Team Wheelchair is born

If I hadn't been on that Twitter thing I probably wouldn't have seen The Challenge. CJ actually posted to Up for Poker the traditional last longer bet. Later Captain Drizz would put out some feelers about getting together. Reverend Al chimed locked it up and proposed the team name in honor of Drizz.


And thus Team Wheelchair was born.


I am sure you can find us at the bar talking strategy before the tournament. And by talking strategy I mean doing shots and other assorted beverages. You can find us by our logo.

Go Team Wheelchair!!!!

For the background on the wheelchair story, check out my other blog.

I tried to add to the mantle

I am disappointed. I had a chance to add another trophy to the mantle by becoming the Skittles Champion of Green Bay. But I came up short, running a lesser two pair. I was so close to dominating the Candy Poker Tour. Now I need to regroup.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What are those Cackalacky boys up to?

I am won't be able to listen to a bit later today but I can't wait. To say this should be interesting is an understatement.

“Press release” from bloggers Falstaff and Special K

Gambling Tales Podcast is now available. Join Falstaff (John Hartness) and Special K (Curtis Krumel) as we take you through the best in lies and legends about gambling today and through the ages. . Show #001 with Badblood and the origins of gambling is available immediately. New shows are scheduled to appear every two weeks. Guests scheduled to appear in future shows include Dr. Pauly, Lee Jones, Dr. David Schwartz (UNLV – Roll the Bones)


The podcast is available at http://www.gtpodcast.com


RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GamblingTalesPodcast


Available on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=339814710.

It will be searchable on iTunes by the weekend.


Email address for Questions, Comments, and Suggestions: gtpodcast@live.com

Close to perfect sports weekend.

It is Monday so of course I am tired. Sleep was elusive once again last night. Besides drinking beer and watching some bad football during the day, I did get to enjoy a very satisfying Dallas Cowboys victory last night. If only the Badgers had won on the ice Saturday night, I would be clutching Drizz's mobneys, gettign ready to taunt his varmint hockey team. But it wasn't to be.

I have tried to put my finger on what made the game feel so good. What it a win against a tough team on their home field, a place the Cowboys have been knocked around consistently? Was it Tony Romo winning a big game? Was it the defense coming up big by stuffing McNabb for no gain on 4th and inches. Was it unknown receiver Kevin Ogletree making two big plays on screen passes? Was it Marion Barber and the offensive line delivering the needed yardage to close the game out with over four and a half minutes left on the clock?

It was a little bit of it all. Sure the Cowboys didn’t look perfect but they didn’t need to. They just needed to play their game, prevent the big play, and not get down on themselves. They kept the crowd out of it. The Philadelphia fans seemed shellshocked and quiet for chunks of the game. I know they felt the Eagles were going to unload at some point. When they scored the go ahead touchdown to start the third quarter they probably thought the game was over.

But the Cowboys defense thought otherwise.

A big interception and soon the game was tied. A last grab for an ankle by rookie linebacker Victor Butler prevented McNabb from gaining at least 20 yards and whipping the crowd into a total frenzy. Then the running back said he the game was done. Coach Phillips challenged the offensive line to go win the game. Barber told the D thanks for the job and go to the locker room.

Yes the victory feels good and makes for a tired Monday to be bearable. But that is only the halfway point of the season. The Packers getting embarrassed in Tampa makes the game at Lambeau that much tougher. The Cowboys will need to keep their heads clear and not get ahead of themselves. They need to continue to play well.

After all, December games have not been cancelled.

Damn varmints on ice

Thanks for the advice on the mac vs pc purchase. I will be going the mac route and now need to decide whether to keep it simple with a macbook or go for a bigger screen on a macbook pro.

Anyone have advice on where to buy? The Apple store may seem like the easy route but I have seen some other sites that offer discounts on what appears to be the same machine. Do people usually buy their mac straight from Apple?

Drizz: You and your dirty varmints on ice are going down this weekend! It is on!

Do I get a Mac?

It has been a couple weeks since I last played some poker. Work and other responsibilities have been getting in the way. When I have had some time I just haven't been interested in playing. When I have been interested I have arm wrestled with my pc to keep the game flowing. Too many times I have been playing 2-3 tables where I try to play some music just to have the system go into total lockdown mode. It pisses me off when it happens and I can only think how it perturbs the others at the table.

The pc is around 10 years old. I have tried to clean it up the best I can (read: best I know how) but think it is time to put it out to pasture. Especially now that the monitor seems to be breaking down as well going into a yellow screen mode. Seriously, how can I play poker and watch porn if the screen goes yellow?

So do I make the big jump to a Mac? I am leaning that way. Would rather spend the extra dollars and have something that I can rely on. People I know with Macs rarely have anything bad to say. But pcs are so much cheaper. Word is Windows 7 is much better and reliable.

Do I go laptop vs. desktop? Laptops are convenient but I get more with the desktop. Considering the iPhone is like a little laptop makes me lean to a basic iMac.

One thing I have considered is how easily I can play poker on a Mac. According to PokeronaMac.com, Full Tilt and Poker Stars have access but Bodog does not. It is enough to keep me going while plugging in the pc elsewhere when needed.

Given the option, what would you smart people do? Mac vs. pc? Lap vs. desk?

Maybe it was the Badugi

I was killing time on Saturday before going to the bar to watch the Badger football game. I had logged in to PokerStars to play some 2-7 Triple Draw. As I plodded along shaking off the rust, I started to play a little bit of Badugi as well. I stuck to the play money game to get a sense of what was going on.

I ended at a small profit on the TD game when my mind started wandering. The Badugi game was kinda fun but worthless as everyone stayed in and kept drawing down no matter how bad their hands were. Just what I expected for play money.

Before I would log off I had to slide over to check the lines on Sunday's games. There were two games I was interested in. I took a look at the line for the Panthers/Redskins game first. Carolina was giving 3.5. Looked good as I expected the Deadskins to get trounced.

I then stared at the other game. I looked and felt strong about it but in the end couldn't pull the trigger.

Dallas Cowboys -8.5 vs the Kansas City Chiefs.

I wanted to take the Chiefs and the points. But went against the core of my beliefs. I logged out instead of placing any bets. Like many others, I don't bet on my own team no matter how tempting it may seem.

See, in the end the odds are against you. No, not any kind of gambling odds. Odds of staying sane. Let's think about the outcomes, of which only one is good.

1. I take the Cowboys and they lose outright. I am pissed off that they lost to the Chiefs and out the money I put on them.
2. I take the Cowboys and they win, but don't cover. Happiness is offset by the hole in the bankroll.
3. Take the Chiefs and hope they cover. The only spot that is a true winner. Cowboys win and cover netting me a profit in the head, heart, and wallet.

1 of 3 chances leads to pure joy. Not worth it.

I felt the Cowboys would have problems in K.C. It was this nugget that started it. The visiting team had never won in this series. Not once. Now granted they don't square off against each other too often but that led to nugget number two. K.C. is the type of team that gives the Cowboys trouble. It doesn't matter what their record it. They give the 'Boys problems. Same with the Detroit Lions. I am glad the Cowboys are not playing the Lions this year because once again the Lions would give them fits. Cincinnati does it to Dallas as well.

Nugget #3 has more sanity to it. Injuries. WR1, RB2, and SS were all out. RB1 was still not 100% and C was iffy. Too many holes to fill after a rough loss. Thus I felt the Chiefs and the points looked good.

Oh and I forgot. Someone needs to tell the Dallas Cowboys that the fourth quarter is like the other 3. It lasts for 15 minutes. Not 13. Hopefully the defense can figure that out on the bye week.

Instead Cowboys fans are left with a small sense of relief. But that relief isn't good. This win feels like a loss. And with just 16 attempts at feeling good on a Monday (or Tuesday or Friday) it hurts to not get that good day after when you should.

Sabbatical

I have been on a bit of a poker sabbatical. Things are busy at work with quarter end and I haven't had the time to sit down and play. Of course that doesn't mean I haven't ended my degenerate ways.

The NFL has been good to me. Won a pool the other day which means I am freerolling for the year. The Bucs and Colts covered for me today. All I need is a certain team to come through today and I can rest easy.

Who knows, I may then play some poker.

Testing 1 2 3

Just downloaded the new BlogPress app for Blogger and seeing how well it works. Like the fact the keyboard changes when you turn the phone. So far so good.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Old school game music

No poker, just video I found amusing. I know of people that will play the actual music from the Super Mario game at bars so when I saw this I thought it was funny as well.



Especially after seeing this gem a year ago.

Gone fishin'

I had some nice time away from the tables last week. Did the "unplugged" thing and went halfway across the state to go camping. While out there, I also did some fishing, something I hadn't done for about 20 years. Best thing was I really enjoyed it. Though the fishing wasn't very bountiful, I found the lake to be the perfect place to relax and soak in the peacefulness of a morning fog burning off as the sun rose.

