Posted by Johnnymac 12:27 PM



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Posted by Johnnymac 5:54 PM


Apparently this Diet Pepsi as been on for a while but I just caught it as I was catching up on some old TV from last week. I thought it was pretty funny, but some online research led me to this:

PEPSI'S POKER AD DOOMS FAD

March 19, 2006 -- It's official: Poker has jumped the shark.
The once white-hot gambling fad sailed right past ubiquity into sellout-infested waters with a Diet Pepsi commercial currently in rotation featuring professional players Daniel Negreanu, Scott Nguyen and Phil Hellmuth losing to a sweating cola can.

"Poker was a real underground trend, but now it has become so commercialized that the game's lost the gritty flavor that made it attractive," said Ryan Berger, Euro RSCG's creative director of buzz.

Not unlike the major record labels' bum rush to sign alternative bands after Nirvana blew up, or department stores glomming onto the latest downtown fashion trends, once underground movements gain mass acceptance, it typically signifies the beginning of the end.

Well, lemmee see, on the one hand I kind of like this news, because I liked playing poker back when it was something no one else did and now it's just seems like I'm part of the fad, too. For this reason I don't like to talk about it in public (this blog notwithstanding) and sometimes I hide the fact that I play. But on the other hand, the MGM didn't used to have the nicest poker room to play No Limit Holdem in Vegas and now it does. In fact, it didn't have a room at all and that didn't really matter because you couldn't find No Limit anything anywhere anyway. Things have improved tremendously, especially when it comes to the availbility of games.

Another thing is that as Fro and I were discussing on the phone earlier this week, there are no more newbie fish out there - the guys who were getting their asses kicked two or three years ago have either quit playing or have improved. Getting your ass kicked does that to you, and, as Fro himself said, all of those guys have read at least one poker book by now. I can think of a lot of examples of these types of guys and in fact, two of them play regularly at my house: my buddy JR and his friend Mr Compton.

So I am torn. But the ad is still pretty funny, no matter what it supposedly portends.


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Posted by Johnnymac 9:10 PM
Pictures from the trip to France are here. We were happy to get out before the protests and riots scheduled for this week. We didn't see any of the smaller demonstrations last week, either, but there were cops on every street corner and we saw quite a few processions of vans full of police armed with automatic weapons. It was a little unsettling.

As far as the pictures go, we spent the whole week in Paris except for Thursday when we took a train outside of the city to Versailles and toured the palace there. Mostly Mrs Johnnymac and I slept in until 10:30 or so every morning (it truly was vacation) before going out for sightseeing and lunch. Then we usually went back to the hotel and watched the awesome French game shows on TV and napped before going out for a late dinner. The food and the wine were excellent - of the entire week we only had one bad meal and that was the place across the street from the hotel that we tried just because it was convenient.

On the way home it was unusually clear almost the entire way back to Houston once we crossed over Britain and Ireland, so I snapped a few pictures out of the window as we passed over some interesting things. One of the coolest things we passed over was the Mackinac Straits with the Mackinac bridge faintly in the distance. I found a picture of what it probably looked like from the ground as we passed overhead:



It was striking how much greener things got as we traveled further and further south. In France it was almost-not-quite-but-soon-to-be Spring while we were there. It was pretty much cold and wet all week but plants were just beginning to poke out of the bare ground in the flower beds and the trees were all budding and ready to open up very soon. Contrast that with some of the pictures from Quebec and Ontario where it is certainly still winter and with the weather in Houston where almost summertime in my front yard right now:

[Image removed by request of Mrs Johnnymac. Also, despire what you might think, that is not her in any of the Paris photos (link also removed). That is some random French woman who looks a lot like my wife, even right down to the Oklahoma accent. ;-) ]

As far as poker goes, the Aviation Club (once home to Isabelle Mercier) was not very far from our hotel and we walked past it a couple of times, but I never made it inside. It was pretty cool to see, though, and the guys at the front desk said that it was a fairly popular destination for many guests at the hotel.

Pretty cool, I say.


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Posted by Johnnymac 7:40 PM
So the Final Four is set. Two weeks ago, a lot of the talk was that George Mason didn't even belong in the tournament because Hofstra has beaten them three times and deserved to be there instead. Well.

