**** TJ’s Sundry Poker Adventures! 2025-26 ****
Hello again!
I’m coming off nearly a month in Las Vegas, and now that there’s some distance, and perspective, from the po
I think you may be right.
I get distracted by “4 cards working” more than “play big cards, fold little cards” sometimes.
low cards suck and get coolered. bottom set is like bottom pair in hold'em.
Merry Christmas TJ !!!
I’m done with poker for the month, and for the year! So let’s recap December.
Since I got back from Cherokee, I played 16.5 live hours, plus 295 hands online, for -4.8k.
Hit a rough patch in the online game at the end of the month, to contribute to the lackluster showing. I tend to think of casino trips as separate from the home-based local cash grind. If I included Cherokee results, this month is back in the black. Again, though, I’m not super fixated on the number.
Only made it to the gym for 6 workouts in December. The mitigating factors were I was out of town 2 of the 4 weekends in the month, and working a bunch during the week in between. I’ll do better next month.
January goals: 13 workouts, 40 hours of live play.
I had contemplated doing a big end of year post, running down all the numbers. However, next year’s taxes are the first time my taxes are unique and complicated enough for me to need to bring in a professional. I have my W2 from my nursing job, a 1099 from my sporadic DJing side hustle, two W2G’s from tournament wins, I sold some stock, I withdrew from a Roth, and bought a house.
While it would stroke my ego to post the bottom line number for the year, I think I’ll keep that information nonpublic, for now.
In every respect, it was a fantastic year. The best year of my poker career, certainly. By objective metrics, maybe even the best year of my entire adult life. I made (slightly) more from poker in 2025 than I grossed from my day job!
That fact is enormously fulfilling to me, and validating. That all the patience, discipline, and study I put into the game has paid dividends. That gritting my teeth, and believing in myself to grind through rough stretches of variance was worth it.
Rest assured, though, there will be ZERO consideration to “quit job, go pro.” I truly enjoy my work. I find it meaningful, and important. But above all, my work gives me balance, that I know I desperately need in my life. If I didn’t have a reason to get up out of bed (EARLY), and do important work, I simply wouldn’t. My life would spiral out of balance, and I’d be less happy overall. And I have enough freedom to pursue my passions, like poker and DJing.
…And writing! I initially started this thread because I wanted a journal to live blog my poker adventures. What I’ve found is that this has served as a wonderful accountability tool for me. The good, and the bad.
So I wanted to thank everyone that reads or participates in this thread! You all motivate me.
So let’s talk about goals for 2026.
Lose 50 pounds in 2026.
I started taking a GLP-1 drug two Februarys ago. From the first dose, it changed the way I eat, and I steadily lost about 40 pounds over the next 18 months. However, my insurance wasn’t paying for it, and I was paying out of pocket through an online doctor to get it. I stopped when I closed on my house, because I wanted to give my budgeting and finances a chance to adjust to the new normal. Consequently, my weight has (slowly) started to creep back up, despite being about as active I can reasonably and feasibly implement.
I have my yearly physical with my primary care provider in a couple weeks. I’m going to ask him what’s the best drug for me, and the best way to get it.
I was losing weight on the drug, despite not being very active for the first part of it. I think with medication, and a dedicated, consistent fitness routine, 50 pounds in a year is possible.
Finish 2+ books a month.
I have a whole list of books I want to read, even some I already physically possess, that I haven’t made time to read. I’m going to be a lot more deliberate in my free time in 2026. That includes reading, and working out… not just mindlessly doomscrolling on the couch.
The pool at my new community looks like a freaking water park, with slides, and even a lazy river. When the weather gets nicer, I can spend time reading there, and working on the tan.
I prefer reading nonfiction, because I like to feel like I’m learning something. But there’s plenty of great fiction authors I like that I could read more of.
Make 6 figures from poker.
100k in a year is 8.3k a month. “I’ve gone on runs like that before!”
If next year is anything like last year, the results will continue to be swingy. And lumpy. But “lumpy” could be a very good thing, if the lumps are big.
I’m likely going to all 4 Cherokee stops, plus 2 or 3 weeks in Las Vegas for WSOP. Caesar’s Virginia in Danville is supposed to be getting their first WSOP circuit stop in September. And I’ve heard lots of good things about tournament events in Miami, if I want to take a flight.