It took me a couple days to decide to log back in to play some cards. I thought of taking some time off but I then recalled a comment Drizz had left last week about the streaks he has had in PLO8. I thought about the comment while I was camping. Someone much better at the game had been through wilder swings than I have. It has been a rough couple of weeks but the weeks prior to that were pretty damn good.

After thinking about the downswing I am on, I began to think about why it was happening. Was it bad cards or bad play? Am I the victim of a bad playing nit who got lucky or am I the nit playing bad and just not catching? I think too many times poker players want to blame another player for "getting lucky" instead of realizing they played poorly. There were a number of times where I played poorly, like last week when I thought I could kill a bottle of brandy and play PLO8 at the same time. 3 buyins later I gave up and focused on the brandy. I failed at that too and only drank just under half of it.

But beyond that I don't think I played that bad. I was changing up my game and playing a bit looser when the table got tight and tighter when it got loose. I played good hands that had 4 cards working together. I folded when I didn't have a great draw. I didn't chase too often. Yeah, I did some chasing but not much.

If anything, I wonder if I played too cautiously. This became evident over the last week and was personified tonight. With hand of A, A, 3 4, I raised from the button. There were 3 players seeing the flop. It came 2, 8, 8. I checked to me and I bet half the pot. Only the small blind called. I didn't like that. I instantly knew I was behind to trips. But the turn was an A. Sweet. I bet just under the size of the pot and was just called again. River was a 6. I bet pot and was instantly raised all in. I was shocked. First thought was the guy slow played quads. I took my time and began to think about my bad luck. I even typed in "quads?" and "I can't fold this". I knew there was no way I could, or was going to, fold this hand. Then I realized I had a very strong low and called. I scooped the pot as he had a lower boat and no low.

I was then berated by another player who wasn't involved in the hand. He said I slowrolled the guy. I thought for a bit and realized that yes, it did appear that I did inadvertently slowroll the guy. Didn't mean to but I did.

Once again I am thinking I am up against quads? I need to get that out of my mind. In the end I doubled up at one table and was up 50% at the other. Hopefully it is the start of an upswing.

PLO8 pain

There are times I wonder why I play PLO8. The kicks to the nads seem more painful than a suckout in hold em. Sure the nits will pay off more but it doesn't make the bruises less painful.

FOQin' insane

I think I may have an affliction. It is shameful to even admit this but it did happen for a couple seconds on Monday during a PLO8 game. I may have FOQ. Fear of Quads.

The game is 6 handed .25/.50 PLO8. I call from mid position with A 4 4 J, with the A and J being spades. The SB calls and the BB goes for the min-raise. I call along but the SB drops. Usually preflop raises in this game are a big signal. If he raised pot it would scream AA or KK. But the min raise tells me he has small wheel type cards. I would raise with that as well.

The flop is 3 3 4.

Bingo, bango, bongo! He checks and I decide what to do. I want to bet. I am not slow playing this. Last time I flopped a boat and slow played someone rivered a higher boat on me. With just 4s full it could happen again. But I also consider his min-raise and what I thought it meant. Wheel type cards. He will call anything I bet. I can build a pot or take down a small one. I bet pot.

I expected a call. But instead he raised. Huh? He raised? Not only did raise but he raised pot. Usually they raise this early with the mortal nuts. That is when it happened. I stopped and said aloud "Great! He flopped quads on me. Damn it!"

A second or two after saying that, I felt pretty damn foolish. Am I going to play this game fearing everyone is flopping quads on me? Hell, that is a stupid thing to think. If I am going to fold every time the board pairs and I have a boat then I might as well take my money out, delete the software, and never play cards again.

A calmer presence took over. I thought for a second and raised pot. If he has it, he has it, but now I don't think he has it. He wouldn't have raised if he had it. He may let one more card fall to guarantee the trap. I think he is drawing and I hope he will commit the rest of his stack to draw at half the pot.

All the money goes in and he shows a great low draw. He has a ton of outs for the low pot and would need runner runner to take the high. The 9 on the turn guarantees me the high and the face card on the river shoves a big pot in my direction doubling me up.

I was happy but also very disappointed. How could I be insane enough to think the guy flopped quads on me? A couple bad beats has me living in fear of more bad beats. Not a way to play the game. Good news is I think I have shrugged it off.

Anyone watching the Beavis and Butthead poker show otherwise known at 2 months, 2 million? A bunch of geeky poker players go to Vegas with the goal of making $2 million in 2 months. Take 4 dorks, put them in a house, allow them to use every poker cliche in the world, and act immature because they think they are someone because they have money and call it a TV show. They probably are damn good poker players, much better than I. But social skills and a better vision of life are more valuable than any of the bank rolls these clowns may have.

4 card bingo

Omaha is a challenging game. It can test your limits. It will challenge your patience. It will make you mad. Watching nuts hands on the flop become weaker and weaker at the turn and river hit can take you to the brink of poker sanity.

That is why some call it 4 card bingo. Flopped a straight? Don't matter. The guy chasing the low just hit and you split the pot. Or the board pairs up and they have a full house and scoop the entire thing. Slow play? Don't be an idiot.

My weekend was an interesting one on the tables. I ended up losing about a buyin. That came from running a boat into quads. But I did have fun. I just wish I could have taken the bingo players for more money.

There were two separate occasions when I had an aggro donk at the table. I watched in fascination at they kept raising and/or betting and while showing crap hands. Their chip stacks fluctuated wildly like they were riding a roller coaster as they played. Their method was to raise a hand from late position no matter what they had. If they were in EP it was a limp. See the flop and respond to the action. Bet if it is checked to you, fold or call if you caught a piece of it. It was always bet POT too. No half pot or min bet. The turn either made their hand or they folded. They were going all in or folding on the turn. Two pair? Push!

Watching how people played back at them was very informative. From one guy berating him for playing bad hands to others letting him put his money out there. I tried to let him think he was controlling the action. Call his flop bets as they usually meant he didn't hit. Raise on the turn to extract value (if he had two pair he was going to call) from any trips or better. Push with the nuts on the river even if acting first. He may call with that two pair.

The system worked for him. Well, to an extent. He bought in for $20, ran it up to $60 and went bust. Rebought for another $20 and ran it up to over $100 before losing it. His comments to the haters showed he didn't care about the money. It was all sport. It was about seeing what would happen and just having fun. Hell, I have done that playing 2/4 limit at the IP in early morning session. Raising blind and playing it down without looking at cards.

I found myself thinking about the general style I witnessed. I try not to get too aggressive in a game of draws and re-draws. I had a number of hands go back this weekend trying to protect them. But the aggro method seemed to rule. I think some people figured out that most play is passive on the flop and betting pot to take it down worked out most of the time. Take down several small pots and you build a stack quite quickly.

I will have to adjust my game accordingly. And hopefully I can avoid running into quads again.

Ooooooooohhhhh, what a rush!

Poker players generally feel better when they discover holes in their game. They feel great when they are able to adjust and plug said hole. It is all about the learning process, of improving play to a better level and making money.

Yesterday I discovered a hole in my game. It may not truly be a hole but it is something I hadn't done much of in the past. I had 3 tables of PLO8 running last night on Full Tilt. I lost half a buy-in on two of them within the first 30 minutes. I made some river calls that weren't the best losing to higher flushes. In each case I bought some chips back for leverage. But it was on the one table that I made a change that helped on all 3 tables.

I played the rush.

Yes, it is that simple. I won a nice sized pot and then went on a rampage. It wasn't that I was getting good cards. They were good but they weren't great by PLO8 standards (well mine at least). I have read many a better player talk about how they were making calls on raises with good but not great hands against certain players. They took faith in the rush they were on and milked it for all it was worth. I finally jumped on that bandwagon and went for a ride.

It helped to have an aggro at the table. This guy would raise most hands and follow up with a continuation bet on the flop. I took a nice size pot off of him when he called me down with his flush to my boat. I then started playing back at him when it was just us in the hand. I made some calls with only high hands and started hitting them. I would let him bet out and then pop him on the river. This happened for 5 hands straight and soon I was just about tripled up.

Better yet, it helped me on the other two tables as well. Whereas I was down on each, I started grinding my way back up and soon had broken even. Of course it helped to have a donkey on my left who kept calling me down when I had a nut nut.

Playing the rush seems like such a simple idea. Sure it can get you into trouble as well but it feels good to feel in total control and invincible for a while.

I may take care of my Vegas plans this week. I have a place to stay thanks to Special K. And after reading Kid Dynamite's latest trip report, I feel that these four months will seem like eternity. How do you not wish it was December after reading this?

Seeking time

I haven't had much time to play poker lately. Either work has taken over or there are just many other things to do during summer. I have been trying to take advantage of the time I do have to play. Full Tilt's bonus is a good deal and allows me to multi table the PLO8 games. Results are mixed. I either squeak out little gains or drop a buyin. Once in a while I catch a nice win but for the most part things seem to be Even Steven.

