Funniest Comment Ever
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
I remember a post I did, probably a year ago now, that got the funniest comment I have ever read anywhere. It was a typical time in GCox-ville and I used the phrase "busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest." I don't remember how long ago it was and am too lazy to dig through the archives to find it, but Klopzi left a short essay in my comments that had to be the funniest comment ever left on a blog.
The reason I bring this up is the first thing that came to mind to write about today was that I am busier....well, apparently one-legged men are not that busy even if they are in an ass-kicking contest, so I am just as busy as I can possibly be right now. Between work, animal husbandry 101 and karaoke nearly every single weekend, I have alot on my plate right now. I am so looking forward to July 18th - 21st right now, if for no other reason than to get away from work for a while.
Okie-Vegas promises to be a very fun time and I am very much looking forward to meeting the likes of Jordan, Surflexus and 23Skiddoo for the first time, as well as seeing Maudie, TripJax, Kat and Gracie again. The friendships forged through this little blog-o-sphere never cease to amaze me.
I remember last year when Okie-Vegas was drawing near, my daughter asked me who was coming and I told her and she said "and you've never met any of these people and they are staying at our house?" Yes, dear, that is exactly correct. At that point, I had played numerous online games of poker with all of them and spent countless hours laughing my ass off in the virtual chat rooms with them.
This year offers the chance to meet a few more people that I consider my friends even though I have never actually met them face to face. I look forward to that week very much and the opportunity to build on the friendships forged on the virtual poker tables.
I know that I have a few readers here in OKC and we also have a fairly new blogger in OKC that I haven't met yet, but would like for any and all of them to join us for the festivities, if possible. The tournament at my house will start at 3:00 pm on Saturday, the 21st. If you are going to be in town and would like to play, please get in touch with me as soon as possible. We are planning a barbecue lunch at Noon at my house, prior to the tournament and you are all welcome to join us for that, as well. We just need to get a reasonable head count so Maudie knows how much food to pick up. Oossuuu754, hit me up in the girlie chat one of these nights (GCoxy25) and I will get you my address and cell phone so you can at least make the tournament if you are in town.
Speaking of the tournament, it is a $60 maximum entry fee, with an initial $40 for 5K in chips and one $20 add-on/re-buy for another 2.5K in chips. If you go busto in the first hour and a half, you can re-buy and at least still be in the tournament and after that first hour and a half (3 levels) go by, you can add-on so long as you haven't rebought already.
I am hoping to round up 20 players for the tournament and start with two full tables. I have enough friends here in the area to fill in seats that we should have no problem getting 20.
I also want to put this out there to anybody that is interested. Any of you who are on the fence about coming, you are more than welcome to join us. I know there are several folks that are mulling it over and perhaps waiting to spring the surprise of their arrival on us at the last minute, at least I hope that is the case. I know there are alot of you that are interested in making the trip, so all I can say is Mi Casa, Su Casa, so get your ticket and come on. Just let me know when I need to be at the airport and I will be there. I'll be the pony tail guy with a cold beer in one hand and a 7-2 off-s00t in the other.
Until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 4:30 PM,
,
Zookeeper
Monday, June 25, 2007
This is a sponsored post, so feel free to click through to view the ads or feel free to click on to the next available blog post.
This post is dedicated mostly to European or non-US players, due to the fact that these sites do not allow US players currently. Having said that and having played at the site, I clicked through and read the review and have to agree with it 100%. If you want to read a poker star review of a room you SHOULD be playing at, provided you are able to play there, click that link and head over there. The room is full of fish and the overlay on their tournaments is outstanding. I loved the room and made some significant money there before the doom switch was turned on for all US Players.
There is also a party poker bonus located on this blog and I would again advise any of you that have the availability to play there to deposit immediately and begin trolling the fishiest waters on the net. I, personally, never made a cent there, but as most of you know, there are others out there that kill that site on a nightly basis, so give them a look-see as well.
As I said, this was a sponsored post and if you are not located in the United States, I highly recommend that you click through and give the site at least a once-over. It will certainly be worth your time.
--
The GCox25 Zoo
The wifey, daughter and mother-in-law packed up and flew out to Denver on Saturday morning for a work conference for the wife and some vacation/baby-sitting for the daughter and mother-in-law. That left me in charge of a host of animals for 5 days and by host, I mean a shit-load.
2 indoor cats, Bubba and some kitten that I don’t even know what they have named yet. Yes, we have a cat named Bubba, sort of, he actually has about 5 different names but Bubba or Bubs is what I call him and he seems to know what that means.
1 indoor dog, Chewey. She is our newest dog and a little bitty thing that is obviously the neediest dog on the planet, with the possible exception of:
My mother-in-laws’ indoor dog, Cookie. She is a Pappillon and was the runt of her litter. She eats chicken and only white meat chicken and thinks she is a human being. She cannot, for the life of her, figure out why these other animals want to get in her face and play.
1 outdoor dog, Pepper.
1 guinea pig, Scamper.
A multitude of neighborhood outdoor cats that my wife and daughter feed on a daily basis. They just show up on the front stoop awaiting cat food to be dispensed.
Thankfully, the guinea pig stays in his cage and is happy as shit to get some new hay and a little fruit on a daily basis. He’s pretty easy to take care of and always chirping and happy when I make my way in there to feed him.
The outdoor neighborhood cats are easy, as well, as I just walk out there once a day and pour a cup of food into their bowl and I am done with them.
Our outdoor dog, Pepper, a small West Highland Terrier, is also very easy to take care of. A little water and a little dog food and she is good to go for at least a day. She is outside and loves it in the back yard, so she is no problem.
