**** TJ's 2026 WSOP Trip! ...And Continued Sundry Poker Adventures ****

TJ - I always look at my summer trip the same as you. While it's not my only vacation of the year, because I always have to take my family somewhere in April everyear for spring break, it's MY only vacation, and the only thing I do only for me. My wife is a stay at home mom, and I have busted my ass at work to make sure they have everything they need, so I never feel bad spending usually about 5K myself on flight/hotel/food/cabs/entertainment, and then whatever poker is, it is.

This year I am finding myself wishing I could have gone for longer, or could go back out more so than any other year. Probably because I feel I still have unfinished business out there this summer due to how I ran overall, but as Dog said, I find eventually that fades, and then in a weird way, June comes around again faster then I ever really imagine.....

Thanks for the effort here as usual TJ, and sorry results weren’t what you hoped. I wound up flying home earlier than expected when my cold wound up with me completely losing my voice two weeks ago - I’m rested up and looking forward to my second leg starting on Monday.

congrats on not bumming a cig!
do not remember my last one, but it was fairly heavy in my early 20s until other forms of nicotine took over. grew up in a second-hand household, had awful ear infections as a kid, used to get nauseous on family road trips even with the windows cracked. was once able to predict with startling accuracy when someone in the car in front us was smoking at highway speeds, not so much any more.

Yes, keep the non-smoking thing going, TJ!

My childhood. But I do remember my last cigarette. 1 year to the day before my wedding (so March 2009). Was a hot day in Phoenix. Smoking ban had passed and been implemented, so I had to go outside to smoke at the pool hall we were in (day drinking FTW). Patio was a little thing, with tall walls but no roof and no breeze. Mid day, sun overhead, warm/hot, no shade. I smoked about half the cigarette and started feeling sick to my stomach. Couldn't lose that feeling over the course of the afternoon, so when I got home, I threw the 1/2 empty pack of smokes (Camel Lights if I know me) on the table and said I'm not smoking anymore. Left the pack on the table for 3-4 days and then threw it away. Never smoked (cigarettes ) again.

Side note regarding Red's last sentence: While still a smoker, I was driving up to Squaw Valley from Reno following a pickup truck with topper and several Grateful Dead stickers. At highway speeds, I could smell the patchouli. I can only imagine what the inside of the truck smelled like!

Same thing for me, quit after 20 years of heavy smoking. November 11 2011. I came home from work the night before and picked up my then 6 month old kid to hug him and he frowned at me and pulled away. I had wanted to quit for a while but that was the last straw and I haven’t touched a single cigarette since then.

I may have been able to successfully quit smoking, but I’m very much still addicted to nicotine.

I use Zyn nicotine pouches, which you can buy anywhere you can buy cigarettes. They come in two dose strengths, 6 mg and 3 mg. They’re great, you don’t have to dip, or spit anything, and people can’t tell when I have one in.

When I first quit, I was more worried about being able to quit successfully, so I was using the 6’s, practically one right after the other. I told myself I’d eventually start to taper, and be done with nicotine forever. Then I blinked, and a year and a half went by, and I was still using a bunch of Zyn 6’s to get me through the day.

My dentist noted that my gum health and appearance has significantly improved since I quit smoking. But she’s worried that I’m starting to have a little gum recession on the bottom gum line, which is where I pack the Zyns. So I need to start making progress towards ending my nicotine dependence.

I told myself I’d get right on that… after I got back from Las Vegas.

In my first week back to work, I’ve switched to the 3’s full time, and it’s going okay. I can definitely notice the difference. They feel like they wear off faster than the 6’s, so I’m trying to avoid using more to compensate.

Eventually I want to progress towards skipping usual doses, working towards the goal of cutting them out entirely.

It’s like what I told myself when I first quit smoking. No matter how tense, anxious, and bad I feel, I’m not gonna DIE if I don’t have a smokey treat right now. But if I DO have a smoke right now, I WILL die.

So these are the mental games I’ve been playing with myself, on the never ending journey to strive for self improvement.

I gave up up around 10 years ago after smoking at least a pack a day for the previous 30+ years. I can still walk behind someone smoking and enjoy it. But the urge to have one has basically gone now. Maybe when I have some terminal decease and only months to live I'll indulge again.

the addiction is not only pinched between your cheek and gum
it also starts leaking into your daily navigation patterns
whether swinging by the local to buy extra before long weekend trips or skipping off the the restroom to wash your hands before mastering the imperceptible undertable replentish technique it is all insidious to human health

That concludes the “WSOP” part of this trip, and kicks off the “continued sundry poker adventures”-part!

It’s a new month, so this is where I usually recap the previous month, and set goals for the next month. I didn’t play any poker in June other than my Vegas trip, so scroll up to read that recap.

…You don’t appreciate what you have, until it’s gone.

I had a pretty cushy gig, on the job front. I only had to work three 12’s a week, which gave me 4 days off a week, to DJ, play poker, and work out.

One of my coworkers is retiring. Until we can fill his position, that means I’ll be going up to four 12’s a week, for the foreseeable future.

