2024... didn't happen. 2025 however...

 As readers of my home poker blog know, last year was easily the worst year of my life as my wife's health crisis was an unimaginable journey of pain, suffering and despair, even though in the end, it was ultimately a triumph.  Her illness and need for care and protection from germs, necessarily put playing live poker on the well deserved back burner for almost the entire year.

Now on the other side of that battle, which we won (though we may still have not won the war as adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is notorious for coming back) I was able to finally return to the felt in person at the end of 2024.   In other words, Beverly - my wife and love of my life, was done with treatment and her immune system was normal, so I was able to be among people again and partake in passing around chips and cards.

First game back in almost 11 months!

My first stop of course was my beloved garage, I hosted several cash games - and from there it was onto my almost as beloved Moose Lodge just five minutes from my house, where again I indulged in cash game play over a couple of late Monday night sessions.

Finished down just a little - but it felt like a big win!

My return to the felt was certainly was not all at once.  The garage games came first in late November, where I could control who showed up and ensure that no one was sick.  Then once my wife's absolute neutrophils were at a hearty level, it was ok to take a chance among the great unwashed (that would be people that I potentially did not know, nor knew of their health status.). The lodge of course has a rule that if you are sick you need to stay home, but of course we all know that not everyone heeds this all the time.

That said, I was comfortable going, knowing that when and if I did catch something, my wife would be able to fight it off if I somehow gave it to her.  We have both determined early on that we would of course be sensible - but neither of us want to be cowed by cancer - we absolutely want to live our lives.  And for me, live poker is absolutely a big part of being happy in my life.

Flashing back to September - As Beverly had come through her surgery with flying colors in July (although she still a difficult recovery) and was cancer free, I had the foresight to book in advance my annual trip to the Golden Nugget Hotel in Vegas for the Moose International Texas Hold-Em Tournament in January 2025.

You can certainly read about my two other trips here and here - in 2022 and 2023 respectively.  I was unable to attend in 2024 because Beverly was diagnosed right when it was being held, so I kissed my $600+ goodbye and looked at it as a donation to the Moose organization, which is ok as I am rather fond of it.

But this year there would be no last minute cancellation - Beverly was cancer free and insisted that I go on the trip that I had booked months ago.

If you bother to read the two blog posts on my past forays to the Nugget and the Moose Tourney, you'll see that not only did I not cash in the Moose Main Event tournament, I was cashless in all the side events as well!  At least half a dozen tournaments each trip with no money whatsoever!

Well, I'm beyond thrilled to say (spoiler alert) - that all changed massively on this trip!

Got my SWAG - nerd!  (also Purple for Pancreatic Cancer y'all)

I was super pumped to be going for sure, and even happier that one of my bestest poker buddies Jeffrey G. was going with me - on the same flight and everything!  Friendsies.  Yay.  

It meant I had someone to gab with on the flight and the uber.  Even better, once we arrived at Le' Nugget in the early afternoon and we had to endure the always nightmarish check-in line - we could do so together and continue to catch up and talk about the upcoming poker adventure.

Our bromance continued with a tasty Mexican food lunch at one of the Nugget restaraunts and then we were both ready to hop in the 3pm $175 10K Guarantee NLHE Event #29 on the schedule.

The GN tournament series are always well run and have excellent structures.  The dealers are a mixed bag, but almost none of them are green and there are quite a few that are excellent.  The cocktail service is light years better than the WSOP, as they have enough staff to be speedy and efficient.

Unfortunately the Nugget still has the absolute highest juice/vig of any live special tournament series in Vegas at a whopping 25% (or even more in the lowest buy-in events).  While this rate is commiserate with most daily tournaments in Vegas, it is not in line with most other venues when it comes to a special tournament series.  The Wynn Winter Classic runs at 12% and the Venetian Deep Stack Series also typically gets a 12% to 15% cut depending on the size of the buy-in.

But that aside, as mentioned - the GN does a good job in being very player friendly, especially to recreational players with their substantial starting stacks and sensible blind structures.

So with all this info already in my mind - I was fully prepared to just enjoy myself, dip my toes back into tournament waters, and be very mindful and appreciative of the entire experience of just simply being there and playing the game I love.

Cashing was not really on my mind at all - apart from trying to make good decisions from street to street and consciously telling myself not to get rattled by any bad beats or clueless players.   Regardless of how the cards fell or how my opponents played, I was determined to have a great time.

And this indeed came to pass in relatively short order...

I was at a place where I had been quite a few times before in a larger field tournament - probably past the midway point, with not a deep stack and a handful of mistakes and missed opportunities resulting in a mild frustration and understanding that I was not likely to make the money.

But this time it felt different - not that I thought I was going to get several double ups and make the money or anything like that - I just truly, genuinely wasn't bothered by the prospect of busting.  This was absolutely what I wanted, what I signed up for.  I was humbled and happy just to be where I was, regardless of outcome.  And then...

I got all my chips in the middle with JJ and somehow they held up vs. AQ!  I had life!

And I managed to hold on for another 90 minutes, stealing the blinds when I could, c-bet bluffing when I needed to, and getting out early when the flop was unhelpful.

Before I knew it, we were hand for hand - and then - in the money!  I had broken the Golden Nugget curse, which went back through two years of Moose events and beyond also into a NLHE event 10 years ago when I busted early out of an event at Binion's, and then a few years later in an ill-advised Golden Nugget Dealer's Choice event.

Unfortunately, even in 2025, the Golden Nugget has not done what the World Series of Poker started doing last year - paying 15% with a min-cash of double the buy-in.  No, the GN is still stuck in 2015 and pays just over 10% and the min-cash is barely your money back.  Boo!

All the same, I was able to ladder up quite a bit through the micro-pay jumps until I finally succumbed and managed to collect over twice what I had bought in for!

I would absolutely take it!

I was pumped to finally score in the nitty confines of the Grand Ballroom at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas.

So satisfying to finally learn where you take your payout slip (there's a desk in the Grand itself) and then wander over to the main casino cage and get some cold hard cash slapped down on the counter!

I of course then lost it all on black jack, as far as the IRS is concerned, but I was still super excited and optimistic for the next day - Monday - Day 1 of the 3 day event known as the Moose International No-Limit Texas Hold-Em Tournament!

*****

After a delightful breakfast at the Claim Jumper in the GN with Jeffy and a few of the more beloved (by me) Moose Crew...

...we skedaddled on over to the Grand Ballroom and sat down for action!

There were, I believe, just over 30 Ladies and Gentlemen from our individual Moose Lodge, among the over 1100 other tournament players!  The field was so large they had to divide it into morning and afternoon groups.  Having registered early, I got to choose which field to be in - and I had chosen the AM shift.

Our lodge had, as always, a "last longer" bet of $20 each, which meant a grand prize of over $600 for whoever lasted longest before busting in the tournament out of our group.  Always a pretty bad bet for me, I tend to play for a bigger stack and less for surviving, so I didn't even think much about the wager, until later that is... (insert maniacal laughter here).

I had to remind myself that the field was going to be soft, and it was, but that I shouldn't take anything for granted and not presume that I was going to run all over the field because obviously I AM SO MUCH BETTER THAN ALL OF THESE PLAYERS.  Ahem.  Sorry, I meant, I needed to stay patient and grounded and yes, take advantage when I could but not get out over my skis against my opponents, who generally being older than me also tended to be grumpy and did not like to fold to a 54 year young whipper snapper.

Cliff Notes to Self -  Bluff less, value bet more.  And so I did.

I could not sit idly by and wait for monsters.  Despite what I said about the Nugget having great structures, this Moose Main Event structure is actually drawn up by the senior officers of the Moose organization itself.  Meaning, it is quite the turbo.

And that's fine - there's 1100 people and only 3 days to make it work, so I am very accepting that this event in particular is more than a bit of bingo after a few hours.

I also keep in mind that this big event is for all intents and purposes, a charity event.  Moose International I believe takes upwards of half the prize pool as one of it's big annual fundraisers.  This is all great and for the greater good.  Mooseheart and Moosehaven charities are two fantastic causes (seniors and troubled youth) that the Moose organization supports.  Proud to be a Moose and help seniors and kids in need!

I believe - and my memory may be playing tricks on me - that we were scheduled for 7 hours of play with three 15 minute breaks interspersed, for Day 1.

It was four or five hours into the event when I first tweeted out a status.  This pretty much sums up how the day went...

I had indeed been rather card and spot dead - as is the normal default in most tournaments - but had been active enough and bold enough to put my chips to work as best I could to be one of the healthier stacks at my table.

I certainly wasn't bluffing willy-nilly, and I actually did not bluff much if at all (besides the occasional range c-bet) in the early levels.  But as the blinds escalated and the speculators tightened up drastically, all my years of experience kicked in and I recognized that I had to ramp up the aggression in position and pray that the sticky grumpy players of a couple of hours ago now didn't want to go to war and risk not making a bag.

For the most part, it worked.  And as the end of our flight approached I was pleased as punch to be where I was at.

I'm proud to say I did not break my post 5pm fasting deadline, though I certainly did want to eat and commiserate with my friends - no I just hung out a bit and railed the ones playing in the PM flight instead.  It was great randomly running into and briefly catching up with old Moose buddies who hadn't seen me in nearly a year. 

I was touched and honored at their joy in seeing me and their concern for me and my wife's well being.  That said, there was poker to be played - so it worked really wonderfully that people could quickly catch up and be happy and then get back to business!  It was never awkward, it was, all of it, quite lovely!  The perfect time and place for brief and happy reunions all over!

As the evening took over, my fatigue set in, and I retreated to my room to watch my beloved Rams unexpectedly trounce the mighty Vikings!  I definitely fell asleep with a smile on my face.

*****

The next morning I was up early, of course!

I once again hit the claim jumpers with Jeffy and this time we joined up with two other Moosers, both of whom were lovely but both had busted on day one.  Jeff himself had easily made it to day 2, playing the PM flight.  He had quite a bit more chips than me I believe. He is a formidable force on the felt.

After the meal I engaged in my post-breakfast ritual of a brisk walk up and down the Fremont Experience.   Taking in the cool sights and dodging the fentanyl tweakers.

Had to take a shot of this amazing sign!  A Poker players mantra!

Every year I have been to Fremont Street for this event, I walk off my breakfast.  Always on one of these days, I ventured inside a casino just to check in on it or check it out for the first time.

2023 was Circa I believe and the year before might have been the pathetic Binion's with its absent poker room.

This year I went, for the very first time, inside the legendary 4 Queens casino.  It was a trip!

Actually, no, they don't have any of this at all...

Yes part of the marquee read "POKER" but as I knew, the poker room in the 4 Queens had vanished decades ago.

The casino, at 9am on a Tuesday morning, was packed!  I could not believe it.  The place was popping!  Yes, there are still gamblers, who enjoy $5 Blackjack tables and nickel slots that actually can be played for less than a dollar a pull.   The Buffet Line was also well out the door and down onto the casino floor.   Good for 4 Queens!

It certainly wasn't the nicest casino - pretty grungy - but hey, I give them a lot of credit for having a thriving business this late in the game.   That is a very heart wrenching Poker sign outside though.  My good friend Dan has told me about the legendary room that used to be - it was cool and quiet and had a dark lounge vibe - kind of like the old Vegas Monte Carlo poker room, but even nicer.  So sorry I missed it!

And then it was time to return for a 10am restart for the Moose Main!  Both AM and PM fields from yesterday had been combined, and my foggy memory tells me it was well under half of 1100 that were coming back, around 350 or so.

Once again, my focus remained on enjoying myself and the moment - and concerning myself only with playing one street at a time as best I could.

It worked out pretty well for a few hours.  I believe they were paying 120 or so - and when we were at 130ish, I realized that I had enough chips that I was very likely going to make it into the money, barring any coolers or unforeseen catastrophes.

So very consciously, I began to slow down.  I had been playing with my usual zippiness, making quick decisions and mucking fast with trash - but once I realized where the numbers were, I saw no need to be Mr. Speedy any more. 

I'm generally not a fan of stalling at all - but if it's within the rules and it doesn't make people furious (and no one was close to being furious) I will indulge if the cash is important to me.

All told, my stalling, which was really more of a slowing down than legit stalling that I've seen in large events, probably gobbled up on average 20 seconds per hand, which may have helped, because all of the sudden we were actually hand for hand, just two players from the money.

IMHO we could've gone to H4H 3 or 4 players from the money and it would've meant less stalling foolishness (both minor by people like me and major no doubt from some others in the tournament) but hand for hand did it's thing and I didn't have to play slow any more which was a relief.

Of course, and I've seen this phenomenon more than once in my tournament career, there was a goofy guy at our table who had been completely oblivious to my slowing down, I mean completely unaware, and then all of the sudden when hand for hand play was announced - I'm not even kidding - he suddenly decided it made sense for him to stall.   It was so weird, really bizarre, but I've seen it more than once.  I don't know if there's a short circuit in people's brains or what, but I guess we should all be grateful for inexplicable behavior; it's the same kind of impulse that causes a player who's been playing fast as the money approaches to suddenly decide to stall now that they have stopped the clock until all tables deal one hand - this same kind of upside down logic - that gives us the terrible, rash, impulsive decisions in poker hands that see piles of chips pushed our way.

So I didn't say anything to the guy - others gave him a hard time.  I just shook my head.

Anyways, I want to say that hand for hand took maybe a half hour or so, maybe ten hands total.

At any rate...

The bubble had burst and I had some work to do.  I didn't go crazy right away, or even at all really, but I was back up on my haunches and ready to get my short stack in if given the right opportunity. 

I wasn't the shortest stack at my table at all - I was probably just below the middle, maybe 6th or 7th out of 10 (yes it was a 10 handed tournament blech, until shortly before we hit the money) - so there were a few micro-stacks that busted right away, and around the rest of the room for that matter.  Tables were breaking super fast after the bubble burst, including mine!  I was relocated to a table 6 or 7 I think (meaning we might not break again) and then this happened...

I actually have no memory of the hand - but I'm certain it was AIPF and I was in great shape, and my over pair held.  I want to say it was Kings, which was one of my first real premiums in a day and a half of play.

Anyways, after this manna from heaven, I noticed I was not alone in my excitable climb of the money ladder.

Yes, that's Jeff G. over my shoulder!

Not that it was much of a climb - the pay jumps were so tiny as to be laughable.  Like literally $5 pay jumps.  I decided not to pay too much attention to them, but rather I was more focused on who was left from our lodge - as that $600+ prize pool from the last longer bet at this point was indeed bigger than the payout if I busted!

All the same - now that I had 30+ big blinds and was WAY above average, I did indeed proceed to pummel my table.  The grumbling started, in spite of everyone generally being happy at being in the money.  "Hey this used to be a friendly table..." etc. etc. lol

As the day headed into it's final stretch, I noticed that there was only 3 of our lodge members left!  Now I was excited!

Can you see it on my face?

And yes, that's a photo from one of our lodge members.  Jeff, myself and Mr. David H. were the only ones left and we were apparently minor celebrities.

At this point I had the most wonderful experience over and over, from last few levels on day 2, all the way through my final fate on day 3 - Moose member after Moose member stopping by to say hi, shake hands, fist bump, pat me on the back - to say congrats for getting so deep!   

As the first wave of visitors passed through I made a promise to myself, to be mindful and recognize not only how special and rare it is to make it into the top 5% of a field of 1100, but how incredible it is to have such broad love and support from my brothers and sisters of the Moose.

