Well I made my first trip of the year to Borgata. Just played $1/$2, played 41 hours and won $1650.
I post some more thoughts later, but tbh I never had a tough decision all weekend.
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Well I made my first trip of the year to Borgata. Just played $1/$2, played 41 hours and won $1650.
I post some more thoughts later, but tbh I never had a tough decision all weekend.
happy new year!Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
Alright, new blog, here we go!
why isn't there 20 posts in here yet ? lol
Feel bad I haven't posted anything here.
I've got a new app called Poker Journal that allows you to record sessions,and that was a big part of my motivation for keeping a blog last year. I pretty much do all of my living off my iPhone, including eating -- probably 60% of my meals come from Seamless now.
Anyway I've played 9 sessions on the year, 7 of them at Borgata and I've yet to have a losing session there. I finally stopped pussying out and played 2/5 this trip and it's gone great. Another part of the reason I haven't posted is that I've hardly had any hands that weren't totally standard, maybe the only real tough decision I've had this year was this hand:
http://www.flopturnriver.com/pokerfo...g~-198587.html
I'm up $3,356 over 91 hours, playing decently and running really well. I've made about 3 largeish mistakes this year that were just silly and unnecessary but I pretty much knew they were mistakes at the time. That probably tells you how well I've been running in other hands though.
This trip has been a nice ego boost. I've run into some good players who complimented me; one guy I played with at Aria last year said he didn't want me at my table when the floor was looking for a spot to move me. Another guy who is a really solid live pro told a mutual friend that he was impressed with a couple of hands I played against him, and people moving seats a lot at my table to not have to be OOP against me.
[lowcontentbragposts]
A couple of fun hands against a friend of mine. (He's young, Ivy league law student, plays solid but not an online player, not a theory guy)
I open KK UTG to $20 at $2/$5 (have about $1100 effective), woman calls, my friend (~$1000) repops to $80. I flat, woman ponders a bit and flats.
Flop: :ks: :jd: :8c:
I check, she checks, he bets $135, I call, she folds.
Turn: :4c:
I bet $220, he calls.
River: :3d:
I jam, he folds and says he had AK.
Maybe an hour later, seats are opening up, new players are coming, I choose to move across the table from the 1 seat (I usuallylike the 1 seat, but it was physically uncomfortable due to various factors. I gave my friend choice, I was moving to his direct left but said he could take it and have position on me instead. He took it. First hand, while I'm still moving chips around the table, he opens UTG for $20, 2 calls, woman ships about $200, I hurry across the table to get my cards. I have KK and jam, everyone else folds. My friend folded 99 and would have won, but I win instead.
KK hand vs your friend
What are effective stacks?
I would open to $25 probably, esp EP. At least in my games, I'd say that's around the standard open. I'd also potentially 4b (pending stack sizes).
As played, really don't like the turn donk. Just c/c down. What hands are you hoping will continue on turn to your donk that would bet and then fold to a flop c/r or not keep betting themselves? I'd prefer c/c down > c/r flop+barrel > donk all streets > c/c flop and donk turn.
I felt like given action, he will check back AK/AA a lot on the turn. Preflop he'd fold a ton of his AK/JJ- hands to a 4-bet, we don't have any history of messing around with each other preflop, especially not with EP opens.
So I had my best Borgata trip ever.
Finished 2nd in a $340 buying tournament, 203 runners. We got to 3-handed and made a deal, I took 2nd and $9,745, really $9,445 because I had to give $300 to the first-place guy (he got $13,100 instead of 16,500).
I did well at cash, too, feeling pretty comfortable at 2/5. I feel like I've only run into one superior player at 2/5 at the Borgata, but game selection is really key here, as the disparity in skill level can be vast.
http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/t...92148725_n.jpg
I'll post some hands later.
Good player opens in EP to $15...this is his normal sizing at 2/5 as he likes to open a lot of hands.
I flatted :qs: :js: OTB and everyone else folds
flop ($32) :qc: :qd: :2c:
He bets $25 and I call
turn ($82) :9s:
He bets $45 and I call
river ($172) :7d:
He checks, I bet $55 and he check-raises to $210, hero tanks....
