Man, that was a week. Much more fun like that will kill me.
Sleeping is definitely optional. I've got a short turn around this week.
I got in from Vegas on Sunday afternoon and I leave for Denver tomorrow morning. I'll have to keep this post short as there is still much to do between now and flight time.
Let me start with Vegas highlights. We played poker. We played tournaments, and ring games.
I played in 8 tourneys and moneyed in 3. That's great and I wouldn't expect to do that well again. The bad news is that my luck at the ring games was bad. So bad, in fact, that after carefully keeping track of wins and losses over the 5 days of poker, I came out dead even. $0.00. I couldn't believe it when I added it up last night. I had fun playing so that makes the trip a winner.
According to the hookers in Vegas, I have very nice eyes. Who could argue with that. BTW, they never touched me or saw more skin that my face and hands, so stop thinking what you are thinking.
It was great fun seeing a friend of a friend talking to a hooker in front of the Mirage and then seeing him asked about it the next morning and seeing him wonder how the hell we knew.
Did I mention that I won a poker tournament in Vegas! Golden Nugget's evening tourney. I came back from just 3 $100 chips (starting amount was about $2500). My buddy BG made the final table as well. When I took 3rd at the Aladdin two days later, BG won the thing. That is very cool.
I got threatened to be tossed out of the MGM poker room for saying 'Bullshit.' I really didn't know that was still cussing. I left anyway.
While at the MGM, I had the most wonderful hand of poker of the whole trip. I was in the big blind of a $2-4 limit ring game. There were two young drunks 2 and 3 seats to my right. I'd been watching them raise absolute trash for a while. They would push and push until they either won the pot or folded that trash on the river. It really pissed me off.
On my hand, I picked up 89s and had to call one raise from drunk punk #1 (DP1). We saw the flop with 4 players. The flop was 789 rainbow. DP2 bets. I raise and other player folds. DP1 raises. DP2 calls. I cap it and the DPs complete the betting.
The turn is a unsuited Q and the madness starts again with DP2 calling the whole way to the cap between me and DP1. I'm a bit worried that DP1 flopped a straight, but he's been playing such trash, I can't ease up now.
The river is the sweetest 8 I ever saw. DP2 checks and folds as me and me and DP1 raise and reraise. After I'm reraised, I ask the dealer if there is a cap now that we are heads up (talk about a tell) and he says that there is since we started with 3. Crap! So we cap it and DP1 smirks and turns over pocket 7s for a full house, 7s full of 8s. It did my heart and bank roll good to look him in the eye as I turned over 8s full of 9s to take a huge pot (about $136). DP1 wasn't so chatty or pushy after that. I never said another thing. :)
A good time was had by all but I don't need to see any more poker for at least a week. On to Denver for business and a couple days skiing. Be good.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Top 9 ways you know you spent too long in Vegas after returning to work
9. You wonder what happened to the shoe shine guy in the men's room.
8. You catch yourself scanning the cafeteria for hookers.
7. It's 5:30 and you wonder why everybody is going home.
6. You are disappointed that you can't get shrimp or crab legs at the 'buffet'.
5. The only Elvis impersonator is Pilipino and there is only ONE.
4. Boss is real tired of poker references in business meetings ("We need to go all-in to make this deal.").
3. You are surprised to wake up refreshed.
2. You hang out in front of the office waiting for the valet.
1. Oh, so THAT'S the sun.
8. You catch yourself scanning the cafeteria for hookers.
7. It's 5:30 and you wonder why everybody is going home.
6. You are disappointed that you can't get shrimp or crab legs at the 'buffet'.
5. The only Elvis impersonator is Pilipino and there is only ONE.
4. Boss is real tired of poker references in business meetings ("We need to go all-in to make this deal.").
3. You are surprised to wake up refreshed.
2. You hang out in front of the office waiting for the valet.
1. Oh, so THAT'S the sun.
Monday, January 23, 2006
What day is it? Where am I?
…two questions that I seem to be asking myself over the past few days. The current stretch of work and travel must be wearing on me some.
Thursday night was poker night in Renton, WA for me. I dropped in on Diamond Lil’s Poker Room. I played the $4-8 limit hold’em game which was their lowest level. That is the highest limit that I have played in a cash game, but I figured poker is poker. I got a good early start that soon turned sour. I had two A-high flushes get beat along with a King-high flush. I was down to my last $10 (of the $200 I started with) at one point. But I stayed tight and worked my way back up to $243 over the course of 5 hours. It was a good grind and good practice for Vegas. It was 3:30 in the morning, so I decided that was enough.
Friday, I attended a meeting with Bill Gates and Steve Balmer, the Chairman and CEO (respectively) of Microsoft. It was a town hall type meeting for employees. There was nothing really interesting said. You could read most of it in any business magazine, but I got some great pictures.Friday night I got to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Sea-Tac) for my flight back to Charlotte via Chicago. The weather was bad in Chicago delaying the plane for several hours. Luckily, United found another plane and got us going about 30 minutes late. I had a tight connection in Chicago and this just made it really tight, but not too bad. I drew a middle seat for this leg and I had a real ass in the isle seat next to me. He crowded me the whole trip. I don’t think I got more than 10 minutes sleep during the whole 4 hour flight.
We got to O’Hare. I had to go from gate C10 to B30 (a long ass way), but I arrived at the gate just as they were starting to board. The rest of the flight was great.So I am home around 10am. My wife is the most understanding soul. I tried to stay up and visit for a while, but she could tell that I was about to fall over and sent me to bed. I ended up sleeping until 5 pm.
I took the wife to dinner (Chicken Wings) and returned home. This night I had to help a customer with a project that I thought would be short. We started around 11 pm. Unfortunately, this project was neither short nor simple and I ended up getting to bed around 7 am. I slept hard until about 2 pm.
Last night I laid down around 1 am thinking that I probably wouldn’t sleep well, but I slept like a log and got up ready to go this morning at 8 am. May sleep scheduled are optional. No one ever told me.Well tomorrow I head to Vegas for some vacation with my poker buddies and to photograph another tournament. Now I know sleep schedules are optional. Y’all have a good week. I post if I get a connection.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Slogging Through Seattle
Well, actually, I’m in Redmond. The trip has gone well so far.
Getting here went great until I actually arrived. The flight from Charlotte to Chicago was good. The guy in the seat next to me was nice and mostly kept to himself. I got to watch some of the Panthers/Bears game during my 2 hour layover. I was a bit worried about the flight out of Chicago. It was very full. The agent at the United desk in Charlotte had pity on my and got me an isle seat in the emergency row. That was much better than the middle seat on row 35 that I had originally. It got even better when nobody sat down in the middle seat, so me and my row-mate had what might have been the only empty seat on the plane between us.
So I arrived in Seattle a happy camper. I called Mrs. K to let her know I was safe. Then the wheels came off. First off, my bag didn’t arrive. Since I had a 2 hour layover, there was no excuse for the bag not making it onto the plane. The agent couldn’t tell me exactly when I would get my bag so I was probably looking at returning to the airport 2 hours later when the next flight arrived from Chicago. What could I do? I filled out the form and headed to the rental car counter.
They had my reservation ready to go, except it wasn’t the intermediate car that I had asked for. As you can see below, they gave me a bright yellow Hummer H3. I asked if they had anything smaller and was offered a Ford Crown Victoria. No thanks. H3 it is.
Since then, it has been smooth sailing. My bag arrived in the middle of the night and was ready for pick up the next morning. The folks at the Redmond Inn have been great. Breakfast and the internet connection is free and the room is big and comfortable. The drive to campus takes about 10 minutes which is remarkable for Redmond. The price is right, too. If I come back in August, I’ll look to stay here again.
