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.