I think I should take the time to get a new pc as well. What I have is about 10 years old and slowing down. There is a good chance that if I click on the "last hand" function on FTP that it may freeze me up for a couple of minutes. Being that I have the brain of a drunken chimp I never remember this until it is too late and I am folded out of a couple hands for being disconnected.

I tried some software to clean things up but it only made my pc slower. Seriously, I am not kidding. I am thinking a cheap laptop may take care of my needs. Any suggestions?

Snooze you lose

So much for a great rate at New York New York. Prices are going mid 80s now. Should have put in a reservation. But there is plenty of time to plan.

Bammer, you may want to check in on the Riviera. Looks like they are going belly up and may not even be open come December.

Update: Guess I should have waited until I got home. Had an email from NYNY showing rates averaging $65 (total bill including taxes) for the weekend. There is one catch though. If you reserve a room and cancel it, you will forfeit your deposit. I will have to think twice and make sure I can get those days off of work.

Planning stage

I have been doing a bit of planning around here lately. Specifically checking out flights to Vegas in December and checking room rates. The last couple of years I have stayed at the Imperial Palace as it has been the center of attention. Sure it is a dump in the middle of the strip but I don’t need a fancy place to sleep. It is like a pair of old tennis shoes. They may not look great but they are comfortable and get the job done.

I know a lot of people prefer the MGM poker room to pretty much any room on the strip. It seems that most are migrating to that end for that simple reason. I checked the rates at the MGM and unless you are willing to spend $500 guaranteed the rates are that great. I just can’t see spending over a $100 a night for a room I may not use much.

I then checked Harrah’s site to see what things were at. No specials were offered for December yet. Typical low prices for the rooms through November. I then noticed that all of my Rewards points were wiped out. Huh? I guess the 6 month of no use rule is in effect. I then stumbled across the Las Vegas Advisor Question of the Day that lambasted the people running the Harrahs properties. Though some people did write it to say they were treated well, the majority of the article was very negative. With them taking away my point I don’t think I will be staying there unless they cough up free rooms like they had in the past.

I did see that New York New York had some good rates in December. Around $55 a night. Having never stayed there and liking the Pai Gow tables in their casino I may go with it. Just across the street from the MGM and paying roughly half the price. I think the bridge over the strip might be just enough to sober me up.

The one time one time one time Saturdays with Pauly tourney

Notes version. Too lazy to write things up and am on tilt.

Saturdays with Pauly. 48 runners. PLO

Slowed down my aggression early on. Flop a straight but not the nuts and did value bet the river.

Raised in EP and got 6 callers. WTF?

Raised with A A 8 4 without realizing they weren't suited. Continuation bet on 5 5 6 gets a caller. I check the turn but go for the value bet this time. Not sure what he had but my aces were good.

Get A A again, this time with a 6 and 4 with one suited. I decide to re-raise BadBlood here. He had chipped up quickly and I think he is trying to roll the table. He calls and we see a flop of K 7 5. I have the overpair and an OESD. I bet a paltry 250 into a 1000 pot. Blood decides to go all in. I call to see he does not have a flush draw but did flop two pair. I hit a 3 on the turn for the staight and pop up to the top of the tournament.

Get lucky on another hand versus Blood. We both flop a broadway straight but I improve to the nut flush on the turn. I can't extract any more chips out of him though.

At the first break I am in second place behind Dr. Chako? What the heck? PLO is so rigged.

I bust Blood after the break with a full house and then get moved to a new table. To the right of on-thg. He has a monster stack so I need to tread carefully.

But I don't. I lose a monster pot right away, set over set on the flop. We both improve to a full house but my 8s are no match for his Ks. Should have known better. Gotta try not to tilt. I dump some more chips on the next hand and suddenly have gone from top of the heap to needing a double up to survive.

That doesn't happen and I am done. Couldn't fight off the tilt.

Christmas in July

A one time event! Some people must have been good this year.

I must remember to set an alarm to hit this up. One of my favorite tournament series mainly because it wasn't hold em. Everyone should show up. It doesn't matter if you don't understand Omaha. You can win at 4 card bingo.

Somehow this seems appropriate

Crappy review of a good book

I had been meaning to take the time to write up a bit of a review of a poker book I recently read. The book, Check-raising the Devil, about Mike "the Mouth" Matusow is worth reading even though you won't know by this crappy synopsis.

See, I read the book a month ago and really enjoyed it. I like these kinds of stories. No, not one where some guy goes on a drug bender, wasting his money and ends up in jail. No, stories that are real. Things that actually happened and are retold. It is one of the things that makes Positively 5th Street as good as it is.

But days have gone by and I never jotted down what I wanted to say and now don't recall much. Going to Def Leppard/Poison concerts and drinking all weekend may do that to you I guess. But let me try this anyways in outline form:

• What is with the first chapter? One page? I thought I had a defective book.
• Give Matusow credit for allowing people to document his life. Not a lot of good things happened to this man. He brought it on himself and though he couldn't handle it at times, survived.
• I always heard he wasn't like the person you see on TV. That he was quite different and the antics you see at the table help him win money. I believe that after reading this book. Especially with the company he keeps. Some of his friends wouldn't be there if he was that douchebag on TV.
• I couldn't help but want him to win. I would like to see Matusow win another bracelet.
• He had a chance to invest in Full Tilt Poker. On the ground floor even. But he chose to blast through $250,000 in sport betting. WOW!

Go get the book. An at times tragic story about what seems to be a genuinely good guy.

end of crappy review of a really good book

How about something that isn't crappy?

That Ivey guy plays a pretty good game

With Sebok gone, all eyes are on Phil Ivey. He's been in this spot twice
before in the last eight years. One bad hand against Chris Moneymaker in 2003
shaped the rest of the poker industry. Perhaps Ivey will get karmic payback and
make a run at the November Nine.

If Phil Ivey can advance one more day... everyone wins. The fans. The
suits. ESPN/441 Productions. The online poker moguls. The corporate sponsors.
Purina's Puppy Chow. The show shine guy in front of the Hooker Bar. Everyone.
That's what the public wants... more Phil Ivey. And the deeper that Phil Ivey
goes... the more money that everyone makes. Me included. Shit, I might just join
in with his rabid fans on the rail and chant, "Ivey! Ivey! Ivey!" every time a
dealer ships him a pot.

-Tao of Poker

Pauly is been spot on about what Ivey advancing to November would mean. Sure Phil Ivey is a poker mega star. And you must wonder what he thinks about people chanting his name from the rail as he stacks chips. Here is possibly the most calm, cool, and collected guy in the game today doing nothing more than his job by going deep in the biggest tournament of the year. For anyone to dodge bullets, handle the bad beats, and not get knocked out by some Euro donk who was gunning for his is a feat.

It could be the next pop for poker. The resurrection of online poker, especially Full Tilt. A pro winning the World Series of Poker could start another boom in convincing people that they want to play like him and can do it. Sure it sounds strange but I don't think it is that far fetched. You know ESPN would run with it on their broadcasts. A very quiet, likable guy with a chance to win it all.

Here's to hoping he can make it through another day.

Then it got interesting

"They are all idiots," said Benjo. "They deserve to be shut out! They would have busted out on Day 2 anyway. They are saving their money by not getting in."

- Benjo quoted by Pauly on Tao of Poker

Just when I thought that the WSOP was boring and I had little interest in it this year, it blew up in controversy today. It appears that despite warnings from Harrahs about the event selling out, people took their sweet time to register and waited a bit too long and got shut out. A bunch of whiny poker players didn't get their way and now they are pouting about it.

HA!

I personally don’t like it when people throw a tantrum and get their way. With our politically correct society that happens way too much nowadays. People miss out on opportunity because of their own actions but manage to bitch, moan, and complain into what they want. They end up hiring lawyers or whining to politicians who waste time by getting involved in private enterprises. Somehow I doubt poker players will call lawyers but it wouldn’t surprise me.

I give Harrahs credit for taking a stand. People had days to register. If the event meant that much to them they would have made sure they had their spot in the tournament the day they arrived in Vegas. And if they chose to arrive at the Rio on the last day of the first flights without having a seat then they took a risk and lost. Get over it. Life just taught you a lesson. A lesson Mommy and Daddy probably should have taught your pampered butt 20 years ago.

888

Sick of taking bad beats at the table? Getting in with the best of it just to have the river pair the board, giving your opponent his miracle boat? Maybe you should play poker at 888.com at take advantage of the bad beat jackpots. Or maybe you are on roll and hitting big hands. 888.com also offers Royal jackpots. Hit a royal flush, straight flush, or four of a kind to take down the progressive jackpot.

To get you started, 888.com offers a number of bonuses for new players. They start with a 100% bonus on your deposit. That deposit could also gain you entry to the First Depositor's free roll or First Depositor's Challenge. The bonus on that first deposit can add up quick.

As you play hold 'em, you also rack up points in their rewards program. Earn fantastic awards when you hit the real money tables. You can click on the convenient status bar to see where you are at right from the tables! The status bar will show how far along you are to attaining the next bonus level. Work your way from bronze up to platinum status.

