Where peace is not a pie ...Rick's Cafe Americain

Read More...

Cheney exuded assurance and gravitas.  He speaks well, and he had a large stable of “facts” at his disposal.  Sitting at the table next to him, Edwards came across as a lightweight—especially on foreign policy.  While both tended to resort to meaningless talking points, it seemed like Edwards did it more and I think Edwards has a greated need than the incumbent to provide specifics to his and Kerry’s plans.

Cheney played dirty, threw low blows, and spouted misrepresentations and was as misleading and sneaky as ever.  But often, instead of responding with specific facts and truths, Edwards seemed to repeat the mantra “you are misleading”.  Sort of a Bushy response, if you ask me.

On domestic policy, both candidates resorted to anecdotes and soundbites, and though Edwards seemed more comfortable on those issues, Cheney’s demeanor, and consistent references to Edwards’ and Kerry’s records, gave him the advantage.  Cheney scored a big hit when he criticized Edwards’ record of absence from the Senate, a charge Edwards did not respond to.

Strangely, Cheney’s evilness worked for him.  When Edwards spoke about Halliburton, I was nonplussed (I’ve heard it all before . . .), whereas when Cheney mentioned Edwards’ S-Corporation tax dodge, and Edwards responded with “I know you are but what am I?”, I thought Cheney scored big.  Similarly, Cheney somehow managed to seem compassionate while admitting that he had no idea of the scope of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Edwards seemed soft and inexperienced, frequently repeating himself and often parroting statements Kerry made at the presidential debate.  Probably he was told to support and be consistent with Kerry’s statements, but I thought it was odd and made it seem like he had nothing substantive to say.  Edwards was distinctly non-presidential.  Presidents shouldn’t giggle, and the whole “Ooops I said his name again” thing was really annoying.

Cheney, on the other hand, came across like a Rottweiler faced with an overexcited Chihuahua.  Whereas Bush seemed exhausted, exasperated and overwhelmed, Cheney gave the clear impression that he was totally comfortable, both with the debate and with the office of Vice President.  Even when he had nothing to say in response to what Edwards had said, Cheney managed to make it look like nothing needed to be said.

I did like Edwards’ list of Bush/Cheney flip-flops, though.  I’m glad that came towards the end. 

Bottom line, Cheney is amazingly good at saying things he knows not to be true as if he were putting forward universal truths, whereas Edwards seemed to ramble and speak in trite talking points.  He reminded me of Mr. Rogers.  I’d be willing to bet that, on paper, the debate was a dead heat.  Watching it on TV, though, I thought Cheney was more impressive.

Read Less...

Read More...

create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide
via the birthday blog

Read Less...

Read More...

Seen from the highway, the Bay 101 casino in San Jose looks huge. I have only been to two casinos before (Bally's in AC and the Casino d'Montreal), and both were very large and ostentatious, so this is what I was expecting today. Not quite what I got.

The layout is basically two largish rooms on either side of the lobby, with a restaurant in the middle (I didn't go into the restaurant). While the main foyer is architecturally impressive (with marble and pillars and 50-foot ceiling), the two card "rooms" look like church basements. Each room is barely big enough for its 20 tables (40 tables is the maximum allowed by law), and is "decorated" with tacked up schedules and fliers.

I walked in at about 4:00, put my name on the board for 2-4 Hold 'Em, and walked over to the Deli while I waited. There was nobody behind the counter, however, so I went back to watch some of the games. I noticed that most of the people at the tables (and on staff) were Vietnamese. Also, there was almost exactly one woman per table. While I was watching a 4-8 stud game, I saw one guy backhand another guy in the face. A floor guy quickly separated them and got the story from the table. The guy who threw the "punch" was told to cash out and go home for the day.

After a while I realized that the 2-4 board was moving super-slow because there were only 2 2-4 tables, so I put my name down for 3-6 and went back to the Deli, where I ordered a sandwich from a guy who spoke very little
English and was hard of hearing to boot. It was so bad I couldn't finish it. Fist fights, crappy food, crowded tables . . . I was almost about to leave, when I got called to the table.

I sat down and bought in for $100. The way the poker tables at Bay 101 work is a little strange (at least to me -- I've never played poker at a casino before). Instead of paying by the hour, or the house taking a rake from the pot, Bay 101 makes the button post a BB on every hand. Thus, you are forced to bet $7 each round at the 3-6 tables ($3 big blind, $1 small blind, then $3 button blind). While this seems to be more expensive than other ways of doing it, I could be wrong. What it does do that the other methods don't, is make the table looser. It guarantees that at least two people in every hand that isn't raised pre-flop will see the flop with any hand, and that one of those people will be last to act. Also, by keeping the button in and by "boosting" the pot odds, it means that more people see the flop, and that stealing the blinds is virtually impossible.

When I sat down, the table was pretty loose, and not just because of the weird blind structure. I also was pretty loose, in large part because I have gotten used to playing 6-max games on Party, and play that works there is way too loose for a 10-person table. Especially a table that, at least for the first hour or two, was as loose as any on Party. I got some great starting hands, but none of them worked for me. I folded AA on the turn, and folded AK three times. I had KK cracked when A8 called me to the river and hit an A. I had KK cracked again when A4 hit the wheel on the river. The guy next to me (who had had AA, QQ and AK cracked a few times) and I started joking that AA, AK and KK were no good, but that Ax offsuit (where x<9) was the best hand to have. It proved to be a good rule for at least an hour.

Early in the second hour, I was severely short-stacked. I got dealt KJ, and the flop came KJ7 rainbow. I raised on the flop, and got a few callers. The turn was a 9, and I bet, putting me all-in. 2 callers. River: 6. Winner: the guy who called all the way to the river ($15) with 58o.

Frustrated, I bought in for another $100. Soon thereafter, I got 10♦ 4♥ on the button (remember, I've posted a forced bet). All 10 players see the flop, which is 10 4 3 (two of the same suit). I check-raise. Somebody re-raises me, and the two of us (maybe more) see the turn, which is a 7 (suit irrelevant). I bet, the re-raiser calls, and the river is a blank. I bet, he calls, and shows his busted flush draw, queen high. Unbelieveable.

A few hands later I got cowboys. I raised pre-flop and got a ton of callers. The board was nonthreatening, and I led the betting through to the river. Three people stayed with me to the river, but my kings held up.

The very next hand I raised with pocket 9's, and the same exact thing happened.

Not long after, I got 10♥ 4♠ in the big blind. The flop came 4 8 10 rainbow, the small blind went all-in with $4, I raised it to $6, and got a bunch of callers. Turn: 6. River: 9. Turns out SB had 79o, and hit his straight on the turn, but I hit the side pot (much bigger, due to many many callers), and it boosted me up to $325 (including the $200 buy-in).

It was a great run, but short lived. For the next 2 hours, I pretty much bled $7 per round as crap hand after crap hand befell me. The only two hands I played were both hands I threw away, then regretted folding, but ultimately was happy I did:

1) I got pocket 8's in late position at one point, and the flop was 2♦ 7♦ 2♣. Check to me, I bet, bunch of callers. Turn was Q♦, and BB represented the flush. I thought he might be bluffing, but I mucked my 88s, only to see a third two hit on the river. I was bummed, figuring my boat would have been the best hand, until the winner turned over the 82o he had slowplayed.

2) J6o in the BB. Flop was 4 6 K. Check around to a guy who says "bet" (or at least that's what I hear), and I fold. Then I realize that the guy to my right didn't bet but still had his cards, and it becomes clear that nobody bet. He had apparently said "check", not "bet". This was unfortunate for me, because the turn was a J. I was pretty pissed until the river: K.

$7 per round adds up pretty quickly, and after four hours (and $11 for dinner, which was brought to me at the table and was MUCH better than the deli sandwich) I was down to $160 (i.e., down $40 for the night). I had started playing looser, because of the extra blind, but I decided that wasn't working for me, so I tightened up for the last hour. 10 minutes before nine I got QQ. The guy before me raised and I reraised. A few callers, he re-raised, I capped it, and five saw the flop (sidenote: I figure most of the players at my table saw the flop over 50% of the time, and 3 or 4 saws the turn at least that often). Flop was J x x. The guy to my right opened the betting, and I put him on Jacks -- but two or three? I raised, he called, and I decided it was just two. The board paired on the turn (3's, I think), and he checked. I bet, and everyone else folded but him. He only called, and I knew he had JJ. The river was a 9, and I bet. He called, saying "pocket aces? kings?" as he turned over his AJo. "Close enough," said I, raking in over $100.

