Vegas Challenge Day 1: Voodoo Ninja Magic?
October 31, 2007
I wasted no time getting started on the challenge after landing in Vegas. With only $500 I was pretty limited to what games I could begin with. I wanted to find a very soft game with a buy-in of $100-$200, so I could build up a little padding in order to take some bigger shots over the next day or two.
The Imperial Palace $1/$2NL has always been the fishiest game I could find, plus they have by far the fastest drink service of any poker room I’ve been to. They’ve raised their buy-in to $300 max, but almost nobody buys in for more than $100. I went in for the full $300 just to make sure I had the table covered. If more people had full stacks I would have went in for like $100 of $150, but I wanted to have a little intimidation factor on the short stacks. Even though I can easily dominate this game risking the more than half of my $500 challenge money would be a good way to fail before I could even get started.
Only one guy had more than $100 on the table, and I though a reader might be using some voodoo ninja magic on me as he flopped top set vs my bottom set twice in the first hour. At this point I only have a little over $100 left of the original $500, and it was looking like I’d be hosting a $500 tournament putting up much less of a fight than I would have liked. Luckily the players were pretty terrible and I was able to pound on the limpers to build back up. At one point I rivered quads on a 9A989 board and got $100 on the river from someone with 33. After about 4 hours of play I had worked my way back up to $420. It’s not where I wanted to be after day 1, but I still have plenty of room to maneuver.
The game plan for today is to hit up the IP game again, and when I work up to $800 jump into the $2/$5NL game. Hopefully I can get something going today. If I don’t I’ll have to take some shots sooner than I’d like.
Vegas Challenge Bankroll: $420
Red Bull Vodkas Consumed: 15 (I wish that were an exaggeration)
5 Days in Vegas - $500 Into $5000
October 29, 2007
Early tomorrow morning I will be hopping on a plane to celebrate my little brother’s 21st birthday with him in Las Vegas. It should be mandatory that everyone turn 21 in Vegas. You only get to do it once, and Vegas is the only way to do it right.
In between the Vodka-Redbull fueled debauchery, there will certainly be some live poker played. I must admit, I’m not the biggest fan of live poker. I love everything about playing live, except the turtle slow pace. When I play online I get in anywhere from 600-1000 hands per hour. Dropping to only 35 per hour is like being sent to stay with your senile Grandpa in a retirement home for a week. Luckily most live players play like that senile Grandpa, which does a lot to make up for the pace of the game. Even with the fish factor and studying for tells, live poker leaves something to be desired. Don’t get me wrong, if online poker went away I could play live for a living, but I’m going to take rolling out of bed and playing online poker in my underwear over playing in a casino every time.
Instead of just hating on live poker I’ve been thinking up ways to spice it up during this Vegas trip. What I have decided to do is have a little competition with myself. What I’m going to do is attempt to take $500 and turn it into $5000 over the 5 days of my trip. Anything is game for the competition: poker, casino games, sports betting, even getting a job at the Bunny Ranch.
I also figured I’d involve my readers in this so, if I fail to do it I will host a $500 freeroll poker tournament for all the readers of this blog. Hopefully having all you guys cheering against me will be motivation enough to get the job done 
Feel free to talk as much smack as you can, I can handle everything you can dish out… and then some.
My NFL Week 8 Picks
October 26, 2007
Is there anything better than Sunday during the NFL season? I honestly can’t think of anything better than waking up Sunday morning, putting in a call for pizza and wings, firing up all the stat trackers for my fantasy football teams, and enjoying a nice relaxing day watching football in HD.
Throw in a couple wagers here and there and you have yourself one hell of a day. Each week I’m going to hand out my picks…. format is.
My Pick (line) vs (if home) @ (if road) Loser
All lines are as of 3:00 EST from BODOG
Cleveland Browns (-3) @ St. Louis Rams
The Rams and Dolphins are both looking like 0-16 teams. With Stephen Jackson returning I think they will squeak out 1 or 2 at some point, but not this week. If the Rams can get any sort of offensive rhythm this could turn into a shoot out, I just don’t see the Rams slowing down the Browns offense enough to get a win.
