For a friend....

Girls names are harder to come up with than boys names. Hit me with some ideas that aren't in the top 50 of this list.

Oh, and.....

Lets put it this way, if a person with that name has ever been a subject of a certain....image.....then it is automatically veto'd. Since I am 34 that eliminates about 365*22 names.

I am frustrated and bored. Work has sucked for the last week. Poker has been nearly non-existent save the Thursday night homegame. BTW I am officially killing this game(cashes of 40%, 300% and 160% above buyin thusfar) It is also a blast hanging out with . We had a lot of new blood there last week. Hopefully we'll be able to sustain a 6-10 player game on a weekly basis.

Position matters at this table more than any other I've ever played. We are all turning into LAG's (with a few LoW's ). Hell the tightest guy there open raised with T3 on the button two weeks ago. I am getting set up for a huge loss because some donkey(s) keep bluffing me and I keep catching them. I either have a read or am turning into a calling station.

One of the regular players has the biggest tell known to mankind. It could only be worse if he had a bull horn and announced "I HAVE YOU BEAT AND AM BETTING INTO YOU NOW".

Live poker>online poker by alot. I can win more money online in the same period of time but playing live against this group is +EV even if I drop two or three buyin's.

Spent the majority of free time this weekend painting. Lots of painting to be done over the next 10 weeks.

There is a lot wrong with the world. There is also a lot right. But it is so much more fun to point out the wrong. So here it is, my list of top reasons the world is doomed....

1. My Super Sweet 16
The only way this show should be reality programming is if at the end the audience was able to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on the star. Thumbs down and you get shivved, OZ style by some Baltimore city public school children that then get to take your new Range Rover back to the 'hood and light it on fire. Your father is castrated and your mother has her gash stitched shut because you are proof that they are unfit parents.

2. Paris Exposed
As if there wasn't enough Paris in the world, now we have some guy charging $40/month so that you can rummage around the digitized contents of Paris's abandoned belongings. Apparently she forgot to pay the $208 storage locker fee and her crap was auctioned off. Pics, videos, phone records, letters etc.

3. Paris Hilton
That such an abomination has been forced on society and propagated via the network of tyrannous mainstream media is surely a sign of the oncoming apocalypse.

4. Microsoft Windows
That such an abomination has been forced on society and propagated via the network of tyrannous mainstream media is surely a sign of the oncoming apocalypse.

5. Miller High Life "The Champaign of Beers"
Thats like being the merlot of moonshine. I listed Miller High Life here but this really applies to all watery domestics (Miller and Bud are on equal footing here). We drink to get drunk and "make it a lite" so I don't get bloated. No one stops and enjoys the finer things in life, its all about a rush to get to the payoff, you know 3am when the ugly lights come on and you have decide if that girl looks too much like STB that you won't be able to erase her image from your booze addled brain.

6. Min-raising aces.
If you only min-raise preflop with AA or KK "so that you get action" you can't get that pissed when I call you in the BB for one more bet, flop trips with 9c4s and felt you because you jam my pot sized bet. Your lack of originality is only surpassed by your oxygen starved brother that always tries the limp/re-raise/jam with AA in a $25 cash game and can't figure out why he keeps going busto.

7. The President is signing autographs after the State of the Union address
We have come so far in the media frenzied star fucking world that the President has to stop and sign autographs? Decorum does matter. Tradition is important.

8. MySpace
This POS gave rise to Dane Cook. He is not funny people. NOT FUNNY. Yes I watched his shows and listened to his routines. Its like he's playing straight man with out anyone doing the setups. Not to mention that it is the ruination of our youth. Is it any wonder all of our IT jobs are getting shipped overseas?

9. Parents Suing MySpace
Parental roles cannot be outsourced to the internet or t.v. You cannot place blame on a corporation for not monitoring what goes on in your home. Hey dumbass...children are easily fooled by adults with evil agendas. You have to look out for your child. Rupert Murdoch is not your child's father.

The birthday weekend in review. It really kicked of on Thursday with a homegame at Dimebags place. I finished up a little over a buying (Dave owes me $1). Memorable hands include limp calling raise from Dimebag. I was on the button, two other limps in front of me and he raised to 3 or 4x BB. It was really and easy call at that price. The flop came 679 rainbow and I just happened to be holding the 8c5c. I slowplayed this monster to near perfection and got paid. Oh, and I got called "a donkey" to boot.

