posted by TripJax @ 1:45 AM, ,

Insert Finger Into Mouth, Gag, Repeat.
Sunday, August 28, 2005

posted by TripJax @ 7:11 AM, ,

Now Is The Time For All Good Men To Come To The Aid Of Their Family
Saturday, August 20, 2005

Like Jordan, I'm headed to the beach tomorrow, however I'll be staying all week and he'll be starting his new job on Monday. Good luck to you J. I'm not sure which beach he's going to, but the TripJax family is off to Myrtle Beach. We've gone to the same place the last three years, a cozy little mom and pop hotel in Cherry Grove, but we found out this year they'll be tearing the place down in December. So we'll have to come up with new plans next year. We're bummed cause we really like this place. To the left is a pic from the Cherry Grove pier which is next door to the hotel where we're staying.

posted by TripJax @ 7:37 PM, ,

Strugglefest
Thursday, August 18, 2005

posted by TripJax @ 4:14 PM, ,

So It Begins
Tuesday, August 16, 2005

posted by TripJax @ 2:38 PM, ,

Heads-Up Homebase
Monday, August 15, 2005

posted by TripJax @ 12:13 PM, ,

Finding Level Ground
Thursday, August 11, 2005

Thanks for the kind words G. I appreciate it. After I read his post it made me think about my situation and I wanted to delve a bit deeper into the subject, so here it goes.

When I first started playing poker with my buddies, it was pretty sporadic. First of all, we didn't really know what the hell we were doing. What's a big and small blind? Why is the dealer called a button? If I go all-in with $30 in chips and you call me with $100 in chips, will win your $100 if I win the hand? O.K. so once we cleared up all the logistics, we were starting to have some fun. But I could tell something wasn't right. Whenever we were done playing, I was wondering when we would play again. I was ready to learn more and more about the game. I had not felt like a sponge - looking to learn something new and fun - in quite a long time. But here it was....a hobby...a game...something I could enjoy. I was hooked.

Not long after I had started playing with my close friends, I found out there were even more folks out there looking for a game. One of my work buddies started a tournament in his garage - now dubbed Garage Mahal. As interest in the game began to fade for my close friends, my interest continued to rise. I wanted to play more, learn more, and talk about it more. As the games at Garage Mahal and other places began to grow, I grew with them. My game was getting better - the sponge was filling with information. I was hooked.

In the gradual growth of my game, the online sites snuck their heads around the corner to introduce themselves. Little pop-up ads here and there or a guy at a local game talking about his big win online. It was enticing - like most gambling can be - to say the least. Though I've been a net winner both live and online, I quickly learned how online poker can be a double edged sword (or is that double bladed sword Alx?). On the one hand, you can play poker without being away from home or your family. On the other hand, are you really spending time with your family when you're hold up in a dark room staring at a screen full of people you know nothing about. I quickly learned, being home does not necessarily qualify as quality time.

So where am I going with this you ask? Well, beginning in 2005, I've tried to refocus my poker energy in a more positive fashion. Though I probably would enjoy it, I don't play every day. I try to fit a few games in during the week - maybe 2 or 3 times a week at night - and then a couple of games during the weekend when things are slow. Add to that the occasional local home game with friends, maybe once every couple of weeks, and that's a pretty full poker slate. As a hobby, that schedule has proven to be something that works with my family. And one of the best things I ever done was buy a laptop. It is great to be on the computer in the living room with the family, and not feel like I'm spending too much time away from them.

In addition, I've tried to not talk as much about poker around my friends who don't play very much. Sure I have the occasional comment about a game or the blog, but I try not to push it. Also, I try not to read my poker books during family time. Usually, if I'm reading them, it's during lunch at work or just before going to bed. I could, however, stand to watch a little less poker on T.V. That will be tough with all the new coverage on ESPN. Maybe I'll just resolve to not watch the same ones over and over. Watch it and be done with it!

I have no plans of giving up poker, but I know that even what I think is a healthy diet of the game can sometimes be too much. I need to work on not constantly having that urge to "sneak a quick game in", or "playing just one more" before doing the more important things. I love my wife and kids and they are my priority. I just have to remind myself sometimes that there are more important things in life than a game. That said, poker is my favorite hobby. It makes me happy. I enjoy the rush it gives me and the thrill of the moment. Every day I continue to find level ground to make my hobby fit better and better with my life. I'm getting there and enjoying it every bit of the way.

