Stochastic Confessions

Crimes Against Poker

2011-09-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

Vacate the bracelets. You bet your ass I just went there.

Pete Rose is never going to go into Cooperstown for less.
USC Football is going to lose a BCS title for less.
Michigan Basketball and the Fab 5 have lost an entire season's wins for less.

The examples go on and on of individuals and institutions breaking the rules to gain a competitive advantage. Lederer, Ferguson, Furst, and Bitar's shenanigans, though, blow away just about every booster, point shaving, and cheating scandal combined. In my opinion they have committed treason against the industry and should receive the poker version of the NCAA death penalty.

If Caesar's Entertainment has the least shred of credibility and caring about the WSOP brand, they will strip these 4 of all bracelets they have won over their careers and ban them from ever competing under the WSOP banner again.

Maybe once every dollar is paid back to the players (fat chance), I may reconsider my position. Most likely not.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

FFL 2011 - Draft Results

2011-08-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

After a one year hiatus, we pulled the majority of the guys back for the 2011 version of our fantasy football league. It's a 10 team standard scoring league starting 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1DST, and 1 K. I pulled the 4 spot and prepped for all of 5 minutes prior to the start.

The results:
1.04 Ray Rice, Bal RB
2.07 Hakeem Nicks, NYG WR
3.04 Matt Forte, Chi RB
4.07 Mike Williams, TB WR
5.04 Dallas Clark, Ind TE
6.07 Matt Ryan, Atl QB
7.04 Brandon Marshall, Mia WR
8.07 Marshawn Lynch, Sea RB
9.04 Greg Olsen, Car TE
10.07 Joe Flacco, Bal QB
11.04 Lance Moore, NO WR
12.07 LaDainian Tomlinson, NYJ RB
13.04 Falcons D/ST D/ST
14.07 Garrett Hartley, NO K

Nothing spectacular, but I don't think I have any glaring holes at the main positions either. Comments?

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Women's Performance in 2011 WSOP Main Event - A Deeper Dive

2011-07-18T13:31:00.000-04:00

Poker Grump brought up an extremely interesting topic over the weekend (at least to me) where he attempted to analyze, from a statistical standpoint, whether the number of female cashers in this year's main event could be considered within the sample variance of a formal sampling test. Or whether, without any causality offered (smartly), some factor or factors contributed to their cash rate being significantly lower than their male counterparts.

Let me be clear up front. I am IN NO WAY bashing female poker players or women in general. I am looking at this solely because I find it intriguing from a math perspective and PG brought it up.

At first read, my hunch (and comment on the post) was that, statistically speaking, the sample size was sufficient to reject the null hypothesis, that the cash rate of the female players in this year's ME was within acceptable tolerance of variance from the expected value of the statistic. Upon further thought and investigation, I decided that underlying distribution used in his analysis (the binomial) was inappropriate for the question at hand (although directionally informative) and wanted to try to take the question further.

At it's root, the binomial distribution models performing some kind of experiment N times where the probability of a successful trial is p. It comes with several assumptions, however, where a few of the important ones include independence of outcome between experiments and a constant potential success rate. Essentially, it is the same as sampling with replacement from a population of size N where a success will occur with rate p.

The original analysis was done from the women's perspective, i.e. what percent of the time, if cash rates are truly the same, would there be 13 or fewer female cashers out of the 242 entrants (5.4% "sampled") when the expected value is 24 (10.1%). I decided to use the same distribution to perform the test from the men's perspective and found that, using this methodology, over 15% of the time would more men cash than there are places in the money. This clearly indicates a deficiency in the test.

So, what would the appropriate distribution be? The true answer to that question is way above my pay grade, as the odds of success for each individual in the field varies wildly, but if we assume for the sake of argument that each entry in the field has the same chance of cashing, I think that the problem is modeled nicely using the hypergeometric distribution. This distribution is frequently taught in statistics classes using examples such as 'there are a red and b blue marbles in a box; what is the probablity that if we choose c of them, that d of our choices will be red.'

So, in our example, we have 6,623 red marbles and 242 blue marbles and want to know what the distribution of blue marbles would be if we pull 693 samples from the box. Using the hypergeometric, we find that the expected mean is the same as the binomial, 24, and should occur almost 9% of the time. The distribution will return 13 or fewer only 0.562% of the time, which is very close (and even more rare) than the PG's binomial.

This was not meant to be a knock on Grump in any way. I believe he was trying to get a quick and dirty answer (and still pretty accurate), and succeeded. Being who I am, and having a little more than enough statistics knowledge to be dangerous, I attempted to see what a more rigorous approach to the problem would lead to.

What did it lead to?

Blue marbles performed less than red marbles in the 2011 main event.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Reflections

2011-05-02T15:43:00.000-04:00

September 11, 2001 was a day that irreversibly shifted the worldview of just about every American that was old enough to understand what happened. Sitting in my office space almost 10 years later, I find it not just a little difficult to focus on the daily tasks for which I am paid to perform. Since the announcement last night, I have been flooded with decade old feelings and memories.

Fear. Loathing. Helplessness. Anger. And the images. Oh, the images. There weren't that many visuals to broadcast, so we kept seeing the same ones over and over and over again.

Similar to this very morning, I got to the office earlier than usual on that day, before 8:00 AM. Less than an hour later, the 3rd floor was abuzz and had nothing to do with selling mortgages. Eventually, I was able to catch the word hijacked from the other side of the wall and was horrified at what I found on the CNN homepage.

In 2001, there was still very little in the way of live streaming of audio or video via the web. I spent about an hour reading and refreshing my browser. Click. Read. Previous. Refresh. Over and over again. By the time of the Pentagon strike, there was absolutely no way I would be working even one more minute on that day and left.

Inevitably, I tuned the radio in the car to the news station and was greeted with the news of a fourth known jet and reports of several more. The news outlets were blindly reporting every nugget of information they came across, most of which would never be retracted. The cumulative and net effect on me was, however, non-retractable. The damage was done.

I was familiar, academically of course, with terrorism. Hijackings were chiefly hostage taking operations in order to achieve some other goal. Now, after decades of playing for increasingly larger sized pots, the jihadists went all-in. (see what I did there? this used to be a poker blog, after all)

All I wanted to do was be as close to my wife and 11 week old daughter as possible. We laid in bed together, my wife and I in horror at what continued to be reported on tv, our daughter between us, blissfully ignorant of anything other than being near mommy. When she was born, exactly 11 weeks prior, she spent 14 days in the NICU while fighting persistant pulmonary hypertension. During those 2 weeks, I had no doubts that everything would be ok. Just over 2 months later, I knew that nothing would be ok again.

It actually took a week before the nightmares started. I thought I had managed to avoid them but I guess, eventually, my brain needed an outlet to purge the badness that was accumulating in there. Needless to say, I slept quite poorly for about 4 nights in a row. Looking back, some of the dreams were actually fairly comical, though disturbing at the time. In one, a 747 came crashing through my grandparents' house in Northeast Philly. Why that house? I'll never understand my subconscious.

Anyway, what was the point? Here we are 10 years later and I feel like the killing of Osama bin Laden is nothing more than the tying up of one loose end while the whole damn thing is still unraveling. For now, it is a not-so-subtle reminder of what happened on that day and how great our country became in the aftermath. If we can hold on to that for a little while, I will happily accept the painful memories that have returned from exile.

Unfortunately, I think that the mission (brilliantly carried out by our military and intelligence, btw) will be quickly politicized and spun into talking points. For now, we got him, good for us, but there are actually a few (thousand) more important things for us, as Americans, to focus on. Let's see if we can get anything accomplished before the current zeitgeist inevitably wanes.

I won't hold my breath.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Politics As Usual

2011-03-11T14:21:00.000-05:00

Political climate in the U.S. is so incredibly tense that it's almost impossible to get the real story on anything. Objective and reasonable doesn't sell papers, ad time, etc. so it's almost impossible to get to the facts to formulate a non-biased opinion.

To that end, I have developed a filter that allows me to immediately discount what I am hearing as agenda driven and to be ignored. The following words and terms will immediately find you on my muted list:

Tea Bagger
Lame Stream Media
Faux News
PMSNBC
Barry
Republitard
Hitler
Nazi
George Soros
Koch Brothers
"Big" Anything

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WBCOOP 2011

2011-01-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: XXXXXX 834046

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Why Yes - WPBT 2010 in Short Form

2010-12-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Why yes, I did take 2nd in the blogger tournament at Aria over the weekend. (ok, I was in the chop but 2nd in chips)

Why yes, Lagasse's was absolutely unbelievable, eclipsed only by the people I had the privilege of hanging out with.

Why yes, I did get dealt quads in pai gow, with JJ up top no less.

Why yes, I also remembered to bet the fortune bonus.

Why yes, I slept no more than 8 hours total for the 3 nights checked in.

Why yes, it was a blast watching Eagles/Cowboys with fans both friendly and not so toward my team.

Why yes, I do miss everyone already, even the ones who by now have already forgotten me.

Why yes, I'm already counting down to next December.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WPBT 2010 Booked and Confirmed

2010-10-28T18:39:00.000-04:00

It looks like The Baccardi Diaries have been picked up for another episode. Arriving at LAS just after 1330 Friday and leaving about 1530 Monday.

43 days and counting... tick... tick... tick...

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

The Steel Panther Test

2010-08-02T21:15:00.000-04:00

Just so wrong, especially for me with 2 girls. But still, so damn funny, so Steel Panther.

Four months and eight days til Vegas. Tick...tick...tick...

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Rising From The Ashes

2010-07-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

So where've I been you ask? And I mean that rhetorically, since I know YOU weren't asking. Anyway, I stumbled across those five little words that every blogger who innocently (naively?) wants to remain anonymous hopes to never have to say.

My wife found my blog.

There. I said it. And after the extended hiatus, I'm good with it. I think.

The announcement of this year's winter gathering actually gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get back on the horse, so to speak. I'm going again. Sorry to say for all of you. This year's trip has been paid for since the end of last year's trip courtesy of the good people at Harrah's and the fish that play at their LHE tables. I've talked my friend Jerry into making the trip with me and Riggs has also expressed interest in flying out with us. I'll believe that when I see him at the gate.

For those who like to try to plan out their weekend reeeeaaaalllly early, I found out that, according to GVR's website, Steel Panther is now playing on Saturday nights. So it looks like Friday night will play out a bit differently.

Finally, if you made it this far, our 9 year old daughter now has her own website. It's basically a blog in a website wrapper but I won't tell if you won't. She's been bugging us for upwards of a year to start one so, since she is required to do a project as part of getting her junior black belt, we told her she could incorporate the blog into the project.

Check it out here. She already has a better wit about her than her old man, although she likes to keep her posts short and sweet. Only time will tell whether she sticks with it longer than I did mine.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WBCOOP Results

2010-02-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

Played events 5 and 6 and the Main Event. Somehow finished 95th in the 8 game event (boy do I not know what I'm doing in the non-lowball stud events) but fizzled a little over half way through each of the two NLHE events. I admit, though, that I was too distracted on Sunday to really play the event well. Trying to work on one laptop while playing a 2,000 player tournament on another is obviously not something I am capable of.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

I Keep Going Where I'm Not Wanted

2010-01-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: 848147

Overkill

2010-01-15T11:25:00.000-05:00

Thankfully it happened at bar league where real money was not a factor or I would have gone ballistic. Final table of 8 and we are playing 400/800. I am BB and not all that healthy, but not totally desparate. UTG min raises, EP calls, MP calls. I find AA and push another 5000 on top all in. UTG calls. MP calls. MP flips 99. UTG flips AA. 9 in the door triples up MP. I chop the 3600 side pot with UTG.

Next hand in the SB. MP limps. LP limps. I find AA again and ship my last 1800. MP calls. LP calls. Flop and turn are all kinds of connected, and LP wins with QTo.

Why do I even bother?

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WPBT 2009 - The Bacardi Diaries, Part 3

2010-01-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

Time. Quite the funny thing in that one's perception of it can warp reality in profound ways. Adding alcohol as a catalyst certainly enhances that particular reaction. This chapter of the recap relies on my trying to reconstruct a timeline, after the fact, as accurately as possible.

Saturday night was passing into Sunday morning and the Geisha Bar was hopping thanks to the tourney runner-up and many willing participants. I could not, however, avoid the allure of -EV games so I sat down at a blogger filled pai gow table. Managed to hit AA up front with a full house behind but didn't have money on the fortune bonus. Oops.

After some amount of time, quite the number of drinks, and about $100 in the black at pai gow, I wandered over to another blogger table. This time it was Let It Ride. A table where a $5200 straight flush was made while I was sparring with the Asian coolers. It was my first time playing the game, but the strategy isn't all that complicated. Managed to dust off the pai gow profit in about an hour, but it was mainly about the comraderie. Please drop a comment if you know who was at that Let It Ride table. For the life of me, I can't remember who I met there.

Anywho, at some point early in the morning (pre-dawn), I made my way back to the IP poker room for some more LHE donkery. Similar to the previous night, I played equally aggressive with air as I did with the nuts and the nice people who were already there eventually grew weary of my shenanigans. Once the table was down to 3, an IP dealer off hours, a crasian waiting for a seat to open at the one NLHE table still going, and myself, I dusted off a bit of my profit, finally leaving around $30 or $40 up for the session.

At that point, I decided to sit down and play a little blackjack before heading upstairs for a few wimks. I bought in at the nickel table for a single hundred and played for what seemed like a couple hours. I remember calling out for a monkey to be dealt every time I wanted the dealer to peel off a face card for a bust, and I seem to remember most of the people that came and went over that session to be at least mildly amused by my drunken antics. It was, by far, my best session ever (for the bottom feeder that I am), running that initial $100 up over $1300. I had worked my way up to betting $25 a hand (unheard of for me) and was still running good when a new dealer came over. Immediately, I got a bad vibe off the guy and, even through the Bacardi haze, I thought the floor had just sent over a cooler. Of course, why would IP care about someone playing at my level? Either way, I played one shoe against the guy, lost about $100, and called it a night up around $1200 at that table.

Somehow I managed to find my room for some sorely needed shut eye as I intended to meet up with everyone for the Sunday football games. I got up with the clock telling me it was little after 10:00 and, while in the shower, it dawned on me that it wasn't necessarily 10:00 AM. Checked my cell when I got out and confirmed that it was, indeed, 10:30 PM Sunday night. According to Facebook, I had updated my status right before I crashed, at 3:17 PM Sunday afternoon. Evidently, I kept drinking and playing 21 from before dawn on Sunday until into the second halves of the late games. Oops.

Now there were only about 11 hours to kill before my flight home on Monday morning. What to do?

To be concluded...

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WPBT 2009 - The Bacardi Diaries, Part 2

2009-12-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

So after a few hours of drunken sleep, I managed to get myself out of bed around 9:30 AM and grabbed a quick greasy breakfast to try to soak up the remnants of the previous night's libations. A little after 11, I meandered over to the Caesar's poker room and registered early since I didn't really have anything better to do.

My expectations for the tournament were exceedingly low. I was, of course, the stone cold worst poker player in the room. Since I couldn't get anything going in the early stages, I was stuck playing the brand of short stack poker I have grown accustomed to. Thankfully, I got exceedingly lucky a few times.

I did manage to drop one hammer to take down a pot pre-flop, and used my tighty image to pick up a few others with rather marginal holdings to stay afloat. Then I inflicted the first and worst bad beat I put on anyone. It folded to me on the button so I shipped around 12BB all in with A7o. Unfortunately for him, SB was sitting on JJ, called, hit top set, and watched me go runner-runner straight to steal 3/4 of his stack.

I managed to get my stack above the average in the room when I reraised (all in) a very active CJ with 88. I knew I had absolutely no fold equity, but was willing to race for the chance at a double. What I didn't expect was for the BB to consider himself getting good odds and call also. Instant nausea. However, it managed to hold up against 98s (BB) and AQo (CJ). Unexpected triple up. At some point, I busted Otis with some junk like QJo when I decided to defend my BB and it wasn't too much more to call.

Then I got moved to Al's table. Buckle in, it's going to get bumpy.

Blinds were up to something like 2k/4k with a 500 ante so there wasn't much play available to most of us. I open shoved 3 hands in a row at one point and, luckily, was only called the third time. When I had AA. That got me up to around 70k and was second in chips at the table. To Al. Blinds and antes started to eat away at my stack as the chip leader was just bludgeoning the table and nobody seemed to find anything they wanted to go to war with. At last, he managed to fold a hand and I looked down at AKs. Good enough, ship it. This time Bam Bam, immediately on my left, called all in with KK for about 1/2 my stack. An Ace right in the door provided my second filthy beat. Sorry man. But your bounty was killer.

Somehow, I managed to survive long enough to make it to the final table but found myself with the aggressive FTrain and Al, sitting on large stacks to my right. Trying to find a spot proves quite difficult under those circumstances. There were probably 5 or 6 hands that I would have gladly opened with, but none that I really wanted to reraise with, with no hope of receiving a fold in return. At the end, I made my last stand when I was able to get it in first, but with a measly A2s. I'm a bit surprised that Astin called with just 44, considering the number of times I had folded, but he did and spiked a set so that was that. My 6th place finish was about 80 places higher than I had anticipated going in, so I call that a win. Plus I was able to yuck it up with the rest of the die hards who had gathered to rail the last table. Good stuff.

Anyway, having spent the day detoxing, and now that the tournament was behind me, I realized that some food was in order before jumping back into the rum pool. A quick bite at the IP Burger Palace did the trick and I was all set to really immerse myself in that which is WPBT, but we'll save that part of the story for Part 3...

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

WPBT 2009 - The Bacardi Diaries, Part 1

2009-12-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

The question is, how does a non-writer make sense out of three days where time and space had absolutely no meaning? At some points, time seemed to be frozen, while at others, what seemed like 2 hours was actually 8. Night became day, day became night. The only constants being the people, the cards, and the booze although even that hierarchy shuffled itself numerous times.

Let's start at the beginning, then, shall we? I landed at McCarran on time, just after 6:30 PM local time. Coupled with a non-existant taxi line, I was checked into the IP by 7:30. Next stop was the MGM. Nothing like feeling conspicuously anonymous watching table 16 with awe, and just a bit of fear, waiting for someone I had previously met to remember that they had. Finally, I decided to press the issue and make some reintroductions which were met cordially. Either folks have the best recollections for names and faces I have ever seen, or are really good liars. Either way, I wasn't complaining.

After about an hour I ran into Falstaff, Doc, Rooster, and Kat. Thankfully, they did all remember me without too much difficulty. At that point, though, it was just about time to form up the convoy to GVR.

STEEL F'N PANTHER.

Holy crap. What an amazing time that is. I had written that into the to-do list right at the top, and will never miss another one. Between the old school hair metal and the free flowing alcohol, I managed to talk at least briefly with over half the folks that made the journey. The band played a single one hour set, but I was more than satisifed. Afterward, many of the folk decided to hang there at the poker room, but I caught a cab back to IP with CA April and CJ. Just in time to watch Iggy pouring Waffles into a cab bound for God knows where.

After a brief respite at the Geisha bar, it was finally time to put some money in play. Pai Gow, up about $15 plus about 5 Bacardi and diets. Craps, don't remember, but I do remember lots of cocktail service. Finally I went over to the poker room for a little 2/4 LHE. I never play cash NLHE when I've been drinking. Ever. And I certainly planned on the drinking to continue. There were about 7 or 8 already playing when I sat down and, over the next hour or two, they all either gave up or went broke. I shut down the table after playing an off duty dealer heads up and took her last $30. After tips (dealers and waitresses) and rake, I was probably still up about $80.

It must have been around 5:00 AM by then and I had been up for around 26 hours, but since day 1 was merely an appetizer, I decided to grab a couple hours of sleep before the main course. On tap for Saturday... the tournament at Caesar's followed by shenanigans yet to be determined.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Winter Gathering - A Preamble

2009-12-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

Need a little time to reflect upon my 3 days amongst the luminaries, dignataries, and other random degens at the WPBT, 2009 Edition. However, I did figure I would run through Pauly's check list after the fact to see how I did at a high level.

1. Cut back on sleep immediately. I never sleep well anyway, so this was not a problem.

2. Sip, don't chug. Does sipping really fast count as chugging?

3. Water and Motrin are your best friend. Tylenol, check. Water, probably could have used more.

4. Bring a cell phone charger. Check.

5. Take pictures. FAIL

6. Ask before you post pictures on the internet. N/A

7. Speak your mind and stay in the moment. Mission accomplished, hopefully. Level of assholedness to be determined by peer review.

8. Understand that it will be impossible to spend quality time with everyone. Obv.

9. Don't be Gigli. Is final table Gigli?

10. Never underestimate the importance of a $20 tip. FAIL

11. Food is fuel. The tank seemed to be getting pretty good mileage out in the desert.

12. Wear comfortable shoes. Always.

13. Bring a watch. That's what cell phones are for.

14. Keep your gambling bankroll separate from your other cash. Other cash?

15. $50 bills are bad luck. Natch.

16. Avoid the slots. There are slots in Las Vegas?

17. Don't tell people at your poker table that you have a poker blog. I don't really have one, so not a problem.

18. Bring a jacket and sunglasses. Jacket was a good call. But doesn't one need to actually see the sun to need glasses to defend against it?

19. Never burn the locals. Just 2/4 LHE donkey poker. Nothing too bad.

20. Don't get rolled by a hooker. There are hookers in Las Vegas?

21. Avoid hangovers. Stay drunk. Check and mate.

22. Get off the Strip. STEEL PANTHER!!!

23. Don't die. Month isn't over yet, but it didn't happen in Nevada.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

48 And Counting

2009-12-09T17:20:00.000-05:00

Just 48 more hours until my plane to Vegas should be somewhere over Kentucky.

Of course, I'm currently 3/4 of the way through a 14 hour a day work bender trying to bang out 7 days worth of deliverables in 4 days so I fully expect the time to pass pretty quickly.

Plus I needed to get something else in this space to take the place of that last piece of crap I posted. Kids and work. Work and kids. Lather, rinse, repeat.

See ya Friday evening, Sin City.

Poker Under The Sea

2009-12-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

Seven days and counting. And based on what follows, it is abundantly clear that I need to get away. Too much kid stuff and not enough adult debauchery. That. Shall. Change. For a long weekend, at least.

In lieu of anything thought provoking or even interesting in the least, here's some nonsense about what the poker scene would look like in Bikini Bottom.

Sponge Bob Square Pants - Also known as Bikini Bottom Square, Sponge Bob traded in his jellyfishing net for a seat at the aquatic felt. Much like his previous hobby, though, he has an affinity for refusing to scoop any pot he wins, preferring to release the chips back into the wild. Needless to say, when he is playing, the rail can become quite the profitable location.

Patrick Star - Although Patrick lives under a rock, that classification certainly cannot be applied to his game. Playing every hand, inevitably someone will need to call for a clock at which point Patrick will usually attempt to order a sandwich from the dealer. Other than his best friend, no one really likes being at the table with him.

Eugene H Krabs - Tiring of sobbing uncontrollably every time he was forced to post a blind or ante, Mr. Krabs decided to make some easy money opening the Krusty Kasino. This player friendly establishment offers such amenities as a 25% rake and full price cocktails at the tables.

Sandy Cheeks - She's from Texas y'all, nuff said.

