I hate Mondays...I was at the beach this weekend and coming back to work is a -EV situation. Why? I'm not going to get anything done! That's why! It's going to be a heat wave and I have to be at work. I have two weeks to go before I go on vacation for a week...back to the beach. Gotta love it when the parents inherit a beach house. I'd rather be there then in the mountains at my place. I have the place the third week in August and I'm looking forward to having friends and family there to help me party my ass off. Last time I was staying at Salisbury Beach was probably 1980. It went steadily downhill afterwards. The powers that be decided to let the area fall into ruin....all while the other coastal areas boomed with investment. The beach is now experiencing a revitalization and is catching up to the other coastal areas. They inherited the beach house at the perfect time and are now sitting on a goldmine. One Terry (Taz)O'Reilly (former Boston Bruins great and current all around good guy) began to build a few condos a few years back and viola! Revitalization! All of the sudden people are buying the old dilapidated cottages...knocking them down....and putting new ones in place. We went to the beach for a few hours and I wrestled my daughter out of the waves (She's almost 15 mos. old but runs into the waves at high tide!...Fearless!)We started drinking at the beach house. Beers...after they were gone...Margaritas...after they were gone...wine...after that was gone and the daughter went to sleep...Tequila shots! I needed to go out and buy more beer. I took a walk around the beach and went towards the old center. I had a flashback to when I was about 5 years old. I saw an old storefront that used to have a "Shlitz" sign and a "Pabst Blue Ribbon" sign above the entrance circa 1975. They weren't even neon...they were the old plastic signs that were cheesy....yet comforting. I remember walking down to the old beach center and playing skee-ball for hours on end. I would try to get 10,000 tickets by the end of the summer to buy the radio or some other mid-seventies item. As I walked closer to the center I remembered the old rides that used to be there...long since replaced by condos and such. The "Himalaya" was my favorite ride....they would blast heavy metal and you would spin around in circles until you wanted to throw up....but in a good way. There were Go-Karts there that you could force your buddy or sibling to crash if you hit them just right...and the carnival games that you could win prizes at. I used to get the three-quarter sleeve 'Moosehead beer' T-Shirts or the AC/DC T-shirts that used to drive the parent wild. Come to think of it....those were the days parents could go out and have a good time. My older brother and sister would babysit....but we would all end up going to the center and playing carnival games and having fun at the arcade anyway. You didn't have to worry about being kidnapped or anything like that. I do remember seeing some seedy stuff (there are tons of bars in the center beach area mixed in with the cotton candy stands and fried dough stands)...as I remember just about everything from when I very young (It kind of freaks my parents out when I tell them I remember all their wild parties in the seventies) they always thought I was asleep...not me the night owl. I'm looking forward to raising my daughter and maybe future son? to have the same anticipation for the beach. Well enough reminiscing...I had a lot of fun before responsibility came into life...but all the memories of the beach are good and that's the way it should be. It's not far from the house so we may be up there a lot.
rumor had it somebody wanted to put a casino in the beach area a few years ago...that rumor is untrue. However, there is a place for my little poker/gambling jones. Seabrook Dog track is right around the corner and over the state line in NH. POKERPOKERPOKER...Racing Dogs!!
That should tide me over...I can also make the Thursday night poker tournament at "Slickeys" (to protect the innocent) and not lose any standings points. Last Thursday I was playing like a pussy and I got slapped out of the tourney faster than you can say "push with an A-Ko? are you crazy?" Yes...people....they push with A-Ko and get other people to fold better hands. I got some good points for the standing...I think I'm at 18 out of 50 at the moment but I still played like a pussy. The last hand I was in was pathetic. I've seen some poor play so I tried a steal. I had A-10o in early position with T725 left (Start with T2500...and I couldn't buy a hand) so I was kind of up and down. I push all-in....some kid (kind of a punk that tries to act Negreanu-ish or Hellmuth-like) calls with A-Jo and we both flip our hands....but there was still one player to act! Doh! He calls with K-jo in last position and wins when a K falls on the flop. That makes 4 of 9 tourney cashes and 5 of 9 final tables.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
I haven't grown up yet.....
