Game #9, the penultimate poker game of the July Poker League 2009, concluded in a way that set up a potentially dramatic conclusion in Game #10 which will take place on Thursday, July 30, at My Choice's Hackensack flat.
But first things first, summary of...
July Poker League 2009 - Game #9
7 players were in attendance. Chick was notably absent for the tournament (though she did show up at cash games to get posted on a $40 acey-deucey bet... a story for another time), but Daffy, Hoboken, Lady Luck, Pads, Zeus, My Choice were in attendance. The players were joined by an old friend of My Choice's, Gamer Z. With all the players in attendance, the game got off to an early start.
Gamer Z was hot out of the gate, winning a couple of a big hands early on. However, his hot play did not continue. He lost several decent-size pots and went out first in 7th place. It was a noble effort for Gamer Z in his first showing at the tough league.
Shortly thereafter, Hoboken lost a big pot to Lady Luck, who called Hoboken's all-in bet, turned a straight, and knocked out Hoboken in 6th place.
Daffy played his usual tight poker, making a number of laydowns after the flop, but could not accumulate chips and finished in 5th place, earning 1 point.
Pads, the league leader, was running low on chips and had to push all-in. He was called by My Choice, who knocked him out earning 2 bonus points for knocking out both the league leader and the last game champion simultaneously. Pads earned 3 points for his 4th place finish.
Lady Luck, who had accumulated many chips earlier, found his chip stack quickly dwindling as the blinds escalated. He went out in 3rd place, leaving Zeus and My Choice to battle for the money.
My Choice had a chip lead heads up and went all-in twice. However, both times Zeus' cards were slightly better and Zeus called. Both times, Zeus prevailed and knocked out My Choice to take the victory.
Points (Total):
Pads: 3 (56)
Zeus: 10 (51)
My Choice: 9 (46)
Chick: 0 (39)
Daffy: 1 (19)
Hoboken: 0 (15)
Lady Luck: 5 (11)
.com: 0 (3)
With one game left, it is time to consider the prizes for the league. The top two spots will be paid in a 75/25 ratio.
Chick, Daffy, Hoboken, Lady Luck, and .com cannot finish in the top two. The only three players in contention are Pads, Zeus and My Choice (a.k.a. the Fraziers).
Stay tuned to see who emerges victorious!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
New Jersey Highway Driving
From the New Jersey Driver's Manual:
On a multi-lane roadway, motorists must drive in the lane nearest to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway when the lane is available for travel, except when overtaking another vehicle or in preparation for a left turn.
(from N.J.S.A. 39:4-88, which elaborates:
"Upon a highway which is divided into 3 lanes, a vehicle shall not be driven in the center lane except when overtaking or passing another vehicle or in preparation for a left turn or unless the center lane is at the time allocated for traffic moving in the direction the vehicle is proceeding and is signposted to give notice of that allocation.")
Now, any of you who have ever driven on the New Jersey Turnpike know that what the law says and what people do in this regard are very, very different. Troopers who are parked on the side of the turnpike, watching for traffic violators, do not stop people strictly for unnecessarily driving in the left lane.
Infact, I would argue that there seems to be an written but widely accepted set of rules for driving on the Turnpike (and the Parkway, 295, 80, etc...) that most motorists seem to abide by. They go something like this:
- The right lane is the "slow lane". If you feel like actually obeying the speed limit (i.e. driving slower than it) you go to the right lane. You also go here when you are getting ready to exit the highway. If you are in the right lane and you want to pass somebody, it is expected that you will go to the middle lane to do so.
- The middle lane is the "cruising lane". People in the middle lane should be going either at the speed limit or slightly above it. You don't feel like going slow to the right. If you are on a 65-mph highway, the accepted speed for the middle line is probably something between 62 and 72 miles per hour. If you are in this speed range, and somebody wants to go faster than you, it is expected that they will go to the left to pass you.
- The left lane is the "fast lane". People in the left lane are in a constant state of passing people in the middle lane, and are taking the risk of getting a speeding ticket. If you are in the left lane you should be doing at least 75 on a 65-mph highway. Also, even if you are doing 75, if somebody comes up behind you and wants to go faster, it is expected that you will go over to the middle lane at the next opportunity to let them by. Then, you are allowed to return to the left lane.
So, let us posit that I am more or less accurate about these unwritten rules. Furthermore, let us agree that these are not the actual driving laws. I do not abide by one of these rules. And consequently, I receive glares, middle fingers, etc... by irate drivers (and almost always, in North Jersey. Don't get me started on the vast difference between the human beings that drive south of Trenton and the stress-inducing lunatics that drive north of New Brunswick. I should have elaborated on this difference more the last time I meditated on this topic.)
Here's the way I usually drive: I am ok with the unwritten rules about the right and middle lanes. When I cruise in the middle lane, I drive at about 65 (or 55 if that's the speed limit) or slightly below that speed. However, when I'm too impatient to cruise in the middle lane (usually when the driver in front of me is not doing 60 (or 55)), I cruise in the left lane. However, I obviously want to minimize my chances of getting a ticket. Therefore, I obey another unwritten rule of driving - which is you should never go more than 10 mph over the speed limit. The thought process behind this, I suppose, is that police won't bother writing you a ticket for speeding by under 10 mph over the limit, as you can plead down in traffic court.
So, anyway, when I cruise the left lane, I do so at about 72 mph (in a 65) or 62 mph (in a 55).
When I do this, before long, somebody is inevitably riding right up my ass. I don't move over for them, nor do I speed up or slow down. Essentially, I pretend that they aren't there. This usually leads to them getting dangerously close to me and high-beaming me. Finally, they give up, swerve around me to the right, match my speed to glare at me, give me the finger, and yell at me. Then, they swerve in front of me, dangerously close, go slow for a couple of seconds (I suppose to show me the size of their dick), then peel away.
Now, Walt, why don't you obey rule #3 about the left lane? Is it passive-aggressive behavior which is a form of road rage? Are you trying to prove a point? No, none of the above. I feel that this is an appropriate way to drive. I do not want to let the behavior of maniacs alter or dictate the way I drive. I understand that when I'm in the left lane, I technically shouldn't be there. However, neither should any of the other drivers. Therefore, their rules are no more valid than mine. We are all breaking the law by being there at all. If you need to go 85 or 90 miles per hour, the onus is on you to swerve through the lanes as you feel necessary, not on me to placate you and implicitly condone your insanity by moving for you.
Ironically, I brought this up at a dinner in North Jersey with my North Jersey family a few months ago, and asked them how they felt. Every single one of them, including my own mother and brother, said that I was being a dick for not moving out of the way in the left-hand lane. I concluded that living in North Jersey makes one a maniacal driver and warps one's otherwise rational perspective on the driving issue. Then again, if I had to fight the crazy traffic up there for the past four years in addition to the previous 11 that I already had done, I'd have lost my fucking mind too.
On a multi-lane roadway, motorists must drive in the lane nearest to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway when the lane is available for travel, except when overtaking another vehicle or in preparation for a left turn.
(from N.J.S.A. 39:4-88, which elaborates:
"Upon a highway which is divided into 3 lanes, a vehicle shall not be driven in the center lane except when overtaking or passing another vehicle or in preparation for a left turn or unless the center lane is at the time allocated for traffic moving in the direction the vehicle is proceeding and is signposted to give notice of that allocation.")
