11 months left?

Where did January go? Can't beleive the month is already in the books (well, in another 12 hours or so). Time does fly when you're having fun, or in my case, working, dealing with a cold, and looking for your next card game.

Likely won't have anything this weekend, what with Super Bowl 42 and all. Heading to Irish Jim's for the annual end of the season championship game. New England v. NY Giants. Pats 18-0, Giants a HUGE underdog. If I were in Vegas, I would bet the Giants and take the points--they will need them. Since I am NOT in Vegas, I won't be making a wager on this one.

What else? Mrs. Chipstack finally convinced me on a new TV. We picked it up last weekend, and it's a beauty. I am quite happy with it, and look forward to much enjoyment (read--watching hockey and WSOP coverage in HD) in the future.

I did play a game Sunday, and Mrs. Chipstack sat in and played too. While I was a complete moron, she played great. Finished 3rd, and cashed which was cool. That's her 2nd straight money finish--she rarely plays. When she does play, all she needs is one hand to get paid off on, and she can move her chips around well enough to cash. I dusted off my initial buy in, and then (gulp) 3 rebuys. Volsfan took it all down--she's on a nice little heater of late, playing some damn solid poker.

Been fighting off a head cold for a couple days. Ugh. Sudafed only does so much. Think I will grab some orange juice on the way to work today, and take the offensive on getting rid of this thing.

Anyway, sorry to blog and really say pretty much nothing--that's kinda how things are rolling right now. Nice and quiet, steady and even-keeled. Feels good.

~M

Try to help a friend....

..and the cards spit in yer eye. Check this out.

Fessca (Villain) raises it to 150 (blinds 50-100). I flat-call (I'm playing for beachgal).

Flop comes off as you see it. Villain bets 200, I raise it the pot (975). Villain shoves all-in (has me covered).

What hands would I be fearing here? If Villain hit a set, he would likely check it, hoping I hit the A on the flop. If Villain hit his A, he is likely trying to see where he is (which my raise should indicate I nailed the flop in the privates). I know I have the lead with top 2 pair, as his post flop bet tells me no set is in play.

I call, and he shows me AK. I need to dodge 3 Kings with 2 cards to come. Villain picks up the straight draw on the turn, and fills on the river.

I don't know that I could have played it any better. Can't get all the chips in any better than that. Runner runner to get eliminated.

NOW I remember what I don't miss about online poker.

Sheesh.

~M

NASCAR Week behind me

Thank God. It's usually a fun week, but it's also a huge grind.

There was a big positive to come out of it. We played the ESPN Night Poker tourney on Tuesday at the media hospitality suite. I worked my normal day Tuesday (sort of, as I was in a couple hours early to head over to a luncheon and then driver interviews). Worked my shift, and then left about 10:40. Made the 20 or so minute drive to the hotel, and got into the very last qualifying tournament. I told the ESPN guy (George, a great dude in many respects), that I would be running late, and he made sure they held a seat for me. My buddy Tim came along, and he got in too, but since we were both in, they too chips off of our stacks to make things more balanced at the table. Anyway, Tim goes bust early, I'm hanging around as a short stack, and hit a big hand to triple up. That helped me finish in the top 2 in the qualifying tourney--top 2 advance to the final table. Nice.

As we start the final table, I'm looking around, and I only see one face that scares me. It's this guy that works for a TV station in Roanoke, VA. A fella named Chris, but we all called him "Commonwealth" at the table. Cool guy, and the nickname actually fit. Funny. Anyway, Commonwealth goes bust, and that was a good thing, since he won this event last year, beating me in heads-up. So now, I just need to not get caught up in a bad spot, and wait for a shot to win it. Down to 4 players, I am in the BB with A-4 suited in hearts. No raises to me, so I take the free flop. It's K hi, all hearts. YES!

I sit on it, and check. 2 checks to the SB, who bets out. Time to act....meek....and after a few seconds of thinking out loud, saying things like, "you hit 2 pair?" Or, "you wouldn't move there without SOMETHING..." I call. The other 2 fold.

Turn card is a black 2. I check, he fires again, and I continue to play the weak opponent, and after deliberating again, I just call.

