playing poker and teaching science

Things to remember 2011

2012-01-31T05:35:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot my yearly "things to remember" post! The top 10 in no particular order:
1. I lost my Father, the best man I have ever known.
2. Training with the Marines in San Diego.
3. Cabo San Lucas vacation (sailing with Captain Bob).
4. Two weeks in Hawaii.
5. Christmas break in Cozumel (swimming with the dolphins).
6. Learning to spear fish!
7. Attended game seven of the World Series.
8. A concussion from fish taco food poisoning.
9. Spring break playing poker and soaking up sun by a pool in Las Vegas.
10. Hiked to the top of Diamond Head.

The Great White Hunter

2011-12-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

I suppose it's possible to reach an age where you have experienced every new thing there is to try. I hope I never reach that age. I've always thought that if the sun is up you need to get your lazy ass out of bed because you might miss something important. I'm always on the lookout for new places to go and for new things to try.

Well... I found something new! Spearfishing.

Our trusty guide picked us up from the Cozumel Palace promptly at 8 in the morning the Tuesday before Christmas and took us to the northern end of Cozumel Island. After a brief introduction on how to free dive, clear your ears, handle and aim the spear gun, and safety concerns, we started out.

After and hour or so, we drifted near a reef and a large triggerfish appeared from behind a reef about 30 feet down. I took a big breath and dove, clearing my ears once and then forgetting everything else. It was just like our guide Leo explained: When you're on a fish everything goes out of your mind and you focus only on the fish. That was my experience exactly as I kicked downward and focused on the fish.

You're supposed to convince the fish that you are just out for a swim and mean it no harm, otherwise they turn and swim away. As I got close the fish turned to swim away, apparently not buying my, "I'm not not here to shoot you" routine, but it was too late. I had reached the sweet spot where I was close enough to shoot, but not too close to scare the fish away.

I pointed the spear gun and squeezed the trigger, letting the spear fly.

Enjoy the picture!

2011-12-25T05:39:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm not holding my breath.

2011-11-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Quote: "There has been a renewed sense of optimism amongst Full Tilt Poker customers, after the news broke on November 1st of an “agreement in principle” having been struck between the DoJ and Groupe Bernard Tapie which would make it feasible for the French company to acquire Full Tilt Poker."

I don't have a lot of money on Full Tilt, but it would be nice to have it back...

Great news!

2011-10-28T10:56:00.001-07:00

A buddy just called and I'm going with him to the last game of the World Series tonight!

Making a read.

2011-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

With the catastrophic elimination of on line poker in the United States, it’s been a while since I added some poker related content to a blog that purports the inclusion of poker in some way, shape, or form from time to time. I haven’t sat at either a live or virtual table for several months, but it’s nice to know that the cobwebs quickly clear when the opportunity arises.

I had the chance to travel to New Orleans for a long weekend last week, arriving late Thursday. Since I was slated to land after nightfall, and since I gained an hour during flight, I thought I might get a little play at the downtown Harrah’s casino, but after working a full day before heading to the airport, I didn’t really know if it would work out.

I landed in Chicago to catch my connecting flight and when I looked at the departures board found another flight heading to NOLA that was in the final boarding stage. I ran to the desk for that flight, put on my best smile, and made small talk with the attendant asking if she was from Minnesota because of the northern lilt to her voice.

We both laughed about her allergies and the fact that she was from nowhere near Minnesota, then she moved me in front of the standby passengers and I was off to NOLA on a flight that arrived two hours ahead of my slated time.

That put me at the poker table an hour before I should have landed. Fate was smiling on me! I found fate to be a fickle lady indeed when I received 10-3 three hands in a row and not much else for the first thirty minutes of play.

I splashed around a few pots and was up about $15 when it happened: The Read. I was two off the button when five callers joined a straddled pot. I had the king and Jack of spades. The rainbow flop came King high and it checked to me and I bet $10 into a $25 pot. The button raised $25 and everyone folded to me and I called.

Now there’s $95 in the pot and the turn is a Jack that put two clubs on the board. I checked to the button who bet $60.

Now it’s time to think this through. I have top two pair. The button didn’t raise before the flop so he couldn’t have AK. There was no real reason to raise with a set. I had either been ahead all along or he had raised with JJ and got lucky.

All-in for another $105 or so on top of his $60.

He thinks for less than five seconds before calling. He has trips, right?

The casino in NOLA doesn’t require all-in hands to turn up their cards and the dealer dealt a blank on the river. He turned up two clubs with a FIVE that paired the board on the turn so he called with a pair of fives and a flush draw. I took down a $400+ pot with my two pair.

It’s nice to know I can still make a good read.

It’s also nice to know that there are still card players out there who will put all their money in on a slim draw because that’s how we make money. Right?

Sidebar: I ate dinner at the table next to Jessica Simpson (who is VERY pretty) and saw James Carvell twice (who is not!).

One more trip

2011-10-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

A little something to break up the monotony. I'm heading to New Orleans today.

Summer 2011 - Finishing with a flourish!

2011-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

The summer was a great one! Training with the Marines in San Diego, a week in Cabo San Lucas, and then to finish it off, two weeks in Hawaii visiting family. I've already made plans for Christmas break and it looks like more fun in the sun.

Cabo San Lucas

2011-07-25T07:48:00.001-07:00

Beautiful weather, a beautiful setting, and an all-inclusive resort: Who could ask for more?

The summer continues!

Summer Fun

2011-07-01T05:59:00.001-07:00

The Marine's Educator Workshop in San Diego was a fantastic experience! Few people get the opportunity to watch new Marines trek down the road after completing 54 hours of "the crucible" and to be pinned with the globe, eagle, and anchor. There's no training like Marine training and I am more confident than ever about the future of our nation's military.

To all service men and women: Thank you for your service!

The Last Day of School!

2011-06-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

That's one big Periodic Table!

Another summer break!

2011-05-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Seventy. 70. Seven-oh, LXX, 1000110 (binary).

That's how many days I have off. That's a lot, but I think it's necessary for teachers to have the time off to rest and rejuvinate in order to come back to the next school year ready to tackle the job of educating tomorrow's leaders with a renewed sense of dedication and purpose.

Anyone buying that? It sounds good to me!

This summer is shaping up to be a good one. So far, this is the plan:
1. A week in San Diego training with the Marines.
2. A week in Cabo San Lucas soaking up the sun with my main squeeze.
3. Two weeks in Hawai'i visiting my brother and sister.
4. A few days with my 8 year-old nephew doing the favorite uncle thing.

I'm sure there will be some poker and other fun.

70 days.... OoooOOOOooooooOOOOooooo Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Important announcement!

2011-05-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

I just want to make it crystal clear that I will NOT be running for President!

Ooooo Rahhhh!

2011-05-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's always great to get another "you have been selected" letter, but this one is very special indeed. This summer I will be spending an all-expense paid week in San Diego training with the United States Marine Corps!

I'll be able to meet and train with Marines at Camp Pendleton, and then spend time at the Marines Air Station Miramar, where the movie "Top Gun" was filmed. We'll train along side recruits, run obstacle courses, and train at the sniper range.

It should be another exciting chapter in the Reed biography!

An unfortunate fish taco experience.

2011-03-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm going with "an unfortunate fish taco experience" as the explanation for the gash on the front AND the back of my head and the cut over my eye. I had some fish tacos at a Mexican restaurant Wednesday after school and by midnight I was violently ill.

While attending to my intense stomach distress, my blood pressure dropped at some point and I crashed into the bathroom wall. Apparently I also bit my tongue because it hurts too! I still have no knowledge of smashing face first into the corner of the wall and floor, but I do remember lying on the floor thinking, "This is nice and cool. I think I'll stay here for a little bit." That's when I noticed that I was lying in a pool of perspiration and blood.

I don't know if the tacos were actually to blame, but it makes for a good story and isn't that what life is all about?

"See this scar? It's from an unfortunate fish taco experience."Doesn't that sound interesting to you?? :-)

It turns out I have a pretty serious concussion as a result and the room spins if I move my head too fast. The treatment seems to be to stay out of competition for about a week, so don't challenge me to anything!

Sidebar: I stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings, one of my favorite spots, for lunch yesterday and they wanted to tell me about the new menu which featured: fish tacos.

I think I'll pass.

A Great Man

2011-03-14T19:09:00.001-07:00

A truly great man died today. My Father was the best man I have ever met. I don't say that because he was my Dad, but because it's true. In my lifetime if I become half the man he was, that's more than most men will ever become.

Bye Dad...

Boom Baby!

2011-03-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

Boomer came to visit the school today. The Pacers should play him!

2011-02-28T03:18:00.001-08:00

What the hell?? We're on a two-hour delay due to flooding??? I'm already showed and dressed!! I guess I should build an ark. How long is a cubit?

A good day for wrestling

2011-02-27T06:28:00.001-08:00

We had a snow day Friday so I was pleasantly surprised when all my wrestlers actually made weight for yesterday's New Castle dual meet tourney. We wrestled very well and the swept the other teams, walking away with first place for the third year in a row.

Go Huskies!

2010 remembered

2011-02-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

I'm a little slow getting to my annual "things to remember" post, but better late than never!

Top 10 things to remember about 2010 (in no particular order)

1. Christmas break in Cozumel

2. A big raise at work

3. My volunteer trip to Belize

4. Sitting on the start/finish line at the Indianapolis 500

5. Bowling with Anthony Gonzalas and Robert Mathes at The Peyback Bowl

6. Spring break in a penthouse in Daytona

7. My dog of 14 years, Barklie passing :-(

8. Concerts: Jimmy Buffett & Tom Petty

9. The 4th of July in St. Louis

10. Winning big in Vegas

There were other things, like a Notre Dame football game and great food at Ruth Chris, but all-in-all, one fantastic year!

Look out 2011...

A great break

2010-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a great place to vacation, I highly recommend the Cozumel Palace in (obviously) Cozumel, Mexico. A week in an all-inclusive resort does spoil one however! I woke up Christmas day reaching for the phone to call room service. Fortunately the girlfriend had coffee brewing already :-)

By the way: When you look the Palace up on line, the pictures look EXACTLY like the resort.

The warm weather was sweet!

2010-12-18T00:52:00.001-08:00

Today's the day. Viua la Mexico!

Christmas break

2010-12-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas break is coming and I'm heading to an all-inclusive resort in Cozumel. Good-bye snow and cold!!!

2010-12-14T03:55:00.001-08:00

I love the 2-hour delay!

Man's best friend

2010-09-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

I lost a loyal friend this week. I rescued Barklie 14 years ago from animal control in Indianapolis and she's been a constant companion since then. Nobody could ask for a better dog. Rest in peace.

PeyBack Bowl 2010

2010-09-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I had a fantastic time at the PeyBack Bowl last night. I bowled along side Anthony Gonzalaz and Robert Mathes, and had a nice conversation with my new best friend, Peyton Manning.

I also smoked the competition bowling a 163 and 169 and was the top bowler in my group. Life's a competition.... Some people just don't get that!

Loop For Life

2010-08-22T11:07:00.001-07:00

Rode in the Loop For Life yesterday and had a great time. Riding under an enormous American flag suspended between two fire trucks overlooking I465 with thousands of other bikes was an amazing experience!

