I dream of shots

Las Vegas is just getting too close for comfort. Lat night I dreamt I won just over half a mil on some strange Let it Ride/Video Poker hybrid using the remote control in our room at the Imperial Palace. The only other thing that I remember with any clarity from the dream was jetting straight over to the Wynn and getting a suite while Mrs. Head chartered a flight back home to hire a barber shop quartet to sing some variation of “Fuck Off” to her boss. I remember walking into the suite and being very drunk and surrounded by other similarly drunk blogging compatriots.

It was a good dream.

It wasn’t long after that I was stumbling out of bed hazily searching for a cold Coke and my Camel Wides so I could begin the day, when somewhere in the house I kept hearing a muffled beep. I thought it might be one of the smoke detectors crying out for a new battery, but the sound wasn’t nearly annoying enough. Shit, I must’ve missed a phone call. After leaving work on Wednesday I had left my cell in my coat pocket so as not to have to think about it all weekend, because many times I find myself longing for the cell phones of old that didn’t have the ability to speak up when they wanted attention.

I thought work may have called, so with a heavy heart I listened to the voicemail. The heaviness changed as I realized I had just received a dial-a-shot from Bobby Bracelet, BG, and THG. DAMNIT!

So, brothers, I offer my humblest apologies for not scoring the completion when the DAS went out. I humbly offer this post-Thanksgiving post-a-shot in return.

The Apple Pie Shot

Mix 3 Parts vodka (can be a mid-grade, you won’t be tasting it) w/ 1 part Apple Juice
Have 1 can of whip cream handy
Tin of cinnamon

The most entertaining way to do this shot is with two people. One person takes the shot and keeps it in their mouth, tilting their head back and not swallowing. The second squirts a bit of the whipped cream into their mouth and taps a small bit of cinnamon on top. Person #1 tilts forward and swallows. Porny, no?

Of course, it is perfectly acceptable to simply pour the liquor into a shot glass, throw a bit of whipped directly on top of the liquid, add cinnamon, and shoot it like a normal person. It’s just a bit less fun as they begin to have their effect.

Best of luck to everyone as they try to get through these next two weeks!

Done and Almost Done

At of 3 P.M. today, I reached the summit of Mt. NaNoWriMo.

Woohoo!

Now the bad news. It still isn’t finished. I think I have about 15K words left to write before the story will be finished which is something I never expected. Now the question is, can I get it truly finished (not just the 50K word goal) before we head to Vegas?

I hope so.

I love you, FullTilt

WOW.

All I can say is that if the FullTilt (bonus code: HHEAD) live event last night kicked much ass. Poker is fun to watch, but when it’s fun AND instructional like the show last night, it can’t be beat. The end got a little silly because of the blinds, but there’s nothing anyone can really do about that for a program of that type. I think FullTilt pulled it off as good as a live event could have been. It was good enough that I even hate FSN less for their continual Poker Superstars Invitational abortion.

Oh, yeah. Howard Lehderer? It's been said a milion times already, but here it is again. Best poker commentator EVER.

Rather than go on and on about the particulars, I’ll leave it at this: If you missed it last night, try hard to find a torrent or something, it will be worth your time.

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I’m thankful for a ton of things, but not the abuse I’m still taking at the tables. 2-outer river beats galore, and I’m losing my mind, but going back for more, nonetheless. Oh yes, one last thing. I had Mrs. Head hit me with a book when I was tilting a couple of days ago. That shit actually works! Shock therapy=Tilt be gone. Who knew?

Pokerstars just keeps getting better

I have stuck primarily with Pokerstars for my online pokering since I began, and they have never disappointed—from their customer support to nice software and of course, the tournaments. They were doing it right before anyone else. So a huge thanks to them for their WPBT support. If you’ve been under a rock or in a third world country, go read this to get up to speed. Sure I’ve strayed over to other sites, but Stars has always been my first love. That punk bitch PartyPoker thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips, sending me ultimatums and taking back my player points. She can keep ‘em, stupid bitch; I don’t care how good the fishing is.

Full Tilt (Bonus code: HHEAD) is definitely my piece on the side, though, with (IMHO) the best software out there and a player base that will hopefully balloon completely out of control pretty soon. They have also shown a ton of WPBT support and I would be absolutely remiss if I didn't mention them , too.

Right now my pokering between the two is about a 70/30 split. If your not playing at either of these two sites yet, just use the handy-dandy links on the sidebar and get to it.

