Sweet! My favorite game on UB has returned, I wonder where it went?
Despite the fact that I really wanted to push and play one more, I only played 4 tonight and went 3-1. The first match was an "outlier". For those not familiar with statistics, that is an observation that is so far out the the standard deviations that it should be ignored lest it become an influential observation and have an exaggerated influence on the whole sample.
Nerd talk aside, the first match on the reappeared HU tables was my fastest match to date lasting a mere 4 hands. I was playing aggressive and made a bad read. For a Friday or Saturday night, it may have been ok, but this is Monday and many of the poker donkeys have taken the day off to recover from their weekend binge. I got dealt AJs in the SB and pot raised it. The BB called. Flop is rainbow 58J. He leads out with a pot sized bet and I double it, I would prefer to take this don right now. He comes back over top of me. This should be a warning, he could have a set very easily. For some reason, I feel that he is making a stand so I will stop pushing him and I push all in. I am hoping for a KJ to appear on the other side of the board and I am sorry to see a 58. I miss my 5 outs and bingo, bango it is over. I laugh, and report in my AIM chat with GCox and DNasty that it was over like that and I amused myself with my donkey play. I know I am better than this and as I advised Gary earlier, you gotta get up and do it again.
I follow my advice and proceed to do it again in three more matches. They were all much better played (and much longer) and I came out on top in all three. Nice. That brings the stats to this:
W-L
10-4
Profit
$106
Win% / ROI
71.4% / 36%
I really wanted to play one more - 15 is a nice divisible by 5 number, but I resisted so I could post and get packing. I will be out of town the next two nights for a small office merger in my Columbus office. Wish me luck... Hope to be back on the virtual felt soon and finishing what I started. Thanks again to Jordan at HighOnPoker for turning me onto these HU SNGs. It ain't for nuttin that he is the #7 blog if yous know what I mean. Forget about it. Zoo York in the house.
P.S. - Jordan's new screen name should be "eigenvector".... that way the blogger spell check will not suggest that forHighOnPoker anymore.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Sunday, August 28, 2005
$20 HU SNG plan
With my recently discovered strength in HU SNG's, I have decided to do a 50 game challenge for myself. I started on Friday night and after 10 games, the results look promising. I went to play some on Sunday and the tab says that there are no tables available, weird. Will have to work on my 1/2 instead, still having trouble at that level... (Update - managed to drop $50 over 179 hands, played tight and well, river after river defeat. Going to keep at it, UB 1/2 is still my daddy it seems. How long can variance run bad at a level, or should I just write that level off?)
Win-Loss
7-3
Cash In/Cash Out
-$210/$280
Profit
$70
Win%
70.0%
ROI
33%
Win-Loss
7-3
Cash In/Cash Out
-$210/$280
Profit
$70
Win%
70.0%
ROI
33%
Thursday, August 25, 2005
I almost regret it.....
But in my heart of hearts.....I am pretty proud!!! It is bittersweet. At the risk of sounding like an idiot I feel kind of bad saying I took out DoubleAs with the hammer. He is my "online poker hero" and being such, I almost feel like I disrespected him by using the hammer to deliver the killing blow. Frankly, I would have been happy with myself for going 119 hands with this successful mid stakes NL player.
The match I had most anticipated went down like this:
I signed on and saw DoubleAs and DNasty13 playing games already. I sat down to try my hand at some .50/1.00 NL and was promptly stuck for $25. I hung around for awhile, but did not improve much. I checked to see if DNasty was still on and noticed he was in a SNG. DoubleAs was in the same one.....coincidence? I think not!! I fired up their table to railbird and when I came in, D was at a serious disadvantage. He never caught up and DoubleAs took it home. We agreed to play next.
I did not really have time to be nervous. I have been running very strong at the HU matches and feel that I have found a winning style with these. I enjoy them very much and I feel that for low stakes, it is the closest to the high stakes games you will get as far as real strategy. You can actually think, not just play the premium hands. I honestly feel that HU is the strongest part of my game right now, I need to find a way to parlay that into success in bigger games. But I digress... this was the match that I was looking forward too the entire challenge. Even if I was slaughtered, I would have been happy to have played with DoubleAs. Outside of a tournament, this is the only game that my bankroll can afford to get into with DoubleAs. All of this was going through my mind up until the "Ding, Ding, Ding".
The game was good. We settled into a good match with an amazing frequency of split pots with the same hand. We had the same hand at showdown at least three times and split several more pots. Despite my aggressive efforts, DoubleAs took a pretty commanding chip lead. I was worried he might have some sort supernatural read on me, but I was able to bluff him off a few pots and got back close to even. The battle raged on. Around hand 100, I came back and took a small lead. I don't think I was ever more than 400 chips ahead, but I was proud that I had come back from around 600 chips to even. Then it happened.
Hand #7952280-119 at SnG-0005k (No Limit Hold'em Sit and Go)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 25/Aug/05 22:00:39
DoubleAs is at seat 0 with 1310.
steelerjosh is at seat 1 with 1690.
The button is at seat 0.
DoubleAs posts the small blind of 30.
steelerjosh posts the big blind of 60.
DoubleAs: -- --
steelerjosh: 2d 7h (what's this, the hammer?!?!)
Pre-flop:
DoubleAs calls. steelerjosh checks. (free flop with the hammer, fo sho)
Flop (board: Kd 7c Qs): (Wouldn't it be sweet if a duece dropped on the turn?)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs checks.
Turn (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c): (Sweet mother of god....)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs bets 120. steelerjosh
raises to 480. DoubleAs goes all-in for 1250.
steelerjosh calls.
Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:
DoubleAs shows Kh 4s. (This is my moment, he had exactly what I wanted him to have. If a 4 drops on the river, I will probably cry.)
steelerjosh shows 2d 7h.
