Puggy Pearson.

So I guess everyone already knows by now about Puggy Pearson.



Unlike many, I don't have any "bad" Puggy stories, and I won't repeat idle gossip.



I've played against him twice. The last time was just a couple of months ago at Bellagio. This time he thought I was a guy. I joked with him about how now that I had my boobs cut off, I can see why he would logically jump to that assumption, especially since that is the only place he looks at a woman, lol.



Ah, well. I'm glad I didn't have to suffer his abuse, and I apologize for him to all of the dealers who did.



Felicia

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http://felicialee.blogspot.com/2006/04/puggy-pearson.html

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Shark gathering

Yesterday was the first of hopefully many middle+ limit-holdem meetings. We played 40/80, got a full table together and the game was good. I was lucky to pick a seat behind Korn and Miami so I had a estimated...

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http://50outs.blogs.com/poker/2006/04/shark_gathering.html

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Poker Seder

The Seder plate, a Herbrew tradition during passover, with six different items meant to symbolize different things. Passover is a holiday commemorating Moses' freeing the Jews from the Pharaoh's tyrannical rule, but it also celebrates the beginning of Spring. I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the seder plate's six items, and translate them to poker, because, well, I can. And don't expect the Hebrew symbolism to match up with the poker symbolism. Cause, that, my friends is just too much work!



Item #1- The Bitter Herbs- In traditional Herbrew lore, the bitter herbs represent the bitterness of slavey. In poker, it represents the bitterness of the grind, where ABC poker rules the day, and we are left as mindless zombies, toiling away. It is a hard life but it allows us the freedom to build the bankroll to a place where we can play higher variance games with freedom. In fact, it reminds me of the Limit Challenge I partook with DNasty. From that challenge, I finally broke $250 and $300 with my bankroll. I learned a lot and gained a lot from the experience. And when I was done, I was free. Free to play what my heart desired.



Item #2- Parsely Dipped in Salt Water- The parsley represents spring (I think) and the saltwater, the sweat and tears shed by the Jews while building the pyramids (notice how, post pyramids, construction work is rarely done by Jews, even though we own and control a hell of a lot of other industries). In poker, the saltwater also represents tears, tears of bubbled opportunities. We can all recall times that we have worked hard, only to suffer defeat. The worst feeling is immediately afterward, when we feel the shock and emptiness of loss, the harshness of toiling away the hours just to make it to the cash, only to lose right before that pot of gold. The salt water reminds us that we must accept this reality and remember it, and by remembering it, we will come to terms with that pain and work harder to be above it in the future. GCox, this one is for you.



Item #3- Charoset- Charoset, a mix of chopped nuts, fruit and slices, is to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews when building the pyramids. In poker, they are the fundamentals, the building blocks to a good player. They are hard work and determination. They are analysis and self-improvement. They are knowing pot odds and pressure points. These key elements are the building blocks that we all need to develop our inner temple of poker. For blogger comparisons, I take a bit of Wonka mixed with some DoubleAs. Both players exhibit in their blogs the fundamentals of poker and beyond, solid foundations, and the ability to work hard at improving their games.



Item #4- The Shank Bone- The shank bone (lamb bone) represents the sacrifices made by the Jews. It is not to be eaten (hell its only a bone) or touched. In many ways, the poker equivalent is ZeeJustin and that other guy. Here were fellow poker players, sacrificed to the masses because of their sins. We have all sinned and we have all cheated, I am sure. Now, ZeeJustin and the other (JJProdigy?), well, they brought it upon themselves. But they are a reminder. A reminder that we are not just gamblers with no honor. We are a band of poker players. There may be no honor amongst theives, but we poker players believe in honor amongst players.



Item #5- The Hard-Boiled Egg- According to some, the egg represents mourning for the fallen temple. To others, it represents the cycle of life and rebirth from spring. For mourning, let us mourn the loss of the Poker Champ, who, although fictional, brought us all together in a temple of shock and humor. For rebirth, let's go with TripJax, who's depleted bankroll is going through rebirth with his recent freeroll cash and other successes. In the end, no matter how poorly we are doing (no Trip though, he had to withdraw from his online account for other reasons), there is always a rebirth available to all of us at the poker table.



The Sixth is really at issue. It's pretty much some more bitter herbs, so we'll skip it. Don't know if this post did much for you. Maybe you learned something about god-aweful Hebrew cuisine (its not all this sorta crap, and this is mostly all for symbolic purposes). Maybe you got some insight into how I feel about the struggle of poker. But above all, remember this: this is no mere coincidence. After all, the Jews are the people who came up with Dreydel as a kids game...a game that is, for all intents and purposes, the equivalent of a slot machine. Booya! Amen!

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http://highonpoker.blogspot.com/2006/04/poker-seder.html

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Baz is Back!

Welcome back to the felt, Baz!

So, I hit up Empress last night for some poker, and who should come sit down about an hour into my session but the man, the mystery: Baz. At first I did a double-take, because - well, it was a Wednesday night. Yup - that's Baz alright. Cool! I said hi, but didn't want to make it obvious to the table that I knew him, so I let the boy settle in and see a few hands.

The table had been a bit grumpy, which means - the fish were not paying off bets, and instead did a lot of folding in disgust. A woman had arrived a little while before Baz, and was seated to my left. She was a very jovial type of person, and her chatter was helping to liven up the table a bit. Then, a kid from down south sat down. He was a self proclaimed bible-belter, and was up in Chicago for work. He was quite conversational, talking all about his work and his son and his ex-wife (though saying nothing bad) in a thick southern drawl. By now, the table was loosening up and things were getting fun.

When the woman to my left decided to leave, Baz got a seat change and moved across the table. One thing we marveled at was the frequency of which Hammer boards came out. I have never in my life seen a more Hammer-friendly table. I couldn't get my hands on a Hammer to save my life, but Baz was sitting in the Lucky Seven's seat, so I had high hopes for him. The woman that sat there before him literally won every single pot where a seven was on the board. She hit two full houses with K7, one with Q7, a boat with pocket 7's, and various other monster hands involving 7's. Twice, Baz was in hands where he raised preflop and Hammer boards came out, and I prayed that he had a Hammer to show down (since I was not in those pots!) Unfortunately, he didn't have Hammers, and the times he did see a Hammer in the Hole, he was not graced with a coordinating board. It sure would have been funny to tilt the remaining Grumps with a Hammer win, though.

I can't recall too many hands from last night. Pocket 3's hit a set for me, which paid off well. Big pocket pairs got crushed at every opportunity. I saw KK once, JJ twice (3 times if you count the misdeal... grrrr), and AA once. None held up. 'Twas brutal. Baz had similar luck with his large pocket pairs.

After playing for 5 hours, I was up $100 and decided to take my nice, even number and go home. Baz stuck around after I left, and if I'm not mistaken, he was up when I left, so hopefully he cleaned out the remaining Grumps before heading home himself. :)

Tags: Empress, casino, limit holdem, HellaHoldem, poker, texas hold'emFiled Under:

• Empress
• B&M

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Assorted Bits

Hey all. First lets start with a reminder. DADI 5: WSOP Satellite is coming, and there is a shit load of prizes going to some of the players that get close but don't win a seat. For more details, go to DADIpoker.blogspot.com. We've gotten donations from Poker Source Online, and PokerOnAMac.com, as well as some extras and an "endorsement" from Wil Wheaton. So check it out!

Nothing much happening in the land of Jordan. I had Passover Seder last night at my family's house. For you non-Jews, its a holiday celebrating when Moses freed the Jews from the Pharaoh's tyrranical rule and fled into the desert for 40 years. Part of the tradition is to not eat any levened bread (i.e., any items made with yeast) for 8 days or so. Now, I was bar mitzvahed and all of that, but following the bar mitzvah, I have really moved away from the religion. It's nothing specific. I'm just a man of leisure and logic, and organized religion does not connect with either of those things very well. Mind you, I don't begrudge anyone thier organized religion, which overall can be a very positive influence on most people. The point is, I don't think I've ever kept the no-bread thing, and I didn't plan on starting now.

At the High on Poker family Jewish holidays, Mama High usually cooks up all sorts of great things, but noticably absent were the good stuff: ziti, cornbread, kugel, etc. I was a bit miffed, but I knew what to expect and I respect my religion, even if I don't follow it, erm, religiously. So, breadless dinner it was. But then I noticed desert. Cakes, chocolate covered pretzels, and pies. Bread, bread and bread. Funny how we selectively sin.

Speaking of selective sin, I won a Rio last night. That's a good thing, because I lost one the night before. Hey, it happens! The table I lost was the tightest Rio I've ever played, with all 6 players lasting until the 50/100 level. I believe I went out in 5th when someone called my all-in with a flush draw. No complaints though. There is always some variance. Luckily for me, I got up and stopped playing immediately after the loss. It was for 2 reasons, mostly. First, it was late. Second, and more importantly, when I lose an SNG (especially Rios) I feel more likely to lose the next one. I don't know what that is all about, but its good that I'm aware of it.

