Friday, November 30, 2007

ENNUI

Yup its a fancy word for boredom. ON-line poker has driven me to it. Ive mentioned it to Snake and to MiamiDon. Im playing just fine but my full attention is not on my tablemates or the job at hand. Im browzing the internet, playing laser light with Bailey, vacuuming between hands, doing the dishes. Yawn Yawn.

Uber post to follow I promise Bam Bam. Off to play live where I slipped out of first place (just barely and probably not really since we can throw away 5 scores) with my first early out last week. First one of the subs called my preflop raise of ($350 blinds were $50/$100 I was UTG) with 68os and flopped quads and shellacked me when I boated up on the Turn which left me with half my starting chips. And I just cant wait to trap the dude who wont lay down QT to my all-in squeeze with JJ who rivered a third T on me last week because he thought I had AK or KJ. Do you call off half your stack with QT if you think your opponent has KJ or AK? Most of you folks wouldnt but thats what I play against. I couldnt even bare to stay around to have a drink on Snake who is officially retired as of last week at 44 after 25 years with the NYS Dept of Corrections. He finally got the MOJO working and had his best finish of the season with a second place finish. I refuse to relinquish my place as Queen Bee though he knows I like my view from the Top :)

My mantra for this evening: Wear an IPOD and position, position, position. Oh and wear my Fedora.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

IG'S Turkey Day Menu:

Shrimp Cocktail for Appetizer

Herb and Mustard Turkey with Green Onion Gravy (Recipe courtesy Bon Appetit)

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with roasted shallots

Grandma Pulver's Stuffing

Louisiana Praline Yams

Creamed Onions

Green Bean Casserole ( moms contribution)

Homemade Cranberry Relish

Parker House Rolls ( didnt make them but would have if I had the time)

Apple something or other. My mom cheated and didnt make Grannys Apple Crisp as I asked.

One Peppermint Mocha on the Way.

I had all sorts of other little dishes I wanted to make ala dessert and quick breads but I ran out of time. I am quite the accomplished little chef when I get rolling and enjoy my time spent in the kitchen. My knife skills are a little rusty but came back pretty quick. Now if I can get Snake to hook me up with a nice saddle of venison or tenderloin from his deer take which stood at two as of Tuesday nite, I can show my skills with game. (His dads venison pepperoni and Jerky which I snacked on at Foxwoods is very good. Ive been salivating ever since the Top Chef Contestants used Elk in a Challenge.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Cry Me a River - Part III

Merde Merde Merde!! (French for shit)

I'm pretty sure I moved into 1st place in my live league with my fourth place finish last nite. I only was out of first by a few points and Wild Bill aka Pappy didn't make it to the Final table. Neither did Lex one of my closest competitors, Zoe had a sub who did have a final table finish but it was behind me and shes another of my closest competitors. I've only missed the final table once (last week) and we can drop our lowest 5 scores in the 25 week season. Still along way to go as we are only 1/3 of the way thru it.

I made a brilliant laydown after a questionable feeler bet on a 3 heart KQJ board which two paired my KQos. I bet $1200. Got a call from Norm who should be nicknamed Craphandhere, Zack pushed all in. I thought about calling. He likes his connectors but I didn't think he had the flush and I didn't think he had flopped an offsuit Broadway or K high straight with 9Tos, as I believe he checked his option in the BB when I limped. I looked him square in the eye and asked him how big his flush was. He was out of his seat and said "Pretty big" but when he broke eye contact with me and immediately sat down I knew I had him. But Norm was left to act... He will play any paint card, ace rag etc. Haven't figured out if he knows what the hell hes doing and is smarter then he appears or if is just a country bumpkin who gets lucky. He is the king of the limp and min-raise. He is so slow he irritates me and I go into Alpha Bitch mode. I should be nice to him as he kind of fawns on me and told me he wants me to wear my Hounds tooth Fedora again. And hes paid me off. But I tend not to play that game with men I find annoying as hell. Anyway I knew Craphandhere was yet to act. He had both Zack and I out chipped so I laid it down. Pissed at myself for betting into a heart board. Anyway Norm makes the call with one heart the Ace and a 5 and no piece of the board and rivers a heart to bust Zack who had KQos too. Twin brother, Van applauded my astute deduction that I would be sucked out on. Silo thought I was crazy for leading out into a flush board but I needed to see where I stood with my two pair.

Anyway I got no action on my big hands ever (AA once and KK twice) I started jamming limpers on my blind once we were down to 6. Tracy was down to her last $200 and was all in on her sb without even being able to post it in full and managed to get doubled up by the others at the table (not I). HEE HAW. Anyway she wound up winning some hands to move in front of me by about $2000 chips. I jammed into her BB with QJos from the button 4 way after Doug folded.. Fold from Steve. Tracy who was stone cold sober last nite thinks and thinks and thinks (she takes forever when shes loopy too!!) . I go into a trance sitting as still as a stone... She says.. Screw it I call. A7 with at least one diamond maybe two. Flop puts out another diamond or two but gives me a Jack with a ten and a blank.. Ive got top pair... turn Q of diamonds so she has a four flush and I two pair. Silo states Lori has to dodge a diamond or a K and she doubles thru (and Tracy would have been left with about $2000) but the diamond comes and I go out feeling so frustrated I wanted to kick over the table. I just stood there in disbelief once again.

Snake had left after the cash game wound down as he to be up early for the start of Rifle/Muzzle season here in lovely Upstate NY. He missed my exit but wanted me to email him with my results. I was going to cell phone him this AM but reception in the Cambridge area is crappy sometimes if not all the time. (Ive chatted with him before on the cell when hes been hunkered down in a tree stand). Doug had us cracking up when he jumped up out of his seat and like a kid in a candy store said to Norm after Norm busted 6th..." Norm pick me up in a few hours its Guns in the Southern Zone and I can shoot anything".

Anyway looks like I'll miss the big game.... I cant move money from stars onto Full tilt thru epassporte since I used Neteller and Western Union to deposit onto stars and they only let you cash out thru check or how you deposited (and we know Neteller isn't available). Snake tried to earn me a token Friday and missed. I offered to help my dad (who is recovering from his hernia surgery nicely but sorely) rake leaves and gets some bags of rock salt and probably wont be able to move after that. I only have about $45 left on Full Tilt ( I only moved $112 from Absolute and two noncashes in the Hoy and failed token attempts have taken their toll) and will have to wait till I can reload out of my checking account onto Epassporte which takes 10 days. Ill hold onto the funds for the Mookie and MATH and riverchasers.

And to all those bloggers including LJ and Waffles and Sham who want me to call in sick and come to Vegas, We dont get sick time at my company. We get a PTO bank (Paid time off) of 23 days up till 10 years to use as we want. That's our sick, personal and vacation time rolled into one enchilada. Im rarely if ever sick so I get to use it all as vacation or for appointments etc (Ive had to take both parents to surgeries/ procedures this year and used up some of my time for that as my sister is in Connecticut). Next year I get 28 days as I had my ten year anniversary in October. I'm down to scraps for time that I have to keep for the end of the year. Time off without pay is not an option its an attendance occurrence and is frowned upon big time. So you folks will just have to get along nicely without me until next year. I definitely will be in Vegas come June/July.


Back to cleaning and preparing my Thanksgiving menu. Chef LorEEEEEE is in the house (said with French accent for Snake who wont read this till December when he comes out of the woods and by that time will forget why I am/was speaking in a French accent to him). Oh Lordy Starbucks is calling me... Peppermint Mocha. Peppermint Mocha, Peppermint Mocha.

Friday, November 16, 2007

IG Needs to Practice Flipping a Coin

I made a deep run last nite in Riverchasers with virtually no cards all nite. I made the best of the hands I was dealt and managed to go out in 13th place. My exit hand was typical.. Raise Pocket Tens, reraised by ScarKnight's AK (he had me slightly outchipped). Flop comes 9KT (set for IG) turn another K river 9.... I go out boat over boat countefeited on the end. Collective groan from Al Cant Hang, Mookie, Astin in girly chat, LJ, and KOD. KOD announces IG needs to practice coinflipping. AMEN Brother. I calculated that at the end of the first hour we had lost on the average of one person every two minutes. A respectable showing after a Mookie Final table the night before.

Wednesday nights Mookie, saw me get lucky when I cracked Aces all in with pocket 8's and I hit my set. I was all in preflop and yes it was a lucky break for me but you have to get the occasional break once or twice to go deep in MTT's. Again, I got my money in with the best hand. Snake5970 felt I should have waited since the shortie was all-in with AT, and had a call from eventual winner MikeMaloney. It wasnt a bad call at all by Mike. he had KQos and it wasnt that much more for him to call my all-in (about 7000K) so he was getting decent odds on his money. Two hearts on the board one a queen, I failed to fill up my flush or pair my Ace and out I went.

Astin suggested I write a long post about suckouts ala Hoy but losing a coin flip is not the end of the world. I have a great positive attitude about my game in general and know I have a few end game leaks to seal. I'm playing without regard to losing a $10-$24 buy-in and that has helped me immensely. Im playing the least amount of poker I have in three years, but when I do play I have a positive mental attitude, I'm staying patient and I'm constantly tweaking my game to adjust.

I currently sit in 16th place in the BBT Duece. Ive final tabled 3 of the 4 last Mookies and have 7 final tables in 22 shots at the Mookie for 2007. As MiamiDon said it is only a matter of time before the planets align and I win won of these things.

I'm sitting in second place in my live league by about three points. Ive thought about quitting several times regardless of how well Im doing and the fact that I stand to take home some nice Moolah at the end of the year. Ive been frustrated by the people who get up to smoke when its their turn to deal, are so intoxicated they cant handle their chips and stare at them for what seems like hours trying to count them out to make a bet. Not to mention the fact that I'm about ready to let loose a few snarky remarks to counter those directed my way from someone whom Karen and I have decided has an issue with respect for woman. But, I'm not a quitter and wont quit mid-season. Plus, Snake who is having the same issues as me (even more so) and I made an agreement that we would see it thru. There are so many leagues and clubs that have sprung up around Smallbany that I can find a tourney or cash game pretty much every nite of the week.

I'm going to miss the December Blogger gathering as I'm almost out of unscheduled time off. What time I do have I have to save for the holidays since being the daughter of long-time split parents, everything is done in twos. I may sneak up to Turning Stone for a Deep-Stack tourney the weekend after Thanksgiving and as soon as hunting season is over, I'm sure I can cajole Snake into another Foxwoods run. Of course that runs till almost Christmas here in Upstate NY so I wont be for a bit.

More to come but time to put on a skirt and my high-heeled boots and head up to play live!!!

Peace All!!

Edited 11/17/07 for my Riverchasers exit hand of boat over boat thanks to Al Cant Hang for filling in the blanks!!!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Check this Out!!!

I'll have a full report of Snake5970's and mine Foxwoods trip in the next couple of days. We both played in different events of the Foxwoods World Poker Finals which are lead-ins to the WPT event. I havent played a hand of live or internet poker since last weeks Mookie but will be returning to the virtual felt tonite in Monday's at the Hoy. I'm looking forward to a little 6-max action as a nice change of pace!!

But first.... For those of you who love music, specifically Jambands etc., I was tapped by everyone's favorite Internet Doctor to be a team reporter for Dr Pauly's music blog. Be sure to pay it a visit!!