A little remodeling

2010-08-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

My poker posts have taken a hiatus lately. School is starting next week and there are a couple of projects I'd like to get completed before it begins. Remodeling my home office is something I wanted to get done this summer and it's now a done deal. There was a big, open closet that took accordion doors that I really didn't like, so I enclosed the wall and put on a normal door.

I REALLY don't like painting, but I bought some really good paint and it covered so well that I have enough left to paint both of my bathrooms. The house looks great!

As far as poker goes, I have final-tabled three more RUSH tournaments lately.

Volunteer trip

2010-08-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just got home from a long trip to Belize, Central America where I again volunteered at the King's Children Home. I'll post some more pictures soon :-)

St. Louis

2010-07-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Fireworks under the arch. What a great place to celebrate our nation's independence! A huge thank you to those who serve our country and prayers to those who have lost loved ones to the ultimate act of patriotism.

2010-06-30T14:55:00.001-07:00

Beautiful weather. Good weight workout. Long bicycle ride. Cashed in first place in a l35 player poker tournament. Not a bad day so far!

Fleecing the drunks (trip report)

2010-06-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

I landed in Las Vegas on a Sunday afternoon with a game plan in mind: Stay on Indiana time.

I stuck with that game plan and woke up at my usual 7 a.m. get-my-butt-out-of-bed-so-I-don't-miss-anything time and walked across the street to the MGM and was sitting at a table, three days in a row, by 4 in the morning Las Vegas time.

*Side-bar: I was staying at the Hooters Casino because they had an $18 room rate! I won more in one pot than my room cost!

I usually sit down with $300 in my pocket and buy in to the $1/$2 NLHE table for $200, keeping a short buy-in in reserve in the event that I've somehow offended the poker gods.

The first day I was up and down and ended with a nice little profit. On Monday I won my buy-in to the 11 o'clock tournament literally the hand before the tournament started. I've been limping a lot with jacks lately and it paid off again. My tournament play has been fraught with the dark side of variance lately and this one was no exception when I flopped the nut straight and lost to runner-runner spades.

Day two I ended up a buy-in and then trotted over to Hooters very lovely pool area, all before 10 o'clock. Day three however was the score you patiently wait for.

At 4:20 in the morning I'd been playing for 20 minutes. I'm was sitting in the one seat in the small blind and I called a $5 raise, along with four others, with 22. The flop brought 9-10-2, with two diamonds. I checked my set and the original raiser bet $10 into a $25 pot. He had two callers before the action came to me and with a draw-heavy board I tried to take it down right there with a $31 raise (I like prime number bets).

The original raiser calls and everyone else folded.

The turn brought an off-suit four and the villain bet $25. I raise $100 on top and he went into the tank, talking about what I could have out loud. Nothing he mentioned was even close to my set of ducks. He announced, "I call," AND TURNS OVER HIS HAND to show A10 with no flush draw.

Let me do the math for you... He was drawing dead! There was not a card he could catch! The dealer informed him that I'm not all-in yet and he said, "I call anyway."

Yikes.

The river card landed and he said, "I'm all-in."

Thank you sir, may I have another?

I more than double up and it's not even 4:30 in then morning.

Bloody Mary anyone?

One for the good guys

2010-06-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

This is my fifth cash in a RUSH tournament, but so far third has been my best placing. Until today. Item of note: I entered the final table 8th in chips :-)

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Had a great time on my trip to Vegas.... I think my trip report will be called "Fleecing the Drunks!"

Report to follow...

Optimistic

2010-06-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

op·ti·mis·tic: ɒptəˈmɪstɪk –adjective

1. disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

2. reflecting optimism: an optimistic plan.

3. of or pertaining to optimism.

4. booking a Christmas trip to Cozumel on June 13th!!!

Jack of all trades

2010-06-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

I was the consummate renaissance man today. I cleaned all my ceiling fans, steamed my tile floors, vacuumed the entire house, picked up and delivered a new box spring, and finished third in a 135 player poker tournament. Tonight I travel to Zoo-bilation in downtown Indianapolis.

The first Friday of summer break has been a good one!

Summer in Belize

2010-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Being on the international advisory committee for the King's Home (www.kingschildrenshome.org) has been a fantastic experience and it is so wonderful to see the money raised being put into action. The new volunteer home is nearing completion and construction on the new children's home will begin soon. I can't wait to get back down to Belize and visit the children this summer!

A Day At The Races

2010-05-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day for a 500 mile race and having seats overlooking the first row of cars was simply amazing. For an Indy 500 virgin, having the chance to sit so close to the action and also spend a day schmoozing in Fuzzy Zoeller's suite made for an unforgetable experience!

T minus one month

2010-05-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just realized that the Vegas trip is only one month away! It's become a yearly ritual to tuck my poker bankroll into my undies and travel to Sin City during the World Series of Poker to observe the best of the best and to win a few dollars here and there.

Last year I was all-in on my first hand. I can do without a repeat, but since I won.... bring it on!

What's a blog without a good story. I hope to bring one back...

Big Ideas

2010-05-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm an idea man; I always have been. New story lines, inventions, and alterations of machines and procedures pop into my head all the time, but I don't have the time or financial resources to pursue them. Somebody may however and so I'm going to list new ideas when they pop up and if someone wants to make a gazillion dollars with one of them, they can feel free.

Karma is a wonderful thing. If someone profits from one of my ideas, I'm sure fate will smile on me as a result.

Here's the first that come to mind:

1. Vertical-axis wind mills attached to every telephone pole in the country: This is a simple solution to easily renewable energy resources. Efficient vertical-axis wind mills already exist. (Vertical-axis as apposed to the traditional horizontal-axis that we see used today and that Don Quixote slew mercilessly.) All you need is a pole to put them on and we have millions (I can't seem to find the exact number) of utility poles throughout the United States. A windmill on each, along with the appropriate capacitor to store and transfer the energy to the grid, would provide a huge boost to our energy supply.

2. Sound resonance to detect pre-natal heart conditions: This seems like a no-brainer. An infant's heart pumps blood. If there is a heart condition, such as a small hole in the heart, it HAS to be making an abnormal sound. With the sound technology that we now have, it should be possible to detect these unusual sound signatures.

Take the idea and run with it, if you're so inclined...

The beginning of summer

2010-05-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Buffett has never had a concert in Indianapolis before mid-July, so last night was a real treat. Summer came early this year and the crowd wasn't in the least bit bothered by the slightly cool temperature. A great time was had by all.... except for perhaps the driver of the SUV that the county police had pulled to the side of the road near home.

Note to self: It's hard to be buzzed and inconspicuous when you hav a huge inflatable shark on the roof of your vehicle...

A piece of the pie

2010-05-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've had some inquiries and so I've decided to try an experiment and offer a piece of myself at the upcoming World Series of Poker. You can purchase anywhere from five to ninety percent of me in any of the following games:

1. $1500 H.O.R.S.E.: June 16
2. $1500 pot-limit Omaha 8b: June 22
3. $1500 no limit Hold Em: June 19, 21, or 23

Naturally, I'll be keeping ten percent for myself. If you are interested, drop me an email at my super secret email address and we'll work out the details:

Mr. Reed @ carpejeep13@yahoo.com

The more the merrier!

Small pairs and the RUSH poker pounding

2010-05-12T05:45:00.001-07:00

Rush poker goes fast.

In thirty minutes last night I chewed through more than 300 hands playing two tables with two short-stack buy-ins. I’m still in the experimental stage with Rush poker so I tend to buy in shorter than usual to avoid huge swings in my on line bankroll.

I also set a timer to keep track of how long I’ve played. I know from experience that long sessions can lead to sloppy play and so I’ve taken steps to avoid that as well.

All the things that make no limit hold em exciting are amplified by Rush poker, in particular the chance you can double up or go broke on every single hand. All the things that make no limit hold em so scary are also amplified by Rush poker, in particular the chance you can double up or go broke on every single hand.

I had suited connectors and small pairs that paid off big last night, two to the detriment of one particular player.

After winning a hand I often go back and look to see why I got called down when I was holding a monster. Last night I caught my set on a paired board to table a full house, and win when the nut flush draw also hit.

Twice.

Against the same player.

Ouch.

This has to be one of the reasons players tout on line poker as being rigged. On a board of KQ66 with two hearts, there is only one single card in the deck that makes both the nut flush and a full house when I am holding 33. I hit the tree of hearts on the river.

This was a poor play for the flush draw though. He checked until he had the flush AND I had a full house. He bet, I raised, he called. I double up on that table. Had he bet at any time with his draw, I would have folded.

On my other table I hit a nine to make a set on the flop and I bet it. The same player now pushes all-in with his nut flush draw and hits while I improve to a full house again and double up on my other table.

Therefore in thirty minutes I doubled up on both tables I am playing through the same player out of 600+ Rush poker players.

Again…. Ouch.

Thanks for reading.

Feel the rush!

2010-05-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Full Tilt's "Rush Poker" is an interesting concept, but it's easy to get lost in the action and the pace of play... which is exactly what Full Tilt wants to happen, right?

In preparation for my usual summer playing time, I experimented with Rush during the last few days, and here are my observations as they apply to how I think I should play Rush:

1. Set a timer. Opening up two tables and rushing through a few hundred hands Sunday, I realized that an hour had passed in no time at all. If I don't set a timer I could play way longer than experience tells me I will play optimally.

2. Expect a low percentage of hands played. After an hour of play on two tables I was playing less than 17% of the hands. That's pretty low. Even playing fairly tight I usually play well over that.

3. Don't set the auto-rebuy function. It's really easy to lose a buy-in and then another and then another while the money magically appears in my chip stack. I prefer to be prompted to re-buy. That way I can keep track of exactly how much money I have on the table. Evaluating how many buy-ins I have on the table helps prevent tilt loss.

4. Play my game. I know I'm a winning player and I know how I like to play. Just keep playing that style.

5. Jack/Jack. Pot raise the hand and drop it when pushed, especially by two players. In the rock-fest game that Rush inspires, jack/jack is way behind the push!

6. Swim with the fishes. The fish are still out there. I hit a set of 3's on the flop, bet it, turned quads which also brought a flush board, checked, bet all-in on the river and was called by TWO PAIR. There was a possible flush on the board, a pair on the board, and the caller didn't even have a good kicker, and he called down quads. Yikes.

7. Keep evaluating...

It's that time again!

2010-05-04T04:59:00.000-07:00

My favorite day has arrived. Actually, I think it was a day earlier that it really occurred, but it was cloudy and I couldn't tell for sure. My favorite day of the year is when I'm driving to work and the sun is just peeking over the horizon. That means summer is almost here and for a school teacher, that spells 70+ days off in a row!

*Sidebar: I HATE daylight savings time! I could go through all the reasons why, but that would be a long post indeed. The only thing about daylight savings time I do like is the fact that they changed the date it goes into effect. When it first started in Indiana would have my favorite day of the year with the sun greeting me on my way to work bringing with it the promise of summer, and then the time would change and it would be dark again! A pox on daylight savings time!

Back to summer....

Plans have been made, purchases have been made, all that remains is for summer to arrive. Here's the line up so far:

1. Jimmy Buffett concert

2. Four days in Vegas

3. Tom Petty concert

4. Volunteer trip to Belize

Tentative plans are in the works for a possible rafting trip, and naturally a few hands of poker, but summer is definitely coming.

