands came on untracked sites so I have 0 receipts (unless you all want me to release my tax return). I bought a house during this time and used a large chunk of this to replenish my investment accounts that were used for the down payment.

Where am I now

This year has been ok. I ran amazing last year (I think?) as well which led to a lot of my success. This year I’ve started stagnating a bit with my volume and results are not where I’d like. I’m currently at ~$12k profit on the year. I also started playing mostly 1/2 to get back on the right track as my roll took a shot over the past 2 months. Even with this size of a roll, I will probably play 2/4-3/6 again soon as I can replenish the roll as needed. My move down was to try and clean-up some bad preflop tendencies as well as a confidence boost. If you told me I’d have made this much last May there is no shot I’d believe it so I need to put it in perspective how far I’ve come over a year. Still, I want more.

Poker goals

1. Weekly – put in 10+ hours a week when reasonable. I still want to have some life balance, play fortnite etc. Anything less than this isn’t going to get me where I want to get though.

2. Be playing 2/4-3/6 by the of the year and stay there. I think this is doable if I put in hours and am aggressive with moving up stakes. I have a full-time job so I’m fairly comfortable taking some shots. My end goal is to reach as high of stakes as I can.

3. Play some more live tournaments. Played 1 WSOP event this year (didn’t cash), but it is enjoyable to me and an opportunity to hit a large score. A little degen, but I feel +EV in live tournaments (who doesn’t J)

4. Update this thread with HH’s (Few sites I play on I can snag HHs now) and try to improve. I am really limiting my study as the games I play in are soft and I have limited amount of time I want to dedicate to poker. If I plateau at a stake I will up the studying or just be content beating what I can.

Life Goals

1. Continue working out 3+ times a week. Got back into lifting about a year and a half ago now and feel much better in all regards. Overall eat healthier and probably need to cut back some weight due to goal number 2 (currently at 190 lbs probably 15-20% bodyfat).

2. Start boxing. Made a reverse bet for a decent chunk of money while drunk that I’d get in an amateur boxing match before 31. I am dumb, but something I always said I’d do and my drunk mouth got the best of me. Which leads to my next point…

3. Drinking cleanse at some point in the next 6 months.

4. Figure out my life – I’m 27, about time to do that I think. I need to evaluate what I want out of a career sooner than later. Making some money in poker can only help me if I decide to start a business or who knows. Maybe I’ll just win the main event next year .

I'll update this thread with HHs from the sites I do play on that are tracked.

Starting BR:$12,528

Congrats on the success in such a short period of time, good luck moving forward.

Week 1: 10/1-10/7
Hours:15.75
Net: +629 (BR=$13,157)

Good volume during the first week of this thread. Going to try and be better at grabbing hands where I can. My graph is so inaccurate so need to figure out why I'm missing so many hands from the tracked sites. A few HHs in the meantime. I'll get better with snagging more interesting ones going forward.

What preflop errors were you making?

Biggest one was opening too light (small semi connected hands, too many single suited hands). Other big thing is I still do not think I am 3 betting enough. I do think on some sites this is fine, but I need to identify regs tendencies better and some fish are opening way too light. Other big thing is I was paying off river bets against populations that are under-bluffing.

My Vpip now is hovering around 26 which I think is fine? 3b around 5%.

Also anything anyone wants me to write more about let me know. I'm far from an expert on PLO, but as I've stated, I believe I am more than capable of beating up to PLO600 on the sites I play on. Also, I always watch up to the highest limits being played and just see so much value. One of the reasons I'm being fairly liberal with my bankroll. If I bust, I bust, but I am fairly decent at moving back down after a failed shot.

Some topics I might write something up on in the future:

1. Workouts - currently running a simple push/pull/legs split. Should be getting in 6 workouts a week with the plan I'm on. Set my goal as a minimum of 3 though. Have seen solid strength gains over the past year on my plan though and am more than happy to post it in detail if there is interest.

2. Boxing - complete noob here so any advice is appreciated on what gear to start with or general workout plans to begin. I have access to a bag and speed bag. My plan is to get my endurance up and at least look into some general boxing workouts. Once that is set I want to go to a gym and begin some official training.

3. More PLO content - I'm trying to capture interesting hands better. May do some twitch streams if I can get that up and running of my PLO play. I have streamed a few times in the past, but maybe getting some consistent streams going will help.

Week 2: 10/8-10/14
Hours:7.75
Net: -1,677 (BR=$11,480)
Total since challenge started: -1,048

Started playing some PLO500. As I said, more than willing to move down/redeposit as needed so just getting a little aggressive with it. Still working on the hands issue. I spewed off for sure in some spots preflop. Will stick with PLO500 until the BR is down to 8k or sooner. Would still give me 40 buyins at PLO200 to try and grind back up.

