Why does this need a title?
Monday, May 03, 2004
So there's a new poker game at the Tropicana. Trying to capitalize on the popularity created by the tv's shows, they've started a no-limit holdem. $60-$300 buy-in. $1/$2 blinds. I played for a few hours yesterday. Now I know what Matt Damon meant by "swings" in Rounders. I lost the $200 I bought in for in about 90 minutes at the first table. I bought in for $200 at the second table and won $490 in about 4 hours.
The game itself is sorta whacked. The blinds are so low compared to the possible bet, that we are very divided on the best strategy (I changed my strategy between games after rethinking the structure through). I felt like the blinds were so small, there was really no reason to put chips at risk. I was really only playing mid-high pairs, face cards and Ax-suited. I was rarely playing low-pairs, Kx-suited & 10-9/9-8 suited connectors and then only for the minimum. Even if after the flop, I felt like had the best hand if there was risk I folded, opting to wait (in one hand I had pocket queens and the flop was lousy. I still folded when the betting started). Eric and his friend Wendell (the best player of the three of us) felt that because the blinds were so low, you could afford to see lots of flops. They were calling the $2 with any suited cards or any connectors down to 4-5. It seems to me, like that’s just going to get you into trouble on most flops and you’ll never know where you stand. We debated it over lunch and again after the game, with no real agreement.
It's attracting a lot of amateurs, which increases volatility, but presents lots of opportunities for huge pots. I had A-K in late position. A guy with a pinky ping (who was not a good player despite the pinky ring) made a small raise ($10) and 3 of us (Bland Guy in the middle) saw the flop. Flop was Q-10-x rainbow. PR bet again. BG and I called. Another 10 comes on the turn. I’m ready to fold because I’m pretty PR has trips, but much to the surprise of BG and I, he checks. We check behind him. River is a J with no flush possible. I’m pretty sure I’m good, but PR bets $40, which really confuses me. BG calls. I raise $50. PR calls with trips (A-10), which he checked on the turn allowing two people free draws which both hit. BG calls with 9-8 for the lower straight. Those are the kinds of funky things that were happening even when people weren’t playing K-7 offsuit, which plenty were.
All in all, it seemed like a pretty good game for the patient player, but obviously risky. So when’s the next trip to AC or Foxwoods?
Saturday, April 24, 2004
This came up on a board I post on and while they won't get the answer, here it is. The weirdest (and probably worst) dream was when I killed someone. I'd shot and killed people before in dreams, (Stop looking at me like that) but this time was different. I was in the basement of my parent's house and there was a girl there who had been injured somehow and we (I forget who else) weren't sure she was going to make it. For some reason, to put her out of her misery maybe, I decided to shoot her. Then I started freaking out. "Holy Shit. I just killed someone. What did I do? How could I do that? This is horrible." I wasn't the least bit worried but about the consequences, but felt "karma-cally unclean." The funny part is "Dream Me" thought to himself, "Oh. This must be a dream, because I wouldn't kill anyone in real life... But wait, what if it wasn't a dream? FUCK!!" I woke up and it took me a several minutes to get over "killing someone." Trust me when I tell you it sucks. Don't ever do it.
Friday, March 19, 2004
How is this day not over yet? I've been her about 18 hours already. (Ok. it's only been six, but it feels like 18.) If it wasn't for snowboarding tomorrow, I'd be bouncing off the walls. Wait. I can't because lawyers have invaded my office. (I didn't do it.)
What's the difference between lawyers and hookers? There are some things hookers just won't do.
One funny thing about being black and snowboarding. Every other black person on the mountain wants to be your friend. It's a pretty funny phenomenon. I can't tell you how many times I got the "What are we doing up on a mountain with these crazy crackers?" look.
Hopefully tomorrow will be the day I finally master the heel-side turn. (If you don't know what that is, don't ask.) Toe-side turns are a piece of cake. So is falling. But I persevere. This will be my first time out with my new board. I'm very excited. I wonder if my cute snowboard instructor will be there. I wonder if she'll remember me. (Probably not.) More later.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
So now I have a blog. What does one do with a blog? Do I just ramble away? Do I bare my soul? Do I try to be funny? Sincere? Informative? Enlightening even? I'm guessing my first few posts are going to suck. Please be a little patient.
I guess I'll start with a rant. Politics is making me crazy lately. Gay marriage, social security, WMD... are politicians going to fix anything ever again or have they completely given up on that? (I'm assuming they must have fixed something once or we would have had American Revolution Part Deux by now.) I know we (the plebeians) routinely say that politicians only want to argue, but I guess I always held out some hope it wasn't true. (I know if any PHD'ers ever read this, they'll be shaking their heads in disappointment. I know. I know. I should've known better. But we actually did make things better every once in a while.)
What does it say when you start having thoughts like "How much damage could Al Sharpton do? Or Dennis Kucinich?"
I'm dying to go snowboarding again. Unfortunately, I have no one to go with this weekend. I guess I could go by myself, but the 5 hours alone in a car would probably be annoying. Lou, my snowboarding sensei (who I've never actually been snowboarding with), said I'm "snow-horny." Good term for it, even though whoever thought of it obviously has some issues they need to address.
My picks for the Oscars (Not that no one cares or that I've seen all the movies):
Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Score and Song: Return of the King
Best Director: Sofia Coppola
Best Actor: Sean Penn
Best Actress Charlize Theron
Best Supporting Actor: Ken Watanabe
Best Supporting Actress: Renee Zellweger
Original Screenplay: Lost in Translation
