Shamanalix Sayz

Blogger Week is coming

2011-01-21T20:35:00.015-06:00

So let's see if this works:

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.
Registration code: XXXXXX 328730

Yes, it's time again for the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) at PokerStars. One of my favorite online events. Six days of preliminaries next Monday through Saturday, qualifying folks for the 2010 WBCOOP Main Event at 2 pm (St. Louis time) next Sunday.

I'm coming down with something, stomach's really bothering me the last day or so. And even well I'll probably only be available for two of the prelims (stupid real-life work). But I'll be there giving my all when I can; I'm ready, recent run of bad beats and running into pocket aces aside.

Whadaya know, sixth try and the PStars badge/link is finally working. Now I can take this out of "editting drydock" and post it -- just when I was giving up! Rah. And good luck all.

Good Mini-UBOC start ... sorta

2011-01-17T10:35:00.001-06:00

Played my first event of the Ultimate Bet Online Championships 6 on Sunday -- the Mini-UBOC Event 2, Sniper No Limit Holdem Deep Stack. The event offered $5 bounty for each foe you eliminated, and cost $30+$3 to enter.

On the downside, I didn't finish in the money. Wound up 288th of 1,609 entrants, and top 180 finishers got paid. Very disappointing; more on that in a minute. On the upside, I did get two bounties, so earned $10 back.

The hand of the tournament for me showed that Sham Luck doesn't always go bad. It went like this:

Stage #525811249 Tourney ID 5885386 Holdem Multi Normal Tournament No Limit 300 - 2011-01-16 18:02:57 (ET)
Table: 24 (Real Money) Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 1 - GROOVE58 (9,498 in chips)
Seat 2 - JSLAB24 (5,455 in chips)
Seat 3 - SHANGO_BANGO (5,685 in chips)
Seat 4 - SHAMANALIX21 (6,739 in chips)
Seat 5 - SOUPERUSER (10,827 in chips)
Seat 6 - DRDOOM2U (22,871 in chips)
Seat 7 - JMOODLEY (3,865 in chips)
Seat 8 - MOOK2307 (5,175 in chips)
Seat 9 - OAKTREE12 (10,900 in chips)
GROOVE58 - Ante 25
JSLAB24 - Ante 25
SHANGO_BANGO - Ante 25
SHAMANALIX21 - Ante 25
SOUPERUSER - Ante 25
DRDOOM2U - Ante 25
JMOODLEY - Ante 25
MOOK2307 - Ante 25
OAKTREE12 - Ante 25
SOUPERUSER - Posts small blind 150
DRDOOM2U - Posts big blind 300
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to SHAMANALIX21 [7d 7h]
JMOODLEY - Raises 900 to 900
MOOK2307 - Folds
OAKTREE12 - Folds
GROOVE58 - Folds
JSLAB24 - Folds
SHANGO_BANGO - Folds
SHAMANALIX21 - Raises 6,600 to 6,600
SOUPERUSER - Folds
DRDOOM2U - Folds
JMOODLEY - All-In 2,940
SHAMANALIX21 - returned (2,760) : not called
*** FLOP *** [9s 4s 7s]
*** TURN *** [9s 4s 7s] [6c]
*** RIVER *** [9s 4s 7s 6c] [4h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SHAMANALIX21 - Shows [7d 7h] (Full house, sevens full of fours)
JMOODLEY - Shows [Ac As] (Two Pair, aces and fours)
SHAMANALIX21 Collects 8,355 from main pot
SHAMANALIX21 Collects Bounty Prize of $5
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot(8,355)
Board [9s 4s 7s 6c 4h]
Seat 1: GROOVE58 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 2: JSLAB24 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 3: SHANGO_BANGO Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 4: SHAMANALIX21 (dealer) won Total (8,355) HI:(8,355) with Full house, sevens full of fours [7d 7h - B:7s,P:7h,P:7d,B:4s,B:4h] BOUNTY awarded: ($5)
Seat 5: SOUPERUSER (small blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: DRDOOM2U (big blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: JMOODLEY HI:lost with Two Pair, aces and fours [Ac As - P:As,P:Ac,B:4s,B:4h,B:9s]
Seat 8: MOOK2307 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 9: OAKTREE12 Folded on the POCKET CARDS

Wow. Cracked me some aces with my flopped set. Didn't expect to run into such a strong hand; been doing that a lot lately it seems, especially ambushed by AA or KK. That's the way it goes, though, so I'll take wins any way I can get 'em.

Really, though, I was on my best game most of this tournament, which made coming up short of the payouts extra disappointing. One thing about bounty (sniper) tournaments is that the temptation for some extra money makes folks sometimes do things they normally would not do. Me too. I got my first bounty very early in the tournament when I trapped an AK with my AA, getting them all-in after a preflop four-raise bidding war. And my AA actually held up! Then they next three times I tried to eliminate shorter stacks I missed the bounty and doubled them up -- there's the normal Sham Luck.

I was up to 94th place of 1,220 players competing starting the Level 5 before the first break. My missed bounty attempts plunged me to 1166th/1205 players (late entries were/are accepted for 2 hours in this and all UBOC events). But I didn't give up, steadily coming back and reaching 513th/906 at the second break. My above-detailled luckout cracking the aces came early in Level 10. But I lost some of my new chips shortly thereafter going for another bounty, when my nut flush didn't arrive on the turn or river for a 6,500-chip pot. Such a rollercoaster ride!

And it continued!!

I pushed an 88 and got called by the table chip leader, who had 66. My hand held, I scooped a 13.5K pot and climbed to 242nd/598 left. By the third break I was 90th/396, and starting to let tiny thoughts about the first-place prize -- only $8,500 or so -- cross my mind. But such thoughts can be very dangerous, and it wasn't to be. I had my late-position AK run into AA and fail with a 27K pot on the line, dropping me to about 9,000 chips. Can you say greeedy, unlucky and dumb? Shortly thereafter, the rest of my chips went in for my 33, the table's big stack called with 88 and I was toast.

On the whole, well-played. On the outcome, very disappointing, Leaves me a few things to do serious work on in my game. But things are coming along.

I've got my eyes on a few more Mini-UBOCs. Decided to skip Mini 5 (NLHE) tonight and maybe aim for Mini 7 (NLHE) on Wednesday. Then Mini 12 is another NLHE Sniper (bounty) game Friday. The Minis run through Jan. 30; hopefully there'll be better, more complete play down the line from the Shamster -- and some good paydays.

Meanwhile, good luck all!

Busy times a'coming

2011-01-16T12:38:00.002-06:00

The modelling work begins again in earnest tomorrow (Monday) after about a month off for the holidays. Seems like everything's picking up at once, though: 'Tis the season for some huge online poker series. I must take a deep breath for the hectic times to come.

Today UB and Absolute Poker start hosting UBOC 6. Two divisions: the main tournamernts (means expensive, most of them a little over my playing bankroll budget right now), and the Mini-UBOCs. I've got my eyes on about a half-dozen of the latter, starting with Mini-UBOC Event 2 in a couple of hours. A $30+$3 entry, and you get $5 for each foe you eliminate. I love bounty/sniper games!

Mini-UBOC and UBOC will be fun. But I'm really looking forward to the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker running Jan. 24-30 at PokerStars. Love playing with and against my fellow writing addicts. Some great players out there in the fellowship; for instance, change100 just yesterday won the PCA Ladies event in the Bahamas (super congrats ma'am!). It's a great challenge, the WBCOOP. I want to try to qualify for the Finals as I've done a couple series past (memory's bad as usual, I'll have to look things up and report later on my past performance goals to beat this time, know I cashed in one WBCOOP Final!). The Finals and family Birthdays Brunch get-together are conflicting with a live charity event I wanted to play on Jan. 30; too often there's just not enough of me to go around!

This is where PokerStars' WBCOOP badge/ad would go if things were working right. Sooner or later it'll get here. PStars supports us well; but some of us old writers are sooooo computer-hopeless...

Got a Twitter Poker League game about to begin, time to start preparing and psyching (and check on Da Bears' continuing success). Then Mini-UBOC 2, then some poker101a or Holdem Poker Chat forum games. Go Patriots! And everyone have a great day!

Happy New Year 2011?

2011-01-04T10:56:00.000-06:00

Just got finished reading Daniel Negreanu's latest blog, with his summary of his 2010 resolutions and his plans for 2011. Daniel's an excellent writer. I always enjoy reading him, even though I don't always agree with him or some of his stands. To each their own -- the key (in my humble opinion) is to respect others, allow them their opinions without trying to force them to change, and not be petty or controlling and always trying to get in the last word.

It's a new year (OK, it's four days old, but who's uber-picky?). Time for new paths and new hopes ... as well as polishing up the good old stuff that doesn't perhaps get the due it deserves. Time for some resolutions. To be honest, they're more like goals or wishes -- five for me, five for the world, all with at least a tinge of poker to them since that's my main thing. These are for 2011; here goes:

WORLD:

1) PokerStars and Full Tilt and other online poker sites to get along, to give their pros and players more freedom to compete (especially in each other's TV events). I was going to wish for a properly regulated and taxed internet poker business community, with easy deposit/withdrawal/transfer, safety of accounts and reasonable fair share for the governments, but that ain't gonna happen with the Republicans running the U.S. House of Representatives. I'm crazy, but I'm not insane enough to expect good things from the current government situation. Ah well, Status Quo is much better than Reid Bill would've been.

2) An 11th WSOP bracelet for Doyle Brunson. He's the true face of poker, what it was, is and should always be. He ain't perfect (who is!), but he is really special. The Godfather of Poker deserves one more shining spotlight -- at least!

3) Less poker splintering, more unification. Too many magazines, TV shows, tournament tours, online sites, "teachers". It's good that more people can get involved and show their stuff and make some money without really doing anything. But I don't like it. I don't think it's good for poker. Quality, not quantity, please!

Hmmm, harder than I thought it'd be to come up with reasonable resolutions/wishes for the world. ("Reasonable"?!) I'm hijacking the remaining two for myself! Seven seems like a good number for me anyway...

ME:

4) Work to better overcome the unpredictable irrational panic attacks and fears that keep me from progressing my game to the next levels. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Manic Depression may seem like cop-out words and phrases to most people. But they're real. They can be devastating, They are definitely no fun. Sometimes suicide seems much preferable. Thank goodness I discovered poker back in the Moneymaker-Raymer era; that was a dose of cure that has kept me going.

5) Play more poker. Online. In the brick-and-mortar rooms. In the bar leagues. In home games. I love a good, friendly, competitive game. I love to play and learn and laugh. I really want more, even if it means less art and massage employment.

6) Get three four-digit prizes in poker tournaments. At least three! My first five-digit prize (no, you don't count to the right of the decimal point, wiseacre) would really be gratifying and exciting. It is definitely possible. And in this resolution spot also would go qualifying for a seat in a live tournament, such as WSOP or a WPT. (PCA ain't gonna happen this month, sniff sniff; next year!)

7) Continue to improve my game. Walk into less monster AA etc. hands. Not be afraid to lay down my hand, or conversely to make hero calls or to chase potentially high-profit pots when the situation is right. It's only a hand, only a tournament, there'll be another along shortly. Live in and for the moment fully.

8) Play more ring games. Had two winning sessions to end September trip to Vegas (one each at Bellagio and MGM Grand); won $37 for about 90 minutes' play of 1-2 limit at PStars in late December. But I still prefer tournaments soooo much. Plus I do lousy when trying to do more than one thing at a time (multi-tabling for me stinks!). That and mental-meltdown-fear keep me away from the ring games much.

9) Post in this blog more -- and regular. I've got posts sitting in "edit", plus that I've put elsewhere (deviantArt, Facebook, mail, forums). Need to get them all in here where they should be. Again, conglomeration and organization usually beats scattershooting!

10) Get a regular writing/column job with a poker publication/employer or three. Haven't had anything I've felt good about since the boxing days with Flash, RING, KO, Boxing Illustrated and the El Paso Herald-Post. I really should get more serious about it again, fears and bad memory be danged!

As an 11th resolution/wish, I hope that everyone out there has a wonderful 2011. Know when to hold them, when to fold them, be nice to each other and try to always smile ... at least a little. Nothing lasts forever. So enjoy now, and spread the enjoying; there's plenty to go around! Peace.

PCA Fantasy Finals Fun

2010-11-14T22:57:00.000-06:00

I love PokerStars. One of my big goals in life is to play in the site's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournaments in the Bahamas some January.

Noticed the other day that PStars is running a thing called PCA Fantasy from Nov. 7-Dec. 12. OK, that's as good a way to satellite into my dreams as any. I played a 50-cent, 90-player sit-and-go Saturday, with the top 9 finishers getting a ticket to one of the 12 PCA Fantasy Final freerolls (two per Sunday). I played good (haven't been playing much lately, but I have been going deep and having decent success when I do play). I finished 4th, earned $3.64 (that'll buy 7 more satellite tries! lol), and got an FF ticket. I like that return on investment! One try, one ticket!

Late Saturday and early Sunday my results inother tournaments were nothing to write home about, play-success wise. Nevertheless, I decided to use my Fantasy Final ticket Sunday evening for the 7 pm (CT) game. Hey, who knows what the next Sundays will bring? Next Sunday's my birthday, then comes Thanksgiving weekend; so better take a shot while I can! A long shot, with 13,179 players enterred, top 2,000 paid, and winner alone getting the $15,780 package of a trip to play in Paradise!

I played good. Dang, I really did play good for about 3 1/2 hours. Started slow: 10,740th of 11,136 left and 8,478th/8,685 at two early points. Kept plugging and playing my game, which could be anything. Got lucky a couple times when I needed to. Reeled in a couple gamblers when I had the goods. Made the money with ease. Got up to 68th/730 left. With the blinds and antes rising fast I was still 173rd/257. And then, eight eliminations from a $3 jump in the payouts, this happened:

PokerStars Game #52717429720: Tournament #324632380, Freeroll Hold'em No Limit - Level XX (3000/6000) - 2010/11/14 23:33:13 ET
Table '324632380 294' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: CESAR1802 (77142 in chips)
Seat 2: Cudvin379s (148009 in chips)
Seat 3: akfoldem49 (233155 in chips)
Seat 4: cheveuxdor (20441 in chips)
Seat 5: Shamanalix (29102 in chips)
Seat 6: Acropolis616 (70036 in chips)
Seat 7: ganador63 (106674 in chips)
Seat 8: The Dimes (56061 in chips)
Seat 9: Guryan Chayk (53184 in chips)
CESAR1802: posts the ante 600
Cudvin379s: posts the ante 600
akfoldem49: posts the ante 600
cheveuxdor: posts the ante 600
Shamanalix: posts the ante 600
Acropolis616: posts the ante 600
ganador63: posts the ante 600
The Dimes: posts the ante 600
Guryan Chayk: posts the ante 600
The Dimes: posts small blind 3000
Guryan Chayk: posts big blind 6000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Shamanalix [As Kh]
CESAR1802: calls 6000
Cudvin379s: folds
akfoldem49: folds
cheveuxdor: folds
Shamanalix: raises 22502 to 28502 and is all-in
Acropolis616: raises 40934 to 69436 and is all-in
ganador63: folds
The Dimes: folds
Guryan Chayk: folds
CESAR1802: folds
Uncalled bet (40934) returned to Acropolis616
*** FLOP *** [8c 2h 4h]
*** TURN *** [8c 2h 4h] [Jd]
*** RIVER *** [8c 2h 4h Jd] [7c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Shamanalix: shows [As Kh] (high card Ace)
Acropolis616: shows [Ts 9s] (a straight, Seven to Jack)
Acropolis616 collected 77404 from pot
Shamanalix finished the tournament in 205th place and received $8.00.
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 77404 | Rake 0
Board [8c 2h 4h Jd 7c]
Seat 1: CESAR1802 folded before Flop
Seat 2: Cudvin379s folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: akfoldem49 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: cheveuxdor folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Shamanalix showed [As Kh] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 6: Acropolis616 showed [Ts 9s] and won (77404) with a straight, Seven to Jack
Seat 7: ganador63 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: The Dimes (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: Guryan Chayk (big blind) folded before Flop

Runner-runner straight. That's poker. But now I won't be able to get to sleep for quite a while. Can't win them all, but that was really a bad time to lose one...

Sigh............................. And AAAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

OK, I'll be back, satellites. I want another FF shot. The sirens of Atlantis are calling me, and I can never say no to beautiful women...

More poker, less art -- WBCOOP's coming!

2010-10-29T19:50:00.005-05:00

Since my last Las Vegas trip in September I've been tied up in a lot of art projects and work. My poker has taken a back seat. Played a couple times live and a couple times online. Did well, to be honest. But mostly taking a break from the fun and the challenge of the felt and faux felt for other things in life.

And now PokerStars has announced its plans for the next World Blogger Championship of Online Poker. Can you say inspiration? I've taken part in these series the last two years, and they've some of my most fun (and successful) outings! The next WBCOOP will be in January 2011.

OK. I'm inspired! Look out shufflers, the shamster is hungry and on the prowl for chips and cash...

(Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the WBCOOP badge from PStars captures all the info from my right-hand column? What end-code is missing to get my things back where they belong? Grrrrrr...)

It's coming...

2010-10-28T22:53:00.019-05:00

Thank you spavel of Google Help pages if this goes right. Three days of working on putting up a banner/link that messes up everything else in the blog. Fingers crossed. Wish I could figure out what's going wrong here... Hmm, but now the PStars badge is gone. I swear it was here. Come on, PokerStars, fix your coding please. Siiiigh...

Trying to get that feeling again...

2010-09-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Yawn.

For some reason I have not been able to get enthused about playing online poker the last couple of weeks. Maybe it's the end-of-the-summer blahs, which seems to have dumped me into a deeper-than-normal pit of depression. Maybe it's the newest artistic bug that bit me, making me try again to write through ye olde writer's block and expand my modelling and massaging work. Maybe it's the "bad beats" and lost races, making me more choosy about when and what I spend my playing time (and money) on. Maybe it's the impending brief return to Las Vegas (Sept. 8-14), centered around my niece's wedding.

Whatever. There still have been some sweet results recently on the faux felt: second for $42 in a GFN Buy-In on Sunday at Absolute Poker; 96th for $33.78 in the PocketFives Open on Sept. 1 at PokerStars; third for $8 in the Poker Analysis Freeroll League Monthly Bonus Game on Aug. 31 at AbPoke; wins in GML's #24 Limit 5-Card Draw on Aug. 24 at PStars and #21 NLHE Six-Seat on Aug. 21 at Full Tilt; and a top-10 finish in the Grinders Mix League's August standings (got up to 3rd before depressing away the final week). Also cashed in a The Big Little Tournament at FTilt and a Beat the Brunson 10 bounty event at Doyle's Room, and played well and had fun (though didn't cash) in OFC (Doyle's), WPT Legends Main Event (AbPoke), Mini-UBOC (AbPoke), Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge Weekly (Doyle's) and Stoners vs. Staff (Reefer) tournaments -- all since mid-August.

Maybe by the final days of August I was just a little burned out from challenging more higher-profile (and higher-entry-fee) events. And the weather and real-life chores were changing. And I admit to being a tad disappointed to be doing good, but still not as good as I want. And running into things like what knocked me out of a turbo tourney yesterday (Sunday) at PStars: my AA vs 88, we got it all in after the 10-high flop, the turn was an 8, and I was out of the event one card later. Last weekend I also flopped second-nut flush and got it all in against what turned out to be the flopped nut flush. There seem to be more tales, but you don't want to know, and I don't want to remember; tg for a bad memory!

Bring on the real play in Vegas. That may be what I need, poker-wise. A table you can touch with live foes and chips I can fumble. If nothing else, it'll be fun and a distraction.

I shall return ...

Nice Benefit Game Sunday at Full Tilt

2010-08-20T18:51:00.000-05:00

I'm working on changing this blog around some. Trying to make it easier to read, easier to get around, easier on the eyes and mind. But with my computer phobias and dumbness it's a struggle...

Of course, the bad streak I'm on, I might as well just fool around here and stay away from the games. I played one earlier today, and ran into every flopped nut or river save-card imaginable. I was first out of the eight-player Grinders Mix League game (Mixed Holdem) at PokerStars. Not my day. Sure hope the mood changes tonight when I try a Mini-UBOC game, Mini-UBOC 4 Sniper NLHE ($4 bounties). I'll be playing from Absolute Poker for my first UBOC of this series, which runs through Aug. 29.

No matter what else is going on, I intend to be at Full Tilt Sunday at 5 pm St. Louis time and playing a $5+$5 game that's listed under the Privates tab (the game is open to anyone, password's right there on the ame lobby).

The Shamster is always on the lookout for good games, good women, good causes and any good combination of these.

This poker tournament Sunday (Aug. 22) at Full Tilt fits enough of my criteria that I will play it and also spread the word. A dozen registered FTilt red pros caught my eye, and Michael Craig confirmed the event in his FTilt blog as follows:

"This Sunday at 18:00 ET, just as the $750,000 Guarantee is starting, Full Tilt is holding a private tournament that I encourage you to join. A few years back, a young boy named Shaun Doss was in an automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The tournament is called 'Shaun Doss Miracle' and can be found in the private tournament lobby or by pressing Control-t from the Main Lobby and entering tournament # 177449229. The password for the $5 + $5 tournament is “shaun”.

"A lot of red pros will be in attendance. The second '$5' will benefit the Shaun Doss Miracle Fund, which is raising money for him to undergo surgery at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama that may give him the chance to walk again. When I heard about Shaun’s story, my first thought was, 'what a horrible tragedy – a seven-year old boy, unable to walk.' The tournament, however, isn’t just a chance to do something nice for someone victimized by a fate they didn’t choose. It’s a chance to celebrate the miracles of modern science, and provide an opportunity to be part of one of those miracles.

"I hope you’ll sign up."

Craig's post convinced me. So did the registration of familiar names like Chiu, Jett, Beevers, Rossi, Violette and Zhu. As I type this, 24 folks are currently registered -- 16 of them FTilt red pros. The chance to play challenging poker, possibly be at the same tables with some of these players, win a little money, and to do it all for a good cause ... I'm in!

See ya there? Don't make me put a $10 bounty on The Shamster...

Happy Anniversary Doyle

2010-08-19T16:33:00.001-05:00

Missed his recent birthday, so I'll just wish Louise and Doyle Brunson a very happy anniversary. Amazing! I'm reading the Godfather of Poker's autobiography, and just can't put it down; to heck with playing much right now. Did play the Brunson bounty tournament last night at Doyle's Room, and had Todd on my right. Unfortunately, I didn't claim his bounty, or finish in the money. Maybe next time.

This blog site's really misbehaving, so I'll stop and try to come back later. I hate (complicated sites and) computers...

Latest SCOOP Poop (and I do mean...)

2010-05-13T17:46:00.001-05:00

Just a quickie to exorcise the demons of a too-early exit just now from SCOOP 30-L (Pot Limit Omaha H/L) over at PokerStars. This was the fourth SCOOP I've played in this series; cashed in two of my first three outings, so I'm still ahead. I'm just going to flush this result as quick as possible, forget what might have been in 30-L if Sham Luck wasn't so Sham Luck-y, and look to the future. The crusher that took me from contending to the brink of extinction:

PokerStars Game #44049349525: Tournament #2010050301, $10+$1 USD Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit - Level VI (40/80) - 2010/05/13 18:29:01 ET
Table '2010050301 253' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: dibydgallows (4654 in chips)
Seat 2: Roeleind (3899 in chips)
Seat 3: StewieZA (6487 in chips)
Seat 4: Cleber_bito (10262 in chips)
Seat 5: idemm (5723 in chips)
Seat 6: Shamanalix (7225 in chips)
Seat 7: jeeby2 (5585 in chips)
Seat 8: sickcall27os (3917 in chips)
Seat 9: rigsi74 (2338 in chips)
StewieZA: posts small blind 40
Cleber_bito: posts big blind 80
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Shamanalix [4h 5d Ad 6s]
idemm: calls 80
Shamanalix: calls 80
jeeby2: folds
sickcall27os: raises 360 to 440
rigsi74 has timed out
rigsi74: folds
rigsi74 is sitting out
dibydgallows: folds
Roeleind: folds
StewieZA: calls 400
rigsi74 has returned
Cleber_bito: folds
idemm: folds
Shamanalix: calls 360
*** FLOP *** [2s 3d 3s]
StewieZA: checks
Shamanalix: checks
sickcall27os: bets 1480
StewieZA: raises 4440 to 5920
Shamanalix: calls 5920
sickcall27os: calls 1997 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [2s 3d 3s] [9h]
StewieZA: bets 127 and is all-in
Shamanalix: calls 127
*** RIVER *** [2s 3d 3s 9h] [Qs]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
StewieZA: shows [Jd Ah Ts 3h] (HI: three of a kind, Threes)
Shamanalix: shows [4h 5d Ad 6s] (HI: a pair of Threes)
StewieZA collected 5140 from side pot
sickcall27os: shows [7s 2d Ac 5h] (HI: two pair, Threes and Deuces)
StewieZA collected 11911 from main pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17051 Main pot 11911. Side pot 5140. | Rake 0
Board [2s 3d 3s 9h Qs]
Seat 1: dibydgallows folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Roeleind (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: StewieZA (small blind) showed [Jd Ah Ts 3h] and won (17051) with HI: three of a kind, Threes
Seat 4: Cleber_bito (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: idemm folded before Flop
Seat 6: Shamanalix showed [4h 5d Ad 6s] and lost with HI: a pair of Threes
Seat 7: jeeby2 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: sickcall27os showed [7s 2d Ac 5h] and lost with HI: two pair, Threes and Deuces
Seat 9: rigsi74 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Next shot at SCOOP redemption: 33-L on Friday night, No Limit Omaha H/L. Now that will be wild!!! Also targetting SCOOP 36-L Saturday (HORSE) and in SCOOP 38-L Sunday (NLHE Main Event).

(Sorry I'm not writing much lately, but been working and even playing some. A person must choose priorities...) ;o)

BBT 5 Helps Feed My Poker Hunger

2010-04-18T15:08:00.020-05:00

The hunger is back!

The World Series of Poker Circuit Events here at Harrah's-St. Louis (April 1-15) are successful history. Unfortunately, I didn't cash in any of them. But that's a story for another day.

Being around live poker players, plus watching lots of (mostly new) poker once again on TV -- WSOP reruns starting last night on ESPN, Heads-Up Championship began today on NBC, NAPT starts tomorrow on FSN, High Stakes every Sunday on GFN -- has me once again thinking seriously and deeply (for me, anyway) about the game. And the WSOP is just around the corner, barely a month away.

And guess what I found? Battle of the Blogger Tournaments 5 actually starts today at Full Tilt, running 6 weeks and offering quite a few seats in WSOP events. I haven't played with many of my blogger compadres in a while. Time to change that!

So, without further ado, here's the banner to the BBT 5 info:

Rah, it worked!! (Fourth try.) Thank you Dave McCarthy!!! Yeah, it's ugly, but so's my poker ...

And here for now is a backup link to the BBT 5 explanation page:

http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-from-the-rail/bloggers-on-the-rail/battle-blogger-tournaments-5

Play when you want, watch when you can, and cheer for your favorites. Including, I hope, me. I'll play the next couple Wednesdays and go from there; the goal is to take one down and get a TOC seat!

More later about BBT 5. Meanwhile, I got dumped today from the TeamBattles at Tilt (thank you pokerzentrale.me and Mixed Games Forum for the wonderful series!) sooner than I wanted, 81st/134 players. Not many points from me for my team River of No Return today (and this after my solid 12th/138 last Sunday). Now to get ready for GML 18 at PokerStars (Mixed Omaha today) and GFN Forum Wars at Absolute Poker later today.

I'm playing better. But there's a lot to do, a long way to go. Come and enjoy the ride!

It's NBC Heads-Up Championship time!

2010-03-05T15:58:00.000-06:00

I wish I was in Las Vegas this weekend. Caesars Palace, to be exact. It's time for the 2010 NBC Heads-Up Championship, one of my favorite events annually.