Which, to be clear, isn’t so bad. I’ll get a little bit of overtime, at time and a half, on every paycheck going forward, so I’ll make a little more money. But I’m more irked by the fact that means I’ll have less free time, to play poker (where I was making more income than my day job, sometimes), and hit the gym.

I’ve really fallen off my consistency at the gym the last couple months, between all the trips I’ve taken. On my first day back, I couldn’t do all the lifts in my workout routine, at the weights I was up to two months ago. Felt like a quivering blob of jello doing my planks.

However, thanks to my tirzepatide, it hasn’t impacted my weight loss journey. I’m titrated up to a pretty high dose, and seeing results. The GLP-1, and associated diet changes, appears to be the real driver of my weight loss, not my (lately) inconsistent gym effort.

I have been experiencing some unpleasant GI side effects. The evidence-based practice nurse in me notes that’s a clinical indication to reduce the dose. But selfishly, my goal is to maximize the therapeutic effects. So I’ll continue to put up with some occasional nausea and vomiting, as tolerated.

YTD Weight Loss:

-27.2 lbs

July goals:

6+ poker sessions

8+ workouts

Can you fill the coworker's spot, and take care of the overtime problem that way?

Best wishes on the weight loss going forward, but those don't sound like, "unpleasant side effects." Take some time and think about it please.

Don't fly this one solo TJ, I'm not going to hijack your thread, but IMHO you should be talking to your doctor about these symptoms.

At the very least a risk of dehydration (and further real life complications), especially in the summer, is possibly significant.

BTW, I've heard that GLP's actually break down muscle as to how they operate within the body. So that could be a reason why you are feeling weaker at the gym lately.

:: And back to your regularly scheduled TJ Eck programing ::

TJ, as someone who is also on tirzepatide (taking a much smaller dose than you are), I'm not surprised you are getting some GI and nausea issues based on what you are eating from your trip reports. Those were far bigger portions than what I could eat today at one sitting. After my first vomiting adventure, I've paced myself. It makes a big difference.

As for the muscle weakness, that has much more to do with not working out as much than actual weight loss. Get back to your routine and that shouldn't be much of an issue. At least it hasn't for me.

Good luck on this part of your adventure.

teejay only thing to offer is suggesting you do not gloss over adivce from the previous two posters
hope as a trained and certified nurse you diagnose yourself with the same agnostic metrics as any other hippa anonymous patient

Thanks for your concerns, everybody. Sincerely.

I’ve noticed the negative side effects usually peak 24-36 hours after my weekly shot, when the medication levels in my system are the highest.

It’s not so unpleasant and intolerable that I can’t handle it. And again, the medication appears to be the driver of my weight loss, which is the therapeutic benefit I’m attempting to maximize.

I’ll be okay.

Played my first session locally since getting back from Las Vegas.

The session at G was a loser, -2.3k, but I found myself in a couple interesting spots I wanted to write up.

2nd hand of the night, I have the $15 button straddle with K665, one limp, I check my option.

Flop comes Q-6-3 two clubs, my opponent check/calls my pot $30 bet.

The turn is an offsuit king, now he wakes up, and leads out pot, $90.

I have a set of 6’s on Q-6-3-K two clubs… vs this opponent, I think I’m WAY good. I re-pot to $360, he thinks a moment and calls.

Get the absolute WORST river, the ace of clubs. He shoves the rest of it.

I would have happily stacked off on the turn, and come what may, but I think it’s abundantly clear I’m beat right now. So I make what I think is a standard PLO fundamentals fold, and I arrive to the decision fairly quickly.

Topped up, and the highest-leverage hand of the night came about an hour later. There’s a button straddle for $15, first in to act with KK88 double suited. I just call, but get a backraise in preflop to get it down to heads up, virtually committed.

Get a pretty good flop, As-K-Qs. I shove the rest, he calls. He asks what I have, and I say a set and nut spades… what do YOU have? He says just nuts.

Run it once, always once… and it comes red 9, red 3, so I lose to JT, and nothing else.

Completely fine with that hand. If you’re not willing to pile everything in with that hand, don’t play Omaha. Close to a coin flip, too bad it didn’t go my way.

I’m proud to say I picked up the rest of it, when it became clear a comeback was impossible. I didn’t want to top up, go deeper, or play short.

So I made the right decision.

AND, big news.

I weighed myself at work today, and I’m officially coming in at 299.5 lbs!

First time below 300 since at least my early 20’s (I’m tall).

FIRED UP to get some rest, get back in the gym tomorrow, and play some more.

Welcome to the Under 300 Club. Congrats. Keep it going.

Congrats on being under 300. I walked around at 305-315 for quite some time. Been in the 260-270 range for about 5 years. It’s much better on the knees. Congrats Again.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats. That's a major achievement.

more like not so big news 😃

Congrats on getting under 300! I knew you looked slimmer since the last time we hung out. Keep up the good work.

Much love from EVERYONE in this thread, and a shout out to brianr, who has ~40 bb in the Main Event, in the money on Day 4!

Gogogogogo!

And also old friend CuseRounder has chips in the money, and is posting his updates on another site!