Thanks Y'all
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
I just want to take a moment to thank everyone I have crossed paths with either live or online since I *became* TripJax. It has been a hella good time and I'm looking forward to continuing the trend in 2007 and beyond. The friendships I have forged along the way make this all worth while.
To all my readers, I want to thank you for taking the time to join me on this journey. I could say I write this stuff for myself and it wouldn't matter if I had no readers, but that is not true. I thrive on knowing that if just one person enjoys my writing, then I should keep at it. Sometimes posts write themselves, but other times it is a battle to trudge forward. Knowing people are willing to take the time out of there day to drop by and visit keeps me going.
So thanks everyone. Without you all, I'd probably have quit this brog a long time ago. Tip of the cap to all my ninjas out there.
posted by TripJax @ 3:28 PM,
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Stunning Poker
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Have you ever seen the You Tube video of the fat kid on the roller coaster ride nearly slipping through his safety belt and plummeting to his death, all the while his Mom is laughing it up and having a hella good time? If not you should check it out. I would link to it now, but I don't have access to You Tube through work. Actually, I just did a Google search and found this link and, though I can't view it, may get you to the video. I'll confirm the link when I get home tonight. Or you, dear reader, can just comment and let me know I've not sent you astray.
Anyway, after the Mookie last night, I felt like the fat kid on the roller coaster (I actually think it is one of those bungee rides, but we'll just call it a roller coaster). Let me explain.
I had high hopes prior to starting the tourney. I've been playing well lately, so I felt good about my chances. At this point, I'm the fat kid, but just getting on the ride is exciting and sure to be a good time. I get down to around 800 early from our starting stack of 1500, but manage to build back up to over 2500 relatively quickly. The roller coaster has begun.
I continue the up and down theme and eventually get into a hand with G where I ended up winning with my AJ pairing a Jack against his 55. This got me back on track, but the roller coaster continued. My biggest mistake came at this point. Most of my memory of these hands is blurry, so bare with me if I miss a few details.
Fuel55 had come to our table and, with the big blind at 150, I raised it up to around 400ish with KTo in middle position (I think). He was directly to my left and min raised me to around 800ish, but at the time I did not realize it was a min raise. I was distracted with non pokery stuff, but that is completely my own fault. I called his raise and saw a Ten high flop giving me top pair okay kicker. I then checked which was a mistake. He then bet around 800 and I pushed my stack in, which was probably around 1800 or so (another mistake). He insta called and showed his AA. I'm the fat kid who has been getting jostled around all over the place and I'm slipping through the safety belt.
In hindsight, I made the ultimate mistake of being distracted, overplaying my weak hand, and misreading what I put my opponent on. The culmination was giving myself a big slap in the face. At this point, I figured the game was over, but I still had 98 chips. I couldn't even meet the big blind, so I figured my night was effectively over. This is a roller coaster ride though right? My night was not over.
A comment before I proceed however. Fuel proceeded to do something that bugged me at first, and I almost let it effect me, but in the end I did not. He got a case of diarrhea of the mouth. I could be making a bigger deal than I should, but on rare occasions I like to let my voice be known. I played the hand poorly and accept that, but I just don't get people who proceed to make jack ass comments after the fact. Granted we broggers enjoy our shooting the shit at the tables when playing amongst each other, but sometimes I get the feeling it is more than that. Some people do it when they played a great hand, but ended up losing the hand to a bad beat. More puzzling, however, is the player who plays a great hand, wins the hand, but still has to make a comment. What are you getting at or trying to prove?
His comments almost pissed me off, but I decided not to worry about it because I did play the hand poorly and there was nothing I could do about it. I can't take it back, but I can re-evaluate the situation after the fact and learn from it. Whether I lay a bad beat, incur a bad beat, or am part of a poorly played hand, I move on to the next task at hand. But people who try and belittle others at the table intrigue me. I would like to think of it as a form of attempted tilt, but I was 99% out the door, so there was not much to tilt me on. If it was just diarrhea of the mouth, then I implore you, try the higher road next time. At that point, I was the fat kid and Moms was laughing about my situation.
Moving on...so there I am with 98 chips left and a big blind of 150 creeping up on me. I ended up winning a couple of hands and before I knew it I was over 1000 again. I don't remember many of the hands, but I again was treading water between 1000 and 1500 for a while. I managed to build that up a little more and then...get this...I took Fuel out. I played the hand exactly how I wanted to, got him to commit his chips, and managed to build a hefty stack through him. He had been aggressive in the blinds when I would raise or call so I knew if I could get him to push all-in there I had a good chance of winning the hand. I pressed my small edge and won.