Here in St. Louis, I don't get to see much of it when NBC gets around to the broadcast. Sundays are dominated by the local affiliate showing St. Louis Cardinals baseball games. Who cares about those losers??? Gimme my phenoms and flashes from the felt! I'm left waiting for the shows to rebroadcast on CNBC or somewhere. So I expect to be keeping up with the action as it happens this weekend live, via the online poker news reports or NBC's blog.

I'll put observations in my blog this weekend. But I'll put them at the end of a post, and say SPOILER WARNING!, so that folks who want to be kept in the dark and suspense until the tournament airs don't read something they don't want to know.

OK, prediction time! I consider this good practice for the NCAA Brackets I'll be filling out later this month. But in the Heads-Up Championship, anybody can truly beat just about anybody. Thanks to NBC for the event bracket, posted at its website after Thursday night's Pairings Draw Party at Pure Nightclub in Vegas.

I'm doing two brackets, so it's me against me. First, here's the summary of my initial bracket which I posted in several forums I belong to, such as Poker Analysis and Holdem Poker Chat:

"Jiminy Christmas, what matchups! What potential matchups!!!

"Didn't know whether to go with who should win or who I want to win. Who'll play serious or who'll play drunk. Old school or new wave. As usual, decided to go with a mix ... which is when my cute crabs usually run into pocket rockets. Oh well.

"How're these for real first-round matches: Seidel-Seed, Negreanu-J.Mercier, Lederer-Hellmuth, Greenstein-Rousso, Hansen-Raymer and the Duel of the Jennifers (Tilly-Harman)? Wow. The Diamonds Bracket is definitely the "Region of Death." I'd love to see Hellmuth-Obrestad in the second round, Negreanu-Dwan in the third. And one of my predicted semifinals would set the internet afire if it materializes.

"Sham's Final Four: Patrik Antonius vs. Tom Dwan and Doyle Brunson vs. Antonio Esfandiari. Bracket darkhorses: Ted Forrest, Shawn Rice, Annette Obrestad (shoulda been Doyle as that group's darkhorse, I shoulda picked Chris Ferguson to win it, but oh well -- and if Doyle doesn't play the Chrisis the man to win the Hearts) and Jen Harman.

"And the winner is: Antonius over Antonio. But as bad as my picks were last year, those two are probably hexed for good. Good luck all; more in my blog."

That's my starter. But I always liked pairs ... twins ... two at once ... diversity ... you know what I mean ... So I'm doing another bracket right here, right now, my Blog Picks. And I just know I can beat me -- the Forum Picks, dirty mind!

Start in the CLUBS Bracket -- FIRST ROUND: Patrik Antonius over Chris Moneymaker seems good. Eric Baldwin over Lee Wolpert just because. David Williams over Joe Cada because Williams is one of the solid bets who could easily run the table with six wins in three days. Huck Seed over Erik Seidel, gotta go with the defending champ and someone (think it was Daniel Negreanu in his blog picks) noted unlucky Seidel has yet to win a match here. Erick Lindgren over Dan Ramirez, one of the unknown qualifiers I figure. "Elky" Grospellier over Peter Eastgate, a tough matchup. Ted Forrest over Stephen Quinn; although Forrest hasn't been in the news much lately, he like Seed and Chris Ferguson have a tremendous track record here. And Dario Minieri over Jamie Gold in a tossup. SECOND ROUND: Antonius over Baldwin. Williams over Seed, I think David's motivation will be very high especially against the defending champ. Grospellier over Lindgren, largely due to Erick's seeming inactivity in recent months. Forrest over Minieri, because it's Ted's "home." THIRD ROUND: Williams over Antonius, because I have to make some major picks different from Forum Sham. Forrest over Grospellier, I just like Old School best (so boo me). FOURTH ROUND: Williams over Forrest. I think it's David's time.

SPADES bracket -- FIRST ROUND: Phil Ivey over Gavin Smith, depends on how many golf games and other things Ivey has scheduled this weekend, I just think he's made it a project to tear up the major tournament circuit in '10 -- and the Biggies start here. Scotty Nguyen over Richard Edwards, should be easy, and I just noticed how small the Asian delegation enterred this year is, disappointing. Shawn Rice over Joe Hachem, a good tough match. Gabe Kaplan over Johnny Chan, another tough one but Chan never seems inspired. Jason Mercier over Daniel Negreanu, one of the best first-round pairings and the winner's likely to go all the way. Pieter de Korver over Mike Sexton, tough to pick but I'll risk it. Tom Dwan over Phil Gordon, like Ivey "durr" has a goal of being a breakout star on the tournament swing in '10. John Juanda over Phil Laak, another difficult decision that will depend on timing, cards and chip stacks. SECOND ROUND: Ivey over Nguyen. Rice over Kaplan. Mercier over de Korver. Dwan over Juanda. THIRD ROUND: Rice over Ivey, the upset of the event, but I think Phil loses concentration a tad in his second match of Saturday. Mercier over Dwan, another coinflip and another disappointment for those wanting an Ivey-Dwan Quarterfinal Super Showdown. FOURTH ROUND: Mercier over Rice, going with the hottest of two hot new stars.

HEARTS bracket -- (Got a tournament in 13 minutes so I'm going to speed this up; sorry ... more later.) FIRST ROUND: Jason Hougaard over Allen Cunningham, who's another player who seemed inactive in recent months. Eli Elezra over Greg Mueller, one to the experienced guy. Craig Ferguson over Annette Dworski. Dennis Phillips over Kara Scott. Doyle Brunson over Brock Parker, although Parker beats any late sub. Don Cheadle over John-Paul Kelly. Phil Hellmuth over Howard Lederer, a great first-round match. Annette Obrestad over Orel Hershiser. SECOND ROUND: Hougaard over Elezra, one against the experienced guy. Ferguson over Phillips. Brunson over Cheadle. Obrestad over Hellmuth, and won't that be fun to watch! THIRD ROUND: Ferguson over Hougaard. Obrastad over Brunson, with two toughies in one day, the king is "dead", long live the queen. FOURTH ROUND: Ferguson over Obrastad, the old guard still rules.

DIAMONDS bracket -- FIRST ROUND: Barry Greenstein over Vanessa Rousso. Antonio Esfandiari over Sammy Farha. Jennifer Harman over Jennifer Tilly. Mike Matusow over Jerry Yang. William Huntress over Darrin Moon. Andy Bloch over Annie Duke. Paul Wasicka over Andrew Wilson. Greg Raymer over Gus Hansen, one of my upset specials, to cap a very very tough bracket. SECOND ROUND: Esfandiari over Greenstein. Matusow over Harman. Bloch over Huntress. Raymer over Wasicka. THIRD ROUND: Esfandiari over Matusow. Raymer over Bloch. FOURTH ROUND: Raymer over Esfandiari.

SEMIFINALS: Williams over Mercier. Raymer over Ferguson. And does this seem familiar ... FINALS: Williams vs. Raymer -- and this time David Williams wins! (No relation, durn it...)

Bubbles can be fun

2010-01-31T10:45:00.000-06:00

Today is going to be a hellacious Sunday, tournament-wise. There are so many that I'm afraid I'll be ghosting a lot, and skipping others I wish I was in. Gotta choose my spots, though, and give my best attention to the ones I decide to concentrate on. Being half-assed or distracted would mean I might as well not even play. I'm out to win, or do the best I possibly can.

Didn't win my first event of the day, but that's a good thing, really. Long story short: Pocket 5's Forum, of which I'm a largely silent and background member (hey, those guys and gals are probably the best online, definitely in top 3 mobs) ... anyway, Pocket 5's was holding a $10+$1 Ultra Turbo (2-minute levels) this morning guaranteeing at least 5 seats (worth $1,050 each) to the UBOC $1 million Main Event later today (3 pm, all times St. Louis). Thought I'd give it a go, my day's kickoff and warmup plus a chance to play some of the best.

So the Shamster Luck continues. I finished sixth. No UBOC Championship seat. That's OK, I have a ton of other games this afternoon. Plus the P5s thing paid six places; the seat bubble got the leftover cash, which was $85. Sweet!!! That I will not complain about. Sure, the UBOC ME would've been fun if I could devote my full attention to it. But it wasn't guaranteed money, either, so this prize is fine.

The P5s game saw me playing some of my best poker. Rah! Plus the quickly soaring blinds and antes made it a pushathon. I was in the right place at the right time, even having AJ hold against two foes (that hand has killed me lately). Finally was crippled when my AT at the final table went heads-up against low stack's AK, leaving me only 2K chips. Trippled up with the powerful Q3 as two pair materialized. Then came the end, courtesy of Shamster Luck:

Stage #20284967 Tourney ID 5087039 Holdem Multi Normal Tournament No Limit 3,500 - 2010-01-31 09:41:40 (ET)
Table: 6 (Real Money) Seat #7 is the dealer
Seat 2 - JOEPO (10,374 in chips)
Seat 5 - TRAILERACES (26,595 in chips)
Seat 6 - PWNYEXPRESS (24,696 in chips)
Seat 7 - 2XQUIZIT (13,607 in chips)
Seat 8 - XTJBIRD13X (13,774 in chips)
Seat 9 - SHAMANALIX (5,454 in chips)
JOEPO - Ante 350
TRAILERACES - Ante 350
PWNYEXPRESS - Ante 350
2XQUIZIT - Ante 350
XTJBIRD13X - Ante 350
SHAMANALIX - Ante 350
XTJBIRD13X - Posts small blind 1,750
SHAMANALIX - Posts big blind 3,500
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to SHAMANALIX [10s 10h]
JOEPO - Folds
TRAILERACES - Folds
PWNYEXPRESS - Folds
2XQUIZIT - Folds
XTJBIRD13X - Raises 5,250 to 7,000
SHAMANALIX - All-In 1,604
XTJBIRD13X - returned (1,896) : not called
*** FLOP *** [6s 8h 9s]
*** TURN *** [6s 8h 9s] [Js]
*** RIVER *** [6s 8h 9s Js] [5d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
XTJBIRD13X - Shows [4h 7d] (Straight, five to nine)
SHAMANALIX - Shows [10s 10h] (One pair, tens)
XTJBIRD13X Collects 12,308 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot(12,308)
Board [6s 8h 9s Js 5d]
Seat 2: JOEPO Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 5: TRAILERACES Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 6: PWNYEXPRESS Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: 2XQUIZIT (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 8: XTJBIRD13X (small blind) won Total (12,308) HI:(12,308) with Straight, five to nine [4h 7d - B:9s,B:8h,P:7d,B:6s,B:5d]
Seat 9: SHAMANALIX (big blind) HI:lost with One pair, tens [10s 10h - P:10s,P:10h,B:Js,B:9s,B:8h]

Ah well. Got the cash and the experience. Now the madness really begins. Here's how the schedule shapes up, only listing the things I'll probably play or qualified into, and leaving out the Gaming Forum Network, UBOC, PStars Million, H0 Radio, Nationwide Poker Tour Weekly and many others I'd like to be playing:

-- 1 pm: Forum Poker Series $500 Kickoff Freeroll at Easy Play Poker. Playing for Team Poker101a. Getting three eligibility tokens to Valentine's Day games at EPP just for playing. Plus trying to help Team2Win's forum (101a) win the FPS's prize.

-- 2 pm: GridIron Sweepstakes $50 Freeroll at Easy Play. Very small field of 30 max, people who won teams in EPP's GridIron Sweepstakes regular season (I won Da Bears. Lucky me. But they did earn me $30-some bucks one week. Wish I had Colts and/or Saints...). I won't be here much because Easy Play and Reefer are both Merge Network sites and you can't have both open at same time (wish I had another computer...). And over on Reefer...

-- 2 pm: Online Forum Challenge $2,000 Freeroll at Reefer Poker. Go Team PA! Trying to bring glory to my main forum, Poker Analysis, even though this is not a team competition. Thank goodness they moved the game back an hour, it was originally supposed to start at same time as FPS. (I hate corporate rivalries and one-upsmanships, although I benefit from such.)

-- 2 pm: World Blogger Championship of Online Poker Final at PokerStars. I should be in this game, it should be my big game of the day. But I am very unenthused. The WBCOOP has been no fun this year: too many sitouts, ill-mannered 4-year-olds pretending they're players, hooligan behaviors, uninspiring prizes. I love PStars, but they really bombed here. I wouldn't pay to play in these circumstances. Last one (December '08) was sensational, and I cashed in its final. Now I'm yawning and real disappointed.

-- 3:20 pm: RP League Winter Series II Final at Reefer. With $500 added and a $109 coupon for the winner, plus 124 entrants max, this one has my attention and focus. Hopefully I'll still be on Reefer for the OFC; hate to multi-event, my record is awful, but I'll give it a go if necessary.

-- 5 pm: Shark Poker Tour at PDC Poker. A $2 buy-in with $50 added. I have't been playing much with the Sharks lately. I miss them. I want to be there more. But we'll have to see what my situation (tournament positions, emotional strength) is when this one comes up.

-- 6 pm: Sunday Football Special I at PokerStars. Now this is a tournament!!! For $10+$1 I get a shot at Super Bowl tickets plus spending money. So what if the full 40,000 entrants show. I will play ... although probably not until SFS II at 9 pm!

-- 7 pm: Suited Pockets $50 Freeroll at Doyles Room. I love Doyles, and I love the Pocketeers. But we'll have to wait and evaluate my situation.

-- 9 pm: SFS II at PStars. See 6 pm. See me cap the day with a big score. I hope. I've had my fun bubble; now for bigger and better things!

Dontcha love quickies?

2010-01-27T10:05:00.000-06:00

A week since my last post? Geez. Time flies when you're having real life...

Mom's better. As of last night my poker game's better. More on everything later (four days off in a row starting Thursday -- ahhhhhhhh!!!)

Just wanted to make note I played my first World Blogger Championship of Online Poker yesterday (Tuesday). Work kept me out of Monday's, and will sideline me again today. But starting Thursday I'm registered for four in a row. Tuesday's WBCOOP #2 was Pot Limit Omaha, and it was not a memorable experience -- I finished 755th/1,634 entrants. Blah. For an excuse I'd explain I was still in a Mixed Games Forum league game (Limit HA) when the WBCOOP started, at a tough final table, and I do not do well dividng my attention -- proven fact, look at the records, it's just my game/temperment. On the bright side I won the GML #26 game, my first win in the league (which I only joined mid-January). That league is fun; I'll have to had them to my forums menu at right soon!

Tuesday night I played Mini UBOC 12 (Limit HORSE) at UB (formerly Ultimate Bet). I made some really dumb moves (will post three really bad hands next time), but somehow survived them and finished 18th/308 for a $56 cash. My first UBOC game (in this series); with my schedule I hope it's not my last. Fun and educational.

Speaking of education, off to work I go at St. Louis Community College-Meramec. A lot of buses, trains and walking ahead getting there and back. Hope the weather holds. Not driving can be a pain (dang panic disorder). But whatever is and will be, so be it. Peace...

A small pause

2010-01-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been quiet, and unfortunately it'll probably be that way until the weekend. Got a couple viruses on my computer I'm trying to get eradicated and repaired. School's started back up, which means back to the modelling grind (rah!). And mom has carotid artery surgery tomorrow; she's 80.

Meanwhile, if you want good poker games for a great cause, play tonight (Wednesday Jan. 20). At Ultimate Bet or Absolute Poker is a Play for Haiti benefit at 20:30 ET; $5+0, turbo, rebuys for first 30 minutes, one add-on, capped at 750 players, Annie Duke among those already registered. And at Doyle's Room the regular 21:30 ET Wednesday Bounty has been tweaked into a Haiti Relief Celebrity Bounty Tournament, featuring Doyle and the gang plus celebrities like Mickey Rourke; it's $25+2.50 well-spent.

Be nice and stay happy.

PStars' WBCOOP is coming!!!

2010-01-17T17:16:00.001-06:00

OK. I don't know how to put this on the margin at right. I'm lucky when I make a post and it takes. Besides, this thing deserves its own prominent space. So here goes nothing (which is what I usually think/say before playing anything):

I have registered to play in the WBCOOP PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! You too can Play Poker Online at PokerStars.com and take part in the WBCOOP which is open to all Bloggers by registering on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: 609843

Hmm. Looks good in preview. Let's put 'er up. And good luck, fellow bloggers! If you want in a separate last-longest on the side for certain events, reply here (I love getting mail. Even spam. Such a feeling of power to trash it...) ...

Still hungry for more BLT

2010-01-17T17:02:00.000-06:00

Taking a break before evening action, and thought I'd go ahead and put something up. You're not limited to one blog post a day, are you? Over three years here, 10 years online, and I still don't understand nuttin'...

The third BLT was today at Full Tilt. One more BLT next Sunday -- another turbo like last week. I prefer the regular speed; I'm now 2-for-2 at cashing in them. But I should've done better today. The killer, as Sham's Law finally ends the fun:

Full Tilt Poker Game #17681184600: The Big Little Tournament (125975242), Table 100 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:18:32 ET - 2010/01/17
Seat 1: PavliX (65,078)
Seat 2: x-Rocky 36-x (9,940)
Seat 3: Zarachr (27,027)
Seat 4: syenite (24,732)
Seat 5: Itch52 (33,441)
Seat 6: bamfer77 (34,728)
Seat 7: shamanalix (6,470)
Seat 8: bailli (26,158)
Seat 9: badmoouth (36,427)
PavliX antes 150
x-Rocky 36-x antes 150
Zarachr antes 150
syenite antes 150
Itch52 antes 150
bamfer77 antes 150
shamanalix antes 150
bailli antes 150
badmoouth antes 150
shamanalix posts the small blind of 600
bailli posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to shamanalix [Ac As]
badmoouth raises to 2,400
PavliX raises to 10,350
x-Rocky 36-x folds
Zarachr folds
syenite folds
Itch52 folds
bamfer77 folds
shamanalix calls 5,720, and is all in
bailli folds
badmoouth has 15 seconds left to act
badmoouth has requested TIME
badmoouth folds
PavliX shows [Tc Th]
shamanalix shows [Ac As]
Uncalled bet of 4,030 returned to PavliX
*** FLOP *** [7s Td 2s]
*** TURN *** [7s Td 2s] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [7s Td 2s 7h] [Qs]
PavliX shows a full house, Tens full of Sevens
shamanalix shows two pair, Aces and Sevens
PavliX wins the pot (17,590) with a full house, Tens full of Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,590 | Rake 0
Board: [7s Td 2s 7h Qs]
Seat 1: PavliX showed [Tc Th] and won (17,590) with a full house, Tens full of Sevens
Seat 2: x-Rocky 36-x folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Zarachr folded before the Flop
Seat 4: syenite folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Itch52 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: bamfer77 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: shamanalix (small blind) showed [Ac As] and lost with two pair, Aces and Sevens
Seat 8: bailli (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: badmoouth folded before the Flop

Finished 1,944th of 33,030 entrants, earned $15. But I (always) want more... dang big stacks and Sham's Law.

More real soon. Gotta start plugging the World Blogger Championships of Online Poker coming up later this month at PokerStars ... before I miss the whole thing! That was a lot of fun last year!!! Unfortunately, classes and work will likely keep me out of the fun the first three days. Durn.

Wrong way to end a slump?

2010-01-16T23:35:00.000-06:00

Finally broke out of a mini-slump (I hope!!!), as well as feeling better from the stomach flu and actually starting to get my hearing back from the Lady Gaga concert. So why am I not happy?

Guess it's because I played "dumb" in "ending" the current slump. (Postive thinking -- I insist the slump is over, and good things lie ahead!) I finished 45th/246 entrants a little while ago in one a $1.10 Satellite to Sunday's Big Little Tournament at Full Tilt. My $4 prize will pay for most of my entry in the 12:45pm (St. Louis time) BLT.

Of course, if I'd finished one spot higher I'd have got a ticket for the full $5.50 entry. I made the money, but bubbled the 44 tickets. And I should have coasted in for one. But I got KK the last hand and pushed my 5K, got called by the big blind -- who had been the table big stack and bully and whom I had a history with in my short time at Table 22 in the 5-minute turbo event.

I didn't think anyone would challenge my push, since we were one spot from the money and two from the tickets. But my foe had me covered, must've figured he had nothing to lose and could embarass me, and called with AK. And of course, as per Sham's Law, an ace flopped.

I shouldn't have gotten personal and taken riskes. I should have coasted. But I want to win tournaments, not just survive them. I folded my QQ to him a few revolutions earlier when an ace flopped and he push-raised my check (that was when he had twice as much as anyone at the table, before he went on a small losing streak). As bad as things have been running for me, I wanted to attack now that I had KK and get momentum on my side. And the poker gods and goddesses are still laughing at me.

Ah well. I won something. That's a step in the right direction. I also finished 3rd/6 Saturday morning in a Pot Limit Omaha High/Low tourney (ray101bassman's weekly PokerStars $1.10 fun) for a 10-cent profit.

Another lesson learned from having kings cracked in an unnecessary bubble-time risk? Nah, not the way I felt, and as little as I had to lose. I already intended to buy in direct anyway to Sunday's BLT; just decided to try one more satellite as a warmup and game-sharpener.

I'm playing to win. I'm thinking positive. I'm learning, and using (some of) what I learn.

Bring it on, felt Foes and poker Fates! The Shamster will always bounce back. Eventually.

Good results on Reefer

2010-01-12T23:47:00.000-06:00

Hmmmmm, that title may get me in trouble at a casual glance. Oh well. Coming down with a stomach flu (something I ate?), just want to go to bed, don't care about much of anything right now.

What I do care about, and what has me feeling a little better in my pain, is that I just got out of my slump a little. Played the Reefer Poker League Winter Series II's Event 3 (why'd nobody alert me that the Series started with two games last week??), played mostly solid (though far too card-dead and thus over-cautious the third hour), and finished 6th/58 entrants for a $23.40 payday. Would have liked to do better; I was tournament leader most of the first six levels (flopping a set of kings to crack aces on a three-way all-in in the first five minutes sure helps!). But the way things have gone the last few days, I'll take any rays of sunshine!

Winter Series II runs all January, games every Tuesday and Thursday (8:15p CT) for $5.50 each. The eight-game series qualifies coupon-earners to The Final at 16:20 Reefer time on Sunday, Jan. 31 -- and that championship features $550-added plus a $109 coupon for the winner.

If only Merge Network software wouldn't freeze up so often, primarily on its "refreshes", and be so slow to update the standings or translate my wagers. I was about ready to throw the computer through a wall a couple times. Why can't computer/software geniuses come up with good dependable solid smooth programs for poker????? But surviving so long/well (and cashing) against such a tough field made the frustration a little easier to bear. If Reefer (a member/skin of the Merge Network) only ran smoother, and if it only got the old agreement with PIC Club going again, it might become my favorite site of all the poker internet. Ah well...

I'm going to bed. Tomorrow I'm playing live at Lumiere Place casino in downtown St. Louis. I sure hope I feel better...

(Full) Tilted again ... and again

2010-01-11T14:56:00.000-06:00

I do not believe or agree with the paranoids who say all online poker is fixed, and that the RNGs (Random Number Generators) ain't really random at all. Why would poker sites take such a chance and cheat as an institution (we won't talk about random individual cheating right now)? Why would sites care about any one account, especially a small one, when they make so much money off rakes and fees?

Then bad luck smacks me in the face, and all I can do is shake my head and repeat one of my mantras: "This too shall pass; I'm a good person!"

Sunday was basically an out-and-out disaster for me on the faux felt. The imperfect ending to the imperfect day came when I was knocked out of Satellites to Full Tilt's Big Little Tournament, not once, but twice, on rivered flushes when I was ahead. Don't tell me the odds...

The first time, I was sitting pretty in about 25th place of 70 left in a chase for 41 BLT seats. I should've just sat out and backed in. But I flopped a Broadway straight, looked at cementing my seat by taking the pot by pushing all my chips to scare others, and got called by the only stack at the table bigger than me. I should have gone slow with two clubs having fallen in the flop; another club turned, Stackie had two clubs in his hand, and I was out in 65th with no seat and down a buck-10.

Another 1.10 satellite was just starting, and I jumped into it, really ticked at myself for blowing one game but confident I could maintain the steady good play I'd been doing and win a seat this time. But I was card-dead early, which is not a good thing to be in a turbo (5-minute levels) event. Finally I pushed my last 800 chips with T9 from early position, and got called by one player who showed AKo. Wouldn't ya know it, I flopped another straight and got the lead! But the shamster (me) is the unluckiest of players; there were two spades in the flop, caller's A was a spade, and the turn-river came 2 of spades, 3 of spades. Flushed again! Why me???

Sunday had started horribly with me 22,239th/33,736 in the weekly Big Little Tournament finale. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't pretty; it was also 5-minute turbo, and I wasn't in sync or in the right frame of mind ... I guess. I do promise to do much better in next Sunday's BLT (regular 10ish-minute levels) -- and I will cash!

Bombed in two other tourneys Sunday to make the day a total washout. Was much more fun watching the Arizona-Green Bay NFL playoff scorefest. Today I haven't played anything yet; a touch of sinuses and depression and just not feeling in the groove. We'll see what the evening brings. I will play something somewhere sometime!

I am intrigued after finding out Absolute Poker is holding AP Touchdown Wednesday tournaments this month, with Super Bowl packages as the prizes. I'm going to have to look into that, especialy its satellites. Also hoping PokerStars has a new round of NAPT-Venetian qualifiers this week; nothing on their schedule yet, but then again they didn't start playing them last week until Wednesday.

As a final thought on Full Tilt's reputation for unbelievable bad beats on rivers and an inordinate amount of worst-hand-wins ... well, it happens everywhere. Even live. There's no perfect online site for a good game. The software hangs up too often on the Merge Network, the Cake Network, worst of all on Microgamings (I grandfathered in so I can still play some of those). Even PokerStars, my first site to play online and to play real money, is not always dependable. I got royally rooked by them when they did their Player Quiz; I got the survey all correct I am certain, but they never gave me the ticket to tournaments that they promised and I earned. Probably because I didn't capitalize the "S" in my site name or something trivial? You'd expect a lot better from "the best." Nevertheless, grumpily, PokerStars remains my favorite site, followed by Full Tilt, Doyle's Room, Reefer Poker and ... let's call it about a seven-way tie for fifth.

If you hear a scream later tonight, you'll know I just got flushed again...

Ready for another sweet Sunday

2010-01-10T11:56:00.000-06:00

I can't believe the year is already 10 days old. Man, life flies when you're having fun ... and also not. I know I already broke my resolution of a post a day here, but what the heck -- how many resolutions survive a full year? So might as well get it over early in breaking 'em!

One thing I'm hoping not to get over early is my participation in tournaments today. Specifically, Full Tilt's The Big Little Tournament. Qualified in a satellite on Friday for this week's $5.50 event, which guarantees $250K prize pool. Today's 12:45 pm (all times Central) game is Turbo (5-minute) NLHE, so it's going to be wild from the get-go. My goal is to do better than last Sunday's regular-timed-levels BLT, when I finished 5,676th (of 46,105 entrants) and pocketed $7.50. A couple good hands early today, please, dealers!

Also on tap for me today will probably be the Gaming Forum Network's $5.50 buy-in with $50 added at 3p at UB (formerly Ultimate Bet) (and more on GFN in a moment), plus maybe the H0 Radio games at 9p at UB (weekly freeroll and $5.50, $100-added buy-in run simultaneously, bonus if ya win both, which I don't think anyone has done yet). The H0 Radio games are co-sponsored by Rounders Radio, and that's where we get the passwords, either via the broadcast at 7p or in the Rounders Radio Chat Room. I may also play one of Poker101a's games, depending on how things are going today; eric's gang has games at 7p (freeroll) and 8p (buy-in) at UB/AP, and they're part of the Poker Forum Network that plays at 4p (freeroll) and 6p (buy-in) at Doyle's Room. Yup, busy busy day.

