Biloxi...Shreveport...and "The Grand"

My frustration with my tournament game continues, going deep for squadouche, as I made the final table in both tourneys I played last weekend in Biloxi...to come up empty handed. I came in 8th in one where I got my money in good. I called a min raise to 4000 from the sb (Maniac dude that looked like Big Paulie on Orange County Choppers) when the blinds were 1000-2000 with me having 17.5 k to start the hand with 8-10h. The flop comes 8d4s2h...He checks...I shove...he snap calls with A-Jo...you know the drill. The 2nd one I came in 9th where I jam with A-10o with 14 bbs left and the BB wakes up with AK...thats a wrap. A very frustrating weekend and it made me start to break down my game more as I feel I may be tightening up at times where I should shift gears to LAG. I am told that Harrington says that if you continue to get through fields and get close...don't get discouraged that your playing good tournament poker...Thats easy for him to say

I started to play some chess again online to game up on something else besides poker, and I need to start playing pool again. Chess is such a fun game, and chess and pool have alot of the same strategies...you can sacrifice some of your pieces to save others...playing defense...and waiting for your opening to get in line and get out.

I was able to catch the poker movie "The Grand" on showtime this month...absolutely hilarious. Even my wife liked as I had to hear, "Oh shit...not another damn Poker movie" when she walked in...but she liked it and laughed. It is a must see for any serious poker player. I am going to break down some of the Characters as I saw it because there is so much reference to real players that we all love and hate. (Spoiler Alert...I will try not give too much of the movie away)

One Eyed Jack Faro: Played by Woody Harrelson and is portrayed as a cross between Stuey Unger and the hard parting with one of the Binions...either Jack or Becky's son Benny as his Grandfather started Las Vegas with the Casino called the Rabbits Foot...its hilarious as the show starts out with someone coming check him out of rehab...where he was living permanently. His famous quote, "Yes...I did get kicked out of my own Casino". He also is called "One Eye" because in pressure situations, instead of putting on sunglasses to throw off his opponents, he puts on an eye patch....or... it was because he was always loaded and used the patch to correct his cross-eyedness from the drugs and alcohol.

Lainie and Larry Shwartzman: The brother sister team here...I wonder who they could be portraying? David Cross plays Larry and Larry David's wife on his HBO special plays Lainie...and shes a dead ringer for our favorite Celebrity Apprentice. She even has the braided hair that Annie Rocks now and then. Shes the poker playing Mom thats married to Ray Ramano. Her brother Larry also has some poker brat rolled into his persona ...imagine that ....a cross between Lederer and the Poker Brat. Gabe "Mr. Kooootteeerrrr" Kaplain plays their Dad.

Duece Fairbacks: Played by Dennis Ferina, is the old timer that hates all this new crap and hijinks that comes with game. Think Doyle/Dewey Tomko/Sam Grizzle all rolled into one. Cruises around on one of those little carts like Doyle and plays poker because he loves the game of poker...period.

Harold Melvin: is the Math guy in the movie. Think all of the online math guys rolled into one...he also lives and is taken care of by his mom. The camera crew goes to his house to talk to his mom ...ala Daniel Negreanu. He would say things at the table to the other like, "Your a bad player because thats a Jack high flop and you just moved all in with AK or AQ and I have pocket tens so your a 75-25 dog...I call" (Not quoted word for word...but you get the picture)

Andy Andrew: the famous online qualifier with the all the party poker gear. Obviously, think Moneymaker and Raymer rolled into one. He claimed to have never played poker before, but was on the internet searching for "Fireplace Pokers"...and stumbled upon PartyPoker...and just started playing.

Word has it that the director, Zac Penn, let the final table happen as the "Cards Layed". They final table was played for real and whoever won...just won...no script

I just got back from Shreveport where I beat the cash games every night I was there at the "Hell-derado". I played well, and didn't have many big decisions to make. Actually, there were 3 times I tanked-folded and made good lay downs...and all three times my opponents showed me their hole cards and I was beat. Twice I had 2 pair against a set and straight...and the third time I layed down top-top...and the guy showed me 2 pair.