Now, any of you who have ever driven on the New Jersey Turnpike know that what the law says and what people do in this regard are very, very different. Troopers who are parked on the side of the turnpike, watching for traffic violators, do not stop people strictly for unnecessarily driving in the left lane.
Infact, I would argue that there seems to be an written but widely accepted set of rules for driving on the Turnpike (and the Parkway, 295, 80, etc...) that most motorists seem to abide by. They go something like this:
- The right lane is the "slow lane". If you feel like actually obeying the speed limit (i.e. driving slower than it) you go to the right lane. You also go here when you are getting ready to exit the highway. If you are in the right lane and you want to pass somebody, it is expected that you will go to the middle lane to do so.
- The middle lane is the "cruising lane". People in the middle lane should be going either at the speed limit or slightly above it. You don't feel like going slow to the right. If you are on a 65-mph highway, the accepted speed for the middle line is probably something between 62 and 72 miles per hour. If you are in this speed range, and somebody wants to go faster than you, it is expected that they will go to the left to pass you.
- The left lane is the "fast lane". People in the left lane are in a constant state of passing people in the middle lane, and are taking the risk of getting a speeding ticket. If you are in the left lane you should be doing at least 75 on a 65-mph highway. Also, even if you are doing 75, if somebody comes up behind you and wants to go faster, it is expected that you will go over to the middle lane at the next opportunity to let them by. Then, you are allowed to return to the left lane.
So, let us posit that I am more or less accurate about these unwritten rules. Furthermore, let us agree that these are not the actual driving laws. I do not abide by one of these rules. And consequently, I receive glares, middle fingers, etc... by irate drivers (and almost always, in North Jersey. Don't get me started on the vast difference between the human beings that drive south of Trenton and the stress-inducing lunatics that drive north of New Brunswick. I should have elaborated on this difference more the last time I meditated on this topic.)
Here's the way I usually drive: I am ok with the unwritten rules about the right and middle lanes. When I cruise in the middle lane, I drive at about 65 (or 55 if that's the speed limit) or slightly below that speed. However, when I'm too impatient to cruise in the middle lane (usually when the driver in front of me is not doing 60 (or 55)), I cruise in the left lane. However, I obviously want to minimize my chances of getting a ticket. Therefore, I obey another unwritten rule of driving - which is you should never go more than 10 mph over the speed limit. The thought process behind this, I suppose, is that police won't bother writing you a ticket for speeding by under 10 mph over the limit, as you can plead down in traffic court.
So, anyway, when I cruise the left lane, I do so at about 72 mph (in a 65) or 62 mph (in a 55).
When I do this, before long, somebody is inevitably riding right up my ass. I don't move over for them, nor do I speed up or slow down. Essentially, I pretend that they aren't there. This usually leads to them getting dangerously close to me and high-beaming me. Finally, they give up, swerve around me to the right, match my speed to glare at me, give me the finger, and yell at me. Then, they swerve in front of me, dangerously close, go slow for a couple of seconds (I suppose to show me the size of their dick), then peel away.
Now, Walt, why don't you obey rule #3 about the left lane? Is it passive-aggressive behavior which is a form of road rage? Are you trying to prove a point? No, none of the above. I feel that this is an appropriate way to drive. I do not want to let the behavior of maniacs alter or dictate the way I drive. I understand that when I'm in the left lane, I technically shouldn't be there. However, neither should any of the other drivers. Therefore, their rules are no more valid than mine. We are all breaking the law by being there at all. If you need to go 85 or 90 miles per hour, the onus is on you to swerve through the lanes as you feel necessary, not on me to placate you and implicitly condone your insanity by moving for you.
Ironically, I brought this up at a dinner in North Jersey with my North Jersey family a few months ago, and asked them how they felt. Every single one of them, including my own mother and brother, said that I was being a dick for not moving out of the way in the left-hand lane. I concluded that living in North Jersey makes one a maniacal driver and warps one's otherwise rational perspective on the driving issue. Then again, if I had to fight the crazy traffic up there for the past four years in addition to the previous 11 that I already had done, I'd have lost my fucking mind too.
Incompetent Police and the Blue Code of Silence
Anyone who is squeamish about hearing details of Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes against children, please do not read on.
From the Wikipedia article on Jeffrey Dahmer:
[Dahmer] found an apartment on Milwaukee's West side, closer to his job at the Ambrosia Chocolate Factory. On September 26, 1988, one day after moving into his apartment, he was arrested for drugging and sexually fondling a 13-year-old boy in Milwaukee named Somsack Sinthasomphone. He was sentenced to five years probation and one year in a work release camp. He was required to register as a sex offender. Dahmer was paroled from the work release camp two months early, and he soon moved into a new apartment. Shortly thereafter, he began a string of murders that ended with his arrest in 1991...
In the early morning hours of May 30, 1991, 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone (by chance, the younger brother of the boy whom Dahmer had molested) was discovered on the street, wandering naked, heavily under the influence of drugs and bleeding from his rectum. Two young women from the neighborhood found the dazed boy and called 911. Dahmer chased his victim down and tried to take him away, but the women stopped him. Dahmer told police that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend, and that they had an argument while drinking. Against the protests of the two women who had called 911, police turned him over to Dahmer. They later reported smelling a strange scent while inside Dahmer's apartment, but did not investigate it. The smell was the body of Tony Hughes, Dahmer's previous victim, decomposing in the bedroom. The two policemen failed to run a background check that would have revealed that Dahmer was a convicted sex offender and child molester still under probation. The officers laughed about the incident, one joking that his partner was "going to get deloused." Later that night, Dahmer killed and dismembered Sinthasomphone, keeping his skull as a souvenir.
John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish, two of the three police officers who returned Sinthasomphone to Dahmer, were fired from the Milwaukee Police Department after their actions were widely publicized, including an audiotape of the officers making homophobic statements to their dispatcher and cracking jokes about having reunited the "lovers". The two officers appealed their termination and were reinstated with back pay. They were named officers of the year by the police union for fighting a "righteous" battle to regain their jobs. Balcerzak was later elected president of the Milwaukee Police Association in May 2005.
Now, I know there's unwritten rules that cops abide by, and a cursory search of the Internet reveals little about how these cops managed this career turnaround, but I find it hard to conceive of a series of events that starts with two cops fucking up a case this badly (and being blatantly biased against homosexuals, though attitudes against that have changed somewhat since 1991) and ends with one of them being president of Milwaukee's Police Association. It's not like Milwaukee is Wazoo, Alabama.
And what about the Sinthasomphone family? How could they possibly feel about this series of events? What set of crazy circumstances led to both of their 13 / 14 year old kids having chance encounters with Jeffrey Dahmer?
Should I have done more research before posting this? Probably. And why was I reading about Jeffrey Dahmer on Wikipedia? Not entirely sure. I was reading the article and read they were "Officers of the Year" and such and it stopped me and made me re-read it.
From the Wikipedia article on Jeffrey Dahmer:
[Dahmer] found an apartment on Milwaukee's West side, closer to his job at the Ambrosia Chocolate Factory. On September 26, 1988, one day after moving into his apartment, he was arrested for drugging and sexually fondling a 13-year-old boy in Milwaukee named Somsack Sinthasomphone. He was sentenced to five years probation and one year in a work release camp. He was required to register as a sex offender. Dahmer was paroled from the work release camp two months early, and he soon moved into a new apartment. Shortly thereafter, he began a string of murders that ended with his arrest in 1991...
