For sure. Thanks for the good words my man.

Played a nice long session last night. Overall results were good, but I was up over $1500 at a point and went card dead for the last 2+ hours while the biggest fish showed up to the table and donked off $2k to everyone but me. Like I don't think I won a single hand. So the session felt like a loss every tho it wasn't.

Here are 3 really interesting hands from the session. Two of them I played well, and one I missed a really advanced play that I knew would work and I pussed out.


HAND 1: Turning top pair into a bluff

PREFLOP:
UTG +1 ($400) opens to $15
BUTTON ($800) calls $15
HERO ($900) calls $15 in the BB with A7

FLOP ($44): AJ3
HERO checks
UTG+1 bets $30
BUTTON folds
HERO calls $30

With top pair and a backdoor flush draw, I don't think there's anything to do here but call

TURN ($104): J
HERO checks
UTG+1 checks

RIVER: 6
HERO bets $90
UTG+1 tank-folds

The runout is perfect for this. The second card paired and then the flush card came in on the river. I make a nice big bet to get an ace with a better kicker to fold, since I really can't be value-betting worse than that.

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

HAND 2: Sammy sees the play but can't pull the trigger

UTG ($500) and UTG +1 ($135) both limp in a straddled pot for $10. They are weak loose/passive fish.

I pick up A8 UTG+3 and raise to $55 to isolate them.

The SB, a nitty rock, cold-calls $55.
UTG folds, and UTG +1 calls $55

We go to a flop of 872 with ~$185 in the pot

SB checks, and UTG +1 donk leads for $65, leaving himself $15 behind (lol).

I decide to just call; if the SB has two overs he'll just fold and I don't want to over-stick myself to the pot if he's lying in wait with a good hand, since I know his range is very strong here.

Of course, after I call, the SB raises to $210 (leaving himself $650 behind). UTG+1 puts in his last $15.

And I have a moment of clarity. The SB likely has an overpair, and I'm ahead of whatever BS the weak UTG+1 player has. If I jam, I think I can fold out the SB bc he's a nit and doesn't stack off without the nuts. Then I beat the SB and take a nice big pot.

And I just ****ing chicken out. I get scared that the SB will call me, or that he's actually got a set of 7s and I'm about to stack off $900 drawing dead. And I fold like a soy boy cuck nugget.



I'm almost positive the SB folds JJ to a jam. And even if he didn't, I woulda got there.

I super mad at myself. This is a pretty advanced play, bluffing out one guy in a 3-way pot while keeping in the player you're ahead of. I had it read, I had it figured out, and I just didn't pull the trigger.

It's these kinds of spots that separate great players from good players. The standard play is to fold bc you're behind. But I had the chance to do something great here and I blew it. I promised myself that the next time, I won't.

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

HAND 3: Sammy redeems himself (just a little bit)

PREFLOP: $10 straddle is on
UTG+1 (a LAG with $900) opens to $40
HERO ($1300) calls $40 in the SB with AJ

FLOP ($89): 252
HERO checks
UTG+1 bets $60
HERO raises to $175
UTG+1 calls $175

TURN ($439): 3
HERO bets $300
UTG+1 folds

Against players with wide opening ranges that don't hit flops well, I like to put my big overcards with backdoor draws into my check-raising range. This helps protect my c/r'ing range to have some bluffs to go with my nut hands (like A2s in this case).

I like them bc they have strong equity-when-called; IE if villain has 7-7 here, I'm still almost 30% equity on the flop.

I'm not thrilled when he calls, but the turn brings such a great card for me that I just have to keep barreling. I launch a $300 bet, basically telling him we're getting it all in. If he jams, I'm calling with my likely $36% equity. And if he calls and the river bricks, I'm probably just shutting it down since he's prob not folding the river.

Fortunately he does fold after thinking it over for awhile, and I earn a nice pot with some well thought-out aggression.

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

Session results:
9 hours, 10 minutes
+$993

Year-to-date results:
226 hours, 30 minutes
+$9,372

thx for the advice on small stakes bet sizing. Can you really be opening to $15-$20 to thin the field with a $200 starting stack though?

Not sure I follow. In a 2/3 you should be able to buy in for $300.

