Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Runner-Up finish 02/18/07-Live Play (Albany Poker Tour)
I'm extremely proud of myself. I just had my 4th live cash in a row, this time a 2nd place finish padding my live bankroll again. (I still havent found the $80 I lost from my winning a few weeks ago). I only knew one player there, my friend Jim who has played up in Fort Edward (though not in the league) and who I have played at home games at the Amadon's. There was one other female there who finished 4th out of 11 and a lot of aggressive young guys.
I played fairly tight early on (which was easy considering the cards I got) trying to get a read on my opponents. I wore no make up, I didnt wear my contacts and I had my fleece zipped up to my neck (no Tilly top). My hair was pulled up in what little bit of a pony tail I can still muster and I wore a Poker stars baseball cap. My hair is fairly thin and limp in this winter weather and I'm actaully considering extensions. I looked like hell and mentally I havent been 100%.
I was a dog going heads up.... I drew even only to get knocked back. I drew even again on a a well played hand I was behind on the flop with top pair but a weak kicker and a flush draw. I hit my flush on the turn and value betted the hell out of the hand. I then lost a chunk when my 104 on a board of 10 Q X got rivered by an ace. I finally pushed in with A6 got called by A8 and I go home in 2nd for a profit of $55 on my $25 buyin ($5 to the league). I made some pretty good reads and a good laydown. I know because I called out his hand when I mucked and he showed.
As much as I wanted the win, I was happy with second. Poker has been a chore of late and mentally I'm just not as sharp as you need to be to play your best. I was able to hold it together but I had no enjoyment even being around other people. It felt like a job. I'm grinding and building on my bankroll but Im taking no pleasure in my recent successes they feel like hollow victories. There is a saying.. This too shall pass.....
And now Back to the Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King. Its a good read so far and Im just amazed at the the fact that Ted Forrest and Huck Seed both ran a marathon for some wacky prop bet on the UNLV track on one of the hottest days of the year. I had heard the story before of course, but Michael Craig expounds on it in the book. That is no easy feat. I know I trained my ass off to run the one marathon I completed. Imagine doing one on no training???!!!
I'm trying to remember that all good poker players have gone bust at some point and Im far from busted. I just dont like the recent cards Ive been dealt with the DOJ holding my Neteller funds hostage, the winter weather here in the Northeast, and the fact that someone I'm close to is probably heading back into a totally negative EV situation again. I was once told I don't have to like something to accept it. I have a bunch of things I don't like going on right now. I've pretty much held my tongue on this one little life issue because it is really none of my business and there are some paths that people have to take on their own. I will always remember that insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting different results and outcomes. Unfortunately, people have to find out this out for themselves sometimes more then just once. Its no wonder we are a Prozac nation.
I played fairly tight early on (which was easy considering the cards I got) trying to get a read on my opponents. I wore no make up, I didnt wear my contacts and I had my fleece zipped up to my neck (no Tilly top). My hair was pulled up in what little bit of a pony tail I can still muster and I wore a Poker stars baseball cap. My hair is fairly thin and limp in this winter weather and I'm actaully considering extensions. I looked like hell and mentally I havent been 100%.
I was a dog going heads up.... I drew even only to get knocked back. I drew even again on a a well played hand I was behind on the flop with top pair but a weak kicker and a flush draw. I hit my flush on the turn and value betted the hell out of the hand. I then lost a chunk when my 104 on a board of 10 Q X got rivered by an ace. I finally pushed in with A6 got called by A8 and I go home in 2nd for a profit of $55 on my $25 buyin ($5 to the league). I made some pretty good reads and a good laydown. I know because I called out his hand when I mucked and he showed.
As much as I wanted the win, I was happy with second. Poker has been a chore of late and mentally I'm just not as sharp as you need to be to play your best. I was able to hold it together but I had no enjoyment even being around other people. It felt like a job. I'm grinding and building on my bankroll but Im taking no pleasure in my recent successes they feel like hollow victories. There is a saying.. This too shall pass.....
And now Back to the Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King. Its a good read so far and Im just amazed at the the fact that Ted Forrest and Huck Seed both ran a marathon for some wacky prop bet on the UNLV track on one of the hottest days of the year. I had heard the story before of course, but Michael Craig expounds on it in the book. That is no easy feat. I know I trained my ass off to run the one marathon I completed. Imagine doing one on no training???!!!
I'm trying to remember that all good poker players have gone bust at some point and Im far from busted. I just dont like the recent cards Ive been dealt with the DOJ holding my Neteller funds hostage, the winter weather here in the Northeast, and the fact that someone I'm close to is probably heading back into a totally negative EV situation again. I was once told I don't have to like something to accept it. I have a bunch of things I don't like going on right now. I've pretty much held my tongue on this one little life issue because it is really none of my business and there are some paths that people have to take on their own. I will always remember that insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting different results and outcomes. Unfortunately, people have to find out this out for themselves sometimes more then just once. Its no wonder we are a Prozac nation.
Stuck in a moment that you can't get out of
I feel like I'm stuck inside of Clifton Park with the Vegas blues again. When the death of Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears shaving her head captures my attention more then the good Doctor's writing on the Tao of Poker its bad shit. I cant wait to get to Vegas and finally meet Carmen. She has my love for pop culture, shopping and good steakhouses!!! Maybe we should co-author a Dancing with the Stars blog to amuse us thru the Spring.
Playing $1-$3 buyins is quickly losing its appeal for me. Been doing some small league buy-ins that I used to do frequently. I start off on a strong foot making some great plays and getting VNH's and VVNH's in chat, but then I lose interest and wind up donking off my chips short of the money from impatience. What's worse I am normally known for my patience. ITH has a league game today at 1 PM on stars but it is limit holdem which is not my forte. I did play a very solid 7 card stud hi lo tourney the other nite till one of my PA league mates started annoying the crap out of me with his constant raising and we got into a pissing match and he rivered me. That made him the chip leader but his antics got the best of him the next hand and he went out right after me. I hate when I turn a guaranteed final table and cash appearance into a donkout festivus. Same thing happened in an Omaha Hi tourney. I made some really good plays and was up in the top for most of the tourney only to go out 8th with 5 paying. Again the river got me and impatience.
