All Quiet

My apologies for no posts this week. We enjoyed a visit from our long time friends, Ron and Linda Lincoln, and just too busy to get on the computer (besides, Ron was borrowing it to stream a pool tournament).  We had a great time and are now in Seattle to visit the baby.  On to the Tri-Cities tomorrow for the week. 

Legion Cash

It has been a long time since I have cashed in the Legion tournament, but finally broke the dry spell last night.  Volunteered to deal table 2, which worked out to a $30 tip at the end of the night.  Placed 6th for $67 win, so after my $40 buy in and $5. tip, worked out to be a $52 win.  I dealt the high hand which never had any competition (even quad aces later) a royal flush in spades.  He tipped me extra, a free drink token.

In attendance from the Tri-cities were Aaron and Stan.  They had come to the coast to do some work on Aaron's house in Rockaway.  I had told them about the tournament last week.

The Comeback Kid

Let me begin by saying that once I get "stuck", I usually find it impossible to make a comeback.  Today I bought in for my usual $100, played for several hours with little variance, then finally lost it.  I then did a short buy for $40, losing that too.  Determined not to leave a juicy game (Tony, Thuy, Penny, Doug, etc.), I bought in for another $60.  Tony was crushing the table, had about $700 in front of him, hitting every flop turn or river, but I could see all of that going away.  Thuy was into it for at least $400-500, but of course never stopped playing her ultra aggressive game.  I lost that $60 in a multi-way pot with J/J vs. 8/8 vs. Q/5 suited (plus another folded hand on the river).  Janny flopped a set, the flush hit his hand on the river, and I was felted yet again.

My poker bankroll gone, and most of my cash, I bought in for one last short buy of $40.  I was determined to either fight my way back or leave with that loss.  Miraculously, I won a pot that got me back to $100, then another that put me almost even.  As you know, poker players never leave when they are even.  I kept playing, won a huge pot and another decent sized ones, finally cashing out for $509, for a $269 win.  It is so nice to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  Tony?  Oh yes, I watched him lose the last of his chips before leaving the room.  Thuy left too.

I leave for the beach tomorrow, up about $300 for my week and a half of "adventures in pokerland".

Dear Mom, Funny writing to you from prison

Yesterday I felt like the new guy in prison.  You know, meeting my new BFF's in the shower room, playing "drop the soap".  Wow.  My Omaha game was going so well, at first.  Up about $150 early, I get involved with an Omaha newbie who is constantly being explained how pots are split, which hands are best, even how much money to put in the pot.  So, playing an A/3/9/9, the flop is pretty darn sweet, A/A/3.  You can tell the newbie is excited, wanting to know how much he can raise my bet (with one other limper who is chasing low).  He raises, I reraise, he caps it.  The turn brings another 3.  Fine with me when we cap again.  He runs out of money on the river, and it is a queen.  He scoops the pot with his A/Q.  He thought he had the full house on the turn.  Sick.

I get rivered twice by one of my least favorite players, "Mr. Tight", who "only plays the nuts".  Except someone forgot to tell him that he was only chasing the nuts.  I flopped a set, he chased to the river and caught a straight.  Then, I flop a straight, he flops two pair and fills up on the turn.  He sneakily checked the turn, expecting me to bet, but I checked behind to disappoint his check raise plan.  I called the river, but could have folded just as easily.  Ended up stuck $90 and very disappointed.  If any of those hands had held up would have at least broken even.

Gluten Free (at last)

On an entirely different note, I would like to sing the praises about my gluten free diet.  It was not begun as a weight loss diet, however that has been one of the many benefits.  I began it because I stumbled on an article written by the guy who invented the south beach diet.  He claimed that many of his clients did not want to move on from the initial phase of the diet which excluded wheat products and sugar because they felt so much better.  On further study he found that about 15% of us are gluten intolerant. 

More than 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed.

If you have any of the following symptoms it could be a sign that you have gluten intolerance:

1. Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and even constipation. I see the constipation particularly in children after eating gluten.

 

2. Keratosis Pilaris, (also known as ‘chicken skin’ on the back of your arms). This tends be as a result of a fatty acid deficiency and vitamin A deficiency secondary to fat-malabsorption caused by gluten damaging the gut.

 

3. Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten.

 

4. Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis.

5. Neurologic symptoms such as dizziness or feeling of being off balance.

 

6. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility.

 

7. Migraine headaches.

 

8. Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. These diagnoses simply indicate your conventional doctor cannot pin point the cause of your fatigue or pain.

 

9. Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips.

 

10. Mood issues such as anxiety, depression, mood swings and ADD.

 

Anyway, after giving it a trial, I am off gluten forever.  I feel great, problems gone and am now a "gluten free evangelist".  My wife bumped into an old acquaintance at the the beach who recently discovered his intolerance and says it "changed his life".

I Am So Upset...I Am Going to the Moose

Before I get into my poker bad beats (2 involving trip queens), I have a marvelous story to tell you.  Playing in the cash game today, an older tournament regular lady calls a fairly good sized bet preflop.  On the flop, heads up, she checks to him and he grabs a stack of red chips and she immediately folds her hand.  He then throws two white chips across the line.  I laugh out loud, and say "good one, man".  She then rips into me, and the dealer, as she claims he moved all the chips over the line, which he definitely did not.  They argued for a while, I just shut up and listened.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/3649554903/

 

 

(YOU MUST CLICK THE ABOVE LINK...  after reading below....YOU WILL LOL, LMAO, ROLF)


After a bit, she went broke, as she nearly always does, and as she left, came over to me, laid her hand on my shoulder and said, "You were very rude to me, and I am emotionally upset anyway today.  You probably did not know that my mother just died".  I apologized, saying of course I had no way of knowing that.  After she left I commented that "now I have heard everything at the poker table".  She was so full of grief that she......came down to the Moose and played poker.......Good Grief!!!!  I thought the story was so funny that I called my own mother and told her about it, reassuring her that I will be rending my clothing and be too grief stricken to get out of bed when she passes.  She assured me that she would not interrupt her bridge game for me, and that I probably would play poker.  Good to know that compassion runs deep in the family.

Golf joke:  A foursome is playing when a funeral procession passes by the golf course.  One of the players pauses, takes off his hat and bows his head for a moment.  One of the other players asks if he knew the deceased.  He replies, "We were married for over 40 years".

Now to the beats.  Have been continuing my success in getting to the final table, including the deepstack on Friday night, and two Saturday tournaments.  Finally broke my streak today, going out with 3 tables still full.  The hands I busted out on Friday and today were very similar.  Friday we were down to 7 players, I was sitting good, 3rd in chips with about $60,000 or so.  With blinds at 1/2000, I checked my option in the big blind with one limper and the small blind completing.  I had Q/10.  The flop was awesome, Q/Q/7 with 2 clubs.  Not wanting to give a club draw good chasing odds, I bet 10,000 after the small blind checked to me.  The limper folded and the small blind called.  We had been sitting together the entire tournament, and were friendly.  He was the only player not willing to chop as someone had suggested.  I took him for kind of a tournament rooky as he said he didn't get much chance to play.  After my bet, and his call, he commented something about a flush draw.  Obviously, I am never betting a flush draw here so I assumed that he might be on one.  The turn brought a harmless 2, and he checked again.  I then bet 20,000 and he went into the tank, muttering about flush draws.  I thought he was going to fold but instead he went all in.  He was one of the two players having me covered.  I reasoned that there is no way he had a better kicker or he would not have tanked.  I called.  He turned over Q/5 offsuit.  Awesome.  When I win this hand, will have over 1/3 of all chips in play.  River is a 5 and I am gone.  Unbelievable.

Fast forward to today.  I am on a wild table.  A player doubles up the very first hand on a flush draw...A/9 vs. K/9 suited on a 9 high flop.  He hits his flush and doubles up.  We later have back to back AA vs. KK all-ins which result in 2 eliminations.  I short stack with KK vs J/9 on a 7/8/10 flop.  The table is a nightmare of match ups.  The big stack double up loses with KK vs AK vs JJ when the 3 way all-in flop is J/J/X.  Very sick indeed.

My hand is Q/9 suited on the button against a 200 bet (blinds 50/100) with 2 callers in front of me.  The flop is Q/Q/x, and when the original bettor checks, followed by one player, the other bets fairly large, maybe 1800.  Without giving it enough thought, I re-raise all-in.  One of the players comments, "guess you are sorry you bet", he responds, "Nope, I call" as he turns over K/Q.  I, unlike my lucky friend on Friday, am unable to find my 3 outer 9 on the river and am eliminated.  Where the heck is karma hiding out?

End of the day financial report:  Tournament buy-in  $60, Free play win $15, Cash game win, $100, net win for the day $55.

Way to go Lynne!!!  Winner-winner, chicken dinner.

           

Fun Fact

Here is a fun fact.  Of the last 12 tournaments I have played in, have made the final table on 11 of them.  I think that I am playing well, but not getting lucky too often when it counts.  Thursday's results show what I can do with some decent luck (and cards too).  Here is an online tournament that I made the final table, but short stacked.  Ended up going out in 8th place on a big blind shove bluff.

 

 

 Only top 3 made the big tournament final for a televised event (several hundred in final).

Update on the MM.  42 players, came in 6th place (bubble).  Yet another final table, but nothing to show for it.

Worst Drivers in The World plus McCain Poker

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/09/05/mccain-poker-syria-hearing-conan-letterman-leno-stewart/2770115/

O.K., some have accused me of having a "poker addiction".  Well, at least I am not playing online while discussing the ramifications of bombing a country and plunging us into WWIII.  Seriously.

Just a quick note regarding the Tri-Cities drivers.  ARGGGGGH, WTF, GOOD GRIEF!  Yesterday I witnessed 2 cars running very red lights, walking kids crossing against a light (and I might add, taking their strolling sweet time about it)....guess they are future drivers.  Today, a woman stopped like 4 car lengths back from the street (exit from 397 onto Court), and blocked multiple drivers from taking the free right turn.  A recent survey said the Washington D.C. drivers were the worst in the nation, but I beg to differ.  I will put my homies up against anyone, anytime, anywhere.  They are that bad.

Quick poker note:  played the MM and chopped 1/2 with Gerry for $245 ea. (2 full tables plus 8 alternates).  Sweet....and I was chip leader by about 4K.  To add to my winnings, the guy sitting next to me on the 1st table gave me his free play, and I won both hands.

Would It Be Too Much to Ask?

Would it be too much to ask to get just a little luck sometimes?  Playing in the "Morning Moose", hereafter to be referred to as the "MM", I started off very well, with K/K as my first hand.  I raised and am re-raised by an older player who was playing for the first time.  This can spell trouble, so I just flat called.  The flop was low, and the player bet out.  I raised and he called.  Turn brought a 10, he checked, I bet, he folded.  Good start.

Making the final table, with blinds at 300/600, I had about 4000 in chips.  Recognizing that I am now a short stack, I raised to 1800 UTG, with K/Q off-suit.  I am re-raised, all-in, by a player who I have covered by 700.  I call.  He shows A/J, so I am behind, but live cards.  Flop is awesome, with queen high.  My joy is quickly squashed when an ace hits on the turn.

Now in the big blind for all but $100, a player goes all-in, another player comes over the top of him, the small blind calls for all of his chips, and I discover 7/7.  I call.  With everyone in, we turn over our cards and as expected, I am the only one with a pair.  But, there is a minefield out there, with nearly every face card represented, A/10, A/Q, K/3 (really, small blind?).  The turn is 6/x/3, turn 6, river 3.  The side pot is taken by A/Q, the K/3 takes the main pot.  Sick.