A walk through blogland

I have been busy doing other things instead of playing poker. With what seems like every episode of House on my DVR I may not play for awhile. Or tonight if I can finagle my way into getting tomorrow off so I can go on a nice bender and play some Razz in the Skills game.

So let's take a walk through blogland and see what is going on...

Drizz gets it going with being happy. Happy with the kids, happy with the wife, happy with PokerStars. I would make a wisecrack but Drizz is a good guy. Bad karma would set in if I said something bad. I would probably go into the liquor store and find out they had only vodka and Budweiser left in the place. I like good karma.

Speaking of which, Vinnay's buddy has had a bad beat on him. Go help the guy out. Always nice to see people rally to help a fellow player out. I spent some time talking with Vinnay about his Sabre tickets after the tournament in Vegas. Once I get home and get my Paypal account unlocked I will be making a contribution to the cause. Please consider doing so yourself if you have not already.

Pauly has his year in review up at Tao of Poker. That much stuff happened last year? No wonder Pauly doesn't sleep. He is too busy linking things up from the past. If you care to know every poker pro Pauly pissed next to you have it all at your fingertips.

His bro Derek actually had two posts in the span of 3 days! Must be that "Change" that everyone keeps talking about.

Waffles- wait, I am going to link in Waffles???- talks poker strategy today. How he is going to go againt the grain and do everything they say not to. Play big or go home. He says he will take out half of the winning on a regular basis. My guess is to pay the insurance deductibles for the oncoming ulcer.

Al has the teaser post up on the BB4. Guess all those guys who need to point at the standings and brag about how well they are doing will be happy. Until one of the prizes is booze I am not overly committed. Will be interesting to see what the story is this time around. I would say no more than 2 tourneys a week with mixed games but what do I know. I already mentioned I don't play much anymore.

Joe Speaker may be looking to take over BG's job at the former poker blogger turned handicapper. He made some money at the track while some bum who he bought a beer for tried to snag his chick.

Miami Don is all bubbly that the Dolphins. Not surprising. Parcells took half of the coaching staff from the Cowboys. They were bound to do well. I am happy to see Sparano succeed. Hope they do some damage in the playoffs as short lived as it will be.

BadBlood is still bragging about his Saturday afternoons with Pauly win. I know he plays more poker than I do. Especially those home games. You must have played some cards with the Trooper in town.

Iggy looks to still be on vacation. At least he posted that goofy pic before he left. You know it is Christmas when the wee kid is by the tree.

Hoy continues to play at UB and is crushing tournaments. Some talk has gone on about his playing on the crooked site. I could care less. He knows the potential risks. If he gets taken there is no one to blame but himself.

Poker Peaker seemed to get raped by variance this past weekend. Always suck when you can't catch a card or someone gets lucky with their 8 5 offsuit and hits the gutshot on the river. Nothing you can do but walk away shaking your head... and go straight to the Pai Gow table and get drunk. Works for me at least.

Dugglebogey is still as cantankerous as ever. Crying about how 2008 is fucked and how 2009 won't be any better. Of course it won't. Democrats screwed up the economy, Bush helped by jumping on the bailout wagon, and now everyone wants the government to save them. Somehow people failing because they lived beyond their means is not an option anymore.

Doc Chako has an interesting strategy post on.... the Wizard of Oz? Did he blowup his bankroll? His better half is still in holiday mode.

thg got suckered in by triple points and dropped some cash playing PLO. Ouch! Four card bingo can be a bitch.

F Train has a good post about chopping a tournament. Funny how he didn't make any mention of Asian hotties in this post. I thought that was his tagline.

Jordan continues with themes. He covers some basics that we all can use a reminder on. I know I have played at times when I really didn't feel like playing. Thankfully I don't play cash games after a night of drinking.

Finally, Bam Bam is talking about having his rear in view. Don't ask me. I am not sure what those weird Canadian customs mean.

That is all for now. I probably should do some work while being physically at work. Or I may go update this post. Everyone seems to want advice on what to eat before drinking.

How???

So FlipChip is reporting that the Sahara poker room got knocked off on Friday. How the hell does that happen?

An armed robbery took place at the Sahara Hotel & Casino last Friday.

Around 6 p.m. on Dec. 19, someone held up the poker room cashier and walked away with an undisclosed amount of money.

To get to the poker room cashier, you have to walk through a row of about eight poker tables on either side. And then back out.

No poker player was robbed, and no one was harmed.

So the cashier didn't yell or say anything as the crook walked away? Why wouldn't he alert someone that he had just been robbed? Or was the poker room that dead on a Friday? Sounds like an inside job.

And go vote for Pauly. Change100 is acting as the poker equivalent of ACORN (except she isn't crooked) and encouraging everyone to sign in to Bluff Magazine's Reader Choice Awards and give Pauly the votes he damn well deserves. Change may even slip you a finsky the next time she sees you in Vegas.

Then head off to Human Head's memories of Vegas. He may be able to go swing for swing with Derek on trip reports.

That's bullshit! I have see Diehard!

I live by a simple rule of life. If you do not get a post up about your trip to Vegas before Derek does then why bother? Anything I write will pale in comparison to what D has to say.

Go read Las Vegas. December 2008.

No, I won't get into how I finished like 17th in the blogger tournament. It paid less than Gigli so why bother. I won't talk about how I broke even playing poker. I sucked at betting football because I didn't have the balls to take the Bengals straight up against the Deadskins.

What I did do well was rock out with Steel Panther. This has got to become a must stop for a trip to Vegas. The first thing you do when going to Vegas should be to hit up the Green Valley Ranch website to make sure Steel Panther is playing that Friday.

For the rest of the story, check out the Wife. She sums it up perfectly in Best New Tradition. Ever. Just seeing the waitress again has put a smile on my face. She was hot!

After the show I decided to head back to the IP with CA April. We had no idea where to find a cab in this place so we wandered around a bit. In the end we went where we were dropped off and found out they had to call the cabs from the hotel. Huh? Why not tell us where the hotel is instead?

As we stood around in the parking structure, we were pleasantly surprised to see there was entertainment. Security had just bounced a drunk guy from the casino. Guy had been at the SP show and was blitzed. Of course, he didn't want to leave. Two security guys were making sure he didn't try to get back into the casino while a suited gentlemen stood with him. Drunk guy is getting annoyed that they just won't leave him be. At one point he asks "Shouldn't you guys be looking for some illegal popcorn eating?" I just about lost it on that one.

Suited guy insists he will not leave until this guy gets into a taxi. As we wait, some other people come down looking for a cab. One is wearing a zoot suit. His woman, is standing a couple of feet back. Drunk notices her and makes a comment about her legs. Zoot suit doesn't like it and sounds like he is ready to throw down, telling drunk guy to stop looking at her legs. Really, you are going to drop this chump because he looked at your girlfriend? Suddenly the conversation turns to them all being from Michigan and how the guy shot his first buck. All was good in the world.

Then drunk guy goes back to the suited security guy and asks about the cabs. He is told there are 3 cabs coming, to which he replies "That's bullshit! I have seen Diehard!"

That left me in stunned silence before I busted out laughing. How cabs and Diehard come together is beyond me. Guess I have to get really drunk to figure that out.

Batted .500

I managed to do well in one of the tournaments last night. Squeezed my way into the top 3 of the Bodog Blogger Last Chance tournament to win an entry to tonight's Final Tournament of Champions. Click through to see pumpkin power in action.

Unfortunately I didn't do as well in the PokerStars Blogger series. Last night PLO8 game ended in a tilted manner. I had me a full house at the turn and bet pot. My one opponent thought forever and finally made a call. The K on the river gave him the nuts. He hit a friggin' two outer. That tilted me and I just imploded. I went from being 14 to out in 5 minutes. Just didn't care at that point.

Tonight's Bodog game will have the following people battling it out for 5 prizes. I hope to be among those left standing.
Smokkee
MiamiDon
TonySoprano
salex77
Newinnov
APOSEC72
nzgreen
CEMfromMD
CarnePicante
wilwonka
Waffles
Numenor80
Hoy

Post Vegas tourney

I missed both the Bodog Blogger and PokerStars Blogger Championship tournaments yesterday. I got stuck in Vegas on Monday. My morning flight was canceled. Thankfully I had called ahead to get the info instead of showing up at the airport and discovering I would be going nowhere. The bad news was I would have to wait until 6:30 (that later would would be delayed another hour) before I could get back home. It wouldn't be until 1 am that I would get home and crash.

Thus I was behind a day. My Tuesday felt like a Monday. I checked in on the PokerStars tournament 10 minutes after it started. Oops. I then fell asleep on the couch missing the Bodog festivities. Damn.

