Cardplayer Confessions

Borgata Summer Open

2008-06-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I made it to AC twice to play in preliminary events of the Borgata Summer Open. On Tuesday I headed down to play in a new tournament format called "Survivor". Typically in tournaments players compete until there is a final table of nine and continue to play until one player is victorious and holds all the chips. With this format they simply take the number of entries and divide by ten. When they reach that number of players the tournament ends and the remaining players split the prize pool equally, with a smaller payout going to an additional player in the case of an odd number of starting players. For this event we started with 150 players so once we reached 15 players the tournament would end and all remaining players would split the pot. I played a little tight for my own good, but I will blame it on being a little rusty playing the tourneys.
I never was able to build much of a chip stack and was knocked out with about 40 players left. It was till good to be back at the tables for this event and I was looking forward to the next event where I promised myself I would play alot more aggressively.
Thursday I returned for a regular format No Limit event. We started with 200 players at 20 tables with $6000 chip stacks. This time I stuck to my promise and once I got a feel for the other players at the table I started to build my stack. About 4 hours in to the event I had built my stack up to about $26k and was feeling good about my play. We were down to 5 tables, but they weren't all full so again there was about 40 players left. This time there would be cash prizes for the final 27 players with the biggest share going to first place, of course.
I got myself involved involved in a hand that in retrospect I should have been able to get away from, but I guess I will blame it on the Captain and Ginger's I had been drinking for the past 4 hours. The player to my right had raised before the flop to $5k and I had called with a pocket pair of sixes. The player to my left then moved all-in for about $28k. The original raiser finally folded after a few minutes of deliberation and I went into the tank for this decision. I knew we were close to the money (I needed to outlast about 12 more players at this point), but I also knew I would need more chips to make a run at the final table. After alot of thought I hoped the player had two big cards (like Ace-King) but no pair and I shoved my chips into the pot, as well. Unfortunately he turned over pocket Kings and I was suddenly a 4-1 dog to survive the hand.
Unlike an earlier hand in the tournament where I held pocket sixes and made quads on the river, no help came to me and I was walking. Aside from the final hand I was very happy with my play and I am looking forward to then next events this week. I have a feeling my name will be appearing in the tournament final results again very soon.

Here's my chip stack near its peak that night. Orange are $1k, purple $500, black $100 and greens are $25:

Back in AC

2008-06-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Lauren and I returned to Atlantic City for a stay at the Borgata. We checked into our suite early and I hit the poker room. I sat in a juicy No Limit game and realized after about 30 minutes that this was going to be a tough table to make money with. The players were very aggressive and deep stacked, so I felt a little intimidated even with the max buy-in for the table. I struggled for almost an hour and got stuck for a little early on when my bets faced big raises and my hand had not improved.
Finally, a key hand came up. An early player had made it $25 to go and with four other players in the pot before the flop, I was getting the odds to call with my suited Ace-Jack of clubs from the big blind. The flop brought me another beautiful ace, but since I was first to act with four players behind me, I was a little unsure of how much that may have even helped me. I checked and let the other players bet for me. Two did and I called a $60 bet. The turn card was no further help and I checked again. This time the bet was $75 and I made the call and was heads up with a player to my right. He was a young Asian kid and played very aggressively. The king on the turn was a little scary for me and when he bet another $225 I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I looked at him for a sign of anything but my gut was telling me he didn't have an ace, he had a big pair but not an ace. I weighed the odds that he may have had Kings, but that didn't seem right either. I put him on either Queens or Jacks. I took a deep breath and made the call. He threw his cards into the muck and said, "you're good". I showed my hand to collect the nearly $900 pot. He told me he had pocket tens which sounded about right, too. I received some congratulatory comments on the great call from the others at the table and began to stack my new pile of chips.
The very next hand I made a full house to win another large pot and then called it quits for the day after about an hour and a half of play.
Lauren and I got something to eat and then we hit the pool for a little relaxation.
We had a margarita and checked out the band at Gypsy Bar before dinner. The steaks at Bobby Flay's were awesome, even forcing me to consider whether the Old Homestead is still my favorite steakhouse in AC! The lobster & oyster shooters were amazing, too!
Lauren and I played a little blackjack and walked away with a small win. We also hit a crap table where she got to roll the dice for the very first time. She did well and made her first point. We booked a small win there and headed over to check out the new Water Club next door. The Sunroom bar off the lobby is awesome with a waterfall wall and skylights the length of the room. The drink menu looked so good and made it very hard to choose and they even put out little plates of Marcona almonds. Very classy! They are only making 100 rooms available right now, but Lauren and I will be back next Thursday for a stay in the new tower. I'll be sure to snap some picks to post here.
The pics below are from my camera phone looking out the window of our suite on the 42nd floor towards the new tower and the Trump Marina, which Jimmy Buffet bought last week and will be transforming into a Margaritaville Casino!

My Birthday

2008-05-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

As usual I have turned my birthday into a week long celebration that I suppose will finally end tonight. Thanks to Lauren it has been the best birthday I can recall for quite some time. Thursday we headed down to Atlantic City for a delayed celebration after the long Memorial Day Weekend. I had booked a rock star suite at the House of Blues and we were having dinner at the Foundation Room that night, too. We got down early so I could play a little poker before dinner, but since the Showboat poker room doesn't have alot of action, we strolled over to the Taj to find a decent game. I found a decent No Limit game and managed to win a few hundred dollars in about an hour and a half and we headed back to our suite to get ready for dinner.
Dinner was amazing. There was only one other table of people in the place so it was very private and we took our time with the courses, finishing up with desert nearly three hours after we first sat down. Good wine, good food and great company!
After a late morning breakfast in the room we headed back over to the Taj and I found another juicy game. After getting down a little early on I regrouped, took a breath and renewed my attack. In no time at all I had managed to get all-in three times with the nuts and won three large pots, much to Lauren's excitement! It was the first time she had ever sat and watched me play and the poker gods were smiling favorable upon me. I cleaned three players down to the felt, including an older player who blew through $600 in less than 30 minutes. We got it all in with my pocket kings against his pocket queens, then he bought back in and we got it all in again with my Ace-Queen against his Ace-Jack. I made two pair and he lost again to me, informing the table he was done for the weekend as he got up and left. The third all in was a dream as several players limped into the pot and I managed to get in cheap with the 2-4 of hearts. The flop came 3-5-6, giving me the nut straight, although I didn't like the two diamonds that came up as they could easily give a player a flush draw to beat me. More money went into the pot as it came around to the man on my right and he raised it up. I re-raised him and it was folded back around to him. Surprisingly, he made another large raise and I immediately moved all-in figuring he was drawing to the diamond flush. He called me so quickly that I was amazed when all he turned over was A-6 giving him top pair, top kicker. What was he thinking? He was shocked at the strength of my hand and made a few verbal displays of his disgust with the situation. While the turn gave him two pair, my hand held up and I scooped another large pot. I decided to quit ahead and racked up my chips, cashing out with over $760 for about 2 hours work.
We spent the rest of the day checking out the shops at Caesars Pier with a little sushi overlooking the ocean.
It was a great time and I will be heading down again next week and with the Borgata Summer Open starting the following week on June 9, I am looking forward to getting back into some tournament play.

Cash Game at Borgata

2008-05-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

So the brew fest at Iron Hill was sold out so early I never stood a chance. By 11 am there were no more tickets and I was still sound asleep at the time. I will just have to wait until next year.
On Thursday I finally sauntered back into the poker room at the Borgata after a brief hiatus from the live action and mostly playing online. There was a short wait to get into a juicy No Limit game and I finally took an open seat and unracked my chips. I watched a few hands to get a feel for how some of the players were playing and then joined in the action. I mostly folded early on as I was not getting any really playable cards and the few hands I got involved in I was unable to continue after the flop. After about an hour I was stuck a bit but stayed patient and stuck to my game plan. Since it was my first game back I decided I would walk if I doubled up my chips and that was not looking like a favored expectation in the early stages of the game. After almost 2 hours I started getting some decent hands to play and at one point went a on a 6 hand streak where I was dealt 88, 99, JJ, QQ, AQ and AK suited consecutively. With the nines and queens I ended up making three of a kind on the flop to win two huge pots and I even managed to win a big pot with my AK with no improvement when I sensed my opponent had just a little less of a crappy hand than I did. I had bet the flop when nothing came on the board to help me and she called very quickly. I bet the turn again with no help and she called that bet, too. On the river a scare card came that looked like it had completed a spade flush draw. I thought about betting but if she sensed I was weak and raised me I would have had to fold, so I decided to save the chips, check and put out a weak vibe that she might interpret as strength (weak means strong alot of the time in poker, its a tell you just learn to pick up on the more you play). I think she thought I was trying to trap her so she checked and announced "I missed" and I couldn't believe I had wont he pot with an ace high. The rest of the table was pretty surprised, too. As I had more than doubled up my chips after the six hand win streak, I grabbed some racks and proceeded to pile up my chips. I jokingly offered to sell my seat to another player who was anxiously awaiting my departure so he could move into it. I walked to the cashier and left with a nice profit for a three hour session, just shy of my favorite four-figure mark.
I will be heading back again next week and can't wait to get back in the swing of things again!

Brew Fest!

2008-05-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot to report right now. I have been laying a little low on the poker front, but I will be playing in the Borgata Summer Open which starts June 9 and runs through the 24th. Right now I'm looking forward to the Iron Hill Beer Festival that will be held in Media next Saturday. It's always alot of fun, I just hope the weather is going to be nice this weekend. I will be heading down to the Borgata this Thursday for some cash game action and that is about all I have actually planned out for the week so far.

Weekend Update

2008-04-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday I was itching to play some poker so I decided to play in an online tournament. We started out with 4096 players with the top 512 finishing "in the money" (getting paid). I ended up getting knocked out in 210th place and was happy with my performance overall, considering I am a little rusty in the large multi-table tournament arena. That took up a good part of my Saturday, and then Lauren and I made our way over to Ted's little shindig later that night.
We slept in late Sunday and missed Super Sunday in Media, but I prefer the Food Festival anyway.
Last night as I lay in bed looking up at the stars and the sky I couldn't help but wonder, "where the hell is the ceiling?"!

A Night at the Circus

2008-04-18T08:23:00.001-07:00

Lauren and I went to the Ringling Brothers circus at the Spectrum last night and had a great time. We had Celebrity VIP passes with front row seats for all of the action and it was awesome to experience everything so up close and right in front of your eyes. We were invited to join in at one point but we opted not to leave our seats. We would have been paraded around the arena in a large circus float, but I think we would have missed alot of the action going on, too. Afterwards we both thought maybe we should have done it, though.
I've always enjoyed the circus and this was my favorite by far. There's always so much going on you never know where to watch. At one point there was even two people on a motorcycle riding on a high wire right above our heads!
Here are a few of the pics I snapped with my camera phone.
The last pic is of Kelly the elephant painting a picture with a paint brush in her trunk which was pretty funny to see!

Borgata Pics

2008-04-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

These pics are of one of our recent stays at the Borgata and the beautiful suite they provided for us. There are only two levels of suites nicer than this one, but until I have a seven figure credit line with the Borgata I probably won't be staying in them as they rent for about $10k a night. I think you can rent this one for about $3500 a night. Flat screens in every room, including the master bathroom (there wasn't one in the smaller bath off the entry vestibule). The view through the floor to ceiling windows was mesmerizing for Lauren. The last pic is from my point of view on the sofa looking back into the bedroom. My feet made their way into this shot.

A Few Bahamas Pics

2008-04-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know it's been a few months since I got back from the Bahamas with Lauren, but here are some of the pics I took with my camera phone. I finally got the send pic feature fixed on my phone yesterday so here they are! Better late than never, right? These pics are of the Royal Bahamian Suite, the nicest suite in the resort. They start out with Lauren on the balcony. I still need to scan the 35mm pics I took and will post them as soon as I do.

Still Sick

2008-03-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

I have been fighting some kind of upper respiratory infection for more than a week now and while it hasn't completely kicked my ass it has had me down and out of action for most of the past week. I am actually going to finally see a doctor and get something to get rid of this because I have had it with being sick. I made it all winter with a clean bill of health and now this.
I finally got my new Verizon FIOS service installed last week and have been back in action on the virtual poker tables again. I have been playing single table "sit-n'go" tournaments on PokerStars which are nine player mini tourneys where the top three players cash (50% to 1st, 30% to 2nd and 20% to 3rd place). I won two events back to back and came in third in another with only only one other entry where I busted out early out of the money (even though I went all-in with the best hand).
I enjoy the easy access but miss the face to face action of live play at the casino. I just haven't been feeling very motivated to make the drive to the Borgata lately. Hopefully when I am back to complete health I will be back in the live action, as well.

Bed & Breakfast

2008-03-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my Buck's County weekend getaway with Lauren and it was a great trip. We stayed at the Golden Plough Inn, right near New Hope, in Peddler's Village. The room was fantastic, with a first floor living area that included a two person jacuzzi tub facing the fireplace and a high vaulted ceiling with skylights. When you went upstairs their was a king size bed overlooking the living room like a giant loft. Very comfortable with the feel of a warm townhouse more than a hotel room. Since this was a celebration of Lauren's Birthday, I treated her to a "Queen for a Day" package at the spa on Friday. She got an hour and a half facial treatment, a 1 hour massage followed by a manicure and pedicure. She loved it! The girl that did her facial use to work at Bliss Spa in NYC and use to treat Uma Thurman and Sarah-Jessica Parker!
I couldn't resist and ended up getting a treatment, as well!
I strolled around New Hope while I waited for Lauren and then we had an awesome dinner at Earl's Prime, right in Peddler's Village. This place is so upscale it feels a bit out of place in this location. Everything is cooked to order and they have aged steaks, even Kobe beef. Of course everything is a la carte so you can easily go over $200 a person here with drinks. Lauren had the filet mignon and I had a macadamia encrusted sea bass over lobster risotto. I have to put that one down in my top five list. And the desserts were huge. They even had ice cream from the Creamery at PSU! We got that to go!
We did alot of relaxing and sleeping in so it was more like a Bed & Bed since they stopped serving breakfast before we woke up each day.
Anyway, I highly recommend this place and while we were both sorry to miss Ted's bday bash on Friday, we had a great time.

