Toga! Toga! Toga!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

Preakness Update

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

Kentucky Derby Update

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO!

Guess Where I was?

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

Bill to License Online Gambling Introduced

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

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

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

Tuesday at Borgata

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

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.