After we left off in Half 2 of this miniseries, my maiden journey as a semipro blended recreation participant nonetheless felt “pristine”. What I imply by that’s that general every part was going effectively; easily and steadily in the suitable route. I had settled right into a rhythm, logged a wholesome variety of hours on the tables, and felt that I had confirmed to myself that I might hold within the Las Vegas blended recreation ecosystem. My outcomes had been okay, however extra importantly, my course of was working and decision-making felt sound.
What adopted subsequent, nonetheless, was a reminder of how fragile momentum might be in poker. Sooner or later you’re stacking everybody else’s chips; the following day you’re the one getting stacked. Over the following few days, my bankroll took a rollercoaster journey that prompted me to go on some sharp emotional swings. Fortunately, the waters calmed some after that, as I managed to start the rebuilding course of throughout Blended Sport Pageant XII. This was not the prettiest stretch of poker I performed. However it could have been crucial.
Day 7 | November 11: A Brutal Actuality Test
The poker session began precisely the best way you need one to start. Sitting within the $20/40 blended recreation at Wynn, I discovered myself coasting and up $600 throughout the first hour. Choices had been easy, the playing cards had been cooperating, and every part felt straightforward and simple.
Then, instantly, every part unraveled — and I imply every part. For the following 3.5 hours, nothing went proper. Sturdy attracts bricked repeatedly, my opponents persistently hit their attracts, and I made a few avoidable (and expensive) errors in Badacey and Badeucey. Right here’s a free poker technique tip: goal to make a very good “dugi” first; the low should be secondary in precedence. 🤦♂️
A small wager plus a giant wager or two per hand provides up, and once you’re simply not successful and should carry on placing these chips in to try to make your attracts, you’ll begin operating low on chips fairly shortly, even in a hard and fast restrict blended recreation. By the point I knew what had hit me, not solely was the $600 revenue gone, however so was my complete $1,000 buy-in. Fortunately, I not less than had the wherewithal to rise up and reduce the session quick moderately than chase the loss.
I took a break to try to mentally reset from the whopper of a dropping session. I went to go to Eli, who was enjoying in his huge blended recreation. We broke down just a few key fingers, and I did my greatest to study from his evaluation. I might have stored sitting on his rail, however then I acquired a textual content message from my pal Ruth Solar.
Ruth had been making an attempt to get an $8/16 recreation collectively for that night, however her efforts had not borne any fruit. She requested me if I’d be considering enjoying her heads-up. Desirous to get again to enjoying, I fortunately accepted the invite. Whereas I at all times take pleasure in spending time with Ruth, poker-wise it turned out to be a catastrophic error on my half.
We performed a triple draw combine (A-5, 2-7, and Badugi). Every of these is a single winner recreation, and naturally fingers play out quicker when heads up. Ruth is an effective, aggressive poker participant. Sadly (for me), Ruth additionally occurred to go on a solar run. She actually couldn’t lose, it doesn’t matter what I did, it doesn’t matter what she did… the poker gods had been definitively on her facet. Frankly talking, I acquired my ass handed to me. I had purchased in for 3 racks, and I acquired totally dismantled by Ruth’s unstoppable heater. It occurs; that’s poker typically.
To compound my error additional, nonetheless, after I very clearly ought to’ve waved the white flag and accepted the loss, I proceeded to purchase in once more for the final $370 I had in my pockets. Certainly fortunes would flip again in my favor not less than a bit, proper?
I ended up dropping that, too. My complete $970 revenue accrued from the journey to that time acquired worn out in a single fell swoop.
Thus, after having performed greater than 36 hours of poker on my journey, I discovered myself proper again the place I began (breakeven), with nothing tangible to indicate for on a regular basis and energy invested. On high of that, I used to be now additionally considerably down on Eli’s stake within the $20/40 periods.
Emotionally, it was a troublesome spot to be in. I can’t lie: it was actually arduous to select myself up after these two poker periods. I had gone to Vegas to try to generate income enjoying blended recreation poker. It’s robust to take a position a lot effort and time into an endeavor and have a giant fats $0 staring again at you within the “outcomes” column.
Even so, I attempted to summon up some resilience. Whereas driving out of Resorts World, I clung to the truth that even after the underside had fallen out from underneath me, I nonetheless wasn’t down for the journey. I simply needed to begin over. If I had constructed a revenue as soon as already, certainly I might do it once more. The true hazard was letting frustration push me into dangerous habits, whether or not on the desk or away from it.
