Lack of Information

I still don't know the details of my upcoming deployment (hence the title of this post), but it made me remember a conversation from my last Vegas trip.

The young gun had just moved all in after the flop and was called by Crazy Ivan with A Q. The Queen spiked on the turn and the desperado went home. Overhead from the other end of the table:

Lack of information favors _______.

They gave their answer (which I completely disagreed with). Then I gave mine (sage that I am) and everyone nodded in agreement.

What is your answer? I'lll post mine in the comments section later today or tomorrow.

Spice Girls

13 OCT 06


Why am I not surprised that this post comes on Friday the 13th?

Thanks Pauly. I’ve now got this stupid project in my head, and I can’t rest until I pick which Spice Girl I would be and why. I hope you choke on my answer.

This is stupid.

I hate the Spice Girls and I hate pop music. I couldn’t name a single song they did. Well, except for Wannabe, but, I mean, everyone knows this song, so it’s not like it’s a surprise that I know it too. It’s a stupid song. The only reason I know it was Jhoan Camitz that directed the video is because she has a cool name. That’s it. I could care less otherwise.

Okay, I guess I know one other fact, but that doesn’t make me like them any more. Or at all, in fact. It’s just that when the song came out, it was the highest debut in the US by a non-American act (beating the Beatles). I guess that’s kinda cool. If you like that kind of thing.

Which I don’t.

If you remember that video, it was Scary Spice right out front. Her cleavage was amazing. If that was me, people would totally be looking at my chest and it would feel really cool and stuff and all the other girls would be sooo jealous. ‘Cause I’m scary, you know, like, it’s my name but I’m really scary to the other girls. I’m powerful and female and woman and you all love me so much that you hate me.

Haters.

But, I really think this is a dumb idea. I’m mean who cares, right? Right?

Humbled

12 OCT 06

Thanks for all the kind comments. It’s times like these when it’s really nice to hear that people support our troops (even if they don’t support our government).

I’ve often voiced my opinions about being a disenfranchised Republican. I’ve never publicly criticized our government for its foreign policy, and I won’t start now. It’s not for fear of retribution. I truly feel like I can say whatever I want. Many of my colleagues in uniform certainly voice their antigovernment opinions loudly and often. Rather, I feel there would be a conflict of interest, and I like to keep things simple in my life.

I signed up with the Army 20 years ago, and even knowing what I know, I’d do it again. It’s support from you (yes, even you Dr. Pauly. In many ways, especially you) that reminds me how cool it can be to wear the uniform.

I probably won’t be leaving for a couple of months, so you’ll have to put up with a few more Muckleshoot stories (and hopefully an awesome Vegas trip report), but if at all possible, I’ll update this blog from the desert.

Won’t that be a tale to tell…

Ain’t Gonna Do It

10 OCT 06

I was going to write about some of the things I may include in my “letter from the departed,” but I can’t stay that moody and dark. It’s just not in my nature.

Instead, I’m going to focus on the positive. There is nothing like an impending deployment to use as a bargaining chip.

That’s right folks, I’m headed to Vegas! It makes perfect sense, right? I’m sure you can picture the conversation in your head:

Dr. Chako: Honey? You know, since I’m going off to war, don’t you think it’d be nice if I had one more trip to Vegas? You know – in case I don’t make it back?

DAPW (Dear and Patient Wife): Sure, dear! Take as much money as you think you need to have a great time. You deserve it!

Actually, those of you who have been married for more than 2 or 3 days know the conversation was nothing like that, but the end result is the same.

I’m headed to Vegas!! Did I already say that?

My plan is simple. I’m going to really crank up my side business. This is a win-win-win. The family gets to keep most of the money, the hospital I work for gets a ton of cheap work from me, and I get to splurge like a high-roller (hopefully not) one last time.

After reading Seattle John’s post about his recent Vegas trip, I think I know where I’m going to start, but I’m open to other suggestions. Who’s with me?

If You Are Reading This…

6 OCT 06

I’m already dead.

Sorry folks. This post may sting a little.

***

I’m not dead. Far from it. Confirming the fact that I’m not dead are two idiots who are telling a bad beat story (courtesy of me) from last night at the Muckleshoot. Perhaps I was overly aggressive with my second nut flush draw BECAUSE of my impending deployment into combat? Who knows? It’s certainly possible.

What I do know is that in the very near future I’m going to have to write a letter that starts off with those words (If you are reading this…).

Talk about a time for introspection.

I know I’ll tell my family to read my old posts on this here humble blog. There is a piece of me in here (I don’t think it’s in the hand histories, though). I’ll talk about my love for them and about how proud I am to be an Army doctor.

Shit. I can’t type more now. I’ll post some thoughts tomorrow about other things I might include with the letter. For now, just this…

I am Psychic!

5 OCT 06

From comments I posted to Whiskytown’s blog regarding Rep Foley:

Look for some mid-level staffer to take the blame for not informing his boss in a timely manner.

That was two days ago. Now this from yesterday:

Kirk Fordham, chief of staff to Rep. Tom Reynolds, resigns amid fallout from Rep. Mark Foley's sex messages to a teenage page, CNN confirms.

And prediction #2 – also from a comment on Whiskytown’s blog:

This [political climate of indecision] GREATLY increases the vulnerability of our troops in theater and increases my likelihood of being deployed (doctors and hospitals are ALWAYS needed most at the beginning and end of conflicts).

Now this from today:

Dr. Chako – pack your bags! You’ve won an exciting and all expenses paid trip to the Middle East, where you will have the finest sightseeing, shopping and traveling experiences of your life. Think how fashionable you’ll be in the latest Kevlar and camo!

Anyone want to know who’s gonna win the World Series?

Desert Doctor?

4 OCT 06

I can’t say more right now, but I bet there are some rockin’ poker games in Iraq…

Just War on Poker?

This set out to be about poker and our government, but it rambles a bit.

I heard an interview with John Ashcroft on NPR yesterday where he talked about past presidents infringing on human rights during times of war. In his new book, he talks about the fact that Woodrow Wilson surveilled (Ashcroft’s word) all calls in and out of the US during WWI. In WWII, FDR surveilled and started jailing 100,000 Japanese (almost a third of whom were American citizens) on December 8th. Lincoln suspended the writ of habeus corpus and jailed journalists, among others, (see Otis’ link to the Ze Frank parody about the death of Mr. Corpus) so it should come as no surprise that George Bush is doing it now. He’s looking out for our interests. He’s protecting us.

John Ashcroft met with President Bush after 9/11 where the president gave him a mandate to prospectively mete out terrorism, as opposed to what we had been doing, which was react to it. This presumably led to the domestic “warrantless” surveillance program at the NSA and other secret programs, too.

Here is the problem. We are at war, but nobody knows it, or no one cares. The disconnect between the White House and the American people comes down to this fact. In DC, they are peddling like mad (or at least they think they are) in order to protect us, but they aren’t selling it.

They certainly haven’t sold it to me. As a Republican, I am finding it harder and harder to stand behind my government as they continue to erode my civil liberties. Make no mistake, the attack on online poker is an offshoot of this war on terrorism. When government officials begin to take away our civil rights because “it’s in our best interest,” there comes an insatiable greed to take more.

Has history taught us nothing?

I’m not sure what I want. I guess I’m asking our government to either convince me that it’s in my best interest to (hopefully temporarily) give up some civil rights because it is best for my country. Hell, I’ve already taken an oath to die for my country while in uniform. Either that, or stop the nonsense and leave me free to dance while Rome burns.

Something’s On My Mind

2 OCT 06

Obligatory poker content: I’m not good enough to get away from a flopped set when a third diamond comes on the turn and I KNOW he called my big raise on a draw.

***

I’ve been bugged lately. Normally, I’m a very happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I think my blog reflects that. I have a youthful enthusiasm. I love my job and I love my life. Sometimes I think my “voice” on this blog is too childish, but it’s all I know. I read Otis and hear a depth that I can’t manage. Pauly’s world is backed up by character with more folds than a Shar Pei. My life comes across like Mayberry.

But something is bugging me.

I’m hesitant to blog about it. I’ve read others like Joe Speaker who were able to really work through some issues by blogging about it. Sure, there was plenty of great advice in the comments sections of those blogs, but the catharsis obviously came from putting the words out there to begin with.

There are some big life changes ahead of me in the very near future.

I’m turning 40.
I’m celebrating 20 years in the Army this month.
My poker game sucks (relatively minor, but I think it factors in somehow).
My side business is successful and profitable.
I’ll be getting out of the Army to look for gainful employment in the world of “real doctoring” within a year and a half (probably).
My wife is set to make partner within the next two years, which may entail a move.
My oldest son is a great storyteller, but all of his stories revolve around TV shows (as opposed to soccer goals or baseball plays, I guess).

There is more, but just typing this is starting to sting a little. I can’t put my finger on it. I just have to work a few things out.

Jackass 2 Review

29 SEP 06

I saw Jackass 2 last night. I laughed so hard my head hurt. I think this should be our new psyops weapon against the terrorists. You show them this movie and tell them THIS is what Americans do in our free time. Let me see YOU put a fishhook through your cheek and act as bait for hammerhead and Mako sharks! Let me see you put a leech in your eye!

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away. Go see it.

One thing that did give me a chuckle – Johnny Knoxville has a WaWa tattoo on his arm. After reading the Bash at the Boathouse trip reports, I can understand why.

***

I promise I’m working hard.

That’s being said, I had some free time at lunch and found this for you. If you don’t have 7 minutes, fast forward to minute 4 of this Celebrity Death Match between Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Bono (U2). Watch at least until minute 5:30. The key words you are listening for are, “It would take a miracle to save Chris Martin now!”

Click Here

Jamie Gold Stole My Move!

28 SEP 06

Technically, it wasn’t my move to begin with, but still...