At that point I was back in control of my destiny. I was the fat kid who was no longer at risk of dying, but still reeling from the near death experience. A small part of me also reveled in the hand I just took down. Methinks I may have tilted Fuel a wee bit, but we're talking about a $10 tourney here folks.
Not long after that hand, I managed to chip up even further and took the overall lead at around 17,000+. From 98 chips to 17,000+. I was feeling like it was meant to be. And when we hit the bubble, I felt even better about my chances of winning. I didn't even have an inkling of thought about not, at the very least, making the money. Life had other plans though.
When we were down to the bubble I made the mistake of not adjusting to the players and their stack sizes well enough. I wanted to take some blinds down, but the players I was against are not your typical donktastic players who are going to cower on the bubble and let me take over. After a few unsuccessful raises where I wielded to return all-ins, I found myself back in the mix with around 10k. I'm still fuzzy on a couple of the hands on if I should have called any of those all-ins. I need to go back and look at the hand histories a little closer.
From there the blinds went up and the others players were very aggressive, which just ultimately put me in a bad spot. I had made some mistakes in this tourney, had been on a major roller coaster ride from worst to first, but was still eyeing a bubble finish in the face. In the end, I was in fact the bubble boy, and though it smarted a little at first, I knew I was extremely lucky to have even had the chance to be at or near the money.
At this point I'm the fat kid who gets off the ride and comes to the realization that I'm still just a fat kid who didn't die, but will really have to work hard to get any skirt.
Sometimes I play great tournaments and win them and other times I play great and am no where near the money. Other times I make too many poor decisions, but still find a way to have a chance at the tournament. I certainly want to work on my game such that I can eliminate as many of the distractions and errors that I make, but that comes with time. Either way, I'm going to take my wins and losses with an even keel.
Know this, however, I'm going to push my edges when the situation warrants and I feel I am ahead. Sometimes I will be wrong, but still beat you. Sometimes I will be right and still lose. Either way, I will remain even keel. When I do win those hands, though, it's on. I've got a lot to learn about poker, but I'm not backing down in this lifetime.
posted by TripJax @ 2:41 PM,
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MTT's
Monday, December 18, 2006
I've been playing more of those 90 player double stack SNG's on Full Tilt lately and I really like them. The double stacks allow me to open up my game early and not worry if I drop some chips while trying to build my stack. Even with the double stacks, people are still finding a way to donk of all their chips with top pair weak kicker (or worse) and I'm more than happy to be the recipient when possible.
Ideally, I would like to get to where I am playing the $50 buy-in, double stack 90 player 6 max SNG's on a regular basis. I just get the feeling those are a gold mine, and would allow me to play a short handed game which I love. We'll see if I can build the roll up enough to feel comfortable playing those regularly.
My wins and cashes in MTT's pale in comparison to some of our fellow broggers, but over time I know I can get to a point where I am happy with my game and reaping the rewards.
I've been trying to find a strategy with MTT's that I feel most comfortable with. I used to wander through MTT's always finding myself at or near the bubble needing a double up just to stay alive. I would usually bust on the bubble or barely make it into the money. Early on I was proud that I could make it in the money, but it doesn't take long to realize this is no way to be a profitable poker player. While it is great to get your money back when playing an MTT, do you really want to spend 3 - 8 hours of your life to win 1.5 - 3 times your buy-in? Me no think so.
The above duly noted, over the last year I've really tried to find my comfort zone and I'm finally coming into my own. I still have a ways to go before I feel completely comfortable with my actions, but it will come with time. I'm starting to get the hang of the small to mid-size MTT's with a few hundred people, but my strategy for the big honking MTT's with 1000+ people still needs work.
I'm not exactly happy with the level of buy-in that I'm currently at, but it is my own fault. I'd love to say that I've never withdrawn any money and I've built my game up to humongous levels, but I've just not been that type of poker player these last few years. I play when I want to play and enjoy when I do play. When I do win, I often find ways to use that money to help my family. I like to think of it as payback for them putting up with me and my little hobby. Does it cost me in the long run? Probably. Will I lose sleep over it? Nope. Hopefully I'll get to a point where I can build the roll and still let some seep out to the family, while still increasing my buy-ins over time.
