Centsports

Coolest web site I have seen in a while. You need to check it out. Sign up through this link and help me out.

It is a betting web site. The cool thing. It is free. They give you .10 to start. They match your bets initially and give you overlays as your bank builds. The whole thing is advertising driven. You look at a banner to get the overlays. Utterly brilliant. Wish I would have thought of it. Once your roll gets up to $20.00, you are eligible to cash out. You go bust, they give you another .10.

If you sign up a friend, you get %5 of each others action. You can see what all your friends have bet on.

One friend of mine has turned his ten cents into $3 in about 3 days.

Check it out

MT

Bloggers are Donkeys

Don't know what was in the water tonight, but I got ass raped by the blogging community. Followed by "gg". Yeah, I played a good game, you were ass hats. An evil wonk got me tonight in the mookie. He calls a 3x bb raise in the bb with J3s. Then check raises on the fucking draw and hits on the river. "Sorry". Yeah, whatever.

Then I played the dookie and I guess you just call down with underpairs and fucking hope you hit a straight or flush or what the fuck ever.

Get in ahead and lose all fucking night long.

Fuck you donkey's GG right. Sorry. right. Bloggers are donkey's.

That felt good

reset

No longer channeling waffles.

MT

Games at a Home and a question.

Played at my home game last night. Chipped up. Had fun. Got down to the next to last hand of the night. I had A2 os in the small blind. It goes 5 handed to the flop un-raised. Flop comes AA4 with two spades. I have the 2 of spades. I check. Cut off bets $7 at the pot. Button flat calls. I have $63 behind me. What do you do?

Ultimate bet

The story made MSN. About time.

MT

Mookie again

Final tabled the Mookie last night. Carmen won the thing. Congrats. I finished 6 and ITM for the second week. Oh what might have been. I think I should be co champ with her. Seeing as how I gave her nearly all of my chips. Yeah, I am officially considering myself the co champ. Half a title is better than none.

I finally got grade A cards in this thing. I had final tabled 3 times before but had to fight and scrimp to do it. Not this night. I got AA and KK in the blinds when ALWAYS overly aggressive players in late position where pushing. And they held up. I went from 43 of 43 to 1 or 2 when the final table started. Now I gotta give Carmen credit. She was on my left and EVERY time it folded to here in the SB or the button, she raised. I played back a few times and won. I smooth called with AQh in the BB and hoped for a good flop. Flop came 89K with two hearts. She bet out and I pushed. I had a two to one chip lead on her. She had KT. Turn a T to give me a gutter. River was a blank. I went from first to 3rd. I took a shot at being a huge chip leader and lost. She continued to punish me and I took a stand with K3 while in last place. She of course had AJ and Ighn. I like my push here. She had been really aggressive in these heads up situations, I thought I easily could have been ahead after the flop. The nut flush draw made it a no brainer in my opinion. And I only fell to 3rd, still way in the thing. What would you do?

But the worst beat of the night came in the push fest. There were 7 or so of us in the thing. All but emtyman were on the same starting table. Pushes around 1st hand. I have 99 and it holds up. I have nearly 10 grand. Emptyman gets moved to my table. Second hand, I had K high, he had J high. Of course he wins. I can;t do the same next and go out. Do you think FTP is on to the push fest. We were all on the same table, save one. Then the only 2 players left get moved to the same table. Just another example of how rigged online poker is. Hehe

5

I had specific goals going into the most recent edition of the Mookie. Knock out Hoy...Check. Finish ahead of Waffles....Check. Get knocked out in 5th place to the eventual champion on a coin flip that gets re sucked out on the river...Check. Congrats to heffmike on a job well done.

I got AK once the whole tourney. JJ once. TT twice in a row, one to knock out the final table bubble. I got 77 a gillion times. Won once. Saw AQ twice, folded once. AK once.. no action. No, repeat, no premium hands save one QQ early that got cold called by AQ. Of course one of the 12 Aces in the deck flopped. I fired 2 bullets then gave up on the river. I was 44 of 44. I came back to win $43. I rule.

I hit the final table and go absolutely card dead. Astin I am not. Every time I had a stealy hand, it got popped ahead of me and had to fold. I lost with KQs vs AT sb vs bb battle. I flopped a king and lost on the river. Fun times

Moving on

Does anybody else have a zombie contingency plan? I do. You should. Cuz, fuck, it could happen. Be prepared. Mine is pretty simple. I get a shot gun. Get some ammo. Put it in the attic. The access panel is in Thunderboys closet ceiling. Zombies show up, grab the kids and head to the attic. Try to convince the wife she should ascend last as she has the smallest brain. I kid. I kid. I have got a mini fridge and generator up there. Dry goods out the ass. Tons of water. Toilet paper and all. I can last for years. No zombie is gettin me. It becomes a waiting game. The zombies are going to run out of food, ie brains. Then they gotta hit the easy animals. You know, opossums and the like. Squirrels are gonna love it. They will start messin with the zombies. Chucking walnuts at them. Running in front of zombies will replace running in front of cars.

Ok. If I ever see him, I am gonna hit Numbono in the fucking head. All I want is some Bee Gees on BDR. He, or whom ever is in charge, keeps wanting to listen to U2's Walk On all fucking night. Damn it, give me the brothers Gibb. We get it, U2 is great. Just stop stuffing it down my throat.

I am sorry. So sorry. That is the box of wine talking.

Peace

MT

Prairie Band Fun Time

Well hello there. Sorry to be away awhile. Not much poker to talk about until today.

I went up to the Prairie Band Casino north of Topeka. Formerly Harrah's. Me and a buddy went to play in the 1 a.m. $35 buy in $20 re buy tournament. Let me just say the people playing there were way less than good. What do you expect from a 1 a.m. tourney?

The first hour I saw AK once, raised and took the blinds. I folded for 30 minutes after that and finally saw QJ in mp. It looked like the nuts after the crap I was folding. I raised and got 2 callers. I have played 2 hands in about an hour and get called. I c-bet and took it down. I then limp in mp with;T9os and see a flop of 973 rainbow. Sb raises and I push for 2 times his raise and he calls with ATs in spades, no spades on board. I double up into the break. I add on and have $55 invested. I have 2700 in chips after starting with 1200 so I feel OK about my position.

I get back after the break and go on a tear. I get AK 3 out of my first 6 hands. I bust a lady who had bought in for $115. AK took down her JJ. There was a guy who was just killing the table. He had shown down good hands the whole way and was just outplaying us all. I look down at my best hand of the tourney, KK. I limp utg knowing that the shortie to my left was going all in every other hand and that the big stack loved playing for peoples stacks. I got my wish and the shortie pushed. Big stack raises to isolate and it is folded to me. I think for a second, almost sure I was ahead. I push all in for about 2k more and the big stack instant calls. Now he was priced in, but I thought he would at least think about it. I thought he had AA. I flipped over my kings, and he groaned. He had JJ. Shortie had A3 diamonds. The flop came out and the beautiful door card was a king. I had to sweat runner runner diamond possibility, but in the end almost doubled up. The big stack just lost it. He was still the chip leader of our table and maybe 2nd in th tourney. He went on super monkey tilt. All in every hand until he busted. Literally gave almost every chip to one guy at our table. He went on to chop for the win.

A little later I pick up JJ in the bb. Utg +1 raised 3x the blinds. I just call along with another player. The flop came out J73 os. I stare at the the board trying to keep my heart in check. How am I going to play this? I look up and then realize the table is waiting for me. I was first to act. I chuckle a bit and check. The raiser pushes all in, other guy folds and I instant call. Jacks hold and I am the chip leader going to the final table.

Top 6 pay and we get there quick as me and one other had most of the chips.. We get to 6 and an old regular wants to even chop. The other big stacks says it's up to me and I say I would like to play a bit more. You know, I had 20k and 4 of the players had 4k or less with 300/600 blinds.. I pointed at the chip leader and told him he was stupid if he wanted to chop. He just chuckled. Ever time someone went out the old guy asked for the chop like we were crazy for not doing it. Every time someone went out, they did so at the hands of a me or the other big stack. I was not about to give up that much equity. We finally get 2 handed heads up and then I ask for the chop. 1st was $505 and second was $258. I told him it was a good chop. He had me out chipped 45k to 35k. Blinds were 2k/4k. Two blind steals in a row made me the chip leader. It was a crap shoot. He said yes and we each got $386. I was a better short hand player than him and he said so. If the chips had been reversed I would have played on. It marked my first "win" and cash at a live tourney.

Next day we played at Harrah's KC. I have a question, if anyone cares. Board of T973 rainbow. You hold QQ. And you are almost positive that the villain in the hand is on an OESD. There is $100 in the pot. Do you over push for $400 all in to price them out or bet about the pot and see what happens?

Oh and I was playing $1-2. I am in the big blind and it gets folded around to the button who bets $15. Small blind calls. I look down at AA. I count out $50 to raise. I put it out on the table and looked down to see that I had inadvertently placed a black chip on top. I told the dealer it was a mistake and he said it was a binding bet. I was outwardly upset and said I did not mean to do that. It was true. I wanted a call. I thought the button was betting with a decent hand and wanted the action. The button thought a minute and announced all in. Sb folds and I obviously call. I turned over my hand telling him I was not angle shooting. I felt horrible. He had QQ I won and he told me my protesting at putting that black chip in convinced him I was weak. I apologized again and took his chips.

Peace

MT

Odds and Ends

Random thoughts aboot everything. Here is to you Canada.

