Some time to unwind.

This week has been absolutely messed up.  I get a cyst on my right underarm.  And quite frankly, it took the better part of a week to go away.  Which, I'm glad to know that it's gone.

Unfortunately, now I'm getting cold decked like you wouldn't believe.  And, naturally, it's eating away at my conscience.

After Thursday, I pretty much became so depressed that I just slept all day.  Friday however, I plugged in some video games.

I had been doing this a lot this week though.  Just not as much as this weekend so far.

Last week, my friend rented Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, and I played that a little.. Wow, this game is good/frustrating.  It's pathetic when I can't beat the second stage.  But then I've never been tops at Metal Gear Solid-ish games.

Friday, I figured what the heck, and put in Kingdom Hearts.  I hadn't played this game in 3 years.  I had a save point where I was at the final boss, but couldn't beat him and got frustrated.  Someone wound up deleting it (Probably me, since I borrowed the game from Bobo, my cousin).  Well, one of my friends just beat it, so I borrowed his save point for this.  He wound up not completing everything.  While he was at school, I found all the Dalmations, closed the keyhole in the Pooh book, and wound up beating the Ice Titan.  After he got home, I beat the game.  Then we got to bask in the excellence that is the secret movie ending.  Ahhhhhhhhh...foreshadowing.

He had also just bought Kingdom Hearts 2, and started playing it after I beat Kingdom Hearts.  He had a week or so head start on the game.  I wound up going upstairs and going to bed at this point, I was so tired.  I later find out he was just partially through Land of the Dragons (Third world of the game...mmmmm...Mulan...wait...um...what?)

I woke up about 6 am, and couldn't get back to bed, so I came downstairs and started plugging away at it.  By 5:30 pm when I went to eat dinner, here's what I got done (In order):

Twilight Town
Hollow Bastion
Land of the Dragons
The Beast's Castle
First part of the Hundred Acre Woods
Olympus Coliseum
Mickey's Castle
Timeless River
First Tournament at the Coliseum
1st part of Atlantica
Half of Port Royal

It seriously has been forever since I've really sat down to play video games.  I've neglected them so much for poker/Raw Deal/music.  I've really missed this.  And do I still own?  Yes, yes, I think I do.

Probably quite a bit of this for the next week.  Dunno what I'll be delving into next once I beat Kingdom Hearts 2.  I could always finally beat Final Fantasy X.  Then I could have my mom mail up Final Fantasy X-2 so I can beat it...maybe.  There's always the addictive factor of Intelligent Qube.  I've always wanted to play Parasite Eve, though, and it's at my disposal.  Plus, we just got Final Fantasy Anthology.

God, I got a lot of catching up to do.

But now, I'm wiped.  I'll try to stay up another 30 minutes and then go to bed.

This HAD to be a joke, right?

People who have played Razz will definitely understand how incredibly retarded this whole thing is.

Full Tilt Poker Game #912502995: Table Danville - $0.50/$1 Ante $0.10 - Limit Razz - 3:51:16 ET - 2006/08/19

Seat 1: Peter Alba ($17.30)

Seat 3: FoolCaller ($56.25)

Seat 4: Theyosienicenes ($20.60)

Seat 5: mml05 ($10.45)

Seat 6: MisterGMB ($57.20)

Seat 7: holla buck ($14.80)

Seat 8: jjok ($24.75)

mml05 antes $0.10

Peter Alba antes $0.10

holla buck antes $0.10

MisterGMB antes $0.10

Theyosienicenes antes $0.10

FoolCaller antes $0.10

jjok antes $0.10

*** 3RD STREET ***

Dealt to Peter Alba [As]

Dealt to FoolCaller [Ac]

Dealt to Theyosienicenes [3s]

Dealt to mml05 [8d]

Dealt to MisterGMB [Jh]

Dealt to holla buck [8c]

Dealt to jjok [Jd]

MisterGMB is high with [Jh]

MisterGMB brings in for $0.15

holla buck folds

jjok folds

Peter Alba calls $0.15

FoolCaller folds

Theyosienicenes completes it to $0.50

mml05 folds

MisterGMB folds

Peter Alba calls $0.35

*** 4TH STREET ***

Dealt to Peter Alba [As] [4h]

