I played a late session yesterday after we went out to eat for my father's birthday. Our plans got shifted around due to some bad planning on our part. My parents picked me up at my house after I got off work. We headed towards Pipestem to my favorite BBQ restaurant. The last time I went to this place, I had Flounder which was decnet, but who the fuck orders fish at a BBQ joint?

"I'm eating pig tonight!" I stated on the ride over to my parents. My mouth was watering thinking about digging into a big plate of pulled swine. Then we got there and CLOSED! Booo! Not a problem, I thought. We can have steak. The restaurant next door is a gourmet steak house and the best in the area. It's a little more expensive, but well worth the extra price. We pulled in to the lot and ... CLOSED! Boo again! Finally, we gave up and ate at a Mexican restaurant. I had something I couldn't pronounce. It was grilled chicken smothered in some sort of salsa that was really the perfect spicyness and cheese. They had another variation that had peppers and zucchini as well, but I opted to skip on the veggies. The dish was FANTASTIC and put this restaurant on my favorites list. This was only the 2nd time I've ever been to the place, but I will be back much more.

After eating, I went back home. I got my new puppy toy in the mail yesterday. I got him one of those Kong toys that are practically indestructible and you can fill them with treats. Boy did he love that thing. I put a milk bone inside of it and he played forever trying to get that milk bone out. I'm using the toy as a training aid to help him with his crate and separation anxiety. I'm going to make Kong his "Special" toy and he only gets that when he's in the crate. Hopefully this will occupy him for a while when I sneak out so he won't be fussy/whiney every time I leave.

After playing with the dog for a bit, I fired up Full Tilt and started data-mining a bit while I watched a Stoxpoker video. When the video was over, it was getting close to bed-time, but I wanted to play some hands. I played about 400 hands and had an up and down session. I was winning for a while, then it seemed like someone hit the doomswitch for about 10 minutes and then I grinded back up to where my loss was only $10 :)

Here are some interesting hands from my session though:

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HAND #1
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Full Tilt, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

Predator314 (BTN): $55.40 (221.6 bb)
SB: $14.75 (59 bb)
BB: $28.25 (113 bb)
MP: $35 (140 bb)
CO: $192.90 (771.6 bb)

Pre-Flop: Predator314 is BTN with Qc Qh
MP raises to $0.85, CO folds, Predator314 raises to $3, 2 folds, MP calls $2.15

Flop: ($6.35) 9h 4h Js (2 players)
MP bets $4, Predator314 raises to $12, MP calls $8

Turn: ($30.35) 3h (2 players)
MP bets $12, Predator314 raises to $40.40 and is all-in, MP calls $8 and is all-in

River: ($70.35) 2d (2 players, 2 are all-in)

Results:

Spoiler:

$70.35 pot ($3 rake)
Predator314 showed Qc Qh (a pair of Queens) and lost (-$35 net)
MP showed Ah Th (a flush, Ace high) and won $67.35 ($32.35 net)

I probably could have gotten away from this hand. However, I was over-analyzed it and forgot I was playing $25NL. I'm not sure, I had so much invested in the pot and he only had another $8 behind, so the hand really had me thinking.


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HAND #2
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Full Tilt, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

SB: $25.50 (102 bb)
Predator314 (BB): $29.60 (118.4 bb)
UTG: $61.25 (245 bb)
MP: $20.70 (82.8 bb)
CO: $25 (100 bb)
BTN: $36.65 (146.6 bb)

Pre-Flop: Predator314 is BB with 5d 5h
CO posts BB out of position, UTG folds, MP calls $0.25, CO checks, BTN calls $0.25, SB completes, Predator314 checks

Flop: ($1.25) 7d Qc 5c (5 players)
SB bets $0.50, Predator314 raises to $2, MP folds, CO folds, BTN folds, SB calls $1.50

Turn: ($5.25) Qh (2 players)
SB checks, Predator314 checks

River: ($5.25) Td (2 players)
SB bets $23.25 and is all-in, Predator314 calls $23.25

Results:

Spoiler:

$51.75 pot ($2.55 rake)
SB showed 7s 7h (a full house, Sevens full of Queens) and won $49.20 ($23.70 net)
Predator314 mucked 5d 5h (a full house, Fives full of Queens) and lost (-$25.50 net)

Silly coolers. I don't know if I'd ever be good enough not to go broke in a set vs. set situation...especially in an un-raised pot.


