Costa Blanca grinder 2025

i've been to the north of spain countryside where everything was insanely cheap and also madrid and barcelona where it was quite pricey

how about where you are?

what does a moderately priced meal cost?

Hello thanks for your comment, it is true that the further you go inland the cheaper it's get. And don't forget there is also inflation in Spain offcourse. But still it is a lot cheaper then northern Europe. In my region you can have a good meal at a decent restaurant for around 13€-15€ (starter, main course and dessert + 1 drink).
If you go inland then it's gets even cheaper, but like in every country if you go to the capital our the second biggest city (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, etc...) then you pay a lot more and for sure in the tourist area's.

yeah that sounds nice

but when i did the camino it was nuts getting a set menu with a starter, main, dessert, & bottle of wine for just 7-10 euros - i actually gained weight biking across the country because of the amount of wine i was drinking

Yeah like said, there is also some inflation in Spain but relative to northern Europe the prices of today are still very cheap!
And as for the wine, i try to drink less, so that's under control from my side 😃

14 February, 2025

Sometimes you think: How is it possible that you are running out of time when you are not working anymore. But it happens, so here is the delayed report from Wednesday evening. 😃

60€ Progressive Bounty – 25k startstack – 25 min levels before dinner break 20 min levels after.

I arrive at the casino just before 18h00 and there is a valentine action with scratch cards. I immediately scratch 10 euro, we are not in yet or I’ve won already! I ask the cashier to deduct the amount from my buy-in but that is not possible, it is only meant for casino games, I should have known. 😊
Despite the fact that I have been visiting casinos for more than 20 years, I never played slots our roulette in my life so I donate my card to a Spanish poker friend who does not understand the gift.

Pero, es realmente dinero, no entiendo! I reassure him that it is ok.

Ok let’s play some poker.

Hand 1: 100/200
We are still 6 handed just after the start of the tournament and Hero opens KhJh UTG, BTN calls
Flop Tc9s8h Hero bets ½ pot BTN calls
Turn Qh Despite I make my straight I decide to check because I know BTN is very aggressive and likes to take over, I try to look weak. BTN bets 2k, Hero c/r 7.6k, BTN calls
River 6c Hero shoves, BTN folds

Hand 2: 200/400
Hero opens MP with AQo, BTN shoves 12bb, Hero calls vs K5o, K on the river. Great!

Hand 3: 300/600
MP Raises, CO calls, Hero completes with As8s on the BTN
Flop 5s8s3h MP bets, CO calls, Hero calls
Turn 6s Bink! MP checks, CO bets, Hero raises 2.5x to put CO all-inn (for the bounty), MP folds
He thinks for 3 minutes, he must have a lower flush or a set, eventually he folds and shows 33.
I don’t say a word and put my hand in the muck, they discuss my holding in Spanish, I understand already a good part of the conversation and I smile at all the hands they call.

Hand 4:
UTG raises 6x, everybody folds, Hero is in SB with KJo. I smell something and I fold. BB calls
Eventually it gets all-inn and UTG shows AA for the win, good fold. And note taken for big opens from this particular player.

Hand 5: 400/800 ante 800 stack 88k
MP opens, Hero calls on the BTN with QdJd
Flop Qs6h7c MP bets, Hero calls
Turn 6s check/check
River 2d check, Hero bets 3.8k, MP folds

Dinner break 114 entries in total 51 left – 12 ITM – Hero plays 189k blinds 1000/1500 ante 1500

I can be short of what happens after the dinner break, I only played three hands

MP opens, Hero 3bet KK, MP shoves 22bb, Hero calls vs TT T in the window…

A few hands later Hero re-shoves 99 in the BB vs a short stack open, he shows KQ flop KQx, great!

With 7bb left I openshove from BTN and get called by AA in the BB, I wish everyone good luck and drive home. They feel my pain, even the floor guy says that I run really bad. 😉

Finish 15th no cash but 35€ in bounty’s to ease the pain….

That KK hand is the key hand this evening, if that holds, I think I’m almost chip leader.
You have to have a strong mindset to play MTT’s and understand this variance, I played good but the flips falling once again not in my favour. Oh well, sun is shining and I still enjoy every minute here!

