Good morning peoples. I've just had lunch downtown with Candace and Lisa, it was delicious. As I write this, I'm listening to metal for the first time in about a week. It sounds so good.
They closed my favorite coffee shop in G-vegas, Port City Java. They went out of business and I'm none to happy about it. On the bright side, there's a new spot downtown at the corner of the Hyatt. It's called Liquid Highway. The front is all glass providing a great view of cars and people walking up and down. The coffee is good, and boy do I need it. In fact, can a nurse come over and just hook up an IV? I've been in desperate need of coffee since I got to G-vegas. And can the nurse be hot? And be scantily clad? Tyvm.
Sometimes things just aren't a good as you anticipate. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade the opportunity to come visit my mom. But next time, it won't be for twelve days. I think four days is enough. Ok, let's face it. My mom and sister are driving me absolutely fucking nuts. I wish happiness for them both, and maybe they are happy constantly bickering back and forth. Maybe it's what they're used to. But not me. I live a drama free life. I don't give two shits what my neighbors do or say. I don't allow any level of petty bitching in my life. Of course that's easier for me since I live alone and don't even really have close friends in Vegas. But still, it's how I like it. I mind my own damned business and I don't live drama. I wish that for everyone, but they just won't have it.
So, as much as I love my mom, I've had enough. Please, please, please, get me a nurse and that IV, or get me on a plane fast. It's tuesday now and on thursday I fly away, back to The Meadows. I know it sounds bad, but I can't wait. I'm gonna need two days off when I get back just to recover.
After my two day break I'm gonna work hard. I have many, many hours of poker to play to recover the lost segments of my bankroll. I'm as determined as ever and I have a tight, solid plan to get there. I'm gonna try to get in better shape during the next year as well and I'm gonna begin the search for the elusive Mrs. Trooper. That's right. I think it's time to kick the single life I love and open up to the idea of letting someone in again. It's been awhile, purposely. I had my fill of the pain, but hey, I certainly have my masochistic side.
Ok, for now, it's back to the house. Although I'm ready to get back to the valley, I wanna see my mom as much as possible.
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
2008, Christmas Past
I wanna go to the mall. They have coffee there, Starbucks coffee. I have to return an Iron Maiden "The Trooper" t-shirt that doesn't fit me. It wasn't a gift, I bought it myself. I'm going in a few minutes.
Another christmas has come and gone. I don't suppose it matters how I feel about that, it's gone anyway. Christmas will always be what it is. It'll always be about what it's about. But it just isn't the same for me anymore. It has always been my favorite time of year. This year, the days leading up to it were better than the day itself or the eve.
I suppose this year was much better than last. Last year I'd just moved to Vegas and was alone for Christmas. There wasn't a soul around, only the soulless, or at least that's how they appeared to me. At least this year I'm home with family. I'm in the place where I've spent many a merry Christmas. I can think back on those times and feel the Christmas spirit, but it does require great effort, and I really haven't done much of that.
I remember when I was about 7 years old. I remember sitting alone, in a little rocking chair in a dark room in front of the Christmas tree for hours and hours. It was a real tree. The only light was that which was emitted from the tree. I would hum Christmas songs and just stare at the tree. There would be presents underneath, but the tree itself with it shiny glass balls, sparkly garland and stringy icicles was the whole focus of my attention. As the lights blinked, they would reflect in all the shiny materials hanging around them. I remember doing that, but to get into that frame of mind and realise what I would have been thinking then is next to immpossible now. I'm sure, however, that the real story of Christmas was one of the things on my mind.
We didn't have a tree this year. We didn't even have a formal exchanging of gifts. I didn't even wrap the gifts I gave, just left them in the bags from the stores. I removed the price tags at least. I chose not to wrap them in light of the fact that we weren't sitting down to exchange. I simply waited until after dinner and approached the recipients one by one and handed over the bags. It was far from magical, but I couldn't just not give.
It's the day after and Christmas is over. I have five more days in Gvegas. On New Years Day I'll be flying back to Sin City. I'm ready. I love it here, but Christmas just didn't come with its old magic this year. I'm happy to spend time with my mom and family, but I'm ready to get back to work. I have high hopes for poker next year. I have plans to work long, hard hours in January. I have a full year to go before the next Christmas approaches, maybe next year will be different. I'd give alot to have it the way it once was.
Merry Christmas.
Another christmas has come and gone. I don't suppose it matters how I feel about that, it's gone anyway. Christmas will always be what it is. It'll always be about what it's about. But it just isn't the same for me anymore. It has always been my favorite time of year. This year, the days leading up to it were better than the day itself or the eve.
I suppose this year was much better than last. Last year I'd just moved to Vegas and was alone for Christmas. There wasn't a soul around, only the soulless, or at least that's how they appeared to me. At least this year I'm home with family. I'm in the place where I've spent many a merry Christmas. I can think back on those times and feel the Christmas spirit, but it does require great effort, and I really haven't done much of that.
I remember when I was about 7 years old. I remember sitting alone, in a little rocking chair in a dark room in front of the Christmas tree for hours and hours. It was a real tree. The only light was that which was emitted from the tree. I would hum Christmas songs and just stare at the tree. There would be presents underneath, but the tree itself with it shiny glass balls, sparkly garland and stringy icicles was the whole focus of my attention. As the lights blinked, they would reflect in all the shiny materials hanging around them. I remember doing that, but to get into that frame of mind and realise what I would have been thinking then is next to immpossible now. I'm sure, however, that the real story of Christmas was one of the things on my mind.
We didn't have a tree this year. We didn't even have a formal exchanging of gifts. I didn't even wrap the gifts I gave, just left them in the bags from the stores. I removed the price tags at least. I chose not to wrap them in light of the fact that we weren't sitting down to exchange. I simply waited until after dinner and approached the recipients one by one and handed over the bags. It was far from magical, but I couldn't just not give.
It's the day after and Christmas is over. I have five more days in Gvegas. On New Years Day I'll be flying back to Sin City. I'm ready. I love it here, but Christmas just didn't come with its old magic this year. I'm happy to spend time with my mom and family, but I'm ready to get back to work. I have high hopes for poker next year. I have plans to work long, hard hours in January. I have a full year to go before the next Christmas approaches, maybe next year will be different. I'd give alot to have it the way it once was.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Back to the Undergound
Happy Tuesday. Today's a good day for Christmas shopping. I just had eggs, sausage and biscuits and soon I'll commandeer my mom's car and head out to the mall. I'm looking forward to Starbucks, it's been a couple days.
Sunday night I decided to hit TheDepot with Rhodes. When we got there the game was 9 handed. I took seat 10 and not long after we were down to 6 handed. I played a fairly conservative game for the first couple hours. I picked up KK a couple times and won small pots. I then dwindled a bit and then I made a straight against a guy who check raised the 3 diamond board. Once the third player in the pot folded I called knowing that the raiser didn't even need a straight, let alone a flush, to check raise. He's a horrible player. He had two pair. That pot brought me into the black for the evening.
A bit later I had the rock(a forced, free straddle used by the player who wins the pot containing it) in and the same bad player raised to $21. By the way, the game was 1-3 making the straddle $6 and I started with $200. Seat 8 called the $21 and I called $15 more with 9h8h. The flop was KJ7 with 2 diamonds and the action checked around. The turn brought the Td giving me the small straight and I checked again. The preflop raiser bet $30 and seat 8 raised to $60. What happened next was a combination of gut feeling and the use of my image. I realised that seat 8 was raising the really bad player. That meant that he didn't have to have a monster. I decided to reraise to $100. The bettor folded and then the raiser called $40 more. The river brought a fourth diamond to the board and my gut spoke again. I bet $100. I felt like I'd represented the nut flush very well, not only with my bets but with my physical mannerisms. When the original bettor folded to my reraise on the flop I appeared disappointed. He was THE fish in the game and I know seat 8 picked up on that. After my river bet I just looked at the pot and kept thinking to myself that I wanted a call. I kept saying in my head, "come on, call. I have the Ace of diamonds." Well, it worked. The guy flashed me the Kd for the second nuts. I mucked and drug in the pot.
