New Years Day Tournament


For the 2nd tourney in a row, Toni, Brian, and I finished at the top of the pack. Today is the monthly tournament for the seat into the Red River, and there are 20 of us who qualified. Hopefully, I'll make it 3 in a row. If not, its all fun and good stuff.

Happy New Year..I started it off right.

2010 is only 1 hour and seventeen minutes old but I'm already accomplishing one of my New Year's Resolution because I am writing my blog.

Some of the most fun I've had lately has been designing a blog for a friend. If my calling was to do advertising, I missed it somewhere along the way between home economics and education. I am still defining my role in the mix of the blogset. I want to promote his blog and still not suppress my own creativity. Putting my creative need to work to benefit and enhance his blog is what makes the project challenging and fun.

Is the Writer's Block I am experiencing due to the early morning hour when I write? Sleep or lack of it can block the sane mind.

ohhh wellllll, Happy New Year.

Gossip is gossip no matter where it is.

Many years ago my father-in-law owned the "corner drugstore" in the small town where we lived. Everyone came to his place for their prescriptions or their morning coffee but what the regulars really wanted was the latest town gossip.

Most of the gossipers were business men with offices near the drug store. They would gather morning, noon, and after work. Each day they would all go back to their homes to share the information of the day with their little housewives. These people thrived on discussing and analyzing their neighbors' situations. Maybe their own lives were bland and boring so gossiping about others filled a need in their lives.

The small-town drugstores have been replaced with CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-marts. So who is going to take up the old tradition of gossiping about acquaintances?

It doesn't really matter what one's social circle is, even if it is a church, gossip will occur. Anywhere familiarity exists, so does gossip.

Local poker rooms have their own brand of gossip. People become very familiar with each other because they have something in common and play poker together several times a month. Players may not know each others' last names but they certainly assume and repeat a lot of information about each other whether it is correct or not.

One of the advantages of playing in a casino or commercial cardroom is that strangers play strangers. It is very interesting to study and try to read an individual who is totally anonymous.

On the other hand playing poker with the same people for a long time is
reminiscent of Cheers where "everybody knows your name." The mentality of the gossiper is still there. Only the names, faces and places have changed.

Julie and Julia

NORA EPHRON, CALL ME.
Today, Christmas Day, I decided to see what movies were available on my Pay For View. I decided on Julie and Julia. If you've seen it, you already know where I'm headed.

Watching Julie blog for a year then have a book deal come of it parallels my ambitions of having one of my eight blogs noticed by many strangers out there and getting further action because of it.

Judy and Jennifer

If I'm going to have a hero like Julie did (Julia Childs) then it will have to be Jennifer Harmon. Once I saw her in person while she was watching Phil Ivey play Andy Beals at Wynn. She looked so ordinary, and I know she is, but the girl is awesome considering the staying power she has with all of the men pros in Vegas. Only Jennifer continues to play high profile cash games as well as tournaments. Of course, my desire has always been to be able to live in Vegas and play poker every day.

My dream is to be in the "In Group" of women of my generation who after retirement moved to Vegas and are living the good life. Their daily schedules go something like this. Sleep in, take a brisk morning walk at Red Rock, have a little lunch, then start playing poker about 1:30pm. After about 6 hours of play, they go out to dinner and perhaps a show.

On several occasions I have played with Carol (cannot remember her last name) who is an author and therapist. Another attractive lady I see when I go out there is retired but has her own jewelry-making business. Both have told me of their daily routines and welcomed me if I ever move there to go for walks with them before we hit the poker rooms together. And, of course, I have to throw in that Linda Geenen and her friend Marie told me I would fit right into their feisty little gang of Medicare bangers.

I know all of this sounds like a silly dream but if you have seen the movie Julie and Julia you know that was what Julie started out with and made it come true.

The fantasy storyline goes something like this.

Retired school counselor raising grandson dreams of being a famous poker pro and fulfills her dream of fame through blogging about her small time poker playing.

Its safe to say that I won't be changing my address for at least the next ten years until my grandson is old enough to be independent. But I can watch movies, blog, and dream in the meantime.

NORA EPHRON, CALL ME.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!


Couples Poker....here we go again.

