WPBT 2010 Winter Classic- A weekend of Buying the Dip Part 4

It has been a couple of days since I did the third part. I was thinking there wouldn't be a need to do the last installment. It has been well over a week and I figured by now that everyone went and BOUGHT THE DIP!!!

If you had, you'd be enjoying a nice profit now. You would have been able to pay back that money your borrowed at ridiculously low rates and been freerolling into the new year.

Please tell me, for all that is holy in this world, that you bought the fuckin dip! If you didn't, then you hate money. Hell, I am not sure you should even think about going to Vegas.

Sunday woke to a nice cool day. The weather forecast was for temps in the low 70s. A beautiful December day in Las Vegas. Good thing I would be spending it inside at LaGasse Stadium. Big thanks to Al and Full Tilt Poker for comping us some food and drink during the early football games.

I was hot on two games that Sunday. Atlanta and Green Bay. Both giving up 7 points. Two of the best teams in the league taking on some low life division rivals. I went with the parlay instead of the individual game. I was that confident.

The Packers would go on to shit the bed and cost me a lot of money. Worse, they put me into a funk and made me not want to pull the trigger on two promising late games, the Saints and Chargers. Sigh.

We left the Palazzo when the games were over and headed back to the Imperial Palace. The beer was cheaper and there were plenty of TVs up by the sportsbook to watch the Cowboys game. Little did I know I would be surrounded by Eagles fans. I figured at least one more Dallas fan would be around but it wasn't to be. Oh well.

The Cowboys played well but their defense could not come up when needed. It was a good game and I enjoyed it. Watching with the enemy can be fun, especially when no one is being a total jackass and just cheering on their respective team.

Once the game was over, I went to see if I could get on another craps roll. It wasn't too be. Left down a bit when the dice just wouldn't warm up. I then made my way over to the Pai Gow table. Maybe the cards would be hot.

And for once they were. I went on a Pai Gow heater to end my trip, doubling up in a short period of time. Plus I was hammered. I had been drinking for over 12 hours, with little food, and needed to be up early for my flight home. It was in the gift shop that I ran into Derek once again. He was looking for smokes while I was looking for munchies. There is a joke in there somewhere. Soon Pauly would walk by as he was talking with Change 100. He handed me the phone and spent some time chatting her up. She was kinda wasted on the pharmies she had for her back. I laughed a bit as she sounded like she was on cloud 9. I wonder if she could tell how drunk I was?

I got in some more conversation with the McGrupps before calling it a night, effectively making it the end of the trip. It was another fun couple of days with friends in the desert. I spent more time talking with them than I did gambling. Lots of good memories to keep me satisfied until the next trip comes along, wherever that may be.

Until then I urge you to get your act together and buy that dip!

WPBT 2010 Winter Classic- A weekend of Buying the Dip Part 3

The 2010 WPBT Winter Classic was being held at the Aria Casino in the City Center complex. I believe the place has been open for just under a year. The casino itself was rather dark. There was a nice oval bar right outside the poker room which help get me started on my Makers and ginger for the day. It was going to be a long slog and drinking beer would mean many a trip to the restroom. I could get a good buzz with my whisky so that was the route to go.

The tournament had more bounties that usual. Some of the original players from the Sam's Town tourney had bounties on them provided by the good people at Full Tilt poker. That was in addition to the many personal bounties players had brought. Plus, the Hammer was in play with the first 10 people to drop it to receive some money from the fine folds at Poker Stars.

I started out slowly but began to chip up nicely. I was quite happy with how I was progressing. Even happier when I was able to drop the Hammer on Chilly. $50 for me! I continued to keep it going until I ran my K Q into A Q. Ouch. That really hurt.

I stayed around picking up some small pots and avoiding any major conflicts. With A K, I finally made my final move. There was a push all in before me. GRob called. I pushed and Bacon Mary pushed behind me! I had a chance to quadruple up. It was AK v AQ v 33 v 10 10. Board came all low cards and all those chips went to GRob and his pair of tens. That blew.

Back at the bar I hung out with Pauly, Derek, Sweet Sweet, and met one of the famed Disco Sisters Pauly has seen some Phish shows with. I found myself a nice Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA to drown my sorrows. 3 hours of poker and nothing to show for it. Soon we were heading back to the IP to take it easy and eventually ended up in the sportsbook. That is where Waffles nearly got 86d for falling asleep in a chair. I felt sorry for the guy. He just wanted to get some sleep but didn't have a key for his room nor could he get ahold of his roommate.

I was enjoying some Captain and Cokes while shooting the shit with Iggy. I was keeping any eye on the UFC fights hoping to get news of Georges St. Pierre kicking the crap out of Josh Koscheck. As I monitored MMA Junkie and Twitter, I could feel my phone heating up as the battery died. I didn't want to be walking around with a dead phone so I shut it off after seeing the GSP victory.

It was around then that we heard that the tournament was over. But not without some controversy. There was something like a 6 way chop with the the trophy being awarded to the chip leader, Miami Don. What? Why wasn't it played out? I can understand everyone agreeing to a chop of the prize money. Great idea after all that time invested. But they should have played it out for the trophy. The 2010 tournament may go down in history as the one with the asterisk. Congrats to Don!

After milling about the IP sport book for some time, someone had the great idea to go shoot some craps. So down the massive escalator we went. Bayne, Sox Lover, and I took a spot at the rail. There were a couple decent shooters before the dice got around to us. I was scared of Sox Lover's cannonball style. Not sure why he was setting the dice to 11 before picking them up and rattling them around in his hand before firing them down the felt with all his might. He made a point or two so it wasn't a losing roll. We all made some bucks.

Then it was my turn to go to work. Unlike Sox, I like to give the dice a gentle toss to the wall. I tossed them down and it was on. Little did I know I was about to go on a nice heater. My Come bets were slowly covering all the numbers. I then hedged a bit by playing the Field to cover any 2, 3, 11, and 12. As long as I didn't 7 out, I was going to be taking in some money.

It was a good think I had my numbers covered. For whatever reason, I kept hitting 4s. I then got some of the hardways going and hitting the hard 4 twice. I would later learn that Bayne was pressing his hard 4 bet and had I hit another hard 4, he would have collected $400. Damn I wish I could have hit it for him.

But I was happy with what I was doing. I wasn't hitting the point- a 6 of all things- but I was making us some money. I knew that because Sox Lover was giggling like a school girl every time I tossed the dice. I was like an ATM to him.

One of the interesting things about that table was the other end. I hit the first point after about 5 shakes. When I did, there was no noise. As I kept hitting the numbers, our side was collecting chips while the other side sounded like they were at a funeral. Apparently they didn't have much money on the table and were not taking advantage of the heater I was on. A couple people noticed what was happening at the table and jumped in. With each number I hit, a yell went up and some giggling was heard. I just kept taking the dice and tossing them down. I'd pick up my wins and do it again. I wish I knew how long I went or how many tosses I had but in the end, we were all quite profitable on our end, easily doubling, close to tripling our money. I swear my arm was a bit sore when I was done.

After that I joined the crowd at the bar. I really needed a beer. I had earned it.

WPBT 2010 Winter Classic- A weekend of Buying the Dip Part 2

I am not sure why I am writing Part 2. I believe everyone took the advice yesterday and bought the dip. There may not be anyone around to read this but I find it therapeutic.

Pauly, Derek, and I had piled into a cab at the IP. As we drove down to the MGM, we heard an interesting call come across the cabbie's radio. A girl (damn I wish I could recall her name) called from the Redneck Riviera and needed a ride to the Hustler. I believe the cabbie claimed to have picked her up before. That was just about eclipsed by the info of the cabbie Christmas part schedule for this Wednesday. There will be food, drink, and prizes!!! Ok, the stripper call was better. Hopefully Pauly or Derek recall the full story.

