Congrats to the NDPT Year-End Winners!

I trust that everyone had a really good time last night at the NDPT Year End Tournament. I did, and it was more than obvious that the Red Snappers had their fair share of fun. Congratulations to all of the winners:
Jim Lucas took down the top spot, followed by Julie Wolfe, Del Minturn, Teresa Murray, and Mike Robey. It has definitely been quite a year for the ladies. Maybe one of these days I'll start playing well again (now there's a real laugh!) I'll post this info to the website soon, just today, I'm in vegetate mode. A late lunch at the Olive Garden with the Wolfe Pack today, has me overstuffed and feeling tired, so I'm finding a comfortable spot on the couch, from which I may never move again.

I do want to give a BIG THANKS to Chris Brothers for being the Pit Boss for this year. I've really appreciated all your hard work, and patience. Except for that one incident with JJ, but that one was worth the price of admission, just wish I had it all on video to relive that moment.

Also, thank you all for joining Big Red and I in our home for poker every month (and more.) I hope you all enjoy coming here as much as we enjoy having you. Thanks for another great year, and I look forward to many, many more. As soon as Frank, JR, and I get our ducks in a row we'll get out a notice for the first game of the year, and a semblance of what's ahead for us this year.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Oops

My tournament life ends against Scott E, when I raise preflop w/ pocket 4's. He calls, the 3x bet and the flop comes 3-5-6. I push all in, right before we're heading to 3 table play. He insta-calls, and tables his pocket 5's!!! My open ender never hits...although the poker gods laugh in my direction and give me another 4!!! FRACK! But that's how it goes. No faulting his play. I don't really fault my own, not making him for a low card in the first place. He played it well. I suppose in retrospect I did not. But...I actually put him on either big slick...or lil slick. The smallish pair hadn't really crossed my mind. I did it to myself...and deserve my fate. Now in the role of rail bird...or hey, there's a cash table. Hopefully Lady Luck will pay me a visit in the cash game.

Why...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Last night recap, and NDPT Year End tonight

Despite the fact that both of my kids took off to spend the night elsewhere last night (Whitney with Jordan, and Cole with my parents) and then last minute Big Red decided to take off for Bingo Night with her mother, I opted NOT to go play poker over at Shuman's! What's wrong with me? I dunno, I just really wasn't in the mood to play "live" poker. Go figure...I must be sick! Instead, in an odd mood I just wanted to be alone for a while. I sat down in front of my new Acer 22" monitor to put it to the online poker test, iTunes smooth jazz channel playin' in the background (no friggin' wonder I'm so melancholy) I was just dabbling around at a few tables of the .05/.10 NLHE variety on PokerRewards.com. I played looser than ever, tracking back I saw that I was seeing the flop over 50% of the time! Absurd, unheard of for the cheer_dad! Despite that initially I was winning 7%!!! That just won't cut it. Glad I was playing low stakes online rather than at Shuman's trying to grind that out at one table at a time. I would have been out of my mind. I remember really only 3 key hands of this losing night. By losing I'm talking less than $8.00 total, : )... I had my set of 10's rammed up my arse when the limping AKs on the other end of the table, called my reraise post flop, with his top pair (duh) and then proceeded to hit runner/runner for his straight and the rest of my chips. I rebought, and not many hands later, I looked down at wired Aces, from the Big Blind. It is raised and called by lots of folks. I bump it hard, wanting to thin the herd, and still get 2 callers. I had already decided whatever came out on the flop, I was smackin' the All-In button. I did and got a single caller. My rockets held and that put me back on track at that table. Then back to the other table, which had been slower, and I wasn't catching much. I call I small raise from late position with pocket 3's. I flop my set, and my grin sets in. The guy in front of me bets out, I raise him, he reraises, I go all in. Unfortunately the 2-3-4 rainbow had given my worthy opponent his high end straight, with his 5-6s. The board never paired, and he took it down. So that was the hand that would have put me back on the positive side, but in the end knocked me for the 8 bucks. Hey, it could've been MUCH worse. About that time, Big Red returned from Bingo and felt like going to the Eagle's for a bit, to check on the tips from the previous night, that she'd played (which turned out to be duds!) We dropped a few bucks in the one armed bandits, and just spent some time together, just the two of us. We had a good time.

Tonight's the BIG NIGHT! NDPT Year-End Tournament time starts at 6:00pm. I've had a few callers today, asking if there's room for them, and thus we are now at a total of 28 players for tonight. Assuming everyone shows up, which is highly likely...minus Julie (since she won her seat) the prize pool will be at a nosebleed level of $1,350. This is the kind of night that could really turn the year around for anyone who's been in the poker cellar this year. Why...I resemble that remark. Y'all BEWARE!!!

Hope everyone is looking their best for tonight since the "Flip" camcorder will be in full use throughout the night by anyone wants to give it a go. I get dibs on anything crossing the lines of prudish decency. Say cheese! Nonetheless it'll be hard to top Big Red's Heely's demonstration. : ) It just never gets old does it!

Game time now 2 1/2 hours from now. See you bunch of degenerates real soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Big Red shows how it's done...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Mission Accomplished

I got it done. The cheer_dad household once again has a functional oven! A trip to Allied Appliance, $58 for an ignitor, and a lot of crawling around on the floor, shoving my head into the bowels of my oven, and swearing only a few times, and it's all working again. I was more than a little anxious when I first fired it up, ready to run for the door. Then, after that I tackled the job of putting together my son's heavy bag. It has a fixed stand, that had to be filled with water...a lot of water. I really don't want to have to move this sucker around much. Oh wait, didn't I set it up where all you NDPT'ers will soon be gathering...in my basement?!

Speaking of that, don't forget folks this Saturday, December 29th, at 6:00pm, is the End of the Year Tournament for the NDPT. Julie Wolfe as you will recall earned her entry into this event by finishing on the top of the pack in the Point Race. Go She-Wolfe! The rest of us will be pony-ing up the $50 buy-in. I should have in the neighborhood of 26 players. A few of you were tentative. I understand with the time of year. I'll see you all real soon.

Tomorrow will be a special day in West Virginia. In Chester, WV at the Mountaineer Casino and Racetrack, the FIRST EVER poker tournament will be held. Registration starts at 9:15 tomorrow morning. Limited to 300 players, with a $100 total buy-in which includes 20 to the house and 5 to the dealers. I had planned to cover the event with my fellow blogger Frank, from River's Edge, but the holidays in general have stretched the ole wallet pretty thin. And with the Vegas Trip being only 23 days (and some change) away it's hard for me to justify "blowing" another $100. Yes, I know I 'could' win. But I only show up planning that I'm not coming back with it. It happens, and it has been rather par for the course for me lately anyway. Why throw caution to the wind... I don't want to be playing so down on my belly as that. It makes for poor play, that others are able to sense and exploit. There'll be another game, another day.

Also, wanted to give a big thank you to the Brothers household for their hospitality, and lots of alcohol and food on Christmas Eve. We had a great time, and wanted to thank you for all the hard work that you put into the night, and for welcoming us, as always into your home. And that Wild Turkey American Honey is REALLY good SHHHHHHHTUFF!

See everyone real soon...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Santa will be here soon!

I wanted to thank Frank and Julie for a great evening on Saturday. Getting together, eating drinking, playing games, and basically making with the merry is always a great plan. Red Snapper complaints that we could have been more organized are irrelevant. A good time was had by all. Thanks for hosting!

Tonight, we're heading over to the Brothers' house for Christmas Eve. They're rumoured to have picked up the delicious nectar Wild Turkey Liqueur thanks to one Mrs. Linsell! What was it 20 miles out of your way to pick it up. Muchos Gracias!!! Too bad after I drink enough of it, I won't be able to remember who brought it.