My favorite day says so!

Thanks for reading.

Call the floor...

2010-04-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

What do you do when a dealer makes a mistake?

Last Saturday evening I was sitting in the Lumier Casino poker room in St. Louis playing in a $1/$3 NLHE game while the Cardinals entered the 20th inning tied 1-1. I was playing well but had taken a $80 beat when top pair top kicker was beaten by donkey-calls-third-pair-bottom-kicker
-and-then-pairs-his-donkey-kicker guy.

I was one off the button when I was dealt two black kings. The action came around to me and I raised to four times the big blind, which had become the standard raise, and got two callers at the opposite end of the table. One caller had a big stack and had been catching good cards and the other was a solid player with a medium stack.

The flop was 10, 4, 2 rainbow and the action came around to me as both players checked. I picked up some chips, pointed at the pot as I counted how much was on the table, and the dealer said, "Check."

I said, "No. I'm going to bet. I was just counting the pot."

"Any hand movement means "check."

"I really don't think that's accurate."

"FLOOR!"

The floor came over immediately. The dealer accurately explained what happened, and he said, "The dealer said it's a check."

What do I do here? I can continue to argue, likely to no avail, or I can play the hand out. There's more than $50 on the table and no draws, but I have two opponents and don't want the hand to go too much farther.

I don't have much choice but to acquiesce.

At this point the situation becomes moot because she turns over a queen, it's checked to me, I bet, and everyone folds. If she had turned an ace I may have lost the pot due to a poor decision and I don't know that I could have been as cordial.

I raked in the pot, tipped the dealer, and said, "You're just doing your job."

I thought she had handled it very well. She did not argue with me but called the floor and explained what happened. She made a mistake, the floor made a mistake, but fortunately it didn't cost me anything.

I did discuss it with the poker room manager afterwards and he agreed with me that I should have been allowed to bet as there was no action behind me and the dealer's called "check" was easily correctable.

That, and the fact that there were some very poor players there that night, resulting in a little cash in my pocket, made me feel good about the evening.

On a side note, I saw a MASTERFUL play by a young loose player with a big stack as he played a huge pot against the other big stack at the table. He induced a call while he was holding quad nines when his set hit the case nine ON THE TURN. He drew the big stack into a $105 call on the turn and then another $330 on the river.

Watching world-class plays by no-name players is always fun.

Thanks for reading.

The Look

2010-04-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

There’s not much better in poker than the look on an opponents face when he turns his cards up proudly showing what he thinks is a winning hand, only to be shown the REAL winner. There is a nice example of it when Tom “Drrrrrr” Dwan was beat by trip deuces during high stakes poker last season.

I had that happen twice at the Daytona Dog Track and Poker Room during spring break, and both times was being bet into with an obvious winner. It was a nice exercise in emotion control as a second five came on the turn to a board of J45 while I was holding pocket jacks. Mr. Two Pair turned fives over fours while I improved to jacks over fives. He bet big, I raised all-in for the last of my stack, he called and smiled as he TOSSED his hand toward me.

He was apoplectic when I turned over my two jacks. It was hysterical.

The other hand I was drawn into a winner when trip threes checked the flop and I caught a third five to turn fives over threes to his threes over fives. Boat over boat is a huge money maker, and those two wins put me ahead more than two and one half buy-ins for my three sessions playing last week.

Can't wait to see "The Look" again!

Last day :-(

2010-04-09T08:11:00.001-07:00

It's the last day of vacation and it couldn't have been better. We had fantastic weather, saw the space shuttle launch, and I even played some poker.

The players at the Daytona dog track haven't improved and if I come back next year it looks like the state is going to raise the buy-in limits. Cha-ching!

The Launch

2010-04-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing experience today. I was able to witness, in person, one of the last remaining space shuttle launches. At 6:21 this morning, the orbiter Discovery rocketed skyward in an incredible display of light and sound!

Yes... we had to get up at 4 a.m. to make it to a suitable place to view the launch, but it was worth it!

Spring Break

2010-04-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

Who knew that a penthouse costs the same as most of the other rooms? What a great view!

Two shirts to the wind:

2010-03-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

It’s March Madness, or what I refer to as “that other sport that takes place during wrestling season,” and the season has ended for the last 15 years with other wrestling coaches and myself traveling to the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament. This year’s installment was held in Omaha, Nebraska and the wrestling as always was top notch. Iowa is back to its usual domination and all is well in the wrestling world.

So how does poker figure into the equation?

The tournament is held in a different place each year, but the consensus is that the NCAA should keep it in St. Louis. We like it there. It’s a short, five-hour drive, the venue is excellent, and the amenities fall well within the requirements of the wrestling community, which means burgers and beer are abundant.

There’s also a casino or two.

It should come as no surprise that wrestlers used to one-on-one action and a high level of testosterone are also the first in line to throw down their money on games of chance.

Guilty as charged your honor.

I did an internet search before the trip and no hits were returned for “Omaha casino,” so I was pleasantly surprised when we exited toward our hotel and three casinos came in quick succession. It turns out they are on the Iowa side of the river.

Someone should post a link!

I actually had no intention of going to the casino, but as I sat after the morning session on Friday, I pondered the shirts I saw on sale for the tournament. I was torn between buying a long sleeve shirt for myself and a flashy t-shirt for my son. On one hand, his birthday is this week, and on the other hand I really wanted a shirt for myself. Two shirts however would cost about $60 and that was is a little pricey for shirts.

My solution seemed obvious: I’d catch the shuttle and win enough money to buy the shirts. The shuttle came quickly and within minutes I was at the Harrah’s riverboat, only to be told they had closed their poker room when the Horseshoe opened. Fortunately there was a shuttle from one casino to another!

Within a few additional minutes I was in a very nice room at the Horseshoe. They had two $1/$3 no limit hold em games going and, to my surprise, two tables of Omaha hi/lo. Since I wasn’t really intending to play however, I didn’t have a large enough buy-in for the $10/$20 Omaha game, which is too bad because it looked rather juicy!

I bought into the hold em game with one mindset: to win $60. I kept that in mind with every hand dealt. It was a very nice exercise in discipline and focus and I folded all but premium hands.

King Queen suited in first position: fold. Two fives after a raise: fold. Limp with a pair of sixes and miss the flop: fold. I played so tight that when I raised four times the big blind in the small blind with Big Slick, all five callers insta-folded and when I bet my suited ace on a flop with two of my suit, I took down the pot with four callers ace high.

My table image worked out well when this hand came up: Early position opens for $15 and I look down at two black jacks. I double his bet to $30 and it’s heads-up. The flop comes out 4,6,Ace and I immediately fire a $25 bet after he checks. He folds and I take down the pot, show the jacks, and tell him I’m glad he missed.

From the look on his face I KNOW he folded a weak ace…probably soooooted.

The value of image!

I won five pots over the 90 minutes I played, not counting the all-fold with AKs, and as an added bonus, I ended up winning every hand that I took to the river.

The JJ win put me at $59 after I tipped the dealer and made the executive decision to count tips as part of my winnings and cashed out.

I’m now the proud owner of an NCAA wrestling championship shirt and have another gift for my son. I’ve also reinforced the value of discipline, focus, and my ability to play a good game live.

To quote the infamous Hannibal Smith, “I love it when a plan comes together!”

Thanks for reading.

A good dual meet season

2010-03-03T07:29:00.001-08:00

My wrestling team finished its dual meet season last night with a dramatic win over a tough team.

Our record for 2010 is 11-3.

That's down a little from last year's 16-1 run, but nevertheless a solid season!

Champions!

2010-03-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

My wrestling team returned to its winning ways last Saturday going undefeated during four dual meets to take home the New Castle dual meet invitational championship for the second consecutive year. It's good to be on top!

An Einstein?

2010-02-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Just found out that I'm in the finals to become a 2010 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. The top 40 out of hundreds of applicants... not bad.

Avatar - the movie

2009-12-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

Avatar was a fantastic movie, very visual and fast paced. I have to ask however if anyone else was distracted by the amount of alien flesh that kept flashing? It was like a National Geographic documentary....

Top 10 things to remember about 2009:

2009-12-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

My top ten things to remember about 2009, in no particular order.

1. a milestone birthday
2. a 16-1 wrestling team
3. Space Camp!
4. receiving the NASA/Honeywell "Right Stuff" Award
5. a fat raise at school
6. standing up to a friend's stalker
7. out with the old, in with the new
8. pub poker point leader
9. a great sumo table
10. all-in on my first hand at the Palms

A White Trash Christmas

2009-12-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been very fortunate in my life on a number of levels. I went from undergraduate work, to grad school, to full-time employment as Director of Membership Development for the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau without sending out a single resume.

When I decided to go into teaching I was hired by the first and only principal to interview me and have been in the same position for the past 19 years. I work in a great school system and thoroughly enjoy my job.

During my martial arts study, I’ve found some amazing teachers who were each unique in their own regard. They include a small Korean gentleman who could move mountains with his Judo, a bookish musician who would always defend three times before he retaliated with a flurry of Tang Soo Do kicks and punches, and a husband and wife team, each with more than 30 years experience, who in their modesty don’t even seem to realize the power that is always evident in their application of Aikido technique.

It’s safe to say I think that every martial artist who has ever darkened the door of a local dojo, whether he’s had a simple self-defense course or decades of intensive training and study, wonders how he will react to a real-life situation. Will the training kick in or will we revert to the flight or flight response that has worked so effectively throughout a hundred thousand years of evolution?

We wonder if our reaction to a given situation will be the culmination of our teaching and training that molds who we are as people and as martial artists, or if we will fall back on the fetal-position technique and simply duck and cover.

Few martial artists get to test their mettle.

I wasn’t that lucky…

It had been a wonderful dinner at one of my favorite places to eat in Indianapolis. Iaria’s has been in the Iaria family since the 1930’s and actually in the same location on South College since the 1940’s. The food is fantastic and as close to authentic Italian as I am likely to have any time soon.

It’s small, reasonably priced, and one of those word-of-mouth eateries that you don’t find very often. The last time I ate there I sat at the table next to Bill Polian, the President of the Indianapolis Colts.

I think he had the cheese tortellini.

The woman I was with and I had only been dating for a few days and I was aware of the way men looked at her wherever we went. She was very attractive, a petite brunette with lovely eyes and a great smile.

I was also aware of her stalker. An ex who she was trying to shake who would drive by her house constantly, phone her and leave messages until her mailbox was full, and text her more than 200 times a day.

Really?

Who has that kind of time?

I decided then and there I could never be a stalker. I can hardly keep track of my own schedule, much less keep track of someone else’s, and organize my time to show up where she’s supposed to be when she’s supposed to be there!

I also knew he drove a new Mustang, so when we pulled up into her driveway and a Mustang roared up and skidded to a stop behind my Jeep as I walked around to open her door, I knew exactly what was going on.

“Call the police right now,” I told her as she looked over her shoulder to see what was causing the commotion.

It’s nice to be able to rely on the “teacher voice” in situations where you need something done immediately. American students are trained from a very young age to respond to the voice of authority and I wasn’t surprised to see her flip her phone open and dial 911 without any comment at all.

Keep in mind that this man must have been sitting and watching her house for quite some time because it was about 10:30 in the evening. He was also apparently unafraid to confront whoever happened to be with her. I’d never seen this man before he stormed out of his car and had no idea about how big he was or what training he might have in his background.

