1/3 Grinding and Bankroll

Yeah it will eventually, just running into a little break even streak the past two weeks. It happens. I'm still up a little on the month which is nice.

Took a little higher variance lines AQ965ds and T9875ss in 3! pots and flopped very well just couldn't get there or hold. A little my fault, although questionable whether these were really forcing the action or just normal spots. I didn't have to fire that river bluff against a weak player with the nfb, but I figured if he had a set or two pair he would fold. Sadly he had a medium flush I didn't expect him to let go of. The rest were very standard get it ins with AA/KK at small SPRs and I just didn't hold.

At least I have made some big progress in the life area lately, so that's positive. And sold another strat guide and coaching session. All good things.

So far ok…won a pot with AA twice, then left for 25/25 where whale is opening 100%…lost AAnfd in bomb pot to very little …runner runner trips, about even here. Gotta get a hand and go with it here. Just won JJ986 J66 to 6x. Didn’t get the full double, just flatted flop to trap but he didn’t bite. Action player accused us of colluding lol and threatening to leave for blackjack as game is too tight. He has started potting blind to $175 every hand until he busts. Game is good …!

Lost AQJ97 on 762 to AT855 spr 1.5 towards the end against an action player and called it a session in the big game, the big action had quit anyway. Now some breakfast while I wait for a seat elsewhere. The break even stretch continues.

Well I got unstuck completely at 1/2 plo until I lost AA pre to a rundown and AQQds to AJJ all in pre, both for over$1,200. Also lost top set to a wrap. Oh Brother! Stuck again and even on the month…again. What a game.

At least I’m only breaking even and not losing a lot, thankfully I win enough to make up for the runbad. But what a frustrating month.

coup de grace was KQJ87ds on AT9 both my bdfd against AT9...A ott, no royal for me on the river. Had a good chat with a poker friend who reminded me that it's a luxury to break even during these stretches, as not everyone is good enough to do that. sleepy time, put in the hours, made some virtual money, all good.

Woke up much earlier than expected. Bright side is I get to play a little on a Saturday night. Downside is not getting my usual sleep. Arrived to quickly be dealt a beautiful AAJT9ds pure and won a small pot.

I am very grateful for how the year has started. I was getting really bummed out last night and when I woke up tonight and it’s completely unwarranted. Breaking even for this brief period given how I’ve been running is really a godsend. I should count my blessings and not be so pessimistic. Heck, I was already starting to get scared of going broke…! Which is rather insane when I think about it.

It’s time to count my blessings again. I’m really thankful for the freedom I have due to poker. It’s allowed me to build out my life in very positive ways. It’s also nice to have a group of buddies I can talk hands with and complain to as well. Two weeks of breaking even is really nothing in the grand scheme of things and I need to focus on the bigger picture once again. I have talented friends who are breaking even or losing for much longer stretches.

Anyway felt like I needed to get my head out of my a$$ and post some gratitude so I don’t get totally depressed.

Got a road rage incident when I mistakenly cut off a guy in the parking lot and he followed me around the lot and pulled up to me lowered the window and I apologized and he drove of (phew). Then got into the elevator with a girl, two dude followed us in, and one said he wanted to be in there with her, he asked "is that your man" and she said yes (!), then joking, and I said "I'll take it!" and we had a laugh.

Lost a few buy ins with AA top set to runner runner flush/mid set and AKKTTds to middle pair+gutter and ope ender 2nd nfd bdnfd to top set at spr 3 or so (this one was borderllne but V was a fish), ran it up with AJTT9ds but then lost AAKJ9 to KKJ82 on AQT and KK made the nut flush (all in pre). Threw in the towel down a little on a short session I only played as I woke up too early. Moving from losing lots to losing less. Improvement!

Good post. I couldn't believe you were even calling this short stretch a downswing. I assume 5-card PLO is even higher variance and closer equities than PLO, so I would expect downswings in the multiple hundreds of hours to be common.

Thanks, the variance isn't so bad in my experience...it's all relative to skill anyway. The more skillful the lower the downswings and shorter the breakeven stretches. Some of it is my fault for pushing action where I don't have to.

I don't consider this a downswing, more of a breakeven period. Looking at my graph, I don't think I've ever had a truly bad "downswing" in this game, which goes to show that the variance isn't really that bad. If I was playing in much tougher games I am sure it would be different.

Got a great bluff re-bluff through with straight blockers on the river, went with my read and jammed over his bet with JJ on KQ459, lost a little in 10/10/50 just card dead mostly, now grinding it back at 1/2 again pretty card dead here too though. Good coaching session last night, gonna reach to some folks for some help of my own too. Always trying to get better.

Wrapped up winning nfd + pair+nut gutter and AKK54 on QJ9 on a clean runout versus I assume QQ which tank folded river, earning that extra $100 at the end there. Lost a little on the day, pretty slow going - lots of folding. Best hand was AAKTTds in 4! pot beating QT on QT3 my flush draw. Almost played 100/200 mix but they had kicked it up to 150/300 short handed, a little rich for my blood.