Saturday wasn't that busy -- mainly because I was in the GFN (told ya I'd get back to them) $100 Freeroll at UB for almost 5 hours. The satisfying news was I made the final table, learned from some very tough rivals and some big stacks in action, finished 4th/222 entrants and pocketed $10. The frustrations included not winning, getting "so little" payoff for playing so long, and that the final table overlapped the start of the Poker Analysis Heads-Up Challenge III that I hosted at Doyle's. Needless to say, two things at once didn't work well for me (although it went a bit better than normal). Didn't get a first-round bye, faced very tough PA regular dcrat (known as rattler3 at Doyles), fell behind early and finally bowed out after a 22-minute struggle. At least our first-round match lasted longest of the 7 opening matches, thus giving me a little solace. Congrats to mjo (Jack8 at Doyles) of Grove City, Ohio, for winning PAHU III, and to fitchjr1 as runner-up!

So I only played 3 tournaments on Satuday. Also cashed in ray101bassman's PLO H/L at PokerStars, finishing 3rd/12 for $2.40 (on a $1.10 entry). So I profitted $9.10 for the day ... if ya don't count the $25 stake I put up in PAHU III.

Bring on bigger and better results today, poker world. And be gentle, goddesses!

Where'd everybody go?

2010-01-09T12:32:00.001-06:00

Ok, I know June through December exist. I was there -- I think. I wrote -- I think. I think -- I think. Where is everything?

I hate computers. If it wasn't for online poker, I'd go back to woman-chasing and the real world. (Thank you, online poker!)

Been playing a lot of poker lately. Success rate is increasing, but still missing out on the big scores. Those will come. Meanwhile, keep learning.

Got a lot of writing to do to make up for what disappeared. Wonder if I can re-post from the forums, what I was writing in them about the same time? This is painful! (Yes I can re-post, Blogger says! Thank goodness! I can recreate what's gone before...)

I'm hosting the Poker Analysis (Forum) Heads-Up III tournament at Doyles Room starting at 7 (CT) tonight, Jan. 9. Only $2.20, with $50 added. Come join us. Lots of great people and poker players in PA.

Have a good day and play nice...

Townsend, isildur1, Hastings, $4 mill, suspension ... hunh?

2009-12-25T16:37:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas?

Let's see if I've got this right: Brian Townsend and Cole South shared hands histories with Brian Hastings, who then took a $4 million win against the mysterious high-stakes super-maniac isildur1 at Full Tilt heads-up. Townsend is subsequently suspended one month by Full Tilt for TOS violation: You can't share hand histories on others.

Say what?

Read about these goings-on first at Poker Road just now, which led me to the following Poker News interview. Opinions on this situation, and what "sharing hand histories" means, compared to discussing individual/tournament action(s)? Ah the world of big-time poker; glad I'm happy in Little Land (for now)...

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2009/12/p ... n-7714.htm

-----------

With the tools and such out there in the internet world, I wonder how Full Tilt could hope to instigate such a rule, much less enforce it. I too fear bots and IM hookups and collusion. But studying a player's tendencies away from the actual event ... that's something entirely different. In the current CardPlayer magazine Phil Hellmuth brags of training Jeff Shulman by going over the rest of the November Nine's entire available plays and TV tapes, and immitating the enemy. That sounds like just strategy -- but isn't that just what Townsend and South and Hastings allegedly did?

Gotta make things as black-and-white as possible, because the grays will just be uber-optimized. (Bad wordage but ya know what I mean...)

(... Great cover story on isildur1 and the nosebleed FT heads-ups in above-mentioned CP, and a short blurb that Hastings' big score just happened at presstime.)

PokerStars $1M Challenge Head Hunt on Jan. 4 '10

2009-12-19T00:31:00.002-06:00

From Poker Analysis Forum post on 12/19/09 promoting the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge Head Hunt:

OK, I'll put this here instead of under Tournaments. Don't want it wind up double-enterred like Reindeer Games. I already bought straight in for $11 (40K entrants max); may play satellites to get my money back, but this is one I want to be sure I won't miss!

"Win cash for busting celebrities and Team PokerStars Pro!

"Help celebrate the grand final of the PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge TV show with our exclusive Head Hunt tournament. On January 4, 2010 at 19:00 ET you can play in an exclusive online tournament featuring the stars of the show, including Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. Each guest player will have a cash bounty on their head, which means you’ll win money for busting them. What’s more, you’ll also be playing for a share of a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.

"In case you didn’t already know, the Million Dollar Challenge has been a phenomenal success. Millions of you tuned in to watch, helping to make it the US’ most popular poker TV show of all time! Millions of you tuned in to watch PokerStars qualifiers get the chance to play against celebrities and Team PokerStars Pro for up to $1,000,000. The Million Dollar Challenge Head Hunt is our way of thanking you for watching, and your chance to play tournament poker against the biggest names in the game for cash.

"Visit the Million Dollar Challenge page to find out more about the show and how you can become a contestant in Season 2.

"How to Enter the Head Hunt $100,000

"The Million Dollar Challenge: The Head Hunt $100,000 Guaranteed tournament takes place at 19:00 ET, January 4, 2010. You can enter in a number of ways:

"Direct buy-in -- $10+1 will get you to the front of the queue for the Head Hunt $100,000.

"Daily $1.10 satellites -- These will take place every day from now until January 3 at 20:00 ET and 23:00 ET.This is a great way to qualify with 1 in 11 players winning a seat.

"Freerolls -- Every day from now until January 3, we’re running freerolls at 19:00 ET and 22:00 ET. The top 18 finishers from every freeroll will win a seat to the Head Hunt $100,000.

"Prizes

"The $100,000 guaranteed prize pool will be awarded according to PokerStars standard payout structure.

"Cash prizes for busting pro and celebrity players will be awarded as follows.
Player Prize
Daniel Negreanu $1,000
The MDC Defenders - Vanessa Rousso, Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein and Joe Cada $750
Any other Team PokerStars Pro $500
MDC Celebrities - John Salley, Tito Ortiz, Jayde Nicole and more $250
MDC contestants - Father Andrew Trapp, Denny Luna, Mike Kosowski and more $100

"Please Note:
* The tournament is only open to players in the US and Canada.
* The line up of celebrities and pro players taking part is subject to change."

That's it. Be there! And g'luck!

Happy birthday to me!

2009-11-21T11:41:00.000-06:00

OK, where are my presents? Are we really here? I'm not that old! Testing...

Long, fun day with Bad Beat on Cancer

2009-11-13T01:40:00.005-06:00

It was a heck of a long day Nov. 12 with PokerStars hosting a sensational Bad Beat on Cancer benefit game. Since I didn't have access to my blog, I posted running reports in a Tournament Talk thread at Poker Analysis Forum, my main online home. Here's how the day went:

--------

(1:48p) Quick use of school computer (hope mine's fixed soon) to alert PAers to a Bad Beat on Cancer benefit game at 9p ET TONIGHT, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. Yeah, same time as our 50/50 elsewhere; ain't it always that way? Life...

This BBoC is at PokerStars for a change. Look for it under Private Tournaments. Cost to enter is 1 penny plus $9.99 to BBoC. There are rebuys and an add-on. A LOT of nice donated prizes to be won, so don't be put off by the small cash prize pool. Not a lot of word out on this one, so could be a small field. Deserves a big field; great cause!!!

Back to the grind of real life and work. G'luck all!!!

--------

(7:55p) Here's the details. Sorry such short notice, but I was just told today. There are 30-minute levels, lots of bloggers, pros (Tom McEvoy's in from the start, more to show up) and sure to be lots of rebuys and craziness first hour since for such a great cause. Might be wise idea to join 45 minutes late; you can still be a star!

And many donated, underpublicized prizes will be won. Irongirl and I are in; join the fun! The details from PStars:

"PokerStars is holding a private online charity tournament in support of the Bad Beat on Cancer foundation. The Bad Beat on Cancer Challenge takes place November 11 at 21:00 ET. For a buy-in of just $10 (plus rebuys for the first two levels) you can show your support and play for a share of $24,158 worth of prizes donated by the poker world. All proceeds will go to help cancer research, education and community outreach.

"To enter, open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Tourney’ & ‘Private’. Then enter the password BadBeatChallenge.

"Here’s a rundown of the donated prizes that you can win. All prizes are transferrable - this means you can give them to a loved one or friend as a gift.
Place Prize Value
1 Lifetime subscription to a top online poker training site $10,000
2 PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge trip to Las Vegas $2,500
3 WSOP Academy training session $1,899
4 Borgata Atlantic City prize package $1,050
5 Training session with players from ‘Two Months, Two Million’ $1,000
6 Training session with players from ‘Two Months, Two Million’ $1,000
7 Golf session with a big name pro player $850
8 An hour with the PokerRoad team in Las Vegas $650
9 Seat at a Poker Players International tournament in Atlantic City $1,000
10 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu $500
11 Training session with Jamie Gold $500
12 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Tom McEvoy $500
13 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso $500
14 Training session with Matt Glanz $500
15 Training session with Tom Schneider $500
16 Bluff Magazine Sports Nut package $450
17 Signed sports gear from former UFC Champion Tito Ortiz $200
18 A one-year pass to Card Player Magazine’s poker club $150
19 Signed PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge chip set $150
20-22 Wicked Chops Poker Skull Candy headphones $50
23-24 PokerRoad shirt, hoodie and hat $50
25 PPI gear - including shirt, hat and pullover $50
26 Signed copy of Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein + PokerRoad T-shirt and hat $35
27-32 Signed copy of ‘Oops: I Won Too Much Money’ by Tom Schneider $20
33-43 One year subscription to Bluff Magazine $19.95
44-49 Pokerati T-shirt $15
50 PokerRoad T-shirt $15"

--------

(10:58p) Third break. Started with 173 players; now 68 left, I'm 59th and surviving being mostly card-dead. Pays three places, a whopping $1.91, $1.14 and 76 cents. But top 50 get donated prizes, as listed in my last post. Wonder if the training session with Vanessa (13th place) is live, and while Chad's out of town? One can dream...

Back to the grind. Well played el (141st) and irongirl (128th). Wonder if jdawg was our larrydawg?

--------

(11:57p) Very good, tough, serious (yet fun), professional tournament. Bad beat here and there but that's poker. On the prize buble with 51 left for more than 30 minutes now. Slow levels, slow blinds, great play. I'm 41st/51. Mostly one of the short stacks but hanging and playing serious ... unlike most games i fool around with. I want that ME time with Vanessa ... when Chad's out of town. Would settle for Daniel time. Second or fourth would be my dream prize. Next hour I will start making shammy moves... Maybe.

--------

(12:57a) Still rolling in the BBoC. Went all-in 88 vs. AK, flopped quads. Cards are improving. I'm 18th/32 left. Long way to go to Vanessa. They say the lessons are by phone or SKYPPE, whatever; durn...

Another BBoC this Sunday at Fuull Tilt, mostly just (good!) cash prizes. More info another day. I need ice cream or pizza...

--------

(1:37a) More proof, if any is needed, of who may be the unluckiest player you've ever met...

PokerStars Game #35287820536: Tournament #210990483, $0.01+$9.99 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level X (300/600) - 2009/11/13 2:29:56 ET
Table '210990483 5' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Shamanalix (8398 in chips)
Seat 3: SharBear613 (15008 in chips)
Seat 4: A7XSevenfold (81644 in chips)
Seat 5: DjAdolfMixer (17300 in chips)
Seat 6: Borgouise (13546 in chips)
Seat 7: TeUnit (18684 in chips)
Seat 8: youknowiknow (74650 in chips)
Seat 9: kungpowDK (10825 in chips)
Shamanalix: posts the ante 50
SharBear613: posts the ante 50
A7XSevenfold: posts the ante 50
DjAdolfMixer: posts the ante 50
Borgouise: posts the ante 50
TeUnit: posts the ante 50
youknowiknow: posts the ante 50
kungpowDK: posts the ante 50
Shamanalix: posts small blind 300
SharBear613: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Shamanalix [Ac Kc]
A7XSevenfold: folds
DjAdolfMixer: folds
Borgouise: folds
TeUnit: folds
youknowiknow: folds
kungpowDK: folds
Shamanalix: raises 7748 to 8348 and is all-in
SharBear613: calls 7748
*** FLOP *** [7s 6h 3s]
SharBear613 said, "ugh"
SharBear613 said, "nh"
*** TURN *** [7s 6h 3s] [9s]
*** RIVER *** [7s 6h 3s 9s] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Shamanalix: shows [Ac Kc] (high card Ace)
SharBear613: shows [Qh As] (a flush, Ace high)
SharBear613 collected 17096 from pot
SharBear613 said, "omg"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17096 | Rake 0
Board [7s 6h 3s 9s 5s]
Seat 1: Shamanalix (small blind) showed [Ac Kc] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 3: SharBear613 (big blind) showed [Qh As] and won (17096) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 4: A7XSevenfold folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: DjAdolfMixer folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Borgouise folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: TeUnit folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: youknowiknow folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: kungpowDK (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

After 5 1/2 hours, finished 26th. Won Barry's book. No I did NOT lose on purpose. I wanted Vanessa ... or Daniel ... or 4th or 2nd.

Crying myself to sleep... See ya Sunday if not before.

(REAL TIME UPDATE 1/9/10: Still haven't received my prizes. Co-sponsor Poker News had troubles gathering things over the holidays, but stayed in communication. Not worried. It'll come eventually. It was the cause, really, not the prizes. And fun! )

Pitbull disappears with players' monies

2009-09-30T10:05:00.002-05:00

Just noticed this announcement posted (Tuesday) to PIC Club members. Quoting from my PIC Club mail (is that legal, to cut-and-paste? I am giving full due attribution):

"We are currently trying to verify the announcement that the Owners of PitBull have been arrested. Their system is offline and unresponsive to our systems request for data. We will as always do all we can to recover funds due to PIC members. We will keep you posted as to the information we receive. PICCLUB CEO

"Date Created: 2009-09-29 14:59:49 ET"

--------

(A littl bit later) I also was able to access Pitbull just now. Started to make a withdrawal to my PIC account. Then decided maybe that was unwise if there's a sting or oversight/spying going on. Very curious. And the initial notice at PIC didn't say who made the alleged arrests where -- US? Malta? Somewhere/one else? I'm just so paranoid... Anyone with facts and confirmable answers please tell us. I won't print anything that's just hearsay, looking for facts myself.

-------

(Heard from PitBull once after this, saying to contact their cashier and tell what they owed you as a player. Did. But never heard from them again. Luckily only 50 bucks or so down the drain; not as bad as Jungle/OK USA a couple years back.)

Sham Recommendz: Xtreme GI Foundation Benefit

2009-08-22T12:34:00.002-05:00

I don't know much about it, but I just noticed the Xtreme GI Foundation benefit game scheduled for 19:00 ET on Sunday Aug. 23 at Full Tilt. Under "privates", it costs $10+$10 to enter -- the latter going to host Randy Couture's foundation.

Quick search of web for info didn't tell me much, other than shamster's still banned from 2+2 Forum ("undesirable", no idea why, probably said wrong thing at a past table to wrong 3-year-old), and that Couture's Xtreme GI Foundation is also hosting a live $330-R tourney today (8/22) at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Well I'm too late for that, dubbed "Operation ALL IN."

But I'm not too late for Sunday's online fun at Full Tilt. Seems a good cause. And only 13 enterred as I type -- including 6 red pros: Seidel, the Jetts, Johnston... Well, if it's good enough for Erik Seidel, I'm in. I need more Tilt money anyways; if I'm gonna lose the little I got left, this is as good a place for it as any!

Consider the game at Full Tilt on Sunday. And stay well everyone! Peace...

Sham Recommendz: Aced $1 Establishing

2009-07-17T17:14:00.001-05:00

(Unpaid/uncompensated heads-up to my Poker Analysis friends/foes/family, 'cuz ah loves ya (and need stronger competition); if you do not have Aced Poker, a Merge Network site, please download through PA's link -- I did! Easy to deposit/withdraw into through, among other methods, PIC-Club.)

If you want a good inexpensive opportunity to build/boost a bankroll, the Shamster recommends the Aced weekly guaranteed $1 Establishing tournament. It's held solely at the sister skin of PDC, Carbon, Reefer, etc., every Saturday at 12 noon server time (1p ET) (DST, aka summer clocks). It costs $1 + 10 cents, has $100 guaranteed and is limited to 50 entrants; registration starts an hour before the game. Still basically unnoticed, this game drew 10 players on June 13 (I finished 6th) and 16 the following week (I finished 2nd for $30). Haven't played since; I imagine it now fills quickly, but ya never know. I'll be there July 18, if I don't forget...

Good luck PAers (and everyone)!!!

Keep an eye on Jason Mercier

2009-06-03T21:13:00.003-05:00

(Jason Mercier just won WSOP Event 5, $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha.)

Dang. Before the WSOP I put "treysfull21" (Mr. Mercier) as one of the top 3 players left out of the Full Tilt (WSOP Fantasy) contest (along with Elky and Amnon). ChipItUp over at PokerNews is also having a fantasy contest, where you choose a 20-player team for the duration; I made "treysfull21" my number one player, as you rank your team. Unfortunately, the CIU contest (with a much boader player list than FTilt) doesn't officially start until WSOP Event 10. Pooh. Oh well, Jason will just have to win another bracelet ... or two. Congratulations, sir!!! Folks, keep an eye on this young super-duperstar; he may be the WSOP MVP this year!

Waiting on WSOP Event 2

2009-05-28T09:39:00.000-05:00

A couple of things/observations as Event 2 is about to begin:

-- USA Today last year had a WSOP Preview Special Section the Friday the '08 WSOP opened. This year no WSOP special section yet, either for the first event Wednesday (Casino Employees) or the first big event today. Hmm. Bad economy and not wanting to rub the event in the faces of folks hurting for money? Advertising costs? Waiting for Friday's USA, better space and value than a mid-week paper? Does this mean the WSOP entries will be way down across the board? Hmmmmm...

-- It was frustrating last summer that I had to go through the Full Tilt game software and cashier to get to the contest. That cost me when I went to Vegas: No changes makeable, no prizes claimable. This year wonder of wonders I put a bookmark to the My Fantasy page in my new Mozilla Firefox browser and it's worked everytime! Hurrah!!! Today I tried cut-and-pasting-and favoritizing that address over in my AOL/MIE. It didn't work; it took me instead to Full Tilt's contest explanation page, not the contest itself. Some sort of re-router in MIE? Yuck. Another huge vote for and thank you to Firefox; hope it keeps working so well!

What else is new? What are you thinking? I wish I was in Vegas... :(

WSOP Tweets via Bluff

2009-05-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Bluff Magazine online (which along with Poker News is contracted as the primary hand-for-hand coverer of the WSOP) has a section called Poker Tweets!!! All right! And free!!! They subscribe to all the names who Tweet, so on one (huge) page you get the latest Tweets by so many stars. Like Madsen taking $5K from Hellmuth, Shorr buying in to the $40K with casino chips and Ng, Schoenberg and Michelle off to do a bikini shoot. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!! I'm not going to need to subscribe to Tweeter (sorry vill) for a while; eventually... So much better just having the basics (poker) in one place!

It's WSOP Time!!!

2009-05-25T16:52:00.002-05:00

I'm back. Have to be. The World Series of Poker starts in two days. Blogs and Tweets and Tableside Reports, oh my! Fantasy Leagues and Mirror Games. If I can't get to Las Vegas this summer, I intend to virtually be there from my computer's ringside seat. And this, the WSOP, despite Harrah's merchandising, commercialization and sometimes over-control, is the main event of poker and what the sport is all about. (Besides making money.)

From Daniel Negreanu's blog today:

"I predict this will be the toughest ever hold'em event to win and it will require my absolute best game to have a chance. Anything less won't be good enough."

Yes, he's talking about the $40K NLHE WSOP Event 2. Four times the traditional entry fee of the Main Event. It will draw the big players, the best pros and onliners, and I'd guess maybe only 300 entrants ($50K HORSE drew only 148 two years ago, its initial year; still digging up my stats from my scattered filing systems...).

A huge huge event that'll give the top finisher(s) enormous advantages in the WSOP Player of the Year race as well as the Full Tilt Fantasy League. (That's one of three WSOP Fantasy Leagues I'm playing, along with Negreanu's Full Contact Poker Forum's 63-proposition one and the Poker News ChipMeUp's Amateur Division.) Since I've been playing so poorly online today, it's time to shift into a different gear and discover my famtasy teams...

G'luck all. More later.

Bubbling Stinks

2009-03-10T20:21:00.001-05:00

... And that's put it nicely. Been in a bit of a slump since December, things finally starting to come around the last week -- but I just can't crack through the bubble with regularity. This really, really blows, bubbles. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......

And belated Happy New Year...

Just Think Positive...

2008-12-17T13:58:00.003-06:00

Another day, another poker adventure or two or 22. I just tried a T$26 token turbo at Full Tilt. Late level two, middle position, pushed with KK after table leader raised things to 100. Passed around to him, he went into tank, finally called me, showed AK. His ace came on the turn, and out I went in 192nd/213 entrants.

Never surprises when I get in with the best hand and get outdrawn -- usually by an ace falling. I've also had many a pair of bullets cracked when a foe hits a set. That's poker. I take it in stride (try to). I try to think positive. But it still hurts. And there's no answer to it. Play conservative? Don't push, and give myself room to bail out if the situation calls for it? Or keep plugging away full steam ahead when things look and feel right? I'll continue with that latter plan; hopefully it will begin paying off happily for me more often. Meanwhile, maybe I should see a voodoo healer or a shrink; sometimes I just feel cursed! lol ...

On many folks' recommendation, I finally switched to Mozilla Firefox this morning. Scare stories about another Microsoft Internet Explorer browser hole that made it exploitable by pirates nudged me into the change. I'm a stubborn armadillo (or mule, for you oldtimers), and change does not come easy. Now I have to learn to use Firefox, incorporate my favorites into it, dump parts of it I don't want (a quick "no thanks!" to red-underlined spellcheck), and try to be patient and open-minded. My main mail is still AOL (7 boxes); wish there was an easier way to incorporate that into Firefox (like have a quicky button to access). Also wish my cursor/pointer would stop misbehaving (occasionally wanders off to margins, usually highlights what things are about and I don't want to know or be distracted, activates aggravating advertisement movements, etc.). Patience, sham ...

The World Blogger Championships of Online Poker are well under way at PokerStars. Wish I could say I was doing well, because they are fun. The frustrations are familiar.

Monday was Pot Limit Omaha. I was playing ultra tight, by third level was 2nd with 403 people left (top 72 get prizes), enterred fifth level (30/60 blinds) solid 34th/325. Flop comes Q994 two clubs; I have Q9xx. I bet pot. Table leader with a few more chips than me reraises enough to put me all in. Heck yeah I'll call and risk it. Are we playing with a 10-queen deck? Must be, because he has two of the girls and his boat's bigger than my boat. Thought he was chasing the nut flush. Ah well. Finished 309th/450 entrants. Don't tell me the odds, or that I should've held back a little on the off-chance the one hand that beat me already was out there. I was more worried about the club flush or bigger boat landing on down the streets. Ya buys your ticket and takes your chances...

Tuesday was No Limit Holdem. Flopped a set in level one and slow-played a bit since there was an ace on the flop. Good thing, since aces came on turn and river and rival ended up with quad bullets. I avoided going broke, but was pushed to the back of the bus and in survival mode. Did survive, which is something to be proud of, until just before second break (late in level 12). Think I just finally ran out of chips and luck, and ended up 143rd/559 entrants. Exasperating yet encouraging.

I could make a mile-long post of bad beats and tough losses, especially in the last month, but I won't. Maybe another time. Suffice it to say those things will happen (just please stop doing it to me so much, poker goddesses!!). We shall play on. Tonight (Wednesday) features WBCOOP Qualifier 3: Pot Limit Omaha 8/Better (High/Low), beginning at 9pm my time in St. Louis (I like that late start!) I feel very very good about this one!!! Also tonight at Pokerari the three-month On Tilt Radio Bad Azz TPL continues to wind down, with my forum squad poker101a far ahead for the team prize. I'm still in first in the individual standings, but only 85 points ahead of the runner-up. Tonight's game (PL Omaha H/L, nice coincidence to the WBCOOP action) probably won't draw the minimum 10 and will get cancelled; that'll leave five more games in the series. I have got to hang on!!!!!

Doyle's Room is having its last Bounty Tournament of 2008 at 8:30 tonight; I'd love to play with Doyle Brunson, Mike Caro, Hoyt Corkins and company, but I have to focus on the WBCOOP. The Poker Analysis Freeroll League invades a new site, RPM Poker, but I'm trying to hold off on downloading new sites right now. Muffmoney has a private game at 4:30p at Spin32, and I'll probably invest my $2.50 in that. Blogger Mookie has his weekly game at 9p at Full Tilt; maybe next week I'll rejoin them. Yes, friends, Wednesday is not an easy night for a bad multi-tasker like me to choose where to devote his time.

Hopefully I've gotten most of today's bad beats out of my system already, and now the fun can begin!

Always Optimistic

2008-12-13T10:10:00.002-06:00

This was a very nice e-mail to receive:

"Hello Shamanalix,

"Congratulations, you've successfully registered to play in this year's
World Blogger Championship Of Online Poker (WBCOOP)!

"Your account has been credited with a ticket which is good for entry
into any and all of the Qualifier tournaments beginning on December
15th. ...

"The qualifying tournament schedule is as follows:

124189658 - Dec 15 - 14:00 ET - Pot Limit Omaha
124189659 - Dec 16 - 17:00 ET - No Limit Hold'em
124189660 - Dec 17 - 22:00 ET - Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
124189661 - Dec 18 - 14:00 ET - No Limit Hold'em
124189662 - Dec 19 - 17:00 ET - 8-Game Mix
124189663 - Dec 20 - 15:00 ET - No Limit Hold'em

"Registration opens two hours before the start of each event."

Fantastic! Now I have something to look forward to every day next week!! No modelling gigs, so I get to concentrate on my favorite job! These are going to be fun, and tough competition. I accept the challenge and am eager to see how I'll fare.

Things have been looking up lately for me on the faux felt. Won a Shark's Home Game (Shark Poker Tour Forum) on Thursday at Absolute Poker ($57.60), then poker101a's Midnight Madness on Friday back at Absolute ($15). In between I should have cashed at another Shark Poker Tour event, but with 16 players left (9 got paid) I went for it all when the flop gave me an open-ended royal flush draw and couldn't finish anything, coming up short against my rival's set. Ah well. Can't win 'em all. Although I want to...

Busy weekend ahead. Nothing to show so far today (Saturday) after two tournaments, but I'm getting in the groove. My top targets today are the OnTiltRadio Bad Azz TPL games at 1 and 3 pm (CT) at Pokerari and Suited Pockets' Sober Saturday Bounty game at 9:30p at Cake. Sunday includes SP's Razz-A-Ma-Tazz at noon at AP, a Shark game at 1p at Ultimate Bet, Holdem Poker Chat's 3rd Day of Christmas at 2p at Reefer, the Poker Analysis Buy-In League at 5:30p at Nordica, MaximumPokerLeague's Bounty Freeroll at 6p at Carbon and Rounders Radio's UB Games With Annie Duke, which start at 9p after she's on the radio with the gang at 7p. And maybe others; I'm a spur-of-the-moment kind'a guy!

Always lots of poker fun and challenges to be found on the net. Now to try and close the year with a strong finish and a couple of solid cashes. Them holiday bills won't pay for themselves, and I do like being generous!

G'luck all.

A "Winning" Streak

2008-12-07T23:03:00.002-06:00

Hey, it may only be a fourth-place finish, but I'm not complaining. Especially since it came in Online Forum Challenge #49, the Poker PayDay Buy-In at Wass. There were 253 entrants paying $5.50 each today (Sunday), and the generous and awesome folks at OFC added $5,150 to the prize pools for players and the forums they played for. Thanks, Wolf, Tara and company!

Fourth for me meant $158.56 into my Wass account (and here I was all ready to give up on that site, since I was under $2 after the buy-in and I don't care for a number of cosmetic things at Wass, or in the Merge Network software). Plus, I'll get $100 a month for three months added to my Wass bankroll as a bonus. I'd have preferred first place, which was worth about $1,300 in cash and bonuses ... but the way things have been going I won't complain.