We’re going to do big things in 2026. Honored, and humbled, to have ALL of you coming along!
Stay tuned.
no need for me to quote it you know everything that was typed
can hardly wait to see how it unfolds
Very happy for you that you had a great year and can't wait to see what 2026 has in store for you.
My wish for you is that 2026 is even better than 2025. Time to stack successful years one after the other.
Congrats on a great 2025. I hope you meet your goals for 2026. Especially in PLO, It might be better to make goals of making less mistakes than an overall financial goal.
Congrats on a great 2025. I hope you meet your goals for 2026. Especially in PLO, It might be better to make goals of making less mistakes than an overall financial goal.
I approve this message. It is easier to attain a goal that you have more control over.
You're on a great trajectory. May you continue that in 2026!
Overall, the new year is off to a good start. My flex of the week is maxing out my Roth IRA for 2026, first thing in the morning on January 1st. That felt good.
Poker wise, the first session of the year was a loser at G.
The big hand was shoving (in position!) QJT2 with spades on a T-5-2-9 board with two spades. I had 15 outs against a set of 5’s, but the red Q river wasn’t one of them.
Then a couple days later I won pretty big in the online game, to put January back in the black.
Saw a sign outside a gym: “Tired of being fat and ugly? Spend time here, and just be ugly!!”
I haven’t missed a day in the gym, so feeling good about that. Unfortunately, and tragically for me, the seat on the Peloton bike is broken, and can’t adjust. I told the community manager. She said she’s aware, and has a service ticket in, but it’ll be at least two weeks before it gets fixed.
I can’t do cardio on a treadmill, because the last time I tried, I got a stress fracture in my foot. I’m too heavy to train on anything that’s not low impact, which is why cycling is ideal. Plus I’m so tall, my natural stride is uncomfortably longer than most ellipticals.
So I suppose that means no cardio for me for two weeks. I guess I’ll look at doing more with my strength training in the meantime. I also want to explore strengthening my core.
I have yet to crack open a book in the new year. I’ll work on that, too, in my off time this week.
Overall, the new year is off to a good start. My flex of the week is maxing out my Roth IRA for 2026, first thing in the morning on January 1st. That felt good. Poker wise, the first session of the year was a loser at G.The big hand was shoving (in position!) QJT2 with spades on a T-5-2-9 board with two spades. I had 15 outs against a set of 5’s, but the red Q river wasn’t o
surely the cross trainer would be ok?
That’s the stepping one with arm handles too?
That’s what I mean by an elliptical.
I’m 193 cm to you, (6’4 in FREEDOM units), so on every cross trainer I’ve tried, it feels like jogging taking shortened baby steps.
Wow. I don’t remember you being that tall when we met? I’m not 20:20 but I thought you were same height to me
Idk though. I’m not a big cardio machine fan but I would think a few of them wouldn’t be height specific
The Erg (rowing machine) definitely isn’t - it favours taller heavier athletes
I’ve seen tall guys on the cross trainer so idk but I guess you’ve tried it
Does your gym have stationary bikes? The boring ones not the pelotons. They’re definitely boring and you have to work way way harder to get through the calories but they’re almost always free!!
Overall, the new year is off to a good start. My flex of the week is maxing out my Roth IRA for 2026, first thing in the morning on January 1st. That felt good. Poker wise, the first session of the year was a loser at G.The big hand was shoving (in position!) QJT2 with spades on a T-5-2-9 board with two spades. I had 15 outs against a set of 5’s, but the red Q river wa
No stationary bikes, like Lifecycle?
Do you trade your Roth? S&P 500 mutual funds are too limited. If you buy SPY you can write covered calls on them. But you need 70 grand to do 1 contract. There might be a mini-SPY with a smaller contract, I don't know.
Does your gym have stationary bikes? The boring ones not the pelotons. They’re definitely boring and you have to work way way harder to get through the calories but they’re almost always free!
It’s a smaller fitness center, just 3 treadmills and the only stationary bike is the Peloton for cardio. There is a rowing machine, which I’ve never used, but maybe I’ll give it a try.