All I really knew was that a middle-aged man with a fake tan and too much jewelry was coming towards me and had already started yelling at the small woman in the car.

Fake tan? Jewelry? Obvious mental instability? What kind of men did this chick date?

I stood between him and the car as he yelled for me to get out of his way and tried to move around be. He continued screaming at the woman about a myriad of topics ranging from her lying to the plans they had made together.

I stepped in front of him.

“Man, you need to go away.”

In Aikido we learn to redirect the attack and to not confront it head-on. The man was screaming and yelling and focused on the woman in the car. If I had begun shouting back, I’m confident we would have immediately become involved in a physical confrontation.

I stayed calm, simply stepped in front of him every time he tried to go around me to get to the woman, and repeated that the police had been called and that he needed to go away.

As I reflect on the situation now, I’m very pleased at my response. A quick assessment as he stormed towards me said I could take him down and choke him out if I wanted to. I’ve been a wrestler for 35 years and still coach and stay in shape.

He wasn’t a wrestler.

Additionally, 35 years of struggling with opponents on a very intimate level through wrestling, Judo, and Aikido gives me a sense of the type of athlete a person is just by the way he or she walks. I can tell you with a reasonable amount of accuracy who is going to win a wrestling match just by watching how the wrestlers warm up before the match and carry themselves to the mat.

He was taller than me and we probably weighed about the same, but my weight includes a modest amount of muscle mass and I was pretty sure his didn’t. I also knew that anger hampers our movements and affects our response time.

Damn, he was angry!

I don’t know how much projecting ki really works, but I do know that I was projecting confidence and made it clear that around me wasn’t an option. If he wanted in the car, the only way to go was through me.

The one thing that wasn’t clear at this point was whether or not he had a weapon. I knew that he owned several hand guns, but as he came toward the car, his hands were empty. As long as they stayed that way and he didn’t touch me, we could avoid a real conflict.

Lucky for him, he didn’t grab me. Aikidoka dream about being grabbed by the wrist!

Time slowed as he yelled and tried to go around me however just as it does during an accident and I was remember being acutely aware of three things: his empty hands, the fact that I was holding my ignition key firmly between my thumb and forefinger without knowing how it positioned itself there, and the fast, firm throbbing of the jugular vein along the left side of his neck.

The situation at that point resolved itself in an anticlimactic fashion. He finally looked at me, I burned a hole in his head with my eyes, and he left, still screaming and yelling about lies and lawsuits.

He was picked up an hour later and arrested on two counts of criminal intimidation and one count of carrying an unlicensed hand gun.

He awaits trial.

There are a lot of stories of masters facing one another that end without a confrontation because one or both decide in advance that there’s no way to win. I’m not a master and never will be, but the technique of no technique is apparently something I’ve learned along my journey.

Maybe Daniel-san was right…. I study so I don’t have to fight. Also, no matter how intimidating the situation, doing what is right is always the best option.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Reed Has Right Stuff

2009-11-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

Nice article in the paper today:

By peggy georgi
Posted: November 09, 2009

Terry Reed, Hamilton Heights Middle School 8th grade Science teacher, has been selected by Honeywell as a Right Stuff winner for 2009. Reed, along with more than 300 educators from around the world, participated in one of three classes of the 2009 Honeywell Space Academy for Educators Program last summer.

Not only was Reed selected from thousands of applicants, he was also one of six to be chosen as a Right Stuff winner. Little did Reed know that his participation at the 2009 U.S Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, would bring about an opportunity for one Heights Middle School student to receive an all-expense paid trip to Honeywell’s space camp in June 2010.

During the five-day, 45-hour plus program, Reed investigated space science and exploration at the NASA training facilities. He also participated in astronaut-style training and simulation. He attended presentations by a number of individuals who have been associated with the space program during his adventure in Alabama. He also earned college credits along with intensive classroom, laboratory and training time. All lessons and activities at the camp link to National Science and Math Standards for use in the classroom

On the last day of camp, Reed was recognized during a graduation ceremony and given the Right Stuff Award, which is presented to six of the 100 teachers attending per session who demonstrated outstanding leadership, integrity, courage and teamwork among their colleagues. He also received a medal in recognition of his prestigious honor.

The “Right Stuff” refers to the unspoken code of bravery and determination of the earliest test pilots and NASA astronauts. Reed, who believes in the value of innovation and creativity in the classroom, said it’s important for students to ‘think outside’ the box and use their imagination to reach the goals.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a historic venture that enabled me to network with other educators and bring back valuable ideas and information to the classroom,” noted Reed, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

All Hamilton Heights Middle School students interested in Space Camp are encouraged to complete an application to be considered for selection. The application consists of an application page, a letter of reference and two essay questions. The application deadline is Tuesday, November 24, 2009. Applications are available at the office.

2009-10-29T07:43:00.001-07:00

Hey! I can blog from my phone!

When Good Things Happen To Good People

2009-10-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you find something that really speaks to you. I'd love to have this table!

I've had some good things happinging in my life lately and it may soon be time to reward myself... Either this table or maybe a cruise to an exotic location...

A Day On The Lake

2009-09-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

Just when you think summer is winding down, someone invites you out on a boat :-)

A Home Run

2009-09-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

There are some real thinkers out there and sometimes the thinking pays off. Whoever thought to put Taj Mahal on the same card as Bonnie Raitt for an outdoor concert on a beautiful late-summer evening at the White River Park in downtown Indianapolis hit a home run. It couldn't have been better!

Irony...

2009-08-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

So how's this for a bit of irony: Mac McAnaly, singer and songwriter for such notable greats as Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney performed his song "A Simple Life" while an Amish man sat in his buggy nearby listening...

I'd say it was a great concert to end the summer with, but Bonny Raitt is coming up soon :-)

Experience Sugar Creek!

2009-08-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

How does this happen?? Mac McAnally, singer and song writer for Jimmy Buffett, is the headliner for the Sugar Valley Canoe Company's outdoor concert????

ROAD TRIP!!!

Come paddle through Turkey Run and Shades State Parks and under 4 historic covered bridges. Stop along the many sandbars and hunt for rocks, fossils, crinoids and Indian Beads.

Paddle down the stream the Piankeshaw Indians called "Pun-go-se-co-ne" or "Water of Many Sugar Trees".

Our trips range from one-hour floats to overnight adventures. So, pack your picnic lunch and come float down beautiful Sugar Creek!

The beauty and history of Sugar Creek can best be experienced by drifting through its valleys in one of our quality canoes or kayaks. We hope to bring this unique experience to you by providing you with quality equipment, convenient transportation to and from the stream and the best variety of trips.

Don't miss this year's concert Friday, August 14! Mac McAnally with special guest.. Show starts at 7:00 pm. $5.00 per person. Lawn seating only so bring a chair, blanket and a good time!

Back in the pub cash

2009-08-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy summer with Space Camp, motorcycle jaunts, travel, and putzing around the house getting the yard in shape, cleaning gutters, and minor plumbing repairs. It’s quickly drawing to a close as the "back to school" signs remind me everywhere I look, but with the Jimmy Buffett concert tomorrow night, Rib Fest approaching, and Bonny Raitt coming to town, the twinge of summer’s end is deadened ever so slightly.

I've also found a new church home and that is a pleasing feeling indeed :-)

Poker has taken a back seat lately. I have however still found time to improve my token cache on Full Tilt, and I returned to the local pub for the weekly freeroll tournament last night and chopped the prize pool after reaching the top three with a firm grasp on the second largest chip stack.

I will without hesitation admit to a large suckout when my nut flush draw beat out trip queens. Okay... I was drawing to runner, runner for my flush and pushed to an unconnected board that had one diamond and a queen and thought Mr. Pocket Queens was making a move, but the freeroll mindset is such that you have to get lucky from time to time.

Mr. Pocket queens was VERY unset. You know the guy.... he was talking about how much he played live cash games and how good he was and how you had to play strong against the big chip stack. He ranted for a while about the hand to which I replied "Thank you for the input," before he stormed out.

Suck outs are part of the game. I've had quads beaten by and inside straight flush draw. Life goes on buddy!

Meanwhile.... cha ching! $50 for moi!

Where did I put those lesson plans last May???

The Right Stuff

2009-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Elbert Hubbard said, "There is something far rarer, something more precious, something finer far than ability; It is the ability to recognize ability."

I would add to that sentiment that there is something finer far than accomplishment, and that is being recognized by your peers for those accomplishments.

I sat at the graduation ceremony for Honeywell's space camp for educators last Friday and they announced that it was tradition to recognize the individual that encompassed by words and actions throughout the week the embodiment of "The Right Stuff."

As my team leader read through the accolades of the individual selected, I remember thinking, "Damn....that would have be cool to receive," and being a little disappointed that I wasn't given the nod.

Then he read my name.

I received a very cool medal, but more importantly I received a scholarship for one of my students to attend space camp next summer, compliments of Honeywell.

I am so proud to have been selected for this honor, and so very excited for what lies ahead for one of my students.

BOOM! All In

2009-06-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

It was one of those situations where you just ask yourself, “Cold deck?”

I walked out of the Rio and looked across the street to see the Palms Casino. Having never played at The Palms I ventured across and after a short wait, bought for $200 into the $1/$3 NLHE game. I sat down in the five seat and waited one hand to come in on the button. I look down at MY VERY FIRST HAND and saw two red queens.

Cage fighter Wanna-be in the nine seat raised to $7 as first to act. It folds to the three seat who raised to $15. I got the feeling that a $15 raise was a huge amount in this game and re-re-raised to $37 to take it down right then. The nine seat isn’t going to call another $20 right?

Who are we kidding?

The nine seat called and that gave pot odds to the three seat who also called.

At least I have position.

The flop came J74 with no suits. Check to me. I STARTED to put out a $100 stack and one chip dropped off. I began to reach back for it, but knew I was about to string bet. “$95,” I said. The nine folded and the three pushed all in.

No re-re-re-raise back to me pre-flop to isolate. Check on the flop. He either has JJ or AJ, right? I’m going with the math at this point because if you st down and get QQ against JJ and he flops a set there’s no way out anyway, right?

Call.

AJ…. Blank blank and I double up on my first hand.

I’m on a nice run.

T minus three days...

2009-05-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

There are precious few days left until the summer "officially" begins. Yes, I'm fully aware of the onset of summer being defined by the summer solstice, but teachers everywhere define the beginning of summer as the day the wee ones scurry out of the building for the last time.

Therefore, Tuesday begins the summer of The Bonus Days.

My school system has elected to change the school calendar so that there are a few more days after Christmas break than we have had in the past. We have typically been one of the earliest schools to start in the fall. Now, we will be one of the latest.

Thus the one-summer bonus: Out on May 26th and not back in until August 24th. That's 89... count 'em... 89 days off.

But who's counting?

The adventure begins next Friday when I hop a plane and fly to Sin City to try to my hand at the World Series of Poker. The goal is to secure a spot in the $1500 Omaha 8b tournament via satellite. If that doesn't happen, I'll play the side games, the Monday O8b tourney at The Orleans, and generally enjoy the experience that is Las Vegas.

What's the worse that can happen?

