Politicians Suck

This guy says it better than I can:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2006/07/26/truly_disgusting

AQs gets me bounced back 2 back

Last night 10+1 MTT tourney, top 30 paid, about 38 left and I have a slightly above average chip stack. AQs from early, raise it up 3.5x the BB and the button flat calls, flop Q high, I bet the size of the pot, get raised all in ... no choice but to call, as I'm pot committed with top pair top kicker. Guy flips QQ, lovely flop, the one card left in the deck that loses me all my chips happens to flop. A few hands later I'm eliminated in 31st, bubble boy.

Tonight, AQs again, 85 left, top 30 paid again, have about average stack, I'm in the small blind, the button limps, I raise 4x the BB (about ... don't remember the exact raise), BB folds and the button calls. The flop again comes Q high, I bet the pot, guy pushes all in on me and has me covered, flips QTs, and has flopped 2 pair. Again, I'm out with AQs after being in good position to make a run.

MTT's can be so frustrating, to some degree, it's all about avoiding land mines, which I haven't been able to do lately.

Online Gaming Restricted

I'm back, and I thought I'd vent my frustrations at the US government, which has nothing better to do than make a feeble attempt at banning online gaming (isn't there a war going on?).

Outgoing Senator Bill Frist managed to sneak through a bill restricting banks from dealing with gaming sites, and many online poker rooms have withdrawn from the US Market. Many others have stayed, but it appears now that the Dept of Justice is leaning on various entities to make the ban stick. Just a few days ago, the founders of Neteller, an internet bank that many poker players use to fund their accounts, were arrested for money laundering/racketeering.

I would be surprised if these charges hold, but Neteller has already withdrawn from the US Market. It just drives me crazy that my own government wants to tell me what I can and cannot do on the internet ... activity that causes no harm to anyone.

What is most frustrating is that I can drive 20 minutes up the road and play poker to my hearts delight, if I want to pay giant rakes, tip the dealers, and fill the coffers of the B&M casinos, yet I can't play the same game from the privacy of my home. Of course, the states are in with the casinos, they have huge tax dollars at stake.

I'm not sure, but I don't believe there is another major industrialized country that has made any effort to ban online gaming. In fact, some countries leadership has half a brain, and actually regulates and taxes the industry, hmmm, novel idea. Frankly, this country's reputation in the rest of the world has gone from 'respected' to 'laughing stock'. Obviously, there are myriad reasons why we are no longer respected; but, in this specific instance, it revolves around the fact that the government does not trust its citizens enough to have legalized, regulated gambling on the internet; the country that puts as much energy into banning a harmless activity as it does into fixing its school systems.

Final Table

Played in the Absolute Poker VIP Invitational tonight, which is a $1500 freeroll. Normally, I don't really bother with freerolls, but this is limited to the top VIP's from the week prior and typically only has 100 or so entrants. Top 18 paid, and first is $450. There were 88 entrants tonight, so it's a $17 value even for just an average player.

I held the chip lead for a little while. I really didn't get great cards, I had KK once and it was folded to my raise. AA one other time, which I slow played into a really nice pot.

That hand was worth commenting on: AA on the button, and someone in mid position raises to 3x the BB. I think for a second ... the table has been tight, and a reraise potentially runs everyone off. If I call, I give the blinds odds to call with what I am hoping to be eventual second best hands, plus ... I have everyone but the initial raiser, easily covered. As such, I smooth call, hoping the blinds will come in.

The BB does in fact call and the flop is Q33. BB leads out a bet of about 3/4 of the pot, which basically leaves him pot committed. The initial raiser folds. I decide to wait for the turn to put the BB all in, just to portray a bit more weakness in case he doesn't understand "pot committed". He does in fact push on the turn, I call, he flips QT and I drag a pot that ended up being much larger than it would have been had I reraised preflop.

I ended up in the final 3, shortest stack of the bunch with 99 on the button. I had around 6K in chips and the blinds were 600/1200 with 100 antes (maybe 150). Anyway, it's a push or fold situation and you can't ask for better than pocket 9s 3 way. I push, the SB sits back, waits a while, calls, the BB folds and the SB flips AA on me ... sayonara.

A fun tourney, and some free mone; plus my first final table in a while, even if it was only a freeroll. I thought I played really well, stealing some pots that I had no business in, and slow playing some other hands well.

Been Awhile!

Obviously, I haven't posted anything in my blog for a long while. I have actually gone through another failed attempt to crack 10/20.

I still think my game is good enough, but the bad runs, which are inevitable playing short, still affect me too much. As such, I am back down at 5/10 and 3/6.

The 3/6 tables at Absolute are incredibly active. That said, it's a pretty tough game. I'm actually up at 5/10 and down at 3/6 over the last 2 months.

Very little time to play any tournaments lately and no luck in the tourneys I have played. Sticking with ring games for now.

The failed 10/20 experiment put a crimp in my bankroll, but I've been running pretty well lately. I am going to try to keep the blog updated a bit more!

Flop the Nuts

Well last night was a fun poker night ...

I played in the 20K guaranteed tourney at BetOnBet and was doing very well, about 30th place out of 370 left. On the button, dealt TJs; 4 limpers in front.

Flop comes 9QK with 2 hearts ... I had diamonds. SB bets out, and the rest of the players all basically move in in turn ... Well, I have the absolute nuts and have everyone but the SB easily covered. I of course move all in as well ... and the SB calls me. 4 people all in ... 2 had AK, 1 had QJ (shortest stack) and the SB had the nut flush draw.

Of course the flush hits and I'm flushed out, woulda been chipleader if it had held.

I then saunter off to play some 10/20 and run into the worst player I have ever seen at that limit. Unfortunately, he hit 4 or 5 hands on me with terrible draws. Capped preflop against my AA, capped flop on a board of 55J ... turn was a blank, he 2 bet me on the turn, so I slowed down a bit thinking he could have a 5. River was another J and he flips JQo. He hit 3 two outters on me that cost me massive pots.

Unfortunately, he was redistributing my chips to the rest of the table. He was up and down and I vowed I wasn't leaving until he was broke. It took a while, but he eventually busted. Extremely frustrating experience though, with a complete and utter fish at the table, I lost a lot of money to ridiculous draws. I got some back, but not nearly enough.

Today will be better!

NCAA Tourney & the RNC mailing list

Ahhh ... my favorite time of the year!

With the tourney going on, I really have not been playing much poker; but I wanted to give a shout out (did I just say that ... how lame ... lol) to the alma mater.

I am a University of Memphis grad (actually it was Memphis State University when I graduated in 92). Tonight the Tigers rolled to their 3rd straight 16 point victory in the tourney. I can't think of a real comparison when I watch these games. I will never forget the phantom hand check the refs called on us in 96 in the Sweet 16 against hated Arkansas ... just a sickening feeling.

The Tigers play UCLA for the right to go to the Final 4 and I like our chances. We handled UCLA early in the season pretty well. They are much better now, but so are we.

Anyway, I played a few hands of poker after the Memphis game tonight ... I almost always play well when I'm in a good mood. It was a nice night all the way around!

On a different note, I keep getting these e-mails from the Republican National Committee ... I have no freaking idea how I got on this list and it drives me nuts. I tried to delete my name to no avail ... tonight I sent them an e-mail advising that for every e-mail I get from them I will keep a tally and contribute an ADDITIONAL $100 to the DNC. It's complete BS, I hate both parties ... I just hate the Dems a little less ... but it really pisses me off that I get this so obviously slanted propaganda from them. Okay, I hate the Dems a lot less lately ... mainly because of the budget deficit, but also because our young men are dying over what amounts to a personal vendetta gone wrong. Saddam was a bad dude ... no doubt, but we look like complete ass clowns in the International Community when our justification for the whole operation turns out to be flawed. Mark my words ... this is the WORST President our country has ever seen ... and somehow he got elected twice ... once by the people, and once by the Electoral college. It could be worse, right now he's only 43rd out of 43. Eventually, there will be someone worse, I just hope I'm not around to see him or her.

I know intelligent conservatives ... most are smarter than the average liberal. I hope they see through the crap that Ken Mehlman and his right wingers espouse.

Go Tigers!