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Your correspondent gets through Day 1 of a tournament for the first time in over five years. He reviews the tournament hands that brought him to Day 2 glory, then recaps a cash session of $5/$5/$10 (with straddles of up to $160) and $5/$5. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:16 Your correspondent bags a tournament! ($1200 LAPC Million at Commerce)3:42 AJhh on J95r (big blind = 800)6:04 AA on A98r2r (bb = 1200)7:44 K4o on K32r4hhJhhh (bb = 3000)917 JJ all-in preflop (bb = 4000)13:19 T6o on 953xccKx (bb = 6000)17:10 $5/$5/$10 NLHE cash session17:43 AKo all-in preflop18:52 AdTx on K32ddx23:16 KhKx on 653xhh2hhh9x24:47 $5/$5 NLHE25:37 AdAx on KQ8dxdTx28:25 Double-board PLO bomb pot with 8733 on J83rThh and 953xss6sss http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent discusses why two thousand dollars is an important sum at $5/$10 and $10/$20. He also discusses his recent experiences playing $10/$20, then reviews a recent $5/$10 session. FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE0:21 Why $2,000 is such an important threshold in mid-stakes cash games4:40 Comparing $10/$20 to $5/$107:17 KsJx on JT8xssTx7x9:54 $5/$10 NLHE session10:23 AKo on Q83rThh12:33 JJ on 993r3T14:16 A5cc on 932ccx8x15:36 AJo on 754r2cc16:32 AA on KK7rK219:13 QJo on T32r8r20:21 AJhh on 832xhh5hhh6x23:42 KJcc on 976cccJx7x26:29 Q6o on AT4r7x http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent discusses how to filter poker strategy advice -- which advice should be ignored and which is worth taking? How can you tell them apart, and when should you feel satisfied with uncertainty?FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE 0:16 How do you find good advice in poker?12:47 5/10 NLHE session12:56 AKss all-in preflop14:04 QJss 4bet preflop15:29 AQss on AT5r3dd4x17:42 JTcc on 942xxc9x19:03 AJo on A84ssxJx8x21:15 QQ on KQ9J723:46 QQ (again) on K75ddxKcc7x26:37 JJ all-in preflop33:01 Jackpot hand!Sabrina Chevannes' tweet: Persuadeo's essay: https://twitter.com/SChevannes/status/1745567657741402482https://persuadeo.nl/a-brief-word-on-learning-poker-or-anything/I didn't credit them in the podcast itself, but some of my thoughts on solvers are pretty similar to Marc Goone and Gethen Jacobs', which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vXh6ZhcL90 http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent explains why he chose not to go to Las Vegas to play tournaments last month, and relays how his experience playing the WSOP Main Event in 2019 shaped his skepticism about playing tournaments at all. He then reviews a recent 5/10 session.0:21 Tournament skepticism and the 2019 Main Event13:49 5/10 NLHE session (and staying off my phone)15:09 KK all-in preflop17:41 98hh QT7dxdQx9ddd19:58 99 all-in preflop23:07 QQ on T22hhxQcc5x25:26 98ss on Q98ddx4x2x28:32 AQdd 965cxc8ddTdddFORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent reviews a recent 5/10/20 session, then discusses "Game of Gold" and Alex O'Brien's new book "The Truth Detective." 0:21 5/10/20 NLHE session1:22 AKcc on KT7r3x2:36 KQo on KK2rTdd6x4:00 AKss all-in preflop5:09 KTdd on QT8xxd6hhQx6:32 AKo on AJ4r2ss7x9:19 AQcc on AQ4ddx4xAx13:07 AA on 632rKhh15:52 QTss on JTThhx9hhh4x17:53 AdAx 995xdd3xAx19:38 T9dd on Q85hhdThhhQx21:29 J6hh on AT2hhxQxAx25:27 Thoughts on "Game of Gold"29:10 Thoughts on Alex O'Brien's "The Truth Detective" FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent reviews a recent break-even stretch. He then considers recent rumors of cheating in high-stakes private games and offers a simple solution: Stop playing private games, and come play poker at casinos instead. Finally, he reviews a recent 5/10 session. 0:58 Why we shouldn't assume downswings have obvious causes1:34 Whiny bad-beat story: 5/5/10/20/40 KK on TT3rAx3:26 Nearly a catastrophic punt: 5/10/20 AKcc on 543ssc9sss8ssss9:37 Thoughts on Nik Airball's accusations against Mars10:45 Don't play private games12:19 *Do* play poker in casinos15:13 5/10 NLHE session16:07 KQss on 764hsh5ss4sss18:48 AJdd on QT9rQx420:02 55 on Q52r7dd21:48 KJo (no diamond) on K82ddd2x4x23:38 QQ on 966r25:26 Q9cc on 952sxs9xTsss29:58 KThh on QT2hxh3x9x31:50 QQ on 986cxc3x40:22 KQo on KT4r9hhJx FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent asks whether, in the next ten years, poker will get tougher at the same rate it has in the last ten. Then, he reviews a recent $10/$20/$40 session. 