Squidward Tentacles - The underwater poker brat is constantly perplexed by the play of all of the bottom feeders surrounding him at the table. Squidward tries to apply level 3 thinking to his opponents, like Patrick, who don't realize that they aren't actually at Super Weenie Hut. The result? The blow ups are spectacular.

Ugh, I could go on but why bother? Dumbest. Post. Ever. T-7 days until the Vegas retreat. Boy do I need it.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Book It!

2009-10-16T12:52:00.000-04:00

Flight and hotel have been reserved for Vegas. PHL > LAS 12/11 arriving around dinner time. LAS > PHL 12/14 leaving after breakfast.

Going to be a loooonnnng 7 weeks.

Take Off To The Great White North... Ok, Not Quite

2009-08-31T12:44:00.002-04:00

Although we didn't actually make it over the border, we took the family almost 500 miles north from southeastern PA to the coast of Maine for a week long, much needed vacation. Since family oriented trip reports aren't nearly as fun as those other kinds (check back mid-December for the next one), I'll be brief.

Friday - left around 5:00, grabbed dinner along the way in NJ, and found a place to crash in MA around 11:30 PM.

Saturday - finished the drive after the wife mandated pit stops in Kittery and Freeport. Arrived at our cabin on Georgetown Island around dinner time, grabbed some grub and chilled for the rest of the night.

Sunday - Reid State Park - although the beaches were all closed (something about a bill out in the ocean), kids has a good time in the lagoon. Let me tell you, though, 18-20 foot waves crashing down on a rocky coastline are really impressive.

Monday - only bad weather of the whole week. We took the kids to see Shorts at the closest metroplex on the mainland. The 8 year old LOVED it. The 4-1/2 year old realized that she really likes goobers (the chocolate covered peanuts, you scum bag).

Tuesday - York Wild Kingdom & Amusement Park - the 2 hour drive each way pretty much made this the only event of the day. Nothing compared to America's oldest zoo, but still cool to get within 5 feet of a full grown bengal tiger.

Wednesday - Popham Beach State Park - arrived half way between low and high tides. Stayed until the land bridge between the beach and Fox Island was completely covered by the returning waters. Typical beach day with small children.

Thursday - returned to Popham, but right before low tide. Climbed to the top of Fox Island, helped the kids try to find some sand dollars (we found 4 good ones), and some more time in the water and on the sand. Then back to Freeport (where it wouldn't suffer from weekend crowding) for the obligatory souvenir shopping.

Friday - a morning boat ride and tour of Robinhood Cove courtesy of our cordial host, followed by some kayaking. Then the wife took the girls blueberry picking while I got everything together and into the car. I was determined to make it all the way home without stopping and, despite the torrential downpours that started halfway through Massachusetts, managed to get home by 12:30 Saturday morning.

Yikes, that was some family friendly week. I'm bored just having typed it. Just over 3 months until Vegas where there will be absolutely no thoughts of blueberries or sand dollars.

Saturday was my fanatasy football draft where I think I put together the most meh team in history. I got to pick 9th in a 10 team league and after my starters were set, I mostly concentrated on possible good value position picks. My roster, in as close to drafted order as I can remember: Andre Johnson, Chris Johnson, Roddy White, Pierre Thomas, Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez, Matt Cassel, Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler, Jericho Cotchery, Titans DST, Mason Crosby, Jeremy Shockey, and Ricky Williams.

At least I'm not going into the season starting Laurence Maroney and Ronnie Brown as my running backs like last year. Oh wait, I won my league last year. Interestingly, none of the Patriots RBBC was drafted, but all of both the Giants' and Titans' were.

Every year, we try to set a team name theme. This year we finally got around to a Simpson's theme. I am The Flying Hellfish. Best name? Nerds Pummelled In Football Melee. Worst Name? Fat Bald Guy.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

My Vick Dilemma

2009-08-19T11:31:00.002-04:00

Last week on Facebook, I publicly asserted that the signing of Michael Vick officially made the Philadelphia Eagles dead to me. Was this a knee-jerk reaction based more on emotion than on an internal logical conclusion? Probably.

Am I stating now that I have absolutely no problem with bringing in a player who commited, was convicted of, and served 2 years for an absolutely abhorrent act? No. Resoundingly.

However, upon deeper reflection, am I also willing to discard almost 35 years of faithful fandom to an admittedly frustrating football franchise based on what seems to be a poor decision by management? I don't think I can.

If this was purely a decision that the coaching staff and front office made, that would be one thing. I could easily separate my distaste for the signing from my love of the team. But it was reported that Donovan McNabb actively campaigned to bring this guy in. And that complicates things for me. What were HIS motivations for such action? Does he know things about Vick that are not widely reported or is there something else?

Of course, Jeff Lurie said all the right things at the press conference introducing his newest Eagle. And it really sounded like he struggled with the decision, having put Vick through an extremely rough interview process before agreeing to proceed. Make no mistake, I don't believe that Michael Vick needs to merely show that he is reformed. Just one slip up, and the owner has already promised he is gone. He needs to go out of his way to attempt to mend his reputation as a human being. Above and beyond. Way above.

That means lots of dollars to the local SPCA's, shelters, and rescue organizations.

That means volunteer time at one or more of the above on a continual basis. Bathing strays, cleaning shit out of kennel runs, anything and everything.

That means speaking engagements and PSA's.

And that means never, and I mean never, have contact with anyone associated even tangentally with that operation.

This man is going to be under the microscope, and I honestly hope that he has been reborn in a way. For his sake, and for the sake of my team. I will leave it to the offensive coaching staff to make the best use of his unique on field talents and I have no doubt that it will be at least mildly successful. A guaranteed deep playoff run again? I don't think this guarantees anything, but with the proper schemes and some good fortune on the injury front, the Eagles go from having a lot of questions offensively pre-draft to a downright scary team for an opposing defensive coordinator to prepare for.

So what have I really been blabbering about? I am retaining my fandom and going to take a wait and see attitude with Vick in particular. I hope I'm not let down.

I'll let you know in Vegas at the Winter Gathering.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Keg's Almost Kicked, But I Made It To The Party

2009-06-01T10:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the first Riverchasers TOC of 2009. Making these it not all that hard. In fact, 400 donkeys are invited for each one, in each region. So having qualified for each and every one since I started playing in Riggs' little sandbox a little over 3 years ago is, to me, really no big deal. In fact, during one cycle, I was able to qualify in both regions. Unfortunately, back then, both tournaments were held on the same day, so i was SOL.

The bigger accomplishment is that around 225 of the 400 show up each time around and I have been heads up at the end of the last 2, having won the last. Previously though, the final tables in each region would reconvene at the Borgata for a 2 table freeze out, with the winner grabbing a buyin to a major tournament there. This time, there is a TOC day 2 involved where each day 1 is played down to 30 and stopped. Then, those 60 players combine to finish off the tournament with whatever stacks they had remaining. Essentially, the individual regions no longer have their own TOC, but each make up a day 1.

Anyway, it was a super deepstack, slow (for riverchasers) structure that held the potential for a lot of play. Everyone started with T400, level 1 was 1/2 (no antes at any point), and 30 minute levels. I generally played my tight game, but called a few more raises in position with speculative cards. I won't go through the entire 6 hours of play, but will note a few of the key hands that I was involved in.

I called a raise from LP with 44 against a known LAG and flopped a set. When he bet out, I min raised on the rainbow flop as I was only mildly concerned about a possible straight draw and wanted to build the pot a little. I raised bigger against the same opponent earlier with a flopped set and he folded. Lo and behold, the case 4 comes on the turn and he leads again which I call. The straight card comes on the river and he fires a 3rd bullet. I honestly thought he was stronger than he was and massively overbet to which he folds 66 unimproved face up. Damn.

Later I called another raise with 7c5c in position that I knew would also get flatted by the pre-raise limpers. Flop is AQ7 with 2 crubs and I knew I wasn't going anywhere. Yet. Limpers checked as did the raiser who I observed as one who tries to slow play big hands, so I took the free card and hit my flush. After another pair of checks, he fires T100 (pot-sized) and I call. I'm not thrilled with a 7 high flush, but I can't put him on a made flush unless he raised with something like KJc or KTc. The other players get out of the way and the flop pairs the 7. I'm less than thrilled, but call the second 100 chip bet. He tables AQ for a flopped two pair and says show me two clubs in quite the condescending manner. So I do. He mutters about 75 suited for the next 15 minutes until JJ cracks his AA and is gone.

Soon after that, millerd33 gets moved to my table directly on my right and all hell breaks loose. He is already short stacked, and starts open shoving with alternately air and big cards. He has most of the entire table on tilt but I just laugh about it with him. Right up until he forgot that the BB will defend with almost any 2 cards and shoved with 6 high and couldn't catch up to KJo.

Right before miller's exit, I open-raised with AhQh from the SB and got flatted by a notoriously tight BB. Flop was jack high with 2 hearts and I check raised her for the rest of her stack, but she had the one hand in her range I didn't want to see, JJ. I really thought that my A was still live when she bet out (I had her on KK or QQ at that point) and that I was about 50/50 and willing to race. Oops. Down from T1300 back to a starting stack.

Doubled with QTo through the same guy who busted miller when I four flushed his KQ. Then I got a little revenge on JJ when I completed from the SB with T7o with a few limpers already along for the ride. I bet the T74 rainbow flop and BB called. Limpers got out of the way. A 6 came on the turn and I shipped the rest of it and she called with 55 for an OESD and 4th pair. After fading the 3, 5, and 8, I was up to around T2600 and there were under 40 left in the room.

We broke down to 4 9-handed tables and I decided that it was time to try to accumulate some chips for day 2. The shorties were desparately trying to hang on (why I have no idea as this wasn't a satellite) and the big stacks at my table we generally willing to coast. After a few hands, I picked up AhQh again in MP and raised 3x BB to T600. The tournament chip leader who had just been moved to our table was in the BB and had a tad over 6000. She had seemed willing to coast, but when she looked at her cards, shrugged, called, and bet 1/2 pot on an A75 flop. I called, hoping to solicit a turn check where I could take the pot, but instead she put me all in when the turn brought a K. At this point, we are on the day 2 bubble, and I'm down to T1400 so I tank for a good 2 minutes. Eventually I come to the conclusion that she really is strong and fold. She flips A7o for the flopped top 2. FAWK.

The bubble bursts at another table during our next hand, so I made day 2, but not in the position I was hoping to be in. 214 showed up to play in the Eastern day 1, so about 86,000 chips are moving on for an average stack size of a little under T3000 and the chip leader with around 8 or 9k. The blinds were stopped at 100/200 when we got down to 35, so hopefully we play level 1 starting from there. If we pick back up at 200/400, even the chip leaders will have less than 20 BB to start and that will make for some sub-optimal poker to say the least. Personally, I'm hoping for a 50/100 start so that chip leaders will be rewarded with approximately a standard riverchasers starting stack (usually 100BB) and the rest of us, while (much) shorter will still have some hope. I know multi-day tournaments generally don't work that way, but this is all new for RPT and they are pretty good at finding and implementing creative solutions to less than ideal circumstances.

fawking AQ. I call it Al Qaeda for a reason. It always blows up in your face making playing it a suicide mission.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T08:15:00.003-04:00

Take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice made by current and past generations to sustain a level of freedom where you can do this with your free time:

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Indoctrination... Complete

2009-05-20T12:33:00.002-04:00

Saturday was my older daughter's first communion. I'm not Catholic. I wasn't raised under any form of Christianity whatsoever. And today, honestly, I can't say I'm really anything of that nature. My wife, however, is. So I went along with the program. Let my daughter develop the same level of cynicism that I have on her own.

That morning really reinforced my feelings, though, toward organized religion of any sort. Stand up, sit down, kneel, sing this song, lather, rinse, repeat.

I was a little saddened, actually, by the sheepishness of it all. I don't mean to offend either of you who read this drivel, and if you take solace in your weekly spiritual rejuvenation that way, I'm glad it works for you. Me? I just see a 2,000 year old global enterprise, with generationally instilled brand loyalty, brainwashing its customer base on a weekly basis under the guise of a reward program that they will never have to provide. All this for only 10% per annum.

That's just the church. I don't doubt that the premise and goal are the same across the board, just the methodology and specific script are different. Sad. And now my daughter is officially in the fold. Hopefully she will come to her senses over time, but I won't do or say anything to encourage/discourage her ultimate decision.

I think I prefer the gospel according to the Wyld Stallyns. Two simple commandments. Be excellent to each other. Party on. Fathers Preston and Logan nailed that one.

Anyway, I'm looking for some other 40ish year old musicians to start a basement band. I want to call it "Mid-Life Crisis". Suburban Philly area. People with day jobs. Maybe pick up a gig every once in a blue moon. Just for the fawk of it. Know anyone? Leave it in the comments.

Wow, that was post #100? Pretty anticlimactic.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Tax Day

2009-04-15T13:13:00.003-04:00

On this, the holiest day of the redistributionist calendar, I can only reflect on what is, and what should be...

Nothing is given to man on earth except a potential and the material on which to actualize it. The potential is a superlative machine: his consciousness; but it is a machine without a spark plug, a machine of which his will must be the spark plug, the self-starter and the driver; he has to discover how to use it and he has to keep it in constant action. The material is the whole of the universe, with no limits set to the knowledge he can acquire and to the enjoyment of life he can achieve. But everything he needs or desires has to be learned, discovered or produced by him––by his own choice; by his own effort; by his own mind. - The Objectivist Ethics

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Sageness of the Boomtown Rats

2009-03-23T12:30:00.003-04:00

I don't like Mondays. And the Monday after L.O.A.D.? Ooomph.

It's been years since I could physically handle the cabin for an entire weekend. Eventually, the body just can't handle that kind of abuse. Evidently, 12 hours is my rapidly approaching breaking point.

Rolled into the lodge around 2 P.M. Saturday afternoon and, after a badly needed trip to the bathroom and some brief greetings to those already gathered, went directly to one side of the improvised outdoor beer pong table. I was lights out in game 1, taking out 7 of the 10 cups on our way to a 3 cup victory. Game 2 was a more team based triumph, going down to the final cups. The knock out blow was self-inflicted as an opponent miscue sent the terminal volley directly into his team's final cup. Never seen it before, might not ever see it again. A win is a win.

Thus concluded beer pong. No more takers. Obviously our karma was entirely too strong for anyone else to want to try to test.

There might have been a tales game break out after that. Remaining details of the night are sketchy at best.

Hey, poker content!!! Micro poker, but still...

We played 2 5-man SNGs. I went gigli in both. In the first, I ran with a semi-bluff one street too many into a guy who I later realized was going to showdown if he was in the hand. Every time. Card death plus drunken luckboxy calling station (DLCS) never shows good results. Finally ran presto into AK and, since I am actually J.D. McDuffie, lost the race and was gone. Tried to play much tighter in the second one, but of course ran 77 into DLCS's KK and stacked myself. Even morons have a hand sometimes. Even morons have a hand sometimes. Of course, he didn't win either game.

Being quite frustrated, I tried to transition the game into a cash table. 3 handed. Me, DLCS, and one other unfortunate soul. .10/.20 NLHE. Huge stakes, I know, but the average pot was actually around $15. DLCS was raising 2 of every 3 hands to $3.00 pre-flop. Usually blind. We each bought in for 200 BBs so, theoretically, we should have been able to play some good deep stack poker. Should have been. I dropped 85% of my buy-in, most of which came in two hands that DLCS rivered a winner. 30 minutes later, the game ended and I cashed out +25 BBs.

Finally, the table was usurped for Whales Tales. L.O.A.D. is generally the one place where you will find a professional grade game of Tales and this was no exception. And if that wasn't enough, one of the older guys threw in a new rule as a challenge. Between that, the frequent golden chairs, and the bottle of Sambuca on the table to supplement all the malted goodness, my destiny was just about set. The intermittent hiccups were the final straw.

I finally gave in around 1:00 AM, tried one last time to banish the diaphragmatic contractions and, unable to do so, curled up on the floor in the side bedroom. The problem was that the terminal point in the day's digestive process wound up being the northernmost egress. Not good. But the kick in the junk? DLCS was the only one in the room who managed to sleep through the yacking. One last one-outer and he didn't even know it.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Leave Your Voter Registration Card At The Door

2009-03-05T16:19:00.003-05:00

Seriously? Who are these 24% and why do they still have a say in things that effect me and my family?

From the raw data of a recent Opinion Dynamics pool...

12. In thinking about funding the federal government, which of the following
statements do you believe?

1. The federal government has plenty of money of its own without using
taxpayer dollars, or
2. The federal government is entirely funded by taxes and
taxpayer dollars
3. (Neither)
4. (Don't know)


              Government    Government funded
              has own money by taxpayers       (Neither) (Don’t know)
3-4 Mar 09        24%              65              8          3
Democrats         26%              62              8          3
Republicans       21%              68              7          4
Independents      24%              67              6          3

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

On The Origin Of Species

2009-02-12T10:52:00.002-05:00

Sharks and other smaller fish. They existed happily in the same seas for a long time obeying the natural predator/prey relationships.

In a fluke accident, an asteroid, the Moneymaker, collided with the known world setting off a chain of events eventually known as the Binion-Harrah (B-H) Boundary. The seas boiled and many areas of land were uncovered, previously barren of life. In these areas, huge numbers of braying quadrupeds emerged, evidently mesmerized by the aftereffects of the asteroid strike.

The sharks found themselves competing with these wild, unpredictable creatures for sustenance and many could never overcome the typically irrational behavior exhibited by the newcomers. Only time will tell whether this will lead to a mass extinction event, but certainly there have already been many deaths...

Happy 200th Chuck!

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Back To Back

2009-02-09T09:59:00.002-05:00

Not only did I accomplish my goal in making consecutive Riverchasers TOC final tables, I improved on last trimester's 2nd place finish. The Eastern TOC was on Saturday, which I could not make, so I trekked 2 friggin hours from north of Philly to Hershey on Sunday to play with the hillbillies in Central. Banjos were wayyyyy more than dueling. Seriously.

Maybe I'll fill in some of the detail as the work day goes on, but just a few tidbits...

-- I was down to 1/2 BB and all-in blind in the SB when at 100/200 (level 9).
-- KTo can beat KJs and AKo AIPF when it needs to
-- 83o if perfectly acceptable to call off your stack with, assuming the correct conditions

Borgata bound on March 22 for a 1 in 20 shot at a big buy in (to what I don't remember, and I can't get to RPT from work to check). And from what I hear, there are not nearly as many players to be concerned with this time around. Can't do worse than the 17th place egg I laid 4 months ago. Do not go broke with TPTK, do not go broke with TPTK (especially holding AJs).

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

When Bacon Explodes

2009-02-06T11:17:00.003-05:00

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html

5000 calories of bacon and other associated pork fats. Dinner for 10 or an afternoon snack for Al and a date.

What had me rolling was the closing quote used in the wiki article I found this bad boy on:

After preparing a version of the dish, Andrew Vennari of the San Francisco Food Examiner said the dish tasted better than expected, "but I didn't learn the true meaning of the bacon explosion until the next day."

Riverchasers TOC on Sunday in Hershey. Let's see if I can put together back-to-back final tables at this bad boy (2nd place last time).

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Steel Panther

2009-01-29T15:01:00.002-05:00

I've read the reviews of those who made the trek to see these guys during the seasonal gatherings and I was quite intrigued. So, lo and behold, evidently Steel Panther is releasing some new original music (available on iTunes since Monday) and already into the regular rotation on Octane on Sirius/XM.

If "Death To All But Metal" is indicative of what these guys are all about, I HAVE to get my ass to GVR the next time I make the trip to Vegas.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Well I Guess I'm, Ummm, That Guy

2009-01-16T09:48:00.005-05:00

That guy.

It's a description that never comes in a positive connotation. You use it for the person at the party that thinks everyone is laughing with him, but they're actually laughing AT him. The guy who pukes in the kitchen sink. Or the guy that every woman in the room is trying to avoid. And it usually follows, "Don't be..."

On the other side of the coin, "that guy" is also the chap who is so nondescript, so uninteresting that you barely remember him even being somewhere. "You know, that guy, the one with the shirt..." Completely unmemorable.

Anyway, I'm not going to say where or by who, but there I was in a series of photos from the 2008 BASH. All the others were either accurately captioned or the unknowns in the shot were just not mentioned. This one was just me. Captioned "ummm, that guy".

My question is, why post it at all if you don't know who the only person in the picture is? And a full profile no less. My self-confidence isn't all that robust to begin with. Reinforcement of my anonymous hideousness doesn't help. Or maybe I was wearing the proverbial lamp shade that night. At least it's Friday. And a 3 day weekend. Now I can bury my head in the sand for half a week and know that no one will notice and/or remember.

Weeeee.... Eagles/Cards on Sunday. I hate having the Eagles in a championship game as a favorite. No good ever comes of it. They should win but, everytime I think about it, I throw up inside. Just a little. Eagles vs. Steelers rematch in the Super Bowl. I hope.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

To The Desert We Go

2009-01-12T12:41:00.003-05:00

What else can I say other than "great game"? Probably not so great for a Giants' fan, but I'm not one so who cares? Anyway, for those Eagles' fans who are unable to get the home feed, click the link below for the video highlights. Merrill Reese calls all of the good stuff for the Eagles. Additional comment by me is undesired and unnecessary.

Eagles/Giants Highlights

Two more rematches to go and Philadelphia can forget their championship drought for even longer. And then the pressure goes back on the Phillies to repeat. Who would've thought?

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Generic Pre-Weekend Post

2009-01-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

Sunday. Eagles. Giants. Meadowlands. Cold. Wind. Playoffs.

Nothing matches when two NFC East teams get to play for a third time in a season. As expected, I will be getting together with a few friends to watch the game at an establishment known for their wings and being tacky. Actually, their wings suck and their beer is overpriced, but it is centrally located to the four of us and the scenery inside is generally voluptuous.

Playing the Giants, I thought back to a song parody one of the local sports talk stations put together back in the mid-late 90's. For some reason, I seem to remember it was directed at the Rangers but the sentiment would still hold. Think of a typical South Philly guy trying to mimic Frank Sinatra... "And don't for-get, New York, you suck!" I failed in my attempt at finding either the clip or even just the lyrics so you'll have to trust me.

Could this be McNabb's last game in Philly? Will his #5 be purple next year? Can anyone honestly tell me that the Vikings don't beat the Eagles last week if they had McNabb at QB? We know Andy Reid will be back, but will Donovan hold out for a contract redo that Jeff/Joe won't want to do? Should be an interesting offseason here in Eaglestown but, until then, Fly Eagles Fly!!

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

An Institute You Can't Disparage

2009-01-08T16:22:00.004-05:00

Denial. It's not just a river in Africa. It seems my parents are (at least mildly) racist and will not accept the fact. Mom picks up the younger girl from school once a week and then I join them for dinner when I go get her to bring her home. Anyway, Dad likes to keep the tv on during dinner and a clip comes on of Michael Steele, ex Lt. Gov of Maryland. Also, African-American. Mom goes, "Oh, we really like him. He's so articulate." What? Why that word? To me, that implies that her assumption is that he would NOT be articulate and that she was surprised and pleased that he is. And why would that be? I asked her if she would have said the same thing about a white guy and got back something incoherent about Barney Frank being white and inarticulate and her not liking him.

