Blogger Poker - the Straight Story

It wasn't going to be for me but I saw an announcement that there was going to be a TBC Invitational, however it was on an evening where I had to work late.  I just assumed that I would't be able to make and and put it out of my mind.

Then while working I get a text (not a twat, not a facebook message but an honest to goodness old fashioned text) from Rob who happens to reside yonder.  The TBC Invititational was in full swing with Coach and Triple P and he wanted to know if my fat ass would be coming down.

I knew PPP was in town and really wanted to meet up with him and once I got this text I figure'd I should at least give it the old college try since I had failed to find the time on my days off to get down to the strip and share in some booze or poker.

I got a hold of the wife and gained permission to go out or the evening and then switched my attention to my boss who let me leave work early and next thing you know I'm driving down to the Venetian searching my bank accounts for a spare $200 bucks so that I could play some poker with people who I enjoy conversing with.   Yes, I live in Vegas and pretty much the only time I get out to play poker is to hang out with people who make the table worse to sit at and give me less options for stacking opportunities.
Total Fish

When I arrived I got seated at a different table while waiting for something to open up on the table of fun.
I cannot complain, however, because I did get to enjoy this view for the entire time I was there.

This was not the best pic I could snap but it was far from the worst as well.  But, it's hard to snap a nice ass sitting in a room full of other people, supervisors and people watching camera's.  Last thing I would have wanted was someone to spot it and point it out to said tush.  Oh, I spent more time looking at that arse than I spent looking at my cards.  Good thing a seat change opened up so quickly.

At my new table I enjoyed grabbing the 10 seat (or is it the 9 seat, I didn't pay attention to how many seats are at the V tables) and to my right was Coach and then TBC.  To my Left was a dealer but then the #1 seat occupied by RVP and the #2 occupied by PPP and the #3 by a guy who I think Tony announced 30 or so times was from AVP (which, I do believe doesn't even exist any longer).

So, I'm in the middle of all the bloggers like the fluffy filler that I am.  I sat down with $200 (well, a little less since I lost some at the previous table while not paying full attention).

I didn't have a whole lot going on for me early so I decided to take this passive table and steal  a few pots.  I raise with 42off and miss everything but take it down with a continuation bet.  I show my cards for effect but it appears as most people were not paying attention.
Next hand I get 72off and also raise that shit up and flop 2 pair.  However, I take that down with no one wanting to play either.
Later on I got 42 again and flopped an open ended draw after I had raised pre-flop but when I raised a guy who bet into me everyone decided to go away.
That was pretty much the end of my crap and where the "running good" came into play.

One of my two biggest wins came when I raised and flopped a gut shot.  A guy bets $15 into me and gets called by TBC which I also call and I think someone else comes along.  The turn brings out my straight.  The guy bets $35 and TBC comes along so I push.  Folds to the guy who bet $35 who is thinking about it and starts to stack his money up to the amount of the bet that I put out when Tony starts to go bat-shit crazy.

First Tony hates the fact that the dealer did not pull in the $35 from everyone so that all that was left out there was the $101 that was currently owed.  He mentions it to the dealer who says he has it under control and Tony doesn't like this so he reaches into the pot and starts to try to move the money out of the way himself.  The dealer takes the money back and sets it out like it was telling Tony that he has it under control and to leave it alone.  Tony won't let it die though and repeatedly tells the dealer to pull the $35 out.
The guy who the action is on finally asks Tony if he has a problem because he's the one trying to make the decision which you can tell just angers Tony some more.  Finally the guy decides to fold which I'm convinced was 99% because of Tony and his actions.
It is then Tony's turn to act and he starts going on about how I'm just trying to send him to the Machines and he finally calls.
I flip up my straight and tony I believe has something involving  flush draw and a straight draw - he started talking about having 15 outs and how he practically had to call.  Either way my hand holds and I am now sitting with 2 buy-ins instead of just one.

Over the next 15 minutes Tony keeps talking about how the dealer was in the wrong and unjustly trying to influence the other guy to PUSH ALL IN by leaving that $35 out there instead of pulling the bets in.

A few hands later Tony is on the button and the dealer only gives him one card.  When it's Tony's turn to act he is just sitting there, not doing anything at all and I point to him casually to remind him that it's his turn to act when he flips out that he only has one fucking card and has already told the dealer who just ignored him (Coach and I both did not hear this statement).  The dealer apologizes and says he didn't hear him and gives him another card and Tony just chucks his cards across the table while bitching that the dealer is ignoring him to piss him off.
The fact that Tony didn't end up busting all his chips during this temper tantrum was actually the most impressive part of the evening for me.