So today I was a bit smarter and double checked both tournaments. An email notified me I could play the losers bracket of the Bodog to play in the final tomorrow. I then checked PStars to verify when the PLO8 event started. I promptly entered both and was set. Now let's see if I can stay awake to do well in either. I was up early today shoveling 5 inches of snow. More is on the way tomorrow night so I better do well before I get snowed in. Up to 10 inches is on the way.

Vegas stories later maybe. The tournament was fun and interesting but there isn't much to talk about in cash games. I did learn to never play a blogger mixed game again. I rather put my money into slot machines. Like the Star Trek game but I digress.

Euphoria

It is such a good feeling. You make it through the day, surviving those last couple of hours, zoning out, thinking more about your vacation than the work you are supposed to be doing. The last 2 hours seem like 5. They drag on.

But you reach the finish line. As you change your voice mail message a shot of adrenaline shoots through your body. You click the "out of office" function on your email just before shutting it down. You grab your stuff and head- no run- out of the building, smiling.

People ask if you are staying in town or going anywhere special. You say one word. Vegas. You smile a bit more as the look of jealousy comes across their face.

In a euphoric state you walk to your car, feeling the stress of the workplace melt off of you. Your thoughts are of raising the douchebag with the sunglasses in the 3 seat or yelling Pai Gow at the top of your lungs instead of what the Dow does or whether some dipshit has completed their training. No snow for a couple of days. No shoveling. No waking up early to drive to work in the cold.

Just some time away to be carefree and happy.

See y'all in a couple of hours.

Who needs to prepare?

So the wee one has a bounty on his head tonight? Ig, just between you and me, lay the chips my way so I can collect the bounty and I’ll catch ya a couple of drinks this weekend in Vegas. Deal?

Bodog tonight. Be there to see if the field suddenly skyrockets with the bounties in play.

In less that 48 hours I will be in the air towards Sin City. Weather permitting that is. A storm is blowing through right now with winds blowing the snow around. So far I have been spared any serious accumulation at my house. It was actually raining when I left for work with about an inch of slush on the sidewalk. Could have up to 4 inches by the time I get home from work waiting for me to shovel. That isn’t too bad but with the temperature hovering around 32 degrees, any snow that does fall will be the heavy stuff. I may be shoveling 4 inches of slush which will wipe you out.

In preparation for Vegas I have read a book, played some cash games, refreshed my brain on basic blackjack strategy, study Pai Gow, relearned craps odds, charged the portable DVD player and read about Grubby sharting. Yep, very little prep work. Playing poker is like riding a bike, right? You can’t get hurt at the MGM or Imperial Palace with what you know, correct? That is the theory I am going with. It is like Rock Band. You can play and play but sometimes you hit a wall you just can’t get by. So you don’t pick up the drum sticks for a couple of days and play guitar instead. When you go back to the drums you pick up right where you left off and play even better. That is my game plan for the weekend. Sure it may not be the best but it is what I have to work with. In I can avoid donking away at the mixed games I will be fine.

Remember, Steel Panther at the Green Valley Ranch on Friday night. Metal heads unite for a fantastic show. Or just join us on a trip to GVR. They have poker out there too.

Must go and restretch the liver. Can't wait to reconnect with some old friends and make some new ones.

Fragments of what used to be

I actually had some time to read some blogs yesterday and came across the latest on the Bodonkey series on Bodog. I was a bit surprised to see it would soon be wrapping up. Wrapping up already? I know I missed a couple of weeks but why was it so short? It is a good series and I was happy that Bodog brought it back. Unfortunately for me work was cold decking me from playing. And now it would soon be over?

I looked at the email reminder I had received earlier in the week and noticed they were running two a week. Tuesday and Thursday. Oh. Now it makes some sense. So I figured going in late to work with a hangover on Friday is old hat and I might as well hop into the fray.

Wednesday isn't a good day for me to be sluggish at work. It will sound like an excuse but I tend to lose interest on Tuesday nights because I need sleep and can't do a shitty job on a Wednesday. The awfukkits take over and I bounce myself on out. But a Friday is different. I can put in 50% of the effort and cruise into the weekend.

Long story short, I finished 5th. I ran my Hiltons into Hoy's aces. Never saw it coming. My gut said to not shove but my brain said put the pressure on. Hoy slowed played the hand well. I wouldn't have put him on ace the way he had played it. He would later finish me off by hitting his OESD on the river. Always hurts when it is on the river.

Having not played much hold em as of late, it felt good to get back in the game. To actually try and play hard. I felt like I was at a disadvantage when we got to the final table. I had an idea of what the tendencies of some of the players were but it also felt like they were running circles around me. Plus there were the new guys that I had no read on. To a small extent, I would be playing basic poker. I would have to use my aggression wisely (that didn't happen!) and keep it simple. There would be no big call on the crap push because I knew how they played. I did play back a couple of times with nothing against some blind steals but didn't make it a habit.

I am happy with it. Sure I would have liked to won but I had some rust to shake off. It was a good little warm up for the hijinks scheduled for next week. I probably should get in some practise on cash games. Or at the very least pull out the winner's guide to Pai Gow.

Saturday's with Pauly is scheduled for today even with Pauly south of the border. All the info is at the Tao. I shan't be able to play. I have committed myself to checking out the local roller derby scene with some friends. Yep, roller derby. Hey, there are a bunch of chicks in tight outfits on skates and they serve beer. What else do you need?

Blogger History: Myth or Legend?

There are a lot of stories handed down from generation to generation. The tales get twisted in different ways, becoming more outlandish every time they are told. Some of these stories are true. And HIlarious.

I give you the legend of Drizz as first told on December 14, 2006 at the super fantastic blog, While Drinking, I...

The following is my recollection of what went down early Friday morning at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. The time? Not quite sure but I believe it was between the hours of 4 and 6 am. The name of the fallen will not be used to protect the drunkencent. Yes, I said drunkencent. New word. Drunk + Innocent. Ok, so anyone getting face down in a public restroom isn't innocent but protecting the name is the thing to do. And no, I am not saying a "friend" had this happen to him to protect my own identity.

I was moving all about the IP on Thursday. I ran into Pauly, Derek, and Change 100 after checking in. I had placed the successful roulette bet for a friend and had finished giving him the blow by blow on his victory. Upon doing so I moved down a couple tables to get my Pai Gow on. After squeaking out a small profit, I would be out to the poker room for some hi jinks before hitting the Geisha bar for more booze.

Time can fly when you are in Vegas. I recall many a time sitting down to play blackjack just to get up what seemed like a couple of hours later just to realize it was 10 and the sun had come up. That is how things flowed at the Geisha bar. Friends from all over were arriving and the greetings, hug, kisses, etc. were flowing. I recall at one point going back to the Pai Gow table with Pablo. Then to blackjack. And then back to the bar.

It was there that security approached us. My first reaction was that someone thought we were a bit too boisterous and they were going to ask us to keep it down. Instead, they asked a question.

"You guys friends with Dale Ezgt?" (how is that for a made up name?)
"Um...yeah"
"Well, he is upstairs in the men's room, on the floor. Can you guys help him get up?"
"Uh...sure"

It was Biggestron and I that would go up the long escalators and down the hall to the mens room. Sure enough, there he was. On all fours. Calling for Ralph to help him. Well, the great porcelain telephone didn't connect his call but me and Big were there to help. We got him up and on his feet which wasn't an easy feat. Dale is a big boy. Even with us under his pits, dragging dead weight is not an easy nor fun task. But we did manage to get him to the elevator and down to the lobby, up the steps and into a minivan cab.

It was down the back of the strip we were going, on our way to New York New York to get our friend back to his room. Things seemed pretty good. Until Dale insisted we pull over cuz he was gonna puke again. Normally I would say no and tell the cabbie to keep on going. But I was in the back with him and didn't need to get yakked on. The cabbie found a parking lot and pulled in. I pulled Dale out and he stumbled forward before collapsing on the pavement. He heaved a bit and then began to pass out. Shit! We quickly got him up and back in the cab.

Upon our arrival at NY NY, he poured himself out into valet parking. The attendant on hand looked at him and told us to let him be a bit. He would call security and they would bring a wheelchair. See, that proves what a classy establishment the NYNY is. They give free wheelchair rides to those who are walking challenged. Unlike the IP where they require human crutches to move someone.

It took security a while to get down with the chair. All the time I kept Dale propped up against my legs. Why? I have no clue. I think I saw something like this in a TV show or something. Security showed up, got him in the chair, and got him up to the room. I don't know how we got his room number out of him but we did. Security did call to verify he was a registered guest and called his wife to make sure she would allow him in. I am not sure if she had to sign a waiver or a statement saying she wouldn't beat the hell out of him.

I tell you one thing I learned that night. Getting a friend back down the strip to his room when they are blotto can be a sobering experience. I felt sober by the time I got back to the Geisha bar and really needed another drink.