Tonight we play the mensual in Orihuela, It's a 200€ progressive bounty, 2 day event, looking forward to that one!

Adios!

I've known a couple of people over the years with that same mindset and it's so fascinating to me. The fact that gambling is so much fun was a major motivator to get me to study and get good at poker.

The hands you listed are all mostly fine. H3 I think you mistyped the flop, it's likely 5s8h3s since you have 8s in your hand. Raising is prob better than flatting on the flop because your hand is so huge, but it depends on the stack sizes* H4 is a std fold, please don't call 6x opens. H5 is a mix flat/raise, vs bad fields I prefer raising because they tend to open wider than they should, to too big sizes than they should* and fold more often than they should, especially post-flop.

*the only relevant parts of hand histories are going to be the effective stack, and the action, both in terms of big blinds. That the blinds are 100/200 or 1k/2k is irrelevant, only what the effective stack is, in BB. Knowing that someone opened is less relevant than knowing if they opened to 2x or 3x (...or 6x).

Best of luck in the PKO!

I also learned Spanish in the past few years after having only a small base/being intermediate low, but have been in LATAM since the pandemic (originally in Buenos Aires, but now in Lima, Peru). And I have also traveled to Spain/Alicante before.

Anyhow, best of luck friend, I will be following

15 February, 2025

Yes you are right about H3, quiet sure my hand was As8s, i made also a writing mistake in my notes, it was a spade in any case 😉

I try to work on note taking, but i also try to follow each hand at the table, sometimes it is difficult when also the hand after the hand you are note taking is interesting. Especially for remembering effective stack sizes, it happens that there is also some table talk, etc...
Anyway i work on it!

Wow nice, what is your native language? Are you there for work or traveling around?

I took a paid subscription on duo lingo last week, and i must say that is really motivating to practice each day. Duo lingo in combination with speaking the language every day in real life boost your confidence. Like said in the monthly review, i need to spend more study time, and i did so far this month

Yesterday we played the mensual in Orihuela: 200€ progressive bounty with 40 min levels

In the beginnen i played some small pots but nothing particular to mention, after the first levels i was completely card dead.

Hand 1: 45bb effective

Just after the dinner break MP opens 2x, CO calls, BTN raises to 4bb (way to low imo), Hero makes it 16bb in BB with QQ
MP and CO folding and BTN shoves, Hero calls he shows AKs of diamond
Flop Q high with one diamond, turn diamond, river diamond.... Running great so far this year

Bullet 2

After a few hands i got AA on my new table, i open in MP but everybody folds.

Hand 2: not sure if i played this one ok, let me know what you guys think 35bb effective

MP opens 2x, BTN calls, Hero complets in BB with 8d4d
Flop 8s4sJh Hero donkbet pot for protection, MP fold, BTN calls
Turn 3c Hero pots again, BTN calls (he can't fold, he just bust a guy with 93o against AKs on a 9K3 flop, where he 3bet pre with 93o, so there is a bit of history. Guy has really no clue and is ordering beer after beer...)
River 6s Hero shoves, BTN snaps with 52o, lol ofc...

Maybe i could c/r flop but i doubt he bets 52, i don't think he folds anymore if i start betting turn. Anyway i like to know what you guys think.

We leave home, luck will turn around eventually.

Adios!

H1 is fine, H2 is bad. You shouldn't base your actions on the one specific hand he ended up, you should do it on the range of hands he has in that spot. If you're going to be results based and say "I should donk pot because he won't cbet 52o", then you should also say "I should have c/f river because he rivered a straight". You don't need protection, you need value, c/r and try to make it a two street hand.

You know, i'm just honest and also write down my bad plays as well! 😀
To be honest, i figured it out myself that i misplayed the hand, i'm such a fish sometimes!
Haha!

Wonderful work!

I am a French Canadian from Montreal. And I have been a pro for 14 years, but traveling around/being nomadic since basically the age of 19, has led me to eventually playing professionally, given the flexibility that online poker provides and whatnot. And now we must assess where to live with my Peruvian gf : she will visit Quebec in August for a month (where I am purchasing a house imminently), but most likely will end up in Lima.

Have you thought about getting a Spanish tutor, which would greatly accelerate your learning? You said that you come from northern Europe friend, but I don't think you have mentioned which country, unless it escaped me...?