Thanks again, Otis and Pokerstars + Full Tilt for "getting it"!

Emotion Commentary

Man, it’s hard to even put into words the size and ruggedness of the steel-toed boots poker strapped on yesterday and this morning. She laced ‘em up tight and went to work on my junk like a man-hating Lifetime producer. So here I sit with an icepack on my nuts and a fistful of anti-depressants, writing to you, dear reader, on the verge of a massive tilt-induced coronary of SirWaffle proportions minus the bankroll destruction.

Such is my dedication.

This situation lends itself nicely to a post that I’ve been brooding over for about a week now. I’ve been putting it off in the intense wake of NaNoWriMo, and lo and behold, it was covered in fine fashion by Hank who likely said it better than I could have. In taking on the more difficult task of writing the spearhead post on emotions, he has left me with the much lighter load of simple commentary.

(before proceeding, click on the link and read his post first if you haven’t already)

Winding up his post, Hank states, “In answer to the question, "Do emotional poker players have an advantage in tournament poker?" I think the jury is still out.” For me, the jury is in and they have reached a verdict:

Being an emotional player, be it in cash games or tournaments, is NOT where it’s at.

I repeat. NOT where it’s at.

I can say this with confidence because I am one of these emotional players. Watching these folks that have the ability to retain an ever cold and logical outlook makes me Scott's Turfbuilder green with envy. I have no idea where this emotionality comes from. Perhaps I didn’t get enough hugs from Mom. Perhaps I’ve been beat down by “The Man” one too many times in my short life. Whatever the reason, I am not, and it’s doubtful that I’ll ever be, a person with the ability to be completely emotionless.

Being emotional will cause a person to make frustration errors. Some emotional people will have better control and make less of them, but they will happen, and will happen more than those made by the person who can truly let the injustices and attendant frustrations slide off their back. If I get my aces cracked by runner runner gutshot backdoor shit cards, I’m going to be pissed. Carry this situation over multiple days or weeks and my heart starts in with threats of exploding inside my chest cavity if I don’t play those suited one-gappers out of position. Just once, you know, to get me back on an even keel.

Now, take the above and apply it to the roboticism of Hank and others like him. The aces being cracked will briefly annoy, but the cold precision of their play will continue unabated. Assuming that the skill level is the same (yeah, right. While I’m at it, why not go ahead and say that I play ball as good as MJ), if I make this error once per day that costs me at least 1 SB (and likely more) and Hank does not, just think about how much that he saves over the course of a year. And that’s just a loosely defined cash game example. What if the same loosely defined terms were applied to a tournament? I end up busting because I got trapped in a marginal situation and am either busted or have taken a hit to my stack. Hank’s cold logic avoids this foolishness and by doing so automatically gets an edge with which to travel higher on the placement ladder.

The conclusion? Be more like Hank and less like me.

But fear not, dear friends. I’m not one to simply discuss a problem, but rather, as corporate America has lovingly taught me, I must bring alternative solutions to the table. Think outside of the box and change the paradigm in order to assess the risk and take advantage of the current trends to fortify and streamline future margins and matrices, as it were (dear God, I seriously need a healthier work environment).

Get a big stick, preferably a giant bamboo stick like they use/used in traditional old-school martial arts training in the East. Give said stick to spouse, significant other, roommate, friend, or neighbor. Task this person with keeping a close eye on you while you play. When pesky detrimental tilt starts to arrive on the back of those ruinous emotions, have said designee whack you with the big bamboo stick. It will hurt and it will make you mad, but will help you recognize the absurdity of getting so angry. If it doesn’t, simply repeat until you DO recognize or are too injured to play.

Either way, everyone wins. Bankroll is intact and tilt is avoided, plus your designee has had a fantastic time doing something that would normally be considered “assault”. Pfft, assault, what a bunch of pansies.

My Tae Kwon Do grandmaster, Jin Yong Kim, used to always say, “You will NEVER have perfect Tae Kwon Do, but that doesn’t mean you should ever stop trying for it.” The same goes for getting rid of emotional play at the tables. You may not ever be perfect at it, but with constant effort and the help of a giant bamboo stick, you should never stop trying and consequently, get better at control.