I am sure this point will be made, but it's kind of hard to believe that there is no team from any of the traditional basketball conferences: the ACC, Big 10, Big XXII, Big East, and Atlantic 10 all got left out. UCLA is the only familiar name. Well.


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Posted by Johnnymac 7:17 PM
Nous avons retourné de Paris!

Well, I'm back. Mrs Johnnymac and I just got home after a week's vacation in France. We had a great time and I have some good pictures from the trip that I want to share as soon as I get a chance.


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Posted by Junelli 6:52 PM
As most of you know in October I lost a $12,000 pot with AA against K2. Last week I lost a $2,000 pot with AA against 44. Last night, I lost a $400 pot with AA against K3

About a month ago on High Stakes Poker, Barry Greenstein lost a $160,000 pot with AA against Sammy Farha's KK.

On Monday's episode of High Stakes Poker, Antonio Esfandiari lost the biggest pot of his life ($210,000) with AA against JJ and TT.

It's got me thinking....

What in the hell is AA good for??

Best I can tell, it's good for winning small pots or losing enormous ones.

I hate it.


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Posted by Dr Fro 6:49 PM
From the mailbag:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To: Doctor Fro

From: Brodie

Date: March 20, 2006

Subject: Hand Analysis

I am in the BB and see a flop for free with Q 7 offsuit. Flop comes down Q7X, with 2 hearts. I bet $20 into a $15 pot, "Bubba" raises to $50 and a third player folds. At this point I put him on something like a flush draw or a Q with a good kicker. I don’t put him on a set because I think he would slow-play it, but I could be wrong. He is known for betting on the come. Turn is a non-heart A, and we both check. River is a heart, and I bet $60, and Bubba raises me the minimum. Last time I bet into Bubba out of position with a scary board and he raised me, he had the goods (a boat that time against my two pair). I laid it down because my two pair were very vulnerable and because of his prior actions against me.

Take me thru this hand the way you would have played it or the best way to have played it. I am terrible at playing hands out of the blinds and hate to get in too deep because of lack of position.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Since he didn't bet pre-flop, I'll immediately rule out QQ...

On the flop: I'd do the same as you did, betting $20. When he raised, I would put most anybody on a set, but Bubba loves to raise on the come. I'd call.

On the turn: I'd take the same tact here and bet. If he is on the draw, he'll probably call. If he re-raises on this street, this would be the only time I'd consider laying down to the possible set. I could make an argument for a lot of ways to play this turn, and when you are out of position, it is really hard to figure out what is right. Although I don't consider your check ideal, I don't think it is all that wrong either. You certainly found out he was on a draw with the way you played it and that information is valuable.

On the river: Assuming the previous streets played out the way they did (and not as I say above), I would definitely check. At this point he really really looks like he has a flush (why else would he check the turn?). If he bets, you would likely fold unless it is quite cheap. Given the previous decisions made, you were probably right to lay down on the end, as that just screams "made flush". But I would never have bet the river in the first place. What could he possibly hold that would call and lose?

In summary, you flopped top two pair and feel like you should get paid off. But it is a crappy top two pair and you are out of position, so you are really not in a very good situation from the get-go. I think the overall strategy is to
1) bet in a manner to feel out if your opponent is going for a flush.
2) if he does NOT have a flush draw then you must assume you are behind to the set and that if you boat up, you will have a higher boat than he and will get paid off wildly. The 84% of the time you don't make a boat, you either lose the hand or win very little. In other words, you are basically on a draw (to the boat). Play accordingly after the feeler bet.

3) If he is on the flush draw, the worst thing to do is to bet when the flush is made.