Regardless, it'll vary table to table. Have a starting open you feel comfortable with and adjust it based on how the table is reacting.

EPIC spew job by your boy tonight.

PREFLOP: There's a straddle to $10
UTG ($1500) opens for $40
MP ($1000) calls $40
HERO ($1300) calls $40
STRADDLE ($1175) calls $40

FLOP ($159): 975
STRADDLE leads for $80
UTG fold
MP calls $80
HERO raises to $300
STRADDLE quickly calls $300
MP folds

TURN ($839): 9
UTG jams for $755
HERO calls $755



The guy was playing pretty wild and had lead-jammed twice with bluffs and showed them. I was thinking he could have 10-8 or J-10 or 6-6. And I thought, why would he jam with the goods here? Wouldn't he just check it and let me get it in?

But the reality is that he has way too much value here and not enough bluffs. And I spewed off almost $1200 with middle pair and a gutterball in a single-raised pot.

Tonight, I have fins and gills.


Session results:
3 hours, 15 minutes
-$845

Year-to-date results:
229 hours, 45 minutes
+$8,527

Got a short session in today, the 3rd straight day I've gotten to go play.

It was a new table and people were playing pretty snug, so I was being very aggressive and dictating a lot of the action.

One hand that worked out well for me, that I could have also played better:

PREFLOP: There's a straddle for $10
HERO ($1000) opens for $35 in the cutoff with AK
Sharp player ($1000) in SB 3-bets to $110
HERO 4-bets to $250
SB calls $250

I'd been very aggressive so I thought he could easily be playing back wider than usual. This was the deciding factor in 4-bet/calling it off over flatting his 3-bet in position.

FLOP ($511): K93
SB checks
HERO bets $150
SB calls $150

TURN ($811): K
SB checks
HERO bets $180
SB folds

After talking it over with a friend, I think the right play is to jam for $600 on the turn. It helps protect your bluffs, and from Villain's POV if I had AA or QQ, I'd be scared of the third King and prob wouldn't jam. So he might hero me with his JJ/10-10. To a sharp player my bets likely feel like I'm suckering him in, which was exactly what was happening.


Session results:
2 hours, 15 minutes
+$560

Year-to-date results:
232 hours
+$9,087

So why not check to induce?

Really good question, because I've thought a lot about this line too. I think the issues with checking are two-fold:

1 - It almost never induces him to bluff. Only very high-level players would turn JJ into a bluff on a KK93 board trying to fold out AA and QQ specifically. And even then, AA is just never folding bc it blocks AK, the only hand that should have a King here.

99% of players are going to play straightforwardly in this spot and try to get to showdown as cheaply as possible. That means he'll check again on the river and likely fold to my jam.

2 - It doesn't look as bluffy as jamming big on the turn, and him thinking I'm bluffing is pretty much my only shot at getting called here.

Played a session for the 4th straight day today, up at Graton Casino in Santa Rosa.

The regs up there are super passive and fit-or-fold. I didn't pick up many hands but stayed afloat raising preflop in position and taking down several pots postflop without much.

Pretty boring session, not the funnest game with all the limp noodle regs in there.


Session results:
3 hours, 20 minutes
+$30

Year-to-date results:
235 hours, 20 minutes
+$9,117

Haven't played for 8 days due to work/family/life etc.

Finally made some time today to get in a proper session, important since I'm still 40 hours away from my monthly goal to stay on-pace for my yearly goal.

Things started out great right away. I doubled up in the first half hour when I called an UTG raise on the button with 108.

The flop came 763

He check/called my $25 flop bet.

The turn came the A

He check/called my $55 turn bet

The river came the 9, giving me my first legit straight flush since I started playing live a little more than a year ago.

He led for $125, and I just jammed for $700 figuring I could catch him with the K in his hand. And I was right



Then this drunken fish came to the table and he legit donated almost $3k to the table. A good chunk of it went to me:

One hand, I raised with AJ and he called, and the flop came J53

I bet $25 and he called.

The turn came the 2 and he jammed for $175.

I called, and he rolled over A8 and I took the pot.

A bit later he reloaded for $500.