I went to see the Black Crowes on Sunday night at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA. It's an outdoor pavilion for those of you who haven't been. I must have gone to a hundred concerts over the years at the venue formerly known as 'Great Woods'. I have to say that the Black Crowes seem to be re-energized and were really on top of their game. They played some new stuff and it sounds great....usually when a headline act decides to play their "New Stuff"....it doesn't go over well. My buddy Joe has been to just about all of the concerts i've been to and more....he lives about 10 miles away from the Tweeter Center. There has been many a concert/crash at Joe's night in the past 15 years. I had Monday off from work so I was getting nice and loaded by drinking a million Bud Lights. I still can't get used to the price of the beers....two 16 ounce beers for 13.00 bucks. It's the same as Fenway park....ridiculous. Even at the age of 35 with a decent paying job and a few bucks in the bank....I'm still in the parking lot chugging as many beers as possible before walking in. I realized then that I still haven't grown up...but I'm still having fun.
I told my wife as I went out the door that I still haven't grown up....she's great though and seems to understand. My daughter has become somewhat clairvoyant....she was jumping and screaming with glee as I pulled into the driveway on Monday. There is no way that she would be able to know this being all of 14.5 months old. She couldn't hear me pull into the driveway or see out the window....so my wife looked outside and sure enough I was in the driveway. I walked inside to find my daughter making the most raucous noise and with a huge smile on her face....I'm lucky. I plan on going to my annual Allman Bros. Concert in late August also at the tweeter center. Here is a humorous story from last years AB concert that also reminded me of a Greatful Dead show from '90. This should be fun.
I went to my Thursday night bar league and played like an aggressive maniac again....and also cashed again....4 out of 8 cashes/tournaments. 5 out of 8 to the final table. I'm back in the top ten with my 4th place finish. I shouldn't have been there but this old guy...looked to be about 75-80....was trying to wait me out. He had a slightly bigger stack than my T1800. The blinds were at 800-1600 and the BB was on my right. I announced "all-in in the dark"....everybody looked at me like I was crazy. I had nothing to lose....even though I didn't look at my cards...I was to be blinded out in two hands after this anyway. The old guy to my left was going to "wait me out"....I couldn't believe he didn't call. The guy with a mountain of chips called of course and the BB called...only 200 more. The flop came down Qx-10x-4x...can't remember the suits! I still didn't look....the turn was another Qx....the river was 8x....The other guys checked it down and the old guy freaks out. "I would have made a straight on the river....SHIT!".....I look at my cards....Qc-9s for trip Queens....BOOM!!! I told the old guy that he has to be aggressive. He goes all-in next hand and gets knocked out in 5th place...."Shoulda called you when you went all-in blind" says the old guy......no shit sherlock.....I thought. There was one kid in the BB that couldn't have been more than 25 years old....he bought me a couple of beers....Jay....Drunk Jay....he had to get up at 5:00AM the next morning...it was 12:30AM when I got knocked out 4th. He must have had one nasty hangover. I was playing like a maniac because I was freerolling at that point....I got the points for the league....and I sucked out on the river earlier in the tournament. Just after the first break I had Ax-Kx....I raised 3X the BB (100) and was called by one. a flop of Ax-Qx-4x falls.....the guy that called me goes into the thinktank....he knocked me out a couple of weeks before that by calling my all-in (K-K) with his pocket 5's and caught his set on the river. Anyway, he goes all-in for T1075....I had T1000....I called. Much to my chagrin I notice he has two pair (A-4o) and I have A's with a king kicker....I was dealing at the time....blank on the river....and then BAM! King on the river....dealt myself a winner. If I make the final table this week I'll move into the top 5 easily. Stay aggressive and win.
