Monday, September 15, 2008

Random Notes 9.15.08

So, where was I? Ah yes, babbling about random shit.

- I took my first sick day of the year. I've been on this medication that's making me cough all night. I'm going to switch medications. I was too tired to function today, after being too tired to function all last week. Although, I suppose I'll have to get used to this should I have kids someday.

- I was posting yesterday about which web sites I find myself visiting with regularity. I started thinking about which TV shows I watch with regularity. If I'm home, I usually find myself watching Sportscenter in the morning and then reruns of the Simpsons and Seinfeld in the evening (most of which I've seen already). I also regularly watch poker on the Game Show Network on Monday nights and The Soup every Saturday morning. In stretches recently, I found myself getting into (and then losing interest in) Lost and this awful show. I'd never watched Law and Order and for some reason was morbidly curious to watch this (spinoff?) train wreck of a show. Needless to say, Ice-T and co. have acting skills that make Bob Saget look like Laurence Olivier. Why do I watch such CRAP? There's not much else on TV. Is it just the medium? Freaks and Geeks was a flash of brilliance in a dark, dark talentless world. Yet, everytime some old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is on, I'll watch, zombie-like, until some cast member shamelessly sings to promote their singing careers, get disgusted with myself, and then watch it again the next time it's on. Am I just occasionally attracted to crap TV, or is most of programmed TV "crap TV"?

- I find myself missing Joe Grossberg's blog and find myself struggling to understand the Twitter concept that he's moved to. Maybe I'm like Side Bar as far as not being able to comfortably adjust to new technology or something. Anyway, Joey is always on the cutting edge, and made the suggestion (which I am grateful for, because I love Facebook so far) that I should invest my time in Facebook instead of Myspace because Myspace "is for kids and retards these days". Regarding his blogging and writing, how can you not feel nostalgic for his brand of wit, with lines like this that state that his buddy "spouted trivia like Peter North spouted ejaculate - profusely and widely"? I still don't understand what happened to your blog being hacked, but come back Joey, you are missed.

- A poker question: When could you ever fold pocket aces pre-flop in poker? ("Never" is my response.) Well, my brother pointed out that there is one scenario - like if you are in a tournament, it's early, and you have pocket aces and six or seven clowns or so go all-in with reasonable hands, you are probably an underdog to win the pot. Sure, you are favored vs. any one of them heads up, but you are an underdog "versus the field". And, why risk going all-in when you are not a favorite, when you should be able to outplay them later on? An interesting point. Here's a site that can figure out odds in hands, for up to five people.

2 comments:

Matt Dabney said...

Let's say you're down to the final ten players in a tournament and the final 9 pay out. 4 players in front of you go all in. You've got aces. Odds are that one of those 3 will crack your aces. That's not really a fair question. I'd fold anything if 4 players go all in in that situation. I'd be guaranteed bigger money.

I think that situation, no matter what stage of the tournament, folding pocket aces is the right move.

Matt Dabney said...

P.S. Hope you feel better :-)