By Nicholas on 3/28/2006 9:45 AM

 

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By Nicholas on 3/20/2006 9:01 AM

I was sitting 4/8 in the 6s at Cache Creek. A nice loose aggressive table that paid the full amount, on solid hands. A bizarre thing happened, no not really if you play more than twice a year. One of the dealers thumped the table in front of the 1s after the flop to signal his action. The next 3 players all verbally checked and only then did the 1s make a bet. "Floor..." The decision came down correctly, that the bet couldn't stand because the dealer didn't call "Time!" while the remaining 3 players verbally checked. I.e. the thumping appeared to them and me too as the 1s hitting the table to signify his check. He's a pretty nice guy too, but nice has nothing to do with it. No tip for that dealer from me. Later, the dealing troubles continued. Helen dealt my first card and it literally rolled to me at an 89 degree angle, but didn't flip over. I was in the big blind and when she finished dealing in the button, I slid that card to her and said, "it flashed". Rather than just dealing me another card, exposing that card and using it for the burn she matter of factly said, "No, it didn't". Shock and Awe was an expression that immediately hit my face. "What? it was at an 89 degree angle. How could they not," motioning to the other 60% of the table, "have seen it." I'm starting to think about her tip situation......

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By Nicholas on 3/13/2006 1:22 AM

 

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By Nicholas on 3/5/2006 10:37 PM

Wow, nothing has been happening in what seems like ages! I'm still playing, but nothing exciting to report. I officially have nothing to bitch about! Trust me, I'm as depressed about that as everyone else is. Lately, I've been getting cold decked like I pissed on the Poker Gods shoes, but haven't really had any cool stories to share. It even carried over to the Bond Traders game last week, when I played for 4.5 hours and made a whopping $10. That barely covered the gas. I think the Greek made off with the cash and even Sponge made a little coin. Lots of laughing, but no harm or fouls committed. The Doc put on a quality meal as always, so I guess that count that as part of the lure to the game. I just started playing online at Ultimate Bet, but that's been somewhat of a mistake. Apparently they've recently made changes to the softs and can't seem to keep their act together. I keep getting disconnected, seemingly for no reason at all. The software claims that it's on my end, by my net connection is always smooth sailing. I've been playing 10/20 and 5/10, but the cards keep coming cold. Sitting 10 playersthe other night, I was only winning 6% of the time, which is to say I wasn't even winning my fair share. I got a little reprieve today, but no real action to speak of. The Limit games are pretty sparse above low limit with the same 20 players so it's kind of like real life at the card room. Hope that 100% bonus issue gets resolved, it's the only reason that I'm playing there. Then I'm moving my money somewhere else. Besides, the hand history functionality is terrible. How these guys ever get "Great Software" reviews is beyond me. Must be like all of the companies that put out Press Releases saying "Market Leader" when they just opened for business and have no referenceable customers....

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By Nicholas on 2/16/2006 12:49 PM

So much ado about nothing. That's my thoughts on this whole Dick Cheney hunting accident. It's apparent to me that at this time of the year, there is just nothing interesting to put in print or on TV, so even the most mundane things make the top story. I'm even getting flashbacks of the Lima, OH (born and raised, not by choice) nightly news where the local NBC affiliate's top story was frequently, "Tonight, the latest unemployment figures." The guys went hunting, accidents happen all the time. If it weren't the VP then it wouldn't have made the last page of the Crawford, TX high school newspaper. It's not like he donned war paint made a loud scream and hunted the guy down and plugged him. Dick didn't even go for the death blow or leave the guy for dead! They took the guy to the emergency room of all things! Teddy Kennedy on the other hand...not so much with Mary Jo Kopechne. Thanks to White Bread for sharing...

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By Nicholas on 2/9/2006 8:01 PM

Wow, I haven't seen/done anything worth writing about in quite some time! Here's quick recap of the recent past that seemed noteworthy. I promise to get into more hijinks ASAP. I got back from Lost Wages (Las Vegas for those not aware) on Thursday. The last two months seemed to have been tough for my bankroll, big swings but nothing that I'm not sure is just normal statistical variance. So it's just one of those hazards of the game that I've outlasted before and I'll outlast again. I ended loser $800 in Vegas, and that was a after a devastating run that lasted hours without having a single hand hold up. It just wasn't meant to be. Should have known since I started out the week winner by $600 on Sunday. The individual results really don't matter that much to me though because I've been playing long enough to know that the numbers work themselves out over time, so I just have to keep making the best investments at the best time. I also played recreationally for a while with White Bread and his dad (my uncle)...

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By Nicholas on 1/24/2006 11:08 PM

 You lucky readers get a bonus today, a double post! I was toying around yesterday singing yet another of my non-sense songs and came up with a good country-style "Dueling Pianos" tune in about 5 minutes (Ya, I have my moments...). Here are the lyrics for your enjoyment until I get around to laying down the tracks and building the MP3. I dedicate it to one of my most dedicated readers and the sparkle in my eye, my ma. If I can't make her pee herself laughing then I don't want to live anymore. Love ya, ma. ;-) Drum roll please... --- Ma Needs a Brew - by Nicholas "in the 3s" Schoonover my ma just walked into this hole to see her boy perform I cranked up on the keys and spat and tried to wail one more she bellied up next to the rail and listened to me sing then slammed her hand upon the bar and yelled I need a drink ma needs a brew ma needs a brew oh how 'bout you? ma needs a brew the more she sings the more she woos the more they bring ma needs a brew now ma's about the greatest woman...

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By Nicholas on 1/24/2006 12:02 PM

There are no great secrets in the game of Poker. I've heard this time and again by weak players that refuse to work on their game, "If those pro tactics were so good, then why would they share them?" Well Bruce Lee didn't get his ass kicked very often and he published all of his techniques in books for anyone to buy and learn. Knowing the path is much simpler than walking the path. Translation: I can tell you a million times how to play a hand correctly, but you have to play it yourself. It isn't an easy thing to remember what to do in a particular situation when you may not have seen that situation in months if ever; that's where practice makes perfect. I've played so many hands in my 7 years at the table that I've seen just about every possible situation and player type so many times over that my actions are automatic. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, counting down the pot and knowing whether I should call, raise or fold based on the Math without really thinking about it. With enough repetition...

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By Nicholas on 1/23/2006 4:07 PM

"I would like to propose a toast. To chicks with big tits, and SAKE!!!" - Nicholas "in the 3s" Schoonover Ya, so that's pretty much how my Friday night went. I hadn't been out for Japanese in quite a long while, but I found a great opportunity when Wookie and the Romanian came out to Fair-tucky for a visit and were looking to take a drink or two. First a little of the ground work. I have single handedly composed a tradition with certain rules to be followed at Japanese Hibachi or Tepanyaki style steakhouses where a performing chef cooks for your group with style! My tradition started a couple of years back when I took my best friend Jagger out to dinner with a couple of other people and he said that he'd never tried Sake. "SAKE!!!" I shouted, throwing up my hand for service and had an order of cold Sake delivered pronto. Now here are the rules and they must be followed to a 'T' lest bad Juju fall upon your house and your loved ones. You don't want bad Juju, trust me. 1. You must use traditional Japanese...

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By Nicholas on 1/18/2006 5:32 PM

Democrats answer GOP with own ethics plan I'm not even certain where to begin making fun of this ridiculous collision of words. If that isn't the most absurd thing you've ever seen, then you're one of those insane Liberal lunatics that love to kill babies. I'll have to leave the real fun to Ann, but I fear that she'll miss this week's column deadline while laughing and spitting soda out of her nose. I'll just leave this post with a couple of quick questions that instantly came to mind... - Will the new Democrat Ethics apply to "Coffee Talks" as well or are they just for Congress? - If the Democrat Ethics include the Senate, does that mean Hillary has to finally give back all that money she stole from the Tax Payers? - Is it now bad to jam a fork in a baby's head and murder it according to the Democrat Ethics? - Do the Democrat Ethics now make it treasonous to give a Communist enemy super power...

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