Just in time for the holidays our oven went on the fritz. I need one of these (ignitor) to make it work again. Of course NO ONE is open through the holidays who carries one of the little gizmos. BUT, I had no cooking plans in mind for the holidays, so I think we'll survive.

Of course, I will have to figure out to get the sucker out and the new one back in, but how bad could it be...right? Okay, dad's always waiting in the wings to lend a hand. If the ignitor's not the problem, the whole thing may end up in the back yard!

Frank sent me an invite to join up with this site, and it seems pretty cool, and I'll give anything a shot, so I signed up. Check it out for yourself! Tell 'em wvwolfie or cheerdad sent you. Hey if for no other reason, I signed up because they were hosting a private freeroll on UltimateBet, that was getting ready to start. I made it halfway through the tournament. I only remember two hands. The one that crippled me, when my AKos called a relative shortstack's all-in, after he got spanked on successive hands, and I knew he was a tilt monster. He turned over A8os. SWEET! Of course the 8 hit on the turn, and I got him back in the game, by handing over 575 chips. Then, I had to ratchet down and wait for a hand. On the big blind, I look down at pocket 8's, and push all-in, after a minimal raiser came in. He insta called with his pocket Q's, and he hit another to boot on the flop, so he sent me packing. That hand was a mistake on my part, but I was so short at that point, and I don't really think I was going to turn it around. Oh well, there'll always be another game. I honestly haven't played a lot of online poker as of late. I kinda miss it, but tis the season!

I'm hoping Big Red likes the present that I got her. Click the image, unless you're Big Red, in which case do not click til Christmas! If she doesn't I know I will, and Whitney's already let me know she plans on using it one way or the other. Anyway, I'll see many of you tonight, and we'll get in the holiday spirit with some holiday spirits! But, if I don't get to see you before Christmas, I wish you well, and hope Santa brings you everything that you wanted! Merry Christmas all you NDPT'ers, and visitors to the blog.

Regards,

cheer_dad

No love for cheer_dad : (

Well, the Yanok tournament is over and there was no love for cheer_dad. The poker gods spit in my general direction! I can't say completely card dead, but very card inconvenient. I was folded to in the Big Blind once with pocket aces, without even seeing a flop! I got clobbered with Big Slick, even when I hit my King. My opponent rivered a backdoor flush on me. I had pocket 7's once and flopped K-K-7! and everyone checked to me, and I bet out a measly $5 and all 4 folded to me. Later again with pocket 7's with 3 people in, flop comes all low (highest 8) and of course someone had it. In all of these cases, I never lost a great deal, just "enough." I simply watched my stack dwindle away. The only 2 short stacks at our table were able to effectively snipe chips away, when folks were mildly interested, by pushing all in. You knew they had nothing, but your nothing was smaller than theirs. Hey, it happens. I can't really fault my play with "maybe" the exception of the Big Slick example above. I could have saved $45 there I suppose. Also, late in the tournament, when I had pocket 8's in the small blind, it was raised and reraised before it got back to me, the reraise was an all in by Julie M. Scott B was the original raiser. I mucked to get away from the coin flip (a call would have put me all in.) In hindsight, I would have taken it down, but I thought I might get a better opportunity. The original raise was by Scott with a pair of ducks. Julie, of course never to be trifled with had A-Q. She did not improve and the ducks waddled away with it. My snowmen would have been good after all. Sally was right for slapping me in the back there. : ) But then again, I'm in to the pain thing! The blinds skyrocketed soon, and I ended up getting it all in with A-9 suited. Jenny hit a Jack with her K-Jos, and the rest is history. Cheer_dad became the bubble boy! On a positive side, Big Red played well, and managed to profit at the other table, early on, and came to the final table with a good stack. She was able to take down the #4 spot and $70, yes she went out right after me! I guess I took one for the team huh. (Yeah, that makes it feel SOOOO much better. ) Chris S took 3rd, Jenny 2nd, and congratulations to Scott B for taking down the top spot! His pocket 4's turned into a monster against Jenny, when 4 CLUBS showed up on the board, and he was the only one who had another. I enjoyed it...despite being a big loser. It happens. It was good to get together with good friends. I'm sure we'll all do it again real soon. Even Frank, Julie, JR, Nikki, and Sally came over to spend time with us, despite the fact that they weren't playing. I guess they just can't get enough!

Tonight we're heading over to the Wolfe's for dinner and games, no poker this time. I'm thinking Scattergories, charades, and pictionary. It's prolly not going to be a naked twister kinda night! : ) (OOh look how bendy!)

Heard last night from Brian Y that he played and lost in Wheeling yesterday at the blackjack and craps tables. He didn't care for the continuous shuffle blackjack and did I hear correctly that the minimum bet was $25 at the blackjack table!!! Recall casino operations that this IS West Virginia, sheesh!!! Maybe it's just because it's all so new. I didn't expect $5 tables, but hmmm $25 minimums rivals some of the upper crust Las Vegas casinos in minimums.

Time to go get motivated.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Opening Day

The Wheeling Intelligencer has the following two articles detailing the opening of table games at both of the northern panhandle casinos.
Chester http://theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/503642.html?nav=515
Wheeling http://theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/503641.html?nav=515
Sounds like both casinos are off to a great start with their table games.

I want to go up to see it all (especially Chester) but I just don't know when that's going to happen seeing as things are so busy with the Holiday Season, the kids, and a few big home poker games to be played in a short amount of a remaining hear. Then, not long after that, in 29 Days, 2 Hours, 36 Minutes...we're headed to VEGAS! So, who knows when I'll make it North.

The day's almost DONE!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad

The blur that was yesterday

I'm still waiting to sober up. Not hung over, just friggin' tired right now. I think I'm on about 4 hours of sleep at this point, but let me back up this turnip truck and recap yesterday and last night for you.

I left work at lunch to head home and pick up the stuff for Cole's Christmas party at school. Then headed there to hang out with the kids. I think they had a good time, and got plenty of goodies. Then, later after picking up Whit and heading home, I hung out briefly, before taking off again. I took Whitney to her Christmas Choir Concert. Mom ended up meeting me there, and we enjoyed a good concert. The kids did a great job! It struck me last night just how well the choir director is able to manage all these kids. She is remarkable, and truly seems to love what she is doing. It takes a special kind of person to be a good teacher...and even more so to be a good choir teacher. They are the ones, that kids continue to return to the school to see, the one they have to say "hi" to when they attend concerts or talent shows years later. There are few others who will have such an impact. Anyway, that's just the observation I had, I've gotten a bit OFF TRACK again!

Okay, concert over and we head home. Big Red decides that we should go to Gran Ranchero to eat. So she calls Julie and Frank, and away we go. Mid-way through the "meal" and my 2nd TALL Dos Equis, we call JR, and harass him and Nikki, and they end up coming down and joining us. We close the restaurant down, a little after 10:00...and decide we're not done. So it's off to the Eagles, where the beer flows, along with a few shots (not me this time) and the machines take some of our money. There was this long discussion among the guys trying to figure out a song that Tom Petty did. I could remember the video from days gone by, Tom on a motorcycle, stopping at some "bar" in the middle of the desert, kind of a post apocalyptic setting. You know a little Road Warrior-ish. Well it wasn't until this morning that I figured it out, when JR reminded me, when I first got to work. I finally figured it out. The name of the song was "You Got Lucky!" Whew glad that's over.

Not real sure of what time we got home, I know, I know...bad! I go on a late night eating binge, and opt to sleep downstairs, since I'm aware I'm going to be snoring like a bear, and Big Red will be none too happy. Can't sleep at first and fire up laptop, and end up playing a $1 SNG and an Omaha hi/lo ring game. Earlier in the day, I'd played long enough on Poker Royale to blow $3.00. Well I made that back up, by winning the SNG for $3.00, and making $1.50 on the ring game. Go ahead and scoff and poke fun at the uber low stakes, but I was WAY DRUNK, and risking more than some pocket change...would have been stupid. Hell playing at all, was already not the brightest move I've ever made. But whatayagonnado!

