Play This Game Long Enough...

Play this game long enough and you'll see everything!

Edit: Heavy drinking is -EV. Write that down.

Well, So Much for That!

Seattle John killed my action!

This is about the funniest thing to happen to me in a long time. I seriously thought two things:

1. I honestly believed I could run $3.16 up to $100.
2. I was gonna make a killing in prop bets when I did.

There's just one small complication. After reading my pathetic post, sj_tilt left a comment that said he took pity on me, so he transferred funds into my FT account! Dammit - this was going to be so sweet. Your $25 is gonna cost me thousands in lost props!

Well, I guess the flip side is that I was a HUGE statistical underdog, so I probably would have paid out a ton of cash instead of winning the bets, but NOW WE'LL NEVER KNOW!

In all seriousness, thanks, bud. In honor of your generosity, I ran your transfer plus my measly BR up to $76 without ever risking more than 10% of my BR.

Next stop, $1000.

The Waffles Challenge

In the comments section of my pathetic post yesterday, it seems Waffles has laid down a challenge:

"If you need some Waffles bad luck bet to help you I am always up for a little side bet about you busting out or reaching a hundred in a certain time frame."

I accept. I will turn my measly $3.16 into $100 within one month. The clock stops at midnight on November 30th, 2008. I will not re-buy. You all can watch me as I go.

Anyone care to lay odds?

Edit: In the interest of disclosure, after making that post, I won just a little playing Razz (my secret weapon). I then played two SNGs - a 9 person and an 18 person. Both were $2 + $0.25. I lost the 18 but took second in the 9 for a profit (after deducting for the buy-ins) of $1.10. I'm on my way. W00t!

Chris Ferguson Challenge

When I quit playing online poker 3 years ago, it was only after dropping $1600. Its official - I cannot play online poker to save my life. Well, in order to play the freeroll tournament from Rakeback, I put another $100 into FT. Here is what's left of my BR:



I am an idiot. Repeating the same mistakes hoping for a different outcome is the definition of insanity. But, I'm better than this! Or am I? Well, I've decided to see if I can rebuild. I'm going to hunker down and play good solid poker until I at least get it back to my original buy-in. If Chris Ferguson can turn $1 into $10,000, I can certainly turn this measly BR into $100, right.

We'll see.

It's Official

No motorcycle for Dr. Chako.

Man, I really had my hopes up for this one. I tried on all the gear. I got great pictures of The Wife and I perched in the saddle. I fantasized about cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway with Kat (or any motley group of Harley riders, really). Alas, it is not to be.

I don't know all the specifics of what went down. My hope is that the dealership has no experience with charity donations. The alternative is that they were trying to get more money out of me by claiming that I owed taxes. That would be akin to stealing from a charity, and I would never make that accusation without hard proof. Still, just the possibility really pissed me off. I would rather go to a different Harley dealer and pay MORE money than give my cash to a dealer that would do something like this. Since I don't have hard facts, I won't mention the dealership in question. It doesn't really matter in the end because The Boys & Girls Clubs still wins. The Wife and I are making a donation to the organization that basically amounts to what they would have made if the Harley deal went through.

And suddenly, I feel better.

Home Game!

Folks, this weren't no casual little gathering. The Wife never does anything half-assed. She put together a spread that would make you think we were playing a $1000 minimum cash-game. There was lox and bread and salmon spread and chips and olives and beer and OY! It just didn't stop. On top of this we had some excellent wine and we finally cracked open a bottle of Polish vodka that she actually picked up on a shopping trip to Poland. It was quite tasty.

We played two SNGs. Of course, The Wife cashed in both. I was out early in both so I was the designated dealer most of the night. And not a single tip, dammit! Can't someone throw me a toke every now and then...

The best hand of the night was when two people were betting into The Wife when it was obvious to me that she had a monster. I hunkered down lest someone get a read from me about the strength of her hand. In retrospect, that was silly. If they didn't pick up on her SCREAMING tells, they certainly weren't looking for any help from me.

We had an awesome line up with a great mix of beginners and pros, including one beginner who actually works at the hospital with me.

