Thirsty?

What it is on the menu...

Sublimely elegant this toffee toned Bock is rich with a blend of Wisconsin and German barley malts. Over four months of resting in oak Bourbon Barrels gives this beer a wonderfully smooth body that will improve and mellow with age. Should you choose to enjoy this classic today you can expect a treasure of vanilla, oak and caramel notes to be bolstered by hops from France, Slovenia and Germany. Wild Brett yeast sings in harmony to the tune of Bock. 20 degrees Plato OG makes this Bourbon Barrel a masterwork to remember.

-New Glarus Bourbon Barrel Bock

How does that sound?

Followed by....

Named after the cream colored bricks used to build Milwaukee, this amber pale ale with its pronounced hops and hints of citrus is tasty year round.

-Lakefront Cream City Pale Ale

Ok, so the Lakefront Brewery guys really need to work on a better description of their beers.

I shall be heading down to Chicago to meet up with the Donkey Puncher and then invade Wrigley to watch the Milwaukee Brewers beat up on the Chicago Cubs. I can say that only because the Brewers won last night, making today's game a big one. I can't think of how totally insufferable Cub fans would have been today had the Crew lost last night and was facing a sweep. Yost said coming in that they needed to win the series. A sweep would be nice but 2 of 3 is what mattered. Now they have a chance.

Hammer poker on TV

I haven't had the urge to actually play poker still. Sure I played last Thursday (I think) after coming home buzzed up at the bars. Somehow I won my SnG (been running bad) and felt like el campion del mundo. But beyond that I am still spending more time watching than playing.

The new season of High Stakes Poker started on GSN. It was Hammer night! A deal was made where all players would pay any guy who wins a pot with 7 2 $500. Ok, they did play the suited Hammer but made for some interesting play.

Everyone's favorite player, Phil Hellmuth, played the Hammer perfectly against The Mouth, Mike Matusow. Watch this, it is a thing of beauty. Especially after Mike needles him constantly just before the hand.



You have to love that re-raise from late position. Perfectly played. It also doesn't hurt that Esfandiari says "he could have seven deuce or pocket aces." Good bet on the turn. Matusow screws the pooch by just calling. A raise would force Phil to fold. On the river, Matusown talks himself into folding. Brilliant!!!

Of course Hellmuth would ruin it by proclaiming how good he is throughout the episode and even declaring that "people want to be part of the Phil Hellmuth show". UGH!

I tried to watch the WSOP yesterday as I did my fantasy football draft. Saw Michael Bruce Buffer (thx Duggle) tangle with Chris Moneymaker a couple of times but that was about it. Don't know if there were any amazingly bad calls shown but I am sure there had to be.

You make the call!

Coincidence??? You make the call!

Falstaff has an update on the WPBT Winter Gathering in Las Vegas. I notice on Pollstar that the Spice Girls are playing the MGM that Saturday.

Coincidence???

Methinks KiltSpice has other gatherings in mind as well.

WSOP watching

A couple of weeks back, I thought had seen the worst call in the history of televised poker. Back then, some kid called the two all ins with KK even though his two opponents clearly had him beat with all the dancing they were doing. Though he was oblivious to the obvious tells, he was at least at a final table and may have been feeling confused with all the attention and bright lights, etc. and he did walk away with a decent pay day.

Last night on ESPN's first days of the Main Event, some dufus made that guy Hall of Fame material. At featured table were a bunch of average players and Doyle Brunson. Brunson appeared to be playing some passive poker (at least what we can tell by all of the edited footage and Norm Chad's constant wailing) and some of his tablemates looked like they were simply honored to be playing at the same table. There was one older gent in particular who was planting his lips on Doyle's ass with regularity. He wasn't good either. Played some really crappy hands and you could read this guy like a book.

And he got paid off in one of those crappy hands. Big time. I can't recall exactly what he had (believe it was Q 6 soooooted). Flop was 6 6 x. Got lucky and flopped trips. Some guy bets and he calls. The turn is the case 6. He checks and proceeds to cover up his face, trying to hide his glee. He squirms a little more when the aggressor asks him how much he has behind (I think it was 11k?). Naturally, he calls the 6k turn bet. After the river card, he quickly grabs his chips and tries to toss them in to the pot like he doesn't have anything; a classic weak means strong toss. His opponent looks slightly confused and then quickly says, "I'm gonna call".

What did his oppenent call with? Must have a full house right? Or at least thinks that his opponent is bluffing and can win with A high, correct?

He called with Jack high.

Yep. Jack. High.

WTF?

Maybe call there if the bet is 1000 and you want some information, but did you not look at that clown??? And you had jack high!!!!

Yes, it is a call like that that boggles your mind wondering how he won his way in or who the hell backed him or if he doesn't have a million better ways to spend 10 grand.

Two other interesting things on the telecasts last night had to be the portrayal of Scotty Nguyen and Joe Hachem. Scotty was just running over his table, busting people left and right. Every time he did, they would get up and thank him, give him a hug, and calmly walk away. Not a single person got upset, even the dude who he talked shit with and tilted into giving up his stack. Too funny.

But man is his age beginning to show. I just wish I could recall the exact quote he had. Something like "I like my monkey!". Apparently he owns two monkeys at home, but the comment on its own before they explain it was funny.

Hachem, on the other hand, seems like an ass most of the time. I don't know the guy and hope that is just how they edited the show (with the clips from his championship run), but I couldn't help but think he seems like a jerk. I will have to talk to some friends to see what they think because they impression some might get from watching the shows are not that good.

Hopefully I will get away from watching poker to playing poker again.

Peed off

I heard about this story on the radio today. I thought Grubby was the only person who had the misfortune to sit in pee chairs.

Kibiloski, a Fern Creek, Ky., computer consultant, sat in a chair soaked with
urine, apparently left there by a woman who had been playing at that slot
machine moments earlier. It was dripping off his shorts and down his leg.He said
the reaction from Caesars left him even more embarrassed. He said he got no help
trying to find a place to clean up and had to walk in his dripping shorts to his
car to get an old pair of sweatpants to wear.

Dude! Go home. It is pretty pathetic that you would not leave. I would have left and gone home to shower. Especially is someone else's piss was dripping down my leg. That sentence alone should send shivers down your spine.

Compulsive gamblers sometimes wear adult diapers to avoid having to leave a slot
machine or gaming table where they expect a payoff, the experts say.If they
don’t come prepared, they sometimes “just pee in the seat,” said Arnie Wexler, a
recovered gambling addict who operates a gambling hotline and counseling service
in New Jersey. “It’s not something the industry really likes to talk about.”

Of course the industry doesn't want to talk about it. Do you encourage people to wear diapers? Do you put up signs over the slot machines that ask "Please be neat. Don't pee in the seat!" Seriously, thinking some person is going to pee in a seat in front of their favorite machine is one of the last things I am concerned about if I sit down to play.

At least the guy did get dinner and a room for his problems. I would say it was a happy ending but the casino did not toss in a Korean massage.

Poker in Life

Karol at Ihadouts wants to spread the word. I think there are some valuable points to be taken from such an undertaking. The disciplines in poker are used in the investment world, notably on trading desks. I can't see how they can be used in everyday life.

Harvard Law Profs Backing Poker As Educational Tool In Schools, Universities

Singapore (August 15) -- Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson will announce an international effort to organize poker strategic thinking societies at universities and secondary schools around the world that will use poker as an educational tool to teach everything from basic life skills to war games at military colleges.

Nesson will announce the formation of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) in Singapore on August 19 during an international conference called State of Play. Chapters of the GPSTS will be organized at prominent universities on several continents, starting at Harvard.

GPSTS will offer poker strategic thinking workshops to secondary schools and community centers, particularly in underprivileged neighborhoods; sponsor team poker matches between law, business and other graduate-level programs; and conduct seminars and conferences that explore poker as a means to teach strategic thinking and related public policy issues.

Poker is one of the best metaphors for teaching life skills across a variety of disciplines, said Nesson, a founder of Harvard's™ Berkman Center on Internet Law.

Part of the goal of the poker societies is to organize an NCAA-style championship in the novel game of team poker for American universities.

Press and media representatives are invited to attend both the lecture and workshop in Singapore at the State of Play conference. Professor Nesson and colleagues will be available for interviews.

About GPSTS

Founded by Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson, the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society views pokers as a game of skill that can be used as a teaching tool at all levels of academia and in secondary education. The concept is to use poker to teach basic life skills, strategic thinking, geopolitical analysis, risk assessment, and money management. The goal is to create an open online curriculum centered on poker that will draw the brightest minds together, both within and outside of the conventional university setting, to promote open education and Internet democracy.

For more information, please write to http://by105fd.bay105.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=2B7D4090-A9B8-40BB-827C-BBC4C588CC39&start=0&len=13781&src=&type=x&to=globalpoker@gmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=2c56b582b1fe46d2eaa271b738292ad07e14cf662a1e8e7d26831c1f0b4ccc5c or visit www.gpsts.com, up and live August 19, 2007.

About State of Play V: Building the Global Metaverse

This conference on virtual worlds will be held August 19-22, 2007 in Singapore. It is organized by Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, New York Law School, Trinity University, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The conference invites experts across disciplines to discuss the future of cyberspace and the impact of these new immersive, social online environments on education, law, politics and society.

For more information please go to www.nyls.edu/pages/2396.asp

Media contact:

Jonathan Cohen, GPSTS
(203) 722-1858
globalpoker@gmail.com

Alexandra McDougald, The Weiser Group
(202) 291-0750
amcdougald@weisergroup.com

Stud viewing

I was quite pleased to see ESPN would be showing a Stud event on TV last night. I rather watch Omaha, Razz, or Stud just about any day over Hold Em. It is a different level of viewing, one that forces you to think more of how they are playing and not how they are acting.

I think the main reason might be the people who play these games. They rarely jump around like asshats after winning a big pot, or they don't trash talk people, call them donkeys if they lose. They stay quiet, observe, and process all the information they receiving.

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that was boring. For me, it was good TV. Watching some top players in action is a good learning experience. I kept looking at the cards and thinking about how I would play them out. What hands I would start with, when I would stop betting, etc. There were two good laydowns- how can you fold aces up? Amazing laydown. It was also nice to see some of these guys make the same kind of mistakes that I have made.

For me, it was a great hour of poker television.

Yesterday I popped over to a post on Amy Calistreri's site, mainly because she was comparing the UIGEA to activities of hedge funds. WHAT??? I had to read it a couple times to try and see the parallel. Apparently hedge are in the "family harm" department. Somehow, they destroy families left and right. Not sure how because Amy doesn't say so.

Let's look further. Amy would like you to think that hedge funds blow up on a monthly basis. Not true. Sure Bear Stearns had one making the news lately but name another one before that. Last year. What effect did it have on the markets? Little.

Who bailed them out? Not the Fed but other investment advisers which is why I wonder why she was making the comparison to something that happened just about 10 years ago. Most people learn their lessons and know who to react.

Another thing that caught my eye was the comment

"In fact the Federal Reserve, while acknowledging that people were maxing
out on credit card debt, encouraged consumers to consider riskier non-fixed rate mortgages. "

I went through the link and couldn't find anything that "encouraged" non-fixed rate mortgages. I found this:

Indeed, recent research within the Federal Reserve suggests that many homeowners might have saved tens of thousands of dollars had they held adjustable-rate mortgages rather than fixed-rate mortgages during the past decade, though this would not have been the case, of course, had interest rates trended sharply
upward.

and

American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product
alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage. To the degree that
households are driven by fears of payment shocks but are willing to manage their
own interest rate risks, the traditional fixed-rate mortgage may be an expensive
method of financing a home.

I wouldn't call that "encouraging" people to try other types of mortgages. Just some explanation of how people may be better off looking at non-fixed mortgages and how they would have benefited in the early 00's if they had.

The comparison of these hedge fund managers to poker bots was interesting. However, hedge fund managers are not the best. I am sure there are many mutual fund managers who would argue with that comment.

They do not beat market indices on a regular basis as some may think. They were introduced to be part of a portfolio to protect against downward movements in the market. Hence the name. Sure they can be leveraged to the gills and they make some big bets but not all hedge funds are the same. Not all have rogue traders taking huge positions. Some actually manage the money responsibly.

Unfortunately, when a hedge fund runs into trouble, it will need to liquidate part of its portfolio which can cause rumbling in the stock market. To blame the recent market turmoil on hedge fund activities is not accurate. They may add volatility but when everyone begins the panic selling, the market is going to go down. Indices were at record highs. With all this action, the market is down about 7%. That is barely a correction. Barley an impact on families in the long run. Over the past year, most people are still head even after that correction.

I guess the bottom line for Amy is that hedge funds need to be regulated and until they are, they will be killing the little guy. Well, yes and no. They do need some regulation but they are not killing the little guy. Only people with money can invest in hedge funds. You need to have minimum net worth requirements to participate. Those who have the money invested lose the most. The little guy may- MAY- feel the aftershocks in the market place when they lose money. But the little guy can also take advantage of the situation and buy their favorite stocks at sale prices.

Years from now, this blip in the market will be history.

For the record, I am not here to defend hedge funds nor the Federal Reserve. I just thought that post was off center and not totally accurate. One cannot understand what a hedge fund does but reading wikipedia or any article that wants to blame rich people for making the little guy poor.

Brilliant!!! Now with added commentary

Hat tip: Bill Rini





I actually played some poker this weekend. Two cheap tournaments on Stars to be exact. The first was the Poker Savvy freeroll. Finished 11th out of 800some and won $3.25. Thankyouverymuch.

The other was the 100k guarantee where I finished 13000some out of 18000some.

I couldn't do much wrong in the freeroll. Haven't not played any real tournament besides the blogger tournaments, I felt the need to play in one that had more than 80 people. Sure it was a freeroll but it was the number of people that mattered. I needed to put my skills out there against unknowns. Against people who will push all in with total crap because it didn't cost them anything.

I have a thought about freerolls. They can help you try new strategies and develop new skills. You can relearn thinking processes on the cheap. Whether it be getting crippled to a short stack and playing that strategy or chipping up and bludgeoning others with your big stack, it is something I think you need to relearn and gain confidence on every once in a while.

I kicked some major ass in the freeroll. For a good portion of the second session I was the chip leader. I made some great calls and won all of my races. Yep, won all of the races. I knew when someone was pushing with A rag and made calls with my mid and lower pairs, knowing that I could lose some chips and win them back if needed. In fact, it was the first race that I lost that took me out of serious contention. 9 9 beat by A 10. That happened with less than 20 left.

I tried to then beef up my skills on short handed play as we were 6 then 5 for a good stretch of time. I was over aggressive with my A 9 and ran into A 10 to go home.

But I had a nice run where I got some needed confidence.

I had hoped to carry it over to the 100k guarantee but that didn't work. My table was very loose to begin with. 5 people would see a flop even with someone raising 5xs the blinds. I had one guy willing to call down with bottom pair (why couldn't I hit anything with A Q???).

I made one crucial mistake in this tournament. With A Ks, I raised in LP. UTG had limped and immediately pushed all in. We have all seen those clowns that make this play trying to act like they have A A. My gut told me this person did. But I heard the circus music in my head and called, knowing I would be suddenly down from 4k to 700. He flipped over the rockets and I had no chance for a flush or a straight.

I fought my way back up to 2400 but then got overly aggressive and was soon done. It did feel good to dip my toe back into the water. I may do that again but probably not until next month. Weather is too nice to spend time indoors.

I don't remember, I drank too much

I wish I could give a recap of the Riverchasers tourney last night. I know I was about 20 minutes late. I planned to leave the bar at halftime of the Cowboys game. The dice were being shaken around and shots were being consumed. So that made me a tad late.

I had only lost about 400 chips when I logged in. Well worth the shots of Makers.

I quickly chipped up and felt I could make a serious run. But I got pot committed (no, not Change style) and lost half of them. Later I would race with A Jo vs 8 8. I looked like a god when I flopped the A but an 8 hit the turn and I was done.

So being the drunken monkey that I am, I started played PLO with some of the boys. Problem there was I thought it was Hi/Lo for over an hour. I made my donation and finally went to sleep.

At least I had a good time.

Kinda missing the game

I actually sat down and played some poker last night. Low limit poker. It reminded me of how bad some of the play appears to be. I forgot how people will call down with bottom pair each time and somehow go runner runner for the straight. Or how someone will call down with two face cards to the river when there is no paint on the board.

Ugh!

So rather than going on mini tilt, I decided to watch the WSOP on TV. I am not sure that was a good idea. At some points, it reminded me of why I like to play the game and mainly tournament poker. The chance to play in the WSOP some day and go on a nice tear and make some good money is a dream of most players. Watching it last night, that spark inside me lit up a bit.

But it was also dampened by the annoying drama at the TV. Both hours featured Phil Hellmuth and his incessant whining. I felt sorry for the guy next to him. The worst part of it was each time he whined, it was because he made a bad play. Raising with small pairs or total crap from early position and then complaining that someone was going over the top on him. Stop the bitching about getting no respect. After watching this on TV, everyone and their grandmothers will be re-raising you. Unless this was some huge strategy move- which I highly doubt- you shown yourself to be a total LAG.

And I like watching Phil Hellmuth play! But last night was too much.

I also found myself scratching my head after one hand in particular. A kid raises in EP with K K. This lady looks down and sees two red aces. She moves all in. Hellmuth looks down at the two black aces and very quickly pushes his chips in. The others fold and it is back to the kings to decide.

As he thinks, the other two start going crazy. Really. The lady gets up and starts dancing looking sooooo happy that Phil pushed. You can see her husband making gestures to her about her hand asking if she had aces. Hellmuth is basically on the other side of the table doing the same thing and bragging about how he made his move in just a quarter of a second. A quarter of a second??? Whatever.

Now, you have just been re-raised by one person and sound an energetic insta call by another. They are dancing and excited. Don't you think your kings are no good here? How does he not fold? He calls and he goes home now. Amazing.

So now I have to decide what I will be doing about this game of poker. With summer still going, nothing will really change until the fall. I rather be outside doing stuff than sitting inside staring at a monitor. It may work for some but not me. I am a recreational player. Until that sparks turns to a flame and maybe I will find myself playing quite a bit more.

Damn those ducks

I spent the 3 hours before the tournament at the bar getting my game face on. The right amount of beer would get me in the perfect mood to play poker. A bit loose, aggressive. As long as I could think straight and be patient, I was confident I could do well.

About the only thing I worried about was the beer I had at home and opening a fresh bottle. See, I have a tendency to go bust just after getting a new beer. Happens often. Take a couple drinks and I get knocked out. Then I have nothing to do but railbird and drink my beer in a pissed off mood.

I started out the BBT freeroll in good shape. Was dealt A K right off the bat and took a nice little pot. I played aggressive and most likely bluffed Schaubs out of a pot with A J. I raised his limp from the SB and he had the nerve to re-raise me. The flop was ragged. He bet pot thinking he could scare me off. That wouldn't work. I went all in knowing he maybe had an A or mid pair at best.

I yo yo'd a bit from there before going on a nice little tear. Then I ran into the big stack Astin. I pushed him off a couple of pots knowing he would see more flops with all of those chips. What I didn't expect was for his deuces to crack my kings. Yep, he flopped a set after limping under the gun and calling my raise. He check raised me and I pushed.

I should have taken a bit of time to think that one through. I remember CJ doing that to me a number of times in the WWdNs. The luckbox would limp call with small pairs and try to hit. When he did, he would check raise me and usually knock me out.

So I should have taken a bit more time to think this out. Sure it is easier to think about folding or maybe calling here, but that is just hindsight. It is just another outcome to hopefully learn on for the next round.

Oh, and for the record, yes, I had gotten myself a fresh beer and had 2 sips when my kings got beat up.

The check is in the mail, I hope

Like many others, I logged into Neteller yesterday to pull out what funds I had there. It was just over a grand. Not a princely sum like some had locked up, but nothing too shabby either. Guess it will fund my trip to Vegas in December.

Falstaff has the details on the WPBT Winter Classic

When - December 6 - 10Where - Las Vegas (hotel TBD)Who - You and your friends

Hotel rooms should be plentiful and cheap even with the National Finals Rodeo starting that weekend. I have been getting plenty of free room offers for the past 6 months. I doubt that is going to stop. Heck, I would be willing to stay at the Imperial Palace once again. Sure the place is a dump but the people that work there are top notch. They have always treated me well, and the the poker guys are willing to spread what we want.

That kind of hurts. Next vacation won't be until December. Ouch!

BBT Freezeroll

I tried to play in the BBT freeroll freezeroll last night. When everything froze up 40 minutes in, I knew I didn't have the patience to continue if the delay was going to be long.

I had half the starting stack and was playing like crap. I guess being felted in the NL ring game had me on a slight tilt. People were chasing their flush draws and catching. On most nights it would be a beautiful thing to have them chase and miss but this wasn't most night. Cards just weren't coming my way.

The funny thing was, I wasn't upset in the ring game, but it upset me in the tournament. I wasn't getting pissed off that they idiots were calling preflop raises with K 6s and catching, but it was making me get upset when I made those stupid plays in the tournament.

In the freezeroll, I was playing too loose. I was making dumb bets. You know, those bets that make no sense as you are only going to be called or raised by the winning hand. I made some bad bluffs as well.

Thus when the delay was over 20 minutes, I knew it would be in my best interest to just call it a night. My mind wasn't in the game and I would need to double up just to get back into the game.

Congrats to whoever waited it out and won. Thanks again to Hoy, Mookie, Al and Don for the time spent setting up the tournaments and keeping the standings.

Hopefully I will be in a better frame of mind tonight for the Riverchasers tournament. The 6 pack in the fridge will definitely help.

Is a crackdown coming?

Is a crackdown coming to the poker tournaments in Milwaukee?

There is an interesting article in the Milwaukee paper today discussing the popularity of what I call "prize poker" in the state of Wisconsin. In "prize poker", you do not win money but prizes (t-shirts, caps, etc.) and they keep rankings on how you finish usually for a big prize tournament at the end of a season. There are no entry fees. Usually a bar will pay someone to hold the event in return for bringing patrons into their establishment.

I had played in such a series a couple years back, Badger Poker. It was good to get your feet wet and play without having to pay. I tired of it for various reasons and quit going. One thing I wasn't surprised to see was a quote for the owner. I am sure he means well, but he probably doesn't realize he just put a bulls eye on his back. This comment doesn't help him:

....gambling restrictions here vague and confusing, saying that he was unaware
until recently that there might be a prohibition on any sort of prize.
"Until there's a law saying 'You can't do this' or 'You can't do that,' we're going to
still do what we do," he said.

I hope he talked to his attorney before talking to the reporter. Basically to tell the DA in the counties he operates to piss off is not a good business plan. His interpretation of the law won't be jacksquat to the attorney prosecuting him. Telling a judge that the law does not specifically say we cannot play poker is plain stupid. Even stupider might be to hold the actual tournament in Wisconsin but technically award the prize in Vegas and believe that means he is not breaking the law.

It also made me wonder how long the tournaments at the bar I frequent will last or even the smokers at local churches. They have entry fees and pay out cash. To claim it is a fundraiser will not hold water. The article mentioned a fund raiser for a sheriff's department that was shut down. Their prize was a box of cigars. Even Johnny Law is being held to enforcement.

But there is hope. A sheriff in Dodge County has taken a sensible approach. As long as the stakes don't get unreasonable (reasonable is $20), he will let them be. Good to see logic coming into play on what is basically a victimless crime among responsible adults.

Getting ready for the live game

I finally played some tournament poker again on Tuesday. Went up against 1200 in the 20k (or is it 24k) guarantee on Full Tilt to get ready for the weekend. Finished at 705. Not too much happening. I got hurt by my K K. With a bunch of limpers, I popped it to 800 and had one caller. Of course the flop came A high. Why would someone limp call with A x? I felt my blood begin to boil and before I could reign myself in, I pushed and was promptly called by A J. Mother ^&@#$#$^& A J!! Yeah, the push wasn't the best move but to have some idiot limp call 40% of his stack to try and get lucky pissed me off.

I got off tilt quickly as I focused on building up again. With about 500 left, I fell back into "Aw fuckit" mode though. With the Hammer on the button, I pushed when it folded around to me. SB called with A 4. Interesting. 7 on the flop, 7 on the turn and I was good. It pissed my opponent off. He promptly tilted himself out of the game on the next hand, pushing with A K on an 8 high board and got busted by Q Q.

Last night I had some fun in the Mookie. Irongirl's 8 8 beat down my 7 7. It was an interesting call in that she didn't think twice about calling. Have I become that transparent?

I will be playing some live poker in a cornfield in Iowa on Friday. I believe this is the place I will be. Should be interesting to say the least.

Disclosure

I got into an interesting argument the other day about how a local tournament is run. My contention was quite simple. There is no information going in so why would you want to play it? My friend's argument was simple as well. He didn't care because he enjoyed it.

I guess part of it the debate is to me, his side makes little sense. The sheets announcing the tournament have no information about how much, how many chips you get or blind levels. Furthermore, it doesn't mention it is a rebuy tournament. The tournament is under the guise of a fund raiser for a softball team to boot. Bottom line to my part of the argument is that it is foolish to play a tournament without that vital information. They do not say how much of the buy in (only $25 I believe) is going to the team. They don't tell you how many rebuys have occurred and how much of that they are keeping. So the prize pool could be $1000 but they are paying out $600. Why would you play in such a tournament?

He says he doesn't mind as he has fun. It is the entertainment value. To an extent, I can see that. I say it all the time. If I am having fun, I don't mind losing.

Is it asking too much to ask for full disclosure? I wonder how many people would play if they knew how much the team was keeping?

Thoughts?

Little poker

I haven't been playing much poker lately. With it being Summer and all, there are a lot of other things going on that keep me busy away from the felt. Like beer gardens. I love beer gardens. Give me a reason to sit outside and drink beer and I will be there.

But I digress..

I did play in the RiverChasers tourney last night. Can't believe Al became such a fuggin' sadist and made it a double stack. Give donkey more chips and watch the fur fly.

I was involved with two plays that I found interesting. Neither was a bad beat so I don't owe anyone a dollar.

The first was an interesting re-raise. It is one of those calls that people usually say "what a dumb play, how can they make that bet!" as they get pissed by a really good play, not knowing what the other player is thinking. I was in the BB with 6 6. UTG gave a 3xs raise and I called hoping the flop would hit me. 2 3 5. Not bad, not great. I had an overpair with a gutty. I thought about betting out but decided I wanted to see another card, so I called his 2/3 pot bet. Turn was a 7. No help and now the board looks dangerous. I let him bet again, knowing I would re-raise a lot. He bet out half the pot this time. I popped it to 1400, thinking he had A K or A Q. I was a bit surprised that he then went all in. Hmm....was I wrong? With just 670 to call, I had to. He turned over 8 8. River was no help and I was down to 1100.

I like the bet. I had been on the aggressive side and had pushed him out of a pot earlier with pocket 4s. Making a move with just 8s there is dangerous. I had to call the last bet not just because of the odds I was receiving but it was a RiverChasers tourney. The play can be craptacular and I may just hit the jackpot early. Besides, I have confidence I can chip back up.

That is basically what I did. Got back over the starting stack, getting myself into a position where a double up would put me right back into the game. There would be no double as I floated like a piece of driftwood on the sea. Hands were bad and it didn't help that I was table changed to some crazy people. I had to tighten up. I figured it would help my image. Was I wrong.

I didn't play many hands and utilized position to steal the blinds. So when I had K Qo in the SB and there were two limpers, I figured it was a good spot to steal. I pushed knowing the first limper would have A rag at best and would fold. Wrong again. They called with A 8o. I would get no help. In fact an A would hit the river to rub it in. Someone willing to toss in 25% of their stack with A 8 on a tight player. I noted them and can't wait to see them at the table again.