At the end of the night I cashed out for $440, not a bad welcome home from the underworld of Gvegas. Now it's time for Christmas shopping.
Sunday night I decided to hit TheDepot with Rhodes. When we got there the game was 9 handed. I took seat 10 and not long after we were down to 6 handed. I played a fairly conservative game for the first couple hours. I picked up KK a couple times and won small pots. I then dwindled a bit and then I made a straight against a guy who check raised the 3 diamond board. Once the third player in the pot folded I called knowing that the raiser didn't even need a straight, let alone a flush, to check raise. He's a horrible player. He had two pair. That pot brought me into the black for the evening.
A bit later I had the rock(a forced, free straddle used by the player who wins the pot containing it) in and the same bad player raised to $21. By the way, the game was 1-3 making the straddle $6 and I started with $200. Seat 8 called the $21 and I called $15 more with 9h8h. The flop was KJ7 with 2 diamonds and the action checked around. The turn brought the Td giving me the small straight and I checked again. The preflop raiser bet $30 and seat 8 raised to $60. What happened next was a combination of gut feeling and the use of my image. I realised that seat 8 was raising the really bad player. That meant that he didn't have to have a monster. I decided to reraise to $100. The bettor folded and then the raiser called $40 more. The river brought a fourth diamond to the board and my gut spoke again. I bet $100. I felt like I'd represented the nut flush very well, not only with my bets but with my physical mannerisms. When the original bettor folded to my reraise on the flop I appeared disappointed. He was THE fish in the game and I know seat 8 picked up on that. After my river bet I just looked at the pot and kept thinking to myself that I wanted a call. I kept saying in my head, "come on, call. I have the Ace of diamonds." Well, it worked. The guy flashed me the Kd for the second nuts. I mucked and drug in the pot.
At the end of the night I cashed out for $440, not a bad welcome home from the underworld of Gvegas. Now it's time for Christmas shopping.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Good to be Home
Well, so far it's good to be home. I arrived at the house last night about 3:00am. I watched TV for a bit and then slept. Today, I got called by KJ from the BB when I shoved 9 BBs from the button with A4 in the Blogger championship tourny and that was that, and now I'm just being home.
I've just been wandering around the house talking. Talking about Vegas, talking about poker, talking about pure nonsense. It's fun. My mom is cooking chicken-n-dumplings. I've been drinking coffe all day and eating chocolate poker chips I brought from Vegas. I guess my point is that it's fun to be home.
Later I'm going out for a bit. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with Rhodes. At some point soon I'll be getting together with LadyEdwards to see her new apartment and have coffee. I'll also be seeing my friend TheDevil and his new kid. I may have said some of this before but whatever. Weeeeee...
I've just been wandering around the house talking. Talking about Vegas, talking about poker, talking about pure nonsense. It's fun. My mom is cooking chicken-n-dumplings. I've been drinking coffe all day and eating chocolate poker chips I brought from Vegas. I guess my point is that it's fun to be home.
Later I'm going out for a bit. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with Rhodes. At some point soon I'll be getting together with LadyEdwards to see her new apartment and have coffee. I'll also be seeing my friend TheDevil and his new kid. I may have said some of this before but whatever. Weeeeee...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
En Route
Alright, here we go. I'm at Mccarren Intl Airport in front of gate D41. Delta flight DL1798 is about to carry me through the air and drop me off, uhumm, let's rephrase that... and land safely... in Atlanta where I'll make a quick plane change and shoot on over to Charlotte. If all goes according to plan, Rhodes will be there to meet me and take me on to G-vegas.
I love traveling. I love going to the airport and carrying my bags and the whole hustle and bustle of it all, especially during the holidays. I'm happy to be doing it. I'm not crazy about the actual flying, but if that plane is going where I wanna go I better get my ass on it.
So, LadyEdwards, get the PCJ coffee in the maker, Mom, get the turkey in the oven, Rhodes, get the hybrid gassed up, and TheDevil, get your degenerate hat on. Next stop, Alanta, GA.
I love traveling. I love going to the airport and carrying my bags and the whole hustle and bustle of it all, especially during the holidays. I'm happy to be doing it. I'm not crazy about the actual flying, but if that plane is going where I wanna go I better get my ass on it.
So, LadyEdwards, get the PCJ coffee in the maker, Mom, get the turkey in the oven, Rhodes, get the hybrid gassed up, and TheDevil, get your degenerate hat on. Next stop, Alanta, GA.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hold On, I'm Coming
WOWOWOW. Tomorrow is the day. I'm going back home to G-vegas for the first time since I left a little over a year ago. As long as the flights are safe, I'll be landing in Charlotte, NC at 11:40pm tomorrow night. If you didn't know this, I'm affraid of flying. I realise that statistically it's the safest way to travel, I understand that. But in real life, it's NOT the safest way to travel. Statistically, I'll never have quad 7's beaten by quad 9's for a $46K jackpot. Well, in real life, that shit happened. Anyway.
For the most part, I made the money I wanted to make before my trip, so all my affairs are in order for a fun, relaxing vacation. I'm sure I'll hit at least one game while I'm home but I don't wanna play too much. On sunday I'll definately be playing in the WBCOOP on Poker Stars. That's the Wolrd Blogger Championship of Online Poker. I won my seat in the PLO8 qualifier the other night. I'm no PLO8 player, but neither was 90% of the field, so, there you go. I actually went out 20th. I lucked my way into a double up early with a boat, then made the clear nut/nut hand in a blind war where I potted every street and the BB called. NH me. I also won a step 3 ticket so maybe I'll run that into something too.
I'm looking forward to seeing TheDevil, DeRail, and whoever else I can get my hands on. There may even be a trip up the mountain in store, after all, it's christmas tradition. "Up the mountain" obv refers to Harrah's in Cherokee, NC. TheDevil and I always go for Christmas, usually on the night of the 25th. I have a free room this year so who knows. At the minimum we'll have a 5 cent/10 cent card game. I plan to burn through no less than 5 buy-ins in that game.
Well, that's it. Rhodes, if you're reading this, don't forget to pick me up in Charlotte at 11:40pm. THAT'S PM!! I don't wanna have to shack up with some hooker in NC for the night, it's Christmas for Christ's sake.
For the most part, I made the money I wanted to make before my trip, so all my affairs are in order for a fun, relaxing vacation. I'm sure I'll hit at least one game while I'm home but I don't wanna play too much. On sunday I'll definately be playing in the WBCOOP on Poker Stars. That's the Wolrd Blogger Championship of Online Poker. I won my seat in the PLO8 qualifier the other night. I'm no PLO8 player, but neither was 90% of the field, so, there you go. I actually went out 20th. I lucked my way into a double up early with a boat, then made the clear nut/nut hand in a blind war where I potted every street and the BB called. NH me. I also won a step 3 ticket so maybe I'll run that into something too.
I'm looking forward to seeing TheDevil, DeRail, and whoever else I can get my hands on. There may even be a trip up the mountain in store, after all, it's christmas tradition. "Up the mountain" obv refers to Harrah's in Cherokee, NC. TheDevil and I always go for Christmas, usually on the night of the 25th. I have a free room this year so who knows. At the minimum we'll have a 5 cent/10 cent card game. I plan to burn through no less than 5 buy-ins in that game.
Well, that's it. Rhodes, if you're reading this, don't forget to pick me up in Charlotte at 11:40pm. THAT'S PM!! I don't wanna have to shack up with some hooker in NC for the night, it's Christmas for Christ's sake.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
Yikes!! So I woke up at 4pm. I was supposed to wake up earlier, oh how I wish. I got up and spent 15 minutes wandering around, washing my face, brushing my teeth, putting the laptop in the bag, etc. Then I pick up my phone, release it from the charging cord, and began to go through the countless tweets and missed calls. I happened upon a tweet from a Vegas local who's out of town and it mentioned her jealousy of reading snow tweets from Vegas. I said to myself, "It ain't fucking snowing", and walked to the big window in the living room. Upon pulling back the blinds a glorious sight filled my eyes. Everything I saw was as white snow. Well, that's because it was SNOWING! It was really coming down and was all over the ground.
