The Gap Concept

My latest project

2006-07-08T22:11:00.000-04:00

De-Patriotism

It looks like you won't be seeing me here for a while.

Thursday Thirteen: Buildings

2006-05-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

Another week, another Thursday Thirteen. Also, because the Thirteens are a brief list, there are usually deeper stories to go along with some of the items. If you want more of the story about something, put it in a comment and I'll put it in a post later in the week. This week, I said goodbye to two important buildings to me and my history. Here they are, along with eleven others:

1. Northeast St. Petersburg, FL - Our house. Duh.

2. Rockledge, FL - My parents' house.

3. Great Village, Nova Scotia, Canada - My grandfather's cabin on the Bay of Fundy. I've spent a lot of summers there. Where I had my first beer. Where I had outdoor sex in a field...

4. Plantation Course, Kapalua, Maui, HI - The most unbelievable golf course.

5. Fairfield Mountains, Lake Lure, NC - We spent our family vacations here, in the Smoky Mountains. It was especially great in the fall, with the change of colors and the cold weather.

6. Epsilon Hall, University of South Florida - My freshman year dorm.

7. The now former headquarters of my almost-former work, Palm Harbor, FL - Let's be honest, the place was a dump. Between the inconsistent temperature, the overflowing female toilets because chicks don't know how to dispose of their feminine products, the rat infestation of 2004, and the vending machines that never vend, I'm glad my friends are moving out of there. But it was where I got my first "real" job.

8. St. James Park Underground Station, London, UK - The gateway to the rest of London for our honeymoon. It's not the largest, most impressive tube station, but it was home for 4 days.

9. Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, London - The now former home of Arsenal. Our trip up to that neighborhood gave us a look into real, non-tourist London life. The houses seemed cramped and tiny. They go for 500,000 pounds, or about $850,000. The tour into the completely unimpressive locker room of the team made me understand why they needed a new stadium.

10. Ice Palace, Tampa, FL - While we're on sports venues. I've worked there and seen U2 twice there. And yes, I still call it the Ice Palace.

11. Estella's Mexican restaurant, Tampa & St. Petersburg, FL - Our favorite restaurant. We go there once a week, at least.

12. Golden Gate Post Office, Naples, FL - My ATM. The people there are good to me and loooove insurance.

13. The Chase Manhattan branch, somewhere on 5th Ave north of 42nd St, Manhattan, NY - Kathy and I spent the night there once. It was nice. At the time it was the only place in the city with electricity, air conditioning, and a working ATM.

Thursday Thirteen: Tough Days

2006-05-04T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today was a tough day, but necessary. Here are more of my toughest days:

1. November 15th, 2005: The day my mother was diagnosed with throat cancer.

2. September 11th, 2001: I was stuck in class, so I didn't get to see much of it as it happened. The news by mouth was scary enough.

3. Late November, 2000: The day I wrecked my car in Orlando. I still don't follow as closely to the car in front of me as I used to.

4. Early May, 1999: The day I broke up with my first love to move away. Long distance relationships don't work, especially in a dorm full of hotties. That's what I told myself.

5. Late January, 2004: The day Kathy broke up with me. Don't worry, she came begging for forgiveness three weeks later.

6. March, 2005: The day we were stuck in the Paris' Charles De Gaulle airport because they overbooked the flight back from our honeymoon.

7. November, 2001: The day the relationship I had before Kathy fell apart. Something that intense, even though it was pretty short, held a lot of pressure. Contents under pressure tend to explode.

8. January, 2002: The day I came home to find that the apartment I shared wth my roommate had flooded due to bad plumbing. All of my possessions from the first floor were crammed into my bedroom on the second floor.

9. November, 1999: The night I drank so much I thought I would have to go to the hospital. Since I was 18, I also thought I was getting arrested for underage drinking. My first real bender.

10. January 16th, 2000: My first birthday away from home. No one celebrated with me because I had pissed off most of the dorm.

11. The two weekends of insurance class. Four 10-hour days of studying fascinating things like return of premium and annuities. It was all worth it, though.

12. The night I went down to Fort Myers with my roommate. He left the party to chat up some girl, leaving me with stoners I didn't know. When they were passing the pipe, I should have tried it instead of being scared. I wonder where those guys are now and if they still know how to score a bag.

13. February 26th, 2005... just kidding, honey!

2006-05-03T22:11:00.000-04:00

Ever fart and sneeze at the same time? For a split second, it feels as if you just spontaneously exploded. Everything that was in your body is now rushing out.

Just my luck. I'm about to quit tomorrow and I spontaneously explode right in the corridor.

"Here is our memorial to our fallen product specialist, Scott. It's a Beano dispenser. You take one, and you have a chance to experience life as he did."

Simply Brilliant

2006-05-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Remember, remember

The 5th of November

Are you serious?

2006-05-01T21:19:00.000-04:00

Wifey and I run out to Starbucks (for a study break for her and a XBox Tiger Woods break for me). We go to the drive-thru one at ParkSide Mall. Gold Infiniti is ordering ahead of us. They get up to the window and the barista is dealing with the person in the back seat, a 30-ish male, while two older people are in the driver and passenger seats. After a couple of minutes, the barista returns with water in a Venti cup. The guy in the backseat asks for another paper Tall cup and some more napkins. It then takes them another minute to drive off. What the hell was that?

The scenario in my head: The two elderly people are driving around their retarded son. He wanted some Starbucks. He wanted the extra cup to share with the folks. Why does this make sense?

BECAUSE ONLY A RETARD WOULD GO TO STARBUCKS FOR WATER!

Thursday Thirteen: Office Space

2006-04-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

Kathy talked me into doing this thing. It's alright, I guess. At least I know I'll get one post out each week.

Since my week has been dominated with thoughts of working and jobs, let's do a Thursday Thirteen about my working life.

1. My first job was as a cashier at Winn-Dixie (for those who don't live in Florida, it's the most disgusting of our three/four major supermarket chains). I earned just enough money to pay for my hockey equipment before I bailed.

2. My next job was washing golf carts at the local golf course. I wasn't into golf anymore and I got fired for playing too much hockey and not being available to work.

3. I worked as a phone solicitor for a week. I tried to get people to donate to a non-profit publishing company that published a newspaper with the names and addresses of sex offenders. I thought I would never sell again...

4. After the solicitation experience, I went back to the golf course and begged for my job back. I got it and took as many shifts as I could get. I soon got back into golf (since it was free, I might as well). Those couple of years was the best years of working I've ever had. We had so much fun. Having the girlfriend come by when it was slow was a good benefit as well...

5. I had to quit to move away to college. At my going-away party, I got trashed for the first time. My boss had some North Carolina moonshine in his garage. We played a dart game and the loser had to drink the jar. I suck at darts.

6. I next worked as an usher at the Ice Palace. I saw every Lightning home game that year (when they sucked) and some great concerts... well, one great concert, one concert where I caught a contact high, and lots of terrible ones. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Jimmy Buffett, and N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, respectively.

7. I worked as a courier at a law firm downtown. That was fun. I could spend hours screwing around, and then get back to the office and blame it on traffic.

8. I nearly asked a girl out from the office, but she had a kid and I was 19. That was too much to think about. She was cute, though.

9. After a house party, some co-workers and I went down to the club. This led to the underage drinking, getting thrown out of Empire, and running from the cops incident.

10. Next, I worked in IT at another law firm. My boss was a Croatian, and I fear he has shaped my opinion of Eastern Europe as a whole. World-class asshole.

11. A newly-divorced attorney constantly flirted with me. She was 30+, but she was hot. Fortunately, I was only single for three weeks during that job and couldn't close that deal.

12. I only made friends at that job on my last day. It was sort of sad that it took me leaving for me to get to know everybody.

13. My current job has been well covered in this blog. The only thing I haven't discussed about it is that I'm quitting next week!

Stole this from Kelly on MySpace

2006-04-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

Type your FIRST REACTION when you hear these 35 words (don't spend time thinking - just your gut reaction please):

1. I need: sleep

2. Sex: yeah buddy!

3. Relationships: are what it's all about

4. Your Last Ex: hasn't changed

5. Power: = $

6. Marijuana: close, but no cigar

7. Crack: is whack

8. Food: lunch

9. This President: retard

10. War: retarded

11. Cars: blue and green

12. Gas Prices: fuck that

13. Halloween: Michael Myers

14. Bon Jovi: How are they still on the radio?

15. Religion: everyone needs something

16. MySpace: so many people, so little time

17. Worst Fear: death

18. Marriage: highly recommended

19. Fashion: Target

20. Brunettes: sure, why not?

21. Redheads: sure, why not?

22: Work: sucks

23: Pass the time: at work

24: Football: Arsenal

25: One night Stands: those days are past

26: Pet Peeve: slow drivers in the left lane

27: Pixie Stix: legal crack

28: Vanilla Ice: Surreal Life

29: Porta Potties: Hard-Fi concert

30: High school: horrible for 3 1/2 years, awesome for six months

31: Pajamas: no thanks

32. Wood: penis

33. Surfers: losers

34. Pictures: surrounded by them

35. First Love: Cathy

How Ironic

2006-03-30T20:38:00.000-05:00

On her birthday, she finds out she'll be having many more.

Happy birthday, Mommy! Can't wait for next year's.

You should need a license to have kids

2006-03-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

Parents jailed over fire deaths

So let me get this straight. Even these two retards' defense attorney admits that these people are stupid, actually formulating his defense around this fact. And it looks like he was successful; only two years for the mother who taught the two-year-old to play with matches as a "party trick"?!? The father only gets a year because he was a drunk who couldn't be bothered to raise his children?!? Sometimes even Britain is too liberal for me...

You can thank me later

2006-03-13T18:32:00.000-05:00

Allow me to unfurl my musical maven resume:

I had Maroon 5's album in February 2003. When did you have it?
"High" was the first single released by James Blunt, not "You're Beautiful". I know that because I heard it in July. Thankfully, I don't need Oprah to pick my music for me.
If you like "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall, wait until "Suddenly I See" and "Under the Weather".
The Arctic Monkeys' second single, "When the Sun Goes Down", is better than "Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor". You'll hear it in a couple of months...everywhere.

Of course, I have BBC Radio 1 to thank for most of that knowledge (I don't remember how I got turned on to Maroon 5 so early).

With that being said, I give you Hard-Fi. Wifey is good enough to go with me to their show at Jannus Landing next week. I'm sure the only other people there will be other British pop music dorks like me.

Damn, someone already stole our theoretical male child's name!

2006-03-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

(Third story down)
Man faces jail time for selling crack

"Lando Calrissian was a black guy! He got to fly the Millenium Falcon!"
"Shut the fuck up!"

The greatest invention since Al Gore's Internet

2006-03-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

Once in a lifetime, an invention comes around that changes the world and saves the human race time that can be better spent surfing around for porn or playing Tiger Woods golf. Past inventions of this nature include the internal combustion engine, commuter aircraft, and cellular telephones. Here is the next great invention:

So let me get this straight: I no longer need to wash my pits and other crevasses, wash my face, and then wash my hair? I can just dump this stuff on top of my head, rub it in a little bit, rinse, and I'm done? Brilliant!

The stars come out for Coldplay

2006-03-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

It was nice of Ricky Gervais, formerly David Brent in the British version of The Office, to show up for the Coldplay gig last night. He's even wearing a Manchester United shirt!

Pretty close, right?

(No, it's not really him, but he looked close enough to make Carlee flirt with him a little bit to let her take his picture. I'm always on the lookout for hot boyfriends for my sister.)

THE List

2006-01-22T22:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Kerri. I've been waiting to organize this:

"THE" List

1. Rachel Weisz
2. Scarlett Johansson
3. Keira Knightley
4. Maria Sharapova
5. Sarah Alexander
6. Angelina Jolie (The fear of catching something drops a person)
7. Diora Baird
8. Beyonce
9. Shakira
10. Natalie Portman

$20,000 in premium is nice, but...

2006-01-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

This is better:

Here's what I learned about snow tonight: For it to come around, it has to be really freakin cold! I made it about three minutes before running back into the hotel. Not enough to make a snow man, but at least I've finally seen it.

Proof once again that I can easily get lost in the Wikipedia

2006-01-11T20:43:00.000-05:00

Let's all now belatedly mourn Mike the Headless Chicken (1945-1947)

Hopefully there's lots of little grubs and stuff for Mike to eat (or have syringed into his little neck) in the Great Beyond. Godspeed, brave chicken!

In England, these are called "meme"'s

2006-01-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago:
Nearly turned 15
Freshman in high school
Right around this time I watched my first hockey game (Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers)
Beer of choice: Nonexistant

Five years ago:
Nearly turned 20
Sophomore in college
Living in a dirty apartment on 50th Street in Tampa
Having a great time dating around
Mixing prescription drugs and alcohol occasionally
Beer of choice: Red Dog!
Played way too much video game golf, football, and WWF wrestling

One year ago:
Nearly turned 24
Nearly married
Finally settled into the new house
Beer of choice: Heineken
Still playing video game golf

Five Yummy Things:
1. Starbucks Grande Sweetened Black Iced Tea
2. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha
3. Estella's Enchilada & Burrito combo
4. Ruth's Chris steak
5. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream

Five songs I know by heart:
1. Sarah McLachlan - Possession
2. U2 - Beautiful Day
3. Robbie Williams - Angel
4. Coldplay - Shiver
5. U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Five things I would do with a lot of money:
1. The best medical care in the world
2. Pay off our debts
3. Flat in London (near Piccadilly Circus or in The City near St. Paul's)
4. Condo in Las Vegas (off-strip, but near the center)
5. Aston Martin Vanquish

Five things I would never wear:
1. Banana hammock
2. Ass-less chaps
3. Women's underwear
4. A Rolling Stones t-shirt
5. Pink

Five Favourite TV shows:
1. Coupling
2. The Office
3. Entourage
4. The Sopranos
5. NFL Primetime

Five things I enjoy doing:
1. Sex
2. Sex with my wife
3. Sex with my wife and another woman
4. Travelling
5. Travelling to Starbucks

Five people I want to inflict this on:
The five people who read this blog

Bots suck

2006-01-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that while I was away these crazy advertising bots spammed my comments. I've had to take the step of making a prospective commenter perform a word verification (you know, the computer will show you a word in a funky, wavy font and you have to retype the word to enter a comment). Sorry for the inconvenience.

I guess I owe my blog an apology

2006-01-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

You will see some posts below that weren't there before. As some of you know, my family is facing a huge challenge right now. I haven't blogged since Diagnosis Day, except for two posts in a blog that I was keeping separate. I wanted to keep the cancer experience aside from the usual fun nature of this blog. I realize now that there was no need to do that. Life comes with fun and nervousness, humor and pain. For this blog to be the true time capsule that it has been up to this point, the most desperate time in my life must be included. I'll try to keep up as time will allow.

2005-12-20T22:55:00.000-05:00

Friday Morning: Mom goes for first radiation treatment
Friday, 1 p.m.: Mom is admitted to the hospital because she has stopped breathing

Now, three days later, no one really knows why she started having trouble breathing. The bottom line was that she needed a semi-planned trach tube inserted and she cannot, as of now, speak. We'll work on the speaking part and the hospital has already fixed her malnutrition. It could have been worse, especially if she was at home for the episode instead at an outpatient surgery center near the hospital. But no one is ever prepared to see their mother hooked up to more machines than you can count, blood being coughed out of a hole in her throat.This was just a setback.