A few days ago I sat down in a small game next to a middle-aged man and his wife in the 2&3 seats. A toothpick couldn't have been squeezed between them as they appeared jointed at the hips. The lady was very talkative and told me they were from New York. He was obviously the better player of the two, but I think she believed she was. After every hand she would quietly tell him what she had or show him her cards. They were both very aggressive bettors and often ended up in the same pot, arguing, then one of them would fold. Not only was this lady totally annoying, she was sharing information with her husband that the rest of the table should have also been privileged to.

The hand that got everyone's attention including the floor was one which had four players at the turn, and the couple made up half of the four. Lady bets first with her husband second to act, then the 5&8 seats were next. When she bet she said, "I have the same cards I had last hand."

I was not in the hand but because I was sitting between the dealer and the lady, I felt an obligation to say, "She can't say that!"

The New York Lady turned to me, and said, "What's wrong with me saying that?"

The dealer said she couldn't discuss her cards while there are still 3 people left to act.

Now this didn't set well with Mrs. New York and she went on a tirade that lasted for the next 45 minutes.

After the hand she said to me, "Why do you think it would matter on this hand that I said I had the same cards as last time?"

I answered her directly with, "Because you have been showing or telling your husband every hand you fold, and that could influence a later hand."

She kept arguing with the dealer and said the dealer was acting like the police when she was here just to have fun, not be treated so poorly.

Finally her husband said he understood the reason she should not have said anything during the hand, and for her to "just drop it."

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She persisted, "No, explain it to me right now. If I did something wrong I want to know what it was!"

I said, "Can we just move on?" and she replied, "But you're not the one who's been falsely accused."

I asked for a seat change because by now her voice was getting louder and louder. My ears got a rest but for the rest of the time I had to look at her mean stare.

As long as I play poker, I will continue to say that a twosome should not be allowed to sit together especially so close they can feel each other's breaths. Most houses try to keep a pretty fair game going but neither the dealer nor the floor can observe everything a couple does to share information.

These are the little things that cause me to lose focus. Maybe I should make a New Year's resolution to not let it bother me.

A Good Game

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So many people are looking for a safe and fun place to play cards. For example, one day when I picked up my grandson from school, his teacher asked me if I knew a good place where his mother could play in a Tx Hold'em tournament. The teacher's 68 year old mom recently moved here from California (where its ok to play poker), and she misses playing cards. I offered to take her to my friend's game, and he was excited that he had hooked his mom up because she is lonely and needs something to do.


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All the people I play with are good and interesting folks from various professions. I just wish that the State of Texas and the good citizens of Texas would legalize a fabulous game which is challenging and fun.

I played bridge with 7 ladies in my hometown every other Monday night for 22 years. At the time I thought it was fun, but now that I play poker I cannot imagine why I liked bridge and don't care if I ever play again.

Poker Pals are the Best!!

Vocation, Avocation, Vacation

Twenty plus years as a school counselor may have prepared me for my Grandma Moses "career", my favorite pasttime which is playing cards. As preposterous as that may sound, there is truth to it because most of what happens at a poker table involves awareness and identification of personalities and predicting and evaluating their behaviors. The settings are drastically different, or are they? Sitting around a poker table with strangers or friends is an immense bonding experience. It is a microcosm of life and the many personalities in the world.

It was my job to observe and evaluate children and teens. Conclusions had to be drawn about their personality types, leadership styles, potentials, right-brain/left-brain dominance, intelligence, daring, at-risk behaviors, flexibility, persistence, determination, and more. While sitting at a card table with 9 other adults, I see certain characters coming to life. Sometimes it takes longer than others for "them" to appear but if you sit there for an hour or so, they will come.

It is good to have had guidance sessions with class clowns, jocks, computer whiz, mama's boy, prom queens, "most likely to land in prison" guys, baby of the family, band boys....and all of the others we have all known in our school days.

Ordinarily I don't reveal what career field I was in, but once in a game at Wynn, an obnoxious, talkative, aggressive young man was getting on the last nerve of everyone at our table. He had not said much directly to me, but when I won a big hand from him, he started mouthing to me.

After a few barbs, I told him that I knew who he was. He quickly blasted that we had never met before. My reply not only relieved the tension at the table, but obviously struck a nerve with Loud Mouth.