I told my wife as I went out the door that I still haven't grown up....she's great though and seems to understand. My daughter has become somewhat clairvoyant....she was jumping and screaming with glee as I pulled into the driveway on Monday. There is no way that she would be able to know this being all of 14.5 months old. She couldn't hear me pull into the driveway or see out the window....so my wife looked outside and sure enough I was in the driveway. I walked inside to find my daughter making the most raucous noise and with a huge smile on her face....I'm lucky. I plan on going to my annual Allman Bros. Concert in late August also at the tweeter center. Here is a humorous story from last years AB concert that also reminded me of a Greatful Dead show from '90. This should be fun.
I went to my Thursday night bar league and played like an aggressive maniac again....and also cashed again....4 out of 8 cashes/tournaments. 5 out of 8 to the final table. I'm back in the top ten with my 4th place finish. I shouldn't have been there but this old guy...looked to be about 75-80....was trying to wait me out. He had a slightly bigger stack than my T1800. The blinds were at 800-1600 and the BB was on my right. I announced "all-in in the dark"....everybody looked at me like I was crazy. I had nothing to lose....even though I didn't look at my cards...I was to be blinded out in two hands after this anyway. The old guy to my left was going to "wait me out"....I couldn't believe he didn't call. The guy with a mountain of chips called of course and the BB called...only 200 more. The flop came down Qx-10x-4x...can't remember the suits! I still didn't look....the turn was another Qx....the river was 8x....The other guys checked it down and the old guy freaks out. "I would have made a straight on the river....SHIT!".....I look at my cards....Qc-9s for trip Queens....BOOM!!! I told the old guy that he has to be aggressive. He goes all-in next hand and gets knocked out in 5th place...."Shoulda called you when you went all-in blind" says the old guy......no shit sherlock.....I thought. There was one kid in the BB that couldn't have been more than 25 years old....he bought me a couple of beers....Jay....Drunk Jay....he had to get up at 5:00AM the next morning...it was 12:30AM when I got knocked out 4th. He must have had one nasty hangover. I was playing like a maniac because I was freerolling at that point....I got the points for the league....and I sucked out on the river earlier in the tournament. Just after the first break I had Ax-Kx....I raised 3X the BB (100) and was called by one. a flop of Ax-Qx-4x falls.....the guy that called me goes into the thinktank....he knocked me out a couple of weeks before that by calling my all-in (K-K) with his pocket 5's and caught his set on the river. Anyway, he goes all-in for T1075....I had T1000....I called. Much to my chagrin I notice he has two pair (A-4o) and I have A's with a king kicker....I was dealing at the time....blank on the river....and then BAM! King on the river....dealt myself a winner. If I make the final table this week I'll move into the top 5 easily. Stay aggressive and win.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Hotter than Hell
I went to the Red Sox game last night and it was about 9,000 degrees. Rookie lefty Jason Lester pitched a 1-hit shutout. It was the awful K.C. Royals...but hey....this kid is going to be the next great lefty in the Major Leagues. It's looking like another classic pennant race is starting to flesh out. It's going to be a pretty good week for me entertainment-wise. 1 million degree Red Sox game on Tuesday (last night...had a draft beer headache this morning at work)....Thursday night poker league at the bar.....Black Crowes concert Sunday night at the Tweeter Center (outdoor venue). I hope it's not 9,000 degrees for that show. I haven't traveled anywhere since my daughter was born but my parents offered to babysit for a weekend in the fall. We're going to NYC...the home of the dreaded Yankees and Dr. Pauly. The wife hooked us up with these incredible seats behind home plate.....a 1:00 game Sox vs. Yanks!!! Woohoo!! I think we may be staying in Times Square also. JetBlue tickets for 200.00...round trip. I know I'm coming down from Boston but hey....I FUCKING HATE traffic!! I've been through NYC but i've never stayed there and checked out the sites. I think it's Sept. 15-17...so the pennant race is either going to be extremely interesting or nothing at all. I'm pulling for a David Wells perfect game vs. the Yanks in Yankee stadium. Image of the seats is above post. Anyway, that's two months away.....I just realized that i've never been to another major league ballpark. My next destination is going to have to be Wrigley Field in Chicago. I'm watching the PPT on the Travel Channel....it's a pretty good show. These guys/girls really don't know what the other has.....Pros playing Pros....this will be a true champion. Heimiller just got the Heisman from Phi Nguyen. I'm all over the place here....literally. I've been informed by Felicia Lee that Bob Stupak had a bad motorcycle accident and had drastic reconstructive surgery on his face. I thought his nostrils caved in like Stu Ungars from voluminous cocaine consumption. I was amazed by two things....Bob Stupak's life story....and the fact that somebody actually read my blog.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Lord I was born a Ramblings man......