The balance of the summer will involve a week at Space Camp, a couple weeks volunteering in Belize, the e-tables at Hoosier Park, and who knows after that.

Stay tuned...

Mr. Reed and the E-Table

2009-04-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Much like almost every other state in the Union, Indiana is mired in hypocrisy. Originally, a casino was allowed, as long as it was floating on water. If you add a retention pond in a land-locked county, hire a full-time captain, and splash a casino into it, that’s cool because it's floating and Satan apparently cannot swim.

We have two race tracks for horses, which became a perfect place for land based casinos, but let’s make it illegal to have CARDS there. Therefore, when Satan wanders in, he will not be convinced there is sinning taking place because cards aren’t in the air.

Hoosiers are saved the evils of gambling because there are no cards present???

Oy vey.

Both Hoosier Park and Indiana Live! (yes, you have to include the exclamation point) have featured black jack and three-card poker, and now they also have multiple electronic poker games.

They have card games, but no real cards, and no real dealers.

Last night I thought I’d give them a try. I VERY MUCH prefer having some actual cards in front of me, but as a enjoyable pastime, and as a money-making venture, it seems like the e-table is in fact very similar to my live poker playing experiences. I am withholding final judgment until I try it a few more times, however I will post things I notice.

My first observation: It seems as though it’s very easy for the average casino visitor who is accustom to betting machines to jump into a game after securing a “Pro Poker” card, and that fact may be less threatening than walking into a brick and mortar poker room with chips, and dealers, and players sporting mullets and sunglasses. These “I’ll give it a try” players put $100 on a card and jump in a game, catch a beat of the garden or bad variety, and then drop out for the night.

I saw the afore mentioned happen several times. A young Negraneau wannabe jumps in a game, bluffs off his entire buy-in to a solid player, and then takes the walk of shame complaining that some donkey called down his great bluff with top pair top kicker.

My play of the night: Taking advantage of a solid image I spent three hours building, I called a pre-flop raise with a suited 8 10 from the small blind, pushed hard on a flop of Q-10-4 rainbow, and watched four players fold as I raked in a nice pot with second pair, weak kicker.

Half the Damn Chips

2009-04-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get tired of learning?

As a professional educator dedicated to molding young minds, I know the value of a good education. Scientific, peer-reviewed studies demonstrate a direct correlation between the grades a student achieves in school and the students' future happiness.

Higher grades translate into the opportunity for a happier life. Statistics prove this unequivocally.

I relate this fact to my students with my “D” speech. I give it every year. Here’s the abbreviated version: If you are SATISFIED with receiving D’s then you are satisfied with below average. If you are satisfied with below average then that’s the kind of life you can expect to have. You’ll have a below average job with below average income, a below average house, a below average car, a below average spouse, and a couple of below average kids.

*note: I do try to make it clear that I am talking about being satisfied with below average and that there are students who work very hard and may still receive a D. Students who work hard can still achieve a happy life.

The founder of Faber College said it quite eloquently, “Knowledge is good.”

I learned yet another lesson at the poker table yesterday. In a one table Omaha 8/b sit-and-go, I was in the final five with an above average stack when I three-quartered the chip leader, and then put out the fifth place finisher.

I was sitting on a stack that represented HALF of the chips in play with the remaining HALF spread out among the other three players.

I had half the chips.

Half.

Half the damn chips.

I even said to myself, “Self. You have half the chips. You can coast into the money.”

Poker is about making money. Right??

I forgot that fact and made it about competing and winning. I got a couple good starting hands and went past the flop with them and invested too much money and then tried to push the short stack off a hand, and then, and then, and then…

Bubble Boy.

Note to self: don't be a donkey!

So today I'm at at NLHE sit-and-go and make it to the top four, again with half the chips. Half the damn chips. I told myself, "Self, you have half the damn chips. You can coast into the money."

What did I do you ask?

I had half the damn chips..... I coasted into the money, put out the third place finisher, and put another $75 into my account.

Knowledge is good.

Take a licking and keep on ticking…

2009-04-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I’d been beaten like the proverbial red-headed stepchild at the poker tables during my annual spring break trip to South Daytona last week, but in retrospect I actually fared fairly well.

With one notable exception…

Omaha 8/b is a favorite game of mine, but I had a horrible run of cards and lost to two and three outers hand after hand. Then, trying to recoup my losses, played too many hands. I was running bad and adopted a guaranteed losing strategy. Smart move. I did learn from my mistake….. I hope...

At the hold em table I played well. I lost my entire stack when I flopped set over set and then lost to the case (gulp) deuce. Top full house 88822 and lost to quad deuces with all the money in on the flop.

What are you going to do?

I kept playing and was back to scratch two hours later with absolutely NO notable hands. Just solid, tight-aggressive play.

Two less cards

2009-03-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

The hotel I stayed in for the NCAA DI wrestling nationals last weekend in St. Louis was only a few blocks from the Lumiere Casino so, being an early riser, I was at the table at eight in the morning two days in a row.

The table was made up of the same six locals both days, none were stellar poker players, and the first day I made $50 in 90 minutes without showing down a single hand. I played 67s for a small raise, got three callers, bet the flop of A74 (with two spades), and everyone folded. That was the story. When I bet or raised, everyone got out. I SO wanted to stay and play, but I was there to watch wrestling and that's what I did.

The next day I won exactly $100 in the same 90 minutes, but caught the nuts in two hands and showed them both down. The locals were pleasant and seemed to have some respect for someone playing solid poker. It may have helped that my nut flush hand stung another early morning tourist more than a local player.

After Friday night’s wrestling session we all had a few beers at Hooters (kudos to a lovely wait staff!) and then trekked to the casino, witnessing a four-car pileup on the way. There I was introduced to three-card poker.

Yikes.

A coaching buddy loves the game and I watched him play for a while before a seat opened up. What the hell, right? Gambling with my $150 poker winnings seemed like a good idea so I bought in for $50.

Four hands later it was gone.

Re-buy!

Then I hit my rush: pair, pair, straight, and then three lovely queens that paid out 30 to one. Suddenly I’m up $175 and out of the game before you could say, “Know when to hold em.”

Researching the game later I found that if you play premium hands, queen seven or better, The House only enjoys a 3% edge.

Maybe I’ve been playing with too many cards!!!

Congratulations!

2009-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

During my 18 years as a professional educator, I’ve been the fortunate recipient of several letters that begin with the single word phrase “Congratulations!” As one of the few journalism/geology gentlemen on the planet, I read voraciously and as such, often stumble across opportunities in the sciences. All that is required at that point is writing to apply.

Writing: One of my fortes!

I again found on the receiving end of a congratulatory letter yesterday, this time from Honeywell. I have received a grant to attend the 2009 Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy located in Huntsville, Alabama this summer.

I’m going to space camp!

For a week this summer I will be participating in some of the same training as our astronauts with other teachers from across the United States. There will apparently also be 19 other countries represented in my training class.

I wonder if I get my own jumpsuit…

Season Wrap Up

2009-03-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

The wrestling season has come to a close and the team finished strong in the county tournament:

5 champions
3 second place
4 third
3 fifth
3 sixth

18 out of 20 wrestlers placing in the top 6 in a strong 10-team tourney where there is only one school smaller than ours.

It was a nice way to end the season.

Wrestling Success

2009-03-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

My team was quite productive yesterday at the Western Boone 8-team tournament:

Seven Champions
Eight second place
One wrestler taking home the "outstanding wrestler" trophey

A total of 34 wrestlers placing in the top 6.

There's only one week left in the season.

Go Huskies!

On Line Strategy

2009-03-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Chapter One: German Dial-Up Guy

As an avid reader and poker player interested in NOT donking off all his on line bank roll, if I come across an article about strategy, I read it, digest it, and experiment to see how it melds with the poker knowledge I’ve acquired to date.

One area I have seen go uncovered is the best strategy against players in underdeveloped parts of the world playing on line with questionable internet connections.

The United States is a wonderful place: a fact, which is woefully under appreciated by the masses who have never ventured beyond its borders. I can accurately state that the kids I have in class have NO IDEA what it’s like to be somewhere that has, no electricity, no air conditioning, a questionable water supply, and (gasp!) no television.

Having volunteered for several years each summer in Belize and ventured off the beaten path throughout Central America, Mexico, China, and Japan, I feel like I have a pretty good idea on how people live throughout the world. Life in the countries I’ve visited, with the exception of Japan, is so far below the standards we have set for ourselves in the United States that it’s beyond the grasp of the average American to conceptualize.

If an American citizen had to walk to the corner of his neighborhood to pump the water he needed for the day, there would be outrage. Yet, there are still many parts of the world where that is a part of daily life.

As civilization encroaches on parts of the third world, the popularity of poker in those countries will likely follow. Let’s face it; it’s a fun game! Even if you only get four channels on your television, there will eventually be a poker tournament televised and the winner will rake in a large multiple of the average person’s yearly income.

Hell, I’ve won more in one pot than a great deal of people in the world make in a year.

The poker boom will continue to ripple across the globe like the waves from an overweight America kid cannon-balling into a neighborhood pool. As that happens, you’ll find the situation I was in today: Playing against the guy with a dubious internet connection.

I’ve been building my bankroll by gathering $26 tokens and turning them into $75 tokens, which in turn can be played for cash, and lately I’ve been sitting in the Full Tilt, 4-player, heads up, No Limit Hold Em games.

I buy in for $6, and play two heads-up games. The winner takes all, which in this case is a $26 token. With a 60+% success rate this month, my stack of tokens has shown a pleasing increase.

Twice lately I’ve found myself in a situation where my opponent, one from Hungary and the latest from Germany, has had a severe problem staying connected. In both cases, I never had the feeling that I was playing against a nit, donkey, or fish. Both players played a solid game and made impressive moves, only to get disconnected for the next five or six hands.

I’ve adopted a very conservative approach in these games that has worked to my advantage. Playing tight, solid, ABC poker while waiting for Bad Connection Guy to get low stacked and panicky and push his stack all-in with less than optimal holdings takes advantage of his situation. This fact is even more evident as the blinds increase. When he disconnects and is forced to fold a few blinds in a row without playing, his stack shrinks very quickly.

It’s a strategy that I’m still working to develop well and that still needs some refinement, but it’s a wonderful exercise in patience. Waiting for my opponent to make a mistake while optimizing the “raise and rake” opportunities when he disconnects has so far been quite profitable.

It's good to be the king

2009-03-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of months. Wrestling season is in full swing and my team is enjoying a huge amount of success with a 16-1 dual meet record. The hard work continued to pay results Saturday as the team wrestled it's way to a New Castle Duals Championship.

GO HUSKIES!

Defining Moments

2009-02-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

The goal in my pub poker race was to qualify for the point-leader tournament. Along the way to achieving said goal I notched up a couple of wins, a few seconds, chopped up the bounty a time or two, and pocketed more than enough to pay for any beverages consumed. I also landed in the money during the tournament.

I consider those pretty good results in any game, excellent results in a free game.

It’s become a fun Tuesday night endeavor and I was happy to play along, not expecting such pleasing results. Lo and behold, I won again last Tuesday.

Which brings me to the topic of today’s entry: During the game I had a single defining moment. I was one of three of three players looking at an eight high flop. When it checked around to me, I peeked down at my J10 and my short stack of chips, and pushed all-in.

