Certainly this would be average driving in Buffalo, but the average drivers here have not driven in Buffalo and that makes it dangerous.
At Best and 43 after driving Best on the side of the road not yet plowed, I had to get a running start to push over the plowed wall left blocking the road by some idiot roadcrew. It took me a while to trigger the light. I inched forward until I hit the laser gun.
Main highways were okay, but you could never tell, and drivers were still thinking it was summer. Few understood the advantage of stopping distance.
I dropped some things to Peter in Colonie and his road was totally unplowed. I backed out of it rather than try to turn around.
Then I hit Lisa Kill road. It was the worst. I slipped coming down, but did not slide away. However, at the end when I had to turn left I could see it was not going to go well. So I waited until all the cars from any direction were gone. Good thing too as just turning left from a stop I drifted off to a snowbank and had to back up and try again. Luckily no Colonie drivers were coming from my right. They'd have sat on their horns and plowed into me.
Gregg's road was clean and clear except for about twenty kids having a snowball fight across the street and only giving us a narrow goal post through the crowd.
I suppose some of them drive as well as play in the street.
That would explain things experienced on the road.
None of us killed any of Gregg's neighbors.
There was some questioning of the judgements when the schools closed the night before, but Springville got a similar storm, did not close, and had the superintendent giving apology after about seven bus fender benders.
I could see how much the kids would be in danger just from watching play them in the streets.
I expected a poor poker turn out, but we had a well attended game, including John. I took a few hands from him early on and then my tray began to drain away.
After $90 buy in, the tide started to turn for me and I left up $51, for my first session win in a while.
I can't remember all the hands. Perhaps others will add some.
I do remember playing John's favorite 7-5 against John's 5-2 and both of us catching on the river. I loved beating him with his favorite rag.
Later a 7-3 gave me a low pair of sevens against John's bluffed pair of fives. He bet thirteen on turn and 27 on river, and I stayed with him. I thought he had a busted flush draw.
Against Jerry I caught an inside straight on the river and I caught a pair of jacks on the river, and that was fun. I stayed with the inside draw just in the hope I could frustrate him. Watching his countenance harden and his eyes roll is better than winning the chips.
My game was a Comedy of Errors. With no coffee and very little sleep, I soon started to crumble.
My worst error:
I held Jack-X of diamonds and three diamonds came on the flop.
I bet and I'm called by Jerry.
The turn is a diamond and that is a disappointment for me as I expect that Jerry, if he stays at all, holds a high diamond.
"Well," I announce as I turn over my cards," I have a jack high."
"Well, " John says, "You also have the river yet to come. Check or bet?"
Jerry is happy. He likes us to show in turn. He likes us to avoid a slow roll. I've done both very early, so there is no confusion.
No more betting and I win. Maybe Jerry had two low diamonds. If so, I lost money.
My second worst error is not to go all in when I have the nut straight and can bet second. I did this at Foxwoods once too. It was my only error that day, but I did not play tired at Foxwoods, so I suspect I just need to double check all straights before I bet. Here it cost me money from John.
Jerry left at his normal time. He had gained a good tray, and then it drained to a couple rows and John took him out. It just seemed Jerry did not get cards.
Phil is used to just that pattern of early gains lost back in the end, but today Phil was really very hard to figure and he collected plenty of pots with good play as well as some luck. He did lose a bit toward the end, but he left ahead, and he left many of us wondering just how to play against him next week.
"I am beginning to learn how you play," Phil said to John.
"Don't tell him that; he'll change up," I admonished, and Phil chuckled.
It was clear Phil had learned how to change up his own patterns. He told us he is more dangerous once he accumulates some chips. He was dangerous this week.
Greg did not seem himself. Pokermaster cannot gain control of the table. John undermines Gregg's aggression.
"Come on Millett; get a grip!"
No head cold. No computer. No excuses this week.
(I wrote this before I learned that he took Blowers in head to head after I left, and regained his Pokermaster title- see below)
Bruce was missing. That certainly changed the game. We can usually count on Bruce to reduce the bluffing by calling if he has a pair.
This left Blowers free to run his mucka jucka, game except he had run it last week and trapped me in a way everyone remembered. So now perhaps he would mucka jucka when he was not trapping but bluffing, but perhaps, too, we all would know that today he would wait for the bluff to mucka jucka.
It was like that verbal game you played as a child.
"I know," you'd say.
"I know you know," your annoying little brother would answer.
"I know you know that I know, "you'd respond.
"I know............... " well, you get the picture.
Only in poker at some point we all have to bet (or in Blowers case decide to mucka jucka) on some level of "I know."
I lost a big hand last week when he did mucka jucka to trap with the nut. This week, based on that disingenuous play, I lost money by not betting when he was not trapping, and again on a high hand but not the nut. So that one mucka jucka has awarded a good pile of chips to John.
AND THIS ATROCITY NEEDS TO STOP!!
STOP THE MUCKA JUCKA CHIP GENOCIDE!
END MUCKA JUKA QUARK STAR POKER TODAY.
DON'T BE SUCKED IN BY BLOWER'S BREMSSTRAHLUNG EMISSIONS.