He raised to $35, and I called in the SB with 78 along with 2 others.

The flop came KJ5

I checked, he bet $50, and I called.

The turn came the 9, giving me a double-gutter and a FD.

He bet $80, and I called.

The river came the 10, giving me the straight but a single Queen would make a better straight.

I led for $100, and he jammed for $341. I called, and he showed AK for top pair.

Obviously, he was the kind of guy you just had to close your eyes and call.

So I'm rolling, up $1800, and I pick up AA.

In a straddled pot, UTG +1 raises to $40 and the tight Cutoff ($800) calls. I 3! to $160, UTG+1 folds and the Cutoff calls.

Flop K-9-5 rain.

I bet $150, and he calls, leaving himself about $500 behind.

Turn is a 7

I bet $300 and he jams for $505, I call and he flips over KK and scoops the $1600+ pot.

So tilting, man. I'm rolling, up heaps, and then get AA vs KK. Give me a queen-high flop and I stack him. A 10-high flop and I stack him. Anything but a set and $1600 more is coming my way. Instead, I'm rekt.

Pretty sour end to a great session.

Anyway, I'll end this with one hand that I'm really proud of:

PREFLOP: $10 straddle is on
HERO opens to $35 in MP with AJ
A decent reg in the CUTOFF ($1100) calls $35
The drunken fish in the STRADDLE calls $35

FLOP ($107): K104
STRADDLE checks
HERO bets $50
CUTOFF quickly calls $50
STRADDLE folds

I make a standard c-bet with a gutter, the backdoor NFD, and an overcard

TURN ($207): 2
HERO checks
CUTOFF bets $125
HERO check-raises to $345
CUTOFF tank-calls $345

I thought if I bet the turn, he'd call again since the turn didn't change anything. Hands like Kx, flush draws, combo draws all call. With a nice bet I do probably get him off Jx and QJ.

So I check and he bets. And I just think, man, he can't have a hand he's going to the felt with. He'd been 3-betting a good amount, so I thought he'd have 3-balled AA, AK, KK, 10-10. And with K-10 or 4-4, I think he'd be raising the flop.

So he can't have AA/KK/AK/10-10/4-4. (And of course by "can't", I really mean, "almost never has"). But I can have all those hands.

So I check-raise his ass. And he tanks. He says, "do you think I have a flush draw? Do you have a flush draw?" He thinks and thinks and finally he calls. And I know this MFer has Kx, probably KQ.

RIVER ($897): 7
HERO jams for $700 effective
CUTOFF folds fairly quickly

BOOM. There's $900 in that pot and I'm just like, **** it. I'm going through with my play. I see the play, I have a big range advantage, and I'm going to swing it like a mace.

A couple sessions ago, I lamented that I saw a great play and didn't follow through on it, and it would have worked. And I told myself I wouldn't sack down the next time. And this time I didn't. Proud of this one.

Session results:
7 hours, 15 minutes
+$1,103

Year-to-date results:
242 hours, 35 minutes
+$10,220

I just had the wildest session, at it was less than 3 hours on a Thursday mid-afternoon. Here we go:

I quickly drop $200 and my stack is down to $600 when this pot happens:

---------------------------------------------
I'm in the BB with Q3

There are 3 limpers and the SB completes, and I check my option.

The flop comes 533

SB checks and I lead $15 into the pot of $19

The fish at the table calls $15 in MP, and the SB check/raises to $65. He's a competent reg, so I know he's likely gotta have the case 3 here. *Sometimes* he has 6-4, but he's pretty whittled down here range-wise.

I call and the fish folds.

The turn comes the J

With $164 in the pot, he bets $140. I have a strong kicker and he could def have a smaller one, so I call again.

The river comes the 7

With $444 in the pot, he jams for my last $390.

And here's where I should have considered folding. I know my Q is a very good kicker, but he has to know I have a 3 at this point. So if he had a bad kicker, he should be slowing down, he's not an idiot. Also the lower kickers are less likely - I don't know exactly how he plays, but you'd think he'd be folding hands like 9-3 and 10-3, even suited, preflop. And both J-3 and 7-3 are lesser kickers that made boats.

