Hella Hold'em

I've been waiting forever for Full Tilt to come back online! Of course, it's never down (unless I want to play!) I have renewed vigor to play since I realized that Poker Tracker is now available for Mac :)

It's also tea time. Tea is my new thing. I need to get some decaf chai tea, because the chai green tea I'm currently enjoying is caffeinated, and I cut out caffeine a few years ago. Luckily, I found a Tazo decaf chai (which is probably delish, as it's the Tazo regular chai that I fell in love with at Starbucks, per Maura's advice at the WPBT Winter Classic last weekend).

Tonight, though, I'm hitting an herbal tea - an apple cinnamon concoction - because it's too late at night to hit the caf-pow chai. I've got a KO SnG going on Full Tilt now. Watching Poker After Dark, and Jennifer Harman just explained that 6 pack abs are hard to pull off - a 5 pack is easy. It's the 6th pack that's hard. LMAO! I'll take 5. That's fine.

Poker After Dark seems very slow now, after I've grown to enjoy the PS.net Big Game with the Loose Cannon. I love Jennifer Harman though. I'll deal with it.

Oooh, Aces!

And, at this joker-riffic table, I doubled up. My competitor said in chat, "$!!@ing retards ONLY PLAYING ACES." Yup! 10 hands into the tourney. You know me so well. Keep on shipping with your pocket 5's 10 hands in, scooby. Doobeedooo!

I see Annie Duke is drinking tea too. So, who are my tea drinkers out there? I need some suggestions on how to become a tea aficionado.

So here's a question. Some people sit there with the same tea bag, filling their cups over and over. Yet, on the tea box instructions, it says 1 tea bag per 8 oz. cup. My mugs are 16 oz. so I'm using 2 tea bags. I tried using just 1 (thinking people make multiple cups out of their 1 tea bag), and it was too weak. Blech. So, what am I missing? Do those people just drink weak tea?

So, all you Chicago locals have to get with me this summer. I'm captaining a Relay for Life team to benefit the American Cancer Society, in honor and memory of my dad and other friends and family members that have been affected by cancer. The event isn't until July, so there's plenty of time to mark your calendars and come out and join Team: What About Bob? or donate :)

Chugging along... nothing doing in my FTP tourney.... I just labeled somebody an "aggro fish." Moving right along, about 20% above the average chip stack.

But man, the aggro fish is just getting smacked on the side of the head with the deck. Ugh.

Update: Sweet! I just knocked out the aggro fish! Trudging through hand-for-hand now.... and... on break! Bubble is next to go. I should be able to fold long enough to get past it, but you never know...

Whew! Would you believe I almost bubbled? LOL, AQ vs 99, but I flopped top pair. Wheee final table!

Alrighty, time to pay attention. Here goes!

I finally finished watching Heckler's Week on Poker After Dark. (Yeah, I'm a bit behind on the TiVo. Haven't been watching much TV, since nothing has been on due to the writer's strike). I've been meaning to ask - what happened to Shana Hiatt? Well, I googled it, so I don't need the answer anymore. Wikipedia says Shana left Poker After Dark because she's pregnant. You go, girl!

Is it just me, or was Gavin Smith the most reasonable and intelligent sounding player at the table that week? Color me impressed. I've always liked him, particularly for his support of the charity auctions For Peyton, but watching how he conducted himself at the table really impressed me in that game. I guess I'm just used to seeing snippets of him on poker shows with less "verbal" formats.

And, what makes Shawn Sheikhan a good poker player? I see no redeeming value in the guy, from my perspective as a consumer of poker entertainment. When Hellmuth told him that the "push or fold" strategy is appropriate for less skilled players who feel they're weaker than their opponents, but that no great players employ that strategy, I think that was a very strong point.

I just won me a SnG on Full Tilt Poker. Sweet.

I've got Poker After Dark playing on the TiVo while playing a couple SnG's on Full Tilt.

While watching PAD, I had this thought:

These pro players generally bet the true strength of their hands.

Unless they're bluffing.