Sticking to my routine of getting a very good night time’s sleep, respectable vitamin, train walks, getting my common work carried out and studying my every day web page of Talmud all mattered that rather more. These fundamentals are what enable me to play my A-game. So, I leaned arduous on that construction and centered on being grateful that I had each Miriam and Eli with whom to speak issues by.
I additionally made what felt like a GTO determination: the next day I might shift gears and play in a event.
Day 8 | November 12: Event Mode as a Psychological Reset
I awoke feeling genuinely happy with my determination to play the $600 TORSE event (it was an occasion on Allen Kessler‘s “Chainsaw Blended Sequence of Poker” schedule at Planet Hollywood). If I busted, the money video games would nonetheless be there. Maybe this was my probability to make a deep run and a pleasant rating. Perhaps I’d be the final participant standing? Eli went 50/50 with me on the purchase in, and his continued religion in me was a confidence booster.
Event poker, nonetheless, brings its personal emotional challenges. I observed my temper fluctuating greater than it ought to have because the swings got here and went, one thing I have to work on managing higher. Nonetheless, it was encouraging to really feel utterly unintimidated regardless of a troublesome desk that included achieved blended recreation winners like Nicholas Milgrim and Quinghi Pak. Even in a comparatively modest buy-in occasion, the sector might be very sturdy once you’re enjoying blended recreation poker.
Sounds prefer it’ll be a enjoyable one…
Let’s give it a go 😉 https://t.co/SBnzAm6HtI pic.twitter.com/TCJEEkIwup
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 12, 2025
Sadly, I busted after 4 hours.
When contemplating what to do subsequent that day, I felt that the smart move can be to stay in event mode, so I then headed to Orleans the place a $150 O/E occasion (half Omaha 8, half Stud 8) was underway. Sadly the playing cards remained uncooperative, and I exited considerably sooner than I might have preferred.
On the plus facet, collaborating in each tournaments was “good for enterprise”, as I handed out loads of flyers and did my greatest to unfold the phrase about Blended Sport Pageant XII, which was set to kick off just a few days later. I used to be fairly actually surrounded by my audience. 🙂
Anyhow, at 7:30pm I discovered myself at one other determination level. This time, I selected self-discipline over “degeneracy”. Somewhat than discover a money recreation to leap into, I went out for a pleasant dinner, and used the remainder of the night to atone for work earlier than going to sleep early.
The day’s outcomes had been disappointing, however I went to sleep really upbeat and in a very good temper, for I had made optimum choices all day lengthy. The playing cards are out of my management. Choice-making isn’t. As long as I stored making good choices, ultimately the rungood was certain to reach, and I’d be primed to profit from it.
Day 9 | November 13: A Lengthy Grind, a Close to Collapse, and a Quick-Handed Save
I awoke able to get to work on the felt. Day 9 introduced an 8.5-hour $20/40 session at Wynn that, effectively… was fairly brutal. Cooler after cooler. Boats dropping to greater boats. Missed attracts in Stud 8, Badugi, and Badacey. Folding appropriately solely to look at what would’ve been my miracle playing cards arrive on later streets. Even after I bluffed, I acquired hero-called by fingers that had no enterprise persevering with. For those who’ve performed any poker for lengthy sufficient, you realize what that seems like.
Have you ever ever gone by a complete orbit of Badugi and never have been dealt/drawn even a single spade?
Asking for a pal 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/GRyf4FxVyI
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 13, 2025
I wasn’t enjoying poorly although, so I added on to my stack for a 3rd rack of chips. My endurance ultimately paid off. An enormous Badugi pot and a well timed Stud hand introduced me again to $1,350 and for a second it felt like good momentum had returned. Then it disappeared once more simply as shortly. An hours-long tough stretch dropped me nearly all the best way all the way down to the felt. I almost busted, however one way or the other managed to remain afloat. Then the sport went short-handed, and that fortunately saved my session.
Over the following two hours, I managed to spin my stack all the best way again as much as roughly $1,200 earlier than the sport lastly broke. It was not a reasonably 8.5 hours, however it was a reminder that adaptability, steely nerves, and staying cool underneath strain issues simply as a lot because the playing cards you’re dealt.
Later that night time, I performed a brief $8/16 session and as soon as once more almost gave all of it away (together with an extra $150 on high of my $400 preliminary buy-in) earlier than recovering because the desk thinned. I ended the day drained, nonetheless barely down, however oddly energized. Managing to “solely” lose $300 within the huge recreation and a bit of over $100 in my recreation virtually felt like a win. Alternatively, I knew I wouldn’t be enjoying any higher-stakes periods for an additional 1.5 weeks (till after the conclusion of Blended Sport Pageant XII), so I used to be beginning to really feel some strain to report higher outcomes.
