I have steadily lost the last couple of days, played okay for the most part except one hand where even in game I knew I played it so bad and it cost me most of my losses the last couple of days.
Still onwards and upwards as we live play and learn.

Yeh these days will come and it sounds like its not a disaster or anything just some small steady losses. Just make sure you don't tilt or do anything stupid to turn them from steady to destructive.

Won about a buy in, in bits and pieces the last few days which makes the last week or so pretty break even. I have been splitting my time watching videos and playing, but it is not so easy to adopt or even adapt the titbits learnt, in game. I seem to be able to work out hands and stuff on revision but not so much in game, I am hoping this will improve as I play more, though more time to think would help.

Heres one I played the river badly today, it irritates me to make such bad decisions





I am never keen playing sc's oop, but getting a good price have to call, I flop second pair and once the initial raiser checks I feel I call with bad 2nd pair and bdfd as the bettor donks a lot with any part of the board, when the fd comes on the turn I feel compelled calling turn with a pair and fd getting 3/1, I hit the flush on the river but of course its a paired board and why I raised I just dont know, maybe I got caught up in the moment as the bettor is someone to play pots against. In retrospect I should just call river as I cant see what worse hands call me, only better flushes or boats.Makes you wonder why we make these errors in game.

The most common reason for car crashes: Driver error.

It is just human nature basically and we make mistakes even at the most obvious of times where we should be concentrating. Driving a car at 70MPH but we decide to switch off for a second, check a text, play with the radio and so on whilst other cars are shooting past us on a busy motorway. No different to poker sometimes we just switch off and it is hard to stop this from happening.

Best thing is once you realise you have switched off is to gg the session and comeback when your mind is right. However as mistakes go yours is certainly not the worst one i will see today!

Very good anology Jon, thanks.

Lost a couple of BI last couple of days, not a lot to report really feel I am playing okay, just steadily sliding, the next session is later tonight if I feel up to it.

I am still steadily losing a few dollars here and there. Heres a hand that sums it up





Seems no way out of this to me, had I not had two pair I wouldnt be calling the river as they just dont bet 3 streets with less than TPTK, but as I had two pair I felt it was an easy call as he can have AKo here as well, which I beat.
I am starting to wonder if I should be 3 bet bluffing preflop in these situations rather than calling. Most of what I read say that only to call with AK and AQ v utg or mp opens, but the average range of people is about 14% here and that means that a lot of their range cant stand a 3 bet. I know that some still call pocket pairs v 3 bets even oop, and you might still get a call by dominated hands like KQs or other broadway suited as some just cant let it go. But a 3 bet here could more likely define their range and its an easy fold to a 4 bet from a tight player. I dont seem to have any 3bet range v one of the first two positions, idk tbh, just thinking out loud.

You played the hand perfectly buddy. Not easy to be told that when feeling down or questioning your game but in the long run this is profitable. You just ran into a big hand and got coolered.

Thanks Jon.

I am not really down as I know from my life in horse racing all about variance and how it hits you hard at times, I feel I just need to improve a few things right now but not sure how at the moment. I will keep searching for the answers though.

Not much to report, still steadily leaking money, and no good spots.

How is this effecting your mindset? You sound very down and perhaps negative.

My mindset is fine I think, I just dont feel that I am ever going to be any better than a break even player, I feel I should treat the game as fun rather than seriously, that would make me a recreational wouldnt it.

I dont ever tilt, I have been in the gambling game all my life and know full well that each bet or each hand is just a snapshot of the long term picture, so no problem there. Do I feel negative, yes I guess I do a little but it is not affecting my play.

Have you ever studied anything which was really difficult outside of poker?

Not sure what you mean Jon, I played golf at pro level until my back gave way, I then worked as a bookmakers clerk and learnt how the betting markets worked and how all the figures and percentages all worked together, but I didnt find that too difficult as maths is probably my strong suit.

I guess learning to use excel was a challenge and I am no expert but I can use for what I need it for. I taught myself by googling whatever I wanted to know,
other than that I guess not?

I was asking as you say you dont think you will ever be a better than breakeven player but maybe before you thought you would never be able to succeed something which you did just by constant practice, research and persistence

I lost 2 BI's today firstly I got JJ in bvb against KK, do you guys stack off JJ bvb? I wont stack off JJ anywhere else but bvb, feels like you gotta, idk?
The rest was just missing every flop cbetting here and there and it all adds up.

Heres my updated graph

Played again tonight and lost another 2 BI. Heres a hand v a whale who I have a note on saying that he pots every bet and donks a lot and he bluffs river often




I feel obliged to call, doubt I would against most players but with my notes on him I reckon to be good better than 33%, it just isnt my time right now as later
he done the same with others and it was mostly bluffs. And raising 2x or 3x here doesnt make a lot of difference as he still calls.

I think i fold this river as some semi bluff leading range hands get there. I don't think we can beat much if anything here so for me i let this one go. There are far better hands for us to call with.

Not much to report again as I won a BI in bits and pieces and lost half of it back today as I was so card dead and If I had something to ISO with missed every flop. So after 8k hands I am pretty break even or just behind, in my first go at this cash game malarkey I was break even after 23k hands, so even though I feel I am a much better player and understand more nowdays I am still break even. I do think that I just need a little luck here and there, I dont necessarily mean holding on with hands or such but I need to find hands where others have 2nd best hands, or I need to hit more in the bigger pots, I seem to hit plenty when pot is small and win nothing, yet when it matters hit zero. Another thing that surprises me is that in 8k hands I am yet to get AA or KK allin preflop v anyone and I dont think it is anything to do with being too tight and not getting paid off, its just that the right situations haven come up where someone else has something against me. I mean I get 3 bet to buggery when I open A5s or QJs, but never when I have AA or KK, when I have 4 bet bluffed I get shove on but when its for value they all fold, and they cant possibly know what I have. Also I seem to just keep getting AA utg and not in other positions. I dont really mean to moan about my journey so sorry if it comes across that way, it is just very frustrating not being able to win when you consider yourself at least the equal of the other players at your level. It will come one day and I will keep on trying, though I wish I could play more volume but my health wont allow it for now.