Detroit Lions (+5) @ Chicago Bears
I’m probably a little biased on this one, but I think the Lions are for real. Their defense should get better as the season goes on and their offense’s potential is scary. Kevin Jones looked great in his comeback game and will add another dimension that wasn’t there when they beat Chicago earlier in the year. I think Chicago’s game last week had more to do with Philly’s lack of offense than a resurgence of Chicago’s D. Only way the Bears keep up is if they shut off helmet communication in the first quarter and let Griese call the plays the whole game.
Indianapolis Colts (-7) @ Carolina Panthers
I don’t see the colts looking past Carolina to the New England game. I also don’t see old man Testaverde having another huge game. The Colts will shut down the run and “contain” Steve Smith just enough to slow down any hope the Panthers have.
New York Giants (-10) “@” Miami Dolphins (Played in London)
No Ronnie Brown, no Chris Chambers, no Zach Thomas, and no Trent Green = no wins for the Dolphins. This team is in shambles and the trek to London couldn’t help matters. The stress of figuring out how to deal with the language barrier must have been hard on the Dolphins. I’ll be surprised if they score 10 points this week. Giants get 6+ sacks again this week and win in a blow out.
Oakland Raiders (+7.5) @ Tennessee Titans
Yikes, I’ve picked each road team so far, but I guess the Giants really don’t count. As strange as it sounds I would have probably picked the Titans if Vince Young was out again. Young has not looked good this season and is still a little banged up. They put up a ton of points last week under Collins and I think he gives them the best chance to score (at least for the next few weeks). Wow, I can’t believe I just said that.
Minnesota Vikings (+1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have few pass threats other than Westbrook and the Vikings have one of the best rush defenses around…. Not a good combo for Philly. Mcnabb is going to be ineffective until his knee is fully healed, and will probably hurt something else soon after that. I think he’s done in Philly, that team needs to go in a new direction if it wants to win a championship. I expect a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson this game, and don’t see the Eagles doing much to stop him.
Cinncinnati Bengals (+4) vs Pittsburgh Steelers
This seems like the hardest game of the week. Last weeks performance makes me question how good the Steelers actually are, and I’m just waiting for the Bengals to break out. I expect Chad Johnson to have a huge game after hearing rumors that he will be traded after this season.
Buffalo Bills (+3) @ New York Jets
Buffalo has the foundation for a good team, and the “Mangenious” snitch got rid of any magic that was left over from last season. He gets my nomination for the “Sports Figure Least Living Up to Nickname” this year.
San Diego Chagers vs Houstan Texans
There is no line as they just made the decision to play this game in San Diego. I think the fires pump new life into this team and they put on a show in support of their city.
Tampa Bay Bucs (-3.5) vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Even with the Jags great run game it’s going to be very difficult it going with Quinn Grey at QB. Was his first pick not the worst pass you’ve seen this year? Watch the replay and explain to me what he was thinking. I say they throw Matt Jones in there and let him throw a TD pass. That way he can shave that beard before it gets so long he can’t put on a helmet. If they can’t make that happen it’s going to be a loooooooong time before his next shave.
New Orleans Saints (-3) @ San Francisco 49ers
As crazy as it sounds the Saints could still win their division. If that’s going to happen they are going to have to beat the teams they should, aka the 49ers. All the hype the 9ers got made me wonder if the NFL analysts actually watch football. Reggie Bush has a huge game and the Saints win easily. If Bush can’t get going this is going to be one terrible game to watch.
Washington Redskins (+17) @ New England Patriots
It’s pretty scary that even at -17 the Pats are still a tempting pick. If you want to pick the pats you’re going to be charged a 6-7 point tax for the rest of the season, and I’m not even sure that’s enough of a reason to pick against them. The Pats will win this game, but the Skins pass D is good enough to keep it semi close. Pats win by 2 scores, but fail to cover for the first time this year.