So trying not to be results-oriented, I think I should be folding here.

But I'm a payoff wizard, so I call and he shows me A-3os and absorbs my stack into his.

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

I re-load for $800, and a few hands later I pick up QQ UTG +1

The guy I lost the previous pot to is on my right, and he limps for $5 UTG.
I raise to $25, the fish in MP calls $25 and the reg UTG calls $25

The flop comes gin, KQ5

UTG checks, I bet $45, MP folds, and UTG calls $45

The turn comes the 3, and with $159 in the pot he check/calls $110

The river comes the 5, and with $379 in the pot he check/calls $255.

I show my boat, he mucks, and I take down the $889 pot.

Nice to get back some money right after getting stacked.

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

A few orbits later, a rec player with $570 in his stack opens to $20 from EP. I call in MP with 88, and the cutoff and the BB also call.

The flop comes 1044

EP c-bets $40, I call and the others fold.

The turn comes the K


EP checks, and I fire $90, not expecting it to get through but with evil intentions on the river

The river comes the brickiest brick, the 2

He checks and with $345 in the pot, I put him all in for $420.



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

In this hand, I'm in the BB and the next guy has straddled for $10

A nitty prop player with $900 in his stack opens for $35 in EP
The fish with $356 in front of him next to act calls for $35
I look down in the BB at AK and consider flatting. The nitty prop's EP opening range is strong. But I also think he'll have strong hands that he'll fold, like 9-9 or AJs.

I end up deciding on a large 3-bet to $155

The nitty prop hems and haws, and eventually folds
Before his cards are even in the muck, the fish snap calls, leaving himself $201 behind

The flop comes 1093

He instantly shoves all-in out of turn. The dealer corrects him, I check, and he follows through with his jam.

To me it stinks of a hand like 8-8, or 9-8, or 5-5. I tank and start doing the math.

With his bet, the pot is about $545 and it's $201 to call, so I'm getting 2.7 to 1. So I need 27% equity to make the call, and I think I have that. Assuming Aces and Kings are outs, that should give me about 25%. Plus I have a backdoor FD and a backdoor straight draw, plus a couple ticks for counterfeit outs if he has an underpair, plus he could have a straight draw like 8-7 or Q-J.

I finally decide on a call, and push the $201 in.

The board runs out the 4 and the 5



Later I put together a reasonable range for him on Poker Cruncher of open-ended straight draws, underpairs, and 9x and 10x. It gave me 29.5% equity, so I did barely have the odds to call based on my rough assumptions about his range.

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

And now the big one:

I ($2000) pick up KK UTG +1 and open to $25
A meh reg ($1000) behind me calls for $25
The terrible fish ($500) from the previous hand calls $25

The flop comes J103
I lead $45 into the $79 pot
The reg behind me thinks, and raises to $135
The fish cold-calls $135

And I think, this guy has to have a hand. I haven't really seen him be super aggressive with his draws, though he could have a big combo like A10. Obviously I block KQ and K10 etc

But the hands that make a lot of sense here are sets (JJ/1010/33) and top two.

Especially when the fish cold calls, it feels like he has the draw and the reg has the made hand.

I call the $135, planning on folding the turn if I don't improve. I really feel like I'm beat here.

The turn ($484) comes the 3

Now that's an interesting card. I'm now ahead of J-10 but still lose to the sets that now became boats, though of course a set of 3s is far less likely.

I check, and the reg makes a big bet of $320, leaving himself $520 behind.
The fish thinks about it and goes all in for $340 and it's back to me.

And I realize exactly what the reg has. It's not jacks or tens full - his bet was too big. With a lock hand like that he'd be trying to keep the draws in, not push them out. It's not a combo draw, doesn't really make sense here with multiple opponents and only one card to come.

No, it's J-10 and J-10 only - it can only be that. So I ship it.

The reg doesn't snap. He think for about 5-10 seconds and says, "I can't lay this down. I call."



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

Session results:
2 hours, 45 minutes
+$1,893

Year-to-date results:
245 hours, 20 minutes
+$12,113

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

BONUS HAND: (That I think I played poorly, probably in multiple spots)

HERO has 99 in the SB. 3 players limp, including the button from the first hand I posted where he stacked me with A-3 against my Q-3.