So today I have some choices... Go up to Lex's for a $50 tourney at 5 PM or go around the corner to some dude's house Ive never been to and where I know no one and play a $25 deep-stack freezeout. A 5 minute drive or a 45 minute drive to South Glens Falls?? Hmm.... sounds like I may just meander around the corner and be anonymous. Ive talked to one of the organizer's on the phone who seems to be a Siena College kid who is the current Albany Poker league leader and whose name is the same as a famous NY Met.
Im gonna challenge myself to work 3 hours of overtime every morning this week (for 15 hours) from 5 AM to 8 AM.. then sign off till I have to be on phones at 9:30 AM to 7PM Monday thru Thursday... Friday is my short day 9:30AM to 1:30 PM. If I can get an extra 5 or so hours of OT in the next couple of weeks I will award myself with the Foxwoods Ladies tourney buy-in on March 25th. If I can keep it up I may just award myself with the WSOP Academy Ladies Camp at Casears Palace on June 8th and 9th. The camp is like $1700 but they are giving away ten seats to the Ladies WSOP tourney on the 10th if you place in the top ten of the camp tourney. Annie Duke is one of the instructors. If anyone has had any experience with any of the Boot camps or Camp Hellmuths etc please let me hear about it.
I skied for over thirty years from the age of 4 till I gave it up in my thirties. You could say for a long time I was more comfortable with two boards on my feet then I was standing on them. I was never an extreme skiier but did do my share of racing and free-styling. I never snowboarded but this video is totally sick. The descent takes your breathe away. Awesome control. The helicopter touching down on that peak is crazy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd8AJdcnw4A
And for some strange reason I cant get Coldplay's "Clocks" out of my head. I think that sums up where I am right now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6k1hJElqg
Playing $1-$3 buyins is quickly losing its appeal for me. Been doing some small league buy-ins that I used to do frequently. I start off on a strong foot making some great plays and getting VNH's and VVNH's in chat, but then I lose interest and wind up donking off my chips short of the money from impatience. What's worse I am normally known for my patience. ITH has a league game today at 1 PM on stars but it is limit holdem which is not my forte. I did play a very solid 7 card stud hi lo tourney the other nite till one of my PA league mates started annoying the crap out of me with his constant raising and we got into a pissing match and he rivered me. That made him the chip leader but his antics got the best of him the next hand and he went out right after me. I hate when I turn a guaranteed final table and cash appearance into a donkout festivus. Same thing happened in an Omaha Hi tourney. I made some really good plays and was up in the top for most of the tourney only to go out 8th with 5 paying. Again the river got me and impatience.
So today I have some choices... Go up to Lex's for a $50 tourney at 5 PM or go around the corner to some dude's house Ive never been to and where I know no one and play a $25 deep-stack freezeout. A 5 minute drive or a 45 minute drive to South Glens Falls?? Hmm.... sounds like I may just meander around the corner and be anonymous. Ive talked to one of the organizer's on the phone who seems to be a Siena College kid who is the current Albany Poker league leader and whose name is the same as a famous NY Met.
Im gonna challenge myself to work 3 hours of overtime every morning this week (for 15 hours) from 5 AM to 8 AM.. then sign off till I have to be on phones at 9:30 AM to 7PM Monday thru Thursday... Friday is my short day 9:30AM to 1:30 PM. If I can get an extra 5 or so hours of OT in the next couple of weeks I will award myself with the Foxwoods Ladies tourney buy-in on March 25th. If I can keep it up I may just award myself with the WSOP Academy Ladies Camp at Casears Palace on June 8th and 9th. The camp is like $1700 but they are giving away ten seats to the Ladies WSOP tourney on the 10th if you place in the top ten of the camp tourney. Annie Duke is one of the instructors. If anyone has had any experience with any of the Boot camps or Camp Hellmuths etc please let me hear about it.
I skied for over thirty years from the age of 4 till I gave it up in my thirties. You could say for a long time I was more comfortable with two boards on my feet then I was standing on them. I was never an extreme skiier but did do my share of racing and free-styling. I never snowboarded but this video is totally sick. The descent takes your breathe away. Awesome control. The helicopter touching down on that peak is crazy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd8AJdcnw4A
And for some strange reason I cant get Coldplay's "Clocks" out of my head. I think that sums up where I am right now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6k1hJElqg
Friday, February 16, 2007
Britney Spears Stoned and Philosophical with KFed?
What a trainwreck this girl is.
I wonder if I was this annoying when I was drunk and stoned or tripping?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlkzgI_jNUg&eurl=
I wonder if I was this annoying when I was drunk and stoned or tripping?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlkzgI_jNUg&eurl=
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I GOT MY IPOD
--A new toy to play with. The Ipod Nano (4G) I won for finishing 4th in the 2nd season of the Poker.com Blogger tour arrived. Man its small. Another gadget I can waste a lot of time downloading stuff onto from the computer. My good buddy JB (JeffBaldwin) sent me a link to a site that has Grateful Dead shows to download when were chatting on IM the other day so I expect to be hitting that up soon.
Last nite I had a surreal experience playing the WWDN. Wil Wheaton the host of this weekly jamboree of bloggers and other misfits was seated at my table along with my gal Katitude. It was amazing the inane comments coming from the railbirds... "Wil.....were you in Star Trek?" , "Wil I loved you in Stand by me"... " Wil Wheaton you suck".... blah blah blah... Not only must it be distracting for him, it was distracting for us.. All that green chat. Kat mentioned it gets worse for the late nite West Coast fun time tourney. I made a statement to Wil of.. "And I thought the FTP pros had it bad!" and his reply was " IG they have it a lot worse then me, especially Mike Matusow". After a number of inane questions, requests for money, requests to be coached etc. I mentioned that there seemed to be a lot of short bus poker players on the rail. That got a few chuckles from my table. Now Wil is a badass to me for looking into the camera and calling Otis a dumb motherfucker during the Keno crayon eating prop bet. You just dont expect that out of the mouths of clean cut looking guys.
