Viffer = Goose

Date: Sun, Aug 15, 2010

Has anybody noticed that Viffer looks like Goose in Top Gun? I didn't see it until they started interviewing him on The Big Game, after he rivered a pot against Giang. The mouth hanging open all the time has to go, but when nicely composed, he totally looks like Anthony Edwards.

I finished in the middle of the pack in the online poker league I played in. I'm debating playing the next season. The problem is, the games are on Monday nights at 8pm, and I work until 7pm. By the time I get out of work and home, I'd be lucky to be home in time. I'd most certainly miss at least a few minutes. But a few minutes isn't that bad, and I could probably make it home for the start of some games. We'll see.

I've warmed up a bit to The Big Game. The commentary has gotten better, and like my initial impression, I do like all of the statistics they provide. I really enjoyed the week with Nadia.

I am, however, getting sick of the colon cleanse and hair restoration commercials.

I've got a trip to San Diego coming up. Looks like the Barona Casino is about a half hour away. Any opinions of their poker room? Or other nearby poker rooms?

Ahh well. My little micro SnG on Full Tilt has ended anti-climatically. Such is life.

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I hate it when the buffet is the best part

Date: Fri, Jul 30, 2010

Like the title says... I hate it when the buffet is the best part of a poker night.

Don't get me wrong - I loves me a good buffet! I'm sure Ed would keep my secret, but in the spirit of full disclosure, yes. We hit up the Empress Casino buffet and I caved to the lure of chocolate-vanilla twist soft serve with a crumbled chocolate chip cookie on top. And yes, I'm about to go run 3 miles in penance.

Anyhooo, on the advice of a dealer at Empress, I headed back there last night with my friend Ed in tow to go fishing. The dealer said that Thursday nights were the best.

Boy, was she wrong. I spent 7 hours tossing lures into a friggin rock quarry.

I made good on my observation from the other night and bet after those orphan pots (and won a few of them). I also made bad on an old tendency to overplay big pocket pairs.

But let's back up a bit. I made it off of the feeder table up $50 or so - always a good thing. I settled into the main game and was in good company. I liked my neighbors to the left and right. We chatted photography and birds and poker TV and the passage of the HR2267 bill (one dealer hadn't heard about it. I felt so politically savvy).

I was fairly card dead throughout the night, but survived on conversation. About 5 hours in, I saw a flop with AK. Flopped the gutshot Broadway draw. Called an early position bet. The turn was a blank. The bettor checked to me. I took that as weakness, and I bet out. I was hoping to take the pot away from the guy right there. But then - whoops. Didn't realize there was another guy to act behind me. I thought we were heads up. He called. The other guy folded. (Damn. My semi-bluff probably would have worked had we been heads up). I should have taken a moment to recompose my thoughts. The realization of my screw-up had me discombobulated (though the dealer was not announcing the number of players in the hand like they usually do). The river fell a blank and I checked. The other guy bet out, and I figured I could only beat a bluff. I folded.

He showed his bluff - AQ. He was open-ended. My bluff was better than his! Had I pulled the trigger on the river, I'd have taken that pot.

I suck.

Then, one of the quieter regular old gents gave me some advice under his breath. Obviously, those two had tangled before. I believe the phrase he used was "reckless ol' bully," explaining that the guy bluffs all the time and bets with nothing. A punk kid rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement.

It really depends on the situation as to whether or not I take advice from regulars. Sometimes I sense that there's an unspoken bond between them that compels the regulars to stick together (and possibly mislead the non-regular "targets"). More often, though, the advice turns out to be genuine. I think I do get more unsolicited advice as a girl than I would as a guy, and in this case, I think it was genuine.

Noted: the Brett Hull lookin' guy is an aggro-bluffer (BH for short).

As the last couple hours wore on, I noted several hands where BH showed down crap, pushing all the way. This reinforced Gramp's advice, and I can't say that it wasn't in the back of my head as I embarked upon what would be my last hand of the night.

QQ in the big blind. I hate playing big hands from the blinds. Despise. Loathe. Did I mention that I hate playing big hands from the blinds? Grr. Anyway. It was limped 3 ways. I raised preflop to 6xBB (average raise for the table was 3.5x BB). Got 3 callers (surprise!). Flop came Axx. Small blind checked to me. I bet out $40 (pot size). BH (aggro-bluffer) called. The rest folded. Turn came a blank.

I'd been all in with BH one time since the bluff hand, and had beat him with a straight. In my trigger-happy (and rather exhausted) state, my puzzle assessment said that a) he'd assume that I had something (he thought I made a big laydown on his bluff, which is why he showed it, and the last time I went all in, I had a monster), and b) he had nothing, because he's a friggin aggro-donk bluffmonster.

I pushed all in. It was only about a pot-sized push, but still. He didn't take long to call with his Ace. I was felted.

Lesson for today: slow down. Even though I had a game plan during that last hand, had I slowed down and just reviewed my thoughts, I'd have come upon a realization that would probably have prevailed. Why play a big pot with just 2nd pair? He called a preflop raise. He could very well have an Ace. Sure, it had a craptacular kicker, but it was an Ace. Don't let the target on his forehead take precedent over solid reasoning. Trigger-happy moves tend to be careless moves.

Ed seemed to finish better than I did, though I left before him and didn't get the final tally. Now, it's time for me to go run off some of last night's buffet debauchery. (Thanks, Ed! nom nom nom). Speaking of - the Empress buffet was pretty good. It was no Vegas buffet (I really wish there was a section with Chinese food), but the food was good - above decent but below awesome.

Off to run!

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The "new" Empress Casino

Date: Thu, Jul 29, 2010

I checked out the "new" Empress Casino poker room last night. Well, it's new to me - I haven't been there since the fire. Wow, has it really been over a year? March 2009. *counts on fingers* Yup.

I've been watching a lot of episodes of The Big Game, and last night I was jonesing for some live poker, and I felt lucky. I had no luck finding an accomplice for my evening debauchery, but that has never stopped me before. That familiar adrenaline-fueled tingle jump started my heart as I pulled onto the casino grounds. Oh, how sweet it is!

I was quickly lost. The parking lot was no longer the parking lot. I missed the entrance for the parking garage (what?! There's a parking garage?!) and had to loop back around. Then, I drove around the parking garage looking for the casino entrance. Ahh, there it is!

I walked to the building and... oh boy, lost again. Elevators! OK... now what? Mazes of hallways! OK... wow, the old atrium is gone (presumably to be built back up into something even more spectacular someday). OK, walking through the maze... Then, up ahead, I spied something familiar - the big ol' hallway leading to the entrance to the boat (well, I guess it's technically a barge... but we call them all boats).

I entered the casino floor and noticed some things had been rearranged. Also, the carpeting was new, and the place smelled better than ever (probably because it had never been smoked in since the post-fire remodeling). Fresh air! Shiny things! New carpet! I walked along the left corridor towards the poker room - or, what used to be the poker room. What?! It's gone! And... there's a giant buffet back there! I want cards, not chicken wings! Gah!

I lapped back around the other side, looking for the poker room. No luck. I noticed that all of the other table games were gone, and it started to make sense. The slots took over the main level, and the table games must be downstairs. I had to hurry - I was going to lose my spot on the poker room board if I didn't find the place soon!

I took the escalator downstairs, and breathed a sigh of relief - there it was, around the corner to the right. The new and improved poker room. Bigger (maybe 5 or 6 tables now instead of 3?). Nicer - lots of TV's and more space between the tables. Centrally located - the deli is right there across from the poker room. Awesome :)

Oh - and they give comp points to poker players now! 50 cents an hour. Better than the previous comps (i.e. a big ol' goose egg!)