We quickly ran into some people in the MGM sportsbook. A frazzled Iggy still had his golf shoes on. Well, they weren't on his feet but he hadn't put on regular shoes. Everyone else was just hanging out and talking while the cowboys around them watched the rodeo broadcast on the big tvs. It was interesting to listen to the broadcast. I was laughing quite a bit at what I was hearing. I learned I had to restrain myself when I noticed none of the cowboys were laughing. I guess it wasn't meant to be funny though I did find some of the stuff hilarious.

When I heard the mixed games were starting, I jumped up to grab a seat, settling in the 6 spot. The game was good and loose. I got lucky on the first hand, raising with J J. I think there were 4 callers. Typical. Flop came 7 8 9. Overpair with a gutty. I bet out and soon was raised by Maigrey. Joe Speaker made a comment that she would call with anything and probably make her hand. That slowed me a down a bit because he was spot on. Turn was a rag and I just called her bet. River was a glorious 10. I played nice and did not raise. Yep, Speaker was right. She flopped the lower end of the straight.

From there on I stayed out of trouble. Didn't get anything in the O8 portion. Got knocked around a bit in Razz but broke even. I would then get lucky with the last 2 stud rounds. I took down a nice pot when my two pair, 4s&3s beat Speaker's 4s&2s when I was trying to push him out of the pot. I took down a couple more pots during these rounds. But soon my ADD would kick in and I was out of my seat, allowing whoever was near by to play for me. Soon I would just call it a night and cashed out for a nice profit.

Back at the sportsbook, the talk soon became craps. The search for a $5 craps table was decided and soon we were heading over the bridges and entering the castle. As Maigrey, Gus and Mattazuma took a spot at the craps table, I headed further into the casino to find a restroom. From there I heard that people were drinking at the Sherwood Forest Bar and headed over to find Iggy, Otis, AlCantHang, and Driz with some others. It was like a blast from the past. I recall how the Sherwood Forest Bar was the place to meet and drink before the Geisha Bar. The drunk time there was fun.

But going to the Sherwood Forest Bar instead of back to the craps table was a terrible mistake. Sure I had some good conversation but apparently that craps table was red hot! When I got back to it there was a ton of money on the table and the gang was scooping in the cash. They bought the fucking dip!

A craps game is like buying the dip. You get your chips out on the numbers and take advantage of the wild ride when the shooter gets hot. You end up making a ton of EASY MONEY! That is how you buy the dip people! Because I know everyone bought the dip today, they are not total morons unless they weren't listening. But don't worry, you can still buy the damn dip!

Cuz the dip comes back around. Everyone cashed out when they finished shooting. I had to fix my craps jones so I jumped in. The first shooter had promise. Nice gentle toss. Made a number early but that was it. She soon starting hitting everything but just once. My come bets soon had the table covered but then she sevened out. Didn't make anything on that roll. Severe dent in my chip stack.

Her husband though did much better. I was concerned at first. I started making my come bets again and soon was short on chips. I reached into my pocket to grab another Benji when he hit a number. My come odds would be covered. But this is where the shooter really took off. He started getting points and better yet, made those come bets pay off. I still clutched the $100 in my hand like a good luck charm as the greenbirds filled the spot in front of me. The girl after him did rather well too, hitting a couple points before she was done. I let the dice come around to our side and took advantage of another warm shooter before sensing the table was getting cold. I decided to end with a nice double. Not as good as the others but I'll take the profit. Because that is textbook buying the dip. Get in and get out when you have a profit and situation calls for you to sell. BUY THE DIP PEOPLE!

I called it an early night and was back at the IP by 3. I figured a little sleep before tournament Saturday was a good idea. But not before I devoured the second half of the deli sandwich. It had been the only thing I ate on Friday and I didn't want to wake up with an empty belly and headache.

Coming up... poker, controversy, and more craps.

WPBT 2010 Winter Classic- A weekend of Buying the Dip Part 1

Back from another glorious weekend of reigniting friendships, drinking liver damaging amounts of alcohol, and buying the dip. Good times with good friends up and down the strip. Yelling Pai Gow at the top of you lungs and

WAIT!- you don't know about buying the dip??? What is wrong with you? It is easy money!

Let's get caught up before I go any further:



I arrived at the the luxury that is only the Imperial Palace just after 1. As I get out of the cab, I hear Drizz exclaim to me how they'll let anyone in the place. We walk inside and I am shocked to see Iggy in town already. Kat is there as well. We all seem to have the same idea. Check in and go get something to eat. Have to lay down a base for all the booze that is going to funneled down my piehole. The little guy has an affinity for Outback Steakhouse so we make the walk over for lunch and catching up.

After lunch we go back to the IP. Time is then spent at the Pai Gow table getting our drink on. As more people slowly arrive, action moves over to the Geisha Bar and time is spent catching up and meeting some new people. I myself kept moving from the Geisha Bar out to the table games and back to the bar. An acute case of Vegas ADD. I am not sure what happened except that I was up rather late and pretty drunk. If I recall it right, there was some blackjack, some craps, some more craps over at the Casino Royale, and more drinking. At the end of the night I got my slot fix in with some Press Your Luck video Whammy Slots, of which I understand is on video. I was pretty torched at that point.

Friday ended up being a nice relaxing day with the McGrupps, Pauly and Derek. I was starving and needed to hydrate. We were on a mission to find a place to eat. Sounds easy but it isn't. The Hash House at the IP was backed up so we went to the Mirage. They seemed busy at the old cafe which is now a BB King BBQ joint. So we ended up at the Carnegie Deli where I ended up with this in front of me:


That is one massive mofo sandwich. There we discussed the finer things in life and how much we were making in the market by buying the dip. You have gone and bought the dip already, haven't you? If not, what the hell are you waiting for? Go BUY THE FUCKING DIP already!!!

On the walk back to the IP, I think I saw one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time. The porn slappers were out in full force this weekend. So much that there was a granny working the line alongside the other young men. An old lady porn slapper. I think I may have seen it all. Priceless!

Back at the IP, Pauly and Derek wanted to bet and watch the Knicks game. That gave me the opportunity to digest lunch and ease my back in to drinking again. Plus I had always wanted to watch Pauly sweat a game. I was hoping for a very close game. I wanted the Knick to need the last minute to pull it off. I wanted to see him pace and cuss and go ballistic. I wanted them to win the bet but I have to admit I wanted to see the what I had heard about. The Knicks would deliver missing some easy shots and going to the wire. They covered leaving the McGrupps some happy campers.

Soon we would be going down the Strip to the MGM.

Coming up...
A stripper catching a cab at the Redneck Riviera, mixed games, back to the Sherwood Forest bar and MORE!

And don't remember to go buy the fucking dip!!!

Evolution of the Beer Geek

Great chart! Thank to Beer and Whiskey Brothers for sharing.

I'd like to think I have entered the Geeko Sapien stage. I bet I can make that decision at the pub tonight over an Ayinger Celebrator or this weekend as I search out some good beer on the Strip.

Evolution

It's WBPT week!!!!

A time when silly poker bloggers converge on Vegas for friendship, memories, poker, and total drunkeness. A time to reunite with old friends while making new acquaintances. To further friendships and make the legends that people will tell their kids years in the future.

I am amazed at how much has changed over the years. From the Excal to the MGM to the IP to Caesars to Lagasse Stadium. I tell ya, things are mighty different.

I wasn't there for the first gathering. I actually showed up in Vegas on the Monday that most of the WPBT people were heading home after the first meet up. I only know of how Iggy tried to hire a midget to show up at Sam's Town as himself. I read about the Sherwood Forest Bar drinking like most of everyone else.

That is why I had to show up in the Spring gathering 7 months later. Once I had my first taste, I know I had an addiction. From the mixed games in the box at the MGM to cashing in the tournament at the Aladdin, I knew these were my type of people.

Things would slowly change. The Sherwood Forest Bar would lose its luster to of all things, the Geisha Bar at the Imperial Palace. The Saturday poker tournament would move from Sam's Town to the Aladdin to the IP to Caesars Palace to the Orleans to the Venetian and this year to Aria.

One constant has been the mixed games at the MGM. It is custom for games of HORSE and then some to be played. In a strange twist, that would lead to the now infamous Table 16 and the wildest casino home game ever played.