So now I'm going on the few hours of sleep I got, and I'm fading. I'll definitely be taking a nap before heading to Yanok's tonight for the Big Year End game. A win tonight would really be a boost, and I could use it. Cross your fingers for me and Big Red, but mostly ME!!! : ) Gametime 9:00pm, see some of you there!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Drum roll please!

According to reports in less than 10 minutes, the dice will roll, and the cards will be dealt from the shoe, at Chester, WV's Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort. According to the news release on their site: http://mtrgaming.com/news/07/12_19_07.html, the West Virginia Lottery Commission gave them the go ahead to go live with full casino gaming on Thursday, December 20th. The ribbon cutting will be at 10:00am.

As more is posted, I'll let you know!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Well at least they're consenting adults, errr wait...

It's just all too easy... http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20167191,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines. According to the People.com article, Ma and Pa Spears just "adore" the strapping lad (Casey Aldridge) who is the "father-to-be" of Jamie Lynn's baby. Well at least they're two adults, and of the age of consent...oh wait, he is...she's not. Huh, I didn't think that was allowed!?!. Oh, but wait this is HollyWeird! I mean back home in the LOOSYANA bayou, the shotguns would be a comin' out! Okay, that's not fair, I can't overgeneralize here. I have not been to Louisiana before, and cannot legitimately comment. Here in the Mountain State however, I know someone in the family woulda at least winged him with some buckshot.

*Note to self...print People.com article...hang on fridge for daughter to see...RELOAD...

Regards,

cheer_dad

There should be a point

Mulling over this blog post, I haven't really been able to find a good focus for it. Yeah, I know it's a poker blog, but it's been a little more and less than that, if that makes sense. : ) But I haven't had as much time lately to play online, and I've already covered the offline games I've been involved in lately so, there's nothing to be added there. I included the ups and downs of the Pamela Anderson/Rick Salomon marriage on the thin tie-in of he's a poker player. Once upon a time I mentioned Britney Spears and the K-Fed thing, but then Brit went off the deep end and continues to wallow in her own self worth and loathing. BUT, now the Spears family is in the entertainment news for another reason...

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA!!!

Lil sister Jamie Lynn spears, at the tender young age of 16 finds herself in a spotlight, she'd probably rather avoid, that of pregnancy! Hmmm, the Nickelodeon Zoey 101 star, for some time has been the "good" Spears child, and seemed to be getting it right where her older sibling wandered down an all too common path of destruction. You can read more on the story lines over at People.com if you're so inclined, but the snapshot above of my iGoogle page, and the People gadget shows precisely where the focus of the "people" is. Oh and note that the 3rd Story, which is more of the same actually, is saying that Lynne Spears (erstwhile mommie dearest of the uber famous Spears children) is delaying her BOOK on PARENTING! I think that's probably the smartest decision to come out of that family in... well, a very long time. I'm sure that one will skyrocket to the top though regardless...just because like the song says the "...people love it when you lose, give us DIRTY LAUNDRY! Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down..." We are all of us a sad twisted lot, self included. In fact, Lindsay Lohan's mom ought to get busy on a book too, seeing as she's got another child star in the making (or nowadays is it an undoing.) And while I'm on that subject...celebrities and substance abuse comes to mind. Now I realize that alcohol and drugs can get a grip on anyone, regardless of social position and star power, BUT what I get really sick of hearing is of the latest celebutante heading off to court for their latest arrest involving drugs or alcohol. Crying "addiction" and heading off to one of the illustrious Promises REHAB centers, and that being okay with the judge. If anyone's keeping score, the PROMISES stats ain't all that stellar! Maybe, just maybe they ought to be a little more skeptical. Maybe Happy Hour should be cut back by a few hours after group therapy sessions!




They even rounded up Keifer Sutherland a while back, but there was no stop off in rehab this time...I guess he drew the wrong Monopoly Chance card...




But wow, have I gotten off another of my tangents. Okay, let's go back a little full circle-ish. What I'm really concerned about is 16-year-old Jamie Lynn... well no actually I'm REALLY concerned about my own 15-year-old daughter, Whitney, who I'm now seriously considering chaining up in the house, until she's 30... Thank goodness she pegged Britney for a skank a few years back, and stopped idolizing her like so many other little girls. (Hey wait, did you take that poster down off the back of your bedroom door!) In Whitney's defense, the Brit-meister was popular at the time, with the teenie bop crowd, and her name was similar, Brit...Whit and oh yeah they share that similarity of a December 2nd birthday (never thought I'd hear the end of that one.) What's it all mean? I don't know, prolly nothing. But my daughter's got a good head on her shoulders...and I've tried to be the best dad I can to her, and just hope that it's all enough. Then again, she does have a boyfriend...hmmm... maybe Junior and I should have a talk whilst I clean my gun collection.

In closing... HollyWeird, watch the kind of role models you're continuing to crank out. It seems you're more interested in placing the unwed mother on a pedestal for getting through it, and applaud the recovering addict for their struggle as well, Yet say nothing of the ones who opted for higher moral ground in the first place and didn't have either adversity through which to struggle. Don't get me wrong, I wish none of those above mentioned any ill-will (except Junior if he crosses my little girl) but I just don't wanna see their faces show up later on OPRAH touting their story and how they're a better person for it. blahblahblah, ad nauseum, blahblahblah.

I swear there was a point in this post somewhere, but I know I lost it. Let me know if you find it. Until then...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Stop the presses???

Looking a little rough in the picture here, Pamela is seen with Rick two days AFTER filing the divorce petition, according to this article: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20166765,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines The article also alludes to comments on her website which state that they're trying to work it out. I'm so glad that people actually think their decisions through, before taking action. At any rate, for the time being this marriage has been pulled back out of the muck, I guess there's hope for we mere mortals after all in our relationships.

Regards,

cheer_dad

P.S. I'm hoping most, or at least some of you understand the concept of "sarcasm," or at least a twisted sense of the totally absurd.

If "they" can't make it...and a weekend recap.

Well it looks like Pamela Anderson and her latest hubby Rick Salomon gave it their best shot, and fought the good fight but in the end, just couldn't make the marriage work. Irreconcilable differences is the verdict, after a whopping 2 months of marital bliss. If these two crazy kids can't make it work, then who the hell are we all kidding!!! Hot off the virtual presses comes this divorce shocker here: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20166765,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines and don't forget the original announcement of the nuptials that brought the poker player and the bombshell together: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20151049,00.html. Recall at one point Pammy mentioned that she was getting married to Rick to pay off a poker debt! To coin a phrase... I guess he... errr... it wasn't that big! Keep in mind, that Led Zeppelin will later begin touring again, and with Ms. Anderson's penchant for rockers, well who the hell knows! Move along folks nothing more to see here.

In other news...NDPT #12 took place on Saturday, and Erik P walked away with the top spot. It was a little lighter turnout tournament, with only 20 (due to other holiday season commitments, but we all had a blast. Mike Robey showed up with all the makings of a holiday wassail, that was a big hit, and a big intoxicator!!! Good Stuff! Thanks Mike. That same night also brought another sight I won't soon forget...JJ and Chris B wrestling one another to the floor of my basement. Laura talked to me today, and implied I should probably have an inspector check the integrity of my home's foundation after that! And again... move along folks, nothing to see here!

