The last month I played poker was the last month I updated this blog. Surprise, surprise, surprise as old Gomer Pyle would say. I've been getting that gambling itch though, and have got in a few hands the past 2 nights. A few quick observations...
1. The 7 card stud games have really died at Absolute Poker. When I left, there were always several $1/$2 tables going and $2/$4 and at times $3/$6 during the prime hours. I have had to START full $1/$2 ring games both times I have played. Sheesh. If I had more time, I would contact Absolute about propping.
2. Though I had to start the tables, they did seem to fill fairly quickly. I recognized hardly any of the players. These are both positives. Once the tables filled, the pot averages were always 6 or 7 times the big bet, and 35% to 40% of players seeing 4th street. Ripe statistics!
3. The 7cs hi lo tables were massively profitable! Both the $2/$4 and $1/$2 tables were chock full of fishies. The $2/$4 hi lo table stayed at 40% or better fourth street percentage pretty much all night.
I made about $80 at the heads up table. The vast majority of that on one donkey who came in and pissed away ~70 bucks in under 15 minutes. Most of my other profit came from hi lo. I might start focusing more on hi lo stud. The more I play it, the more I am able to stay away from hands like 257 rainbow and just wait on the premium hands that have potential for the scoop. With almost half the players seeing 4th street each hand, and paying my premium hands off, it makes the tighty tight style even more attractive.
The only thing I was annoyed to see was the fact that Absolute seems to have fixed the stud tables so that we don't get credit for a raked hand unless we see 4th street. Used to the rule was that you just had to contribute to the pot, and since ante games you contribute every hand, we stud players got a nice shake when it came to the VIP program and rakeback earnings. No more gravy on that train though.
Maybe this will drive me to check out Poker Stars new VIP rewards program. That or those rush tables at Full Tilt. :)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, August 06, 2009
oooo - the rake!
For the few folks who read this now and again, you probably know my best game is heads up 7 card stud heads up. I recently had session that just shows you how the house just kills our bottom line.
I played a gent named "easymoney" with a few numbers at the end of his name. He played very solid hand values and would have been a very profitable full ring player I think. His only real weakness was he played a bit too tightly heads up.
By going with a loose aggro style, not only do I rob him blind, but he also pays off when I do have split aces and he calls down with a lesser pair since I'm an obvious donk bluffer.
The dealer, however, refused to cooperate. Combine that with my own frustrations and tilt and the numbers were not pretty.
He brought $40 to the table. I ended up bringing $150. When the smoke cleared, he was broke, and I had roughly $95.
That means our results were:
EasyMoney = negative $40
Donkey PSORG = negative $55
The house = +95 in rake.
Sick, sick, sick.
This just illustrates how important it is to bust 'em quick in heads up. Otherwise nobody wins but the house in those long drawn out battles where you are just see-sawing back and forth. I had this gent down under $20 about 5 times before he finally dropped the rest of his chips.
I'd play the guy again, because honestly, full ring TAGs are some of the easiest guys to beat heads up if they don't adjust. Hopefully I don't see more hands like AxA vs. his 222... blah.
I played a gent named "easymoney" with a few numbers at the end of his name. He played very solid hand values and would have been a very profitable full ring player I think. His only real weakness was he played a bit too tightly heads up.
By going with a loose aggro style, not only do I rob him blind, but he also pays off when I do have split aces and he calls down with a lesser pair since I'm an obvious donk bluffer.
The dealer, however, refused to cooperate. Combine that with my own frustrations and tilt and the numbers were not pretty.
He brought $40 to the table. I ended up bringing $150. When the smoke cleared, he was broke, and I had roughly $95.
That means our results were:
EasyMoney = negative $40
Donkey PSORG = negative $55
The house = +95 in rake.
Sick, sick, sick.
This just illustrates how important it is to bust 'em quick in heads up. Otherwise nobody wins but the house in those long drawn out battles where you are just see-sawing back and forth. I had this gent down under $20 about 5 times before he finally dropped the rest of his chips.
I'd play the guy again, because honestly, full ring TAGs are some of the easiest guys to beat heads up if they don't adjust. Hopefully I don't see more hands like AxA vs. his 222... blah.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Obligatory 'Every other month' post...
So here we are, trying to make sure google doesn't kill my blog's value. I really like the juice we get for phrases like poker strategy, since that site is my full time job. :)
I think I've turned the corner on 7cs hi lo. My post a month and a half ago, my BB/hour rate was negative about 9. It's climbed to negative 2.62 and if I just run the numbers since June 1st, I'm actually a +2.42 BB/hour winner. Woohoo!
Expanding to 7 card stud hi lo is a very good thing, since it seems the stud games at Absolute and Ultimate bet are just getting tighter and tighter.
Heads up is still by far my best $$ maker at 2.78 BB/hour. My only problem playing heads up stud is that once I get locked in on an opponent I have a tough time quitting. It's not a pride thing. It just that as you play him, you are constantly feeling him out, learning his style and tendencies, etc. After investing 30 minutes and getting to a point where I feel I've got a great line on how to clean him out, it's just hard as heck to sit out and go change a diaper or grab a juice for my toddler. 90% of the time when I sit out, the guy is gone, especially if he's down to me. Blah.
Soooo.. google, if you are listening. I love you. I promise more posts. I am your slave.
I think I've turned the corner on 7cs hi lo. My post a month and a half ago, my BB/hour rate was negative about 9. It's climbed to negative 2.62 and if I just run the numbers since June 1st, I'm actually a +2.42 BB/hour winner. Woohoo!
Expanding to 7 card stud hi lo is a very good thing, since it seems the stud games at Absolute and Ultimate bet are just getting tighter and tighter.