Regarding the strategy I mentioned above that I'm trying to work on. It's not like what I'm doing is anything fantazmic. We've probably all seen or read about it in one book or another, but here is basically what I'm doing.
Early stages - I'm trying to limp into a lot of pots with hands that can double me up if I hit the board hard. I do choose my spots carefully, keeping position in mind. Still, I want to take advantage of the TPTK and TPWK monkeys who want to hand me their chips.
Middle stages - At this point I've usually doubled my stack or ready to get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. I'm not going to sit around and find myself with a tiny M that won't scare anyone off. If I'm getting low, here is a rule of thumb I like to live or die by. If my stack is half the average, I know I need to get real active and get some chips or it will be too late. If I can double up and be at or above the average, then I'll feel better about my chances of survival. I'd be interested to know what others think about this.
Near the bubble - This is where my game has improved dramatically the last few months. If the early and middle stages have gone well, then I am eating up the table right now. I'm raising and re-raising anytime I can sense weakness. I couldn't care less what my cards are at this point. If I can take down 3 or 4 of the blinds pre-flop every orbit, then I don't mind the occasional time that someone raises me. And if they call, I can usually wield the big stack enough to scare them off the hand. If I'm raised I have my answer and can fold and still have plenty of chips. This is usually the stage that I'm doing the most exploiting. This is the stage that I'm really not worried about what two cards I have as much as I am taking advantage of the other players weaknesses. This is my favorite stage of the tourney.
In The Money - Once the bubble has burst I am pretty open to whatever comes my way. Usually this is where people start getting all-in happy. They are so ecstatic about making 1.5 times the buy-in that they just start getting it all-in. Granted, sometimes the situation warrants an all-in fest, but it is usually because their stack has deteriorated while they've been trying to hang on until the money.
At this point, I'm hoping I can find some hands to chip up, but if not I'm okay with letting other folks eliminate each other. I would like to stay near the top of the pack in chips, so I want to get in the action when I can, but am not willing to donk it up just to eliminate a baby stack. Of course, if the pot odds or situation warrant a call, I'm in there like swimwear. Please forget I ever wrote that last sentence.
Near the final table - This is where I really want to take over the action again. I'm hoping for a monster so I can really build up my chips again, but I'm happy to just steal blinds. The beauty of this is when you are stealing blinds, eventually you will probably wake up with a big hand. If you just raise it up as usual, you will often find someone fed up who will push with a mediocre hand. This is just another great situation to build your stack.
Often people will get real tight in hopes they can final table an MTT, but I know that the real money doesn't come until probably 1st – 3rd place. Much like the money bubble earlier, I want to take advantage of the tightness of the table and the situation at hand. This is where the table gets to be shorthanded and it is much easier to take down blinds and antes or get into a hand where you can take a monster chip lead going into the final table.
Final table - This is where I go back into a similar phase to the "In The Money" phase listed above. Again, there are a few short stacks that have to get it all-in and if I can, I will try and take them out. If not, I'm happy to sit back and let things happen around me. With each elimination, it's like money in the bank.
Depending on the type of tournament, final tables can have plenty of hands and play or the blinds could be so high that all-in action is the norm. At this point, I'm just looking to take any advantage that will put me in a situation to win the tournament. Hopefully I am chip leader at this point, but if not, I'm trying to find my way there.
I've wanted to get the above scenario out of my head so I can continue to work on it and find the mold that fits me best. Chime in if you have any thoughts. Of course, some of the situations above vary depending on the type and size of the tournament, but I consider that a work in progress.
Things have been rather busy for me at home and work, so apologies for the lack of posts lately. I don't expect it to get any better through the rest of the year. The little time I have to jump on the computer is usually spent playing some poker and I just haven't had time at work to slap up a quick post.
That said, hopefully I'll be able to put a post or two up this week.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 11:15 AM,
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A Little Poker...A Little Win...
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Barely one week ago I advised of my intentions to take a break from poker during the month of December. Well all I can say right now is damn that sweet temptress poker. She snuck into my head last night and forced me to play some pokery goodness on Full Tilt.Today is my sons birthday and I've taken the day off to build one of his gifts (a bunkbed) and spend the day with him when he gets out of school. That said, any day off for me usually means poker the night before. Having cashed out a while back, I slipped $55 into my account with intentions to play five $10+$1 SNG's or go broke trying.