-DF

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Posted by Dr Fro 10:15 AM
I have been quite busy running my basketball pool, and that has kept me away from the poker table and this blog. On the radio today they made the point that hearing somebody talk about "their bracket" is as uninteresting as their bad beat stories and hearing about their fantasy football team, and I thought of that oft made point here. Personally, I find "bracket stories" more tolerable, perhaps because they are always very short (e.g. "dude, that Kansas game killed my bracket")

But some bad beat stories actually are interesting, including the one in a recent post on HornFans. The situation involves folding AA pre-flop. I would never fold AA pre-flop in a cash game. I would rarely fold AA in a tournament, but I do agree with the sentiment at the bottom of the post that there are situations where folding AA is the right move:

I know, it would be an unbelievable feeling to fold AA preflop, and there are VERY few scenarios where it would be correct, almost all of which concern satellite tourneys where everyone is playign for the same prize. For example in Bill's tourney there is no advantage to finishing 1st instead of 2nd. Same prize. Here is one scenario where it would CERTAINLY be correct. You have 1 million chips in teh BB. Blinds are 2000/4000. Five players left, two get seats. The otehr 4 stacks are 10000, 12000, 2000, and 1.5 million. If the guy with 1.5 million goes allin, you MUST fold AA. Why? The chances of you getting a seat if you fold are 99% plus. If you call, they are around 80%. You have to figure what your chances of winning a seat are if you fold, compared to (what they are if you call and win * your chance of winning the allin if you call). This doesn't apply to most any other tourney, and certainly not to cash games. But in satellites, you should sometimes fold AA in the endgame. One reason I love satellites is most people are clueless about proper strategy. Can't tell you how many times I've been in and there are 25 people left, 22 seats, and the 4th and 7th chipstacks go allin against each other. LMAO.

Doubling up has a marginal effect on your chances of winning the prize, but getting eliminated has an absolute effect. So why chance it?


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Posted by Johnnymac 10:25 AM
I have to give "tferg21" some credit. Two hands before this one I had filled up and slowplayed him into a trap and this time he was smart enough to recognize a pattern and get suspicious when I tried to do it again, even when he had made full house in the face of apparent weakness.

Very rarely in Omaha is it wise to keep giving free draws to your opponents, but flopping quads from the small blind is one of them: I had to hit the brakes and pray that someone caught a piece of the board for a lesser high hand (and that the lows would miss, too).

The T on the river was simply beautiful because it gave my opponent a reason to bet and it took away the low. He only called my reraise - 90% of the players in these microlimit games would have come back over the top and it would have become really bloody really quickly. Like I said, he played it well.


***************************************
PokerStars Game #4317621295: Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit ($0.01/$0.02) - 2006/03/17 - 11:19:09 (ET)
Table 'Deira II' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: sajebo1 ($5.06 in chips)
Seat 3: johnnymac96 ($2.01 in chips)
Seat 4: bobo1957 ($1.78 in chips)
Seat 5: tferg21 ($0.83 in chips)
Seat 6: BoarderLiner ($2.04 in chips)
Seat 7: the420 ($2.25 in chips)
Seat 8: chunkster2 ($2 in chips)
Seat 9: shawzee ($3.96 in chips)
johnnymac96: posts small blind $0.01
bobo1957: posts big blind $0.02
chunkster2: posts big blind $0.02
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to johnnymac96 [Qc Ks Ah Kd]
tferg21: calls $0.02
BoarderLiner: folds
the420: calls $0.02
chunkster2: checks
shawzee: calls $0.02
sajebo1: folds
johnnymac96: calls $0.01
bobo1957: checks
*** FLOP *** [4s Kh Kc]
johnnymac96: checks
bobo1957: checks
tferg21: checks
the420: checks
chunkster2: checks
shawzee: checks
*** TURN *** [4s Kh Kc] [3s]
johnnymac96: checks
bobo1957: checks
tferg21: checks
the420: checks
chunkster2: checks
shawzee: checks
*** RIVER *** [4s Kh Kc 3s] [Tc]
johnnymac96: bets $0.02
bobo1957: folds
tferg21: raises $0.04 to $0.06
the420: folds
chunkster2: folds
shawzee: folds
johnnymac96: raises $0.24 to $0.30
tferg21: calls $0.24
*** SHOW DOWN ***
johnnymac96: shows [Qc Ks Ah Kd] (HI: four of a kind, Kings)
tferg21: shows [Td Ts Jc 9s] (HI: a full house, Tens full of Kings)
johnnymac96 collected $0.72 from pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $0.72 | Rake $0
Board [4s Kh Kc 3s Tc]
Seat 2: sajebo1 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: johnnymac96 (small blind) showed [Qc Ks Ah Kd] and won ($0.72) with HI: four of a kind, Kings
Seat 4: bobo1957 (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 5: tferg21 showed [Td Ts Jc 9s] and lost with HI: a full house, Tens full of Kings
Seat 6: BoarderLiner folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: the420 folded on the River
Seat 8: chunkster2 folded on the River
Seat 9: shawzee folded on the River


