My Journey As A Professional Poker Player (27 Viewers)

[Anthony Martino]

I'm on there too occasionally. About 150-300 players during peak times. I've found the cash games, especially NLHE, to be very reg infested. There are a few guys that basically play every table available of all the stakes. And they are decent.

The tournament players... Well... They're special.

I don't play the hold em cash games. I haven't played a ton of tourneys, but felt the fields were pretty soft in the ones I did and have cashed and final tabled multiple times in NLHE, PLO and Big O tourneys

And then the PLO, PLO5 and Big O games have been pretty good. Definitly more droolers than decent players.

Glad I didn't lose the quad Jacks in the 5-card PLO cause then the qualifier jumps from quad 9's to quad Queens and I would've been pissed lol

 

[Legend5555]

I don't play the hold em cash games. I haven't played a ton of tourneys, but felt the fields were pretty soft in the ones I did and have cashed and final tabled multiple times in NLHE, PLO and Big O tourneys

And then the PLO, PLO5 and Big O games have been pretty good. Definetly more droolers than decent players.

Glad I didn't lose the quad Jacks in the 5-card PLO cause then the qualifier jumps from quad 9's to quad Queens and I would've been pissed lol

I don't really have the time to play on there these days. I was down to like $32 before my wife smashed those micro tournies yesterday. I may stab at the Big O games. Just nit it up. Hard to lose big in that game if you play snug. Most people just gladly want to get quartered. I'll keep stabbing at tournies when I have the time.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Running well early in the 1/2/5 game

 

[Anthony Martino]

Keeping it growing in the straddle game

 

[Av8tion]

are there two types of 25s in that stack? the colors look off... slightly tilting...

 

[Schmendr1ck]

are there two types of 25s in that stack? the colors look off... slightly tilting...

He's actually playing 1/2 FL and just did a bad job of recoloring in Photoshop.

 

[Anthony Martino]

are there two types of 25s in that stack? the colors look off... slightly tilting...

Yes there are

 

[Anthony Martino]

So just an update. I've adjusted my poker work schedule to be Fri-Mon

And then off Tues-Thurs

My "free" time is spent catching up on errands, quality time with the family, and working on my youtube and hopefully eventually streaming project

I've gotten in the vast majority of my costume and props. I've been playing Battle Royal Solos in Call of Duty Warzone and have made it into the final 10 and even top 5 out of 150 players

I still have a long way to go improving my skills. And I think I'll do better playing on teams of 3 or 4 people in the future, as I was always squadded up in Battlefield games

Going to get some testing done with footage this week. Have pages and pages of jokes, one-liners and other stuff for the videos. Planning to have a finished first video within a months time

Also was doing some research and found that there are three big streamers in the Tampa area, including one who lives jyst a few miles down the street in my town!!!

I reached out to him on Facebook, no idea if I'll have any luck, but if you don't try you've already lost.

Anyway, I spoke with some folks here in private already, but here is the concept

I'll dress up in my crazy 4th of July outfit, this time with a fake beard. And when I play games I will adopt the persona of a super right-wing flat-earther conspiracy nut

He REFUSES to play a medic in game because he doesn't believe in socialized medicine. If a teammate goes to revive a downed ally he'll say we shouldn't heal them, we should pray for them, etc

He believes 'Murica' is #1 in EVERYTHING and he'll back it up with "facts" like how we're #1 in infant obesity, teen pregnancy, feline leukemia. There's NOTHING Americans don't do better than anyone else in the world!

Anyway, it's something I know I can have a lot of fun with, I have years of experience acting like an idiot.