River card is an A. I check once more, and this time he fires a big bet. I check raise him all in, and he calls. He turns over AK, for 2 pair, and roll over the nut flush. I say "nut flush," and he starts scooping the pot! "Whoa," I say. "I said nut flush." He looks and says, "Oh, I thought you said you had nothing." We both chuckled, and he walked off, eliminated. From there, I eliminated the 3rd place finisher as well, so once heads up began (all chips remaining on the table were 500 denom), my opponent had 1500 in chips, I had the rest.

We played one hand of HU, he had AJ and went all in for his final 1000 (from the button), and with me being the BB for 1000, it was 500 more to call. I called blind. I peek at a MONSTER!

4-2 off.

LOL. I hit the 2 and win it.

What did I win? A weekend for 4 to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg! Hotel, and park tickets taken care of. Last year's winner (which I wrote about in the blog), sponsored a child at Victory Junction Gang Camp in his name. Also a cool prize, but the family can certainly enjoy this one.

We played a cash game after the (.25/.50), and I walked away with a nice profit as well. Drunk players are so much fun to sit with. The table chatter is always entertaining, and the bad calls, and bad plays are very profitable. Anyway, I didn't get home and to sleep until 4am, and had to turn around for an early day at work for the 3rd day of the media tour. I worked a day shift, and made my way to Irish Jim's for his weekly game. I know, now, that I play poorly when I am tired, and I was beat. I busted on the bubble, knocked out 4-handed when my J-7 suited was beat by Klownboxer's K-7 off suit. It happens. He called blind, since it was (I think) 700 more to play the hand. Whatyagonnado?

Anyway, looks like I won't be at Big Kat's on Saturday. Mrs. Chipstack and I will be doing some babysitting Saturday night, and I don't think the rest will hurt me all that much. Klownboxer begins his NASCAR travails this weekend, so a Sunday game won't happen this week, or next, with Superbowl XXLII on tap--that means Irish Jim's for the annual SB bash. No poker, just a football celebration that is usually a good time.

After the low of busting early in the league event, then winning the trip, to the exhaustion I felt at Irish Jim's, taking a few weeks off is probably a good thing, so I can get focused for the February league game. I currently sit 4th in the points, and need to have some high finishes over the final 3 tourneys if I have any chance of winning POY honors.

Good luck and good cards,
~M

Well, THAT was fast...

And yes, I am talking about poker (you sickos).

January league event, that I had been looking forward to, lasted all of 38:19. Likely less, but that is when the computer said I was busted out.

Thing is, I was playing pretty well. Picked up a couple pots early, had my stack, after starting with T3K, up to about 3800, but raised in one hand with AJ, and then folded it to a re-raise from a player with JJ. Little did I know, JJ would be me undoing.

Last hand of the tourney for me:

I am in late position and look down at JJ. I raise it up, and the button flat calls.

Flop: 4-10-3, rainbow.

I bet 300, button re-raises 300 more. I call.

Turn: 3

I check, button bets 1000. I shove, he calls, and shows QQ.

DAMMIT!

Of course, I miss my 2 outer (as I should have), and was done.

It has been a long time since I was the first one busted out of a tournament, and man, do I hate that feeling. I don't mind how I went out--well, I kinda do, because I probably could have gotten away from the hand, but just didn't believe the story I was being told. That's my own stubborn self being an idiot there. My opponent played the hand well, and got the chips. Nh, sir.

Being the first one out is a stinging feeling. The feeling you get when you get caught talking in class, and sent to the principal. It's a lonely walk to that office, and the walk from the table to someplace else to contemplate your fate is identical. It's a feeling I don't want to have, ever again.

If I go out on a bad beat--as in I had the best hand, and got unlucky, then you KNOW it was out of your control. When you get played like I did, well, it's just worse.

I did have some success in the cash game afterwards, so the night wasn't a total loss, but I dropped to 3rd overall in points, and that means I have a ton of work to do if I want to win the POY title. I want that title, so much to do, there is (a little Yoda reference for ya).

There was a positive to come from the tourney. Volsfan, recently released from the hospital after having a surgery, won for the 2nd time this season. She's playing some quality poker, and the results are finally coming for her. I am happy for her, but now, she is my sworn enemy. Mortal enemy, even. I must find a way to disrupt her mojo.

OK, I'm kidding. She really is playing great, so I need to watch my back when we are at the table together.

As for poker for me, gonna be slow this week, as I have NASCAR duties this week. May try for a Sunday game, unless I make it into the field on Saturday at the Big Kat's game on Saturday. Time will tell.

Good luck and good good cards
~M

Just gotta be around it

Yep--that's me. Irish Jim held his game last night (Tuesday), and he ended up taking it down, winning the heads-up duel with Scotty. How do I know this?

Well, I was dealing.

Yep. Finished my shift at work, and headed over there. When I got there they were 5 handed, so I was dealing a good bit. Why would I deal? As the post title indicates, I just gotta be around it. I gotta be around the game. Playing it, dealing it, watching it, whatever. Plus the Smithwick's were mighty smooth too.

Irish Jim needs to retire the 2-deck set up of Copags he has in play, and put some new babies in there, or else wash the one he has going right now. They are good cards, don't get me wrong, but they are showing signs of use. That's pretty good, too, considering he plays a weekly game, and they use the same set-up until it finally kicks the bucket. He has his 1st Copag set-up basically in a shrine, as a testament to how good those cards are/were. They are retired, but a good cleaning would likely get them back in play. I have cards that are in similar condition, but I am such a card junkie (another poker habit which is impossible to break), I have plenty of back up decks.

Really looking forward to the Saturday league event. Right now 19 players, in, 3 players out for sure, a couple of maybe's and then a glut of folks that haven't indicated one way or the other. Would love to see at least 24 Saturday, but it will play out how it will play out.

Klownboxer will be hitting the racing trail soon, so I hope to scramble at least one more (maybe 2) Sunday games before we lose sight of him for another 36 race schedule.

Poker Afer Dark-Heckler's Week. Holy crap. Funny stuff. Gavin Smith, Jean-Robert Bellande, Mike Matusow, Shawn Sheikhan, Phil Hellmuth, Jr., and Sam Grizzle. Legend has it Grizzle and the Poker Brat came to blows over a disagreement. Grizzle won it, says the legend.

I love poker.

I have officially retired

It is with heavy heart, but excited eyes, that I announce my retirement from the game I love so much.

Hockey.

I am at the point now, that I can look back and say I did all I could with the tools I was given, and now, my body is telling me it's time to move on.

So much for the solemn press conference-like announcement. Basically, my old hockey knee injury came back again, and that was the sign that it was time to hang 'em up. Here's the re-creation.

I was skating with some of the Charlotte Checkers after practice on Friday. It was the first time in I-don't-know-how-long I had suited up, and was skating around a hockey rink. Everything was going fine, although I had more than my fair share of rust to knock off my old bones. Couple trips up and back, some side-to-sides (all at about 40% speed as I was just getting reacquainted with the ice). Over to the boards to stretch some (have to loosen the hamstrings and quads). Back out to shoot some pucks.

Nice.

I stop at center ice, and look around. Bobcats Arena is a beautiful facility, but even more amazing when on the ice there. Awesome. OK, enough sight-seeing. Get back to work.

I take a couple of trips to the net with pucks. Shoot high, shoot low, hit the post, hit the crossbar. All is well, and I am starting to feel more comfortable. Dig the pucks out of the net, and start it all over. I line the pucks up at the blue line to take some slap shots. Bang! Bang! Bang! One by one, they sail into the twine (no, there is no goalie there). The last shot, I take,m my knee buckles, and I hear that all too familiar "pop."

It was the same sound and sensation I had 6 years ago, when I was playing in a league in another city. Identical. I crumble to the ice, and collect myself. That's it. Game. Set. Match.

My knee has been stiff and sore the past few days, but not as bad as when I hurt it the first time. Maybe that's a good thing, and I can attempt a comeback when it feels better. For now, though, I am retired.

In some non-hockey related news, took Mrs. Chipstack out for her birthday on Saturday. Surprised her with a babysitter, which green lighted us for a nice night. Dinner, drinks, conversation. So much fun. It's nice to see her let her hair down and be the gal I fell in love with all over again. She never gets that chance with our 2 boys, so anytime I can get her away from reality, it's a great time. Vegas is that time for us also, and that's a whole week. I'll take a night here and there, just to keep her sane. Happy birthday, baby.

No poker today, in honor of her birthday weekend, but I get back on the bike next weekend with the league tourney. Looking forward to it very much, and may be able to swing a 2nd tourney the following Saturday. Still working on that one, but don't sweat it, Big Kat. I'll let you know!