One of the more interesting games I have found at 888.com is the double or nothing tournaments. Half the tournament wins, half loses. It is that simple. Walk out a winner or be the loser. Just the kind of tournament if you need a quick fix or just want to build your bankroll in a conservative manner.

Check out 888.com today. Click here to download the software.

Away from the heat

For the first time in many years, I will not be going to Vegas in the summer months. I actually like going in the summer. I don't mind the blast furnace heat because the beer is always cold. I like that the crowds are a bit sparser so you can get around a bit easier. Plus it is usually 6 months since my last visit.

I rather forsake Vegas for a couple more months and maybe head down south around September. With Steel Panther on the road and not guaranteed to play GVR it seems like an easy decision.

F-Train posts an interesting tidbit from the WSOP this year. I know these late registrations would bother the hell out of me. It reeks of angle shooting. Think of it, you get a fresh stack and you are not fatigued. You can bypass the low blinds and get to where the real accumulation begins. I agree with F-Train. The period is way too long.

I have some time off next week as I spend some time at the world's largest music festival, Summerfest. Cold beer and music is such a nice combination. Will play some PLO8 by day and rock out at night. Who will I see? Good question that I answered here.

Thank you for the donatin

Been jamming along on the PLO8 tables for the past couple of days. Not all sessions have been winners but I have avoided the big loss. I am usually two tabling the .25/.50 games on Full Tilt. Yeah it isn't for huge money but for the game itself. Making money at the game is good but enjoying yourself is more important.

I have come to the conclusion that picking off a bluff or making a good call feels better in a PLO8 game. Busting the guy who is constantly raising in an attempt to run over the table is better than NLH. We all want to get the jackass to stop but when you felt him in PLO8 because you were patient, it is a better rush.

Or making a good read on what part of the pot a player is going for when they bet the river. Too many people get infatuated with hitting their low and taking half the pot. I used to that. But good old greed took over and I want the entire pot. SCOOOOOOOP! Making a read when you don't have a good low or high but are pretty confident your opponent is going after only one side is nice.

Toss in the hand or two where you just look at the replay in disbelief and wonder WTF just happened is a final reason to play 4 card split bingo. I am a firm believer in trying to think about why someone played a hand the way they did. But when someone re-raises you on the flop when they have no chance at any part of the pot unless they go runner runner will bend your brain backwards further than an 8 year old gymnast. It sometimes takes a minute or two to shake your brain back into place and go on with the game.

I picked off a couple of these this morning. And luckily, I dodged some bullets when I totally misread my opponent. Still trying to figure out how someone got all their money in with A 2 4 5 and a board showing K Q 9. I had a set of kings and gladly took his cash when the board ran out with him being dead on the turn. Thank you for the $45 donation.

Rooftop baseball, season 2

Heading down south to Chicago to watch single A minor league quality baseball this weekend. I am sure there will be some kind of poker played in between lots of beer consumption. I hope we make it to the lesbian bar as well. Looking forward to some time away from work and seeing some good friends.

Last year's view of the port-o-potty the Cubs play "baseball" in.

Sweet action

Always late to the party, I noticed that Drizz had a check from Full Tilt bounce. I followed the path to Pokerati where the talk was of a federal crackdown on monies being received from poker sites. From there I somehow ended up at TripJax site where he had emails from both Full Tilt and PokerStars telling him not to cash the checks they sent.

Good news is that Full Tilt and PokerStars are not to blame for the problem and they were proactive in addressing and correcting the issues. What struck me though was that Full Tilt gave Trip $100 for the problem he encountered. $100 for his $300 withdrawal that went bad.

That seem pretty damn generous. A 33% return just for a bad check. How can I get in on some of that sweet action? It has to better than the thumping I got at the PLO8 table Monday night. Nothing would go right.

Finally, you all are familiar with the roll below listing friends who are writing for various outlets. Show them some love and support. One to also include is F-Train. He is writing for one of these (I am not sure which exactly) but also have some comments on his own blog. Add him to the roster!

Riding the F Train
Poker From the Rail
Tao of Poker
Pokerati
Wicked Chops Poker
PokerNews.com
Pokerlistings.com
Poker Stars Blog
Ulimate Bet Blog

Tried but not quite there

I like my first table. On my left is Dr. Pauly, my right is LJ. I don't think either of them are online playing. Lucko is also at the table. Otherwise I am not familiar with the other 3. Tony Eusebio, 125 Will, or mclarich. Sorry guys.

LJ shows up and get hot quick. My AJs does not improve as I don't hit my flush. Still playing an 8 handed table with 3 gone.

I get my first good size pot when I hit my straight on the river. Gets me above the starting line. I was donking it up early making some bad calls. Deep stacks is goot.

Just when it looks like only 3 live players can rack up chips they move me to a new table. WTF?!?!?!? Now I am at a full table with everyone playing. First thing that happens is K Qs does not improve. Time to be patient. Lots of poker to be played.

First big hand of the night. A A. I am UTG and tempted to just call but I am not a fan of that move. I raise and get one caller. Flop is 2 3 9, two diamonds. I go for the continuation bet and win a small pot. Comfortable with playing small ball for a while.

I thought we might see the first battle of the night. Vinnay and Columbo just about tangle but Columbo doesn't want any part of the re-re-raise preflop. Columbo comes back a couple hands later with his own re-raise preflop. Had a couple people trapped and they folded.

I feel like I escaped from my run in with BWoP. We ended up both holding K Q but I played it meekly and just kept calling her bets. I should have popped it back at some point. But I want to keep the aggression down so I can unleash it later on or when I get on a roll.

No action on K K. Next hand is 8 8. Same result. Then K Qs from the BB. I just check as Columbo seems suspicious with his early position call. I fold on the A high flop. Too many red cards out there.

K K comes around again. This time pushmonkey72 on my right raises. I love re-raising preflop in blogger games. Rarely do you see a flop. We don't on this hand. But we do a bit later. I try to steal with A 9o. But jamyhawk min-raises from the BB. Min-raise? Seems suspicious. I make the loose call and hit the flop well, A J 9. Now they lead out with a bet of 375. Time to pop it. I make it 1250 to go but don't get the call. I am over 6100 now. Table is also getting looser just before the break. Some bigger pots are forming and the action is getting heated. I have 6146 which puts me in 13th at the break.

I don't have much going in the second session. Raise a couple hands here and there and capture blinds but nothing big. A Ks doesn't improve. Get reraised from the button when I try to steal with Q 10s. Feel like I am grinding to no where. Even when I do win a hand I only get a piece of the pot. Splitting pots stinks.

Still doing little. Got outkicked on one hand and then no action when I tilt raised with A 10o on the next. Finally win a hand with A Js. This session has been brutal. Have to fold 7 7 when Miami Don makes the ridiculous all in overbet. Then 10 10 is up against Q Q and I don't lost much but can't win.

I am glad when the second session is done. I lost have of my chips and dropped to 26 with 32 left. Getting close to push mode. M is at 10. Medic!

Round 3 starts up with little fanfare. I am able to get some blinds before reraising Hoy. I took a chance with K Js because Hoy is trying to run over the table. He will fold to a reraise so it was worth the risk. Of course one of these times he will have a hand so I must be careful.

Take another little boost up with K K. I reraised MiamiDon-pushed all in REVENGE IS MINE!- but he doesn't call. Back over 4000 now. Get a bit more with some SB slow play. With A 3 I get lucky and see a flop of 9 9 A. I call Columbo's bet on the flop and hope he puts one more out there on the turn. But he doesn't. The river puts a third diamond on the board. Crap. Thankfully he checks behind and I am just under the starting stack. Antes are kicking in so I need to get a bit more aggressive.

There is another table change. I see HeffMike, Joannada, and Jordan from HighonPoker. Get A Js early and call a raise. Flop is 9 7 3 with two diamonds. Ugly. I decline to call the all in bet. Soon I get A K and push on a raise to me. I am up against 6 6 and hope to catch a card. I get it right away with the A. I double up to over 5k.

Moving up and down between 4 and 6k. Lots of small stacks pushing at every moment. I am one of them. But then its over. J J is not OK. Ran it up against A K and he caught his K on the flop. Oh well. I didn't want to go to Vegas when it is so hot out anyway. ;)

TOC time

So the time has come. The Battle of the Bloggers Tournament of Champions is upon us. Two bloggers are going to Vegas next month to play in the WSOP Main Event. Others are getting jerseys and smaller entries. Some are going home empty handed. Wait. They most likely are playing from home so I guess they are going to stay empty handed. Let's just hope they don't kick their dogs.