And as for GaryC, I know he is an incredible guy with an even more incredible family and I'm glad to see him heading in the right direction. Finding level ground - balance - is where it's at.

Before I go I must add one more thing. When I first decided to start my own blog nearly a year ago I had no idea what I was getting into. I felt like this was the first step towards becoming a geek. Not a direction I wanted to go. I had a picture in my head of a bunch of losers - Smeagols if you will (see pic) - sitting in their dark small rooms playing poker 20 hours a day only stopping to eat, shit and piss as needed. I didn't figure many of the bloggers to be married or in many serious relationships of worth. And I never considered any women would be blogging about poker. How naive, right?! Man was I so very wrong. What I've learned in this past year is most people are down to earth folks, many with families of their own. As an example, the great group of guys I was able to spend online time with during the SNG Challenge are a lot like me. They have jobs, wives (or fiance's), kids (for some) and just play poker for the fun of the game (and the money it can bring). In other words, they're normal folks like you and me. It was an incredible relief to find this out. And as for the female bloggers, they are incredible writers, and even better poker players. I've been nothing but impressed with every one of their blogs (too many to link, but they're linked to the left for sure).

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed.

posted by TripJax @ 4:01 PM, ,

SNG Challenged
Monday, August 08, 2005

SNG Challenged

I had planned on one of those funny posts where I compared my 2nd place finish in the SNG Challenge to being in line with John Oates, Art Garfunkel, Jim Messina, Dan Marino, etc. An always runner-up type of post. Unfortunately I forgot to lock up 2nd place and, when it was all said and done, finished in 3rd behind a hard charging Kipper.

I was in 2nd so long I really felt like I had it. For the most part, I had already given up trying for 1st because GaryC was doing so well and it didn't look like he was going to relinquish his spot. Then it happened. As the Challenge was nearing its end, I found out that G was down to $190ish and I was only about $30 away at $159. Something clicked in my head and I said to hell with 2nd place and tried to make a run. That would prove to be my demise. I tanked my last 3 SNG's and - more importantly - failed to cash in my only attempt at a $10 SNG. This failed attempt ended up being the difference since I finished at $137 and Kipper ended around $146.

When I hit $137 I decided to call it a day and figured my destiny was now in Kipper's hands. If he played well, he deserved to take 2nd place. If he struggled on the last day, my "slow and steady wins the race" approach would prove successful. I had a feeling Kipper would make a strong run on the last day and he did just that. Congrats Kip! With a $137 finish and a fee of $25 for 3rd place, I officially ended by basically doubling my buy-in of $55 to $112. Not too shabby.

And lest we forget the man who absolutely tore it up. GaryC took $55 and turned it into $200+ in about a month. That's damn impressive. I enjoyed playing with all the challengers and hope we can do it again soon. I must say - as I have before - I play much better when I've got something to challenge my game. That was a big plus for me in this instance and I believe it will play out again in the Heads-Up Challenge. Unfortunately, for everyone else, this time the winners will be taking money from the other Challengers directly. I look forward to taking your money. Thanks Jordan for putting together the SNG Challenge as well as the Heads-Up Challenge. You are officially the man.

On a positive note, I played 3 home games last night at a friends house and ended up winning the first one. So I basically won enough money to pay off my $25 SNG Challenge fee. So I got that going for me. In the 2nd game, I was killing it again, but took a huge hit when my rockets were all-in against pocket 9's and a 9 hit on the river. That took me from huge chipleader heads-up to an eventual bubble place with no cash. On the 3rd game we played Omaha and I just couldn't get anything to go my way. All in all it was a fun time which is most important, erm, after winning the money...

And for the record...Try Again...Never Give Up In Disgrace...

posted by TripJax @ 2:56 PM, ,

Fiddy Nine Things You May or May Not Know About TripJax
Wednesday, August 03, 2005

1. My favorite number is 59 (pronounced Fiddy Nine as noted above). It used to be 13 - as that what my preferred sports jersey number - but once I said Fiddy Nine the first time I was hooked.