I admire how the NY NY staff handled the situation too. In Milwaukee, Dale would have probably been picked up by the police or taken to a hospital. In Vegas, I guess they deal with it everyday. The way the parking attendant and security took care of the situation so non chalantly was perplexing to me.

"Another drunk? No problem. Get the chair out again Joe!"

So what have we learned? Simple. Get drunk and you get free wheelchair rides. I will have to try that out next time I am in Vegas and don't feel like walking back to my room.

Oh, and hope that those who come get you don't have camera phones. I do have pics of someone praying to the great sewer gods.

Just as you get back from Vegas...

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

All bloggers can play in this exclusive online poker tournament.

Registration code: 530579

PokerStars is at it again. This time it looks like a series of games, not just hold em. The 8 game mix could be especially interesting.

Junkie

Sometimes PLO can be a painful game. But it makes you think more so it ain't a bad thing. What is a bad thing and painful is the new Guns N Roses disc, Chinese Democracy. I put it on as I played Dr. Pauly's tournament today.

I wish I hadn't.

It is a steamin' pile o' crap. Axel sounds like a dog being castrated. Slowly. The screeching he calls singing is hard to listen to. I had to put on old Guns music to make sure he didn't always sound like that. Nope, he didn't so why did he wait 17 years to sound like shit?

Now I really need to focus on the game to get that awful noise out of my head. Some Trans-Siberian Orchestra should help.

I bled some chips early chasing a nut flush and gut shot straight draw. I got those chips back on the next hand when I bluffed the river. I figured my opponent missed his flush draw and could not beat a pair of aces. Half pot bet took it down.

I then fold a lot. Cards aren't coming my way. When I do get something decent I get 3 callers to my raise and a flop that makes it ugly for me. I know I can't bluff every hand so I will be conservative for the first hour and hope it works.

I get my chance when I call a raise with A Q T T ss. I flop a set and get it all in against just a pair of jacks. That boosts me up nicely to 2850 and a position to once again pick my spots.

That works until I piss away my chips just before the break. I miss the flush on the board and bet out. I am drawing dead on the river and am down to 700. That sucked. Just a stupid play on my part. That is what I get for not paying attention.

At the first break I am in 18th place with 20 remaining. 12 people got bumped in the first session. Still a bit tilty because I should be in the top ten if I hadn't screwed it up. A little Tom Sawyer on Rock Band has helped though. I had one move and that is all in. Hope to get lucky.

I do just that with A A J 2 ss. I get called by a bigger stack with QQ. I flop an A and it is over. I just about triple up. But that means I am back to the starting stack. Quite a bit of work to do. Time to get aggressive. With 9 T J Q, I just limp to see a flop. 8 J A. I lead and bet pot and the other 3 fold. Small pot but I will take it.

I then put myself into a terrible position. I call a raise from Ingoal who is UTG. I have J J T 5 ss. Flop comes A Q 3. He checks so I do as well. Turn is a 9, giving me some more outs. Now we bets only 300. I sense he may have KK at best, maybe a set with A A. I decide to put some pressure on and make it 900. He immediately goes all in. That plan didn't work. I have only 580 behind. Pot is at 3300. If I am lucky I have about 14 outs. I figure reality is I have 10. I don't like my spot here. I type "crap" in the chat. I then proceed to type "this would be a suckout" in the chat and make the crying call to see I am up against K K. But a K spikes on the river to give me the straight. The suckout has occurred!

The cards force me to sit back and find another spot. I fold most of the time but pick spots to steal the blinds. Floating at the same chip level isn't fun or exciting but I must remember how to survive in tournament poker. Being impatient has been my downfall as of late.

Being patient doesn't work either. I run into a bad string and am a victim to a turned straight. Oh well.

El padre de los blogs

I just spent a couple of days in New Orleans. Made one quick trip to Harrahs but did not play any poker. I didn't see why I would when all the stories I have read about the N.O. Harrahs entail people taking cash off of the blackjack tables. Bloggers can lose playing blackjack there and I kept the record intact. It was only $115 but it was still a win.

I did stop by the poker room to see what kind of action they had. I watched one hand of 1/2 NL. When the guy raised in MP (to 15) and had 3 callers, I knew he was going to lose the hand. Flop was jack high. He thought and bet half the pot (30). Only one player dropped out. When the turn showed a second jack, I was surprised he bet just 30 again. Even more surprised when the next player quickly raised to 60 and he called. It was heads up now. River was a blank. Now the MP just checked and quickly folded to the 30 bet. No one showed any cards but I would be willing to bet the guy won with A J beating queens or 10s.

Next day I would find myself out at a tavern called Cooter Browns watching the Dallas Cowboys put the whooping on the Niners. At one point I texted the Rooster about the score. Got a call from him a couple of minutes later. He was in Costa Rica watching Iggy play poker. He mentioned that he was at the final table and 6th in chips. It didn't really register until 15 minutes later. Did he just say Iggy made the final table? Yes, he did. Nice cash Iggy!

The hooker wants royalties

I did something I haven't done in a long time on Sunday. I actually taped the final table of the World Series of Poker. I haven't watched it yet but I have it available to view. I am not sure why I taped recorded it. I haven't watched poker on TV in months, except for some of the WSOP events earlier but those played in the background while I did played cards online. Plus, I saw change100 working on a laptop in the background of a shot and I kept watching the shows wondering if I would catch a glimpse of Pauly or F-Train, or Otis walking around. Yep, I didn't watch it for the poker, I watched it for the bloggers.

Now after reading one of Pauly's posts, I figure I really didn't miss much. It sounded like the better game was happening after the tournament was over and everyone was partied out. You know the scene has to be the notorious Hooker Bar at the Rio.

Tao of Poker > Existentialist Conversations with Hookers: Maelstrom at the Hooker Bar
"You guys looking for a little fun?" she said which was the standard opening line from the local strumpets.I played hardball.

"Umm, that's what we were doing before you arrived."

"So where are you from?"

I pointed to Howard. He's a proper Englishman who resides in London but I blurted out, "He's Irish and I'm from Colorado."

"What's your name?""Steve," I said. "I'm Steve from Colorado. I sell propane and propane accessories."

"What's his name?" she said as she pointed at Otis who had his head down, tucked way down that it looked like he was sleeping on the bar.

"Cameron," muttered Otis.

"Have you ever been with a black girl, Cam?"

Otis instantly raised his left hand and practically shoved his wedding ring into her face.

"I have," I said in order to rescue Otis.

"Well how about we have some fun?" she cooed.

"How much does fun cost?" I inquired.

"Depends. What do you want to do?"

At that point, both slags stroked various parts of Howard's paralyzed body. Dogs, bees, and hookers can smell fear, but Howard eschewed all of their advances.

"How much for a threesome? I want to videotape both you and her tag-teaming my Irish friend."

"What's his name?"Howard remained still and silent.

"This my friend Bartley," chimed in Otis.

"We'd both do him, but you can't videotape us," she demanded.

Before I can retort with a counter offer, she instantly changed her mind.

"O.K., you can tape us, but no faces!" she said. "I don't wanna see you getting fuckin' rich by putting that shit up on the internet."

A stripper was smart enough to be concerned about Pauly putting her on the internet but somehow I was able to prevent him putting video of me standing by an Obama sign? It is a sad day when hooker outsmart you.

Of course you should go read the whole thing. Anytime Pauly gets into existential conversations with working girls- be they strippers or hookers- you know you get a good story.

Interesting

This email piqued my interest. Sadly I may not be able to get home in time to play. And I like easy money.


It's Payback Time! Think You Can Take Out The Infamous Sir Waffles?

On Thursday's November 20th Bodog blogger tournament, there will be a bounty on the head of the biggest donkey of them all, the notorious Sir Waffles!

Don't miss this opportunity to take revenge on or even up the score with Waffles! If you are the lucky poker blogger to knock out Waffles, you will receive a credit of T$109 to play in Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament occurring each Sunday at 4 PM!

Just what is Bodog's 100K Guaranteed Tournament?
With one of the biggest overlays in the industry, the value of this tournament is literally unbeatable!
Find out more at http://poker.bodoglife.com/tournaments/100k-guaranteed-tournament.html

This blogger tournament series is open to poker bloggers worldwide and runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 9:05 PM ET.

More details are available at the official blogger series site at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com

So what are you waiting for? Sign up to play this tournament at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/

Good luck and may the most unforgiving poker blogger stack the "worst poker player" ever and pocket T$109!

The Bodog Poker Blogger

I would have been pissed if I had money on the Steelers yesterday. An apparent spread covering touchdown is taken away by refs making the wrong call. Suddenly you think you are going to win the bet but instead the zebras make you a loser.

Peter King had some comments about this in the MMQB.

