I'd like to dedicate this blog to NPH.

 

Over the course of the summer I will be making more of an effort to document the awesome that is  the World Series of Poker. Unlike last year where I totally ditched making money for a summer job at a Jewish camp, I will be playing somewhere around 15 events. Originally the plan was to rent a sick poolside apartment at Panorama Towers and room with Sowers. On Tuesday I was confirmed 100% that we had the place locked up. On Wednesday I was told that they were selling the place and to start looking for other places. Yeah, great. We had this planned for close to a month now  and 5 days before I’m leaving for Vegas I’m told to find a new place. We haven’t found a new place and the whole situation totally grinds my gears. Other than that I’m stoked for the summer.

           I always love going to events and mixing it up with all the players that I play online. Most are good people but unfortunately so many are just notoriously lazy. It's hard to get anyone to do anything but smoke pot and play poker. Oh, and eat. Usually I’ll end up doing some of the same stuff as them just because I want to hang with them but it gets so annoying when you can’t get anyone to go to a bar or club with you. Only place they will go is strip club. But, I digress…constantly. I am going to try real hard to update this blog. Like those aforementioned lazy poker players, I too can be lazy. Writing can be somewhat of a chore at times and usually after a long tough day of poker all my brain wants to do is play FIFA 08, which as I mentioned in previous blogs, is my favorite game. That’s another thing about this summer, there will be ENDLESS amounts of FIFA being played.  It’s caught on like wildfire. In Monte Carlo, the geniuses at Poker Stars (no sarcasm whatsoever) opened up a player’s lounge with a PS3 with FIFA on it, a Wii, a FoosBall table, and a bunch of other cool things. Sadly,  it was where I spent most of my trip because of countless poker players coming in and betting on FIFA.  I had a $2,000 downswing at one point but was able to get most of it back.

So what have I been up to? Lots. Went on another trip to Foxwoods, Monte Carlo, and Las Vegas all in one fell swoop and totally bricked all 3 tourneys. Foxwoods I got 2 outed on day two by none other than THE ERICK LINDGREN (ZOMG POEKR CELEBZ) for 80k at 1k 2k. I never had a huge stack but grinded my ass off so it was a bit of a disappointment but because I was traveling to Monte Carlo later that week out of JFK I was able to stick around to watch Akat11 (Adam Katz) final table the WPT. He got 5^th  after the guy who got 2^nd rivered him for a huge pot. Oh well, still was fun to get on TV again while never making a WPT ft. I guess I’m just “that guy” I on the rail lol. After that I went to Monte Carlo where I busted on Day 2. Sort of standard although I had a hand at the beginning of day 2 where I smoothed Queens pre and two others jumped in the pot. I had position and shipped the 843hh flop for about 10k into 6k. It folds to the initial raiser and he thinks for a little, maybe 30 seconds. I’m listening to my Ipod with those Bose Noise-Canceling headphones when I notice the dealer looking around and calling something out. Apparently this Italian guy in seat 1 saw it fit to call the clock after just 30 seconds. The initial raiser ended up timing out his hand and later said he had 10s which I believed. It angered me that the guy who wasn’t even in the hand decided to call the clock and it looked like the guy was going to call. Oh well, later that level I had 10s into the Italian guys Queens to bust. Nothing I could do especially when it’s cutoff/small blind.

Then I get to Vegas for the WPT Championship and proceed to draw the most ridiculous table: Phil Hellmuth, Barry Greenstein, Lee Markholt, Hoyt Corkins, Mike Sexton, Bruno Fitoussi, random tight guy, a Euro dude who is Traumatize on Stars, and Wei Kai Chang (TAG player with a wild side). It was NOT the way to start my first 25k event. I ran rather bad at the table but definitely did not play my best and was just happy to make it out alive with 30k. The next day I got moved to a much easier table with just Devilfish, Grinder, and tssrast. Oh, and Erica Shoenberg got moved to my table later on so while Devilfish was the table captain, she was the table hottie. Heyyyooo! Bad joke, but bare with me please. So I got it all in for 40k at 500/1k with AQdd vs Devilfish’s 44. Flop came 983ddd. THE NUTS! Turn came 4. River came 9. That was NOT the way I wanted to bust out of highest buyin tournament I had ever played.  Oh well. At least I made it to day 2 in all 3 of my tourneys! Woopitydo.

I ended up hanging out in Vegas for an extra week or two at JC. Alvarado’s humble abode at Panorama Towers. I LOVE that place. It’s a poker player’s dream. I stuck around and played the Caesar’s 5k  circuit event as well as cashing their 1500 event. The 5k event did not fair so well either. I managed to get 150bbs in at 50/100 with 88 on the 862ddd board against 97dd. Frown. Board did not pair and that was all she wrote. After that JC was able to get tickets to the Deal movie premier which was just one big LOL. Granted it’s a far cry from All In or Aces (which if you haven’t seen yet, DON’T. Please don’t! I beg you.) but it still was not by any means a good movie. Still, it was a fun night and I was able to try Absinthe for the first time, which apparently has been legalized in Vegas and the Palms had it. Tastes just like licorice and it made the night a whole lot more fun. After the movie we went to the afterparty at Moon and things got hazy from that point on. I think I chatted with Hoyt Corkins about being a badass with a cowboy hat and found out Jeff Madsen has been on the same trip to Israel that I went on which was pretty random and cool. Other than that, the rest of the night was a blur. At some point we went to Rhino as well. What is a Vegas night out without THE RHINO!!!

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this blog. I’m just spewing right now. My brain is thanking me for this though. I have not written in a while and it is cathartic. The only real thing I wanted to chat about is the AWESOMENESS of Neil Patrick Harris. For those who are not familiar with him, he was Doogie Howser M.D. way back in the day. Wayyy back in the day, circa 1991ish. So yea, he made an appearance in the first Harold and Kumar where he 

was just 100% badass and he effectively re-invented himself. From there he has been on the show How I Met Your Mother which may or may not (MAY) be the most underrated show on tv. It’s a wonder it took me so long to fall in love with the show. NPH plays the coolest straight guy ever and to boot, he’s gay in real life which makes it even cooler and more awesome.  He literally has the chauvinistic straight guy down to a science. The show also has Allison Hannigan from American Pie infamy and Jason Segal (the star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) in it. Oh yea, Bob Saget is the narrator for the cherry on top. Check it out when you get a chance. It’s on CBS on Thursdays I think but just buy the dvds or download them off the internet. It’s worth your while.

Well, that’s all for now but here are some random thoughts to leave you with:

Did you know the phrase “That’s my roll” is actually a qunituple entendre? Think about it. And if you don’t know what an entendre is, google it and $5 to anyone who actually finds one with 6. You have my word.

I wish there was a way to put voice inflections in text messages because it’s hard to know exactly where someone is coming from, what mood they are in, yadda yadda. Only in a perfect world.

Indiana Jones was solid. Go see it if you are an action enthusiast.

Global warming is upon us. Been like 3 earthquakes in 2 weeks. 4 Tornadoes. I’m happy I won’t be in FL for hurricane season. Yikes.