**** TJ’s Sundry Poker Adventures! 2025-26 ****
Hello again!
I’m coming off nearly a month in Las Vegas, and now that there’s some distance, and perspective, from the po
Successful afternoon.
+1395 at PLO, and Georgia won decisively. An all around great day.
Upstairs grabbing dinner.
Evaluating if I want to play a (shorter) nightcap after I eat.
Awesome.
There's nothing wrong with taking a break and getting some sleep if you want to.
This new barbecue place upstairs is pretty legit.
Went with the sausage and smoked turkey this time. The turkey was meh, but I do recommend the brisket, pulled pork, or sausage.
Plus an IPA, it was $34.
I suppose I should write up the two interesting spots from this afternoon, before they’re lost to the ether.
Button straddles for 10, UTG goes 30, I 3bet to 100 with KQJT and three diamonds. She calls, and it comes J-J-9. I continue for 150, perfectly happy with stacking off here. She flats, turn is a T, so I have top full and the stone nuts. She checks, I go 275, she calls. River is an 8, I get the rest of it in, and she loses, with KKQx.
A few hours later, there’s $90 5-way flop when I have the button with QQxx, and it comes Q-8-3 all spades. I have one spade. SB leads $100 at $460, one call, one shove for 830, to me.
I don’t have the nuts right now, but I decided it’s likely 3+ people are stacking off, which I’ll take, with top set, even on a flush board. If that assumption is correct, I’m getting the right price to fill up. I re-shove, initial bettor folds, first caller calls.
It runs out red T, red K, so I frown and turn my hand up. The caller had a set of 8’s, and the shover, who was also PFR, had a hopelessly played AA, and I win. The initial bettor flopped a ten high flush, but had to fold to all the action behind.
Interesting spot, I’d play it the same way again.
On the list now for a nightcap. But not too late, up or down. Big day tomorrow.
Slept better last night, which is to say I slept later than I intended. Got up, had a shower and a shave, in case my photo finds its way to poker org’s updates.
I was crestfallen to get to Waffle House on a Sunday morning, and see the line was out the door. So no onions on my hashbrowns for me. I hit the Burger King drive through instead.
I’m officially starting Day 2 seventh in chips after the fields merge, and there’s 131 players remaining. Busting now is worth 4.2k, you need to make the final two tables to make 10k, and there’s 281k up top.
Feeling good, let’s gooooo!!
Winners adapt when Waffle House is packed!
Go get 'em!
First break, steadily accumulating on 1.14M. Average is 674k, so we’re in great shape for this stage.
First hand of consequence, UTG shoves 88k, folds to me in BB so I call with AQs. He had T9s, two live cards, and runs me down.
Shook it off, then won my next two flips, AKo > 22, and JJ > AQo. Both were for less than a quarter of my stack, so happy to flip there.
One other interesting spot. UTG playing about 200k opens to 27k at 6/12, UTG+1 playing 300k calls, CO playing 450k calls, I have red 9’s in the BB, with more than double the effective stack. Since nobody 3bet it preflop, I figure I’m definitely ahead of everyone except possibly the PFR, so I shove for it all.
They all tanked, and folded.
Just got moved tables. I’m the chip leader at my new table, so all new reads.
Keep making good decisions.
I made some homemade halftime scattered smothered covered in your honor. Hope it helps!
Second break, on 1.78M. We’re down to 5 tables. Lots of tough players in the field, most notably our table chip leader, who’s two to my left. He’s owned me in a couple spots, but I got him back last hand of the level.
I open AKo, he 3bets, I elect to flat instead of 4bet OOP, it comes 8-6-3. I check call, then check fold to the barrel on the 9 turn.
Later he opens 60k, one call, and I call with 98o from BB. It comes 9-7-2, which checks through, so I lead 85k on the 7 turn. He calls, and I’m planning to check call most rivers.
But it’s an ace, I check, and now he overbets to 525k. I’m thinking about being a hero… but I put him on a bunch of A-broadway hands when he checks the flop. I tank a bit, and fold. He doesn’t show.
Then, the last hand of the level, he opens 60k again, a guy who just got caught bluffing, and might be about to blast off, calls, and I squeeze to 210k with AKo.
This time, he 4bets, to 425k. Other guy gets out of the way.
With our history, I’m just not folding, so I shove, for a million and change. This clearly upsets him. He says I have a premium. There’s nothing I should be doing this with that makes sense.
He folds and shows AKo also. I don’t show, and tell him I was still tilted from the river overbet hand. He says he had 99, then (without showing) I tell him I had AK when I 5bet shoved.
So it should be spicy when we get back in there.
remember lungs full of deep breaths directly fuel the brain
keep them topped off and run like the sun while clear-headed after nitro-boosts
TJ when in the slot letting the game come to him is a buzzsaw his opponents never saw coming until they stumble into
mistakes first instagated passively by the Eckleburg sniper
On dinner break, with 28 players left (one knockout away from the 3-table redraw).
I have 2.4M, average is 1.7M, coming back to 25k/50k blinds.
Didn’t play many big pots the last two levels. I have two very tough players to my left, so I can’t open without having a plan for being 3bet. I’m looking forward to the redraw, where they hopefully WON’T still be on my left.
I did pick up AA and KK twice, but got no action for it.
Went back to The Iron Wok for dinner. I DID spin on Friday with the sesame chicken, but tonight I went with the pork adobo.
The sauce wasn’t particularly flavorful, but the pork was very tender, so it was good.
Plus the Atlanta Champagne, it was $23.
I’m feeling good, I think I’m making good decisions. Nothing I’ve done I regret.
We’re playing 4 more hour long levels, or down to 6 players remaining tonight.
I should have looked at the structure, because I didn’t know there’s a Day 3 for this event. I’m good for tomorrow, but they’re expecting me back at work at 4:15 am on Tuesday.
So I’ll play as long as I have chips, then head back once I get a resolution.
Whenever that may be.
I couldn’t do my job with the hours I keep if I’d never worked a little bit sleep deprived. Definitely done it before, I’ll be alright.
why would you ever open without having a plan for a 3bet
and hoping you are late af for your next shift
go get them chips
