Me Playing Poker
Goal: To stop being spewy and stop carrying lots of money on me when I go play. Use my live winnings that I won't tilt away anymore... to move up in stakes in the online world. There is mainly 1/2,1/3 nlhe in the city where I'm from. I want to move up in stakes to make more money. So far I am doing well enough to where poker pays for my expenses.
My one leak is after I have fantastic streak of winning, I lose alot of my profits back due to ego. I would have a roll big enough for 5/10 by now all from live profits (all generated in the last 5 months purely from poker) if I didn't keep making the same mistake.
This Blog style post is something to keep me accountable for my actions and to keep track of my progress playing poker.
I will try to keep it interesting by breaking down one hand per post and one pearl wisdom from my own mind.
Day one up 250$ in 1/2 after 7 hours. Started off dropping 3 buyins in 2 hours in a very hard game. All from bluffing all got called by just pairs. Then rebought twice more and turned 1 buyin (100$) into 775 before leaving.
I've lost 2 grand in 4 days with a combination of running bad and playing bad. Today was my first winning session since Sunday. I want to be develop a reputation for winning so I don't allow myself to go on massive down swings relative to the stacks I'm at.
Pearl of Wisdom actually comes from a friend at the table who watched me rebuy repeatedly. "Don't bring a lot of cash with you to the casino."
Hand of the day this was on my 4th buy in with about 120$ I'm under the gun with 8d4d and open up right away with a 10xBB raise. 4 players in this hand. 9 players at the table. Person next to act calls twenty then fold then call then fold fold call on the button, blinds fold. Flop is 8c7c5c I have top and jam first to act hoping to take down the pot. Guy beside me calls next guy goes all in for 400$ button folds guy beside me calls the remaining 80 he has left. Main pot 300 side pot 160 2 players all in no more action on flop. Turn 10S River Qd. MP shows Kc4c UTG +1 shows Jc10c. So I was drawing to a running full house with 2.66% equity on the shove. I tried to rep the flush and failed... However if no one had anything they would fold to my bet (even on a draw) and I would take down a pot. Furthermore this set me up later to ship it from first to act and get multiple callers when I had a much better hand. I was able to exploit a loose image after that play and ran my bankroll up very quick.
made 414$ Running really well and good action at Talking Stick. Folded hands I shouldn't have still doing from being traumatized from losing streak still but happy to book win. Haven't been sleeping the best from travelling a lot and subsequently rolled my ankle on Mount Camelback. Was the perfect day until then now I gotta rest (walking only) for a couple weeks. Maybe its for the best? Maybe I needed to slow down cause did countless miles in 3 weeks. I was lamenting not winning any big pots but I took out a Diamond Back pitcher's buddy today. with sixty six savage pre I open to 15 3 ways to flop. flop 4s9c6c Buddy from blind leads out 15 I re raise 35 cause I'm never slow playing again unless I have a very good reason to. 3rd person gets out of way he calls turn js. and he leads for 45 now. I'm thinking he could have more bluffs for that sizing such as combo draws and I wanna charge the max price so I jam 300+ on top he calls with J9 and we hold. yes he could have also had 99 or jj but it would be more likely to 3 bet those holding so if they have god bless their soul. nice almost 800$ pot. I played B+ cause all three aggro bluffs I make didn't work when villains hit two outters on turn I tried repping. So dialing back aggression still needs to be worked on but overall great day in Phoenix.
made 191 In a reg filled slow day at Talking Stick only played 4 hours tho and I always try to find ways to crack the toughest games so I'm proud of myself for winning where most broke even/ lost or lost after rake. Aces 4 times and not paid off once! Won some small pots made a few bad bluffs towards the end as fatigue set on. Also being feeling more comfortable and in tune with poker than I ever have been.
Just posting a bunch of old back logged photos for a while.
