18k up for grabs...Congrats Doc!

Here is the final list... let's see how I got there.

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For those that are new to the poker blogger world, like myself, but more specifically to those that are even newer to my blog, welcome aboard.

I have qualified for 1 of 27 seats in an Aussie Millions Tournament... an 18k package with all the frills... and the action starts..... NOW (with now being 10pm est).

It couldn't have started sooner. I didn't really think about it until I was hosting an RPT Tournament on Tuesday night and someone mentioned it to me. I pulled up the FTP lobby and saw my name at the top of the list (typical for a screen name that starts with a hyphen). I got my first set of butterflies in a long time. The last time I really had that feeling was sitting down at The Borgata for my first ever cash tournament inside a casino.

With only 27 players registered for this tournament, it feels good to know that I played less than half of the qualifiers and I finished 19th in points overall... but points mean nothing here. The points got me into a $1000 freeroll which started at 9pm and really meant as much to me as my last good dump. Not that I'm downing it in any way shape or form. It's just that 1st place out of 50 players in the freeroll gets $290 big smackers... and 1st place in a 27 person freeroll gets an $18,000 package to go to Australia for 10 days and play against some of the worlds best... and the worlds best gets to play against the winner of this tourney.

Best of luck to everyone, I won't be regularly updating, but I will post some interesting situations if they arise.

BeepBeep.

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A hand you probably won't hear about.... All in at the flop from Lucko... Summer_babe clocks a little bit to decide if AK is good... . it is, but a 3 outter swings the pendulum.

Now... a hand you might hear about...

Battle of the Bloggers Final - Table 2 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:53:15 ET - 2007/12/20
Seat 1: actyper (5,295)
Seat 2: -o-LuckTruck-o- (3,990) I have played about 4 hands total to this point, none to a showdown.
Seat 3: Mike_Maloney (4,380)
Seat 4: Budohorseman (2,540)
Seat 5: lucko21 (5,260)
Seat 8: emptyman (2,945) couldn't miss a flop in the early stages of the 1k BBT2 Freeroll
Seat 9: dnasty13 (1,220)
Budohorseman posts the small blind of 40
lucko21 posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to -o-LuckTruck-o- [9h 9s]
emptyman raises to 240
-o-LuckTruck-o- calls 240
lucko21 calls 160 in the BB
*** FLOP *** [Ts 8s 7s]
lucko21 checks
emptyman checks
-o-LuckTruck-o- bets 500 in last position, so this could just look like a standard bet because both players have checked to me, but I got PP with oe Str8 flush draw... not really thinking about the draw... as I actually think my 99 is good and won't get a call.
lucko21 raises to 1,250 first reacion is that this is a steal with As or Ks with possible pair.. he is perfectly capable of pushing my weaktight ass all around this table.
emptyman folds
-o-LuckTruck-o- raises to 3,750, and is all in put the pressure on him hoping my read was right
lucko21 calls 2,500
-o-LuckTruck-o- shows [9h 9s]
lucko21 shows [Ks Qs] K hi flush. Super. So I say...
-o-LuckTruck-o-: nh
*** TURN *** [Ts 8s 7s] [9d] woot... what was that? A card that can help me? Me? no.. never...
*** RIVER *** [Ts 8s 7s 9d] [8d] 12 outter. Beep Beep.
-o-LuckTruck-o- shows a full house, Nines full of Eights
lucko21 shows a flush, King high
-o-LuckTruck-o- wins the pot (8,260) with a full house, Nines full of Eights


So, it comes down to this, I was behind and got lucky. Not the first time, not the last, but very rare that I am in that position. As you can read from most of my blogs.. this is a badbeat world and 99% of the time I am it's bitch slapping post.

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Final Table at Midnite.... 8th of 9 right now... I have been pushed off of some decent hands, and got no action with real hands... just trying to reverse that progress... still got a lot of action left ... blinds are only 150/300/25

Short tabling is my game so lets see if I can get my cards in and win... regardless if they are good or not...

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No love for the lucktruck. I tried hiding the fact that I was carddead for 214 of the 218 hands I saw. If I see another Q-rag this week I'm going to go berserk.

Q8-Q2 showed up 29 times in 218 hands... 13% of my hands...
I had 10 pocket pairs that were 99 or less
1 AA
0 AK
1 KK
2 QQ
0 JJ

Alas... it wasn't meant to be. I tried to fight back by making some standard raises with mediocre hands or low pp's, but it felt like it was push or fold by everyone at the time I started getting low stacked. I was reraised pretty much every time. Maybe it's just my style, but putting all my money in with 44 or A9 preflop isn't the way I play. If I wanted to gamble, I'd throw dice at Harrah's.

The only shocking thing that I really have to say was that when I standard raised with mid level cards, I was reraised 9/10 times. When I standard raised with my AA, KK, and one of my QQ's, I got no action. I had Loretta8 set up 3 to my left and it was the perfect set up. I raised twice into him and he reraised me each time and I layed down.. AJ and 55... yet the times I had AA and KK vs him, I get no reraise.

