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

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

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