I am glad to see Hoy got the rest of the odds posted. I was curious to see what he would say about my chances. I had an idea of what kind of odds I should have based on the numbers he was putting on other players. Let's see what Hoy had to say:

StB plays under the handle "nightranger" on full tilt and is another guy who has demonstrated skill in maximizing value from his strong hands. Although StB has won several blonkaments in his day, those days were mostly some time ago, and as a rule we don't see StB in our regular games with anywhere near the frequency that was once the case. In the end I know that StB can play the game, but I think his odds of winning one of the top two prizes are right around average given his lack of recent experience against most of the rest of the ToC field. 22 to 1.

Average? Average? Well, that is accurate. I think Hoy is correct. Having played few of these events because of my job and the real world, he is correct that I haven't played many events and that my victories are some time ago. Can't argue the facts. I can thank him for some respect and will do my best to not be average. In fact, should I actually win one of the seats, I do intend to play in the Main Event, if I can get the time away from work.

I had kinda planned on "training" for this game. When I have played some poker lately it has been PLO8. Considering the size of the field, 44, I was going to play some 45 man SnGs to develop strategies on getting deep. But I got only one game this weekend. Finished 8th which was still out of the money. That was on a regular starting stack though. I see we start with 5000 in chips for the TOC. That may accommodate my loose starting play a bit better. Or I may just end up being Gigli.

Unlike Hoy, I won't be live blogging. I hope to have a recap here when I am done. Good luck to everyone!

To the virtual felt

I just finished my best PLO8 session. Ended up two buy ins. But it wasn't the money that made it so good. Sure that is part of it, but when all was said and done, I was very happy with the way I played. And I had fun doing so.

It was like the perfect storm. A little patience, a little luck, and the right cards that would have me felting a guy twice a couple hands apart.

I really enjoy playing PLO8. It keeps you thinking. I have been playing the 6 handed tables as of late as it helps me focus on my opponents. Today I really was in the zone. I noticed the tendencies of the other players. I noticed how one guy only would raise UTG and he usually had nothing. I knew another would only bet with the nuts or the nut draw. Another guy wanted to play any four cards acting like it was a bingo game. And for once, I was able to sit back, be patient and let it unfold.

It is the bingo players that can tilt me. I see them play these crappy hands and I begin to lose my discipline. My patience wears thin and I am no longer waiting for quality hands. I want to press any cards, call bets thinking I can hit the low or my gutter card, yelling at the monitor 2! 2! 2! thinking it will come. I did none of that today. I folded when I had nothing, I made some good bets, some good laydowns, and stole some orphan pots.

Of course it helps to get lucky too. I define luck here as not just getting the cards but getting the opportunity to get an opponent to pay you off. That may be the frustrating part of PLO8 to me. I don't recall any monster hands getting paid off. Until today. I got paid off twice and two nice sized pots were slid my way. Once with A A 3 x where I flopped a set. Board was A K 2. Rag on the turn and another deuce on the river gave me the nuts. My opponent called each of my pot sized bets. He held K K x x. Couple hands later I would be on the other side of the betting pattern. I called his raise from the BB with A 2 9 K, with 2 diamonds. Flopped the nut low and check called his pot size bet. Turn gave me a second diamond and this time I decided to bet into him. He called and we saw the third diamond hit the river. Perfect. Little chance he is expecting be up against a flush. I bet pot and he calls after some thought. I leave with my chip stack three times the size as when I started just over 90 minutes ago.

Now that was fun.

If I was a betting man...

I see that Hoy is posting odds for Sunday's BBT4 TOC. He is giving a little background and thoughts before stating the numbers. I am curious to see if he will put a line on himself. Oh yeah, I can't wait to see the odds put on me. I have an idea on what it should be and why.

There are two lines that I have seen so far that are way out of whack. If I was a betting man (wait, I am) there are two people I would be walking up to the window to put money on feeling safe that one of them would pay out handsomely.

Looking forward to the rest of the list. Been good and objective so far. One other thing to point out is Hoy graciously praises Al for all the work he had done on this project. Let me echo that thought as well. Thanks Al!

So where are the pics?

So Pauly claims he is living in an apartment complex that is home to many a stripper. Until I see pics (again, hint hint) I don't believe it. What does a guy have to do, get a stripper to hold some food item before Pauly will take a picture of her?

Maybe I am asking the wrong person. We all know that AlCantHang is in Sin City as well working the WSOP. Maybe we can get him to stop taking crotch shots of Michalski and get back to taking pictures of women's nether regions.

Maybe I should set a betting line. Who gets one first, Pauly or Al? Will Pauly or Al get the most stripper pics?

Any more lines that we could set?

Toss a couple of frames

Pauly is at it again, blogging the WSOP at the Tao of Poker. That is about as close to the events as I expect to get this year. No plans to go to Vegas over the summer unless I somehow win something in Battle of the Bloggers TOC. Stranger things have happened so it is a remote possibility.

What really caught my interest this morning though was the Beer Bowling post at Tao. If Pauly could make money bowling, then I could clean up. Pay for my trip. And if I could clean up, I wonder what Drizz might be thinking? Or Alan? They would have a field day.

I also wonder if this rumor is true. Phil Ivey may have $10 million riding on the WSOP. Guess he ain't fooling around.

Take two

They are at it again and taking it to the next level. The good people at Poker Listings are putting on the second WSOP Run-Good Challenge for bloggers. Two people will walk away with a seat in a $1500 buy in at the World Series of Poker.

I am hoping for a better run of cards tomorrow. Couple that with a bit of patience and luck and I may be making a trip to the desert this year.

I don't Run Good

Thanks again to the good people at Poker Listings for putting on the WSOP Run-Good Challenge. I did very little and was never a factor. Couldn't catch a flop to save my life. When I tried to get aggressive to make up for it, it blew up in my face. There is always next time.

Mow the lawn

Not poker but something worth sharing. The commercials those Brits make are much better than what we see in the U.S.

Can I Run-Good?

The fine people at Poker Listings are doing the WSOP Run-Good Challenge for bloggers. Winner walks away with a seat in a $1500 buy in at the World Series of Poker. I see I now have an excuse for not mowing my lawn in case it doesn't rain.

Check out the new site layout at Poker Listings. It is like old 7-Up. Crisp and clean with no caffeine.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Mr. Kotter has a fetish

Been way too busy to play any poker lately. Work life is busier than ever leaving me tired when I come home. Weekend tournaments provide the best opportunity for me to play but those days have been tied up as well. With all the work being done during the week I need more time on the weekend to play.

I have been enjoying some poker on TV though. I taped a couple episodes of High Stakes Poker. The show still holds my interest. Watching the play of some of the best can be intriguing. So can the commentary.

No one is going to say that Gabe Kaplan or AJ Benenza (sp?) are the best but they try. Sometimes they say some things that are just way too creepy and peculiar. On one episode the players start discussing movies because one of them wrote the movie Blow. I am too lazy to look his name up. Cassavetes? Maybe. At one point Kaplan mentions that he does not need to cozy up to the player because he does not need big Hollywood movies. That he makes his own movies at home. AJ plays along and says he would like to rent one of these movies.

I can't help but wonder what kind of freaks these two are. If I hear someone is making movies in their home, it sounds like they are doing amateur porn. Last thing I want to see is Mr. Kotter and Vinny Barbarino tag teaming Hotsy Totsy or Horsheshack trying to bone Mrs. Kotter.

The other thing I wonder about the show is if many players try to play like these pros. They play way too loose for my style, sometimes getting in with bad cards just to make plays after the flop. It can work when you have skills or get lucky. I guess that explains some of the play I see at the MGM Grand.

Laying an ugly beat

It looked like I laid an ugly beat on an opponent during the Brit game today. I don't think I did. I think they did it to themselves. A correct bet probably would have forced me to fold. Instead I end up having chips swooshed to my side.

I was just trying for the steal. A 8 spades from the button. I raised 3xs the blind. The SB min-raised me. A min raise? I will call that and see if I get lucky on the flop.

Flop is J J Q, two spades. Not bad. Not good, but not bad either.

My opponent checked to me. My first thought was to make a bet, but then I stopped. That check seemed pretty suspicious. Why did he check there? If I bet I will probably get raised. This doesn't feel good so I check behind.

Turn is an A.

Hmm... that kind of traps me in this hand. If my opponent is playing ace rag too, it will most likely be a split pot. Can I fold here? I still think he has a monster. Making my flush could be a bad thing. He bets 60. 60 into a 600 pot? Still doesn't seem right but I can fold here. I call instead of making a move to put him all in.

River is another A. Only A Q can beat me now. He shoves. Can't fold here. I call to see he had pocket queens. Flopped a full house and let me stay around to draw out. A bet on the flop may not have had me folding, but a bigger bet on the turn, with me thinking he flopped a monster would have had me folding. Instead he got knocked out by slowplaying.

Baseball > poker

Been no poker as of late. That seems to be typical when baseball season starts. I rather be at a bar watching the Brewers game than sitting at home in front of a pc. Plus with more day games at the beginning of the season a day at the bar seems like a better idea.

I did try to play a bit on Sunday but there were only two PLO8 games running when I logged in and the lists weren't budging. Good thing I have a seat for the Blogger Championship or I would never have a chance at getting in.