I won't dwell and make it too awkward - but I absolutely slowed down from here on out to savor what was going on.  I really made a conscious effort to drink it all in, to look around, to take in the faces of the people who I cared about (and they for me), to also take in the size of the room, the scope of the event that actually means a ton to over a thousand people in that room and their fellow Moose members who couldn't make it, not to mention their friends and families.

I really did absolutely soak it all in.

I have no doubt that the hell on earth my wife went through in 2024, that I was along the ride with the whole way - gave me a great perspective that I'm grateful I had over these four days.  I will NEVER forget how special it was.

Speaking of special, Mr. David H busted with a couple of hours left, and my dear buddy Jeffy succumbed in 40th place not too long before we all bagged up with 33 players left.

David posted on social media at the end of the night and gave everyone the update - 

It was only about 730, but I was thrilled and exhausted.  It had been a long 8+ hours of poker that's for sure.

And so elated to be the last Moose member standing - with my wallet indeed a bit fatter already - I broke my almost always rock solid rule of eating after 5.  I dined by myself on the magnificent standard ribeye at Saltgrass, the GN's serviceable steakhouse and sports bar.  It was freaking delicious.

******

My stack was small at 10 big blinds as we started day 3 - with less than 4 tables remaining.  

I had once again done brekkie with Jeffy and then blasted up and down Fremont with a vigorous walk, perhaps with an extra spring in my step.

The second hand I played, I got it in with AK and rivered broadway to double up right away.  Up until the river hit I was well behind a pocket pair, though my overs were good so I hadn't given up hope.

Once again, though my stack was short I was well above average.  It was true, there were several players still in who did indeed have a shit-ton of chips.  It was amusing to see one of them at my table who was determined to give them all away by playing every hand.  Unfortunately I would not be a recipient.

We got down to 27 players and redrew - I found myself at table 1 which would eventually be the Final Table and I took the opportunity to take one of my favorite pictures I've ever been able to grab at a poker table.

You better believe I was doing some savoring the moment type shit here!

You'll also notice that I had chipped up significantly.  I really didn't take notes at all on any hands or chip fluctuations, I was really dialed in on two things.  One, trying to make the best poker decisions I could, and soaking up stuff like this...

Yes that's the rail, with no less than half a dozen of my fellow lodge members on both sides.  More than any money, even the 40K on top, it meant so much to see so many friendly faces!

I had a decent amount of chips, but was trending downwards, being card and spot dead - and then we were down to 18 players.  Total redraw again and I was back at table 2.

Then three players had busted when I woke up with 65 soooted in the small blind and was getting 9 to 1 on a call (versus 3 other players and a big blind ante) in the small blind with a passive table and a passive player in the big blind.  I knew it was a trouble hand but I am ok with my call.

The flop came 653 and I did something that I never do - I open jammed expecting to have the best hand nearly all the time.  I was likely around 10 big blinds and I really needed all that dead money out there - of course the big blind snapped with 24, and the button also called off with the same hand as mine - so my outs were all but dead, and that was that.

You're not wrong to intuitively understand that the payout seems low in a $360 tournament with 1100 players, it is probably less than half of what it should be if it was a non-charity tournament without half the prize pool going away, in addition to the Nugget's monstrous rake.   All the same, I was ecstatic to get out of the $5 pay jump nonsense and actually ladder up to a decent score that paid for the trip and quite a bit more.

Yes, it did still sting to bust, I was filled with regrets about how I played the hand, but I'm not folding 9 to 1 with a chance to more than double up there.  Just not happening.  I'm ok with my jam as well, I almost always have the best hand there and there's lots of draws and over pairs that can pay me off.

As I walked to the payout desk, multiple Moose lodge members congratulated me - all of them to a one were kind and enthusiastic - in fact there was a nice round of applause when I did bust.  All of them knew, that's poker.

oooh pretty!

Afterwards it was only midday - so Jeffy and I once again went for Mexican food.

After that, even though it was daytime, I was really tired so I went up to my room and rested and went to bed.

Just kidding, I'm a degenerate who can't stop.  I registered for the $340 2pm Omaha/8 tournament!

More punishment please!

This tournament for me was actually a way to relax.  I'm a decent O8 player, but I've probably played a fraction of hours of the game in a fix limit tournament format than I have no-limit hold-em tournaments.

I presumed I was dead money and was simply determined to relax and have fun.   As a nice bonus, a bunch of my fellow lodge members were in the small tournament with me (maybe six tables total?) including one very nice fellow, Mr. Richard, right at my table!   We were going to have a blast.

And a blast it was.  My stack shrank, and then it grew, and grew and grew.  Decisions weren't that tough and I ran pretty pure.

Eventually my friends all busted out, and once again I was the last Moose from my lodge left standing.

I won't get into much detail, as I wasn't taking notes at all - but it was a long and fun, though at times also a grueling grind through the Omaha streets.   I was in the money.  Then I was down a bit.  Then I had a fantastic scoop and was one of the chip leaders.  

Then, with maybe five of us left, there were no Moose members from any lodge in sight.  I was likely the sucker at the table - except I wasn't as a couple of the guys were playing too many hands with too few chips - and they paid for it.

Over 11 hours into the tournament, after a chop had been discussed and denied over and over again (I removed myself from the talk, I was indifferent) - we were 3 handed and this happened...

That's right, a thousand dollars more than my 15th place finish in the big one.

Un-fucking believable.

I was not the one who brought up a chop, the most capable player (or at least the one with the biggest ego) at the table pretty much out of the blue proposed an even 3 way split.  To my shock, the other guy quickly agreed - shocking because he had been a negative on an ICM chop offer earlier. 

I'd like to think they both realized that I wasn't going to roll over.  I was in the mix and determined to play smart, and was a solid second in chips with no fear in my eyes as 1am came and went.

I happily accepted the offer.   So instead of 1700 for third or 2400 for second or 4100 for first, we all got 2800. 

Sweeeeeet.

This was easily my biggest poker week since I cashed in the Main Event in 2018.  In the ways that mattered most - this trip was even more meaningful than that once in a lifetime shot.

This one had friends at my side, my healthy wife at home rooting me on, and quite a bit less pressure!  Not to mention some tasty meals and great conversations.

Truly special, truly - just as much as the Main Event in the WSOP - once in a lifetime.

This year's bad-ass chunky card protector!  Woot woot!

 

2023 - A Year in Review - Relief and Resolutions

 Today, Wednesday Dec 27, as I sit and reflect on my year in amateur (and very low stakes) poker in 2023 - I am pleased to report two rather fun and somewhat surprising results.

1 - Tournaments

For the first time ever, in 2023 I included my WSOP events, which included multiple 1K entries and a 1500, all of which I did not cash in.  I did have a small score in a Daily Deepstack, but the trip overall results wise was a complete four figure bust.   All told, I played over 60 events over the past 12 months, on par with the previous five years - and I'm beyond thrilled to report that with all those small tournaments plus the big ones at the WSOP, I shockingly still ended up in the green!

UP - $860 in PROFIT

Truly, I'm beyond thrilled to be ahead in tournaments, as I had long ago figured that I was going to finish stuck for the first time in over a decade in tournament play.  My two biggest scores in casinos were about $500 in the Commerce and South Point respectively, I had several nearly equally big scores at the Moose and three $400+ cashes in my own home game tournament, including a 1st place in February.  

That said, I also had a lot of goose eggs and a lot of disappointing runouts.  Filtering my results a bit, I see that I managed to stay profitable in both the online streets and in the live ones, both were in the green - in live play I'm only up just over $660 (which makes sense considering I dropped almost 4K in the WSOP) and up over $200 online, up a bit in my friends group and down a bit in my Moose league.

2 - Cash Games

This was a banner year for me in cash game play in every way, including volume and results.  Since I started tracking my play in 2012 I have logged just over 300 cash sessions, but over 80 of them came in 2023 alone!  I am a bit gobsmacked to report my profit, simply playing in ultra-low stakes ($100 buy in, .25¢/.50¢ blinds) is...