River (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c Tc):
Showdown:
DoubleAs has Kh Kd 7c Qs Tc: a pair of kings.
steelerjosh has 2d 7h Kd 7c 2c: THE HAMMER!
Hand #7952280-119 Summary:
steelerjosh wins 2620 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you DoubleAs and HighOnPoker for making all this possible, I will recall this hand fondly for quite awhile. It was a rare event (like a Browns victory) and it must be savored and retold. Thank you bloggers for introducing me to the hammer. Ironically, it was a link off of DoubleAs blog to www.72off.cjb.net that convinced me of the power of the Best Damn Hand in Poker!!
The match I had most anticipated went down like this:
I signed on and saw DoubleAs and DNasty13 playing games already. I sat down to try my hand at some .50/1.00 NL and was promptly stuck for $25. I hung around for awhile, but did not improve much. I checked to see if DNasty was still on and noticed he was in a SNG. DoubleAs was in the same one.....coincidence? I think not!! I fired up their table to railbird and when I came in, D was at a serious disadvantage. He never caught up and DoubleAs took it home. We agreed to play next.
I did not really have time to be nervous. I have been running very strong at the HU matches and feel that I have found a winning style with these. I enjoy them very much and I feel that for low stakes, it is the closest to the high stakes games you will get as far as real strategy. You can actually think, not just play the premium hands. I honestly feel that HU is the strongest part of my game right now, I need to find a way to parlay that into success in bigger games. But I digress... this was the match that I was looking forward too the entire challenge. Even if I was slaughtered, I would have been happy to have played with DoubleAs. Outside of a tournament, this is the only game that my bankroll can afford to get into with DoubleAs. All of this was going through my mind up until the "Ding, Ding, Ding".
The game was good. We settled into a good match with an amazing frequency of split pots with the same hand. We had the same hand at showdown at least three times and split several more pots. Despite my aggressive efforts, DoubleAs took a pretty commanding chip lead. I was worried he might have some sort supernatural read on me, but I was able to bluff him off a few pots and got back close to even. The battle raged on. Around hand 100, I came back and took a small lead. I don't think I was ever more than 400 chips ahead, but I was proud that I had come back from around 600 chips to even. Then it happened.
Hand #7952280-119 at SnG-0005k (No Limit Hold'em Sit and Go)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 25/Aug/05 22:00:39
DoubleAs is at seat 0 with 1310.
steelerjosh is at seat 1 with 1690.
The button is at seat 0.
DoubleAs posts the small blind of 30.
steelerjosh posts the big blind of 60.
DoubleAs: -- --
steelerjosh: 2d 7h (what's this, the hammer?!?!)
Pre-flop:
DoubleAs calls. steelerjosh checks. (free flop with the hammer, fo sho)
Flop (board: Kd 7c Qs): (Wouldn't it be sweet if a duece dropped on the turn?)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs checks.
Turn (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c): (Sweet mother of god....)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs bets 120. steelerjosh
raises to 480. DoubleAs goes all-in for 1250.
steelerjosh calls.
Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:
DoubleAs shows Kh 4s. (This is my moment, he had exactly what I wanted him to have. If a 4 drops on the river, I will probably cry.)
steelerjosh shows 2d 7h.
River (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c Tc):
Showdown:
DoubleAs has Kh Kd 7c Qs Tc: a pair of kings.
steelerjosh has 2d 7h Kd 7c 2c: THE HAMMER!
Hand #7952280-119 Summary:
steelerjosh wins 2620 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you DoubleAs and HighOnPoker for making all this possible, I will recall this hand fondly for quite awhile. It was a rare event (like a Browns victory) and it must be savored and retold. Thank you bloggers for introducing me to the hammer. Ironically, it was a link off of DoubleAs blog to www.72off.cjb.net that convinced me of the power of the Best Damn Hand in Poker!!
Friday, August 19, 2005
168 Hand marathon
Whew. My brain is swollen right now, please forgive any typo/grammatical errors. I just played the best HU match of my challenge so far, 168 hands with Mourn. It was up and down for both of us with each over 2k in chips a couple times. There was a spectacular suckout, multiple hammer drops (hallmark of a good blogger match), and almost a thrilling comeback. I think that Mirimax just called me for the rights, I am smelling a mini series on ESPN called "Heads Up" with the Matador and the Buckeye....
Recap. It started slowly with each competitor taking a few jabs, probing the opponent's defenses. It never escalated out of control, just a controlled pounding like two well matched heavyweights. I am not promoting myself to the level of skill of Mourn, but for this game, for tonight, we were equals. I took an early chip lead, but just about the point I started feeling comfortable, it swung the other way. I slowly chipped back up and had a comfortable lead again when Mourn pushed with all in. I had him well covered, a loss would still leave me over 1500. I looked at 55 and called. He flipped 22 and I was relieved. I had earlier predicted my win with a diamond flush, and was alarmed a little when the flop contained 2 diamonds and the turn was a diamond. Funny how the poker gods like to feed you your own words. I got that uh oh feeling, but the river was not the dreaded diamond... it was a 2. Doh! Mourn apologized (unnecessarily, he risked all his chips) and I soldiered on, a little stunned. We hung around the 1500 mark until well over hand 100. At hand 157 I got a big chunk of Mourn with pocket 77 and a 7 on the flop. He had 87 and was betting into me. He called my all in bet and was not happy to see my set. The board paired on the river giving me the salt in the wound full house.
Getting winded near the end of the marathon, Mourn almost made a stunning comeback. He went all in with ~100 chips and doubled up against my A high. Next hand, same result. Back up to almost 400 chips, I was concerned. Eventually, it ended. Almost anti-climatically... so much that I don't even remember the last hand.