2:37 Vanessa Selbst (44) vs. Kevin MacPhee (A9o) in the 2012 EPT Main Event (Watch here: )6:10 How and why players will get better in the future7:35 Why non-NLHE poker variants will continue to grow in importance13:25 $10/$20/$40 NLHE session (and an explanation of the rules of the many sub-games we played)16:20 Capped double-board PLO bomb pot: K764 on a top board of KK4 and a bottom board of JT3xhh19:00 TT all-in preflop19:56 TT (again) on 955r24:13 99 all-in preflop25:08 QTo on Q65rJssJx26:50 Capped double-board PLO bomb pot: KKJ2 on a top board of T76xhh and a bottom board of AK3r29:47 Q3cc on Q88ddc7cc5ccc32:40 A3ss on K97sxx8ss34:38 Q8dd preflop Venessa Selbst's Top Blow UpsThird Man Walking Episode 5, on the poker ecosystem and the rate at which it changes: https://crushlivepoker.com/podcasts/the-ecosystemThird Man Walking Episode 51, which reviews hands from the 2003 WSOP Main Event: https://crushlivepoker.com/podcasts/getting-better-over-time FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent rereads Blockhead's gritty gambling memoir "Seat Open," then reviews a 5/5/10 session that blossomed into a bigger game. 11:36 5/5/10 session11:47 A7cc on 553xccAxKccc14:41 KQo on A53rJcc16:52 KTss on AKTccx7ccc6cccc19:17 We switch the game to 5/10/2019:41 55 on QT9r8dd4x21:17 J9hh on QT8ddhAx22:18 AdAx on 875xdd8xKx25:17 AcTx on 542ccxQssTx FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent recovers from a minor illness, then plays a pair of cash sessions, one at 5/10 and another at 5/5.0:22 Going to Las Vegas and getting COVID2:45 5/10 NLHE session2:51 AsAc on J53hxh2x5hhh4:12 AQo (no spade) 762sxsAsss8x7:01 77 on T82dxdKx8x10:27 AQdd on AQ2rAss7sss15:03 99 on Q97dddTx4x19:46 5/5 NLHE session20:29 TT on 993xss2x21:32 K6hh on 642cxcJccc4x23:28 KTcc on Q73xcc25:31 Q9dd on Q32xcc4ss26:57 KJdd on J52ssx2sss2x29:07 KK on 965r8xJx30:38 AcAx on JJ6xss7cc32:31 AcAx (again) on AJ7xcc6x http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE

Your correspondent ties off some loose ends from the last episode about private games, sharing his own limited experience playing in them. He also reviews a session where he made a disastrous call. 0:55 Private games compared to home games2:27 What are private games actually like?6:35 My experience with a private game in a casino9:18 What can be done about more and more games going private? 11:58 5/10/20 and 5/10/20/40 session12:40 (at 5/10/20) AJdd on KJJ6r415:36 (at 5/10/20/40) AQo (no heart, no club) on A76hxhTccJx23:53 A2o on A777825:25 AhKx on AK2xhh27:20 AxKs all-in preflop FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent contemplates cash-game poker's identity crisis as more and more games go private. What do the increasing number of private games tell us about what players want poker to be? And how have pros and other serious players contributed to the downfall of public games? 0:48 Is poker fundamentally a competitive activity or a friendly gambling pastime?5:05 How pros are dependent upon recreational players7:14 How the pandemic changed many players' attitudes11:07 Private games in casinos14:47 Other reasons players' attitudes towards pros have changed over time17:11 How pros have driven recreational players away22:32 What good is it to be "the best" at poker? FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com

Your correspondent struggles with bad luck and bad vibes in a recent cash session and in a big tournament. 0:20 Why this episode is what it is1:15 5/10 NLHE cash session3:33 AQo (no spade) on AJ7sxsAxTx7:22 JJ on AA4r3ddKddd9:12 KK (no heart) on 543r2hh5hhh11:30 TT on K83r13:40 KJhh on K54xxh6hhAhhh15:55 Q8hh on 964xhh3x2x18:38 KQo on KQJssx21:08 $3600 tournament review29:21 AQo all-in preflop29:52 J9ss on T96sxs2x2x34:37 AKo all-in preflop FORUM DISCUSSION: CLICK HERE http://twitter.com/thirdwalkinghttp://crushlivepoker.com