2. I was born May 9, 1975, making me *cough* 30.

3. I'm 6 feet, 1 inches tall.

4. I probably weigh 190 - 195 lbs. "WTF...pounds, baby, pounds!" Sorry for the Jerky Boys quote.

5. I've been married 5+ years and I'm one lucky mofo. Wifey is the greatest thing to happen to me.

6. I've got two children...boy is 4 and girl is 3 months old.

7. I've known my sons name would be Jaxon since I was a teenager. At my first job, I hated when customers would call me by my name like they knew me. So what I did was keep a bunch of extra sticky letters on the back of my name tag so I could change my name whenever I wanted. Examples of my different names - changed with merely a single consonant change - are as follows: Javon, Jazon, Jadon, Jalon, Jaron, Jawon, Jaxon. Whenever I used Jaxon people always commented how cool that name was. Yeah, my son is now cool.

8. My brother named his 2nd son Jackson, so it can get confusing at family get togethers.

9. I'm a Taurus, though I do not keep up with that horoscope stuff.

10. Moms wanted to name me Keith, but Pops wanted Jason. Pops held strong and they ended up going with Jason Keith instead of Keith Jason. Thanks for staying strong Pops.

11. I'm the youngest of four children.

12. My oldest brother has 2 girls. My sister has had 4 girls (one died at birth). My other brother has 2 boys. I am the first of the siblings to have a boy and a girl.

13. I'm the only sibling to graduate from college.

14. University of North Carolina at Greensboro > Grimsley High School > Kiser Middle School >Drexel Elementary.

15. I've lived in Gastonia, Morganton, Drexel, and Greensboro - all in North Carolina. There are other cities we lived in when I was a baby, or really small, but I don't remember them very well.

16. I've enjoyed living in Greensboro since I was 10 years old and have not found a reason to leave yet.

17. Greensboro has a pretty strong blog contingent, though I believe I'm the only Poker Blogger in the city. Guess that makes me Greensboro's most decorated poker blogger...sorry to steal your line Gene.

18. My first real job was at K-mart. I started at age 14 and worked on and off (mostly on) up to and during my first years in college. It was the safest place to work within walking/biking distance which made the rents happy.

19. I worked at the UNCG gym for a while before landing an internship with the Greensboro Bats - at that time the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

20. After my internship I was offered the Operations Manager position at the Greensboro Bats. It was a very hard job, but one of the greatest experiences of my life. During my tenure, the Yankees won the World Series and I could have received one of the Championship Rings. However, my pay was pretty bad at the time and I could not afford the amount the Bats would not pay. Looking back, I seriously regret that decision. How cool would it be to wear a World Series ring or use it as my card protector?!

21. I needed a better paying job and was offerred a great opportunity as Operations Manager with PaineWebber. PaineWebber was bought out and now I work here.

22. I've been with UBS Financial Services for 6+ years now.

23. UBS leads THE WORLD in total wealth managed with 1.8 trillion dollars under management. Yes, trillion.

24. Chicago Cubs

25. Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers

26. UNC Tarheels

27. Republican

28. I think George Bush is a damn fine President.

29. I first got into Hold'em seriously after watching Robert Varkony win the 2002 WSoP on ESPN. I remember the first time I turned the channel to that show, I thought, this has to be a show from the late 80's early 90's based on the poor production and horribly dressed players. I couldn't believe when they flashed 2002 WSoP on the Screen. Regardless, I was excited to watch the action of each hand and amazed at the real dollar stakes involved. Unknowingly, this was the first time I experienced the oddity that is Phil Helmuth Jr.

30. The first blog I ever read - poker or otherwise - was The Cards Speak. I posted about his blog on my site to which he graciously reciprocated with a link and quick note on his blog (see below):

POKER IN ARREARS: THIS GUY MADE MY DAY WITH THIS QUOTE:
"ANYWAY, BACK TO THE CARDS SPEAK. I PRINTED THIS GUYS ENTIRE BLOG AND STARTED READING IT AT NIGHT. SINCE IT WAS JUST A PILE OF PAPERS INSTEAD OF A BOOK, MY WIFE ASKED WHAT I WAS READING. AT THAT MOMENT, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT. WAS I READING SOME DUDES JOURNAL/DIARY? HOW DO I EXPLAIN THAT? BEFORE I EVEN STARTED THE FIRST WORD SHE SAID, "LET ME GUESS, POKER?!" I SMILED, SHE SMILED (OR WAS IT A SMIRK) AND WE BOTH DELVED BACK INTO OUR READING. I, FOR ONE, WAS HAPPY I DIDN'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF, HOWEVER, I THEN MADE THE DECISION THT I'M NOT READING SOME GUYS JOURNAL/DIARY, BUT RATHER PARTAKING IN THIS BIG COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO ENJOY POKER AS I DO. THERE...I FEEL BETTER. ROCK ON HDOUBLE."