UP - $5035 in PROFIT

No that's not a typo, this is rather crazy!  Were it not for me dropping $160 just last week in my garage, I would've posted a 5K profit!  I still have a chance to do that though, as my last live cash game of 2023 is coming up this Friday.  EDIT UPDATE: Mission accomplished - I finished up $200 in profit on Friday the 29th, putting my final results in 2023 at a $5035 profit.

I played about 2/3 mix games and a third NLHE only.  My time was divided to about 70% Live play, in my garage and at the Moose - and 30% Online with my SoCal and NorCal friend group.  I am just super pumped right now, I knew I was up, but I had no idea it was this much!

*******

Altogether I'm very pleased and very relieved that I'm well into the black, considering the overall low volume and low stakes that I play.

And I am very much looking forward to another year of amateur play in 2024.  As always I will have to temper my expectations for how much I can play, as I know I am busier than ever at work (which is a good thing, as I am pretty fond of my job, plus I'm guaranteed to cash) - but as far as how well I will do, I can confidently look at who I am going to be mostly playing against, as well as the handful of shots I will be taking (in the WSOP and elsewhere) and simply say - if I run good, why shouldn't I have even better results?

It sounds arrogant I know, but I caught myself saying it aloud the other night on Zoom with some of my close poker friends - "I feel I have a real advantage in this game". They took it well, considering they were playing poker with me at the time, ha ha.  But they knew I was mostly referring to the other players at the table but not on the Zoom.  Mostly.

And that feeling that I have an edge, certainly extends to my two main live venues- the Moose and my garage as well.  And frankly, I also feel it in small tournaments and cash games in card rooms.  Mentally, I'm in a very good place right now with my game and my expectations.

******

It has taken me the better part of two decades of playing this game, but I've finally stumbled onto the ultimate golden rule - Never let your opponent(s) know that they've gotten to you.  My brother just casually mentioned this to me a few weeks ago, and it hit me like a lightning bolt.

I've seen a half a dozen of my contemporaries live this by example, right in front of me for years, and I never really grasped what they were doing.   Stoic, non-plussed, no matter how bad a beat they take.  It's not because they are robots or without feeling, it's just that they don't want their opponents to catch on that they've been affected.

It's deceptively simple, it's downright brilliant.  And I'm going to do my very best to latch on to this concept going forward.  I may not always succeed, but now that I have such a great specific mandate to drill down on - I know I'm going to do even better at controlling my reactions to terrible plays and terrible players.

I know I will likely still fail on occasion, to bite my tongue, but I'm really resetting mentally this month - and with my brothers words ringing in my ears, I think I'm going to do very well at maintaining an even keel.

That is my main resolution, to never let on that I've been affected by the cards or the bad play of others.

And if I apply that in tandem to my other revelation...

Oh, what's that? You haven't heard of my other revelation? Well that's probably because I didn't mention it.

As many times as I've written about my long term goals and aspirations here on this blog, including recently - it wasn't until this very month of December that it kind of just dawned on me.  

I was perusing my home poker blog, and really really digging the great pictures and accounts of all the tournaments and cash games (way more cash games this year than last, like three times as many) and it hit me - I absolutely achieved what was most important this year, having a lot of fun and hanging out and sure winning, but the fun, friendship and fellowship are ultimately what matter the absolute most to me about poker.

And so going forward, I'm still going to work hard, study and fucking go for it when it comes to deep tournament runs, final tables and titles - but I'm exhilarated to grasp and understand finally that the ultimate goal of FFF (Fun Friendship & Fellowship) is 100% obtainable every year and the absolute best part of the game and really, THE ENTIRE REASON I'm PLAYING!  

It is the one part of the game of poker that I absolutely can control - and I aim to do it every year for as long as I have the physical and mental faculties to play.   I already get chills looking back through the 15 years+ in my home blog at how great it has already been - I can't wait to look another 15 or more.  It is already a great Legacy, and I'm stoked to keep that going.

And yes, never give up or surrender my "big" goals of a deep run in a big event - but understand that the BIG picture is all about the great joy of the game with friends both old and new.  This is a goal that has already been achieved to great affect, and I can keep achieving until I quite literally drop dead!  

Sounds like a plan!

******

Yes, I'm excited and hopeful that 2024 will yield great "results" - tournament cashes, final tables, and monster pots in the cash game streets - but I'm just as excited to know that no matter what the cards bring or no matter how many times I punt away a chip lead or a big cash stack - I've very much already won in the game that matters, and will continue to do so as long as I am able.

The greatest game, so blessed to take part.

WSOP 2023

 I had an amazing almost full week playing tournament poker every day in the Horseshoe/Paris at the 54th annual World Series of Poker.  

Apart from making money, everything else about my trip was positive. I met up with multiple friends for breakfast, saw even more friends at the tables, and just had a fantastic time living the life of a grinder.

Results?  Three big tournaments, zero cashes. Three much smaller events, one cash out of those.

First up, on the day of my arrival, Tuesday, June 20, I had planned to do the 9:30 AM seniors daily deep stack, but because there was a $500 bracelet freezeout event, the Seniors DDS would not be running. So what to do? Jump into the actual bracelet event of course!

I had a great first couple of hours, chipping up nicely and falling back into the groove. The pictures I took of my stack show that my peak was about four hours in, just before the second break.

I was table chip leader at the third break I believe, and so I was designated the color up dude, which is always nice.

As is always the case in these large field events, and by now I’ve got a fair amount of experience playing in them – albeit usually only once or twice a year, the bad players go by the wayside and they are replaced with much better players. Typically younger, often European.

This event was no exception and when we came back after the color up, we were more than halfway through the day, and the deck definitely took a turn for the worse with me. Add to that much tougher competition, plus my own frustration at seeing chips go in the other direction, and I am afraid I grew a bit impatient. 

So with only a dozen big blinds remaining, I was looking to get my chips in and get doubled up. I was not in the mood to be cautious or make it to the dinner break with a nub of a stack.

And so that was that. Lasted just under eight hours, and I was thoroughly burnt toast. I retired to the comfort of the lovely room, much better than the old Rio, and was excited about the big tournament on Wednesday.

*******

Yes that big tournament was indeed the WSOP seniors championship, a $1000 no limit hold ‘em showcase for the best and brightest poker players aged 50 years and up.

I had a good buddy from my garage also in the tournament, Mr. Ken, we wished each other luck and we got underway.

The freeze out gave us 30K to start, this seniors event was only giving us 20. But the good news was, it was indeed a better structure, with full hour long levels instead of 30 minutes, and they did not skip any levels whatsoever.

It was a very long day, and I did manage to write down a few hands.

As you can see in the third hand, I got moved to a new table. This was probably over five hours into the tournament. At first I was very excited because the table seemed even weaker than the first one. But soon, as always, tougher players arrived bringing racks of chips with them.

I took a couple of small hits, but was still over 40 big blinds, when our table broke yet again and we marched over to the horseshoe. I did not like the new setting, the Paris had been much cooler and this was downright balmy. Plus the table was at least twice as experienced as my previous one.

Then this happened…

I was certainly not out of it, and it was certainly not a devastating blow, but it was pretty exasperating. If that hand had held I would be over 40 bbs about 45 minutes away from the dinner break.

So I hunkered down, I was determined to not just “get it in” - I would be smart and put my chips to work even on a smaller than I would like stack. Unfortunately the poker gods had other plans…

These were not flips, these were all hands that I played post flop and in position, and I think I navigated them well. I just could not hit for shit with the over cards, and of course the over cards did come when I had a pair of sevens.

The bustout hand was a doozy, I three-bet shoved from the small blind over two limpers with AKs, and got called by the first limper who had AQ, though it was off suit.  Still, he did have a Q of clubs, and we all know how this story ended...