Emotion is NOT where it’s at.

gdiiwtfdmph

Hey there, old friend! Smell that smell? Yep, I know ya do. It’s that sweet familiar smell of winter in the fucking Midwest. Monday-70 degrees, wind 5-10 mph. Tuesday—30 degrees, wind 40-55 gdiiwtfdmph (that’s goddamn it, I want to fucking die Miles per Hour). Every year it’s the same damn thing, old man winter wakes up and realizes he’s way behind schedule and so proceeds to shit on the entire region. Don’t think I’m just sitting here complaining, though. I’m actually sitting here complaining while actively working to get the hell out of this land that time forgot.

And since I’m on a complaining run, I might as well see it to the end. I’ve been pondering the last few weeks just why people feel it necessary to signal when going from on-ramp to highway. The on-ramp ends, it’s going to force you onto the highway proper, you don’t need to let everyone know because, surprise!, they already do. Why don’t any of them feel like a signal is necessary when decide to coast to a nearly complete stop before turning in some completely unspecified direction?

Oh hell, this whining is already tedious so I’ll shut up. Just know that every day I wish upon a star to be around folks that have an IQ higher than the speed limit.

Waitaminute…**puts hand on head and concentrates real hard**

I think I’m getting a vision of some sort….

Yes! There it is!

It appears that my wish will be granted on Dec. 9^th

Shit. That’s still too far away.

And if your wondering, the answer is “yes”, I plan on going on in this manner until Mrs. Head and I arrive to the sounds of –EV bells and whistles.

For those who might care, I’ve played some poker but not much. The little I have played has gone well, so it’s at least nice to know that the little skill that exists is not completely gone. My energies and copious amounts of time are being sucked down by NaNoWriMo, but I will get into a full-time poker swing the week prior to the WBPT event, as this seems to be the optimal amount of time to have a peak poker pump going then we land.

Oh yes, one last thing. For the Storming of the Castle messaging blitz I have Performify on my list, but that’s it so far as it seems everyone has been covered. If you got missed, just send me an email and I will make sure you get a shout.

Tired…must medicate….talk to you all laaateeeeeer!

Hello Saturday!

All you can do is get your money in with the best of it, but even that does no good if the doom switch is turned on. I kid, but now I have to spend the next couple of hours easing off of the pre-tilt I can feel rising inside me. Worst Feeling in the World, especially when you know intellectually that there is no reason to feel like that. With a finish in 62^nd in Pauly’s tourney, rest assured I’m going to have to shove 14 horseshoes in my ass before the final one in order to have any chance at the iPod. No pain, No gain.

NaNoWriMo Update: It has been taking ALL of my spare time, hence the very sporadic posting. I’ll be taking the day off from writing, but will have crossed the 25,000 word mark by the close of the weekend. It’s turning into everything I never thought it would be, and by that I mean that I seem to be writing an Oprah book (the tone is turning out to be very touchy-feely). So, manly men coming across this work, prepare to be severely underwhelmed. Females and other assorted estrogen-laden organisms, stock up on the tissue. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how the last half goes; it is what it is.

It also looks like I’ll be stuck in this god-awful city for a bit longer, since I didn’t get the job I wanted. The thing that I can’t seem to let go about it is: Did I fuck up, or did I simply lose out to someone better qualified? I guess I’ll have to file that one away with the other unanswerable questions such as, “How come I didn’t win the lottery this week?” and “How come there’s corn in there? I haven’t had corn in weeks!”

Oh yeah, and “Why isn’t Vegas here yet?”

Pre-Vegas Rushin'

The rush to bankroll up for Vegas is definitely on. Congrats to all of the bloggers who recently made some nice tourney scores. Seriously, it’s getting to be too many to count. Joe just hit for a nice win. Daddy is taking down anything even alluding to a farm animal, reaming it good. CJ, -EV, and SirWafflesWinsTourneys. The list is nearly too many to count or link. The world must be nearing its end, though, because I can now add my name to the list of Those Who are Scoring (this also happens to be the name of the list I desperately tried to get on in Junior High, but I digress).

First NL final table ever in the WWdN Invitational two weeks ago. Final table at Saturdays with Pauly. Final table at the Bill Rini Desert Shootout.

While playing like a weak-tight sissyboy (shut up, If you had Hank and Joe on your left you would too) I decided to jump into the NL $10+1 after the first break in the Shootout. To make a long story short, after busting in 9^th in the Shootout, I scored a 4^th for a nice $300. Man, anything seems easy after playing the tough blogger fields.

Just need to work on closing now.

Review: The Best Hand I Ever Played

The Best Hand I Ever Played was an entertaining, albeit short, read. It is a collection of 52 hands played by various professionals and big tournament winners. Each person recounts a brief tale of one of the best hands they ever played, hence the title of the book. Following the recount of the hand, Steve Rosenbloom throws in a section called “The Rake” where he dissects the strategic implications.

Upon receiving the book I was understandably excited and jumped in right away. After a couple of hours went by I realized that I had already ripped through over half of it and that my enjoyment was nearing an abrupt end. In the middle of “Oooh! New poker book!” euphoria I had failed to consider its length and consequently failed to pace myself.

Don’t expect any in-depth strategy lessons with this book, you won’t get them. This is primarily a poker book that tells a collection of brief stories; very brief stories. All of these things combined led me to a sense of mild overall disappointment with this book once I was finished. Perhaps I expected too much, that is always a possibility. I loved reading about the players and their favorite hands, but I was left wanting something more in-depth. The post-recount strategy sections were even briefer and felt like an afterthought; something just put there to fill space. Scattered throughout the book were handy-dandy little graphics explaining poker terms like “The Turn”. These definitely could have been left out. With ESPN increasing the poker coverage year by year I find it difficult to imagine that someone reading this book would find this most basic information enlightening in any way. Again, maybe I expected too much.

So, there’s how it all shakes out in my world. It seems that this book was devoted to pleasing everyone, which is understandable, but I believe that this is its downfall. I wouldn’t buy this book. I would, however, buy it for a friend or acquaintance as some sort of small gift, stocking stuffer, etc, and I would enjoy receiving it as a gift. The good thing is that it costs less than many of you spend on blinds in an orbit. It definitely couldn’t hurt to pick up a copy to read while your folding that string of Q3 offsuit’s you’re being dealt, just don’t make the same mistake I did and expect too much.

Sign up Reminder!

Only three and a half hours till bloggers clash in…

Saturdays with Dr. Pauly on Poker Stars
Saturday 11.5.05 @ 1pm EST
$10 + 1 NL
Password is hiltons
Tournament #14338880 (check under Private Tournament Tab)

Be there!

I’m just under the 20% completed (9,782 words) mark for NaNoWriMo. After breaking over the initial “howthefuckamieversupposedtowriteanovel” barrier the floodgates have opened. Here’s to hoping they stay open for the duration. Be sure to stop by and give some encouragement to the others who are willingly embarking on this masochistic quest.

I find myself fearing blind corners, thinking that my old battle axe of a college writing teacher is waiting there with her everlasting red pencil to cut me into ribbons.

Also, for those attending the festivities in Vegas, a reminder that it would greatly behoove you to attend the Full Tilt (Bonus Code: HHEAD) Shootout Tourney courtesy of Grand Organizational Wizard and All Around Kick-Ass Individual, Bill Rini.

See you all in a couple of hours! I now have to return to inflicting carpal tunnel on myself (not the good kind).

Going for it

There is no failure except in no longer trying. ~Elbert Hubbard

I decided on Halloween Day to give it a try after watching the event roll past me last year. I wasn't even planning on letting anyone know about it, but that would defeat at least part of the purpose. Day 2 is in the books, 28 more to go.

I really need to go back to Pauly's archives for his commentary on Tiffany Williamson. Watching her play last night made be feel damn near professional in my skills. To be fair, I think a lot of my thoughts on her play is due to editing, as I just can't imagine someone getting that consistently lucky to make it that deep into such a large field. There had to be some good play that got her there, we just didn't see any of it last night.

Busy now, more later. Shhhh, don't tell work :)

Deep Stack

Don’t be like me.

As in, I played in the $10+1 deep stack tourney on Stars yesterday and went out because of the biggest idiot move EVER on my part. It was, in fact, so dumb I can’t even bring myself to recount it in any detail lest I become so embarrassed that I run and lock myself in a dark closet for the rest of the week as penance.

And with that, I humbly prostrate myself before the NL experts in the ‘sphere and request advice and/or strategy for deep stack tourney.

DoubleAs , and I know others, have posted a lot of material on deep stack cash games but I’m curious how this might differ from the deep stack tourney strategy. I may be (again) showing my ignorance here, but it seems to me there would definitely be some extra considerations to take into account.

Regardless, it was certainly interesting to play with the deep stack format, even though it was kind of uncomfortable given the fact that I’ve never played in a deep stack environment before. I’m also curious to hear what everyone thinks of this format in general. I can see how the more skilled players would favor this, but the nature of online play being what it is, I can see that the time necessary to play one of these would certainly be a mitigating factor.

