My poker story

Been kind of “off” mentally. Sort of depressed for some reason. Maybe a mix of feeling lonely and regretful of things up to this point in life. Weather hasn’t been great so that’s probably not helping. Haven’t done much poker did play one Friday lost $400 got into some hands with person on left eventually got it in with AKs vs QQ and missed. Donked off a stack vs him with 77s before then, grinded it back, then lost that one and left. Been following the stock market more lots of geopolitical drama I find kinda interesting. Haven’t bought anything just looking for opportunities. Put $50k in this guaranteed account thing need to keep it there for like 3 months and I get $1, 225 from a bonus and apr. Bankroll still the same.

Not sure what’s next.

Bought some stocks today in Webull will hold for a swing or for longer time period if needed. No options right now so just chilling. We may get a cold day at school Friday supposed to be like -40 f with windchill so might try and play some poker

Love that opening scene lol. Used to keep my cash in a poker chipset case with $1 chips I collected from everywhere I played, would think about that scene sometimes when I'd grab it to go play(or watch the whole damn movie before going lol).

GL in 2026 bro and keep your head up!

I appreciate that bro. Let’s get it

Made $900 in the stock market today with those positions above on day 1. Figured it would be a good entry. Stocks go down though as well still a good entry I think next 6 months on those 4 could be juicy. My work commute is long so I’ve been listening to a lot of stock market related content. School tomorrow got canceled because it’s colder than ice. Drove over to poker room got on the wait list for some nlhe. Changed into a hoodie and jeans in a gas station bathroom on the way over. Not a bad way to end a Thursday but kinda felt like just laying in bed. That’s a losers mindset gotta shake that off I’m better than that. If I can string together a nice profitable session might think of driving down to Milwaukee tonight. Don’t really play much on Thursday nights here so will be interesting to see if I can catch a sleepy table of OMCs which is the table profile I normally can run over very quickly

Up about $400 in poker heading down to Milwaukee it’s 130am though and no room with no sleep and -40 f so probably stupid idea but fuck it …on to $2/$5

Drove down here found a place to rest. It’s 238pm well rested waiting for a hamburger at the casino grill. On the $2/$5 wait list.

Still waiting for $2/$5 game got into $1/$3 they messed me up on waitlist but took a dinner break. Wait list for $1/$3 too long so hopped into a PLO game I suck at PLO …I think? Up like $500ish im 100% going to punt this stack off how are people even supposed to remember 4 cards

Spun up a stack in PLO by some miracle $300 to about $800 pulled off a bluff with no flush against a table that was giving me too much credit and then got seated into $2/$5 after about a half hour in that game bought in for $500 up to about $1200ish gonna slam the rest of my burger from lunch I stuck in my car and try and play my best poker

Doubled up once more out for $2600 absolutely crushed tonight heading back home long drive about 3 hrs had a few coffees so am good to go. Double up was KJos limp $10 from my Button in a straddle pot with no other players in. Lots of 3 bets on table I have an aggressive image I called a shove pre with 77s and have been doing some things raising check raising etc. SB calls BB raises to $35 Straddler folds I call SB folds heads up to flop. Flop 8 K J. He bets $60 I call. He checks to me on 4 turn I bet $80 he reraises me to $400 I call. He shoves blank river I call he has aces. PLO was fun no idea how people remember 4 cards though …everything I’m touching right now is turning into gold I am running hot hot hot like I’m on a very nice heater this year like up 110k from everything the last 30 days or so …that’s a lot of money for me I’m not rich still have a cheap apt I rent lol

It is cold out though my god….bundled up listening to house music on cloud 9 feeling it

Awesome man, you crushing it. Just be careful on the roads.

Thanks bro! Yes roads weren't great. I'm probably one of the slowest drivers on the road with any signs of ice...I hate driving if there's any snow or ice on the roads. I did see an accident on the way down some semi was going like 25 mph with emergency lights on in the slow lane in a 65 mph zone caused some slower traffic all of a sudden.... and a guy in my rear view mirror two cars behind me didn't slow down or wasn't paying attention and rear ended the guy directly behind me going pretty quick. Switched lanes and got out of it. Luckily left some space between me and them. I saw it coming kinda freaked me out hope they were both okay....