The enemy is still moving, and we're still mobilizing for the battle. The second radiation treatment starts tomorrow, followed by the first chemo dose on Thursday. Although her internal chemistry seems more balanced now, no one is quite sure what to expect when 20 years of drinking meets the most powerful drugs, some of them classified as radioactive material, known to man. All we can do is keep working, not on false positivity but on keeping our eyes on the prize. Victory is worth so much more when you respect the opponent.

This is a public service announcement:I know she did this to herself.
It doesn't mean it hurts her, or me, any less.

If this conversation happens one more time, I'm going to stop talking to people about it:
"So what's going on with your mom?"
*I give an abbreviated synopsis, depending on the medical knowledge of the other person*
"I'm so sorry. Did she smoke?"
"Yeah. 25 years."
"Oh," and the sympathetic look on their face softens a little.

Take my quiz

2005-12-11T19:49:00.000-05:00

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

The Beginning...

2005-12-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

On November 15th, 2005, my mother was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx, particularly the vocal cords. After a month and a half of doctors chasing after one test after another, it finally became real. Anyone who heard her talk over the last few months could tell something wasn't right, and their thoughts probably went straight to cancer when they added up the family history (her father, my grandfather, died of throat cancer), the number of years she has been a heavy smoker (30), and the number of years she's been a heavy drinker (15). But let this be known: even when you expect it, it comes as a shock.

No other day has changed my life like that day. I was recently married in March, but that day was prepared for months and I expected it after about a month of knowing my future wife. Diagnosis Day was quite different. She originally had just another appointment with another doctor trying to figure out what was going on with her voice. When my father called me at my office (for the first time in my two years at that company), I knew things had changed. We talked briefly about the very preliminary prognosis and what kind of treatment options she had, then we hung up. I sat at my desk, not really thinking of much of anything (or, perhaps, everything all at once), then I excused myself and took a walk outside. I called my wife, trying to keep it together for her, then went back into the office.I called an emergency meeting for me and my three immediate bosses. I work as a software developer for pathology labs, conveniently enough. My bosses are all veterans of path labs throughout the country and have seen every type of cancer and thousands of patients dealing with it. I asked them first to be understanding if over the next few months I would need days off without much warning. Secondly, I wanted to hear the straight truth about what we could expect over the course of this ordeal. I won't go into all of it, but that conversation started me on my current path of exhaustive research. The only thing I could do aside from being there for my mother was to know as much as possible.Since then, any good news that we have received has immediately been followed with more bad news.

Luckily, she has been enrolled for treatment at Shands Medical Center in Gainesville, FL, considered by everyone to be the leading cancer treatment center in the southeastern US. Although our current treatment path includes a complete larynectomy followed by radiation and perhaps chemotherapy, I'm trying to remain optimistic. If she cannot be healed by the doctors at Shands, it was not possible to heal her at all.I have another blog, which is about more fun things like poker and football, but everyone close to me reads that blog. I wanted to keep a blog of this experience for myself, to record the thoughts I have that may not be suitable for everyone to know about. If someone does happen to stumble on this, I hope it serves as an educational tool for someone going through a similar experience. Nothing is ever the same after a cancer diagnosis, whether it's yours or someone close to you. The one thing that has become the most apparent is that you're never alone. You become a member of a community, and there are more resources out there than you can possibly imagine.

To my wife on the day after her birthday

2005-11-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

Kathy,

Somehow, you always end up making your birthdays more special for me and the other people around you then we do for you. And then when add on the fact that every birthday of mine that you create for me ranks as my favorite 3 birthdays and you see just how special of a person you are. Totally selfless and incredibly creative when it comes to making other people feel welcome, feel appreciated, and feel loved.

You know when I told you I loved you that first time, but you don't know when I fell in love with you. It was our first Christmas together, two weeks after we met, when you spent an entire Saturday afternoon baking cookies for everyone in my family (people you had not yet met). That's when they fell in love with you, too, by the way :-)

I don't have to tell you that this past week was one of the worst I have ever had, but it would have been totally demoralizing without you to comfort me, keeping my head up, and keeping me busy. Our young life together faces a big challenge, but I have no doubt we all will emerge stronger than we were before because of the confidence you give me every morning. I wake up, get ready, and sit next to you on the bed. You tell me you love me. That's everything I need to conquer the day.

I love you, not so much for the things you give me (which are too many to mention), but for the things you constantly give everyone around you. Every day, even on the days you think are terrible, you make my world a better place.

All day, every day, I love you

Scott

Since I have nothing else to write about...

2005-11-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

1. What did you do last night?
*Watched the Bucs win then watched my boy Hines Ward score me 18.5 fantasy points!

2. Who was the last person you called?
*Rick, inviting him and Kerri to breakfast, 11 a.m. yesterday morning. You guys missed out on IHOP.

3. What does the 7th text on your phone say?
*Is this British? That's the only people I know who use text messaging.

4. When was the last time you thought about your ex?
*When I found out she had gotten married.

5. When was the last time you got hurt?
*I bruised my knee a little bit about a month ago. Hurting myself would require physical activity, which I just don't do.

6. When was the last time you cried?
*At my wedding, but I have a feeling another one's coming...

7. When was the last time you lost something?
*I lost in fantasy football last week (not this week, bitches!)

8. What are you listening to right now?
*Peter Forsburg yammer on about how good the Flyers are, during the 2nd intermission of the Lightning game

9. Why did your last relationship end?
*She was either too young or I was too old

10. What do you like the most about the opposite sex?
*Smile, legs, boobage, and that ass

11. Where was the best date you've ever been on?
*A Buccaneer demolition of Atlanta for my Christmas present in the Super Bowl year

12. What was the favorite thing a guy/girl bought for you?
*See above

13. Do you date more than one person at once
*Never have

14. What was the last movie you watched?
*Ocean's Twelve on Cinemax

15. What was the last t.v show?
*Official TV show? Family Guy last night

16. What do you want for your b-day?
*I need new clothes, man

17. What are you doing tonight?
*Watching the Lightning/Flyers game

18. When will be the next vacation?
*Camping, Connecticut, San Francisco, and Alaska. Hopefully Vegas, too.

19. How do you feel right now?
*Tired, but I'm pretty happy since the Bolts are up 3-2 and I won in FF

20. Who do you think will take this next?
*Isn't Rick the only person left?

Fuck You, Priest Holmes!

2005-11-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

Here is my own little homage to Priest Holmes, also known as "Fantasy Team Destroyer". My analytical mind knew better than to draft you #4 this year. But my scouting showed that your knee problems were a thing of the past and you had the best offensive line in the NFL. I could have had Edgerrin James!!! But no, you have to quit in the middle of the season (for the third time in the past three seasons) because of a concussion?!? Eric Lindros has had like 40 concussions and he's still playing in the NHL! He's a little retarded, but he still can skate. Here's hoping you and your ass-pal Ahman Green have a fun time in rehab. I hope you're just as productive next year... on someone else's team!

Best wishes,
Scott

Fine, I'll do it

2005-10-13T21:09:00.000-04:00

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
I've been chased, but they never got close enough to search me.
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
Yes, but not out of fear.
3. When's the last time you've been sleigh riding?
Never even seen snow...
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Someone else other than my wife? Can she be there too?
5. Do you believe in Ghosts?
Ghosts are just a representation of the Force, so yes.
6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Occasionally
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
I'm white, aren't I?
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
I'd marry Jen, but I'd...question #4 with Angelina.
9. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics?
I thought I did, until 2000. Now the only party I hate more than the Republicans is my own weak-ass party. I wonder if I can register as "Labour" for the next election.
10. Do you know how to play poker?
Poker games I play well:
No-limit hold 'em
Limit hold 'em
Pot-limit hold 'em
Pot-limit Omaha
Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or better
Seven Card Stud
Games I'll play only if I'm drunk:
Deuce-to-Seven Lowball
Razz
Follow the Queen

Was that too much detail?
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
48, no. 24 several times.
12. Do you kill bugs that are in the house?
Kathy won't stop screaming if I don't.
13. Have you ever cheated on a test?
Haven't really needed to.
14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around, do you go through red lights?
Yes. I've done it in the middle of the day.
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Constant masturbation? Well, guess everyone knows now...
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
All Yankee fans are jackoffs
17. Have you ever Ice Skated?
Yeah, still can.
18. How often do you remember your dreams?
50/50
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you were crying?
Lesbian Spank Inferno
20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
She Loves You, Yesterday, Yellow Submarine,
Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love
22. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes.
23. Do you know who Ba-Ba-Booey is?
He's the retard from Howard Stern, right?
24. Do you always wear your seatbelt?
Yes
25. What talent do you wish you had?
Play guitar
26. Do you like Sushi?
Never tried it, but I can't really imagine I would. Bait is for other fish to eat.
27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
Once
28. What do you wear to bed?
Boxers and a t-shirt
29. Have you ever been caught stealing?
Yes
30. Does size matter?
That's what I hear
31. Do you truly hate anyone?
I don't want to name names...
32. Rock and Roll or Rap?
Both
33. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Katie Holmes. Just kidding, honey... I guess Angelina Jolie or "Susan" from Coupling
34. Do you have a relative in prison?
I'm surprised my grandfather hasn't made it yet...
35. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror like your favorite singer?
Oh yeah
36. Do you know how to play chess?
Yeah
37. What food do you find disgusting?
Eggs
38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours?"
No
39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
All in good fun...
40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
No, I don't think so.
41. Have you ever been punched in the face?
No
42. When is the last time you threw up from drinking to much?
Like four years ago? Stoli Raspberry Vodka and Vicodin, mmmmmm
43. Have you ever walked out on a movie at the theater?
No
44. Do you ever sit through a bad movie, just to see how bad it can get?
Oh yeah
45. Would you consider yourself obsessed with anything?
Yeah, probably poker or fantasy football
46. Have you ever met someone famous that you really wanted to meet?
No, not really
47. Have you ever been stood up?
No, but I've done it before to someone else
48. When's the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs?
Stanley Cup Playoffs
49. Did you ever do something that you didn't want to, just to fit in?
How did you find out about my high school?
50. Do you consider yourself "the biggest fan" of something?
My wife and U2

How to move

2005-08-21T09:48:00.000-04:00

Over the past week or so, I moved my account over to UltimateBet. It wasn't because of a bonus, like some of you whores may think. It was really a matter of the GUI interface at PokerRoom. Many people have raved that the hand percentages come up when you get it all-in. It's a neat little feature that lends itself to a more TV-like presentation. If they really wanted to be TV-like, though, they should show me the percentages at all points in a hand, but make that feature only available for me. I wrote the system admins about that. They didn't respond.

So the percentages come up and everyone at the table can see who's the favorite and who is the underdog at this particular point of the hand. It is educational, and it is sort of fun, but the problem came when I was the favorite. Two weekends ago I played three SNGs straight on Sunday afternoon. Each time, of course, I was knocked out before the money. Each time, when I got it all-in, I was at least a 2-1 favorite to win the hand at the time. Subconsciously, I started questioning the random draw. Although PokerRoom goes out of their way to produce three-year-old documentation of an audit of their draw (http://www.pokerroom.com/main/page/games/cardStats), I wasn't convinced. People started making noises at the tables about how PokerRoom may want to keep the hands close just to add to the excitement of the experience. If your underdog opponent needed a runner-runner flush, you can bet he would at least get his card on the turn just to "get the percentages closer". I'm embarrassed, but this all got in my head to the point where I thought I may need a clean break.

Unlike my other, unsuccessful attempts at moving, the move to UltimateBet has been for the most part successful. Perhaps not profitable, but that's simply because I'm playing inconsistently. Here are the steps I took, which are good whenever you are evaluating a new site.

1. Play some free games
Playing the freebies may not give you the greatest insight into the skills of the players at the particular site (players are obviously looser when not playing for real), but it will give you information about the user interface, what options are available for the display and how easy they are to change, and if there are any special buttons or features during the game. For example, UB has a "bet the pot" button, where PokerRoom does not. That may change your decision-making a little, as it may be the default action for a player who bet before the flop.

2. Observe the game at the level you will play
How many people are out at the first level (SNGs, obviously)? When does the first real inflection point come in (for those that have not read Harrington, an inflection point is when the rise of the blinds starts endangering the average stack at the table to the point where play starts getting looser)? If you don't like how the game is being played, the site may not be for you.

3. Play a few games for real, but at a lower level
Play the $5.50 rather than the $11 for a few games (again, SNGs). Of course we're looking for results, especially since you are against what should be less talented players, but we're also looking for your ability to change your game to meet the tournament structure. During the previous step, it was one thing to notice when the inflection point occurs, but it's another to actually position yourself correctly during the game for real. This is also a time to work on your table image, because you may be seeing these people again.

When contemplating a move to another site, the more information you have the better off you are. It seems like all sites are fundamentally the same (it is, after all, just poker), but some have grown in different ways and run their sites and tournaments in a different manner. But unlike what some people may say, there is not a site out there that is 100% fish and donkeys. Believe me, I've looked.

He should have gone broke

2005-08-03T18:09:00.000-04:00

I was accosted today in the hallway at work.
"Did you see the game last night?" asked Big John, not to be confused with Flamboyant John, both of whom are regulars at the work poker game.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"That was some hand, huh?" If you watched the circuit event last night on ESPN, you no doubt know which hand he was speaking of. Prahlad Friedman had KJ offsuit, Chris Ferguson held AT. The flop came A-J-A, with a turn of A, and the river was a K. Jesus strung the poor bastard along the whole way, eventually taking half of Prahlad's stack. The amazing thing, though, was that Friedman did not push it all in, especially at the river when there was only one card in the entire deck that could have beat his aces full of kings.
"Jesus really knows how to play. Quad aces! Can you believe it?" as if Jesus used his notable skills as a poker player to somehow will the deck into flopping him a set, then filling it out on the turn. Ferguson may hold a doctorate, but he's not a Jedi.
"John, the impressive thing about that hand was that Friedman didn't go broke. Ferguson took a lot of money from him, but you expect that from him. He knew how much to bet to get Prahlad to stay around. But you know that if anyone from our regular game was in Friedman's situation, we would have pushed in sooner or later, and would have been broke."
Big John thought for a second.
"Not me. I would have sniffed that out."

A funny thing happened in Ocala...

2005-07-30T19:52:00.000-04:00

So, like the title suggests, a funny thing happened when I was on a trip to Ocala last weekend: I might have stopped at exit 350, but my game just kept on going. It's probably to Canada by now. I hope the person that's using it is having a good time. Seriously, though, I was up there pimpin my insurance (perhaps that can be my cool poker nickname; the Insurance Pimp) and I brought along my mother-in-law's circa 2001 laptop to pass the time in the hotel room when I wasn't at the post office. Although I appreciate the use of it, I fully blame it and its 128 Mb of RAM for losing half my bankroll in the past week. Here's why. Because of its lack of speed, I got out of rhythm on PokerRoom. I surmise that rhythm is not only possible in online poker, but it's also a very important factor. Think about it. Pretty much the only tell you have when playing online is how fast an opponent makes a move. If they're quick to call a bet, for example. When this laptop would delay the time between players to 4-5 seconds, it was almost impossible to discern a difference in decision time. So, you may ask, why has that translated into you playing poorly when you came back home? Well, because I had so much time between moves, I got into the dreaded habit of over-thinking myself. Even though I may have had a solid read on an opponent's hand, I would think myself out of the correct play. This has followed me back home, to the point where I am once again focusing on the basics, playing simply, not getting cute, and trying to trust my reads. As we know from my previous low periods, this is a process that takes a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, I'm down half a bankroll.