Other offshoots came of people of similar interests coming together. Golf, pinball, and neon museum tours. But nothing that comes close to something that I will claim that BadBlood and I started. The Steel Panther show! It started with a venture to the Hard Rock casino to see Metal Skool that would lead him and I to bring more people to the best show in Vegas.

And it all ends with the watching of NFL football on Sunday. Like the tournament, the location has changed. From Mandalay Bay to the IP to Lagasse's Stadium. Football viewing in style!

I am really looking forward to the activities this week. Meeting up with great friends is always exciting and satisfying. Meeting new people is as great. It is how lasting relationships start.

Gambling with friends and raging solo when needed, drinking to excess without needing the assist of a wheelchair and coming home with great memories. That is what this trip is about to me. I'll know how satisfying it is when I begin to miss everyone late on Sunday when they are still around me.

And it gets better

Big thanks to Al for working his overlords at Full Tilt Poker for us!

Full Tilt is kicking in another $1,000 to the WPBT tournament prizepool at
Aria on Saturday. It will be distributed with $100 save for the bubble boy/girl,
$300 for first, $200 for second, $175 for third, $125 for fourth, $100 for
fifth.

Full Tilt is also adding five $100 bounties on random players which will
be announced before the tournament. I'm working on a few "blogger friendly" FTP
pros to pop in so you can knock them out. Both the added prizepool and bounties
will be transferred to your Full Tilt account (as per the casino rules, not
mine)

The big ticket item doesn't come until Sunday, football day. I have
reserved the big room at Lagasse's Stadium in The
Palazzo. Full Tilt is putting up $2,000 for the food tab throughout the day,
that is a lot of tasty Emeril food to go around.

The poker monies are nice but the suite is well... sweet! A stadium suite is THE place to watch football in Las Vegas. There is nothing like it. Makes me wonder if there will be another bathroom group photo again.

And now to the weather...

Whenever I have plans for a trip, I like to keep an eye on the weather. Not only does it help for deciding what clothes to pack, it helps with potential plans once I am there. Being 9 days out of Vegas (screw your 8 Drizz!), I took a gander at the what the forecast was for home and away.

First thing I saw was it is warmer in Milwaukee (46) than Las Vegas (31) as I type. Thankfully that will change. The shit hits the Midwest next week with lots of precipitation and ice. That ice is suppose to hit after I leaveon Thursday which is a good thing. The temps in Vegas look to be rather warm. 60s? I may wear shorts!

Like being heads up with A A vs K K, I am not expecting these numbers to hold up. They will change. It will get colder in Vegas. I am just hoping the bad weather can hold off at home.

Before I am done, let's give Poker Stars some love for the added money for next Saturday's tournament. Being the lazy person I am, I quickly grabbed a portion of the post at Up For Poker the other day and pasted it below. It looks like I missed something but it has the meat of the Stars giveaway, the bounties and Hammer Challenge.

Each bounty player will have a trinket that you will be responsible for recovering when you knock them out and it is your responsibility to bring your trinket to me to get credit. Once again, prize money for the OGH will be deposited into your PokerStars account.

What's that you ask again? There's even more?!?!?!?

Why, now that you've asked, there is!

Some of you out there might think the concept of the Hammer is a little played out. I mean, it used to be cool before it went all mainstream and pros like Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari started dropping it on national TV (without giving any credit it to Grubby!), but I digress. It's ours and we're bringing it back!

The wonderful folks at PokerStars are putting up $500 for the Hammer Challenge. The first ten hammers shown for the win post-flop will receive $50 apiece. Again, those hammers must be shown post-flop. When you accomplish this feat, you'll need to stand up and yell, "Hammer" for confirmation from the floor and so I can record the feat. And, again, prize money for the HC will be deposited into your PokerStars account.

That's a total of $4500 in added prize money for the 2010 Winter Classic courtesy of our friends at PokerStars. Give them some love when you get a chance! And if you have any questions, let me know!

SnG action

I have played more poker over the last 7 days than I have in 6 months. And somehow its been a profitable week! But it wasn't without frustrations today.

I had the day off. I had some time at work to burn and I needed to take care of a plumbing issue in the apartment. That went smoothly, for once, giving me the afternoon to kill as I saw fit. Seeing that I have to be up early tomorrow going to the bar wasn't the best choice. So I played some poker instead.

As I said a week ago, I trying to shake the rust off. That entails playing some small $10 SnGs (1, 2, or 5 table tourneys) and a NL cash game (.25/.50). I like to stay small on the cash game as it lets me try some things out that I normally wouldn't do.

I signed up for a 45 runner $10 SnG and fired up a ring table. The cash game was not going well. Between not getting many good cards and a bad read, I went through a buyin quickly. I rebought and continued to play poorly. So bad that I decided to play very erratically when I dropped half of that. I started limping and then pushing on any raise with good hands. I was surprised how many people were pumping up the pot but then folding to a push that was about 4xs their bet. It wasn't like I was doing so with AA or KK. Mostly AJ or 88 or similar hands.

Funny thing was it worked well. I recouped a good chunk of my losses by making these very strange big raises. Strange as in it disrupted the flow of the table. Apparently no one knew what to do. Finally someone did call me down with A 10 but that was the one time I did have KK.

My SnG was a different story. I was trying to play my game. Be patient and wait for some good hands. Change if the table is being wussy. It worked well. I slowly moved to the top of the boards. At the break we had lost a third of the crowd and I was on top. The second session saw the same thing. I stayed at the top. I used my chips wisely and didn't get myself into any bad positions. I got my chips in when I had the best of it.

Once we got below 3 tables the players began to drop like flies. I had moved down a bit on the leaderboard. I was bouncing between 5 and 6. That was fine. I just didn't want to be at the bottom when the final table started.

We we at 12 when disaster struck. I lost my wifi. My Apple Airport goes out once in a while. Now was just a terrible time for it to happen. Major reason why is I don't know how to get it reconnected other than unplugging it. Though the signal shows as being strong, it just won't reconnect unless I unplug the Airport from the wall and reboot my MacBook Pro. It works but I am not certain that is the best thing to do. And it takes time.

This took a couple of minutes. I was able to get back into Full Tilt to see the final table had begun. I had lost about 2000 chips but wasn't in a world of hurt. Got those back but lost my wifi again! Damn! Went through the whole process again. This time I got back in and one player had been knocked out.

I am a bit worried now that I might go another couple hands and lose my connection again. To relax, I put on the new Robert Plant album. That seems to relax me. I am on a short stack so I start to push. I am happy that I have an aggressive player two to my right. He keeps raising with junk. Best of all, he is folding to the pushes. So I keep doing it to him. Push every time when I have an A or two big cards.

We lose a couple more people and are in the money. Interesting hand came up then. With 5 left, the guy on my right gets into it with aggro boy. Typical preflop action. Aggro boy raises to just over twice the BB. SB just calls. I fold. Flop is rags, 8 high. SB checks. Aggro bets. SB just calls. Turn is another 8. SB checks, Aggro bets, SB calls. River is a rag. SB goes all in. Aggro instacalls, showing 8 3 offsuit. SB doesn't show. Hand history shows he had A A. Talk about a trap gone bad.

I would soon get a big chunk of Aggro boy's chips. With just the four of us, he just calls from the SB. I check with K 5s. Flop is K 5 x rainbow. Nice. I decide to bet half the pot to see what he will do. If he calls, I know he won't fold. He does call. Turn is a rag. I think about betting half the pot again. But then I think about the cash game. If I through a strange bet out there, maybe I can get him to call. His sloppy play tells me there is a good chance he does. I push, which is a couple thousand more than the pot. He goes into the tank. I keep telling myself "please call, please call" as I know I have him beat. He takes the bait and calls, showing 9 9. He doesn't hit a two outer and I jump out on the chip lead.