 

[Highli99]

So just an update. I've adjusted my poker work schedule to be Fri-Mon

And then off Tues-Thurs

My "free" time is spent catching up on errands, quality time with the family, and working on my youtube and hopefully eventually streaming project

I've gotten in the vast majority of my costume and props. I've been playing Battle Royal Solos in Call of Duty Warzone and have made it into the final 10 and even top 5 out of 150 players

I still have a long way to go improving my skills. And I think I'll do better playing on teams of 3 or 4 people in the future, as I was always squadded up in Battlefield games

Going to get some testing done with footage this week. Have pages and pages of jokes, one-liners and other stuff for the videos. Planning to have a finished first video within a months time

Also was doing some research and found that there are three big streamers in the Tampa area, including one who lives jyst a few miles down the street in my town!!!

I reached out to him on Facebook, no idea if I'll have any luck, but if you don't try you've already lost.

Anyway, I spoke with some folks here in private already, but here is the concept

I'll dress up in my crazy 4th of July outfit, this time with a fake beard. And when I play games I will adopt the persona of a super right-wing flat-earther conspiracy nut

He REFUSES to play a medic in game because he doesn't believe in socialized medicine. If a teammate goes to revive a downed ally he'll say we shouldn't heal them, we should pray for them, etc

He believes 'Murica' is #1 in EVERYTHING and he'll back it up with "facts" like how we're #1 in infant obesity, teen pregnancy, feline leukemia. There's NOTHING Americans don't do better than anyone else in the world!

Anyway, it's something I know I can have a lot of fun with, I have years of experience acting like an idiot.

View attachment 495191

sounds funny. Like you can be the Ryan DePaulo of gamers.

 

[Anthony Martino]

sounds funny. Like you can be the Ryan DePaulo of gamers.

PARKOOOUUURRR! Also, Joey is still a fucking Mush!

 

[Anthony Martino]

Updated graph by session, we've broken free of the downswing and are climbing again

 

[Legend5555]

Updated graph by session, we've broken free of the downswing and are climbing again

View attachment 495853

Looks like the graph of my enjoyment in being a father.

 

[Goldfish]

Looks like the graph of my enjoyment in being a father.

Haha. Wait until he/she is a teenager......

 

[mattross1313]

Haha. Wait until he/she is a teenager......

You guys aren't helping our future plans here

 

[Legend5555]

You guys aren't helping our future plans here

Our first (now 4) was great until 3, then terrible for a while, now good again.

Our 2nd, now 3mo, hates everything. Wants to constantly be looked at. And the instant he is lied down anywhere but in our arms, instant wakes up and makes you regret everything about your life.

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

Our first (now 4) was great until 3, then terrible for a while, now good again.

Our 2nd, now 3mo, hates everything. Wants to constantly be looked at. And the instant he is lied down anywhere but in our arms, instant wakes up and makes you regret everything about your life.

My daughter, our 2nd, cried all the damn time. People told us "oh, she'll stop after 2 weeks." Then it was "after a month." Then it was 2 months. We used to joke about that, like 2 years in... "oh, she'll stop crying after a few weeks!" Hahahahaha *stabs ears with pencils*

 

[Anthony Martino]

I'll stick with my 3 cats, Jenn and I don't want the extra costs and stress of children.

 

[Goldfish]

My 18 yr old son literally eats everything in the house (Even the stuff I try to hide), my 20 yr old daughter gets $200 haircuts..... enough said.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Got my webcam setup today. Went with the Logitech Brio 4k Ultra HD and I have the Logitech G Pro X Gaming Headset with Blue Voice Technology on the way as well.

Was looking at the Blue Yeti X microphone, but currently prices are through the fucking roof (like double MSRP) and I'd also need to buy a desk mount with shock case, etc. The gaming headset uses similar tech but shouldn't be as quick to pickup outside noises and will be easier to setup just starting out.