Now, if Barney Frank had been on tv instead, I'm sure I would've gotten something about how he's a moron, or his politics suck. Then maybe something about his mumbling to pile on. Instead, even though I know she agrees wholeheartedly with his politics and there are many other fine primary descriptors she could have used, she went right to articulate. Could I be wrong here?

Anyway, TV Thursday... January 8, 2009:

Married With Children. The best show to ever air. Period.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Change, Stasis, What's The Difference?

2009-01-07T15:31:00.002-05:00

I don't think Ayman al-Zawahiri would make all that great a poker player. He seems incapable of switching gears, regardless of the others involved in the game. George W Bush was definitely a LAG president with no desire to ever play small ball. P.E.B.O.? He's registered for the tournament, but his cards don't fly for another 2 weeks. We shall see.

From the AP, via msnbc.com...

In the comments, which were posted on a militant Web site and obtained by the SITE Monitoring Service, al-Zawahiri described Israel's actions in Gaza as a "crusade against Islam and Muslims" and called it "Obama's gift to Israel" before he takes office later this month.

"This is Obama whom the American machine of lies tried to portray as the rescuer who will change the policy of America," al-Zawahiri said, according to SITE. "He kills your brothers and sisters in Gaza mercilessly and without affection."

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

I Want To Puke

2009-01-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=9613572&nav=menu578_2

Drunk? That pissed off? Some of both?

New Year's Eve was the last time Andrew Smith saw his neighbors and fellow Warm Springs Tribe friends, Hannah Crowe and Julian Wallulatum. The last time
alive, that is.
Almost three days later, their neighbors' three older children came to his door, hungry and worried about their parents, locked behind their bedroom door. The horrible truth came soon after: The couple had died in a murder-suicide, their infant at their side. And their three other children had been in the apartment ever since.
It was a gruesome scene, one that Smith says he'll never be able to forget. "They had the same clothes on from the day I left them, on New Year's Eve," he said. Clothes soaked in blood, with their baby beside them, her shirt also covered in blood, as she sat in her own feces.

I've said it before in this blog, but it bears repeating right now. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?????

Tune Tuesday is cancelled. I'm too pissed off at the world. Go hug your kids. I can't wait to get home to hug mine.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

How About A Nice Greasy Pork Sandwich...

2009-01-05T10:03:00.004-05:00

First the good...

Eagles 26, Vikings 14. As expected. Next Sunday at NYG +4.5 seems about right. Birds pretty much need to execute the same game plan again. Stop/contain Brandon Jacobs and pressure the crap out of Eli Manning. With Eagle killer Plaxico not an option, this game should be a FG difference one way or the other.

Congratulations to my wife for successfully finishing the Advanced Rally title she was striving for in Syracuse. They scored 90 and 99 (with 70 needed for qualification) on the back to back trials to complete the 3 required legs.

But the bad...

Both she and the 7 year old came home with some nasty stomach virus. The girl lost an entire day's meals right before she went to bed and the wife, although keeping the inside stuff inside for now, is not tempting fate and taking a sick day.

Movie Monday, January 5 2009...

Continuing today's vomit theme, for your consideration, I offer 80's cheeseball comedy Weird Science. "He pukes, you die!" Cross War Games with Frankenstein and stick Kelly LeBrock in skimpy outfits and there you are. There's probably something in there too about teenagers with low self esteem finding and bringing out their inner confidence as an initial step on the path to manhood. But I digress.

But no discussion of movies and vomit would be complete without paying homage to Wil Weaton (and a few other Hollywood nobodies) in the timeless adaptation of Stephen King's novella, The Body.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Ugh, You Call This A Weekend?

2009-01-02T21:38:00.004-05:00

Wife took the 7 year old and two of the dogs to obedience trials this weekend in Syracuse. This is relevant as it means I'm left home with the other 3 of her dogs and the 4 year old. But not complaining (too much) gets me MY occasional weekend away in, say, Vegas. Quid. Pro. Quo.

Eagles are -3 on the road in Minnesota after just squeaking into the playoffs. You should be embarrased if you are a division winner and a home dog to a 9-6-1 wild card team. Any Viking fans will need to be suitably humble if in attendence at the '09 Bash after their team goes one and done for the '08-'09 post-season. Maybe having to sing Fly, Eagles Fly while arm wrestling or something.

Fan Boy Friday, January 2 2009...

That was it. I'm just doing a preview of a game I will most certainly be watching. In my living room. With my 4 year old. She'll demand to wear her "5" jersey if I'm wearing mine. Might have to just cause she's so damn cute in hers. However, I WILL be meeting the boys at a local watering hole for Eagles/Giants part 3 next weekend. That will not be negotiable.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

We're Off To Outer Space

2009-01-01T20:13:00.006-05:00

First off, who cares about the stupid Rose Bowl? Once the Lions lost to Iowa and screwed themselves out of any hope of playing for a national title, it didn't matter. Right? Not right. I hate seeing them getting embarrassed on a national stage, especially when it will continue to get them stereoyped as an overrated Big 10 school. I guess not so unjustifiably.

Eagles / Vikings in 3 days. Let's keep the magic of Philly sports in 2008 going for a few more weeks.

Now back to the charade...

T.V. Thursday, January 1 2009:

This week's selection is one that gives me the comforting warm fuzzies. It was probably my favorite show while growing up, even though it was only shown for a year or so here in the U.S. Each series was actually an entire continuous plot line and I never saw the final 2 episodes when I was young and finally decided to find them on youtube a couple of weeks ago.

STARBLAZERS

I was a geek 25 years ago and very little has changed.

And ck, if you want poker content, it'll show up here occasionally but I'm not planning on talking about it unless I get myself to AC or play in a TOC. No one cares about the poker thoughts of a freeroller/micro stakes donkey.

There go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

If A Tree Falls On A Blogger...

2008-12-30T22:10:00.008-05:00

Actually, if a blogger who nobody reads doesn't post for 2 months, does anyone notice? Does anyone care? Methinks no. Not really too much going on other than laziness that kept me away from the old blog. New job. Quit smoking after 20 years. Commitment to get to the gym a couple times a week. Won my fantasy football league. That kind of nothing.

So, now that we are on the cusp of another new year, I have found that most of those typical things I might resolve to (but never) do in the coming year have already been done over the last couple months. What to do? Since nobody reads anyway, nobody will care if I hijack my own blog in the hopes that it might stimulate some actual good content. It probably won't, but at least it will keep my post count ticking upward.

To that end, I resolve to post each and every weekday of 2009. However, I usually don't have anything to say, so I'm implementing one of those lame weekly list thingies. For the coming year, we will have:

Movie Monday
Tune Tuesday (group, album, song, or concert)
Wildcard Wednesday (whatever I feel like typing about)
T.V. Thursday
Fan Boy Friday (sporting events I personally attended, watched on tv, or heard on the radio)

On each day, I will post about something related to the daily theme. It could be (and probably will be if I know myself) as simple as a one line post, but hopefully just the act of logging on everyday will start the flow of the creative juices. To that end, I might as well get started a day early...

Wildcard Wednesday, December 31 2008.... from the genre of music:

The new job blocks many fewer web sites and I am able to fire up the Sirius media player to keep me going all day. Lo and behold, on comes a song by Apocalyptica. Could it actually be the same group? Those 4 long haired cello playing Finns with a passion for metal? I was first aware of them at the start of the decade when I heard about their cd of all Metallica covers. On cello. Nice.

Their next cd (Inquisition Symphony) included a few more Metallica covers, covers of Faith No More, Sepultura, and Pantera, and a couple of originals to boot. They also improved the mix of the different "voices" which I found slightly annoying on the first disc. Two of the songs that transformed incredibly are "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Fade To Black", found in their original forms on (arguably) Metallica's best album, Ride The Lightning.

And with that, my foray back into the blogosphere is complete. Drop a comment if you agree or disagree with my daily topic. Each one is designed to offer a small insight into who I am as a whole. Or at least what I like, and have liked, for most of my 4 decades of life. I'd been thinking of changing the closing for the new year -- "My game may suck, but I won the Mookie. Have you?" But then I remembered that the old one was only used a few dozen times.

There go another 5 minutes of your life you're not getting back...

Upcoming Press Conferences

2008-10-27T14:20:00.003-04:00

In anticipation of the Philadelphia Phillies impending first world championship since 1980, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have scheduled dual press conferences in Seattle and Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning. It will be announced that in the 1st 100 days of an Obama administration, Phillies stars Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard will be assigned to the Mariners and Pirates without compensation to Philadelphia as "it's only fair that some of the teams behind the Phillies can share in some of their success."

On a related note, the federal government is planning to announce a 1 billion dollar bailout package for the New York Yankees and Mets. It seems that, in order to save our beloved national pasttime, these organizations cannot be permitted to be excluded from any future post season play. Rumored to be part of the package are cabinet level positions in the next administration for Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, and Jason Giambi. Wow, talk about buying up bad assets.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

TOC, FFL, and MLB

2008-10-13T20:07:00.002-04:00

First things first. In my fantasy football league, I sold from strength and bought for my main weakness. Greg Jennings for Matt Forte. Barring byes, my weekly lineup is going to be Palmer (once he finally gets health), Forte, Ronnie Brown, R. Moss, TO, Gates, Crosby, and the Giants D. Could be worse. In week 6, I already have a 5th win locked up regardless of how the NY football giants do tonight.

Speaking of tonight, my Phillies need to pick a 3rd win. I'll feel much better knowing that if the series needs to come back to the Bank, it will be with a 3-2 lead. I'll also feel better about getting to 3-2, again if necessary, if we get it tonight. Joe. F'n. Blanton. Wait, Derek Lowe is pitching again already? We never make it easy on ourselves, do we?

Anyway, yesterday was the riverchasers TOC. The goal? A seat in a 2 table winner take all SNG at the Borgata. That prize? I think it's something like an entry to a $5,000 buyin at the Borgata. The first table was already set a couple of weeks ago at the Central PA TOC. This time, 230 Eastern PA donkeys got together to play down to 10. There were individual prizes for the last 10 of varying value, but the real goal was the final table.

There's absolutely no way I can remember more than a small fraction of the day, but some of the more memorable hands once we got to push-fest time:

JJ vs A9o, A on the flop but the miracle J on the river
KJ vs A9o, Q on the river for broadway
AKs vs 77, A right in the door
KT vs A9, trips tens on the flop, and a rivered boat to rub it in
Blind vs blind and I raise almost 1/3 of my stack with K5o. BB comes over the top and I let it go. He showed AA. He actually went on to pick up AA 3 more times during high blind play.
One of those times, we were heads up and I folded my small blind to him.

Nuts. I gave it away. Yes, I got heads up after 228 others hit the rail. We started with me at a 6:1 chip disadvantage, but I battled back to a 3:2 deficit. Until... we got it AIPF with my JJ against his AT0. Ace right in the door, and I didn't have one more miracle in me. I'll take my second place and the seat in the grand championship. 1 of 20 for a $5000 prize. Therefore, I put my odds at approximately 165:1. Anyone planning on being in AC on Sunday the 26th? Besides me, Riggs and LuckTruck?

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

The BASH

2008-09-30T12:24:00.002-04:00

So if a Z-lister shows up at Al's bash, does anyone notice? Or even care? For me, it was just the peeling back of another layer of the blogger community onion. It is in no way my personality to dive in head first to such things, but I was content, for the most part, to partly observe, partly interact when I didn't feel I was being intrusive, and mostly get my drink on. To those ends, I think it was a successful night. As far as I remember, I didn't say or do anything ridiculously stupid or embarassing. Please correct me if my memory has failed. Always possible.

Since my night was probably the least (by far) interesting of anyone in attendance, a couple of bullets ought to be sufficient.

The Rooster was extremely cordial, even before I offered to buy him a beer.
Was one of many to fail in attempt to best Drizz.
Evy absolutely begged an officer of the law for an extra set of handcuffs.
Assisted Buddy in the B&E at Al's. To be fair, explicit condition was received ahead of time to crash there, if needed.
Could only make it through about 1/3 of my meal at the diner at 3:00 AM with Buddy, Riggs, and CK. The old digestive system was on very shaky ground by that point.
Woke up at 7:15 not knowing where in Phoenixville Al's actually is. Staggered, still mostly drunk, about 4 miles in the wrong direction. I realized after about a mile that I was off course, but in which direction? Finally spotted an assisted living compound where I was able to confirm my whereabouts and get a cab to come retrieve my sorry self. Boy, there is absolutely nothing of substance between Phoenixville and Royersford.

It was completely awesome to see again those few I had met before, and equally so to meet some folks for the first time. Thanks, Al, for a kick ass night.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

FFL Week 4 Preview

2008-09-23T15:03:00.002-04:00

Thank you Ronnie Brown!! And maybe a secondary thank you to Lawrence Maroney for being hurt and eliminating any chance that Brown would not be starting for me. Except for a nice day by J.T. O'Sullivan, the rest of my squad decided to take the weekend off. For once I had the game wrapped up prior to Sunday night, with Owens and Crosby still to play. So the 10 point advantage after the 4:00 starts expanded to a 21 point victory, despite Owens' 2 insignificant points. 2-1 through 3 weeks.

Anyway, week 4 is upon us and the first of the bye week scrambles. I have no problem swapping Jennings in for Moss. In fact, I probably would have started him even if Moss was playing. NE without Brady is just plain bad. With the giants having the week off, I'll need to pick up a defense for the week, and will probably pick someone up based on the matchup. Suggestions? The one that hurts is Ronnie Brown and the dolphins not playing. I'm weak enough at the RB position, so I'm thinking that for one week, I'll start Selvin Young and Michael Pittman and hope that Shanahan decides to run on KC all day. Could happen.

My opponent this week is the owner who took Westbrook first overall in the draft. Will he play? If he does, will he be limited? From a fantasy perspective, I hope he sees a reduced work load. As an Eagles fan, though, he needs to be there. Plain and simple. The offense can work without McNabb, but without Westbrook, it's just too one dimensional. Fingers are crossed.

So, as of now, the lineup stands at Palmer, Young, Pittman, Owens, Jennings, Gates, Crosby and a defense to be named later. They will go head to head with Roethlisberger, Portis, Edge, Housh, Roddy White, Randy McMichael, Longwell and the Bears D.

Phils are 2-1/2 up over the free falling Mets and 3-1/2 over Milwaukee. How great would it be if the Mets choked themselves out of the playoffs again? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's looking like the Dodgers in the NLDS, so hopefully we play better against them post-season than intra-season. Let's get this thing wrapped up by Friday so the rotation is ready to start with Hamels whenever the series starts. You know the Philly fans are gearing up for a run when Rudy Seanez gets a standing 'O' and leaves the mound to a chorus of "Ru-dy"s. We'll kill you when you're a dog, but when you're playing up to expectation, and managment isn't royally screwing things up, there's no better place to play. Haven't experienced it? Then you'll never get it.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Do You Remember Your First Time?

2008-09-19T14:40:00.003-04:00

No, not THAT first time. That one I'm trying to forget. With September slowly eroding away into October, I am reminded that, for the sports fan, October is the greatest month on the calendar. Baseball sees its playoffs unfold that month. The second quarter of the NFL schedule plays out which separates the potential contenders from the spoilers and also rans. Basketball and hockey are both winding down their respective preseasons and getting ready to begin anew. And of course, this year, for the first time, ESPN will be ramping up their hype machine toward the poker world in preparation of November's ME final table.

To that end, I have been thinking recently about how I came to love the sports world with the passion that I do, and my initial forays into fandom of each game. It certainly helped that my formative years (6-10) coincided with the pinnacle of Philadelphia sports history (1976-1980). In fact, for those that don't know, or never cared to know, in 1980 Philadelphia was represented in the finals of all 4 major sports. Only the Phillies managed to capture the crown that eventful year, besting George Brett and the Royals in 6 games, but from then on, I was hooked.

My first live baseball game was in June of 1976 at the Vet. The Phillies stomped the Cubs 6-1 in a thunder storm shortened 6 inning affair. Just a few short weeks later, I also attended an 11-3 pounding of the Montreal Expos. In fact the only member of the starting lineup from that team I couldn't remember today was Dave Cash (had to look it up). I had thought that Ted Sizemore played 2nd that season, but evidently he didn't play with the Phils until the following year. Richie Hebner, Larry Bowa, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Gary Maddox, Jay Johnstone and Bob Boone rounded out the starting position players. Of course, the ace of the staff was Steve Carlton. Not a bad team for my initial bond.

In 1977, I got to my first Eagles game, also at the Vet. That rainy afternoon, the Eagles shutout the Jets 27-0. Little did I know at the time, the Eagles were actually a pretty bad team and would eventually finish that season only 5-9. However, they increased their win total by 2 each of the next two years and culminated with a 12 win 1980 campaign, eventually falling to the Raiders in the super bowl. My first taste of Philly sports disappointment. Certainly not my last.

Although I didn't get to my first Sixers game until a 1979 loss to the Super Sonics at the old Spectrum, my first taste of that franchise was watching the deciding game of the 1977 NBA finals. I had no idea that the Sixers had been to the finals the prior year and were the odds on favorite to capture the title. So when the Trail Blazers won that game, and the series in 6, I was saved the emotional dispair felt by those who had more time invested. Erving had 40 in that game, Bill Walton, the series MVP, had 20 and 22 rebounds. Then 2 years later began a 4 or 5 year run where the NBA was owned by 3 teams, Sixers, Celtics and Lakers. When 2 of those teams matched up, as the Sixers and Lakers did 3 times in the early 80's, there may have never been better basketball played. Erving, Malone, Cheeks, Bird, Parrish, Kareem, Magic, and the list goes on.

Finally, it was just a few short years after the back to back Stanley Cups for the Flyers in the early 70's. We were in the midst of another string of Canadiens championships when the 1979-1980 season hit. I didn't actually get to a live Flyers game until my late 20's but that season hooked me good. In 80 games, the orange and black lost just 12 times, racking up 116 points for the season. In fact, that year they went 35 straight games without a loss. They were rarely on tv in those days so, most nights, I would have a transistor radio under my pillow and allowed Gene Hart to soothe me to sleep with his call of another Flyers win. Damn you Bob Nystrom!!! Damn you all to hell!!

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

FFL Week 3 Preview

2008-09-18T12:27:00.003-04:00

Well, through two weeks, it looks like my team is going to struggle just about every week. Given that Carson Palmer is laying a big fat pile of shit every week, maybe my decision to hold off on drafting my RBs for an additional round wasn't the best decision. Until he proves that it is no longer warranted, or Cincy is playing a real dog that week, Palmer is on the bench. For Jason Campbell. Did I just say that?

Oh, and maybe now that Matt Cassel is slinging the pigskin for NE instead of Tom Brady, spending the 1st pick on Moss doesn't look all that bright. But despite all this, I'm still entering week 3 at 1-1. Problem is, I'm probably going to have to play RB roulette every week unless someone will trade with me. Maroney, Ronnie Brown, Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, and Michael Bush just aren't going to cut it. I can't rely on Moss, Owens, and either Gates or Sheffler to carry the load week in and week out. I get a little bit of a bump this week, as my DST (Giants) gets to toy with the Bengals offense that is not only a shell of its former self, but has shriveled up and blown away in a gentle breeze. Hopefully, this was really more due to the early matchups with BAL and TEN than the fact that they really really really really suck. It's obvious how important it was to that team to have a ground threat in Rudi Johnson to keep the defense honest every play.

Right now, Brown and Young are slotted to start for me, but it's certainly not set in stone. If McFadden does miss the game, I have no problem swapping Bush in. Maroney is probably not going to play, so the only question after that is whether to pull Young in favor of Pittman. 9-10 carries per game for Young isn't going to get the job done, especially since he is on the sideline each and every series inside the 10. Anyway, here's the matchup for this week:

Pos	Me	Opponent
QB	Jason Campbell	Jay Cutler
RB	Ronnie Brown	Steven Jackson
RB	Selvin Young	Ryan Grant
WR	Randy Moss	Brandon Marshall
WR	Terrell Owens	DeSean Jackson
TE	Tony Sheffler	Kellen Winslow
K	Mason Crosby	John Kasay
DST	NYG	NE

Do I really sit Gates for Sheffler? I'm thinking I ride the hot streak until it fades. Probably looking at 1-2 come Sunday night, but that's why they play the games, eh?

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

FFL '08

2008-08-28T13:30:00.002-04:00

Somehow we managed to keep all 10 owners from last year, so last weekend was the annual debacle known as our 14 round fantasy football draft. I had the unenviable privilege of drafting 9th (and then again 3 picks later), so going in I tried to forecast who I should slot with that first pick. I had it in my head that the best available pick at that point would probably be Marion Barber. However, as usual, we immediately went into bizarro-draft-world when Westbrook went first overall, immediately followed by L.T., Peterson, Jackson, Addai, Barber, Brady, and Manning. So, the first tier backs were pretty much depleted and the drop off is pretty significant so I scrapped the RB-RB plan and went with Moss. Then the next guy went Fitzgerald/Wayne back to back and I went insane and drafted T.O. The next 16 picks were mostly 2nd tier RBs and WRs, with Romo and Brees thrown in.

So now we get to my pick at the bottom of round 3, and I'm in the same position I was in in round 1. I can either pick strong in a position, or pick the best of what's left at RB. I made the assumption that the other owners would not start drafting a 3rd RB before they already had 2 WRs, but I was wrong. Three times. I picked Gates and Palmer and slotted a 2 running back selection for rounds 5 and 6. I assumed that 2 would still be there of Thomas Jones, Earnest Graham, Reggie Bush, Brandon Jacobs, and Laurence Maroney. But, only Maroney was left for me to take in round 5 and then came Greg Jennings in a backup WR slot in round 6.

What was left at RB for me at the end of round 7? Ronnie Brown and Selvin Young. Just shoot me. So after I filled in the rest of the reserves and drafted a kicker and a defense, my final opening day roster looks like:

QB: Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell (only drafted him beacuse they play the Lions on Palmer's bye)
RB: Maroney, Ronnie Brown, Selvin Young, Fred Taylor
WR: Moss, Owens, Jennings, Stallworth
TE: Gates, Heap
K: Crosby
DST: Giants (who lost Umenyiora just a few hours later)

If Ronnie Brown can keep most of the carries away from Ricky Williams in Miami and run like he is capable of, I like my chances. Otherwise, my draft day strategy adjustments are just going to make for a depressing season.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

High Stakes On Stars, Almost There

2008-08-18T12:44:00.003-04:00

I haven't bothered to actually deposit any cash into PokerStars, but due to a Kathie Lee slave laborish hourly wage, I now have an astronomical $1.60 in my roll there. 8,000 tards playing limit razz and my 23rd place finish after 3-1/2 hours handed me the honor and privilege of playing a limit O8 $2000 freeroll against 5,500 other draw monkeys. Well, it was actually only 3 hours as I needed to leave for 1/2 hour to take care of dinner. We were down into the 800's with 88 spots "paying", but I had plenty of chips. As soon as we hit 88, I was outta there. I found out later that it took until 23rd before all of my chips were finally blinded off.

Then 3-1/2 more hours of limit O8 (the next day) and a 320th place finish and I'm on my way. Again, it was more like 2-1/2 hours as I didn't actually fire up the software until the first break was just ending. At that point I had a little over $1000 left of the $1500 starting stack. I was up over $15,000 in about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, a couple of huge draws never came through and I couldn't continue to amass enough chips to make a run at the top 5. Fun while it lasted though.

