< 3 Weeks Til Graduation!

I can't believe how fast this quarter is going. On my first round of midterms, I got clean A's on all 3 tests, which is nice. I do have a ton of work to do between now and June 13th, but it's nice to know how close I am.

I have essentially made the decision to stay in Bellingham this summer and continue working at Semiahmoo. I am really enjoying it, and, although it is a bitch of a drive, the free golf is really nice. The plan right now is to take it easy for about a month after I graduate, continue working, go to Vegas from July 1 through the 8th then start looking for jobs - probably in the Seattle area. I will then most likely be working down there and will start preparing for grad school exams next Spring.

Speaking of grad school, I am really proud of myself for pulling my GPA up this year and not slacking. I think that my upward trend will likely make me more appealing to schools. My GPA kind of suffered from having to take GUR's, which are b.s. required general classes that everyone has to take to graduate. I just never really took them seriously and didn't apply myself in them at all. But once I got into my major and started becoming proficient at it, I started working harder because I could see the progress that I was making. I will probably talk about this in my applications to grad schools.

Right now I am not even sure what exactly I want to be studying. I think I would be a pretty good fit for law school, but it's def gonna take a year of maturing and "growing up" before I am prepared to do that. I think doing some sort of corporate law would be interesting. I have also considered MBA or doing a Masters program, probably in Economics.

Whereas part of me wishes that I had applied to grad schools for this upcoming fall, I just didn't want to get burned out, and I just was not super motivated to enter the real world just yet. I am really really looking forward to this summer and playing tons of golf and building a bigger roll.

Speaking of that, this month has been going pretty well. I withdrew around $3300 at the end of April to live off of for a while, and am up around $1100 this month online. For some reason, hold 'em manager did not collect hands from a couple sessions I had at some 100NL with antes table, which I ran extremely hot at. Last Sunday I made over $600 at this table, and the other day I made over $300, and HEM says I am up $220 for the month.

I just got finished playing a session in which I felt I played extremely well. I have lately been trying to focus really hard on playing my best by eliminating some other distractions. I typically play on the couch, and, although the TV is usually on, I put on my Bose headphones and listen to Pandora while trying to focus and take notes, etc. It has really been helping, and I have been playing, what I would consider, optimally.

Today there weren't many FR games going, so I jumped in a couple 6-max games to see if I still had the magic. The games were pretty aggressive with at least 2-3 regs at each table playing a pretty similar style - 3-betting a lot, occasionally 4-betting light, iso-raising, c-betting, etc.

Here are a couple of the hands from this sesh:

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695118
I kinda like my line that I take here. This guy was 19/11, and I have been experimenting with the real small bet that a CR pro, David Benefield, likes to take. I tried my best to rep a big hand, and the river, I think I get folds from any PP under KK. I had him somewhat scared I guess as he played AJ slowly.

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695120
This hand was toward the end of the sesh and really sucked. I have played with this guy before back in my prime 6-max days. Earlier, I had called a UTG raise with 88, and there was another caller, then he squeezed, and I flatted and raised his c-bet on a A 6 5, and he started chatting, blah blah blah, so I thought he might try to come after me or w/e. I was trying my best to get him to spaz out and raise me with pretty small bets, but he obv just calls twice and rivers gin. I don't think I should be folding this river, given the history and the fact that my line looks pretty weak.

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695122
This was this guy's first hand at the table. I go back and forth between 3-betting JJ and QQ, but I am trying to 3-bet more, and I prefer to 3-bet 3x raises as opposed to 3.5x raises as the deep stacks are still intact. I think my river call is marginal at best. I just don't think he is doing this with worse very often unless he was turning his small PP into a bluff, but I don't think so that often. The mouse was over the fold button, but then I convinced myself that he would probably want to jam/get it in with a f/d, so I paid it off. Not good.

Now to some of the good ones:

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695125
I have nfi what this guy was doing. He butchered this hand so bad and it's not even funny. A lot of these players take pot control lines in spots where they lose just a ton of value. Anyways, my plan was to CRAI on the turn, but he checked behind and I took him to value town.

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695126
Real standard hand against a monkey.

http://www.liquidpoker.net/h/695127
Suck then re-suck against the same player. I am never folding flop, as he is shoving in his entire (very wide) range.

Overall, I ended up making $90. The KK hand sucked, but not much I could do I don't think. I'm going to continue grinding until end of June at which point I will withdraw a healthy amount of money for Vegas. I cannot wait.

I am going golfing today. I have been playing a ton and am still waiting for a breakthrough round. We'll see if that happens today.

Between now and June 13th, I will be taking 3 tests, writing 2 papers, and doing a presentation.

Wish me luck!

JG