I excitedly grabbed the laptop bag and shot out the door and hopped in the car. Obviously I love the snow, along with grey, cloudy, foggy cold weather. I'm at starbucks now playing a blogger freeroll qualifier on Stars and the view out the front windows is awesome. Thank God for winter. I can't even describe how happy this little storm is making me. It's not supposed to stop for the next ten hours, or so I heard. I also heard that Summerlin, on the west side of town, is supposed to get 10 inches. TEN INCHES! Here is a little taste of what it looks like. Later I'll head to the strip and hopefully get some pictures of this rare event.
click for a lager picture
My view from here
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My view from here
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TheTrooper97mobile snowcovered
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Scoopage
Why is watermelon so delicious? Especially the small, personal sized "All Heart Watermelon" that I buy at Fresh & Easy. I just had one.
I headed over to Sunset Station tonight to use a food comp and $10 in free slot play. For the food, I got steak and eggs. It was better than usual there so already the day was going better than yesterday. Yesterday sucked and I lost $345 at Planet Hollywood. After dinner I wandered off into the casino and found the 10-coin nickel Triple Pay Deuces machines and sat down to redeem my free $10. Lo and behold on my very first hand I held one deuce and the bitch dealt me the other three for a $300 hit. That's free money. FREE MONEY!! I invested zero. That was a great start to the night.
So I went over to the poker room and after a short wait I took seat 5 at the only 1-2 game. The game was a bit wild when I first sat. The raise preflop was $20 and there were always callers, plenty of action. I bought in for my standard $100 and I just sat back and waited. To keep the story short, I limped with 33 and the flop came J83. There were seven players and a guy before me bet $20. As the next guy was deciding to fold, I noticed that the asian lady on my left was ready to call. I also knew that the bettor loved his hand and wasn't folding so I tried to pick a number that the lady would still call. I made it $45 and she insta-called. The bettor shoved all in for a $103 and I insta shoved for $113 total. The asian lady thought but said the pot was to big and called. He had AJ and she had KJ, suckers. I scooped a triple up and cashed out 20 minutes later with $320.
Not a bad night. I sent out a tweet last night that said I needed to make $700 between then and friday in order to relax and enjoy my trip home. Well, tonight I snatched $500 of that. It felt great. I considered going on down to the strip and starting another session but it was almost midnight and I figured that going home with a full $500 in profit would be too good for morale to risk losing any.
Tomorrow I'll be doing a few things to prepare for my trip. I'm not sure I'll play. If I do, it'll be later as at 7pm I'm gonna play another qualifier for the blogger tourny on Poker Stars. We shall see. For now, I'm gonna follow that watermelon with a couple slices of pizza from last night.
Good night world.
I headed over to Sunset Station tonight to use a food comp and $10 in free slot play. For the food, I got steak and eggs. It was better than usual there so already the day was going better than yesterday. Yesterday sucked and I lost $345 at Planet Hollywood. After dinner I wandered off into the casino and found the 10-coin nickel Triple Pay Deuces machines and sat down to redeem my free $10. Lo and behold on my very first hand I held one deuce and the bitch dealt me the other three for a $300 hit. That's free money. FREE MONEY!! I invested zero. That was a great start to the night.
So I went over to the poker room and after a short wait I took seat 5 at the only 1-2 game. The game was a bit wild when I first sat. The raise preflop was $20 and there were always callers, plenty of action. I bought in for my standard $100 and I just sat back and waited. To keep the story short, I limped with 33 and the flop came J83. There were seven players and a guy before me bet $20. As the next guy was deciding to fold, I noticed that the asian lady on my left was ready to call. I also knew that the bettor loved his hand and wasn't folding so I tried to pick a number that the lady would still call. I made it $45 and she insta-called. The bettor shoved all in for a $103 and I insta shoved for $113 total. The asian lady thought but said the pot was to big and called. He had AJ and she had KJ, suckers. I scooped a triple up and cashed out 20 minutes later with $320.
Not a bad night. I sent out a tweet last night that said I needed to make $700 between then and friday in order to relax and enjoy my trip home. Well, tonight I snatched $500 of that. It felt great. I considered going on down to the strip and starting another session but it was almost midnight and I figured that going home with a full $500 in profit would be too good for morale to risk losing any.
Tomorrow I'll be doing a few things to prepare for my trip. I'm not sure I'll play. If I do, it'll be later as at 7pm I'm gonna play another qualifier for the blogger tourny on Poker Stars. We shall see. For now, I'm gonna follow that watermelon with a couple slices of pizza from last night.
Good night world.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I Don't Belong Here
Well, here we are again. Another attempt to go to bed early has been foiled by random bullshit. Tonight it wasn't Wikipedia. I wasn't reading up on, well, you name it, everything from A-Z. Sometimes I read about fruits and vegetables or other foods or random shit from history such as World War II or, wow, what do I spend hours reading about on there? No, tonight I decided to Thumb through my high school yearbooks. I started with my senior year and then went through the freshman year. The only good thing about those books are the comments written in the front and back by my fellow students and friends. Let's just say I was well liked. As far as the rest of that shit... VOMIT! I wouldn't go back to high school for anything. I fucking hated it. Just thinking about the inside of that building gives me the major willies.
I guess that wouldn't be too hard to guess, that I hated high school. I mean look at me now. I'm playing poker for a living, and that says it all. I'm not the type who likes to be told what to do. I didn't let them in school and I don't let them now. Maybe I should have, but I didn't. I've paid the price throughout life thus far, but it ain't over yet my friends. I still have time to show them, and I will.
Back in those days, I spent most of my time wishing I was someplace else. If I was in class, all I wanted to do was get out. If I was at my grandmother's house, where I stayed during the week so I could attend the school that I wanted, I wished I was at my mom and stepdad's house dowtown. And on the weekends, when I was there, I wished I was anywhere else. I remember feeling especially lonely during the tenth grade. I remember the weekends. I sat in my room with the closet light on and listened to Metallica or Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" album. To this day that's my favorite Maiden CD. I also have a strong memory of "Hazy Shade of winter" performed by The Bangles. I know it sounds silly, but I see it like it was yesterday. There I'd be, sitting in my weekend room, playing with a tiny skateboard with my fingers and listening.
Of course there's more to the story. That year, I'd fallen in love with a girl who was new to our school. She was in my french class and I tried everything to impress her. We became friends, and she broke my heart before I ever had a chance to give it to her. I actually eavesdropped via a three-way call that my friend and I set up. She didn't know I was listening and lets just say she was hurtful. I really believe that to this day, what I heard in that phone conversation still scars me.
Well eventually, this girl fell in love with me too. We spent lots of time together and when I wasn't with her, I wished I was. And when I was with her, I still felt like there was some place else I was supposed to be. She was my girlfriend all the way through until the end of our senior year. We continued to see each other for a few months even after breaking up. But then she was gone forever.
I don't know what the hell I'm talking about here. I guess memories just stirred themselves up as I looked through the yearbooks and now I'm rambling. The main feeling that seems to be the underlying theme of my memories, especially of my highschool years was that I didn't belong. It's the weirdest thing. I can remember many years ago telling people that I felt like something happened when my soul entered my body, that a mistake had occured. I've always felt this way. I'm pretty sure some wires in the universe got crossed at the moment of my conception. Who knows. But I still feel this way today.
Apparently, I was depressed during my high school years. There are obvious reasons why this could have been which I won't go into at this moment. I'm sure that they are the same reasons I didn't excell as I should have in school. I'm sure they are the same reasons I failed with the girl. Perhaps I shouldn't open my yearbooks anymore.
It's 5:55am, tuesday, December 16th, 2008. I'm sitting in the dark on my bed in my apartment in Las Vegas, NV, 2100 miles from the place where I was born. I don't know who I am. I don't know where I belong. I am alone. 105 hours from now I'll be at Mccarren International airport. I'll board a flight that will ultimately take me to Charlotte, North Carolina where my friend Rhodes will pick me up and deliver me to my mom's house in Gvegas. I'll spend 12 nights there and I'll be sleeping in the very room that was mine way back then. I haven't been home for a little over a year and I'm excited to see my mom and my stepdad and maybe even my sister. And though I'm anxious to get there, I know that while I'm there I'll feel lonely and that maybe I'm not where I belong. I wish I had the cure for this, but I do not.
