The long walk home

Alrighty then. When I last wrote about my trip, my mind was all over the map. I am not even sure if it made sense, but I'm not about to go back now and edit it... so you get what you get, as always.

After tilting off another buyin at the 1/2 table and not really feeling that drunk at all, I decided that it was time to just... let it be. I really have no other way to describe it. I had been there for less that 24 hours and was already tilting. I tried to find LJ and sent here a text, no response. She was still steaming from the beating she took from Bayne.

I walked around and kept hearing the blokes sing "whooooaaaaa Ricky Hatttttuuun" and it was starting to get to me. I realized the dead money I had left behind and tilted some more. I didn't, however, reach into my pocket and pull out more cash. Phew.

Anyway, I rail Fuel for a while and realize that the Cowboy's are spewing cash, so he's not going anywhere. I meet up with Blinders, HighonPoker and Recess and we all grab a ride with Blinders.

Then my prayers are answered. Blinders is Da Man! Jordan is in, Recess is out, so he meets up with LJ and they text me telling me that they are going to get food. Little did I know that this meant a BK burger (it's probably about 2am at this point, but my memory is still a fuzz bucket)... If I had known that, I would have left the craps table and met up (for the "best double cheese burger ever"). I didn't, and I paid, dearly.

However, this was not of the financial sorts. I paid, all the way home. I guess it was about 4 or 4:30 by the time I realized that it was getting late. LJ was leaving and I really should have just left then and there. I asked Alan where the BK was and he gave me very very simple directions... that I could not follow... so I walked right past the fucking BK, starving. So what do I do? I keep walking!! All the way fucking home. It had to be at least 500 miles (ok it was less than 2km)... but man I don't think I've ever swore at myself so many times, in so little time.

And I was scared too. All I could think about (aboot) was how stoopid I was. Why was I walking? Why didn't I turn around and spend the $10 for a cab. All I could keep thinking to myself is "why the fuck didn't I listen to Pauly, it's not rocket science!"

I had my whole roll in my front left pocket. I was nervous... I did not want to be the next one...

So I threw my hands in my jeans and picked up the pace. I started to walk beside this hot chick and she grabbed her cell phone and pretended to talk to someone... so, being the genius that I can sometimes be, I decided to do the same. We both were walking together, speaking to no one.

I had to laugh. But it worked! I'm not about to get in a fight over money. If someone has the balls to confront me, then I am sure I'll fold. So me and the phone chick hit the "S curve" (most of you should know the one) that is on the way back to the Paris from the IP. Of course, there's a bunch of drunks just laying all over the shicane pounding away at their BIG beers and look like they just need money. If it was daytime, I might have flipped them some change. Overall, I wasn't overly concerned, but you just never know. After all, it's Vegas!


So me and my new girl split up shortly after I make the turn left, up the escalator and down the overpass. I have visions of getting jumped by the floor cleaning dude (weird that someone cleans the concrete at 4:30am?? ummmm yeah.) and thought I was being set up. Keep in mind, I am totally sober by now. So why am I trippin'? It's Vegas!

Anyway, I get back home, I grab two bottles of water and a sleeve of Pringles. When I get to the room I fear that I might wake the sleeping giant. I slowly open the door, and creep inside as quiete as a mouse, into my house. But much to my surprise, no one was there... not even Fuel-fifty-five.

Did I just bust out a rhyme?

I got skills.

Ok, so I wake up around noon... still starving. I had now had 2 meals in 36 hours. It was time for lunch! We head over the Venetian and get some Noodles with Alan and JV.

Tourney starts, I don't win. Nuff said.

We head to the Mirage for some Japanese, then head back and watch the final table.

The Rooster is the Champ!

Overall, I had a great (and by great I mean, ONE of a kind...) trip. If I come up with anything else worthy of a post... you'll be the first to know.

later.

Why post...?

If it's not about poker...right? Which is basically how I've felt over the past week. Not sure why... although it really has nothing to do with what he said, considering I have been feeling the same way about this space for a long time now, and if you have read between the lines... you'll know what I'm getting at.

Anyway, I'll probably finish off my trip report and go from there.

Then who knows when I will post something next, I guess it will just hit me and I will feel the urge.

I'll be at the Riverchasers tonight so maybe I will just paste a bunch of hand histories to keep the masses happy... although I don't see how that could provide anyone of you takers some sort of benefit... so it would purely be all about me and making me better (with your help).

I hope you all had a totally ghey Christmas filled with love and laughs and all that other mandatory, feel good, let's not rock the boat, sort of mushy crap.

It's almost time to reflect on 2007 and maybe even put down a poker goal or two for 2008... what a concept!

Non Poker Post AKA Chad don't read this

I just scored a ticket to the Canucks game tonight (vs. Dallas) so I won't be able to rail my top 6. Seeing as its a 3 table sitngo I guess I will have to read all about it when I get back. Anyone going to live blog this sucker? These types of chances only come along once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. So play smart and play hard!

Good luck to everyone.

Here are my top 6:

1. Lucko21
2. Fuel55
3. Cracknjokesallthetimeandwontreadmybloganymoreaces
4. RecessRampage
5. Iggy the drunk
6. Astin

Take it down fellas.


Beers, beers, beers.

Save the Drama fo yo Mamma

Seeing all this bickering back and forth was a bit annoying to say the least. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

This is not what I signed up for. After sifting through all the drama, I'm leaning towards taking a break from all this crap.

Hopefully people will start to calm down and the verbal wars will come to a close shortly.

Katitude said it best.

RESPECT each other and things will be happy happy.

It's like taking candy from American babies

No, this is not a Vegas trip report. That will have to wait.

So I thought I would put up a brag post. Everyone's doin' it:

Like my team name?

Seriously, this is easy money (mobney is worth more) and the more American's that play this, the better it is for me!

So come along for the ride and donate!

I really should play in these everyday... but I usually only join one on Canucks' game nights.

If I had taken Luongo last night I would have lapped the field. Often I feel like if I take any Canucks I'll jinx them...

Good luck tomorrow to all those luckboxsack TOC qualifiers.

May the BEST BLOGGING POKER PLAYER win.

Prelude to a long walk home

When I say home, I really mean our hotel - The Paris. I tend to use that term when I go away on vacation, for no other reason than a slip of the tongue. I will often correct myself the first time, but after that I just use the term as one in the same.

Thursday night was interesting. So many people, so many unknowns. I did recognize more than my fair share just based on the pictures I had skimmed over from the previous gatherings. I immediately recoginized Astin as I had met up with him in my home town sometime in the summer for dinner over at the Rock with Fuel. Then I recognized Pauly... you can't not recognize that guy. He's like the Tiger Woods of Poker Bloggers. Not just in the "wow there's Tiger woods over there, let's get his autograph" but in the "man that dude can write some pretty cool shit. His flow is unmatched, and his style is contagious." Check out his wicked trip posts if you haven't already (of course you have, who am I kidding). And while you're at it, check out Derek's post too. Just awesome stuff.

Dr. Pauly is so easy to pick out in a crowd because there is always someone trying to get his attention. I stood back and soaked in the atmosphere and watched the masses flow in from various directions surrounding the hooker bar. I then met GCox. He bought me a beer, and then decided to ask who I was... what a great guy. He made me feel very comfortable right away, and I couldn't think of a better person to meet next based on all the great things that everyone has already written about him.

I then met the rest, of which I am not about to name for the fear of missing one or two. I do remember sitting down with Iggy for a bit and that was a great way to start. I also met up with Alan and LJ and we decided to get some food. We tried the IP, but the service was so brutally slow that we bolted before the bad beat occured. We cut our losses (time only) and went over to Harrahs for some grub. That is when I realized what a big eater LJ is. She ordered what I had (quesadilla's) AND a philly cheese steak... with fries. LJ (the bubbler) had just bubbled her first of many to come and it was great to grab a table and finally put the face to a couple of names that I had been chatting with over the past few months. Good times. It was about 4am by the time we were done so we grabbed a cab and headed back home.

----
We woke up at the crack of nine on Friday morning. After getting a decent night's sleep (approx. 4 hours) Fuel and I headed over to the Rio to grab some of his stashed cash. I went and got in line at the cafe and he grinded out his options of how to get a nice chunk of change that he had left there from his last trip... the Series.

Breakfast was, just ok. I mean you can't go wrong with a bunch of your morning staples, but there is something to be said about a plate full of greasy sausage patties.... yummmmmmmyuck. The first one went down just fine, however by the time I hit the third one I felt ill. I should have just stacked them like pancakes (a la Fuel) and hammered them down. I even tried coffee! Yes, you may find that a bit odd that I am even mentioning such a small detail. So I'll let you in on a little unknown fact - I don't drink coffee. I've had less than ONE cup in 2007 and I broke that semi-streak on Friday.... and I actually liked it! Well, the first few sips anyway... The caffine was all I needed so I toughed it out and drank it down. I'm thinking of starting it up on a regular basis very soon for the sole purpose of a caffine boost. A Red Bull each morning could have a longer term effect me thinks... and this is why I drink water for the most part. As I get older, I think coffee will be the answer.

Ok, so Fuel, Kurokitty and myself win breakfast after Kuro and Gnome show up and we RPS for the bills. 1 up. Thanks Mark!

We hop into Dan's rent-a-stang and head over to the Venetian, I get my players card and sit down at a 1/2 table. Nothing much to show for it except a few beers and a $42 loss. MiamiDon, CC, Recess and Kurokitty were there throughout the session. I was still getting my feet wet and was encouraging the people that I did know to introduce me to the those that I didn't yet meet. At times it was difficult to get up and meet everyone that passed by, but Don was good about letting people know who I was (Zeem, Weak, Bayne etc.). I was a bit overwhelmed with meeting so many people in such a small period of time. My only fear was that I would forget who I had already met and introduce myself for a second time... sound familiar?

We head to the Bellagio and have a nice private dinner at Prime. I decided not to high card for my portion and curse myself the rest of the night for not taking the risk... it's Vegas! This would be ONLY place that I should be doing that. Instead I chickened out along with LJ, CC and Alan and opted for the buyout. 1 down.

We swung by the poker room and we cruz past "Bobby's Room." I spot a few knowns such as Sammy Farha and Patrik Antonius (I had to wipe the drool from LJ's lower lip) and then spot Barry "the Robin Hood of poker" Greenstein" walking right beside me. I contemplate getting a picture, and then decide against such a dorkmove and just moved on.

We grabbed a cab. We get in and it really fucking stinks. Like shit. We look at each other and finally LJ says something like "dude you should really undo your windows and drive around a bit if you are going to FART before you pick people up." Classic. I busted out laughing (quietly to myself as best I could) and the rest of us just snicker while we hold our breath and beg for a window to be cracked. Stinky beat.

MGM mixed games... what are those? I bailed. I didn't think I could hack it. In hindsight it is one of the very things I regret not doing the most. I really should have given it a try. For various obvious reasons. One, I got smoked at 1/2 NL anyway. Two, I could have met a lot of cool bloggers a lot faster (call it blogger speed dating if you will). Three, I could have actually won some money donking it up and calling down some crazy pineapple hand I had no business being in. Fun! Oh well, next year I plan on playing more of these types of games and socializing (now that I know a few more people) and less time trying to grind out small marginal wins.

I must say it was fun to watch Bayne run over the table, raise blind with pocket kings against Grubby, and eventually felt-tilt LJ in the process. I think he walked away with 4 or 6 times his buyin. Lucksackbox.

I was drunk. I am 100% sure that 90% of my losses came between the hours of 1am and 4am each night. I would just donk it up like I never have before. I mean I've never claimed to be a good cash game player, readers here know that already. I know I can hold my own though, especially against a bunch of tourists. I guess tilting within the first 3 hands really did it to me. I couldn't recover. I was dealt QQ in the SB. UTG raised it to $17 and it folded to me. I re-raised to $45 and UTG called. The flop comes out all rags with 2 clubs. He bets $12! I raise all in for another $140ish (not sure but it was the rest of my initial $200) and he insta-calls!

He flips over - A4clubs.... a club on the turn and I lose it. I was in shock.

I really should have just got out of my seat and tried my luck and 3/6 random games. I wanted revenge. Except the dirty little fish grabbed his (MY) chips and took off!

Phag.

I was choked and I couldn't recover. Obviously, I knew what I should have done. But I didn't and it cost me.

About 4 seat changes later Grubby sits down. Pauly comes over and I finally introduce myself. We chat for a good 5 minutes and the truth is confirmed. He IS the Tiger Woods of poker bloggers. No doubt about it.

Later that night more fun ensues, followed by the dumbest decision I've ever made in Vegas.

To be continued...

Don's Big Game... I'm in

Are you?





Back to back tokens and I am in for one last kick at the BBtwo.

Get yourself a token and I'll meet ya there.

Scribble dabble scrabble

Randomness in my head (AKA still no time for a real post):

* Meeting Dan & Mark for the first time at the Rio for breakfast and then winning RPS (no one brought a deck of cards) for a free meal... nice start!

* Hiring Bayne to carry the book I won at the WPBT tourney for $2 (my newest caddy)

* LJ sneezing a minimum of 4 times per session (she can get on a roll)

* Watching Fuel felt some “egomaniac superstar” at the 2/5 table with 63o… the guy just couldn’t fold his KK.

* Listening to Alan tell some sick sick stories and actually being able to relate.

* Drinking wines from all over the planet and listening to Fuel talk shit about each one.

* Hanging out in Blinders’ car with Jordan…

* Playing a $1 RPS best of 5 with Iggy at 4am trying to coax him back to his winning ways. He won (of course) his first match of the night... but it was only a buck! He read me like a book.

Moving day is tomorrow, have a good weekend everyone!

Quick Random thoughts (pseudo recap)

I' m still not in any way ready to write any type of recap or trip report (who knows if I'll ever get to it, maybe I'll just write a bunch of these random thought type posts) so I thought that I'd jot down some things that come to mind as I pour through the various blogs that have already started posting (where they find the time I have no idea).

As Alan has most recently stated, new friendships have been discovered and made. It's not as if it wasn't going to happen. I mean when you plan to have dinner with a few people you've never met, you are bound to hit it off with at least a couple of them. For me, it was everyone. Each person I spent time with I enjoyed immensily. Whether it be a quick 5 minute chat, or a 4 hour dinner conversation, every single time I had something memorable to take away.

Often it would be something that I would never expect. Sometimes it would be very personal (secrets were divulged), other times it would just be common knowledge in the bloguniverse... and I would get that feeling like I was the last to know! I'd walk away and think to myself "wow this group just keeps getting cooler and cooler man." Great times to say the least and ones that I will never forget.

I'd be lying if I said that I really found that I had something in common with EVERYONE that I met. That's just no possible, and if anyone says that... they're full of shit. It's just not possible. However, everyone I did meet was very kind, open and honest. It made it easy on the new guy for sure.

I do agree though, that there was just never going to be enough time to meet everyone. I read through some of the posts and think to myself "Man that person was there? I didn't even get a chance to meet them!" fuck. If I made a list I am sure I would forget someone, it's just not possible to meet everyone in such a short period of time. There were times where I would recognize someone and not have the balls to initiate the conversation. Not at first anyway. I would often just hangout in the background (for those that really know me, they get it... that's just who I am!) and wait for an opportunity to step in and say hi. I didn't want to intrude, as I found that most of the times someone was having so much fun, I didn't want to stop the flow of constant laughs. So I just laughed along and observed.

Of course, the really great times, the times I will never forget for as long as I live, are the times that I can't really talk about here on the blog. No, it's not what you're thinking, if that's what your thinking... it's more about what I have talked about here before. Not being able to speak freely in this space without regret. I'll give you a prime example: Hangin' with Dr. Pauly.

I'm sure you can figure it out, and if you can't then too bad cuz you either don't know me well enough, or don't know Dr. Pauly at all!

That's it for now, time to hit the grind.

Packing, packing packing!

The Rooster takes it down

Congrats to The Rooster.

Must sleep now.

More after the move.

Much respect to Don. All is good.

Pauly is the King.

Check out this video via the Doc.

Good night now.

The clock ticks...

... and I wait. Although there is so much to do before I go in dealing with the move etc. I have another meeting today after work and that should be the end of it. 3 days after I get back, we pack up and move to a place that is over twice the size of our current abode. I am more pumped about that then this trip, it's so long overdue and I am very happy that I can finally provide the living space necessary for Lola and myself. We've done it together, and I look forward to this next step in our progression of life.

Last night was interesting. I really didn't know that Don could be that annoying when he was drunk (and by drunk I mean a fucking shitfaced slur monkey)... but then again, I don't really know Don from any of the other rowdies that I'll be meeting less than 24 hours from now.

Funny what you learn about people while they are drunk on the radio. It was all in good fun of course, and I don't take any of it personally, except of course, when he got personal. Sure you can call me a donkey, call me whatever you want. Just don't get personal in a space where I have no possible way of responding. I felt like a listener on the Howard Stern show who had no control and no chance to for rebuttle. No worries though, if he tosses me a couple of jem picks this weekend, I'll forgive him. LOL. dink.

He even said he'd play me in golf if I gave him 4 shots... Well, all I can say to that is... you know it's coming... bring it! I'll even play you with someone else's clubs if you want. Any golf prop bet you want dude, I'm in. So let's do this and have some fun.... cockknocker.

I played well last night. I had the chip lead after the second hour and felt like this night could be the night. I had the crew backing me and railing me which was nice and all, but I still was getting mixed feelings as I could overhear the snickering on the radio. Whatever, like I said its all in good drunkin' fun. If I was there, I would have been on the bus and all over it. A part of me wishes I had left one day early just so I could have been a part of all the shenanigans. I'd be lying if I didn't say that it got to me while I was playing... just a little.

I made one big mistake in a SB vs. BB special. I am not sure if Stb was making a move on me with position or not, maybe he'll tell me when we meet this weekend... but I doubt he'll remember since I'm sure we'll be drunk by the time our paths cross.

Anyway, I finished around 10th or 12th with a very sour ending. No need to get into it, you all saw it. Just an unlucky flop and loose preflop call from the button IMO. That's poker. The only thing I regret now is actually signing up in the first place as I could have spent that time much more wisely on doing the boring choring things like packing.

However Lola gave me the go ahead as she knew what was at stake here. How can I honestly pass up a chance at a chance of a lifetime? No chance. I told myself that I would regret it if I didn't at least give it a shot though. Lola, wow she is amazing. I am truly truly lucky to have a woman like her in my life. The most understanding and patient person I know by far. It blows me away sometimes.

I really wish she was coming with me, next time...

12 hours and I'll be on at least my second beer somewhere over Washington State.

Things I hope I get to say in Vegas

In no particular order:

• Sure, another Heiniken please
• See, I told you the Canucks would beat the Penguins
• Hey, can I join the circle? Yeah? Cool, hey Jordan come over and meet these guys...
• All in!
• Oh crap, Iggy really is a midget.
• Nice rack...
• I'm smasssssshed.
• Pai Gow!!!! Man, I suck at this game.
• Hey Don, give me your two can't miss picks of the week... please.
• Buddy really is a doooosh bag.
• I'm fawkin' starving, let's eat.
• I freakin' love Vegas!!
• I fold.
• Hey Alcanthang, I can honestly say this is my first SoCo shooter ever.
• Get away from me Ho biaaaaatch! (and then run)
• Re-raise.
• Where the fuck did Alan go? The Rhino again? That is twice in one day!
• I got this round dude.
• Hey, I told you to slap me silly if you see me at a table game! Now I slap you instead.
• Who wants to start an RPS tourney?
• Fuel... where are we, and how do we get back to our hotel?
• DQB!!!!
• Holy crap, I am the winner.

32 hours.

How many does it take?

When will I learn? I seem to be able to give the advice, but I don't seem to be able to follow it. I had my best Math showing in a very long time last night. I really do love 6 max, it suits my game very well. I decided to take a page out of Blinders' book, and play it the same way I would if it was a full table game, and it worked really well... until there was 10 left.

I have no explanation other than to say, I'm a retard. I was playing well and not getting a whole lot of hands late in the game. I was making the correct folds, laying down AQ on the button to an UTG raise (see Jamy, I can lay down Ace-rag... sometimes). Folding low pocket pairs to the same, etc. For some reason I decide to steal with A7h on the button with an M of just under 7 and open push. Numbono wakes up with AKo in the SB and has me well covered and makes the easy call. IGH in 10th.

Two from the money, but who cares. I wanted to win, I wanted to head to Vegas with a win under my belt. I guess there is still the mookie, but I doubt I'll play as I'll still have a lot of packing (not for Vegas, but for the move) to get done.

Not much else to say right now. Still struggling with the randomness that clutters my brain and can't get out.

My plane leaves in exactly 60 hours.

If you've got nothing going on tonight, try this:

Tournament Details
Date: December 4, 2007
Day of week: Tuesday Nights
Start time: 8:35pm ET
Tournament Name: “Online Poker Blogger Tournament” at Bodog
Entry Password: bodogblogger
Buy-in + fee: $10 + $1
Starting Chips: 3000 (Double Stack)

Get out of my brain

I'm in one of those moods where I have so much to say and I don't know how to say it. I come accross some funny shit every single day that is worth writing about and each time I curse myself for not being able to put it down on the virtual paper.

It would make for a great read, and I just can't seem to pull it off. I can't really classify it as writers block, considering I'm not really... a writer. Not in the way that I want to be... yet, that is. Anway, I guess I'll just keep pluggin' away and see how it turns out.

I guess it's partially because I don't have a whole lot of time to put something down worth posting. Or when I do have a great idea or topic, I'm never around the computer. Or maybe it's because I just don't want to go there (there being more open and honest about daily life) here on this space. I've been contemplating starting up a new blog where I could be more creative and tell "stories" that were "fiction"... although they would be loosely based on real life experiences.

Part of me fears that someone I actually know, that I don't want to know, knows that I have a blog. The other part of me, fears that people will actually start reading it and want more. Then I'll feel even more obligated to write and will eventually hate myself for even starting and then letting myself (and others) down for not following through. I do admit, I really didn't think I'd make it this far. I thought to myself "ahhhh I'll never be at that blogger gathering thingy in December, I doubt I'll be blogging six months from now anyway."

Boy was I wrong.

Anyway, eight days until I set foot in Vegas for my third time in 10 years, and twice in the last two months. I have a feeling that this trip will be much different than the last two.

Maybe I'll obtain a new perspective while I am away. I can take some time to speak with people who probably suffer from the same symptoms from time to time. For now... you get what you get from this brain, it is what it is.

Congrats Fuel You da Man!

A HUGE congrats to Fuel55 who finished in 12th place in the BC Poker Championships. I know he is a bit dissapointed that he couldn't final table the thing but he did a great job and played extremely well to make it that far. He should have a detailed post up shortly, so head on over there and give him the props he deserves. He was in a very good frame of mind the entire tournament and was continuously reciting positives thoughts and mantras as we had discussed over the few days leading up to the big dance.

I was so nervous for him that I decided not to watch most of the tournament and instead kept in contact with him via text messages from the 1/2 cash table on Saturday night. I dropped a half a buy in... no big deal though. When you get a guy to commit his stack after the flop with two over cards and then get sucked out on the river (hit his ace vs. my JJ) then what can you do...

My plan yesterday was to rail him in his quest for the $430K first prize and the TV final table... After he got knocked out at around 1am from Saturday's action I decided that I'd play golf on Sunday morning instead for the first time since I returned from Vegas in October.

No big stories here unfortunately... however I did hole out a putt from off the green of the first hole for a deuce ($10) and then chipped in on the 17th for an eagle (two) on a par four. I thought I might win a skin for that one and win another $300 (roughly) but someone else made an eagle as well and the hole was halfed. No skins, but I did make $20 for my deuces. Net loss was around $30, but the sunshine and the "fresh air" during the round made it for a great day.

I might play in the $10 rebuy tonight if my usual Monday night game doesn't get enough interest.

11 days.

Fake Beer vs. Real Beer

It would take 26211 bottles of O'Douls to kill me


vs.

It would take 24 bottles of Heineken to kill me


I don't think I could do either in the 3 hours they suggest...

"Please Note
These estimates are based on a three hour drinking period and they are not 100% accurate. The potency of drinks often depends on the bartender, metabolism, body type, alcohol proof, and a million other factors. Although the figures shown here are based on having a BAC (blood alcohol content) of .40, death from alcohol poisoning can occur anytime you have a BAC higher than .20. In other words, this is not medical advice. Do not use this as a serious metric for how much you can or should drink."

Ok good thing they told me in advance...

2 more cashes... not in poker

Screw poker. I'm all about Fantasy Sports right now baby!!

The big one is the first one. I've now earned my way into the tournament of champions by way of having the highest weekly score vs. the rest of the field. I've also got the 2nd highest score of the year which could earn me an extra $50 if it holds up.

If you still are undecided on whether you should join FantasySportsLive.

Click here and make it happen: Schaubs

Use bonus code: "Schaubs" if you dare.

Make sure you set your teams early this week. Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers.

15 days!

Bodog Blogger Tuesday Tournaments

For those of you living in a cave somewhere, there is a Tuesday tournament that I think most of you will be interested in joining. Smokkee has been promoting this tournament for a while now and I know that guys like Buddydank seem to be making some money (so you know anyone can do it)...

If you aren't registered at Bodog, I suggest you do so... and fast. Register here at Bodog Poker.

The details of the tournament can be found here so make sure you check it out!!!

You can win real cash (usually paid to the top 3) and they also give away a ton of tourney bucks that can be spent on other tournaments or even sports! Here's a snap shot of the last tournament's results.

Go check it out, you won't be dissapointed!

FantasySportsLive

I participate in the weekly blogger Fantasy Football pools and I really haven't had much success. I think I've finished 2nd once to get back most of my money, but for the most part, I've been a donater. Yesterday I noticed that they added NHL hockey! Helllllloooooo!!!

So at lunch I joined a contest and gave it a try. It is a similar format where you have a cap amount to spend on the various positions. You pick 1 goalie, 2 defense, 2 right wingers, 2 left wingers and 2 centers. I sweated the Canucks game last night (I really thought I needed a shutout from Luongo to get the win) and when they lost in an overtime shootout to Edmonton I thought I was toast. When I logged in this morning this is how it turned out:

So even though the Canucks lost, I still managed to win! The point system is great. I originally had Jagr in there instead of Kane but decided to put Kane in because I had the cap room. Obviously the secret is that you don't HAVE to spend the cap... Anyway I'll take the little boost to the bank roll.

Meanwhile, I get OMGItspokerfool to commit his whole stack early on with TT when I limp, he raises on the button, I reraise 3x and then call his re-reraise all in with my KK (the only hand I raised in the 30 minutes or so I was there). The board comes 9-9-Q-8-J. GG me.

Congrats to Mike Maloney.

Refund

I attempted to satellite into the BCPC last night with Fuel. $85, 3,000 chips and 20 minute levels set this thing for what would eventually be a crap shoot push and fold fest at the end. I played extremely well early on but I am now sitting here kicking myself for making one of the worst calls of my life. It happens. My read was off. My thinking was wrong and I basically lost my head for a split second and made a dumb ass call with none other than... JackAce! Fawk!

Fuel and I were at the same table and while he was getting 10 high for numerous orbits, I was doubling up with my smooth called flopped set of 8's from the button. Things were going very well and I was continuing to accumulate chips and survive. A key hand that sent me into the chip lead early on with about 100 people left (140 to start) was when I held K9c in the CO. I raised the 300BB to 900 and got one caller... the button. She had just previously knocked out Fuel with some craptastic hand an orbit ago and I was ready to take back his chips!

The flop: 9h-Jc-10c

What a flop, I thought to myself. I led out with 1,000. She paused, and pushed all in with her remaining 4,0oo. I didn't take much time and made the call. I figured I was drawing, but had numerous outs (13-16?) and it was time to gamble.

She flips over aces of course. The turn is an Ace... of clubs! I make my flush but have to dodge the river pairing the board and it's a brick. I send her home. I'm liking my call there. Any thoughts? If she pushes or raises preflop I probably fold... or at least that is what I told the table.

Anyway I barely play another hand until I turn a flush and check it and extract another 5,000 chips or so from a guy on my immediate right when he can't get away from his flopped two pair. He comments "I should have pushed on the flop"... makes sense.

I am still chip leader and we are past the second break and down to 45. 9 players would earn their $1,100 entry into the BCPC.

Did I mention I moved tables 6 times? Does anyone find moving tables as annoying as I do? It's part of the game though and you just have to suck it up. I really couldn't get comfortable over the last hour as the tables kept breaking and they continued to pick the ones that were closest to the rest of the cash games first (mine!). I guess they wanted to final table to be all alone in the corner, who knows.

Ok so I finally pick up a hand - QQ, flop a set, call his all in and send him packing. Then I move again. I don't play a hand at my next table, and move again. I show up to my next table and the girl in seat one says to me "whoooaaa I've got chip envy" (Insert forshadowing here). Everyone laughed, ha ha very funny hot asian chick...

I am patient, very patient. I finally grab AKo in the SB when the blinds are 600/1200. It folds around to me and I raise it another 2,000 chips, or about 1/3 of the BB's stack. He thinks and pushes his remaining chips in there and it is 4,100 more. I call. He flips A4o.

River is a 4.

I tilt. I don't know what happened, but I should have just got up and walked away for a few hands. I didn't, and I paid dearly.

Meanwhile, Fuel is kicking some major donkey fish ass at the $2/5 NL table. He's managed to run his stack up to $2,300! Go Fuel!

The very next hand I pick up AJd. It folds around to me and this is where I lost it. Normally this is a spot where people will raise, and often I will mix it up. I decide that I'll keep the pressure on (although I am still steaming from that last hand) and raise it to 3,600. SB folds, and the BB (chip envy girl) pushes all in for another 7,000. This is my tournament.

I called (after agonizing for about 3-4 minutes) when this should have been an EASY fold, even in a blogger event! Why did I call? I have NO IDEA now that I look back at it. I guess I was putting here either on a re-steal (not likely with these donks) or a small pocket pair. Never did I consider that she had a better ace, and that is where my mistake was. I didn't consider or put her on a reasonable range. I am a bonehead.

I couldn't sleep all night. This was my chance and I blew it. If I had folded there, I would have still had an above average stack with 45 to go. What the fuck was I thinking!!!!

I took my remaining 7,000 chips and tilted them off after we moved tables AGAIN and I went out around 30th. Weeeeeeeeee.

I am still very choked that I couldn't at least fold that hand. I obviously do not get it.

So I've decided to take another break, take some time (read, study etc), and scrap the whole notion of playing in the BCPC all together. I'd rather rail Fuel then waste another dime. I'll be more prepared next year... but for now, I've got a lot of work to do if I think I can take that next step.

I guess it boils down to staying focused at all times and making the correct decisions. I lost that focus and it cost me.

Sometimes the calls you don't make are the ones that will win you the tournament (or at least a fawking seat at the BCPC).

Needless to say, I'll be sending back all the support from yesterday's post tonight as I prepare to kick ass in the Mookie.

later.

The BCPC is a week away...

... and I still haven't decided if I should fork over the $1100 entry fee for the 1 day, 500 person tournament next Monday.

There are a few issues here, the main one being obvious... money! I mean I have the money, but shelling out $1100 for one tournament seems a bit much... don't you think?

The thing is, I know I can outplay 80% of that field. I know this for sure. Combine that with a bit of luck, and I actually do like my chances to at least get in the money. However, if I am playing in this thing... I'm playing to win.

So I guess my other option is to sell some of my stake. Which would work out to $11 for a 1% share.

$11 doesn't seem like much, but if I can get maybe 40% of that covered, I'd be willing to give it a shot. 1% could earn you up to $1,250 per share.

So if you are interested, let me know in the comments here, and if you are serious, then send me $11 for each 1% stake to "Schaubs" on Full Tilt. IF I don't get enough, or decide against going because of the lack of interest (most likely) then I will surely send it back right away.

I've never put out a proposition like this before, so I am interested to see if there are any backers. I just feel like I should be playing in this since its right in my back yard.

So far Fuel and Simon are in, along with a couple of my other Monday night buddies.

Maybe I should shut up and buck up. Arrrrrg.

Vegas Day 3 Continued

Trip Report - Day 3, Part 2

Here are the first three for those of you just joining us:

Vegas Day 1

Vegas Day 2

Vegas Day 3, Part 1

With a 2,500 chip starting stack I knew that it wouldn’t be long before I had to start making some moves and putting the tough decisions on my opponents as much as possible. I played very tight early on and was in shock as to what I was witnessing. All I had to do is pick up a hand and I would surely extract some chips from some unsuspecting donk.

60 people were registered but they continued to let people in as alternates (5 more) as others were knocked out in the first 2-3 levels. Blind levels were 30 minutes and started off at 25/50. I opted not to play much, but rather observe and determine who I could take advantage of, who were the rocks, and who were the donkey calling stations. It didn’t take long.

I don’t think I played more than four hands in the first hour and had my stack up to almost 5,000 before the first break without having to go to showdown (table image can do wonders when you want to accumulate chips in a hurry). I had KK and QQ with no action. I knocked out a lady when I called her min raise with my 7’s from the BB. I checked my set (cuz I’m tricky and unpredictable) and got her to move all in with her over pair Kings (gee is that what a min-raise means?) I insta-call and I am in or around the top 5 in the tournament.

I was always aware of what the average was and tried to stay at least 20% above that number. It was continuously increasing and a couple of the better players at my table were taking advantage and stealing blinds like mad. I decided to take a stand when I was dealt AJs (it was the best hand I had seen in the third hour and we were down to three tables) and re-popped the chip thief that I suspect was just getting a lot of good cards (or so he said). He instantly went all in, and of course I folded (after a short and agonizing decision put on for my opponents) and moved on. That cost me about 20% of my stack as I tried to pull off what I thought was a re-steal. Turns out he had QQ. Good fold me.

Anyway, we finally get down to two tables and my M is running thin. I don’t get a single playable hand in the first two orbits and I am now in push or fold mode. The blinds are climbing now and it is time to make some moves and take some chances. After all, 9 spots were paid and if I wanted any chance whatsoever to make it to the top three I needed to double up, and fast.

My phone kept ringing. It was Lola. She was supposed to call me 3 hours earlier with some news on our apartment. I kept ignoring the calls because I had to. I thought I could wait until the next break, but she kept calling! I excused myself and sure enough… we had received two offers! One for our asking price and one for more than the asking price… Just like that, I had potentially just made more money than what would be the first place tournament winnings. My mindset had changed in the blink of a phone call. I wanted first, and nothing less.

All I could keep thinking was “man, it feels like I am free rolling now.” I look down at my BB dealt hand (the blinds are now 300/600/50) and I see two black eights. I have roughly 5,600 chips after posting my BB and someone (my read was semi-tighty donk) in MP raises it to 1,800. Folds around to me and I auto push.

He really wanted to fold (he was so close to folding damn it!), but in the end he called… with pocket fours! Perfect!... ummm until the second card is a 4. Fawk! IGH in 16th place with nothing but an apartment offer on my mind and am questioning whether I made the correct move. I think I did, I am fine with it anyway.

I stick around for oh, maybe, another minute shaking my head in disgust. The rest of the table also felt bad (not really) and I bolted out of there to catch up with the crew at Okada. I ran to my room, got changed and headed down to the lobby and caught a cab. I felt like I was in a hurry, so I tried to wave down a cab. There was a long line of them there and they just sat there. Apparantly they can’t go anywhere unless the valet/cab arranging dude waves them up. I jump in, make another call to Lightning36 and leave him a message in response to his message and the phone tag continued.

After dinner we then caught a cab downtown to see the Freemont show. A couple more calls to Lightning36 and we still hadn’t managed to meet up. At this point I wasn’t sure it was going to happen at all... So I resided to the fact that I wouldn’t be meeting up with Lightning36 and was still kicking myself for not being able to meet with SinCityGirlCarmen. Time constraints and my duty to adhere to what the crew collectively wanted to do prevented me from being a little more independent than I am use to. December will be a totally different experience I have no doubt.

Final Day Summary: We went home… most of us were empty handed; none of us won any money. Some came back with clothing instead…

Here are some figures from my various gambling activities:

Table games: my biggest loser by far. I probably dumped at least $400 into dumb games like roulette, craps, black jack, 3 card poker, video poker and slots. All those games can lick my ass. I hate them all more than I did before I got there. If anyone sees me playing these stupid games in December please pull me aside and remind me that I hate them.

Sports Betting: I decided to lay a few bets on the Sunday football as it would be much more enjoyable (as it is at home) if there were some teams to cheer for. I’m pretty green to the whole sports book thing, so it goes without saying that I didn’t fair too well in that department. I tried a 4 game parlay and got 3 of 4. $10 would have paid $90 which would have been great. Prior to that, we all laid a nice bet on the Red Sox to win game 6. Sure enough we won that and bet it again on Sunday to come out with at least $400 collectively. The Canucks were also playing the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and we put up another $200 and turned that into $420 after the Canucks pummeled them into a 4-1 defeat. Easy money. So overall I think I was up about $60-80 in total sports betting. Easily my most profitable “game” of the whole trip.

Prop bets: They only lasted one day, and I broke even (See Day 1).

Poker – Cash Games – I came out ahead about $30.

Poker – Tournaments & SitnGos – Stuck for $265.

Well that about wraps it up. I look forward to getting back there in t-minus 4 weeks!!

See you then.

Instantly better

Do you think there will ever be instant replay in golf? I think baseball is next...

And it's about time! Problems solved.

If I ever found out that Tiger used steriods... I'd be crushed.

7 useless things that I didn't put much effort into

It's become apparant that I can't hide any longer. Sooner or later one or two people are going to see that I have not been tagged for the latest meme. I don't like them much at all, but find it rude to at least not participate... I mean it took me at least 7 minutes to get this down:

Astin and Yabi... what goes around comes around.

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...
B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...
C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...
D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


1. I use to play competitive badminton... but gave up shortly after I realized that being an alternate on your provincial team sucks balls. You never get to play!

2. I am continuously changing my facial hair... I really want to rock a moustache for more than just a weekend one day. I just shaved my goatee off this morning and now have nothing left but a soul patch. It will probably come off in a day or two and I'll start something else. A beard is also something I've never gone through with to its fullest capabilities. One day...

3. I can't burp. I've never been able to do it voluntarily. Everytime I tell someone this they find it quit shocking. I don't really have an explanation as to why, I've tried learning numerous times without any luck. Once in a while one will squeek out, but that is if I've had a "soda." I refrain from having anything carbonated at all cost... except beer. I don't even know if beer qualifies as carbonated.

4. I've never had a fawking hole in one... can you tell that I'm bitter? I've come close many many times. The latest was when I almost holed it on three different occasions in one round... on my birthday. All were tap in birdies, but damn it is it too much to ask for an Ace already? Maybe in 08.'

5. I drive a 2002 Jetta 1.8T. My new dream car is the latest Audi R8. I've already started saving.

6. If I was a chick and had nice boobs and a nice rack, I'd never leave the house.

7. Lola's favorite number is 7.

I'm going to pull a BuddyDank and refrain from tagging (torturing) anyone any further. If you are reading this and would like to participate... feel free! No need to be tagged, it's not really about all that anyway IMO. Just another way to get to know your fellow bloggey.

Vegas Day 3

Trip Report – Vegas Day 3, Part 1

Actual poker content.

I woke up early as planned and headed down to the poker room just before 7am. My plan was to grind out 3 hours of sober poker before NFL Sunday started and see if I could get unstuck from Friday/Saturday morning. When I got down there, it was obvious that most of the drunks had gone to pass out already. There were two tables to choose from – The first one was a 3/5 NL game where there were only 4 players playing. One guy (who turned out to be a pro from Europe and came to the Mirage every two months to prey on the unsuspecting donkeys) had a stack worth at least $3,000. When he finally cashed out he had three racks of reds and another half rack of greens and blacks. I didn’t catch his name, but all the dealers knew who he was.

So anyway, I decided that my obvious move would be to sit down at the 1/2 table as planned. At first I was a little worried that it was just full of locals trying to use the same strategy as me, and in hindsight, there were a couple. However, the majority of the table was full of exactly what I had hoped. Drunks. Drunks that had been there since the previous night, or had rolled in there after a night of drinking and partying (sound familiar?) who had decided to play a little poker and donk it up… and donk it up they did.

I remember when I went to bed the night before seeing a few people that stood out to me. Well this one girl was still there when I arrived that morning! She was wearing a pink hoodie and had a rack and a half sitting in front of her when I sat down across from her in the 10 seat (bought in for only $160 for some reason) to start the morning. I immediately posted my blind as I was sitting in the SB and decided that I wanted to jump in there right away and see what damage I could do. I look down at my cards… pocket aces! Wow, first hand of the morning and I get dealt pocket aces. What a deal, I thought to myself as I processed the table and tried to set up my image for the rest of the morning. I didn’t really know what angle I should take. Although I knew one thing… don’t get tricky fool! After all, this is 1/2 NL with at least 50% of the people who I considered to be drunk donkeys. The last thing I wanted was for my aces to get cracked on the first hand of the morning... right?

It comes around to me and it has already been raised (I think it was to $10 total) in early position and called 3 times. I decide to call as well and we see a flop of K-A-4 rainbow. I check my monster and don't bet my set, because, well... just because that's all. C-bet of $10 by the raiser (weak), one caller (the pink hoodie chick PHC), so I decide to slow play my monster and just call. The turn is a Jack. Ok, now there is a draw available. I check. C-better checks and the PHC bets out $15 (seems weak too). I decided enough is enough and I raise it up another $30. One fold, and after some thinking PHC folds as well. So I did the #1 thing that you should never do when playing in a cash game… I showed my set of Aces. Why? I think at the time I just wanted everyone to know that I wasn’t about to screw around. I took down the decent pot (flipped the dealer a red chip) and folded for about 30 minutes as I tried to study the table. After all, I was ahead by a bit now and had an above average stack.

The other hand that I remember (and let’s face it, you are really only looking for two or three big hands to maximize your session) was when I was dealt AKo in the SB. This one would be interesting, I could just tell as soon as the action got going. Three callers for $2, and then the button (A Canadian from Ottawa I might add) decided to raise it to $12. I just call (because as Fuel says – AK is a rag hand) and so do 2 others. The flop comes down J-K-6 rainbow. I check (so sneaky huh) and it checks around to the button. The button bets out $15, which, to me, seemed like a C-bet. Does everyone c-bet now or what. Man. Anyway, I stop and pause and think. I finally decide to raise it up. “I raise” I state and put out another $30 on top. It folds around to the Canadian and he looks me down. He talks a big game (even mentioned how he lost thousands at another hotel already… we weren’t impressed as one guy stated “why are you here at 1/2 then?) and tries to intimidate me.

I have to be honest, at the time I actually was a bit worried that I was beat here already… but I was only concerned with Aces or a set right? I mean I am a TPTK donkey from time to time, so what should I do if he re-raises me?

He tries to get information from me by talking and asking me questions, but I won’t budge. He finally says “I don’t think you’ve got it” and all I could come up with was “Got what?”

He said it again – “I don’t think you’ve got it” as he pulls out two stacks of reds (enough to cover me as he had at least another stack sitting there that he left behind) and says “I’m all in.” Ok, so now what the fuck do I do? I really thought he might have Jacks or sixes. But his range includes a whole lot more for sure. I decide that I’m either going back to bed, or doubling up. “I call” I stated firmly. He flips over… KQc!! I show him my hand and as I am doing that he says “oh man you do have it…” ummmmm, thank you, thank you for your chips fellow Canuck. The guy to his right chimes in and says “well what did you think he had, he’s only shown two hands so far and the other one was Aces.” The Canadian said "well I thought that if he had AK that he would have re-raised me preflop!" LOL. ouch.

Woo hoo! Double up and I am unstuck just like that. I walk away with $371 total about an hour later, just in time for the morning games.

I head back to the room and grab CD and we get some breakfast. CD orders a steak and eggs (back to back to back steaks including that night’s dinner at Okada - 3 steaks in a row! LOL) and I go with the standard go to – bacon and eggs with sourdough toast. It was very good.

Later that day we decide to hit up the mall. But before we do that, we must get in our other sports bets for the day (although I already had my football parlay crappy bets done the night before). The Canucks were playing Columbus and we all jumped on it, and big. We pulled together about $200 in total and let it ride on our home team. They easily won (4-1) and we scored $440 total. Not a bad deal at all! We also bet on the Red Sox at $50 a pop and made a nice return (I think we won $35 on each $50 bet) and came out ahead for the day in the sports betting department.

At the mall I grab a pair of shoes (another adventure that is filled with a bunch of waiting and more waiting for my size) and the rest of the guys hit up some of the other shops where we can buy clothes for what seems like a steal of a deal compared to a few years ago when our dollar was worth 75 cents (It currently sits at about 1.05 now suckas).

When we get back it’s about 30 minutes until game time and I decided that I would play in the Sunday night tournament. The cost was $125 each and you got 2500 chips... a total donkfest is what I thought Chad might call it, in fact I remember him telling me that the Mirage was full of tighty old farts... and he was right. There turned out to be 65 players in total with a top prize of just over $3,000 for first. The tournament only paid 9 spots (the final table).

I was feeling confident and… hungry. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I quickly ran to the coffee shop and grabbed a bagel. It was an onion bagel, and it was damn good... but man do they give a lot of frickin' cream cheese! 4 bucks, not a bad snack at all.

I get to my table as the first hand is being dealt. I selected the lucky 10 spot when I registered and remembered sitting there a day ago for a sitngo. Hopefully my luck would change this time, I really felt like I could take this thing down!!

To be continued…

Vegas Day 2

Trip Report – Vegas Day 2

We wake up at the crack of 10am (yep 3 hours sleep so far) and head across the street for a slice of pizza. It was actually… ok. This was my first meal in Vegas and it cost me a whole $6. We were all extremely hung over. So much so that we all decided that laying around poolside would be in order. Man was that place packed and plentiful… numerous groups of girls as far as the eyes could see kept us there for about an hour (short but sweet) until I got restless and wanted me some more poker action! I decided to give the old sitngo a try. I bought in for the cheapo – mistake #1 ($70 each two places paid) and man did I ever pay the price. What a bunch of donkeys!! It’s really a eye opener for someone like me who expects the play to be so much better and then to realize about 3 hands in that I can easily run over every single person if I am just patient. I should have just listened to Chad.

I play extremely tight for the first two levels and finally raise with 3’s and get back to even. I slow played my turned full house after betting my flopped two pair and min raised the river when the guy bet his 4th pair into me. Quit funny actually, maybe I should have pushed as I am sure he would have called and I could have avoided what would be my demise by the very same foe. The villan would get his revenge though after sucking out on me in back to back hands and then sends me home in 3rd when he CALLS my all in (K10c) with…. wait for it… 7-3 of spades! A seven on the river sends me packing and I go Oh No for One. Fawkin’ crap players. The guy couldn’t even stack his chips! Bullshit.

Anyway, while that was going on the rest of the crew was laying out by the pool and the Jacuzzi. I caught up with them after lunch and two of them decided to go to the Rhino. Alan had suggested that I go there, but for some reason I just wasn’t interested. At the time, I just didn’t feel like getting the high pressure sales of the ladies… I hear that they basically just sit on your lap and don’t let go until you cough up some cash and move to the VIP room. I’m glad I decided to stay back and play some table games… although they didn’t turn out the way I had planned.

I’ve always been a sucker for the roulette table. Jordan specifically suggested that I stay away… but if you know me at all, if I see an opportunity, then I pounce. This story I am about to get into is exactly what happened to me 10 years ago when I visited Vegas for the first time… weird how some things just never change.

So I’m walking around and just watching various tables (I’ve been trying to learn craps lately) and I see a roulette table that catches my eye. I am a sucker for betting on the outside. I figure it gives me “almost” fair enough odds to gamble on. I look and see a table that has had about 8-9 red numbers in a row. Funny enough, there is also another crew of two body builder type dudes (you know the kind – tighty shirts, bulging pecs and just trying to find the gun show gangsta wannabe types… but who knows maybe they really were actually part of the mob…) and their lady friend. These guys are high rollers, obviously, because they have man-purses and pull out wads of bills just like rich people do. Anyway, I figure they are on to the same theory as me… it must hit black sooner or later right? So I pull out $20 and place it on black and it hits, these guys did the same, except it was for $200 each! Crazy. So I pull out $20 and put down my profits and hit black again! Woo hoo, $40 in 2 minutes… Vegas is so easy.

I use that profit and blow it at craps (easy come easy go… even again!) and then keep walking around a bit more until I find ANOTHER different roulette table with the same situation… and guess who rolls up right behind me? The two muscle shirt wearing ballers!! So this time the action is flowing and everyone is on black to double up again as there has been another sighting of a streak of reds (maybe about 8 in a row at this point). So I pull out $20, lose. They pull out $200, and lose. I go another $20 and lose and so do they (always at least 10 times more than me though). These guys continue to pound the table for two more tries (but now moved up to $500 a spin and have gotten special permission from the pit to do so as the max was only $200… they also get a few comp’s in the process) while I just sit back and watch. I’m already in the hole and figure what is the point. They miss again! Now it’s been about 12-13 in a row and I just have to get back in there. I pull out $100 this time and it misses again!! Faaaaaack! When is this sucker going to pay off! Other people have now joined in the fun and there is collectively over $1000 riding on each spin of the wheel. FINALLY, it hits and the crowd goes wild!! A few guys were lucky enough to hit it once and they were out with their profits. I grab my break even money and get out of there and so do the mobsters… So after all that stress… I lose money, but at least it wasn’t $240! I’m pretty sure that “team gun show” left in the hole for at least $400-600 each. Crazy times.

That night we ate dinner at the Mirage at a place called Japonais. It was unbelievable! Although for $100 per person it should be… Kobe Filets - $46, numerous appetizers, Miso - $6. I had to laugh. I’ve tried hundreds of miso soups in my life; however this one I can say was top two. The other being the one I had the next night at Okada at the Wynn. Both meals were cooked to perfection and well worth the hundred bones per. Mouth watering and delicious! Okada was pretty cool. They have a designated chef that comes and cooks the various courses right in front of you. You sit in an 8 person square table and the chefs are great. The service is great and the food was awesome. We started with a salad and miso. Then a hot baby scallop appy followed by your choice of freshly fried rice or noodles. Then we topped it off with a perfectly cooked 10 ounce New York steak. We all skipped dessert, but it was some chocolaty goodness of some sort. Too full!!

Night number two we crashed hard (after our dinner at Japonais). Everyone was so full of food that we all headed to the room for a nap… We had been drinking all day again and after the nap three of the guys decided that it was time to go out again. Off they went. ND even met Fred Couples for the first time at the Playboy club. Kinda makes me wish I had gone out that night just for that experience. An ex Masters champion was in Vegas and I missed him! Bad beat.

So after the guys left and CD was asleep I went down for some more poker fun. I decided to take another crack at a Sitngo. Mistake #2! I played tight. Tighter than ever. For some reason (no wait I know why) no one noticed this except for one player. I raised UTG+1 with AA and got two callers. The flop was K-10-8 rainbow and I check raised and was called by A-K. Double up thank you. About two orbits later I find JJ in EP again. I raise 4x and get one caller who happened to be on quite the tear and was the chip leader by far. With seven players remaining I guess he felt like he could bully me. The flop comes 8-10-10. I bet out half the pot and he raises me 3x. I guess I could have laid it down right then and there but decided that he was a donkey and I pushed and he called. He flipped over… K-10o. Who calls 4x BB raise with K-10 offsuit! Donkey’s in Vegas that’s who! I decided then and there that I would not be playing in another of those ever again. Fuck that shit.

After watching a couple of more hands I decided to head over to the sportsbook and see what that was all about. I wanted to place some football bets so that Sunday would be all the more interesting (as if I needed an excuse). I should have found an internet connection and checked out what Miami Don had to suggest for this week, but instead went with my weak instincts and it didn’t pay off. I guess my problem was that I really didn’t know what the best formula was. Should I bet one game? Two? Parlay? Total? Bet the line? I don’t even know any other terms or what I should have done so I just went with what I do at home. Bet 3-4 games with the spread and hope that I go 100%. Well of course we all know how hard that can be, so needless to say I went 2-4 in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon. I bet small so I wasn’t too worried (less than $50 in total). The funny thing was I must have spent 20-30 minutes grinding out a couple of those games. Especially the Pats vs. Dolphins. I just couldn’t come to grips with the fact that the Dolphins were THAT good where they would actually cover 17 points! As you know, I am a Colts fan and have been for over 10 years now. I also remember reading Don’s blog once and how he said that giving up that many points is a suckers bet. Well I guess I was the sucker!

The evening ended with me getting to bed at a reasonable 1am this time. There was a plan though. I remember at the end of my first cash session, two or three people showing up at my table around 6-7am and making a killing off the drunk/sobering up people such as myself. I decided to turn the tables and give it a try. So my plan was to get up early and hit the cash table hard bright and early.

Did my plan work? Stay tuned for Day 3.

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In other news, there seems to be a lot of great writing going on lately with regards to this BBTwo freeroll seat for the best story. Well it's just been taken to the next level. Check out Kaj's newest dedicated blog. There are a few other good ones out there but I am too crunched for time to go and look for them again and link them. Maybe next time.

