Back in Biloxi

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Back at home and hanging out on my favorite couch, about to watch three pretty garbage games. Can Detroit dodge the O-fer? Can my Seahawks lose YET another game in this season from hell? Can Kurt Warner put another 60pts up for me in my fantasy league against the Eagles? These are the important questions today. When Rooster comes over to eat with us...will he finally take some of his 'ALL IN' bottled water that we got out in Vegas this summer? Now that Squirrel has drank her way through about half of the 32 cases!??

Its that time of year when we are supposed to kick back and think of the things we are thankful for. Sometimes, you really have to scratch your head. I'm thankful that Cheryl finally learned how to cook. I'm thankful for airplanes. I'm thankful for the manipulation of the world oil market that has seen gas plummet to $1.75 a gallon and has OPEC freaking out! I'm thankful for discovering Vince Flynn's novels...locked up now in the newest, EXTREME MEASURES. Great stuff, cuts SO close to the current situation in our behind-the-scenes CIA dealings with terrorism. I'm thankful for my dogs. Not thankful for all the freaking VET bills this year. I'm thankful for having the greatest backer a poker player could ever want. I'm thankful for iPods. I'm thankful that my UW HUSKIES finally fired Ty Willingham. I'm also loving it that the Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Rapists are now 1-13! Detroit fumbled on their first possession and are about to get scored on. Andddd the slaughter begins. Touchdown. Chris Johnson.

The Main Event at the Venetian did not go so good. I started out with 20K in chips...which was a lot. Played a lot of small ball early. Not a lot of raising. Lots of limping in, looking to make a big strike. The one time I did raise....I picked up KK behind 7 limpers for 100. I made it 750 to go. I get FOUR callers. Unreal. Flop comes 10-7-3. Checks to me. I bet 1850. ONE guy calls. Think he was like Pakistani or something. I'm not sure. I did take his picture after the hand. Gives you some idea of where this is going. Next card is an A. Fuck. That slowed me down. I check. He checks. WTF? River is a J. I value (>>????<<<) bet it, I think for 1300. He calls. Jack freaking ten. And I simmer for about an hour. I hover around 13K forever. Then finally I get some traction and chip up to about 18K. Then this pattern develops. They move a new guy to our table. He proceeds to get into a screaming match with the floor guy. It was a weird deal. he was in the SB. On a hand where there was a lot in the pot, he was first to act. Everyone thought he checked. BB checks, the next player checks, and the last player checks. Then, he decides to bet! Huh? Claiming he didn't see us all check. Yeah, right, asshole. THe floor is called. He immediately goes off saying "I already know you're going to say I cant bet, why even bother!?" The floor guy looks like he is about to smack the guy. He actually allowed the bet but you could tell he didn't want to. This guy was a total prick. Meanwhile, I raise twice, once with AQ, once with AJ...and both times...back to him, he REPOPS it. I fold both times. My disdain for the guy is growing. And I am starting to feel like a puss.

So on the final hand before the dinner break, I pick up AK. I raise in 2nd position. The guy behind me, from NYC, who has all the elements necessary to be a serial killer...calls. He has been calling my raises all day, too. Well, our buddy in the BB decides, again...to RERAISE ME! Jeezuz. Well, now I have a new issue. I am NOT folding to this prick again. And not only that, I want the asshole behind me OUT of the hand. I feel like its time to take a stand against the prick. So I reraise all in. Dahmer behind me folds. Lil Buddy snap calls. Oh no! Yep. He has AA. Shit! The flop comes K-10-J. Ohhhh....can I get a miracle suckout? A king would be great, but I would settle for a Q and a chop! COME ON!!!!! Not to be. I lose. I'm out. I go to dinner break with Allie and Matt Brady and beat myself up. Let Frank know I went out. Feel bad. The trip is over. Dammit. Allie goes back in and with his remaining 7K...finds JJ in the SB vs the buttons raise and he ships it too. The guy calls with KQ and flops a Q. Matt would sit around for 4 more hours before he lost and joined us back at the house around midnight, claiming to "hate poker."

I spent all day Monday cleaning Allies house, doing laundry and talking smack with him and Matt. I actually managed to return my rental car and get to the airport with time to spare. The flight home was nice. Had a nice older man on my flight next to me...and we talked about dogs. His dog was killed two months ago while he was elk hunting and his wife let the dog outside while she was cleaning out her car...someone speeding down their road ran his dog over. I felt so bad for this guy. He was like watching a little kid. Dogs are great. But when they leave us...oh man. The pain.

Speaking of pain. Chris Johnson just ran for another touchdown. 14-3 Tennessee.

Tuesday, Squirrel went to work, and I got back after it on Pokerstars. Playing the $3 rebuy...I cut through a field of over 4,000...making it down to 11. That is where my luck with KK this week started. Over the last three days I have been getting KILLED with KK. Holding KK and having 1.5 million in chips...sitting about 4th, I have a chance to become chipleader one from the final table. 11th place pays $285. 1st pays $6500. I raise with KK. A guy with 1.4 million chips just SHOVES. Must be AK or JJ/QQ I think. I am not folding Kings. I call. He has JJ. Flops a mother(*!@(*@ Jack. I don't improve. Leaves me with almost no chips. I double up twice to give me hope, but then lose with 1010 vs AJ, and went out 11th. I was so deflated. Then in a $11 MTT, get down from 3200 players to 45...and this clown who had been shoving all level...does it again, and I have 10's and decide to call. He has J2. That's right. The 'ol jack deuce. No problem, he flops a Jack. I'm out. I've been getting deep in almost every MTT I play. Its only a matter of time before I clip something big. My success in everything PCA related though (Pokerstars Carribbean Adventure) has been abysmal. I just seem destined to not win that damn thing AGAIN! And come Sunday I have to leave for the Dominican for the WPT Season Pass Battle.

Its weird to go from 2 weeks of live play to playing online. The way people play in the two is SO different! It really requires you to shift gears. Majorly. And sit on the couch and make sure you have a bag of weed next to you, otherwise, you are probably going to destroy the house! Beat after beat after ridiculous beat are just part of the landscape when playing online. And keeping from losing your chat forever is the other big challenge, as you will find some of the biggest idiots you will ever see in your life!

Well, I have been tasked to vacuum the whole house and clean up the backyard from Doggy Destruction....as we have people coming over to eat with us today. Just wanted to fire off an update for you all, for anyone that was curious how the Venetian Main Event went. And to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Oh yeah...that's something else I'm thankful for, all of you who read this blog and offer up your support! Thanks! And have a great weekend!!!!!

MONKEY