Risk Tolerant Pain Merchant: The Blog
I love reading the blogs on this site, mostly the longer form ramblings of degens where it's like looking in the mirror. I've been a member here for 20ish years, but lost my log in and created this one... and promptly never used it.
I've got a lot of stories, since as the title says, I'm risk tolerant to the point of wishing I wasn't. Actually, there's a lot about me I wish I wasn't, I'm sure if this blog survives some of that will surface. I turn 48 in a few days and still have some lofty goals with regards to poker.
The format I'm imagining is as such:
- Current games/bankroll updates/life happenings
- Throwback to shit that I've done or experienced that I can't believe is real, like being in a underground club behind a dry cleaner on Long Island get raided by FBI, or more recently making the read of my life in a PLO hand only to be 2 outed for a near 30k pot in a 5/5/10 private game by a dice player.
I'll start with what has to be my favorite throwback story-
"The Vegas Trade Show 2005"
I started playing cards in 2000 after winning 10k from $300 on NYE playing blackjack at Foxwoods (another story for another time). In the next few years I ran that bankroll up and down both live and online playing a truly maniac style. As many my age did I read Super System and it made it's indelible mark. Doyle said be aggressive, so I played like a fucking coked out lunatic (never touched drugs).
I was in a period of life where poker was invading my professional life, relationship and any other pursuit, so when I had to travel to Vegas for a trade show WITH my parents, I decided not to bring my poker bankroll and just do my work like a good boy. End of post that's what I did.........NOT (Borat).
First day on the job I actually made it the whole day at the show, and even went to the company dinner after. But that itch crept in at the same time I started feeling gout from the Texas de Brazil meat sweat factory and I excused myself from dinner. I had the foresight to call my bank and put a withdrawal limit on my card of $300 a day, so I didn't feel to bad about pulling that out and going to play. If I lost, it was capped, I was still being a good boy.
I sat in what I remember being a 1/2 NL game, I don't think they had 1/3 back then. I don't remember much from that session other than I won about $1300 so I now had a poker starter pack in my suit pocket going into Day 2 of the trip. I remember being at lunch on day 2 and our company admin (and my parents neighbor) looked at me and said "you're up to no good huh". It was almost like she gave me permission to fuck off from work and let me tell you, I did not disappoint.
Now this session I remember vividly because I bought in to the 10/20 at Bellagio for $1500 at around 2pm and just absolutely wrecked shit for 8 hours. After a quick triple up (hit a set vs an overpair and flush draw which back then was just money going in the middle no questions asked) I had about half the table covered. I used to have this idea that once I was up a buy in, I would press the action and happily take the betting lead with a flush or straight draw, often check raising huge and bombing the turn if the money didn't go in. I looked at it like a freeroll, 30% equity was FINE WITH ME.
An interesting thing happened with this type of play, too, where playing SO fast made it easier for me to read opponents hands. Sometimes it was a little scary how accurate my reads were. I think play has improved so much, especially defensive strategies and disguising hand ranges that wasn't the case in the early 2000's. In any case I really did feel I had a big edge playing this way, and this trip's beginning didn't disappoint.
At 2am I wrapped up my session a bit over $11k, having now turned my $300 into about $12500 in 2 sessions. I headed to bed intending to wake up and work the whole day. The next day was Sunday and the last day I'd have before an early flight, so I figured I'd book this win and go home.
Sunday AM and I'm walking into the trade show. As I approached the booth, another rep stepped out and said "Hey 'MGC', you're actually covered today, we overbooked. You wanna take the day?" Fuck. Yes. I. Do.
I don't think I even looked up at the entrance of the Bellagio like one typically does to admire the whatever the fuck the glass stuff is. I just b-lined it to the card room and got on the list. 10/20 seat opened almost immediately. I bought in for 2k, sat down in the BB and look down at red AA. Sure thing, sounds good. Action FOLDS to the SB, and I ask "chop"? He sneers at me and says "I don't chop". Ok not a problem sir what action would you like? He opens for 75 (lol 2005) and I flick in 500 (lol 2005) and he insta shoves. I snap obv obv and hold vs KK.
So this is going well. From there I go on a heater and I quit for a late lunch with a bit over 10k stack, leaving my chips. I grab some noodles I think, play 1 hand of blackjack for $500 (win) and destroy the bathroom before heading back to the table.