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HAND #3
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Full Tilt, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

Predator314 (BB): $25 (100 bb)
MP: $15.35 (61.4 bb)
CO: $26.30 (105.2 bb)
BTN: $73.90 (295.6 bb)
SB: $186.85 (747.4 bb)

Pre-Flop: Predator314 is BB with Kh Ac
MP raises to $0.50, 2 folds, SB calls $0.40, Predator314 raises to $2.50, MP calls $2, SB calls $2

Flop: ($7.50) 9d 3c 3d (3 players)
SB checks, Predator314 bets $4.50, MP calls $4.50, SB folds

Turn: ($16.50) Jd (2 players)
Predator314 checks, MP checks

River: ($16.50) Ah (2 players)
Predator314 checks, MP bets $8, Predator314 raises to $18 and is all-in, MP calls $0.35 and is all-in

Results:

Spoiler:

$33.20 pot ($1.65 rake)
Predator314 showed Kh Ac (two pairs, Aces and Threes) and lost (-$15.35 net)
MP showed Ad Qd (a flush, Ace high) and won $31.55 ($16.20 net)

Who knows...I was getting 2 to 1 on my money there at the end, so I guess a call was in order?

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HAND #4
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Full Tilt, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

Predator314 (BB): $28.75 (115 bb)
UTG: $51.05 (204.2 bb)
MP: $25.35 (101.4 bb)
CO: $25 (100 bb)
BTN: $33.30 (133.2 bb)
SB: $216.10 (864.4 bb)

Pre-Flop: Predator314 is BB with Jd Jc
UTG raises to $0.85, 3 folds, SB raises to $2.25, Predator314 calls $2, UTG calls $1.40

Flop: ($6.75) 4c 5h 8s (3 players)
SB bets $6.75, Predator314 raises to $26.50 and is all-in, UTG folds, SB calls $19.75

Turn: ($59.75) 4d (2 players, 1 is all-in)
River: ($59.75) Js (2 players, 1 is all-in)

Results:

Spoiler:

$59.75 pot ($2.95 rake)
Predator314 showed Jd Jc (a full house, Jacks full of Fours) and won $56.80 ($28.05 net)
SB showed As Ah (two pairs, Aces and Fours) and lost (-$28.75 net)

Yay! I suck out. As you can see, SB was rockin' a huge stack. He was also rockin a VPIP of 55% and a PFR of 30%. I don't feel too bad for getting it all in here because I feel I'm ahead of his range most of the time. Am I wrong?


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HAND #5
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Full Tilt, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
Hand History Converter by Stoxpoker

CO: $24.75 (99 bb)
Predator314 (BTN): $28.85 (115.4 bb)
SB: $25.25 (101 bb)
BB: $33.40 (133.6 bb)
UTG: $51.40 (205.6 bb)
MP: $57.60 (230.4 bb)

Pre-Flop: Predator314 is BTN with Js Jd
2 folds, CO raises to $1, Predator314 raises to $3, 2 folds, CO raises to $7, Predator314 calls $4

Flop: ($14.35) Ks 3c As (2 players)
CO checks, Predator314 checks

Turn: ($14.35) 8s (2 players)
CO checks, Predator314 bets $11, CO folds

Results:

Spoiler:

$14.35 pot ($0.70 rake)
Predator314 mucked Js Jd (a pair of Jacks) and won $13.65 ($6.65 net)

Normally, this is a fold pre-flop for me, but the villian in this hand was the fish at the table. I had iso-raised him several times prior and he had just recently started playing back at me. I was going to give up after the flop but when he checked, I figured him for AA-KK-QQ. When he checked the turn, I knew he had QQ and a large bet would most likely win me the pot assuming he didn't have Qs. He confirmed he did have QQ in the chat and he claims to have had the Qs. I'm happy with my post-flop play here, but looking back on my pre-flop play, I think it's bad. Comments?

I had a fairly full-fulling weekend. I spent most of the time working on the yard. I woke up early on Saturday morning because the Puppy just wasn't being good. I let him sleep outside of the crate and I paid for that one. I really wanted to go back to bed and skip out on his vet appointment, but I sucked it up. I wasn't sure if I could handle the pup on no sleep in a room full of strange animals.

Fortunately when we got there, he was a good pup. He wanted to check out the other animals, but just some sniffing. He was in a new environment and wanted to check out EVERYTHING. But I was able to reasonably control him (Much better than some of the other pet owners). He did good for the vet too. He got all his shots. The vet said he was probably about 7 months old. He was completely healthy with no heart worms or any other things they try to scare you with. Did you know that dogs can get venerial diseases? What's next, puppy condoms? I also made an appointment to get him neutered on June 20th.

After the vet, I had to go find some mulch. It's not like the shit is hard to find. Everybody sells it. I picked the place closest to the house. The guy didn't seem very interested in selling it though. He then quoted me a price of $60/scoop. I politely told him to go fuck himself and moved on to the next place. It was $22/scoop at the 2nd place with much better looking mulch. Sold.

