Man I Suck at Poker

Today is Tuesday, so that means the WWdN Tuesday tournament. I really look forward to these. The conversation is fun and the poker is good. Except for me tonight.

For the longest time I wasn't getting any cards. Then the two times I did, I played them HORRIBLY!!! It was ugly. 108th out of 125. UGH.

At least Nickerson got the last of my T-595. I hope he puts them to good use.

Work Crap

A couple of "interesting" things are happening at work.

First, they are syncing up Nextel's pay dates with Sprint's pay dates. As it stands now, legacy Nextel employees (me) get paid every two weeks - this Friday being one of them - and are paid current. Any adjustments such as overtime will appear in the next check. Legacy Sprint employees get paid every two weeks on the Friday we don't get paid, and they are paid one week behind.

In order to sync up, they are postponing our pay for March 3 to March 10 to match Sprint. That means three weeks between paychecks for legacy Nextel employees. Basically, it would be like we were hired anew and had to wait three weeks for our first paycheck. That in and of itself sucks ass, though we do have the option of taking a "loan" on our pay on the 3rd and "paying it back" either on the 10ths check or over five pay periods. I should be OK, though I know others who are going to take that "loan". What really pisses me off is the timing. They are performing this action on a check that amounts to a "rent check" for a lot of people. Some jackass number cruncher must have decided this would be a good idea. Like the same thing couldn't have been done in the middle of the month? May Mr. number cruncher and cohorts have a shitty 2006!

In other news, they moved our group to the next building today. The new place irritates the hell out of me. When you walk into the area, it is like a morgue. Not a sound can be heard. Our old spot was on a floor with a good amount of background noise, being a call center and all. Our group could be our normal loud selves and no one would complain. Now, we are going to have to deal with some asshole manager saying we are too loud. (The group that we traded spots with confirmed this.) Well, you know what? Too fucking bad. We talk to each other. We laugh out loud. We are a pretty happy bunch. Those bastards had better get used to us, because we aren't changing. Put some earplugs in your side-holes and continue in your pathetic world of blissful, boring silence, ya puss-heads!

Here is a hottie picture for Roger.

Yay! It's Payday Friday!

But that is not what this post is about. Thinking about titles is hard.

My current bathroom reading fare is Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em. It's format is in honor of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. Like Penick's book, it had small, easy to read sections culled from the notes Phil Gordon has taken throughout his poker career.

I am reading this book at the same time I am re-reading Dan Harrington's books for the second time. As I go through the Little Green Book, I am finding myself recalling the more detailed discussions that Harrington presents. There is alot of good stuff about tournament play in Phil's book. I think I will find myself reading it over and over again whenever I find my poker thought processes out of whack.

Speaking of poker, I wanted to share with you myfinal hand of last nights WWdN: West Coast Warm-up. If you look at the hand, it appears I played like a total fool. There is some truth to that.

The tournament started at 9:00 Mountain time - aka my bedtime. There were 35 players, and the top five paid. This hand is on the final table, eight players left, and I am the short stack. This hand takes place at about 11:00.

PokerStars Game #3694388879: Tournament #18321964, Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII
(200/400) - 2006/01/20 - 00:55:34 (ET)
Table '18321964 2' Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: The_Venetian (6774 in chips)
Seat 2: patrickjst (9081 in chips)
Seat 3: L0K1 (5475 in chips)
Seat 4: Frankl66 (4561 in chips)
Seat 5: darval (9056 in chips)
Seat 7: bedheadmick (9648 in chips)
Seat 9: Darzog (7905 in chips)
The_Venetian: posts the ante 25
patrickjst: posts the ante 25
L0K1: posts the ante 25
Frankl66: posts the ante 25
darval: posts the ante 25
bedheadmick: posts the ante 25
Darzog: posts the ante 25
Frankl66: posts small blind 200
darval: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Frankl66 [Jc 9c]
bedheadmick: folds
Darzog: folds
The_Venetian: folds
patrickjst: folds
L0K1: raises 800 to 1200
Frankl66: calls 1000
darval: folds

LOK1 had been stealing the blinds given the opportunity any chance he got. I thought he was doing it again here (it turns out he was, as you will see), so I called.

