Hell month is officially OVER!

WEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Actually I mean Wii!!!!

Wife picked up the Wii over the weekend, while I was sluigging it out at the track with my media brethren. Nice to come home and see it, knowing that my day off (Monday) would be spent learning the ins and outs of it. It's cool. WAY cool.

Anyway, the Coca Cola 600 signified the end of hell month for me, and my colleagues. We kicked some major ass with our coverage of the race, the post-race activities and such. I am so, and I mean SO, lucky to work with such GREAT people. Irish Jim, AB, Hollifield, Whitey, Timbo....the boys rocked it, and we looked amazing (in spite of the idiot in front of the camera on the tower, lol). BIG thanks to you fellas. You have my undying respect.

Now it's on to more important things. POKAH!!!

TOC Saturday on the horizon. Gonna be a long day for me. Have to deal the satellite tournament--no, I didn't lose a bet, just part of my responsibilities to the league as one of it's EC members. Then, once the sat winner is determined, we'll take a break, and then play the actual TOC. Very excited about that event. T4000 starting stack with regular season blind schedule. LOADS of play built in. Gonna be a marathon night (I hope for me anyway), but the field is only 15 players, so it's gonna be a good one.

I did play some live poker over the past few weeks--both sessions at the track after races. No cashes, but had fun. The game is generally light (not league serious is what I mean by light), so, even though I got busted on the bubble this past Sunday, I really didn't get bugged about it. Last hand I played went like this:

4-handed, I'm UTG with Q-10 suited. I go all in for my last 2500 (we were in level 9, so blinds were something like 400-800 with a 200 ante...I was 3rd in chips at the time).

Button goes into the tank, and comes out with the call. other 2 players fold. He shows A-J off suit. I took the lead when I hit my Q on the flop, but he also hit a J on the turn, so he was still VERY live. River A sealed my fate (he had 5 outs, 2 more than he would have had had the J not hit the turn), yet I just laughed and said nice hand. He had me going into the flop, and ended up wining the pot (and also the tourney later on). A very late night, but a fun night after a great race. We'll THINK about doing it again in the fall, but we are at the mercy of the weather then.

Too cold? No game.

Maybe.

Good luck and good cards,

~M

All apologies...

...to the 4 of you that check out the blog. Been crazy this month at work (see earlier posts), and luckily, I am nearing the end of Hell Month. 1 more week to spend at the race track, and then I can settle into a slight groove before football season.

Great night with the crew at the track on Saturday...solid video, audio, great pictures, and unreal teamwork. Big thanks to Smitty, Whitey, Hollifield, & Timbo for making it look flawless. Our folks in the control room get their props as well, and my boy T-bone was money in studio. He can roll with the punches like no other, and it's a treat to work with him, as infrequently as it happens. I look forward to it each and every time I get to share TV time with him.

Anyway, one more weekend at the track (means no poker--insert sad face here), but after that, the biggie. The TOC. Had a small 6 handed game at the house Sunday night (just wrapped up an hour ago), and I was able to win it. Nice feeling, and I like the cash too, but my eyes are focused on the Tournament of Champions. I didn't win an event during the season, but a win at the TOC would certainly more than make up for that. VERY tough field shaping up, so I need to be on stroke.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend....I say that knowing that I likely won't be able to update the blog until next week. If you know a veteran, of the family of a veteran....make sure you go out of your way to say Thanks for all their sacrifices. If you have never served in the armed forces (like me--I never served), you likely have no idea what they have ever had to do to defend our country. A thank you is the least we can do.

Good luck and good cards,
~M

On stroke and liking it

My first day off in the month of May turned out to be a pretty Good one. Was able to catch up on some much needed rest, and then head out to Irish Jim's for some hold 'em. Got lucky in a few spots, but also played some solid poker and ended up making a nice comeback to pull off a victory. Nice size pot in an 8 handed game too, so it was a good night. Dragged a few small pots early, doubled through when I spiked a river Q to make a broadway straight--raised preflop too, and still got called by K-7 suited--but (thanks to the rebuy policy in the first 5 levels), I played a little reckless and I ended up having to reload. Here is the hand that did it to me.

Blinds are 25-50. I'm in SB with J-3 suited (spades) All sorts of limpers in this one (I think there were 5 limpers, only 1 fold). I complete the BB and the BB checks.

Flop:J-3-7

Bingo-2 pair. I lead out for 100 (a tester bet, maybe a shot to induce a raise from someone with a bigger J...like KJ, QJ, J-10) Get 1 caller. Everyone else folds.

Turn:6

Nope, didn't see it out there. I check, caller (Irish Jim BTW), bets out. I check raise all in. He calls, and shows 45. I still had outs, albeit 4 of them.

REBUY!

I couldn't put him on that hand. It's not really like him to limp on small suited connectors...well, at least it wasn't like him in the past....file that one away for the future.

After the the rebuy, I played fairly tight, raising with good to premium holdings, and then after a sick run where my buddy Jason became a freakin card rack, we were down to 4 handed play. The bust outs came fast and furious to get to 4 handed play--Jason busted 2 players on 1 hand when his 5-3 suited flopped a set of 3's and then boated on the turn. He beat one hand of AQ and a K-7. Wow.

Paying top 3 players, I figured i would have to wait for a big hand to shove the chips in and gamble, but when our pal Dan went out in 4th, I monied. Happy. Now to climb the ladder. Made a few plays to build the stack a little, then Joe goes out in 3rd, leaving Jason and I in heads up. I drag a couple of nice pots, and then I have the chip lead. When we were 4 handed, I was on life support. Now I got chips. Last hand of the tourney went like this:

Blinds 600-1200, 200 ante.
I'm the button with 33. I make it 3000 straight. Jason calls.

Flop: A-8-9, all spades. We both check.

Turn:3 of hearts.

Jason goes all in.

What do you do? Did he slow play a flush, and now wants to over bet the pot to steal? The only hand I can't beat is a made flush, and I still have ways of beating it on the river. I call.

He flips up A-6, with the 6 being a spade. He has outs, but they are only spades. Another A on the board fills my boat, and beats his set.

River:2 of hearts.

Whew. Had to sweat the last card, but in the end, I felt very good about my play. Hope I can keep that going in the TOC next month.

Speaking of next month, once the calendar flips to June, I will be eyeing July in a big way. Vacation time is coming, and I will be heading out to Chicago and Las Vegas. I can not wait. The Main Event of the WSOP will be underway, and I am definitely heading to the Rio to check things out, and maybe snap some more pictures of the pros. Not playing in a WSOP event this year, but I hope to be back in the tournament next summer. Going out with several folks from the league, and it should be an awesome time. We had a nice group go out last summer, and it was a blast. Hot, but a blast. We'll likely be playing tournaments at the casinos when we aren't checking out the WSOP, and there are some dandies I want to check out. Just hope my confidence gets on the plane with me.

Good luck and good cards,

~M

One down....

...and now 2 more to go. Finished up working at the Wachovia Championship. Great week, fantastic golf, and I got to see, up close and personal, the 2nd shot of Vijay Singh on Saturday. A 162 yard 8 iron from the right hand first cut of rough, that went SWISH! Straight into the jar. Made for some great video.

Tiger won it, by a tidy 2 shots, and it wrapped up one of my better weeks of work. Followed Tiger and Michael Jordan for a bit on Wednesday during the pro-am, then covered the championship rounds on Thursday and Friday. Spoke one on one with Padraig Harrington (got an e-mail saying I was pronouncing his name wrong, when in fact Harrington told me that there are 2 versions of the pronunciation, and mine was fine). Harrington had just self-destructed on the 18th hole making a triple bogey 7. He then proceeded to head to the driving range, and hit about 600 balls, all with his driver. In between swings, he was chomping on a sandwich. I've been steamed up at the poker table, but after I finish a tourney, I generally don't log on and play online. Harrington was quite gracious, and very polite, in spite of his bad finish. He didn't have to talk to me, but he did. Very cool Irishman.

Saturday was a screwy day, thanks to a 2 hour rain delay. Play finally ended around 8:00 p.m., and yes, it was VERY dark. Still, got great video of a wild day at the course. 3 different players all in the hunt for the lead at the time, knocked in shots from the fairway for eagles. It was crazy. Nuts. And then I see one of those eagles? Wonderful stuff.

After Saturday, Sunday was a bit of a letdown, but it was still good stuff nonetheless. After Tiger finished his media session (after winning), I was standing near his path, and said "Congratulations, Tiger." He replied "Thanks very much," and shook my hand as he walked past. Coolest moment off the golf course for sure.

Now that golf is done for another year, it's time to charge up my scanner and get ready for racing. 2 days of testing at the Speedway starting today, and then the 2 races at the end of the month. Good thing is, I will likely be freed up for some poker on Wednesday at Irish Jim's. Bad thing is my legs are cooked. Haven't had this much fatigue in them since my hockey days.

After all the great golf I saw this week, the pain was truly worth it.

Good luck, and soon I hope, good cards!
~M