Have a great week, everyone. 39 days and counting until VEGAS!

Uggh, airports.

Umm….yeah…so I just finished the first interview of my life that I would actually describe as “grueling”. Holy hell, I think I accidentally walked my way into a full on serious ADULT-type job.

Throughout my work history I have always been able to tell where I stand with the interviewer in question. Their eyes and facial expression are normally transparent enough for me to gauge whether or not they like me and the drivel that I’m spewing their way. Not so this time. For the most part I may as well have been interviewing with a bunch of world renowned poker pro’s. These people gave away not a hint of what was going through their heads, so now I get to stew for a while wondering what kind of phone call or email I’ll be getting (if I get one at all :))

Time to get on the plane, be back soon.

(Funny thing, when I was younger I used to think that doing a bunch of “business traveling” would be really cool. Cell phone, laptop, rental cars and flights. Oops, wrong again, not cool at all. Mostly annoying and tiring, heh.

Edit: The job I interviewed for is not in the Adult industry, even though what I wrote might sound like it :)

Positive, for once.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting The Human Head, made with real bits of poker, so you know I’m good.

60% of the time, I win every time.

(Okay, I confess. I’ve had Anchorman on in the background at least 3 days this week while working on various things)

Good Stuff.

Wow, great times right now at PokerStars. I don’t think there is a need to enumerate much more than that, other than to say that last night things were almost PartyPoker-ish.

Again, Good Stuff.

Throughout all of my pontifications this year, both on and off-line, I have maintained that 2005 has just been kind of a generally shitty year for all (OK, backtrack…many) involved. Nothing too drastically shitty (ignoring New Orleans, current and ongoing political douchebaggery, and other various catastrophic events), just one of those years that nothing seems to go quite how it ought to.

As we near the end, I think that 2005 is getting tired and is ready for a nap. Over the last couple of weeks it dawned on me just how close we are to WPBT III: The Search for Sobriety (feel free to insert your own words or tagline here---My Dignity, Clean Shorts, Breath Mints, SoCo, Competent Wait Staff…you get the idea) . In other areas things have been steadily looking up, as well. Opportunities are poking their little heads out from the most unexpected places. I’m being flown elsewhere this weekend in pursuit of an opportunity with some serious potential that is unfortunately not poker-related, possibly resulting in our moving out of this (insert your own non-complimentary adjective here) city.

My holding is better-than-marginal, but I haven’t moved my stack in the middle….yet. I’m trying to finalize my read and keep in mind that 2005 could still very well deal me a nasty river card. This isn’t too likely, but then again a 2-outer never is.

Good Stuff.

Increments

What happened within the dead space of two months?

Too much and not enough.

I had to stop blogging for a while because it had simply ceased to be fun. Some intense self-loathing, for sure, for various reasons. I hardly read any blogs. I think I played poker twice the entire time.

We’ve all heard from various people in our lives all of the different quips that basically mean the same thing…”Do it right or don’t do it at all.” I didn’t feel like I was doing it right so I had to step back from everything even though I knew intellectually that there is no “right”.

Finally, at the ripe old age of 29, I’ve pretty much finished my Bachelors Degree (still have about 9 hours of lower-division straggler classes to finish, but those are a walk). I finished up a couple of certifications I should have completed long ago. Mrs. Head finished her MBA (emphasis on Global Management, if anyone is looking to hire. She’s like…umm,smart…and stuff). I am no longer dragging around the oppressive corporate black cloud (it’s not gone, just lightened up to a nicer shade of grey). This weekend was the time to get back to blogging and all of the other things that I so recently loved.

But what if I write something down and still hate it as I did before? It was a real fear. It’s one thing to leave for a while because you hate what’s coming out of you, but entirely another to come back and realize that you’ll be quitting yet another endeavor that you once enjoyed but now inexplicably can’t seem to do anymore.

I love it now as I once did. The drudge is gone, and I’ve gained a new perspective similar to those that come to light at the poker tables every once in a while. It’s not something that can be readily put into words, but you know that you’ve shifted to a new position and can see things that previously eluded you. You’ve just grown up another increment.

I live for the increments, like a junkie that lives for that next push. Most of the time, the junkie knows where to go for the next hit; increments aren’t so easy. When they make themselves known at the tables or in your life, be sure to treasure them because it might be a while before you get another.