I saw I am Legend the other day. Much better flick than I had anticipated. Only a few problems though. Why doesn't Will Smith have a better final fall back position? Bank vault comes to mind. Super panic room? Furthermore, where are all the bones of the dead? Do the zombies eat bones? And how does the coal shoot, one, protect them from the blast and two, protect them from the zombies that were not killed? And how does the lady show up and save old Will? The light on the SUV must have been a super light. Seeing as how the zombies totally attacked the light at Will fortress at the end. Maybe zombies just don't like being surprised.

You know the Vagasil commercial that sells the decoder ring that can tell you if you have a yeast infection. You know the one that says not all itching and odor is a yeast infection. Yeast infection. There, I said it again. Because sometimes the symptoms of yeast infection do not necessarily mean a yeast infection. Yeast infection. And dammit you need to know. The real question is, if not that, then what in the world is wrong with you? They never tell you. Is there some super secret vaginal issue that can not be talked about in the open? I asked my wife if you have the symptoms and do not have a yeast infection, does it mean the hoo ha is gonna fall off? She just smiled knowingly and shrugged off the question. Conspiracy.

In that vein, how about the one where the hottie looks great but feels horrible. Fernando would tell her it's better to look good than to feel good. The odor, the itch that can't be scratched. First, I can honestly say that I have never been close to a woman and thought, man you need to douche and it may not be a yeast infection. Second. is there really an itch you can not scratch? Couldn't you get up in there and take care of business? I bet bobby bracelet could. Just saying.

Or...the one where the guy is watching t.v and the totally hot middle aged wife asks the stereotypical male if he is ready to go. You know dwarfish, and balding. Wearing 2o year old flannel. Cuz.... you know... all men are pigs. He stammers and says yes and pulls out what appears to be a cologne sample from a magazine. He proceeds to wipe himself down. Announcers say all men suck. You are a woman and you have a douche in a wipe. You can be fresh. Fuck you Summers Eve. Soaking baby wipes in douche sauce and calling it fresh is such horse shit. You have to make men look like dirt bags to sell it. I am gonna market Axe flavored baby wipes and have the same dwarfish dude wipe himself down. Then his hottish 40 something wife smells him and finally agrees after 18 years of marriage to do anal. That, my friends, is how to sell baby wipes and pizza.

Maybe you Hollywood types can help me out here. Why does it seem that the same guy or gal gets all the commercial work over a given space of time. The McDonald's coffee guy is doing Starburst ads. The Verizon wireless dad is on another commercial I can't think of now. The pissed off mistress in the gum commercial is screaming at a squirrel in another ad. Happens all the time. What's the deal? There is not a shortage of waiters/actor in L.A. Are directors just lazy? Or do they want me to drink Starburst flavored coffee?

Have you seen the Pizza Hut ad where the father gets dinner for the whole family and the mom acts like he is a god. You just know later she is finally gonna let him do anal. If only Pizza Hut had put out a family deal sooner. You watch a lot of day time television during the week and this is a recurring theme. Husband is an idiot, wife fixes everything. Husband can't wash off whole cake from dish? No problem, wife knows about Cascade Complete. Blah blah blah. Obviously never been to my house.

Random fact about me. I am eating a steak right now. My Mom taught me well. I cut a piece off and put my knife down. Switch my fork to the other hand and consume the piece. But not tonight. Tonight I am cutting and shoveling. Feels so naughty not switching hands. Only do it whilst dinning alone. I know, I know, I'm a bad ass.

MT

P.S.

Anal

Variance

Played my home game last night. It caught up to me. I have probably taken $700 off the two home game I play in the last 2 months. I gave $80 back.

QQ got cracked twice by AQ and A4. Ace on flop. AK got cracked by 87s when he called pf raise and two raises on an A45 board.

I got great cards last night and got slaughtered.

Did get in bad with 77 vs 88. Read him as weak, just not weak enough. KJc vs 33 couldn't take out a shortie.. AQs vs 99 couldn't flip out and ended my night.

One long session, right? AA and KK twice didn't see action. 55 twice no set.

Fun game

MT

The Vegas Year is over?

I don't know what he thinks he is doing. His blog is not about him. It has and will continue to be about my reading enjoyment. Damn it Robert.

If you do not know, it appears that the Vegas Year is over. I had a feeling it was coming and not just because it had gone into extra innings. Post were becoming fewer and less frequent.

Most blogs are like this one. Exceedingly boring to read and with very little relevance. TVY was different. It made me want to go to Vegas. It made me feel like I was there. It was a blog I wish I could write. Robert did an exceedingly good job of putting the reader at the table with him. It was like putting on a virtual Robert suit and playing poker.

Good luck Robert.

How is The California Year sound? eh?

Played a blogger event.....finally

The stars had not aligned for me to play in any blogger events lately. Well last night I put the kiddies down around 8:30. With the wife playing golf, I had time to finally play.

I final tabled it. The Mookie that is. I was last in chips and went out on the first hand. My 88 was no match for QQ. I had a few hands that were interesting. I got all in with JJ vs Riggs AQos and flopped f'n quads. Fun fun. That was directly after two people the hand before got it in with AA vs AK. The chop came as broadway go there on fifth street.

BigSlickNuts had my number all night. I open raise utg with AJos for little over 3x blind. He calls in bb with AT os and flops the ten. Happened again later with me Ace out kicking him pre-flop, but still losing. I returned the favor the very next hand to eliminate some other poor soul. That made it 3 bounties on the night for me. That went a little way towards softening the blow.

Congratulations to J Haze for taking it down. She is one of my favorites.

All in all it was a good time. Hope to do it more often.

MT

Tournaments

Went to the Ameristar on Sunday morning with 3 other guys. We were gonna go to Harrah's but their tourney sold out an hour before we got there. It is $30 buy in with no add ons or re-buys. Their bad beat jackpot is also over 360k. So it was the place to be. The Ameristar's tourney was $40 buy in with $15 re-buy's and one add on. I ran cold. I tried to double up early with a couple of questionable hands but no go. The first hand of the event, I win the button. I get dealt J8os and limp when everyone else does. Flop comes J83. Check around to lady next to me and she bets a smallish $1 into a $2.50 pot. I raise it up to $3 to isolate and it works and she calls to make it heads up. Long story short, she wins with flopped top set. Yep JJ is ok. Then and there, I thought I had a good chance in this tourney. She didn't felt me. She should have. I was going the whole way. But I slowed down after the turn after she raised me. The river brought runner runner hearts and she checked it down. How can she put me on a heart draw here? I was aggressive on the flop with only 1 heart on the board. And how does she limp with JJ here with so many limper's? I worked out for her so I guess she is a genius I end up busting out around 16 with 42 runners. I saw exactly one pocket pair, 99. Doubled me up late. AQ twice and AJ once. That's it. I run goot. I busted with Q7 right after the second break. One ep caller and the sb and me in the bb. Flop comes Q7J. Hallelujah. I am gonna double up . Sb bets out and I go all in. I had all of 3 bb pre-flop. He has Q9 and calls for and catches his 9 on the turn.. Live poker is so rigged. One buddy bubbled the final table with AA. Got cracked by Q6. Too bad because all final table players got $50. Other buddy got the 6 way chop and made a cool $300 profit. Only saving grace for me was that I won $45 playing 3/6 while waiting.

Further example of the play. We are down to 16 and no one has a commanding chip lead so it is just push or fold really. Lady with JJ earlier opens utg with a bet of 2.5 the blinds. There is a call all in and a push all in over the top. She has to call 3500 to win near 26k and she tanks. Me and another guy are wondering wtf she is doing. Really lady you have to call with atc here. Finally she calls and tables AQos. Caller has JJ and the over the top pusher has AQos. Flop of course delivers and Q and there is a chop. I don't like her open bet here. I think it is a push or fold with that hand. JJ guy did what he had to do. The other AQ was a total clown. How do you get your money in there knowing you are behind? He did not last long.

I took 5th in a $3 ko tourney of Full Tilt last night. I final tabled in 7th place. I get near the top in chips when the chip leader makes a big opening bet. Next players pushes all in. Called by the next player. I have KK. I push all in over and the original raiser folds. I though for sure I was against AA. Nope. Just 99 and ATs (donkey). I have to fade 5 outs and cannot. Flop is 933. Ouch. I am now the shorty and wait a while for hands. It comes with AJ on the button with a limper. I push and bb calls as well as limper. Flop is J high and my hand holds up. Next hand AQ. I get doubled again and I am back to second in chips out of 5. Few hands later on the button again AKs. I push. and bb tanks. Now I want a call here. I have him covered by a few bb's. He finally calls off for his tournament life with....can you guess? Q6c. Yep that's right ASSHAT thinks Q6 is the nuts. Of course he flops a flush draw that gets there with the Kc on the turn. I was crippled but came oh so close to climbing out of the whole again. On his call there, how does one do that. He had no where near odds and had plenty of chips. Even if he put me on a button steal what the fuck can he beat with Q6c? JT? That is about it. I had two monster hands cracked that if they went my way I have a great shot at winning.

Hand questionI

Played at my home game last night. Up $70. You really must come over and play.

I hit 3 flushes to win my money. The best being with the hammer. We put the 27 rule into effect in that if you win with that as your hole cards, you get $1 from each player. I called a raise and a call of $3.50. Loose I know, but I had position and it was soooooted. 27H. Flop comes A73 with 2 hearts. Original raiser c bets and the loose guy to my right raises to $23. I stand up, knowing I was gonna call. I have a quarter less and say "I call". The original raiser folds AQ and the raiser show AJs. I flip my cards over and tell him this is going to be sick. No suspense as the turn delivered the 9h. "Give me my dollar bitches". It was so sick. So awesome. No one had come close to winning with that hand for that amount of money. The loser kind of gave me shit for doing it. I said it was worth the gamble for the bragging rights.