I was a bit deflated, but absolutely not defeated. I meandered a bit and checked out a final table going on in the event center. It was too late to eat, but not too late to hang out and ponder. At the end of the day, and this was the end of the day, I was very grateful and had a pretty good perspective. 

******

It was Thursday, a new day and a new challenge! I met up for breakfast with my Tag Team event partner Mr. G-Bone, and we had a great meal and a great time catching up. We were both pumped for the $1000 tournament that would only cost each of us 500 apiece.

Our strategy was simple, when one was feeling good and playing good, one could stay in. As soon as one of us took a hit or felt stagnant, we would text the other to come in. G-Bone was up first.

He played for over a good hour, there was a pro duo that we had never heard of directly to our left. Two ACR pros, one of which was in the “Punters Pad” with Ryan DiPaulo. You can Google that if you have no idea what I’m talking about, but it’s really not that interesting. It would’ve been interesting if Ryan himself had playing at our table, but alas he was not.

When I came in, G-Bone had chipped down just a little bit, and I was ready to go to work.

Unfortunately this would be the absolute low-light of the trip. Once again I decided to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent, and ended up bluffing off over half of our chips. 

I felt absolutely terrible, with a knot in my stomach as I texted G-bone to hurry back. He came back in, and unfortunately was unable to spin it up, losing a flip and then we were out. Boo!

Honestly, I still feel terrible about it to this day. But my main man G-Bone could not have been kinder or more understanding. There’s no doubt about it, I fucked up, by not reading my opponent correctly as a recreational fish who would happily stack off with top pair and a 10 kicker, but that’s what she did.  And I blame no one but myself.

 

I’d had enough of real tournaments, even though I could still late register for day 1B of the seniors, I preferred to head across town for something less serious. I said a heartfelt goodbye to G bone, who was in remarkably good spirits despite my lighting 500 of his dollars on fire. He was done with tournaments for the day and so was probably going to play cash at the horseshoe.

On my way out the door I spotted another good friend at the tables in the seniors, a Moose in the wild!

Who is that masked man? A great guy and a tremendous poker player!

And so I was off to the fabulous, and I mean that sincerely, Southpoint resort Hotel and Casino. On the schedule, a super sexy mix game event, half Omaha 8 and half stud Hi/Lo!

I had a fantastic time, registered a bit late which was perfect as the levels were meaningful right away. At first I spun it up, and then eventually I couldn’t get there in a couple of crucial hands with all the outs in the world. Good news was, it was only 100 bucks. Good times! 

After busting that, I had a couple of fabulous $1.50 hotdogs, The absolute best value in Vegas for deliciousness. Excellent all beef with a lovely snap and fresh toppings made right in front of you. Southpoint is the last of a dying breed, a casino with actual amenities and value. Love the Southpoint! If I ever move to Vegas, this will be my home casino for sure.

And so I headed back, and watched more final tables and hung out. Got in touch with another good friend, Mr Eric L., who used to live in LA but now lives up north in the Bay Area. We arranged to meet for breakfast.

*******

And it was Friday. The day before I had eaten smart, getting lots of protein with an omelette. This time I threw caution to the wind and had the café Americano‘s amazing French toast bombs. Yes they are as decadent as they sound, absolutely fantastic.

After that, we both headed off to play poker. Once again, it was less serious stuff for me. I didn’t have the patience to wait around to see if the 1 PM daily deep stack was going, I headed off immediately for the golden nugget to play in the $400 seniors event. Eric was sticking close with plans to play in the DDS. 

Alas, my nugget seniors event played out a lot like the big one did a couple days prior. I had to fight for every pot and bluff a lot, which often was successful. And I did spin up a stack for a time. But in the end my patience wore out and the cards never actually came. 

Lots of old folks lined up to take it down!

Another fellow moose, directly on my left! Very good poker player that I’ve known for a few years now.

My fellow Mooser busted out a good while before I did, a bit of a relief because she is a formidable player. And once again I held on as long as I could, but really this time through the variance was absolutely not on my side at all whatsoever.

And this time I really did try and try to hold on, but in the end I could not play cockroach well enough. I succumbed and headed back to the ranch. One good thing, I had a lot more energy this night, so I could hang around and watch the stars come out… spotted Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and this guy…

A bit later, I found myself in the WSOP café, and saw Mr. Hellmuth in front of me in line. He had his earphones on and was doing his best to not be bothered, and I of course obliged. He did however flirt a little bit with a nice old lady at the counter, she was quite a bit older than both of us, and he was also dancing to his music doing the white boy dance as he smiled and chatted. Very cool and very funny. That’s the good Phil. 

I got to see the bad Phil the very next night in the same event, it was the 10K HORSE and he was very flustered and took off like a rocket when he took a semi bad beat.  Relax Phil. You are going to win your 17th bracelet this summer, so you don’t need to worry!

And so I was off to bed. Eric had reported that the DDS did indeed go, so I was hopeful that it would again on my last day.

*******

Indeed, the 1 PM DDS did go. It was tough for me to be patient for the tournament to start, as I had been up since 8am.

Once it started though, this tournament was much more like it, soft soft players, plenty of chips and a structure that was not ridiculously slow. I quickly spun up a stack, and felt very comfortable over several different tables during the day.

Earlier in the day I had tracked down another good friend, he was playing in the $500 salute to Warriors bracelet event. A tournament in which I definitely would’ve played, had it not been a multi day affair. I did have to fly back home tomorrow after all… 

Hey let’s Go Pepper St., Joe!

For the first time this week, I actually made the dinner break. That was the good news, the bad news was, it was too late for me to eat as I am now intermittently fasting these days. On the other hand, it was only a 30 minute break, so I could just chill in the room a little bit.

And I got back, and we kept going. Before I knew it the money was approaching. As usual in a large field event, the better players had shown up. I got put at a table where there were two maniacs who pretty much knew what they were doing. Never fun.

As weird as it sounds, I wasn’t especially looking to min-cash, even after an entire week of goose eggs. I knew the bubble mattered to a lot of people, but not to me. I had accepted being card dead all week, so I was eagerly looking for spots and I thought I found a great one. Alas, my opponent, maniac number two on my right, woke up with the goods.  However, for the first time all week, the poker gods smiled this time. 

Yeah, that carried me right into the money. Unfortunately the card deadness continued unabated, and this DDS structure not being nearly as slow or deep as the bigger events, I was short once again and had to get it in. Of course my AJ lost to A7, why wouldn’t it?  It seemed a fitting end for a week full of ridiculous run outs. But deep down, I was pretty happy to finally score, even though it was the bare minimum and I missed a pay jump by one spot lol. OK it was a $40 pay jump, but still… in for $250, out for $402!

And that was that. The 2023 WSOP was in the books.

I really tried hard to not make this post seem like a list of bad beat grievances, but on the other hand it’s kind of comforting that that is basically truly what it was. I know my game is not as sharp as it has been in the past, this is true. And I also know that more people now than ever know how to play NLHE very well. The game is tough, even against players who once would be considered soft. Recreationals have access to solvers and the Internet, and more often than not are putting in time with them.

So I won’t bemoan my bad luck or lament the learning curve that I don’t have time to fight against. What I will do is say with absolute honesty, is that I had a fantastic time of highs and lows this year at the World Series of poker.

Finished the night and the trip watching the start of the final table of the seniors event. Especially cool to see legendary degenerate Dan Heimiller facing off against the even more legendary seven bracelet winner Billy Baxter.  Neither would win the bracelet, but Billy would bust in second place.

And so now I am back home, and having a great time watching day one a of the main event stream live on my big TV. Grateful that I have a real job and don’t have to depend on the fickle poker gods for my income. Also grateful that I get to play the game truly for love of competition and excitement.

Looking forward to a cash home game this Friday night and the return of a moose tournament on Saturday. Also believe it or not, looking forward to next year‘s summer camp for poker players!

