Name: (AUS) – Variance, Mental Game (Tilt) & Victory: My Poker Journey
1st post: Introduction
Well every Blog should start with a hey right? So hey you the reader how you doin? (yes this is a
You could be runner up at aussie millions 15x in a row mate. I will win it 15x in a row. u could also be runner up at wsop main 9x in a row. I will win it 9x in a row.
u could go down as second on hendon mob all time winnings.
Day 5 Recap
Another tough day in the books. The $1.5k Jackstar drew more runners than the Centurion — 1,477 entries chasing $344k up top — but unfortunately, we couldn’t spin our MLR into anything meaningful.
We didn't have many of spots, and I’m happy with how I played the only four hands we were dealt that were playable:
Kh call‑down blind vs. blind over two streets to take a small pot.
TT from MP (2x raise) — button clicks it to 4.1x. Given the size, I call. Flop comes A‑7‑3 rainbow; we fold.
TT jam for 9bb from UTG+1.
QTs shove for 8bb UTG, but run into ATo and 99 — no queen, no flush.
That’s been the pattern in these bigger buy‑ins: play a solid Day 1, run a big hand into another big hand, and either bag a short stack or a MLR stack for Day 2… then go card‑dead. It’s variance, but still frustrating. All we can do is focus on making the best decisions and keep moving forward.
$450 Big Bounty ($200 per KO)
The “variance gods” clearly don’t like me when I’m in the Gold Coast for this series.
Flatted 44 from MP vs. a UTG open; BB defends. Flop J‑5‑4, checked to me; I down‑bet, BB calls. Turn Q♣, I overbet pot to set up a river jam, BB calls, leaving ~0.6 SPR. River 7♣, BB lead‑jams; I have to call due to size of pot and bounties— and he turns over 9♣5♣.
Later, MP raise, SB flats, BB jams, I iso. SB tanks with a short stack and folds ATo; flop comes T‑high — I would’ve been out if he’d called.
Then came the hand…
Player with 1.2bb UTG jams. MP re‑jams for ~35bb. Next player jams for 33bb. I’m in SB, peel K♠K♦ — let’s go!
We’re up against A5o (UTG), Q9s (35bb), and 44 (33bb).
Lady at the table says she folded a four… then the window card is the 4♥. Yep — we get one‑outered for a massive stack that would’ve set me up to bounty hunt + scoop 3 more KOs.
Instead, we’re crippled — but covered the Q9s player, so at least we grabbed his bounty and were effectively freerolling the tournament. Busted soon after trying to isolate another bounty with 97o and we bust, Player UTG jams 2bb MP and SB flat we jam bb for 13bb and MP calls KTo and we dont get there.
Looking Ahead
Another frustrating day of having the big hand and not holding. One day here in the Gold Coast we will hold with the best hand in a big spot. Hopefully it’s today as we take our first shot at the Main Event.
If we bust (and use our one rebuy), I’ll be firing the $400 Mini High Roller ($100k GTD).
For now, the plan is simple: keep playing the best game possible and let the cards fall how they may. The variance gods can’t say “no” forever.
On to the next one.
how much do you spend on travel/accomodation food etc for these series?
If you have a 50% roi in these mtts you only make $750 for the mtt. if u played 10 $500 mtt avg buyin u only make $2500. Time u pay for travel, time off work accomodation food ur better off working ya job and making coin.
Online mtts if ya grind $22 avg buyins and have a 10% roi ya make $2.20 a mtt and if ya play 20 a day your making $44. thats close to $70 australian dollars a day.
if ya get a 30% roi then its $210 a day. 1k for 5 days.
Seems better to just grind online than playing live in a different state purely for profit reasons.
how much do you spend on travel/accomodation food etc for these series?If you have a 50% roi in these mtts you only make $750 for the mtt. if u played 10 $500 mtt avg buyin u only make $2500. Time u pay for travel, time off work accomodation food ur better off working ya job and making coin.Online mtts if ya grind $22 avg buyins and have a 10% roi ya make $2.20 a mtt and if ya
Online way harder field, and not as many mtts with juiced up prizepools- So have to factor that in as well, Only play a handful of series a year when I travel. As i work full time I take that travel out my life budget.