Do you trade your Roth? S&P 500 mutual funds are too limited. If you buy SPY you can write covered calls on them. But you need 70 grand to do 1 contract. There might be a mini-SPY with a smaller contract, I don't know.
The Roth is 100% in a low cost Vanguard Target Retirement Date fund (VFIFX). It’s diversified, and will automatically rebalance to be more conservative as I get older, closer to retirement. The expense ratio is only 8 bips!
I set it and forget it. The hard part is diligently maxing it out every year. The easy part will be watching it grow tax free over the next 20-25 years.
I also have a brokerage account that I used to use to play hunches, and make gamble-y stock plays. But through experience, I learned I don’t have the temperament for that. I think it’s hubris to make trades that try to beat the market.
Just getting the market return is fine with me. So I put that in low cost, diversified Vanguard funds. I like the S&P 500 (VOO), and international stocks ex-US (VXUS). Those expense ratios are only 3 and 5 bips!
So I’m on team index and chill, for life.
Great stuff TJ, I think your QJT2 shove may be a little too light, but maybe it has fold equity as I really don't think he should've called off with 55 there.
Not to hijack the thread but with my first million I put half of it in low risk mutual funds and then took the other half over to my friend Asadullah who works in securities.
Great stuff TJ, I think your QJT2 shove may be a little too light, but maybe it has fold equity as I really don't think he should've called off with 55 there.
Not to hijack the thread but with my first million I put half of it in low risk mutual funds and then took the other half over to my friend Asadullah who works in securities.
My hedgie friend made 21% for the clients last year.
Just a quick update: I’m on a 3 session skid. I was up at one point in each of those three losing sessions, gotta make better quits.
Not playing particularly great right now, definitely not running great.
Gonna get back in the gym, get enough rest, and crush it at work, to grind through this.
may i offer an amateur suggestion?
if you don't already, perhaps consider exploring consistently deploying that deep circular breathing technique every time you first arrive at a table
spinning each way like a propellor in the middle of your chest
intent of the initial minute serves as an anytime reminder to fuel brain cells while temporaly erasing from your memory bank cards unlawful house bill mississippellings of scattered smothering experiences leading up to your arrival
and instead maximize your first minute in the electric chair to intentionally pause focus away from where you woke up and other egg jokes instead shift it more toward your decision and current purpose for being exactly where you sit
wonder if you treat every ring or online hand the same as if they were in a big tourney?
Accountability update: it’s still going pretty bad lately.
Not quite in The Abyss, because I’ve been there before in my online career. I wouldn’t compare this to that, out of the healthy respect I have for running that bad. Still, though, it’s been pretty rough.
I’m playing within my roll, and intellectually I’ve always known you need a healthy roll, because swings happen. But it’s lower now than I’d like, certainly than at any point last year.
About the only thing going good right now is that I’m being consistent about my workouts. Throwing some weights around is a very healthy outlet for negative vibes. I’m discovering that I find it very meditative… which is good, because I have a tendency to live inside my own head too much, especially if things aren’t going great.
I’m looking forward to my appointment with my primary care provider, to talk about GLP-1 drugs. Coming up with a plan for that will really accelerate my weight loss, and health and fitness goals.
In the meantime, I’m gonna step away from the felt for a few days. Hit the gym, eat good, and read some books.
So sorry for the run bad. I'm right there with you :( At least you are working out! Good for you. I really need to make some changes -- and so does my husband.
Sorry to hear about the downturn. One piece of advice I've followed for years is that when you are in the middle of a downturn, it is difficult to know if it is due to variance or bad play. You can't do anything about the variance, but it is a good time to look at your play to find your leaks.
I don't know which you use to study whether you read, watch videos or talk to others, but go back to the basics and rebuild your game. Your namesake always warned about not playing hands with "danglers" and I think I remember you posting hands that include them. As much as this forum discounts the average player, the reality is that they do adjust eventually. It then gets harder to get their money. You should be upping your game as a response.
seems like a perfect time to press pause and recalibrate your foundation for living
reminder pitty was not invited to this particular poker party by anybody we are familiar with
please let me know if i can ever help in any way TJ
standing offer
