Bubble boy

I played in the Poker Wit vs. Bam Bloggers tournament last night. There were 31 runners and top four got paid. Old MOJO busted out 5th, wouldn't ya know.

It was a fun tournament, even so, and props to BamBam and PokerWit for setting it up and adding some extra cash-ola to the prize pool


On my busto hand (above), I flopped top pair and moved in. Whatzhiznutz called with middle pair and turned two pair. That's poker.

Do you like an overlay?

I admit it -- I'm a sucker for an overlay. When there's extra money in the prize pool, my cheap skate ways interest perks up. It's like you buy some ice cream from Ben and Jerry's, and they guy behind the counter says he'll throw in hot fudge and nuts for free. Yeah, kinda like that.

BamBam and PokerWit have set up a private tournament tonight with a $5.50 buyin. Poker Wit is adding $200 to the prize pool.

Altogether, one, two, three: A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Beside the gross gelt, there should be fun and good times, too. Remember: To bloggers, bragging rights are the nutz.

Time: 9:00 Eastern (but 8 p.m. Central, if you're on God's time)
Place: Full Tilt
Name: Poker Wit vs. Bam Bloggers (or look for Very Josie, then join her).
Password: bammir

Why I hate poker

I was playing in an online poker tournament last night. With 35 players left, Player-1 came in for a raise. Player-2 moved all in and I noticed I had ♣A ♦A.

S-W-E-E-T.

I moved all in and so did the Player-1! He had Q-Q and Player-2 had K-K. One of the others keyed in "Wow" in the chat box. Wow, indeed.

A queen came on the flop.

Piece of cake

I exchanged $80 with Morning Thunder -- he wanted Full Tilt gelt and I wanted to try Cake Poker. I got set up with rake back through Ken Provo, then played some during the past week, mostly low stakes as I didn't want the embarrassment of going broke was getting a feel for the site.

Today, I saw a $20+2 buy-in tournament that had a $2000 guaranteed prize pool. It was eight minutes before game time and only 30 runners. They would need 100 entrants to break even, so with an overlay like that, I couldn't resist. Others must have seen it as well. After the late registration there were 98 players - so much for the overlay.

I was in bad shape about half way through, but picked up ♠Q ♦Q and raised 3X the BB -- two called. The flop was ♠7 ♥7 ♣7 (ning, ning, N-I-N-G), and I moved in. Both called! My hand held and I was back in business.


Above is the final hand. I had ♥K ♦Q and villain had ♠A ♦7, and we were all in preflop. The villain was a slight favorite, but it was an excellent chance for me to double up and cripple him. Didn't happen, but that's poker.

Marooned in Memphis

Maroon 5 played Memphis last night, bringing their version of pop rock to the Mud Island Amphitheater. This six-member band consists of a drummer, two keyboardists, a bass player, a lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist/singer.

Lead singer Adam Levine, also the song writer for the group, has an amazing voice. He played the guitar on perhaps half of the songs they performed, but just concentrated on vocals on the others. He was active and moved around, using the whole stage. There was no doubt that he related well with the audience.

This Los-Angeles-based band performed as a regular rock band (some might classify their music as alternative rock), but in the middle they slowed things down and did more of an acoustic set. They had a terrific light show.

Maroon 5 tours more than most rock bands, and it showed in how polished their act was. They played about 90 minutes.

The audience was predominantly young, but there were also geezers um geriatric some fans who could be classified as more mature.

This group has been popular for just about 11 years. You can read more about them on Wikipedia if you click here.





Images by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

It pays to watch the opponents' spot cards

Playing online last night, South was in 3NT on this deal:

               ♠ A 4 2
               ♥ A 2
               ♦ A J 8 7 6
               ♣ 10 8 5
==
               ♠ Q J 6 5
               ♥ K J 8 4 3
               ♦ ---
               ♣ A J 7 6

Spades was the unbid suit, so Kate led the ♠9. Declarer ducked and I won the ♠K and shifted to the ♦K. Declarer discarded the ♥3, Kate contributed the ♦2 and declarer ducked.

I shifted to the ♣3. Declarer played low and kate won the ♣Q. She returned the ♦3, and South took her ace, discarding a low heart from her hand.

She now had three spades, two hearts, one diamond and one club. She had to play on clubs or hearts for her game-going tricks. Because she had discarded two hearts, she was committed to play clubs -- she lead the ♣10. That lost to Kate's king, and we took two more diamond tricks for down two. Plus 200 was worth 8.51 IMPs for the good guys.

Here are all four hands:

               ♠ A 4 2
               ♥ A 2
               ♦ A J 8 7 6
               ♣ 10 8 5
♠ 9 3                         ♠ K 10 8 7
♥ 9 6 5                       ♥ Q 10 7
♦ 5 4 3 2                     ♦ K Q 10 9
♣ K Q 9 4                     ♣ 3 2
               ♠ Q J 6 5
               ♥ K J 8 4 3
               ♦ ---
               ♣ A J 7 6

Do you think declarer did anything wrong? Playing on the heart suit (instead of discarding two of them) means she needed the suit to split with the queen onside -- a definite long shot. But let's examine the play.

On my ♦K, Kate played the 2. Her count is known and her attitude is known, so what could it mean? She was giving strong suit preference for clubs. When she won her ♣Q, she returned the ♦3, again suit preference. I knew she had another high club card, South should have, too.

The board was played 72 times, and you can see what all the players did if you click here.