Actually, I'm hoping I can kind of go through a Ferguson challenge type of thing on Stars just to see how I do. If I make it to $10, I'll call it a success.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Cars Don't Kill People, Jerk Offs In Cars Kill People

2008-07-21T12:35:00.004-04:00

"Arms are for hugs".

So said the front bumper of the car. It also said about a half dozen other equally insightful things. God only knows what the rear end was spouting. Of course, when I say insightful, in no way do I mean thought provoking or awe inspiring. Merely, it is actually a glimpse into the hypocritical world of the mouth breather behind the wheel.

On Saturday afternoon, I was out with my 3-1/2 year old daughter, while my wife was taking the 7 year old to the American Girl movie. We decided to stop in to the local Wawa to pick up a soda for me and an icee her. On the way out, I was holding my daughter's hand and about to step off the sidewalk in front of the building toward my car across the parking lot. I saw it barrel into the lot and make a beeline for a space just across the way. It would have gone right through us about 8 feet from where I decided to stop. Thankfully, I saw the maniac. Then I heard screeching breaks and the car came to a stop about 10 feet short of the impact zone. And if that wasn't enough? Then I got the annoyed "go ahead" wave from the driver. Fuck you bitch!!

I don't personally choose to own a handgun, but know the responsibility that I would incur should I ever change my mind. I'm sure that my arm would be a hell of a lot less likely to kill someone and their small child than this "person's" car obviously is.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Hammered, Then Nailed

2008-07-01T08:22:00.002-04:00

Back to back hands in the riverchasers game last night. I'm down to just over 9 BBs at the start of level 5 and, of course, in binary mode. All in or fold. No other choice until I'm back over 10 BBs. Anyway, I pick up JJ UTG+1 and shove. Get called for less from UTG+2 and lose to his suited hammer and trip 7's. So now I have just over 2 BB and am UTG. A8s? Good enough. In they go. Right into hammer boy's AA. Thwap. GG me.

I run good. Last 3 SNGs played on tilt - ran TT into AA, ran JJ into AA, KK got run down by JT.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

New Way To Flop The Nuts

2008-06-27T15:35:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5V-2PPa4fQ

Just like playing a riverchasers event...

Vegas Weekend Recap - Part 2

2008-06-11T11:21:00.004-04:00

From Saturday morning until Sunday night, it was one big blur. The exact timeline and many of the details cannot be recovered from my memory, but I'll do my best.

Woke up at 7 Saturday morning, head pounding and throat parched, and decided that 4 hours of sleep just wasn't going to do it. Couple painkillers and a bunch of water and back to bed until 9:30. I grabbed breakfast from the IP Burger Palace as all I needed was a few calories and some caffeine. For $4, that's about all I got, but it was enough. Anyway, I have no idea what I did while I waited for Falstaff and Special K to come down, but I don't think it was that long.

The three of us grabbed a cab to the Venetian, where Falstaff found a 4/8 table while Special K opted for 1/2 NL. At that point, I wasn't really up to jumping back in the deep end as I'd gone through more of my cash the previous night than I had really hoped to and knew it was still going to be a long weekend. So I kind of meandered around, occasionally railing each of them, and eventually Easy, April, and StB made appearances and we decided to go check out the Rio.

There, I saw Phil Laak and Jamie Gold and got to meet Pauly once we got his attention. Once old friends finished catching up and some had to get back to work, we headed over to the Rio poker room / sports book. While the other 4 played some poker, Easy tutored me in the fine art of handicapping the races. Evidently, Big Brown losing ruptured something in the horse racing universe as we didn't win a single bet, despite the obvious expertise of those present. And so, at 5:30, it was back to the Venetian for dinner (Grand Lux Cafe) and then the IP for some 2/4 HORSE.

The head guy in the poker room told us that, for consistency sake (and not to confuse his dealers), he wanted all of the stud games with a $1 ante and a $1 bring in. For someone who had never played any RSE in his life, this was not good news. I was just lucky enough to win enough in HE and O8 to keep me ahead. I would have done much better except for one interesting HE hand. I was in lp with AQc and Zeem raised UTG. There were a couple callers, I decided to see a flop, and the blinds also called. Flop came KTx with 2 clubs. It might have been checked around, or there might have been a single bet called by most in the hand. I don't remember. Anyway, a non-club J hit the turn, giving me broadway and a royal redraw. BB bet, Zeem raised, fold, fold, I 3-bet, fold back to BB, call, call. River paired the K and BB checked. Zeem bet and I raised. BB 3-bet and Zeem capped. I immediately put him on TT or JJ and mucked. BB called and Zeem tabled jacks full against BB's trip kings. Ah, what could have been.

By then, a waiting list had developed and, since we were about to enter the stud games again, I gracefully gave up my seat to one of those waiting taking with me a small profit. So, I wandered back and forth from the poker room to the dice tables for a while, making back some of the prior night's losses before finally deciding to try my luck at a 1/2 NL cash table. I tried to keep up with the aggressive table, but absolutely none of my speculative hands came anywhere close to developing enough on the flop to continue. Eventually, I went broke on a hand with KQ when I had top pair after the turn and two players both called my all in with the same naked flush draw. So, even with 2 fewer diamonds available, one of the 73 still left in the deck rivered my dreams of a successful session.

Back to the pai gow table where I sat for a while. It's amazing how many $1 drinks you can get through, even with just a $100 buy in at a $15 table. Similarly to the prior night, when I got down to half a buy in left, I put it all at risk. This time successfully. Wash rinse repeat. Another 8 beers, back down to half and another double up. This time, I walked away. Up a little. By now it's somewhere in the middle of the night, and it's back to the dice tables. Played there until 7:30 AM and left with a modest profit.

Check out is in like 2-3 hours. Uh oh. What to do? Upstairs, shower, change, pack, check out and begin another day. I didn't really go to Vegas to sleep anyway. I can do that at home.

And with that day two was concluded. Sort of.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Rake Redefined

2008-06-10T13:04:00.002-04:00

When I saw this in someone's yard, I couldn't resist...

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Vegas Weekend Recap - Part 1

2008-06-10T11:13:00.003-04:00

First of all, I'm going to launch a preemptive strike and apologize to every single person I met this weekend, not that I think any are necessarily warranted. I'm not what you would call witty or charming and, coupled with copious amounts of alcohol, my potential for foot in mouth disease increases by a factor of 1000. So, if I insulted you in any way, you have my sincerest apologies.

Second of all, I'm also going to heartily thank every single person I met this weekend. Probably even more difficult than planning to meet a bunch of people you've never met is having said group, who mostly know each other already, make you feel accepted and included right from the start. Now, I don't remember everyone's name (Friday night is a bit hazy), but I want to thank Falstaff, StB, EasyCure, Special K, Columbo, Mattazuma, April, Zeem, and those whose names have slipped away from me, much like part of my liver functionality. And super-sized mega thanks to ck for making the introductions for me.

My flight Friday afternoon was scheduled for 4:05 ET, so I head plenty of time in the morning after I got the kids off to school to putz around getting ready. I was planning on stuffing everything I needed for the weekend into a backpack so I wouldn't have to check anything, but forgot the carryon rules for liquids and was ill-prepared to meet those requirements. I figured it would take longer to get everything into approved sizes and containers than to wait for the bag when I landed. Instead, I rolled into the C-grade nudie bar on the way to the airport around noon for half a dozen doses of liquid courage. I don't fly well. Left there around 1:45 to make the 1/2 hour journey to Philly Intl, got the car parked and made my way through a moderate to light security line about 15 minutes before boarding. Just enough time for one more airport sized/priced drink first.

The flight cross country was the smoothest I can ever remember and we landed just after 6 local time. Unfortunately, the cattle chutes at the McCarran taxi stand were overflowing and it took a good 1/2 hour to score a cab. It was around 7:15 when I got to IP, and there was no one waiting to check in, so I was in my room by 7:30. My understanding was that everyone would be at the MGM, so made the walk down there and got myself a drink in the sports book a little after 8. No one was there yet. Joy. Finally got the text around 9 that they had arrived and found about a dozen people that I had never met around a mixed game table at the back of the poker room.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and needed some action. The poker lists were long so I asked ck if she wanted to throw some dice with me. She agreed. Oh My God. If you have the chance to hit the craps tables with ck, do it. It's worth the price of admission. For me, that particular price was the $200 I bought in for. Worst flowing table I have ever been at. Oh well. Went back over to the poker room and found the blogger table still in full force. I stayed on the rail and watched and chatted for a while until there was discussion of the Rhino. 3 hours earlier I would have been the biggest supporter of such an idea, but I just wasn't feeling it at 1:30 AM.

Thankfully, Easy and Zeem said they were going back to the IP. For Pai Gow. Now that's just the sort of idea that worked for me. Although, when we got there, Zeem actually decided to call it a night. After a while, I was down about 1/2 of my $100 and ready to call it a night myself. So I put all of it at risk. One more decision, double back to even or lose it. Then go to bed. It took 3 or 4 hands, but I finally ran my pai gow into the dealer's full house. Pai gow is so rigged.

And with that (partial) day one was concluded.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Mookie Recap

2008-06-05T13:07:00.003-04:00

Wow. Just wow. First Mookie played, first won. I should just retire now.

I wasn't even going to play last night, but when I donked out of the live riverchasers game after an hour, I decided to register. At the very least, I would say hi to some of the folks I might get to meet this weekend in Vegas. Early on, I tried to play my typically tight game and use that to make some plays. Yeah, that worked real well and I found myself hovering near the bottom 5 for most of the second 1/2 hour with about T1500.

On the last hand before the break, I decided that I was tired of riggstad and HighOnPoker stealing my BB so I shoved over HOP with AQd and chipped up ever so slightly. Then, there were two hands that stand out that got me out of desparation. First, Alceste limps from the SB after everyone folds around and I check my QJo. When the flop comes QJx, he check calls my flop bet and we both check the Q on the turn. After a meaningless river card, he pots and I shove. He calls and tables JJ. Ouch. Boat over boat. Actually, the only way he would have won that pot was if he raised pf. With my chips, I was calling any bet with top 2 on the flop. I think I like the fact that I didn't know how badly I needed that other Q until after it came.

The second hand came around the very next time I was in the BB. It folds to riggstad on the button and he standard raises my blind for the 624th time. I pot reraise with 77, basically commiting myself to the hand, but I figure I am no worse than a coin flip. He puts me all-in with KQc and my pp holds up, effectively crippling him. Whew. From there, I did a lot folding and enough stealing to keep up with the blinds.

Fortunately enough, the first time one of my raises didn't take the pot pf, I was oop against jimdniacc with ATo. Flop came ten high and I checked my missed steal. He potted with 99, I moved in and he called and doubled me again. From there, I took down a bunch of pots pf, but generally did not want to get involved in a large pot without a hand.

I was able to increase my stack to over T20000 this way until I lost a race with PokerPeaker with 99 against his AK. Ouch. #2 stack back down to the money bubble with still around 16 remaining, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Just a couple of hands later, I felted someone (can't remember who, sorry) with 99 against 77 and then retrieved my chips from PP with my only AA of the night against his 88 and we started the final table.

It wasn't too long until the money bubble burst thanks to moondrops just running over the table, building his stack to over 50K. I was in the high 20's and no one else was over 20K.

Then Waffles popped in.

I have absolutely no idea what happened, but moondrops got completely tilted and said he was going all in every hand until he busted. And he did. Every hand. Finally, even though there were still 6 left, I got fed up and decided to call him with JackAce. He actually had 77 and I was off to the races for my tournament life. Jack on the turn or river sealed the deal and he proceeded to donk the rest off to bayne within another hand or two.

Chips were certainly an effective weapon at this particular final table as I don't remember a single one of my raises getting called. So when we got down to 4, I had over half the chips in play and was able to make a few loose calls when I had the right odds and probable live cards to go with them. I almost busted corron10 when he pushed with AQ and I turned two pair with J9, only to see him straighten out on the river. Ick.

He finally made another stand with 44 and I decided to call with A3h. Flopped bottom pair and the flush draw, and got there on the river. I started heads up with bayne with a 3:1 chip advantage, and we mostly played cautiously for the first 10 or 15 hands, much to the dismay of the liquored up LPR crew. We traded chips back and forth until bayne raised pf and I called on the button with JTo. Flop was QJ4 and when I bet the pot, he insta-shoved. For some reason, I really thought I was good and called. J9s.

All in all, it was quite the unusual tournament for me. I actually won races. And except for the boat over boat hand, I can't really say I was involved in a suckout either way the whole night. Thanks to Mookie for hosting, and to ck for her final table support. I suppose Waffles was sort of routing for me after corron was eliminated, but I wouldn't put money on it.

Hopefully, I'll get to hang with some of you degenerates this weekend. Leave a comment if you'll be in Vegas this weekend. I'm happy to meet any and all.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Did This Really Happen?

2008-06-05T03:03:00.002-04:00

Riverchasers TOC Recap

2008-06-02T13:55:00.003-04:00

What a cluckin fuster!

I was supposed to meet millerd33 (get a damn blog already!) at Champs at 11:00AM Saturday morning for the ride up to Reading. 11:15 and he's still not there and was I smart enough to get his number in case something happened? Hell no. Thankfully, I get a hold of riggs who tells me that miller is on his way, and that he has the prizes in the car. But, he's not going and can I bring them up? Evidently, the prior night's birthday celebration put him on the brink of death. So, like a trooper, he rolls in around 11:40 with 2 boxes of stuff. Just in time for a huge thunderstorm to hit. F me.

Thankfully, I got to the tourney site about 10 minutes prior to start, but 20 minutes after registration closed. Ray was good enough not to enforce the no late registrations rule or there would have been a bit of hell to pay.

I liked my first table. Pretty tight, not very aggressive, but looking to trap. Just needed to put on my bullet dodging hat and I'd be ok. Got JJ pretty early on and won a small pot with a pre-flop raise and c-bet on a 10 high flop. Stole another set of blinds with KT sooooooted and then played my first decent sized pot of the day. Blinds were 5/10 and I made it 35 to go from MP with AJ0. One of the blinds decided to call and the flop came Txx rainbow. He checked and I fired out another 40. He smooth called. Now I wasn't quite liking the unimproved jackace anymore. Ace came on the turn and I checked behind him hoping that he would believe that was a scare card for me. I forget what the river was but, when he checked again, I had a feeling I was only getting called by a better hand so I turned over top pair while he sheepishly tabled bottom pair(?).

Anyway, right after the break our table broke. Boo! I was moved to a table that was much more typical Reading. And that, my friends, is not a good thing. No sir. Not one little bit. I blinded down just a tad, trying to reestablish a tight image at the new table at which point I screwed up bad. And it cost me. Blinds were up to 15/30 and I had about T275 left. It folded to me in MP and I raised to 100 with AQo. WTF? How much more of a stupid play could I have made? Guy on the button had gone from shorty to table chip leader with AA twice the prior orbit. He considered my bet for a bit and called. Flop came KJx with 2 diamonds and I shoved, hoping he hadn't hit it hard enough to call. He picked up the nut flush draw with A4d and was obviously priced in at that point. Of course he spiked another diamond right on the turn and I was done.

I literally yelled at myself for half the drive home. Why do I give anyone the option to play that pot pre-flop for 100? I needed to shove pf and be happy with taking the blinds. Would he have called a shove pf? Possibly, but it would have been for 1/5-1/4 of his stack and he actually didn't seem to be the type that would want to risk that much on a speculative hand without a chance of making more if he hit. Actually, I think the pf call was a little loose considering I wasn't all that deep. I just prove to myself over and over again why I suck at this game.

4 DAYS UNTIL VEGAS!!!! Room at the IP is booked and I get into McCarran around 6:00PM Friday night. Hopefully, I'll be able to track some folks down not too long after I land. If you're going to be there, shoot me some contact info at jasper6294 *AT* gmail *DOT* com.

And there go another 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

76.2? But I'm Already 38.1. I've Wasted Half My Life

2008-05-30T12:32:00.002-04:00

Ok, so maybe not the point 1 part, but today marks the "closer to 40 than 35" milestone. Don't feel a day over 50 I tell you. So happy f'n birthday to me. I find it hard to believe that 38 won't be better than 37, so that's something. How long until Vegas? Oh, right. A week.

Anyway, for my local friends that enjoy a good whiskey, click here and here.

And there go 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

What The Hell Am I Waiting For?

2008-05-27T14:20:00.003-04:00

The only way I'm ever going to get to play a big money tourney is to play my way in via several layers of micro (read:free) stakes qualifiers. So Full Tilt is running their main event races throughout the day and, for me, that's the amount of risk I like. The .com version (225 pers SNG) awards round 2 tickets to the top 2. The .net version (450 pers SNG) only pays the winner. I have 2 tickets from each version but haven't yet played a round 2 tournament. I guess I'm just delaying the inevitable shitkicking I'm going to get when I do play.

10 DAYS UNTIL VEGAS!!!!

Let me know if you're looking to split the cost of a room for the weekend.

And there go 5 minutes of your life you're never getting back.

Anatomy of a Calling Station

2008-05-06T09:38:00.002-04:00

Live riverchasers freeroll, level 3 (3/6, T200 starting stacks).

UTG raises 15 to 21. <---- first hand played in 1/2 hour
SB calls 18.
BB folds.
Flop [T 8 4] rainbow.
SB bets 20.
UTG calls 20.
Turn [A].
SB checks.
UTG bets 25.
SB calls 25.
River [K].
SB checks.
UTG bets 50.
SB calls 50.

UTG shows [TT] for three of a kind, tens.
SB shows [JJ] for a pair of jacks.

Is there ANY reasonable holding UTG could have that justifies the turn call, and especially the river call?

Sadly, that was, by far, the best hand I saw all night and one of only two pots I won. I tried to use my image to get stealy a couple times on semi-bluffs, but kept getting called down or raised and had to release. Steady diet of 75o and J2o isn't real helpful against these types of players. And still, I outlasted 2/3 of the field.

Vegas - one month from today. Tick tick tick tick....

Here's The Nuts Mr. Blind Squirrel

2008-05-01T08:24:00.002-04:00

After a couple of weak outings, last night I tried my luck at the Riverchasers monkeyfest in Hatboro. It was a long night, so let's get to it.

On the third hand of the night, a player in EP makes a healthy raise and I find KK in MP. Knowing where I'm playing, I choose to just call in position and make sure there's no Ace on the flop. Problem is, the button and both blinds also call. Oops. Flop comes KQx with two clubs. SB bets out, BB calls, and the initial raiser comes over top for 3x the current bet. Now, the pot is already almost 80% of everyone's starting stack so there was no way I was going to smooth call and give one of the draws proper odds to hit their flush. I reraise all-in, chase the blinds away (one of whom would have caught his 3rd club on the river) and find myself heads up against middle set. Set over set at a bar poker game. No way he was getting away from the hand and the 4th queen doesn't come. Live poker is so rigged.

Now having chips, I was able to play the TAG game that I really like and continue to grow my stack. It's always nice to be able to semi-bluff your strong draws and have it not hurt too much if they don't get there. I crippled a guy with a strong value bet on the end when I checked my turned flush and he called with just top pair. Then I got a free look at a flop with Q4o out of the BB. When the flop came Q33 it checked around and another Q on the turn. I check called a healthy bet and then overbet the rivered Ace. Sorry dude. Serves you right for slow playing your flopped trips. Also serves you right for being in the pot in the first place with that garbage in MP.

Then it was like someone flipped a switch. Level 4, level 5, level 6, level 7, level 8. Barely a playable hand. When there was one it was in EP and the desparate were pushing so frequently that +EV plays were just not to be found. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't getting blinded away, but I wasn't continuing to amass chips. We get to 50/100 and I'm still sitting on 4 starting stacks which is now just 8 BB. Ugly. Pay a round of blinds and down to 650.

I get the button and blinds are up again. We get in all of 6 hands at this level and suddenly I'm the first BB at 150/300. There goes half my stack. Until I get to see the flop for free, amazingly, and flop trip 7's with my 73o. SB checks, about 1200 in the pot, in goes my last 350. Fold, fold... call. Jack and the case 7. Fawk. Turn is an A, making the board T77A. I have 3 outs to win but, more importantly, have 14 more outs (any TQKA) to chop the dead mo, ney in the center. River 3. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! So I almost triple up and am sitting on a 5BB stack. At this point, no one really has a comfortable stack so I feel incredibly lucky that I start picking up some pretty decent final table hands. I bust Mr. J7. AQs > QTo. ATo steals the blinds.

We get down to 5 and I'm holding a slight chip lead. Blinds are 200/400 and I'm in the BB. UTG folds, UTG+1 folds. Button shoves for 1400, SB over shoves for 1500. I find TT. The 1100 is about 1/2 my remaining stack, but I have to believe that the 3:1 odds justify the call in that spot. If someone woke up with a monster, so be it. More likely, I would need to dodge a couple overcards and maybe someone's underpair. Half right. 44 and 66 respectively. 6 on the flop but a T on the turn seals the fate of players 5 and 4.

Then AKs > Q8s and we're heads up with me holding about a 7:1 chip advantage. That would be a more powerful stat if there were more than about 20 BB's total on the table. We traded a few small pots and then I checked J3s from the BB. Flop was QJ7 and I bet out 3/4 of the pot. Opponent was very loose and frequently called only with draws or tried to take pots away on the turn. I forget what the turn was, but it could not have helped him so I doubled the flop bet, now 60% of the pot. At that point, now that he had called away all his fold equitry, he decided to go all-in. I was not pleased, but I was getting 5:1 with 5 outs to improve. He tabled KQs but was punished with a J on the river. GG me.

So what's the ROI on a $70 first prize with a $0.00 entry? All in all, it was the best day I've had in weeks.

No Turning Back Now

2008-04-30T07:23:00.002-04:00

Round trip tickets to Vegas have been booked. Net cost: $5.00 + 50,000 miles.

Flying out of Philly on Friday 6/6 @ 4:00 which should get me to McCarran about 6:30 PM. Red eye home Sunday night. Red eye you ask? Yup. You can get a first class seat on these for the same number of miles as a coach seat on a normal flight. Methinks I'll want the most comfort for the ride home. I know me in Vegas.

Anywho, I haven't yet decided on accommodations. For the 4 people who actually stop by, anyone else going that wants to share a room or do you know someone who is looking to? If I can actually manage to only use $100 out of my budget for travel and room... BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Summer Gathering

2008-04-29T15:18:00.002-04:00

Given my current life state, a weekend in Vegas might not be the smartest thing in the world for me. What??? Damn the torpedoes!! Full speed ahead!! Might even cash a bunch of ff miles for the airfare so I have extra play money. "Play money". What a delicious word when associated with Sin City. So many possibilities. Not set in stone yet, but pretty close. Needed therapy. Too bad pai-gow losses can't be used as mental health expenses. Stupid IRS.

Surprise Surprise

2008-04-25T09:58:00.002-04:00

Wife came home from NoCal late last night, a day early. With a Wii. If I was anywhere close to feeling normal, I'd be pretty jacked. Instead, all I envision is huge fights between the girls as to who gets the tv. The older one on the Wii, the younger wanting the tivo. Just shoot me.