I am pondering shifting focus to mix games again, I will have to wait and see how I continue to fare in tournaments locally. It’s been a bit discouraging lately, although I did have a nice cash two days before I came out to Vegas. Not sure what the future will bring, but I know it will be centered on poker!

Cash Game HEATER

 Tournaments continue to be blah blah blah - though I did finally Final Table and cash in the latest Moose regular league tourney last Sunday.  Up until then I had logged a big fat GOOSE EGG in Moose play outside of the WSOP series and the Monday night cash game...

Oh yeah, that's right - the Moose Monday night cash game!  It's now, and has been for awhile, a weekly thing and I've been LOVING it.  And it's been loving me as well. 

I did torch $280 two weeks ago, but outside of that, my time on Monday nights at le' Moose has been well spent.  My results tracker app has been all green for the last six months.  

Interestingly, I've been playing exclusively a Dealer's Choice of Mix Games, which means effectively zero No-Limit Hold-Em, though it is in the list of game choices and it does pop up occasionally.  We also indulge almost every time in No Limit Crazy Pineapple, which is very close to NLHE.

The stakes are Micro, to say the least.  A capped $80 buy-in with options to top off at any time or reload to $100 if felted.  My win rate at the Moose for the last year is just under 20 bbs an hour, which is only $10 an hour - BUT, it's pretty darn massive considering the big blind is .50¢.

It may seem silly for me to get so excited over what amounts to a very small amount of money, especially compared to even small stakes vloggers who routinely post videos of thousands of dollars being dragged in or lost in a single hand - but for me this game has never been about supplementing or generating my income - I have a real job for that and I do just fine.  No, the money is really just how we keep score, and I'm worked up in a good way that my score just keeps going up lately.

Plus, truthfully win or lose, it's always a fun evening, and I guess I'm a lightweight because I typically last from 7 to about 1130 or midnight - but the game almost always keeps going to 2am and beyond.  Yes, it is, all things considered, not a big sample nor is it any real volume.  Hey, I'm a recreational player, whaddaya want?  

A few weeks ago I again failed to cash in a Moose regular league poker tournament - BUT this time there was a cash game after.  NLHE only, tiny stakes, but I managed to earn back almost 3 full tournament buy-ins in under 3 hours.  Why have I been so obsessed with tournaments for the past decade?   Cash game poker certainly isn't easy, but it really looks to be a lot less painful than tourneys.

And then there has been my cash game at home - we have only in the last half year or so started playing regularly twice a month.  One game a Dealer's Choice Mix, very similar to the stakes and format of the Moose - and the other game exclusively NLHE.

The volume here is even smaller, but my hourly is comparable.  I haven't had any $280 torch sessions in the past couple of years, mostly, I've been up a decent amount.  Last week was crazy, I was in for $120 and out for $530.  Madness I tell you.

And finally - there is online.  As I likely mentioned in the blog awhile back, the pandemic brought about the resurrection of my friends online league for tournaments.  When we switched from Poker Stars Home Games to Poker Mavens software, we also started a weekly cash game.  Again it's Dealer's Choice Mix, again it's the same micro stakes.

While I am up four figures in profit at both the Moose and in my garage, approximately $1200+ each, online I am up well over $3000 in profit, with a lot of that coming in the last six months.

It has been very gratifying to be playing weekly and to see with my own eyes my results grow.  I've taken online to withdrawing $500 every time my account reaches 1K.  I've done that 3 times in the past half year.  The money goes right into my separate checking account which is for poker only.  Very happy to have my poker monies finally truly separated from my life money, and happy to see that it's not a tiny amount.

So the takeaway for me, after the past couple of years especially, has been that cash is pretty much where it's at.  At least when it comes to some semblance of guaranteed results.  I know if I'm focused and present, and go street by street, I can make better decisions than most of my opponents most of the time.   And in a cash game, unlike a tournament, there's no rush or ticking clock and a lot less pressure to get moving.  This means I'm calmer and more patient, and more likely to make the right decision more often.

I've said it before, but know I really know it to be true.  If someone held a gun to my head and said "You have to make a living at poker" I"m pretty sure I could do it, playing cash.  I wouldn't want to, as I love the game too much - and poker tournaments are quite a bit more exciting and gratifying when I do score - but it's nice to know that I'm an above average recreational player and when and if I retire, I have a very decent shot at at least breaking even.  IF, and who am I kidding, WHEN I decide to play poker every day.

Summer Camp Schedule - 2023

 Well 2023 has started off very cold and then very hot and then very cold for yours truly.  

The Good - I have taken down two tournaments, beating out 30 runners at the Moose for 1st place in our WSOP Main Event seat competition (more about that later) and then just the other week binkng 1st place (thanks in no small part to a generous chop offer) in my own home game tourneament.

The Bad - other than those two bright spots, the first two months and a half of this year have been - for me - bubkis.

The most notable wash-out was the Moose International massacre I detailed in the previous post, but I've also had little to no success in all my other usual Moose and home game tournaments as well.  The cash games have been a bit better, but only a bit.  A couple of uncharacteristic negative showings at the Moose, breaking even in the two cash games in my garage, and doing much better online with friends, with over $1000 in profit withdrawn over the past few months.

To be fair, there has been some personal stuff going on that has distracted my focus, but I also feel that I've been playing well enough that my results should not be as terrible as they are.  But it is what it is, as they say, and going forward I'm going to make great effort to keep my focus sharp and my attitude positive.

That especially goes for my next "Trek to the Main" event at the Moose.  This is the aforementioned tournament series that is going to award at least 3 and possibly 4 WSOP Main Event seats.

Right now we have 3 events remaining, and I have a decent shot at capturing 2nd or maybe even 1st place in points by the series end.  If this happens, I will win a seat - as they are awarding two seats for points alone.  If I fall short, I am still qualified for their Tournament of Champions, which will have a seat for 1st place and maybe a seat for 2nd place, but for sure a couple or more 1K seats for people who finish in the top 4 or 5.

So I would love, love, LOVE another crack at the WSOP Main.  I've played exceptionally well in the Moose series last two events, finishing 4th and 1st and catapulting myself from the 20's into the top 10, number 7 I believe - out of over 40 participants.

Plan A So in the spirit of overwhelming optimism, I've already booked my room at the Horseshoe (formerly Bally's) for the dates of Day 1B of the Main through day 4.

If that ticket fails to materialize, I still very much plan to make my way to the Mecca of poker, but on a different date for a different event.

Plan B (as Plan A is the Main) - Play in the Senior's 1K on Day 1A, Wednesday June 21.  Whether I survive or not, play the next day - but not in the Seniors, instead play Day 1 of the 1K Tag-Team!  My partner will be the part-time crusher poker player extraordinaire G-Bone!  Very much looking forward to this!

If I make Day 2 of the Seniors, I will carry on on Friday, June 23.  If my partner and I are still in the Tag-Team, it will be G-Bone alone likely to play on Day 2 of that event which is also on Friday, June 23.

If I'm out of both major tournaments, the remaining weekend is wide open for smaller events - likely to include the WSOP Daily Deepstacks at 2pm on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Plan C - is what happens if for some reason I can't make Plan B.  That is, something comes up at work and I have to pull the plug on the Seniors/Tag-Team itinearary.

I've booked a room for the week of July 10-14, which is very cheap (and free to cancel).  The week contains no less than three bracelet events for $800 or less.  I will for sure make this trip if the other two plans fall through.

And finally - Plan Z - which may happen or not, irrespective of the other plans.   

The very first week of the WSOP there is a 1K Mystery Bounty event which is expected to shatter every attendance record before it.  I've booked a room to play Day 1C and possibly 1D if I don't survive, on the Friday and Saturday of June 2 & 3.  Day 2 is that Sunday the 4th and they are planning to play down to a final table that day.   Obviously if that happens I'm staying another night and playing hooky at work on Monday the 5th.

I'm really, really, really, going to try and sneak out this weekend and make the event.  If, and that's a big IF, I make Day 2 that means we are into the bounties, which are envelopes with mystery amounts ranging from a bunch of $500 tickets to a single 1 Million Dollar prize.   That will be an absolute thrill if I get to pull an envelope from the chest!

*****

Leading up to Summer Camp I'm afraid there's no time to sneak away to any other series, local or elsewhere.  Work is thankfully very busy, and I also have family to attend to of course.

I am going to be playing the Moose when I can, and of course my always entertaining home game is going to be firing on all cylinders.

You probably noticed, as I have just realized, I don't have any plans for Mix Game events at the WSOP. Frankly, it totally slipped my mind.

I recently got a strategy book on Kindle for Mix Game play and I'm trying to slog through it.  It's an informative but dry book, and I'm kind of surprised (though I guess I shouldn't be) at how much I already know.

I know I spent an entire post going on and on about how I wanted to shift some of my focus to Mix Games, but I forget how busy I am day to day, and also how much I enjoy and how much time I"ve already invested in No-Limit Hold-Em tournaments.

For now I'm not going to worry or stress about my earlier commitments to this pursuit.  I'm going to continue to play it by ear, and if it turns out I have a real hankering for a H.O.R.S.E. or Omaha/8 tournament, then by golly I'll study for it and play one!  If not, it's ok.

In fact, I'm playing an Omaha/8 tournament next month, in my home game so there!

Keep watching here of course for my first WSOP foray and an update on results.  If I play any card room / casino tournaments between now and then you may or may not see it here.  You most likely will of course if I bink four figures ha ha.

Moose Massacre - and a bit of LIVE inspiration

 For only the second time in my life, I took off a few days from work at the start of January to indulge in the Moose International Poker gathering at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas.

This year there was one major thing that was awesome - no more mask requirement!  I loved being able to play sans face diaper, and I knew I was going to have a great time no matter what with this silliness out of the picture.

Turns out, I was not alone, with easily 90% of my fellow players also dispensing with the mask thingies. It made playing with everyone a real pleasure.

Alas, the Poker gods (note the little "g") were not influenced at all by my happy mood - they sought fit to smite me, over and over.  And over again.

Yes, that's my AA getting run down by AK - AIPF (All-In Pre-Flop) in the 2pm on Tuesday.  I had busted the Moose Main earlier in the day (having made it with 6.5 big blinds to day 2) when my KK ran headlong into the oldest person on the planet (not just in the tournament) and he had AA.

This will not be a post replete with bad beats, though I did have quite a few of them over three days.  I failed to cash once in six tournaments.  And I was too bummed out to try to recoup anything in cash.

The trip, at least poker-wise, was a total bust.   However, in all honesty, I actually had more fun than I did last year, which you can read about here.  

Sadly, my good friend from the Moose - Adam, was unable to make it this year as he'd had a heart attack just before Christmas.  Fortunately, he is still with us and is on the mend.  I talked with him on the phone during the trip more than once and was able to give him updates on my fellow Moose brothers and sisters (31 of us total!) who were making deep runs in the Main Event tournament.

One of these brothers, managed to parlay his $330 entry into almost 10K!  He made a five way chop deal at the end, and locked up a very nice nearly five figure score.  Yes, I'm very jealous, but he's a great guy and a very good player who absolutely deserves it.  I laughed as his wife quipped from the rail - "Now we can pay for gas on the way back"

I really had a blast riding the rail for my friend, and for others who went deep.  We had 6 of us make it to the final five tables, and 3 of us make it to the final two tables!  Way to represent Burbank Ladies and Gents!

And truly, I also did enjoy my time on the felt - brutal exit hands not withstanding.

Overall I felt my play was sharp, though it did dull a bit with each new tournament I sat down for - my enthusiasm got dampened quite a bit with the brutal AA<AK nonsense.  Then it was dampened more when my AQ was cracked by AJ (again AIPF) 

And dampened even further when I collided with the only other big stack at my table as the money bubble approached - of course I had AK and she had AA.  No suckout this time though.  The very next hand I had AQ and someone else had KK.  GGs and fuck right off lol.

Yes, it can be an exasperating game.

But I have to take solace in the pros that Vlog and are transparent - mainly that guy Rampage who shared this amazing video where he completely revealed his financials for 2022.  He made over a million dollars in profit in poker - but only after he binked two big tournaments at the very end of the year - after almost 12 full months of losing.

Yes, that is the nature of the beast that is tournament play.   Lose, lose, lose, lose, etc. etc. then BINK one or two big scores.  

I understand that I don't play tournament poker every day, or even every week.  I play a handful of times a month these days, and almost always in ultra-low buy-in recreational events, either home game or Moose Lodge.   A "big" event for me is the $330 Moose Main in Vegas.  Or the 11am $250 side events.  Even when I do hit we're talking about $1K-$3K tops.  I can blast through that in buy-ins in a month or two no problem.   I have a very steep uphill climb to grinding out a decent profit, and truthfully, I'm amazed that my results have been as good as they have been for so long.

So I won't stress too hard at a long string of bad beats and goose-egg finishes.  After looking at Rampage's results, or Daniel Negreanu's for that matter, I can see the big picture and see that both of these guys are big time long time winners - and yet most of the time, they bust out early.

As I type this - right at this moment - DNegs is all in for his tournament life with AQ, AIPF against AT against a young aggressive opponent.  And...

Bam, a TEN literally just hit the flop.  FUCKING CRAZY.  I'm not making this up - I'm literally typing this at 3.40pm in the afternoon of Jan 19 as the Poker Cup Event #7 plays out LIVE.   Board bricks out and DNegs is OUT.

Did everything right, played it perfect - doesn't matter.  He's out.

Yep, that was me for three days.

I feel rejuvenated right now, in real time, watching the hand unfold right next to this window.

Just incredible.

*****

Grateful for this great game - and grateful that I will continue to enjoy it as a serious minded recreational player.

Looking forward to my home game tournament, the first regular event of the year, in two days - and looking forward to more Moose fun and whatever else comes my way in 2023.

Bring it on!

Cross-Roads

 Poker is rolling on for me in 2022 - right at this moment I'm in a mini-slump in not having cashed for half a dozen tournaments or so, and I also have a couple of losing live cash sessions under my belt.  Not that big a deal, and also I did have a fantastic past couple of months online, especially in Cash, being able to cash out over $1000 in profit - so really it's all good.

Still, I feel like it's a mini-downswing so I have been on a mini-break for almost two weeks and am very much looking forward to returning to the live felt soon; on tap is a cash game in my garage on Friday, a TOC in one of my Moose Leagues on Saturday (a free-roll so that's nice) and a monthly tournament also in the Moose (a different league) the very next day.

I do truly love the game more than ever and I look forward to playing for the rest of my life, but I'm also pondering what the next step is for me as I feel like I want to change it up a bit, as far as what my priorities and goals should be.

I am super happy to look back on the past decade plus - and see on my Hendon Mob page that I've had a lot of good and fun results playing really very few poker tournaments over the course of a year.   Really, my "results" on this page are pretty amazing considering a couple of things -

• I almost exclusively only play very small buy-in tournaments (almost always under $500 entry), and then only a few bigger events over the course of a year.  Probably I average 3 tournaments a month in a card room, one or two in slow months and then 4 or 5 on a weekend trip to Vegas
• There is a limited number of casino tournaments that are even recorded on the Hendon Mob.  I play in a bunch over a year that don't even count here - and I cash in them often.  The Hendon Mob page also obviously doesn't include home games, and that's for sure where I have my best results.

Truth be told - if nothing changes in my approach going forward, I'll be ok with it.  I like playing fairly infrequently, though it's more frequently these days with my daughter away at college.  Right now in 2022 I'm averaging two poker sessions a week, usually this also includes a cash game session.  If I played for another ten or twenty years and nothing changed - I would likely have a similar continuation on the Hendon Mob and I would be truly happy.

