Slow Days Indeed

Today I watched Dwyte Pilgrim on the WPT Final Table from Borgata, the tourney where I cashed (68th out of 1000+) and then rooted for him and Christian Iacobellis to win, with a small financial interest.

I left town the morning of his final table so I never got to see his 'antics.' He called me yesterday (Sunday) and told me to watch...and tell him what I thought about it. I told him I'd already heard from people who watched the first epidsode a few days earlier..and told him I'd already found myself defending him.

So yeah...watched today. Kind of strange, cuz I know the guy pretty well. I suppose if I did NOT know him so well, know that he is a solid player, know that he is a good guy, I guess maybe I would have taken him the wrong way. Which kind of makes me wonder..."Hmmm...maybe thats a little bit what I have going on with people."

Except...what pisses me off, and I had a long conversation with my wife about it the other night...is a lot of people who are talking shit about others...have never even MET the person, or even sat at their poker table. They hear shit..and then, for reasons I will never understand because I was never that 'pile on' kind of mealy-mouth growing up, decide to join the fight and deposit their worthless 2 cents worth. If I don't care for you...I'll tell you right to your face, not go around bad-mouthing you, only to act cool to your face. Man do I hate those losers.

So she tells me how she always has to hear people talking negatively about me...while she is at work, and what she is told she hears from dealers. So then when I ask her if "these players who know me? Who have sat at a table with me in the past two years? Or at all?" There is never an answer. I have no idea what its going to take to make people just lay off of me. I got on meds. I cooled off. I bought an iPad. I quit drinking. Jeezuz, I couldnt possibly be more physically or emotionally 'removed' from the table than I am now.

I've got some 'shit' going on behind the scenes right now that could blow up into a major story...and a lot of it has to do with the perception of me and who I am. What I'm capable of. Yada yada yada. And to be honest, its kind of caused me to slip into a shell of depression. I'm just sick of it. And I'm sick of the people in poker who have too much power. Power that they abuse. It's stupid. Are they helping to make the world a better place? Hell no. Their just assholes. Why are they assholes? I have no idea! I mean...isn't it easier to just be nice to people? Oh, what? That isn't any fun? Not exciting enough?

Nobody needs to ask me for details on what's going on. Mainly because there is some 'manuevering' going on behind the scenes that could result in either a very happy ending...or another frustrating poker defeat. Lets just say, there are a handful of people who are currently making my life hell. But I am working to either make the 'problems' go away, or the people themselves.

As for poker? I have been getting stomped online. I literally went OH for SUNDAY yesterday. In the Sunday Million, I got deep, only to get coolered. In the Mini F-TOPS Main event...same deal...very close to the money and I get hosed. I played probably 25 tourneys yesterday and did not cash ONE! It was insane.

And before I logged on, I had to wake up to watch my Washington Huskies completely outplay and dominate North Carolina...even with Isaiah Thomas having a bad game. But just like in so many close games over the years...we managed to commit a few crucial turnovers, take a few ill-advised shots, caught a few unlucky breaks/bad calls from the refs...and that was that. We lost by 3. And go home. Not that we would have ever survived that bracket...holy crap.

Speaking of brackets...pretty sure all 16 of mine are toast. Thanks to teams like Pittsburgh, Virginia Commonwealth, Wisconsin, Morehead State, and whoever beat Syracuse last night. Another year...another shitfest. I filled up my first $25 board for the NCAA Title Game Squares. The 2nd board is almost full...then its on to a 3rd. My Sweet 16 Bracket Pool already has 150 entries....that should also get pretty big. The other big push is trying to get my Fantasy Baseball league full. The draft is next Monday night...we have 8 teams right now, with room for up to 20 in a Head-to-Head league...where everyone plays for $350 for the whole 6-month season. Definitely glad I am home right now...with all the checks that are pouring in from all over the country.

I take a very small commission on my pools, and what I take I usually turn around and put right back into the pools with additional entries. Sitting around watching the Tsunami/Earthquake/Nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan...I was feeling really crappy about how much these people were suffering....so I decided to try and do something to help. Sent out a plea to the people on my distro list...offering a small incentive (two free 'Good Karma' entries in future pools) for anyone sending a minimum of $100 for Japan's Red Cross. I decided to donate half of my total commissions from my pools, which is up around $500 now. In just under a week, I have raised about $1100. I know its not much...but I know those people are in great need...and I know I will sleep better at night knowing I tried at least...to do something to help.

Talked to Chad Brown a little last week. He is feeling okay...and getting mentally prepared for the radiation treatment he has to get started on pretty soon...but he is real frustrated as he's been getting a lot of conflicting advice from various doctors out in LA. That has to be so incredibly annoying, as well as mentally exhausting. Well, Chad decided to take a break from the 'inconvenience' of cancer...and zip over to the Wynn, to play poker...and WIN...their $2k tourney this weekend! How nice! Today I think he is playing the $5k Main Event there. Good luck to him!

There is an event coming up at Hollywood Casino somewhere in Indiana. It's a WPT event. I think its starting March 28th. I feel like going to play it...I just don't feel like travelling. I'm kind of really enjoying being a bum this month. And I am really being a bum. Sleeping for 12 hours a day. Rarely leaving the house. I love being with my dogs though. And I know Squirrel likes having me at home...well, I think she does.

But I know that I am going to go to South Florida for the WPT event at Seminole Hard Rock. It goes from April 7-27th...and while that one is going on there is another event just down the street at the ISLE...called Battles at the Beach, ohhhhhh! Scary!!!! Pompano Beach...which is just down the street like I said. I talked to Allie Prescott the other day, hadn't talked to him in quite some time. He basically invited me to come and stay at Mike Beasley's new kick ass house down in Fort Lauderdale...with him...and Matt Brady, Jeff Madsen and a couple other fun guys/good players. Not only will that be really nice to save some money on hotels...but it will be a lot of fun. I'm now really looking forward to that trip.

At the same time...there is the event here at the I.P. going on from April 7th to the 17th. I wasn't sure if I was going to be allowed to play there because of who is working the event. I heard through 'the grapevine' that this particular person has made it clear that I won't be allowed to play any event that he is working...and that list is pretty long. Why? No friggin idea. From what I understand there was a 2+2 post or something about him...alledging some pretty serious accusations (don't bother looking for it, he used his connections with that site apparantly to have it removed) that he and his 'friends' decided to credit me for...and now his wife and a few of his staff members are 'deeply troubled' and 'traumaticized' at the prospect of having to work in an environment where I may be present. No...I am NOT making this up. So I guess that he is using another poker loophole, the one that says you can keep a certain player out if any of your staff feels 'threatened in any way by that player.'

Its just another chapter in 'lets see how else we can screw Monkey.' I am almost beyond getting upset or mad anymore. It's just effing laughable now. So anyway, I texted the guy who actually runs the I.P. and asked if my presence there was unwelcomed, stated the reasons why I thought it might be...and his exact response was "There is only ONE person who decides who does and doesn't play in my casino...and thats me!" Then went on to tell me I am always welcome to play at the I.P. Well, hmmm...that was kind of standup. So...I don't know, maybe I will stick around here for at least a few days...play some of those events...and see how the turnouts are. If they get a good turnout then I will play the whole event. If not...then I will thank him for at least welcoming me in and head on down to South Florida.

I just played in Jason Young's Monday Night Super Turbo Shovefest on Lock Poker. I've been kind of promoting it a little bit. He has a deal with them similar to the one I have been offered by a smaller, newer online Poker site. I have tried to help him out in getting his name out there. As far as my own deal goes? Well...I was offered a deal back in October. I wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger yet, and in actuality, wanted to make sure my path back into the WSOP was free and clear, to make them feel like their decision to take me on would prove to be a good one for them. Well, once again...for reasons that will come into clearer focus in the next 45 days...that road/path is NOT without obstacles, again...and I'm glad I didn't take the deal with them when they offered it. Because I would be feeling guilty. And I hate feeling guilty.

Another reason is that I am kind of cultivating a little club of 100+ in my Pokerstars Home Game...with nightly private events. I am hoping that once I get my personal bullshit all cleared up...and I can just focus on showing up, playing well, and winning money...that I can then take this lump of people WITH ME...to this new site, give them a sweetheart of a rakeback deal, and maybe even other incentives. So...I kind of have a plan, it just requires a few other things to fall into place. So...dude, who I KNOW is reading this...who is FROM that internet poker site...I just wanted you to know that you are still in my thoughts. :)

What else? My taxes need to be done. Ugh. Guess that will happen sometime this week. Those clowns got arrested and are about to be tried in court. I just finished writing back the prosecutor with my Victim Impact Statement, which is the first step in getting restitution from the crooks. To think I might get something back is encouraging. Especially with how this year is going so far.

Yeah...I'm pretty sure I'm done here. The Jason Young Shove Fest ended for me in 5 minutes. KQ vs. A10d. Flop King...opponent goes runner runner diamonds for a flush. Perfect. Now about to play in the $20 Post-JY Shove Fest Bounty tourney in my Red Snapper Poker Club on Pokerstars. Should be scintillating. Maybe later I will do a pushup.

Good Night.

MONKEY