I was in for another surprise, though, as I sat down with my buy-in. They no longer spread the $5/10 limit game. Now, I was never really in love with that game. I played a heck of a lot of it, but mostly because Empress is 15 minutes from my house, whereas the Indiana boats spreading the $1/2 NL games are 45 minutes from my house (on a good day - an hour+ on a bad day). I do enjoy limit hold'em, but that's more because I'm a chicken and love math. I find that on my good days, I'm much better at no-limit (though on my bad days, I'm pretty bad).

Anyway, all 3 tables that were running were $1/2 NL hold'em, and according to the guy next to me, that's just about all they run there anymore. Limit never runs, and the $500 max NL sometimes runs. That's just fine with me - $1/2 NL is my game, and bonus - it's a $200 max buy-in (whereas the IN boats are $100 max /edit - thanks, Laoch! Looks like both Majestic and the Horseshoe in IN have $200 max buy-in's on their 1/2 NL games now).

I treaded water at the feeder table for a couple hours. Up $40, down $40, and back and forth. It seems like the main goal in a feeder table scenario is to get away from the feeder table with at least your original buy-in intact. I had a particularly disappointing experience with JJ that had me down half a stack at one point, and then the magic hit.

Two hands in a row. First, I flopped the nut flush in diamonds beautiful diamonds. I had a crazy guy betting into me on the flop, which I smooth called. The turn came a blank. He checked, and I checked behind. On the river, he shoved all in.

Money. Too bad he only had like $60 left. I called, scooped a sweet pot, and woke up the Asian guy two to my right who proceeded to recap the entire hand, praising my stealth ninja check on the turn. I'd rather not have the whole table clued in to any notion that I might know what I'm doing, but I won't lie - I enjoyed the compliment.

The crazy guy rebought for $100 and the next hand was dealt. I looked down at 55. I'll take it. It was a limped pot until the crazy guy raised to $10. 3 people called, and so did I, and so did the 2 guys after me. 6 to the flop.

It came: 55x.

I had plenty of time to wait for my action, and I needed it, because I was counting the dots on the first two cards just to be sure I was seeing them correctly. Did I seriously just flop quads? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Check check check all the way around to the crazy guy. He pushed all in. Fold fold fold ME! CALL! Fold fold.

'dem's quads, bitches!

Just as I was stacking my new found glory, the brush came up and announced my move to the main game. Gah! Just as things were heating up!

I spent a couple hours on the main game, mostly folding. Picked up a couple small pots, and left when the action started to get really drunk and shove-happy. I know, I know - that's when you most want to be at the table: when the donks are making idiot moves. But I was happy to skate with my winnings and check out.

As I drove home reflecting on the session, I pondered the usual - things I need to improve in my game. I noticed one thing in particular that I have fixed in my online game but apparently not in my live game. I am reluctant to bet out in a live game, particularly when I have nothing but there are loose chips in the pot and nobody is vying to get them. Online, I've learned to steal blinds and bet after those stray pots. It often works. Last night, though, I wasn't doing that. There weren't many chances to steal blinds (as most pots went 4 or 5 way to the flop), but there were plenty of situations where I was in late position and it checked around to me on the flop or turn, with nobody showing any strength.

In my head, I assume most players on these low-limit games are calling stations - and they are. But when somebody finally did throw in a bet at these checked pots, they usually took it down.

That somebody needs to be me more often.

One dealer noted that Thursday nights are the best night in the poker room. I wonder what my evening holds....

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Be the One.

Date: Thu, Jul 22, 2010

Be the One. Sign the petition. Restore the Gulf.

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The Big Game

Date: Sun, Jul 18, 2010

I'm checking out the PokerStars.net show, The Big Game, on TV while waiting for a SnG to fire up on Full Tilt. I'm actually watching it pre-recorded on my media PC - what the heck do I say now that I can't say I TiVo'd it? (I ditched my satellite bill in favor of Boxee and internet TV and the locals-only service from my cable company).

What's the deal with these "true poker player" badges on almost everybody's avatars on Full Tilt? They don't appear to mean anything.

I love Negreanu. I wish his mom could make me vegan food. That is all.

I also love Phil Laak (and Jennifer Tilly). They amuse me to no end.

What I don't love is this donk that insists on raising stupid amounts like 132. It bugs me the same way Walmart prices bug me. I'll pay the damn extra 6 cents. Just make the price $4.99 instead of $4.93!

I should probably have gone to the gym to run a couple miles instead of playing poker tonight, but I decided that a rest day day was in order. Really, I've just been too busy today, and now I'm too tired. Geekin' out on some poker instead.

I would love to get some local live poker in before Vegas (because Vegas isn't till December!)

Hellmuth looks like a freak kneeling on his chair.

Really I'm playing cards right now to occupy my mind. I've been in a really foul mood on and off today, as I keep getting bombarded with things to remind me of the apparent extinction of compassion in people. Poker engages the non-emotional side of my brain. I <3 logic.

Does anybody know where I can find hoodies that have the built-in thumb-holes in the sleeves? Thanks.

Made it to the first break in this 90 player KO SnG. Above average stack. Almost wrote "snack" just now. Heh.

An above average snack would be Trader Joe's roasted garlic hummus with warm pita bread. Or strawberries with chocolate. Grilled pineapple. nom nom nom

So I'm 2 episodes into The Big Game, and while I will continue recording and watching it, I think I still like High Stakes Poker better. I do like the extra statistics they give on this show, but I like Gabe Caplan's commentary better (though I do miss that AJ guy as his sidekick). Unfortunately for me, High Stakes Poker isn't yet available through Boxee, so my only option is to watch it on the computer. Meh.

What ever happened to Phil Gordon? Haven't heard anything about him recently.

I bet Phil Laak plays a mean duck-duck-goose.

And with that, I'm back to the game.

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Lost Vegas is out!

Date: Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Pauly's book, Lost Vegas, is now available!!

Get it here: Lost Vegas on Lulu and get free shipping during their summer free shipping promo (no coupon codes required - it's automatic).

Mine is on its way! Can't wait to read it! Congrats, Pauly!

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Vegas in December - Yeah, baby!

Date: Fri, Jun 18, 2010

Oh, my pretties, it has been years... YEARS... since I've seen most of your precious faces. At long last, finally - I will see you this December in Vegas for the Winter Classic :)

I have booked at MGM, thanks to CA April for alerting me to a wicked sale that they've got going on (but only through tomorrow!) Here's the link - it's the MGM 3 Day Sale. Excalibur was even cheaper, but I've wanted to stay at MGM all my life (oh, my tummy is aflutter just thinking of it!) so I splurged :)

Woohooo!!! Vegas, baby!!

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Charity Game Tonight

Date: Wed, Jun 16, 2010

Found this while catching up on blog reading. May try and enter tonight if I find myself around a computer at the right time! Good cause. Go get some.

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Why is the WSOP such a big deal?

Date: Wed, Jun 16, 2010

OK, so Bill Rini made some excellent points about just how contrived the World Series of Poker and its coverage appear every year. Then Hoyazo came back with his ideas on why the WSOP is such a big deal (admitting that Bill's points were right-on). He then threw down the gauntlet, asking the rest of the poker world: Why do you think the WSOP is such a big deal?

Since I obviously have too much time on my hands (I LOVE SUMMER!), here's my answer.

It's my one chance every year to get a zero-effort fix of reality poker tv, except not on tv....

There are a few professional poker players that I enjoy watching. Sure, I TiVo "High Stakes Poker" and occasionally some other poker shows. But, like any TV show, the seasons come and go, and there's a long stretch of dead air and reruns in between.

I could make the effort to read up on various web sites what my favorite pro's are up to, but honestly... that's too much work for what little free time I've usually got. The WSOP and its coverage, contrived as it may be, brings me all the juicy nuggets I crave - including the back-alley deals and side stories that won't make it on the Big TV Broadcasts of the games.

It's my poker reality TV fix, via blogs. I love the tangents - the prop bets, the celebrity sightings, and even reading who Pauly pissed next to that day. Because even if I was there, I wouldn't be privy to most of that information (particularly what goes on in the men's bathroom), and the part of me that loves drama-for-entertainment with a little voyeurism mixed in for good measure thinks THAT is the good stuff! Oh, that, and, who won what.

And all of that good stuff comes to me with zero effort, delivered right to my RSS Reader inbox throughout the WSOP.

So, keep on keepin' on, my WSOP-covering-friends! Even if all you've got to cover is the Year of the Prostate Hindered Bladder.

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Ring that bell!

Date: Tue, Jun 15, 2010

Ding a ling! I won me another league tourney on Full Tilt Poker :)

My play in the poker league this season has clung to the pendulum of extremes. I either place in the top ranks, or bust out first. I suppose I like it that way - much less wasted time on the losing runs. With just 3 games left to finish out the season, I don't think there's any shot at placing in the top 3 (even if by some miracle I won the remaining games), but I'm pleased with the games I have done well in.

Last night, I was not expecting to win the thing. I knew I'd go deep, as I caught some cards early on and had a healthy stack. But somewhere around the 3/4 mark, I coughed up far too many chips on a hand where I was clearly beat but tried to push my opponent off of his hand. I gave up on the river when it became clear that his hand was much too strong to fold (I had second pair), but easily lost over half of my stack with the over-zealous pushing.

Then, the luck train rolled through and I split an all-in where I was a huge dog when the board came a straight, and from there on out I was back in business. It's strange how there is actually some form of momentum in poker, even though the cards coming down the line are completely random.

When it got down to 3 players, it was a tight race. We traded chips for what seemed like an hour, until finally I took out the 3rd place player and went heads-up with a 3:1 chip lead. My opponent basically blinded out, with no real massive swings, and I took the game.

I think the thing that contributes the most to my "good" poker days is, ironically, running. All of my wins in this league so far this season have come after I'd had a great run. I've only been running for 10 weeks (having just completed the Couch to 5K training program last week), but it really does seem to help me focus and think much more clearly. My brain feels "on" after a good run, and what better to do with an "on" brain than play poker?

I'm pretty proud of my play on those "on" days this year, and I'm pretty proud of completing the Couch to 5K program - so here's my shameless badge of honor (for the running part, anyway):



I'm running in what will technically be my second 5K race this weekend on Father's Day. I did a 5K at the zoo during Week 5 of my 9-week Couch to 5K training, and ran/walked it for a finishing time of 46:48. I am hoping to run the entire 5K on Sunday and beat my previous time. (Hey, it still counts as a Personal Record, even if it's only my second race!) If anybody finds themselves out in Oswego, IL on Sunday morning, come check out PrairieFest and cheer on the runners (and me!)

Maybe getting off the couch and beyond my degenerate ways is helping my poker game. I'll take it! All I know is, I feel better than I ever have before - both in life and in cards. Who knows what the future holds! But I'm looking forward to it :)

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WSOP Coverage

Date: Tue, Jun 8, 2010

If you aren't reading Pauly's coverage of the WSOP, you are missing out. You don't even have to go anyplace else - he links up everything that is worthy of your time (and other things that are just plain amusing).

Go to the Tao of Poker. Do it. Do it now.

I never even finished watching the TV coverage of last year's WSOP because I thought Pauly's coverage was better!

I haven't seen the WPBT Vegas crew in several years. I miss the days of being half of a DINK (dual-income, no kids). DINKs have a lot more money to spare than SINKs.

Still, I live vicariously through Pauly's updates (and particularly enjoy the fashion sidebars by change100).

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League Play

Date: Sat, May 29, 2010

As I've mentioned, I'm playing in an online poker league this year. It's part of the reason I took the summer off from going to school (because the league plays on Monday nights, and my classes would conflict). It's a good thing; I need a break from school. I work full time at a school, and I work part time at another school, and I go to school half time. That's enough school for me. It's been a crazy three years. Time for a brief break before I go back to real school in the fall.

I've decided to pursue another master's degree - this time, a Master of Fine Arts in a digital media program (that I will configure to focus on photography). Assuming I can get financial aid ('cuz lord knows I don't have the cash to afford such luxuries!), I'll start the program in the fall. I've already been accepted (which was pretty exciting, since they only accept 15 students per year into the program). Fingers crossed that all goes well!

The poker league will be done by fall, and I'm not sure if I'll do it again. There are pro's and con's to being in an online poker league.

Pro's:

• It's online, so it's convenient. I was able to make our games even while I was vacationing in New Mexico or out of town at a conference.
  
• It provides a regular schedule for playing poker, which can often get relegated to the back burner when life gets nuts. Having those regular games scheduled and having paid a league buy-in are good incentives to make it to the game.
• It's an interesting dynamic to have a long-term series of small competitions, where any one bad night can be negated by better performances later on.
  

Con's:

• It's online, so it's easier to blow off. I'm not going to see these people to get ragged on when I miss a game.
  
• Being online, I also find that if I'm not in the mood to play, or I've got other things going on at the time, I just shove my chips and log off. If I had to travel to a game and was then playing live with other people, in an environment with chips and cushy table rails and whatnot, I might take it more seriously.
  
• The season is several months long, and it's hard to keep the eye on the prize over such a long stretch of time.
  

I haven't done particularly well this season. I'm around the middle of the pack points-wise, after having missed one game and blown off a couple others. I did win one tournament, which was fun, but I haven't dedicated myself to the cause as I should have.

Still, I'm glad to have a reason to play cards a couple times a month, because it keeps me in the game when life might otherwise find other things for me to do.

Have you ever played in a poker league? Was it a good experience?

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Battle of the Bloggers Returns

Date: Sat, Apr 17, 2010

BBT5 - Bring it!

Full Details over at Full Tilt: BBT5

Tournament: Poker From the Rail
When: Monday, April 19th through May 24th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 (or token)*
Password: 2010WSOP

Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesday, April 21st through May 26th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1*
Password: vegas1

*Winner also receives ToC entry

Tournament: Battle of the Blogger Tournaments Invitational
When: Sunday, April 18th through May 23rd starting at 19:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Restricted freeroll**

**$2,000 Prizepool + 1st and 2nd place receive ToC entry

Tournament: Blogger Battle Royale
When: Sunday, June 6th starting at 14:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Freeroll for BBT participating bloggers

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Walk MS 2010

Date: Sat, Apr 10, 2010

Donate online via my Walk MS 2010 page!

In 3 weeks, I will be walking in the Walk MS 2010 event for Team Kathy. We're walking for my cousin's wife's mom, who has battled multiple sclerosis for years, and it greatly affects her everyday life. MS interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and eventually stops people from moving.

Every hour another person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For 20,000 people in Illinois and some 400,000 nationwide, that hour has already arrived.

It's not easy to pinpoint the cause of multiple sclerosis and so far, the cure rests on continued research. This is why I am writing to you: I need your help, generosity and support! Donate to our team, or come walk with us!

As a participant in the Chicago South Suburbs Walk MS taking place on Sunday, May 2, 2010, I am raising money so the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society can continue to provide programs and services for Illinois families impacted by multiple sclerosis while funding vital research into the cause and cure of multiple sclerosis.

The Greater Illinois Chapter utilizes approximately 88% of every dollar raised to fund programs that actively help people with multiple sclerosis and their families, public and professional education and research. A portion of your donation will help fund more than 350 multiple sclerosis research projects.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation on my behalf to help me reach my fundraising goal. No amount is too small!! Online donations can be made simply by clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. You can also send a donation made payable to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to me, or print a donation form and mail it to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Every dollar makes a difference in leading the movement against multiple sclerosis.

Check out my personal page to learn why I'm walking in this great event on Sunday, May 2. You can even check on my fundraising progress, and if you've made a donation, look for your name scrolling in the fundraising honor roll. Your support is so important to me and to Kathy and to all those living with multiple sclerosis.

I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress!

Thank you!

Donate online via my Walk MS 2010 page!

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