Won wrap plus top pair plus nfd all in ott, won dsKKQT9, won nut straight top pair and fd blocker, but lost a massive $5k pot with nut straight open ender blockers in 367 QTT54 to bare 98 in 4! pot. That one put me even on the session. The call was speculative but with this huge whale in the hand I glad I saw a flop. He called $350 flop and $1350 turn with a 5-outter. That one hurt! At least the biggest action player here won it. Currently up a little but should be up several thousand.

Wrapped up on a good W, getting the action player back in a few medium pots, but not before losing AAJ82ds to his piece of cheese (...sigh...) for $1,400 pre, jammed the last $400 in postflop on a meh decent enough flop Q97hh and he rivered trip 7s with TT in his hand, the T being no good because it would have given me the nut straight. He eventually quit after redistributing my money to most of the other players at the table who were thankful for my action, lol. He quit and I grinded a little longer in a much worse table now before heading to 5/T for a down where got my AA cracked by an overly chatty fellow who limp called with QT ad turned two pair. Remembered how much worse hold 'em is compared to PLO (so few hands to play!) and left for the soft-looking 1/3 plo4 hold 'em mix and won some with QQ65hhss semi-bluffing KJT4hh, riverering versus a nonbelieving Q9 with my flush. (I owed this guy some payback after he cracked my AQQ with AJJ at plo the other day all in pre for $1,200).

If I ran near EV I'd be up a lot more yesterday though, oh well such is the plo life these days. At least I am winning something this month again.

Hey mate, do you play any 5card or normal PLO MTTs?

No, I don’t really like tournaments. Prefer steady easy money not crapshoots. Why do you ask?

Well, i play these, but only know 4card PLO format well. Am curious what experienced players do in 5card MTTs with different stack-sizes etc

Couldn’t help you, I don’t know much about tourneys. Except there’s surprisingly more limping when you’re short stacked, I believe.

Very slow day today, games are mediocre. Might hop in the mix just to enjoy myself.

PLO game was ridiculously tight, day crowd and a lot of really good players at my game didn't help, so after few hours I played the big mix until a seat opened up at 20/40 mix for all of 15 minutes (thankfully), but before I made it to 20/40 lost 356r in badeucy to a 7 dugi and an 8 low in a 4! pot pre, made a 76 low and a good three card the next hand to scoop, and played a couple other unmentionable hands. At 20/40, made a 76 in 2-7 triple draw on the end but was no good against a #2 (just flatted river though), that was the biggest pot I played there before leaving for the plo must move which by now was looking pretty decent. Lost nfd bd boat draw to straight at low spr, won top set with KKQJJ, actually turned top set again and held somehow, but didn't get the max as someone folded flopped middle set ott. Left shortly after they moved me to the main game, it had been a long day and I was very tired down a few hundo. The shrimp fried rice was pretty good at least.

Forgot to mention lost a pretty big pot towards the beginning of the session KK982ds on 962r four ways in a 3! pot to QQT96 at spr 1.25...ouch! Had 40% against his exact hand though and a third player who had us covered tank overcalled so it wasn't that bad to get it in.

Happy Thursday! At least the markets are doing well, even though poker is slow as molasses.

Won decently enough yesterday at plo and the plo mix, lost top two to wrap, pulled off nice river bluff on 9h3h2s5c3d with AAJ98hh versus two straights, making one of the losers quite upset at me - a loud drinking reg who I go back and forth with a lot (playfully mostly), he said I better always have it against him because he's never folding again, and I promised never to bluff him ever again, lol. chipped up here and there for a good profit but nothing mindblowing. Won AsK5s4s on AJss236 runout versus I presume top two, nice way to finish off the session. Had a mixed games coaching session, learned some things and was useful.

Had a dream my crusher friend got a flat tire driving and so did I, towards the end I saw him racking up chips and we waved goodbye. If I had to guess it's because we're both going through a rough stretch in our poker journeys but in the end it'll turn around, hence the chips. At least I am winning something this month, but not much.

One of my friends got mad at me again in game for 3! him with AJT75 nut ace btn v. sb...he said I 3! him too much and in general and he has not 3! me in the past with even better hands. This is not the first time he's complained about me trying to beat him...! He thinks I am targeting him. Sorry but I am trying to beat everyone.

did you say anything to assuage his complaints?

His money spends just as well as everyone else's. Good info on the not 3betting! I hope he doesn't mix it up now.

I just said he shouldn’t be mad about me giving him more action and plus he won the pot. I said I don’t soft play anyone and it wasn’t personal.

Yeah we’ll see. He said he knew I was in a bad mood as I lost a pot and he didn’t want to make me feel worse by 3! dsAA pre.

If you have any questions about 8game hands, fell free to ask me here. I played up to 2k 8game MTTs, and still grind the 109 on Pokerstars on weekends, sometimes.

Id also love to hear more in depth hh of baduci and badacy etc