**** 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
Good luck boys - Im headed home early tomorrow so wont be able to sweat yall. Brian, I told TJ earlier that Ive made 3 day 2s in mains in the last couple of years here and you wont believe how fast people will be busting out - they just melt away that first hour.
Slept much better last night. Had time for a shower and a shave, in case my picture finds its way to poker.org’s updates.
Met my buddy for breakfast at the pancake house across the street from the casino. I know even thinking this is sacrilege, but I may need to be re-thinking my go-to breakfast spots in Cherokee.
For $16, I got coffee and the buffet, and it was all the standard breakfast foods I’d ever care to eat. I got two plates:
…And the carb-loading plate, of course, for dessert.
They’ve finally posted the prize pool. Officially 161 players return for Day 2, busting now is worth almost $4300, and there’s over $332k up top 😮😮 Top 4 make six figures.
Looking good, feeling good, wearing the cash game run PURE shirt for Day 2 Sunday! Let’s make it a long day today!
This will need some additional context and I am here for it.
GL today boys.
Out in 96th place, for $4600, plus $35 for the dealers.
Despite my plan to take it slow today, I necessarily started pretty fast. The third hand, I open 88 to 22k from the hijack, big blind who covers me calls, and I see an above average flop of T-T-8. He checks to me, and I get a little tricky, and downbet less than my open, to 15k. He calls. Turn is a 4, now I size up to 55k, which he calls again. River is a queen, so I go for most of it, betting 225k. I had hoped the weird sizing choices might make it look bluffy, but he folded. He later said he had the case 8.
An orbit later, I wake up to beautiful black aces, and there’s an open to 23k in front of me. I 3bet to 65k in position, he calls, and we get an innocuous flip of T-5-2 rainbow. He check/calls my 75k continuation, and we see a 7 on the turn. He checks again, with about 200k back, so I go for it all. In retrospect, I wish I had put him on a 2 street payment plan, like 60k on the turn, and get it in on any river. But he folds. Up to about 800k.
Next I find TT under the gun, and open to 26k. The button, who’d been playing tight, 3bets small, to 55k, and I call. Flop comes 5-4-3r, and I make the plan to check/raise and stack off. I check, he goes 65k, I raise to 175, he shoves pretty quickly, and I snap. Pretty unfortunate to run into near the top of his range, with KK, and I don’t improve. Down to about 350k.
I guess maybe once he 3bet shoves over the check/raise from UTG, I should have considered giving him credit for a bigger hand. But I made a plan, and he was on the button. He could be doing that with all the pair plus draw stuff, whatever. It’s tough, but I thought it was a good plan.
Next, I lose another medium sized pot calling an open from SB with 66, and giving up two streets on A-A-5, 4. The third heart J river checked through, and my opponent with TT wins. Maybe should have folded to the turn barrel.
Next I was in pushbot mode for about an hour. Laddered up a pay jump, which was nice, for another $215 sweet dollars.
Couple marginal spots that I considered, but ultimately decided against. One was A8o from SB for 12 bb vs a hijack open from a chip leader. Let that one go, but maybe I should have gone with it. I just hate the feeling of shoving stuff that’s frequently dominated by a calling range.
And then again, with KQo first in from UTG+1 and 11 bb. I just really hate shoving anything from early position, when 7 other players haven’t acted on their hand yet. If we want to be results oriented, a queen would have flopped.
The spot I found, that I waited so long for, was 22 from the big blind for 10 bb, vs a button open. I guess I didn’t have enough to make him fold two napkins, as he calls with K6o, and I finally lose that flip.
Live by the flip, die by the flip. Gotta win flips to win these things, simple as that. I’m not sure about the other two pushbot spots I mentioned, but I was very sure about shoving the pair vs a button open.
Thought I played well, and ran well this weekend. It was fun, and I’m at peace with it.
Thanks to everyone for following along, and let’s all throw our good luck and support behind brianr, who’s sitting over 900k now!!
Well done TJ, and GL brianr!
As to the two marginal hands, I agree on A8o. Also dislike playing those easily crushed hands.
I probably shove the KQ, representing more than I actually have, and being comfortable with folds. But, you have results and I don't, so let's assume you've made the correct play.
Great run. A good tune-up for the WSOP.