Day 6 — Double Bags and Big Dreams
What. A. Day. Rolled out of bed at 10 a.m. after a 3 a.m. finish — usually the sign that something big just happened. Spoiler: it just might be brewing. Let’s recap.
�� Main Event Madness
We shifted our Main Event Day 1 to today instead of Friday, and wow… the turnout is insane. First place is projected around $1 million. I jumped in a day early to (A) give myself more chances to fire bullets, and (B) earn a rest day before Day 2 if I bagged up.
Played out of my skin for 90% of the day — a couple of small mistakes — but I still bagged 148k from a 30k starting stack. We come back at 2/4k blinds with 30+ BB and a dream.
Close call right before the finish:
Raised in MP from a reg, I’m on the button with JJ and 3‑bet.
SB cold‑flats (covering me), MP calls.
Flop: 7♦ 6♣ 2♦ — checks to me, I c‑bet small. SB check‑raises, MP jams.
I fold, SB calls: 77 vs nut flush draw. Disaster narrowly avoided.
�� Mini High Roller — $450 (100k GTD)
920 runners. I couldn’t resist. Late‑reg’d with 25 BB during the ME break, deep enough to work with.
Won a pot to double up while sprinting between tables, then came this beauty:
Blinds 1.5/3k, I have 106k. BTN with T♣ 9♣.
UTG raises, I flat; SB flats; BB tanks, then flats.
Flop: T T 9 — absolute dream. UTG bets small, I flat, BB calls.
Turn: J♣ — only losing to JT or JJ now. Checks to me, I bet 30k.
BB jams, UTG jams, I snap.
BB: KQo (stone dead). UTG: ATo. River bricks — monster stack acquired.
Made a big ICM fold 3 off the money with A K s after 4‑betting into a shove. Then the swings hit: lost a few flips, down to 10 BB. Doubled with AA… slipped again… and then came the trap:
BTN with AA and 9.5 BB: limp. SB calls, BB checks.
Flop: A K 2 ♥ ♥ — top set. Checks all round.
Turn: 9♠ — BB bets small, I call. SB folds.
River: J — BB jams over‑pot. I snap. He’d been barreling 4‑5o after flopping a gutshot.
We, end the night with 21 left. Coming back for Day 2 with 20 BB and a live shot at $51k in a $450.
✌️ Summary
The double bag in one day — Main Event and Mini High Roller — is done. Two stacks, two dreams, and a shot at a very big score. Next update: let’s chase that FT.
I just looked at the schedule.
Looks like rake is insanely high?
Like the millions was 1300+200 am i reading that correctly?
Is this just completely irrelevent/negligible tho because its live and 50%+ of the player pool is bad?
Also GL hope u make 2 FT
I hope you become a professional poker mtt player mate. 😀
I just looked at the schedule.
Looks like rake is insanely high?
Like the millions was 1300+200 am i reading that correctly?
Is this just completely irrelevent/negligible tho because its live and 50%+ of the player pool is bad?
Also GL hope u make 2 FT
Hey Big Bananas, thanks for the luck may or may not of helped 😉 - Yeah the rake is insane in AUS, and especially at millions time. We had quite a number of notable regs complain (especially for the 2.5k). In saying that the player pool kinda makes it worth playing because there are people in the field that are just free money. I myself only play one 2.5k a year or maybe 2 because I don't belong in those fields every day either. So if im jumping in and then there are people worst than me jumping in - makes the rake sorta tolerable.
Day 7 – The Mini High Roller, Day 2 Recap
We came back with 21 players left, sitting 12th in chips thanks to a clutch double-up right before bagging. The question was: would we spin it up, make the final table, and maybe even take it down?
Spoiler: Oh yes, it was our day.
Early Momentum
We started hot — scooping the first few pots and bluffing our way to 2M chips. Then came a knockout: button vs big blind, AK vs K3s for 6bb. Clean runout, stack climbing.
But then… the chip leader moved to our left. Time to tighten up. Lost a few pots, dropped to 13bb, and with 14 left, found a crucial flip:
SB: AJo (limp)
BB (CL): 4bb squeeze
We jam, he snaps with TT
Flop QJ9, turn 5, river 2 — we hold and climb back toward the top.
Bubble Play & Final Table
On the bubble, we mixed aggression with well-timed pressure, sneaking into the chip lead by just 1bb heading into the FT. Even better — a fellow SA reg was seated right next to me, so the banter was top-tier.
Early FT didn’t go our way — from 1/9 to 6/6. But a couple of perfectly timed 10bb bluff jams kept us alive. Then came a key spot:
SA reg jams button for 11bb (eff he is CL)
We’re in SB with 55, BB has 9bb
Snap call — 55 vs ATs, board runs clean. Back into the chip lead.
With four left, stacks were even until the SA reg scooped a big one. Time to grind.
Three-Handed Battle
We wrestled back the lead with some 3-bet aggression and wide jams against “Asian uncle.” Then:
He jams button for 10bb
We peel AKo in BB — snap!
Flop AK2 (locked), turn Q, river Q… ouch.
Old me might’ve tilted into oblivion, but thanks to my partner’s box-breathing drills, I stayed calm. We laughed it off and soon after won a flip — his T9s vs our 55 — flopping him dead on AA5.
Heads-Up & The Deal
We started HU with a 4bb lead (34bb vs 30bb). With pay jumps from $31k to $51k, we agreed to an ICM deal: I locked $42k, my mate $40k, plus $1.2k and the trophy left to play for.
A few hands in, the big one hit:
We 3-bet A♦J♦ preflop, he calls
Flop K♦8♦5♦ — we bet small, he jams ~2x pot
Never a flush here, so we call… but he’s got 85h for two pair. No help on the runout.
Shortly after, we jam KQo for 15bb into A5o and bow out in 2nd — but with 1st-place money locked.
Final Thoughts
No trophy, but I’m ecstatic with how I played. Multiple comebacks from sub-10bb stacks, mental game on point, and another huge score:
2nd $35k+ score this month
3rd in 13 months
New personal best by $2k over my Lex Live Main Event win
Next Up
Day 2 of the Main Event — 775 players left, I’m 334th. Top 355 get paid, $740k up top. Let’s run it up!
$42k whats the roll at now bro?
Bottom right hand corner. soccer shirt.
Hes crushing mtts. Pity he couldnt finish the deal and get 1st but oh well,
Dont know if im curshing but live MTTs my ROI is pretty decent over a few years of taking it seriously.
Happy for Dylan- its been a long time between drinks, we did lock up 1st place money! However lets not focus on no trophy but instead how well another reg played and beat us heads up in a match he deserved to win. Much better way to think then we threw it away etc.
In terms of the 2nd question the roll. Somewhere in the range of 50k-175K- Dont want to fully disclose it. Also with my partner and I buying a block of land and then building soon Ive moved some funds around as well.
But the roll is healthy, selling action helps if we are losing and using a good BR management will protect it (60-100 buyins since we have a full time job).
Day 8 Recap
Main Event – Day 2 Recap
Day 2 didn’t quite go to script.
Early on, I defended the big blind with Q2s against a min-open and a call, flopped a flush… only for the board to pair and run me straight into a boat. Not long after, I jammed my 10bb from the button with ATo, got looked up by an older Asian uncle holding K8o — and he found a way to get there.
Short-lived, but still an awesome experience. A deep run in this Main will come one day — I can feel it.
Switching Gears
With the rest of the day free, I jumped into the commentary booth. Honestly, I love being behind the mic, calling the action for a live stream. Jordan, Mike, and I had great chemistry and plenty of laughs. If I get the chance to commentate again, I’ll grab it with both hands.
Good Luck to the Runners
GLGL to everyone still in the Main — $740k up top would make for one insane sweat.
Today’s Plan
Feeling a little under the weather, so it’s either:
A chill, recovery day, or
The $350 100k GTD Monster Stack, with a small PLO MTT on the side.
See you on the flip side ❤️
Dont know if im curshing but live MTTs my ROI is pretty decent over a few years of taking it seriously. Happy for Dylan- its been a long time between drinks, we did lock up 1st place money! However lets not focus on no trophy but instead how well another reg played and beat us heads up in a match he deserved to win. Much better way to think then we threw it away etc. In ter
Family man soon. Enjoy ur travels now while it lasts.