The poker has been fun. There was a tourney on Tuesday night for $20. I got AQs on the first hand. A 3x raise took the blinds and I was the early chip leader. I folded the next 4 hands and caught KK on when I was 2 right of the button. As the action comes around, Pat, who is 2 to my right goes all in. There are only the blinds and one caller in at this point. I’m only worried about one hand, and overbetting with AA would be aweful. It’s an easy call. Turns out that it was an aweful play on Pat’s part as he had AA. Another A come on the flop and I am gone.
Tonight went much better. I got a few cards and about 3 big hands won to take 3rd of 25 and a $35 profit. Still, I really didn’t catch any good luck. The hands that I won were strong hands that held up. I had a big JJ get outdrawn by AJ. I had QQ get outdrawn by Ax. That was two straight 70% advantages that got crushed. That’s poker. I am happy that I was able to get so far on good play.
Tomorrow night I plan to visit the local card club. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Getting here went great until I actually arrived. The flight from Charlotte to Chicago was good. The guy in the seat next to me was nice and mostly kept to himself. I got to watch some of the Panthers/Bears game during my 2 hour layover. I was a bit worried about the flight out of Chicago. It was very full. The agent at the United desk in Charlotte had pity on my and got me an isle seat in the emergency row. That was much better than the middle seat on row 35 that I had originally. It got even better when nobody sat down in the middle seat, so me and my row-mate had what might have been the only empty seat on the plane between us.
So I arrived in Seattle a happy camper. I called Mrs. K to let her know I was safe. Then the wheels came off. First off, my bag didn’t arrive. Since I had a 2 hour layover, there was no excuse for the bag not making it onto the plane. The agent couldn’t tell me exactly when I would get my bag so I was probably looking at returning to the airport 2 hours later when the next flight arrived from Chicago. What could I do? I filled out the form and headed to the rental car counter.
They had my reservation ready to go, except it wasn’t the intermediate car that I had asked for. As you can see below, they gave me a bright yellow Hummer H3. I asked if they had anything smaller and was offered a Ford Crown Victoria. No thanks. H3 it is.
Since then, it has been smooth sailing. My bag arrived in the middle of the night and was ready for pick up the next morning. The folks at the Redmond Inn have been great. Breakfast and the internet connection is free and the room is big and comfortable. The drive to campus takes about 10 minutes which is remarkable for Redmond. The price is right, too. If I come back in August, I’ll look to stay here again.
The poker has been fun. There was a tourney on Tuesday night for $20. I got AQs on the first hand. A 3x raise took the blinds and I was the early chip leader. I folded the next 4 hands and caught KK on when I was 2 right of the button. As the action comes around, Pat, who is 2 to my right goes all in. There are only the blinds and one caller in at this point. I’m only worried about one hand, and overbetting with AA would be aweful. It’s an easy call. Turns out that it was an aweful play on Pat’s part as he had AA. Another A come on the flop and I am gone.
Tonight went much better. I got a few cards and about 3 big hands won to take 3rd of 25 and a $35 profit. Still, I really didn’t catch any good luck. The hands that I won were strong hands that held up. I had a big JJ get outdrawn by AJ. I had QQ get outdrawn by Ax. That was two straight 70% advantages that got crushed. That’s poker. I am happy that I was able to get so far on good play.
Tomorrow night I plan to visit the local card club. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Seattle, Here I Come
Life if full of twists and turns. The road got a lot bumpier this week for my family. I can’t talk in specifics right now. Some of the folks effected don’t know what is going on. I don’t necessarily agree that anyone should be kept in the dark about serious family matters, it isn’t my decision to make.
I have a real simple rule when it comes to giving bad news. Many of the people around me want to hide the bad news to shelter their loved ones. I can respect that. But on the other hand, those being sheltered want to be trusted with the truth. So my rule here is “if the situation were turned around, would I want to be sheltered or told?” In some cases, the person being sheltered would want to be sheltered, but I think in most cases they would not. So be it.
Tomorrow the travel starts again with a trip to Redmond, Washington to visit a little software outfit that is headquartered there – Microsoft. I’ll be learning on this trip. It will be the first formal training that I have gotten to attend in years. The schedule is very demanding with the class starting at 8:00 am and most days finishing up around 7:00 pm. I am definitely looking forward to it. My camera will also be attending, so I’ll try to post pictures from the road.
Will I be playing any poker while in WA? Oh yes. There are two games on campus, but I will only be able to attend the Wednesday night game. It looks like class will overlap the start of the Tuesday night game. There is also a card club in the area (45 minutes away) that I will probably find my way to on Thursday night.
I used to live in the Seattle area and I still have a friend there and several friends that have moved there since I left. It will be good to see some of them again. Then it will be good to get home before heading back to Vegas.
Here I go again.
I have a real simple rule when it comes to giving bad news. Many of the people around me want to hide the bad news to shelter their loved ones. I can respect that. But on the other hand, those being sheltered want to be trusted with the truth. So my rule here is “if the situation were turned around, would I want to be sheltered or told?” In some cases, the person being sheltered would want to be sheltered, but I think in most cases they would not. So be it.
Tomorrow the travel starts again with a trip to Redmond, Washington to visit a little software outfit that is headquartered there – Microsoft. I’ll be learning on this trip. It will be the first formal training that I have gotten to attend in years. The schedule is very demanding with the class starting at 8:00 am and most days finishing up around 7:00 pm. I am definitely looking forward to it. My camera will also be attending, so I’ll try to post pictures from the road.
Will I be playing any poker while in WA? Oh yes. There are two games on campus, but I will only be able to attend the Wednesday night game. It looks like class will overlap the start of the Tuesday night game. There is also a card club in the area (45 minutes away) that I will probably find my way to on Thursday night.
I used to live in the Seattle area and I still have a friend there and several friends that have moved there since I left. It will be good to see some of them again. Then it will be good to get home before heading back to Vegas.
Here I go again.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The Rapids are Approaching
What a day! If most days are like floating down a long lazy river, today ended like class 5 rapids followed by Niagara Falls.
On my drive into work this morning the radio played the Logical Song by Supertramp. We’ve all heard this song a billion times. This morning, for some odd reason, a heard the sax bridge and thought it sounded a lot like Quaterflash’s “Harden My Heart”. That took my mind off to the time when I actually saw Quarterflash in concert. It was the Mann Music Amphitheater in Philadelphia way back in 1981. (Now we are showing our age!)
I remember that year because it was my first summer as a counselor at Camp Comet – the space age camp for boys. I remembered riding from Waynesboro, PA on our long day off with 3 other counselors to Philly for the show. Unfortunately, I only remember the name of one of those guys, Steve Joynt.
I remember Steve for both the unusual last name and because we became pretty good buds that summer. We were two crazy white protestant southern boys in a northern summer camp for Jewish boys. We traveled together. We did the camp morning radio show on the PA system together. And we laughed at the kid and other counselors until our sides ached.
This was now officially one of my “I-wonder-what-ever-happened-to-Steve” moments. I do this fairly often, not just with Steve but with many long lost friends. With the internet, it can be really easy to follow-up on the questions and find out. So I did.
It didn’t take me 15 minutes to find Steve, his web page, his email address, and to get a short note off to him. Needless to say, he was surprised to hear from me after 25 years. We only exchanged quick “What-are-you-doing-nows”, but I look forward to hearing more about the years and maybe getting together for a drink the next time we are in the same town.
I did a bit more searching on Google for “Camp Comet” and ran across a couple of memory pages. I found a fellow counselor named Richard Winestock and shot an email off to him. I’ve yet to hear from Richard, but it hasn’t bounced yet either. We’ll see. I also came across a guest registration site for Comet alumni. I signed to register and also found the name of my favorite camper from those days, Adam A (not pictured above).
Another quick search on Adam’s name and another quick email off to Adam. He replied right away, and he was surprised as well. Adam is now a lawyer in Bethesda, MD. I look forward to hearing more about Adam’s life as well as having drinks or a dinner when I’m up that way.