The question involves the above loser and another player. I make a loose call of $3 raise with A4s with position. The flop comes A89 with 2 spades. $7 bet by ep. Loser and I call. Turn is 5 hearts. $10 bet by ep called by loser and me. I know what you are saying. The odds are out of whack for this. These were the 2 loosest guys at the table and I knew I would be paid if my hand hit. I had any flush card and any 4 to make my hand, in my mind. 2s comes on river I value bet for $10 and get paid by both. Barely. Loser almost folded. Ep had AJ and the loser had rivered two pair. No ace.

One of the guys at the table questioned me not making a stronger move with top pair and nut flush draw. How do you play this hand?

MT

Last Night

Home game again. Won $50.

The table was very loose. I made quads on my first hand. Got paid.

4th hand in I limp on the button with 45os in nearly family pot. Flop comes T67 rainbow. Checked around. Turn is the 4th lucky charm in the form of the 8 of hearts. I made my straight. Sb leads out for $2 into a $3.50 pot. BB smooth calls and folds around to me. I pretty much insta-fold and show my cards to John. He is a solid player with ideas on going pro. He looks at my cards and then realizes I folded the straight. He couldn't believe it. He said he would have to raise to see where he was at. I said I absolutely knew I was dead. Sb ended up having the stone cold nuts with J9. John said it was a sick fold.

So who is right here? I told him that the smooth caller pretty much sealed the deal. And, who is betting into a board that coordinated with anything less than a straight? The smallish raise was screaming for a re-raise. He said it was a small bet and raising it up a little defines my hand. I wanted to get money in at a better place. John's attitude is what makes this game so good. Everybody is trying to make hero plays when it is so easy to sit back and wait until you have them dominated. I would have just bled off chips.

Anyway, couple of other hands of note. I limp utg with QQ, knowing the raise was coming and get my wish when it is popped to $3.50 by mp. Call, call,call, call. I move all in and take it down. I told him the only person I was worried about was the original raiser. If he folds, I know I am good. Most of them argued with me and said the original raiser was loose and the calls behind him could have been super strong. I told them it was a textbook poker play and that the lesson was over. I would have made the same move with AT as well.

Had 9Th. Went runner runner to boat over straight. They let me get there. AQ9 flopped checked. T turn checked. 9 river I bet pot and nut straight smooth calls me. Good call. If I knew he was that strong I would have check raised him...oh well.

MT

Just tearing it up

Man I am kicking July's ass. What is this my 4th post? Hoy has got nothing on me. Congrats to Iggy on his run in the main event. Too cool. Never met the guy. Nevertheless I was living vicariously through him thanks to Pauly. Lets see, what else do I know...I tried one of Astin chicken recipes. Delicious. Learned about some poker gems from the Poker Grump. The Vegas Year has been indefinitely extended. I am trying to learn to play tournament poker like LJ and Lucko. Really wish Waffles would get interesting again. I am feeling bad about my mortgage loan,.. thanks Alan. I am glad my kids came single shot unlike JJ and PP. I wish I had Al's life.

I missed some, I know.............. Blow

Took another hundred off my home game. Up big over last two months. These are the same guys who say they make big money at the casinos. Maybe they are just bored at the home game. I like to think I rock. Yeah, lets go with that. I rock everybody. Deal with it.

Question of the day, or lets say week.

Assuming there is a Capra-esque afterlife. All the people who have died and gone to heaven can see what we are doing. Do you think my relatives are appalled by my porn habit? Is my Grandmother gonna give me hell when I go. I get up there and she's standing by St. Peter, shaking her head is disgust, shaking a finger at me. Telling me she's surprised it didn't fall off and that I can still see. Introducing me to all her friends and getting all of their knowing looks. Man that is gonna be awkward.

RCJH

MT

Flopped Straights Always Win

Not really. It seems that whenever I flop one in live play, I lose. Invariably, I check the flop, trying to let someone catch up. The turn gives them 9 outs and they bet. I raise to eliminate draws and they call off their stack and punish me on the river.

Not last night. The home game was at my place due to the normal host not wanting his mother and brother to know that he is a degenerate. The beer and cards would be too much for the visiting kin folk, let alone the MaryJane. I complete in the small blind with 97os. Flop is JT8 rainbow. No check for me. I bet the pot. 3 folds and the button smooth calls. 8 on the turn. I am pretty sure I am still ahead, but this is Mookie. No not this guy, different Mookie. He will float with anything, but I am almost sure he re pops it on the flop with any two pair. I think a while and check. He bet 2/3 pot. River is the 5c and I bet $10. He fumbles his chips and raises $15. I insta call and his turned trips are no good. He was floating a pot bet with bottom pair and a 4 kicker. I love that guy. He pays me every week. Probably should have pushed on his re raise here, but I did not have the nut straight. That and the paired board slowed me down.

He payed me again later when I limp then pay $2 in ep with 33. 4 to the flop and the door card is a beautiful 3. Is there anything prettier in poker than hitting your set holding a baby pair? It is checked around to the button who bets the pot. Cold called by original raiser, Mookie, in the big blind. I push all in for $18 more. The button whines a little and said he knew I was strong when I checked in ep on the K high flop. He reluctantly folds and Mookie tanks for a while and even says I probably have a set. In the end he calls, because he was up and he likes to gamble. He turns over JTos and is dead to runner runner. 4h on the turn and the hand is over. The button says he folded AK. He is a strong player. Anybody else at the table and I triple up.

Wound up $100 for the night. Gifted $17 to the strong player on the last hand. Fun fun fun.

Internet poker continues to kick my ass. I guess I will have to play more live. Keep Internet for taking shots at big scores in tournaments

RCJH

MT

Happy 4th

To all my countryman, have a safe, semi sober day and weekend.

To my Canadian friends, get back to work.

RCJH

MT

Cash games

I can not get it going playing cash games on Full Tilt. First hand in bb i get KK. Raise by cut off and call by sb 4 ties the bb. I push all in for $4. Small stakes table. Original raiser calls me with 9Tos and sb calls with Q8os. I flop the set and lose to runner runner clubs to the sb. I go from a hammer lock on the hand, to getting violated on the river. In my head, I am screaming at the guy like waffles. I opt to only type the eloquent and succinct, "fuck you". Sometimes less is more.

Any way, I am getting torpedoed on the virtual felt. Luckily I still run goot at the home game. Posted a $12 win last night. Was up over 50 but talked a shorty to push over my flat call of an all in. He said, while pondering, that I had priced him in with his flush draw. I said if you are gonna call, you should just push all in . He did and flushed out on the river to take $20 from me. I had top pair and the all in guy had an under pair. I will take that bet all day.

Got 4 pocket pairs all night and flopped a set with all of them. Lost when my limped 22 lost to flopped nuts on 246 board. Flush filled on the turn and I lost the absolute minimum there. But it knocked me down to only $15 up. 56hh was winner again. Raised utg with it and got the same guy I bluffed with it last week to call. Flop comes 79Q two hearts. I go all in and he says good bet and folds AJ. Not much else. Flopped a boat. On limped board of QQ4. I had 44. Folded around to me in position and I bet $3 at it praying for someone to have the Q. Get one pusher with $5. He was on a flush draw and drawing nearly dead. If only he had more money.

The new fiscal year started July 1st. So I guess the year of the Jayhawk is officially over. Man it was fun.

RCJH

MT

Kansas Royalty

Was kicking around the idea of a post concerning an encounter at our local hardware store. Wasn't going to post it until I saw this and this. It also fits in with the subject matter I kick around here.

The wife, son, and daughter and I needed some primer for a home improvement project. We get the stuff and wander about the store. My son loves to play in the patio furniture display. He would spend the day there if we let him. After repeatedly asking him to leave, in my outside the house voice., he finally steps into the aisle. I see a very tall black man coming around the corner as my son steps out. Danny Manning almost flattens my 4 year old. Danny stops short and my son is like a deer in headlights. I tell him, in my most pleasant tone, to please move. I tell him, what feels like, a billion times. The boy finally moves and I apologize to Danny and his wife. No biggie. Accept it happens again while we are leaving the store. Sucks, because there is a small part of me that needs the greatest living Kansas sports figure to know that I am a good parent. He should know I can control my kid. Kind of like sucking in your gut when a hottie walks by. To my son, it was just the largest man he had ever seen almost running him over, again. To me it is like a brush with royalty. Someday he will understand.

I chuckle to myself thinking about what would have happened had the collision occurred. My son could tell his friends; "This one is from falling and hitting a stone wall. I got six stitches. And, this one is from the time Danny Manning kneed me in the face". "Yeah it was horrible, my Dad yelled at me, made me apologize, then took me to the hospital." "Oh and I had to work off the debt to my Dad when he insisted that we buy his liquid plumber and garden hose". "Thanks, my nose does look almost normal now. Amazing what they can do with a big toe". "Dad says stop complaining and that's why God gave us two sets"

Too bad Wilt is gone. Complete the family. Maybe I can find Paul Pierce.

Speaking of the Truth. Further proof that it is the year of the Jayhawk.

5 basketball players got drafted. Ties record. Kaun will be the second highest paid, but he was the last drafted. He is playing in Russia and the NBA team that ends up with his rights can have him in two years. Sweet deal for the team. Get the developed player for no pay.