I guess that wouldn't be too hard to guess, that I hated high school. I mean look at me now. I'm playing poker for a living, and that says it all. I'm not the type who likes to be told what to do. I didn't let them in school and I don't let them now. Maybe I should have, but I didn't. I've paid the price throughout life thus far, but it ain't over yet my friends. I still have time to show them, and I will.
Back in those days, I spent most of my time wishing I was someplace else. If I was in class, all I wanted to do was get out. If I was at my grandmother's house, where I stayed during the week so I could attend the school that I wanted, I wished I was at my mom and stepdad's house dowtown. And on the weekends, when I was there, I wished I was anywhere else. I remember feeling especially lonely during the tenth grade. I remember the weekends. I sat in my room with the closet light on and listened to Metallica or Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" album. To this day that's my favorite Maiden CD. I also have a strong memory of "Hazy Shade of winter" performed by The Bangles. I know it sounds silly, but I see it like it was yesterday. There I'd be, sitting in my weekend room, playing with a tiny skateboard with my fingers and listening.
Of course there's more to the story. That year, I'd fallen in love with a girl who was new to our school. She was in my french class and I tried everything to impress her. We became friends, and she broke my heart before I ever had a chance to give it to her. I actually eavesdropped via a three-way call that my friend and I set up. She didn't know I was listening and lets just say she was hurtful. I really believe that to this day, what I heard in that phone conversation still scars me.
Well eventually, this girl fell in love with me too. We spent lots of time together and when I wasn't with her, I wished I was. And when I was with her, I still felt like there was some place else I was supposed to be. She was my girlfriend all the way through until the end of our senior year. We continued to see each other for a few months even after breaking up. But then she was gone forever.
I don't know what the hell I'm talking about here. I guess memories just stirred themselves up as I looked through the yearbooks and now I'm rambling. The main feeling that seems to be the underlying theme of my memories, especially of my highschool years was that I didn't belong. It's the weirdest thing. I can remember many years ago telling people that I felt like something happened when my soul entered my body, that a mistake had occured. I've always felt this way. I'm pretty sure some wires in the universe got crossed at the moment of my conception. Who knows. But I still feel this way today.
Apparently, I was depressed during my high school years. There are obvious reasons why this could have been which I won't go into at this moment. I'm sure that they are the same reasons I didn't excell as I should have in school. I'm sure they are the same reasons I failed with the girl. Perhaps I shouldn't open my yearbooks anymore.
It's 5:55am, tuesday, December 16th, 2008. I'm sitting in the dark on my bed in my apartment in Las Vegas, NV, 2100 miles from the place where I was born. I don't know who I am. I don't know where I belong. I am alone. 105 hours from now I'll be at Mccarren International airport. I'll board a flight that will ultimately take me to Charlotte, North Carolina where my friend Rhodes will pick me up and deliver me to my mom's house in Gvegas. I'll spend 12 nights there and I'll be sleeping in the very room that was mine way back then. I haven't been home for a little over a year and I'm excited to see my mom and my stepdad and maybe even my sister. And though I'm anxious to get there, I know that while I'm there I'll feel lonely and that maybe I'm not where I belong. I wish I had the cure for this, but I do not.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Right Thing, If Delayed
Fucking Orbitz.com. This post was gonna start with what a great mood I'm in. Well, that was an hour ago and now I've been trying to book a flight home on Orbitz and just as I hit the button to purchase a ticket at a great fare, it tells me that the fare has changed. Bitch bastards. Now the best flight I can find will have me needing a ride to Charlotte at 4:00 am for my return and I don't wanna commit my mom to such without consulting with her first. Fuck it, I'll try again tomorrow.
Ok, I feel better. I had a good day at the tables. I won a little at Planet hollywood but the game sucked. We were 6 handed and there were three stacks around $50, so I left. After that I went over to Harrah's to use a $50 food credit I received in the mail and I have to tell you, Oyster Bar at Penazzi is awesome. I'm not big into seafood but I had fried Tiger Prawns and they were enormous and delicious. I then had a ribeye and it was great too. The service was also excellent which seems to be hard to find in Vegas.
Next I went downtown and hit Binion's. I played for about an hour and doubled my $100 buy in so I headed over to the Golden Nugget to try and double another. But on the way I walked by a slot machine and beside it were two pages of coupons that had been discarded. I only noticed because I saw the matchplay coupon first. I picked them up and tore off the two $10 matchplays and headed on over to the Nugget.
The Nugget was ok, but uneventful. My game got short and I was up $40 when I decided to call it a night. Of course, on my way back to the car I stopped at a blackjack table at binion's to use one of the matchplays. It took forever for the old lady to shuffle and change my $10 bill into chips and when I was finally dealt an 18, she had an 18 as well. She immediately grabbed the matchplay and I stopped her. I told her that it said on the back that it had to be a win or a lose, not a push. She checked with the pit boss and I was confirmed. So I left it there with the $10 and on my second hand I was dealt blackjack. Send the $25. I walked to the cage and then to the car. All in all it was a good day, upticking my pocket to the tune of about $200.
On an interesting side note, something off the wall happened to me monday night at Fresh & Easy. See, they only have self checkout there. There are three that are large with a belt to carry items to a bagging area after you scan them, and there are 5 that are smaller, the bagging area directly next to the scanner. I chose a smaller one and scanned my items to the tune of $26 and a few cents. I then proceeded to slide a $20 bill into the bill acceptor, followed by a $10 bill. Then, when I went to pluck my three $1 bills from the change tray, I noticed that there were no $1 bills, but instead, three $10 bills. Nice. Well, I did exactly what you'd expect me to do, I told the guy wandering around the registers and he called a manager over. I showed her the deal and she opened the machine to reveal that the $10 bill container was filled with $1 bills and vice versa. I handed her the $30 and she gave me $3 and thanked me for my honesty. Just another one of many opportunities I've had to get away with stealing money, that I've obviously turned down.
But there is a troubling side to this story. I hate to say this, but I didn't call the guy over immediately. I picked up the $30 and stared at it. I asked myself what to do. I asked myself if I wanted to fuck over Fresh & Easy. Of course I answered the questions correctly, but I asked them. Rememeber the story of the 70 year old lady who gave me five $5 bills for $15 in ones? Without even thinking for a second I gave her $10 back. And that's the way it's always been for me. But this time, I stopped to consider my options. Now, I truly believe that I'll never take the $30 in that type of situation. But I felt guilty for thinking about it. Should I? Did I do a bad thing by taking a second to consider my options before I chose the right thing? It only took about 10 seconds, but it was time nonetheless. Perhaps I was tired or something. I'm not tortured by this by any means, just thinking about it. I don't ever want to change. I don't want to be a dishonest person. And not because of consequences, I genuinely desire to do the right thing.
Speaking of the right and wrong, and this is off on a tangent, but a guy walked up to a craps table at the Golden Nugget the other night and snatched a bunch of chips from the rail and took off running. He actually ran inward and cut a left, running by the front hotel desk and out the door to where the cabs are. He was smart not to run out onto Fremont St. A guy at my table at Binion's that night saw the guy running. I wonder if he ever got caught? Crazy people.
Growing delerious. Sleep time. Oatmeal cookies and milk first. No wonder I'm getting fat. Eyes burning, but will watch Everybody Love's Raymond with cookies. Falling fast. Good night world, even though the Sun is up. Zzzzzzz......
Ok, I feel better. I had a good day at the tables. I won a little at Planet hollywood but the game sucked. We were 6 handed and there were three stacks around $50, so I left. After that I went over to Harrah's to use a $50 food credit I received in the mail and I have to tell you, Oyster Bar at Penazzi is awesome. I'm not big into seafood but I had fried Tiger Prawns and they were enormous and delicious. I then had a ribeye and it was great too. The service was also excellent which seems to be hard to find in Vegas.
Next I went downtown and hit Binion's. I played for about an hour and doubled my $100 buy in so I headed over to the Golden Nugget to try and double another. But on the way I walked by a slot machine and beside it were two pages of coupons that had been discarded. I only noticed because I saw the matchplay coupon first. I picked them up and tore off the two $10 matchplays and headed on over to the Nugget.
The Nugget was ok, but uneventful. My game got short and I was up $40 when I decided to call it a night. Of course, on my way back to the car I stopped at a blackjack table at binion's to use one of the matchplays. It took forever for the old lady to shuffle and change my $10 bill into chips and when I was finally dealt an 18, she had an 18 as well. She immediately grabbed the matchplay and I stopped her. I told her that it said on the back that it had to be a win or a lose, not a push. She checked with the pit boss and I was confirmed. So I left it there with the $10 and on my second hand I was dealt blackjack. Send the $25. I walked to the cage and then to the car. All in all it was a good day, upticking my pocket to the tune of about $200.
On an interesting side note, something off the wall happened to me monday night at Fresh & Easy. See, they only have self checkout there. There are three that are large with a belt to carry items to a bagging area after you scan them, and there are 5 that are smaller, the bagging area directly next to the scanner. I chose a smaller one and scanned my items to the tune of $26 and a few cents. I then proceeded to slide a $20 bill into the bill acceptor, followed by a $10 bill. Then, when I went to pluck my three $1 bills from the change tray, I noticed that there were no $1 bills, but instead, three $10 bills. Nice. Well, I did exactly what you'd expect me to do, I told the guy wandering around the registers and he called a manager over. I showed her the deal and she opened the machine to reveal that the $10 bill container was filled with $1 bills and vice versa. I handed her the $30 and she gave me $3 and thanked me for my honesty. Just another one of many opportunities I've had to get away with stealing money, that I've obviously turned down.
But there is a troubling side to this story. I hate to say this, but I didn't call the guy over immediately. I picked up the $30 and stared at it. I asked myself what to do. I asked myself if I wanted to fuck over Fresh & Easy. Of course I answered the questions correctly, but I asked them. Rememeber the story of the 70 year old lady who gave me five $5 bills for $15 in ones? Without even thinking for a second I gave her $10 back. And that's the way it's always been for me. But this time, I stopped to consider my options. Now, I truly believe that I'll never take the $30 in that type of situation. But I felt guilty for thinking about it. Should I? Did I do a bad thing by taking a second to consider my options before I chose the right thing? It only took about 10 seconds, but it was time nonetheless. Perhaps I was tired or something. I'm not tortured by this by any means, just thinking about it. I don't ever want to change. I don't want to be a dishonest person. And not because of consequences, I genuinely desire to do the right thing.
Speaking of the right and wrong, and this is off on a tangent, but a guy walked up to a craps table at the Golden Nugget the other night and snatched a bunch of chips from the rail and took off running. He actually ran inward and cut a left, running by the front hotel desk and out the door to where the cabs are. He was smart not to run out onto Fremont St. A guy at my table at Binion's that night saw the guy running. I wonder if he ever got caught? Crazy people.
Growing delerious. Sleep time. Oatmeal cookies and milk first. No wonder I'm getting fat. Eyes burning, but will watch Everybody Love's Raymond with cookies. Falling fast. Good night world, even though the Sun is up. Zzzzzzz......
Monday, December 8, 2008
Careful What You Say
What the fucking hell. I've formed a new habit, it's called waking up at 5:00pm. The trouble is, it's dark outside by then. I haven't seen the sun in several days, unless you count the dim light of the sunrise sneaking in around the blinds when I'll drifting to sleep at about 6:00 every morning. I tried to break it today. I set my alram for 2:00pm as usual, and, also as usual, I effectively snoozed it for 3 hours. I've felt a little run down due to a bout with bronchitis which came on at the end of my cold, but come on. Tomorrow, I'm up by 2:00, that's it.
I've altered my daily poker schedule a little. I get bored with the same routine and fortunately this town has so many poker rooms to offer me a game. I've still been starting at Planet Hollywood, but then for my second session I've been driving downtown and hitting binion's. The place is under new ownership. The guy who owns the Four Queens bought it a few months back and the feel is much better than Harrah's. They have a new poker room and it's extra nice. The colors of the walls are very coffee-shopesque. The tables and chairs are brand new and quite comfy. They play nine handed just like PH which I absolutely love. It makes for plenty of room and for me, comfort plays a big role. Add to all this the fact that I've been doing quite well in the game down there and we've got a winner.
As one might suspect, downtown offers a much more colorful invironment. The people down there are different. In a poker room, you're liable to hear or see anything. But downtown, this seems magnified. There are more old timers and there seems to be more gambling going on down there. One of the funniest things I've heard downtown so far was at the Golden Nugget a few months ago when a guy who really doesn't talk much, but seems happy as shit just to have the waitress bringing him beer after beer, was especially drunk and happy. As the waitress, whom he'd called "pretty" several times, walked around the table delivering drinks, he caught her attention and said out of the blue, "Honey, if I ever die at the table, you can have my whole stack." Maybe you had to be there, but I laughed my ass off.
So, the other night I went down to Binion's and took seat 5. There was an older guy I recognized in seat 8. He always has about a quarter of a cigar, charred at the end, stuck in the corner of his mouth. He looks like he's killed a few people in his life and his eyes are an eerie shade of blue. When he speaks he seems quite intelligent, and he's a pretty good player. Thing is, he's very predictable, so I don't worry too much about him. He and the dealer told me that the kid who was in my seat before me commited a strange but funny act. At some point during his session, the kid got up and went into the pit. He asked a boss if he could borrow a Sharpie. He then took the sharpie to the wall just outside the new poker room and across the forehead of the picture of Russ Hamilton he wrote, "Cheater". The kid was obviously ejected for his behavior. For those not in the know, Russ Hamilton was supposedly part of the UB scandle which stole millions from online players.
Seat 6, on my immediate right, was occupied by a talkative asian fellow. We learned that he's a craps dealer at the Monte Carlo and that he loves to smoke weed. He told me I shouldn't be drinking coffee though, lol. He had about $400 when I sat down and he liked to make big river bluffs, and not when they made any sense. So he blew through the $400 pretty quickly and reloaded $200 more. He worked the $200 back up into the $600 range by catching a hand and betting it like he had been when bluffing. He caught the bluff catcher.
What happened next was stomach turning. The action folded to TalkativeAsianGuy and he limped from the button. The SB made it $16, BB folded and TAGuy called. The flop brought AKx and SB bet. TAGuy called. The turn brought x and SB bet again. As TAGuy called, he sat up and looked ready and made a typical and familiar comment about SB going all in on the river and said, "Let's do it, see what happens." The river brought another A and SB said, "ok, all in." This is where it got interesting. TAGuy cupped his cards in his left hand, picked them up and said, "Ahhhhhh, you got me, show me the ace." SB then picked his cards up and began moving in the direction of the dealer and said, "Nope, I don't have to." Now, TAGuy, as well as SB still had their cards and TAGuy never said he folded. TAGuy asked again to see the ace and SB asked, "are you folding?", as he pulled his cards back in his own direction. Then the blunder happened. TAGuy said, "I call you". I heard him as did the entire table. As soon as he said it, SB flipped up what I knew to be AK, aka the nuts. TAGuy showed his pocket 66 and lauged it off. I honestly believe that TAGuy thought he folded. But what he thought and what the truth is are two independent things.
It was clear off the bat that there was a misunderstanding as TAGuy wasn't puttining chips out. Once he realized that everyone was waiting for him to do so, the protesting began. He said he didn't call and asked why he'd call a $527 bet into a $140 pot with 66. The floor was called and after hearing the story, the most detailed account given by yours truly complete with physical acting involving the very cards in play, he went to the telephone. Security had already arrived and stood by. When the floorman returned, he told the chief security guy the deal, then he came back to the table. TAGuy was given two options. 1)Pay up, leave, and return whenever you want starting the next day, or 2) don't pay and have you picture taken and ID info recorded and be banned from Binion's forever. After a bit more protesting the large bellied security guy with the pistol on his hip stepped up behind TAGuy and told him that we wouldn't be messing around here all night and to make a decision now. He also said that he would for sure be removing TAGuy from the property.