Heads up is still by far my best $$ maker at 2.78 BB/hour. My only problem playing heads up stud is that once I get locked in on an opponent I have a tough time quitting. It's not a pride thing. It just that as you play him, you are constantly feeling him out, learning his style and tendencies, etc. After investing 30 minutes and getting to a point where I feel I've got a great line on how to clean him out, it's just hard as heck to sit out and go change a diaper or grab a juice for my toddler. 90% of the time when I sit out, the guy is gone, especially if he's down to me. Blah.
Soooo.. google, if you are listening. I love you. I promise more posts. I am your slave.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Alive and well...
It's been a busy month. It seems like I never play much early in the year. Maybe I'm a "summer time" player. I played less than 40 hours combined between February, March and April. I got a few more hands in this month, but not many.
I have GOT to stay away from 7 card stud hi lo, or do some boning up on my strategy. I'm a solid 1.5 BB per hour winner at hi, and that's been my bread and butter since 2003. Heads up 7 card stud hi, I do quite well. Almost 2 BB per hour.
7 card stud hi lo? -9 BB per hour. That's with only ~2000 hands in, but still, pretty sick. I think I have several obvious leaks:
1. I don't know what the $%^& I am doing in 7 card stud hi lo.
2. I play a hi lo table or two while playing a hi table or two. Multi-tabling stud isn't easy since a lot of your edge comes from reading cards on other players' porches. Trying to keep track of both hi/lo strategy and basic hi strategy makes my brain hurt.
3. The main reason I'm playing the hi/lo tables is to rack up FAME points faster. Meanwhile I'm losing more $$ from sucking than I'll ever make in extra FAME credits and rakeback.
I've gotta find me a good 7cs hi/lo book. Paying 9 big bets per hour for lessons, stinks.
I have GOT to stay away from 7 card stud hi lo, or do some boning up on my strategy. I'm a solid 1.5 BB per hour winner at hi, and that's been my bread and butter since 2003. Heads up 7 card stud hi, I do quite well. Almost 2 BB per hour.
7 card stud hi lo? -9 BB per hour. That's with only ~2000 hands in, but still, pretty sick. I think I have several obvious leaks:
1. I don't know what the $%^& I am doing in 7 card stud hi lo.
2. I play a hi lo table or two while playing a hi table or two. Multi-tabling stud isn't easy since a lot of your edge comes from reading cards on other players' porches. Trying to keep track of both hi/lo strategy and basic hi strategy makes my brain hurt.
3. The main reason I'm playing the hi/lo tables is to rack up FAME points faster. Meanwhile I'm losing more $$ from sucking than I'll ever make in extra FAME credits and rakeback.
I've gotta find me a good 7cs hi/lo book. Paying 9 big bets per hour for lessons, stinks.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Haha - Obama got your money!
My wife linked me this and I just had to post it. I can't believe I went all of February with no posts. That does mirror my time at the tables though. I didn't even keep "Gold" status at Absolute Poker last month and that just takes a measley 500 FAME points.
Without further ado:
We got your money! Gonna print some more money! Gonna spend some more of your money!
While this is not a political blog, I think we can all agree that current money printing, spending spree going on in D.C. is getting a bit out of control.
Without further ado:
We got your money! Gonna print some more money! Gonna spend some more of your money!
While this is not a political blog, I think we can all agree that current money printing, spending spree going on in D.C. is getting a bit out of control.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Free Poker Tracking Tool
Tracking your results is the ONLY way to know if you are a poker winner or loser. I can't tell you how many players I've met who are in denial. Even online players who should be able to do the math to figure out that deposits are greater than withdrawals. They just... don't do the math.
I digress. Here's a free poker tracking tool. I'm not 100% sure which poker sites it works with, and will update as I get more details. For now, you can just click the link below and check it out for yourself. :)
Poker Score
I digress. Here's a free poker tracking tool. I'm not 100% sure which poker sites it works with, and will update as I get more details. For now, you can just click the link below and check it out for yourself. :)
Poker Score
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
PPA Action Alert
Stop browsing poker blogs and forums for a whopping 30 seconds and stick in a plug for online poker.
Click This Link to the PPA Action letter
No need to edit or even add to the letter unless you're just feeling wordy. In email campaigns, it's volume that counts more than substance of each individual message.
Fill in your name and address and click submit. It'll automatically ship your email to your legislators. If it takes you more than 30 seconds, it's because you are still a "hunt and peck" typer!
Online Poker has won a number of victories already in 2009. In the case of the Kentucky Governor attempting to steal 140+ online gaming domains, an appeals court has reversed the original hick Judge Windbag's decision, and made it clear that he is to not have more hearings on this matter. *Slap*
Three different court cases in three different states have resulted in positive results for the poker as a game of skill argument.
We are making headway, but that won't continue if we start laying down on the job. If you're reading this, it would have taken less time to send the email than it did to read my chatting about. :)
Click This Link to the PPA Action letter
No need to edit or even add to the letter unless you're just feeling wordy. In email campaigns, it's volume that counts more than substance of each individual message.
Fill in your name and address and click submit. It'll automatically ship your email to your legislators. If it takes you more than 30 seconds, it's because you are still a "hunt and peck" typer!
Online Poker has won a number of victories already in 2009. In the case of the Kentucky Governor attempting to steal 140+ online gaming domains, an appeals court has reversed the original hick Judge Windbag's decision, and made it clear that he is to not have more hearings on this matter. *Slap*
Three different court cases in three different states have resulted in positive results for the poker as a game of skill argument.