It just felt that nothing I did throughout went the way I envisioned. I won only one big hand, and you read how that happened. Alas...

Beep Beep and best of luck to Jeciimd in Australia... do us proud!

Another typical day in the life of the Truck...

$20 knockout tourney, $5 for the knockout...

about halfway thru, i'm on the little with a small stack, but not short stack. UTG limps in, yes.. the UTG limps in (HINT, REMEMBER THIS PLAY)..

A few limps all around to me, I peek at KQ off, limp in myself. BB checks.

Flop KJ4 rainbow. I go all in for 1650. Blinds were 120/240 I think, with 5 total limpers, pot was around 1200 before my push...

BB folds, UTG flat calls (with about 1300 behind after the 1700 call) the rest fold.

I turn over, he turns over J8. Another player immediately says "I folded J8"...

Turn brick, river Jack.

Super.

A limp UTG with J8 and then a call for more than half your stack with mid pair no kicker...

what could he possibly have me on and thought he was ahead? Hell... forget being ahead.. what could he possibly have me on and think the money was right?

f'idiots.

Happy Christmas to All!

Friendly snowball fight amongst cartoon us's.

Why do I fold?

Folded at the flop.. it's a Horse freeroll, this was Hi/Lo....I'm in bottom right corner





This one was great... here are my stats for this one... I represented the best the whole way, he found a way to win..

Scoop: 77.50%
Hi: 85.00%
Lo: 37.50%
EE: 0.812

New movie releases

Is a new Rambo really the answer to the horrid selection of new releases coming out in theaters this coming year? I mean... what ever happened to taking the bad sequels and B movies straight to video... or, in an updated technological world, straight to dvd?

Let's run down the list of trailers that seem grossly uninteresting on Apple.com and hope to find some hay in a needlestack.

P2. Here's a good one - A chick is stuck in a parking garage fighting for her life from a deadbeat that can't get a date..... for the whole movie. Sounds promising. *cough* Bullshit *cough*. Expectations- 0, yes, zero. (0-11 scale based on nothing but my slanted views, and yes, this one goes to 11) Originality - 1, Laughs - 0, Action - 4= E0, O1, L0, A4

Wristcutters. Interesting idea. Anyone who commits suicide goes to the same after-life, where everything just kinda sucks. Some dude that offs himself is now looking for his recently self-offed girlfriend in this new after-life. A twist on Beetlejuice, but a love story. E3, O7, L7, A1

National Treasure 2. How can this be any different than the first? Historical cross-globe treasure hunt with more people this time. I'd rather be subjected to 4 hours of the Pants-Off Dance-Off on Fuse with nothing but BBW's. E3, O2, L5, A9

Untraceable. The story of computer geek cops who can't outwit a bigger computer geek villian. Seems just like a filler movie for someone who needed to make their quota on script writing assignments before they lost their job. E3, O4, L1, A5

Cloverfield. First one that peaked my interest. Of course, I like sci-fi action movies, but they have to be done well... Terminator2, Aliens, Empire Strikes back, The Matrix. From the preview, it looks like Godzilla but it very well might be a robot Godzilla going ballistic on the town like the asteroids in Armageddon or the tidal wave in The Day After Tomorrow. I hope they hide the monster to the very end and it turns out to be a giant robot Britney Spears from her schoolgirl outfit days... this might be the only thing that could resurrect her career. E5, O5, L3, A9

Purple Violets. Edward Burns... that Ben Affleck lookalike... does it again. Makes a movie and puts himself as a main character. There are 2 girls that buck-buck-buck-bagawk about relationships and you got a chickflick with no possible watchable value. Standard movie. E1, O1, L3, A0.

Harold and Kumar 2. If you can't laugh at multi-racial drug comedy, then you ain't livin'. This time, they go overseas and are accused of being terrorists. Another cameo by the "snortin' blow off of whore's dirty ass" Doogie. Anyone see the comic irony in him being gay in real life? E7, O6, L10, A3.

Finally (cuz i'm tired and going to bed)

Jumper. A kid figures out he can teleport anywhere in the world. Woohoo, mutant powers, should have been a comic book first... wait.. .was it? Anyway, he's not the only one who can do it and there are people out there hunting his kind down. Of course, he has to save the girl. Graphics look top notch, hopefully the acting won't pull down the hi-res overload like most cgi driven flicks. E8, O7, L3, A10.

Let's see how far off I am.

Beepbeep.

Winter Scotch Tasting

About 2 weeks ago I was sitting at one of my local sipping joints (The Drafting Room) and the few of us that were there came across an advert for a Scotch tasting. Now, for those that haven't been brought up to speed, or haven't noticed the headline here, I'm starting to get into the enjoyment of some of the finer drinks behind the bar that don't fit into a pitcher. Yes, I know that Jack-and-Cokes fit into a pitcher, and that is the way I like them... but that's not what I'm talking about.