I'm sick AGAIN, as most of you know, on round #3 of antibiotics for this friggin' season. WTF!!! This has to be one of the nastiest illnesses I have EVER had! I'm just wiped out from it. Despite it, I was able to seize a 3rd place finish at the tournament, which for this year, at my house, has been a phenomenon for me! Maybe my luck's turning... which would be great, since this Friday I'm headed over to the Yanok's year ender tournament! I'll start that one as the chip leader. I'd really like to finish up that way too! : ) And the NDPT $50 year ender will be December 29th, at 6:00. I sent out the tournament notice a few minutes ago, and already have around 15 sign-ups, so everyone better bring your A-Game.

Oh and Friday, recall that a collection of us were headed out for dinner and a movie. Dinner, was a few quick drinks at BW3's and a mad dash to the mall. We get there only to learn that the kids movie Alvin and the Chipmunks was Sold Out! AHHHHHHHHH! So we lost some of the collective on that point. Others opted for Enchanted instead. The adults went, as planned, to I Am Legend. I'll say it was good. It wasn't great, but Will Smith did pull of the lead character roll very well. I think he did a great job of showing the inner turmoil that "Neville" was going through as the so called "last man on Earth." The movie reached a point at which it made a departure from the story line that was in the book of the same name by Richard Matheson, but I won't say that it was necessarily a good or a bad thing. It was just different. I think I even heard Frank say that he liked the movie ending better. The special effects were good, and I gauge that by the fact that Big Red jumped out of her seat and screamed during one particularly tense scene in the movie. Smith's interaction with his dog and the mannequins throughout the movie was great, and really made the character's mindset come alive. I won't mention more about the movie, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I try NOT to do that. In short I liked it, and like some things that were in the book, that the movie skipped, but then again, I liked some things that the movie had that the book lacked. So take that for what it's worth.

Time to leave...long evening awaits. Big Red going to her mom's to help wrap presents, while I take Whitney and Cole to Whit's basketball game. Man I hope the coach doesn't pull his "shtuff" again. You may read about me in tomorrow's police report section if he does. At any rate, see you all real soon. OH, and one other tidbit...the Vegas countdown is now T Minus... 33 Days, 2 Hours, 17 Minutes! WaHoo!

Regards.

cheer_dad

Google Analytics

Thanks to the fine folks over at Google Analytics, I've been able to track visits to the blog for a while now. Here's what it's been showing me:

In the good ole U.S. of A...

Okay, the West by god Virginia stats don't surprise me but, California is above Ohio!?! C'mon ya friggin' Buckeyes!

Then, there's the European block, but that whole SouthEast Asia thing has me stumped.
Must be some of JJ's people.












In other news...we are definitely headed to the movies tonight, and then maybe to the Eagle's to put down a few. Relax, it's the weekend, embrace your inner alky! Or another possibility is Shuman's Cash Game, which looks like it will be very juicy tonight. Frank and I BOTH noted the presence of one cash cow in particular. MMMMMMM, beefy!

And, "...what's that Lassie...Timmy's in the well...no?...oh...JR's not coming tomorrow night to NDPT #12!... Really?...something about a girlfriend...Now that really is tragic!!!"
Sorry Nikki!!! I saw the shot and just HAD to take it!

Frank, I'm gonna burn this image into the back of your brain!!!
"COOL-REFRESHING-DRINK!"
ack-phtt!!! patooie!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Regarding Pauly's (Tao of Poker) trip report

WOW! I just finished reading http://taopoker.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html#1980884272596353642 Pauly's (Tao of Poker) trip report, which covered the WPBT (World Poker Bloggers Tournament) Holiday Gathering. I'm exhausted! I feel like I just played all 9 hours of the tournament that he so perfectly recapped. But it wasn't just that, but the "procedure" that he elaborated on, including the extended coverage of the Rhino. I am in awe! Oh...and Grubby you rule, too.

This is what trip reporting should be. I have new heights (or depths) for which to strive. Those aspirations include not only better blogging and trip reporting, but also depravity!

Thanks Pauly, for doing it RIGHT!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Wheeling Island website, checkup from work...

Quick note, checking the Wheeling Island website today from work...the screenshot I posted from home late last night is current, and is NOW showing at work (through the proxy) as well. SOOO, what's it all mean? Either work sucks, which we all knew already, or in fact the web admins for the casino to the north, were in fact working whilst in production. No-No boys...bad form.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Wheeling site follow up...and other plans

Hmmm, now I'm hopeful that the picture shown here, is actually the Wheeling Island website redesign... Now the bigger question, was it complete before? Were they still working on it? Or is this another friggin' site that the accursed PROXY servers are shredding before displaying?! Say it ain't so, Del!!! Frank have we merely been duped by surfing at work? OR...did your screenshot come from home? I'm still not really all that sold on the idea of the Ford F-150 dwarfing the rest of the home page... maybe a DODGE!!! : ) Blush, is that my hemi showing? Anyway, it is an improvement over what I was seeing earlier. If it was that way earlier today, I guess I'll look foolish again. But after 39 years on the planet, I've been getting used to it by now. I did browse through the rest of the site, and it is better looking than it used to be. It has a little more glitz, and some pictures, and I'm hoping they'll quickly fill in the "blanks" for the other table games as soon as they open on the 20th. BUT, keep in mind that up until this change the news posts on the website were usually at least a month old. Until some time passes, the jury will hold its verdict. Maybe, just maybe I spoke too soon. We shall see.

In other topics Big Red says this Friday night a "bunch" of us are going to dinner and a movie. Adults and children this go 'round. Quickie dinner after work, I'm guessing it'll be somewhere Mexican (think quick.) And then we'll all head to the mall, and the adults are going to indulge ourselves in I Am Legend, while the kids check out the new Alvin and the Chipmunks flick. I've got to confess, I will probably end up watching that one too, later, in disguise. I grew up with these rodents, and honestly the commercials look pretty funny. Now back to "Legend." I read the book by Richard Matheson at Frank's urging. It was short, and I enjoyed it...and I'm curious to see how HollyWeird will modify it to their liking. Nonetheless, the previews look good, and they may make an exciting, interesting film in their own right. Again, jury's still out. I'll let you know later, and this won't be an Ebert and Roper critique. I genuinely love movies...but I'm not all about the director/actor intention and vision. I EXPECT to be entertained. Get it done, and the popcorn better not be stale. End of story...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Wheeling Island website!?

I visited the Wheeling Island website yesterday, to see if there were any news to be found. There was something new, but it wasn't good. Their website is "new." I cannot say improved, and honestly it would not have been hard to improve upon it. I actually crossed my fingers and hoped they were "in the process" of updating it when I visited, but finding it again in this state I'm guessing the powers that be in charge of advertising at Wheeling Island are content with it as a finished product. I decided to echo Frank's comments and email my comments to them as well, I hope it makes an impact, and soon. Here are my comments, and I hope they do NOT go unheard:

What have you done to your website!?! The redesign, if that's what it is, doesn't even have your name at the top of the home page. The old site was amateurish, at best, but at least it had the basic elements of a web presence. Please tell me that the web designers are NOT doing a redesign while in production...if so you should fire them now. With the enormous advertising campaign that Wheeling Island is currently involved in (what with advertisements in CardPlayer and Bluff Magazines, billboards, radio and television commercials) it should be realized that you are doing yourself a disservice with your website. A number of my friends, colleagues, and fellow bloggers continue to track the progress and experience of the newly opened poker room at Wheeling Island, and as well will continue to report on our blogs as the additional table games are formally opened next week, BUT your website definitely needs an overhaul!

Regards,

cheer_dad

http://ndebtpokertour.blogspot.com/

Pix from JR's game...

Someone should cut this guy off, really...
That's right Nikki, look away!


Some of the usual suspects


Vince is throwing daggers at me, with his eyes


Pugh, just a bit too happy...


Every newbie has his day
(It's how we rope 'em in!) : )


Matt ponders his next move...
John ponders his next beer...


Let's just call it a "re-enactment," one that
NO ONE EVER WANTS TO SEE AGAIN!!!