Happy Spooky Day. I'm in, are you?

Aces Cracked... The Hammer lives on... blind!

I thought this hand last night was post worthy. I went to the club to donk it up in some cash games and near the end of the night it turned into a complete pushfest for no reason... So after a few pushes from various donks I pick up AA in the SB 5 handed. The button - ND (see Vegas Trip report Day 1) decided it would be funny to push from the button... BLIND!! He had about $15 left in total and the blinds were only $0.25/$0.50. I smooth call, and the big blind also calls.

The flop comes out Jc-8c-10d. I push another $25 hoping to go heads up, but not too worried about him calling as I am sure he would be on a draw or TP. Sure enough he calls and flips over AJ for top pair (gold)... So my side pot is looking great and I really can't lose any money... I just hope that I have ND beat as well. He laughs as he is not sure what he has yet and flips up.... the hammer! I laugh and imediately start to pray... Well take a guess what happens next. The turn - a 2. The river a 7! So gross.

I had to laugh. I mean how often will you really see something like that happen? I had them both in the perfect spot to take every. single. chip. So all I win is the side pot, but still manage to make money.

So of course the BB goes nuts about how I slow played my aces by just calling preflop (obv. move IMO) and he also can't believe that he just lost all of his chips to a blind all in hammer. I probably laughed for a good 5 minutes along with ND. Such a donkey play, and the reward was priceless.

$30 well spent.

I'm working on getting Day 2 up shortly.

Our apartment is as good as sold, more on that later.

My FF team just booked its third win (3-5 now) with a victory over this Chica. I guess Wynn had one carry the whole night for one yard... I won by 5 points. Yaa hoo. How awesome is Favre though? So cool to watch him play, he is something very Jordan like for sure. Big plays at big moments.

Have a good week everyone.

Vegas Day 1

Trip Report – Vegas Day 1

We arrived in Vegas at about 11pm and hopped into our limo which was graciously reserved by one of my buds (ND). He’s the man with the plan this time and if it wasn’t for him this trip would have never gotten off the ground.

We started drinking as soon as we could, which meant our first round was before our plane even left the ground. I made numerous attempts to make some early prop bets but no one would bite… just yet. So we get on the plane and hammer back 3-4 more drinks each and as we are descending I finally get my first taker. I asked him how long he thought it would be until we landed… as we looked out the window and saw the Vegas lights and the bright beam that shone straight up from the pyramid otherwise known as the Luxor (never been there), I gave him the choice to set the over under in minutes AND have first choice. He set it at 12 minutes until we land and took the over! LOL, so I laughed a little, bet 5 bucks and in less than 5 minutes I had won my first bet in Vegas.

Of course, I gave him a chance to win it back. I bet him another 5 on whose bag would come down the carrousel first… he won. Even already, and I haven’t even left the Vegas Airport!

So we jump in the limo and head to the Mirage. I have never stayed at the Mirage; in fact this was only my second trip to Vegas, and my first in 10 years. For those of you who have never been to the Mirage… GO! It is great there to say the least. The food was awesome; I never had a bad meal (although I stayed away from a lot of the iffy choices) and never had to stand in line for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Ok, so we head to our room, quickly get changed and get downstairs to the bar (the one right across from the check in counter and just down the way from JET). A few $16 drinks later we decide to go to the JET nightclub that is attached to the Mirage. By this time we are all feeling great and hopped up on the two drinks of choice which were RedBull & Vodka or Rye & Coke… doubles of course.

Before we go into the club I start to feel a bit weird. It’s that feeling you get when you’ve had too much Redbull… you follow me? So I do the manly thing and hit the can and do a little dry heave and instantly feel better. I come out of the bathroom and see that the guys are already going in the door… I yell “hey wait up!” and decide that JUMPING over the ropes is the best idea to catch up… now please note that I’m a bit of a moron that way and don’t really know how things work. The next thing I know there are 4 doormen swarming me!! Swarm swarm! I get caught, but thankfully ND saw this going down and quickly slipped the bouncer $50 to get me in. Phew (I guess). In return I paid for his cover ($30 each!) and we are off and running. Yadda yadda, we are hammered and myself and CD (buddy #2) decide that it would be smart to play some poker… ummm yeah. Smart.

I get sat at a different table than CD and before I can even post my first blind CD is yelling “I need more chips!” He’s a donkey, but he was also very very drunk. Not a good combo at all. He picked up A6sooooted and decided to push all in preflop! The guy to his left insta-calls after stating “this guy is drunk” and flips over Aces. Nice one CD you dumb fuck. Rebuy! Another 1.5 hours later he is sent packing and $500 lighter in the wallet. I get a call from him an hour after that (still completely smashed as he doesn’t even remember calling me, in fact he doesn’t remember donating that last hundo either!) and I eventually find him on the floor of our bathroom in the fetal position passed out!

I crawl into bed at 7am (up for 24 hours straight) and call it a night. How did I do in poker you might ask? Well I played about as well as a drunk Schaubs can… but I had nothing to show for it. I ended up shoving my last $60 into the pot after about 5 hours and no re-buys and I really can’t even remember what I had! Stuck for $200 already! Don’t worry, there’s more poker content to follow. That night is still a bit fuzzy… although it was a lesson that I would learn and use to my advantage in the mornings to come…

My blog would be very angry at me if...

...I forgot that today is our one year anniversary. Holy crap! One year already, now that is nuts!! I can't believe that I have been writing (if you can call it that) for a full year now... so crazy. I've stumbled accross so many good people and my game has vastly improved over time... all because of blogging!

I don't really have time today to write a recap of my trip to Vegas, but stay tuned for a G-rated version very shortly. It was unfortunate that I wasn't able to meet up with Lightning36 (we did talk on the phone a few times and also played phone tag) for a beer and some donkey 1/2, but seeing as my visit was only three nights it made it difficult to jam everything into one trip. I'll be sure to have more time in December...

Ok gotta run for now but make sure you check out tonights game as Boomer takes the dirt bump in an effort to be the first Canadian to ever get a win in the World Series!!

GO ROCKIES!!!

Less than 72 hours of Vegas

That's all the time we have? I know it is just going to FLY by... hoping to meet up with one or two bloggers, but I am just not sure if it will happen since I will be either in a poker room (best chance of meeting a blogger I'd say) or drinking our faces off... or both. I mean what else right? I'll probably look for this ghey blogger (Yes, he's baaaaack) and this sports bettor on Saturday.

Just don't gamble when I'm drunk! That is my first rule. Unless the point of gambling is to GET drunk. Then I will be playing some form of limit poker for a few hours and getting hosed. eh.

I'll try to make a few notes so that I can actually post some form of a trip report when I return. I'm sure I'll need the help in remembering some of the ridiculously fun times we will be having.

I really wanted to report that I've finally sold our apartment, but the fuckers backed out at the 22nd hour last night and didn't remove thier final subject. Fuckin' hell. So it's back to the drawing board, show our place a bunch more and hopefully the third accepted offer is the keeper.

Have a good weekend everyone, and if it's nice in your part of town, go outside and play.

Two Degrees of Jeff Francis AKA Boomer

There was a time when Boomer (as his mom coined early on, just as she gave nicknames to all her kids and husband) was a tall, lanky fella who dominated youth league baseball in grades 8 (probably even earlier) through 10. He never looked back. Jeff went to school with Lola and to this day they are still friends (although mostly through cyberspace since graduating). I asked her the other day if he played any other sports when they were younger and she said "He played basketball until grade 10, then decided to concentrate on pitching"... I have a feeling it started a little earlier than that, but regardless, he's now in the spot light of the Big Show... the Series. Lola and I were watching his post game interview after he won game one of the NLCS and she said "It's weird to hear his voice without it cracking like it use to."

All you die hard ball fans who think Colorado does not deserve to win this year are just. plain. dumb. eh.

Another two degree'r is also in relation to a guy I currently work with who used to be his cub scout leader before his voice even learned to crack. Small world sometimes.

10 game winning streak (and not just any 10 game winning streak), read about it here and especially here. Talk about chemistry. That rookie Toulawitzki is fawking sweet at SS too. Actually when you look at it, they might go down as one of the best "teams" ever. period. If they rattle off four more in a row (which is highly unlikely as you only need to look as far back as last year's matchup to know that 10 days rest is not recommended... but I think they are doing the right thing by going to their spring practice facility) you've gotta think they are right up there.

Needless to say, most baseball fans in my part of town are Colorado Fans and have been for a a few years now.

So if we ever meet, you'll be three degrees from a possible 26 year old Ace pitcher and World Series Champion.

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Thanks to all who commented earlier this week and emailed me to make sure things are ok. I do appreciate it very much.

RIP Pappa.

Death is a bitch

I don't even know what to write. I just figured I should. Maybe it will make me feel better right? "Age is just a number". It's not really about how "long and wonderful of a life you've had" no matter what people say. It's not about that at all. I used to say "it's all about the experience" throughout my twenties. I'd always say that right before the next adventure. Sure, I'd be contradicting myself if I didn't say that at the time, it was true. I have always been one to keep my emotions in check. Those of you who really know me (probably no one that reads here regularily) will say that I am a pretty even steven type of a guy. I mean, sure, there is something to be said about "living each day to its fullest" and "not regretting it when you are old" because you never went through with something, faced your fears, or even just tried something that you never had the balls to do when you were younger. I agree with all of that. However, there comes a time in everyone's life where we must face death. Stare it right in the face and ask what's next. This is an experience that I think I can safely say... no one looks forward to. Death is a bitch, but we've all got to go through it. It's not about me and it's not about you. It's about the person knocking on death's door. It's not about anyone else. It is and should only be about the ones you love and surrouding yourself with them during these tough times. Make sure they know it before it's too late... because it is THAT experience, that you will never forget.

Take care.

P.S. - I am fine, but when it rains, it pours.

Three days in Vegas... what should we do?

It should be finalized by the end of the day, we leave next Friday and come back Monday night.

So I ask you, the loyal reader - what should we do?

The obvious is obvious (drinking, poker, more drinking, more poker). I'll probably spend most of Sunday watching sports in a sports book... but which one? I'll be placing some short term and long term bets for sure.

Club? I doubt it, but I am going with 3 other dudes who are single so you never know... I might just find some tournament to play in instead of sweating the wing duties that usually are expected of such a friend.

Which leads me to my next question - where should I play poker and what tournaments have the best value? I'm looking for buyins of less than $500.

Help!!

FCPC so close but not really

I was dealt Pocket Aces about 1.5 hours into this single table shootout. I doubled through the chip leader when I flopped a set of aces and he flopped a set of 5's. Presto was going to be out and about all night you see. 10 players in total bucked up $125 down at the False Creek Poker club. Winner takes all (second place money back) for a nice pot totalling $1100. This was a satallite that I really wanted to take down as the winner was to use the money to buy their spot in the BCPC event where THAT winner would scoop roughly $112,500. As you can tell, this was a great opportunity to make a splash and finally get into a biggie and eventually, well win.

I was unprepared.

There is a lot to be said for playing on a regular basis, especially in person. There are just so many other factors to consider as opposed to online. I found that bet sizing was consistenly difficult. I don't know if it was me not being used to grabbing chips instead of punching in some digits that made sense, or if it was the fact that I didn't play up to my expectations and make the correct decisions when absolutely necessary. Either way, it's always a grind and the players are the FCPC definitly have a grasp of most of the concepts that I read about and try to apply online. Congrats to Simon, the winner, I'll be there at the River Rock railing you if possible.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself, so let's take a look at where I went wrong.

First off - your opponents are not going to make the right decisions all of the time, and they will still get lucky and beat you. This a fact of poker. The risk of the unknown.

So when you raise it 3.5x the BB from the CO with 5 players left with pocket fives, you have to reasonably assume that there will be instances when your opponent will call with say a hand like Q-10h on the button. Yep.

You know how it goes. I flop a set (Presto is gold was there by the way, more on that later) of fives and I am now out of position after the button called my preflop raise. Fuel called preflop as well but folded after checking the flop and watching me bet out 30% of the pot (mistake) and being called by the button call station. The turn is a 10c. I double the bet but still "price her in" and she raises and I auto push. She flips the flush draw with the pair and boom down comes the ace of hearts... about 30 minutes later I am done.


____

ok enough of that. Somehow I hit "post" and I am too lazy to figure out how to "undo this post until it is ready" so I'm just going to finish it off for now.

I wrote most of this a few days ago, so it might not even mae sense now.

Oh well.

Have I said how much I hate people that comitt to an offer, and then have to collapse it based on the fact that their "guarantor" backed out of the deal. So fawking annoying!!

____

I'm currently playing in my first MFC and was dealt 9's against mookie:



Good times.

Lots going on re: the apartment. But nothing is a guarantee until its a guarantee...

My first student? We'll see.

The funniest thing happened on the way home from a wine tasting event this evening. Lola and I had been invited by our realtor to come down to a "client appreciation night" in the city. Well on the way back she said "You should teach me how to play poker..."

.
.

Bingo. The funny part is, SHE is actually a teacher. Funny to me anyway.

As I paused and struggled with what my response would be, I realized that it could have just been the wine talking. However I'm going to go with my initial instinct which was "wow, hard work really does pay off." Keep pluggin' away and good things will happen. Not only in poker, but in all apsects of life.

We've been bustin' our asses getting the apartment in tip top shape for various showings that we've accomodated over the past few days. More action tomorrow.

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Played some poker, went to the River Rock and donked off everything in one fell swoop about two hours after I had grinded out a healthy stack which was close to double my initial buy in.

Picked up Queens in the SB and a MP raise to $7 was matched by the CO and the button. I raised it to $27 total from the SB and I had two callers. The flop reads 5-Q-8 and I bet out $20 (too small?) and they both fold. I, for some reason show my set and move on. I keep forgetting not to show my stuff. Bet your sets right? Be a man right? I did. And didn't get paid. I probably could have checked that set in this instance, but decided to "stick with what I know best" and of course, it doesn't pay off. Surprisingly, the CO told me he had pocket tens after I showed the Queens. Damn it.


I could go on, but honestly my mind is elsewhere and writing up a poker analysis seems too redundant to me right now. After I bust, I seem to review where I went wrong for days on end. I don't feel the need to write it out or analyze it with words. I know that for some others, this helps. However for me, it seems tedious and frustrating. I'm sure I'll change and flip back and forth about this theory, but right now, it's just the way it is.

Poker this Friday, time to make some moves.

Are you registered for this?

See you there? Click on this box (above) or the link on the top right. Yeah, just scroll up a little, and there it is...

What about this?

WPBT Event #9

I played in this event last night as I continue to support this event and all it has become. It seems as though the bloggers have decided that they would rather do something else with there time. I am not sure if it is the cost ($24) or if it is the lack of interest that makes other people, well, uninterested. Of course, there is always the core group of 4-5 that show up and the odd newbie. Congrats to the Gnome for taking it down. I took third place for a huge $46.20 payout. Funny thing is, I risked 25% of my roll to win it. Nothing special to report regarding hand history, although I'll probably go through it just for kicks and post anything that I might be unclear on.

MattahFahtu is starting up a new tournament in October. It's mostly geared for the West Coast types as it gets started a bit too late for those early risers in the east. Check it out.

I'm in the process of selling our apartment and buying a new place so I am not sure how much blogging I will be doing in the near future. I'll be around though, so feel free to check in and I'll be doing the same in your neck of the woods.

Later.

Who needs a Wii when you've got old school Three

I'm sitting here watching Lola (she's currently in world two) play Mario Brothers Three on our original Nintendo (the one from the eighties) and wondering how I just blew through ninety four percent of my bankroll on Pokerstars. Ok, that sounds worse than it really is. You see earlier today I received ten whole dollars from none other than HighOnPoker's Jordan as payment for our most recent chess matches (sounds exciting doesn't it). Jordan had challenged me to two games of chess at five bucks a pop.

After a long and drawn out battle spread over approximately one day I was victorious. So he asked where I wanted it sent and I chose to have it put into my pokerstars account... the one that had zero dollars in it yesterday, now has sixty cents in it at the end of the night tonight. I laugh now because I remember telling Jordan today how I was going to try and take a run at the micro limit cash tables and see where I could take this newly earned roll. It took me less than an hour to donk of nine dollars and forty cents at two tables. One was a two cent / five cent game (I bought in for six dollars) and the other was a three dollar and forty cent sit'n'go. GG me.

Now Lola is in world seven with twenty two lives left. Damn!

Have a great old school weekend. Friday is officially over and the weekend is just beginning!

Ayyyy, Matey

Congrats to Jordan on his 1001st post! Coincidentally, this is my 101st post!! Yaaay me!

Anyone know what day it is today?

Well of course you do, you can tell by the title of my post right?

It's so obvious! It's "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"!

I remember running across this day last year and the year before. It always sticks out for me and I can't figure out why. A few years ago Lola dressed up like a she-pirate for Halloween... maybe that is it. Or maybe it is because I used to carry around a stuffed parrot and staple him to my shoulder when I was a little boy. Ok that is a lie. Actually maybe it is because my parents made me "walk the plank" when we lived in our old house that had a pool. Naaaa, that can't be it either. Anyway, whatever it is, I like Pirates. They are sneaky and deceptive, just like poker players.

Oh wait, maybe it is the fact that MeanHappyGuy has written a great little short story all about the pirate life? Have you read it yet? Check it out.

So to honor the day I present you the top 10 pick up lines for use on this fine day:

10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is …

1. Prepare to be boarded.

Here's 10 for the lady reader:

10. What are YOU doing here?
9. Is that a belayin' pin in yer britches, or are ye ... (this one is never completed)
8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!
7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, "Cap'n Feathersword?"
6. That's quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!
5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I've had a twenty percent decrease in me "lice ratio!"
4. I've crushed seventeen men's skulls between me thighs!
3. C'mon, lad, shiver me timbers!
2. RAMMING SPEED!

...and the number one Female Pirate Pick-up Line:

1. You. Pants Off. Now!