Thanks for the best poker yet Mourn, that match will be up in my all time favorites and I can only hope for as good a match against DoubleAs.
Recap. It started slowly with each competitor taking a few jabs, probing the opponent's defenses. It never escalated out of control, just a controlled pounding like two well matched heavyweights. I am not promoting myself to the level of skill of Mourn, but for this game, for tonight, we were equals. I took an early chip lead, but just about the point I started feeling comfortable, it swung the other way. I slowly chipped back up and had a comfortable lead again when Mourn pushed with all in. I had him well covered, a loss would still leave me over 1500. I looked at 55 and called. He flipped 22 and I was relieved. I had earlier predicted my win with a diamond flush, and was alarmed a little when the flop contained 2 diamonds and the turn was a diamond. Funny how the poker gods like to feed you your own words. I got that uh oh feeling, but the river was not the dreaded diamond... it was a 2. Doh! Mourn apologized (unnecessarily, he risked all his chips) and I soldiered on, a little stunned. We hung around the 1500 mark until well over hand 100. At hand 157 I got a big chunk of Mourn with pocket 77 and a 7 on the flop. He had 87 and was betting into me. He called my all in bet and was not happy to see my set. The board paired on the river giving me the salt in the wound full house.
Getting winded near the end of the marathon, Mourn almost made a stunning comeback. He went all in with ~100 chips and doubled up against my A high. Next hand, same result. Back up to almost 400 chips, I was concerned. Eventually, it ended. Almost anti-climatically... so much that I don't even remember the last hand.
Thanks for the best poker yet Mourn, that match will be up in my all time favorites and I can only hope for as good a match against DoubleAs.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
4-3 seems pretty far right now...
On Thursday night, I played TripJax hoping to throw some salt in his game. That did not work out so well....
On the plus side, I saw a few things from TripJax that I had not seen in the HU SNGs so far and I immediately copied them into my game. Not going to share them here yet (it will cost you $5.25 and seat to see it during the challenge) but it was worth the price of admission.
The game was not very noteworthy. His chat knocked me off my game one hand (he implanted the hammer in my head) and it seemed like anytime I went deep, I ran into two pair. Not very fun. After he won, he graciously agreed to a rematch.
The rematch was much more enjoyable, perhaps the pressure was off? Regardless, I was really catching some cards this round and took an early lead (opposite of Round 1) and we both made some nice bets with the weaker hand forcing a fold. It was fun to play a more thinking game and not just ABC poker. One memorable hand, I saw something suspect in the betting pattern. I had middle or bottom pair and in my head I envisioned too many hand possibilities in his hole cards. His large river bet scared me off of the best hand. I returned the favor later. Back and forth until he pushed with a soooted AQ (but too late, my 56 had found a flop of 477 and turn of 5) I called his all in and evened up the bankroll for the evening (minus rake).
Thanks for the fun and the ideas TripJax. GL
I managed one more match tonight against GCox25. It was a very very good one with both of us over 2k and under 800 chips at differing times. Gary pushed hard with the hammer on several occasions and I seemed to hit the flop everytime. I dropped it once successfully. The final hand dropped my jaw and made my junk shrivel. My Poker Tracker did not grab it. Here is my recap:
I had just taken a large pot from GCox25 with a pair of Aces. He was on a draw and I pushed him all in. He folded and showed. It was a good laydown, but if he rivered a diamond he would have won. The very next hand, I raise with Q10o and he pushes all in. This is the first all in of the game and I had enough chips that even if I lost, it would be close to even again. "Screw it" I thought and pushed the call button. I half expected to see AA or KK, and I was mentally prepared for that. I knew that was a possibility when I called with my suckout hand. I was hoping for AK and a suckout by me. What he revealed was even more damaging to my psyche. THE HAMMER. That is right folks, if you couldn't read that because Gary's brass balls were blocking your view, I will type it a little lower.
THE HAMMER.
I was stunned. Too paralyzed to react or type, I watched the flop. I think a Q came on the flop or the turn, I am still in some state of shock I think. I was floored. I almost didn't call. The poker gods have to respect his wielding of this blogger tool. For some reason, against all odds, they did not and my Q10 help up. Any person that can commit seppuku like that with the mighty hammer is a force to be reckoned with. I looked deep into my soul and did some serious searching.... I have to admit I would have folded it meekley there. Perhaps that is my albatross, too risk averse and too afraid of being trapped.
Hammereness aside Gary, that was a good game, very similar to my round 2 match with TripJax. Thanks for a portion of the SNG challenge winnings back. 10/25 ths of the way there.....
On the plus side, I saw a few things from TripJax that I had not seen in the HU SNGs so far and I immediately copied them into my game. Not going to share them here yet (it will cost you $5.25 and seat to see it during the challenge) but it was worth the price of admission.
The game was not very noteworthy. His chat knocked me off my game one hand (he implanted the hammer in my head) and it seemed like anytime I went deep, I ran into two pair. Not very fun. After he won, he graciously agreed to a rematch.
The rematch was much more enjoyable, perhaps the pressure was off? Regardless, I was really catching some cards this round and took an early lead (opposite of Round 1) and we both made some nice bets with the weaker hand forcing a fold. It was fun to play a more thinking game and not just ABC poker. One memorable hand, I saw something suspect in the betting pattern. I had middle or bottom pair and in my head I envisioned too many hand possibilities in his hole cards. His large river bet scared me off of the best hand. I returned the favor later. Back and forth until he pushed with a soooted AQ (but too late, my 56 had found a flop of 477 and turn of 5) I called his all in and evened up the bankroll for the evening (minus rake).
Thanks for the fun and the ideas TripJax. GL
I managed one more match tonight against GCox25. It was a very very good one with both of us over 2k and under 800 chips at differing times. Gary pushed hard with the hammer on several occasions and I seemed to hit the flop everytime. I dropped it once successfully. The final hand dropped my jaw and made my junk shrivel. My Poker Tracker did not grab it. Here is my recap:
I had just taken a large pot from GCox25 with a pair of Aces. He was on a draw and I pushed him all in. He folded and showed. It was a good laydown, but if he rivered a diamond he would have won. The very next hand, I raise with Q10o and he pushes all in. This is the first all in of the game and I had enough chips that even if I lost, it would be close to even again. "Screw it" I thought and pushed the call button. I half expected to see AA or KK, and I was mentally prepared for that. I knew that was a possibility when I called with my suckout hand. I was hoping for AK and a suckout by me. What he revealed was even more damaging to my psyche. THE HAMMER. That is right folks, if you couldn't read that because Gary's brass balls were blocking your view, I will type it a little lower.
THE HAMMER.
I was stunned. Too paralyzed to react or type, I watched the flop. I think a Q came on the flop or the turn, I am still in some state of shock I think. I was floored. I almost didn't call. The poker gods have to respect his wielding of this blogger tool. For some reason, against all odds, they did not and my Q10 help up. Any person that can commit seppuku like that with the mighty hammer is a force to be reckoned with. I looked deep into my soul and did some serious searching.... I have to admit I would have folded it meekley there. Perhaps that is my albatross, too risk averse and too afraid of being trapped.
Hammereness aside Gary, that was a good game, very similar to my round 2 match with TripJax. Thanks for a portion of the SNG challenge winnings back. 10/25 ths of the way there.....
Missed the Action
Catching up on GCox25's blog, I see that I missed some fun last night. I was having some non poker fun, but it was still sad to read this morning that I missed a lot of poker hijinks, especially the hammer that DoubleAs dropped on Jordan!
Instead of participating in the wonderful world of AK (see hammer link) and KK (halfway down the post) suckouts, I was at an Indians game. It was fantastic. The Tribe lost, and had only two hits through 8 innings (when I left). Who cares? The Yankees won giving them another game lead on the tribe in the Wild Card Race. Fine by me.
Why the lackadaisical attitude Josh?
Glad you asked, let me e'splain why. I was living like the rich people live. This was my first experience in the Jacob Field Club Seats. It was a like a fat guy baseball fan's dream. Vendors prowling the aisles tossing out free CrackerJack, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Soda, Popsicles, Peanuts... you name it. This was on top of the meal I had inside a very nice restaurant club area. A cheeseburger, fries, and a gyro. There was pizza, ice cream, Italian Pasta bar. All Included. It was a weird experience. I have done the all inclusive thing before, my honeymoon was on an all inclusive resort in Aruba, but this was just weird! I am so used to getting gouged but the ballpark prices, I ate till it hurt because it was FREE! So, the Tribe stunk up the joint but I did not care as I consumed a soft pretzel with cheese dip, crackerjack, and whatever the hell else they were throwing at us. For spending 0.00 dollars, it was a fantastic evening capped off by a nice traffic free ride home from Cleveland.
It is tough to explain or even write about the joys of riding at night or riding in general. Riding home from the game around 9:30 last night was nice. I had on an open face helmet and the temperature was cool, but not cold. I could smell all of the things that you miss caged in your car with the windows up and the AC on. Wildflowers, honeysuckle, wood burning smoke, fresh cut grass, food...you name it. I kept a pretty quick pace getting out of town and eventually settled into a nice cruising speed once out of the confines of the city. I took some back roads and the long way once I was off the highway and was very happy and relaxed by the time I pulled into the driveway a couple minutes after 10. I thought about firing up the pc and seeing who was on, but I was pretty tired and needed to get some time in with the Mrs. to appease her. I figured that I would not be on top of my game and I need to be with this bunch!
Perhaps tonight I will be able to get my record to .500 or better.
Instead of participating in the wonderful world of AK (see hammer link) and KK (halfway down the post) suckouts, I was at an Indians game. It was fantastic. The Tribe lost, and had only two hits through 8 innings (when I left). Who cares? The Yankees won giving them another game lead on the tribe in the Wild Card Race. Fine by me.
Why the lackadaisical attitude Josh?
Glad you asked, let me e'splain why. I was living like the rich people live. This was my first experience in the Jacob Field Club Seats. It was a like a fat guy baseball fan's dream. Vendors prowling the aisles tossing out free CrackerJack, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Soda, Popsicles, Peanuts... you name it. This was on top of the meal I had inside a very nice restaurant club area. A cheeseburger, fries, and a gyro. There was pizza, ice cream, Italian Pasta bar. All Included. It was a weird experience. I have done the all inclusive thing before, my honeymoon was on an all inclusive resort in Aruba, but this was just weird! I am so used to getting gouged but the ballpark prices, I ate till it hurt because it was FREE! So, the Tribe stunk up the joint but I did not care as I consumed a soft pretzel with cheese dip, crackerjack, and whatever the hell else they were throwing at us. For spending 0.00 dollars, it was a fantastic evening capped off by a nice traffic free ride home from Cleveland.
It is tough to explain or even write about the joys of riding at night or riding in general. Riding home from the game around 9:30 last night was nice. I had on an open face helmet and the temperature was cool, but not cold. I could smell all of the things that you miss caged in your car with the windows up and the AC on. Wildflowers, honeysuckle, wood burning smoke, fresh cut grass, food...you name it. I kept a pretty quick pace getting out of town and eventually settled into a nice cruising speed once out of the confines of the city. I took some back roads and the long way once I was off the highway and was very happy and relaxed by the time I pulled into the driveway a couple minutes after 10. I thought about firing up the pc and seeing who was on, but I was pretty tired and needed to get some time in with the Mrs. to appease her. I figured that I would not be on top of my game and I need to be with this bunch!
Perhaps tonight I will be able to get my record to .500 or better.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
HU First Blood
I went fishing for some HU Challengers tonight and found Kipper and DoubleAs online. I watched the hammer get dropped on Kipper while he was the chip leader in a 6 person SNG. It was appreciated more than the hammer dropper would know, I am pretty sure it was an unintentional drop. It won and he showed so I think that still counts....
While waiting for Kipper, Will Wonka and HighOnPoker signed on. Wonka was ready to play so we sat. I was a little nervous for me first match that counted, but confident from my recent success in these HU matches on UB.
Match 1 - Lost first match of the HU Challenge after winning 6 HU matches in a row. The killing blow was two pair over two pair. I hung around for awhile, but never was competitve again. Congrats Will Wonka. 0-1
Next up, Kipper. It was the Battle of Who Could Care Less. Very Passive until DoubleAs encouraged me to make a move.... which I did with A10o vs an all in push by Kipper. I had him cvoered by ~700. I called and turned an A. Sorry Kipper. Blame DoubleAs!! 1-1
I would like another crack at Will Wonka, will see if we make it to round 2....
While waiting for Kipper, Will Wonka and HighOnPoker signed on. Wonka was ready to play so we sat. I was a little nervous for me first match that counted, but confident from my recent success in these HU matches on UB.
Match 1 - Lost first match of the HU Challenge after winning 6 HU matches in a row. The killing blow was two pair over two pair. I hung around for awhile, but never was competitve again. Congrats Will Wonka. 0-1
Next up, Kipper. It was the Battle of Who Could Care Less. Very Passive until DoubleAs encouraged me to make a move.... which I did with A10o vs an all in push by Kipper. I had him cvoered by ~700. I called and turned an A. Sorry Kipper. Blame DoubleAs!! 1-1
I would like another crack at Will Wonka, will see if we make it to round 2....
D Speaks
At 16:47PM EST on 16AUG2005, D resurfaced.....
dmmoreno: for the love of dial up
dmmoreno: no cable modem til next tuesday
SOCOMBandit: u are alive!!!!!
SOCOMBandit: sweet. Is it warm down there?
dmmoreno: f**k yeah it is
SOCOMBandit: lol
dmmoreno: its hot like sun is closer down here...
dmmoreno: You sweat from every pore in your body
Glad to see you made it down there ok D. Look out for those pesky hurricanes.... and the retired drivers. I can only imagine the horror that is a passing lane down there. People looking through the steering wheel, white knuckling and going 20 mph under the limit. It makes me think of a Soprano's scene that has stuck in my head. Tony's mother is dropping a friend off at her house after Bingo or something like that and accidentally floors it and nails her old lady friend. I laughed at that scene as I was momentarily horrified. That old lady bounced onto the hood, into the windshield and then onto the pavement. Crazy old people drivers. Then there is the South Park episode where they try to revoke their licenses. Another classic. This is what I imagine DNasty dealing with on a daily basis now that he is in the land of retirees. Good luck D. Work on those defensive driving skills or buy a beater land yacht to compete.
dmmoreno: for the love of dial up
dmmoreno: no cable modem til next tuesday
SOCOMBandit: u are alive!!!!!
SOCOMBandit: sweet. Is it warm down there?
dmmoreno: f**k yeah it is
SOCOMBandit: lol
dmmoreno: its hot like sun is closer down here...
dmmoreno: You sweat from every pore in your body
Glad to see you made it down there ok D. Look out for those pesky hurricanes.... and the retired drivers. I can only imagine the horror that is a passing lane down there. People looking through the steering wheel, white knuckling and going 20 mph under the limit. It makes me think of a Soprano's scene that has stuck in my head. Tony's mother is dropping a friend off at her house after Bingo or something like that and accidentally floors it and nails her old lady friend. I laughed at that scene as I was momentarily horrified. That old lady bounced onto the hood, into the windshield and then onto the pavement. Crazy old people drivers. Then there is the South Park episode where they try to revoke their licenses. Another classic. This is what I imagine DNasty dealing with on a daily basis now that he is in the land of retirees. Good luck D. Work on those defensive driving skills or buy a beater land yacht to compete.
Dell Support Hold Muzak stinks
Everytime I call Dell for support on computers at work, I end up on hold at some point and get to experience the eclectic sonic abuse that is Dell hold music. Invariably, someone will walk past my office and stop to figure out just what the hell I am listening to. I guess I could take it off speakerphone, but I have other stuff to do while waiting on hold. It is the most eclectic mix of music I have ever experienced. I am enjoying this right now as I wait.
Since my productivity is limited by my tether to this phone right now, I figured I could blog something. Since I missed the kickoff of the HU Challenge last night due to the kickoff of the Steelers Preseason, how about that?
The opening kick off and drive got me pretty pumped up. Your defense scores 12 seconds into the game by intercepting the first pass of the game by McNabb. I'll take it. Your special teams scores by running back the first Eagle's punt of the game. Works for me. Up by 14 before Big Ben even touches the cowhide. I like it!
Overall, I was impressed by the D last night and concerned by the apparent lack of offense. I think this may change as Ward and Staley were both out, but it concerns me nonetheless. Dell is on the line now, gotta jet.
Since my productivity is limited by my tether to this phone right now, I figured I could blog something. Since I missed the kickoff of the HU Challenge last night due to the kickoff of the Steelers Preseason, how about that?
The opening kick off and drive got me pretty pumped up. Your defense scores 12 seconds into the game by intercepting the first pass of the game by McNabb. I'll take it. Your special teams scores by running back the first Eagle's punt of the game. Works for me. Up by 14 before Big Ben even touches the cowhide. I like it!