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Posted by Johnnymac 12:04 AM
I finally caught High Stakes Poker off of the Tivo tonight and I have to say that Fro is right on both counts: it is the best poker show on television and the production value is freakin' terrible. Three years ago I probably would have been pissed if I knew this was on TV and educating the WPT masses because this is absolutely how it really works, relative to made-for-TV tournaments.

Of course nowadays there aren't many WPT idiots left because they're either broke and don't play anymore or they have learned to play better and aren't idiots so this show won't make much of a difference either way. I second Fro's recommendation.


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Posted by Junelli 2:43 PM
2 Monster Hands

I was playing in an extremely live $5-$5 NL game. By "live" I mean the game was about as juicy as it could get. Lots of action, constant flow of new money and players, and players with serious weaknesses that are visible immediately. At this table, raising and re-raising is common and I've noticed a tendency for players to overvalue their hands, and in turn, being unwilling to let them go.

Such situations are ripe for trapping with weird holdings.

I am dealt 2d 4d in the BB. An early position ("EP") player raises to $25 straight. A raise for this amount was very common, and had no hopes of driving people out. Over the past 2-3 hours, I'd noticed that a $25 raise might as well have been a limp. A $35 raise was a little more standard. And a $45-$50 raise meant serious business.

Anyway, the EP player makes it $25 straight, and he is called by 4 people. I smooth call from the BB, and the pot is $130 before the flop. The flop comes 247, and I'm first to act.

I decide not to trap here, because I have a pretty good feeling the EP (who is directly behind me) is strong, and will likely call/raise thereby generating more action for me.

My strategy works out perfectly:
I lead out and bet $100 on the flop. The preflop raiser, moves all-in for $240. And another player smooth calls the $240. I move all-in for $675 (a re-raise of $435). The smooth-caller is disgusted that he called the $240, and now has to call $435 more. I of course, and delighted becuase I feel very good about having the best hand.

And since I'm all-in I get to take insurance to protect my 2 pair.

He reluctantly calls, and the main pot is about $850. The sidepot is $870.

We flip our cards up and they hold exactly what I thought: two overpairs. AA and 88. I have 14 outs against me (88, AA, 777 twice). This place only allows insurance after the turn, so I can't take it yet. However, I strike a deal for the sidepot and give up $150, locking up the rest.

The turn is a 2, and I have a full house. This card eliminates the outs for 7 or a running pair. Now I have 4 outs against me. I insure it and give up an additional $80.

The river is a blank and I win a huge pot.

===============

The next hand I had KK UTG. I limped in for $5 fully expecting someone to raise. If it was raised I planned to re-raise significantly. Of course, wouldn't you know it? 8 people limp in.

Oh well, so much for this hand. I take the flop ready to fold.

But wait, the flop is K9T. I have top set. I check. Wouldn't you know it? All 8 players check.

The turn is a 7, and I lead out for $30 (about the size of the pot). 1 caller, and another (weak) player raises to $75. It's folded around to me, and I reraise it $150 more (making it $225 straight).

He moves all in for $490.

I'm pretty sure he has me beat. He is very confident and seems like he wants me to call.

I'm in the tank for at least 3 minutes, but ultimately decide to call for several reasons:

1. There are only 2 hands that can beat me. 68 or QJ (for the straight). Although it's entirely possible that he could be holding either of those hands, it's also entirely possible that he could make that same move with AK, or any combination of 2 pair. He is not a very good player, and I can't be certain he already has the straight.

2. I've already invested $230. It's only $265 more to win a $785 pot.

3. Even if he has the straight, I still have 10 outs (K, 999, TTT, 777) to make a full house.

4. And it's very difficult to lay down top set.

I call and he turns up QJ (the nuts). We make a deal, and I take $200 out. We deal the river twice, and I get no help.

Oh well. Misplayed from the start. I deserved that one...

Now what was I saying about fish who "overvalue their hands, and won't let them go?"


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Posted by Johnnymac 11:44 AM
Oh, the irony.


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Posted by Dr Fro 8:13 PM
If you like the Simpsons, you should like this.


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Posted by Dr Fro 11:17 PM
Without a doubt, my favorite poker show is High Stakes Poker on GSN. If you haven't seen it, set your Tivo and catch up. There have been about 6 or 7 episodes to date. The production quality is horrible. The announcers are worse. Even the microphones suck - you rarely can figure out what is going on when they argue with each other. But the poker is magnificent. As a guy that strongly prefers to play in cash games over tournaments, I strongly prefer to watch cash games on TV than to watch tournaments on TV.

Like most popular shows on television, the idea of poker on TV started in the UK (Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Weakest Link, Pop/American Idol, Big Brother, The Office...the list goes on). Always on the cutting edge, Channel Four had Late Night Poker. It was a cash game on TV featuring several pros, including the Hendon Mob.

When poker came to TV in the US, it was done, like most US shows, in the most over-the-top try-to-appeal-to-every-idiot-on-the-planet approach that we expect. So you get the WSOP where every minute they pan to 2 guys all-in agonizing over each street. That isn't poker. It is entertaining to people that don't play much poker. But poker it ain't.

So along comes High Stakes Poker. It has no flare. It is poorly produced. But damnit, it is real. And I find myself 100x more interested in this stupid show than any of its flashier competitors.

And that's all I got to say about that.

Last Sunday was the icing on a pretty crappy cake. I lost just as I had lost all weekend. All day Saturday I played (IMHO) good poker but just got beat. Sunday I mainly played good poker, but I can think of a few mistakes I made that still chaff my hide.

The first one is simple. In Omaha, I made Aces full of fives and when my opponent bet on the river, I knew he made Aces full of Kings. I should have laid down. I should have laid down. I should have laid down. But, I called his bet and declared, "I know you have AK and I am beat." Well, Retardo, if you knew you were beat, why did you call? Answer is, I was pissed off and didn't care about the relatively minor cost of the call. When you stop caring about the minor cost of the call, you should pack it up, because long-term success in poker is all about caring about the relatively minor cost of every decision you make.

The other mistakes are not as easy to describe in the short time I have between now and when I intend to go to bed, but they both come down to an incorrect read on a player. Junell would say that those aren't mistakes (while example #1 above he would say most definitely is a mistake) but are just the ugly side of an exercise in judgment. In other words, if I had a solid basis for my assumption, but I turned out to be wrong, I shouldn't beat myself up. Well, I think that what I am questioning here is how solid that basis really was. I am still working it through and if I have any enlightenment, I will surely post it.

Most of the night was my flopping top 2-pair and getting drawn out on the river in PL Omaha 8. You know, I have very little sympathy for people's bad beat stories. One (of many) reasons for that is that I don't have many bad beats. The reason for that is that I bet my balls off in NL HE and few people want to draw against me - they know it will be expensive.

PL Omaha 8 messes me up. First of all, being PL rather than NL, I can't bet as much. Second, with 4 cards rather than 2, my opponent often has enough outs to justify calling any pot-sized bet. Put this together and my biggest strength in NLHE (betting you the h--- out of my pot) is rendered powerless in PLO8.

And that's all I got to say about that


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Posted by Junelli 11:34 AM
Fro, it looks like Natalie Portman could've been in EBT!

The best line: "I want to drink and fight and f*** all night."







.

.


.


(1) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 12:53 PM





Check out Sports Illustrated this week. Wow.


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Posted by Johnnymac 9:42 AM
This post is an experiment. It has nothing to do with gambling (so perhaps it's oddly appropriate and all the other drivel here is off-topic...): I wonder how they collect the half-a-penny?

OK, I thought of a gambling application. Imagine, if you will, playing blackjack for 25 cents a hand. Yeah, that's the ticket. I am sure that some guy who owns a casino in Louisiana or Primm might be interested in acquiring that technology.


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Posted by Dr Fro 4:29 PM
They kicked me in the nuts and took my lunch money

We got to Winstar and had to wait 2 hours for a table. Those 2 hours were easily the 2 most profitable hours for me of the day. In the first 20 hands, I twice ended up all-in and heads up against KK (I had AK and AQ) to the same chick. Over 5.5 hours there, I ended up all-in and heads up against AA 4 times (I lost them all).