17 February, 2025

Cool story, never been in LATAM, must be very nice. I did already a group course with a Spanish Tutor, but then we where really noobs. Now i already have some basics words and sentences in my head, so it goes better and better each day!

Sunday Superstack 50€ - 50k startstack - 20 min levels

Hand 1: 38bb effective
UTG opens 2x, 5 callers (including SB), hero completes 5d6d in BB
Flop 3d4d8d SB checks, Hero checks, MP bets 2bb, everybody calls, Hero shoves, everybody folds except BTN he calls with 9h9d
Turn 3c
River 5s

Hand 2: 45bb effective
Hero raises As7s UTG 2x, BTN, SB and BB calling
Flop 3s4s9h SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, MP bets 5bb, everybody calls
Turn 8s, checks around
River 9c now SB donks 12bb, Hero calls (because the board pairs, i only get called by better), MP calls
Everybody has flush, Hero wins with the nutflush, without the paired board i stack both of them i guess.

After the dinner break we have 179 entries and 100 left

Hand 3: 60bb
Hero opens UTG 2x AhTc, UTG+1 shoves 10bb, everybody folds, Hero calls vs Kd7d
Board AKQ 74

We play 250k average is 110k

We get it in with AA vs QQ and bust another shortie, 26 players left, 18 ITM

Hand 4: 35bb effective
But the next hand it goes wrong, we open JJ UTG and SB and BB calling
Flop T75 SB checks, BB shoves 7bb, Hero shoves, SB calls

BB shows A4o, Hero JJ, SB TT
If i call and SB shoves i can fold, but i don't think that makes any sense with these stack sizes?

We finish 25, what a horror run so far this year, so many deep runs, but the last flip can't hold.

We try again today!

Adios!

Nice... it depends... I experienced the Argentina economical crash a la Venezuela with inflation levels of over 200% (in 2023), so it was harsh seeing my friends/gf suffer economically along with myriads of thieving going on in the country... Lima is great, but I also live in an upper middle class neighbourhood, so it is a question of perspective, I guess. But yes, I do personally love how LATAM has made me evolve as a person and I do love the language, culture in general and whatnot ♥

I would recommend always watching Netflix/tv with Spanish subtitles : it definitely helps being productive during passive moments and helps expand the vocabulary GL handling mentally the MTT variance, it certainly gets nasty at times 😊

Thanks for the Netflix tip, never thougt about that! And concerning the variance, it is ok. I play already so long, i know the drill. 😀

18 February, 2025

First some pictures of a nice hike yesterday, we hiked around a lake with beautiful weather (as always) 😉
It is a water reservoir close to San Miguel de Salinas

Harmless snake, i guess 😀, if somebody knows what kind of species it is, let me know.

Yesterday evening we played a 50€ Turbo in Orihuela - 25k startstack - 30 min levels before break and 20 min after dinner break.

Not much happenend during the first hours, we made one full double up, Hero 3 bet QQ on BTN with 40bb, Initial opener 4bet jams 38bb, QQ vs AKo we hold

After the dinner break there where 111 entries and 53 left - 12 ITM

We survived by some standard shoving spots where everybody was folding, around 23h30 the bubble broke, no significant hands to mention.

At 00h30 we reached the FT with only 4bb

We shoved A8s on the BTN and everybody folded
2 people bust in a big hand and another one hand later
We are down to six, but still only 3bb left
CO open shoves A4o , he is also short, we call in SB with JTs and bigstack in BB also calls with Q8o.
J on the flop but a Queen on the river seals our fate.

6th place for 280€, in any case better than bubbling again!

Bankroll: 37900€
Average Buy in: 183€
Final tables: 4
ITM%: 16%
19/200

Good luck in your challenge,

The casino in Alicante is the nuts I bust out just so i can sit on the balcon over looking the harbour with a beer lol, I have family and business in Castellon de la plana.
I do find Alicante more expensive than Valencia and Oropesa del Mar the later is my favourite place in Spain.

Buenu suerte adios.

Thank you!

