only took 3 weeks to be at the right place, right time, and no clouds. Rent-a-scope would be a good find.
Cheers!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
I understand now why I came this way?
only took 3 weeks to be at the right place, right time, and no clouds. Rent-a-scope would be a good find.
Cheers!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Short Kiwi Stop...
OK, so the 13 hour flight is done and, except for the TWO crying babies in business class it was just fine. This, however, resulted in Justin sleeping but the rest of us got probably 6 hours between 3 adults. meh.
Shower in the Koru club and now its off to Brisbane.
My email wont send here and I'm the dumb American who left his power adaptors in his checked luggage. idiot.
Shower in the Koru club and now its off to Brisbane.
My email wont send here and I'm the dumb American who left his power adaptors in his checked luggage. idiot.
Monday, December 10, 2007
G'Day Mate!
Well, off we go. The next 24 hours or so should be a blast.
We've got 90 min to LA, 5 hours in the glory that is LAX (including the Koru club), 13 hours to Auckland, 2 hours there, and then 3 1/2 more to Brisbane.
If only my QQ hadn't run into aces yesterday I might have splurged on the NYE Sydney boat ride. I still might but it would have been less painful.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Grand Sierra $300 NL
81 players today, 9 spots paid.
My first table was awful. Some real bad play. I was able to take a bunch of pots off of people who were too weak-tight to follow through. Some of these were well timed all-ins on the turn or river. This style of play does have high variance though, and I fluctuated within 1000 of the 3000 starting stack.
Eventually I get moved and get pretty short. Then I go on a heater, winning pot after pot until I'm up around 12000 or so. Dustin Fox gets moved two to my right. He's aggro and he makes a 3xBB raise from the button. SB folds. I have 99 and push. We have about the same chip stack. He tanks. He tanks a looong time, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna call. At least, he makes it look that way-- Dustin's a good enough player to just make me sweat it out if he raised with air, so its possible he had nothing here. Its also possible he laid down something as good as JJ or AQ. Anything better and he's calling I think. Eventually he folds.
Fox gets moved to the other table and we're down to 13 players. I've been very card dead, but surviving by stealing fairly liberally. Sometimes they call and I take the pot on the flop or turn. Whatever- these players don't seem to call unless they have it and since most of the time you don't have it, they are folding a lot.
When it gets folded to me in the SB with QQ I'm pretty stoked. I haven't had a hand this good all day. I raise the 1200 blind another 4000. The BB is gonna play- Great! He contemplates his move and he's gonna raise. That's fine with me cause I'll just put him all in. Well, he says "I can't fold, so I might as well go all-in" Bleh. OK. Well, that doesn't really change anything. I call. He flips over AA and its gg me.
My first table was awful. Some real bad play. I was able to take a bunch of pots off of people who were too weak-tight to follow through. Some of these were well timed all-ins on the turn or river. This style of play does have high variance though, and I fluctuated within 1000 of the 3000 starting stack.
Eventually I get moved and get pretty short. Then I go on a heater, winning pot after pot until I'm up around 12000 or so. Dustin Fox gets moved two to my right. He's aggro and he makes a 3xBB raise from the button. SB folds. I have 99 and push. We have about the same chip stack. He tanks. He tanks a looong time, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna call. At least, he makes it look that way-- Dustin's a good enough player to just make me sweat it out if he raised with air, so its possible he had nothing here. Its also possible he laid down something as good as JJ or AQ. Anything better and he's calling I think. Eventually he folds.
Fox gets moved to the other table and we're down to 13 players. I've been very card dead, but surviving by stealing fairly liberally. Sometimes they call and I take the pot on the flop or turn. Whatever- these players don't seem to call unless they have it and since most of the time you don't have it, they are folding a lot.
When it gets folded to me in the SB with QQ I'm pretty stoked. I haven't had a hand this good all day. I raise the 1200 blind another 4000. The BB is gonna play- Great! He contemplates his move and he's gonna raise. That's fine with me cause I'll just put him all in. Well, he says "I can't fold, so I might as well go all-in" Bleh. OK. Well, that doesn't really change anything. I call. He flips over AA and its gg me.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Our money used to be so cool...
I think I've been reading too many articles on the decline of the dollar. It makes me think about buying gold, which leads to a study of old gold coins, and somehow to how awesome old US coins are. When i am declared lord protector of the realm, I think I'll decree that Misters Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR and even George W. take a rest from our coinage and we'll have a contest to bring Lady Liberty back.
Collecting coins from pocket change must have been more interesting when the mint didn't make 1.2 Billion pennies in a year. Nowadays, its possible to find a pre-64 dime once in awhile, a war nickel, and wheat cents are still fairly common- but that's it. There aren't any key dates floating around in circulation, and there never will be.
If I were to collect again, it would by a type set of proofs. I wonder what that would cost...
Monday, December 3, 2007
PM Sunday $115
3 players left. Me and two ladies.
Button: 5 stacks of chips
SB (me) 4 stacks of chips
BB 1 stack of chips (which is about 4 BB's or so)
Blinds are 1000-2000
Prizes are roughly 1500-900-600
Button raises to 1 stack.
Hero pushes from SB with AJs
BB tanks and calls with 33.
Button barely tanks and calls with A6o.
I found this quite disgusting. Button had been "caught" raising light before, and while A6 certainly demands a raise here, she would have been much better off just open-shoving (although I would have called.) BB taking a stand here I guess is reasonable, but she's either flipping or way behind, and she's likely going to get crushed if button decides to call also. I just can't figure out why button would call here, knowing it is likely she has the third best hand and that the BB has a decent chance of busting. Wtf?
Button: 5 stacks of chips
SB (me) 4 stacks of chips
BB 1 stack of chips (which is about 4 BB's or so)
Blinds are 1000-2000
Prizes are roughly 1500-900-600
Button raises to 1 stack.
Hero pushes from SB with AJs
BB tanks and calls with 33.
Button barely tanks and calls with A6o.
I found this quite disgusting. Button had been "caught" raising light before, and while A6 certainly demands a raise here, she would have been much better off just open-shoving (although I would have called.) BB taking a stand here I guess is reasonable, but she's either flipping or way behind, and she's likely going to get crushed if button decides to call also. I just can't figure out why button would call here, knowing it is likely she has the third best hand and that the BB has a decent chance of busting. Wtf?
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The worst hand I've ever played...
Ugh. I wasn't going to post this, but I'm convinced no one reads this blog except me so who cares. It becomes like a live online diary I guess. Here goes:
WSOP Circuit, $5000 buy in at Lake Tahoe. 10K starting chips with 75 min levels. Deep stack poker.
My table seems pretty weak. Mike Kinney is on it and I know he's a good player. There is a looney tune in seat one who stacks off calling an all-in 4 bet with AK against AA. An obvious idiot. I won't make the same mistake. Reminds me of playing a hand at the Bellagio in a $3K buy in when TJ Cloutier raised, I called with AK, and then a woman re-raised, TJ re-raised and I got out of the way very very fast. AA vs KK then.
In the first level I get 99 and raise and get one caller. I don't recognize the guy. His name is Aaron. Short hair, sunglasses, ipod. Could be any internet kid. Anyway, the flop comes Ten-high and the board does nothing else and I lose the hand to his T8o. Meh. Later I have Q8s and lose to him on a board of 3-3-5-8-8 when he had limped with 63s. Hmmm.
So its the third level, 100-200. Aaron has played fairly aggro, but he's never 4-bet. A guy UTG limps (which he's done many times with who knows what) Aaron raises to 750. I look down at KK and make it 2250. Folded back to Aaron and he repops it another 3000.
Wow. Didn't expect that. OK, I started the hand with about 12K and he had me covered with 16K or so.
At this point my brain just turned off. The analogy I have made was some times in early residency doing surgery and coming into a situation that was new and not knowing how to proceed. Poker is easier though, because the default play when holding KK is to simply 5-bet push. I know this and I contemplate it. But I hesitate. Something isn't right. And the only thing that can't be right is that Aaron (who later I realized was Aaron Kanter, 4th place finisher in the 2005 Joe Hachem WSOP ($2M for 4th) also the same Kanter who knocked Greg Raymer out with QJ when Raymer held KK) well- the only thing he can hold that makes me hesitate is AA of course.
Crap. I don't want to bust out here running into AA. What else is in his range? KK, but that would be pretty unusual since I have KK. AK, again less likely. How bout lesser aces like AQ or AJ? If so, its a complete resteal and he would have to fold if I push. I suppose he could be holding other pairs like QQ, JJ, TT, or maybe worse? I dunno. All I know is that something is telling me he has AA and that I shouldn't push. My brain doesn't like it, but pushing doesn't feel right.
I could fold I suppose. I still have plenty of chips. But WTF?, did I come here to get pocket Kings and fold preflop? That seems worse than pushing for sure. Blech. I'm not folding.
OK, I can call. Yeah, thats it, I'll call. And then if there is no ace on the flop I'll ignore the feelings that led me not to push and I'll push on the flop. Brilliant! What a plan! (I'm an idiot)
I call.
Flop comes J-J-T, and Aaron checks.
Blech. I hate this flop. But what hands can he hold that hit this flop? JJ, TT, AJ, AT, JT. If he has JJ or TT then its probably gg for me. No way he 4-bet preflop with AJ, AT or JT. No way. OK, so I'm ahead of AK, AQ and QQ. Everything else he's holding I'm behind. I still think he has aces i guess. I check.
Turn: Another Ten.
He checks again.
What? Now he's checked twice. Would he do that with AA? No way. I'm lost now. I don't know what he has, but I cant see how he's hit this board unless he's made quads and that is always unlikely. Fuck it, I push.
He calls.
Ace-ten offsuit. ZOMG. ATo. Meh. Just for good measure the river brings an ace. He smirks and comments that if I would have bet the flop he would have gone away.
*********************
So, this was just a horribly played hand on so many levels. Just awful. A victim of the great overthink, next time I just push and take my beat from AA if that is the case.
WSOP Circuit, $5000 buy in at Lake Tahoe. 10K starting chips with 75 min levels. Deep stack poker.
My table seems pretty weak. Mike Kinney is on it and I know he's a good player. There is a looney tune in seat one who stacks off calling an all-in 4 bet with AK against AA. An obvious idiot. I won't make the same mistake. Reminds me of playing a hand at the Bellagio in a $3K buy in when TJ Cloutier raised, I called with AK, and then a woman re-raised, TJ re-raised and I got out of the way very very fast. AA vs KK then.
In the first level I get 99 and raise and get one caller. I don't recognize the guy. His name is Aaron. Short hair, sunglasses, ipod. Could be any internet kid. Anyway, the flop comes Ten-high and the board does nothing else and I lose the hand to his T8o. Meh. Later I have Q8s and lose to him on a board of 3-3-5-8-8 when he had limped with 63s. Hmmm.
So its the third level, 100-200. Aaron has played fairly aggro, but he's never 4-bet. A guy UTG limps (which he's done many times with who knows what) Aaron raises to 750. I look down at KK and make it 2250. Folded back to Aaron and he repops it another 3000.
Wow. Didn't expect that. OK, I started the hand with about 12K and he had me covered with 16K or so.
At this point my brain just turned off. The analogy I have made was some times in early residency doing surgery and coming into a situation that was new and not knowing how to proceed. Poker is easier though, because the default play when holding KK is to simply 5-bet push. I know this and I contemplate it. But I hesitate. Something isn't right. And the only thing that can't be right is that Aaron (who later I realized was Aaron Kanter, 4th place finisher in the 2005 Joe Hachem WSOP ($2M for 4th) also the same Kanter who knocked Greg Raymer out with QJ when Raymer held KK) well- the only thing he can hold that makes me hesitate is AA of course.
Crap. I don't want to bust out here running into AA. What else is in his range? KK, but that would be pretty unusual since I have KK. AK, again less likely. How bout lesser aces like AQ or AJ? If so, its a complete resteal and he would have to fold if I push. I suppose he could be holding other pairs like QQ, JJ, TT, or maybe worse? I dunno. All I know is that something is telling me he has AA and that I shouldn't push. My brain doesn't like it, but pushing doesn't feel right.
I could fold I suppose. I still have plenty of chips. But WTF?, did I come here to get pocket Kings and fold preflop? That seems worse than pushing for sure. Blech. I'm not folding.
