Ladies Event Mohegan Sun 4/10/10 -NAPT

I made the trek over to Mohegan Sun (which I had not been to since they re-opened the poker room there) on Saturday to play the Ladies event during the PokerStars sponsored NAPT. I had a great time, played great and ran deep finishing 14th of 98. Unfortunately only the top 9 paid.

I hadn't seen LJ in almost a year and a half and we started at the same table (table #1) which would be the last table to break. She was in the 2 or three seat and I was in the 8. Both of us managed to build our chip stacks early. In fact, I was up to almost 30k (starting stack was 10k with 30 minute levels) after the first two levels and she had about the same stack too. I wound up getting down to starting stack size but chipped back up to 40k before the dinner break.

Unfortunately when we got down to 18 players and the 3rd to last table broke the wall of chips that was the chipleader got moved to my immediate right and I knew my final table fate was thru that stack. She literally had more chips then all of us at the table put together and then some. The first hand she was dealt at the table (and she was still unracking her chips) she moved in over the top of the prior big stack having been dealt AA to that stacks QQ and busted one of the existing big sticks.

LJ and Lucko came back into the poker room about that time to check on me and cheer me on. I just gestured to the Great Wall of chips and knew I had a tough road ahead but I never game up. Dr Pauly and F-train (working for PokerNews during NAPT) both helped me keep my shit together a few times. I was getting antsy. When the Main Event broke for dinner the Pokerstars/PokerNews crew which also included Change100 and Otis left for dinner. Pauly had faith I'd still be in when they returned. It was not to be, however, with my chip stack dwindling to just under 10 BB and the chip leader moving in virtually every hand i took a stand in a blind vs blind hand: me QJos BB She had KTos SB and the flop came K K X sealing my fate.

I was disappointed but felt good about the entire day. I hadn't played a hand of poker since prior to 2/20/10 and I hadn't played live since New Years Day. As I said to Change100 the lay-off may have actually helped my decision making. I wasn't too far off my A game. OF course, I thought to myself that if I actually got back to studying and working my game and playing as much as I did in 2006-2007 the big score would be right around the corner.

By choice, I'm just not ready to commit to hours and hours spent playing/talking cards. PHISH and FURTHUR are on the road this summer and I'll be taking in 2 Phish Shows at SPAC with Dr Pauly on a weekend he escapes from a WSOP donkament, and at least 4 Furthur shows on my own including two in Brooklyn. Plus, a couple of multi-day Music festivals are also on tap. I'm also trying to get back into shape. I just had a wisdom tooth removed and now have the green light to resume running. I had to take the last two weeks off from my dance class.

I do have a couple of SCOOP tickets i earned during Pokerstars blogger series so Ill be taking a stab at a couple of the lower buy-ins in May. And even though I shelved my Vegas trip the week of July 7th thru 12th in favor of all my concerts I will probably attempt a couple of our local poker-rooms WSOP tourneys.

It was great catching up with everyone albeit briefly. Otis and I were two ships passing in the night. I was either busy playing and he was on the sidelines of the Main Event or he had his head down and was pounding out stuff for the PokerStars blog on his laptop. Never enough time with the lovely vixen Change100 either. Pauly and I get to catch up during Phish shows on the east coast on all our non poker mutual interests. But Change is usually working on his trips east and doesn't get a chance to accompany him even though she has an open invite to Casa IG. And I havent been out to California in many moons. Next time Change, well do a Phish show together in NYC or shop/do a Broadway show. OR, I'll make the trek to California. If i get myself running distance again I can combine a running/concert/poker trip to the left coast. My version of multi-sport!!!

October TRUCKIN' Pimpin

I've only been playing a little poker lately. As the Sheryl Crow song goes: "A Change will do you Good" . Instead, I've been reading and watching alot of the new TV season including college and NFL football. Something, I haven't done much of over the last four years.

When I am playing poker, I'm hungry and focused. I final tabled my last live tourney just about two weeks ago (cash bubble girl) and I finished 432nd of 13626 trying to win a piece of MDM (Million Dollar Man) David "Chino" Rheem. I missed a piece of Chino (top 100 get .01% of his winnings) but did convert 500 FPP's into $31.50 of cold hard cash. I'm about 70 FPP's short of trying for a piece of another MDM. My choice would be the Ruskie Ivan Demidov who did the unthinkable, he final tabled the WSOP Main event still to be played and final tabled the WSOP-Europe Main Event.

I noticed Pokerstars has these new double or nothing SNGs. Kind of like the bankroll builders on Bodog or Cake Poker. In this case no graduated payments for the top 5 instead top 5 finishers of ten earn just about their buyin back. Seems to me to be a +EV way to build a bankroll.

One of my favorite ways to spend a day off rainy or otherwise is in a bookstore. I'm a fast reader without utilizing speed reading techniques. When my attention span or lifestyle kept me from reading full length magnum opi, magazines and short stories could still command my attention. So it is fitting that for the first time I pimp Truckin' on my blog. Some of my favorite poker bloggers are regular contributers and show off their literary chops. If you enjoy the stories send Mr McGrupp an email to be added to the monthly ezine mailing list. You won't be disappointed.


Truckin' --- http://mcgtruckin.blogspot.com/

Truckin' - October 2008, Vol. 7, Issue 10

Welcome back to another issue.

1. Maisy Wednesday by Paul McGuire She always wore bright lipstick which brought out a little gleam in her lips. She frequently smiled, but never initiated any sort of conversation... More

2. Happy Anniversary by John 'Falstaff' Hartness As we stood outside the courthouse in our newly wedded bliss (which also somewhat resembled the look of people who have just survived a tornado, as it happened much faster than we expected) we decided that since Suzy didn't have to be at work for another couple of hours, we'd go have lunch. So we scraped together a few bucks and trundled over to a nearby McDonald's... More

3. A Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes They was real famous and in the newspapers and all robbing them banks, when banks were unpopular. I asked Bonnie for something to remember her by. We didn't have a pencil for an autograph. She pulled this little pair of scissors out of her purse and gave me this... a lock of her hair... More


4. Whiskey Kisses by Betty After Dark Held apart by distance and circumstance, brought together in soft voices, the pieces of who we are fill the room with every drink we pour. The gaps in our lives slowly closing as the light from the window crept into the room. There was something unavoidable that connected us, but the details were never as clear as they were this night.... More


5. What I Knew? by Dusty Rhodes Just walk up and ask her you idiot... You've been friends for four years... she doesn't have a date and either do you... Quit being a pussy and ask her... Christ dude... what are you nervous about... More


Peace!!!

Big thank you and props to Waffles

I know a lot of folks were recently burned by lending money to other bloggers (or one in particular). That didn't even dawn on me when I asked to trade Pokerstars for Full Tilt. Waffles was the first and only blogger to respond to my plea. We exchanged a few comments and when I got home from Starbucks Thursday night the money was in my Stars account without me having shipped to him on Full Tilt. We didn't even have a girly chat going. I promptly shipped him what i had on full tilt ($13 less due to a Mookie buy-in) and the balance back on Stars.

Normally Snake5970 is who I do business with but he hadn't played on Full Tilt in months ( WSOP Main Event multi-seat giveaway was it) and has no desire to do so at least for the present time so a plea to someone who plays mostly on Full Tilt was going to be my best shot.

So thank you Waffles for not only helping me out but for posting those nice remarks on your blog about my trustworthiness. I know there are a few others out there who can vouch for me but they aren't part of the normal blogger crew who plays on Full Tilt.

So my FTP balance is now at Zero. It is easy to get money on to the site but difficult as all hell to get it off. I mean you have to fax in ID and do a bunch of other calisthenics and for what I had on there it wasn't worth it . I have plenty of money on Bodog (horse racing winnings) and plenty of $T on Bodog to last me till next year for poker buy-ins but had decided I wasn't going to redeposit onto any site. Plus you cant do player to player transfers on Bodog. I prefer playing on Pokerstars vs Full Tilt for numerous reasons. Plus its easier to withdraw. I mean they send you a check without you having to provide proof of who you are and its to you in a few days and they never bounce.

As for the IG vs Snake Pigskin Challenge I maintained my two game advantage thru week II. We picked 5 games differently and split on 4 of them. The other game was the rescheduled Baltimore vs Houston game. So I maintained my week I lead.

Current standings: IG 20-11
Snake 18-13

(BTW I can hang with the experts over at Bristol University and then some. I think they need some girl power in their expert analysis).

I keep getting these delusional emails from Snake that I better start bowing to the king because all my homework is/will be for naught. He also wanted to know how much I paid Ed Hochuli for that blown call in the Broncos-Bolts game as I had picked the Broncos. I mean really he must be joking right???!!!! He knows I take my football as seriously as I take poker (at least the live version) and this is going to be 17 weeks of tough competition.

And how about them CU Buffs!!!! I will admit it was a little hokey listening to John Denver's Rocky Mt High whenever they featured CU and Country Roads when they featured West Virginia. But there can't be a more beautiful setting for a college football game. I'm just jealous we never had Thursday night games broadcast on ESPN when I was attending CU. Of course ESPN much like MTV was in its infancy when I was attending school. Besides my Buffs were horrible circa 1980-1982 and would never have been featured on a national prime time broadcast. I mean Jim McMahon was attending BYU at the time and passed for a gazillion yards each time he had the ball when BYU played CU back in 1981. How horrible were we: 1980-1981 record was 1-10, 1981-1982 record was 3-8, 1982-1983 record was 2-8-1 (a tie is a win right?).

**IG graduated CU in May 1983 earning two degrees (Business & Psychology which serve me at the poker tables today) . I attended Boulder for three years, my first two years were at the University of Vermont.

I''ll have my week III picks up tomorrow.

Spring in my Step

I woke to the sound of a chirping bird outside my window. At first I was annoyed since it was loud and chirpy and I wanted a little more shut-eye. Bailey was sitting on his perch eyeing the birdy and chattering as cats do when they see wildlife thru a window. I get up look out and it is a beautiful Northern Red Cardinal. You don't see Cardinals all that often around my parts any more and it made me happy. That little birdy hung around most of the morning and I hope hes back tomorrow.

I mookied kind of sort of last nite. Call me Squaw-doosh because I couldnt connect or hit on anything last nite. I got sucked out on early with a flush on the river, fought back for a bit and got back into it when I called what I knew was a NumbBono steal and I think I sucked out on him. But with only $1500 chippies in the current version of the Mookie I struggled and went out 40th.

I did finish #2 in a low-buyin SNG on FTP while Mookie-ing it up. This was after I bubbled on Pokerstars in an Omaha-hi lo turbo sng. One of my opponents raised with what turned out to be AA67. Now I can pretty much sniff out people raising with the low and those who raise with big pairs. And since I was short and bound for the mookie I jammed for my remaining chips with 45KT. Figured I had low and high draws of some sort and of course I am rewarded and sent the other dude to the rail or almost to the rail and onto megatilt. I typed in chat to a friend.. Loose call on my part but Ill take it. I was then berated by player liveforfun (who obviously takes him self way to seriously). I was called a losing player and blah blah blah, yada yada yada And I couldnt care less and typed back sticks and stones. and yawn you bore me. My railbird typed to liveforfun "show some class". This dude actually stuck around to watch me bubble. I mean come on get a life and go rub one out or something to take the edge off. Much to my surprise I pull up his stats on OPR and they arent much better then mine. Actually I think Im ranked higher.

Anyway I'm not taking my on-line game so seriously. Don't get me wrong, Im playing to win and to improve but I have come to the conclusion that online poker will never be my bread and butter, I need to be handling chips and so much of my game is my ability to see and play the player which I cant do online.I prefer the dynamics and nuances of live poker over on-line any day. And if I could Id be at the club every weeknight they have a tourney which is now three!!! (Of course, my work schedule will not allow that) When I was playing my live tourney Sunday a man got moved to my table who I had never played before. He looked around and said I know pretty much all of you except for this young lady meaning me. He asked "Is she aggressive?" and one of my tablemates pointed to my big stack and said "Yes". It was nice to hear that from a table-mate. Hank, said oh good I like my women aggressive.

Finally, congratulations to Waffles on his Mookie Win last nite!!! Way to go Dude!!!