Good luck, good knees and good cards,

~M

Poker After Dark

OK, OK, OK....I know, Poker After Dark has been on for a couple seasons now, and I am just getting around to checking it out. Shoot me. 2 a.m. is late for me, with my getting up early for the kids to help get them off to school. OK, in reality, I only take one to the bus, Mrs. Chipstack does everything else. Anyway, watching the latest episode, which was part of the "19th hole" theme--the starting 6 players are all in love with playing golf--had a wonderful moment between Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey. It was a brain teaser that Dolly posed to Ivey, and it went like this.

Doyle Brunson: Pick a number between 1 and 5.
Phil Ivey: OK
DB: Multiply it by 9
PI: OK
DB: Now add the two numbers you come up with together.
PI (after Doyle explains if you pick for example, the number 2, the answer of 2x9=18, so you add 1 + 8 together): OK
DB: Now subtract 5.
PI: OK
DB: Letters correspond to numbers, so A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on. Find your letter and think of a country that begins with that letter.
PI: OK
DB: Now with the last letter of the country think of an animal that begins with that letter.
PI: OK
DB: Now with the last letter of the animal, think of a fruit that begins with that letter.
PI: OK
DB: Could you be thinking about a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange?
(Laughter from around the table, as Ivey is stunned by Brunson's revelation)

Brunson later said to Ivey, "and you think you are gonna bluff me later? I can read your mind, kid."

I wondered if that was the stick response to the riddle, so I tried it out on Mrs. Chipstack as she got ready for work this morning, and it turns out, there's another answer. Another rather logical answer. Can you think of what it is?

Now, I think it's a pretty safe bet that people have seen this somewhere on the internet (this puzzle), but seeing the 73 year old Brunson chatting with one of the great players in the game about this, and then getting Ivey's complete look of disbelief....well, it was priceless.

I think going forward, I'm gonna have to record this on my DVR and watch it when I am awake. Frankly, I'm surprised I remembered the details of this as well as I did.

Make it a great Friday!
~M

New Battle Gear

My love of hockey follows me to the poker table. I love wearing my hockey jerseys when I play cards, and I added some new colors to the closet.
The blue jersey on the left is the look of the Quebec Nordiques, the NHL team that later became the Colorado Avalanche. That uniform is circa 1988. The Detroit jersey on the right is a throwback uniform from the 1991-1992 season. That year, the original 6 teams in the NHL wore throwback uniforms. I already have the Chicago Blackhawks throwback, and I have something added for that Chicago jersey, and the Detroit sweater you see there. If you notice, on the left chest, there is the captain's "C" (it's actually on both now that I look at it). On the right chest of the Detroit jersey, there is a blank space. Well, that's where the NHL's 75th anniversary patch was worn, and I actually possess 2 of those patches. I'm gonna take the patches and put them on the Chicago and Detroit jerseys. They look sweet now...complete with the 75th patch, they will rule.

I know, I am a mega-dork when it comes to hockey jerseys and the like, but I love the game. I love the speed, the power, the grace, the grit...all of it. I miss playing (but I may actually be getting back on the ice in the very near future--still need to work out some details). When it comes to my love of the jerseys, well, I just love the colors, the traditional look of them. Brings back wonderful memories for me, watching NHL games in Chicago. I am still searching for this particular Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, but I have a buddy that is going to Toronto this weekend, and I asked him to scout around and see if he could find one for me. We'll see.

OK, enough memory lane strolling. Have to get to work soon, a busy day awaits. No rounding for me this weekend, but looking forward to next weekend's January league event. Believe it or not, I miss seeing that crew--it's been just about 6 weeks since I have seen most of them, so it will certainly be a fun night of cards, no matter the outcome.

But I plan on winning again.....hee hee....

~M

*Late note--a 3rd jersey also arrived today--LA Kings alternate from last season--NICE!

Revealing the mucked hand

The guesses really didn't come here at the blog, but they did come from league members at our league site. Upon further review, I didn't make a good laydown at the time. I misplayed the hand horribly, as called out by my buddy Vito. I call it horrible--Vito didn't say that.

The button raise to me that I flat called from the BB was my mistake. I should have come over the top, rather than be cute. The term "Fancy Play Syndrome" is quite appropriate, and I am guilty as charged.

The hand I mucked? JJ

I hate that hand. Hate it, but if I re-raise pre-flop, I likely take it down without seeing a flop, OR I end up winning with the best hand (which would have been the case with an 8-high board, no straight or flush coordination).