Another hand, I made Toolman lay down pocket QQ to my pocket QQ on an A high board. I was out of position and used the lead out to my advantage.

Some of the guys decided that we are going to G-Rob this game in no time. All the easy money is going to dry up and blow away. Especially when BMac takes his 3.25 buyin win from the week before and doesn't gamble it up. We need new blood, or something and this was only the second week.

Friday was a bust. I made plans to go to the boat with ToolMan once my wife returned from dinner with friends. She told me she thought she'd be home around 10pm. At 12:30 I called it a night. She arrived around 1:00 am. cest la vie.

Saturday started out with a trip to the portrait studio to get new pictures of the boy. He is two now and that milestone necessitates new pictures. After the photos we headed to the Missouri Transportation Museum. My little boy is crazy about trains, truck and cars, boats and planes. When we pulled into the parking lot there was a tug boat and airplane, he started squealing. When he saw the yard full of trains he just kept repeating "choo choo train" over and over.







Saturday night was spent at my favorite steak joint downing several Blue Moon's and a 20oz porterhouse.

Sunday I caught a cold.

There has been a lot of chatter recently congratulating the masses that are now getting paid to blog for places such as pokerworks. I congratulate them all as well. Best of luck, grab the bucks while they are there. But ultimately my opinion is that this is bad for me and many like me. Why? Because I can't read their stuff anymore.

I very seldom read blogs at home, tending to read books, watch tv and play poker. But at work I always have a window open to catch up on the antics of the dwarf and his guild. The first reason this is bad looks like this....



I can't see the content straight at the pokerworks site because all the ads for gambling (I suspect that its really the meta tags) get the site blocked.

When this happens I turn to my trusty friend, GoogleReader. But alas, the goal at PW is to get clicks and views for advert revenue. To tease me to sign up for Mansion or some other site. Not to read content. So I get a bit of what is the haps, but really not enough.




It makes one long for the original home of the uber....




I am all for cashing in and I wish the pokerworks crew the best of luck. I will miss your writing.

Fat kids (myself included) rejoice in he that is Gobboboy.

See this post, once a luckbox, always a luckbox.

Oh and if you want to wish him goodluck, call him: Jimmy's cell 217-722-8131. He gets lonely, ya know.

Maybe now Dutch has enough to pay everyone back........

The Year of the Chilly is in full effect. Check out these hand histories from lunch...thats right bitches. I took my laptop to lunch and played $25 NL on the wifi....suck it.

I bolded the important parts.............

PokerStars Game #7969909276: Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) - 2007/01/16 - 14:52:22 (ET)
Table 'Polyhymnia V' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: good43 ($26.20 in chips)
Seat 3: an2n ($12.90 in chips)
Seat 4: kkyser ($18.35 in chips)
Seat 5: Gillouz ($13.45 in chips)
Seat 7: ThorKGB ($35.90 in chips)
Seat 8: piipi ($19.35 in chips)
Seat 9: T.U.C. ($23.15 in chips)
Gillouz: posts small blind $0.10
ThorKGB: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to good43 [4s 3d]
piipi: folds
T.U.C.: folds
easytef has returned
good43: raises $0.50 to $0.75
an2n: folds
kkyser: folds
Gillouz: folds
ThorKGB: folds
good43 collected $0.60 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $0.60 | Rake $0
Seat 1: good43 collected ($0.60)
Seat 3: an2n folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: kkyser (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Gillouz (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: ThorKGB (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: piipi folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: T.U.C. folded before Flop (didn't bet)