My only thought on the HHs is that if we think V is very tight in the TT hand then even with an overpair on a great flop for our hand, we might want to play more defensively, as we're dominated by JJ+ and not too worried about AK/AQ type stuff catching up on the turn and river. If we're likely to be far ahead or far behind then I like check-call more than check-raise, as raising takes away his bluffs while creating big problems for us against his value (unless he has 66-99, which should be underrepresented in a 3-bet pot compared to JJ+ for tight opponent). It's a spot where you're always going to lose a couple streets either way though.
Still a great result that should give you some more positive momentum for the upcoming summer.
Hope to catch you in Vegas at some point next month.
Great points DogFace.
It was more a “herp derp, I haz overpair in 3bet pot, arrrrrr in!”
Gotta do more about thinking on these ranges in the moment.
Hope to catch you in Vegas at some point next month.
Absolutely!
Haven’t read anything above but tbf your table image was as a maniac and I can see why you may have thought he may have been playing back at you light and your tens may have been good.
Good going, TJ!
Thanks for toting us along again!
Out. Made a move that didn’t work out. Feels punty but will revisit later going to gtf out of dodge.
they always do when they don't work out!
iirc you were using Jaka coaching for a while? (or did I get that wrong?). I've been using his stuff recently and he's certainly not afraid of a punty move or two. Got to follow Coach's advice!
Nice run TJ. A good boost of confidence before your Vegas trip.
“Next I find TT under the gun, and open to 26k. The button, who’d been playing tight, 3bets small, to 55k, and I call. Flop comes 5-4-3r, and I make the plan to check/raise and stack off. I check, he goes 65k, I raise to 175, he shoves pretty quickly, and I snap. Pretty unfortunate to run into near the top of his range, with KK, and I don’t improve. Down to about 350k.”
Red Flag 1: Re-raise to 55K
Red Flag 2: Bets 65K, Shoves on top of 175
Red Flag 3: Snap a shove
As DogFace suggested, once you identify resistance, go for check call than re-raise and call off.
Your game seems to peaking nicely as you approach the WSOP. Thanks for letting us follow along.
Out in 96th place, for $4600, plus $35 for the dealers.Couple marginal spots that I considered, but ultimately decided against. One was A8o from SB for 12 bb vs a hijack open from a chip leader. Let that one go, but maybe I should have gone with it. I just hate the feeling of shoving stuff that’s frequently dominated by a calling range.And then again, with KQo first in from
GG WP.
I don't have any poker skills except short stack play, so I will comment on these two.
I think the A8o fold is a no-brainer, unless I knew that the opener was very wide. Since it was from the chip leader that might obviously be the case, though. But I also hate getting it in with a hand that can be toast against a snap-call range. Much better to get it in first.
KQo from UTG is a spot I would have taken though, although I personally would not risk my entire stack here (initially).
they always do when they don't work out!
iirc you were using Jaka coaching for a while? (or did I get that wrong?). I've been using his stuff recently and he's certainly not afraid of a punty move or two. Got to follow Coach's advice!
Ha good memory and yes. I’m actually doing the WSOP accelerator which has been helpful to focus my preparation and create accountability, which were my goals. Sadly this hand was a reversion to a bad habit I’ve been trying to break with drills in GTO Wizard - not check raising high equity BB flop spots because our hand is too valuable to bluff with. In this case (and I really don’t want to hijack TJ’s thread but he asked me to post details) I x/r flop with bottom pair and nut flush blocker and jammed turn for ~ 1.5x pot vs table chip leader w 2mm+ who had been pretty active and had raised my BB from LJ each of the last 5-6 orbits.
Oops
Good job TJ and Brian. Cashing always great but also typically comes with woulda coulda shouda thoughts gnawing in your brain.
Too late to edit my post I meant not check raising marginal equity spots that have around 50% equity - where we’d look instead for either top of range TPTK, 2p etc on one end or pure draw / backdoor spots on the other instead.
Too late to edit my post I meant not check raising marginal equity spots that have around 50% equity - where we’d look instead for either top of range TPTK, 2p etc on one end or pure draw / backdoor spots on the other instead.
I guess you are saying that this spot is too 'good', and that you don't need to turn it into a bluff? (and to look for more marginal spots with less equity instead as bluffs).
Interesting if so, as I often have thought that these kinds of spot (bottom pair + backdoor) are good c/r candidates.
