What would you do

A couple of years back, the WSOP TV coverage had a spot on a handicapped gentleman that basically did not have arms and was playing the Main with his feet. I felt at the time that it was a heart warming story and how cool it was that the guy didn't let his disability get in the way of his desire to play cards.

I think disabilities sadden all of us, and every day I am thankful that neither myself or my kids suffer from them. I don't park in handicap spaces and go out of my way to assist someone who is handicapped and in need of a door opened an elevator held etc.

Yesterday I was faced with a very interesting situation. I am in Texas for a month to get out of Vegas until the WSOP and see my kids and relax. The poker bug got me so I decided to take a little drive up to Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma for some cash.

When I arrived the 1/2 list had about five names on the list, with four tables going. After a brief wait, I was seated in a game and there in Seat 8 was a handicapped guy with no arms playing with his feet. I dont think it was the same guy from the WSOP. I admit it, its hard not to stare and I tried my best not too. I also was quick to notice three table change buttons on the table and it was obvious what was going on. I also texted some friends with the whole "You wont believe this" text. After some thought I tried to do my best and not stare and just concentrate on the game. Fail, of course, and it was all I could think about. I didn't request a table change and as we cycled through players, the table change requests kept coming. Finally after a couple of hours the guy went broke with top two that got flushed out. He left and the game returned to some sense of normalcy.

I struggling with my attitude and the fact that I was tilted while he was at the table and really could care less about the game. I kept trying to focus on I was there to win and take his money, but I backed down the two times he raised me.

Question of the day, what would you do, ask for table change, go on about your business or be uber tilted like I was.

Crazy Swings at the Venetian/Big 1/2 Hand

Played about 5 hours of cash in the 1/2 NHLE game at Venetian yesterday. Ended up meeting some fellow AVPers, Grange 95 and Poker Grump who were at my table. Good guys to play with.

For the day I ended up .33 of a buy in ($300) after being down 1.8 buy ins. Ran AK into Aces twice early and finished off my first buy in when I pushed with AK on K -7-5 flop, into a guy who had pocket 5's, quickly had to rebuy. Go stick my ATM card into the kiosk and all the screens start flashing and it breaks, at that point didn't think it was going to be my day.

Was down another 1/2 buy in with a stack of roughly $180 when the following hand occurred. I was in MP and looked at QQ, popped it to $13 and both the button and BB called. Flop was 9-10-J, (2 clubs) Big Blind makes it 125 to go, I push for my remaining $165 or so , button calls and BB dumped his remaining $40 or so in. We are three to the turn pot of $560 or so, big blind and myself all in.

BB turns over 78 for the made straight, Button turns over two clubs for the flush draw. Turn is a blank and I am down to 3 kings or 3 eights, plus need to dodge clubs. River is a beautiful K diamonds and I scoop. Its about time that I actually river someone instead of being the one who is rivered.

Hard Rock Tulsa

Survived the foot of snow in Dallas late last week and was able to make it up to the Hard Rock in Tulsa. They are in the middle of their Oklahoma State Championship Series. Decided to leave early Friday evening due to the potential for bad roads Saturday Morning. Basically it was 4.5 hours driving in a freezing fog storm.

Played 1/2 for about 8 hours all night Friday until 830 Saturday morning. Play was wild and 1/2 was playing basically 1-2-7-25. Ended up plus 2 buy ins after being down to .4 of a buy in. Donked off some chips by calling an all in of AKQ board with AQ, obviously dude had J10. Not lot of memorable hands, just steadily raking 50-70 dollar pots. Should have won more but dropped some chips with my KK against 34 off. I had raised to $25 pre dude called out of the big, caught 2 pair and called my bets on every street. Not much I could have done about it.

Saturday, they had a $340 buy in 100K Gty, No Limit event, field had a ton of alternates and final count was 805. Structure was real good with 10K chips, 40 minute levels starting at 25/25. I had a ton of huge hands in the first three levels but couldn't get much play from the table and built up to 15K. Next three levels was card dead, tried to steal and or open strong with terrible cards and kept getting 4 bet. Busted at level 7 300/600/75, jamming A9 Diamonds, into AJ for my last 10BBS.

Hard Rock is my favorite Oklahoma Casino, it used to be called Cherokee, and they did a deal with Hard Rock last August. Tons of improvements to the place, trying to make it look like Hard Rock Vegas. Definitely not the same crowd, lots of cammo and overalls. They have a 30 table poker area (not much of a room) tons of action.

Trip was plus EV, due to cash games and a $350 slot win.

WSOP Circuit Tunica

Sitting in the Little Rock airport coming home from WSOP Tunica. Just thought I would blog on what a great event this was. This was absolutely one of the best run events. The structure was 10K in chips with 30 minute levels starting at 25/25. There was a ton of play for the buy ins, events started on time, floor was great, registration process a breeze.

I didn't cash in either of the events I played and I am now 0-4 for 2010 in live events. Tuesday I went fairly deep busting in 150 something out of 400+, ended up busted at 500/1000/100 when I pushed J10 on a flop of 1052 for my last 13BBS. Congrats to the guy with the set of 2's.

Yesterday I was just card dead for the first 5 levels playing 5 hands in 2.5 hours, and never hitting the flop. Only lost 1K in chips due the very deep stack early structure. Chip up a bit in the next few levels, ended up crashing at 400/800/75. Was crippled when I called a 10K all in and lost. I had AK dude had 8's and his 8's held. Really don't think I would have played the hand any different.

I have been critical of Tunica in the past due to some bad WPO experiences. While there is nothing to do in Tunica, was pleased with Harrahs its staff and hotel was a steal at 30 per night.

Next live events for me will be Venetian DS events in a couple of weeks

Heartland Poker Tour at Red Rock

Played my first live events of the year this past weekend. I had seen a couple of the Heartland Poker Tour Final Tables on TV. This tour is centered in the Midwest and offers satellite only prelims into typically a $1000 to $1500 Main Event. You can just outright cash buy in to the Main, but the prelims really force a satellite in structure.

I had interest in this because I had heard the play was fairly weak and I felt an interesting dynamic brewing between Red Rock(Stations) and Heartland. Until a couple of weeks ago there had been almost no local Vegas interest or advertising. No one at Red Rock really knew what to expect in terms of number of players etc. On the other hand, Heartland was pumping this event on its website, was flying in over 200 players between four air charters from various Midwest cities and promoting this as its Vegas Vacation.

What occurred included a sold out $250 Mega Friday night and a sold out Main Event on Saturday. I was locked out of the Main.

I play both the Thursday and Friday $250 Megas. Thursday I was cruising along and we were down to 60 or so with 29 seats up for grabs, Got it in with 10's unfortunately against Jacks, was crippled and busted 50th. Played next to Marlon Shirley, the worlds fastest para-athlete who got some good face time during the WSOP- Helluva of nice guy. David Plastik was also at my table for a bit with a real short stack and was jamming it all in. I know he was jamming light but no cards to show him down.

Friday the Mega was a joke and I ended up in the pit next to the loudest bar in the place. Table started 10 handed went to 9 back to 10 and then up to 11 in Level 3. Back to 11 was to accommodate some dude who had satellited in but was locked out. He was threatening to call the gambling board and they let him in. What a joke. Really should have been out in Level 4 with AQ diamonds all in against aces on J107 board two diamonds. Caught the case K on the River to double up. Lost a bunch of chips again with 10's against Jacks. Jammed my last 8 BBS with A10 suited into Aces and out the door.

Heartland is an interesting concept and looks like its growing within the Midwest. Most players are older not that great but friendly as hell.

A Great Start

I ended my self imposed live cash poker ban on New Years Day with a trip to Choctaw Casino in Durant Oklahoma. Choctaw is my favorite of the two big casinos north of Dallas. I just think their customer service is so much better than Winstar. Excited about the expansion of Choctaw which opens in February.

I played 1/2 NLHE for about four hours and ended up making 1.8 buy ins on my original $200 buy in. I played my new strategy of either betting or folding pre flop. I think in my last few sessions I had limped or min raised way too much and it resulted in some stupid beats. Not much spectacular to report just grinded my stack up. Most memorable pot was 4's with position on a 9-4-9 flop. Pot was raised to $15 pre with two of us besides the raiser along for the ride. UTG bet $45 on the flop, next up called and I went to $100. Fold,Fold and I scooped. Some might ask why I just didn't flat, I felt that one of the two players left in the hand had a decent pocket pair and I didn't want them to catch up. Turns out UTG told me later he had 10's.

I know its just one session but it felt good to make some dough after four consecutive losing games.

Online I had min cashes in 4 tourneys all in on satellite wins, biggest cash was in the Stars 200K gty.

Also had my best weekend of the year in sports betting , going 5-1-1 in NFL and college and made 15 units. Maybe next year I should just wait and bet the NFL on its last weekend and playoffs. All ready have made a 10 unit play on TCU tonight.

I know its only January 4 but it feels good to get the poker and gambling year off to a good start.

The Holidays and the Month Ahead

Have not blogged in a while, one of my goals for 2010  is to blog more on a consistent basis.

If you know me, you are well aware of my lack of the holiday spirit. This principally comes from the fact that I have one of the world's smallest families and I am divorced myself. My Mom and Dad's parents were both very old when my Mom and Dad were born. This leads to a lack of living cousins, aunts, uncles etc.

.My kids, who due to divorce and their mothers remarriage, have about five Christmas' to go to, basically get spoiled at every one of them. The true spirit of Christmas for them should be to donate time/presents to those less fortunate. Still working on that and both of them being in affluent schools with competition for ipods, cell phones and the coolest laptops does not help much.

As I get older Christmas has become so commercialized and materialistic, it just puts me totally on life tilt the last two weeks of the year. I went the gift card route this year and shopped in about twenty minutes at the grocery store for the cards. My son ended up with what looked like a deck when he laid out all his gift cards he received this year.

From a poker standpoint, I had been playing ten days a month of live tournaments and/or cash games in Vegas in 2009. Frankly I was crushed my last two trips and have not been to Vegas since Thanksgiving. I honestly don't think it was a ton of poor play on my part, just my time in 2009 to experience some negative variance. Tons of bad beats but you have all heard them before. Basically it wiped out some profits for the previous 3 months, but it really didn't put a dent in my roll. I did decide that December might be time for a break and my self imposed live ban ends on 1/1/2010.