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

Feeling better after eating, I decided to play one last evening session for Sunday night, before I went back to the hotel to sleep, and check out in the morning.

It started pretty good, busted a couple players to be sitting about +1k. Unfortunately, the players I busted didn’t reload, and the other seats were nitty, and not action players.

I got check/shoved on holding KJJT on a Q-9-7 flop, and decided to go with it. Up against a set of 7’s. Loved to see the 8 on the turn, but not the second 8 on the river.

Decided against reloading, even though I could have, and closed the book on this first leg of the Cherokee trip.

Drove here with 70 bills, drove home with 18. So not ideal. Still in the black for November!

Anyway, I decided I WILL come back this weekend. Fire one bullet in the 1700 main event, and play cash PLO the rest of the time. The games were pretty good all weekend, hopefully that continues.

I’m actually looking forward to three straight days of work, to re-center, and not think about poker for a while.

Thanks for reading! …To be continued.

You’ll get em’ next weekend for sure. Food options look decent. I wish they’d put some mix game tournaments on their schedules then I could come and visit.

Swongs are....the life you have chosen!

good to have a break and refresh and come back firing

Saving the rungood for the main event like a boss. GL.

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to get back to Cherokee -- it's been too long.

Same. It's my favorite casino yet I haven't been in probably 10 years. I've always wanted to go to the GSMNP when the synchronized fireflies are doing their thing. One of these years, lol.

Work was fine. Conquered another week successfully, then got on the road.

Stopped at the Longhorn in Burlington, at about the 1/3rd mark of my trip.

Bone in ribeye, medium rare, loaded mashed and Mac and cheese. It was goooood, for $46.

Next stop: back to the Econo Lodge!

You do check your room rates at Harrah's right? They used to give me comp rooms fairly regularly during the week. Seems like this would be the slow season too, maybe?

I check the offers, but I almost never play in the pits so I’m not worth much to casinos.

I’m under $100 a night (on weeknights, anyway), and I kinda prefer being offsite from the casino. It’s quieter here.

Arrived safe! Now bed, then flight A in the morning.

Wishing you great run good!

looks amazing! i need a steak like that in McMuffin's life.

Play your villains like a game of chess!

GL!!!

Good morning 😀

Slept great again, then headed out for breakfast.

We got some rain in overnight, so the Great Smoky Mountains were extra smoky this morning.

I think I’ve figured out the key missing element for run good.

I ran good to the final table last time, when they accidentally added onions to my hashbrowns. Today, I deliberately asked for onions on the hashbrowns.

We’ll see. Got the lucky Day 1 shirt on, slept great, had caffeine, and a good breakfast, so I can’t think of anything else I can possibly do before hand, to make it a great, long day!!

Moby and I are ready.

1.5 mega guaranteed.

Let’s gooooooo!

Scattered, smothered, and covered is perfection.

First break, playing patiently and confidently, on 64.5k from the 40k starting stack.

Picked up AA twice in the first level, nice to be catching premiums early. I should have just bet/bet/shoved, but it was a lot of big blinds, so I was content to x/c turn and show down the winner.

I got moved tables the last 15 minutes of the level. I’m the third largest stack, in position on the money.

All new reads, so I’m playing snug, and putting the phone down and following the action.

You got this! LFG!

Second break, steadily accumulating at 121k.

Good vibes as this table. Pleasant conversation, about poker and football. Makes for a more enjoyable playing experience.

Busted a guy when I turned a flush, and he had a second place flush. Generally happy with my decisions, but there were a couple things I wish I’d done differently.

Made a tight river fold when I had an opportunity to bluff-catch. After seeing more of him later, I wish I had. Another river I bet/folded, and now wish I’d check/called instead. Still, erring on the side of playing too tight is better than the alternative.

There are two other stacks on my level, everyone else has below a starting stack. Table is tight, aggressive, and squeezy… have to be very thoughtful when and how I enter pots.

Let’s make it 3 more good levels, then dinner.

Won a biggggg flip, 88 > AQo > QJo (I was better than a flip).

~250k now. Gotta be a top ten stack, maybe top 5.

Achievement unlocked: acquire 25k green chip.

Let's keep going!!!

Great start. Kick on and bag big!

Went in the wrong direction from there.

I check/raise a flush draw, and barrel turn, but give up river when it misses. Then, a passive player limps, a short stack shoves 15k from CO, I’m in the 1.5k BB with A5o. I re-shove to isolate the short stack, but next I’m not pleased to see the limper immediately get his 39k in. I’m in bad shape vs AQo and 66, and don’t win.

Get moved tables, still the table chipleader at my new table, but took a gross beat right before break. AQo > AKs preflop for about a 190k chip pot.

So I sit on dinner break, with 120k. Average is barely 80k, so I’m still in great shape.

Dinner tonight was sesame chicken from The Iron Wok food truck outside.

Plus a bottle of The Atlanta Champagne, it was $19.

Glad the dinner break came when it did. I need to digest that beat, put it past me, and come back focused, to close tonight out strong.

Great start!

and who can go wrong with cinnamon raisin toast

all the sun run good nutrition TJ needs!

Fourth break, playing tight and sitting on 140k, which is about average. Late reg closed now.

I open TT from HJ to 5.5k, CO 3bets to 15k, a tight BB ships for 55k. I painfully lay it down, CO folds too. He later said he had JJ, we’ll never know what BB shipped with.

Little later, I open AQo from HJ to 6k, same guy calls, and a fishy, passive player calls in SB. It comes A-9-3 rainbow, I continue for 11k, CO raises to 30k, playing about 90 total. It’s pretty close, and a shove or fold spot. I chose fold, maybe that’s too nitty but idk.

Got a double doing something I hate, setmining OOP in a 3bet pot. Open 44, call the 3bet, check/shove the A-7-4 flop, and stack AQ. One for the good guys.

Feeling good about my decisions, let’s keep it going.

135 players left, paying 74 places.