I am looking forward to the Harrahs event coming up. I have some buddies coming into town from "Hotlanta"...He won 4th for 12k in Tunica recently...also got an e-mail from Big Dan...hes suppose to come down also. Also looking to play some tourneys...trying to get out of make-up with my backer and win enough money to get to the WSOP with SPR and Parf in June.

Random Thoughts:

-R.I.P...Justin Shronk and Casey Reese

-Random bumper sticker: "Don't be a Communist American...be a True Texan...Support Succession"

Drive time listening on my IPOD:
-The Poker Beat...I love the "Insider"...everyone knows its the Bear...but its still funny when he puts them in their place
-NWP Poker Radio with "Fiery Justice" and another show with "The Maven"...This kid "The Maven" and his roommate "Bodog Ari" ...are animals...pure and simple. You can see their poker dojo in the newest version of BLUFF...The Kid has ...three 30' monitors to play on and a 24' for his lobbys...11 other work stations around the house. Big Screen so people can sit in the leather couches with head phones on and watch and learn...this show was good. The "Fiery Justice" show turns into a dumpster fire at some point

-Saw an ESPN show on Pat Tillman...pure heart...the guy was driven by morals, values and creeds that he believed in pedal to the metal...a true hero in every sense of the word

"Life has a way of making the foreseeable... that which never happens... and the unforeseeable that which your life becomes" Viggo Mortensen as Everitt Hitch in "Appaloosa"

Poker Babble ...Strikeforce MMA

Plan on playing at the Beau in their nightly tourney tonight to break back into some live tournament play. I had a less than stellar weekend online last weekend. I got knocked out of tourneys with AK...4 times. I ran AK into AA...twice with around 10-12 BBs both times....lost with AK vs KQ twice in huge pots. Oh well...Lets see if things turn around this weekend.

I went to the Belle Of BR last week, but did not get in the game. The traffic was absolutely horrendous (Feel sorry for the BR natives). I was worried about them not having 2 tables going with the traffic so bad...and they didn't...Great. I was 6th on the list and they were not going to open another table because they didn't have dealers. I sat around and bullshitted with Spoonman (or more or less listened) for 30 min. The game was also pretty tough...several good players with big stacks ...I can find better spots so I bolted.

I have a question for the BR players...Doesn't it freak you'll out when you walk down the plank to the boat and walk in and your on the 1st floor and not the 2nd where the poker room...well...the poker tables are? (I wouldn't call this a poker "Room") Depending on how high the Missssssssissippi is...depends on what floor the plank drops you on. I think the guards actually get a kick out of people walking in...and then looking around in a daze.

My wife and I watched the Showtime MMA show "Strikeforce" last weekend as I am a big MMA fan, and I also follow Nick Diaz who was fighting in the M.E. against Frank Shamrock. Man...FullTilt had their logo...everywhere. I mean when they interviewing a fighter post fight...there was a guy standing behind him holding up a Fulltilt Hat in the background. I was somewhat aware of the synergies between the 2 sports, and have heard about the faceoff with UB and Fulltilt over the contract to advertise on UFC. I heard that UB won that round, but Fulltilt is definitely in bed with this new "Strikeforce"...I mean...Nick Diaz had a 4" x 8" FTP logo...ACROSS HIS PACKAGE!!!! I was a little taken aback by this...I mean...I would think that there would be more valuable/suitable spots on fighting shorts to advertise than right across your package...Maybe across the lower back (Sort of like a tramp stamp but lower)...down the sides...I don't know...maybe its just me.

Lots of good stuff happening with the site...we zeroed in on a new logo (Thanks to Parf and SPR!!!) ...we plan on rolling out some gear also.

"You want to compare brainpans? I won the Westinghouse prize when I was 12, big deal. Published at 19, so what. I got a double doctorate from MIT at 22, chemistry and geology. I taught at Princeton for two and a half years... Why do I do this you ask? Because the money's good, the scenery changes... and they let me use explosives, ok?"
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound in "Armageddon"

March Madness..."Butterfly Effect"

At the Beau right now getting ready to fire some bullets at the Mega's today to get in the Main Event. Feeling really good right now since UNC won...and me and my uncle took down $1600.00 ($800.00) each. It was a tough day yesterday as I wanted to be smart and maybe bet the other way with the bookie and have a 7.5 point window to scoop both sides. I spoke to about 10 people yesterday to see what their thoughts were, and I got kind of spooked in the pre-game when I saw that hometown crowd. I got the best advise from my buddy Al "Big Al" Clement who told me, "T-mac (I can't even get into why thats my nickname), Dude...you got the best of it and I'm telling you that UNC is going to cover...and it might be ugly...I watched the game where UNC beat them by 30 points and I am telling you...your good...Those boys cant play with UNC"...and so we have it.

I have been playing here at the Beau and I have been sustaining...not winning or losing. I win $200.00 in the cash game...burn it on a tourney/satellites. The nooner event I played in last Friday is where the "Butterfly Effect" comes into play. There are so many variables that happen in poker that can go either/or ...that you can't let things outside of the actual game itself tilt you. I am told by my wife that I am too hard on myself, but I guess I just have a low tolerance of stupidity...especially from me.

So...I am heading to play the nooner on Friday and I am a little late (Go Figure), and as I am walking up to the escalators, I see a kid I play with from New Orleans. We start chatting up the escalator and I am about 5 steps up from him. I get to the buy-in line and forgot to pick up the $40.00 for juice in casino chips (My Fault). We wish each other luck and I head downstairs for chips as he registers...where I would have been. I get back upstairs and register...get to my table. Im in the 10 seat and the kid is in the 9 seat...they just seated us as we signed in...no random drawing here when your late...the kid commences to flop nuts...after nuts...busts 2 people at our table...cripples 2 more...and is one of the chip leaders at the first break.

Anyhow...I was card dead and got out played in my small ball strategy. The kid is a good guy...hope he did well as it wasn't his fault. I was not that tilted by this, but what tilted me even more was that I won a satellite to get into this event ...that morning. We finished at 10:45am. I knew I was going to play in the nooner...why not just go and buy-in and get in the random draw...SSiighhhhhh...oh well. My point is that there are so many small things that can make you aggravated when you think you could have done something more logical.

Clarification...Got some feedback on my previous post from a couple of emailers. They both pointed out to me that even if the Videos are staged...that the goal of the site is a "Training Site"...so if there is knowledge to be had...then it is a good thing...that people can still "Learn" from them...point taken

Im going to take a page from Monk/Reid and post some random thoughts here:

-Why does the beau use 5 digits for their room numbers? I mean come on...im on the 9th floor and my room # is 09035...if i was on the 12th floor it would be 12035. Why not just 935 or 1235? (You can probably tell that I have forgot what room we were in more than once)

-Random bumper sticker I saw
"If you haven't been to Iraq or Afghanistan...then SHUT UP ABOUT IT"

-Tattoo seen on the inside arm of a UNC player "Family First"

-I heard a story about a family coming visit Louisiana from Silicone Valley California...and their 6 and 8 year old children had never see butterflies before

-I was asked by a colleague from Dallas what would I do if the economy got so bad that I lost my job and poker dried up...I replied "Nothing...My family will eat and we will survive because when I was young...I was taught to fish, hunt, shrimp, crab, crawfish and farm...and my wife was taught to sew, cook, decorate, work in a garden, pickle homegrown vegetables, raise chickens...and we were both taught how to ride a bike"...he said, "So that's it?"

-I think Huck Seed is one of the best players out there...period

-Anyone with an ego problem that needs to be brought back to "Reality"...go sit in the lobby of Children's Hospital in New Orleans for a couple of hours and just watch

"Trust me, it's paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it" Leo DeCaprio as Richard in "The Beach"