Virtually Identical. Lost 247 at Talking stick playing 2/3 after a really long 8 hour session. Guess I had to lose here at some point now 6-1. Thing is there was this guy the one guy at the table that made it even worth playing cause it was pretty dry. And I wasn't fully warmed up. I've noticed the more I play the longer it takes to warm-up It could 2+ hours honestly. He was talking a lot and saying things that didn't make sense poker wise so it was clear he wasn't a frequent player. Also swinging a lot and I do like volatility in games. But His 55 crack my KK which should happen 20% of the time. I should have left when up 110 the thought even occurred to me. Instead I had to go through a marathon and display my resolve in digging out of a 1000$ downswing to only be down 247$. I only made one bad play during that time I felt but it was for a 600$ pot so not good. EP raises 20 LP calls. I'm on Btn with 9c7s call. Flop 9h6d6c I check Ep goes 20 LP calls I CR to 80 as I can have all the 6's and 9's but EP calls LP gets out the way, i shove now 200 on turn on a 10s and he unfortunately calls with Aces. I could have avoided that spot but I ran so bad earlier I was a little tilted. So My strategy for next time is get up a take a walk. I just forgot what it felt like to run bad. The other the only one I wanted to play against I ran my 10's into his Jacks. But anyways the last 4 hours of the session I Played perfect and went on a 650 upswing and many people were coming to table to target me then complaining to me that I wasn't call their raises pre. I went really card dead fortunately the 3 hands I did play I won. kq vs qj q108 flop I check raised all in. 66 vs a6 a68 flop I check raise turn when diamonds come in then shove river when 4 liner to straight comes in and luckily he call with 2 pairs. and another one with j10 on a q867k board when i jammed river to get a queen to fold. Proud of that well executed bluff. I will take 2 days off Enjoy presidents day go to the spa and go swimming rest my ankle cause I already put 10 hard miles on it in a concerted effort to walk it off. then do Superstition Ridge tuesday which is a 20 mile Expert level hike. Happy Presidents day all? Who is your favorite president? Mine is Denzel Washington.
I have to manually resize every image on my phone now to compress the file size. So here's one from my 19 mile hike yesterday. I've been trying to adopt more and more of Bryan Johnson's protocols for optimum health. Like having your last meal earlier in the day. And eating a **** ton of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, lentils etc etc.. I feel great. did a 19 mile hike didn't eat, got sun burnt to ****, truly felt like I was alone in the desert with just my will survive at one point. It was an enlightening and empowering experience. I felt so much pain after I did it with a cold too so it was extra uncomfortable. I felt true thirst hunger and tiredness. Which is rare in our society of convenience. Slept like an angel and found a bunch of immunity products at Whole Foods, I could live at that place! In Fact the only reason I would seek out a partner is to be able move to this Great Country America. It's so much better than Canada with it's hyper inflation. The Canadian economy is not so hot either right now. Also 6 months of cold and darkness that literally damages your DNA. I need to meet someone here. Anyways today I was bi-winning I won first at Talking stick 447 then went to Desert Diamond and won 162 both with drastically different play styles that suited the table dynamics accordingly. 900$ pot at talking stick after 4 bet shoving aces and getting called by queens, and 3 bet bluffing in pos at Desert Diamond a with a few hands and taking it down with larger c-bets against weaker players. Playing against softer competition is nice which was not the case at talking stick today I had to wait 4 hours for aces basically.
My luck ran out finally aces vs 77 flop a710 two hearts I bet small he raises I 3 bet jam turn gives him quads I'm shaking and in disbelief again I was up 300 should have left
Now im down 450. Unbelievable one outter on me. But I'm not gonna let it bring me down just keep playing my best and knowing good things will happen. I got very unlucky getting 3 outted on river too. Just needed to vent thanks for reading.
Wow lose with queens to q10 after 3 betting to 80 pre a huge sizing. Then flop is j109 I bet 60 1/3 pot to encourage draws to call. Turn 2. I size up now 160 over 50% pot he calls river 10 another 3 outter that was crazy I would have been up on the day after that hand. As I climbed back up patiently. Now down 450 again.