In all reality I was hoping to win right there, but BOTH players called. I stood up and put my jacket on as they checked it down. Ten on the turn. Queen on the river.

I flipped over my cards, picked up my card cover, and watched them both muck their cards. A pair of 10’s was the winner and I tripled up, won the next two pots, and went on to win the tournament, pocketing a cool $100.

My defining moment for the tournament was winning that pot. It was a seemingly insignificant incident that lasted mere seconds, but the entire chain of events following were predicated on that single occurrence, without which the timeline of events following would be drastically altered.

I’m sure theoretical physicists would argue that EVERY hand, indeed every single event no matter how insignificant that occurred during a poker tournament could be classified this way because their influence on the space-time continuum are ever present and undeniable. Pushing one’s chair out and altering a waitress’s course may cause her to spill a drink which results in a misdeal that would have doubled up the eventual winner, who busted out on the re-dealt hand….. But let’s not get carried away, shall we?

A truly defining moment in my life was in high school: I was a chubby freshman who had just finished turning in his football gear. When I walked into the cafeteria, I stopped for a group of runners wearing sweats and stocking caps. A senior named John Price stopped, punched me playfully in my not unsubstantial stomach, and said, “Reed. You’re pretty tough. Why don’t you wrestle?”

To this day I have no idea why John Price stopped to talk to a lowly freshman or how he even knew my name.

The results however are undeniable: Throughout high school I grew taller while I lost 20 pounds and became captain of the wrestling team. Wrestling changed my level of self-esteem and made me a more confident boy and that confidence allows me to pursue some of the unorthodox things that I do to this day (such as volunteering in Central America every summer) to give back a little to this planet. I eventually decided to pursue a teaching career largely due to a desire to become involved once more in wrestling. I still coach today and have yet to return to the rotund body I sported as a youth. My son wrestled because I did and it’s shaped who he is as a person, and as a young man.

It was a defining moment that lasted MAYBE thirty seconds, but completely altered the path of my life.

Maybe you have a moment like that. If so, I’d live to hear about it…

Snowy week

2009-02-01T15:13:00.000-08:00

Snow week! Two days canceled, two two-hour delays, and 11 inches of snow!

Oh yea.... I built a snow cave :-)

Life Outside The Pub

2009-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

Some things I’m really happy about: First, after participating in a conference call with the advisory board on which I am honored to serve, I found the children’s home I volunteer at in Belize has raised enough money to purchase the land for a new home and they have already contracted three men to clear the land…. With machetes, naturally… clearing five acres by hand.

Yikes.

They expect to have volunteer quarters for workers finished by this summer. That sounds a tad optimistic, but I hope it works out. One way or another, when I head down this summer I’ll be able to visit to new spread!

Second, I’ve make reservations at the Stratosphere for the first week of the World Series of Poker. Where I stay isn’t a huge deal to me as long as I’m near the strip and I figure the more I save on a room I only use for sleep, the more I’ll have to play with, so that $33 promotional rate sounded too good to pass up.

So, some plans for the summer are starting to take shape, but there are a couple grant applications I have pending so that’s as far ahead as I’m planning right now.
All that and spring break in South Daytona. That’s a given.

My pub poker run qualified me for the invitation only tournament for the point leaders. I easily make the cut and sat down with 65 other qualifiers last Sunday to take my shoot at pub poker immortality.

I built a nice stack, but with accelerating blinds and two big hits to my stack by inferior starting hands, I was beginning to think that it just wasn’t my day. I had exactly 1600 when blinds hit 400/800. I was sitting on two times the big blind, and I was in the big blind. Not a good spot. Suddenly play stopped. I had made the final table.

That felt good about that accomplishment at least.

We drew for deal and I was about have way across the final nine so I had a few hands to look at before I had to shove. Three hands later I was first to act, hoping for any ace when I looked down at just that, with an ace kicker.

I limped.

Everyone folded to the small blind who pushed for his last few chips. The big blind called, bet when a king hit the flop, and I tripled up.

To make a long story that is only interesting to me short, I made the money, placing fourth to a three-outer.

To wrap up the all-free pub poker season where my goal was to simply qualify for the ending tournament, I accomplished my goal, made the money during the tournament, AND pocketed a few hundred dollars along the way.

Life is good.

Pub Poker update

2008-12-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Another final table and another second place cash Sunday evening. I added it up yesterday and determined that I have made almost $500 in this free game in the last six months. If you subtract the money I spend on beer while playing, I'm ahead approximately...

Let's forget about the beer.

I'm up almost $500!

Yoda at the Horseshoe

2008-12-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Long ago in a casino far, far away...

Actually it was yesterday, about two hours away.

I was sitting in a newly opened $1/$2 No Limit Hold Em game at Indiana's version of the Horseshoe casino. We had not made two complete circuits when the player to my right (chubby, taking up a lot of room guy) raised to $12 as the first to act.

I looked down at two red 9's and called, and as most $1/$2 NLHE games go, two other callers came along for the flop, which brought a lovely Kh, 9h, 4d.

I always make a habit of checking out the chip stacks of the two or three players for my right whenever I sit down in a game. Those stacks are sometimes hard to see and I want to know if I might be playing for all my chips when I enter a pot. I had bought in for $250 and had only played one hand. Chubby Guy had about the same amount.

C.G. bets out $15 into the $51 pot and I immediately raise to $30 to push out the draws and to see where I was.

At this point I could possibly be behind to KK, but C.G. says, "It looks like it's going to be one of those days," under his breath as he raises another $30. It was one of those times where you know beyond a doubt that he was being serious. I'm not really sure if he knew he said it out loud.

He absolutely has Big Slick and he might have the ace of hearts.... I am WAY ahead.

This is one of those times where a little finesse is called for. How do I impose my will on this man? He has $87 in the pot, but he has more than half his stack left behind and, more importantly, he's only been sitting at the table for about 20 minutes. He might not want to bust out early. There is a chance he could lay down AK.

I only win a really nice pot here if I can get him to call my next bet.

It's like that early spring morning when you're in the boat and you've hook a monster. You play him until he's NEAR the boat, but you want him IN the boat. When you see he's really hooked however, it's okay to yank him in.

That's when decided to employ the Jedi mind control technique.

"If you're going to re-raise me, there's no chance you'll lay this hand down. I'm going to put you all-in."

He didn't even think about it.

As I mentally urged his hands forward he pushed his stack in and proudly flipped over AK..... no hearts.

Blank.

Blank.

Raise me now, I think you will...

What a card

2008-11-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in The Argosy Casino poker room last Friday afternoon, enjoying a little R&R during my five-day break from teaching before wrestling season and the holidays hit full force. Argosy spreads a nice little $5/$10 Omaha 8 or better (with a half kill) a few times each week and it's always nice to play something other than Hold Em.

It took a while for the game to get started and I was up in the $1/$3 no-limit game, much to the chagrin of the man who double me up when I pushed all-in on a board of Qc-10h-6c with my Ac-10c. I felt good with top pair, top kicker and nine cards that gave me the nutty-nut flush, two tens for trips, and four jacks for a straight. I felt even better after another club fell on the turn.

The victim never showed his cards, but from later discussion I think he had JJ. If so I had 16 outs twice so it wasn't even a suck out.

In the last half-hour of the O8b game, I had been a little up and a little down when I was dealt Ah-4h-3c-x in the big blind and got in for free. The flop brought 2h-5h-x and I called a bet, which was raised behind me, then re-raised, and eventually capped with four players involved.

Yikes. That's a lot of money invested, but I liked where I was with a draw to both the nut low and the nut high.

The money card hit on the river. I was looking for any low card other and any one of nine hearts, but the three gave me the nut low and an ace to five straight flush for the high.

The best part was that I was able to bet out and STILL got three callers.

What a card!

Pub Poker Update

2008-11-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

Another dead president in my pocket and I'm officially the new point leader in the local pub poker race.

Where's ESPN when you need it???

Damn Good Jeep

2008-11-21T16:31:00.001-08:00

Attention Deficit Disorder Poker

2008-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Finally! Poker for those of us with ADD! Full Tilt Poker has added a new twist: enter The Matrix.

In Matrix games you play the same opponents in four sit-and-go games, ALL AT ONE TIME and you earn cash for where you place in each of the games and then also cash for where you place in The Matrix.

If that doesn't stress the senses to the breaking point, I've been playing exclusively 6-handed, turbo sit-and-go games.

Waaaaaa Hooooooo!

Here's my strategy: A-B-C poker for the most part, but also utilizing the fact that my opponents may be playing in much the same manner and slipping in a winning hand now and then by betting out when an ace hits.

Aces scare people.

My strategy seems to be working and I'm having fun., which is always goal numero uno. In the last four games I've placed second in The Matrix three times and first once by winning five games and finishing second in five games.

I'll be right back....... I think I hear a duck.......

Shuffle up and deal

2008-10-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

How does one characterize one's self when one is one of the top poker players in a free bar game? One might compare one's self to the best ballerina in Trafalgar or the top ice salesman in Juneau...

Yes, the game is free. Yes, the players for the most part are so-so. Yes, the structure is way too fast. Five final tables in the last three months however is solid play no matter how you slice it.

Top two pay cash: $100 to the winner and $50 to second.

Characterize it however you want, but I have another Ben Franklin in my pocket.

Back On Stage

2008-10-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve never been famous.

I guess I’m pretty well known locally and there are a lot of people that know me that I don’t know or remember. Most of the people I don’t know or don’t remember are parents of students past, present, and future. They stop me in the store or at a concert and start talking to me like we’re best buds. I smile and chat about whatever they bring up.

“Who was that?” my wife asks.

“I don’t know,” I answer.

She’s used to by now.

I rarely forget a face. Names however stay in my mind about as long as a Twinkie on my heavyweight’s lunch tray.

I remember Henry Lee Summer as a high-energy rocker. He had a few hits in the late 1980’s, including three in the top ten and the number one single, “I Wish I had A Girl” in 1988. Henry Lee toured with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie Money, Chicago, and Richard Marx when things were going well.

Things stopped going well for a while. Finally, in 2006 Henry Lee was arrested after the car he was driving crashed into several other vehicles and a mobile home. He was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting arrest, and failing to stop after an accident.

In his defense, he said he was taking Ambien. It’s the old “I’m not stoned I’m sleepy” defense.

Webster’s New College Dictionary defines “things aren’t going well for you” as any time you crash your car into a mobile home…

Henry Lee is trying to make a come back after a crashing into mobile homes and an alleged substance abuse problem. As he took the stage last night, you could see that time has taken its toll. He has the sunken cheeks and ashen skin that are associated with age well beyond his chronological years and he has a natural stoop as if as if he’s carrying an unseen burden.

The first cords were a little rough and his voice cracked as he began to sing. You could see the members of the sparse, Thursday night crowd look at each other apprehensively. It didn’t look like the come back would happen.

You can’t go home again.

You can try though.

Henry Lee Summer can still play a guitar. As he loosened up quickly, hit his musical stride, and began to lay down some incredible riffs. He’s never had a great voice, but he did start to sound like the Henry Lee of old, playful and full of energy.

After two hours he completed the second set, obviously tired but there was a gleam in his eye as he talked about his wife, who was in the audience celebrating a birthday.