Another interesting thing has happened this week. After finishing Harrington Volume Two, I looked at the poker shelf of the bookstore and found nothing else worth reading. I doubt any other book that I haven't read can come close to the insight found in Harrington's two books. So what have I done? I've gone back to reading fiction, for the first time since I started poker. If you're at all curious about how my college dorm experience was, Joe College by Tom Perrotta is as close as I've found (and that includes my own memoir that I wrote about the experience). I'm looking forward to reading his other offerings.

"Is St. Paul's still standing?"

2005-07-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a while. We've had some dominant news.

No kidding. A couple of people asked me why I didn't come out with a heartfelt tribute to London after the bombings last week, considering how much I love that city after our trip. There were a few reasons, mainly that I couldn't think of anything that would accurately portray how that day went for me, starting with when I found out. There is one thing I want to say. On 9/11, I was scared. More scared than I had ever been. If you think back, the future (which I was spending my time in college trying to build) wasn't very clear that day. No one really knew what would happen after that. Everything from World War III to business as usual was going through my head when I finally went to bed. We ended up with something in the middle. But the fear overtook any anger I might have had.

London was different, probably because unfortunately we had seen it all before. But that day, I was quite angry. I was ready to enlist (in the British Army, of course. I wasn't angry enough to call Bush my commander-in-chief). I guess, completely selfish that I am, I was angry because the spineless terrorists took away the pristine London that I remembered. Now I can't think about the great times we had speeding along in the tubes without being remembered of something else. But London will be fine, so long as St. Paul's Cathedral is still standing. That's what Churchill said.

How did your review go?

My most prevalent score was an 8, which stood for "Meets expectations". I guess if I keep meeting expectations, they won't fire me before I'm ready to leave. Like I mentioned before, that's usually my goal going into a day. I did take time out during my review meeting to try and explain why I don't stay after for overtime usually, unlike the rest of the team who stay over just because they think it makes them look good. I explained that I drive a long way to get there every morning and unless there's some crucial deadline, I would rather spend time at home with my family then make myself look better in case the benevolent owners of our company decide to throw $250 around for bonuses again. As you can see, my mindset hasn't changed.

I guess not. But they are moving the company for you.

Yeah, I guess they are. They found a nice building to move to that would cut my drive in half. I guess this fits into the owners long-term plans for growing a company that's already of an unmanageble size for them already. I just wish they would have moved a year ago. Too bad under my current plans that I'll be spending no more than a month or two there before I bid them adieu. The insurance world beckons, even if my drive is only 15 minutes. That's still 14:30 more than it takes to get to my home office.

Another World Series has come and gone...

I was excited. This was the first World Series where I was actively following it. Remember, I didn't start playing last year until it was already over. I first have to thank Pauly for his unbelievable coverage. I really got the feeling that I was there. He gave so much more depth to it than ESPN will in their coverage, I'm sure.

Our World Champion really becomes an ambassador for our game for the next year. I've been thinking today about whether having another "amateur" win is good for the game. Every game needs recognizable faces who compete at the highest levels week in and week out. But at the same time, the fact that some guy can just buy-in and compete on a world-class level is what is drawing so many of our beloved fish to the tables, both online and B&M. There was an article in Playboy this month about them sending a guy to play in the PartyPoker Million cruise, and he equated the experience to being able to spend $10,000 and play in the Masters.

I do have to say it was nice to see Raymer make a good showing. He would have made the final table if it wasn't for that wicked beat. Read the recap from Pauly on the day before the final table and you'll see what I mean. Phil Ivey had a chance. Matusow seemed to benefit from the no cursing rule this year. If, for the first time, every other word out of his mouth isn't "fuck", I think he found he could focus a little better and be calmer. I guess one of the benefits of censorship is that Mike Matusow becomes a better poker player, if you can call that a benefit.

How about Karl Rove?

It's a damn shame. He's a fine American, a patriot. He's also a bigot, a religious zealot, and a Rasputin-like poisoner of the American people, but that's neither here nor there. Unfortunately, the Republicans haven't gotten around to re-writing the laws governing intelligence leaks yet (don't think they won't try). There's just been too much other governmental policy to destroy. I know that treason in the name of political revenge is an applauded action in Republican circles, but I'm not sure the grand jury is going to see it that way. I just hope the president didn't know anything about this. He's as honest as they come, so he would have told us about this sooner if he knew. If he did know, he would be subject to impeachment. And, unlike Clinton's inability to keep it in his pants, this offense just isn't important enough to put the country through those hearings. We've got a war to fight, and by that I mean whichever country is next on the agenda.

One year ago...

2005-07-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, I started playing poker. Kathy and I were going out at night to watch the fireworks with some friends, but until then I was completely bored. Because it was July, the only thing on was baseball, which I hate watching on TV, and the 2003 World Series of Poker. So I kept it on, watching Sam Farha play nearly every pot and Moneymaker seem to have an answer for him every time. I watched for about a hour, trying to get the hand rankings right and wondering why they were betting so much money (of course, I found out later that the money representation was in tournament chips, not cash. The winner only made 2.5 million that year, but they were betting that amount plus more in every pot.). After the hour, I did what I always do when I'm watching something exciting. I went to go do it myself. That started at a early age, which is how I picked up golf when I was two. Ask my parents to tell you the story of swinging sticks at pinecones after watching a tournament on TV. So, because Moneymaker was wearing a PokerStars hat, I started an account with them. I started playing the free NL ring games, eventually moving on to SNGs. I guess I was the prototypical child of the poker boom; watch the guy scoop pots worth millions, get interested, start an account with the website on his hat, become an addict.

I can safely say that that day changed my life. Unlike some of the other "hobbys" I've engrossed myself in for a period of time (guitar, soccer, guitar again, bass, etc.), poker has obviously stayed around. I never played with those other things more than a few months. Poker has been around for a year and does not show any signs of slowing down. Kathy and I plan trips around it. We came close to calling off the wedding because of it. I've felt incredibly energized (walking back from the Luxor after coming in 4th in Vegas, doubling my bankroll in one weekend, every time I'm reading a great poker book) and I've felt incredibly down (going broke, more than once). Except for personal relationships, nothing has provided such a range of feelings and challenges for me. There are posts in this journal explaining why I keep playing (see
Know Thyself... and I guess David Williams, too, among others). The fact that I'm treating today as a celebration is a sign that I don't regret one second of the past year, including the hours upon hours I've sat by myself on the computer. I know it's for a greater purpose than making money.

Let's go through the numbers from the past year:

Sites played on (money deposits, only): 4 (PokerRoom, Party, Full Tilt, PokerStars)
Poker books owned: 14 (favorite: Harrington on Hold'Em)
Times gone broke: 2 (once on Party, once during my stint at Derby Lane)
Different games played: 1 (this year, I promise to learn more than just Hold'Em)
Flushes chased: too many
Flushes caught: not enough
One year of developing skills and talents I didn't think I had: Priceless

So today, instead of my usual diet of playing on PokerRoom, I put a little money in PokerStars and I'm spending the day there. Hopefully that will become a yearly tradition. Even if I'm successful (Every Year, WSOP Champion Plays $5 Sit-n-Gos at PokerStars on July 4th). Sometimes it really isn't too late to go back to where you began.

Review Time

2005-06-30T20:45:00.000-04:00

*Editor's Note: I'm going to experiment with a new style here on the ole blog. I always wanted to be interviewed...*

What do you think about the performance reviews coming up at work?
I'm not concerned for two reasons: my two other jobs (the "selling insurance and making more money than the real job" job and the playing poker job), and that we're all fighting for raises and bonuses that last year didn't equal the rise of inflation.

Do you think you'll do well?
Like I said, I don't really care. I do have to state that I believe I'm the most efficient, talented, and capable member of my team (aside from Karen, the team leader and my mentor).

Do you put in as much effort as the others?
Hell no.

Half as much?
Maybe, if the drive to work wasn't too taxing.

That's not like you, is it?
No, I normally have the best work ethic of anyone I know, except for Kathy. I still do, just in the things I'm really interested in. I have no trouble waking up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning in some strange hotel room to go sell insurance. I have no trouble wading through a poker book every week. I don't even mind mowing the grass. But it's human nature that, when you find yourself in a meaningless enterprise that is only benefitting the upper echelon of the company and you have an eventual way out, that you check out mentally.

But you said your performance is excellent.
Yes, it is. It doesn't take much to beat the other people on the team. They are usually too busy fighting with each other and everyone else to get any serious work done.

So you're "mailing it in"?
You could say that. It's actually quite refreshing going into work not being affected by the things that they usually hold over their servants' heads, like raises and bonuses. I make more than my bonus from last year in one mediocre Saturday morning. And they won't fire me because I'm doing a good enough job and the team is short-staffed as it is. So it's just a wait until Kathy and I have enough insurance clients.

How did poker go this week?
Those of you quick enough to read this blog Saturday might have seen that I wrote a post boasting about how I had doubled my bankroll last week with my stellar play. After that post, I promptly lost a quarter of the BR last weekend. I quickly deleted the post in some sort of karmatic purge and made a concerted effort to get back to basics. Tuesday night I won an $11 SnG good for $50. Tonight I got sucked out on twice when I was all-in, once in a duel between AQ and KJ when he flopped a K. The second was a terrible suck out when I went in with QQ, got called by 99, the flop came 9-A-A, and the guy caught a 9 on the river. So it's been up-and-down.

What do you think about Johnny Chan winning his 10th bracelet?
Crazy shit, man. I can barely picture myself with one. Good for him. At least it wasn't Hellmuth. He would be insufferable as the lone record-holder.

Any predictions for the Main Event?
Yes...I see... some donkey from Kansas who qualified in a tournament on UltimateBet or PokerStars for $2.50 winning the cash and then doing nothing else on the circuit. At least Moneymaker made a final table on the WPT last season. Where the hell are you, Raymer?

An Open Letter to: Tom Cruise

2005-06-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

Mr Cruise:

Let me begin by stating that I am a big fan of your work. Top Gun is one of my favorite movies, and I have already spoken earlier in this blog about the profound affect the first Mission:Impossible had on me. I even liked Magnolia, even though not many other people did. Vanilla Sky was a little bit too much to swallow, but everyone makes mistakes. I once played in a 6/12 game with only $100, for example. I'm not sure if you play poker, but that's bad. Luckily I ended up ahead that evening, but I digress.

I am a natural cynic who prides himself on seeing through the bullshit of Hollywood. I go to you people to be entertained for a couple of hours, not to live my life through you like so many other people do. I don't care if Brad's with Angelina, or Jennifer, or you for that matter (all I know is I'm not with Angelina, and that's too bad). So when I heard of your relationship with Katie Holmes, I dismissed it as a simple publicity stunt to garner attention for your upcoming movies (I was going to see Batman Begins and War of the Worlds anyway, so you didn't have to go that far).

One of the keys to my successful marriage so far is a common understanding between my wife and I that there are certain females in Hollywood that will get my attention no matter what rancid piece of shit they may be in. I call these women "My Harem". The roster currently includes Keira Knightley, Rachel Weisz, Scarlett Johansson, and Katie. My wife also has a roster, but guys don't really have an equivelent to a harem so she calls it something else that she hasn't told me about. Her guys include Ryan Phillippppppeeeeepeeppee and Matt Damon. For some reason, she doesn't like you much. You can't win 'em all, right Tom?

Back to my point, I really don't mind that you've stolen one of my haremettes. You're super-rich, I play $5 sit-n-gos with regularity. You are mega-successful, I play $5 sit-n-gos with regularity. You're single, I'm married (I win that one). What I cannot understand is Katie's willingness to join your eccentric cult-like religion/self-help regime. So please, make sure she's not the next young female that ends up dead at the hands of our neighbors from Clearwater (thought we would forget about that, didn't you?) And what was with you calling out Brooke Shields? If you wanted to wail on someone without a career, you could have just walked down the street and kicked a bum in the nuts. People would be less annoyed with you.

Best of luck in all future endeavours,

Scott

Vegas Trip Report - Part II

2005-06-07T20:09:00.000-04:00

Saturday, May 28th

The first breakfast of the trip also happened to be at the venue for the first tournament of the trip: Luxor. Those of you who know me know that I am a breakfast buffet connoisseur, particularly for bacon. No one human can eat as much bacon in one sitting as I can (with the exception of Chris Farley, rest in peace). I do recommend the Luxor buffet, especially when we later found out that you can get a remarkably similar meal at Caesars for $15 more.

After wandering for 10 minutes looking for the poker room, I finally was able to buy in. With 20 minutes to go before the 10 a.m. start time, I promptly managed to drop $20 at the Star Wars slot machine. It spit out various clips from the original film if you managed to... score something. I hate slots. Conversation during this time:

Kathy: Who's the old guy?
Me: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Kathy: I thought he was younger.
Me: In the recent movies, he was. In the older movies, he was like this.
Kathy: Do the Jedi typically age in reverse?

When the tournament started, I was immediately thrown off-balance by my ignorant belief that this was a no-limit event. No, pathetic tourist, this is limit for the first four levels and no-limit after that. I wonder if my image as "the table dumbass" helped me later in the game when I tried to make some pot sized bets in the beginning.

As for the nuts and bolts, I played well but was helped out in times of need by the Force, which graced me with aces no less than three times in the course of the event. I did make a good read when a typically loose player to my right went all-in (this was later in the tournament) on a flop of 10-blank-blank. I put him on top pair with nice kicker, king or ace. I had queens. I called. He turned over A-10 offsuit and was eliminated when the following streets didn't help him out. With his chips, I made it to the final table. Out of the final 11, 6 of the players were not only from Florida, but from Tampa. It was actually pretty interesting. We were 1,000 miles away from home, but we made it feel like the Sunday afternoon game at Derby Lane. My cards finally cooled down and I was blinded out in 4th place, which paid $75 on a $25 buy-in. I definitely recommend that tournament, so I guess I recommend the entire Luxor.

After some pool time, we went in search of a $5 Caribbean Stud game. We found it (at the Flamingo) and I promptly lost $100 while wifey made $50. This will be a theme for the rest of the weekend: poker went awesome, every other gambling enterprise is shit.

What I do not recommend is the Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere. Yes, the view is unbeatable, and the revolving floor is cool, but the food (and the price) definitely is not. We took Geoff there for his late birthday dinner. Although the service was great, we have had better food for less. I'm sure we could have eaten at any one of MGM's restaurants, for example, and been equally satisfied for less money. Hell, it was Geoff. We could have eaten at Margaritaville and gotten away with it.

After dinner, wifey and I ditched the "earning my comps by dropping $800" pair and went to Zumanity: Another Side of Cirque du Soleil at the New York-New York. I have this to say about the show: if you do not enjoy any form of entertainment that starts out with naked lesbian acrobats frolicking in a pool, you have no soul. For my first Cirque show, it was quite remarkable. Shout out goes to the hula-hooping trapeze artist in her naughty Catholic schoolgirl outfit. So for those of you keeping score at home, that is one good splurge and one bad splurge on Saturday night.

Sunday, March 29th

We started with the aforementioned Caesars buffet, which came with an incredibly long line (if you don't have reservations) and mediocre bacon. After that it was time for the 1:00 tournament at our home casino, the mighty IP.

