Posted by Johnnymac 12:09 PM
Followup to Junell's post. My feelings about Guitar Hero are perfectly summarized by Stan's dad about 1 minute in.




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Posted by Junelli 3:22 PM
On a similar topic, will someone please explain to me the frenzy behind Guitar Hero III? I have friends that are junkies, and I keep hearing about all the buzz.

I saw a demo in Best Buy the other day, and it pretty much looked like the shittiest game ever made. I don't think I could play it for more than 30 seconds before getting bored. Am I missing something???


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Posted by Johnnymac 7:53 AM
Do any of the regular readers here want to buy a Wii?

Email me if you are interested, I still have one left and I'd rather entertain bids from people I know instead of messing with the clusterf*ck that is Craig's List all over again.

I might even let you pay with a check if I know you well enough...


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Posted by Dr Fro 11:17 PM
Do a ctrl+f on "Naughty Dawgs" on this one.


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Posted by Dr Fro 11:09 PM
The WTO case is settled.


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Posted by Junelli 8:21 PM
Junell Poker Tables is officially born...

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Posted by Dr Fro 10:19 AM
From ARH:




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Posted by Dr Fro 2:57 PM

I don't think this one every gets old:



This may be the most memorable and significant hand in the history of poker. What I can never get over was not just that a pro got bluffed in this spot, it was Sammy Farha, the coolest cat in poker. You just can't bluff that guy! Well, I guess you can.

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Posted by Dr Fro 8:48 PM

We had the big poker night last night in honor of the prodigal sons, Budakleck, CCM and Full House Rob. We played in the garage even though it got down to 25 degrees. The spaceheaters did us well, but each time we opened the door for someone to take a leak, a stiff wind would come into the garage. Fortunately, most guys were dressed as if they were headed to Lambeau Field, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Seventeen guys showed up for the tournament. First place went to Feather, second to David and third to Collins. I got seventh. This is probably because I forgot to bring my lucky chip.

I was extremely pleased with my play, but I just couldn't get any cards when it mattered. I busted out when I saw a flop for free from the BB and paired my King with K7. Unfortunately, my opponent had K9. With an M of 4, I had little choice but to give him all of my money. So, I played well, but I lost $50.

Three times during the tournament, Feather pulled a Negreanu and called my hand perfectly. He seemed to know exactly where I stood at all times. Likewise, I have to say that there is no other player that I feel more comfortable figuring out where I stand with. In fact, when he busted out of teh cash game, he made a big bluff with rags. Even though my hand was terrible, I called and busted him out. Perhaps we are able to read each others' minds.

The second and third place finishers had the two smallest stacks very early in the tournament. I was shock that either of them lasted another hour, much less actually place in the money. Budakleck was the bubble boy which meant he not only didn't win tournament money, that time spent was an opportunity cost in the cash game...

We got two cash games going. The first was all NLHE and the other was "round of each" of PL Omaha 8 and NLHE. The latter morphed into 100% O/8 in due time. Yummy.

In the cash game, I did not play well, but I picked up about $260 in profits. My cards were so hot and I was so wasted that I once rivered the wheel, and I did not even realize it. Twice I missed easy value bets. I played like an idiot, but I won any way. I never apologize for being lucky; it is my compensation for the times I am unlucky.

Full House Rob has earned a new nickname: ATM Rob. FHR just kept doling out money like it was going out of style, and that was just fine with the rest of us. It is a shame given how helpful he was during the tournament, running errands, running the cable out to the garage, coloring up chips, etc. You would think that those good deeds would have put in him in favor with the poker gods. It did not work out that way.

CCM surprised us all by getting drunk and losing money. I think that is the first time he did that. Budakleck was on the short list of winners. Most every one else lost.

Man, I love Omaha. I am still on a very steep learning curve, but I think that most of my competition is still behind me, so I do enjoy a significant competitive advantage. This is in stark contrast to NLHE.

I'll see many of you in Houston next week at the NLHE game. I hear we are playing O/8 once an hour on the hour, which excites me like CCM gets excited when he walks into Hooters Circuit City.