So, I decided to play live last night. I started at 3/6 just to pass the time and try to clock some hours for the player appreciation tournament (only 30 more to go). I take the big blind and 6 of us see a flop of 2 4 5. I have 10 3 for the open-ender, so I bet right out. 4 reluctant callers see a 2 on the turn. I bet again and only two very reluctant callers come along. We see a blank on the river.

I’m sure I’m beat, but I might as well sell this thing. I bet again. Now I look across at my opponents. Player #1 is a woman in her mid to late 40’s. She somewhat attractive, and she’s very nervous. I casually smile at her, and she mucks.

One down, one to go.

Player #2 is a German woman in her mid 60’s. She very conflicted. I grab my cards and say, “I’ll show you.”

She mucks her two pair. I flip over my 10 high nothing and drag the pot.

“You made a mistake!” She cries.

I’ve done this move before, but for some reason, I kinda feel bad, so I play up the mistake as genuinely as possible.

“I thought I had trip 2’s,” I say.

Tough guy in the 9 seat was having none of it. “Jamie Gold did the same thing at the WSOP." Pointing at me he says, "He knew he didn’t have shit.”

So I went home and watched the September 12th episode of the WSOP that I had saved on my DVR. Sure enough, there is Jamie Gold saying, “I’ll show you either way,” when he had 6 high nothing.

My move was for $30. His was for $12 million.

At least I get to keep my winnings.

Phone Update

27 SEP 06

So, I bought the phone. At least the laughing blonde didn’t get the sale.

Take that!

Apparently, my new phone comes with an MP3 player. Anyone know how to use this thing? Are there good places to get free music?

As Summer Ends

26 SEP 06

Still another summer has spilled from my hands as a precarious pile of plates that topples to the floor. I gaze at the ruin, and wonder what wonderful opportunities were missed.

Thus ends my alliterative appreciation to the Summer of ’06.

***

I am a geek. I’ve always been a geek. My guess is that many of my poker comrades are also geeks. It is with this understanding that I’m sure you will appreciate the following anecdote.

I need a new cell phone (or mobile phone, or whatever the kids are calling them these days). As I walk into the T-Mobile store, I am greeted by a stunning blonde 19 year old who starts to smile at me (you know that smile – it’s the, “I know I’m cute smile.” It’s the smile that says, “You will buy whatever I tell you to buy because I’m who I am and you’re who you are smile.”)

But just as the smile touches the corners of her mouth, it turns into a hand over the mouth giggle as she points at my groin.

It’s 1984 all over again. I thought I was past young women pointing at my penis and laughing, dammit!

But wait. I still have my pants on, so it can’t be that. No, she is pointing at my belt. The source of her giggles – my pager.

“You still have a pager?” She asks, incredulously. “How cute!”

Would it be inappropriate to start crying in a T-Mobile store? I’m not sure about the etiquette here.

Instead, I half listen as she recovers enough to tell me about the latest Samsung model that has passed the “vault test,” whatever that is.

I didn’t buy the phone. I’m calling it a victory.

More Random Thoughts

25 SEP 06

- I don’t much care for the hair style where women with long hair cut the back into a “V” shape.

- Parts of Texas can be beautiful, but it’s got nothing on Washington State in the summertime.

- Nothing is more important than family.

- I’m still not certain which is worse – losing a buy-in to the main event of the World Series by buying in or losing the same amount in various cash games.

- When you think you can absolutely do no more, that’s the time to reset the bar.

Final thought: They sicken of the calm that know the storm. - Dorothy Parker

Driveway Moment

22 SEP 06

NPR has something called a driveway moment, where people will sit in their car in order to finish listening to a particularly compelling story. This morning, in the parking lot of the hospital, I had to finish listening to John Feinstein talk about the Ryder Cup and his favorite moment.

He reminded us about Payne Stewart in the 1999 Cup, when, after enduring really horrible American crowds all day, Colin Montgomery was facing a 20 foot putt to win his match. The Americans had already won the cup, but Colin’s match hung on this putt. In his last public act (Payne died in a plane crash a month later), Payne picked up Colin’s ball and handed it to him, conceding the match.

It was one of my favorite moments, too.

The driveway moment was especially funny because as I got out of my car, two other doctors, who also had been sitting in their cars to listen to the story, also got out. We all looked at each other and smiled.

Final thought: I can no longer go to Al Can’t Hang’s blog from work. I get this:

ACCESS DENIED: DATING

This is hysterical and wrong on so many levels, I can’t begin to explain.

Chess Doctor?

20 SEP 06

I just received the following e-mail. While it isn’t as great as the old, “Congratulations, Dr. Chako! You won 1st place in the two-table turbo SNG” e-mails, it’s still pretty good.

Hello, drchako!

Congratulations on winning the 1st round of Intermediate Chess section, 30th GameKnot tournament! The 2nd round will start on Monday, September 25th, 2006.

Good luck and have fun!
GameKnot.com

I wonder – are there other poker/chess crossovers out there? Are any of you playing on Gameknot? If not, where do you play?

Aces

19 SEP 06

You’ve got Aces and raise pre-flop. You get one caller, an aggressive young player, and you see a flop of K Q 5 rainbow. You bet and he raises, so you put him on either top pair or maybe two pair. The turn is an 8. You check and he bets. You call and the river pairs the board with a 5.

You bet right out and he raises. What do you do?

Final thought: One more surreal You Tube video. Real Life Frogger. Watch this 10 second video several times.

Screeeech!

15 SEP 06

That’s the sound of my $20 experiment coming to a halt. I was able to parley my $20 (after some huge ups and downs) to $3000. Last night I gave it all away on some truly horrible play at 20/40, which included misreading my hand twice (!) and betting into quads twice. At least the second time I ran into quads I didn’t re-raise. Why the hell would I re-raise my straight into a paired board?

Actually, that’s the question that the Freddie Deeb wannabe sitting next to me asked. It was a good question. I’m still not sure if he asked it in order to put me on tilt or if he was truly trying to teach me something. Regardless, it was a good question, and one I should have asked myself before lobbing three useless big bets at the pot.

Maybe I’ll turn this site into a You Tube linking post. It’s my new hobby, doncha know.

Here is Chet Atkins playing Vincent by Don McLean. Enjoy!

Linking Wednesday!

13 SEP 06

First off – like I need another dammed hobby. You Tube is probably the most amazing thing to hit the net in a while. There is a ton of crap, but occasionally you find doozies like Chet Atkins. I loved the comment below the video about “that damend (sp) woman in the blue dress at the front.”

One more finger picker. This is a Tommy Emmanuel arrangement of the Beatles Day Tripper and Lady Madonna

Finally, perhaps the greatest invention since Snakes on a Plane, it’s the Treadmill Bike.

***

On the poker front, variance punched me in the face again yesterday, but this time it was up a grand then back down again. I walked out with my buy-in intact, but I’m more annoyed than usual. I had such good reads in the beginning, then I just got impatient.

I can’t believe I almost forgot the most important link! Tune into the internet tonight for the Hunter Silvastorm inaugural radio show. It’s at 8 PM EST (5 PM Pacific). Hunter is a fantastic public speaker and author who talks about his life as a blind person. Very inspirational, and worth an hour of your time.

Please click here to go directly to the Thru Our Eyes website.

Brutal Honesty

11 SEP 06

Before I get to just how bad I suck a poker, I’d like to say a word about 9/11. I was in residency when it happened. I wrote about it here. They called us out of conference, and I saw the destruction. My life as a soldier changed. I’m still proud to wear the uniform and serve my country. As most people know, next month will be 20 years in uniform for me. I’d join the military again, even knowing what I know now.

I’m just a little tired, that’s all.

***

Back to poker. I suck at it. I played in a tournament, and got so outplayed, it isn’t funny.

I raised from the button with A 6, got called and then called an all-in bet after the flop on a board of 10 6 2. He had A 10.

I raised in position with AQ (my least favorite hand), and get min re-raised by a tight player causing me to knee-jerk all in. Even the dealer knew he had AA.

I raised with A5 hearts and got raised all-in. I called of course and he showed AK.

I suck.

Um, I also suck out.

Hand #1: Spiked another 6 on the river.

Hand #2: The board went 333QQ to give me a bigger full house.

Hand #3: Spiked a 5 on the river.

First place. I SO didn’t deserve it.

Took my winnings to 10/20 and doubled up. Took those to 20/40. Pocket Aces UTG and only the missed-blind poster calls me (Don, my horseshoe-up-his-ass buddy who also hit the damned Bad-Beat Jackpot for nearly $100K, and who had just come from a royal flush at Pai Gow). Flop is Q2 something. Bet. Raise. Re-raise. Turn is a 2. Bet. Raise. Re-raise. CAP! (from me). River is blank. He turns over Q2. There goes Dr. Chako’s hard earned chips.

I still booked a winning session, but BOY do I suck.

My Decision is Now Final

8 SEP 06

Two things happened today. By themselves, they are likely enough to make me want to get out of the military. Together, there can be no alternative.

1. I was (randomly) selected AGAIN for my 18th urinalysis. This is horrible because:

a. I have never used drugs in my life, and
b. I HATE HATE HATE pissing in front of other people.

2. I can no longer read Dr. Pauly at work. I get the ACCESS DENIED: GAMBLING message.

That’s it. Uncle Sam, take this job and shove it!

(After June 2008, of course)

I’m Really Not a Bad Person

6 SEP 06

I was talking with Teri, one of the really nice dealers in a room full of nice dealers. She was upset that one of the players at our 4/8 table was rubbing it in when he won. It really upset her because it was against a very nice older gentleman who didn’t deserve the abuse. She stated (rather loudly, I might add), that this annoying gentleman should be more like the guy in the one seat.

Moi?

I laughed and said that I’m not always the nicest guy. She replied that she had never seen me be disrespectful or raise my voice to anyone.

Huh?