Update: down 575 but this best table I've ever played at 4 way all in pre 96 won 2000 pot. Crazy action.
At least I got action from the spewtastic player but wow today was tough to endure, ran bad more after jj losing 78 but the player who won the 2k pot with blind calling 96 all in shoved a7diamond into my kings after i opened the for him by min raising pre.for about 500. He got his soul owned prior on aq4104 board betting the whole way with a8 and another action player had q4. He 4 bet shoved river with a8 and lost a 3k pot. Crazy times only reason I didn't leave earlier was the money on the table and the sheer volume of action. Overall lesson from today was you can't win every session even if you play absolute perfection. Which is annoying. But I'm glad that I didn't tilt once and continued to play at a very high level aka my best the whole nasty downswing throughout.
Worst day of poker of my life and it was all self inflicted lost 190 last night 1240 today. The frustration from yesterday still lingered and I played really bad but also ran incredibly bad again all day. Got bluffed off hands every single one of my bluffs got called I should have left but didn't got stubborn in a terrible game. I'll be back but definetly need a few days off to clear my mind. Total punt session need to never allow that to happen again. Last hand of session get dealt SB loose Asian kid drinking raises 15. Button good player calls I go 35 they both call flop 87q I check kid folds button goes 50 I call. Turn q I check he goes 100 I jam for 400 he starts cursing and calls and has qj. A river. I play like **** and suck out like everyone else does. But when I play good everyone else sucks out. I should have left and I knew it tho. Now have to play extra disciplined for the rest of the trip.
After more self reflection I really regret my poor decision making today. Could have easily been avoided. But the fact that I have a cold disrupted my workout routine trying to rest more to heal faster. And that put me in a worse mood than normal. Should have not have played today or pushed through a workout sick first if I wanted to. Oh well live and learn. I'm still grateful for a lot things.
Bought in 400 at Desert Diamond 23. Call a few small risers pre with jk suited and aq off miss and fold. Then get 109 off in small 5 callers call a straddle so I call flop 9h8h6s I bet 20 everyone folds but one guy. Turn js I go 35 guy tanks for 2 min and calls river is qs. I go 60 he shoves all in. I'm thinking there's no way he'd ever have k10 here so I think he's trying to bluff me off a chop but I didn't see the back door spades because I was at the far end of the table and the last card was at the other end. Inexcusable but I was only thinking about the front door flush missing and didn't even see 3 spades. Of course he had 47 spades. I completely botched it. If I had seen the back door spades out out position I'm checking not leading out with 2nd nut straight. At most calling a small bet but definetly not all in. ****ing despise being a pay pig for others. That was brutal I feel so dumb I left.
Definetly felt humiliated at first but then I realized it was an honest mistake no need to beat myself up about it. Didn't violate any of my principles. So I'll probably take tomorrow off play one more day here then go back to Vegas with a fresh outlook.
Nothing you can do when you get it in good and you end up getting sucked out on. Just gotta keep pushing!
Sending good vibes rigdam3nti0n 😀
1/2 Desert Diamond Phoenix went to a slower smaller game to try to rebuild confidence. Tough game nearly unbeatable with rake and slow action but got dealt aces last hand. Made 96 after 4 hours. Detected some good bluffs, Got one bluff called after guy says your good I'll donate, not sure if levelling or calling station... Taking time off really sharpened my game, probably a little burnt out I didn't even realize, cause when I'm hungry to play I can process like 5x times more information about what everyone is doing, of course it goes away after a couple hours... oh yeah did another 17 mile hike and had to bail before soloing the second half of the 5th class scramble of Thimble Peak but there was a distortion and flickering of light followed by loud rumbling thunder and think I was like 1/4 mile after from a lightening bolt at the absolute highest point in the area so unfortunately bail. A little danger stress to make me appreciate life and all of it's vast richness.
