Lair of Lucypher

Apparently, True Grit is hard to find in Washington, too.

2011-11-23T13:04:00.004-06:00

A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.
- John F. Kennedy

The latest example of this fact is the utter failure of the so-called Super Committee.

When some unelected lobbyist seems to have more influence on Congress than its own leaders and perhaps, even the duly elected President of the United States, there can be no doubt that we are sinking into deep excrement and going under soon.

Two hundred seventy-nine lawfully elected United States congressional leaders (elected by us, the American people) ignoring what we, their constituents, want and instead abdicating their allegiance to us (the people) in favor of allegiance to this unelected individual named Grover is unconscionable and I hope each one of them loses their seat in the next election cycle. They are not worthy of the honor of serving us, the people, any longer. They are not serious about the duty they owe to their constituents. They are not serious about averting the looming fiscal trouble we face as a nation.

Nothing is free. Everything costs something. The sensible amongst us are ready to pay a little more to preserve our nation and our way of life. Is there no one willing to tell us the truth? The truth that fixing our problems will not be free and continued failure to reasonably increase revenues will only prolong our travails as a nation. Where is the courage that used to be a hallmark of us Americans?

True Grit is Hard to Find (in Austin)

2011-06-03T07:22:00.005-05:00

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George SantayanaOur allegedly enlightened elected officials in the 82^nd Texas Legislature are doing it again. They are ignoring the collective will of the people and refusing to legalize gaming despite an indisputable need for more revenue. Seduced by the recently elected tea bag enthusiast republicans into believing they can cut their way to prosperity, they are making draconian cuts in (what else) public education and health/human services. It goes without saying that these sagacious republicans and their cronies have no concerns about these cuts since all their children attend private schools and none of their aged relatives are in a nursing home paid by Medicaid. What is worse is that even in the Special Session (the normal session has concluded) there is no meaningful discussion about increasing the State’s revenue. That is how to achieve prosperity – by increasing revenue, in fact, it’s the only way. Without increasing revenue, the 83^rd Legislature (that will convene in two years) will be facing the same type of grim shortfall that is faced today, or maybe even worse. Do we really want to go through another brutally ugly session in 2013? If we do not face the facts and find ways to increase revenue that is exactly what will take place. With this dire need for new revenue, one would think that legalizing gambling would be a no brainer. The majority of Texans favor legalized gambling in Texas. Every single poll clearly indicates this to say nothing of the hundreds of thousands of Texans that cross over into Louisiana and/or Oklahoma to play at the casinos in our neighboring states. Texans spend an untold amount of money gambling in addition to purchasing fuel, food, and countless other goods and services from our neighboring states when they could be buying the same things from Texans, instead. Since legal gaming would only serve to address a portion of the shortfall, some brave elected official needs to demonstrate true Texan testicular fortitude and tell the people of Texas the hard truth – the State needs to increase taxes to raise the rest of the revenue we need to move forward, rather than fall backward. It is that simple and nothing short of that is going to suffice. Neither progress nor prosperity is cheap, free, or easy. It is time to “Man Up” folks and begin an honest adult discussion about how to plan a successful future for Texans.

Addendum: The Texas Senate Finance Chairman, (R) Steve Ogden, agrees with me about not having solved the real problems and the 2013 session having to revisit the same issues.

Oklahoma Trip Report 2011

2011-05-26T09:57:00.000-05:00

Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. - Steven Wright

We gently toasted ourselves in the warm Dallas air that reminded me of a convection oven. I had been anticipating the trip to Oklahoma all day as we grilled and smoked three of the main food groups – beef, chicken, and pork. Although, I love BBQ – we just couldn’t get on the road soon enough. Plus, true enjoyment of BBQing (at least for me) involves beer and I did not want to start consuming so far in advance of the journey. After initially thinking I would sport the smoke laden clothes I had been in all day to the card room, I showered and changed at the urging of my lovely wife. She thinks most poker players are slobs and constantly worries about me becoming one or resembling one. So, sufficiently cleaned up, we wolfed down some more tasty BBQ and left to obtain beer and friends before heading up into Okie land.

The approx. one hour drive up I-35 from the Colony went by swiftly as my friends and I talked poker the entire way. They are solid players that have enjoyed some success in tourneys, as well as, cash games at the Winstar. One thing they reminded me of was how good the food comp is. A player gets $8.80 for each 8 hours played but can use the first $8.80 as soon as one is seated at a table (and every item on the poker room menu is at or below $8.80).

I couldn’t help but smile as we walked into the poker room. I had forgotten how massive this poker room really is. The Chickasaw Nation has done a great job on their poker room at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, OK. They have 46 tables and were spreading 1-2, 2-5, and 5-10 NLHE (as well as a couple levels of Omaha). It was amazing. I was completely surrounded by poker and poker players. I was literally immersed in the sound of chips, the murmur of the masses, the announcement of available seats, the friendly and competent staff…..it was almost (gasp) like Vegas but bigger.

This room is THE north Texas destination for poker players. My only complaint is about the beer. It has the lowest possible alcohol content and, here’s the worst part, you have to buy it. It is not provided for gamblers the way it is everywhere else I have played.

I am seated quickly and within a few orbits, I had sized up the table. There were no players I perceived to be my superiors and several that seemed to be fish. It was time to go to work. As usual for live 1-2 NLHE, there was a lot of limping and I started making raises in position followed by C-bets on the flop. They worked to perfection but before long, some of the observant players starting playing back at me (perfect). I double up within the next 30 minutes and now I cover all but one player at my table. I increase the size of my opening bets to build bigger pots and enable me to apply more pressure post flop. I am ready to play for their whole stack and continue using SPR to my advantage. A few players bust but the table fills right back up with fresh money. I feel confident and in the zone. Rather than bore you with actual hands, I will simply say that time flies by and before I know it, my crew is telling me it’s time to go. So, I rack out (up 4 buy ins) and we head back to Texas. The ride is uneventful but gives us all time to unwind and allow the charge that comes with playing poker to subside before settling in for a peaceful nights rest. As usual, I can’t wait to do it again.

Don’t Rapture Me, Bro.

2011-05-25T10:32:00.001-05:00

Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it. – Lyndon B. Johnson

That’s pretty much how I felt about the prospect of the Rapture occurring over the weekend. If it happened, all one can do is stand there and take it. Being reared as a staunch protestant here in Texas, talk of the end times was common amongst the church folk. That subject frequently dominated the table talk at the popular “dinner on the grounds” we enjoyed on the first Sunday of each month. I would sit there devouring piece after piece of fried chicken (long before the chicken nugget was even imagined) and listen to the various ideas of how it might go down and wondering what I would do. Therefore, I have had a plan for a long time. If I really believed the world was ending, I would fire up my pit and start grilling. No sense leaving the Earth on an empty stomach. I've always liked steaks and doubted there was enough grass in Heaven to keep livestock well fed so my last meal was decided upon long ago. Following through, just in case, I enjoyed some extra thick bone in ribeye steaks before the Saturday home game. If the Rapture really was to occur, I was going out while playing cards and drinking beer. By the fourth hour of the game, it became apparent that if it was still going to occur, it was going to be later than announced. Some wondered aloud if it was just to build up the excitement, sort of how some rock stars like to wait an hour or two after the stated start time for the show to finally appear on stage. Thankfully, the date came and went without a bang.

So, what have I been doing since the untimely demise of online poker as we knew it?

Well, I have been playing a lot more live poker. I have been re-reading some good poker books. I have also been playing online poker on Bodog. Yes, you heard me right, playing online poker. Bodog is still offering online poker for real money to US players. Even though they are still only a fraction of the size of Stars, their traffic has increased lately and most importantly, they are open for business. So, come on over to Bodog and see what’s happening. While you’re there, tell em, Lucypher sent you.

Regarding Black Friday and the Bitter Aftermath

2011-05-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. - Confucius

There have been many times in my life that I have regretted being right; this is certainly another one of those times. I have suggested (on this blog, in comments on other blogs, and on 2+2 ) for a long while that it would be better for online poker to be officially recognized as legal, to be regulated by the government, and (yes) taxed. This would have ensured our collective ability to play online poker indefinitely. Sure, we would have to pay the appropriate taxes on winnings, but we should have been doing that anyway. There were many (often rational) voices out on the web that decried the idea that official legitimacy would be a good thing for online poker and thought that legalization would be worse than the nebulous status we used to enjoy pre-Black Friday. Well friends, what say ye now?

Will High Stakes Poker Survive?

2011-03-07T12:34:00.000-06:00

All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. – Ellen Glasgow

Norm did a lackluster job for his first outing but was better on the second show (with his hands in his pockets instead of motioning awkwardly). I really liked Gabe and thought he was a better fit for the show, but I am trying to keep an open mind about Norm. His humor is more dry and prickly, and he does not seem to share Gabe’s reluctance to be critical of the plays made by some players. Even if he is able to humor us and pull this off moving forward, he will never be able to offer the insight of a true poker insider and veteran of the poker scene for over 30 years (like Kaplan). Good luck, Norm.

Gabe and Mike Sexton are the best poker announcer/commentators out there. They are the best because they are entertaining but even more so because they have the background and experience necessary to provide some real insight and analysis of the game we love so much.

I always liked a good mix of amateurs/recreational players and pros so the first couple of shows aired have not disappointed in that regard. Selbst seems terrible, maybe worse than the recreational players at the cash game. I thought the non-pros played fair but not exceptional, Ruffin being the sole winner so far. Although there have been a few bluffs and Viffer has played a lot of marginal hands, the action has been no more than a shadow of what Dwan and Ivey brought to the game. They are sorely missed.

I liked the deletion of the Negreanu spot – it was awful anyway. The addition of the Legends of the Game – Puggy Pearson, by contrast, was quite enjoyable. Since they mentioned Sailor Roberts, I wonder if he will get a shout out on a future episode.

Overall, I am enjoying the show and was not as disappointed as I thought I would be when I first heard about the changes (but I definitely don’t see them as an improvement). I hope things improve or this show (that I have enjoyed so much) may be nearing its last season.

Prop Bets are Foolish

2011-02-11T11:34:00.001-06:00

A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place. – Stanley Weiser

The poker blogosphere is currently abuzz about the recent prop bet between two young guys that, apparently, have more money than they know what to do with.

I don’t know a lot about them but, it seems from the two blog posts I read, they are young poker players that have enjoyed a fair degree of success - enough that they have $300 – 900K to donk off on an ill considered prop bet. Ill considered for a few reasons.

First, if one is good enough to win/earn $300K+ at the ripe old age of 21 or 22, one might want to stick with that activity and not waste a lot of money on others. Unless one is at least as experienced/good at prop betting as one is at poker, one would be much better off using the $300K to earn more money playing poker than on some whimsical prop bet.

Moreover, it seems clear from his own words that he is far from experienced/good at prop betting and that he definitely had not thoughtfully or carefully considered this bet before making it – after all, the bet is for a significant amount and could create some serious health issues for his friend.

As for wondering if there is something fundamentally unhealthy about the environment successful young poker players (Unsuccessful young poker players don’t have enough money to make the sort of prop bet these guys did) are living in, there certainly is. It is a lack of sufficient respect for the value of the money they have earned/made and also the belief that their earnings are sustainable indefinitely.

To all the young “ballas” with a few hundred thousand burning a hole in your pocket, (seriously) hire a decent for pay financial advisor and invest/save some of your money (10-20%). You won’t miss it now, but you will greatly appreciate it later.

And by the way, just say no to dumb prop bets.

Thinking About the Reid Bill

2010-12-10T11:04:00.001-06:00

The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return. – Gore Vidal

While there are quite a few opinions out there that are worth reading, the one that comes closest to my own is this one from Foucault. Most of the poker bloggers and players seem to think this is a bad bill/deal, etc. They don’t understand that we will be lucky to get any (even) half way decent bill/deal. We are only possibly going to get this one because of the confluence of several (mostly bad) things –

a) democrats losing in general and republicans taking over

b) Senator Reid surviving but owing his win to the big Nevada gambling interests

c) if not now, God only knows when

d) the government really needs the new revenue source.

Note – we, as poker players, do not even factor into the equation. Our hobby (and we as enthusiasts) is viewed akin to the alcohol industry (and consumers of alcohol). Our consumption is a given. We will consume whatever is available and we are unlikely to stop doing so. Thus, we are taken for granted and not recognized as a meaningful part of the decision making process.

Moreover, I think the current online poker situation is untenable. It would probably continue for a while but at some point in the not too distant future, the whole thing crumbles under the pressure of being unable to efficiently move the money.

Who knows what is actually going to happen, but for now, I think the long term benefits of becoming legitimate appear to outweigh the disadvantages.

Turn Out the Lights, the Party’s Over – RIP Joseph Donald “Dandy Don” Meredith

2010-12-07T13:04:00.000-06:00

Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation. – Mark Twain

Another NFL great has passed. Don Meredith was a former NFL All Pro quarterback and member of the famous Cowboy Ring of Honor that played in the Ice Bowl and helped create the culture of winning that still surrounds the Dallas Cowboys. Then, he did what I really remember him for. Being one of “the voices” of Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football is now an American institution. It’s hard to imagine the NFL without it. However, that isn’t always the way it was. When the fledgling endeavor began, it was Dandy Don and Howard Cosell (imo) that really helped launch the brand and make it memorable. MNF has never since been able to achieve the level of entertainment and chemistry in the booth that they had then. Dandy Don remembered it was a game after all and the telecast should be entertaining. Boy, were they ever.

I recall a time when the camera crew caught a fan in the Astrodome “giving a single (middle) finger salute” while the Oilers were whipped by the Raiders. Dandy Don quickly quipped, “He thinks they’re number 1 in the nation”. I’ll never forget his comical renditions of the Willie Nelson song, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over” at the end of each Monday night game.

Dandy Don was a homegrown Texas product and no one could mistake him for anything else. He was down to Earth, sincere, witty, charming, and almost always funny. Watching MNF last night, I thought to myself, what a contrast Don and Howard were to today’s rather bland (except Gruden) bunch – they sure don’t make ‘em like they used to.

GG, Joseph Cheong, aka - subiime

2010-11-08T12:35:00.000-06:00

The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success. – Marquis De Vauvenargues

A 6-bet bluff for $1.4 million - some might call it a blow up, some might call it a meltdown, others may call it “baller” and 5th level thinking, but I call it unfortunate. Cheong appeared to be the best player and he was proving it by outplaying the rest of the table. He was a lock to get heads up with Duhamel and I think he had the skill advantage. It seemed as though the tournament was his to lose. And, lose it he did. Perhaps, it was impatience. Perhaps, it was hubris. Perhaps, it was simply his youth. Recklessness is one of the follies of youth, a momentary but costly lapse of judgment, a fleeting failure to keep the big picture in focus, maybe a consuming but false sense of invincibility. Regardless of what we call it, he cost himself $1,415,876. I think that amount by itself is larger than any of his previous tournament wins and that being the case, it wasn’t a smart play.

He didn’t need to 6-bet bluff there. He could have found a better spot. What did Cheong think Duhamel’s 5-bet range was? Surely not much that was behind A-7 offsuit? Cheong began the hand with the chip lead and approximately 75BBs (Racener approx. 30BBs and Duhamel approx. 70BBs). Why force that type of action until Racener was out? I think this is a spot where his youth did not serve him well. Cheong had already proven to be an extremely talented player and he seemed to know he was more than a match for Duhamel. Why forfeit one’s hard earned advantage so rashly? Despite his amazing talent and razor sharp poker mind, he made a play that was absolutely unnecessary and it proved to be his undoing. On the other hand, congrats to Racener for his patience (it worked well for Hachem, too). I am now rooting or Racener but I have to give it to Duhamel, he has played better than I expected him to.

Fellow old guys pay attention; this may be the Achilles’ heel of these young guns, the sick aggression that seems to give them the advantage may be offset by the recklessness of their youth. Now, how to put that to good use?

Welcome to the Future

2010-10-28T11:58:00.003-05:00

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. – John F. Kennedy

The common perception of poker used to be a table full of old guys, smoking, cussing, and looking surly. Now, it is a table full of 20-somethings that can probably barely muster a decent beard wearing hoodies, baseball caps, and shades. The torch is being passed. That seems clear - just look at all the young guys winning (in general) and the fact that this is the youngest Main Event final table in history. Does anyone honestly think we are ever going to see Doyle or any of his ilk at a ME final table again? Sadly, I doubt if we will see Action Dan at the ME final table again, either. Unfortunatley, the ME field has gotten too big and the tourney become too long for them to be competitive. At least, the huge fields and television have helped usher in the anti-buffoonery rules of the last few years.

The Grinder is the only “name brand” pro still standing and even he is one of the new young guns to emerge since the boom (but at least we won’t have to hear the suits bemoaning the lack of a big name pro at the table). I am not really familiar with the Grinder’s game but even if he were on Ivey’s level – which I am not prepared to say, he has a tough road ahead. In any case, I am still not convinced that having a “name brand” pro win the ME would help poker in general. Maybe it would help ESPN and Harrah’s, but the actual poker community? Nothing brings in more prospective players (and dead money) to the ME than the knowledge that the field is full of amateurs (probably a higher amateur to pro ratio than any other big buy in tournament) and the fact that the biggest payday around can be won (and has been won) by amateur players.

I don’t know who will win but I don’t think it will be the Grinder or the 37 year old amateur. I think it will be one of the internet whiz kids that take it all. Hopefully, it will be one with a lot of class and savvy. A guy that could help bring legitimacy and positive attention to young poker players. Joseph Cheong has looked pretty good from what I have seen on ESPN and handled himself with class on a brutal televised suckout. I also like the way Jason Senti has handled himself. If I had to pick someone to win, it would be one of those two. Racener would be OK and has played well, too, but his disheveled look and ostentatious gum chewing isn’t endearing him to the tv audience. Candio or Duhamel would probably be the two I least want to win.

We might as well get used to seeing all these youngsters. They represent what the near future of poker will look like and are a fantastic source of new enthusiasm and thinking for our beloved game.

Poker Blogger Foucault on TV

2010-10-01T13:15:00.001-05:00

Tardiness often robs us opportunity. – Niccolo Machiavelli

Sorry for the late report but I just watched my DVR recording of the Tuesday night ESPN WSOP broadcast last night.

Check out Foucault (AKA - Andrew Brokos) on TV at the World Series of Poker!

Too bad they didn’t mention his blog or that he is a blogger.

Congrats, Foucault!

RIP - George Blanda

2010-10-01T12:54:00.002-05:00

Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. – Dan Gable

I only knew him as a Raider, but guts he had and plenty of ‘em. I was too young to watch his exploits with the Oilers or Bears. However, even as an old guy, Blanda was anything but bland. He was a player, a winner, an original AFL’er, a Raider, a Hall of Famer, and more. He had true grit and he wanted to win – which is a hell of a lot more than I can say about many players today.

I’ll never forget watching the Raiders on Monday night with my Grandfather in the early 70s. He reveled in the notion that a tough old guy like Blanda still had what it took to take the field with the pros. He would delight my brother and I with tales of the earlier days and how great Blanda was with the Oilers.

George Blanda was the epitome of the old guard pro football players I recall from my youth. Before there was body armor like players wear today or any serious thought was given to rules that protected quarterbacks, Blanda played quarterback for 26 years.

They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to.

The Grass Always Seems Greener on the Virtual Felt

2010-08-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. – Eleonora Duse

There are few things worth doing that are more ephemeral than a freshly mowed, trimmed, and blown lawn. Fleeting as it is, the weekly completion of this set of tasks brings a certain satisfaction. I guess I should be thankful I have a beautiful lawn to maintain, I am sure there are plenty of folks that don’t but wish they did.
I shouldn’t lament my fate of sweating away the afternoons outside rather than playing some poker at one of my favorite online poker sites in the cool comfort of my home on scorching summer days. If one has the time, playing some online poker is a fine way to spend a lazy afternoon.

However, living in the verdant south, frequent lawn maintenance is a reality of life. If one falls behind, one pays the price of working extra hard to restore it and no amount of online poker, not even winning at Triple 8 Poker can make me forget about the sweaty reality waiting for me outside.

When I was a youth (online poker did not even exist) and tasked with mowing the family’s lawn, I would complain to my father that by fertilizing (the lawn) he was just making my job more difficult. I just didn’t appreciate the desire to have a lush, beautiful lawn and the sense of pride it evokes. As a homeowner now myself, I get it. Don’t get me wrong, far from being one to obsess over the lawn, I just know it has to get done and one may as well try to enjoy it, too.

This weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pecan tree I planted 6 years ago (just prior to my first son being born) has sprouted its first pecans. All my fruit trees produced fruit the 2nd year they were in the ground but the pecan tree never had until this year. I had actually been working in the yard all morning (without noticing them) before I finally looked up and saw the lovely little bunches of still green nuts all over the tree. My thoughts, of course, were elsewhere all morning imagining I was getting the nuts on the green felt (sigh).

The heat and humidity make it an almost unbearable task in the hottest months but during the more comfortable months, working out on the lawn can be downright pleasant. There is certainly no denying the pleasure of relaxing on the lawn, grilling some meat (and a few vegetables), and enjoying a few cold ones after the job is done but what I am really looking forward to is passing the torch (of lawn maintenance and its odd sense of satisfaction) on to my boys. Now, where’s my laptop? The virtual felt beckons!

Foucault - FTW!