About that time, a co-worker calls my name and asks me a technical question. That was the end of the lazy river for me. Next thing I know, I’m up to my elbows in somebody else’s computer case.
Then my Mother calls wanting to know if she can come over tonight to talk to me and my wife. I say sure (especially since shy never asks to do that). I can also hear some dread in her voice.
Next, another co-worker calls and needs me to possibly go to Dallas, TX to help a customer.
On the drive home I get another call wanting me to go to Jacksonville, FL. Then the first co-worker calls with another question. Then I get an email asking if I have time to go to Michigan. “Uh, I don’t think so.”
Right after my wife gets home from work my mom shows up and drops us all over Niagara.
My uncle has terminal cancer!
OMFG!
Typing those words just makes the pit in my stomach grow and kick. After all we have been through with Mr. C (father-in-law), we were really looking for 2006 to bring us a break. I guess it doesn’t work that way.
And my poor mother. Damn! She is having to find assisted care for my Grandmother who will not want to go and now this. We lost my Dad 10 years ago and my mom’s father 5 years ago. Now to hit her with problems with her Mother and only Brother at the same time just reeks. Just REEKS.
So it looks like my Uncle D will need chemo for a few weeks and then an operation. No details on this blog right now, but the odds of survival of this kind of operation are a bit under 20% and even then, well, there are other problems to worry about.
My wife, bless her, did some great research on assisted care and got a great list of questions to ask while trying to find a place. Mr. C used to be in a related field, so I’m sure most of that came from him. Bless them both. They are the blessings in my life.
So now it is late and I have to work tomorrow and figure where, if anywhere I’m going on business. I also need to call my brothers since they don’t know any of this yet (at the time of writing – I can’t post until I talk to them – you understand). So tomorrow, I’ll hug my wife and dogs a little harder and work a little harder and probably try to live a little harder. And pray.
On my drive into work this morning the radio played the Logical Song by Supertramp. We’ve all heard this song a billion times. This morning, for some odd reason, a heard the sax bridge and thought it sounded a lot like Quaterflash’s “Harden My Heart”. That took my mind off to the time when I actually saw Quarterflash in concert. It was the Mann Music Amphitheater in Philadelphia way back in 1981. (Now we are showing our age!)
I remember that year because it was my first summer as a counselor at Camp Comet – the space age camp for boys. I remembered riding from Waynesboro, PA on our long day off with 3 other counselors to Philly for the show. Unfortunately, I only remember the name of one of those guys, Steve Joynt.I remember Steve for both the unusual last name and because we became pretty good buds that summer. We were two crazy white protestant southern boys in a northern summer camp for Jewish boys. We traveled together. We did the camp morning radio show on the PA system together. And we laughed at the kid and other counselors until our sides ached.
This was now officially one of my “I-wonder-what-ever-happened-to-Steve” moments. I do this fairly often, not just with Steve but with many long lost friends. With the internet, it can be really easy to follow-up on the questions and find out. So I did.
It didn’t take me 15 minutes to find Steve, his web page, his email address, and to get a short note off to him. Needless to say, he was surprised to hear from me after 25 years. We only exchanged quick “What-are-you-doing-nows”, but I look forward to hearing more about the years and maybe getting together for a drink the next time we are in the same town.
I did a bit more searching on Google for “Camp Comet” and ran across a couple of memory pages. I found a fellow counselor named Richard Winestock and shot an email off to him. I’ve yet to hear from Richard, but it hasn’t bounced yet either. We’ll see. I also came across a guest registration site for Comet alumni. I signed to register and also found the name of my favorite camper from those days, Adam A (not pictured above).
Another quick search on Adam’s name and another quick email off to Adam. He replied right away, and he was surprised as well. Adam is now a lawyer in Bethesda, MD. I look forward to hearing more about Adam’s life as well as having drinks or a dinner when I’m up that way.
About that time, a co-worker calls my name and asks me a technical question. That was the end of the lazy river for me. Next thing I know, I’m up to my elbows in somebody else’s computer case.
Then my Mother calls wanting to know if she can come over tonight to talk to me and my wife. I say sure (especially since shy never asks to do that). I can also hear some dread in her voice.
Next, another co-worker calls and needs me to possibly go to Dallas, TX to help a customer.
On the drive home I get another call wanting me to go to Jacksonville, FL. Then the first co-worker calls with another question. Then I get an email asking if I have time to go to Michigan. “Uh, I don’t think so.”
Right after my wife gets home from work my mom shows up and drops us all over Niagara.
My uncle has terminal cancer!
OMFG!
Typing those words just makes the pit in my stomach grow and kick. After all we have been through with Mr. C (father-in-law), we were really looking for 2006 to bring us a break. I guess it doesn’t work that way.
And my poor mother. Damn! She is having to find assisted care for my Grandmother who will not want to go and now this. We lost my Dad 10 years ago and my mom’s father 5 years ago. Now to hit her with problems with her Mother and only Brother at the same time just reeks. Just REEKS.
So it looks like my Uncle D will need chemo for a few weeks and then an operation. No details on this blog right now, but the odds of survival of this kind of operation are a bit under 20% and even then, well, there are other problems to worry about.My wife, bless her, did some great research on assisted care and got a great list of questions to ask while trying to find a place. Mr. C used to be in a related field, so I’m sure most of that came from him. Bless them both. They are the blessings in my life.
So now it is late and I have to work tomorrow and figure where, if anywhere I’m going on business. I also need to call my brothers since they don’t know any of this yet (at the time of writing – I can’t post until I talk to them – you understand). So tomorrow, I’ll hug my wife and dogs a little harder and work a little harder and probably try to live a little harder. And pray.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
They all end the same
Poker tournaments, that is. I'll get to that in a sec.
Life must have really slowed down. I'm not posting nearly as much as I was back in Oct-Nov. I've not been traveling as much is one reason. At least I've not been traveling any where that I care to write about or anyone would care to read about. Atlanta and Durham just don't get my fingers excited. In the next three weeks I'm slated to go to Atlanta (again), Redmond, WA, and Las Vegas. The first one is a working customer visit, the second is training for me, and the last is just for fun or at least lots of poker.
Before I get to Vegas I really need to find a better way to end my poker tourneys. It's not that my chips all go to somebody else and I walk away. No, that would be normal. In my case it seem they all end by me calling some small all-in as a big favorite and getting some 2 or 4 out suckout on the river followed almost immediately by a big pre-flop hand that I go all in with as a big favorite to (you're way ahead of me by now) get sucked-out on by a 2 or 4 out suckout on the river.
Tonight's pub poker was no exception. Well, maybe not strictly as described above, but close enough. I played pretty straight up except for throwing down a suited hammer (7h2h) to steal some blinds and one other junk hand to take a small pot. I couldn't get paid on my premium hands. I really should have pushed this table harder, but I didn't. That's my falut.
Four hands from the end I'm sitting on a pretty average stack in the big blind. With 3 limpers, I go raise 3x the big blind with AKo. I get two folds and an all in that was for about half my stack. She shows 10h9h. Naw, I don't get it either. Long story short, she flops nothing and catches a 10 on the river. Crap! Three hands later I'm hurting and I look down at 1010. All in (about 3x BB). I get 2 callers. The flop comes J 8 5. Check, push for another 3 BBs and a fold, so I'm heads up. The other player turns over 66. Cool. "It's a good time to triple up", I think. Hell no. The turn is a 4 and the river a 7 for her straight and my walking papers.
That's poker, or so I'm told.
Otherwise I'm a happy guy. My father-in-law is feeling so much better that he is attending our poker game this weekend. I know that he has missed getting out. My friends who are in their 30's mostly are really looking forward to Mr. C's (in his 70's) return. I think that is a testament to the quality of my friends and Mr. C. I'm still employed, coming up on 12 years at MS. My wife is still beautiful and my dogs are healthy. Even my grandmother's condition is stable.
My wife had a good idea tonight. Let's go kick Iran's ass. That new president of theirs is turning out to be a real loon with ideas of the end of the world. President Bush has done a fine job so far so let's really finish the job of taking out the terrorist by cutting off their benefactors at the knees.
I know there is a lot of disagreement on that score (Bush as President), but the folks you hear crying about everything Bush has done were the same ones crying about everything he did from the time he was born leading all the way up the his first inauguration.
When reading opinion, I have a simple test which you may want to use: Does the writer have good and bad to say about the subject? If so I give it some weight. If it is all praise or all bitch, I throw it out unless I already thought that to begin with, of course. Case in point, if the writer is working over the President, does he mention that the economy is doing great (Clinton would characterize it as the best economy in 550 years!). Or does he write that Bush should be impeached for wiretapping terrorists (which is probably legal)? If you want to change my mind, show some thought by showing some balance.
Here are a few facts that I have recently had friends get wrong:
Costa Rica is not an Island.
Cyprus is an Island.
The first definition of celibate is not married (I got this one wrong). Not having sex was second.
Israel is close to Lebanon
Life must have really slowed down. I'm not posting nearly as much as I was back in Oct-Nov. I've not been traveling as much is one reason. At least I've not been traveling any where that I care to write about or anyone would care to read about. Atlanta and Durham just don't get my fingers excited. In the next three weeks I'm slated to go to Atlanta (again), Redmond, WA, and Las Vegas. The first one is a working customer visit, the second is training for me, and the last is just for fun or at least lots of poker.
Before I get to Vegas I really need to find a better way to end my poker tourneys. It's not that my chips all go to somebody else and I walk away. No, that would be normal. In my case it seem they all end by me calling some small all-in as a big favorite and getting some 2 or 4 out suckout on the river followed almost immediately by a big pre-flop hand that I go all in with as a big favorite to (you're way ahead of me by now) get sucked-out on by a 2 or 4 out suckout on the river.
Tonight's pub poker was no exception. Well, maybe not strictly as described above, but close enough. I played pretty straight up except for throwing down a suited hammer (7h2h) to steal some blinds and one other junk hand to take a small pot. I couldn't get paid on my premium hands. I really should have pushed this table harder, but I didn't. That's my falut.
Four hands from the end I'm sitting on a pretty average stack in the big blind. With 3 limpers, I go raise 3x the big blind with AKo. I get two folds and an all in that was for about half my stack. She shows 10h9h. Naw, I don't get it either. Long story short, she flops nothing and catches a 10 on the river. Crap! Three hands later I'm hurting and I look down at 1010. All in (about 3x BB). I get 2 callers. The flop comes J 8 5. Check, push for another 3 BBs and a fold, so I'm heads up. The other player turns over 66. Cool. "It's a good time to triple up", I think. Hell no. The turn is a 4 and the river a 7 for her straight and my walking papers.
That's poker, or so I'm told.
Otherwise I'm a happy guy. My father-in-law is feeling so much better that he is attending our poker game this weekend. I know that he has missed getting out. My friends who are in their 30's mostly are really looking forward to Mr. C's (in his 70's) return. I think that is a testament to the quality of my friends and Mr. C. I'm still employed, coming up on 12 years at MS. My wife is still beautiful and my dogs are healthy. Even my grandmother's condition is stable.
My wife had a good idea tonight. Let's go kick Iran's ass. That new president of theirs is turning out to be a real loon with ideas of the end of the world. President Bush has done a fine job so far so let's really finish the job of taking out the terrorist by cutting off their benefactors at the knees.
I know there is a lot of disagreement on that score (Bush as President), but the folks you hear crying about everything Bush has done were the same ones crying about everything he did from the time he was born leading all the way up the his first inauguration.
When reading opinion, I have a simple test which you may want to use: Does the writer have good and bad to say about the subject? If so I give it some weight. If it is all praise or all bitch, I throw it out unless I already thought that to begin with, of course. Case in point, if the writer is working over the President, does he mention that the economy is doing great (Clinton would characterize it as the best economy in 550 years!). Or does he write that Bush should be impeached for wiretapping terrorists (which is probably legal)? If you want to change my mind, show some thought by showing some balance.
Here are a few facts that I have recently had friends get wrong:
Costa Rica is not an Island.
Cyprus is an Island.
The first definition of celibate is not married (I got this one wrong). Not having sex was second.
Israel is close to Lebanon
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Yea, it's been a while. So what.
Absolutely no one has asked “What’s up with Special K?” Well tough, I’m going to tell you anyway.
Things are good, though they have been better. Those in my families who were sick are healing. Mr. C continues to recover from surgery. He is free of all foreign objects in his body. He has been cleared to drive and took that as an opportunity to go to Charleston, SC for lunch. For those who don’t know Carolina geography, that’s a 6 hour round trip for lunch. I am so glad he feels up to it.
My grandmother is doing better physically, but mentally she just isn’t there like she was just a few months ago. I’m sad for her. I’m sad that she has been sick and in pain. I’m sad that she doesn’t seem to have anything to look forward to. All of her friends and family of her generation is gone already. She did a great job in raising a great daughter (my mom) and son. Hell, she raised her brothers and sisters, so she raised kids through the depression and a world war. She was a fun Grandmother with way more patience than I deserved. I’m in no hurry to see her go. It’s just sad.
I’m traveling again. This time I’m in beautiful Atlanta, GA. It sure isn’t Jamaica. At least the weather was nice in J. Atlanta is probably the lease exciting big city I can think of. That’s because it is so much like Charlotte, just bigger. The tea is sweeter. The accents are thicker. The traffic is worse. Please take me home where my bed is softer and warmer.
My travel schedule is busy for January. I have one more week of potential ‘last minute’ travel on busniss. The second week of Jan is for study at (or near) home. Week 3 is for training for which I will travel to Redmond, WA. Then I return to CLT for the weekend before flying to Vegas with BG and Andres the Colombian. Rounders Mag and Zero Tilt Poker is having another event while I am there. That should make for another great time.
I’m going to miss Gold Preferred status on US Airways this year by 6000 miles. L
Christmas time was marked with catching up with folks I knew in High School. It was fun catching up with Jennifer and Tony (you can catch up with Tony at http://half-lifeandtimes.blogspot.com/).
I got everything on my Christmas list this year. It pays to keep your list short.
God, thank you for my wife. I just can’t say that enough.
I’ve decided that ‘American Idol’ is a good thing. I’m not about to start watching, but the music that is coming out of the winners (I count Clay as a winner) is not bad. Unlike Rap, it is at least musical. I has been awhile since there has been any good new music on the radio.
Poker is on for next Friday night. Pool is on for Tuesday. Y’all go find your own fun.
Later
Things are good, though they have been better. Those in my families who were sick are healing. Mr. C continues to recover from surgery. He is free of all foreign objects in his body. He has been cleared to drive and took that as an opportunity to go to Charleston, SC for lunch. For those who don’t know Carolina geography, that’s a 6 hour round trip for lunch. I am so glad he feels up to it.
My grandmother is doing better physically, but mentally she just isn’t there like she was just a few months ago. I’m sad for her. I’m sad that she has been sick and in pain. I’m sad that she doesn’t seem to have anything to look forward to. All of her friends and family of her generation is gone already. She did a great job in raising a great daughter (my mom) and son. Hell, she raised her brothers and sisters, so she raised kids through the depression and a world war. She was a fun Grandmother with way more patience than I deserved. I’m in no hurry to see her go. It’s just sad.
I’m traveling again. This time I’m in beautiful Atlanta, GA. It sure isn’t Jamaica. At least the weather was nice in J. Atlanta is probably the lease exciting big city I can think of. That’s because it is so much like Charlotte, just bigger. The tea is sweeter. The accents are thicker. The traffic is worse. Please take me home where my bed is softer and warmer.
My travel schedule is busy for January. I have one more week of potential ‘last minute’ travel on busniss. The second week of Jan is for study at (or near) home. Week 3 is for training for which I will travel to Redmond, WA. Then I return to CLT for the weekend before flying to Vegas with BG and Andres the Colombian. Rounders Mag and Zero Tilt Poker is having another event while I am there. That should make for another great time.
I’m going to miss Gold Preferred status on US Airways this year by 6000 miles. L
Christmas time was marked with catching up with folks I knew in High School. It was fun catching up with Jennifer and Tony (you can catch up with Tony at http://half-lifeandtimes.blogspot.com/).
I got everything on my Christmas list this year. It pays to keep your list short.
God, thank you for my wife. I just can’t say that enough.
I’ve decided that ‘American Idol’ is a good thing. I’m not about to start watching, but the music that is coming out of the winners (I count Clay as a winner) is not bad. Unlike Rap, it is at least musical. I has been awhile since there has been any good new music on the radio.
Poker is on for next Friday night. Pool is on for Tuesday. Y’all go find your own fun.
Later
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Short Week
I love short weeks. Tomorrow is a vacation day for Microsoft so this work week is only four days. It great to start the week with only 4 more days to the weekend. Especially this time of year. It’s not that I dislike work. Mine can be fun, in a very geeky sort of way. It’s just that there is very little day light outside of working hours. It gets very hard to accomplish anything that involves being outdoors this time of year. And if we get a rainy weekend then I’m going to be behind in my chores for the rest of the winter.
So yesterday was the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year. October was the shortest month of 2005, but won’t be the shortest month of 2006. Do you know why?
All of that snow and generally cold weather that large parts of the country has been seeing is just a preview. I would say it was a “warm-up”, but would mix the metaphors a bit much.
I guess it is a short post, too. More from the road soon.
So yesterday was the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year. October was the shortest month of 2005, but won’t be the shortest month of 2006. Do you know why?
All of that snow and generally cold weather that large parts of the country has been seeing is just a preview. I would say it was a “warm-up”, but would mix the metaphors a bit much.
I guess it is a short post, too. More from the road soon.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Back from Jamaica
'Twas the last weekend before Christmas...
I got back from my business trip in Jamaica late on Friday night. I really didn't do anything outside of the hotel except for work. I had one night out for dinner at a local sports bar. That was all of three blocks from the hotel. On the way I saw a flock of americans eating at the local KFC. What a waste that is, going all the way to Jamaica and eating the same crap that you can get in any city in the US.
Since I didn't get out, I also didn't get any good pictures. I tried to take a couple from the cab, but that was pretty weak. So no picture posting from this trip.
Thanks to my wife, I'm pretty much ready for Christmas. All of the gifts that need to be sent have been sent and the rest have been bought and are ready for delivery. Some are wrapped and some are not.
There might be some poker this week. Bullits is trying to host a game on Christmas Eve Eve. We'll see if the joy of the season has spread to the spouses. I'll probably warm up with some pub poker on Wednesday night. 'Tis the season for poker, I guess. I'll post my reports.
Y'all have a good week.
I got back from my business trip in Jamaica late on Friday night. I really didn't do anything outside of the hotel except for work. I had one night out for dinner at a local sports bar. That was all of three blocks from the hotel. On the way I saw a flock of americans eating at the local KFC. What a waste that is, going all the way to Jamaica and eating the same crap that you can get in any city in the US.
Since I didn't get out, I also didn't get any good pictures. I tried to take a couple from the cab, but that was pretty weak. So no picture posting from this trip.
Thanks to my wife, I'm pretty much ready for Christmas. All of the gifts that need to be sent have been sent and the rest have been bought and are ready for delivery. Some are wrapped and some are not.
There might be some poker this week. Bullits is trying to host a game on Christmas Eve Eve. We'll see if the joy of the season has spread to the spouses. I'll probably warm up with some pub poker on Wednesday night. 'Tis the season for poker, I guess. I'll post my reports.
Y'all have a good week.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Jamaica
Three days in Jamaica and I haven’t blogged a thing. It’s not that there hasn’t been anything to write about. I’ve just been so damn busy that I’ve had no energy left. This customer has been keeping me hopping from sun up to sun down. We are making great progress, so that keep me going, perhaps a little longer than I should. But I’ve only got a day and a half more, so I can keep burning it. Besides, I know my coworkers burn it just as hard, so I can take it too.
So what are the things to blog about. First of all, Kingston is firmly ensconsed in the third world. I really don’t mean to be unkind in saying that. It is just so obvious when riding around town and from the airport to “New Kingston” in particular. There are many housed without roofs, garbage that looks like its been on the road side for years, and people that look like they no worked since they put out the garbage.
The Hilton hotel is very nice. I think this is one of the places that the Kingston middle class comes to live it up. I’ve seen tons of new grads and wedded couples roaming the lobby and restaurants. They all look so happy to be here. I like seeing that and I’m happy for them.
The currency is a hoot. I’m drinking my Red Stripe beer (HOORAY BEER!) right now. I’m betting it cost around $250. No, I didn’t miss the decimal, it is really $250 jamaican. Dinner was just over $3000. The exchange rate to USD is about 60:1. I feel like I’m spending like Johnny F. Chan.
It was at the end of the paragraph above that my appetizer came followed closely by my entre. None of this is too surprising since I am sitting in the sushi bar/restaurant of the hotel. Now for some odd reason, I’m feeling a scoshe more buzzed than before. It could be that the soy sauce or the Red Strip has more alcohol than I anticipated. Must be the soy sauce.
You haven’t lived until you have heard a reagge band play Christmas songs like “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” I think this is the most English forgein country that I have ever seen. Jamaica was an English colony for hundreds of years. It makes the place very familiar in odd ways.
I love to hear the natives speak. They are so friendly to everyone. I can’t tell half the time when the native that I am with knows the person they are speaking to or not. They are so polite. It get embarssing having the door held open for me as much as it is. I won’t get used to it, but I could.
The weather is wonderful. The lows are in the high 60s and the highs are in the low 80s. The mountains are beautiful. The food is really good too. The Jamaicans are very picky about their food and they tend to eat really well. Chicken and seafood are the staples with beef very available, but expensive. Everything I have tried has be very tasty. The waiter at dinner last night took great pride as he explained that Red Stripe was “very good and world renouned.” How could I not have one or two after that.
This is a nice place, but I’ll still be happy to return home. This place in too much work. J I’ll have to see about coming back on a vacation . At this point, I would recommend it.
So what are the things to blog about. First of all, Kingston is firmly ensconsed in the third world. I really don’t mean to be unkind in saying that. It is just so obvious when riding around town and from the airport to “New Kingston” in particular. There are many housed without roofs, garbage that looks like its been on the road side for years, and people that look like they no worked since they put out the garbage.
The Hilton hotel is very nice. I think this is one of the places that the Kingston middle class comes to live it up. I’ve seen tons of new grads and wedded couples roaming the lobby and restaurants. They all look so happy to be here. I like seeing that and I’m happy for them.
The currency is a hoot. I’m drinking my Red Stripe beer (HOORAY BEER!) right now. I’m betting it cost around $250. No, I didn’t miss the decimal, it is really $250 jamaican. Dinner was just over $3000. The exchange rate to USD is about 60:1. I feel like I’m spending like Johnny F. Chan.
It was at the end of the paragraph above that my appetizer came followed closely by my entre. None of this is too surprising since I am sitting in the sushi bar/restaurant of the hotel. Now for some odd reason, I’m feeling a scoshe more buzzed than before. It could be that the soy sauce or the Red Strip has more alcohol than I anticipated. Must be the soy sauce.
You haven’t lived until you have heard a reagge band play Christmas songs like “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” I think this is the most English forgein country that I have ever seen. Jamaica was an English colony for hundreds of years. It makes the place very familiar in odd ways.