I’m guessing she is just SO nice that she has chosen to overlook some of my outbursts. When I reminded her that I’ve actually come back from the parking lot just to apologize to the table, she laughed and insisted that it couldn’t be true.

I was reminded of G-Rob’s post about being a jerk. I had moved up to 10/20 and was getting ready to leave. It was a perfect table, meaning I had a read on everyone sitting down. There were three players of my skill level and one better. Three calling stations rounded out the bunch. The others were away.

Under the gun, I look down at 4 6 off-suit. Can you say, “Raise?” I knew you could.

UTG +1 re-raises to $30. He’s good, so I know he has a hand. UTG +2 calls (?). Two more callers before it gets back to me and I’m getting 14:1 to call an extra bet (or is it 15:1? I should know this).

Flop is 3 5 7 with two diamonds. Ho. Ly. Crap.

I bet right out. Raise. Call. Call. Call.

I re-raise, and ALL 4 MORONS CALL, DAMMIT.

Turn is a non-diamond 2. I bet out again. Raise. Call. (Remember, these are two good players). Finally, morons 4 and 5 fold. I re-raise. Call. Call.

River is the GD 2 of diamonds, pairing the board and putting three to the flush out there. I slam my hands on the table (see Teri? I CAN be a jerk).

“Check!” says Dr. Chako.

“Check.” says UTG +1

“Check.” says UTG +2.

Pocket Kings and pocket Aces.

At least I didn’t rub it in. UTG +1 was berating me the whole time I was racking my chips. “You called three bets with THAT?”

What I wanted to say was, “Tell me how I played the hand wrong.” The only mistake I made was raising with the hand to begin with. Instead, I pulled my hat down low, tipped the dealer a red-bird, and walked out into the sunshine, all the while looking over my shoulder.

Fairbanks (Her side)

5 SEP 06

Editors Note: Thanks again to my old friends (and new fans) for reading my short story Fairbanks, in the online magazine Truckin’ (if you haven't read it already, please check it out before proceeding). Not to be outdone, my wonderful wife was inspired to write the story from Leopard Lady’s perspective. I feel compelled to say that my wife actually likes me, but, well… read the story.

I can’t believe I have another late shift this week. I feel like killing Debbie. Her boyfriend Mutt is taking her out to celebrate their half-year anniversary. Its six frickin’ months. Who celebrates six frickin’ months? Although with Debbie’s track record, it’s probably better. She’ll be screwing his brother before they hit a year. Enjoy it while it lasts, Mutt.

I’m pasting the 25% off stickers on the newest stack of hardbacks when he walks in. I can tell he’s not from around here. If he were from here, he’d be home trying to black out the windows so he could go to bed like a normal person, instead of walking around the bookstore at 11 p.m. Plus he’s wearing some logo golf shirt and shorts, and these goofy sandal things that look like his mom just bought them for him for school. I can’t tell how old he is by just glancing at him, but when he walks under the doorway, the lights catch a few silver strands, so I figure he’s gotta be older than me. That and the dorky old-guy golf clothes.

Still, he’s not bad looking. Clearly military or corporate dude, based on the haircut. Ears are a little big, but he has these chocolate eyes with big dark lashes. He smiles at another customer, and it’s one that a girl could look at for a while, if she didn’t have anything better to do. If she was into dorky old guys in golf clothes.

Gotta do a book cruise. You can tell so much about these guys by the books they read. The Purpose Driven Life? Religious zealot, treats his wife like property, has a huge porn collection. Freakanomics? Boring. Water for Elephants? Listens to NPR, wears hemp clothing, might be gay. Any biography of one of the Bushes? Republican. Say no more.

So cute dorky guy wanders over to fiction. Here’s where you really gotta be careful. Grisham? Probably smart, but boring and way behind the times. Dan Brown? Clearly one of the herd (and saw the movie before reading the book). George R.R. Martin? Appreciates good fiction, but probably played too much Dungeons and Dragons and didn’t have too many girlfriends as a teenager.

I’m carrying an armful of books to make it look like I have a purpose. He’s pausing at “B”. Nice behind, even in the dorky golf shorts. He’s looking at Brown . . . oh God . . . I can hear the rest of the flock bleating . . . wait. Bukowski. Bukowski? Not your everyday, pick it up at the airport read. Ok, maybe he’s not a total loser. “Hmmmm.”

Did I say that out loud? He starts, like I’ve spoken to him, but keeps his head down in the copy of Pulp he’s picked up. I try to casually glance at more of what he’s reading, but I gotta move on. I think he knows I was checking him out. Back to the 25% stickers.

He wanders up a few minutes later with a book in hand and gets in line. After I ring up some old lady who couldn’t find her discount card, he steps up to the register and flops the book up in front of me. Big smile. Nice eyes.

I look down. “Stephen King?” I ask, incredulously. My father reads King. He also wears Aqua Velva and has a Members Only jacket. Cute dorky guy just headed further down the dorky spectrum.

Nice eyes narrow. Smile wavers, but then its back. “Excuse me?” he replies, a little edge to his voice.

“I’m sorry. I just…” He’s dorky, but he is cute. I look down at the register while I try to think of how to carefully remove my foot from my mouth before he notices.

“Wait. You just what?” he asks.

“It’s just. . . . I saw you looking at the Bukowski.” It comes out fast.

“Yes. And…?” He’s waiting.

Time for clever reply. “Well,” I paused, “I guess I had bigger hopes for you.” I lower my head, but look back up at him, waiting. Hoping he’ll laugh and say something witty. Or even sarcastic. I could do cute and sarcastic.

He stares at me. He’s trying to look me in the eye, but his eyes are wandering. It’s the leopard tattoo. Guys can’t not look at the tattoo; ergo, guys cannot help follow the tattoo down into my cleavage. By now I’m certain he’s noticed the nipple rings. They all eventually do. He looks up, his face a blank. He smiles. It’s a pleasant smile, but not as cute now. Almost like his mom told him to smile. Then he starts to giggle.

“What?” I smile at him, but I’m starting to think there is something wrong with him.

“Nothing.” He quickly replies. A pause. “I was just thinking about a quote from one of Bukowski’s books.”

“The one about boring people?” I ask. “Boring damned people. All over the earth. Propagating more boring damned people. What a horror show.”

He stares blankly at me. Clearly not the quote he was thinking of.

He pauses. Eyes darting. “Actually, it’s the one about sex.” he says.

“Hmmm.” Figures. Men. They’re all bastards. He can’t give me two seconds of clever. King. Sex. Should have known. Probably is waiting for the Bush bio to go on sale.

“That will be $14.99 for your King,” I say. End of conversation. What a putz.

It Ain’t Bragging

2 SEP 06

When you’re really this good.

Okay, that sounds conceited as shit. It’s well known that no one is more conceited than a poker player who is running well. Just look at Daniel Negreanu sometimes. It’s as if he KNOWS he’s better than you. How dare you even THINK you deserve to be in the same room?

Not that I’m comparing myself to Daniel…

***

My $20 experiment continues.

After trying to give most of it away (again), I took $100 into the lions den again (AKA the Muckleshoot). I won’t bore you with the details. Here is a summary:

4/8 – ran $100 up to $260, most of it on my last hand when I turned the nut straight into a six-way full kill (8/16) pot. I took my winnings to...

10/20 – where I ran $260 up to $780 with simple solid play. I took those winnings to...

20/40 - where I continued a good run of cards (twice flopping a set with a pocket pair), and had two of my biggest suckouts ever.

Good players rarely suck out because they rarely get their money in when they have to worst of it, or so says Chris "Jesus" Ferguson.

Hand #1: I look down at AQ on the button in an unraised pot. I raise to $40, and only the small blind calls. Flop is Q J 10. Not great, but TPTK. Check. Bet. Call.

Turn is J Giving me two pair. Check. Bet. Call (!)

River is a Queen giving me the 2nd nuts. What did he have?

Hand #2: I raise in middle position with KQ and get two callers, the button (a very good player) and the big blind (an absolute ATM – I love this guy).

Flop is Q 10 9. I bet. Button raises. Big blind calls. I re-raise. Button calls and big blind calls. Turn is blank. I check (still not sure if this was the right move, but I don’t know how to get more information with a bet here). Button bets. Big blind calls and I call thinking I’m behind.

The river is a beautiful J, giving me the second nut straight. I bet out. Button mucks in disgust and big blind calls. What did they have?

Bottom line. I turned my $100 buy in into $1902, for my best ROI ever.

(Editors note: I got humbled again last night, so my strut now has a little hitch in it.)

Truckin’

31 AUG 06

Folks, I am proud and humbled to tell you that I had my very first story published this month in the online magazine Truckin’.

Dr. Pauly, you continue to amaze me with your outstanding writing. Thanks for including me with this bunch!!

Friends, you can get to the August '06 issue by clicking the link below.

Truckin’

Enriching Your Life

30 AUG 06

Post #2 Today.

I’ve been playing guitar for over 30 years. I cannot do this.

You can thank me later.

PS. Does anyone know what scale he’s using about ¾ the way into the song?

Money at 4/8?

30 AUG 06

This is something I spoke with Seattle John about. He insists there is money to be made at 4/8. The more I play, the more I disagree. I play 4/8 only because it’s something to do while waiting for a 10/20 or 20/40 seat, and I get to work on my reading skills cheaply. I never go into it believing I’m going to be profitable. I also never (well, almost never) allow myself to lose more than $100 at this level.

Last night, I get a seat at 4/8. I regular 10/20 player sits across from me. She has the distinction of being more aggressive than me (?) and she’s about my skill level, perhaps even better. I’ve seen her make some great calls and great reads, especially against me.

That’s when the drunks showed up.

All four of them sat in a row in seats 4 through 7. They were clearly together and having a ball. I looked over at Karen (Kathy? Erin?) in the 3 seat and pretended to wipe drool off my chin. We both started cracking up.