RCJH

MT

Home Game and Rules Question

Not much to talk about. Ground out a $28 win. Got 4 pocket pairs in 5 hours. 44 55 x 2 and 77. Got AKs once and AQs once. Other than that just playing so so hands in position like QJs that won me a big one when flop tripped me up. Or AcTC on a flop with the nut flush draw and a gutterball. The guy min raised by flop bet and then small bet to the river where a Q gave me the nuts. I bet out 2/3 pot and he put me in with K rag. Top pair only. I don't mind raising there to see where you are, but you have to drive me out of the pot after the turn. He let me get there.

I lost half my $20 buy in and was seated between the two loosest players in the game. Folds to button who limps, I complete my small blind with 55 and the bb raises 4xbb. Button calls and I push all in. They both fold. Had barely enough fold equity there. Plus my table image as nearly a rock helped a lot. Before that I bluffed the only other good player at the table with 6h5h. I raised utg and he called from the button. Heads up and he checks in the dark. Ace on flop and I go all in. He insta folds and shows 66, good for second pair. I show him my bluff and tell him it's good for the game. I am starting to use my table image to get pots now. Opened up a whole new aspect to my game. Fun, very fun.

Oh the guy I bluffed, who had the 66, had an Astin like run of cards. In the first 3 orbits, 7 handed, he showed 8 pocket pairs. He later went on to get KK x4 times. Flop a set with 22 and get 99 three more times. Unreal.

Rules Question:

3 handed see a smallish pre-flop raised flop

Loose guy bets out about $6 which is about the pot. Loose guy # 2 raises to $15 while directly after, but clearly after the re-raise is announced, player 3 says "I will call you Terry" referring to the original raiser. The re-raiser had his cards hidden under his hands. Player 3 said he did not know he was in the hand. Player 3 , made obvious by his demeanor, would not have called the re-raise.

What is the rule here? I know it is a friendly home game, put #3 is a solid player and said he would leave his call of the original raiser in the pot. Is this correct, or is his verbal announcement of "call" obligate him for all of the re-raise? Or should he get it all back since he could not see #2's cards and thought he was not in the hand. Therefore not paying any attention to him to see his action. #2's verbal raise was very quiet.

Re-raiser won the hand after the raiser called and gave #3 back his money.

RCJH

MT

Small Victory

I have not been chronicling it here, but I have been on a dry spell. It is a combination of bad cards and poor play. Mostly poor play. Now don't get me wrong. I have seen set over set with me on the losing end twice in the last two weeks. I have not seen that in months. I flop a full house with QQ only to lose to turned bigger full house. The cards and my bad play conspired to drag me deeper into the abyss. The bad stuff happened and my game went to pot.

Tournament poker is my preference. I play cash games live mostly, but tend to stick to MTT and Sit n' gos on line. My game had deteriorated to the point I was just calling and catching. Not betting and taking. I'm a top damn it. Last night I decided I had enough. If I was going to lose, I would lose swinging away.

I have a standing appointment Thursdays to play online with my cousin from Hotlanta. I railed him as he busted out of the 28k and the token race. We decided to play a $3 ko sit n go. Now earlier in the day I was playing one of these and final tabled. I made a read on a player and check raised him with air and got him to fold. Nothing spectacular. I was almost sure he was c betting with missed AK. The key: I made the read. I had not been doing that recently. I had been reading blogs, watching TV, or talking to the wife. I final tabled without getting a pocket pair above TT, seeing AK twice, and AQ once in over two hours. TT was one of only 5 pocket pairs I saw. I did it by focusing on the game and playing the players. I had been playing weak poker and played only my cards. I had the guy who won in all in pf with 77 vs A5s he hit his 3 outer and went on a tear. Love this game.

Now with my cousin playing, it is easy to focus. We rail each other and root each other on. And in this sit n go, I got some cards. I hit my draws. I got out to the lead about half way through and didn't fall below 5th the whole way. Man, I forgot how fun this game is when playing with a huge stack. Raises are not respected, they are feared. I picked up so much free money. I entered the final table 3rd in chips and was in first with 4 left. I had a huge chip advantage thanks to getting QQ and AA consecutively when 5 handed. The QQ hand busted out the shortest stack and the AA left the 2nd place guy with less than one bb. AA vs AK 4 handed = cooler.

Then I started just leaning on the other two and got heads up like 210k to 60k. I wish the story ended better, but I got sucked out on the first all in, lost a kicker battle on the second and couldn't finish it out. Disappointing.

No major suck outs. Only one that was not really a suck out. I had A2o in sb as chip leader. Complete and flop is checked around. Turn gives me the wheel. I bet out and get called.
Flop is a 7 making a higher straight possible. I check, thinking I am ahead (Q was on board, put him on that) and he goes all in. He pushes and I call. He had 22 and was bluffing. I guess it was a suck out, but he never bet it. I hit 4 nut flushes, when priced in, and got paid nicely for them.

No wait, I did suck out on KK. My 99 flopped top set. All the money was in pre-flop. I had 3 to 1 chip advantage over him.

The combination of me concentrating on the game and finally getting some cards made for a good night. I was on the winning side of all in with pp almost every time. QQ > JJ. AA > KK. Was nice to be on the other side.

Hand Question:

In the 28k, 4 level
Villain and cousin both have about doubled up. Plenty of chips


My cousin picked up TT in the BB.

It is folded around to the button who puts in the standard 3.5 x the bb raise. Cousin calls and flop comes K82 rainbow. Cousin checks and the button bets about 2/3 pot. Cousin folds. I told him he should have re-raised there. He told me to let him play his game. He said that guy was conservative. Funny thing is that guy open shoved next hand and limped the following two.

Anyway, is this or is this not a good time to check raise? I got to think TT is ahead of this guys range. And in a $3 ko donkey fest, people tend to check flopped top pair heads up with position. I didn't tell him this, but I thought he should have re-raised pre flop. He had enough chips that the re-raise would not have crippled him.

RCJH

MT

RNG

While playing NL on Full Tilt the other day, I was dealt these hands in sequence.

TT AQ QQ AQ TT


Open raised all 5 and only lost a small pot with the second AQ

Stacked a guy with the last TT.

Pretty sure he thought I was just playing a rush or turned on the aggro switch. He defended his big blind. Flop comes KTx all spades. He bets I re-raise. He just calls. Turn is a non spade low card. He bet smallish. I put him all in . He insta calls with KTos. No K and I win.

Thanks for the pot FT rng.

RCJH

MT

Question

Which situation would you rather get your stack all in with?

Micro nl $4 buy in on Full Tilt .05/.10 blinds

Hero has about $6.

#1

Hero in sb with QQ

Utg +1 raises the pot

Folds around to you and you just call. (this is what I did. Should have re -raised)

Flop comes K93 rainbow.

Villain c bets 3/4 the pot.

What do you do?


#2

Same stakes and stacks.

Mp calls folds to Hero in bb with J2os

Flop comes 89J rainbow.

Villain bets 2x bb

Hero calls

Turn is 2

Hero bets out about the pot.

Villain re-raises you all in.

What do you do?

Which one of these do you go to war with?

Both? None?

RCJH

MT

I remember wihen misery thrilled me much more

I like to think back with great fondness to the fall of 2003. I had been infected and was full of fantasy about being a money maker at poker. I played live first at the KC casinos. Still remember the first two hands I played. Sat down and posted my blind utg+1 in a 3/6 limit game. Smallest game they have. How stupid is that? Look down at Q5os. Raise and re-raise later I flat call. I flop a boat QQ5. I check and call down to the river as the other guy hits his A high flush. I never raise. Never bet out. He was shocked that I had that hand. Next hand is A4os. I call two raises in the BB again. Flop the wheel. Win again. I was hooked like the donkey fish that I was and that I still battle today.

Fast forward couple months and I get some money on Party Poker. I play 3/6 at the casino , why not virtually as well. Ran $100 up to $1200 in a day. Didn't realize that online game is so much bigger. Played like a donkey. I didn't know the absolute turd A6os was utg, suited or not. I loved aces. Played em all the time every one. Chased everything. Flushes, gutter balls, you name it. Couldn't lay down AK. Couldn't lay down any flopped top pair. And I lost that and much more in a week. I was an ATM.

That's okay though. I loved getting my cards and getting an ace. If I flopped a pair of aces, it was like having sex. It was Christmas morning, Halloween and my birthday all wrapped up in one. And I played them fearlessly. Bet and bet and call and call.

Now a starting hand with an ace scares me. Anything less that AK makes my stomach turn. AQ absolutely blows. AT suited makes me weep. Its like a puffer fish. Such a pretty hand. So damn deadly.

I guess my point is this; early on I was optimistic, now I just wait for the rng on Full Tilt to corn hole me. I gotta get the mojo back. I gotta believe my card is coming. Believe, while being patient, aggressive and courageous, that I will be rewarded for my play.

Just another leak to fix.

RCJH

MT

Blog Roll

I have added Poker Grump to my blog roll. It is a good read and updated often. And, it fulfills his long time wish and really, every bloggers wish, to be on my blog roll. Congrats poker grump, you made it. Que Barry Manilow. Call the family. Smoke a cigar. Throw a party. Bang a hooker. Bang a hooker at a party, smoking a cigar, while talking to great grandma. Multi tasking, leaves more time for poker.