Then came the fun part...actually putting that shit down. It really only took about 2 to 2.5 hours, but it was manual labor though. My damn fingers can barely move right now after a constant swinging of the shovel and rake. Fat people and manual labor don't mix.

My parents left about 4:30 a.m. this morning to go to Atlantic City. They are just staying through Wednesday. It's a birthday trip for my Mom and Dad both. I, on the other hand, don't have any obligations in the evening time until they get back into town. So the timing is perfect. I have the next 3 nights to work off as much of the Full Tilt bonus as possible. I'm not going to get the entire bonus worked off, but I want to get at least $100 of it.

I didn't get in any of the marathon sessions this weekend like I had intended because of the yard work and all the nice weather we had. I did get my 2 hour session I had promised in though. This week, I kick it up to 2 hours a night on the tables. I might mix it up between 1 hour limit and 1 hour no limit. It just all depends on the flow of the games.

Lastly, I've been following this guy trying to win $10K in a month at $25NL. Talk about a grinder. Sweet Jesus the man has played like 150K hands in 10 days. Thats just sickening. I wish I could find a way to even get remotely close to that kind of number. By the way, no chance in hell he is able to pull this one off. $10K is a huge number when youre talking microstakes poker.

Crate Training

Yesterday I met my Mother at the Mall (ugh) for dinner. I had to run by the pet store and pick up a crate/kennel for the puppy, so I figured we could grab a bite while there. We ate at Macados which is one of my favorite restaraunts in the area. It has an awesome atmosphere and there are always people there you know. THe food is pretty decent too. Last night was an exception. Our waitress was a retard. The food was mediocre at best.

AFter the disappointing dinner, I headed towards Petland. They should neuter anyone that buys anything from that place. I looked around a bit. I found 1 small crate. Then some scary woman come up and asked me if I needed her help. She was probably a 35-40 year old woman with long, black, greasy hair. She had like two top rows of teath or something going on. And to top it all off, she had a lazy eye. Look up crack ho in the dictionary and her photo is there. Anyway, she went through their entire invetory and no larger crates. So, off I went to Pet store #2.

Pet store #2 was a local establishment. I would have felt better giving them my money. But no go there either. This time I got redneck Jim as my helper. He refused to get off his chair long enough to be any decent help. I gave that store about 30 more seconds and left. Luckily Lowes was next door and I found exactly what I was looking for in no time at all.

When I got home, I let the puppy play around the kennel. I left some treats in there and he started going in and out without fear. Then I shut the door on him and he behaved nicely. Wow that was easy! We went out for a while and then I moved the crate to my bedroom beside the bed. At bedtime, he went right into the crate and I shut the door. HE was in good shape. Then I turned out the lights and he started whining. I kept my fingers through the cage so he could lick them and know I was still there. AFter about 5 minutes, he give up the whining and went to sleep.

This morning, we got up and I let him out to do his business. An accident free day! I played with him really good this morning. He also did some wind sprints through the house for some reason. He was probably a little tired by the time I was getting dressed for work. We went back into the bedroom and he went straight for the crate. Awesome!

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I did manage to get in a few hundred hands of poker yesterday as well. I started out horribly, but eventually brought it back and made a tiny profit.

Well, in 8 long hours it will be Memorial Weekend. I love Memorial Weekend because it's like a little mini-vaction just before the real vacation that happens a few weeks later.

I don't have any real plans for this weekend. I do plan on playing some golf. I haven't hit a single golf ball this year, so that should be a hoot. I'm not sure where we are going yet or who all is going, I just know we're going.

Also on the agenda will be some flower planting at the homestead. I'm going to build one of my flower boxes up and get it looking pretty. I have plenty of other yard work that can be done as well.

The main thing for me this weekend though is to catch up on sleep. I haven't been in the bed before midnight a single day this week. Last night, it was close to 2:00 a.m. before I was able to fall asleep. Insomnia has stricken hardcore this week and I feel like a zombie today. Draggin' ass.

The pup did good yesterday. He went the entire day without making a mess. I took him outside and he insta-peed. I walked him around for a bit, then he took that dump I've been waiting for. We played around for a bit. When we went back inside, he was all excited and of course peed right in the kitchen floor. I didn't catch him in the act. I just saw the resulting puddle.

I went out to Wal-Mart (that place gets more God Forsaken everyday) and come home with some supplies. I got one of those retractable leashes which he does much better with. I also bought a big pillow bed for the puppy which he loves. I got some Milk bone treats for when he does his business outside. Then I bought some food as well. He seems to be eating this brand that my friends gave me, so I stuck with that brand. I did forget to pick up some pet shampoo and a bowl though, so I gotta get that stuff sometime today or tomorrow.