In the early morning hours of May 30, 1991, 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone (by chance, the younger brother of the boy whom Dahmer had molested) was discovered on the street, wandering naked, heavily under the influence of drugs and bleeding from his rectum. Two young women from the neighborhood found the dazed boy and called 911. Dahmer chased his victim down and tried to take him away, but the women stopped him. Dahmer told police that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend, and that they had an argument while drinking. Against the protests of the two women who had called 911, police turned him over to Dahmer. They later reported smelling a strange scent while inside Dahmer's apartment, but did not investigate it. The smell was the body of Tony Hughes, Dahmer's previous victim, decomposing in the bedroom. The two policemen failed to run a background check that would have revealed that Dahmer was a convicted sex offender and child molester still under probation. The officers laughed about the incident, one joking that his partner was "going to get deloused." Later that night, Dahmer killed and dismembered Sinthasomphone, keeping his skull as a souvenir.
John Balcerzak and Joseph Gabrish, two of the three police officers who returned Sinthasomphone to Dahmer, were fired from the Milwaukee Police Department after their actions were widely publicized, including an audiotape of the officers making homophobic statements to their dispatcher and cracking jokes about having reunited the "lovers". The two officers appealed their termination and were reinstated with back pay. They were named officers of the year by the police union for fighting a "righteous" battle to regain their jobs. Balcerzak was later elected president of the Milwaukee Police Association in May 2005.
Now, I know there's unwritten rules that cops abide by, and a cursory search of the Internet reveals little about how these cops managed this career turnaround, but I find it hard to conceive of a series of events that starts with two cops fucking up a case this badly (and being blatantly biased against homosexuals, though attitudes against that have changed somewhat since 1991) and ends with one of them being president of Milwaukee's Police Association. It's not like Milwaukee is Wazoo, Alabama.
And what about the Sinthasomphone family? How could they possibly feel about this series of events? What set of crazy circumstances led to both of their 13 / 14 year old kids having chance encounters with Jeffrey Dahmer?
Should I have done more research before posting this? Probably. And why was I reading about Jeffrey Dahmer on Wikipedia? Not entirely sure. I was reading the article and read they were "Officers of the Year" and such and it stopped me and made me re-read it.
Friday, July 24, 2009
July Poker League 2009 - Game #8
Game #8 took place at My Choice's condo in Hackensack, NJ. Seven players were in attendance: Zeus, Pads, My Choice, Chick, Daffy, Hoboken, and Lady Luck. After debate about the bitchiness (or "immorality", according to Zeus) of players not in the point hunt contributing to the league pool, all seven players agreed to throw in the extra money and the game was underway!
Game #8 Summary
Hoboken's aggressive style backfired early as he called a minimal raise from Zeus pre-flop with J-7. The flop had a J and two undercards. Hoboken attempted to act weak and followed up the flop with an all-in bet, but was quickly called by Zeus with A-A. Zeus' slowroll worked to perfection as he knocked Hoboken in 7th place. Hoboken, indeed, did not seem to mind as he had to go to Hoboken - it is, after all, Thursday night!
Lady Luck found himself going all-in preflop with A-K and was called by My Choice's 8-8. The board ended up with an A on the turn and a K on the river... but the flop contained an 8. Lady Luck finished in 6th place.
Daffy once again played tight poker, made tough laydowns, but found his chips dwindling. He eventually went out in 5th place earning 1 point.
My Choice, fueled on Jack Daniels, watched his chips go up and down erraticly. Eventually, he went out in 4th place earning 3 points for the evening.
Chick, Zeus, and Pads found themselves almost even. Blinds escalated and Chick pushed pre-flop with A-6 suited. Pads debated and finally called with J-K suited. Pads caught a flush and Chick went out shortly thereafter in third place.
Heads up with a two to one chip lead, Pads took out Zeus when Zeus attempted to buy the chips with a 5-9-A flop. Pads called with Q-9 and took down the pot and the game.
Two games remain, and Pads has built a lead. Will anybody catch him in the last week of play? Stay tuned!
Points (Total):
Pads: 10 (53)
Zeus: 7 (41)
Chick: 5 (39)
My Choice: 3 (37)
Daffy: 1 (18)
Hoboken: 0 (15)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Game #8 Summary
Hoboken's aggressive style backfired early as he called a minimal raise from Zeus pre-flop with J-7. The flop had a J and two undercards. Hoboken attempted to act weak and followed up the flop with an all-in bet, but was quickly called by Zeus with A-A. Zeus' slowroll worked to perfection as he knocked Hoboken in 7th place. Hoboken, indeed, did not seem to mind as he had to go to Hoboken - it is, after all, Thursday night!
Lady Luck found himself going all-in preflop with A-K and was called by My Choice's 8-8. The board ended up with an A on the turn and a K on the river... but the flop contained an 8. Lady Luck finished in 6th place.
Daffy once again played tight poker, made tough laydowns, but found his chips dwindling. He eventually went out in 5th place earning 1 point.
My Choice, fueled on Jack Daniels, watched his chips go up and down erraticly. Eventually, he went out in 4th place earning 3 points for the evening.
Chick, Zeus, and Pads found themselves almost even. Blinds escalated and Chick pushed pre-flop with A-6 suited. Pads debated and finally called with J-K suited. Pads caught a flush and Chick went out shortly thereafter in third place.
Heads up with a two to one chip lead, Pads took out Zeus when Zeus attempted to buy the chips with a 5-9-A flop. Pads called with Q-9 and took down the pot and the game.
Two games remain, and Pads has built a lead. Will anybody catch him in the last week of play? Stay tuned!
Points (Total):
Pads: 10 (53)
Zeus: 7 (41)
Chick: 5 (39)
My Choice: 3 (37)
Daffy: 1 (18)
Hoboken: 0 (15)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July Poker League 2009 - Game #7
Seven pretty poker pugilists punched the poker platform at the Daffy house on Howard Street on Monday, July 20th. The new addition to the game, J-Boy, did not disappoint, playing solid, discplined poker and fighting admirably to a 2nd place finish. J-boy was accompanied by Zeus, Pads, My Choice, Chick, Hoboken, and Lady Luck. Daffy could not play due to a sinus infection.
Game #7 Summary
Lady Luck had a rough game, hanging tough (or, "hhhhhhhhhhanging around, kid's got alligator blood") for a while but finishing in 7th place. Shortly thereafter, Chick went out in a surprising 6th place finish and earned no points. Since My Choice knocked her out, he received a bonus point.
Hoboken played his usual aggressive style, but it was not in the cards this evening and Hoboken went out quietly in 5th place, earning one point.
My Choice had been shortstacked for a while but earned many chips calling an all-in with Q-8 suited and pulled close to the field. However, he had a couple of tough big hands against Zeus and J-boy and ultimately went out in 4th place. He earned 3 points plus one bonus for the evening.
Now down to three players, and with escalating blinds, Zeus pushed with 10-7 against the healthy chip stack of Pads who had overcards. Zeus' 10-7 did not hold and he finished in 3rd place, earning 5 points.
After Zeus' exit, J-boy and Pads found themselves about even. With about 3500 chips each, they agreed to chop the money but they had to play it out to see who would get the points. Ultimately, Pads got the better cards in the heads-up duel and finished in first place. J-boy is not in the point standings, but earned respect from the group for his solid play.
Points (Total):
Pads: 10 (43)
Chick: 0 (34)
My Choice: 4 (34)
Zeus: 5 (34)
Daffy: 0 (17)
Hoboken: 1 (15)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
A crucial game #8 will happen on Thursday, July 23.