Short Session MGM not really a good game by any stretch either. 630 pm start time finish 830. played alot hands really need to start writing them down but basically was up 125 then down 200 then up 99 and left. I folded many winners got bluffed badly once, hero called wrong once and then pump faked a fold with kings that worked a peach to win it all back last hand. basically I sit down 3bet j3 sutied to 45 get 3 callers lol j310 flop shove for 100 no one calls. show it. fold ace five suited on a4q6 board after original raiser double barrels large on turn with j9. 3bet 77 to 55 one caller flop is q43. buddy leads out full pot I tank call thinking his range is very polar but on a dry board it just doesnt make sense that he would take such a large sizing for value so i thought bluff. But this player also didn't seem like a super calculating type, Anyways I reshove like 55 more and he had qq. I did 3 bet aj suited against him like very next hand and on a 567 flop cbet 75 first to act and he folded kings lol. then I get kings and I realized I have a tell where I intimate mucking my cards even before its my turn so I had the idea of reversing it. So I pretended to fold until it was my turn then decided to just limp in last second 5 callers on a straddle and last to act raises to 11! thank gosh! cause oh yheah I limped jacks earlier no raised and it cost me 76 when buddy flopped a straight and re raised me turn and luckily i got away that time. i mean I had to fold he could have had literally anything that beat an over pair. but anyways I re raise to 40$ and he shoves! and it was a very light shove given all the hand histories and my pump fake I tricked him good! flop top set turn boat. Good to be back in Vegas I love this city.
Went to Grand Canyon, Truly loving all of America's most iconic landmarks. played 1/2 at Mandalay Bay, Never would have thought to go there but my local friend suggested it. The game was pretty slow but very cushy made 350$. 3 bet 7s7c on button from original raiser who had raised me light earlier and after he told me what he had it definetly factored in to my decision to 3 bet a slightly wider range from my conservative style. although most would say 77 on button standard. he 4 bet shoves 186 total, I pretty commited myself with my sizing so call he has ak we hold and double up. another hand I had kk raise 35 last to act 2 callers flop 567 gets checked around don't think anyone trapping bet small to get some money in the pot.25 2 callers turn 10, I don't think it changes much 10's might have raised flops 89 would have raised theres no real two pairs, likely holdings could be some aq kq type hands or a9 maybe. I bet 110 to charge any draws the incorrect price, slightly wanting to book a win but also just protect my strong hand. My friend also staked a 100 of my action, so it worked out well. I've never tried to work with anyone before but it could appeal to me in a bigger game. I also have never had anyone believe or support me so it was also nice to feel that. I've mostly done all my studying and believing in myself by myself. Like my parents didn't support poker and I don't really tell my non poker friends about it.
Wow absolute brutal where I didn't see that there were two higher straights on the board so I ruled out j7 as villains raising range utg very old gentleman. I had 107 spades on 1069 flop he leads out 15 I call another player also calls turn 8 I'm like wow km beating all his over pairs or sets but mostly over pairs he bets out 15 again. I raise 45 call then he shoves all in. I thought he might have a set or over pair. Not j7 not a 7. So I call other guy folds. If I would have realized qj is also the nut straight I never would have raised. He shows qj I didn't even occur to me that that hand was possible or was a winning hand. Total lapse of judgement so lose 275 after breaking even for 4 hours. Then next hand I turn a flush draw vs another super solid reg and try to bluff him but he has aces with a blocker so he raises me I'm committed call and lose on river with brick. I was definitely tilted when I made that play now done 575 and left pretty rough session. I shouldn't have played today trying to balance poker with life more and I find playing 3 days in a row is pushing it for me but I went for 4. That was very painful and I'm shaken up, when will I ever learn? I wanna quit after this even because that's the second time in recent memory I made a board mis reading error and it's been very costly. Friday's also suck to play on and my rule is generally to not play then and I broke it which also hurts me. I tried to force it and paid dearly again.
