Sleep With the Fishes, Dine on the Whales

Lots of little tidbits: **Congrats to all the folks I know and like, the few I know and love, and the many I know and hate, that cashed at the Beau so far.  I don't really hate anybody so that last category isn't really true but it sort of just rolled off the tongue and onto my keyboard.  Because, if I did hate them likely they wouldn't win anything as the power of my hate is so strong it's like a voodoo curse of lifelong bubbles.  Just ask CarrotTop, I started hating him 10 years ago. **Just wrapped up the Dead Money Poker Tournament, and I'm excited that our winner was Ryan Howard from Cleveland.  He'll be a great representative for all that played and is a quality guy.  Had a lot of fun with him and his buddies following the tournament--so much so, that I am already excited about next years weekend. He's got a great shot to go deep, with the perfect demeanor and disposition to survive the grueling test of the World Series Main Event. ...

Taking a break from that tome on my run at the IP to touch on some more recent happenings (though I will wrap up the final table).  Let's start with the Beau's Million Dollar Heater.  I played Day 1 twice.  I made it to about 160-180 both nights.  I think the first day they stopped with under 100 players and on the second around 120.  So I got to play all day twice for nothing.  I don't remember much about day1a other than not liking the final outcome.  Got to hand it to Gene D, he went out a little after me on 1A and made it through 1B and into the money.  Glad we weren't doing last longers. On day 1b, I remarked before the tournament I was overdue for some Aces and some big hands.  I got 'em.  The Aces held and gave me some chips in good spots.  The Queens that's another story.  In poker the longer you play the more you see.  I once watched a guy at the IP get Queens like 7 times in two orbits and win every single ti...

So day two, I knew I had some work to do.  I don't remember too much of it early.  I know Michael Brawley, the gregarious Beau Rivage dealer was at my table, and being active.  We never really played any hands together and he got busted after what looked like some bad luck.  The rest of the table seemed an improvement from the night before and after an early hit to my stack I grinded it up. Later I got on a table with an Internet kid and the player in the 1k who I think gave me the compliment about not tilting after that big hand.  I'm sure ya'll remember that from a couple of posts ago (ha).  I got shortish with some active players chipping away at me and then me and that gentleman got in a hand together. With KQ or KJ, I flopped I think a flush draw with a gut shot and two overs.  I'm sure I'll be criticized for this but I didn't get it all in there.  With the stack sizes and the read of strength I got  I felt he was calling a...

Lots of people, surprisingly and flatteringly, have asked when i was going to wrap up the IP series... I haven't even gotten to the Main Event.  I'm going to do so today.  One quick sidenote, that I  meant to include before, when I was at the table with Captain Tom and Kathy Liebert, shortly after I called her down with Queen high, and then she got bad beated (I believe) she remarked to him, "Remember when we used to be good at poker." Nice little self-deprecation there (once upon a time I'd confuse the words self-deprecation with self-defecation which is an entirely different sentiment but anyway...).  Obviously, she was joking and I'm confident she knows she still has "it" but Captain Tom wasn't on the same wavelength, he informed her he was still pretty good and started rattling off some scores in the past year.  Okay, after an aborted nap I went to down to see Gene play.  Somehow the donk chipped away at him and then prevailed.  I felt ...

Way overdue on my follow up... unfortunately, I just got time for a short post (which turned into a long off topic rant)  been tied up with other stuff since the IP tournaments.  I'll explain later.  Now, I'm just going to bitch.  Hope I don't sound like a 99%er (cause I only agree minimally with a small portion of their complaints... like 1% of them).  Anyway, todays rant is about rampant coporate greed and conning you by citing the environment or charity everyday and most people not even seeing it--three complaints: 1.  Starbucks doesn't issue receipts, locally.  Used to be they'd ask but the last few times now you have to ask.  Other stores are following their lead.  Yes, they are saving minimally a small portion of printing costs but it adds up with all their franchises.  They'll tell you they are saving trees.  Why this is bullshit.  Ever worked for minimum wage?  I have and of my co-workers probably 1 o...

Did it seemed like I just upped and disappeared?  Well, I did.  At a very late moment we made a family decision to go to Disney World.  Found a cheap trip through the mouse and instead of waiting a year or two for another time, made the most of the last week of my wife's maternity leave.  Sorry, I left this blog dangling in the wind (so too GCP) but despite my intentions to update things during my two year old's naps I discovered two year olds don't take naps at Disney World. But I'm back...  Surprised by the number of hits I've gotten in my absence so I must reward those of you who have been checking in. Anyway, with my memory a little less clear let's get back to the 1k.  They move to a table with Chris Tyrba , (who's on fire this year), bracelet winner Captain Tom Franklin and on my left maybe the best women's player ever, bracelet winner  Kathy Liebert .  I love her outspokenness on twitter and I respect her chip on the shoulder ...

Okay... It's coming I promise.  Blogtacular posts await.  Just have to play catch up on all the family time I missed.  So, we'll get started a little bit today and come back to wrap it up in a post or two later. Let's get the niceties out of the way, I have a very special wife who thought I was just going to Biloxi for a night or two last week only for me to return late Monday night.  My heavier pockets eased all the stress of the trip and for the first time she got to enjoy sweating me on the Internet in a poker tournament but I still need to fill up on some quality time with my two young uns.  Leaving her with a newborn and son who's in and out of his terrible twos is quite a bit different than life was a couple of years ago when I'd take off for a tournament with no worries.  Big thanks to my in-laws for helping out. Yes...  I had a hell of a run at the IP which I need to encapsulate.  I hate posting after wins because it feels self-indulg...