Also, pretty much cut out all sites but one at this point. I honestly focus much better playing 4 tables and have never been a great multi-tabler. I'd rather cut down on volume a bit and only put in solid grind hours.

Workouts have been really bad lately. My back is in all sorts of pain so didn't want to push it. No grand dreams of being a power lifter and as I've aged I've realized the importance of being safe. I actually tore a ligament in my wrist a few months back being an idiot with the weight I was using.

Also, still at ground 0 with boxing. Plan of attack is to at least get gear this weekend and develop a basic starting plan.

Week 3: 10/15-10/21
Hours:11.75
Net: 2,898 (BR=$14,378)
Total since challenge started: 1,850

Solid week with working out and got my poker hours in with some profit. I disconnected from Bovada in an $800 pot with top set and $50 behind on the turn. So annoying that their site is so **** with disconnects at times. I emailed support which I was assuming they would give me the typical issues on your end which they did ...Oh well. Also took 15th in a $100 tourney for like $400 with 8k up top. Have never been able to run good when it counts, but that's why cash has always been my bread and butter.

Few hands:

Hand 1

This was the spewiest hand I have played in a long time. Posting this here as a shame post. This was immediately after I disconnected with the Aces hand and I logged off right after I played this. Very disappointed in my lack of control. I'd prefer a check back on flop and just a fold on flop as played.



Hand 2:

I used to just exploit fold to aggression on anon sites. I think this is standard by me, but a lot of these guys have nothing but 2's+ with this action on rainbow boards. With flush draw out there I think this is standard call flop and stack off on non-flush turns.

Weren't you putting in a bunch of volume on Global? We've probably played before as I use to play a ton on their site .5/1-3/6. Nowadays I just mostly play live though.

Dunno why you would cut out global poker to just play on ignition. I think they are both equally soft.

yooooo i just started playing plo a week ago. also playing global/ignition. glglgl. one of the few pgcs i can follow lul.

can u post ur PPL routine? i just swapped to a PPL as well like a month ago. will prob stay on it for a bit (i ran it a while ago, was awesome https://www.reddit.com/r/bodybuildin...sdays/cxtywc4/) but yeh post urs pls ty

also how are u studying? mastermind? any monker work or nah?

ok gl gl

@zefa - was a bit premature in saying I cut it out completely. Playing 2/4 on it now still and I agree with what you said. Just annoying with my bank to deposit there and have issues with how the site has their rake for short handed games. I made most of my profit in the 2/4 games last year so I’m sure we’ve put some hands in. Gl to you.

@kizzah - once you start it is near impossible to go back to nlh haha. I’ll post my full routine when I get a chance and thank you for the link. My main study in the past has been some jnandez materials and now mostly just some run it once stuff. To be honest, I don’t really study too hard and never have. If I end up getting stuck with my “natural” abilities then I’ll find another avenue to spend my free time I guess or play more live. There are some good 1/2 5 bring in games in my area that runs pretty much 24/7. Gl to you as well.

Well looks like Bovada actually credited me with a $400 1x play through on behalf of the disconnect. Better than I expected I guess. Problem is they set it so that it can only be cleared through casino games or sports betting. That being said, any input on sports betting for the next $400 would be appreciated as I'm a terrible sports bettor. Might just put $400 on the next browns game and yolo it.

This is practically unheard of from them so I would consider any +$ you get from it a complete freeroll imo. Honestly shocked, maybe it was the guys first day or even last day on the job... lol but ya I am really surprised they sent you any money.

I was surprised as well. I think it is a ploy to get me on the casino grind though .

Repainting my kitchen today and am thinking of actually cutting down on my gym to strictly 3 times a week as I'd prefer to focus more on getting volume in after work. Also, set-up a new computer set-up that is fairly basic, but already excited as the new station is clean and in my "office" in the house. Let's get some volume in this week

Week 4: 10/22-10/28
Hours:19
Net: $3,168 (BR=$17,546)
Total since challenge started: $5,018

Good week in hours for poker. Bovada had an update and therefore I lost all hands. Non-interesting update, but want to continue at least tracking my progress weekly. All volume was 3-4 tables at 400-500 PLO this week. Wasn't many tables running this weekend which is frustrating.

