Liquid Assets - Gumbo Redux

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

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?

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

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!

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!

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 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

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!

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

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

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 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.