Dealt to Theyosienicenes [3s] [8h]

Peter Alba checks

Theyosienicenes bets $0.50

Peter Alba raises to $1

Theyosienicenes calls $0.50

HangukMiguk sits down

*** 5TH STREET ***

Dealt to Peter Alba [As 4h] [2h]

Dealt to Theyosienicenes [3s 8h] [6h]

Peter Alba bets $1

Theyosienicenes calls $1

*** 6TH STREET ***

Dealt to Peter Alba [As 4h 2h] [4s]

Dealt to Theyosienicenes [3s 8h 6h] [5d]

Theyosienicenes bets $1

HangukMiguk adds $30

Peter Alba raises to $2

Theyosienicenes calls $1

*** 7TH STREET ***

Theyosienicenes checks

Peter Alba bets $1

Theyosienicenes has 15 seconds left to act

Theyosienicenes: lol....got 3 pair here

Theyosienicenes calls $1

*** SHOW DOWN ***

Peter Alba shows [Tc 9s As 4h 2h 4s 2d] (T,9,4,2,A)

Theyosienicenes shows [6c 5c 3s 8h 6h 5d 3h] (a pair of Threes)

Peter Alba wins the pot ($11.35) with T,9,4,2,A





AFTER THE HAND:



Theyosienicenes: had you the whole wqay too

Peter Alba: why did you call?

Theyosienicenes: at that point....getting

11-1....had too

HangukMiguk: with a pair?

Peter Alba: with 3 pair?

Dealer: Theyosienicenes has 15 seconds left to act

Theyosienicenes: 11-1...if he didn't have a pair

showing

Peter Alba: you will never be right

HangukMiguk: with you having a pair?

Dealer: FoolCaller has 15 seconds left to act

FoolCaller: idiot

Theyosienicenes: 11-1

MisterGMB: pair will never win this game

HangukMiguk: you're going to call when he

doesn't show a pair and you have three pair?????

Theyosienicenes: no.....but if he is....and i'm that

pot commited....how do you not for $1?

MisterGMB: the only way you could have won is if

he had a higher 3 pair than you

Theyosienicenes: I understand..........but a pair

showing....and 11-1 for $1......if this was the 5-10

game, of coarse not

MisterGMB: odds are odds and it was a bad call

Theyosienicenes: for a $1.....i totally disagree

MisterGMB: the amount doesnt matter

Theyosienicenes: again.....I disagree

MisterGMB: the odds dont change

Theyosienicenes: also, I had him beat the whole

way down, it cost m $1 to prove it

MisterGMB: lol, ok

Theyosienicenes: not a big deal to call

Theyosienicenes: if I could show my laydown on

this site.....maybe I don't

Peter Alba: here is why it was a bad call

Theyosienicenes: but I doubt it

Peter Alba: because you had 2 pair

Peter Alba: i coulda had 2 pair

MisterGMB: he had 3 pair

Peter Alba: and still had 5 non paired cards

MisterGMB: true

Theyosienicenes: my 2 pair was 2-3-6-8.....I'll take

my chances on the river against 9 high

Peter Alba: or have 1 pair and 3 non paired cards

MisterGMB: the odds of both of you having 3 pair

is very high

Peter Alba: the thing is that no matter what my 2

pair is i win

Peter Alba: i would have to have 3 pair or a

fullhouse

Peter Alba: for you to win

Peter Alba: i coulda had aces up but my other

cards woulda been my low hand

Theyosienicenes: not true....if I get a A,4,5,7 on

the river.....I win....thats alot of outs

Peter Alba: ya on the iiver

Peter Alba: you called with 3 pair you could only

beat 3 pair or a fullhouse

Peter Alba: you couldnt win just so you know

Peter Alba: unless all of my hole cards were the

same

Theyosienicenes: ok....I'm done explaining my

point....your right

MisterGMB: lol

Theyosienicenes: I'll take my small profits with my

point and boogie......ty

 

A tough razz hand.

