Chirp Chirp
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
That would be the sound of crickets chirping as I try to find the will and the time to write something productive.
Sorry, it hasn't come yet.
Stay tuned.
Until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:08 PM,
,
LIMIT-ations
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Limit tournies on Stars continue to go good, as evidenced below:
PokerStars Tournament #85612330, Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
Buy-In: $20.00/$2.00
54 players
Total Prize Pool: $1080.00
Tournament started - 2008/04/22 - 19:30:00 (ET)
Dear GCox25,
You finished the tournament in 3rd place.
A $162.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Couple that 3rd place finish with another 7th place finish the night before in the nightly HORSE tourney and I am continuing to run pretty good in everything non-blogger related.
I had a short discussion with Surflexus last night about the subtle differences between Stars and Full Tilt and I don't know if we really came away with any conclusions, but some of the things he mentioned really HAVE to make sense.
One of those things was tournament structure. While I don't know any specific differences in the tourney structures for the two sites, there almost has to be an extra level or longer level somewhere in there on Stars, because I honestly play these Limit tournaments just exactly as I do a NL tournament. I sit back and wait to make the nuts and jam.
Another thing he pointed out and I tend to agree with him here and always have, the players are better at Full Tilt than they are at Stars. I don't think it's a wide margin, but as a whole, I think the players at Full Tilt are better poker players than the majority of those at Stars. Last night, after the discussion, there were two hands almost back to back in the Omaha8b tourney, where I made the nuts on the turn and then my opponent decided to try and take me off the hand, paying me off handsomely in both instances. I still think there are bad players everywhere, especially those trying to play HORSE on most nights, but I also agree that Stars seems to have more bad players, at least in their MTT's.
Another small difference is the software. I've always been a fan of Full Tilt's software and I almost NEVER disconnect there. It has happened on occasion, but not very often when you consider just how many hours I spend at the site. Stars, on the other hand, appears slow ALOT of times during the course of a tourney. I also almost never go a complete tournament on Stars without at least one disconnect, even though my connection shows 100%. It's not clunky and horrible like some of the other sites out there, but it is a step below Full Tilt, in my opinion.
In the last 6 weeks or so, I have made the final table either in the HORSE tourney or this same Omaha8b tourney on at least 8 occasions, including a 1st and 3rd in the Omaha8b and at least one 2nd place finish in the HORSE tourney. I've also been lucky enough to finish in the money in the HORSE tourney at least 50% of the time in the last month or so. I don't think this is because I am a great HORSE player or Omaha8b player. While I feel like I have a good working knowledge of all the games involved, I don't see myself as any better or any worse than the average part-time player.
I know for certain that I have been running good in them and I also know that, for the most part, I am more patient than 90% of the players in these tournies, but this is becoming an extended stretch that has seen my bankroll on Stars more than triple from where it was just 3 months ago. Of course, tonight that will all come crashing down around me, as I have almost certainly jinxed myself by writing about it here, but, jinxes be damned! I'm running good and I felt like sharing it.
Now, if I could just make some kind of showing in a BBT3 event. These events continue to frustrate me only by the fact that I cannot seem to gain any traction or build up any kind of stack early on. I float and I float around the average for a while, never seeming to get action when I am packing a big hand and then being picked off every time I don't have a hand, but cannot seem to put a run together. I'll keep trying and I must admit, playing with the chat turned off for those few tournaments really increased my focus at the table. Of course, when that translates into me playing better, then I will really have something to talk about.
For now, I will continue to show up when I can and when I am in the mood, but I will most definitely be continuing on in the Limit tournaments on Stars that have been so good to me lately. I'll be the nit in the 4 seat folding away until just the right time.
Until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:19 PM,
,
RakeBrain FreeRoll
Thursday, April 17, 2008
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a freeroll tonight on Full Tilt. Rakebrain.com is throwing the 2nd LeCheese Challenge. From their website:
A while ago, Rakebrain and I arranged a tournament called Le Cheese Challenge. We invited a few poker bloggers and a couple of Rakebrain players, and I felt quite confident in taking home the two-table sit-and-go. But I busted out first. Now the time for revenge has come.
Since that unfortunate torney a month ago, I have been on a losing streak and haven’t been able to get my game on track. Superstitious as I am, I think the problem lies in my terrible play in the Le Cheese Challenge. It messed up my game.