After checking with the director about the format (straight up no-limit, 15 minute levels), I was ready to go. Just like the IP in general, the tournament was full of college dudes with the occasional octogenarian mixed in. So the strategy was simple; pick off blinds from the timid geezers and wait for the hungover, strip-club-fatigued guys to make a mistake. I do have an ethical question for you guys dealing with a hand that was played. I pick up kings and raising before the flop. Two callers, a dude and a geezer. The flop comes an eight-high rainbow, so I bet out again. I look over at the geezer, who is two seats to my left. And, I swear I didn't try to, but I could see his hand! And not in a "use the Force, Luke" kind of seeing. He was doing a terrible job of card protection. He was half in the tank, but still. It turned out not to matter because he decided that the flop didn't hit his J-10 hard enough and folded. The dude folded as well. But what would have been the right thing to do had he pursued the hand? I'll always wonder that.

Another important hand came when I picked up AJ suited in late position and came in for a raise. A dude called. The flop comes J-J-8, so I checked my set. He checked as well. The turn came 3. I checked again and he went all in! I called immediately and he flipped over his monster - K-3! Well, at least you caught a pair, buddy. Way to go.

We were shuffled down to two tables. Wifey came to watch soon afterwards, which was great. She's seen me play, of course, but to have her on the rail when I was playing really well and had a legitimate chance of making some nice cash really made me feel good. I came to my new table with about the average amount of chips for the table. One guy had a monster stack and it seemed everyone else was fighting for the scraps. The guy to my right had been in the poker room since 2:00 a.m. (it was now about 3:00 p.m.). Before that, he had gone to the titty bar with his buddies. He was wasted beyond compare. Unfortunately, I stopped playing the game that got me there and was playing ultra-conservative. It didn't work, and when I was about to be blinded out I made a terrible all-in call with 4-8 from the big blind. If I would have folded, any hand I got in the small blind would have been better than that. That was the only mistake I made all weekend (in terms of poker), but it's the one that cost me a shot at the money. I was the last one eliminated before they started paying out.

So overall I was pleased with how I played in Vegas. I know now not to use your poker bankroll to play any other games. Hell, just don't play any other games. The casinos weren't built to hand out money. You have to go out there and take it from the drunk, sleep-deprived college poker stars who rule their dorm-room Blind Man's Bluff games. I know now to always play aggressively unless it's a close gamble, especially when it's getting down to money time. And I learned that it's not a good idea to shout out Catholic schoolgirl trapeze artists in a blog that your wife reads.

Vegas Trip Report

2005-06-01T19:59:00.000-04:00

*Editor's Note: Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures (unlike Europe) of Vegas. One, because we spent the majority of time in casinos. Two, because they don't allow pictures to be taken in casinos. Hopefully my prose will provide an equally vivid picture in your mind*

Prologue: 35, 000 feet in the air

The day before we left for Vegas, I stopped in Books-A-Million to look for an airplane book. I was astounded to find that Nick Hornby, my favorite author, has a new book out. A Long Way Down is a story about four Londoners who meet at the notorious building to commit suicide in North London. After leaving his last effort confused and not very enlightened, I am happy to report that Hornby is back to his winning ways. Buy this book or borrow mine! (yes, I know it's hardcover. That's how books came before you could buy them in grocery stores and 7-Elevens. Ask Johan Gutenberg.)

Friday, May 27th - Las Vegas, Nevada

Everyone talks about the slot machines that greet you upon arrival at McCarran Airport, so I wasn't shocked and/or appalled. I was shocked at just how different the heat is. I've lived in 90+ degree heat all my life and I just couldn't get used to the desert. My eyes were dry. I couldn't sweat because there was no moisture in the air. On the plus side, unlike in Florida, I didn't feel like I needed to take a shower just for stepping out of doors.

We arrived at the Imperial Palace, which is beginning to show its age. The location is unbeatble, though. Caesar's is across the street, sandwiched between the Mirage and the Bellagio. The Venetian is next door with the Flamingo on the other side. It's just a short monorail ride to Bally's and MGM Grand, which isn't far from New York, New York and the Luxor. In short, the IP is still successful because of where it is, not what it has to offer. Invariably, it will be bought by someone who seeks to make a Star Wars hotel or some other such nonsense. The pool was mediocre compared to other offerings in Vegas. The casino was neither clean nor interesting. Because of its cheap prices, the IP is frequented by two groups: the bluehairs and the college crowd. The college kids made the pool seem like spring break in Daytona (which wasn't so bad), but the geezers made life in the casino and the other facilities like so many re-runs of Matlock. However, the rooms were clean and in Vegas all you really need is a decent bed and a shower (occasionally).

Once we checked in, we headed down to the buffet for some much-needed lunch. I was in awe as they had a taco bar, which meant I could have as many tacos as I wanted with as much grade-D beef as I wanted. This was the highlight of the IP, by far. By now, the gambling bug was too hard for Geoff and Colleen to ignore. Geoff would spend the next 11 hours in the casino playing Three Card Poker, Pai Gow, and Let It Ride. Kathy and I, on the other hand, explored up and down the Strip using the Monorail. This was the most useless public transportation system we've ever experienced (and we've been to Paris). Not only does it not stop at every hotel (only the ones that financed its construction), but when it does stop, it does so at the rear of the building, so you have to walk clear across the hotel to get out to the street. I'm just not sure it saved many steps in the long run. You might as well walk down the Strip.

On a Caribbean cruise we went on a couple of years ago, I lost a lot of money playing blackjack. On the last night of the trip, I got into Caribbean Stud and made some money there, so I was anxious to find it in Vegas. The problems were that the game has declined in popularity since then, for whatever reason, and that on Memorial Day weekend Vegas doesn't offer many low-minimum tables, especially the bigger casinos. We finally found a $5 Carib Stud game at Harrahs, where I promptly lost $50 of my bankroll. By then, Kathy and Colleen had decided to go to bed (it was 8:30 Vegas time, but 11:30 in Tampa, so the jet lag had kicked in). I made a valiant attempt at staying up later. I was offered some "tree" (pot for you white people) walking back from Harrahs, I watched a bachelorette party make fools out of themselves at karaoke and watched a baseball game at the sports book. My stamina didn't make it for long, though, and I fell asleep in the chair at 9:30, SoCo and 7-Up in my hand.

Around the World (including a galaxy far, far away)

2005-05-21T21:50:00.000-04:00

This is one of those posts that go everywhere:

I've been playing really well (even though as I'm writing this I'm stuck for $30 on a 1/2 table). It looks like if I just keep playing within myself and making the right decisions this week, the bankroll may be fully serviceable for Vegas. Re-reading Small Stakes Hold 'Em really got me back to my game and reminded me of a few things that I had forgotten, especially when it comes to play after the flop. The result is that I'm a much more aggressive player. I've always been tight, but now I've been playing with the aggression to go with it, which has really been working out. Let's hope the pots keep coming my way.

I was too young to be a Star Wars fan back in the day. I still don't consider myself a costume-wearing, light saber-wielding die hard. But I enjoy the movies. My first real date in high school, I took a girl to see the re-release of the original (at her request!). I liked it, but it wasn't enough for me to go geeky for. I guess Attack of the Clones got me hooked when it was on HBO three times a day last year. That gave me plenty of opportunities to analyze the nuance, which I tend to do. So wifey thinks I'm a huge dork (when we met, I played video games constantly, worked on computers, and met girls online. I wasn't exactly the Fonz here, so she really should not have expected any more coolness in later years), but I was really excited to see Episode III. I was definitely not disappointed. I do have one request: when the MPAA sets a rating of PG-13, they mean it. Please do not bring your 5-10 year old children to this film! You will be working them through nightmares for a week. I guess it's a comment on our right-leaning society that parents are willing to take their small children to a film packed with nightmare-inducing violence and gore (although no blood, I suppose) as long as there's no sex involved. No wonder we live in a country where rabid censorship and war-mongering is applauded.

The insurance business is great. An unexpected benefit has been that I get to spend more time with wifey. Her interest in selling has been rekindled since going with me. We make a good team and it's proven in our results. Today we had our best outing yet in an office that was less than ideal. It's looking like I'll be out of the other job by the end of the year.

Speaking of the other job, I have a feeling that my co-workers can sense that my work there is not holding my interest anymore. My effort is really about the same as it always has been, but I think they can tell that I've mentally checked out (which I have, but what do you expect when you have something far more lucrative and far less dull on the side). I still do my job to the best of my abilities, but without the stress and pressure of trying to perform in order to obtain the elusive bonus that everyone strives for. No offense to the Persian gentlemen who run my company with an iron fist, but I make twice your bonus offering in one Saturday morning. Some people are pulling overtime just to look good at review time. I'm staying no later than my 40 hours a week. It's just not worth it to me. Being home with my family is more important. For those of you that cannot understand why my company is so bad, I finally came up with an adequate analogy this week. I used to think the perfect example of my company was Office Space, but now I realize that our company really is more like the Death Star from the original Star Wars. Lots of faceless, thoughtless drones working under the authoritarian rule of a brutal regime. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are my only hope...

The FA Cup was today. Although I haven't been following soccer that much this season, I do always go for Arsenal (see London trip report). The added interest this year comes from our beloved owner of the Buccaneers, the Amish Leprechaun, buying Manchester United. I found it hilarious that two related souvenirs were for sale outside the stadium today: black "R.I.P. Man U" arm bands for the die-hard United supporters to voice their displeasure with the takeover and American flags for the Arsenal supporters to taunt those United supporters. According to reports, the American flags outsold the armbands 2 to 1. By the way, Arsenal also won on the pitch, where it really matters. Here's hoping that the Leprechaun brings the same success to Man U that he has for the Bucs, especially in the last two years. I wonder if Jon Gruden knows anything about soccer... maybe he'd be interested in coaching Glazer's other team instead.

What not to do when you're running bad...

2005-05-09T16:13:00.000-04:00

Hello, my name is Scott, and I've been running bad for the past month. So, after seeing my bankroll go on a diet where it lost 1/3 of its total weight, I took drastic measures: I moved it over to Full Tilt, where I heard there was so many fish that my roll would gain its weight back in no time (plus the allure of a 100% bonus). So I put my money in and somehow played even worse than I was on PokerRoom. Perhaps it was the surroundings, because I personally hate those little avatars and how the cards aren't "dealt", they just spring out of your chair. Perhaps it was the new players, who in my opinion were more aggressive than in PR. Either way, the move depressed me even more. This was supposed to be the time for me to grow the bankroll for the Vegas trip. Now there might not even be enough to fund all the games I want to play. So take this from me: the grass-is-always-greener complex can even be true in online poker. Changing sites won't change how you play. If anything, you'll play worse because of the unfamiliar surroundings.

Once I figured this out, I got my money out of Full Tilt before it shrunk any more. It's now in transition back to PokerRoom, but it doesn't matter because I'm on another week break, where I'm going to re-read Small Stakes Hold 'Em and get my game back. I also invested in the PokerTracker Guide, where it already helped me find a crucial leak in my game through my PT stats. The only way to get out of a spin is to look within yourself, study yourself, and re-study the game if you have to. Cards run bad. It's a mathematic certainty. But before you start blaming variance, you need to make sure you are the same player you were before. I could tell some differences from before to now. Believe it or not, I actually place some of the blame on that Cloutier book I read a while ago. Let me clarify: I don't blame the book as much as I blame me for reading it. It was an excellent book and I enjoyed it, but it obviously concentrated on no-limit and pot-limit, which are far different games from the ring games I normally play. Even though I tried to keep the messages separate, I think I mixed them up to where I was playing a style that wasn't good in limit, but also wasn't good in no-limit. It still amazes me how poker can be like golf. If you get in one bad habit in your golf swing, your game will suffer. The same is true for your poker style.

My lack of success in gambling did not keep itself within the poker realm. It felt the need to translate into handicapping the Kentucky Derby. We went to a party where some Derby fanatics gathered their friends, ran an illegal horse book, and made good barbecue. It reminded me of those episodes of Seinfeld where Jerry would visit his parents down in their Florida condo of Del Boca Vista. That's what this place was. Anyway, I was heavy into Afleet Alex, Sun King, and High Limit (I guarantee every poker player at least put a little on that one). Of course, the huge longshot Giacomo won. What is funny is that Kathy and I have a good friend named Giacomo and we weren't smart enough to tune into that hint from the Gods. What is even more funny is that, of course, the real Giacomo played that horse to the tune of $9000. It was fun to watch the crazy people. It reminded me a lot of the late, great Chris Thomas, who owned some horses back in his day. He would spend the entire week of his show leading up to the Derby handicapping the race. I could have used his help Saturday.

"Perhaps I should modify my betting habits..."

2005-04-27T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's me, the non-regular blogger, back again for another nauseatingly self-centered post. It's tough to write, especially in what aspires to be a poker-based blog, when you're not having much fun at the tables. I've hit a dry patch where I've shaved off one sixth of my bankroll over the past week. I can't put my finger on any particular leak I may be experiencing. I'm just having a bad time of it. Part of it can be traced to a lack of inspiration. For the first time, sitting in a ring game fighting for $3 pots is starting to seem like work. So I've mixed it up a little, playing a few more sit-n-gos in preparation for Vegas. The problem with those is that I always seem to get bubbled out. So I can play SnGs, where I'm paying attention but losing money, or I go with the cash game, where I make a little but find myself bored. I should take a week off, get re-inspired, and make a final push at growing the bankroll for Vegas.

In the home game last Friday, I played decent. Short-handed, I had this knack of picking the wrong times to be aggressive. I should have played a Negreanu/Hansen sort of game rather than a Harrington style, but I just didn't feel up to it. Besides, these are my friends, and I didn't want to be the bully. I let Geoff play that role. What I was really proud of was my sister. I was so confident in her going in that I staked her on a 50/50 basis. I thought she could have at least made the money back, which would have been great for this poor struggling college student. If it wasn't for some terrible beats, she would have done it. On one hand, she flopped two pair when someone runner-runner'ed a set at the turn and river. She played the hand perfectly, she just got drawn out on. She didn't let that affect her play later, which is the sign of a good player, but she was just stuck with so few chips that she couldn't play her game. The best part is that she has learned all on her own. I haven't so much as loaned her a book to read. If she really wanted to work at it (and be responsible with a bankroll), she could be great. I often wish I would have picked it up when I was in college and had more time to work at it.

I take the Florida Life, Health, and Annuity licensing exam tomorrow, cutting out of work early. I'm confident, since I got a 96% on the test at the end of my class, but I should refresh myself on health insurance a little. If all goes well, I'll be out with Kathy's boss, Rick, Saturday morning in Port Charlotte. If you know where the post office is and want some disability insurance, be sure to stop by. I could use all the applications (and confidence) I can get.

A couple of nights ago, I spent two hours on iTunes looking for a new cd. It was frustrating and nauseating how bad music, especially "alternative" has become. I was inspired to set off on this quest by my inpatience of waiting for Coldplay's new album, so I wanted to find "the next Coldplay". What I found were tons of bands whose marketing machines have billed them as such, but ended up putting one Chris Martin-like song on their disc and filled the rest with crappy, piano-driven ballads. No wonder that, for the first time, American males consume more video games than music, revenue-wise. Unfortunately, I was not going to submit to my wife's wishes and purchase the latest Rob Thomas money grab, either. So, you may ask (because if you've made it this far through this post, you are already oddly consumed with my mundane existence), "Scott, what did you end up with?" The answers are:

U2, "War"- The only good U2 album I didn't own. It came back into my head after a conversation with Annie last week where I was lamenting the horror that was October and how, at that time, U2 were happy with just being "the next Clash". She asked when they started being a great band and coming into their own. As a Republican would say, War is the answer.

