Grumble Grumble

Freakin' Packers. I won't harp on the game much because historically the Steelers have been exceptionally fortunate in Super Bowls (AFC Championship games...not so much....but their Super Bowl Luck Box is extremely shiny indeed), but I do really feel like they just kind of loused this one up. I mean, the final score was 31-25, and they basically committed 4 turnovers (and somehow managed not to recover that muffed punt after their first possession, which is really still a mystery to me). Ben's wounded duck was a direct result of Pouncey being out (and obviously it getting returned all the way to the house was extremely unfortunate), the Mendenhall fumble was basically a fluke, and the missed FG....well that was retarded. I was practically yelling at the TV on 3rd and 12 or whatever it was the play before to just hand the ball off and run it up the middle (at which point Danielle astutely commented they were lined up in an empty set) for 4 yards so they the FG would be a nice manageable 45 yards. The Steeler's needed to have hired a special assistant for this game who's only job was to stand there and remind Tomlin every 10 minutes or so "I know, I know, he was 14/15 since you let the drunk guy go, but he's still Shaun Suisham. It's going to bite you in the ass." But no, Ben takes a sack and Suisham shankopotamus's the 52 yarder (admittedly an eminently reasonable distance from which to attempt a field goal, indoors, on turf) practically out of bounds and they hand the Packers another short field. I know the defense is good, but how good do you want them to be? Indoors on a fast track like that, with all those WRs and Rodgers prancing around back their....yeesh. In closing on the game...it doesn't count as a hurry up offense if you don't huddle but don't snap the ball until the play clock is down to 3 seconds or less every single fucking play. It just doesn't. And when you're stuck 11 with 12 minutes to go and have mysteriously incinerated two timeouts already, you need to be in the hurry up offense.

Life is going reasonable well at the moment. I think I'm actually doing some growing as a professional poker player for the first time in a while, thanks in part to re-dedicating myself to hand reviews, and in larger part to spending some time thinking about the kinds of mistakes I tend to make when I'm off my A game. I've also spent a fair bit of time thinking about what advice I really need to be listening to and what advice is sorta of optional, and I think that has been helping me out quite a bit.

Today was a fun day, with me getting stuck 2.5 racks almost upon entrance to the 20/40 game, digging myself out, losing a little more, then taking an ill-advised walk into the 30/60 game, finding myself again stuck pretty badly and....having the discipline to move back into the must move 20 which was fair and away the best situation for me to be in. For once it did work out like it was supposed to, and I ran over the game for 3 racks and left up a little bit on the day. It's kind of fun when you make good decisions and they actually work out.

Thus far 2011 is going much better than 2010, and if things continue on their current pace I'll be taking that Commerce 40 shot by Easter.

Dinner and a Movie

Danielle and I went to dinner and a movie tonight (we saw The Fighter...Meh is my official response...meh) dressed in our respective team apparel (her a Rodgers jersey, me sporting number 43). All I can say is that I think I now have at least a small understanding of what it must have been like to be:

1. A mixed race couple in 1985

2. A mixed race couple in 2011 in not California

3. Openly gay in the 90s

4. Openly straight in San Francisco in 2006 (OK I actually already knew that one)

Seriously, the number of double takes and stares and pointed fingers we got had to be in the double digits when we stopped at Ralph's alone.

End of a Long Week

So I have once again re-doubled my efforts to play as much as possible, mainly inspired by avoidthe9to5's post about engineering success (the astute reader will recall he is the one whom I whipped most fiercely in the weight loss prop bet, and I am forever grateful for his action and it is my blog so I am officially pimping his awesomeness here), and for a few days it seemed like things were going well. I won. Then won some more. Then won a lot. Then yesterday I lost a little...then today I had to stop myself out for the first time in ages. For the week I did still post a pretty good win, and I won quite a bit online also, despite the train wreck of a session I just played. I'm sitting on like 5 or 6 just amazing tables, spread out from 2/4 to 5/T (all full ring) and am pretty much in the zone picking new seats and keeping myself in 5-6 games at all time and just cruising. Then LicENsiADo sits down on my immediate right in the 5/T game and I un-check autopost because him replacing the 40/10/.4 drooler I had the Jesus Seat on was enough for me to decide to bail out. For those of you who don't know this guy, well....he's pretty legendary. He plays full ring at like 24/18 or some such in my database, and over literally 14K hands I have him winning almost 4 big bets per 100. I mean obviously he's running super duper hot, but still. I try to avoid the main. So anyway I'm about to sit out ....but wait...it comes to him and he doesn't take his blind. "Sure, I'll play one more lap!" I say to myself. There are some droolers to his right (just an amazing game honestly) and will sit out after the next orbit. So I play the blinds and nothing happens, and on my button, well....

Full Tilt Poker $5/$10 Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter By DeucesCracked Poker Videos

CO posts a big blind (1 SB)

Pre Flop: (2.5 SB) Hero is BTN with Q Q
2 folds, UTG+2 calls, 2 folds, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, BB raises all in, UTG+2 calls, CO calls, Hero calls

Flop: (14.5 SB) 2 J 9 (4 players - 1 is all in)
UTG+2 bets, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG+2 caps!, CO calls, Hero calls

Turn: (13.25 BB) 2 (4 players - 1 is all in)
UTG+2 bets, CO raises, Hero calls, UTG+2 calls

River: (19.25 BB) 4 (4 players - 1 is all in)
UTG+2 checks, CO bets, Hero calls, UTG+2 calls

Final Pot: 22.25 BB
UTG+2 mucks A 9
CO shows A A (two pair, Aces and Twos)
Hero mucks Q Q
BB mucks T 7
CO wins 15 BB
CO wins 6.95 BB
(Rake: $3.00)

That's the thing about this guy. As far as I can tell, he just...always...has it. And once again...he had it. So I finished out my session and put a close to the week with $3K less than I had Wednesday afternoon.

Things I Heard Today

So there is this one regular (I've probably written about him before) at the casino I was at today, and in the course of about 10 minutes he said the following things to a pair of dealers:

"I hate you. I fucking hate you, I really mean it. I fucking hate you"

"I hope you get hit by a truck. I mean that, I hope someone runs you over with a truck"

"Did I get you yet? No? Well hopefully somebody will in the parking lot"

At no point was he kidding or making a joke, and he is a 50 year old or so white American male. It's just flabbergasting what I have to put up with just because a guy is willing to drop 50K a year playing 20/40.

The Art of the New Setup

6 players limp and I stick in a raise with 65cc OTB. If back-raised I will cap, but sadly they all just call, saying things like "you're only up against 9 people" to which I respond "hey hey! It's only 8, and that's if you count the dealer!" and "your chances are real good" to which I retort "I'm going to flop it"

432ssc

To make a long story short I get it capped about 4 ways, with "guy with a set" putting in the donk/3 ying to my raise/cap yang. One time dealah!

Kh

Guy with set donks and I get the raise in, 4 ways. River Qc and I still have the nuts. He shows 44, and I drag a tape measure pot.

Very next hand I pick up 99 and get to play a huge pot with chessmaster and some woman. Flop is:

854ss

She donks he raises I 3 they call.

6d

They both call

Ad

She folds JTss face up, chessmaster calla with J8o and can't believe his misfortune. "How lucky can you get, Jesse?".

One more hand is dealt and I do not win it. I'm still trying to stack my copious winnings when Sam calls for a setup, on the assumption that my reign of terror must be stopped. The setup comes and me and another guy rush off to the bathroom and make it back just in time for me to 3 bet him with AQcc. He caps, 4 ways we go:

632ccc

That's right, I flopped it. He...donk checks...I bet they all call. Turn:

3s

He check/raises. I 3-bet quickly, he cries and calls headsup.

3d

He donks....I can't play good enough to fold and he shows me KK. The new setup has claimed it's latest victim.