Friday, August 17, 2007

Saratoga the August Place to Be

Saratoga is the August Place to be for thoroughbred horse-racing fans. I have yet to make it up to the flat track to watch the horses run even though the track is a stone's throw up Rte 9. The northway is filled with horse trailers and limos of the rich and famous who make Saratoga their home for the 5-6 weeks the horses run. After Labor Day it all quiets down again as the racing returns to Belmont and then Aqueduct.

Now if they had table games at the Saratoga Racino which is attached to the harness track Id be up there all the time. But until that happens the members of Gambler's Anonymous can save a host of gambling degenerates a seat.

Besides the old money and new money spilling out of Saratoga County one just may catch site of a bearded Jam Bander by the name of Trey Anastasio. I haven't seen Trey yet but because of his run in with the law last year he apparently has moved to Saratoga County as he has to be within a stones throw of Court if they decide to haul his ass in to drug test him. Vermont was just too far away for him to make it in the hour they apparently give you to show up when summoned from what I have been told. I of course have always subscribed to believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. So until I see him with my own eyes Ill just assume that maybe he is in Saratoga County or maybe hes not. My mom works at the Barnes and Noble in Saratoga but she wouldn't no Trey even if he launched into song.

Tuesday night DMB invaded SPAC for only one nite (in the past its been two). I gave up on attending Dave shows a few years back, unless I had seats in the shed because I just cant take the frat boy behavior that takes place on the lawn any longer. Been there done that and it gets real old for me. This years event was marred by an alleged rape. For two days the NY State Police were on a wild goose chase trying to find and arrest the rapist of a 15 year old Clifton Park girl. When all was said and done, the 15 year old's mother was arrested for three counts of supplying alcohol to minors for supplying a bottle of Grey Goose vodka to the victims three friends and may also face a count of endangering the welfare of a child (her own). As it turns out the alleged victim made up the whole story after getting liqueured up and having consensual sex with a 15 year old boy. Fortunately the young lady fessed up but mom faces a year in Jail.

I guess I'm a little old school but when I was 15 (which for me was my sophomore year of high school) I was not thinking of having sex with boys. Nope, I was thinking of running the fastest half mile I could or blazing a trail down the Jaws of Death on Mt Snow on a mogul run. Of course this was the day and age where if you were caught smoking or drinking you would be kicked off any sports team you were on. If I had to go somewhere I walked, rode my bike or my parents would have to drive me and they always knew where we were. Where I grew up there was really no place to go and this was before the Internet, cell phones and a drive to the mall meant driving almost an hour to Albany from Columbia County. What simple times they were.

I played a 90 person sng last nite. After acquiring a monster stack and sitting in the top ten with about 40 left, I donked all my chips off to the chip leader with an overplayed AK!! Sure I hit top pair but the FTP gods decided to award the chipleader with KQ and he hit two pair. As much as I knew he had it I had to see it to believe it.. Curiosity is expensive as always. Does anyone ever feel that the bigger stack is always rewarded with the two pair and the win?. OR the FTP gods decide today this donkey is going to be the benefactor of great cards and everyone else gets scraps. On the flip side I went to town against an early chip leader who spewed his chips like Mt St Helens. He was re-raising so aggressively every hand with his big stack I decided to take a stand against his nonsense. I nailed him and doubled up with AJ vs his JT (with a Queen on the flop of QJX). Then my table mates decided to follow my leadd and play back at him too, and he proceeded to loose most of the rest of his stack on the next two hands.. Gotta love when that happens.

To Poker tonite or not to Poker that is the question?

4 comments:

lightning36 said...

I can't quite figure out anything with FTP. The last few weeks I lost .. and lost ...and lost. I'd get my money in with the best hand, and lose when my opponent spiked a card. Or ... I'd have a great hand, only to lose to an excellent hand. Recently I've lost full house to full house, full house to quads, ... yeeech.

4dbirds said...

Wow, IG, sorry you got that last comment. I'm too ADD to really read it, but when people start invoking God and how life was better blah blah years ago, I turn off. So here's my theory on Full Tilt. I really, really do believe there is an algorithm running that 'slightly' weights in favor of the big stack and or position. Why? So those of us who lose will enter another tourney and FT will get another rake. That's why people go all-in willy nilly. The instinctually know they'll be rewarded for their bad play. I do it also when I'm in certain moods. Anyway, I fear my post has become as long as the one above it.

4dbirds said...

I meant to add that I know its silly to think there's something slightly rigged about FTP. Rationally it doesn't make sense as it is such a moneymaker without being rigged. As a software tester, I know that any program can be 'enhanced'. I still love to play.

MarkGreb said...

Stop blaming the poker sites for losses.

If you're getting bad beat you are playing well, getting in as favorite is the right thing to do.

I'm sure you've won some hands where you're an underdog too.