Shoot, the rest of Sunday was a wash with the normal bad luck and bad timings. Did win a Suited Pockets Forum razz tournament at Absolute before the OFC event ($7 prize), but I ran awful later in the Real Poker Players League game and the Rounders Radio Buy-In, both at Ultimate Bet. And I lost three first-round matches at Full Tilt in the start of its final week of NBC Heads-Up '09 Qualifiers-Round 1. I'll be back at those heads-up games A LOT trying to make next Saturday's Round 2; all I have to do is win eight straight matches! That's all...

In the OFC, I played tighter and more patient than usual in the early going, letting almost every speculative hand go. No missteps meant I hung around, and in Level 15 when my all-in 77 cracked KK thanks to a flopped 7 (all right, so my timing still leaves a lot to be desired!), that set me off on a heater that made up for the last two weeks. I could do no wrong, soared from 20th/37 left to 4th immediately and eventually into the lead. From there I was mostly second coasting to the final table, and it was a lot of fun playing with other Forum heroes until I went out suddenly in a three-way all-in -- I flopped top pair, but both rivals also did and outkicked me! Shoot, if I hadn't been over-cautious and too patient I'd have won two big pots in the time between 15 and 10 left, gone way over 100K chips, and eliminated the eventual champion and runner-up! Ah well...

My finish and teammate Wassuuup's 14th place scored 47 points for our Poker Analysis Forum team, good for fourth place overall (what is with me and fourths?) and a forum prize of a $100 freeroll. Uuup and I were the only ones who played for PA Sunday. And support and congratulations were rare after the event (guess folks are busy elsewhere). Think I'll be offering my services to Shark Poker Tour, poker101a and MaximumPokerLeague in upcoming OFC events. I'm such a mercenary. And there're folks I really like at each forum.

My depression peaked today with family problems. I feel miserable and lousy. Thank goodness for this $458 (eventually) cash. And with things to look forward to like Tony Holden's The Tuesday Night Game on Dec. 16 and the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker on Dec. 15-20 (both at PokerStars), and Michael Craig's Relay for Life charity event Dec. 21 and the "Extra" Holiday $100K Dec. 28 (both at Full Tilt), I have plenty to psyche me up in the weeks ahead and carry me through the holidaze doldrums. I hope...

May yours be happy.

PokerStars Is Doing It Again!

2008-12-06T22:21:00.004-06:00

As promised, here's the info on the PokerStars World Blogger Championships of Online Poker. The events are Dec. 15-20, and are open to anyone with a longstanding blog -- and it doesn't even have to be about poker! From past experience, these games are a lot of fun. Following on the heels of the World Cup of Online Poker, Meet Mats Sundin, PCA Freerolls and PCA Boot Camp games, the fun just seems to keep on coming at Stars. There are just too many events ... but you won't hear me complaining! Hope to see ya at the WBCOOP; even if you can't play, come watch and cheer and play other tourneys or ring games at Stars ... and start a blog for next year! More details, info and full schedule at www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament.

More later on that. I'm still playing pretty awful and getting few good breaks ... but I did finish second in a Poker Analysis Buy-In League game tonight for $36 -- a good way to start that league's December action. I'm due for a good streak!!! Tonight's game was at PDC; but yes, the league plays at PokerStars, too! Wouldn't be a good league if it didn't!

Now I'm back to my immediate target: qualifying for the NBC Heads-Up '09 TV show. One more week of Round 1 qualifiers at Full Tilt. Last night I won four games before being knocked out -- halfway to what you need to win (an 8-match, 256-player s&g) to advance to next Saturday's Round 2.

Keep smiling...

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

The WBCOOP is an online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers.

Registration code: 894023

... And be patient and nice!!!

Blogger Championships Coming Soon

2008-12-05T21:16:00.003-06:00

Look like PokerStars is finally ready to hold its annual Blogger Online Championships. No official announcement yet, but I see games scheduled Dec. 15-21. Perfect timing; school ends and I'm on a break that week. Sweet! Although the way I've been running the past couple weeks, I must be crazy to set myself up for more bad beats and disappointments...

Stay tuned. More info here as soon as PStars lets us know! Meanwhile, be gentle -- and Happy Holidaze!!! See y'all at the Online Forum Championships events this weekend, plus elsewhere...

Bad Beat on Kidney Failure with J. Harman and Friends

2008-11-11T20:46:00.003-06:00

OK, I've been bad. If I'm going to be a semi-fulltime writer again, it's time to begin. Blame my nephew. I'll tell you about Justin another day. For now, short notice on a great tournament for charity I plan to play Wednesday night (tomorrow) if other work doesn't interfere. Come say hi. Come compete. Come help a very good cause...

What: Bad Beat on Kidney Failure
Where: Full Tilt Poker (private folder)
Date: Wednesday Nov. 12 2008
Time: 21:00 (9p ET)
Cost: $10 + $10, the latter fee going to the charity
Password: CailtyssRulien
Pros enterred as of last look: Andy Bloch, Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello, shamanalix (hey, this is MY post ...)

Thanks, and have a wonderful day, week and life!!!

Must it end?

2008-08-22T12:15:00.005-05:00

Summer's just about over. Pooh. Double-pooh, even.

I like it hot, weatherwise. And actionwise. Come next week, though, it'll be back to working: lots of modeling assignments scheduled for schools and groups and such. And massage appointments. And writing. The creativity and the socializing will be great; the travelling and the public anxieties won't be.

Been a good summer. Undisciplined a tad, perhaps, but on the whole good. Went from the lows of a $4K bath in Vegas to a bunch of wins and cashes online, including a personal record of around $1,200 while finishing fourth in a knockout tournament at Full Tilt.

I've been picking and choosing my games more and more, instead of just plunging in willy-nilly. That works. So does doing my best to avoid playing more than one at a time, although I still fall into that rut far too often. Still a negative expected value (-EV) for me.

Big shoutouts to Pauly for the Saturday afternoon tournament he runs weekly at PokerStars; also fun to table with him during The Tuesday Night Game hosted by author Anthony Holden. And to Irongirl, who finally won herself a Mookie blogger tournament (shame she's so down on online playing, she could be ... nevermind, to each their own). And to sharbear, making MaximumPokerLeague a busy and fun place and about to try her luck at Poker Analysis, basically my home forum, and its stupendous leagues. And to billmaxx, for winning the MPL Fantasy Baseball League (I won the regular-season best record, but couldn't beat Bill in the playoff finals). And to AAs88s, about to dump another bridesmaid role on me in the Poker Analysis Fantasy Baseball League. And to all my friends at PA, Aces Cracked, poker101a, Real Poker Players, Suited Pockets, Ray101Bassman and on and on. I believe you can learn a lot playing good rivals over and over, and the training's benefits become apparent on down the line when you tackle major events for bigger stakes. One big finish more than balances 50 frustrations.

My goals for the remainder of the year: Cash in the Blogger Championships at PokerStars in October; take down a major tournament; beat my cash record; continue to improve; win a monthly title at PA (won't be easy with the busy school/work schedule making me miss a lot of games); post more regularly; get a keyboard that doesn't make so many errors and puts up with my fat fingers; re-learn how to put html links in my posts; learn more about poker, and myself; and, most of all, to have fun, and help other people enjoy themselves on the faux felt. Life's too short not to do things you love and have a good time with. And so it goes. Busy weekend ahead -- here's hoping it's a successful one, in many ways.

Stay happy.

Do-over (with Phillips and MPL plugs)

2008-07-16T12:46:00.005-05:00

Yeah, I'm still "alive." Still recovering from worst Vegas trip in over 2 decades to tune of $4K contributed to that local economy. Hope they don't go bankrupt before I return to claim what was mine. Hope I live that long. No October trip for sure. Looks like no December trip. Slight chance January? At least next summer? We shall see.

Back to the online and local live grinds ... with big congrats to fellow St. Louisan Dennis Phillips for making WSOP Main Event final table as chip leader. I don't envy what he'll have to go through between now and November. Doubt he'll be at Harrah's, Ameristar or Lumiere/President much in the meantime. He is really a nice guy, and if there's justice in the world he'd win the big magilla. But if I was a betting man I'd have to pick Scott Montgomery or David Rheem over Phillips.

Main reason for this post is a plug for Maximum Poker League, one of my favorite online poker leagues (link as always in list at right). It's planning an end-of-July freeroll at Reefer for bloggers who link to the MPL forum and back. Since I need Reefer always, I'll do anything for a shot at more! MPL has a good, tough group of players and poker knowledgeables -- and most of them nice to boot! In the recently finished WSOP Fantasy Poker League at Full Tilt, three MPLers finished between 101st and 150th ... just missing the exclusive freeroll for top 100 finishers, but still awesome considering how many took part in the five-week fun (20,000 at least, I'd guess -- seeing as how I was 15,000th-plus with NO points in the Main Event (dumb), the only non-scorer in my 5 leagues). Me, I was in the low 2,000's when all was said and done. Played 4 or 5 freerolls, but missed 10 because of the Vegas trip. Next year a laptop!

Online Forum Challenge this Saturday. At Reefer, which is another reason to build my funds at that site. Wish the Merge Network sites (poker.com, Carbon, Reefer, Iron Duke, Nordica, Oddsmaker, ...) allowed transfers from one place to the other! Back to the grind...

Vegas Summer '08 Prequel

2008-06-15T13:46:00.002-05:00

Just a little more than 24 hours and I'll be winging my way to Sin City. Finally!! So much going on, so much still to do, but things will change once I'm on that plane for the rest of June in Vegas. Aaaahhhh.

Don't know if I'll be able to get internet access out there (no laptop, no cel, I'm old and old-fashioned). I'll try to post updates here, and PROMISE a big report when (IF) I come back. Meanwhile, here's the teaser I planted in Suited Pockets Forum (they're one reason I extended my stay to the 30th, their convention is June 26-29 downtown):

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help cure the young old man of his shyness and add to his "happy?" memories of Vegas Summer '08. The target: middle-aged needs-sun-badly male almost always wearing bucket hat, either black leather or gray/blue WSOP or red StL, plus glasses on a cord (hasn't lost a pair in 11 years!). Usually found at poker tables or penny slots or chasing women/girls/anything that moves, with pen or sudoku or magazine in hand or shoulder bag to make sure there's always something to do. Answers to "shamanalix" or "sham" or "Bruce Williams" or "want to make an easy $20?". Approach with caution as can be dangerous if hungry or horny or losing or winning or breathing; but his madness is not contagious ... sometimes. The password is: "Call it for a quarter: heads or tails?" This tape will self-destruct and the fun begins with landing in Vegas in less than 36 hours; then June is busting out all over (with sham helping her, and trying to talk April and May into joining the pile...)."

So that's where we stand. Just crashed from Carbon (Merge) Father's Day Special in 160th/376. Went all in when my 8's became a set on the flop, but foe turned straight and I couldn't pair the board. Ah, well, played good, and now comes the weekend's last Big One in 9 minutes: OFC's World Series of Online Forums Main Event, with a WSOP ME seat to the winner. It's a $50+$5 game; I satellited in, and there are only about 150 enterred.

Time to get the poker on. More later...

So Close to a WSOP Seat

2008-05-28T21:45:00.003-05:00

Been sick with strep throat, depression and poor card judgment the last week or so. Almost got well tonight. It was The Bluffers League WSOP Final, the long-awaited wrap-up to a series we began at Vegas Poker 24/7 before that site was bought by Absolute Poker.

The Bluffers is a great league, a fine forum and a good bunch of people. Thanks to everyone there for a lot of fun!!! Check 'em out and come play with us all sometime! Link on the right...

Tonight's final had 34 qualifiers/entrants. It was winner-take-all for $2,100. I didn't really break out of my recent poor card run, but I did get better results for once -- almost like my old self. I even led much of the tournament after there were 10 left. Heads-up, KeithG13 (keithg) and I began about even; then he won a big hand to take over a 3-1 chip lead on me. I hung in and nibbled away, until this:

Stage #1189864267 Tourney ID 2017319 Holdem Multi Normal Tournament No Limit $1000 - 2008-05-28 20:48:12 (ET)
Table: 3 (Real Money) Seat #3 is the dealer
Seat 2 - SHAMANALIX ($17155 in chips)
Seat 3 - KEITHG13 ($30915 in chips)
SHAMANALIX - Ante $75
KEITHG13 - Ante $75
KEITHG13 - Posts small blind $500
SHAMANALIX - Posts big blind $1000
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to SHAMANALIX [4h 5c]
KEITHG13 - Raises $1500 to $2000
SHAMANALIX - Calls $1000
*** FLOP *** [5d 5s Kc]
SHAMANALIX - Bets $1000
KEITHG13 - Calls $1000
*** TURN *** [5d 5s Kc] [Ks]
SHAMANALIX - Bets $2000
KEITHG13 - Raises $4000 to $4000
SHAMANALIX - All-In(Raise) $12080 to $14080
KEITHG13 - Calls $10080
*** RIVER *** [5d 5s Kc Ks] [8d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SHAMANALIX - Shows [4h 5c] (Full house, fives full of kings)
KEITHG13 - Shows [Kh 5h] (Full house, kings full of fives)
KEITHG13 Collects $34310 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($34310)
Board [5d 5s Kc Ks 8d]
Seat 2: SHAMANALIX (big blind) HI:lost with Full house, fives full of kings [4h 5c - B:5s,B:5d,P:5c,B:Ks,B:Kc]
Seat 3: KEITHG13 (dealer) (small blind) won Total ($34310) HI:($34310) with Full house, kings full of fives [Kh 5h - B:Ks,P:Kh,B:Kc,B:5s,P:5h]

Bad thing is, on the flop, I just sensed he had a king. But what ya gonna do? (siiiiiigh) Back to the sick bed...

Gotta Remember the Big Picture

2008-04-29T15:14:00.004-05:00

(sigh!!) Will I ever learn? Was in a $26 token tournament at Full Tilt. Two from the tokens. I've got 3K left, but there are 10 folks worse off and we're playing hand-for-hand.

Table members are colluding, talking folding to the blinds and "everyone here makes it." I hate collusion; it's cheating. It puts me on tilt, because it's wrong.

My Big Blind ($1K/500, ante 125). Pocket cowboys! The button who has about $5K calls the BB. And I push. And he calls. And he turns over big slick. And an ace flops. And I'm out without a token.

Moral of the story? Would I have played it different in a regular tournament? A league game? A freeroll? The WSOP? I'll have to think on that. It's what I did this time, and it did not turn out well. That's poker. I have to remember to give more study to the bottom lines...

Help the Computer Challenged

2008-04-02T18:09:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I'm still here. Survived the March floods and sick friends/family and the ups and downs of poker (happily the month was mostly ups!; more on that at another time).

It's now April (didn't even get to play any April Fool's jokes, except not posting), and month two of the Battle of the Bloggers III Tournaments. Congrats to those who've won seats in the big Tournament of Champions at the end, and to the march monthly champion. We'll get names and numbers at another time. Still many WSOP seats to be won!

This is on the fly, so it's brief. Just wanted to remind folks of the events at Full Tilt, and post another of AlCantHang's banners (smaller than the last). Get over to the events, they're fun and challenging. The shamalamadingdongdorkdonk's plan is still the same: pick and choose my games, win one, then roar at the TOC.

And if anyone can teach the old old old shamster how to post links and banners on the sides of this boring blog, I will be eternally greatful (maybe even scrape up some thank-you bucks)!!! A week of playing and experimenting with it have gotten me nowhere. I miss the old copy- and type-setting paginators!

Brought to you by the
Online Poker Room Full
Tilt Poker and the
Dead Money Poker Blog by
AlCantHang

Random Thoughts

2008-03-06T15:04:00.002-06:00

Random short thoughts on a Thursday afternoon, having cancelled my modelling gig today (too far to travel, too much time, too little pay) and hiding inside from what's left of the 10 inches of snow St. Louis got Tuesday over primarily a five-hour span (hey, that ain't much to a New Yorker or a Rocky Mountaineer, maybe, but it's more than I've seen here in 10 years back!). Anyway:

-- Read Doyle Brunson's blog!!! (Link at right.) Sorry, Eric Clapton, but Doyle is god! The March 4 entry is classic, featuring the scoop on the NBC Heads-Up outcome, Doyle at a country-western concert on Fremont, downing 10 beers, giving his hat to a musician, Phil Hellmuth drunk and dancing to country at a biker bar, Clonie Gowen and Doyle's daughter on the bar, and so much more. Reading Doyle makes me want to write more and more. And get my move to Vegas finalized.

-- Started reading Michael Craig's superb "The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King" last night. Awesome. Love the insights, behind-the-scenes and thought processes. Well done. Gonna be hard to put down; I read slow, but will be done with it before dawn Saturday.

-- Talking about gambling and high rollers gave me an "aha!" moment. (I love those!) I'm the kind who'll bet $20 on Mizzou, $20 on Texas, $20 on whoever's playing Kansas, etc., rather than playing one or two games heavy and solid. It's the action junkie in me. Hmmmmmm!!! And at the poker tables I'm trying two events at once, instead of pouring full focus and effort into one? And playing micro rings, instead of stepping up to brick-and-mortar-size contests? Aha!

-- Get well soon, bwop and ig and anyone else hurting ...

-- Classical music is far and away the best. Classic rock is a solid runner-up. Rap is missing a letter ...

-- My early Kentucky Derby money is on Fierce Wind, Colonel John and Z Fortune. War Pass (who will probably be the winner May 3) and Pyro are awesome and will be in my exotic wagers, but I gotta go with the best-paying prospects in the Future Pools.

-- World Series 2008: Detroit vs. the New York Mets. The Cardinals won't make .500 at the wire. Looking forward to two fantasy leagues I'm going to play (well, one I'm in, the other I'm hedging). Both of those leagues draft next Monday evening.

-- I forgot what I was going to put here. Siiiiiigh ...

-- I can't believe it's been almost exactly 10 years since I moved out of Austin. I miss the Hill Country. Hope to make it back there for the first time in 6 years for Weekend at Mookie's or whatever the Blogger Bash is called. The wallet's ready; it's up to the work commitments ...

-- Speaking of Poker Bloggers, I'm plunging back into the BBT3 wars tonight at Full Tilt; the weekly $10+$1 Riverchasers game is at 8 pm St. Louis time.

-- No poker Friday. Off to model at my favorite, Principia College up in Ilinois, and will make a day of it at the Argosy Casino, Fast Eddie's restaurant and a number of clubs I get to all too rarely, sadly. This class ends the quarter at Principia (they're one of the rare schools who don't go by semesters), and figure drawing is only offered during this "third" quarter. But there's encouraging talk of a figure painting class in the fourth quarter, so ...

-- Busy poker weekend ahead, altough not as big as the five-star events ths following weekend. My schedule will include: (3:05p Saturday) Nationwide Poker Tour online satellite to Sunday's $500 Bodog Open Main Event, at Bodog; (7p Saturday) Final Four Package Tournament, at Oddsmaker; (3p Sunday) either Bodog Open Main Event or Bugsys Championship Series Main Event, a $110 buy-in NLHE with $15K guaranteed prize pool; plus the usual assorted games and leagues from Aces Cracked, Poker Analysis, Maximum Poker League, The Bluffers, Real Poker Players, AJ Poker and so on. What was that I said about picking and choosing???

Peace. Back to the book ...

That's A Winner!

2008-03-03T10:19:00.003-06:00

The Bugsys Championship Series is currently under way at Bugsys Club. It offers 27 events through Sunday, with a Championship Playoff on March 15. It may not be as big or lucrative as FTOPS or WCOOP, but I wanted to give it a try in my steady dive into tougher challenges and competitions. Even though I hadn't played at Bugsys since April '07 (I don't know why).

(This is where the screenshot of Sunday March 2's Event 5, Limit Omaha H/L, $1,000 guaranteed (prize pool eventually closed at over $2K), buy-in $25 + $2.50, should go. If I can ever figure out how. Thank you pal sharbear of MaximumPokerLeague et al. for taking the screenshot at Bugsys for me; I could cut-and-paste from your PM into an e-mail for my records, but haven't been able to c&p the shot into any forum posts or here yet. (siiiiiigh!) Some day...)

Anyways, if you were looking at the screenshot, you'd notice that 82 players enterred, and when the smoke cleared the $615.00 first prize belonged to shamanalix. Yup. A solid payday for the shamster. I'm still walking on air a bit!

It was a very enjoyable event: calm, straightforward play, only a couple of jerks. A number of luckouts and bad beats, but you get those everywhere, even live ... and this game I was able to avoid most of them. We started with 2,500 chips each. At the first break I was 29th of 60 left, my best hand having been quad aces in level 3 that won me a 1,425-chip pot (no low). The second hour I played steady and picked my spots and mostly avoided mistakes and chases, so that at the second break I was 6th/16 remaining. Ten got paid.

I seriously had my eyes just on cashing, not on winning the whole thing, but the first hand after Break 2 alterred my thinking. Level 13, blinds 2,000/4,000. A 2 turn and 3 river gave me a small boat and got me firing back at the table bully/big stack until I was all-in. He'd hit a flush on the river, but I had him and scooped the 31,000 pot. And that's when my gear-shifting and gameplan intensified.

We hit the final table (and the money) with the shamster 4th/10. My strategy and cards had me in and out of 1st place in levels 14 and 15, the latter when we were down to 7 players. Then I beat the bully again with 2s full of As and soared to 102K chips -- about 80K ahead of second place! I eased the attack, then I couldn't land a filler/killer, and my big lead shrank; but so did the field size.

Finally we were four-handed in level 17 (8K/16K blinds), me barely ahead as we all had about the same amount of chips. I took out the bully in fourth for a 92K pot; I flopped trip 6s, we built it till he was all in and his chasing couldn't catch me. Eventually I was heads-up against MiaLauren, who'd done a superb job of bouncing back from being ultra-low-stack a couple of times. She took the lead from me when she got quad 7s and I folded to her river bet; this was level 18 (10K/20K). But pots were big, I got the lead back in a couple hands and then wrapped it up with a 10-high flush as she couldn't fill her boat. I had a bigger two pair than her (quit thinking dirty, Al and ck!) until the river, when the 10 of spades gave her a bigger two pair (hush ig) but completed my flush. We both had straight draws to boot, and no low qualified, and it had been over 3 hours for the tournament, so this hand was the final showdown.

It was just my night/game. The universe needs more of those! Sorry I missed the Big Game of Miami Don's that kicked off Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3 at Full Tilt, but there'll be plenty more of those. This $615 payday will give the sham's bankroll a boost in picking and choosing points of attack at BBT3. Likely starting Tuesday with the Blogger Skill Series (if it ain't stud!). For sure Thursday with Al and riggs' Riverchasers game. (I didn't know my Poker Analysis pal wolfshead, aka herb, was a Riverchaser from Pennsylvania; dang!...)

One good game like Bugsys on Sunday can erase 10 frustrating games, and give insecurities a necessary boost. The adages are really true: Just keep playing your game and try to maintain an even keel, and it all works out in the end.

On the WSOP front, I can get a Vegas studio apartment for June and July for about $2K. Anyone want in? Still not 100 percent sure with my mom's health that it's wise to get away for so long. I do have my eyes on WSOP events 2 ($1500 NLHE, the monster-sized "opener"), 42 ($1k seniors), 51 ($1.5k HORSE) and 54 ($10k Main Event), plus some others. I'll preregister for sure it the next 10 days for the Seniors to get on their players list, and then we shall see what develops.

Meanwhile, back to the journey. Can't over-enjoy a success, just like I don't dwell on the non-successes. But this sure feels real real nice...

The Real 3 R's

2008-03-02T12:20:00.010-06:00

Some may have you believe the "3 R's" of learning are readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. Sorry, not true. To a poker player like me, the 3 R's are reading, reacting and 'rmadilloing.

The education picks up a notch today with the official start of BB3, a.k.a. Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3. Three months, 55 tournaments, a Tournament of Champions at the end for individual event winners only ... and even World Series of Poker prizes amongst the swag put together by the legendary Sir AlCantHang and Full Tilt Poker. The official information is at http://alcanthang.blogspot.com/2008_02_24_archive.html#5035587135491417942. (Dang, why can't I make copy one thing and html link a separate thing? Like worked finally with the BB3 banner? Grrr. And the link's not even a live one to click? Sorry. Siiiiigh...)

There's plenty of action, and plenty of chances along the way to have that one miraculous in-the-zone game and win a TOC seat. Or perform steadily and win a monthly prize. And since they're all buy-ins (of various amounts, at varying games), there's oodles of greenbacks to be earned. I'll pass the rich opener tonight, the Blogger Big Game ($69+$6) hosted by Miami Don. Got a seat in Bugsy Championship Series Event 5 (Limit Omaha H/L), so that takes precedence and sham's limited attention/focus. But with BB3 events nightly Monday through Thursday, I'll be gathering the shekels and tokens and showing up there often.

Saturday went well. Won the MaximumPokerLeague TPFC qualifier at Nordica, as me and four teammates qualified for the final there in two weeks. Picked up a little cash at DoylesRoom ring games, the first time I've played those since they let the Yanks back in (well some of us, they still ban residents of the O'Shunned Eleven states).

Full schedule today, resuming sortly with The Bluffers League game at Absolute Poker. Bluffers are a fun group, you should check them out. Link at right. (I'll learn how to put more links into the copy slowly but surely, thanks to the patient teachings of folks like Al and Irongirl. Maybe.) Also I'm playing a lot with Real Poker Players league; $25 for a year to join, then lots of league games and monthly prize events, plus about a buy-in a week at Ultimate Bet ... and these folks play tight/tough.

Gotta keep improving and learning, while the escalator continues the climb to whatever's ahead...

Flowing

2008-03-01T00:27:00.002-06:00

Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. Tiredness. Poker. Arrrrgggghhhhh. Close. Cigar? No. Way.

Satisfaction in recent results and play. Perturbed by near-misses and short-handed meltdowns -- twice tonight (Friday)!! Adjusting my game, but so many adjustments and tweaks and one-way streets that truly hold a thousand options. My head and my gut and my heart tell me it'll never work, never get better, never get ... it. But they're not really telling me that. What are telling me that are the things that are right, yet all wrong. So I'll ignore "them" and plug on.

Won 18 cents in the Quick Draw at Doyle's (249th/2,454 freerollers). Made $15 for taking 2nd/23 in TheBluffers game at Reefer. Earned 12 points as 3rd/44 in Real Poker Players League's Limit H.O.R.S.E. at Ultimate Bet. Three-for-three "good" outings. After my 7-days-of-profit streak had turned into 2-days-of-losses, we're headed back in the right direction.

And I should have won those last two tournaments. Long heads-up with Bluffers rival (sorry, bad with names, forgot already); led most of the way until I finally lost one big hand and gave him a lead I could never overcome. And in RPP game I was a maniac at final table, dispatching foes and building 20K-chip castle, 10 times more than my last two rivals each had ... yet it all disappeared in Omaha 8/b, normally one of my best games. The poker goddesses were sure having fun with me.

Gotta not let the results and the immediate happenings bug me. Just like loud-mouth sore losers (no names of juvenile clown bloggers who could use a swift kick in their humanity-lessness). Too sensitive, too nice, the shamster. Gotta shrug it all off. One hand at a time. All that matters. And nothing really matters.

Big weekend of games ahead. Model Saturday morning, which'll put a crimp in my participation but offer a nice distraction, a good opportunity for reflection and re-planning. Then back to the faux felt starting Saturday dinnertime. There are big events at Bugsy's Club and Bodog and elsewhere to choose from, plus the usual league challenges. And the BB3 is right around the corner.

(Weird, I type a word and a different word appears on the screen. Haunted keyboard? Or bad misconnect between "brain" and "fingers" -- plan and execution? Just old? Pooh...)

Maybe that's the trouble. Maybe there's no trouble. Definitely there's a bed calling. Morning is another day. One big success will more than erase a thousand defeats and disappointments. And it IS coming! Meanwhile, we'll continue savoring every little victory, every step in the right direction ... while not making a big deal of them, just like we treat the oopses.

You can stop shuffling. For now. New deal soon...

Blogger Madness Starts Sunday

2008-02-26T11:04:00.006-06:00

The streak is at six straight days of online profit and counting. I'll tell ya about it another time; just not very good at bragging, or at finding time amidst real life.