I took forever, pretty much convinced this is a fold
Spoiler:He shows :6d: :6h: for a bluff. I only called because I suspected he was capable of turning made hands into a bluff and because I wondered if he expected me to bet 1-pair type hands on this river when he checks.
Hand vs. fish
EP limp, CO limps, I make it $30 OTB with :qh: :qs:
BB calls, EP folds, CO calls. Both villains are mid-50s Chinese fish.
flop ($97):
:jc: :tc: :ts:
BB checks, CO checks, I bet $65, BB calls, CO calls
turn ($192) :8s:
BB checks, CO bets $140, I call, BB folds
River: ($472) :kd:
CO bets $303 and is all in....hero tanks
Spoiler:
I don't see how this is anything but a fold....he shows me QJo and asks if I had better
1. Surprised that ppl are opening 3x live, I've definitely hardly seen that and esp not EP.
As for the hand, I'm never folding river after your sizing. That being said, I think enough draws brick that I'd prob just bet 3/4 pot.
2. Meh yah I'd fold.
I guess I have kind of buried the lead here, kind of forgot to mention these things since I've written about it in so many other places.
but yeah I've had a fun year so far.
In a PLO tourney, I played with James Woods for a couple of hours. Won a huge pot off him when I had the NFD + 2 pair vs. his worse flush draw and worse 2 pair. He actually misread his hand and thought he had a straight! Later on, I knocked him out with AAxx unimproved vs. his combo draw.
And in the $340, I played with Anthony Rapp, who was on my direct left for several hours. He's an actor and Broadway star, but actually a quite serious poker player, with 11 cashes on his Hendon Mob page. I knocked him out too with KK > A2 aipf. We got along great and he invited me to his private game held in a bar off Broadway -- he and his friend play there after shows (he's in "If, Then" with Idina Menzel).
So I have a pretty good track record of KOing stars in tournaments: Woods, Rapp, Melanie Weisner and Ken Daneyko.
It's official, I am God-moding 2015.
Played a $120 in the Deepstacks Challenge at Borgata, 388 entrants, made final table and we chopped it at 5 for $4,600.
also played cash at the Borgata for 13 hours and made $1860.
Fish on a heater
Last 10 tournaments
Little Drop (+re-entry) 2,222 = +2,630
Aria 500 565 = 16,000
$230 PLO = 960
$400 NLHE = 0
$400 NLHE = 0
$400 NLHE = 0
$340 PLO = 826
$340 NLHE = 9,455
$120 NLHE = 0
$120 NLHE = 4,646
----------------------
5,137 = 34,517
Ship it!
Ride the god mode imo :)
hey couple of interesting hands I think
1. QQ vs. UTG raise and 3-bet
we had a round of straddles going
I'm in the straddle
UTG is new player and makes it $55
1 fold, tight shortstacking Chinese lady makes it $110 and has $120 behind
it folds to me and I have QQ
This hand illustrates kind of a change in my thinking in these games of late. I used to say, "Hey, I have QQ, she only has $230 anyway, and if I'm beat it's a cooler, plus I could have a sidepot with the other guy."
Now it's more like, "Meh, why bother." I folded and UTG got it in, Chinese lady's AA held/got there with rivered broadway (Q on river)
2. 99 bluffcatching for stacks
There's a straddle and 2 limps, I make it $45 on the button with :9c: :9s:
straddle and limpers call
flop: :qs: :td: :8d:
all check to me
I am torn on betting and checking here. I feel like this group of players will lead QJ/KQ type hands here often enough that I can TID by betting
I bet $115 into ~$245ish
straddle folds, EP limper makes it $275 and has $105 left, 1 fold
limper is an early 30s woman, she's pretty aggro (i.e. never limping a big hand like KQ/AQ/TT). I have blockers to J9 and NO blockers to a diamond draw. I feel like she has flush draws SOOO often, although it blows when she has QJdd
I jam, she calls.
:ks: on turn :4d: on river so I can't beat anything, she rolls over :ad: :6d:
Last hand of weekend
UTG and UTG+1 limp
I am UTG+2 with :ac: :qh:
and make it $30
everyone folds and limpers call
flop (pot $97) :jh: :9h: :3d:
both check I bet $55, both call
turn (pot $252) :kd:
both check I bet $115 both call
river (pot $597) :9s:
both check
I jam ~$525 into ~$600
Talked to Griffey and he thinks the 99 hand is really bad, I think it's ok. I doubt she has any real made hands, I think she is never limping most hands that hit this board hard except QT and MAYBE 88 (she prob opens 88).