Aggro boy soon busts out and we are down to 3. Guy on my left has been a tough player. The other guy appeared to be someone who was willing to step aside and let everyone else duke it out. He was always low on chips and was lucky to get that far into a higher payout. But now he dot somewhat aggressive and started raising quite a bit. I knew it would be a matter of time before I could get him. I started popping back with any good ace and he'd fold. Then I got him to go all the way with A 10 vs. my J J. No 3 outer and it is heads up.

I have a 5 to 1 chip lead. I think of the heads up match against the asshole from this past weekend and just hope I can not be unlucky. I don't. It takes about 8 hands for him to fall and I am the best of 45 runners.

Best of all I was happy with the way I played. Made enough to wipe out my cash losses too. It has me feeling optimistic about Vegas. Less than 3 weeks but who is counting.

Losing to an asshat

Losing sucks.

Losing to a real asshat sucks even more. Especially when there is nothing you can do about. Get your chips in with the best hand and hope it holds up. When it doesn't you have to listen to a douchenozzle spout off.

Yeah, that is my way of saying I lost when I had a sizable chip lead heading into a heads up battle. Three times I got it all in with the better hand. Three times I lost. I didn't have huge advantages in any of the hands. He simply had to get lucky and catch one of his few outs.

I didn't like his dickish behavior in the end. I was done to about 3 blinds when he acted insulted that I wouldn't take second place and 5 more bucks. I told the guy who was dealing that I was going to be all in on every hand. So the dick folded.

I thought about what I could have done different. I think the answer is offer a better chop. But money wasn't the issue. I walked out with twice my buy ins so that was good. Especially after being card dead in the first game. The first game was helpful in giving me the lay of the land. I had a good feel for the players when the second game started. And it paid off.

Until the end. I am a bit sore about not taking it down. I did catch a couple breaks just to get there, chopping pots to never give up a lot of chips. I don't think I made any bad decisions in that span. Just had one or two misreads.

In the end I had a good time. Playing live again felt good. Next time I just need to set the douche canoe down the river.

Back to live play

Its mid-November so that means its time to shake off the rust and enter the cage for the fight that is no limit hold em. Its an annual event. The weather turns and less time is spent outside doing yardwork, drinking in beer gardens, and Drinking for Jesus.

I got a text with the simple inquiry. Poker tonight? I looked at the phone number and wondered who it was? It came from a 509 area code. A couple seconds later I was pretty sure I knew who it was. A couple minutes later I figured I would play. The text came from someone I had met in the old Badger Poker days and have seen at some of the church smokers.

He has been sending me texts about poker games for the last couple years. He had a knack for finding times that I was out of town. Interesting thing, I was suppose to be out of town this weekend but plans fell through. Now that I was in town it sounded like a great idea. The persistency in the texts paid off.

I haven't played any live poker since Mastodon Weekend. The game should be similar. Tournament followed by cash games. My goal tonight is simple. Win. Don't embarrass myself and bust out early. I better bring some extra beer just in case I end up watching the Badger hockey game.

Once in a while you slay the Dragon, but most of the time, the Dragon fries your ass.

Greats posts like this make the last couple weeks until WPBT December seem like an eternity.

Tao of Poker: The Pai Gow Diaries: The Cult of the Dragon: "Double Dragon-assisted Pai Gow wins are like simultaneously banging red-headed twins because you're flirting with the Apocalypse. Gingers suck the soul out of humanity, and engaging in intercourse with two of them is like dropping your penis into a black hole and getting it chopped off. If you fall for the wrong Dragon, you'll lose every molecule of your life force. You're dunzo."

Stepping back in to the box

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Blogger Tournament at Pokerstars.com

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I played in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker

Nice boost

It seems counter intuitive but at time I swear I play better poker while drinking. I went from work to a bar that claims to have over 325 beers in stock. The majority of these bars are in bottles going from $4-$5 a pop. There is a menu to make it easier for you.

And it did.

I felt like a kid in the candy store ordering this and that. When I left I hit up the liquor store a block down the street from my house. I felt like I struck gold by finding some Flying Dog Marzen. I added in the Spaten Optimator and was happy to go home and spend a Friday at home relaxing.

Part of that relaxing is goofing off with some poker. Having a bonus to earn I fired up Full Tilt with a need to get my Rush on. Usually I play some PLO8 but I felt the urge to add a table of PLO in as well. I was a tad concerned that I might confuse the tables but I assured myself I wasn't that drunk. I could remember low on the left, high on the right.

I ended up having the best session in a long time. I tripled up on PLO and came close to a double on the PLO8. Granted I play PLO8 very conservative but I tend to play PLO on the looser side. For once- or so it seemed- everything fell my may.

Big pots shipped my way in PLO. One hand in particular stood out. With Q Q A 3, I flopped a set out of the BB. I checked raised the flop. My opponent re-raised me leaving me with only $7 behind. I was willing to go for it since I felt committed plus I did have a flush draw. My opponent was open ended and somehow didn't hit. That told me I might be golden for the night.

It amped up my aggression on both tables. I kicked it up a notch and started to increase both stacks. I didn't get over my head by playing bad hands. Flops just hit it right.

We all need a nice confidence boost. Hopefully this one will last over the weekend.

Put me down as IN

Another December WPBT trip is booked. Will get into Vegas mid day, just in time throw my stuff down in the room and plunk my butt down at the Geisha Bar for shots with Al. I am not sure why I even linked Al's site as he does his writing elsewhere.

Yes, I am staying at the IP. I was tempted to be with the cool kids at the MGM but I chose to be with the drunk kids at the IP instead. At least that is where I think they are staying. Part of me thought of rallying the troops to stay at the Excalibur like the early days and take over the Sherwood Forest Bar. Yes, I am too lazy to send a simple email to check for interest.

Now I should look to shake some of the rust off and play some poker. The warm days of summer are coming to a close. More time inside means more time to play. I seem to say that every year with different degrees of success. Let's see how that works out this year.

Blessed by the Gentile Summit

It is posts like this one by Oh Captain that remind me how blessed I am to have friends like you people.

"Gentile Summit 2010 - A photo essay with word and stuff"

Never underestimate the people you meet and their friendship.

No poker, lots of craps

Spent a couple days in Vegas and didn't play a lick of hold em. Closest I got was 3 card poker and Pai Gow.

I was going to play some poker at Binions but couldn't find the games. I went to the back where I had played the last time and it was dead. I began to wonder what the hell was happening in the world if Binions is not spreading a single hand of poker.

So I got drunk playing Pai Gow instead. Made a profit after I went for broke and bet my last $65. 10s and A Q were good for the win!

Then I wandered around a bit and found the poker room. I then realized that I read they had moved the poker room into the old sports book (is that right?) Figures I would find the poker room early in the morning on my last day.

I did play a good amount of craps. In fact, I broke up with the game on Monday, after two brutal sessions at Binions and later Fitzgeralds. I was done. I called it a cruel and vicious game that I would never play again.

Then I saw the 'Rapid Craps' game at Bill's Gambling Hall. I was intrigued how they had a chipless craps game. Exs can be a bitch. I heard the siren song and was back at it, plunking down just $100 as I dipped my toe back in the pool. Good thing I did. I caught the majority of a guy who tossed 33 straight. I quickly doubled up, happy I made up with craps.

Sadly, the hot shooter left after than and the table went cold. Two guys did nothing. I got my friend to break her craps cherry and she sevened out right away. So much for virgins being good at the game. But then I took the dice and made a charge myself. Went about 20 shots before I was done and was climbing close to a triple. Couple shooters later and I was done again. Time to book at win at over a double.

I'm happy I made up with craps. Hell, I knew I couldn't stay mad at it long.

Live action

The Gentile Summit started with a trip to Canterbury Park, the horse track that also spreads poker and some other table games. Drizz had to get his Pai Gow fix so off we went.

We started by watching a couple horse races. Because I have no clue how to read a racing form I knew I wouldn't be spending much time watching ponies run. I would rather go downstairs and make some money at the poker tables.

They only spread limit games at Canterbury. I believe there is a state law that prevents them from offering no limit games. Being that I hadn't played any live poker since last December, I figured the 4/8 game would be best. Not totally nitty but just enough.