Now, we move in to the indoor cats and dogs. What a fooking nightmare. I have my mother-in-laws dog, Cookie, in our bedroom, because apparently, one of my daughters’ bedrooms was not good enough. I figured that out after listening to her bark incessantly for about 10 minutes. So, I move her, her cage and blankets, and set up shop for her in our bedroom, where she can be close to me and I can keep the other animals out of her face.
So, last night, around 10 o’clock, I decide it’s time for bed and Cookie starts in again, so, I pick her up and put her in the bed with me. Whoo, problem solved, let’s get some sleep…..until…..Chewey decides that she needs to be in the room and start scratching away at the outside of our bedroom door. Fook! I get up and open the door and let her in and soon enough, she is up in the bed with me, as well. Apparently, female dogs find me either greatly attractive or extremely safe, because pretty soon, they are both curled up touching me somewhere and sleeping soundly……..
Until…….
The two cats decide it is time to tear through the house as fast as humanly possible. I have to say the big male and the little one are getting along rather well, but they have their nap times and their play times all fooked up. 11:30 is not play time.
So, up I go and I shut the bedroom door after herding the two night-owls out in to the living room. Unfortunately, the by-product of this little event is that our little dog, Chewey, decides to bark at every single thing for the next 15 minutes. A tree branch rubs the outside of the a window, arf arf arf. A cat goes by outside the bedroom door, arf arf arf.
I finally decide to give up on the entire process and I open the fooking door again and let them run wild. By 12:30, they are all ready to give it up for the night, finally and I drift off to sleep.
I awake to the alarm clock at 6:00 am and reach over to turn it off. There are both dogs and both cats on the bed, all within a few feet of each other and me, looking at me with the exact same expression on their faces:
“Are you going to turn that off so we can get back to sleep?”
Good gawd, come home soon girls, please. I am NO zoo-keeper, that’s for sure.
Until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:11 PM,
,
The State Of My Game
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
As Okie-Vegas draws near, nearly less than a month away now, I am starting to get very excited about playing some live poker again soon. After the last few months of playing on-line and consistently getting my brains beat in, the last couple of weeks have provided some "light at the end of the tunnel."
While I haven't seen any big wins, or even big cashes for that matter, my play has been much better recently. I don't go into a tournament or sng feeling like I am the dead money anymore, after spending the three or four months prior feeling like dead money in everything I tried to play. I think my reads have been better lately and I think I have been a slight bit more aggressive than in the past, although most would probably laugh at that statement. I am definitely making more moves and taking more chances when I feel like it is the right spot for it than at any time in recent memory.
I don't think I will ever get away from my tight nature at the poker table, simply because I have tasted success with it. Even though the blogger tournies are pretty much -EV for me, due to my nature and all the other players knowing my tendencies, I will continue to play in these for the enjoyment and I will continue to work on my aggression in these things, perhaps crossing up some players in the process.
My cash game play of late has been much better as well. I have definitely opened up my starting hand selection at the 6-Max tables and a simple C-bet will not get me to fold my hand post-flop, just because I didn't catch a big flop. I'm not losing my mind here or putting my stack in with 3rd pair, shitty kicker, but I am paying much closer attention to my opponents, taking good notes and trying to take advantage of them when I see a particular tendency that I recognize.
I remember reading Hoyazo's cash game write-ups and his descriptin of the straight, ABC poker players, raising with big hands and C-betting the flop, no matter what hit the board. You know what? That was me, Mr. ABC. The fact that he wasn't writing about me in particular had absolutely nothing to do with it, he was describing my fucking game to a T. Now, as I like to tell my girls, your old daddy might be dumb, but he sure as shit ain't stupid. I've since been working on becoming more unpredictable, both with my continuation betting, my bet sizes and my starting hand selection.
It doesn't work every time and I am still struggling a bit with it in tournament play, as evidenced this week by running Jacks into Garth's Queens on Monday night and then 9-9 into A-A in the Mookie on Wednesday. I am still a bit timid due to these types of hands, but I like to think that Garth had to think twice before jamming with Q-Q after I re-raised pre-flop. Obviously, I had the lower end of my range to re-raise with there, but there have been plenty of times, especially in blogger tournaments, where I turn over K-K or A-A there and am a huge favorite.
Okay, that's about it for the state of my game. It ain't great yet and I am not raking in more money than I've ever seen, but I feel like the climb upward has started and I plan on continuing the ride, continuing to study the likes of Fuel and Hoyazo and continuing to try and change up my play just enough to throw off a blogger or seventy-eight.
--
So, with all that being said, bloggging has started to become more of an easy task for me as well. As my poker play improves, hopefully my writing here on this blog will improve as well.
When I first started blogging, I wrote a post every single day, because I was playing poker every single night. After a near-intervention of sorts from my family, my play was somewhat stymied for a while, but I continued to blog, even though I played less. I would sometimes crank out 2 or 3 posts a day back in the early days of Low Limit Grinder.
Then came the crackdown at work by Big Brother. Our all-knowing and all-prisoner-of-war IT professional (not that that's a bad thing) decided that all that was Blogspot would be surf-controlled at work, cutting off my ability to post from work and for a while, my ability to read blogs as well. Big Brother still has a virtual hold on me, as far as reading and commenting on blogs while at work, but my wing-man, TripJax, found a way to keep me up to speed during the day through Google Reader. I still don't get to comment as much as I would like, but at least I am able to read the blogs on my roll every day.
Finally, suffering through a horrid three months on the virtual felt that started right after the first of the year, this blog has languished more than at any time in the past three years. I simply did not feel like writing about Joe Schmo sucking out a two-outer here or a four-outer there and crushing my dominating hand after all the money went in the pot. I don't mind posting or reading about bad beats, but I was living a bad beat on a nightly basis for about a three-month period and it definitely took its' toll on me, as a writer and as a poker player. It felt like I was trapped in the poker version of the movie "Groundhog Day" night after night.
I am finally feeling more and more like talking about poker again and I am hoping that, as a result of that, this blog takes on a little more of a presence in the sphere, as well. I have always felt like a part of this little group, but it has certainly been a struggle these last few months.
So, all that behind me now, here's hoping for a brighter future around the entire blogosphere and particularly in my little corner here at Low Limit Grinder.
When I first started blogging, I wrote a post every single day, because I was playing poker every single night. After a near-intervention of sorts from my family, my play was somewhat stymied for a while, but I continued to blog, even though I played less. I would sometimes crank out 2 or 3 posts a day back in the early days of Low Limit Grinder.
Then came the crackdown at work by Big Brother. Our all-knowing and all-prisoner-of-war IT professional (not that that's a bad thing) decided that all that was Blogspot would be surf-controlled at work, cutting off my ability to post from work and for a while, my ability to read blogs as well. Big Brother still has a virtual hold on me, as far as reading and commenting on blogs while at work, but my wing-man, TripJax, found a way to keep me up to speed during the day through Google Reader. I still don't get to comment as much as I would like, but at least I am able to read the blogs on my roll every day.
Finally, suffering through a horrid three months on the virtual felt that started right after the first of the year, this blog has languished more than at any time in the past three years. I simply did not feel like writing about Joe Schmo sucking out a two-outer here or a four-outer there and crushing my dominating hand after all the money went in the pot. I don't mind posting or reading about bad beats, but I was living a bad beat on a nightly basis for about a three-month period and it definitely took its' toll on me, as a writer and as a poker player. It felt like I was trapped in the poker version of the movie "Groundhog Day" night after night.
I am finally feeling more and more like talking about poker again and I am hoping that, as a result of that, this blog takes on a little more of a presence in the sphere, as well. I have always felt like a part of this little group, but it has certainly been a struggle these last few months.
So, all that behind me now, here's hoping for a brighter future around the entire blogosphere and particularly in my little corner here at Low Limit Grinder.
--
Finally, a little pimpage:
Get yourself out to the Mookie tonight on Full Tilt. We need to break that 80 player mark or the Good Reverend will stop sharing those delicious photos with us.
Also, while you are playing, tune in to BuddyDankRadio. Good freaking times, guaranteed.
Until next time, I fold.
G
--
posted by GaryC @ 3:25 PM,
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RakeRebateReview.com
Monday, June 18, 2007
If you are currently playing any amount of on-line poker on any type of regular basis, you need to do a little research on a rakeback program. Fortunately for you, there is a place on-line that will give you all the information you could ever need on the subject.
www.Rakerebatereview.com
If you have any questions or need any direction on the subject of rakeback, click the link above and spend a few hours perusing that site. They will give you all the information you could possibly need.
The percentages vary, but the normal rakeback percentages appear to be between 27% and 30% at most every room they offer deals through. If you play as much as I do, a rakeback deal only makes sense, in order to get back some of that rake you are paying into the site.
If you have never played on-line poker, there are also reviews of nearly every single poker room on the planet and I would highly recommend signing up through them and for a rakeback deal at the same time.
Overall, the site is very organized and I found it very easy to navigate. Finding the information you are looking for is just a simple mouse-click away. Enjoy.
*This was a paid review, but I heartily recommend giving this site a look-see for any rakeback information you might need.
posted by GaryC @ 3:49 PM,
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Happy Father's Day Dad
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sitting here Saturday morning at work, bored out of my skull, I got to thinking about this weekend.
Father's Day Weekend
It really has never been a huge day for my family, from the time I was growing up until now, with kids of my own. It was never like Mother's Day around my house, of course, you had to know my Dad to really appreciate that. My Pops was from the old school. He didn't go for much out of the ordinary and he certainly didn't need, want or expect another trivial tie or belt as a Father's Day gift.
I've taked a few times on this blog about how my Dad was a hard man and it is very true. He grew up back when times were tough and if you didn't work your ass off, you didn't get very far in this world. He quit college after his freshman year and went to work for a large oil company here in Oklahoma. He held various odd side jobs, including working at a gas station for his Dad and running the little 8-lane bowling alley at night in my home town. He drove the church bus every Sunday and ran sound for every service at our home town church.
Through all of that and for 38 consecutive years, he got up every morning and drove the 20 or so miles to his "real" job with the oil company. 38 freaking years of doing the same job for basically the same bosses at the same company. My Dad was solid like that.
As I am passing 10 years at the same job this year, I struggle with what I am sure are the same things that my Dad had to have struggled with at some point in those 38 years. I am too much like him and in too many ways, I am exactly like him. My Dad had no patience for lazy asses and no time for stupid folks. If you didn't pass muster with him from the get-go, you normally didn't get a second chance.
As I plow forward in my life, I often wonder how my Dad would have reacted after the latest debacle at my job. Would he have told that guy to pull his head out of his ass, just like I did? Or would he have had more tact and gone about things in an entirely different, yet still effective, way. I can't imagine he would have let it slide without saying anything, that just wasn't him.
It's alreday been more than four years now that my Dad passed away. It just seems like yesterday. We get so busy with our lives and our kids' lives and all the things going on around that time just keeps moving on by, passing us by and it only goes by faster as we get older. As somebody that never really took much stock in "manufactured" or "greeting card" holidays, Father's Day was never very special to me, not when it came to honoring my Dad or even now, when my wife and kids do something special for me. That has changed somewhat in the last four years, as special dates come along and remind me of my Dad.
Do yourself and your Dad a favor this weekend. Stop whatever you are doing and look him up. If possible, go see him, but at the very least, stop your busy life for a few minutes on Sunday and call your Dad and tell him, Happy Father's Day. You have no idea the feeling that comes over you when you don't get to share these kind of special days with your Dad.
I love you Dad and I miss you a little more every day. Happy Father's Day.
Gary
posted by GaryC @ 12:17 AM,
,
Pimpin'
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
First things first, a little pimpage. Shamelessly copied and pasted from an email. It's the good doctor talking to you about:
The new issue of Truckin' has been published. Guess what? It's the birthday issue. Truckin' is now five years old!
I'm blown away to think that this little corner of the internet has been around for five years! We've come a long way since my original vision of sharing travel stories with friends. Since then we've published over fifty writers from all over the world. There were moments when I wanted to quit, but thanks to the encouragement of some special people, I kept it going. And now, we get to celebrate Truckin's 5th birthday. Thanks to everyone involved in the last five years and especially the last twelve months. Super thanks goes out to Maudie for the site re-design and to Jessica for her thankless work as assitant editor.
And thanks to all the writer's who wrote for free. Thanks for sharing your bloodwork.
Truckin' - June 2007, Vol. 6, Issue 6
1. Donuts with Baby & Winky by Paul McGuire Baby sat on the edge of the coffee table and poured out an ashtray that overflowed with butts. She picked out three or four and lit one up. She took three drags and put it out before she lit up another used one. Then another... More
1. Donuts with Baby & Winky by Paul McGuire Baby sat on the edge of the coffee table and poured out an ashtray that overflowed with butts. She picked out three or four and lit one up. She took three drags and put it out before she lit up another used one. Then another... More
2. Three Men Leaving by Brad "Otis" Willis The cash register hummed underneath the buzz of the overhead fluorescents. Together, the noises almost masked the sounds of the crickets. Their little love song sang through the open door and it was getting on Little Liza's nerves... More
3. Desperados by Joe Speaker The start time was pragmatic. We didn't want to be traversing the Mexican desert in mid-day, especially in our unreliable cars. This way, we'd arrive shortly after dawn, being treated to a spectacular sunrise the last hundred miles or so. There are always trade-offs, though, and our schedule dictated we'd drive through the border town of Mexicali in the dead of night... More
4. Five Dollars for the Colonel by Dr. Tim Lavalli Across the alley are these two trailers, the back one is Annie's and she'll give you head for twenty bucks, only the Colonel don't like her doing that, so you give him $5 and he goes to get his bottle of muscatel but he doesn't like the folks at Abe's Liquor so he goes down the street to the Chinaman's and then you go to see Annie while he is getting his wine... More
5. Leaving the City by Sigge S. Amdal All of this mud, all of this poison pumping from my pitch black heart, through my veins and out the razor sharp tip of the pen is nothing but unclean blood for you to leech on. As I see the city disappear, minute-by-minute, I become much more a man... More
6. Rose by Doog Rose's heart pounded with anticipation, a strange mix of exhilaration and fear of the unknown coursing through her veins. Keeper opened the door and stepped through into the world outside... More
7. Las Vegas Car Battery by Dingo I suppose because of my accent I seem to attract a weird and wide selection of sheilas and broads. I am quite okay looking, or so people tell me, so picking up sheilas has never been a problem. Mine all just seem to be total whack jobs... More
I ask that if you like these stories, then please do me and the rest of the writers a huge favor: Tell your friends about your favorite stories. It takes a few seconds to pass along Truckin'. I certainly appreciate your support. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you know anyone who is interested in being added to the mailing list.
Tao of Pauly -- http://mcgrupp.blogspot.com
Truckin' -- http://mcgtruckin.blogspot.com
Tao of Poker -- http://taopoker.blogspot.com
Las Vegas Blog -- http://www.lasvegasvegas.com
Phish & Music Blog -- http://phishcoventry.blogspot.com/
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I've seen a few musical lists out there recently and I thought I would do my own variation on that today. So, without further ado, I present to you the 10-most over-requested and/or over-sung songs in the short history of Karaoke with Carrie and Gary:
10.Redneck Woman -Gretchen Wilson - a relatively new song, but it has to be on this list, becuase it gets sung every night at every karaoke show in Oklahoma.(lots of rednecks here, you know?)
9.My Heart Will Go On (Theme from Titanic) - Celine Dion - Simply put, I would prefer a hot poker in the eyeball.
8.Crazy - Patsy Cline - A great country song written by Willie Nelson, but hearing it every single night at karaoke makes it sound old in a hurry.
7.Paradise By The Dashboard Lights - Meat Loaf - There is a reason people call Meat Loaf a one-of-a-kind singer. That reason is because NOBODY can sing like that man. Give it a rest.
6.Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - see comment on #7 as it pertains to Freddie Mercury.
5.Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett - I like Buffett as well as the next guy and this song is pretty hard to murder, unfortunately, I have heard it murdered one too many times.
4.Strokin' - Clarence Carter - what is it about alcohol and white folks that makes every one of them want to be a black entertainer?
3.Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot - see comment #4 but add, you want to rap????? I have heard this song done well on occasion, but more often than not, they can't read the words fast enough to keep up.
2.You Never Even Called Me By My Name - David Allen Coe - every night around Midnight when the crowd starts getting good and drunk, somebody has to butcher this song.
And, the number one most often abused song on Karaoke is......
1.Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks - Now, let me preface this with the fact that I am a huge Garth Brooks fan, but at every single show, a group of obnoxious drunkards has to get up and sing this song. They more often than not, suck big time.
So, there you have my list of songs to stay away from at Karaoke night at your local bar. If I'm there and you pick one of these songs, you will see me exit the building for a shot of whiskey and a cigarette in the parking lot.
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10.Redneck Woman -Gretchen Wilson - a relatively new song, but it has to be on this list, becuase it gets sung every night at every karaoke show in Oklahoma.(lots of rednecks here, you know?)
9.My Heart Will Go On (Theme from Titanic) - Celine Dion - Simply put, I would prefer a hot poker in the eyeball.
8.Crazy - Patsy Cline - A great country song written by Willie Nelson, but hearing it every single night at karaoke makes it sound old in a hurry.
7.Paradise By The Dashboard Lights - Meat Loaf - There is a reason people call Meat Loaf a one-of-a-kind singer. That reason is because NOBODY can sing like that man. Give it a rest.
6.Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - see comment on #7 as it pertains to Freddie Mercury.
5.Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett - I like Buffett as well as the next guy and this song is pretty hard to murder, unfortunately, I have heard it murdered one too many times.
4.Strokin' - Clarence Carter - what is it about alcohol and white folks that makes every one of them want to be a black entertainer?
3.Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot - see comment #4 but add, you want to rap????? I have heard this song done well on occasion, but more often than not, they can't read the words fast enough to keep up.
2.You Never Even Called Me By My Name - David Allen Coe - every night around Midnight when the crowd starts getting good and drunk, somebody has to butcher this song.
And, the number one most often abused song on Karaoke is......
1.Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks - Now, let me preface this with the fact that I am a huge Garth Brooks fan, but at every single show, a group of obnoxious drunkards has to get up and sing this song. They more often than not, suck big time.
So, there you have my list of songs to stay away from at Karaoke night at your local bar. If I'm there and you pick one of these songs, you will see me exit the building for a shot of whiskey and a cigarette in the parking lot.
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Join us for the Mookie tonight on Full Tilt and tune in to Buddy Dank Radio for some commentary and perhaps, some of those songs listed above. You never know.
--
2007 OKIE-VEGAS TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
SATURDAY, JULY 21ST, 3:00 P.M.
$40 BUY-IN – 5000 CHIPS
ONE SINGLE $20 ADD-ON/RE-BUY(during the first hour and a half) – 2500 CHIPS
I treat the add-on/re-buy as a save just in case somebody takes a horrific beat during the first hour and a half, they are able to get back into the tournament, however, after the first hour and a half, you may use it as an add-on if you haven’t rebought –OR- you can re-buy immediately and sit down with 7500 chips. Your choice.
BLIND LEVELS
10-20 - 30 MINUTES
25-50 - 30 MINUTES
40-80 - 30 MINUTES
Break-color up
50-100 - 30 MINUTES
100-200 - 30 MINUTES
200-400 - 30 MINUTES
Break-color-up
400-800 - 30 MINUTES
500-1000 - 30 MINUTES
1000-2000 - 30 MINUTES
2000-4000 - 30 MINUTES
4000-8000 - 30 MINUTES
I fully expect the tournament to be over at this point, but if not, we will continue on probably capping the blind levels at 4K-8K. I expect to have anywhere between 15 and 20 players and will decide on the payout structure after the first hour and a half when I have a total amount in the prize pool. It will probably be something in this neighborhood though:
1st – 45%
2nd – 30%
3rd - 20%
4th – 5%
The cash game to follow will be $1-$2 NL with a max buy-in of $200.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to call me on my cell phone, if you have it, or shoot me an email at work. That address can be found on the blog.
See you tonight and, until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 4:13 PM,
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Ready To Ride?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
We have jet ski's back from the shop and running great. I had to work until Noon saturday, but as soon as I could get out of there, I was headed west, rolling into the land of relaxation at 1:06 pm saturday afternoon. I ate a quick sandwich and changed clothes and we headed to the water with the ski's in tow.
I think I rode all of about two hours, although my sunburn makes it seem like I was on the water all day. We caught a pretty nice day overall for our first trip out this year. The wind was mild by Oklahoma standards (around 10 mph) and the storms that were rolling in just continued right on past us. It sprinkled for about 10 minutes, but that was all we got all day. The cloud cover made it much more bearable also, although with the water temperature still a few degrees less than optimal, it made it quite cool when you were in the water.
So, it is with great pleasure that I pronounce the jet ski's "ready to go" for Okie-Vegas in a little over a month. We still have a few little problems to iron out with the trailer, but most of that should be taken care of in the next few weeks and it is already quite livable. Most of what needs to be done is cosmetic in nature, everything that we need seems to be working fine, so it will definitely be able to handle a one-nighter by a bunch of drunken degenerates next month.
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I hung around the house on Friday night after finishing up my yard work in the city and was finally able to join the donk-foolery that is Kat's Friday night Donkament. It was a good time and for $1 rebuys, not too expensive on the pocketbook. I ended up with 5 rebuys including the add-on and had a healthy stack when the rebuy period was over. I was able to make it to the final table, but went out in fourth as the bubbleboy, yet again, when my 7-7 ran into the all-powerful A-2 s00ted. To be fair, with the differences in stack sizes, NumbersGame was more than justified calling in that spot. I don't mean to suggest otherwise.
It was good to hang out with everybody and enjoy some tunes via BuddyDankRadio. If you haven't checked that out yet, he gets a hearty thumbs up from this guy for running nearly everybody's requests while also playing in and commenting on the tournament happenings. Good times and it was good to play with Kat and SoxLover again. Belated congrats from me to the new Mom and Pop. You got a lot to look forward to brother, congratulations again. By the way, I think Kat and Sox chopped up first and second place money when it became increasingly apparent that Kat was not going to lose any coin flips and was going to suck out when necessary against Sox.every.single.time. Well played to both of you.
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I should be around for the Mookie tomorrow night, but I will have to miss the Riverchasers event on Thursday, due to working until 10 pm.
Have a good week.
G
posted by GaryC @ 5:03 PM,
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Agenda Redux
Friday, June 08, 2007
After trying to throw together an agenda that worked for as many people as possible, I have finally decided on THE plan for Okie-Vegas.......sort of.
I am taking off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so if anybody wants to come in on Tuesday or Wednesday, that is fine. Right now, it looks like Kat and her husband will be the only ones in on Wednesday. This is up in the air at this point and will be decided by Kat, once they get here, but Wednesday we will either spend the evening at one of the casinos OR we will hang out at my house and play in the Mookie like we did last year. This way nobody has to worry about driving anywhere and we can get our drink on as heartily as we want for the evening. Like I said, it doesn't matter to me either way and I will be happy doing either. If you plan on being here on Wednesday and would like a vote, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know.
Thursday was the lake trip day last year, but since TripJax sent me an email this afternoon, we have changed the plans up a bit this year. Thursday we will plan on having a late lunch at Bricktown. I say late, because 23Skiddoo gets into OKC at around 1:30 on Thursday. We will plan on picking him up first and then heading down to Bricktown for lunch around 2:30 or so. Anybody that wants to join us is welcome. Hit me up on Yahoo IM (gcoxy25) and I will get you my cell phone number.
After lunch, we can stroll around Bricktown for a bit and then we will head to the casino of choice for some Okie-style No foldem holdem. I figure we will play pretty much all night or until somebody runs out of money and then head back to my house to prepare for Friday.
Friday morning we will get up and load for the lake. We have to pick Jordan up at the airport at around 10 am on Friday morning and from there we will head straight to the lake. This will allow us at least 3 or 4 more hours on the water than if we did it on Thursday and will also allow Jordan to join us at my Redneck Riviera. We can ride jet ski's, hang out on the bank and drink beer, dial-a-shot, etc until around sundown. Then we will head to the little beer bar for a few pops with the locals. Friday night could pose a problem for pokery action in the bar, but if so, we will simply move the sng action back to the trailer. I am sure I can get a few locals to join us as well, but don't be surprised when they don't fold, you have been warned.
Saturday we will get up early and drive back to my house for a blogger lunch around Noon. My plan is for barbecue again this year, I hope that is okay with everybody. If not, let me know and I will arrange something else. My wife will also have a large variety of snacks out for us to munch on all evening. She's pretty good at that kind of stuff. I plan on kicking off the tournament around 3 pm, just like last year, with the only change being that I am moving the tables inside the house. July is brutal around here heat-wise and unlike last year, I am going to move furniture around in the house and fit both tables inside.
After the tournament, we will have a cash game, more dial-a-shots and even some karaoke mixed in, I am sure, so there will be plenty to do.
If you have any suggestions or requirements, let me know and if you are planning on attending and I do not know it yet, please let me know so I can include you on the list. I am really looking forward to this year, even moreso than last year at this point. If you are on the fence about coming, let me suggest this to you, it will definitely be worth your time, I promise!
I am taking off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so if anybody wants to come in on Tuesday or Wednesday, that is fine. Right now, it looks like Kat and her husband will be the only ones in on Wednesday. This is up in the air at this point and will be decided by Kat, once they get here, but Wednesday we will either spend the evening at one of the casinos OR we will hang out at my house and play in the Mookie like we did last year. This way nobody has to worry about driving anywhere and we can get our drink on as heartily as we want for the evening. Like I said, it doesn't matter to me either way and I will be happy doing either. If you plan on being here on Wednesday and would like a vote, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know.
Thursday was the lake trip day last year, but since TripJax sent me an email this afternoon, we have changed the plans up a bit this year. Thursday we will plan on having a late lunch at Bricktown. I say late, because 23Skiddoo gets into OKC at around 1:30 on Thursday. We will plan on picking him up first and then heading down to Bricktown for lunch around 2:30 or so. Anybody that wants to join us is welcome. Hit me up on Yahoo IM (gcoxy25) and I will get you my cell phone number.
After lunch, we can stroll around Bricktown for a bit and then we will head to the casino of choice for some Okie-style No foldem holdem. I figure we will play pretty much all night or until somebody runs out of money and then head back to my house to prepare for Friday.
Friday morning we will get up and load for the lake. We have to pick Jordan up at the airport at around 10 am on Friday morning and from there we will head straight to the lake. This will allow us at least 3 or 4 more hours on the water than if we did it on Thursday and will also allow Jordan to join us at my Redneck Riviera. We can ride jet ski's, hang out on the bank and drink beer, dial-a-shot, etc until around sundown. Then we will head to the little beer bar for a few pops with the locals. Friday night could pose a problem for pokery action in the bar, but if so, we will simply move the sng action back to the trailer. I am sure I can get a few locals to join us as well, but don't be surprised when they don't fold, you have been warned.
Saturday we will get up early and drive back to my house for a blogger lunch around Noon. My plan is for barbecue again this year, I hope that is okay with everybody. If not, let me know and I will arrange something else. My wife will also have a large variety of snacks out for us to munch on all evening. She's pretty good at that kind of stuff. I plan on kicking off the tournament around 3 pm, just like last year, with the only change being that I am moving the tables inside the house. July is brutal around here heat-wise and unlike last year, I am going to move furniture around in the house and fit both tables inside.