For a guy just starting in the blog-o-sphere, it was pretty damn cool to have him linking me and putting my quote up on his blog. Thanks again HDouble.

31. The first comment I ever received was from the blogfather himself. I've lost all my comments prior to April 2005, due to changing software, but I still remember my first few comments. Prior to his comment, I truly believed in those first few months I was the only person reading my blog. I was wrong. Since then, I've received nearly 7000 page hits.

32. The largest single session payout I've ever won was somewhere between $600 - $700 after winning a $20 re-buy and add-on live tournament.

33. The largest live poker tournament I've ever played in was a $50 tourney with 50 entrants. I was chip leader almost immediately and held that role until we were down to the final 2 tables. At that point, the following hand came up. I had AA and the board was A 8 3 rainbow. I bet about half the pot and the dude raises me committing a large portion of his chips. I push all-in and he calls, flipping over 8 4 offsoooot!!! The turn was an 8. The river was an 8. At that time, it was difficult holding back the desire to hit that dude, or the dealer. I tried to keep my composure, but that severely crippled me and I ended up getting knocked out on the bubble when my AK was nabbed by A9. I was extremely disappointed and it took me a while to recover enough to ever want to play again. That was nearly 2 years ago and I've never looked back (until now).

34. I have won with "a chip and a chair." We played a SNG at my house once with about 9 guys and, with about 4 players left, I was down to one $100 chip - after having started with $1500 each. At that time, the other 3 players had about 7000, 4500, and 2000. Not long after I went on a rush and ended up heads up with the chip leader. I played real aggressive and ended up winning the damn thing. Amazingly, my car broke down the very next day and the cost to get it fixed was almost exactly the amount I had won the previous night.

35. Keeping with my interesting poker stories - early on in my online poker playing - I was playing on Party Poker and clicked on what I thought was a full table NL Hold'em SNG. I was a tad shocked when, on the first hand, I was dealt 4 hole cards. I panicked and then realized my dumbass had clicked on an Omaha 8 Or Better SNG, a game I had never played and knew nothing about at that point. I clicked the Sit Out button and ran to get my Super Systems book. I also tried to find some info online to get more details. After about 3 or 4 minutes of sitting out I clicked back on to play. I ended p winning that SNG.

36. I was an Uncle at the age of 11.

37. I work less than a minute from where I live.

38. I drive a 15 year old car that only has 85,000 miles on it (see # 37).

39. I am a first time homeowner and I absolutely love it.

40. I've never been out of the country.

41. The farthest I've ever been from home is Texas. Tyler Texas to be exact.

42. One Dog (Kaiser Sose), Two Cats (Jah & Sammy), One Recently Deceased Fish (Nemo), Two Currently Living Fish (Jack Nemo & Marlin).

43. I met my wife while working at a bar the Greensboro Bats owners, erm, owned. I was working there as a 2nd job part-time during the slow baseball off-season. She came in with a group of people and she busted me checking out her tail while she was walking to the juke box. Later she came to the bar with one of her friends and we started up a conversation. Actually her friend did most of the talking, but I could tell it was because she was shy. She is the most beautiful loving person I have ever known and I am one lucky mo fo.

44. I've broken one bone in my life, that being my collarbone. We were playing pick-up tackle football and on the first play of the game we tried the Hail Mary. I dove for the ball and caught it, landing directly on top of it. The defender landed directly on top of me. I knew something was wrong, but wanted to keep playing since it was the first play of the game and I didn't want to be a wimp. I played another 15 minutes, but never got into another play. At my last huddle, I told the other guys I didn't feel so good and they agreed that something was wrong. One of the guys drove me to the Dr. where he noted I had a complete break. I had to wear a sling for something like 3 months, but I didn't have to carry any books for 3 months during high school. That was pretty cool, all things considered.