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Posted by Johnnymac 7:03 AM
I sit next to a guy at work who is constantly taking phone calls and leaving early and all-around devotes his life to coaching his kids youth sports leagues. Mostly they focus on baseball (year round?!?!?!) but one of his kids plays flag football, too. He's a nice guy and all, but he's what one might call the quintessential example of an ugly American when it comes to being biased against soccer. There is actually a small group of us at work who do follow and like soccer, and whenever the discussion comes up Mr Baseball doesn't miss the opportunity to call soccer a "stupid kids game" and "not a real sport." When pressed, he claims that it's not a real sport because, "You don't use your whole body, like in American sports. Any sport where you can't use your hands isn't as hard as a sport where you use your whole body. I mean, you have to be able to run good, but I mean, come on. Fifth graders play soccer!"

"So how do you use your feet in baseball?"

"You have to touch the bag just right."

"But in soccer you have to run and control the ball with your foot at the same time."

"But you don't use your hands, so that's just running around the field. That's not a real sport."

Uhh, right.

So, anyway, I got up early because I thought my club was playing in the early game this morning. Turns out I was wrong, they're playing in the 8:00 game instead, but I ended up watching this one too, and anyone named after Ronald Reagan and who can do this with either foot isn't all that bad.

Seriously, Ronaldo is a big douche (what, is he going to cry after he scores?), but anyone who says he's not as much of an athlete as this guy or this guy or this guy or this guy is willfully blind or needs a new "A" section for his dictionary*. Check him out:


I plan on showing this video to Mr Baseball tomorrow morning. I wonder what he might say the equivalent play in baseball is?

* - In the interest of full disclosure, I will freely admit that I am personally one of the "these guys" myself than I am like Ronaldo. Mr Baseball grew up in West Texas too, so I can't be too hard on him because when until I actually sat down and started following soccer, my football heritage led me to have pretty low regard for it, myself. But I grew out of it, and I hope Mr Baseball can someday, too.


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Posted by Dr Fro 10:12 PM

Click to enlarge.

It looks like KTL is leading the pack on games played, total profit and average stake. I can only claim victory on ROI. Budakleck is ahead on Johnny Walker consumption, but sharkscope does not track that.

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Posted by Dr Fro 8:07 PM

We have enough now for two tables this Saturday in Dallas for the $50 NLHE tournament. If you want in, let me know.

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Posted by Johnnymac 2:27 PM
24

Find Ultrasound technician training near you

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Posted by Dr Fro 10:53 PM
To date, this is still my favorite one.


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Posted by Dr Fro 8:54 AM

I often have opinions that earn me the label of "conspiracy theorist." However, there was one area where I historically was the one throwing that label at other perceived lunatics: guys who claimed that sports were rigged.

My wife's uncle once spent an entire evening feeding me Budweisers and stories of rigged games. I, of course, thought he was a luncatic. I was wrong.

(I can admit when I am wrong. I used to think that Iraq was choc full of weapons of mass destruction and that the naysayers were lunatics. I guess I was the lunatic!)

Given the recent NBA scandal and several historical NCAA basketball point shaving scandals, it is clear that players and officials alike are in on the scam. Maybe Pete Rose was too, meaning that managers/coaches are as well. That makes everyone.

But damn if this isn't a hell of a story. It really makes me sick. I wonder if UT has been involved in a rigged game. This whole mess makes sportswatching a lot less interesting. Although the overall incidence of cheating is surely less than 1% of all games, it does plant that seed of doubt in your head while watching all games, doesn't it?

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Posted by Dr Fro 8:26 AM





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMgWui4XTBM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISDo0zIX6kI


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Posted by Dr Fro 9:50 AM
Some people keep their trophy in a more prominent place than above the crapper. Maybe it is because Beau is married, and wives don't allow poker decorations in the crapper room. If you have a pic of yours, send it in.




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Posted by Johnnymac 6:28 AM
Oh what a crock:

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Honest to God, this is what came up...


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Posted by Dr Fro 10:39 PM

Wikipedia says of A&M, "The same year Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked an A&M football weekend the third best college football experience.[123]"

However, if you follow the link on footnote 123, you see that the third best school was not A&M.

I don't really care - I have more important things to do than worry about where a school is ranked in some survey, but the irony of who was actually #3 is damn funny to me because any Aggie that followed the link probably had boiling blood.

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Posted by Dr Fro 10:34 PM

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

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Posted by Dr Fro 9:04 PM

Game Theory

Jane's company had a blackjack tournament for their Xmas party. I won a lot of money at it last year, and I fancied my chances again this year. The competition is not so good every year.