*** FLOP *** [4c 2h 8s]
Frankl66: bets 800
L0K1: raises 1200 to 2000
Frankl66: calls 1200

My bet was probably too small there. (Or was it??? - we shall see.)

*** TURN *** [4c 2h 8s] [7s]
Frankl66: checks
L0K1: bets 2250 and is all-in
Frankl66: calls 1336 and is all-in

At this point in the game (not just the hand) I am getting really tired, so I am not thinking straight. I have nothing, yet I called after the flop. Now I have to call all-in because I am pot-committed. At this point I have been up for 20 hours (since 3:00 in the morning - I couldn't get back to sleep.) I am giving up on the game so I can go to bed.

*** RIVER *** [4c 2h 8s 7s] [6c]
Frankl66: shows [Jc 9c] (high card Jack)
L0K1: shows [2c 7d] (two pair, Sevens and Deuces)
L0K1 collected 9647 from pot
Frankl66 said, "hammer@!!!"

LOK1 was bluffing from the start with THE HAMMER!, and he got his two pair on the turn. It was just as I thought initially - though the Hammer never occurred to me. It should have, though, since poker bloggers love to play the Hammer. I told you I was tired.

LOK1 went on to win the tourney. Congratulations, LOK1.

193 Hours

With my carryover of vacation from last year, I have 193 hours to use this year (or a little over 24 days.) I have no idea how to use it. I had 20 days of vacation in 2005, and I didn't use all that time, even after traveling to Vegas, Hawaii, and Florida. Now I have even more, and no clue what to use it on.

I would like to go on a road trip this year. Perhaps to the High Sierra Music Festival. It's been a few years since I've been on a good road trip.

I also want to go back to Las Vegas and have a Vegas experience vs. a concert festival experience.

And maybe I can go back to Florida to visit Kelly.

That's it. And I know I will have a bunch of time left if I do all three.

Oh, what to do....

I've Been Tagged

Well, it appears I've been tagged. So now I have to post five weird habits I have. Thanks Cosmic. I was wondering what I was going to post next.

Five Weird Habits I Have

1. I sleep on the couch, every night, with the TV on. I have been doing this for five years, ever since I wracked my back in early 2001. I was trapped in the bedroom the next morning - it took me an hour to get out of bed and out of the room (the door was shut) - and I laid up on the couch. I have been sleeping there ever since.


2. I pick the hairs out of my fingers with tweezers. All of them.


3. I eat four spoonfuls of cottage cheese out of the carton every night when I get home from work.


4. It takes me two hours to get ready for work. I get up, go to the bathroom. Then I veg with coffee. Then I shave. Then I veg with coffee. Then I shower, Then I veg with coffee. Then I iron my clothes. Then I veg with coffee. Then I brush my teeth and other final bathroom preparations. Then I veg with coffee. Then I get dressed and leave.


5. I keep all my work clothes in the hall closet and my socks and underwear on shelves by the laundry room because I almost never go into the bedroom

I think I will tag Dr. Pauly, Mene Gene, Wil Wheaton, and Shane Nickerson. I hope they don't mind.

One 2006 Goal Completed Early

Woo Hoo! 


One of my goals for 2006 was to win the weekly WWdN Tuesday poker tournament. (That's Wil Wheaton's tourney, for you rabble out there.) I have been playing in almost all of these since Wil started them. I made it a goal, because the competition is fierce! Poker bloggers everywhere - all much better than I am at the game. And I did it the first Tuesday I could. Wow!

I also did it sober as January is sober month. (Hmmmmm - maybe...naw...really?...well maybe...)

I guess I should put up the rest of my goals (or should I....)