The Streets, "A Grand Don't Come for Free"- This album gets no play around here, unlike their (which is a subjective statement, considering The Streets is really only one guy, Mike Skinner) first single, "Let's Push Things Forward". Yes, he's a white, English rapper. Yes, it's funny just to say that. Yes, there is some novelty to his work just for that fact. But he is also what rap used to be, telling stories in a condensed, rhyming form. There are stories about how he spends his time smoking spliffs on his girlfriend's couch and watching the football match. There are stories about losing a bet on said football match. And there are stories about meeting a girl at the pub who is fit (hot), but she also knows it. This was much better than I thought it would be. If you're in it for the pure hilarity, I suggest The Streets' remake of "In Da Club", titled (appropriately) "In Da Pub". You can download it from anywhere.

Treaty of Versailles

2005-04-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

This week has been all about reconciling the two loves of my life. I felt myself falling fast into a familiar trap, one where if I'm home, I'm playing poker online. Of course, this isn't fair to my new wife, who deserves equal or more time. I logged about 10 hours this past week, for about 3000 hands of poker. This is far more than normal. I would come home from work, talk to her for a mere minute or two, and start giving her the eye to get off the computer. Daddy's home, and he needs to grow his bankroll before Vegas. There are many reasons why I love her as much as I do, but a main reason is that she understands what I'm seeking by playing poker. It's not riches, it's an effort to control a completely random series of events. As I have mentioned before, poker is a huge challenge for a gifted person, because no matter how much math you pump into it, the most nonsensical and random events are bound to occur (we call these "bad beats").

Anyway, we've had some run-ins this week because of my never-ending quest. As like any wife, she deserves the most attention I can give. I don't know why I sought to play as much as possible this week. My only guess is that after spending the past two weekends in insurance school, I wanted to claim as much of my free time as possible. This brought us into conflict, and it wasn't helpful when I started running bad for a couple of days, but I quickly rectified that with a common-sense solution. I started buying in for about half of what I was buying in for, thus forcing me to immediately play tighter and make better reads.

We came to a common-sense solution when it came to my polygamist marriages with Kathy and the fickle bride of variance: I simply schedule my poker time with her so she knows when I'm in, when I'm out, and when I'm available for husbandly duties. I'm very lucky. I know a lot of guys, from work or whatever, who need to keep their poker a secret from their spouses. For them, it still has that "back room of a strip joint in Vegas" connotation. Kathy is so supportive of everything I try to do. Want to play poker for 20 hours a week? No problem, just make sure you come out to eat and watch The Apprentice. Want to sell insurance? Even though I tried it and hated it, you're welcome to give it a shot and I'll help you. Want to become a shepherd and keep your flock in the backyard? That's cool, just let me move the tree I just planted so they don't eat it. I don't deserve this woman.

I was hoping to have some sort of report about the Work Home Game today, but it turns out with all of my activities in the past month or so that I exhausted myself. I started developing a fever at work yesterday, went home early, and never made it to the game. My quest for that championship will have to wait another month. Kathy and I are hosting an exclusive home game next week for our friends where I finally get to use my chips again.

The Crossroads of America

I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!

2005-04-10T22:08:00.000-04:00

I was committed to being a better blogger once I finished the trip reports. I was going to be witty and inane and, most importantly, regular. I underestimated the effect going to insurance class all weekend last week and this week would have on my mental and physical faculties. It's the best I could do to put in a few hours on PokerRoom this week. I've been playing decent and the results have been consistent. No spectacular sessions, but winners nonetheless. Thanks to some smart play (as well as two weeks off due to the honeymoon), March was my most successful month according to PokerTracker. I really should buy the PokerTracker Guide, I just haven't had time to place the order. From what I've heard, though, it's excellent. I've just got too much to read right now. Aside from studying for my insurance exam, I just got Cloutier and McEvoy's Championship No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold 'Em. From too many people to ignore, I've heard it's the bible for no limit tournament play.

You may be wondering why I'm studying no-limit instead of my regular limit game right now. Or you're not, but since it's my blog, I'll write about why I am. Aside from being a great read, I also have to prepare both for the latest edition of the Work Home Game on Friday night and Kathy, Geoff, Colleen, and I's trip to Vegas on Memorial Day weekend. Limit games are the norm for me now, so to have a real vacation I've decided to only play NL tournaments during the trip. Not only does that let me schedule the weekend (which makes wifey happy), but it also gives me a chance to improve that part of my game. Remember, I've never even won the work home game. I don't know what it is when it comes to those guys. Knowing I'm the most serious player in the game, I go in with the Matusow-like mind set of "I play to win", and end up with Matusow-like results. Perhaps I should just go in with the same free-wheeling attitude that the rest of the guys have. That would be a fight, though. I'm just too competitive. I'll make some money back, but it'll come down to my heads-up play again, which I'm not afraid to say totally sucks in relation to the other aspects of my game. Yep, the confidence is brimming...

I'm sure you've read it, but I would just like to proclaim my love for The Boondocks. Aaron McGruder's humor just hits me in a different place than any other form of humor I run across lately. I guess it's filling the void until the Chapelle Show comes back. I just loved the strip where the little kid, doing a presentation in class for his favorite historical Black American for Black History Month, extols on the virtues of Latrell Sprewell as inventor of the spinning rims.

Speaking of humor, I would like to announce that the final two remaining Americans who haven't seen Sideways can be crossed off the list. I found it bittersweet, full of what-the-fuck moments as well as scenes where I had to catch my breath from laughing so hard. Upon being hit into on the golf course, what golfer hasn't dreamt of hitting the ball back at the guy? My dad got hit in the nuts once when we were playing together as a kid. He simply threw the guys' ball into the nearest lake. Kudos to Paul Giamatti, who has a terrible golf swing but somehow unleashed a low screamer that nailed one of the groups' carts right in the windshield. We also rented Closer, but I don't really want to talk about it. The plot was just too extravagant and smacked of trying to fix writer's block. "I know, let me have these people break up again. That will get me another scene!" At least it had the wonderful city of London as its background. We could actually pick out where some scenes were shot.

Trip Report - Part III

2005-04-02T19:46:00.000-05:00

*Editor's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't been able to finish the trip reports for the past week. Being my first full week back to work (and what a shitty week it was), I just didn't have the energy or the motivation to relive the Parisian experience.*

17 March, 2005 - London, England/Paris, France

When we were organizing the honeymoon, I pretty much insisted on taking the Eurostar bullet train from London to Paris. The reason for this was not only the speed and convenience, but something entirely less practical. I saw the first Mission:Impossible movie with Tom Cruise in Williamsburg, VA on a school field trip. Although great movies have come and gone since then, the final scenes for me were the epitomy of cool for a long time. The entire cast, which included secret agents, government suits, and international arms dealers, could all be found on the Chunnel train. As it weaved through the French countryside at 200+ mph, the intrigue and action was palpable. It may have been some adolescent fantasy escaping from my rational mind, but I was secretly hoping for an arms deal to go down in our car. Nevertheless, it was a great trip. It's rare for a human to experience going at such speeds, while being so close to the ground that you can actually appreciate it. A lot of the track runs parallel to a freeway in France, and we were just flying past cars going 70-80. A wonderful engineering marvel, and one that should be replicated in this country.

Once we arrived in Paris' Gare du Nord train station, our amiable tour director Jamil met us at the terminal. "Welcome to Paris. Watch out for the pickpockets." After we retrieved our luggage in another part of the station, we made our way to the new hotel. Kathy and I were both amazed at the differences between Paris and London just looking out the bus window. London was infinitely more clean. Londoners know how to drive. London had the decency to keep their sex shops in the SoHo district.

Our hotel room was smaller than the one in London by roughly 50%, but we paid the same price for it. The TV, much to my dismay, had two English-speaking channels: CNBC Europe and a European sports network with a penchant for showing figure skating and cross-country skiing. Jamil then took us on a walking tour down to the Jardin du Tulleries, near the Louvre. During the walk, I asked Kathy a question that would become immortal during the rest of the trip: "Is it wrong to want to go back to London after an hour here?"

To be fair, I calmed down after we found the expansive park that runs to the Eiffel Tower. One of the more relaxing points in the trip was just laying on the grass, gazing up at the tower with my wife. Once we were done there, we made our way through the Paris metro to the hotel to get ready for what was being billed as "The Quintessential Parisian Dinner" by our tour company.

18 March, 2005 - Paris, France

The morning was taken up with a bus tour much like the one we took in London, with the only difference that our guide this time was not interesting at all and gave little to no useful information about anything we saw.

In the afternoon, another tour guide took us to the extravagent palace at Versailles. Like Windsor Castle, the place just rang of someone's (in this case, Louis XIV) love affair with themselves, specifically the wealth they enjoyed. For example, when building a garden, King Louis set out to make the largest garden I had ever heard of. This garden, it was said, was the size of Paris itself at the time of its creation. The rooms had so much guilding and original art that it was nearly obscene.

As the sun was going down, we decided to accompany our new friends Kristen and Paul back to the Eiffel Tower. This time, however, we were going to go up. The very top, the third level, was closed when we arrived due to overcrowding. However, the view from the second level was more than adequate. It's really inexpensive and quite easy to ascend and descend the tower by elevator.

19 March, 2005 - Paris, France

Our last full day in Paris, and of our trip. Although we had had some good moments in Paris, the mental strain the city was generating in us was more than overshadowing any reluctance to go home. Everything you've heard of Parisians is true: they refuse to speak English (though they will provide you with English menus in most restaurants, this usually just serves as a signal to the waiter to take as long as possible), they have no common courtesy (which was in abundant supply in London), and they do, in fact, have an aversion to hygiene.

We decided to spend most of the day at the Louvre. Even with the 4-5 hours we had budgeted, I knew it wouldn't be enough from what other people and the tour books had told me. They were right. Our overall strategy whenever we find ourselves in a tourist zone is to immediately head for the most popular sight or activity to get it out of the way. That meant making a beeline for this lady right here:

Unfortunately, this is the best picture we have of her. Her protective shield is pretty good at deflecting most photography. The crowd around her wasn't as bad as I pictured, but they were eager nonetheless. The painting itself actually wasn't that impressive. Although I heard she was very small (like 8"x10"), she is bigger than that. I would guess 16"x24". Unfortunately, in our haste to make it over to her, we pretty much only afforded ourselves cursory looks at the other Italian renaissance masterpieces that could be found in her wing. From there, we made our way over to the French wing, where the art was done on a much grander scale. There were incredible paintings there that measured somewhere near 30 feet across on all subjects, but mostly Bible stories. We didn't give ourselves nearly enough time for that wing, or the museum as a whole. The Louvre remains the one thing for which I would visit Paris again. We did not spend nearly enough time there.

From there we went shopping for souvenirs and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (we referred to it as the American Embassy), which was conveniently next door to our hotel. We retired early, anticipating our early flight back home.

Epilogue
20 March, 2005 - Unfortunately, still Paris, France

On our way to the airport, we were mentally filing Paris away with Maui as places we were glad to have seen, but didn't want to see again. We stood in first one line for Air France, then another, every time being told we were on a "waiting list" for a flight we were confirmed for according to our documentation. Finally, we got the straight story when we reached our third check-in agent: Air France had overbooked our flight by 90 people and we weren't guaranteed to get home today. Kathy was somewhere between crying profusely and jumping the counter while I negotiated with the guy. We were considering all options, even taking the train back to London and catching a flight there. We ended up letting Air France put us on a flight for the next morning, put us in a hotel near the airport for the night, pay for our meals, and give us 600 euros each for our trouble. It could have been much worse. People further back in line didn't even get a hotel room. The ironic part of the story is that our airport hotel was infinitely more comfortable and cleaner than our hotel in the city. We took showers, ate at the buffet, and read our books because there was no English channels on their TVs. The airport shuttle took us back for our flight the next morning and we made it on the plane without a hitch, heading to Atlanta.

Everyone has an Atlanta airport story. Most of them involve getting bumped off flights and/or sitting on the tarmac for hours. For us, yet again, our "confirmed" reservation wasn't so confirmed after all. Yet again, my wife was on the verge of a felony. Yet again, we considered such wild options as renting a car and driving back down to Tampa (which wasn't so ludicrous, except that neither of us had slept in 18 hours and I wasn't sure about our abilities to negotiate the six-hour drive). Finally, we got put on another, later flight. We touched down on our home soil somewhere around 8 p.m. local time, 2 a.m. Paris time, meaning we had been up 20 hours straight. But we were home, and that's all that mattered.

Trip Report - Part II

2005-03-23T19:15:00.000-05:00

14 March, 2005 - London

We started the day on a bus tour around London with our guide, Keith. Unfortunately, Keith's idea of a tour was more like a history lesson, where he would constantly bombard us with questions that we had no clue what the answer was. Note to Keith: We're Americans. We did not cover the great fire of London in 1666, Christopher Wren, or William the Conqueror in our high school history classes. Our history may be a lot shorter than England's but we somehow manage to fill a school year with it.

Midway through the tour, I was met with the greatest physical challenge I've experienced since high school (there were plenty of physical challenges on this trip, if you know what I mean, but this is the purest sense of the phrase). St. Paul's Cathedral is the centerpiece of what they call The City of London, which basically means the part of London that has existed since the Romans. Its dome is ringed by about 700 shallow steps, made of either wood, metal, or marble. To prove our virility amongst the geezers in our group, the three youngest couples took it as a challenge to scale the dome. We succeeded and got an amazing view of The City as a reward.

While on the tour through the city, we came across the traditional guards and their fuzzy hats, which guard any royal building. Like any American tourist, I tried to come up with an ingenious way for him to lose his concentration and break his poker face. I considered having Kathy pat him on his Big Ben, but thought there may be some jail time involved for that. So, like any kind, respectful husband would do, I offered the chap a look at my wife's boobs. He quietly declined.

In the afternoon the tour made its way to Windsor Castle, the official home of the Queen. It was remarkable to spend time in a structure that is almost 1000 years old. Coming from a country where nothing is older than 1625, it was great to wander the halls and look at rifles and other weaponry that were used before my family even crossed the ocean. England is a place where the very, very old meets the painfully modern, and somehow the gears have been greased just enough where the two can coexist. Everything around Windsor was just as Henry VIII left it. As Keith put it, just because it's called Burger King doesn't mean it belongs near the castle.

15 March, 2005 - London

Today was our first free day without the constraints of tour groups and schedules. Kathy, being the understanding and wonderful wife that she is, let me take her up to the neighborhood of Highbury in North London, where my favorite soccer team plays.

They don't get many Americans at Arsenal Stadium, and those Americans certainly don't bother themselves with a tour of the ground. The Stadium itself is over 100 years old, but has been refurbished multiple times. Even Kathy seemed impressed with the old building, all of the trophies in the trophy case, and the team's small locker room. We have two wonderful places to watch sports in Tampa (and one boring domed stadium), but Arsenal Stadium had more energy and history coming from it on that quiet, cold Tuesday afternoon than our stadiums have during a game. The trip also afforded us another view of London, as Highbury can be considered a slum of London. However, unlike slums in the US, there were no cars on blocks, no shootings, no drug deals. The houses just weren't as nice as those in Westminster or Chelsea. But even as the streets were empty on that afternoon, you could just tell that the community finds a common voice every Saturday afternoon when they file into the stadium down the road and watch their local football team play.