It was the tightest table I have seen in quite a while. Whenever I made a hand (which was rare), nobody would pay me off. I think the old guy next to me was just hoping the bad beat jackpot would hit because he certainly wasn't interested in playing any hands that were dealt to him.

So, the Winstar kicked my butt. It knocked me over the head and kicked me in the teeth. For good measure, it gave me a wedgie on the way out the door. It is a cool place though - only a 1.25 hour drive, clean, 30 tables of holdem, etc. I'll be back for sure. If you ever plan on going, either get there by 9 to get your name on the list or don't bother showing up until noon.

So, I did what I always do when I lose. I went out Saturday night to gamble more and win it all back. Saturday night was worse than Saturday day. Five more times I was all-in and heads-up against AA. That makes 9 on the day. Interestingly, I didn't take many "bad beats" during this whole stretch, I just kep getting very good hands when my opponents got incredibly good hands. Then I got AJ on the button and raised it to $20 to go. The BB went all in ($120). I made a read based on his earlier play and his running commentary and decided to call. He said, "Crap" and I felt that I made the right read. He had A3. I am not allowed to tell you how the hand ends without violating the "no bad beat story policy" on IAG. So, I lost even more on Saturday night. I licked my wounds all day, but alas, it is Sunday, so it's poker night. So, I will go and try to avoid the trifecta. Unfortunately, the stakes are exactly 1/10 of what I played last night, so even if I won every hand, I'd still be behind on the weekend.


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Posted by Dr Fro 8:07 AM
This is a great article. I like the fact that he made ARH's point from a few months ago:

The only negative? All the poker stories. It's bad enough reading them, even worse overhearing them. At McCarran Airport, some dude on his cellphone was recapping every major hand from the weekend, which is right up there with hearing someone bitch about his fantasy team. Wait, lemme guess, you had a great hand, it looked like you were going to win and then someone caught the winning card on the river? I can't believe it! That never happens!

Hopefully the fish he describes are at the Winstar today because that's where I'm headed. I am sure the trip report will be up here tomorrow.


(1) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 1:04 AM
I love the Onion, and it doesn't disappoint when it comes to Vince Young's test scores. That said, I almost want to say it's more pro-Vince than anti-Vince but really who care so long as it's funny?

The Wonderlic, a 12-minute, 50-question exam that evaluates a player's ability to learn on the job and solve complex problems, has become the centerpiece of the NFL scouting combine's player-evaluation process, especially at the quarterback position. Many teams, such as the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, all but ignore arm strength, field vision, attitude, and leadership ability, electing to use a player's Wonderlic score as the sole basis for choosing a quarterback on Draft Day.

"We originally thought quite highly of Young, who ran a seemingly complicated offense at Texas," said Houston Texans general manager Charley Casserly. "He had all the tools needed to score well on a standardized test in this league. Vince's completion percentage got higher every year, he was good at picking up the blitzes, and his ability to organize an audible at the line of scrimmage was unequaled in college ball. But his inability to answer story problems, diagram sentences, and solve simple geometric equations makes us wonder if he's really as smart on the field as he's been playing."

Texans scouts observing the Wonderlic test said Young obviously struggled throughout, often fixating on his primary answer, "A," and never checking down to the other options on any given question unless pressured, when he would almost always throw it up to "all of the above." Moreover, Young's awkward mechanics during the exam drew criticism from onlookers, as he instinctually reverted to a sidearm-style delivery that often resulted in the incomplete filling-in of circles...

Houston, the team with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, had been considering replacing quarterback David Carr with popular hometown hero Young. However, for all his problems on the field, Carr scored a 24 on his Wonderlic before being taken first overall in the 2002 draft.

"Let's face it—trading an untested 6 for a known 24 is a recipe for disaster," Casserly said. "If Vince Young can't tell us how many 29-cent loaves of bread can be purchased with the $3.49 in his pocket, how can we expect him to understand the two-minute drill—let alone his own quarterback rating?"

Texans owner Bob McNair was even more emphatic.