After our vacation to Scotland a few of us have been looking for some good places with good bartenders that know their Scotch's and just don't buy them and put them on the shelves. Well, today we sat down for what I thought was going to be a 5 Scotch, 4 appetizer tasting. Boy, was I wrong. The 4 appetizers were scratched from the menu and a 5 course meal was put in its place.

Let me say that again... 5 single malts... 5 course meal... $33. (w/o grat, as expected).

Let me put it in poker speak... NUTS!!!!!!

First Course: Grilled Buffalo on toasted Foccaccia with Micro greens & Herb Ricotta.

Scotch: Clynelish 14yr.

Talk about starting off impressively. The buffalo was cooked medium-rare with the toasted Foccaccia as a base. This was my first ever venture into buffalo, and I must admit it was tender and very tasty. The light amount of sauce was a perfect addition as I probably would have drowned out the flavor with too much sauce. The Clynelish was a good start to the list. It was neither overwhelming in the nose nor the finish. A smooth drink with a hint of fruit. A solid start, I must say.

Second Course: Duck Confit over a Mache Salad with Seasoned Sunflower Seeds with a Sweet Onion Marmalade.

Scotch: Craggenmore 12yr.

The duck was incredible but the Marmalade made this dish. I sampled the duck first w/o the marmalade as I knew what was going to happen once it was introduced. The duck was soft and pulled apart instantly. As sweet and juicy as the duck/marmalade combo was, the Craggenmore was the polar opposite. Dry and spicy with an abundance of pepper. After my first nose of the scotch, I knew to enjoy it after the dish. Personally, I think because of the weight of this drink, it could have been put later on the list as you should be going from the lightest to heaviest throughout the meal. So be it.

Third Course: Seared Scallops, Green Peppercorn & Tarragon Butter, Peruvian Purple Puree.

Scotch: Talisker 10yr.

Yes. Peruvian - Purple - Puree. It's a purple mashed potato that was as tasty as it was exotic. I could have gone through a whole bowl of it. The scallop was a nice size but with the amount of sauce I would have liked 2 of them to enjoy it all. I ended up just forking the rest of the sauce because it was so good. The Talisker is a well known popular scotch. It didn't fail being paired with this dish. A strong smokey/petey nose that finished with a smooth salt/pepper taste. If you are looking for something strong, head on over to the Talisker.

Main Course: Grilled Lamb Chop, Bacon Braised Beluga Lentils, Scotch Infused Roasted Shallot & Tomato Sauce with Garlic Green Beans.

Scotch: Ardbeg 10yr.

At this point I just wanted to grab the chops and dig in. The plate smelled incredible and I was ready to throw out table manners and scarf it down. Alas, visions of Grandma coming across the table and slapping me kept me in check. I wasn't a big fan of the tomato sauce mixture, but the pile of bacon lentils hiding under the chops were gone before the 8 strips of green beans. The chops were slightly seared on one side as a quick cut showed the half medium side and the half rare side. Both sides were just as enjoyable. The Ardbeg, got bless its imaginary soul, was the one drink I was looking forward to. The Ardbeg, for those that don't know, has become a very rare commodity. The distillary was bought back in 1997 as the were about 10 minutes from being bulldozed. So now, 10 years later, we are getting the first runnings of their new 10yr single malt. The straw colored necture is thick and oily. It doesn't look like your typical golden scotch, but close your eyes and breath and any scotch fan will be getting after this one.

Dessert: Butterscotch Brownie w/ Vanilla Chantilly over a Peanut Butter Cashew Brittle.

Scotch: Caol Ila 12yr

A great finish to the whole experience. The brownie was gone instantly but the brittle took some work. Using my hands would have been key, but instead I chose to shoot a few pieces of broken brittle off the table to never be seen again. I waited for dessert to be finished before I dove into the Caol Ila. Another great scotch and highly recommended for those of you just starting out and who might be looking for something not so common. It is smokey all the way through and would have been great in a full glass to cap off the night.

After some conversation with George, our host, I was able to walk out of there with a handful of Johnnie Walker rocks glasses and one of the Craggenmore tasting glasses.

Total tab was $46 with tax/tip

5 glasses that probably retail for $40 +/-

5 course meal, assume $35 +/-

5 scotch samplings, approx $10

You do the math...

Merry Holidays to all! Mine has started off very filling.

If you got all the way to the bottom... check out one funny video... i'm still in tears.

All too familiar

Just got back from the Borgata Ultimate Super Satellite where Riverchasers backed 8 players... more on that later.





Back to the all too familiar... railing ccrobyn in the final table of a 2-table token tourney... this just makes me wanna jump off the Ben Franklin...

All in at the flop....