OK, I can call. Yeah, thats it, I'll call. And then if there is no ace on the flop I'll ignore the feelings that led me not to push and I'll push on the flop. Brilliant! What a plan! (I'm an idiot)
I call.
Flop comes J-J-T, and Aaron checks.
Blech. I hate this flop. But what hands can he hold that hit this flop? JJ, TT, AJ, AT, JT. If he has JJ or TT then its probably gg for me. No way he 4-bet preflop with AJ, AT or JT. No way. OK, so I'm ahead of AK, AQ and QQ. Everything else he's holding I'm behind. I still think he has aces i guess. I check.
Turn: Another Ten.
He checks again.
What? Now he's checked twice. Would he do that with AA? No way. I'm lost now. I don't know what he has, but I cant see how he's hit this board unless he's made quads and that is always unlikely. Fuck it, I push.
He calls.
Ace-ten offsuit. ZOMG. ATo. Meh. Just for good measure the river brings an ace. He smirks and comments that if I would have bet the flop he would have gone away.
*********************
So, this was just a horribly played hand on so many levels. Just awful. A victim of the great overthink, next time I just push and take my beat from AA if that is the case.
FTP 6-handed 8 PM PST
This is the tourney I'm most likely to be in each week. It starts at 8 PM and I found out a couple weeks ago that it ends around 130 AM. Yes, I was the last one standing and won $7200 or so. Sweet. Managed to get all-in heads up with middle pair and a str8 draw against top pair and the same draw. I make trips on the river to win the tourney. Lol.
Chronic Pain?
I have some new respect for people who live in pain. I've had this nagging low back thing for over a year now. 18 mos actually.
It started when I carried a sleeping Justin what seemed like miles from a July 4th fireworks show at Zephyr cove. Then I did some stupid twisting motion in the gym and made it worse. Getting myself into impossible positions with a weight on my head at work everyday doesn't help either.
I saw a spine surgeon a year ago who told me I have "facet syndrome" and that I should consider an intra-facet joint injection. I have had several "trigger point" shots which make it feel perfect for about 2 hours till the local anesthetic wears off, then its kinda nasty again.
I chickened out, and have been trying to manage it "conservatively." This means, advil, heat, massage, and thinking about doing Pilates three times a week. I need to stop thinking about it and doing it. Its also quite interesting how narcotics help short term, but do little for the long term.
We have a dinner tonight and it would be fun to dance, but seems pretty unlikely. Snowboarding out of the question.
OK, it will probably get better again-- it always seems to-- but those of us who have crap like this every day of their lives and get through it are awesome.
It started when I carried a sleeping Justin what seemed like miles from a July 4th fireworks show at Zephyr cove. Then I did some stupid twisting motion in the gym and made it worse. Getting myself into impossible positions with a weight on my head at work everyday doesn't help either.
I saw a spine surgeon a year ago who told me I have "facet syndrome" and that I should consider an intra-facet joint injection. I have had several "trigger point" shots which make it feel perfect for about 2 hours till the local anesthetic wears off, then its kinda nasty again.
I chickened out, and have been trying to manage it "conservatively." This means, advil, heat, massage, and thinking about doing Pilates three times a week. I need to stop thinking about it and doing it. Its also quite interesting how narcotics help short term, but do little for the long term.
We have a dinner tonight and it would be fun to dance, but seems pretty unlikely. Snowboarding out of the question.
OK, it will probably get better again-- it always seems to-- but those of us who have crap like this every day of their lives and get through it are awesome.
Cal is pretty awful
Looking back, I made some predictions about going to the Rose Bowl and how I would have to consider flying home from Sydney to catch the game.
What a joke.
There is a blog out there called "Rose Bowl before I die." Someone commented that the owner should change the name of the blog to "Rose Bowl before the sun becomes a red giant and engulfs the earth."
Maybe, just maybe, Cal will manage to beat the 'furd today and keep the cherished axe. Fwiw.
What a joke.
There is a blog out there called "Rose Bowl before I die." Someone commented that the owner should change the name of the blog to "Rose Bowl before the sun becomes a red giant and engulfs the earth."
Maybe, just maybe, Cal will manage to beat the 'furd today and keep the cherished axe. Fwiw.
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