You could tell that TAGuy was frightened by the threat of being barred. He didn't like it, but he agreed to pay. SB's stack was counted down and after paying the $527 TAGuy got about $13 change. Disgraced, he walked out of the room. I have a feeling that he could have lost his job if his employer found out that he'd been barred from another joint. I'm not sure. What I did learn though was that if he had chosen not to pay the casino would have paid SB. I was told by a guy who was the tourny director for Binion's for several years that this was the case. It's part of the casino protecting the game which is part of what the rake is suppoesed to pay for. I can't be sure, but it's a good thing to hear in case I ever have trouble.
So it was a sick way to lose $527. The guy was half drunk and his english was suspect. I know he didn't intend to call. I believe he thought he'd already said fold. But he hadn't and everyone knew it. As the decisions were being made I kept imagining myself in the shoes of the SB. I wondered how I would feel if I was about to get paid $527 from a guy who'd made a mistake and never intended to call. I wondered if I'd let the guy off. Had I not seen this event first, I may have felt compelled to let the guy off, mainly becsue I'd never thought about it before. But now, after seeing it happen and having time to reflect, I think I'd do what SB did. I think I'd accept payment. In fact, just last night at Binion's, I reraised the straddler who'd made it $25 to go when the action got back to him. I had shoved for about $130, $100 of it being in the form of a bill. The ancient guy in seat 9 who could barely hear or see put out $25. Unlike most places in Vegas, Binion's enforces a rule that says the $25 has to stay in the pot, even though the old guy didn't realize I'd re-raised. He had a choice to call a little over $100 more or fold and surrender the $25 to the pot. He angrily folded and gave up the $25. The straddler called, I won the pot, and I considered giving the old guy back his $25. But rules are rules and my living as a poker player is earned by the mistakes of others. I put the thought to rest, especially after hearing the old bastard cursing at the dealers and such. Fuck him.
So that's it. Be careful what you say and for crying out loud, pay attention.
I've altered my daily poker schedule a little. I get bored with the same routine and fortunately this town has so many poker rooms to offer me a game. I've still been starting at Planet Hollywood, but then for my second session I've been driving downtown and hitting binion's. The place is under new ownership. The guy who owns the Four Queens bought it a few months back and the feel is much better than Harrah's. They have a new poker room and it's extra nice. The colors of the walls are very coffee-shopesque. The tables and chairs are brand new and quite comfy. They play nine handed just like PH which I absolutely love. It makes for plenty of room and for me, comfort plays a big role. Add to all this the fact that I've been doing quite well in the game down there and we've got a winner.
As one might suspect, downtown offers a much more colorful invironment. The people down there are different. In a poker room, you're liable to hear or see anything. But downtown, this seems magnified. There are more old timers and there seems to be more gambling going on down there. One of the funniest things I've heard downtown so far was at the Golden Nugget a few months ago when a guy who really doesn't talk much, but seems happy as shit just to have the waitress bringing him beer after beer, was especially drunk and happy. As the waitress, whom he'd called "pretty" several times, walked around the table delivering drinks, he caught her attention and said out of the blue, "Honey, if I ever die at the table, you can have my whole stack." Maybe you had to be there, but I laughed my ass off.
So, the other night I went down to Binion's and took seat 5. There was an older guy I recognized in seat 8. He always has about a quarter of a cigar, charred at the end, stuck in the corner of his mouth. He looks like he's killed a few people in his life and his eyes are an eerie shade of blue. When he speaks he seems quite intelligent, and he's a pretty good player. Thing is, he's very predictable, so I don't worry too much about him. He and the dealer told me that the kid who was in my seat before me commited a strange but funny act. At some point during his session, the kid got up and went into the pit. He asked a boss if he could borrow a Sharpie. He then took the sharpie to the wall just outside the new poker room and across the forehead of the picture of Russ Hamilton he wrote, "Cheater". The kid was obviously ejected for his behavior. For those not in the know, Russ Hamilton was supposedly part of the UB scandle which stole millions from online players.
Seat 6, on my immediate right, was occupied by a talkative asian fellow. We learned that he's a craps dealer at the Monte Carlo and that he loves to smoke weed. He told me I shouldn't be drinking coffee though, lol. He had about $400 when I sat down and he liked to make big river bluffs, and not when they made any sense. So he blew through the $400 pretty quickly and reloaded $200 more. He worked the $200 back up into the $600 range by catching a hand and betting it like he had been when bluffing. He caught the bluff catcher.
What happened next was stomach turning. The action folded to TalkativeAsianGuy and he limped from the button. The SB made it $16, BB folded and TAGuy called. The flop brought AKx and SB bet. TAGuy called. The turn brought x and SB bet again. As TAGuy called, he sat up and looked ready and made a typical and familiar comment about SB going all in on the river and said, "Let's do it, see what happens." The river brought another A and SB said, "ok, all in." This is where it got interesting. TAGuy cupped his cards in his left hand, picked them up and said, "Ahhhhhh, you got me, show me the ace." SB then picked his cards up and began moving in the direction of the dealer and said, "Nope, I don't have to." Now, TAGuy, as well as SB still had their cards and TAGuy never said he folded. TAGuy asked again to see the ace and SB asked, "are you folding?", as he pulled his cards back in his own direction. Then the blunder happened. TAGuy said, "I call you". I heard him as did the entire table. As soon as he said it, SB flipped up what I knew to be AK, aka the nuts. TAGuy showed his pocket 66 and lauged it off. I honestly believe that TAGuy thought he folded. But what he thought and what the truth is are two independent things.
It was clear off the bat that there was a misunderstanding as TAGuy wasn't puttining chips out. Once he realized that everyone was waiting for him to do so, the protesting began. He said he didn't call and asked why he'd call a $527 bet into a $140 pot with 66. The floor was called and after hearing the story, the most detailed account given by yours truly complete with physical acting involving the very cards in play, he went to the telephone. Security had already arrived and stood by. When the floorman returned, he told the chief security guy the deal, then he came back to the table. TAGuy was given two options. 1)Pay up, leave, and return whenever you want starting the next day, or 2) don't pay and have you picture taken and ID info recorded and be banned from Binion's forever. After a bit more protesting the large bellied security guy with the pistol on his hip stepped up behind TAGuy and told him that we wouldn't be messing around here all night and to make a decision now. He also said that he would for sure be removing TAGuy from the property.
You could tell that TAGuy was frightened by the threat of being barred. He didn't like it, but he agreed to pay. SB's stack was counted down and after paying the $527 TAGuy got about $13 change. Disgraced, he walked out of the room. I have a feeling that he could have lost his job if his employer found out that he'd been barred from another joint. I'm not sure. What I did learn though was that if he had chosen not to pay the casino would have paid SB. I was told by a guy who was the tourny director for Binion's for several years that this was the case. It's part of the casino protecting the game which is part of what the rake is suppoesed to pay for. I can't be sure, but it's a good thing to hear in case I ever have trouble.
So it was a sick way to lose $527. The guy was half drunk and his english was suspect. I know he didn't intend to call. I believe he thought he'd already said fold. But he hadn't and everyone knew it. As the decisions were being made I kept imagining myself in the shoes of the SB. I wondered how I would feel if I was about to get paid $527 from a guy who'd made a mistake and never intended to call. I wondered if I'd let the guy off. Had I not seen this event first, I may have felt compelled to let the guy off, mainly becsue I'd never thought about it before. But now, after seeing it happen and having time to reflect, I think I'd do what SB did. I think I'd accept payment. In fact, just last night at Binion's, I reraised the straddler who'd made it $25 to go when the action got back to him. I had shoved for about $130, $100 of it being in the form of a bill. The ancient guy in seat 9 who could barely hear or see put out $25. Unlike most places in Vegas, Binion's enforces a rule that says the $25 has to stay in the pot, even though the old guy didn't realize I'd re-raised. He had a choice to call a little over $100 more or fold and surrender the $25 to the pot. He angrily folded and gave up the $25. The straddler called, I won the pot, and I considered giving the old guy back his $25. But rules are rules and my living as a poker player is earned by the mistakes of others. I put the thought to rest, especially after hearing the old bastard cursing at the dealers and such. Fuck him.