“All she wants for her birthday is a hamburger and a milk shake from Steak and Shake. That’s love ‘cause she knows I got no money. I ain’t had a hit record since electricity came in!”

I don’t know what it’s like to have so much and to lose most of it. There’s a school of thought that we make our own luck, good AND bad.

Welcome back Henry Lee. There’s a lot of us pulling for you.

A Horse Is A Horse

2008-09-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a beautiful day. The kind of day when you want to jump on that iron horse and ride.

Ride with no destination or purpose.

Ride with no timetable.

Ride with no place to go and no moment to be back.

Ride with the wind and see where it blows you.

“I don’t know where I’m going or when I’ll be back, baby!” doesn’t fly vary far with The Wife however and any loving husband with two brain cells to rub together and the desire to NOT wake from a peaceful night’s slumber to find one appendage superglued to another will have an answer when asked where he’s going and when he’ll be back.

Where to go?

I had received in the mail a $5 coupon, so with my $5 of free slot play coupon in hand I rode to Hoosier Park to take a few free slot pulls, drink any icy cold Bud Light, my beer of choice, and enjoy the day. The day was still about The Ride, but now I had a true destination. I had designed a win-win situation that was good for everyone because if I’ve learned only one thing from the women I’ve known in my life it’s this: Women understand coupons…

The back roads of Central Indiana are a great place to ride as autumn moves in. The leaves have only the tiniest hint of color, but the soybeans are harvested giving broad expanses of open space, and the corn has that faint aroma that all true Hoosiers associate with fall.

I pulled into Hoosier Park and walked into the new digs that have been constructed for the slot-playing sheep desperate for Lady Luck to cast her graces their way.

It is nice to see a face finally associated with Lady Luck. She’s a raven-haired vixen with copious mammary proportions who continually glances your way, giving you the smallest, most discreet of winks. She motions you to the game, reassuring you that she’s there for you and you only. If you sit down and play, you’ll walk away a winner.

She can be found any time in a continuous loop at the video blackjack table.

I wasn’t looking to fulfill my video lust-wishes however and instead ordered a beverage and found a seat at a video poker machine to waste the $5 Coupon that was burning a hole in my pocket.

Machine play is pretty funny. They always seem to give you a little play before raking your entire stack. I hit quads at one point to bring my machine total to more than $28 before it slowly drained away to my original $5.

I know I’ll always waste that last $5 again too. Who wants to cash out a Coupon for $3.75 and go looking for a place to turn it into actual cash?

Men and women see coupons in vastly different ways!

With a fresh beverage in hand I strolled to the horse racing side of Hoosier Park to check out the thoroughbreds.

Sidebar: I used to really enjoy watching the standard breds race at Hoosier Park. My ex-wife’s brother was the best sulky driver they had in the first three years of the park’s existence. He even won the very first race Hoosier Park had. When he was driving to the track one day a paint delivery boy tried to beat a light change and hit his truck broadside. My brother-in-law was killed instantly leaving two young children in his wake. It was all way beyond sad. I don’t go there often as a result.

When I went to the track I had a knack for picking horses. Poker playing is about numbers and patterns. A lot of things in life deal with numbers and patterns. I think you can be a good poker player if you’re only good at numbers, but you’re a better player if you’re dialed into the patterns as well.

Patterns tell a story and I also have a knack for picking up patterns. I sat in the stands as they brought out the horses for the next race and I saw a pattern. The way the horses acted around one another, the way the odds looked to me, even the type of day it was and the way the track looked factored into the pattern.

Horse number three was going to win. I was sure of it. It went against the odds but I bet him anyway.

Okay… I wasn’t so sure that I dropped a couple of yards on his nose, only $2, but at 36:1 that's a $75 payday.

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re in the wrong line of work?

What's wrong with our schools?

2008-08-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

I really wish I could have taken a better picture, but I think the one I have will serve as sufficient evidence that I am in fact reporting accurately what I actually saw.

My wife and I were at the Lynard Skynard concert last week at one of the country's premier outdoor music venues, Verizon Wireless Music Center.

(Actually, Kid Rock was the headliner, but that's another issue entirely.)

The unwashed masses that make this country great and ensure that we will never have an invading hoard come ashore in South Carolina were in abundance this night. Every people watcher in attendance had a field day as there was way to much to take in and process.

Side note: Does a man missing three front teeth stand at home in front of a full-length mirror, take off his shirt, admire the farmer's tan showcasing his pale, sunken chest, pull on his fake leather pants tell his wife, "Time to go. I look good!"???

That was the guy standing in front of me, holding up his nearly unconscious wife as she regurgitated on her own pants, saying, "Don't worry. She's okay."

And this was in line going INTO the concert!

Now, back to the picture.

Two rows in front of me is a chunky little ten or eleven year old boy wearing a Kid Rock concert tee shirt that says, “You’ve never met a motherf…er like me!”

Question: Who lets an impressionable young man wear a shirt like that?

Answer: The man sitting next to him wearing his “#1 Dad” tee shirt.

That’s what’s wrong with our schools.

Change we can belive in

2008-08-23T06:31:00.001-07:00

Joe Biden?

Perspective

2008-07-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

God gave us an interesting organ when he formed us from the dust of the earth and breathed into us the breath of life: He gave us a brain.

The brain is singularly unique. We use it every day and yet it is so misunderstood that people, intelligent people, still cling to the notion that we only use a scant ten percent of it. One look at a MRI shows just how many areas of the brain are in operation at any one time. As stimuli vary, the brain will show the areas called upon, and the scan will light up like a distant thunderstorm on a dry summer night.

Yes, some people ACT like they have only the ten percent capacity, but the potential is nonetheless still there.

I think new thoughts and experiences are stored in the brain by a little old man left in charge of a filing system he doesn't quite understand. He stores them here and there to the best of his ability, but then he'll get the notion that he's mishandled something and look back into one filing cabinet or another. Suddenly a thought springs to mind and you have no idea where it came from.

Occasionally the little old man takes a handful of caffeine, or Benedryl, or perhaps Viagra... Things speed up, slow down, or.... okay, he often strung out on Viagra, but that's another post.

Sometimes he just opens file at random.

This past weekend I took a wonderful little mini-vacation with my lovely wife. We enjoyed the beauty of southern Indiana, did our own little pub crawl in Bloomington, and then spent the night in a 200 year-old hotel overlooking the mighty Ohio River.

We also stopped at an outlet mall.... again, fodder for another post.

I was enjoying a fine dinner with a view of The River when the demented little file handler spilled a folder: Now I'm left to ponder how much I miss having rice and beans several times a week, and how much I appreciate the fact that I DO know where my next meal is coming from.

One of my duties at The King's Home in Belize was to help pack up lunch for the grade school kids into small plastic containers and to transport them to the school at exactly noon. Their lunch consisted of a little helping of rice and beans, with maybe a small piece of stewed chicken or perhaps a hot dog slice or two.

Sometimes they would finish and still be hungry and I didn't didn't have anything else to feed them.

Whenever the Keeper Of The Files lets that memory out, I truly appreciate everything I have in my life.

I found a lucky penny.

2008-07-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone who’s anyone knows that if you spot a penny lying on the ground that you immediately receive good luck the second you scoop said coin into your grubby little paws. *

*With the proviso of course that the copper coinage of providence is lying with Abe’s shining countenance facing upward and not hiding itself in the mess and muck of Mother Earth.

I thought about that coin when I called the pre-flop raise by an old guy in a hat. I had Big Slick and received for my call a flop of King, rag, rag. I am happily bet into and raise. I’m sitting at the Argosy Casino in Southern Indiana waiting for my beloved Omaha 8/b game to get enough players. I bought in for $200 and had chipped up about $80 with good cards and bad callers.

Old guy with hat calls.

Huh?

He’s seems to be a solid player and the hands I’ve seen him table have been worthy of play. Why would he call? He either has AK, KK, or AA, right?

Another rag. Check. Check.

A river rag and he bets $100 into a $120 pot.

I didn’t have to think long. There are only two logical hands that can beat me and I figured that we would chop the pot.

He turns up aces. I lose $175.

“Nice hand.”

Can I play this any differently? Heads up with AK and flop top pair top kicker. He would have played the hand the same way if HE had had AK I believe

In a cash game I know I’m not good enough to lay that hand down with a totally unconnected and unsuited board. Maybe I will be one day, but as long as a have a couple more bullets in my pocket, I don’t think I will.

The blinds go around a few more times and I look down to find AA in the small blind. It folds around to the old guy with hat on my right on the button and he raises.

Cha-Ching!

I flat call and the big blind re-raises.

DOUBLE CHA-CHING!

Old guy folds and I push all-in. He calls with KK.

I’m back to nearly even money. Two hands later I win a small pot, the Omaha game opens and I bid farewell with my $4 profit. In the Omaha 8/b game I play for two hours, don’t scoop a single pot, and win $130.

Lucky penny.

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

It’s nice to be home.

The Central American country of Belize is a beautiful place to visit, and the work at The King’s Children Home is so very rewarding on a number of levels, but living in the third-world for almost a month does take some getting used to.

Along the coast of Belize there is a ever-blowing wing that bravely confronts the humidity and keeps it at an underwelming level. In the capital city of Belmopan however, there is no coast. One does not simply breath the air, but rather wears it like a winter coat made of the thick fur of the exotic perpetually perspiring Panamanian puma. While standing in the shade of the KCH bus one day, I stuck my hand out into the sunlight. It felt like I stuck it into an oven.

It’s hot. Africa hot.

There was also a story I shall not share of getting stung on the ass by a scorpion.

KCH graduated four students from Standard Six, the U.S. equivalent of the eighth grade, this year. They will all advance to high school. Some Belizian children are not as lucky. The Belizian system of education is a little different from what we enjoy, and what is so under-appreciated, by students in The States.

I Belize, when you finish Standard Six you take the PSE, a national exam. If you do not pass the PSE, you are DONE with public education. You do not go to high school. You do not go to college. You enter the work force at 14 years of age. You MAY have the option of going to a trade school to be training to work a trade, such as a laborer at one of the country’s large chicken farms.

Also, there’s no free education. You pay tuition every year. You supply your own books. You supply your own required uniform.

Take a minute today to slap a couple American children in the head and let them know how good they have it in the good old U S of A.

*Please don’t really slap a kid*

At the King’s Home (http://www.kingschildrenshome.org/) Leonie raises all the money for her 50 children’s books and tuition and sews their uniforms herself.

Okay…. A few kids I know could stand to be slapped.

Last year I discovered that the children had never had either chocolate chip cookies or blueberry muffins. Those sad truths were quickly laid a sunder as Betty Crocker and I worked our culinary magic. I can now join the small group whose claim to fame is the ability to make bread, cookies, and muffins for more than 60 individuals.

I can also shower from a bucket.

It’s nice to be home.

It’s all about perspective.

2008-06-07T10:26:00.001-07:00

“ I have the nuts.”

It’s a simple statement, but as I’m leaving for Belize in Central America on Monday for a month of volunteer work, and the pot I was raking in represented more than two months’ salary for the country’s average working man or woman, it takes on a new meaning for me.

Let me repeat that: It takes more than two friggin’ MONTHS to make as much as I was raking in from one pot. As I run the numbers, it actually takes 77 ½ days for the average person in Belize to make as much as was in that one single pot…

The trip:

As planned I traveled to Sin City to be a part of the largest collection of donkeys on the face of the planet, the World Series of Poker. But as often happens, plans change. The truth of the matter is that I was having so much fun playing in the cash games that I never entered the event I have planned to enter for months.