I suck at poker
Week 5-6: 10/29-11/11
Hours:27.5
Net:-7,309 (BR=$10,237)
Total since challenge started:$-2,291

Rough 2 week stretch here. I feel like I punted off in some spots that I should have been more disciplined. So many of the lines these guys take are face up nuts. I find myself at the "top of my range" and was calling down. Second nuts vs nuts over and over. Against these nitty players I mean it honestly might be the correct play to lay some of these down on anon sites.

Going forward

With poker, we are dropping down to PLO200 for the next 2 weeks minimum. I have had a rough go at it this year trying to get back to and stay at 400-600 stakes.

With life, been in a rut. I need to get my workouts back on track and life in general. I've let myself fall into these mini bouts of complacency too many times in my life. At this age I should be striving for better things whether that means playing poker or giving up with this game as a time consumption mechanism.

Big first world problems type of thing going on. Just wanted to type it out there. Just in a weird point of my life at 27, in a job I do not enjoy without any prospects of what else to do. Insert quote about to change your life you have to change yourself etc etc etc.

Going to try and grind hard for the next few weeks and see what happens. Side note: no tournaments except maybe the Sunday majors as that is too much value to pass up.

$100 to the first person who comments in this thread if I break either playing higher than PLO200 or playing other tournaments than above. Won't happen though

Good luck with your workouts and your games.

You're still young and full of energy, but when you hit your 30's you'll see how much of a difference a great work out can make for your game and mental clarity.

Ya man good luck with everything, hopefully things will turn back around in your favor. Got to stay disciplined and if you notice yourself not playing your A game then just shut it down for the session and maybe just study instead. glgl.

Appreciate it. Just life in general too I notice a good mental uptick.

For sure. The money swings at PLO500 are crazy so 7k downswings happen frequently. I think at 200 I can grind my way back up hopefully by end of year with aggro BR management. TY for the support.

Downloading hands tonight so will pick out some decent ones from the past 2 weeks.

Just got to keep your head up, stay focused and grind out them hands and you will get back where you want to be sooner or later. GLGL, looking foward to HH post.

This is a good thread. Let's see more hand histories.

Hand 1

After pre obviously standard. Not sure if pre is standard though. Fold to the 4b just seems so weak if I'm going to choose to 3B a hand like this.



Hand 2
Think these guys are capable of semi-bluffing 5's here on turn. I mean if I'm betting what is essentially top set on this turn then I think I for sure need to be calling. River shove less certain on.



Hand 3
Flat pre, fold to 4b. Undisciplined.



Been feeling good so far back at the 200 games. I don't think I'm ready for the full swings at 500 honestly. I ran fairly hot last year and didn't experience more than a 20 buyin swing. I definitely do not think I have a problem dropping down in stakes especially when I'm being so aggro with this BR.

Forgot to respond to this. I basically adjusted a few of Jeff Nippard's suggested workouts (youtuber who I highly recommend for anyone interested in fitness/nutrition). He doesn't seem to be a bro science type of guy and cites studies to support his claims. If you just youtube Jeff Nippard push 1, push 2, pull 1, etc (he has a day 1 and 2 for each PPL). you will see his full routines. I basically just followed and adjusted a few lifts, but I think what he laid out in those videos is very good for early intermediate lifters which is what I consider myself.

He recommends running this PPL - Rest - PPL so 6 workouts a week of lifting. I was lifting 4-5 days a week when I was consistent and just spreading over 10 days or so. I went from ~205 at 5'11 to ~185 on this and had my max bench somewhere around 265 I'd guess. I did lift fairly often in high school/college, but hadn't lifted seriously in the past 3 years.

My diet was kind of whatever during this stretch too. The main thing I tried to do was eat my bodyweight in grams of protein a day (180 grams of protein roughly). I did not track calories, count macros, but just kept a mental note as best I could/tried to cut down on eating ****.

Going to get a solid session in tonight as I should be off work at a reasonable hour. One of my downfalls is playing after work when my brain is already shot some nights.

1. I 3b pre and call the 4 blind vs blind.

2. Nice river shove.

3. I would recommend not 3betting UTG without an Ace blocker in your hand. Post is very close with the gutter + 2bdfd.

Thank you for the responses.

1. I agree, I actually think this is standard as can be. I let some of Jnandez' thoughts of flatting more hands like this cloud my judgement, but in reality he was more referring to lp off an UTG/UTG +1 type open. Blind vs blind this hand is too strong imo.

2. Agree on my play/your thoughts. He's not betting a straight on river which is what he's repping and I think population is not bluffing this river frequently at all as played.

3. Agree with my original comment on the hand/your thoughts. The 3b is really really really bad in my opinion. I thought post with gutter, 2 backdoor flush draws and overpair I just have to go with it. All of this could have been eliminated if I just flat hands like this pre.