Started with a $1/$2nl challenge, now we're here.
😮WARNING!! IMA 2+2 VIRGIN!! FIRST DAY AT THIS!! FIRST THREAD!!
The Goal is Simple - $40k in One Year (starting Jan.1st 2013) playing only $1-$2NLHE, and $1-$3 NLHE cash games. Most of my play will be @HSIPoker (90% of play), @HollywoodPoker (5% of play) in southern Indiana, and other (5% of play). I will make the occasional trips Vegas, Chicago, etc. My buy-ins will be least $300 and no more than $800 in all daily sessions. If I lose a $800 bullet in the first hour of play, then I leave. Therefore a losing session will never exceed $800. I am committed to play an average of 30-35 hours a week. All statistics (running total $, $/hr., #of hrs. win/loss ratio, etc.) will be tracked through my Poker Journal App. The max buy-ins on both of these games @HSIPoker is $300 up to half the big stack at the table (i.e. big stack has $1400, then new player can buy-in for $700, or other players at table can add up to $700 to their chips). Also @HSIPoker players can straddle from any position, so $1-$2 plays like a $1-$3 or even $2-$5 w/deep stacks. Side note: Just yesterday a maniac player at $1-$2 nlhe straddled for $350!! I will also play no more than $5k worth of tournaments for the year ranging from $300-$1700 buy-ins. The tournaments will be recorded separately, and will be added or deducted from cash game total profits at the end of the year (ending Dec. 31st 2013). I will stay committed to this all year and I will not stray from my rules. I can guarantee I will post at least twice a week, and would even like to link a monthly video segments throughout the year. If you stay with me on this journey, I can promise you I will stay with you throughout the whole year. You can count on total transparency in my poker grind. I will share honestly the ups and downs, the brutal swings, and sprinkle in some spice and substance. All while trying to spare you the bad beat stories. I rather do naked snow angels in freezing temps than listening to someone’s bad beat story. For future reference if you share one with me, I will act like I care, but I will really be thinking of when will this bad beat story end!! You can also follow - http://twitter.com/RayzRayl
Background – Starting playing seriously at age 25 during the Chris Moneymaker boom. Duh! It was around the same time I was teaching middle school math. I left teaching to create my own destiny. I started out playing low limits and have played as high as $25-$50 NLHE online. I am like most of you that have $ tied up on Full-Tilt. I am mostly a cash game player, and have played very few tournaments with very little success. I bricked the WSOP Main Event twice (I bought in once, and the other seat was a won through PokerStars). I seem to come up short on the big buy-in tourneys. My biggest score in tournaments are a couple of $20k cashes, and biggest score in cash games are a few $10k sessions. Sometimes poker was my full-time job, and sometimes it was supplement income. Right now it is my full-time job. I own a few rental properties, so that helps take the pressure off the grind. My girlfriend (15yr. relationship) and I have 2 girls (2yrs and 9yrs) that are joys of my life. My biggest challenge is explaining to them along with everyone else that I play poker for a living. I struggle with the fact that I am basically chasing money, and not doing anything productive. On the flip side, I do like the higher levels of thinking, the competition, and the pressure that poker offers me. Furthermore, I am not a gambler! I go straight to the poker room and straight out, nothing in between (no dice, no colors, no slots, no blackjack, etc.). Don’t get me wrong though I will bet anything I have an edge on. Most of all, I am a man devoted to my faith. Side note: I don’t see playing poker as sinful behavior, or gambling. I define gambling as anything where I’m not a favorite to win long term. More about me . . . thrive on competition, unique, introvert, outside the box thinker, gym fitness member, a bit anti-social, well mannered, authored my memoir at age 30, every other weekend drinker, love my church, entrepreneurial thinker, tennis junkie, green thumb, and I think cats are skittish.
Reason for Goal – The challenge itself is the ultimate reason for this goal. I was recently in a conversation with a friend of mine, and he was stating that $30k/yr. was a realistic earning for a $1-2, $1-3 nlhe grinder. I discussed that an “A” player putting in 40hrs/wk. can possibly make $40k/yr. He said, “no way”, and I said “I’m going to do it.” And that’s how this goal started. Reason 2) Simple – the goal will keep me staying determined to play flawlessly, and it will keep me focused at the task at hand. This goal allows me to stay “hungry” the whole year. I enjoy the pressure of striving to achieve something that is challenging. This challenge will keep me waking up each day and grinding. The satisfaction of achieving this goal will be half the fun, and the journey getting there is the other half. My subscribers, followers, and my post will keep accountable; and keeps me determined to play my “A” game. Thank you in advance for subscribing/following! Reason 3) it keeps the pressure off me playing the bigger games. I always told people the “poker lows” hurt more than the “highs” feel good. If that makes any sense to you! There were times when I was playing bigger limits where I would lose $5k in a sesh. Trust me those days sting! When I lost that amount of cheddar I would always think of what I could have done with that money; i.e. remodel the kitchen, go on shopping spree, buy a used car, get a golf membership at the country club, etc. When I win it’s like “cool”, but when I lose big it affects my whole psyche! With this goal I am managing my losses where worst case scenario is an $800 losing day. Reason 4) the $1-$2 NLHE is the most popular poker game around. There are more $1-$2 players than any other game. This will give a good idea of what’s a realistic earning from a solid $1-$2nlhe player. I want to do this for all the grinders. There is not a truer grinder than a $1-$2 grinder. Big Ups to all the 1-2ers!
Cliff Notes – Can I? Or can’t I? Make $40k in 2013 playing only $1-$2 and $1-$3 NLHE. Playing at least 30hrs/wk. and buying in for no more than $800 a session! I will also invest no more than $5k in tournaments in 2013 that will be factored into the $40k/year goal. I will post often with full transparency. I thrive on competition. My motto is look good, feel good, play good. I like puzzles. I have a degree in Mathematics. This is my very first post on 2 + 2 forum. 
All feedback welcome.
Thanks,
Rayz
Still a little under the weather. Just no energy after battling this flu. Took all last week off and tried to get back today. I was dragging.
-90 in 1/2
+189 2/5.
9a-3:30p.
Cd hv been a big one tho. A big one!
Do u ever hv guy right where u want them and hoping no bad cards will screw this up?
2/5nl. $1k and thinking aggro villain covers.
I raise $15 utg a 5h6h. 3 calls.
Pot $60 4 way
Flop: 3c4s8c
I micro bet $15 w oesd. villain in mp raises to $40. Folds to me. Call.
Pot $140 hu
Turn: 2h
I check/ sigh call $140 w the nizzies.
Pot $420
River 6d
I do something weird and ch dark. I was never betting river, so fig I might as well ch dark. Villain fires $240. We snap.
What’s the hand u think he has? It’s the exact hand we want him to hv too. What a river!!!
you're a real dipshit who's clearly never got his hands dirty before, did you think OP lived in Libya or something?
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere...
you're a real dipshit who's clearly never got his hands dirty before, did you think OP lived in Libya or something?
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere...
I live in Cincinnati and I can assure you there is no time of year you can't dig because it's frozen lol. Idiot
son, you've been exposed, most people would either apologize or slink away quietly by this point
Somebody should slink away. I can assure you, if the ground ever freezes 6-36", which your picture says, here in the Dallas area, the world has ended. It may freeze a little bit for like 3 days a year. It's 72 ****ing degrees here today, my yard is mostly still green. But I guess under my green grass there's 6-36" of permalolfrost. Good thing I don't have any digging to do.
son, you've been exposed, most people would either apologize or slink away quietly by this point
If you had ever in your life gotten off of 2+2 and left the darkness of your mother's basement you would know that Louisville isn't remotely close to being cold enough for frozen ground to ever be a construction issue
click the link, that's not what it says at all, 6" on average for that region
and yeah, places that don't have grass cover and in urban areas such as Dallas (urban areas are usually a few degrees warmer due to all the concrete retaining solar heat) will have less
op was working in the suburbs, in a grass coated area in the middle of winter somewhere bordering between the 6" and 36" boundary and complained about the ground being oddly much more difficult to dig into than it usually is
yet oddly, it couldn't be frozen ground?
click the link, that's not what it says at all, 6" on average for that region
and yeah, places that don't have grass cover and in urban areas such as Dallas (urban areas are usually a few degrees warmer due to all the concrete retaining solar heat) will have less
op was working in the suburbs, in a grass coated area in the middle of winter somewhere bordering between the 6" and 36" boundary and complained about the ground being oddly much more difficult to dig into than it usually is
yet oddly, it
I said he couldn't dig DEEPER. Just admit you never have a clue what you are talking about and move on
Haven’t worried bout this whole ground being frozen or not frozen saga. Doesn’t matter one bit. When I started digging in October, mid 50s, house builders were also digging everywhere around me. They dug just fine.
None of that matters tho. All I know is I like how the court is balanced now. Even tho there is a drop off at one end, I don’t mind. Actually it’s perfect up to this point. if I wd hv been able to dig further into the ground on that side that wdnt budge; then my retaining wall wd b even taller. It would look worse I feel. Its has gd balance right now and the layout esthetics are just how I want them. Basically, it’s perfect so far and on pace for best back yard pickle ball court of all times.
Let’s move on.
Anyways, if u guys understood what this Villain had in that hand and river bricks I may hv gotten a full double.
Villain had A5 he had A5! Omg.
He raised flop w a gut draw and he thought he binked on me.
Why did river hv to come 6?!!
He thought he had me where he wanted and I had him pegged!! Ugh.
Villain had A5 he had A5! Omg.
He raised flop w a gut draw and he thought he binked on me.
Why did river hv to come 6?!!
He thought he had me where he wanted and I had him pegged!! Ugh.
I love playing against people like you, slowplaying the absolute nuts out of position so that I can keep the rest of my stack when one of the 25 bad river cards come.
Best player in the world LOL. I would give you 5 to 1 that you could beat 25nl over 100k hands. Serious offer.
raise river lol
Somebody should slink away. I can assure you, if the ground ever freezes 6-36", which your picture says, here in the Dallas area, the world has ended. It may freeze a little bit for like 3 days a year. It's 72 ****ing degrees here today, my yard is mostly still green. But I guess under my green grass there's 6-36" of permalolfrost. Good thing I don't have any digging to do.
Yeah, no time to dig just south of Ft Worth. I'm about to mow and weed eat again. Mowed a week before Christmas, 2 weeks after, and now again. Never got a chance to service the Bad Boy and put it up for the winter.
Thought bout raising river @submerside, but didn’t see any merit in doing so. Didn’t think I cd rep the 57 utg. It just feels more his range over mine. Only 57 there wd b clubs. It didn’t make sense to raise for me. He calls regardless.
@maplerreeway I hv no idea what ur talking bout. Sorry u don’t like my line.
wym? you are raising for value vs presumably sets.
Yeah perhaps. Just hv shot myself in foot trying to squeeze out value many times in similar spots. Raising did cross my mind,
W a 4 liner there I just don’t think I get called by worse and put myself in a spot if he has the 5c7c or any 57.
Cd hv been nitty call @submerside. Perhaps. Ty man
Here grinding now and game is below avg w too many winning players.
We’re up this much in January.
Hv a look thru my water bottle.
Got an estimate coming from Pedro later. We met by 'the court' this morning. Say a prayer to keep it under $7k (concrete and the finish).
After a few phone calls, fig concrete alone is gonna be $4k. Hopefully can get it pumped to backyard and finished for $3k more. 7k total is my hopes. Told him all cash so he better hook it up.
Billy B next up on the list.
One more estimate after that.
Shd know something by this week. It’s gonna dent the roll so hard, and add some stress for sure. 30% of the roll gone to a man named Pedro? Billy? Who’s it gonna ba?
We gonna relieve that same stress off tho on the best backyard pickle court in the nation.
Don’t doubt it.
The flu put us behind the $40k 1/3nk pace. It’s all gd tho.
I was such a pro only to lose $71 yesterday. Card dead all day, and very little action w the goods. One of those days. Stayed patient, disciplined, and didn’t force. I’ll out wait anyone on letting the cards come to me, the spots come to me, the action come to me. Poker gonna b there tomorrow, no big deal.
All my January sessions.
Got an estimate coming from Pedro later. We met by 'the court' this morning. Say a prayer to keep it under $7k (concrete and the finish).
After a few phone calls, fig concrete alone is gonna be $4k. Hopefully can get it pumped to backyard and finished for $3k more. 7k total is my hopes. Told him all cash so he better hook it up.
Billy B next up on the list.
One more estimate after that.
Shd know something by this week. It’s gonna dent the roll so hard, and add some stress for sure. 30% of th
conncrete aint cheap now-a-days
did you figure out what you're going to do about drainage of water on the court?
Research says to hv a slight grade on ur concrete, so that’s how I framed it.
Any excess water we squeegy off w tennis squeegy.
Crazy expensive. Got 2 estimates so far and $5k apart! Pedro has great reviews but is high af. Got Juan # from a poker player at the table yesterday and he came out same day. Juan a lot cheaper and he came from a gd referral. Still waiting on Billy B to come out. Want to hear from him because he has a pump and can finish.
Pedro:
Juan:
Moral of story, always get 3 or 4 estimates. Also check reviews. U want gd work for best price.