9 players left in the tournament tonight, 1 away from the final table.  Everyone has tightened up, so stealing the antes are very easy right now.  Here's what happens:

FullTiltPoker Game #909175690: $10 + $1 Tournament (5922280), Table 6 - 800/1600 Ante 150 - Limit Razz - 4:05:11 ET - 2006/08/18

Seat 1: Dodson10 (23,586)

Seat 3: HangukMiguk (9,216)

Seat 4: Corona_J1428 (7,261)

Seat 5: Dibboll (18,049)

Dodson10 antes 150

HangukMiguk antes 150

Corona_J1428 antes 150

Dibboll antes 150

*** 3RD STREET ***

Dealt to Dodson10 [5d]

Dealt to HangukMiguk [5h 2h] [5s]

Dealt to Corona_J1428 [5c]

Dealt to Dibboll [9h]

Dibboll is high with [9h]

Dibboll brings in for 250

Dodson10 folds

HangukMiguk completes it to 800

Corona_J1428 folds

Dibboll calls 550

*** 4TH STREET ***

Dealt to HangukMiguk [5h 2h 5s] [4s]

Dealt to Dibboll [9h] [2c]

HangukMiguk bets 800

Dibboll calls 800

*** 5TH STREET ***

Dealt to HangukMiguk [5h 2h 5s 4s] [Ks]

Dealt to Dibboll [9h 2c] [9d]

HangukMiguk bets 1,600

Dibboll raises to 3,200

HangukMiguk calls 1,600

*** 6TH STREET ***

Dealt to HangukMiguk [5h 2h 5s 4s Ks] [Ad]

Dealt to Dibboll [9h 2c 9d] [Qs]

HangukMiguk bets 1,600

Dibboll calls 1,600

*** 7TH STREET ***

Dealt to HangukMiguk [5h 2h 5s 4s Ks Ad] [Js]

HangukMiguk bets 1,600

Dibboll calls 1,600

*** SHOW DOWN ***

HangukMiguk shows [Js 5h 5s 4s Ks Ad 2h] (J,5,4,2,A)

Dibboll shows [Tc 4c 9h 2c 9d Qs 3d] (T,9,4,3,2)

Dibboll wins the pot (16,600) with T,9,4,3,2

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 16,600 | Rake 0

Seat 1: Dodson10 folded on 3rd St.

Seat 3: HangukMiguk showed [Js 5h 5s 4s Ks Ad 2h] and lost with J,5,4,2,A

Seat 4: Corona_J1428 folded on 3rd St.

Seat 5: Dibboll showed [Tc 4c 9h 2c 9d Qs 3d] and won (16,600) with T,9,4,3,2

After this hand, I was so pissed.  This guy played this hand so badly, married himself to a pathetic hand, and won with it.  However, after rewatching this hand about 1,000 times in PokerTracker, I realize that I myself made a key mistake that possibly cost me this hand.  Let's break this down, street by street.

3rd Street: Action folds to me, and I hold a very margainal holding.  Now, usually, I'll fold hands like this.  However, we are four-handed, with one more elimination until the final table and a pay increase.  The players have been playing passive, so I complete.  Corona had been folding to my completions all night.  On top of that, That makes for three fives out of the deck.  It's going to be tough for me to pair up.  I also don't count 9's as outs on 3rd street, which has served me well.  Unfortunately, I get a caller in Dibboll.  IF I had folded this, though, Corona completes, and finds himself in this situation instead of me.  So in a way, playing this is a mistake, but a minor one, and one I wouldn't take back, as it is proper play in a situation like this.

4th Street: The bet is fine.  If I check here, that says, "Hey, I have a hidden pair, feel free to take this pot."  With a four there, that's scary to him.  I figured he would call here though to see 5th to see if he improves his hand, but would brick and fold.  But if I check, I relinquish control of the hand, and am forced to fold when he bets.

5th Street: I brick (boo), but he pairs up (YAY).  I can now fire out, and possibly take out this pot.  The raise threw me for a loop though.  HUGE MISTAKE ON HIS PART.  I honestly have no clue if he was even thinking, or if that was a birth defect on his part.  Regardless, here's where my key mistake is.  I called the raise.

