**** TJ’s Sundry Poker Adventures! 2025-26 ****

This flight did 754 entries (more than the morning flight yesterday), paying 114, bagging at 38 players left. There’s currently 171 players still in.

Let’s keep it going!

Go, Moby, go!

ready or not the universe will eventually come to you

In the money!

Still, I’m in to this thing for 5 bullets. A mincash does nothing for me. I’ll continue playing fearlessly.

On 146k at 4/8, average is about 200k.

114 players left, 38 bag (or through level 22).

Still a ways to go to that bag, let’s get it!

Busted, in 100th place, for $800.

I open 88 to 17k from MP2, then a tight player 3bets to 45k from the button. The big blind looks like he has a decision, agonizes a bit, but folds.

In the moment, I thought that could mean the BB might have folded a broadway card or two, and I might be slightly better than flipping. I guess I should have been thinking about how that guy had hardly played a hand in the half hour he’d been on our table.

I stuff for 160k.

Faded the snap call, so now I’m feeling pretty good. Happy to accept any outcome of a flip. But he does call, with a little bit of a nit-roll, if I do say so myself, showing QQ. I don’t improve, and am out.

Maybe that was a bit too gamble-y, for a bit too many BB’s, once we were in the money. I even had the read that he was tight. Ah well.

After two straight days of 12+ hours of cards, I’m drained, and I can truthfully say the money is emotionally meaningless to me. In for 5 bullets, out with 2.

As I sit now, busted from the tournament, I’m feeling accomplished. I thrive on the competition. I kept firing this tournament, believing in myself, that I have an edge. My decisions, on balance over the two days, were good. It’s redeeming that even though I lost money, I notched another tourney cash on the ledger. That feeling is way more valuable to me than $400, $800, or even the $2k I was in for.

…And I’m definitely thankful that hand came when it did, instead of 15 minutes prior.

Now, it’s time for a long sleep, a slow morning, a good meal, then we’re on a mission to get unstuck from the weekend at PLO!

still loving that mindset. nice cash, although the results weren’t what you wanted

Congrats on the cash

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Good morning! …In the afternoon, lol.

Slept until I felt like it, got a shower and a shave, then headed to the casino.

Apparently the casino restaurant scene is going through a bit of a re-branding. They closed Brio, the Italian place upstairs, which was my favorite restaurant on the property.

It’s now Amici… still an Italian place, same space, same staff, all new menu.

Started with a Caesar.

That thing in the middle is some form of pressed cheese, which was pretty crispy.

For my entree, I went with the pappardelle bolognese, which was pretty good.

The bill was $72, which was only that high because I got two $17 glasses of Cabernet. I was able to cover $28 of it with my comp balance.

So yeah, I like the new space! Eager to try some of the other items on the menu.

Min cash is much better than the alternative! Get it all back in cash.

what did i hear
but someone say
mind to your own bowl of nays

The plan for today was to play about a 4 hour session, win, then take a break, grab some food, and reset mentally for a second session after dinner.

As is usually the case when I’m in casinos, I lost track of time, and wound up playing a 7 hour session instead. Worth it, though.

In for 2.4k, out with 5k.

Got down early, and had to keep topping up. Then I hit a pretty nice score.

I pot it with KK65 and one suit, then the button re-pots to 220. The table mark cold flats the 3bet… well now I gotta see the flop.

It comes 6-4-2 rainbow, checks to the raiser, who checks back. Turn is another 6, putting two spades out (I don’t have spades). I lead for 500, button calls, mark folds.

River is an offsuit 8. I shove for 1500ish, and he actually called, with just the AA, and busted spades.

Later, I stacked another player, when I flopped top two, and turned a backdoor flush draw. He got it in on the turn vs me, with top pair, a better backdoor flush draw, and a gutshot, but the river was clean.

Now I’m finally eating.

Went to the Gordon Ramsay Food Court, and got the fish n chips, with chicken and shrimp.

It was pretty good, for $32.

I maintain that the correct dipping sauce choices are the southwestern ranch, and the sriracha aioli.

Feeling better after eating. If another session goes well, I can get unstuck for the weekend! Maybe even cover hotel and food.

But I won’t stay out too late, though. I gotta check out, and drive home in the morning.

Nice session, but as a Brit I cannot approve of fish and chips with chicken ??? :-)

Moby Blue Kenobi
ftw

Hahaha it’s really more of a “these are all the things Gordon can deep-fry for you”-type of thing.

The fish is pretty good though!

I DID end up staying out too late, naturally. Booked a small win in the nightcap session, +300… then absolutely HAD to rack up at 1 am. Played almost 11 hours today.

The quest to get unstuck came up just short. I drove here with 80 bills, and I’ll be driving home in the morning with 75. Skimming through my book, I really wish I hadn’t donked off over $600 playing in boring, nitty 1/3 NLH games, to pass the time between bullets. That was the difference right there.

I’m okay with it, though. The trip ended on a high note. After pumping 5 bullets into the tourney, with only a measly mincash to show for it, this is far from the lower end of the range of possible outcomes.

And, I can feel good about coming back next weekend. I had already booked my room… but if this weekend went terribly, (which absolutely CAN happen), I wouldn’t have felt good about paying to come back to fire the $1700 tournament. This weekend didn’t go terribly.

I got to spend three straight days playing a ton of poker, which is something I truly enjoy. It’s been a great weekend.

Thanks for reading! Let’s do this again next weekend!

I'm curious, what do you see when you look in the poker mirror?

It seems to me that you have moved beyond that of poker hobbyist. Are you starting to see yourself as working your way to semi professional? Are you already there?

Can you see the label of poker professional starting to become somewhat in focus if you squint and look far enough down the road? Is that something you would even want, or are you content to have a dependable paying career that you seem very good at away from the felt combined with an increasingly successful alter ego on the felt?

As you continue to improve, what do you aspire to be as a poker player?

It seems to me that your dedication to your craft increasingly makes these questions worth asking.

It’s a thoughtful question. One to which I’ve increasingly devoted more and more contemplation.

In my 20’s, I was a college dropout, “working” in restaurants or as a DJ, smoking pot or drinking almost every day, and grinding small stakes cash and MTT’s online in my underwear.

I took pride in thinking of myself as a poker pro, because to me, there was no higher credit to my skill to make a living on my wits, and guile.

Then Black Friday hit, and the viability of online poker went away. I drifted for several years, rudderless, with no idea what I wanted to do or what my goals for this life were.

Going back to school for nursing was the best thing I ever did. It gave me purpose, direction, and most importantly, balance. I truly feel like I finally found my calling, what I was meant to do.

The great thing about poker is, it can be an awesome hobby, for as much time or energy as you want to devote to it. Like chess… no matter what level you’re on, there’s always a deeper degree of understanding you can reach, with more practice and study.

I see some of the younger tourney pros that travel and grind the WSOP circuit, and I honestly feel sorry for them. It looks like a miserable existence. They definitely don’t look like they’re enjoying themselves, not like I am when I’m playing in a tournament. Who knows how much they owe, or how deep in makeup they’re in. Surely they’re smart enough to succeed in some professional career, if they reevaluated their priorities.

Being a nurse has replaced being a poker player as the core first principle of my self identity, and that’s a great thing for me. And it’s not mutually exclusive with continuing to enjoy playing poker!

To answer your question, I’d never see myself working towards becoming a full time poker pro. With all the incredible and inspiring doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers I’ve met in my career, that’s a much nobler and higher status to me than Daniel Negreanu. If I won the WSOP Main Event, I wouldn’t quit my job.

I like the alter ego analogy. Nurse by day, then sneaking off to the bat cave to put on the cape when the next tournament series comes around. And playing around town for a fun evening out in the meantime.

Two thoughts, although I realize I am simplifying things and making up excuses:

1) I don't think that being smart in poker necessarily translates to being smart with other things. Quite the contrary actually, as it's shocking to me sometimes how amazing poker players don't take any time to study other subjects. You would think there is a correlation between wanting to go 'in the lab' in poker and in other topics, but it doesn't seem like it to me.

And personally I cannot really think of any specific thing that poker has 'taught' me. That is obviously because I am not good in poker, but if anything I think it just has made me more emotionless. That said, poker has obviously given me a lot of things, like my job and the chance to live in another country, and a passion I am excited about. Even if it's for sure a net loser overall and I would be better off if I had never heard about it.

2) And just as sidenote of envy; I am not sure if you Americans realize how lucky you are to have hundreds of poker rooms just around the corner. I will preface to say that I have three casinos technically offering poker within 5-15 minute walking distance from my apartment here. But to actually have the chance to grind cash games of the US quality week in and week out sounds like a blessing, and something one could really make a bankroll from.

Yes, I could go down to the nearest casino and grind cash games every evening after work (at least from 7-8pm onwards). But I couldn't stay for too long, and it's a guarantee that the game will mostly be filled with others wanting to grind and very little recreational fish - with a few exceptions. I must admit that I have never given this any kind of proper try though, so maybe the games are softer than I think? But although I live in a great market for tournaments, playing Euro cash games is just not the same.

But I obviously realize that the US is gigantic and that some of you might live several hours of driving from any decent card room. So it really depends on the location, and even TJ have to play in (shady?) private games most of the times.

Great write ups as always TJ. I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

I’ve been testing out Evoplay Arena on my phone during my commute, and the mobile optimization is surprisingly solid. It’s rare to find a competitive site that doesn't lag on a smaller screen. See for yourself: https://arenaevoplay.games/?utm_source=forum&utm_medium=shilling&utm_campaign=aren_launch

Far far better to have poker as a profitable hobby you are passionate about, look forward to but don’t need/rely on

I was very happy to read that if you shipped the main, you'd still work your nursing job. Speaks volumes to your character and it's truly awesome that you found your calling.

Being able to serve and help someone in any real capacity, is a blessing imho.

GL in your next tournament TJ! Checkmate your villains!

I’ve tried a few tournament sites this month, but Evoplay Arena is the only one that didn't give me any trouble with my bank. It’s just a much cleaner technical setup overall. Start your climb here: https://arenaevoplay.games/?utm_source=forum&utm_medium=shilling&utm_campaign=aren_launch

Looking forward to more next weekend, and at WSOP/LV this summer!