JR's first mistake, letting Big Red, anywhere near Nikki


Another re-enactment...and proof that you should keep her away from Nikki
Exhibit A


More proof...
Exhibit B, also the smoking gun I've been waiting on to prove infidelity!
(Okay, it'll have to be doctored a bit.)


Exhibit C, needs no explanation


Regards,

cheer_dad

A catch up post

Once again, I'm behind in my blogging, so I'll once again call upon the work of others. First, over to Lou Kreiger's Blog http://loukrieger.blogspot.com/2007/12/annette-obrestad-wins-tournament.html where he covers Annette Obrestad's winning of the Tournament Performance of the Year Award from the European Poker Awards, in Paris. At only 19, the little lady is tearing up the poker world. I wish her continued success!

There has been extensive coverage of the gathering of poker bloggers in Las Vegas (WPBT, World Poker Bloggers Tour) for their "Holiday Classic at the Venetian. I'll refer you to the following blog post http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/pokerblog/archives/006018.php for pictorial and written coverage of the event, in which 120+ bloggers came together for the 4th Annual Poker Bloggers Holiday Event. I recognize a number of them by name, and some by photo. One day, maybe I'll be able to join their ranks at one of these gatherings.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank the Yanok's once again for their hospitality on Friday night for their tournament(s) as always it was a great night. I made one donk move...which cost me a money spot in the tournament. That's what you get when you fail to pay attention. I had the stack to sustain me to a 1st or 2nd finish, but blew it on my mistake. Rather than dwell on it, I'll learn from it, and not make the same error in the future. I guess in the interest of moving things along I'm inclined often times to "rush" to act in a hand. Unfortunately, this has led me to act too soon, and in this case I gave away my stack. Ouch!

Also, thanks to JR for hosting his tournament on Saturday. Thank goodness I was able to make a 3rd place showing in game 1, and Big Red the same in game 2. There was a lot of good times to be had. A lot of drinking and utter mayhem ensued throughout the night. Jr's got the pictures to prove it too! AND, Nikki it was nice to meet you. Hope despite all of our antics and poker playing, that you had a good time. Once you get drawn in to all of our insanity, it'll be a long road back.

NDPT #12 is coming up on December 15th at 6:00pm. This will be the last "regular (points)" game of the year. Only the Year-Ender remains, which I'm still sorting out a date for. We'll discuss and finalize this Saturday. I will have to make sure not to conflict with the Yanok's year ender on the 21st. AND, I have to attend it, since I'm currently the chip leader, for this event! This game will present a strange situation in that, everyone starting will start out with different chip stacks. I think I'll have in the neighborhood of $385, while some will have around $30. Strategy here is going to be VERY IMPORTANT. I'll need to think this through. I'll also need to fully acknowledge the other big chip stacks, and avoid a devastating hand, which could mean the end of my tournament life.

I attended my daughter's basketball game last night, at Edison...and I was not real happy about it. Once again, I watched as my daughter, Heather, and even Laura, got to ride the bench throughout the game until the last 29 seconds at which time the schmuck of a coach finally decided to put 'em in. By this time the game was a lost cause. Frankly, the game was going the direction of Hamilton, since the end of the 1st half. There was at one point an 18 point deficit, that the girls just never recovered from. The coach could very easily have begun putting in the other girls. I think one major flaw in what he is doing involves playing on his starters, and he's absolutely wearing them out. They are beginning to lose steam, and the score begins to show it as we go along. I noticed this week and last that the opposing team's coach was keeping the team fresh, by substituting often. Our coach could learn a thing or two. Whitney and Heather complained, and the coach noted my presence waiting in the wings, and knew I was pissed. Me going up to him, would have been a BIG MISTAKE. Frankly, he didn't want to hear all of the words that I had in mind.

Wish there were more substance to my comments today. A quick re-read makes it all look like a lot of pointless drivel. But there were a number of things I wanted to cover, but just don't think I covered it all very well. I'll make a better effort of it next time.

Regards,

cheer_dad

The weekend continues

On Friday at the Yanok's I blew it! Failing to pay attention on one key hand, cost me a cashout in the tournament. I didn't see that Chris was still holding cards, when I pushed all in with a pocket 7's. No one else looked interested in their cards. So I was pushing with my lowly little pair, to take it down right there. Chris's cards were covered by his hands...not on purpose, but face it he's a big guy. At any rate he as well pushed it all in too, with his pocket Jacks, which held, and even improved when he flopped his set. Oops. The good news is that I still have a very good chip stack for the year ending game, which is scheduled for December 21st. I think I'll lighten up on the alcohol consumption for that one. Last night, at JR's I cashed to make a total of like $10 for the night. Wahoo, yippee! Right now were getting ready to leave for Scott and Sally's for the Steelers/Patriots game. And, wow it's time to go now...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Long weekend ahead, but I need one

I don't know how...but my class is finally over and I actually passed the associated test that came at the end of it. The class was "Rapid Assessment and Recovery of Troubled Projects," for those of you who are keeping score. Seeing as this was my first Project Management class, I found it to be very interesting. Of course keep in mind, in my current and previous working life, I have in fact managed a project or so, or at least played in integral part. I guess the hardest thing about the class was the terminology and processes to me. I mean I grasped a number of the concepts, and knew what they were all about, but I'd just never put a name to them. Others in the class had obviously been there and done that before. Anyway, I actually learned a thing or two, and managed to survive 3 days of work without a computer in front of me, for the entire time. It wasn't easy...and I'm sure glad to have my iGoogle page and Google Reader back in front of me. Oh yeah and all that important work stuff too!

My day will be over in just a few minutes. I'll head home, see the kids, grab a bite to eat, then we're heading over to the Yanok's for tonight's game(s.) November and December qualifiers are tonight. I'd like to hold onto my slim points lead going into the Year End Tournament that he has put together for us. Big Red tells me that I'll need to chalk up a win in the first game of the evening in order to allow me to play in the 2nd game. Geesh, no pressure there! I'll let you know how that plan all works out. Tomorrow night we're headed to JR's card night, I wonder if I have to win enough to cover that too? Then, Sunday, Big Red invited us to head over to Scott and Sally's to watch the Steelers play. She threw down the challenge last night at dinner at "Gran Ranchero." I'm just hoping that there's not bloodshed involved, when Teresa starts rooting against Sally and Scott's beloved Steelers. However it ends up, I'm sure I'll have more entertainment from watching all of them, than any football game could ever offer up.

It's time for me to bolt! See you all soon!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Opportunities still abound

I have to agree completely with Frank on the "state" of the websites of Wheeling Island and Mountaineer. Although, we STILL haven't made it to Mountaineer to play, since it is a little further north, it is obvious that they are attempting to embrace poker much more on their website. Then again, maybe it's not just poker, but more a fact that they place more value in their website, than does Wheeling Island. Slot machine play still seems to be the focus of their interest. Historically slot machines appeal to an older demographic. (Nobody better point out that I'll soon be hitting the BIG-40.) Poker on the other hand, with the recent online and tv explosion has become a game enjoyed by a MUCH younger crowd! Once upon a time, even many Las Vegas casinos only offered poker as a way of enticing couples in the door. Older men could sit down in a small poker room, with other older men, smoking bad cigars with horrendous comb-overs, and avoid the "one-armed-bandits." Their wives were actually the intended "targets" though. The ladies (blue hair and all) could then be fully engaged and uninterrupted at the slot machines. Fast forward now to today and roughly the past few years, and you will see an entirely different demographic. Younger and younger players are coming out in droves to casinos. Granted no "younger" than 21 (don't get me started on the tangent of they can go 1/2 way round the world and wage war over some ass-end of desert, but they can't be trusted or permitted in a casino, or gasp, don't let 'em drink either.) These young guns of poker are stoking the fire and casino traffic in general is heating up. And while the availability of the close to home option of playing poker at Wheeling or Chester is great, these will still NEVER replace the pilgrimage WEST to SIN CITY! Even when this month they open their other table games to entice the masses, and yes, you bet I'll be hitting them at some point, the thrill of VEGAS still remains to great to pass up.