Game #7 Summary
Lady Luck had a rough game, hanging tough (or, "hhhhhhhhhhanging around, kid's got alligator blood") for a while but finishing in 7th place. Shortly thereafter, Chick went out in a surprising 6th place finish and earned no points. Since My Choice knocked her out, he received a bonus point.
Hoboken played his usual aggressive style, but it was not in the cards this evening and Hoboken went out quietly in 5th place, earning one point.
My Choice had been shortstacked for a while but earned many chips calling an all-in with Q-8 suited and pulled close to the field. However, he had a couple of tough big hands against Zeus and J-boy and ultimately went out in 4th place. He earned 3 points plus one bonus for the evening.
Now down to three players, and with escalating blinds, Zeus pushed with 10-7 against the healthy chip stack of Pads who had overcards. Zeus' 10-7 did not hold and he finished in 3rd place, earning 5 points.
After Zeus' exit, J-boy and Pads found themselves about even. With about 3500 chips each, they agreed to chop the money but they had to play it out to see who would get the points. Ultimately, Pads got the better cards in the heads-up duel and finished in first place. J-boy is not in the point standings, but earned respect from the group for his solid play.
Points (Total):
Pads: 10 (43)
Chick: 0 (34)
My Choice: 4 (34)
Zeus: 5 (34)
Daffy: 0 (17)
Hoboken: 1 (15)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
A crucial game #8 will happen on Thursday, July 23.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Dab-KNEE? Gui-KNEE? Hi-KNEE? No, my knee. (Follow-up).
On June 24, 2009, I had surgery on my left knee to:
- re-re-do the ACL in my left knee. It had been surgically repaired in May 2000, and at some point(s) since then had been rendered torn, stretched and useless.
- clean up meniscal tearing which had developed at some point.
- try to deal with some of the arthritis that had been developing in the knee.
This photo was taken Monday, July 13, almost 3 weeks after the surgery.
As you can see, it is still swollen - but is getting better every day. It was much more swollen until recently, and unfortunately, I did not chronicle the progress with a series of photographs. I wish I had done so, as watching the knee and leg change every couple of days has been interesting. I have been wearing the brace you see under my leg until about now (today is Sunday, July 19, about 3.5 weeks after surgery). The brace was kept locked and my knee was forced to be straight until recently, as my quads have been growing strong enough to support regular walking. It is amazing how quickly muscles atrophy when you don't use them regularly!
I have been doing physical therapy in Teaneck, which has been a very encouraging process. Each time I have gone these past two weeks, I find my leg more flexible and stronger. Four weeks post-surgery, which is Wednesday, July 22, the physical therapy will take an aggressive turn and I will incorporating much more to get myself back to normalcy in terms of walking around and general physical activities. Another month after that, eight weeks post-op, the therapy will become more aggressive still, as my goals are to be able to run and exercise normally. If I was older and willing to not run and exercise, they could tone down what I'll be doing in the months to come.
Eventually, I will be able to play my beloved game of basketball, but truth be told, it will always be slightly risky for me to do so - even though I will be technically medically cleared to do it. I will be setting more short-term physical goals as these next few months unfold, and take things one day at a time.
- re-re-do the ACL in my left knee. It had been surgically repaired in May 2000, and at some point(s) since then had been rendered torn, stretched and useless.
- clean up meniscal tearing which had developed at some point.
- try to deal with some of the arthritis that had been developing in the knee.
This photo was taken Monday, July 13, almost 3 weeks after the surgery.
As you can see, it is still swollen - but is getting better every day. It was much more swollen until recently, and unfortunately, I did not chronicle the progress with a series of photographs. I wish I had done so, as watching the knee and leg change every couple of days has been interesting. I have been wearing the brace you see under my leg until about now (today is Sunday, July 19, about 3.5 weeks after surgery). The brace was kept locked and my knee was forced to be straight until recently, as my quads have been growing strong enough to support regular walking. It is amazing how quickly muscles atrophy when you don't use them regularly!
I have been doing physical therapy in Teaneck, which has been a very encouraging process. Each time I have gone these past two weeks, I find my leg more flexible and stronger. Four weeks post-surgery, which is Wednesday, July 22, the physical therapy will take an aggressive turn and I will incorporating much more to get myself back to normalcy in terms of walking around and general physical activities. Another month after that, eight weeks post-op, the therapy will become more aggressive still, as my goals are to be able to run and exercise normally. If I was older and willing to not run and exercise, they could tone down what I'll be doing in the months to come.
Eventually, I will be able to play my beloved game of basketball, but truth be told, it will always be slightly risky for me to do so - even though I will be technically medically cleared to do it. I will be setting more short-term physical goals as these next few months unfold, and take things one day at a time.
July Poker League 2009 - Game #6
Game #6 took place at the House of Zeus in Teaneck, NJ on Thursday, July 16. Eight excellent poker enthusiasts played: Hoboken, Chick, Daffy, My Choice, Pads, Zeus, Lady Luck, and .com, and these eight regulars did not disappoint. With the laptop computer and speakers near the table, a few viewings of the press conferences that led to this excellent video took place before poker commenced.
July Poker League 2009 - Game #6
Shortly after play commenced, Hoboken's aggressive play got him into trouble. A flop of 9-10-10 led to betting between Hoboken and Zeus. A blank turn and an 8 on the river induced Hoboken to check-raise Zeus all-in. Zeus quickly turned over 10-10 to show quad 10s. Hoboken did not show, went out in an unceremonious 8th place but did stick around for some cash games.
.com, who once again found himself uncharacteristically short-stacked and card-dead, pushed all-in with 4-4. My Choice made a gutsy call with 5-5 to knock out .com in 7th place. Like Brad Lidge, .com is left to figure out how to return to last season's form in his next appearance.
Lady Luck played solidly but found himself unable to take down pots and finished in 6th, to be followed by Daffy, who once again played tight poker but was unable to translate that into much point success. Daffy did earn one point for finishing 5th. My Choice found himself short-stacked and eventually went out in 4th place, earning 3 points.
Three players remained: Chick, Zeus, and Pads. Chick went all-in shortstacked. Pads contemplated for a while and folded his A-7. Zeus, however, made the call with A-5 and found himself facing Chick's A-K. When a 5 hit the flop, though, Chick was crippled. After a scare of going all-in with A-7 against Zeus' 9-7 and seeing a 8-10-J flop but hitting a 9 to chop the pot, she eventually fell to Zeus to go out in 3rd place. Zeus earned a bonus point for knocking out then-chip-leader Chick, while Chick earned 7 points.
Pads had gotten his chip stack close to even with aggressive play when the game was 3-handed. Now heads-up against Zeus, and with blinds hitting 500-1000 (with only 8000 total chips in play), Pads won the big hands heads-up to take down the victory and 10 points plus one for knocking last week's winner Zeus out, while Zeus earned himself 7 more points.
Points (Total):
Chick: 5 (34)
Pads: 11 (33)
My Choice: 3 (30)
Zeus: 8 (29)
Daffy: 1 (17)
Hoboken: 0 (14)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Game 7 will take place in the Ed Daffy basement on Monday, July 20th.
July Poker League 2009 - Game #6
Shortly after play commenced, Hoboken's aggressive play got him into trouble. A flop of 9-10-10 led to betting between Hoboken and Zeus. A blank turn and an 8 on the river induced Hoboken to check-raise Zeus all-in. Zeus quickly turned over 10-10 to show quad 10s. Hoboken did not show, went out in an unceremonious 8th place but did stick around for some cash games.