We had:
The lovely Wife
The lovely Betty (not Underground)
Joshua
The lovely Laura
The lovely Shawni (sans Skitch - last post from 2006!)
Your Hero
Cayne
Zeem

I was going to post a few interesting hands, but it doesn't really matter. I had more fun last night playing poker than I have had in a long time.

Let's hope it becomes a regular thing.

Seattle Area Blogger Home Game

Casa Chako is finally getting off of it's collective ass and hosting a home game. It's REALLY short notice - i.e. I'm posting this at 2 a.m. Saturday morning after getting my ass handed to me at the Muckleshoot Casino. Our home game is Saturday evening - say, around 7pm. In other words, it's in 17 hours.

Get your ass over here. You know it will be a blast. If we're lucky, it may be the start of a regular thing!

Respondez to The Wife, bitte.

Quote of the Day

If scientific reasoning were limited to the logical processes of arithmetic, we should not get very far in our understanding of the physical world. One might as well attempt to grasp the game of poker entirely by the use of the mathematics of probability. - Vannevar Bush

Amen.

On the home front, The Wife comes home today after a weeklong business trip. We sure do miss her. I can't wait for her to get home... so I can go out and play poker.

***

For my local readers, how 'bout that home game already?!

***

One more thing, yesterday, my good buddy left an unrelated comment on my motorcycle post expressing his outrage with the bailout. If what they are saying in the links is even partly true, I'm going back to bed and pulling the covers over my head. If you have any interest at all, go to the comments and follow the links.

Lesson: Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Well, the motorcycle may not happen. That's what I get for getting my hopes up, I guess.

Without getting into the gory details, it looks like the Harley dealer and the Boys and Girls Clubs may not have communicated the terms of the deal clearly. My understanding was that the bid price was the "out the door" price. The dealerships called me and said I'm responsible for all the taxes and everything else. If that's the case, then this is a no-go.

I'm looking at this as a win-win. If there are no hidden charges (over and above the extra 3% already added on), then I get a new Harley. If there ARE extra charges, then I don't get the bike, but that means I'm much closer to getting the Ferrari.

Go me!

The Definition of Grueling

Limit Razz tournament.

Final two.

89 hands heads-up. Eighty-f***in'-nine.

GoCards22 shows 9,8,6,4,A
drchako1 shows 7,4,3,2,A
Dealer: drchako1 wins the pot (11,892) with
7,4,3,2,A

Dealer: drchako1 finishes in 1st place and wins: $4

Without a doubt, this was the most excruciating four bucks I ever won. The Jameson whiskey helped, but only a little.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Before I tell you more about the motorcycle that may or may not be (long story), I spent some time today trying to build the tiny bankroll on FT. I decided to check out "The Matrix."



It was almost too much action, especially since this was a 6 person max turbo. Still, a win is nice, especially on your first try. Now, back to Razz.

Yeah, That's Mine

In this case, I'm talking about the hot babe AND the bike.

More to follow...

I Love the Onion

Out in 12th

Thanks again to Le Tune and Rakeback for the free roll! After dominating the tourney early, I ran into sets three times to eliminate myself in 12th out of 36. Played very well early, me thinks. I'm certain Le Tune thought I was deliberately raising his blind every time because of the bounty, but I actually had a hand every time.

For those that are interested, I laid down QQ86 when Spaceman re-raised me all in. I think that was a horrible lay down based on my M and the odds. I still think he had me beat, but it's Omaha. Is anyone really that far behind?

Thanks to BamBam for railing me. HUGE apologies to CK for the massive river suckout. I meant it - the first lap dance is on me.

Hopefully literally.

Rakeback Freeroll

In about an hour, I'll be sitting down at the virtual felt and slinging chips with some of the best poker bloggers in the world. And Waffles.

A big thanks to the folks at Rakeback. I'm not sure what value you see in this humble little slice of the intertubes, but I thank you just the same for the opportunity for an infinite ROI (for you non-math geeks, zero invested - i.e. freeroll - divided by huge potential returns = infinite return on investment. Sheesh. Read a book now and then).

I've already won just by being invited. Now lets see if I can do some real damage.

Name: LeTune Challenge I
Tournament ID: #63909297
Poker Room: FTP
Starts: Thursday 16th of October, 19:00 EST
Prize Pool: $1,000

Lottery Tag

Help, I've been tagged. Dammit, IT, you know I can't resist these things!

1. First of all, I've already won the lottery. Seriously - have you seen my wife? How about my kids? And my Brazilian Au Pair? Sheesh! Oh yeah, and this new job is flat out ridiculous. I love what I do and I get 15 weeks of vacation. Tell me I didn't win. Go on - I dare you.
2. But, if I won a lot more, I suppose there would be more that I'd do for humanity. I think what humanity needs the most right now is for me to have a Ferrari.
   
3. After indulging my selfish side, I suppose a tiny pang of guilt might make me do stuff for others. In all seriousness, I can claim a free pass on the whole charity thing. I'm a doctor for crying out loud! All I do all day is help others. But, in the interest of helping even more, the first thing I'd do is pay whatever it takes to get my in-laws out of debt and off the farm. No one works harder than my father-in-law, yet he never complains. The small-time American farmer is a dying breed and worthy of all our respect.
   
4. I'd also pay whatever was necessary for all members of my family to be debt free and on the road to financial freedom.
   
5. I'd finance a production for my cousin Jarel. He's a struggling actor in NYC and he just found out his sweet gig on Ellis Island is coming to a close. He's got more talent than you can imagine, and like me, he loves what he does.
6. Just one time, I'd play at Table 1 in the Bellagio. If I won, I'd play just once more.
7. I'd buy into a 1/2 game at the Venetian for $10,000 and I'd play at least 3 events per year in the WSOP (but not the Main Event. I guess I might try to satellite into it, but I'd rather pay the $50,000 into the HORSE event than pay for the crap shoot that the main event has become).
8. I'd fly Michelle to Barcelona. I might even ask to come along, but it's not critical.
9. I'd take another vacation to northern Italy and go hiking through Switzerland with my buddy Josh. The poorly named "Moistman Tours" is the best travel agency you never heard of.
   
10. I'd have a reunion of all my Iraq buddies (even though that may be a little stressful right now. But who gives a shit? I love these people.).
11. I would fund The Wife's online poker account with $100,000. She would turn it into a million or my name ain't Dr. Chako.

That's it. No great solutions for world peace. No huge charitable stuff like the Boys and Girls Clubs (although I'd probably do that, too). Just a good time with a little off the top and the rest in investments so I could live the good life even more than I'm already doing.

If you are reading this and haven't been tagged, consider yourself tagged.

Poker Stats

Because I know you are all dying to know, here are my stats since putting $100 into FT:

Hold 'em: -$40

PLO8: -$37

SNG: -$22

Razz: +$3

In my head I'm thinking, "WWJ(CF)D?"

Interesting Razz Hand

How often do you see a chop in Razz?!

Can't Connect to FT

Has anyone else had this problem? I tried to log on to FT this morning and it says, "Sorry. Cannot connect to server."

My internet connection seems to be working fine. The conspiracy theorist in me says Big Brother found me and is blocking my access. Hell, they are probably preparing to storm my house right now!

'Scuze me while I duck and cover.

Edit: I'm back on now. Big Brother must have decided that someone playing .05/.10 PLO8 isn't worth the trouble.

I Am the Worst

Seriously - Waffles could make fun of me I'm so bad.

In all fairness, I did get bad-beated a few times, but I made some serious judgment errors, too. Late in tournaments, I called off all my chips ON A DRAW. Some voice in the back of my head actually said, "your Q 10 may actually be good here!" Yeah - up against AA and KK - not so much. I set up my Full Tilt account again in order to qualify for the freeroll tournament on Thursday. I may not have any bankroll by then - and I'm only playing the .05/.10 tables!

It was really cool seeing Ms. Skitch on the same table, but other than the social aspect, there was a reason I stopped playing online. I have too many leaks in my game. This time it would be different, right? I tightened WAY up. I never commit more than 5% of my bankroll on any endeavor. Yet, I still suck. Clearly, bankroll management has always been my biggest problem. At this point, my options are to tighten up further (if that's even possible), or give up once again.