I guess I should make my way down to the Pot to see how the new room is and get some live play in. With it on the cold rainy side today, it seems like a good idea. Especially since I am freezing my ass off at work.

Tofu and poker

I was running pretty good on Sunday. The Brit Bloggament game was fun. I spent the first hour donking it up as my chip stack seemed like a yo yo. It was good because I was making moves just to get reactions. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. But it worked well because I did make it to the final table, finishing 5th. Yep, JJ no ok.

One hand that had some people freaking involved my play with 6 6 with 2 tables left. I believe I was in the cutoff and raised on a short handed table. The SB (a chip leader) called and we saw the flop. I believe it was K high (yeah, always a good idea to post 2 days later without any details written down). I check behind him. Turn was another K and we both checked. On the river I bet out just over a third of the pot, 1320 (Yes, that I remember because there was little rhyme or reason to that exact number) and was called. My sixes were good.

The reaction in the chat was interesting to me. It seemed like I was being criticized for the play. I am not sure why. My rationale was simple. Table seemed tight so a raise to take the blinds had a good chance of winning them. Checking behind seemed weak but so was my hand. But it also told me he whiffed as well. Thus when I made the bet on the river, I was extremely confident my opponent had A high. My only concern was him making a play on me and whether I could make the call had he come over the top with huge raise, putting my tournament on the line. Turns out my read was spot on and I took down the pot.

Does anyone here actually eat tofu? Anyone love it? If so, don't proclaim it in Colorado. Saw this and just didn't understand what the fuss was all about...

Just call or pot it?

I have been playing some PLO8 again. It presents a nice challenge and change of pace to hold em. But there is one aspect that keeps puzzling me. One that makes me wonder what others are thinking.

Here is the scenario. You are dealt A 2 x x. Say it heads up and the board ends up showing:
3 4 5 K Q

Based on the betting, it seems pretty obvious that you opponent is holding A 2 X X as well. So what is the best bet on the river?

1. Bet the pot or check?
2. Should you just call a raise here or do you mash the POT button knowing you can't lose?

I have been making the river bet but just calling the raise when I am confident we basically have the same hand. It would appear that all you are doing is raising the rake for the site but I see a lot of people getting the money in when a split is inevitable.

What do you split pot players thing?

Not the chatty one

I was looking to play some PLO8 today. The big tables were full with 5 deep waiting lists so I decided to get in on some 6 player action. I noticed BadBlood at some of the tables as I was joining the waiting lists. Soon I would be seated to his left on one table and his right on another.

When I sat I didn't say anything to him. I wasn't being rude. Actually I think I was helping both of us. By acknowledging I knew him, I believe that may have killed some action for both of us. People may not play into either of us or may get out of hands if we were involved. Plus I believe I read that he doesn't pay attention to the chat or even turns it off. I don't pay much attention to chat either unless it is a tournament.

Do many of you chat at ring games with people you know or do you find it better to stay anonymous?

You make the call

Do I try to be the nice guy or not?

Scenario: Co-worker has ticket to Opening Day next Friday. I don't have a ticket but I do have the day off. He has to work because he did not get his request in before me. Other people are out of the office for other reasons and he would be the only body in the department.

Question: Do I offer to work so he can go tailgate and enjoy the entire game? I would be able to leave work and meet up with friends by 3:30, 4 at the latest. He gets to go cut loose and have a good time. There has got to be major goodwill points won here not just from him but my boss too.

So, do I be the nice guy and offer to work so he can have the day off?

Wake up, go to work, go to sleep.

Things don't look good for my participation in the BBT 4. Boss told me I can look forward to working more hours. Which really translates into he wants me to be in the office for at least 11 hours. For the most part I don't mind that if I have something to do or am not having a project thrown at me with a fake deadline of tomorrow (that has happened too much lately. Last project that was due "last week" has the final report sitting on his desk waiting for his review.)

My life feels like Pat McCurdy (local artist) song. Wake up, good to work, get drunk, go to sleep. Except I am not participating in the get drunk part. Actually my life is wake up, go to work, eat supper, work some more, go to sleep. No room for poker for now. The later times translate to me either falling asleep with my face on the keyboard and getting blinded out if I go deep or falling asleep before the tournament starts.

There has got to be a happy medium in there somewhere.

A good Sunday

I had some time to kill before playing the Brit game today. I wanted to play some small PLO but there were not spots available. So instead I sat down at a small limit game and played some 3/6 holdem as well. Good thing I did. Sat down, posted and was given J 9s. One of the blinds raised and I went with it as well. 4 of us saw a flop that include an 8 and a 10. Small blind bet out and was raised. I just called as did the blind. Turn was a Q. BB led out and I, of coursed, raised. We ended up capping it. River is a 9. I bet out and get raised. Nice! I just get called and the $99 pot is sent my way. My opponent really thought his two pair was good there. In the first hand I just about double my buy in. Can't complain as I ended up down a buck on the O8 game.

The Brit game started with 46 players. On the first hand I get 7 7 and think this could be a quick one. I raise from EP but get no callers. Soon after that I look to take in a nice pot. Everyone called a raise to 90. With Q Q I really want to thin this field and raise the size of the pot, 540. Everyone folds. I though the initial raiser would have called but apparently they had nothing.
A couple hands later and I get moved to a new table.

Those Queens come by for a visit again but this time we see flop. 8 high with two diamonds. I make the continuation bet as I am not going to give anyone a free draw. I only make one aggressive play at this table. I raise with K 10 because I wanted to do something. Only the BB calls. Flop is Q high, all hearts. I check behind. Another blank on the turn and my oppenent bets pot. I smell some bull here and decided to pop it right back to 600. If he comes over the top I can fold and still have little damage. But he folds and I put a smile on my face. Must prevent myself from doing that again. Lack of focus is what usually gets me bounced out of these tournaments. Then I get moved again.

I fold a lot as I am working on being careful. I get A J in MP and raise it up. Only the button calls. Flop isn't bad. J 10 x. I bet the pot and get called. Hmmm. Turn is another 10. I think and feel that he does not have a 10. I see he has only 1310 behind. Wiht 1090 in the pot I get what he has. I get called as he shows Q 9. Q 9? Interesting. A 4 hits the river and I am over 3k. That is why you don't play crap cards from the button and allow yourself to get into trouble.
I don't think I would play for 11 outs and one card to come.

Back to a lot of folding. I get froggy in some spots but don't throw chips around. I need to remind myself that people are willing to go for broke with some bad hands. Must make sure I am bringing a guy to a knife fight. At the break I am sitting at 13 with 2800. The ever elusive Gracie is in first with over 5k.

It feels like I don't play in the second session. Cards suck. I can't get anything going. Then with A Q I have to make a move but get no help. Done at 18. Feels pretty anticlimactic. Just nothing going in that second session.

Busto

It's 11:24 CST. The first couple of games have just started and yet I feel like I have been eliminated from each of the pools. I feel like I should find a way to write this off on my taxes as a charitable donation. Better yet, stop paying taxes and get a Cabinet position.

Instead I will do something useful and follow the days activities from work via the Tao of NCAA Basketball Tournament Poker

Just can't make laydown

The HORSE game was rather rough. I was up a little bit early but ran into some problems in the stud rounds. A hammer hand got me in trouble as I couldn't lay down my two pair even though I knew in my gut it was no good.

Later A J got me in trouble when the flop came down A high. I knew I was up against A K but again, I just couldn't lay it down. I think I am going to be short lived in the hold em round. Get lucky when I hit a set of 7s. Gets better when the board pairs 3s. But when another 3 hits on the river, I feel I am in trouble. Somehow my opponent doesn't have a jack and folds. Could be a turning point.

Still alive at the break but way down at 53rd place. 62 of the 68 starters are still around and there is a lot of poker to be played. I begin to rationalize my crappy play at this point. I have a meeting with the division manager tomorrow and think that busting out isn't a bad thing. But why bother to sign up if I am going to worry about losing sleep? I hope to focus and see if I can make a comeback without taking stupid chances. Sometimes that is tougher than it sounds for me. Good thing I don't have any beer in the house because I know if I would pop a bottle open I would soon bust out.

I drop half my chips in the O8 round in one hand when my A 3 T T is up against A K K and a A A 3 hand. Wow. Next hand I get those back when I hit my straight on the turn.

We get into the Razz round and I recall the thought of trying to come back without taking stupid chances. Well, I get myself into a hand I should be in. To top it off, my opponent shows weakness on the 5 and 6 card. So I bet on the river thinking I can get them to fold a 9 hand. I am showing a 10 and think I can get them to fold? Stupid stupid stupid!

I again go into rationalization mode. Playing short stacked tournament Razz is fun, right? The rush of seeing those 3 low cards and feeling good to watching the bricks hit and feeling like crap as you bust out. Fun, right? And why do I have some video game contest on the TV?

