1/3 Grinding and Bankroll

outside of a few specific players, live poker is generally under bluffed unless you're at a table of high quality players - but if that happens best thing to do is to leave or table change instead of getting into a dick measuring contest

$69,841 to go on the challenge or so. Lost a couple grand on the trip in cash games and broke even in tourneys. Maybe a poker trip wasn't the best break after all.

It's nice to be back home, that's for sure. I missed my routine.

Good pre-session routine helping a lot today so far. Running well and very relaxed, no tilt from driving through traffic and poor sleep. Making good decisions in game, not punting with wide bluffs either. I was happily surprised to find my milk hadn’t spoiled either.

I have a lot of bills coming up and I really need to hunker down and get back to basics, don’t get out of line too much. Playing the big mix even twice this year was a really bad decision. Every thousand dollars is really important.

Just as I am writing this I start to run bad and punt preflop with bad kings…woe is me! Left 1/2 plo….

At 10/10 now, ran trips into trips and about even. Really trying to play snug.

Do you think that even the best poker players sometimes play poorly? Or are they the best because they always play their A game?

Lately I’ve had a crisis of confidence in my abilities after a few questionable plays.

It’s time for a cute animal..!

Yes even the best poker players make errors. The key is to learn from them, not let them put you on tilt, and play as well as you can. Also be disciplined and honest with yourself; too often good but not great players let results determine whether or not they view a play as good aggression or spew. Remember that individual hand or day results often just show variance but given your number of hours your year to date results show skill vs your standard opponent. You are winning so you should realize what that most likely means. Keep it up.

Woke up after good sleep, getting back into a routine at home again.

After losing big combo draw to top set and KK all in pre to a flatted AA at 1/2 plo, was quite card dead for a few hours at 10/10, quit as I was getting frustrated and made a last-minute comeback at 5/5 before the game broke, lost a ds KK versus tilted short stack and side pot and flopped a set but got runner runner flushed. Game was close to breaking when I was stuck but I got AA all in three ways and held and profited a little on the day.

I am pretty sad lately, if things don't turn around soon I might have my first losing month this year...! Having really large tax bills this month doesn't help relieve my anxiety either. (Self-employed people have to pay quarterly estimated taxes or face a $500 penalty at the end of the tax year.) I am not normally this cash poor and ideally I would have more in reserve to pad my bankroll. Otherwise I may have to sell some investments and put the Florida condo on hold indefinitely. Hope things turn around! Tighten up butter cup.

I can't imagine going all year without a losing month. Just seems like variance to me. I am sorry you are going through it. Don't tighten up to the point that you aren't playing you best. Just hang in there. If you feel the tilt coming, take a walk or call it a day.

Thanks for the support! I can't help but feel I am to blame though, making some bad decisions preflop and with game selection too. That's the worst part about it is I don't think I can just chalk it up to running bad, I am actually playing badly in spots and making bad decisions more than usual, which is unusual for me. I did take a week off to have some fun which never helps the bottom line either.

Eg,jamming QJ on J778Q in hold em when I should just call or fold. Min clicking KKJ52ss over a short stack open and several calls, 5! after the shorty jammed and getting 6! from someone who flatted AA twice.

Maybe I am getting a little worked up over nothing, it's not the end of the world to sell some investments to have more cash if I actually get to that point.

Poker can be pretty humbling.

Thank you, I will keep it up and try to play my best poker!

Well, get back to your A game!!! Seriously, you have identified the problem so fix it. It is totally within you to not play bad 😉

I played a very tight 10/10 session and got fed up with being continuously card dead two days in a row in it so I quit for 1/2 5 card. Missed a value bet with the nut flush on the river but I was checking to induce. Then over -boated Q7 with QQ when I was bluffing with top set and the bare Ad. Nice when that works out. Raucous player said my nickname was now “PJL, professional John lawyer.”

At 10/10 someone started talking about side hustles and kinky stuff and mentioned painting your toes pink. The dealer (50 y/o white dude) got a chuckle so I said he looked like he was “into a pink toe or two,” prompting laughter. At least I still have my sense of humor even when losing.

At 10/10 a good reg in the 100/200 mix asked if I was playing tomorrow with so and so who is good action. I said “no.” He asked why not, “you’re good you don’t lose.” Haha. I guess so he thinks. At least I have a good image. Or he was just encouraging me to play more cause I’m a fish!