So that's it. Be careful what you say and for crying out loud, pay attention.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Lock Poker Review
Recently I was approached with an opportunity to play at and write a review of a new online poker site. Lock Poker is a partner on the Cake Poker Network. I'm sure you've at least seen ads for Cake Poker. I know a person or two who has played on Cake and as expected, the word is that the games are soft. So I checked it out.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience playing at Lock Poker. I like the software and I like the color of the tables and such. there are avatars which can be turned on or off and what I liked most about this was the picture of the dealer at the table because there's someone there to swear at when cards don't go your way. I also like that after you fold you can scroll over your seat and review what cards you folded.
I started with a SNG. The turbo actually had 6 minute levels which I thought was strange, I'm used to 3 minutes. Also, the single table had 10 players as opposed to 9 and 4 got paid, as opposed to 3. I busted with QQ to 89s, all in preflop... puke... so I went to the cash games. There I sat in a .10/.20 nl game and ran up a profit of $35. Unfortunately, I played the next day like a wild maniac and blew through my small roll on the site. But I can say, the small and somewhat unknown nature of the site does provide for some terrible players.
The one thing I'd like to see added to the software would be a customizable tourny menu do I wouldn't have to look at all the SNGs I don't wanna play. But overall, I recomend the joint.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience playing at Lock Poker. I like the software and I like the color of the tables and such. there are avatars which can be turned on or off and what I liked most about this was the picture of the dealer at the table because there's someone there to swear at when cards don't go your way. I also like that after you fold you can scroll over your seat and review what cards you folded.
I started with a SNG. The turbo actually had 6 minute levels which I thought was strange, I'm used to 3 minutes. Also, the single table had 10 players as opposed to 9 and 4 got paid, as opposed to 3. I busted with QQ to 89s, all in preflop... puke... so I went to the cash games. There I sat in a .10/.20 nl game and ran up a profit of $35. Unfortunately, I played the next day like a wild maniac and blew through my small roll on the site. But I can say, the small and somewhat unknown nature of the site does provide for some terrible players.
The one thing I'd like to see added to the software would be a customizable tourny menu do I wouldn't have to look at all the SNGs I don't wanna play. But overall, I recomend the joint.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
21 Casino Coupon Run Successful
It's amazing. Last night I felt like death. I thought the FLU was coming on for sure. Then I woke up today feeling about 95% better. Maybe it was the mega dose of garlic I added to the chicken soup. Maybe it was the watermelon. Or maybe, just maybe, that cough syrup really did fuck me up for a day and a half. I suppose I'll never know the truth. But the point is, I woke up today with no runny nose, no fever, no headache, and almost no cough. I was happy.
So today I set out on a colossal effort. I started at 1:36pm and after successfully visting and placing bets in all 21 casinos it was 11:17pm. It took a little over 10 1/2 hours but it was a project worth while. Most of the coupons were match plays but a couple were for free slot play. I also discovered some free slot play I had at one casino that I didn't know about plus a little unexpected cash back from 2 joints. It wasn't easy, and traffic was a bitch for part of the mission, but I'd do it again. It was fun. I started in the Boulder Highway area and then headed to N. Las Vegas. Then I drove over to Summerlin and then back to downtown. After that I went down to the north end of the strip, then midway down the strip over on Paradise, then out Flamingo and ending up at the way south strip, south of the airport. Every matchplay was wagered at Blackjack except for one that was only for a field bet at the craps table. Here's a run down of the project. W means win and L means lose. Freeplay refers to free slot play which was run through on video poker. I made no bets beyond the minimum required to redeem the coupons. I was only dealt one double down opportunity all day and it was a loser, booo.
N. Las Vegas
Summerlin
Downtown
N. Strip
Mid Strip Paradise and Koval
Flamingo
The total profit from the coupons was $133.75. If you add in the extra shit I wasn't expecting it brings it up to $161.25. I highly recommend this type of coupn run. It's fun, it's challenging, and best of all, it's free money. For every bet I win I can afford to lose two. I paid $20 for the book and I used exactly a quater tank of gas valued at about $6.00. I did have to stand in a few lines and the traffic on N. Las Vegas Blvd was a bitch, but whatever. I wonder if I set a coupon run record by hitting 21 casinos in one day. I must have. I should email Anthony Curtis and ask him.
SHIP IT BITCHES!
Last night I went through the 2009 edition of the American Casino Guide. I cut out all the coupons and organised them into groups, the most relevant of which was 24 for gambling in 21 casinos here in Vegas. I pulled out a map of the city and located all 21 of the casinos and mapped out my route. See...
So today I set out on a colossal effort. I started at 1:36pm and after successfully visting and placing bets in all 21 casinos it was 11:17pm. It took a little over 10 1/2 hours but it was a project worth while. Most of the coupons were match plays but a couple were for free slot play. I also discovered some free slot play I had at one casino that I didn't know about plus a little unexpected cash back from 2 joints. It wasn't easy, and traffic was a bitch for part of the mission, but I'd do it again. It was fun. I started in the Boulder Highway area and then headed to N. Las Vegas. Then I drove over to Summerlin and then back to downtown. After that I went down to the north end of the strip, then midway down the strip over on Paradise, then out Flamingo and ending up at the way south strip, south of the airport. Every matchplay was wagered at Blackjack except for one that was only for a field bet at the craps table. Here's a run down of the project. W means win and L means lose. Freeplay refers to free slot play which was run through on video poker. I made no bets beyond the minimum required to redeem the coupons. I was only dealt one double down opportunity all day and it was a loser, booo.
Boulder Highway
Eastside Cannery- $10mp W +$20.00 plus a free hat
$5 freeplay +$ 2.50
Longhorn Casino- $10mp W +$20.00
N. Las Vegas
Bighorn Casino- $10mp L -$10.00
Jerry's Nugget- $5mp W +$10.00 plus a free t-shirt
Silver Nugget- $5mp BJ +$15.00
$5mp W +$10.00
Poker Palace- $10mp dbl L -$20.00
Lucky Club- $5mp tie and they took the coupon :( push
$5 freeplay +$3.00
Cannery- $10mp W +$20.00
Summerlin
Rampart Casino- $20mp L -$20.00 plus a free t-shirt
Downtown
Vegas Club- $10mp W +$20.00 plus $5.00 cashback from old play
Plaza- $10mp L -$10.00
El Cortez- $10 freeplay +$16.50 plus $20 freeplay = +$17.50 plus $5 cashback
N. Strip
Sahara- $5mp W +$10.00
Hilton- $10mp W +$20.00
Circus Circus- $5mp crapsfield W +$10.00
$15 for $10BJbet L -$10.00
Mid Strip Paradise and Koval
Terribles- $10mp L -$10.00
Hard Rock- $10mp W +$20.00
$10 freeplay + $3.75
Ellis Island- $10mp W +$20.00
Flamingo
Gold Coast- $5mp L -$5.00
Palms- $10mp L -$10.00
South Strip
Silverton- $10 freeplay +$8.00
The total profit from the coupons was $133.75. If you add in the extra shit I wasn't expecting it brings it up to $161.25. I highly recommend this type of coupn run. It's fun, it's challenging, and best of all, it's free money. For every bet I win I can afford to lose two. I paid $20 for the book and I used exactly a quater tank of gas valued at about $6.00. I did have to stand in a few lines and the traffic on N. Las Vegas Blvd was a bitch, but whatever. I wonder if I set a coupon run record by hitting 21 casinos in one day. I must have. I should email Anthony Curtis and ask him.
SHIP IT BITCHES!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Virus
The pathogens left me no choice. Tonight, I pulled out the big guns. I stopped by the market and grabbed a couple cans of organic chicken soup and a big bag of peeled garlic. I chopped up about 6 cloves of the garlic and dumped them into a pan with a little olive oil. I allowed the garlic to cook a little before pouring in a can of soup. You should smell my apartment. I suppose you wouldn't wanna smell me tomorrow.
I was merely coughing a little. I considered it the tail end of my cold. I was at Binion's and then Planet Hollywood and I was agrravated as hell by the repetitive reflex. I'm sure I annoyed others as well. On the way home I stopped and got a bottle of generic cough syrup. I decided that the next day (yesterday) I'd be prepared in case of a coughfest. So when I started coughing at Binion's again, I pulled out the bottle and sent back two teaspoons of the stuff. It worked for a short while, but within about two hours I began to feel miserable. I was coughing and my nose was running wildly and I finally had to get home.
I slept ok, but when I finally woke I coughed up a storm. It was a "productive" cough. I was so stuffed up and my head hurt and I felt feverish. I never, EVER take medicine, especially those which deal with symptoms only. We can't cure the cold but there are a host of products available to make the symtoms feel better. I for one don't believe in this shit and I think the body's immune system is better left alone during times of mild sckness. I don't even go to the doctor if I have the FLU, I just roll up into a ball and suffer thorough it. I think the fever plays a role as well as many other things like the snot and what not. If it becomes a matter of life and death, pump me full of whatever you need to in order for me to live. But a cold and a cough? Come on. I truely believe that taking my forst dose of cough syrup in years if not more than a decade fucked with my defense system and got my sinuses all out of whack. I may be nuts, but I'm not taking any more sharty ass tussin. Oh, and there were other effects 2 hours after the dose, including diarrhea, not to be gross.
So I took today off from poker. I had the soup and in a bit I'm gonna have a little tiny personal sized watermelon. I had an orange and half a bell pepper, ate it like an apple. I'm trying to feed my immune system with neccessary nutrients. But I did go out on a coupon run this evening.
I've mentioned in the past the many coupons and postcards I get in the mail from casinos. There's always a free gift this day or a free bet or a matchplay coupon that day. These coupns are +EV so I simply must use them. Many are just plain free money. So today, I went to Sunset Station first. I picked up my free gift which was a useless picture frame with a digital clock in one corner. Not that +EV. But then I decided that since I never eat at Sunset Cafe anymore I'd convert my 30,000 points into free slot play. After visiting the kiosk I put my players card into a video poker machine and used the $30 free play. After 30 hands at $1.00 per hand, I cashed out $21 in real money. That's way +EV. The other day I took $45 profit for a matchplay that I doubled at blackjack and $24 from free slot play. I also won a $15 free bet on the roulette table.
After I was done with Sunset, I drove over to the Palms. I went into the Key West room and retrieved my over sized shopping bag, another random free gift. Then I headed over to a blackjack table armed with a $10 matchplay I'd received in the mail. I placed the matchplay and a $10 bill on a betting circle and was dealt a twenty to the dealers eighteen. She paid me $10 for my $10 and $10 for my matchplay coupon. As I wasn't there to gamble (I don't do that anymore) I walked away with the $20 profit. After cashing out at the cage, I walked over to the sportsbook armed with a matchbet coupon. This had to be used for an NBA game and since I know nothing about it, I was about to flip a coin. Instead I phoned Markysals and he suggested I take the Lakers -12. I went to the window and put $20 (the max for the coupon) on the Lakers to beat the Raptors by more than 12 points. Along with the usual ticket one would get for this bet, which when won is redeemable for $38.20 (my original $20 plus the $18.20 for the win), I also received an additional, identical ticket for my $20 matchbet coupon. So, the Lakers beat their opponents tonight by 13 points and therefore I'll be cashing in TWO tickets for a combined total of $76.40. I laid down $20 that I'd won with a matchplay and am getting back the $20 plus a $56.40 win. That my friends is mega +EV, and I love it. It's the most fun I have in Vegas. I have free bets at sunset for december in which I have to put down ZERO MONEY and free slot play at Sunset and Palms which cost NOTHING. What could be more fun? And I never stay and play my own money, which is what the coupons are designed for, to get me in there so I gamble.
I then stopped by Border's Bookstore at Town Square Las Vegas and picked up the 2009 edition of the American Casino Guide. This book lists every casino and poker room in the country and gives details about each. But also, in the back of the book, there are pages and pages of coupons, many of which are matchplays, that will pay for the book. Tomorrow I'm going on a long coupon run across the valley and I'll let you know how it turns out.
All in your mind
All in your head
Try to escape it
I was merely coughing a little. I considered it the tail end of my cold. I was at Binion's and then Planet Hollywood and I was agrravated as hell by the repetitive reflex. I'm sure I annoyed others as well. On the way home I stopped and got a bottle of generic cough syrup. I decided that the next day (yesterday) I'd be prepared in case of a coughfest. So when I started coughing at Binion's again, I pulled out the bottle and sent back two teaspoons of the stuff. It worked for a short while, but within about two hours I began to feel miserable. I was coughing and my nose was running wildly and I finally had to get home.
I slept ok, but when I finally woke I coughed up a storm. It was a "productive" cough. I was so stuffed up and my head hurt and I felt feverish. I never, EVER take medicine, especially those which deal with symptoms only. We can't cure the cold but there are a host of products available to make the symtoms feel better. I for one don't believe in this shit and I think the body's immune system is better left alone during times of mild sckness. I don't even go to the doctor if I have the FLU, I just roll up into a ball and suffer thorough it. I think the fever plays a role as well as many other things like the snot and what not. If it becomes a matter of life and death, pump me full of whatever you need to in order for me to live. But a cold and a cough? Come on. I truely believe that taking my forst dose of cough syrup in years if not more than a decade fucked with my defense system and got my sinuses all out of whack. I may be nuts, but I'm not taking any more sharty ass tussin. Oh, and there were other effects 2 hours after the dose, including diarrhea, not to be gross.
So I took today off from poker. I had the soup and in a bit I'm gonna have a little tiny personal sized watermelon. I had an orange and half a bell pepper, ate it like an apple. I'm trying to feed my immune system with neccessary nutrients. But I did go out on a coupon run this evening.
I've mentioned in the past the many coupons and postcards I get in the mail from casinos. There's always a free gift this day or a free bet or a matchplay coupon that day. These coupns are +EV so I simply must use them. Many are just plain free money. So today, I went to Sunset Station first. I picked up my free gift which was a useless picture frame with a digital clock in one corner. Not that +EV. But then I decided that since I never eat at Sunset Cafe anymore I'd convert my 30,000 points into free slot play. After visiting the kiosk I put my players card into a video poker machine and used the $30 free play. After 30 hands at $1.00 per hand, I cashed out $21 in real money. That's way +EV. The other day I took $45 profit for a matchplay that I doubled at blackjack and $24 from free slot play. I also won a $15 free bet on the roulette table.
After I was done with Sunset, I drove over to the Palms. I went into the Key West room and retrieved my over sized shopping bag, another random free gift. Then I headed over to a blackjack table armed with a $10 matchplay I'd received in the mail. I placed the matchplay and a $10 bill on a betting circle and was dealt a twenty to the dealers eighteen. She paid me $10 for my $10 and $10 for my matchplay coupon. As I wasn't there to gamble (I don't do that anymore) I walked away with the $20 profit. After cashing out at the cage, I walked over to the sportsbook armed with a matchbet coupon. This had to be used for an NBA game and since I know nothing about it, I was about to flip a coin. Instead I phoned Markysals and he suggested I take the Lakers -12. I went to the window and put $20 (the max for the coupon) on the Lakers to beat the Raptors by more than 12 points. Along with the usual ticket one would get for this bet, which when won is redeemable for $38.20 (my original $20 plus the $18.20 for the win), I also received an additional, identical ticket for my $20 matchbet coupon. So, the Lakers beat their opponents tonight by 13 points and therefore I'll be cashing in TWO tickets for a combined total of $76.40. I laid down $20 that I'd won with a matchplay and am getting back the $20 plus a $56.40 win. That my friends is mega +EV, and I love it. It's the most fun I have in Vegas. I have free bets at sunset for december in which I have to put down ZERO MONEY and free slot play at Sunset and Palms which cost NOTHING. What could be more fun? And I never stay and play my own money, which is what the coupons are designed for, to get me in there so I gamble.
I then stopped by Border's Bookstore at Town Square Las Vegas and picked up the 2009 edition of the American Casino Guide. This book lists every casino and poker room in the country and gives details about each. But also, in the back of the book, there are pages and pages of coupons, many of which are matchplays, that will pay for the book. Tomorrow I'm going on a long coupon run across the valley and I'll let you know how it turns out.
All in your mind
All in your head
Try to escape it
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