Sitting back down, there's a player with 8k, one with 6k and the rest are about 2-3k. I pick up where I left off and begin controlling action. I remember one hand I have QJ off and open, get 3b and I call in position, flop is K 8 T rainbow, guy bets near pot and I jam (lol 2005), he calls off with QQ (sick call sir) and I hit a 9. Moments after I drill top set vs KK and now I'm sitting on 18k.
2 players get moved from another table and one of them has over 10k. He's wearing a backpack, grey hoodie and scowling like the fucks you see on TV. I instantly want his chips so so so badly. After about 1 orbit he's just snatched the action away from me, he's the captain now (Somalian pirate). I realize this in real time and play back at him, he face fucks me with a 4 bet and I fold. I can't get a bet in edgewise. He's just got it every time he's looked up I guess?
I pick up QQ and he opens in early position to 60, I 3! to 450, he 4! to 1500, I 5b! to 4k expecting a fold and he flats. We are 14k effective.
Flop is J45, he stabs 2k and I instantly shove. I do not need to be told how literally every decision I made in this hand is wrong, I'm fully aware. However, everyones been folding to me for 2 days straight when I push hard.
He stares at me straight in the face, with hatred. He hates me but in a way like I'm a gross bug in a $3500 suit with stained degen armpits. He tanks for not all that long but way longer than I want and says "Aces huh? Well if you got it you got it" and flicks in the call. Knew immediately he's got KK fuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkk myyyyyyyyy lifeeeeeeee.
Reeling, I pick up and leave the room. I still have a profit for the day plus the 10k so I grab a cab across town to the Wynn and jump in a 5/10 game. It's about 10pm now. I blast off a buy in with AK pre flop. -1,000. I blast off another with AQ on an Q T 4 board (vs TT) -2,000. I probably don't win a hand for about 4 hours and the table breaks. I've got 8k left. I end up HU with a Vegas reg who looks like the comic book store owner from the Simpsons. He beats the shit out of me for 3k and I finally wave the flag and pick up, feeling like a total loser.
On the way out I just freeze and stop at blackjack table, look at the floor and say "5k bet?", he says yes no problem. Dealer deals me a 3 and a K and shows a Q. I hit an A, I hit a 2, I hit a J and bust.
$0, and realize I need a cab, ask the floor if they'll get me a cab to my hotel and he obliges. Nice guy actually for that. Thanks guy.
The flight home I'm actually fine. It's sort of easier to tell your wife not much than to come home with 30k and not know how to explain it other than "didn't really work". So I walk in the apartment and she's super happy to see me and asks "Did you play cards?"
"A little"
How did you do?
"Lost $300"
Ok let's get dinner.
Sounds great to me, I sit on the couch to change clothes and flick on the TV.
Now... this is the part guys, this is the story. Who cares about my trip until this part right here.
Sitting across from Michael the Grinder Mizrachi at the LA WPT Championships Heads up for 1 Meeerionnnn Dorrarrrss is the fucking kid in the hoodie who busted me with KK.
Commentator: And this here is a heads up match between the poker Grinder and one of the worlds premier sports bettors, HARALOBOUS VOULGARIS. Blah blah blah he's so smart and super rich and blah blah blah.
He hated me bc he's playing fucking 10/20 waiting for a game. I tried to move him off KK for 28k the week after he took 2nd at the WPT. I don't know how I held it together when all I said to my wife was "I saw that guy this week".
As if this wasn't bad enough, the next week MTV cribs featured Voulgaris on the show. Look it up, you can't make this shit up.
MGC
7 Replies
I play in a private GG PLO group game, 6 nights a week. It's 1/2, min/max buy is 140/600. Typically plays like a 5/5 game live in terms of size, game "starts" when people are 1000 deep or so.
Last fall I played in a live private 5/5/10 game with button straddle (up to 200 but first hour 50 max) as a staked player. My backer is a close friend, but he got in money problems and he ended up owing me 13k which I couldn't collect (yet).
This private GG club opened with some of the same players so I've been putting most of my time in that game.
Here's last months results:
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Christmas night was particularly impressive, -$2500 in 42 hands.
My PLO game is rather erratic, I'm playing about 65/40 preflop in this group which is split between 30/3 nits and 98/10 loose passive nut peddlers. Often a pot will 4 bet pre 4-5 ways to the flop. Players will limp AA, someone opens, I'll 3b, someone will call, AA will call, I'll 4b, everyone will call. So there's often disguised nutted hands and I proceed as such.
