There's just so much going on.

West Virginia is truly "Open For Business" with the launch of Poker at two of the state's racetrack and gaming centers. First, at 10am this morning, Wheeling Island opened its poker room to the public, by now I'm sure they've had too many suckouts and bad beats to count. Easy on the hillbillies can't count thing...since we don't wear shoes anyway, we can at least get up to 20. So back off! Second, Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Center will open their poker room at 4:00pm!

Visit both of the following home pages for each of the WV casinos now offering POKER:
http://www.wheelingisland.com
http://www.mtrgaming.com/index2.html

I noted yesterday the passing of Joey Bishop.

And now today, I read that they imploded the SANDS in Atlantic City. It's like overload for the gambler in me. Not to mention the fact that I played last night at Bob's house, tonight at the Yanok's and tomorrow night at my house. Big Red says I better win, tonight if I plan on playing tomorrow. No pressure there, especially after losing $59 last night. Friggin' CARD DEAD!!! I swear, just ask JR!!! I've posted some additional commentary on last night's game on the HPT forums, some of which I suppose bares repeating here:

I attended the Kress game again last night. JR came along too. I asked him to pay attention to my play, and help me to fill some holes in my game, that I might not be aware of. We played for around 6-hours, and for my efforts I finished down $59. UGH... JR bought in for $50, cashed out for $370-ish! Way to go...congratulations! We rode together so on the way home, we had an extended conversation about the game in general and how each of us played specifically. The vast majority of his stack came in the last 10 minutes of play. He was up, most of the evening, and perfectly content, but he made nearly $250 in that last 10 minutes!!! Two hands did it for him. He hit KK on the first one, and was re-re-raised preflop, and got paid off well. Then, the next hand. JR bumps it preflop, and Bob is the next to act, who had also bled off part of his stack in the previous hand. He looks down...and immediately shoves it all-in, for like another $90-ish. The rest of us fold, at what has now dwindled to become a 5-6 player table. It goes back to JR who says whatever it is I have to call you, and shoves all in, and displays his rockets. Bob reluctantly turns over J-9os. ByeBye, see ya...and the rockets hold up in all their glory. Bob had nurtured a stack all night from $50, up to over $250, and donked most of it off in 10 minutes. OOPS. I think JR is still smiling! : )

But enough about him...it's my turn. Like I said we talked on the way home, and again this morning at work. Before I offered up any opinion of my own play, I asked him what he thought. His words, "you were card dead! You had Nothing, all-night-long!" AHHH, I feel vindicated, if nothing else. I was card dead, and the real sad part is, it wasn't even as bad as the last time I'd attended this game. The time before was MUCH worse! This time I actually had a couple of low pocket pairs and even Big Slick once. Granted none of those got me paid, but I didn't lose as much as I could have. I had the good sense to get away from another guy's flopped straight when I had Big Slick, and on each of my low pockets, both times someone else nailed their set. Once unfortunately another someone spanked them (not me) with a straight (hole cards 7-4os!!!) The guy who did that will be referred to as "Call-Station-Carl," he needs a name since I'm VERY focused on his play, for the rest of this post. Call-Station-Carl likes to see the flop...a lot. And when he sees the flop, he really likes to see what's in the river too! I counted the number of times that Call-Station-Carl did not see the flop, in six hours. Despite some hefty preflop raises, I think I counted only 4 or 5 hands that he folded preflop in our 6 hours of play! I'm NOT kidding! I recall seeing him go to "showdown" with a Q-3os, when it was bumped to $15-ish preflop, and he wasn't even one of the blinds! He made a straight on the river with his 3. In fact, I haven't seen as many straights in my entire poker career, as he hit last night. It was absolutely incredible! Absolute junk cards, turning to gold before our eyes. Unreal.
I was proud of myself, in getting away from "Call-Station-Carl" on one hand, when he smooth-called me through the turn, and then decided to go "crazy" and re-raise me on the river. Despite the fact that a healthy pot had materialized, I released my flopped 2-pair. Another guy decided to pay him off, and called, and he showed his hand, a flopped straight! Another 7-4os for "Call-Station-Carl". He was in the zone.

Matt J was there as well...albeit briefly. I talked to him just a little while ago, and he said, "...between how hot it was in the basement and the fuckin' suckouts, I was DONE!" Between Call-Station-Carl and JR...Matt's stack was divied up. Carl was called down a $20 preflop raise from Matt, and basically bent him over. A tilt move or 2 after that and well ...Nuff said...

I opted to play my standard game, like most of you suggested, sticking to reasonable hands only, and only occasionally playing something wacky from late position. I recall only winning 2 pots in 6 hours. A smallish pot when I hit an open-ended straight draw, against "Call-Station-Carl" on the turn. The other hand I was the BB with a J-3os, and turned it into 2-pair, on the river. Not much of a pot there either. When the table began to dwindle in the last hour and a half, to 6 players and then 5, I loosened up and just decided to see most flops, when they weren't raised, with just about anything. There was no point in even trying to steal anything. "Call-Station-Carl" was calling everything, and his sidekick Doug was usually in there too...so like I said you could ONLY win it, when you had it. End of story! You were getting called to the river by somebody, even if they only had bottom pair. I say that since I couldn't get Carl off of his 8-2os, once, against my pocket 3's, despite raising. He paired his 8, which was the lowest card on the board! Nice "2" kicker, sir! And by sir I mean fucker... So, my choice to start seeing most of the flops, was a dim hope of hitting something, and pull off a little hit and run. (The poker gods had their fingers poised over the "SMITE" button.) So, did I play tight yes, early on. Did I loosen up, oh hell yeah, BUT, if I had remained tight, I would have merely reduced the amount of my loss. I could NOT have won money for the night. I never got above my initial buy-in, ever...

So again, like I said earlier, I feel a bit vindicated, when JR told me I was truly card dead. It was a bit of a relief to me. Too much self doubt has been entering in to my game lately, regarding my general ability at playing this accursed game. In closing... (hold the applause, yes, I'm almost done) I'm glad I had a witness.

Regards,

cheer_dad