wonder what the odds are of me taking a month off from drinking a weekend before the Vegas get together....

they incremented in a major way after I bought a bottle of Jameson on Memorial Day.

so I'm gonna shoot for a month - see if I can do it, and in the end, buy my bigass TV as my reward.

this is unrelated, but I was slightly inebrated at Canterbury on Mon. when I raised with AJ and got called by one guy and the BB -

flop comes A45 and I joke to the one guy that the BB has 2/3 offsuit and we're screwed -

get to the river, and the fucker DID have it - I mucked my cards so hard one flew off the table and I got a talking to from Carlos

then seat 7 is like "well, you put me on the hand and you still called" - I wanted to just cut loose with a stream of obscenities like "well, yah, I joked about it, but didn't think you were such a stupid fucking moron that you'd actually call a raise with it - LOL" -

stupid fucking moron. Stupid fat fucking moron.

RB

you all are doomed.

I have purchased my seat/hotel for Vegas for the WPBT after all - and begged CJ/Felicia to grab my seat for me, put my chips on the table, and let me get blinded out until I arrive 45 min. late -

so help me god, if I get there and my chips were pulled and some loser alternate was put in, I'll kill every one of you sons of bitches - LOL - REMEMBER ME - I'LL BE A LITTLE LATE, BUT SHOULD BE IN BEFORE THE FIRST HR.

RB

I'm gonna be in a world of hurt tomorrow at work - I've fallen into the "stay awake 8 hrs/sleep 4" pattern - I just woke up again from 6-9pm - but at least I'll be up till morning.

my last post for the night then I'm going to Canterbury.

I'm disgusted with online poker - not because of bad players, but because of the mentality of the poker players, and especially the 2+2'ers that now inhabit it.

To them, poker is about maximizing profit using Pokertracker/PlayerView and being bonus whores. They are unable to survive without technological aid and special giveaways. Starting hand selection is less important then raising. And it shows in the amounts they pay in the rake. Here's a little poker 101. It's a hell of a lot cheaper to win 5 big pots then 20-25 little ones. Those extra 15-20 pots each lose between 1-4 dollars in rake - and if you ain't dragging the pots, you ain't paying rake - simple as that.

I remember reading when when your goal was to get better, move up in limits, strive for 1.5 BB/hr, and becoming a world class pro. Now their goal is to maintain a high enough PFR/VIP percentage, keep seperate accounts with 4 party affilates, and milk 3/6 games all day all while trying not to lose your Empire account.

The best part is, these guys die when a decent bot. comes on the scene - they die like the plague - that gives me some joy, cause it WILL happen.

And their tactics don't work nearly as well in NL tourney play (which Pokertracker ain't that great on tracking and where variation in play is more valuable and practiced) - so I'll stick around for tourneys/SNG's.

But I think I'm done with limit ring games online - esp. when I have a nice fishing pond 20 min. away.

ok......time to go fishing.

RB

I keep coming in and lying down on the bed (ok, futon) - I have no idea why -

Just another thought - my live poker game is so much better right now then my online one, and my small tourney game (SNG's and tourneys of less then 100 people) is so much better then my large tourney game.

I can SEE tells/attitudes/fears now that I never saw before - the flash of anger when a 3rd heart comes that tells you a bet/raise will take the pot - the slow slow bet that tells me when someone is playing a monster - even just noticing better who raises/calls down with what so I know if calling with middle pair is a good idea or not.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I miss live poker - I think I'll try to nap thru pocket A's promotion and head out again tonight - so if yer at Canterbury, give me a shoutout -

RB

this is disappointing -

I was sort of wanting to go to the WPBT tourney, but due to delays/waiting list holdups, I didn't schedule the trip.

And NOW, I'm on the list, but now, I could schedule the flight, but I'd arrive an hr. late for the start of the tourney....

screw it - I've emailed CJ, and if he's game, I'm transferring a buyin to him or Felicia, have them buy my seat, I get blinded, and show up late -

I wanna be in on this one :)

RB

I want chinese food so badly right now I won't be able to finish this...ah well, I need to cut back.

took the Canterbury 6/12 game last night for $400 - my live results in the 4/8 and 6/12 games have been pretty good so far this year. Far Superior to my online results - though the games have been few and far between but that's my fault - I can go anytime I want and I didn't.

- it's hard to explain Canterbury poker and esp. the 6/12 game. Most 2+2er's agree it's the fishiest game in the building - (8/16 plays a lot more aggressive and I'd want 3 racks for it whereas I'll sit with one or two in a 6/12 game) - people start to be assholes and threaten to come across the table.

But there's still guys who raise with 4/7 suited and get repopped on the turn by your QQ and hits a 4 outer on the river - so that works - (it's ok, I think I snapped him off twice to his once - victory is mine....LOL)

Our theory is that the 4/8 and 8/16 games are some of the toughest because at that point, you're playing the highest game at a certain chip color - guys in blue chip games go from 2/4 to 3/6 to 4/8 and by then, they're not too bad - likewise a guy who goes to 8/16 - this doesn't apply in Vegas cause so few places there play a 6/12 game with 2 buck chips - (they use a 5 and a 1) - but I took that one for a ride too.

I think 6/12 is just enough for the folks who want to gambuullleeee - in my case, one 5-6 hr. trip out at Canterbury took out a third of my red ink for the yr...so you know what that means...LOL - usually I go out each night till I lose - maybe tonight.

I will say this - I've taken up what pros like Jennifer Harman/Annie Duke have said - I've read where both of them agree (and apparently I should credit Howard for Annie's opinion on this) that losing more then 30 BB should take you out for the night - there's a psychological edge that you give up - and I saw it last nights - guys who weren't even playing bad hands and taking bad beats were getting called/recalled cause the other players sucked. But I think part of it was just the idea that they could beat this guy even with 25 offsuit (though that was a straddle hand) -

so I bought in for 350 planning on only losing that - kept coloring up racks of yellow to green, so that I had 700 in $25 dollar chips when I left - now THAT felt awesome.

RB

sheeeit... - I suck at poker again - all back to normal.

watched "A Love Song for Bobby Long" just now - if I ever didn't have a reason to fall in love with Scarlett Johansson, I ran out of them -

or New Orleans for that matter - the city is as a strong of a character as any of them on the screen - between that and WWOZ, I've been getting a dose of it - I understand that Harrah's has a casino in New Orleans - someplace to go this winter again. I won't travel as much right now, but when it gets cold in Minnesota again, it's time to move around again.

Iggy asked for more input on the poker game - well, one of the bars I frequent has a couple regulars and a bartender that play - I was pegged as a player as soon as I sat around reading poker books at the bar - LOL. They all think I'm a winner, but I'm down 1100 for the yr. so far. - christ.

anyways, long story short is there is usually someone there drinking, and throwing me in that spot, I go for it, but I mean, profoundly drunk - I get that drunk sometimes, but never at a poker game, and I try not to do it in public - (anymore) - and he fell over, broke some shit (in his own apt) -

two other guys, they didn't want them there cause they thought he might be cheating - I didn't see anything, but you gotta try hard to cheat in a 20 buck SNG - but it just has bad juju - bad vibes - and so of course, I came home slightly plastered on rum/whiskey and remind myself to focus on the bad times -

but it's no big deal - just 50 bucks dropped playing poker, a bad night's sleep, and a wasted day - I didn't have much else to do with it anyways...

RB

ach....well, got the bonus -

and even managed to make some money in the process (well, only 60 bucks by the time it was done) but a bonus nonetheless -

to reward myself, I went to Revenge of the Sith at 12:30 pm

everyone talks about how it's a sad story - and I agree, but that's not why people leave sad - they leave sad cause it's their last one -

I saw my first one when I was 7 (tried at age 5, asked mom to take me, and she took me to see "A Star is Born" - I love her but I've never let her forget it - LOL -)

this time, there were little kids in the audience and I'm wearing the glasses to see the screen better and cringing at the preview where Angelina Jolie is dressed as a dominatrix and breaking a guy's neck cause I wonder what the kids will think of it.

man, I'm getting old and heavy (220) - gotta cut back on the pizza - maybe tonight -

well, I went drinking last night, and didn't get much sleep, so I'm going to go on hiatus for a few hrs....pax

RB

It's times like this I think that God has forsaken us

Ok, I admit it - I had a helluva crush on Sporty, but the world didn't need this...we needed this like we need an oil crisis.

RB

another day, another bubble (63 pays, made it to 69)

but this time was different - this time when I had to make a decision, I said "knowing that you're going to finish in the top 12-14 percent, how would you play this differently" -

this time, instead of laying down/calling more with A10, I raised - knowing that I was gonna bust out of the money anyways, and I won more then I lost with it

This time, I didn't get action on my big hands, but got more smaller ones

I also lost no less then 3-4 showdowns in which I was the fav. - when I had a shot at a very crucial doubleup near the end, I had to chop to an extremely dominated hand (QJ vs Q5)

in short, I received absolutely no lucky breaks or big payoff hands whatsoever, and still made it to the bubble - imagine if I had beat a couple of those lucky pricks or gotten ANY action on my AA/JJ.

I used to say that to win, you must last long enough to get lucky - that was a philosophy I read in TJ's/Mcevoy's book.

But now I'm thinking differently then I used to - I think you need to get enough chips to survive the times you get UNLUCKY - took a while to get that beat into me, but I'm starting to feel it

I think I will soon have better results in tourneys then I have had lately.

RB

well, it's been almost 24 hrs....I seem to have recovered from playing poker -

I will never play at that home game ever again - besides my own tendencies to go overboard when around others, there is NO way I will put myself in that room again with people who are three times drunker then me to start with, and stoned besides -

I busted with KK vs. AK, and I was GLAD - 20 bucks down the drain, and I didn't CARE! - all I wanted to do was get out, away from the drunk guy who broke ashtrays and shot glasses, and away from myself, drinking liberally of the rum offered to me - away from drugs, and away from the worst vibe I ever felt in a poker game - away from potential cheats - away from drunken parties - jesus...I feel like I need to go on the wagon just being there -

I've got friends I drink with who have gone away for a couple weeks - I'll see how I do without them - maybe just go focus on my cash live game again this week -

RB

raining in Baltimore, by Adam Duritz/counting crows

This circus is falling down on it’s knees
The big top is crumbling down
It’s raining in baltimore fifty miles east
Where you should be, no one’s around

I need a phone call
I need a raincoat
I need a big love
I need a phone call

These train conversations are passing me by
And I don’t have nothing to say
You get what you pay for
But I just had no intention of living this way

I need a phone call
I need a plane ride
I need a sunburn
I need a raincoat

And I get no answers
And I don’t get no change
It’s raining in baltimore, baby
But everything else is the same

There’s things I remember and things I forget
I miss you I guess that I should
Three thousand five hundred miles away
But what would you change if you could?

I need a phone call
Maybe I should buy a new car
I can always hear a freight train
baby, if I listen real hard
And I wish it was a small world
Because I’m lonely for the big towns
I’d like to hear a little guitar
I think it’s time to put the top down

I need a phone call
I need a raincoat

just a reminder...

no more Tuesday Night/Wed. Morn. home poker games. ever again...

..remember why...

RB

man....this week is a bust.

Haven't done laundry, haven't upgraded the PC - lied around all afternoon and napped cause I didn't feel like getting up and doing anything...feel like bailing on the home poker game I have coming up at 2am - stuff like that...did make my first lap around Lake Calhoun on Sun. morning at 7am when the world was out like a light - I like that - in the summer time you can't throw a brick in any direction without it bouncing off 4 sports bras, but at 6am, the lake is pretty much just all mine.

went out with a friend who's going to Vietnam for three weeks - got drunk, went to the store to get food, and I bought a plant. I MUST be lonely, fuck - poor bastard is a dead plant and he doesn't even know it - I can't grow shit for beans - maybe weeds....that's about it

the online poker world has a new playa to hate -Antonio Esfandiari - he's been catching shit for the article he wrote about going out and clubbing - but I don't see what the problem is - sheeeit - we all wanna go out late at night, get in the VIP room, meet up with the party girls in the tight pink or black dresses with no panty lines, and tell the day job to go to hell - why they're pissed at him for wanting to do it is well, obvious - been catching a lot of hell on 2+2 about it and even Paul Phillips joked in his blog that he wasnt' "that cool" and needed to tone it down - (that from Antonio's website, which is also over the top in many ways)

I do like one line from that article - he credits to Mr. Vorhaus - "You're born broke, you die broke, everything else is just fluctuation"

but he ain't Phil Hellmuth - not even close

there is a bad vibe in the world this week, a week where the juju, mojo, and grace of God were not sufficient to hold back the powers of darkness from killing 15 people over false reports of US soldiers flushing the Koran down the toilet during interrogation, or to prevent a guy from killing a family and kidnapping two kids - I'm attempting to counteract it's effects by sitting on my balcony in my soft chair while typing/playing an online tourney in the cool evening - got up to 60 today so it's almost bearable.

A week where I couldn't motivate myself to do shit except clean up loose ends and burn trash in the fireplace instead of just putting it on a bag and carrying it out

a week where I kept remembering Jesus say "blessed are the peacemakers" and I kept wondering where the fuck they were - cause they aren't in his church or those who claim to speak in his name.

bad juju this week - bad juju.

RB

ah - yes - I do love blogging in the recliner -

I think I have band practice, but if I don't hear from our drummer, it's postponed -

took a final table today on a small (155) player game - of course, it was 9th place - LOL - unusual for Pokerstars to have such a small field on it's tourneys - ran into AA at least twice - once was bad, but I had the chips to stay in it - 2nd time, KQ suited no good -

but I can't lie - I sucked out twice on a 3 outer - LOL - ah well -

I have been hot....seeing when I'm winning and when I'm losing and generally getting my money in with the best of it - lots of great results in SNG's - 5 1st/2nd place finishes in the last 11, and those were 18/27 player games, so a bit more dough in finishing in the top two - I think I have enough time for one more 9 player one before going to practice - LOL

edit - of course I'm out 7 minutes when my boat runs into quads - it was 4's, and I thought my opponent would have to be an extreme idiot to play a 4 in that spot, but NEVER underestimate the ability of someone to make a stupid call playing "sooted" cards

RB

jesus...what did I drink...

In my last 10 sit and go's (most of which were 18 person, though one was a 27 person one) I placed 1st or 2nd 4 times -

placed in a satellite -

not stellar - but when I die, it's usually with a 50/50 tossup or they come from behind, it's not like I can't tell when I'm beaten and let it go -

ever since leaving Laughlin, I seem to have gotten better at poker....LOL

tell you what though...I'm dropping Party poker...a man can always push with AK vs a chump who calls with K7, but you can't stop the little prick from hitting, and I'm getting tired of little pricks, so I'm outta there....

I shall play no more on Party Poker forever...(and if it's not for the lucky little pricks, it's for all the pussy data mining assholes who think winning at poker is all about playerview/pokertracker - little dickwads...

RB

been doing some math.

At the beginning of this yr. I had 4 $5 chips from places I've played poker at - (I collect a $5 from every place I play at) -

Right now, I have 12 new ones...

Wynn
MGM Grand
Aladdin
Imperial Palace
Harrahs
Bellagio
Flamingo
Sahara
The Mirage

and 3 from Laughlin

River Palms
Riverplace
Colorado Belle -

It's nice to get out once in a while - LOL

RB

Whiskey Girl, by Gillian Welch - good for cold spring nights...

Nowhere man and the whiskey girl
Nowhere man and the whiskey girl
They loaded up for a weekend
in the underworld

I'd take you down, Honey if I could
I'd take you down, Honey if I could
We'd find a place in the sunshine
We'd be feeling good

Don't you know that it ain't a crime
Don't you know that it ain't a crime
If all the squares and the junkmen
Think you're out of line

Nowhere man and the whiskey girl
Nowhere man and the whiskey girl
They loaded up for a weekend
in the underworld

In the late months of 1941, the Soviet Union was facing a critical shortage of manpower. This defies our understanding of the Russians, but the fact is a number of factors contributed to a shortage of Red Army soldiers in the Fall of 1941, to such an extent that only the Russian Winter saved Moscow from falling.

Where did all the troops go? They were wasted by their commanders. Russian tactics consisted of every man charging at the enemy, even if troops didn’t have rifles. German Tanks? – No problem, Comrade – try to throw yourself in to the gears and slow it down – This was the extent of Russian tactics in 1941. The Human Wave, with enemies in front, and officers with submachines in back gunning down anyone who retreated contributed to a much shorter lifespan for the average Russian soldier. With winter came reinforcements and Siberian reserves, as well as the new T-34 tank would contribute to a change in tactics in 1942. Now the Russians could attack like the Germans. They could launch Armored Spearheads, or they could retreat till the Germans advanced so far their reserves/supplies were strained and troops could be sealed off in urban areas. In the case of Stalingrad, they sealed off an entire German Army.

In the same way, one can read thru the 2+2 boards on any given day and read about how someone discusses how someone else has failed to play properly because he didn’t bet/raise at every stage of the game. Some pros (Chris Ferguson, for one) completely advise against any open-limping ever, in ring or tourney games. But I think the fully realized player would use varying tactics against different opponents, just as he would on a battlefield.

Or to give another example, if we were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, the forums would be full of people saying that one cannot truly win at poker unless he plays Rock, and Rock will crush your opponents and furthermore, they made $50000 last month on Partypoker playing Rock  - but in this case, I think they’ve fallen prey to the “One size fits all” syndrome.

Opponent limping too much? - Raise –
Opponent betting too much? – Raise
Opponent raising too much? - Reraise – (ooh….something different – not really) –

The expert poker player realizes that there is a no one-size fits all solution. (much to the dismay of those hundreds of people who focused on David Sklansky’s “System” to the exclusion of all the other wisdom in TPFAP) – He knows when to raise/bet, and he knows when to limp in anticipation of winning a big pot if he hits, and he knows how to trap, esp. vs. characters are more concerned with their PFR statistic in Pokertracker then they are concerned with the stat that shows what they’ve won.

Poker isn’t a game of perfect strategy – this is good, because if it were, everyone would use it and no one would ever win. Without a doubt, a good game of Tight/Aggressive play will work against the majority of your opponents, but recognize situations when it won’t work as well. Poker is like war – Parry, Feint, Trap, and Defend – One tactic is the better choice depending what your opponent does, and it’s not always hitting the raise button. –

In fact, anytime anyone ever tells you there’s an absolute in poker (besides not mucking your cards till you see the winning hand turned over) – think twice before buying his book.

RB

snagged another 100 bucks in 20 min. this morning when playing a quick NL session before bed. Got out an hr. early due to some extra training a couple weeks ago, so I probably made more money then if I had been working - LOL

I'm trying to remember why I don't usually play NL - I seem to have the patience for it, and the timing - I think I had set under set a couple times and dropped 100 bucks - that didn't help - LOL. - and it takes a hell of a lot of nerve -
and of course, a tourney is a lot more fun then a NL game

I always chicken out too - I double up and then I become scared money - I want to protect my dough - you can't be that way - but I feel better about my skill level in this game then most (hell, it earned me 10000 AP's and a copy of Doyle's book and $400 extra cash playing dime/quarter NL, so it can't be too bad for me

That hand at the Wynn was unnerving - so was this one - limp with KJ offsuit - get raised to a few more bucks, so I call -

Flop KQ9 - I bet, he raises double, so I call
Turn 10 - he checks, I overbet (50 bucks in the pot - drop 75 on him) and he calls with AA

Both times, I had the 2nd best hand - not the nuts - (37 made a st8 at the Wynn, and AJ made his hand here) - but what can you do...

