Intro

Hello my name is Ryan, I've played poker as main source of income for pretty much my entire adult life. I used to play a lot of volume online pre black-friday peaking at nl400/600 6max and mid/high stakes husng/hthusng/hucash. As online became more challenging and then largely shutdown, I sort of inadvertently ended up playing live low stakes poker to pay the bills. I had moved to Las Vegas and bought a house where I played online full time still and played live for fun but eventually I found myself playing more and more just live low stakes. I've never been particularly ambitious about my live play other than paying bills and for classes as I finished my degree and masters at UNLV. Some of my background can be found in this thread in the LVL subforum: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1.../index103.html I also post on occasion on Twitter and IG both @Wheydacheese.

Ive taken very few shots at anything higher than 1-2/1-3 nlh and with limited success. The only other games I play regularly (a few hundred hours last year and the prior year) would be 4-8/8-16 limit O8 with occasional 15-30. Over this last summer during the series I played exclusively 2-5nl/5-10nl/1-2-5plo and unfortunately ran worse than I had in any similar time frame over the entirety of playing live poker losing a total of around -$10k. I had much larger swings online even in the space of a few days but never encountered anything like this live. To give some context I was up around $8k from 1-2/1-3nlh Jan-April prior to the summer on very low volume so pretty much had whole year negated. I have also burnt through a ton of my previous liferoll over the last few years living a bit over means while only using llsnl to float by on rent/basic expenses and drawing from previous $ for anything beyond that.



As the title of this thread suggests, I will be giving myself the challenge to reach regular play volume status at the 5-10nlh live level here in Las Vegas within 12 months. I've reached a point where I have academic opportunities I can/should pursue outside poker that would be a full time commitment. I do, however still love playing and the game so would like to push myself to progress this year and see what I am capable/not capable of before making some very big life decisions.

Coming off a that brutal run over summer I am left with enough $ to cover my expenses over the 12 month period and allocate $7000 bankroll to rebuilding towards this challenge. I've taken steps to minimize my life expenses more than ever this year swapping into a super low rent situation as well as a far more economical transportation situation. Every $ made this year at poker go directly into the bankroll barring some unforeseen scenario.

I will be using this thread to try and stay more focused/motivated and as a running documentation of sorts to reflect on. I will be posting an update in this thread about once a week with the current standings and immediate plans as well as including 2-3 hands of interest or significance. I will probably be averaging around 30 hours/week on tables as well as investing significant time studying off tables in attempts to progress skill level etc.

I will be playing mainly 1-2/1-3nlh and limit O8 with occasional plo/plo8/bigO and will be playing primarily live but may dabble back online if I find it lucrative. I will not be taking shots at 2-5 etc until I cross back into around $12k on roll and will not start doing so aggressively until closer to $15k. I will be allocating 10% of monthly net profits to play live mtts, the proceeds of which (if any) would go back to bankroll. The success of this challenge, therefore, will be largely predicated on building the bankroll up quickly and consistently.

I hope some of you follow along and find some entertainment/interest in the journey. I have no idea what my chances of success will be but this goal will have my full attention this year. I will post first update after this weekend, hopefully things get off on the right foot.

Whey definitely in. Run good and all that.

I’ve been following your blogs etc. since back in the AVP days.

In for the ride.

Subbed. Gl buddy.

What do you mean by a more economical means of transportation? Every time I'm in Vegas I run up a ton of uber & taxi charges. I guess could walk more often when weather permits but not living there/having a car sucks.

I would say just immediately jump into $2/$5 and shortbuy $300 if you are seriously concerned about roll.

It's about as easy of a player pool and you have much more earning potential.

Ryan will be living in the tunnels and riding a Vespa

Ryan,

I never want to see the word “adding” in this thread

Your friend,
Nate

correct. I have learned the underground access points closest to each casino however you are incorrect I will be riding a razor scooter.

***traded in the beautiful 550 that got 15mpg and cost me a fortune to maintain including $1200 to pass last smog check in for a Nissan that gets 31 city/39 highway and should have virtually no overhead/surprises.

How many miles on the Nissan? Beware of their CVT transmissions failing

Subbed. Good luck!

Good luck mang! I know the summer suct but thats in the rear view. Focus up and get em!!

GL dude!

Best of luck, Pretty sure we played together this summer in a 2/5 game at bally's

Subbed. GL

Sentra? I had a Stanza through most of grad school.

I wouldn't waste your time playing 1/2--just play 3-5 or whatever to start, you can always move down if you lose 3k or so

While I agree with everyone’s general sentiments of 2-5 being effectively the same as 1-2/1-3 live, I think edge higher and lower variance playing deeper in the later vs shorstacking the former. I’m also going into this with a good deal of patience, will consider more aggressive action if needed at a later date.