Having fun is what it’s all about, right?

My wife gets a little miffed that I don’t get “jumping up and down” excited about vacations or new experiences. I know they’re coming. I look forward to them. I know I’ll have fun.

I simply live in the moment and she’s starting to understand that that is just who I am.

But I digress.

I touched down at about eight in the morning and had checked my bags and was playing in a $35 buy-in NLHE tournament at the Excalibur by nine.

It’s good to hit the ground running :-)

As with most cheap tourneys, it was an all-to-fast structure. I got deep into it, but didn’t cash. There was a bad beat, but who wants to listen to that story. Am I right??

I quickly hopped into a cab because I had really come to play Omaha 8. It’s my favorite game, the Orleans spreads a Monday $80 buy-in tournament, and I was sitting ready to take it down by noon.

The cards didn’t cooperate however and I busted out by three.

Oh for two.

Ready for that bad beat story yet?

I went back to the Excalibur, checked in, had a little dinner, and played some $1/$2 no limit hold em. I had a few beers, lost a few pots, (another couple bad beat stories… any takers??) and then turned in after a long day.

I’m an early riser and Las Vegas is three hours behind Indiana, so I was on the Omaha 8 list at the Orleans by eight the next morning, planning to cash out by noon, play in an Omaha satellite at the Rio, and enter the $1500 buy-in Omaha 8 WSOP tournament.

That didn’t happen.

As I racked my none-too-modest winnings I realized that I had been sitting in the same chair, playing the same game, for nearly 20 hours.

I went home at about four (praise be that McDonalds is open at the Excalibur until the wee hours!!!) and was back IN THE SAME SEAT by nine the next morning. How sick and twisted is that? I love Omaha 8 though and there are precious few games in Indiana.

Side note about the Orleans: The Omaha 8 game is filled with locals, most of them of retirement age. I was still there after they came and went a few times however and they warmed up to me. I had great conversation with a man named Allen who used to own a huge towing and auto repair service and a woman who was serving as a chip runner at the WSOP. Nice people for the most part. The game is $4/$8 with a half kill where the winner of any $60+ pot posts $6. It’s like a winner’s tax! In the evening in particular there were people BEGGING to give their money away.

I obliged them.

After seven hours the second day I cashed out having more than doubled my buy-in and headed to the Rio to check out the tournament I skipped.

Done with live games for the day, I drank a beer or two, chatted with the ever-personable Pauly from Tao of Poker (http://taopoker.blogspot.com/), and enjoyed the action at the WSOP. I was able to watch the yummy Clonie Gowen rake in a pot and then saw Daniel Negreanu sit down at her same table. It was all very entertaining.

Yes, the cell phone pictures are crappy, but they’re all I have to offer.

Afterwards I stopped in the Wynn for a few minutes and then jumped on The Deuce to head over to the Hooters Hotel for some wings and scenery. I was supposed to meet my sister and her family for a late drink. Her flight was delayed and so I sat, once again, at the $1/$2 NLHE table at the Excalibur.

Keep that in mind. I was only sitting in a cash game because my sister’s flight was delayed.

Hand history:

I bought in for $160 and was sitting in the five seat playing a conservative game because I was just biding my time until my sister arrived.

In the cutoff, I had chipped up to about $240 when I was dealt A4 of diamonds. There were four limpers ahead of me so I limped as well. Both blinds called so we had seven to the flop, which was AK8 with one diamond. Everyone checks to me so I bet the pot, $15. I have the best hand, right? A pair of aces. Yes, a weak kicker but everyone checked the flop. Everyone folds except the three seat who flat calls.

Really? Flat call? I put him on a draw or maybe he also limped in with a weak ace. One way or the other I’m not risking my stack because I’m just waiting for my sister’s plane to land.

The turn is the three of diamonds. The three seat checks and I bet about half the pot with my weak pair of aces and now the nut flush draw. He calls.

I’m a little confused about what he’s holding now and have no idea why he calls unless he’s slow playing a set. I’m not throwing any more money at him if the river is a blank.

The river is a lovely nine of diamonds. I have the nuts, an ace high flush. The three seat bets $60 into me.

Really? How very nice :-)

I put on my frowny face and look from him to the board. I look at his stack and then at my stack, which is slightly larger than his. After a sufficiently adequate pause, I point at his stack and say, “I’ll put you all in.” He IMMEDIATELY calls with his KING high flush.

That’s NOT a bad beat for him by the way. I was ahead the entire way.

I raked in the pot and I know I’ll think about that moment many times in the next month. It’s a humbling experience to actually live in a country where abject poverty is rampant and going without is the norm rather than the exception.

Being bet into when you have the best possible hand is an exciting moment. On the outside you’re endeavoring to remain calm and collected and trying to show a little confusion about how you let this pot get away, while inside you’re running the numbers in an attempt to figure out how many more chips you can extract from the poor slob betting into the nuts.

Pulling in a monster pot is a trip highlight for anyone and it’ll certainly be one for me. But it’s important to maintain one’s perspective. I had a fantastic time in Las Vegas and Monday I’ll begin a month caring for orphaned and abandoned children in a beautiful country where it takes the average person 77 ½ days to make what I pulled in in that one single pot. In Las Vegas affluence, glitz, and materials goods surround you. In the Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio there is more money on the table at any one time than the majority of people in THIS country will see in an entire year.

It’s more money than most people in third-world countries will see in a lifetime.

I’m a lucky guy. I have a job I enjoy, great health, a wonderful wife, two fantastic children, and the ability to travel in the summer to play cards and to do some volunteer work, helping those less fortunate than I.

Win or lose at the poker table, I have the nuts.

Back at the pub

2008-05-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

I was dealt my first Royal Flush at the pub tonight, made it to the final table, finally finishing 5th out of 36. Not bad. Maybe the good luck will hold until Vegas!

Only 5 days until I leave for the WSOP :-)

UB thread

2008-05-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Dr. Pauly, one of the blogmasters, holder of a black belt in phrasiology and voted most likely to write on the topic of urinating next to top poker pros, stressing the inportance of passing along the following on a UB scandle:

Here's a sample:

I believe that it is important for online poker players to know about the unethical business practices of UltimateBet and Absolute Poker. It is also imperative to understand that these unscrupulous activities are not an indictment on the entire online poker industry. As you read this thread please keep in mind that UltimateBet and Absolute Poker are owned by the same company. They are also regulated by the same puppet regulatory commission. Most poker sites are run with the utmost integrity and security. UltimateBet and Absolute Poker are the exception and not the rule.

I urge the concerned reader to pass word of this summary on to other interested parties. The spread of this information will ultimately protect poker players from unknowingly exposing themselves to the corruption detailed below...

The players on UltimateBet were victims of a serious crime: grand larceny facilitated by a company that operates virtually outside the law. I hope that the efforts spent investigating and publicizing this story will help the victims of these crimes find restitution. I hope that this story will also highlight the need for independent regulation in the online poker industry.

Please use this thread to discuss the the best way to convince UltimateBet to come clean about their involvement in this theft and to provide restitution for these crimes. Please also use this thread to discuss the best ways to ensure that a scandal such as this one does not taint the game of poker occur ever again....

For the complete thread, click the link:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=208114

Pub Poker

2008-05-14T13:39:00.001-07:00

A local drinking establishment has a free Hold Em tournament each Tuesday and I’ve sat in three or four times, making the final table once. For the most part it’s a huge donk fest and I’ve pondered how to play against people who call a 4x big bet raise with K4 offsuit, any ace, any two soooooted cards, and any two connecting cards whether they are suited or not. There are usually five to every flop.

I decided I just have to play MY game and MY cards and let the chips, literally, fall where they will.

Last night playing my cards was easy. In the first two hours I played about five hands and went past the flop only twice, winning two hands. Both hands were my big blind.

I refused to let emotions get the best of me and I simply folded the bad hands and drank a beer or two, watching as some donk stacks got larger and larger and as others dropped out and traded chips among themselves.

I hung on the 30 plus players played themselves out and I found myself at the final table as one of the shorter stacks.

Then three consecutive raises with pocket pairs and Big Slick resulted in an all-fold to my super tight table image. Then a fairly solid player thought he could stop my raises with an AJ re-raise, and called down my AA to give me a very nice stack of chips with four players left.

When we came to the final table the commanding chip leader was definitely the table captain, raising and re-raising with impunity, and eliminating the ever shortening short stacks. He made a fatal flaw however and with four players left tightened up as the final payout loomed closer and closer.

I figured that out when I ask, “Hey, what are we playing for?”

The tournament organizer said, “$100 for the winner and $50 for second.”

“Food certificates?”

“No. Cash. $100 for first and $50 for second.”

What the hell??? I thought we were playing for some kind of little gift certificates. Since it was a free tournament and I was playing largely for entertainment more than anything, I hadn’t thought to look into the payout.

That fact made it obvious why the former chip leader was being so tight. He wanted the cash! He even laid down JJ (face up) to a 3x the big blind raise. Granted, nobody likes JJ, but with four players to go it looks pretty good pre-flop.

That face up fold told me that he was going to bend to big pressure and that fact allowed him to be folded and blinded down until he was all-in with two face cards, and they were the wrong face cards.

After 3 ½ hours I was heads up with a very solid player, but I still had my tight player image. I tested the waters and pushed all-in with a suited 72 on a flop of 10,9,2, and then showed the bluff.

He did exactly what I though he would do. He called me down the next time I slowed played top pair and I walked away a winner.

I was a winner playing MY game and MY cards which, incidently, included absolutely no big hands in the entire game. I did not make a flush. I did not have the chance to draw to a straight. I don't think I even had two pair. Not a bad night.

Only 19 days until my first WSOP experience :-)

Call me killer

2008-05-10T06:50:00.001-07:00

I have been absolutely KILLING the 6 player SNG's lately. Out of the last 20 games I've won a solid 50 percent and placed in the top two 75 percent of the time.

My run certainly won't last, but it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing.

Only 23 days until I leave for Las Vegas :-)

A Funny Game

2008-05-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

In what other game can you do well and lose, and then do poorly and win?

Three SNG's in a row I make it to the top three with second getting paid and first claiming a larger game token, and I bust out in third holding the best hands. Then, I accidentally call a raise instead of folding because I'm sending a text to my son and hit the wrong button. I catch a two outer (a deuce to make it worse) and scoop a pot that I had no right to be in.

Funny game.

Let's hope I'm still laughing when I hit the WSOP!

My plans for the summer are laid and the tickets are paid.... for. It shapes up like this:

1. Out of school for the summer May 23.
2. Head to Las Vegas to play in the Omaha 8/b game that starts on June 3rd.
3. Off to Belize to volunteer again for about three weeks beginning June 9th.
4. Summer training for the textbook company I work for part time for a few days in Atlanta at the end of July.
5. Tickets in hand to see Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Jimmy Buffett at the Verizon Wireless Music Center, one of the country's premier outdoor music venues.
6. The motorcycle is tuned and ready to ride.

I strive for balance in my life and my goals reflect that. We'll have to see if it pays off as I get my feet wet at the WSOP this year.