On to Stud and I have only 900 left. Make that 800 as I get a couple bring ins right away. Soon my Kings would not get any help from the other 5 cards and I was done in 51st. Can't complain. I didn't play a disciplined game. No one to blame but myself.

Brackets?

I have filled out 3 brackets for the NCAA tournament so far. This is from a person who doesn't watches very little basketball. I may have watched 5 minutes of NCAA ball all season. And that was at a bar when I was drinking and shooting darts. So yeah, I have little clue what I am doing.

Already I cannot recall who I have winning the whole thing. I know each one is different. Louisville, Kansas and Missouri come to mind. I would be shocked if I get close to cashing in one, let lone hit 60% of picks. Hitting 60% should be easy, right?

For the WoW crowd

Why do I think that either Waffles or Duggles already has the entire collection?

Tell us something we didn't know

Dam Eagles R Retarted!!

No one ever accused Eagles fans of being the brightest bulbs in the league. Thanks for proving it once again.

Washed my hands 2 times during the tournament

It was nice to win the tournament on Sunday. Thanks to everyone who left the congratulatory comments. I felt I played pretty good throughout most of it. I took some chances when it seemed appropriate but laid off some bad moves. By no means was I perfect. This is not a "My poker fu was much great than all the donkeys that think they know how to play this game" post. In fact it is the opposite. It is an acknowledgement of how I got lucky to win that tournament.

See, Smokkee's comment was dead on. "so many sick hands at the final table although pretty standard for a bloggament". I was the recipient of two sick hands that helped me win. On the hand where I ran A 9 into A K thinking my opponent was putting a move on me and sucking out the 9 on the turn was the RNG hitting in my favor. I made a bad read. That led to the bad play. But I got lucky with the suckout. I felt like I need to go wash my hands after pulling those pots out of my ass.

Luck came to visit me again when I cracked aces with K Q. On this hand I got outplayed. I put him on A something or K J at best. I never thought he had aces. I was more than happy to insta-call with my top pair good kicker. To an extent, who wouldn't have made that call there?

It seems like people don't give credit where it is due when they get lucky. I think of the Bodog TOC tournament where I lost 2 big hands at the final table because luck went against me. My opponent would make you think it was skill that won it for him but it wasn't. He should have been knocked out twice, just like I should have on Sunday.

I won't deny it. It felt good to have the suckouts come in my favor for once. Or at least that is how it feels, even though I have probably have gotten lucky just as many times as it has gone against me.

Sometimes a blind squirrel does find a nut

I hadn't really planned to play the Brit Bloggerment tournament today. I had some work I needed to get done but I really didn't want to do that either. So I decided to do both. I grabbed the work laptop and set it on a TV tray and fired up the tournament. I figured it would help me not make too many stupid plays and donk chips off right away. It worked ok in the first hour. I survived the first 60 minutes to sit 9 out of the 30 remaining. 24 dropped in the first hour.

I did make one bad play that had me disappointed. I was in the SB. The action folded to the button and he raised. I just called. I figured he was in on a steal but just called. I felt stupid having done that. I then tried to take it down by betting the pot on the flop. Though I just had A high I hoped I could scare him off the pot. Nope. He caught second pair and had an A as well. No miracle runner runner for me and I dropped the comfortable stack I had. I was still in it but basically was starting over.

Jumped back up when I got lucky and flopped a set. A slightly smaller stack gave me his chips when he tried to re-raise my bet with A Q. That got me to the break with a bit of breathing room. Plus I got some work done. The work kept me from making some other stupid plays.

I folded a lot during the beginning of the second hour. Even folded more when I got moved to a new table. I get some small pots and float along until I get lucky in the BB. I wanted to see a flop with A 5s. Button raised again. I thought of pushing but decided to just see a flop. Flop is perfect as I hit my flush. I check and call his pot bet. But the turn is a J, pairing the board. Crap! I hate that card. My thinking is bet out and hope he didn't catch something, or at least put the screws to him. I go all in and wait. He folds. I wonder if my initial read was right and it was just a steal.

I go back to working and folding for while. Then I get some cards. K K, then A A then A Q. But the table is pretty tight now. Antes have kicked in and no one is taking chances. I chip up a bit but wonder if it could have been better.

My rush continues for a bit. Keep chipping up. I have a nice boost when I get J J to hold up against 2 2 and K 10s. At the second break I have moved up into the 2 spot, just behind Smokkee.

We hit the final table and my rush ends. With A Qs, I raise to isolate a short stack that pushed. He shows Q Q and the race is on. The flop looks good J 10 5, two spades. My flush and royal draw look good. But I can't catch another spade or an A and the pot slides to my opponent. Then in what looks like an attempt at sick humor, I get Q Q and am up against 7 7. The flop looks ok for him, J 10 8. I am dreading seeing a 9 hit. But somehow it doesn't come (corrected for Drizz's listening pleasure) and the ladies stand up.

We are now down to 6. This is where I catch a huge break. I am in the SB and am dealt A 9. Action folds to me and I go with a minraise. The BB comes right back and goes all in. That is 17000 to call. I don't think too much and basically insta call thinking he was trying to push me off a steal. I couldn't have been more wrong. He shows A Ks and I am ready to shut it down. The flops gives him more outs with a flush draw. But then the 9 of diamonds spikes on the turn. I see a small red card hit the river and my suckout is complete. A terrible call propels me into first.

We get to 3 handed and my hands are getting bad. Even when I try to steal I am getting caught and forced to fold. I am trying to be patient but that is being tested. But I am doing my best. And apparently my best is by winning with another major suckout. I call a raise with K Q offsuit. Flop comes K high. I decide to check raise. When I do, he pushes on me. I really think my Kings are good and call. He shows A A. Could I be more wrong AGAIN??? Yep. But for once I have that good feeling in my gut. It stays when a Q slams on the river. Another big suckout and I am in a fantastic positions to take this down.

I am heads up with Smokkee now. Even though I have a commanding chip lead- 5 to 1- I have a fear I may choke and give it all away. But I don't. A number of hands in and it is over. I have A Q vs his 7 7. I hit my pair and it done. I have won the Brit Blogger game! Not too bad for something I wasn't considering playing.



Pic taken from Smokkee's site

And we're off!

The BBT 4 got started with the Brit Blonkament tournament. It is one of the times that work out very well for me so I was looking forward to it.

I started out on the loose end. Raising with A Jo in MP. Got one call. Though I flopped top pair I folded to turn raise. It is just too early to go out without a dominant hand. Next hand I decide to just call Huntvegas' raise with A Qo. Checked the flop of K Q 5. Turn looked to be a harmless 9 and I just called his bet. I figured he was stealing the pot with a bet on the river but he wasn't. His set of 9s was good. Not sure I could have taken it with a flop bet but my gut tells me I would have. Damn.

And then I get a table change and a chance to slow down. I get some chips when I am able to see a flop with A 10. All the chips go in on a flop of A 9 8. I catch another A on the river to double up to over 600.

I fold my way to another table change. Barely 20 minutes in and I have been moved twice. Guess with 11 people getting knocked out that will happen.

I don't have to worry too long about getting switched because I got knocked out in 54th place. There is a min raise from EP. I am in the big blind with K Qo and call the 40. Flop is K 5 4. I check and push on his bet. I get called by 4 3s. A pit begins to form in my stomach. The turn is a blank but the river is a 3. Thanks a lot RNG!

Twit poker

I played in the Twitter poker tournament last night. It was a way to play some poker on the cheap ($5) and get a feel for the game again. I did ok, finishing 5 of 33.

I felt pretty good about my game throughout. I spent some time watching the others play (what a concept, huh?) and felt I had a good read on some of them. Took some chances were appropriate because of those reads. For example, a loose guy was in the BB. I was in the cutoff with A 9. I knew he would raise with any K that was suited. So I popped it 3xs his blind when the action came to me. He quickly re-raised. My gut told me I had him at this point so I pushed. Sure enough, he showed K 10. My hand held and I moved on.

Later I would do the same with K Qs. I had watched the guy play and he loved his face cards. I popped him when he came in with a raise forcing him to make a decision to go all in or fold. He went all in with Q 10 and promptly gave me those chips.

The best thing that happened last night was my finish. Going out in 5th told me a lot about my end game. Or lack thereof. I wanted to finish this game but knew I would be up to leave for work in 5 hours. When this happens, I lose focus and take way too many chances. I try to bully the table or make any two cards work (hey J 9 suited can be a monster! Danny says so!).

I went out when I pushed my A Js into A Qo. Not a terrible way to go but not the best. I had been 2nd but it was also in push territory so I was content to take a small cash in exchange for sleep. That is what troubles me. I have been making that trade too often. Did it in the Bodog tournament too. The real world is crimping my poker world way too much lately.

I hope to play in some of the BBT events. It will be tough as work seems to enjoy laying some leather on my ass on a daily basis. Hopefully I can find time to play some events.

