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
Cash is better than MTTs. you will probably have more money playing cash.
I would say most will agree or you have a more consistent win rate in cash games then MTTs due to variance. I think it depends on a players skill set and line up etc. I know at 100bb+ im not great playing any form of poker. Alot of my study is focused at sub 30bb for mtts with ICM etc.
What I will say in the great words of Nelson Dong (Aus poker coach and influencer - would check him out on insta) - Stick to one format "learn it master it" then branch out.
For him it was cash and now he crushes mtts outside of playing cash. For me its MTTs over cash until I can put a heap of time into studying 100+ BB etc. With that said I hate playing NLH cash and much prefer PLO cash.
Also I love the comment etc- but probs wrong timing as we just had our largest score of 2026 in a mtt which ill update soon!
APL PT Adelaide Series Recap
What a series — and what a whirlwind of emotions. Here’s how it all played out.
I came into the week battling a head cold, so I trimmed the schedule down to:
MLR Freezeout → MLR $600 6‑Max → MLR Jackstar → Main Event → a couple of PLO events.
Freezeout
Quick run, min‑cashed, busted around 30th.
$600 6‑Max
Finished 13th with only 5 paid.
Jam JJ over BTN open for 20bb, he calls ATo, finds an ace. GG.
Jackstar
MLR, doubled early, played well… then tried bluffing someone who literally cannot spell “poker.”
Four to a straight, three to a flush, blockers everywhere — he hero‑calls top + middle two pair 20 from the money.
Lesson: don’t bluff the wrong player type.
Main Event — The Big One
This deserves its own section.
Day 1
After busting the Freezeout, I jumped into the Main with 40bb.
Only then did I realise they added two extra levels to Day 1 — so with a cold, cough, and headache, I had to grind until 1:30am.
But we got it done.
50k → 152k bag, peaking at 240k.
Made a huge fold late: 3‑bet AQo, CL 4‑bet jams, I tank‑fold, he shows AK.
Day 2
Started with 19bb.
Lost a little early, then opened KK UTG for 15bb.
BB (a rec who fast‑plays everything) 3‑bets to 100k at 5/10k — we jam, he snaps JJ, we hold.
From there we went off.
KO’d short stacks, won key pots, 3‑bet successfully, and hero‑called QQ on K9843 vs a triple‑barrel bluff from 45s.
Suddenly we were chip leader, pressuring the bubble with over 1M when average was 400k.
After the bubble burst, we climbed to 2.6M with 16 left.
Then… the dreaded table move.
Moved from feature to an outer table, CL on our left, lost TT vs 87s for 10bb.
Momentum dipped — but not for long.
We opened JTs, SB + BB call.
Flop 983♦♦, BB donk‑jams 12bb.
We call, beat A3♦ on Tc Ts runout, and get back on track.
Final Table Run
Came in 2nd of 9, quickly took a massive chip lead.
Two bustouts happened without us, then we KO’d a 5bb shorty.
Then the hand of the tournament:
BTN open → BB jams 25bb with ATo → we snap QQ → we hold.
From there we dominated 5‑handed and 4‑handed.
3‑Handed Deal
15.8M chips in play — I had 7.4M.
Payouts: 28k / 17k / 10.4k.
We agreed to an ICM deal where I locked 25k, both others locked 15.5k. (yes they accepted a deal where they both recieved less than 2nd...)
A dream deal.
Good thing too — short stack doubled, then KO’d the other player.
Heads Up
Old‑man‑coffee reg.
Lost a few early pots, then the key one:
I open AQo, he 3‑bets 25bb effective.
Even vs OMC, it’s a jam.
He snaps JJ.
Board runs clean.
We jam our last 10bb with K9o, run into A5s, and that’s the end.
Final Result
2nd of 317 for $25,000 — basically first‑place money thanks to the deal.
A fantastic title defence, our biggest score of 2026, and a perfect way to wrap the series given the cold/flu limiting volume.
Now it’s time for a well‑earned break — a month in Europe, my first proper non‑poker holiday in five years.
A great start to 2026, and we’re only just getting going.
See you after the holiday — catch ya!
Update — Back From Europe & Ready for the Second Half of 2026
Guess who’s back!
Fresh off the Europe trip — well, mostly fresh. A bit of Bali belly knocked me around the last few days, but we’re back home, recharged, and ready to attack the second half of the year.
A couple of small poker things happened while I was away. I played 4–5 CoinPoker MTTs on a rest day (nothing notable), and I got through about 500 hands of GTO Wizard drills before Wizard decided to update their MTT drill section mid‑trip. Annoying timing, but it was nice to study without playing and feel genuinely motivated while travelling. It’s a good reminder that poker has helped create the freedom to take trips like this alongside my job.
Coaching Shake‑Up
The bigger development: I lost my coach.
He’s fine and in good health — but he decided he no longer wants to work with someone who’s exploring additional coaching options.
The short version:
A friend of mine is launching an Aussie coaching site (Deep Blue Academy) with Malcolm Traynor. They’re not fully operating until November, but they’re posting content and answering questions. I asked about pricing, got @mentioned in their story, reshared it, and said I’d still be working with my coach. My coach didn’t like that and ended things after 12 months.
It’s frustrating because:
A) He was a great coach
B) We had strong results together
But maybe it’s a silver lining. I was only asking about cost, and their model is more “Netflix‑style” video library content — something I could easily use alongside 1‑on‑1 coaching. Maybe there was an underlying reason, who knows. If you know who he is, I still recommend him highly for your coaching and will continue to do so.
So the plan now is to switch fully to the new academy in November and hopefully add some 1‑on‑1 coaching through them.
In the meantime, a close friend — who coaches deep‑stack cash and plays the same SA games I do — has offered to coach me until November. He thinks one of my leaks is deep‑stack play and wants me playing more live cash to generate hands to review. The bonus is our partners know each other, so sessions can be done in person while they catch up.
What the Second Half of the Year Looks Like
MTTs
APL Millions is around the corner. Last year I had a huge results — 42k in the Mini High Roller + Other cashes — though I sold 35% of my action.
This year I’ll likely only sell for the 1k+ events and some mixed games. The smaller $600s and below will be 100% me, and the Main Event will be fully self‑funded.
Work gave me time off again, but I got the sense my boss wasn’t thrilled, so for the rest of the year I’ll keep travel minimal. I’ll focus on the SA live series — one Stacked series and one Matchroom series left. If APL Millions goes well, I might flick in a weekend trip to WPT GC or APT Melbourne, which only requires one day off work.
With the new coaching direction, I’ll be entering bigger buy‑ins with longer structures from the early levels (1–4) to collect deep‑stack hands. I’ll still drill sub‑20bb, sub‑30bb, and FT ICM spots with Wizard.
Cash Games
Live cash will become more regular:
A) Less travel = more time at home
B) Weekly SA MTTs aren’t great value
C) Deep‑stack practice is a priority now with the new interim coach
2–3 sessions a week is manageable with work, a partner, and life outside poker.
Wrapping Up
Europe was great — first proper non‑poker holiday in five years. I’ve added a few photos below. (YES I PUT ON 6KG)
Plenty of updates to come as we roll into the second half of 2026. With a strong APL Millions, a 100k profit year isn’t impossible — but I could also lose the full 25–30k I’m up this year at that series. That’s poker. That’s why we love it.
See you in the next update.
my partner Candice and I at the Trevi Fountain with a strong Tan
When in Rome at the collosum
My Sister and Mother with one of many sandwhich stops
My Brother in Law and I getting drench on a rough transit day on Lake Como
Well a bit of Fat DAMMO Corn for you all