16 March, 2005 - London

As an English major, there was one thing I had to see while in London. If I didn't, I might as well had sent my degree back to USF. Most of Shakespeare's productions were produced in a small, circular theatre on the banks of the Thames near the old City. They call this place the Globe. Unfortunately, a few years after Bill's death, the city tore the original down. A few years ago, some big wallets came together and purchased the land where the original Globe stood and rebuilt it to exacting specifications. They even used hay on the roof, although it was treated with flame-retardant to meet code.

Unfortunately, the place was inundated with school children, we were weren't interested in taking the tour. However, as I stated earlier, it was so interesting to see where this new old building was mingling with the glass and metal office towers that sprung up around it.

We spent the afternoon winding through one of the largest museums in the world, the British Museum. We could have spent the whole day there, just like the Louvre, but unfortunately we didn't budget for that. We did get to see some great medieval and pre-medieval artifacts found in and around the British Isles. I think this sparked an interest in history from Kathy that I hadn't seen before. She was the one that was actually picking me up and forcing me to go see this exhibit or that room. It's fun when we can share in things that are typically my domain.

That night we took our final tube ride up to an Italian restaurant listed in our guide book. We drank some champagne (Kathy a little more than me) and thanked London for showing us a wonderful time. We can't wait to come back.

Trip Report - Part I

2005-03-22T14:27:00.000-05:00

Prologue - Cincinnati, Ohio - 12 March, 2005

As we descended into Cincinnati/Western Kentucky International Airport, I felt nervous for the first time in an airplane. I'm no virgin to air travel (Maui, Boston, Hartford, and multiple trips to Halifax are all on my resume), but this landing was going to be special. Not because of the city (Cincinnati?!?), but because there was zero visibility. We glided through the cloud cover with me picturing certain cockpit scenarios in my head, many of them looking remarkably similar to instances I've had in Florida during one of our summer thunderstorms where I've had to drive with my hazards on at 20 m.p.h. because visibility was non-existent. The airplane has no hazards, and if the speed drops to 20 we're in trouble. About 100 feet above the ground, terra firma appeared, along with a dusting of snow. This may not be special to many of you, but to me it was. It was the first time I had seen snow. Once we were on the ground, safe and sound, I made it to a window and just stared until boarding began for our flight to London.

13 March, 2005 - Ancient Roman trading outpost of Londinium

We arrived in London around 9 a.m. after almost no sleep on the plane. I was awakened by the cold temperatures, which we had expected. The closest thing to a hazard we encountered was a typically American problem in England: when crossing the road, we would look the wrong way. The immediate cars were coming from the right, instead of the left. Like most issues when comparing the English to Americans, they could be found on the left of the road. Kathy and I joked that due to their stringent gun-control laws, the only people that were killed in London were American tourists by offending black cabs and massive red buses.

Once we arrived at our hotel, we were informed that our room would not be ready for another few hours. Kathy decided our best course of action would be to knock out the most popular tourist attraction first. Finding it was easy.

The London Eye was the centerpiece of London's millennium celebrations. The largest observation wheel in the world, it measures 500 feet high, dominating the London skyline. Unlike the Parisians and their aversion to anything less than 100 years old, Londoners have welcomed this addition to their city with open arms. All we had to do to find it was look up. Our path took us through some of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen in Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. I've been to Washington and New York, and I was marveled by a lot of what I saw there. But for some reason, London offers a feeling of openness, especially in government. It's ironic I feel that way, considering that was the alleged reason we declared war in the first place. Taxation without representation be damned! We posed for the typical tourist pictures and wondered which fellow tourist looked safe enough to hand our brand-new camera to for a group photo. Having lived so close to those important facades will give me a new appreciation when any British news comes to us.

The Eye goes around in 30 minutes, just slow enough to let people on and off without stopping. While there, we got some magic shots with the camera and tried to adjust to our surroundings. I could pick out some of the important sights and where our hotel was in relation to them. For example:

In the middle, at the head of that small river, you can see Buckingham Palace. The Eye is well worth the long lines and I highly recommend it if you visit. A lot of people from our group didn't get to go and that's a shame.

On our way back from the south bank of the Thames, we stopped in the tube station for our passes for the week and to get acquainted with what I now regard as the cleanest, easiest, most ingenious public transportation system ever devised. It was here that we were introduced to our catch-phrase for the trip: Mind the Gap! (For those uninitiated, that was the recorded warning for everyone on the platform to watch out for the incoming train) Once we checked into the hotel, we asked our tour director Cornelius for a dinner suggestion.

Every tourist and Prime Minister has seemingly been to the Albert on Victoria Street. This ancient pub contains pictures of every PM in the stairway leading up to the restaurant located on the second floor. While there, we had our first experience with British food, which was as bland as bland can be. Dry turkey, boiled potatoes, and a funky apple pie later, we emerged. I guess everyone needs to experience it once.

We were unwilling to let the evening go to waste in the hotel room (yes, there was plenty of that, too, but I mean something else), so we started on an impromptu walking tour around Westminster. Name me one major city in the world where two newlyweds from another country could walk around at 10 p.m. and not get lost (well, maybe a little bit) or accosted by some ne'er-do-wells. We made it to Buckingham Palace and sat at the huge fountain dedicated to Queen Victoria while gazing up at the third floor windows, wondering if we would see the Queen changing into her night-shirt (we found out the next day that the Queen wasn't even in the palace that night). And that will remain my most treasured memory of the entire trip. The late-night walk through the historic part of the city with my new wife, just enjoying each others company and the wonderful views of London at night.

London Calling

2005-03-12T11:12:00.000-05:00

I had this wonderful post all written and Blogger lost it. I'm so disheartened that I'll just describe what I wrote and hopefully flesh it out once we get back from Europe.

1. U2 added Tampa to the third leg of their tour. My sister and I got awesome tickets this morning. I talked at length about how going to U2 is a religious experience for me and the two previous times I've gone have turned out to be great mileposts in my life.

2. Kathy and I are on our way out to the airport to leave for our honeymoon to London and Paris. When we return on March 22nd, expect a huge post full of pictures.

I'll leave you with next week's Picture of the Week:

It's already hard for me to stop playing poker. Now, it's impossible.

or

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sterling, that's the largest keg we can fit in the box."

Picture of the Week

2005-03-07T19:10:00.000-05:00

Phil really got fucked on 18 when his chip lipped out.

Anyone have a better caption?

I just had to write about this

2005-03-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

Backstreet Boys back in town

60 bucks?!? Shouldn't they be having a free show for the NY media who are obviously stupid enough to give these guys ink? And don't sully U2's name with the likes of this monstrosity. They may have played Irving Plaza to start their ATYCLB tour, but they went right out and played arenas (like the National Car Rental Center in Lauderdale, which I attended) after that show. The Backdoor Boys are going to be playing the Iowa Cheddar Festival before this tour is done.

I'm gonna be all over the place with this one...

2005-03-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

First off, let's see a wedding picture that doesn't involve a man of the cloth:

Now that's done. It was a wonderful day that wasn't without its share of embarrassing moments and faux pas. For example, Kathy's drunk aunt got a hold of the microphone and made a toast that included some derogatory statements about Kathy's sister (I wonder what she's going to say at Diana's wedding). Also, Kathy's elderly grandmother was convinced to get down to Nelly's "Hot in Herre".
"Wouldn't it be great if Grandma danced to 'Hot in Herre'? That would be good for the video" - Scott.
Of course, Grandma over-exerted herself and fell, luckily just bruising her elbow a little. Until then, that old broad looked like a dancer in an Usher video. But overall, the wedding went better than we could have hoped for.

Marriage is very different. Not that I didn't enjoy coming home before, but I really look forward to seeing my wife every day. Up until the wedding, everyone asked "Aren't you nervous?" or "You know it's permanent, right?" The permanence is actually very welcome to me. The loose ends are tied up. As George, my boss, stated today: "Single life is based on two questions that need to be answered every day: where am I going to sleep, and am I going to get laid? When you get married, you have permanent answers to both questions, so you get to start thinking about other things." I couldn't have said it better myself. I highly recommend this whole marriage thing.

After my PokerRoom experience last week, predictably, I'm considering moving back to online play. I would keep some cash available for the odd trip to the Derby, but I would keep most of my bankroll online. The reasoning is simple. According to my stats, I have averaged -1BB/hr playing live. On PokerRoom, I average +3BB/hr with over 1200 hands played. 1200 hands isn't a great sample, but it's enough to convince me that online is more profitable, even if it's simply because you can get more hands in. Before I get bombarded with requests to go to Party under someone's bonus code, I must state that I'm quite happy with both the fishy players and the visual aspects of PokerRoom and I don't anticipate leaving. I may even look into getting a bonus code of my own for PR.

I'm currently listening to the new 50 Cent, The Massacre. I don't have much of an artistic verdict yet, except he's obviously not scared of pissing off nearly every New York MC. That's accomplished in the third track, "Piggy Bank". I fear the gun play that went down at Hot97 this week is only the beginning, and it's pretty much all 50's fault. I think Fat Joe sucks. I think Jadakiss sucks. I think Ja Rule really sucks. But beef hurts everyone. If Jay wasn't "retired", I'm sure 50 would have fired off something about him, as well.

Finally, I've found another fun way for you people to waste time at work. Whack the Penguin! I haven't seen anyone get over 600 (I'm assuming it's in meters). If you do, send me a screen shot and I'll send you...not a damn thing. I'm married now. Do you think I have any discretionary income?!?

"So a minister, a priest, and a rabbi walk into a bar..."

2005-02-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? She showed up! More pictures later, when I have the time to hunt through them.

Back where we started

2005-02-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

The content that follows is a true poker post, although its quality could be debatable:

Occasionally, I like to go back to the poker games where I got my start, to see where I am in my progress. I keep playing the home game with people from work, where I got live poker start. I'm making steady progress there, even though I've never won. And last night I went back to my online poker roots.

On July 4th, 2004, I signed up for a free account at PokerStars after watching five straight hours of the 2003 WSoP (Stars because that was the hat Moneymaker was wearing). I played there for a month or two in the free games, learning the rules and what-beat-what, but got tired of sitting at the computer. I had to go somewhere that worked on my wireless Apple laptop. Hence, my move to PokerRoom. I played the $5+1 tournaments exclusively for about a month before I busted out. I came in the money once. Even though the results were lackluster and it was really a pretty expensive way to learn that lesson, I was hooked. I started playing SnG's, where I did considerably better, before moving on to the ring games, where I nearly busted out and decided that playing live was probably the best move. The rest is history.

I don't play much online now that I have my live bankroll, except when I want to try out a new idea for free. I do plan on playing in the next WPBT event, whenever and wherever that may be (as long as I'm not on my honeymoon). But last night I went back to those PokerRoom $5+1 games, to see where I've been and what progress I've made. I started off nice, with about twice the average chip stack after the first hour. But cold cards and rapidly escalating blinds got me to press too hard. I made a couple of bad decisions and I went out ~160th out of more than 500. That's how I knew that I had progressed as a player, because I could immediately realize my mistakes in the effort of getting better. I don't really play much no-limit these days, anyway, so I was probably a little rusty. I can remember when I would bust out before. I would blame luck, or the other guy, or the blinds, or my chip stack. Last night, there was no one to blame but myself, and I'm OK with that. I wasn't there to get in the money, I was there to try and win. I just tried a little too hard.

The festivities are beginning tonight. Kathy's cousin Jenn is flying in this afternoon. My parents arrive around the same time. Most of the out-of-town people will be here by the evening. They're meeting at our house and then we may try to find food somewhere. I'm off work today, playing golf tomorrow (unless it rains), and then getting married on Saturday. Therefore please don't get mad at me for not posting until at least Sunday. It's only the most important weekend of my life.

The totals:

2005-02-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

The only way to accurately depict last night's events without breaching confidentiality agreements and "The Guy Code" is through a total of the numbers that truly matter:

Guys: 8 (me, my father, my uncle, my grandfather, Geoff, Rick, Craig, and Brian)
Strippers: Who's counting?
SoCo and 7's: At least 5
SoCo shots: 1 (thanks, Craig)
Beers: 1 Heineken
Shooters: 3, one taken out of the bosom of the waitress
$1 bills provided by my banker father: 100, which he graciously allowed everyone to make change with all night.
Lapdances (me): 1
Lapdances (total group): 4 (including Grandad and my father). Thanks, Geoff!
Lapdancers who depressed me with a story of her father's death before getting down to business: 1
Dancers who could hang from the pole upside down while still shaking her lower regions: 1
Dancers who swung around on the pole, narrowly missing my head with her six-inch heel: 1
Married couple Craig, Brian, and I used to work with hanging out in a booth getting all sorts of freaky: 1

Thanks to everyone who came. I'm now going into this marriage with the belief that I have indeed seen it all. Craig and Geoff, I can't wait to get you guys back when it's your turn.

Happy 40th Dre Day

2005-02-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

I should have posted this yesterday, as Friday was his official birthday, but Dr. Dre turned 40 yesterday. Dr. Dre...40. I spent yesterday at work trying to think of someone else who, when they have a milestone like this, would make me feel so much older. Bono and the rest of U2 were already significantly older than me when I got so severely into them. I can remember The Chronic, how it was everything illicit and bad in the world but how I couldn't borrow it from my friend enough (I had to borrow it, because I was 12 at the time and I couldn't secure a copy for myself). It even came with one of those ominous black and white stickers proclaiming that my parents needed to be advised of its possession. He was 27 when he released that album, but of course he did his work with N.W.A. at a much earlier age. And now he's forty. Now I'm 24, getting married in a week. Around my age, Dr. Dre changed the world of music (and that is not an overstatement, just think about it). What have I been doing with my life? Taking advantage of the tilters and the drunks at Derby Lane for $60 a pop.

Kathy was out last night at the first of her two bachelorette parties, so I was looking forward to a quiet night at home before the chaos of tonight. I watched Thursday's Tivo'ed episode of Tilt, played a little NBA Live 2005, and popped in Rounders. Once Rounders was done, our friend Geoff (the aforementioned long-haired redneck from a previous post) called asking if I wanted to the Derby. It was 10:00, still two hours to go until they closed, and I was feeling inspired by the movie. What followed was absolute poker madness. Friday night at the poker room is the complete opposite of Saturday and Sunday. The old folks have been replaced by young people. Walkers replaced by Crown & Cokes. Two people at my table were cut off from alcohol by security.

In Killer Poker, John Vorhaus suggests that to get the correct mentality, occasionally you should play a game called "Raise!", where the object of the game is simply to raise as much as you can. The one who raises the most wins. The drunks last night were professional Raise! players. Of course, that means you tighten up, wait for the right pot to bust someone (or two, or three). The right pot never showed up, I got cold cards, but picked up a medium pot to stay at about even. That's where I was when last call was shouted. But it was still a valuable experience. I had been so used to being the aggressive player at the old folks table that I had forgotten what it was like to find myself at a table of maniacs. Geoff cleaned up playing seven-stud. I'm thinking about trying to pick that up myself. I don't want to be known solely as a hold 'em player. Does anyone have any tips they could share or book recommendations? I'd appreciate it.

I'm also expecting my latest toy, the best invention on Earth for owners of the U2 Special Edition iPod: Agent18 Click Shield

The country we want to be...