Had to post something, though, to try (again) to put up one of the banners about the latest Blogger Series. Starts Sunday. Holy Grail at the end is 7 WSOP seats (Holy Heck!!!!!!!!). More details to come, best info is at organizer/cat-herder Al Cant Hang's blog (link at right). I vow to win the writing contest; it's time for the sham to reveal his true skills and block the writer's block.

So here goes with the (medium) banner, more soon, I'm jealous of the Eh! Vegas survivors/victims, and have a great week!:

(Siiiiiigh!!!) Nope, blogger "banner" didn't publish. Ya have to click the link to see it. I'll have to talk to someone who knows how to do things and figure how to make it appear. I'm so hopeless at some things. Ciao...

UPDATE: As you can (hopefully) see, the blogger banner/promo now is publishing, thanks to brilliant guidance from the one-of-a-kind Sir AlCantHang. Thankee...

Must Be the Full Moon...

2008-02-21T12:34:00.003-06:00

The full moon was beautiful last night. I didn't watch the partial eclipse, but heard it was inspiring. But, dang, why is it every time there's a full moon, people and poker seem to get even whackier than usual???

The bad news is that the "spell" didn't end by awakening this morning; if anything, seems it's getting "weirder." I won't call it "worse", that's all relative; but it's definitely uncomfortable to an overly sensitive underly confident semi-human like the shamster.

Today there's an wave of ice and snow storms rolling through St. Louis. So decided against risking the weather and road quirks, and cancelled my modelling session at Principia University up in Illinois. The beautiful Principia campus, as I've stated before, is one of my favorite places to hang out, and they pay well, so nixing this gig hurts. On the bright side, it means I get to play poker all day (seems like it's been forever!).

On the dark side, my first (and so far only) foray onto the faux felt today was at PokerStars, a $5.50 rebuy/add-on turbo super satellite to EPT-4 Monte Carlo, the final stop in this year's European Poker Tour. I followed my strategy in the early goings: no rebuys, take the single add-on for $5 and play smart and patient amidst the five-minute levels. Worked like a charm, my hands held and I won two races at the river, and come first break I was 1st of 36 left. The event had started with 63, 12 would get paid off and top 6 would advance to the Thursday afternoon EPT-4 MC satellite.

And of course you can guess how it all ended. Shamster finished 13th, bubble boy once more. Went card dead, couldn't hit when made a couple feelers, won a couple pushes after I fell out of top 10. Decisive hand, with 3K left and blinds 800/1600 (150 ante), I called table's top aggressor on my right as he tried yet again to steal pot momentum from me. I had 33, he had KT suited, and everything went nice -- until a darn cowboy rivered. (Siiiigh!!!) What's a poor shamalamadingdongdorkdonk to do? Just move on to the next challenge, I guess.

There should be quite a few of those today, as I try to make up for lost time in online poker-land. I'm aiming for the Rounders Radio freeroll at Carbon in about an hour, then tonight will drop in on league games of Poker Analysis Freeroll League (Cake), Maximum Poker League (Cake), and maybe Shark Poker Tour (Absolute Poker) and/or The Bluffers (Reefer). That last site, Reefer Poker, is a new one that's a skin of poker.com, Carbon, Nordica, etc. More on Reefer at another time, though know that since I can't deposit there until probably next month I intend to freeroll a lot of Reefer to build my roll. (That sounds bad, and I love it!)

Got a poker scare earlier this week when a co-owner said he was going to have to close my home forum, Poker Analysis. The other co-owner, his estranged wife, said she wouldn't let that happen to PA, so things go on fairly normally as the soap opera plays out. I will still play for PA in the next Online Forum Challenge, set for mid-March at Reefer. A lot of good players are at and have come through PA, including Mike Sowers (SowersUNCC), a recent preliminary event winner live at Borgata on the WPT Tour (or was it WSOP? I'm always a confused shamster...).

Another poker "scare" earlier this came when the two February posts in Doyle Brunson's blog disappeared. Happily, they're back today, with new entries; seems he's changed the look/set-up of his blog. And now it allows comments. Doyle's Blog (link at right) is still one of my absolute must-reads on the web.

Modelling Tuesday at St. Louis Science Center with the "Body Worlds 3" exhibition was fun, though not as much as the first time. The initial newness and thrill were lessened, making it more just a job. And one of the other models got his picture in the paper today with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's article on the exhibition. Pooh. Oh well, SLSC curators promised they'd send us models a CD of pictures they took of us at work, so I'll get to share that with y'all eventually.

Yesterday night I lost my temper for a moment with an extremely talented artist, Metra Mitchell, who works as T.A. for the class I was doing at Fontbonne University. Long story short I can sometimes get paranoid when someone uses a laser pointer on me unexpectedly, especially on my face. We had a little cry and I think got over it. I figured later it must be partially the full moon's fault. That also explains Monday and Tuesday and today. Gotta hope the waves mellow soon ... and meanwhile try to flow with them and adapt.

OK, tables, I'm coming, moon or no moon. Brace yourselves...

Small Victories Still Feel Good

2008-02-18T10:45:00.003-06:00

I hope it's an omen for a good week. I'm as computer-inept and technophobic as they come, but I got the Adobe Reader update to download and actually work on my computer! Yeah, yeah, it's a simple thing ... but that hasn't stopped me from messing it up in the past. Now I can see pdfs!!! Now I'll know how yesterday's Horse Race of the Day turned out without going to Equibase's results! Now the world is at my fingertips! (Not really, but I'm an easy guy to please; I'll take any tiny victories life hands me!)

Life didn't hand me tiny victories on the poker tables over the weekend. My play was OK, occasionally sterling, but the results were ... I don't think that disgusting sound translates into letters for a printed page. No wins. Only one cash. Only three final tables. Blah!

This week will be light on online poker once again; work gigs run into the evening, and with modelling every day it doesn't give a lot of time or energy to devote to the felt wars. Things will improve a tad the last week of February when I model afternoons and get my nights back; cannot wait to resume playing in leagues with my friends at Poker Analysis, Real Poker Players, TheBluffers, etc. -- not to mention the Blogger Circuit.

Speaking of the Blogger Circuit, there is one game written in RED INK on my calendar this week that I will definitely play. (Thanks for the heads-up, Dr. Pauly!) Author Anthony Holden hosts the Tuesday Night Game once a month at PokerStars. Holden wrote "Big Deal" and "Bigger Deal", two of the best poker books ever. This tournament commemorates the legendary live Tuesday Night Game in England that attracted many top authors, artistes, etc. The online version plays at 3 pm ET Tuesday Feb. 19 for $10+$1, with $2,700 added and many other prizes. I can only play for about 3 hours. I intend to last that long, and hope it's enough to at least reach the money and the final table; FT players get an autographed copy of one of Holden's books. And he'll be playing. It will be fun. I was the first player registered, a couple weeks back. For more info and the password, check out http://www.biggerdeal.com/ -- and enjoy!

The reason I can only play until about 5 pm my time? Work. But a special gig. Ever hear of Body Worlds, the traveling exhibit of real human bodies treated by the process of plastination into works of art that are like skinless bodies posed in athletic and other activities? (Look it up at http://www.bodyworlds.com/; awesome, though not for the squeamish.) Well, Body Worlds 3 has been at the St. Louis Science Center for months, and with the exhibit almost over they held an "Artists Night" last Wednesday where people could come in and draw the exhibits, with four live human models thrown in for comparitive purposes. I was one of the four live human models. It went over so well, they've asked us for an encore performance this Tuesday from 7-9 pm my time -- thus my time limit in playing Holden's poker game. (www.slsc.org/content.aspx?id=4077) They will have photographers this time (they weren't allowed last week, only sketch artists and painters), so I'll try to post photos from this gig (or a link) after we get prints-for-time trade. Yeah, I'll even try to include the female live models in the pix, just for Uncle Al.

Today, time to get to Fontbonne University and Victor's painting class; they're doing my portrait today and Wednesday. And sitting there will give me good time to ponder ways to tweak the poker game. Needs much pondering. "Is a puzzlement!!!"

Let The Fun Begin!

2008-02-16T12:10:00.002-06:00

OK, I am ready for some online poker! After dropping about $100 in live 3-6 LHE mid-week in a short 3-hour session on my first playing expedition to St. Louis' newest casino, Lumiere, and getting to play little on the faux felt all week, I'm eager to get at it!

After much deliberation, the chosen agenda includes: The Bloggers League buy-in at 1 p.m. (all times St. Louis) at Vegas Poker 247; a Poker After Dark Round 2 endeavor at 2:05 pm at Full Tilt (hey, JJ Liu is registered, and you know how I am about Asian beauties); TPFC Finals at 7 pm at Iron Duke (maybe finally get some cash at that site); Aces Cracked League at 7 pm at PokerStars (one of my home groups, gotta contribute, even though TPFC may get more of my attention, plus I won AC game last week); and QuickDraw Turbo Freeroll at 11 pm at Doyle's Room (pick up a few more pennies, won't take long and good practice in patience and maniac-management).

This leaves out tourneys that are still options that I often play and/or like, such as 3:20 pm Saturdays with Dr. Pauly at PStars (PL Omaha), 7 pm Poker Analysis Buy-In League at Absolute Poker, 8 pm Real Poker Players League at Ultimate Bet (Omaha 8/b), and games hosted by Online Poker Tour, Rounders Radio and Holdem Radio, plus my "final day" as an "Exclusive Member" of SpadeClub (they opened this site too quickly and too expensively). Hey, I learned the hard way not to try to do everything! These events will stay options, but don't look playable right now (RPP best possibility of the bunch).

Wish me luck, and hope to see y'all at some of the games! More late tonight, or else Sunday morning. Peace out...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-15T02:13:00.003-06:00

OK, so maybe technically it's not Valentine's Day any more as I write this. At least not here, or where you are. But somewhere (Hawaii?) it's still Feb. 14, so the wish is truthful, timely and stands. Just sorry your cards and flowers and chocolates and spa passes will have to wait for another day. If there are any left when I'm done "testing" them.

I'm in a very good mood, which is why I'm writing this (yeah, I know, finally!) instead of diving right into bed. Gotta start trying to follow Doyle's example and post a couple times a week (at least!), even if they are only short snapshots of my life and feelings.

What has me hepped up right now is that I just got 12th in a tournaments at Full Tilt. The $1 Rebuy tournament, to be exact. With 446 entrants and a pool of $1,552 -- and me no rebuys or add-on! Eighty-one got paid, but I played smart and steady and successful for almost 4 1/2 hours. Finally hit the wall when my JJ ran into bullets shortly after break No. 4, when I was 7th/12 left. The jacks never caught up, I plunged from about 110K to 13K, and a couple hands later was out on a 3-way all-in. Still, a very good tourney and a big boost to my confidence after mostly treading water since the Super Bowl debacle.

Big weekend coming up. Last week was full of minor traumas, and haven't played much this week due to work, so I'm going to be real hungry for faux felt chips come Saturday. I'll be back to tell ya about it. Meanwhile, once again, Happy Valentine's Day all, and especially to my favorite ladies (you know who you are!). Peace and happiness.

Yodelaehoo!

2008-01-25T12:32:00.001-06:00

Weatherwise, it's a wee bit of a bleak day here on the cliffs overlooking the oozing Mississippi. I was just watching chunks of wannabe icebergs (barely big enough to fill a night's worth of AlCantHang libations) float down the river before taking refuge here in the warm library of Principia College. Too cold outside to enjoy the peace and the view and the energy of the surrounding wilderness.

The aforementioned bleakness is only in the weather. Yes, the shamster is a tropical beast at heart, you understand. But coming up here to the campus in Elsah, Ill., about 12 minutes' drive ($27 cabfare) up the River Highway from Alton ... Ah, coming up here to Prinicipia has been one of my favorite working getaways for the past 8 or so years.

I call this place "Little Switzerland", because the campus truly looks like a village you'd find in the Swiss Alps. Tiny Elsah, at the foot of the cliffs on which the campus sprawls, well, you've seen this town in the dictionary next to the definition of "quaint." And Prinicipia, a Christian Science (I think) college, is peaceful, friendly, vibrant yet quiet, open (despite the security guard's kiosk at the campus entrance) and open-minded. I'm spiritual, not religious, but I do like it here. Even if they didn't pay their art figure models better than most universities and groups, it's still worth the long trip from home (bus, train, bus, bus, cab -- say 3 1/2 hours, not counting the time spent goofing, sightseeing and sipping coffee in Alton).

On the poker front, I've been reading blogs. Mookie has a sensational caption contest that I think I was just too late to get into. Boo. You can access his blog and the scary photo through the link in the blogs list at right. (Someday I'll learn how to do direct links in my copy; ah well...). AlCantHang gives a hilarious recount of Thursday night's Riverchasers Tournament through his bloodshot eyes. And Doyle Brunson has a new entry; I hope his doctor's visit goes well, I hate doctors (and dentists and lawyers oh my!). Well, most d d & l's; there are a few good ones (being good includes reading shamster's blog).

I head back to online poker-playing this weekend; I'm eager, and hungry for success. There are Poker Analysis Buy-In League games Saturday morning (PokerStars) and Sunday evening (Nordica); I need good showings if I'm to defend my monthly title; am currently resting 20 points behind leader DCIAssassin with 3 games to go. Saturday night is the Aces Cracked $11 weekly game at PokerStars; password is "acescracked" and it's at 2100 ET under "private tournaments", if you're brave enough to join the masters. I also might try the first step in qualifying for the NBC Heads-Up Championship at PStars this weekend. And Doyle's Room has some quickie freerolls; gotta get my bankroll over $2 so I'll have the minimum to invade the ring games. And Nationwide Poker Tour Online has its Sunday night game at Bodog, if you want more challenges and good competition. A normal busy weekend of eeny-meeny-miney-mo and lofty expectation$.

For now, one hour till work time, I'm warm enough to head back out cliffside. Gonna eat my sack lunch and watch the river and its baby icebergs flow past down below. Maybe practice a yodel or two. Wish I knew how to spell that "yodelaehoo", though; my writing skills have really atrophied. And cantankerous fingers (it's the keyboard's fault!!) don't help. But I'm moving along.

Peace love and happiness...

"Mrs. Brown You've Got A ..."

2008-01-24T11:21:00.001-06:00

If the title rings a chime, you know what I'm up to tonight.

No poker today. Five hours of modelling at Webster University, first for a regular figure class and then (I love this group) for Webster theatre students who are forced -- er, "required" -- to take a figure drawing class to help them with (I guess) their actors' poses, lighting insights, costuming thoughts and whatever else goes through a thespian's mind. Being a once and future thespian myself ... Any explanations, Falstaff?

After the classes, a friend and I are hitting a Herman's Hermits concert at Ameristar in nearby St. Charles. Saw Peter Noonan and friends two or three years ago; he's old (who isn't?), but he's still got it. Flashbacks are fun!! Especially with short-skirted waitresses bringing the drinks. After the show, those poker tables at Ameristar are awfully tempting ...

Road day Friday of modelling and mischief in Illinois (Alton area north of St. Louis, to be semi-specific) coming up. Then it's back to the faux felt on the weekend -- after a few days away I'll be more than ready!

Congrats ck on taking out Mookie in his game last night and realizing one of your '08 resolutions! Any bloggers who want a link to their blog in my alphabetical list at right, let me know. And have a great day!!! "Something tells me I'm in to something good..."

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-23T23:46:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everybody!!!!!!!!!

Whaddaya mean, NYE was over 3 weeks ago? Hey, I been busy! Winning, learning, working, playing the Absolute Poker 150K guarantee last Saturday, trying to remember my blogger password, ...

Anyways, I'm back, and I'm posting. Every day. Whether you like it or not. Whether I like it or not... (Sure hope posting doesn't act as a jinx to the hot streak I've been on the last month. Now I gotta sign up for ePassporte (sigh! shiver!!) so I can get some of the money offline.)

That's it for now. Working everyday this week. Last game I played was early Tuesday afternoon at Full Tilt, and I won me a $26 token. Sorry katitude (pokerkat.blogspot.com), wish you coulda won one, too; fun playing with ya as always, though!

Next action for me will be late late Friday night ... maybe. Then for sure a hectic weekend, including Quick Draw Free Rolls at Doyle's Room (read The Man's blog, link at right) and National Heads-Up qualifying at PokerStars. And the usual leagues. Shuffle up and keep dealing!

An Idea for My New Avatar

2007-12-23T11:40:00.000-06:00

Good morning! (Or whatever it is where you are.) I hope today goes like yesterday, and even better.

No time for details yet, but yesterday included flopping a royal flush and eventually taking down the Poker Analysis Buy-In League game at Poker Nordica ($50 prize for a $5.50 investment, plus 100 points to take the league lead with 3 games left this month); 2nd/11 for $36.50 (again $5.50 investment) in Absolute Poker's The Absolute Touchdown Week 16 (unfortunately my St. Louis Rams team got crushed by the Pittsburgh players); a bubble finish in the Aces Cracked offseason game ($11 to a good cause); and 356th/1,337 in the Online Forum Challenge Event No. 29 Freeroll at Vegas Poker 247 (lost one-third my stack first hand when kings got counterfeited and bully pushed all-in on river, forcing card-challenged me into ultra-tight mode for next hour-plus).

Today's the OFC Buy-In at VP247 with some really sweet prizes. I'm going to play this real smart and focused, and hope the cards come like they did at Nordica. Then there's another PA B-I League game at PokerStars, and I'm tempted to play the T.J. Cloutier bounty event at Bugsy's Club. Plus I now learn there's a Blogger Luck Game at Full Tilt, $11 for 100 chips (sick!) and 5-minute levels. Thanks a lot, tripjax... Needless to say, a big day blooms and I'm gonna wear me lucky Paris Casino green shirt! And football, too! (So far 5-0 on the bowl picks...).

On a tangent, you know I'm a model, whether you want to believe it or not. Been thinking of incorporating a painting done of me by Victor Wang (professor at Fontbonne University here in St. Louis and well-known among artistes) into a new avatar, for the blog and for some poker rooms. I just don't know how to do an avatar; shoot, I didn't even know how to do a screen shot of the flopped Royal, had to get lots of help from my table friends -- and I still don't get it. Anyway, this piece by Victor appeared in the September 2007 "American Artist" magazine (page 22), and is also on Victor's web pages. For great works, browse his site and read the article. The link to the portrait of moi is below; any suggestions on how to avatarize it are most welcome.

The link: victorwang.net/gallery1/crown/crown.html

On to the tables! Everyone have a great day...

Weekend -- Part II

2007-12-20T15:36:00.000-06:00

Just got knocked out of a Rounders Radio Freeroll. There were 89 of us battling for one prize, a $60 satellite coupon to Carbon's Sunday $20K (which I've played once and is a lot of fun). Got it all in with AA against 99, who thought I was stealing. But a 9 fell on the turn and he collected my last 5K chips. Finished 14th -- that's two 14ths and a 13th among my last four tourneys, I'm in a rut! Everyone was nice, sympathetic and "upset" about the aces being cracked. I'll never understand the big deal: It's just two cards, anyone can really win at just about anytime, "miracle" comebacks happen in football, baseball, golf, you name it. Disappointing, yeah, but oh well, no biggie: That's poker. Always next time!

Got to get last weekend wrapped up before it's this weekend. If the computer will let me. A lot of problems lately, from AOL, Java, Windows, my keyboard, blogspot and the invisible girl in the invisible bikini on the invisible bunkbed over mine. Hopefully we'll get this all in before something else blows... (Insert own snide side joke here. Sham's good at feeding out the straight lines...)

OK, last Sunday. Enterred four tournaments. Came out with profit in four tournaments. Wish every day was like that! In brief, at Vegas Poker 247 I played the Muffmoney League Buy-In Final ($10+$1, $200 added, I had to buy in since I didn't qualify in the prelims) and the Muffmoney League Freeroll Final (qualified twice for this). They started two hours apart, but I still wound up with a little overlap. Not to worry: was 3rd/23 in the buy-in ($69.80) and 8th/12 in the freeroll ($9). By now I don't remember much about either, except that I was playing well and getting cards. I'll take those kind of happenings any day!

Over to Absolute Poker for the Poker Analysis Buy-In League game ($5, $50 added). Whereas the day's first two outings were No Limit Holdem, the PA game was Pot Limit Omaha 8/Better (high/low for the new and/or easily confused reader). I'm not real fond of pot limit games, and started slow here. So I managed to pick my spots, milk my good hands, hit a couple races and wind up 4th/14 for $13.64. Also earned 50 points, and now I'm actually in a crowded tight race for the monthly title (which is worth a sweet ticket to a big weekend tourney, among other things). The PA B-I Lg resumes tonight with H.O.R.S.E. at PokerStars ($5.50 at 7:30 pm my time). There'll be four more games this month after today, so I need a good showing.

Speaking of HORSE, that seques perfectly to Sunday's fourth and final outing: the Blogger Skill Game at Full Tilt. It was limit HORSE with $6 bounties. A $30+$3 entry fee with super stacks of 5,000 chips to start. A field of 47 tough players, including some Full Tilt pros. My opening seven-player table included one of them, Jon "pearljammed" Turner. Plus host cracknaces (Chad, I think it is, I am horrible with names etc., think he went on to win it all), pushmonkey72, HadriansWall, Jetdr and more. The kind of cast nightmares are made of.

First level Holdem, I won a couple fast hands with QQ and AK. Then cracknaces started beating me around (as he would most foes in his tournament), and that brought me back to earth. A little. For a while. I was 44th/47 when level 2 shifted us into Omaha H/L; 43rd/47 for level 3 Razz; 37th/47 for level 4 Stud High. Now studs are my least-favorite games because of my no-memory, but things were going well in them this time. I climbed to 21st/47 for level 5 Stud Hi/Low, and there I hit a wheel (ace-through-5) in my first five cards and kept betting from the beginning. Pushmonkey chased me all the way, and that swept a pot of about 1,400. Shortly thereafter a 6 on the river gave me a straight and swept a pot worth over 1,700 with Wall. I came out of level 5 in 7th, and this time did better in Holdem to enter the break 4th/46 left.

Positioning fluctuated in the top 10 during the second hour's six levels. Back into Stud H/L for level 10, I hit a flush on the river on the first hand. Club flush and 87543 low for a scoop. And thus eliminated the pro pearljammed. I had the chips, cards and outs to challenge him down to the wire, and wound up with not only his chips but the $30 bounty on him. Didn't expect that, but it was sweet; Jon wound up 44th. Full Tilt said it'd mail me a T-shirt too for bountying a pro. When the level ended and we headed back to holdem, I was 1st overall (42 left).

Yeah, it didn't last, but it was real fun while it lasted. The scribbling gets harder to read after that; definitely playing in a zone and on instinct primarily, the med condition does that at times. I got another bounty on DonkeyPuncher in level 12 and split another bounty with someone somewhere along the line; that's the only way I can figure I came out of the tourney with $39, a $6 profit. Should've been better, but I'm often not able to sustain those levels of success ... yet.

Bottom line, I finished 10th/47, one step short of the final table. Played for about 3 1/2 hours. Really started to slide in level 15, Stud H/L (which had been so good to me!). My QQ66 and straight draw lost to trip 8's for a pot of over 14K. Then Astin showed two kings up to chase off my jacks. I was last of 16 left into level 16, but I picked my shots and kept fighting. The crusher came in level 19 (Stud High); I'd climbed to 6th/11, but I play to win (and only 5 were getting paid). So I wound up calling nemesis JDSchellnutt's all-in for what had built to a 36K pot; I had Qc7hQh2h7sTd to his 6dAhAdTcKh3s. My Q's and 7's against his A's. I don't remember my seventh street; his was a killer 6, giving him a bigger two pair and leaving me only 347 chips. Ya gots to pick your times to do or die, and I'd chosen mine. So it goes! After that, the blinds and antes had me all-in without doing anything; I won once when I built a boat, but could go no further with only aces. Fun and educational, in the end, and slightly profitable.

Haven't done much this week since Sweet Sunday. No cashes, few cards and too much aggressiveness/bad timing. Hopefully things will change with the PA HORSE in a couple hours. We shall see. Thanks for reading; now I just owe one report, the Vegas trip. Happy holidaze, play nice and see ya soon...

A Weekend to Inspire Me -- Part 1

2007-12-18T12:23:00.000-06:00

Before I start, I want to alert y'all to Mr. Doyle Brunson's blog post of yesterday (12/17, at www.doylesroom.com/blog). It's his tribute/farewell to Chip Reese. So kind of Papa to share with us his thoughts and feelings about a sad event. Thank you, sir.

OK, this is one of the two recaps I've been promising. Not the Vegas recap yet; still gotta pull that one together, although reading other folks like Dr. Pauly (taopoker.blogspot.com) and gcox's Low Limit Grinder (gcox25.blogspot.com) and Bad Blood help get my memory juices going. Gotta remember who it was that humbled my "nut flush" with a well-disguised straight flush and sent me to the rail in level one at the Venetian; the state of shock lasted hours, you'll be pleased to know. Bully.

Anyways, the online search for fame and fortune (I prefer the latter, if you please, poker goddesses) resumed upon returning from Sin City. Wednesday and Thursday saw very minimal success, featuring early exits from The Mookie: Greedy Pirate (86th of 93) and Riverchasers Online (82nd/103; called bigger stack's level 6 all-in with me final 1,500 chips and AJ, pleased to see he only had 75, but was quickly crushed by two 7's on the flop; what a game!). So the BBT2 TOC and trip to Australia is not destined to be sham-tastic this year. Pooh.

Thursday wasn't all bad, as prior to Riverchasers I got 5th/91 in a Rounders Radio freeroll at Carbon (only paid one, a satellite ticket) and 4th/39 in Poker Analysis Freeroll League at Absolute Poker (got $10 and 70 points for that one, my first FR League game of the month). The PA success continued Friday in its Buy-In League, 3rd/11 at poker.com ($21 back on a $5.50 investment). Full Tilt offered a couple cheap MTT Token Frenzies on Friday evening (that continue daily, at 7:45 pm CT where $1 chases T$26s in turbo and at 9:15 pm where 300 FTP chase T$75s six-handed). Unfortunately, I didn't earn a token, which might have gotten me into Miami Don's Big Game on Sunday Night. Turned out for the better I didn't, as we'll see in Weekend Part 2.

Saturday, Dec. 15: Sham enters six tournaments. Cashes in three. Down 300 FTP (Full Tilt Points, if you don't know) for the day, but up $7. In my current micro-mindset, that's OK.

Saturday began at 11 am with the weekly Absolute Touchdown at Ab Poke. A freeroll this week, my St. Louis Rams are playing the Green Bay Packers. Doesn't look like St. Louis will make the 16-team playoffs for an Aussie trip; the Rams got crushed something like 44-1 the week before when I was in Vegas, and are 24th or so in the standings. Wish I'd chosen to be on one of the strong teams like New England or San Francisco (poker players chose to play for any city when they signed up, whomever was their "favorite team"); but I guess I'm just a simple sentimental schlock. Patsy.

(Pause. "Nights in White Satin" on the radio. The Moody Blues' original. My absolutely positively undisputed all-time favorite song. Period. "Breathe deep the gathering gloom...")

(Another pause. And now the new community college at Wildwood just called with five modelling dates for me in March. Sweet. Nice to be popular. The positive mojo is flowing!)

OK, back to Absolute Touchdown. Made the final table for the first time in one of these, and wind up getting 2 points for myself and my team. But the FT is mostly Packers. Wound up almost as bad as the real football game Sunday. Oh well. Two points, 8th/124 and $2.60 for my bankroll is a decent way to start the weekend. I was 1st in this tourney with 72 left, but for some reason lately I've often been starting real fast and then crashing. At least I was pretty consistent throughout this one, out of the top 10 at only one level shift (12th/37 beginning Level 8).

Now things start getting a bit nutz. I know better than to try to do two things (or more) at once, but knowing and following through are two different animals. So I'm in Doyle's Room for two freeroll tournaments, the Welcome $100 FR at 2 pm and the Holiday Frenzy $500 ($1,000?) FR at 3 pm. These monster freerolls at Microgaming sites, you have to play smart and selective early since there are a lot of sitouts, small starting stacks and usually a maniac and a bully at your table. (Kudos to Microgaming for improvements on their sites' running the last week or two; the refreshes often froze or disconnected things in recent months. Now if only they'd let ALL US states play!...)

I played well in both Doyle's events, bouncing back and forth with my concentration and efforts. Unfortunately, I did better in the smaller event, which didn't pay nearly as good as the Holiday Frenzy. Both events paid 600 places, and I need/want the money since I can't (easily) deposit on Doyle's and my bankroll there started the day at 73 cents (all freeroll winnings). I'm trying to build up to enter the Bounty Tournament featuring Doyle and Mike Caro mid-weeks! I cruised along in the Welcome, always in the top 300 for the first two hours (entries were capped at 2,000 players). When the Frenzy began (with 2,783 players), I made some good hits early and breezed through the first hour. Reached Frenzy's first break in a little slump, down to 351st/1298 left. By start of level 8 I was 298th/835, and I should've just sat back and made the money. But I misfigured; brain-burp made me think 800 got paid, and in trying to move up the standings I got it in with a bigger stack ... who proceeded to hit his straight on the river and send me to the rail 659th/2,783. No cash. Stupido sham! Yeah, I'd lucked out in level 1 when my KK cracked AA as four diamonds on the board gave me a flush, but still...

I was still rolling along in Welcome, now 16th/169 left beginning level 10 (15-minute levels here, 10-minute levels in Frenzy), then up to 3rd as I flopped a set of 6's to crack QQ and KK. I was still in top 10 as 5 pm St. Louis time (CT) rolled around -- time to begin the TPFC Finals at Carbon, which I was playing for the wonderful folks at Maximum Poker League (you should check out their daily trivia contests, wild!). Still a little tilted from the Frenzy crash and distracted by my Welcome success, I got armadilloed (run over by a semi) real fast at Carbon. I turned a straight, but hit the wrong button: all-in. And my straight card made a flush possible. And sure enough someone had one. And shamalamadingdongdorkdonk's gone from this $250 FR 84th/89. Sorry MPL. I should know to slow down and think a little. Ouch.

Yet I'm still in Welcome at Doyle's. Wound up in this tournament for over 4 1/2 hours -- not smart considering the payoffs were so small!! You'll see what I mean in a minute, and reinforce your opinions that sham can be such an armadillo. But I see it all as learning experience, something to build on ... I would hope. So I suffer another "bad beat" straight on the river and drop to 29th enterring level 15 (1500/3000 blinds). And I luck out with KJ vs. KA, flop AKJ, another J on the turn! Up to 5th place again. Then 6th/30 left coming out of break into level 17. Sham has K6; board 66A. I bet about half of my 200K, slightly bigger stack all-in for 300K, I call ... a runner-runner flush comes down, and they ship my foe the chips! Sham's out 30th/2,000, and has won ... a whopping 40 cents. That's right, $0.40, earned less than 10 cents an hour. Good thing I love this game. Geeeeeeeeezzzzzzz.........

Stop laughing, please.

Saturday's not done. The Aces Cracked League has thrown together another off-season game at PokerStars, so insane sham heads off there to blow another $11. Wind up with five players, a lot of fun as these games always are (come play with us! at 7 pm CT Saturdays, password is acescracked). Wind up heads-up with tough unpredictable lucky MarkGreb, and a familiar story: I turn a straight but he turns a flush. I settle for 2nd/5 and $15 for less than an hour's play. Let's not compare that to the Doyle's Welcome earnings rate, OK?

Inspired by that success and the fact I'm still mostly playing well for the day, it's off to Full Tilt and another 300 FTP expenditure at 9:15 pm to try to win a $75 token. The bad thing is only 6 tokens are up for grabs in this MTT; the good thing is it's six-handed and not turbo, one can play a little. Bottom line is I get 33rd/218, no token. Good news is I was top 20 most of the time from level 5 on. Omenic, a superb player and friend from Bluff and Poker Analysis leagues, wound up at my table before the first break, making tough action even tougher. But I held my own and played well until the end, when I squandered my final 7K with top pair into a flopped set.

Enough for Saturday. Down 300 FTP but up $7 for the day. And even better things ahead Sunday. But I'll have to wait for next post to fill y'all in on that...

The Words Are Building...

2007-12-17T23:08:00.000-06:00

I owe y'all two reports. One, the wrapup on my Vegas trip, which could get fairly lengthy (I endured many a teasing in my newspaper days about "diarrhea of the typewriter"). The other, a wrapup of a pleasingly successful just-completed weekend of online tournaments (including four-for-four at cashing in tournaments Sunday and a bounty and T-shirt for knocking Full Tilt pro Jon "pearljammed" Turner out of cracknaces' H.O.R.S.E. tourney for bloggers and other degenerates).

I owe ya. I'll pay ya. I always pay. But not tonight. To be scarily truthful, one thing that got me out of the writing/reporting/editing biz is a combination of writer's block and panic attacks. I point my degeneration (as a scribe) to the auto accident in the mid-'90s that gave me a "broken neck" (doctor's diagnosis, not mine) and had me wearing one of them screw-into-your-head halos for five months. No fun. I still have flashbacks sometimes. No excuse. But that's just how it is. And I'm old. I don't really like writing about me (I MUCH preferred doing game reports and features on athletes and artistes), so the whole blog/diary thing is ... something else. But I do like to write, and commuicate, and I'm getting into it a little -- sometimes a lot.

I love reading the (what's the word?) verbose? illuminating? heart-felt? writings of bloggers like Dr. Pauly, Al, Falstaff, Irongirl and others. Maybe a little of them will be contagious and keep inspiring me. Like an onion, a lot of layers to peel here ... a lot of surprises, good and bad, to be uncovered, developed and dealt with.

Meanwhile, I owe y'all two reports. I expect the one on last weekend can be cajoled and coerced out of me by me in the morning. For now, thank you for being there; time to watch tonight's High Stakes tapes and continue that educational track of my other chosen profession. The poker explosion caught my fancy and gave me reason to live (really) back in the Summer of Moneymaker; I'd finally discovered a new calling that was much more promising than suicide.

Hasta manana...

Vegas 2007 Sequel: Halfway to ???

2007-12-06T12:02:00.000-06:00

You just know it's going to be one of those days when you check into the online blogger pages on the casino business office computer (only got 10 minutes; hurry hurry hurry!!) and find the dang pages set for Korean. Korean? Hmmm. Is this an omen? Do they play Korean Poker? (pun on Chinese Poker intended; do I have to explain everything?).

I think I should take a hint from AlCantHang's blog. He said he won't be posting for a week, that it's wildness and debauchery time. Dang, that's an idea! I should try it. Especially since the Miss Rodeo America contestants and their moms don't have much time for me, with the finals nearing and me the only dude without a cowboy hat.

It's moving day: Orleans to Tropicana. Checking out and in. Taking the bus to the laundromat and getting the clothes ready for "Vegas 2007 Sequel -- Part Two, The Bloggers Have Landed." Getting drinking lessons and how-not-to-do-karaoke demos at Imperial Palace. And more poker!!

Wednesday (I think that's what yesterday was) I finished about 84th of 134 entrants in the $60 Grinder NLHE Tournament at Planet Hollywood. I was card dead the whole night, I swear. Should have had an idea what kind of game it would be when the host Michael Mizrachi didn't show. The end came on my small blind all-in with a spade draw, the big blind calling and me failing to hit. Prior hand I'd folded KQ sooooted to a raise and an all-in pre-flop, and I would've beaten their Ax and 66 when both a Q and a K hit the board. The baby pair won, and my patience ended.

Off to Bellagio for some ring action. Had to wait an hour for a seat, finally got in 4-8 LHE at a good table. Unfortunately the cards still hadn't arrived for me (will some bloggers please bring them!!??), and in almost 2 hours I lost about $130. OK, enough's enough; bedtime and tomorrow's a new day.

At Bellagio I honestly didn't win a hand for over an hour (until the fourth dealer, and my second rebuy). Win number one came right after I tipped the new dealer just for being there; that says something about the Poker Gods and Goddesses. My night ended with me getting AT, flop TJQ, turn T, river 9 ... and my rival had TQ for a boat to ram my set. That's enough, I'm taking my chips and skedaddling.

Now it's today. It's all downhill from here. Phase II has begun. Get the bail money counted...

Rest in Peace, 'Chip' Reese

2007-12-05T13:37:00.000-06:00

Finished eighth in The Orleans' slot tournament Tuesday, good for $100 ... which will go toward a poker tournament or two.

Today started sadly, though. Just heard David "Chip" Reese died. He was one of the best, and one of the players I admired most for the calm, professional, non-confrontational, winning manner he had at the table. I hope someday I can grow up to be like him. Dang, I think we were about the same age.

Bummed. More some day/time. R.I.P. Chip...

Vegas 2007, The Sequel -- Where Am I?

2007-12-04T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm here? In Vegas? And it's, what, Tuesday? Already???

Life is good. Even better when you don't have computer access 99.99 percent of the time. More time to concentrate on the things that really matter. Games. Women. Drinks. Sightseeing.

Played an Omaha H/L tournament at Orleans. No cash. Played 5 hours 2-4 LHE at Palms. No profit. OK, so I'm a little grumpy about those two things. But the plan is mostly proceeding nicely. Had a great hottub party Sunday night. Met some nice Miss Rodeo America folks here at The Orleans ... Nevermind, you wouldn't believe me, and I don't care what you think! I know!

Life is really good! More later ... or maybe not. Who has time? Peace!

Vegas 2007 -- The Sequel: Prequel

2007-12-01T23:53:00.000-06:00

And awaaaaayyy we go.

Nothing to say today. Head is spinning. Stomach churning. Get me outta here and out there! Can't think straight.

All packed. I guess. Travelling light, don't need much. Everything's waiting for me in Sin City.

Durn Missouri football team.

OK. Next time you here from me it'll be from Vegas. Or when I get back, if I don't get centered. Hey, being out there is fun! Have an itinerary plotted in the back of my mind, but it just won't translate here. I'm just gonna have to go-do-be-enjoy, then tell ya about it. Or not. We shall see.

Wish y'all were coming with me! Look out, Vegas, the shamster is on his way...

Getting itchy for Vegas

2007-11-28T13:15:00.000-06:00

Return to Vegas 2007: I wish I was there already! Just a few more days. When one suffers panic attacks and attention deficits and depressions and talking invisible gremlins, making plans and getting things together for a big outing can be full of pains and strains. I'm hanging in there...

My poker play the last couple days has been good but frustrating. I am happy that my increasing aggression is working and becoming more natural. I am not happy that I sometimes get impatient or try to rush things, or don't heed my inner voices about warning signs. Playing live in Las Vegas will be much better, being slower and with less distractions at hand so I can stay focused on the business. Yes, I love to have fun at the poker table (probably too much, tablemates would say of the chatty shamster). But the real wars and games ahead will bring out the focus. I just hope I don't start slow and finish with frustrating near-misses, like this summer; give me the string of 10 tournament cashes from the middle of the trip!

I hope to post daily from Vegas here, as I did to the Aces Cracked forum on my last Sin City invasion. Wish paul and lori (and even rk) were going to be there again. Ah well, next summer... Gotta look into a two-month deal on some residence near The Strip for June-July!

I will post a preliminary itinerary here Friday (knock on wood). Have to work tonight and all day Thursday, although I aim to make the Riverchasers game Thursday night at Full Tilt. Suggestions on unusual/challenging things to see/do in Vegas are welcome here. Peace.

Blah Blah Blahs

2007-11-25T12:41:00.000-06:00

Tennessee Ernie Ford sang about "... another day older and deeper in debt..." Yeah, feels like I'm toting them "Sixteen Tons" around right now -- and not just from my birthday last week or Thanksgiving feasting. I didn't eat that much turkey and dressing! (Hmm, wonder how stuffed armadillo would taste?...)

Maybe I'm just feeling post-success letdown. Missouri football fans aren't used to the Tigers actually winning a BIG one. Sweet when it's against Kansas. Less sweet when Mizzou's got an even BIGGER task in a week, this time against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game next Saturday night in San Antonio. Wish I still lived back in Austin; I would so be there! Anyways, thanks for the congrats, irongirl; hope your Colorado team gets a bowl invite, there are plenty to go around.

Speaking of the college football bowls, the shamster turned his crystal ball on the Bowl Championship Series this morn and was very pleased with what it revealed. In a sane universe, Mizzou is a lock for a BCS game: either the championship game if the Tigers get revenge on Boomer Sooner, or else (you won't believe this) in the Rose Bowl if Oklahoma lightning strikes twice. Who laughed at "Rose Bowl for Mizzou"? Well, if West Virginia beats Pitt the Mountaineers will punch their ticket to the BCS national championship game (PA buddy Steelpenny will love that!). Their foe will be Mizzou if it beats Oklahoma (still can't believe we might be officially labelled "No. 1" later today in polls), or Ohio State if Mizzou awakens from the dream. A Mizzou loss also means Oklahoma's in the Fiesta Bowl as Big 12 king. Mizzou still gets a BCS bowl invite as second-best in the Big 12 (we did beat Kansas, and Texas got Aggie Turkey Hangover again). If the Rose Bowl loses OSU to the BCS title game, it needs a replacement to meet USC -- and Mizzou fills the bill perfectly. The Tigers beat Illinois (I was there), and the Illini and Michigan just don't deserve Roses.

Ten teams get BCS spots. My crystal ball says: West Virginia, Ohio State, Missouri-Oklahoma winner, LSU-Tennessee winner, Virginia Tech-Boston College winner, USC-UCLA-Arizona survivor. That's six automatics. Then Georgia. Then Missouri if it loses to OU (pronounced "ow"), or Kansas when Missouri's dream continues (Jayhawks rooting for the Tigers; hell definitely has frozen over). That's eight. Remaining two spots up for grabs amongst Hawaii, Illinois, Virginia Tech (if it loses to BC) and Arizona State (if it beats Arizona but USC gets the Roses). Hawaii and the Illini are my predictions, but politics and p.r. will play heavy roles. We shall see...

Saturday poker? I don't really wanna talk about it. Five tournaments, a five-buck profit for the day but really disappointing on the whole. Did come from behind to win the Aces Cracked league game at PokerStars. But got armadilloed in the Online Shark Tour freeroll at poker.com: jumped at a chance to eliminate cardluvr early with flopped two pair against his pocket nines, but a 3 on the river paired the board and gave him bigger two-pair than I. Another 11-2 river favorite drowns. Arghh!! The day started in Absolute Touchdown at Absolute Poker (go St. Louis players!!) with a river heart for the chip leader drowning my two pair, sending sham to the rail 17th/75. Then in the Online Forum Challenge Freeroll at Intertops (I hate Microgaming software and sites and lag and "refresh" and sit-out rules -- never ever again!!!!!) I was 203rd/975. And at the Online Poker Tour Freeroll at BigJuicyOdds I was 396th/552, deservedly but agonizingly losing when I risked it all with nut flush draw after flop for a 12K pot in level 3; my AT never caught table leader's AQ.

Haven't been able to get inspired to play any yet today. Maybe after the laundry. Possibilities include the Britbloggerment tournament at PokerStars (3 pm my time), the Maximum Poker League Series final at VegasPoker247 (7 pm), defending my title in the Nationwide Poker Tour Weekly at Bodog (8:05 pm) and the Shark Poker Tour buy-in at poker.com (9 pm). I'm already registered for three of them. We shall see...

And meanwhile, the Blogger Convention in Las Vegas gets closer and closer. Great tips, Pauly! One week from right now I will be in Sin City, laying the groundwork for 10 days of ... I wonder what? The blahs definitely will stay in St. Louis, I promise ya!

Of Kings, Cards and Consistency...

2007-11-23T19:11:00.000-06:00

Sorry, it's been a few days. Just not back in the habit of writing down events and feelings and musings. Heck, if I could do that on a regular basis, I wouldn't be losing the war with "writer's block" and I'd once again be churning out the articles and stories like in the good ol' days. Starting with the last first, that's part of the "consistency" of this post's title. Some day I'll learn how to set aside time to do what needs doin'.

Dang, didn't realize it was so late; got a rescheduled Poker Analysis Buy-In League game ($5.50) starting in about 15 minutes at Poker Nordica. Looks like for the first time I'll have to do a blog post in stops and starts, not all-through-in-one-freeflowing-session like the prior posts. Ah well, who said life should be neat, anyway?? After all, I did just finish the family's day-late Thanksgiving get-together and meal ... and I'm chewing the drumstick to prove it.

OK. Back. Got 5th of 13 in the PA Buy-In; unfortunately, only 3 got paid. Getting very low on funds at Nordica, gonna need to win something there soon -- maybe hit the micro tables and chip up. Of course, we know what disaster happened when I tried that at BigJuicyOdds... Played well on the whole at Nordica just now, lost a few races that crippled me. Glenn hit a straight on the river to put me nearly out. Raz kept getting the bigger boats and better kickers; really lucky he didn't eliminate me before the final table. He was still floating from Arkansas' upset of LSU, I guess. No one any hotter than razorbacker the last few months in the PA Buy-In League. And they don't come any nicer!

Week in review time, and I'll try not to get carried away. The turkey's not sitting well; gonna go root against Hawaii! But in a pumpkin shell, here's the skinny since last we met:

Sunday -- Not exactly the Super Day I expected/wanted. Learned two good lessons: 1) Warming up is good. Works wonders for golfers and baseball players, should also for poker players. I seem to get better as the tournaments go on in a day; would probably do well to play a half-hour of micro rings to get in the right frame of mind, rather than go into a tournament cold. At least I should hit a ring table with play money! Must try to remember and follow through on this revelation.

Lesson 2) Cowboys do not as a rule like me. Did me in two tournaments in a row live in Vegas a couple summers ago. Did me in two tournaments in a row on Sunday 11/18/07. First, in my eagerly anticipated FTOPS VI Event 15 at Full Tilt ($150+$13 NLHE Knockout), I played well but not well enough. Won one $30 bounty, finished 978th of 2,616 entrants -- but I should have been a lot higher, reasonably in the top 153 and the money. Was 152nd mid-level 3, fluctuated between there and 400th for first two hours and was 357th/1089 coming off second break into level 11 (120/240). There I soon got pocket kings, slow-played them with minimum raise Under The Gun, drew three callers. I had about 6K left. Flop came three spades; yuck. I made strong bet, Small Blind and his table-best stack raised me, I went all in ... and he flipped up two spades. Did I mention one of my spades was the K, and the ace dropped on the flop? But no help ensues, and sayonara Sham. Someone had warned me not to slow-play one's big hands too much. I'll learn.

OK, so on to PA Buy-In League ($5.50) at poker.com. Guess what Sham gets early level 2?Yeah, pocket cowboys. No slow-play this time; I jump all-in from late position. And Davidyee in SB who has me covered calls ... with pocket rockets. No help for sham this time either; out 11th/12. Well, at least I'm consistent.

Do lousy in Maximum Poker League VP Series No. 9 ($2, I decline the rebuys/add-ons), ending up 19th/26. Frustrated. But hope springs eternal! I enter two at once at 8:05 pm (St. Louis time), both at Bodog: Rounders Radio Freeroll and Nationwide Poker Tour Online Weekly ($5.50, use some of my tournament credits). Hard for me to do two things at once, but if I do them right it slows me down and focuses me into better situations and less risks. No, I do NOT want to multi-table much. But I get 92nd/214 in Rounders game (only 3 paid). And the NPT game, well, somehow the Shamster came out No. 1! Out of 78 entrants!! Just on a roll, and capped it with a slow play that actually worked: I had AQ, foe A7, I minimum raised after ace on flop, foe went all-in and I smooth-called ... and it held. This experience did wonders for my confidence -- and for my 'roll, to the tune of $117 cash and Tournament Credits $109.

Incidentally, I passed on using my $75 satellite token at Full Tilt on Sunday night's Blogger Big Game. Very tough competition, only looked to pay 4 or 5 folks, so I decided I could have better positive expectations for the token elsewhere.

Tuesday -- That elsewhere came Tuesday night at Full Tilt (worked Monday, no poker). First I bought into a little NLHE Knockout Tourney ($3.30, 50-cent bounties); got no bounties and only 532nd/1,030. When eliminated, I noticed at midnight (which was the beginning of my birthday, Nov. 21) there was a satellite to the $1 Million Guarantee event set for Dec. 16. Only 4 have enterred, at a cost of $69+$6 -- just the size of my token. OK, 90 seconds before gametime I make the jump. And durned if 90 seconds later there aren't 9 players at an immediate Final Table -- talk about a glorified sit-and-go! Not my normal cup of tea. But I was hot, I was on my good game ... and I wound up heads-up with neilh111 for the $500+$35 finale seat. Sad to report, neil had a 3-1 chip lead going into heads-up, I pulled ahead, then tried to put him away with my JJ against his AT. Yeah, an ace flopped. I was down to 100 chips. Won a couple hands to go over 1,000, but eventually he put me away with two aces on a flop to go with one in his hand. Ah, well, second place was $86 cash, so I turned a profit on my token (which I'd won for a $15 investment). There should be another shot at the Million Guarantee, anyway.

Wednesday -- Blogger games, the Mookie (52nd/90) and the Dookie (9th/33 playing limit H.O.R.S.E. turbo). Good practice but no cashes.

Thursday -- Thanksgiving. A 60-cent cash at Doyle's Room for 248th/1,890 in a $1,000 Freeroll; was 75th at one point but eliminated when ran into slow-played pocket rockets -- why does that work so well for some people?? Two forgetable events (8th/8 TheBluffers League PL Omaha at VP247, 1451st/1840 in second Thanksgiving Day Bonus Freeroll at Doyle's). Then played well back at Full Tilt in BBT2 event 17, the Riverchasers Online Tour weekly game, but missed out on final table and money when A9 killed me twice, against AT and AQ. The real killer late in that tourney before the A9 follies, though, was when I read a foe's all-in as weak and called with 33; he had only 95, but flopped a 5 and went on to double through me. That was the start of the end, with Sham ending up 11th/73. And that brings us to today..

Friday -- Did I mention I was 25th/33 in the Bad Beat on Cancer at Full Tilt, an event won by fellow Shark Poker Tour member cardluvr? And that I was 5th/13 in the PA B-I Lg. at Nordica? And that I'm tired and have a tummy ache?

Time to watch football and veg. Saturday is another day. Gonna be a big, busy weekend: Absolute Touchdown game at AbPoke, Shark games at poker.com, Online Forum Challenge games at Intertops, Online Poker Tour freeroll at BJO, more usual fun from Aces Cracked and PA and MPL and Muffmoney and CardPlayer and Nationwide Poker Tour and ...

Life is good. And getting better with each lesson.

Bring on Super Sunday!

2007-11-17T22:22:00.001-06:00

That's going to do it for today, Saturday. An OK day: nothing great, some tiny cashes and good plays and excellent practices. If it hadn't been for those enemy pocket rockets against my JJ and QQ that knocked me out of two tournaments, it might have been a day to write home about. Instead, it was warm-up for the big, BIG wars on tap tomorrow, Sunday.

Backtracking a little first, I didn't play any poker online from Monday night until today. A lot of work-work dominated my time. At least the long 11- and 12-hour days of modelling went better than they had been; my legs held up nicely for a change! Maybe it's the slight dietary changes (more fiber featuring Raisin Bran, plus good old-fashioned Vitamin D milk, to heck with lo-fat, 2%, etc.) and more yoga that have me on the health and endurance upswing. Whatever, I ain't knocking it! Felt so good I worked a 3-hour open drawing class at Webster University on Friday afternoon when they had a late model cancellation. I can take my rest and days off in Vegas!

Speaking of modelling, got a call today confirming a gig while I'm in Vegas. A three-hour Tuesday night group at $20 per; that oughta pay for a buy-in tourney at Planet Hollywood! And maybe I'll meet artists who can give me a solid lead on inexpensive lodging for the WSOP next summer. One never knows when and where schmoozing and networking will pay off.

As I said, didn't get back to the faux felt until today. But I did play live poker Friday night, the battle of the Missouri and kansas St. Louis-area alumni chapters. Mizzou won easy; not many Jayhawkers in these parts ... and I'll be nice and not say anything more. I did discover that these kinds of home-games are little fun for me, with drunks and poor dealing by the players and few consistent rules and just general insanity. Not my schtick. I finished about 14th of the 40-odd players; only four got paid. Give me online or a controlled poker room any day!

Today I played four tournaments, cashing in three ... barely. The Absolute Touchdown (St. Louis vs. San Francisco) saw me 14th of 19 for $1.04. The Full Tilt Poker Forum Weekly saw me 32/45, but I did earn a bounty! Both ended suddenly against enemy aces that held up. The Aces Cracked League's off-season game saw me second for $12. And I just fell out of Shark Poker Tour's Road Warrior Blog Freeroll at Ab Poke: 13/136, only nine paid. This time I got it all in ahead A7 vs 87, but the enemy flopped an 8 and sayonara sham.

Sunday I have big plans and high hopes. The main goals: two tournaments at Full Tilt. At 1 p.m. St. Louis time I'm buying direct into FTOPS Event 15, the $150+$13 NLHE Knockout ($30 per bounty, I believe). Then I'll follow that up at 8:30 pm using my $75 token to enter the Blogger Big Game ... deep stacks I love, but only paying three places is not the +EV I prefer. We will see. There are a number of other smaller games, including a Poker Analysis Buy-In League game at poker.com (5 pm), that might tempt me. And football on TV -- can the Rams double their season victory total? What will be will be...

Good luck all; see you at the tables!

Resting on one's Token

2007-11-13T11:36:00.000-06:00

Whadaya know! Actually won me one of them $75 satellite tokens at Full Tilt on Monday night. Now I'm all set with the easy entry for Don's Big Game on Sunday at FTP. In the meantime, there's not much poker on the agenda until the weekend. In the immortal words of one of Mel Brooks' characters in "Blazing Saddles": "Work, work, work, work, workworkwork...!" What was that governor's name?

The last few days since Thrilling Thursday have been basically break-even. (Except for weekend football, and we are NOT going to go there! Mizzou won and rolls on toward the Kansas showdown, and that's ALL I'm gonna say. Dumb Rams...)

Friday I won six cents in a Doyle's Room Welcome Freeroll, and the wad there is up to 13 cents I think. At this rate I'll be buying back into a Doyle Bounty Tournament around mid-2009. Won a buck at Pokerstars in a Round 1 of Play in the Bahamas With Daniel Negreanu. Why do I put myself through those longshot, low-expectation contests? Guess I just loves a challenge! And no reason the game won't suddenly fall into place one of these times and I'll get the Big Enchilada; it's happened before. Meanwhile, relax, learn and play!

Saturday I was 103rd of 1,145 in the Online Forum Challenge #25 freeroll at Big Juicy Odds. Worth a whole $2.40. I needed to finish in top 60 to earn enough for Sunday's $5.50 OFC buy-in there. Attempts to deposit at BJO proved hopeless. So I took my 240 pennies to a micro ring game seeking to triple up, impatiently pushed with pocket ladies and was skewered on the turn. Back to bankruptcy at BJO. Don't think I'll be back there any time soon. They need fund-transferral abilities between their Dynamic Gaming sites members!!! Live and learn...

Before the OFC Saturday was Absolute Touchdown Week 10 at Absolute Poker. Every Saturday at noon Eastern they have "fans" of NFL teams square off, according to what the teams' real schedules are that week. Being a St. Louisan, I joined the St. Louis team midseason ... although if I was smart I shoulda chosen a team more likely to make the 16-team poker post-season. Rams slipped to 20-something in the standings after their bye. Last Saturday we played New Orleans. I went out 22/75, and only top 9 finishers score points. Absolute hasn't posted results yet. But still 7 weeks to go, so a lot of time to boost the team. I recommend joining for anyone seeking fun amongst poker-playing football fanatics; click on the Serina With Football ad to get info and sign up. Must be first-time registered by a Wednesday, or you'll have to wait until the next week to be "active." Most games are freerolls, but this Saturday will be a $5 buy-in. Who do the Rams play, San Francisco? Uh, oh; they have some tough supporters...

