weekend update

Spent the weekend in Cleveland.

Had clambake. Clams and steak. And baked sweet potato with brown sugar and marshmallows. And corn. And clams. And steak. Good stuff.

I found out some news this week. I'm sure you'll all find out about it at some future point. That point is not now.

On Saturday I attended my brother-in-law's 30th birthday party. Happy birthday, Dan. I then proceeded to go to sleep earlier than I have in a few months, as a tough week kind of caught up to me.

That's about it. Only 144 emails to sift through, and that's having read the important ones already. Yay.

and another one run win.

At some point, I have to publicly give credit to a very good bullpen and a fine managing job by Ozzie Guillen. I do, it's a very good bullpen, and Guillen has done a tremendous job.

I will continue to beat the "it's not going to keep happening" horse, though. In the regular season they went 35-19 in one run games. In the post season, they went 4-1 in one run games, and 3-0 in games decided by two runs. That's nuts. It's flukish, and it won't keep.

If you're going to have a fluke, though, you might as well have it last through the postseason, and you might as well get yourself a World Series out of it.

Aside from those statements, my hats off to the White Sox. They played very well all year, and they proved a number of people wrong along every step of the road.

Running good > running bad

Finished 2nd in the FT 10K tonight, I'm pretty pleased. I don't remember handing out any tough beats. I'm sure I did, it's just very late and my memory isn't what it was in my youth. I took a couple tough ones, one right before the final table which put me to 11th of 13, and one heads up which took me from 1st place to a cold deck induced 2nd. I also had the Blue Screen of Death attack when we were four handed, that's ALWAYS a bad beat.

I ratcheted up the aggression this tournament. I made a few plays I'm really proud of, plays which I think really show my development as a player. These plays also demonstate just how important confidence is. If I was not confident in my read or in my ability to successfully pull the play off, there's no way I can do some of the things I did.

I was wrong about the White Sox. Of course, they're still winning every one run game in sight. I am confident in saying that next year that shit will even out, and they'll be no better than an 85 win team.

It was less than 2 weeks ago I was bemoaning my luck on the whole. Today, I am 100% full of confidence, and with bankroll that's pleasantly restored (and then some).

Shania is happy.

Coming highly recommended

I've been listening to the Cardplayer's WSOP Final table audio. While there's an awful lot of Phil Hellmuth, on the whole it is highly recommended. Whenever they show the final table on TV, I think I'll find the hands on the audio and play them after the hand to see how accurate the pros were.

This is really good stuff.

Scott Podsednik? On one hand, Podsednik, Chad Curtis, Alex Gonzalez and Dusty Rhodes.

On the other Tommy Henrich, Eddie Mathews, Bill Mazeroski, Mickey Mantle, Carlton Fisk, Kirk Gibson, Mark McGwire, Kirby Puckett, Joe Carter and Derek Jeter.


Quite a mixed bag that.

sweeet

I promised an update, I provide an update.

I chopped at the final hurdle of the heads up, good for a cool thousand.

The semifinal was nuts, we were laying bad beat after bad beat on each other, the mother of all being when I cracked aces with my 69o - I moved in with a double belly buster on the 8TQ flop, rivered a seven.

It's fucking LATE. I didn't realize how late it was.

Wow.

Night.

unfun

Out of the blogger freeroll in 250th or there abouts with AK v. 55.

Out of the FT 200K guaranteed, with extraneous circumstances. I did get lucky to crack QQ with 55, but lost with AK to KQ. Then, with the blinds mounting and my stack dwindling, I lost an orbit and a half to my cable modem falling down and going boom. I got back with 3BB and A9 that did not improve to beat AT.

I was pretty livid about that, but there's nothing I can do about things like that, so I calmed down and fixed the problem.

I'm now in the money (rd of 32) in a heads up tourney on stars. If I speak no more of it, odds are this is where I went out.

The Browns are not good. Jeff Garcia did not do any of that in the entirety of last season.

it's my blog and i'll post my quads if i want to

FullTiltPoker Game #261970842: $24 + $2 / Token Satellite (1686097), Table 1 - 25/50 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:42:12 ET - 2005/10/23
Seat 1: yre2e (1,710)
Seat 3: will sikes (1,810)
Seat 4: sbpats36 (830)
Seat 5: WaLdOrFiAn (1,490)
Seat 7: PaulaHu (3,920)
Seat 8: THEOSU (2,510)
Seat 9: blueangelcoach (1,230)
sbpats36 posts the small blind of 25
WaLdOrFiAn posts the big blind of 50
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to THEOSU [Js Jh]
PaulaHu calls 50
THEOSU raises to 200
blueangelcoach folds
yre2e folds
will sikes folds
sbpats36 folds
WaLdOrFiAn folds
PaulaHu calls 150
*** FLOP *** [Qh Jc Jd]
PaulaHu bets 50
THEOSU calls 50
*** TURN *** [Qh Jc Jd] [Kc]
PaulaHu bets 1,100
THEOSU calls 1,100
*** RIVER *** [Qh Jc Jd Kc] [9d]
PaulaHu checks
THEOSU has 15 seconds left to act
THEOSU bets 550
PaulaHu raises to 2,570, and is all in
THEOSU calls 610, and is all in
Uncalled bet of 1,410 returned to PaulaHu
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PaulaHu shows [5d Qd] (two pair, Queens and Jacks)
THEOSU shows [Js Jh] (four of a kind, Jacks)
THEOSU wins the pot (5,095) with four of a kind, Jacks
The blinds are now 30/60
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,095 Rake 0
Board: [Qh Jc Jd Kc 9d]
Seat 1: yre2e didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: will sikes (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: sbpats36 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: WaLdOrFiAn (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: PaulaHu showed [5d Qd] and lost with two pair, Queens and Jacks
Seat 8: THEOSU showed [Js Jh] and won (5,095) with four of a kind, Jacks
Seat 9: blueangelcoach didn't bet (folded)

My chips are going to Atlantis...

In the form of this player:

This hand occurred on the bubble. The next player out got $650, the rest get to go on a WPT vacation.


PokerStars Game #2869937849: Tournament #13733848, Hold'em No Limit - Level XIII (1000/2000) - 2005/10/22 - 23:48:56 (ET)
Table '13733848 10' Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Bigpanda88 (37585 in chips)
Seat 2: Zbabe (10860 in chips)
Seat 5: HipPocket (48380 in chips)
Seat 6: mullett (49698 in chips)
Seat 7: RingLord (46771 in chips)
Seat 8: Illuminee (69851 in chips)
Seat 9: AZ Big Jim (49095 in chips)
Bigpanda88: posts the ante 100
Zbabe: posts the ante 100
HipPocket: posts the ante 100
mullett: posts the ante 100
RingLord: posts the ante 100
Illuminee: posts the ante 100
AZ Big Jim: posts the ante 100
mullett: posts small blind 1000
RingLord: posts big blind 2000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Illuminee: folds
AZ Big Jim: folds
Bigpanda88: folds
Zbabe: folds
HipPocket: raises 4000 to 6000
mullett: folds
RingLord: raises 8000 to 14000
HipPocket: folds
RingLord collected 13700 from pot
RingLord: shows [4c 3d] (high card Four)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13700 Rake 0
Seat 1: Bigpanda88 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Zbabe folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: HipPocket (button) folded before Flop
Seat 6: mullett (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: RingLord (big blind) collected (13700)
Seat 8: Illuminee folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: AZ Big Jim folded before Flop (didn't bet)

just a reminder

Dear Self,

Don't make advanced plays against players who are unable to understand the subtleties of the advanced plays being made.

Love,
You


Why yes, this does have a lot to do with the satellite to Atlantis. I won't be able to try again for a couple of weeks, but I like my chances as long as I play well. I just need to remember the greatest of poker ironies: You can't outsmart the fishes.

I'm a twenty first century digital boy

So the wife and I finally got cable internet. Like 5 years after everyone else. It's kinda faster than dial up.

I'll be playing in a supersat for the Pokerstars Atlantis WPT event later today. Good luck me.

That's all, not much to say.

Well, OK.

Turns out that Chris Kahrl, who writes the Transaction Analyses at Baseball Prospectus is actually a she... ish. That's just weird. I just noticed it today reading the most recent TA - it was written by Christina Kahrl. It seems she came out in late September. Good for her.

On that note, I'm gonna go play some NCAA Football now. Heisman level sucks ass. The game cheats. I'm gonna beat it eventually, though. I'll get you next time, cheating game, next tiiiiiiiiiiime!

update on the legend

At the DBAPC...

Date / Time:
2005-10-20 13:05:00
Title:
Arnold Spee Eliminated in 32nd Place ($17,245)
Log:
Ferguson raises to $30,000 preflop, and Arnold Spee calls, leaving himself just about $15,000. The flop comes Ac-4s-3d, and Spee pushes all in. Ferguson calls immediately, showing A-K, and Spee shows pocket sevens. The turn card is a 2, giving Spee additional outs to a chop if the last card is a five. But the river card is a jack, and Arnold Spee is eliminated in 32nd place, earning $17,245.

I'd rather be in Indiana

When's the last time you heard somebody say those words? And not as a punchline to a joke?

Instead of playing in a lottery on a boat, I decided to play in a lottery online, a late morning Stars rebuy. All was going well till I managed to get myself 80% to be the chipleader with under 100 left. Q9s made trips on the river, and I was no more.

It's a reasonably busy weekend here. My wife's sister and her best friend (my wife's best friend, not my sister-in-law's best friend) will be visiting this weekend, so I'm pretty free this weekend. Sunday's got the blogger tourney on Stars - a freeroll to the PCA WPT event (which is what I'm playing for, screw that other stuff) and the 200K on FT. I'm not sure what I'll be doing on Saturday, but there's a reasonable chance that poker will be involved.

I'm almost out of coffee and my mother didn't bring any on her most recent visit. Very disappointing. I might actually have to buy my own now. That would suck.

Astros in, at most, six. As flawed a team as they are, they're going against an even more flawed team. And yes, I realize that the team I am referring to as more flawed won 99 games.


I'm not a country music fan, but Portland Oregon by Loretta Lynn and Jack White is freaking awesome. Go download it (ir)responsibly!

Well sloe gin fizz works mighty fast when you drink it by the pitcher and not by the glass.

Staying in lovely Columbus

Indiana is not going down. After completely conflicting information on PSO, I called the Caesars Indiana poker room twice. Both times (different twangs on the guy who answered) I was told that the tournament is sold out but they are taking alternates. Both times I specifically asked if there were seats being held for sale tomorrow (which we were informed, on PSO, that the tourney director is doing). Both times the answer was no.

So, screw it. Not driving that length just to not play, or to get a seat an hour in when the rest of the table's got double my chips and I have 30 big blinds. It's very disappointing, but hopefully they learn from their numerous, repeated errors.

maybe not

Maybe I won't be going to Caesars Indiana. The event seems to be sold out already. How is it sold out two days before the tournament, and one day before people come in from out of town to buy in? Beats me. It seems they had preregistration in person, and have been running satellites to the event for the better part of two weeks. Factor in a cap of 550 entrants, and you've got yourself one rapidly filling up tournament, all of locals. It's fortunate I found out through PSO the situation, or else I'd be driving down Thursday morning and would have been a very, very unhappy boy Thursday afternoon.

I realize this is the location's first major tournament, but they're affiliated with the WSOPC. Get some advice or something. Don't just wing it.

Oh well, no use complaining. There's a great deal of use lamenting.

jason

Getting Excited

In two days I'll be on my way to Caesar's Indiana. I'm well aware that this is nothing like my last live tournament (though I'm not sure the wife does), but I'm still quite excited. It'll be pretty cool, because I'll get to see my grandfather while I'm down there. Hopefully I won't see him till very very late on Thursday, because I hope to play for a while.

I played my rush yesterday. Even rushing AK doesn't often beat AA, and it didn't this time, either. I probably shouldn't have played the tourney, I wasn't really focused on it at all. Being busy doing other stuff kinda sucks.

The crock pot is set to go (I'm hoping the Chicken and Dumplings are good), and I'm ready for a nap. Sadly, a nap is not in the cards today.

One last thing:

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 9155422

Finally!

The skid is over, as I won the shootout on Bugsy's. I played the best poker I had in some time, took a very bad beat down to 4, but did not lose the faith. Instead of caving and saying "not this shit again", I nutted up and came back to win. It was all I've been wanting for two months. It seemed I hit an unusually large number of draws and I got some quality hands, so there's no doubt I was LUCKY. I pushed on a couple semibluffs with additional outs than just the obvious draw, and hit a couple of those. So yes, again, I was lucky. But I don't recall coming from way behind, maybe 40/60 was it. I only took maybe one or two bad beats the whole tourney. Yes, I was lucky.

But I had it comin to me.

I'll be going to Caesar's Indiana for their tournament on Thursday - the PSO Live Tour Stop. It's a $300 buyin, a hefty $40 rake, but I really love playing live. And now I've got things going for me, I think it's worth it.

Sigh. I'm kinda tired.

bad beat alert

Bugsy's rd 2, down to 11. I am playing for top four. I am the chipleader. I raise with AKo. The big blind, second in the tournament in chips, reraises all in for WAY TOO MUCH. I instacall. He has A4o. He makes four to a flush.

This is exactly how the past two months have been. I can't win as a dog, I seem to be unable to hold as a favorite. I did win a coinflip in this tournament, it was for all my chips. It was a key coinflip. But, I also lost 2 other hands as big favorites, and won no others as a dog. Zero. None.

All I can do is all I can do. But it's getting friggin old.

Jen Harman and the straight flush.

Much as I hate to admit it, I strolled over to the WPT forum on 2+2 after I watched the two main event episodes Tuesday evening. I came across this thread (warning, show all selected)about Harman and her reaction to the queens full being beat by the straight flush. In addition to the invariable discussion about her attractiveness was the quesiton of whether or not she was out of line in her reaction.

Just from my perspective, I don't think so. I think that she was clearly fuming from a sick beat, and latched on to something Corey Zeidman said ("Looks like it's an early day for me, I guess I'll go do some sightseeing.") He said this after he had verified his hand and just before pushing his chips in, while shaking violently. It was a dick move, sure, but I think he just had no idea how to react because he hit a miracle card to make the stone nuts to, clearly, come from miles behind to win. As I said, his hands were shaking violently, so it's fairly easy to interpolate that he wasn't thinking clearly as he said what he said.

Still, Harman can't be expected to shrug off the beat. Yes, she's an experienced pro. Yes, she's taken sick beats before and will take them again. But not on the featured table an hour into the Biggest Tournament Ever. Her reaction, in my opinion, was completely acceptable and much less than what others would have done in her situation.

Looking at it from my seat, when Arnold Spee, in my opinion, completely overplayed his AK, I was left with 2K. I don't remember doing anything other than shaking my head, looking over at Matt and Kevin on the rail and saying "I was right." I then sat back down and tried to nurse my stack back. Though I felt the table was good, with only two grand left at 25/100/200, I could not afford to steam even a little bit or take a couple hands off.

Now, had Spee said something like "Jack Five? Are you kidding me?" I may have said something, I don't know. I think in many ways he realized he was lucky; he grimaced when I turned over the J5 because I think he knew he got outplayed.

It's a different situation, to be sure. However, just as this was probably the biggest tournament Harman had ever played, it certainly wasn't the biggest stakes she'd ever played. She was in the group against Andy Beal, so she'd played 30K/60K cash stakes. This was clearly the biggest stage I've ever been on, so it may have meant even more to me than her.

Ok, this post started out really well, and just degenerated into me not really getting anywhere. Let's wrap it up quickly.

In sum: Harman's actions were acceptable.

Have a couple of larfs

Hockey's new rules

Eurorounders - Believe me, you don't want to miss this one.

Enjoy!

Reprinted With Permisson of Me

Below is a copy of an email I sent my father and brother about my championship. I really liked what I wrote, it kinda encapsulates me, so I reprint it here:

I'm the 1942 champion of my retro strat league.