The group is about 60 players deep that I can tell, 30 regulars. Of them, only 3-4 play with any sort of real tact and/or aggression.
My results are from pushing action/edges on every street. I'm one of the few willing to bluff raise rivers. As such I'm called down a lot, and my nutted hands get paid.
My whole goal is to get the deep stacks in trouble against my nutted ranges. I'm not even paying attention to small stacks and often spew to bad players when they run good. I just don't fold in spots that probably I should be insta-mucking. Something to work on.
My goal is to take 50k out of this game this year. I play about 1000-1200 hands a week.
Would absolutely love to play these guys in NL, but none of them are interested. The only decent NL game that runs around me (Massachusetts) is Encore 5/10 and it's tougher than I'd like to admit. Beatable for sure but between the bad floor and it being a reg rock garden it's not the best choice in the room.
Here's two interesting (I think) PLO hands from the group. Both are winners, I'll be sure to show some of my spews as well. I can be pure tarded at times with OOP spews. I think a lot about metagame plays especially in groups like this where there's a lot of the same players.
Villian in these two hands is one of the weaker players in the group IMO. He's typically going to check/call his entire range, even nuts and often will get 0 value from spots where he could beat the shit out of you. His 3 betting range is mostly AA, so the second hand here where he turns up with JJ was a mild surprise. I'll post them both with some analysis separately.
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So this one I played oddly. I'd been very aggressive all night and hadn't checked back any trips or sets at all the whole night. As it was multiway, I decided to take a card and assess.
On the turn as it was V1 betting into the field I felt strongly that he was non-nutted as he would always check the nuts (see history above). He also never bets a straight in this spot. A 9 is definitely possible, and would have me crushed with A9 or K9, but again, I do not believe he bets a full house here ever ever ever into the field.
If either other Villain bets I probably peel one and fold the river, as they'll all bet straights/sets/9s but usually check the river without stronger than 9s full of 5's
As played, I boat up on the river and just flat his bet, instantly, without thinking. I don't see any point in raising here, am I wrong?
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This one... ehhh heh. Um. Yeah.
Well, I can't really say much about flop and turn play other than it's awful. I fully expect him to have AA here so I'm drawing to garbage straights on the turn only. However IME this river is a pure check from him with all of his Broadway straights. I did worry about AA with the flush, which is why I timed down.
Mostly this player is so passive that when he turns up the aggression he's often vulnerable or airballing. I've played him several nights HU where he limps buttons and calls all bets to river and folds, hardly ever playing back. When I start checking OOP he starts bluffing pot bets, sensing weakness. Like I said he's quite bad.
Anyway, Idk if this is an easier call than it appears to me, I'd like to know from people who fuck with PLO solvers what they're doing here.
Ok I suck at updates, mostly bc I'm talking to myself here but I'll continue anyway.
Stone bubbled a $250 MTT monday night where the last 2 orbits I played went like this:
Blinds 1000-2000/2000 I've got 78k.
MP with AKo, folds to me I open to 5k, Button is Old Man Coffee, splashes 20k in instantly, folds back to me and I muck it. He shows AKo as well. I think I'm ok with this, though traditionally I jam without thinking much about it, in this spot I just think he's at the bottom of the barrel of his range. To be honest I doubt he 3b QQ here, and there's zero bluffs so whatthefuckever I fold.
Very next hand I have AQo, open again to 5k, much younger probably drinks matcha kid jams for 22k and I call, he has KQss and hits a K.
Stack 53k now in BB
LP player probably only player I respect that he's alive at my table opens 4k from CO and I defend A3dd.
Flop 628r, check/check
Turn 8 bringing diamonds check/check
River 9o, I bet 5300, he calls and grimaces at my A high (KQ I believe).
I jam 2 random hands from CO and BTN into 2 old men coffees and pick up blinds in the next orbit, then fold until BB where I pick up 33. Blinds up to 1500-3000/3000, folds to SB who jams.
What do? Meh I called. This guy wasn't active but Idk why I felt like he knew he was supposed to jam wide and I clicked buttons.
Anyway QQ gg, I bubble. I didn't even think about it the rest of the night, but now I'm typing this out it's a fold. Right?