The question is: Do I re-raise or fold?  Folding keeps me with chips in hopes of making the final table.  Depending on the next couple hands, I could rebuild to a median stack.

However, I'm not there to make the final table, I'm there to win.  Raising sends the signal that I am drawing to beat 9-high even if he makes it.  Now, looking at my cards, you know I'm not.  But he doesn't know that.  And calling here lets him know that I don't have much, so he can now call me down with margainal holdings.

6th Street: The bet is fine, but given the current scenario, he may decide I don't have a draw better than a 9 to win, so he can call to see if he hits lightning.  By re-raising 5th street, I would have sent the signal that my hand is not to be messed with, so when that ace comes, he'll think I hit a monster and fold (most likely, not always the case against some idiot players).  Luckily, I did have a draw to beat a nine, just hoping to catch it.

7th: BRICK!  I have to fire one more bet out to try to scoop this.  Unfortunatly, he only semi-bricks.  At this point, he's priced into calling with T9.  I've been in that situation before where I'm priced in with hands like those and pull pots against bluffs.  It just sucks to be that person caught, and even worse, be completely crippled to boot.

So, this was a rough pot to lose, but I do feel if I make that 3rd bet on 5th street, I pull this pot down.

Reason why I hate Poker.com

This is only the third hand I play in the AJPoker game, second flop seen, first showdown:

HangukMiguk Posted Small Blind 15
BobDiNiro Posted Big Blind 30
Dealing Cards
You Were Dealt (Kh, Ks)
JDean0012 Folds
CYCOMAN Folds
joco66 Folds
jonboy765 Folds
dcfitz420 Calls 30
DNegreanu All In for 600
MauBon Folds
FloppedSet Folds
HangukMiguk All In for 935
BobDiNiro All In for 2,860
dcfitz420 Folds
-------------------------------------------------
DNegreanu has (8h, Ad)
HangukMiguk has (Kh, Ks)
BobDiNiro has (Kd, Kc)
-------------------------------------------------
Dealing Flop (9c,Ah,2s)
-------------------------------------------------
Dealing Turn (7s)
-------------------------------------------------
Dealing River (6c)
-------------------------------------------------
1,940 Returned to BobDiNiro from pot 3
-------------------------------------------------
BobDiNiro Wins 350 from pot 2 with : Pair of Kings
-------------------------------------------------
HangukMiguk Wins 350 from pot 2 with : Pair of Kings
-------------------------------------------------
DNegreanu Wins 1,830 from pot 1 with : Pair of Aces


Right after that, I had to commit my stack with a margainal Ace, got called by Ace King.

I may never win an AJPoker game.

AJPoker league 7

23 cashes
9 final tables
0 wins
And it's time AJPoker's 7th League. I'm tired of losing these. I'm ready to finally stand on top of this field.

That's right, I'm calling my shot. I will win this AJPoker tournament. The rest of you can just give up. This one's mine.

The blackest day in poker has arrived...

Mark this day black on your calendars: Poker has been destroyed.

I thought things were bad when Robert Varkonyi won the Main Event. And that was definitely bad. I looked on in disgust, and was screaming at my TV when Danny Nguyen donked his way to a WPT Title.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see what I saw today. The most undeserving, most despicable being in poker wins the World Championship. And not only wins it, but wins it almost uncontested due to the fact that only one player at the table saw him for the donkey he truly was, and couldn't do anything about it because he got cold-decked the entire Final Table.

Before this Final Table started, I predicted that Jamie Gold would finish no higher than 6th place. I watched in horror as 2nd place at the time took pocket jacks against him when he wakes up with pocket queens to finish in 6th.

He now had 60% of the chips, and there was no possibility that anyone could catch up. Everyone, save consummate pro Allen Cunningham, layed down to him.

Once Cunningham busted at a perfect 50-50 race situation with his pocket tens against Gold's King Jack suited (where Gold CLAIMED he was getting the right pot odds to call, or so he said, 2-1, when he was in truth, getting 1.3-1, making a bad call to spike his miracle card), I almost resigned to the fate. But I still held out a glimmer of hope that one of his remaining two opponents would stand up and fight. Neither one of them did.

Both of them layed down to him. They soft played him as if they were paid off to do so. Jamie Gold even made a major no-no, and major infraction about 20 times during play, which should've resulted in a penalty: He TOLD his opponents his hands! He even exposed his cards to his opponent once, which is an automatic 10 minute penalty! Did he get that penalty? No!

How Phil Gordon and Ali Nejad could say his play was extraordinary is beyond me. That just makes me sick. What little respect I had for Phil Gordon is now gone. And Ali Nejad...well, is there any way someone could drop into negative respect levels?

Now, of course, this was only the Pay-Per-View version ($26 and 15 hours I will never get back). When this airs on ESPN, he will be absolutely glorified as the ultimate human interest story. You'll hear all about how he was playing for his father at home dying with Lou Gherig's disease. You'll see his teary-eyed phone call home after the bracelet's put on his wrist (a sheer mockery to the sport of poker). You'll hear almost every pot he enters, how he played this hand brilliantly and that hand brilliantly. You'll hear how he was Johnny Chan's protege, and how he's being "groomed for poker greatness."

What you will NOT hear about is the angle he shot through the media by claiming he didn't want to win and that he was going to dump his chips, which, as we can see now, is utter garbage. What you will NOT hear about is how his mother, who accompanied him instead of staying with her dying husband, was an absolute witch who downed on the busted players. What you will NOT hear about is how when he busted David Einhorn (who donated all of his tournament winnings in the Main Event to charity), he went over to his mom, and they both mentioned how "all the charity money is gone" and then had a nice little chuckle about it. I seriously don't know whether to feel sorry for this guy, or feel sorry for this guy while I mail my feces to him.

This donkey is a disgrace to poker. A total disgrace. Granted, almost everybody at the final table, save Douglas Kim, Erik Friberg, and Allen Cunningham, was a donkey, but if we're guaranteed to be represented for a year by a donkey, I'd rather have one with a soul. This guy truly doesn't have one. Every time he was on camera, he was running another angle. This guy would not shut up at all. It got to the point where he would run his mouth enough that it became blatantly obvious what cards he held. Why? Because he flat out told us, without being penalized! And what's worse is that no one, save Allen Cunningham, believed him.

And I have to say that this guy represents me as the ambassador of poker until 2007? I refuse to accept that. I don't care whose protege he is. Chan, in spots Gold was in, would've played differently, and the only reasons I can produce as to why Johnny was ecstatic in Jamie Gold's donkey plays working is A) he was backing him, B) he was happy to see his student winning C) both A and B. So don't give me the fact that he's Chan's pupil. Chan would've been asked if he switched brains with a retard if he played like Jamie Gold did these two weeks.

I'm a poker player. I have been playing poker since I was 6 years old. I love this game. I know this game well, and I play well. And I respect the masters of the game, and I have respected the past two champions, Greg Raymer and Joseph Hachem, and great ambassadors of the game. They've proven that.

This guy will never prove that. I guarantee you that. And I will refuse to accept him as my ambassador this year. Give me Joe Bartholdi, Season 4 Champion of the World Poker Tour. Give me Jeff Madsen, youngest 2-time bracelet winner ever (younger than me). Give me Bill Chen, apparently a great mathemetician and logical poker player, and one of two double bracelet winners this year. Give me Chip Reese, the 50K HORSE winner. Give me Doyle Brunson, who at 73, still proves he can play his top game. For the love of God, give me Phil Hellmuth, who may be a prick at the table, but never surrendered this year, finally got his 10th braclet, and appears to have clinched the Player of the Year for this WSOP. Don't give me Jamie Gold. All TV viewing donkeys at home can have him. I'll take a real champion. This guy is a fluke, and a joke. He will always be a joke in the poker world.

Now, please excuse me. I'm going to go vomit, and pray that after I wake up from my sleep today, that this was all a bad nightmare, and Allen Cunningham really did win the Main Event.