Winter Blahs

2008-02-29T10:25:00.001-08:00

I've been a little lazy about scanning my Bahamas pics so that I can post some here, but I will get around to it eventually. I've really only had one memorable poker session since I returned from the islands and it was a brief session at the Borgata where I tripled my buy-in in just under 90 minutes after sitting down at the table, got up and walked out of the casino.
Had a a little sushi with Ted and MoC the other night at Margaret Kuo's in Media followed by a brief visit to the Plum.
In other highlights I am taking Lauren away next weekend to celebrate her bday. We're staying at a B&B near New Hope. Should be very romantic and relaxing!
Other than that, not alot of excitiment to report about. Hope to get back to the tables this Sunday.

Back in the States!

2008-01-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Well, unfortunately I have to announce that I am back in the states. It was quite a shock to the system walking out of baggage claim late Sunday night in flip flops. I lost all feeling in my extremities within minutes and longed to return to the mid-to-high eighty degree temperatures of the Bahamas that I had left earlier that day.
The trip was wonderful with beautiful weather the entire time. The azure waters of the carribean are almost surreal and the pink-hued sunsets each night were unbelievable, as well. We toasted the sunsets each night with champagne from the giant balcony of the Royal Bahamian Suite, an upgrade they provided us with when I mentioned that the condition of the Royal Village Honeymoon Villa was just not up to my standards. We must have consumed at least ten bottles of champagne in our room alone, as I requested our butler bring a pitcher of fresh-squeezed orange juice and a bottle of bubbly each morning with our breakfast, and we would usually polish off another at sunset before heading out to dinner or late night upon returning to our room. We certainly kept them busy restocking the wet bar in the suite, but hey when they say "unlimited" in their marketing brochures they should know that I take them very seriously.
The food was great and we dined in a different restaurant each night except for two evenings. We enjoyed the romantic surf and turf dinner on the pier so much we had to do it one more time so the night before our departure we returned there to dine under the stars with the waves lapping at the beach beneath our feet. One of the benefits of staying in a butler suite was access to this exclusive restaurant.
Turns out we not only had one butler, but actually three butlers working in shifts to accomodate our every request. Those of you who know me understand I can be a little demanding when it comes to good service.
The exclusive offshore island was a great amenity of this resort that we took advantage of on several days. A short ferry ride across the clear water and you could spend the day secluded on a sun-drenched isle with two private beaches and all the comforts of a full-service restaurant, swim-up pool bar and spa treatments. I forgot how much I loved conch and Kalik beer!
Of course it all ended too fast and leaving was difficult, especially knowing the temperature would be dramatically different back home. I managed to get some time in playing blackjack at the Crystal Palace Casino down the road from our resort, and thanks to their generous offer of four free nights should I return to play, I think Lauren and I will be making an extended weekend visit in the near future!
I'm still getting the pics developed and since they are old school 35mm I need to get them scanned to upload here, but will get to it soon.
Anyway, its good to be back regardless of the weather!

Bahamas!

2008-01-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

We leave for the Bahamas in just a few days and I am very excited about this trip and not because I just found out that the World Poker Showdown is holding its deep-stack poker tournament that same week at the Crystal Palace Casino, just down the street from our resort and within walking distance! No this trip is destined to be the most romantic vacation I have ever taken, and while I have stayed in hotels with personal butler service, I have never had the opportunity to utilize their services for an entire week and Lauren and I plan to put this one to the test of his limits! We will be staying in the Royal Village Honeymoon Villa which is in a secluded area of the resort and I also intend to put their all-inclusive amenities to the test of their limits, too! I'll be sure to take lots of pics and post an update when we get back.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have been inspired by MoC's barrage of new posts to update my blog and wish everyone a Happy New Year! I'll start from the last post. I returned from Vegas recharged and excited to play after 5 winning sessions and 1 loser at the Bellagio poker tables. I even got a little time in at the Luxor and the Palms casinos, as well. I won a little at Blackjack overall, but lost at craps every time, which is why I usually avoid the game in Atlantic City. Thanksgiving was great with a wonderful family gathering at the Top of the World restaurant at the Stratosphere and a trip Downtown to Fremont Street for a taste of old school Vegas. One of the highlights was watching poker pro Phil Ivey playing some high stakes craps at the Bellagio with six figure bets on each roll of the dice! I've included some more pics below.
I played for a bit in the World Series of Poker Circuit event at Harrah's in early December, but came up short of the money. I haven't played much at all with the holidays upon us, but will be getting back to the felt in the next week or so.
Christmas was great and New Year's Eve was a bit more quiet than years past, but fun just the same (see MoC's blog for pics).
Lauren and I will be heading off to the Bahamas on the 15th of this month. From the moment we are picked up at the airport in our chauffer-driven Rolls Royce we will be experiencing the ultimate in luxury vacationing, including a personal butler at our beck and call 24/7! I'm especially looking forward to that trip!
Well, that about does it as far as updates. Wishing you all the best in 2008!

Vegas Baby!

2007-11-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a week in Vegas yesterday and will have a full accounting of the trip shortly. In the meantime, here are a few pics. First is a million dollar pile of bills, then Bellagio at night and finally the canals at the Venetian.

Another Winning Session

2007-11-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

I hit the Borgata again yesterday and sat in a $2/5 No Limit game. I observed a few hands before I was dealt in and I knew there were some loose-aggressive players that would build big pots but would also be dangerous as it is hard to put them on hands since they play such a wide range of cards. I was patient and mostly folded for the first 30 minutes. I won one nice pot but was really biding my time and waiting for the big kill I knew I could make with these kinds of players. After raising with a pair of eights and then folding when I was re-raised pre-flop, I looked down at a couple of tens and made it $20 to go. Three players called my bet and we saw the flop. The poker gods were smiling on me as the first three cards appeared on the felt: 10-6-6. I had flopped a full-house, an absolute monster! Knowing how agressive the other players were I slow played and let them do the betting for me. I checked and a player bet out $50, another played called and I just called, as well. The turn was a 2 and I checked agian. The first bettor put out a $150 stack of chips, the second player folded and I re-raised another $235, and was all-in. The other player called and when I turned over my hand he practically threw his cards in the muck. He was drawing dead, the last card was meaningless and the dealer pushed me a pile of nearly $1000 of chips! This was in the first hour of play!. I played for about another hour then racked my chips, cashed in and headed to dinner.
My confidence is high as I prepare to leave for Vegas this weekend!

Back to Borgata

2007-11-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was my first day back to the poker room at Borgata since I started dating Lauren and I was anxious to see if I could get my focus back. I decided to play conservative and sat at a $2/$5 No-Limit game that had just started before I got there so there were no big stacks yet. I folded my first hand (King-Ten, under the gun) but did play my next hand which was Ace-Eight suited, in diamonds and I was in the Big Blind. I got an ace on the flop but there were three clubs on the board. I bet out and the player to my left made a minimum re-raise, a weak move here. I called and the turn was a non-club rag. I checked and he checked behind me which confirmed my suspicion he had a single club and was looking to hit his flush. The river was another ace, giving me trips and I checked again to see what he might do. He gave up and checked and I took down the pot. A nice opener for sure.
The very next hand, in the Small Blind, I looked down at pocket fours and the whole table limped in and I limped, as well. The flop came 4-K-T and I was first to act and checked. Another player bet $30 and three others called. I thought about raising but decided to smooth call. The turn card I believed was meaningless and I checked again. This time the first better moved all-in and it was folded to me and I called instantly. He turned over King-Ten for top two pair and I showed him my set of fours and he sighed in disappointment. The river didn't help him and I doubled my buy-in on the second hand! I played for about another hour and then took the money and ran. A $540 profit in an hour and a half, not too shabby. Looks like I have a new lucky charm!

I Hit The Jackpot!

2007-11-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't played poker in a week. Like CNN before me, I have been struck by the love bug. It's like hitting a Royal Flush in Hearts on the river to win a monster pot, to put it in poker parlance. My new girlfriend is amazing and I've never been happier! I'm sure it will have an incredibly positive impact on my game when I do get back to the action this week. We've been out every night for the last 11 nights and having a great time together. Just wanted to shout it from the rooftops!
Here's a pic of her from Halloween. Her name is Lauren:

Like the Sands of The Hour Glass...

2007-10-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday night they imploded the Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Lots of history in that place and not just for me. Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack actually use to hang out there. I learned how to play craps there and I had my first $10k+ win playing poker there. It was also where I competed in my first major, televised poker tournament ($10,000 buy-in) with one of the toughest professional fields ever assembled at the time in AC (if you had Fox Sports Net at the time you could have witnessed it on Thanksgiving Day back in 2003!. Lucky for me my bro in San Diego taped it for me!). I can even remember skipping school back in 11th grade and taking one of those bus trips down there to play blackjack!
The Sands was a place where you could sit down at a table and they greeted you by name because they actually knew your name. Those days in AC are gone for good now I think.

After a brief fireworks display it all came down in 18 seconds.

The One Pounder

2007-10-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I accepted the challenge thrown down by Dave Guthrie that I couldn't eat in one seating, the 20 oz. monster cheeseburger at Cheeburger Cheeburger. Well, below are the before and after pics and my image now appears on the wall of fame at the route 202 location.

Flagged!

2007-09-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

This photo is probably just as blurry as the subjects' memories of yesterday. That is none other than Ted, CNN and CNN's big bro Don standing outside John's Bar & Grille shortly after Ted and CNN were flagged! I have never seen Ted get flagged from any bar (although he came close in downtown Saratoga) let alone John's, but he took it like a true drunken gentleman. His futile attempts to argue a logical case with the bartenders for more shots were quite entertaining to witness, as well.

Punta Cana Photos

2007-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

While my personal memories of the Punta Cana trip are still a bit hazy, I am relying on the generosity of other, less alcoholically-challenged, travelers who had the forethought to even take a camera with them to submit their photos to me. I did manage to take a few shots with my trusty camera phone and I present them here now for your immediate enjoyment.
The first image is of the Punta Cana International Airport. Even with a thatched roof and mule-driven baggage cars, this facility is 1000% more efficient than Philthadelphia's billion dollar fiasco!
The remaining images are of the beach at the resort, the beautiful pool (I was unable to photograph the swim-up bar due to security issues, mainly my own) and the two talking parrots that would roam the grounds looking for food handouts and behaving in a generally annoying fashion. They'd throw you some false compliment to put you at ease, then go right for your wristwatch! Damn parrots!

Back In the USA

2007-08-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's good to be back in the US and A and my return from the Carribbean was quite timely as I beat Hurrican Dean's arrival by just a few days.
Punta Cana was alot of fun with great beaches, good food and even better rum. While I didn't get to play any poker on this trip, I did manage to get in a few sessions at the craps table and even some blackjack. My blackjack Basic Strategy was a little rusty, but its like riding a bike and soon I was hitting, splitting and doubling down like a seasoned pro. It was a very small casino with only two blackjack tables, a craps table and a roulette wheel, but it was fun and the only place open until 3 am (other than the disco which was a little cheesy for my tastes).
I am anxious to get back into the action as it has been about two weeks since I played live poker. I plan to get back in the game at Borgata some time this week.

Toga! Toga! Toga!

2007-07-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

The road trip to Saratoga this weekend was a successful blend of excessive drinking, swimming, eating and horse betting that exceeded all expectations. Ted and I got a late start Friday on the drive and the trip up was a painful six hours with traffic. Once we got there the margaritas and beer were flowing and Kro's beautiful new pool provided a needed late night cool down. Making the trip up were Goose, Weist and Ray along with their wives, and Ted and I made up the single contingency. CNN and JFTB both backed out at the last minute and were missed by all.
Saturday morning we arose early for breakfast and to get ready for the big day at the track. Wendy and Ray had secured a prime picnic location in the wee hours of the morning while we all slept off our margaritas. We packed up the food and beer (after a few of Goose's bloody marys) and hit the track just before noon, with the first race scheduled for 1 pm. The long shots were having a field day in the early races and it was tough to pick winners, but as the day progressed and the beer intake increased we started to hit some winners, at one point going 4 for 4 with the #5 horse! In the tenth race we had the 29 to 1 longshot across the board and it was the most exciting race of the day. He almost won the race wire to wire, but faded in the final stretch and came in second for a nice payday that more than made up for the earlier disappointments and losses. We left after the tenth race and missed the eleventh race as it was after 6 pm and the sun and beer had taken its toll on us. All we wanted to do was get back to Kro's and jump in the pool.
After some dinner and even more beer I was content with the evening prospect of hanging at Kro's house playing some beer pong and chilling, when the subject of going Down Town was broached. One by one we conceded and before I knew it we were piling into Wendy's car as she had graciously offered to drop us off Down Town. It was after 10 pm as Kro, Goose, Ted, Ray and I (Weist stayed back at the house) made our way into the first bar of the night. By 1 am we had hit four different establishments, including a rowdy college bar with a drinking game table at center stage, a fifth floor rooftop bar and a reggae bar that had sold out of Red Stripe!
We settled in at the fourth stop with a couple dozen hot wings and a couple pitchers of beer. Around 2 am we decided it would be smart to call a cab and head home. The waitress told us she called a cab and we closed our tab and proceeded to wait outside. The town streets were packed with people and we figured it would be a bit of a wait, but after thirty minutes we were really getting impatient and a few of us ventured back inside to wait at the bar. When I strolled back inside I found Ted and Ray with a fresh round of margaritas and Ted was beginning to work his magic on the juke box with a montage of AC/DC & Van Halen selections. I ordered a 'rita myself and settled in at the bar. A few minutes later Kro strolled back in and a few minutes after that Goose finally figured why should he be waiting outside for a cab while we were all inside drinking!? Within minutes we had our full drink on and we were feeling no pain!
At one point it appeared that our cab actually pulled up out front but another drunk person jumped into it before we could get to it or even put down our drinks. By 3 am, and many margaritas later, Kro was getting worried that we might not be able to get another cab, and that fear was confirmed when the bartender tried to call us one but all the cab company phone lines were busy. When the bar employees began turning off the lights and mopping the floor around us we got the picture that they wanted us to leave and we headed out into the street in search of a cab and/or more drinks (after I argued with them for not staying open until the advertised 4 am closing time). At this point Ted made it clear to us all that "we still have a solid hour of drinking ahead of us". We went in search of an open bar to continue the festivities and Kro finally called Weist to come get us when the true impact of a potential hour long walk home sunk in with the rest of us. Weist was happy to oblige which made us want to stay and drink even more, but somehow the voice of reason prevailed, although I did not recognize the voice at the time, and we were soon enroute back to Kro's. All in all it was a great trip Down Town!
I awoke Sunday morning to the wafting aroma of bacon and eggs. My eyes were as red as my sunburned scalp and my head was pounding. Only Goose's patented bloody mary could bring me back from the depths of hangover hell. After breakfast Ted and I said our goodbyes and hit the road for home. The ride home was not nearly as bad at just under four and a half hours and it was good to be back in Media. Of course I can't wait until next year's trip!

Vegas, Baby!

2007-07-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

My airfare is booked, my two bedroom, two bath villa is reserved and I am looking forward to my next trip to Vegas! I'll be heading out the week of Thanksgiving (Sunday to Saturday) for some fun in the desert. I want to rent a car to get me around to all the different casinos and poker tournaments that week so I am investigating my options and have it narrowed down to two choices. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spider or the Ferrari Modena Spider. Which do you think is the best choice for me?

Saratoga

2007-07-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the start of the races at Saratoga and a group of us are heading up to visit Krotow and his family and of course we will be attending the races on Saturday. This has always been one of my favorite trips (along with the Pocono trip) and I am looking forward to relaxing, drinking and making some money on the ponies! My good friend Street Sense (who won me a bundle at the Derby) will be racing on Saturday, too!

Summer Concerts

2007-06-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Borgata is not just a gambling mecca, it is also a world class entertainment destination! Check out these upcoming shows and let me know who's interested.

July 31...311 w/ Matisyahu
August 2... The Beastie Boys
August 25... Velvet Revolver

In The Money!

2007-06-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! After what seemed like an unbearable dry spell (and no, not what you're thinking) I finally broke the curse and cashed again in a poker tournament! I was at Borgata Thursday with the goal of winning a seat in the the $5k buy-in main event of the Borgata Summer Open through a satellite tourney ( a cheap way to get into the bigger buy-in events). We started with 180 players at 20 tables and the top 17 would get seats with18th place paying the leftover cash. Well, six hours later I was the short stack with exactly 18 players left. Next one out didn't get a seat, but a nice cash consolation prize. I was trying to hang around for one more player to get knocked out as I really wanted to play in the event this weekend: first place in that one should pay more than $600k! I had to make a move and put in all my chips with a marginal hand (6-9) and while I made two pair on the board, my opponent made a better two pair and I was out in 18th. What really sucks is that some of the other players were actually organizing an effort to collect an extra $100 from each player left to allow me to get a full buy-in (along with the cash prize I was guaranteed) but the action happened too fast and I was all-in before they could get agreement from everyone!
Oh well, I played great poker and I guess I really can't be disappointed.
Hopefully I got my mojo back, baby!

Borgata Bust Out

2007-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I entered the Limit Hold em event of the Borgata Summer Open. I busted out a bit over five hours into the tournament. Disappointing, but I really only played premium hands and just got unlucky on a few big hands where I started with the best of it. I hit the Waterfront at Harrah's for dinner and then headed back to the Borgata for some cash game action. There was open seating for $1/2 No Limit and I bought in for $200. I picked a good table and got hit by the deck from the first hand. I made a straight on hand one for a small pot. Flopped top pair and the nut flush draw on the second hand, then it was pocket aces on the third hand and an early player raised into me. I reraised and we ended up getting all the money in pre-flop. He held jacks, but had less money than me, so it was a decent pot but not a full double up. Now the table was worried about me. A few hands later I accidentally flipped up one of my hole cards and exposed the 2 of clubs. I hadn't seen my other card yet but I quickly made a comment that there was another one just like it underneath. When I looked I couldn't believe it. There was another 2 giving me a pocket pair. The flop came with a 2 and two hearts. I bet out and another player raised me. I reraised and he thought about it for a minute. I thought: didn't he see what happened before the flop? After a minute he moved all-in and I quickly called. I guess only the observant players at my end of the table saw my exposed card and heard my comment. He turned over pocket nines and I turned over my set of dueces. My hand held up and for the first half hour of play I was up over $560!
I played for another hour, cashed out with a nice profit and headed home. Thursday I will be back trying to win a seat in the $5000 buy-in main event which starts Saturday and runs through Tuesday.

Streak Comes to a Crashing Halt at Belmont

2007-06-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

My winning streak in the Triple Crown series came to a bitter finish Saturday when Imawildandcrazyguy failed to finish in the top four. The final order of horses was 7-3-2-6 and I had bet 7-3-1-6 so a big goose egg for me. Now 3 out of 4 ain't bad, but JftB won't even speak to me anymore!
This weekend I got to experience the cycle of life firsthand by attending the first birthday party of my friend's daughter and then proceeding to another friend's 60th birthday party. Both parties were fun and the weather was great, too.
So this week the saga continues and I will be back at the green felt table tomorrow. The Borgata Summer Open starts Wednesday and I am planning to play at least two of the events next week.

Friday is the much anticipated Media 5 Miler party at Ted's and that should be an awesome time!

Belmont or Bust!

2007-06-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

The bets are down and we can only wait and see what happens now. I drove out to the Turf Club and put my money where my mouth is trying to continue my current 2 for 2 streak in the first two legs of the Triple Crown. I played the 3-6-7-1 Superfecta which is Curlin, Hard Spun, Rags to Riches and Imawildandcrazyguy. I boxed the bet so if they finish in any order in the top four we have a winner!
I also played the 3-6-7 and 3-6-1 Trifectas for a total investment of $288.

On the poker front, after my bad beats of Tuesday night, I headed back down to the Borgata on Wednesday and was able to more than recoup my loss and come out with a nice win. I got lucky on two hands in particular to win big pots, but I am entitled to suck out a few times, too! They were closing the room at 11 pm for maintenance so it was a brief session. Including my hour and a half dinner, I was there for about 5 hours. Actually I got a little reprimand for taking so long at dinner since I had locked up my seat and there was a waiting list to get into the game and they were just about to bag my chips and give someone else my seat when I sauntered back into the room. I apologized to the other players and then proceeded to triple my chip stack in the following 2 hours of play, and when I felted one player in two consecutive hands he stormed off in disgust.

Good Luck to anyone betting the Belmont. I'll have an update Monday.

Thoughts on Belmont

2007-06-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

While I won't be in attendance, like CNN and JftB, at this weekend's Belmont Stakes, I have some preliminary thoughts on the outcome and how to bet it for maximum value.
There are 7 horses running including a filly, Rags to Riches. I think the two favorites, Curlin and Hard Spun will perform as expected even though Hard Spun has a new rider. Then you simply box them for win and place and wheel Tiago, Imawildandcrazyguy, CP West and Rags to Riches for the show and you have almost every combo covered for only a $16 minimum bet. I will watch more closely over the next two days and see how the money falls and what the odds drop to before deciding for sure, but this looks like a race you can certainly make money with!

Borgata Brutality

2007-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I got a late start yesterday so I headed to Harrah's for Dinner before playing to mix up my routine a bit. After some sushi and a little Mongolian BBQ, I walked into their poker room hoping to find a decent game. There were a few small games going but they only had a list of interest for the bigger game I was looking to play. I drove over to the Borgata where you can always count on the action.
I sat with a few recognizable faces and started to play. I won a nice pot early when I called a pre-flop raise with pocket fours and turned a full house while my opponent made the nut flush. You can't ask for anything more than that. You have the nuts and your opponent has the second best hand! I was still stacking chips when I looked down at two aces and raised it up pre-flop with one caller. I bet out with two clubs on the flop thinking I might be sweating a flush draw, but he called anyway. The turn was a rag and I bet again, he raised and I thought he might have hit a set (three of a kind) but I called and he had a set of fours so I kissed two thirds of my newly constructed chip stack away on that one.
I kept my cool as best I could after that one, and just tried to make the best of it. I was able to get back to even with a few nice pots and then the final hand came. I was in the pot for free in the blind and flopped three tens. I checked, a player bet and several more called so I pumped it up when it got to me and had one caller, coincidentally it was the same guy who had cracked my aces earlier. I checked the turn and he bet, I moved all in and he asked me if I had aa full house? I didn't say a word but now I knew he was on a drawing hand. He called and the jack on the river gave him the straight he was looking for. I was down to the felt and decided to call it an early night and head home. I was back in Media before 10 pm.
Hoping to turn things around on Thursday!

On the Belmont front, I am thinking about playing a trifecta with Curlin and Hard Spun and a few of the other notables. They will be favorites, but if we can get Digger or Tiago in third we might make a real payday. I'll update you with my final decision as they announce the post positions today.

Bday Stuff

2007-05-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-05-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Bill to License Online Gambling Introduced

2007-04-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, Rep. Barney Frank introduced legislation in the House that calls for online gambling to be licensed and regulated in

America

.
This bill goes directly against the intent of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that was passed late last year, which forced many online sites and online gambling-related businesses to cut off customers located in the U.S. The UIGE Act was snuck into a must-pass bill designed to increase the security of the nation's ports at the twelfth hour.
Frank has been an outspoken opponent to the UIGE Act. He believes that the UIGE Act tramples individual freedom.
“The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone,” Frank said.
The Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing entitled “Can Internet gambling be regulated to protect consumers and the payments system?” at a date to be determined in June.
I'll keep my fingers crossed but won't bet on it passing.

Guess How Many Chips

2007-04-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

OK, this is a take on the jelly-bean jar contest. Guess how many chips ( $ amount) I have in front of me without going over. At Borgata red chips are worth $5, greens are $25 and blacks are $100. Closest to correct total without going over wins!
Winner shall receive a free pint at Sligo!

Weekend Update

2007-04-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

After being sick for three days this week I thought I'd better get my ass down to the Borgata and get some time in at the tables, so I headed down before noon on Saturday (a feat in and of itself). I sat immediately upon arrival in a no limit cash game and summed the table up fairly quickly. Fishy, fishy, fishy, fish! There were two other players that seemed to have a modicum of poker sense so i was careful to play pots with them, but the rest of the table was easy pickings and I quickly tripled my starting stake in under two hours. I played until about 6 and then headed over to the Pier at Caesars, initially intent on dining at Buddakhan, but ended up eating at Phillips, the seafood house from Baltimore. It was very good. While my stomach cried for steak, I instead opted for the bounties of the sea, starting with a half dozen Malpeque oysters on the half shell and then easing into my entree, which was a humongous steam pot, placed in the center of the table and overflowing with a whole lobster, mussels, king crab legs, potatoes, corn on the cob and colossal shrimp. I washed it all down with two pints of Phillip's Amber. It was a huge feast and I nearly finished it all. For dessert it was chocolate-pecan pie. Then back to Borgata where I decided to sit in a bigger game and barely avoided donking off my entire day's profit in a brutal game of raises and reraises among some seasoned pros who had the run of the table.
Sunday I took it easy, but on Monday, with the power out in half of Media for who-knew-how-long, I headed back down to my home by the shore once more. I sat in a lower stakes game and went on one of the best card runs of my career. The odds of being dealt pocket aces are 1 in 221 hands. I had them three times in one fifteen minute period alone, and a total of 8 times for the session! One of the times I was last to act and I sat in awe as the first player raised, the next player re-raised all-in, the next player called and then it was on me with pocket rockets. I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn't some vivid erotic dream before pushing my stack in to the center of the felt. Lucky for me, one player dropped out to my re-raise, and that player showed his pocket nines when he folded. I was up against two players with all our money in the center and five cards to come. My opponents held Ace-King and Ace-Nine respectively, and were huge underdogs to my monster hand. My pair held up through the flop, the turn and the river and I took down a huge pot, but when a nine came on the flop, I knew that I had narrowly escaped execution and was happy that the other player had folded. That set the tone for the session and just a few hands later I had the aces again and built another nice pot with one opponent. I spiked an ace on the flop to make trips and took down yet another big pot. I saw more pocket pairs than I have ever been dealt before in a single session. Kings, Queens, jacks, tens, nines, eights, sevens, sixes, just about every pair possible was dealt to me. I am actually afraid of the next session because mathematically I am sure to get screwed with crappy cards! When I announced that I was playing one more hand before heading to dinner the table resounded with a sigh of relief and I was sure I would look down at two rags and get up and walk to the restaurant. No, I looked down at pocket aces and my raise was seen as a bully tactic by the others and I was called by several non-believers. A moment later I stacked my new chips and headed off to dinner laughing (dinner was prime rib and roast pork with chorizo sauce and several glasses of Bachus Cabernet).
Upon my return my first hand was pocket eights and my very next hand was pocket queens, so I quickly showed the table that my streak was far from over. In the last two hours I played after dinner I actually got aces twice more! I had played from noon until 11pm and I was ecstatic when I left. I'm going back down tonight to test the poker gods yet again!

Separated at Birth-The Poker Edition

2007-04-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday at Borgata

2007-04-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to play as much as possible lately, both because I am running well and I am trying to build up maximum comps for Vegas. Turns out that My Borgata Rewards points are actually good at the Bellagio and MGM properties out west so it will be sweet to use those comps for all my gourmet dining while I am out in Vegas.
I sat in a smaller no-limit game last night and played for about 7 hours, cashing with a profit of close to $50/hr. Not too bad, but not enough to get my juices flowing either. It was a bit of a grind and took alot of patience to deal with some of the fish at the table. Dinner was rare lamb chops ( ireally wanted medium I think), the first of which was awesome, but the second was actually so rare it had a Hannibal Lecter/Silence of the Lambs appearance to it and I couldn't even eat it. My new favorite dessert down there is the Oreo Parfait and I had two of them last night. (In retrospect it is actually my second favorite as nothing compares to the Creme Brulee at the Old Homestead!)

Travel Updates

2007-04-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

For those who keep track of such things, I have recently firmed up some travel plans and just thought I would spout off about them here for no particular reason other than I am slightly bored at the moment. Aside from the mandatory Vegas trip during World Series of Poker (which will run from June 1 thru July 16 this year, for those of you who keep track of such things), I will be heading to the beautiful blue waters and white sand beaches of the Caribbean and more specifically, the always sunny, western side of the Dominican Republic known as Punta Cana. It's for a family friends' wedding and I will be staying in a stunning, oceanside villa at the Secrets resort the week of August 9 - 16. I have already mapquested the area casinos and I will pack accordingly. I also have checked the travel advisories: Only drink bottled water and stay away from any Haitian-Homosexual-Hemopheliac-Heroin users!
I also have firmed up plans for a Thanksgiving in Vegas! Yes, I will be heading west again in November (16th to the 25th) for some round the clock poker and turkey with all the trimmings. While the condo has been booked, I actually haven't firmed up the turkey part yet, but there are so many great restaurants to choose from and I'm sure I will be fine!
And that is about it for the travel plans that I know of at this time. I will keep those of you who keep track of such things updated of any additions to my itinerary as neccessary.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

After an impromptu blogger meeting I was inspired to post this weekend. CNN, Chuck, Ted and I met for a few pints at Sligo on Saturday night (CNN had slightly more than a few, but that may be an entirely different blog entry) and the mood was festive and blog-inspiring, as was Isabella, the newest addition to the wait staff.
While Chuck left us early for a prior committment somewhere on the main line, CNN, Ted and I remained for a few more and even made a trek down the street to Quotations for some warm Hoegartens.
on Friday I headed down to my second favorite city and logged about 10 hours of play at the table. The Borgata poker room was overflowing due to the huge turn-out for their $50k guaranteed tournament so open seats were hard to find and I headed over to Harrah's to wait out the rush. I hadn't been there in at least six months and the new expansion was impressive. I sat in a new no-limit game that was forming and played for about four hours before heading back to the Borgata for dinner. I only managed to play a few hands in the four hours, with one stretch of at least an hour and a half without playing a single hand. I took advantage of the few playable hands and left the game winner.
After a little filet mignon and pecan encrusted salmon at Borgata I made my way to the poker room and was seated right away at a no-limit table. I doubled up my stake fairly early on when I flopped a set of eights, got all my money in with one other player and I survived his nut flush draw. Later in the night I got involved in a big hand with the same player and he was able to extract his revenge on me by getting lucky enough to make two pair against my top pair. That hand alone cost me about $1600 and since it was approaching 1 am, I decided to call it quits for the night and head back to Media with a small loss for the night thanks to my earlier win at Harrah's.
So now it is early afternoon Easter day and I am awaiting the start of the Masters coverage where I will be rooting for Tiger to take down yet another green jacket.

A Wee Bit of Guinness

2007-03-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Sligo for lunch on Friday afternoon and ended up staying until 10pm! The Guinness was going down way too smooth, as were the Jameson's and the Irish Car Bombs! There was a steady stream of friends arriving and leaving throughout the day including Ted, CNN and even MoC! Of course, this put quite a damper on my actual St. Patrick's Day celebration as I wasn't able to get out of bed until about 3pm Saturday. I managed to rally and when I heard that CNN's flight to Florida was "canceled" I ended up picking her up at the airport and we went and met Chuck down in Olde City. It was a zoo down in the city and once you actually managed to squeeze your way into bar there was barely enough room to stand and lift your beer to your lips. All in all it was a fun weekend from what I can remember!

More Poker

2007-03-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

I played at Borgata yesterday. Same game, No Limit Hold Em. The table had a few strange players so I played very carefully early on. I also managed to get some great cards and showed some big hands which enabled me to take down some pots with nothing a few times. After being up for a while I lost alot of chips on a big hand when I played my pocket kings strong after the flop and ran into a gambler who stayed in against me with rags and got lucky to catch two pair. It hurt and while I don't usually let hands get to me, this one was for alot of money and I had to get up and go for a walk to cool down. I had $20 in free slot dollars courtesy of the Borgata, so I sat at a Wheel of Fortune slot machine and loaded in the free money. I have never hit the "spin" reel so many times before. I was up over $100 in no time. I cashed out with my new found $100 and feeling a little better, headed back to the poker room to rejoin the game. A pivotal hand that actually meant the difference between me going home loser or winner came up later that night. . The hand was raised by the player on my immediate right, I reraised and he went all in and I quickly called. I was the one who needed to get lucky this time and did so by catching a queen on the river to make trip queens against the monster pair of kings my opponent held. Winning a hand as a 4-1 dog feels a hell of alot better than losing one as a 20-1 favorite! That hand sent that player for a long walk, too!
Dinner was delicious as always. I had grilled lamb chops and an Oreo parfait for dessert.
I didn't get home until almost 1 am. I am headed back down tomorrow, as well.

High Steaks Poker

2007-02-23T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I was back in AC at the Borgata. My intention was to enter the 7 PM tourney so when I arrived at 5:30 I sat in a no-limit cash game to pass the time until the start of the event. By 7pm I was up a couple hundred so I decided to bag the tourney as I had a better expected profit in the cash game. The table was full and there were maybe 3 or 4 decent players with the rest of the field pretty weak in their play. One memorable hand I played from the Big Blind with hole cards of 10 and 2. There were several players in the pot and no raises so I checked and we saw the flop. 10-2-2. What a beautiful sight. I slow-played and checked and sure enough had players betting into the pot. I merely called and then checked the turn, as well. A player bet and it was folded to me. I re-raised him and he called. On the river I bet out and he called. I turned over my full house and scooped a nice pot.
I played until about 8 pm when I decided it was time for dinner. I was still up a few hundred and hadn't eaten at the Old Homestead in a while so I headed there. I walked past the long line at the entry and was seated immediately. I ordered the Gotham Steak, their signature 36 ounce rib eye and a glass of Bacchus cabernet. The steak was awesome and I even saved room for a little dessert: creme brulee. The dinner ate up half my profit for the night, but it was worth it.

I got back to the table around 9:30 and immediately went on a card rush. The second hand I played after sitting back down was an A-Q. I raised and had one caller. The flop came with an Ace and a King, but I didn't put him on A-K since he had only called my raise. I bet out and he raised me big. I thought about it for a minute and called. On the turn I checked and he moved all in. Now I had a big decision to make. I was looking at a nearly $600 pot and I didn't have the nuts, but I did feel in my gut that he didn't have A-K. He was sitting there solid as a rock and I couldn't really get any tells from him, but I just wasn't buying what he was trying to sell me. I called and when he hesitated to turn over his hand I knew I had him. My A-Q had trumped his A-J! The dealer pushed a huge pile of chips to me and the other players commented on how great a call I had made. One player even said, "that was the best call I've ever seen." I don't know about that, but it was pretty good!
It got even better after that. A few hands later I was dealt pocket fours and the flop came Q-4-J with two hearts. I bet out to try to keep out anyone chasing the hearts and was immediately raised. The next player moved all-in, but he didn't have alot of chips. There was no way the guy had pocket queens or jacks, so the best he could have was two pair or the flush draw. I said, "all-in" and he went into the tank. I really didn't want him to call at that point as if he did have the heart flush draw I would have to sweat nine outs with two cards to come. I told him it was going to cost him to try to suck out on me and he put it together pretty quickly that I had flopped a set. He thought about it some more, but finally folded. The other player turned over Q-J and my set held up. Turns out the player who folded had the same hand, Q-J, so in hindsight that was the best possibility for me and I wished he had called afterall. My chips were growing into towers now and I had at least 4 times as much money as the next player at the table. The very next hand I looked down at pocket tens and raised. Another player moved all in and I called. He turned over A-K and my hand held up again. I now had a three-story tower of chips that had to be intimidating as hell to the rest of the table. I used my table image and chip stack to take down several more pots with bets and raises that no-one dared to call. I started to rack my chips and left the table about 10:30 with one of the best profits I've ever made in an hour of play and cashed out with a four-figure win!
The World Series of Poker Circuit is coming to Caesars on March 5 so I'd like to get a few more sessions in before the tournament starts. My confidence is high and I can't wait.

Mountain Getaway

2007-02-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the much anticipated Pocono Mountain Getaway. It's been a year since the last trip and there was a record turnout this time, with 10 people making the trek to Lake Wallenpaupack. Not even a raging fondue party in Media could keep the likes of Granger, Dibs or the infamous Maxwell from attending this year.
There were no special stops on the way up this time (except for a quick beer at the Totem Pole Inn near the cabin) so the early crew (Myself, Paul, Ted and Granger) arrived at the cabin around 4pm to begin digging out the driveway from the almost 2 feet of snow. Guthrie and Maxwell were the second string and they arrived around 7pm. The six of us headed out to Crazy Fingers for dinner since the others wouldn't be arriving until even later. This was probably the last time we will ever eat at that establishment in our lifetimes. The first round of drinks were pathetic margaritas served in tiny martini glasses! They got the pitchers of beer OK, but not enough glasses! They finally switched the margaritas to larger glasses, but we were so focused on drinking that we didn't even realize we had no food in front of us until at least an hour after we ordered. When it finally came it was either cold, overcooked or undercooked, depending on what you may have ordered. I even had to send a drink back it was so weak! The bill was nearly $200 which added more insult to injury.
but we did manage to get Ray's meal taken off the bill ( he ordered a steak "rare" and it arrived so charred that it crumbled into ash when he tried to cut into it) and he got a token for a free drink on his next visit.
The Third string crew, consisting of Krotow, Huey and Dibs, were getting close, so we gave them directions to the nearest beer distributor and headed back to the cabin to meet them.
Weist wouldn't make it up until Saturday morning so the nine of us partied until the wee hours, except for Granger who went to bed about 10:30. The bottle of Cabo Wabo was gone in the first hour, but we had at least three cases of beer in reserve. Everyone had a great time.

We all seemed to miraculously awake at 8 am and Guthrie got us jump-started with some spicy Bloody Marys. Then we headed to Hawley for breakfast at the diner. We took a scenic route through the woods and stopped to admire a frozen waterfall. Breakfast was a hilarious scene as we took over the back room of the diner. The waitress seemed to remember us, but I'm sure the locals were wondering just who in the hell this boisterous group of drunken out-of-towners was.
I don't know what it is about the mountains, but I always seem to have a heartier appetite when I am up there. My breakfast consisted of 2 eggs over-easy, scrapple, hash browns, corned-beef hash, toast, creamed sausage gravy over a large country biscuit and a Belgian waffle. I figured it would be a good base for the day of drinking ahead of us. After teasing the waitresses and hassling a local man sporting a NY Jets jacket, we headed across the street to Pat's Bar. It was only 10:45 and while the place was open for business, we were the only customers at the time. We drank, played pool, domineered the juke-box and probably made the bartender's day with our jokes, jeers and healthy tab of drinks.
Weist finally made it up and actually met us at the bar where we enjoyed a few rounds with him before heading back to the cabin. We stopped at the beer distributor (we only had a few beers left from the night before) and the market, where we stocked up on steaks and snacks.
Three more cases of beer, 2 large bottles of vodka and a few bottles of wine would be available for consumption on this second evening on the lake.
We kept a good drinking pace going throughout the rest of the day and after watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High for the third or fourth time in a row, we had dinner. Steaks done on the grill, mashed potatos and ring-dings for dessert. Everything always tastes better in the mountains.
Another great night and we partied into the early morning hours again. We didn't linger long in the morning as many of the attendees had families to get back to, but we stopped at another diner on the drive home, in Hamlin this time, and we had a great breakfast. My stomach still hurts, not from the food or the alcohol, but from all the laughing. It was just non-stop the whole trip and that is what makes it such a great time. I think everyone caught equal amounts of heat throughout the weekend, although I think Guthrie's truck getting stuck in the snow gave us enough material for a long time to come.

I hope we can do it again next year!

Interesting Bet

2007-02-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Phil Ivey, one of the best poker players in the world and often referred to as "The Tiger Woods of Poker" has challenged none other than the "Phil Ivey of Golf" to a heads up match. Phil has actually challenged Tiger Woods to a heads up match at Shadow Creek golf course in Las Vegas, one of the most beautiful courses in the world, for the sum of $5 million!

Here's the details of the challenge:

Ivey will tee off from the ladie's tees, Tiger from the tips.

They will play a match-play format, dead even, no handicaps.

Tiger may not use a putter, he must use his driver to putt.

Iv'e seen Phil play golf and he is way in over his head on this bet.

Night at the Borgata

2007-02-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

I just switched to the new version of Blogger and while I don't see anything really different from my viewpoint I'm sure it was for the best and this is my first post under the new version.
I stayed at the Borgata Thursday night. Played in their regular Thursday night tourney with a $120 buy-in. There were about 150 players and I felt that I played well, but missed the money by a few seats. I was knocked out in 26th place with 18 seats getting paid. The last two events I played I realized in retrospect that I had been playing a bit "scared", concentrating more on surviving than trying to win. I went into this event with a different mindset. I have been dominating the cash games lately and I planned on using the same style of play that was working for me in the ring games. It worked. I had built my chips up to almost $20k in the first few hours and really only made one big mistake when I lost 1/3 of my chips on a hand. I had King-Ten and the flop came 10-Jack-7 with two hearts. There were three players in the pot including me and the first player went all-in with his last $3200. I still had a player behind me and I put the first player on a heart draw. I thought about it and called, as I didn't want to totally commit to the hand with the player still to act behind me. I could tell he was torn about his decision and he respected my play, laying down a pocket pair in an earlier hand to me pre-flop when I made a large bet. He reluctantly called and I actually put him on a straight draw at that point. The ace on the river gave the winning hand to the first player, who had been on a heart draw with the ace of hearts and made top pair on the last card. I lost the hand but had a good read on the players.
The other mistake I made was in miscalculating the number of players left in the event when I moved all-in. I thought there were 4 tables left when there were actually only three. The "fourth" table I saw was a separate single table tournament and had I known how close I was to the money I might have waited for a better spot. I was in the hand with Queen-Ten and the flop came with a ten high. I bet out, everyone folded but one player who moved all-in. At best I put him on a ten but with a lower kicker, or a lower pair. This hand would give me a substantial amount of chips to make the final table so I called his bet and he turned over Ten-Seven. I was a 4 to 1 favorite with two more cards to come. He caught a seven on the turn to make two pair and I got no help on the river and was knocked out. Disappointing, but I was still happy with my play and my decisions were right the majority of the time.
I enjoyed a nice dinner and went to the room to chill. Friday morning I slept in until about 10am and then played in a cash game from noon until about 3pm. I made about $200 profit and checked out and headed back to Media. I ended up playing Friday night in Media and won a bit more.
While I didn't cash in the event I did get a confidence boost from my play and will try to keep the momentum going while I prepare for the World Series of Poker Circuit event which is coming to Caesars Atlantic City next month.

Why It's Important to Smile in Pictures!

2007-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

What's New & Stuff

2007-01-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

OK, last Wednesday's tournament at Borgata: I thought my Ace-Ten was good when I moved all-in after two more tens came on the flop. Actually, I bet out, was raised and then moved all-in, but regardless, I was called by an inferior hand (Queen-Ten) and the bastard got lucky on the river and I was sent packing. End of story on that one. John "Johnny World" Hennigan, the former Philadelphia pool shark, once from Brigantine and now hailing from Las Vegas, won the main event and the $1.6 million first prize Tuesday night.
Saturday morning I awoke with a craving for Dim Sum and since CNN hasn't posted about it yet, I am going to now.
As I said, I awoke with a craving, a hankering if you will, for some Chinese Dim Sum. And as we all know the best place for Dim Sum in Philadelphia is the Imperial Inn in ChinaTown, I headed there with CNN (after much hemming and hawing about her not being ready yet) and another friend who does not like to be mentioned in these blogs but often is, Bill G. (is that anonymous enough for you Mr. Granger?)
Anyway, we head downtown and go directly to the Imperial Inn. We are quickly seated and the room is abuzz with late-morning/early afternoon diners. The Dim Sum carts came around quickly and within minutes we had several small plates of assorted delicacies in front of us. My favorite was the steamed barbeque pork buns. Bill and CNN liked the fried dumplings. I was forced to try the chicken feet and found no enjoyment in them at all. We sampled spare ribs with black beans, curry chicken, taro and shrimp, crab claw and numerous other goodies. The coconut pudding was excellent, too! So after the food and a few Tsing Tao beers, we were on our way.
While I thought we were headed home, we decided to hit Olde City and have another drink. We started at The Plough & Stars, then hit the historic City Tavern, then Sugar Mom's and then back to the Plough & Stars where we now found our buddy Randy behind the bar!
By this point I was ready to go as the quick trip for food had turned into a five hour pub crawl, plus I was the designated driver and really couldn't drink anymore. So back to Media we went.
All in all in it was a fun day and I'd like to do it again with Jojo next time and maybe we can stop by the Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute or the Auto Show. Who's game? Please RSVP in the comments section.

Borgata Cheap Seat Tournament Tonite

2007-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

I'm heading back to the Borgata this afternoon for a 5 pm event (#34). It is a cheap seat satellite tournament where we will be playing in a two tier structure for a seat in the $10,000 buy-in main event. Tonight's winners come back Thursday and play for the $10k seats (1 seat for every 10 entrants). I'm taking it easy on the food today, so far I've only consumed a Carnation Instant Breakfast drink!
I'll give you an update (good or bad) tomorrow!

Disney's Gone Too Far!

2007-01-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

The Winter Poker Open at Borgata

2007-01-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday I entered the $500 Buy-in Limit Hold 'Em tournament at the Borgata. It was event # 6 in the Winter Poker Open series which is now part of The World Poker Tour. I drove down early and registered around 9:30 am. Then I headed off for breakfast to kill an hour before the tournament started. For breakfast I had eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits with sausage gravy, melon and cantalope, a banana, a belgian waffle with banana's foster and a hunk of beef brisket.
Then I waddled into to the tournament area and looked for my table. I started off well and stuck to my tight strategy for the first few hours, letting the weaker plyers drop out and watching the thinning field. I had started at table #16 seat #3 (out of 26 total tables) and played there right up until the dinner break at about 5 pm when they broke the table and redistributed the players to other tables left in the room (there were about 14 tables now). This wasn't a good thing because over the last 6 hours I had learned how the other players at my table acted and I felt I had a pretty good read on them. Now I was seated with new players who I had no idea how they played. I played one hand at the new table (table #3 seat #4) before we broke for dinner.
For dinner I had a nice steak, some lamb with mint jelly, shrimp, pasta and chicken. I went back to the table feeling a little stuffed and a little tired. It had been a long day so far considering I drove down to AC at 8 am.
For the next two and a half hours I didn't play a single hand. Every hand was raised pre-flop and I just wasn't getting any cards. My chips started to dwindle as the aggressive play at the table effectively locked me out of getting involved in any hands. When I finally made a move with a suited Ace-Jack I was called by a big stack player who held an inferior Queen-Nine. He caught a straight and I was soon retrieving my car from the valet and headed home.
I will be back down there Wednesday for another event and then will take a shot at winning a seat in the $10,000 buy-in main event which will be televised for the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour later this year.

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

May peace break into your house and
May thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and
May laughter assault your lips!
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and
May happiness slap you across the face and
May your tears be that of joy.
In simple words ............

May 2007 be the best year of your life!!!

Merry Xmas, Happy New Year and all that other crap!

2006-12-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is now a not-so-distant memory and we are all looking forward to New Year's Eve with great anticipation (at least I am anyway) even though I have no plans as of yet. I'm still hoping someone will call with last minute news of a killer party being held somewhere in the area. The big day was relaxed and enjoyable and at this stage in life it is all about the kids anymore. We get to re-live all the joys of Christmas' past vicariously through our children, or in my case, my seven nieces and nephews. Maybe its just me, but it just doesn't feel like the same holiday it used to be anymore, although the cookies still taste the same as they always did! I spent Xmas with my mom and my sister's family out in bucolic Oxford, PA, where you can still hear the romantic clip clop of horse-drawn Amish buggies on the road and you can gently awake to the nauseating stench of manure from the nearby mushroom farms. Oh yes, give me the country life!
In another wonderous Christmas miracle, Granger and his Easy Money team racked up the points exactly when they needed them to come from behind and win so Kro and I finished in 4th place in Fantasy Football this season! We still feel good about making the playoffs in our team's inaugural season, but the pain of having to listen to Granger brag about his miracle victory for the next 12 months is a little too much to bear right now.
I plan to just take it easy for the next few days and gear up for the new year. I'll give some thought to some resolutions I may or may not make and set some goals for 2007, as well.
If anyone knows of a rocking New Year's Eve Party you know how to reach me!

Fantasy Football Playoffs

2006-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Well, for the second year in a row, and that constitutes my entire history playing fantasy football, my team has made it into the playoffs and has a shot at the big cash prize! ( we finished in 3rd place last year and did a bit better than break even!) Kro and I pulled it off in grand style with a complete rout of our opponent in the final "must-win" game of the regular season! Special thanks go out to Drew Brees for his 384 yards and FIVE touchdown passes! Both Granger brothers' teams made it and the infamous Mr. Wigs, as well. So this weekend is another do or die game and we have to win! I know you will all be rooting for us!

Trump Classic

2006-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

So I am back in Media with my tail between my legs. I failed to cash in either of the two events I played (I slept in Tuesday, missing that day's event, but that will be an entirely new post in itself) and had mixed results in the side games (cash games). I got down to the Borgata Sunday afternoon and mostly relaxed and stuffed my face with free food (primarily a rib eye steak, baked potatoe, onion rings with a horseradish dipping sauce, green beens, 2 glasses of wine, and a spicy bloody mary, all topped off with a slice of coconut custard pie and 2 cups of coffee). I sat in a no-limit game that was so aggressive that I mostly just folded, played very few hands and managed to win a few pots when the time seemed right to strike. The last hand of my night I was in the Big Blind and had a pair of aces in the hole and was raised pre-flop. I re-rasied, more than tripling the bet. He called me with all but his last $200 which I bet out blind before the flop even came. He called that with no help on the flop and turned over Ace-King of diamonds. Of course he hit his diamond flush on the river and I took that as my sign to head back to my room and get some sleep. I gave back most of my winnings on that hand, but my main focus was on Monday's event at the Taj.
Monday morning I awoke, had a nice breakfast and checked out of the Borgata. I headed over to the Taj for the 11 am start of the No-Limit Tag Team event. My partner and I decided that I would start us off and the event was set up so that the blinds went up every 40 minutes and each partner had to play 20 minutes of each level. There were 280 entries with 18 places receiving cash prizes. We started with $3000 in chips and blinds of $25 and $50. We built our chip stack up to about $10,000 but were knocked out in 30th place with blinds of $500 and $1000. 12 seats out of the money!
You're always a little down after getting knocked out of a tournament so I headed over to my new room at Bally's and gorged myself on another comped steak dinner. I played in a small cash game and won about $400 in just under 2 hours. I went to my room and watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which was funny and got my mind off the tournament. Tuesday I slept in, as I said before, had breakfast in bed and then checked out the shops at the new Pier at Caesars. Then I actually walked to the Taj on the boardwalk, with no coat on, and had a late lunch. I taxied back to Bally's, played a little more in their tiny poker room and lost a $200+ pot when some donkey called my raise with nothing and got lucky on me. My pocket queens went down in flames.
Wednesday I was at the Taj about an hour before the start time and the line was already fairly long. They would easily have over 300 players (still very weak compared to last year) and I talked with a few familiar faces while we waited for the starting bell. It was a slow start and I had a few early setbacks but managed to rebuild my stack just in time to donk it off with my pocket nines to another player and his pocket aces! I could have gotten away from the hand, I should have folded, it was just a stupid move at the wrong time. I was out after about 4 hours and headed home to Media.
There are more Trump Classic events next week leading to the main event and the World Series of Poker Circuit events start at Harrah's on Monday, so I will chill this weekend and decide what to do next.

Class Reunion

2006-11-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was my high school reunion and it was great to see some of the people I hadn't seen in almost ten years. Of course there was the cast of usual suspects that I still keep in contact with and all in all it was a great time. I expect to keep in touch with a few more people now, as well. We started at the Town House and ended up at Brodeur's where we kept the late night action going until almost 3 am! Saturday and Sunday night we continued the celebration with a few of us getting together on our own in Media. A week ago I was a little apprehensive about the whole affair, but now I am very happy to have been a part of it all. (even if did mean missing the Chili Festival, which I know Ted and CNN attended!)
On the Fantasy Football front Kro and I are now firmly ensconced in 3rd place after having our solid victory of two weeks ago "adjusted" to a tie due to the fact that the NFL ruled that Reggie Brown fumbled that catch and McNabb got the points for the pass completion...FIVE DAYS after the friggin' game!!!!! We have to win this week to make the playoffs and its our toughest competition of the season (although we did beat this team in our first match up with, they have become quite stronger as the season has progressed.)
I leave for Atlantic City on Sunday night and will be getting up bright and early Monday to register for and enter the "No Limit Tag Team" event of the Trump Classic, the first of its kind in AC. I'll be down there through Wednesday and will see how I am doing at that point before I decide how long I will be staying.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Friday Night and Beyond

2006-11-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am off to AC with my friend Randy (Yes, that Randy for those of you from Penncrest) and the plan is to play some poker at the Showboat/House of Blues, then check out the Live concert (Live being the name of the band) and then hit the Foundation Room for some VIP bottle service!
This Sunday is week 11 for my Fantasy League and Kro and I are currently in second place with an excellent chance of making the playoffs if we can post another win this weekend. We had to sweat it out Monday night with our opponent ( Mr. Wigs) still having two players in the Monday Night game and we were sitting with a thin 28-point margin of victory going into the game. We pulled it off and now we face the second-worst team in the league this weekend! We need this victory and it would be ideal if the two players tied for first place both had losses to go with our win!
I'll let you know what happens!

Trump Classic

2006-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

This month brings the return of the Trump Classic poker tournament at the Taj in AC running from November 27 to December 17 with 24 events scheduled . I didn't play in this one last year, but the year before I had some good results with two satellite wins and a 20th place (in the money) finish in the No-Limit Hold-em event which had a starting field of 245. The numbers this year will be much higher with closer to 1000 entries likely in some events. If the structure of the tournament is good, I plan to play the Limit event (#1) that kicks off the series on November 27. I booked my complimentary room today and I am going to follow in Ted's steps and commit in this public forum to play in the following events (so far). December 4th is the No-Limit Hold-em Tag Team event (#11). This is the first time I have seen this format and it should be interesting. You enter the event with a partner and each player takes turns playing the same stack of chips, swapping seats every thirty minutes or so. December 5th is the No-Limit Hold-em Six Handed event (#12) where instead of starting with ten players to a table, there will only be 6 players to a table, including the final table. This requires a slightly different strategy to full table play as the rising blind structure forces more action faster with less players at the table. December 7th is a regular No-Limit Hold-em event (#13). In between these events are some seven card stud and Omaha events as well as the Ladies Only and Seniors events (I have heard of guys dressing up as girls to get into the ladies event, but I don't even want to think about playing in a senior's event just yet, especially with my 20 year high school reunion this month already reminding me of the passing years!).
After these events I will see how things go and may play in more events as we approach the Championship event on December 16, which is a two-day event with a $5000 buy-in.
So now I am committed to playing those events and reporting the results, good or bad, for everyone to see.

Weekend Update

2006-10-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

Not much to report from this weekend, no "fake" costume party invites, but did manage to get a few poker sessions in and was winner in both. Also, looks like another victory in Fantasy Football, unfortunately the losing party this weekend was none other than State Street (aka Tedman)! Actually, he still has a chance to pull from behind tonight, that is if Tom Brady can score about 75 points for him in Monday Night Football against the Vikings!
I've been putting in more hours playing online lately, trying to keep a regular schedule of Tuesday and Thursday night play. I won my first 9 player, single table Omaha Hi/Lo tournament online last week, too! The $320 buy-in paid $1350 for 1st place. Omaha is played like Hold-em, but you get four hole cards (instead of two) and you must play two and only two of your hole cards and three and only three of the five community cards, add in the Hi/Lo variance and now you are talking about high hand winning half the pot and low hand winning half the pot, but you have to have five cards lower than an 8 without making a flush or straight to have a low. It requires a lot more thinking and is considered by many to be a tougher game, but I still prefer No Limit Hold-em!
Next month is the Trump Classic at the Taj and I will be staying in a Rock Star Suite next door at the House of Blues. I think we should set up a night on the town with some fellow bloggers like CNN, Tedman, AKJN and Chuck if he is allowed in AC!

Happy Halloween to All!

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Let me be the first to wish you all a Happy Halloween!

Anti-Gambling Legislation Passed

2006-10-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'm more than a little upset that President Bush signed a bill Friday that has had a tremendously negative impact on the online poker world. Hidden deep in the stinky bowels of the Safe Ports Act (a homeland defense initiative to make our ports safer) by a sneaky Senator from Tennessee was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act. It's really a BS law because most poker sites are based offshore and are not under the jurisdiction of US law anyway, but a few of the bigger sites have buckled already and are no longer accepting action from US-based players. The bill really tries to make it illegal for US financial institutions to allow their gambling customers to send funds to offshore gambling sites. The largest site, Party Poker, based in the UK was bringing in almost $3 million a day in profit with 60% of their business coming from the US. They have now banned US players from their site and their stock has already lost billions in market value. Of course my favorite site, PokerStars, has benefited greatly with a huge influx of players since they have decided the new law is meaningless to them. Their weekly Sunday tournament attracted a record 6,517 players this weekend and paid out over$1.3 million with $176,000 for first place!

Senator Frist (R-TN), the author of the bill, feels that gambling is "destrying the moral fiber of America" and warned Congress that terrorists could be using these sites to launder money. First of all, I find it hard to believe that I've ever sat at an online poker table with Osama bin Laden or any other muslim extremist, but second, even if what he says is true, then why did he make exceptions for online horse betting and state lotteries in the bill? (By the way, Tennesee is a huge horse racing state, hmmm nothing suspicious about that, right?).
Just another reason why we need to allow the President to have Line-Item Veto powers so deceptive and sneaky legislators can stop hiding needless legislation in "must pass" bills!
Just thought I'd vent a bit!

The Borgata Story (My Version)

2006-09-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

As expected, the trip to Borgata this weekend was awesome! CNN drove, which was nice, and we arrived with plenty of time to spare before the kickoff of the Eagles game. Upon arrival we checked our bags and hit the B-Bar for some much needed libations and I needed to see some game updates to see where I stood in my Fantasy League. The drinks were good and the game updates were even more uplifting! Team Rastamon crushed its opponent 149 to 82!
While the lounge chairs in B-Bar were comfortable, the view of the TV screens was not acceptable and we decided to relocate to the Gypsy Bar and it's theater-sized screen. We snagged 4 seats up front and started sampling the world's largest Tequila menu. While we were all tempted to try the new $300 Margarita, we stuck to the Cabo Wabo and Patron selections! The Prickly Pear was superb! We ordered a snack selection consisting of chips and salsa, habenero wings and an olive plate. While we had an incredible view of the huge screen from our seats, more incredible still was the view of our waitress, Virginia, a blonde, twenty-something who most likely hailed from Sweden. CNN and I debated at length on whether or not the particular "structural assets" this beauty possesed were "fake or "natural", and I feel confident they were 100% natural, along with here blonde hair!
The drinks were going down fast, the Eagles score was rising fast and we barely noticed that the paper products accompanying our snack baskets were dangerously close to the candle on the table. They burst into flames sometime in the first quarter and while we all stayed fairly calm, it was my quick response with a fresh Heineken Light that ultimately saved the day! When I informed Virginia that I had single-handedly saved the entire establishment from certain death with my quick response, she gave me a replacement Heineken and a bat of her beautiful baby blues!
Just before half-time we went up to the room and had our bags brought up. We popped a bottle of bubbly and watched the rest of the game while preparing for the concert. The view of the ocean from the 42nd floor was breathtaking (maybe just slightly more than Virginia bending over to take a drink order from the table next to us)!
Soon we were off to the concert hall to see Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana.
I had heard some of their songs on a CD, but Los Lonely Boys were great live! I only wish they had played more than five songs! There were barely 2000 people at the show and we had excellent seats right in the center of the room. There was a huge bar setup in the lobby which was just s short distance behind us, so it was easy to keep the beer flowing. Carlos Santana was absolutely amazing! The sound he can generate from a guitar is extraordinary! I was very impressed and was actually disappointed when his set ended.
After the show we wanted to get Tony Luke's cheesesteaks, but had to settle for a Fatburger instead, as TL's was closed for the night.
Shortly after that, CNN retired for the night and I headed to the poker room for a little late night action. I sat from 11:30 until almost 3 am when I decided that sleep was a better option for me. After going all-in three times, winning twice and chopping once, I was actually down $30. A dismal session to say the least and I feel I would have won if I had stayed and played, but I was really tired and feeling the effects of the beer and tequila.
We checked out and were on the road about noon Monday and all in all I think it was a great time! Now we can compare this version to CNN's when she gets around to updating!

Borgata, Baby!

2006-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am headed down to the Borgata along with CNN and two other non-blogging party people. We will be ensconced in a beautiful suite and will be attending the Carlos Santana/Los Lonely Boys concert with the compliments of the Borgata (actually, compliments of my consistent level of high action when I visit!). I'm sure CNN will take advantage of some photo ops and I will have an update when we return. For those who care, Team Rastamon could not pull out the victory in week 2 and now stand in the middle of the pack with a 1-1 record.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Results

2006-09-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Team Rastamon came through in flying colors (red, gold, black and green to be exact!) in week one of the Delco Delinquents League with an early rout of Tedman's State Street and a final score of 114 to 96!

Punching Pussy

2006-09-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

This what it would look like if a kitten was kicking your ass!

Annual Bellmawr Pig Roast & Block Party

2006-09-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was the annual pig roast and block party up in Bellmawr, NJ. This was my fourth year attending (although I missed last year). Goose and I drove up early Saturday and helped set up as two of the hosts were involved in a wedding that day. We didn't get the pig on the spit until about 4 PM but it was worth the wait when it came off the coals around 10 PM. Goose ate both eyeballs out of the hot carcass and claimed they were delicious. The meat was awesome! Prior to the pig we had been grilling dogs and burgers and there was plenty to drink. Multiple kegs of beer ranging from Coors Light to Heineken and an entire bar set-up with prtemium Vodka, Rum, Gin and Tequila! Of course the highlight, as always, was the 350 pound ice block which we carved runs in so that you could do ice shots. I have a photo of the block below. Yours truly did the carving and let me tell you there was some very drunk people stumbling about this party after giving the block a try. There were also some very unhappy husbands and boyfriends (and a few happy ones, too).
Another highlight and a new edition this year was a live band. THese guys were about 15 years old and they were AWESOME! Their mom's had to drop them and their equipment off at the party, but they played like they have been doing this for years, and not only did it sound great, they actually had awesome stage presence, too! The lead guitarist, who looked about 14, would jump into the crowd as he belted out riffs on his lead guitar and danced about.
Everything was going great until the cops showed up at 11:30 and made us shut it down. The band was on their last song anyway and it was approaching their curfew, too!
Once the cops left we kept the party rolling sans the live music and continued to have fun into the wee hours with a mandatory hottub session to end the night off. The hottub soothed my muscles and prepared me for the uncomfortable sleeping situation I faced: The front seat of Goose's truck! I only had to suffer for a few hours as we were back on the road at 7 am (apparantly the husbands had some strict intstructions from their wives about the hour of their
return to Media).
All in all it was a blast and I am looking forward to the next one.
Pics are of the ice block, the band playing and Miss Piggy, the 80 pound guest of honor.

Fantasy Draft Party Part Deux

2006-09-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Fantasy Football Draft Party was alot of fun, so much fun that I forgot to take any pics all night and before I knew it I was stumbling out the door to my car with no digital content for this update. Kro and I brought along a case of Red Stripe in the spirit of our team (Rastamon) and I even wore a tie-dyed shirt, Jamaica windbreaker and a necklace made of marijuana leaves (of course they were plastic simulations, PinF).
There was BBQ'd pulled pork, meatballs, tri-color pasta with proscuito, hot pepper shooters and the obligatory assorted chips, dips, chains, whips...wait a minute, I lost my train of thought.... Who's your name again?
Oh, and we had the beer.
We ended up with a decent team and I think we have a good shot this year. Our first matchup starts Thursday night when the regular season kicks off and we are playing against none other than Tedman's "State Street" team.
I predict a rout!

Draft Party

2006-09-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the Fantasy Football Draft Party for my league, The Delco Delinquents. This will be my second year playing in the league and I have a new partner this year, too, Mike Krotow, who hails from Saratoga, NY. Last year I came within 2 points of winning the overall league and the playoffs which would have resulted in a very nice payday. Unfortunately, I had to settle for third place and look to make another run at the title this year. I have a new logo and team name to go with my new partner. We are Team Rastamon and the logo is shown here. The party is always alot of fun with good food, drinks and friends. I'll take some pics and let you know how we make out in my next update.

New Sony PSP Ad

2006-08-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Can someone explain to me what this ad means?

New Winner Crowned at World Series of Poker

2006-08-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

A former Hollywood talent agent has won the 2006 World Series of Poker and the $12 million first place prize. Jamie Gold outlasted 8772 players to take down the championship being held at the Rio casino in Las Vegas. The favorite going into the final table, poker pro Allen Cunningham, finished in 4th place for a $3.6 million payday. The 2nd place finisher was a 22 year old who took home over $6 million!!
The pic is of the winner and his cash being congratulated by his mentor and winner of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, Johnny Chan.

World Series Main Event

2006-08-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

The World Series of Poker Main Event has been underway since last Friday. To accomodate the over 8,600 players who ponied up the $10,000 buy-in, they had to divide Day 1 into 4 groups that played each day from aprox. 2100 players down to 800 or so (day 1 lasted 16 hours). Then they had two flights of Day 2 with about 1600 players each . Tomorrow will be the first day that all the surviving players are combined in one room to play simultaneously and they will play every day until the final nine are seated next Thursday August 10th. The winner will walk with the greatest prize in sports history, a gold bracelet encrusted with 170 diamonds and, oh yeah, $12 million dollars in cash!
I regret not being a part of it again this year, but there are some good events coming up shortly where I will be participating. The World Championship of Online Poker is in September as is the Borgata Poker Open. Then we have the U.S. Poker Championship at the Taj and then the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods and finally the Trump Classic back at the Taj.

A Weekend of Poker

2006-07-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to play poker like I used to do back in 2004, non-stop- all night. I got to the Borgata at about 3 pm Friday and immediately headed to the new room. Thanks to all the new tables (85 total) I was able to get into a no-limit cash game very quickly. My first hand I was dealt pocket sevens, raised and was called by several players, then immediately flopped a third seven for a set. I won a nice pot after betting again. The next hand I played was when I was in the Big Blind, (which for those of you in bikinis, means I had my minimum bet already in before I was dealt my cards) and I looked down at a 3 and a 4 of different suits. Noone raised and nearly all of us saw the flop which came 3-3-4 a beautiful sight for me. I put on my acting hat and slow played the hand by checking it after the flop and the turn. On the last card I finally bet out and everyone dropped but an older asian woman a few seats to my right. She raised me about 4 times my bet and I acted like I was thinking about it and said "all-in" in the meakest voice I could muster. She asked if I was sure about that and then said "I call". She had made the straight with her A-5 on the last card, but my full-house was the nuts and she pushed me all her chips with a disgusted look on her face. I made a bit over $500 on my second hand and was starting to really like this table! In fact, I was able to pull off some great bluffs because everyone at the table remebered that hand for a long time after.
I ended up playing until about 2 am and cashed with a low 4- figure profit.
Saturday I slept in, ate breakfast around noon and then hit the tables by 3 pm again. I was playing middle limit (as opposed to no limit) but had a bad run of cards culminating in my ace-high spade flush being beat by a full house. After losing a couple of hundred on that hand as I raised and re-raised this player, I decided to head back to the no-limit tables where I could recover from this minor setback.
Another brutal table choice had me short stacked again in no time. After rasing before the flop with pocket jacks (7 times the blinds) I had two callers, flopped a third jack and then had my substantial bets called by one schmuck who made a diamond flush on the river after calling me with only one diamond and no pair on the flop! He had called my pre-flop raise with 9-7 of diamonds!
Anyway, I took my time, poured an ice cold drink on my steaming head and waited for the right moment. It came when I called a raise with a crappy jack-4 hand and flopped trip jacks. The fourth jack on the turn gave me the absolute nuts with quads and the ace on the river assured me a nice pot as it helped another player make a strong hand. I checked, he bet, I raised, he called, I won! The best kind of revenge!
I played into Sunday morning again and then was back around 4pm Sunday but only played for a few hours before heading home. It was a great weekend, I got to play alot of poker which is what I really needed to get going again and came out with a profit, some nice meals, some nice comps including a new Hawaiin-print embroidered Borgata-logo bathing suit. In fact, when I found out my friend Bill's favorite band was playing at the Borgata on September 24th, I had them use my comps for 4 center-stage tix to see Santana and Los Lonely Boys. CNN herself is going to be coming along that evening and I have a Fiore Suite reserved so we can experience all the late night action of the clubs and bars and maybe even test the maximum capacity of those showers once and for all! Stay tuned for that update!
It will be hard, but I have agreed not to play poker that night!

CSI: South Jersey

2006-07-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

OK, sorry for the drama, the mystery and the absence of late. It's time to fill you in on the details. Timeline: July 2, 2006, 0630 hours. I received a call on my cell at approximately 6:30 am Monday morning from a Haddon Township police detective. He informed me that the manager of my building in Westmont was in police custody and he asked if I could come in to the station. I told him I was at the shore and if he explained to me what was going on I could better determine if a trip from the beach was necessary at this ungodly hour. He began to explain the situation and I told him I'd be there as soon as I could. It turns out that late Sunday evening the police responded to reports of fireworks being shot off the roof of the building (this is a 7 story office building near Haddonfield). The police saw two suspects on the roof but they refused to come down. With the assistance of the fire dept. they were able to gain access and found my building manager and his brother in the building. They appeared intoxicated and denied setting off the fireworks (the police had already found his truck in the parking lot with fireworks on the front seat, so they probably weren't buying his story at this point). The police arrested the two and while searching the building made a particularly interesting discovery in a large vacant space I have on the 6th floor. It turns out my manager had a bit of a green thumb and police found grow lights and 11 marijuana plants behind one of the locked doors. If he had done his homework he might have avoided a lengthy jail sentence as in NJ the cutoff for the highest level drug felony is 10 plants, and he was one over! The police continued their search of the space and the next discovery, while not illegal, was even more disturbing. Two fully-equipped bondage dungeons had been painstakenly prepared with chains bolted into the concrete ceiling planks and wall racks and shelves of various toys, whips, gagballs, buttplugs, candles and seran wrap displayed on the walls. I don't think we'll ever know the real truth about what was going on in those rooms, and quite frankly I don't think I really want to know! My manager was charged with manufacturing and possession of controlled substances (they found Ecstacy on him, too) along with the theft and fireworks charges. He was remanded to Camden County Prison on $110,000 full cash bond and awaits a court hearing.
Anyway, in addition to all this we discovered a bunch of items stolen from the building that he was most likely going to sell, maybe on Ebay. Needless to say, it threw my world upside down for the past 2 weeks as I dealt with the police, the tenants and the rumors running amok through the building and tried to find a new building manager. I think things are finally under control now, the new manager started Monday and last weekend I was even able to escape to the shore for a little rest.
Saturday night I hit the Tropicana's craps tables and lucked out when I found an empty table except for one gentleman on the far corner. Normally an empty table is a bad sign, but I plopped down a few hundred and placed $20 on the Pass Line. This guy was amazing. He started hitting numbers like crazy and in less than 20 minutes I was up about $500 and the table was packed with people. When I play craps I take my time building up my bets, but this all happened so fast I couldn't take maximum advantage of the situation. When he finally crapped out it was my turn and I sevened out after three rolls of the dice and decided to cash out. A nice win for such a short time and strolled to the cashier cage and walked out of the casino.
Sunday I was at the Borgata fora little No Limit Texas Hold' Em and to finally see the new poker room. The 85-table room is incredible and is now the largest poker room in AC. The lounge downstairs is great, too, with a huge food court and seating areas with flat screen TVs. I signed up for a game but the wait was not long. When I was seated I recognized two of the players from ESPN poker tournament broadcasts. I played mostly tight-aggressive and was able to win a few pots. I lost one big pot when I bluffed on the river with rags but my bet was just a little too small and the other player called. I only needed to bet a bit more and he would have surely folded. I won another big pot with pocket kings when I moved all-in on the river after my opponent had called every one of my bets (this was my only all-in of the day). I played for about 5 hours total and cashed with anice profit. Then I headed over to Brigantine to see my friend Nicole's new baby boy and went home from there.
Between the Trop and the Borgata it was a great weekend although it was a bit hot on the beach Saturday and Sunday morning. I am planning on returning this weekend, as well.

Update

2006-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

The past week was a bit stressful for me after an incident in my "real" job had me dealing with police detectives and kept me busy putting out "fires". I am sorry to say I did not get in any poker time in the past ten days and it has cost me money for sure. The closing of the casinos in Atlantic City delayed the start of the Borgata Summer Open and then the crisis at work kept me from participating in any of the events. I even missd the Wallingford game this week but hope to be back in the game next week. I'll be heading down to the shore this weekend for some needed R & R ( and P).

Ponder This

2006-06-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with Civil Rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by southerners.
Both were succeeded by southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by there three names.
Both names contain 15 letters.

Lincoln was shot at a theater named Ford.
Kennedy was shot in a Lincoln made by Ford.

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Both assassins were killed before they went to trial.

Coincidence or Conspiracy?

Another Win

2006-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I sat again in a 6 player cash game last night and had the poker gods on my side from the very start. Within the first few hands I doubled up when I hit my open ended straight draw on the river while my opponent had trip eights. Then a little bit later I raised before the flop with pocket tens and was called by two players. A jack came on the flop but I bet out anyway, one opponent folded, the other had Ace-Jack and I made three tens on the turn to double up again and win a $200 pot. . I don't usually get such good runs of cards but in a matter of just a few hands last night, I was dealt 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 6-6, J-J (twice and won both times with them) as well as A-K and A-Q for good measure. After that people started to back off a bit, leary of every bet I made and it was harder for me to get paid off with winning hands. I started feeling really tired around 11:30 and I gave notice I'd be leaving at midnite. I cashed out with a nice win for the second week in a row and headed home for some needed sleep.

I know this guy who plays poker and one day he started to hear a voice in his head saying " Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money and move to Vegas".
He ignored the voice.
Later in the day he hears the same voice, "Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money and move to Vegas".
Again he ignores the voice.
Soon he hears the voice every minute of every day, "Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money and move to Vegas".
He can't take it anymore. He believes the voice.
He quits his job, sells his house, takes all his money and flies to Las Vegas.
As soon as he steps off the plane the voice says, "Go to the Horseshoe Casino".
He catches a cab downtown and walks into the Horseshoe.
The voice says, "use your money to buy a seat in the World Series of Poker".
He puts up $10,000 and buys a seat in the tournament.
He goes to his assigned table and seat just as the tournament is starting.
The first hand is dealt and he looks down at the Ace of diamonds and the Ace of spades.
The voice says "Go all in!"
He pushes his entire stack of $10,000 into the pot.
Three players call.
The dealer lays down the flop which is 8-9-10, all hearts.
The voice says, "Oh shit!"

Update

2006-06-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

I sat in a 6 player cash game last night in Wallingford and played well. My reads were pretty solid except for two or three hands where I most certainly folded the best cards but there just wasn't enough value in the pot to call the bet. I made some great hands where I got paid off and made some nice bluffs without getting caught. I started at about 9:45pm and I cashed out at 2:30am with 4.5 times my original buy-in and thats when the game ended.

Friday night was Ted's annual Media 5-Miler BBQ which was alot of fun as usual. It was great to see CNN and AKJN there, too.

OK, One More Gambling Joke

2006-06-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

The IRS decides to audit Tim, and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor is not surprised when Tim shows up with his attorney. The auditor says, "Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explain by saying that you win money gambling. I'm not sure the IRS finds that believable."

"I'm a great gambler, and I can prove it," says Tim. "How about a demonstration?"

The auditor thinks for a moment and said, "Okay. Go ahead."

Tim says, "I'll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye."

The auditor thinks a moment and says, "No way! It's a bet."

Tim removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor's jaw drops. Tim says, "Now, I'll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye."

The auditor can tell Tim isn't blind, so he takes the bet. Tim removes his dentures and bites his good eye. The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Tim's attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.

"Want to go double or nothing?" Tim asks. "I'll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and piss into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between."

The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there's no way this guy can manage that stunt, so he agrees again.

Tim stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can't make the stream reach the wastebasket on other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the desk.

The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win. But Tim's attorney moans and puts his head in his hands. "Are you okay?" the auditor asks.

"Not really," says the attorney. "This morning, when Tim told me he'd been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty thousand dollars that he could come in here and piss all over an IRS official's desk and that you'd be happy about it."

Now That's a Poker Player

2006-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Two couples were playing poker one evening.
John accidentally dropped some cards on the floor. When he bent down under the table to pick them up he noticed that Bill's wife, Pam, was not wearing any underwear under her dress.
Shocked by this, John tried to sit back up and hit his head on the table.
He emerged red-faced and headed to the kitchen to get some refreshements. Bill's wife followed and asked, "Did you see anything you liked under there?"
Surprised by her boldness, John admitted that he indeed did see something he liked.
She said, "Well, you can have it, but it's going to cost you $100".
After taking a moment to consider the offer, John confirmed that he was indeed interested.
She tells him that her husband works on Fridays and since John didn't he should come by the house Friday around 2 pm.
When Friday rolled around, John showed up at Bill's house at the appointed time and after paying Pam the agreed upon $100, they went into the bedroom and consumated the deal.
John then quickly got dressed and left.
As usual, Bill came home from work on Friday around 6pm and upon entering the house asked his wife, "Did John come by the house this afternoon?"
With a lump in her throat Pam answered, "Why yes he did stop by for a few minutes".
Her heart nearly skipped a beat when he asked, " and did he give you $100?"
In terror she assumed he somehow found out about their meeting and after mustering her best poker face replied, "as a matter of fact he did give me $100".
With a satisfied look on his face Bill told his wife, "Good, I was hoping he did. John stopped by my office this morning and asked to borrow $100 from me. He promised me he'd stop by the house this afternoon and pay me back!"

Now that my friend's is a poker player!

A Brutal Final Hand

2006-06-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I played in the Wallingford home game and things started out very nice. I have a pretty tight table image over there and that has allowed me to get away with some nice bluffs. I try not to push it too much and if I get caught I go back to my usual tight play, but last night it seemed like nobody wanted to tangle with me. I did hit a snag when I tried to get tricky and limped in (didn't raise pre-flop) with pocket aces and when two fours came on the flop I knew I had let a crappy hand in for free and it was going to cost me. I was right and almost left as we were only going to play for another hour. I decided to rebuy and within 30 minutes had more than doubled my stack again when the final hand came up. Of course, at the time I didn't know it would be the final hand.
I was in the small blind and called the bet with 3-4 offsuit. It looked like the big blind checked (I thought he motoioned with his hand) and the dealer thought so, too and even asked him at which time he decided to make a weak raise of $5. I quickly called as I had been able to get this player to dump hands off to me earlier. The flop came Q-2-3 all hearts. Now this is a dangerous board for 3-4 even if I had a heart, which I didn't. I bet anyway to see where I was at and the player called. Now I figure he probably has at least one heart and is looking to make his flush. The 4 of hearts comes on the turn and now I have two pair but I know he made his flush, I bet again thinking if he doesn't have the nut flush (Ace high) he might be worried by my bet. He called again so I know he has a flush, just not sure how strong it is and I have 4 outs to the full house anyway. The river is a black 3 making me a full house, threes full of fours, beating a flush, of course. I decide to bet strong and make him think I am bluffing, and there are actually only two possible cards he could be holding in his hand that can beat me. I bet out $40 and he pushes all in, I had to call and the pot is now about $400. Of course he turns over the only two cards that can beat my hand, the ace and five of hearts for a straight flush and the absolute nuts! I can't call this a bad beat as I shouldn't have played the hand in a raised pot (even a weakly raised pot like this one) and I shouldn't have been chasing a four-outer either. It was just a bad hand, it still sucks, but I did it to myself. Of course 99+% of the time I take that nice pot down so I can't really complain. Needless to say, not one of my better nights as far as final results go, but I actually played well for the session overall (not including this hand or the pocket aces earlier) and in the long run playing well and making the right decisions leads to positive results at year end which is what it is all about.

Life's a Beach

2006-06-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Even though it rained most of the time, my first trip to the beach this year was still enjoyable. I even managed to get a little sunburn on Sunday. On Friday night I had the ritualistic slices at Mack & Manko's and a little soft serve to top it off. Saturday was raining so I headed to AC and instead of hitting my usual haunts, The Taj and Borgata, I decided to check out the new poker room at the Hilton. It's a nice space and even has some windows, but the hosts have a lot to learn about running a poker room. They were spreading only low limit games, but they did have a No Limit game in session so I took a seat to check things out. I mostly folded pre-flop as I tried to get a feel for the players. They were mostly weak-passive, limping in to the pot and then checking and calling bets. The first hand I played I raised from early position with a pocket pair of sevens and got at least five callers. I flopped a third seven to make my set but there were two hearts on the board and with that many callers I knew a suck-out was coming. I bet strong and all but one player dropped out. Of course the next card out was a heart and while I knew I was beat I decided to call just so I could see what the guy was holding as it might be worth something down the road. Of course he had the ace of hearts and the case seven, also a heart. I didn't play many more hands as I decided that with this group I had to play ABC poker to establish a table image and then maybe I could make some moves later on. The poker gods were not kind to me this day as every one of the few hands I played improved on the flop but were always paired with some kind of draw against me. I flopped another set, but with three diamonds on the flop it was a guaranteed suck-out waiting to happen. I flop top two pair on another hand, but of course they're no good when you can't get the drawing hands to fold even to strong bets. I played for maybe two hours and left the table down about $200. If I had more time I think it would have been profitable to wait it out, but I had dinner reservations and didn't want to be late.
Sunday the sun finally broke out, but it was still a bit windy on the beach and the water was way too cold for swimming, although a few brave souls gave it a shot.
I am looking forward to many more beach trips this summer with both better weather and better luck at the tables.

My Birthday & Some Poker Stuff

2006-05-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was my birthday and so I am a year older and evidently wiser. I celebrated throughout the Memorial Day weekend and now, one week later, the celebration of what could potentially be the next new national holiday is officially over. I managed to get some poker time into the celebration and had a nice win in the Wallingford game last Thursday night. I arrived a little late, just before 10 pm and there were eight players already seated and playing. I took a seat and I made my presence known on the very first hand I played, taking down a nice pot with trip sixes. Then I had one of those magical nights where everything just seems to go your way and it seems like there is no conscious effort involved. My chip stacks kept growing and I managed to stay out of trouble with lousy cards and still get paid off when I had a hand. At 2 am there were 3 players left including myself and we decided to cash out and call it a night. It was a good night!
This weekend I am heading down to the shore and will be playing some cards and hitting the beach. Summer is finally here!

Paris Hilton & her Bentley Update

2006-05-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

The largest online poker site in the world has recently made an interesting offer to Paris Hilton, the former owner of a beautiful $200,000 Bentley automobile that she lost in a "crazy" game of poker at her parent's casino in Las Vegas. Party Poker is the largest and the first publicly traded online poker site. They went public on the London Stock Exchange last year ( remember, online poker is illegal in the US) making the three co-owners instant multi-billionaires. The founder, a 30-something female who started out in the 900 number sex line biz, sold a small portion of her holdings into the offering, cashing in for just over $3 billion (she still holds an estimated $3 billion+ in shares)! The site takes in something like $3 million a day!
Anyway, Partypoker.com has offered the Hilton heiress an opportunity to get her beloved Bentley back. They will buy the car back for her if she agrees to play Mike Sexton, the host of the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour, heads up and wins! No reply from Miss Hilton yet. As you all must be hanging on the edge of your seats, I will let you know as soon I hear word!

The pic is of Paris doing some chores around the parent's Bel Air estate to work off the $200k gambling loss.

Sweetnorthern Saint

2006-05-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

My horse finally came in and finished in the money today at the Preakness. Too bad for Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner and favorite to win here, he fractured his leg seconds after leaving the starting gate and is mostly likely finished racing for good. Sweetnorthernsaint went off at 8-1 odds and came in second after Bernardino came from behind in the final strech to win it. I bet him "across the board" which means I had money on him finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd, so I made a bit of loot, but not as much as I would have had he won it. Now its on to the Belmont to see if he can win for me there!

Biggest Poker Game Ever

2006-05-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

The biggest poker game in history was recently played at the new Wynn resort in Las Vegas. Texas banker and billionaire Andy Beal took on the group of pro poker players that have formed what has been dubbed "The Corporation", in a heads up Texas Hold-em match with betting limits of $50,000 and $100,000. What that means is that minimum bets and raises are made in increments of $50,000 in the first two rounds of betting and $100,000 in the last two rounds of betting on each hand. Nearly every pot contested was for more than $500,000 and many pots reached into the low seven figures. The pros sat down at the table with $10 Million of their own chips, Beal sat with $20 Million. The game continued over three days and Phil Ivey played for the pros, who have pooled their money to take on the challenger. After three days when the match ended and the smoke had cleared in the Wynn's beautiful poker room, the results were tallied...Phil Ivey won $16.5 Million for the pros and Andy Beal was on a jet headed back to Dallas swearing to never play poker again!

Paris & Poker part deux

2006-05-10T16:09:00.002-07:00

Looks like in addition to losing the family Bentley, Paris may have actually lost her shirt in that poker game, too!
I apologize in advance for posting this.

I Can't Wait For This!

2006-05-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

My tastebuds are doing backflips as I eagerly anticipate the opening of the newest addition to Atlantic City's growing list of upscale, celebrity-chef restaurants!
Food Network Television personality and chef-owner of Mesa Grill and Bolo, Bobby Flay will soon premier his first steak house venture at The Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa. Bobby Flay Steak is an 11,000-squarefoot space that merges sleek, modern design elements with natural materials such as leather, cast glass and rough-hewn woods. It is scheduled to open at the end of June! I have always enjoyed his Chillin' & Grillin' and Boy Meets Grill shows and got to see him in action when I ate at The Mesa Grill in NYC. The food was incredible and when they brought the dessert tray to the table I couldn't decide what I wanted so I ordered one of everything! Of course I reluctantly shared with the others at the table.
So here's the low down on the new digs:
Flay designed the chic and comfortable steakhouse to complement the exciting backdrop of The Borgata. Guests enter through an entryway lined floor-to-ceiling in red leather, which then reveals a gleaming circular brass cage. Design elements such as hand-stitched leather and rough-hewn woods instill the essence of a traditional Western steakhouse, but are updated with modern twists. Positioned between the bar and the main dining room, the Lobster Bar will feature a handmade, cast-glass bar front with built-in lobster tanks. The dining room houses four towering wine displays and a dramatic ceiling composed of wood panels arranged to create an undulating landscape. Bobby Flay Steak will seat 150 people, and includes two private dining rooms perfect for special occasions... (like the next blogger gettogether!).
Flay is excited to present the classic steakhouse fare he remembers enjoying as a child in New York City as well as new dishes that incorporate his famous grilling techniques and signature Southwestern fare. Bobby Flay Steak will feature the finest steaks paired with zesty rubs and seasonal ingredients, as well as the Lobster Barwhich will offer Oyster & Lobster Shooters, a smooth Lobster-Smoked Tomato Bisque and spicy Lobster & Crispy Squid Salad with hot pepper dressing. As a nod to Borgata's close proximity to the City of Brotherly Love, Flay has created a Philadelphia-Style Cheese Steak, a perfectly grilled rib-eye, hanger steak, New York strip or filet mignon with provolone cheese sauce and roasted mushrooms and onions. If I can't make it to the grand opening I will be dining there soon after!

Weekend Update

2006-05-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I had half of the winning exacta numbers for the Derby on Saturday, but of course that and $9 will get you a beer at Piccasso's. Barbaro, the favorite in the race, won it handily and looks like he might be a contender for the Triple Crown as he appeared to have even more to give as he crossed the finish line. My pick, Sweetnorthernsaint, came in seventh after making an early run for the lead. If you had played the winning Superfecta numbers (the order of finish of the first four horses) you would have won $42,000 for every dollar wagered!
On the poker front, I was eliminated in the 6th level of the Borgata tournament on Friday. Things had been looking good for the first few hours and then I played a big pot with Ace-King and lost 90% of my chips when my hand didn't improve versus my opponent's pair of nines. Left with only $675 I moved all-in on the very next hand with Ace-nine and actually had a chance to quadruple up with four players in the pot. Although I caught an ace on the flop, I lost on the river to another player with Ace-Jack. It's always disappointing when you are eliminated from a tournament, but the reality is I just haven't played in any live tournaments in a while and maybe I was a little unprepared. My table had several very aggressive players who made it hard to enter any pot without a decent hand. Of course by the time I figured out the crap they were raising with it was too late. I love the tournaments because of the competition and the opportunity for big prize pools and of course the prestige that goes with playing in televised events, but I know my strength is playing cash games and I should focus on that and let the tournament results come as they may.
I played in three Sit-n-Go tournaments online Sunday, those are single table events with nine players. The winner gets 50% of the money, 2nd gets 30% and third gets 20%. The buy-in for these was $50 so a first place finish paid $225. I won two and finished third in another so that did help to ease my pain a bit. The final tournament I started playing an hour before the start of The Soprano's so I was a little worried it might not finish in time. With only minutes to spare I got down to heads up with my final opponent at the table and with $12k in chips versus his less than $2k, it was over fairly quickly and all I missed was the theme song!

Derby Update

2006-05-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

OK, looks like I had some premature info on the post positions. Sweetnorthernsaint is going off in post # 11 (not 13) and Barbaro is going off in the #8 post (not 4). So my picks are the same, post positions are different. The exacta bet would now be 11-8 boxed (boxed means you win if the top two finishers are either horse, ie: finish is 11-8 or 8-11). I am leaving now for the Borgata to register for the event and get settled in. I'll have an update for you all on Monday!

Kentucky Derby

2006-05-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go out on a limb and post my Kentucky Derby winning bets early. Unless things change between now and Saturday at 6:04 PM, I will be betting on #13 Sweetnorthernsaint to win and I may also make an exacta bet of 13-4 boxed (Sweetnorthernsaint and Barbaro). I'll be placing my bets while I am at the Borgata on Friday.

May Day

2006-05-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that it is May already. After the backlash I received about the puff piece on Paris Hilton, I will take a moment to write about myself. I have been gearing up for the Ultimate Poker Weekend at Borgata that starts this Friday, Cinqo de Mayo. The first event I am playing starts at 4pm Friday, and there are 3 more to choose from on Saturday with the main event being held on Sunday morning. I played in four online tournaments the past week and cashed in 3 with two 3rd place finishes. I have been hitting the books, as well, consulting some of the better reads from my vast poker library. It never hurts to go back and review some of the great strategy books.
Two of the events this weekend are rated so if I cash you will get to see my name in lights in the Cardplayer rankings again. The main event is called The Ultimate Super Satellite and will award as many $50,000 prize packages as the prize pool will allow. I expect there to be at least 6 prize packages awarded with some lesser amount of cash for a few other players. The package includes $10k in cash and 4 $10k buy-ins to upcoming major events at the Mandalay Bay, The World Series of Poker Main Event, Foxwoods World Poker Finals and the Boragata Poker Open. The Borgata buy-in is not transferable, but the others can be sold. I would most likely sell the Mandalay Bay seat and play the three, pocketing the extra $10k in cash.
I apologize to you all again for publishing the piece on Paris Hilton.

Paris Loses Bentley in Poker Game

2006-04-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

After recently telling Bluff Magazine "I'm obsessed with poker. It's my favorite game now. We love it. We play at tournaments in Vegas. I'm really lucky in Vegas - I always win!", Paris went and lost the family Bentley in a poker game at none other than the Hilton family's own casino! She lost the nearly $200k vehicle in what she calls a "bad" game. Maybe she should just stick to making those videos. The papparazzi were stunned as she handed the keys to the winner and her parents are so furious they have banned her from gambling in the family casino! Evidently the house doesn't always have the advantage!

Lack of Poker Posts

2006-04-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

I think I need to discuss exactly why there has been a lack of poker posts recently (maybe to your delight). I have to tell you about the worst beat I've ever suffered at a poker table in my history of playing the game. I was in a full cash game in a casino, no limit hold-emwith high stakes (for me anyway). Blinds of $25/50 and I had about $8k to start out with (far too big a game for my bankroll, but c'est la vie). After a few hours my bankroll had swelled to about $35k, one of the best runs of my career. The final hand came so quickly it still gives me the chills when I think about it. I was dealt the ace and queen of spades in early position and made a nice raise before the flop. I was called by three players and we saw the flop four-handed. On the flop were two spades, one of which was the jack, also the highest card on the board. So I flopped a draw to the absolute nut flush and I had two overcards to anything that was out there. I put out almost a pot- sized bet and was called by two players. The turn was the six of spades, locking up my nut flush. I bet out again and was called by one player and then raised by the third player. I was hoping he had a lesser flush or a similar strong hand that he would be drawing dead on the river with. The pot was now over $30k. I thought for a moment and re-raised all in with my last $25k or so. The second player dropped immediately and the third player went into the tank contemplating a call. When he finally called I actually felt so good and turned over the nuts as he slowly turned over two pair, a jack and a six. Now what card do you think came on the river? I'll give you a hint, there were only two of them left in the deck. A total of four cards out of the 46 possible remaining cards that could help him and he hits one! Worse than a 10 to 1 dog and he gets the miracle six on the river to make a full house and beat my ace high flush! The pot of close to $80k was pushed to him and I was left sitting there with my heart in my throat and nothing but a bare patch of felt in front of me. I was crushed emotionally on that one and that is why the poker posts have been lacking and I am working on re-building my bankroll as the World Series of Poker is rapidly approaching and I need to make plans for Vegas this summer. Next Friday, Cinqo de mayo, I will be playing at the Borgata again in their Ultimate Weekend of Poker event. A good performance there should boost my confidence again and get me back in the game. Until then you might get a few more twinkie posts.

Deep Fried Twinkies

2006-04-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment to discuss one of the most outrageous deserts I have ever had the pleasure of indulging in. A Deep fried Twinkie! I came across these incredible concoctions on a trip to Vegas. Across the street from Binion's Horseshoe and catecorner to the Golden Nugget is a little hole-in-the-wall slot parlor called Mermaids, and in the back, where you can also indulge in a glorious $2 foot-long chili-cheese dog you will find the most decadent marriage of artery-clogging, deep fat frying and a sugary, cream filled confection! If you've somehow managed your way through life to this point without ever having tasted one, I suggest you put this at the top of your "to do before I die" list and get with the program.

Big Brother VS Poker

2006-04-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Since 1995, when the first online gambling sites opened their doors for business, legislators have unsuccessfully tried to stop the unprecedented growth in online gaming. Even though online gaming revenues are in excess of $12 billion annually, all these legislators can think of is how to stop it instead of thinking about how to regulate it. Previous legislation that was unsuccessfully proposed actually suggested that banks and financial institutions should "police" their clients and prevent them from sending money to online gaming sites. How insane is that concept? Would you want your bank inquiring as to what you are doing with your hard earned money on deposit at their bank? The newest legislation again attempts to stop the flow of money to these sites by proposing legislation that would prohibit online gaming sites from accepting money from financial institutions. Only one problem smart guys...these sites are all based offshore (online gaming is illegal in the USA) so they are not subject to these laws!! How do these people even get elected in the first place? Anyway, there are an estimated 70 million poker players in the US and if even a fraction of them made their voices heard it could have an impact. I sent the following e-mail to Sentaor Rick Santorum to express my thoughts on the subject and actually got a reply (probably canned, but what can I expect?).

Senator, I am writing to urge you to oppose pending legislation that would limit the rights of individuals to play poker online. Currently, there are two bills in the House, H.R. 4411 introduced by Rep. James Leach (R-IA) and H.R. 4777 introduced by Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA). And in the Senate, Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is pushing similar legislation that he wants to introduce.

As an avid poker player, I feel strongly that these bills and any other legislation that deny Americans the right to play a game of skill such as poker on the Internet, seriously and egregiously violate my personal freedoms.

More than 70 million people today enjoy poker. And while most play at home, in taverns or poker clubs, many enjoy this game of skill with friends and family on the Internet. The possibility of the federal government stripping away this right to play online is very troubling to me.

These bills trample the freedoms of online poker players and represent a slippery slope that could lead to the federal government denying citizens the right to play poker in offline venues. The bills also hypocritically make exceptions for certain types of gambling, including internet state lotteries, placing online bets for horse races and select fantasy sports, while prohibiting poker, which is objectively a skill game.

Equally troubling, though, are the bill’s enforcement mechanisms. All three proposals contain banking enforcement provisions which would extend a “know your customer” relationship well beyond what I want my bankers to know about my financial affairs. This regulation would require bankers to monitor my on-line purchases and even review my checks. Like most Americans, I choose my bank, and deposit my paycheck for safekeeping, not for them to monitor my withdrawals, funds transfer or even individual checks. These provisions put the government too deep into my pocketbook. According to Forbes’ magazine there are 5 FBI agents assigned to internet gambling, I demand that American taxpayers know the full cost of enforcing a ban on my rights to play poker on-line.

Separately, in Rep. Goodlatte’s legislation, Internet service providers (ISPs) are forced to remove gambling related hyperlinks upon court order. Such mandates require ISPs to remove or disable access to online sites that the government deems violations. This is censorship of the Internet, plain and simple. Congress rightly criticized China for blocking the free flow of information to its citizens via the Internet, and now Goodlatte’s bill deserves similar scrutiny.

From average citizens to presidents, generals, Members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, Americans have been playing poker for centuries, making it a rich part of our cultural heritage. Today, the evolution of game on the Internet should not be restricted by overarching government interference, and simply by putting the word “internet” in front of poker does not make it wrong.

I urge you to take these concerns into consideration and oppose H.R. 4411, H.R. 4777 and the Kyl proposal that will make outlaws of poker players who enjoy the game online.

I think there are much more serious issues that these legislators should be expending their time and energy on. This is NOT one of those issues!