I like what I saw as soon as I sat down. I waited to post which ended up being a valuable decision. Over the course of 3 hands, I got a good read on the players. Two to my left was an aggro. He played his 4 4 like they were aces and just kept firing away. Old Greekish guy in 6 seat was calling down with 3rd pair. Thankfully he kept rebuying. He would spend the night chasing and not getting there.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I netted $93. Just played some solid tight poker. Had a couple hands hold up, some BB hit for me and the bad players lived up to their image. It was surprising that with all the chasing going on, no one was making their hands. There wasn't a lot of flushes or straights being made which was good.

Who knows, I may play some poker in Vegas next week. Going in for a friend's 10th wedding anniversary. We are staying downtown at the Golden Nugget which should be interesting. I haven't been in downtown Vegas in years let alone stay there.

Gentile. Summit

I own Canterbury Limit HE profit $93 Weeeeeee

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Watching a moron instead of poker

A couple weeks back I had set up the DVR to record a couple episodes of High Stakes Poker. I do not watch the show on a weekly basis. Hell, I couldn't tell you if new episodes are being made or if I was recording something from 2 years ago. But I was in the mood to see what was going on once again.

But I didn't record High Stakes Poker. Instead I got a bunch of crappy game shows. I get the feeling it is no longer on GSN though as I type this there is a commercial for the Aussie Millions coming up next. Those bastards are taunting me.

I delete Family Feud and Deal or No Deal. Can't stand the shows. But I did keep and watch 1 vs. 100. I always thought the premise of the show was pretty good. If the contestant doesn't get the money, the mob- his opponents that makeup the '100'- gets whatever has been won.

The topic for the show was pop culture. They had a self-proclaimed pop culture genius on who yammered on about how much he was going to make. I am no pop culture expert but I figured I would do pretty good with the majority of the questions.

I was right. The questions were easy. Because the format is multiple choice, it makes it even easier by eliminating answers. I mean really, if you are asked which burger has the smallest bun and given the choice of a Big Mac, Whopper, or White Castle slider, you can figure it out. If not there are some "helps" you can use to aid in your decision.

Take the first contestant. When asked what movie premiere was held in the town of Springfield VT, he wasted all 3 'helps' on the one question. The choices he was given were Spider Man 3, The Simpsons, and Super Bad. He immediately ruled out the Simpson because he thought it was done in California. He wanted to answer Super Bad so he use a help to find out how many answered Super Bad. Only 3. 3 of the 71 left in the game agreed with him and he still didn't think he was wrong. Dude, look at the odds that you are wrong.

Then he took a second help. They chose one person with the right answer and one with the wrong answer. That limited it to the Simpsons and Super Bad. The lady who chose the Simpsons didn't come out and say the Simpsons lived in Springfield but came close. The guy who said Super Bad said he was confident.

So if you are playing at home, Spider Man 3 is eliminated by that last help. Now you know only 3 people answered Super Bad, so the vast majority have to had said the Simpsons. So what does the guy do next?

He takes the last help which automatically makes his answer the opinion of the mob. This self-proclaimed genius wasted a help.

But that isn't what had me yelling at the TV. The questions weren't that hard and it wasn't this guy's lack of knowledge that had me mad. It was the logic he was using. When asked which Star Trek subtitle was real, he said that the Search for Bones and the Shock of Khan were too ridiculous to be subtitles and then thought about it before choosing the Final Frontier. I don't watch the Star Trek movies but I knew the play on the titles. Any pop culture genius could pick that out.

The final straw was his reasoning on the last question. Because he used up his 'helps' they would let him see the question before making his choice of whether to move on. His final question was something like "Patti Scialfa was the backup vocalist for what singer before marrying him?" The guys says he has no idea who Scialfa is but figures that, hey, maybe if he sees the answer he can make the right guess. WTF? You are going to piss away $25,000 because you think you can pick an answer of which you have no clue about?

But it gets better. His choices are Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John. Easy, right? We know Elton John is not the answer. So figure it out between Bono and Springsteen. His logic was that he knew nothing about Springsteen so he would eliminate him and go with Bono. That is like holding 6 6 on a board with flush and straight possibilities and you think the guy betting into you is bluffing because you think your under pair 6s just might be good. Man what an idiot!

Man I really wish I had recorded Hight Stakes Poker now. But now I have set the DVR to try again. Maybe I will get another recoding of 1 vs. 100 and rail on another moron.

Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker.

I ripped through Pauly's new book, Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker in a couple of days. Actually it was one day where I read about 3/4 of the book before finding some time to finish it off. That is how I can tell you whether I enjoyed a book or not. I can't put it down.

My thoughts on the book are biased. I won't deny that. I have always liked Pauly's writing. I follow the words of the Rooster. Tao of Poker is good, but Tao of Pauly is much better.

It offers a point of view that few people give you. He isn't afraid to tell you what he thinks. If he is talking about some skank turning tricks in the stairwell, he go to pains to describe how scurvy she really is. He gives you a view of the gutter that most people don't want to admit exists. We all know that Vegas isn't just brights lights and glitter. Pauly is able to tell us in the most graphic way that leaves you amused and titillated.

From tales at the Hooker Bar to the talking to strippers at the Rhino, the Vinny Vinh disappearance to an Eskimo pissing himself, an life at the Redneck Riviera to living with Grubby, you get a chance to recall some stories he has told before. It feel even more special when you were there to hear him talk about them in person before they even made his blog.

The bottom line is simple. If you have enjoyed reading his coverage of life in Vegas at the Tao of Poker, then the book is a must have. You'll be happy you did.

Great entrance

I am sure everyone is bitching about it on the boards but I love it. Pauly summed it up correctly, "In short, it's a moment that we love to hate, or hate to love." It is all the donkeys whining about him that make Hellmuth pull these kind of stunts off. Ignore him and he'll stop.



And

go buy Pauly's book

* already. I have plowed through 80% of it. If you like the Tao of Poker, you will love the book.

* I am not being paid to shill for Pauly. Even though he is my friend, I have really enjoyed the book. If I had the time, I would be finished with it. Plus I figure if I plug it he will buy me a beer or two if I am in Vegas come December.

Getting Lost

I got my copy of Dr. Pauly's book, Lost Vegas, yesterday. I haven't been able to read much of it yet. Too much going on with Summerfest and the holiday weekend. I do have a favorite part of the book though.

I love the picture on the back of the cover. I may use it for my icon on PokerStars.

Panther tilt

It seemed like a great idea. On a whim, jump into a truck and go to Chicago. According to a tweet, Steel Panther was playing the Cubby Bear. I had been speaking to a friend just a couple days ago about seeing SP the next time they played Chi-town. It appeared next time was now.

I was actually at Summerfest when I made the decision to go to Chicago. If the cover band wasn't so terrible I may not have been looking at Twitter in the first place. But there I was heading for the exit and looking for a way to get back to the bar.

We made good time to Chicago. Picked up Maigrey on the way and were soon across the street from that big urinal they call Wrigley Field. We were there! I was about to get to see Steel Panther outside of Vegas!

But it wasn't to be.

Sonofabitch!

It never dawned on me that they would be sold out. All I could do was laugh at that point. We went across the street to Bar Louie and had some drinks laughing about the misfortune. After a couple we decided to go to a different bar. As we passed the Cubby Bear I could hear them playing Turn out the Lights. When we stopped by the front door we could look in and see the band. That was the closest I would get that night.

Sigh.

Another funny thing about last night. We ran into some clown outside the bar saying that Steel Panther was terrible. He was saying that these guys think there are so good and the best ever when they suck. He tried to say that most of the people in the bar didn't like them. I asked him if he understood that the it was all an act. It is a show, not just a band on stage playing music. He claimed he knew it but we are smarter than that. Poor schmuck had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Guess I will have to wait until December to see the Panther now.