I took second last Sunday at a live riverchasers game. $50 is $50. I don't have it in me to do a detailed recap, but there was a suck-resuck-reresuck hand that doubled me at level 4 and gave me enough chips to play with comfortably. 99 vs TT. Q98 flop. I bet out middle set, guy calls with second pair and a gutterball. Turned J completes his straight, but I gamble and push. He calls but another Q on the river fills my boat. When we get down to heads up, I'm about 5:1 down in chips to a guy who just couldn't miss a flop. Without one double up, I grind back to down 3:1. Finally, I found the spot I was looking for and got it all in with AQs against K8o which would have evened us in chips. Nope. 8 on the flop ends it right there. I run goot.

I'll probably try to get to Champs at some point this weekend for some live donkery, but don't know which night. Otherwise, I'll try to catch up on my sleep and escape my shitty reality.

DILLIGAF???

2008-04-10T07:53:00.002-04:00

I've been on total life tilt. Or, more accurately, I just don't care. I guess being unemployed for a month can do that. Although I have found a new contract, these alternating feelings of despair and recklessness haven't really dissipated all that much. I really think I'm in the beginning stages of an early mid-life crisis. It doesn't help all that much when you can count on one hand the number of marital encounters you've had since the beginning of 2007 and have fingers left over. I guess I'll just take poker as my mistress and hope to ride out the storm.

The last time I posted was the night before the Riverchasers regional final tournament. I played really well, for me, but still went broke in the mid 50s out of almost 120. I won a few small pots early to get me comfortable, but then a player who had been raising really light put in half his stack pre-flop (I had almost 4x his chips). I found AK in MP and decide to reraise to isolate, knowing he had to call and knowing I was most likely pretty far ahead. Despite the raise and the reraise, SB couldn't get away from TT and called the reraise for all his chips. My read on Capt Raise Light was dead on as he tabled KQ, but my trip aces were second best to tens full and half my stack was gone. As the blinds increased, I picked up a pot here and there but mainly stole my way back to more than I had before. Unfortunately, right then I was picked to be moved to a table full of chip architecture. Even more so, one of these guys was picking up AA or KK every single hand. They showed. Finally, I was in the BB for 1/4 of my stack and, facing a raise that would put me all in, found two red threes and decided to call. JJ this time. I picked up a gutter straight flush draw on the flop but, even with all those out, couldn't get there. 2008 is another year and the buy in sure is right.

Then, I think 2 Thursdays ago, I played the Riverchasers online tourney. My first blogger event. I played ok, but distinctly remember one hand I played poorly and couldn't win a key race. I was less than pleased to see Chad at my starting table, but the pain was lessened a bit having him on my right. The hand in which I definitely played badly was, of course, against the man who cracks aces. He had been fairly active, and raised from MP. I decided to call in position with AJ and see what developed. The flop came with an Ace and two rags, two hearts. He led out on the flop and I called. DUMB! I needed to raise the flop so we could each define our hands a little. But I didn't. What did my call mean to him? Sandbag? Or, more likely, flush draw or a little piece of the flop. So when a bigger bet came on the non-heart turn, I had no idea whether I had the best hand or not and it would have cost me too much at that point to find out if he had AK or AQ. I folded at that point. The live riverchasers games are easy. In that situation, if you call the flop bet when the Ace hits and the initial raiser doesn't have one, a second bullet is almost never fired. Different animal here. Especially that player. A little later, I raised with AK and got reraised by a fairly short stack (if it was NLHE, it would have been a shove). I decided to gamble and put him all in pre-flop, but top two doesn't beat a set of fives and I was back down to the starting stack. I had been right about top 10-15 in chips for most of the second half hour and that hit put me back into the early 30s. Shortly thereafter, I was moved to Evy's and Waffles' table, both on top 5 stacks. I picked up a lot of blinds with pot sized pre-flop raises but had a hand everytime I was willing to go to war with. Eventually, Waffles got tired of it and put my AT all in with... AT. AT? I was stealing a lot he said. Point taken. I guess it's all perspective. I didn't raise without some kind of decent hand once. Anyway, on the very next hand I am dealt AT again, this time sooooted. However, this time Waffles gets KK (for about the 3rd time since I got there) and, despite the nut flush draw with one over on the flop, I don't get there and bust 26th.

A few days later, I played the live Riverchasers freeroll on the golf course. Got there a few minutes late and got a seat with other late stragglers, millerd33 and ccrobyn. Joy. At least miller was drinking soda. Expectedly, the table was crazy. Unexpectedly, miller didn't play a single hand until doubling up with AJ against Q7 soooted. I mostly stayed out of the way. Picked up a few rounds of blinds at 2/4 with KK in the BB with 3 or 4 limpers. Then at 5/10, for some reason, I limped with KJ of hearts from EP. I think we were playing short handed, that could be why. Player to my left min raises, chip leader calls, SB folds, but miller calls the extra bet out of the BB getting 170:1. Flop is 10 high with two hearts. BB and I check, pf raisers leads for 35, chip leader folds and BB calls. Pot is quite inviting so I shove my draw. Bettor folds fairly quickly, but miller takes like 3 minutes. Finally, he tells me I am going to be so mad if he makes his hand and calls with Q2 hearts. BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ordinarily, that would be a great call against what I would have normally shoved with, especially with chips to burn. Not this time. K high is goot. Mercifully, the table breaks and we are moved back to the main bar. At my new table, I go up a little and down a little, but mostly up. Thanks to a flopped boat against the chip leader which I checked and then bet the turn which gave him top pair. I overbet the river brick which he instacalled. Eventually, we go down to 2 tables left and I run 98 into KK, short stacked. Pair and OESD on the flop, but can't improve further and IGH 14th out of 114.

Last night, I went back to a Riverchasers venue in Bensalem that I hadn't been to in over a year. I played really well. Until. A7 in the BB at 10/20 and I get a free flop. Flop is two faces and a baby, two hearts. 3 checks. Turn is a third heart, board is now KQJx. First player bets pot, second player calls. Pot is nice. I pot raise all in with the Royal draw and bettor folds. Second player says, damn I gotta try and calls with 98o, with the 9 being a heart. Can I really fade 3 nines and 2 non-heart eights? Nope. Brutal call. Donktastic even. For all his chips. I'm down to 2-1/2 big blinds at 15/30. Fast forward. My best hands hold up a few times and I go from 75 to 1400 chips in 45 minutes. Blinds are 100/200. I lose with KK to a flopped set; thankfully there was an Ace and 3 clubs on the flop and a tight player leading out. Easy fold, but it hurt. Then I lose blind vs blind straight over straight. Finally, my 64o goes down to 52o and IGH 5th out of around 55.

This drive from suburban Philly to Iselin, NJ is going to drive me nuts. Thankfully, the contract is only 3 months and they're already talking about remote access. Nice. I miss working from the kitchen table.

Two Steps From The Prize

2008-03-28T17:15:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow afternoon is the Riverchasers 2007 regional final tournament. There are about 140 who qualified. Top 10 will advance to a single table at the Borgata whose winner is going to the main event. If you are anywhere near Champs on Saturday, come on by. I will accept and appreciate all the support I can get. I'm going to need it. I am so bad at this game. I do just well enough to keep me interested.

Three More Days

2008-03-26T09:41:00.002-04:00

Since my last contract ended, for the first time, my time off has been involuntary. Three weeks plus a few days and it has progressed nicely from relaxed to bored to downright shitty. I am so ready to get back to work. Had an interview in Iselin yesterday which I think was as much formality as formal. Hopefully, Monday morning I'll be gainfully employed again.

Comedy and tragedy
Entertainment or death
Like sister morphine
Hooked on her game
Time to place your bets

If it wasn't for bad luck
I'd have no luck at all

Theater of Pain - 1985

Yesterday, my improved AK got run down by 64o making trip 4's on the river. Crippled. So hard to come back from a hit like that when there are only 8 hands per level. Finally ran AJ into TT and did not improve. Last week it was AQ losing to QT. I really need to shake off this trend before Saturday's regional final. If you read and are close, I'll be at Reed's tonight. Come on out and laugh at me (or cry with me) as I get run down again.

I Have Met One Of The Poker Gods

2008-03-20T15:37:00.002-04:00

... and he plays free bar poker in Limerick. How do I know this? Only the omnipotent would call an AIPF reraise for half his stack with 99. Instantly. Only a deity could possibly fathom that he would go runner-runner-runner-runner hearts to 4-flush my AA down the toilet. I don't know about you, but I would much rather lose to a caught set in this situation than the damned 9 high flush.

Oh, well. Maybe I'll give Via Roma a go tonight.

Stay Tuned

2008-03-16T11:53:00.002-04:00

What a weekend. No time to get into it just yet. There is still a live riverchasers game this afternoon and fantasy baseball draft tonight, but I'll get to it tomorrow. To all of you who helped make such an incredibly awesome time, thank you. More on Monday...

Limer-Ick

2008-03-13T19:48:00.002-04:00

Ran QQ into KK and then got called down by QJo when I had the JackAce. Must have been 23 queens in that decks...

At least I had a couple SNG cashes on tilt.

Oops

2008-03-11T17:07:00.002-04:00

First hand in Limerick this afternoon. 1 limper and I call with 2 black fours in the small blind. Flop is J♣T♣4♥. Bet out with the set, BB calls, limper min raises. I raise and the limper calls. Should've known I was beat, but this IS riverchasers. I improve to a boat on the turn, and we get it all in but I'm up against quad tens. GG Me. Back to the afternoon shift. I love time off from work...

Poker Week in Review

2008-03-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

Yikes, having time off from work creates an abundance of opportunities to get in some time on the felt. When last I posted, I had just gotten home from AC at about 4:30 AM with a 4th place cash in the nightly tournament at the Hilton. So with just a few hours sleep, I dragged myself out of bed to help my wife get the kids off to school (this being Tuesday morning) and then grabbed about another hour when the phone woke me up. I then half-heartedly tried to go back to sleep, but knowing that there was a Riverchasers game starting in just a little while, it just wasn't going to happen.

So, off to Limerick I go. Early on, I gamble it up a little bit with flush and inside straight draws on the flop against a set and get there on the turn. He bets about 1/3 of my remaining stack into a now large pot, so I push the rest of my stack. After agonizing, he calls, knowing that he probably needs the board to pair. It doesn't. After a while, we go to the final table (somewhere around 50 runners) and I get crippled running AQ into AK. Then J9 can't catch up to A7 and IGH 7th.

No poker content Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I also went to the afternoon games in Limerick, but went out a little over halfway both days. Friday, though, it was early enough that I decided to do a brief afternoon shift in Conshy, just because I hadn't done one for a while and was inspired a bit by the recent escapades north of the border. Anyway, saying this place is about a C-list establishment is probably generous. However, something absolutely amazing happened. Out strolls a statuesque African butter face. And she has world class pole skills. I've seen a lot of pole work over the years in all classes of venues, and to find this kind of skill where I was sitting was shocking. In fact, she even broke out something I've never seen. Starting from the usual inverted vertical position at the top of the pole, she slid down head first about halfway then stopped abruptly, came around 90 degrees and held there. Horizontally. Tips of her heels over 6 feet from the pole. Spectacular. Bravo.

The kids were staying at the inlaws for the weekend, so I told my wife that I was going to play poker Friday night after I dropped them off. And that's exactly what I did. Champs Bar on the golf course. Starting table was absolutely nuts. After the flop. So I saw lots of cheap flops and finally found the spot I was looking for. I called with 53 from the small blind and flopped two pair. Slow played it. Check call. Turned the full house. Perfect. Let these monkeys overbet. Board now has two hearts and two spades. So when the potential flush comes on the end, I bet out. And get raised. Perfect. Called, reraised by me, get two(!) callers and that there is a lot of chips still in the first hour. Then with KK in the SB at 5/10, I make it 45 to go after a couple limpers. I knew I would be heads up against the LAG button chip leader and when the flop came K52, I checked to him but he checked behind. For some reason, he thought that I really wasn't happy to see a king on the flop. I wonder what gave him that impression. The turned paired the five and he bet pot after I checked again. Smooth call. I don't even remember what came on the end as I didn't care and shoved the rest of my chips in. And he instacalled with A5o. Nice.

Chips go up, chips go down, not quite as much as up, but the blinds are ever increasing. Then I get crippled. A3s > TT. Ace on the river when AIPF. Down to T125 at 50/100. Nope, chip up and new level, T200 at 100/200. In the BB, all-in. 600 in the main pot and I river a 4 flush with the K♠. Next hand, A3 guy doubles me blind vs blind with KQ against my AK. Now T1200. Final table and blinds go to 200/400. Fast forward another 45 minutes. I finished 2nd. I was 11 outs on the river for my opponent from taking the chip lead, him needing an Ace or a spade and he spiked the Ace. I'll take the 2nd out of 83. I know I played well, making the types of moves that needed to be made against the different types of tables I was at. Just a shame I couldn't finish off the comeback.

Then Saturday afternoon, I played in Lansdale at a bar I had never played at. For those that rag the Limerick Inn mercilessly, I suggest you go to the 3rd and Walnut, then decide. I got called an A-hole for calling a guy on shorting the pot. Most of the players were thoroughly drunk already at 4 PM, and it was some of the worst poker I have ever seen. I don't even want to remember the specifics of the game. It was clearly the worst venue I have ever played at. Even though the TD, who I am familiar with, ran a perfect game. As usual. I forget his name, but he is one of the best. I finished 6th of 40. Even though the only hands I played and showed were AA, QQ, and AJ, when I pushed from the button for 4.5 BB with A2s, the BB still called for most of his chips with A3s. 3 on the flop. I won't be back.

Probably another week off from work. I'll be around.

Not Quite Midnight, All The Madness

2008-03-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

So instead of the midnight Taj tournament, I managed to get out of the house a little after 7PM which allowed me to sit for the 10PM version of the same at the A.C. Hilton. Surprisingly, there were only 31 runners that ponied up the $40+10 pittance to receive 300 BB in their starting stacks, and 15 minute levels.

Initial table was predictably crazy. Every hand was raised pre-flop, and every pre-flop raise saw 2-4 callers. Table image meant absolutely nothing, so one of my biggest guns needed to stay holstered. The antes kicked in at level 3, and my stack started its downward spiral. I got my blinds paid in the last 2 hands of level 6 (500/1000/100) and was down to T8500 when the table broke and I went right back into the blinds for 600/1200/200. Sigh. However, inexplicably, there were 4 limpers and got to see a free flop with 64o. Flop is 642, two clubs. SB bet out 2000, so I just pushed all-in. No reason to get fancy and I more than doubled. Very next hand, MP raises to 5000 and I find AK. Reraise 10K more and drag another nice pot.

I gave some back the next time the BB came around. UTG min raises, I call with QJ, and flop an OESD that doesn't get there. Actually, I only called a very small bet on the flop and folded to the shove on the turn. But, I managed to double back up at (3000/6000/1000) when I actually found AA on the button. Timely. At this point we are playing 5 handed, the other table with 6 left, and the chip leader has decided to channel Scott Fischmann, raising with any two and hitting miracle flops. At last, the final table bubble breaks and we redraw for seats. I draw the cutoff and have about T20000 left, and we have a couple more hands at the current level before going to 5000/10000/1000. 6 antes later I'm all-in blind for 3K over my BB. All fold to the SB who calls with 77, but my 83o spikes an 8 on the flop and I'm alive.

We have a few eliminations and are down to 8 when there are 3 short stacks all in. Now, I only have about 4 BB left (a little under T40000) and find AKs. The winner of this hand will make me the short stack, and potential bubble boy, so I reraise for the rest of my chips, mostly so the chip leader to my left has slightly worse odds to call, which he elects not to do. A turned K gives me the pot and players 8, 7, and 6 are all out. We are now in the money.

I get into a blind battle where I checked a SB limp with T5o. I bet out the flop, having caught top pair, but get check min-raised. That play 5 handed just oozes strength, and I eventually lay it down. He showed me KT. Good fold. Finally with 4 left, I run the suited JackAce into a suited AK and IGH 4th for $149.

For me, I'm ecstatic. You see, if you had actually been reading this drivel, you would know that I know my game is ridiculously awful. However, since I have started actively reading as many bloggers as possible on a daily basis, and documenting my (however lame) play and results, I seem to have seen some increased success. At least more consistently. So, keep on writing, I'll keep on reading. Maybe some day, I can consider myself a fair player.

At Midnight? That's Madness!

2008-03-03T14:36:00.003-05:00

I was planning on spending the day in Atlantic City today, but the older daughter decided to spike a ~~one-outer~~ fever keeping me at home with her. In consolation, having the awesome wife that I do, it was suggested that I cruise down after dinner tonight. Score!

So... tonight's late night live turbo super-stack donktacular at the Taj has my name written all over it. Check back tomorrow to find out what kind of recockulous hand knocked me out 3 spots from the money.

Little of This, Little of That

2008-02-25T11:28:00.002-05:00

Played a lot of poker over the weekend, at least by my standards.

Since the kids were off on Friday due to the snow, and my commute would have been significantly more treacherous than my wife's, I had the unenviable task of trying to entertain two small girls for the day. Even though the older one, for the most part, entertained herself, that entertainment monopolized the laptop with the wireless connection. So, with Diego on the tube and the sounds of webkinz eminating from the computer, I managed to not pull out all of my hair. Finally, around 4:00, I decided that I had enough and packed them in the car for an early dinner at Friendly's. I figured that would kill off the rest of the day until my wife got home.

Graciously, she offered up a poker night which I readily accepted so off to the riverchasers game at the golf course I went. First hand I pick up JJ (which I hear is just ok, and agree), raise and get a few callers (obv). Flop leaves me with an overpair to the board and I c-bet which is check-called by a blind and smooth called by the button. Now, the button player notoriously plays low-mid connectors and semi-connectors and this flop could very well have hit him hard. Being that this is the first hand, I end up check folding the Q on the turn. It was probably a really bad fold, but I just had a bad feeling and decided to minimize my loss. Unfortunately, things didn't really improve from there as I lost another chunk of my stack on a flopped nut flush draw and 5:1 odds to call. It didn't get there on the turn, and a player with a flopped set shoved to chase out the draws before the river. As it turns out, there was another player with the K high draw, so I stood to make a bundle if it came out. Then, a little more than halfway through the field, my KTo couldn't catch up to A6o in a blind vs blind confrontation and I was done. Meh.

So what do I do? I sign up for the ~~losers~~ consolation SNG for RC points only. These things are typically even more laggy than the main tournament, so I went with that flow. I call a raise out of the SB with 88 and am met with a reraise shove from the BB. There was no reason to think that this was a big pair so, when everyone else folded, I called expecting great pot odds on a probable race. He flipped 44. Heh. GG sir. Thank you for your chips.

Very next hand, I get my old nemesis, JJ, on the button. After a raise and a few callers, I decide to play it fast and reraise twice the pot. Two callers! Bad news for them, I flopped top set and both decided to bet into me. Ok then. If you like your hands so much, let's play for all your chips. I shoved and got a call by a gut shot draw. Gotta love the RPT SNGs. Now, with half of the chips at the table, I bullied my way into a heads up match with a full on donkey image. The coup de grâce occurred pretty quickly when I raised on the button with J9 and got a call by 93o. Flop was JJ3 and she bet almost 1/3 of her stack to which I responded by putting her all in. She called. Running 3's were not to be found, and the consolation prize was mine. At least it took the sour taste of the main tournament out of my mouth.

On Saturday, I took second in a micro limit SNG on tilt after I donked off the chip lead heads up. I hate when the table bully finally picks up cards. Oh well. Second is better than the string of fourths I'd been collecting. Then on Sunday, my wife had some party to go to for the afternoon. It was one of those events where someone is trying to sell stuff to the guests, either for profit or for charity. This one was for charity and had something to do with clothes, but the important point was that I got to entertain the girls again for the entire afternoon. I'm not quite sure who got the worse end of that deal.

Anyway, I apparently looked a bit surly when she got home, so she suggested that I go out for a bit after the kids went to bed. Given that this was a Sunday, and all the riverchasers games start on the early side, I went over the local league game that was 5 minutes from home. Played pretty well, but couldn't get a guy with QQ to lay down on a AKx flop where I raised pre-flop. Of course, I was playing JTs at the time, but that's not the point. After he called my c-bet on the flop (he just smooth called pre), I shut down. He was one of the tighter players there, and I had to assume that he hit that flop given his image and action. Wow, if a Q turns or rivers, I stack him. But no. So I have to go back to stealing just to keep up with the blinds since we are now playing 2 shorthanded tables, and manage to keep pace until the final table.

I stay away from the push fest that erupts until we get down to 5. I open push with KJo and get called by QTo. Unfortunately, the river double pairs the board and, with the Ace on flop, we chop the pot. Booo! Finally, I push UTG with 86s (sure to be live), get called by the same guy as last hand, and the big stack pushes all in. If he doesn't have a big pair, I'm getting great odds with live cards. He flips AKo, but I don't get there. 5th place for the night. Meh.

My current contract is expiring at the end of the month, and I usually take a week off before starting with the next client. I'm thinking about heading to A.C. for some daytime poker at some time during that first week in March. Anyone else going to be down there that week? I'm planning on playing the morning tournament at the Trop one of those days and maybe some cash if I bust early.

Back On Trappe

2008-02-19T08:01:00.003-05:00

After a disappointing deep run but early final table elimination in the local league finals on Sunday, I got myself back to Riverchasers last night at the Trappe Tavern.

My initial table was just about the LAGiest thing I had ever seen. Thankfully, I was able to stay out of the crossfire. About 15 minutes in, I called a raise with 88 as did 4 others and saw a flop of 865 rainbow. After a bunch of checks, I fired out for 1/2 the pot and got 3(!) callers. I figured at least one of them for a 7 (maybe 77) but, at that table, anything was possible. Hopefully, no one was slow playing 97. We turned a 10 and it checked around to me again. I bet a little less than 1/3 of my remaining stack and 2 of the 3 stuck around for the river, a beautiful second 5. The pot is now bigger than the starting stack, so I shove for about 1/2 the pot with the 3rd nuts. First guy insta-mucks, second guy really wants to call but can't seem to pull the trigger. I'll take the double as I don't find another good spot for what seemed like an hour. I picked up a few blinds with nothing and speculated on a few hands but, for the most part, my stack just dwindled.

Thankfully, that table broke and I sat myself in the vacated SB of my new table. At this point, I'm down to T200 and blinds are 25/50. Fold once, fold twice. I'm UTG+1 and UTG shoves for 4x BB. I have A3o... and fold. UTG shows J9s. Best fold ever as we are about to commence deck to face slappage. Next hand, I'm UTG and find KK. I'm like, "I guess it's my turn" and push. MP calls with 33 and 82% is g00t! Back up to T475. I give back 50 of it in my BB when SB turns 2 pair and I refuse to pay him off. Then, in my SB (blinds now 50/100), we have a limp from UTG (33 guy) and I find JJ. Let's try it again, all in for 425. BB folds but UTG calls again, this time with A6s. I fade the Ace and the diamonds and am now sitting on T950. With just T175 left, BB throws his chips in the middle pre-deal and leaves the bar. Issues, sir. Get them dealt with.

Anyway, at this point, our table breaks and the final 9 are set. After a few hands, blinds increase to 100/200 and I chip up to T1000. Nothing in the BB, but find JTs in the SB after one EP limper. I complete, the BB checks, and the flop comes Q9x. This is basically the flop I was looking for (would have liked some spades, too, but not that greedy), so I pushed for my last 600. BB instacalls with A9o and UTG folds, so I have 14 outs twice and get there on the river. Up to T1800. I fold a bunch of garbage until, once again, I pick up KK UTG. Raise it 3x BB and MP reraises for 900 more all-in. Amazingly, the next player calls all-in for 800 and I have an easy call leaving 300 behind. KK holds up against JTo (reraiser) and AQo (caller) and suddenly I'm sitting on more than T4000.

At this point, I start raising frequently, stealing the 300 and then 600 in blinds. Pretty soon, I have the rest of the table covered collectively. When we get down to 4 handed, I start finding an Ace almost every other hand and can steal at will. We almost get down to 3 when the BB is all-in blind for 100 over his BB, I call with T8o, and he flips 94o. I pick up 2 pair on the turn, but he rivers a straight to survive, temporarily. The prior big stack busts him a few hands later, and then the new short stack pushes his K high into my A high and doesn't improve. Now heads up, I have about a 5:1 chip lead and just want to stay aggressive, but not do anything stupid to double him up unnecessarily. The hand that really crippled him saw me on the button with KQs and I raised 1000 on top of the 600 BB. He called and the flop came QJT rainbow. He checked, I bet enough to put him all in (about 2/3 of the pot), and he folded leaving himself less than 3 big blinds. Predictably, the match didn't last long after that as he pushed with KQo and couldn't catch up to my A4o and it was over.

Of course, I didn't get home until almost 1 AM and usually have trouble sleeping after playing poker. After a win, sleep was non-existent and I'm running on fumes. It's all good, though.

Reraising a pot committed opponent with JTo? That's a paddlin. Calling the reraise with AQo? You better believe that's a paddlin.

I Guess I'm Just Horribly Out Of Touch

2008-02-15T09:38:00.003-05:00

Pictured here is the front page of today's Philly Inquirier, above the fold. This story is surely in a similar position in countless other daily papers across the country. Whether or not a photo of a critically or fatally wounded shooting victim should be included on the front page of a major newspaper is only of small concern to me. What I find disturbing is the collection of students in the background, not 3 feet from the body, in the process of also snapping photos using cell phones and a blackberry. Why? Some a$$ clown just murdered a bunch of people on the campus of the university at which you attend, and you want personal visual evidence? WTF is wrong with people?

Semi-Final Top 10? Check

2008-02-14T11:34:00.002-05:00

The local bar league that I infrequent held their semifinal round last night. Basically, the top 14 in points for the season got a pass directly into the finals, while the rest of the points earners could play their way in. This tournament was basically a satellite where 10 seats were awarded. Good thing was that only 25 showed up to play. Bad thing was that even though I had more chips than last time, I was still short against most of the folks who were there. Depending on your final ranking, you received somewhere between 20 and 45 BB to start (I had 30), and the blinds doubled every 20 minutes.

Since there were two decks in play, we were able to get in almost twice the usual number of hands per level. I figured I had around 30 hands (levels 1 and 2) before desparation would kick in. During the feeling out process of level 1, nothing really came along so I just played patiently. Then, during level 2, I was down to around T1100. A short stacked UTG shoved for 375 and I figured his range was pretty wide. I wanted to isolate the shorty, so I shoved AQ over the top. The blinds folded and I was way ahead of his 97o. Then he rivered a 7 and Al Qaeda blows up in my face again. Suddenly, I have less than 9 BB left and am in binary decision mode.

First I steal the blinds from UTG with the suited JackAce. Then, right after the blinds go by, I continue the limp train with A♣7♣ on the button. With a bunch of callers, I'm hoping to hit the flop hard, or at least pick up a major draw. It comes 357 with two spades. It checks around to me, so I shove with TPTK and get called by Q♠6♠. One over, flush draw, and a gutterball. Somehow I survive that one and double plus the limps. I'm now at T2000 and the blinds move to 100/200. Still not comfortable.

In a nice change, I pick up QQ in consecutive hands. The first time, I just pick up the blinds. The second time, though, I make the same 3x BB raise and get one caller (same player with the Q6). Flop comes Axx rainbow, which does not make me happy as over 1/4 of my chips are already in the pot. I check to see how she wants to play it and she checks behind. Then I hit my set on the turn and bet 1/2 pot which she calls, leaving me T1000 and her T1200, with a pot that is now almost at 4000 chips. When the river bricks, I push my last 1000 in and she folds.

Then, just a few hands later, it's time for JJ. Standard raise gets called by the BB and we again see Axx on the flop. I sniff out the slow-played AK after the checked flopped and lose only the initial raise. After that hand and paying a few more blinds, I get whittled down to T2100 with 200/400 blinds. We're down to around 16 or 17 at this point, so I think I still need one more nice pot. It folds to me on the button and I open push with AKs and get called by the same player who was giving me chips all night with JTo. That call left her T200. Idiot. In the very next hand, she is all in in the SB, I call from the cutoff with TT and the BB checks. We check it down, my tens are good, I add another set of blinds to my stack and, now that were are only 3 off the button, I go into fold mode. I easily have enough chips to fold every hand for 5 or 6 orbits, knowing that we will certainly lose 3 more before I will go broke.

About ten hands later, we reach the bubble, and the BB at our table only has T700 with 300/600 blinds. That hand, UTG big stack picks up his BB with a turned nut flush and now he only has T100 left in the SB. I call dark before I even get cards, and expect anyone else who is comfortable to do the same. Shows what I know. Everyone folds and the BB says "Check it down?" Of course I wanted to check it down. I wanted all 5 of us to check it down. So much for implicit collusion. Sheesh. Anyway, my K high and BB's A high were both better that whatever SB had, and there you have it. The final field is set.

Sunday afternoon at 1PM. Three tables. Double stacks. $500 winner take all. (unless the inevitable chop)

Things That Go Kaboom!

2008-02-13T09:51:00.002-05:00

If AK is the Anna Kournikova because it never wins, then AQ is definitely the Al Qaeda because playing it is like being on a suicide mission. Anyway, for the two people who drop by from time to time to read my drivel, what's up guys?

Yesterday, my older daughter had a morning dentist appointment which I had the privilege of bringing her to. So, by the time we were done and I got her back to school, it was going to be lunchtime before I would be able to get down to Wilmington just for a half day of work. With impending doom from the heavens in the form of a "wintry mix", I decided that I wasn't going to deal with that commute and went to play the afternoon Riverchasers freeroll in Limerick instead. Easy decision? I though so too.

Given the weather forecast, turnout was a little light, and we only started with 4 full tables. I really like this afternoon game as it's mostly retirees, night shifters, and the unemployed. This mix generally makes for some less LAGish poker.

I almost busted in the first hour. Almost. I checked my option in the BB with Q5o after 5 limpers and flopped top and bottom pair (Q95 rainbow). After SB checked, I bet out about the size of the pot and got 3 callers. Then an 8 hit the turn and I decided to check to see what would happen. UTG bet almost 1/2 the pot and got two callers. I considered just calling, but with so much money in the pot and a good but vulnerable hand, I shoved right there. UTG agonized before folding and then the other two callers folded quickly. I flipped the Q5 and dragged the nice pot, practically doubling, when UTG said, "nice bet, real nice bet" and pulled his Q8 out of the muck. I don't know of another player on this tour that makes that laydown. Just sick.

Now that I was comfortable, I was able to loosen up a bit if I wanted, but just wasn't getting spots I thought were right. I did pick up a nice pot with a suited JackAce where I raised 3.5x BB preflop, got two callers on that bet and on the flop c-bet (with an A on the flop) and nothing more. Some more chips came my way when my OESD filled on the river and cracked top pair in a multi way pot. And by that time, the table broke and we went down to 2 tables.

Now up against a couple big stacks, I really needed to pick my spots carefully. Of course, when you really need one is when it is least likely to come. I blinded down a bit and then an AQ went kablooie on a KKT flop against AT. As soon as we hit the points bubble, I picked up AQ UTG (5 handed) and raised all-in 3.5x BB (50-100 blinds). Evidently, my fuse wouldn't light as I just picked up the blinds. At the same time, someone went busto at the other table and the final 9 were set.

Fast foward a bit, there has been one elimination and I'm in the SB with AQ. There are two limpers before I shove and, even though BB and EP fold, MP big stack calls with presto. T2TJT, the belt detonates, and IGH 8th.

Anyway, my win a few weeks ago in "that other league" once again qualified me for their semi-final event which is tonight. Top 10 in that advance to play with the overall top 14 in points (who earned byes) in a final 3 table event, $500 winner takes all. Last time around, I was able to dig myself out from my short starting stack of 20 BBs to advance. This time, I finished in the top half of the field for the season (even though I only played once) so my starting stack should be a bit more comfortable.

I predict that the Sixers will not win another game the rest of the season. There, that should get them into the playoffs. Some will attest that there are bigger coolers out there when it comes to sports betting. I humbly disagree. Bet against me every time. You can quit your job.

Sixers / Clippers

2008-02-11T10:06:00.001-05:00

My wife scored tickets in her company's suite for the Sixers game against the Clippers Saturday night. Mind you, it's the sixers and it's the clippers, but it's also in the suite so it's all good. The good guys managed to put a hurtin on their left coast competition making a 3 game win streak. That, of course, will end abruptly tonight against Dallas.

Not much on the poker front. I played the Sunday night freeroll at the golf course and did not win one hand in 2 hours. Not. One. Hand. In fact, the only break from the insufferable monotony of T2, 92, 73, Q7, and J5 was JJ once and JackAce once. Unfortunately, once I had established my image as a patient player, and thus could start trying to steal a bit, there were a few bustouts at the other end of the table. These were replaced by a couple of ultra LAGs who weren't there to hear the story I had been telling for 3 levels. So, another 3 levels go by with no cards and no spots to be found. I finally push having hit second pair on the flop and get called by overs and a flush draw that hits right on the turn. Fitting end to the night.

Three playable hands in two hours? You better believe that's a paddlin.

Bah Trumbug

2008-02-07T09:24:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided to try out a new (for me) riverchasers venue, the Trum Tavern. It was made known at the TOC on Saturday that at least a half dozen players that finished in the final 40 play regularly there, including the winner. Sounded like a good game to me and, as it turned out, I wasn't disappointed with the play there. I rolled in less than 5 minutes before starting time and was pleasantly surprised to find that the TD there is the infamously plunderrifical Perticelli.

I found a seat at the only non-full table and happily received the button for the first hand. Not that it mattered. I was in full fold mode for the entire first orbit, trying to get a read on the rest of the table. It seemed to be (for the most part) a no nonsense, straight forward bunch who would bet for value but didn't really want to chase when behind. I played my first hand of the night on my second button, a small suited ace. It was literally the first remotely playable holding I had seen, and since everyone else folded, I elected to see a cheap flop in position. However, after the SB completed, the BB raised 3x and we both came along for a pretty small percentage of our stacks. Although an ace came on the flop, there were none of my suit and the BB fired right out making it an easy lay down for me. My read was spot on when he showed the JackAce while collecting the small pot.

A few hands later, I picked up AQo in MP and raised one limper 4x BB. Cutoff called and everyone else folded. Flop came with an ace, I 1/2 pot bet the flop, checked the turn, and 1/2 pot bet the river and was paid off by ATo. Then, when the blinds hit me again, I found AQs in the BB and decided to disguise the strength of my hand and check my option. Flop was Qxx with two clubs and I opted for the check raise after a min bet and a few callers. I lost all but one player who called another bet on the turn but folded on the river. And that's where everything dries up. For a while.

Finally, toward the end of level 4, our table is broken and I am moved to the immediate right of the TOC winner (same guy whose KK I cracked with TT when I flopped quads). Since it's a new table, I try to get a read on what's going on as quickly as possible. Most of the table seems pretty loose/passive pre-flop but will fold on the flop if they don't hit. They also don't seem to like making or calling raises. In the first hand I play at the new table, I decide to gamble a little and complete my SB with 62s after three limpers. The BB is kind enough to check and I decide to get a little trappy on the A22 flop. Alas, no takers. No one came in with an ace? A 7 turns and I bet a little over 1/2 the pot, but I guess this was too much as everyone scampered. Oh well. It was still a 20% increase in my stack.

I go back into fold mode as we reach level 6 (15/30) and I am sitting on 190 chips after having just paid my blinds. Everyone folds to me on the button and I find 88. For some reason, I just call in position planning to push an innocent looking flop. SB completes but the BB makes it 90 to go. Now, this guy had been betting a lot heavier than 3x BB with his strong hands so the raise felt a little stealish. However, he had plenty of chips so I really didn't have any fold equity. I decide to go with my gut and shove with what I think is the best hand and am called for 100 more by Q♣T♣. I was happy to hear that the SB thoughtfully threw away A♣7♣ to the raise and reraise so I realistically just needed to fade the 6 outs. An 8 on the flop ended that race immediately and I doubled plus a little. I chipped up a little more with some pre-flop aggression to pick up a set of blinds and then sniffed out a bluff by an ace high when I was holding second pair.

Level 8 (50/100) commences and I am in the BB. One shorty limps for 1/3 of her stack and I immediately put her on a bad ace. Everyone folds and I look down at AT and decide to see a flop before committing more chips. AJ7 rainbow. I check to try to induce the bluff but it doesn't come, so when a 6 turns, I just put her all in for another 175 and she calls with A5o. Even though she said she just wanted to go home, one of the three remaining fives falls on the river and instead of having T900 in my stack, I'm down to a piddly T350. And now in the SB. The table folds to me and I shove my QJ0 for 3.5x BB and, after a minute or so of thought, take down the pot. The very next hand the table folds again and I shove for 4.5x BB with AQo. The SB again reflects on the situation and comes to the same conclusion. BB folds instantly and I recovered what I'd lost 2 hands prior. Then, a few hands later, I pick up another uncontested pot with a 3x BB raise with AKs.

Then in the BB again for 100, the SB completes and I check 44 for a blind vs blind battle. Flop comes a very favorable 933 and I put the SB all in for 200 after his check. Unfortunately, he actually had J9o and I doubled him, leaving me around T600 as the table breaks and we go to the final 16 players.

The new table is quite a bit more aggressive with very few flops seen. I have to fold my first set of blinds and they come around again fast at level 9 (75/150). I pick up QQ UTG and, although I only have 3 BB left, no one has anything worthy of calling my all in. Too bad I wasn't in LP on that one. I could've either happily called a raise from up front or my raise might have looked like a desparate steal attempt. Finally, level 10 starts (100/200) and, after paying my blinds, am down to T450. 92o on the button goes into the muck, but A4o in the cutoff looks good enough to try to get through three more players. Unfortunately, SB has AQ and, even though a 4 comes in the door, there is also a Q through the window. Ace on the turn just rubs it in and IGH 13th out of around 56 runners.

That 550 chip swing was just huge in derailing my effort to accumulate enough chips to make a good deep run at the final table. As everyone knows, even when you are playing really well, and a player does something stupid, just like you wanted, sometimes they get rewarded. And it really hurts your chances.

Losing half your stack to a rivered 3 outer? You better believe that's a paddlin.

TOC Recap

2008-02-04T11:47:00.000-05:00

Saturday afternoon was the Riverchasers 2007 4th quarter Eastern PA regional TOC. At stake, in addition to real prizes for the top 20 or so, was a slot in the final tournament and the chance at a WSOP main event seat. Even though I had qualified for all 4 quarterly tournaments, due to scheduling conflicts, I was only able to play in 1 of the prior 3, which I finished close to the qualifier bubble. This meant that this was my last shot at playing for the '08 WSOP.

The official count was 239 runners when we got started. My first (and only) table saw a few familiar faces as well as the infamous Perticelli, who I had never met. Aggressive but tight was the starting strategy for the table, as was to be expected. I picked up a small pot at level 1 with the JackAce when an A flopped, and missed a few set mining calls, but ended the level close to even. At level 2, I found QQ UTG and raised 4x BB and was called by only the BB. I bet around 2/3 of the pot when the flop came 9 high and the BB mumbled something about needing runner runner and folded. The aggression at the table picked up a bit starting at level 3 as chips were getting redistributed, but it was still good solid poker. There was one hand where I got to see a free flop with T♥9♥ out of the BB. I flopped a massive draw, AQJ with 2 hearts, but did not want to put a good portion of my chips at risk so I checked. I just couldn't afford to get raised off of a semi-bluff by the player UTG who was starting to get a little short. I was pretty sure he had at least paired his Ace, but chose to see if he would give me good odds to chase. He actually bet more than the pot (almost half of his stack) and, having been paying attention to his patterns, I put him on either AK, AQ, or AJ and he was protecting against the flush draw. I decided to fold and look for a better spot.

Then, at the end of level 4, in the last hand before the break, I called Pert's raise with AK on the button. Cutoff had also smooth called, so I considered a squeeze, but Pert had been playing pretty darn tight (when he was actually sitting there), so I decided to see a flop before deciding. Q94 all diamonds. Neither of my cards was diamond, unfortunately, and Pert semi-bluffed a pot sized bet with KTo with the K♦. After the cutoff folded, I decided to lick my wounds and limp into the break down about 25% of my stack. Since I was dealing, and we were now on break, I asked Pert if I could run it out. Turn ended up being the A♦. Nut flush for him, good fold by me.

When we get back for level 5, blinds are 10/20 and I have T140 left. It's also announced that there are still 201 players. Not a typical RPT game at all. Usually, by the end of 5/10, almost half the field is gone but today, only about 1/8. Anyway, I get nothing through the blinds and am down to 110. Two hands later, it folds to me in the cutoff and I open shove with 44. BB decides to call for about 40% of his stack with A♦T♦ and a 4 comes right in the door. Unbelievable. I won a race. He whined for a good half hour about my pushing with fours. Somehow, he honestly believed that my pushing as a short stack with a pocket pair was donkish, while calling off almost half his stack with a medium suited ace and losing was getting sucked out on. Whatever, dude. Most of my range had ATs crushed pre-flop. Plus, I was betting, not calling. Understand the difference?

So, eventually, we are now at 15/30, I have paid a set of blinds and am at T185. I find TT UTG and open shove again. Everyone folds until the BB checks his cards and asks how much more. Ok, I figure AK/AQ or something like that. He calls and flips KK. Fawk. Until the ridiculous suckout. Flop is T8T. DQB!!!!!! He is rightfully pissed. He played some damn good poker to build his stack up, and then lost almost half of it to a huge setup. There was no way it wasn't going to happen. I was certainly going to play the hand. If I was going to come in raising, anything less than all in would be just stupid. And if I chose to limp, he was certainly going to raise and all my chips would have gone in pre flop anyway. Just filthy. But at least now I have T385, and that's about where my stack would stay until the next break. I stole the blinds with KQo just to keep up, but I couldn't find any traction.

In an interesting hand at 25/50, Pert open shoved his short stack from UTG+1 for about 2x BB. AT boy reraises all in for about 1.5 BB's more and I find 44 again in the BB. I chuckle out loud as I fold the fours face up and he shows AT again. I think Pert had something like A70. This time, there IS a ten on the flop and Pert is gone. Maybe I'm just a bit evil. I decided to retilt the guy by opening up the old wound and adding a little salt. "Bet you wish I would've played pocket fours THAT hand, huh?" Hmmm, raise, reraise, pocket fours go into the muck. Every time. Open push? Huge difference. Anyway, he was the BB when I stole the blinds with the KQ. He thought about it. But I had him covered.

When we get back from the second break, blinds are 100/200, I only have around 2 BB left and am in the SB. Official count is that there are 59 players remaining. I fold to a raise the first hand and each and every hand until I am UTG. There I find A♠K♠ and this will have to do it. BB calls for 100 more and tables Q♠9♠. QJ6 on the flop. So damn close. Wait, T on the turn gives me broadway and I'm back on the respirator although I have to give back what I won right away to the blinds. But now I have 8 more hands to look at. Right about that time, we go down to the final 6 tables and hand for hand play goes into effect. I need 8 people to go out in the next 6 hands. I know I have absolutely no chance at making a strong run to the final table, so I invoke satellite bubble strategy. ATs? Mucked. 66? Ditto. Raiser flipped his cards both times. Both times I was crushed. I am still UTG+1 when we go to the bubble and, thankfully, there is an elimination. W00t! A final table would have been nice, but in my last chance for the year, I'll take the seat in the final tournament.

Anticlimatically, I pick up QTo UTG and call all in for less than the blind and lose to a rivered 6 high flush. Tee hee. 39th is just fine for me. Hopefully, I can make a good run next month.

Tuesday In Limerick

2008-01-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

Decided I didn't feel like going to work on Tuesday, so I went to the daytime riverchasers game at the power plant. Maybe I should've just gone to work...

I was in fold mode for the better part of the first half hour until I found AKo UTG. I limp. So do 4 others and we see a flop of KK4. Checks all around. Damn. Turn is an ace. B.U.T.Full. SB checks and the BB fires out a pot sized bet. Smooth call by me. Smooth call by 1 other. Hmmm. I'm sure that BB has a baby to mid ace, and am hoping that the other player has a K. River pairs the 4 and now I'm really hoping for KQs or KJs. BB fires a second bullet at the pot but I raise, praying for a call (or reraise) behind me. Unfortunately, the other player folds immediately (another baby ace?) and the BB considers for a decent amount of time before folding. A nice pot is a nice pot says I.

Anyway, a short time later, I pick up J6o in the BB and check my option with a few limpers in front. Flop top and bottom pair and decide to bet right out. Pot. Three callers. Turn bricks and I bet pot again. One player calls all in (two other folds), and flips a gutshot draw with one over. I guess 91% isn't good enough for yours truly, as his straight fills and he drags my a nice pot. That hand should have given me enough chips to play a more aggressive game but, alas, I am now approaching binary decision time as the blinds continue to grow.

I find A♦T♦ and shove directly into AKo. Even though I flop two baby diamonds, 12 outs twice is way too slim for me to expect to hit and IGH with about 20 players left.

Saturday is the 2007 Q4 RPT TOC. Top 40 there qualify for the final tournament that gives away the Main Event seat. GL me.

Hitting your gutshot on the river to cripple me, you better believe that's a paddlin.

She Has the Right Attitude

2008-01-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

My older daughter is 6. I'm not raising her to strive for mediocrity. If she wants to play soccer, they WILL keep score. Losing is the greatest motivation for improvement. Alas, yesterday it came back to bite me...

2 table SNG, I am heads up but at a 2:1 chip deficit.

β₀: I see you're losing.
Me: There are only 2 players left. 16 are already out.
β₀: Ok, you're in second place. But you're still losing.

Grin.

Infidelity

2008-01-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

Forgive me riggstad, I have been unfaithful. How could I have been so weak? Sometimes my insatiable yang just needs some of that delectable poker yin. And I'm not talking about that cyber stuff. That's always good for some temporary relief, but nothing compares to the real live, sweaty, smokey, genuine article. I'm not completely at fault, though. If Riverchasers was just around more, closer to home, I wouldn't have had to look to another. But I did. Would it make you feel better if I told you that I took it down? That it was purely physical? Probably not. Can I definitively say that I won't wander again? Again, probably not. As I've said, I'm weak. But, I'll always come home. There's too much history to throw it all away like that.

