Sunday, July 25, 2010

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.

Monday, July 12, 2010

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.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

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.

Sunday, July 04, 2010

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.