Happy Birthday Truckin'

June 2010, Vol. 9, Issue 6

Truckin' has been around for 8 years now. I'm amazed, shocked, and thrilled. Happy birthday, Truckin'!
1. Inertia Junction by Paul McGuireShe told me that she was on a year-long holiday after her mother died from a serious illness. She had a sorrowful smile. Her friend looked like your pissed-off lesbian cousin. Short spikey hair. Only one ear pierced. Constant scowl... More
2. One Guy, One Cup by Brad WillisI clutched my specimen in my hand. A pretty blonde woman with a little girl stood beside me. They cooed at each other, and I was sure they knew I was holding. The elevator dinged and donged, but didn’t arrive before a pregnant nurse sidled up beside me. She knew. I knew she knew. It was like that scene in Reservoir Dogs with the doper walking into a bathroom full of narcs. I nodded at the nurse and clutched the bag even tighter... More
3. The Sherman Incident by Sigge S. AmdalSix years ago. That's when he first had it. The itch. He remember not taking notice, not paying attention, not even caring about it. But the itch had remained. And it grew worse... More
4. Chasing the Facts by May B. YesnoI found a corpse no-one had bothered to bury. There was at least twenty-five people living there and the only building large enough to remotely qualify for ‘commercial’ status was a dairy milking shed... More
5. Rural Road #7 by Miles HarveyHe saw a warm house, a glowing kitchen and a moon-faced girl puttering about making dinner. She probably didn’t even notice the sleet that was coating his car’s windshield in vanilla pudding... More
6. 152 Peaches by Paul McGuireHis savvy talents were no matchFor his jealous wife’s twin brother.Who longed to tell knock-knock jokesIn French, while wearing aKiwi colored tu-tu... More
What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...
From the Editor's Laptop:
The special birthday issue features some of your favorite writers including Brad Willis, Sigge S. Amdal, and May B. Yesno. This issue includes the debut of Miles Harvey, and two contributions from yours truly. I cracked open the poetry archives and found one of my favorites... 152 Peaches.
The scribes write at Truckin' for free, so please help spread the word about your favorite stories via Facebook, Twitter, smoke signals, whatever you can do to help. We all appreciate your generosity.
If anyone is interested in being added to the mailing list or writing for a future issue, then please to contact us.
I can never thank the writers enough for sharing their blood and guts. That takes a lot of courage and a tremendous leap of faith. I'm eternally grateful because they constantly inspire me by keeping Truckin' alive for eight years. No reason we can't keep doing this for ten or twenty or even longer.
Before I go, I want to thank all of you, the awesome readers for taking the time out to support the arts. Thanks for keeping the spirit alive as we begin our ninth year.
Be good,McG
"I believe in saying the truth, coming out with it cold, shocking if necessary, not disguising it." - Henry Miller

Leave them alone

I was hoping ck would take the time to post her thoughts on the WSOP Ladies Event from Friday. I had been following her comments on Twitter about how Harrah's personnel were looking to harass men who signed up for the event. I was away for the weekend and missed the majority of articles that came out since.

I like ck's point of view. Today, there is little reason to separate the men from the women. She knows that first hand when she yell "nut nut" at me and scoops my chips into her stack. Do some of the men signing up for the event think they have an easier field to navigate?

My opinion on this hullabaloo is simple. Guys, don't be dicks and sign up for a ladies event. If a special event is set up for the women or for the seniors, let them play. Don't crash their party. If this is the only way you can sit close to someone from the opposite sex then go hang out at the hooker bar. Your $1000 will get you a better all in than it will at the table.

That is part of the problem with the world today. Too many people protesting. The world would be a better place if we stopped pissing in someone else's cornflakes. You do not have to agree with an event, but don't go and make noise and a spectacle of yourself.

the real villian

Well, they've done it. Work has blocked out anything it deems to be a "gambling" site so I cannot view many of the blogs I used to read. No more Drizz or BadBlood during the day. No Shamus or Hoy, or ck. None of that during the day.

But for whatever reason I can still read Tao of Poker. Go figure.

This irked me today because I wanted to read the anonymous letter Pauly referenced on Tao of Poker today railing on Daniel Negreanu. Or so it appeared it may have. I don't know for the site is blocked.

It got me to thinking of who the real villain in poker is and the general douchebaggery some of these "star" players think they can get away with.

Granted my knowledge of who some of these guys real are is limited. I can only work with what I read and hear from people that deal with them directly. Bottom line is it is my opinion.

When you think poker villain or guy you like to hate, most would say Phil Hellmuth. I wouldn't. I would actually state someone that most people like. Hell, I liked the guy too until I heard what a dick he was.

I would say the real villain is Daniel Negreanu. The reason why is simple. He puts on more of a fake act on at the table that Hellmuth.

Both put a show on at the table. Nice guy versus Poker Brat. But away from the table, Hellmuth seems to be the nicer guy to be around. He doesn't go around bitching about what people write about him, tournament structures, or what other people enjoy eating. He may seem like a jerk at the table but he is not a worm in the background.

Maybe I'll have an update later when I get a chance to read that letter. I doubt my opinion will have changed.

But I had fun

I dipped my toe into tournament poker again today. Played a simple $8 tourney on Full Tilt. Ended up 26 of 158. Final two paid.

I tried to be patient at times. I did an amazing amount of folding and got paid off in some spots. But it was my AA going down to KQo that took the wind out of my sails. Though I fought back from there I may have gotten a bit too loose.

In the end, my JJ went down to QQ. For once in a long time I played without being disappointed in my bustout. I felt I played pretty damn good for once. If I had gotten lucky just one time I could have made the money at 18.

But I had fun for once. That is a feeling I hadn't had in a while.

Closing time BBT5

Last BBT5 freeroll is on. I have Full Tilt pros at my table. Plus there two other guys they know. I am thinking this could be a rough one.

Now that I take a look, I see there are 8 Full Tilt pros in the tourney. I have 2 at my table but neither is Michael Buffer? What a rip off!

I am not hitting any flops early on. Getting a couple small pairs or AJ. Only pot I drag is with a raise of A 7 spades and the flop is A high but all clubs. Otherwise I am not getting close to having a solid hand.

There have been a lot of suited flops. I am tempted to start playing any two suited.

I finally win a nice sized pot. With A Qo I raised from the SB when it folded around. To my surprise, DDyonysus raised me back. I wonder if he thinks I was stealing? I just called. Flop is all low, with 2 hearts. I checked. He checked as well. The turn was 10 spades. Now there were two spades and two hearts out there. I bet just under half the pot an was called. The river was the Q of hearts. Seeing that I had just over the pot I pushed. If he had some hearts he would have bet. He folded and it was shipped to me.

From there I go back to calling with pairs and folding to flop bets. That will need to change if I am going to do anything.

That may be some bad advice. I called a raise from the BB with K Js. Flop is all one suit but hearts. I have spades. It is K high so I check with the intention to call a bet and make a move on the turn. But the pro just checks. Turn pairs the board with 7s. I bet half the pot and get called. River is a rag so I bet about 2/3 of the pot. I really don't want a call because that means he has A K. Sure enough he does call and show A K. That sucks. I lost half my stack there.

Soon I would donk out when I tried to make a play with A Q. I ran in to KK and couldn't be like every other player that sucks out an ace.

Thanks again to Al and Full Tilt for setting up the BBT5. Good luck to everyone in the tournament of champions.

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Hey, its a Mookie

Due to my lack of underwear management, I had to scrap my usual plans to get some laundry done. The combination of being at home and having won a buy-in to the Mookie from CK's Twitter challenge, it made sense to play.

The action is slow to start. I take a small pot with pocket jacks but give it back when I chase a flush from the BB. A Ko can't get me anywhere and I drop to 2300.

AKo does me no good again. Worse yet I try to bluff the river and drop to 500. I suck at this game. Two hands later I am out.

A true waste of time for me.

F me!

I was still at a bar when my reminder on the phone went off. I hadn't expected to still be out at this time but I was having a good time. Watching baseball and drinking beer, hey I was in my zone. So I finally got home and started the BBT5 50 minutes late. That meant I was in a hole from the get go. I needed to make it up and quick. I needed to make sure I did it in a smart manner. Easier said than done.

I played one hand before the break and blew it. Made a loose call and folded with nothing. Right after the break I raised with KQs and had one caller. I had overcards and made the continuation bet. But the huge stack to my left went all in on a huge re-raise. Again, I hate this kind of play and had to fold. It was a good thing I got a beer during the break because i needed to keep my buzz going. Especially with the Spaceman on my right.

See, Jason was being aggressive. He has been on a good streak during the the Mini FTOPS making some money along the way. I am hoping to take advantage of it. So I raise with any decent hand I have. Not the best hands but good hands. That helps me get back to where we started.

From there I bounce around a bit. I feel good until I get kicked in the junk. With K K under the gun I raise. I get a raise immediately on my left. SWEEEEEET! I push and he calls showing A K. I should be gold here, right?

The flop is A A K. You have got to be kidding me! Really? I go straight from having hope to getting back into the game to consulting a ball doctor. So not right.

Time to drown my sorrows in alcohol.

WSOP Bloggers Roundtable, Part 1 : Poker News : Poker

Great article by Short-Stacked Shamus at Betfair. There are some really good stories from Pauly, F-Train, Spaceman, and Otis among others.
WSOP Bloggers Roundtable, Part 1 : Poker News : Poker

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I can't help but have one question for Michelle Lewis. You mention the hallway antics but don't give any love for lime tossing?

SCOOP

Thanks to PokerStars for giving me the chance to freeroll a SCOOP tourney for playing online. I likes that. Though the thought of outlasting 8000+ players seems daunting. I don't think I have enough beer in the house to go that long. I am already 4 into a 6er of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA so this should be interesting.

Made a nice double playing .25/.50 Badugi. Yes, it amounts to an $11.35 profit but it is a double. Damn I am no Badugi expert but most people have no clue how to play.

After a couple of hand I just realized this is like major deep stacks. 10,000 with blinds of 25/50? I really don't have enough beer on hand. At least get some chips early by raising with AQs and get two callers. They fold on the continuation when an A hits the flop. At least I wasn't involved in the hand where guy hit quad aces. Damn!

Did I say 8100+? It ended up over 14000+ and with late registration still going on, it will be over 15,000. I really don't have enough beer.

I am weirded out by the pics of Dr Honeydew (of Muppet fame) and the guy with a face carved into his bald head. Must get beyond that. A bluff on a 2 2 J board helps. Also the beer is doing its job.

Wait, did I say 8100+? It is over 15,000 with late registration still going on. I really don't have enough beer in the house. May have to run to Berts during a break.

I get a moment to laugh at my Indian friend to my right. Ok, I guess he is Indian by his name. But I had a feeling he would raise from the SB. He has been aggressive that way. I re-raised with my AQs (is this a trend?) and he called. The flop was a bunch of rags but two of the diamonds I needed. He folded to my bet. Soon I would get AKo and re-raise from the button with 2 people in before me. Wait, did that make sense? Action was call, raise, call, me re-raising fold fold fold call call. Flop was K high. The initial raiser bet 60. 60? Don't insult me! I popped it to 1200 to spit on him. I am still hurt.

For my listening pleasure I have Shaw/Blades playing. The Influence album to be exact. Give it a listen people. I will buy you a beer if you can honestly tell me you don't like it. As for the game, this is my kind of table. It allows me to pick up pots with boards that look scary.

Ftrain just told me to expect a 12 hour game. If that happend it would mean I stayed up all night and we be late for work tomorrow. With what I have consumed so far and what I intend to imbibe, 12 hours of poker won't work. Even though I just chipped up nicely with A7s . This table loves the suited and suited connector hands. They are playing loose money game rules early. Just like me.

It is 7:40 and I can't find the Red Wing game on TV. I see they are ahead but those Sharks are tough. They could go all the way. The Wings need to play their best to get past them. Yes April, I said that.

Just got a nice pot sent my way when I raised with 10 10 and then called a re-raise. Flop was J 4 4 with 2 spades. I call the flop bet because it was only a 3rd of the pot. I want to see if he will continue if another spade hits. One does hit the turn. I take some time before checking. He checks behind. I am now willing to bet the river if a rag hits. I doubt he has a higher pair. It is a K on the river. Crap. I check. Surprisingly to me he doesn't bet the river. I know this pot is mine. He had A Q. A little rambunctious with it if you can't fire 3 times.

It is 7:57 and we are on break. Guess I have time to get another beer. My Dogfish Head is going to be gone soon. BTW I am listening to Sixx AM now. Good stuff but I won't buy you a beer if you don't like it. Still, I tell you to listen to Shaw/Blades.

The last bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA has been poured. After this I am going to have to consume some Christmas ales that were bequeathed to me. Okay, I just wanted to work bequeathed into this post. As for the SCOOP tourney, I have been folding since the break ended.

Antes just kicked in. I don't mind. They have to keep it going. A good river bluff gets me a good pot when I flop an OESD that doesn't get there but a board that shows both a flush and trips will scare my weaker opponent away. I have a good feel for these players. So different than how I felt on Sunday.

And then I was done. I raised in late EP with A 5s hearts. I had one caller in the highjack. Flop is all diamonds including the 2 and 4. I check and he bets a third of the pot. I call. Turn is the 3 of clubs. I check and he bets big. I raise and he pushes. I was in a hand with him before and he was bluffing. I push and he calls showing J 9 diamonds. Fug! Bad luck and I am done.

I still think my read was right. Am I wrong to think he got lucky? It doesn't matter since I am out in like 14600 position. But I had some fun with it. That is what matters to me since I had no intention to be playing for 12 hours.

Again thanks to the crew at PokerStars. The PokerStars blog is fantastic.

Help Nashville

Jason, the Spaceman, is watching him town of Nashville succumb to the flood waters of the Cumberland River. Sadly this story is being mostly ignored by major media and they aren't getting the help they need.

Please give what you can. Here are the charities you can give to:

Middle Tennessee Red Cross: Donate online atwww.nashvilleredcross.org, or by phone at 615-250-4300. Remember, the Red Cross is not a government agency and is funded solely by donations.

Second Harvest Food Bank: Provide monetary donations to Second Harvest HERE. The Second Harvest offices are located in Metro Center and are currently inaccessible, so monetary donations are the best bet right now.

Salvation Army: Monetary donations are preferred and can be made online HERE or by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee: In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, donate online to the Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund and/or the Tennessee Emergency Relief Fund HERE (checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 440225, Nashville, TN, 37244).

Payback is a bitch

Taking another crack at the Battle of the Blogger tournament on Full Tilt tonight but it isn't going good. I spent the first 30 minutes of the game searching for baseball tickets for a Brewers game in St. Louis. Thus I have little to talk about for that time span. I just know Maigrey was generous enough to stake me to a quickly 900 when my A Q stayed good with the Q high flop. From there I bled chips as I paid little attention to what was going on around me.

Then when Maigs got busted I was moved to a new table. They plopped me right in between Otis and Iggy. Oh boy! Will need to tread carefully.

I chip back up again burt then go on a slight bit of tilt. With 8 8 I raise from the button only to see the BB go all in. WTF? Why can't I have aces or kings when someone does that?

At the first break I am just north of 3500. I have noticed a problem with my game. I believe it to be a result of not playing much. I don't seem to have a plan. Making some loose calls and just trying to get lucky. Last time I checked that wasn't a way to win.

Well this post is going to hell. My friend calls to check on getting the tickets again. I end up not paying attention as I go through Stub Hub again. I dribble chips away. Once again the blinds come and go and I am finally given my chance. On the button I am dealt K K. After bitching about not getting a hand to fight with against someone who goes all in preflop in the BB, I now have to worry about him calling. I raise and he pushes. YES! A 7 and I need to dodge an A. I catch a K on the turn and fill up on the river. Finally!

Now I will probably lax off as I look at hotels. This should have been done weeks ago but he said he knew people and could find us a place to stay for free. I now realize he don't know jack.