Two reverse the spell, there’s going to be another tournament at Full Tilt Poker on Thursday. The game is Hold’em/Omaha Hi with a $1,000 prize pool; and this time, I’ll probably win…
Invited players to Le Cheese Challenge are:
Schaubs
TNSpaceman
huntsvegas
garycarson
Buddydank
Pokerpeaker
VinNay
Donkette
katitude
pking19
willhopper
Gcox25
Kickasspoker
Drizztdj
NightRanger
BadBlood
mookie99
AlCantHang
SirFWALGMan
ToastOnTilt
Short-Stacked Shamus
jacksup
MrSubliminal
Crazzynesss - RakeBrain staff
td8507 - RakeBrain Rakeback Member
Sexy Sabrina - RakeBrain Rakeback Member
posted by GaryC @ 2:46 PM,
,
Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks
Monday, April 14, 2008
***Absolutely no poker content, for those who care.***
I've often made reference on this blog to being an old dog, sometimes incapable of learning new tricks. Well, since last September, that has not been the case. Since my good buddy, Bill, got me involved in hunting for the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I have applied myself more to hunting and learning how to hunt than probably anything I've ever done in my life.
It began with doves, then deer, then ducks and geese. When goose season ended in February, we began to put in a little time up at his place, studying the habits of one of the more elusive birds we are allowed to hunt. The wild Rio Grande turkey. There are 4 species of turkey in the United States: The Eastern, The Osceola, The Rio Grande and the Merriams. When you have killed one of each of the species, it is called the Grand Slam.
Here in our part of Oklahoma, we have the Rio Grande turkeys and, of the 4 listed above, they are typically thought of as the easiest of the 4 to hunt. That doesn't make it seem any easier when you are sitting in the field for hours at a time, but that is where my experience lies, so bear with me.
A few months ago, I got a phone call from my buddy, Surflexus, down in Hotlanta. It seems G had a close friend that was an avid turkey hunter and he is currently trying to complete the Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he had little or no access to a spot to hunt Rio Grandes, so that is where my friend Bill and I come in. Surf asked if we would be able to set up a weekend where his buddy Ken could fly in to Oklahoma and hunt Rio's for a couple of days. After much discussion with Bill, it was agreed on and a date was set.
Ken had business dealings in Tulsa with a guy named Hal and, as it turns out, Hal is an avid turkey hunter, as well. When I describe these guys as avid, it is on the high end of the scale, closer to obsession, which I very well may be obsessed with it myself now too. So, through various emails back and forth the date was agreed upon, the plane tickets purchased and Bill and I set about scouting his place with great zeal. I mean, we scouted every weekend but two out of the final eight before the trip was to take place.
Here's where I need to back track a little bit. I've been hunting will Bill, courtesy of Bill and only because of Bill for the last 7 or 8 months. I've spent all my time in the field with Bill or his brother or his son or his father, a family of hunters. Bill is a hunting machine and has taught me numerous invaluable lessons along the way, in fact, his family has taught me every single thing I know about hunting prior to this weekend.
He and I spent 6 or 7 of the last 8 or 9 weekends up on and all over his place scouting these wild turkeys. Prior to the season opening is the easy part. The birds stay flocked up, together in a group, with as many as 90 birds, at this point, right there in the cottonwood trees on the southwest side of his property. We knew right where they were early in the morning, every single morning, where they were going to fly down, how long they were going to eat, which direction they were going to head mid-morning and just about what time they were going to be heading back. It was like clock-work, every single day.
Hal even made the 3-1/2 hour drive one weekend before the season started and helped us scout the property, build up some blinds and he got an overall feel for the land. We didn't see any birds that weekend, but the signs were everywhere. Bill and I knew immediately after that weekend that Hal would fit right in with us. He was a great guy and it was quite obvious, he was an avid turkey hunter.
As the weather starts getting warmer and season is approaching, things change drastically. The turkeys begin their mating rituals and the males (Toms) begin to show their dominance over the other males (Jakes) in the group. They fight and spur and eventually, the biggest cock on the walk proves his mettle. He is the big dog and other males in the group are forced to either cower in his prescence or go elsewhere in search of hens to breed. This is where the fun begins as the flock begins to seperate and smaller groups of birds are left where once there was one distinct flock. Now there are smaller groups or flocks spread all around, roosting in the same area, but not in the same trees and most often, on another piece of land nearby.
That is where we are now 2 weeks into spring turkey season. There is a much smaller group roosting on Bill's place, but there are tons of birds roosting all around, particularly to the west and to the north of Bill's place. One need only spend a quiet morning in a blind, sipping coffee before day break to hear the gobblers announcing their location all around in every direction. It is a pretty awesome display for someone that has never witnessed it.
This past Thursday, when I got off work, I met Ken and Hal at a gas station near my office and west we went in search of Rio Grande turkeys. First off, let me say that Ken and Hal are both great guys and Bill and I had a great time getting to know them, picking their brains about turkeys and hunting in the field with them. For me, it was like having Google or Wikipedia around at all times. If I had a question, they had the answers. Sometimes it was like poker where everybody had a little bit different answer or it was "well, it depends" but for the most part, I got a crash course in turkey hunting from 3 great turkey hunters the likes of which, not very many people get to experience. I am very grateful for the opportunity and I look forward to future hunts, as well.
Friday morning, Ken, Hal and I started off in the north blind and Bill was up on the top of the property with binoculars and a walkie-talkie. He relayed the information that he saw to us in the blind and we followed his lead, picking up and heading south as he told us that's where the birds went. We made our way down, through the thickets and found a wash between ourselves and the turkeys. "Ken's Crossing" was born and he and I made our way through the mud to the other side quickly and before I reached the top and before Hal got into the creek, Ken was waving us down, he had birds working. Not 5 minutes later, BANG! went the shotgun and Ken had his first Rio. It turned out to be a nice jake and he sure tasted good later that evening when Ken fried it up. The monkey was off his back, as far as bagging his first Rio, and now he could concentrate on the big boys.
As I said earlier, I learned alot from all these guys just by sitting there and watching how they did things. Each guy had his own distinct way, but seeing how all of them did it was a real eye-opener for me and I hope I am able to apply what I learned in the future.
I learned to call by simply sitting, paying attention and watching these 3 guys and, while I am still quite obviously a novice at calling, I can at least make an attempt now without every turkey in the county running in the opposite direction. Prior to this weekend, I had never even attempted to call, so I made some great strides in that area, all due to the fact that all three of these guys know what they are doing and don't mind educating a rookie.
At one point, on Saturday afternoon, I was sitting by myself and had a small group of hens coming in. I was talking to them and they were talking back and way off in the back of their group, they had a big Tom strutting to beat the band. I'm not sure at that point if I could have even taken the shot, I was so nervous. I had three or four hens within about 20 yards, but the Tom never moved close enough to offer a shot and, like I said, I was shaking uncontrollably anyway, but it was an incredible experience actually calling in birds.
On Saturday morning, Ken and I started out in the north blind on Bill's property and Hal and Bill started out on the south fence line. We were trying to cover both angles in case they went in either direction and, of course, they did. This far into the season it seems their habits change daily and Saturday was no exception as they flew down south, but were spooked back into the woods by a coyote.
Ken managed to get a gobble out of a big Tom and off we went, hauling ass through the woods to take a position where we would have a better chance of getting the big bird in range. We ran, ducked, jumped and crawled through the thickets and finally made it into a little ditch, allowing us a look at the impressive bird. "Boom" was the sound he made every time he puffed up to show off and strut for the ladies. I would compare it to thunder, off in the distance or a shotgun blast from a few miles away. They call it drumming and when it happens and you know what you are hearing, it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up.
Ken worked the big gobbler into a frenzy and he put on a drumming and strutting exhibition, the likes of which, alot of hunters rarely get to see and I had a front row seat. I was shaking and twitching and as nervous as I've been in a long, long time. Unfortunately the big bird never offered a clean shot and he was left to harvest on another day. The show was one of the most impressive things I've ever witnessed in the field and I count myself lucky to have been seated right there for the whole thing.
Saturday afternoon would bring my opportunity. Ken and I were sitting in the north blind again, chatting and calling occasionally, when my phone rang. It was Bill and he had birds moving west, we needed to get south in a hurry.....and boy did we get south in a hurry. We double-timed it down to a spot up against a large, bent over tree and tried to catch our breath.
Soon enough, after a few hits on the slate and a few mouth calls by Ken, a nice Tom made his way over and across right in front of us. We couldn't tell how big he was due to the high wheat he was walking through, but after he walked past Ken into an opening, I got the word. "Ooh, he's nice, take him." I got my gun into position and waited until he made my opening and BANG! My shotgun somehow went off and the Tom was down.
He turned out to be a nice mature 2 year old Tom with a 9-1/2 inch beard and weighed 20 pounds. I couldn't catch my breath or stop the uncontrollable shaking for a good 20 minutes. I smoked three cigarettes in about a 5 minute stretch and posed for a few pictures with the bird. Ken was kind enough to send his pictures along and here is my first Tom ever.
.JPG)
We ended up only taking those two birds during the weekend hunt, but the wildlife display and the things we saw were absolutely incredible. I know many of you that will read this live in the city, like I do, and probably don't understand the fascination with hunting and the outdoors, but I would tell you here and now, if you ever get the opportunity, you should at least try it. I did and look how that turned out.
Wow, what a fantastic weekend and a fantastic hunt. I met two great guys for the first time and hunted with them all weekend and by the end, it was like we had known each other all our lives. Ken and Hal took me under their wings, just as Bill has always done and showed me, guided me and tutored me like we were old friends and for that, I am truly grateful.
I can assure you, all four of us slept well on Sunday night. I know I did and that big, wide smile you see in that picture above, well, it's still on my face today and will probably be there for weeks to come.
Thanks for reading and until next time, I fold.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:25 PM,
,
Innuendos
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Ha ha, made you look.
I dipped my toe back in the BBT3 waters last night, quite unsuccesfully, I might add. I bobbed and weaved up and down before having good hands get better, but then come second in the end. I'm not necessarily unhappy with my play, but I suppose it could have been better. Congrats to the winners and good game to all!
I've come to the conclusion that the only thing that will allow me to continue playing these events is to turn the chat off during the games. I apologize if I didn't respond to anybody or somebody last night, but I'm going to try it this way for a while and see if it helps. You can get in touch with me on Yahoo IM if you feel the need.
So, no more whiney, ranty posts from me about anything. The last thing in the world I want to do is have somebody or a group of somebody's pissed off at me. The shit, henceforth, will roll right off my back, that's a promise. (and I won't be reading it anymore, so, I've got that going for me too)
--
Truckin' is out right now. As usual, I am late to the party, but I have found a way to correct that. Check out the side bar to the right and please find a link titled, aptly enough, Truckin'. Click on it and go visit and read and kill some workplace productivity. Now!
April 2008, Vol. 7, Issue 3And we're back...!
1. Bong Hits with Rachael Ray by Paul McGuire My body sinks into the couch as soon as Rachael Ray comes on the screen. Rachael Ray's smile is intoxicating and any mentioning of EVOO sends orgasmic chills throughout my entire body. And when she grabs a fistful of meat, I wet myself.... more
2. Magpies Are Better Than That, All Wright? by Sigge S. Amdal Birthdays never set well with me. Today so many days ago I was shoved head first through the vagina of a woman I didn't even know at the time, radically interfering with her and her husband's sex lives, economical situation, causing nothing but general dismay for half a year before they finally got used to me... More
3. Skinny Dipping for Christ by Betty Underground At the other end of the pool a barefoot young woman, steps to the edge of the pool. Slender. Blonde with alabaster skin. Flawless. Angelic. She steps out of her skirt and pulls her t-shirt over her head. Standing naked, starring down into the pool, still lit from below... More
4. Axel by Kajagugu My plea trailed off at the end as he put the car in gear and we took off. He pulled a quick left hand u-turn out of the hotel taxi line across six lanes of traffic and barely missed a young lady on her bicycle... More
5. Happiest Place on Earth by Grand Master Pants Anyone can toss singles onto the stage, but she'd already mastered the art of tipping with style by stuffing dollar bills down her shirt, where the dancers had to be a little more, uh, creative in retrieving them... More
--
I shot my first turkey last Sunday. It's amazing what a stress reliever heading out to the woods can be. The season didn't open until Sunday morning, so we spent Friday night and all day Saturday dreaming of shooting the turkeys that were so close and then on Sunday morning, it finally happened. I wish I could stay down at the lake all the time and, if I could find a job down there, I most certainly would.
