In about 5 hours people will be arriving in their costumes with booze in hand. Various appies will be spread and my newly purchased smoke machine will be in full effect. I had to google how to make "fog juice" because the stupid thing didn't come with any. The first seach I picked up had a you tube video on exactly how to make it and what to buy. I tested it last night and it worked perfectly.
I swear we have about 3 times more Halloween stuff than we do Christmas gear. Masks, wigs, makeup, costumes, lighting, fake tombstones and witches, black lights, blue lights, big spiders, little spiders, cob webs, big webs, severed arms, chains, plastic pumpkins, spider goblets, pumpkin goblets, bloody feet, more cob webs (we never seem to throw them out, but always buy more each year!) and more spiders.
My costume this year pretty much sucks. It's a throw together using various items listed above to put together an "80's rocker dude." It's pretty weak, but since we are throwing this scary bash I figured I would be spending my time and money on getting the house ready. And we did. Not much left to do, but I figure I'll sneak out of work early to get the little things done like picking up ice, vacuuming the house etc.
Of course, having the party at home means I can change my costume numerous times. I plan on changing it at least once, maybe twice throughout the night. It's fun to see people's reaction when this guy comes out of nowhere and no one can tell who he is because he is wearing a mask and some different clothes. Stupid guests... get it together.
My best costume of late was a few years back when I was Mike Weir. The only part that made it so funny was the golf ball that was stuck in my forehead. I cut one in half and used some fake skin and blood, attached it and it turned out really well. It was a Nike golf ball with the name "Tiger" written on it. Green jacket, black pants and shirt and I was done.
I hope you all have a great Halloween. Play safe.
31.10.08
28.10.08
Lost and now found
Before I get into the details that support the title of this post let me just say I am not that impressed with the bloggers and their whinning right now.
That's right, whinning. There are at least 5 or 6 blogs that I read this morning and all of them had the same theme about the World Series... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Suck it up! You have a strangle hold on the series if you are a Philly fan and should be jumping for joy that you are only 3 innings away from your second championship ever. Seems like a time to be excited if you ask me. Quit analyzing what happened last night and just be glad you weren't losing when they called it instead. Babies.
I think I am feeling what Astin had to say about it. It would be great to see Tampa come back purely for the entainment alone (not a hatter, I just love good drama). I can't imagine the tears that will be shed if the Phillies some how manage to screw this up and lose... boo hoo. If Tampa wins tonight, I am sure all of Philly will be collectively trying to figure out the latest way to avoid a meltdown in game 6 (dare I say game 7?). GLGLGL.
----
So I played some live poker, as I had mentioned in my last post, over at the FCPC with Fuel and Simon. It was a $40 plus $10 bounty tournament with 15 players.
I went out 14th on the following hand:
I picked up pocket 10's (yes, here we go again) in MP and raise it to 1200 (3x) and get one caller - the big stack out of the small blind.
The flop comes Qc-10c-5h. SB checks and I bet out 1500.
SB min raises me! WTF. I call. The turn is the Ac. I figure him for something like a Q and a good kicker, maybe ever AQo.
He bets 6,000.
I have 16,000 behind so I can't exactly call. It's either fold or push time and I had not won a single hand in the 90 minutes we had been playing (not that it should matter right!).
I push for 10K more, he grumbles and then finally calls thinking I might have already hit my flush and he turns over QQ. I never even considered QQ there. I am done. Plus I have to fork over another $5 to Fuel for a last longer bet. Fawkin' sweet.
----
Lola called me that night at about 2am from the club she was at for a gf's bday party. She had lost her purse... with our camera in it... along with her cell phone, ID and bank card (no visa thankfully). As I'm still trying to wake up, she is all upset and super drunk and borderline crying (gee I wonder why she lost it?). Anyway she had half the bar looking for it at 1am and seemed to remember last seeing it before she went to the bathroom.
"Some skank probably kept it." she stated (can you tell she was a bit angry?)
So I tell her to go back in the morning (she had a hotel room with some gf's of hers) and sure enough the place is closed. She calls and leaves messages and no one calls her back.
Finally, she decides to head down there yesterday evening to see if it somehow got turned in or overlooked in the search and sure enough the bouncer comes out from the back and hands her the purse fully intact, with nothing missing! What a luckbox, gimme some of that karma action baby!
Good things happen to good people. Lola finally got paid back a little. Phew.
That's right, whinning. There are at least 5 or 6 blogs that I read this morning and all of them had the same theme about the World Series... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Suck it up! You have a strangle hold on the series if you are a Philly fan and should be jumping for joy that you are only 3 innings away from your second championship ever. Seems like a time to be excited if you ask me. Quit analyzing what happened last night and just be glad you weren't losing when they called it instead. Babies.
I think I am feeling what Astin had to say about it. It would be great to see Tampa come back purely for the entainment alone (not a hatter, I just love good drama). I can't imagine the tears that will be shed if the Phillies some how manage to screw this up and lose... boo hoo. If Tampa wins tonight, I am sure all of Philly will be collectively trying to figure out the latest way to avoid a meltdown in game 6 (dare I say game 7?). GLGLGL.
----
So I played some live poker, as I had mentioned in my last post, over at the FCPC with Fuel and Simon. It was a $40 plus $10 bounty tournament with 15 players.
I went out 14th on the following hand:
I picked up pocket 10's (yes, here we go again) in MP and raise it to 1200 (3x) and get one caller - the big stack out of the small blind.
The flop comes Qc-10c-5h. SB checks and I bet out 1500.
SB min raises me! WTF. I call. The turn is the Ac. I figure him for something like a Q and a good kicker, maybe ever AQo.
He bets 6,000.
I have 16,000 behind so I can't exactly call. It's either fold or push time and I had not won a single hand in the 90 minutes we had been playing (not that it should matter right!).
I push for 10K more, he grumbles and then finally calls thinking I might have already hit my flush and he turns over QQ. I never even considered QQ there. I am done. Plus I have to fork over another $5 to Fuel for a last longer bet. Fawkin' sweet.
----
Lola called me that night at about 2am from the club she was at for a gf's bday party. She had lost her purse... with our camera in it... along with her cell phone, ID and bank card (no visa thankfully). As I'm still trying to wake up, she is all upset and super drunk and borderline crying (gee I wonder why she lost it?). Anyway she had half the bar looking for it at 1am and seemed to remember last seeing it before she went to the bathroom.
"Some skank probably kept it." she stated (can you tell she was a bit angry?)
So I tell her to go back in the morning (she had a hotel room with some gf's of hers) and sure enough the place is closed. She calls and leaves messages and no one calls her back.
Finally, she decides to head down there yesterday evening to see if it somehow got turned in or overlooked in the search and sure enough the bouncer comes out from the back and hands her the purse fully intact, with nothing missing! What a luckbox, gimme some of that karma action baby!
Good things happen to good people. Lola finally got paid back a little. Phew.
24.10.08
Rebuy Madness and then some
Well that was interesting. Something like 4,417 rebuys is a lot for a 99 person tournament... I had a blast when it first started, then handed over the laptop to my sister and another couple of buddies. They had a blast, but couldn't really grasp why everyone was pushing with every single hand.
I had to laugh at some of the folders. I mean why were you people folding after your stack grew and there was still 45 minutes left in the rebuy period? No heart I tell ya. My stack got to a high of about 70K but we saw that crash and burn over the next 2-3 hands. Meanwhile there were others with over 150K in about 15-20 minutes.
It really is a great indicator of who the luckboxes really are. ScottMc, Pvanharibo to name a couple...
Lucko was at my table and couldn't catch anything, he was at the 2,000 chip mark for almost the entire time I was there.
Yes that's right, I didn't make it to the end of the first hour.
Stupid internet.
I should have known better when I latched onto some random unsecured wireless in the area (I wasn't at home) but decided against better judgement and took the risk. I even had a 100 foot cable that I decided not to hook up.
Stupid me.
So yeah anyway we are all in for the 20th time in a row and then poof - disconnected. Well by the time I get it back up and running we got the boot... no more rebuys for you! Next!!!
Either way it was a total blast, I wasn't planning on grinding it out until the end anyway. Who in their right mind would want to play that deep and that long for hours and hours just to win $136 or whatever it turned out to be. I'm not even sure who won because when I logged in three hours later to see who won... there were still 18 people left and the big stack had over 500K with blinds of 1/2K.
Maybe they are still playing this morning?
I'm off to play in a bounty tournament tonight. Live poker baby! Real chips!
Golf this Sunday, might be my last fair weather round of the year. Gotta make some of my money back. It's Super Snowman Sunday!
Have a good one.
I had to laugh at some of the folders. I mean why were you people folding after your stack grew and there was still 45 minutes left in the rebuy period? No heart I tell ya. My stack got to a high of about 70K but we saw that crash and burn over the next 2-3 hands. Meanwhile there were others with over 150K in about 15-20 minutes.
It really is a great indicator of who the luckboxes really are. ScottMc, Pvanharibo to name a couple...
Lucko was at my table and couldn't catch anything, he was at the 2,000 chip mark for almost the entire time I was there.
Yes that's right, I didn't make it to the end of the first hour.
Stupid internet.
I should have known better when I latched onto some random unsecured wireless in the area (I wasn't at home) but decided against better judgement and took the risk. I even had a 100 foot cable that I decided not to hook up.
Stupid me.
So yeah anyway we are all in for the 20th time in a row and then poof - disconnected. Well by the time I get it back up and running we got the boot... no more rebuys for you! Next!!!
Either way it was a total blast, I wasn't planning on grinding it out until the end anyway. Who in their right mind would want to play that deep and that long for hours and hours just to win $136 or whatever it turned out to be. I'm not even sure who won because when I logged in three hours later to see who won... there were still 18 people left and the big stack had over 500K with blinds of 1/2K.
Maybe they are still playing this morning?
I'm off to play in a bounty tournament tonight. Live poker baby! Real chips!
Golf this Sunday, might be my last fair weather round of the year. Gotta make some of my money back. It's Super Snowman Sunday!
Have a good one.
23.10.08
Pocket Tens live blog
Pocket tens early on in the Mookie and I decided to play them like aces. Not smart. No patience. I even told myself before it started that I would play tight and focused. Mookie had pocket queens and gave me the warning signs early on, I just didn't listen.
As I type, I am still in the Dookie, with 5 to play. Lightning, Rambler, Numblowme and DoubleDave are left.
Speaking of Numblowme, I'm already registered for his tourney tomorrow... are you? It's on Survivor Thursday night... and of course I am having some grub with some close friends as usual. World Series playoffs are the focus, but I'll be letting various people push every hand for me for the first hour... can't wait.
Pushfest #1 - everyone went out on the first hand except Drizz. That might be a first actually... and Drizz winning, well that's a first too. Congrats, I ship it as soon as I confirm your Full Tilt name.
BDR radio is pretty classic. Apparantly Joanada finds BuddyDank hot...
Joanada has done a lot of stuff...
Pushfest #2 - I get down to the final three pooshers after doubling up once. Then lose and have 1 chip left. I win the next hand and get 6 chips total. Finally go out on the next hand.
What is with everyone changing domains, deleting blogs and upgrading their shit?
I'm all about small changes.
I just won the Dookie in a marathon heads up match against DoubleDave.
Good night now.
As I type, I am still in the Dookie, with 5 to play. Lightning, Rambler, Numblowme and DoubleDave are left.
Speaking of Numblowme, I'm already registered for his tourney tomorrow... are you? It's on Survivor Thursday night... and of course I am having some grub with some close friends as usual. World Series playoffs are the focus, but I'll be letting various people push every hand for me for the first hour... can't wait.
Pushfest #1 - everyone went out on the first hand except Drizz. That might be a first actually... and Drizz winning, well that's a first too. Congrats, I ship it as soon as I confirm your Full Tilt name.
BDR radio is pretty classic. Apparantly Joanada finds BuddyDank hot...
Joanada has done a lot of stuff...
Pushfest #2 - I get down to the final three pooshers after doubling up once. Then lose and have 1 chip left. I win the next hand and get 6 chips total. Finally go out on the next hand.
What is with everyone changing domains, deleting blogs and upgrading their shit?
I'm all about small changes.
I just won the Dookie in a marathon heads up match against DoubleDave.
Good night now.
19.10.08
SnG win
This helps the bankroll...
Decided to play in this while watching the stinkin' Leafs take on the Penguins, but really I'm just waiting for Tampa to take down Boston...
TV is saying "technical difficulties" so instead I am forced to watch the Hooters magazine swimsuit competition while they resolve...
I hope everyone is winning their share. Have a good one.
16.10.08
DQAB
Dems Quad Aces Bitches!
I gave one of those Matrix tournaments a try. Since it was my first attempt, and I don't usually multi-table, let alone quad table... I opted for the $6 version. I have to say it was a bit of a challenge trying to fit all four tables on my laptop along with a Dookie. Not much to report really. I finished third in two of the tables, but I just kept having to click the "I'm back" button on various tables. I either need to get a better set up, or forget the whole quad tabling idea all together.
I played golf on the weekend, actually it was a tournament called the snowman. Finished 2 over and nothing to show for it. Next Sunday should be a better showing.
I'm playing in the LeTune challenge tomorrow. Free rolls rule.
Fantasy football & hockey are in full effect, and I'm doing ok in most of my leagues. I'm probably in too many, but whatever it keeps me out of trouble.
Blogger gathering is just around the corner, less than two months away. Anyone else still waiting to book their trip like me? It sucks that I'll be missing my company Christmas party, but I'm sure I will get over it quickly.
Is anyone interested in playing golf? I'm counting on this guy to help me organize it, except... he's only 20% sure he'll even be going! Everyone needs to put the pressure on him and make sure he goes... screw work! If he's out, then I'm not sure this golf tournament/outting will get off the ground... especially with this group of degenerate drunks.
Regardless, I think I'll bring my sticks and see if I can sneak in a round with Don or CK or whoever. Let mek now what you think oh loyal readers of mine.
Later.
I gave one of those Matrix tournaments a try. Since it was my first attempt, and I don't usually multi-table, let alone quad table... I opted for the $6 version. I have to say it was a bit of a challenge trying to fit all four tables on my laptop along with a Dookie. Not much to report really. I finished third in two of the tables, but I just kept having to click the "I'm back" button on various tables. I either need to get a better set up, or forget the whole quad tabling idea all together.
I played golf on the weekend, actually it was a tournament called the snowman. Finished 2 over and nothing to show for it. Next Sunday should be a better showing.
I'm playing in the LeTune challenge tomorrow. Free rolls rule.
Fantasy football & hockey are in full effect, and I'm doing ok in most of my leagues. I'm probably in too many, but whatever it keeps me out of trouble.
Blogger gathering is just around the corner, less than two months away. Anyone else still waiting to book their trip like me? It sucks that I'll be missing my company Christmas party, but I'm sure I will get over it quickly.
Is anyone interested in playing golf? I'm counting on this guy to help me organize it, except... he's only 20% sure he'll even be going! Everyone needs to put the pressure on him and make sure he goes... screw work! If he's out, then I'm not sure this golf tournament/outting will get off the ground... especially with this group of degenerate drunks.
Regardless, I think I'll bring my sticks and see if I can sneak in a round with Don or CK or whoever. Let mek now what you think oh loyal readers of mine.
Later.
12.10.08
Hammer
I was catching up on a couple more episodes of the WSOP08 and Lola asked me a question as the second show was ending...
It went something like: "What's that hand called when it's 72? Hammer? Why would you play that?"
Odd, somewhat, out of nowhere type of question really, because the hammer didn't appear in any part of the show while she was watching it with me... well sort of watching it as she put together a little table we purchased today...
So I responded "Ummmmm, that's a good question actually. It's the worst hand in poker*, not sure why people play it... Oh, and it's called "THE hammer" not just "hammer""
we laughed.
Times like those remind of why I enjoy poker so much. I'm thankful for being able to play so freely, in whatever setting I so choose. Anytime.
I played a bit of cash last night. 2 tabled it after about 6 beers and some great rib roast with my closest buds. A couple of them watched as I donked off at oen table and played well at another. Netted a few bucks and had some laughs.
I might play a bit more after tonight's Canucks game. If you're not watching the NHL, you should be. It's fast paced, physical and mental all in one.
*some argue not true
It went something like: "What's that hand called when it's 72? Hammer? Why would you play that?"
Odd, somewhat, out of nowhere type of question really, because the hammer didn't appear in any part of the show while she was watching it with me... well sort of watching it as she put together a little table we purchased today...
So I responded "Ummmmm, that's a good question actually. It's the worst hand in poker*, not sure why people play it... Oh, and it's called "THE hammer" not just "hammer""
we laughed.
Times like those remind of why I enjoy poker so much. I'm thankful for being able to play so freely, in whatever setting I so choose. Anytime.
I played a bit of cash last night. 2 tabled it after about 6 beers and some great rib roast with my closest buds. A couple of them watched as I donked off at oen table and played well at another. Netted a few bucks and had some laughs.
I might play a bit more after tonight's Canucks game. If you're not watching the NHL, you should be. It's fast paced, physical and mental all in one.
*some argue not true
10.10.08
Titty Nipple
I remember reading, I think it was Loretta's blog, about the third episode of the WSOP main event and how this one guy who was sponsored by Moneymaker was talking about his life threatening accident. He talked about the burns he suffered and how this one burn went from his "right titty nipple" down to his knee. Something like that.
Anyway, if you haven't seen it, it is pretty funny. I was finally able to watch a couple of episodes and so far I am liking it. I wasn't sure how I would feel, but they have had some pretty good coverage so far.
Watching Ivy make a guy fold trip kings was pretty nuts. Seeing Hellmuth arrive late with his entourage was totally dumb and pointless. Watching the Mouth and the rest of the pros has been entertaining for the most part.
I still did not see Iggy though... I'm not even sure what episodes he is supposed to be on... anyone? Was he really there?
10 cent rebuy in a couple of weeks should be pretty fun... hopefully I can make it.
The Canucks got off to a kick ass start, winning their season opener last night 6-zip against Calgary.
Suckers.
only 97 more wins straight for the perfect season!!
Have a good weekend degen's.
Anyway, if you haven't seen it, it is pretty funny. I was finally able to watch a couple of episodes and so far I am liking it. I wasn't sure how I would feel, but they have had some pretty good coverage so far.
Watching Ivy make a guy fold trip kings was pretty nuts. Seeing Hellmuth arrive late with his entourage was totally dumb and pointless. Watching the Mouth and the rest of the pros has been entertaining for the most part.
I still did not see Iggy though... I'm not even sure what episodes he is supposed to be on... anyone? Was he really there?
10 cent rebuy in a couple of weeks should be pretty fun... hopefully I can make it.
The Canucks got off to a kick ass start, winning their season opener last night 6-zip against Calgary.
Suckers.
only 97 more wins straight for the perfect season!!
Have a good weekend degen's.
3.10.08
Hockey Pools Prep & Canadiana Hockey Brilliance...
I am in total hockey pool prep. mode right now. I have one draft pool tonight, and another tomorrow morning. Crazy. 24 hours of pools basically.
I love hockey, I love this time of year for all sports, but when hockey kicks off next week things will begin to get a bit crazy for my sports watching world. I signed up for Dave's hockey pool as well. I auto drafted because I couldn't attend last night.
The Canucks are undefeated in the preseason (6-0). If they win the next 99 straight games they will have achieved the unheard of... THE PERFECT SEASON...
yeah right eh...
Anyway, for all you hockey players out there... I am sure you can relate to some of these:
Some pure Canadiana hockey brilliance…
It's a well-known fact that there are only two seasons in Canada: summer and hockey.
According to long-standing tradition, the former starts with the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, as fans in an American city celebrate.The latter officially kicks off after Labour Day weekend. In fact, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of managers across Canada who will spend the long weekend making personnel decisions in time for the September dawn of a new season. Granted, the majority of these managers are in charge of teams with names like "Old Puckers", "Rusty Blades","Just the Tips" and "Nine-Inch Males," but don't be fooled; beer-league hockey squads can be down right tricky to put together. As with any successful organization, you need the right mix, and that means drafting from the following beer-league player categories: Which one are you???
The Ringer
Some teams wait until the playoffs to unveil this option. Others go withit right from the opening face-off. Either way, without a ringer, your team is done. The challenge for managers is convincing a good player to suitup for a bad side. This can be accomplished a number of ways, including promises of goal-scoring glory and awe-inspired teammates. Most effective, however, is let him play for free. It's simple math, really. Everyone else pays an extra $50 and everyone else gets a shot at the "DD" Division title.
The Young Guy
At first glance, he can easily be mistaken for a ringer, since the young guy still wears the shorts and socks of his junior or college team. But it's time for the next phase of life now, and that means an office job.The young guy stays in shape for the first half of the year. Sadly, an increasingly sedentary existence and late night partying catches up to him by Christmas. 15 to 20 pounds later, he's just another player, huffing and puffing with the rest. Welcome aboard, kid.
The Old Guy
Forget the 50-and-over league; that's not for him...even though his gloves reach up to his armpits, and he still uses a wood stick. To be fair, the old guy can be an effective player, especially if he's a wily old guy --a hook here and a chop there, because that's how they did it when professional athletes were real men. "Eddie Shore -- now there was a hockey player! Lost an ear against the Maroons. Sewed it back on himself. Never missed a shift."
The Tardy Goalie
Hey, thanks for showing up. Only five minutes gone in the first. Not like you play a crucial position or anything. Take your time, dickhead.
The Beginner
Required only for cheap laughs. On the one hand, you have to admire the beginner. It takes a lot of courage to buy all brand new equipment, and take up hockey in your 40's. On the other hand, learn to take a pass,man. It's right on your stick, for Christ's sake. How does that knock you over? And now you're friggin offside! Not to mention the Beginner shows up at every game, no matter what time or what day. Sunday night playoff game at 11PM - no worries, Mr Beginner will be there.
The Complete Psycho
Also good for a few giggles . . . from afar. Most likely a cop or fireman. The complete psycho is capable of anything: running the goalie, challenging an entire bench, a tomahawk chop -- all in the repertoire. Do not feed the complete psycho. He doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt. And, look to him to carry on his act in the bar after the game.
The Naked Guy
Bane of the dressing room. Most players have the courtesy to stretch their hamstrings while sporting, at the very least, a bit of underwear. Not the naked guy. He'll carry on full conversations, and you had better maintain eye contact like your life depended on it....or come face to face with the swinging sausage.
The Guy with the New Girlfriend
An excellent way to lower everyone else's fees is to load up on a few of these. The guy with the new girlfriend will show up to three games,tops, so his payment will contribute to everyone else's and it's not like you'll lose ice time by putting him on the roster. That said, beware that the guy with the new girlfriend might very well turn into the guy with the new wife...at which point he'll never miss another game.
The Organizer
This guy is absolutely brutal but since nobody else could be bothered to do all the paperwork and collect the money he gets to play. Is frustrating to play with because they can barely skate let alone take a pass but nobody gets mad at him cuz he's a really nice guy. Is often heard in the dressing room saying 'Sorry guys, that one was my fault'and if he's lucky somebody will chip in something like 'No worries Donny, it's a team effort.' What everybody is really thinking is 'Hey Donny, my grandmother is a better player than you and yes you are right,that was your fault.' If you are lucky the Organizer is usually smart enough to take himself off the ice in critical situations.
The Minor Hockey Allstar
Looks promising at a glance as they fool you with reasonably good skills but after you get zero passes you'll get the picture. This guy topped out at 'AA' Midget and can be spotted by the huge blinders attached to his helmet. Play is characterized by energetic rushes down the wing,(no passing), then into the corner (still no pass), behind the net (hey dickhead I've been open for the past 5 minutes),then into the next corner (everybody has gone back to the bench to watch) followed by a blind give away pass to the high slot / break out pass for the other team. Cut this guy.
The Johnny Try Hard
Great to have on your team but they suck to play against because theyhave somehow managed to keep themselves in ridiculously good shape.They were probably the star on their high school hockey team and won athlete of the year because they played hockey, volleyball and track allin the same year. Guaranteed they have a membership at the 'RunningRoom'. Play is characterized by constant hustle which if caught offguard can embarrass the more talented yet fatter player.
The Stanley Cup Champion
This player will raise their hands and cheer when they score. If this is an opposing player you must nip this behaviour in the bud by catching him off guard with a sickening open ice hit that causes him to blow snotbubbles. If this player is on your team quickly chastise him in front of the other team to let them know that this is not how the rest of your team rolls. Remind him how much of a loser he is by retrieving the puck from the net the next time he scores and presenting it to him in front of the other team.
The Tough Guy
This guy maxed out at the house-league level, has never been in a fight and is characterized by antagonizing behaviour on the ice. In extreme cases he will 'cheap shot' another player. The fact that your beer league does not allow fighting has given this guy a false sense of courage. What this guy does not realize is that this will not prevent someone from knocking his teeth out if he cheap shots the wrong guy. There is a number of fun ways to handle this player which all end with him lying on the ice bleeding, looking for his teeth and crying.
The Wrong Guy
Not to be confused with 'The Complete Psycho'. This guy shows up, doesn't say much and pretty much flies under the radar screen. The kid that gave him the cheap shot him will eventually look his name up on Hockey DB after his facial surgery and realize he had 355 pims in the East Coast 3 years ago.
The Gary Roberts
Can be described as being way too intense. This guy is one of your better players but is unable to adjust to the lower level of play. At the best of times he will try to coach players on the fly and at the worst of times he will snap and call his entire team a bunch of house-leaguers. He believes the game should be played a certain way and despises 'pond hockey' style play with no back checking or positional assignments. Most likely is suffering from a complex of 'unfinished business' from his previous hockey career and is looking to capture some shred of glory via the rec-league championship. This guy is probably better off playing with his own kind in a senior-A league.
Have a good weekend everyone, I'll be poolie grinding for the next 24 hours...
I love hockey, I love this time of year for all sports, but when hockey kicks off next week things will begin to get a bit crazy for my sports watching world. I signed up for Dave's hockey pool as well. I auto drafted because I couldn't attend last night.
The Canucks are undefeated in the preseason (6-0). If they win the next 99 straight games they will have achieved the unheard of... THE PERFECT SEASON...
yeah right eh...
Anyway, for all you hockey players out there... I am sure you can relate to some of these:
Some pure Canadiana hockey brilliance…
It's a well-known fact that there are only two seasons in Canada: summer and hockey.
According to long-standing tradition, the former starts with the hoisting of the Stanley Cup, as fans in an American city celebrate.The latter officially kicks off after Labour Day weekend. In fact, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of managers across Canada who will spend the long weekend making personnel decisions in time for the September dawn of a new season. Granted, the majority of these managers are in charge of teams with names like "Old Puckers", "Rusty Blades","Just the Tips" and "Nine-Inch Males," but don't be fooled; beer-league hockey squads can be down right tricky to put together. As with any successful organization, you need the right mix, and that means drafting from the following beer-league player categories: Which one are you???
The Ringer
Some teams wait until the playoffs to unveil this option. Others go withit right from the opening face-off. Either way, without a ringer, your team is done. The challenge for managers is convincing a good player to suitup for a bad side. This can be accomplished a number of ways, including promises of goal-scoring glory and awe-inspired teammates. Most effective, however, is let him play for free. It's simple math, really. Everyone else pays an extra $50 and everyone else gets a shot at the "DD" Division title.
The Young Guy
At first glance, he can easily be mistaken for a ringer, since the young guy still wears the shorts and socks of his junior or college team. But it's time for the next phase of life now, and that means an office job.The young guy stays in shape for the first half of the year. Sadly, an increasingly sedentary existence and late night partying catches up to him by Christmas. 15 to 20 pounds later, he's just another player, huffing and puffing with the rest. Welcome aboard, kid.
The Old Guy
Forget the 50-and-over league; that's not for him...even though his gloves reach up to his armpits, and he still uses a wood stick. To be fair, the old guy can be an effective player, especially if he's a wily old guy --a hook here and a chop there, because that's how they did it when professional athletes were real men. "Eddie Shore -- now there was a hockey player! Lost an ear against the Maroons. Sewed it back on himself. Never missed a shift."
The Tardy Goalie
Hey, thanks for showing up. Only five minutes gone in the first. Not like you play a crucial position or anything. Take your time, dickhead.
The Beginner
Required only for cheap laughs. On the one hand, you have to admire the beginner. It takes a lot of courage to buy all brand new equipment, and take up hockey in your 40's. On the other hand, learn to take a pass,man. It's right on your stick, for Christ's sake. How does that knock you over? And now you're friggin offside! Not to mention the Beginner shows up at every game, no matter what time or what day. Sunday night playoff game at 11PM - no worries, Mr Beginner will be there.
The Complete Psycho
Also good for a few giggles . . . from afar. Most likely a cop or fireman. The complete psycho is capable of anything: running the goalie, challenging an entire bench, a tomahawk chop -- all in the repertoire. Do not feed the complete psycho. He doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt. And, look to him to carry on his act in the bar after the game.
The Naked Guy
Bane of the dressing room. Most players have the courtesy to stretch their hamstrings while sporting, at the very least, a bit of underwear. Not the naked guy. He'll carry on full conversations, and you had better maintain eye contact like your life depended on it....or come face to face with the swinging sausage.
The Guy with the New Girlfriend
An excellent way to lower everyone else's fees is to load up on a few of these. The guy with the new girlfriend will show up to three games,tops, so his payment will contribute to everyone else's and it's not like you'll lose ice time by putting him on the roster. That said, beware that the guy with the new girlfriend might very well turn into the guy with the new wife...at which point he'll never miss another game.
The Organizer
This guy is absolutely brutal but since nobody else could be bothered to do all the paperwork and collect the money he gets to play. Is frustrating to play with because they can barely skate let alone take a pass but nobody gets mad at him cuz he's a really nice guy. Is often heard in the dressing room saying 'Sorry guys, that one was my fault'and if he's lucky somebody will chip in something like 'No worries Donny, it's a team effort.' What everybody is really thinking is 'Hey Donny, my grandmother is a better player than you and yes you are right,that was your fault.' If you are lucky the Organizer is usually smart enough to take himself off the ice in critical situations.
The Minor Hockey Allstar
Looks promising at a glance as they fool you with reasonably good skills but after you get zero passes you'll get the picture. This guy topped out at 'AA' Midget and can be spotted by the huge blinders attached to his helmet. Play is characterized by energetic rushes down the wing,(no passing), then into the corner (still no pass), behind the net (hey dickhead I've been open for the past 5 minutes),then into the next corner (everybody has gone back to the bench to watch) followed by a blind give away pass to the high slot / break out pass for the other team. Cut this guy.
The Johnny Try Hard
Great to have on your team but they suck to play against because theyhave somehow managed to keep themselves in ridiculously good shape.They were probably the star on their high school hockey team and won athlete of the year because they played hockey, volleyball and track allin the same year. Guaranteed they have a membership at the 'RunningRoom'. Play is characterized by constant hustle which if caught offguard can embarrass the more talented yet fatter player.
The Stanley Cup Champion
This player will raise their hands and cheer when they score. If this is an opposing player you must nip this behaviour in the bud by catching him off guard with a sickening open ice hit that causes him to blow snotbubbles. If this player is on your team quickly chastise him in front of the other team to let them know that this is not how the rest of your team rolls. Remind him how much of a loser he is by retrieving the puck from the net the next time he scores and presenting it to him in front of the other team.
The Tough Guy
This guy maxed out at the house-league level, has never been in a fight and is characterized by antagonizing behaviour on the ice. In extreme cases he will 'cheap shot' another player. The fact that your beer league does not allow fighting has given this guy a false sense of courage. What this guy does not realize is that this will not prevent someone from knocking his teeth out if he cheap shots the wrong guy. There is a number of fun ways to handle this player which all end with him lying on the ice bleeding, looking for his teeth and crying.
The Wrong Guy
Not to be confused with 'The Complete Psycho'. This guy shows up, doesn't say much and pretty much flies under the radar screen. The kid that gave him the cheap shot him will eventually look his name up on Hockey DB after his facial surgery and realize he had 355 pims in the East Coast 3 years ago.
The Gary Roberts
Can be described as being way too intense. This guy is one of your better players but is unable to adjust to the lower level of play. At the best of times he will try to coach players on the fly and at the worst of times he will snap and call his entire team a bunch of house-leaguers. He believes the game should be played a certain way and despises 'pond hockey' style play with no back checking or positional assignments. Most likely is suffering from a complex of 'unfinished business' from his previous hockey career and is looking to capture some shred of glory via the rec-league championship. This guy is probably better off playing with his own kind in a senior-A league.
Have a good weekend everyone, I'll be poolie grinding for the next 24 hours...
29.9.08
Golf, Poker and the Miami Don fundraiser
Golf season has officially coming to an end for me. Not that I won’t be playing over the next few months. It’s just that there isn’t much more to play for this year. All of my competition golf is done, and I don’t see myself making the trip across the border for a tri-cities tournament that I have played in the past. I’m saving that last trip for the December gathering instead.
So yeah, serious golf is done. Beers & cart golf… I can always make time for.
Now that the Bash is over, I will be talking with Bam Bam (any other volunteers?) about organizing a golf tournament/boozefest in December. It will most likely take place on the Friday to ensure it doesn’t interfere with any sort of blogger tournament that someone might organize (step up; it’s not that hard is it?). I’ll need to place a call to Don and get a course lined up as well.
Bash updates please. I assume that everyone is still in recovery and the stories will begin to trickle in as the days pass. Questions that need answering:
1. Did RecessRampage (Ken) get any action? Forced boobie shots do not count.
2. Did Al actually leave the bar at any point during the weekend?
3. Did BamBam drink anything other than scotch?
4. Did BaconMary turn down the Rooster?
5. Who is the shuffleboard champ?
6. Which team won the Bash Olympics?
I’m sure there are plenty more, but I’ll leave it at that for now.
The weekend was great, thanks for asking. It started off with a deepstacks game over at the FCPC. I played well, then sloppy, then well again, then sloppy again. My stack never really climbed to any amount that was useable. It finally got down to 5 handed (started 11) and I was still at my starting stack. I pushed ATC, they folded. I pushed again, they folded. They pushed, I folded. I finally got a hand… I pushed KK and was reshoved by Simon. He had AK. The dealer flopped over 4 community cards. Of course, the first card was an ace so I wondered if the dealer burned one. We confirmed that he had, and I was basically done. I called shenanigans, but of course I was joking.
Saturday was my final serious golf tournament of the year. It was the Zone 4 Champion of Champions tournament. This is where each club sends their four champions (mens, senior, junior & ladies) to participate in a team event. It was total gross score so we got to play the course we normally would. Not many prizes were handed out as the theme of the day was to “have fun”. I bubbled (not fun) in 3rd shooting a 73. I doubled a par 5 when I hit it out of bounds from 230 yards on my second shot. Other than that I played well and just hung in there. Putting was on, and it saved me a few times.
After the round I went into the infamous “bull pen” (aka the men’s lounge) to have a few pints with a couple of guys I knew from the home course (Marine Drive). They had poker chips sitting on the table so I wondered if a game would break out soon. I waited, and then waited some more. I finally had to ask. Sure enough they were going to play a game - $20, 100 chips, 15 minute levels. The blinds started out at 1-2. With only 5 players I knew that I could wait it out and get it in with a big hand. I managed to double up when I flopped trip kings and rivered quads. I didn’t even have to lead out once, the guy just kept betting his chips with Ace high. Good stuff. So yeah, ship that $100 win to me and I was even for the weekend again.
I went home and jumped into a $24, 90 man SnG and finished 11th. Damn it I need work on bubble play (still).
Sunday was Lola’s bday. We had two unbelievable meals. The dinner involved crab legs, jumbo prawns and scallops. All made in the comfort of her parent’s house. So good.
----
The survivor pool that Miami Don is running now has two people left in it. A big weekend of upsets shook out the remaining 14 other contestants. I fucked it up when I decided to change my pick from Buffalo to Denver at 2am on Sunday. No excuses, I really didn’t listen to my own advice. Don’t bet on divisional games! It’s so simple, yet I didn’t follow that golden rule, and it cost me.
So yeah, Miami Don needs to survive one more fish and he takes home all of our $20 bills. Nice one. I must say I am pretty impressed with his picks so far. I think almost every week he has had a pick that no one else has taken… which is great if you keep winning, and he has.
So that’s one pool I don’t have to stress about anymore. It was tough to cheer for teams I really didn’t care about. But that is the life of a fantasy football junkie...
I hope everyone survived the Bash and had a blast as expected. Trip reports please.
25.9.08
Pushmaster MC
Yeah, I won a pushfest... but not in the fashion I am proud of. Schlepp571 took the chip lead from me when his 68o sucked out on my unlucky AKs. We were down to the final two pushaholics and seated at the same table. From there I only had about 300 chips when out of nowhere I hear BDR talking about how he folded. His mistake was my gain.
There always seems to be a bunch of whining after something like that happens. I've never been there, but every week someone seems to mess up and ruin their chances of being a pushfest champ.
A part of me was like "too bad so sad" and another part of me chalked it up to just bad luck. It happens. I mean its all luck anyway. There are so many factors involved. First off, it begins with who is at your starting table. The more bloggers, the less chance you have of moving on.
I only had Breeze81 at my table. So right there I am ahead of the game.
Then there are the donkey callers. Breeze pushes UTG, I push... and then you get guys calling with Q-10d etc. It is pretty funny. It makes it that much more fun when you river a deuce to take them out.
Good times.
Anyway, I shipped schlepp571 a few bucks cuz I was feeling saucy.
Later.
There always seems to be a bunch of whining after something like that happens. I've never been there, but every week someone seems to mess up and ruin their chances of being a pushfest champ.
A part of me was like "too bad so sad" and another part of me chalked it up to just bad luck. It happens. I mean its all luck anyway. There are so many factors involved. First off, it begins with who is at your starting table. The more bloggers, the less chance you have of moving on.
I only had Breeze81 at my table. So right there I am ahead of the game.
Then there are the donkey callers. Breeze pushes UTG, I push... and then you get guys calling with Q-10d etc. It is pretty funny. It makes it that much more fun when you river a deuce to take them out.
Good times.
Anyway, I shipped schlepp571 a few bucks cuz I was feeling saucy.
Later.
24.9.08
I saw Fuel lay down Presto in a live game
I'm not sure how long into the tournament it was, but the table was still full.
I never thought I would see the day that Fuel would actually lay down Presto...
UTG - raise 3x
MP - re-raise
Fuel - "I can't beleive I am going to fold this, I know it's going to hit"
Fuel - Fold.
UTG - calls.
Flop: A-A-5
Fuel jumps out of his chair screaming "I knew it! I knew it!" (poor table ettiquette if you ask me LOL)
I can't even remember what the other two had, but I know no one had an ace! Ouch.
See you at the Mookie... will there be enough dead money for a Wawfuls upset?
I never thought I would see the day that Fuel would actually lay down Presto...
UTG - raise 3x
MP - re-raise
Fuel - "I can't beleive I am going to fold this, I know it's going to hit"
Fuel - Fold.
UTG - calls.
Flop: A-A-5
Fuel jumps out of his chair screaming "I knew it! I knew it!" (poor table ettiquette if you ask me LOL)
I can't even remember what the other two had, but I know no one had an ace! Ouch.
See you at the Mookie... will there be enough dead money for a Wawfuls upset?
19.9.08
Ryder Cup Baby
I'm pretty pumped for this weekend's Ryder Cup. Even though it is Tigerless, I still think it will be a good battle. Just the fact that Azinger and Faldo hate each other so much and there is so much history between the two of them makes a good story on its own, and they are not even playing.
I'd say a lot of the pressure is on Phil. He needs to step it up as he has not been a very good team player over the past few. If some of the rookies get hot (look out for Anthony Kim) then the US actually has a shot of making this interesting.
So don't forget to watch all the drama unfold this weekend, especially Sunday. Hopefully it is still close by then and the matches mean something. Of course, it's never over until it's over.
You only have to look as far back as 1999 when Justin Leonard made that bomb of a putt on 17 to send the crowd into a maniac frenzy. Even the US team members couldn't compose themselves as they ran accross the green jumping for joy. I believe Jose Maria Olazabal still had a putt that meant something too. Low class.
So yeah, in between NFL games, make sure you keep an eye on the Ryder Cup, it should be a doozy.
I'd still lay my money on Europe, but you just never know. In fact, now that I look at it, the US leads the Ryder Cup 3 points to 1 after the morning matches. However, it looks like Europe is on the way back already leading 3 of the 4 afternoon matches after about 6 holes.
They might even be tied by the end of the day, which would make for a very exciting weekend.
Have a good one, and good luck at the tables and any sort of NFL related betting.
I'd say a lot of the pressure is on Phil. He needs to step it up as he has not been a very good team player over the past few. If some of the rookies get hot (look out for Anthony Kim) then the US actually has a shot of making this interesting.
So don't forget to watch all the drama unfold this weekend, especially Sunday. Hopefully it is still close by then and the matches mean something. Of course, it's never over until it's over.
You only have to look as far back as 1999 when Justin Leonard made that bomb of a putt on 17 to send the crowd into a maniac frenzy. Even the US team members couldn't compose themselves as they ran accross the green jumping for joy. I believe Jose Maria Olazabal still had a putt that meant something too. Low class.
So yeah, in between NFL games, make sure you keep an eye on the Ryder Cup, it should be a doozy.
I'd still lay my money on Europe, but you just never know. In fact, now that I look at it, the US leads the Ryder Cup 3 points to 1 after the morning matches. However, it looks like Europe is on the way back already leading 3 of the 4 afternoon matches after about 6 holes.
They might even be tied by the end of the day, which would make for a very exciting weekend.
Have a good one, and good luck at the tables and any sort of NFL related betting.
17.9.08
Opportunity After Thoughts
When I hit it in the water in the round of 15 and stepped down from the tee box area it took a minute or two for it to sink in. My best chance ever of winning a car had just slipped through my fingers. So many different emotions ran through my body during that long walk back to my seat to grab my gear. It didn't take me long to get out of there. I really didn't want to see how it turned out and which luckbox would eventually take the big prize.
As we head out I realized that the FCPC poker series was just about to start. The crew that came to watch me were heading for dinner, but there just wasn't time for me to join them if I wanted to give it my best shot at winning the first week's event. Points are everything in this series. If you make the top 6 in points you are guaranteed a nice pay day.
We walked down to the underground parking and I caught a lift to my parking lot accross the street (lazy). I sent a reply to Fuel when he asked if I was a millionaire. When I got out the car and started to walk down to my car in the other lot I realized that I did not have my cell phone with my any longer.
You know the feeling. Panic and immediate hope ran through my mind as I tried to retrace my steps. I remembered sending Fuel a text right before I got out of the car. I thought to myself "It must be in the back seat still." I ran down to my car, paid for my parking on the way out and then I thought to myself "maybe it fell out when I got out of the car?"
Sure enough, as I pulled to the top of the underground parkade, there it was sitting in the gutter. No bad beat laid on Schaubs this time. I spotted it from accross the street and hoped that no one would see it before I could pull over, jump out and grab it. I did just that. My phone was back and things were right again. I called the crew in the car and they had a good laugh at my expense. I felt like it would be a lucky night for me since you know, I found my phone.
I hit up subway on the way over to the FCPC. Bacon and chicken six inch, toasted of course. I arrived about 45 minutes late and took my seat. I had been blinded down, but not much. 50K starting stack, 6 handed. I was ready to roll. I managed to finish in 2nd place and gain some valuable 2nd place points and a bit of cash. I was proud of the way I played considereing I haven't been playing 6 handed so much lately. Fuel finished 1st at his table, so it was a good night over all.
One guy already quit because of the sick beats that this one girl kept giving. He said he couldn't handle it. He stated she was so bad that he was totally turned off of the series because of it. We all told him to suck it up, but I doubt he will be back. FCPC organizer has agreed to give him his money back which I think it is total bullshit.
Have you ever played in a poker tournament where someone actually got a refund? No chance. Suck it up FCPC tournament organizer and put your foot down! No refunds, the money stays in the prize pool. Seat open!
So yeah, now the whole structure of the tournament has gone for shit. We might even change the entire thing and make it a one table, 10 player tournament now. Does it make sense to change the tournament after everyone has paid? I think not, but maybe that is just me.
Edit: The FCPC organizer has done the right thing and cancelled the tournament series. All monies will be refunded to the participants and we will work on something new. We appreciate all of his efforts as I can personally say that doing something like organizing a poker tournament (let alone a series, or any sort of event where it requires the participation of others) is a very thankless job. So THANK YOU Simon, I appreciate what you've done so far, and feel your pain in having to deal with some of the crap that has gone on in the past few days.
----
Saturday I played in a golf tournament that I've played in for over 14 years now. We've won it a couple of times and always have a great day as it usually lands on my birthday weekend. We did some heavy drinking and had a blast. I guess the highlight for me was the $25,000 hole in one chance. Of course, I didn't make it, but I sure gave it my best try. The ball got a nice kick from the right side of the green, headed straight for the pin and finished less than 2 feet behind the hole. In fact, the spotters that were there for insurance purposes jumped right out of their chairs! lol. We finished 2nd with a score of 10 under par. We lost to a team of ringers and we weren't able to defend our title.
So it's official. This was the year of not being able to defend. Sure I had my biggest win ever in golf, but in other team events we just didn't get it done. As the saying goes, "It's always harder to repeat." So true.
Mookie Day, see you there.
As we head out I realized that the FCPC poker series was just about to start. The crew that came to watch me were heading for dinner, but there just wasn't time for me to join them if I wanted to give it my best shot at winning the first week's event. Points are everything in this series. If you make the top 6 in points you are guaranteed a nice pay day.
We walked down to the underground parking and I caught a lift to my parking lot accross the street (lazy). I sent a reply to Fuel when he asked if I was a millionaire. When I got out the car and started to walk down to my car in the other lot I realized that I did not have my cell phone with my any longer.
You know the feeling. Panic and immediate hope ran through my mind as I tried to retrace my steps. I remembered sending Fuel a text right before I got out of the car. I thought to myself "It must be in the back seat still." I ran down to my car, paid for my parking on the way out and then I thought to myself "maybe it fell out when I got out of the car?"
Sure enough, as I pulled to the top of the underground parkade, there it was sitting in the gutter. No bad beat laid on Schaubs this time. I spotted it from accross the street and hoped that no one would see it before I could pull over, jump out and grab it. I did just that. My phone was back and things were right again. I called the crew in the car and they had a good laugh at my expense. I felt like it would be a lucky night for me since you know, I found my phone.
I hit up subway on the way over to the FCPC. Bacon and chicken six inch, toasted of course. I arrived about 45 minutes late and took my seat. I had been blinded down, but not much. 50K starting stack, 6 handed. I was ready to roll. I managed to finish in 2nd place and gain some valuable 2nd place points and a bit of cash. I was proud of the way I played considereing I haven't been playing 6 handed so much lately. Fuel finished 1st at his table, so it was a good night over all.
One guy already quit because of the sick beats that this one girl kept giving. He said he couldn't handle it. He stated she was so bad that he was totally turned off of the series because of it. We all told him to suck it up, but I doubt he will be back. FCPC organizer has agreed to give him his money back which I think it is total bullshit.
Have you ever played in a poker tournament where someone actually got a refund? No chance. Suck it up FCPC tournament organizer and put your foot down! No refunds, the money stays in the prize pool. Seat open!
So yeah, now the whole structure of the tournament has gone for shit. We might even change the entire thing and make it a one table, 10 player tournament now. Does it make sense to change the tournament after everyone has paid? I think not, but maybe that is just me.
Edit: The FCPC organizer has done the right thing and cancelled the tournament series. All monies will be refunded to the participants and we will work on something new. We appreciate all of his efforts as I can personally say that doing something like organizing a poker tournament (let alone a series, or any sort of event where it requires the participation of others) is a very thankless job. So THANK YOU Simon, I appreciate what you've done so far, and feel your pain in having to deal with some of the crap that has gone on in the past few days.
----
Saturday I played in a golf tournament that I've played in for over 14 years now. We've won it a couple of times and always have a great day as it usually lands on my birthday weekend. We did some heavy drinking and had a blast. I guess the highlight for me was the $25,000 hole in one chance. Of course, I didn't make it, but I sure gave it my best try. The ball got a nice kick from the right side of the green, headed straight for the pin and finished less than 2 feet behind the hole. In fact, the spotters that were there for insurance purposes jumped right out of their chairs! lol. We finished 2nd with a score of 10 under par. We lost to a team of ringers and we weren't able to defend our title.
So it's official. This was the year of not being able to defend. Sure I had my biggest win ever in golf, but in other team events we just didn't get it done. As the saying goes, "It's always harder to repeat." So true.
Mookie Day, see you there.
15.9.08
Fifteen(th)
I was so early for the finals it was ridiculous. I have this thing about showing up when I am told… even when I know they are just saying that to make sure we are all there with plenty of time to spare. I left work and made my way to the driving range. I hit about 25-30 balls with my 8 iron trying to visualize the same type of shot I had hit the day before to get me to the finals.
After the range I jumped in my car and made my way downtown. One of those yellow cabs jetted out in front of me and cut me off. The cab number was 15. For some reason or another that number pops up more than any other. I am not sure if I am looking for it more or what. It’s my number in baseball, and most other sports that I have played in the past. Oh, and it’s my birth date, and the month happens to be September.
I park, get my shit together and make my way down and around the back of Canada Place and see the floating green sitting there once again. I really felt like this was going to be a very special day. Either way, I felt very lucky to have a chance like this and wanted to make the best of it.
There were about 35 finalists. The format was a bit different than the first day. We only received two golf balls for the first round and all we had to do was keep hitting the green. Last man standing would win the car. Second place was a trip for two to New York to watch a Rangers game, third place was a full set of Taylor Made sticks, and fourth was a trip for four to Whistler to do some snowmobiling. My focus was obviously winning, and nothing but… sure the other prizes would be nice, but the car was the big one.
My first shot of the two was a bit nerve racking. I was second on the list, so there wasn’t any time to screw around here. I tried to create a routine and be consistent. I figured it was my best shot at being calm and not letting the crowd bother me too much. Once we got going there were probably over one thousand people watching from up top, where the beer and wine were flowing, and laughs and heckles continued to increase as the night went on.
I stuck with the 8 iron the entire time. I hit my first of my two balls into the left water just I had done early on the day before. The crowd groaned because it was the million dollar shot that I had just let slip by... oh well, move on. I was second on the list to hit for the entire competition. So I knew if I was going to go deep in this thing there was a good chance that I would eventually be the first guy to tee off in each round.
I was able to suck it up and hit my second one on the green just right of the pin. The crowd hooted and hollered as anticipated... Lola and the Thordogs led the cheers and things were off and running. 26 guys managed to hit the green in one way or another in the first round and we were on our way.
Except, they stopped the competition right then and there and decided that the team event would go next (as planned I suspect) and get out of the way of the finale. The team event took much longer than they had wished. By the time we started round 2 the sun was starting to fade and the shade was creeping up by the minute. As predicted, the guy who went first in the first round was already out. So that left me to tee off first in every subsequent round. I tried not to let it bother me, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t. That was just another element that I was going to have to deal with and shut out of my zone. I wanted to remain focused no matter what the circumstance.
Round 2 and all rounds after that allowed us only one ball each. That’s it. Hit the green and you stay in, miss the green and you are done.
The TV cameras were out, the music was pumping and the crowd was getting their drink on. I stepped up took dead aim… and then backed off. I just didn’t feel like I was set up right. The crowd groaned and the chatter was continuous. Nothing different, just amplified by the sheer number of people that were now all focused on the competitors… and at this moment they were all focused on me.
Never have I been so nervous. Never have I had that feeling of adrenaline pumping through my body so intensely during a golf shot. We were down to 25 left and I had already backed off the shot once. I took dead aim and of course, pulled it again! It was heading to the left back portion of the green, the wind was still blowing at us and as the ball descended I thought my night was over… but it held on and somehow grabbed some land! I was safe and moving on.
The next round would unfortunately be my last. We were down to 15 (ironic?) and the wind had completely died off. I considered hitting a 9, and right now as I sit here I still wonder if I should have pulled out the 9 and gave it a try. In the end I went with the 8 iron and I, once again, pulled it left. This time I wasn’t so lucky and it eventually hit the water. I was in shock, but at the same time very satisfied with how I did. Of course winning was the only thing that mattered, but this experience was something that I will never forget.
In fact, I’m already planning on finding my way in next year. I know it was there for the taking, I just didn’t get it done.
The final two guys battled it out, and hard. In the final show down neither of them wanted to lose. It took 12 rounds of hitting the green (or both missing) before one guy missed and the other guy didn’t. Nuts. I am not sure I would have been able to withstand that type of pressure, but I know I wouldn’t be backing down… not ever. Next time, there’s always next time.
A buddy of mine was there and took these pictures:
My approach
The backswing
The finish
Oh and I made it into the paper too... so far, no autograph requests LOL.
It was quite the way to start an awesome weekend. More on that later.
Thanks for all the support and good wishes, I appreciate it.
After the range I jumped in my car and made my way downtown. One of those yellow cabs jetted out in front of me and cut me off. The cab number was 15. For some reason or another that number pops up more than any other. I am not sure if I am looking for it more or what. It’s my number in baseball, and most other sports that I have played in the past. Oh, and it’s my birth date, and the month happens to be September.
I park, get my shit together and make my way down and around the back of Canada Place and see the floating green sitting there once again. I really felt like this was going to be a very special day. Either way, I felt very lucky to have a chance like this and wanted to make the best of it.
There were about 35 finalists. The format was a bit different than the first day. We only received two golf balls for the first round and all we had to do was keep hitting the green. Last man standing would win the car. Second place was a trip for two to New York to watch a Rangers game, third place was a full set of Taylor Made sticks, and fourth was a trip for four to Whistler to do some snowmobiling. My focus was obviously winning, and nothing but… sure the other prizes would be nice, but the car was the big one.
My first shot of the two was a bit nerve racking. I was second on the list, so there wasn’t any time to screw around here. I tried to create a routine and be consistent. I figured it was my best shot at being calm and not letting the crowd bother me too much. Once we got going there were probably over one thousand people watching from up top, where the beer and wine were flowing, and laughs and heckles continued to increase as the night went on.
I stuck with the 8 iron the entire time. I hit my first of my two balls into the left water just I had done early on the day before. The crowd groaned because it was the million dollar shot that I had just let slip by... oh well, move on. I was second on the list to hit for the entire competition. So I knew if I was going to go deep in this thing there was a good chance that I would eventually be the first guy to tee off in each round.
I was able to suck it up and hit my second one on the green just right of the pin. The crowd hooted and hollered as anticipated... Lola and the Thordogs led the cheers and things were off and running. 26 guys managed to hit the green in one way or another in the first round and we were on our way.
Except, they stopped the competition right then and there and decided that the team event would go next (as planned I suspect) and get out of the way of the finale. The team event took much longer than they had wished. By the time we started round 2 the sun was starting to fade and the shade was creeping up by the minute. As predicted, the guy who went first in the first round was already out. So that left me to tee off first in every subsequent round. I tried not to let it bother me, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t. That was just another element that I was going to have to deal with and shut out of my zone. I wanted to remain focused no matter what the circumstance.
Round 2 and all rounds after that allowed us only one ball each. That’s it. Hit the green and you stay in, miss the green and you are done.
The TV cameras were out, the music was pumping and the crowd was getting their drink on. I stepped up took dead aim… and then backed off. I just didn’t feel like I was set up right. The crowd groaned and the chatter was continuous. Nothing different, just amplified by the sheer number of people that were now all focused on the competitors… and at this moment they were all focused on me.
Never have I been so nervous. Never have I had that feeling of adrenaline pumping through my body so intensely during a golf shot. We were down to 25 left and I had already backed off the shot once. I took dead aim and of course, pulled it again! It was heading to the left back portion of the green, the wind was still blowing at us and as the ball descended I thought my night was over… but it held on and somehow grabbed some land! I was safe and moving on.
The next round would unfortunately be my last. We were down to 15 (ironic?) and the wind had completely died off. I considered hitting a 9, and right now as I sit here I still wonder if I should have pulled out the 9 and gave it a try. In the end I went with the 8 iron and I, once again, pulled it left. This time I wasn’t so lucky and it eventually hit the water. I was in shock, but at the same time very satisfied with how I did. Of course winning was the only thing that mattered, but this experience was something that I will never forget.
In fact, I’m already planning on finding my way in next year. I know it was there for the taking, I just didn’t get it done.
The final two guys battled it out, and hard. In the final show down neither of them wanted to lose. It took 12 rounds of hitting the green (or both missing) before one guy missed and the other guy didn’t. Nuts. I am not sure I would have been able to withstand that type of pressure, but I know I wouldn’t be backing down… not ever. Next time, there’s always next time.
A buddy of mine was there and took these pictures:
My approach
The backswing
The finish
Oh and I made it into the paper too... so far, no autograph requests LOL.
It was quite the way to start an awesome weekend. More on that later.
Thanks for all the support and good wishes, I appreciate it.
12.9.08
Qualifying Update
What a rush.
When I arrived at Canada place I had minutes to spare. I wanted to arrive on time, but really there was no rush. So I register and they give me a handful of items like food comps, beer comps and a ticket for my choice of sunglasses. I've been looking for a new pair for a while now, so it was a nice surprise to be able to pick out a pair before we got down to business. I don't wear sunglasses while I golf, or even when I practice. That's just me.
So the shot was 164 yards to the pin and there was about a 3 story drop. It looked like more, but I went with it. The wind was coming off the water from left to right. There is a bunker along the front right portion of the floating green. I decided that I would aim right at the corner of that bunker and let the wind and my natural fade bring it back to the pin. If I pulled it long, I would still be ok, and if I bailed out right I might still catch the front portion as well.
The format was simple. The first step was to hit the green with one of my three designated golf balls. If I did that, I would advance to the next round. There were about 45 guys in my "pool b" and they were taking 10 players to the finals from our heat. I thnk there were three heats.
First goal: hit the green. You get one minute to hit all three golf balls. There is actually a buzzer that sounds if you are over the time limit. My first and second shot were hit in the exact same spot... the water. I hit it right where I aimed, but when I pulled it a bit left it just didn't make it. Knowing that I had one last shot to move on, this time, I took dead aim. I hit my 8 iron right at the stick and it drifted off a bit but still managed to land on the green about twenty feet short right. Phase one complete.
Second goal: finish in the top 10. This time the rules were different. I had to place in the top 10 out of the remaining 16 players (yes, only 16 players hit the green out of my pool). A lot of guys were nervous, and shanking it left and right, long and short. I was confident that I could hit the green for a second time and move on to the finals tomorrow.
There was a warm up area just off to the right where I would go and warm up when I was batting in the hole (3rd up). I took that time to focus and do some breathing. It's something that I started using when I read an article about it before the culb championship. It has really helped me calm down and focus solely on the next shot.
So they call my name and I head up to the tee just as I had before. This time I decided to take dead aim once more. I hit my 8 iron and it never left the pin! It landed 5'2" from the pin and I ended up finishing 2nd furthest from the cup in that round. Phase two complete.
Nothing but the pin tomorrow as Bambam put it. There is a million dollar first shot too. That's right, if I hole out on my very first shot tomorrow I will pocket a million. Sick to think about really. I mean I've never had a hole in one. But you just never know.
My focus is actually winning this thing. Sure the million would be super sweet, don't get me wrong... it would change our lives. But really, what are the chances?
Why not? You just never know.
First things first. Take dead aim and try my best.
When I arrived at Canada place I had minutes to spare. I wanted to arrive on time, but really there was no rush. So I register and they give me a handful of items like food comps, beer comps and a ticket for my choice of sunglasses. I've been looking for a new pair for a while now, so it was a nice surprise to be able to pick out a pair before we got down to business. I don't wear sunglasses while I golf, or even when I practice. That's just me.
So the shot was 164 yards to the pin and there was about a 3 story drop. It looked like more, but I went with it. The wind was coming off the water from left to right. There is a bunker along the front right portion of the floating green. I decided that I would aim right at the corner of that bunker and let the wind and my natural fade bring it back to the pin. If I pulled it long, I would still be ok, and if I bailed out right I might still catch the front portion as well.
The format was simple. The first step was to hit the green with one of my three designated golf balls. If I did that, I would advance to the next round. There were about 45 guys in my "pool b" and they were taking 10 players to the finals from our heat. I thnk there were three heats.
First goal: hit the green. You get one minute to hit all three golf balls. There is actually a buzzer that sounds if you are over the time limit. My first and second shot were hit in the exact same spot... the water. I hit it right where I aimed, but when I pulled it a bit left it just didn't make it. Knowing that I had one last shot to move on, this time, I took dead aim. I hit my 8 iron right at the stick and it drifted off a bit but still managed to land on the green about twenty feet short right. Phase one complete.
Second goal: finish in the top 10. This time the rules were different. I had to place in the top 10 out of the remaining 16 players (yes, only 16 players hit the green out of my pool). A lot of guys were nervous, and shanking it left and right, long and short. I was confident that I could hit the green for a second time and move on to the finals tomorrow.
There was a warm up area just off to the right where I would go and warm up when I was batting in the hole (3rd up). I took that time to focus and do some breathing. It's something that I started using when I read an article about it before the culb championship. It has really helped me calm down and focus solely on the next shot.
So they call my name and I head up to the tee just as I had before. This time I decided to take dead aim once more. I hit my 8 iron and it never left the pin! It landed 5'2" from the pin and I ended up finishing 2nd furthest from the cup in that round. Phase two complete.
Nothing but the pin tomorrow as Bambam put it. There is a million dollar first shot too. That's right, if I hole out on my very first shot tomorrow I will pocket a million. Sick to think about really. I mean I've never had a hole in one. But you just never know.
My focus is actually winning this thing. Sure the million would be super sweet, don't get me wrong... it would change our lives. But really, what are the chances?
Why not? You just never know.
First things first. Take dead aim and try my best.
11.9.08
VW Ultimate Shoot-Out OMG
Ok so yesterday I alluded to some golf news that I was waiting on. I had received an email from my club's head pro asking me if I was interested in participating in the above mentioned shoot-out... Obv. Obv. Obv! It wasn't a guarantee as they had not received confirmation that I was in. I waited and hoped, and waited some more. Well this morning when I got to work I had the following email waiting for me (as hoped):
Re: Individual Shoot-Out
Dear Competitor,
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with all of the relevant information and details to ensure that you have a memorable experience at the 2008 Volkswagen Ultimate Shoot-Out. The following information is for those who are entered into the Individual Shoot-Out.
The Individual Shoot-Out
A field of 200 amatuer golfers will be competing in this year’s Volkswagen Ultimate Shoot-Out that will see the winner drive away in a brand new Volkswagen Passat. The format of this event is simple; hit the green and you stay in, miss and you are eliminated. The last golfer standing wins!
Qualifying Time
There are three qualifying times on Thursday, September 11th.
YOU ARE IN QUALIFYING SESSION B – 11:15AM TO 1:15PM. PLEASE SHOW UP AT
LEAST ½ PRIOR TO TEE TIME.
Registration
You are already pre-registered. Simply show up at least 1/2 hour prior to your qualifying time.
Event Finals
The event finals take place on Friday, September 12th at Canada Place at 5:00pm. The VWUSO Individual Event will see 28 finalists battle it out for the new Passat! The format for the finals will be a simple “last golfer standing” competition. Similar to qualifying, each golfer will get a minimum of three shots. Those golfers hitting the green will continue to advance until we have a winner.
We are expecting a gallery of over 2000 people this year so make sure and this will surely add to the excitement and tension!
Do I even have to tell you how pumped I am? I immediately took the day off work and notified my friends and family. Obviously my first goal is to qualify for Friday's finals. I don't want to look any further ahead than that. One shot, one day at a time. Just like any other tournament.
I went to the range after work, and plan on going back tomorrow morning before I head downtown. I've got a couple of buddies that work down there that will be meeting me there, and hopefully Lola will be albe to join me as well.
Somebody pinch me now. I can't wait.
Stay tuned for an update tomorrow night...
Re: Individual Shoot-Out
Dear Competitor,
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with all of the relevant information and details to ensure that you have a memorable experience at the 2008 Volkswagen Ultimate Shoot-Out. The following information is for those who are entered into the Individual Shoot-Out.
The Individual Shoot-Out
A field of 200 amatuer golfers will be competing in this year’s Volkswagen Ultimate Shoot-Out that will see the winner drive away in a brand new Volkswagen Passat. The format of this event is simple; hit the green and you stay in, miss and you are eliminated. The last golfer standing wins!
Qualifying Time
There are three qualifying times on Thursday, September 11th.
YOU ARE IN QUALIFYING SESSION B – 11:15AM TO 1:15PM. PLEASE SHOW UP AT
LEAST ½ PRIOR TO TEE TIME.
Registration
You are already pre-registered. Simply show up at least 1/2 hour prior to your qualifying time.
Event Finals
The event finals take place on Friday, September 12th at Canada Place at 5:00pm. The VWUSO Individual Event will see 28 finalists battle it out for the new Passat! The format for the finals will be a simple “last golfer standing” competition. Similar to qualifying, each golfer will get a minimum of three shots. Those golfers hitting the green will continue to advance until we have a winner.
We are expecting a gallery of over 2000 people this year so make sure and this will surely add to the excitement and tension!
Do I even have to tell you how pumped I am? I immediately took the day off work and notified my friends and family. Obviously my first goal is to qualify for Friday's finals. I don't want to look any further ahead than that. One shot, one day at a time. Just like any other tournament.
I went to the range after work, and plan on going back tomorrow morning before I head downtown. I've got a couple of buddies that work down there that will be meeting me there, and hopefully Lola will be albe to join me as well.
Somebody pinch me now. I can't wait.
Stay tuned for an update tomorrow night...
10.9.08
Live Poker WTF, FF wolf
When Lola mentioned that she was going to go away for 2 nights with her sister and mother to Whistler, it immediately got me to thinking about one thing and one thing only....
Live poker and Monday Night Football!
It's been a while since the crew at the club have gotten together to sling some chips and drink some beers. Monday's bachelorism was the perfect reason to take advantage of the first week's MNF games and do just that.
I arrived at about 6pm, just in time to make one last beer order before the bar closed. Of course, we always bring reserves for when the bar shuts it down, but I always try to buy a few to support the club... and disguise the fact that we brought our own...
Anyway, poker really didn't get started until about 8pm, which was way later than I had hoped. Guys showed up late, as they normally do when it is still light out. Being the first MNF of the new NFL season, I expected the turnout to be pretty weak, and it was.
Only 6 guys ended up throwing down $20 twice.
The first time around I got taken out by a beat that is pretty standard. I am in the BB with 57s. Two limpers and the SB completes. I check.
The SB checks the flop of K-5-7 rainbow. I lead out and bet the pot (8BB) with my bottom two pair. It folds to the SB and he pushes for another 12 BB. I call, he flips up KJd. I say "why didn't you raise with that hand?" tap tap.
He says "I'm a feel player, I just do whatever comes to me at the time. I felt like just calling there."
Sure enough a King hits on the turn and I am crippled. I push 10's on the next hand and get outflopped and can't fold when I see the Ace. Smart.
I did much better in the second game, chopped first and went home $20 richer.
The hand that vaulted me into the chip lead was one where I actually used my poker brain and called purely on odds. The guys always give me a hard time because I am perceived to be a "math guy" in their eyes since I have a finance background. It's pretty funny, and I often try to exploit that image by making "calculated bets" and getting my opponents to fold their superior hands. It's fun.
Anyway, I raise from UTG (4 handed now, details are fuzzy) with K8d. Two callers and the flop comes out with two diamonds. I had 3-1 and made the call when EP pushed his stack (less than pot) and I make the call knowing I am going to hit a diamond. No delay, it hits on the turn and I tighten back up.
Millertime and I chop first place. Good times. I was there for about an extra hour than I wanted to be, but winning money always seems to make me fall asleep much more easily.
----
Live blog alert! As I type this post up I am two tabling some $0.25/0.50 and the following hand took place:
Seat 3: XhY ($16.50)
Seat 7: Orkistraitor ($62.85)
Seat 9: Schaubs ($61.45)
loada08 posts the small blind of $0.25
Schaubs posts the big blind of $0.50
Dealt to Schaubs [Ac Kh]
RareDonkeyFish folds
XhY raises to $1
Orkistraitor has 15 seconds left to act
Orkistraitor raises to $3
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs calls $2.50 - smooth call felt like the right call here out of the BB.
XhY calls $2
*** FLOP *** [Ah 9h As]
Schaubs checks - so weak.
XhY checks
Orkistraitor bets $6.50
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs calls $6.50
XhY folds
*** TURN *** [Ah 9h As] [6s]
Schaubs checks
Orkistraitor bets $22.25
Schaubs raises to $51.95, and is all in
Orkistraitor calls $29.70
Schaubs shows [Ac Kh]
Orkistraitor shows [Qs Ad]
*** RIVER *** [Ah 9h As 6s] [8d]
Schaubs shows three of a kind, Aces
Orkistraitor shows three of a kind, Aces
Schaubs wins the pot ($123.15) with three of a kind, Aces
Cha Ching! LOL so easy. I wish.
----
Ok I am back.
Anyway, the weekend went well. Fantasy Football is in full effect now, so Sunday was basically all that. Football, football and more football. I won my two matches and also survived Don's pool when the Patriots managed to hold on for dear life (pooooor Tom... waaaaa.... poooooor Boston!... yeah right eh!). I sure am glad I got that pick out of the way...
I did well in pickem's too, which is nice. I usually start off pretty weak as I get into the season. I made some dumb dumb picks, but also predicted a couple of upsets. So it worked out well. I managed to pick off 10 and 9 wins in my two pools. ya me.
I also participated in the FSL blogger challenge that Blinders is running once again. I finished 4th in my stacked pool and missed out on some cash even though I beat blinders... so rigged. Anyway, he's mentioned that the software will be able to accomodate the large field so we won't be broken up into groups of ten. I predict this increases my ROI as I always seem to enter early and get matched up against some tough comp.
----
Finally, this Friday we kick off the latest FCPC poker challenge. So my Friday's are booked for about 5 weeks. Top 6 of the 12 get into the $1700 final table. I look forward to the challenge, more on that later.
I also may have some golf news if things work in my favor (crossing fingers and hoping for some luck) and I will update you all on that if it goes as planned.
I should be at the Mookie tomorrow, see you there?
Live poker and Monday Night Football!
It's been a while since the crew at the club have gotten together to sling some chips and drink some beers. Monday's bachelorism was the perfect reason to take advantage of the first week's MNF games and do just that.
I arrived at about 6pm, just in time to make one last beer order before the bar closed. Of course, we always bring reserves for when the bar shuts it down, but I always try to buy a few to support the club... and disguise the fact that we brought our own...
Anyway, poker really didn't get started until about 8pm, which was way later than I had hoped. Guys showed up late, as they normally do when it is still light out. Being the first MNF of the new NFL season, I expected the turnout to be pretty weak, and it was.
Only 6 guys ended up throwing down $20 twice.
The first time around I got taken out by a beat that is pretty standard. I am in the BB with 57s. Two limpers and the SB completes. I check.
The SB checks the flop of K-5-7 rainbow. I lead out and bet the pot (8BB) with my bottom two pair. It folds to the SB and he pushes for another 12 BB. I call, he flips up KJd. I say "why didn't you raise with that hand?" tap tap.
He says "I'm a feel player, I just do whatever comes to me at the time. I felt like just calling there."
Sure enough a King hits on the turn and I am crippled. I push 10's on the next hand and get outflopped and can't fold when I see the Ace. Smart.
I did much better in the second game, chopped first and went home $20 richer.
The hand that vaulted me into the chip lead was one where I actually used my poker brain and called purely on odds. The guys always give me a hard time because I am perceived to be a "math guy" in their eyes since I have a finance background. It's pretty funny, and I often try to exploit that image by making "calculated bets" and getting my opponents to fold their superior hands. It's fun.
Anyway, I raise from UTG (4 handed now, details are fuzzy) with K8d. Two callers and the flop comes out with two diamonds. I had 3-1 and made the call when EP pushed his stack (less than pot) and I make the call knowing I am going to hit a diamond. No delay, it hits on the turn and I tighten back up.
Millertime and I chop first place. Good times. I was there for about an extra hour than I wanted to be, but winning money always seems to make me fall asleep much more easily.
----
Live blog alert! As I type this post up I am two tabling some $0.25/0.50 and the following hand took place:
Seat 3: XhY ($16.50)
Seat 7: Orkistraitor ($62.85)
Seat 9: Schaubs ($61.45)
loada08 posts the small blind of $0.25
Schaubs posts the big blind of $0.50
Dealt to Schaubs [Ac Kh]
RareDonkeyFish folds
XhY raises to $1
Orkistraitor has 15 seconds left to act
Orkistraitor raises to $3
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs calls $2.50 - smooth call felt like the right call here out of the BB.
XhY calls $2
*** FLOP *** [Ah 9h As]
Schaubs checks - so weak.
XhY checks
Orkistraitor bets $6.50
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs calls $6.50
XhY folds
*** TURN *** [Ah 9h As] [6s]
Schaubs checks
Orkistraitor bets $22.25
Schaubs raises to $51.95, and is all in
Orkistraitor calls $29.70
Schaubs shows [Ac Kh]
Orkistraitor shows [Qs Ad]
*** RIVER *** [Ah 9h As 6s] [8d]
Schaubs shows three of a kind, Aces
Orkistraitor shows three of a kind, Aces
Schaubs wins the pot ($123.15) with three of a kind, Aces
Cha Ching! LOL so easy. I wish.
----
Ok I am back.
Anyway, the weekend went well. Fantasy Football is in full effect now, so Sunday was basically all that. Football, football and more football. I won my two matches and also survived Don's pool when the Patriots managed to hold on for dear life (pooooor Tom... waaaaa.... poooooor Boston!... yeah right eh!). I sure am glad I got that pick out of the way...
I did well in pickem's too, which is nice. I usually start off pretty weak as I get into the season. I made some dumb dumb picks, but also predicted a couple of upsets. So it worked out well. I managed to pick off 10 and 9 wins in my two pools. ya me.
I also participated in the FSL blogger challenge that Blinders is running once again. I finished 4th in my stacked pool and missed out on some cash even though I beat blinders... so rigged. Anyway, he's mentioned that the software will be able to accomodate the large field so we won't be broken up into groups of ten. I predict this increases my ROI as I always seem to enter early and get matched up against some tough comp.
----
Finally, this Friday we kick off the latest FCPC poker challenge. So my Friday's are booked for about 5 weeks. Top 6 of the 12 get into the $1700 final table. I look forward to the challenge, more on that later.
I also may have some golf news if things work in my favor (crossing fingers and hoping for some luck) and I will update you all on that if it goes as planned.
I should be at the Mookie tomorrow, see you there?
4.9.08
What coulda been... (not really a poker brag)
It would be a poker brag if I could have actually pulled it off and won. I won my share of races at the end (twice with less than 15 to go) which is essential to going deep in these things.
Anyway, I tried to make a move on Speaker on our final hand and it back fired. When I look back and think about it from every which way I realize that raising from the SB is something that I normally would have done with any ace. This time I limped trying to mix it up and he hit his 6 on a 10-6-10 flop. I re-over shoved on the flop hoping it was actually him trying to make a move on me. Nope. He had a 6. Can't blame him for the call. It was a lot of fun to compete like that, I just wish I could have taken it down as it would have been my first Mookie win. Twice a bridesmaid now. I feel like LJ use to (well ok maybe not as often), now she's just stacking up the wins like no other blogger out there. Thanks for the rail, I know it would have been nice to pull it off...
Anyway, I tried to make a move on Speaker on our final hand and it back fired. When I look back and think about it from every which way I realize that raising from the SB is something that I normally would have done with any ace. This time I limped trying to mix it up and he hit his 6 on a 10-6-10 flop. I re-over shoved on the flop hoping it was actually him trying to make a move on me. Nope. He had a 6. Can't blame him for the call. It was a lot of fun to compete like that, I just wish I could have taken it down as it would have been my first Mookie win. Twice a bridesmaid now. I feel like LJ use to (well ok maybe not as often), now she's just stacking up the wins like no other blogger out there. Thanks for the rail, I know it would have been nice to pull it off...
2nd place makes Schaubs sad.
I know I'll get one sooner or later, I just really thought last night was going to be my night. I rant out of patience and it cost me big time. With only 16BB's in play each I knew it was going to come down to a gamble sooner or later. Next time, I'll make sure I have the goods. GG Speaker, and BaconMary and all the rest of you bloggheads.
I feel compelled to make one comment about BDR though. Even though I doubt Speaker was listening, it was very annoying to hear the crew on BDR talk about the final hand as it was still in progress. Buddydank would never stand for this. Basically, once I reshoved, everyone on the air started talking about hand ranges and who had what. They just kept going on and on.
Now I love me some BDR. In fact I think I was the last one to sign off last night after the tournament. However, I think it is bad form to be talking about the hand when it is still going on. At the time I was very annoyed because as the clock ticked down and Speaker was making a decision for the entire tournament, everyone was putting me on a hand and talking about what each of us had. It definitly could have influenced a player to make a call or a fold. I still wonder if Speaker was listening to BDR. Oh well. Fuck it. Let's move on shall we....
Let the NFL Season begin!!
What coulda been... (golf brag)
I had a start to my round like I've never experienced before. When I sat on the 6th tee waiting to hit my tee shot on the par 3 I really felt like it was going to be one of those rounds that comes around once in a lifetime. I've had my low rounds before, sure, but I've never had a start like I did yesterday.
Long story short... it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But still, it sure was cool to have that feeling like I could shoot some ridiculous number that everyone hopes to shoot in their golf career.
So yeah, I birdie the first (10 footer). I reach the 570 yard par 5 in two when I roll my hybrid to within 15 feet. (side note: we are playing in a 4 man best ball competition where we only record the best score of the four of us, there is some cash up for grabs, so I am playing very aggressively and going for everything).
I step up to my eagle putt with the intentions of being very aggressive and just burn the edge and miss the eagle 3. I make the one coming back. 2 under after 2. The next hole, a par 4, I hit my hybrid off the tee (trying to play smart aggressive golf, sort of how I try to play poker... lol).
I'm in the left rough and the rest of team is basically out of the hole (one in the water, one out of bounds, one hit his approach into the greenside bunker) and I am left to make a par (or even better, a birdie) and keep our team afloat.
I flush my 9 iron from 152 and it lands on the front of the green as planned and rolls up to the pin to within a foot! 3 undie after 3. This is where I start to get that feeling. My team mates can tell that I am zoned in and I am ready to take this thing low.
The next hole is a par 3. 165 yards downhill, pin in the front, protected by a bunker. Down wind, so I pull out my 8 iron and hit it right at the stick. At this point I am calling for it to go in, GO IN! I say. It ends up fading a bit to the right and I have a very slick 10 foot side hill bender. I lip out! Damn. The wheels are falling off. LOL.
I make it for par and move on to the par 5 5th. I pull my drive (trying to kill every drive and take dead aim at every pin) in the left rough. I punch out to 175 yards. I pull out my 6 iron and fire it right at the pin. It never leaves the pin, it is going straight at the pin. I want it to get close, or even better, get in the hole.
It never leaves the flag stick, one hops and hits the stick! It luckily lands a few feet right of the pin. I try to recall the last time I've ever hit the pin like that, and I can't. I still can't. I rarely (see: never) hit it like that right at the pin, and then it actually hits the pin.
I miss that putt as well. Still 3 under, after 5. Meanwhile, my team has made birdies on the 4th and 5th and we are 5 under as a team after 5. At this point the hairs on my arms are standing straight up and not since the club championship have I felt that sort of golf zen before. I really felt like I could take it low, but I knew I had to be aggressive, for the team.
That aggression would get the best of me. I took a lot of risks that I wouldn't have taken if it was just for me. I wanted to make as many birdies, at whatever the cost. I ended up making 3 more birdies. I finished the round 3 over but I think it will take a long while before I ever forget about that kind of start to my round.
Our team finished 2nd overall, we won some cash (tripled our buyin... weeee) and had an excellent steak and chicken buffet.
I love days like that, it makes me want to get better and better.
I wish I could say the same for poker. Nevertheless, I'll be at the mookie tonight. Mostly to see if Waffles will make this run that he continues to hope for. A part of me wants him to lose by $1 to LJ, another part of me actually wants to see him pull off this improbably come back and win these prop bets (they aren't life changing money anyway). The waffles rant would be ridiculous if he came oh so close, and then lost to some ricockulous suckout and was laughed at by all the railbirds hoping for said disaster.
See ya there.
Long story short... it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But still, it sure was cool to have that feeling like I could shoot some ridiculous number that everyone hopes to shoot in their golf career.
So yeah, I birdie the first (10 footer). I reach the 570 yard par 5 in two when I roll my hybrid to within 15 feet. (side note: we are playing in a 4 man best ball competition where we only record the best score of the four of us, there is some cash up for grabs, so I am playing very aggressively and going for everything).
I step up to my eagle putt with the intentions of being very aggressive and just burn the edge and miss the eagle 3. I make the one coming back. 2 under after 2. The next hole, a par 4, I hit my hybrid off the tee (trying to play smart aggressive golf, sort of how I try to play poker... lol).
I'm in the left rough and the rest of team is basically out of the hole (one in the water, one out of bounds, one hit his approach into the greenside bunker) and I am left to make a par (or even better, a birdie) and keep our team afloat.
I flush my 9 iron from 152 and it lands on the front of the green as planned and rolls up to the pin to within a foot! 3 undie after 3. This is where I start to get that feeling. My team mates can tell that I am zoned in and I am ready to take this thing low.
The next hole is a par 3. 165 yards downhill, pin in the front, protected by a bunker. Down wind, so I pull out my 8 iron and hit it right at the stick. At this point I am calling for it to go in, GO IN! I say. It ends up fading a bit to the right and I have a very slick 10 foot side hill bender. I lip out! Damn. The wheels are falling off. LOL.
I make it for par and move on to the par 5 5th. I pull my drive (trying to kill every drive and take dead aim at every pin) in the left rough. I punch out to 175 yards. I pull out my 6 iron and fire it right at the pin. It never leaves the pin, it is going straight at the pin. I want it to get close, or even better, get in the hole.
It never leaves the flag stick, one hops and hits the stick! It luckily lands a few feet right of the pin. I try to recall the last time I've ever hit the pin like that, and I can't. I still can't. I rarely (see: never) hit it like that right at the pin, and then it actually hits the pin.
I miss that putt as well. Still 3 under, after 5. Meanwhile, my team has made birdies on the 4th and 5th and we are 5 under as a team after 5. At this point the hairs on my arms are standing straight up and not since the club championship have I felt that sort of golf zen before. I really felt like I could take it low, but I knew I had to be aggressive, for the team.
That aggression would get the best of me. I took a lot of risks that I wouldn't have taken if it was just for me. I wanted to make as many birdies, at whatever the cost. I ended up making 3 more birdies. I finished the round 3 over but I think it will take a long while before I ever forget about that kind of start to my round.
Our team finished 2nd overall, we won some cash (tripled our buyin... weeee) and had an excellent steak and chicken buffet.
I love days like that, it makes me want to get better and better.
I wish I could say the same for poker. Nevertheless, I'll be at the mookie tonight. Mostly to see if Waffles will make this run that he continues to hope for. A part of me wants him to lose by $1 to LJ, another part of me actually wants to see him pull off this improbably come back and win these prop bets (they aren't life changing money anyway). The waffles rant would be ridiculous if he came oh so close, and then lost to some ricockulous suckout and was laughed at by all the railbirds hoping for said disaster.
See ya there.
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