Cheapo tournament no good

I played a cheapo tournament this Saturday on Full Tilt. Was looking to play some poker but didn't know how serious I wanted to be. I wanted to be serious but I was also looking for a distraction from doing my taxes. Yes, that makes little sense to do your taxes as you play poker since you are not focusing on either but it worked for a while.

I doubled up early by flopping a set and letting the aggro give me their chips. I folded a lot including to reraises when I thought the table was pretty tight but someone would feel frisky and push a huge stack against me and my 10s. I would rather have Turbo Tax guide me through charitable donations to good causes than dipsticks at a poker table.

Somehow doing my taxes and playing poker worked well. But then I got to a spot where I had to stop doing my taxes. I didn't have an investment form so I couldn't enter the info. Shortly after I logged out of Turbo Tax I logged out of Full Tilt. Someone slow played their aces from EP and totally caught me in their net.

At least my return looks good. I just need to get it filed before the president gives all of the money away to those who don't pay taxes.

The non poker Steel Panther post

Non poker content here. I noticed that the band with the best show in Vegas have updated their websites. Steel Panther has their new homepage up and running at steelpanterrocks.com. Looks like the new album will be out on June 9th this year.

Speaking of the album, the have some new songs up on the Steel Panther myspace page. Beside Death to All But Metal, they had added a song we heard at the Vegas show, Oklahoma Girl. There also seems to be a new long song up called Community Property. An instant classic if you ask me.

I had been thinking of skipping Vegas during the summer but after perusing the Steel Panther sites, I feel the need to go just to see their show. If you didn't see them in December you missed out.

The Donger got robbed...

...and so did I!

I just saw this news item on MMA Junkie. UFC 94 competitor Karo Parisyan tests positive for prescription painkillers. So Karo was hopped up on meds, huh? No wonder he won.

Ok, that may or may not have been the case for victory. It was a close fight, one that I thought Parisyan won when Dong came up with little in the third round. The Rooster disagreed and thought the Donger had won.

Me? I had money on the Donger. Had he won it would have been a nice payout. Now I see that the decision may be reversed:

Parisyan, who defeated Kim via close split decision, could now be subject to a
suspension and fine from the NSAC. The fight could also be overturned from a
victory to a no-contest, though Kizer told MMAjunkie.com no decisions have been
made on either front.

So my question to you bettors out there is, Can I get my money back? Let's say I made a wager online. Will they refund my money if they change the ruling to a no contest?

Thanks in advance.

Like riding a bike

I actually played some poker this weekend. Fired up Full Tilt and sat down at a limit game. It didn't go that well but I did have some fun. I hadn't played a ring game in months online. Last time I even sat down at a table was in Vegas. And then I didn't play any limit.

It all came back to me. The nuances of limit are different but it was like riding a bike down by the lake. You know the path. You have ridden down this path many times before. You know were you can accelerate, where to slow down on the sharp turns. You know how to navigate the path through the park and where the people by the golf course will walk by not paying attention to bikes.

You have this path memorized. At least you think you do. It happens every spring after the snow has melted and the ice has gone away. You get on the path after being away and notice the things you conveniently forgot. You remember the smooth straight runs where you can build speed but forget about the hills that drain you. Just like the guy on the button that raises every single blind of yours. You know it is going to be like clockwork. Everyone folds to him and he raises it up. You want to defend you blinds and get annoyed by this joker.

So you do. With a ragged ace you feel that you are ahead. You flop bottom pair and bet out. He slows down and just calls. You fire again on the turn and he calls. When a harmless looking 8 hits the board on the river you feel you have him just to see him call and show K 8. It is like hitting a pothole on the bike path. Your front tire thunks down hard and your body is jolted. You mutter an obsenity and keep going.

You play on. You get involved in some hands that look good. You flop open end straight and flush draws. You bet them but just like getting caught behind a pair of walkers or slow riders on the trail, you can't get around them and keep missing your hands. Nice pots go the other way as you have to fold after missing each of your outs. It is frustrating but you pedal on.

Good hands don't pay off. They fold to you when you raise with QQ. Yes you get lucky and flop a set here or there but the board conspires against you showing the flush possibility. You slow your bike down in that traffic just hoping to get out with a nice win. But in the end you feel like you are riding in the rain. An hour has gone by and you are down. Wet.

You get off the bike and haul in down into the basement. You think about the ride and how tomorrow will be different. You click the table close and learn from your mistakes. You dwell a bit on the bad luck but know that tomorrow will be different.

Other gambling

Still been too busy to play any real poker. Some SnGs here and there but no tournaments or ring games for any duration. That may change on Saturday. I will be stuck waiting for furniture to be delivered. They gave me the 3 hour window between 10 and 1. I am sure they could pinpoint it a bit better but they believe that by giving me an indication of delivery they were doing me a favor.

I will also be placing some bets this weekend. Performify (hey didn't he use to play poker) has his UFC 94 picks up at MMAJunkie. I like the Penn pick. GSP may be the better overall fighter but Penn is not a slouch. If he has prepared himself as much as he claims, he will win. Dong over Parisyan is intriguing as well.

As much as I would to see them lose, I am taking the Steelers -7 this weekend as well. I do not expect this game to be close. It will be like the Colts/Bears game of two years ago. Easy money by taking Pitt.

I pledge

I played some poker this weekend. Ok, just one SnG in which I went out in 6th when some weenie's 9s cracked my kings.

But I did find something more important. I have decided to follow suit with the people in the video and make a pledge. I figure if weenies like Camron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher can make a pledge to Obama, I can too.

Pimping Al

I was trying to pimp Al's gig at the Borgata over the last two days but the photo loader does not seem to want to work on this pc. So go check it all out here, Poker from the Rail.

Heavy metal still rules

Yet again, no poker. But if you want to know how the great the Metallica show was you can go here. Scanning the scene in Milwaukee tonight...

Death Magnetic > Poker

Metal content, not poker.




I first saw Metallica play at Alpine Valley in 1988. They were part of the Monsters of Rock tour that included Kindom Come, Dokken, the Scorpions and headliner Van Halen. At the time I was just a bit familiar with the music, having heard Master of Puppets in a friend's room of South Scott Hall at UW-Oshkosh. I also was familiar with Fade to Black. My sister was playing it that summer as well. I was most interested in seeing the Scorps and Van Halen. But it would be Metallica who would steal the show.

I distinctly remember the scene. Late afternoon, sitting on the hill. Lots of young people around wearing their brand new Van Halen shirts. The sun was hot and would soon take its toll on those who did not drink enough water. Metallica hit the stage and started playing. It wasn't a big reaction at first but as they went on, a buzz came rose from the crowd of over 40,000. You could feel the energy building as the set went on.

It all blew up when the cranked into Master of Puppets. It was like a volcano. Molten lave collecting under the earth's crust and rising towards the surface, eventually exploding into the air above. Though it was lava in the air that day at Alpine Vally. It was 40,000 fists in the air, thrusting with every chord. It was the chants of Master, Master! It was the moshing all over the place as the band won the crowd over and people were eating it up.

As the place was going nuts, I noticed two kids to the left of me. Maybe 12 or 13 years old. They were displaying their brand new black Van Halen shirts proudly minutes ago. Now they just stood there, mouths gaping open in awe as the crowd went bonkers. They did not know what to make of it. They were frozen in time as the spectacle before them.

I would see Metallica the next spring on the And Justice for All tour in Green Bay with Queensryche as an opener. Then it would be a couple years later at Milwaukee's Summerfest. Instead of Master it would be chants of Die, Die, Die! during Creeping Death (which I have seen may not be on the set list. It damn well better be played tonight!).

Ironically I caught them the last time they came to town a couple years back with Sevendust and Kid Rock on a day just like today. Cold with 2-4 inches of snow expected. That show rocked. The forecast for tonight looks to be the same. Lazers, lights and enough loudness to rock your balls off.

I can't wait.

Hubris

Once again, the Dallas Cowboys prove why they are America's Team.

Maybe they can have their own ring

This caught my attention in Hoy's post about his goals for 2009:

We've got several multi-accounters in our little group (ironically a couple of
the biggest people who call me out for "cheating" which I have never done and
would never do), we've got outright cheaters, liars, colluders, chip dumpers,
incessant bad beat complainers, dickheads, losers, annoyingass mofos, you name
it and we have them in our group. But I have gone out of my way not to mention
those things here because as I've said many times over the past couple of years,
I do not want my own personal space on the Internets to be a place for petty
insults directed at specific individuals that other people will read and
possibly believe as the truth.

Do we really want a BBT 4 knowing this? Actually it isn't that big of a revelation. Others have commented about how prizes have corrupted the tournaments. I thought about blasting Hoy for not pointing these people out but he has his own opinion and in entitled to it. It kind of makes him an accomplice. Those involved in these shenanigans give themselves and Hoy an advantage by doing this. He has inside info on how the play is going down and can avoid it. Exposing the cheats evens the playfield for everyone, especially those (ME!) that need it.

Just an opinion. I could talk about community and how things were done in the good ol' days but Don would just get all grumpy.