I just smiled and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was a school counselor once, and I recognized you as the kid who always got sent to the office because the teachers' wanted you out of their classrooms."


He looked embarrassed and grinned for the first time all day, and said, "That's right...ummm, but you weren't the counselor.


Collusion. Collision?SmileyCentral.com

Often poker is learned by playing at the kitchen table for pennies with family and friends. Everyone has to play to make the game. Uncle Joe and Aunt Sue, Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad are all couples, but that is not the same as today's poker room couple teams.

The difference comes when the stakes change. Playing for matches or pennies at home is far from playing for real money with strangers in a cardroom.
Couple teams can be found wherever poker is being played. The popularity of poker has led more women into cardrooms today. Many go independently and enjoy the status of being single at the table. Others have learned poker because they did not want to be left at home while their husbands go out. Once they start playing, they really get into it and feel a sense of their own ability.


When two people share the same pocketbook and sit at the same table, it is natural that they will try to preserve and expand it. After all, it is costing them more to play than the rest of us.
Not much can be done to discourage husbands and wives from sitting at the same table. Dealers and floor managers cannot anticipate issues before they exist. The grey area of whether the couple is colluding, perhaps unintentionally, could not be proved without an outright violation.


Some couples are quiet and try to hide the fact they are together. Other unexperienced ones are "outed" when the husband glows with pride as he sees his wife call to the river and beat AA with her small straight.

In her book Poker Face, Katy Lederer wrote of the fierce competition among her Lederer family members over games when they were growing up. Howard and his sister Annie Duke are still at it which can be seen on national tv. Yet, Annie cried when she knocked Howard out of a major tournament a few years ago.
Emotions cannot be barred from any sporting or gaming event.

This is no suggestion to ban couples from playing at the same table. But couple teams, with or without a T-shirt advertising their union, may want to be aware how they are perceived by other players.


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DADDY'S GIRLS
Poker has traditionally been a man's game, so women who love to play have to learn to hold their own. My personal theory is that Daddy's Girls love to play poker because we usually see someone or some behavior at the table that reminds us of that most important man in our early lives. Riding shotgun in my father's pickup truck in Central Texas in the 1950's left a powerful impression on me. It taught me how important it is to balance being feminine while secretly dreaming of being "one of the guys" just like Dad.

At the poker table I can do both, and sometimes to my advantage, as most other women players have.
Is it a surprise that I play and imagine I am Jennifer Harmon riding in the pickup truck with Daddy Doyle?


I have met and played with famous basketball coaches, financial analysts, therapists, writers, as well as tree-trimmers, plumbers, teachers, stay-at-home mothers, and others from many professions.

After attending The Real Deal at The Venetian, Phil Laak, Lacey Jones and Antonio Esfandiari took me and a few other people to Lavo for drinks. It was fun talking to them and listening to their witty exchanges. Recently, at a satellite tournament at Wynn Classic, I looked up to see Hoyt Corkins across the table from me. I never know who I'll meet next.

Poker is a great equalizer because it gives us the opportunity to sit at the same table regardless of what we do or who we are. Most people who play are great readers of others and intelligent in a way that is not easy to explain. We do not bond or connect with everyone we play with, but the ones we do are like adding another person to the family.



Linda Geenen, First Poker Blogger. Read her blog Table Tango.

Two famous quotes are Andy Warhol's "Fifteen Minutes of Fame" and Casablanca's "Of all the gin joints in all of the world, she walks into mine."
Today I thought of both of them when I read Linda Geenen's most recent blog post. Linda writes reviews of Las Vegas poker rooms. I was playing with her group of off-duty Bellagio dealers at the Monte Carlo poker room for several hours when she asked me if she could take my picture. Little did I know that she she would include me in a blog with a paragraph and picture of me.

The first quote relates to me in a tongue-in-cheek way. Recognition in a paragraph that takes 35 seconds to read is hardly fame, but it was fun to read her observations at the same poker table.
"Of all the (poker rooms) in all of the world---", I walked into the one where Linda was playing and sat down by her and Marie. What a coincidence. Or was it? Every day we meet people by chance who become a part of our lives.


You can read her entire Table Tango Blog on this subject at the address in the left column. This is an excerpt from it.