Overall, I was impressed by the D last night and concerned by the apparent lack of offense. I think this may change as Ward and Staley were both out, but it concerns me nonetheless. Dell is on the line now, gotta jet.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Cash out Curse
I am not a big believer in things like that, but I think I am ready to start!?
I had loaded $100 on PP and built it up to ~320. I was playing 5/10 and found it very beatable. It was like people were trying to give me money sometimes. I made the mistake of telling Mrs. STeelerJosh about this and she told me, "Good. Withdraw it." Nothing like the love and support of a significant other. I compromised and withdrew the original 100. With 220 still jingling in my virtual pocket, I sat back down the same day on the 5/10 tables. Faster than you can type, "WTF?" I was down 10 BB.
Hmmmm. That stinks, but I will just tighten up and get my mojo going again. Sure.
New table, I bring my whole bankroll and early on raise with one of my favorite hands, AQo. Not sure why I like that hand some much, but it has been good to me. Longer story short, flop KKQ. I bet and get reraised. I reraise, but I am worried. The turn brings a 10 and I check raise. The river is the A. I really don't think that my two pair is good, but I am going to take a shot. I check raise and the opponent goes into the tank. I am willing him with all my might to fold, I have seen stranger moves on PP. Tick, Tick..... damn, he has to call, this pot is huge. With about 5 seconds to go, he calls, the cards flip and I whimper. His Kx is good. I try to avoid tilt, but in retrospect if it was not tilt, it was his twin brother. I keep playing, my swan song being pocket 8's that hit a set on the flop only to be taken away from my by a four card flush. That stinks.
I had a little under 6 bucks left and I thought about making a run with it on a 5 SNG. I did not have that much time left before I had to get off, so I played some $25 NL and turned it back into 20 before I signed off.
I turned that 20 into 0 tonight at the same game. Pocket 10's ran into A5. He made a full house and IG2BN.
At least I have my original principle sitting in Neteller. Cash out curse? You tell me. The wrong side of variance. Probably.
**Side Note** - Where ya at D? Checking the blog everyday for an update, maybe you have not unpacked the pc yet?
I had loaded $100 on PP and built it up to ~320. I was playing 5/10 and found it very beatable. It was like people were trying to give me money sometimes. I made the mistake of telling Mrs. STeelerJosh about this and she told me, "Good. Withdraw it." Nothing like the love and support of a significant other. I compromised and withdrew the original 100. With 220 still jingling in my virtual pocket, I sat back down the same day on the 5/10 tables. Faster than you can type, "WTF?" I was down 10 BB.
Hmmmm. That stinks, but I will just tighten up and get my mojo going again. Sure.
New table, I bring my whole bankroll and early on raise with one of my favorite hands, AQo. Not sure why I like that hand some much, but it has been good to me. Longer story short, flop KKQ. I bet and get reraised. I reraise, but I am worried. The turn brings a 10 and I check raise. The river is the A. I really don't think that my two pair is good, but I am going to take a shot. I check raise and the opponent goes into the tank. I am willing him with all my might to fold, I have seen stranger moves on PP. Tick, Tick..... damn, he has to call, this pot is huge. With about 5 seconds to go, he calls, the cards flip and I whimper. His Kx is good. I try to avoid tilt, but in retrospect if it was not tilt, it was his twin brother. I keep playing, my swan song being pocket 8's that hit a set on the flop only to be taken away from my by a four card flush. That stinks.
I had a little under 6 bucks left and I thought about making a run with it on a 5 SNG. I did not have that much time left before I had to get off, so I played some $25 NL and turned it back into 20 before I signed off.
I turned that 20 into 0 tonight at the same game. Pocket 10's ran into A5. He made a full house and IG2BN.
At least I have my original principle sitting in Neteller. Cash out curse? You tell me. The wrong side of variance. Probably.
**Side Note** - Where ya at D? Checking the blog everyday for an update, maybe you have not unpacked the pc yet?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
HU Preseason Preview
Hmmmm. I am afraid to get too happy, but I have a much better feeling going into this challenge. I have never, repeat, never, as in not even once, done well with UB SNGs. Not sure what it is, level of competition, starting chip count, blind structure.... but I do a lot better at Party SNGs. They seem to be more of a crapshoot, but I have a much better track record there.
I have never seriously played or kept track of the HU SNGs on UB. That is changing tonight. I played 4 $5 HU SNGs and won all 4. Two of them were preseason struggles against GCox25 and HighOnPoker. The GCox25 match had a nice twist. He was playing very aggressive pre flop and some post flop and I hit a Royal Floosh on him. I had the nut flush on the river, and drew the Royal with an A on the river. I really wish I had been playing on my home computer so I could grab the hand history. Unfortunately, I was playing on my laptop downstairs so it will have to live in my memory. He was betting into it the whole way. It is rare that something like that happens, gotta savor the flavor!!
So, despite incurring the wrath of the PP gods with a cashout there tonight that precipitated a -$200 swing on 5/10, I shut down the computer feeling good. 4/4 in anything is not that bad, especially HU SNGs. Speaking of 4 for 4, any bloggers in the challenge think that might be the Cowboys record four games in? Hahahahaha. Discovered tonight that while there may be some great poker minds in this challenge, there are some challenged minds in the area of NFL allegiances.
This weekend kicks off the start of it all for me, I am getting all excited to head to the open practice in Latrobe, PA and watch my beloved Steelers practice.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
I have never seriously played or kept track of the HU SNGs on UB. That is changing tonight. I played 4 $5 HU SNGs and won all 4. Two of them were preseason struggles against GCox25 and HighOnPoker. The GCox25 match had a nice twist. He was playing very aggressive pre flop and some post flop and I hit a Royal Floosh on him. I had the nut flush on the river, and drew the Royal with an A on the river. I really wish I had been playing on my home computer so I could grab the hand history. Unfortunately, I was playing on my laptop downstairs so it will have to live in my memory. He was betting into it the whole way. It is rare that something like that happens, gotta savor the flavor!!
