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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Sunday Blog...Great Week!!!

This has been a busy busy busy week!!! This March Madness thing just gets crazier every year...and I wouldn't have it any different! I just wish, for once...I would put together a bracket that had even an OUTSIDE SHOT at winning! But every year, things seem to go the same way! This year, its losses by Gonzaga, New Mexico, Georgetown and Kansas State that have derailed my hopes.

I got a record number of entries (again) this year...with 567 people jumping on board! Needless to say, this creates a LOT of clerical work for Senor Monkey!

Well, the invention of my Home Game on Pokerstars has been far more popular than I ever imagined it would be...and the even better news is that its only growing better day by day. The 100 members that Pokerstars allows you to have filled up in the first 4 days! I currently have 9 people on the waitlist wanting to get in...and since Pokerstars will only allow us to schedule a total of 10 games/tourneys per day...I have had to go ahead and open what I'm calling Monkey's Overflow Poker Club...which will give players currently in my club that are playing a LOT...and want even MORE action....to turn to for that. While also allowing in new players wanting to get into the Tournament Series Club. 

I've even gotten Squirrel involved...as she (by her own request...there was no pressure applied!) has taken over the duties as my Chief Operations Officer! She basically enters all the players' individual play for the day and tracks their points for the scoring. She is doing an awesome job!

As for the TLB (tournament leaderboard) standings? Well...at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, I am kind of destroying it. I currently have 96.35 points....in 63 total games played, I have cashed 21 times (33% cash rate) with 6 wins, 9 2nd places, and 4 3rd places...along with very irritating 7 bubbles...which I also track for each player! The next closest in points is user 'TkeThmDwn' who has cashed 15% of the time...with 11 out of 73 games...for 58.09 points. Yes, I have a 38 point lead with 7 days left in the month. I like my chances of winning the TLB for the first month!!!  But I know there are about 5-10 really, really good players in our club, and they are sure to be gunning hard for me next month. They will surely be aided by the fact that I will most likely be going to South Florida to play in the WPT event at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood. That should keep me from playing hardly anything for a good two weeks. Which is fine. I want my players to have the best playing experience as possible...and while I don't feel bad about dominating (especially ONLINE...where I have traditionally ran really shitty!) my poker club...I also don't feel comfortable with destroying them in the standings. One of members...'QuietWinner'...who is a player a lot of know pretty well...had an amazing day last week...winning, literally WINNING...six tourneys in ONE DAY!!! And got a 2nd place in the other one. He went from zero TLB pts...to being 3 pts behind me by the end of the day!!! 52pts to 49pts. He has gone a bit cold since that day....as he now sits in 3rd place with 52.16 points. I won't lie...I had pretty much resigned myself to 2nd place after watching him make that run last week!

So anyway...yeah, the Poker Club on Pokerstars? Is going great! And it's fun! It's so nice to be on Pokerstars' software again...its SO much nicer and easier to use than any other site. While the customer service options are a bit limited...its a site they put up for free afterall, where they make NO revenue off of it, so seriously, how much can we complain!!!???

Standing in line at Wal-Mart yesterday, and watching this big snafu with this lady trying to use a gift card to pay for her groceries...I came up with a pretty brilliant idea. Know how gift cards have gotten SO popular to give now? For birthdays, Christmas presents....whatever? How funny would it be to either be the Super Cool gift giver, or the Super Big Douchebag? I mean...obviously it would have to depend on who you are dealing with! But imagine buying like 10 gift cards for a bunch of people you can't stand...say, a bunch of people you work with...and writing $50 on the space for the amount...but really have the thing be worth .50! Imagine their reaction when they go to use that gift card! Hahahahahha!!!

OR: Say you fall into some money. Like...big time. Like...you win the lottery! Or the Main Event somewhere. Or that oil land you've had under lease with Hess for 7 years? Or...well...that should be enough examples, right? So you have a group of people you would like to do something nice for...but at the same time, you like to fuck with people. You like to hear what they are 'really' thinking of you. So...you go get them some giftcards....say 10 or 20 of them...and make each one for $25 (on the card itself) but you have really put $2500 on each card. You tell ONE person out of that group who you confide in...what you are doing, and why. Then get them to tell you which ones were doing the most grumbling about it when they thought your rich ass only gave them $25 despite being filthy rich now. Oh sure...they eventually find out....like when they go to Wal-Mart to buy what they think is $25 worth of groceries, then have the cashier hand them back the card while telling them their new balance on the card is $2476. Huh!??? OMG!  Yeah...who's the asshole now!???

Anyway...these are the things I think about when forced to have to sit idly by, waiting on something or another.

Like the other day when I pulled into the gas station to get gas. There was a guy in the first of three pumps. Question. Why not pull all the way up to the first pump when you see three available?  Whatever. So I go around him...and back into that 2nd pump. Not the 1st one...because I would like to give someone the chance to use that first one. Oh but wait. Here comes guy with dark tinted glass, $2000 rims, radio causing every window to vibrate...and rust all over the body of his Impala backing into that first spot. And does he think about leaving me with ANY room to get out? Naw. And the guy behind me has left and been replaced by another car who has given me no room to get out. So I sit there....and wait...all while looking at the guy with my 'how bout you move your piece of shit ghetto float, so I can leave this eardrum-torturing concert you've subjected me to' expression on my face. Didn't work. He just gave me the 'cool guy' nod while jamming to his, uh, tunes. Stupid needs to come with a penalty.



Me and Squirrel went to check out friend Oren's new sports bar in Ocean Springs the other day...just across the bridge from Biloxi. While the location is a bit tough to find...in the age of GPS and smart phones, nothing is that hard anymore. I was impressed. He has been open for less than a month...and has put together a great menu, and has a nice layout with plenty of TV's if you are looking for a place around here to grab a bite to eat, have a drink (yes they have booze, not just beer) and watch a game of your choice. He even whipped up a special plate of garlic mashed potatoes for Carley!!! I hope he does well...Oren has been a good friend to me and Squirrel for years now...having dealt poker at the Beau Rivage, and played plenty of poker with him as well., before going into business for himself in a couple of different ventures. And Oren told me to tell any of my blog readers that if they come by and tell him or one of the staff members THAT MONKEY SENT YOU!!! He will give you 10% off your meal. So go, if you get a chance, and check out BIG O's!!!!

My next trip? Poker wise? I am about 94.7% certain that I am going down to Seminole Hard Rock for the WPT event. Think I may have already mentioned that. I haven't decided whether or not I want to sell shares for that event...or just go for it, and play for 100% of myself. I am tempted to do that...since I just feel like I am due to make a good, sizable score. Plus the last time I was down there for that event, I did pretty good. I don't know...I will see how I feel this week.  Squirrel and I are taking Carley up north to her family's for the Easter weekend. She has a pretty dress to wear, and Cheryl has bought all the things for her Easter basket. It should be a lot of fun. I'm telling you...I had NO idea just how awesome being a Daddy was going to be. I mean, I had a hunch...but this kid? Jeeez...she makes me SO happy! Every day I wake up to her smiling face it just makes me glow inside. Which makes going on these 12-14 day poker trips super hard. I just love being here with her...watching her grow, and learn and develop the funny little personality that she is. It's so cool. And I just want to do EVERYTHING right by her...to give her the best life possible!

I probably have a lot more to talk about...but today is getting jammed up already....and our 'Big Tourney' is getting close to starting and I need to go out in the back yard and try to find my game face!!! Interpret that any way you choose!

MONKEY


1 comment:

rriddler said...

I assume that you're talking about the April WPT event at the Hollywood Hard Rock. They also have some WPT events at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa coming up. The first one is in June.

Give me a call if you come to the Tampa event. Dinner's on me. You've got my number.

rriddler