The problem is the Steelers were very heavy betting favorites in this game.
One Vegas bookie said last night that $100 million was bet on this game alone,
with $66 million of that bet on the Steelers. The Steelers were four-point
favorites. Instead of winning 17-10 or 18-10, the Steelers won 11-10. Thus they
didn't cover, much to the angst of gamblers around the United States. The call
led to the conspiracy theory that somebody must have been in on the action to
influence such a gigantic swing in the betting line. I don't buy it. I would
never buy it for two reasons: 1) There are too many safeguards in place that
would cause the ruination of too many people -- the officiating crew, those in
the league office who supervise and regulate the officials all the way up to the
highest offices of the NFL -- whose lives and careers would be forever tarnished
for a few million dollars. 2) There is also the shear impossibility of inventing
some sort of fix like this to consider. How do you make up a play like that and
get the word to the officials to call it a certain way? There's no way.

I am not a big fan of King as most of what he says is stupid. I could care less about his coffee or daughter's sporting events. Plus it seems King talks out of his ass more than actual football knowledge. For example, he says there is no way they could have rigged this game. Bull! A couple years ago the Wisconsin Badgers were going to cover against UNLV until someone "accidentally" ran into a transformer that supplied electricity to the stadium knocking out power and allowing the casinos to call all bets off. Never underestimate the power of the bookie.

Chip diddler

Made an appearance in the Bodog bloggers tournament last night. Didn't do much. Diddled chips around for about 2 hours until I decided I didn't want to wait through another break and play for another hour. I pushed with K J and ran into K K. Must have looked very stupid to those at the table. But I was done. I had to get up early and was looking at 6 hours of sleep. If I was going to try to get somewhere I was either to double up now or go to bed.

Work has really taken over my life and there looks to be no end. I don't have the time to spend 3 to 4 hours playing poker late into the night just to stumble through the morning. Maybe I just need a vacation.

Oh yeah, I forgot. New Orleans

Ever have one of those trips planned that you forgot about? I forgot about my trip to New Orleans in two weeks. It was my birthday gift to self this year. Go down and check out this legendary drinking area known as Bourbon Street. Oh and I will be going to the Saints/Packers game as well.

I understand there is a Harrahs down there so I will pack my card and some gambling cash. I don't know why I have a feeling this casino will be slightly different than Vegas or Indian halls.

So is there anything special to check out in New Orleans? Please let me know. I am pretty open to experiencing this city from the insider's perspective.

Just over a month

I wasn't able to make the Bodog tournament last night. Long day at work and the need to stay sober to ensure I was in top condition for work today kept me away. I intend to play on Thursday. Going to work on little sleep and a slight buzz is doable for a Friday.

I am a bit disappointed in what has not arrived in my mailbox this year. By this time I usually have received several offers for free rooms in Las Vegas and am sorting through which one to go with. This year I have received nothing. Discounted rooms yes, free rooms, no. Even the offers have been mainly limited to a discount on a the room. No free food or booze.

I read an article a couple weeks back that mentioned how the debt burden is taking its toll in Vegas. Visitor count is down and they have decided that most freebies are off limits. Places like Harrahs have even worked to offer fewer perks for even the high rollers. It gives me the impression that I may have to pay for every bottle of beer I receive at the Pai Gow tables.

This could be an expensive trip.

Saturdays with Derek

I made a poor showing in the Saturdays with Pauly Derek tournament yesterday. Yeah, I have taken it upon myself to rename the tournament when Derek shows and Pauly is busy oggling eastern European chicks.

I made an early exit, finishing 20th. I got too giddy with a set of 8s and ran blindly into a set of kings. It sucked because I was having fun and made a mistake. Such is four card bingo.

Bodonkey

Somehow I was at the top of the heap when the first break of the Bodog blogger tournament began. I was a bit surprised. It has been months since I played a hold em tournament. Plus I knew I wasn't playing a great game. I was leaving bets on the table and not being aggressive enough. Yet it was working.

My first major drop came halfway through the second round. I tried to collect the bounty on Rizen. With A Q I flat called his his raise. Flop was Q high. I raised his bet to just about put him in. He just called leaving 15 behind. Hmm. The remaining chips went in on the turn and he showed K K. No help on the river and I had my first major set back.

I then went out in grand fashion by calling a big bet with nothing. I put him on a bluff. I did hit my flush but he had his full house by then. It didn't matter too much. I was dead tired from working so much lately and a warm bed was better than a final table.

My share of suckouts

I just about went ballistic when the guy called my push with a crap hand in the Saturdays with Pauly PLO game. When he flopped two pair to take out my A A x x hand I was ready to go on major tilt. A Phil Hellmuth moment was ready to leap out of my mouth to be heard by no one but my cat. How can I be so unlucky I thought?

But I stopped and took a breath instead. How could I be so unlucky?

I realized it was luck that had me in a position in the money. Twice I had sucked out on Pauly. I went runner runner flush midway through the tournament to stay alive. At the final table, the board would counterfeit his two pair.

There was one hand in particular that I don't think I could have gotten away from. I flopped a full house with A 6 x x in the BB. Board was A 6 A on the flop. I eyed the other stacks and was counting them in my hand. I checked and got a bet. I smooth called. Turn was a rag. I check called again. River was a 9. Again my opponent made a small bet. I immediately bet pot. He thought and pushed his remaining chips in. No way I could fold, right?

Suddenly I had a feeling I was behind. Was he really going to show A 9 x x? That would be a nice catch for him. It would be the same sick suckout that I had managed twice before. Of course he took the pot. I wouldn't recap it if he hadn't.

But I am happy with 3rd. I had some fun and was content with my game. If one card fell my way I may have won it. Then again, many cards fell my way to get me there.

I look forward to playing in the Bodog game tomorrow. Hope to see you there.

Doesn't sound fair to me

You just got in to Vegas and checked into your hotel. You have the itch to get into a poker game right away so you toss your bags into the room and run back to the casino. It takes you a little bit longer to get to the poker room as the place is more crowded than you have ever seen it.

You wait about 15 minutes before you get a seat. In the first 10 minutes of play you fold every hand and sit back in amazement at the level of play you are seeing. Your opponents look like they haven't a clue what they are doing. You think to yourself that this is going to be easy money, especially after the confused guy at the end the table just lost a big hand.

But then you notice a floor employee walk up to the guy with the winning hand and say something as he makes a gesture. The guy who won the pot breaks off a stack of chips and gives it back to the loser of the hand. You are not sure what has happened and figure he just made a loan.

The game goes on and you are slowly amassing a nice stack. The $300 you started with has become over $500 in no time at all. Then you see someone sit down and buy in for $20. You chuckle to yourself that this guy is wasting his time by buying in for so little. The guy folds and folds as you watch to see what he is going to do.

A big pot goes down and it happens again. The winner has to give some of the money back to the loser but this time the guy who sat down with just $20 is give another $20 from the winner. You have no idea what is going on here. You try to get the attention of the dealer but he keeps going. You try to waive down a manager but they are busy. You can get up after the next hand.

Then you dealt J 10 of clubs. There is an early raise t0 $10. Two other guys call and you do as well from the button. Flop is nice. 8c 9c Ad. An open ended straight flush draw. You begin to wonder how much the jackpot is at when the bet comes to you. The initial raiser bet out a pot size bet and the other two called. You call as well. You hit your bingo card, the Queen of clubs. You try to keep your jubilation to yourself and look uninterested. You had put the initial raiser on a hand like A A and the second guy on any suited A, believing his call on the flop meant he had A x of clubs. You know he will pay you off if he does. You have no clue what the last guy has but you don't care. You are still taking glances at how much of a bonus you will get.

The initial bettor puts out a stack of 200 now. The next guy just calls. The third calls as well. You look at the pot and decide to raise. They have so much invest right now that they are committed. You know the guy with the aces can't lay them down. Hell, he wouldn't have bet with a flush and straight possibility on the board. Nut flush ain't gonna drop either and you are hoping the 3rd guy is clueless as to what is happening. You go with a min-raise to boot. Just $200 more.

The first guy calls and the nut flush pushes all in. The third guy calls the push. You do your best acting job to keep the last guy in. Yeah, you are greedy. Finally you call as does aces. Dealer tells everyone to flip their cards. You flip them and stand up. Not in victory but to get a clear look at how much the bonus is. $1500! Not bad. Just over that in the pot. You will have made 10xs what you sat down with. The last card is the 8s. You then look and see you were right. First guy had pocket aces. Next had the nut flush. The last guy turned over pocket 9s.

The dealer begins to move over the massive pile of chips to you. You give him a nice toke and begin to stack chips. As you do, you notice an employee walk up and stand just over your shoulder. You figure he is there to give you papers for the bonus. But first he asks that you count the size of the pot you just won so he can know how much it is. He then gives you a form to put your name and players club number on. You fill the form out and finish stacking the chips. You are not sure why he made a request for the size of the pot but you do so anyway. Maybe he is curious to know how large that pot had gotten.