Like I honestly wanna quit forever before I started playing again my life was so much better unless anyone here can give me an unbiased reason not to. Or to quit I'm opening to listening to any feedback.
I was very upset and emotional Driving like 50 mpg in a 75. I feel like my world was Crumbling. Luckily I have a good poker friend who has a lot of experience and listened to me rant for 6 hours until I got it all out of my system and made me realize I should be doubling down on poker but taking it way more seriously. Much credit to him I decided to start a bankroll challenge and study mandatory 1 hour a day and be much professional in decisions in which games to play in and with what state of mind. Last day I had done a 16 mile hike in a crazy wind storm in Vegas and should not have played as I had been pushing myself hard multiple times that week. Fatigue lead to me making elementary mistakes. And nothing tilts me more than making really bad plays that I know are bad in the moment but I still make them. Anyways I went back to Red Rocks for the first time in a while and they had raised the buy in and blinds from 1/2 to 1/3 and it seemed like less people were playing. bought in for 200 and It was a wild session where I started out up 550 rather quickly then playing well and getting it in good lost some big allins on later streets. Was down 50 at one point and honestly shocked. But then Cashed out 652 total. Gonna do a bank roll challenge. Start with 600 and aim for 100000. So currently at 1039 cause I bought food after. if down to 300 gonna switch to online Micro Tourneys. If past 3000 gonna shot take 2/5. Its funny this session my biggest losses were jj to 32 suited and ak to a8 and aa to kj and biggest wins were q6o against kings and 108 where I accidently value bluffed the river and got hero called againsts 66 on a k7jq8 board. Up and down but we book the win nice start a fresh start with clear cut goals. Will post 3 hands that I managed to write down tomorrow and hopefully write down more hands in future!
Played 1 hour at SouthPoint hit and ran and made 220$ sadly I also mucked a 150$ high hand accidently which I'll never forgive myself for. Leaving Tomorrow back to Canada to Build Bankroll and get my ass back here asap, Would have extended trip by 1 week longer but procrastinating till last minute with the high volume of people coming in to Vegas it's just not worth it to do it. Gonna go home with Grind on the Mind. Current Bankroll 1200. As promised a few hands from last session.
9c6c hijack open 15 that's me BB call 15 flop 10s7s4c check I bet 10. bb c/r to 25. I call pot 80 turn 8h. Bb check I go 25 he shoves 125 I call win 330 pot on river 9 s
AdQs utg call me in low jack raise 15 utg shove 65 totally I call board ks10s4c5sAh villain shows 22 we river him and scoop 130$ pot!
8c7c call 6 sb BB call straddle checks 18 pot flop ks10s6c bet 10 bb fold utg call 48 pot turn Ad bet 25 utg fold win 73 pot
made 140 at MGM thanks to a 325 hh promo that saved my last day. Played really well but got creamed running as bad a humanly possible. Got aces twice kings 4 times queens no action, oh well. Then back in Calgary up 250 today at Cowboys. Aces 3 times in 10 hands no callers no problem. biggest hand was calling 20 pre with 4c3c pre 4 ways 338 flop check to original raiser on button he bets 30 with 70 effective everyone folds i reraise to put him all in he folds lol. Good action tonight better than MGM which was literally the worst game I've ever played in my life. Good to be back in Canada but it sure is cold. Current bankroll 1590.
At deerfoot squeezed 8c8s from SB to 75 after utg (high vpip swingy player) raises to 15. Shockingly BB (tight older gentleman) just flats. UTG shoves. I feel ahead and call especially after BB just flats. And I'm up against akoff kq off and some one folded an ace so pretty much the best case scenario I can hope for with shoving 88. Unfortunately ace in the window and we don't improve. Still content with my decision making. Game is decent big stacks and board and chips moving around so rebought 140 and doubled up against same guy with my jj vs his ak aipf.