I also like the casino in Alicante, it is located at a very nice location in the harbor. Also the staff is very friendly and the food is also great. For 13€ you can eat at the buffet, drinks included.
The area you are talking about is more to the north, i was in Castellon de la plana for my work like ten years ago. Also a very nice place close to the sea.
I never been to Oropesa del mar, there are so many lovely places at the coast in Spain, it is almost impossible to visit them all!

19 February, 2025

Today i did my 10k steps in a

I pressed the enter button by accident and post the unfinished post already, then there was a friend at my door and the 30 min edit was over 😃

Today i did my 10k steps in a pleasant morning sun.
Tonight we play a progressive bounty.

I had written a summary about a book but it dissapeared with the editing notes...
I re-write it tomorrow because i have to leave for playing right now!

Adios!

February 20, 2025

Yesterday we played a 60€ Progressive Bounty – 30 minutes level until dinner break 20 min levels after the break. -25k start stack

Hand 1:
60bb effective
Hero opens 99 UTG, UTG+1 calls, MP squeeze, Hero calls, UTG+1 calls
Flop JT9 rainbow, Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP makes a pot bet, Hero shoves, UTG+1 folds
Turn K
River 6
MP shows AQ for the straight …

5bb left, a few hands later we got It from the BB vs 4 limpers with AQo. Despite a Q on the river we lose vs BTN who slips in with 93s and makes a flush.

Bullet 2 ->

Hand 2:
Hero 3bet AsQh in CO, BTN, SB, MP are calling,
Flop Ac4h2s MP checks, Hero bets ½ pot, 1 caller
Turn Jh MP checks, I check behind because I know he likes to bluff on many rivers.
River 6c MP overbets pot, Hero calls, MP shows K4o, Vamos!

Hand 3: 50bb effective
Hero opens QQ in MP, CO 3bets, BB shoves, Hero re-shoves, MP calls. It is our QQ vs TT vs JJ
Flop T , Turn J we are running so hot

23k left (40bb)

Hand 3:
We have QQ again, we raise 2x BB calls
Flop 678 of diamonds, BB donks, hero calls (we have the Q of diamonds)
Turn 5h BB bets small again, hero calls
River 4h check, check Villain shows 4c5c
We lose another pot with QQ, it seems like having the best hand is a curse to me 😉.

Dinner break 89 entries 49 left – 9 ITM

We play 100bb after winning a few pots, I play a lot of hands, but I can’t note them all since we also have to move tables several times.

Hand 4:
Shortie in the HJ limps (they keep limping until they have nothing left), Hero shoves 20bb with AJo, HJ calls with KQo we make a straight on the river.

Hand 5:
25bb effective, UTG limps, Hero raises 2.5x with AKo, CO shoves, limper folds, Hero calls vs AQo
We hold 57bb

Hand 6: 20bb effective
MP raises 2x, BTN calls, Hero calls with KTo in BB
Flop KhTh6c, MP bets ½ pot, BTN folds, Hero shoves
MP calls with QJo we hold 67bb – 36 left

Hand 7: 30bb effective
Hero raises JJ in MP, 2 callers
Flop 775 Hero bets 1/3, BTN calls
Turn 4 check check
River 3 no flush on the board, hero checks, BTN bets ½ pot, hero calls, BTN shows Q4o

We have to move again, first hand at my new table I’m directly big blind and get dealt AA, BTN shoves, hero calls vs Ato we hold.

67bb - 27 left

Hand 8: 20bb effective
Hero raises AhTh vs 2 limpers, 1 caller
Flop AQ3 rainbow, check check
Turn T Hero shoves to put short stack allin, he calls with KT we hold

13 left – 390k – 39bb

15 minutes later the bubble burst and we reach the final table with a healthy stack.

It was almost impossible to keep up with note taking, I preferred to make good decisions at the table, we where numerous times all-in and build the stack up to 1M.

Big stack and massive bounty in front of over 200euro's at that moment!

We got lucky 1 time when we call AQs in the BB vs BTN shove, he shows Aks but flop is QQx vamos, 5 left.

One guy wants a deal, but I am chipleader and all the rest is short so I decline, maybe later.
Then we lose AQs vs AK en JJ vs AK, now they say it is karma because I don’t want to make a deal. 😃

I really don't care about those comments, i’m here to play you know!