Pretty boring first update to this challenge, got in good volume played 1-2nlh, 1-3nlh, and 4-8 O8 this week but bounced down/up/around and ended at a disappointing -$2 dollars haha


The 2 most interesting hands this week were both hero call situations so go well together, both were also not standard situations/plays all the better to include. In truth both hands could have just been played more straightforward at these stakes but anyhow this is how they went down:

Hand 1: Lose aggro young Asian reg I’ve played often is on my direct left at Venetian 1-3 with around $600 behind. I have around $280. I pick up 66 in the highjack and limp, V in cutoff makes it $10, the bb calls and I call. Flop 753 2 spades, checked to V who bets $15 we both call, I can’t effectively range him here as his in position cbet is close to 100% on this sort of flop, bb is likely spades/gutter/single pair hand. Turn is the 2, checks to V who now bets $40, bb calls...pretty confident bb on fd now, cutoff V should have overpairs, spades, occasionally barreling overs, pair straight draw/gutter combos off of suited connects. I decide to call as I still have gutter to effective nuts but also think my hand good some % of time here. River is Qc, checks to V who tanks then bets $80, bb folds as expected. Pot is ~$275 and I’m facing $80 to call so 3:1ish, problem is I think he would bet bigger on both his strongest hands and air so not loving the sizing given my weak hand. Still, he def has a high enough % of busted draws and barreled overs he gets here with, I also don’t think he folds better to raise with what I have remaining and a x-raise on this river isn’t very credible from me so I call. Unfortunately V has two black Aces wawa

Hand 2: Also at the Venetian 1-3, V is loose recreational player with about $200 behind. He recently rebought after betting flop and jamming a mid fd on a turn and bricking river. 2 limps to me and I make it $16 on the button with QK off, only V in bb calls. Flop 5TJ two clubs , V leads $20 and I call. Turn is 6d V bets $40 and I call. River is a non flush 4, V tanks then jams all in. It’s felt super draw heavy entire hand and he’s slightly tilted from the earlier bust draw so I’m inclined to call, the problem is the times he has Ax clubs...entirely situationally/exploitive I decide to make the super light K high call, he says “well you must have me beat if you can call” and starts to slide his cards to dealer facedown looking to me to flip mine, I wait, cards get to dealer dealer mucks them then I push mine in facedown, he asks dealer “doesn’t he have to show his hand?” Dealer says no bc you mucked...I assume dealer is right for this situation at this location so I muck and take pot, tell V I had a decent pair.

Hand 3: had a pretty gross O8 hand when I 3 bet pre with AJ24 double suited spades and hearts and we go to flop 6 handed. Flop KQ5 2 spades I raise a better and 4 players call. Turn is Ten of diamonds gives me nuts with nut spade redraw checks to me I bet and 3 players call. River is puke 3 of diamonds, only thing worse would be pairing. This lady bets out ($8) and I am entirely sure I’m beat but the pot is like $140 so I make a ****ty call to see her A286 with diamonds. Ya she called the flop with nothing but a runner runner low draw to likely chop the low only but that’s actually pretty standard in this game...anyhow turn kept her in it and she blinked the nuts on river, I should have folded esp since was action after me but made the stupid/rage call.

I have to go out of town this week, I may bring my laptop and play some Omaha on WSOP.com in which case I’ll update results on here, otherwise won’t update till sometime next week. I’m not feeling a ton of pressure this month but I definitely want to get the needle moving by mid Sept.




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Seems like there’s value in O8. I’m guessing the flop was two spades with a diamond?

Yup one diamond on flop. Yeah there’s a ton of value on the O8 here but you have to sit at Orleans and listen to old men fight about stupid sht all day, I play a few hundred hours there a year all the same but rarely more than once or twice a week.


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Has all the other O8 dried up? Figure maybe you can an $8-$16 on weekends on the strip?

Outside the series there is an occasional 20-40 at the Bellagio I’ve played but it goes inconsistently and the players are so so much fundamentally better than the 15-30 at Orleans. There was a 4-8 at V but haven’t seen it in ages. Orleans def the o8 Mecca. Should see some plo8/BigO outside series eventually as it gains traction, limit o8 doesn’t have the gambles for broad appeal.


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Ok crud definitely off strip only. Seems like you might find it at least $4/$8 at maybe Red Rock and GVR. Can’t be worst than the old guys at Orleans.

I’d love to walk in there and see you and a bunch of old guys like 60+.

Standard Friday at noonish except replace the 60 with 85(no not kidding) ...there’s this dude who’s like 90 and 125 pounds that eats TWO QUARTS of ice cream from the baskin Robbins there every dam day I’ve played with him!


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Hey man, will be following along! Good luck!

Curious but before BF, you were mostly an online cash game player? So that is how you were able to buy a house in vegas with the cash right?



How long you been in vegas for? So most of your play is live but 1-2nl and the omaha 8? Do you play much online like on wsop sites or wpn etc? I assume you rarely play tournaments whether live or online? So you play mostly 1/2 and 1/3nl as oppose to 2/5 in vegas because there ism ore variance and better players and you just liked being comfortable playing 1/2 and 1/3 where its much softer right? That makes lot of sense.

Hey guys back in town, only played 4 sessions since being back. August has been low volume and lackluster results but the first part was expected as I have been busy getting a lot of non poker things in line this month to clear the path for more progress at the tables, also my motivation (acutely in the short-term) has recently been low despite still being high for this project overall. Still running pretty static, tbh I played poorly last few sessions and have just been super non-aggressive in games that would be ideal for high aggression. Def have some things to straighten out as well as some hand histories to post. Will post the hhs and answer some questions should have a bunch of time on Wednesday to do so then will be back at tables Thurs-Sun. In the meantime here is current sich’ee-ation. Obvs not getting the job done yet but August isn’t over and will put the peddle down more in Sept.






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