You skip the next two hands as you do your counting. The floor guy finally comes back and sets $1000 in chips in front of you. As you are about to ask where the other $500 is, another employee starts giving chips to the rest of the people at the table. He then asks you how large the pot was. You tell him just over $2000. He tells you to cut $700 from your stack and give it to the guys who had just lost. It is just now you realize where the other $500 of your jackpot just went.

You tell the floor guy no way. Why should you give away the pot you just earned to the people who just lost? These people stink at the game. They should have spent many an hour doing what you did. Reading poker books and blogs. Honing your skills and learning to how to beat the game.

At this point you notice twenty dollar man get a rack and leave. He hadn't played a single hand but walked out of here with over a hundred dollar. Most of it from your jackpot hand.

This really sets you off. You tell the floor there is no way in hell you are giving this money to anyone. You spent years learning the game and getting good at it. You took the risk. You earned this money fair and square. It is not your fault that the other players didn't take the time to build up their skills and get good at the game.

The floor guy directs you away from the table and distributes your money out. He then explains that it wouldn't be fair to not let everyone enjoy the success you have had. He is just looking out for the others at the table. He then gives some of your money to people on the waiting list telling you that he is also looking out for those who follow after you. He is just spreading the wealth around so everybody is happy. You scream that it is your money that he is giving away but your protest falls on deaf ears. It is the rule of the casinos that they must now make sure all games are fair and that everyone wins.

Would you play in such a casino? Hell no.

So why would you want someone to do the same thing with your paycheck? You work hard on a daily basis. Went to college to get a degree to ensure you made a good living. Put in hard hours to advance up the ladder. Now someone is telling you that you are too successful and you must give your money to those who have not gone to school, who goof off on the job and for those who have decided they don't want to work.

Sound fair? Think about that when you go to vote on November 4.

Game time

My goal is to not get knocked out of the LeTune Challenge wihtin the first 15 minutes. I have the fridge full of beer and nothing to do but throw cards around and drink beer. It feels like Christmas!

I did start with the Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Smooth. Nice. Tasty. I am sad that I have only one bottle.

I made it through the first 15 minutes without busting out. Small victory if I hadn't gotten a tad loose in the Omaha round. Time to tighten up a bit. I have faith in my O game if I don't get stupid. I have time and beer on my side.

I have folded the last round of hands. Game has switched back to hold em and it looks like Jordan is trying to bully the table. He has jumped out to a nice lead by playing his style. Tough to beat him when he gets into his groove. Unless you hit your hand. I need my hand.

I soon feel like I dodged a bullet. I didn't think Jordan had squat and that my two pair was good. A flush possibility was on the board and I was fully prepared to check raise him but he checked behind with trips. Wow was my read terrible. I live to fight another day.

Game switches back to O8 and my patience pays off. I call from the button with 3 4 6 6. Flop isn't too bad for me, J 5 4, two clubs. The flush is a small concern but I am hoping there isn't a big get to push me off. The SB, RakeBrain staff vadim bets only 100. Jordan calls and I call as well. Turn is 7d. Nice! Wait, there are now two flush draws. I hope that vadim will bet again so the pot is high enough for me to push all in with the 800 I have left. He does, Jordan calls and I push. They fold and I am back above the Mendoza line. Patience pays off.

On to the next beer. I looked into the fridge and found myself with a tough decision. So many good beer to choose from. Lucky guy am I. I chose to go with the Arrogant Bastard Ale. How can you not like a beer that has a label like this?



Back to hold em and I play Big Slick hard. Raise and bet the flop that I totally whiff on. I get a fold which is nice. Next hand I call a raise with K Js. Flop misses me but the turn is a K. Buddy Dank, the raiser, bets out half the pot and I just call. River is a Q and he bets half the pot again. I think I am up against A K. Not sure about it either and I am not smart enough to lay this down. I call. He shows A Q and I am over 2500. I think I can hear him cussing me out for calling that bet.

I take a nice pot from the SB and I am feeling good about my position so far. I am sitting around 12 with 19 left. Not great but I am still in.

Not much happens as the second hour starts. I need to find a place to double up. It is going to be tough with Jordan and Mookie having big stacks. Plus Lucko is stealing my blinds. Damn. Must be patient. Kinda tough as the Arrogant Bastard is living up to its name.

So much for patience. I totally fuck up a hand against lucko. I called big raise preflop when I should have folded. Flop totally missed me and I knew I was screwed. Down to 1491. Basically I have one hand left to play. Double or nothing.

I go with A K from the BB. Jordan had limped in from UTG. He calls. Flop is two clubs, 7 high. I push and he insta calls, showing Q 9 clubs. No club, no club! He doesn't get the club but does get a Q. FMTH!

I had fun though. Still have beer to drink.

I am ready, are you?

I think I am ready for the RakeBrain Le Tune Challenge. tonight.



Which beer do I drink first? I am thinking of going with the big bottle on the right, the Rogue Dead Guy Ale. If it is as good as the Double Dead Guy Ale I will be in heaven.

RakeBrain and the LeTune Challenge

Things have been very busy for me as of late. So much that I haven't been able to spend my time at the tables. That changes this week when I make a triumphant return in the RakeBrain Le Tune Challenge. RakeBrain offers this unique tournament a couple times a year. Better yet it is a HA game. Hold em and Omaha. Pot limit to boot. One mistake early and you could be done.

RakeBrain also has some other good promotions. Like their Full Tilt Rake Race. Keep scrolling down to see the other rake races they offer. By joining the race you can build your bankroll even faster.

See you at the tables this Thursday. For once I will be playing instead of watching the WSOP.

Motivation

I haven't been to motivated to play poker lately. Been busy with buttons. Who would have thought?

It seems the last game of poker I played was at a friends house a couple of weeks back. It was poker as much as it was playing cards. Those fun games like Black Mariah, Guts, In between the Sheets and other games where it seems 2 cards are wild and you can buy an extra card with a 4. Games where 5 of a kind would win even though it isn't truly possible to attain such a hand.

I felt a bit guilty going into this game. I knew how the flow of it would be. These junk games are all the same. People throwing in quarters every round hoping they get a wild card and get lucky. These are the games where you get ridiculed if you fold. They are also the games where you can jack the pot up pretty high and keep the suckers throwing their money in.

I guess that is why I felt guilty. I knew the crowd I was playing. I knew they wouldn't fold and they wouldn't complain if I kept betting with a nut hand. I knew there might be some whining at the end when I walked away up $20 on a dime/quarter game.

It amazes me how these so called friendly games are anything but. There was one hand in particular that amazed me. The game was 221. A split game where anyone close to 2 gets half the pot while the person(s) closest to 21 gets the other half. All numerical cards carried that value while face cards were good for 1/2. I recall getting dealt an 8 and a 5. With 13 I stayed in one round to get a card. It was only a quarter so I thought I would take one and fold as needed. I hit the jackpot when I was dealt the case 8. Yeah I was drawing terribly thing but it is a junk game and I had to give some money back. With the cards on the board, you could tell two people were going low and me and another girl where going high. I thought she might have hit 21 as well but her body language gave it all away. She was confident in her betting. I knew right away she had either 20 or 22. Thus I kept raising everyone and betting just a bit more with each card that was dealt. The fifth person in the hand was trying for a 21 but kept getting low cards. She kept tossing money in hoping to get lucky. She didn't realize it was hopeless and all she was doing was handing the cash over to me. She finally got a 9 and folded knowing her 27 wasn't going to win.

Best thing was the two going for a low had no concept of being quartered. My 21 beat the 22 and they both showed 1.5 to tie for the low. It was like taking candy from a baby. Maybe I should organize a game over there before the next UFC PPV...

Dead

Busted out of the Survivor Pool this week. Damn Broncos. My strategy to pick on the weak teams failed. damn.

Oh well. Here is something that is simply too damn funny!

Bashless

I feel out of place today. Empty. Lonely. I should be some where else.

I feel this gravitational pull from the East. Strangely enough, it is like my liver is being yanked from my body towards the coast.

Other committments prevented me from traveling to Philly and Al's Bash. It would have been nice to go- I even considered a last minute flight- but I can't. More important events wait at home.

I can feel like I am attending with a dial-a-shot or two but it won't be the same. sigh

Too loud?

Some fans of Metallica are crying that the new album, Death Magnetic, is too loud. Really? Heavy metal too loud? You don't say!

Track 3, Broken, Beat, and Scarred sounds like a poker tournament to me.

You rise.
You fall.
You’re down, then you rise again.
What don’t kill ya make ya more strong.
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don’t kill ya make ya more strong.
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don’t kill ya make ya more strong.