Saturday night at Pokerstars our Aces Cracked league wrapped up its 20-week Tournament Leader Board IV contest. Despite a heart-attack a couple weeks ago (you couldn't die and leave me the top spot??? kidding...), ol' cns (Lance Sr.) had the league and $150 bonus basically clinched going into the night, a thousand ahead of runner-up Shamster. I couldn't even get a moral victory and win the finale; third place (dunno whether cns or penfolio won after I left, grumpy me didn't care) and $10 back from a $10+$1 entry. Story of my weekend. There went Friday's Negreanu profit! TLB V should start after the first of the year; meanwhile, we'll keep playing at 8pm ET every Saturday -- come join us and have fun and learn the true meaning of pudding and taxi's theory of "rigged." More info at aces-cracked.net.

Capped Saturday with horrid midnight showing in a $6K-guaranteed bounty tournament at Ultimate Bet. Hadn't played there in a month or so. One good thing from the visit was I learned that Sunday night there'd be a tournament where top 30 could go on to LA and audition for a Hellmuth-Duke TV game in December. Sweet! So, jumping ahead, I returned to UB Sunday night, plunked down my $20+$2, played well ... but not well enough. Cards went dead, and finally so did I at 143/232. Oh well; maybe there'll be another UB Best Damn Poker Show in the future. Next time!...

Other than the UB BDPS qualifier, since I had no funds for the OPC at BJO (dontcha just love initials!), my Sunday basically revolved around chasing token and bounties at Full Tilt. Got one bounty in $24+$2 game. No token. Middle-of-the-pack rut. I blame it on football and weekend blahs. Couldn't even make the final table in Maximum Poker League's Vegas Poker Series No. 8 (which was supposed to be limit hold-em, wha' happened??). No big heartbreak, I'm already qualified for the MPL VPS post-season game. So I skipped the rebuys and add-ons, and still came close ... 11th.

And then came Monday. And a happy belated ending to the weekend. Didn't seem likely, since I modelled for three figure drawing classes at Missouri-St. Louis and got home too late for Poker Analysis Freeroll League's H.O.R.S.E. game at Ab Poke. Hemmed and hawed about what to play at Full Tilt. Didn't care too much for the fact M.A.T.H. (Monday at the Hoy, part of the Blogger Online Tournament Two aka BBT2 tour) was turbo. Noticed a bunch of bloggers enterred in the $75 Token Frenzy (yeah, also turbo, but what the hey...), so plunked down my $14+$1 and decided to give it a go. Wound up 98 enterred, which meant 18 tokens and 19th place getting cash and a small profit.

So how does the Sham start? Sitting with Riggstad on my left and Kajagugu on my right -- two of the most dangerous, most scary bloggers the world has ever seen. Pretty good with the cards, too. Somehow I held my own, and eventually sent riggs to the rail with a good read and a hand that held up for once. And that success was quickly tempered as the poker gods transferred me to a new table ... which included Astin, who has seemed to win a lot of my chips at Blogger games. Luckily Astin was a mite short on chips, and I took the rest of his in short fashion. From there it was win small pots and sit back and wait for the cards. Eventually Shamster survived the bubble, finished 13th and had his $75 token which is just the cost for enterring Don's Big Game on Sunday night. Sweet!!! And about time...

As earlier mentioned, no more online poker for most of the next 4 days. Model for sculpture group tonight and Thursday, 3 drawing classes each Wednesday and Thursday and an open drawing session at a friend's on Wednesday night. Friday brings live poker at a local restaurant (Bevo Mills): a felt battle between members of the St. Louis chapters of Missouri's and Kansas' alumni associations. That could get real ugly ... especially since it's an open bar. I am so old; can I call in Al as my Designated Liver?

If I don't catch my death of cold modelling and drink/schmooze myself into a coma, I'll be back this weekend. If not, try to think kindly when you Remember the Frog...

Metaphysical Musings Anyone?

2007-11-09T11:53:00.000-06:00

Been a while since I've blogged here. Been a while since I've had a poker session that satisfied me. Are the two inter-related? Metaphysical musings welcome; we grow or we die (and death is just growth in a different direction)...

Anyways. I think I'm finally over the Breeders Cup. I won't say what I lost or I'll never hear the end of it from Irongirl on Negative Expected Value. Suffice it to say that if if if if if only I'd backed Curlin in the Classic instead of Street Sense, and if only darkhorse Shamdinan had gotten one spot better than his runner-up finish... At least Sham helped the shamster avoid a really disastrous day. Wait'll the Derby!

The poker front had been running about like most of the ponies I wagered on: very herky-jerky, with the emphasis on the jerk. Until Thursday night. That's when the poker goddesses decided to show the sham a little mercy on his wanderings from the depths to the heights.

The evening started with a shot at the last leg of PokerFives' qualifiers to its Cruise Extravaganza next week. Thursday's game was $5.50 at Carbon; as in the prior four games (which I couldn't make), the top five advance to the Cruise Freeroll. And Carbon and P5s were tossing in coupons to the Sunday $20K and to the $50K Freeroll ... all ya had to do to win both was finish in the top 25. And there were only 29 entrants Thursday!!! A sweet cinch, eh?

So what does the shamadillo do? I do NOT want to talk about it. If anyone says sham finished 29th of 29, got a little frisky early and then tried to make it up and couldn't win a coin flip and got beat by everyone including a bunch of ghosts ... I deny everything! Not saying it's ain't true, but I am in denial. Though I will not deny I am an idiot sometimes.

OK, after that total disaster, time to read for an hour and watch some poker tapes and decide if I want to enter the Poker Analysis Buy-In League $5.50 game at Jungle or the Riverchasers Online Poker Tour $11 weekly funfest at Full Tilt. I am steamed at myself. Nowhere to go but up (I pray!). PA needs 10 bodies for its game to happen, so I definitely enter it. And Riverchasers is one of my favorite get-togethers, plus it's part of the Bloggers Series (BBT2) toward an Australian Millions trip/seat, so I have to be there.

So into both games I go. Trying to play mostly ABC poker. Not being afraid to fold (whose column in PokerPlayerNewspaper did I just read that in?). And durned if things didn't click for a change. Good cards, good plays, timely survivals ... and for a change two tourneys at once not turning me into a total blubbery pile of used armadillo scales.

Shock. Shamster wins the PA game, beating always-tough razorbacker heads-up. That's worth $45 and 100 league points. Won't be able to play a lot of league games this month (work gets real real busy starting next week, doing some pre-Vegas cramming and earning). So nice to pocket the cash and points. And my Jungle account was close to being on life support, too.

More shock. Shamster makes the final table of the Riverchasers game, annoying the heck out of some old oldtimers and frustrated railbirds. That's poker, kiddies. A yo-yo night sees sham go from 57th/76 left to 6/32 to 8/9 starting the final tale to first with four left. Eliminated the tough GCox and Bayne, both dangerous and classy competitors, and down to heads-up with LuckTruck (griff), whom I don't know much but seems a very nice classy guy. LuckTruck led at the start of the final table but I got chips from him a few times and zoomed far ahead as others got KO'd. Heads-up time: I was ahead, then we were even, then it looked/felt like we'd go on forever ... so i agreed to his cash chop offer. The big prize was the seat to the BBT2 finale. I really really wanted that; but looks like I'll have to wait for another night to earn my way in. Lucktruck won a couple coin flips, took all the chips and earned the seat. Nice job griff. Ah well; I'll console myself with the $236.20 profit and use that towards other things -- like Sunday night's Big Game hosted by the one-of-a-kind (thank goodness!) Miami Don.

Hopefully there will be many many big things this weekend. Gotta help St. Louis in the Absolute Touchdown FR Series (go Rams poker players!) at 11 am (all times CT) Saturday. The Online Forum Challenge moves to Big Juicy Odds for a $2,000 FR at 2 pm Saturday (gotta win money there so I can play OFC's $5,500-added Sunday Buy-In!); the Aces Cracked Forum's TLB IV concludes at 7 pm at PokerStars ($11, tourney id 59290337, password acescracked, come play!!!) with me trying to hold on to second for the season and having little hope of overtaking cns (lance). And more events Sunday.

That's it. My brain's frying; need a rest! Going to try some Full Tilt games this afternoon, try to win tokens; then tonight it's kat's Blogger Donkament ($1, oodles of rebuys) at 8 pm at Full Tilt, and/or PA Freeroll League at 8:30 at OKUSA, and/or sharbear's MPL Night Owl Series HORSE s&g ($2) at 9 at VegasPoker247, and/or other things I'm forgetting but they'll come to me ... or not.

Play nice. Stay happy. It's only a game, life. And be kind to armadillos; they may learn to drive semis and pickups themselves some day...

Breeder's Cup: Main Event

2007-10-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

Only a buck 90 down for Friday in real green. Not bad, but definitely not what we want. Today is the 8-handed final table!

The weather conditions at Monmouth make hard fields even more difficult to choose amongst. About the only patterns established Friday (and they should continue today, since the weather's expected to stay the same, maybe a little less rainy) are:

-- Early speed isn't holding up too well (except my best-bet Gottcha Gold did stay strong enough for second and a lot of cashed tickets). So I'll look closely for solid steady late kickers.

-- Not many horses have off-track experience. If they've done well in gook, especially at Monmouth, they're special in my eyes.

-- Class will tell. No favorites won Friday, but these are the best of the best, so there's little difference between 2-1 and 15-1 except in the perception of their rabid supporters and the general public. So value hunting is rewarded.

-- With the balanced fields and off conditions of the track, waiting until the last minute to make final choices is the ONLY way to go. Just don't get shut out at the windows! Sorry I'm not live-blogging to tell you of late inspirations, but...

Brother Brian in Florida (that's middle brother, Brent's youngest and I'm oldest) had the biggest hit Friday. He nailed the Filly/Mare Sprint exacta of Maryfield and Miraculous Miss, which paid $374.80. Don't ask me how the boy did it, I haven't a clue. No he doesn't blog, sorry, you can't go read him instead of me. My best play was going heavy late on Corinthian in the dirt mile, especially pairing him with best-bet Gottcha Gold. Hey, 68, 69, they're close...

Today's order of business:

-- Juvenile Fillies (Race 4): Cannot decide between Indian Blessing and Irish Smoke. Guess I'll go for best value. WINNER: 5-Irish Smoke. DARKHORSE: 12-Grace Anatomy (that's for you, igee-babee!).

-- Juveniles (Race 5): War Pass is the probable favorite, but I was more impressed with Wicked Style and Slew's Tiznow in their last outs. You just never know with the kiddies (2-year-olds)... WINNER: 13-Wicked Style. DARKHORSE: 7-Pyro.

-- Filly/Mare Turf (Race 6): Is unbeaten Nashoba's Key for real? I think so, but I want better value and someone a little more battle-tested. WINNER: 2-Honey Ryder. DARKHORSE: 11-Simply Perfect.

-- Sprint (Race 7): Did I once say I like Gold? Let's try it again ... But beware of Commentator. WINNER: 10-Greg's Gold. DARKHORSE: 7-Idiot Proof.

-- Mile (Race 8): This was probably the hardest race for me to handicap, so many possibilities. Will have to really wait and see what the weather and track are like and how the foreigners are adapting to the conditions. This race will pay huge if I pair the right tandem. I don't like After Market, but I'll give late close looks to Cosmonaut, Kip Deville, Excellent Art, Remarkable News and especially the popular 3-year-old, Nobiz Like Shobiz. WINNER: 6-Trippi's Storm. DARKHORSE: 10-My Typhoon.

-- Distaff (Race 9): Todd Pletcher is the best trainer in the country, but he hasn't had much luck in Breeder's Cup races. That could change today, especially here where he has three good gals going. I'll for sure bet a Pletcher trifecta of his trio (Octave, Indian Vale, Unbridled Belle) and an exacta box of them. If Ginger Punch doesn't spoil the party, this will be fun. WINNER: 11-Unbridled Belle. DARKHORSE: 1-Balance.

-- Turf (Race 10): Foreign invader Dylan Thomas will probably be the biggest favorite of the day, and rightly so. Red Rocks pulled an upset in this race lat year, and history does have a way of repeating ... but not this time. English Channel could help bury Pletcher's jinx, and his rider John R. Velazquez could be the hottest jock today after struggling in Friday's Cup races (but dominating the undercard). I hate to back chalk, but a winner's a winner... WINNER: 7-Dylan Thomas. DARKHORSE: 4-Shamdinan.

-- Classic (Race 11): Any Given Saturday is scary hot this fall. So's Lawyer Ron, the probable favorite and "old man" of the field at age 4. I love Curlin, and his late kick may be perfect for the conditions. Or they might not catch probable pacesetter Hard Spun, a classy colt who I just don't think will hold on with this field. Sorry to those and the other entrants, but I have to stay with Street Sense. He won the Juvenile last year. He won the Kentucky Derby. He's campaigned intelligently this fall and is coming up perfectly for today. If the track doesn't whack the race, I Sense it'll be the Preakness all over again, but with vengeance at the finish line. Or Street Sense will beat Curlin by 5 lengths this time. WINNER: 2-Street Sense. DARKHORSE: 9-Tiago.

"Let's get ready to rumble!" "And down the stretch the come!" What other expressions can I rip off? "And here comes the bunny..."? How about "G'luck all!"...

Breeder's Cup -- Warm-up

2007-10-26T11:58:00.000-05:00

I'm very happy with my poker play right now. Learning and improving and building confidence ... and reenforcing that it is very unwise for me to try to do two things at once. But today's not about poker, at least not right now. We'll chat more on it later. Let's get to the IMPORTANT stuff!!!

It's that time of year again!!! The Kentucky Derby is nice, but to a horse racing aficionado like me, Breeder's Cup Day is THE day to test one's skills as the best horses battle the best. To heck with poker; I was playing the ponies and perusing the Racing Form long before I really knew anything about the river, donkeys or Doyle Brunson. Poker will still be there after this weekend; for now...

This year Breeder's Cup Day is expanded to 2 days, with 3 new events today (Friday). I'll get to Saturday's Great Eight races late tonight or tomorrow morning. For now, with the contests on ESPN live this afternoon and easily wagerable at Bodog, other online connections and your friendly neighborhood track, casino or OTB, here's the Sham Sayz on what we want to see happen:

-- Filly and Mare Sprint (Race 8): Miss Macy Sue seems to be the smart horse and offers good odds, but I just don't feel her today. I dislike going with chalk (no value), but my bottom line has always been to pick THE winner; so it's hard to get away from Dream Rush and La Traviata. Brother Brent swears by Wild Gams and Oprah Winney. I think I've got my four-horse exacta and trifecta boxes; just hope they finish in a best-paying order. WINNER: 3-Dream Rush. DARKHORSE: 10-Baroness Thatcher.

-- Juvenile Turf (Race 9): Lots of studying and conversations Thursday evening (I should have been focusing on my poker game, but oh well, there's lots more chances in BBToo!) have switched my thinking on this race. I had loved Cherokee Triangle, but now I have to switch over to the foreign invaders: Achill Island, Strike The Deal and Domestic Fund. Brother Brent is supporting Gio Ponti. Bro's the stats man; I go more by instinct and feel, like on the felt. We thus make a good team, to the detriment of the pay windows. Sorry, bro, mine's gonna beat yours ... again. WINNER: 8-Achill Island. DARKHORSE: 4-Cherokee Triangle.

-- Dirt Mile (Race 10): Can Discreet Cat, so good last year as a 3-year-old and so touted until hurt earlier this year, be beaten now that he's back? I sure hope so! If so, this race is going to pay off fantastic, as there's a lot of evenly matched talent. Problem is, Brother Brent and I agree on this one, and that often spells expensive trouble! Gottcha Gold is a talented speedball at a good price; what's not to like? Even if he does have to worry about the likes of Xchanger, Wanderin Boy, Corinthian, Lewis Michael, the favored Cat ... But ya can't bet them all (like you shouldn't play every poker hand -- but who listens?). I love Gold horses; I love grays; I love the 69 combo (although women are more fun than horses, ya takes whatcha can gets!). I love fattening my bankroll in this race to position myself for Saturday's fun. WINNER: 6-Gottcha Gold (and be sure to exacta box him with 9-Xchanger). DARKHORSE: 3-Wanderin Boy.

Time to check the weather conditions, track biases and early-race tendencies. More laters. And they're off!!!...

Early-day quickie

2007-10-23T10:26:00.001-05:00

Getting ready to go do some afternoon modelling work. One of my blog heroes, AlCantHang, sent me code to try to get up a banner on the now-under way Bloggers Tournament League towards a trip I think to Australia. Let's see how it works:

I like the looks of that! But a bit wide to the right! Help, Al? How do I "delete" (can't see the code in "edit mode", only the banner itself) and make it smaller and maybe flush-left instead of center. Or make my copy block wider? I'm such an online non-nerd! (Does that mean I'm a jock?)

Cancelled my nighttime model gig (still trying to get healthier), so I'll get home in time to play shakkee's (hope I got the name right, I'm BAD with names, dates, details, women, ...) weekly Blogger event at Bodog. And a PA Freeroll League game at Cake. Hate overlapping and multi-ing, but PA is Pot Limit Omaha and my primary goal is to get points with a top-25 finish. So I'll take that light and focus mainly on the tough bloggers. No games Monday, 9 hours of modelling (and traveling by bus, train, etc., when you don't drive adds a lot of dead time to a day). Did do a little provacateuring with some of my online forums. We'll see what develops.

More later. Smile...

Brought to you by the letter S!

2007-10-21T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well, that was a weekend. From sad Saturday to so-so Sunday, the "s" words almost totally describe the way things went. Scream. Smile. Sick. Superb. Sweat. Sweet. Son-of-a-... Shock. Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. You can take it from there... (I'm nothing if not challenging and entertaining to my readers and any inebriated wanderers who stumble across this page.)

So I'm worn out. Ready to watch the baseball and football games wind down. Somewhat satisfied (yes, there lurk more "esses" in Shamland! Wish this weekend's "esses" had more slashes through 'em, as in $$. My kinda esses!). Still searching and struggling for that breakthrough that's just around the corner and over the river and through the woods and ...

The Cliff's Notes version (do I have to pay royalties?):

Saturday -- Took 27th of 117 players in Bloody Battle 6.0 at Cake. Claimed one $10 bounty, so got nearly two-thirds of my investment back. But couldn't crash top 15 for their money. Chumley won the whole magilla, and I applaud my feltmate whom I've played often in Poker Analysis leagues and forum events. Crashed terribly in TPFC October Finals at new Wingows: 57th/69. Was still playing Bloody Battle when TPFC began; hmm... Took 3rd (of 6) in Aces Cracked League game at PokerStars, a $1 profit (small whoop!). At the same time, made stumbling quick exit (7th/11) from PA Buy-In League game at poker.com; but at least I made the final table and some league points (another small whoop!). Closed the night by spur-of-the-moment trying a $10K guarantee at Bodog for $22, played decent and finished 160th/414 ... but only money for 45, so nothing to whoop over.

Sunday -- Decided "no multi-tournamenting" this day. This is/was the right thing for me; could concentrate and focus on my felt situational surroundings (as much as possible with football on TV etc.). First three events were at VegasPoker247, and sham was 27th/112 in Rounder Radio freeroll (should've final-tabled!); won 18-player Muffmoney Mini-League Game 1 (for $2 entry I got back $20-plus and a seat in Muff's finals freeroll in Mid-December: for-real WHOOP!); and was 26th/60 in Poker Bowl Week 5. I can't remember how Poker Bowl ended (my lack of memory is something we'll have to live with and make fun of), but I do know it was ugly and just wrong. Then it was PA Freeroll League game of limit razz at AbPoke; it was Supersham early but then a quick collapse after I made the points (my first in the league this month), and I exited 23rd/40. Finally to Bodog for the Nationwide Poker Tour Online weekly game, and another fast start blowing up in my face (68th/86, nine paid, including 3 T$109 tickets).

I can tell you how the last one ended. Level 3, 15/30; I had A-x, board turns out 33344 with minimal betting from me and two others. Now, the prior hand's winner had shown quads. No way it happens twice in a row. Sham opens 300 after river, hinting of higher pair. One fold, other foe all-in. Sham has 'em covered, easy call. CHOKE! Another quad. Unbelievable. Still had a few chips left, but I was ready for the exit, and did a couple hands later.

And now I'm exitting from the blog for today. The ballgames beckon, and a busy week of work looms. Not much time for poker the next few days ... and Saturday is Breeders Cup Day, which mean brother Brent and I will be invading Fairmount Park and trying to hit every quinela and exacta they offer us. So for now I've just one "s" left: sayonara!!!

Armadillo squashing zone ahead

2007-10-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

I played in katitude's Friday Night Blogger Donkament Tournament at Full Tilt just now. If you look in the dictionary under "insane", you'll see a tableshot from this event. It's $1+$1 to enter, $1 unlimited rebuys the first hour, a $1 add-on and more all-ins than an adult film convention. (See, sham can do a blog without sinking to the depths and using words like "porn"...)

I only rebought 7 times. Had a self-set personal limit of $10 for the event, and stuck to it. I will not mention the name of my Buddy who rebought he said about 21 times; what a denk -- my hero! Hostess kat was up and down more than a ... never mind. Hoyazo built up an early lead at the other table and kept growing and growing ... dang this is getting dirtier, or is it just me?

Or maybe it was the bad beat (hey I was starving ... for chips) that ended someone's magnificent comeback from 19th of 22 left to 4th place when the nine-handed Final Table began. Three get paid, and handsomely, mind you; and I need some ca$h to get into Sunday's Big Game (or is it Big Event?).

Anyway, shamster smells a rat early at the final table, and this hand finds its preordained conclusion just like the script usually does:

Full Tilt Poker Game #3907897643: Friday Nite Blogger Donkament (29216578), Table 1 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:33:25 ET - 2007/10/19
shamanalix: Buddy said he did about 21 tonight; anyone beat that?
Seat 1: shamanalix (17,726)
Seat 2: katitude (30,980)
Seat 3: DontKnow (10,131)
Seat 4: junkbutton (28,280)
Seat 5: slb159 (20,593)
Seat 6: hoyazo (72,308)
Seat 7: pokerenthusiast (16,902)
Seat 8: SirFWALGMan (40,991)
Seat 9: riggstad (1,589), is sitting out
shamanalix antes 100; katitude antes 100; DontKnow antes 100; junkbutton antes 100; slb159 antes 100; hoyazo antes 100; pokerenthusiast antes 100; SirFWALGMan antes 100; riggstad antes 100
pokerenthusiast posts the small blind of 400; SirFWALGMan posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to shamanalix [8c 8h]
riggstad folds
shamanalix has 15 seconds left to act
shamanalix raises to 2,600
hoyazo: i had to be very close
katitude folds
DontKnow folds
junkbutton folds
slb159 folds
hoyazo has 15 seconds left to act
hoyazo raises to 72,208, and is all in
shamanalix: riggs!!!!
pokerenthusiast folds
SirFWALGMan folds
SirFWALGMan: 21 rebuys lol
SirFWALGMan: thats not bad
shamanalix: u owe me for yesterday turkey
SirFWALGMan: someone did more before
shamanalix has 15 seconds left to act
shamanalix calls 15,026, and is all in
hoyazo shows [Kd Kh]
shamanalix shows [8c 8h]
Uncalled bet of 54,582 returned to hoyazo
*** FLOP *** [Jc 8s Qh]
shamanalix: oops
*** TURN *** [Jc 8s Qh] [Ts]
*** RIVER *** [Jc 8s Qh Ts] [9s]
hoyazo shows a straight, King high
shamanalix shows a straight, Queen high
hoyazo wins the pot (37,352) with a straight, King high
SirFWALGMan: lol nice!
hoyazo: haha
shamanalix stands up

A four-outer. Don't say the word "justice" to me; "justice" is a cash at Full Tilt for the overdue shamster. I should have known better than to gamble with snowmen, less than an hour earlier at the nearby Rounder's Radio freeroll (I hate doing 2 things at once!) a late stack my size went all-in, I dittoed from UTG where I'd limped, and the table leader called us both. TL had AT, pusher and I both had 88, an ace comes on the flop... I'm used to it; that's poker; doesn't bother me. Really!

So no cashes Friday for Shaman Alix (that's what a shamanalix is, for those who asked; the anal is only my current medical problems). Took 18th of 91 players at a midday Rounders Radio FR at Carbon (prize only for first place). Lost a smidgen trying video poker and blackjack at betED, where I just can't access their sports book for some dumb computer reason. All my play money going to waste sitting there...

Got a good feeling about the weekend. Gonna try a 5 am (my time) freeroll at Doyle's Room to try to get a few pennies there (I liked the look of the old Doyle's a lot better). Model 10 am-1 pm for an open drawing group, then rush home for Bloody Battle 6.0 at Cake -- there are some sweet sweet prizes and bounties for the grabbing. (I sure pray Cake's software holds up!!!) BB 6.0 is at 3 pm; the TPFC finals are at 5 pm at new Wingows, where me and my Maximum Poker League pals will attempt to clean up. Then at 7 pm comes the Aces Cracked private game at PokerStars; come play with us for 10+$1, the password is "acescracked". Also a Poker Analysis Buy-In League game at 7 p.m at poker.com; I really need a big finish in that one, so it looks like multi-tasking time again.

I sure hope the "bad beat goddesses" are done tugging with my ... Nevermind. Play nice...

Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb ...

2007-10-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

I am soooooo on tilt this second. Better post something in the blog, before I break something elsewheres in the room.

What's wrong with the shamster, you query? Well, he played like a total armadillo, that's what's wrong. Bottom line, I was chip leader at second break of the Riverchasers Online Poker Tour event at Full Tilt. Well over 20K chips, only 10 rivals left, mixing the game up, reading well, even winning a couple of races (that's unusual!). Holding my own with some of the best regulars of the Riverchasers and Bloggers clans -- and that is extremely tough competition indeed!

And then? Splat!!! Couldn't win/hit/read/cry for anything. Doubled up foes right and left. Kept firing in a near-irrational, over-expectant manner. And the next thing you know, the final table of 9 players (six to be sweetly paid) was set -- and shamalamadingdongdorkdonk was on the rail, 10th.

That kind of day. Made the final table and earned points in the Poker Analysis Buy-In League game at Absolute ... but seventh was still two spots short of the cash. Did well early in the day playing micro Pot Limit Holdem (a rare game for me to try) at Full Tilt, then gave it all away in a couple of hands.

Only good news today was that Doyle's Room is going to start letting U.S. players play there again, starting tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 19). I always enjoyed that site. Only bad thing is Doyle's won't allow players who live in the 11 Unlucky States that have "specific laws against online poker." Those 11 states (can't think of 'em off the top of my head, but know they include Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Nevada, 7 more) will be from here on referred to by me as "O'Shunned's Eleven". (Get it? Word play on "Ocean's 11"? Eh, never mind; just keep feeding sham his medz...)

Been a "so close!!!" kinda week on the faux felt. Got 42nd of 73 in the initial Bluff Weekly League game Wednesday at Carbon; whoever gets the most points in the league between now and mid-April wins a WSOP 2008 Main Event seat. Tuesday at Carbon was 8th of 127 in Rounder Radio Freeroll -- but only the winner earned the ticket to a Sunday $20K. At the same time as the Rounders game, I was playing the Online Poker Blogger Tour weekly game at Bodog ... and doing well. But the shamadillo just doesn't multi well for long; crashed 11th of 17 among the bloggers. And I won't even talk about the Carbon $1K freeroll Tuesday afternoon...

Enough looking back! Let's look ahead!! And here's something that'll be a lot of fun over the coming months:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/1571714069_c70df3e44d.jpg

Busy weekend ahead. Hope to be shamster, not shamadillo. Highlights planned include: Bloody Battle 6.0 Saturday afternoon at Cake ($10 bounty on everyone! This'll be wild! Plus more prizes!). The always-challenging Aces Cracked private event Saturday night at PokerStars (if you haven't visited this, or the forum at aces-cracked.net, you're missing some great folks and a fun fun game!). Poker Analysis Buy-In League game Saturday at poker.com and PA Freeroll League game Sunday at Absolute (limit razz!). And more. But the mind's clouding, I need to go punch a pillow.