Interesting thing happened. Omaha hi/lo is still not the cash cow it once was (for a period of 6 hrs, apparently, only). But I've been playing smart enough not to bleed to much in dough. The bottom line was that I was initially on a rush. The rush has ended so I'm back to waiting for good cards. A couple of minor losing sessions are no big deal, so I'm not concerned. The interesting thing occured two days ago, though. I started up 2 Omaha hi/lo games, but I had this weird feeling that I should be playing 1/2 Limit. No, in general, I had moved up to 2/4 limit, but I specifically felt like 1/2 would be a money maker for me. Well, after a while, I switched it up, down less than $20 from Omaha, and ready to make some 1/2 money. Sure enough, I ended up over $25 at 1/2.

So, here is what I find interesting. I first started playing Omaha h/l a couple of days ago on a hunch. Now its 1/2 Limit on a hunch. Its almost as though I can feel what I am primed to play. The games require different thought processes and skill sets (with obvious overlaps). I have to pay more attention in the future to my "feelings" to see where I'll end up. I guess that is why bonus chasing can be (and at times, has been) detrimental to my game at times. I'm playing for bonuses with one goal in mind, the bonus. I don't think about what I am in the mood to play. Fortunately, Noble poker lets me earn points on SNGs, MTTs, and ring games, so no matter what I play, I'm earning my bonus.

I think that is all for me right now. I've been very busy at work and home, so bear with me. I want to make a shout out to Dr. Pauly, who seems to be at the beginning of the end of his blog. I can understand where he is coming from. This whole blogging thing at times reminds me of my fraternity from college. The new guys start off unsure, then make their bones and go buck wild with the concept. They eventually get into the fraternity life groove, only to eventually get burnt out on the lifestyle. By the end of senior year, they are already mentally checking out of the fraternity because "real life" beckons, and the fraternity has become full of new kids eager and fresh. It almost seems like it was never yours in the first place, and it sure as hell isn't yours anymore. Now, I'm not saying that this is what Pauly is going through, but it sounds kinda like it. A little bit of burn out and soul searching. If it wasn't for Pauly, there'd be no High on Poker, so I thank him again, and wish him the best of luck. Just remember, Pauly, no matter what you decide, you are still a brother.

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http://highonpoker.blogspot.com/2006/04/assorted-bits.html

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Ying and Yang

My poker life and real life can't seem to get in sync.



Lots of job action last week, with bad poker results.



Bad news on the job front this week, great poker results.



Hrm.



Anyway, just an update for everyone that commented about my webcam interview:



It sucked.



I wore the suit. The interviewers (there were 3) started asking their questions and I looked into the camera and started my answers, the same answers I've given a hundred times, and I made the mistake of looking down at the screen.



They were talking and laughing. It didn't even appear they were listening to me.



I stopped talking, waiting for them to pay attention, and lost my train of thought. This would repeat itself for the next ten minutes, at which time they mercifully ended the interview.



I don't know if I should be pissed at them for their bad manners and etiquette, or at myself for letting it throw me and not saying something like, "I can wait until you finish your conversation."

The recruiter was good enough to call me this week and let me know they were moving on. That's a first. But, depressing nonetheless.



I have another position in the hopper, but they're slow to move to who knows what's going to happen there?



To top it off, we're having trouble placing one of our dogs in a foster home. Our in-laws have a cat and he doesn't like cats, so we can't move him in there. He's a fantastic dog, great with kids, obedience-trained, can hold his pee all day, but he's used to being an alpha. The lady that agreed to take him in for us has an older dog and they get along except when the older dog wants to come near the lady. Our dog insists on being closest to the master/mistress, so she told us yeterday it isn't going to work out. Mrs. Big is running him to a kennel for a couple days until we can find a new place. We had been hoping to have him fostered until we got our own place in a few months, because we love him very much and want him back in the family. But, at this point we'd allow someone to keep him permanently if it meant we can avoid going the shelter route.



If any of you are in driving distance of Jacksonville, Florida, and would like to foster/adopt a great dog, please let me know. It's killing me that my family is having to go through this all because I lost my job.