HE IS NOT A TRUE SUN, BUT STRANGE MATTER THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTAINED BEFORE IT DEVOURS THE UNIVERSE.
EVEN THE PLAYERS ON MARS KNOW THE DANGERS AND ARE TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION.
LEARNING THE RULES AND STRATEGY
The first chance I got, I showed out of turn my winning pair of kings after two rounds of checks and Jerry put on his face.
Ah.....this is the way to play the game.
Jerry then tried to slow the game by betting slowly, but his heart was not in it.
Hard to do that when it is easy for me to start a conversation with John that is as much fun as the poker itself.
Also, a slower game this week would have helped me in my mental disfunction a great deal. It would give me time to chew a bit of gum, take a breath, walk a bit.
On showing out of turn, Jerry thought my research supported his position.
I told him it supported Slink's position, not his.
I was never really in that position again to show early a well checked hand.
In fact, I was more often folding hands I would not show, especially winning hands.
Very little other rule issues. We did notice that the failure to collect chips into the pot after a betting round caused confusion and error on more than one occasion. Missed ya Bruce.
THOUGHTS ON MISSED BLINDS
Gregg did not do computer today, but there were visits that took him out of the game and Jerry made sure he posted missed blinds. Remember, Gregg, that you can always just wait for the blind to come around, especially when you get socked for two chips.
John waited when he telephoned.
Also, remember you are the house and can change that rule anytime you like.
HOW THEY PLAY IN THE CASINO
Often it is mentioned that in the casinos the rules of play are such and such and this and that.
In the future, I intend to offer up my opinions on how they pay on Mars as well.
True, I have never actually played on Mars, but not having played in a place does not seem to hinder folks from offering up definitive casino floor judgements.
John brings to the table casino play very different from anyone at the table. He knows no limit casino play.
I learned some things watching him play NL at Turning Stone one night and early morning.
Mucka Jucka was my lesson of last week and I used it at Foxwoods limit poker this week when my A-K caught two pair on the turn. I just made a face and sighed. It was small mucka jucka, but it was enough. My opponent called me twice.
This week John taught us how and perhaps why to bet or check in the dark. This is a much better skill than the blind straddle which John teaches us just for the fun of it. I am really interested because I think of it as a better strategy for limit games, although I often think it is a way for the regular casino rocks to signal their buddies to drop out.
We are playing double or more live straddles, but at Foxwoods they only allow a second regular straddle. Oh, they also play that way on Mars as well.
Only a live straddle cannot act last in round one of betting.
http://www.learn-texas-holdem.com/questions/live-straddle.htm
Except in Martian casinos where a live straddle includes..........well, never mind, there may be children reading.
Also RE: Foxwoods. Last week we were talking about their policy to take a timed rake of $5 every half hour, but no pot rake. They have changed that even on no limit games and now they rake. I have trouble leaving the 4-8 limit there, but perhaps I'll try a NL someday.
With Jerry gone the game generally doubles in speed, and so the crumbling of my mind speeds up as well.
But by concentrating on just my cards and letting all other errors simply be there, I manage to play well enough, get lucky, and in the end, I left $51 ahead.
I almost quit early down $80 in spite of the fact that I had no where to go. I was off to the Albany sleep clinic at seven to get wired up for an overnight of feeling like an android while people watch me sleep. Now there is a job I would hate. Imagine having to work all night long and stay alert while you watch people sleep.
The sleep study went well.
I am recalibrated and perhaps that will make me more alert for the next poker game.
Which Gregg reminds us is at Bobby Court again next Wednesday.
See you there.
Bueno suerte!
**************************************************************************************
HOW GREGG RELEARNS TO PLAY AND LEARNS NOT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM
Five made the table today, at least til 6pm then it was just Blowers and Millett. In one-half hour John took Gregg's full tray and Gregg bought in for $10 more.
It was great speed poker for over 6 hours. Best hand was my pocket aces and an ace on the flop -- we both bet pretty hard, then an ace on the turn -- "have I got him by the nuts now." It's all in and I show my four aces. John lays down a royal heart flush. Gregg asks, Does that beat my four aces?. Sure does says John. Gregg says, that's the most amazing fucking hand I have ever seen. John says "yea, I put it together while you were in the bathroom!
******************************************************************************************************************
JOHN ADDS A LINK
******************************************************************************************************************
JOHN ADDS A LINK
Gregg - great game yesterday. Thanks for the heads up session...great fun. Maybe next time I'll river the straight flush for real!
Dewey - here's the link to the article you were unable to read while we were playing yesterday (good luck with that whole walking/chewing gum thing):
click on this link and flip to p 82: http://imagsonline.com/pokerpro200912/
John
************************************************************************
ED ADDS
I told you he cheats Gregg. Well, at least this time he owned up to it :)
********************************************************************************************
And just in case anyone who has not attended out weekly games, gets the wrong impression. Honesty is the one thing we don't have to argue about. As much as we may banter the rules, we can trust our opponents to play and respect an honest game. That is an advantage over the casinos as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment