That is what I overheard in the Wynn casino bathroom from a cowboy on his cell phone. He had to repeat it several times, getting louder with each utterance. The final request was, "GET MY FUCKING SISTER A BEER AND..." That just about made my night. Then a guy on to my left apologetically said into his cell phone, "No. That was just some other guy in here."
I've been sick ever since returning from Vegas so have not been in the mood to write. I just had to finally share that phrase-o-tha-day.
SEEYa
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Crazy Ivan
First off, here is a pic from my trip...
Trafalgar Square. I think its a little different than what you normally get in holiday photos. I just like the way it came out.
Now on to poker and the mad Russian. After returning from England, I first played poker at Paul's house where I faired well and had a good time. Kid, Kirk, and I hit up Del Taco afterward for the traditional waisting-of-time-in-the-parking-lot-eating-bad-food-when-you're-not-even-hungry session. The following night, I played at Emeliano's house in Santa Monica...the modern version of our old home game. That was a good time, too. Jeff and I got caught up after the game. That's really cool because it looked like we might never speak again after an incident in Arizona about a year and a half ago.
I finally made my "Ali-like return" to Commerce Casino on Wednesday. The place was doing well for action. Sadly, the $400 games were filled with old guys and wild Asians. I've been playing there long enough to know who to stay away from. At first glance, The $200 games didn't appear to be much better but there were more of them running so I got on that list. The game I sat in looked like it could be tough. There were a couple wild players and a few rocks so I decided to tread carefully for a while and ask for a table change if the mood didn't suit my game. I quickly picked up a tell on the man in the 1 seat. After the board cards came out, he would look at the other players who were to act ahead of him if he didn't get any piece of it. But if he caught, he would avoid eye contact, mainly looking toward his own cards and chips. I must have been the only one to notice this because everyone else kept betting in to him when he had a hand. I didn't get a chance to take advantage of this, though as we never tangled before he left.
Then the table changed a bit. One of the wild guys left as did a couple of the rocks. They were replaced by some average weak/loose players. The wild player who stuck around turned out to be really easy to play against. He missed bets in some spots and over-bet in others costing himself plenty of money. I spent about 3 1/2 hours at that table during which time I sank to $30, added on a second buy (to $230), and built back up to $725. Then the table broke. I was playing well so I decided to check out the new table just in case it was good. Turns out it wasn't.
One thing I try to avoid is crazy players. People who are likely to play any two cards at any time for any price. It turns the game into a crap shoot. They'll lose their money almost every time but they will take some from other players before that. You don't want to be the one caught under the wheels of that truck. They take from you and give to everyone else. In this case, there were two...count 'em...2 nutty Russians in the game. There was also a wild Asian guy but I knew from experience how to handle him. I should have left as soon as I identified the situation. But I didn't. Long story short, one of the Ruskies made a hit and run with $1500 and the other stuck around to suck out on me. I found A-A in the big blind. The flop was Ac-6c-7h. I made it expensive to see the turn but the UTG player called giving Ivan better odds to call as well...not that he wouldn't have anyway. Turn was an off-suit 5. I bet $100 into $160. UTG raised the same amount and Ivan called. I had $340 behind and, although I realized I could be behind, there was no actual reason for me to think I was. I had already put UTG on a big Ace so he was out of the picture. I could only hope that Ivan was on a flush draw. Perhaps moving in would get him to lay it down. Even if he wouldn't fold, calling was not the right play. I would be pot-committed and first to act on the river. (A stop-and-go doesn't apply on the river for anyone thinking about that.) My best play was to move all-in which I did.
Ivan pretended to be iritated as if he didn't like my raise and shoved his rack of chips in the middle...out of turn. It was clear to me that he was playing an angle. He was trying to make it look like he was drawing while giving the UTG player better odds to call. After a while, he did call. Ivan's chips were already in and I was begging (inside) for the board to pair. Nope. The Russian turned over 8-9. UTG mucked saying he had A-5. While he was thinking about calling, I thought about telling the UTG players to get away from it since I knew I had him beat and was pretty sure that Ivan had us both. It would have been done out of spite which is why I didn't do it. I do have respect for the game even when others don't.
The Russian had me covered. It was 4am and I was tired. The next night I went to The Bike because I heard the action was good there right now. More on that later...
SEEYa
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
An Exercise to Exorcise
I may have made a mistake. When I started posting my thoughts, I wanted to stay somewhat anonymous so I could write whatever I wanted. This meant I would tell few friends and no family about this site. Kid Crash and SMC are close friends to whom I end up telling pretty much everything anyway so they know. There are a few other friends also in that category. However, in recent months I may have become a little too proud of my writing and, as a result, sent a link to a couple people that I wish I hadn't.
Its not that I have anything against them. Rather I feel I have to be careful about my content. I don't want to post anything about them or anyone that they know as it could be a little too revealing. I'm not sure what. I just think there might be something. So I've written a few entries that I have yet to post because of this.
That is why I am writing this now. An exercise in simply writing. I had not planned to write about why I am writing. Instead, I resolved to start typing and publish whatever came out...interesting or not...revealing or not. After all, I have been quite absent from my own blog while having plenty to write about. My trip to England and Ireland for intsance.
Ali invited me then her sister Beck decided to get married and Ali left for America. Their dad, Patrick, would still be around to welcome me in....until he was called away on business. That left Ali's other sister, Joanna. She got stuck with the guy from America that she had never met or even spoken to. But she was cool about it. In fact, she was willing to show me around and introduce me to many of her friends. What can I say? Very cool. About one week in to my stay, I heard Jo tell a friend on the phone, "My cousin from America is here." I whispered, "I'm not your cousin." (hilarity ensued) I didn't know where that idea came from but it was probably better that she thought I was more than just some guy her sister had invited. At least until we got to know each other a little.
Strangely, my mom now tells me that we are distant cousins. I don't remember how it goes but it is through marriage somewhere way back. Whatever the relation, I felt welcomed. While I don't throw the word around lightly, I think I would call Jo a friend. That's my side of it anyway. It is hard to tell with her. She's generally nice and outgoing. So its hard to say how much of a bond there was. Time will tell. A long time, in fact. There is a lot of water between here and there so its not like we can meet for drink any old time. That's the tough thing for me. Friends are important. And being away from them aint nice. That's one of the reasons I am glad to be home.
I came back about a week early but kept it a secret so I could surprise my mom on Thanksgiving. That was fun. My sister recorded "the reveal" so we have a video of it. Then I surprised SMC, calling him at work. We met that night at the Yard for some Guinness (pretty good actually. I was worried it would pale in comparrison to what I had in Dublin) then went to see Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The movie was a bit of a let down but I was there with the right person.
Good to be home and longing for other places.
SEEYa
Its not that I have anything against them. Rather I feel I have to be careful about my content. I don't want to post anything about them or anyone that they know as it could be a little too revealing. I'm not sure what. I just think there might be something. So I've written a few entries that I have yet to post because of this.
That is why I am writing this now. An exercise in simply writing. I had not planned to write about why I am writing. Instead, I resolved to start typing and publish whatever came out...interesting or not...revealing or not. After all, I have been quite absent from my own blog while having plenty to write about. My trip to England and Ireland for intsance.
Ali invited me then her sister Beck decided to get married and Ali left for America. Their dad, Patrick, would still be around to welcome me in....until he was called away on business. That left Ali's other sister, Joanna. She got stuck with the guy from America that she had never met or even spoken to. But she was cool about it. In fact, she was willing to show me around and introduce me to many of her friends. What can I say? Very cool. About one week in to my stay, I heard Jo tell a friend on the phone, "My cousin from America is here." I whispered, "I'm not your cousin." (hilarity ensued) I didn't know where that idea came from but it was probably better that she thought I was more than just some guy her sister had invited. At least until we got to know each other a little.
Strangely, my mom now tells me that we are distant cousins. I don't remember how it goes but it is through marriage somewhere way back. Whatever the relation, I felt welcomed. While I don't throw the word around lightly, I think I would call Jo a friend. That's my side of it anyway. It is hard to tell with her. She's generally nice and outgoing. So its hard to say how much of a bond there was. Time will tell. A long time, in fact. There is a lot of water between here and there so its not like we can meet for drink any old time. That's the tough thing for me. Friends are important. And being away from them aint nice. That's one of the reasons I am glad to be home.
I came back about a week early but kept it a secret so I could surprise my mom on Thanksgiving. That was fun. My sister recorded "the reveal" so we have a video of it. Then I surprised SMC, calling him at work. We met that night at the Yard for some Guinness (pretty good actually. I was worried it would pale in comparrison to what I had in Dublin) then went to see Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The movie was a bit of a let down but I was there with the right person.
Good to be home and longing for other places.
SEEYa
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
COFFEE! NOW!!
This was written in a cafe in London on Monday the 6th...some thoughts from the moment...
I was trying to avoid familiar things like fast food (Burger King seems to be the most popular here), Subway (for some reason, I don't think of that as fast food), and Starbucks. I spend an hour or so in a Starbucks about 4 or 5 days each week back at home. I'm here for new experiences.
While walking around London yesterday, I found a Starbucks (wasn't looking for it; just stumbled upon it; maybe it found me). I decided it would be a good idea to remember where it was in case I found myself in withdrawal at some point in my trip.
...BTW, a couple people have already told me there are Starbucks everywhere. Well, they don't know what "everywhere" means. I've only found the one in my whole trip so far. In SoCal, you can't swing a cat (with a city-block-long tail) without knocking a freshly brewed venti caramel macchiato out of someone's hand...
Anyway, I spent a while in the National Gallery today and, after having walked through London for four hours yesterday, I fealt like I had hit the wall. I had plans to meet Jo for dinner and still had an hour and a half to kill. But I didn't feel up to anymore walking. It occurred to me that I was not far from the aforementioned 'Bucks which was also near Jo's work where we had agreed to meet.
I started looking for more reason to take this familiar path. I could easily go to one of many other coffee houses in the city that are of the same vein as Starbucks. However, I haven't had what I think of as a decent coffee since I got here. There is a slight but noticeable difference to me.
Then it hit me. What about the differences with the British 'Bucks? There are bound to be some just as most everything else here is similar but different. Since I am exploring, I need to investigate this. Turns out the place is very familiar (except that the music differs...possibly better...Riders on the Storm was just on) and the coffee is just as it should be, as far as I am concerned. I am enjoying a hazelnut latte and am, obviously since I'm writing, inspired.
That leads me to my first finding of this trip: I love L.A. That's not a knock on London, mind you. I do like it here. But I have yet to find anything significantly special about the place. Its like L.A. but different. Still, I am only one week in and have a lot of time to experience more.
(Bowie's Changes just finished playing.)
That's what I wrote while sitting in Starbucks. Afterward, I met up with Jo and she took me to Soho. Without going into detail, we walked past at least four more 'Bucks and had a great time at two bars. So already my impression was shown to be off.
SEEYa
I was trying to avoid familiar things like fast food (Burger King seems to be the most popular here), Subway (for some reason, I don't think of that as fast food), and Starbucks. I spend an hour or so in a Starbucks about 4 or 5 days each week back at home. I'm here for new experiences.
While walking around London yesterday, I found a Starbucks (wasn't looking for it; just stumbled upon it; maybe it found me). I decided it would be a good idea to remember where it was in case I found myself in withdrawal at some point in my trip.
...BTW, a couple people have already told me there are Starbucks everywhere. Well, they don't know what "everywhere" means. I've only found the one in my whole trip so far. In SoCal, you can't swing a cat (with a city-block-long tail) without knocking a freshly brewed venti caramel macchiato out of someone's hand...
Anyway, I spent a while in the National Gallery today and, after having walked through London for four hours yesterday, I fealt like I had hit the wall. I had plans to meet Jo for dinner and still had an hour and a half to kill. But I didn't feel up to anymore walking. It occurred to me that I was not far from the aforementioned 'Bucks which was also near Jo's work where we had agreed to meet.
I started looking for more reason to take this familiar path. I could easily go to one of many other coffee houses in the city that are of the same vein as Starbucks. However, I haven't had what I think of as a decent coffee since I got here. There is a slight but noticeable difference to me.
Then it hit me. What about the differences with the British 'Bucks? There are bound to be some just as most everything else here is similar but different. Since I am exploring, I need to investigate this. Turns out the place is very familiar (except that the music differs...possibly better...Riders on the Storm was just on) and the coffee is just as it should be, as far as I am concerned. I am enjoying a hazelnut latte and am, obviously since I'm writing, inspired.
That leads me to my first finding of this trip: I love L.A. That's not a knock on London, mind you. I do like it here. But I have yet to find anything significantly special about the place. Its like L.A. but different. Still, I am only one week in and have a lot of time to experience more.
(Bowie's Changes just finished playing.)
That's what I wrote while sitting in Starbucks. Afterward, I met up with Jo and she took me to Soho. Without going into detail, we walked past at least four more 'Bucks and had a great time at two bars. So already my impression was shown to be off.
SEEYa
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Tally Yooooo!
Its late Saturday night in England...I ought to know. I am staying with friends in Chislehurst near Kent. Rather, I should say I am staying at a friend's home. I was invited to visit by my friend Ali who I met when she visited California during the summer. I got my travel plans set then she had to leave all of a sudden. Now she is in the States and I am at her flat.
Luckily, Ali's sister Jo stuck around and was able to welcome me. She's been great, too, setting me up at the house and showing me around town. On my first night, we stayed in since she had to work in the morning. The next night, she treated me at their local Indian restaurant which was quite nice. Today, she took me around Bromley, a nearby town that is bigger with more shops and places to eat.
Now Jo is off for the night to visit some friends she had plans with so I have the run of the place. I decided to stay in and try for an early start tomorrow. I will be taking the train in to London and start acting like a tourist. So far, I haven't taken any pictures but I'll have the camera glued to my hand tomorrow.
Much more to come...I hope.
SEEYa
Luckily, Ali's sister Jo stuck around and was able to welcome me. She's been great, too, setting me up at the house and showing me around town. On my first night, we stayed in since she had to work in the morning. The next night, she treated me at their local Indian restaurant which was quite nice. Today, she took me around Bromley, a nearby town that is bigger with more shops and places to eat.
Now Jo is off for the night to visit some friends she had plans with so I have the run of the place. I decided to stay in and try for an early start tomorrow. I will be taking the train in to London and start acting like a tourist. So far, I haven't taken any pictures but I'll have the camera glued to my hand tomorrow.
Much more to come...I hope.
SEEYa
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