Through black days
Through black nights
Through pitch black insides

Breaking your teeth on the hard life comin’.
Show your scars.
Cutting your feet on the hard earth runnin’.
Show your scars.
Breaking your life, broken, beat and scarred
But we die hard.

One more week of surving.

You have got to love the NFL. The Blogger Survivor Pool was just about over at only week 3. Most people had Buffalo going, including myself. The other had the Giants. Only one person had Seattle going. If it was for late field goals, we would have had a winner. Great stuff!

Survived Week 2

I feel like a semi-genius today. Made a wise move on abandoning my preseason pick of Seattle. Still look atrocious. Next week looks to be back to the schedule with Buffalo at home against Oakland. More than half of the pool has been knocked out after only two weeks. Maybe we can see that cut in half this coming weekend.

I made more money playing poker than I did betting football. Ok, the win was coming in first on a $10 SnG. I took the Patriots yesterday along with the Steelers. The Pats catching points against the Jets was money in the bank. Sure Cassel didn't look that great in the red zone but the Patriots are much better than the Jets. On the other hand the Steelers screwed the bettors by not kicking a field goal at the end to put them up by 7. I wish the Browns would have cracked off a huge play at the end just because Timlin and Co. screwed me.

At least I didn't get screwed as bad as the Chargers and their fans. Wow. At least buy them dinner before you give it up the arse. It was a no Vaseline job in Denver on a terrible non-call. Even worse is having the referee tell you that he botched the call after the game. Ouch!

Surviving and Riverchasing

It took only one week for me to deviate from my schedule of Survivor Football picks. After that abysmal performance by Seattle I cannot take them in good faith this weekend. They were beyond bad. I wouldn't be shocked if the 49ers pulled off the upset. So I am going with the NY Giants this weekend. It is possible that the Rams may become my new pick on team this year. Week 3 will probably see me getting back to the preseason choice list. Of course if I was smart about this I would have taken two entries and played my preseason list straight out.

Played the Riverchasers last night. For the first time in a while I had some fun playing poker. I made the final table going out in 9th (out of 31?). Nothing to brag about but not bad either. I lost interest when we got down to 14. I had to travel earlier in the day and was feeling pretty damn tired. Toss in a couple pints of Maker's Mark and I was just about out. I donked heavily at the end to get tossed out.

I did have a nice rush that got me to that point though. I managed to double up on one hand with K K. I re-raised from late position and saw a flop of K 4 4. I let my opponent bet out and gave a quick min-raise. I proceeded to just call his bet on the turn and then pushed on the river. I was surprised that I got paid off there.

Next hand I get A A and proceed to flop a set. This time I don't get paid as well as the first. Of course that meant I shot my load and had to fold for the next half hour.

A similar rush came later on when I got Q Q and A A back to back. Didn't cash in as well on those though. I chose to re-raise big preflop with them to make it look like I didn't want a call but it appeared they were trying to steal.

Guess I need to find a way to focus more when we get to the end game. Or maybe not play after a day spent in airplanes and drinking whisky.

Just got some tickets to see Metallica in January. The new disc is pretty good. Takes a while to get a feel for it but after one listen it kicks up a notch and you notice the quality of the songs. Personal favorite right is Cyanide. Suicide and Redemption and All Nightmare Long are a close second. Looking forward to the show even though it is months off. 20,000 people chanting DIE is a rush!

Poker Junkie- Intermediate Strategy

Going All-in In Poker Tournament Play - Intermediate Strategy

Moving all-in during tournament play can be an effective move; it is the move that most separates the no-limit variety from its poker relatives. You can make bank while breaking someone's bank, but you can also find yourself on the way to the exit if you've chosen to utilize an all-in play with poor timing or against the wrong competitor. Without a complete immersion in strategy (and the fact that your time is more than likely limited), consider a few of these pointers to help you continue using the all-in play to your benefit when you visit the best online poker site for some tournament play.

Why Risk Your Stack Early?

Early in tournament action, there is really no need to begin moving all-in, but undoubtedly you'll observe someone doing it; hoping to double what they've got, or at the very least, steal some blinds. Making the move pre-flop while still in the early rounds of a tournament may seem a bit silly, and that's because it is. What's the point? You're putting yourself in a dangerous position unless you're sitting on a power pocket, and even if that is the case, who's to say another individual doesn't have something comparable? There are still a lot of cards yet to be seen to get so hasty early on. Along those lines, you may have witnessed that same early, all-in strategy scoop a few chips or eliminate another competitor, but in this regard, let common sense dictate and avoid such play early - especially when the blinds are still of a modest amount. You can build your stack with solid play without risking an embarrassing exit.

Moving right along to the advantageous all-in play; it is going to depend on your opponents. From table to table, as play progresses, you're going to be faced with every scenario imaginable. Often times you might find your play to be an inferior to a seasoned wsop tournament vet that has seemingly targeted you, or is simply pulling from your stack every time you feel like you have something worth playing. If this is the case, you might lure them into a duel when you score a stellar pocket hand. If you've been playing tightly, they'll assume that you've got something, but may be so turned on by the opportunity to eliminate you from play that they'll accept your challenge when you move all-in. With that being said, well timing your play is important; play solid through the flop and see what they're showing you. If you find they utilize a check-raise, and you're supremely confident in what you hold, you may decide to push all-in as opposed to letting them peck away at your stack.

Push to Survive

Another scenario presented to move all-in is when you're fighting for survival. If you've barely got enough to cover the blinds, you know you've got to get busy taking a few risks in playing, or get busy packing. Study the concept of ICM (Independent chip model) to learn more about why pushing is correct.

Often times, when you're late in a tournament, you'll find that the action gets tight; players are often fine with parting with a posted blind in order to preserve their greater good. Approach this play wisely, as opposed to tossing your hands in the air and saying, "What have I got to lose?" As you may hold pocket aces, if you ever find yourself in the position again, you want there to be little deviation from the image you consistently presented.

Survived week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers went on an easy romp yesterday which meant I survived week one of the blogger survivor pool. But the real story is how bad some teams looked yesterday. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and San Diego were all upset. I was looking for wins from these teams down the road. Are they not that good or are the Bears and Panthers better than expected? I left the Titans out because that game had to be a fluke.

Worse yet, my pick for next week was to be Seattle. From what I saw they looked atrocious. The fake field goal for a TD was a beautiful play by Buffalo. How do you let a guy just camp out away from the kick? Need to take a good look at what is going on in the Northwest before I go with my preseason picks and stay with Seattle for week two.

SwDP

For once I wasn't doing anything on a Saturday afternoon. I wasn't out mowing the lawn or clearing brush. I wasn't in the middle of a tough drum piece on Rock Band. And I remembered today's event. So it seemed right to get on and at the very least, help pump up the pot.

For the most part it is the same people sitting at the table. Derek, FamilyIce, Wil Wheaton. Wait...Wheaton??? Man I miss the monkey tournaments.

On with the game. PLO as usual. I hope I can do better than I have playing PLO8. I have been killed whenever I have played lately.

Table is tight to start. Lots of limping. I decide to change it by popping it with K K Q 4, ss. Everyone folds. Hmmm...wonder how long this may last.

Cards begin to fall my way. With J J K 8 I limp in. Flop is K high. I try to take advantage of the tight table and bet out. Suddenly Wheaton raises me. 210 more. Ugh! I take a flyer and make the call. I figure he caught a piece but is looking for the flush draw. The Q on the turn doesn't make me feel any better. I check. Lucky for me he checks as well. K on the river gives me trips but I am not sure it is good so I check. Wheaton checks again. I know he missed his draw but apparently he was on a straight draw, not a flush draw.

Next hand I take down a small pot when my hand goes full 9s over aces. Game seems easy! Famous last words there.

I give a ton of chips back to Wheaton. With J J 5 4, I limp in hoping to hit a flop. I do with Q J 5, but there are two spades on the board. Knowing there are a ton of redraws I bet out. Maybe not the best idea here but I feel like playing. Wheaton raises to 540. It is either make or break. I am not a favorite but I go with the gamble anyways. Sure enough he shows both the flush and straight draw. The spade on the turn delivers the blow quickly. Still in with around 1200 but could be in a much healthier condition.

In true tradition the cards go dead on me. That is ok. If I try to play crap I will only end up screwing myself out of the tournament. I see a couple flops here and there but the board ends up getting me in the end so I drop a bit in the standings. Pauly is now on my left and terrorizing the table when he shows up. He must be busy with the Borgata as he comes and goes.

I do manage to chip up above 1500 with a couple of slick hands and by being aggressive with some pocket pairs and betting big on the turn. Sometimes the aggression puts me in big trouble in PLO but today it is working out just fine. At least so far.