I was card dead most of the tourney. I did double up off Iakaris who was bullying with his big stack when my JJ held against his AK (i think it was). That got me in good shape and in the top ten but I Called another dudes continuation bet on the flop and river when I had a flush and str8 draw and missed. Kat and I had some girl on girl action and a split pot which generated lots of Meows and Cat fights and requests for Jello wrestling... Now that would be a site in Vegas this summer.
As for Vegas I reread some notes from Falstaff and it looks like our next Blaggher gathering will be from the 6th thru the 10th of June or some such thing. That gets me out there in time to use that credit on Southwest. I stayed at Treasure Island last year. This year Im thinking of trying the Luxor or the Aladdin. The Neteller debacle pretty much limits my qualifying online for the Main Event with my roll virtually non-existent now. Unless I get some work during Main Event time podcasting or live-blogging I probably wont make the trek during ME time and it appears my services sweating from the rail wont be needed but thats a story for another day or not.
I just read Doc's Valentine Day post (he's a genius) and Ftrain's. I wanted to laugh I wanted to cry. Pauly has a way with words:
So a happy Vday to all my fellow Single and Fabulous Friends.. Im going to take a few nites off from Poker (the mookie is on Hiatus) as Ive been sitting in the same room for work and poker playing and feel a bit like a caged animal. Im going to curl up with the Professor the Banker and the Suicide King. We are the midst of a Blizzard here in upstate NY which is making me antsy and dreaming of dry hot weather.....I want to be going where them chilly winds dont blow.....
Last nite I had a surreal experience playing the WWDN. Wil Wheaton the host of this weekly jamboree of bloggers and other misfits was seated at my table along with my gal Katitude. It was amazing the inane comments coming from the railbirds... "Wil.....were you in Star Trek?" , "Wil I loved you in Stand by me"... " Wil Wheaton you suck".... blah blah blah... Not only must it be distracting for him, it was distracting for us.. All that green chat. Kat mentioned it gets worse for the late nite West Coast fun time tourney. I made a statement to Wil of.. "And I thought the FTP pros had it bad!" and his reply was " IG they have it a lot worse then me, especially Mike Matusow". After a number of inane questions, requests for money, requests to be coached etc. I mentioned that there seemed to be a lot of short bus poker players on the rail. That got a few chuckles from my table. Now Wil is a badass to me for looking into the camera and calling Otis a dumb motherfucker during the Keno crayon eating prop bet. You just dont expect that out of the mouths of clean cut looking guys.
I was card dead most of the tourney. I did double up off Iakaris who was bullying with his big stack when my JJ held against his AK (i think it was). That got me in good shape and in the top ten but I Called another dudes continuation bet on the flop and river when I had a flush and str8 draw and missed. Kat and I had some girl on girl action and a split pot which generated lots of Meows and Cat fights and requests for Jello wrestling... Now that would be a site in Vegas this summer.
As for Vegas I reread some notes from Falstaff and it looks like our next Blaggher gathering will be from the 6th thru the 10th of June or some such thing. That gets me out there in time to use that credit on Southwest. I stayed at Treasure Island last year. This year Im thinking of trying the Luxor or the Aladdin. The Neteller debacle pretty much limits my qualifying online for the Main Event with my roll virtually non-existent now. Unless I get some work during Main Event time podcasting or live-blogging I probably wont make the trek during ME time and it appears my services sweating from the rail wont be needed but thats a story for another day or not.
I just read Doc's Valentine Day post (he's a genius) and Ftrain's. I wanted to laugh I wanted to cry. Pauly has a way with words:
Relationships are bad beat stories waiting to happen. Several girls in my life ended up horrendous bad beats. At the end of our interaction with each other, not only did they suck the life out of me, they also left me completely broke. Of course, they all looked good preflop but somewhere along the line, they backdoored a better hand on you and you're toast. Like that cute girl from college I met standing in line at the bookstore one day sophomore year. Who knew that she was a cutter and would go Liz Wurtzel crazy on me? You bet your ass I was concerned when I found a note attached to my door with steak knife.
So a happy Vday to all my fellow Single and Fabulous Friends.. Im going to take a few nites off from Poker (the mookie is on Hiatus) as Ive been sitting in the same room for work and poker playing and feel a bit like a caged animal. Im going to curl up with the Professor the Banker and the Suicide King. We are the midst of a Blizzard here in upstate NY which is making me antsy and dreaming of dry hot weather.....I want to be going where them chilly winds dont blow.....
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Im Hot!!!!!.... On Sharkscope
--Seems like if you cash in 4 SNGS in a row you are ranked as hot... That would be me right now... I had a third last nite on Full Tilt in a $6.50 9 person turbo SNG, after taking my good buddy the Shamster heads-up in our AcesCracked Saturday night league game (only 4 runners so good shorthanded practice). This AM I finished #2 in one so maybe that makes it 5 str8 cashes.
I played like a complete TILTGIRL yesterday in my early games of Muffmoney and the PokerAnalysis buyin League game on pstars.. I did my best whining about pokerstars not liking me ala Hoyazo. I seriously donked it up good playing hyper-aggressively and chasing. But like the good trooper I am I turned it around and played remarkably well last nite. Snake5970's headsup pointers and coaching has paid off in spades. Especially once I get down to two.
Friday nite after mega tilting about Neteller and losing the $80 I netted from the win I had in live play on 2/2/07 I headed up to Karen and Steve's for a $20 buyin at their house. To back track a bit... I have no idea where I put it, how I lost etc.. I just know my recent live winnings I had of $280 less my hair and starbucks should have meant I had $215 left in the envelope.. I only had $135.. My guess is its the $80 from the win over Lex and I am sure he paid me. Perhaps I tipped the hair dresser really well. Anyway, I managed to finish 3rd for a profit of $20 at the McDonald's running my KQsuited into eventual winner Juddy's QQ... Ladies were good to me that nite. They held twice once against Zoe's AJ... Zoe loves that hand. Calls it the Amazon hand... In fact that is what got her to heads-up against Snake5970 for the top tenners tourney when she sucked out a J against AK and AQ on a three-way all-in. I will not share Hoyazo's Jack-Ace theory/strategy with her as I did how to play middle pocket pairs. I dont need to be giving away any more secrets or tips on how to seal leaks in your game.
I started the day with a runner-up finish in a turbo on FTP.. Then moved to Pokerstars for a ITH league game. Im on a quest to either increase my limited bankroll there or bust out spectacularly. I played well. Very well finishing 7th of 41 or so with 5 paying... Another stars suckout.. One of the other two females fired all in with 79 suited on a steal. She had done this on a couple of occasions and I figured she couldnt always have a hand for the number of times she did this on the button. It smelled weak the all-in why not just raise 4-5x the BB.. I called as the short stack with KQ and had her dominated until........ she sucked out a str8 on me and IGH... UGH @#$@S.. She Pm'd me to apologize but there was no need to, thats just poker...I was actually seated at the final table with a local dude from Glenmont so I shared my newly aquired wealth of local tourney happenings. Just ask IG.. like the NY times I'm all the poker news fit to print.
Got a couple of freerolls lined up on Vegas247 to amuse myself with. One is the weekly muffmoney freeroll you get to play for playing the $3 buy-in league held Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM. I decided not to head to Smallbany for the live game at one of the Local sports bars. Gonna wait till I get my income tax refund.
Two weeks till the Deep-stack $110 buyin out in Amsterdam. Looking forward to it. Depending how that goes I may just head to Foxwoods on 3/25/2007 for the Ladies Tourney.. Its a $300 buy-in but starting chips are $5000 and blind levels are 50 minutes. I'll post some info soon in case some other Ladies would like to join me there. Maybe I can lure Waffles and some of the NYC blogger crew to Foxwoods for a get together.
I'm also trying to decide about Vegas for this summer. Im scheduled for Main Event time but that may be subject to change or I'll be doing two trips. I have a credit on Southwest I have to use up before June 8th. That means I could be out in Vegas for the Ladies WSOP on the 10th of June and the reported Blaggher gathering..... I've also offered the credit up to my buddy Shamanalix to use for his May/June trip in trade for a stake or a trade for my July plane ticket or for funds on a poker room. Its about a $250-$300 credit. Sham has the right of first refusal if I decide not to go in June but the offer may be open to any blogger who wants to do a trade/swap.
Back to the Grinding......
I played like a complete TILTGIRL yesterday in my early games of Muffmoney and the PokerAnalysis buyin League game on pstars.. I did my best whining about pokerstars not liking me ala Hoyazo. I seriously donked it up good playing hyper-aggressively and chasing. But like the good trooper I am I turned it around and played remarkably well last nite. Snake5970's headsup pointers and coaching has paid off in spades. Especially once I get down to two.
Friday nite after mega tilting about Neteller and losing the $80 I netted from the win I had in live play on 2/2/07 I headed up to Karen and Steve's for a $20 buyin at their house. To back track a bit... I have no idea where I put it, how I lost etc.. I just know my recent live winnings I had of $280 less my hair and starbucks should have meant I had $215 left in the envelope.. I only had $135.. My guess is its the $80 from the win over Lex and I am sure he paid me. Perhaps I tipped the hair dresser really well. Anyway, I managed to finish 3rd for a profit of $20 at the McDonald's running my KQsuited into eventual winner Juddy's QQ... Ladies were good to me that nite. They held twice once against Zoe's AJ... Zoe loves that hand. Calls it the Amazon hand... In fact that is what got her to heads-up against Snake5970 for the top tenners tourney when she sucked out a J against AK and AQ on a three-way all-in. I will not share Hoyazo's Jack-Ace theory/strategy with her as I did how to play middle pocket pairs. I dont need to be giving away any more secrets or tips on how to seal leaks in your game.
I started the day with a runner-up finish in a turbo on FTP.. Then moved to Pokerstars for a ITH league game. Im on a quest to either increase my limited bankroll there or bust out spectacularly. I played well. Very well finishing 7th of 41 or so with 5 paying... Another stars suckout.. One of the other two females fired all in with 79 suited on a steal. She had done this on a couple of occasions and I figured she couldnt always have a hand for the number of times she did this on the button. It smelled weak the all-in why not just raise 4-5x the BB.. I called as the short stack with KQ and had her dominated until........ she sucked out a str8 on me and IGH... UGH @#$@S.. She Pm'd me to apologize but there was no need to, thats just poker...I was actually seated at the final table with a local dude from Glenmont so I shared my newly aquired wealth of local tourney happenings. Just ask IG.. like the NY times I'm all the poker news fit to print.
Got a couple of freerolls lined up on Vegas247 to amuse myself with. One is the weekly muffmoney freeroll you get to play for playing the $3 buy-in league held Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM. I decided not to head to Smallbany for the live game at one of the Local sports bars. Gonna wait till I get my income tax refund.
Two weeks till the Deep-stack $110 buyin out in Amsterdam. Looking forward to it. Depending how that goes I may just head to Foxwoods on 3/25/2007 for the Ladies Tourney.. Its a $300 buy-in but starting chips are $5000 and blind levels are 50 minutes. I'll post some info soon in case some other Ladies would like to join me there. Maybe I can lure Waffles and some of the NYC blogger crew to Foxwoods for a get together.
I'm also trying to decide about Vegas for this summer. Im scheduled for Main Event time but that may be subject to change or I'll be doing two trips. I have a credit on Southwest I have to use up before June 8th. That means I could be out in Vegas for the Ladies WSOP on the 10th of June and the reported Blaggher gathering..... I've also offered the credit up to my buddy Shamanalix to use for his May/June trip in trade for a stake or a trade for my July plane ticket or for funds on a poker room. Its about a $250-$300 credit. Sham has the right of first refusal if I decide not to go in June but the offer may be open to any blogger who wants to do a trade/swap.
Back to the Grinding......
Monday, February 05, 2007
Mamma Always said I was Sassy....
NO, IG doesnt rant ala fellow blogger Waffles (thanks sweetie for sending me some blogger love). And as patient as she can be at the poker table she tends to be a "I want what I want when I want it type". And that means NOW!!! So rather then sit and fiddle why Rome burns she tried every ploy known to mankind to solve the Neteller Dilemma.
A very good friend in Canada was willing to do a peer to peer with me and then withdraw it off and mail me a check. I trust Carol as she trusted me this past summer when I helped her avoid the exchange rate on a withdrawal for her Vegas bankroll . I knew Neteller was suspending the Neteller accounts of foreigners who took a peer to peer froma US citizen and then immediately transferred it right back out onto a poker room, so that was too obvious. So a check or money order with me absorbing the fees and exchange rate seemed to be the best route to allow my Casinowhoring friend to safely "launder" my money. To no avail... Fuckers at Neteller disabled the cancel button to cancel my PENDING eft withdrawal and have since suspended peer to peer transactions. Seems a certain forum advocated this method and their was a huge increase in foreign players aiding and abetting their American comrades in arms. DRATS FOILED AGAIN...
Last week was a week of just overall Life Tilt. For everything good that happened there was an equal and opposite bad thing that happened. Minor Car Tilt (again, now resolved), Work Tilt ( i got sprung and am now working at home as of friday and Im getting a bonus in two weeks), Poker Tilt in a full moon sucko-out on IG way early in the week only to be rectified by a tourney win Friday nite over Lex (BIG TAI) whose game I really respect, Bankroll Tilt (aka the Neteller debacle) and Family and Friend Tilt (more then I care to go in on). This left me feeling lethargic and helpless and as I mentioned in my earlier blog I let loose and cried not just Saturday but Sunday too. Thank goodness I watched no sappy movies or I would have been blotting all over the place. And I must confess, I cried when Tony Dungy got his good dang super bowl win!!!
I even did a drastic change and chopped off my long hair which I had painstakingly grown out. I finally decided that my sister was right. I dont have the funds ala Courtney Cox or Jennifer Aniston for the spectacular Blow Outs that leaves ones hair straight and shiny and perfect. Nope, I was pulling it back in a pony tail way too often and frankly I think it made me look older. So, I changed hairstylists too (as my old one hated bangs) and went chin length layered bob ala Sandra Bullock (or is it James now) from the December 2006 cover of Glamour sans the highlights right now.. I had showed Snake the cover Friday nite and got a "Do you have that top she's wearing?" . Without batting an eyelash (well maybe a few). I smirked " Of course I do and I fill it out a hell of a lot better the she does". Im a fan of the INC blouses at Macy's. they appeal to my hippy roots and the plunging necklines do wonders for my cleavage. I got year round Tilly tops as Snake calls them. Coupled with my new do, I got my eye brows waxed and god forbid I even mention this.... my lip for only the second time (IG was mortified Thanksgiving when momma IG pointed out some dark hairs springing from above the corners of her mouth). No bikini wax, as I had just had a regroom a few weeks prior.
So Sunday AM, after trying to wrest my funds from Neteller I took myself out for Pad Thai noodles with Mamma IG and I fessed up about why I looked like hell (although she loved my hair)... I told her about my bankroll issue. That got her to say... Maybe you should just play live now and get the rest of your money out and quit online. Your on a computer all the time with work. And for a minute I almost thought about quiting online poker. In fact, I may just do it yet. Adirondack Poker League is on hiatus but the Albany Poker League is gearing up. Games every Thursday and Sunday. Plus I'm doing a deep stack tourney in Amsterdam, NY (not Pauly's and Change100's Amsterdam) the last weekend of February. I so wanted to go up and do Katitude's weekend in Toronto (as I could visit the above mentioned Carol (DCIassassin) who lives in Scarborough and Sandy (Poker Princess) and Kevin (Tilter) who live in Toronto. Alas Neteller foiled those plans as I expected to have the money but the 9th/10th.
In the grand scheme of things I'm not a poor college student who has been using their roll to pay the rent and eat something other then Ramen noodles. The $1946.20 isnt even huge compared to some of the big sports bettors or poker pros who are caught in the crosshairs. But I worked damn hard for that money. Its about 71 hours of overtime which I can earn in about 4-5 weeks legitimately with 401k match etc. But It was money I was earmarking for bigger buy-ins which Im ready for I believe and Vegas.... It was money for WSOP sats etc.
So i trolled the forums and on some sports betting site I found an address for some regulatory agency on the Isle of Mann and filed a complaint against Neteller. And I got a response. Not just one but two.
The first reply with my original email attached (which is not as carefully worded with Iakaris words as is my usual habit) follows:
Dear Lori,
thank you for your email however I have to primarily advise that the Gambling Control Commissioners is not the regulatory authority of Neteller.
Your email has however been forwarded to the Department of Trade and Industry who will respond to you on this matter.
Kind regards
Derek
Derek P Cannon
Gambling Inspector
Isle of Man Gambling Control Commissioners
Oaseiryn Kiarrooghys Ellan Vannin
Homefield
88 Woodbourne Road
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM2 3AP
Telephone +44 (0) 1624 694303 Fax +44 (0) 1624 613777
e-mail derek.cannon@gaming.gov.im
website www.gov.im/gambling
From: Lori Christina [mailto:Lchrist4@nycap.rr.com] Sent: 04 February 2007 22:48To: DHA, Gaming CommissionSubject: Neteller holding on to USA residents funds
I would like to file a complaint against Neteller the online payment processer which is a publicly traded British company or was till they suspended trading in the stock. The FAQs they list on their site leave a lot to be desired. I asked for a withdrawal of my funds that had been sitting in neteller since October 2006 in the amount of $1946.20 on January 17th 2007 and to date I have not seen the funds show up in my account.
They have not addressed the issue of when funds may be released short of a cagey... your money is being held in trust. I would like financial disclosure of where these funds are. Are they stuck in the labyrinth of the banking system. Did they lose the ability to interact with my bank account. What is the hold up.
Expect to be inundated with requests similar to this.
I sincerely doubt the US Dept of Justice has asked that the funds of US resident accounts be siezed as has been rumored in the Washington Post. If so Neteller has to disclose that immediately I believe by law.
Regards
Lori Christina
USA
And Derek turned out to be a pretty cool cat (wonder if he lunches with Lee).. He forwarded my email and I got this reply:
Thank you for your e-mail in relation to Neteller.
We are informed by Neteller that it is in continuing discussions with the US authorities
Neteller have advised us that it is their top priority to return funds to its US members and to achieve this they are working with the US authorities to determine a mechanism to do so
We are also advised by Neteller that unfortunately until such time as this has been achieved Netellers US members will continue to experience delays
Bill Mummery
Head of e-Gaming Development
Department of Trade & Industry
Isle of Man Government
Hamilton House
Peel Road
Douglas
IM1 5EP
Tel : +44 1624 682307
Mob : +44 7624 494113
Fax : +44 1624 687171
bill.mummery@dti.gov.im
A ray of hope maybe, Im not walking in sunshine yet, in fact the fascist state I live in probably will find some way to seize it. At this point I dont care about an EFT withdrawal Send me a check written on a bank in Cyprus for goodness sake and Ill find some bank to cash it even if I have to pay a foreign check fee. It would be friggin worth it.
A very good friend in Canada was willing to do a peer to peer with me and then withdraw it off and mail me a check. I trust Carol as she trusted me this past summer when I helped her avoid the exchange rate on a withdrawal for her Vegas bankroll . I knew Neteller was suspending the Neteller accounts of foreigners who took a peer to peer froma US citizen and then immediately transferred it right back out onto a poker room, so that was too obvious. So a check or money order with me absorbing the fees and exchange rate seemed to be the best route to allow my Casinowhoring friend to safely "launder" my money. To no avail... Fuckers at Neteller disabled the cancel button to cancel my PENDING eft withdrawal and have since suspended peer to peer transactions. Seems a certain forum advocated this method and their was a huge increase in foreign players aiding and abetting their American comrades in arms. DRATS FOILED AGAIN...
Last week was a week of just overall Life Tilt. For everything good that happened there was an equal and opposite bad thing that happened. Minor Car Tilt (again, now resolved), Work Tilt ( i got sprung and am now working at home as of friday and Im getting a bonus in two weeks), Poker Tilt in a full moon sucko-out on IG way early in the week only to be rectified by a tourney win Friday nite over Lex (BIG TAI) whose game I really respect, Bankroll Tilt (aka the Neteller debacle) and Family and Friend Tilt (more then I care to go in on). This left me feeling lethargic and helpless and as I mentioned in my earlier blog I let loose and cried not just Saturday but Sunday too. Thank goodness I watched no sappy movies or I would have been blotting all over the place. And I must confess, I cried when Tony Dungy got his good dang super bowl win!!!
I even did a drastic change and chopped off my long hair which I had painstakingly grown out. I finally decided that my sister was right. I dont have the funds ala Courtney Cox or Jennifer Aniston for the spectacular Blow Outs that leaves ones hair straight and shiny and perfect. Nope, I was pulling it back in a pony tail way too often and frankly I think it made me look older. So, I changed hairstylists too (as my old one hated bangs) and went chin length layered bob ala Sandra Bullock (or is it James now) from the December 2006 cover of Glamour sans the highlights right now.. I had showed Snake the cover Friday nite and got a "Do you have that top she's wearing?" . Without batting an eyelash (well maybe a few). I smirked " Of course I do and I fill it out a hell of a lot better the she does". Im a fan of the INC blouses at Macy's. they appeal to my hippy roots and the plunging necklines do wonders for my cleavage. I got year round Tilly tops as Snake calls them. Coupled with my new do, I got my eye brows waxed and god forbid I even mention this.... my lip for only the second time (IG was mortified Thanksgiving when momma IG pointed out some dark hairs springing from above the corners of her mouth). No bikini wax, as I had just had a regroom a few weeks prior.
So Sunday AM, after trying to wrest my funds from Neteller I took myself out for Pad Thai noodles with Mamma IG and I fessed up about why I looked like hell (although she loved my hair)... I told her about my bankroll issue. That got her to say... Maybe you should just play live now and get the rest of your money out and quit online. Your on a computer all the time with work. And for a minute I almost thought about quiting online poker. In fact, I may just do it yet. Adirondack Poker League is on hiatus but the Albany Poker League is gearing up. Games every Thursday and Sunday. Plus I'm doing a deep stack tourney in Amsterdam, NY (not Pauly's and Change100's Amsterdam) the last weekend of February. I so wanted to go up and do Katitude's weekend in Toronto (as I could visit the above mentioned Carol (DCIassassin) who lives in Scarborough and Sandy (Poker Princess) and Kevin (Tilter) who live in Toronto. Alas Neteller foiled those plans as I expected to have the money but the 9th/10th.
In the grand scheme of things I'm not a poor college student who has been using their roll to pay the rent and eat something other then Ramen noodles. The $1946.20 isnt even huge compared to some of the big sports bettors or poker pros who are caught in the crosshairs. But I worked damn hard for that money. Its about 71 hours of overtime which I can earn in about 4-5 weeks legitimately with 401k match etc. But It was money I was earmarking for bigger buy-ins which Im ready for I believe and Vegas.... It was money for WSOP sats etc.
So i trolled the forums and on some sports betting site I found an address for some regulatory agency on the Isle of Mann and filed a complaint against Neteller. And I got a response. Not just one but two.
The first reply with my original email attached (which is not as carefully worded with Iakaris words as is my usual habit) follows:
Dear Lori,
thank you for your email however I have to primarily advise that the Gambling Control Commissioners is not the regulatory authority of Neteller.
Your email has however been forwarded to the Department of Trade and Industry who will respond to you on this matter.
Kind regards
Derek
Derek P Cannon
Gambling Inspector
Isle of Man Gambling Control Commissioners
Oaseiryn Kiarrooghys Ellan Vannin
Homefield
88 Woodbourne Road
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM2 3AP
Telephone +44 (0) 1624 694303 Fax +44 (0) 1624 613777
e-mail derek.cannon@gaming.gov.im
website www.gov.im/gambling
From: Lori Christina [mailto:Lchrist4@nycap.rr.com] Sent: 04 February 2007 22:48To: DHA, Gaming CommissionSubject: Neteller holding on to USA residents funds
I would like to file a complaint against Neteller the online payment processer which is a publicly traded British company or was till they suspended trading in the stock. The FAQs they list on their site leave a lot to be desired. I asked for a withdrawal of my funds that had been sitting in neteller since October 2006 in the amount of $1946.20 on January 17th 2007 and to date I have not seen the funds show up in my account.
They have not addressed the issue of when funds may be released short of a cagey... your money is being held in trust. I would like financial disclosure of where these funds are. Are they stuck in the labyrinth of the banking system. Did they lose the ability to interact with my bank account. What is the hold up.
Expect to be inundated with requests similar to this.
I sincerely doubt the US Dept of Justice has asked that the funds of US resident accounts be siezed as has been rumored in the Washington Post. If so Neteller has to disclose that immediately I believe by law.
Regards
Lori Christina
USA
And Derek turned out to be a pretty cool cat (wonder if he lunches with Lee).. He forwarded my email and I got this reply:
Thank you for your e-mail in relation to Neteller.
We are informed by Neteller that it is in continuing discussions with the US authorities
Neteller have advised us that it is their top priority to return funds to its US members and to achieve this they are working with the US authorities to determine a mechanism to do so
We are also advised by Neteller that unfortunately until such time as this has been achieved Netellers US members will continue to experience delays
Bill Mummery
Head of e-Gaming Development
Department of Trade & Industry
Isle of Man Government
Hamilton House
Peel Road
Douglas
IM1 5EP
Tel : +44 1624 682307
Mob : +44 7624 494113
Fax : +44 1624 687171
bill.mummery@dti.gov.im
A ray of hope maybe, Im not walking in sunshine yet, in fact the fascist state I live in probably will find some way to seize it. At this point I dont care about an EFT withdrawal Send me a check written on a bank in Cyprus for goodness sake and Ill find some bank to cash it even if I have to pay a foreign check fee. It would be friggin worth it.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Neteller Funds Seized by FBI
We are now totally screwed. Should have set the over/under on this one.
Edit ...Not that I still believe we are not screwed this from the online wire:
Meanwhile Neteller maintains that the company holds all members’ funds (all deposited, in-transit and un-cleared funds) by holding the value in independent trust accounts.
To Neteller’s credit the company would be required to immediately disclose seizure of funds to the Financial Services Authority in the U.K. No such disclosure was reported to date.
Attempts to contact Neteller’s spokespersons have gone unanswered.
Effective January 18 Neteller no longer provides service to US members to transfer funds. Neteller discontinued to process withdrawals on behalf of its U.S. member in the 2 weeks following January 18.
On February 1 Neteller stopped offering its Peer-to-Peer service to US members, the last remaining way for U.S. customers to transfer funds out of their e-wallets.
Neteller maintains that the company holds all members’ funds (all deposited, in-transit and un-cleared funds) by holding the value in independent trust accounts
The whole article is here http://www.theonlinewire.com/articleView.aspx?ID=2352
Edit ...Not that I still believe we are not screwed this from the online wire:
Meanwhile Neteller maintains that the company holds all members’ funds (all deposited, in-transit and un-cleared funds) by holding the value in independent trust accounts.
To Neteller’s credit the company would be required to immediately disclose seizure of funds to the Financial Services Authority in the U.K. No such disclosure was reported to date.
Attempts to contact Neteller’s spokespersons have gone unanswered.
Effective January 18 Neteller no longer provides service to US members to transfer funds. Neteller discontinued to process withdrawals on behalf of its U.S. member in the 2 weeks following January 18.
On February 1 Neteller stopped offering its Peer-to-Peer service to US members, the last remaining way for U.S. customers to transfer funds out of their e-wallets.
Neteller maintains that the company holds all members’ funds (all deposited, in-transit and un-cleared funds) by holding the value in independent trust accounts
The whole article is here http://www.theonlinewire.com/articleView.aspx?ID=2352
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Neteller
On 1/17/07 I requested a withdrawal of $1946.20 from Neteller. This amount represents more than half my current bankroll. As of today 2/3/07 the transaction is still listed as pending. I doubt I will ever see the money again. I fully expect Neteller which gets most of its business or got most of its business from the USA will soon go belly up. The funds are being held hostage in the labyrinth of the electronic banking system.
I'm usually an optimist, but the fact that Neteller hasn't issued a proclamation of when we may see our funds except for their limited FAQ's doesnt bode well for us. My guess is they are holding the funds pending the outcome of litigation that could take years. My guess is the DOJ(Dept of Justice) will not only go after neteller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, but they will subpeona the financial records of Neteller itself and find some kind of RICO violation. That would make all of us vulnerable under RICO. Although I highly doubt I will be wearing bracelets I highly doubt I will see my money.
I've read the posts on 2+2, Card Player and Lou Krieger's blog and have that feeling of AGITA that I had last October twelvefold. The fact that they suspended peer to peer transactions has only compounded that AGITA.
Sure I can start over but a $2k loss reduces me to grinder status again and I worked hard for that money. That severely dampens my plans for a nice Vegas trip in July unless I have a big score or put in lots of hours of over-time. Everything I have online is pure profit. I have never gambled bigger then I can afford to lose and I have managed my bankroll remarkably well. my initial investments of $100 to $200 from 2004 were withdrawn along with some winnings to pay for Vegas 2006.
So I did what I havent done in a long long time... I had myself a cry.
I'm usually an optimist, but the fact that Neteller hasn't issued a proclamation of when we may see our funds except for their limited FAQ's doesnt bode well for us. My guess is they are holding the funds pending the outcome of litigation that could take years. My guess is the DOJ(Dept of Justice) will not only go after neteller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, but they will subpeona the financial records of Neteller itself and find some kind of RICO violation. That would make all of us vulnerable under RICO. Although I highly doubt I will be wearing bracelets I highly doubt I will see my money.
I've read the posts on 2+2, Card Player and Lou Krieger's blog and have that feeling of AGITA that I had last October twelvefold. The fact that they suspended peer to peer transactions has only compounded that AGITA.
Sure I can start over but a $2k loss reduces me to grinder status again and I worked hard for that money. That severely dampens my plans for a nice Vegas trip in July unless I have a big score or put in lots of hours of over-time. Everything I have online is pure profit. I have never gambled bigger then I can afford to lose and I have managed my bankroll remarkably well. my initial investments of $100 to $200 from 2004 were withdrawn along with some winnings to pay for Vegas 2006.
So I did what I havent done in a long long time... I had myself a cry.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Sometimes the Cards Aint worth a Dime......
--If you dont lay them down....... The Grateful Dead
Last Saturday I finished as the bridesmaid in two tourneys. Count them two tourneys. What really peeved me off is I went into heads-up ahead in one of them and only a slight dog in the other. I played pretty dang well all day. I then went out suffering typical beats for me. Why do my two pair on the flop always run into a set in heads-up.
So I played the WPBT and went out a run of the mill 24th, but I did earn POY points whereas some very good players didnt. I did knock out Hoyazo when he was crippled. He went over the top and all-in on my open raise with AK and I called holding pocket tens. The tens held and Hoy went home. I had a lucky break when my two pair boated up on the river. For most of the tourney I was near to or up in the top ten, so I feel like I didnt live up to the way I had been playing.
Wednesday nite I played the PA bonus game for those of us in the top 50 of points standing. I managed to final table and finish 9th. Against the chip leader at the final table I either limp or raise the BB from the SB with 6T.... flop comes 6T5.. I check trying to trap. MatrixRunner fires so I push... Once again..two pair into a set of 55's. I was chatting to Snake on the phone and he was like WOW.
That wouldnt have been so bad except I had finished 2nd in a turbo $6.60 sent tourney on FTP. Once again I raise with 7T as the chip leader from the button. Hit the ten for top pair. Check by the BB.. Pot size bet. Call.. I river two pair but his K8os hits runner runner for the str8. UGH again...
Last nite I played like such an impatient donkey I wanted to take a few days off. Plus Im completely stressed out by the Neteller situation now.
So for all you who are registered with your political party and donate... Next time they call you up for money for the next campaign. Tell them what Im gonna tell them. NO!! Im not giving you a freaking dime until you change your position on online gambling, ewallets etc. And Im voting Liberterian. Check out www.reason.com for some recent articles on the Neteller fiasco.
Oh Im finally working from home as of today. Although I couldnt wait to go I was a little apprehensive about it going smoothly. A few minor glitches on the set-up of the router and cable modem but other then that I only lost one call I tried to transfer. OOPS.
Im heading up to Ft Edward to watch the TOC and rail Snake and hopefully have a SNG start for those of us who show up and want to play a tourney. I hate the cash games there as its cappped negating any aggression I have since everyone calls you down when the betting is capped at $3. Never seen so many people chase straight flush draws in my entire life.
Last Saturday I finished as the bridesmaid in two tourneys. Count them two tourneys. What really peeved me off is I went into heads-up ahead in one of them and only a slight dog in the other. I played pretty dang well all day. I then went out suffering typical beats for me. Why do my two pair on the flop always run into a set in heads-up.
So I played the WPBT and went out a run of the mill 24th, but I did earn POY points whereas some very good players didnt. I did knock out Hoyazo when he was crippled. He went over the top and all-in on my open raise with AK and I called holding pocket tens. The tens held and Hoy went home. I had a lucky break when my two pair boated up on the river. For most of the tourney I was near to or up in the top ten, so I feel like I didnt live up to the way I had been playing.
Wednesday nite I played the PA bonus game for those of us in the top 50 of points standing. I managed to final table and finish 9th. Against the chip leader at the final table I either limp or raise the BB from the SB with 6T.... flop comes 6T5.. I check trying to trap. MatrixRunner fires so I push... Once again..two pair into a set of 55's. I was chatting to Snake on the phone and he was like WOW.
That wouldnt have been so bad except I had finished 2nd in a turbo $6.60 sent tourney on FTP. Once again I raise with 7T as the chip leader from the button. Hit the ten for top pair. Check by the BB.. Pot size bet. Call.. I river two pair but his K8os hits runner runner for the str8. UGH again...
Last nite I played like such an impatient donkey I wanted to take a few days off. Plus Im completely stressed out by the Neteller situation now.
So for all you who are registered with your political party and donate... Next time they call you up for money for the next campaign. Tell them what Im gonna tell them. NO!! Im not giving you a freaking dime until you change your position on online gambling, ewallets etc. And Im voting Liberterian. Check out www.reason.com for some recent articles on the Neteller fiasco.
Oh Im finally working from home as of today. Although I couldnt wait to go I was a little apprehensive about it going smoothly. A few minor glitches on the set-up of the router and cable modem but other then that I only lost one call I tried to transfer. OOPS.
Im heading up to Ft Edward to watch the TOC and rail Snake and hopefully have a SNG start for those of us who show up and want to play a tourney. I hate the cash games there as its cappped negating any aggression I have since everyone calls you down when the betting is capped at $3. Never seen so many people chase straight flush draws in my entire life.
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