But we win it all back in this hand, we are 4 left with even stacks (around 12bb effective), BTN shoves, SB shoves, Hero re-shoves JJ

Boom shackalaka, where is the karma now? 😃

3 left now a deal is proposed again -> we can keep our bounty (what is perfect for me) and even split of the money, since the stacks are now almost even en we play around 8bb to 10bb each i decide to accept the deal, we cash 630€ + 425€ in bounty's for our first win!

Tomorrow we play the mensual in Benidorm which is a 200€ bounty with 40min levels (2 day tournament)

Keep you posted, adios!

21 February, 2025

I forgot the book review yesterday, so here it is.
Earlier this i finished Everything changes.
In Everything Changes, economist Koen Schoors argues that the world reaches a tipping point roughly every seventy years—and we are living through one now. He sees this transition as both inevitable and desirable. Schoors envisions a shift toward a more regional and sustainable economy, where globalized mass production gives way to local, circular industries that minimize waste. As the global population declines, human labor will become more valuable, leading to increased leisure time. Meanwhile, AI will enhance efficiency and simplify daily life. He believes that major challenges like climate change, aging populations, wars, and migration can be tackled through technological innovation and behavioral change. His vision is both optimistic and grounded, offering hope for a better future.

I found it a really good book, at the moment it is only available in Dutch but a translation is under way.

Today we play the mensual in Benidorm, update tomorrow.

Adios!

While I remain an extremely positive and optimistic (mainly spiritually) fellow, living in Argentina for 5 years during its financial downfall has made me pretty cynical ; that being said, I wish this author will be right, but it seems to be coming from a (very) first world perspective and it is pretty much impossible for peeps that have spent an extensive amount of time in the poorer parts of the world (especially since the pandemic) to think similarly, tbh... My 2 cents 😉. GL in the grind friend

22 February, 2025

Thanks for the GL's! And yes, I totally agree with you, yet I always try to see the good side of things. And also people who live in these regions have to hold on to these thoughts. I don't know if you have ever heard of the book Factfulness from Hans Rosling? The book also sets out a number of things that people keep repeating but which are not true. Highly recommended if you are interested in this matters!

Yesterday we played day 1 of the mensual in Benidorm 200€ Bounty - 40 min levels - 98 entrants by the end of day 1 - 48 left

We started at 18h00 and nothing happened in the first hours, we saw a few flops but have to give up several times, we lost approximately 1/3 of our stack during that time.
We got AA and win a small pot, after that we win af few small ones but nothing to mention. After the dinner break we have 20bb left.

Hand 1: 20bb effective
Hero opens CO 2x with Kc6c, BTN calls
Flop Kh5cJc Hero bets 1/3, BTN shoves, Hero calls , SB shows JhTs and we hold

40bb effective
Hero opens Jh9h in CO, BTN calls
Flop Kc5d3h check, check
Turn 9s hero checks, BTN bets 1/3, hero calls
River Kd hero checks BTN shoves, this player always bet with a K on the flop (i guess most of population would), so he never has a king imo, but what does he have, with pairs he has showdown value so he doesn't shove, a better 9 is an option or a full house maybe. It is bluff or nuts. I call, he shows As3s.

We win a few other small pots and build up to 180k, but in the last level we have to give up AK on a K high board that runs out in 4 card flush board... and villain shoves the river.

We bag 120k for day 2 (60bb) - starting level 1000/2000 ante 2000 tomorrow

Adios!

23 February, 2025

Yesterday we played in Benidorm the mensual 200€ bounty day 2. In total 111 entries, we finished 46

Day 2 did'nt last long

We win a small pot with AA in the beginning of day 2, but after that we dwindle downhill, we have to give up several pots on the flop and with 20bb left we got it in with T8 on 79x flop against 77 turn 7 and we can leave home...

A new casino has opened in Villajoyosa a couple weeks ago, tonight there is a first poker tournament with a buy-in of 80€

I fear a bit for the break-up of the player pool as there are already five casinos in the region that will often host tournaments on the same days.
But maybe that is unfounded as I still often see new players at the other venues, we will discover together in the future.

The weather is mainly cloudy the last few days, we also had a few raindrops yesterday, also today is cloudy and with the wind it feels chilly.

See you tomorrow

Adios!