I may be playing some live poker next weekend. Going camping and may end up in a casino in Iowa. There is a Friday tournament with a $50 buy in. I have no idea if the structure is any good. The website says each player get 1000 in chips and does not specify blind levels. Hopefully I can't go make me some corn fed cash!

New meaning to playing blind

Came across the story of the blind player at the Tao of Poker yesterday. Pauly made a reference to the article written by Change100 at PokerNews about Jason Holbrook, a player from California, who qualified for the main event even though he is blind. The people at Kick Ass Poker have a full story.

One excerpt from the Kick Ass story I found interesting was the reasoning behind the initial decision not allowing him to play:

It seems to be not the presence of the second person / helper itself that's the
problem, even though that technically would violate the "one player to a hand"
rule, not to mention take up precious space in what already must be cramped
walkways between the tables. Instead, it may well be the communication of
information between the helper and Holbrook that has caused the WSOP to draw the line.

That was my initial thought when reading the story, was the "one player to a hand" rule and how it would be handled. I then began to wonder what douchebag would throw a shitfit and invoke the rule when he got busted by Jason. Guess we won't find out as Holbrook was eliminated in day 1. But to qualify for the tournament itself is an amazing feat.

Run, don't walk

You know the drill. Keep up to date with Pauly.

Need to find your buddy who qualified on PokerStars? Otis has his story at the PokerStars Blog.

Fin

I felt like I had played 2 good hours of poker last night in the RiverChasers event. Unfortunately for me, the tournament would last longer than 120 minutes.

I had dodged some bullets and avoided the land mines. I did my best to put Waffles on tilt early by stealing a pot from him. When he did a normal 3x raise from EP, I knew I would call with 9 9 in the SB. Having someone else call along with the BB was just gravy. The flop was 8 high. It checked to Waffles who c-betted 120. I made a smooth call with every intention to check-raise the turn as long as the card wasn't higher than a Q. It was a small card. I checked as did the other two. Huh? I now knew A K was no good and it was possible that the BB had absolute crap. With the river 3, I bet it out and took it down. That was the probably be the best hand I would play all night. I knew I could push him off, especially when he didn't bet the turn. Guess not betting the turn is something one learns that from $1 HU matches.


From there I chipped up a little more before losing some to a full house made on the turn. Can't recall who it was that took my chips but I thought they played the hand very well. With two Jacks on the board, the check on the turn had me thinking they may have hit their A. I was shocked to see the boat. Probably could have gotten more off of me. Hell, I even thought about popping the river bet, but decided not to be a total idiot like most of the field.

I would recover from that debacle and make my way back into the top 15. I would stay there until I hit my own tilt moment. My notes on this player told me he was an absolute goof. Wild and lucky; not bright at all. Thus, I started re-raising him a lot. If he limped, I would raise. If he raised, I would re-raise with any face cards. It was working well. Thus when he tried to raise in a blatant re-steal attempt, I had no problem insta-calling with A Qo. My read was solid as he turned over 9 4 sooooted. He promptly went runner runner flush to cripple me. Sonnoffabitch!

From there I would float aimlessly like a piece of driftwood in a river. Chipped back up but didn't see any cards that were remotely playable. That part pissed me off. I had read Miami Don's post about his Venetian score. I paid particular attention to what he did with a mini stack and how he was willing to toss it in with just about anything. I was going to follow that strategy but it is hard when everything is a 10 2, J 4, or Q 3. Especially when the pots are raised before you can act. So when I found something that was remotely nice, A 10s, I would find myself up against 10 10. Done in 15.

I had fun last night. Did my share of re-stealing of pots, made some erratic bets to confuse and was satisfied with my play. With a couple of tokens sitting around, I really need to play one of the guaranteed events on FTP. I haven't played them in a long time and had some success there. I don't know if I will be able to play the Big Game on Sunday. I should be down at Summerfest drinking and catching some good music.