"Vince is definitely the sexy choice here," said McNair, who is reluctant to draft another "Wonderlic bust" such as 14-point-scoring washout Dan Marino. "He's a Houston native, he can make all the throws, has a great ability to see down the field, and there's no denying he brought the NCAA championship back to the great state of Texas. But at this club, we have high intellectual standards. We believe that the fans in Houston deserve someone who can at least match his jersey number on a problem-solving test."

Awesome.


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Posted by Junelli 5:58 PM
From the mailbag. I received this funny email today.

To: Junelli
From: Mme Remoleur
Re: Poker Table

=========================

Hello,
Iam french and I see your explication to built a table
could you translate for me these,Ispeak not very well.
Your dimensions are not the same in france
could you help me
thanks you very much
Mme Remoleur


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MSN Hotmail : créez votre adresse e-mail gratuite & à vie !


(1) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 8:30 AM
It's been a really good twelve months for me. Seeing the Astros in the World Series may have been a once in a lifetime experience. I got to go to Singapore, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. Work was 100x better for me than the previous year, and Jane got a job.

Going to the Ohio State game and seeing the Horns win was unbelievably exciting. I got to watch the Horns go undefeated and then I got to go to the Rose Bowl and see them beat (sarcasm alert) the greatest team of all time. I had an odd feeling after that game that - a sense of fulfilled hope. I felt a satisfaction that I really never had before in 33 years of watching sports. My friend Pat, who has gone to every game - home, away and neutral - for about 10 years said, "It is over. I'm done. No more. Let the bandwagon fans follow the Horns now, I need a nap." I wouldn't go to that extreme, but I would say that I felt an urge to move on.

Well, little did we know it, but there was a 3rd Friou at the game with us. This is good news because it means that what we paid per Friou to see the game is less than we thought. It is also good news because it means I am going to be a dad and Jane is going to be a mom.

My days of going to 9 or so games a year are done for a while. That is fine with me. This is a lot better and a lot more exciting. We don't know if we are having a "Rose Friou" or a 'Vince Friou" yet, and I can't say that I care. I am just really anxious for Sept 12 to get here. Here's a picture of RF/VF:

Pretty cool, huh?

(5) comments

Posted by Padilla 4:36 PM
I suppose nobody has any interest in discussing PJ Tucker's lack of an attention span. What's the over/under on the number of watches he receives in the mail this week.










43 points? The football team averaged more than that.


(3) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 10:17 PM
The U.S. may be kicking butt in the war on terror, but they are losing the war on internet gambling. Don't F with Antigua.


(0) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 3:57 PM
It is a fairly simple game and I cannot imagine how they could use it to fill an entire half-hour game show, but for a degenerate gambler like I am (and like many of you), this is like pure cocaine without the annoying money part. I can sit here and play this all day long for free: Deal or No Deal.


(6) comments

Posted by Junelli 1:06 PM
REPORT CONTINUED...

In the last few hours, there were periods were almost every pot was multiple-raised and Ivey was winning a large portion of those. Some, of course, were the result of Beal making a move, but Phil had the goods an extraordinarily high percentage of the time. When Andy had a big day against Jennifer Harman, she was playing (generally) the same style game as Phil, but she had periods where she was card dead and had no defense when Andy played back. It appeared Andy had enough to play back ... by Ivey had enough to win all these big showdowns.

That puts the group ahead about $6.6 million for the two days. The match is scheduled to continue tomorrow. (It appears Phil Ivey again and a 9 AM start at the same stakes, but that could possibly change.)

They flipped a coin for $50,000 at the end of the day. Andy called heads. When it came up tails, he said, "Who didn't know how that was going to come out?"

To re-emphasize, Ivey played an excellent game, arguably one that Beal didn't have a good answer to. But that kind of aggressiveness is helped enormously by good cards, and Phil got them where, in other situations, Andy got them and was able to demonstrate the superiority of his "style".

This is speculation/analysis/etc. but it would be too easy to look at the results and say, "Phil Ivey is just too much for Andy Beal." Maybe it's true. Phil played very tough. But it's hard to defend against a super-aggressive player when you take your shots to look him up and, as happened to Beal in one instance, your opponent shows you quads.


(0) comments