"One of the true delights of the evening was Judy. She took the 1s and I knew that I knew her from either playing with or dealing to her at Bellagio. As the game progressed and Marie and her and I visited, I knew she was a ‘keeper’. If she lived in Vegas I’d have her on my ‘Pan Game Plays’ list. Not only did she step right into our circle of poker play and gabbing lifestyle, she knew how to play and had a lot of moxie. She’s also a blogger, although she feels she doesn’t fit into the ‘poker’ blogging mold, she’s a player and adds a nice dimension to all realities, including poker. Of course she hates this picture – but that’s the way most of man/womankind reacts when they are faced with their own image. I think she’s a beauty.On of the true delights of the evening was Judy. She took the 1s and I knew that I knew her from either playing with or dealing to her at Bellagio. As the game progressed and Marie and her and I visited, I knew she was a ‘keeper’. If she lived in Vegas I’d have her on my ‘Pan Game Plays’ list. Not only did she step right into our circle of poker play and gabbing lifestyle, she knew how to play and had a lot of moxie. She’s also a blogger, although she feels she doesn’t fit into the ‘poker’ blogging mold, she’s a player and adds a nice dimension to all realities, including poker. Of course she hates this picture – but that’s the way most of man/womankind reacts when they are faced with their own image. I think she’s a beauty."

http://table-tango.pokerworks.com/blog/2006.09/2007/monte_carlo/judy.jpg

And that is how I make new friends. Thanks, Linda.



DONKEY HO-TEE
In the poker world, there is a commonly used definition of the word "donkey". Poker players know what that is. Not too long ago I experienced a very obvious and outright example of another kind of donkey in the poker room.

First I need to explain that women at the card table have to be like Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire. We have to do everything the man does, but we have to do it more just to prove we belong there, instead of in the kitchen.

Of the two basic categories of men in a card game, my favorite is The Gentleman. The Gentleman is the same to men and women and has common decency and politeness for everyone. A gentleman may even call another player "donkey" but it is usually in harmless fun. One player I know even keeps a small plastic donkey on the table as he plays. Maybe its his good luck charm, or maybe its just his way of having fun.

Now for some background that leads to Donkey Definition No. 2. I was sitting next to a very nice, charming woman, and over the course of a few hours, we bonded as we played. She was well-dressed and a classy lady who is in her late 60's. It was not unusual that we were the only women at a table full of men. She ended up several times in a heads-up hand with a man I choose to call Boss Hogg. The outcome was in Classy Lady's favor, and it obviously was getting under Boss's skin.

He began to mouthe to the men next to him, and I heard him use the word "broads." This continued for some time. The Lady and I ignored his ongoing derogatory comments. Only one man at the table joined in Boss's crude behavior. He was like a junior high kid seeking approval of the bully by laughing at his mean jokes and rolling his eyes.

When I won a hand that Boss was in, he said quite clearly, "That's what you get when you play with a bunch a broads."

Non-gentleman No. 2 laughed and agreed.

I had had enough."What, Sir, is your definition of a 'broad', I asked?"

Without looking at me, Boss replied, "I wasn't talking to you!"

"Yes, Sir, I understand that. But, you were talking about me, and you have been saying the same thing about my friend. I would like to know if you mean it to be demeaning?"

"Take it however you want." he said.

Then he mumbled like a kid who was caught with his hand in the candy jar, "Its just another word for woman."

You would think this would have stopped the mean-spirited banter from him, but he only escalated. If any man at the table won a hand, Boss and his panting ally started saying, "Chalk one up for the boys!" "Chalk another one for the boys!"

On and on, it went until finally The Gentleman who I have played with many times and who also knows Boss from past experiences spoke up. "OK, (name), that's enough. You are out of line," said my hero.

There was a silence at the table, and Boss snickered. Little Boss did his obligatory snicker as well. Just to prove his manhood, he slightly modified but continued his comments for the course of the next few minutes.

It was time to leave for both of us "broads", so we gladly said goobye, cashed out our huge stack of chips, and called it a day.

I related this story to another Gentleman who has played with Boss for some time and understands him and his mean spirit.
He gave me the most interesting bit of information.
Gentleman No 2. laughed and said, "You know what Boss does for a living, don't you?"

"Of course not," I said.

"Well, he is in the business of raising and selling donkeys."I can truly say there were two donkeys in the poker room stall that day.