2010-07-15T11:25:00.003-05:00

The longer you play, the better chance the better player has of winning – Jack Nicklaus

A fellow poker blogger (and philosopher) is making another deep run in the Worlds Series of Poker, Main Event. In case you haven’t heard of him yet, please allow me to introduce Foucault, the blogger, the man.
He is a regular contributor at Poker Saavy and 2+2 Magazine. He also posts on 2+2 forums. On his blog, he has written some insightful book reviews and also has a lot of great content.

He finished the 2008 WSOP Main Event in 35th. I wrote about it here.

This guy is smart and sick, yet disarmingly unassuming - a classy guy in every respect. His low key manner but aggressive style remind me of another guy with those characteristics - Allen Cunningham.

I have followed Foucault’s blog for years now and I would hate to have him at my table.

It’s time for a poker blogger to win it all. Good luck, my friend!

UPDATE: He finished in 87th for a very nice cash. Congratulations, Foucault!

Omaha?

2010-04-14T11:40:00.002-05:00

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. – Warren E. Buffet

Did you know that flying non-stop from New York City to Omaha, Nebraska on the first weekend in May (2010) will cost more than flying from New York City to Paris, France on the same weekend? The annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting is probably the only time that more than a handful of people go to Omaha. Mr. Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha, calls it “Woodstock for capitalists”.
So, the capitalistic corporations of Delta and Continental have been capitalizing on the capitalists by steadily raising the price for airline tickets to the event such that the price is now four times the usual and customary rate. 35,000 shareholders attended last year and there is no reason to expect a drop off this year. Unfortunately, I will not be among the attendees this year but hope to go in one of the next few years. After all, the sagely Mr. Buffet won’t live forever and my desire to go would be reduced significantly if he were gone. The only regret I have ever had with respect to owning Berkshire Hathaway stock is that I didn’t buy in sooner.

What’s wrong with Kansas?

2010-04-06T13:03:00.004-05:00

All soldiers who serve their country and put their lives at risk need to know that if something happens to them, their families will be well taken care of. That's the bond we have with our military men and women and their families. – Jeff Sessions

We Texans send many of our sons and daughters into the military services. Consequently, Texas is home to many proud veterans and many of us have family that have served or are serving. Since we send so many, we also receive far too many of them coming home for their final rest prematurely.

This morning, I read an article in the Houston Chronicle that left me utterly disgusted and outraged. I love freedom as much (if not more) than the next guy, but this wouldn’t play in Texas. It’s one thing to protest about something you feel passionately about in a public place and our laws protect most demonstrations/protests, even unpopular ones. However, a private funeral is not an appropriate place for anyone’s protest.

When the current wars began, there was some sort of distraction created at the funerals of the first few to return after giving their all. Soon afterwards, an entirely volunteer group of veterans, fathers, and other community members formed the “Patriot Guard”. A group whose sole purpose for existence is to help honor our fallen servicemen and women and uphold the dignity their service deserves. Frequently, anywhere from 50-150 of them ride their motorcycles to the grieving family’s town bearing American Flags (and other symbols of patriotism) to give an escort to the funeral procession and to help make sure nothing untoward occurs at the funeral to disrespect our fallen servicemen.
I can imagine some of these idiots from Westboro Baptist church attempting their shenanigans in Texas and failing miserably. Although the official position of the Patriot Guard is to eschew any violence, in Texas, it would probably go something like this:

Initially, these grizzled veterans (in the Patriot Guard) would do what they could to “drown out” the protestors, shield the mourning family, and politely ask the demonstrators to desist (or at least move far enough away) to show respect for the family. If that request were not heeded, another diplomatic attempt would certainly be made. However, if that attempt were rebuffed, it is likely these gentlemen would take up some defensive positions around the interlopers to mitigate any undesired chaos. Then, a few would approach the head idiots in charge and ask once more for a show of appropriate respect. If that failed, I imagine the idiots would begin to be quietly subdued using the least force required, of course. Following the services, those that subdued the idiots would (if necessary) surrender to local law enforcement and cheerfully pay any fines associated with the subdual. I also suspect the idiots from Westboro would be in no hurry to tangle with Texans again. I abhor violence but I acknowledge that sometimes it is permissible or even required. Furthermore, I seriously doubt any (Texas) court would do more than assess the minimum penalties against the members of the guard for something like this. Semper Fi!

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, - Planet Hollywood Review

2010-03-25T15:38:00.001-05:00

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. - Josh Billings

Planet Hollywood was nicer overall than I expected but my expectations were rather low. Our room seemed small but it did have a good view of the strip and the new City Center. It was decorated with stuff from a crappy movie (Judge Dredd) that, to me, seemed cheesy instead of cool. I vastly prefered Caesar’s Palace where the rooms were much more luxurious, seemed larger, and the overall décor was more attractive. I would rate the rooms at PHO as comparable to Treasure Island but better than Excalibur or Sahara (the other hotels I have personally stayed at).

I do not know who conceived of the idea first, but PHO has this area of the main casino floor called the “Pleasure Pit”. All the dealers/game assistants are exceptionally beautiful women with attractive well maintained bodies. Caesar’s had a similar area outside their poker room, when I was there in 2007, named after the Pussycat Dolls. Do you think the casinos know that sex sells, huh? While at PHO, I did not notice very many working girls, if any. One would think lurking near the Pleasure Pit late night would yield a decent living. On the otherhand, maybe the girls in the Pleasure Pit are the working girls? Now there’s an interesting thought.

The music piped into the casino and poker room is surprisingly good - mostly classic and modern rock with some pop mixed in. I would rate the music as better than what I have encountered at other places.

As for the poker room, it was adequate but nothing special. It is not really separated from the rest of the casino and with some slots and such nearby; there is an abundance of unnecessary noise, smoke, etc. The tables were in good shape but, surprisingly, they did not have the automatic shuffling machines that I have become accustomed to. The dealers actually have to shuffle the cards between hands; meaning less hands per hour and the decks are probably not as well randomized. Despite rather garish colors and attire for most of the casino and staff, the poker dealer shirts were drab and bordered on ugly. Like every place I have been, they have a variety of types of dealers. I like dealers that are friendly and humorous. IMO, Dealers that are entertaining generate better tips. My award for funniest/most entertaining dealer (hands down) goes to Stefen – the thin Scotsman that was always lightning fast with humorous remarks and needles. Honorable Mention goes to Ryan, whose girlfriend plays high stakes and passed him juicy anecdotes about some well known high stakes players that he would share with the table for entertainment.

Another important measure of a good poker room is the cocktail service. Is it quick and efficient or do you have to leave the table to go in search of beer when needed? Are the waitresses shapely and easy on the eyes or are they portly and missing teeth? PHO had a good wait staff. They never seemed to disappear and they brought drinks promptly. They also wore uniforms that served them very well in helping them to enhance the experience of the patrons. I, myself, was served particularly well by Brandy, an attentive and highly attractive young woman.

The undisputed King of the PHO poker room is the courteous and sharply dressed, Joe Viator. Joe, and his team, made me feel quite comfortable in their domain and I had a good time even though I did not win. I definitely think Joe is way ahead of the curve technologically for using Twitter to reach more potential customers. After I introduced myself to him, and we talked about poker bloggers and such, he left me with a nice souvenir chip set as a parting gift.

Overall, while I would not recommend the hotel itself as a place to stay, I do recommend the Planet Hollywood poker room as a place that is fun to play and one that I plan to return to.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…..

2010-03-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. – Bertrand Russell.

Friday, I was invited to a home game tournament with a whole bunch of folks I have never played cards with. I am far from a tourney specialist and when I saw these guys had real poker tables, a computer program for blinds/levels, four or five sets of chips, and expected 24 people, I began to wonder if this was +EV for me or not. However, the buy in was low enough that I was fine with losing that so long as I met one or more new people to bring in to our home game. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the overall skill level was rather low. In fact, I felt somewhat “Seinfeldian” as I was reminded of the episode where Kramer (an adult) is practicing martial arts in class with adolescents (i.e. a man among boys). Several of the player’s wives played and were all dead money. Only the hosts seemed to be even close to competent players. Calling bets to the river with 2nd pair and not being able to fold a single pair when it was obviously no good were typical of the play. Folks routinely allowed their stack to dwindle to an M of 1 or 2 before deciding to shove it all in. Of course, there was one guy that had to cheat. I saw him place less than the proper amount for his big blind (using big stacks of small denomination chips) in a couple of times but did not comment since I was the new guy and he seemed to be a regular and a friend of the host. However, when he got moved to my table, he was the big blind and, after eyeing what he put out for his blind and estimating it was considerably short, I asked him if he had put in the right amount. He ignored me so I asked the host (who was now dealing since he was out) to count the chips he had put out for his big blind. It was about half of what it was supposed to be. After he was made to put in the right amount, it was clear he had no more than one more big blind left. I was the chip leader and on the button so I shoved pre with J-4o just to steal his blind. He hemmed and hawed before calling with 6-4s. Neither of us improved and I knocked him out. I had also knocked out about 6 other players so when it got to be heads up and I had the other guy well covered, he gladly accepted the 2nd place money + the additional $40 I offered him to end the tourney right away. I promptly thanked the hosts and gave the host’s wife $20 as a show of gratitude for the food and good times. As I was pocketing my winnings (12 x buy in), my primary goal (at this point) was to make sure to be invited back.

Something I never really wish for, but that I am always glad to see because it only occurs occasionally, happened at both home game gatherings this week. The guys that rarely ever win won this week. I lost a little at one and won a little at the other but for the most part, the usual winners lost and the usual contributors, won. This is a healthy thing for all games but particularly home games where there isn’t a line of people waiting to be seated at the poker table. Barry Greenstein talks about this sort of thing in his book, Ace on the River. When you have a good game going, nurture it to help it keep going. It’s good when the live ones have a good day. They are the ones that often contribute the most to making a game, a good (i.e. profitable) one. So, although it was a break even week for me, it was a great week for our game and that is definitely, +EV.

High Stakes Poker on TV

2010-03-15T15:29:00.002-05:00

Baseball is like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead. – Jackie Robinson

I am primarily a cash game player. Almost all of the time I spend playing poker, reading about poker, thinking about poker, etc. is about playing cash game poker. This week’s episode of High Stakes Poker was very entertaining but also rather perplexing (to me).

When I go to a casino to play, I take a minimum of 3-5 buy ins. No one is going to “get lucky” once against me and send me home for the session. That’s not how I roll. In fact, losing one buy in is not likely to affect me much at all. Obviously, it is undesirable to be felted but, if it happens, I am going to rebuy and keep playing. However, three players that are supposed to be good players (and presumably well funded) do just that. They lose one buy in and, instead of wanting to continue playing, they get up and leave the game. Even more strange, 2 of them get it all in with next to nothing and out of position. Huh?

Dario elects to play Kh-3h and bluffs off his entire stack to Durrr.
To recap, he plays a junk hand, flops bottom pair, then he tries to bluff one of the players least likely to fold. Am I the only one that thinks this is poor play for a cash game?

Jason Mercier elects to squeeze from the small blind with Ah-4h. Here we go again, he is oop, he has a marginal hand, and then he tries to bluff another of the players least likely to fold. Phil Ivey had already called the open bet and Jason’s raise pre-flop. Then Ivey raised Mercier’s C-bet on the flop. So, what does Jason do? He bluffs off his entire stack. Ivey had already declined a few opportunities to fold and given every indication he intended to play his hand. Although Gabe defends the play, I think it stinks. Particularly, since Mercier does not re-buy but gets up and leaves after the failed bluff.

If I am going to use my entire stack to bluff, I am definitely going to rebuy if the attempt fails. Otherwise, I would not put my entire stack in the middle. In fact, if I only had one buy in to play with, I would make sure to get all my chips in with (what I thought was) the best of it or not at all. So, maybe the players that lost and left believed they were outclassed by the others at the table?

Another strange play was that not just one but two players opted to limp/call with Q-Q. I do not think this is a good play. Limp/call with A-A? Maybe to be tricky since the A-A doesn’t fear an overcard. Limp/call with K-K maybe (but probably not). But to limp in with Q-Q (or J-J, 10-10, or 9-9) is just puzzling to me given how often an overcard is going to flop. Well, Gus does just that against Daniel (the other player to limp his Q-Q in a previous hand that he lost). By just calling with his Queens, Gus enables Daniel to play 7-5s and flop two pair. Daniel probably would have folded to 7-5s preflop to any raise but got a cheap flop and, instead, felts Gus and his Queens. One pair hands play better when you isolate a single opponent.

While I found the episode good entertainment, I was underwhelmed by the play of these so-called top tier players playing for such high stakes. Finally, although Gabe is still good, he was better with A.J. to use as a foil (Kara does not add anything to the show).

Let Freedom Ring - Americans Should Be Free to Enjoy Casino Games

2010-03-11T12:24:00.006-06:00

One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.
– Bertrand Russell

As we evolve and mature as a society, the public at large is rapidly becoming more and more comfortable with gaming and gambling as an acceptable form of entertainment. Although casinos are being approved and built all over the country, growing right along with them is the online casino industry. People are tired of having to travel long distances at great inconvenience and unnecessary cost to enjoy casino gaming. People want to enjoy their preferred form of gaming from the comfort of their homes. The online casino industry has heard the people’s voice and is now delivering the casino experience directly to the consumer at home. However, there are lots of options and the market can appear daunting to newcomers. That is where a site such as Online Casino Spotlight can help one to make an informed decision.

Newcomers looking to become a client at an online casino would be wise to check out Online Casino Spotlight. They review and rate various online casinos. In their reviews, they tell one what sort of games a given site provides and so forth. They also tell one whether or not they will accept players from the USA. They list and compare the various “welcome bonus” offers at the different online casinos. They also have links to articles and other information such as strategies for all of the different games and wagers. They have information regarding how to deposit, what methods are available for each site, and what the minimum requirements are for each one.

Most all casino games are available at most sites and some casinos also have a sports book for placing wagers on sporting events all over the world. In addition to Blackjack, there are also sites that offer Baccarat, Bingo, Craps, Keno, Poker, Roulette, Slots and Video Poker. In other words, they have something to interest and entertain everyone and they have games of all levels and for any bankroll.

Online Poker Spotlight has everything you need to know to get started whether you are a casual/recreational player or a determined grinder; they’ve got the info on your game.

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, Day 4 – Leaving Las Vegas

2010-03-08T10:55:00.001-06:00

No wife can endure a gambling husband; unless he is a steady winner. – Thomas R. Dewar

While I still catch some grief from my wife for the amount of time I like to devote to poker, she never bugs me about the money or losing. She used to be somewhat worried but those concerns were put to rest long ago (by me consistently beating the games in Texas, as well as, maintaining a separate poker bankroll). This was my first trip to Las Vegas (been 4 times and won previous 3 times) that I would return a non-winner. I have lost in Louisiana (been 3 times, won twice) and Oklahoma (been twice and lost both times) but I had never lost in Vegas. As I left, I always felt like I owned the place, but this time, not so much so. To compound my misery, the weather is finally beautiful again but we are leaving.
Even though I sleep less per night in Vegas (4-5 hours) than I do at home (6-8), leaving Vegas always sucks because all I can think of is all the stuff I didn’t have time to do or did not get a chance to do. It always seems to come much sooner than it should. I always feel like, “We just got here. How can it be time to leave already?” But, it is. So, we packed up and headed to Ellis Island. They have an off the menu steak and eggs breakfast for 4.99. You cannot beat that price and the food is pretty good (not excellent) but still a great value. Ellis is (as usual) well patronized and the servers are swamped (as usual). Ellis Island absolutely crushes IHOP for about the same price and is equally good in food quality but not service with the PepperMill Lounge.

We return our rental car and get shuttled to McCarran. Although McCarran is reasonably nice as airports go, nothing makes me feel more like one of the hoi polloi than being herded like cattle at airports. I never really liked flying anyway and I like it even less now with all the added hassles. I absolutely loathe the practice of compelling everyone to remove their shoes before going through security since once upon a time one guy had an improvised explosive device in his shoes. I am still waiting for a similar practice of compelling everyone to remove their underwear (before going through security) to be implemented since the guy caught over the holidays hid his IED in his underpants.

Our flight is uneventful but seems to take forever. We also lose two hours in the flight back to Texas due to the time zone change so the whole day is effectively killed. Upon finally reaching my vehicle, I am delighted to pilot my German 5-speed again and we haul ass to get our sons. During the drive, I reflect upon our trip. Obviously, I would have preferred to have won again. However, the loss was minimal and well within my roll’s capability to withstand. As for Las Vegas itself, I already miss the damned place. I just love the energy and excitement of Vegas. It really is a huge playground for adults and an awesome destination for travelers. Although I have no specific plans, I know I will be there again in the not too distant future and I am already looking forward to my return.

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, Day 3, part 2 – The Fall of “Spew”cypher

2010-03-04T13:58:00.001-06:00

I used to be a heavy gambler. But now I just make mental bets. That's how I lost my mind. – Steve Allen

Following the show, we returned to PH. After I tucked my lovely wife in for the night, I made a beeline for the poker room. I was all too keenly aware that this was my last night in Sin City and I was hell-bent on getting my gamble on.
At approx midnight on Friday, there were 8-9 tables of 1-2 going. I immediately notice that there were really BIG stacks on almost every table. I get seated and quickly learn that 3-4 of the big stacks ($600 or so) on my left are actually good players and the going is tough. Why do these guys insist on playing 300-400bbs (or more) deep? Why not play 2-5NL? Anyway, I figure I will introduce them to my uber-tag short stack game. Unfortunately, I can’t get anything playable. Billy (from previous post) is on my right and loses approx $450 when his A-A loses to K-2 on flop of K-2-10, turn (2), river (7). Ouch. After a half an hour of folding and hoping for a good hand, a seat to the left of the tough players opens and I jump at the chance to have position on them. Soon, I get Ac-Kh in LP. I raise some limpers making it $15 to play and get two callers. Flop is Kc-Jd-10c. So, I have TPTK, inside straight draw, and backdoor nut flush draw. It is checked to me so I bet 2/3 pot. One guy folds the other check raises enough to put me all in. I put him on a pair and a draw like K-Q, Q-10, Q-J, maybe A-Q but less likely since he tried to limp in (also I thought if he had the straight he would have just called). I called and he shows Q-9 for a flopped straight. Neither the turn nor the river improved me and I am felted. Undeterred, I reload and keep playing.

Soon I look down to a beautiful sight, two red Aces. I open to $15 and the California cougar and one other guy call. The flop is 10-5-7.
I bet the pot on the flop. One guy folds but the cougar calls. Turn is a (4). Calif. Cougar checks and I bet pot again. Her hand trembled as she check raised, but before I stop to think (I have not seen her bluff all day, she has only raised with 2 pair or better, and I have played with her for 3 hours), I shove and she insta-calls. She then tables her 4-5s for a turned 2 pair. My over eagerness caused me ignore what I should have known - I was beat. The river is an immaterial King and I am felted a second time in under two hours (which is very uncommon for me).
As I am digging out more funds for another re-buy, the dealer says, “Don’t worry”, reminding me of the “Aces Cracked promotion”,” you just won $200!”
I go from rather dejected to somewhat elated instantly. The floor is called over to confirm everything. To my utter dismay, the floor nonchalantly says, “Sir, I’m sorry but the promo is only Monday through Thursday and this is early Saturday.” I am not tilted, but I was frustrated. I could not seem to get anything going and the mistake of seeing the shaky hand check raise and not going with my read against the cougar confirmed the apparent fact that I was not on my A-game. The goofy mix up about the promo did nothing to help either.

However, this is my LAST night in Vegas so I reload again. Before long, I get A-2o in the BB. I see a limped flop with three opponents. The flop is A-2-5! I lead out for a pot sized bet and one guy calls. The turn is a Q, which I do not think helped my opponent. I figure my opponent for a weak ace since he limped in. My stack is not much more than twice the pot so I overbet/shove and my opponent calls. The River is a 7. I table proudly my flopped 2 pair and he tables his A-7o for a higher 2 pair on the river. I groan audibly. I stand up and take a short walk to clear my thoughts. I watch the “Bambi legged” chicks, drunkenly stumbling around in their high heels, waiting to be devoured by some local predator as they emerge from the nearby club while I finish my beer. I quickly come to the realization that I am not on my A-game and not likely to be able to muster it at this point. So, as much as I did not want to, I called it a night. Although I thought to myself (as I walked to the elevators), I could not believe I was voluntarily leaving the poker room before dawn on my last night in the Capitol of the Poker World. However, in hindsight, I was rather pleased with myself for not losing more on a bad night (which I could have easily done). Sometimes, you have to know when to say when. I would never have been able to do that earlier in my poker life, but now, it wasn’t that hard. I know that deep down inside, for me, playing and winning is more important than just playing.

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, Part 3 - Lucy(pher) in the Sky with Diamonds

2010-02-22T14:04:00.004-06:00

You're only as young as the last time you changed your mind. – Timothy Leary

Friday was our 10th Anniversary. We celebrated by sleeping in and reminisced about our honeymoon, ten years prior in Las Vegas. The weather is supposed to improve but only barely does so. We enjoyed brunch at IHOP on the old end of the strip since we had eaten there during our first trip to Vegas together. It was decent, and in fact, better than both the IHOPs near home in Texas, but not great.
Sadly, the Holy Cow brewpub, another interesting eatery we enjoyed on our honeymoon (also located near the Sahara), has been out of business for a few years. After brunch, we went downtown to the Golden Nugget and Fremont Street. Downtown Las Vegas looks older, crappier, and more dilapidated every time I go there. It’s not even a shadow of its former self, it’s a sad reminder like an old faded poster of a band that used to be good. The Golden Nugget is the only decent looking place down there. Their poker room was almost empty on Friday around noon. I should have inquired about the room used to film High Stakes Poker. I would love to sit at the table, get a photo, and even buy some merchandise but if the possibility even exists, they don’t advertise it effectively since I did not see anything about it while we were there. Don’t they know that HSP is the best poker show (AINEC) around? One would think they would take advantage of this marketing and merchandising opportunity given all of the Nugget branding in the show.

After we left the Nugget, we headed over to the Mirage to get our pre-purchased tickets to Love from the will call window so we don’t get stuck in a long line the night of the show. They have a magnificent marine aquarium with lots of coral (photo above).

At approximately 2pm, the Mirage poker room appeared almost dead with only two tables going. I notice there are no CardPlayer magazines in the Mirage poker room either. Surprisingly, the waitresses at Mirage seem a bit long in the tooth, as well as, not as shapely as I would expect for people that spend all day on their feet.

After we left the near empty Mirage, we went to the Fashion Mall on the strip. Foolishly, we did not valet and had to tour the garage for about 20 minutes to find an available parking spot. Despite the sort of interesting exterior appearance of this place, the mall itself was bland, unimpressive, and un-Vegas like. It basically resembled any other shopping mall anywhere in the country. I thought it was a terrible waste of limited Vegas time. Why in the world do people shop while in Vegas? You pay to fly there. You pay to stay there. And then, with all the unique activities one could engage in while in Vegas, thousands of people shop.
I don’t get it at all. I saw nothing there that I could not acquire in a mall in Houston or from the comfort of my own home on the internet. Plus, you have to carry or haul your newly purchased crap back home enduring the airlines draconian baggage policies or pay to mail it. WTF? We don’t waste too much time at the mall. Once my wife sees the thing, she agrees with me that it’s no different than the mall back home and that coming to Vegas and shopping seems silly.

When we get back to Planet Hollywood, she wants to relax in the room and I, of course, head back to the poker room. I obtain seat 3 and immediately become acquainted with some interesting characters. Sitting next to me (in the 2 seat) is a redheaded woman I will call the “California cougar” since, judging from her hands and face, she is roughly 55 but her boyfriend (in the 8 seat) is at most 30. She is chatty, frontally augmented, and tells me she is from some place in California that has a nearby casino but I have never heard of. She also tells me she likes to play suited connectors but I don’t see her show any during the approximately two hours she is at my table. At the opposite end of the table (seat 7) is a big, affable gentleman from South Carolina named Billy. Billy is the table captain, a solid player, and has the entire table covered thanks to him felting a couple of opponents soon after I sat down. A new fellow, soon to be revealed as a complete neophyte, takes the seat to the right of the cougar (i.e. the 1 seat) and his buddy takes the 4 seat. I start straddling my button each time I have the chance. Soon, most everyone is doing the same. The neophyte revealed himself when he straddled his button, no one raised, and when the dealer looked at him and asked option? He folded. Yes, folded. Every time he was big blind and there was no raise and every time he straddled his own button and there was no raise, he folded when asked about his option. The dealer subtly grinned as she mucked his hand but never said a word about it.

Soon, the neophyte and Billy get into a big hand. Having watched the novice a few rounds, he never bets without a really solid hand although he called and chased a few times. The flop has two spades and the river brings a third spade. Neophyte shoves all in. Billy says call but does not move his chips forward since his stack is huge and he easily has the other guy covered. The neophyte apparently did not hear him say call and thought he said fold since he did not push any chips forward so he flips his hand forward face down and reaches for the pot. Billy tables Ks - Qs for the King high flush and stares at him. The dealer begins to gather the pot and push it to Billy when the noob says, “wait!” The dealer says, “Sir, you mucked your hand”. The noob says I thought he (Billy) said “fold.” The dealer begins to explain what happened, still preparing to push the pot to Billy, when Billy, the Southern gentleman, tells the dealer to turn up the noob’s hand and let it play. The dealer says OK and turns up the noob’s As-9s for the nut flush and Billy graciously loses a pot of approximately $450 with a shrug and a wry smile. Now that, my friends, is a true Southern gentleman. To make matters worse, the neophyte picks up all his chips and leaves right after that preventing Billy or anyone else from winning any back. Now, in my home game, if a new guy did that against me, I would definitely behave the same way Billy did. However, this is Las Vegas and the noob was a complete stranger, so I have to admit, I doubt I would have been so kind.

While I am still contemplating what I would have done, my button arrives and I straddle it again. I am dealt 4h- 5h. The flop comes 10 high with two hearts. When the 10h comes on the river, one of my opponents goes all in. I wonder if he has a higher flush so I replayed the hand in my head. I did not put him on a flush so I called. He tables K-10 for trip tens. I table my flush and he’s felted. Minutes later, my wife arrives and says she is ready to go eat so I cash out (up one buy in).

We dine at the Spice Market buffet, which had come highly recommended, and are regrettably underwhelmed. Great diversity of entrees but most of it has been sitting too long to be really good. Like everyone else mentioned in the Bible, I am quite fond of lamb but sadly, the lamb kabobs were overdone and chewy. I tried the osso bucco but it was also chewy and compromised from sitting too long under the heat lamps. The beef short ribs were good but not excellent. The prime rib was the best of the meats since it was deliciously juicy and rare. My wife, not being much of a food adventuress, stuck with her favorite and enjoyed the pizza - which was surprisingly good. While I usually skip dessert, I indulged and was glad I did. The desserts were very good. The service was reasonably attentive and kept our glasses full of their iced tea – which was tasty and definitely freshly brewed. Finally, the time had arrived to go see Cirque Du Soleil – LOVE. The Mirage poker room was packed to capacity at 9pm on Friday. Surprisingly, floor waitresses are no better looking on the night shift at Mirage than they are on the day shift. Maybe just another sign of how far the Mirage has fallen. The show, LOVE, was very good, and in fact, quite trippy. Someone in the creation/design of this show has enjoyed an altered state of mind and their influence and creativity was not lost on me. The music sounded incredibly clear and good. Seating is comfortable and no better/worse than any other large concert type venue. Given the success of this show and the fact that there is already a similar show about Elvis’s music, I am wondering how long it will be before we see a similar show about the Stones, Led Zep, etc. For good bands that made good music with wide market appeal, there are new fans waiting to be created. Suffice to say, my wife appreciates the Beatles more now than ever before. As we left, we talked about the music and the show. I hugged my wife closely and gently reminded her, I told you it was good stuff a long time ago but you know what they say about prophets in their own land.

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, Day 2, - An Introduction to the Uncapped Button Straddle

2010-02-17T13:34:00.005-06:00

Part of it went on gambling, and part of it went on women. The rest I spent foolishly. – George Raft

As I awoke on Thursday morning, I could still hear thunder and knew it was going to be another rainy day on the Strip. Getting dressed, I overhear the news and they say that Las Vegas has had more rainfall in January of 2010 than all of 2009 combined - FML.

We decide to have brunch nearby at a Vegas classic, The PepperMill Lounge on the Strip. The food is good and plentiful; imagine an upscale Denny’s or IHOP that serves twice the volume of food per plate. The service is friendly but swift, in short excellent. The atmosphere is also good although they would not let us eat by the cool looking fires they had in the lounge (even after I courteously pointed out that the lounge was open but empty). WTF? After brunch, we make a quick run to the Palace Station to pick up some information for relatives that would be staying there in a few weeks. I swing by their small poker room and see two tables going but no CardPlayer magazines to be had. The day remained rainy and rather cold so we headed back to Planet Hollywood to walk through their Miracle Mile of shops. Most of the shops seemed to be selling stuff that no one was buying – either because it was crappy merchandise or because it was overpriced or both. I discover a microbrew distribution site within the mall called Sin City Brewing Co.. Never being one to pass up an opportunity to enjoy a good beer, I belly up to the bar and order a pint of their Amber ale. It is good but while I am enjoying it, the serving wench suggests I try their seasonal special IPA. Rarely needing an excuse for a second cold one after I have enjoyed a first one, I agree and order one of the IPAs. She was absolutely correct and the beer was excellent (and would prove to be the tastiest I would enjoy during the entire trip). I celebrate the moment and reward the Sin City Brewing Co. (for their outstanding brews) by purchasing one of their bowling shirts emblazoned with their trademark “devil woman”.
We mosey back into the casino and take our daily free spin (on a gigantic slot machine) as members of the Planet Hollywood A-List Players Club. We weren’t expecting to win anything but just for entertainment value we figured why not.
As expected, my wife, who swears she isn’t lucky, won a silly hat. I, on the other hand, who do consider myself at least a little lucky, won $100 in free slot play – Ship it! Of course, since I completely eschew slots, I promptly give it to her to enjoy while I am playing poker and she graciously accepts. Speaking of player’s club bonii, an additional value of joining was the coupon book they give you when you sign up. Most of the stuff in it is crap but there was an additional slot play give away and even better (IMO), a match play coupon in each book for $25.00.
I head over to a blackjack table to use my coupon (I used to play blackjack before I discovered poker but now I play exclusively poker). However, this was a justifiable excuse since the coupon made my wager +EV. I whip out my cash and present the dealer with the coupon. I am the only one at the table. He deals me a 5 and a 2. I take another card and get a 10, so I stop at 17. The dealer busts, I say “ship it”, and he cheerfully pays me. I tip him and leave the table immediately. Meanwhile, my wife asks me to explain what just happened. I do so and she then produces her coupon book and asks me if I can do it again. I playfully ask, are you serious? Then, before she can say anything, I confidently answer my own question - Of course, I can. So, we walk over to a different empty blackjack table. With aplomb, I whip out one of the green chips I just won along with her coupon and place them on the table. The dealer proceeds to deal me two face cards for 20. She has a face card and a 5 so she hits and busts. I smile and before I can say anything, my wife excitedly says, “Ship it!” I laugh, tip the dealer, and we walk away quite pleased since we just netted a quick $200 ($100 in free slot play and $100 in match play blackjack) for taking the time to join the A-List Players Club.
As we walk by the poker room, I look around for a magazine to read. Evidently CardPlayer magazine is not being disseminated via poker rooms anymore. What’s up with that? Meanwhile, we hear some shouting and look to see what it is. It is a young guy with his buddies walking through the casino shouting “Viva, Las Vegas” with a beer in each hand and a belt resembling an ammo belt full of more beer. It is not even 4pm, yet. You gotta love Las Vegas and clearly, the young guys were having a great time. Anyway, we decide to go to the MGM and see their CSI exhibit/attraction. The wife is a big fan. While I am not the follower of the show she is, I have seen it a few times and the one set in Las Vegas is pretty good.
The concept has merit but the delivery/execution of the thing was well below my expectations for a Las Vegas attraction. It was OK but appeared to be more about selling CSI merchandise than entertaining the public. The whole thing was better than it might otherwise have been since the friendly lady with the accent selling us the tickets winked/smiled and said, you two are in the military, right? - and proceeded to sell us tickets for the military discount of half price.
We eat at Planet Dailies, the Planet Hollywood “coffee shop” for dinner. It is way overpriced for anything resembling a coffee shop. My baked ham and cheese sandwich was so salty that I could not finish it (I like salt so if it was too salty for me, look out). Wife’s Kobe burger is decent but not great considering the price - we should have taken the time to go to In/Out Burger.
We decide it is time to get our gamble on. She heads over to a bank of slots and I head to the poker room.
Immediate seating is available (it’s approx. 10 pm) and as I am taking my seat, an announcement comes over the PA system regarding the Planet Hollywood poker room’s “Aces Cracked” promotion that runs from 10am-Noon, 2pm – 4pm, and 2am – 4am. If one has their pocket Aces cracked during the promo, they get $200. I overhear some nits talking about playing their Aces in a way to help get them cracked. My opinion is that it’s just a little insurance in case the hand goes sour but if I get Aces, I will play them for full value in the hand. As I am getting comfortable in my seat and observing the table, I notice the player to my left is hilarious. He is making humorous remarks, good naturedly needling his opponents, and generally having a good time. I like having fun people at the table because it enhances my own entertainment, as well as, usually loosens up the table. It turns out, the funny guy is an off duty dealer and well known in the room. At Planet Hollywood, one can straddle one’s own button. Here’s how it works. Either the UTG player or the button may straddle. If they both attempt to do so, the button has priority. What is weird is that the button gets to act last pre flop, too. When it is his turn to act and he has straddled, the action passes the dealer and the blinds have to act – and, then it comes back to the dealer to act. The straddle has to be $5.00 period. No other amounts are usually allowed. The off duty dealer guy is straddling every time he can. He is also encouraging others to do so, too. I think about it and figure, who wouldn’t want to straddle his own button – thereby putting more money in the pot with the best position both pre and post flop? Most everyone is doing it when the off duty dealer guy tells the table that we could all agree to let the button straddle be for any amount if we wanted to. Clearly, he is a proponent of this plan and he succeeds in convincing the whole table to agree. This is where the action went wild.
Sadly, I am completely card dead and getting grinded down by the table full of action with no flop getting seen for less that $30 or more. So I am waiting for a spot to go to work. Finally, my patience is rewarded when I get A-K in the CO. The off duty dealer guy button straddles it to $30 pre. BB raises to $60 and before I can speak, button announces all in. I tell the dealer I have not acted yet and have live cards. I think for a minute and call which means I am also all in since the button has me covered. BB also calls. We table our hands. BB has A-Qo. Button has A-Ks. I have A-Ko. All five cards are dealt and no one hits anything so the button and I split the pot. However, the dealer, a female, splits the pot completely wrong and shafts me. I calmly but firmly speak up and, luckily, the off duty dealer agreed with me so he proceeded to instruct her how to swiftly and accurately split the pot. A few rounds later, a different guy button straddles for $30. I am in the BB and look down to see Q-Q. My only thought here is how to get the money all in as fast as possible. There is one other caller so $60 in pot and I have approx $130. I don’t like just calling and not having enough behind so I move in. MP caller folds and the button calls. I think I have to be way ahead of the straddler’s range but, unfortunately for me, he tables K-K. I don’t improve and he wins - bummer. I consider reloading, since the action is wild and I am certain I will win some money if I can play well for another hour or two. However, being honest with myself, it’s 3am and I am somewhat tired so decide I should call it a night.

January 2010, Las Vegas Trip Report, Day 1 - Anticipation and Arrival

2010-02-11T12:14:00.007-06:00

Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

It was a soggy/foggy Wednesday morning as we prepared to leave for the airport. We are backing out of the driveway, I turn on the radio and, as if on cue, The Animals – House of the Rising Sun begins to play. As we made the long drive to the airport to get my vacation underway, I could not help but notice all the poor souls driving to work. I thought soberly to myself, all too soon, I would be returning to my job as a wage slave, too.

I could not wait to get to Las Vegas. The rainy drive to the airport, the loathsome pre-flight check in process, the seemingly endless wait before the flight, the flight, etc. - everything was just another obstacle to be overcome, another annoyance to be endured, another hour to be sacrificed - all for the sake of getting to Las Vegas. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of discomfort I had to endure on my flight. It was the best flight ever - no headache or earache at the end, which is highly unusual for me. Nice job, Continental.

I had already obtained the weather forecast and, as we landed, we could see it was definitely raining in Las Vegas. And, it would continue raining all day in LV, including some flooding in the evening. We get our first jolt of unexpected excitement when, after watching the luggage conveyor go around repeatedly, our luggage never appears. I find an attendant and ask if any luggage was lost or late. He says, no, but some luggage arrived early on a different flight. We were greatly relieved to see our luggage was among those to which he referred.
We show our claim ticket and head outside to catch the shuttle to the rental car center. Once there, we obtain our vehicle (a thoroughly unimpressive but inexpensive Toyota yaris) and head in the direction of the Strip.

We ate our first meal at the Gordon Biersch Brewpub just off the Strip.
My Marzen burger was decent but not great. My wife’s pizza was very good. However, even though I am not normally a french fry lover, the pungent garlic fries are still my favorite thing about this place. The service was pretty good but also, not great likely due to the fact the place was packed for lunch. Despite the meal not being as good as in previous visits, it did not matter that much because now that we were actually in Las Vegas, all my anticipation was focused on how soon I would actually sit at a poker table and be dealt a hand. My “Poker-Jones” was peaking.

Since it was still too early to check in at Planet Hollywood, we drove back to the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. On past trips, it had been hard to park and get photos but a small parking area and Astroturf covered mound have been added since 2007 when I was last here. We brave the rain to get a few souvenir photos next to the famous sign.

We finally get to check into Planet Hollywood and I, of course, attempt the $20.00 trick (i.e. obtaining a room upgrade for a $20 tip). To my chagrin, the clerk refused to accept the tip and, although he went through the motions of checking for an available upgrade, I was not at all surprised that he did not find one. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, although we did not get the upgrade, at least I got to keep the $20. First wager in LV = a push.

I make my way to Planet Hollywood poker room approx. 5:30pm. There are 4-5 tables of 1-2 NLHE going. I look for Joe Viator, whom I have been following on Twitter, to introduce myself but before I can find him I am called to my seat. The moment I have been anxiously waiting for all day, if not all week, has finally arrived. Notable hands included the following:

I am dealt A-A on first hand in CO, incredible! I bet $15 into a few limpers and get 2 callers. Flop is J high and checked to me. I bet 40 and everyone folds. I don’t show, of course. I probably should have checked behind to draw them in. I proceed to get A-A twice more in first hour and reduce my open bet to $10 but no one calls anyway.

I build my stack up with some more small wins with non descript hands but soon get K-K and open for $15. I get 2 callers. Flop is 10 high, and I bet $30 into $45 pot hoping for a little action.

A TAG re-raises to $130 (more action than I wanted with one pair) and from his demeanor, I sense he out flopped me (maybe set, maybe 2 pair). I do not think calling would be right since I would be committed, I need to raise all in or fold so after thinking, I fold (later he says he had 2 pair).

A few hands later, I get A-Jo. I open bet and flop is J high. I bet again and have one caller. Turn is another J so I check behind to act scared of the 2nd J. Opponent fires a ½ pot bet on bricked river. I raise, he insta mucks, and a I drag in a decent pot.

Soon, I limp in with Q-7. Flop is Q-7-4. Turn = 7 River = J and I win about a $100 pot.

Limp 3-3 from EP and turn a set of 3s but everyone folds to my ½ pot bet and another monster goes to waste. Not much later, I get dealt pocket 10s and I win another small pot. Within minutes, my wife arrives and it is time to go for now. I cash out 2 buy ins up for a nice start to my trip.

We decide to have an inexpensive dinner so Ellis Island it is. This place is one of the best values near the Strip. It offers consistently good food at ridiculously low prices. Added bonus is they are also a brewpub and offer $1 micro brewed beer, as well as my wife’s favorite, micro brewed root beer. I recommend the off menu steak dinner special.

After dinner, I had about a 10 minute wait to be seated on Wednesday night at approx. 11pm. There were 7 tables of 1-2 NLHE going.

Notable hands:

Early on, I get one of my favorite hands, 10-10, in LP. I always open bet with 10s (and Js, too) so I made $15 to play after a couple of limpers - the loose guy to my left calls and so does one of the limpers, so it’s three to the flop. Flop is Q-10-4. Limper checks, I check knowing the other guy would bet it if I checked, and he does not disappoint. He bets about $30, the limper folds and I raise enough to put the rest of his stack at risk. I have him covered and he calls. I table my set and he groans and says he has a Queen. He doesn’t improve and I felt my first opponent of the trip.

After (foolishly) choosing to fold garbage hands like K-3o and Q-4o (rather than just limping in) and then seeing those garbage hands catch flops like 4- 4-10 and some guy with the 10 winning, or 3-3-7, etc. I started playing/limping some junk trying to catch a miracle. All I ever got were some top pair/weak kicker hands that had to be folded to big bets on the turn or river. Finally, I get A-K. I open to 10 and get a couple of callers. Flop is A high, turn is K and I win approx. $80.

Later, I see a flop with 7-10 in LP and flop a made straight (flop = 6-8-9). An Ace comes on the turn and my sole remaining opponent leads into me confidently. Thinking the Ace helped him and my call here would commit me, I go ahead and raise all in. My opponent thinks for a minute before calling. I table my straight and he tables his. We both had 7-10 for the same straight and chop the pot.

Near the end of my session, I get 10-10 again. I open bet to 15 and get two callers again, one is a short stack. Flop is 6 high. I bet the pot and get called by the short stack (whom I think has 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, or a big Ace). Turn pairs the 6 on the board and I bet again, opponent raises, I 3 bet all in (because I have tight image and I could not believe the opponent called me preflop with a 6 in hand) and they call. To my surprise, they had called my open bet with 4-6s, then called my flop bet with top pair and no kicker(which is usually a recipe for disaster for my opponents) and then got lucky. Keep in mind, I have shown nothing but winners (with primarily good starting hands) all night. Arghhh….talk about unobservant opponents, fortunately, I had the opponent covered so I was not felted. However, it was after 3 am Thursday morning (I had been up since 4 am Wednesday) and I was feeling mentally fatigued so I called it a night (while I was still up for the day). There would be much more Vegas to be had and I didn’t want to make my traditional mistake of over doing it on day one.

I Guess They Threw All the Beads in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Galveston 2010

2010-02-10T12:07:00.002-06:00

I just want Texas to be number one in something other than executions, toll roads and property taxes. – Kinky Friedman

The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning and I was up early to attend the annual Galveston County Master Gardener’s Fruit Tree sale. Having been twice before, I knew what sort of chaos to expect and got there early. This sale offers fruit tree varieties that are particularly well suited to our south Texas climate and grown with love by real master gardeners. They are sold either bare root or potted in 3-5 gallon containers. I bought a bare root Beauty Plum tree to add to my two MidPride Peach trees, and navel Orange tree (purchased at my two previous visits). Having been prepared, I was the first one to check out and headed straight home to plant my new tree.

As it got closer to Noon, we loaded up the boys and headed to the Seawall to see the first Mardi Gras parade of the day. The most noteworthy guy they had in this parade this year was none other than the former Texas Gubernatorial candidate, Kinky Friedman, chomping his trademark cigar. Sadly, (as you can see from the picture) neither Kinky nor the other folks in the parade were throwing many beads, and consequently, the parade watchers were not properly bead adorned. As one of the lucky ones to have previously ridden floats in the parade, I can confirm that you are supposed to be throwing beads as fast and furiously to the crowds as you can. The folks in this parade, apparently, had not gotten the memo about proper Mardi Gras parade etiquette.

In any case, we ended the afternoon on a high note by stopping by the locally famous, Queen’s Bar-B-Que. I had a sliced beef po-boy and my wife and son enjoyed the chipped beef po-boys. The sandwiches were good but not sufficiently large and, as usual when I go to Queen’s, I could have easily eaten two.

PokerStars WBCOOP 2010

2010-02-04T10:18:00.003-06:00

Good ideas are a dime a dozen, bad ones are free. – Douglas Horton

I do not usually play freerolls. The fields are simply too large, the time needed is too long, and the play is usually horrendous. However, the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker is no ordinary freeroll. The bragging rights alone would be worth the win. Sadly, I fared about the same as I usually do in really big fields. I waste a few hours playing well only to get busted out of the money. Here are some of the gory details:

2nd orbit I get 2 black Kings in the BB – everyone folds to me before I can even bet.

3rd orbit 2 red Kings in the CO – I bet 3xbb – everyone folds.

I get J-J, open bet and get called. Flop is all undercards and I shove all in, get called and I double up when his draw doesn’t get there.

A-A in MP and open bet 3xbb but everyone folds!

Finally, some action - I flop a flush draw with Jh-10h and make it on turn. I am up to t5210.

4-4 holds up and I am at t5945 as we go to the first break.

I got a couple of suited Aces(A-Js and A-9s), open bet got called, missed flop, made C-bet and won pot.

“Sitter Outers” are dying off quickly now, I am at t6045.

I make it to the second break but, at t3915 and below average, it’s shove or fold time.

M = 6 and I get Q-Q in MP. I shove and get no action.

M = 3 and I get A-Jo so I shove. Get called by 5-5 and I don’t improve.

I am out in 240th. (Sigh), maybe next year.

Notables seen included: MemphisMOJO, TanOrpheus, Rakewell1, Fuel55, Lightning36.

Who Dat Talkin Bout Partying in New Orleans?

2010-02-03T12:57:00.002-06:00

We Americans are a peculiar people. We are for the underdog, no matter how much of a dog he is. – Happy Chandler

Once again, I will be pulling for the underdog in the Super Bowl. The Saints have (IMO) paid their dues. That doesn’t entitle them to a win but it is enough to net my support for the game. Down here, we have called them the “Ain'ts” for a long time since they “ain’t” really ever gone very far in the NFL Playoffs and, the prevailing opinion was, they “ain’t” likely to next year either. However, the synergy between the coach, the quarterback, and the rest of the Saints has impressed me this season. They will have to play very well to best the Colts and Manning but it is possible. Believe me, Mardi Gras kicks off this weekend and anything is possible.
Go Saints!

It's Not About Serendipitously Getting Lucky

2010-01-19T10:08:00.003-06:00

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. – Darrell Royal

I never liked homework when I was a kid and skipped it whenever I could.
As an adult, I understand that homework is useful and usually worth the effort. Thus, I set out to do a little reading to prepare for my upcoming trip to the strip.

After reading this highly germane thread by Las Vegas Michael on 2+2, I am now planning to get in a session at Treasure Island and considering skipping either Bally’s or Bill’s. I am also thinking about squeezing in a session at the Venetian if at all possible. Thank you, Mr. LVM.

I also recently finished buying and reading the e-book from Ed Miller, S. Mehta, and M. Flynn, Small Stakes No- Limit Hold’em. The thoughtful but aggressive tactics elucidated in the book have already helped me in my local game. I am hoping they will also contribute to my poker enjoyment and success in Las Vegas. I may do a review at some point but for now, suffice to say, I think the book is well worth the price.

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-01-14T14:38:00.001-06:00

Although, still disappointed about missing the Winter Gathering of 2009, I just learned I am going to Las Vegas this month for my anniversary. That’s right; I am going to Vegas, Babeee! My wife and I honeymooned in Vegas so celebrating our 10th anniversary there will be awesome. She has already obtained us tickets to the Cirque de Soleil show “Love”. I have read numerous reviews that suggest this is a good show and I definitely hope it will be memorable. We will also stick to our usual plan and rent a car so we can more easily enjoy some of our customary off strip spots such as Gordon Biersch, Ellis Island, etc.

I plan to get three nights of serious poker playing in while I am there. We are staying at the Planet Hollywood so I will likely play at least one night there. I also plan to check out Bally’s and Bill’s – both of which are nearby and come highly recommended as well populated with fish. I might also squeeze in a session at MGM if possible.

I can hardly wait.

Trip report to follow so stay tuned.

Poker Stars WBCOOP

2010-01-08T09:42:00.004-06:00

I am in! Are you?

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:
document.write(paramCode)
098539

Sadly, I Guess Someone is Going to Have to Get Killed

2009-12-23T12:52:00.004-06:00

Alliance - in politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. – Ambrose Bierce

I don’t know about all of you, but I truly despise robbers and thieves. I know robbery/thievery isn’t the only sin being committed out there but I regard it as among the most reprehensible. Pokerati has the scoop here. I am going on record right now that I hope a few (or more) robbers/thieves are shot and killed while attempting to rob Texas poker games (or game rooms) in the near future. Sometimes, folks should get exactly what they deserve. Apparently, these guys have to be taught a lesson and we Texans are just the type to do it. Around here, we are often armed and usually (at least) pretty good shots. Perhaps, after a few (or more) would be robbers become shooting fatalities, the Legislature will stop wasting time and pass legislation that will enable legal gambling (particularly table poker with rake) to be played in Texas. Most of the citizens of Texas want legal gambling in Texas. It is only the alliance of well funded special interests and the religious minority that are presenting any significant opposition. The problem is virtually every one of them votes and it seems most gamblers don’t.
For those of you not familiar with the goings on around here, there has been a plethora of robberies, at not only underground poker games, but also at the ubiquitous “game rooms” that have opened in every town. These game rooms are home to eight liners and other slot-machine-type of gambling preferred by many folks (although, not me). Texas is full of empty race tracks (both dog and horse) that would love to be filled with gamblers.
These huge facilities are sitting idle and some have already closed due to lack of business. Enabling these facilities to serve an “eager to play” public would be a win-win for both the residents, as well as, the cities where these tracks are located. Jobs would be created locally, local tax revenue would be increased, and players would have a nearby place to play(legally). No one in Texas is benefiting from the current situation where would be Texas gamblers have two choices – suffer the inconvenience of travelling a long way to our neighboring States (Louisiana or Oklahoma) or play at an underground room. At the underground rooms, one has to fear both robbers and police since they will both take your money if they arrive while you are present. This state of affairs is deplorable and unnecessary. Texas Legislators, please WAKE UP!

Good Luck, Mr. Woods

2009-12-15T13:15:00.002-06:00

It's only hubris if I fail. - Julius Caesar.

And so it is confirmed, Tiger is human, too. He is not the first nor will he be the last to succumb to temptation.

Caesar did not have the benefit of a modern education drawn from the wisdom of centuries of scholars. However, I wonder if, during all those years of developing into the (current) world's greatest golfer, Tiger was ever provided any classical education. Ancient Greco-Roman history and mythology are excellent sources to use to consider the human situation. There are an abundance of examples in which a person rises from obscurity and becomes famous/powerful/wealthy. Then, due to hubris, they end up losing everything, or almost everything. Enough is never enough for some people.

Tiger had it made. He is one of the world's most successful athletes and has the accolades and endorsements that go with it. He has wealth almost beyond belief. He also has a beautiful wife and family. But, it wasn't enough for him. Although apparently able to resist the lure of some vices, like so many other exceptionally successful men, he was unable to resist the siren song of the lovely ladies. Even though there is an abundance of evidence that clearly demonstrates no one gets away with this sort of behavior for long, Tiger gambled for the highest stakes and repeatedly pushed all in. He not only gambled with his career and family, but also with his life and the life of his wife by, according to at least one paramour, having unprotected sex. His gambling, in this manner, was clearly out of control. He is fortunate not to have shared the tragic fate of Steve McNair. Now, he has irrevocably compromised himself and his family. He has withdrawn from golf, his life's work, to try to mitigate the self inflicted havoc he brought home. It would be difficult enough to attempt to reconcile after a single affair with one woman. He now faces the herculean task of attempting to reconcile after a dozen or so affairs with a dozen or so (at the time of this post) women. Frankly, I would not wager on him being successful in this endeavor. After all, a tiger cannot simply change his stripes.

However, despite all this adversity he will have to overcome, Tiger will recover, just as President Clinton did, just as Kobe Bryant did, just as all the others have. I suspect, by then, he will have learned an invaluable lesson. Family matters.

You Were Warned

2009-12-01T10:17:00.006-06:00

All new states are invested, more or less, by a class of noisy, second-rate men who are always in favor of rash and extreme measures, but Texas was absolutely overrun by such men. - Sam Houston

I guess some people will never get it. I wrote about it here. Don't mess with Texas poker players. Sure, we've got some cash since we are going to play poker, but we are some of the feistiest, orneriest, and most well armed folks around. If you try to rob us, you are at best an underdog and you may be drawing dead. Pokerati has the new story here. These kids are lucky to be alive.

Darvin Moon FTW!

2009-11-09T12:50:00.000-06:00

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints for your ultimate achievements. - Napoleon Hill

Go Darvin! While I have nothing against Joe Cada and also wish him well, I am pulling for the Moon Man.

While we hear a lot about the recent influx of young talent, and there is certainly no disputing the volume of young players we are currently experiencing nor many of their recent accomplishments, poker is an old guys game. Poker is about outsmarting/outlasting/outthinking/outplaying your opponents while sitting across a table - and that is what old guys do. It is what old guys have been doing for a long time. When knowledge, experience, wisdom, and cunning are what's needed, you need an old guy. Old guys are no match for young guys in football, baseball, basketball, etc. Those games are about physical strength and stamina first, and mental strength and stamina second. Poker is the other way around. Old guys are supposed to beat young guys at poker.

Besides, if Joe Cada does not win, it isn't going to slow down the onslaught of young guns at all. They will continue to pour in by the thousands and that is fine. Nothing is likely to deter that and we wouldn't want anything to do so. However, what is going to keep the older amateurs rolling in? Thousands of regular guys buy in every year and are often considered "dead money". However, year after year, one of them rises to the top despite the prevailing notion that they never had a chance. That is good for poker in general and also good for the World Series of Poker. A win by Moon perpetuates the rags to riches dream of an everyman. A regular guy that plays poker with buddies rather than for a living who goes to the WSOP and wins it all or at least comes close. Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Steve Dannenman, Jerry Yang, Dennis Phillips, and Darvin Moon are all great for the game in the sense that they truly keep the dream alive.

Using Both Hands - the SuperChop BBQ Sandwich

2009-10-26T13:10:00.004-05:00

Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage. - Woody Allen

I love poker but my first love is food and I like to share my experiences (about really good stuff) with my readers. I know there are a lot of pulled pork sandwich lovers out there but here’s the scoop on the ultimate BBQ sandwich. We're in Texas, therefore you know we are talking beef. Grand Prize BBQ, a little sole proprietor spot in Texas City serves two thick slices of made in house jalapeno cheese bread loaded with their delicious smoked beef brisket and smoked sausage chopped up right in front of you. The meat is piled high and no sauce is added until the sandwich is assembled. I don’t know if they invented the thing but I have never encountered one anywhere else. To devour this colossal sammy, you must use two hands and most people can’t finish one by themselves. I love taking associates from work to this place and watching them wear a portion of their sandwich back to the office after an “accident” while eating. There is a secret to eating a huge messy sandwich like this and not wearing it but I never reveal it until the 2nd visit. If you are in the local vicinity, stop in for one of these and you will not be disappointed.

Broadway

2009-10-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. – D. Elton Trueblood

Broadway – the primary entrance route to the city of Galveston – not the straight of the same name – has been forever changed. It was formerly lined with huge majestic century-plus old oak trees throughout the esplanade and also at curbside of the many stately old Victorian homes. The foliage of these massive trees - at some sections of Broadway – met in the middle forming a beautiful canopy of green above the roadway. This is no longer the case. Most of the big trees have been cut down to the ground. The massive influx of salt water that covered much of the city post Hurricane Ike, killed most of the oaks. A sparse few trees remain. The once proud entrance to the old city appears bare - wide open to the sun and sky like at no other time in my life. Although many small (approx. 10 ft) oaks are being planted to replace the old ones, I will be long gone before the street looks anything like it did before. The huge palms fared well and remain but without the oaks, it just doesn’t look the same.

I Still Blame Frist

2009-10-09T14:54:00.002-05:00

Men become more civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt. - Ambrose Bierce.

I have been playing a bit of online poker again lately.

So, I ran the auto rate feature on PokerTracker last night.

A full 33% of the players in the database had their icon changed.

75% of them changed to indicate a better player rating than before.

This means that, yes - the online games are getting tougher.

There are still fish out there, but the ratio of fish to decent/good players is dwindling.

Although I have done well lately, I have also found myself in a rather “Jordan-esque” mood regarding online poker.

I still enjoy it but I don’t have the same drive to play online I once had.

My desire to play live, however, is stronger than ever.

Now, if I could just find more opportunities.

Sadly, I doubt the online environment will ever be like it was pre-UIGEA. The peak of the “boom” has passed and it seems unlikely, no matter what happens in Washington, that we will experience the massive influx of new players that we enjoyed during that glorious period.

Don’t Mess with Texas Poker Players

2009-09-04T15:45:00.002-05:00

Poker is not a game in which the meek inherit the Earth. – David Hayano

This just in from the Houston Chronicle – Texans are well armed and not afraid to open fire. In fact, I suspect we lead the nation in the number of citizens licensed to lawfully carry a concealed handgun. I thought it was common knowledge but perhaps not. I regularly peruse the local news and frequently read about would be burglars/robbers being fatally shot by armed citizens lawfully defending their property. Each time I read this sort of news, I think justice has been served and we, the tax paying citizens of the state, have saved money by not having to pay to incarcerate the perpetrator. Let the news go far and wide, we Texans are more than capable of defending ourselves and no jury in the Lone Star State is going to convict one of us for shooting a criminal in the act of perpetrating a crime. Kinda makes one want to go to the shooting range over the weekend, doesn’t it?

Good Luck, Mr. Ivey

2009-07-17T12:40:00.001-05:00

Logic: the art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. – Ambrose Bierce

All of the poker community, much of Las Vegas, and plenty of other folks are “a twitter” over Phil Ivey making the Nov 9. He is popular, photogenic, well known, highly marketable, etc., etc.
I admire Ivey, too. He is actually good at poker and he is not an ace-hole when on camera.
I would love to see him win and I sincerely wish him the best of luck. Perhaps he could usher in the next poker boom.
However, I don’t think he is likely to win. We have all witnessed plenty of well known players make the final table and fall short of winning. At the risk of stating the obvious, he is one of the short stacks. For him to win, he will likely need to either get really good cards or play very carefully until he can get it heads up or three way with one or two remaining amateurs. Think of when Joe Hachem won. With seven players left, he was the short stack at one point but he never went crazy. He played very patiently for approximately 12 hours and it served him well. The bigger stacks kept pummeling one another and he mostly avoided getting involved. He picked up a pot here or there but basically seemed to stay out of the way until all of a sudden, about 4:30am, he was the chip leader with four players left. He continued to let the other players self implode and when the smoke cleared, he was heads up against the lone remaining amateur.
He then (not surprisingly) went on to win the world championship. IMHO, this is the strategy that would give Ivey the best chance of winning.

However, I have seen him reach numerous final tables on the WPT and he is always one of the most aggressive players at the table. That worked well for Jerry Yang but that style of play has caused Ivey to be knocked out relatively early at most of the final tables I have seen him at. If he plays like that in November, I think it will be exceptionally challenging for him to win. He has said in the past that he is out to win the event and is not worried about the money. That is why he “goes for it” at those final tables. I hope he will mix up his playing style and remember that no one can win when there is still a table full of players. Even if he doesn’t win, I think it will greatly enhance the entertainment value of watching the WSOP Main Event if Phil Ivey is one of the last players to be eliminated.

Liquid Assets - Iced Tea

2009-07-10T13:35:00.001-05:00

American-style iced tea is the perfect drink for a hot, sunny day. It's never really caught on in the UK, probably because the last time we had a hot, sunny day was back in 1957. - Tom Holt

Down here in Texas, we just recorded the hottest June on record for the Galveston/Houston area. Due to that excessive heat, it seems like I have been drinking iced tea by the gallon. A refreshing glass of iced tea is such a simple thing to make, yet so many people and restaurants get it wrong. The tea must be brewed to be strong and should be robust tasting since it will be diluted when poured over ice. It should smell like tea and it should have a distinct tea flavor without any odd tastes from an unclean urn or poorly maintained equipment. If a customer orders iced tea, kindly warn them before serving them any sort of flavored tea (e.g. mango tea, peach tea, plum tea, etc.) since many of us eschew those sorts of teas. The tea should not be cloudy or murky looking as this usually indicates the tea was not freshly made. The tea should be tasted regularly by the management to ensure none of these undesirable elements have crept in. A weak color means too much water is being added to the brew and this must be avoided. Anyone may dilute the tea further, if they wish, but no one may undo this damage once done. This is important. Many of us are choosing tea over soda or flavored water for not only reasons of taste but for caloric and anti oxidant content. Another great thing about iced tea is that, at least down here in the South, refills are customarily provided free (once when I was in Michigan they had the audacity to charge me for a refill and I remember looking at them as if they were crazy). Although, the tradition in the South is for sugary sweet tea, many of us actually prefer it unsweetened. It really is a simple but positively refreshing beverage (if prepared well) on the hot and humid days we frequently enjoy down here in Texas.

Do You Have the Will to Win?

2009-06-30T14:38:00.007-05:00

All of my good streaks and all of my bad streaks of every length and depth have had one thing in common. They did not exist in your mind. They only existed in my mind. And this is true for everyone's winning and losing streaks. None of them actually exist. They are all mental fabrications, like past and future. – Tommy Angelo

Despite actually blogging about the extraordinarily good June I have been enjoying, I did not jinx myself (so far) and managed to continue my winning ways over the weekend. I kept thinking about the quote above from Elements of Poker but I also knew I could exploit my current image to my advantage. You see, I am not the only one that has observed and made note of how well I have been doing this month. Most of the regulars at the homegame are also well aware of how good I have been running.
However, what they don’t know is that it hasn’t been about catching good cards. Sure, I have caught some big hands but no more than everyone else. However, by using SPR and other such notions, I have been able to win some huge pots with my big hands. I have also been mercilessly “adopting” as many orphaned pots as possible and making a few more than usual turn and/or river bluffs. But despite all of this, the primary thing I have tried to do differently is bring my A game every time we play. I come with the will to win. What I mean by that is making sure I am well rested and mentally focused. Making sure I have eaten before playing and taking a break to eat during the game if necessary. Not allowing distractions, interruptions, or other player’s actions to cause me to tilt for even a brief period. I know this probably sounds trivial but it works.

Tommy Angelo is the Stephen R. Covey of poker. Reading his book to improve my poker habits reminded me of reading Covey to improve my work habits. His advice is so solid and reasonable that one thinks, “yeah, that’s obvious” but although the concept may seem obvious and clearly make sense, most players aren’t doing what he is recommending. One must have the will to win. A few of the players in our group always seem to allow distractions external to the game to tilt them into losing their chips. A few others always seem to over consume and have such a good time that they also lose their chips. Others are just playing for sheer enjoyment and to spend an evening with the guys while losing their chips. Meanwhile, I am visiting with the other players, watching them closely, enjoying a cold one or six, and quietly amassing a large stack chips.

This Just In...Lucypher Still Lucky...Go Figure

2009-06-26T12:50:00.007-05:00

Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim: The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate. – Bertrand Russell.

I have been reluctant to talk/write about it because doing so always seems to bring it to an abrupt end.

However, this is a poker blog and I am supposed to blog about my poker activities.

Therefore, I will admit it. June has been a very good month for me and I am on a nice hot streak.

Although my online play has really dropped due to the fact that I am just too tired to play after we’ve finished all the family summer activities going on right now, I still play twice a week in a juicy home (cash) game.

In that game, I have been doing well.

I have been very pleased with my play lately and not just because of the results (although that is always a factor).

I am calling people down light if I think I have perceived a tell or a pattern revealing weakness.

I am overbetting (for value – thank you very much Fuel55) and getting paid on my big hands.

I have noticed a tendency for players to want to call preflop value bets with any two cards because as they say, ‘You gotta see the flop”.

I have been exploiting the hell out of this anytime I have a pocket pair or big cards. Then, a pot sized bet on the flop is usually enough to take down the already bloated pot.

Even though I still like to buy in short, I seem to quickly become one of the big stacks at the table.

I think much of this “heater” is a result of my continuing to read, think, and work on my game while most of my opponents are not improving and some have become downright predictable.

Of course, it also might just be a good month. Either way, I am thoroughly enjoying every minute.

And, So It Goes.....

2009-05-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” - Mark Twain

Once again, we hapless Texans played the luckless Charlie Brown while the Legislature played the temptress Lucy; luring us in, showing us the ball, encouraging us to kick it only to have it yanked away as we approached with our unbridled enthusiasm. I can almost hear the deadpan voice of Dr. McCoy in my ear saying, “It’s dead, Jim.” And, now, we Texans will sit and wait another two long years for our duly elected representatives in Austin to do their duty and actually serve the folks they are supposed to be representing by passing legislation that will bring legal poker to Texas. The majority of Texans want this to happen but, as usual, the will of the people is not what really motivates the majority of our politicians.

The Honorable Rep. Menendez (D) is to be lauded for his tireless efforts on our behalf. Poker players all over Texas thank him for his staunch support of bringing legal poker to Texas. He is definitely a friend to Texas poker players. Governor Perry (R), on the other hand, should be considered Public Enemy Number One to Texas poker players. By promising to veto HB 222 even if it passed, he effectively killed the bill. I know there are enough poker players in Texas to help unseat him and my vote will go to his opponent no-matter-what for his insistence on blocking this bill. I sincerely hope the vast numbers of Texas poker players will turn out and use their vote to make their voices heard in the next election cycle.

Texas Hold'em in Texas? What a Great Idea!

2009-05-07T11:43:00.001-05:00

What is a democrat? One who believes that the republicans have ruined the country. What is a republican? One who believes that the democrats would ruin the country. - Ambrose Bierce

It seems that I will not enjoy the privilege of playing NLHE at a local bar anytime soon. HB 222, currently being considered by the Texas Legislature, has been modified via political compromise to exclude poker at bars (that would have had to obtain a special permit) and instead to allow poker at dog and horse racing tracks. While this is not as good as poker at bars, due to the simple fact that there are a lot more bars than there are race tracks, it isn’t all bad for me. You see, right outside of Galveston, in lovely La Marque, is a large facility known as Gulf Greyhound Park. This place has been almost deserted lately and is struggling to survive. If HB 222 passes, it would infuse the place with some customers and some hope. The fact that it is located within 10 minutes of my residence makes the whole idea sound pretty darn good to me. In terms of physical proximity and convenience, it almost couldn’t be any better for me. I selfishly and shamelessly hope this bill gets passed for my sake.

Bodog is Back!

2009-05-04T11:51:00.009-05:00

Opportunities multiply as they are seized. Sun-Tzu.

Everytime I play online poker at Bodog I wonder why I don’t play there more often. Although, I rarely play tourneys these days due to time constraints, the cash games are juicy! I have played nightly on Bodog for a couple of weeks and there is plenty of traffic for NLHE games. I am not sure why, but the Bodog cash tables seem to play faster than the tables on other sites. It might have something to do with the fact that no one is multi-tabling some ridiculous volume of tables, which always slows down the play of tables they are playing on. Bodog is still one of the best sites for avoiding data mining and other nefarious data collection activities that can make the game less fun for the casual player. In fact, Bodog ought to be the online poker site of choice for casual players and/or those that prefer to play without data enhancement tools. Not that there is anything wrong with those tools, but they do change the way the game is played. Are you a notoriously light 3-better? On other sites, players routinely have tools that identify your habits but not so much so on Bodog. So, get out of that rut you may be in on that other site and come try the online poker experience at Bodog. $mokkee has been spreading the news about Bodog for a while now and JD Schellnutt has recently had some nice scores in the tourneys, too.

They also have a sportsbook for betting on your favorite sport and/or team. Perhaps you have heard of the NBA Playoffs which are going on right now? It’s pretty exciting stuff that, perhaps, you might want to place a wager upon. They also have some interesting World Series of Poker prop bets that you may want to bet on. If any of you haven’t tried Bodog out yet, what are you waiting for? You could be the next one to score big on Bodog!

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

2009-04-03T15:38:00.005-05:00

Lack of money is the root of all evil. - George Bernard Shaw

It appears that we just might actually obtain the coveted right to legally play Texas Hold'em with a rake at a cardroom somewhere in Texas, hopefully in Galveston. Here is a link to the story. Even more importantly, here is a link to a site that will let you help us fight the good fight. Thank you in advance for your support.

Mardi Gras Galveston – Maximizing Expected Value, Observations of a seasoned Mardi Gras Galveston veteran

2009-03-03T15:53:00.004-06:00

Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose. – Tennessee Williams

As with most things, plan ahead. Check the weather forecast and make sure to bring appropriate outer wear such as a jacket or raincoat, etc. Wear comfortable footwear that can handle crowds well and that you won’t mind walking around in all day.

Eat well before you head down to the Mardi Gras. Then, eat more throughout the day to help keep you going until late night.

Bring some friends that want to party and that you will want to party all day/all night with.

Establish a meeting place in case everyone gets separated. You won’t hear or feel your cell phone in the noise and chaos of the crowd.

Buy your beads at discount mart or online - otherwise expect to pay dearly for the good ones (i.e. those that will entice a show). I recommend buying an entire package of nice ones. None of the ladies will know that you got a volume discount.

Buy your beer at a discount mart or a grocery store. Then fill your cooler and keep it in your car/truck. Park your vehicle just a block or so outside the Strand area and have a back pack or tube style pack to carry your beer into the Strand. Otherwise, be prepared to pay top dollar for your beverages.

Be prepared. If you might need some antacid, aspirin, caffeine, or other medicine to feel like partying late into the night, take some with you. Don’t be a party pooper and want to leave early because you weren’t prepared.

Regarding cameras:

a) You will not be fast enough to be able to photograph very many flashers – the whole thing just happens too fast.
b) If you try, you will miss out on seeing two pair for every one pair that you actually photograph. There are plenty of quality amateur photos on the internet. Your photos will not likely be any better than those readily available so don’t waste your time.
c) The high quality chicks won’t let you take their picture for fear of ending up on the internet. If they even see your camera, most of the best looking women won’t show while you are around. If you want to see the highest quality goods, come with plenty of nice beads and no camera.
d) Your camera will be at risk of being dropped or knocked from your hands in the chaos that is the Mardi Gras.
e) You will miss out on a lot of other Mardi Gras sights and sounds trying to get photos. Forget about it. Be in the moment – party NOW. That is what you came to the Mardi Gras for.
f) Exceptions. If you are one of the lucky few to be able to enjoy the Mardi Gras from a balcony above the crowds, then you will be able to get plenty of good photos. You just can’t do it from the ground. Also, look for women wearing masks. They understand how it all works and they came prepared to flash confident that their anonymity will remain intact. I predict women wearing masks will become the norm in the future.

That's it. Now, have fun and be safe.

Mardi Gras Galveston 2009, Part 4 - Lamb Chop City

2009-02-27T15:54:00.000-06:00

Think where mans glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends. – William Butler Yeats

Sunday was another beautiful day and we spent a leisurely morning recovering from the previous evening’s debauchery. Sunday is also the designated day of our local homegame, therefore, it was foreordained that we would be attending the game as a group. However, given that we would be drinking most of the day, a solid breakfast was in order so we went out and bought some barbacoa (a.k.a. Mexican bbq – which is made from the cheek of the cow). Barbacoa is a tradition on Sunday mornings and is also rich and filling – a perfect start for a day of beer drinking. At poker, Anthony and I had some modest success but not a great deal. I won a big pot early and then went card dead. I lost two big pots where I was all in with another player and lost on the river to a 2 outer and then a 3 outer, respectively. However, Lew, the novice of the group, racked up a big win after successfully picking off some bluffs and generously offered to sport for dinner. Upon leaving, we discussed our options and decided it would be a feast of lamb chops chased with more ice cold beer. So, we went out and obtained three different types of succulent lamb chops (rib chops, loin chops, and blade chops). We prepared all of them the same way with lemon, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then, we grilled them to perfection. They were all really tasty but the rib chops were definitely the best. What was a surprise was that the blade chops were the 2nd best, edging out the loin chops. This is good to know since the blade chops are less than half the price of the loin or rib chops. Since everyone was leaving early Monday morning, we spent the rest of the evening in the backyard drinking beer and laughing about all the fun we had during this Mardi Gras trip and discussing how we were going to top this one next year.
I can’t wait.

Mardi Gras Galveston 2009, Part 3 - The Big Parade

2009-02-27T10:24:00.000-06:00

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday is the big day for Mardi Gras in Galveston and the peak of the local revelry. It was also the only day of the weekend that was predicted to bring inclement weather so we prepared for the worst by acquiring some disposable rain ponchos in case we got caught in the rain. We relaxed throughout the morning knowing we would be partying late into the night. In the afternoon, we met up with the gang of friends we would watch the big parade with and made contingency plans in case we got separated in the chaos that is the Mardi Gras. Upon arriving on the historic Strand, I sought out one of my favorite street festival fares, the smoked turkey leg. It is perfect since one can hold one’s beer in one hand while holding and eating the turkey leg with the other. The Strand was packed with revelers and it was good to see so many people having a good time in Galveston again. The weather cooperated and never got too bad. The parade, however, was somewhat disappointing to me. I have ridden on floats in the parade before so I know a thing or two about how to do it right. One pays handsomely for the privilege of riding a float in the big parade and one should make the most of it. The whole idea is to throw beads to the folks watching the parade on the ground. If you aren’t there to throw beads, I don’t know why one would bother paying to ride on a float at all. The folks on the floats this year were downright miserly. Those on the ground come to see the parade in the hopes of catching some premium beads and to see the young ladies trying to entice the float riders by baring some flesh. None of that can happen if the float riders aren’t generously throwing beads. Maybe I should create a brief instructional video or something to help educate potential float riders of what is expected.
Anyway, although the parade was disappointing this year, we waded into the masses to see if we could do better at providing ourselves and other revelers with a show. I’ll not go into great detail but suffice to say, we kicked Mardi Gras ass, saw lots of exposed flesh, and had a great time!

Mardi Gras Galveston 2009, Part 2 – The Feast(s)

2009-02-26T11:51:00.001-06:00

No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy today, mix good cheer with friends today enjoy it and bless God for it. – Henry Ward Beecher

Friday was laid back with the main plan of the day being to feast on two of the quintessential Mardi Gras delicacies. The weather was beautiful, sunny and comfortable. The first item on the agenda was the children’s Mardi Gras parade at my oldest son’s preschool. So, we donned our beads and headed out. The kids never disappoint and we laughed about the funny things they said and did for the rest of the morning. Following that, we obtained a cooler full of beer and ice and went to find some lunch. The first of two authentic Mardi Gras entrées to be savored was gumbo so we headed to Leo’s on Broadway, of course. Following the superb gumbo, we ventured back into Houston to pick up my Bro-in-law from the airport since he wasn’t able to join us until Friday afternoon. Finally, 4:30 pm, the designated start time of the crawfish boil arrived and we went to another local legend’s place, the backyard garden paradise at Big John’s.
This formerly nondescript backyard has been completely transformed over several years of landscaping into a virtual tropical paradise complete with a massive macau parrot named Sarge and a koi fish filled pond with a functioning waterfall. There we took shots of grappa and feasted on the second absolute must have Mardi Gras entree, boiled crawfish with potatoes, corn, sausage, etc. and proceeded to party the night away in excellent company.

Mardi Gras Galveston 2009, Part 1 - Arrival

2009-02-25T13:23:00.001-06:00

Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. – Saint Thomas Aquinas

I invited several friends to come down to the Mardi Gras this year. Johnny, my bro-in-law from Dallas, my poker buddy Anthony from Ohio, and an old beer drinking and camping buddy currently residing in Michigan, Canoe Lew. When I picked up Anthony and Lew from the airport on Thursday morning wearing Mardi Gras beads and sporting a cooler full of beer, they knew without a doubt that I was ready to get the party started. The weather was exceptionally favorable with clear skies, sunshine, and a temperature of approx. 63 degrees F. We left the airport with sunroof open and at Anthony’s suggestion, headed straight for a high quality gentlemen’s club for a free lunch and some entertainment. Unfortunately, the bad economy is affecting even these sorts of places and we were promptly informed that the lunch buffet was only spread on Wednesdays + Fridays and today was Thursday. So, we decided on BBQ instead. Not surprisingly, neither of these former Texas residents had eaten any good BBQ since leaving the Lone Star State. So, we headed for the well known Goode Co. BBQ joint on Kirby. Although they were pleased, I was disappointed. I have been a judge at quite a few BBQ cook offs/contests and I know the good stuff when I taste it. I ordered a combo plate with beef brisket and pork ribs. The brisket was pretty good but not great. The ribs had some sort of cinnamon or clove taste in the spice rub that did not suit my palate at all. After leaving there, we headed to one of my local buddies place at Gotham, a swanky condo he recently leased. Doug, my buddy residing at Gotham, works from home doing computer consulting and always forks over big bucks for a premium place. This was no exception. The loft itself was really cool but what makes it awesome is that one entire wall is glass with an unobstructed view of the downtown Houston skyline and the surrounding area. If I had that place, I would never get anything done because I would be too busy being distracted by the view. After knocking out the beer I brought, we proceeded to work on Doug’s supply. Before long, it was time to go meet some more friends at Taco Milagro, also on Kirby. Taco Milagro was unimpressive with respect to the food and drinks. However, they did not disappoint on the crowd they attract for an after work happy hour. We were surrounded by visually appealing women that were also apparently affluent. We partied there for a few hours before heading home for the evening.

Liquid Assets - Gumbo Redux

2009-01-20T14:23:00.001-06:00

I live on good soup, not on fine words. - Moliere

Galveston is a mere shadow of its former self since the storm.
However, it’s good to know at least one thing is still as it was before Ike.
Leo’s gumbo. That’s right. Even though the lines have been longer than usual due to more people finding out about the place and I really don’t like to wait in a long line for much of anything, I have been to Leo’s for gumbo a lot lately. Today, I waited in line just behind the Mayor of Galveston, so the news about how good this place is has even reached City Hall. I know I already told you it’s the best gumbo available anywhere on the island. But, did I tell you how velvety delicious each spoonful is in one’s mouth? How they consistently pack the container with plenty of meat? How the roux has just the right consistency and always tastes perfectly cooked and is the true heart and soul of Leo’s, as well as, any gumbo? Look, here’s the deal. Leo’s folks fill you up with plenty of their own smoked chicken and his own made-on-the-grounds smoked sausage but they are the complements to the roux, that’s right, not the other way around. I just enjoyed my (somewhere around) 17th pint in the last month and there is one reason I patronize Leo’s so frequently – his gumbo is the best available.

If one has never had any gumbo before, I guess one could enjoy the gumbo anywhere. None of the gumbo on the island is inedible. However, if one has a palate that knows what real gumbo is supposed to taste like, I’ll see you in line at Leo’s.

Hope Springs Eternal

2009-01-14T14:25:00.003-06:00

There is no gambling like politics. - Benjamin Disraeli

Although Galveston has been literally devastated by Hurricane Ike, there appears to be one potential silver lining to the dense, dark cloud lingering overhead - casino gambling may be allowed to return. There are already rumors flying all over Galveston that bringing casino gambling to Galveston will be among the ideas considered by the Texas Legislature this year.
I whole heartedly support this concept and believe the time is right for Texas, as well as, Galveston. We are already a town highly dependent on tourism and casino gambling would really help to attract travelers and tourists to Galveston as a destination. We already have cruise ships landing and leaving all the time. Those waiting to leave on a cruise, those returning from a voyage, and the folks that drop them off and pick them up would all be likely customers.
Additionally, the Texas House of Representatives has a new Speaker this year and the distinguished gentleman apparently has family in the horse racing industry.
Thus, the prevailing political winds seem to be blowing in our favor and perhaps, just perhaps, I will be able to play legal casino poker in Galveston within a few years. For me and many other Texans, that would be great. We would no longer have to travel to Louisiana or Oklahoma to play our preferred games. Texans could and would just come to Galveston.
Every time I go across the state line to gamble in one of our neighboring states, all I see in the parking lot are vehicles with Texas license plates. Thus, if this miracle happens, it will be a boon for the Texas tax coffers, a boon for the rebuilding of Galveston, and a boon for many, many Texans. Wish us luck!

The Avian Flu?

2009-01-13T10:57:00.004-06:00

When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something. - Dick Butkus

What happened? All the Birds won on the road. Other than the Steelers, all the Division Champs lost at home! I am baffled by this? A team fights all season to a) make the Playoffs and b) have as many Playoff games at home as possible. It is called “home field advantage” for a reason – it is supposed to be an advantage for the team that is fortunate enough to achieve it. This is no small feat to pull off in the modern NFL. However, after doing just that and securing home field advantage throughout the Playoffs (Tennessee and New York this year, Dallas last year), they proceed to lose at home, in front of their perplexed fans, and be eliminated.

My favorite team has been all but dead since the 2002 season. Thus, I was pulling for Tennessee to go all the way. That didn’t happen. I do not want to see the Steelers win another one. I despise the Ravens. The Eagles have had and squandered plenty of opportunities before. Therefore, although I am not a fan, I am rooting for the Cardinals to win it all. I know. It sounds strange just thinking it. The Cardinals winning it all. Go figure.

World Blogger Championship of Online Poker NLHE - 12-16-08

2008-12-19T10:50:00.005-06:00

The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give. – Howard Cosell

Although my tournament game is certainly not on par with my cash game, I rushed home to sign up. I got that done and began to discharge some of my usual familial responsibilities. The idea of me playing poker early in the evening while the boys were still active was already not sitting well with my wife and the tourney had not even begun. In jest, I assured her a sizable cut of the potential winnings if I were to be so fortunate. She was unmoved by my generosity.
When the tournament finally began, I have to admit I was sort of excited.
I was dealt A-A utg in the first half hour but got no action. I had to fold 9-9, 10-10, and some other medium and/or small pairs due to the aggressive player seated behind me, Klagyi from Isaszeg. I was in seat 7 and he in seat 8. Seats 9, 1, and 2 were all sitting out so their blinds were constantly under attack and Klagyi, being in prime position, would often re-raise any raiser. Finally, I get involved in a big hand with Klagyi and another player while I hold A-8s on a board of J-9-x with one spade. The turn is the 10s giving me the nut flush draw and a non-nut str8t draw if a Q hits on the river. I bet and get re-raised all in – of course I have to call due to how much I already have in the pot. The river brings the Ks giving me the nuts and I triple through the table. Not much later, I get J-J (twice) in EP but get no action either time.

First Break! I check the tournament lobby for notables and see RakeWell among the top 50 or so. I am approximately 73 (of hundreds).

Following the first break, I get K-K, utg of course, and get no action. A new maniac gets moved to my table and he is supernova elite named Alphafoil from Valencia. The three players in the 9, 1, and 2 seats are still sitting out! So, Alpha, Klagyi, WMZeus, and I are constantly battling for their dead blinds and antes. 90+ minutes into the tourney, the sitters are finally eliminated. I am at T 6,620 and the average is T 5,156. I kept getting A-rag offsuit in EP and having to fold to late position raisers. Klagyi finally self destructs giving his chips to WMZeus from West Monroe. So far, I have played 15 of 179 hands and I am at 83 of 217 players remaining. Then, the first trouble hand occurs for me. I am dealt A-10s in EP and I foolishly decide to play it. After missing the Q high flop completely, I make a pot sized continuation bet only to be re-raised all in from Alphafoil. I had to fold since I probably had only three outs for my tournament life. That blunder cost me roughly half my chips and now, I am one of the short stacks at the table.

Second Break! I check the lobby and see the Memphis Mojo is doing well. He would go on to make the final table. Congrats to the Mojo!

Interestingly enough, I am still at the table I started at (#67).
I am down to T 3,500. Within a few rounds, I am dealt 7-7. I re-raise all in pre-flop hoping to take down the pot or at least isolate against one opponent. I get my wish. Only WMZeus calls and shows his K-K. I end up losing to set over set when my 7-7-7 goes down to his K-K-K and I am out in 120th place.

While I was disappointed not to make the final 72, I had a good time.
I have to give it to PokerStars, I loved the tournament structure and I saw some good solid poker from the other players at my table. It was nothing like the usual all in shove fest of other freerolls I have played in. All in all, a good experience and one I will participate in again.

End the Oppression Against Online Poker!

2008-12-18T12:38:00.006-06:00

Liberty, according to my metaphysics, is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. It implies thought and choice and power. – John Adams

The infamous happenings that have affected we US players under the heavy handed outgoing administration, such as the sneaky passage of the UIGEA, appear to be nearing an end. As a US player, I have felt insulted. I can lawfully choose to travel a long distance at significant cost and inconvenience to play poker at a casino but I am hindered from playing online in the comfort of my own home. The doors open to me where I can enjoy a nice no limit table have been halved or worse. But what is being done? I hope President elect Obama is going to take a more reasonable position on online gaming and poker online in the US, but we will have to wait and see what will actually be done to restore our liberty. With executive support, I feel confident US Representative B. Frank (D - MA), Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, and a more moderate congress will not disappoint the online poker community. I can almost see the chips stacking up! I miss the informality of playing in an online poker tournament on a new site. I long for the freedom to choose from all the available gaming sites out there rather than the few still open to US players. We spoke with our votes and now we are ready for the change that was promised to be delivered.
Here’s an early New Year’s wish that our Congressional Leadership hears the voice of freedom loving Americans and respects our votes and our desires to enjoy online poker and gaming free from obstructions or oppression.

It's Party Time!

2008-11-21T12:41:00.003-06:00

You know, back in the day – before the surreptitious passage of the UIGEA, Party Poker was THE site to play on. Party had more players, more fish, frequent deposit bonii, and were among the first to offer players the opportunity to play other casino type games online in the Party Casino. I played blackjack there for while until the despicable UIGEA caused Party to close its doors to US players. Well, the folks at Party Gaming never stopped innovating. I firmly believe they will, once again, be major players in the US market in the near future. They now offer bingo in addition to their other gaming opportunities. That’s right, bingo. Now this is not your grandmother’s bingo, this is Party Bingo. If you like to play bingo, Party Bingo is offering the best value for the bingo player’s money to be found anywhere. I am definitely envious of the non-US players that still have access to the vast array of offerings at Party Gaming sites. One day soon (I hope), we freedom loving US folks will once again be free to choose where to spend our money and our time. You can bet your bottom dollar that when that moment finally arrives, I will expeditiously be heading back to Party Gaming sites to play their online games.

BoDonkey II - The Donkey Hunt

2008-11-21T12:01:00.002-06:00

There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter. - Ernest Hemingway

I played the BoDonkey last night hoping to get a shot at the Sir Waffles bounty. However, even though I survived into the final 12 spots, I never even got to sit at the same table with the infamous (and elusive) Sir Waffles. I did get to play briefly with HighonPoker and $mokkee. I did not observe much bad play at all, in fact, I thought most of what I got to see was pretty good. There were some amazing suck outs and then even more amazing re-suck outs. The worst hand pre flop would out flop the better hand, then the best hand pre flop would re-suck out on the turn or river.
I never seemed to pick up any good hands. If I got a marginally playable hand, I was always out of position. If I was in position, all I ever got was complete garbage. On the rare occasion I got a pair or a big Ace, I did not get much action. The only exception was what would be my final hand of the tourney. I was short stacked and got A-7 soooooted so I shoved. Only NewinNov, the chip leader who was also in the big blind, called with his 5-8 offsuit. I flopped an Ace and figured I was good. But, of course, he picks up an inside straight draw on the turn and gets there on the river – knocking me out in 12th. That’s poker.

It's a Lock!

2008-11-20T13:34:00.003-06:00

To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions. - Benjamin Franklin

I recently opened an account at Lock Poker and I have been pleasantly surprised. Their look and sound is great! They have re-sizable tables which is an absolute must for me. They also have a lot more traffic than I expected for a relatively new site. At approximately 9:45pm central time, there were 15 tables of 1-2 NLHE and 15 tables of .25-.50 NLHE. The action was good. There seemed to be plenty of sub-optimal play going on and I am confident that Lock Poker is going to be a profitable site for me. I loved the handy “bet pot” and “bet half pot” buttons. So, what are you waiting for?

Get over to Lock Poker and open an account today!

Paradigm Shift - Enter Bodog Poker

2008-11-20T12:22:00.008-06:00

A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it. - Francis Bacon

I have long held a theory about online poker that a site with more players = a site with more bad players.
Party was the original site with a huge player base, lately is has been Stars. However, I recently heard a competing theory that is gaining traction in my mind. Under that model, the smaller sites attract more fish because the fishies go for the more favorable online poker deals offered by the smaller sites and they tend to think the bigger sites have more skilled players.
To gather more data, I am going fishing at Bodog. They have vastly improved their software and one can now multi-table. They have also renewed the Bodog Blogger Tournament series on Tuesday and Thursday nights, the BoDonkey II, which is a really great deal. The overlay is tasty and the players one gets to play with are one of a kind – Sir Waffles, etc. Blinders has written that their beginner sit and go’s are easy money and Smokkee has suggested the same about the cash tables. In short, there is no reason not to go play online poker at Bodog and that is what I intend to do. The blogger tourney is Tuesday evenings and I hope to see you there.

Serious Leverage

2008-11-14T12:15:00.003-06:00

Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. - Archimedes

Given the current state of the US stock market, buying opportunities abound.
However, many of us have recently incurred unanticipated expenses and may not be adequately prepared to take advantage of the low, low prices of certain attractively priced securities. A short term cash advance loan may be just the leverage one needs to capitalize on these bargains.
Additionally, for serious poker players with confidence and a proven ability to win consistently, a short term loan may be just the bankroll boost one needs during these troubling financial times.
You will be placing yourself in a leveraged position but, for some, it may be just the thing to get the proverbial ball rolling again.

I Am Betting on Buffett

2008-11-14T11:43:00.001-06:00

A billion here and a billion there, and soon you're talking about real money. - Everett Dirksen

I may not be a financial genius but today, I feel like one. The current US stock market is offering some historic buying opportunities. Think of securities you have admired and wanted to own for a long time but for whatever reasons, you have not acquired. I have long admired Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, and his company, Berkshire Hathaway but I had never bought in. Last month when the market was exhibiting a lot of volatility, I placed an order to purchase this security at a price I thought was ridiculously low (way below the 52 week low). After flirting with the threshold I set for almost a month but not quite hitting it, I was lamenting setting my target so low and considering upping the price I was willing to pay so I did not miss buying it by some small margin (which would be negligible in the long term). Luckily, I held firm and yesterday, it dipped below the price I wanted and my order was executed. I am now a proud shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. I am confident Mr. Buffett and his company will prove to be a wise bet.

Liquid Assets

2008-11-14T11:00:00.002-06:00

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. - Woody Allen

Lay offs are rampant in the Galveston area right now, as well as, nationwide. Obtaining credit and/or financing from a customary lender may not be possible right now. It is definitely more challenging than just a few months ago, before the liquidity crisis.
A short term loan might be helpful in meeting immediate obligations. One must be careful and plan thoroughly, but in some instances, this sort of financing may be just the answer one is looking for. If you think an arrangement such as this might work for you, there are people ready to assist you with a payday loan to meet your short term financial needs.

More Freedom = Better

2008-11-13T15:02:00.005-06:00

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. - Edward R. Murrow

Some folks never seem to learn from their mistakes. The voters have spoken clearly. However, despite the thunderous voice of the American people, some of our current congressmen (and women) appear hell bent on keeping the UIGEA alive. Perhaps they are not paying close attention to the recent election results or more likely, they don’t care what the American people want. They have their own agendas, separate from the agenda of their constituents, fueled by lobbyists. Reviewing the success of those on the Leach List, the recent elections appear to be a victory (of sorts) for online poker.
At least nine (9) US Representatives and three (3) US Senators that voted to oppose online poker have failed to win re-election and will be enjoying a nice long vacation. If those remaining in office persist in opposing online poker, hopefully, we will replace them in the next election cycle.
The majority of this wonderful freedom (and poker) loving country is finally beginning to find their voice and say clearly, abstain from whatever you wish, social conservatives, but do not impede my ability to enjoy an activity just because you don’t like it. We want to make our own choices.
That, my friends, is the love of liberty and the voice of freedom finally rising again.

Leveraging One's Position

2008-11-13T14:09:00.002-06:00

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it. - Bob Hope

I cannot adequately describe what the destruction and disruption of our lives is like because it is like nothing I have ever experienced before. Local businesses are cutting staff and many never re-opened at all after the storm. These are desperate times in the Galveston area, indeed. Some may benefit from a short term loan to help regain their footing. Obtaining financing from traditional lenders is particularly challenging right now so other options might be something to consider. Like any loan, it is a serious matter and not to be undertaken lightly, however, it is one option that may be available when others are not.

Why Do B&M Casinos Oppose Online Poker?

2008-11-07T13:56:00.001-06:00

Gambling with cards or dice or stocks is all one thing. It's getting money without giving an equivalent for it. - Henry Ward Beecher

Brick and mortar casinos being opposed to online poker does not make any sense to me.
Here’s why.

I began playing poker with friends in 2003 and had never player poker in a casino before. To improve my game, I began playing online in 2004 and you know what happened? I began to want to play more, not just on the internet though, I wanted to play more live. Although the internet is fun, there is no substitute for looking at one’s opponents and the social interaction involved in playing poker. Although I had been to casinos before, I went to play poker live at a casino for the first time in 2005. I loved it. Although, I still play often with my friends in a homegame and I still play online at night when I have the chance, nothing compares to the challenge, fun, and excitement of playing live in a real card room in a real casino. I have traveled to casinos to play live 8 times (in three different states) since then. Playing online, for me, will never be an equal substitute for playing live but it is fun for when you can’t play live. I bet most bloggers would never have gone to play live at a casino if not for getting a taste of the action online. I think all B&M casinos would benefit from an influx of more new players that could be introduced to the game via the convenience of the internet.

Therefore, why in the world do casinos oppose online poker? If more people were allowed the chance to try poker at stakes low enough for beginners to enjoy the game, there would be hordes of more entry level players interested in making their first trip to a casino to play in a real card room. After that, it is up to the casino to make the player want to return to their property, as opposed to some other. In any case, more access to internet poker would equal more new players in the casino card rooms, which would be good for the casinos, as well as, the more skilled players that frequent them.

Goodbye, Nikki.

2008-11-07T11:39:00.002-06:00

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. – Dylan Thomas.

Friends, Poker Players, Cat Lovers,

Lend me your ears.

I write to you today in remembrance of Nikki, our beautiful Manx cat and beloved pet of seventeen years.
Nikki had been my poker companion and confidante since I began playing online in 2004. She was there in silent support as I donked around, feebly attempting to grasp the rich tapestry of our engaging game. She would join me late at night in the spare room to encourage and entertain me while I played. Always there but never intrusive, she would often look at me with her big green eyes, after an ill-conceived play on my part, as if to say, “Wasn’t it obvious that he had the nuts?” Or she would come to me with a conciliatory purr after I suffered a bad beat or suck out to quietly remind me that it’s all part of the game and learning to make the proper decisions is more important than the immediate results.
Nikki was a gentle and dignified cat that always found a way to make us feel better when we needed a lift. She was there with me as I rode out two extended periods of involuntary unemployment. She brought me great comfort while I fended off the feelings of anger, self doubt, and angst that threatened to consume me during those long months. She was always there to remind me of things that really matter like the value and love of one’s family.
Nikki had many endearing little behaviors, such as basking in front of the little space heater as though she were sunbathing on a beach. She would also climb or leap up onto me as I slept and knead my neck or chest with her front paws as if making little biscuits. She always came to the front door to greet me with a “meow” when I returned home from work in the evenings. She could not resist the smell of fresh bread and if we did not put the bread safely away, she would nibble on it.
Nikki brought an incalculable amount of love, devotion, and happiness into our lives.
No words are sufficient to convey the deep sense of grief and sorrow we feel at this time.

Rest in Peace, Nikki.
January 3, 1992- October 20, 2008.

Post Ike, part 1

2008-11-06T11:24:00.004-06:00

There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with. - William Halsey

Galveston and its underlying economy has been irrevocably changed. Virtually all of the sole proprietor (i.e. mom and pop) places have closed and many are gone forever. Among those I miss most are, Bronco Burritos, the taqueria I have patronized for almost two decades, El Nopalito, and Gino’s Italian. The famous Strand is also in ruins along with my favorite Fuddrucker’s location. The beaches are eroded beyond recognition in many places. Approximately, one quarter of the pre-Ike population has relocated off of the island.
Even worse, the largest employer in the Galveston County has announced plans to lay off approximately one third of its workers. Unfortunately, my wife and I both work there.
As I walk across campus on the majestic new red-brick inlaid walkway, I cannot help but think it is being paved with the blood of those soon to be sacrificed.

Online Poker Players Unite!

2008-08-21T17:12:00.003-05:00

Conservative, n: A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others. – Ambrose Bierce

Despite this statement on p. 38 of the 2004 Republican Platform (the 2008 Platform is not approved yet):

“As Republicans, we trust people to make their own decisions about how to spend, save, and invest their own money. We want individuals to own and control their income.”

The hypocrites still do not want to let me spend my own income playing online as demonstrated by their history of voting to impede and/or eliminate online gaming.

In fact, I wholeheartedly agree with Mean Gene’s thinking that the current state of political affairs in our beloved America is one of reducing our freedoms and liberties rather than protecting the existing ones or expanding them.

As a citizen that votes at every opportunity, I would like to encourage all my readers to do the same. Please go and vote for the folks you support and/or vote against those you disagree with. I believe voter apathy has been the biggest factor in ushering in the current state of affairs.

Being a US Senator or US Representative is a difficult job. One has to ponder weighty matters and be away from one’s family and home for extended periods of time. The last eight years have been a troubling period exacerbated by our military adventure in the Middle East. These fine folks deserve a nice long break. Let’s help them out by electing others to replace them in November. After all, it will be much easier for them to get involved in their communities and enjoy a rich family life if they are at home rather than in Washington. Who knows, maybe if they had a little more time on their hands, they might try and enjoy a bit of online poker, too.

Local Assets - The Little Cactus

2008-07-25T15:18:00.000-05:00

God comes to the hungry in the form of food. – Mahatma Ghandi

When one is looking for really good ethnic food, one sure way to know how good a place will be is to notice how many people of that ethnicity are actually eating there. If you walk in to a Mexican restaurant and there are no Mexicans in sight, leave immediately. Another major “tell” is whether or not they make their own tortillas in house. A really good authentic Mexican place will both be full of Mexicans and will roll their own homemade tortillas. If you find a place that meets these two criteria, you are in the right place. Take a seat, order your preferred beverage and now proceed to enjoy the chips. If the place is truly great, the salsa will also be made in house and never store bought. The salsa should be somewhat hot and spicy, but not too watery, with a hint of cilantro flavor. If your chosen spot also passes this last test, you are ready to review the menu because you are definitely going to enjoy your meal. One of my favorite places is this little hole in the wall, sole proprietorship, single business location, local Mexican restaurant called “El Nopalito” which means “the little cactus”. This wonderful place is only open during the early morning for breakfast and afternoon for lunch because it is in such a bad part of town that they cannot safely stay open after dark. The food and service are consistently excellent which is why we locals keep coming back. The tourists can’t find this place so their clientele is entirely local folks that go out of their way to enjoy the best our little island has to offer. Every entrée comes with perfectly prepared beans (either charro or refried) and rice - which may seem run of the mill but isn’t. Why? Because even though beans and rice is a staple of Mexican cuisine, most places don’t take the time or effort to make the beans and rice worth mentioning. To be really good, the rice cannot be clumped together or lumpy. When you stick your fork in the rice, each grain should be individual and separate. Then, when you taste it, the rice should be well balanced with hints of flavor from minced vegetables cooked in it but not be overwhelmed by their presence. The charro beans are brown pinto beans cooked with bacon, onion, and cilantro. When cooked right, these are incredibly delicious. The refried beans are the charro beans mashed together with rendered bacon fat. Either smear these beans on your tortilla or use your chips to dip them with. Yum! And, I haven’t even described any of the entrées themselves yet. Suffice to say, this is a terrific local asset that one should not miss if ever on beautiful Galveston Island.

The Whine Regarding the Nine

2008-07-17T12:32:00.001-05:00

The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling. - Ambrose Bierce

Many poker insiders, bloggers, and so forth are lamenting the fact that the November Nine (i.e. final table of the 2008 Main Event) are not well known entities or established pros within the industry. Back in 2003, no one had ever heard of Chris Moneymaker.
However, the poker world would never be the same again after the previously unknown Moneymaker won. No big name has won it since and yet, it just keeps growing and growing. Guys like Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem that are now household names were unknown before winning the Main Event. It will be the same this year, one or more of these nine will go from unknown to well known when the tournament is over. So what is all the whining about? The World Series of Poker creates new “brand name” pros every year that will continue to grow the pantheon of poker legends well into the future. That is a good thing and keeps the pool of marketable pros from becoming stagnant. The WSOP is such a “brand name" now that it will never again matter if a pro wins it or not. The thing that has become the Main Event will live on and on. In fact, I think it encourages more amateurs and would-be semi-pros to play BECAUSE an amateur seems to win every year. Nothing could be worse than for all the amateurs to begin to think that only a real pro could win the thing. Why do we need or want some well known poker pro to win? If they are already well known, the only folks that really benefit are the WSOP and ESPN. It doesn’t make the prize pool any bigger, it doesn’t net the dealers any bigger tip, it doesn’t change the volume of entrants, sure more people might watch it on television but I think they will watch anyway. I love the “democratization” of the whole thing and that an “everyman” or “regular guy” will probably win. C’mon, does anyone really want to see someone like Hellmuth or Matusow win the Main Event? I sure don’t. I don’t even want any of the supposedly well known “internet pros” to win it. I definitely don’t want to see someone that is already a millionaire win it. I would much rather see Iggy or the Poker Philospher or some other blogger win the tournament. There is already a superabundance of the “rich get richer” phenomena in this country. Let’s watch a non-rich guy/non-pro win the thing and celebrate his success along with him all the while thinking…..next year…that guy could be someone I know or, even better yet, me.

Congratulations to the Poker Philosopher and Iggy

2008-07-14T10:24:00.005-05:00

One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. - Benjamin Disraeli

6,844 players entered the Main Event of the WSOP and two of our very own poker blogging brethren cashed.

I know the whole blogosphere is buzzing with the news of Iggy’s performance in the Main Event. However, another guy that deserves some kudos, as well as, respect is the Poker Philosopher.

He made a heck of a run this year but, unfortunately, was eliminated in 35th place, still not too shabby. I have been a reader and fan of both Iggy’s blog and Foucault’s (a.k.a. the Poker Philosopher) blog for a long time so it is great to see them both make a good run.

They both won their seats on PokerStars and then proceeded to go to the biggest poker tournament on Earth, the World Series of Poker - Main Event in Las Vegas, and stake their claim to a share of the big money.

Talk about living the dream.
Nice work, guys. Very nice, indeed.

Bo(dog) Knows …………. Fishing?

2008-07-08T15:43:00.002-05:00

Most of the money you'll win at poker comes not from the brilliance of your own play, but from the ineptitude of your opponents. ~Lou Krieger

PokerStars has been my home for a long time. I prefer playing there over any other site out there. However, I am going to start spending some time over on Bodog. I played there back in 2005 but I preferred the experience at Stars better. It was the awesome BoDonkey tournament hosted by $mokkee that brought me back to Bodog recently. Bodog has just released their beta version with re-sizable tables and full screen capabilities. I always hated the fact that I could not enlarge the table or lobby to full screen size. I am a habitual multi-tabler and not being able to manipulate the table size, for me, made multi-tabling almost impossible. Now, it seems that has been fixed. Thank you, Bodog.

So, there I was three tabling (that’s the max you can play) with the new re-sizable tables over on Bodog and what do you suppose I saw? Well, first of all, there seemed to be a heck of a lot more tables and players on Bodog than I recall from 2005. I have heard from $mokkee and Waffles that the games are soft and fishy so I am going to investigate the matter. While I was there I saw lots of fishies making donk-alicious plays like this:

9 players, one limper and the blinds are in the pot so pot = 2.5 big blinds and suddenly a player in middle position goes all in for about 200 big blinds. I think, OK, he must have a really big hand but he is playing it terribly because everyone is going to fold. Then, another player calls him and shows 8-9s. The original all in bettor shows A-Ko. The guy that called the all in with 8-9s ends up pairing his 9 and wins the pot.

Wow. I am going to like it here. I played for about an hour and saw a lot more weak play. I also noticed that the players do not like to fold to pre-flop bets.
Sweet! I like to raise pre-flop with most of the hands I want to play so that’s more value for me. There seemed to be a lot of calling station type players so bluffing may not work as well as on Stars.

Even though each player may upload an image for their avatar, every third player seemed to be using the same default image. I am not joking. There were three kings of diamonds, three spade symbols, and two race horses. How annoying - and to make matters worse, it does not seem that you can turn off the avatars like you can on other sites.

Since my Bodog bankroll is small, I will initially be working on building it up at the low stakes tables. If you want to contribute to my roll on Bodog, drop by and donk off a buy in or three to me. I really wish they would allow one to play at more than three tables at once but it is still much better with the new resizable tables.

Local Assets - Italian Food

2008-07-08T10:38:00.003-05:00

I cook with wine, sometimes, I even add it to the food. – W. C. Fields

Italian food is my wife’s favorite, so we enjoy it regularly. We really like (you guessed it) a small family owned place called Gino’s, here in Galveston. The owner really “gets it” when it comes to serving up premium Italian food with plentiful helpings at reasonable prices to his guests. Although there are other Italian places in town that have bigger signs and better locations with correspondingly higher prices, the food at Gino’s is unsurpassed.
The restaurant also used to include a bakery and although the bakery is no longer in operation, their garlic bread is still made in house and far and away the best of any Italian restaurant. The owner buys delicious fresh seafood and serves up plenty of it. The Fettuccini Porto Mio is a creamy seafood sauce with clams, shrimp, and mussels. This thing is heavenly and I am not really a cream sauce fan so that ought to tell you something. Their Chicken Marsala is also superb and among the best I have tasted. My all time favorite is the Spaghetti alla Pescatora which is a red sauce with shrimp, mussels, and crab that is very, very good. At most places you would get one shrimp, a pinch of crab, etc. but not at Gino’s – they give you half a dozen of the shrimp and close to a dozen mussels, as well as, plenty of crab. Seriously folks, give this place a try if you are ever in the Galveston area.
Oh, by the way, did I mention two people can enjoy a meal including premium entrees like these for under $35.00? When was the last time that happened for you?

The Sad Demise of HR 5767

2008-06-27T11:12:00.005-05:00

It is not wisdom but authority that makes a law. - Thomas Hobbes

My Fellow Americans,

Once again, some of our duly elected officials and their holier than thou attitudes have kicked online poker players square in the junk. Yes, I am talking about people like Representative Bachus (you guessed it, a Republican from Alabama) and most members of the House Financial Services Committee. They don’t seem to think that a person such as myself (and I suspect many of you) that can manage to complete a college degree, obtain a reasonably good paying job, pay my mortgage and other obligations each month, rear my children, and be a responsible member of society is capable of making my own decision about whether or not to play poker online. I can play at home games everyday, all day, gambling it up and drinking beer, but I am not supposed to boot up my computer, log on, and play poker online.
Now, before anyone pounces on me and says, the UIGEA doesn’t prevent one from playing online poker, it is supposed to prevent certain types of money transfers and such. Let me say, you are not entirely wrong but the design and intent of the UIGEA was always to discourage, disrupt, interfere with, and eventually prevent Americans from playing online poker. There are other types of gambling that occur on the internet but they represent a mere fraction of the amount of money in online poker. Senator Frist got what he deserved when he was not re-elected. Why do people like Rep. Bachus continue to get elected? Are there no online poker players in Alabama that can get involved and vote to replace Rep. Bachus with a more reasonable person?
I am out there putting my vote where my mouth is. I am proud to say I voted in favor of the re-election of the co-sponsor of HR 5767, the honorable Dr. Ron Paul. I thought the Republican Party was in favor of smaller government and less government interference with business. Evidently, I was wrong. These days, I am not sure what they stand for anymore.
The UIGEA transformed the community of online poker in a terrible way and I am neither going to forget nor forgive those responsible. Anyway, rather than ranting on incessantly, let me refer you to a couple of other opinions about the unfortunate demise of HR 5767, Shamus' is here and Melted Felt's (the Onion of Poker News) is here.

The Open Min Bet from Early Position in (full ring) NLHE

2008-06-25T14:01:00.005-05:00

The learner always begins by finding fault, but the scholar sees the positive merit in everything. – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

This tactic seems to be utterly disdained by the vast majority of the “pokerati” (which may be why it works). However, when I play online and I have small to medium pocket pairs in EP, I often open min bet. As a tactic, it’s cheap, it’s tricky, and it seems to work.
It’s a value bet, a blocking bet, and you’re seizing the initiative all at the same time.

If one limps in, one is more likely to get raised. If one gets raised and just calls, one is informing an observant opponent that one probably has a small to medium pocket pair which will almost certainly elicit a C-bet from the villain on the flop (and you will probably have to fold since you are out of position).

By open min-betting, you accomplish several things that will set you up for success in the hand. For instance:

1) First and foremost, it usually lets me see a cheap flop (in hopes of flopping a set).

2) It serves as something similar to a blocking bet because it seems to “freeze” the players in later position, more often inducing a call rather than a raise.

3) I believe the reason for this is that many players interpret an open min bet from EP to represent a big pocket pair.

4) This is good because it further serves to disguise my actual hand and helps to confuse my opponents.

5) It is also better than limping in because, it lets you maintain the lead in the hand rather than limp-calling (which in my opinion screams low or middle pair). By being the pre-flop bettor, you maintain your option of C-betting on the flop and have a reasonably good chance of taking down the pot right then.

6) It causes your opponents to do something (i.e. react) that helps me to narrow the range of hands they are likely to have.

7) Since it is thought of as a “donk” play, it may help me get action from weaker hands that I would not otherwise have gotten. It also seems to cause some of the other players at the table to think I am a “donk” so I get more action on other hands, too.

8) It seems to work better than a 3xbb or 4xbb bet from EP because betting one of those amounts (or more) just wins me the blinds. By betting the minimum, it seems to get bad hands to call more often. It also keeps me from getting too committed to a hand in EP.

9) Betting the minimum almost always induces a call from one or both blinds. This is good because a) if they had a quality hand they would have raised, b) they probably would have folded to a larger bet, c) even though I am in EP, I have position on the blinds, and d) most of the time, they will fold to a C-bet.

Why does it work? I think they (mistakenly) interpret my min bet as strength – as in I might have a huge pocket pair (many inexperienced players will open min bet with a big pocket pair). What hands seem to play best with this tactic?
I suggest 22 – 99 with an occasional big Ace mixed in to keep my opponents guessing. Remember, this is a tactic for creating and winning small pots from out of position.
If you are in position and/or want to create a big pot or play a big hand, there are other tactics that will probably serve you better.

Try adding this to your arsenal and see if it works for you, too. Just remember, you heard it here first.

Thall Shalt Protecteth Thy Hand

2008-06-10T13:36:00.005-05:00

Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation. – Thomas Hobbes

Things happen that aren’t supposed to happen. We usually call them accidents. To deny the simple fact that accidents routinely occur, would be akin to denying other readily observable phenomena. In many cases, there isn’t much one can do to protect one’s self from accidents, but in this case, a simple defense is readily available to all players.

When playing live poker, one must protect one’s hand. It is a fundamental maxim of poker. One must protect it from exposure to others, from falling or otherwise leaving the surface of the poker table, and from being mucked inadvertently or prematurely. Each player is responsible for protecting his own hand; no one cares about protecting an opponent’s hand.

Not a week goes by that I don’t read some horror story on 2+2 about a player’s hand being mistakenly mucked by a dealer. I just heard the same thing happened during the $1,000 buy in (with rebuys) NLHE event at the World Series of Poker. The variations to this story are endless but the bottom line, in each case, is this: it never had to happen.

Poker is a dynamic game full of ups and downs and rarely is any one single thing always +EV in any situation no matter what. However, using a card protector is one such thing.

Why don’t more players use a card protector when playing live? A chip is not sufficient because it doesn’t weigh enough to prevent this from happening 100% of the time. There are many instances documented on 2+2 where the player in question said he had a chip on top of his cards but the cards and chip got swept into the muck by an overly hasty dealer. One can have one for free by using a common household item such as a lighter (like Doyle), a watch, a rock, etc. or one can spend a buck or five (or more) for one specifically for that purpose. Either way, the cost is a mere fraction of what a winning hand would have been worth had one’s cards not been inappropriately mucked.

The card protector I use is pictured above. It has some weight and heft to it so my cards will remain protected until I move it. No dealer is going to mistakenly muck my cards with this on top of them. Moreover, no careless player is going to foul my hand by mucking his cards into mine. With my card protector on top, my cards will remain easily separated and identifiable. It is such a simple thing and yet just check out the brick and mortar forum on 2+2 and see how many players have suffered this completely preventable fate.

There is only an “upside” (i.e. +EV) to using one and no “downside” I can think of.

So, why aren’t more live players taking advantage of an obviously +EV situation and using a card protector?

Finding a New Buzz

2008-06-09T14:52:00.001-05:00

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. - Bill Gates

Rather than rest on my laurels, I am always looking for new material to read to continue improving my game and I recently found a new site for both poker bloggers and poker readers, "http://www.roundersbuzz.com/".

It is a social voting site similar to Digg, but just for poker strategy and poker news. If you are a blogger or publisher looking to drive traffic to your site, you can submit poker articles, stories or news at RoundersBuzz. If you are a poker player looking to improve your game, you can quickly sift through the most popular poker strategy articles and blog posts and vote up your favorites to the main page. Besides the main page, there are five Category pages including Ring Game Strategy, Tournament Strategy, General Poker, Poker Tools, and Poker News.

I have already seen a couple of notable blogger’s works appear on the site and anticipate many more over the next few months. Drop in and take a look at what they have going on, then if you like it, why not join?

Remembering the Irreplaceable Shana Hiatt

2008-06-09T11:32:00.001-05:00

Everything beautiful has its moment and then passes away. - Luis Cernuda

Will the WPT ever find the right hostess again? Will it matter?
Was the end of Shana the “beginning of the end”?

They have failed miserably since foolishly allowing the exquisitely lovely Shana Hiatt to depart. She was not only beautiful and sexy, which is definitely a prerequisite for the job, but she had a playful manner about her (none of the others have had) and genuinely seemed to be having a good time. Her on scene segments in bikinis and such were awesome at the various outdoor venues. Her evening attire on the Vegas strip was classy and sexy all at the same time. When she was the hostess, she made it look easy. It never seemed as though she was trying too hard to connect with the audience. Her rapport with the audience seemed effortless and natural. We just didn’t know how good we had it.
I never thought it would be any big deal to replace her until she was gone and we began to see just how good she really was at what she did. Since then, all of the hostesses have, frankly, been pretty bad.
Courtney was decent looking but seemed to take the job too seriously and never seemed to be having fun.
Sabina was cute but could never quite engage the audience the way Shana did. Layleigh just seemed completely fake and unappealing.
Kimberly is OK at best and just seems amateurish to me.

It happens to every show sooner or later. The people making the decisions are always looking to cut costs and rarely (if ever) understand that once you start changing the chemistry that made you a success in the first place, the entire product is soon at risk.
We are witnessing nothing less than the beginning of the end of the WPT as we knew (and loved) it.

An Interesting Evening at the Bodonkey

2008-06-04T14:19:00.004-05:00

Quit while you're ahead. All the best gamblers do. - Baltasar Gracian

Maybe that’s why I prefer cash games so much more than tournaments. One may quit while one is ahead. You just can’t do that in tournaments. However, I couldn’t resist playing in the Bodonkey last night due to the huge overlay being offered. Not only was the standard T$600 added by Bodog but there was a T$270 bounty on $mokkee, too.

My starting table consisted of Colombo777, Gary Carson, Aposec72, and PokerPeaker, as well as, others. I folded a lot since I firmly believe, you can’t win a deepstack tourney in the early phases but you sure can lose one. Peaker got all in with his pocket Aces but lost to a guy holding pocket Kings when a third King came right out on the flop.
A bit later, I limped in with 7-7 from MP and it folded around to the big blind. He raises to 3xbb and I smooth call hoping to see a 7 on the flop. The flop comes 4-4-7. I check, he bets and I call. The turn is a blank and I bet a very small amount (about 1 fifth of the pot) hoping to seem weak and get raised. My opponent takes the bait and raises an amount roughly equal to the pot. I re-raise the minimum and he comes over the top to put me all in.
Of course, I call. He tables his A-A and when the river is not an Ace, I win a massive pot.

I was disappointed when $mokkee was not at my starting table but I was moved to his table shortly after the first break. I was looking to play a big hand with him and the first time he opened the betting pre-flop, I raised him and we took a rainbow flop that came down Q high. I had completely missed with my A-Ko but when he checked it to me, I moved in hoping for a call from a weaker ace. Of course, he folded. Even though we got him down to 4M, that would be my last chance to bust him since not long after that, two players had a similar idea and got all in with $mokkee, but holding A-K both times, he doubled through both of them to become the chip leader at the table. I am not sure what CEMfromMD was thinking when he raised $mokkee all in with A-8o. The other guy, Gary Carson, (at least) held A-Qo and might have had a reasonable expectation of winning. So, I play on for a while when I look down at 9-10s on the button. I decide if it is folded around to me, I am going to steal the blinds. So, when all the earlier players fold to me, I bet double the big blind. Gary Carson calls from the small blind and the big blind folds. We take a flop of A-10-7 with two hearts. I move in since I correctly figured Carson did not have an Ace and my 10 was good.
Being an unrepentant short-stacker, I prefer to win pots pre-flop or on the flop and I wanted to take this pot down now. My thinking was there was no way he would call without the Ace and I believe he would have re-raised me pre-flop if he held an Ace so I was not putting him on an Ace.
He freaking calls with 2-8s (hearts of course). Pairing his undercards won’t help him so he must make a flush to win. Of course, the turn is a 6 of hearts and I am knocked out in 19th place. While that sucked, I played well and got my money in good every time.
My reads had been spot on and I played much better than my last two attempts at the Bodonkey. At least Carson went on (with my chips) to make the final table.
Smokkee went on to win and claim his own unclaimed bounty. Yeah, I know, it sounds fishy to me too, but that’s online poker for you. Congrats to $mokkee on his TOC seat and a nice win.

Game Selection, Part 3 – Emancipation

2008-06-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

“In actual combat, the mind must be calm and not at all disturbed. We must feel as if nothing critical is happening. Nothing betrays the fact that we are now engaged in battle.” - Masahari Adachi

OK. We have identified a game or some games we can beat. We have examined our motives for playing and decided we single mindedly want to win. Now what?

To be a consistently winning poker player and optimize our game selection capabilities, we must learn something more - detachment.

When you decide to play poker, proactively choose to play poker and nothing else. Remember, we are talking about game selection. Select (from all your other options) to play your best game, your “A” game, now.

FREE YOUR MIND. Unfetter it from the concerns of daily life, of work, of relationships, of anything beyond playing poker. Enable your mind to make the best poker decisions you are capable of.

Free your self from distractions, do not succumb to the temptation to think of other things. No matter if the other things are important, you may always return to them after your poker session is done.

Free your self from playing for your ego. It is one’s ego that seduces one into feelings of superiority, playing in games above one’s bankroll, and what Mike Caro calls Fancy Play Syndrome.

Free your self from unnecessary expectations. Unnecessary expectations lead to unnecessary disappointments. Just play your best game and remain alert.

Obtaining this degree of mental clarity and focus is not easy but each time one does so, it becomes easier the next time. As one becomes more adept at obtaining this state of detachment, one will recognize just how much more information at a poker table is available to a receptive mind that is not distracted. And that, my friends, is +EV.

Game Selection, Part 2 – Motivation

2008-05-27T14:40:00.000-05:00

“When we play, we must realize, before anything else, that we are out to make money.” – David Sklansky

Why do you play? It is a good question to ask one’s self. I play to win money from my opponents. To me, poker is about money. Losing money isn’t fun. While I accept it as an unavoidable fact of the game that sometimes, I will lose, I don’t like it. I proactively want to minimize the instances and amounts I lose. Remember, losing less is the same as winning more.

As a contrast, I used to play Magic but since there was no money involved in the outcome of the games, my approach and attitude toward the game was entirely different. Winning wasn’t even that important compared to just having a good time. If I consistently lost money at poker, I would probably quit playing (I can’t imagine the opposite – i.e. consistently winning and not having fun). I suppose there is something to be said for challenging one’s self so if winning money is not one’s top priority and one wants to knowingly play with superior opponents for the “experience”, it’s your money but please understand it is a –EV situation. However, if one wants to make money then one should be mindful of the game one is taking a seat in.

Even though poker is “just” my hobby, I take winning very seriously.
Barry Greenstein says this about being motivated to win,

“You need to convince yourself that you must win. It is easy to get lazy when you have no immediate money pressure.”

Since I do not play for my living, the only pressure on me to achieve results is self imposed. I have to “want it”. I have to be single mindedly focused on taking my opponents chips. I used to play for lots of reasons, such as:

a) It was “that” time, my family was in bed and my window of opportunity was open
b) I had some unexpected free time
c) I was working on clearing a bonus
d) for sheer entertainment/fun

Now, before playing, I ask myself, “are you capable of mustering your ass-kicking-est “A” game?” If I do not answer myself in the affirmative, then it is not a good time to play. Instead, I read or re-read some poker literature, review hand histories/stats in pokertracker, catch up on reading poker blogs, etc.
The point being, I am consciously choosing to play only when I am at my predatory, separate you from your chips, 2nd and 3rd level thinking, best.
This inherently gives me an edge over all the players that are playing for some other reason. It simultaneously serves to prevent me from playing my “C” game at all for the most part. Consider this whenever playing, many of your opponents’ number one priority is winning your chips. If your goal is anything else, you have already ceded them an advantage. Should one really expect to win consistently if one isn’t playing with a similar singularity of purpose?

I spend a fair amount of time thinking, reading, writing, and playing poker to improve my skills and I want to be paid for my work. I don’t think that is an unreasonable position to hold. To me, all money is equally green and desirable.
I try to keep my ego out of the equation. One dollar equals one dollar whether won from a pro, a blogger, or a complete novice.

So, ask yourself, do you really want to win?

Game Selection, Part 1 - Predation

2008-05-20T16:14:00.005-05:00

I don't particularly give a shit about trying to beat moderately tough games. I'd rather stay home and jerk off. - Gary Carson

While I don’t necessarily share Mr. Carson’s sentiment exactly, I do agree with what I perceive to be the spirit of his colorful remark. If one wants to be successful at poker, one must cultivate a robust desire to maximize +EV situations. Game selection (i.e. playing with weaker opponents rather than stronger ones) is vital to identifying and creating +EV situations. Plenty of poker luminaries have written (and I agree) that the vast majority of the money one will make playing poker will come from the mistakes of one’s opponents. Therefore, to maximize one’s expected value, one ought to seek games/tables with the greatest volume of weak opponents (and conversely, avoid games with strong ones).

Barry Greenstein says, “Don’t be afraid to back down if you do not like the line up in a game. You should pass on a situation with a small advantage if you can find one with a larger advantage. You don’t need to prove you’re the best. To make money, you just need to find people who play worse than you do.”

Winning money at poker isn’t about finding the toughest game and “proving” one’s self against a group of really good opponents. That may be good for building one’s ego but it’s not a long term strategy for building a bankroll. Besides, what those players think is not the measuring stick one should use to gauge success. I want to consistently win money and increase my poker bankroll. That’s it. No where in the equation is finding real pros, tough games, etc. Now, lest anyone hasten to suggest I am overly results oriented, consider this: anyone that uses online poker software when they play (for anything other than post-game analysis of one’s own play) implicitly agrees with this philosophy because no one uses that software to find the toughest games/opponents available. Show me a game/table with weak players and I will cheerfully play with them every opportunity I get. Take me to a table of really tough pros or semi-pros and I will probably cash out immediately and go find a game I can beat. Understanding and accepting one’s own capabilities, motivation, as well as, limitations will help to identify +EV situations and avoid ones that are –EV.

Thanks to My Readers

2008-05-15T16:00:00.002-05:00

When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength.
Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself. – Tecumseh Shawnee Chief

I would like to take a moment to offer a sincere THANKS to all my readers for taking the time to check out my blog, make comments about my posts, and/or add a link to my blog on their own site.
I also want to thank all the bloggers that have “pimped” my blog on their own pages – yes, I am talking to you - High on Poker, Tripjax, Sir Waffles, and DP's Wired Pairs.

It seems my somewhat “controversial” posts (e.g. short stacking) draw a lot more traffic than ones that offer less opportunity for disagreement and discussion. I enjoy the opportunity to refine my thoughts and opinions and want to encourage my readers to continue to let me know what they think even when they disagree with me. That’s all part of a healthy discussion.
So, with that said, expect me to post on another topic I think might spur some dialogue in the very near future.

Where's the Beef?

2008-05-15T13:32:00.004-05:00

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R. Tolkien

Today, I'm talking about serious Burgers. Not those lame things that pass for burgers from fast food places made with meat by-products and fortified with who knows what for shelf life, a real made from ground beef (and nothing else) burger is only available at a few places these days. Furthermore, if you can hold the hamburger in one hand to eat it, it is too small. One local place that gets it right is Fuddruckers. Their meat patties are so thick you have to tell them how rare or well to cook your burger. That’s right, unlike those other places you usually go with the wafer thin patties, you have options here. They also grind their own meat and make their own buns in house. They also have a well stocked condiment bar with an array of sauces and lots of fresh (not crinkly, wilted, or old) vegetables. You can get a 1/3, ½, 2/3, or 1lb burger depending on your appetite. As an additional bonus, they use shortening for frying which gives the food a more crisp and tasty exterior than oil (kinda like your grandma used to make). Even though they are a national “chain” and not a “mom-and-pop” type of place like I usually prefer, they serve up the best hamburgers around. Lucky for you, there may even be one somewhere near your area. Now, if they only had a drive through.

Blogger Tournaments on Bodog

2008-05-13T08:14:00.006-05:00

The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity. - Ayn Rand

Opportunity is what poker is all about, so check this out. In addition to the overlay offered for $mokkee’s BoDonkey online poker tournament, Bodog is going to send some lucky blogger to the World Series of Poker in fabulous Las Vegas. That’s right, the intelligent, savvy, and well read folks over at Bodog have subjected themselves to our writing and they know a good thing when they read it. Their business acumen is surpassed only by their generosity to those of us that like to write about our poker misadventures. They've even got a prop bet pool going on which blogger will win the most money at the WSOP this year!
Be there, Tuesday evenings at 9:05pm Eastern Time for the $11.00 buy in deep stacked NLHE online poker tournament.
As always, good luck at the tables.

Confessions of a Short Stacker, Part 3 - the Conclusion

2008-05-07T14:03:00.005-05:00

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently. - Friedrich Nietzche.

Although playing short stacked is a strategy that works for me, it seems to get a lot of grief from other online players (I have never heard a live player complain about it). I, for one, do not understand what the grievance is all about. Short stacking is similar to guerilla warfare. I have fewer resources than my opponent and I need to extract maximum value from the resources I have. I think the objection to short stacking boils down to this: it is an effective strategy that is difficult to exploit.

If I have met the table minimum, then I have complied with the same rules all the other players had to follow. They elected to buy in for some amount between the table minimum and the table maximum, too. The only real downside to playing short stacked is you are limiting the amount you can win in one hand. The short stack is the effective stack. Although I amass my winnings more slowly with a short stack, my opponents have to outplay/outthink/outkick me repeatedly rather than get lucky once or twice. If I choose to spread my risk out in this manner, it is my decision, it is a perfectly legal strategy, and it should not carry with it any sort of unnecessary stigma. Playing short stacked is not angle shooting, ratholing, or cheating. There are plenty of people that really do cheat/angle shoot/rathole and our loathing and disdain should be reserved for those players.
When any player sits down at a poker table, whether online or live, he is under no obligation to stay any particular time. He might take one hand, he might take one orbit, he might stay for one hour, or he might stay for much longer. It is all up to the player himself. Some folks seem to think that if one takes a seat and wins, then he has to stay some undisclosed amount of additional time to allow the other players the opportunity to win some of their money back. This doesn’t really make sense to me. In fact, any player remaining seated and in the game may win some or all of his losses back from the table at large and the effect will be the same as if he won it back from me. Each dollar counts as one dollar no matter whom it is won from, one still equals one. If I want to stand up after winning, whether I have been seated one hand or one day, it is my choice. It doesn’t make me a ratholer or an unethical player. I do not attempt to influence how long anyone else remains at a table and I do not think anyone should try to coax or coerce me. If I want to keep playing, I will. If I do not want to keep playing, I won’t.

It is all part of learning to quit well…….not well for my opponents, well for me.

The Art of Quitting Well

2008-05-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

History is Philosophy teaching by examples. – Thucydides.

Every single time anyone plays poker, without exception, there will come a point at which one quits the session. No one can play forever. Sometimes one may play for a really long session and sometimes one may play for a rather brief period. It all depends upon ones schedule, priorities, bankroll, mood, level of fatigue, and many other factors. No one but one’s self can know the best time for one to end a given session. I like to quit when I am ahead. In my mind, it is similar to owning a stock that is rising in value but will eventually peak and come back down. One can never know what the peak will be until it has passed and the price is on the way down. People that sell after booking a reasonable profit but before the peak are said to have “sold short”. It is a strategy recommended by many experts to ensure profits. Rather than wait until I have lost back my hard earned winnings, I prefer to ensure a profitable session by leaving while I am ahead, sort of like “selling short” in financial securities. Selling short and quitting while ahead are perfectly fair, legal, and reasonable strategies. Anytime after I have tripled (or better) my buy in, is always a good time to quit. Anyone that thinks it is bad form or unethical to leave while ahead probably doesn’t book as many winning sessions as they could. Why should one feel obligated to keep playing just because he is ahead for the session? Occasionally, I quit when I am behind. I do not like to do so but if I sense I am off my “A” game, then that is a good time to quit. If the table composition has changed to the extent that it becomes unfavorable to me, then that is a good time to quit. There are many different reasons for when to quit, some better than others, but all valid if one believes now is the time for one’s self to quit. No one can make that decision for you better than you can. Quitting well is an art. Think about it. Practice it. If you can learn to quit more effectively than your opponents (because they will inevitably have to quit, too) you have another edge over them.

Confessions of a Short Stacker, Part 2 – Casino Play

2008-05-02T11:02:00.003-05:00

All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher. – Ambrose Bierce

Short Stacked
1. Adjective - Having few chips, either due to having lost many or due to having joined the table with significantly fewer chips than other players.

Hit and Run
1. Verb - To leave a table after only a brief period of play, especially when the player doing so leaves the table with more money or chips than they joined it with.

Ratholer
1. Noun - A player who regularly removes a portion of one's winnings from the table before leaving the game entirely.

As a point of clarification, I do buy in short stacked and I do (sometimes) hit and run but I am not a ratholer.

I know many experts recommend against buying in for less than the maximum.
However, I disagree and so does Ed Miller, a noted poker authority. If you are one of those guys that has a huge bankroll and/or gambles for entertainment without too much concern for making sure to win, then by all means, do what you want. I, on the other hand, single-mindedly play to win and increase my roll.
I currently play 1-2 NLHE but I want to keep building my roll so I can play higher stakes.
I like to buy in for $100 at most 1-2 NLHE tables (which is often above the minimum).
I am looking to play big pairs and big suited cards. Top pair, top kicker is gold in these games and a flopped set (or 2 pair) is even better. My goal is to build a pot pre-flop and then, providing it is not a situation where I am obviously beaten, I will move in on the flop. Despite playing few hands, I almost always get lots of action. Since I am small stacked, they think it won’t cost me much to play with this guy. I love it and most of my decisions are easy.
Once I build my stack to about $300-400, I change gears and play more hands. With a medium to large stack (compared to the other stacks at the table), I like to play more small pairs and try to flop sets in addition to playing big pairs and suited connectors. If I double up again, I will cash out and go get some food. Usually, by this point I have played about 4 hours and I am ready to call it a night and book the win. However, if I have only played a couple of hours and I still feel sharp after eating, I will go back, get a seat, and repeat the process. This has worked extremely well for me at all the casinos where I have played. I have amassed 40% of my entire current roll using this strategy. I know I shouldn’t be so results oriented but what can I say – it works.

Confessions of a Short Stacker, Part 1 - Online Play

2008-05-01T16:47:00.006-05:00

Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time. - Marabel Morgan

The best thing about online poker is the ability to play multiple tables at once.
Multi-tabling is only possible online, you can’t do it at a casino or a homegame.
I like to play between 4-6 tables at once and I always buy in short for several reasons.

A) I get more action. I probably appear to be a fish for buying short so my opponents may be hoping to play pots with me.

B) Because my stack is short, I am less threatening to potential opponents since I can’t stack them, i.e. they have me covered.

C) I am risking the minimum (20BB) and this reduces my variance. My variance is much greater online than live, so I like to do all I can to minimize my variance.

D) Short stacking makes my calculations and decisions very straightforward.

E) Prospective opponents probably think they can push me around and make me fold even when they do not have the best hand.

By buying in short, I am actively seeking opportunities to get all my chips into the pot with an opponent. That’s the whole idea.
I bet/raise pre-flop and I am usually either pushing or folding on the flop (sometimes the turn). If I push a few times without being called, it won’t be long before some opponent decides he is going to “look me up”. That opponent rarely wants to look me up a second time. Before long, my stack is near a full buy in and it is time to start over at a new table. If I buy in full at 6 tables, I have more of my online roll in play than I want to at any given point. I have tried buying in full at 6 lower stakes tables but the simple fact is I do not get nearly as much action and it takes me way more time and way more hands played to achieve the same profit. The approximate ratio of success (on average) is 4 out of 6, meaning I double up (or better) at 4 tables and lose my stack at 2 tables. Incidentally, some people think this type of strategy is not “kosher” but it is 100% within the rules and recommended by Ed Miller. Most importantly, this strategy seems to work for me. However, I am always looking for ways to improve my game so comments are welcomed.

Abstinence Sucks

2008-04-29T10:26:00.001-05:00

Abstainer, n. A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. - Ambrose Bierce.

Lately, by the time I’ve gotten the family to bed, I’ve been too tired to play. I wanted to play. I really did. The little voice was reminding me I only have a small window of opportunity to play online most weeknights and that time is now. But, the stronger voice reminded me, “you are fatigued and not at your best, can you really muster your “A” game?” To which the answer was no.
Thus, I have played some but not much, lately. Unlike many things in life, you can’t “phone it in” in poker. Actually, you can but it isn’t much fun and it can be very costly. I haven’t been reading/working on my game, hoarding home game profits to fortify my bankroll, and so forth only to then donk off my hard earned winnings by knowingly playing my “C” game. Nope. Not gonna do it. Wouldn’t be prudent.
My desire to play online is still gnawing on me but the discipline I am learning from reading to improve my game is helping me reduce the incidence of my “C” game (which is exactly what I am playing when I am mentally and physically tired). I tried an “energy” drink but while that helped me play for a little while, it also caused me to not sleep well and be tired the next morning – which is not good and only serves to make me very tired the next evening. The good news is that while I have played less frequently, I have been winning more frequently.

Additionally, my writing muse seemed to temporarily abandon me. I suppose she inferred, if there was no poker then there was nothing to write about. I actually had several ideas but in her absence, I could not seem to compose more than a few lines. I have even, to some degree, enjoyed the brief break from grinding late night cash tables by reading and working on my game. I just finished No Limit Hold’em, Theory and Practice by Sklansky and Miller. I am still digesting the contents but it is definitely a solid work. I plan to acquire and read the Harrington on Cash Games books in the near future.

Meanwhile, check out this guy’s blog: http://thinkingpoker.net/Blog/

Maximizing Expected Value

2008-04-08T10:46:00.006-05:00

“A philosopher, who is not taking part in discussions, is like a boxer who never goes into the ring.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein

There has been a lot of discussion about this in the poker blogosphere lately, so here is my opinion.
Poker is a mathematical game. Mathematical expectation should be a very important factor in the strategy and tactics one adopts and the decisions that one makes in any poker game. This expectation (also known as Expected Value) is factored into every decision a good poker player makes. Situations/decisions that are positive EV, are situations/decisions that over a long period of time and innumerable instances, always make money.
Negative EV situations/decisions are ones that always lose money over a long period of time and innumerable instances.

Creating a hostile playing environment (whether live or online) is always negative EV.

Here is why. Over the long haul, it only serves to reduce the volume of less serious players. Players that are skilled and serious about their game will not be discouraged from playing because they are playing to win irrespective of anything else. However, there are lots of players that just play for fun. These are not bad players at all. They just aren’t “into it” as much as some of the rest of us.
I believe it is positive EV to have as many of these somewhat casual players involved as possible. They are good people. They are fun to play with. They add money to the table if playing for cash and money to the prize pool of tournaments. All they do is add value - money, entertainment, as well as, comradery. Thus, they are highly desirable to have in any game. Why in the world would we want to create situations that discourage these folks from playing with us?

It just doesn’t make sense. Good players want to maximize positive EV.
Think about it. Until next time, good luck at the tables.

The Art of Folding

2008-03-28T10:24:00.001-05:00

You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into. ~Author Unknown

An often overlooked and undervalued aspect of your game is folding. To maximize your success at full ring NLHE, you should fold a lot more often than you choose not to fold. This being the case, if you can learn to fold better than your opponents, you gain an edge. Most people see folding as completely passive. I see folding as a tactical weapon. Imagine the martial artist, you thrust at him, he nimbly steps aside, avoiding the attack. You attempt to ambush me with a check raise but I deftly parry with a fold and my stack is unharmed. Minimal effort yields maximum protection. My opponents are becoming frustrated because, like a boxer, I circle my prey, wearing them down gradually before moving in for the coup de grace. Be like a hunter patiently waiting for one’s prey.
Or like a fisherman, sitting quietly waiting for the big fish to bite.
Observe your prey. What do they do? How do they do it? Why do they do it?
What hands are they showing? Are they playing weak hands out of position?
Do they crave action on almost every hand? What are they saying?
Absorb the maximum amount of information possible. Many times, they will reveal their strategy if you are paying attention.

Focus on being in the moment and be aware of your breathing. Don’t be distracted by random thoughts whirring about. Breathe in. Watch what your opponents are doing. Breathe out. Continue observing. The urge to act, the desire to win now, rather than later, seems compelling but your will is stronger. Resist the urge to act now unless now is the right time to act. This does not mean waiting for Aces or Kings, mediocre cards may be adequate depending on your position, the actions of your opponents, and the tendencies and weaknesses you have observed them demonstrate. Although it may seem counter intuitive to go all the way over to the casino and see how many hands you can stay out of, try to embrace the concept of selective engagement. Engage your opponent when the situation favors you and by definition, it will be unfavorable to them.

Why should one fold - to deny an opponent the opportunity to win part of my stack when I am not in a position of strength. If you fold a lot, players will become “aware” when you are in a pot. This creates prime opportunities for continuation bets and semi-bluffs. It also makes small pocket pairs a lot more playable. Craft your table image as selective but deadly and watch the respect your 3-bets will acquire.

How should one fold - stoically fold your cards face down into the muck regardless whether or not someone wants to see them. Develop good habits.
Try to fold in the same manner each time so it becomes automatic.
Don’t discuss what you folded – e.g. “aw, man, I would have flopped the nuts”.
If players are talking like this, think about what the guy folded and think about what made him fold. You will gain insight into the other player’s decision making process.
If anyone asks what you folded, either ignore them or say you forgot.

When should one fold - when one is out of position and/or one does not hold a premium starting hand. When one is faced with a raise and one does not have a strong enough hand to call or re-raise. When one started with a good hand but have been outflopped/outdrawn and are now obviously beaten. The best time to fold is pre-flop or on the flop, before one has invested much in the hand.

What should one fold – most starting hands that are not pocket pairs, big or suited Aces, or big suited connectors. Don’t be discouraged, another hand will be dealt soon. There is no need to play “this” hand. Relax. Breathe. Observe your opponents.

Poker is a game of small edges. Accrue several small edges together and you have a bigger edge. The edges one accrues are cumulative and will add up over time.
Be patient. And, until next time, good luck at the tables.

Bankroll Management 101

2008-03-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

Money, it turned out, was exactly like sex, you thought of nothing else if you didn't have it and thought of other things if you did. – James Baldwin.

Mr. Angelo calls it “partitioning”. Your poker bankroll is really just a sub-set of your entire bankroll. In fact, the entire distinction exists primarily only in your mind (it may also have a physical partition if you keep your poker bankroll in a poker wallet). If you can learn to partition better than others, you will be more adept at protecting your poker bankroll, and you will gain an edge.

Too many players injure their poker bankroll by not partitioning well. They spend poker money on beer, fuel, food, etc. They then, lament the inevitable episode of variance that leaves them low or out of poker money.
Food, beer, fuel, etc. are things one needs anyway and one is going to buy anyway – with or without poker money. Therefore, make sure to buy these out of your “regular” bankroll. If you must buy them from poker money, replace that poker money with regular money so that the beer, etc. ends up on the right account.

Be diligent about adding money won at poker to your poker bankroll.
Don’t squander those winnings like a drunken sailor on his first shore leave.
What if you go through an extended period of losing? You will regret having squandered those winnings. Those winnings are your tools for playing and winning more. After completing a job, would you discard the perfectly good tools that enabled you to do the job? Would you trade them for food, fuel, beer, or whatever? Don’t trade your poker bankroll (i.e. your tools) for them either.

As a poker player with a family, I think it is even more essential to keep your poker bankroll separate from your family bankroll. If I used family money to play, I would be more worried about losing and would not be able to bring my “A” game. Playing with money one is afraid to lose is playing with “scared money” and good players will notice this and take advantage of you. With a separate poker bankroll, I can play my best game and not worry about a potential loss affecting my family. Don’t get me wrong. I do not want to lose any money at all but I also know that it is certain to occur sooner or later. Be prepared by saving your winnings. That way when you suffer the occasional loss, your bankroll survives and you are able to keep playing. More importantly, your family is not affected by the loss. I went through an extended period of involuntary unemployment not long ago. However, since I maintain a separate poker bankroll, I was able to play poker the entire time with no negative impact to the family.

Playing winning poker is a long term prospect. If you treat your poker bankroll as a long term investment and “partition” well, it will grow and you will gain another edge in the long term game.

$how Me the Money - Big Pocket Pairs

2008-03-24T10:47:00.003-05:00

The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different. ~Aldous Huxley

While the game of poker has changed over the last few years, it has also remained the same. People talk a lot about us internet guys that can learn in a few years what it used to take much longer to learn about poker. To some extent, it is true due to the volume of hands and experience one can gain on the internet. There has also been a tremendous renaissance of writing about poker from authors to bloggers to actual professionals. However, the ranking of hands, the number of cards in the deck, the number of cards one is dealt, the betting options one may exercise, the rules, etc. have remained the same. Thus, the best starting hands are the same as what they always were and the probability that they will win is still the same as it always was. Where am I going with this?

Upon careful examination of my data, I find that the hands I make the most money with are exactly the ones I would expect to make the most with.
My most profitable starting hands are (in this order):

1 A-A
2 K-K
3 Q-Q
4 J-J
5 10-10

Is anyone surprised? I am not. Each one of these starting hands considered individually has earned me more than all pairs 22 - 99 combined together. Additionally, consider this. Each one of these big pairs considered individually has earned me more than these four starting hands combined: A-Ks, A-Ko, A-Qs, and A-Qo. So, am I recommending that anyone stop playing these? Absolutely not. However, I am recommending that one should recognize these 5 pocket pairs are one’s “bread and butter”. If you are not 3-betting all of these and 4-betting the top three, you are probably not earning as much as you could be. You will not be dealt these hands very often so one should seek to maximize one’s EV with them at every opportunity. That means getting the most money into the pot as soon as possible. I like to get all in pre-flop with these hands whenever possible. Will you run into a cooler from time to time, yes, of course. But you will also put your opponents to the test and they will pay you off more often than you will be paying them off. That, my friends, is positive EV.
So, until next time, good luck at the tables.

You Might be a Predator….

2008-03-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

Cards are war, in disguise of a sport – Charles Lamb.

During the farewell of the WPT shows, they used to say things like, “If you can’t spot the sucker at the table, you’re it”. They never say things like that anymore and it is no coincidence. You see, poker has a reputation of being predatory and that doesn’t sell well. The poker industry has made a significant effort to make the game seem less predatory and more friendly. We don’t want to frighten away potential feeder fish, we want them to feel comfortable and relaxed. We want them to think things like “any two cards can win” and “luck’s all in the cards” and “on any given day, you can play with the pros” and other such tripe.

I am not going to try to convince you poker is not a predatory endeavor because I think it is. However, what I am suggesting is that plenty of other life activities and even professions are predatory, too, and everyone seems just fine with them being that way. So, why is poker held in such a state of contempt? Doesn’t a fisherman go to the places he is most likely to catch a big fish rather than just fish in random places?
Most business endeavors are predatory. All Salesmen, certainly are. Lawyers are often compared to sharks for a reason. Heck, Life itself is a survival of the fittest contest, remember the idea of natural selection. It is a fact (and has been for a very long time) that the stronger usually prey on the weaker in any human endeavor. Better prepared lawyers usually defeat ones that are less so. Better athletes usually outperform the less gifted. Better students outscore those less intelligent or studious. So, why shouldn’t more skilled poker players usually defeat less skilled ones? Lambs do not devour lions, but Lions do devour lambs. What is the big deal? It is the natural order of things. It is Darwinian.

Do you stalk your prey by searching for the softest games?
Do you hunt your prey using table selection and position whenever possible?
Do you seek to take advantage of weaker players?
Do you seek to isolate your prey (separating him from the protection of the herd) whenever in a hand with an opponent?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, you might be a predator. These are all predatory tactics.

I have read the sage advice of great players and the consensus seems to be that most of the money one makes at poker will come from weaker opponents. Embrace this concept. Live it. Try to identify your prey and play more pots with them. Identify your fellow predators and give them a little more respect.
And, remember, it’s OK, this is the natural order of things.

Using Both Hands – Muffaletas

2008-03-20T10:28:00.003-05:00

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food" – George Bernard Shaw

Forget about these over-priced sandwich shops that serve you a huge bun with 2-3 slices of lunchmeat and a ton of lettuce for $6-7. Find yourself a local family owned sandwich shop that serves muffalettas and enjoy a serious sandwich that will stay with you and keep you from being hungry until dinner time. These bad boys are served on various types of rolls (preferably baked in house) and consist of heaping quantities of ham, Salami, mozzarella cheese, and olive salad. Different places put other stuff in there which is OK, but the essence of this thing is the combination of the meat/cheese/olive salad. I guarantee no franchise type place is going to take care of you the way a sole proprietorship family owned place will. Show up regularly and see what happens. Your sandwich will grow with each visit until the bun can barely contain the thing. Some places I go, the muffaletta is so big, I only order a half of one. Either way, whole or half, if you can hold the sandwich in one hand when you take a bite, it isn’t big enough. Find yourself one of these and give it a try. You will thank me later.

Return to the Mookie – When Pocket Aces Just Aren’t Enough

2008-03-20T09:42:00.003-05:00

So, I register early for the Mookie and am able to get the family settled in for the night before the tournament began. I am feeling mentally sharp and planning to play conservatively for the first hour or so. I am successful in executing my strategy until approximately 9:36 (Texas time) when I am dealt pocket Aces. I am in early-middle position and dwal78 open bets. I smooth call hoping to attract some action and maybe even get someone to raise for me. Of course, no one does and dwal78 and I take a flop of 9d-Kc-10d. He checks and I move in. He calls and shows the Kd-Jd. The turn is the Qh and the river is the 7d. My Aces are cracked and re-cracked and I am out in 84th place. Maybe next time…..