We are making headway, but that won't continue if we start laying down on the job. If you're reading this, it would have taken less time to send the email than it did to read my chatting about. :)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
4 bucks might be dumb, but $2.50 for crappy coffee is dumber-er
McDonalds had the nads to erect this sign within sight of the Starbucks headquarters. Nice. It makes me chuckle, but let's look at the facts.
I'm not a coffee snob. I drink coffee out of a plain ol' drip coffee maker most mornings with powdered creamer and sugar.
It was early a.m. a day or two back and I needed some coffee to keep me alert while doing the email inbox grind. I wanted something with a bit more flavor, and Starbucks closes at 10 p.m., so I hit McDonalds for some of their gourmet coffee. I ordered caramel flavored cappuccino. Simple right? Expresso, steamed milk, cream on top, and some caramel drizzle in there for flavor, all neatly placed in a coffee cup with a sippy lid.
What did I get? Coffee in a coffee cup, a frappuchino lid (the ones with domed tops and large hole for a straw) with whipped cream piled up to the top of the cone so high it was peeping out the straw hole. Errr - have you ever drank hot coffee through a regular straw? They'll be treating you for 3rd degree burns on your tonsils. We all know the stories of how hot McDonalds coffee is after all.
When she handed me the drink, she kinda shook it and said "hmm...that just don't feel right. Don't feel like theys 'nuff coffee in thar fo' a large"... I should've been tipped off then that she left the steamed milk out.
I got home and dumped it into a large coffee mug, took a sip and about choked on the sickly sweet caramel flavoring. With no milk to mellow it down, it was just a bitter black coffee flavor with caramel drizzle.
I drank it all. I needs mah caffeine.
Moral? If you want gourmet coffee, go to Starbucks. Go to McDonalds if you want a farkin' hamburger.
(Since this is a poker blog, let me toss in a bankroll update. Well over my $2000 goal, and still have a couple of weeks to pad it (or lose it!) before 2008 is finished. I'm happy. Small stakes hobby that entertains and gives me a year end cash balance. Sure beats stamp collecting.)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
'Tis the season of giving...
This wouldn't fit under the tree, but it's my gift!
2008 Honday Pilot SE 4wd
Our Blazer has ~180k miles on it, and it was becoming increasingly unreliable. After spending another $1500 this month to keep it on the road, we figured enough was enough.
FYI - if you're watching the news about steep cuts in car prices, they're not joking. We got between $7000 and $8000 off MSRP. Granted, we told them our next stop was Carmax for a 2006 Pilot if we couldn't get a great deal on a new one.
It was the perfect time to buy a 2008 Pilot for sure. Besides the troubles the car industry is facing, this is the time of year they're trying to clear the 2008 models off the lot to make more room for their 2009's.
I've never bought a new vehicle, since you lose a ton of the value as soon as you drive it off the lot. This deal was just too hard to turn down though, and it was kinda nice seeing "40" on the odometer.
Lest this post seem "selfish" rest assured that I don't normally ask for much or get much on Christmas. I really get a kick out of giving. We're making 3 Angel Tree kids very happy this year, and even bailed my mother in law out a bankruptcy fix. Maybe I'll post about that later...
2008 Honday Pilot SE 4wd
Our Blazer has ~180k miles on it, and it was becoming increasingly unreliable. After spending another $1500 this month to keep it on the road, we figured enough was enough.
FYI - if you're watching the news about steep cuts in car prices, they're not joking. We got between $7000 and $8000 off MSRP. Granted, we told them our next stop was Carmax for a 2006 Pilot if we couldn't get a great deal on a new one.
It was the perfect time to buy a 2008 Pilot for sure. Besides the troubles the car industry is facing, this is the time of year they're trying to clear the 2008 models off the lot to make more room for their 2009's.
I've never bought a new vehicle, since you lose a ton of the value as soon as you drive it off the lot. This deal was just too hard to turn down though, and it was kinda nice seeing "40" on the odometer.
Lest this post seem "selfish" rest assured that I don't normally ask for much or get much on Christmas. I really get a kick out of giving. We're making 3 Angel Tree kids very happy this year, and even bailed my mother in law out a bankruptcy fix. Maybe I'll post about that later...
November has come and gone...
....without a single blog post. I kept meaning to swing over, but just never did find the time.
CEREUS rocks. CEREUS network was formed at the end of November, joining the player bases of Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet. They also added heads up 7 card stud tables, which is wonderful.
On the webmaster end of things though, it was a huge headache. For over a week our rakeback stats were not able to be updated, while all the nickname changes, retracking of players, so on and so forth was muddled through.
With rakeback earnings from November, and barring a crappy run in the next few days, I'll have hit my $2000 goal for the year. It ain't much boys, but I don't play much either.
When I first went full time in poker marketing with our poker strategy site, I was able to play hours of poker each day "working from home". That's no longer the case. I barely have time to blog about, much less play poker. This is a good thing though. I'll have plenty of time to play after I retire. :)
CEREUS rocks. CEREUS network was formed at the end of November, joining the player bases of Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet. They also added heads up 7 card stud tables, which is wonderful.
On the webmaster end of things though, it was a huge headache. For over a week our rakeback stats were not able to be updated, while all the nickname changes, retracking of players, so on and so forth was muddled through.
With rakeback earnings from November, and barring a crappy run in the next few days, I'll have hit my $2000 goal for the year. It ain't much boys, but I don't play much either.
When I first went full time in poker marketing with our poker strategy site, I was able to play hours of poker each day "working from home". That's no longer the case. I barely have time to blog about, much less play poker. This is a good thing though. I'll have plenty of time to play after I retire. :)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I'm a 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. FISH!!