45. I was always pretty damn good in sports. Never "made the team good", but always good enough to compete. I did actually play on the golf team in high school, but I never made a cut. Basically I got to play free golf at two excellent courses in Greensboro which was pretty cool. I loved basketball and was a pretty damn good intramural basketball and racquetball player in college.

46. I fully tore my ACL and MCL and have never been the same since (see # 45.). Luckily for me, I had the best Doctors working on me as I worked for the Greensboro Bats (i.e. New York Yankees), so it was fully paid for and extremely well done. Unfortunately, like I mentioned above, I've never fully recovered to where I could move the way I did before.

47. I do not have a mullet, though I have friends who do.

48. I have many acquaintances, but not a ton of friends. I surround myself around people I love and people I know love and care for me. It's quite an optimal plan.

49. Through middle school and high school I took French for 6 years. About the only French I can speak now is, Je m'appelle Isabelle Mercier.

50. I am double jointed in both thumbs. It's hard to explain, but I'll try. Put your right fist in a ball like you're about to hit someone. With your left hand, grab your thumb and bend it inwards towards your fingers, but in the opposite direction of your fingers (towards your wrist). Basically I can make my thumb turn completely parallel to the other fingers, but facing my wrist. It's pretty wicked in view, pretty lame written down.

51. I can do numerous chip tricks including (click the link for a video), the shuffle, twirl, pullover, bounce, finger flip, and thumb flip. I can also do the one that Raymer does in the 2004 WSoP coverage where he slams the chip on the table and it rolls forward about 6 inches before spinning back into his hand, but I can't find any video feed for it. The above videos are not me, but are provided by a hard working blogger named Nick over at 2HoleCards at his newest site, PokerChipTricks. Though I had already learned the above linked tricks prior to finding his site, I look forward to using his videos to learn the many more he offers. Thanks a lot Nick...you rock!

52. I aspire to play in many a BIG tournament at some point in the future, but I have a hard time relinquishing my bankroll to help fund the attempts through satellites and such. I'm working on that cause I want to be with the likes of Gracie, Bill Rini, and DoubleAs. Thanks for the inspiration guys and gals.

53. On the mountain trip where I eventually proposed to wifey, we got into a pretty bad car accident while drivinig - in a snow storm - on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was the stupidest thing we have ever done, trying to drive a Mitsubishi Galant with bald tires on a treachorous mountain with no barriers seperating us from steep ledges. Somehow we managed to live through that experience allowing me to type this paragraph right now.

54. For my new readers, this was my original template. It was friendly to the eye, but very difficult for readers to enjoy while at work. I picture it going something like this for my dear readers. "Johnson, why the hell do you have an ass on your monitor?" "Uuhh sir, it's just a blog." "What the hell is a blog...is that some sort of new fellatio?" "No sir, it's...uuuhh, forget it...I'll hand in my resignation effective immediately." "You're damn right you will, Johnson."

55. I started the share blog, Kicked In The Junk, as an outlet for bloggers and readers to tell their Kicked In The Junk tales. Sometimes you just don't wanna put that stuff on your own blog, but now you have an option. Tell the world...that's what it's there for.

56. I love my children so much it hurts. They are the biggest blessing a father could ever ask for. It amazes me how there is even such a thing as a Dead Beat Dad. Dickheads.

57.I loathe mosquitos, pickles, mayonnaise, and a bunch of other shit I can't think of right now.

58. I've really enjoyed the friendships I've made since beginning this here humble blog. People have been extremely kind to me over this past year and I really appreciate it. Specifically, as of late, I've been extremely happy to spend time with the likes of GaryC, Jordan, Kipper, DNasty, and SteelerJosh, the SNG Challengers. Thanks guys for making poker more fun and for giving me something to work towards. I play better and tend to make more money when I am challenged. I also find myself constantly checking your blogs for updates. You've become my most favorite reads.

59. To me, it's a pretty simple formula. God > Family > Friends. Sure there's plenty of other stuff to consider, but that's the core right there. Without the above, I not only don't have 59 things to say, I have nothing. And without God, life sucks. This one probably deserves # 1., but I've placed it here to finish strong.

So that's it. Fiddy Nine things you now know about me. I hope you enjoyed yourself. I know I did.

posted by TripJax @ 11:41 PM, ,