Eventually Rob leaves and Tony Bums a ride so I slide over to sit beside PPP for a bit.  While down there I raise to $15 with ATs and flop the nuts.  I end up getting two shorties all in on the flop which included two to a flush.
The Turn pairs the board and the river puts a 3rd flush card out there.
I tabled my hand after the flop and in an act of pure miracle both guys mucked after the river.  One flopped the bottom straight and the other guy never showed.

All in all it was a fun night of bullshitting and cards with some guys I haven't seen in quite a while.
I promise that I'm going to make a much better effort to get out and play when people are in town even though I might not play a whole lot any other time.
Also, I think I might give Sports Betting a shot this year - but just NFL.

This is what my chip stack looked like when I left, thanks to PPP's camera.  All of this was possible because I flopped 2 straights, hit 3 gut shots (cheaply) and rivered an open ender or two.  No pairs, no sets, no boats or flushes, all straights - weird night.

And this photo is just too good to not share.

Up next will hopefully be a poker session that includes Alaskagal, Stumpy, Cokeboy and Michelle - but first I have to get to Friday and make it to the game.

On My Mind

I'm sitting here waiting for my opponent to arrive for my Strat-O-Matic Football game.
My team, the Las Vegas Scumdogs, are currently sitting at 6-6 and desperate for a win to stay in playoff contention.  I beat this opponent once already and a win here would put us at the same record with me owning the tie-breaker.
However, I would still need some help to make the playoffs and do not control my own destiny.
This is the same situation I was in last year and the year before.  My team is close to being a playoff team but lacking some crucial elements.

Offensively I'm good.  I've got Tom Brady leading the way with C.J. Splitter and Antonio Brown also out there.  I've got Jacob Tamme and Pettigrew (DET TE) to give me depth there.  My offensive line is kind of weak and my defense lacks any type of pass rush to help out and that's where the biggest problem comes in.
Oh well, I guess that is what the draft is fore.

(I stopped writing because the game started, but since he had to run to pick up his wife real quick I thought I'd just let y'all know that his 1st play I picked the ball off and my 1st play Brady threw a Touchdown - Lets hope the rest of the game goes as well).

Today I'm trying a new "dish" that tastes like it's going to become part of my regular rotation.
I need more protein and veggies in my diet so I decided that Chicken, mixed veggies and black beans is something that I'm going to eat more of.  Cook it all up and top with some hot sauce and good to go.
No dressing or anything else to weigh the calories down, but damned tasty and quick and easy to make - plus it should pack up real nice to take to work for lunches.

Recently I had TBC comment on a Facebook photo or status update - he at first kept it on topic but then quickly turned it around and asked me to bring my laptop to Jean to see if I could get him hooked up with Ultimate Poker (which I find out is the Station Casino's online card room).
A few days later he tweets something about UP and asking what my username is there and how I connect to the internet.
I tell him that I am not interested in playing online poker and he tells me "So What if you are or are not interested in online poker, what is your connection thru"
When I responded that I go through a wireless router he didn't bother to continue the conversation.

Today I found I still had about $75 on Black Chip Poker so instead of just pissing it away on poker I decided to piss it away on a Sports Bet Instead.
I put it all down for the Penguins to win their current series.  Once they win I'll roll it over to their next series.
So, if they happen to take the whole thing this year then I'll be a few online dollars richer.  If not, well I forgot I had the money anyways.

Since Everyone Else is Doing it

The good news is that I have not had some weird Mexican prison 3-way nor have I slept in a closet since college, and really it wasn't truly sleeping in a college as that just happens to be where I drunkenly passed out in a pile of my dirty clothes as they were next to the closet.

Face down ass up, that's the way my drunk ass passes out (Some of you thought I was going elsewhere with that no?).

I'm about 25% of the way through Insomnia at this point.  I'm still not certain if I like or loathe how kindle uses this weird block system instead of a page system.  I can see that I'm 1648 out of 22450 blocks of the book done and my percentage is approximately 21%, but I sure as shit have no idea how this correlates into actual pages if I wanted to pick up the book and continue, unless I decided to do some mad algebra which I haven't touched in a cooooooo... almost made a racist joke.
Dog I love Racist jokes.....
sorry..
I digress

Either way, about a quarter of the way through Insomnia just reading a little bit before bed.  Yesterday I read before work, at work and then when I got home and I also put in a little time today before coming to type this crap out.
I'm not a fast reader by any means.  I also can't just grab a book and tare through it in one sitting.  My eyes get tired after a while and I get sleepy, I have to take breaks.

I'm enjoying the book so far even though it hasn't really gotten to the point.  Very slow developing at the beginning and there appears to be something with aura's and colors that is going to play a vital role in the last 50% or so.  Even with it being a bit slow I'm still really liking it.
I think my next book is going to be Carrie as they have a remake coming out and I want to watch that before I see the new movie.  I'll probably also force my Love to watch the original Carrie before we go see the new one.
I want to read one book a month for the rest of the year.  Give me a break from Comic's only and slow down the pace I was reading them and my new found massive addiction to them.
I have an addictive personality though so it's easy for me to get sucked into things.
Like blogging for instance.
Video games, Comic Books, Blue Rays, Steelbooks, Garbage Pail Kids, Magic: The Gathering, the list goes on.

I know this is redundant because everyone who reads me probably already reads the T to the B to the C, but he managed to get himself kicked out of Terrible's lol.  Also managed to slam a friend who has been nice to him for quite a while now.  Alienation.
All MGM properties, all Caesar's Properties, Treasure Island, Binions and 4 Queens and now Terrible's.
What's next? Hooters? Arizona Charlies? The Station Casinos?
By 2015 you will have no where in Vegas that accepts you.

This song started randomly going through my head in the shower.
This is from You Fat Bastards: Live at the Brixington Academy in 1991.

An Open Letter to Tony Bigcharles

I had a Rob sized post/rant typed up but in the end I decided to go with this instead.


Dear Tony,

Please to not mistake me starting this with "dear" as having any sentiment at all. That is just the standard way I start everything of this nature.

Tony - You are the source of all of your own problems.
You are alienating everyone who has tried to be a real friend to you.
You are only willing to listen to people who have vagina's that you may or may not ever get to use in the future.
Stop pretending to be high and mighty. Stop pretending to be Christian. Stop insulting everyone who tries to help you by blowing them off when it's convenient and then telling them they didn't do enough for you when you fuck up.
Koala has been amazing to you over the past two years or so and somehow you managed to piss him off so much that he said he's done putting up with your shit?  Seriously?  One of the few people who you could have counted on and you decided to chase him away.  Great job there Tony.

Today for the first time since you left Blogger I checked out your new "forums" because of some tweets that really got my interest.
So it seems that you decided to lie to everyone in order to bring more attention to yourself and called everyone out for NOT being a real friend to you except the two people with vagina's.  Good job being a self centered attention whoring asshole.

The world does not owe you anything. You do not deserve more than what you are currently receiving.  You created your own problems and you are the only one who can solve them.
Accept responsibility for the problems you have created.
Stop pretending to be a Christian and start acting like one.
Take care of your family instead of acting like they are a burden on you.
Either learn to control your addictions or remove yourself from the problems.  The problem is not the machines. The problem is ALL GAMBLING including Poker.

There could be more, but it's not worth my time and effort.

grrouchie

TonyBigCharles.com

I'm going to admit that I am really going to miss TonyBigCharles.com.
Sure, it had a lot of immature comments and pretty much was just a self serving website for the express purpose of making fun of one person but there were some good redeeming things about it - well at least one, for me.

The thing is, following the chronicles of TBC is kind of mind numbing.  At first you think it's a big joke and then you come around and realize that it is not actually a joke.  This is all real and it is the life of Tony.  After you come to that realization you start digging for info from some of the older websites that he has blogged on and you see the exact same patterns emerge.  Tony is a circle, his life follows the exact same pattern over and over whether you are talking about poker, VBJ or women.  There is a pattern to everything he does and try as hard as he might (and no matter how much you root for the guy) that pattern doesn't appear to have a breaking point. It's a perfect circle and there is no derailing it.

The last while I've come to love TonyBigCharles.com because it was a well written summary of whatever Tony happened to be posting on his own blog. It was creative, it was funny and most of all it summed everything up in a manner that I could really get behind.
I pretty much never looked at the comments because they really weren't worth my time.  It was the same thing as taking 30 14 year old kids and letting them create their own government where KKK and anal rape jokes were not only funny, they were law!
So, I read tbc.com for the articles and then I'd read Tony's actual blog for the comments and interactions.

In fact, it now appears as though TBC's blog might end up going to a thing of the past as well since he's experimenting with a forum of sorts.  Who knows what the future holds.

I can tell you I'm looking forward to the meet up in June/July as it's going to be a lot of fun putting faces to the handles.