**** TJ’s Sundry Poker Adventures! 2025-26 ****

Play well, run better!

Several years ago my wife at I stopped at some WH on I-40 on the way home late one night and each ordered a few different things off the menu. Our WH waitress who certainly was not working her first night suggested that we order some super jumbo combo on the menu that included everything we wanted but at a savings of $X.XX. We accepted her suggestion and also left a grateful gratuity.

IOTW, you may not have been undercharged, but given an assist by a WH expert.

In any event, go get 'em!

Busted in level 9. A loose layer opens to 3.5k from EP, a big stack calls, I rip squeeze 24k from the button with A6s. I thought it was likely both players would fold, but the big stack had flatted with JJ, and busted me.

Maybe not my best decision. I felt okay when I jumped into the next flight, but I think my focus and attention was waning as the night wore on.

Now I’m deeply tempted to play cash, on a Friday night at the WSOP. But I’ve been playing since 10 am, so I think that wouldn’t be good. I’ll have all day Sunday to play cash, if I don’t bag tomorrow.

Went outside to the Cuddly’s Soul Food food truck, and got the Philly cheesesteak.

It was messy, but good, for $22.

Gonna go back to the Econo Lodge and keep it easy tonight. Then we’ve got probably the biggest flight of the tournament tomorrow!

still reading post first bullet flop, give me a reason to c-bet
edit: nevermind, just caught up. may you destroy those fries as they deserve

sleep up and get ready for your main event

I know that feeling oh so well! Such is the fate of tournament play. It usually works except when it doesn't :( You'll get 'em next time!

Good morning!

Was in bed by 11, slept pretty great, and feeling good this morning. Got a shower, hit the BK drive thru for some breakfast, and I’m ready for what will likely be the largest flight of the 5 today.

Lots of dealers getting ready, they’re expecting a big turnout.

Locked in and ready for a long day.

The morning Flight yesterday got 648 entries. This will be the biggest flight of all, I’m hoping for over 1,000 entries. We’ll see.

Flight D, Moby’s ready, I’m ready,

Let’s gooooo!

Go, go, go!

Get em

Good luck today.

First break, on 18k. That actually represents an improvement for how low it got.

Was dealt a lot of ace-little hands, sometimes suited, sometimes not, but flopping nothing to work with, when I did play. Got as low as 8.5k, which I shoved from the BB with KQo, got called twice, made a boat, and tripled up.

It’s a pretty good table. Two chip leaders, one who seems solid, and the other, whom I’m in position on, has made some head-scratching plays.

Gonna keep playing my game.

You've got this!

gogogogogogogo

Bust in level 6.

Grinded a couple medium sized pots to get back to about a starting stack. Then a loose chip leader opened to 2200, a loose player called, and I squeezed to 7.5k from the button with AQo. PFR calls, caller folds, and it comes T-3-2 two clubs, I have none. He check/calls my 6k c-bet, then donks out 11k on the 5c turn. I fold.

At 400/800, three limps, button goes 3600, I shove AJo from BB for 16k. Folds to the button, who calls with 88. Fine to be flipping, not fine with an 8 in the window, dead on the turn.

Jumped back in with the 4th bullet in level 7. I’d rather play more here than fire the 4pm, so this is the last one.

Let’s start fast.

Welp, I was right about it being fast.

An open to 3k, two calls, I shove 26k with AQo. PFR folds, the first caller flatted with AK, and holds.

Ah well. No 5th bullet for me.

Now we’re on a mission to get unstuck, at PLO, for the rest of the weekend!

PLO can be a cruel game, that really messes with your head. Hit my stop loss for the day. It was a great game, AND I had the best seat.

Twice, I called a raise with a coordinated 4-card hand, then it got 3bet and 4bet-shoved behind me, and I had the opportunity to call off my stack (~1.2k effective) in a 3way all in for a 3-5k pot.

One time I had JJT8 with hearts, the other time I had AKQ8 with nut diamonds. Both times I folded. Both times I would have won.

Not inconsequentially, both times ALSO one of the players had AAxx. So if I got either of them in, it would have been from behind.

Still. Folding big winners is tough.