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http://bigslicknuts.blogspot.com/2006/04/ying-and-yang.html

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Melissa Gilbert Sex Google Search

I still get Google searched for Melissa Gilbert sex, so for those of you with Gilbert fantasies, here are some new photos. Also, a link to my bizarre sex with Melissa Gilbert dream post for those new to the site. PokerShark, if you read this, I think you're forgetting to check your moderated comments.



Another hour before going home yesterday, another quick $443 at $10/20. Most of it came from a VP$IP 40/14.29 two seats to my right. I quit believing after awhile and would play him very aggressive. One quick hand question that I have for the better players out there: would you 4-bet the river here? Maniac and I call with three others in middle position (12%-er in between us), and I have 9h8h.

Flop comes Ts6cJh (check, bet, call, raise, HERO 3-bet, fold, fold, call, raise, HERO call, call )

Kh on turn (check, bet, HERO call, call )

Ah on river (bet, call, HERO raise, 3-bet, fold, HERO calls)

Maniac shows 8dQd (straight), HERO shos 9h8h (flush)



Was that fraidy-scared play or just judicious? Would be interested in any thoughts (and sorry that I can't do a hand converter dealie to make it prettier, but I did spend ten minutes making the colors...) On a separate session comment, the three other biggest donators had the following stats: 20/12, 21.33/6.6, 25/15. I was able to 18.67/10.67 (I'm historically a 22.4/11.6 player). Second and third biggest winners were 16/14.67 and 14.67/10.67. 75 hands are a relatively small sample size, I understand, but most of the time I have to make assumptions with 25 hands then adjust.



My top referrers in March were as follows: Pauly, TripJax, Scurvy, Jordan, Linda, Otis et al, Will, Mark, and BadBlood. BadBlood has a neat contest going, so I'll join in here. I'll send my copy of Barry Greenstein's new book to the first person to pick five of my top 25 most played on my iPod (you get ten choices). Tiebreaker to person with the most.



I received a reply from Robert Varkonyi, the 2002 WSOP Main Event winner. This year was the pre-Moneymaker year, made more famous for the fact that Hellmuth had his head shaved when he stated that there was no way Varkonyi would win. We've seen him again when ESPN featured his wife, Olga, lasting fairly far in the 2005 Main Event. This is all I could get out of him: "My wife Olga thinks that we don't spend enough time playing poker." I think I saw a 2+2 poll once that had him as the worst main event winner, but I'm not quite sure if that's true or not.

Read The Full Article:
http://ccexplore.blogspot.com/2006/04/melissa-gilbert-sex-google-search.html

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Bellagio's Five Star Poker Classic + GSN at Palms
+ Heads-Up on NBC

Drawing names for the 32 pairings at the 2006 NBC Heads-Up National Poker Championship. Both poker and the weather are heating up in Las Vegas as we count down the days to the 2006 WSOP scheduled for the doldrums...

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http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/pokerblog/archives/002632.php

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Too Good To Be True

© COPYRIGHT 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED



Still suffering through the after effects of the damned root canals I had last Friday and it got worse yesterday. Now the endodonstist has me on penicillin, so they are thinking I may have an infection that is causing this extended pain. Great, I cannot even take a drink to deaden the pain. Penicillin renders the effects of alcohol null and void!



Because of this, I did not play much poker yesterday. I logged a quick 48 hand session at Imperial Poker and ended up with a $38 profit playing at a single $2/4 table. While I was at this table, the percentage of players taking the flop was 53% with an average pot size of $35. Easily the loosest games online right now.



Too Good To Be True

I had planned playing a bit at World Poker Exchange yesterday, but it looks like the worst case scenario is coming to fruition with their rakefree poker. The games have become unbelieveably tight, much more tighter than when I played there last week. I did log in briefly yesterday and saw that the four $2/4 LHE tables had average pot sizes of $15, $12, $11 and $8. After seeing that I quickly logged back off.



I suspect that WPE is headed down the same path that Games Grid did last year. GG offered basically propping fees to play at their tables that were 1.5BB/table hour (was 3.0 at first), which only led to the sharks playing there for the most part. The games became uber-tight and traffic never grew. Games Grid is now a ghost town and I figure WPE will likely suffer the same fate.



Getting around 1.5 to 2.0 BB/100 from 100% rakeback is nice, but that's not enough to entice me to play in games that are that tight. I can play at Paradise or Imperial and pay rake, but the games are more profitable and more fun to play in.





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http://countingmyouts.blogspot.com/2006/04/too-good-to-be-true.html

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