PokerStars Game #7969965721: Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) - 2007/01/16 - 14:56:12 (ET)
Table 'Polyhymnia V' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: good43 ($25.05 in chips)
Seat 2: AnthonyP8 ($57.80 in chips)
Seat 3: an2n ($10.40 in chips)
Seat 4: kkyser ($13.15 in chips)
Seat 5: Gillouz ($11.60 in chips)
Seat 7: ThorKGB ($42.75 in chips)
Seat 8: piipi ($19 in chips)
Seat 9: T.U.C. ($24.30 in chips)
AnthonyP8: posts small blind $0.10
an2n: posts big blind $0.25
GSPOTT2003: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to good43 [3c 4s]
kkyser: folds
Gillouz: calls $0.25
ThorKGB: folds
piipi: folds
T.U.C.: folds
good43: calls $0.25
AnthonyP8: calls $0.15
an2n: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ac 4h 2d]
AnthonyP8: checks
an2n: checks
Gillouz: bets $1
good43: calls $1
AnthonyP8: folds
an2n: folds
*** TURN *** [Ac 4h 2d] [Tc]
Gillouz: checks
good43: checks
*** RIVER *** [Ac 4h 2d Tc] [Kd]
Gillouz: checks
good43: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Gillouz: shows [Qc 7h] (high card Ace)
good43: shows [3c 4s] (a pair of Fours)
good43 collected $2.90 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $3 | Rake $0.10
Board [Ac 4h 2d Tc Kd]
Seat 1: good43 (button) showed [3c 4s] and won ($2.90) with a pair of Fours
Seat 2: AnthonyP8 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: an2n (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: kkyser folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Gillouz showed [Qc 7h] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 7: ThorKGB folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: piipi folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: T.U.C. folded before Flop (didn't bet)


PokerStars Game #7970064881: Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) - 2007/01/16 - 15:02:55 (ET)
Table 'Polyhymnia V' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: good43 ($28.70 in chips)
Seat 2: AnthonyP8 ($57.05 in chips)
Seat 3: an2n ($10.45 in chips)
Seat 4: kkyser ($12.40 in chips)
Seat 6: GSPOTT2003 ($6.50 in chips)
Seat 7: ThorKGB ($42.40 in chips)
Seat 8: piipi ($32.30 in chips)
Seat 9: T.U.C. ($24.85 in chips)
AnthonyP8: posts small blind $0.10
an2n: posts big blind $0.25
devon06atX: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to good43 [3s 4h]
kkyser: folds
GSPOTT2003: folds
ThorKGB: raises $0.75 to $1
piipi: folds
T.U.C.: calls $1
good43: calls $1
AnthonyP8: folds
an2n: folds
*** FLOP *** [3d Qs 7s]
ThorKGB: bets $2
kkyser leaves the table
T.U.C.: folds
good43: calls $2
*** TURN *** [3d Qs 7s] [Jd]
ThorKGB: checks
good43: checks
*** RIVER *** [3d Qs 7s Jd] [6d]
ThorKGB: bets $4
good43: raises $6 to $10
ThorKGB: folds
Lennoxlee joins the table at seat #4
good43 collected $14.60 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $15.35 | Rake $0.75
Board [3d Qs 7s Jd 6d]
Seat 1: good43 (button) collected ($14.60)
Seat 2: AnthonyP8 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: an2n (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: kkyser folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: GSPOTT2003 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: ThorKGB folded on the River
Seat 8: piipi folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: T.U.C. folded on the Flop

The small amounts of poker I have been playing lately have been very fun. Last Thursday saw the return of the STL homegame with Dimebag hosting 7 handed NLHE. It was a huge $20 max buy .10/.20 blinds. Brian walked away the big winner, up 3.25 buyins. I was up $8 and don't really know who all the donators were. There was one guy that left as I got there having lost his $20 in the first hour. Good thing too, Dimebag only owns 7 chairs so that opened up a seat for me.
Thats when you have high hopes for your homegame, only owning 7 chairs and being shocked when you almost overfill. I called from the car to say I was on my way and was informed that I needed to bring a chair. No way in hell I was going back to the house to get a chair. None.

I played by the "give action to get action" mantra. I won a lot of small pots and bluffed some random guy off his 2nd pair with air. I flopped the nuts against the big stack but played it too fast and didn't get paid nearly enough. I rivered a flush against a guy with ace high. He was ahead until the river. I bet every street and he called all the way figuring me for nothing. Hey I had 2 pair draws and a flush draw that were live. He thought my value bet on the river smelled funny and called. It did smell, smelled like money.

Toolman laid down trip 9's to the same guy thinking he might have had a straight. I put the guy on an overpair KK or AA, but I'm not weak tight, at least not at this table. Who gets to the river with 99 catches another 9 and lays it down? Scared money thats who. Of course Toolman's game is much better than it used to be. He plays position much better and it is starting to piss me off. I want my free cards back!!!!!

Three of the guys playing were software engineers/programmers two were layers, one is a writer and then there is little ol' business guy me. Entirely too much talk about g vs n wireless routers, xbox and local politics.
***************************************

So I won a huge pot with a suckout the other night. I had around $80 in a .25/.50 game and looked down (over?) at pocket QQ on the button. There is an open raise to $2 from the big stack, $130 and a call. I pot it and open raiser shoves. Caller folds and I figure the guy for TT,JJ or something like that. I call only too see AA. I guess he was a level above or below me, below I think.