Bill Butland has one real season in his career. He came up for 3 starts in 1941, and they weren't very good at all. In 1942, he pitched 111 innings, being the 1940s edition of a swing man. 23 games pitched, 10 starts, 6 complete games, 2 shutouts, 1 save. He allowed 118 baserunners in those 111 innings, had an ERA of 2.51, and went 7-1 for the Red Sox.

I assume, like most other 25 year olds, he then enlisted or was drafted, because he's gone until 1946. In 46-7, he pitches a total of six games, giving up 21 runs in 18 innings. The magic had clearly gone, as it had for so many others of those young men.

In my 1942 replay, Butland was ridiculous. I used him in much the same way Rivera gets used only a little more so. Lots of key spots, not afraid to bring him in the 8th or even the 7th if I had to. 94 IP, he did allow 99 base runners, but had an ERA of 1.62, recorded 48 saves and went 3-3.

In the post season, Butland made his regular season effort seem pedestrian. Of the eleven games my team played, he appeared in six of them, allowing 12 baserunners and only one run. He saved all five of his opportunities, and won the sixth game, the key game of the series, going the final 4 innings of the fifteen inning game 3 of the World Series.

I think the most satisfying part of these leagues is, aside from winning, learning about guys like this. Before this replay, I'd never heard of the guy. All I really know of him now is that he had a tremendous season, and according to this site, he's the only pitcher to defeat the other 7 American League teams consecutively. And yet, I'm forever attached to him.

Flags Fly Forever

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 1942 GGSL Champions: The Moscow Red Devils! It took a 15 inning game, just narrowly hanging on after a tense late inning comeback by the As, but game 5 was a relative breeze as the pitching, my strength, held on. It was my strategy all year: good pitching, strong relief, and lumbering white guys walking, doubling and homering just enough to win games. It worked in the playoffs.

So, time to get cracking on the dynasty.


Oh, and I actually WON a SnG today. It was crazy: In the entire SnG I had four all ins (mine or someone elses) on or before the turn. On all four I was at least 75% to win, over 80% on three of them. I won all four. Yes, good cards (AA v. JJ). Yes, good flops (AJ v. QQ on KQT). But I think I played very well and maximized my equity in certain situations. After consistently betting hands and checking losers, I changed gears at just the right time to get someone to take 3 stabs at the pot with no hand, merely betting because I didn't.

It's scary that I'm so happy that I won a Sit n Go, but that's how bad things have been lately. It's scary that I'm so happy that 4 big favorites held, but that's how bad things have been lately. I didn't have to tempt fate by trying to come from behind - that still won't happen for some time, I'm sure. But, I won. I'm happy. Now, to get back to the time when I owned these things...

Bahrain, Doug Eddings, Ricky Williams and unclothed women.

No update on my all important Strat World Series. My opponent and I were unable to hook up last night, first because he was AWOL, and then because I didn't feel like playing any more.

The US wins the final round of qualifying for the 06 World Cup in Germany. Good to see, even though I didn't watch either of the last two matches. Somehow Trinidad and Tobago finished ahead of Guatemala to get the playoff shot against an Asian country you've never heard of (Bahrain). I'm thinking of taking a month off next year to watch every match, though Slovenia won't be there, which is a downer.

Ricky Williams scares the hell out of me. He just looks really really freaky now, like he's trying to be Barry White, but just about 1% as cool.

It's a good thing that the Indians didn't lose an ALCS game the way that the Angels did. If so, I'd probably be not terribly happy with Doug Eddings in the way that the Braves fans weren't ecstatic with Eric Gregg in 1997. Speaking of Gregg, I saw a crawl at the bottom of Sportscenter this morning that he's appearing on Cold Pizza to discuss the controversial call. There are so many things to say, but every joke I come up with blends with another joke and is just incoherent. But funny.

Hey Rowebote, I'm sure you read this in the St Paul Pioneer Press:

The workers told Hennepin County sheriff's deputies they had to step over and around players and naked women engaged in sex acts on the floor, said their attorney, Stephen Doyle of Wayzata.

"There was lap dancing with a fair amount of cash floating around the floor with the dancers, leading quickly into sexual acts in a nature so explicit imagination wasn't necessary," Doyle said.