Booked a cheap room in Milwaukee. Well $120 full apt through AirbnB not in the safest area like my car could get stolen area but it has good reviews so how bad can it be. I’m going to drive down there Friday after work and play some cards. Try and get in a $2/$5 game. I’m up a ridiculous $120, 000 this month from fantasy football score, stock market, poker, sports bets, and craps. Took the Pats ML for $2k at -225 vs Denver, hated it the whole way and it was ugly, but it came in. I am intentionally sticking to poker mainly but dabbling in other sources. I do know when to push and pull back and I’m just riding an epic heater. META was up again today and cashed a ticket. Like I have fat stacks right now I’m very grateful but also hungry for more. I’m not done yet. Also get paid this week again so another $3k in the bank since I already paid all my bills this month. Normally after a huge score the next month is straight south but everything I’m touching continues to turn to gold and I’ve managed another +20k heater after the fantasy score. Let’s fucking get it may take a shot in a big big cash game if this continues. Went to work today and 4 more days left until the weekend can’t wait. I want to try grinding the $2/$5 game for a really long session each time I’ve played that game I’ve had nice results but it’s only been for a few hours at a time i wonder what I can do if I just go full degenerate Friday - Saturday 30+ hours in that game

Is a full apt Airbnb usually your go-to for poker trips, or just this one?

Actually I rarely will get a full place. I will generally filter by the cheapest rooms and then book the best looking one of the lowest 5 in the city lol, which in a city as big as Milwaukee can get pretty sus.

At this time last year I had booked one that ended up not having any working heat and it was like 10 degrees out. Was a room in an older house had like 10 other units. Tried sleeping there but was freezing to death so took a shower and went back to play poker lol. If I’m going to Chicago I will be a bit more selective because the chances of actually dying increase if you end up on the wrong block. If I’m playing $1/$3 I don’t like spending over $100 because that’s like expected outcome for a decent amount of time in that game, but if I’m playing $2/$5 and gambling makes more sense to get my own place. I treat my poker trips more as work trips so I’m mindful of expenses otherwise I should just stay home and lay in bed all weekend if I’m paying for nice hotel rooms and eating expensive food and then trying to profit in poker.

Best post so far. Deep self analysis unlocks better understanding of others and actions/tendencies. Poker allows us to compete in a way corollary to real world competition where unexpected variables occur and people change behaviors. This is, I think, why we can't just put the game away. It's not about the cards, it's about our humanity.

Anyway, ditch the table games and sports betting. I made a thread in here recently and recalled a story that ended with a degen BJ bet. I did that 2 more times before I cold turkey quit the table games. Play where you actually have an edge. Better to shot take poker than launch other -EV bets.

Solid advice. I’m twisted and think I have an edge in everything sometimes. When the universe tells you it’s time gotta listen. Right now I’m in copper. I think it’s going up. Sold my stock positions after having made a few thousand, and am thinking of buying copper futures. META spiked 10% so dropped that shit and GME had some hype from insider buys so dropped that for a quick buck too. I’m watching everything closely I know when to dial it back I may be a degenerate but I’m a calculated one, not a reckless one. Gonna go for a million this year. 😉. Think I can get $50k maybe through poker but I’m hungry for more than that. Looking forward to playing Milwaukee poker this weekend. Work week has been a grind. Still fucking cold out. Nice post on your thread fun story. Let’s get it.

I have a lot of poker and non poker related stories. We have some similarities in our risk tolerance behavior. It'll find you in weird places.

Just caught up and saw your post about 100k score... and Dad's illness. Lost my father to cancer 20 years ago, and a lot of family. Sorry you're going through that. Happy for you that you got a win in there, though.

Ditch the table games. Play 5/10.

Bro I appreciate that. Thanks!

Did laundry, washed car, ate salad all week, cleaned apt, gassed up. Crushed stock market this week. Copper way up. Made like $4k on stocks this week. Gonna ride copper a bit more than look at a robinhood entry. Work week has been a grind been pushing hard but like i said im not done yet and hungry for more. About to fuck the Milwaukee boys up gonna play some big ones.

Copper is such the obvious play that I wonder what I'm missing.

Anyway I had this thought about you, reflecting on your whole blog post. I hope you don't mind me offering this POV, I'm geniunely trying to be helpful.

I think you subconsciously think that the players at stakes above you are your superiors, or perhaps you have a negative self view that lives beneath the surface telling you that you're not their equal. You keep choosing bets against the field or house, where perhaps you have an edge, perhaps not, but you view the outcome as more safe than putting the chips on the table vs players you may not have an edge against.

You're leaking EV by not finding out. You're a poker player, clearly. Being bright doesn't make a player. Being aggressive doesn't either. Finding your edge against the player is what makes you a player, and you're capable. Yet you've built in a resistance to testing yourself by putting energy into bets against faceless fields.

Nut up brother. Drop all the sports bets and table games and take 20 buy ins to 5/10. Lose that and you've answered your question. I don't think that will happen, but until you try, stop putting yourself in the conversation for best player in the Midwest.

Being honest with ourselves is the only path to glory.

Had a work training. Got off a bit early for that so decided to drive down to Milwaukee. Figured I’d get there at the time I’d normally have gotten off, so round 2. Roads were good, vibes were high. Feel in a good head space right now all around. Work has been good. Glad I made the switch into this position. It’s easier than what I was doing before just had to learn a few new things was all.