I just complete in the SB, and the BB checks. We go 5 ways to the flop.

The flop ($19) comes 233
I lead out for $15 - I should be good here like all the time
EP calls, the fish in MP calls, and the button calls. Ok.

The turn ($79) comes the Q
I lead for $50. Nobody should have a Queen and it's time to get them off their wheel draws and gutters and **** like that.

EP and the MP fish fold. But the button calls $50.

The river ($179) comes the 5
I check
Button bets $175

HERO?

This was a really interesting hand imo. On the river, I had a lot of trouble putting him on a hand, value OR bluff.

If he had flop trip 3s, wouldn't he have raised the flop or the turn like he did in the first hand, so he could get stacks in?

Even if he had 2-2 for a flopped boat, he should have played it faster to get stacks.

But what hand is he calling twice with and bluffing the river? A-5 or 4-5 or 5-6hh that made a pair of 5's on the river? That doesn't seem right; he's got showdown value against 2x and I'm not folding 3x. So how's he gonna pot the river?

The only had that makes logical sense is A4, but that's one exact hand, seems pretty thin.

Maybe 5-5 that rivered a boat; that actually makes a lot of sense. Anyway,




We'll finish up with a little chip pron from the session:

Good stuff man,I enjoy reading your thought process

Thanks man, appreciate that



Just got back from my session today, and from the jump I felt very low energy. Was just kinda in my shell, playing tight and passive. I could tell it was gonna be a short session, that I should just go home soon if I was gonna be like that.

And once I realized that, I should have just packed it up and left right then. But, I didn't.

Hovered around even until this hand came up:

With the $10 straddle on, tight player ($1500) in EP opened for $30.
I ($750) called in the lojack with 79
An unknown but seemingly solid player ($1200) in the BB called $30
A young aggro kid ($1400) who'd been raising and bluffing a lot called $30 in the straddle

The flop came K54
The BB checked
The aggro kid donked for $100 into the pot of ~$120
The EP raiser folded

I decided I was going to play this a little risky to let the kid bluff off, make it look like I was drawing. So I just called the $100

The BB also check/called $100

The turn came the A

Both the BB and the Aggro Kid checked

This kinda ruined my plan. I could check back here and give the kid a chance to bluff the river while minimizing my losses if the BB was trapping with a bigger flopped flush.

But I'd also be giving a free card to both of them, and I can easily get value from the Ace-high flush (which now also made top pair) and any two pairs or sets.

So I finally decided on a bet, and bet $185 into about $420.

Both players called.

The river came the J

Now the player in the BB leads for $400 into the $975 pot.
The kid quickly folds, and it's back to me.

And I'm like, ****. I say to the guy, "this is the nut flush like all the time".

And I tank awhile longer. I don't really beat any other flushes he would have. And this seems like a really bad spot for a bluff. Does this guy have a set? Or two pair? He seems solid but I haven't been playing with him for very long, I know very little about him.

I'm getting a bit better than 3.4 to 1, so I need to win this pot about 23% of the time.

And finally I say, "well, I'm just not good enough to lay this down", and I call.



Most people would bemoan their bad luck, getting cold-decked in a flopped flush vs flush situation.

But the reality is that I knew I was beat, and I called. I think most players call here ... but I'm not trying to be most players. Very disappointed in myself for this one.

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

I have like $45 left, so I just decide to bounce instead of buying back in.

But then ... the dealer changes, and everyone says, "BOMB POT".

So I say **** it, and buy back in for the minimum $300 just to play it, just in case.

With $200 in the pot pre, the flop comes J83

I'm in the cutoff, and it folds around to me. I look down at J9 and jam $345 into the pot. Everyone folds and I profit $200 and dip tf out.

Nice little refund to end an otherwise bad session.

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

Session results:
2 hours, 10 minutes
-$555

Year-to-date results:
247 hours, 30 minutes
+$11,559

Played a short session tonight, was mostly card-dead. And also like my last session, I was very low-energy and unengaged. Hopefully this doesn't become a pattern, it's very rare for me to feel like this.