Monday Night
Green By Packers (+3) @ Denver
Yikes, looks like Vegas takes this whole AFC vs NFC thing pretty serious. Green Bay is 5-1 and Denver has looked like one of the worst teams in the league for most of the season. Denver does have the best pass D, and GB struggles to run, but both Champ Bailey and Dre Bly are banged up. As much as I want to see Green Bay lose I think Farve takes care of business on Monday Night Football.
Last Week: 0-0-0
Season 0-0-0
If I don’t get 100% right next weeks picks are FREE!
Disclaimer: I only bet legally in Las Vegas. If you are considering placing a wager make sure it is legal in your jurisdiction. This info is for entertainment purposes only, and we are not responsible for any actions taken on them. We do not support or promote illegal betting.
What You Can Expect From This Blog
October 22, 2007
The tag line for my site is Poker.Travel.Life., and these are the topics that consume most of my thoughts. This will not be a results based poker blog. There are more than enough poker blogs out there that just talk about how the author is doing, daily bankroll updates, and bad beats. There’s a place for blogs like that… but that place is not here. I’m going to be focusing on more general theory and living the life of an online poker pro. The mental aspects of the game are the most interesting to me, so don’t be surprised if a lot of my posts cover this topic. If funny and interesting situations arise in my play I will be sure to post about them, but they will be tied into a greater point I am trying to make.
The travel aspect of this blog is something I am very excited about. Being a pro poker player allows me to travel a lot, and I am considering traveling full time over the next year and a half. When I travel I don’t do your normal tourist attractions, I like to really experience the location. I’ll write more about the specifics of my travel methods in the future, as that’s a post in itself. I want to use this site as a place to share my travel experiences, and write about all the local gems I find in each trip. The world is a lot bigger than the town you’re in, and hopefully my reports will get more people to realize this.
The last part “life” might scare some people away. “Oh, no not another self absorbed blogger getting on a pedestal boring me with his thoughts on life” Trust me, I don’t want to be that guy. I fully respect every one’s right to live as they wish, but how many people can honestly say that’s what they’re doing? If you asked a crowd of people I would be surprised if more than 10% truthfully believe that they live an exciting life. It’s something that most people just don’t know how to do. Conforming to societies view of success often leaves people in a hole of boredom that is very difficult to climb out from. I’ve made an effort to keep the excitement level on high in my life, and trust me it hasn’t been easy. In my quest for excitement I’ve learned some great tactics to help turn everyday situations into exciting adventures. I now wake up every morning knowing my day will be interesting, and I want to share those tactics with you guys.
I’ll be updating every few days, so if you’re interested in what I have to say make sure to check back often or subscribe to my feed to be notified of updates automatically.
P.S. I’m a huge quote junkie so expect me to mix in quite a few here. This is one of my favorites:
He Who Knows Others Is Wise. He Who Knows Himself Is Enlightened. -Tao Te Ching
The Anti Work Movement Continues
October 17, 2007
After making a few pit stops I’ve finally settled on a permanent location for my blog. In my next post I will let you know what you can expect from this blog, but I thought I’d start this blog out just as I did the last. This post was originally made May 11th, 2007 and since it explains the theme of this blog perfectly I’m just going to re-post it here instead of reinventing the wheel. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope to entertain and educate you enough to have you back often. Without further adieu…
The Anti Work Movement
I knew from a very early age that the 9-5 life wasn’t for me. You could never call me a good employee and even though I did very well in school I was far from a “good student”. In every job I’ve had I always found a way to get my work done faster doing it my way instead of “the right way”. Apparently I never learned value of hard work because this never sat well with my bosses. My jobs would inevitably end one of two ways. First I would get in an argument with the boss over why their current methods were wasting time, and with me not wanting to continue wasting time and them having too much pride to admit things could be done better, we would soon part ways. The second way would be to request time off work, having that request denied, and me promptly quitting. Freedom has always been the most important value in my life, much more than knowing I will be getting a check every two weeks.