Found a cheap $75 room through AirbNB on the way down. Ended up being in a nicer hotel than anticipated. This place has like 5 floors and it’s frigging put together.

Grabbed some street tacos and walked about a mile around the casino floor as I was waiting for a table to open. Got into a $1/$3 game bought in for $300 ran that up to $450 or so then was getting a bit sleepy. Stopped by a craps table on the way out made a few hundred more. Up about $350ish or so today after expenses. Got back to the place a bit ago. There’s a pizza place across the street might grab a pie. My stocks are up this week so recovered some of those losses. Bought a bunch of GameStop shares this week. Ryan Cohen is a very smart guy and I love that company. Filed taxes they were less than expected so vibes are high and bankroll is close to peaking again. Gonna try and get some good rest tonight and see what I feel like doing in the morning. It’s Super Bowl Sunday this week Seahawks gonna win. May take that ML.

I get a week off work end of March for Spring Break. 5 day work week + 2 weekends on each side, so 9 days. I booked a flight to Tampa Bay, and a room close to the Seminole Hard Rock for a few nights. Seems like that poker room has a ton of games running all the time, some big ones. I'm sick of the Wisconsin weather and would like to stick my feet in hot sand and ocean water. Plus I'm ready for a nosebleed session. Going to bring just under $10k cash so I don't have to worry about claiming it. If I lose that I'll fly back, if I run it up I'll extend my stay through spring break.

Been working out at YMCA lately. Saw Parents. That was nice. Feeling pretty good but sick of the work grind. Looking forward to some time off.

Looking forward to higher stakes poker at Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa later this month feels like a kid standing on the edge of a playground at dusk, the swings moving slightly in the wind, the sound of distant laughter carrying through the air. Grilled burgers in someone's backyard. There’s energy, a pulse running through everything, standing just close enough to feel it. Aware of how alive the world feels in that moment. Like the carnival lights just flicked on and the music started without you....watching silhouettes spin under neon while you’re stuck outside the fence, pressing your face to the chain link, afraid the ride will end before you ever get on.

Can March just hurry up? The bags already packed, reservations locked in like coordinates on a treasure map. I’ll rent a car and explore west to Clearwater Beach too, let the Gulf rinse the noise out of my head, walk miles with salt drying on my skin like proof I was there. It'll be about a thousand in expenses, and I'll try not to torch more than ten, but if I find myself able to take a seat in a 25 / 50 I might just do it. I just don’t want to look back and realize the music was playing the whole time and I never found the nerve to step inside.

The feeling I have:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdKfuwy6LUM

Was in Milwaukee last night playing some $1/$3. Ran over the table for a few hundred and left with about $570 after two hours. I was mixing in all sorts of random cards in certain spots due to the table dynamics...guy on my left was straddling and kind of a dimwit, while the guy on my right was limpy and tight, so there were plenty of opportunities to isolate. I probably should've stayed longer, because I switched to craps and ended up dusting $1k. Craps has been a huge leak for me lately, though I'm working on it. Truth is right now I feel I’m a talented poker player with a craps addiction and that just isn’t +EV. Cant beat that math. A bit disgusted with myself for that lately. Ended up only down about 700 on the day or so stocks were up a bit. Drove back afterward and now I'm just bored.

I don't know I'm getting kinda bored of life not really sure what I'm chasing. I like money, I like the high of winning. I like a live atmosphere with people drinking and laughing, but I get bored quickly. For those reasons I'm more of a recreational poker player playing for the fun & adventure & challenge & not the grind. And maybe that's okay...or maybe I should find a new hobby. It would be cool playing in higher stakes games but there's just nothing around me that consistently runs and I don't have the energy to fly places on 2 day weekends or travel to Milwaukee or Chicago every weekend, and whether I even should since I can't seem to stay away from craps at the moment. For longer breaks like Spring Break or Summer I could picture myself motivated to grind an edge in a disciplined way in a big poker room like Tampa, but this Midwest poker stuff isn't really where it's at. It's the end of Winter this is my mood when I need sunshine and a longer break from work. Am looking for to Tampa at least so that's hope on the horizon.

With that being said lol I'm planning to head up to Island Casino in Upper Pen MI and might check out some online poker there, since they tap into the Detroit player pool. They have some smaller tournaments and frequent $2/$5 games. I'm not super into online poker in recent years...haven't played online in a while....live poker for me feels like a way bigger edge with reads and soft players.....plus online everyone nits up and tries to play GTO type ****. PokerStars has been in Michigan for a few years now, so most of the fish might be gone, but you never know. Beats laying around in bed and I'm curious. I think it doesn't really matter where I play at or when just that I stay away from anything aside from poker.. Just kinda feel like playing a bit online though. Might check out if the cute dealer is there later tonight in that small live game they have after.