The go broke trying was looking to be the theme early on as I couldn't catch a break in my first 2 SNG's. I was all-in both times with well the best of it, but we know how that can go. Only two SNG's in - and unceremoniously out - I was in need for a change. I decided to go for a $10, 90 player MTT. Something was calling me to it, so I listened. Unfortunately, it was taking forever to fill up the tournament, so I opted for the $5 buy-in, which was almost full.
A few hours later, I won the damn thing. I don't know what it is lately, but my MTT game feels solid. I absolutely destroyed that tournament. Down to 45 players, I had nearly 50k in chips with the next closest barely at 20k. The bubble lasted over 30 minutes and I took full advantage raising and re-raising when the situation felt right (which was almost every hand). I even took it easy on one ultra small stack to make the bubble last a little longer. That pissed a few players off, but ultimately helped me build my stack from 50k to 85k in the process.
By the time we were at the final table, I was over 100k with the next closest player having 40k. By the time we were down to 5, I had nearly 200k. Heads-up it was 230k to 40k. It was just big stack poker at its best. Man do I love playing that type of game.
The win was 1/10th the size of my last MTT win from a few weeks ago, but it still felt nice to take down a tournament with 90 players. Looks like I'll be at the Mookie this week.
Before I go, I just want to give a huge Happy Birthday to my boy Jaxon who turns 6 today. He is my ultimate inspiration. I know he won't read this, but that is not the point.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAXON!
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 8:53 AM,
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Dial-A-Shout-Outs
Monday, December 11, 2006
Not making it to Vegas with the crew...Horrible.
Doing Dial-A-Shots with GCox, Iggy, and Al...Hawesome.
I was out drinking on Friday night, and attempted to call GCox and Falstaff. Apparently I called G's home number and can only fathom what nonsense I was spewing on the Cox voice mail. Thankfully, MrsGCox25 relayed the message to G. I ended up missing a number of calls from G over the next 24 hours, but on Sunday afternoon, we were able to connect. Nothing like downing a shot of Vodka on a Sunday afternoon with the fellas listed above. I believe there were others on the speakerphone during the shot, but there was too much going on to tell who else was involved.
As for Falstaff, I could never tell if I made an actual connection, but I never recall hearing a voice mail. The bar was so loud I was having trouble doing anything but sit in one place. Who am I kidding, it wasn't the noise, it was the alcamahol. Maybe Falstaff was part of the crew for the Sunday Dial-A-Shot. If not, we'll just have to do it again some other time.
Wish I had more to write about, but time is money and I have neither. I'm still writing my story, but I'm not ready to post chapter two yet. Hopefully soon. Oh, before I forget, congrats to Jordan who made a valiant effort in a WSOP circuit event (but didn't cash), then followed that up with a 4th place finish in a $65 buy-in tournament. I think he took home nearly 1k for his efforts. Both online and live, J has been lighting up the felt lately. Fushizzle.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 10:18 AM,
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If Only I Had A Game Room
Saturday, December 09, 2006
I've always wanted to have a house with a basement or a game room. Ideally I would put a sweet ass poker table in the mix. If/when I get my dream room, I now have a place to do my poker table shopping. And I can do the shopping on my couch. Damn I love the internet.
What the hell am I talking about you ask? A few days ago I received a Review Me request to review Cardroom Supply, Inc. I accepted the offer and here we are slap dab in the middle of my review of Cardroom Supply, Inc.
After perusing the site, I found a ton of tables available with shipping same or next day. Also, with any purchase over $100, shipping is free. Considering the size and weight of some tables, that is an awesome perk. If I had my druthers, I'd pwn this table.
The company uses the Yahoo! Store platform and they have easy payment options, including PayPal. I thought that was pretty cool. They've been in business since 2003, which is pretty damn good for an online store.
With Christmas around the corner, if you have any folks on your list in need of poker supplies, you might want to check out Cardroom Supply, Inc. Though they specialize in tables, they actually have all kinds of other gaming related products.
The prices seem to be in line with the quality of the product. Some of the tables are way out of my price range (including the one I linked to above), but maybe down the road I'll be able to swing it. Still, with the free shipping, you are definitely saving some cash by shopping with them. Check'em out if you get second.
I do have one suggestion for the site. They need a catchy phrase to go with their name. Something like, "Your One Stop Poker Shop." That's just my two cents.
The preceding was a Sponsored Post by TripJax for Cardroom Supply, Inc.
posted by TripJax @ 7:56 PM,
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Blog Spotlight: Poker4Peace
Thursday, December 07, 2006
It's been way too long since I did a Blog Spotlight. My apoligies to SlimeFace on two fronts. First, I'm writing this late in the day and some people who read at work may miss out on it. Second, I'm writing it just before many, many broggers head out to Vega$ (myself not included) so they will miss out on it too. Still, I needed some material and Slimeface's most recent brog post over at his brog, Poker4Peace, really hit home.
Slimeface is a trucker with over 30 years experience. He digs on the pokah and loves him some life on the road. He's been a reader of this here brog for a while and I've been reading him for quite a while as well. All good stuff I must say. Let's get back to what got me thinking about doing a Blog Spotlight on him though...
Check this out from his last post:
I am truly amazed everyday from what I learn from other people. There are
no certainties in life other than the fact we all will die one day but sometimes
I am so sure about my belief or understanding of something until I discover by
talking and listening to others that I have been mistaken. It's not always a
difference between right and wrong per se but there is much room in between for
contemplation and new ideas! Books are many and filled with great fountains of
knowledge but can not give us the same lessons of living we learn by interacting
with other people.
We can read all the poker blogs (see my roll for the best ones), read all
the poker books and study the game until the cowgirls come home but I still
believe the best course of improving one's game is to learn more about people in
general, not just at the tables but how people think and react. I have also
believed for years an ideal way to be successful at whatever you want to be
successful at is to be around other people who are succeeding or have been
successful at what it is you are trying to accomplish.
I am fortunate to have had an occupation where I come in contact with new
faces and personalities often. I do make a conscious effort to learn something
new from a friend or stranger everyday. In this way I feel I am improving my
long term game. I do not worry about short term results no more than I worry
about how much I won or lost on any given day.
One of the reasons I love this game of poker so much is because of the luck
factor. If the luck factor was not such a big part of the game it would be more
like playing chess, and I suck at chess. I don't mean I think I am lucky... I
speaking of the different personalities and the common thought processes of the
people who play the game. That's the kicker that keeps me returning for another
hand.
Well damn, I was only going to highlight a portion of the post, but it wasn't a very long post, so I threw the whole thing up. Still, so many of his words ring true. Be sure to go visit him if you never have, and be sure to add him to your brogroll. Peace.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
Previous Blog Spotlights:
Poking and Peaking
Iakaris
CCExplore
9 2 Offsuit
Will Wonka
O-Poker
Sir Waffles
posted by TripJax @ 4:43 PM,
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The Tempest, Chapter One
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
As I briefly mentioned yesterday, I've decided to write a story. I don't know if it will be a short story or not, but we'll see. I started a new blog solely for my creative writings, but I figured I would post the first chapter here as well to kick things off. The journey begins here, but the story is far from complete in my head. I have no idea where Chapter Two will lead, which is rather exciting for me. As Dan Eldon wrote in his memoirs, The Journey Is The Destination. Let's light this candle.
The Tempest
It was a first for me, waking up unaware of my surroundings. The stiff mattress and paper thin sheets meant I was definitely not in my bed. The cold, stale air further confirmed I was not in my apartment. As I slowly opened my eyes, I could feel a pain throughout my body I had never experienced before. It had never hurt to simply open my eyes. Another first for me.
It took a moment, but once my eyes adjusted to the glaring white light, I was able to make out my surroundings. I was in a hospital room. With the pain I was in, I was relieved to find I was apparently being cared for. Still, I wasn't sure why I was there. The room was a basic hospital room. White walls, a wall mounted television and a reclining chair for visitors. I had no visitors, which didn't help clue me in on when and how I ended up in this dreadful place.
It didn't take long to realize what had most likely woken me from my sleep. An incessant beeping noise quickly drew my attention away from the pain. Like a Chinese torture technique, the constant beeping was maddening. After a moment of surveying the room, I found the beeps source. My injuries, whatever they were, required an IV. And that IV was empty, causing the machine to alert the hospital staff. This was good and bad. Bad that I was obviously injured and required IV treatment. Good that it was empty and I would hopefully see a nurse soon. It was clear I needed a new fluid bag, but more importantly I needed answers.
After what felt like an eternity of tormenting beeps, a middle-aged, portly nurse finally entered the room. To my surprise, with the door left cracked open, I could see a police officer guarding my room. What the hell had happened to me that would require an on guard police officer? Without any introduction, and with little expression, the nurse said, "I'll go ahead and change your IV, but you have visitors that would like to speak with you now that you're awake."