(although I agree that checking back might be the best option here)
we're putting in another $260 to win ~$740
http://www.propokertools.com/simulat...d7d+&s=generic
board: Qs Td 8d
Hand Equity Wins Ties 9s9c 34.59% 21,550 1,418 QJ, Q8s, T8s, QT, J9, Ad2d, ad3d, ad4d, ad5d,ad6d, ad7d, ad9d, adjd, KJ, Jd9d, Jd7d, Kd9d, Kd7d, Kd6d, Qd9d, Qd7d 65.41% 41,382 1,418
So I was tempted to start a new thread but that would mean Daven would have stuff to do here. ;)
Anyway, big news: I am making long-term plans to go mostly pro by next summer (2016)
I've put a lot of thought into it over the past few months, spent a lot of time talking to people in the game -- people who have made it, are trying to make it and some who haven't.
I've set some pretty high but attainable goals, including life savings outside of poker, BR goals, and life health goals (quitting smoking is one). If I can get all these things in order then I suppose I'll do it as soon as that happens. If not, I'll reassess in a year or so. Of course, a million things good and bad can happen, but I need probably at least that long to sort out the non-poker stuff.
I will keep this updated on a fairly regular basis, and am hoping for discussion and feedback from all members here.
:h:Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
ask one question - will this make your life happier and more fun. If so, then enjoy the ride!Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
yep yep
I'm still in the process of talking to everyone I know in poker who is serious about it. There are a lot of things to consider. It always seems to me that the local grinders, $2-$5 regs at Borgata are miserable and/or living on the margins of profitability, except for the very best ones.
I'm also getting coaching from a world-class player in non-Hold'em games, as I think being able to earn in different games is key...being able to game select/table select is a crucial skill in playing for a living IMO, and the more juicy games you can jump in, the better.
For example, I've made a killing in PLO this year, but very small sample. I only get in when there are huge donators in the game. In every game I've played this year, at least 1 person dumped $5K (1,000 bbs) in the game. When they bust, it's time to leave.
I have a biased perspective, given I've been rolling pretty well lifetime in live games (rolling well or playing well?). The uncertainty to that question is the only thing that would ever have me worry about going live. Well that.. and having played online and having experienced 30k, 50k+ hands of run bad... and extrapolating that to how long that represents in the live world. That's a scary prospect.
That being said, the quality of live play is so much worse than online, that it should definitely dampen any bad run, and stretch/heighten any good run.
I'm sure you'll kill it and looking forward to hearing about it and being jealous that I don't have the freedom to do the same :P
I'm planning on moving to Las Vegas to do this. It's extremely cheap to live in Vegas. Most of the pitfalls that sink aspiring pros shouldn't be a problem:
A. I don't drink and don't do drugs.
B. I don't sink money into table games, slots of sports betting.
C. Work ethic isn't a problem, I have no problem grinding 60+ hours a week.
I'm working right now on getting some part-time jobs that I can do from home in very little time to supplement my income. Hopefully to the tune of 2K per month. If worse comes to worst, I'll eat off casino comps.
Do you have a target in mind, where in you're head you can say "If I make X per month consistently, then doing this switch is worth it"?
how many hours per month is the target?
yeah I have some total goals in terms of bankroll and life roll that I want to reach...
I'd like to get in ~1,000 hours of live cash this year and assess things after that.
I'm getting coaching from a world-class player in mixed games, starting this week. We'll be doing a stud hi session on Tuesday, will report back.
Nice, what's the format of the couching? skype or in-person? Theory discussion?Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
Skype....
I'm sort of a novice at stud but I think I can beat 10-20 right now, I'd like to move up to 20-40 or 40-80 games with this.
My coach thinks I should focus on the Borgata $10/$20 OE game rather than playing Stud hi...
This weekend I didn't go to AC and I played in local $1/$2 games that were the softest ever...obviously I lost in both lol.