Bday Stuff

Thursday was my bday whether I liked it or not. I started off the day with an early run to the Borgata where I was blessed by both the poker gods and my innate skills to end up winner for the day after about 8 hours of play. I had dinner at Harrah's Steakhouse, which was awesome! I started off with some oysters on the half shell, then some lobster bisque, the rib eye ( of course) and topped it off with creme brulee which they torched tableside. The tab? A whopping $0! Happy Birthday to me! They scored an A+ in all areas, even if the steak was a little smaller than the 36 ouncer at Borgata's Old Homestead.
From there I headed home in a food coma to meet up with CNN, Ted, MoC and Goose for some mandatory beers out in Media and even a car bomb at Quotations! Thank you guys! Saturday, my friend Chris from Cali was in town and we went out in Media along with Tedman. The town was quiet as most respectable folks were probably at the shore. Sunday I got in some pool time and got a little too much sun without the benefit of SPF protection! Ouch!
Sunday night was a little cookout at Tedman's, whose ribs were awesome!
Monday was a day of rest and relaxation and yesterday, after being up for most of the session, at about 11 pm I got all my money in the middle with two other players. The odds were worth the gamble and with two cards to come I was about 34% to make my flush with two hearts in my hand and two on the flop, but alas, no more hearts fell on the turn or the river and I left loser for the day.
Thanks again to all for the bday wishes and festivities!

Preakness Update

I know I should have posted something prior to the race for those of you who'd like to ride my horse handicapping success to the winner's window, but you wouldn't have done as well on this one anyway because the three favorites finished in the top three. Street Sense, the horse that did so well for me in the Derby, went off as a low-odds favorite this time so the payoff was less. I played the 7-8-4 trifecta (Hard Spun, Street Sense and Curlin) and the payoff was $50 for every $2 bet (compared to $440 for every $2 bet for the winning trifecta in the Derby).
the Belmont is in three weeks and we'll have another shot at the money then. I'll keep you posted, but I am feeling good about going 2 for 2 so far!

Kentucky Derby Update

Friday afternoon I drove out to the Turf Club to place my wagers on the Kentucky Derby. I had narrowed my picks down from the 20 horse field to four horses that I liked (see last post). I bet on #7 Street Sense "across the board" which means if he comes in first, second or third I still win. Since he won I get paid on all three wagers. He went off at 9-2 odds, so its a decent payout.
I also bet the Trifecta, which is picking the the first three horses in the order they finish. I chose the #7, #8 Hard Spun, the local favorite, and #2 Curlin. I "boxed" the bet which means I paid extra so that any combination of those three horses would make me a winner. Well, guess what? The horses finished in that order and I had a very nice payday. The Trifecta paid out $440 for every $2 wagered. Too bad I didn't try the Superfecta (top four horses in order) that one paid out over $29,000 for every $2 wagered!
I was almost ready to tear up my tix as the horses made the last turn my horse was in 19th place! Out of a 20 horse field! Then he made his move along the rail and squeezed through a few horses to take the lead from Hard Spun. He finished two lengths ahead of the local favorite.
It was quite a rush and I celebrated with a few pints at Sligo.
I'll be working on handicapping the Preakness, the next leg of the Triple Crown, which will run on May 19th in Baltimore, and I will keep you posted on my picks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO!

Guess Where I was?

OK, you get three guesses where I have been and the first two don't count. I had what I will classify as an uneventful day at the tables yesterday. Yes, I lost, but after the last few winning sessions I cannot complain. Besides, this game is just a continuation of one long session from January through December and I am still in the black for the year. For those of you who have not had the good fortune of actually seeing inside the Borgata poker room, I have included a snapshot here for your viewing pleasure.
So nothing too exciting to talk about. I was thinking about playing in the Opie and Anthony poker tournament at the Showboat later this month, I just can't stand those guys and if they are actually present it could affect my play! Borgata has a $250k guaranteed event this month, too.
Last weekend we saw AKJN off to Cali with a nice dinner at CNN's. I thought she would have some pics up by now, but she is probably still nursing the Stella headache she woke up with last Sunday. Good thing I am a responsible drinker or Ted, CNN and Jenny from the block would have been stranded at the Plummer!
Tomorrow is the running of the 133d Kentucky Derby. There is a large field of 20 horses running, but I have narrowed it down to four that I like. Hard Spun #8, Scat Daddy #14, Any Given Saturday #18 and Street Sense #7. I'm still undecided about the favorite, Curlin #2. I will be heading out to the turf club today to place a few bets and I'll keep you posted.
It's Friday and that is a plus, hopefully I will have something more blog-worthy come Monday.