Great Weekend

A really great weekend on most fronts, but first I want to let you in on a pretty exciting deal for anyone who wants a table as super fine as mine. Mike at Big Slik Poker is offering 10% off any purchase if you mention Closet Poker Player. Mike can be reached at bigslikpoker@comcast.net or call (404) 625-3717. They do tables with folding legs as well as metal or wood pedestals. They do traditional hexagonal tables as well as hold em, with basically whatever you want regarding felt--including your own logo. No kickback guarantee from here; think of it more as the Closet Seal of Approval and great value too.

An eleven hour weekend with my wife gone, so this is the first time I've really sat down and played over a weekend for quite a while. Also jumped into PokerStars for the first time. Total for the weekend was up $500, including giving back $220 at Stars after Pauly sat down at my table. Now, this is something akin to Nicklaus asking if you have room for a fourth, the head cheerleader asking if she could sit by you on the way back from the basketball game at North Natchez. So, I'm not sure if it was the mix of Pauly watching the Sopranos in his underwear or what, but I went on an absolute anti-freezer, having my aces cracked by 96s on a board of 78895 with five players on the flop and A9 staying in until the end (Pauly bailing on the turn with JJ). Then I run into KK twice, 88 calling me down, TT vs AT, and 96 flopped two pair getting counterfeited by AK when the deuces paired. "I think I junxed him because he had a lot of big hands cracked." Pauly, ever the master of understatement. Junxed me? Pauly was like the plague, not only with my big hands failing but then causing me to play like an absolute idiot for a good spell. Pauly, women aren't the rake of like--you are!

My earlier Stars experiences were absolutely breathtaking, all of the people being so nice and friendly, second pair and underpair consistently paying off my top pairs and ovepairs, TPTK making it through, moves being rewarded by abandoned pots or runner-runner flushes. Also got to railbird WillWonka, where he was slugging it out on his famed 6-max play. We had the two oldest boys cheering him on, yelling at him to raise with rags. Couldn't help him, although our constant chatter made his game improve at the other tables.

I also got to play/railbird Brad from G-Vegas. He had been struggling a bit transitioning from NLHE to limit, so we jumped on Stars and played together. I enjoyed it a good bit for sure, and I would recommend it if anyone ever needs help. We played together then AIM'd debriefing of hands. It was my first time doing something like that, so I think I'd rather just railbird and post-mortem as I think the constant chatter may have affected both of us. I tended to play his hand a couple times to his detriment, and I think he bacame hesitant as well.

This also was, of course, the NCAA Hoops Tourney Bracket Sunday. This is a time more for me to reminisce (may be the first time I've spelled that word), as I don't watch college hoops anymore. I used to sit in front of the TV frantically scribbling the names as they were announced, then getting hard to work on what would happen next. I was hardcore--this from someone who applied to Georgetown because Ewing was there (I got in, but there were no scholarships available, so that turned me to Tulane). I hope the new NBA draft rule against high school players coming out will restore some of the luster of college basketball. The best part of the game used to be that falling for a team or a couple of players over several years--the Hoyas, St. John's, Auburn's underachieving duo of Person and Barkely, the Fab Five at Michigan, Alford and crew at my beloved Hoosiers. Now? I couldn't tell you more than three players probably, and for sure I haven't been smitten by some story or players over several years enough to get pulled back in. My loss, I'm sure, but there it is.

My brother is now in candidacy for his Ph.D. in Economics. This is from a guy who was an English undergrad, who didn't have his Masters or really any math until jumping into the program. With now a baby and a little guy. Of course, all he does is read 2+2 and about 500 poker blogs a day and beat himself up over being down to four in a SNG, calling sb with KTo, having the board give him a T as the high card on the flop with two hearts, pushing all-in and be called by Jh8h, then being sucked out with a heart on the turn. Any time I see that play, I immediately think that I would fly the playa anywhere he wanted to play, any time.

Finally, for those of you with kids, I'd highly recommend giving your wife (this is to the guys) a weekend or a day every couple months. It's great for you, as I got to see all three boys in a different way because of just being with them differently. And thank goodness for hot dogs for sure! The little guy's supper Saturday night (remember, he's 22 months): he got Thin Mints from the pantry around 5:30, stuffing them whole into his mouth (he had three--I didn't understand why my wife lets him get his own Thin Mints out of the pantry...), hot dog, Cheetos, frisbee-sized chocolate-chip cookie (he calls McAlister's Deli Big Cookie.), then All-In wanted ice cream, so I got the little guy a chocolate frozen yougurt (I think yougurt is supposed to be good for you). The guy asked if I wanted a cup or a cone, so I figured a cone would be good. Well, suffice it to say it drips a bit.

Quick story from church yesterday. I hadn't heard about this, but supposedly this story is sweeping the internet as an example of judicial chaos in Dade County. An eighty year old lady is arrested for shoplifting, and the judge asks her during her trial what she stole. "A can of peaches," she says. He then asks her why she stole a can of peaches. "I was hungry." He thinks for a bit, then asks how many peaches were in the can, and she says "There were six." He then says, "I sentence you to six days in jail, one day for every peach in the can that you stole." Her eighty-five year old husband pulls himself to his feet and asks if he can speak. The judge says yes. "Your honor," he says, "you should know that she also stole a can of peas."

Finally, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, my Monday trip from one of my links to see where we go.

• PokerSweetHome: I had the chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. P-S-H in London in December. He's a Canadian IT guy, she's a Midwestern writer. He's making his first foray into live play at the Gutshot. They alternately take turns on the blog, always fun to hear updates from them.
• Low Limit Grinder: Gary is from Oklahoma, and I've been to his blog a few times. He's organizing an Okie-Vegas spectaular in June for anyone's who's up for a blogger battle then. I hadn't seen anything on this, so I'll have to look into it.
• MowenumDown: Congrats on a nice 5th place in a 200 person Stars Tourney! Gary is from Villa Rica, Georgia, which has a great Fazio course called The Frog. A real good guy I expect, and I'll have to have him over for a degenerate home game some time soon.
• Lucky Blonde: Good heavenly day. Every man's dream, every woman's nightmare. A poker playing mother and hottie from Montana with a lot of outside animals.
  
• Law School Dropout: The tales of a 2/4 grinder becoming a 100/200 master. I'll have to check it out.
• Adspar: I actually had never been to his blog before, but I've seen his pencil drawing avatar thing (which looks creepy sometimes). He always has great comments whenever I see them. He's in the midst of a poker challenge and has had a horrific week, so give him some love.
  

Busy day today before I head off to Raleigh tomorrow and to Vegas Wednesday. Hope everyone had a good weekend.