Other hand I forgot to add from early on in the session against some old decrepit dude who looks like the skeleton from Tales from the Crypt. Just an atrocious old-timer who I've played with before.

I look down at AK UTG and open to $9. He flats in MP and button calls.

Pot: $30

Flop: K34

I bet $16, he flats.

Pot: $62

Turn: T

I bet $47, he flats.

Pot: $156

River: 3

The 3 is a great card for me, so I decide to go for 3 streets here.

I bet $125, he calls. He shows K4 and I muck. **** me right.


-Boris

Just a quick update:

Been grinding out Bar study at the library. Played a little bit of PLO online and that's gone alright. Up about 10 buy-ins at 25PLO. Been just very mentally tired and not that enthused lately.

I played a short session of HU 100NL against another reg who I've played before. But, at the end of the day, the guy is actually very competent, and I find myself playing out of hubris and because of the little action when I do sit. It just isn't worth it at the end of the day.

Hoping to go play in Manch or Hampton this weekend. Really need to come out strong with cash. Was watching a PNIA live broadcast of Ryan Fee, Jennifer Tilly, etc... in Vegas, and it just made me really want to get back out there and play some cash.

I'm also starting to think of what to do in the 3 mos I have waiting on my Bar results again, and I really just want to put in live volume, but I need to get out of New Hampshire. It really is an imperative I need to get out of New Hampshire. I've been thinking of Atlantic City for 3 mos, but not sure if it is worth it when summer is wrapping up (mid August and on), or thinking of Taiwan or Thailand to just grind online and be a bum. Thailand and Taiwan would serve a greater purpose, as hopefully I pass the Bar, and could job hunt in Asia from out there, due to the flight accessibility to Singapore, China, Hong Kong, etc...Thoughts? Recommendations?


Side note: Listened to Deltron 3030 all the way through today while studying, and it has got to be one of my favorite albums, highly recommend it. Also, thought I would list my 10 favorite rap/hip-hop albums, as I'm always looking for good music and would be interested to have recommendations. In no particular order.

1. Aesop Rock - Labor Days

2. Kanye West - The College Dropout

3. Jay Z - The Blueprint

4. Nas - Illmatic

5. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang

6. Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth

7. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030

8. Outkast - Stankonia

9. MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday

10. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Live Roll: $4,511

Online Roll: $4,650

-Boris

Quick session of 50PLO earlier. +$150.

No real exciting hands, x/jamming middle set on Q937ss board to a pot sized bet on turn and getting called with bottom two + fd. He bricks the flush and I scoop.

Live roll: $4511
Online Roll: $4802

-Boris

Hey guys,

Good day for an update. I went to Starbucks today to study, and got a good amount of study done. I looked at the tournament board, and for some reason, my brain just blacked out and I thought the 5k Sunday GTD was running, even though it's Saturday, and I reg'ed the 2500 GTD Saturday Fever. Immediately, I realized my mistake, but figured I'd just one table it while studying on the side. First hand I flipped QJ suited with TT after a reg I play with a bit lost a massive pot, so I figured he was just shoving pre pretty light. We spiked a Q, and I decided to get at it.

The game went pretty smoothly and I didn't have my stack at risk until the FT. I went into FT 2nd to last in chips, but still 18bbs, which is a stack I'm comfortable playing. One of the big things I've gotten better at is not panicking with a 10-15bb stack. The FT went pretty quick, and soon I was HU against this tourney reg who is pretty good. We played a decently long HU match and I ended up getting K8o in on a K823ddd board against his 5Tdd, and not picking up a K or 8 on river. Full Flush tournaments are never that deep, each of us 25 bbs or so max.

So, I took home +$634.80, which I'm pretty happy with. I might post a few hands from it later, or just a longer update, and maybe another story of sorts.

Picture not posting properly, so will try to post when I get back home.

Live Roll: $4511

Online Roll: $5487

-Boris

To go along with the poker update, here's another story.

Blue Frog

One of the best nights I remember was going out with Peppa. She was a curly brown-haired, ball of fire. Peppa was from Jersey, and had that kind of sassy, tiny bit trashy, vibe. She was the quintessential snap her gum and twirl her hair type of Jersey girl. She was no stranger to club nights, and most of her going out outfits consisted of at least one article of clothing that was metallic. Peppa has, and will always be the life of the party. I've never genuinely met someone who cares so much about making sure others have a good time before she does. Little did I know that this night out would lead to one of the best friendships I've had with a girl, even after making the beast with two backs.

Peppa and I met when I was in my late teens in Beijing. We had already had a few wild nights out together, drinking to excess and grinding at the clubs, but nothing had come out of it. I always had it in my mind that she was a type of girl who was out of my league, so instead never pursued things further...until...

She asked me out on her birthday to see if I wanted to go grab a casual dinner. It was Tuesday, and she knew I wasn't big on going out during the weekdays, so promised me it would just be a quick dinner. I'm usually the type of guy who drinks and gets a bit too wild, and then is in mourning for the next week. Now, at 25, I've become a lot better at handling this. We met up and hopped a cab to Sanlitun, the westernized area of Beijing, where you can find a decent hamburger and anything else western that you miss in China. We went to our favorite burger chain Blue Frog. I still remember our waitress, Rose. Rose was a trainee for the night, and we chatted her up a bit. Unbeknownst to me, and something I would realize over time, Peppa would always have a greater plan in her mind for the night, even if you were completely clueless and naive. When Rose came back to take our order, Jess pointed to two pitchers of margaritas, well out of our budgets. I'm not sure how it happened, but at some point in the night, we just kind of silently acknowledged that the bill didn't matter, and that we were just going to enjoy what we were doing. We drank, and drank, and drank, ultimately running up a $300 tab. I think if I could compare how I was that night to anything, it would be one of the neighbor kids, who has a pretty girl move in next door, who is pretty of wild, and she shows him the summer of a lifetime by making him do wild things and bringing him on adventures. Essentially, Peppa was like my Benny the Jet from the Sandlot, except a female version, with nice titties.

We were seated outside, on a veranda type area. Rose went inside to check on some other customers and Peppa just looked at me and started running. I didn't know what to do, and jumped up and booked it with her. We ran right by the host standing outside, and sprinted downstairs into a back hall way, where we waited for 10 minutes or so, and made our way to the neighboring street where depressed Chinese women danced in bikinis, and old men smoked hookah. We snagged a booth and started smoking hookah and pounding Qingdaos. It was dimly lit and smoky, yet oddly romantic. She asked me over to her side of the booth. We sat and drank and smoked some more until she looked at me and asked, "Why haven't you made a move on me before? You always talk about how much you want to get with L and K, but what's wrong with me?" This caught me by surprise, but somehow, I managed not to **** it up, and leaned in and kissed her.

Her and I went to Red Club, an underground type basement-y club and met some Swedes. These Swedes were absolutely the craziest, yet most well-intentioned I had ever met. All I can recall is one of them was referred to himself proudly as "The Duckman" and his opening line to us was about he was scammed out of a few grand by a Russian hooker within the first 3 hours of landing in Beijing. We bought them drinks for a bit, and shot the ****.

Now, a side note. If any of you have spent significant time in Beijing, and Sanlitun, then you may know who I'm talking about. There is this deaf prostitute that walks around Sanlitun. She's on the chubbier side, brings a notepad with her, and has a lighter complexion. Her and I randomly became friendly acquaintances, where anytime I was drunk, I usually ran into her, and would buy her some street BBQ and write some notes on a notepad with her in Chinese. I think she truly appreciated it, because if I had to guess, she was a Chinese minority of sorts, and I don't think she was looked down upon too fondly of. This could also have to do with being a prostitute.

Cut to Peppa and I walking hand in hand to one of the side streets where all the street food was when some French kids started chirping at her, so me being the newfound Don Juan and badass I was, thought it was a good idea to tell them to **** off. That went well for about 3 ****ing seconds until after I was seated on this ****ty little plastic stool, about to eat my ****ty MSG ridden street food, the lot of them approached me and pushed me off the stool. I'm an absolutely atrocious fighter, but stood up, lashed out of my mind, and took a swing at one of the kids, with him moving out of the way, and me punching a whole in the ****ty white plastic fan hanging from the wall. One kid shoved me back down, this time I was a bit disoriented, and I look up to see another kid holding a non-plastic stool above his head, ready to crack me over the head, and ruin my chances at getting laid. Out of some bizarre miracle, the deaf Chinese hooker ended up in the middle of us, holding her hand out in a "stop" motion. It looked exactly like a really ****ed up version of when Pocahontas saved John Smith from being killed by her Indian father by throwing herself between John Smith and her father. This hooker was my Pocahontas. This act of kindness seemed to stall the group of guys, and it turns out The Duckman and his crew were nearby, and came running over, trying to escalate the fight. This scared off the kids about to murder me, and I just sat on the ground in shock, processing what had happened. I stood up, hugged the hooker, and thanked Duckman and his gang. Peppa and I decided it was time to get out of there for the night.

Peppa and I hailed a cab and hopped in. Peppa was notorious for taking her shoes off when we went clubbing and always ended up with the blackest, dirtiest feet. If STDs could have been transmitted via feet, Peppa would have been on par with Al Capone, except with feet. Al Capone became mentally incompetent after he contracted syphilis. Peppa and I got a bit frisky in the back of the cab, and I distinctly remember fingering her, while our dirty old cabbie looked back in disgust. We arrived outside the Beijing Zoo at 8am, as we both lived nearby, and got out of the cab. School buses and families were piling into the zoo, and there was a large crowd of children and mothers out front. The cab driver started yelling at us, demanding $13 USD more, since the white sheet in the back of his cab was now covered in dirt from Peppa's feet. I argued with him for a bit, and finally threw down $2 and began to storm off. This had drawn some attention from the families nearby. As I was storming off, the 17 beers and 5 jager bombs I had probably pounded, came shooting out my mouth, and I proceeded to projectile vomit all over the top taxi-rank, while mothers and children watched on. Out of embarrassment, we sprinted off, and spent the next hour leaning against a watermelon truck recapping the night and just holding each other. She invited me back up into her apartment and we had the drunkest, dirtiest (literally) sex possible for two people who looked and smelled like hell at 9 in the morning on a Wednesday. We both proceeded to sleep through the day and night.

One of the best nights I've had in my life, and to this day, any time Peppa and I go back to China, we always make sure to stop by a Blue Frog, and pick up a business card to bring back for the other. She has become one of my best friends, and we spent the next few years hooking up on and off, but now have resigned to the fact that our friendship is worth more.

-Boris

No doubt the tourney pull has become weaker along with the cash games. Keep up the grind man, no rush life is one long session. :')

Great blog/thread, nice to have someone in the NH reporting on the action from the local poker rooms. I live in MA, north of Boston, and try to get up to NH rooms a little more now with Cash Games being legal nowadays.

Do you play Seabrook much? I tend to hit this room the majority of the time. But need to try Manchester sometime soon.

Some quick additions to your rap/hip-hop albums:
- Notorious BIG - Ready to Die
- Madvillain - Madvillainy (great album where MF Doom paired up with Madlib)
- The Roots - Tipping Point
- GZA - Liquid Swords
- Mobb Deep - The Infamous
- Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
- Jay-Z - Black Album
And pretty much anything from the Beastie Boys (Licensed to Ill, Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication)

Love the thread, keep up the good work

Hey grape_nutz!

Really appreciate the support. Listened all the way through Madvillainy today, and it is ****ing awesome. My only qualm with it, is that it is too short and the "transition" pieces just make me wish there was more. I think Kanye's College Dropout handles the transitions a bit better front to back. Still, Madvillainy was awesome.

I've played in Seabrook twice. The only reason my buddy Vroommmm and I went over to Seabrook was because the Hampton tourney registration had finished. But I haven't been back in a long time, would you recommend it over Hampton for cash? I think Manch is my favorite, due to fast dealers and a generally weaker player, but I've been trying to mix it up because now at Manch after going there so consistently, I've noticed people noting I'm a regular and I think it has killed a little action. Also, you have to pick the right day to go in Manch, otherwise it is just a bunch of regs, and breaking tables. With the Rock closing soon, I think Manch might see an influx of traffic, so be on the lookout for that.

I'm taking a bit of time off live while I study for the Bar, and will only be playing live sporadically, but hopefully we'll run into each other and can have a beer.

-Boris

Tonight didn't go well at all, but there isn't anyone to really blame but myself for it. Maybe the one thing I could blame was when I pulled in, some chick was blowing her boyfriend in their truck, and when she looked up, it was none other than track marks junkie chick. That might have been a sign that I was going to have a brutal night.

A leak I definitely noticed and need to be more aware of is c-betting too much in multi-way pots. Tonight, I made that mistake too many times. Another leak is that I need to be more aware of player stack sizes on flop, because I c-bet too many flops and was jammed on for $15-25 more, and ended up calling it off with middle pair and losing. There were a few hands that I really played pretty bad.

I'll post my hands tomorrow. There was one kid at the table who you could tell knew what he was doing, and I actually really enjoyed playing with him. He was an Indian kid and he played a huge hand that he ended up losing, but I think it was great and unfortunate for the result. Would be interested to hear thoughts.

Indian Kid starts hand with $485ish
Wannabe-reg starts hand with $320ish

7 way limped pot, Indian kid on button, and Wannabe-reg in BB. BB raises to $9 pre. 5 callers.

Pot: About $50

Flop: T44

WR donks for $11. Folds to Indian kid on button who pops it up to $43. This clearly flusters WR and he tries to think it through. WR then reraises to $96, essentially min clicking it.

Indian kid tanks and moves all in. WR snap calls.

Board runs out 6Jx

Indian kid shows 97o and WR shows QTo and drags pot.


When I say the Indian kid tanked, it was seriously about 5 minutes. I think the 5 minutes actually hurt, but I really like the move. Maybe it is too ambitious for 1-2, but I think it was actually a good shove.

WR had played a few hands before and showed down premiums after raising to $16 pre. This $9 raise was clearly a pot builder, as WR would have bumped his premium hands up significantly more. Next, the donk out on the flop for $11 was pretty weak considering he had been c-betting flops for 75% pot. Then the essential min clickback to $96, left him just over $200 behind, to be able to get away from the hand. One leak I've seen is that at 1-2 there isn't really any balancing and most people are min-clicking it back on paired flops with absolute air, and raising their actual monsters up way more, scared of being sucked out on. Even online, it is very standard for a lot of fun players to just min click back paired flops, thinking that it will scare off the initial raiser, and at micros, it usually accomplishes its goal more often than not. I think for these reasons, the shove was good, but maybe too much for a typical 1-2 game.


I'd really be interested to hear people's thoughts on it. But maybe he just reps the 4 so little, that he really only has A4, 45, 46, and the rest of the time he has 66-99 there.

Overall on the night $-320.

Will post some hands tomorrow, and really need to book a winning day soon.

Live Roll: $4191

Online Roll: $5500

-Boris

A few hands from last night that I said I'd post today.

2nd hand of the session and I'm dealt two black Aces UTG. Open to $9. 2 callers, MP and SB.

Pot $29

Flop: K65

Hero bets $22. Both players call.

Turn: 7

Pot: $95

Hero checks, MP bets $50, SB calls $50, Hero calls $50.

River: T

Hero checks, MP bets $60, SB calls 60, Hero folds.

MP shows 86o and SB shows K3o

Price-wise I think this is a call, but with no information on any one, I really am unsure. Really interested to hear thoughts. Unfortunately, it turns out both of these guys were quite bad, but both had $400+ stacks when I sat down.


Like I mentioned in the previous post, I played pretty damn bad. There was one hand, which I think was a spew. I think my turn call was fine, but kind of went against my checklist of stereotypes.

Aggro guys opens UTG to $15, Hero looks down at 8T and calls. MP Old lady raises to $40. Folds to Aggro guy, he calls, I call. Her 3-bet sizing was very small, but right away, the standard old lady stereotype is that she is almost never 3-betting anything but Kings or Aces. I have seen so many old ladies who will limp AK, never 3-bet Jacks or Queens, so the 3-bet is almost always very very strong.

Pot: $120

Flop: 442

Aggro guy checks, I check, old lady checks

Turn: 8

Aggro guy checks, I check, Old lady bets $50, aggro guy folds, I call.

River: 6

I check, Old lady bets $50. I tank call.

I thought the flop check was a little weird by Old lady, but then again, I think that's pretty standard for old ladies who really just prefer to pot control. The one stereotype I've noticed with old ladies is they love picking a specified amount, and always betting that with their strong hands, to pot control. It is the old lady version of value betting. I think there is probably good argument for me just throwing it away on the turn, even after an 8 turn. Am I good 15% of the time against an old lady who fires two streets and almost never bluffs? I don't know, but I would actually think I'm not, so I think this was actually a bit of a spew.

Like I said, I think I played the session pretty sub-optimally. Need to start plugging my leaks and get out of this little slump.


How about a story?


Hurricane Yann

A few years back, there was a huge hurricane that passed through the Philippines and made its way over to Hong Kong. Hong Kong had black rain warnings for 2-3 days, which is pretty wild, because it is essentially the same as a snow day. People don't go into work, the ferries close, and the city is essentially on lockdown. I was pretty excited for this hurricane to hit, because I had been chatting with this local girl on Tinder, and had planned on her coming over to spend the Friday night and leaving later the next day after the rain and winds had subsided. I was expecting a weekend full of making the beast with two backs and crushing pizza. It kinda went something like that, but not really.

She showed up really late Friday night, and right away, I could tell she clearly had a friend typing for her on Tinder, because she virtually spoke no English. She was also abut 25 pounds heavier than her pictures. I decided to just make the best of it, and did my best to chat with her. I'm pretty animated when I talk, so I think it's easier for people who don't speak the same language to understand, or at least pretend like they do. I kinda had a feeling this girl was a little off, when in broken English she told me I was really hot. After putting on like 15 pounds, growing my hair, and coming hot off of a week long bender, consisting of McDelivery and Asahis, I looked like Jack Black. I also realized she was pretty ****ing drunk when she showed up and was pretty irritated. Within like 30 minutes, she wanted to go to bed, so we went to my room, where we made out a little, and she passed out snoring. I'm not one for really trying to sleep with a chick when she is tuned up and I'm not, so figured I'd hold off, anticipating a weekend of lecherous activities coming up the next day. Side note: I had stocked up on a good amount of bacon, eggs, dumplings, and bread for the weekend.

I woke up at about 7am, soaking wet. As a man who has peed the bed many a time while blackout drunk, I recognized immediately that it was urine, and not mine. I walk out of my room, and am immediately in my kitchen, where I see her in my favorite flannel and boxers, and literally all the food I had bought, out on the table, half-consumed by her. She was essentially Danny McBride in This is The End. I hear the washing machine going too, and realize she is washing her piss clothes. I walk over to the window, hoping to throw her out, and see it is pitch black outside, with torrential downpour. I log onto the observatory website and see that all public transportation is shut down for the day. She lives almost on the Shenzhen China border, where the only way to get there is by public transportation, so I realize I need to come to terms with her staying another night. I am pretty bad at acting okay when I'm extremely irritated, so I proceeded to ignore her all day, until she asks me what is for dinner, and I point at the leftover food she had made this morning. I lay in my guest bedroom all day watching movies on my laptop, while she sits on the couch and watches Chinese soap operas. She comes to my bed and tries to sleep with me. Now, as irritated as I was, I wasn't going to say no to doin' it. We start getting undressed and I realize she has the worst smelling vagina I've come across. Also, one side note, she had a tongue ring, and literally just kept banging it against my teeth when we were making out, which was driving me mad. I was coming hot off of a chlamydia scare, and decided to leave. I went back into my room, laid a towel down, and went to bed.

I decided to sleep in, hoping she would be gone when I woke up. First thing I did was log onto the observatory website, and the black rain effect was still in warning. It was a little past noon, and I heard a knock on the door, which was a tad terrifying, considering literally nobody should be out in the black rain storm. Well, if anyone is wondering, there is one place in Hong Kong that will always be open during black rain warnings, and that is Pizza Hut. I am now face to face with a Pizza Hut delivery driver who is soaking wet and holding 3 boxes of pizza and some pasta. Yann comes over, and tells me she doesn't have any money on her. I ask the guy how much, and he tells me about $60 USD. So now, this chick has pissed my bed, made and eaten all my food at home, and ordered Pizza Hut and is making me pay for it. I begrudgingly give the man the money and we sit at my kitchen table to eat. She looks at me, says, "I know French," looks at the food, then says, "Bon appetit." She then looks at me with one of those **** yeah smiles like "I know something you don't know, want me to explain it to you?" To which I picked up a box of pizza and went over to the couch to eat. I then spent the rest of the day in the guest room, and she didn't bother coming in at night.

Next morning, it clears a bit, and the black rain warning is lifted. Some subway lines are still closed, hers being one of them. She stays until 9pm while I pretend like she isn't there, and leaves without saying anything. We don't speak again.


-Boris

Figured I'd pop in with a short update. This post will probably be all over the place. Today is just about 1 month away from the Bar, and I'm sitting in the library with all the other mouth-breathers, listening to them type away, while being stared at by a library assistant who I got into an argument in with after she accused me of taking too many complimentary pencils. I haven't played very much lately, other than the occasional 5k High Roller at night, and a little cash to correct those bricks. The roll is still sitting at the same $5,511 online and $4191 live.

I recently had a chat with one of my best buddies living out in Pitt, El Guapo. El Guapo was part of my central click of friends in high school, and then kind of disappeared after moving to Pitt for undergrad and pharmacy school. It also didn't help he dated one girl in our group and it went horribly, resulting in an awkward dynamic of the group. Anyways, as always, I digress.

El Guapo invited me out to Pitt after the Bar, which I think I'm going to do for a week or so. It has actually given me something to look forward to, because I want to turn it into a poker road-trip of sorts, swinging down to NYC to see Peppa, possibly Esquire and my buddy Modern in Philly, and then making my way to Pitt. The goal would be to play poker a few days in Philly and also out in Pitt, and anywhere else that I can on the way out.

I'm taking the Bar in Saratoga, and looking online, there doesn't seem to be much or anything for that matter of live poker in that area. Saratoga seems like a pretty nice area though, so if anyone has any recommendations for things to do for a day or two after the Bar, I'd definitely appreciate it.

I'm definitely having a bit of anxiety about taking the Bar for the second time. It isn't even the exam itself, it is all the build up and hype that surround it. The process of dedicating 2-3 months of yourself, reapplying, booking accommodations, then having to wait another 6-7 months if you don't pass to retake. But, failure is integral to learning and building. My past failures have done nothing but drive me to succeed. On the grand scheme of things, it is only a minor hiccup. As I've gotten older, I have started to realize that this unrealistic timeline of accomplishments I have set for myself and hold myself to, are unrealistic for a reason. They are to motivate me to push as far forward as I can and to always keep me hungry. Once you become complacent, that hunger wanes. Don't let it. Stay as hungry as an Italian on the Atkins diet.

To close out, I have to quote the soothsayer and oracle of Delaware, my buddy Esquire (also most likely stolen from a Chinese idiom), "Ride donkeys until you find a horse."


-Boris

Just played a short session after getting back from the library. +$207. Nothing too exciting, one guy very tilted open shoving at table, but other than that, not much happened.

Live Roll: $4191

Online Roll: $5707

-Boris

Another short update. Just a short session or two playing some 50PLO and 50NL. Sitting at $5852 online. So up $150 from last time. Also broke $10k for total combined roll. A few things I've been doing in PLO lately, is hand selecting a bit better, and checking back occasional monsters IP. This has induced some of the regulars I've played with to steal turn on a scared card, and calling off a bit lighter when I come over the top.

Sitting at Starbucks and of course the only nut-job conspiracy theorist wannabe-author decides to ask me what I'm studying and then tells me about how she's writing a book on how the government and corporations bully employees and whistle-blowers for profit. Always a weird situation, because other people are listening, and to keep this lady -who is clearly off her rocker- calm, I'm just agreeing and saying, "I never thought of it like that." Also, telling me about her friend who was recently indicted on fraud charges. If I were a criminal, I'd be knee deep in the crack game, so white collar crime wouldn't be on the radar for me.

If anyone is interested in a book recommendation, it is a short 150 pg read or so, called "In Defense of Flogging" by Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore City police officer and now sociology professor. It is a bit of a satirical look at today's prison system and proposes corporal punishment instead of incarceration. He makes a distinction between real crimes worth prison time, and economically driven crimes; selling drugs, petty theft, etc... that will be replaced my a self-correcting market even when they are imprisoned, and argues that it is truly inhumane to lock up economically driven criminal offenders for lengthy periods of time. 40 lashes does seem more fitting for some.

Anyways...Hope everyone has a great 4th of July.

Live Roll: $4191

Online Roll: $5852

-Boris

Online roll at $5961. Played a little PLO recently. Just not a whole lot of volume at all. Very sporadic. Signed up for my post Bar trip for when I'm in AC and MD, hopefully I don't get murdered or put lotion on anyone's skin.

-Boris

Broke $6k today online, so a good number to see. Bar fast approaching, but that also means I'm that much closer to my poker trip. I've been trying to find a few tournaments to play on the way, and am in the process of planning my schedule. Will update more when I start to finalize it. Talked to Vroommm and him and I are going to do Foxwoods for the $500k GTD in August as well, so I'm also looking forward to that. After the next 18 days or so, there will be a lot of poker coming -- and a lot of updates. Looking forward to what is in store.

-Boris

Well, a bit of a rough day, since I didn't really play any poker, but flipped for money. There is this notorious whale on FF, who flips ATC for huge stacks, and I saw him sitting at a 200NL 6max because he wasn't getting any action at 4kNL. This man has punted hundreds of thousands on FF, and literally just plays to gamble. I joined the table, pretty familiar with him and that he shoves ATC, because I've watched his late night sessions flipping for tens of thousands with anything. I was 1/4 in flips, where I won AdJd > 62o, and lost KTcc < A4o, AT < AQ, and AK < 75o. I don't feel too bad, because against him shoving any two, I think it's fine, but -$600 still isn't ideal. Back down to $5400 for my online roll. I don't feel too bad because I've told myself I was going to take a shot, and it is a bit of a gamble with him.

Side note: This is what my trip is looking like so far; would love some recommendations on tournaments or such. I'm only going down with about a $4500 roll, and everything else I'm covering with outside expenses that I have saved up.

I tried to mention a post or two ago that I signed up for Couchsurfing, but it hasn't really panned out, and there aren't too many people offering hosts in the area. Also, I realized, I'm just not one of those sleep at random people's houses type of guy. I have found a few hostels in AC, Philly and MD which are $25-$35/night. Also, I have been talking with a girl I had a rather tempestuous affair with in college over 2.5 years, and she wants to drive up from VA and meet me in MD, so I'm hoping her and I could get a hotel, and end this drought of mine. She is also a great girl. Half Persian I might add.

So, here are the tournaments I am considering and would obviously be interested in your feedback/suggestions. I'm trying to play relatively in my roll, considering I really haven't had much live tournament success (but also my the majority of my live tournaments within the first 7 mos or so of me learning poker).

July 28th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $3500 GTD ($80 buy-in)
July 29th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $6000 GTD ($120 buy-in)
-Borgata $50,000 GTD 11am ($230)
July 30th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $10,000 GTD ($175 buy-in)
-ACGN $1500 GTD ($45 buy-in)
July 31st – Maryland Live $10k GTD ($65 buy-in)

A part of me thinks I should be playing cash instead of this $3500, $6000, or $1500 GTD and should aim to play the $50k at Borgata ($230 buy-in) and this $10k at MD Live for $65. I also would like to try and play a few satellites, but am having trouble finding some info on them.

Anyways, that is what the first 1/4 or so is looking like, as I think this will be a 2.5 week trip or so. Also, looking at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, it seems like I will mostly be playing cash there, or just drinking and hanging out with El Guapo.

-Boris

Check in time. Bar is on Tuesday, and I'm driving out to Sarasota Springs tomorrow. One great start is that the AC in my car is broken, so I'm looking forward to getting a good sweat in while I drive. I know I have been radio silent as of late, but I've just been studying my dick off while Aubrey the tranny barista at Starbucks serves me up some vanilla sweet cream cold brews. Side note: I'm about 99% sure the Starbucks I study at put a toilet mat in the men's bathroom due to my carelessness when pissing.

There will be a lot of poker coming up, and thus a lot of updates. I'm really hoping it goes well, and I'm really looking forward to playing at Parx, Borgata, and MD live. Here's a bit of an updated list with the tournaments I'm considering. Unfortunately, with most casinos, it seems I'm at the very tail end of their summer series, or right before there big August tournament schedule.

July 28th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $3500 GTD ($80 buy-in)
- Borgata Event #37 ($120) @ 6pm
July 29th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $6000 GTD ($120 buy-in)
- Borgata $50,000 GTD @ 11am ($230)
- WSOP Room Bally’s $5k GTD ($65)
July 30th – Atlantic City Golden Nugget $10,000 GTD ($175 buy-in)
- ACGN $1500 GTD ($45 buy-in)
- AC Borgata Black Chip Bounty ($100 +$20 +$100)
July 31st – Maryland Live $10k GTD ($65 buy-in)
-Horseshoe Green Chip Bounty $8k GTD ($150)
August 1st – Horseshoe Green Chip Bounty $5k GTD ($150)
-Horseshoe $2500 GTD ($80)

I was hoping someone with some knowledge of these Bounty tournaments at MD Live could tell me if they are worth it and any thoughts on it. I was originally only thinking one night in AC, but I really want to play this $50k GTD. I've lined up some places to stay, and for the places I don't have a couch to crash on, I'll probably just get a cheap, ****ty, place to do meth-motel.

Just thought I would check in and to tell you people, don't rule this thread out since I have been MIA a bit, because it's about to get juicy. Boris is going to get his Korean revenge.

-Boris

Looking forward to the upcoming juiciness lol. Best of luck w/ the bar and the tourney series!

Thanks Kara - thread peak reached when my thread hero comments. And I assure you, the juiciness is a-comin'. We gettin' weird, real weird, and we 3-betting everybody; every old Nana who uses a card protector with a picture of their grandson on it, every man drinking a fruit flavored beer, and every internet whiz-kid with sunglasses and a hoodie on.

Day before the Bar exam - Feeling alright, currently sitting at Starbucks in Saratoga Springs just being a muppet. Saratoga Springs is absolutely beautiful and a hustlin' and bustlin' place. Really hoping to explore a little Wednesday night, and Thursday during the day. It has the horsetrack, so no shortage of pretty women sporting sundresses and big hats.

The drive out wasn't bad, pretty sure I was dying of heatstroke by the time I arrived after driving without any AC. Shoutout to all the roadkill and 6 deer I saw. Upstate New York is interesting. I, personally, don't picture any part of New York as having small, run-down, hick towns that look like they are straight from the backroads of Alabama, but apparently it does. Rolling green hills and endless farms, something rather soothing passing all that, especially in the wake of a highly stressful 12 hour exam.

Anyways, just 2 days until I'm smelling that sweet stench of washed up garbage below the Atlantic City boardwalk. Just trying to survive the essay portion and MPT tomorrow, and then hopefully clicking buttons on the multiple choice on Wednesday.

Until then,

-Boris

+$207 last night at Borgata. Last night had it all, me running a bluff into the essential nuts, held by two people, Jimmy the tinker randomly chugging Seat 7's soda because his spicy mussels were coming up, some ******* who claims to be a mixed game mid-stakes pro sitting and educating us at 1-2 and angleshooting me, and me hitting a two outer. Currently, in a Days Inn getting ready to play this 11am $50k GTD on 4 hours of sleep. Was a bit neglectful and didn't look for a hotel until about 3am, when as fate would turn out, another kid (who is great), got chatting with me and told me he was in the same spot, so we ended up going halfsies on the Days Inn Honeymoon sweet. Well, actually just a standard twin room. Will update a bit later. If you see anyone at this $50k reading a push fold chart while crushing grapefruit juice, you know who it is.

-Boris

A little update for everyone. The trip is going alright, profitability-wise, I'm down. I bricked the $50k @ Borgata, a bit after 1500/3k or so. I then had the one decent session I posted, and then had a few tough beats that I think it was pretty standard and a bit of a cooler. I haven't checked yet, as I've just been a bit disheveled and took today off from poker to hang at a fraternity brother's house with his parents in Philly, but I'd guess I'm down about $600 in cash and $230 from the tournament. I'll run down a bit here.

I played a pretty interesting hand in the 50k pretty early on. My starting table was pretty weak overall, was rather card dead, but still managed to chip up alright. There were two twenty something buddies from NY who were seated right next to each other, both wearing aviators, and discussing how every hand was "sick." One of them standing up with his hands on his hips after taking a beat, shaking his head and going, "so sick, so sick, why do I even play this game?" Just hyperbolic actions. I played a pretty solid sized pot against his buddy who was silent, but calling out hands he thought people had to his buddy.

Blinds are 600/1200 at this point and I pick up AQ in MP and open to 2400 with 40k behind from the 50k starting. Crazy dude who keeps rambling on about Hilary and showing me his Facebook profile pic of Hilary's face imposed on Miley Cyrus's naked body from her Wrecking Ball video. He essentially min-3-bets me to 5000, sunglasses flat calls on the button, and I call.

Pot: A bit over 17000.

Flop: AT5

I check, crazy man checks, sunglasses checks.

Turn: 3, I check thinking I'm pretty under-repped here and hoping someone hangs themselves.

Crazy-man bets 4000, sunglasses raises to 9000, I call, crazy-man folds.

Pot: 35kish.

River: K completing spades.

I check, and sunglasses tank bets 18000. My thought process ended up coming down to the only hand that really beats me here is tens. He seemed acquainted enough online where he is always 4-betting AK in position and anything stronger. He isn't flatting a 3-bet with anything less than 10s, considering he had also been playing pretty damn tight. AT not calling there either. I also am pretty under-repped and played the hand hoping someone would hang themselves, to which they did, so I tried to keep that in mind. The K flush getting there on the river really doesn't do a whole lot, as I don't see any spade hands he calls 3-bet pre and floats flop with, as I also have Q of spades. Ultimately, I call, and he insta mucks.

The hand that sealed my fate was a bit aggressive by me I think, but I think I can see some merit in the call. Blinds are 1500/3000 and I have TT UTG and open to 6000 UTG with about 60k to start. Guy who has been open ripping 30 bbs plus pre flats me UTG +2, and random thug-ish guy who was eating the stinkiest eggs ever flats in MP.

Pot a bit over 23k +.

Flop: K53

I check, check, check. Turn is 8.

I check, check, stinky eggs bets 7000. I call, guy folds.

Pot: 37k+

River: 5

I check, stinky eggs bets 25000. I call. He flips AK

Not long after, I get in QJ suited v QQ and bust.

I then later played some cash and dusted off a bit after I got 2nd nut flush in against some yabo who didn't know how to play and tank called me with the nut flush on a non-paired board. That table broke, and I ended up at a table with 2 regulars. I would say these two guys were one of the only times I've felt really out-classed and out-played at a 1-2 table. We didn't get into it a whole lot, and the only major hand I really played against either of them was me jamming a set of 99 on a KQ97 rainbow turn, after I raise pre, am 3-bet and sb comes along. Checks and bet of 25 on button, sb flats, I flat. Turn is 7x, sb checks, I check, button bets $40, sb flats $40, and I jam over the top for about $160 more. Get one chipped snapped by sb with JTo for nut straight, and we brick river for $800ish pot or so.


Anyways, in bed and getting ready to pass out, looking forward tomorrow and hoping to make some progress and play some good poker. Definitely need to stop floating as many flops and calling marginal holdings against double/triple barrels by old nits.

-Boris

Played Parx today. Was a pretty good day, ended up about +300, so I'd say I'm about down $300ish this trip. Climbing back though and enjoyed today a lot. By the way, the town of Bensalem definitely loves just having signs for things about 8 feet before you are supposed to turn. Parx poker room was pretty interesting. I think definitely a different caliber of player than AC, as it is much more casual and not kind of isolated like AC. By that, I mean AC is more of an actual destination where people go out of there way, and Parx draws on local crowds pretty well. Just my impression. I have changed up a bit and am playing quite tight. It's a bit boring, but at 1-2, it seems the way to go currently. The last few days, I had been floating too much, playing OOP too much, and calling off river bets after a double or triple barrel. At 1-2, definitely not the thing to do. I really feel quite positive today about it, as I'm recovering from that one rough day I had at Borgata.

I didn't have too many exciting hands. Flopped top set in a 3-bet pot and called a shortstack shove on flop, called off a sizeable pot with QJ on a Q6637 board, and with 66 on a KKJ52 board for another decent sized pot. Looking forward to Parx tomorrow, then will play Wednesday during day a bit, then head to Lancaster to see some family, then off to Pitt to see El Guapo.

Anyways, just a short update, so will hopefully have a bit more to report on tomorrow.

-Boris

Ps. Parx waitress outfits > Borgata outfits

Blatantly not an $800 pot, $520ish. Fat finger mistyping.

Today felt like a bigger win than it actually was, +120 for the day and only down a tiny bit now for the trip, will have to calculate it when I get back. I would say that I'm a big fan of Parx. Action is great, and at 1-2, there is no shortage of fun players. Also, for early afternoon on a Tuesday, it was a happenin'. I say today felt like a bigger win than it was because I started the day off down a bullet.

Guy to my right straddles to $4, I'm UTG and open to $15 with KT and get 7 callers, specifically SB and BB.

Pot: $70

Flop: QJ9

SB leads for $40, BB flats, and I rip $200 in. Folds to SB who snap calls and BB folds.

SB shows QT and board runs out Kx, 5 and he scoops after freerolling me on the turn.

I chipped back up slowly and never really played any large pots other than the following.

Hero in BB with K6, 5 limps, I check.

Pot:$10

Flop: 669

I check, goes to this maniac guy who pots for $10, I flat call.

Turn:5

I check, maniac bets $45, I call.

River: 3

I check, maniac bets $85 and I call. He insta mucks.

For a while, the table was pretty passive, so I picked up a lot of pots just off of raising pre and c-betting flop 1/4. Playing Parx again tomorrow until about 2 or 3, then heading to see my Aunt and Uncle in Lancaster for a night, then Thurs-Sun is Pitt with El Guapo.

It has been a pretty good trip, and I've gotten a lot of poker in, but I just am not a road trip person. I've also been living so unhealthy, and need to get back to a healthy routine. The anxiety of figuring out what is next is also starting to creep into the back of my mind, but I guess I'll address that when I get back. Until then, I'll drink my Sapporo tall-boy while I wind down.

Also, I was sandwiched between two big dudes from the Bronx who may or may not have been selling drugs on their breaks.

-Boris