When I got home from Wal-Mart, I was going to let the puppy out again, but he decided to let himself out. Before I could get the leash on him, he was out the door. Wide open he went about half way down the yard. I yelled for him and he ignored me at first. Then I gave a more stern yell and he came right back. Thankfully I didn't have to take my fat ass racing through the neighborhood chasing the skinny, fast dog.

We're starting to get a routine going. I want to get him a kennel so he can stay outside when it's pretty. Lowe's has a 10' x 10' kennel for $50. I'm going to check that bad boy out this weekend. That plus a little dog house would be great!

Operation: Puppy (Day 1)

Yesterday was a big day for me. I left work and eagerly changed clothes and headed across town to Bluefield. I pulled up to my friends' house and immediately wondered "How the hell am I going to get this dog home?" I had not seen the puppy in person yet, only the pic I showed yesterday. When I knocked on the door he came running. No shyness in this dog at all. He let me pet him and play with him. He never barked and even though excited wasn't too wild. Nice!

I chatted with Leslie a little bit and played with my buddy (her baby) Spencer. The dog and the child did well together. Everytime the dog would get in sight of the baby, he would start laughing. It was so cute. She has another video of him doing it and cackling too, but she hasn't uploaded it yet.

She also gave me some supplies to get me started. I got 2 leashes, a half bag of dog food, and some toys. I took the walking leash and put it on him without any problems. We walked around outside for a while. The pup wants to play tractor pull when he's on a leash. He kept wanting to drag me around.

Les helped me load everything in to the truck. I tapped on the seat a few times adn the dog jumped right in. That was easy! Next came trying to drive with the dog in the truck. I was worried at first because he seemed to only want to be in my face the whole time. I couldn't concentrate like that, so I tapped the seat a few more times and asked him to sit. He did! Wow. You could tell he was a bit un-easy about the ride, but I sang some Pink Floyd, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Godsmack tunes to him to help settle him down :)

I had to stop by my Mom's house. I took him out and let him run around her yard for a while (still on a leash). He did his business and we took him inside while we eat. Mom wasn't too thrilled with having the dog run wild through the house while we were eating. All he wanted to do was sniff out the situation anyway. I shut him in the bathroom just in case there were any "accidents".

I left Mom's house "accident" free. We hopped back in the truck. This time the ride was much easier for him. He was more at ease. He even stood up in the seat to stick his head out the window to check out what was giong on. But then he wanted to come to my side again. He just wanted some petting I guess. It wasn't like he was trying to climb over me. His footing wasn't so awesome on the console though and I was afraid of him slipping and breaking a leg or something if I had to stop suddenly. So with a few more taps on the passenger seat, back over there he went until we got home.

His first sight as we pulled up was the neighbor's German Shepherd. He really wanted to check that dog out. Once we got inside, I let him roam the house and check out the situation. He pretty much scanned the perimeter of every room with his nose and then it was all good. He seemed more fascinated with downstairs than upstairs (which is good for me with tile floors and all).

Once I got everything settled in, I took him outside. I have a big yard, but it's not fenced in or anything. I was afraid to let him roam around without a leash. I wasn't sure if he would run off or anything. So I had one of those in-ground leashes that lets them roam pretty far. He checked out a little bit of everything and did his business too which I was happy to see. He kept wanting to crawl underneath my porch though. I'm not sure what fascinated him so much down there, but something interested him a lot.

We played for a while and went back inside. He roamed around a little bit more and he chilled out with me for a while. When it was time for bed, I took him out for another walk. He peed almost instantly. I was hoping for a nice steaming poop, but no luck there. We went back inside and I took him into my bedroom. A couple taps on the bed and he hopped right up there. My bed is pretty high off the ground, so it's a decent leap and I was surpised he could do it. He didn't want to cooperate at first. He wanted to roll around and hide his head under the pillows. I showed him that the head of the bed was my side.

When I finally laid down, he wanted to play a bit. So I petted him and got all that out of his system. Finally he tuckered out and laid down at teh foot of the bed. He stayed there for most of the night and didn't interrupt my sleep one bit. Until 5:00 a.m. A dog barked outside and then he jumped up barking and ran into the kitchen. This went on for about 30 seconds and I incoherantly hollared at him to get back in the room. He did just that. He ran back into the bedroom, jumped back on the bed and resumed the sleeping like nothing happened.

When the alarm clock rang. I played with teh puppy for a bit and took him outside. I left him out there on the long leash while I showered and got ready for work. Then I let him back in and played with him for a few more minutes before I left for work. I made him a bed and put some toys in the downstairs bathrooom. It has tile floors and is pretty open so he'll have a place to hang out during the day while I'm gone. If there are any accidents, then they will be easy to clean up.

I decided to call the pup "Smoltzie" after Braves pitcher John Smoltz (ie) :)

Smoltzie (The new pup)