Rah Rutgers!! Rah Red Sox! (Though Cleveland wraps up the series Saturday.) Rah nice new doctor of the shamster (probably not the ulcers or the liver, doc says; now we'll have to look elsewhere to get to the bottom of the bleeding problem. What's a colonoscomy, colonoscopy, colonkaliope, didn't he play shortstop for...?).

Ouch. Here pillow pillow pillow...

Armadillos: The new donkey/fish

2007-10-16T23:19:00.000-05:00

Someone (Miami Don maybe?) said at the Blogger Tourney tonight at Bodog that I should run with my idea that fish and donkeys are passe; the new targets at our poker tables should be armadillos. (Wonder if armadilloes are the females? Mind wandering... Who said armadildos?)

Anyway, Irongirl and others can vouch that The Sham has long espoused that armadillo is/should be the next poker buzzword. After all, that cute little Southwestern U.S. animal has thick skin, thinks highly of itself as it attempts to scuttle across the road to the next promised land ... and usually winds up flatter than a pancake thanks to a semi or speeding road monster. Like many poker peeps you play with. So be kind to the armadillos; they never knows what hits 'em.

I don't feel like typing. Still bleeding ulcer problems; got a doctor visit scheduled for the morn. If this don't bankrupt me and they don't strap me down in a hospital room (with or without padded walls), I'll TRY to type more tomorrow night on poker. Suffice it to say that a luckbox named pokerpeaker (great player, nice guy, off to Vegas fun this week with the wife (his, I don't got none!), told ya he was a real luckbox); anyways pokerpeaker fatally crippled my fine performance in the weekly Online Poker Blogger Tournament Tuesday night at Bodog. I had pocket 6's, him A7; flop AAx, he didn't raise a ton (sneaky devil) and I called; turn a 6, I raised a ton and got us both all in (I had him by maybe 500 chips -- you KNOW I have no memory, barely remember who I am) ... and of course he makes his longshot outer when a 7 rivers to make his boat bigger than mine. Shamster goes out 11th shortly thereafter. These are great, great players, mind you; and it does wonders for my confidence to know that I CAN hang with them successfully. But I shoulda woulda coulda!!! I was robbed...

Next week revenge. It's been going so good lately! Cashed in 3 of 5 events Saturday, including 3rd (of 45) in the Holdem Radio Saturday Night Special at Cake for $41.25 (shoulda won that event, too, honestly). Been playing well but blowing bubbles the last 3 days. More on all that come the promised, proverbial "later."

Now to try for a little sleep. I hate/fear doctors. I just do NOT really want to know!!! The rest of ya, stay happy...

Las Vegas 2007 Wrap-Up

2007-10-15T00:20:00.000-05:00

Got so many things I never concluded and told and added up about the wonderful Vegas Adventure in the Summer of '07. So I'm inserting a post here that will grow from nothing to who-knows-how-big in the next month or so. All the Vegas info and stats will finally find a home. So you may want to keep checking back for updates to this item; I'll put "updated xxx" at the start when it changes.

(As for back to the present, a bleeding ulcer Sunday from too many beers and shots and wine from a Thursday night outing returned to haunt me and kind of cut my weekend short. I'll wrap up the weekend in my next post. First comes a full day of modelling Monday: 3 classes at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Monday night there's a Poker Analysis Buy-In League game (H.O.R.S.E.) at 7:30 pm St. Louis time at PokerStars (should get home with 10 minutes to spare!) to aim for, and maybe the Maximum Poker League's TPFC League at Cake (7 pm, probably home too late for it) and/or Rounders Radio at Carbon (8 pm). We'll see.)

The Vegas wrap-up. Where do I begin? We'll decide next time...

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Wed 6/13)

2007-10-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

(Part 12 and conclusion of "Letters Home" series originally printed in Aces Cracked Forum at aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 11, 8:57 am Wednesday, 6/13:

Last post from Vegas. No more wandering, I'm staying put at Orleans until the airport shuttle comes at 12:45. Flight leaves at 4 pm; wish they had a live poker room at the airport!!! Withdrawals!!! After this it's breakfast buffet, pack, checkout, and hit the cash poker games until time to go. Or maybe blackjack. Finished last night at BJ tables; lost the first $60 I played, rather quick. On way to room, on a whim decided to try $100 at another table. I love card-cold but friendly dealers! Half-hour later headed for room (via cashiers) with $202 from that table, so my BJ was a profit to end the day.

Thank goodness. I played three tourneys Tuesday. I played very well, but donkeyness and the usual sham bad luck did me in. First at Excalibur got third and $144 in $35 buy-in (turbo-style). Even room manager said he thought I'd win, I was playing great, but a guy ticked me off and I tried to eliminate him with my A9; he had TT and I couldn't improve. Short-stacked, I pushed mid-pair following hand and same villain called with A7 ... and hit two 7s on flop. I shoulda offered 3-way chop earlier, but got greedy for the top prize and the glory.

The games got worse. TI in the afternoon, $60 buy, I went out 21st when dominating A9 vs A4 saw her land a 4 on the turn ... and she had me barely covered. I knew she was bullying and trying to steal, I made right call. Just not my luck.

And it got worse that night at Orleans, $85 NLHE. TWICE my pocket aces wound up cracked by straights; first time I was all-in, made me re-buy earlier than I wanted to (first level). Second time I didn't call off my last 1200 after the river, I knew he'd hit on me, another straight (he told me later I was right, he had open-ender so stayed cause he was every-hand good gambler and big table chip leader. I'd openly laid down QQ to him earlier in tourney on turn because his betting worried me, and sure enough he'd flopped set. Wish I had his card luck this day.) The had after Crack Two, my last 1200 went in with A9, rival had KT, happy double-up coming ... but I knew as dealer was about to flip over the river card that doom had come. "It's a king," I told table ... and it was. "Why didn't you call for a deuce or something else?" chip leader asked, while hand-winner's jaw dropped. "Because I just knew it; can't change what is," I replied, as I left the table 69th and on a 2-no-cash tourney losing streak.

I gotta get back to Vegas real real soon!!! More Friday, a wrap-up. Back to the online wars..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Mon 6/10)

2007-10-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

(Part 11 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net.)

"Entry 10, 8:50 am, Monday 6/10:

I'm bored and lonely.

Everyone's gone. No one to share successes and failures with. Won a private tournament yesterday at Imperial Palace, chopped when head's-up and settled for $400 (first place pre-deal was $480) and the side booty for the champ (T-shirt, book). Game was HORSE. That makes eight tournament cashes for me in Vegas this trip, four straight ... I think. I'll do summary when I get home. Right now the exhaustion and exertions are getting to me; propbably decompress and veg the last two days. And pick a couple tourneys to take shots at, like the $340 Deep Stacks NLHE at Venetian today (same place I super-donked last week). Almost surely today's 7pm NLHE here at Orleans. Maybe 1p at Planet Hollywood or 2p at Paris instead of Venetian, I don't know. The 11p at Caesars is another I want to take another shot at, though might save it for Tuesday night, my final tournament of this trip. Don't like Caesars only pays nine places I was told -- although IG cashed for a 'teens finish on Friday? Looked for ig at WSOP women's Sunday after winning ImpPal tourney; couldn't find her, although I looked in all 3 women's areas. That Rio is a madhouse; the summer's not over, I may come back and get on the right side of the tables before it's all over. Still plan a day poolside vegging, now looking at Tuesday for it if Mirage's pool is open 7 days as I was told.

That's all for now, and this may be my last message from Vegas. It has been sensational!!! So much fun with all of ya; wish more of you could've made it -- next year!! Sorry that paul got sick, and that paul and rk got addicted to the slots (and won!) on Saturday. We all need to start blogs (if we don't have one) ... and plan for next year's Aces Cracked Vegas Convention.

OK, back to the felt wars and the recovery process. Thanks for reading, and see ya Saturday at PStars for our weekly game..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Fri 6/8)

2007-10-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

(Part 10 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net.)

"Entry 9, 10:50 am Friday (I think it is, who can tell any more) 6/8:

When you don't get to bed until 5 a.m. (or was it 6?) and insanely crawl out of bed at 10ish because some of the crew is playing a noon tourney at Caesars, you know you are truly certifiable. That's me.

Being up late was worth it, though. Paul (poor tired sniffling Mr. Group Leader), Randy (he made it here and found us, as did Lori) and I played the 11 pm $40 + $2 + $20 tourney at Sahara. Randy (rk) went out early; must still be the jet lag, or not yet used to the Vegas felters as Paul (penn) and I have become. I finished 6th for $230 (minus a tip for the dealers). Paul beat me (boooooo!!!!!) for his first tourney cash of the trip, finishing 4th. He can brag about it himself ... if he ever wakes up. We expect to see him maybe around dindin time.

Lori (Irongirl, IG) got in nicely, though I don't think she's played any poker yet. She and rk are targetting the nooner at Caesars, $110 buy-in with long levels. Yeah, I'm gonna drag my body over and support them. May play, may just do cash table ... or may sleep in a corner. RK and Ig both called our room this morn, the sadists. I did chat with ig, she's playing the WSOP women's event Sunday and was off to register. Hope it goes smoothly and she's careful; when you walk the Vegas streets (and even casinos) with cash, you must be wary and alert.

Not much game report today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe when I get home. So many tales to tell. Bottom line from Thursday for me was three tourneys played, two cashes, two finals tables and over $200 profit for the fay. This is getting a tad better. Now to get one of the 4-digit paydays and convince myself I'm not dreaming...

I'll let y'all go (I hate that expression!!!) and go ig and rk hunting. Really wish y'all were here!!! Next summer let's plan plenty in advance, and get the group here to partake of Sin City's bounty ... or at least the booty flying around here for those able to grab some.

Love and miss y'all. Play happy..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Thur 6/7)

2007-10-13T13:16:00.000-05:00

(Part 9 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net. Yeah, I missed a day; you'll note the posts getting shorter and spacier. I say it's because I was winning and tiring and had trouble accessing a computer. You believe me of course???)

"Entry 8, 9:07am Thursday 6/7:

Just a quickie; it's laundry morning, and more self-medicating for the worsening cold.

Felt weird yesterday not to be able to post. Aces Cracked forum site was down, it said. Boo. Glad to see it working today.

Up to three cashes for the trip, though still behind in the long run including food, hotel, transport, etc. I'll organize my notes while the laundry's spinning. Second cash came in NLHE at Orleans on Tuesday (?) for $240-ish; think I was 7th? Wednesday played three tourneys, all NLHE: cheap turbo at Excalibur (wild!), $340 Deep Stacks Extravaganza at Venetian (pulled a Donk-of-the-Year-candidate play, blame it on the cold meds, I don't wanna talk about it), and the $60 evening Aladdin -- I mean Planet Hollywood. At least at the last one I proved I'm still alive, though maybe some would say I'm just lucky. An IG got me started, I got the monster pp's when I needed them and with four left we cut a chop deal on the remaining prize pool. I walked away with $500; big chip leader took $1000. So for the day in tourneys I made $40 or so profit. Also won a tote bag in PH's daily free slots tourney. Whoop.

The gang arrives today, it seems. Going to get really nutso. Looks like the 11p game at Sahara will be day's main fun; although ig may be bowling with the bloggers and skip that. One move at a time; I confuse too too easy. Only game I have possibly planned before is Orleans nooner ... if laundry's done. Gotta get well. More laters..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Tue 6/5)

2007-10-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

(Part 8 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 7, 9:15 am Tuesday 6/5:

The song remains the same. Thought getting back to Omaha H/L would get me back to the cashing line. Nope. Played Binion's Classic Event 5 $150 Lim Om 8/b at 2 pm Monday, and 6 2/4 hours later the short-stacked sham went out 53rd (maybe 51st, they aren't that accurate when players bow out) as moves didn't quite work. There were 283 entrants, so my finish is OK, but only 28 got paid, so my finish is definitely not OK.

I was making good calls, few chases, good fold (even laid down AAxx preflop because of heavy early betting, and turned out wise as another player had other rockets and another landed his trip king). We started with 4,000 chips, I built mine to 13,600 (with average 4,879) at break at end of level 6, then got as high as 16,700 (ave. 8085) late in level 9. Then came the deep freeze: no good hands for an hour with heft blinds, the once or twice I stuck my toe in the water it got bit by the flop, and I could do nothing about the bullies. Still had 11,500 chips end of level 11, but blinds went up to 2000-4000 and level 12 was the end for me.

I had chances my last two hands. Hoping for nut flush, with A3 at low, I fought two foes to the river. But no fifth spade, no straight filler, and I knew one of the others had A2. So folded amidst river betting with 3.5 K chips left. Most went in following hand as BB, only one caller, again missed straight, he had an ace the board paired and thus a higher two pair, and hasta la proxima shaman!

Today the noon NLHE at Orleans. Then cash games at Rio and/or Palms. I had hoped to use yesterday's Omaha as springboard to enter today's WSOP Omaha H/L event, but twas not to be.

Bought chloroseptic for scratchy throat. Breaking even at small BJ forays. Luck be a lady tonight! (And this afternoon!). Hope I have something (cash, energy, sense of humor) left when y'all get here.

More later..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Mon 6/4)

2007-10-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

(Part 7 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 6, 8:35 am Monday 6/4--

A brief one. Didn't go downtown to Binion's Classic yesterday. Decided to invest instead in today's event there, which is Omaha H/L $150 freezeout. Nervous but optimistic.

Yesterday never saw penn after he tripped up with 9 minutes left in first level of Orleans $80 NLHE tourney. I went out last hand before break, severely short-stacked, shot at quadrupling my last 700 with KQ and 3 callers. KJx flop, then ace on turn, one foe chased off the other two and sure enough he had AJ. I didn't get K or T on river, and a very disappointing bye-bye.

After deciding against long trip to Binion's, decided on center strip big clubs action. Timing was perfect to catch shuttle and get me to paris, but they've cancelled their afternoon events (mostly) because of WSOP. Boo. OK, then it's cash game time at my favorite club: Bellagio. So oppulent! Worth the 70-minute wait to get a seat at 4-8 Limit HE. Briefly, bought in for $150, bought another $100, down to half that, won back-to-back $120 pots to finally be back in the black (2 3/4 hours into sitting down), then lost shot at third biggie when no one honored by pocket rockets (I bet thm as much as I could, even tried to run off 3 crazies with river check-raise to show I wasn't joking!). They stayed, one landed his Broadway on the river and I droppde $44 for the hand. Maybe I should go back to NL, if it weren't for my icy cold streaks... Finally ended the session after 3 1/2 hours seated and down a whopping seven dollars. Better entertainment than a ballgame or movie...

Sore throat, gargling a lot, hope it doesn't worsen. Today Binion's Classic at 2 pm, plus (maybe last time) downtown galavanting. Tuesday Orleans nooner, then Rio and Palms for the day. Wednesday Venetian Deep Stacks $300 NLHE (and taking my suit along to check out their pool). Thursday morning laundry. Then things get real serious around here!

More later. Keep em comin'..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Sun 6/3)

2007-10-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

(Part 6 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 5, 9:25 am Sunday 6/3:

The WSOP is worse than I said. Everyone complaining about the cards' numbers etc. being too small (for TV), and they're right. Lines and player treatment are awful. Over 1,000 alternate players for Even 3; I gave up on it. Better ways to spend my money. Even the cash games are all but squeezed out (poor Harrah's/Rio!), too many tourney tables needed. Things should calm a tad next week.

Oh, hi! As you may surmise, I'm feeling much better today!! A nap/siesta is a wonderful thing!! Played my first live blackjack in years yesterday, and only lost 40 bucks -- and got that mostly back thanks to the Cavs. Played ring games here at Orleans 7:15p-3:20a yesterday, down almost $400 at one point, came back well at $1-2 NLHE table to finish the session just $33 behind. Enthused. Back to the tourneys today, a $75 NLHE nooner at Orleans and then maybe 5p Binion's Classic $150 Lim HE. Tonight will be ring games at Bellagio, Caesars or Mirage; time to find some rich tourists who are feeling generous!

Too many kids at the pool still, durn it. Need a session over at the European Pools of Mirage, Ceasars, TI, Statosphere etc. soon. Venetian is nice too; that may be the Monday plan, as they also have a great Deep Stacks Extravaganza tourney that day.

Time to roll. Who won Saturday night? Was there even enough for a game? I miss being able to do much on computer. Oh, and Randy, love the Sahara 11p tourney; I would've recommended Caesars' new 11p tourney, but they said they're shutting it down while WSOP is in town. Concentrate more on getting players' ring-game cash.

Ciao fer now..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Sat 6/2)

2007-10-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

(Part 5 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 4, Saturday 6/2, 10 am-ish:

I don't know if there will be anything left of me when y'all get here. This life is draining. But I love it. What a way to go.

Brief today. Still no real internet access to make posts and even read my mail. Thirty minutes, bah...

WSOP at Rio is an insane madhouse times 100. You have to have a registered WSOP player card to even play the satellites. The line was taking over 3 hours at midnight yesterday. No WSOP for me until early next week when things calm. May try the ring tables there though as you do not need that dang card (I think).

Today's a rest and recover day. Plan to stay at Orleans. Ring poker in their room. Lay at pool. Afternoon nap (have not an even semi-good night's sleep yet; I hurt. Dang hyper-sensitivities and insomniac traits.). Then may try Rio and WSOP lines late late tonight, like 2 am ifI got my "nap".

Hey those recommendations on how to play blackjack smart seem to work on the slots. A formula? Wow. I might have to play the tables even...

Poker Friday? (Was that yesterday? The days...) Well, there was that Binion's Classic downtown (where we wound up spending almost the whole day). Briefly, I did OK. Not happy, always want to do better. Field of ... now I can't find my results sheet. Thought it was in bag here, but must've grabbed wrong one. Dang! Time's running out. What can I remember? I think 286 entrants in $150 NLHE; I didn't cash, but did finish about 44th, so close as 28 paid (top prize over $10K) ; Paul and I wound up at same table in level 4 (?), and I was there when he went out (I didn't do it!!); flopped a little straight flush early on, but too early in tourney to do any damage, only crippled one foe to double-up me a little below my 4,000 starting money. After today's rest, I may try Binion Classic's $150 Limit HE on Sunday.

OK, no copy editing. More laters I hope. Stay well; bring adrenaline!!!"

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Fri 6/1)

2007-10-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

(Part 4 in the "Letters Home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net)

"Entry 3, 9:42 am Friday 6/1--

Only a couple seconds. Will find a computer downtown somewhere for lengthier report. Paul and I are playing the 2 pm NLHE Binions Classic $150 Event No. 3. Wish us luck; I hate to knock him out heads-up at final table, but...

Yes, I got first cash of the AC Convention. Finished 10th of 124 entries in Lim Omaha H/L; for $85 entry fees I cashed $265. Ticked not as high a fiish as Penn earlier in day elsewhere, and that I didn't do better. Took two "bad beats" with me ahead to make me first-gone at final table ... the perils of being short-stacked and unlucky. More on it later.

Having coffee downstairs today whilest penn was in business center, I met the most beautiful blonde from Indy. A Gator grad, she's only here through Saturday (pooh) then has to hurry home to her 3-year-old daughter. siiiiiigh... Maybe I'll hurry back from downtown after the Binoon's event; she said something about wanting to see a movie in her free time after her convention meetings. Eat your heart out rk; and no Mark I am not hallucinating!!! Shamster is an amazing thing...

Gotta run. Miss y'all. Sorry I had wrong week fer ya rk, glad you and ig will be here same time!!! Look out Vegas!!!"

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Thur. 5/31)

2007-10-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

(Part three in the "Letters Home" series originally published in aces-cracked.net. Back at the AC forum some folks posted comments about earlier "letters", and their Vegas plans. You'll have to go to aces-cracked to see the comments; lazy ol' me will be hanged if he's gonna reprint them too!)

"I think Lori and Randy are in and out of Vegas separate weeks. Probably for the best for the future of mankind and our planet. Ok, to work:

Entry Two -- 7:50am Thursday 5/31 (I think that's the day; already I've toally lost track...):

Big news I guess is Paul got in, I remembered his last name properly and I haven't smothered him with a pillow in his sleep yet (I hate snorers) (I hate humans?). Anyways, we really didn't talk until this morning, as he was crashed from jet lag by the time I got back by the room Wednesday.

Only poker I played Wednesday was 2 hours at 2-4 Limit HE table at Mandalay. Up $30 real early (like in 10-15 minutes), a long dead spell and wound up the session ahead almost $5. Not good hourly wage, but had never done well in past at Mandalay, so that's a positive.

Lot of big faces still in WPT at Mandalay for 2nd day. They're moving real fast, will get day off probably before Saturday TV final. At one table next to each other I recognized Juanda, Lucy (not JJ) (?) and Black Widow Ericka S. (who won a prelim event, she's more than just a blackjack player!). Others still in included Phil Laak, Barry Greenstein, more. Got real jealous walking behind press row, had urge that I should be sitting there and working.

At the Orleans they give you 30 free minutes a day on their computer to tenants. Notmuch time and only during biz hours. I'm spending 1/3of it editing. So forgive the errors. Too much to do, must be brief.

Paul and I are off to tourney 10a at Gold Coast. Back here for noon and 7p tourneys, though I might go lay poolside instead of the midday one. If Randy's at the Sahara, it's 11p tourney will be a must for me. They got a good Eagles tribute band free, I understand, so that's another plus. Sayed at Sahara last summer.

Should hit 100 tomorrow. I love hot. Tomorrow theWSOP opens I love poker. At 2 pm tomorrow Paul and I and Randy are gonna do the Binions Classic Event 2, I think; registration starts 2 hours prior.

OK, no more now. Gotta clear my mail, and see how much I lost a PA League title by. :O( I dont think clear in mornings to do this blogging really, either. Gotta find one with more time, even to pay for it. Good skills all till later..."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Wed. 5/30)

2007-10-13T00:47:00.000-05:00

(Continuing the "letters from home" series originally printed in aces-cracked.net ...)

"Entry One -- 9:15 am Wednesday 5/30

OK I made it here. That's the good news. Bad news is no computer access yet; don't ask how the hooker got me linked up to this quickie (I'm kidding about the hooker ig! I'm not kidding about the hooker rk!)

Boy is Paul gonna be mad when he gets here and can't sign in because I couldn't remember his last name. I guessed. Twice. Hope he can find me at Mandalay Bay. I'll be there 5 pm Vegas time to 7 pm trying to crack the tough tables. Miss him there, maybe return to Orleans and look for him in its poker room 8-10 pm. He can leave his stuff in his car, curse me and still play poker, I guess. I'll have to look around some more.

So far so good ... mostly. Only played poker once, that in night tournament at Caesars. Details later when I'm awake/can find computer access. Just know that I finished 16th of 80-odd, but only 9 got paid. First in the $60 (plus $10) event was over $1400 -- which would have paid for a WSOP entry. Boooooo. Donk.

More soon. I miss my 'puter."

Sham's Blog: Las Vegas 2007 (Mon 5/28)

2007-10-13T00:35:00.000-05:00

When I headed to Vegas last summer, I still didn't have a blog going. Being the computer unsavvy dweeb I am, I figured the easiest way to "get one going" was a daily diary at aces-cracked.net. It was fun. Made the days in Vegas more "real", and helped anchor me a bit. Of course, things petered off and never got finished, but...

That's the sham, you'll learn. So anyway, I'm reprinting those "letters home" in the new blog here. Thus keeping everything in one place.

This was the start, a sort of "Prequel". No editting allowed, they're just as they appeared. Enjoy:

"Mon May 28, 2007 2:22 pm

OK. So I still haven't been able to get an "official" blog going. Lovely Lori suggested we keep the unlucky homebound masses (and each other) updated on the Great Las Vegas Invasion -- Aces Cracked Mini-Con I -- with posts here in the forum's "secure" section. Sounds good.

So I played a warmup $2.20 NLHE tourney at Full Tilt about an hour ago. Hone the game. The game's still just what it was: Sharp and unlucky! Lost a third of my 1500 starting chips by end of first level to over-aggressors; get AKs just before blinds rise from 15-30. Table bully goes 3xBB, I raise 3X his bet, he calls. Flop contains Axx rainbow. I bet, he raises, I go all in, he calls. I show AK, him A9o; nicely done, I should double up. Yes, the turn is a 9s. Suddenly I trail 2 pair. Still can come back with spade or king. River: fuggeddaboudit. Bye Bruce! The poker goddesses are laughing themsleves silly I'm sure. I certainly hope this isn't an omen for the week. I did play the hand "correctly"! (Big deal!)

OK, here's the first-week Vegas itinerary. Nothing written in stone, of course. But it's a starting plan:

-- Tuesday: check in; maybe play an hour in The Orleans' room to make a presence; head over to Rio and check out WSOP situation and events; may play there or next door at Gold Coast; get Palms card across street (one of the very few Vegas casino player cards I do not already have); after dinner hit Caesars/Bellagio/Mirage corner, find best action; play 11p Caesars tourney, my 1st tourney of trip; check out Pure, which is supposed to be extra hot with Locals Night on Tuesdays (and its Pussycat Dolls Casino, of course).

-- Wednesday: Some Orleans ring action; to Mandalay Bay to see what's happening second day of WPT championship event; downtown to get info on Binion's Classic and probably pre-register for Friday's $150 NLHE (Event 2); stop by Venetian on way back south for further info on Deepstacks Extravaganza; possibly play a little Venetian or T.I. or Wynn's; head back to Mandalay for evening fun and to meet Paul. Told him to look for the "dorky professor" in the red StL fisherman's hat and librarian glasses-on-a-cord.

-- Thursday: play Orleans noon (NLHE) and 7 pm (Om hi/lo) tourneys; back to Rio for satellite and cash game action before and after. -- Friday: Watch WSOP official opening at noon. Then off to play Binion's Classic Event 2, 2 pm. Plan to be a contender there all day and night.

-- Saturday: WSOP Event 3, $1500 NLHE, noon (unless conflict with Binion's). WPT event at Mandalay also has its final (TV) table this day, and poker manager might get me tickets for them if she gets extras and I'm around/interested.

-- Sunday: Poker. Or maybe a day relaxing/reenergizing at friends' place in East Vegas. They host pool parties every Sunday. Better than Hard Rock's. Like me, they're naturists. Then again, Hard Rock pool hops on Sundays. And then there're the "European" pools at Mirage, Caesars, Mandalay or Stratosphere to consider (those may factor into Thursday's rest/energize pre-tourney plans). But hopefully I'll still be climbing the money ladder in one of the aforementioned multi-day big tournaments.

To be continued, and revised I'm certain. Don't forget the bail money, igee-babee!!!

PokerStars' Blogger Tournament

2007-10-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

Would someone please tell me why this site keeps rejecting my password when I try to re-sign in, and I have to keep getting a new one? I hate computers! (sigh ...)

Since I'm in the process of blog-moving, I probably won't be eligible Sunday. But this is a tournament not to be missed, whether you're a player or watcher (I'll definitely be there next year if not this Sunday!). Good action, and at THE best on-line site -- PokerStars was my first for both free and pay play, and it remains my favorite web poker site. Got to use up some of my 241,486 play dough again one of these days! So here's the Big Event, enjoy (go igeee-babeee!):

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 4952390

Moving Day!

2007-10-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

I was not happy with my old blog host. So here I am. If this site is good enough for Irongirl and Al and Falstaff, it's good enough for me. Seemed easy enough to set up ... and I DO need easy!

You're going to have to forgive the clutter the next 48 hours or so as I get things moved over and arranged. Intend to cut-and-paste all the old blog items from Shamanalix Says (B2evolution hosted that) and from the Aces-Cracked.net forum "Blog Letters from Vegas" series last May/June. Third time's the charm, and I intend/hope to be HERE a while ... if Google, Blogger and you readers allow me.

Hey, how about a little poker in the first post at my new home? Wouldn't that be different??

You don't want any? Ok, then, forget it... Guess I'll just go out to the virtual car and move in another box.

Gotta psyche and rest myself up for the big Bluff Poker League preseason freeroll at 9:30 ET tonight at Carbon. The regular season runs Oct.17-April 16 on Wednesdays. Thank you Bluff; I really missed the old Tour, cut short by the Bush-Frist-Gestapo's sneak attack on our freedoms to compete at poker and other internet funs.

Back soon...