I went on a rush that included a great read (calling with bottom pair and a missed draw into an aggressive bettor to my left) and a huge pot when I flopped a set of kings to someone who flopped AK. That pot was capped 6 ways preflop.

I took my $300 profit over to 10/20 where the table was especially bad, but I figured, what the heck. More of the same nonsense (7 way flops more often than not), and I find myself back below $100 when I look down at pocket kings. I get felted on the turn and one of the idiots bets into me. I said a bad word (evoking a horrible look from one of my favorite dealers), yet was quite pleased when my over pair beat his overpair.

Two hands later, I have my $300+ profit back, and I hit the door running.

The experiment continues…

Two Tournaments

29 AUG 06

And two wins.

Well, technically it was a first and second place. It should have been two first places, but my opponent in the second tournament called for all of her chips with overcards when I had a pair, and she hit. Please make that call every time!!

I’m finally getting around to watching older episodes from season two of High Stakes Poker on GSN (DVR is way cool). Last night I watched the sick hand between Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu where they both flopped sets and Gus turned the quads (which also gave Daniel the full house). Gus betting into Daniel with the made quads was unbelievable. No one on the planet keeps their money in that situation.

Doyle Brunson made a Level 12 move earlier in that same game that most people missed. On a paired board he makes what looks like a continuation bet, but in effect he was deliberately pricing his opponent into calling for the flush draw. This move should be highly suspicious, but only to an expert player. It says, “Please draw to the flush, because I already have the full house and I dearly hope you hit.” It was level 12 because Doyle didn’t have the full house. He just bet it like he did. It would never work against, say, the moron who called off her chips with overcards (see above).

Well, I was impressed. Maybe I’m giving Doyle too much credit?

Nah.

PS. I might be begging for a Vegas trip during the week of October 15th. There is a big radiology meeting on High Clinical Field MRI. Anyone gonna be there?

Managing Expectations

Editors Note: I wrote this on Saturday, but Blogger wouldn't let me post it (even after, like 10 attempts). I since had a nice turn around, which I'll post about tomorrow.

26 AUG 06

Blogging on a Saturday. I just had to get this out while it’s fresh.

My experiment had a little set back last night. In fact, I’m amazed I still have any money left. As a way of highlighting what happened (in a not-so-cleverly-disguised bad beat story), my trips ran into full houses three times in two hours. All to the same guy.

This is reminiscent of the quad story when I first started playing 10/20.

In this case, the dude limped all three times. I flopped trips each time and he either turned or rivered his small pocket pairs. That’s right. He stayed in on boards with all face cards when he held pocket 2s, 5s and 6s.

You expect to lose money in these situations, but I KNOW I lost more than necessary because of tilt. In fact, there were at least 5 big bets that I didn’t need to make. $100 down the drain unnecessarily.

Why did this happen? I didn’t manage my expectations. I woke up this morning singing the Kenny Rogers line, “every hand’s a winner,” You know the rest.

If I went in expecting to lose a few big hands, maybe I’d be able to see more clearly. No one DESERVES to win just because they have a made hand.

Are You Kidding Me?!

25 AUG 06

I am tired today. Why, you ask? Because I was up until after 1 am sweating my wife in a Party Poker freeroll tournament.

Roll that one around in your brainstem for a bit.

It was one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever watched. The way she plays makes me nuts. Limping from the button with pocket pairs in an unraised pot.

Every time.

She also limps with AK and AQ.

In fact, she only raised preflop twice that I saw, once with pocket Aces (Wow. So brave).

Her restraint; however, was incredible. She folded QQ preflop to a maniac I’m sure she had beat and she (correctly) folded KK post flop when she correctly read a moron on Ace-rag.

The stats are mind boggling.

16,400 players to start. That’s not a typo. Over sixteen THOUSAND players in this thing.

Top ten get paid REAL CASH.

Everyone else? Bupkis. Nada. Zilch.

She took 7th. $40 for zero investment. Try calculating THAT ROI, Mr. Sklansky! Un-friggin-believable.

Congrats, babe. I’m going to take a nap.

Happy Birthday, Son!

24 AUG 06

My son turns 9 today. He gets to choose where we go for dinner. I have a hunch he’ll pick Sushi.

***

My poker experiment continues. The only highlights are:

I’ve had my pocket Aces cracked 4 consecutive times.
I’ve had three consecutive winning sessions.

That is all for now.

Experiment

22 AUG 06

By now, you’ve all heard of Chris “Jesus” Ferguson’s experiment where he played online poker and turned $1 into $20,000.

Dr. Chako’s experiment was very nearly the reverse. Yay for me.

So now, I’m trying something different. I took $20 into the local fish tank, a place called PJ Pockets. I played super tight (including folding pocket 10’s and AK pre-flop), and turned the $20 into over $100.

Yesterday I took a portion of that and bought into a $35 three-table hold ‘em tourney at Freddie’s at Fife. A three way chop for first place gave me $320. I was the chip leader (I think), with 30,000 in chips, but the blinds were 3000/5000, so it’s really a crap shoot at that point and these tournaments always get chopped. I kind of wanted to run it to see if I could win, but since there was more luck than skill at that point, the chop was the wisest choice.

Side note, after the 6th person busted, we decided to let places 4 and 5 get their money back. #6 dude heard this and got really pissed. “What about me?” he asked.

Screw you, buddy. You should have played better poker.

I could do no wrong in this tournament. My first hand I raised with 5 6 and the flop was 5 5 5. I never looked back.

Anyway, my plan is to take that $20 and turn it into a bank roll. I’ll have to do this around my new business schedule, which is more successful than I imagined.

That said, would you believe my little corporation has to pay close to 50% in taxes? I knew I should have been a Libertarian (or was that librarian?)

Cruisin’ on a Wednesday Afternoon…

17 AUG 06

Before I get to poker on the high seas, I have to relate this story. My family and I are driving yesterday when AC/DC comes on the radio. My wife and I are singing (loudly):

'Cause the walls were shakin'
The earth was quakin'
My mind was achin'
And we were making it and you -
Shook me aaaaaall niiiiiiiiight long

Right when we finished “shakin’,” from the back seat my 8 year old son asks, “ what’s a World Wide Chicken?”

I guess you had to be there.

***

I’ve decided not to get into the gory details about playing 5/10 on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. I can sum it up in this short quip:

8 way flop. Turn brings 3rd spade. River brings 4th spade. Four players still left in the hand. Bet. Call. Call.

Moron #4 GOES INTO THE TANK. For like, 2 minutes. He’s really conflicted here. I’m thinking, he obviously has the second nut flush, but what about the two callers ahead of him? He finally calls and shows:

Wait for it…

Top pair, no spade.

If I stayed at the table, I would have eventually paid for the cruise, but instead I did a very positive EV thing and got away from the table with more cash than when I sat down and had a great time.

Tomorrow – pictures!!

(If Blogger let’s me post ‘em.)

Morons on the High Seas

I've been on a cruise (and played some poker), so I apologize for not posting. In fact, this is the longest I've been away from the blog. I'm having withdrawls.

I can't wait to tell you about this trip. It will have to wait for now. I've got to plan for like 6 hours to get through airport security.

Thanks and Stuff

3 AUG 06

It’s been a while since I said thanks to my top referrers. I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s the site owners who click on my link (as opposed to traffic on their sites that just HAVE to read about a pokerplaying Army Doctor on tilt), but I say “thankya” just the same.


Without further ado, my top referrers:
Seattle John
Drizz
Pii
Dr. Pauly
Whiskytown
Matt
Up For Poker


Since I suggested it to Huge Junk, I give you the always entertaining, Google Searches that Lead to My Blog:

"I am standing here beside myself"
"Never play cards with a man called doc"
"Never play cards with a man named after a city"
"Husband loses at poker"
"Making a move on a man" (Huge Junk, was that you?)
"You got to have hand" (Seinfeld reference)
"Doctors get very little sleep" (amen, but so do poker players – try doing both!)

Back in the Saddle

1 AUG 06

Played Friday AND Saturday night. So there!

It was nice to book two winning sessions in a row at 20/40. The long break did me good. I paid a lot more attention, and didn’t even have to force myself to watch other players when I wasn’t in the hand. I’m certain I got too complacent when I was playing every day.

I was on the list for everything from 4/8 to 30/60. 20/40 was the highest thing they had going, and I got right in. About an hour later, they called me for the 10/20, and I passed.

Oops.

Another regular took that seat. He folds his first hand (make a note of this), and two other players see a flop of A J J. Bet. Call.

Turn J. Check. Check.

River King of Hearts. Bet. Raise. Re-raise. Cap!

Don has quad jacks with an Ace kicker and missy in the one seat rivers the Royal Flush.

Bad Beat Jackpot baby.

Missy takes home $45,000 and Don gets a cool $90,000 which they pay him in chips. My ears are still ringing from all the screaming.

Table share - $7800 (each) for everyone dealt in the hand (including the guy who took MY seat, the bastid). Oh well, I still won $600 one table over. That’s cool, too, right?

A couple interesting notes. One guy got up to go the bathroom and missed his blind. No table share for you, dude! Everyone realized that the cards would have been dealt differently if he stayed, so they each chipped in one black chip and the two big winners rounded it out to $1000. Still, it was an expensive piss.

The best news of the night – Kye (the dealer) was tipped by everyone at the table. She was cashing out at the same time I was, and her hands were shaking so bad she couldn’t count out the chips.

$14,000.

Not too shabby, and a great gesture from the players (mostly Don, I think. It’s too bad, because it was easy thinking he was a jerk. Now I may have to reassess).

Sleep

27 JUL 06

My mood has improved a little. I haven’t played a single hand of poker since Vegas - not sure how much longer I can hold out. This self imposed exile is starting to get on my nerves. It’s strange going to bed before 11 pm. Maybe that’s why I’ve been stressed lately – I’m getting too much sleep.

I used to be an 8 or 9 hour per night sleeper. I distinctly remember arguing with my dad about how much sleep was appropriate for a teenager. I figured it was at least 9 hours. If I had my way, it would have been “until my body wakes me up,” but dad was having none of that. We settled on 8 hours, and I remained pissed until I left home for college.

I’m still not sure what I’m going to tell my son when we have this same conversation.

Fast forward to medical school and internship. Those stories you hear about doctors getting very little sleep are all true, or at least they used to be. One month, while working in the medical ICU, I averaged 110 hours per week – 36 hours (at least) in the hospital and 8 at home before I started it all again. I got two days off that month. I actually fell asleep in the operating room once – a particularly disgusting story that will have to wait for another time.

The side effect of all this is that I now only need about 5 hours of sleep per night. Any more than that, and I begin to get ornery. Surly, even.

How much sleep do you need? How much sleep are you willing to sacrifice if the poker game is really good?

Sorry ‘bout that

25 JUL 06

My apologies for yesterday’s depressing post. I was in a foul mood. Still, there was no need to take it out on you.

Go see Clerks II. If you are offended, it will make me feel better. When you are in a foul mood (like I am), all you really want is company.

If you laugh your ass off (like I did), don’t tell me about it. I want to keep this mood a little longer.

Reality Check

24 JUL 06

Right now it’s 12:37 pm. At 12:31 pm (six minutes ago), I told a nice young woman and her near-deaf husband that she has breast cancer. And it’s bad. She smiled and said she kind of expected it. Then, she turned to her husband and asked if he was okay. He looked stunned.

That’s when she started crying.

What were you doing today at 12:31 pm? I assure you, I wasn’t thinking about poker.

Hello from Alaska!

Sorry I've been silent for a while. Not much poker to report. Still on hiatus.

I'm blogging from the Army hospital at Ft. Wainright in Fairbanks, Alaska. It doesn't get dark up here in the "Interior" this time of year, so sleeping has been tough. I'm helping relieve another radiologist who has been solo for most of the summer. I did the solo thing when I was in Germany, and it sucks. I'm glad to be able to give him a break. Besides, a week in Alaska sure beats a stick in the eye.

Played soccer yesterday for the first time in a long time. I'm so out of shape (for an Army guy) it's pathetic. To punish myself, I ran for a half hour afterwards. That'll teach me. We lost on free kicks in overtime. My total contribution was not throwing up and helping a soldier who popped his hamstring so loudly that I thought someone clapped their hands.

I'm still on Alaska Airlines-tilt after long airport delays and lost luggage, so maybe I'll be in a better mood when I next post.

As Seattle John says, be well, and I hope you are winning.

WPBT 2006 Trip Report

12 JUL 06

Yet another incredible WPBT. Huge thanks to April for setting this up. I can’t imagine what you went through to pull this off. We all owe you a huge debt of gratitude. And kudos again for the speakers. One of my complaints last year was that the speakers were out of control and droned on too long. Not so this year. The stories and readings were brief, entertaining and appropriate. Howard Lederer was angry and topical, but what a great forum to talk about the politics of poker, especially given recent legislation. Roshambo with Phil Gordon was hysterical. Was anyone surprised that Veneno won heads up?

Random thoughts from Vegas:

I stayed downtown at the Golden Nugget. I was in their newly renovated North tower. It was… nice. I guess. I will forevermore stay on the strip, if for no other reason than it took almost an hour on the “Deuce” to get from the Nugget to Caesar’s Palace.

Random conversation heard on the Deuce. I was sitting in front of a father/son combo. The son (Timmy) sounded like he may be 5 or 6.

Timmy: Dad, what kind of birds do you like?

Dad: I don’t know, Timmy. I guess I like colorful ones like parrots or fast ones like falcons.

Timmy: No Dad. I meant do you like alive ones or dead ones.

Pause.

Dad: I guess I prefer the live ones, Timmy.

Timmy: I like the dead ones.

Dr. Chako gets off the bus.

Random cool occurrences:

I got a hug from Veneno. I belong, baby.

I played one table over from Shannon Elizabeth at the Venetian. Geeaahh.

I played a live game with Heather. As I said below, sorry I stormed off. Like I’ve said before, I’m prone to tilt. BTW – on that hand you said I had a huge tell, I was semi-bluffing with middle pair, weak kicker. Sorry.

My friend Dr. C won 10th place in the blogger tourney. She didn’t know until afterwards the quality of players she was up against.

Okay. I’m a geek. I admit it. Still, it meant a great deal to me that both Dr. Pauly and Otis remembered me (and even remembered my name)!

I got to shake hands with the thricely confirmed Bobby Bracelet. I called him over to my 2/5 NL table at MGM and we chatted briefly. It wasn’t until I saw him at the tournament that he noted that I was playing next to Laura Prepon from That 70’s Show. He laughed about it because he thought I was calling him over to introduce him to Laura, but in fact, I just wanted to shake the hand of the famous Playboy Mansion dweller. Who cares about some overly aggressive actress (she actually played decent poker), I met Bobby, dammit!

I shook hands, met or saw all my blogger heroes, including Speaker, Al, Iggy, Felicia, Grubby, Dawn Summers, Sir Waffles, Bill Rini, Pii (who started to my right in the tourney and placed 2nd), Joaquin (who started to my left), Michael Craig (seen here with Jennifer Harman courtesy of ccexplore, who is moving to Pokerworks, which is blocked on my hospital computer), DoubleA’s, Linda Geenen (also at Pokerworks and therefore blocked), and Amy Calistri.

Franklin (at least I think it was Franklin. His last post says he wasn’t planning on going to the WPBT Summer classic) got the stethoscope bounty, and F-Train won the thing. Well done to all the finishers.

I wish I spent more time playing donkey poker with bloggers as opposed to throwing my money at morons in the NL games. Only once did I get my money in with the worst hand, and now the BR is going to need some serious nursing before I’m ready to crash the tables again. Don’t worry; I’ll be back.

It just might not be until the next WPBT.

Early WPBT Report - More to Follow

I’m typing this from the McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. Poker was a bloodbath, yet I had a blast with all the bloggers. Congrats to my friend Dr. Maricela C. for cashing in 10th place, and congrats to Franklin for knocking me out (even though he was severely dominated) and collecting the stethoscope bounty.

I hope to post more thoughts and a trip report in the coming days.

Oh yeah – Maigrey – sorry you had to witness the huge mega-tilt when that moron called my $100 raise with pocket 4s. I should have at least said goodbye before I stormed off. I enjoyed meeting you and it was fun chatting about NL strategy with a pro.

WPBT Baby!!

6 JUL 06

T minus 24 hours until lift-off.

I am standing here beside myself.

(Name the movie for an added bonus).

Ozzfest Recap

1 JUL 06

What an experience!! Read here for a recap of how I got VIP Ozzfest tickets and what I decided to do with them. I picked a winner and he went and had a great time.

I listed the tickets for free on Craigslist, and got tons of responses. Since I didn’t want people wondering if I chose them or not, I decided to send everyone an email. Here is that email with my additional analysis – free for your reading enjoyment.


Thanks for asking about my tickets to Ozzfest. UNFORTUNATELY, if you are getting this email, it means I didn’t pick you.

The decision was MUCH harder than I expected. I got over 100 requests. Here are some of the best:

I would piss myself and stay in those pants for 3 days just to hear System of a Down for 1 minute – Clearly the most outrageous, but a little difficult to verify. Would he come to my house every day?

This may be my last chance to see Ozzy solo before I (or he) die. - Too true, but I hear Ozzy was quite up to the show.

I work in a Women's Support Shelter – There are so many things wrong with giving this woman an Ozzfest ticket, I don’t know where to begin.

My daughter’s last name is Osborne, so it’s meant to be. – This one got serious consideration and was in the top 5.

I will ride my bmx bike with no breaks all the way down to south Seattle or wherever you live. – Dude. I’m a doctor. While I think the exercise might be good, I don’t want anyone injured.

I’ll trade you an iPod for them – I actually got a lot of these offers. Can you listen to NRP on an iPod?

Today is my b’day. - Happy birthday!! No tickets!!

100 pounds of Starbucks coffee – I was called a COMPLETE IDIOT for not taking this one. Now, if it was 100 bottles of Diet Coke, I may have reconsidered.

An upright piano – Huh?

I will trade tattoos for the tickets. - Tempting, and clearly outrageous, but I’ve gone 39 years without a tattoo, I don’t think I’ll start now.

1 1/2 hour heated stone massage with aromatherapy – Also very tempting, but I’m guessing no “happy ending,” so no tickets.

I will eat any thing you put on the plate as long as it is not harmful to me. – I loved this one and it was also in the top 5, but again, I just can’t see driving over there with a plate of (name your favorite Fear Factor disgusto-meal here) and knocking on his door.

I will trade u 2 tickets for the PINK concert this Sunday – Uh, maybe if I don’t like Ozzy, I’ll like Pink?

$200+ - Even though I said “no money” I got several offers for outright cash, and probably could have gotten over $300 for them. The way poker has been lately, I probably should have taken the cash.

The winner is a guy named Jamie who was willing to write me into the credits of his upcoming CD. I asked for the most outrageous offer, and that was clearly it.

He just sent me this email.


Good Morning! I'm tired, sunburned, and poor... but I had an awesome time! My friend did as well. The seats were pretty great, just above the pit level. It was so nice getting to park in the VIP area and get free water and such in the VIP tent. That was a life saver.

Ozzy was fantastic... not just a couple smiles here and there... it was the entire time he played. He still gets around and gets into the music a lot which is great to see.

I met a couple of very flirty, very attractive young ladies there too, which was nice. They even took my camera phone with them into the girls VIP bathroom area and took some interesting photos together for me.

Anyway we had a wonderful time, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Jamie (Proto-Leviathan)

PS: What did you think of my CD??

He gave me a “rough draft” of a CD from his band. They sound really tight and probably could have played right along with System of a Down and the other groups at Ozzfest.

All in all, a great experience. I highly recommend it to anyone with a similar situation. I got tons more enjoyment out of this than an extra $200 would have gotten me.

Now where are those damn camera phone pics?

Ozzfest

23 JUN 06

Dave is one of the floor personnel at the Muckleshoot. He’s always professional and friendly. A couple days ago, I finally got my seat in the 10/20 game while waiting for the 20/40 to open up. Dave comes over to me and asks to talk to me for a second. It turns out that they were opening up the 20/40 game, but I was the odd-man out. Unfortunately, most of my 10/20 game would be headed over to the 20/40, and I would be left to find a 4/8 game. Would that be okay?

Sure Dave. No problem.

I’ve said this before, but I try to be friendly to everyone. Working in a poker room opens you up to tons of abuse, and I won’t be a part of it. Felicia often talks about it. I was quite taken aback by the fact that he even asked me.

I was even more taken aback by what happened next. Right after I get my 4/8 seat, Dave comes over with 2 free comp VIP tickets to Ozzfest at the White River Amphitheater for June 29th (next week). He even gave me the VIP parking pass.

Wow.

I was truly speechless. I never asked for anything, and there it was. Dave, let me say again – Thanks! You are a helluva guy.

Unfortunately, I can’t go to the concert. I suppose I could sell the two tickets, but that seems disingenuous. I might give them away at work, but is there anyone out there who will be in the South Seattle area next week that might be interested?

If there is a lot of interest, I might turn this into a contest. Let’s see who can come up with the most outrageous (non-monetary) offer.

So, who wants to go to Ozzfest?

Analysis

22 JUN 06

First off, sorry I didn’t get around to posting this yesterday. Patient care got in the way. Secondly, great job! I did not play the hand very well, as you guessed.

Anon and Maigrey: Pre-flop – if I raise here, I eventually take down this pot. By calling, I become another sheep hoping for cards. On the flop, you are correct again. My overcards are probably dead if they hit (poignantly put in CAPS by Maigrey that if I raised pre-flop, I wouldn’t have this cool hand to analyze). On the turn, Maigrey and I both think the raise was correct, but I can’t argue with Anon’s logic. It turns out that if I capped the turn, I would have won the pot. Quick question for Anon – did you really mean that you would fold to the 3-bet with the nut-flush draw?

Finally, checking on the river was the only choice. The SB (the 3-bettor) is a very good player and would have made a crying (but correct) call on the river.

Anon was closest to the guess, but alas, no bounty this time. I’ll try to think up another challenge prior to the WPBT.

6s 4s took the $870 pot with two pair and a baby flush draw. Dammit, where was that river spade???

Baaaah!!!!

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer

21 JUN 06

First day of summer. Longest day of the year. Time to reflect – on a hand, of course.

So, I took my next big step and sat into a very loose 30/60 game. I got up about $1000 early when I turned a set on two separate hands, only to bleed in back to a couple calling stations.

I would like help on the following hand. I’m on the button with Ks Qs. Five (!) limpers get around to me.

Question #1: Do you call, raise or fold?

I called. Six of us see a flop of:

4h 6d 8s

The blinds check and an MP player bets and gets called twice before it gets to me.

Question #2: Call, raise or fold?

I called with over cards. The turn is the Ace of spades, giving me the nut flush draw. It’s checked around to the original bettor, who bets. The two other MP players fold.

Questions #3: Call or raise? Obviously, folding with the nut flush draw is not an option here.

I raised. It gets 3-bet by the small blind. MP calls.

Question #4: Re-raise or call? This question was heavily debated at the table after the hand.

River is a blank. It’s checked to me.

Questions #5: Bet or check. This was even more heavily debated.

Bonus question: What won? If you get this right, I’ll have a special prize for you if I see you at the WPBT event at Caesar’s on July 8th.

Why on Earth?

20 JUN 06

Yesterday was the reverse of normal for me. Did great at 10/20 but not so hot at 20/40. Certainly got lucky on several hands. Got beat by a two outer for a $400 pot only to turn around and suck out a $250 pot with a two outer.

The point of today’s post is advice. As noted previously, I have several HUGE tells. Ryan has been using them to great advantage, as evidenced by his play with 2 3 soooted where he KNEW he had the best hand with his bottom pair, 3-kicker. I know that sounds silly, but I believe him.

Anyway, I’ve been working on improving my image so I’m less readable. I guess it’s been working because I’ve been on a hot streak, but at what cost? Part of my game is talking people into making bad decisions. But, like any tool, it must be used judiciously. It’s very effective against good players. But, to be honest, it’s not so great against very good or great players, and it’s almost useless against calling stations.

After pressing Ryan, he finally agreed to point out these facts to me as well as confirming several of the tells that I already knew about. I’m sure there are one or two tells that he’s keeping to himself.

The question is, why on Earth would he give me this valuable information? He will continue to play against me, so why would he want to help me get better? I think it’s because he’s simply a nice guy. Well, if I cash big in this year’s WSOP (and that’s a mighty big “IF”), I’ll tip him well the next time I see him. He wouldn’t expect it, but sometimes good things happen to nice people.

In a Fog

16 JUN 06

Carrie and Tina were either in the same class as me or one grade behind. I was in the 8th grade - a high school freshman in upstate New York. Dad decided to have a boys-night out, so he and I went to the best hangout for Dads with sons not-yet-old-enough-to-drink. We headed straight to McDonalds.

I remember this incident because it was a defining moment in my life. Dad and I are starting to dig into our fries (while playing Match! – to see who could pick out the largest fry at random). Carrie and Tina sat down one table over. I think I may have acknowledged them, but that’s about it. They proceeded to eat their ice cream and Dad proceeded to stare at me rather quizzically.

What? Is there something on my face?

Our conversation got muted and I knew enough to know that I was supposed to notice something, but I didn’t know what. It wasn’t until we got outside that dad finally burst.

How did you not talk to those girls? They were putting on a sex show for you, for crying outloud! The way they were tonguing those ice creams and giggling. Did you not notice that?

Huh?

So many questions. How did I not notice? Isn’t that they way I eat ice cream? What’s a sex show? Is my dad a pervert?

I’m very good at the esoteric stuff, but sometimes when something is screaming in my face, I tend not to notice. I guess I’ve always been like that.

***

So, I just got back from a wonderful trip to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. I got the unbelievable privilege of promoting my sister to the rank of First Lieutenant. I didn’t even get too much crap for being an Army guy on a Air Force base. Actually, I was welcomed with open arms. Very cool.

So the night before, my sister takes me to downtown Shreveport to the local casinos. Sam’s Town has no poker (huh?) but El Dorado is spreading $1/2 and $2/5 NL. I didn’t bring a bankroll with me, so I did a “short buy” of $100 into the $1/2 game and had my sister sit right behind me.

Folks, there is nothing like the act of teaching to make you a better student. As I started to talk to my sister about the playing styles of each player, I began to realize that I need to make these mental inventories EVERY time I play. Maybe I’ve gotten complacent because I usually play with regulars, so I think I know them. I don’t know.

What I do know is that after I categorized each player to my sister, I proceeded to run over the table. I knew who would lay down and who would call. I could tell the good from the very good (an important distinction) even better than the good from the bad. I could predict the play of the short stacks and even knew who would re-buy vs. who was done when they got broke.

I guess it’s not dissimilar to McDonalds in 1979. It’s always been right there in my face. I just need to pay attention.

I’m thinking of flying my sister up here so she can sit behind me every time I play.

More Ups and Downs - and a Request for Help (Take 2)

5 JUN 06

Editors Note: My apologies to anyone who came to my blog over the last two days. I had a post here (including a reply from Seattle John) and Blogger ate it. I'm attempting to re-post now. Wish me luck.

Had the best single night of my poker career playing 10/20 – quadrupled up. Big deal.

What I want to blog about today is a perplexing hand at 20/40. It has me curious on so many levels, that I really want some input.

Yes, Ryan. I’m talking about you.

In late position, I raise with Ad 10d. At this point, I had a pretty solid table image and only showed down winners or big hands. Ryan was a late comer to the game, and was playing his usual tight aggressive style. In fact, he only played about one hand for every three I was playing.

Ryan was in the blind and called. I’ve blogged about this before. If there is no one in the pot, calling a raise from the big blind is almost a no brainer. You are getting 4.5 to 1.

Ryan and I are heads up. The flop comes down with something like J 8 2 with 2 diamonds. Good draw for me. Ryan checks, so I lead out. Ryan smooth calls. Right away I’m nervous, but okay. Let’s see the turn.

The turn is a non-diamond but puts a second club on the board. Ryan bets right out, and I raise. Here is where I need some help. Ryan re-raises!

Okay. I know I’m beat right now, but I have the draw to the nut flush, so I call. The river misses me. I check with a plan on folding to a bet, but Ryan also checks and flips over 2c 3c for a pair of 2s and a nice pot.

Time for some critical review.

Ryan played the hell out of this hand. He wins on so many levels:
- Maybe he read one of my screaming tells that I was still drawing.
- He knows I’m capable of folding, so maybe he thought he’d win the pot right there with the re-raise.
- If you re-read the statement above (I know I’m beat right now), you see I was playing level 1 poker – what’s in my hand? Who cares what he’s holding?
- My calling the re-raise should have made him extremely nervous. Why didn’t I pick up on that? Surely he would have folded if I bet the river.

Or would he? At this point, it’s almost worth an extra $40 to show the table that you are willing to be aggressive with the second worst hand in poker (don’t let anyone tell you 7 2 off-suit is the worst hand. It is, but only pre-flop. At the river, 2 3 is the worst).