Anyway, I'll just post one hand that I could have made a cool play on that I missed.


PREFLOP:
Aggressive reg opens UTG to $20
Nitty reg UTG +1 calls $20
HIJACK calls $20
HERO calls $20 in the SB with AK

I just call bc:
A) You should just flat pre on occasion with AK
B) UTG is aggro and UTG+1 has a strong range, if I raise big and they call, if I don't hit I prob have trouble outplaying them OOP and winning the pot
C) I was low-energy and not playing aggressively

FLOP ($81): AJ6
HERO checks
UTG bets $40
UTG +1 folds
HIJACK folds
HERO calls $40

TURN ($161): 4
HERO checks
UTG bets $80
HERO calls $80

RIVER ($321): 2
HERO checks
UTG tank-checks

On the river, he tanked and finally checked. He didn't show but I got the feeling that he decided to give up on a bluff, as opposed to checking back a weaker Ace.

So I missed a chance to make a cool play here, the micro-bet. I think I could have bet like $15 or $20 and it would have put him in a **** spot. If he had a pair he was gonna check back, I would've got a couple extra bucks of value.

But more importantly, if he has a hand like KQ or 78, he can't call the $15 but it's so shameful to fold, and it looks so weak that it will often induce an aggro player to attack with a big bluff he doesn't believe I can call.

THAT would have been a really cool play that I missed. Woof.


Session results:
3 hours, 30 minutes
+$146

Year-to-date results:
251 hours
+$11,705

Something I feel like I improved a lot upon lately is not tilting when I'm down. When you're losing, it's really easy to get frustrated or mad. And it's really easy to get off your game, to start playing too many hands, etc when you're stuck and things aren't going your way.

I'm not going to say I never tilt, of course. But for the most part I've been much better at staying the course and just playing my game.

That's kinda what happened today. I didn't play a single hand for my first half hour at the table. Then I picked up red QQ in a bomb pot, and the flop came 755. I check/called a LP bet of $100 and an EP check/call. The 9 came on the turn and it checked though, and the 9 came on the river and it checked though again. The EP guy flipped K10 and won with a flush.

Then a bit later I tried to barrel a fish of his hand on the turn and river with ace-high on a 357KJ board, and he called me with 9-9.

A bit later I opened to $40 over a $10 straddle with QQ ... and 5 other people called!

The pot was $240 going to a flop of 1064

Before it got to me, a fish with $325 in front of him led for $120

I decided to flat, since if I raised, someone behind me with a big flush draw would probably be forced to get it all-in then and there. But I would fold out hands that I'd like to stay in like 10x, JJ, etc. I don't know if that's the best decision but that's what I went with.

One rec player behind me (with about $550) called $120 as well.

The turn came the ugly 9, and the pot is $600

And the fish leads all-in for his last $205, and I'm in a **** spot, stuck in the middle. I think I have the first (all-in) guy beat, he just always has 10x here.

But the rec player behind me can easily have called the flop with a flush draw and made a flush. The problem is that I'm getting 4:1 on a call of the $205 all-in, and while the guy behind me can have a flush, sometimes he also has 10x or JJ (he just flatted all his hands pf, he never raises) or 5-7 or 8-8.

So I decide I have to call the $205 all-in.

It's on the guy behind me, who sighs and rolls his eyes and goes into the tank. He counts his chips three times. Finally he says, "well I guess I'm all in" and puts in his $400ish stack.

I insta-muck, because I know what it looks like when a fish has the nuts. And indeed he does show AQ vs the all-in guy.

So ... I'm down like $800 and have won maybe one small hand in my first 90 minutes.

But instead of getting frustrated and tilting, I just kept playing my game and trying to play well. Chipped up little by little and just tried to play as well as I could.

And when all was said and done, it ended up with a feel-good $45 win.

Session results:
2 hours, 45 minutes
+$45

Year-to-date results:
253 hours, 45 minutes
+$11,750

Well, today was the opposite of yesterday.

I doubled up in the first half hour when I held AQ on a Q-high board and I check-called 3 streets, including all-in on the river, against a known LAG.

But in the last 3-4 hours, I was completely card dead and tried a couple of big bluffs that failed spectacularly. What was once a strong winning session turned into a small loser, which feels like a big loss considering the way I started.

I stayed longer than I normally would; I was tired and the table wasn't great. But I'm behind pace on hours and had the whole night available to play, so I forced myself to stay, and that ended up costing me money. Boo.

Too tired to post hands.


Session results:
7 hours, 25 minutes
-$174

Year-to-date results:
261 hours, 10 minutes
+$11,576

Hey W.D., I remember you supporting me in my PGC from many years ago when we were both grinding hu sngs and I'll always appreciate it. Stumbled on this new thread of yours today and I'm glad you've rediscovered a major passion and have been achieving some solid results YTD so far. Maybe I missed it, but have you mentioned your career? If you don't want to elaborate, no problem.

Best of luck (and subbed)!

Oh snap - what's up my man? Nice to hear from you. You're still around 2+2 - you still grinding?

Didn't really get into the job stuff but short version is I'm an account manager for a pharmaceutical company now. Helps out a bit with poker since I can make my own hours and if I get to work early and am productive during the day, I can get mid-afternoon sessions in and still be home for the wife at night.

Yep, still grinding. I've played over 10k hours of live poker now. I play a lot of PLO and mixed games now, not much NLHE, although I definitely miss the good old days from time to time.

Your job situation sounds great. Thanks for sharing. Rooting for you to reach this thread's goal and I look forward to following the journey.

Aye 10k hours is no joke. Do you find that your winrate is higher playing more niche games like PLO and Mixed? Or do you just enjoy them more and moved in that direction?

I'm at somewhere around 600 total hours over the past year since I came back and started playing live last May. I've learned so much and improved my game a lot since then, I can only imagine what you've been able to figure out with that kind of time on the felt.



THREAD UPDATE:
Had a busy Memorial Day weekend doing stuff with the wife/family/friends. Locked down today and tomorrow as well with work and some other stuff.

However - my wife is out of town Thurs-Mon, so I think it would only be appropriate to celebrate Grind-a-palooza. I might even do something fun like 4 different cardrooms in 4 days or something like that. The world is my oyster, so we'll see.

Alright here we go. I can play the next 4 days, so my plan is:

THURS (today): Played at California Grand Casino
FRI: Graton Casino
SAT: Bay 101 and/or Casino M8trix
SUN: Oaks Club


Got a nice 6-hour session in tonight. Several of the usual 3/5 regs are out in Vegas for the WSOP, so the game was more rec-filled. Unfortunately the recs tonight were mostly loose-passive, which let me run the table and steal a lot of pots, but never got paid off when a made a real hand (which wasn't often).

Did have a couple interesting hands, I'll post 3 here:

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

HAND 1: Tough spot with a huge combo draw

PREFLOP:
Tight player ($2000) limps UTG +1 for $5
Fishy player ($420) limps UTG +2 for $5
Decent LAG ($1000) in MP raises to $30
HERO ($800) calls $30 on the BUTTON with K10
Both UTG +1 and UTG +2 call $30

FLOP ($122): J98
UTG +1 leads out for $40
UTG +2 calls $40
The original raiser folds
HERO calls $40

TURN ($242): 4
UTG +1 bets $160
UTG +2 goes all-in for $350
HERO?

On the turn, I pick up a huge combo draw to the effective nuts two ways. A 7 makes me a straight, a Q makes me the nut straight, and any heart makes me the second-nut flush which is p much only beaten by AJ or A8.

However, it's hard to calculate my pot odds here. I'm counting 15 outs (four 7s, four Qs, and 7 remaining hearts), so about 30% equity. If I call $350 and the original bettor calls, I'm getting 3.7 to 1, so I only need 21% equity or better.

However, with the fish going all-in, it's re-opened the betting to the original bettor, who's tight and solid, and has bet into multiple opponents twice. His range is something like AJ, sets of 8s and 9s, J9s and 89s for 2 pair, and Q-10s for a flopped straight. A lot of those hands might re-jam over the top.

If that happens, it's costing me $730 to win a pot of $1,322. In that case I'd need 36% equity, which I don't have, assuming my King is no good in that case.

It was a really tough spot. After thinking about it:



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


HAND 2: Good time for the Freeze Play

PREFLOP: The $10 straddle is on
Folds to HERO ($750) in the CUTOFF, who raises to $30 with A8
The action player ($600) in the straddle calls $30

FLOP ($64): 832
STRADDLE checks
HERO bets $35
STRADDLE calls $35

TURN ($134): 5
STRADDLE leads for $50
HERO raises to $160
STRADDLE calls $160

The Freeze Play is something I picked up from one of Ed Miller's books (Small Stakes No Limit Hold 'Em, I believe). You raise the turn to freeze the action on the river, where you'll usually check back.

It works well in a situation where you think your opponent is drawing when you have a marginal made hand. Most players only raise turns with big made hands or big draws, not marginal made hands.

But in a spot like this, it felt like my opponent led the turn to set his price. I felt he was likely doing this with a flush draw or maybe a pair+straight draw like 4-5, or maybe a combo draw like K4. If he held any of these, my value was going to come on the turn - not the river.

Sure, sometimes he'll 3-bet jam over the top, but usually he'll only do that with a hand that beats me. If he's got the courage to do it with a draw, more power to him. But most opponents will read my raise as a big hand like KK and think they can't get me to fold, so they'll just call with their draw and hope to hit.

RIVER ($454): 10
STRADDLE checks
HERO checks



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

HAND 3: Attacking a weak bet

PREFLOP:
Folds around to a weak-passive player ($300) in the CUTOFF, who limps for $5
HERO ($1000) raises to $20 on the BUTTON with K8
The weak rec ($600) in the BB calls $20
CUTOFF calls $20

FLOP ($57): 1074
BB checks
CUTOFF checks
HERO checks

TURN ($57): J
BB bets $25
CUTOFF folds
HERO calls $25

RIVER ($107): 6
CUTOFF bets $40
HERO raises to $160
CUTOFF tank-folds

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

Had a lot of fun in this session even though the results weren't necessarily there.


Session results:
6 hours
-$163

Year-to-date results:
267 hours, 10 minutes
+$11,413

DAY 2 @ Graton Casino:

Well Chief, this wasn't it. Poker Hell is being stuck and card-dead in a nitty ass game. This is how I found myself today.

Yet again, I dug myself a hole by being aggressive at a nitty table and running into big hands. Here's an example of a bluff gone bad:

PREFLOP: $10 straddle is on
UTG, MP, and CUTOFF all limp for $10
HERO limps in the CUTOFF with QJ
BB calls and the straddle checks

FLOP ($57) : A106
Action checks around

TURN ($57) 8
BB ($600) bets $25
MP ($500) calls $25
HERO ($800) calls $25 (all others fold)

RIVER ($132): 2
BB bets $75
MP folds
HERO raises to $250
BB goes all-in for $600ish
HERO folds

The BB was a fairly solid player so I didn't think he'd lead into a 6-person field with a flush draw. So when the flush hit, I thought I'd rep it with my J blocker. Obviously he had KQ or K10 which were fine to lead with. Spectacular fail by me.

So that bluff failed, and there was a lot of me raising pf, hitting heavy resistance by nits later in the hand, and folding.

And for the second straight day, I played hours without ever dragging in a big pot. This time, the results were worse.

2 days left on my little challenge, hopefully I don't unlock the "lose at 4 different cardrooms in 4 days" achievement.

Session results:
5 hours, 35 minutes

Year-to-date results:
272 hours, 45 minutes
+$10,686

PLO has been my highest WR game for many years now, but I also think it's my best game and has been for that whole span of time and the local PLO games are the best of any poker available. As for mixed games, I can't make as much in the local ones as PLO and my WR in the highest hourly one available probably matches my NLHE WR, but I find them the most fun of any poker I play and it's worth the opportunity cost for me of trading some profit for fun.

I had played a ton of live prior to all the hu sngs but for a long time pre-BF probably played live/online an equal amount of time, so I didn't enter post-BF live poker as a spring chicken at all. Not surprised you've learned a lot in 600 hours, keep it up!

Word - always good to play games that are fun and engaging for you. Keep the grind from being a grind, you know?