Back to Pro Status - Las Vegas 2/5
I'm going to keep this intro short because I don't want to be about words, I want to be about action. So just watch me grow over time 
I've played professionally before in Vegas, mostly in the 1/3 streets, and enjoyed it a lot, met a lot of people and loved the lifestyle.
Corporate America made me an offer I couldn't refuse and did that for a few years. But now I'm back in Vegas and trying to grow my own business and be self-employed for the rest of my life - never going to report to a boss again. Not bitter about corporate life, just at a point in my life where I have more-than-enough skills to be out on my own.
My main business is going well, but going to take about 6-12 more months to fully grow. So I'm going to supplement my income with poker again.
I've played poker in all parts of the world and I'm convinced that the game is much more "regionalized" than most people give it credit for (e.g. Texas poker v. LA poker)
So, I'm focusing on Vegas 2/5, more specifically, the Bellagio 2/5. I've always felt comfortable in that game and I think the cap sets up nicely for me while also attracting players. I'm going to do my best to hyper-specialize in this game.
Follow for more.
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I have posted a hand from my latest session if anyone wants to opine:
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/170/l...
One of my strengths as a pro is that I'm very disciplined about treating this as a job. I take my work hours seriously. So here's the schedule I have set out for myself:
Thursday - 4 hours
Friday - 4 hours
Saturday - 4 hours
Sunday - 4 hours
That's 16 hours per week which is both inline with my A-game stamina (at the present time) and allows me plenty of time for my main business (which I mostly run by phone anyways).
Eventually, I will get up to 20 hours/week but I need to build up to that.
Looking forward to following along this thread! Seems like you got some decent feedback in that strat thread. Interesting spot for sure.
Looking forward to following along this thread! Seems like you got some decent feedback in that strat thread. Interesting spot for sure.
Thanks, appreciate the good wishes.
I try to not put myself into hands where I get stuck very often, so I don't know how often I'll be posting notable plays. But, yes, the hand I posted definitely had me thinking for a little bit and that's why I decided to put it on 2p2.
Sounds fun, good luck. What are you doing to improve your skill at the game?
That's a great question. I'm going to give you the best answers I can, although I realize these might be esoteric:
- 1. I believe that the Bellagio 2/5 still remains within the general parameters of "bet when checked to, fold when raised" and other writings by people like Ed Miller (he's always been my favorite poker author). So that is my guiding light until I collect enough information to tell me otherwise. I'm open to adjusting in the future, but it's important to have a guiding principle in the short-term.
- 2. My mindset is completely different than most other times that I've played poker. I'm a little older, a little wiser and with a little more of a bank behind me. The money, literally, does not matter to me any more. I believe that this also leads to better play because your emotions about the game and any particular hand are just "muted".
- 3. Annie Duke wrote a book about separating your process from your decisions and examining all decisions, even the good ones. I've heard other pros talk about this also but I didn't appreciate it until I read Duke's book. So I'm focusing on my internal, post-session study of all hands, including the winners, to think about my sessions.
I should clarify that in my previous post, the reference to Ed Miller is completely intentional. Again, I'm trying to specialize specifically on the games in Vegas and I think Miller understands those games. As an example, I've been watching HHP and respect Goone but he's an LA guy, and perhaps even a Hustler specialist. So I'm going to give his advice a little less weight than I would people like Miller or Neeme (when he reports on Vegas). I'm very focused on the Bellagio 2/5