The format is simple: The top winner from each of 4 tables goes to the final table. The winner of that gets a bunch of money.

Going into the last hand in the first round, I had the lead with about $4,000, and second place had about $3,000. Nobody else was close. I used the jeopardy strategy of figuring out what I needed to win in the event that second place doubled up. Since second place would get $6,000 for doubling up, I bet just over $2,000. That way if we both win or both lose, I should win. I could only lose if she won and I lost.

Well, there is no 1.5x for blackjack on Jeopardy. Guess what? She got blackjack and ended up with $7,500 in chips. Now, even if I won, I would not have enough chips to beat her. Fortunately, I was at third base, so I had to double down.

"Double Down"

"But sir, you have an eighteen."

"Yes, and I want to double down" (I also like to live dangerously!)

"OK. King. You bust."

Then, for the next 5 minutes I get made fun of by everybody at the party for "being so stupid to double down with an 18."

I explained myself exactly once, but it fell on deaf ears. I overheard one guy say to another, "Jane is always talking about what a gambler he is, but decisions like that will make them go broke. I hope he plays better in Vegas."

Is there any better illustration by analogy that what is right for cash games is not necessarily what is right for poker tournaments?

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Posted by Johnnymac 5:06 PM
The big news today is the release of the Mitchell Report. Count me as nonplussed.

Why?

Yes, steroids are illegal, and yes there are detrimental long-term health effects, and yes, their use is against the rules of baseball. That said, arguments about why they are against the rules of baseball tend to fall down on the limit that using them provides an "unfair advantage" and not simply because the general misuse of drugs is illegal, like, for instance marijuana or cocaine. Baseball purists everywhere want to say that Barry Bonds's and Mark Mcguire's - and all the other guys' - records are "tarnished" when compared to older players who didn't take steroids.

But throwing aside the illegality aspect and the health aspects, I don't see what the big deal is about how steroids are so bad for the game. They didn't have Lasik or even even lenses back in Babe Ruth's day, did they? And the special vitamins and supplements that are legal and available today weren't available to Roger Maris and Hank Aaron, were they? Not to mention weight rooms and personal trainers and sports psychiatrists... So why are modern advantages from those things OK but not steroids? Shouldn't all modern records be looked up with suspicion when compared to a fat guy who drank too much and slept around and whose body was pretty much the antithesis of the modern pro athlete's?

Look, I'm not saying that there are not detrimental health effects from these drugs and that they shouldn't be illegal or against the rules, I'm just saying that arguments about the "integrity of the game" are just a little relative and I'm tired of hearing about them.


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Posted by Dr Fro 10:04 AM
From CCM.

Ouch.


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Posted by Johnnymac 10:26 PM
This gem from the CFL comes from a thread I started on Hornfans about Tom Brady. High-larious, although you don't quite get what happened until you see the slow-mo replay from the other angle. Then it's REALLY funny, as number 72 is obviously attesting to at the end.



The referring page is here.


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Posted by Dr Fro 3:41 PM

The trip to Houston was good. I got to eat at El Tiempo, Café Adobe, Zydeco's and Kiran's. Most importantly, I got to play in the Thursday night O/8 game at Greene's.

All of the usual suspects except for Hugh were in attendance. As expected, the banter was non-stop and the play was fast (I mean that both literally in that people acted quickly and also that the betting was heavy and early.) Several people bought in about $300, so the small $0.50-$1.00 game quickly turned into a big game. Just about every pot was north of $100, and once or twice per orbit, we'd play for one bigger than $300.

I got dealt some terrible cards. The two biggest losing hands were both "boat over boat" situations. I lost one to Beau (circa $300 loss) and one to McAndrew (about a $200 loss). I also lost with a big hand to Chris. The only good that came out of these hands is that I slowed down and check-called, which saved me about $100.

With all that action, it's amazing that there weren't any huge winners or losers (biggest was around $300). I lost $120. I'll call that immaterial given that it is less than what I have already spent on babysitters this holiday party season.

I spent the night nursing a glass of an 18-year old Islay single malt whisky, and McAndrew sat there pounding wine coolers.

I think we have a new phrase for the phrasebook - "to get Bairded". To get Bairded means to step into a pile of shit. In poker, it could mean betting with a full house into an opponent that has quads. The phase is a double entendre, as Baird stepped into a pile of shit a few times during the course of the poker game and he also stepped in one in Greene's backyard.

Pinion asked me how my shoulder was. My reaction could have been pleasure that somebody cares about my well being, but my initial reaction was, "I can't believe somebody actually reads this blog." I am not sure if I gave a complete answer on Thursday, so here it is:

A week from Monday, I get an MRI. They will stick a needle in my shoulder and put some dye in there. Since my blood is burnt orange, I think they'll use crimson to provide contrast. They'll be able to tell from the MRI if my ligaments are torn, detached or simply stretched. Either way, they will probably do surgery, which will cutting into there and tying it all back together again. I will also get a cool looking scar out of it.

I've dislocated my shoulder 15 times, and the 14 previous times typically put me on the bench for a matter of days. This one is completely different. It still hurts like a bitch. I really hope they can fix me up.

I also told the poker dudes that Jane and I are expecting a baby boy (May 17). When the first kid is conceived/born, there is a lot of pomp surrounding the announcement. Being the youngest kid in my family, I can tell you that it isn't surprising that #2 gets announced on this blog buried in the middle of a post about other things.

The loss on Thursday and the loss on the previous Sunday combined for $285. This was a good wake up call to me, as it came on the heels of a winning streak in the Poker League that dates back to January and it was on the same night that I got paid the balance of the $800 I won in one of my college football pools. Wake up call received.

DeWitt gave me a lift home. He told me that my post about Elise having Down syndrome made an impact on him. After the initial reaction of "I can't believe that people read this blog", I realized something else. I realized that everybody we know, even people I hardly know, think about Elise. She has served as quite the inspiration for a lot of people. I haven't figured out how to articulate it, but something about knowing that someone is completely vulnerable makes us realize how fortunate we are.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the poker game. Man I love O/8. I like it quite a bit more than Holdem. If I were better at it, I'd play it exclusively. I feel like Michael Jordan whose dream was to play baseball but batted .202 in the minors. The analogy kinda falls apart when you compare his basketball skills with my Holdem skills. He never dominated the way I do!

One reason why I love Omaha is the way hands develop. You can flop a set, turn a straight and river a flush with the nut low. That just doesn't happen in Holdem. Since it also happens to your opponent, it is very hard to put your opponent on a hand. In Holdem, I am rarely surprised as to my opponent's hand, but In Omaha, it happens all the time that I am surprised. I am sitting there thinking my opponent has A2, and it turns out that he has quads. Because it is so hard to put a man on a hand, you don't have to exert much effort trying to disguise your own hand. I like that.

Good to see y'all in Houston. Maybe I'll be able to do it again over Christmas.

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Posted by Junelli 3:17 PM
Now this is comical...


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Posted by Dr Fro 11:11 AM

So, Donald Trump is building a resort in my old stomping grounds of Aberdeen. The article does not mention whether there will be any gambling at the resort, so I guess there will not (for now). Gambling is not the taboo in the UK that it is here, so I imagine that if Donald wanted to add some gaming to this place, he could get that through. Either way, I look forward to seeing this when I take the family (many years from now) to see where mom and dad used to live.

(I hope I don't get banned from there, too.)

On a tangent, I love the way the UK press editorializes in news stories. Example: note the unecessary use of the word "ramshackle".

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Posted by Dr Fro 10:26 AM
From the mailbag

To: Dr Fro, Junelli
From: Super J
Subject: Chip Reese



I am sure you guys new this but thought I would pass it along anyway.


http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/7527824?MSNHPHMA


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Posted by Johnnymac 8:46 AM
Email is out for the Omaha game on Thursday. We have 8 good players signed up, plus me and Baird, which makes 10 total, so the game is technically full. Someone is bound to drop out at the last minute though, so if you still want to play send me an email and I'll let you know if there is room for you.


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Posted by Johnnymac 8:43 AM


Well, I thought it was funny.


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Posted by Johnnymac 7:11 AM
There were no football picks this past weekend because I was stranded since Friday morning in Arizona at my wife's grandma's house with no broadband internet and a) I could login to make the post and b) I couldn't get online to find the spreads, anyway. She has dialup, but a) that's too slow and b) she doesn't like her phone line tied up for more than 5 minutes at a time. Anyway.

Fro and Padilla sent me their picks, so I will put those up and I know what I probably would have done (OU, West Virginia, BC, Dallas come to mind, which would have been 2-2 I think), so maybe I will post those, too.


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