So, despite incurring the wrath of the PP gods with a cashout there tonight that precipitated a -$200 swing on 5/10, I shut down the computer feeling good. 4/4 in anything is not that bad, especially HU SNGs. Speaking of 4 for 4, any bloggers in the challenge think that might be the Cowboys record four games in? Hahahahaha. Discovered tonight that while there may be some great poker minds in this challenge, there are some challenged minds in the area of NFL allegiances.
This weekend kicks off the start of it all for me, I am getting all excited to head to the open practice in Latrobe, PA and watch my beloved Steelers practice.
HERE WE GO STEELERS!
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Traveling Man
DNasty has been on my mind the past two days as he packs up his life and relocates way south. It is bittersweet. I am happy that I got to see him and Mrs DNasty on Saturday/Sunday, sad because I hate goodbyes. The Mr. and Mrs. are a great couple, DNasty is a good dude. I did not see them a lot, but practically everytime I was in Michigan. I don't get to Florida.
Anyway, I was remembering the times that I drove cross country and the junk that floated through my head. I have always had a fascination with numbers, miles, times and would always calculate how much time my speeding would save me. It would go something like this - I am exceeding the speed limit by 10 miles an hour. If I do this for the next 6 hours, this will knock off a whole hour from the trip. Sweet! The only problem with this line of thinking is that it would give a false impression that this task might finish sooner. This is a false hope. No matter how fast you go, it takes a long, long time to drive across country. Now that I have a GPS, it takes some of the guesswork out and gets rid of the mental gymnastics calculating arrival time that I used to do in my head to pass the time while driving through Oklahoma (sorry GCox) or some other relatively flat state.
I wish DNasty all the best in his life change and I am looking forward to the first post from Florida announcing his safe arrival. Godspeed D.
Anyway, I was remembering the times that I drove cross country and the junk that floated through my head. I have always had a fascination with numbers, miles, times and would always calculate how much time my speeding would save me. It would go something like this - I am exceeding the speed limit by 10 miles an hour. If I do this for the next 6 hours, this will knock off a whole hour from the trip. Sweet! The only problem with this line of thinking is that it would give a false impression that this task might finish sooner. This is a false hope. No matter how fast you go, it takes a long, long time to drive across country. Now that I have a GPS, it takes some of the guesswork out and gets rid of the mental gymnastics calculating arrival time that I used to do in my head to pass the time while driving through Oklahoma (sorry GCox) or some other relatively flat state.
I wish DNasty all the best in his life change and I am looking forward to the first post from Florida announcing his safe arrival. Godspeed D.
Monday, August 08, 2005
SNG Challenge Update
Work is very demanding right now, not much time to play or post. Moved all the technology in my firm's Ann Arbor, MI office this weekend. I did have a chance to sit in one more SNG this weekend and won my $1.10 SNG. This brings my total to $7.40. It was tempting to sit down and play a $5 SNG, but I resisted. I was playing some 6 person $5/$10 on Party at the same time. That made the $1 SNG seem almost silly, but it was more for pride than anything else! On the subject of $5/$10 Limit on Party on Sunday.... it seemed easy. I doubled my buy in in the first hour and then bled some of it off but still had a profitable day. It seemed towards the end that I kept getting rivered. A7 vs 73 with two sevens flopped. Can't blame the guy for staying in (and even raising, we capped the betting the last two rounds) but the 3 on the river really hurt. Had I won that pot....
Anyway, the SNG challenge was a dissapointment. I have never done well on the UB SNG's even though I prefer their structure, the UB interface, and the different types of SNGs they offer. I am not sure if it is a mental monkey, or there is that wide of a gap in skill between the average PP and UB player. I think not, but I cannot explain my dismal performance.
Looking forward to the Heads Up Challenge. I have not had time to read the other blogs in the past two weeks, but I am sure things will return to normal and I will get caught up.
Last, but pretty importantly, who do I send my $25 too?!?!?
Thanks for the fun over the past month fellow challengers. Even though I did not sit at any tables with you, it was fun railbirding and watching. Great bunch of guys!
Anyway, the SNG challenge was a dissapointment. I have never done well on the UB SNG's even though I prefer their structure, the UB interface, and the different types of SNGs they offer. I am not sure if it is a mental monkey, or there is that wide of a gap in skill between the average PP and UB player. I think not, but I cannot explain my dismal performance.
Looking forward to the Heads Up Challenge. I have not had time to read the other blogs in the past two weeks, but I am sure things will return to normal and I will get caught up.
Last, but pretty importantly, who do I send my $25 too?!?!?
Thanks for the fun over the past month fellow challengers. Even though I did not sit at any tables with you, it was fun railbirding and watching. Great bunch of guys!
Monday, August 01, 2005
I'm Back
**No Poker content**
Getting back into the "swing of things" is not much fun. Someone told me today that no vacation goes unpunished. How true!! I am writing this during the tail end of my first day back in the office since the 21st of July. What a day.... but, I feel lucky that I have a job to complain about. Catching up on Jordan's blog makes me thankful that I seem to have some job security. Waiting for these two computers to finish doing what they need to do, and then I will go home and let the poor dog go to the bathroom. While they crunch merrily along, let me catch up on my blog world.
I started my vacation with a bang. My firm had their Ohio Office Golf Outing at Rose's Run, a pretty nice and challenging golf course. It was a 4 person scramble and my team TORE IT UP!! We really played team golf, and were rewarded with a -8 on the front nine. We parred two holes and birdied (one eagle) the rest. The back nince was much tougher with many dog legs, blind shots and good bunker placement. We went -4 on the back for an amazing 60! We won handily (next closest team was a -6 with most teams right around par. It was sweet, I was driving well and putting out of my ass. It was a great day with plenty of beer and good company.
Geeked from my unusual golf course dominance, I drove home to finish packing and start the tortorous drive that lay ahead. Having sat in OBX, NC beach traffic once, I am in no rush to do it again anytime soon. Solution? Leave Ohio at 10PM and drive through the night. Stupid? maybe.... but I can sleep on the beach when I get there. Dangerous? Probably, but D is my middle initial and maybe it does stand for Danger. Done? You bet. We pulled into the Food Lion parking lot in Corolla, NC at 0945 hours the next morning. I drove from 2200 to 0330 (dropping the dog off at the in-laws at midnight). The wife woke up and handled 0330 to 0630 and then I finished it off (after a stop at the last Waffle House on the route, thank you GPS and Garmin).
If you have never been to the beach at the Outer Banks, I highly recommend it. I love the beach (as mentioned in my 50 Things) and I really like a beach without all the restrictions. You can bring alcohol, pets, radios, volleyballs, even 4x4's at the North end of the barrier island! If you have never driven on the beach, it is fun as hell. There are even some houses up there that you can only rent and get to if you have 4 wheel drive. It does not even need to be a truck, my Honda Pilot handled it fine after locking it into 4W. I was bouncing and sliding all over the place riding up over the dunes into the part with houses (note: there was only a few places that you could cross the dunes, this was one of them.. I was "treading lightly")
Since we could check into our rental house until 4PM, my plan was to clock some Zzzz's on the beach. We stopped at the only grocery store at the North end (Food Lion) and got some essentials (beer and ice) and drove up and onto the beach. Right where the road ends and you enter the sand, there was a wild horse just chilling! My wife was so excited she made me stop and grabbed the camera. The horse was sitting on the beach facing the ocean catching some rays I guess. When we came back later in the day he had gone.
Sleeping on the beach is the best....until you discover later that the little umbrella you brought does not block the UV rays! I was sporting a serious farmer's tan when I arrived and put on a sleeveless t shirt while I napped in the shade created by the umbrella. Stupid me thought that I did not need to put on sunblock since I was in the shade. I also sleep on my back with my hands interlocked under my head. My wife says I look cocky when I sleep, maybe she is right, but my sleep cockiness caused some seriously pink armpits. Ouch.
to be continued....
Getting back into the "swing of things" is not much fun. Someone told me today that no vacation goes unpunished. How true!! I am writing this during the tail end of my first day back in the office since the 21st of July. What a day.... but, I feel lucky that I have a job to complain about. Catching up on Jordan's blog makes me thankful that I seem to have some job security. Waiting for these two computers to finish doing what they need to do, and then I will go home and let the poor dog go to the bathroom. While they crunch merrily along, let me catch up on my blog world.
I started my vacation with a bang. My firm had their Ohio Office Golf Outing at Rose's Run, a pretty nice and challenging golf course. It was a 4 person scramble and my team TORE IT UP!! We really played team golf, and were rewarded with a -8 on the front nine. We parred two holes and birdied (one eagle) the rest. The back nince was much tougher with many dog legs, blind shots and good bunker placement. We went -4 on the back for an amazing 60! We won handily (next closest team was a -6 with most teams right around par. It was sweet, I was driving well and putting out of my ass. It was a great day with plenty of beer and good company.
Geeked from my unusual golf course dominance, I drove home to finish packing and start the tortorous drive that lay ahead. Having sat in OBX, NC beach traffic once, I am in no rush to do it again anytime soon. Solution? Leave Ohio at 10PM and drive through the night. Stupid? maybe.... but I can sleep on the beach when I get there. Dangerous? Probably, but D is my middle initial and maybe it does stand for Danger. Done? You bet. We pulled into the Food Lion parking lot in Corolla, NC at 0945 hours the next morning. I drove from 2200 to 0330 (dropping the dog off at the in-laws at midnight). The wife woke up and handled 0330 to 0630 and then I finished it off (after a stop at the last Waffle House on the route, thank you GPS and Garmin).
If you have never been to the beach at the Outer Banks, I highly recommend it. I love the beach (as mentioned in my 50 Things) and I really like a beach without all the restrictions. You can bring alcohol, pets, radios, volleyballs, even 4x4's at the North end of the barrier island! If you have never driven on the beach, it is fun as hell. There are even some houses up there that you can only rent and get to if you have 4 wheel drive. It does not even need to be a truck, my Honda Pilot handled it fine after locking it into 4W. I was bouncing and sliding all over the place riding up over the dunes into the part with houses (note: there was only a few places that you could cross the dunes, this was one of them.. I was "treading lightly")
Since we could check into our rental house until 4PM, my plan was to clock some Zzzz's on the beach. We stopped at the only grocery store at the North end (Food Lion) and got some essentials (beer and ice) and drove up and onto the beach. Right where the road ends and you enter the sand, there was a wild horse just chilling! My wife was so excited she made me stop and grabbed the camera. The horse was sitting on the beach facing the ocean catching some rays I guess. When we came back later in the day he had gone.
Sleeping on the beach is the best....until you discover later that the little umbrella you brought does not block the UV rays! I was sporting a serious farmer's tan when I arrived and put on a sleeveless t shirt while I napped in the shade created by the umbrella. Stupid me thought that I did not need to put on sunblock since I was in the shade. I also sleep on my back with my hands interlocked under my head. My wife says I look cocky when I sleep, maybe she is right, but my sleep cockiness caused some seriously pink armpits. Ouch.
to be continued....
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