Some of you have even asked if I'm concerned that with the opening of Wheeling and Chester and later Cross Lanes (Tri-State) poker rooms and sundry games, will actually hurt our home games. I don't think so at all. In fact, I think it will only add to the frenzy. The home tourneys and cash games that we continue to have, are VERY social events. And in a lot of cases present an entertainment option to a lot of us, particularly couples, that is much cheaper than any other entertainment available to us here in the Mid-Ohio Valley. I think more and more home games will be available for a long time to come, so don't worry about it. I'll keep the light on in the local card room, and keep the chips stacked up nice and neat for you all. This coming year, I will continue to host poker tournaments, but may actually be able to cut back on the number of times per year, that I personally host, and instead attend the games of others instead. More and more of you are hosting games thereby alleviating some of the "stresses" involved with putting a game together every other week, or month. Since Erik S is still hosting his tourneys and the oh so "juicy" cash games that's always an option. Frank has River's Edge Poker Club in full swing, JR (a.k.a. Smartass, Junior, or Uncle Jun) set off a Vegas grenade in his basement and boasts a helluva poker room now, don't forget the Yanok's game (although I can't elaborate since what happens there, stays there!) And for the more adventurous among you there are the IBEW games that Julie M can ALWAYS be counted on to give the scoop on, and when I can once again "afford" to wander in to the other game with Matt and his brother-in-law, I'll do so. Seriously though, the guy in for $1,500 that night still freaked me out a little!!! I really gotta improve my game! There are also the Moose games that are still going on, although I've never taken part there. Lundo, is still running his game, last I heard. And there are some other "beefy" below the radar games that I can point you to if you've got some deep pockets, and a hankerin' for a little sumpin' sumpin'. And I know that a number of you have other games that you attend with your "other" friends, whoever in the heck they are. You know the ones that you're willing to be seen with in daylight hours, as opposed to this pack of degenerates! We look better in a little less light, and a beer or twelve! Anyway, I've way over beleaguered a point I think I was trying to make. There's lots of poker to be played here in our hometown and surrounding area. A renewed poker boom is taking place at a lot of local levels, despite a possible reduction at the big name events and television tournaments. People have rediscovered the game. And not just hold 'em, which many believe will begin to take a backseat to Omaha, and the H.O.R.S.E. tournaments and ring games are gaining a lot of popularity, forcing mastery of a multiple of poker disciplines.

All I can really say is, that poker in it's many forms and venues, is Alive and Well, and will be that way for many moons to come. Hang on tight folks, this Merry-Go-Round is moving fast. I'll see MANY of you this weekend, and many more next. But for now, I gotta run off to Project Management Class, and be a good little government worker.

Regards,

cheer_dad

P.S. Countdown to Las Vegas... 44 Days, 10 Hours, 7 Minutes!!! We gotta look up the little Korean? dealer whose name was also Frank, and see if he actually did "...prolly ROOOOSSSE his job!"

The passing of Chip Reese

I won't even try to cover it, but will instead refer you to the sites of the other bloggers who have already covered yesterday's passing of poker professional Chip Reese. Sad day indeed... Rest In Peace Chip, 56 years wasn't nearly long enough.

http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/pokerblog/archives/005998.php

http://blogs.tampabay.com/poker/2007/12/chip-reese-dead.html

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/12/chip-reese-passes-at-56.htm

http://loukrieger.blogspot.com/2007/12/chip-reese-dead-at-age-56.html

Regards,

cheer_dad

Sometimes sh!t don't taste so good...

I guess one of the bad things about a blog is that you tend to write something once and rarely (if ever) look back. A comment or response to something you write however forces you to look back, particularly when the commenter lets you know that you were wrong and in this case...offended. "Jack" responded to one of my posts from a few days ago, and cause me to do just that. Frank and I had been exchanging posts, recapping how he had played a particular hand while we were at the Eagles the weekend before last. Without going in-depth on it, again, suffice it to say Frank and Matt J (a.k.a. "Jack") were involved in a hand, and Frank lost. His post was framed by this, and he mentioned needing a break from playing cards, because he couldn't take the suckouts, bad beats, or whatever you want to call it. It was more a straw that broke the camels back than anything else. I tried to give my impression of what happened that night, in a follow up post, trying to pick Frank up a bit. What I appear to have done instead was put my foot in my mouth in the process. This is the point at which I actually went back and read what I'd written. Everything I had to say up to a point I can agree with, it's when I headed down an alley of thought that I got outa line. When I stated: "It lacks finesse. It lacks subtlety. It lacks class in a way. It's a legitimate playing style, but I tend NOT to like it." I went overboard, and honestly that would have pissed me off too! So Matt, I'm sorry about that. It wasn't an intentional thing! Keep in mind while writing this post, I was working on the remainder of the whiskey from the weekend, and guess I got a little lippy. But that's not a good excuse. In fact here, there isn't one, and all I can really say is, I'm sorry.

When I said the style lacked class, what I meant to do was echo a sentiment I heard on the AnteUp Podcast recently, but OBVIOUSLY I didn't do a very good job of it, and I ended up looking like a dick! What the two hosts expressed was that at a live table they tended to "like" or "gravitate" toward and emulate a tight/aggressive class of play. Whereas more and more what they are seeing at the tables is a very loose/aggressive class of player emerging as a controller of the table. While they applauded their ability, they still tended to "like" the guys who are playing tight/aggressive. For example they tended to gravitate toward Daniel Negraneau and Phil Ivey instead of Mike Matasow or even Phil Laak. The styles or classes of play are different here, and on the program the hosts made the comment that they couldn't fault the play of Mike and Phil Laak, but that it was more foreign to them than that of Daniel and Phil Ivey. They tended to like those players who played like them. What they went on to say...and what I failed to continue to elaborate on... was that there was a flaw in preferring one player over the other. The guys that they actually had more to learn from were the ones who did not share their own style of play. They would actually be doing themselves a favor if they paid more attention to the play style of those dissimilar to themselves. At first glance loose/aggressive class players look like "wild animals" to those of us who unfortunately learned to play the game as the TV players and books were telling us to, tight/aggressive. It sticks us hard when we see an inferior starting hand beat strong starting hands. We tend to blame poor play on others, but fail to turn our judgement back on ourselves, and realize we should let 'em go when they fail to improve. That's where we get outplayed. These aren't suckouts or bad beats, there our own damn fault. Unfortunately no one likes to admit their own flaws.

Matt, you're a friend, and I'd like it to stay that way. You're welcome to play at the house anytime. In fact, I had you and the wife signed up already for December 15th. I'd like to have you there...I mean how else am I ever going to get any better?

I've long said that you were a MUCH better player than me. You have a greater fundamental understanding of the game than I do, and it comes from experience, and particularly experience with playing at stakes much higher than I've been able to get comfortable with. Even the game at Bob's made me sweat a little. The size of the bankrolls (not the buy-in) was the thing. My disposable poker income (as dictated by my wife) was nowhere near as high as the majority of the guys at the table. This gave them (and you) a decided edge over me, which I realized. I haven't played in many games in which I really "felt" like the sucker. I did there...and recognized it in less than the "first half hour at the table." I played scared and made stupid mistakes. The only way that my game will EVER progress though is to play with people who are better than I am. It'll force me to get better (or go broke.) BUT, I need a bigger roll to feel confident in doing it. Playing scared, I might as well just hand it over right now. I also need to gravitate away from the super tight/passive style that I've come to use at the table. My hand selection is absolutely killing me. And my willingness to take calculated chances has a VERY long way to go. As for your comment that you want to give the impression that you'll play any two cards, well that obviously works! I find you damn near impossible to put on a hand! When I think I'm being pushed around, you show me the aces, when I make you for aces you show the 7-3os.