I've also gotten really good at using the flop to manuiplate the turn - bet flush draws early to get free cards on turn/the free card C/R - if I see a flop and want to keep playing, I can usually do it cheaper by betting then by check calling - that's great that I can see those options fall together now -

and that was it - from $100 to $200 - just like that.

I certainly can't play it around here - (turtle lake is all) - so it's online or somewhere else. I was actually thinking of going to Turtle Lake, but I found out fishing season started 58 minutes ago which means northern roads are clogged for hell.

So I'm gonna go see a band with my friend Adam tomorrow, hopefully - we'll see how that goes -

RB

my anger at the previous night's activities has pretty much faded out -

either the kid is full of shit, he's dead, or he's alive and in the psych ward - nothing I can do about it now, but I see where the moderators took action vs. a few palooka's who were the worst offenders -

shhhheeeeit - I've got 4 days off coming up again - what the hell am I gonna do with my time...I have no idea.

RB

gawd, I really, REALLY hope this is a joke -

first post
second post
third post

if it is, it's sicker then hell, but so were the responses to it all -

RB

Day 1 - As some of you are aware, I again pondered a trip to LV last week. It would appear I have more friends in other cities then I do in this one anymore – maybe I should quit puking in their apts -It was then pointed out that I could go visit FeliciaLee for a cheap room rate – the plan became to fly into Vegas, rent a car, and drive down.

I do my usual thing of asking for an exit row at the check-in counter before starting (extra leg room) – I get my seat and realize that the armrests don’t go up and because there are two exit windows on each side (I’m in the first one) that my seat doesn’t go back at all.

Hell no…ah hell no man.

I find an empty row two back, and proceed to crash on my back on them, while the two kids directly behind cry and kick the seat every few min…but I’ve been awake all night working, so I collapse and barely feel it after 5 min. and have a nice short trip into Vegas and we’re near the landing before I know it.

Rent the car – start the drive – directions are easy but the radio sucks – I understand that Nevada probably has a higher quotient of Latinos in the area, but do they need that nasty mariachi music on 12 stations? – ay carumba…- and power lines – everywhere power lines – I don’t have the heart to tell Felicia they cause cancer and she may have gotten it driving under 5000 of them between Laughlin and Vegas once a week.

Roll into River Palms, get a decent “buy one, get one free” hotel stay – (30 bucks for 2 nights….this definitely isn’t Vegas) - go down to ye ol’ poker room and start gambling – I get my first comparison to Russell Crowe and watch folks drop bloody Mary’s, but I get no cards, and well, these guys are rocks so after a couple hrs I decide to go take a nap (never got the sleep I needed) and come back for the tourney at 6:30

There’s Felicia at 6:30 pm with the dark hair now – Glenn asks if I can drive her home, but in agreeing to do so, I make a mental note to not drink whiskey during the tourney, thereby sealing my loss early on.

I slowplay AA and transform victory into defeat shortly after break and drop another $50 or so in a 2/6 spread limit game – Felicia has a neighbor that gives her a ride home, so now at this point, I have begun the ritual of loading up on whiskey like I usually do the first night in Vegas. – (no Jameson, but Tullamore Dew is decent) – I got a buzz surprisingly easy and fast and pondered whether I was weakening in my old age when I remembered I hadn’t eaten for oh, 18 hrs – whoops –

Lest I appear too drunk suddenly, the fates saved me by putting a pathetically plastered guy at our table who proceeds to hit on the tournament winner (a cute blonde dealer from Riverplace who’s boyfriend is 4 chairs over) – the management immediately focuses on him and anything that may suggest I’m slightly plastered is overlooked – nevertheless, I stop for awhile and let the head/stomach catch up. I know I won’t be sleeping for hrs and will be driving on cop central if I need another poker game, so I slow down.

Sure as hell, they say they can’t serve him anymore, and he says ok, grabs his chips and leaves – They naively assume he’s going home to sleep it off but as I inform Glenn (Felicia’s husband who deals there) – if a drunk poker player won’t play poker cause they won’ t serve him anymore, then he’s going somewhere else to drink – I also noticed when I left an hr. later a cop car outside the door to the hotel, so maybe he didn’t leave the casino and had to be asked to leave – I dunno.

2:30 comes, and I have to leave Palms because the last game shuts down – but Riverside place has a couple still, so they call ahead for me and I go there and lose more money – some terrible cards in Laughlin – just couldn’t catch a break the first day.

Left the second poker room still down at 5am – walked by a roulette wheel, and noticed an obscene preponderance of red and almost nothing in the middle section being hit so I decided to put $100 into some small bets on the 2/1 – 3/1 spots – I turned $100 into $240 and went back to Riverpalms where on the way to the hotel room, some BJ players informed me I had to sit in cause the dealer was spewing chips - it may have had something to do with the big high 5 I got from one guy for my Homer Simpson shirt, or the girl he was sitting next to - she was so tight I coulda bounced a quarter off her ass, but no matter – I decided to sit down and get blackjack the first hand – I think I got 3 in 6 shoes - I got another $40 at Blackjack on mini 5 buck bets before quitting near 6am and ending my night on a near even basis - with Roulette and BJ canceling out Poker - Caught the sunrise outside on the river bench, went into the café and got some French dip, then rolled my sorry ass into bed at 7am with a mental note and an alarm set to wake up at 10 for the 11am tourney.

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

Day 2 – ah hell, does my mouth taste like crap….get up – curse the day, and go back to bed after shutting off that stupid alarm at 10am – woke up finally about two, showered, and had to go right to riverplace because river palms only has a 2/4 game going – I think I only dropped about $100 or so before the tourney – Found out Felicia couldn’t make this tourney cause she was feeling bad – so I put $10 bucks into food, 10 into video slots waiting for the tourney to start, and then bang – $50 for a 3 table tourney.

The tourney - - ah yes – 3 tables – 6 players get paid – It’s sort of a shootout but the top 2 instead of the top one goes on to the final table, and chip count stays the same – I got one lucky suckout (AQ vs QQ) but manage to have the best hand vs. 3 other folks to get the coveted #2 seat in chip count (one girl had the #1 chip count from another table) – I also took a 20 buck rebuy at the final table because everyone was doing it who had the most chips (not the short stacks) - and it paid to the top 2, so I felt assured I was in.

Two dropped quickly - a bit of a LAG on the third, and then three of us. Myself, another Minnesota tourney player who was a bit of a pro, and the most over emotional, tight wound kid I’ve ever seen who was obscenely tight. (His name is Billy, for all you Laughlin regulars – most folks knew him, including people at the next casino I described him to) - He was tight enought that I was able to repop a couple reraises with 55 and get him to lay down AK. But eventually, if he keeps limping, staying steady, one of us has to hit the chip leader - and it was unfortunately, me

In that terrible way, I got pot committed with the chip leader and sure as hell, my A9 ran into JJ and that was that – no help and I took 3rd and $250 – putting my profit above the 40 dollar mark – made up my losses and then some of the poker money I dropped that day.

So I need to go dump my profit, of course, and since Felicia is gone, there’s only one poker room I still wanna visit that she is alas, not visiting anymore – COLORADO BELLE, BABY

It was closed the previous night for new carpet being laid in – I get in and of course, more 2/6 spread limit with a kill pot – I take a seat with $130 and proceed to lose it all and never win a single hand – But for my $130 bucks I got some nice entertainment.

You see, there are these obscenely big black bugs that come out during a wet spring in Laughlin – I spot one on a guy’s neck in the Belle, and it occurs to me that I should get it off him – we flick it far off and it lands 7 feet back on the carpet behind us and keeps crawling.

I see it head right for a table, and the honorable thing to do, of course, is to say something to the table. But I’m bored, so I say nothing and wait for the fun to start. I’m sure I’ve earned bonus points in hell -

3 min. later, a woman SCREAMS and jumps up from the table, causing half the table to jump – el buggo is up her leg going up a dress - they knock him off again and out of kindness, I chase it down and squash it into the Belle’s nice NEW carpet (whoops) – 10 min. later another guy has one coming up his shirt – we can’t find where that bastard went, but my smooshed one was still there. So of course, everyone is grabbing loose pantlegs, shirts, and feeling itches everywhere –

I go up to get a sandwich and watch a 30 something drunk guy hit on the 18 year old Subway worker who’s still in HS with a boyfriend… - that'll teach her to be friendly and smile at drunk customers

But all’s well that ends – and I end down $100 or so from when I first set foot in Laughlin – back to the hotel early and bed at 1am (sleeping off the remnants of the hangover and bad sleep from yesterday) and get ready for my drive back to Vegas the next day.

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

Day 3 - I have three goals for the day. – First is to get to the Aladdin for the 1pm tourney – I miss the turn from the road just East of the strip and revise my plan to hit the Imperial Palace tourney at 1pm - it actually starts at 7pm on Tuesdays – bad way to start the day so far

Second is to go to the Mirage and get a bootleg from someone I know who is playing the tourney at the Mirage – I walk in and see no Stud tourney starting and am about to leave when I ask and they say, go up the steps to where the Sports book is – oh, there’s the tourney, but it’s not Stud – it’s the goddamn PPT – Professional Poker Tour

Yes, I have to walk thru tables populated by Paul Phillips, Jennifer Harmen, Ted Forrest, Clonie Gowen, Andy Bloch and every friggen WSOP/WPT winner (except Gavin, who apparently skipped it - and Daniel N. who busted out early - LOL) - I'm standing in line trying to ask where the guy I know is and son of a bitch, Carlos Mortenson is behind me trying to find out where his seat is located – but I chicken out and stare from the rail for 10 min. for fear Security will boot me if I go thru the floor staring at pros playing poker and 10 min. from another side before I see the guy I’m looking for – I walk over, grab the disk, talk chat for a min, and I’m gone.

I’ll tell you something – I’d like to think that I’ll be in that tourney someday – maybe in a year or two, but until I am, I don’t wanna set foot in that crowd – too many goddamn pros and I'm the third stringer - I have not received the – I could throw a brick and kill 4 of them with one throw as it bounced from head to head – so I hightail it back to the IP parking garage and onto goal 3 – the WYNN poker room.

Let me give some advice – when going to the Wynn – only take LV Bvld – and do NOT TAKE the first exit you see that says self parking – that leads to the hotel front gate and thank god it only took me 10 min. to get out and into the 2nd turn to the parking garage – once down the elevator, the poker room is 15 feet away –

Sit down at a 4/8 table and I recognize most of the floor from Canterbury, and I proceed to drop about $180 – again – I’m just not getting anything – I’m loosening up trying to do to other players what they do to me, but it’s not happening – so with $120 left, I get up and go to the ½ NL game for a change of pace.

A LOT more tourists here – and I make a few big hands – (including one where I flopped trip Q’s and had two all in’s) - and blow a big one where the guy played 10/7 for a st8 – I didn’t think he’d draw to a gutshot, but it turns out he had an open ended with the 10 – so I’m down to 220 and fight back up to $260 when this hand occurs –

Again QQ – raise to 20 bucks and one guy (who bought in for $1000 – no cap at the Wynn) calls – he’s fairly tight/aggressive – but he’s not afraid to bully with that stack.

Flop comes Q35 rainbow – He checks and I joke “Do you have a set of Q’s” and check the flop. Turn comes with a 2nd spade – the 6 and in the largest bet I saw all day, the guy comes right in saying “150” – a MASSIVE over bet that I think he intended to use to knock me of AA or KK – I can’t imagine he made a st8 and called a 20 buck bet preflop with this stuff, so of course, I reraised and then he’s pot committed and calls –

He doesn’t show his cards (cause he doesn’t have to apparently thought I could have forced him to) – and I drop my QQ up on the table before the last card and it’s good for a $550 pot, probably the biggest I’ve ever won in one hand in my LL slumming. Because he said he was on a flush draw, I can only presume he had AK of spades – that’s the only way I can imagine him making an overbet that big trying to get me off the hand.

With that, and only an hr. to go, my profits were assured – I played in a couple more hands but couldn’t shake that $550 line – meanwhile, a player who gave his name only as the Duke of East Fremont came to the table with about $20000 in 100 dollar bills – JESUS – dropped them right on the table though he later moved most of them – let me tell you, THAT attracted a rail crowd – LOL

I leave at 9:30 with assurances from a dealer that within a month the Wynn will be so overcrowded you won’t be able to get a game in there w/o a 2 hr wait – I liked it a LOT and it’s probably the best room in Vegas now for vibe and tourist feeding – but alas, it wasn’t meant to be for 3 days –

But hey, always next Sun-Wed at the Poker room rate – LOL

So that is that – I have put a Wynn analysis at 2+2 for the Wynn which gets into a bit more detail on the room specifics like game/rail settings and so forth – but all I’m gonna remember is having top set and hearing $150 and shoving my whole stack of $250 in the pot and praying – what a rush – good times, and I hope to be back…..

And I hope Felicia comes to visit me in Vegas, cause I ain’t going back to Laughlin with it’s tight ass players and 2 foot bugs – LOL – j/k of course, but jesus, that was a big black bug –

RB

I'm whoring away the bonus I may have inadvertantly earned by depositing money for my investment in Gavin's WSOP run - only up about 12 bucks after 25% of play - ah well -

was doing great - then I ran into a guy who played 89% of all his hands, and had so many runner/runner prayers come thru that the table, rather then loosen to deal with the wildcat, tightened up out of, literally, fear of his luck.

One player noted that if he knew every hand he played would be delivered by 2-3 outers on the river and runner/runner hits, that he'd play every hand too - it was a fun table to be at - I barely got out of there with 1BB profit after 90 min.

ah well - here we go again - 30 min, I leave work - walk 3 block to the light rail - take the LR to the airport - go thru security, and gun it to America West flight where I will go to Vegas. This time though, I rent a car, get on a SW freeway, and check out Laughlin, NV for a couple days before going back to Vegas my last day to see the Wynn.

funny....all the traveling I've done as of late makes a 99 mile drive look trivial - roll into Palms - check out the room, MAYBE nap - and be ready for if Felicia/Glenn show up for these juiced tourneys I'm hearing about -

should be a good time - playing poker with friends instead of strangers from around the country - a nice way to wrap up the trilogy of Vegas Trips I plan on making before the New York trip in July.

just the same, I am starting to hate airplanes - I've had more room in a Volkswagon rabbit.