RCJH

MT

Home game lovin

Long post coming. If you like you can skip to the comments and respond with "awesome" or "best post ever" or "I want that 5 minutes of my life back" or "you sir, are a poker genius"or my favorite, "more hand histories please"

Home game was back on last night after a two week hiatus as the host was on vacation last week. I used to take this game all serious like. I would fret over all the cards and the what what in the butt. I was running bad in cards. The good hands I did get would be outdrawn or would have to fold to pressure. I was losing $20 to $40 a week. No big deal, but I was just used to winning that much or small loses. It all came to a head for me one week when I raised a pot with AcQc and 3 of us saw the flop of 2dJc9c. Check to me and I bet the pot. One fold, one slow caller. I should have known then. That guy doesn't do that with air. He doesn't call to steal later. He would have moved here if he thought I was weak. Turn is my card, 2c. He checks and I push all in. He tells me he isn't going to slow roll me. And I know. Quads. I don't think I get away from this hand. Just because of the size of the pot and how few chips, relative to the pot, I had left. But if I was big stacked, I can. But that is not the point. I didn't see it coming. I was playing only my cards and not him. Big stack or not I was going broke here. By the way, I hate his slow play of his bottom set here.

So I made a decision. I would start treating the home game differently. Instead of being about poker, it would now be about learning, getting away from the kids, and drinking beer with friends. The cards I was dealt and the results I posted would be secondary. I would focus solely on playing correct poker and be happy in the fact that I was with adults only and a cold beer in my hand. If I lost, who cared, I was having fun damn it.

And it happened. I played tight and posted a small win. Then I posted my biggest win to date
Next week I won $40. This week. Well, I run good.

First hand of the night I look down at AdJd. Limp from middle position and call a raise from Sheik, a Saudi Arabian going to school here who bleeds chips. Flop comes ace high and I check to him. He bets the pot and I put him all in. His AQ beats me and I am down half a buy in. That is ok. I am happy with my play. I was way ahead of his range there and I will make that play every time. Against him that is +EV. So I was down but still feeling good.

Three hands later. Limps around to button. He bets six times the big blind. He is a solid player but is loose and aggressive in this situation. He likes to pick up chips. I look down at JJ in the big blind. I move all in for my last $9, ($20 buy in). Everybody mucks and he reluctantly calls and says don't show me your cards. Board is 9 high and I win. He had junk. Never showed me his hand.

Seventeen hands later I get AA on the button. Can you say woot woot? Three limpers and I raise it up 5x the bb with a lackadaisical bet mid sentence. I was trying to trap the sb. Last week I did the same type of bet with AK, 3 handed and he called. Flop came 9 high and I c bet. He reraised me and I had to lay it down. He showed the bluff and told me he had me on AK. Well done sir. Well I trapped him. Him and 3 of his friends. Should have bet more. Now I am thinking of how quick I can fold if the flop is scary. Fourth guy thinks and folds to a chorus of "you were priced in", and "why didn't you call". Flop comes 645os. Sb bets out for the pot and gets a smooth caller. I push all in for $6.5 more. Sb thinks and talks and says, oh you really have something. He calls, correctly, and so does the smooth caller. 9 turn and 2 river and my aces hold up. I rake it in and needle the sb with "didn't have AK, did I". He says he put me on 99-JJ. Didn't bother to point out that his play still made little sense and he was still behind. No, he had me on AK. The smooth caller had a busted straight draw. Oh and the guy who limp folded for all those crazy odds had 23os.

Picked up AA again 20 hands later. Raise it more this time. One caller in sb. Flop J99. I know I am going to the felt here. If he has JJ or a 9, good for him. He bets the pot. I think, drink my beer and double his bet. He moves all in for most of my stack. Now I have seen him play a hand like this before. Against me. I call and he says good call. His A7 is no match and he goes home. They asked him what he was doing and he thought my thinking and taking a drink of beer was a sign of weakness. Store that away in the vault.

Get AsQs and limp call a smallish raise. Flop comes AJx and I check. Mp bets and the original raiser moves in. I pick up my cards and show the other half of the table I am folding this. Two of them look at me with exasperation. How can I fold that. I wink as to say just watch. Mp calls and his top two pair take down AK. A month ago I probably call. Two months ago I definitely fold. I guess I am coming back. Seriously, come play in my game.

Few hands later I get AK in the bb and way over raise the 4 limpers. The same guy from my JJ hand calls. Hmmm. Flop comes 8 high and I check with the intention of putting him all in if he bets. Remember, he bets at the sign of weakness. It's Pavlovian. He obliges and I push. He goes into the tank. My phone rings. It's my wife. He says he has top pair and is almost sure I am dominating him. I can't get the ringing to stop with my hand in my pocket and take out my phone. Answer it on accident. Just say hello in a sing song way. Wife wants to know where the cable company put the Weather Channel. I tell her. She curses the company and I say I will talk to her later. He folds. Says my answering of the phone sealed his fold. Put that in the vault. We ran it out anyway and I turned a K. They kept needling me to show my TT. I showed the bluff and struck fear in their eyes. Yeah right. One guy I respect called me a donkey. I told him the correct response was nice hand. I got him to lay down the better hand. I out played him. I played him. Other guys at the table cannot lay down TPTK. He could and that is what made my play profitable. Next time I make that move with a made hand.

Last hand, I swear.

Limp utg with AK. Shorty raises. Looooooose player on button calls. I put them both in. Shorty calls. Button folds. I am dominating with AK vs AJ. Flop Q high. Turn J, river J. Oh well. Only cost me $20 or so.

Hands for the night 2x AA
JJ
66
77
44
5x AK
2x AQ
AJ
AT

Finished up $70. My AK hand holds, I am up $110 or so. No biggie. I didn't play great poker. I just didn't foul up the good run of cards I had. Last three times at the home game, I am up a total of $270. The cards definitely help. But I like to think some of it is me.

RCJH

MT

Slow spiral

Still playing poker.

I tend to struggle with the patience aspect of the game vs the aggressive aspect of the game. If I am patient, it feels much too much like I am being a wimp. If I am overly aggressive, my bankroll evaporates. It is hard to find the middle ground. Recently, I have been way too impatient.

So, I decided to play one of those $3 KO tourneys and play uber tight. Folded, folded and more folding. Even folded small blinds with 4 limper's and the right odds to call. I was making diamonds baby. Finally limp on the button with A7cc after 3 limper's before me. Flop comes Qc9c3d. Checked around to me and I move all in for slightly over the pot. Folds around to big stack who thinks and calls me with A7 os. Free roll baby. Club turns and rivers and I more than double up. Guy gave away 1/15th of his stack for .50 bounty.

Folding and we are folding. 6 handed. I get A9 os in co. Folded to me and I push. I am nearly last in chips and need to make a move. 5k chips and the blinds were 300/600. Button wakes up with AK and igh in 22nd place.

Poor results? Yes. Happy with my play. Absolutely. I got AJ once utg early on. NO pocket pairs. Zero. No AK or AQ. I know how to do this. I have a few MTT scores in 4 figures. I just have to be patient. No wait aggressive. Frick. I don't know. I am scared. Damn it, there goes my courage. Double frick.

I love this game.

RCJH

MT

The MATH of Ribs

Played the hoy last night. I was playing super tight and not really feeling it. I lost a lot of my stack when I had J8 os on a T98os board. Ep guy makes a smallish raise. I call with my draw and bottom pair. At this point I said to myself, he is playing this like he has KQ. Turn comes a dooming 7 and I bet out. He smooth calls. I suppress the warning bells in my head. He only has 2 pair, right? K comes on river. What can I beat? Not much. He bets out 3/4 the pot and I think for far too little time and pay him off. I am a big ass donkey. Need to trust my gut and fix a leak.

I play with a short stack but have time to maneuver. Fold, fold and more folding. Hover around 1k and finally get to where the blinds start to hurt. I decide to push with Q2 in sb when folded to me. He insta calls. Knew I was dead. This guy was playing tighter than me. I figured my steal would be good. He flips up AJos and board comes J2J2Q. My full house blows and ighn.

Had some family over on Sunday. Neighbors came too. We had a mixed grill of ribs, chicken, mushrooms, onions and corn on the cob.

I bought baby back ribs cut the slab in half and boiled them on a low boil for about an hour and fifteen minutes
With about 30 minutes left, I started a simple bbq sauce.
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Simmer that for 30 minutes or so.

Pull the ribs from the boil and make sure to get most the water off. Use a brush to spread the sauce on one side of the ribs. Put that side down on a medium heat grill and spread the rest of the sauce on the other side. All you need to do here is add a little crustiness to the ribs. Flip after a few minutes and repeat. I got this from robbiesrecipes. Check it out. Cool site.

The chicken, mushrooms and onions I marinated in a simple balsamic marinade.
3/4 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4-6 garlic cloves finely diced. (I used garlic powder)
salt and pepper

Marinated them for about 4 hours and grilled em up.

For the corn, I soaked the ears in the husks for about 2 hours in cold water. I then put them straight on the grill at medium heat for 20 minutes or so. The husks will burn but the corn is o so good.

The best part is the grill. Well for me anyways. I have been married for over 11 years. We registered for a little gas number then and it lasted a few years. Then I traded a buddy a futon for his grill. Another gas number, a little bigger and newer. That one finally crapped out on me. It had the old burner system with lava rocks and all. The grates were disintegrating.

Now I will not debate the merits of gas vs. charcoal here. I like both, but my family situation demands gas right now. For this purchase, I did the most extensive research on one single item that I have ever done. I was gonna go with the old eye test at Walmart and buy a Brinkmanns. Waited and went home and found out on the tubes that this model breaks down in 2 years. I finally settled on a Weber. The one I wanted was $700.00. Mrs. Thunder wasn't too keen on spending that much. I told her I would make her a deal. She research grills that night and tell me which one to get. Next day I went to Sears to look at theirs and almost fell for the eye test again. Called my wife and she looked up Kenmores and found out they look awesome but perform like crap. She finally relented and told me to get the grill I wanted. About time, we have a $1200 sewing machine that hasn't seen light in the second Bush administration. All I want to do is purchase an grill that we will use at least 2 time a week for 8 months a year until the Mayan calender runs out in 2012 then, I am sorry to tell all of you , we are all fucked. Someone should ask McCain and Obama what they are gonna do about the world ending at the end of their first term. Hope they have a town hall debate close to me. I am so going. Gonna ask that question and beg not to be tased. Come on now, don't go a get all upset. Don't think about end times, just drink a little more and put it in the back of your minds. Sorry to stir the pot. And really, there is a very good chance that the Mayans were idiots or lazy and just didn't finish out their calender. Moving on....

So I went to Home depot and bought a Weber. Just not the one I wanted. I went a step down and only spent $400. Nice solid grill that will last. The wife was happy and I love the damn thing. Almost slept out on the deck.

Side note, we originally went to get a grill a day earlier. Instead we bought a new front door on a whim. I tore the old one out and put the new one in on Sunday. Mowed the lawn. Helped make a head board for my youngest. Set up a bigger bed for my oldest. Cooked my wife's family a meal. Removed old landscaping ties and built a new retaining wall out of stone. Make all the meals we eat. Helped install two screen doors. All this in the last two weekends. Do nearly all the dishes. Went to a party last Saturday night, didn't get laid. Whats new? I think there is room underneath the grill cover.

RCJH

MT

28K Redux

Just got done finishing the 28K tonight on FT. I finished 193 of 1200 or so. This after playing it last week and finishing 108. I am feeling pretty good about my MTT game right now.

I got some good cards and made some good reads to steal a few pots. One ass hat put me on tilt and I really don't know why. I tangled with him early on when I limped on my button with AJos with 4 limpers. Flop comes JJ8 and is checked to me. I bet half the pot and the ass hat pushes all in. I call and he shows J9 utg. I win and he curses Full Tilt for the setup

Fast forward and he has built a nice stack. It folds around to the highjack, who is a shorty, and he pushes all in for 3k or so. Blinds are 400/800. AH (asshat) calls with JJ vs shorties A9os. Flop comes with an A and AH shows why he is an asshat. He starts flaming the guy in the chat. Did not really bother me much but I thought AH was a moron for thinking that pushing A9 in that spot was wrong.

Fast forward. Same table with about 220 left in tourney with 135 getting paid. Now we have had one of the chip leaders trying to run over the table. Raising and calling smallish raises at least every other hand. I get AK utg and smooth call hoping to trap ole big stack. I don't usually play AK this way, but I had been at this table a long while and had a good read on everybody. AH limps, cl limps and 2 others see the flop. Flop comes K T rag. I bet 3/4 the pot and AH moves all in. I have him covered, but barely and I call, knowing he would play a weaker K this way and slow play a monster. He flips over KJs and the board comes KTxKT for the fucking chop. Now if this hand holds up I am in the top 12 and have a great shot to run deep. Tilted me. Super titled me that it was AH. I don't mind making a bonehead play like that, but, ala Hoy, if you can't evaluate yourself that really pisses me off. He ridiculed and flamed a player for a solid move and then does something horrible like this massive over bet and doesn't even acknowledge his ineptness. Bottom line, I owned him twice.

Salt in the wound. Two hands later he picks up AA and takes out two player with AK and KQ. He now is in the top 12 with my fucking chips. I was steaming.

I get moved to a new table right after that and pick up AKd on the button. Utg raises 2.5 the bllind. Folds to me and I, in tilt tinted glasses, push all in. Ignoring that I have never seen this player. Ignoring that his utg raise screams strength. Ignoring that AK suited is just a really pretty drawing hand. He of course has AA. Ighn. I can take comfort in that the flop came AKx and I would have gone broke anyway. Still it is about being right and controlling your emotions. I did not mind the suck out. I just hated that it was AH. Oh well.

Hand Question.

I was talking in the girly chat to my cousin during the early part of the tourney. I told him I had AA. It folded to me on the button and I raised 3x the bb. BB calls and we see a flop of 89Tos. BB bets 2x bb and I raise it 3x that. He smooth calls. Turn is a nasty J. He bets big and I fold. Now my cousin asked why I just didn't smooth call the flop call and see where things went from there. I told him I wanted to see where I was, I was probably ahead and that he may fold. And that he probably put me on some sort of steal. What would you do here? Please, let me know.

RCJH

MT

Oh I went down in the Mookie

Well played the Mookie for the 3rd time. Went out early. I had chipped up to around 2200. No show downs. I am in the BB with T9os. Utg raises from 40 to 100 . Next guy smooth calls around to me and I put 60 in to see what happens on the flop. And the flop happened, J87. Can you say Gin!? I bet 200 at the pot, utg folds and I think this guy, bigslicknuts, could be wrong on the blogger, raised me for about half his stack. I put him all in and he turns over JJ for top set. Turn a T. River T. Flopped straights never win. I am down to 775. I chip up to around 1000 and get moved to a new table. I fall drift down to 900 and observe the action. Early raise by guy that seemed a little loose. I decide to push in middle position with 66. Donkette right after me insta calls. Original raiser folds and my 66 goes down to a flopped A and Donkette's AQos. Now this call was for half of her stack. It was instant. I think it was a clicking error where the box value changed right as she hit it. I don't know. But insta calling an all in with AQ0s with the original raiser yet to act, seems really loose. But, what do I know. I am a newbie. Over all I am at peace with my play. I got in ahead both times and that is my goal.

Played the token frenzy. Got a token. Will use it on the 28k tonight.

Oh, and check out Donkettes blog. She is writing a series that is way worth a read.



Out

MT

Mookie on Down

Hoy it up

Tourney cashes

Played the 28K last night and finished a respectable 108 out of 1150 runners or so. Remarkable only because I had to scrounge for every chip. I got KK once, no callers. JJ twice. Folded it once to utg raiser when 10 away from bubble. Got 99 all in on coin flips and held or resucked to win each time. 66, 33, 55,44 once each. AQ beat KJ button raise and call of my all in in the bb. AJ 3 times always in early position or after the pot had been raised. I didn't even get great suited connectors. Went out with 77 vs AK and couldn't resuck to win. Will take the $40 for my 6$ outlay.

Signed up for the 5+.50 omaha hi too. Played really tight. Still learning omaha. Was 20 of 23 half way to the second break. Get some hands and work my way up to 9 of 18. Top 9 get paid. My phone rings. It's 1 am. This is never good. It's my mother in law and she needs help with my father in law. He was diagnosed with ALS a year ago and has lost a significant amount of mobility. He is a large man and she is a small woman. Had to take him to the hospital. He's fine. Just couldn't pee. I tell my sleeping wife I am leaving. Get my shoes and socks and sit down in front of the computer. My last hand I see is 7744 double suited clubs and hearts. I call and then call a rr by the sb. Flop comes Axx with 2 clubs. He bets and I push and he calls. Hey what do I care, I am leaving. I river the flush to beat his pair of Aces. I get back from the hospital over an hour later and I had blinded out in 4th place for $58 and change.

Omaha is easy.

MT

Home game funnery

Got to my Tuesday night home game late. Had to work. Waited for someone to bust and finally sat down about 10:45. Played 3 hands until it broke up at 12:30. 25/50 blinds. Fold, fold and more folding. Finally limp after many limpers with QJhh. Flop comes Q82 one heart. Sb makes small bet. Three callers, so I push all in. Mookie, different one, tanks and says, "I know I am behind". Calls with A8hh. I hold up and almost double my $20 buy in. It was soooooted. He had outs. His words, not mine.

Second hand. Nearly family pot for $2 raise by utg. I look down in bb when folded to me at JJ. Call and see flop of J65os. Gin! Sb bets $10. I start salivating. I ask the other 5 people in the hand what they are gonna do with all smiles. Guy, not in the hand, who thinks he can read everybody, but can't, says I am definitely folding. I am selling that. I smooth call after a minute of table banter. Folds to button. His name is Willis. The wheels in his mind are spinning. I can smell them. He finally pushes all in. I have an erection. Very small, so not noticeable. Sb insta mucks and I insta call. I had put the button on AJ at worst but probably a slow played over pair. He had smooth called a $2 raise with AA on the button in 5 handed pot earlier. I know, horrible. Any way, any guesses as to what he had? Give up?
88. Yep thats right. Open raise for almost the pot smooth called ahead of him and he thinks his 88 is golden. Think mister know it all's banter helped me a little here. Want to play in my game? My hand holds and I am around $100.

Third hand. I call what now seems to be the standard open raise $2 with 66. Set mining. Flop comes 52J, two clubs. Checks around to button who bets $2 at the pot. 3 callers to me and I look at the board closely and realize the 5 is really a six. We were playing with an old casino deck and the hole in the middle fooled me into thinking it was a 5 and I was well into my 3rd tallboy. Little buzzed. Anyway, super cool. I bump it to $15. Fold, button folds. he had KJ and really the only other solid player there. Mookie, different one, thinks for a bit and smooth calls. He is on a flush draw. I know he is on a flush draw and he knows I know. He loves his flush draws. Turn is 4s and he checks. I put him all in for his last $55 and he tanks. He says he knows I have AJ or something. He asks if I want to be snapped off. I tell him that sounds uncomfortable. He finally calls and a harmless Td comes on the river. He mucks and says he picked up the straight draw on the turn.
Night ends with $180 in front of me. Not bad for less than 2 hours work. Thats more than my Full Tilt bankroll.