Then a funny thing happened. The break came and I was still in it! Half of the starting field of 31 was gone but I managed to survive with 2100.

I don't do much for the next 15 minutes. Fold. Collect small pots. Then I go for it all. With K Q Q 3, ss, I bet pot on a raise with a caller. No one reraises and we see a flop of K J x, two spades. I push my remaining 341 in and both call. My kings are actually ahead. The turn is a rag and the river a spade to give me a huge pot and vault me over 5k. One hand later I take out the remaining short stack and we have ourselves a final table. 5 pay so I still have some work to do.

Cards run against me again. I survive by picking up blinds but am looking to play. I am suppose to be some where at 5 but that isn't going to happen. I could go aggro and bet everything but I don't want to. I want to play my best which sadly isn't what I usually do in these instances.

I begin to turn up the aggression a bit. I feel lucky at one spot that I calmed down. Though I had a straight, it wasn't the nut straight and my gut told me that Bayne had it. He did and I dodge a bullet. But that changes a couple of hands later when I hit a straight but I lose to a big blind special. Damn.

I then raise it up with K Q T 9 ds but find myself up against two re-raises. I fold which ended up being a good thing as I would have ended up with the second flush.

I wasn't really paying too much attention when Pauly and Wil got knocked out. At one point I looked up and saw we were at the money bubble. Bad part is I look to be the bubble boy. I need a good hand to double up on or this will be over for me soon.

I do that with a bit of luck. I get to see a free flop from the blinds. I flop two pair, queens and sixes. I am hoping to push the others out with a pot bet but it backfires when I get raised. Not much to call and I am pot committed so I call fearing I will see I am up against top two pair. Sure enough, I am. But I spike a six on the turn to win. Sweeeeet.

Suddenly I am on a bit of a heater. Flop a boat and take a nice pot down. Make a straight on the river and take a good size pot down. I have gone from being out to 3rd place again. I am also getting more aggressive preflop and trying to see more flops. Once again, it is working.

My heater continues as I rise to the top. I get a good pot off of Bayne when I re-raise from the BB with A A 7 4. Flop is a nice K 5 6. I push hoping he won't call. He thinks and folds. Then I push with an OESD that hits on the turn. The money bubble has burst and now I have a 10k lead over second place. Not sure how that happened!

That huge gap shrinks as Bayne hits his straight and instead of knocking him out, he is right back in it. Soon I find myself raising away as the play gets tighter again. As I do I am still trying to be safe and not totally donk out.

The second break comes. As Boston would sing, It's been such a long time... since I got to a second break. Down to 4 and Bayne has a 2k lead of me. I wish he wasn't such a good Omaha player. I feel like I would have a chance. But I do have one thing that drives me right now. Winning a second Saturdays with Pauly title. I think I get a deck of cards if I win a second one. Then I check the Tao of Poker and realize Bayne has a victory in this already as well. I hope he isn't thinking the same thing I am.

I try to stay aggressive but the results are mixed. I have dropped a couple thousand as I am losing more than I am winning on these pots. I notice I am getting too loose so I need to switch gears and tighten up. Especially after I get lucky with 7 7 4 2 and call a small raise from the BB and flop trip 2s.

I then suffer a brutal suckout. With aces under I raised from the BB when everyone limped. I get one caller. Flop is all rags. I bet enough to put him all in and he calls with top pair and a gutshot. He hits his second pair on the river to deflate me. Ugly. But I get it back on the next hand when I flop a set that become a boat. It was a tilt move but it worked.

It is at this point that live blogging becomes impossible. Bayne is out in 3rd and we are heads up. I can't do both so I am focusing on the game. I can tell you some well timed bluffs are keeping me in the game. I also have noticed a betting pattern that is helping me with those bluffs.

Well, I finished second. ResdentEvil wins and he should have. He is a better PLO player than I and it showed in the end. Congrats!

I found myself firing up Full Tilt this past weekend. Just after I signed in my poker ADD struck and I found myself signing up for a SnG as well as two LO8 limit tables. I was wondering why after being on hiatus for a couple of weeks I would come back and break my first rule of poker.

Don't play ring games after a night of drinking.

It is a rule I tell myself again and again. It is never a good idea to sit down and play cards after you have been drinking for 6 hours. You can sit down and begin drinking or play tournaments but you should never play a ring game. The urge to reload while thinking "That don *hic* key got luggy, luddy, lubby, er, lucky" is too strong for me to fight. Thus, I dropped more playing Omaha than I did finishing first in the SnG.

I find it interesting (only to myself) that I watched some of the 2008 WSOP Main Event last night. I even taped the next episode. Who knows, this game may draw me back in before December comes along.

And now for something completely different...
At lunch today, they had vegetable chili on the soup bar. Next to the soup bar was a pan of polish sausage. Is it wrong to cut up a sausage and add to the meat-free chili or is it expected?

Hooray for boobies!

There is a good reason I won't be heading out to Philly for Al's annual Bash this year. I made a commitment to join my friend Janet at the lakefront on Sunday, September 28 for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Yep, I will forgo a weekend of debauchery with some boobs to help save some boobs.

And you can help as well. Please click through to Janet's page and make a donation. Janet beat breast cancer and now she is helping others in the fight to defeat the disease. All donations are greatly appreciated.

Think of it as good karma that will bring you some luck at the tables.

It is about surviving

I am looking forward to the upcoming NFL season. My beloved Dallas Cowboys are in a position to make a serious run to the Super Bowl. That alone will do wonders for one’s football morale. But I am also looking forward to betting the week’s games and avoiding fantasy football.

Yep, you read that correctly. Avoiding fantasy football.

The league I have played in for the past couple of years folded. It wasn’t very competitive and it shrunk each of the last 3 seasons. After easily cruising through the season with one loss last year I got dumped in the playoffs in the first week because my starters were on the bench as the first playoff game was in week 16, not in 14 or 15 which would have made a huge difference for me.

So with that bitter taste still in my mouth, I decided to avoid fantasy football altogether and put my focus on betting the games. That and Miami Don’s Survivor Football. For those not aware of what survivor football is, a quick tutorial. Pick 1 winner each week. Sounds simple, huh? Only catch is once you pick a team, you cannot use them again for the rest of the season.

Survivor Football is a unique competition in itself with some strategies that can be applied. Do you take the favorites early? Do you sandbag them until later? Do you focus on powerful teams or the weak ones?

My strategy is to hold off on some big favorites until a couple weeks into the season. I believe that even though they may play some strong football early, they will get better as the season goes on. Plus it is nice to have a bullet in the chamber when it gets down to the nitty gritty between you and a handful of players. I look to hold off on the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers until a least a month out.

I also like to pick on the weak teams. You would have done well last year picking whoever played the Dolphins. It was like taking candy from a baby. Kansas City looks to be bad this year. Very bad. And those Dolphins won’t be much better than last year. Better but only a couple games better. Toss in the Raiders and you should be able to get through the first month. This year is a bit more difficult for some of these teams because they are playing tweeners.

It is those tweener teams that can you into pickles. The Vikings have a running game but no QB and a defense that should be better. Can you trust them? What about New Orleans? The Saint were great two years ago but stunk it up last year. Will they bounce back? Same with the Panthers. The Packers have injuries and an unproven QB. Dare you take them in week 1?

To make things interesting I decided to post my picks for the entire season. I plan to use them each week barring any major injuries or other surprises. I am not locking myself in. If a team is better/worse than expected, I will make a change.

Week 1- Pittsburgh over Houston
Week 2- Seattle over San Fran
Week 3- Buffalo over Oakland
Week 4- Denver over K.C.
Week 5- San Diego over Miami
Week 6- Dallas over Arizona
Week 7- Indy over Green Bay
Week 8- New England over St. Louis
Week 9- Minnesota over Houston
Week 10- Jacksonville over Detroit
Week 11- New Orleans over K.C.
Week 12- New York Giants over Arizona
Week 13- Oakland over K.C.
Week 14- Washington over Baltimore
Week 15- Philly over Cleveland
Week 16- Green Bay over Chicago
Week 17- Houston over Chicago

There you have it. 17 weeks of meaningless prognostication. So I didn't feel like working. Sue me.

Drunken poker

I played some drunken poker this past weekend. A couple of $10 SnGs that saw me exiting in 6th and 7th place. In one I tried to bluff someone off a pot and went down in flames while in the other I couldn't hit either my flush or straight draw and a flopped set of deuces sent me to the sideline.

I didn't totally tilt and fire up another one. Instead I directed my drunk butt to the couch and promptly fell asleep. I was quite please to wake up and not see a message saying I finished an unknown tournament in 8th place.