I was playing around with my poker tracker stud stats, and pulled up my big bet per hour earnings based on days of the week and time of day. Turns out I'm horrible in early morning hours.
Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., I'm a 2.7 BB/hour loser.
Between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., I'm an astounding 13.57 BB/hour loser. EEK!
This tells me two things. First, I suck horribly when I'm tired. Second, if I'm playing in the early a.m. hours, it's probably because I'm down, pissed off and tilting away more money trying to "get back to even".
I'll bet if I dug deeper I'd find that most of the $$ I've lost on downswings have come during those hours. I know for a fact that the only reason I'm up playing poker at those hours is when I've had a bad night and I'm just locked in, staring at the screen incredulously, waiting on another bad beat. Don't snicker... you've all been there.
I wonder if I could self exclude between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.? I know some sites like Full Tilt and Stars allow you to self exclude and lock you out of the site for a set time period that you request.... hmm.
This is just another example of how Poker Tracker is worth a lot more than the sticker price. Sadly, I think most players just use it to track their bankroll, or to see which "symbol" they are. (I'm the taz devil, Loose Aggressive/Aggressive btw, mainly due to playing a lot of heads up).
Quicky plug: If you want, I can get you Poker Tracker 3 Free. Click that link and read the blurb, then contact me. At the very least I can pass along my discount and get it for $72 for you instead of the $90 sticker price.
Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., I'm a 2.7 BB/hour loser.
Between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., I'm an astounding 13.57 BB/hour loser. EEK!
This tells me two things. First, I suck horribly when I'm tired. Second, if I'm playing in the early a.m. hours, it's probably because I'm down, pissed off and tilting away more money trying to "get back to even".
I'll bet if I dug deeper I'd find that most of the $$ I've lost on downswings have come during those hours. I know for a fact that the only reason I'm up playing poker at those hours is when I've had a bad night and I'm just locked in, staring at the screen incredulously, waiting on another bad beat. Don't snicker... you've all been there.
I wonder if I could self exclude between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.? I know some sites like Full Tilt and Stars allow you to self exclude and lock you out of the site for a set time period that you request.... hmm.
This is just another example of how Poker Tracker is worth a lot more than the sticker price. Sadly, I think most players just use it to track their bankroll, or to see which "symbol" they are. (I'm the taz devil, Loose Aggressive/Aggressive btw, mainly due to playing a lot of heads up).
Quicky plug: If you want, I can get you Poker Tracker 3 Free. Click that link and read the blurb, then contact me. At the very least I can pass along my discount and get it for $72 for you instead of the $90 sticker price.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
HR 6870-Payments System Protection Act of 2008
Barney Frank guided HR 6870-Payments System Protection Act of 2008 through its first step on the way to eventually (hopefully) becoming law with a 30-19 victory in the House Financial Services Committee.
Short summary - if this amendment is enacted into law, it will mean that the UIGEA only covers sports betting. Online poker and casino games will NOT be covered unless an Administrative Law Judge rules otherwise.
This is great news for the online poker community. Why? For those of you who don't know anything about the UIGEA, it is the piece of legislation that ran Party Poker, iPoker, Pacific Poker and host of other online poker rooms from the USA market. If this gets through to become law, I could see two very quick benefits:
1. Sites that moved out of the USA market in 2006 can come back. Welcome back Party, Titan, Pacific and a host of other fishy rooms. Welcome back the Party Poker jingle as one of the most popular ads on GSN and WSOP t.v. spots.
2. A poker/casino ewallet would be able to open and run without fear of prosecution. Tired of waiting 3 weeks on your Full Tilt Poker check? Epassporte could come back? Neteller maybe?
If you want to read it, here is a cut/paste of the legal jargon. My analysis is not expert analysis, but gleaned from some very knowledgeable posters on 2 plus 2 forums.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Payments System Pro-
tection Act of 2008’’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION.
The Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Gov-
ernors of the Federal Reserve System, whether acting
jointly or separately, may not propose, prescribe, or imple-
ment any regulation under subchapter IV of chapter 53
of title 31, United States Code, or otherwise give effect
to such subchapter or any such regulation, including the
proposed regulations published in the Federal Register on
October 4, 2007, except to the extent as any such regula-
tion pertains to wagering of the type that is prohibited
(as of the date of the enactment of this Act) under chapter
178 of title 28, United States Code (relating to profes-
sional and amateur sports protection) or except as pro-
vided in section 3.
SEC. 3. RULEMAKING TO IMPLEMENT SUBCHAPTER ON
PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL
INTERNET GAMBLING AND DEFINE UNLAW-
FUL INTERNET GAMBLING.
(a) INGENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 2, the
Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System, in consultation with the At-
torney General, shall jointly develop and implement regu-
lations (which the Secretary and the Board jointly deter-
mine to be appropriate), on the record after opportunity
for agency hearing involving an administrative law judge
or similar official, under subchapter IV of chapter 53 of
title 31, United States Code, that shall include a definition
of the term ‘‘unlawful Internet gambling’’ for purposes of
such subchapter and such regulations, after conducting a
full economic impact study of the proposed regulations
under chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code (commonly
referred to as the ‘‘Regulatory Flexibility Act’’).
(b) COORDINATIONWITHPROHIBITION.—Upon the
effective date of final regulations under subsection (a),
section 2 shall cease to apply.
Short summary - if this amendment is enacted into law, it will mean that the UIGEA only covers sports betting. Online poker and casino games will NOT be covered unless an Administrative Law Judge rules otherwise.
This is great news for the online poker community. Why? For those of you who don't know anything about the UIGEA, it is the piece of legislation that ran Party Poker, iPoker, Pacific Poker and host of other online poker rooms from the USA market. If this gets through to become law, I could see two very quick benefits:
1. Sites that moved out of the USA market in 2006 can come back. Welcome back Party, Titan, Pacific and a host of other fishy rooms. Welcome back the Party Poker jingle as one of the most popular ads on GSN and WSOP t.v. spots.
2. A poker/casino ewallet would be able to open and run without fear of prosecution. Tired of waiting 3 weeks on your Full Tilt Poker check? Epassporte could come back? Neteller maybe?
If you want to read it, here is a cut/paste of the legal jargon. My analysis is not expert analysis, but gleaned from some very knowledgeable posters on 2 plus 2 forums.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Payments System Pro-
tection Act of 2008’’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION.
The Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Gov-
ernors of the Federal Reserve System, whether acting
jointly or separately, may not propose, prescribe, or imple-
ment any regulation under subchapter IV of chapter 53
of title 31, United States Code, or otherwise give effect
to such subchapter or any such regulation, including the
proposed regulations published in the Federal Register on
October 4, 2007, except to the extent as any such regula-
tion pertains to wagering of the type that is prohibited
(as of the date of the enactment of this Act) under chapter
178 of title 28, United States Code (relating to profes-
sional and amateur sports protection) or except as pro-
vided in section 3.
SEC. 3. RULEMAKING TO IMPLEMENT SUBCHAPTER ON
PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF UNLAWFUL
INTERNET GAMBLING AND DEFINE UNLAW-
FUL INTERNET GAMBLING.
(a) INGENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 2, the
Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve System, in consultation with the At-
torney General, shall jointly develop and implement regu-
lations (which the Secretary and the Board jointly deter-
mine to be appropriate), on the record after opportunity
for agency hearing involving an administrative law judge
or similar official, under subchapter IV of chapter 53 of
title 31, United States Code, that shall include a definition
of the term ‘‘unlawful Internet gambling’’ for purposes of
such subchapter and such regulations, after conducting a
full economic impact study of the proposed regulations
under chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code (commonly
referred to as the ‘‘Regulatory Flexibility Act’’).
(b) COORDINATIONWITHPROHIBITION.—Upon the
effective date of final regulations under subsection (a),
section 2 shall cease to apply.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Politics and Poker
If you don't want to read my opinions on politics, this video sums my feelings up quite nicely.
It's Time for Campaign'in
Despite the title, this post has very little to do with poker. My livelihood has been under heavy attack by my party of choice since at least 2006 (longer, in truth, since it took years for anti gambling legislation to pass). So as a poker player, I am a bit stuck when it comes to my feelings on the political races in 2008.
My political leanings come across as odd to some. My guess is that I'd be hated by both sides. In a nutshell, I'm a pro-life, pro-gambling, pro-capital punishment, anti-nanny state, fiscal conservative. I'm also a devout Baptist.
I just typed and then deleted about 4 paragraphs explaining why my belief system is not contradictory. Then I realized that I have nothing to defend, so what's the point? Everyone has their right to their own opinions and beliefs. Some people's are just wrong, that's all. :)
I think the candidate who would have most fit my beliefs would have been Ron Paul. I can't bring myself to vote for Obama, but I feel like going out and pushing all the Republican buttons in the poll booth will just be rubber stamping the nanny state decisions and stinking pile of crap that was the Republican controlled congress until 2006.
I think I'll vote for Ron if he's on the ballot. Both the Dems and Reps have got to come to the realization that they are losing the middle as they get more and more extreme. Maybe then we'll see some real change in government.
Voting for someone who has no real shot is not wasting your vote. The reason we have such crappy choices these days is because the sheep keep falling for that 'lesser of two evils' line. If enough votes start being cast for 3rd party candidates, the two main parties will realize they need to field candidates that appeal to these 3rd party voters. Think about it. Elections are decided by tiny percentages. If all of a sudden 5% of votes were being cast for a 3rd party, the two main parties would be falling all over themselves to try to pick up that 5%.
That's my .02 political thoughts.
It's Time for Campaign'in
Despite the title, this post has very little to do with poker. My livelihood has been under heavy attack by my party of choice since at least 2006 (longer, in truth, since it took years for anti gambling legislation to pass). So as a poker player, I am a bit stuck when it comes to my feelings on the political races in 2008.
My political leanings come across as odd to some. My guess is that I'd be hated by both sides. In a nutshell, I'm a pro-life, pro-gambling, pro-capital punishment, anti-nanny state, fiscal conservative. I'm also a devout Baptist.
I just typed and then deleted about 4 paragraphs explaining why my belief system is not contradictory. Then I realized that I have nothing to defend, so what's the point? Everyone has their right to their own opinions and beliefs. Some people's are just wrong, that's all. :)
I think the candidate who would have most fit my beliefs would have been Ron Paul. I can't bring myself to vote for Obama, but I feel like going out and pushing all the Republican buttons in the poll booth will just be rubber stamping the nanny state decisions and stinking pile of crap that was the Republican controlled congress until 2006.
I think I'll vote for Ron if he's on the ballot. Both the Dems and Reps have got to come to the realization that they are losing the middle as they get more and more extreme. Maybe then we'll see some real change in government.
Voting for someone who has no real shot is not wasting your vote. The reason we have such crappy choices these days is because the sheep keep falling for that 'lesser of two evils' line. If enough votes start being cast for 3rd party candidates, the two main parties will realize they need to field candidates that appeal to these 3rd party voters. Think about it. Elections are decided by tiny percentages. If all of a sudden 5% of votes were being cast for a 3rd party, the two main parties would be falling all over themselves to try to pick up that 5%.
That's my .02 political thoughts.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
1-outters don't tilt me!
Losing back to back with AA dealt vs 2 small pair will tilt me. But losing to a 1 outter? One almost feels privileged to have witnessed the rare event. I received this blessing both on Saturday and Sunday (and yes, I went to church two services that day!)...
Two 1 outters in one weekend. I need to grab some lottery tickets while I'm out tonight.
A one outter is like catching a glimpse of a shooting star. Even in 7cs where you see more cards, it's still going to be something like 2.5% chance to hit. For you geeks out there, it's rolling a 1 on a 40 sided die, cleaving the ogre standing in front of you from head to crotch with a well crafted, but non-magical short sword, killing him instantly.
+150 XP.
Yeah. It's that rare.
Bankroll Update: After blowing $200 at the Fair and a crappy week at everything but NLHE cash games, ~1200. Blah.
Two 1 outters in one weekend. I need to grab some lottery tickets while I'm out tonight.
A one outter is like catching a glimpse of a shooting star. Even in 7cs where you see more cards, it's still going to be something like 2.5% chance to hit. For you geeks out there, it's rolling a 1 on a 40 sided die, cleaving the ogre standing in front of you from head to crotch with a well crafted, but non-magical short sword, killing him instantly.
+150 XP.
Yeah. It's that rare.
Bankroll Update: After blowing $200 at the Fair and a crappy week at everything but NLHE cash games, ~1200. Blah.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Approaching 2k! Time to rob it!
Bankroll at $1788.83 counting bonus earned. Wilson County Fair is this week though, and sounds like a nice family out'ing. Time to strike a match to a couple hundred.
When my 2 year old is downing cotton candy as fast as he can while we're watching the fireworks, I'll pause for a brief moment to think about those folks who have made this possible... Vladdy, ICOMINATCHA, DKNY333, etc.
Peekaboo!
TY!
When my 2 year old is downing cotton candy as fast as he can while we're watching the fireworks, I'll pause for a brief moment to think about those folks who have made this possible... Vladdy, ICOMINATCHA, DKNY333, etc.
Peekaboo!
TY!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Nice PPA YouTube Video
I got a kick out of this, because I believe it captures perfectly, how absurd it is for the DOJ to be focusing on online poker. Congress: if the DOJ has enough budget to go after all the true issues + online poker, then they are overfunded. Please stop wasting tax payer dollars on goof ball stuff!
In other news, our bottomless bonus deal with Next Poker is getting pretty popular among non-USA players. It equates to 45% rakeback in ring games and 62.5% tourney fee rakeback. If you were ever searching for any of the following:
OnGame Rakeback
PokerRoom.com rakeback
bwin rakeback
Then please look over our Next Poker deal. It's hard to beat.
In other news, our bottomless bonus deal with Next Poker is getting pretty popular among non-USA players. It equates to 45% rakeback in ring games and 62.5% tourney fee rakeback. If you were ever searching for any of the following:
OnGame Rakeback
PokerRoom.com rakeback
bwin rakeback
Then please look over our Next Poker deal. It's hard to beat.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Bankroll at 1500+
After tonights action, I'm at $1500+. A month ago after a withdrawal and a few crappy sessions, it was ~600, so that's solid growth. If I can keep it a secret, it might stay in the bankroll a while longer. ;]
The nice jump has been due to a couple of good HU sessions. The aforementioned Vlad match, and then tonight DKNY333 dropped about $160 before leaving. Funny.. usually when peole have their nickname as "donkey" or "fish" they're actually quite solid. Not the case for this guy. He's one of the most aptly named players I've seen.
Oh, and also a good run over at Stars. I started with a 0 bankroll there. We keep $$ on several sites to pay rakeback advances when they're requested, so I just have to keep careful records of plus/minus. I wanted to take a shot at a satellite to this years WCOOP 100k 7cs event. One of the regular satellites is a 3000 FPP buyin. I had a whopping 2400. Shows you how much I play there eh?
Anywhoo, figured I might as well earn 600 more FPP's and see if I could turn a profit at the tables and buyin for free to the satellite. Mission accomplished. +329 in ring game play there, and I've got just a tad over 3k FPP's.
The 5/10 game there looks soft. They and FTP are pretty much the only 2 rooms with populations large enough for soft 5/10 games in stud. If Stars had some sort of rakeback besides the VIP program, I'd jump on it. No way I'm going to play 99999999999999999999999 required to make the top level and earn 27% rakeback though.
Now to just find a few hours to play one of the FPP satellites to WCOOP 7cs event, and we'll be all set.
The nice jump has been due to a couple of good HU sessions. The aforementioned Vlad match, and then tonight DKNY333 dropped about $160 before leaving. Funny.. usually when peole have their nickname as "donkey" or "fish" they're actually quite solid. Not the case for this guy. He's one of the most aptly named players I've seen.
Oh, and also a good run over at Stars. I started with a 0 bankroll there. We keep $$ on several sites to pay rakeback advances when they're requested, so I just have to keep careful records of plus/minus. I wanted to take a shot at a satellite to this years WCOOP 100k 7cs event. One of the regular satellites is a 3000 FPP buyin. I had a whopping 2400. Shows you how much I play there eh?
Anywhoo, figured I might as well earn 600 more FPP's and see if I could turn a profit at the tables and buyin for free to the satellite. Mission accomplished. +329 in ring game play there, and I've got just a tad over 3k FPP's.
The 5/10 game there looks soft. They and FTP are pretty much the only 2 rooms with populations large enough for soft 5/10 games in stud. If Stars had some sort of rakeback besides the VIP program, I'd jump on it. No way I'm going to play 99999999999999999999999 required to make the top level and earn 27% rakeback though.
Now to just find a few hours to play one of the FPP satellites to WCOOP 7cs event, and we'll be all set.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
PSORG vs. VLADDYMOGUL
Rarely do I make brag posts, but with blowhards like this I'll make an exception. Besides, ol' Vlad is the vain type, so I'm sure he googles his own nickname daily. Vladdy, if you're readying this... tx for the chips!
Vladdymogul - Absolute Poker, is the epitome of those wanna be players who are just good enough to ruin a good table. He's LAG, which makes him dangerous heads up. With a good run of cards, he can put a serious hurt on your roll. However, he has two glaring weaknesses which I won't mention here, in case he is reading. I like taking his chips.
For anyone who has played him, they know that he's has a penchant for calling anyone who beats him in a pot a "dumb lucky fish" for starters and then progressively worse from there. I got him so tilted yesterday that he was even calling our avatar pics names. Stuff like "your baby is so ugly, I'd wipe my a$$ with his face." Now, that really doesn't bother me. My babies are both Gerber baby quality. (Love is blind. If you have kids, you really do think you're babies are the cutest ever born). Another player sat, nick KOPE, who is a very nice social player, and one of my biggest donators. Unfortunately his avatar is his (or her) baby's pic as well. After about 3 hands of listening to Vlad's BS about 'ugly baby', Kope leaves. There goes my ATM. Back to me and Blowhard Vlad.
I went about +100 on him pretty quick, and then he got hot and won most of it back. The typical lines: "where did your luck go fish?! I own you!"... the usual. All caps tossed in to let me know he was shouting at me.
After his cards cooled off, I went back to taking his chips. I'm in the middle of reading Your Best Poker Friend by Alan Schoonmaker. He includes a great discussion on putting your opponent on tilt. So I broke one of my cardinal rules of not responding to jackasses, and started needling Vladdy. No cussing, no ALL CAPS, just little zingers. I even sang to him a bit:
It's just a matter of time...
You'll lose your chips...
And whiiinnnneeee....
(Sung to the tune of that old country song - Two Sparrows in a Hurricane).
It had the desired effect. For the longest space ever, Vladdy didn't say a word. I finally asked him if his chat had been banned and got the "lets move up a level! I'll pwn you!" response.
Anyway, final session stats:
87 minutes. 257 hands. PSORG +138.50 (23.88 BB/hour. Average players 2.5, so yeah, it was almost exclusively a heads up match).
Vladdymogul -209.75
He paid me, he paid all the rake, and he paid a few other players who sat for a few hands here and there.
Vladdy, if you're reading this, I'd be happy to teach you 7 card stud. I'd even give you a discount. $80 bucks an hour. That's currently cheaper than the rate you paid yesterday. (23.88 BB/hour multiplied by the 2/4 limit = $95.52/hour)
Like two aces get'n cracked by fives...
all you ever do is cry...
With a head full of dreams but no skills, you'll lose everythiinnggg
Man, I gotta get this up on YouTube!
Vladdymogul - Absolute Poker, is the epitome of those wanna be players who are just good enough to ruin a good table. He's LAG, which makes him dangerous heads up. With a good run of cards, he can put a serious hurt on your roll. However, he has two glaring weaknesses which I won't mention here, in case he is reading. I like taking his chips.
For anyone who has played him, they know that he's has a penchant for calling anyone who beats him in a pot a "dumb lucky fish" for starters and then progressively worse from there. I got him so tilted yesterday that he was even calling our avatar pics names. Stuff like "your baby is so ugly, I'd wipe my a$$ with his face." Now, that really doesn't bother me. My babies are both Gerber baby quality. (Love is blind. If you have kids, you really do think you're babies are the cutest ever born). Another player sat, nick KOPE, who is a very nice social player, and one of my biggest donators. Unfortunately his avatar is his (or her) baby's pic as well. After about 3 hands of listening to Vlad's BS about 'ugly baby', Kope leaves. There goes my ATM. Back to me and Blowhard Vlad.
I went about +100 on him pretty quick, and then he got hot and won most of it back. The typical lines: "where did your luck go fish?! I own you!"... the usual. All caps tossed in to let me know he was shouting at me.
After his cards cooled off, I went back to taking his chips. I'm in the middle of reading Your Best Poker Friend by Alan Schoonmaker. He includes a great discussion on putting your opponent on tilt. So I broke one of my cardinal rules of not responding to jackasses, and started needling Vladdy. No cussing, no ALL CAPS, just little zingers. I even sang to him a bit:
It's just a matter of time...
You'll lose your chips...
And whiiinnnneeee....
(Sung to the tune of that old country song - Two Sparrows in a Hurricane).
It had the desired effect. For the longest space ever, Vladdy didn't say a word. I finally asked him if his chat had been banned and got the "lets move up a level! I'll pwn you!" response.
Anyway, final session stats:
87 minutes. 257 hands. PSORG +138.50 (23.88 BB/hour. Average players 2.5, so yeah, it was almost exclusively a heads up match).
Vladdymogul -209.75
He paid me, he paid all the rake, and he paid a few other players who sat for a few hands here and there.
Vladdy, if you're reading this, I'd be happy to teach you 7 card stud. I'd even give you a discount. $80 bucks an hour. That's currently cheaper than the rate you paid yesterday. (23.88 BB/hour multiplied by the 2/4 limit = $95.52/hour)
Like two aces get'n cracked by fives...
all you ever do is cry...