This is one creepy looking bastard
You think that photo is more than 20 years old or what?
I've been really aggressive in the bar league tourneys lately and for the most part it has paid off. 3 out of 7 cashes (1 win) and 4 out of 7 making it to the final table. Not the last two tournaments though. My K's got beat by a spiked 5 to complete a set of 5's last week. This week I flop two pair with a Qx-8x in the big blind. Flop is Qx-8c-5c...guy next to goes all-in. I know he's on a club flush draw....I call...Kc on the river kills me. Actually any Q or 8 on the river would have saved me...to no avail..no Q no 8 on the river. I lost 2/3's of my chips on that one. My last hand of the night...I had As-10d. I call the 200 blind....somebody who was looking at my 800 chips raises to 500. I go all-in...he calls with Kx-2o...spikes a K on the flop. My reads are getting better......
I've been watching some of the poker shows on GSN (High Stakes Poker) and Travel Channel (PPT). These two shows are very interesting. The pro's that are playing each other are really clueless as to what anybody else has. I think that the pro's have a huge read on any amateur who steps up to the table. They must have such an advantage until they are playing each other....just my observation from these two shows. I like Gabe Kaplan as the host of High Stakes Poker....but what the fuck is A.J. Bent-za doing there? Really...WTF were they thinking.
I like Horse Racing...my grandfather used to bring me to the local horse racing track (Rockingham Park in Salem NH). That's where I had my first beer...I placed my first bet.....the atmosphere was electric. Anyway, back to the present here....who the fuck cares about Barbaro. The damn horse has second billing on the nightly news to the conflict in the middle-east. Everytime I turn on the TV Barboro's ankle is swelling or some hair is across his ass....reminds me of that baby from Iraq. Baby fucking Noor...like there's not a lot of babies in the world that need medical attention. I think this post relates to one that i've read here before. The stories that the media latches on to are ridiculous.
I'm out of here for the weekend (work that is).....
You think that photo is more than 20 years old or what?
I've been really aggressive in the bar league tourneys lately and for the most part it has paid off. 3 out of 7 cashes (1 win) and 4 out of 7 making it to the final table. Not the last two tournaments though. My K's got beat by a spiked 5 to complete a set of 5's last week. This week I flop two pair with a Qx-8x in the big blind. Flop is Qx-8c-5c...guy next to goes all-in. I know he's on a club flush draw....I call...Kc on the river kills me. Actually any Q or 8 on the river would have saved me...to no avail..no Q no 8 on the river. I lost 2/3's of my chips on that one. My last hand of the night...I had As-10d. I call the 200 blind....somebody who was looking at my 800 chips raises to 500. I go all-in...he calls with Kx-2o...spikes a K on the flop. My reads are getting better......
I've been watching some of the poker shows on GSN (High Stakes Poker) and Travel Channel (PPT). These two shows are very interesting. The pro's that are playing each other are really clueless as to what anybody else has. I think that the pro's have a huge read on any amateur who steps up to the table. They must have such an advantage until they are playing each other....just my observation from these two shows. I like Gabe Kaplan as the host of High Stakes Poker....but what the fuck is A.J. Bent-za doing there? Really...WTF were they thinking.
I like Horse Racing...my grandfather used to bring me to the local horse racing track (Rockingham Park in Salem NH). That's where I had my first beer...I placed my first bet.....the atmosphere was electric. Anyway, back to the present here....who the fuck cares about Barbaro. The damn horse has second billing on the nightly news to the conflict in the middle-east. Everytime I turn on the TV Barboro's ankle is swelling or some hair is across his ass....reminds me of that baby from Iraq. Baby fucking Noor...like there's not a lot of babies in the world that need medical attention. I think this post relates to one that i've read here before. The stories that the media latches on to are ridiculous.