RB

well, the tkt's have been purchased and the car has been rented...

on advice from my attorney, I've decided to visit Laughlin and raid those cheapass juiced tourneys that Felicia has recommended to me -

and to go visit Felicia - still gotta fly into Vegas and rent a car and drive to Laughlin - (I hate driving in unfamiliar cities) but I'll figure it out as I go, I guess. It'll just be 3 days, but I didn't see her last time due to the cancer diag/effects, so I can finally watch her play a tourney in action.

and I'll swing thru Wynn on Tuesday just so I can play there before leaving - before driving to the airport, ditching the rental, and getting back to business.

so tomorrow is packin' day - AGAIN - jeez. - but this time it's more for personal reasons - if she was gonna be gone, I wouldn't go, to be honest - I'd blow $800 building a new computer - instead, I'm now gonna blow it on totally different evildeeds - LOL

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

ah yes....screw the OIC and that LL 50 cent stuff - I'm back on 2/4 clearing a bonus on Pokerstars for a $600 deposit -

problem is I only have $150 - Heh - $450 got transferred right out.

For reasons which are based in my failure to invest in the Fossilman backing deal 3 yrs ago (which netted the investors 40-50K each for a miniscule investment, I heard) - I have decided to back a nice kid I know, Gavin Griffin in the next WSOP -

Gavin won a WSOP event last yr - the PL one for $270000 - I've alluded to comments made over his ex-gf in the last yr - and for $450 I have invested a half percent in his results in approx. 25 tourneys during the WSOP, including the main event -

his one win last yr. woulda tripled said investment, and he had a hell of a run on Pokerstars, and quite frankly, I'm not gonna make it AGAIN this yr. for this tourney.

so what do I do? - I send my pinch hitter in - good luck Gavin - my attorneys will be in contact with you if u lose.

RB

ah yah, baby...may be the most BB I can recall winning in a hand in the last yr..

PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Ah, Ac.

1 fold, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls, MP1 calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, 4 folds, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: (9.50 SB) Ad, Kc, 7c (4 players)

UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, UTG+2 folds, MP1 calls, Hero 3-bets, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Turn: (9.25 BB) 8s (3 players)

UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, MP1 calls, Hero 3-bets, UTG+1 caps, MP1 calls, Hero calls.

River: (21.25 BB) 8c (3 players)

UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, MP1 folds, Hero 3-bets, UTG+1 caps, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 29.25 BB

Results in white below:

UTG+1 has Kh 8h (full house, eights full of kings).
Hero has Ah Ac (full house, aces full of eights).
Outcome: Hero wins 29.25 BB.

ah hell....now it's only $193 to fly to Vegas for 3 days - why do I do this to myself....LOL

I don't know why I do this to myself - I must be really bored with Minneapolis - of course, last week, I bought a recliner and watched DVD's non-stop - not exactly a stellar course of action.

Of course, if I had a honey back here in Minneapolis, I'd be taking her with me...- on second thought, no, I'd just not be going - and if I were dead broke like other people I know working two jobs or paying heavy medical, I wouldn't do it...

but I can do whatever I want whenever I want esp. on my days off. - the joys of being free and single, I guess.

I could really slum it this time - New Frontier for 45 bucks a night and walk over to the Wynn - THAT would rock - to see the new room and some of the Canterbury regular dealers who moved -

I'm probably just talking out of my ass - but what the heck - what else do I have going on, really - nothing of any real importance in this town - not right now and not at this time....I can postpone a trip - I even have time to withdraw a couple hundred for a BR - LOL -

Well, I think I have a day or two to think about it - it'd be same ol' same ol' - fly in Sun. morning, stay till Tues evening when I fly back out to a Wed. 5am arrival in Mpls - home to bed and back to work that evening - (adding the ol' violin lesson in there) -

otherwise, I'm probably gonna blow about $500 in computer parts....LOL - nah...more like 700 - If I'm gonna upgrade the PC, I'm gonna do it right...

and maybe if I concentrated on my best limit games I could make some nice ch-ching - given that I did great there last time at those games, it's probably worth an effort to stay away from craps/roulette and give it a shot...

ah well, give me a couple days to think about it -

RB

for reasons known only to God and country....

I have decided to try another round of the Open Internet Challenge -

The Challenge is simple - put $50 into a poker account and play at.50/$1 poker (it used to be $40, but I make it 50 to give me a bit of a smaller jump that first level and cause no online site will let you less then $50

as your bankroll increases you move up as follows

$50 - .5/$1
$80 - $1/$2
$160 - $2/$4
$240 - $3/$6
$400 - $5/$10
$800 - $10/$20
$1600 - $15/$30 - (should be 20/40 but Party doesn't have that game)

and at $2000, you win - cashout, rinse, repeat.

I've tried this a number of times - got close twice - but never succeeded -

there are certain tactics one must take into consideration - for one, bankroll variance MUST be reduced as if you were playing a tourney - be a little less bold about betting your draws - doesn't mean you don't play them....I just wouldn't bet them as much.

You obviously seek higher pot games - and one with a moron is preferable - and I personally play only one game at a time when doing it - I like to concentrate on the players to extract maximum profit and then move on.

can't afford to tilt, and if you lose more then a level or two, it's best to go back down to it and start again - but that just depends -

my limit game is better then it was last time, so this shouldn't be the worst thing - but I hate the raggidy shit that people play at .50/$1 - LOL

gives my brain something to do - I like goal based competitions -

RB