.com, who once again found himself uncharacteristically short-stacked and card-dead, pushed all-in with 4-4. My Choice made a gutsy call with 5-5 to knock out .com in 7th place. Like Brad Lidge, .com is left to figure out how to return to last season's form in his next appearance.
Lady Luck played solidly but found himself unable to take down pots and finished in 6th, to be followed by Daffy, who once again played tight poker but was unable to translate that into much point success. Daffy did earn one point for finishing 5th. My Choice found himself short-stacked and eventually went out in 4th place, earning 3 points.
Three players remained: Chick, Zeus, and Pads. Chick went all-in shortstacked. Pads contemplated for a while and folded his A-7. Zeus, however, made the call with A-5 and found himself facing Chick's A-K. When a 5 hit the flop, though, Chick was crippled. After a scare of going all-in with A-7 against Zeus' 9-7 and seeing a 8-10-J flop but hitting a 9 to chop the pot, she eventually fell to Zeus to go out in 3rd place. Zeus earned a bonus point for knocking out then-chip-leader Chick, while Chick earned 7 points.
Pads had gotten his chip stack close to even with aggressive play when the game was 3-handed. Now heads-up against Zeus, and with blinds hitting 500-1000 (with only 8000 total chips in play), Pads won the big hands heads-up to take down the victory and 10 points plus one for knocking last week's winner Zeus out, while Zeus earned himself 7 more points.
Points (Total):
Chick: 5 (34)
Pads: 11 (33)
My Choice: 3 (30)
Zeus: 8 (29)
Daffy: 1 (17)
Hoboken: 0 (14)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Game 7 will take place in the Ed Daffy basement on Monday, July 20th.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
July Poker League - Game #5
Game #5 took place at the Daffy house in Bergenfield, NJ.
Only six people were in attendance - the three Daffys and the three "Fraziers": Zeus, My Choice, Pads, Hoboken, Chick, and Daffy.
Since these six seem to be the regular six players, a quick discussion was held and it was decided that since paying for the point standings is optional at this point, this game should also count for points. The six poker pugilists played some cash games before a tournament happened.
The play of the night occurred not in the tournament, but in Screw Your Neighbor, the traditional cash game -> tournament transition - the last game of the cash games before the tournament starts. Zeus exchanged cards with Pads, Pads looked at his card and decided to stay. My Choice, the dealer of the hand, was left with the option of keeping his card or flipping off of the deck. He eyed down Zeus and Pads, who were both giggling like a couple of schoolgirls at a Jonas Brothers concert. He declared, "I not only think you both bumped, but I think you both have 2s. I'm going to stay." He turned over a 2. Lo and behold, Zeus and Pads both turned over a 2 for a triple bump.
Who said there's no strategy in Screw Your Neighbor? And while Chick went on to win the game, it was quite a play.
On to the tournament - it was a no nonsense kind of tournament. Nobody took down any pots with 7-2. The theme of the night was Pads and his whiny tirade after he was knocked out.
July Poker League - Game #5
The six players battled it out for a quite a while. Hoboken built a slight chip lead though all six players remained remarkably close to even for a while. Blinds escalated quickly. Finally, Hoboken attempted to make some moves that didn't pay off and he went out in 6th place, knocked out by Zeus. As Hoboken won the last game, Zeus earned himself a quick bonus point.
Daffy and My Choice both found themselves with short stacked and not many cards to make moves with. They both played disciplined poker but the escalating blinds took their toll. Daffy went out in 5th place, earning 1 point, while My Choice went out in 4th place, earning 3 points. Chick took out My Choice, earning herself a bonus point.
Now down to three players, Chick eventually found herself with hardly any chips left. Zeus' chip stack was climbing steadily and healthily, while Pads' once healthy chip stack was dwindling. The blinds were at 150-300, and Chick put in 150 of her remaining 160 chips, leaving her with (literally) a chip and a chair. On the big blind, Zeus attempted to fold until he realized that he was the big blind, so he checked. Looking down, Pads saw 2-2 and saw a chance to buy Zeus' big blind. Pads went all in for 650 chips or so. Chick saw a chance to fold her way into the money and into second place and folded. Zeus called with 3-6 suited. He zeused a 3 on the flop and took out Pads in third place. Chick forfeited her one remaining chip (as Zeus now had 5990 chips to her 10) to go out in 2nd place and in the money. Zeus took first place, 11 points, and a well-deserved win.
After the game, despite the fact that he made a poor decision to push with 2-2 (Zeus would call with any two cards, and would be 50-50 against Pads), Pads rued his decision to take a chance - he should've let Chick go out in third place - he took out his frustration by whining about the hand for 15 minutes or so, whining like a 9th grade girl standing on the track in gym class, whose friends are talking shit about her and she has no recourse but to stand around and bitch about her friends who are bitching about her. That's as bitchy as Pads got. He expressed his apologies to the table, and cash games ensued.
Points (Total): - only players with points will be listed from now on
Chick: 8 (29)
My Choice: 3 (27)
Pads: 5 (22)
Zeus: 11 (21)
Daffy: 1 (16)
Hoboken: 0 (14)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Game #6 will take place Thursday, July 16 at the house of Zeus!
Only six people were in attendance - the three Daffys and the three "Fraziers": Zeus, My Choice, Pads, Hoboken, Chick, and Daffy.
Since these six seem to be the regular six players, a quick discussion was held and it was decided that since paying for the point standings is optional at this point, this game should also count for points. The six poker pugilists played some cash games before a tournament happened.
The play of the night occurred not in the tournament, but in Screw Your Neighbor, the traditional cash game -> tournament transition - the last game of the cash games before the tournament starts. Zeus exchanged cards with Pads, Pads looked at his card and decided to stay. My Choice, the dealer of the hand, was left with the option of keeping his card or flipping off of the deck. He eyed down Zeus and Pads, who were both giggling like a couple of schoolgirls at a Jonas Brothers concert. He declared, "I not only think you both bumped, but I think you both have 2s. I'm going to stay." He turned over a 2. Lo and behold, Zeus and Pads both turned over a 2 for a triple bump.
Who said there's no strategy in Screw Your Neighbor? And while Chick went on to win the game, it was quite a play.
On to the tournament - it was a no nonsense kind of tournament. Nobody took down any pots with 7-2. The theme of the night was Pads and his whiny tirade after he was knocked out.
July Poker League - Game #5
The six players battled it out for a quite a while. Hoboken built a slight chip lead though all six players remained remarkably close to even for a while. Blinds escalated quickly. Finally, Hoboken attempted to make some moves that didn't pay off and he went out in 6th place, knocked out by Zeus. As Hoboken won the last game, Zeus earned himself a quick bonus point.
Daffy and My Choice both found themselves with short stacked and not many cards to make moves with. They both played disciplined poker but the escalating blinds took their toll. Daffy went out in 5th place, earning 1 point, while My Choice went out in 4th place, earning 3 points. Chick took out My Choice, earning herself a bonus point.
Now down to three players, Chick eventually found herself with hardly any chips left. Zeus' chip stack was climbing steadily and healthily, while Pads' once healthy chip stack was dwindling. The blinds were at 150-300, and Chick put in 150 of her remaining 160 chips, leaving her with (literally) a chip and a chair. On the big blind, Zeus attempted to fold until he realized that he was the big blind, so he checked. Looking down, Pads saw 2-2 and saw a chance to buy Zeus' big blind. Pads went all in for 650 chips or so. Chick saw a chance to fold her way into the money and into second place and folded. Zeus called with 3-6 suited. He zeused a 3 on the flop and took out Pads in third place. Chick forfeited her one remaining chip (as Zeus now had 5990 chips to her 10) to go out in 2nd place and in the money. Zeus took first place, 11 points, and a well-deserved win.
After the game, despite the fact that he made a poor decision to push with 2-2 (Zeus would call with any two cards, and would be 50-50 against Pads), Pads rued his decision to take a chance - he should've let Chick go out in third place - he took out his frustration by whining about the hand for 15 minutes or so, whining like a 9th grade girl standing on the track in gym class, whose friends are talking shit about her and she has no recourse but to stand around and bitch about her friends who are bitching about her. That's as bitchy as Pads got. He expressed his apologies to the table, and cash games ensued.
Points (Total): - only players with points will be listed from now on
Chick: 8 (29)
My Choice: 3 (27)
Pads: 5 (22)
Zeus: 11 (21)
Daffy: 1 (16)
Hoboken: 0 (14)
Lady Luck: 0 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Game #6 will take place Thursday, July 16 at the house of Zeus!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
July Poker League 2009 - Game #4
Game #4 took place in the basement of Daffy's father, Ed Daffy. Ten players showed up for the game: Hoboken, Chick, Daffy, .com, Karma, True, Lady Luck, My Choice, Pads, and in a return from her cameo from last season, the Terminator.
Without further ado...
July Poker League 2009 - Game #4 Summary
The ten players squeezed into a tight area around the table in the Ed Daffy basement. .com brought his infamous playlist on an Ipod, while the Mets got slaughtered on a TV in the background. Many jokes were shared as usual, lines from movies were quoted. However, nobody thought to bring beer and several players resorted to drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade. Pretty quickly, though, the night belonged to Hoboken.
After a couple of levels of play, .com found himself shortstacked with A-10 suited and two of his suit came out on the flop. He pushed all-in against Hoboken, who made a gutsy call with an underpair to the board. .com caught neither an A, 10 nor a flush and went out uncharacteristically in 10th place. He did, however, stick around to play cash games after the tournament.
Not long after that, True found himself with 7-2 and tried to push all-in and buy the pot against Hoboken. He was called, however, and went out in 9th place. He was uncomfortable in his seat and was probably fiending for a cigarette, however, so he did not seem to mind the 9th place finish.
Pretty soon, the Terminator found herself needing to go all-in against Hoboken and found herself in 8th place. Karma found herself following the Terminator in 7th place. Both women went home, leaving the table with 6 players.
Blinds escalated quickly, and Hoboken limped into the pot. Pads found himself with only a few big blinds left and 9-9, so he pushed all in only to be called by Hoboken's K-K. Pads went out in 6th place, giving Hoboken a bonus point by knocking out last week's winner.
Daffy held on to a few chips for a while, but eventually went out in fifth place earning himself one point.
Chick went out in 4th place earning herself three points. My Choice did the honors of knocking her out to earn himself a bonus point, as she was the current points leader.
Three players remained: Lady Luck, My Choice, and Hoboken. Lady Luck eventually went out in third place, earning himself 5 points with his highest finish of the season.
My Choice and Hoboken went heads up. Despite having a massive chip lead, Hoboken found himself unable to put Hoboken away for a while. Eventually, My Choice's Q-10 suited lost to Hoboken's KQ. Hoboken took his first victory of the season.
Points (Total):
My Choice: 8 (24)
Chick: 3 (21)
Pads: 0 (17)
Daffy: 1 (15)
Hoboken: 11 (14)
Zeus: 0 (10)
Lady Luck: 5 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Karma: 0 (0)
True: 0 (0)
Without further ado...
July Poker League 2009 - Game #4 Summary
The ten players squeezed into a tight area around the table in the Ed Daffy basement. .com brought his infamous playlist on an Ipod, while the Mets got slaughtered on a TV in the background. Many jokes were shared as usual, lines from movies were quoted. However, nobody thought to bring beer and several players resorted to drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade. Pretty quickly, though, the night belonged to Hoboken.
After a couple of levels of play, .com found himself shortstacked with A-10 suited and two of his suit came out on the flop. He pushed all-in against Hoboken, who made a gutsy call with an underpair to the board. .com caught neither an A, 10 nor a flush and went out uncharacteristically in 10th place. He did, however, stick around to play cash games after the tournament.
Not long after that, True found himself with 7-2 and tried to push all-in and buy the pot against Hoboken. He was called, however, and went out in 9th place. He was uncomfortable in his seat and was probably fiending for a cigarette, however, so he did not seem to mind the 9th place finish.
Pretty soon, the Terminator found herself needing to go all-in against Hoboken and found herself in 8th place. Karma found herself following the Terminator in 7th place. Both women went home, leaving the table with 6 players.
Blinds escalated quickly, and Hoboken limped into the pot. Pads found himself with only a few big blinds left and 9-9, so he pushed all in only to be called by Hoboken's K-K. Pads went out in 6th place, giving Hoboken a bonus point by knocking out last week's winner.
Daffy held on to a few chips for a while, but eventually went out in fifth place earning himself one point.
Chick went out in 4th place earning herself three points. My Choice did the honors of knocking her out to earn himself a bonus point, as she was the current points leader.
Three players remained: Lady Luck, My Choice, and Hoboken. Lady Luck eventually went out in third place, earning himself 5 points with his highest finish of the season.
My Choice and Hoboken went heads up. Despite having a massive chip lead, Hoboken found himself unable to put Hoboken away for a while. Eventually, My Choice's Q-10 suited lost to Hoboken's KQ. Hoboken took his first victory of the season.
Points (Total):
My Choice: 8 (24)
Chick: 3 (21)
Pads: 0 (17)
Daffy: 1 (15)
Hoboken: 11 (14)
Zeus: 0 (10)
Lady Luck: 5 (6)
.com: 0 (3)
Karma: 0 (0)
True: 0 (0)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Saturday Music Videos
For your viewing pleasure, here are three music videos. Two of them I've posted on Facebook recently.
Here is somebody having fun with several recent sports press conference meltdowns and remixing it to a rap video. Funny. I've watched a few times.
Here is Bob Dylan performing "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". If you haven't heard it, you must listen at least a couple of times to absorb some of the lyrics.
Finally, here's Dylan performing "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" on the Steve Allen show back in the day. While watching this, keep the context in mind that many people probably hadn't heard much like this yet, and how ahead of his time Bob Dylan always was. The story of the song can be found here.
Here is somebody having fun with several recent sports press conference meltdowns and remixing it to a rap video. Funny. I've watched a few times.
Here is Bob Dylan performing "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)". If you haven't heard it, you must listen at least a couple of times to absorb some of the lyrics.
Finally, here's Dylan performing "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" on the Steve Allen show back in the day. While watching this, keep the context in mind that many people probably hadn't heard much like this yet, and how ahead of his time Bob Dylan always was. The story of the song can be found here.
My Stunt Doubles feat. Stunt Double 3
At various points over the past 10 years, I've heard that I resemble various celebrities. The ones I've heard most often, depending on my current hairstyle, level of facial hair, weight, etc... are: John Mayer, Roger Federer, Bam Margera, and Joaquin Phoenix. (I am flattered by all four.)
My brother noticed a specific guy that plays basketball with him at the Jewish Center League in Teaneck that he has stated resemble me so closely that he's called them "Walt's Stunt Double" which has since been shortened to "Stunt Double". He is the same height and build as me, has the same floppy hairstyle that I had most of my life, and is similarly slow-footed (though I claim that I am a better ballplayer). By the way, side note: I can't believe the Teaneck Jewish Center's men's pick-up basketball league has a website! Is this a sign that the Internet has gotten out of control?
Anyway, in recent years a student at my father's high school who also plays basketball for the school's team resembles me as well, especially when comparing him now to me when I was 18. Here is a picture of us together a year or so ago.
He is tall, has a wicked up-and-under move in the post, likes math and chess. Uncanny. He was dubbed "Young Walt" by my brother, and eventually was called "Stunt Double 2" since the aforementioned Jewish Center player was Stunt Double already.
Anyway, a couple of months ago my brother took a vacation to the Dominican Republic with his girlfriend. Boarding the plane, he got a text from me asking "Where r u?" He looked ahead a few rows and saw me sitting there! "What is my brother doing going to the Dominican Republic? Is this a trick? Did my girlfriend set this up?"
He stared ahead a few rows and couldn't determine if this truly was me or not. After the plane landed, he followed this person to the luggage area and determined that no, it was not me, although this person also looked uncannily like me as well. Tall, same shirt and hat style, and... well, those of you that know me, judge for yourself. His girlfriend convinced him not to go up to talk to the guy, but he took some pictures from afar.
This mystery man is now "Stunt Double 3".
My brother noticed a specific guy that plays basketball with him at the Jewish Center League in Teaneck that he has stated resemble me so closely that he's called them "Walt's Stunt Double" which has since been shortened to "Stunt Double". He is the same height and build as me, has the same floppy hairstyle that I had most of my life, and is similarly slow-footed (though I claim that I am a better ballplayer). By the way, side note: I can't believe the Teaneck Jewish Center's men's pick-up basketball league has a website! Is this a sign that the Internet has gotten out of control?
Anyway, in recent years a student at my father's high school who also plays basketball for the school's team resembles me as well, especially when comparing him now to me when I was 18. Here is a picture of us together a year or so ago.
He is tall, has a wicked up-and-under move in the post, likes math and chess. Uncanny. He was dubbed "Young Walt" by my brother, and eventually was called "Stunt Double 2" since the aforementioned Jewish Center player was Stunt Double already.
Anyway, a couple of months ago my brother took a vacation to the Dominican Republic with his girlfriend. Boarding the plane, he got a text from me asking "Where r u?" He looked ahead a few rows and saw me sitting there! "What is my brother doing going to the Dominican Republic? Is this a trick? Did my girlfriend set this up?"
He stared ahead a few rows and couldn't determine if this truly was me or not. After the plane landed, he followed this person to the luggage area and determined that no, it was not me, although this person also looked uncannily like me as well. Tall, same shirt and hat style, and... well, those of you that know me, judge for yourself. His girlfriend convinced him not to go up to talk to the guy, but he took some pictures from afar.
This mystery man is now "Stunt Double 3".
Thursday, July 9, 2009
July Poker League 2009 - Game #3
Before summarizing game #3, The July Poker League 2009 has reached a critical juncture. Before the game, a discussion was held as to which games would count for points and which would not. Several regular players had missed both game #2 and game #3. It was agreed that since some people will be able to attend more games than others, it doesn't seem fair to make everybody pay the extra money each game that will go towards the overall prize for points at the end of the season. There appear to be two general solutions:
A) Make paying the extra money per game optional. Then, if you finish in the top 5, you do not earn those points.
B) Let people divide their total points earned by the number of games they showed up at, so that your ranking is done by average (points per game) rather than total points.
Option B, at first, seemed the best option (kicking YOUR ass, and collecting $200) - however, I realized that there are problems with that as well. Let's suppose .com only shows up to 4 games and winds up having the best average. Should he be entitled to win the entire pot, when he didn't contribute equally to it? Should he only win the percentage of the pot that matches with the percentage of games that he showed up to? The whole thing is confusing. Hopefully, this will be sorted out at Game #4.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the game #3 summary:
July Poker League 2009 - Game #3
7 people were in attendance at the Daffy residence in Bergenfield - Pads, Zeus, Daffy, Chick, Hoboken, Lady Luck, and returning from last season... Donkey!
The first hand of the night was dealt. Donkey raises pre-flop and is called by Hoboken. The flop comes 7-9-7 rainbow. Donkey bets huge and is called by Hoboken. The turn bring a 2 and Donkey goes all in. Hoboken calls. Donkey shows pocket kings and Hoboken shows trip 7's with and 8 kicker. The river was no help to Donkey when a 6 showed up. Living up to his moniker, Donkey goes home extremely early in 7th place, but vows to have a better game the next time.
Lady Luck played well, even check-raising Daffy and making other smart plays, but it was not to be for him tonight as he eventually went out in 6th place.
Daffy patiently waited for cards but did not receive many. He hung tough but eventually went out in 5th place earning one point.
Similar to game #1, Hoboken aggresively built up a big chip stack and then have it deteriorate. He went out in 4th place, when Pads spiked an Ace against his pocket pair. He finished in 4th place earning 3 points.
Chick played quiet, solid poker again and eventually finished in 3rd place. She also was responsible for knocking out Daffy, the previous winner, earning herself 6 points for the night.
Zeus and Pads went heads up. Pads called Zeus down with 3-7 when he paired his 3 and Zeus tried to win the pot betting with two overcards. Zeus came in 2nd, winning 7 points, while Pads took first for 10 points. Pads also won the 2-7 side bet 3 times in the night, twice where everybody else folded to Pads in the blind, but once where he raised with 2-7 and then bet the flop to take it down.
Standings after Game #3:
Chick: 6 (18)
Pads: 10 (17)
My Choice: 0 (16)
Daffy: 1 (14)
Zeus: 7 (10)
.com: 0 (3)
Hoboken: 3 (3)
Lady Luck: 0 (1)
Donkey: 0 (0)
Karma: 0 (0)
True: 0 (0)
A) Make paying the extra money per game optional. Then, if you finish in the top 5, you do not earn those points.
B) Let people divide their total points earned by the number of games they showed up at, so that your ranking is done by average (points per game) rather than total points.
Option B, at first, seemed the best option (kicking YOUR ass, and collecting $200) - however, I realized that there are problems with that as well. Let's suppose .com only shows up to 4 games and winds up having the best average. Should he be entitled to win the entire pot, when he didn't contribute equally to it? Should he only win the percentage of the pot that matches with the percentage of games that he showed up to? The whole thing is confusing. Hopefully, this will be sorted out at Game #4.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the game #3 summary:
July Poker League 2009 - Game #3
7 people were in attendance at the Daffy residence in Bergenfield - Pads, Zeus, Daffy, Chick, Hoboken, Lady Luck, and returning from last season... Donkey!
The first hand of the night was dealt. Donkey raises pre-flop and is called by Hoboken. The flop comes 7-9-7 rainbow. Donkey bets huge and is called by Hoboken. The turn bring a 2 and Donkey goes all in. Hoboken calls. Donkey shows pocket kings and Hoboken shows trip 7's with and 8 kicker. The river was no help to Donkey when a 6 showed up. Living up to his moniker, Donkey goes home extremely early in 7th place, but vows to have a better game the next time.
Lady Luck played well, even check-raising Daffy and making other smart plays, but it was not to be for him tonight as he eventually went out in 6th place.
Daffy patiently waited for cards but did not receive many. He hung tough but eventually went out in 5th place earning one point.
Similar to game #1, Hoboken aggresively built up a big chip stack and then have it deteriorate. He went out in 4th place, when Pads spiked an Ace against his pocket pair. He finished in 4th place earning 3 points.
Chick played quiet, solid poker again and eventually finished in 3rd place. She also was responsible for knocking out Daffy, the previous winner, earning herself 6 points for the night.
Zeus and Pads went heads up. Pads called Zeus down with 3-7 when he paired his 3 and Zeus tried to win the pot betting with two overcards. Zeus came in 2nd, winning 7 points, while Pads took first for 10 points. Pads also won the 2-7 side bet 3 times in the night, twice where everybody else folded to Pads in the blind, but once where he raised with 2-7 and then bet the flop to take it down.
Standings after Game #3:
Chick: 6 (18)
Pads: 10 (17)
My Choice: 0 (16)
Daffy: 1 (14)
Zeus: 7 (10)
.com: 0 (3)
Hoboken: 3 (3)
Lady Luck: 0 (1)
Donkey: 0 (0)
Karma: 0 (0)
True: 0 (0)
Friday, July 3, 2009
July Poker League 2009 - Game #2
Game summary sent in by Daffy:
July Poker League 2009 - Game #2
Only 7 played in game 2. Pads, .com, Karma and True were all unable to attend, with My Choice's coworker Edmund joining the remaining 6.
Based on the cash games prior to the start of the tournament, things did not look good at all for Edmund, however he was not the first to go. Hoboken continued his aggresive play and pushed all in early on and was called by Daffy with the nut flush. Much speculation over what Hoboken held in his hand as he mucked when Daffy called and instantly flipped to show the nut flush. Most likely a straight as there were four to a straight on board, or perhaps trips?
Next to go out was Edmund. Edmund was running low on chips and pushed all in on the turn against My Choice. After a minute or so of deliberation, My Choice made the call with two pair. Edmund showed his dominating position with a made flush, much to everyone's suprise. My Choice then began a long streak of good luck by hitting one of his 4 outs (2 players revealed they had folded one of My Choice's cards) on the river.
The game proceeded for another round or two with My Choice building his stack when a 3-way all occured between Lady Luck (a-q), Chick (10-10), and Zeus (a-k). The flop
gave Chick a dominant hold on the hand when a 10 landed along with a jack and a 6. The turn brought one more out for Lady Luck when a 9 fell on the board. The river was a deuce and Chick ended the tournament for the other two. Lady Luck with the shorter of the stacks finished in 5th earning his first point of the season and Zeus finished in 4th also earning his first 3 points of the season.
The tide had turned for My Choice as Chick took the chip lead. With blinds at 35-70, Daffy called a raise to 300 by Chick and won the prop bet when his 7 paired up on the river and Chick's ace-queen did not hold on to it's dominant position pre-flop. It wasn't long after when My Choice was knocked by Daffy in third place earning 5 points to add to his 11 from game 1.
Heads up play began with Daffy holding a 3:2 chip lead over Chick and ended when Daffy called Chick's all-in. Chick's pocket nines were trumped when Daffy's ace-9 paired up the ace on the flop.
Points this week (total):
My Choice: 5 (16)
Daffy: 12 (13)
Jenna: 7 (12)
Pads: 0 (7)
.com: 0 (3)
Zeus: 3 (3)
Lady Luck: 1 (1)
Edmund: 0
Hoboken: 0
Karma: 0
True: 0
July Poker League 2009 - Game #2
Only 7 played in game 2. Pads, .com, Karma and True were all unable to attend, with My Choice's coworker Edmund joining the remaining 6.
Based on the cash games prior to the start of the tournament, things did not look good at all for Edmund, however he was not the first to go. Hoboken continued his aggresive play and pushed all in early on and was called by Daffy with the nut flush. Much speculation over what Hoboken held in his hand as he mucked when Daffy called and instantly flipped to show the nut flush. Most likely a straight as there were four to a straight on board, or perhaps trips?
Next to go out was Edmund. Edmund was running low on chips and pushed all in on the turn against My Choice. After a minute or so of deliberation, My Choice made the call with two pair. Edmund showed his dominating position with a made flush, much to everyone's suprise. My Choice then began a long streak of good luck by hitting one of his 4 outs (2 players revealed they had folded one of My Choice's cards) on the river.
The game proceeded for another round or two with My Choice building his stack when a 3-way all occured between Lady Luck (a-q), Chick (10-10), and Zeus (a-k). The flop
gave Chick a dominant hold on the hand when a 10 landed along with a jack and a 6. The turn brought one more out for Lady Luck when a 9 fell on the board. The river was a deuce and Chick ended the tournament for the other two. Lady Luck with the shorter of the stacks finished in 5th earning his first point of the season and Zeus finished in 4th also earning his first 3 points of the season.
The tide had turned for My Choice as Chick took the chip lead. With blinds at 35-70, Daffy called a raise to 300 by Chick and won the prop bet when his 7 paired up on the river and Chick's ace-queen did not hold on to it's dominant position pre-flop. It wasn't long after when My Choice was knocked by Daffy in third place earning 5 points to add to his 11 from game 1.
Heads up play began with Daffy holding a 3:2 chip lead over Chick and ended when Daffy called Chick's all-in. Chick's pocket nines were trumped when Daffy's ace-9 paired up the ace on the flop.
Points this week (total):
My Choice: 5 (16)
Daffy: 12 (13)
Jenna: 7 (12)
Pads: 0 (7)
.com: 0 (3)
Zeus: 3 (3)
Lady Luck: 1 (1)
Edmund: 0
Hoboken: 0
Karma: 0
True: 0
Thursday, July 2, 2009
NBA Preview 2009-2010
Some random predictions for the 2009-2010 season... just spouting off at the mouth... intended as food-for-thought or conversation starters...
- The Knicks will suck. Hard. Their record will be among the 5 worst in the NBA.
- Mike D'Antoni will not be the head coach in 2010.
- The Nets will finish over .500 and have a solid year.
- If Cleveland gets Trevor Ariza and has no injuries to any big players, they will dominate the East and make it to the NBA Finals.
- Orlando will be much worse, now that they have Vince Cancer, I mean Carter. They will struggle and not make it out of the 2nd round of the East.
- If the Spurs get Rasheed Wallace and Ginobili and Duncan are healthy, they will come out of the West. They might come out of the West even without Rasheed.
- Blake Griffin will start a little slow but will eventually be averaging close to 20-10. He might even make the All-Star team. He's the real deal.
- Ricky Rubio will not play a minute in a Timberwolves uniform, this year or any other.
- The Knicks will suck. Hard. Their record will be among the 5 worst in the NBA.
- Mike D'Antoni will not be the head coach in 2010.
- The Nets will finish over .500 and have a solid year.
- If Cleveland gets Trevor Ariza and has no injuries to any big players, they will dominate the East and make it to the NBA Finals.
- Orlando will be much worse, now that they have Vince Cancer, I mean Carter. They will struggle and not make it out of the 2nd round of the East.
- If the Spurs get Rasheed Wallace and Ginobili and Duncan are healthy, they will come out of the West. They might come out of the West even without Rasheed.
- Blake Griffin will start a little slow but will eventually be averaging close to 20-10. He might even make the All-Star team. He's the real deal.
- Ricky Rubio will not play a minute in a Timberwolves uniform, this year or any other.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)