With a head full of dreams but no skills, you'll lose everythiinnggg
Man, I gotta get this up on YouTube!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
90% rakeback at Absolute Poker?
Wow. I just did some quick math. My rakeback stats show I'm generating about 11 cents per raked hand. If I'm playing 2/4, I get 1 FAME point and 4 credits for every raked hand. 60 credits clears $1 in bonus. Got a headache yet?
The skinny is, if I'm clearing reloads (which I am perpetually doing at AP!) I earn $1 bonus for every $1.60 paid in rake. That's 60% rakeback. Tack on the 30% I'm earning from our standard Absolute Rakeback deal, and I'm earning ~90% rakeback if my math is anywhere close to being correct.
At $1/$2, I only earn one FAME point every 2 raked hands, so that math would fall apart there. Roughly $3.30 rake paid for every $1 bonus earned. That's still what.. around 33% rakeback. Add on my 30% rakeback deal, and it's still a nice 66% rakeback at AP.
I haven't even started calculating the fact that I can spend those earned credits for merchandise or points for cash trades. I need to sleep.... I'll run those numbers later.
Here's hoping AP doesn't catch on anytime soon and change the way we earn FAME points at 7 card stud tables. Antes > Blinds in the FAME program.
The skinny is, if I'm clearing reloads (which I am perpetually doing at AP!) I earn $1 bonus for every $1.60 paid in rake. That's 60% rakeback. Tack on the 30% I'm earning from our standard Absolute Rakeback deal, and I'm earning ~90% rakeback if my math is anywhere close to being correct.
At $1/$2, I only earn one FAME point every 2 raked hands, so that math would fall apart there. Roughly $3.30 rake paid for every $1 bonus earned. That's still what.. around 33% rakeback. Add on my 30% rakeback deal, and it's still a nice 66% rakeback at AP.
I haven't even started calculating the fact that I can spend those earned credits for merchandise or points for cash trades. I need to sleep.... I'll run those numbers later.
Here's hoping AP doesn't catch on anytime soon and change the way we earn FAME points at 7 card stud tables. Antes > Blinds in the FAME program.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Poker Pet Peeves
I have two on my mind. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd make a top 10 list. I'll make them brief so I don't get bored typing them, and you don't get bored reading them.
1. "Gawd I hate playing with all these idiots. I'd rather play a small game with good players than a big game with a bunch of fish!"
Wow. That's a paraphrase of a post on our no deposit bonus forum. Some goober who think's he's solid got bad beat out of a tourney (if you're decent, that will usually be how you get KO'd! That or a coin flip loss.) He wanted to let everyone know that he quit the forum because of it. His post was titled "what a joke".
This goes beyond the "table coach" peeve (which would be on my top 10). From what I understand, this guy is decent at cards. He's just an idiot when it comes to the fundamentals of winning at cards. Little does he know that "joke" he's talking about is on him.
2. All the people still screaming rigged and posting 4 month old 'news' posts regarding the super user scandals at Absolute and Ultimate Bet. Let it die already. The players who lost money to the insider cheats were all paid back, and paid back with interest at Absolute Poker! Ultimate Bet, the new ownership repaid the players who were affected, even though the scandal happened under the old owners. That's pretty classy in my book.
High dollar players have a right to be upset and untrusting of AP and UB. Everyone has a right to be upset that Absolute tried to keep things under wraps instead of dealing with the situation in an open manner. The entire poker industry has the right to be ticked at the bad press this generated and the potential fishy's who got spooked away.
My peeve is the lifetime losers who keep pounding away at this on forums and in their own heads justifying their losses with the "AP is rigged" mantra. Please, try a new mantra. Slowly, thinking deeply upon these words: I suck. I suck. I suck...ooohhmmmm. I suck. I suck...
I gave a very polite rebuttal to one of these type posters and his reply was just to tell me I was "trying to cover up for AP". Ok. Better than trying to cover up my -10 BB/100 hands with a couple of "we wuz cheatered!" posts each day, eh?
1. "Gawd I hate playing with all these idiots. I'd rather play a small game with good players than a big game with a bunch of fish!"
Wow. That's a paraphrase of a post on our no deposit bonus forum. Some goober who think's he's solid got bad beat out of a tourney (if you're decent, that will usually be how you get KO'd! That or a coin flip loss.) He wanted to let everyone know that he quit the forum because of it. His post was titled "what a joke".
This goes beyond the "table coach" peeve (which would be on my top 10). From what I understand, this guy is decent at cards. He's just an idiot when it comes to the fundamentals of winning at cards. Little does he know that "joke" he's talking about is on him.
2. All the people still screaming rigged and posting 4 month old 'news' posts regarding the super user scandals at Absolute and Ultimate Bet. Let it die already. The players who lost money to the insider cheats were all paid back, and paid back with interest at Absolute Poker! Ultimate Bet, the new ownership repaid the players who were affected, even though the scandal happened under the old owners. That's pretty classy in my book.
High dollar players have a right to be upset and untrusting of AP and UB. Everyone has a right to be upset that Absolute tried to keep things under wraps instead of dealing with the situation in an open manner. The entire poker industry has the right to be ticked at the bad press this generated and the potential fishy's who got spooked away.
My peeve is the lifetime losers who keep pounding away at this on forums and in their own heads justifying their losses with the "AP is rigged" mantra. Please, try a new mantra. Slowly, thinking deeply upon these words: I suck. I suck. I suck...ooohhmmmm. I suck. I suck...
I gave a very polite rebuttal to one of these type posters and his reply was just to tell me I was "trying to cover up for AP". Ok. Better than trying to cover up my -10 BB/100 hands with a couple of "we wuz cheatered!" posts each day, eh?
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