2nd-to-Last Day Recap – APL Milly 2025
We’re nearly at the end of the APL Milly 2025 journey, and today brought another shot at a $40k payday in the $350 100k GTD Monster Stack. Did we run it up again? Let’s find out.
Late Reg & Early Grind
With two-hour wait times, a late reg was inevitable. I killed time watching some junior AFL grand finals with the GF, grabbed some food, and then settled in for another long grind — sore throat and all.
Despite feeling under the weather, I doubled my stack without showdown within a few orbits. Then:
AJ vs AT for 10bb — KO.
Defended 89o vs CO min-open + BTN flat, flopped K84, turned a 9, but missed river value when it checked through on the Js.
The Swings Begin
Two lost flips dropped me to 150k at 25/50k (avg ~13bb — basically a live hyper). Found a double with 87o on 822 after x/r jamming a multi-way pot. Held in key spots:
88 vs AJ (flip)
AK vs 76s on 38Khh (held vs flush draw)
We bullied the bubble and had over 2x average when it burst — 81 players between me and another 40k shot.
Monster Pot
UTG (25bb) with KTs♥, I open 2x, UTG+1 flats, SB jams 2.3bb, BB calls. I flat (can’t reopen action), UTG+1 calls.
Flop: 7♥6♦J♥ — BB checks, I check to trap, UTG+1 bets 1.5bb, BB folds, I call. Turn: T♠ — I check planning to x/jam middle pair + flush draw, but UTG+1 jams pot. Easy call.
He shows AQ♥ — we’re ahead. River brings another T, no heart, and we scoop a 3.4M pot. With 70 left, I’ve got 4x average and feel like I’m steamrolling to the FT.
The Slide
New table, second hand: AKo on BTN. UTG limp, MP limp, I raise to 5bb (30bb stack). BB — a reg I know from the Mini High Roller FT — jams 19bb. Tough spot, but AK is a call. She has KK, we brick, and I’m back to 2M.
Then:
Lose to a 4bb stack (A6s vs AA)
Lose to another shorty (AKo vs ATo)
On break: 36 left, 1M stack at 75/150k (avg 1.2M). Everyone’s short except the KK crusher.
Final Hand
SB with 8bb, CO opens 2x (10bb stack). I peel JJ — snap jam. CO has KK. No help, and from a mountain of chips an hour ago, I’m out in 29th for $915.
Takeaways
Good profit, unlucky not to go deeper. Sometimes the deck just says “no.”
Next Up
Today: the $600 Deep Stack — last event of the series before I rest up and shake this cold. Final update coming soon.
Are u mates with James Obst or Joey Hachem?
James Obst Ive never met
Ive played against Joe at stacked and at APT, Nice guy, probably more sp called "friends" (more interactions) with Tony Hachem, then Joe. Both great guys and nice fellas. So friends no have I met spoken and played against, yes!
Final day recap
I closed out the trip with one last shot — the $600 Deepstack MTT. I wasn’t feeling 100%, so I only fired a single bullet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a run or build a stack, and my tournament ended earlier than I’d hoped.
That bust‑out also marked the end of my APL Milly campaign. After tallying up all my buy‑ins and the action I sold, I’m finishing this trip up over $30,000. That’s especially satisfying when I think back to last year’s APL Milly, where I walked away down $20k. What a turnaround.
Next up, I’ll be playing a few local series around Adelaide — but for now, it’s time to head home, rest, and recharge away from the felt.
Thanks to everyone who followed along with this series. I’ll see you next time for another update from the grind.
Final day recapI closed out the trip with one last shot — the $600 Deepstack MTT. I wasn’t feeling 100%, so I only fired a single bullet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a run or build a stack, and my tournament ended earlier than I’d hoped.That bust‑out also marked the end of my APL Milly campaign. After tallying up all my buy‑ins and the action I sold, I’m finishin
Grind the job + online. Eat a whole bag 500g of brocolli a day
Home safe and sound, Flu has come and is starting to go, Ill come back to the blog next week with some rough plans of what my year looks like moving forward.
Thanks for being part of the journey again!