Every time I leave work at 4:30 and head west to the International Headquarters (that's what we call it now, no more redneck riviera, as orginally copyrighted by the Good Doctor) the stress begins to leave my body immediately. As I'm driving down a two lane "highway" headed west toward Binger, with a country station blaring and me singing along, I become a different person entirely and a person that I like much better, to be honest.
By the time I pass through Binger and turn south on Crows Roost Road, I am the most relaxed person on the planet. When I pull into our lot and unload everything, I stroll over the corner of the porch, swing open the "beer fridge" and pop my first of many cold ones that will go down that evening. Friday night is the traditional hangout-relax night down there. We are typically singing on saturday night, so we have to keep a handle on things, but Friday night is different.
We may get 10-15 visitors stopping by on Friday evening for a beer or we may get none and either of those scenarios work well for me. I could be just as happy sitting on the porch listening to the buzz around me all by myself. That is, after all, how I roll. I remember two summers ago during the first Okie-Vegas, TripJax and SteelerJosh and I were sitting on the porch, cold beer in hand and I looked at them and said "Boys, THIS is why I love this place."
They responded with huh? I don't hear anything. EXACTLY my point. No traffic, no sirens, nothing at all. I need some peace and serenity in my life and luckily, I'm able to get that every single time I go to the lake. I would hope that everybody has a place like that in their life, because most everybody I know deserves it. Good luck to you with that, because once you find it, you won't ever want to let it go.
--
Speaking of Okie-Vegas, here are the dates again:
July 9th - 13th - Oklahoma City
The 9th is a Wednesday, but if you want to come earlier than that OR need to come in later than that, we will make the necessary arrangements to get you to the action. I will be taking the entire week off from work, so, if you can get here, I will be available for any drunken shenanigans we feel are necessary.
I'm putting this up there today because I got OUTED last night during my HORSE tourney on Stars. I should have written his screen name down because I know I will screw it up, but it was Philly-something. My apologies for being so lax, but I was having a few pops at the time and it slipped my mind.
Anyway, this guy was sitting right next to me and says "Okie-Vegas Hoo ha" or something along those lines. I almost fell out of my chair. Apparently, he's been reading blogs for a LONG time and has read about our shenanigans in Okie-Vegas and enjoyed it. It is always gratifying when somebody you don't know tells you that they read your blog or they like your stuff and this was no different. I am very appreciative to him for letting me in on it and hope you'll leave a comment here one of these days.
That's all I have for today, thanks for dropping in and I am off to the lake Thursday after work to try and shoot a bigger turkey.
Until next time, I fold. (<---wish I had remembered that last night during the Skillz series)
G
posted by GaryC @ 6:26 PM,
,
Upon Further Review....
Monday, April 07, 2008
.....apparently, I was wrong.
I had no idea while discussing my problem that so many people would take offense or be inclined to argue the topic. My apologies to anybody that was offended and good luck to all of you.
My intention was not to start any drama, but to try, in my own little way, to bring some humility and civility to an event that we have all come to love. Obviously, I was in the wrong.
My bad.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:10 PM,
,
A Little Further Explanation
Friday, April 04, 2008
First, and foremost, thanks to all my friends for stopping by here and in chat and offereing up support and encouragement. I REALLY appreciate it.
Now, to everybody else, here's the deal just in case you are having a hard time understanding my point of view.
This problem that I have is just that, MY PROBLEM. I am dealing with it the best way I know how and for me, right now, that is to avoid the situation altogether. I despise going to bed in a shitty mood and more times than not lately, that is exactly what has happened after a BBT3 event. I also despise going ballistic on somebody in a chat box, which is the next step in this process, were I to continue. That ain't me and it never will be me, but I am this close to doing it.
99.99% of the comments, barbs, etc. that I am talking about are not even directed toward me, but to somebody else at the table, sometimes, my friends.
Here's a little information about me, for those of you who don't know me personally:
Astrologers broadly agree that the following are the characteristics of Capricorn: [3] The Capricorn person is prudent, responsible, realistic, very wise, formal, patient, methodical, disciplined, traditional, cautious, conventional, hard-working, polite, persevering, ambitious, dedicated, focused, honest, dependable, serious, self-reliant, businesslike, career-oriented, authoritative, conscientious, and competent.
Pay particular attention and look up the definitions if you need some help: Responsible, patient, disciplined, polite, dedicated and dependable.
Now, the other side:
They can also sometimes be rigid, suspicious, status-seeking, demanding, obsessed with rules, insensitive, inhibited, cold, dry, aloof, lack emotional depth, be possessive, self-conscious, materialistic, stuck up, neutral, narrow-minded, vindictive, bitter, lacking hope, melancholy, controlling, harshly critical, restricting,
calculating, and saturnine.
Here, you need only look at a couple: Bitter and Harshly Critical.
Likes — Romance, loyalty, feeling secure, financial/material stability, ambitious mates, feeling committed, making long term relationship plans, dependability, reliability, perseverance.
Dislikes — Flightiness, being bossed around, crudeness/coarseness, dominance, game playing, ego displays, extravagance, being challenged by a lover, indecisiveness.
So, I like loyalty, dependability and reliability but I dislike crudeness/coarseness and ego displays. Hmmm, that should really start shining a light on this subject, if you are paying attention at all. You see, I am a Capricorn and while not all of those traits above reflect on me perfectly, a huge portion of them do. The people that really know me will vouch, I am sure.
So, exactly how does this help me explain myself. That's what I'm going to try to do today.
Mainly, what you should know about me first is that I am a persnickety old bastard. I've always been that way, but since turning 40 a few years ago, that has only gotten worse. I've never dealt well with others when I felt like I was being talked down to or disprespected. That problem has multiplied ten-fold in the last two years. I simply don't have time for it and I don't have to like it or put up with it.
This community, that I am proud to be a member of by the way, is an amazing thing. I've made more friends through this community than I would have ever thought possible three years ago. Damn, June will be three years on this blog, that doesn't even seem possible.
I still remember the first times for just about all of it. From the meager beginnings when I was emailing Jordan 8 times a day for help with my template or some other such nonsense, to the first trip to a casino to meet DuggleBogey and Maudie. I had no idea what to expect walking in there, but I walked away with two new friends and even more support in this community.
We had SNG challenges and the original HU challenge and more and more people became what I would call "good, close friends" because of this thing called blogging and, more specifically, poker blogging. Hell, I remember when TripJax had the coolest banner on the planet. I used to click through to his site 38 times a day just to check out his banner.
I am explaining this so hopefully you will understand that I look at this community as a big group of close friends and also to explain that my closest friends in this community, well, I look at them like brothers and sisters. That's just the way I am. That might be a fault, I suppose, but that's just me.
I've read Julius Goat and Waffles and everybody else that has commented on the subject and, while I appreciate their views, I still need to deal with this in my own way right now and for me, that means staying away.
"So basically just deal with it." - Sirfwalgman
I am, thank you very much, the best way I know how. If that means no BBT3 events, that's just how it's gonna have to be. I used to be able to let shit slide right off my back....... not so much anymore.
"My second mind says, this is manageable. My friends, don't leave! Not you! Leaving is not the solution! And for serious, there's a solution. A mute button. Don't shut off ALL chat. Just shut off the chat of anybody who's punking, and leave it off." - Julius Goat
I actually appreciate the sentiment here Goat, I really do, but like I have said before, it is not one single person that I am having this problem with, it is somebody different nearly every time. It usually isn't directed at me in particular, sometimes yes, because lord knows my play of late has warranted criticism. Turning off chat entirely is not an option either for me as I play these tournaments as much for the social aspect as for the poker.
I didn't write the last post or this post looking for any sympathy from one single person out there. Mostly, I couldn't give less of a fuck what the majority think of me. I wrote the post for me and me alone and if a few people out there agreed with it, well, I must have hit upon a nerve.
I don't require apologies for past or future references and I don't expect this problem to go away. I know I am going to have to come up with my own solution and that is exactly what I am doing right now. It might take more time than I originally thought, but I'll get there eventually.
What I'm saying is this: come back to the five and dime, GCox, GCox.
Sorry bro, I'll have to take a pass this time.
Until next time, I still sit out.
G
posted by GaryC @ 6:23 AM,
,
Break From The BBT3
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
I was going to post this yesterday, but decided when I got home that I would go ahead and play the Skillz game because I love me some Limit Omaha8b. I went on a huge heater right at the beginning and was chip leader for a good part of the first hour. Of course, my inner donkey came stumbling out in the second hour and IGHN somewhere in the middle of the pack.
My focus is poor, my timing is even worse and my tolerance for the ass-hattery is beyond bearable right now. I'm playing poorly and I'm taking things poorly, so, in an effort to not join that group, I will be taking a little hiatus. I'm not sure how long it will last or if I will be right back at it next week, but for now, I'm on break.
I've taken breaks before and they usually last until I get home from work and fire up the computer, but this time is going to be different. I'm not going to break from playing poker, I'm just going to break from playing poker with bloggers, Riverchasers and BBT3ers for a while.
First, I present this:
"I've tried to play in some of the BBT3 tournaments that Al and others have busted their asses to set up for all us ungrateful slobs, but man, it's painful these days to play in a "blogger" tournament. I remember when I'd look forward to such things for days and days before they happened, instead of cringing every thirty seconds at the asshattery on display. Sorry, kids. Just calling 'em as I see 'em. But hey, as long as YOU'RE having fun, right?"
-ScurvyDog
Now, I've never met Scurvy but he's an old-school blogger from way back. I know that means nothing to most of you, but it does mean something to me and to a bunch of other bloggers out there. He's been around the block more than a few times in these events and if he types blogger with quotes around it, well, he knows of what he speaks.
Next, I give you this:
"I wish I could end my post here with the fun times running around the bar until well after closing but Mike made an offhand comment that I didn't flash back to until Monday morning. Something about the railbirds on the final table and what a kind welcoming bunch of folks they were. Or the exact opposite."
"Understand that BigMike is just about the most generous man you've ever met. His friends, family, even people that barely know him would tell you that much. As far as everyone else, he could barely care whether you live or breathe let alone what you think of his poker game. Poker is nothing but entertainment, the buyin is the cover charge. A friend who actually railed the final table said it got pretty brutal and I'm not really happy about that. Lucky for me he was playing from my laptop so I have the entire hand history which I'm not looking forward to reviewing the final table chatter."
"Enjoy everything Full Tilt is giving us for the challenge, take advantage of the hard work done by the 5 of us running these events but take a moment to think about what you are about to chat on the rail. Consider whether what you are about to type is going to want to make me stomp some mudholes. There's most likely a very good reason you're on the rail and not still in the game."
-AlCantHang
That's what I'm talking about. Now, first off, I have not had the pleasure of meeting Big Mike yet either, but if Al says he's a stand up guy, then he's a fawking stand up guy, it's that simple. I didn't see the final table, but I can only imagine what Big Mike had to put up with while trying to concentrate on winning a tournament. I've seen it plenty of times and I have started to understand it even better.
I would imagine that most defenses for that particular behaviour would start with "well, I didn't know BIg Mike was Al's friend" followed by a lame-ass apology. That's exactly what I can't stand. If you knew it was Al's friend, you wouldn't have acted like an ass-hat? Again, typical.
It normally starts out with snide, sarcastic "NH's" and then evolves into the name calling and bad mouthing that has continued to haunt these series' from the start. Vague references that people seem to think nobody is smart enough to understand. It's really special and has become almost rampant in the BBT3.
So, to all of you that are willing and able to put up with the childish, boorish behaviour, I applaud you because I don't have it in me any more. I may still make an appearance from time to time, but playing in nightly events is over for me. The fun has been taken out of the equation and I have always been one of those guys that plays blogger events for the fun, the camaradarie and the social aspect, regardless of the outcome.
Don't get me wrong here, I always play to win, as well, but winning these events is more of a prestige thing for me, rather than a money thing. Of late, there has been no fun, very little camaradarie and even less social skills on display in blogger tournaments. I wish all my friends the best of luck if they continue to try and slog through the events and I hope every one of them wins a seat into the TOC. I would love to myself, but I just don't have the required patience to put up with it any more.
Enjoy yourselves and enjoy what Full Tilt has offered up in this event and know that it wouldn't have happened if not for the guy that is quoted up there above. Al's hard work and determination made this happen. My Daddy would have called what most of you are doing "biting the hand that feeds you." Think about that for a while.
I'll leave you with this:
If it walks like a douchebag and talks like a douchebag, it's probably a fooking douchebag.
Until next time, I sit out.
G
posted by GaryC @ 3:21 PM,
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