Downloaded Streamlabs software and paid to upgrade to Premium so I could snag this cool theme that will fit with what I'm trying to do, aptly named "Murica"

Did some testing today while playing Warzone and had some issues with my system losing frames during video capture (wasn't streaming online, just recording to my SSD)

So going to have to mess with layouts and settings to figure it out. Currently I'm using:

Intel Core i5-7600k quad core
16GB Gskill Trident Z RGB DDR4 3200
2 x Western Digital 500GB M.2 SSD's
EVGA Geforce GTX 1080 8GB

Was planning to build a new system at the end of the year, as there are new graphics cards and cpu's on the horizon. And since I'm just doing video capture for now to make edited videos, rather than the stress of live-streaming anything, I'm hoping I can finangle the settings in Streamlabs so I can still get good quality footage and make what I'm trying to make while I hold out for new hardware.

I could just get a new motherboard and the Ryzen 9 3900x 12-core CPU which is pretty reasonably priced, but seems silly with new tech coming by the end of the year, so hoping to hold out. Eventually may need to go with a dual-PC setup where one system is dedicated to streaming and the other for the gaming, but that's further down the road if needed.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I'm just pleased as punch that you have not only shifted into the world of full-time poker pro, but you are apparently maintaining your standard of living - i.e. geeking out on computer builds.

Way too often, I've looked in at Poker Pro vlogs, and while they might be making a living, their living appears to be somewhere between squalor and shit. You are sticking to what you love, and that is how you win in the game of life.

 

[moose]

Can you explain how the rock works? It seems to be in a different position all the time?

Your cats and wife must have been like WTF is going on as you shifted to joy, anger, joy, JOY after the BBJ hit.

 

[Anthony Martino]

I'm just pleased as punch that you have not only shifted into the world of full-time poker pro, but you are apparently maintaining your standard of living - i.e. geeking out on computer builds.

Way too often, I've looked in at Poker Pro vlogs, and while they might be making a living, their living appears to be somewhere between squalor and shit. You are sticking to what you love, and that is how you win in the game of life.

I enjoy videogames, been playing all my life, plus some of those streamers are making stupid money. That guy that lives just a few miles away from me has a home estimated at $1.5 million! He's got a sick-ass streaming room setup too, has a video he recently posted online. King Gothalian or something like that.

Shit, if I could make bank doing the streaming thing I'd likely find time to just TERRORIZE the PLO games and become a super LAG and put people in lots of tough spots and have more fun with it. Not that I don't enjoy being patient and getting paid off, but who are we kidding, LAGS have more fun

Can you explain how the rock works? It seems to be in a different position all the time?

Your cats and wife must have been like WTF is going on as you shifted to joy, anger, joy, JOY after the BBJ hit.

There isn't a rock in the online game I was playing. If you're asking about the live 2/5 game with a $10 rock, the winner of the previous hand posts the $10 rock as a mandatory straddle, and action begins to their left, with them having last-action pre-flop. There are no other straddles permitted.

 

[upNdown]

I can’t tell you what to do on your own thread about your journey as a professional poker player. I’ve enjoyed all the Omaha talk and the highs and the lows, and I’m rooting for you.
But this video game talk is annoying.

 

[12thMan]

Is that the way a “rock” game is always played? I playEd in one occasionally when Tulalip still spread poker where the “rock” was always what would normally be utg. Basically a third blind. (1/3/5 , I’m a low roller )

just wondering if this is a regional thing or if what we were playing was not actually a rock game and more so just a third blind or something?

 

[Anthony Martino]

I can’t tell you what to do on your own thread about your journey as a professional poker player. I’ve enjoyed all the Omaha talk and the highs and the lows, and I’m rooting for you.
But this video game talk is annoying.

Well, I guess look at it as an extension of what I'm already doing. A number of poker professionals came from gaming backgrounds where they excelled in things like Chess, Magic The Gathering, etc.

Many pros also develop alternative revenue streams. Whether that's rental properties, coaching or other interests that produce additional income or even eventually turn poker into a side income for them rather than primary.

Don't get me wrong, I'm VERY happy with my hourly rate in the PLO games compared to when I was working for "the man". But it's also sucked some of the fun and escape that poker was out of the game as well.