A beautiful Q peels off on the flop and I bank $166+ pot. I even had to fade a four flush on the river. Lucky feels so much better than good.
***************************************

CJ has a transcript of Jamie Gold's first hand chatter up over at U4P. I was so hoping that the pros would treat Jamie with the disdain that he so deserves. And they do. It is awesome. In the "next time on blossom high stakes poker" I think we see the Mouth calling JG an idiot. Good stuff.
**************************************

In a fit of self pimpage I feel it necessary to promote the fact that I will be turning 34 on Saturday. Now, 43 is my hand. So 34 is almost the year of the Chilly. Its a 9 year early preview to the real year of the Chilly. Beware, I will play this hand like most of you mopes play the hammer. Also for those of you in the local area, I am going to try to get out for a homegame on Thursday, if its running (where's the invite?) and maybe again on Friday to Harrahs.

Chapstick!!

The voiceover guy on Poker After Dark needs to shut the fuck up. I want to hear the damn stories being told not his inane snark.

Srsly, shut up.

Always be smarter than the people who hire you.
-Lena Horne

I have a stress induced, caffeine modified, dehydration aided headache going to today. It is hampering my ability to put together coherent thoughts.

I am trying a new thing with SNG's. I bought into a $5 + .50 on Monday night and won. I will take my winnings and buy into a $20+2. I will keep going until I bust or win a $1000. I am doing this on FTP. Between the $50 and $100 level I will be able to take out my $5.50 so I have seed money to start all over. I read about this on Doubleas on that archive page I linked a few days ago.

Buying into a $1000 SNG will make me crap my pants, if I ever get that far.

I had a run of unreal cards the other night. First orbit in an SNG I am in a blind with 9x. I see a 992 flop for free/complete. I check call to see another 9 on the turn. I check call again. Board ends up 9929Q with 3 spades. I check raise my opponent on the river and he pushes all-in over the top for about 2-2.5 time the pot, with a rivered flush. Now in this case any pair beatshis flush. Any pocket pair, 2 or Q. Much less my Quads.

I go on to flop trips like 3 or 4 more times that game and wind up Heads up at the 40/80 level. That is insane, getting heads up that fast. I had a 3/2 advantage heads up. I really mixed up my play trying to randomize my preflop action. I frustrated my opponent and he pushe all in against my TT preflop with 52o or something like that. Step one complete.

I had a .15/.30 Deep 9 NL game going on as well. I wish the Deep 9 were as populated as the Deep 6. These games are great. Max buy is $60 on a .30 blind table. You get a lot of play along with the donks still buying in short. I cashed out around $20 after ~110 hands.

Then I felt like "slumming" as CaApril put it when I arrived at her $.50/1 LHE table. I didn't even notice she was sitting to my left until she greeted me. I proceeded to tilt this table sideways. The table was way tight for a .50/1 game. I was taking down a lot of pots with air and forcing odds to continue in hands and catching cards.

The guy to my right kept open raising me from the small blind. I kept calling him and beating him senseless. At one point I chatted "Are you done now?" after I put a horrific beat on him when I hit trip 2's on the river. But really this table was easy to read. They played top 10 -15 hands for the most part so open raising and re-raising with suited connectors was my play. I played the big cards too, but those connectors really paid.

I watched April go 4 bets preflop and win at showdown with a flopped 2 pair: 7722. She nearly felted the guy that could only say "4 bets with 72????" She cracked big slick. I chat screamed HAMMER!!. and "just like a turtle, bringing big slick to a hammer fight".

Anyway I ran my $30 into $75 in practically no time. A mix of good plays, donkey luck and really bad players - Thanks Dikshit!!
**********************************

Last weekend was my company's annual winter sales meeting. This event is always held in some far flung locale such as South Carolina, California, Florida or some other easy to get to really nice in March sucks in January location. I wasn't invited this year. I went last year. Hooray. Nothing like 3 days locked in a conference center with sales people to make you want to gouge your eyes out.