Anyway, kudos to Ryan for a great play. I finished the night down only a little thanks to a real donkey play with 8 3 of diamonds – otherwise I would have been down a lot more. Only two or three more big wins, and I’m taking a shot at the 50/100 game, so watch out Seattle John!

I'm Registered!!

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

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 1983207

AC Recap

30 May 06

What an incredible trip to Atlantic City!! I haven’t been this excited about an educational opportunity since sex-ed in the 7th grade. And the class didn’t disappoint.

For those that don’t know, I’m a radiologist. I read CT scans, MRI’s and x-rays for the US Army (at least for the next 2 years – but that’s for a different post). I was recently asked to take over cardiac imaging, and I was thrilled to accept.

But, that meant learning the ins and outs of the heart. Traditionally, the heart has been left to the cardiologist. Radiologists sort of danced around the “big light bulb” in the chest. Before the days of cardiologists, radiologists “owned” the heart, but we let it slip away in a relatively uncontested turf battle.

Well, guess who’s back in town!!

If all goes according to plan, everyone wins – the radiologist, the cardiologist, and most importantly, the patient. Based on what I learned at this course, cardiac imaging may go from something I do occasionally, to the majority of my daily practice. This is a prospect that is both daunting and exciting. My command is nervous that we don’t have the technical staff to support this, but I don’t care. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do, and it will save lives. Let them figure out the details.

Anyway, while I was in NJ, I stayed at the Borgata. It certainly had a Las Vegas feel. I got a chance to head to the boardwalk and see the “old” AC – the one I remember. The interlocking crosshatch of the wooden boardwalk and the sound of the ocean really brought back memories.

I remember coming to AC with my dad back in 1984. I was 17, and I had the old paper NY driver’s license. A little scratching with a paperclip and some careful artwork with a sharp #2, and I was no longer born in 1967 – it now said 1966. Suddenly I’m 18 and strolling through the Taj like, well, like a 17 year old.

I had flop sweat.

I walked up to a blackjack table with my dad, and I think I may have even placed a bet before I got kicked out. I still have a young face – I don’t know how I thought I was going to get away with sneaking into a casino when I looked 12.

Now, fast forward to last weekend. I got to stroll along the boardwalk with none other than the famous Lady Falcon. What a gracious hostess!! We met up in the Taj Mahal, and after playing only a few hands of 10/20, the table broke, giving us the opportunity to chat and stroll. I was still overwhelmed by the flood of memories from being there, but I hope I help up my end of the conversation. My buddy Mike showed up too soon, and the Lady and I parted ways. It was a great short visit, and I hope to get invited to one of her famous home games the next time I’m on the East Coast.

(And don’t worry Ms. Falcon, I won’t tell anyone about that horrible suckout with my 35 sooooted at the NL game).

Hiatus Interruptus

To the two readers I have left:

I appreciate your patience while I'm away. I promise you a post by Tuesday that will hopefully cover my excursion to Atlantic City, including a recap of playing with the lovely and talented Lady Falcon.

For now, I leave you with this thought: Those that don't learn from their own mistakes are what we in the poker community refer to as "fish."

Excuse me whilst I go clean my tank.

Hiatus

19 MAY 06

Little hiatus coming up as I try to leave my mark (but not my cash) on Atlantic City. For now, a few answers to Tripjax’s questionnaire.

1. What is the biggest mistake people make at a NL table? – Not pouncing on weakness.
2. What is the biggest mistake people make at a Limit table? – Poor table selection
3. Why do you play poker? – Best rush since playing racquetball – better, even.
4. If you weren't playing poker, what would you be doing? – Saving lives.
5. What is your favorite poker book and why? – Instructional – Lee Jones (the first book I ever read about poker). Entertainment – Either Positively Fifth Street by James McManus or Shut Up and Deal by Jesse May
6. Who is your favorite poker player and why? – Possibly Sam Farha – he’s fearless. He can play any two cards (and usually does) and will outplay you, no matter who you are. Close behind are Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Annie Duke.
7. Which poker player do you dislike the most and why? – Saying Hellmuth is too easy. Probably Gus Hansen because he has spawned too many maniacs.
8. Do your coworkers know about your blog? – No, and I hope to keep it that way.
9. What is the most you have won in a cash game or MTT (both live and online)? Live - $1200+. Online – Probably $200, but I stopped playing online about 6 months ago.
10. What is the most you have lost in a cash game or in one day total (both live and online)? Live $1100. Online $1600.
11. Who was your first poker blog read? Dr. Pauly – still the first poker blog I read every day.
12. What satisfies you more, your aces holding up for a big pot or a bluff working for a big pot? - I never bluff, so…
13. Why do you blog? – It satisfies a creative itch, and gives me an outlet for my huge ego.
14. Do you read blogs from an RSS reader like bloglines or do you visit each blog? – What’s an RSS reader?
15. Would you rather play poker for a living than do what you currently do for a living? – No. I love being a doctor. Poker will always be just a hobby.
16. Do you wear a tin foil hat on occasion? – I own several, but would never admit to wearing them.
17. If you had to pin it down to one specific trait, what does a great poker player have (or do) that separates them from an average player? Courting risk.
18. Is Drizz the coolest person on the planet for naming his baby Vegas? – Without a doubt.
19. What is your primary poker goal and are you close to accomplishing it? – Be a steady winning player. Not there yet.
20. What is your primary online site and why? – Used to be Pokerstars, when I cared to play online.
21. What site do you dislike and why? - None. I love everybody.

How to NOT Play a Short Stack

18 MAY 06

In the larger game of bankroll management, $100 left of a $700 buy-in is still YOUR $100. It’s also part of the larger bankroll sitting at home in your sock drawer. Giving it away with hands like Q2 sooooted and 42 off-suit, when nearly every hand is capped 4 or 5 way preflop should be viewed as an assault on the larger bankroll, not just the chips in front of you.

Or at least, that’s what I should have told myself last night.

Final thought: MUST re-read Felicia’s thoughts about poker psychology.

Random and Stumbling

17 MAY 06

Stolen (and abridged) from Dawn Summers, who stole it from Bunniblog:

The original quote:

“When I was in college, I developed the theory that in every class, there is one student who makes you question how they got in, and I don't mean the admissions process, I mean how did he figure out how to open the door to get into the room?”

And my bastardization:

“After years of playing poker, I developed the theory that in every game, there is one player who makes you question how they got in, and I don't mean the stake, I mean how did he figure out how to open the door to get into the room?”

Rapid and ugly gear change…

I just read this from Dr. Pauly:

And as far as reading blogs go... I almost quit cold turkey. Watching too much bad TV messes with your head. So does reading poorly written vanity projects... especially about poker. (Emphasis mine)

That’s what this blog has become. He’s probably not referring to me because I’m not even on his radar, but still…

I’ve got two options – quit or improve.

Let’s hope it’s #2.

Taking a Shot

16 MAY 06

Damn peer-pressure.

Seattle John has been telling me to take a shot at the higher limit. Lady Falcon just stepped up with great success.

Why not me?

I washed out of the Monday night tournament early. It was a $135 buy-in bounty tournament. I got pocket 10’s and Kings early and nearly tripled up. Unfortunately, my attempt to bully the table ran into several better hands, and I was out early.

The list for 10/20 was huge, but there was an open seat at 20/40. I walked over and there were several faces I recognized from the 10/20 game. They were 6-handed and even slid out the chair for me. I told them I didn’t bring a big enough stake to sit in that game.

Hello, Mr. ATM.

I post $20 behind the button. I’ll raise with almost any two cards here if I see no aggression early. Sure enough, it’s folded to me. I raise and the big blind three bets. We are heads up and I see a flop of A 6 5. I’ve paired my 6. Big blind bets. I raise. He re-raises and I call. The turn is a Queen. He checks. I bet and he check-raises me. I let it go.

I was my first hand at the table and I’m already down $160. It’s gonna be a short experiment.

I made two HUGE mistakes. Both times I capped the turn with the second nut straight. I didn’t give credit for the nuts because both times my gut shot also completed their gut shot. Once was against a drunk who preflop raised my big blind with QJ. I had A 8 and called. A nine on the turn gave me the 10-high straight, but gave him the nuts. I bet the flop because it paired my ace and he raised me with nothing and caught. I can’t put him on the hand, but I wasted a bet by capping.

The same dude also went runner-runner quads on me when I flopped the nut flush. Now THAT was expensive.

I finally settled down, caught some cards, made some big laydowns, and left up over $1000 for the night.

Jesse May wrote a great book called “Shut Up and Deal.” Mickey, his main character, is asked, "What’s the difference between the lower stakes and higher stakes?" His reply:

“Different color chips.”

There were other differences, too, but I have to do some critical thinking before I’m willing to say I’m a regular in that game.

For now, I’m just calling this a successful short-term experiment.

Reflections

15 May 06

When I’m running well, I’m a conceited, full-of-myself, egomaniacal sonofabitch.

No real point to this post. Just trying to be honest.

My Bad

14 May 06

It was my fault.

I decided to change up my game a little. Instead of my normal polo t-shirt and St. Andrews ball cap, I decided to wear a really loud Tommy Bahama-type shirt and the Full-Tilt hat I won as a bounty from the Poker Geek. My thought was “Dress loud. Play tight.”

So, it’s a ½ Kill (which is stupidly 15/25). I’m under the gun and I look down at 8 10 of diamonds. So of course I muck.

Yeah, right.

Raise!

I’m running really hot up to this point and I have most of the table on tilt. It’s re-raised and capped before it gets back to me. I call, and seven (!) of us see a flop of 2 6 7 rainbow.

Crap. Now I have a gut-shot and the correct odds to call. One MP guy bets and all 7 of us call. That’s right. There is $525 dollars in this stupid pot already before we see the turn.

9

“Train wreck on table 7! I think the 6 seat just messed himself!!”