Tao of Poker Omaha appearance

I showed up and played about 30 minutes of Pauly's Omaha tourney on Saturday. Threw a couple of bucks into the kitty for someone else to enjoy. I never had a chance. I was playing Rock Band before the tourament started and was busy spending time trying to get a part of the song right. The beginning of Gimme Shelter was giving me fits on the guitar and it was driving me nuts. I was determined to get the licks down and the poker game was more of an annoyance than anything.

So with top pair and a gut shot straight draw I pushed all in against the made straight. Ouch. At least I got the song down.

Hey! I played some poker!

It was probably because I went to the bar right from work that I got home and played the Riverchasers tournament tonight. With an ample supply of beer in my belly providing the fuel I needed to get through the night I turned my eyes to the monitor and hoped for the best.

Early on I dumped some chips to NewinNov. With AJo I raised from EP. Never good when you get 4 callers. To make it worse, the flop was A Q Q. I probably screwed it up right away by not making some kind of continuation bet. I checked and called it down to the river where I folded to the all in bet. I felt bad after that hand knowing I played it very poorly.

Though I lost about 500 or 600 on that hand I was despondent. I had faith I could make it back. A couple of hands later I check my 6 6 from the BB. A flop of A 2 7 didn't have me worried. Nor did the pot size bet from UTG. I recalled a hand BadBlood talked about and called that bet. The 6 on the turn was a pretty sight to behold. I checked and called the bet again. On the river I tried to go the well once to many times as it was checked down.

Back to even I focused on my beer as the bad hands came along and kept me on the sideline. Can't help but notice how there is no chat at this table. I feel like I am playing funeral poker. Blinds come and go and and I tread water. To make it interesting I am beginning to make bets to see if I can control the table. Limp with 2 2 and make a half pot bet on a flop of K Q 6. 3 people fold and I take a small pot. I could get used to this.

With K 10 I make the raise from UTG. Flop is 10 high. Only the BB had called and is suddenly betting out. The flop is uncoordinated and I wonder why he betting out. I call to give me some time to think. The turn is nothing. Again, the BB bets out the pot. Something doesn't seem right. My brain says to watch out for the set but my gut tells me to go all in, that he doesn't have a set. Plus my gut says it wants another beer and we can watch football and drink if we bust out. Of course I listen to my gut and push. I am happy with the fold. My brain reminds me of how I always drink and play poker.

One thing I am trying not to do tonight is play "fancy poker". I don't want to be tricky and slow play everything. I catch two pair from the blinds and start betting out. I have no intention of being sly tonight.

I dump some chips with a re-raise and Q Q from the BB. Of course I run into K K and am back to my starting stack. A A and A K would get some of the chips back. I then twitch a bit when I am dealt Q Q. I raise UTG and get one caller. On a flop with J high, the blinds bet into me. This again? I make a pot size raise and feel leery when I am called. I have just 600 behind and have no choice but to put them in the pot on the turn. I don't have the chance to bet as once again I am bet into. I am surprised to see my opponent has K J. Just like that I am up to 6000 at the first break. Speaking of breaks, this give me time to get another beer.

I play just one hand in the first 15 minutes after the break taking in an OK pot. A Q pays off when a Q hits the turn. A Q pays off again from the BB when 3 others try to limp in.

I continue to fold until I see a flop with AJs from the BB. Flop misses me so I fold. And fold and fold. I am getting bored now. Now I know why I am not a big fan of deep stacks.

Nines get me an uncontested pot. So does Big Slick. At this point I take a glance and notice there are only 10 runners remaining. Sounds good but we started with only 24. Still in the top 50% of the field! Whoo hooo! Then I realize the "small" stack is at 3100 so it will still take a long time to even start the final table.

So much for no fancy play. I go with a min raise with A A from the SB and get the call. I make a small bet on the flop and get raised. I push all in just in case he was willing to chase a flush. He folds instead.

I get rambunctious again and raise with A 7s on a smaller stack. He pushed all in from the BB. I make the call figuring what the heck. Instinct tells me I am ahead. Sure enough, he shows K Q. But the Q on the flop puts me behind. The board fills up with diamonds to give him a flush adding insult to injury.

I drop a nice pot when I raise with A 10 and get called by the short stack with 8 2s. An 8 on the flop is followed by a 2 on the turn and I go on tilt. I call a bet putting me all in on the next hand with A Q. I am up against K K. The Q on the flop is encouraging but that is all she wrote. Done in 9th.

The fresh bottle of beer curse lives on.

Deadbeats

I fired up Full Tilt last night to see what Skillz game was on the agenda. At about 45 minutes before the start of the tournament only 3 players had signed up. I wondered why such a small turnout until I saw the game. Limit Hold Em. Ugh! Double stack to boot. I rather get my wisdom teeth pulled that play a limit tournament for a couple of hours. Congrats to those who did play and whoever may have won.

I stumbled across this article in the local paper today. Poker player ordered to pay up. Apparently some baby's daddy in Vegas hasn't paid any child support for the last couple of years. Now a court is forcing him to do so.

The line in the article that cracked me up was this one:

Boyle said the best result for the boy and his mother would be if Obst still
remained employed. A felony conviction would make it harder for him to get a
job, she said.

Remain employed? He is a poker player, not someone with a 9 to 5 job. He can blow all of his cash in one night and not have anything left to pay his support.

I wonder if the player had a lawyer argue bankroll considerations in his defense.

Tao of Poker Birthday Celebration

I got a quick taste of what the blogger games were about early on in the Tao of Poker 5th Birthday tournament. Got a table with Byron and GCox. The chatter started quickly ranging from cards to baseball and beyond. Not quite sure who the other were. I figured they were readers that looked for a cheap payday. So 519 sit down to take a cheap shot at the Borgata Open.

My strategy- if I truly had one- was to take it easy for the first hour. Find some cards and play them hard. Don't worry about going for chips early. Thus I folded quite bit early.

First decent hand I saw was a pair of 6s. Saw a flop on a 3xs raise and missed the flop. Next time I would raise UTG with KQs. Sure I said I was going to play it tight but I do like that KQs. Flop came J high so I decided the continuation bet was the best move and bet 190 into the 245 pot. It was good and I was basically back to even.


After that I am moved to a new table. I don't recognize any of the names. Furthermore no one seems to be sociable as my HOWDY to the table goes unnoticed. Screw em! I fold a couple of hands as I wonder why someone has a picture of asparagus as their icon. Upon further inspection I realize it is not asparagus but actually says Phish in long green letters. I decide to still think of it as asparagus.


I spend the next 15 minutes looking for music on the web as my cards have looked pretty bad. I then get in a bad spot. It folds to the button. He min raises to 100. I have J J in the small blind. I make it 300. BB folds and the button calls. Flop is 9 high with two hearts. I bet 2/3 of the pot. He calls. Turn is an A. I hate that card. I check but decide to call the small bet of 200. River is a rag. I check again and he bets 300. Pot is 2400. I feel I have to call because of pot odds and hope he had a mid pair and was trying to bluff. I make the crying call to see his AQs of hearts. Ugh!

I am basically hosed with the short stack now. With KQo I push and get called by KQo? Ok! I then call the raise with 8 8 in the BB. 4 people are in the pot. If I am lucky I get back in the game. I am not as I am up against K K and 9 Ts??? Out in 329. At least I had fun.

If I remember in time...

I make actually play some poker tonight.

Rock Band > Poker

I haven't played any poker in a while. Life is too busy for me to sit down in front of a pc and sling virtual cards. Instead I am busy sitting down in front of the TV bashing drums playing Rock Band.

So go read the lastest issue of Truckin'.

August 2008, Vol. 7, Issue 8
Welcome back to another summer issue of Truckin'.

1. Even More Existentialist Conversations with Strippers by Paul McGuire
On the third day of Prozac? That pretty much summed up my visit to the afternoon shift. The stripper was drunk, sedated on happy pills, sloppy, and slurring her speech like Albert Finney at happy hour... More

2. Explaining Amphetamines With Words by Sean A. Lovelace
See the thing is an injection is a lot like a bullet from a gun, or words of anger, or like kisses—you can't get it back. And that Valium was working, working its way through his body, his veins, slowing things down, slowing, his pulse, his already pretty-fucking-slow pulse, and then he was, he was, well, he was dead... More

3. Black Hole Sun By Betty Underground
I couldn't get her face out of my head. Blank and full of jealousy. Not directed at me, but me as part of the female species. As a representative of the sex that threatened her the most... More

4. Separate From Things We Didn't Want A Part Of by Philip D. Brown
My friend fell asleep but the girl didn't and though it was dark I could see her watching me. She didn't look capable of sleep or even rest so I told her that I could help. She told me that needles were out of the question because they were an invasion she wasn't willing to accept... More

5. Capistrano By Brad Willis
If the doctor says I'm living, he obviously is lying or seriously misguided. If he tells me I'm living, I'm going to laugh and tell him he better get busy dying for me, because somebody fucking has to... More