In any occasion, after about 50 hours of poker for the week and being down just a few hundred {dollars}, the looming Shabbat break felt not simply welcome, however crucial.
Days 10–11 | November 14–15: Stepping Away for Shabbat to Reset
I used the quick Friday (Shabbat began at about 4:20pm) to complete up all my publishing, enhancing, common work obligations, and competition preparation that had inevitably slipped throughout the grind-heavy first week of the journey. After barely sleeping Thursday night time, I crashed arduous and loved a deeply restorative Shabbat that helped clear each my psychological and bodily fatigue.
With Blended Sport Pageant XII about to start, I felt obligated to change into “host mode”. Even so, figuring out I’d have dozens of hours of poker forward of me, I set a purpose of ending up not less than barely worthwhile every day. I knew a string of wins would do wonders for my confidence and serve effectively to replenish what had been misplaced from my bankroll to (hopefully) carry me again into the black for the journey.
Days 12–16 | November 16–20: Rebuilding at Blended Sport Pageant XII
In a way, each Blended Sport Pageant type of seems like “one lengthy day”, in order that’s how I’ll be treating it as a part of this write-up. Over the five-day stretch, I performed 60 hours of $4/8 and 4 hours of $8/16 combine. That’s a LOT of poker!
Shifting into Resorts World on Sunday felt like entering into my pure habitat. Internet hosting, enjoying, greeting gamers, answering questions, and managing giveaway and desk seating logistics all day lengthy is demanding, however it’s also energizing. Being in “host mode” presents a singular problem from the poker enjoying perspective although. It’s really easy to let my focus slip or be distracted when really enjoying. This has occurred to me quite a few occasions throughout previous festivals. This time, I wasn’t about to let it occur once more. I reminded myself that even throughout a low-stakes blended recreation competition, each chip issues!
Fortunately, I performed effectively proper from the get-go, stayed disciplined, and ended the primary day with over three racks of revenue ($320); an ideal begin!
Every day adopted the same rhythm. I prioritized self-care the place doable, together with a brief morning Jacuzzi session, comparatively wholesome consuming, and pacing myself.
The Resorts World Jacuzzi stays open within the winter! On the one competition morning that it wasn’t chilly and wet, I managed to get in a pleasant hour there.
On Day 2 of the competition, I managed to win simply over 5 racks ($535), which felt unbelievable! Some extra modest wins on Days 4 and 5 of the competition allowed me to rebuild my confidence and reinforce good habits. This proved true although the income got here slowly and I stored having to leap from desk to desk in order to make sure I acquired play time in with all competition individuals.
There have been naturally some irritating stretches of treading water and more durable spots I discovered myself in after I performed within the $8/16 recreation in opposition to stronger opponents, however I adjusted effectively and stored losses to a minimal, down a couple of rack and a half on Day 3.
Everybody on this image is right here at @PokerRoomRWLV due to Blended Sport Pageant XII ❤️
Two “learners” $1/2 women A-5/2-7 tables going plus two $4/8 mixes and one $8/16 combine.
And we haven’t even began in the present day’s giveaways but 😉
Come be a part of us for all of the enjoyable! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/JJeQH478u1
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 19, 2025
By the top of the five-day competition, I had rebuilt steadily. No white sizzling heater. No miracle run. Simply strong play, good choices, and incremental revenue; precisely what I wanted. The roughly $1,200 I managed to win general felt like one million bucks. I used to be driving excessive.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out one different very particular second that occurred on Day 3 of the competition: a participant approached me, thanked me for operating the competition, mentioned “you’re doing an ideal job,” and handed me a $20 tip. My jaw dropped. That had by no means occurred earlier than. Actually, that $20 was essentially the most significant cash I held in my fingers all through your entire journey.
Leaving Las Vegas on Stable Floor
Blended Sport Pageant XII was fortunately not only a enterprise success. It was precisely the type of poker week I wanted at that time throughout my month as a semipro blended recreation participant. It stopped the bleeding, rebuilt my confidence, and was after I proved to myself that I might grind patiently by a myriad of “distractions” with out abandoning my self-discipline as a participant.
With the competition behind me, I packed up, mentioned my goodbyes, and headed to Los Angeles to spend the weekend with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. The timing felt proper. Poker-wise, I used to be again on monitor, my mindset was wholesome, and was glad to have a break for some “actual life” earlier than heading again to Vegas for the second half of my poker-playing journey.
You may learn all about that within the penultimate installment of this miniseries, coming quickly.
Robbie Tracker: 120.5 hours of poker performed | $720 general revenue