While he was dealing the next hand, the dealer skipped a player, and then when he realized it, he just dealt him out of turn, rather than declare a misdeal as I expected. Then, he miscalled the hand. The flop was K K A 3 4, and the showdown was Q3 vs QJ (!), and the dealer declared a chopped pot. When QJ cried foul, the dealer was clearly confused, and finally conceded QJ had won, saying "I thought there was a queen on the board". Dude, you're the dealer. On the very next hand, somebody noticed after pre-flop betting was done that one of the cards had a different color back. Somehow the electronic shuffler had thrown in a card from the other deck. The floor was called over, and the floorman said: is all the action done? Yes. Just play it out then. Really? That was my cue to leave, $55 up.

Despite my initial trepidation, I had a great time. The dealers and staff are really cool (I think the last dealer may have been crashing or something), and the food at the tables is great. I will definitely go back for one of their tourneys, but I'm not sure its worth it at the ring tables, what with that extra blind. I bought in for $200, spent $11 (in chips) on dinner, and $10 or so in tips, plus $3 per round, which conservatively adds up to about $20 per hour, or $100. So I had to win about $175 to net $55. Of course, I did win one big pot with a hand I would have folded were it not for the extra blind, so there's a discount there. Overall, I averaged just under 2BB per hour net profit. I gotta start up a home game.
Read Less...

Read More...

We ran into Nixma outside before heading upstairs.  Nixma and Zinester decided that their rail-thin frames contributed to hands that were as cold as any that you’ll find on a slab.  I have nice warm hands.  Discussion of hands turned to starting hands and I gave Zinester a final pep talk about tight play and position and we headed upstairs.

We drew for table (A.M. is a three-table tourney) and position, and Zinester ended up on the button at my table; I was in the small blind and Nixma was UTG+3.

I like blogging, but I hate revealing my hole cards on interesting hands.  Alas, once you commit to doing tournament recaps, showing your cards becomes inevitable.  So it is with the first hand I played.  It was folded to me with (hold your breath, Nixma) QQ two off of the button. I raised to 150 and was called by Nixma in the BB.  The flop came Jack high, and Nixma bet out 200.  I credited him for the ace, but the bricks on the flop were certainly not going to give him two pair. I raised to 600.  Nixma contemplated my demeanor for long enough that I started to laugh.  My poker face can be strong, but it is hard to maintain with my girlfriend just off my shoulder.  Nixma didn’t like it, but he folded KJ, halfheartedly crediting my tight play. Mostly, though, I suspect that he didn’t want a level one hand to get too expensive. Good laydown.

Note: Whenever anyone on the WSOP tells but doesn’t show, they say “I had Queens.” I’m just saying.

One level later, I was in the small blind, preoccupied with shuffling the cards for my next deal when two etiquette principles ran into eachother head-on.  I had posted my SB but not yet looked at my cards when BkynPlague started channeling Mr. Belvedere and started cleaning up the folded hands and he mucked my hand.  He mucked it so aggressively that I couldn’t even pull them out.  I then received the most tepid apology I’ve ever heard.  “I apologize,” said BkynPlague, “but not too much.  You have to protect your cards.” Given my reputation, one would have expected an explosion. Instead, I took it with grace and decided that I would get him back somehow.  Shortly thereafter, BkynPlague lost a large pot and went all-in on the very next hand (he took the blinds).  I assumed that he was tilting and said so.  He said, “No, I only tilt when I get screwed by dealer error.” “Like when the dealer mucks your cards for you?,” I responded. Still, that didn’t feel like revenge.

This felt like revenge: I raised to 300 with 88 from MP. BkynPlague is the only caller from the BB.  Flop is A-9-7 and BkynPlague checked to me. I bet 300 and he goes over the top all-in for another 850.  At the time, I had over 3000. It probably wasn’t the smartest call in the world, but I thought my stack could survive the beat.  I make the call and BP turns over A7. Undaunted, I said “Eight” as I flipped over the turn, and so it was.  The river was a brick and BkynPlague was history. BkynPlague didn’t stick around for the ring game in the loser’s lounge because he was steaming. I was sorry. But not too much.

Throughout all of this, Zinester hadn’t played a single hand.  The first hand she played was played exactly right. Sturgis, a player who had been betting out a lot, opened for 300.  Zinester was the only caller to see a flop of K-7-7.  She checked, and Sturgis bet 500 into a pot of 750.  Zinester laid down AQ - a tough laydown, but I think the right one.  And then she was moved from our table.

I’ve been told that Zinester slowplayed AQ when she flopped TPTK to double through MarkOn10th.  I’m not surprised, because he is big on aggressive play and questionable calls.  Keep that in mind.

I played well enough that when the tables combined, I had roughly 4000.  I ended up sitting next to Zinester, who had about 1200 left.  She doubled through on JCatz, who looked like he had well over 10000, but I can’t really be sure.  A lot of people ended up doubling through him, including me.

I had been blinded down to 3200 when I was finally dealt a good starting hand.  With the blinds at 100/200, I raised pocket Aces to 600; JCatz was my only caller.  The flop was K-x-y.  JCatz checks, I bet 500, call.  The turn made a pair of whatever x was.  JCatz “checks the chopped pot”, essentially announcing that he had a K.  I wasn’t worried that he had x and I was less worried that he had KK. I bet 1000 and he called again.  The river was another brick and JCatz checked again.  With only 1000 left to bet, I decided to check as well.  I knew that if JCatz had hit a second pair on the river, he’d have let me bet for him. I showed my bullets and scooped the pot.  “I was afraid that’s what you had,” said JCatz.  “I knew that’s what he had,” said Mullansky.  JCatz’s statement about the chopped pot was designed to elicit that information but for some reason, only Mullansky read the memo.

JCatz busted out shortly thereafter.  He was crippled when he called MarkOn10th’s all-in with A♠Q♠.  It’s not that he didn’t have a better hand - MarkOn10th had K♣2♣ - but the river was a deuce.  On the next hand he went all-in himself. I think Mullansky delivered the fatal blow, but it hardly mattered.  The suckout with the deuce appeared to sap his desire for the tournament.

The cards stopped coming, and I stopped getting action.  My stack petered away from increasing blinds and missed flops. I got back to par when I doubled through Mullansky (I don’t remember anything except that I was ahead going in).  Mullansky quickly recovered because MarkOn10th kept limping in and then folding when Mullansky went all-in.  It was comical how much money Mark was just giving away.  When I shook my head and started cursing to myself, Mullansky looked up and said, laughing, “That’s going in the blog.” So it is, my friend.

Zinester slowly became the short stack at the other table and busted out in 10th, just missing the final table.  I was still alive, but I was one of the shortest stacks at the table.  I stole blinds a few times, but we were already up to level 9 (600/1200/100) and the average stack was 5500.  My 4700 wasn’t so threatening anymore. 

I had anted down to 3100 when it was folded to me in the SB holding A8o.  I pushed, expecting MarkOn10th to fold, but sort of hoping for a call.  Mostly because I knew that he would call me with a dominated hand.  And he did: A5o.  Unfortunately, the flop is A-5-3, no further help (though the 9 on the turn gave me a millisecond of false hope), and I was out in 8th.  MarkOn10th took my chips with him on his way to a 3d place finish.

Party Poker

I jumped onto Party on Thursday for a little while.  I joined a .25/.50 limit game, thinking it would be a cheap way to play a little bit of wicked loose poker.  I wanted to just play a little bit of ATC just for shits and giggles.  I didn’t think I could lose much money and if people start taking notes about me or following me in PokerTracker, that’s even better.  What I didn’t count on was company.

Sean from Anisotropy was at my table qualifying for a bonus and only playing premium hands. I knew this, but I still bet into him and I still called him down. I certainly added to his bonus. He probably saw me lose over $25, .50 at a time.  He saw me start my comeback also (there were a lot of VERY bad players at the table), but he didn’t stick around.  I ended up down only $11 by the time I had to leave for dinner.  I know it could have been worse because I was sweating Otis from Up For Poker go from $550 to ~$180 at a 10/20 table.  Way too rich for my blood.

Bonus Home Game Coverage

Brother and I had Zinester and her friends Matt and Josh over for a few $5 buy-in winner-take-all tournaments.  Josh won the first two by betting aggressively and catching cards like you would not believe.  In the second tournament he bulldozed Zinester once they were head’s up by raising almost every hand.  I was finally able to make him pay for his aggressiveness in the third game. I crippled his stack when I slowplayed my aces all the way. I flopped a set and bet the minimum.  I turned a boat and checked.  The river was a blank and I made a baby bet, expecting him to come over the top of me, which he did.  I quickly called and flipped over my aces; He showed aces up.  I ended up losing to Brother, however, when I lost every all-in hand against him heads up until it was too late to matter.  I had a huge chip lead when we got down to two, but for an excrutiatingly long stretch, my highest card was an 8.  Even heads up, even with a huge chip lead, those cards are hard to play.

Did you really make it this far?  I’m proud of you.  Now go back to your life.

Read Less...