Back in the Saddle again.....Lets Ride!!!

Hell ya, its pretty damn easy to get excited about a live poker tourney after spending two days getting totally slaughtered on Pokerstars! I can't make this up...I had Pokerstars send me a printout of my last three days of play. I played 28 MTT's and 31 SNG's. I bubbled, literally BUBBLED...3 MTTs and 8 SNG's and failed to cash ONE TIME! In probably 1/3th of the SNG's, I was in the top 3 in chips for a good part of them.

Proof that my new medication is working? I only freaked out and hollered ONCE. And that was when...on the bubble and 4th in chips (paying 7) this clown raises me...with QJ...I shove...with QQ....and he SNAP calls. only to go 8-9-10 on me. Yeah, I went a bit nutso after that one!

Finally, last night...late, at 3:16am I popped the ugliest cherry ever by cashing in a $12/180...13th...as I took another bad beat. But whatever, I cashed! Then, at the same time I was getting deep in a $12/45 SNG...and with a huge chip lead my KK loses to A7 and I'm getting that feeling again. But I get heads up with the worst player in the SNG....and every time I have him down to one CARD...he nails it on the river. FOUR times I had him in that spot. All four he sucks out. I got 2nd, for $110. Then went to bed. Maybe tonight I will run good...the last night, or day that I will be online in quite awhile as we get the ball rolling at the Beau Rivage tomorrow.

Okay lets talk about the Beau. First, I hope we have a GREAT turnout. I was buzzing around their site getting specifics on everything. Noticed something their marketing department is doing. Very smart. Offering package deals, with airfare, room rezzies and other incentives out of Atlanta and Tampa Bay/St. Pete. Smart...since a lot of business has been leaving because of the poker laws now in Florida, and games and/or casinos seemingly popping up everywhere. And of course, the whole oil spill thing. Hopefully...as hurricane season heats up, we are seeing the end of the oil nightmare.

I've been looking over the tourney lineup. I was curious about the Sunday Charity tourney so I contacted one of the Beau's poker guys over there and was told it is a benefit to commemorate the 5 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and to aid remaining victims of that disaster. Good touch. I hope they get a good turnout. I wont be able to make it because I have THREE fantasy football drafts that day! Plus a seat in four Sunday majors I kind of would like to play. I'm not too sure, after just being allowed back in, that the folks over there would be too thrilled with me sitting there with my laptop drafting my fantasy team while playing poker. Not a good idea. So I will have to take that day off.

One thing I am kind of bummed about is that there doesnt appear to be a $550 Mega Satellite into the Main Event. I wonder why? They have quite a few of those $230 deals with rebuys. Those scare me, because sometimes, if I'm running bad...but refuse to give up, they can get VERY expensive. But one strategy on those is to just wait till the end of Level 3...come in at the end, take your rebuy, and take the double add on. Gives you plenty of chips, and you avoid the early disasters. But still...I run about 75% in $550 Megas, so obviously I'm somewhat bummed by the absence of those. But hey, if I don't make into the Main...I don't. Right? Maybe I will just run great all week, make a few Final Tables and have enough to just buy in if I brick the megas!

Alright listen up!!!! Friday is the first noon event. I plan to arrive at 11am. One hour before the event. To avoid the line. And to get THIS set up. A fat....FAT!!!! last longer! To celebrate my return to the Beau, I thought it would be fun to add a little extra incentive to this first event! So I will be hanging out in the lobby with my little note pad and pen...if you would like to take part in a BIG $100 last longer side bet...come find me, and give me your $100. One event here at the Beau a couple years ago we got 17 players to do it! NiCE! I ended up chopping that with a guy from Atlanta. If I get knocked out early, I will simply pass the list and the cash along to someone else. These last longers can be a lot of fun...and really take the sting out of not cashing if you get lucky and everyone goes out early and you dont make the money but win the last longer!!!!

NO I WILL NOT BE DOING ANY BOUNTIES! Those days are over! Sorry. I know I became kind of famous for those...but part of my 'personality makeover' is the elimination of bounties and any kind of behaviour that is motivated by spite. Well, if I am hating myself, maybe I will put a bounty on ME!!!!

I'm real excited to get started! Spend all day yesterday over in Pensacola getting my taxes done (finally!), getting my car tuned up and the oil changed and went by my rental property and finally met my tenant face to face and inspected the lawn. It didn't look as bad as I expected. Got the sprinkler system corrected, and his promise that he would keep up the effort on the yard. Guy was actually okay. He was painted as a 'demon' by the leasing agent, but its actually HER that I am having my doubts about. Whatever. Just glad to get that worked out. Yard work over here is done. So I am all set to get going this week at the Beau.

What is going on with all these bed bugs? Its on the news every time I turn around...now I'm all paranoid about it.

I have 4 spots left on my Big Money Fantasy League...$300 to play. If interested email me at ThePoolMonkey@aol.com

I have been made to believe that I simply HAVE to get either Hold Em Manager or Poker Tracker. The consensus seems to think the first one is the better of the two. But then they have all these damn add ons too. The first one is $90. Then all the add ons are from $50 to $90 as well. A guy could spend $500 to get the goods on everyone at the table. People are telling me once they started using them, they feel naked not using them. Wow. Sounds pretty drastic. I just don't know if having a poker tracker though is going to help me avoid having my AA cracked 80% of the time. I really, really, truly wish I could be consistently profitable online. I love being at home. Love being with my dogs, and Squirrel, and just being able to multi-table, and lay around half naked...and comfortable. After a full month of playing online, at times 8 to 12 games at a time...and then going and playing ONE SnG or ONE MTT at a time in a live tourney....sometimes makes me mental.

Wow! You guys see this bitch in England who got caught on surveillance video taking that kitty and throwing it in a garbage can and scurrying away? Then when caught...and the furor that resulted, she says, "I don't see what the big deal is...its JUST a cat!" Whoaaaaa....really? It amazes me that human beings like that really exist. It also just made me hug Jasper.

Oh...I meant to do this earlier, but I will do it later. I simply have to share the video of Mollie chasing the red laser dot around the house. It is the funniest shit you will ever see. I first saw her do it when I got home from a poker trip. Squirrel had picked it up at the pet store...and spent hours entertaining herself with it before I got home. I laughed until I cried the first night I watched Mollie chase that damn thing. You will just have to wait for it. Sorry!!!! But it will be worth the wait, I promise!

Alright. Lets go play a session on 'Stars! Hope to see y'all really soon!!!!

Monkey