It's a lesson we learn in poker--and if you aren't learning something in poker every time you play, you are simply not getting better. Some of the lessons are not new ones, just refresher courses. This refresher was just that.

Now, in my defense, the REASON I mucked there was simple. The player raising from the button made the same raise as he would make (from the amount to the hand/head/arm movements) with AA. He had already taken a pot from me with AA earlier in the night, so that was the read I had him on. Admittedly, I was off. He had a pocket pair, just not the monster I envisioned.

Even if he has AA in that spot, me with JJ in the BB--that's a shove. If I go broke, I go broke, but I just wasn't willing to go the distance with a hand I really don't trust.

Maybe I need to start believing in that hand a bit.

Likely no poker for me this weekend, as Mrs. Chipstack has a birthday! And no, she does not want to play cards.

Also, a quick shout out to Volsfan, as she is on the mend after going under the knife. I know she has some good pain meds, so here's to a speedy recovery. See you back at the tables sooner, rather than later.

~M

Hey there!

Welcome to 2008--a week in, and so far so good.

First home game of 2008 was a biggie--10 players crammed into the Poker parlor, and it was a night of some big hands, and tough beats.

I had 1 rebuy (go figure), and needed it when I had trip 5's lose to a river 10, making the villain a winner with a full house. C'est la vie.

After the rebuy, had a monster pot roll my way. In the BB, I had K5 suited in diamonds, no raises, so I check it. Flop comes with 3 diamonds (one of which being the ace). It gets checked around, the turn card comes off as a brick, I check again, get 1 caller on the all in, then I shove all in, and get called. The original all-in had 3-2 of diamonds for the flopped flush as well, and actually had the straight flush draw--had I not had the 5 of diamonds. The river card missed all who needed help, and I raked a monster.

Had a couple other nice pots come my way. Turned a 7 high straight with 4-7 in the hole from the BB. Called 600 more of a raise (blinds 100-200), and there were 3 limpers ahead of me in the pot. The pot, with the raise was 1700+ (antes as well), so or me 600 more into that to go prospecting wasn't too terrible (considering I had dragged the big pot earlier, and could afford 600 more).

Hand that I was kicking myself over a little came later:

Blinds 300-600/75 ante

Button raises to 1800

Me (BB) call

Limper in mid position re-pops all in for roughly 4K more. Button re-pops all in for about 9K total.

I muck.

First all-in shows AQ

Button flips over 99.

Board comes 8 high (with 8's paired), Mid-limper out, Button becomes big stack.

Any guess as to what I laid down there?

From the BB, I called the button raise, but couldn't call off another 9K to his re-re-raise. I could have, but I felt the right play was folding.

The players that were there know what I mucked, and if you have played with me you probably know what I folded also.

I'll check for comments (I get like 10 a year lol), but if there are no guesses, I'll provide the answer in the next post.

Oh, I did manage a 3rd place finish, with Jason C. finishing 2nd, and John H. taking it down.

~M

Let's try again

I tried to post on New year's Eve, but Blogger was on the fritz. So:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Anyway, the first post of 2008 finds me excited. I am excited about what the year has to offer, both at the table, and away from it. Looking forward to another wonderful trip to Las Vegas this summer, a trip to NY for a buddy's wedding, but most of all, a family junket to Disney in Florida. First family vacation (a vacation, not a trip to visit family), we've taken. Gonna be fun.


As for poker, gonna be a bit on the light side for me. Maybe something this Sunday (maybe--I have a road trip on Saturday, but could try to pull something together). The following week, I will likely be seeing my daughter (although no plans are set yet), and then the week after is January League event.


So many friends have asked me if I am watching Poker After Dark (NBC), and honestly I haven't, until recently. During Christmas (when I felt I was near death), my sleep schedule was out of whack, so I was awake when I should have been sleeping, etc. Watched some PAD, and now I know what those folks were talking about. What a fun show! I know, welcome to 2-3 years ago. Apparently, I am watching reruns at the moment, so I will be making a point to check out PAD once some new shows appear.


On the way out of this entry, a big thanks to Mrs. Chipstack. It was December 30th, 2002, when she phoned me and asked if I would fly into Chicago the next morning, and get married on January 1, 2003. I agreed, flew in, got our license on new years eve, married the next afternoon, and every day since has been wonderful.


Happy anniversary, baby. I love you.


Good luck, good cards, and Happy New Year.

~M