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.

A walk through blogland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How???

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's bullshit! I have see Diehard!

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

Go read Las Vegas. December 2008.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Batted .500

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

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

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

Post Vegas tourney

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

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

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

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

Euphoria

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

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

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

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

Just some time away to be carefree and happy.

See y'all in a couple of hours.

Who needs to prepare?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fragments of what used to be

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blogger History: Myth or Legend?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just as you get back from Vegas...

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

All bloggers can play in this exclusive online poker tournament.

Registration code: 530579

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

Junkie

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

I wish I hadn't.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

El padre de los blogs

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

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

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

The hooker wants royalties

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

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

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

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

"So where are you from?"

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

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

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

"Cameron," muttered Otis.

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

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

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

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

"How much does fun cost?" I inquired.

"Depends. What do you want to do?"

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

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

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

"This my friend Bartley," chimed in Otis.

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Bodog Poker Blogger

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

Peter King had some comments about this in the MMQB.

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

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

Chip diddler

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

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

Oh yeah, I forgot. New Orleans

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

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

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

Just over a month

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

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

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

This could be an expensive trip.

Saturdays with Derek

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

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

Bodonkey

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

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

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

My share of suckouts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doesn't sound fair to me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Would you play in such a casino? Hell no.

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

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

Game time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

I had fun though. Still have beer to drink.

I am ready, are you?

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



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

RakeBrain and the LeTune Challenge

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

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

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