After the tournament, we will have a cash game, more dial-a-shots and even some karaoke mixed in, I am sure, so there will be plenty to do.
If you have any suggestions or requirements, let me know and if you are planning on attending and I do not know it yet, please let me know so I can include you on the list. I am really looking forward to this year, even moreso than last year at this point. If you are on the fence about coming, let me suggest this to you, it will definitely be worth your time, I promise!
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Here are the top 10 reasons/explanations that will let you know that you are, in fact, running bad.
10. Instead of getting a message saying "Checking is free, are you sure you want to fold?" your new message says "are you sure you want to move all-in with just TPTK?"
9. Instead of being greeted with NH Sir in the chat box, all you see is LOLOLOLOL.
8. A-J looks like GOLD, BABY!!!
7. You continue to watch with amazement as every suited connector that you fold is all over every flop and your big Aces miss everything.every.single.time.
6. You try to bluff your ghey cat and he is having none of it.
5. You move all-in with a relatively short stack and FIVE people at the table call and then check it down.
4. You call an all-in and check it down even though you've made your full house on the river only to see the all-in guy has a bigger full house and no side pot for you.
3. You flop Quads only to see another person runner, runner you for bigger Quads.
2. Your Mom calls and wants to know if you've "given up" on the blog.
1. Your wife looks over at you and tells you to get your fat ass off the couch and go play some poker!
10. Instead of getting a message saying "Checking is free, are you sure you want to fold?" your new message says "are you sure you want to move all-in with just TPTK?"
9. Instead of being greeted with NH Sir in the chat box, all you see is LOLOLOLOL.
8. A-J looks like GOLD, BABY!!!
7. You continue to watch with amazement as every suited connector that you fold is all over every flop and your big Aces miss everything.every.single.time.
6. You try to bluff your ghey cat and he is having none of it.
5. You move all-in with a relatively short stack and FIVE people at the table call and then check it down.
4. You call an all-in and check it down even though you've made your full house on the river only to see the all-in guy has a bigger full house and no side pot for you.
3. You flop Quads only to see another person runner, runner you for bigger Quads.
2. Your Mom calls and wants to know if you've "given up" on the blog.
1. Your wife looks over at you and tells you to get your fat ass off the couch and go play some poker!
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Last night, sitting in front of the computer spewing obscenities following redonkulous suckout after suckout in a HORSE sng, I decided to the join the nightly 26K on Full Tilt. I haven't played a "bigger" buy-in event in a while and I had a token just sitting there collecting dust, so, on a whim, I signed up. There were only about 380 people signed up when I joined, but, of course, by the time the cards were in the air, there were over 1300 entrants.
I get 10-10 on the first hand of the tournament and limp in late position, following a couple of other limpers. The small blind makes it 100 to go and I call along with an ep limper. The flop comes out 9-8-3 rainbow and the small blind leads out for 400. (pot bet) The ep limper quickly calls and it's on me. I cannot get past the thought that I am good here, so, after using a bit of time, I push my 1400 out there and to my surprise, am insta-called by both players. J-J for the small blind and 5-5 for the ep limper. A 10 on the river and I have 4600 chips after the first hand. Oh well, bad read on my part, but I did trust my gut, which is something I have had a hard time doing lately.
Next big hand is still during the first hour and I have 10-10 again and call a min. raise from ep along with one of the blinds who has almost as many chips as I have. (4.5K) The flop is 10-9-2 and I check my set, hoping for action on the turn. The turn card is an Ace and I lead out for about 2/3 of the pot and am smooth-called by the open-raiser. The guy in the blinds shoves out his entire stack and I insta-call and am shocked yet again when the original raiser insta-calls as well. He has 9-9 and the blind has Big Slick. No help comes for them and I am suddenly up over 10K in chips.
My stack fluctuated between 10K and 20K for the next two hours and there were really no notable hands. I stole when I could steal and folded for a LONG time. The bubble took quite a while as there were people stalling left and right during that time. I re-popped a couple of ep raisers during this time and they wanted nothing to do with a confrontation. Of course, K-K doesn't hurt.
After the money bubble burst, I went completely card dead and folded for a good long while. My stack had dwindled down to around 5K when I finally found A-Q in mp. I shoved it in and everybody folded around to the small blind who thought......and thought......and used up his time.......and finally called with A-10 s00ted. A ten on the flop, followed by runner runner clubs did me in and I was out in 69th place. It wasn't a huge payday, by any means, but for the first time in a long time, when that tournament was over, I thought to myself, I played that just about as well as I could play.
Granted, I could have and probably should have been out on the first hand of the tournament, but regardless of that, I built up a nice stack and was never in any danger of busting out at any point. I played pretty tight, as I always do, but I also opened up around the bubble and stole more often than I would normally. Obviously, this does not mean much in the grand scheme of things, confidence-wise or bankroll-wise, but I most definitely felt better about my game last night and better about the way I played, for the most part.
Perhaps I can use it as a building block to bigger and better things. Who knows?
Until next time, I fold.
G
I get 10-10 on the first hand of the tournament and limp in late position, following a couple of other limpers. The small blind makes it 100 to go and I call along with an ep limper. The flop comes out 9-8-3 rainbow and the small blind leads out for 400. (pot bet) The ep limper quickly calls and it's on me. I cannot get past the thought that I am good here, so, after using a bit of time, I push my 1400 out there and to my surprise, am insta-called by both players. J-J for the small blind and 5-5 for the ep limper. A 10 on the river and I have 4600 chips after the first hand. Oh well, bad read on my part, but I did trust my gut, which is something I have had a hard time doing lately.
Next big hand is still during the first hour and I have 10-10 again and call a min. raise from ep along with one of the blinds who has almost as many chips as I have. (4.5K) The flop is 10-9-2 and I check my set, hoping for action on the turn. The turn card is an Ace and I lead out for about 2/3 of the pot and am smooth-called by the open-raiser. The guy in the blinds shoves out his entire stack and I insta-call and am shocked yet again when the original raiser insta-calls as well. He has 9-9 and the blind has Big Slick. No help comes for them and I am suddenly up over 10K in chips.
My stack fluctuated between 10K and 20K for the next two hours and there were really no notable hands. I stole when I could steal and folded for a LONG time. The bubble took quite a while as there were people stalling left and right during that time. I re-popped a couple of ep raisers during this time and they wanted nothing to do with a confrontation. Of course, K-K doesn't hurt.
After the money bubble burst, I went completely card dead and folded for a good long while. My stack had dwindled down to around 5K when I finally found A-Q in mp. I shoved it in and everybody folded around to the small blind who thought......and thought......and used up his time.......and finally called with A-10 s00ted. A ten on the flop, followed by runner runner clubs did me in and I was out in 69th place. It wasn't a huge payday, by any means, but for the first time in a long time, when that tournament was over, I thought to myself, I played that just about as well as I could play.
Granted, I could have and probably should have been out on the first hand of the tournament, but regardless of that, I built up a nice stack and was never in any danger of busting out at any point. I played pretty tight, as I always do, but I also opened up around the bubble and stole more often than I would normally. Obviously, this does not mean much in the grand scheme of things, confidence-wise or bankroll-wise, but I most definitely felt better about my game last night and better about the way I played, for the most part.
Perhaps I can use it as a building block to bigger and better things. Who knows?
Until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 4:12 PM,
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The Magical Summer
Monday, June 04, 2007
It was the summer of 1982. I was 16 years old and had the world by the balls or so I thought. I was living with my Aunt and Uncle in Great Bend, Kansas for the summer and playing baseball for the local American Legion team.
When I got to Great Bend, I had no idea what to expect, but from the first practice with the team that I attended, I was accepted, if not universally, at least by two guys that would become my lifelong friends. The three of us became nearly inseperable that summer, except for the occasional "date night" with our girlfriends, we were either at the ballpark, at the drive-in movie theatre or just hanging out driving up and down Main Street.
Troy played 2nd Base in those days, with Randy at 1st and me at 3rd. From the first game on, I immediately took over as the cleanup hitter on a team of rag tag ballplayers. I had a good, solid summer, batting over .400 and driving in more runs than games played. I hit only two home runs that summer, but one of those took place on a fantastic 4th of July weekend in Newton, Kansas.
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Your heroes-25 years later. (Troy, GCox25 and Randy)
Now, as most of you know, I am a pretty big guy and even 25 years ago, at the tender age of 16, I was no speed burner. In fact, I have never been fast in my life. The first game of this particular double-header was about to start and the stands were packed, as most of the town of Newton was at the ballpark that day to watch their home team.
I came to bat in the first inning with two outs and a runner on 2nd base. I lined the first pitch I saw right back up the middle for a clean hit and as I approached 1st base, I heard the coach yelling at me to keep going. It seems that the baseball had hit a rock or something in the outfield and eluded the centerfielder and rolled all the way to the wall. It turned out to be the only triple I hit the entire summer and probably one of only 2 or 3 I ever hit in my life.
My next plate appearance came with the bases loaded and nobody out. I took three straight pitches and had worked the count to 2 and 1 when the pitcher decided to try and blow a fastball past me. It ended up travelling about 450 feet to straight-away left field and suddenly I had the two hardest parts of hitting for the cycle in the bag with at least two more at-bats to go in this game.
The next time up, I hit a hanging curve ball right down the left field line and I had my double. Since it was only the 4th inning, I was thinking that I might get two more chances to try for the single to complete the elusive task, but it turned out, I only needed one more at bat.
In the 6th inning, I came to the plate to lead off and hit the first pitch I saw in almost the same place as the double. This time, however, I took a big turn and held on at first, not wanting to get thrown out at 2nd and also wanting desperately to hit for the cycle.
We were comfortably ahead by this point in the game and my coach sent in a pinch-runner for me. The announcer made a big to-do about the cycle and announced it to the entire crowd over the loudspeaker. It was the only time I can ever remember getting a standing ovation. I had goose-bumps over my entire body and tears welling up in my eyes.
When I got off the field, my Dad was the first person to greet me. My parents had driven up to Newton for the weekend and surprised me. I didn't even know they were there until that moment, but they had seen the whole thing. My Dad was grinning from ear to ear as he reached over the fence to hug my neck. I don't know if he was ever more proud of me than right there on that dusty little ballfield in Newton, Kansas. It was indeed a fantastic weekend and the most magical summer of my life.
I ended up meeting two guys that would become like brothers to me and now, 25 years later, they have introduced me to their other friends on "our" softball team and it as close-knit a bunch as you will ever be around. We have played ball, drank beer, watched our kids grow up and all the while, grown closer as a group. This year was our 14th straight summer to play ball together in Kansas and I envision us playing together for at least 5 or so more years.
I also met the first "love of my life" that summer in Kansas. Although it turned out to be a summer fling, that girl was the first girl I ever really had any true feelings for in my life. I still think back to that summer, at the drive-in with Dee or dragging Main Street with Troy and Randy and it always brings a smile to my face. There were no worries about mortgages or car payments or jobs, just baseball, my girl and my best friends. Magical summer indeed!
G
posted by GaryC @ 4:13 PM,
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