the BIGblind is back with a brand new edition

Will it ever stop, yo...I don't know...turn out the lights and I'll glow...to the Extreme I rock mike like a...Sorry bout dat.

Now on to bigger and/or better things. It's been awhile and believe you me, I have taken some crap for it. The BIGblind fans just can't get enough and when they are deprived it's like a crack-head without....well...crack. Since the last post I have began playing in weekly poker tournaments, one week will be a 10.00 buy in tournament usually paying out to the top three places and the following week will be a cash game with the buyin the same where you can cash out at any time you so choose. The first week was a tournament, I was nervous as all hell and my hands showed it while trying to put my chips in the middle. I felt like an amateur and slightly hated myself for being so wussily nervous, but I was, so BACK OFF. The night ended well for me, I placed third in the tournament which payed out 53.00, and more than that, I felt that my skills were validated. I felt I was a better poker player than my actual "wins"and monetary gains showed. In summary, I may have only taken third but it felt like a WSOP win to me.

Now on to the cash game, I had definite reservations about playing in the cash game, first off I always disliked the idea of participants being able to leave the table at any moment. The idea that comes to mind is a player who makes a ridiculous call and picks up their one out on 5th and doubles/triples/quadruples/quintuples/sixtuples/etc. their stack......then leaves.....with your money. The game itself is quite different from a tournament as well, no increasing blinds, so people will call almost any pocket hoping to catch on the flop. This leads to great pockets losing to otherwise folded pockets. But anyway, I played the cash game and after about a half hour I really began to enjoy myself, I was comforting knowing that I could a make a score and not have to watch it dwindle away to cold cards. I ended the night taking home 35.75, with a two week buy-in total of 20.00 I was now net 68.75. Let me take this time to thank all of those people that played those two weeks, you all helped me purchase Advance Wars: Duel Strike for the Nintendo DS. Thank you all.

Now on to this past week's tournament, the theme for the night for me was cold cards and bad beats. Actually only two bad beats but they were more than enough. First was the monster pocket of the night....A-A. I went all in with these little guys and got one call with big slick. The flop came up X - K - K, at this point my balls felt like they were smashed with a hammer, I had one out in the deck, the lonely A left all alone in the deck. At this point the dealer began to shuffle the cards...yes....shuffle the cards without laying down 4th or 5th. After much deliberation with the caller we nulled the hand and played again. I don't remember the caller's name but he was a great guy and I hope to play with him again in the future. With extremely tight play I made it to the final table, though with the lowest chip count, after a few hands, I scored with big slick and went all in. No callers. Next hand, A-10 suited, all in, one caller, doubled up. At this point I was at 12K in chips, blinds at 500/1000, the next hand comes and once again...big slick. So for the third hand in a row, ALL IN. It was an 11K bet, after much deliberation I had one caller. I figured the guy had a high pocket pair and I was going to be chasing, to my surprise the caller flips over K- J unsuited. I still to this moment cannot understand an 11K call with K - J unsuited, but it isn't for me to understand. The flop comes.............................................................................10 - J - J, I couldn't believe it. The first thought that crossed my mind is He's lucky Hellmuth isn't here. 4th and 5th came down 10 -10, so the board had the full house but he had the J for J's over 10's. I was dejected, agitated, pissed off, sad, hungry. So many emotions in such a short time.

I've been blabbing or bloggin' for a while now so I'm out.

love from the BIGblind