Each time I take down a good pot I give it back with weak play. I am barely thinking about the hand I am let alone what I should do if I get called or raised. I sure am not in this game. Its the little moments where I focus that have me fooled.

Have I missed something? Is pushing to any raise preflop the thing to do now? I dumped A J because I am not sure what range they would be pushing with. If it had been the other one I probably would have called.

I can't believe my eyes. I get another chance to get back at a preflop monkey. I raise with AKs and it goes around to the BB. But they fold. Damn!

Blinds come around and I try to do some smaller raises. Now they fold to them. Hmm... maybe I have found the pattern. Not much has changed as we head into the second break. I am alive but that is a mere technicality. 37 out of 116 still banging heads though.

The highlight of the night is a hammer bluff. Min raise from MP and I call. He doesn't bet the flop so I figure I can bet half the pot on the turn cuz he is scared of the Ace on the board. Hammer bluffs feels good for 3 seconds. That's all.

I can feel the flame out coming. I can't stay above 4000 when the average is 11k. I am getting frustrated by my bad play. Going to be go long or go home soon. Wait, I am already home.

I keep pushing with my small stack from the BB with these pockets pairs. Can't get a call though. First time was AA, second was 88.

Blinds are 200/400 with an ante and I still need to do something. 88 again so I push. No callers. In the BB I get A 4 with Otis completing. Flop is A high and I bet 400. He calls. Turn is a second diamond. I feel I should bet pot or push here. Instead I bet 900 into 2000 and he calls. River is another diamond. He pushes. I feel I am screwed but he could be bluffing. He isn't. Funny thing I did that to him earlier in the game.

They are right. Payback is a bitch.

BBT5 Invite 2 lie blog

I have been drinking since noon today. The Brewers game as well as the whole series, has been one big abortion of baseball. So if I do something as silly as live blogging a tournament it won't make my weekend any worse. Hell, I might even play better. Hell, its not like anyone is going to read this as the tournament goes on.

Thanks once again to Al and Full Tilt Poker for allowing me to be an angry baseball drunk playing poker player. I hope I don't get too surly in the comments.

Game on! Jjok on my left. Fuck! Others at the table I recognize are ShabazzJenkins, NYRambler, Irongirl, and SmBoatDrinks. I am in the SB to start it off. Apolgies to no links but I haven't the mental capacity to take care of it at this time. Hell, I am hoping most of the players are not logged in.

KK back to back gets me nothing. Well, maybe a little respect as the BB comes along and everyone folds. Sigh. Lightning36 takes out Waffles. I feel like I should have those chips.

A call with A 8 in the BB gets me into a bit of trouble. An Ace high flop sees me trying to to trap my opponent. But I don't notice the 2 clubs on the board. A third club hits on the turn and Kat bets pot. Fug! I can't call that as it would leave me crippled.

I then get too froggy with JJ. A raise and call before me. I potted it and then saw Kat reraise it all in. FuG! I thought she was trying to scare everyone out with A K or A Q. I called to see Q Q. Damn. Game over.

Playing the loose aggressive game to start again. Its working as I pick off some blinds here and there. I still need a solid hand to propel me though. Now Daddy and PokerShrink have joined the table. Daddy is on my right and not playing. Maybe Dark Lord Day has taken his toll on him. I am glad he is not playing as he is a formidable player.

Lost my first real hand. K Q off no good. Raised and got a couple of callers. Should have bet the river. Then dropped more when I called from the BB with QJs. All red flop did nothing for me.

Table change. Now I am in trouble. BadBlood, Kat, Waffles, Lightning36, Columbo and cemfrmmd. This ain't good for me. I am drunkish and being a donk. Hopefully I can survive. Oh, and I really gotta pee.

SP break

Wow. This is happening. Steel Panther on Comedy Central?

The Invitational

The BBT5 kicks off tonight with the Invitational. I humbled to be allowed to play in the tourney along with the 78 other runners. To an extent, it looks like one big reunion of poker bloggers of BBT and other blogger events past. All we are missing is the alcohol and the Geisha bar.

We are seated and the fun will soon commence. I have Maudie to my right, NumbBono two to my left with cracknaces next to him. The only other name I recognize is pvanharibo. My intent with the deep stack is to play on the loose side early and see some flops.

I get the chance when I call some raises with 8 9s, A Q, and 10 10. I win only with the 89s when I hit the flop with all kinds of outs and raise their bet. Otherwise I can't get anywhere with the other two. Six minutes in and my chip stack should be sponsored by Duncan.

Early bluff doesn't work and I am below 2k. Maudie is beating my up. This is where I switch gears for awhile and figure out if this is gonna work out for me tonight. That and I hope I can trap someone with the attempted bluff later.

I drop some more when I call with K Js. Flop is all undercards. I regret calling a 2/3 pot bet. Turn gives me a flush draw but if I call another 2/3 pot bet I am putting in half of my stack. I meekly fold.

Crap cards are coming my way. Strangely, this seems like a good thing. I can't get myself into trouble this way. Well, I can but I am not that stupid to try to play 73o, 10 2o, or 93 to this table. I even fold 88 to a raise and reraise. I wince when I see an 8 on the flop.

The Hiltons are kind to me! I re-raise with them and get one caller. Flop gives me a set but I can't make it look like a feeble continuation bet. I am back over 2k. But now I am thinking about my laundry. I need to run downstairs to get clothes out of the dryer. I also need to put away clothes so I have a basket to carry the clean clothes up. Yeah, that has nothing to do with poker but I figured I would make this post look longer.

Just when I learn who Cookie_Plays is I get my first table change. I am at a table with Change100, Jordan, Otis, DrChako, and Julius Goat. Lucky for me the deck hits me hard. Unlucky for me the table is really tight. No one wants to see a flop. So I am beginning to raise more with small pairs.

We get to the first break and I am not in terrible shape. I am back over 2400. There are 67 left so I am still below average but not on life support. At least I am ahead of people who couldn't make it.

I then have a "smart guy" moment. I realize I don't have to wait for a break to take care of laundry. I have a fricken' laptop so I can just pick it up and carry it with me. This leads me to believe I have no chance to win this tournament. If I can't pick up a laptop and walk around how am I going to win a poker tournament?

Game gets going again and Waffles soon joins the table. I take a small pot off of him when he raises from the SB and I call with A 7s. Flop is good 7 3 3. I just call his flop bet before pushing to his check on the turn. Just below the Mendosa line now.

So it is back to the folding method I am good at. Cards have gone to the wayside and the table is getting looser.

This folding thing pays off. I just call from the button with J 10. Flop comes J 10 10. Wow. It checks around. Thankfully I get a bet from pvanharibo on the turn. I smooth call hoping for a bet on the river. I get it and push. Bad break for her as she hit her straight. I am up over 5k now.

But its back to folding. Steal some blinds here and there but nothing much is happening. So much that the new Taco Bell commercial about some tortada or whatever the fuck they call it is pissing me off. Like some guy walking down the street sees the tootada and demands you give him your sandwich. Bullshit I say!

We hit the second break and I am at 5200. I only played one hand in the second period. So exciting this game of hold 'em is sometimes. Meanwhile, Doc Chako has gone from 700 to over 11k. He wasn't even playing for the first hour and a half and now has double my stack. I suck at this game.

And then it is over 88

BBT5?

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water... Al and Full Tilt are doing it again.


Here is the schedule, like you haven't seen it already. I will try to play what I can. The Mookie will be tough as I have ongoing plans for Wednesday night but the Poker From the Rail tourney is doable.

Tournament: Poker From the Rail
When: Monday, April 19th through May 24th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 (or token)*
Password: 2010WSOP

Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesday, April 21st through May 26th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1*
Password: vegas1

*Winner also receives ToC entry

Tournament: Battle of the Blogger Tournaments Invitational
When: Sunday, April 18th through May 23rd starting at 19:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Restricted freeroll**

**$2,000 Prizepool + 1st and 2nd place receive ToC entry

Tournament: Blogger Battle Royale
When: Sunday, June 6th starting at 14:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Freeroll for BBT participating bloggers