My big hand that I found, was potting top set as PFR on J-8-2 two clubs. The turn was an off suit 9, I stayed in the lead OOP for 300 heads up, but got shipped on for 600 more. Given that I already bet the turn, it’s close, but I called, and lost to the nuts when no help came on the river.

Maybe bad.

I really should have picked up my last 400, but I didn’t, and busted that, too.

One more day here to turn it around. If tomorrow goes bad, too, I won’t be back next weekend.

So I went upstairs to grab a bite. The barbecue place was on a wait, no seats at the bar, so I got some fish and chips plus shrimp from the food court.

It was $25, which I was able to cover with my players card.

Gonna flush today, sleep on it, then play as long as I feel good tomorrow.

I wish you all the run good today!!!

I feel you pain -- PLO is brutal. If my two big AAXX hands had held up in Cinci, I would have been up more than $10, 000, but even gii good and once flopping top set and turning the nut flush draw, they still couldn't hold :( Sick game.

Oof that was a tough scroll. Wishing you better luck today

Home safe. I wasn’t motivated to write up the poker in real time, because I lost some more.

First big hand I play, I check/shove top set, and get it in three ways on the flop. Yes, I DO want to keep piling money in with the nuts, but I didn’t win. These things happen.

Play a little longer, then as the next dealer is getting pushed, he asks us to be nice to the next girl, as it’s her third day. Sweet girl, and not her fault, but she really wasn’t ready to be dealing a PLO game. We were helping her a lot, but everything was going SO slow. I knew I couldn’t take another hour of this.

I decide this is a good time to take a break, and then the whole table breaks shortly thereafter. Probably didn’t boost her confidence to see the game break because of her, but I knew I’d be getting more tilted if I stayed.

So I went upstairs to get some barbecue.

I wasn’t hungry enough for a whole two meat barbecue plate, so I just got the brisket melt sandwich.

It was fine, but kinda meh. The barbecue plates and the mac and cheese are where it’s at, there.

Plus a draft IPA, it was $34.

Then I decided I’d play one more session after dinner, for as long as I feel good, and close the book on this trip.

I have a question about these non-Vegas WSOP events. Although it probably varies a lot by location? But they have one rolling through here (Hammond Indiana) at the end of this month and I am wondering how big the fields are? I am probably gonna take a shot or two. I never really play outside of my LV trips but these look like the kind of structure I like to play. Aslo I am guessing everything is through the WSOP phone app?

Immediate seating once I get back downstairs, on a different table, and I could tell this was a much better game. Several $1k orange chips, and $500 purple chips in play.

Then I IMMEDIATELY go on a crazy heater for about the next 45 minutes. I must have hit three or four sets in that down. The big hand was holding TTxx, getting a flop of T-9-9, and getting 2k in with my opponent drawing dead with T9 (the other 9 folded). So that was pretty cool. And suddenly, I’m sitting on about +5k for the session.

But as has happened, multiple times this year, I didn’t stop win, and stayed too long. To be fair, it was a defensible decision, as the game was still good.

The next big hand I lost, was vs the spot, and I got it in ahead. I had top two pair, flatting a cbet from the PFR, and then the mark check/shoved. I don’t love going to war with just two pair, but I thought I was ahead, and I was right. He had top pair, one over card, and a gutshot, which came on the river. Sigh. That one would have definitely been the stop win.

He later gave all that money away to someone else, and then he left. That would have represented another good time to quit, too, but I didn’t.

A little later, I have another confrontation for stacks where I continue as the PFR with AKJ3 and nut hearts on a flop of T-5-2 two hearts, and my opponent check/shoves. Maybe it’s a bit light, vs an unknown with just the NFD, a wheel gutshot, and some running broadway overs, but I got it in anyway. He had top and bottom two pair, plus worse hearts, and won.

So that got me back close to even. The game wasn’t nearly as good as when I sat down, and I was a little dejected about dusting off all that prior rungood. I played another two hours after that, treading water, in a not great game.

Somewhat mercifully, I didn’t bust it. I picked up at +200, after not much happening, and I positively couldn’t stand playing any longer. I quit just after 1 am, an almost 6 hour session, when I had to sleep and check out in the morning.

Again, I return to identifying the recurring leaks in my game, that lead to bad results. I can’t take it as a lesson, if I never learn from it, to change my behavior.