She obviously had changed many an IV bag in her day as she finished much quicker than I expected. I hadn't even said a word before she started for the door. I was met with excruciating pain as I attempted to sit up. "Wait!," I grumbled in agony before she exited the room. "How did I get here?" I asked. "Your questions will be answered soon enough", she rattled off with little emotion. Perplexed at her lack of empathy for my painful situation, I attempted one last question before she made her way. "Why on earth would I need police protection?", I asked. As she slowly opened the door, as if to carefully think before answering, she turned and muttered, "they're not here to protect you, they're here to arrest you."
Yes, I was in for a lot of firsts today. Whatever day it was.
posted by TripJax @ 9:48 AM,
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Jax~ta~pose
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
If you write a post, but no one is around to read it, did it really ever happen in the first place? These are the ridiculous questions I will be asking myself as others are preparing for Vega$, thus not reading this here brog. I am happy to report, my dial-a-shot list for Friday or Saturday night is growing, so if you're going to Vega$ and interested in dropping a shot with me, shoot me a comment.
Last night I made a decision that I hope I can stick with. I plan to take a break from online poker for as long as possible during the month of December. Rather than hit the virtual tables, I plan to focus on family and Christmas stuff, playing live poker and writing a short story/book. The family stuff and live poker are pretty basic, but the last item bears repeating. I'm going to do something I have never done before. Attempt to write a story.
Sure I pump out drivel here on a regular basis, but it is all craptastic random shit that floats around in my noggin'. There is really no thought process when pounding out post after post here. I just think it then right it. See, I just thought that last sentence, and then typed it in. With a short story or book(ish), I really want to try to think of something interesting to write about and pound it out accordingly.
It's sad to say, but I don't know that I've ever written an actual story in my life. I wrote papers during school, but those were forced projects. The idea of writing something because I want to is new to me (again this brog excluded). The idea really came from everyone discussing the Nano whatever it is thingy that attempts to get the masses to write a book in one month. I didn't want that kind of pressure in my 1st attempt at writing so I decided to sit back and let the story come to me before I started.
I've got the idea for a story in my head, though it is still slowly forming. I hope to have the 1st chapter completed by tomorrow so I can post it. I want to get the 1st chapter written and online so I can see that it is possible for me to begin a project that I set out to accomplish. I don't know if I'll post following chapters until it starts to build up, but we'll see.
Because the world doesn't have enough blogs out there, I decided to start another blog, Jax~ta~pose, solely for my stories. The name is a jaxstardized version of the word juxtapose. See I just jaxified the word bastardized. I have a habit of doing shit like that. Sue me.
So the story begins. To be determined if my story telling is as bad as my blog writing!
posted by TripJax @ 5:18 PM,
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Steely Damn
Monday, December 04, 2006
You may have noticed over the last few months that I have not been all giddy at this here brog about the upcoming brogger event. I've avoided writing anything about it here because I won't be able to make the jaunt to Vegas this time around. This is a pretty busy month for us, so it always ends up being difficult to plan any get-a-ways in December.
This weekend happens to be KidJax's birthday party, which is just one of the numerous reasons for staying home. We are having the party at the Natural Science Center because he loves that place. He's sort of a Dinosaur freak, so it makes sense for us to do it there. We bought him a bunk bed and he will absolutely bug out when he sees it. We are going to put it together while he is out of the house, so when he comes home it will be a complete surprise. I can't wait to see the look on his face.
The look on my face when buying the bunk bed was sweet as well. From renting out the space for his birthday, to every gift we've bought, I've kept a constant grin on my face. Everything has been paid for by poker winnings or bonuses. I just love when I'm able to do things like that because of this little poker hobby. Suh-weeet.
The following was a conversation we had while partying at a friends house this weekend...
Buddy #1: Looks like the music stopped. I'm going to put in another CD.
Me: Keep it up beat so we don't fall asleep.
Buddy #1: (After shuffling through a ton of CD's) The only name I recognized was Steely Dan, so we'll go with that.
Buddy #2: (After listening to the first few songs) Damn man, this shit is like Nyquil on CD. Side effects may include drowsiness and nausea.
Me: (In my best subdued TV pharmaceutical ad voice) Ask your Doctor if Steely Dan is right for you.
Stories are never as funny as they are in the moment, but we laughed about that one for a while, so I figured I would memorialize it here.
Another quick story while I'm at it. Thanksgiving night in Greensboro is usually a great night to go out on the town. Old friends are usually in town visiting family, but ready to get out of the house at night. This makes for prime partyin'. On Thanksgiving night we decided to have folks over at our house for more food and plenty of drinks.
With numerous families involved, there were some kids in tow, but they were keeping busy playing in KidJax's room. Eventually, everyone decided we should go out to the bars. I offered to call it a night and stay home with the kids so everyone else could go out. ChickJax, however, was adamant about me going out since most of our visitors were my high school buddies. In the end, ChickJax and one of her/our best friends stayed home with the kids. To protect the innocent, we'll just call our friend Allison.
Not long after, we hit out favorite watering hole, The Speak Easy Tavern. We had been there for a couple of hours, getting lit, when one of my buddies came over to me. "Dude, your wife just called and they are coming to the bar. She said something about bringing the baby monitor." Lit up or not I, of course, went into Daddy mode. WTF were they thinking??!! They couldn't be serious right? I tried to call my wife, but was getting no answer. I was still a little bit out of it from the booze, but was quickly sobering up.
After a few minutes of thinking the situation over, I decided to go to the bathroom, then give ChickJax another call. This would give me a moment to reflect. As I was walking through the bar towards the bathroom, I see ChickJax and Allison walking towards me from the front entrance. Allison, while entering the bar, pulled the baby monitor out of her purse and yelled, "Does anyone know where I can plug this baby monitor in?"
They proceed to walk over to me and the following conversation ensued:
Me: What the fuck?
ChickJax: We've got a problem, the batteries just died in the baby monitor.
Me: Um, yeah, that's not the problem here ladies.
Allison: Don't worry, we left (Allison's Daughter's Name) in charge. I know she is only 6, but she is really smart and can handle things. She is in advanced kindergarten class, so she can handle it.
Me: Ya'll better be fucking kidding. I'm going home.
ChickJax/Allison: (After a moment of keeping me on edge) "BUSTED!"
So in the end it was all just a joke. We all got a kick out of it, but damn I really was busted (I think the kids these days call it "punked"). I knew better than to think ChickJax or Allison would ever do anything like that. They are both incredible Moms and the whole scenario just didn't add up. As the story eventually unfolded, I finally got to hear what happened. My Sister-In-Law had been at our house earlier in the night while we were all still there, but had eventually gone to her boyfriend's house and let her son stay with all the kids to play since we were taking care of them.
After we had gone to the bars, she eventually came back to the house to hang out with ChickJax and Allison. While sitting around the house, ChickJax and Allison had been jokingly hatching their little baby monitor scheme, but never expected to have the chance to use it. When my Sister-In-Law showed up, she said she would watch the kids so that they could go to the bar and play their little prank.
The funniest part about it all is my Sister-In-Law is a social worker and has to deal with child endangerment cases all the time. Having to deal with real life issues all the time, she finally happy to help her Brother-In-Law get "punked" in this fashion.
ChickJax, Allison and Sister-In-Law are on my shit list. I can't wait to get them back somehow.
posted by TripJax @ 2:53 PM,
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Friday Fumble
Friday, December 01, 2006
For every nice tourney win you inevitably have these...
I worked my tail off in this tourney. I recognized only 2 players made the next level in this thing and I played the tourney exactly how I wanted to. I controlled the action at the final table almost to a T. I was the chip leader most of the final 5, but when we got down to 3, I missed a step. My fatal mistake was calling an all-in bet with K high when I felt I was ahead. I was only against A rag (I think), but inevitably I lost the hand. I never recovered.
Frustrating to work many hours in a tourney and have nothing to show for it, but I really shouldn't that way about this. I gained some serious short handed knowledge from this action tonight. I feel like every day I'm starting to come into my own with MTT's (I write this after nearly 4 years of playing them).
I'm starting to find a comfort level that I want to focus on in 2007. The $20 - $100 tourneys that draw around 50 - 200 people are very juicy and can be pwned. I think that's where I will focus my efforts over the long haul.
The players at this final table were capital folks. Nary an asshole in the bunch. It felt like I was at a blogger table. I even invited them to visit this blog so they could play in the blogger tourneys (something I've never done). We'll see if any of them comment or end up at a tourney.
This was a rare *weekend* post from me. It sucked, but soak it up
posted by TripJax @ 11:25 PM,
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