Anyway, the point is that I needed a live game last night and there just happened to be a league game run by a different company not 5 minutes from home starting after the kids went to bed. There were a couple of things I actually really liked about the game. Having the SB shuffle a second deck of cards was awesome. Instead of maybe 1 or 1-1/2 orbits per level, we were getting in 3. And the structure...20 minute blind levels, but by the time we were heads up over 3 1/2 hours later, the BB was barely over the starting stack. You just needed to get past the first 4 levels where the blinds doubled each time. After that, they really slowed down and there was a lot of room for actual play.

Thankfully, I was able to double up during the first few hands. UTG came in for a 3x BB raise. I'm in MP, find QQ, and reraise to 8x BB. Button calls, as does the original raiser. Flop comes queen high rainbow, and the original raiser checks. I bet half the pot and button min raises. UTG folds and I shove which he calls with AQ. TPTK NO GOOD! That's good for some breathing room. I finish up the next few levels having stolen a few sets of blinds and folded a few flops to heavy action, but was still comfortable when the table broke.

Now, accompanying me to my new table was UTG boy from my first hand. Over the course of the hour, it was completely evident to me that he tries to play like Phil Ivey. Very loose and aggressive and will continue on the flop, but will slow down if someone applies pressure back. Of course, in any bar free roll, complacency will get you short stacked in a hurry, so I was actively (but patiently) looking for a spot. It was a key point in the tournament for me. I'm in the BB and action folds around to Phil in the cutoff. He raises, but it just felt like a steal. Then the SB smooth called the raise. This didn't necessarily mean much as she was extremely loose pre-flop, but pretty weak tight afterward. She liked to see flops, but didn't withstand a whole lot of pressure. I thought it was a perfect time for an all in squeeze, with A9s, as the pot was large enough to make it worth my while to make a play at it. They both called. Uh oh. The final board was AKQT2, and my A9 held up? You've got to be kidding. Triple up and on my way.

I gave some of it back overplaying a weak ace, but managed to steal enough to stay mostly level. Had to lay down AQ to a big stack reraise where he showed jacks. Then I picked up TT on the button and open raised for almost half my stack. Same guy goes all in again, but this time I'm on the right side of the race and, having committed to the hand anyway, call and win. I guess I had earned a tight image, as every one of my steals was working. However, there were a couple of players who still tried to occasionally limp into the pot. These were consistently picked off by Phil, with a hefty raise. So, when I picked up KK UTG, I decided to see if I could make a limp profitable. Unfortunately, UTG+1 (former big stack who had doubled me) smooth called, as did Ivey. Fawk. 4 to the flop with pocket kings. Flop is AK8 rainbow. w00t! I check to the aggros, and am rewarded by a pot sized bet by UTG+1. If Phil calls, I might reraise right there, but he folds. I feign thought, and then make the call. When a J turns, I try an OBFV (all-in) and the former chip leader calls me with AT and he is drawing dead to a queen which doesn't come. We have a new chip leader.

Let the bullying commence. Steal, steal, steal, and steal some more. Eventually, someone was going to make a stand and, of course, it was Phil. I open raised with AJ and he called from the BB. Flop was K-rag-rag rainbow and not connected. I was almost positive that he was going to lead at the pot no matter what came on the flop. But his heart just wasn't in it. His probe stank of weakness so I raised 3x his bet and he slammed his cards into the muck. In another hand, I just smooth called him all the way down with TP, and he flipped 4th pair. It was a good thing that he was stealing from everyone else, as his stack just kept getting replentished before finding its way to the final destination.

The coup d'etat happened when I called Phil's raise from the SB with 44. I checked to his inevitable flop bet, having hit my set, and was rewarded with him shoving with TP2K. Buh bye. I pwned Phil Ivey. Well, as close as I'll ever get. Anyway, that got me heads up with a 12:1 chip lead and, even though I doubled the guy up when I was a 65% fav, the battle didn't last more than 6 or 7 more hands. I found 66 and he found A9o. Managed to win the race and it was over.

Sometimes cheating just feels so good.

Flyers 6, Senators 1

2008-01-21T09:25:00.001-05:00

Best seats I've ever had for a Flyers game, suite level between the blue lines. Fully catered, open bar, NFC championship on the flat screens, awesome win for the orange and black. A good night to be alive.

Just Call Me J.D. McDuffie

2008-01-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

Last night, Poker After Dark rd 2 where the top 9 gain a seat into the final tournament. 2270 runners and I was consistently in the top 200. But I could not win a race to save my life. No less than 5 times did I have a pair against 2 overcards and lost all 5 right on the flop. There is no way you can win one of these without winning your fair share of races, and at least I was in a position to be able to lose a few and not be crippled. But come on, every single one? The fifth and final lost race put me out in 288th. Serves me right to play my middle pairs aggressively.

So Conflicted

2008-01-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

I am a life long Philadelphia Eagles fan. It's been 30 years since I attended my first game at the Vet, a win vs. the Jets at a time when the Eagles weren't beating anyone. I can't put into words how I feel about the fact that we were the only NFC East team excluded from the playoffs. And what's worse? A prime time game between the Giants and Cowboys to determine who goes to the conference championship. What am I to do? Watch the game in objective disdain of both teams? I think not. Hope T.O. hits a seam and blows out both knees on a crossing pattern? Tempting, but that's so 10 years ago. I finally decided to back the team from up the turnpike, but only because they have the better chance of being humiliated on the frozen tundra next week. It is for that reason only that I even cared. Well, that and I don't think I could ever root for the cowboys under any circumstances. GO PACK GO!

On the AFC side of the equation, did the Patriots really need the help? Did the Colts and Bolts really need to beat the holy hell out of each other? Do the Patriots really need to get to play perhaps the worst team in the AFC playoffs? Who now have a dinged up Rivers and L.T.? I mean, come on. So it really looks like we're headed full steam toward a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI, the Desmond Howard show. Can you believe Favre was already almost 20,000 yards into his career even then, 11 years ago? Anyone remember Drew Bledsoe? Well, the Pack won by 2 TD's then, and I think that result will probably be reversed this year. Randy Moss with a ring. Damn, I was hoping Gary Anderson's choke would have been the closest Moss would get, but here we are.

From a poker perspective, I played a live Riverchasers freeroll Saturday night, mainly to be able to watch the Pats/Jags. Wow was I card dead. Only PP the entire night was 99, AK once, and AQ once. It's really hard to overcome an active table where 2/3 of all hands are going to showdown at the river when you just can't get a hand to show down. Made it to the final 2 tables but couldn't get A9o to hold up against the 2 chip leaders' garbage (oesd after the turn that didn't fill) and IGH 13th.

Sunday, for the hell of it, I fired up one of Full Tilt's poker after dark qualifier freerolls. I've played these pushfests probably 15 or 20 times (180, 360 or 640 players), have final tabled 3 or 4 times, and busted in the final 2 tables 2 or 3 times more. Finally, I got over the hump. Key hand was mostly a frustration play on my part, but it worked out. I have 77 UTG and limp, since only about 1/2 the pots were getting raised at this point. There might have been a limper or two, or not, but the button raises about 10x BB which, to me, screamed steal. SB shorty calls for less and the BB chip leader calls. I shove for 4x the original raise and get called by AJo (raiser) and A7o (BB). SB has 55 and I avoid the 3 jacks and 2 aces to just about triple up.

At this point, there is still a lot of play left as most of the M's are still healthy. I catch some folks overplaying marginal holdings or flat out buffing a few times and steadily grow my stack until I take over the chip lead with about 7 remaining. Now that I have some chips, I can afford to loosen up a bit now and call with some medium strength draws or call a weakish flop bet to take the pot away on the turn. The last 2 key hands were 3 handed. In the first, I actually managed to pick up KK in the BB. Previous chip leader (very loose) completes from the SB after the button folds. I massively overbet the pot with a 12x preflop raise and he calls. Flop is Q high and he pushes in and I call. He shows the mighty top pair nothing kicker and I have a 9:1 chip lead heads up. Only the second or third hand in, I pick up KTs on the button and raise 4x BB. Player calls for 1/3 of his stack and we see a flop of 965 with two of my suit. He insta-shoves and I figure I have more than enough outs to justify a call, and do so. His 87o flopped a straight, but I pick up a 3rd and then a 4th club on the turn and river (only needed 1). Round 2 is tonight around 10:00 PM EST where the top 9 get a seat in the After Dark finals.

Thursday Afternoon At The Power Plant

2008-01-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, you just need to look for some of the less traditional benefits associated with your job. Like when you work predominantly in MIS and both the analytics server and the database crash and will take the remainder of the day to be restored. It's even better when there's an afternoon Riverchasers game in Limerick on that day's schedule. Score!

First two levels, I paid my blinds and folded. It was just that bad. Then at level 3 (3/6), I call the half bet out of the SB with AQo after a few other limpers and the BB checked his option. I checked dark (as usual in the blinds), and saw A52 rainbow. Unfortunately, it checked around, but the turn was another A. Someone would probably now lead out, so I check raised a bet and a call. That lost the bettor, but the caller stuck around. I bet 1/2 the pot on a river K and, after about 2 minutes, my opponent mucked. He said he wasn't sure if I had an A, but he was probably beat.

I gave some of that back chasing down an OESD in a massive multiway pot that would have been a huge help. In fact, one of the players still in (who couldn't keep her mouth shut after the hand about what she had) said that she was open ended and an eight would have given her a straight. Fawk, she was drawing to the idiot end and I would've stacked her. From there, I kept looking for the spot that just wouldn't come. Then I have 145 left and am in the BB at 15/30. A few limpers, including some large stacks who will call raises with ATC, and I find AKo. All right, let me see if I can hit the flop before I shove. Flop comes AQx with two hearts. All in I am. UTG calls with KQ, no hearts (?) and other players fold. AK holds up and I double plus.

Table breaks. New table same cards. Blinds up. 25/50, then 50/100. I'm in the BB with half my stack posted, it folds to the SB who puts me all in. T6o. I call. He has K9o, so I'm live. 10 on the flop and I double. Very next hand, it folds to my SB and I find AKo again. No waiting this time, heads up. I push pre-flop and get called by KT. RPT donkeys. Suddenly, I have a medium sized stack (largest at my 5 man table) and the other table loses two so we go to the final table of 8.

First hand, I'm SB with A♣2♣. One limper then an all in for exactly the BB. I complete and BB checks. We check it down, and the turned A chops the pot between me and the limper (A5). Finally, we get down to 5 handed and the blinds are 200/400. This means that there are only about 20-22 BB total in play. RPT final tables are purely a lottery. It takes some skill to get there but, after that, it's completely up for grabs. I start that level UTG with 22. Yuck. Don't like it, but 800 all in. Called by KJ for most of his stack and 43 from the chip leader with huge odds. Board ends up ATT37. IGH 5th. Tournament ends about 4 or 5 hands later.

I know there is a first place at Limerick, I just keep falling just short. Oh well. The year is still starting well in live play (even if it is free) with 2 final tables in 2 starts, including one heads up chop. Personally, I think that consistently navigating a freeroll field is, in some ways, more difficult than playing a game with a buy in. Up to a certain level of player of course.

Brutal beat of the game:

Pre-Flop: Player 1 raises, Player 2 reraises, Player 2 calls.
Flop: AQJ rainbow. Player 1 bets, Player 2 calls.
Turn: J. Player 1 bets, Player 2 raises, Player 1 reraises all-in, Player 2 calls.
Player 1: AJ, Player 2: QQ
River: A

Disney Vacation - Part 4

2008-01-10T10:41:00.001-05:00

Go read part one first.
Then parts two and three.

Thursday

We extracted ourselves from the clutches of the evil Disney corporation in order to visit an attraction exhibited by a much more wholesome company. Annheuser-Busch's Sea World Orlando. We were told that Orlando traffic on a typical morning was brutal so, wanting to arrive right at the opening, we got up before the sun hoping to get on the road by about 7:30. What's that road to hell paved with again? While we were grabbing a bite in the dining hall, ε's parents realized that they had left their admission tickets in PA. Oops. So after about an hour of the most unhelpful customer service associates imaginable (unhelpful, really?), they were resigned to the fact that they would need to purchase new tickets when we got there.

The first good thing did happen in that the morning rush must have dissipated abnormally early on this day as there were virtually no cars on the road. We made the 14 mile drive in about 20 minutes and were amongst the first few dozen cars in the lot. When we got there, ε's S-I-L decided that it was going to be a very poor morning for the unlucky individual manning the customer relations window. After only about 5 minutes, new tickets were issued without charge. It always helps when a line is forming behind the person making life difficult.

Anyway, we all are able to enter the park 10 minutes after it opens. I, and a few of the other adults, are interested in riding Sea World's coaster, Kraken, before the lines start later but the damn thing doesn't run when it's cold. Booo! So, we take in the pirate show, featuring sea lions and a walrus. The girls enjoyed it much more than I though they would, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Then, we head over to Shamu's Happy Harbor so that the kids can do all the rides there with little to no waiting. Busch has a park near home called Sesame Place which we had been to and all of the rides here had counterparts there, just named and painted diferently. When we had last been there, I took β₀ on the kiddie roller coaster but it had scared the life out of her. Just 6 months later, she must have rode that thing a half dozen times, getting happier each time. Although, β₁ wanted to ride it (too short, even with an adult), she rode every single other thing there she was allowed to. The scarier it was, the more she liked it. I'm going to have to keep my eye on that one as she starts growing up...

After a while, we did a quick walk through in the shark aquarium and then it was time to grab a bite and head over to the Shamu show. Can you really go to Sea World and NOT watch the whales do tricks? We walked into Shamu Stadium a good 30 minutes early (intentionally) and found seats in the upper center section, about halfway up. The lower sections are all considered "Soak Zones" so that, being a 40 degree January day, was just right out. The kids really enjoyed the show, but I was a little disappointed that it has turned into about 50% garbage on the video screens. But it's not my enjoyment that matters, right?

The show ended and we went back to Happy Harbor, but it was quite a bit more crowded that it was earlier. The girls manged to sneak in a couple more rides, but then it was time to leave to go back to the resort. We had about an hour to decompress before needing to depart to meet our dinner reservations. Tonight we were eating at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian.

ε and I split our appetizers, Lump Crab Cakes with asian tartar and pineapple relish and the Pot Stickers, wok-seared duck dumplings with creamy ginger soy sauce. ε went with a chardonnay while I chose a Fire Rock Pale Ale. For main courses, I went with the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard. ε followed my lead from the previous night and went with seafood. Panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces. Dessert was a no-brainer: chocolate macadamia nut tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel rum sauce.

Although the food was really good (probably the best pork chop I've ever eaten), the atmosphere for us was mediocre at best. Perhaps if we had been seated closer to the inner depths of the dining room, I'd feel differently, but we were right on the edge with just a brass railing separating our table with passing foot traffic in the hotel.

After the filling dinner, we rolled ourselves back to the car and made our way back to our resort. The remainder of the night consisted of the girls staring at a DVD movie, ε catching up on email, and me doing a little light reading. All in all, a very good day for the girls, but just another tiring one for me.

Next... Day 5 Magic Kingdom and Epcot redux

Disney Vacation - Part 3

2008-01-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

Go read part one first.
Then go read part two.

Wednesday
We started the day around 7:15 and, after shaking off the cobwebs, got everything organized and went for breakfast in the dining hall. After the previous day's mistake, we hopped on the bus waiting outside the hotel lobby and were dropped right in front of the entrance to Animal Kingdom. Much better idea.

Now, β₀ had 2 things on her agenda for the day. Meet characters and see animals. In that order of priority. We, being the logical yet silly adults, decided to hike out to Africa to jump on the Safari ride before the lines got insane. It was a perfectly reasonable plan, but not one readily accepted by a 6 year old who wanted her picture taken with Mickey and Donald. However, due to lack of insight, the adults' decision stood and, for the second day in a row, we had a very unhappy little princess. Of course, β1 was ecstatic on the ride. Hippos, rhinos, giraffes, nile crocs, okapi, lions, a cheetah, and elephants. And those were just the ones she loved the most. β₀ was trying very hard to maintain a foul disposition, but it wasn't quite working. Until the ride was over and she saw the webkinz for sale. Nothing that we couldn't find outside of Disney, mind you, just right there. And jacked up 20% over retail. This was one of those times during parenthood that you really need to pick your battles. Would $16 save the day? From that perspective, we did what we needed to do and bought her the damn koala. Oops, the little one wanted a leopard now, too. If this one gets unhappy, it's going to be a lot louder than a grumpy pout session. Another $16. Ship it.

Girls happy now? Check. Let's get the hell out of Africa before they find another reason and we have to cut the vacation short for lack of funds. Off to Camp Minnie-Mickey to visit Mickey and Donald. Thankfully, we didn't need to wait in the Minnie and Goofy lines since they came to us at dinner the previous night. It's the small things, right? Anyway, the weather is frightfully frigid for Florida, even in January. The night before was the coldest in Orlando in 5 years. So while ε, her mom, and the β's wait for pictures, I go with her dad in search of coffee. 10 minutes to the nearest stand, 20 minutes in line, and another 10 minutes back but at least I'm drinking something hot. Timing was good, though, as they were just finishing with Mickey (Donald only took like 10 minutes) and we decided it was time for a hot lunch.

Well, evidently, the food at the one restaurant there with indoor seating is really bad so we picked up some fairly tasty barbecue and ate on picnic tables. That was tolerable as long as the blasted wind wasn't kicking up. After we finished up, it was off to Dino Land. β₀ could dig for dinosaur bones and play in the rope netting while β₁ was riding some rides.

It didn't take too long before they were bored there, so we continued along to Asia. ε and I really wanted to ride Expedition Everest, but the line was around 2 hours long and they were no longer offering any Fast Passes. Sigh. Our consolation prize was that we got to see the bird show. Yeah yeah, smart birds doing tricks. But I got to sit down for a half hour, so that's something. Following the show, we decided to head back to the resort to relax for an hour before dinner, so we caught the bus and made it back around 4:30.

Our dinner reservations were for 7:20 at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot's version of Canada. Not knowing how long it would take to get there, we got on the bus at 6:00 and were deposited at Epcot's front gate by 6:30. 15 minutes later, we were standing in front of the restaurant with 35 minutes to kill. So we meandered into the World Showcase for a little bit and arrived back just in time to be seated immediately, even though the dining room was packed. They must have their reservation system down to a science. I was happy to find they had Moosehead Pale Ale on the menu, as it is not that easy to find in the U.S. When we were on our cruise to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia a few years ago, we toured the brewery and got to sample some of the wares. The Pale Ale is very tasty so I had a couple with dinner. My selections were the Prince Edward Island Mussels, served chowder style with applewood smoked bacon and potatoes, and Sauteed Shrimp and Bay Scallops, served with a rich lobster cream sauce, linguini and spinach, finished with lobster oil. Mmmmm. ε had the Mixed Field Greens with crumbled bleu cheese and pecan-shallot vinaigrette and Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon with baby bella wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce, topped with parsnips. I kept it simple for dessert and went with the creme brulee. Dessert was the least satisfying part of the meal and it was still pretty darn tasty. Overall, probably my favorite meal of the trip, but not by much. Stay tuned.

By the time dinner was over it was almost 9:00, everyone was exhausted, and the kids couldn't even walk to the bus. I will say that carrying almost 50 pounds of tired child halfway across Epcot was the exact antithesis of what I really needed at the time, but what could I do? Buck up, get to the bus, back to the room, and pass out.

Next... Day 4, Sea World

A Pretty Good Start to 2008

2008-01-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

It seems like my regular Riverchasers games are dropping like flies. I used to be able find a game within 5 minutes of my house 3 or 4 nights a week but, now, any convenient game timewise involves a 20-30 minute commute. It's not going to stop me from going, of course, I still need those nights out of the house to keep me sane. Just saying is all.

So last night I cruised over to the game in Norristown which isn't too far and didn't start until 9:00. That gave me a chance to get the girls through their baths and help get them into bed before I needed to leave. Of course, it was the final Monday night game at that venue so I once again need to find a good, convenient place to play.

Anywho, there were somewhere around 20 players (maybe a few more that trickled in late) and I was sitting at one of the craziest starting tables I'd ever been at. And to say a riverchasers table is extra crazy is really making a statement. By the time we finished level 2, I don't think I had put a single chip into the pot except when in the blinds and one player had already increased his stack between 3 and 4 fold. People were literally handing him chips calling large bets with hands like second pair when he had already made the nut flush. Oh, and for an entire orbit at 1/2, the standard preflop raise was 12.5x BB. Nutty.

The first hand I actually got involved with was at 3/6. I had 44 in the BB decided and decided to check my option and actually get to see a cheap flop of J♣3♣2♣. Even though I held the 4♣, I wasn't all that happy with the flop and I was OOP so I checked behind the SB and was happy to see that so did everyone else. Then a 4♠ on the turn and all hell broke loose. SB bet out about 1/2 of the pot and I called. After a fold, UTG+1 went all in for about a pot sized raise. Button folds and so does SB, but only after tanking for about a minute. Now, I was most worried about a medium sized made flush, but that was only one possibility and I wasn't drawing dead even if that was what he had. I figured that, most probably, I was ahead and that he had a flush draw plus either a piece of the board or 2 overs. It is quite uncommon that I'm going to lay down 2nd set at a riverchasers freeroll. I call and my read was exactly right. 77 with the 7♣. He groaned as I flipped my set but, for some reason, the SB started yelling "c'mon, pair the board!". He was absolutely elated that the board paired the 3 on the river. He had turned a wheel and folded to the all in. Wow.

I picked up a few more chips with a check raise out of the BB with flopped trips and then watched QJs crack KK and 77 with runner-runner-runner straight. I wasn't in that hand but it was pretty funny. UTG limps for 10. UTG+1 asks me to change his single black 100 chip and then goes all in for 100. Not to be outdone, a medium stack in MP also asks for change of a black, then reraises all in. Classic. Original limper hems and haws and finally says F it and calls all in. Limper scooped and 77 boy was out.

Now the hand that got me over the hump and into contention. I get two black tens UTG and raise 3.5x BB. Only the blinds call. Flop comes 5♣8♣9♣. SB bets less than 1/3 of the pot and the BB calls. I'm not exactly sure where I am but, getting 6:1, I'll see what the turn brings. Q♣. Now I'm pretty sure I'm up against another flush, but how big? SB bets 1/10 of the pot and BB folds. What the hell do I make of THAT? Seems a little small for a value bet. Could my T♣ be good here? I call and the river brings an offsuit 3. SB now bets 1/12 of the pot and there're just too many chips in the middle to fold. He shows A♥6♣. Nice.

Not much later, we go to the final table of 9. Expectedly, the shorties are pushing and busting and we get down to 6. Blinds are 50/100 and I'm sitting on almost 600, about middle of the pack. UTG shoves for 100 more and I find AQ. Time to isolate with an all in reraise and UTG flips (with a groan) KQ. Best hand holds and there's another 350 chips for my stack. At this point, I start stealing like crazy. 66. A7o. KQo. Mostly from the button or blind vs. blind but it worked every time. We finally get down to 3 players and we're all pretty even. Somehow, two of us split the third guy's chips almost evenly before I bust him. I'm in the BB for 200 and he raises all in to 250 from the SB. I throw in 2 green chips without looking and he flips AT. I have T9. Well, that's about as bad as it could be, but it's not worse than 9:1 so the dark call is fine. 9 on the river and we're heads up just about even.

Since it's already almost midnight and I'm looking at about 5 hours of sleep max ahead of me, I ask him if he wants to chop and he agrees. We play 1 hand face up for first place points, and A7 > 89 so, officially, IGH second. I'm pretty sure I would've taken it down, but I really didn't want to spend another 20-30 minutes for 4 points and $15. I'm really happy how I mixed up my play a bit and was able to exploit my tight image against the players who I knew were paying attention. Let's hope this will be a continuing trend.

Exchange of the night:

Player 1 shows AA at showdown
Player2: 'You limped with aces pre-flop?'
Player1: 'I didn't limp.'
Player2: 'Did you raise pre-flop?'
Player1: 'No.'
Player2: 'Then you limped...'
Player1: 'It's not limping unless you're playing shitty cards.'
Player2: 'No, that's called limping with shitty cards.'

Disney Vacation - Part 2

2008-01-07T13:36:00.000-05:00

Go read part one first.

Tuesday

We got up somewhere between 7:00 and 7:30 and managed to get ourselves and kids ready for the long day. The dining hall serves food that is perfectly consistent with needing to serve several thousand people for each meal. Standard fare. Eggs and potatoes or pancakes and bacon or just fruit and a bagel. Not made to order, but kept reasonably hot in the steam trays and they go through enough so that what you get is palatable.

After breakfast concluded, we began the trip over to the Magic Kingdom where we would spend the first full day. For some reason, we decided to drive over instead of taking the Disney bus. That would be the last time we drove to a park for the week. We passed through the entrance to the complex right at 9:00 AM, flashed the card indicating that the $11 parking fee was already bundled somewhere in our package and followed the throngs to the lot. Parked the car. Got on a tram. Then needed to either get on a monorail or the ferry. Since the monorail line seemed to be several hundred long, we hopped the ferry. Even though we probably would have gotten to the main gate faster the other way, I would rather pass my time sitting on a boat than standing in a ridiculous queue. There would be plenty of opportunities for that later.

It was probably a good 30 minutes between when we got out of the car and finally were able to enter the park. Immediately, β₁ wanted to ride the train. ok. Seemed like a good way to review what was going on that day and figure out what we wanted to do next. Unfortunately, β₀ had evidently worked herself up internally into a frenzy and this was NOT in her plans. We were finally here and she wanted to do something that SHE wanted to do. Right. Now. Full blown pout session. Arms crossed, chin to chest, wouldn't say a word. Code blue. We need 50cc's of princesses, stat. Finally get off the train and head for Mickey's Toon Town. Evidently, there were going to be a group of princesses doing meetings until 11:30. On the far side of the park. When we get there, the line is already an hour long and there is less than an hour until they leave. No dice.

We walked over to Fantasyland, hoping that we could at least get the girls on some rides. Now, Disney has a pretty cool thing called Fast Pass. If there is a long line, you can stick your ticket in a machine and it will spit out what is basically a rain check for the ride. Then, when your hour long time window comes up, you go through a different entrance and skip around 90% of whatever line is there. Good deal. There is about a 30 minute wait for the winnie the pooh ride, but the next Fast Pass window starts in 45 minutes. We grab them and then notice that Pooh and Tigger are signing autographs and taking pictures nearby. No problem. As long as it will take to finally have the girls meet some characters, we'll then be able to get right on the ride. I was really proud of β₀ for waiting so patiently. She finally got to the front of the line and was able to give Pooh and Tigger hugs, have them sign her autograph book (a recurring theme), and get pictures with them. Then there was only a 2 minute wait to get back on the pooh ride. Things were starting to look up.

After the ride, it was time for lunch so off to FrontierLand and the Pecos Bill cafe. Standard burgers/fries/chicken strips fare, but everyone was hungry and we weren't looking for anything gourmet. Just quick. And when I say quick, I mean Disney quick which is about 15 minutes in a food line. After lunch, we found Peter Pan and Wendy at the front of a relatively short line, so we snagged a few more pics and signatures. We could have gotten Captain Hook and Smee also in an even shorter line, but β₀ said they were too ugly and didn't want to see them. We would end up waiting for a half hour for them later in the week. Sigh.

Oh well. Back to Fantasyland for some more little kid friendly rides. Carousel. Check. Teacups. Check. Then ε waited in the 50 minute line with β₁ for the flying Dumbos. Meanwhile, I noticed that the line for Ariel was down from 2 hours to just under 1. We did that and, thankfully, there was a little area there where the kids could run around and play in and around some sprinklers. So while I waited in the line, β₀ went into an hour long wait with me/play in the water loop and then we finally met Ariel. Now, the folks they get to play the characters are usually pretty spot on, but to me, this girl looked like she was earning a little extra scratch out behind Space Mountain $25 at a time if you catch my drift. But β₀ was really happy so who am I to judge?

Eventually, we just started meandering around, caught the show outside of the castle around 4:00 and slowly made our way to Liberty Square dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern. We had reservations for "Goofy's Liberate Your Appetite Character Dinner". Family style servings of:

DECLARATION SALAD - Tossed Mixed Greens, served with our special Tavern Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

PATRIOT'S PLATTER - A generous serving of roasted turkey breast, carved beef, and smoked pork loin, with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herb bread stuffing, and Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese.

DESSERTS - Apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream included.

But, they had Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale wandering around and stopping at each table for pics and sigs. The food was average at best, and β₁ slept in the booth the whole time, but it was a long day already and I wasn't feeling overly critical. By the time we finished, the sun was down and it was into the 40's which made for a not very pleasant trek back to the car. Got back to the hotel after 9:00 and collapsed.

Next... Day 3, Animal Kingdom

Disney Vacation - Part 1

2008-01-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

So there you have it. I've officially gone from troll to noob. Yay. My
over/under for first real visitor is, let's say, 94 days. Jan 7 2008.
Truthfully, though, smart money would be on the over.

Me - from my first blog entry

So my little spec of dust of a blog is now 94 days old. And guess what? I even lost the prop bet I made with myself. The Riverchasers head honcho evidently found me via a Google search on his own company (you egomaniac :) ), and confirmed his visit via comment. Thanks for stopping by, Jim. I guess I'm now officially part of the club now as exactly one blog has a link to me. Yay me!

Anyway, my family just got home yesterday from our week long jaunt to Central Florida where we made a massive deposit into the Bank of Disney. I'm so incredibly tired that I just want to sleep for 2 straight days, but here I am right back at work Monday morning. I'll do my best to recap the trip but, for me, I can pretty much summarize every day as:

Wake up
Eat
Get on bus and go somewhere
Walk a lot and take pictures of kids having a boatload of fun
Repeat steps 2-4 one or more times, in varying orders
Go to bed

The trip was a bit unusual for me in that we were a larger group than just my wife and girls. You see, my wife's brother and sister-in-law are Disney freaks and when they heard that we wanted to do a vacation there, they wanted in. Oh, and they planned the whole thing. Feel free, knock yourselves out. Then, my wife decided that she would invite her parents to also tag along, but that we would be giving them their trip as a Christmas gift. That's some really expensive built-in baby sitting. But wait, it gets more surreal. After hearing that my in-laws were going, my wife's sister-in-law decides to invite HER parents to go too. YIKES! Our little family vacation is now 10 people strong across 4 adjoining rooms. I'm exhausted just recalling the details.

Now, being the statistics geek that I am, I will represent my family using a simple regression line, y = β₀ + β₁x + ε. My two daughters, who are currently 6-1/2 and 3, will be the β's, which leaves ε for my wife. There. Anonymity preserved.

Monday

Our flight from Philly to Orlando was at 1:45 PM so, never having flown with small children before, we left the house around 10:00. Since we didn't really want to lug all the bags plus the kids from long term parking to the terminal, we stopped at curbside check-in (the single best thing at any airport), checked the big bags and got our boarding passes. Then, we made our way to the lot and found a spot less than 30 feet in. Things were looking promising. Hopped the shuttle back to the terminal, breezed through security and made our way to the gate for a 90 minute wait before boarding. Well, we almost breezed. ε's dad had a hip replacement recently that the metal detectors had a problem with, but the delay was minimal. They were upgrading coach tickets for $100 apiece. Under different circumstances, this would have been a no brainer, but I wasn't shelling out for 6 of them. Lunch, drink at the bar, latte, and it was boarding time. And we left on schedule. Amazing. Plus, the girls did amazingly well for their first time on a plane.

We arrived in Orlando a little after 4:00 PM, picked up the luggage and the rental car, installed the car seats and off we went. Since there was going to be enough money spent on, well, everything, and we weren't going to be spending that much time in the room anyway, we decided on one of the value priced Disney resorts (around $82/night). It took about 30 minutes to get from the airport to the hotel, and we were all checked in to Disney's All-Star Movies and relaxing in our room by 5:30. It really reminded me of a college campus. There were 10 buildings of rooms and a centrally located "food court" which I kept referring to as the dining hall. We were on the dining plan, so all we needed to do was swipe our room key and the appropriate number of meal vouchers would be deducted. This was actually a cool feature that could be used at just about every restaurant that Disney owned, whether in one of the resorts or one of the parks. Even the ice cream carts had the little machine so that we could use our snack credits.

After dinner, the girls wanted to go swimming. I took β₁ to the kiddie pool so she could splash around for a while. ε's brother took β₀ into the main pool since she's a better swimmer, but not strong enough to be left alone. We finally had to forcibly remove them from the water around 9:00 to try to get some decent sleep in preparation of the chaos with which we would meet the next day.

In the next installment... Tuesday, Magic Kingdom.

What Is It Going To Take?

2007-12-19T12:40:00.000-05:00

I might take a slightly different road each time, but they all seem to lead to a place where I get stacked by an inferior hand at the final table.

I attended my regularly scheduled weekly Riverchasers freeroll last night on the golf course. Turnout was fairly strong with almost 7 full tables ready to go at 8:00 PM. I love when Griff is running the game; he just does a phenomenal job. Anyway, once again, we are playing the double stack format that will become the standard come 2008. Predictably, I start off slow missing flops completely with hands that have potential. I drag a small pot in a blind vs. blind battle at level 2 when I flopped a set of fives. SB must have had some real garbage as the board had all kinds of drawing possibilities. Alas, a small pot is better than none.

Garbage, garbage, garbage. Then 3 limp to me in the SB where I find QQ and raise 4.5x BB. Loose BB player calls, but the other 3 go scampering away. Flop comes A high, all clubs. Although, I didn't know that until after I had already decided that BB either missed completely or picked up some kind of weak draw. While I was watching him, he watched the cards come out and just sort of stared directly at them as if trying to figure out what exactly he could make. So, even though it was all kinds of scary for QQ (no club), I figured a c-bet would take it down, which it did.

Back to card dead for a long while until I decide to raise 3x BB UTG with ATo. TAG woman 2 to my left calls VERY quickly and I got the feeling she really liked her hand. Not good. Since I just raised 1/3 of my stack preflop, I was either going to shove a really good flop or check-fold anything else. Flop was Q high so I opted for the latter option after a pot sized bet by my opponent. There were just entirely too many hands that explained both her action and mannerism (as well as her history), to make me think I had even ever been ahead in this hand.

1 orbit later, at 15/30, I have less than 4 BB left and this same player makes it 70 to go from UTG+1. Everyone folds to me and I look down at K♥J♥. Time to gamble? You bet. I knew she wasn't going to fold to an allin, but in they went. She calls with AQo and I'm soooted and live. Q on the flop, K on the turn and I'm back up to around 7 BB. Time to start playing, blinds are getting big and going quickly.

Q♥T♥, I complete from the SB. Flop is A high with 2 hearts so I push and just about double again without a showdown. Very next orbit, I'm in the BB and everyone folds to the SB who pushes allin for 4x BB. I have him covered by 2 BB, but pick up KK and instacall his Q♥T♥. OESD after the turn, but the cowboys hold up and I'm up to 700 as the final table starts.

Fast forward to the end. Blinds are now 100/200, all fold to the SB who completes and has 200 behind. AK for me and I put him all in which he calls with 76o. Not one, but two 7s on the flop, I need a J on the river to straighten but no dice. 300 left, of which 100 is now in the SB. Again, everyone folds so I raise allin with T8o, but 6♥2♥ in the BB flops a 4-flush and completes it on the turn and I'm gone. Once again, I can't catch a break at a final table and actually win a critical hand where my chips go in good.

And The Beats Go On...

2007-12-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

I got myself to two different Riverchasers game over the weekend. The first when I decided to bail on work at lunch time Friday, and the second when my parents wanted to spend a little time with my girls.

The Friday game was in Limerick and went according to script. I tried to see flops early on the cheap in lieu of any real cards and find a spot to double. I went down about 15-20% looking for a good situation but finding none. Then my table broke pretty early, and I was moved to one where two players had evidently busted half of those formerly there. With hefty stacks, they were more than happy to see every flop and, more often than not, every turn. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they kept hitting those boards with whatever garbage they were dealt so they had even more chips to play with. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

ok - finally I find KK in the BB at level 2 after the entire table limped, and pot raised. UTG decides to get fancy and puts me all in. There is almost a 0% chance I am ever folding KK pre-flop in a Riverchasers game, so I call and he flips... 66. Other than the oesd that developed on the turn, everything came out all right and I doubled plus 5 or 6 other single bets.

Then we go card dead for about 45 minutes while the big stacks pummel the the rest of the table, and each other. Since the game only started with around 4 tables, we actually got to the final nine players at level 5 (10/20). But with only 6.5 BB, I was looking for a spot. After I managed to pick up the blinds uncontested following a shove with A3o, I found 33 UTG in the last hand before 20/40. My shove gets called quickly by KJ, but I win the race and double.

Still at 20/40, pocket 6's guy had been raising pre-flop about every 3rd hand, so when he 4x raised my BB I was pretty sure my A♠T♠ was good and reraised all in. Insta-call. With KQ. Ten on the flop, but he catches one of the 34 kings and queens still in the deck and IGH 8th. Another Limerick final table, another bust with the best hand pre-flop. Ick.

Sunday is quite a bit more brief. AA in the BB. I make a pot sized raise and get 3 calls from very loose players. Flop is a very dangerous JT8 with 2 diamonds. Pot is just about the size of my stack, so I push and get called by 2nd pair with a gutterball. Hits trips on the turn and, just to rub it in, straightens on the river to send me home in the first hour. Ick ick.

Then, I find out I bubbled the Aussie Millions TOC writing contest with an Honorable Mention. How typical of my life right now. Ick ick ick.

My Aussie Millions Entry

2007-12-12T19:19:00.000-05:00

The following humble post is my submission into the Full Tilt Poker Aussie Millions Challenge: Write Your Way To Australia... inspired by some of the most famous Australian Rock/Pop acts of the last 25 years.

I returned home from Melbourne 4 full days ago, but have finally recharged my physical, mental, and emotional batteries that I nearly drained while living a dream. I just want to thank Full Tilt Poker, Crown Casino Resort, and Riverchasers Poker Tour for allowing me to live out a fantasy that would, otherwise, never have been possible. Although the final result was not the ideal scenario, I wouldn't change a thing. Well maybe one...

To tell the final tale, I introduce 80's sensation, Melbourne's own Men At Work:

Down Under (to the tune of Down Under)

Intermixed among all the pros
Tomorrow comes, they all become foes
Chris Ferguson, Phils Laak and Ivey
All these greats, I feel so tiny

And they said, Did you win the trip down under?
How I did I'll always wonder
Will I make historic thunder?
Where hammers drop in their bluffing splendor

Catching cards right from the first deal
Was enough to make my nerves heal
Got involved with the professor
Even though he was the pre-flop aggressor

And he said, Did you win the trip down under?
From his stack I want to plunder
Wasn't sure if I was stunned or
Did my fives really take down the pot?

Short on chips, we're on day three
I push all-in, 5 cards to save me
Joe Hachem asks are you trying to bluff me?
Then he stacks my chips, I leave abruptly.

And I said, Oh! I won a trip down under.
Single moment, major blunder.
My poker dream ripped asunder
Hammer drops but doesn't save the day

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to Australia!!!!! W00t!!!!! Delivering the recap of the Tournament of Champions, Sydney's own AC/DC:

T.O.C. (to the tune of T.N.T)

See me all-in with the nut flush
He is drawing to a boat
Just four outs with two to come
That's all she wrote
Donkeys to the left of me
And LAGtards to the right
Got all the cards, got all the chips
Sometimes it's just your night

Won the T.O.C
I could do no wrong
T.O.C.
I'm where I belong
T.O.C.
I'm a winner cos
T.O.C.
I'm going to Oz!!!!

I'm lucky, brave and downright strong
Stay out of my way
You're the next one to the felt
Push and pray
So fold all your hammers n' don't chase those draws
Don't even think of reraising because
I'm still stickin around
Just lay it down

Won the T.O.C
I could do no wrong
T.O.C.
I'm where I belong
T.O.C.
I'm a winner cos
T.O.C.
I'm going to Oz!!!!

T.O.C
I could do no wrong
T.O.C.
I'm where I belong
T.O.C.
I'm a winner cos
T.O.C.
I'm going to Oz!!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also hailing from Melbourne, Kylie Minogue:

The Riverchasers (The Locomotion)

The newest blogger tourney is on Thursday nights now
(Everybody plays the riverchasers)
I know you'll get to like it
If you give it a chance now
(Everybody plays the riverchasers)

No, no, no! That is all the Kylie Minogue that will ever see the light of day on my blog, even in parody. I won the thing, ok? It was Thanksgiving night and the turnout was unusually light. I only played the premiums early on and still got paid the few times I picked one up. Then when I needed to ramp up the aggression, coincidentally (and thankfully), my hand quality began to vastly improve. I managed to make the final table, but then went card dead. That's just not good when everyone's M is so low.

Then a series of amazing things happened. Griff and Hoy each went hog wild on the other 6 players at the table, each busting 3 within about a 5 or 6 minute time span. That left me as a huge short stack and Griff covering Hoy by just a few thousand chips. I pick up T♣T♠ on the button and raise 3x BB. Griff and Hoy both call. Flop is T♥J♥Q♥. Uh oh. I bet about 1/2 the pot (a little less than 1/3 of my stack) to find out how interested they were in the pot. Griff smooth calls from the SB and Hoy raises to all but one of my chips. I know what that usually means. I'm gone.

After I fold, Griff reraises to all but one of Hoy's chips. He re-hoyed Hoy's hoy? What in the world? Dutifully, the last chip goes in and Hoy tables 8♥9♥. Straight. Flush. Griff flips...

A♥K♥.

Unbelievable. Royal. F'n. Flush. 3 handed.

I type, "so, uh, Griff... you already have your seat, right?" "yup"
"i'll ship you 150% of the difference between 1st and 2nd if you let me have the seat..." "why would I..."
"two RPT players in the final 27...."
FTP Advisor: "Griff has disconnected"

See you at the T.O.C.

From Over The Weekend

2007-12-10T12:45:00.000-05:00

I actually managed to get to attend two Riverchasers freerolls over the weekend. The first, on Friday afternoon, came about as all of the full time employees here had to attend an afternoon offsite thingy. Being an hourly paid consultant, I had immunity from such an endeavor and was told that if I wanted to do a half day, go right ahead. I went right ahead. Then, my wife had plans to be away from the family all day both Saturday and Sunday. I guess she felt bad for me when she got home as she said that if I wanted to get out and catch a game that night, feel free. I felt free.

Anyway, we'll do the second (and much shorter) recap first. Saturday night I played at the golf course. When I got there, there were already 9 or 10 full tables and another 12-15 players without seats. We needed to trek over to the banquet room to find more space and played the first hour over there. I saw a few flops, picked up a small pot or two, and folded to a few bets post flop. Cards sucked and I couldn't find a spot to really gain traction. Big Dave finally comes in to bring us all back in to the main room, and I get seated at aggro central. I have 185 chips at 10/20 and the blinds are coming around quick. Nothing through the first round of blinds, but then, at 15/30, I get 3 limpers around to my BB and see QQ. All in for 125 more and it's good that everyone respected the raise as I think every single limper would have either straightened or flushed on the board that came. Damn rabbit hunters.

Shortly after that, I get moved again, and in the first hand at the new table run JJ into both QQ and KK. Live poker is so rigged. Oh well.

Friday, was a different story, even though it started out quite the same. This was a traditional 100 chip starting stack tournament, so I usually play just a tad tighter than the double stack structure that will be the norm in 2008. I don't remember whether it was level 2 or 3, but I was down to about 75 or 80 of my original 100 when I got to see a free flop out of the BB with 62o. When the flop came 642 (2 hearts, 1 diamond), it was strangely reminiscent of the last time I played there. Flop was checked all around and the 8♦ fell on the turn. I checked, bet of 6, raise to 26, fold, fold, I reraise to 69 and am all in. Initial bettor folds and aggro raiser calls with A8o. No help to him and I double plus a little.

Now the hand of the day from my perspective. We're playing at 3/6 and I pick up 6♦7♦ in the cutoff and continue the limp train. Button raises to 15 and picks up a caller, so I throw in the extra 9 chips getting better than 5:1. Flop comes 5♠8♦9♦. I didn't even notice that I actually flopped a straight; I was actually too transfixed on the OESFD, but when the original raiser bet 10 after 2 checks and was called, I finally realized that, at least temporarily, I had the nuts. I called. Turn paired the 5 and the player to my right bet 15. I raised to 40 and that lost the original raiser, but the bettor called. A third 5 came on the river. The 5♦. I wasn't sure how much I was going to be able to bet and still get a call, so I threw out 50. She called and asked me if I had a 5 as she flipped an 8 to show her 5's full of 8's. I said, "better" and flipped the straight flush.

At that point I started feeling like I could play a little, so I called a smallish bet on a 782 rainbow flop with JTo and turned a 9. I limped with A♣T♣ out of the SB and checked an A84 flop then bet the 9 on the turn. The BB pushed for not much more and I wasn't totally sure I was ahead, but called and busted her with 92o. From then on, when I entered a pot, it was for a raise. 3x BB every time. No more limping. A7o, no callers. QQ, no callers. When everyone folded to my SB, I stole the BB without looking at my cards around 2 or 3 orbits in a row. It is true that chips just seem to breed more chips. I don't get to play a big stack at Riverchasers events all that often, so I really enjoy it when I can.

We finally get down to the 9 handed final table and I find a couple of shorties, 1 monster stack, and the rest with healthy stacks like mine (at least for the time being). Blinds are 30/60 when we start, and I pick up AK on the button on either the first or second hand and scoop the blinds. We don't play 30/60 for very long, and at 50/100 it's go time for just about everyone. To a point. All fold to my SB and find T9o. I try to steal, but don't raise TOO much as I don't want to get myself committed to the hand. Good thing as the BB comes over the top and I decide to pick another spot.

I double through the monster who called my 77 with 64o, thank you very much. Then I picked off a shorty along with a bunch of dead money with AJ as he already had a caller, but I came over the top and the caller folded a weaker A. 77 scored me another set of blinds, but that just about defined the high water mark for the day. The blinds moved to 100/200 and we were playing 4 handed. I found A8o in the SB and shoved, but was insta-called by the BB with KJo. (????) Insta-called? Anyway, the deck waited until the river but paired the K nonetheless and IGH 4th.

I always seem to have good days at the Limerick as I final table that venue well over 50% of the time, and finish in the top 4 80% of that. One of these days, I'll manage to actually take it down.