2005-02-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

I was doing my daily newspaper reading and I came across this: Gay marriage bill edges closer to law. The country that, it appears, will be able to make this monumental step towards human equality is our nearest neighbor, they speak our same language (mostly) and practice all of the same religions. Yet, you read this article and then you remember our latest presidential election/debacle and Canada might as well be located on Jupiter. How come (no offense intended) a country with half the amount of democratic history is able to guarantee these rights while we're led to believe by our political leaders that if we took similar measures in our government, there would be rioting in the streets?

A co-worker and good friend of mine just got her green card to join our country, along with her 16-year-old daughter. She's from Canada. It was difficult for me to be happy for her not because I thought it was a bad decision, just because it's hard to imagine someone wanting to leave her country to come here, where rights are no longer guaranteed and freedom depends on the various political and social situations you may find yourself in. Through her happiness, I realized that I'm disenfranchised, a political prisoner in my own country. I don't pretend to pass myself off as a patriot. If I was, I would be in an aircraft carrier somewhere like my grandfather before me. But I understand the potential of this country, and it's maddening that a country that has always looked up to us, that has had 100 less years of existence, is realizing that potential before we are.

I've stopped watching the news. There's never anything good anymore. Soldiers are dying at a rapid clip. Things that I took for granted for my future and the future of my child(ren) are suddenly not guaranteed anymore. I did my best in November. My party did not keep its part of the bargain. Now the best I can do is take my own measures to guarantee the future of myself and my new family. This country guarantees nothing anymore.

Now that I'm on Karl Rove's watch-list, we will now switch back to your regularly-scheduled poker programming...

11 days... Sorry, ladies :-(

2005-02-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

I know you ladies were lined up around the block to get a piece of this under-weight, painfully white, stuck in a dead-end-job, compulsive gambler. However, in 11 days your window closes. You have one, last golden opportunity though: if you're a stripper, I'll be seeing you on Saturday. You can't miss me. I'll be in the group with the middle-aged man who could be my father (he is), the octogenarian who could be my grandfather (he is), the other middle-aged man who is more than slightly flamboyant when he has a few drinks in him (that's my uncle, and yes, he is), a long-haired redneck fisherman, a 6'7" former basketball player, and two other guys with dead-end jobs. We'll be the best party in the place. Be nice to the old guy. He won't bite (unless he's paid for it in advance).

I actually played poorly tonight, and I'm proud to admit that. I went tilty after this guy sucked out on the river twice on me. He was sort of smug about it, so I took it personally, even though I shouldn't have. I kept my composure on the outside, but I never got my revenge on him. Once he left I was able to pick up a few big pots and ended the night up 20BB. So the moral of the story is: go tilty and win, play within yourself the last three outings and lose.

I'll leave you with this little nugget I found:

I don't know what's harder, finding them in my size or getting the package open.

More bad flops

2005-02-12T17:08:00.000-05:00

It's days like this where I long for higher-stakes games where creativity and skill is rewarded, instead of me being at the mercy of variance and mathematics. Another day where I hit exactly one flop, and the rest of the time I was paying money to see someone else get excited. I did have a pretty funny, crotchety old guy next to me. Every time someone would raise before the flop, he'd mutter "fuckin' cocksucker" before throwing in the call. We also had Mr. Big Time, who was "supposed to fly out to Vegas tonight, but I don't think I'll go" and who comes to the Derby only for fun, but usually plays the higher stakes games out on the gambling boats. He promptly bled off $100 (unfortunately not to me) before buying in for another benjamin. If he does that well at the Derby, he must clean up in the higher stakes games.

I've been reading the Theory of Poker recently and I came across an interesting chapter that made me reassess my game slightly by reconsidering something I had abandoned entirely. The Bloggers have an inside joke, where they play the worst possible starting hand in Hold 'Em - 72 offsuit (which they've dubbed The Hammer) - as hard and fast as possible. If someone raises, they reraise like it's aces. I've viewed that whole scene as a novelty and sometimes hysterical joke, but certainly nothing a serious player would mathematically consider, right?

In chapter 19, Sklansky talks about using game theory to vary your bluffing frequency. I won't go into the specifics because I barely understand them, but what he recommended was using something random to judge whether you bluff or not, that way your opponent can't key in on when you bluff. Depending on who you're playing against and what the pots are looking like, it could be a specific hand. You guessed it... The Hammer is a mathematically profitable play as a bluff! It occurs just often enough for most games and even if you tell your opponent that you play 7 2 really hard, it's impossible for them to guess whether you have a real hand or The Hammer. So, bloggers, I will now join you in wielding The Hammer. If Pauly can crack QQ and AA in the same hand with it, I know I can use it for the forces of good against the evil fish. Long live our mighty weapon!

Moving day

2005-02-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I've moved again. My Pro access subscription to Journalspace was about to run out, and I'm not real happy with the lack of features there. I would much rather be able to edit my template using the HTML code, which I know better than the wierd JS they have there. As you can see at the very end, I've been here before. I did a few entries here back when football season was starting up. Now that I've done all of the hard work of moving my entries over (well, most of them), I'm going down to the Derby. I'll be back with a real post later.

Life of a Salesman

2005-02-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a week. Pauly wrote that one of the keys to good blogging is a regular schedule, which I fail miserably at. This was my problem when I was a creative writer. I didn't have enough to write about. So here are just some random things I'm currently thinking about:
After having that great outing last week, I promptly gave most of it back on Saturday. It was "Old lady stays around with her flush draw, even if she's only got three-to-the-flush after the flop, and somehow hits it on the river so Scott loses $20" day. I was getting plenty of cards and hitting some flops, I was just getting rivered when I did. I did much better on Tuesday night, but I didn't get any flops. I was basically practicing my folding, which was a good lesson on being responsible and patient. I'm playing good poker, and I'm getting to the point where I'm detaching good results from playing well. Like Saturday. I played well, I know that, I just got mixed up with the wrong old lady. Short of changing tables (which it was too busy to do), there was nothing better I could have done to affect the result. It's a good feeling to have, knowing I'm properly bankrolled so that bad results do not equal a bad night and that the best I can ask from the game is to give me the same 52 cards as everyone else. Eventually, my good play will show.
I have a new business opportunity to consider. Practically since we started dating, Kathy's boss has been begging me to get my insurance license and start selling for him. I've always turned him down, not because I don't think I can do it (I'm one of those people who think, if I concentrate enough, I can do anything), just because I liked having a steady desk job. If you've been reading me at all, you know I no longer feel that way. So here's the business: Kathy's company sells life, health, and disability insurance to postal employees and other federal workers who need the coverage. So the agents go out to the post offices and have a captive audience who, generally, are interested in the product. Although I'm a poker player, I'm not driven by money, but it's hard to ignore that the average agent for this guy makes quadruple what I make now. The main attractor is that these guys and girls only go out once a week, usually on a Friday or Saturday morning, leaving me a lot more time at home and a lot more time to work on my game. So I'm considering it, even to the point of researching what it would take for me to get my license. I'm still doing my other venture, but it was a stark reality when I struggled just to find 30 potential clients to send marketing materials to. I'm just not sure the demand is there. I need a little more stability if we're going to start a family.
In other news, I'm worried that when we go to see Windsor Castle while we're in London next month for our honeymoon, it'll be shut down for Prince Charles' wedding to that wierd, ghoulish-looking horsewoman. They're getting married in early April and we're going in mid-March, so I don't know if they'll have to prepare stuff or not.

Variance taketh away, variance giveth back...

2005-02-01T13:10:00.000-05:00

After a couple of lackluster outings in the past week, I went tonight looking to open up my game, play more hands, and let my skills after the flop be the difference. Luckily, I didn't have to open up that much to post my best showing at the Derby yet, +40BB. I can say, however, that the big gain was almost entirely luck. I can say that because every time I played a pocket pair, I hit the flop hard. Flopped a set that held up. Flopped a full house and made the loose players at the table pay (poor guy flopped a flush and paid to have his heart broken). And, finally, the hole-in-one of poker hands, the flopped quad aces! Some people would say that a flopped royal would be the hole-in-one, but I have to remind them that there is a better score possible in golf than a simple hole-in-one. I've been lucky enough to see a double eagle in person (I've also had two holes-in-one). So, to clarify, flopping a royal is a double eagle, flopped quad aces is a hole-in-one. Although luck, or variance, brought me those hands on a silver platter, it was good practice on how to extract the most out of premium holdings. For example, on the quads, there was two diamonds on the flop, so I bet like I was chasing the nut flush. Luckily, someone made two pair with a K on the turn and made me "pay" to chase my flush. We capped on that street and then, for some unknown and fairly bewildering reason, we got the river betting up to three bets before he folded. It was a good fold (I guess), but why pay three and not go all the way? So the best part of the quads was that I didn't have to show them. I used that the rest of the game, making them believe that I bluffed (or semi-bluffed) that guy out of the pot. It paid off when I flopped that boat, because I bet that as strong as I could and they would stay around for it, refusing to believe what my betting was telling them. I feel somewhat bad about the big score, however, because the guy who paid off with the quads was, legitimately, mentally handicapped. Obviously not a great deal, otherwise he wouldn't be able to understand the simple rules of the game, but handicapped nonetheless. He probably even had a job, which makes me feel even worse for taking some of his paycheck. He was up when I got at the table, but precipitously fell once I got there (I guess I helped him with that) because he was the catalyst for so many pots with what turned out to be significantly less than the nuts most of the time. He must have re-upped three times in the hour I was at that table. Needless to say, this guy was the ultimate fish. We've all seen fishy players, but I'm wondering if his diminished cognitive skills were to blame for his bad play. Does this situation fall under the poker player code of anyone who sits at a table should be prepared to lose their money, or did this guy have no business being at a table in the first place? Please comment. 25 days until the wedding. If one more person asks me if I'm nervous, I'm going to crack. I'm not nervous. Never have been. Being with Kathy is flopping quad aces everyday. And who wouldn't want that for the next 50 years? I was more nervous with the quads tonight than I've been about the wedding. It's going to be a great time and I can't wait. Marriage...it's FANtastic!

The return

2005-01-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

It was my birthday Sunday. My reward for surviving (make that thriving) for another year was the resumption of my real-money poker career. Birthday gifters were far too generous, but generous nonetheless and allowed me to finish my bankroll goal. After a massage on Monday (which was Kathy's present, along with Theory of Poker, Phil Gordon's book, and the Book of Tells), I felt relaxed and ready to attack the Derby with my 30BB. The story of the night was bad beats. For instance, I lost when some putz held on to 6-2 of hearts long enough to make two pair on the river(no other heart on the entire board) when I held TPTK. I out-kicked a guy when we both flopped a Hilton threesome. That was a $100+ pot. The guy just had to find out that he was outkicked, and I made him pay for it. Five hands later, I flopped 10's full of 8's and lost when a third 8 came on the turn, giving someone quads. Overall I played well, did not go tilty after those beats (or reverse-tilt after pulling down $100+). I ended the night +10BB, so I consider that a successful return. Tomorrow night is the monthly work home game, this time at Craig's house. I always measure how I'm progressing in my game against those guys, because that's where I first started. My goal is this: to win. Second's nice and would pay for the night, but it's time for me to win that game. I feel I can outplay anyone at that table and I'm out to prove it. Although I thought it was lame last week, I'm off to watch Tilt tonight. Hey, poker's poker.

It's 1 o'clock and I'm still in my pajamas!

2005-01-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

I called in. My throat is scratchy and I have very little energy. Today was not the day to go to work with those ailments and here's why: Sherilyn, who I work with, contracted some sort of strange, flesh-eating bacteria on her finger. The week after Christmas, she came in, showed our boss that it had eaten up to her elbow, and he immediately sent her to the hospital. Our insurance blows, so she ended up going to the cut-rate hospital, where the doctor apparently had the novel insight "I don't know what it is, but let's flush it with antibiotics for a few weeks to see if it goes away." The antibiotics and the hospital stay did help, and it's under control now, but she has to keep flushing the wound every three hours or so. We thought she would have to stay at home for the next month or so to accomplish this (it requires an IV). Nope! The same doctor who didn't know what it was says it's not contagious and it's OK for her to go to the office, starting today. So, when I woke up, I was probably 75% of my normal self, which is a borderline situation of whether I go in or not (I haven't called in sick at any job I've had for about three years). Sherilyn tilted it towards calling simply by being her ignorant self. I was not going to go in at 75% and battle whatever primate-virus she contracted. I'll reassess tomorrow. So I've been busy today anyway. Annie sent me a rough version of the new website for my venture. It looks good, but she'll clean it up even more.

Once the logo was done, I went ahead and ordered some business cards for myself. I'm going to try and set up a sample template for my manuals this afternoon and do some more hunting for cheap advertising opportunities.

In the dark comes hope

2005-01-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have read from the beginning know that my job sort of sucks. Read "Dilbert" and you get my daily journal, only I have better hair. I've been looking for another job, perhaps even another career, for a while now. Of course, the long-term goal is to play poker, but since I haven't even saved up my bankroll yet, I can't feed the family with that right now.
So I'm playing with the idea of doing some freelance technical writing (manuals, marketing materials, etc.). I've even got Annie from work helping me with a website (if I ever got any website clients, I would bring her on for them). Unlike my previous ideas of starting a business, this one I'm going to take slow. Hopefully gain and client here and there in my spare time until one day I have enough work where I can quit my job.
I realized a long time ago that I have a tough time working for other people. Optimally, I need to work for myself. This may be a way to accomplish that until poker gets off the ground. More to come, I'm sure, about this exciting opportunity.
On the lighter side, someone sent me this link: http://www.wagenschenke.ch/HomeRun.swf. It's a German site where the goal is to move the drunken German fellow down the street using your mouse movements to balance him. The record is apparently 82 meters. No one has been able to explain so far why, if it's a German site, why the guy mumbles English. Try it and occupy yourself at work for a good 20-30 minutes.

This is how my life has changed in the past week...

2004-12-31T13:14:00.000-05:00

1. Instead of playing free poker on PokerRoom during the hiatus, I have been importing every CD I own into iTunes, reminiscing about years gone by (particularly when my Cranberries CD came up). This took the majority of my free time this week because if I tried to do more than two in a row, my computer (a refurbished Dell) would have "an event" and have to be restarted. I took this as Michael Dell's own special way of telling me not to propagate the theft of copyrighted music. I bought the CDs, Michael, so you can kindly shut the fuck up. 2. Even more time at work was wasted listening to music than usual. 3. Speaking of work, people come from departments around to see this magical new thing, as if following the Star of Bethlehem. I half-expected to receive some frankenscense (or, as Kathy put it, Frank's Incense). 4. I got off early yesterday and the first thing I wanted to do was pick up a protective covering for my toy. We drove half across the county looking for one that was just right. Being the proud owner of a new, U2 special edition iPod changes your life. It's like having a 1 pound, 20 gigabyte child. I can't leave it alone. It needed shelter and food. People come to see it and make funny noises when they do.

Know thyself... and I guess David Williams, too

2004-12-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

For some unknown reason, my sporadic Playboy subscription decided to show up again today. It comes and goes but it's always a pleasant surprise when it's here. Inside was a rather lengthy article on David Williams, the "Future of Poker". The article started like any other outside-the-industry piece, about how much money he's made/making, what he's spent it on, his hot girlfriend, etc. It's basically the trap that draws our beloved fish to the poker table (online or B&M), thinking they are the next to hit it rich. Those of us who know better, who have busted out the night after hitting it big, ignore those articles for the most part because we don't need to be sold. We play for reasons other than riches (although that helps). We play for the challenge, to tame the untamable. Although there are 52 cards to a deck and we can compute odds for our inside straight draw ad infinitum, those are all just tools we use to attempt to conquer what every serious player knows is completely random. However, I kept reading because it's poker, and I'll read anything poker. And what I found was very enlightening, not only about Williams but about myself as well. I'm not surprised to find out Williams was gifted (those stuck somewhere between genius and normalcy, in scientific terms) as a child. So was I, and we can smell our own. The signs are all there: the constant pursuit of perfection, the maturity, the analytical skills, the boredom because the analytical skills make most scholarly tasks mundane. Most of the well-known players were/are gifted. Negreanu was certainly gifted because he was often in trouble for playing cards in middle and high school. Why was he playing cards? Because he was bored with his work. So was I. So was Williams. The article then took a turn away from the usual attempt at painting a glamourous picture of the poker professional. Like most players these days, Williams spends an inordinate amount of time playing online, usually at the expense of the aforementioned hot girlfriend. He has friends (who were probably also gifted), but he spends a lot of time alone. Even if he isn't alone, most of the time he's alone in his mind. Like I said, stuck between genius and normalcy. That is the underlying truth to being gifted. To a gifted person (especially a gifted poker player, who spends most of their time in solitary pursuit of the truth in the cards), no one truly "gets them". Whether that's actually true or not doesn't really matter. In the person's mind, it's how the world works. As I get older, I'm coming to grips with how I spent my childhood. Why I was in special classes and why, for the most part, I couldn't get along with kids that weren't in those classes. More interesting to me are the habits and the behaviors that have carried over into my adult life because of those experiences. I always knew that my playing poker was a direct effect of my personality. It's probably the community of people that I've found the most people like me: competitive, analytical, relentless in the pursuit of perfection. But like my other gifted pursuits, like trying to play the guitar or write a book, I haven't abandoned it yet. In fact, if you've been reading previously, I'm making plans and sacrifices to sustain it further. Because I realize now (and I hope the people around me do as well) that poker speaks to a part of me that I knew to be true but never fully understood. I still don't understand most of it, but I believe poker will eventually get me there.

Withdrawls

2004-12-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

I would first like to start by adding my congratulations to Daniel Negreanu for winning Player of the Year with his final table appearance at the Bellagio this week (like he's going to read this). I've found http://savagetournaments.net, which is producing hand-by-hand coverage of the final table in real-time. I try not to be a fan boy, especially with poker players because they, more than any other personality, are accessible. I could shoot Daniel an e-mail right now and chances are, eventually, he'd respond. I read his journal every day just like I read people I actually know. But he's genuinely a nice guy who has a style I would love to emulate. Emulation is not only the sincerest form of flattery, but it's usually a great way to learn. So I'm very happy for him. He's had a remarkable year and he's living proof that although poker may have an element of luck in the short term, consistent good play always rises to the top.
Today was the first Saturday in a month that you couldn't find me at Derby Lane fleecing the geezers. I'm proud of my discipline so far. I haven't run to the ATM to get a buy-in. I'm probably playing more now, though, simply because I'm back on PokerRoom in the free games (although still high limit, 100/200, so the players are slightly better for practice). I'm basically using it as practice in computing odds and playing position more than anything else.
The semifinals of fantasy football started today with my representative, Clinton Portis, going against his own quarterback, Patrick Ramsey. Pat got the best of that encounter simply because he threw for one touchdown while Portis failed to reach the endzone. He had good yardage, though. The rest of my players play tomorrow, while she has the rest of her team either tomorrow or Monday night. It's far from over.

Sentinels 120 - Other Guy 112!

2004-12-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

The beloved Sentinels were in control the whole way. It was never really in doubt. Even Larry Johnson's excellent game last night wasn't enough to save him. Next I play Craig's fiancee, who was the best team in the league for most of the season. However, the matchup doesn't scare me that much and I'll go into that later this week. I've decided to put a moratorium on my live, real money poker until I can accumulate a more serious bankroll. Through my study of both my books and my records, a significant reason for my inconsistent play is because I don't buy-in for enough. If things start slowly (which they have the past week and a half), I'm all-in fairly soon. Being short stacked affects my play to where I can't make many creative plays, which is where you earn the money when you're playing against the fish at the Derby. So, to raise my buy-in from $40 to $60 would require a big bankroll to withstand any sudden shifts variance decides to deal me. Looking around the forums and my books, a good bankroll is about 300 bets, which for my game means $600. It will take a little while to save that up, but once I do I am convinced I will be a much better player for it. Until I'm back, I guess this will be a little boring. I'm still going to play the free high-limit ring games at PokerRoom to keep up with my skills and hone my game, plus I'll still be reading books, so I think I'll come back a more complete player.

I'm proud of myself

2004-12-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

My man Craig (he's the organizer of our semi-regular home game) and I went down to the Derby yesterday to relieve the geezers and punks of their money at the $2 tables while his dad played in the 200-person NL tournament. I would first like to start by saying that I broke my leaving commitments again (staying about 4 hours instead of 2 1/2) and that I lost the entire $40 I bought in with, which is a first for me. However, I also felt like I played a lot better than I have all week. The first hour or so was spotty. I'm trying to follow Sklansky's theories for small stakes games, but sometimes the old me would invade my thinking and cost me a lot of money. Unfortunately, the pots I would win with good play weren't nearly as big as the cost of making bad plays, the culmination of which was chasing a paired, flush-possible board with my AA. Guy made a full, and I probably paid $12 to see it. That pot meant my next play would probably put me all-in after an hour and a half. I'm on the button and I look down to find another AA. 8 players limp and I raise to $4. Everyone calls. I have $3 left in my stack. Flop pairs threes, has a K, and has a flush draw on it. Someone bets and I put in my $3. With the pre-flop betting, the pot was significant enough where I wasn't getting away from the hand. If you're going all-in, you might as well do it with the best hand. The turn comes a 5 that completed the flush draw (if someone was drawing to it). Through some aggressive betting at that point, a guy at the other end of the table managed to weed out most everyone else. Whoever was left folded once another 5 came on the river. So let's go over the board: two pairs and a flush draw. If I wasn't all-in, I would have folded at the turn simple because of the flush. Now I definitely would have folded because of the near-certainty of a full house. However, it was heads-up between the aggressive raiser and me. He took the side pot and then flips over... K-9 for just two pair, kings and fives. I win a pot of about $35, bringing me back to nearly even. I think we can all agree that with that board, there is no way I should have won that hand. There was just too much on there. I'm sure someone folded a flush because of the other guy. It was a miracle finish that rarely happens with pocket aces. Usually someone else comes through with a miracle against that hand. Anyway, after that I left the table for about 15 minutes, checked in on Craig, watched the dog races outside. When I went back to the table, I was committed to playing tight, making good mathematical decisions, staying with hands only if I had the pot odds and equity to go along with it. I had a second chance at being successful and I was going to take it. And I stuck to my plan, which is why I'm proud. If I would have played badly, I would be the first to say I should have left after the AA hand. But I played well after that, the only reason I lost was because after the flop I never had made hands, but I was chasing profitable draws which drained me. Nut flush draw after the flop on a monster pot where I would have made at least $50 if I had just one more diamond come in. Open-end straight draw on another huge pot that I had to abandon at the turn once an obvious flush came in. But I made good decisions, and that's the building block I'm going to take with me next time. Also, I've started a new ritual. I've seen this on TV occasionally and it makes sense. I don't look at my hand until it's my turn to act. The reasoning is simple: I get to watch the other players, who raises, who calls, any tells I can pick up. If I'm faced with a raise, I know what hands to play (or reraise) and if I see that my hand doesn't meet those requirements, I throw it. Also, by doing this, I'm not giving off any tells until I look. Although the results yesterday didn't show it, I thought it made my play a little stronger. Less than one hour until the most important fantasy football matchup of the year!

On a rush in all aspects...

2004-09-19T22:33:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank the San Diego State Aztecs and the FAU whatever-they-ares for very easily covering the arbitrary numbers assigned to them by the Las Vegas sportsbook community. I would also like to apologize to the Kentucky Wildcats for thinking you suck. You don't suck. Indiana sucks. However, after two weeks moi is .500 in short-term investments. I'm determined to get over the line and stay there next week.

I have come in second in the last two SNGs I've played in at PokerRoom. Both games was not a story of super cards or good river beats, just simple patience, waiting for the fools to blow their chips to one side of the table or another or just waiting for great opportunities to blow people off pots. I don't even pay full attention to the games until there's about five people left.

I would also like to thank my opponent in fantasy football this week for not playing his best players. Yahoo! fantasy has a feature where you get to see the scores for your starters against the opposition, but you can also see the optimal players on your team for the week. If my opponent would have played his "optimal" team, including Roy Williams from Detroit who scored two TDs today, he would have won by somewhere around 30 points. As it stands going into tomorrow night (with him having McNabb as his QB and me having T.O. as my first WR), I'm leading by 40. I'd say it's locked up for week 2 considering that if his QB has a good night, chances are my wideout is also feeling it.

9.17.2004 home game

2004-09-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

The Degenerates Club home game met again last night. We had a great time, even though for some reason with the lighting scheme at John's house, none of us could see the cards or the chips with our sunglasses on. We had to start employing the first person out of the game as a Celebrity Poker Showdown announcer (I forget the guy's name), telling us what flopped and what the bet was. I played as well as I could, but as Doyle would say, I wasn't involved in any big pots. I routinely picked up small-to-medium pots early in the games only to never get involved with big pots, therefore my chip stack was always average, never up or down. This led to my average finishes: fourth in the first game and fifth in the second. I guess my best hand was when I doubled up with K9s and hit my flush on the river. I wouldn't normally play that hand, but I was severely short-stacked at the time and needed some help. The bad beat of the night was when Craig cracked my AA when he flopped trips queens and slow-played me (I put him on AQ, making him top pair. Whoops) It was valuable live experience, but I was hoping to at least make a little money. I had thought I had progressed that far. But when you don't have the cards and can't bluff effective because everyone's too drunk or too proud to not call you, you're not going to make it very far.

Hopefully I'll have better luck with today's investment picks. I've got:

San Diego State +21 at Michigan: I watched Michigan show themselves as completely mediocre vs. ND last week. I always like catching a large amount of points. I think the public money will be going with Michigan, with people thinking "They'll be angry this week after last week's loss". Michigan doesn't have the talent to be angry.

Indiana +2.5 at Kentucky: Kentucky just blows. They got blown off the field by Louisville (Louisville!) 28-0 last week. Indiana actually has some talent this year and are 2-0 SU this year so far against some decent competition.

Florida Atlantic +2.5 at Middle Tennessee State: The best team against the spread in the nation this year is catching points again. You may remember FAU as the team that went to Hawaii, got 27 points, them promptly beat the Warriors (I think that's what they're called) by 21 SU. This is my least solid play, unfortunately, because I don't know much about either team except that if the books are misjudging a team that badly, it will take them another couple of weeks to get a read on this new-to-D1 FAU team.

So that's it. I'll have the fantasy football update tomorrow.

Good night

2004-09-14T20:57:00.000-04:00

I had a good bit of success last night in the 10+1 SNG at PokerRoom. I found myself at a table made solely of calling stations. I kept seeing free cards all night, waiting for draws, getting those draws, and betting people off pots. Although early it wasn't look good. I catch a A-5 straight on the flop and bet aggressively (remember, aggression with reason). This guy keeps calling on a flush draw and finally makes his flush on the river, taking me down to about 500 in chips. But, because this is such a light table, I was able to fight my way back to third. The only reason I didn't finish higher was because I stopped making the draws I was getting earlier and got slowly "blinded to death". But when you're still a newbie, as most of the time I consider myself, making money is making money. I know now I'm going to play more SNGs and less multi-tables.

Also, my regular live game (which was originally referred to as the "Poker? I didn't even know her! Invitational", now called the Degenerates Club) is going to fire up again Friday night. Kathy and our friend Geoff will play, which means I met my quota of bringing dead money to the game (just kidding). It will be good to get out live again. I feel I've improved greatly since I last played outdoors.

The first weekend

2004-09-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

In the first full weekend of wonderful football, I would have to say my most successful investment venture was my fantasy team. Anchored by Portis, Domanick Davis from Houston, Thomas Jones from Chicago, T.O. from Philly, and the rookie TE from San Diego Antonio Gates, my team dominated my opposition by 40+ points and also made the most points out of anyone this week. There was, however, room to improve. My other wideouts, Larry Fitzgerald and Santana Moss, failed to score touchdowns. My starting QB, Marc Bulger, threw 2 INTs and overall sucked. I need those guys to contribute next week, because I'm playing the team that scored the second-most points this week. But I'm happy with the win.

I also had an interesting experience with poker yesterday. I was playing a freeroll at Bodog (the site where I do my football gambling, which has just recently opened a poker room). I didn't really plan on playing with them much because I want to keep my various interests separate, but a freeroll is a freeroll and tournament experience is valuable. The prize pool was $300. It was an uneventful tournament to start. I was catching anything and I basically played the role of calling station going into the break. The interesting part is that the software never came back from the break! The tournament, or the system as a whole, froze. So an admin came on and said half the prize pool would be distributed evenly to the remaining players (around 100) and the other half would be divided by chip stack. So I ended up coming away with $3.18 when I was probably out soon after the break if the tournament continued.

Also, Fresno State kicked the hell out of K-State, giving me my only victory against the dreaded spread. The Fighting Illini (what is an illini, anyway?) came up lame against UCLA, which may be an underrated team after all.

The Introduction

2004-09-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

One of the great ways I've gained some insight in poker is to read the great blogs from some other players, most of the playing professionally. Although I don't believe I have as much insight as them to offer, I still think some of my experiences could be valuable to others. But for anyone to see value in me, they have to know me. Therefore:

My name is Scott Sterling. I currently live in the Tampa/St Petersburg, FL area with my fiancee', Kathy, and our 3 furkids (2 cats and a dog). I'm 23 years old and I develop medical software for a living. I suppose my leading qualification as a gambler is that I insisted that my 18th birthday be held at the local dog track (came out ahead $10.12 that night). I've been gambling on football now for the last three seasons (this season just limiting myself to college, thanks to parity in the NFL). I've been playing poker seriously only for a few months now (mostly hold 'em), but I think I'm ahead of the learning curve as far as my experience goes. Not surprisingly these days, I play mostly online although the guys from work and I have a regular game every two weeks or so. I'm also in my first fantasy football league this season with the guys from work.

I would classify myself as a moderately tight player in poker. In playing style, I suppose I'm most like Dan Harrington. Although if I do catch cards, I'm definitely not afraid to bet them. Earlier, I would simply wait for the nuts, which would sometimes lead me into the money in tournaments at PokerRoom.com, but it never left me in a good position to win or dominate. Therefore I'm developing my hybrid style of "aggression with a reason".

I devised this blog to cover all of my gambling exploits, so this weekend I played/am playing:

Friday night: I had Oregon State +7 vs. Boise State. That damn blue field gave me a headache. It also seemed to have the same effect on OSU, because I lost that one.

This afternoon: I've got Fresno State +12.5 against Kansas State. Both of those plays came as suggestions from a friend. To round out my trifecta, I selected Illinois getting 1.5 at home against UCLA, who sucks. We'll see how this first weekend of action goes.