Asked if he saw strippers or sex on his boat Moore said, "Sex? What are you talking about? That's crazy. Look man, I'm engaged. That would put me in trouble."

I couldn't make this shit up. And Mewelde Moore is in BIG trouble when he gets home.

A piece of advice:

If you are going to call all in on a QJx flop with AK without holding a backdoor draw... RERAISE ALL IN PREFLOP. Don't call, look at a flop, see an absolutely horrid flop for you and yet call all in. It's just not winning poker.

Thanks for playing!

As seen on Sportscenter

There's a movement to retire Roberto Clemente's number 21, apparently. He was the first Latin American player to make the Hall of Fame, and because of the fact that he was not only an outstanding ball player, a superb human being (he died on a humanitarian mission), but the idol to a generation of Latin Americans, there is this movement. Near as I can tell, the argument also goes along the lines of "If Jackie Robinson, why not Roberto Clemente."

This is just faulty. First, a number of Cubans (who might not strictly be in the sphere of Latin America) played in the major leagues through the first half of the century, the best of whom was probably Dolf Luque. The point, though, is that these guys all looked white. It's not to say that because of Luque, Clemente got a shot. Roberto Clemente looked like a black man. If it weren't for Jackie Robinson, there would have been no Roberto Clemente. Clemente may be the idol of a generation of Latin American players, but Jackie Robinson should be the idol of everybody.

Thanks to the able relief work of Bill Butland

So those of you out there who read this and know me, already are aware of this. Those of you out there who merely read this have probably thought to yourselves, at least once... "Damn, this guy's a geek."

Yes. Yes I am. And here's more fuel for that fire.

In addition to playing poker and fantasy football, things pretty much any normal well adjusted man should do, I also play simulation sports. Basically, it uses a software that takes into consideration what the player actually did that season, and recreates games. For baseball I'm in Strat-o-Matic leagues. For basketball, I'm in leagues that use Jim Moore's UBA program.

Anyway, what I really am writing to say is that right now I'm playing the 1942 World Series with my tremendous squad. The league started in 1939 and I drafted for the future. And when I say for the future, I meant I sucked BAD in 1939, 39-123 (yes, 162 game seasons). But it's been steady improvement since: from godawful to bad to mediocre to this season's 90-72 creamy goodness. And in our first attempt at the playoffs, we defeated a team led by young Stan Musial to advance to the World Series.

And right now, my Moscow Red Devils took one on the road to even the seven game series with the Philadelphia A's at one game apiece. Ted Williams is the A's big star.

So who's on my team? My staff is led by Tommy Hughes, whose best season came in 1942. Supplementing him on the playoff staff are Spud Chandler, Hal Newhouser and Bill Lohrman. Bill Butland is the hammer in my pen, early 40s style. The hitting attack is led by Bobby Estalella (the current catcher's granddaddy), Roy Cullenbine (who Billy Beane would love), Pete Reiser (who had this fatal attraction to walls), Tommy Henrich and Babe Phelps. While this is something of a last hurrah for some of these guys - Hughes, Phelps, Henrich and Reiser for a few years, I've got young players ready to step in. I'm stoked! STOKED!


And I'm a geek.

There will come a time...

When I will win as a dog.

I don't mean as a 54/46 dog, though those are tremendously rare as it is. I mean as a 70/30 dog or something.

And when I do... watch out.


Seriously, I think I just need one or two breaks. That's it.

And another thing...

I'm not just gonna be pokerizing this. I'll spread out. There's sports to talk about. There's, um. Sports. And poker. I may talk about food.

Eventually I'll explain why Troy Smith isn't the answer. Of course, not that Zwick is. Give me Boeckman!

No, really, I mean it this time

Weeeelll.

I'm not going to go into detail, but I'm going to focus on writing here again. I think it just got lost in teh shuffle over the past couple of months, but I think posting here really kept me thinking about how I was playing.

I won't lie, I hope me being more consistent in my posting will, in some way, appease the poker gods. They don't like me at the moment.

What else can I get you, Oh powerful ones? A fatted calf? A chip and a chair? TELL ME!

hi.

Been a while. How's it going? You been ok?