Nice.

Did I mention Mookie, different one, and Willis are brothers? In the KC area? Let me know. You can come to my game.

MT

close, oh so close

Played the Hoy last night. Came in at 12. Not bad. Only 3 out of the cash. Put a hurt on Shaubs early when I rivered the wheel while floating with AK. I misplayed the hand and got lucky.

Went out on these two hands. First hand, I am in the bb and Wadzilla does the standard 3x raise on the button. Sb folds. I call with 33. Flop 449. I check and Wadzilla bets 2500, which I think is about the pot. Not sure though. I rerasie to 5000 and he lets his time run down and then just calls. Turn Q, check check. River A. Check Check and he turned over KQos to beat me. In the chat he told me something smelled funny about my raise. And that I almost got him. To fold. I guess, but do you really just smooth call there with K high? Is this not a fold or raise situation? I was trying to define my hand. I should have raised more. He took almost half my stack and put me near the bottom.

Next hand. Next orbit, I think. Folded to que31dawg in sb. He raises 2-3 times the bb. I shove AQos. He thinks and says he's pretty sure he's ahead of me here. Now I know I am ahead. AK or pair and he's not thinking. Lets the time bank run down and calls. Turns over AJos. Flop Jxx all clubs. I can't catch Q or a club to go with my A and igh in 12th. He said he respected my raise there. So I won that last night....respect. Rather of had the chips.

Overall I played well. Was nervous at first but got in a rhythm. Got hit by the deck pretty well too. Lots of hands that I felt good stealing with. AJ, small pairs etc. Now, I am new to the blogger games and all, but I found the play at the Hoy to be pretty good. I signed up for a $3 KO tourney after my bust out and the donkeys were running in herds there. People unable to fold AQos after an unimproved flop, etc. I crushed it for 4th place and got coolered on my last hand. I guess my point is for all the griping folks do about the play in the blogger events, the play is still way above the play I see at my stake level. So this is making me better. I just have to work on my smell.

I now owe Donkette $10. Can't get it to her. Like the poor 3rd world, non listed blogger I am, she has forgiven my debt. Full Tilt doesn't like my deposit history. Anybody know why this happens?

MT

Question

Went to our local mega hardware store this weekend. Among the many items on our list was a new toilet seat for the kids bathroom. We got the $5 seat. Works great. Used it myself. This begs the question, why buy a $38 toilet seat. What's going on here? Are they gold filled? Made of Ivory? Crafted by magic elves? What? I can't remember the last time I was at a friend or strangers house and thought, "Wow, kick ass toilet seat. Gotta ask where they got that." If I buy the high dollar seat, will I find it so comfortable that I will want to spend all my spare time on the crapper?


Moving on, did not play much poker lately. Just small stake sit n go's. Seem harder to beat. Have to dodge way more bullets. Donks calling all their stacks off with 2 all in raises ahead of them, while holding 66 and what not. Fun Fun

Ate some food too. Non of it my cooking though.

Wait, just won a $1 sit no go. Bank roll is busting out.

I will try to play the Hoy tonight. Password Hammer

See ya there, maybe.

MT

Food Token

Played a token frenzy today. Looked up at my screen as it started and guess who was right next to me? Give up? Drum roll.....Smokkee. I have only been blogging for a month and just happen to sit next to one of the bloggers I read nearly daily.

Anyhoo, he was playing super tight and, oh I don't know, 6 levels into it, both of us hovering in the bottom ten, it is folded to Smokkee. He pops for about half his stack. I think for a while and put him in with ATos. Thought his range was fairly big here. Oops I was wrong. My AT goes down to KK that became Quad Kings. I go out shortly after. Hope he got his token with those chips.

Little food now.

As spring has sprung and summer is rolling round the bend I thought I would talk about grilling out. Now my goal in the summer months is to minimize dish use and not heat up the house with ovens and cook tops and what not. When it comes to food, I am more of a minimalist. For the complex flavors, I would recommend talking to this guy. He's got pictures even.

One of my favorite meals to make is Pork Tenderloin, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and garlic bread.

For the pork tenderloin make sure you pick out an unseasoned variety. Stay away from the premarinated pork. You can do much better on your own. Take the pork out of the package and put it in a big enough dish that the meat will fit nicely. Rub a little olive oil on the tenderloins. Then, I then like to put at dry rub on mine. You can make your own, but I found one called Hog Wild. It's from a local place in KC. (We do ok with BBQ here). Now apply this generously and put it back in the fridge. Let sit for at least an hour. Now this next part is important. You must take your meat out of the fridge and warm to room temperature before grilling. If you don't you shock the meat and it cooks unevenly. Once it has warmed place the pork on a hot grill. What you are doing here is searing the meat. A few minutes per side. May have to turn it 3 or 4 times, as the tenderloin is a circular cut. Get a nice dark, not burnt, crust on it. Once crusted, remove from direct heat like an upper rack or a non used burner. Let it finish "baking off" for 20 to 30 minutes. Now a lot of people don't know this but pork doesn't have to be cooked till all the pink is gone. That pesky worm problem has been taken care of. I still try to cook it until white all the way through, but if there is a little pink, I don't worry about it. Once the pork is off the grill you must let it stand for 5 minutes at least. This lets the juices settle into the meat and yields a much moister finished product. Cut the pork into 1/2 inch medallions and serve.

Mushrooms are easy. Marinate in olive oil salt and pepper. Let stand for hour or so. Make sure to use sea or kosher salt. It tastes so much better. Place mushrooms on medium heat and grill after pork has seared. Turn them regularly until they have browned nicely and shrunk to about half original size. These are good to grill because they are hard to burn.

Sweet potatoes I cut into cubes and place in foil with kosher salt pepper and butter. Double wrap and place in grill. I have a top rack that I put them on when the grill is heating up. As long as they don't get super hot direct heat they will not burn and can stay on from start to finish.

After everything is grilled and the pork is settling, I turn the grill up high and clean it with a metal brush. I have purchased a roasted garlic loaf and cut it in slices. I brush olive oil or butter on both sides and toast on the grill about 2 minutes a side.

Boom delicious meal. Add a little beer or maybe wine, good to go.

Try it. If you are a burger and brat guy only, your wife or boyfriend will think you went to culinary school.

Next up: easy ribs

MT

Guess Who's Back

Well made it back from FLA and a good time was had by all. The house we stayed at was on the beach, gulf side. It was nice waking up and going out the back door to nothing but ocean.

No poker over the week. Did play in the Math last night. Made it into the top five when my flopped middle set of 7's beat a turned straight when the last 7 fell on the river. I slow played the set because I had called a raise pre flop and put the raiser on a strong ace. Not A6c. Lucky for me I hit the quads.

Then sometime later I raised with ATos and the flop came Axx. I bet and was called. Turn paired the board and I bet out again. Got check raised nearly all in and I went into the tank. Decided to fold here and take my chances elsewhere.

Hand that put me out was to Swimmom. I raise utg with JTos 3x the bb. She calls with in sb. Flop JTX all hearts. I am last in tourney and I bet 1/3 my stack, about the pot. She pushes me all in and I call crying, knowing I am beat. She turns up 78h. I do not improve and igh. Now I am not the best poker player but I would have to think calling that big of raise in the sb with the bb yet to act, with that hand is -ev. Hmm? Newbie here, educate me.

See ya soon.

MT

Full Tilt Foolishness

This is for Donkette and ScottMc. They each won a push fest and I sent them the money. I just checked my email and Full Tilt declined the transfers. Have no fear I will get you the cash. And if you read this, let me know if it came some how.

Sorry for the housekeeping post my lonely single reader.

MT

Pooooosh Fest

Made the top 50 in the Mookie last night. Got AA vs AK all in pf vs Bayne and won to keep me afloat. Nothing good for 20 minutes so I open pushed in the sb against Pirate Lawyer who took me down with his A9 vs my atc 68d. Fun was had. PL went on to win the whole thing. Congrats.

Listening to BDR and was intrigued with the push fest. Decided to participate and it is fun as hell. Especially in the 50ftp events. These poor bastards are trying to scrape by and half the field is pushing non stop from the start. LJ had an unbelievable run in the $3 KO push fest. was almost 3 to 1 over second at one time. The best is all the chat berating the donkeys and getting them to shove right along. Cherry on top if one of them tilts, especially for 50ftp.

Off to Florida and the beach for a week. Will try to update and play poker or maybe not. We will see.

So do not fret my one loyal reader, I will return. Or continue. Ok bottom line is I am not going away.

I'll bring you back a shell.

MT

Butter

Well there was very little stompin at the Hoy. In fact I only stomped for 3 hands. Stayed out a little too late with the buds playing bball and the beer got the better of me. Had around 450 when I logged on. Folded first hand I saw. Pushed last two. Oh well, I'll try again.

Will definitely play the Mookie password vegas1. Hope to make it deep again.

I love spring. It has finally sprung here in the heartland. This after an unusually long, cold , snowy winter. Followed by an extremely cool spring. You know it's spring when the butter is soft. Went to butter my toast this morning and it spread oh so nice. We leave the butter sitting out at the Thunder household. We can debate the merits to this if you like. I have close friends who are appalled by this. To me it's a no brainer. We use a stick in less than a week. It is not going bad. And there is nothing worse than destroying a perfectly good piece of toast or an english muffin with a piece of rock hard butter. And if you say wait, Thunder, you can just let the frozen butter nugget melt on the toasted item, and then spread it. Yeah you can, but then the item loses it's heat and isn't that why you toasted it in the first place. Oh and to those of you who use that Country Crock stuff that spreads at any temperature, I pity you. You have to live a little. Butter is the bomb. It is one of the food triplets, but that is for another post. So live it up people and eat more butter. It's like playing jackace as the nutz. Feels so right but will kill you in the end.

See, told you I'd talk about food.

Until next time my loyal reader.

MT

Stompin at the Hoy

Oh I get it. Token frenzies. Just wait till it gets down to, oh say, 20 from the bubble and start putting in raises anytime it is folded to you. Reraise early limpers. You win. I had never even gotten in the top 50% in these things. The play becomes so tight when you can only sniff the token. Easy money, just have to get there. Me and another guy just ran over our table for fifteen minutes. And what is better is when they picked up hands, QQ or better, they would open push and not give us a chance to steal first. Bubble burst at my table. He blinded out. Blinded out. Unreal. Must have been his last $6.50.

Anyhoo, I am in. My schedule has aligned and after shooting a little hoops with my friends, I hope to be in my seat for the first hand. Hope to see anybody who is reading this at the HOY
Password is Hammer.

On a side note. So far my infant blog has started off well. All the feedback has been positive. It is pretty cool that one day I am lurking around the tubes and the next day I have been made to feel a part of a pretty cool thing going on. All this after one tourney and a few blog posts.

See ya tonight my loyal reader.

MT

Mookie Madness

Not in my wildest dreams did I think I would have that kind of success. I final tabled the Mookie last night. It was a great first time blogger's event experience. It was also my first time listening to Buddydank radio. That is just awesome. Made the whole tournament just that much more fun. I was chuckling the whole time, plus the tunes were great.

Over all I played well. Got REALLY lucky once. I was in the big blind with 7s4s and muchtim min raised utg+1. One other caller and I saw the flop of 7d3x5d. I check, muchtim bets out small and other guy calls. Now I see this and am wondering. I am pretty sure the caller is on some type of draw. Not knowing muchtim, or any other blogger's styles, I thought he either had weak AK (no diamonds) or big over pair. I decided that the bet seemed really weak for an over pair and pushed the size of the pot. Fireworks ensue, muchtim pushes, other caller calls and I am left with a decision. Now all I have is crappy top pair and a gutshot straight draw. I have about 1k left, I think, don't really remember. I know I am beat and priced in so I call. Muchtim shows AA, and the caller had 8d6d for the oesfd. Turn is Kx I think and the river delivers me the chip lead with the beautiful 6c.

Now I know I misplayed it. And in retrospect I think muchtim was trying to play a big pot with AA. But when it came down to my decision on the flop, I figured go big or go home. I did not want my inaugural blogger event to set the tone of being weak and passive. I had already called off most of my stack to dwal in a hand earlier and did not want to repeat. Luckily I had chipped back up. I had muchtim covered (barely) and I had the back up gut shot draw to save me. Slim I know, but those two things put my decision over the top. Anyway my play there just solidifies my place in bloggerdom's donkey town.

I also got to take out some blogger's whose blogs I have been lurking around for a while. I knocked out willwonka when we got it all in pre flop his AQ vs my AK. He hit a Q on the flop but I resucked a K on the river. The call on buddy dank radio was a fun listen. I also picked up AA and katitude open pushed as a shorty with AJ. I could hear her wince on BD when I pushed all in over the top. Sureal. Other than that as a chip leader I just open raised decent hands to maintain my chip level and waited for monsters. I also made calls out of the blinds with above average hand to shorties on the button or cut off who were obviously pushing with almost anything when folded to them. I think every one of those except one, my hand held.

I was the chip leader with 24 left. Third in chips after the 2nd break. And I was 5th when the final table bubble burst. I had 15k to the chip leaders 37k. Not the best position but still way in the thing. I went card dead at the final table and dwindled down under 10k. I didn't get above 20k the whole night until I got into a hand with Memphis00 who had been the chip leader the whole time. He had a commanding lead and was wielding his big stack like the mace it was. He had to of open raised every other hand on average. He knew any pot we played would commit us. Anyway I had Ad7d and he raised I called and the flop came out 2 diamond. He pushed and I called he had me with a flopped pair of kings I think, memory is not so good. I got lucky and rivered the flush. That put be up around 35k and above 20k for the first time. This is as close to overcoming his lead we would get as Astin had about the same chip stack as myself and memphis00 had roughly double us.

Few hands later memphis00 open raised from the button the I had chips now and decided to take a flyer with Q7s. Flop Kx2x7x. He bets about pot and I push you know be aggressive be be aggressive. Now I put him on a range of any Ax to K9 and up or any two broadway cards. He flips up KJ and Igh in 4th place for $102.

Pretty freaking good for my first foray into the blogger tournament world. Would have had to call it good and be done with this whole blogger thing if I somehow won the thing. No place to go but down. Congrats to memphis00 on completing a goal and getting that TOC seat

In all it was great and I am still in awe of the whole experience. One thing is for sure, I am hooked.

Best Imitation of Myself

"juggle one handed, do some magic tricks and, the best imitation of myself"-Ben Folds


That is how I feel on the poker tables recently. I don't know, maybe I'm digging myself in a hole. Just wondering. I feel like I am slightly off. Not really being myself. So much of poker is comfort zone. I am trying to be more aggresive and make myself stop limping at all into unraised pots. Working out pretty well so far. Especially at the lower limits I am playing.

Keep trying the token frenzies on Full Tilt. So far 0-4. Everybody says they are easy and they seem to be. Just keep getting in good and getting drawn out on. It amazies me how many players will reraise all in over a pot sized raise with the non nut flush draw. I get a pass with Q80s in sb and flop comes Q8J with two diamonds. I lead out pot sized to eliminate draws and get put all in for my tournament. Have to call and he turns over 7d5d. Kd on turn and ighn. Now he barely had me covered here. Why do this, it was early. Could have easily waited for a better spot. Is this some unbeknownst to me rule in the token freny? Double up early or go home. Am I playing wrong? Oh well that ole wheel will roll around again.


Still need some friends here. Robert was the first to post but made no "official" request for that sweet oh so sweet Full Tilt $$$$. Any way, I do not think Robert plays online. Head on over to his blog and check it out. Great read. Start from the beginning. Better that way.

I am gonna try and play the Mookie tonight, password vegas1 See how that goes. So hurry up, that $5 ain't gonna last for long. (yeah right)

Seriously, or I am gonna have to change my blog name to Things I told Robert About. It is a sad blog made up mostly of recipe swapping and serious discussion as to who is the funnier dead fat man, John Belushi, Chris Farley or John Candy. No one wants that.

Talk to ya soon Robert

I need friends

Well this blog isn't getting off to what one might call a rip roarin start. I had been kicking around the idea of a blog for some time. I just didn't really launch it at the best time. I have been out of town on family stuff for the last five days and unable to get to a computer for any stretch of time. But don't worry, oh all zero of you who are reading this, the Thunder is back.

I plan on getting the nerve up to play in the various blogger events that are held nightly. If I could place in any of those, I could maybe get some traffic coming my way. But until then I have decided that whoever reads this first and leaves a comment asking for it, will recieve, (ready for this?), $5 via Full Tilt transfer. Soooo, don't be shy. Say high and win some money. Even if it is crappy U.S. I am really hoping this doesn't happen for a while and 50 posts from now someone decides to go to the begining and then claims it. Or if it happens today, cool, (unlikely). Win win.

On to sports.

Can there be any better time in the history of Kansas athletics to be a Jayhawk? 12-1 Orange bowl winners. NCAA champs in basketball. Unbelievable. Makes it so much better that all my K-State and Mizzo freinds have to choke on it.

And Chalmers shot at the end of regulation. I was telling my wife that we will never see a game like that again in our lifetimes. I know we will see great shots and buzzer beaters. I mean a game where it matters so much to us, and our team came out on top. It was a once in a lifetime occurance and I am glad I wasn't too drunk to enjoy it. If we could somehow get our team to pull a Florida and all stay, we could do it again. Dreaming here, but if Rush, Chalmers, and Arthur all stayed, we would have Collins and Aldrich join them to start. We have another good point gaurd and more height coming in the new recruiting class. We would have to be the prohibitive #1 for 09. Dreaming though, Arthur and Rush are gone for sure. Chalmers probably stays and KU will have a top 25 team, maybe 15. Not bad after all the players they lost.

Where to Begin

I guess I will start with a strategy post. Home game, playing with regulars. Under the gun raises 8x bb. I wait to look at my cards and as I do, Mookie, not this guy, declares "screw it, I'm all in" from the small blind. Now I have just discovered rockets in the cut off and tell him to hold it, I have not acted yet. Background, he is on tilt from playing crap starting hands, hitting the board hard and still losing to better starting hands. So my question is this, how would you play this hand?

I thought for half a minute and put the $25 in the pot to cover him. He looks at me and starts talking. Everybody is talking and guessing. (horrible etiquette). He says "fuck it" and calls, original raiser insta folds. He shows AK and I have him crushed, duh. My hand holds up.

Is smooth calling the original raisers bet a stronger move than what I did? Doesn't that just scream strength. I was hoping my bet said I wanted to gamble. Or do I just call and hope he pushes still and the original raiser comes along for the ride. He had 88.