Was card dead at 10/25/50 hold 'em, got TT and 99 were some of the best hands and took it down pre, last hand I get AA, open UTG, and everyone folds and I quit tired and annoyed. Lost just a few hundo on the night thanks to some decent rungood at 1/2 5 plo. Put some money in bad with second nut fd OP top pair and turned nut open ender against the table spot which I regret but he was pretty wild so I adjusted my calling range a bit to account for this. Multiway still probably need to just let this go though.

chatted up a government worker at 10/25, I asked how many hours he actually worked a day and he said "eight," "I mean, how many do you actually work? A solid 5?" "Yes," he chuckled. "My buddy worked for the IRS and around covid said they just paid him to play video games all day. Those tax evaders must be happy, 'no wonder we aren't getting audited, they're playing mario kart all day,'" I added.

Good sound sleep, might have a date night. Reading up more on mixed games too, some great articles in card player magazine by Kevin Haney. I appreciate someone who has though deeply about poker! I have done a lot of that for plo.

I am in a better mood back home, people know me and ask me questions, one guy asked if he should play a dealt royal utg in plo5, someone told him to ask me. The table vibe is much happier here compared to borgata.

Actually being balanced and playing GTO is designed to be a non-losing strategy not a winning strategy. It prevents people from playing exploitive poker vs you at the price of you not playing exploitive poker vs them. Very useful if your opponents are better than you are but a mistake if you are better than they are. There are players in your normal level of games where playing balanced is pure spew as they will clearly call too often/fold too often and being balanced means you are not punishing a flaw that you have noticed.

Had a great date night with the ex, we did a yoga/exercise/stretching session together, very fun! Was in a great place mentally and played really well, cards did not fall my way at 5/5 though, got outflopped a few AAs, in some marginal spots postflop where I just x/f, a nut wrap double bdfd and overcard and pair lost to top two (I was 60/40 favorite), another AA got outflopped as well, made a little comeback at 1/2 plo at least but lost $3,200 or so on the night.

It's been casual for a while now, I can't tell if he's interested in more or not. He started seeing someone else a while ago but that apparently fell apart. I'm fine with our current arrangement, it's nice to catch up every so often and I get the feeling of companionship without some of the burdens of a full time relationship. He knows I spend a lot of time on poker as well and he may want more time together if we were full time than I could offer.

ah that actually sounds kind of nice

Grinded my way a little less stuck for the month, up $1,200 thanks to 1/2 plo. My bluffs got through, value held for the most part, even though I missed one draw. One new guy was constantly concerned about cheating because the shuffler wasn't working and said "this place is weird." Lol. Had a coaching session with someone visiting from PA, we played at the same table and got dinner, was productive. $71,841 to go or so.

So far not playing great poker up to my standards again, down a few hundo after gambling too much with speculative hands and getting it in marginally after the flop. Basically playing like a bad recreational player in a lot of spots due to tilt. I could be up a good amount right now if I played better.

77665ss call raise 3! And 4! Thinking they are blocking each other. KQJJ4 raise second nut flush draw nut gutter top pair three ways on flop against top set and the naked nut flush draw.

Get QQJ55ds in pre against capped ranges trying to get it heads up with an overlay against the short stack who 3!. Winner hits and runs.

Lots of things not working out right now and a lot my fault. Really need to get back to first principles and basics as this is getting out of hand.

I reviewed one spot with some friends most said I played it fine. Getting it in pre with QQ probably not ok.

THESE ***** FISH ALWAYS HIT AND RUN ON ME…AHHHH!!!!!!!! Mother fkers. Everyone’s got somewhere to be suddenly after they win a big pot.

It sounds like you could use a real break. Everyone needs a break / vacation especially if you are working 7 days a week. You clearly are suffering from burnout. Money will always be there, free time will not.

Still nice weather in USA. Why not go take a week off somewhere nature oriented and reset? Do not even think about poker. Go take a break, you earned it.

I just took a "break," guess it wasn't that restful. Lost a ds AA towards the end of my session, the winner had somewhere to be suddenly, and then I started chipping up until I was only stuck $1,600 or so. It was late and I was tired and quit.

I have a Florida trip in the works with my friends late this month / early next month.

I definitely have tilt accumulating over many weeks now. I can tell because I had a good pre-session routine yesterday but that didn't stop me from gambling with QQJJ8ds and QQJ55ds AQQ75 pre a few times in my session. I will do a longer stretching/relaxation/exercise routine before heading out today to be in as good a mental state as possible. Sold another eBook, at least I am making a little money somehow. Got another positive review in my coaching thread too which was nice. All good things to be happy about.

Also I am not stuck as much as I feared this month and I have time to turn it around.