some of my other friends from online forums (esp. the alcohol one) are having some real problems -

One lost a brother and started drinking again - she's currently making very bad decisions and thinks she'll quit after a day in March -

another one went to rehab several times and got hospitalized for downing a bottle of pills and trying to call her shrink - of course, then they lock you up in the looney bin for 72 hrs...(I know this - it happened to me once a couple yrs. ago) -

I just want us all to be strong and better, but I can't do it for them, and I can barely do it for myself....I went on one hell of a bender last night into mid afternoon today. - I'm gonna try to stay off it the next two weeks so I can go to Vegas with a good head and urge to resist temptation -

nothing I can think of in the poker game worth talking about....in retrospect, maybe picking the name whiskeytown wasn't such a good idea....maybe I should change it.

ah fuck it....

RB

DAM DUM DAM!!!!! EMAILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL - oh wait.... BLOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGGGG

I feel like the Strongbad of blogging - I miss him - ain't been there as much lately and ain't worn as much strongbad stuff cause I've sorta outgrown L shirts - maybe I'll buy some XL and wear em to vegas....(17 days)

this is pretty damn good...

the Full Tilt Commercials - the Jesus Ferguson one, especially in light of all the "Hammer" talk is just hilarious.... - So is the Howard Lederer one - the sight of this guy in that one is as good as it gets (well, until Sarah Silverman throws herself across the table again and rubs herself against the felt....that's great too)

Phil's is ok...but it won't make anyone laugh....

There are certain aspects about the site I really like, and aspects I don't. - and since they so rarely come along these days, how about a WHISKEYTOWN rating of FULL TILT POKER - (disclaimer, I play there and have done about $100 profit this yr at the site, so backoff bastard)

pros -

1. Experts - hell, how many of us haven't wanted to play head to head with Phil Ivey or Howard Lederer, but not at the 4K/8K stakes obviously - easy way to get into it and have fun. More importantly though....a pro at a 2/4 table attracts a LOT of fish - get in line, take your seat, stay out of Phil Ivey's way, and reap the rewards of the other idiots.

2. the interface just feels more right - the "bet pot" button is nice - and at 9 handed, it's not too hard to hang onto the 9 high flush cause you know better chances of it being the best hand. These day, almost all LL tables are 10 handed online.

3. Razz - I went into this before, and ya know, I don't play it, and I probably won't play it much - not my biggest focus to be honest - but the fact they have gone out of their way to offer/program it (and hell, probably only what, 2 tables going at any one time?) is telling of how they want to set up and play games.

4. visual frills - this is more of a visual then anything - For example, the avatars - I just like how I can frown/smile/confuse or whatever - (you have 4 choices and can rotate them) - and my choice of backgrounds is nice too (coming from a guy that hacked his Party Poker BG to look like Empire's for a week before changing to the great no frills one out there now for multitabling, I must say I like choice) - the one where you get a new background for the final table of a poker tourney is pretty funny too...

cons...

1. - not enough players/not enough games yet -

2. - no hand histories implemented yet - (on the other hand, this keeps the damned pokertracker harvesters away)

3. - can't customize your avatar - this is nice for when you got 5 damned monkeys and let's face it, I deserve my own avatar....heh

---------------------
what would my ideal poker site have? - well, most of the above plus the following....

1. - additional games - plain and simple - Draw/Pinapple/Lowball/Mixed Games (hell, how about a H.O.R.S.E or S.H.O.E tourney?) - stuff that is tough/dangerous to get right in live rooms is so easy to program/deal - so why not more?

2. - customizable backgrounds/cards/skins - some sites do this....Full Tilt has some good backgrounds (I use the no frills plain or the new midnight) - and some we hack (Party poker) - Planet poker's new site has some of this, but they gave up a lot of the other games to do it.

Maybe we can get Full Tilt and Pokerstars to merge....LOL - I will say this....I remember how Pokerstars was giving out $100 in freerolls before they went live - they were talking about it at my tourneys....in fact, it was one of the first sites I recall having MTT that I saw (Paradise was the biggest at the time and had one table tourneys....they lost a few people in the expansion) - but for now, I'll probably divide my time up at PS/FT and maybe Doyle's room, since I still have money there and the games are easy - and I'd like to check out UB, but that's down the line, I think.

some short snippets -

-------------------------------
Desperate Housewives keeps popping up. Two things of interest happened this week

1. Eva Longoria showed up in gossip columns talking about her kinky sex life, including being tied up with silk scarves, a personal fav. of mine - :)
2. Teri Hatcher has a new lingerie photo spread in FHM Magazine (in the US) - you know, I thought she was hot in the superman cape in the early 90's but since then....drool....

between the two of them I'll be taking cold showers for a week, ow...fuck. Why am I not watching this show again? - Oh yah...I hate TV and spend Sunday nights getting drunk at Applebee's.
------------------------------
High Roller, the Story of Stu Unger is gonna be on Starz at the end of the month....coming soon thereafter to DVD on March 15th - woulda been wild to watch him play with hole cards....Gawd, what one could have learned...
------------------------------
I've been in discussions with a graphics guy about my poker chip labels - he suggested whiskeys for the center - a different one for each chip, - should have the roughs ready by next week - maybe I can post them on here.
------------------------------
haven't placed in 12 tourneys straight (including the one today with the more aggressive play) - think a couple chumps drew out on me and I had to lay it down - what can ya do....was doing good till the 2nd hr.
------------------------------
video game news - there's a game on ebaumsworld.com I've been playing for months called Drag Racer 3 - I finally got picky one night and just beat the damn thing (or at least every race and had the most pimped out car I could build) - on the other hand, I've reached one hell of an impasse with the damned D&D game....no idea how to beat that nasty bastard at the end....ay carumba... - also, Hearts of Iron 2 is out but I haven't bought it yet.
------------------------------
walked into my first Irish pub in months tonight to get food (one near work) - didn't drink, of course, but you always smell it - but what really caught me unprepared was the vibe and feel of a place that has a live Irish band in it, and playing the trad. songs like "long way from Clare" and IRA fight songs - I really, REALLY miss that - I haven't been to see the Irish Brigade in ages cause of the night shift crossover from their shows -- I can't go to the Dubliner as much as before cause they cut out Mon. night music - I MAY come downtown Sat. night from 6-10pm and see a band - take the bus if I'm too drunk to drive - LOL - now that I've got the bus thingy so worked out.

It just felt so much different then the Applebee's near me or the Uptown bar - more life - more love - more music/culture - or maybe I'm just lonely for things I can't go to anymore elsewhere....

Townes said there was a hell of a difference between aloneness and loneliness, he said it was the difference between being broke and being poor.

I'm poor.

RB

gawd...I must be drunk off my ass...(wait, I haven't drank in 3 days)

no....just stupid - I decided to sign up for a party 22 buck tourney....when I have work again in 8 hrs....

ah well....gonna try really getting more aggressive the 2nd hr....play harder - tired of grinding until I have to...

RB

interesting - Daniel Negreanu has essentially agreed to become the "Poker Host" for the new Wynn Casino in Las Vegas - after it's done, he's only going to play his cash games there (assuming he's not playing online at Poker Mountain) -

a few people have been speculating that he may not get the games he likes at the Bellagio - they won't want to move the 4k-8k mixed game over there - but I think people who speculate that have missed the point.

Daniel has had one of the best yrs. ever for tournament play - in one of the toughest fields ever (more players then ever) and has already made another WPT final table which he'll play today.

While I'm sure he's a winner in both the ring and tourney games, one can't help but think that the new easy money he can attract in tourneys doesn't quite match to grinding it out with the best ring game players in the world in the smokey ring game -

in short, he's probably become a more profitable tourney player then ring player - and at that point, he probably won't miss it that much -

Me, on the other hand.....shittiest week yet for tourneys - terrible week - sucked dog ass - broke my heart into lovelorn pieces and dropped me into negative numbers for my overall wins this yr....

RB

just watched part of day 3 of the 2003 WSOP final event -

I forgot what it was like before the boom - the way people acted - the way the played - the lack of hype on the BOOM of poker....

I loved it.

RB

a bartender/manager at Applebee's and I have been talking for awhile about going to Mystic Lake and playing blackjack - -

terrible idea....I know you can't win all the time...but jeez....brutal cards....

next time we're playing poker. - LOL

35 degrees today...I can sit outside and soak up the sun in a t-shirt off the balcony if I want to -

RB

well, I got 45 min. left to get a few jabs in there...

I wonder if before we were born, we got to choose what attributes we wanted - I hope not - I'd have to kick my own ass for being a romantic, lonely bum prone to alcoholism and depression but is smart and an independant thinker....big fucking whoopie do...

thinking lately that bimbos and himbos have it easier then the rest of us...ignorance truly is bliss.

My dear Felicia (maybe the only person who reads this thing) drank vodka a few weeks ago - I have total faith in her, but then, I have faith in myself too, and God knows where that will end up.

In one of my many things to do to stave off the quiet times at work, I have committed myself to beating all 32000 freecell games on a WinNT box - got 23 done tonight - it'll take a few yrs....LOL - unless I get really good.

I feel lonely tonight....one of those "list off the women I've been in relationships with and figure out how I screwed it up" nights - a'la High Fidelity (great movie) I think I'm gonna skip seeing that band I know next week (the one with the sweetheart of a frontwoman I have a crush on) - I just don't feel like seeing things I can't have right now.. :) - but I may go to Applebee's and take advantage of the all you can eat chickenstrips deal for 8.99 -

fuck it....maybe I can beat a couple more freecell games in....no point in pissing in this pool right now - I've still got one more night I can waste on it.

RB

last week it was -20 degree temps....this week it's our first snowstorm dumping 6-8 inches on us -

countdown 22 days to Vegas, baby.....

RB

Friday 4am rant....put your raincoat on cause the shit is gonna fly tonight....and it's gonna be the length of a fucking IGGY post, baby...

FIRST OFF!!! - I hate 4 day work weeks - I don't mind at 8 hrs a day, but 48 hrs. in 4 days is brutal, and it's gonna take forever to get used to....ah well -

My win rate - up 80 bucks for the yr...LOL - no luck with any serious tourneys this week, but I only really had 3 days this week and 3 days next week to play -

I was rereading the blog again lately (put the link on the band page for it and wanna be sure I don't say anything terrible about anyone who could get me fired - LOL) - , and I realized my dependancy on ibuprofin is almost totally gone - and sleeping from 9am to 5pm doesn't really bug me as much as it used to.....of course, it's a miserable winter...in summer I'll feel differently, I'm sure.

I've seen a lot of AK and AQ beat pocket pairs this week on Pokerstars, and for some strange reason, it always seemed to be the last card. The end result being that when I played AK into QQ this week, I didn't panic the first 4 cards in, and didn't gloat when the 5th card gave it to me....ah well, as long is it's rigged for all players the same way - LOL

something has been bugging the shit out of me lately - there's that girl on 2+2 - Jennicide - someone found some "ahem" semi-revealing pics apparently and has posted them on a website (probably got them off of the internet wayback archive - that's where I find old shit) - and I'm thinking about her, and all the shit they gave Annie Duke when after her 2 mil. win, she was RUMORED to be sporting breast implants, or even the guff they gave her for winning it. Stripperbynight has her issues, and Felicia takes shit from everyone...

I'm starting to think the vast majority of the poker community isn't nearly as progressive as we advertise - I think we MIGHT have a few misogynists in the community, as well as a shitload of horny bastards.... - I mean, I wanna get lucky too, but I'm not gonna flirt online with a girl I don't know or hit on a 38 year old mother with 3 kids just cause she's kinda pretty....LOL - I gotta know them first :) - (unless said mom is Teri Hatcher - her FHM photospread is making me start to respect older women too...of course, I'm far away from spring chicken at this point.)

and then we got some asshole on 2+2 who I HOPE is just being a dick and isn't the racist prick he seems to be. - being from Montana, I never really saw a lot of racism towards blacks, but towards Indians....(the native american kind, not the Gandhi kind) - oh hell yah. Esp. since reservations felt like the 3rd world to most of us. So I noticed yrs. ago that while I didn't have any reservations towards blacks/asians/hispanics/women, I seemed to have a few about indians....ah well - realizing it is the first step to changing it -

but then you think that, and you have the Native American games in town with the kids staying at your college, and when they leave it looks like a hurricane went thru. - Total devestation that I could not believe from grade/junior/high school kids. I have noticed one particular strain of racism that permates society - the judgements of cleaning/maintenance crews who have to clean and fix hotels/apts where minorities live - they've just had too many negative examples to overcome...which is too bad. - Then you have wahooville, where 46 percent vote for a leader of the KKK - fucking rednecks.

Anyways, I went way off, but it pisses me off to no end they posted some pics of her online - if it was my sister I'd be cleaning my guns, and well, kids do stupid stuff when they're 17 - thank god no one had a camera handy when I did my stupid shit. ah well. and then Felicia had to pack up her blog - and SBN (who I've never even spoken to) gets prank callers - Being an attractive woman must be a lot like being a rich man...you never seem to be able to tell who likes you for you and who wants something for nothing - but in the absence of getting it, a lot of people get really nasty.

I've been getting a nasty craving for booze lately at work - the "maybe I'll just run over to the bar across the st. and have a couple" sort of cravings -

or at home, I'll get done drinking at the Uptown at two, go home, and I'll wanna stay up till 8 and run to the liquor store - (I almost never keep booze in the house anymore....I hate drinking alone) - but so far, fought the temptation all around - but I MAY pick up some Mike's hard Lime (not the lemonade, the Limeade) - and save it for Sun. after work - got it once at the CC Club and fell in love with the taste of it.

2.5 hrs till work ends - possible snowstorm tomorrow night, so I'm taking the bus...

On another blogger note, Iggy is in town, and if he can tear himself away, we'll hook up for food -

played some limit finally this yr.- lost 25 bucks.... - Roy Cooke's recent column suggested players wanting to maximize their winnings should consider working on their NL game as it's easier to take money from clueless noobs in that game then Limit(and there seem to be more of them in there right now too) - he may be right....maybe I should look for NL games in Vegas - my NL record for last yr. was a lot better then my Limit record - but then, a lot of those NL games were tight-passive before the flop - giving me a chance to raise more and play small pairs in late position with 7 callers.

I have a former friend who posts on discussion boards from time to time....(I check up on him by searching for his online name and following it to boards, ratemybody.com and crap - LOL) - he's been making enemies on one of them more then the other lately - and I SUSPECT it's cause he gets mean and angry when he gets drunk - I mean that "fuck the world and I'll shoot them if they disagree with me" kind of mean - him and his GF used to get in great fights after a few beers - I mean, I may have a booze problem, but I just get really happy or sad... - I've sorta transcended anger these days....UNLESS the fucker runs me down 4 bets cold with 96 suited - heh. (still pissed about that 5 months later)

I could keep going, but I got two more nights of this shit, so I'll hold up for now...I'll close with this link - someone on 2+2 has taken nexgen chips and put some preprinted design labels on them - done an incredible job and it's so good I've bought a sample pack that has one of those in it - if I like it enough, I'll replace my lameass 11.5g suited chips with these cool nexgen chips with the two color edge spots and come up with a cool label of my own - maybe with a whiskey shot....LOL - ....that just friggen rocks - gawd, they look so good -

RB

many thanks to those who commented or email'd about my grandpa....he passed away overnight last night despite being better then I first heard earlier that evening.

My fav. story about him is one yr. my mom and him made a football bet and he lost - so he owes 10 or 20 bucks....he saves it up in Canadian coins (readily available in Montana) and sends it to her in California, where it's useless to use....LOL

gotta get a jab in there even if you lose the bet....good guy...I'll miss him a lot. Wish I could have gotten a last phone call or word in there beforehand.

RB

so I'm sleeping, and dreaming, and in my dream I'm cuddling up close to the lead singer of the Donnas (Donna A, or Brett A. I guess is her name - same name as a male coworker...scary..)

and then some 5 year old shows up saying she can't find her school class....don't ask me how or why she got there, but I left for a bit so she could find her classroom and when I came back, Ms. Anderson was gone....

well, of course, I go looking for her, but before I find her, the goddamn apt. maintenance crew makes some noise and wakes me up.

ya know...sometimes I hate kids...and maintenance workers....LOL

my Grandpa is doing ok...it's still terminal, but not as in next 5 hrs - more like as in any day now but could be a couple weeks, so thanks for the prayers....I'm hoping he's ok enough for me to call at some point and talk to...

RB

guys/gals....WT here.

I have a grandpa that is very close to passing on from this world....he may be gone by the time you read this...

but can you say a prayer for him anyways....just in case we can get a miracle...

sorry about the dying downer posts lately (my old coworker, my faithful dog, my grandpa) - I seem to be a magnet for that shit lately...

RB

Stolen Car - Bruce Springsteen wrote it,

I hate to say it but I like Patti Griffin's version so much better....

-------------------------------------
I met a little girl and I settled down
In a little house out on the edge of town
We got married, and swore we'd never part
Then little by little we drifted from each other's hearts

At first I thought it was just restlessness
That would fade as time went by and our love grew deep
In the end it was something more I guess
That tore us apart and made us weep

I'm driving a stolen car
Down on Eldridge Avenue
Each night I wait to get caught
But I never do

She asked if I remembered the letters I wrote
When our love was young and bold
She said last night she read those letters
And they made her feel one hundred years old

And I'm driving a stolen car
On a pitch black night
And I'm telling myself it's gonna be alright
But I drive by night and I travel in fear
That in this darkness I will disappear

ANOTHER final table....out of 170 players in a NL tourney

unfortunately, I died in 9th when 88 went up vs 99 -

but I don't feel bad...best hand won. LOL

RB

FIRST TOURNEY WIN OF THE YEAR!!!!
FIRST OMAHA POKER WIN EVER!!!!!

1st out of 17....

I know...big fucking deal....and it was a 5.50 tourney, so I got 45 bucks...

well, damn, it's a big deal to me anyways....two firsts - one for the yr...one for my whole poker career...

why can't you just smile and be happy for me :(

RB

so anyways....

I've been printing a lot of song lyrics in here lately....

but it took a song in a bar at 1am to remind me....

one of the best fucking songs in the world is Big Country's "In a Big Country"

seriously....get it on the radio/record store/Kazza and listen to it....damn...it was a great song...

RB

according to this site -

I've picked one of the best places in town to stay at - soft games -

http://www.allvegaspoker.com/

RB

I just cannot seem to shut the fuck up - I call it IGGY's syndrome - home of the uberbooze drenched posts...

but unlike him, I delete the drunk ones out of shame...LOL -

I've got chip envy....I want a massive stack of black and green clay chips like the kind Matt Damon used on Rounders and the clay kind, not those P.O.S. plastic composits - maybe I'll order some....who knows -

15 min. till I go home...probably still won't get any poker in till tomorrow - probably sleep all night tonight - then I only got 2 or 3 days till I gotta back for the Wed-Sat shift (this new 4 nighter is gonna suck balls immensely - ah well...)

RB

boss is gone again...I can blog without fear of reprisals....LOL - actually, it's just real quiet around here right now.

the stripperbynight story gets better - she has stalkers now - I suppose me being right down the road puts me at the top of the list...but truth be known, I just don't really give a shit...I work near Rick's Cabaret if I ever want that action...I'm always looking around the 30/60 table at Canterbury, but mostly for andy b or vehn - never see any woman who looks like a stripper there...

I've been reading up on Vegas - 2+2ers tell me the Imperial Palace feels like Hanoi, complete with hookers saying "me love you long time" - anyone who knows an attractive working girl that looks like the middle sisters from 7th Heaven should email me offline....BWAHAHAHA - no, just kidding, sort of ;) maybe...- I suppose truth be known, hookers never look like Elizabeth Shue anyways... man, when I write stuff like that, I NEED to be in love again...

well, jeez....had I known THAT, I'd have probably made that first choice - but it's proximity to the Bellagio was the biggest factor - and it has wireless....I don't REALLY wanna waste time blogging, but you gotta sleep sometime - thinking $900 of my BR will keep me in SS games and low tourneys for the 3-4 days I'm there and handle any major swings I take.

it's 3 miles from there to the airport, and of course, I COULD get a shuttle, but depending on the day/temperature, I may wanna find a way to walk it - I dunno - I need a 3 mile walk in the sun to keep me from getting plastered.

Felicia won't be around - forgot she was at the Commerce at that time frame - so I'll have to hook up with other 2+2'ers and poker players....I'll email a couple I know - I was gonna go with a friend that grew up around there, but if he gets back to me I'm gonna tell him to forget about it - I went to Memphis with him, and it's fun and all....but ya know....I just wanna go by myself.

That's one thing I've never really done - I've never done a solo vacation - I've done the group vacations - and I've gone to places I know to see family, but I've never just gone somewhere on my own and winged it when I got there without even a car.......of course, the I-net makes it easier, but still - should be interesting - just get on the Monorail and go places I've never seen -

the damned town will probably ensnare me and I'll spend the rest of my time down there living the hard life.....but at 200 bucks a flight scheduled a month in advance, if it wasn't for hotels, I'd be golden - esp. with my 4 days off a week.

no one misses me up here anyways....sheeeit. - No one gives a fuck, really. Band and job are the only two things holding me here, and if the band dissolved, I'd find other ways to make music - a full time job with lots of dough is my last tie to this town.

RB

interesting sidenote - TILT debuted tonight.

I have not seen it, being at work and all, but from what I've read, it's an almost unwatchable p.o.s. - with even Daniel Negranu being forced to defend his cameo in it....LOL - but not before telling the producers this gunslinger crap doesn't play in the poker world no more.

I feel so left out of the loop....some of the comments on this are hilarious... -

like how the most unrealistic moment of the film (a la Famke Jensen throwing herself at Damon and him turning it down in rounders..) -

"How could they have Daniel N. shooting craps when they had TJ available? A show has to get details like that correct if they expect to be sucessfull. "

and also the most important lesson to learn from TILT

"The next time I play in the backroom of a black strip club, I am not going to check my piece at the door, that way when a "brother" strings bets I can whip out the gun and make everything turn out ok."

this must have been a colossal blunder - sorta like Ashlee Simpson not singing (or singing at the Orange Bowl - though I heard that was monitor issues) -

kinda fun to watch it play out...

RB

The boss is gone - I guess I can rant....thursday night rant....I love it.

it's fun at work - midnight and -10 degrees, not counting windchill - I love watching the guys go out for smoke breaks - they aren't exactly taking too long tonight. Pussies....LOL

Randy Moss was fined 10K - for pretend mooning the Green Bay audience - I was doing something with my back to the TV and I heard the sportscaster going off how disgusting it was....I thought he yanked out his dick and pissed on the Packer logo the way they described it - a fake moon? - shheeeeit. who cares...

more I read, more happy I am that I tend to slip under the radar - a few more links and some popularity would be nice - but what the hell...

I spent part of this week mixing/mastering a track for the Bill Mallonee fan tribute album - I'd like to post it, but not sure it's legal to do so since I didn't write it - It does sound sweet for a 6 track recording....

ah hell with it - - remember I didn't write this, so don't distribute it or nothing... www.balletschooltroublemakers.com/billtribute.mp3

Poker, Poker, Poker....what to say.....she's a faithless bitch who got knocked up by the boy next door and now is acting all kissy kissy with me cause she's scared to be alone but still wants you to give her ex-lover a job at the place you own - . - (ok, not really...I just like the image) - I'm slumming in 10/20 buck tourneys trying to get a couple big wins to rebuild the bankroll - 24 tourneys, 4 moneys, and 3 of them are final tables - but not much else going on with it - If I go to Vegas, I'll have to find where the cheap $100 tourneys are and play them - Felicia will be able to give me a lowdown on that -

I have scheduled my itinery - staying at the Imperial Palace - flying in Sun. afternoon on Feb. 13th and flying out Thurs. Morning on Feb. 17th - rock and roll, buckos - it's official - I'm going to Sin City - (for 469 bucks, no less - next time I'll fly for 200 and stay at the 15 buck poker rooms Felicia recommends - but that's for another time) -

RB

RB

hey Vegas junkies...

for poetic reasons I won't get into here - I have decided I would like to see Las Vegas between 2/13 and 2/17 - (yes, over Valentine's day) - otherwise I'll just stay her and get depressed and drunk anyways....

couple bargains for that time frame (Sun-Thurs)

The New Frontier - one free night....looks a bit inneresting...but what the hey.
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino
Stratosphere Tower Hotel - (looks real cool heightwise...)

and for an extra hundred I can do the Boardwark, Circus Circus, or teh Stardust...

ideas?

UPDATE: - I have gotten the time off, so it's offical - come hell or high water - I'm getting the fuck out of this down during the most depressing day of the yr....:)

RB

I was just surfing thru some poker blogs...

I never realized how lucky I was...for the most part, I am ignored/missed by most poker blog links - Iggy and Felicia got me...but not very many.....

which is funny, cause I'm so much older then most of them....(and the first incarnination about a yr. ago is one of the oldest I know...) -

so I get to miss the politics of stripperbynight slamming felicia, someone slamming her, and etc, etc...and the politics of "who is better, who plays higher limits" -

and I get to print awesome song lyrics...which is something almost none of them have...I can go off for a bit on other things and just not care...

but it hurts not being noticed sometimes....hell - that's the only reason I still drink - so someone sees me in a bar and notices me...

RB

it's 4am....I'm playing poker...getting ready to go to bed and go to work tomorrow...

and I have the loneliest fucking song in my heart - can't believe I never posted it on here...

and yep...another Kate Rusby song...LOL

I think about Ms. Tara a lot when I hear this song (cause I bought it when we were dating...but then the whole album is that way) - I can hear telling me if I break her heart I'll break it no more'o

but you know....here's the thing about trad. folk songs...they'll never tell you you're a fucking idiot or a fucking moron...which is what I needed to hear.....

gawd...I'll forever be remembered by mistakes and loss....fucking hell....it shouldn't have been that way :(

RB

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

Wild Goose

If you see the Wild Goose sailing on the ocean
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray
Just like them pretty girls when they gets the notion
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray

Chorus
oh Ranzo you'll rue the day
As the Wild Goose sails away

As I was walking one evening by the river
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray
I met up with a pretty girl, me heart it was a quiver
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray

(Chorus x 2)

I said how are you doing this morning
Ranzo my boys oh Ranzo Ray
Oh, she said none the better for the seeing of you
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray

(Chorus x 2)

You broke my heart oh you broke it full sore o'
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray
If I sail like the Wild Goose you'll break it no more o'
Ranzo me boys oh Ranzo Ray

so I just finished playing the best tournament I've ever played -

70 players - 8 pays, I finished 2nd.

Yer thinking...what? - that's your BEST? - even better then taking 2nd in the 1200 tourney in Aug?

we're down to 15 players, and I'm 11th...4000 in chips - blinds 150/300 - I make a raise with AK and get repopped by a player who is just a bit more shortstacked then me - I want a double up to get into the money, and put him on a weaker A, so I call figuring to be at least 50/50.

He has QQ, but I don't improve - down to 600 - my BB I get to check to river for free (I'd have mucked anyways...missed everything) - and 150 of my last 300 chips go into the SB

it's 92 suited - I complete and triple up to 1000 when a 3rd club comes -

the next 90 minutes are a flurry of bluffs and all-in's almost NEVER getting called - getting the bites back - finally I get QQ vs AJ and get a good double to 9000

down to 10 and I'm 9th - then 8 and I'm 6th - then 4 players and I'm 4th with stacks of about 25000 for those 3 and 10000 for me.

made it all the way to 2nd and would have won had 1st player's middle pair not tripped up on the turn....but to come from literally half a blind to 2nd in 90 minutes has GOT to be the best poker I've ever played

only problem is....no hand histories on Full Tilt...LOL - ah well -

RB

it's hibernating time -

word is Thurs-Sat are gonna be averaging -10 degrees for Minneapolis - that's the winter we know and love -

I have to leave my home for work...that's it - otherwise, I'm staying indoors - I have plenty of Rice O'Roni and taco mix to last me thru the cold snap

not sure if I'm gonna drive or not - that's black ice weather and I'd have to pay for expensive underground parking (don't wanna leave my rig out there in the -20 degrees for 12 hrs.) - but we'll see how it goes.

RB

this was hilarious - 3rd round in a MTT tourney -

I am UTG with 78 suited and limp in

Flop: (t100) 96T rainbow
BB bets t100, I raise to t300, BB calls

Turn: (t700) J of spades - (2nd spade on the board)
BB checks, Hero bets t350, BB calls t350.

River: (t1400) 5 of Spades (3 spades on the board)
BB bets t910 (All-In), Hero calls t910.

Final Pot: t3220
BB has As Td (one pair, tens).
Hero has 7d 8h (straight, jack high).
Outcome: Whiskeytown wins t3220.

--------------
then I get two min. of chat...telling me "gutsy call" - and "obviously, I didn't see the flush" - typical loser trash talk -

and I'm wanting to say "no, I did....but I don't think you'd call a reraise with a runner/runner spade draw and then overbet it when you hit - obviously you had a pair/two pair/trips combo that didn't give you a boat, so I called

I shoulda said I played the way I see Gus Hansen play...

but instead I just said I didn't believe him....

died in 40th when I reraised a guy with AJ - I knew I'd have the better hand, and I knew he'd call, but I needed to double up - he had K9 and flopped a 9

been a lot of shitty beats lately - usually high up - like 20 spots before the money - ay carumba.

RB

not sure if I ever printed this...
Sweet Lil' Duck, by Kathleen Edwards...
---------------------------------------------

Sweet little duck I'm waiting for you
Wearing my heart on my sleeve
And I sleep through most my days
So that time goes by
And I think I drink more now then ever

Cuz you've got me on your shelf and I just sit here
Thinking 'bout when everything was right
And you say you don't got any answers
Well I'm tired of you not making up your mind
and on Tuesday I'll be back for my things....

and Sweet little duck, I'm waiting for you
But I still wear my heart on my sleeve
I'm gonna set things right
I got a job down south
Don't you think about coming after me....

Cuz you've got me on your shelf and I just sit here
Thinking 'bout when everything was right
And you say you don't got any answers
Well I'm tired of you not making up your mind
and on Tuesday I'll be back for my things....

I can barely focus - between being sick, dehydrated, sleep deprived, and all that, not a lot of blogger juice in me....ah well - no excuse -

now if I could just lose 30 pounds, I'd be back in the swingers market - LOL - damn booze and antidepressant weight gain....

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - when you want to quit drinking, it's amazing how many triggers there are around us/on TV/in life to remind you of what you're missing - I was drinking Tues. and some guy got outside, missed his cab, cut his head, and got hauled off to detox - now compare that to the desorona/bacardi commercials you see on TV - not the same image is it...heh.

On the poker front, Gavin Griffin (2004 WSOP bracelet winner - best known for prompting Phil Hellmuth to exclaim "if it wasn't for luck, he could win them all" is chip leader at Pokerstars WPT - good for him. I keep wanting to call him Laman Griffin (the disgusting cousin from Angela's Ashes) -

I also understand he's dating some hot girl with a mega fanbase online - some guy asked her out and she made the following comment - she responded that she's already got a boyfriend. "You'd probably recognize him, since he won a WSOP bracelet last year. Gavin Griffin." - talk about a double beating to your manhood....not only can she shoot them down, but kick them in the balls on their way back to the 3/6 table - I'm in love with her already - LOL

terrible tourney results for Wed. - between that AA and losing with JJ vs 44 near the satellite in another tourney, it was not a good day for 4-1 favorites - or small tourneys, or big ones, or satellites - I don't think I've played a single ring game since the 1st, except for NL ones -

otherwise....not much else - bought season 5 of the simpsons and have been sorta lying down, blowing my nose, and waiting for the head cold to go away- will focus more on tourneys next week.

more updates as crazy shit happens.

RB

ah shit....

headcolds suck major dogass....my nose is chapped from all the blowing, and they're quilted kleenex!

RB

glad I didn't wait 4 hrs in the tourney for the chump to do this....good way to kill 9 minutes.

PokerStars Game #1042263984: Tournament #4333046, Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2005/01/05 - 19:53:19 (ET)
Table '4333046 139' Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: 8link (1800 in chips)
Seat 3: whiskeytown (1470 in chips)
Seat 4: carlll24 (1840 in chips)
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to whiskeytown [Ac As]
whiskeytown: calls 20
carlll24: raises 100 to 120
8link: calls 110
whiskeytown: raises 680 to 800
carlll24: raises 1040 to 1840 and is all-in
whiskeytown: calls 670 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [5h Qh 4h]
*** TURN *** [5h Qh 4h] [8h]
*** RIVER *** [5h Qh 4h 8h] [6s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
whiskeytown: shows [Ac As] (a pair of Aces)
carlll24: shows [7d 7h] (a flush, Queen high)
carlll24 collected 3080 from pot

so much for getting farther in smaller tourneys....jesus...LOL

found something interesting here on 2+2 - The Ultimate Party Poker Mod

it's trim, neat - usable for that pokertracker program, and with the bright yellow card backs, good for multitabling - I've always had avatars off cause they were lame, so this is just a great way to further customize our view to see what we want.

RB

I'm beginning to like smaller tourneys - sort of in the 80-100 range with a final table payout.

here's the thing - let's say I can get in the top 10 percent oh, 25% of the time. In a 900 player tourney, with a flattened payout, that's STILL dishwater money till the top 4-5%, and really, all the money is at the final table.

No matter the size of the tourney, or payout, (Pokerstars WPT tourney not withstanding - paying a 25 percent structure....jesus) - it's the final table where you feel like you've made the money....

so the fewer people between me and that, the better I feel. So I've been playing tourneys that probably pay less for the top 3 then a 900 player tourney, (and even then, just barely, cause they usually shave 10 percent off the top 3 for those larger fields anyways) - but I can get there quicker and easier with fewer idiots or guys who acquired monster stacks thru blind luck.

RB

I went 1 for 5 in tourneys today....

luckily, that finish was in 4th place - put me up 30 bucks for the day.

yah I know...chicken feed - but I don't have the BR to do the $215 tourneys....gotta stick to the 10/20/30 tourneys for awhile.

RB

If I could make the voices in my head/angels around me take substantial form....

they'd probably sound like the following.

Kate Rusby - Bold Riley
Kathleen Edwards - Sweet Lil' Duck
Gillian Welch - April the 14th
Mary Chapin Carpenter - It don't bring you
Rosie Thomas - Farewell
Patty Griffin - Mother of God

RB

bustouts are not good for the self esteem...here's the situation

we were down to 23 in a MTT tourney - it paid 36, so we're in da money - next step up is 18 - I'm in 16th place or something - got about 22K with blinds 800/1600

I get QQ on the button - everyone mucks to the guy in the cutoff and
he makes it 5K - I have 22K - I have him covered by 1K - I have no read on his style of play.

and if it's a difference between 40 more bucks for 18th or a shot at
the final table, I'm thinking final table every time....

but it took 7 posters on 2+2 and the affirmation of a tourney pro I respect to ensure this was the correct decision going all in - and the guy had KK, so end of story.

but something like that really makes you second guess yourself - esp. when it's not a lucky draw or suckout but total domination.

for all my successes in tourneys this yr, I only ended up $800 - I started playing higher limit tourneys, I think in an attempt to wipe out my losses for the yr in limit games, and haven't made a final table since Aug., I don't think....ay carumba. If Teecoy and Daniel N. can do it, so can I.

RB

so it's Sat....Jan 1st.

I wake up, cook some taco meat, and sit down and drop $25 playing NL - one of my better games (doh)

and I open my windowshades to get some light, and it looks like it's gonna be a big snow day - lots of overcast - no sun.

not shaping up to be a good 2005 - LOL -

RB