Kumbaya.

Now that you’re all warm and fuzzy you may return to your regular poker schedule :)

I forgot to wear a cup

2 consecutive hands, I called obvious all-in bluffs.

2 consecutive hands, the bluffers hit their 3-outers.

I think I'm going to be sick. No cool prizes for me today.

Christ, my second post off hiatus and I'm already whining. At least I didn't post a hand history! It was really cool of PokerStars to do this freeroll, hopefully it'll happen again soon because I'm itching to exact some revenge.

Back to the tables now, gotta cheer the WPBT on!

Here I Am!

I’m back, bitches.

Let me answer the first question that I’m sure is on the mind of every man, woman, and child….

You were gone for a bit over 2 months. What were you doing all of that time? More importantly, what were you doing that made you such an absolutely fabulous poker player?

Well, it’s a sizeable and arduous answer, try I will try to give you a brief summation.. But first, ask yourself this: “What must happen to all heroes if they are to break out into the big time?”

Training Montage.

Think of all the great ones. The Karate Kid. Rocky. Kickboxer.

That’s right, I did all of them, in a combined super-hybrid ultra-get-you-totally- pumped montage.

If you work out and believe in yourself, you too can achieve this level of mastery. By harnessing the underdog spirit and invoking super-suckout power mojo, you too can duck, weave, and flying spin roundhouse your way to the final table.

Try my system. It’s only 20 easy payments, of $39.99 O.A.C. After setting up automatic payments, I will give you the key to my custom FrontPage website so you too can harness your power montage underdog potential.

Thanks for all the cheers tonight, everyone. Can’t wait to do it next week.

I’m back, bitches.

Coolest Event Ever

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 9488300

Vacation

I’m sure that plenty of you already noticed that I seem to be on extended break. The big question is how long will it last? I dunno. It may only be a couple of more weeks, but it could very well last until the WPBT gathering in December (it can’t come soon enough) it’s just hard to tell when it comes to something as intangible as creative juices.

I’ve also spent about the same amount of time not playing poker as I have not posting. Attempts at writing produce nothing but crap that I immediately loathe and delete.

So, until I get a bit less busy and get the other stuff worked out, feel free to put me in the languishing column as I have been a bad blogger and deserve it.

Be back as soon as I am able.

Turbo Trial Run

I’m still here! Don’t try to deny it, I know both readers were worried.

Today will be my last day doing inventory BS at work, for a little while anyway. After nearly two weeks of becoming intimately re-acquainted with all of the PC’s, Monitors, routers, switches, etc., etc. in my workplace and their attendant serial numbers, I’m very close to being fully extricated from the asset quagmire.

Remember the vomiting reaction to seeing violence in A Clockwork Orange? That’s me, just replace the violence with color-coded spreadsheets and watch me turn into a blubbering mess. Yeesh.

Thanks to an attack of insomnia last night I actually played a bit of poker. Things started out with the usual of nasty suckouts, so I decided to switch over per Mourn’s advice and mess around with a Turbo SnG for a change of pace. The one time I tried these before made me want to shoot myself, but this time I went in with a more realistic gambling perspective. This stuff is old hat for most/all of you, but damn, people playing like large-type small-brained mammals out of the gate. Call large pre-flop bets and push if you get any piece of it, crazy stuff. I lost about half of my stack with a nasty beat, got over-anxious and busted in 7^th. Not good.

I immediately jumped into another one, and of course immediately lost half of my stack when I had to lay down my top two pair to a river that put a 4^th spade on the board (my KJ had no spades, of course). This time, I actually adjusted. I didn’t get overanxious and ended up winning by capitalizing on the passive and scared play of my opponents when the blinds got big and we got close to the money. It’s relieving to be able to say that my game is not completely for shit.

I’ve got a tone of notes about things I need/want to write about, but they’ll have to wait. I’m kind of having the same difficulties as Maudie, due to my problem of work and other miscellaneous projects sucking down my life-force like 2-year old set loose in a vat of Koolaid. However, all of this has finally pushed me into doing something I’ve been meaning and needing to do for some time now….get back into the gym. I’m heading out Saturday to join and I think it will do a lot for my state of mind; I miss those endorphins.

I don’t look forward to the initial two weeks back, though, where I get to play the part of Fatty McGee getting used to the routine again.

I like the staaaaaaiiiiiiirrrrrrrsssss, eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhh.