Gatorade and Stuey

Current treatment of my illness:

• 1 liter of Gatorade three times a day (lemon lime, using a straw)
• Two Advil Cold and Sinus tablets every 3-4 hours
• 1 sleeve/package of crackers twice a day

I tried to find the symptoms for Avian bird flu to see if maybe that's what I have, but it doesn't seem that they put anything in this flu that could let you know that you have it. Fever, coughing, sore throat, muscle aches. I don't have a fever, but it doesn't sound too different than being sick in general. I majored in Biology in college and had a Virology professor who said that flu vaccines in general were worthless, that they were a government plot to let people think the government was doing something to help us. He said that the influenza virus mutates so much and there are so many strains, that the vaccine protects you from last year's flu when this year's is different. My parents will probably make me suck zinc, with my Dad making a run at forcing me to snort baking soda. I did have Mexican last night to try and spice this out of my body but to no avail.

If you don't have ESPN Classic, then get it. I TiVo'd the 1997 WSOP Main Event. I've seen it before, but it was just incredible to watch. Hellmuth, Gabe Kaplan, and Jim Earhardt (probably not the right name, the tournament director) watch the mastery that is Stu Ungar. Someone has the brilliant idea that the final table should be played outdoors on Fremont Street, so everyone has been brutalized by the heat the whole time. One of the great reads by Kaplan is when he puts Stuey on one of four hands, with QTs being one of the four, on a straight draw that doesn't hit. Ungar bets $200,000 at a sizable pot, gets Ron Stanley to lay down middle pair (I think the board was J9XXX), and Ungar then flips over the QT. Ungar plays great, then gets heads-up with John Strezmp, the owner of Treasure Island. Strezmp was headed for the rail early on with TT vs. Stanley's AA (and Mel Judah announcing that he folded a ten). Strezmp spiked the case ten to double through. When they get heads up, Stuey ends up making the wrong read with A4 on a board of A35, and he comes over the top only for both of them to get their chips in with Strezmp having A8. A 3 comes on the turn, but then the magical deuce hits on the river for Stuey to take his third main event bracelet. It's surreal to watch him talk with Kaplan afterwards about his life and hoping to put it all together, only for him to be found dead in an Oasis Hotel room a year later. Gabe Kaplan, in my opinion, is far and away the best commentator out there. You can see it during these WSOP broadcasts, and you can see it on High Stakes Poker.

So here is the question for the day: what is the difference between poker blogs and 2+2 Forums? For the uniniated, 2+2 is the grandaddy of poker, publisher of David Sklansky's books as well as Harrington's. Greg Raymer notes that he wouldn't have won without the 2+2 Forums, where players have posted and debated everything from hands to strategies for many years. The hard core 2+2'ers will come off as quite arrogant, that if you haven't read everything ever posted then you haven't really done any work. The poker blog? There are hand histories, bad beat stories, peripheral noise, and lifestories about all aspects of poker. 2+2 can be dangerous as you can simply read forever all of these great posts from everyone under the sun. Here is a link to recent great posts, which may be a good introduction.

I've started a challenge on Poker Academy with my brother to play 100 SNG's in the simulator and see who wins. I don't think it will be very close, as I find I have no interest in watching the players play, he knows every player and their tendency whereas I could care less. I've gotten brutalized starting, but maybe it is an initial transition and I'll get the hang of it. I haven't played either of my simulators too much lately, but I may do more of that soon.