Dammit, I need a new hobby! Wait, I have an idea. Maybe I'll write a travel journal about the best Asian Massage Parlors in the country. Cayne could be my guide.

What do you think?

Help Me Get the Perfect Gift!

The Wife is set for the mother of all birthdays - the Big 4-0. My 40th was a big hairy deal to me (yet I still don't have a Ferrari - what gives?), but she seems to be taking this in stride. Still, I'd like to celebrate this momentous occasion in style, but I'm totally out of ideas. Yes, I know she reads this blog, and yes, I know it may spoil the surprise, but I'm really stuck.

I thought about flying CK out here for entertainment, but then I realized that's what I want for MY birthday.

Your thoughts?

Back in the Saddle

After some prodding from teh community, I'm back playing online poker. I forgot how much I love this game...

DQB!

See you at the tables.

Ya'll Knew This, Right?

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Oh, Canada!

Blatantly stolen from Sandman. Funny as hell.

The End of Humanity

This is why I read Scott Adams (Dilbert Blog):

I assume some entrepreneur is already working on creating a business where guys will be able to buy a lifelike female body part that plugs into a standard USB port, and can be controlled by someone else across the Internet. That artificial body part could mimic a hand, mouth, or woo-woo. In the short run, the business model would involve paying women, in countries where such things are legal, to control the device and appear on a web cam chat. In the long run, artificial intelligence and CGI women will be controlling the action, so the whole system would only cost $100, with no recurring fees. And that will be the end of humanity because nerds will stop mating, their genes will die out, humanity will revert to the Bronze Age, and all the attractive, dumb people will be eaten by wild dogs.

I like to end on a positive note, so let's take a moment to be happy for the wild dogs.

Get Your Drink On

After playing late night poker, I sometime have trouble falling asleep. It really doesn't matter if I've done well or played poorly. Tonight I played poorly (as in, why did I bet the river when the flush obviously got there?).

On a recommendation from the in flight magazine (I think it was the October issue of Hemisphere on United, or maybe it was the Robb Report), I picked up a Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

http://www.robbreport.com/categories/wine-spirits-and-cigars/detail.aspx?productID=93

Up until now, my favorite Single Malt Scotch has been Macallan 18. I think I may have found a new favorite. And at less than 1/2 the price (a lot less - it was $59 for the bottle), it's a helluva deal.

If you like scotch (and I'm thinking of you, BamBam), give it a shot.

Post-Bash Photo Dump

Sorry if the title is misleading. These are pictures from the super awesome time I spent in and around NYC after the Bash. I met up with my sister and we got out to Ellis Island to watch my cousin as the lead actor in a play about immigrants. He did an incredible Bela Lugosi and really brought out the emotion in the character.

We got to the Museum of Natural History and had an agenda. We'd both been there as kids. It left a huge impression because we both knew exactly what we wanted to see - the gems and the Big Blue Whale. My whale pics didn't come out very well. You know how things always seem bigger when you are a kid, but don't live up to your expectations when you see them again as an adult? Yeah - not so much this whale. This thing is still friggin' huge!

This one is just for me and my sis. 17 Mott Street is the home of Wo Hop. Our Dad brought us here and would go on and on about their special soup. With good reason. That and the crispy noodles was probably the highlight of my trip. I'd swear the spirit of my dad and uncle were there with us. We toasted them with our glasses of hot tea and truly lived in the moment.

Here's the NJ Transit train that took me to Penn Station. I'm embarrassed to say that when I was coming back to NJ, I was standing right in front of Madison Square Garden asking random hot dog vendors how to get to Penn Station (for those who don't know, it's directly under the Garden).

After the show, my sister , my cousin and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to Grimaldi's Pizza, one of (if not THE) oldest pizza places in the city. Nothing beats NY pizza, and I'd put Grimaldi's up against just about anything. The line out the door spoke for itself.

A close up of your hero and his family taken from the bridge with the Empire State Building in the background.