Football, Boobies and Bubbles

The Colts preseason game was just that. Found out the other day that we lost James "Mongo" for the season. Not a BIG loss, but he was depth and that is important. I couldn't find a taker for the final ticket after trying to practically give it away to anybody and everybody in Indy. However, the requirements where that they had to be a friend of a friend or have big boods. I found neither.

I met up with WC and Trutildeth, as well as a buddy of Tru's, at Smokey Bones BBQ before the game. I probably should have eaten something, as the Blue Moons went down rather quick and coupled w/ the few I had before arrival I had a nice buzz going into the game. I really had to be back at work the next day, but the lure of more beer and WC's persistence to see boobies brought that plan to a screeching halt.

WC called me at the half, he has tickets in another location, to tell me that we were leaving and heading a few blocks to the "Red Garter". I wasn't sober enough at this point to resist. Plus I figured I really needed to crash in Indy for the evening as opposed to attempting the 3 hour drive home.

The "Red Garter" looks like a dive from the outside but it was actually a classy joint. A classy joint w/ a pizza buffet. Having had nothing to eat prior to the game a pizza buffet at a strip club is just what you need to suppress your appetite.

Watching WC work a stripper is akin to watching Roger Clemens pitching against the Pirates. I sat back against the wall and listened to him break down each stripper. Suprisingly he hadn't slept w/ any the "employees" there.

After a few hours and a few more bud lites we call it a nite. I followed WC to his place and crashed in his spare room. It was lovely, decorated in "Dora The Explorer" for when he has his daughter. Got up about 6:45 and drove home.

Thanks, WC, for the place to crash.

On the poker front, I've now rolled all my "dough" (that was bad) into one site. I now am exclusively at Ultimate Bet, aside from about $10 on Party. I've been trying to focus on what I've had the most success w/ and that is their Sit-N-Goes. It's not going particularly well, however. I have finished 2nd in one and have bubbled in two others. The other two I finished in 5th & 6th respectively.

Suprisingly I have either been totally card dead or coolered in most of these. My most recent bubble saw me go from chip leader w/ 5 to go, to out in 4th in a matter of 4 hands. KK vs. 78s. AJ vs. AQ (push preflop OOP. oops). Fold. Push w/ A9s vs. KQ, he spiked a Q.

So we'll see. Time has been an issue as school has now started and after getting the daughter's homework done, dinner made, then kids to bed, I have had to attempt to complete some normal household "chores" before playing. Plus, I've been tired. I've told myself I am not going to play "just to play". I must have the mindset, be sober and somewhat alert to proceed. Hopefully I'll maintain my discipline.

Football, Beer, Wings and No Poker...

It's been over a week and as I write I am staving off the distractions of a room full of people. Family if you will. I started out actually working on the computer and "gave up". It's rather hard to concentrate when your wife decides that it is more important to know what new store is located next to the "Payless".

I've tried to institute a speak only when spoken to policy at the home, but chose to live instead. Before long Sunday's will once again be the domain of MAN and not of mindless chatter filling every nook and cranny of the home. The one thing my wife does understand is that Sundays are sacred, between September and February.

Tonight is the first home preseason game for the Colts, and I plan on attending. Nevermind the large bid that I must have complete by mid-morning on Monday. Work can wait.

It's about a 3-1/2 hour drive to the stadium and I will be making the trek alone. Looking forward to it after a morning of an 8 year old daughter, WITH her friend, a 14 month old son that has discovered the art of foot-travel, a mother-in-law who's career is embedding "design" ideas into my wife's head (aka. "hey, I got a project for you"), and my wife (see above "Payless" reference).

I have 4 tickets to the game and will be meeting a buddy and his friend from Louisville. Prior to the game we will meet up with a few more friends, native Indy-ites, for some wings and beer. A football season staple.

I'm Working on It.

It has been brought to my attention, rather rudely I might add, that I haven't updated this thingy since my last drunken post. So for AA, here it is in all it's sober glory.

As you might have been able to tell my last "post" might have been "chemically enhanced". I tend to do that. Funny thing was when I was playing HU on UB and hit my royal flush I was a bit "tipsy".

The humor actually comes in the fact that I was having difficulties recalling the blind level at the times. THEN, struggling to calculate my raise, math is hard. THEN difficulty finding the keys, it was dim in my defense. THEN actually keying in my bet/raise/etc. By the time I had made it to the last step it was too late. The "warning ring" was going off and I was forced to just click "Raise", "Check" or "Fold". So there was a lot of min-raising in that game. The competition is week enough that, though "spiffed" as Jimmy Stewart would say, I came out triumphant.

I played a little more HU later in the week, no idea why I got away from these games, and did rather well. One session in particular I flopped trip Kings w/ a strong kicker (KQ) and was getting check-called by my opponent. He had rather been weak/tight and a calling station at times, so I was not suprised by this. On the river I push. At this point he starts typing the usual "wow! you bet out w/ a K?", "hmmmmm.....", "i have a good hand, don't see laying it down". Finally he calls. turns over K-8 for a rivered full.

Slow-rolled online. The pinnacle of dickness. What to do in that situation? Challenge them to a second match, of course. This second time though I knew that he was aware that I'd be gunning, maybe even "tilting". So I just attacked and attacked. The thing is, knowing what he knew I'd do allowed me to give him a nice false sense of security. When I folded to him playing back at me I would type something like "i had you until that point" or "i don't want to race you as you are so lucky". Playing up my role of the vengefull maniac. Wasn't long and my aggression built me a bit of a lead and allowed me to buy some time waiting to catch a huge hand. I did and busted him.

Revenge? Not yet. Step two: goad your opponent by trash-talk. "see, you just got lucky the first time", "you can't outplay me", "luckbox". The beauty was that the hand I took him out with was the perfect hand for me. A strong drawing hand but not an incredibly strong HU hand. I caught my flop and he attempted to make me pay. So I certainly appeared lucky, although in actuallity I had put myself in a position to GET lucky.

So after two games we were tied. After four, he was down three. GG, me. I think I'll go play more.

Oh, I need to post a new link for my softball page. Our team "administrator" has created a blog for the team in addition to the regular web-site. I'll add that to my "links" in a few days. Too much work for a Sunday.

edit: NEW SOFTBALL "BLOG" LINKED and ready for enjoyment. Prepare to be moderately dis-satisfied.

Rizen Owns & I'm Not So Bad Myself

CON-FRIGGIN-GRATULATIONS TO ERIC "RIZEN" LYNCH on his 24th place finish at the ME. Not only is the guy an incredible card player, but a really good guy. I've ONLY had the chance to chat w/ him on the +1 forum, but he seems VERY humble and a good family man. EVERYTHING that should be promoted in Poker. I hope to provide a link to his blog in the future, as it is know i'm too lazy (and perhaps drunk, you'll never know). He has a few interview on Cardplayer and Fox Sports that you should check out. I'll have links in the future (see previous drunk/lazy reference).

Anyway, back to me. "I love me some me". Hit my first Royal Flush tonight. It was made better by being a Heads Up match. AND made better by the fact that I was FREEROLLING.

Allow me to explain; My opponent had been VERY weak-tight. I could put any amount of money in the pot and he wasn't calling unless he had at least top pair. THEN when he did hit his top pair he usually bet the minimun. I picked up on his style early and began making a min-bet EVERYTIME I was on the small blind. Since he hadn't shown the abiltiy to adjust his style I knew that if I kept this practice up preflop I would set him up for later.

SOOOOOO I get Q(spade) 10(heart)in the small blind and min-bet. He calls. Flop was K(heart), J(heart), 8(club). Nice, I have the open-ended and perhaps my two cards are live. He min bets, telling me he has a piece. Turn A(heart). I make my nut straight w/ the second nut straight draw and/or royal draw. He bets, I raise, he re-raises (weak play) I push, he calls. He shows Q(club)10(club) for the nut straight to tie my straight. But now I realize I am freerolling to the flush here. River is the Q(heart) using my 10(heart) to complete the royal flush. GG, me.

So congrats to Rizen for winning a ton of cash and being a good dude; and congrats to me for being an overall badass and owning the micros. If I keep this pace up and have to keep cashing out when I reach a certain point to fullfill "financial" obligations" I should via for the "prince of micros" title. On second thought, we'll put it to a vote.

Another $1 MTT Cash and a Decent Cash Game Night

Not much to report, but had a decent night tonight. Went to a "bier stube" last night and was a little "dehydrated" this morning, still a little "dry". Just finished playing another $1 MTT. I can't decide whether I am wasting my time w/ these or not. I've cashed in 5 of 7 of them but nothing big. When analyzing my play in these I feel it's just the enormous fields that these things draw that is so difficult to weed through. Although I did bust tonight underplaying KK, then couldn't get away as I hadn't allowed myself sufficient information on my opponent.

Chip leader called my 3x bb raise from LP flop came three to a straight. I had JUST gotten to this table (I was moved 5 times, that didn't help) so I had now idea how he built his stack. I felt I had to give him credit for a hand, but not better than KK. Because the blinds were so high (300/600 w/ 50 ante, I had T26,000 and he was about T35,000) I thought a bet of 1/3 of the pot would help me out. He called and the turn brought 4 to a straight (5-6-7-8). now i was a little uncomfortable and was out of position, 99 was a very likely hand here but I felt I still had to lead out and felt I was still ahead. NOW here is where I made my mistake and what my problem has been over the last few months online, I lead out T3000 into a T12,000 pot. Not smart. He calls and the river is a 9. Now I'm a little worried and hoping it's just a split pot. However, I check the river and he bets T10,000. I go ahead and push w/ just T12,000 remaining and bust when he flips over 10-10 for the completed straight. What bugs me about the hand was I was so scared of being behind I didn't allow myself to gain any information from my opponent. As small as my bets were he could have stayed with several hands that I had dominated like 10-10. I think fatigue was a factor here though as I was wearing down at the time. Oh well. 3 hours work = $1 ROI, I think I'll wait a week to turn pro.

Was playing a cash game as well and had taken three buy-ins off the player to my left. Each time he had big hands. Twice I hit my set to his overs and the third time I flopped two-pair to his weaker two-pair. He wasn't real happy. If I hadn't been so tired I would have stayed as he kept reloading and was prett close to tilting. I, obviously, wasn't helping matters in the chat box when responding to his comments of "you are a lucky MF" or "must be nice to suck out on me everytime" and my favorite "WTF? you were like a 9-1 dog". My 66 beat his JJ when I flopped a set and turned a full, my QQ beat his AA when I hit my set on the turn, and my A9 beat his A7 when I flopped two pair and he turned his. My comment of "see I was ahead that time. you need to learn to play from behind" didn't help his mood.

Congrats to Cardsfan04 who busted "Rocks & Rings" Antonio out of the WSOP ME. Pretty cool story for your first time. Eric "Rizen" Lynch is doing good so far in the ME. He is part of a forum I am a member and although I haven't had the chance to spend much time speaking w/ him he seems like a very good guy. Awesome player, already has one FT at the WSOP when he finished 3rd in the #3 event $1500 PLHE. Congrats to all my friends that played out there, they all played well and made some extra cash at the ring games.