I've tracked my results for over 10 years, and I'm up over 50K in profit - mostly from tournaments.  But in my limited cash game play, I have way more winning sessions than losing sessions.  If I was forced to make a living at this game, cash games are for sure what I'd stick to.

Anyways - I don't feel restless, I don't feel unfulfilled - but I still do feel like I should push myself and reach for a bit more.  Goals I think are a good think in poker, if you set them as aspirations to aim for rather than do or die achievements that if you don't make mean devastation.

I forever plan to be an amateur and not try to earn a living at the game of poker.  However, I think it's worth my time and efforts to aim high and put a good amount of the work in...

Here are a few of specific goals that I'd like to reach in my lifetime.

• Make the money in a WSOP (or big series equivalent) Mix Game bracelet event.
• Hit a five figure score in a tournament with a three figure entry.
• Hit a six figure score in a tournament with a four or five figure entry.
• Make a final table in a WSOP bracelet event.  

I think these are all realistic goals - but I don't think I will necessarily reach them with the same study and play schedule that I've been keeping for the past decade.

Of course the ultimate goal would be winning a WSOP bracelet, but that is very unrealistic even if I were to quit my job and play tournament poker full time, so I'm happy to set that aside in favor of more directly achievable goals.  And who knows - in aiming for the goals above, there's always a chance I might bink!

Anyways - in terms of ramping up the study and play.

I think I can do this rather easily.  

Studying sucks, but I have done it in the past and I can do it going forward.   One thing that always kick starts my studying is attending a poker workshop.  I've been to four in my lifetime - a WSOP Academy in 2015 which saw a drastic improvement in my game, and three LearnWPT workshops, in 2017,  2018 and 2020.

There is a workshop coming up in Vegas early this December.  If there's anyway I can make this happen, I'm going to do it.   Unfortunately work might be an obstacle, I likely won't know if it's possible until the week before.   In any case, if I can't do this one - I'll make every effort to do the next one.

Going to a workshop always helps me re-set my focus on studying the game.  In this case, tournament poker of the No Limit Hold-Em kind.

But you may have noticed that my first goal is to cash in a Mix Game tournament event.  Ideally making the money in a WSOP bracelet tourney would be the best, but I would consider my goal met if it was at the Wynn, Venetian, Aria, Bike or Commerce or some such, for a $500 entry or more.

I feel comfortable in mix game tournaments, I've played more than a few in the last year or so since we came back from Covid.  But I'd like to play more going forward, and in doing so really focus on studying and improving my mix games enough to be a force in tournaments. 

Unfortunately there aren't too many study resources, at least in comparison to NLHE tourneys, when it comes to mix games.  Still, if I can do the LearnWPT thing, and then shift directly to mix game study (using perhaps UpSwing or a similar training sight that offers mix game tutorials) I feel I can make the same leap in quality in my Mix game as I did with my NL Hold-Em in 2015.  After my WSOP Academy workshop that year, hosted by Brian Rast, the spike in my results was crazy good.  All of the sudden I started crushing my home game.  I also went on to cash the Colossus in the WSOP, my first bracelet event cash in that arena in 5 years of playing, not once, but two years in a row.

I would love to get that kind of boost for my Mix games, and in doing so I would hope that such a drastic improvement would translate to even better results - as unlike NLHE, mix games have not only far less players, but far less players who study.  A much softer field overall.  Right now I feel I'm squarely in the middle of the pack.  If I could somehow work up to being in the upper 25% (very achievable) and then (dream big) perhaps the top 10% (maybe not possible, but who knows), the future could be very very bright for my mix game tournament efforts.

My interest in improving my mix game stems from two things.

• I love playing them.  I get the biggest charge from the variety and break from NLHE.
• There are a lot less great mix game players out there than there are great NLHE players.

There is however, one big downside to mix game tournaments - and that is simply that results are VERY dependent on good or bad cards.  Much more so than NLHE events.

If you run not so great in a NL Hold-Em tournament,  you can still very likely make the money, and sometimes (against a soft enough field) you can even take it down.  I myself have done this - won an entire live tournament at South Point in 2021 without a single premium, save AK a few times and JJ and TT once each.  No AA, no KK and no QQ.   It's in this blog, it can happen.

If you run bad in a mix game tournament, you are well and truly screwed.

So the key I believe, is to get as good as you can, so that when you do run decent you are winning the maximum with your bets (be they fix, pot or no limit) and losing the minimum.  The idea, as is also true with No Limit Hold-Em tourneys, is to not squeak into the money, but to make a mountain of chips so you can with stand bad beats and also make a deep run into the top half of the final table.

So as far as Goal #1 - the plan is to Live Workshop, then pay for a training program online for Mix Games.  Unfortunately it likely won't be online training for tournaments, as they really don't exist - but if I can gather info on how to best play cash and when deep and mid-stacked, my tournament training at this point is more than sufficient enough to carry me through the later stages.

As for the remaining goals - the cashes and the final table - I feel that if I shift my study and playing focus to mix games, there will still be plenty of NLHE and plenty of opportunities to have real shots at achieving those benchmarks.

I don't ever see myself abandoning NLHE and exclusively focusing on Mix tourneys.  First of all, there simply aren't enough of them (Mix events) to do that.  And second,  I really feel that if I'm workshopping and studying and playing Mix, it will still keep me sharp on the Hold-Em stuff.  The very best players in the world that I follow, consistently, are always bouncing back and forth.  Ivey, Hellmuth, Negraneau, etc.  They are all Hold-Em and Mix players.  I really feel that to get great at poker, you've got to play all of it.

So, that's the plan!  Play all of it!  

Also, ramp up my frequency.  Truthfully, since my kid moved into her dorm, I've kind of already done that.  I think that's one reason why I'm on a break now actually, playing every single week is not something I did when she was here, and now that she's at college I have for sure increased my playing time.

This is good for my game, and the wife so far is ok with it - but I also have to be cautious that I don't overdo it and get burnt out (like I did recently to go on break) or lose that important life/wife balance.

That said, I know my goals won't come within range if I don't keep up my playing frequency.  So for now, that's what I plan to do - ever mindful of my family and work needs.  I love the former with all of my heart and I like the latter very much, so I don't want to damage either.   I think a big part of that is to keep my intentions and communication wide open and frequent.   That's what I'm doing here, and of course that's what I'll do with the wifey.

Looking forward to the LearnWPT workshop in Vegas (hopefully I'll be able to swing it) and then also there's a good amount of poker to play at Commerce in November as they are doing a tournament series (LA Poker Open) that has a good amount of Mix Game events.   Going to try and carve out some time for those, and make my home game and the Moose a bit less of a priority.  I will for sure have a higher cashing rate playing softer players, but I won't necessarily get better or have a chance at a bigger score, which is after all, the goals I wrote down above.   

There will also likely be a good amount of poker tournaments in the second half of December, as I'll be devoting the long weekends to that pursuit as well, especially as work slows down a bit.

After that, going into 2023 it will all be about the WSOP preparation.   Ideally I would like to finagle a 3 or 4 day weekend springtime trip to Vegas to play in some smaller buy-in events.  I've got my eyeballs out to find a smaller series somewhere like South Point or Orleans to fit the bill for that.

In my garage home game in April and May I'll be running WSOP satellites for me and my friends, including a single table $1200 satty for the mighty WSOP Main.  Hopefully I will get enough players to make that happen, and then hopefully I will be the one to win it!

Failing that, I will carve out a 4 or 5 day weekend in the WSOP itself, and I will devote my days to Daily Deepstack NLHE events - PLUS a single WSOP Bracelet Mix game event, hopefully H.O.R.S.E. or some such.

This really helps me to pound out my thoughts and aspirations on this here keyboard.  If you're still reading, good for you!  Mostly this one was just for me - but I appreciate your interest!

Hopefully my next post here will be from a nice big juicy score in November at the Commerce!