Anyway, my boss was given an award: employee of the year. To put this into terms you will understand, this is analogous to Waffles winning miss congeniality. Ridiculous for both the miss and the congeniality portions of the award. This is obviously a put up job due to certain interpersonal, extra-office relations, they are non-sexual, but just as effective. The bad thing, really bad thing is that there is an opening above my boss. I thought there was no shot, but now I'd say its even money to get promoted, my boss, not me.

I hope karma kicks in soon. Maybe Earl will come and give a lesson.
*******************************

The homegame is returning. The young guns of the STL Crew are trying to get s NL cash game going. I am excited, even if I won't be able to play most of the time.

If Dawn and Karol want to know why I didn't comment on something over on I Had Outs today....
this is why.

Here is a blast from the past. I came across this archive page from Doubleas via a google result we had in common. Prahlad, Curzdog, Strass2. Good stuff. Plus you get to read a comment from Pauly and trip report where the DA himself was sweating playing the 2/5 game in AC.

Good stuff.

First of all this that I came across from Brian is a fun time waster.

Four score and seven years ago I flopped a set. I lost the hand set over set and I have since failed to flop an appropriate number of sets since. I am not card dead, I am set dead.

Looking for a way to pass some time at work? Go to NBC and watch HellMouth on Poker After Dark. Phill is battling with Sheiky and its funny. FUNNY!! Not so funny is the description of Annie Duke and her divorce wager. Huckleberry is hilarious.

Reading is something that I did a lot of from 1978-1986 and then again from 1991-1997 and then again from 1999-2001.

1978-1986 -> I was a kid and we didn't have cable. I read everything I could get my hands on. In 1986 my parents broke down and got cable so I could watch the World Cup. Oh the joys of cable: Aussie Rules football and WGN showing Slap Shot on an endless loop.

From 1991-1997 I was in college and grad school. I had no choice. Books were required. Then in 1999 I was back in school and had to read a lot once again. During this time I was reading for pleasure as much as for school. I was a Tom Clancy junkie. I also developed a bad jones for business magazines and papers.

When I first started playing poker I went through a flurry of reading poker tomes. Sklansky, Malmuth, Gordon, Jones and Carson. (Carson, by far the best of these for cash games). But that was more like schooling than pleasure.

Today my reading mostly consists of blogs, CNN, Slate, This Old House Magazine, Reader's Digest and Maxim. A friend got me on Amazon Prime a while ago and I started taking advantage. So here are the books that I have purchased and am in the process of working through. These are listed starting with the most recent purchases.

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor
I am dying to start this one. Not Read

Rising Phoenix
Based on a recommendation in wanting something that was action/fiction. Not Read.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
This is what I am currently reading. So far very good.

The Millionaire Next Door
The last book I finished. If you wondered why you aren't rich, this book will tell you. Finished

Doyle Brunson's Super System II
I pick this up and read it as I look to try new games. Bits and Pieces

Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, The : Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time
Very entertaining. From a pure construction point of view I think it needed more time with a more experienced editor. Finished

The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker: A Comprehensive Guide to Playing and Winning
If you play cash games you should read this book. Finished

Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
It is what they say it is, plus its a quick read. Finished

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em
Meh, okay but I doubt I'd re-read it. Finished

Phil Gordon's Little Green Book : Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em
Excellent primer for poker tournament play. I read this over a roundtrip flight to NYC. Quick and dirty yet very informational. Finished.

The Bourne Legacy
Pfft. Reads like the script for an episode of Alias. Finished.

What else should I be reading until JTSMD is released?

How drunk did I get on New Year's Eve?

Chilly: was that you that hit me with a dial a shot on NYE?
Iggy: prolly - i was pretty drunk
Chilly: 555-555-5555?
Iggy: yup thats me
Chilly: lol
Chilly: I thought it was Pauly and couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was in Ohio!!
Chilly: It never occured to me that it was you. My phone display read Alabama- 555-555-5555.
Iggy: no shit
Chilly: Well happy New Year and here's to Iggy, since I toasted Pauly on Sunday night
Iggy: lol
Iggy: i guess i never said who i was
Iggy: assumed you'd know due to my slurring
Chilly: I asked who it was and you told me Pauly, I swear you did
Chilly: and I asked what the fuck you were doing in Alabama and you said "hanging out with friends"
Chilly: I was fucked up.
Iggy: lol

italics indicate changed text to protect a dwarf housewife from Alabama.

If you didn't watch the Fiesta Bowl you missed one of the greatest college football fourth quarters, overtimes....games, ever.