But I look at some of the successful streamers out there and they're bringing in high five-figures or low six-figures A MONTH! I don't want to get overexcited over it, I realize it's an extremely competitive market and it will be a tough nut to crack. But I already play video games as it is in my off time away from the tables. I might as well try to monetize it. Shit, if I could monetize sleeping I'd do that too, lol!

 

[Anthony Martino]

ndering if this is a regional thing or if what we were playing was not actually a rock

Is that the way a “rock” game is always played? I playEd in one occasionally when Tulalip still spread poker where the “rock” was always what would normally be utg. Basically a third blind. (1/3/5 , I’m a low roller )

just wondering if this is a regional thing or if what we were playing was not actually a rock game and more so just a third blind or something?

The rock thing was brand new to me last September. I play in a game where the button has to post a mandatory $5 straddle so the game is 1/2/5 and it allows unlimited restraddles.

There may be other variations I'm unfamiliar with, not sure if your game would just be considered a "3 blind game"? But I'm sure it generates additional action because there's more up for grabs to start each hand

 

[FDLmold]

The rock just sounds like a weird kill.

 

[Josh Kifer]

I'll stick with my 3 cats, Jenn and I don't want the extra costs and stress of children.

Well, he would be taller then you by seven.... Sooooo, it's prob a good call.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Alright, found a work-around for my system resource problem and dropped frames. The quality of my footage is very important, and my current system alone just can't handle running the game, streaming software and capturing footage of me and the game and two sets of audio at the same time without either turning quality down to shit or losing tons of frames and having frozen footage throughout.

So for now I'll use Nvidia's recording feature to record just game footage. Then I'll use Streamlabs to record just me in costume reacting "in-game" with one-liners and so forth.

I can then take both sets of video clips and put them into my VideoPad editing software and combine them to look like a seamless "streaming" clip. This way I can maintain the 2K format of the video so the clips look good and not blurry or grainy.

My "time off" is at an end today, going to bed early tonight and back at the tables early a.m. to catch the tired and stuck folks. Playing Fri, Sat and Sun. Have to take Monday off since Jenn has a dental appointment, so going to miss out on the crazies at Lucky's but they aren't going anywhere.

In other news, I've been working on practicing my kindness. I really think the world is lacking in it a lot lately and I've been trying to do my part.

First up was the guy at the Hard Rock who got screwed out of the high hand payout in our PLO game. He flopped quad 2's with a 9 kicker, but when the river was an Ace they said they had to use his highest hand and since that wasn't on the flop his hand no longer qualified. In the past they would just put up on the board the flopped kicker. They're going to correct it next month so the turn and river can't fuck our high hands, but in the interim the dude was out $500. I paid for a 20 minute massage for him (my first time ever buying another dude a massage, lol)

Then I live on a shared driveway with two other homes, and I'm friendly with my neighbors. I noticed the husband in the first home on the driveway was wearing some kinda back support thing and moving around with a walker. He always does their lawn and I felt bad for them so one morning I just mowed their acre lawn instead of going to the gym.

And finally a few days ago went to pickup a takeout pizza and overheard two delivery drivers as they passed one another inside the restaurant say "I just got stiffed" and the other said "me too". There was a tip box at the counter and I had already put a couple bucks in for my $12 pizza. I asked the staff there if the tips in the box were split with everyone including the drivers and they said they were. So I took out two $10 bills and dropped those in as well. One of them yelled back at the kitchen staff "this better be the best damned pizza you've ever made in your life!"

But it felt good to be in a position to do something nice for people, the world could definitely use a little more kindness these days. And hell, the universe seems to be paying me back. The guy I bought the massage for has doubled me up twice in two different sessions and I hit that $2,275 BBJ the other day, my downswing has turned into an upswing as we close in on the end of the month and I pulled out of the negative and back into the positive, so can't complain about that.

 

[Anthony Martino]

2/5/10 PLO at 1am, LFG!