I love to hear the natives speak. They are so friendly to everyone. I can’t tell half the time when the native that I am with knows the person they are speaking to or not. They are so polite. It get embarssing having the door held open for me as much as it is. I won’t get used to it, but I could.
The weather is wonderful. The lows are in the high 60s and the highs are in the low 80s. The mountains are beautiful. The food is really good too. The Jamaicans are very picky about their food and they tend to eat really well. Chicken and seafood are the staples with beef very available, but expensive. Everything I have tried has be very tasty. The waiter at dinner last night took great pride as he explained that Red Stripe was “very good and world renouned.” How could I not have one or two after that.
This is a nice place, but I’ll still be happy to return home. This place in too much work. J I’ll have to see about coming back on a vacation . At this point, I would recommend it.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Odd Ends
It has been a while since my last update. The flurry of activity over the Vegas weeks was a lot of fun and hard at the same time. That gave me a lot to write about. Since then it has been back to the grind. There's not much to write about the daily grind. I'm absolutely sure there will be no sympathy coming my way for that.
Here are some updates. Mr. C (my father-in-law and friend) is doing better. He is now off all tubes and needles and continues his recovery on track. There is still a lot of pain where his kidney used to be. If anyone reading this has had a kidney removed and remembers the length of the recovery process, please pass that along. You know how it can be nice to know what to expect. We continue to hope and pray for Mr. C’s complete recovery in the very near future. If you run into EasyEd on the tables at TiltZeroPoker, say Hi.
My next Vegas trip is already booked. Brian G. (who I think I will refer to as "Bullet" for the "Hold'em Bullets" tattoo he sports on his forearm) and Andres N. (who I would get a kick out of calling the Argentinean Asians, since he is from Colombia so it would irritate him greatly, though he would probably just think I was just another stupid American) and I (Special K) are jetting out to Vegas on January 24 for a few days of fun and poker. With a little luck they will happen at the same time. Tilt Zero Poker will be having another tourney at Binion’s and maybe some surprises again (see picture of me, Doyle, and Johnny below).
Business trips have been minimal. I had a trip to Durham last week and a local customer visit here in Charlotte. I have upcoming trips to Jamaica and Redmond, WA (the Borg Mother Ship as my younger brother likes to call it).
I did have an idea for this post, so here goes. I have heard several things recently that hit me as being very funny so I think I will share.
The first happened at Thanksgiving with my wife, Mother and Uncle in attendance. Our conversation worked around to the floods in New Orleans and the help those folks have been getting in various cities around the country. Then it was brought up that some folks receiving aid were not from New Orleans at all. That is when my mother exclaimed that "they are giving disasters a bad name." I about wet myself laughing. Sorry N.O., but that was funny as hell.
I don't really remember the context that well, but someone within earshot actually said "that is just the tip of the ice bucket."
The last item was from a coworker who was talking about an email he received from another coworker, this one for whom English is not the primary language. He explained out loud what was written and then added "I'm sure there is some language where that is hilarious." I can already tell I will take years refining the use of that particular line.
If the trip happens, I'll be sure to tote my camera to Jamaica, so come back for the pictures.
Here are some updates. Mr. C (my father-in-law and friend) is doing better. He is now off all tubes and needles and continues his recovery on track. There is still a lot of pain where his kidney used to be. If anyone reading this has had a kidney removed and remembers the length of the recovery process, please pass that along. You know how it can be nice to know what to expect. We continue to hope and pray for Mr. C’s complete recovery in the very near future. If you run into EasyEd on the tables at TiltZeroPoker, say Hi.
My next Vegas trip is already booked. Brian G. (who I think I will refer to as "Bullet" for the "Hold'em Bullets" tattoo he sports on his forearm) and Andres N. (who I would get a kick out of calling the Argentinean Asians, since he is from Colombia so it would irritate him greatly, though he would probably just think I was just another stupid American) and I (Special K) are jetting out to Vegas on January 24 for a few days of fun and poker. With a little luck they will happen at the same time. Tilt Zero Poker will be having another tourney at Binion’s and maybe some surprises again (see picture of me, Doyle, and Johnny below).
Business trips have been minimal. I had a trip to Durham last week and a local customer visit here in Charlotte. I have upcoming trips to Jamaica and Redmond, WA (the Borg Mother Ship as my younger brother likes to call it).
I did have an idea for this post, so here goes. I have heard several things recently that hit me as being very funny so I think I will share.
The first happened at Thanksgiving with my wife, Mother and Uncle in attendance. Our conversation worked around to the floods in New Orleans and the help those folks have been getting in various cities around the country. Then it was brought up that some folks receiving aid were not from New Orleans at all. That is when my mother exclaimed that "they are giving disasters a bad name." I about wet myself laughing. Sorry N.O., but that was funny as hell.
I don't really remember the context that well, but someone within earshot actually said "that is just the tip of the ice bucket."
The last item was from a coworker who was talking about an email he received from another coworker, this one for whom English is not the primary language. He explained out loud what was written and then added "I'm sure there is some language where that is hilarious." I can already tell I will take years refining the use of that particular line.
If the trip happens, I'll be sure to tote my camera to Jamaica, so come back for the pictures.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
My New Cards are not Kind to Me
I got a new set of KEM cards this week. A very thoughtfull coworker brought them back from Seattel for me. I've never had a nice set of cards so I was excited to have a chance to try them out tonight. Another bud had his in-laws in town and the father and brother wanted to play some poker. The email went out and we had a table of 7 before you knew it.
The night started out great. Somewhere in the fisrt level I get KK. I put out a moderate raise and get a couple of callers. The flop comes KQX rainbow. Beautiful. I think I checked and got a small bet that I called. Another blank on the turn and I lead out with a nice bet and get one caller (the guy who bought the cards for me). The turn is the 4th K. Seems to me there were 3 clubs as well. I make another healthy bet (like 400). B calls asking if I have a larger flush. I answer 'I have a larger one.' He agrees.
I made the 'money' in that first tourney, but then the cards turned on me in an ugly way. We are 3 way now and I get K9 in the big blind. The button folds and the small blind calls. I check to see a flop. The flop comes 993. I've got a good stack, but a little below average. The small blind bets 400 and I go all in. He calls and turns over 1010. I love it and show the 9. The turn is a 4 and the river is a ... Ten. I can not believe it. If you go back to my last posting about a tournament, it was pocket tens that busted me out by catching a 10 on the river when I had the hand dominated.
OK math wizards, what are the odds of getting kicked out of two tournaments in a row by the same hand that catches the same card on the river both times. That's poker.
The final tournament wasn't any better. I got down a bit early when good starting hands wouldn't catch anything. I got back by catching a good card to put one player out. So I had a moderate chip stack. At this point we are 4 way. I'm in the big bling with K10o. The small bI have top pair with a great kicker. The small blind bets 400. He is a pretty tight player, but he has low starting standards so I'm hoping he caught a 10 with a lower kicker or an 8 with a good kicker. I go all in and he calls. Can you guess what he has. Yep, 10 10! The only other tens in the deck. That must be almost impossible. Neither of us improve and I'm out to Tens for the third straight tourney. Any math wizes got odds on that?
Maybe next time.
third straight tourney. Any math wizes got odds on that?
Maybe next time.
The night started out great. Somewhere in the fisrt level I get KK. I put out a moderate raise and get a couple of callers. The flop comes KQX rainbow. Beautiful. I think I checked and got a small bet that I called. Another blank on the turn and I lead out with a nice bet and get one caller (the guy who bought the cards for me). The turn is the 4th K. Seems to me there were 3 clubs as well. I make another healthy bet (like 400). B calls asking if I have a larger flush. I answer 'I have a larger one.' He agrees.
I made the 'money' in that first tourney, but then the cards turned on me in an ugly way. We are 3 way now and I get K9 in the big blind. The button folds and the small blind calls. I check to see a flop. The flop comes 993. I've got a good stack, but a little below average. The small blind bets 400 and I go all in. He calls and turns over 1010. I love it and show the 9. The turn is a 4 and the river is a ... Ten. I can not believe it. If you go back to my last posting about a tournament, it was pocket tens that busted me out by catching a 10 on the river when I had the hand dominated.
OK math wizards, what are the odds of getting kicked out of two tournaments in a row by the same hand that catches the same card on the river both times. That's poker.
The final tournament wasn't any better. I got down a bit early when good starting hands wouldn't catch anything. I got back by catching a good card to put one player out. So I had a moderate chip stack. At this point we are 4 way. I'm in the big bling with K10o. The small bI have top pair with a great kicker. The small blind bets 400. He is a pretty tight player, but he has low starting standards so I'm hoping he caught a 10 with a lower kicker or an 8 with a good kicker. I go all in and he calls. Can you guess what he has. Yep, 10 10! The only other tens in the deck. That must be almost impossible. Neither of us improve and I'm out to Tens for the third straight tourney. Any math wizes got odds on that?
Maybe next time.
third straight tourney. Any math wizes got odds on that?
Maybe next time.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Whoa Ho! China Grove!
Looks like they had a little dust up in China Grove.
Normally I hate it when the police ignore real crime to bust up a friendly home game. In this case, it was not a friendly home game, but a for profit business. That really doesn't bother me. If you run an illicit business like this, you can expect to get arested. It's a cost of doing business. I really prefer that the house not take a rake. If I want to play for high stakes, I'll go to AC or Vegas. Good luck guys.
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — SBI agents and local law enforcement officers raided a poker game two weeks ago on Stirewalt Road where the buy-in fee for players was $500 each.
The Texas hold 'em poker game promised a 90 percent payoff, with the "house" keeping 10 percent.
With a $7,500 pot in the mix Nov. 9, the winner would have received 55 percent, or $4,125.
But officers raided the game halfway through the night's first hand.
A pair of armed, undercover officers were among the night's 15 players.
Lt. Kevin Auten, head of the Rowan County Sheriff's Department's special investigations unit, said the District Attorney's office was concerned mainly with bringing gambling charges against three men who were running the game and possibly two dealers.
No charges have been filed against the other players.
"That's where the line was drawn," Auten said.
The Sheriff's Department charged David Alexander Tilley, 63, of 2020 Stirewalt Road, China Grove; Charles Lewis Fellows of 1224 S. Fulton St., Salisbury; and John Luther Safrit of 931 N. Main St., Salisbury.
All three were charged with one count each of gambling, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Their first court appearance will be Dec. 16 in Rowan County District Court.
The game was being held in a garage at Tilley's residence.
Fellows was the "meet-and-greet fellow at the door," Auten said, and players paid their $500 buy-in to Safrit. The trio also were players. The two dealers were in addition to the 15 players.
The names and telephone numbers of Tilley and Fellows also were listed on a flyer that was being circulated to advertise the Wednesday night games.
Auten said it's believed that the Nov. 9 game was only the second one held at Tilley's residence.
A citizen made the Sheriff's Department aware of the flyer being circulated. It promised a 90 percent payoff, with 55 percent going to the night's winner, 20 percent to second place, 10 percent to third place and $500 (a return of the buy-in fee) for fourth place.
The flyer also noted that parking was in the back and entry to the garage was through a back door. "Doors opened" at 5 p.m. and closed at 6:30 p.m., according to the flyer.
Auten said the garage had blankets over the windows. Snacks and drinks were available, but no alcohol, he added.
Members of the SBN, Sheriff's Department, Landis Police Department and Salisbury Police Department executed the search warrant that allowed them to break up the game.
Officers seized the $7,500 that represented the players' entry fees. The SBN processed the scene.
Auten said this particular raid doesn't mean his investigations unit is scouring the county, looking for poker games at people's houses. But this particular game drew the Sheriff's Department's attention for two reasons.
Clearly, from the flyers in hand, the game was being run out of Tilley's house as a for-profit business, Auten said. The profit for the house on Nov. 9 would have been $750, for example.
Officers also were concerned about the flyers which, by calling the telephone numbers provided, directed people to the game.
Auten said it presented a safety concern in that anybody — someone armed, for example, and unknown to the game's sponsors and other players — could arrive at the residence knowing a large amount of money was going to be on hand.
The fact that the undercover officers were able to buy into the game offered proof enough, Auten noted.
"That flyer — we got it, who else could have gotten it?" Auten said.
Auten said he is not aware that the men charged have faced prior gambling charges.
Normally I hate it when the police ignore real crime to bust up a friendly home game. In this case, it was not a friendly home game, but a for profit business. That really doesn't bother me. If you run an illicit business like this, you can expect to get arested. It's a cost of doing business. I really prefer that the house not take a rake. If I want to play for high stakes, I'll go to AC or Vegas. Good luck guys.
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — SBI agents and local law enforcement officers raided a poker game two weeks ago on Stirewalt Road where the buy-in fee for players was $500 each.
The Texas hold 'em poker game promised a 90 percent payoff, with the "house" keeping 10 percent.
With a $7,500 pot in the mix Nov. 9, the winner would have received 55 percent, or $4,125.
But officers raided the game halfway through the night's first hand.
A pair of armed, undercover officers were among the night's 15 players.
Lt. Kevin Auten, head of the Rowan County Sheriff's Department's special investigations unit, said the District Attorney's office was concerned mainly with bringing gambling charges against three men who were running the game and possibly two dealers.
No charges have been filed against the other players.
"That's where the line was drawn," Auten said.
The Sheriff's Department charged David Alexander Tilley, 63, of 2020 Stirewalt Road, China Grove; Charles Lewis Fellows of 1224 S. Fulton St., Salisbury; and John Luther Safrit of 931 N. Main St., Salisbury.
All three were charged with one count each of gambling, a Class 2 misdemeanor. Their first court appearance will be Dec. 16 in Rowan County District Court.
The game was being held in a garage at Tilley's residence.
Fellows was the "meet-and-greet fellow at the door," Auten said, and players paid their $500 buy-in to Safrit. The trio also were players. The two dealers were in addition to the 15 players.
The names and telephone numbers of Tilley and Fellows also were listed on a flyer that was being circulated to advertise the Wednesday night games.
Auten said it's believed that the Nov. 9 game was only the second one held at Tilley's residence.
A citizen made the Sheriff's Department aware of the flyer being circulated. It promised a 90 percent payoff, with 55 percent going to the night's winner, 20 percent to second place, 10 percent to third place and $500 (a return of the buy-in fee) for fourth place.
The flyer also noted that parking was in the back and entry to the garage was through a back door. "Doors opened" at 5 p.m. and closed at 6:30 p.m., according to the flyer.
Auten said the garage had blankets over the windows. Snacks and drinks were available, but no alcohol, he added.
Members of the SBN, Sheriff's Department, Landis Police Department and Salisbury Police Department executed the search warrant that allowed them to break up the game.
Officers seized the $7,500 that represented the players' entry fees. The SBN processed the scene.
Auten said this particular raid doesn't mean his investigations unit is scouring the county, looking for poker games at people's houses. But this particular game drew the Sheriff's Department's attention for two reasons.
Clearly, from the flyers in hand, the game was being run out of Tilley's house as a for-profit business, Auten said. The profit for the house on Nov. 9 would have been $750, for example.
Officers also were concerned about the flyers which, by calling the telephone numbers provided, directed people to the game.
Auten said it presented a safety concern in that anybody — someone armed, for example, and unknown to the game's sponsors and other players — could arrive at the residence knowing a large amount of money was going to be on hand.
The fact that the undercover officers were able to buy into the game offered proof enough, Auten noted.
"That flyer — we got it, who else could have gotten it?" Auten said.
Auten said he is not aware that the men charged have faced prior gambling charges.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Headache - Sore Throat - Cold
Yuck. For the past week, I've been dealing with a cold. I'm on the back side of it now, but it sure has been inconvenient. With Mr. C in and now just out of the hospital, I've had to keep my distance. The last thing that poor man needs is to catch my cold. My wife has ordered me to get well by Thursday. I have to admit, it's a good idea. I just don't have much control over the situation.
I started writing up the story of how I got from Tobey Maguire to having the two greatest poker players in the world call my ailing father-in-law. It will most likely end up a corney piece of garbage, but it's a good exercise none the less.
As I mentioned eariler, Mr. C is out of the hospital. They let him go last night. I am sure he is much more comfortable at home, but it didn't start out that way. We had a nice little rain storm and something happened to the power at his house. It was out all night. The temperature in the house got down to 61. I don't think the poor man has warmed up yet. But things are better now. Once the cable and high-speed internet start working again, he will be in good shape.
My grandmother will also be home for Thanksgiving. She has been in rehab since the end of her hospitalization for a blood clot in her leg. She will only be home for the day. With some luck and hard work, she will be home permanently in a couple weeks.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. If you live in Canada I hope you already had a good Thanksgiving, and if you live elsewhere, make it the best Thursday ever.
I started writing up the story of how I got from Tobey Maguire to having the two greatest poker players in the world call my ailing father-in-law. It will most likely end up a corney piece of garbage, but it's a good exercise none the less.
As I mentioned eariler, Mr. C is out of the hospital. They let him go last night. I am sure he is much more comfortable at home, but it didn't start out that way. We had a nice little rain storm and something happened to the power at his house. It was out all night. The temperature in the house got down to 61. I don't think the poor man has warmed up yet. But things are better now. Once the cable and high-speed internet start working again, he will be in good shape.
My grandmother will also be home for Thanksgiving. She has been in rehab since the end of her hospitalization for a blood clot in her leg. She will only be home for the day. With some luck and hard work, she will be home permanently in a couple weeks.
I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. If you live in Canada I hope you already had a good Thanksgiving, and if you live elsewhere, make it the best Thursday ever.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Weekly Wrap
It has been a slow week. But then what week wouldn't be slow after traveling to Las Vegas, making a bunch of new friends, meeting 2 people who are famous as the best in their field and generally having a great time. On the other hand, I've picked up a nice little cold. That has helped me to slow down and concentrate on what lies ahead.
Mr. C had his operation this week and I am happy to report that he is doing well. There were some options that the doctors were prepared to use if necessary. Each of the options would have either extended Mr. C's recovery time or made a great change in his quality of life. Luckily, they had to use none of the options. Everything went as smoothly as could have been hoped. He should be out of the hospital early next week.
I've also been spending some time thinking about what lies ahead of me. Each of us goes through times when we wish we could just lock everything down and keep life just the way it is. The past couple of years seemed like that to me. The job was good. The house needed attention and I liked doing fix-up. The wife, the friends, church; all good. I could always earn more or have a few more toys, but having things to look forward to is a big part of being happy.
Most of the above is still great. Family is a little sick at this time, but it looks like everyone will recover. The job is a bit rocky and I'm not sure how long I'm going to want to continue in this role I have now. I have so many things that I want to learn and I don't think that is going to happen in my current group. If I can't make this group work, I'm pretty sure I can find something else inside the company (Microsoft) to satisfy me. I've got almost 12 years invested here and I don't want to cash that in just yet.
I'm also looking to design and publish an internet web site for selling photographs. I have had some success in selling some of the prints that I've posted to my other web sites and pictures that I've taken at various events (weddings, poker tournaments). I think it is about time to look more professional. If making it easier to order makes for more sales then I'll take that too.
Gee, if that wasn't enough, me and the wife have been making plans to remodel our kitchen and adding a large sunroom to the house. We've secured the home equity line. Now we need to get someone to help us with the plans.
As you can tell, I'm big on knowing what needs to be done. I'm just not that big on getting things done right now. I guess it is time to make a list and start checking them off.
Mr. C had his operation this week and I am happy to report that he is doing well. There were some options that the doctors were prepared to use if necessary. Each of the options would have either extended Mr. C's recovery time or made a great change in his quality of life. Luckily, they had to use none of the options. Everything went as smoothly as could have been hoped. He should be out of the hospital early next week.
I've also been spending some time thinking about what lies ahead of me. Each of us goes through times when we wish we could just lock everything down and keep life just the way it is. The past couple of years seemed like that to me. The job was good. The house needed attention and I liked doing fix-up. The wife, the friends, church; all good. I could always earn more or have a few more toys, but having things to look forward to is a big part of being happy.
Most of the above is still great. Family is a little sick at this time, but it looks like everyone will recover. The job is a bit rocky and I'm not sure how long I'm going to want to continue in this role I have now. I have so many things that I want to learn and I don't think that is going to happen in my current group. If I can't make this group work, I'm pretty sure I can find something else inside the company (Microsoft) to satisfy me. I've got almost 12 years invested here and I don't want to cash that in just yet.
I'm also looking to design and publish an internet web site for selling photographs. I have had some success in selling some of the prints that I've posted to my other web sites and pictures that I've taken at various events (weddings, poker tournaments). I think it is about time to look more professional. If making it easier to order makes for more sales then I'll take that too.
Gee, if that wasn't enough, me and the wife have been making plans to remodel our kitchen and adding a large sunroom to the house. We've secured the home equity line. Now we need to get someone to help us with the plans.
As you can tell, I'm big on knowing what needs to be done. I'm just not that big on getting things done right now. I guess it is time to make a list and start checking them off.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Reality
I got back to Charlotte about an hour late on Monday morning and decided to go into work to handle a few issues. I made it through to about 1 o’clock when I felt myself starting to crash. So I went home and did just that. After a few hours of sleep I got up to visit with Mrs. K and worked until midnight. Four more hours of sleep and then it was time to head for the hospital.
There is just no good analogy for what life is like right now. Friday night I’m hanging out with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson and Tuesday I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room. Mr. C’s big operation is today. My wife got to the hospital at 5 am. I followed at 6. It is now 3 pm and we have been told hourly that things are going well. The operation was supposed to take between 3.5 and 5 hours. It has now been 8 hours. It gets frightening when an already stressful situation doesn’t go according to plan.
Everone is holding up as best they can but I’ve seen about every member of the family in tears. Only for a bit, but it’s hard to watch none the less.
One hour later: The doctors finished up finally. Everything is going to be OK. The operation was a success. Mr. C’s recovery will take 5-10 days of hospitalization and 8 to 10 weeks total, but recovery should be total with no permanent change in lifestyle. Praise God. There have been so many well wishes. The whole family thanks every one of you.
Two hours more: I'm home now. Tonight's assignment is to hold down the home front. I feed the dogs, put our charity clothing for pickup and post a week's postings to the blog. What a week with lots more to come.
There is just no good analogy for what life is like right now. Friday night I’m hanging out with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson and Tuesday I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room. Mr. C’s big operation is today. My wife got to the hospital at 5 am. I followed at 6. It is now 3 pm and we have been told hourly that things are going well. The operation was supposed to take between 3.5 and 5 hours. It has now been 8 hours. It gets frightening when an already stressful situation doesn’t go according to plan.
Everone is holding up as best they can but I’ve seen about every member of the family in tears. Only for a bit, but it’s hard to watch none the less.
One hour later: The doctors finished up finally. Everything is going to be OK. The operation was a success. Mr. C’s recovery will take 5-10 days of hospitalization and 8 to 10 weeks total, but recovery should be total with no permanent change in lifestyle. Praise God. There have been so many well wishes. The whole family thanks every one of you.
Two hours more: I'm home now. Tonight's assignment is to hold down the home front. I feed the dogs, put our charity clothing for pickup and post a week's postings to the blog. What a week with lots more to come.
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