I'm out of here for the weekend (work that is).....
Friday, July 07, 2006
Pocket J's conundrum and the NH confrontation
I played my Thursday night NL HE league at the local bar last night. I was dealt Jh-Js under the gun. Most would call here I think but this is before the first break and it was time to take a pot with a good bet. I bet 300 the blinds were 50-100. The lady on the table raised to 600. I called and a flop of Ts-8x-3x falls. I have an over pair so I bet 600. She calls. 5x falls...At this point I'm screwed...I check and she checks...a Tx falls on the river. I checked...I thought she was going to bet big with a ten or something but she checked and turned over Aces. I really hate J's. I will probably just call with them in early position from now on. It was one of those nights where nothing really went right. I catch a pocket pair some gets a higher pocket pair. Later on I get Kh-Ks under the gun and I'm in early position again. I need chips with only 600 left and the blinds at 150-300. I went all-in of course. One guy calls with pocket 5's and wouldn't you know it....a 5 on the turn. Pocket fives is supposed to be my lucky hand. I was out before the first break.
I did just order a couple of books. I'm sick of getting yelled at by some old drunk asian lady when I play BlackJack at Foxwoods so I bought a book. I ordered 'BlackJack Bluebook II:the simplest winning strategies every published by Fred Renzey. I've had some good results playing at foxwoods for the most part but its time to arm myself with some real BlackJack knowledge. I also ordered 'Phil Gordon's Little Green Book : Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em'...This should be good for reading when I'm on vacation later on this summer. I'll be at Salisbury beach in Massachusetts for a week. Lo' and behold there are tournaments and cash games at the Seabrook Greyhound park run by these guys.
Last weekend I went up to my condo in North Conway, NH. I had a great time...I also brought the laptop for some late-night poker tournaments. I placed 34th out of 350 in the PL Omaha 5.00 buy-in on PokerStars. I got a whopping 3.50 profit for my troubles...but it was an entertaining tournament anyway. Went through most of the weekend having fun. But, on Monday I almost got into a fight with some asshole from NH. ( I don't have a problem with anybody from NH...In fact I have a lot of friends there and I live about 6 miles away from the border) We were getting ready to leave McDonald's after eating. My wife was in the process of putting my 14 month old daughter in the baby seat in the back passenger side of the Nissan XTerra. The guy in the SUV next to us decides that he has to back out at this very moment and couldn't wait for 5 seconds. He says something to my wife that I didn't hear. Apparently he said "You better shut that door before I take it off!"....while she is still in the process of buckling my daughter into the baby seat. She called him an "asshole" under her breath...just loud enough for him to hear. At this point I notice something going on and I get back out of the drivers side door and step around the back of my XTerra. The guy is just starting to argue with my wife as I walk around the back and he is parked perpendicular to my SUV in the back. At this point I ask "what's the problem"...I could read his face even though he had a baseball hat and sunglasses on. He decides to basically make up an excuse for why he pulled out and was pretty rude to my wife. He says...."She hit my car with the door"....my wife is really pissed off at this point and calls him a "Lying asshole" to his face. I look at the door...look at my wife...and I believe my wife. I said "I believe that she did not hit you car with the door....and besides that she was putting my baby in the baby seat!". He blurts out "YOU PEOPLE think you can do anything you want up here!"....my face turns a shade of red. When I get really pissed-off or embarrassed my face turns red...or so I'm told. I said (moving closer to his window with my fist clenched)"I don't know what kind of agenda you have against Massachusetts people but I own a condo up here.....and if you think I'm going to let you talk to my wife like that....WHILE SHE'S PUTTING THE BABY IN THE BABYSEAT...then you are mistaken. STEP OUTSIDE THE CAR AND WE'LL SETTLE THIS! (It's a good thing he didn't step out or didn't brandish a weapon or something....because someone was going to get hurt) He could tell I wasn't bluffing....he drove away...I told him to go "GO FUCK YOURSELF!"....it's the only thing I could think of at the moment and he decided to give me the finger as he 'pussied' his way out the parking lot. That's the first time i've ever been in an argument/fight with somebody over geographic discrimination. Did I mention that his wife/girlfriend was in the passenger side of his car the whole time....didn't here a peep from her. She probably got the brunt of that the NH assholes aggression that night. He couln't beat me up so he'll probably beat her. Lady....I hope you saw the fucktard you are married to or living with in action and came to a logical conclusion. HE IS THE BIGGEST FUCKING LOSER IN THE WORLD!
I did just order a couple of books. I'm sick of getting yelled at by some old drunk asian lady when I play BlackJack at Foxwoods so I bought a book. I ordered 'BlackJack Bluebook II:the simplest winning strategies every published by Fred Renzey. I've had some good results playing at foxwoods for the most part but its time to arm myself with some real BlackJack knowledge. I also ordered 'Phil Gordon's Little Green Book : Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em'...This should be good for reading when I'm on vacation later on this summer. I'll be at Salisbury beach in Massachusetts for a week. Lo' and behold there are tournaments and cash games at the Seabrook Greyhound park run by these guys.
Last weekend I went up to my condo in North Conway, NH. I had a great time...I also brought the laptop for some late-night poker tournaments. I placed 34th out of 350 in the PL Omaha 5.00 buy-in on PokerStars. I got a whopping 3.50 profit for my troubles...but it was an entertaining tournament anyway. Went through most of the weekend having fun. But, on Monday I almost got into a fight with some asshole from NH. ( I don't have a problem with anybody from NH...In fact I have a lot of friends there and I live about 6 miles away from the border) We were getting ready to leave McDonald's after eating. My wife was in the process of putting my 14 month old daughter in the baby seat in the back passenger side of the Nissan XTerra. The guy in the SUV next to us decides that he has to back out at this very moment and couldn't wait for 5 seconds. He says something to my wife that I didn't hear. Apparently he said "You better shut that door before I take it off!"....while she is still in the process of buckling my daughter into the baby seat. She called him an "asshole" under her breath...just loud enough for him to hear. At this point I notice something going on and I get back out of the drivers side door and step around the back of my XTerra. The guy is just starting to argue with my wife as I walk around the back and he is parked perpendicular to my SUV in the back. At this point I ask "what's the problem"...I could read his face even though he had a baseball hat and sunglasses on. He decides to basically make up an excuse for why he pulled out and was pretty rude to my wife. He says...."She hit my car with the door"....my wife is really pissed off at this point and calls him a "Lying asshole" to his face. I look at the door...look at my wife...and I believe my wife. I said "I believe that she did not hit you car with the door....and besides that she was putting my baby in the baby seat!". He blurts out "YOU PEOPLE think you can do anything you want up here!"....my face turns a shade of red. When I get really pissed-off or embarrassed my face turns red...or so I'm told. I said (moving closer to his window with my fist clenched)"I don't know what kind of agenda you have against Massachusetts people but I own a condo up here.....and if you think I'm going to let you talk to my wife like that....WHILE SHE'S PUTTING THE BABY IN THE BABYSEAT...then you are mistaken. STEP OUTSIDE THE CAR AND WE'LL SETTLE THIS! (It's a good thing he didn't step out or didn't brandish a weapon or something....because someone was going to get hurt) He could tell I wasn't bluffing....he drove away...I told him to go "GO FUCK YOURSELF!"....it's the only thing I could think of at the moment and he decided to give me the finger as he 'pussied' his way out the parking lot. That's the first time i've ever been in an argument/fight with somebody over geographic discrimination. Did I mention that his wife/girlfriend was in the passenger side of his car the whole time....didn't here a peep from her. She probably got the brunt of that the NH assholes aggression that night. He couln't beat me up so he'll probably beat her. Lady....I hope you saw the fucktard you are married to or living with in action and came to a logical conclusion. HE IS THE BIGGEST FUCKING LOSER IN THE WORLD!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