What has caused me the greatest trouble is the fact that the online money I have has always been small, and so I learned to play at micro-limits. That's done me a great disservice! It taught me to think in terms of bets as being units, instead of their actual value. $2.00 is still just $2.00, but playing at a .05/.10 NLHE table, that's a huge friggin' bet. Losing it online, when all I used to have was $50 was a big deal to me. I need to remember to change gears a bit when I move up in limits though, and remember that sometimes, any hand is worth a few dollars.

At any rate, I hope you actually see this post, and recognize that it's intended as a sincere apology. I don't like to make anyone mad, or step on toes, but I guess I did both. If you don't return to see it, I'll probably call and ask you to take a look. If it's any consolation, since I read your reply, I've been kicking myself in the ass for coming across the way I did. And if that's not enough, I'll mention that I just got back from the dentist, where I took a good drillin', so c'mon haven't I been punished sufficiently?

This is one of those cases where yesterday's word of the day is applicable to the blog owner... DONKTARD!

Regards,

cheer_dad

P.S. After writing this, I happened across the following post over at the Full Tilt Poker Blog by Michael Craig, and he puts a very fine point on what I was trying to say... http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-blog/2007/12/293_part_ii_shut_yer_yap.php

Some stuff and a word of the day

I'm glad to see that my buddy Frank has been following the "state" of poker in the "state" of West Virginia so well. I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately, much less in an investigative reporter mood. Although I do and accomplish nothing, I seem to have very little energy or oomph lately. To say that I have a waning interest in life, would seem to put it a little harshly! Eh...but if the shoe fits, put the other one on. Anyway, I am still a bit surprised that Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center has not even applied for a gaming license to permit table games at the facility. Poor choice if you ask me. They could use the ramped up revenue to help or completely finance their "pie-in-the-sky" expansion plans. Meanwhile Wheeling and Chester will move forward with their table games plans, and possible expansion. Sooner or later surrounding states will jump on the bandwagon in some way to stave their residents from crossing the border to the Mountain State, to slough off their hard earned dollars. Instead keeping it for themselves to fill the governmental coffers. How is it that something that appears so sensible, from a business perspective, could elude the powers that be of the Tri-State facility?

In other news, it seems that JR got the last laugh on the Murray's and the Wolfe's on Saturday night. During the WVU game/cluster-frack Frank texted JR to see how the date was going, and throughout the evening we were entertained with replies, stating that the date ended early during dinner, and he opted to head instead for the $1/$2 NLHE table in Wheeling. Laughter (and a little jealously ensued!) Turns out, that the date continued, and he parted ways with said maiden in the neighborhood of 1:30 in the AM. So, he didn't get any poker in after all, or at least any that involved a deck of cards! : ) Sorry, lady...don't know you yet, so I can continue to talk trash!

It is bitter cold and windy outside. The morning's walk from the truck to the building was enough to bring tears to the eyes and left you gasping for breath. BRRR! I hate the cold, hate the Winter, hate having those clearly defined 4 seasons. I'd be much happier with, oh say ONE!!! I wonder if I can retire to someplace tropical, or very warm?

Oh and finally, my word for the day is DONKTARD! After reading it on the AnteUp Blog, I got a good chuckle and found that it is VERY fitting of a number of the players I've encountered recently at Wheeling Island's poker room. You should be able to mop up with them, but as is pointed out at AnteUp, too many of them at a table can be a VERY dangerous thing. You can't bluff a donktard. You need powerful, if not nuts hands to take it down, but the suckouts can be severe.

There's a lot of poker coming up in the the next few weeks, the Yanok's, JR's, Mine, and a couple of year-end games yet to be scheduled. Then maybe a short, well-deserved break before a big contingency of us head of to the land of lights in the desert (Las Vegas.) ETA is 47 Days, 3 Hours, 10 Minutes, according to the iGoogle gadget I've got in place. Rest up...save your pennies gang, it's going to be one heckuva ride! See you all soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Another baby step online, and WVU sucks!

After WVU's dismal failure during last nights game, the family and I returned from the Wolfe's. I won't even go into detail about the game it irritated me so much. I logged on briefly to Poker Rewards to play just a few hands. A few is all that I did. But for a good reason! After about a 1/2 round of play, I look down at rockets! The table has moved slow thus far, so I opted just to make it 2X the BB. I get only 1 caller. The flop is 2-2-5. I bet the pot. Lone caller just calls. The turn is an 8. I bet 1/2 pot. Lone caller again, just calls. Now before you go, yeah those'll get you every time, you shoulda dropped the bullets, let me tell you the river card. Another ACE!!! Only one hand in the deck can kill me now. Normally I would accept your pity, but not this time. I bet pot again, for all my marbles. He CALLS! I show...and he MUCKS!!! I make $18.xx in less than 10 minutes of play. Big Red says it's time for bed...sounds like a good idea, I'll quit while I'm ahead. Have $133.xx on that site now.

Only other thing I'm interested in, is finding out what brought JR's date to an end last night. BUT on the positive side, it sounded like he was having a great run at the $1/$2 NLHE table! Apparently everyone but of course him, was interested in the WVU vs Pitt game. Gotta run.

Regards,

cheer_dad

let's take it down a notch

I know it's going to be a "different" day when I get to work and immediately grab the headphones, and fire up media player (not for a movie to play in the background) but add to the playlist... "Jazz for a Rainy Afternoon." It's gonna be a mellow day. If only I could find a copy of an OLD album I used to have, Sammy Nestico's "Dark Orchid." It's like a qualude for the soul, delivered via the ears... Whoa, where's my shades! Maybe something profound later, but for now, just chillin'.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Games people play...

So, I've resisted playing cards now for a few days. Punishing myself for donk play. I'm referring to my play the night of the Eagle's gathering with more than a few of you! How frackin' stupid was I pushing when I did. Hell, I was drunk and just out for the action. See the flop, drag a pot mentality. Losers remorse! No real damage to my finances. My pride and ego are a different story, and those are things which the game of poker is NEVER supposed to be about. When they do join in...there will be less money in your roll, and honestly once pride and ego sit down at the table with you, the two bastards are hard to get rid of! Take this for example: My buddy Frank described a hand over at River's Edge Poker, that was a part of the "Eagle" evening too. He was in the hand with... let's call him "Jack." Jack is uber wild and aggressive, with purpose. When the hand Frank describes occurred however it was early, BUT the outcome of this hand was merely a springboard for the rest of "Jack's" evening. Jack called the preflop raise with a 3-7os... After the flop he was on a gutshot straight draw...a 6 away from his made hand, although in truth one of the 6's was going to make a flush possible. So, theoretically he's got 3 outs in the deck, to call the bets post flop. No good reason on Earth to call the belly buster. One reason...to pray you'll hit it, to squash an opponent, to get in his head, and destroy his confidence. It's an in-your-frackin'-face play. It lacks finesse. It lacks subtlety. It lacks class in a way. It's a legitimate playing style, but I tend NOT to like it. It is a style which is employed most often by "Jack's" crew. If you win a hand against them when they're playing this way against you, you'll likely increase your bankroll, BUT still be left with the impression of "shit, they'll play anything, so I need to be careful." If you lose, you're devastated, and simply want revenge. Frank, made the smartest play, and called it a night. While Jack grinned and put in a few verbal jabs...what he should have realized was that some of the wind just got sucked out of his victory sails. Frank was leaving the table. Another person... ME... reacted differently, in my drunken state. I made a brief attempt at the same stupidity, and got it thrown in my face. Had I sucked out against Robert in either hand, that I outlined earlier, I can't help but think that Jack would have later pulled me aside and patted me on the back and said..."see that's how you gotta play, and make those gambles at those big pots." As it was though...I lost, and like Frank made my move for the door as well. Later when we got to the house, I did rejoin the game briefly, but the liquor finally caught up to me, and I made a retreat. I vaguely remember hugging the porcelain for a few minutes, to "clear the gut." But that's not important... funny, but not important. It would have been pointless for me to play well that night, after how I'd first started off. My image was damaged right from the start. Jack lucked out, early on, and it fed him well later, when everyone assumed he was still playing like a fool. He wound up with rockets once...and spanked his callers with them, because they made him for nothing. The strategy works, in this instance BUT what is important is that Jack had to hit the initial suck out play, for it to work. Had he busted for the first $20, he would have re-bought, and re-bought again, without hesitation. Frank, you and I can afford to do it, but our willingness to do it is something entirely different. Intelligence tends to get the better of us. The idea of throwing good money after bad is (to me) a losing proposition. Being drunked up...wasn't going to help, and it's a wonder I was able to get away from the game at all.

I say all that to say this. Frank I get it, you're taking a break from poker. And yes, I hate this frackin' game too! I understand...and have been there too. Suckouts are going to happen, but why do they always happen to us. But it's not just individual card games...it's all one long game. Take your break, but not for too long. We'll keep a seat open for you. When we're finally able to turn the tables on Jack, let's just make sure it's for one helluva BIG POT! Smile real pretty, think KARMA.

I started writing this post...intending to head in a very different direction. I wanted to avoid playing online for one : ) , but I was actually going to cover my attempts at downloading, installing, playing Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. I successfully downloaded, and installed but never got to play. It seems I've developed video card envy. Well it just kinda happened. It seems in order to play this beloved game, I need to drop in the neighborhood of $300 for either an Nvidia Geforce 7800 or ATI Radeon X1800, video card. Information I could have used BEFORE downloading, both the game, Daemon Tools to mount the image, and surfing the crack channels for a while, and then installing. Here's a thought, maybe the game makers could have alerted a little earlier in the installation to my weak ass system. Of course, I guess I shouldn't complain, since I didn't lose anything other than my time, in the endeavor. So, as you can see, I suck at THIS game too. And honestly with the $300+ price tag for the card, and 50-60-ish for the game, legitimately, maybe I should stick to poker. It might actually be cheaper! : )

BUT, there's still hope for us all. The RED SNAPPERS have decided they want to get together to play something other than poker. Board games, like Scattergories, Dirty Minds, Cranium, hell maybe even charades. Maybe we can be just as terrible in these games. I might even play, on the inebriated side at these games too, but one things for sure, NONE of these will be effecting, or negatively impacting my bankroll! GAME ON!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Eagles Night

I'm not sure how it happens but...maybe you can spot the telltale signs for me. How do I go from this mild-mannered easy going human being:















To something very different not long after:


I'll give you a clue... it probably has something to do with the concoction I'm preparing to suck down in the first image. Lotsa beer followed by stiff drinks of Jack Daniel's and more beer and well, the Mr. Hyde you see before you makes an appearance. He's a happy guy, not trouble but I'll tell you one thing. He can't play cards for shit!!! Robert I vaguely remember trying to bluff you off of a pot after a flop, when I hit second pair, even after you'd already raised big preflop. The King on the Flop should have warned me off, but not this guy... Your AK was obviously good here! Note to self... Pick one cards or booze. Oh hell who am I kiddin', I was havin' a blast. And I'll likely do it all again sometime real soon! And how was it that every time Matt appeared to be bluffing like there was no tomorrow, is precisely the time when he'd come up with Pocket Aces, or at least nail back end straight with a 7-3os. Sheesh!

As for the others who showed up for Big Red and Angie's birthday celebration at the Eagles, we don't have much in the way of pictorial evidence. But what we have...is absolutely irrefutable. Yeah we were all more than a little intoxicated!

And how 'bout this cleavagey bunch:

Or maybe this follow up:

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll dispense with my usual lengthy commentary, and just leave it at 'Nuff Said!!! Thanks to everyone who came out for a night of drunken abandon. It was a great time.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Wheeling again...

I guess I never got back around to posting anything about Friday evening's antics in Wheeling by "da boys." But we did head north, and the cards were in the air. We made good time on the trip up, despite the traffic. The bad part was that it took us nearly 3 hours to actually get seated at a poker table! The place was packed. There were over 100 names on the list for 1-2 NLHE. I put my name in for 1-2 and on the 2-4 Limit. I got seated first at the 2-4 table...and stayed there for the duration. Of course while we waited we tried to play the doggies. It didn't work out for any of us really. Seemed like every dog we picked ended up going wide in a turn, or getting bumped. Oh well... Cooler in JR's truck had plenty of beer in it, and I had brought the Jack Daniels along. When we did get to the tables, Frank and I ended up at the same table, side by side. We started having a good time, just joking around with each other and the dealers and other players. The more we did...the better the cards seemed to come. I had a great run...and was having a great time. I hit several flushes and straights, and flopped boat once as well, oh wait sorry Frank that was against you. : ) I made around $120 for my time at the tables. Not bad for under 4 hours at the tables. It was around 9:00 when we got to the tables, and we started to head for home around 1:00am. All in all a good time was had by all.



I do have to tell a bit of a story on this guy...
I wish I had a better picture of this guy, who I nicknamed "pimp-daddy." He made the trip worth it to me. It seems like there's always one punk-ass-fool in the room. And brother it was him! His matching hat and shirt, were black and "shiny" silver. So shiny that every time Frank tried to take his picture with his phone, he was just a big blur in the middle of the image. Cheesy little goatie, lots of jewelry. The gold rope necklace with the medallion really set off the ensemble. I got a lot of laughs over him. When we sat down at the table next to him, he caught my eye right away. He had a big chip stack, but as Frank and I observed throughout the evening it continued to dwindle. He was always trying to get people to join his table, and was always talking loudly early on. He finally lost it all, and I'm sure that table was sad to see their lil cash cow go away.

On the way home we stopped at Denny's for a late night breakfast. That was a great choice, nothing like a little grease to polish off the evening of drinking and gambling. I wandered in the house after 4:00am, and headed to bed. Thanks to all who went along JR, Chris, Steve, and Frank. We'll do it again sometime soon. We've got to agree in advance at least once to head further north to Chester next time, and check out that other room.

I've written enough for one evening, but I promise tomorrow to cover the antics from last night. Birthday gathering for Big Red and Angie at the Eagles and the BPD band JINX was playing there as well. More good times, but that's for the next post.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Here we go again...

Once more into the abyss. Imagine that, it's Friday, we're guys, there's a poker room in Wheeling. You do the friggin' math. There's a support group for this sickness I just know it. It's JR's fault, in truth, and Frank too! Don't know how or why, but it is. Live with it! That's right JR, Frank, Steve, Chris, and yes me too, are all headed to Wheeling tonight, to see if we can't donate some time and money to the greater poker good. I STILL hate this friggin' game. But then again, what else am I gonna do. Right? I'm off at 3:30, gotta rush home, quick change, take some meds, say hey to the kids, get MOM out the door. Haul ass over to Chris', pick up a bottle of Jack, drive to JR's pile in with the rest of the degenerate gamblers...and head off to swim with the fishes, and the occasional shark. One of these days, we'll make Chester, I swear. Really! I Promise! Please?! Oh enough already. I'm already getting psyched up. I've also already filled out my racing form, for the doggies too. Yup, all 17 races! I've got right at 30 minutes to go, and yet another road trip from hell will be under way.

Lady Luck beckons me once again to dive deep into the abyss. CANNONBALL!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad