Bayou Classic and More...

**I haven't been able to blog in a while even though I got a maelstrom of thoughts I've wanted to get out on a whole range of topics.  Obviously won't flesh them all out but here some tidbits...

**15 comments waiting for review.  15 out of 15 spam.  Boo!

**It's never fun to have the water go out on your block.  Less fun when you are dealing with a nasty stomach virus through the night.  Yeah, that recently happened to me.

**Roger Goodell probably doesn't like Paul Tagliabue all that much.  Can you imagine if say Bill Clinton was called in to help Obama with some sort of impasse with Congress, and he was like "Yeah, that's a good effort and all, but NO!"

**Hornets will likely be the Pelicans.  Back in the 70s and early 80s when all the mascots went for the cartoonish lovable aesthetic and not the edgy, menacing animals they are now, the Pelicans would have made sense.  Though I'm eager to see what a angry, intimidating Pelican looks like.  Pelicans, a bit like the Clippers, (and why would you want to be like the Clippers) just doesn't sound scary.

**Selling pieces of my Million Dollar heater action.  All of the guarantees included in the package.  Email me for details.

BAYOU CLASSIC

**Ran good at the Bayou Classic.  Wish the fields were bigger but final tabled and cashed in a nooner (6th).  Chopped things five ways in a five pm.  Chopped things three ways in a 3 pm and four ways in  the last chance tournament.  Pretty good week.  Maybe shouldn't have done so much chopping but I don't think I ever got less than second place money (usually more) so I can't complain.  Had one brutal cash session and a couple of good ones.  Also, I traded ten per cent with, Teddy, a reg who was still alive in the last nightly final table where Ricky Romero was sitting on a ton of chips.  So, possibly I might have won more.

**In a mega, I stone cold bubbled.  They gave out four seats and $1500 (essentially another seat).  Traded $200 save with the other short stack who called me... as it was obvious whoever lost the hand would like miss out on the seat.  We made the deal before we turned over the cards.  I thought I was going to be ahead with a suited ace after he stewed forever before calling.  He surprised me when he showed A10.  Thought for sure it was a couple of face cards.  He won.  Later he chipped up and I just traded the $200 for equity in him in the Main if he won the seat.  He did.  More on this a bullet point or two later.

**I failed to trade 10% with Kenny Milam.  I busted before we gave each other the agreement and sure enough he snapped off that tournament for $5500.  Second time I think that's happened with Kenny.

**Turns out the guy I got a piece of from the mega, Dave Chocoles, is married to the twin sister of one of my  good friend's fiancee, so once I found out the connection I was even happier to have a piece of him in the main.  He played great in the mega and he's played well in Harrahs weeklies in the past.  I think he's got the necessary aggression to be successful in poker and he plays position extremely well.  In fact, I don't like to see him sit at my table in the weeklies because I know he's going to be mixing it up and taking chips.

Sure enough he played well in the main and made it to under three tables left.  They paid 12 and I think Dave busted around 21st.  John Holley flopped top set on him (7s) when Dave had pocket tens.  Kind of got cornered the way the hand and the stack sizes played out.  He 3bet John preflop and while I don't think Holley had the implied odds to set-mine, Holley doesn't have to give him credit for an overpair.  Maybe if he played more with Dave he would have let it go.

Dave immediately apologized about my per cent, and while I would have loved to have a share of 41k, no apologies necessary. I invested in him because I knew he was capable of a deep run.  The final hand kind of played itself and he was just unlucky.  Great run Dave!

**Liked to see Frank Alpandinar, David Weinstein, and a slew of other local names getting deep in the Main Event.  They gave us a good sweat.  Frank is getting closer and closer to jewelry but I know it only feels like it's further and further away.  So many people there to root for including the local weekly regs like Kenny, Joan Rhodes, and others made it a fun tournament to sweat... and I hate sweating!  I had some bad luck as thrice I walked in as friends busted.  Once BJ McBrayer walked away from the table, then Barth Melius (btw, thanks for dinner Barth that was awesome!), and the third time I was about to go say hi to Jacob Naguin when he I spotted him not looking happy and walking away.

**In the nooner I final tabled I was one of the chipleaders (the chipleader?) with three tables left.  Ross Leitz, playing pretty LAG-gy, raised from UTG.  I spied AK on the button and 3bet him (I think the last time I 3bet him I turned over 75 of hearts so I expected action).  The small blind with maybe 60% of my chips insta-called.  I was kind of thrown and started giving him credit for big hands (in retrospect I shouldn't have--not that it mattered a whit).  Ross called.  I flopped QJ10.  Hmmm.  Guy fired in a big bet, Ross folded, I made the min-raise, he shoved and I called.  He had AQ.  He went JJ to scoop the pot.  Ugh.  Later when down to six I realized had I won that pot, that would have been good enough for third in chips--with six left.  Tough blow.  Good to succeed with friends as Barth, Gene D and Ross all made the money too.