Unbelievably, the button, who is LAST to act, bets right out. I’m first to act here, so instead of betting, I just check. It checks all the way to the button, who does in fact bet. I say, “Let’s stop the madness right now. I raise to $50.” The button says, “Do you have 8 10?” I reply, “Wouldn’t that be sweet?” I still get 4 callers.

The turn is a blank. I have the mortal nuts. I bet, and my 4 buddies come right along for the ride.

$825

Single. Largest. Pot. Ever.

Donkey Poker!!

10 MAY 06

I played like an absolute donkey yesterday. I’m serious. I was playing hands like 10 2 and 7 8 like they were suited Aces (yes, I know that’s not possible, Dad).

The good news is that Brian sat down one to my right. There’s nothing a maniac likes better than seeing another maniac sit down on their right. I asked to see one hand he lost. Brian was betting and raising. When the 8 seat made a crying call on the river, Brian tried to muck his hand without showing. Since I had already asked to see it, the dealer flipped over his 10-high. No pair and only a busted gut-shot draw.

Thanks for the info!!

I knew I could outplay this guy after the flop on just about any hand. He wasn’t an idiot – he could lay down a hand. He just always seized the initiative and was relentless unless he met resistance. Unfortunately, he beat my AK with his Q2. It was capped pre-flop and on the flop when he paired his 2. It held up.

Well, sometimes the gods of karma decide that too much aggression is no good. I became the lucky recipient. We both flopped Aces, but my 3 paired on the river. There were at least two other hands where I was betting and raising all the way and he never showed.

Then came the hand of the night.

I announce to the table, “This is my last hand.” I then look down and see AA. Uh oh.

Raise!!

It’s re-raised before it even gets to Brian, who caps it. Thanks!!

Four of us see a flop of K J 10. Not a great flop for AA, but let’s see where I’m at. I bet. Raise and re-raise and three of us see the turn – another King.

Crap.

Brain checks. I bet and get one caller before Brain does the old check-raise play on me.

At this point, I announce to the table, “That’s the first time you check-raised me. I think you have me beat, but I’m not smart enough to get away from this hand.” My thought is that with some of the crap he's been winning with, he could have anything. Boy was I wrong.

River – Ace. Thank you gods of karma!!

Brain says, “I think that Ace killed me.”

I reply, “Wouldn’t it be sweet if I had pocket Aces?”

He looks at me and bets. I shout, “Raise!” and the table cracks up. Brain calls with his Kings full of Jacks and I drag a $500 pot. Yes, I hit my two outer on the river. Brain was very cool about it and shook my hand.

Side note – both Ryan and Seattle John were at my table!! JD was waiting for his seat in the 50/100 game. He came by a couple of times after he got his seat in the big game and saw my ever growing chip stack. He kept chiding me to get into the 50 game. Part of me wanted to go. Fortunately, I was honest with myself. The reason I had the huge chip stack was because I got very lucky. Relying on luck in the 50 game is a recipe for disaster.

Instead, I took my 3+ racks of red and went home.

Priceless

6 MAY 06

Getting dealt pocket 7s in middle position - $20
Saying outloud, “It’s been a while since I flopped quads…” – Actually, this one is free.
Actually flopping quad 7s – Awesome
Getting paid by two flush chasers all the way to the river – priceless.

How did I celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

With my biggest cash ever at the Muckleshoot, tenqberrymuge.

My Brother Drives This Way

3 MAY 06

It’s like the old joke. Driving with my buddy Earl, he keeps flying through red lights. I’m cringing and holding the armrest for dear life, and all he says is, “It’s okay. My brother drives like this.” Red light after red light we keep flying through until we finally come upon an actual green light. Earl slams on the breaks and we come to a screeching halt. “WTF Earl?” I exclaim.

Earl’s reply? “My brother might be coming the other way.”

I saw 2 3 soooted win twice last night. The surprising thing was that once it was held by my buddy Ryan, who was playing very tight up until that point. He made a great read and stuck with it the whole way. The other time was against my TPTK when the 8 seat flops the 4-flush and rivers the straight.

I saw another great rush of cards – including winning 4 or 5 hands in a row at one point. I developed a great table image and was able to get a couple of folds when I knew I held an inferior hand. The 4 seat made a horrible mistake by folding AJ face up to an EP flop bet on a board with an Ace.

Huh?

After that, I raised any pot he limped into, even if there were other players. He folded to any aggression, and I took about $100 free dollars off of him with that play alone.

Seattle John sweated me for one hand, which was pretty cool. In late position, I call a bunch of limpers with A2 off-suit, with the Ace of clubs. The flop is 3 clubs for the nut-flush draw. It checks around to me and I bet, and get three callers. No club on the turn and it checks to me again. I bet and get called just by the blind. No club on the river and the blind checks.

Do you bet here?

If you think he’s on a club draw, you bet. There’s a chance that Ace high is the best hand, but that’s kind of wishful thinking. I had squandered my table image a little, so there was a better than average chance that I’d get called. I bet and he called with top pair after the flop. It was a good (not great) call, and I didn’t have to show anyone but John. If nothing else, the bet on the river with nothing but Ace high enabled me to milk an extra bet on two separate later hands when I held the nuts.

A note about implied odds. I posted the mandatory $15 for one of my many kill pots. Ryan raises from late position and I call with 96 off-suit. Heads-up, we see a flop of 5 7 8, all clubs, for a vulnerable straight. I check-raised the flop and he three bets. I think I bet the turn and he called. When I bet the river, he raises and I ask, “Did you flop the flush?” When Ryan replies, “No. Did I need to?” I knew I had the pot. Defending the kill is similar to defending the blinds. I’m getting 5:1 pre-flop (the small and big blind = 1 bet. His raise is 2 more. My call is #4 and he will always bet the flop for #5).

Final thought: Thanks again to Ryan for pointing out another mistake I made. I talk a lot when I’m playing, especially when I’m playing well. At one point, I was asked why I didn’t bet on the river. I replied that the only person that calls my river bet is someone that has me beat. Ryan smiled and said, “No poker instructions, please.”

He (and Mike Caro) are absolutely right. Why would I want to teach the fish how to play better against me? Sorry ‘bout that.

May Day!!

1 MAY 06

I was going to take today off in solidarity with my fellow immigrants, but I didn’t think having my dad born in Canada counts.

Anyway, a series of 5 (or less) outers brought me back below the break even line. I’m tempted to tell some bad beat stories, but I’d have to pay each of you two dollars, and my poker fund just can’t take another hit right now.

Instead, I’ll just say thank you to Otis for recommending “Shut Up and Deal,” by Jesse May. I’ve just started reading it, and it’s that rare thing in literature – a unique voice. It takes a little getting used to – almost like someone is dictating the story as opposed to writing it down, but it grows on you.

The first chapter really added some clarity to how I’m feeling right now.

Here is the review from Amazon:

The vignettes in Shut Up and Deal are a bizarre mingling of Damon Runyon and David Mamet. Mickey, the book's narrator, is always playing cards with people who have monikers such as Uptown Raoul, Hot Mama Earl, Johnny World, and Vinnie the Greek, and he himself generally wears at these card games something like "yellow pants and a green double-breasted jacket from the seventies and a green and yellow flowered shirt with dark sunglasses" in order to sucker the unsuspecting mark into maybe thinking that he is not such a good poker player and that his money can be easily won, which it usually cannot. Yet the dialogue, reflecting life on the professional poker circuit, is stark and brutal, as in Mickey's advice to a dilettante who is considering following in his footsteps: "All I can tell you is that it's lonely out there, real fuckin' lonely, and your play doesn't matter so much as how tough you are and whether or not you fall apart."

If you need me, I’ll be trying not to fall apart tonight at the ‘shoot.

That’s Not a Knife…

28 APR 06

I’ve always wanted to quote Crocodile Dundee.

While waiting for my 10/20 seat, I wasted time at the 4/8 game (again). I remember reading something from Phil Gordon about sucking out. His point was that good players rarely suck out (but are often sucked-out on) because they usually get their money in with the best hand.

Well I did some serious sucking yesterday.

In actuality, there was a reason for my madness, but I’m sure it didn’t seem that way to Hat Boy.

Hat Boy came in with his cool pull-down Pac Northwest hat and bought in for $60. Sniff – is that dinner, I smell? He calls in early position. I’m one to his left and I call with 8 7.

The flop is A 10 6, all hearts. I don’t have any hearts. I just have a weak gutshot. Hat Boy checks, I bet and he raises. Huh?

The raise here says, “Please don’t suck out. I’ve got a hand, but I have no hearts.” At this point, I think I can get him off the hand. I call, and see a blank card on the turn. He bets. I raise. He reraises. Now I put him on a set. The right move here is to call, but he’s really nervous, so I cap it. He calls, and we see a heart on the river.

The 9 of hearts.

He slaps his hand on the table, and checks. I quickly bet, thinking he’ll fold. He calls and shows his flopped set of 6’s. I say, “Oooh. This is gonna hurt,” and I show him my hand – the suckout straight on the river. No hearts for him either, so I drag the pot. In fairness, I really thought he'd fold. Wasn't it Ross Perot who talked about that "giant sucking sound?"

One other hand of note. Dark Sunglasses boy (don’t you just love these guys), raises from the button. When an Ace falls on the flop, it’s checked around to him. He bets, everyone folds and he shows his 10 6 for the bluff.

Nice one, sir!

That hand set up this play. It’s a “full kill” (8/16) two hands later, and I call in early position. Sunglasses Boy raises to $16. I call and we see a flop of 9 10 J. I check, he bets and I call. The turn is a Queen. Now I bet right out. He raises and I reraise. He just calls and we see the river – King. No flush.

Now, there is a straight on the board. I bet right out and smile at him through his dark sunglasses. He thinks a long time before mucking his board straight.

I lay my pair of threes down right in front of him – face up.

Now THAT’s a bluff.