Handle with care

Jim, a guy I work with, played this deal at the local club last Thursday (low cards are approximate where not important):

                 ♠ A K J 8 6
                 ♥ K 9 6
                 ♦ K 2
                 ♣ A 4 2
==
                 ♠ 5
                 ♥ A Q J 7 2
                 ♦ A J 9 8 3
                 ♣ Q 3

Jim was South and declared 6♥ after the lead of a low spade. How would you play?

Most declarers drew three rounds of trumps (they split 3-2), then played on diamonds. Because of your strong spot cards, you're likely to bring in the suit. That's not a bad line, but Jim saw an extra chance.

He played only two rounds of trumps, then played the ♦K and another diamond. East discarded! He won the ♦A and led the ♦J. West covered (ducking would do no good), and Jim ruffed in dummy as East discarded again.

Now it was trivial to discard a club on a high spade, play the ♣A and ruff a club to draw the last trump and concede a diamond. In all, he took: five hearts, two spades, one club, three diamonds and one diamond ruff for his 12 tricks.

Here are all four hands (East-West cards are approximate):

                 ♠ A K J 8 6
                 ♥ K 9 6
                 ♦ K 2
                 ♣ A 4 2
♠ 4 3 2                        ♠ Q 10 9 7
♥ 10 8 3                       ♥ 5 4
♦ Q 10 7 6 4                   ♦ 5
♣ K 9                          ♣ J 10 8 7 6 5
                 ♠ 5
                 ♥ A Q J 7 2
                 ♦ A J 9 8 3
                 ♣ Q 3

Jim got a top for bidding and making 6♥. Three other declarers bid slam, but went set one. How would you have done?

It's 100 miles from Memphis the way the crow flies

She was in Memphis Friday night, then on to Sedalia MO on Saturday and Des Moines on Sunday. Then she will have a break -- one day -- before performing Tuesday in Tulsa. Sheryl Crow has a new band, a new album and is taking her show on the road.

The venue in Memphis was the Mud Island Amphitheater. Crow is promoting her new album: 100 Miles From Memphis, her seventh studio album. She grew up in nearby Kennett MO.

"It's actually 106 miles from Memphis, but I cheated," she said.

As with most of her albums, she wrote or co-wrote most of the songs.

The Rolling Stone says:

"Sheryl Crow grew up near Memphis, long enough ago to know the tradition of Stax/Volt and Hi Records firsthand – those labels' fusion of R&B, rock and country has always informed her best music – so the ease she brings to this explicit tribute isn't surprising."

The new material was exciting to listen to, but don't worry, she also sang her hits. In fact, Crow played for two hours, and didn't disappoint. The show was tightly choreographed, had amazing music, included a nice light show and was high-energy. Besides the great music, she did a terrific job connecting with the audience.

Along with an amazing voice, Crow showed her musical talent by playing the keyboards, the guitar, the harmonica and the piano. Is there anything she can't do?

Crow's final song during her encore was I Shall Believe. She sat at the piano with no accompaniment and played and sang. Near the end of the song, she raised her arm, and the band, on cue, joined in. The quietest song received the loudest ovation.

What more can I write about Sheryl Crow? She's a nine-time Grammy Award winner, she was engaged to Lance Armstrong, then broke up, and she's a breast cancer survivor. I guess I can also say if you have a chance to see her, go for it.






The opening act was another talented female: Colbie Caillat. I've reviewed her before, and you can read and see it here.

Next week, I'm going to see Maroon 5. In October it's Carrie Underwood. Stay tuned.

Images by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

Stop and smell the roses

I decided to take a one-day vacation today. In the morning, I loafed - recharged my batteries and all that. In the afternoon, I decided to take a field trip to the Memphis Botanic Garden. It was real expensive: $5, but I told them I was a senior and elgible for the reduced $4 ticket - they believed me! Unreal.


I took my camera and the collage above is a sampling of what I saw. Click to enlarge.

Of course, if you have roses and swans, you probably have thorns and ugly ducklings:


Click the above to enlarge only if you dare.

Images by MOJO and taken with my Canon 40D.

Signs -- collateral damage

Ning, ning, ning, ning, NING...

If you've been in a casino, you know that's the sound of a slot machine. Somebody just won and he or she's smiling -- everybody is happy, right? Not so fast.

I'm not righteous or a do-gooder, but I do have eyes, and this is what I saw recently:


This above image taken inside one of the Tunica Casinos. Hypocrisy #1. This is something they are required to do. Basically a waste of time.


Above: I saw this sign, so stopped at the pawn shop on U.S. Route 61. There were hi-def TVs, stereo systems and DVDs at six for $20. I saw five fur coats and 24 shot guns (I counted). The most common items were diamond rings of all prices.


Above: See the driver's side window? No, it's not rolled down - there isn't one. Taken in the parking lot of one of the casinos.


Have a problem? Call the number shown above. Hypocrisy #2. Another a waste of time.

Images by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

Things you hear at the table

Paying poker Saturday night:

Two guys were betting back and forth. The board read: K-7-K-7-X. First guy had a King, second guy had a 7. When they started to push it to the first guy, the second guy said: "I had a full house."

The dealer showed him the other guy had a bigger full house. Then she said: "Your house was in the wrong neighborhood."

**

Heard at the table:
Q: "How do you have safe sex?"
A: "Make sure her husband is out of town."

**

Blinds were 100/200/25 and I raised from late position to 600 before the flop - both blinds called. The flop was: ♦Q ♦7 ♦4.

They checked to me and i bet 1325 and the small blind called. The turn was the ♣4. SB checked and I bet 1325 again. The SB had ♦A ♦J and moved all in. I snap called.

"Do you have a boat?" the SB asked.

Instead of answering, I simply turned over ♠4 ♥4 for turned quads.

The lady next to me said, "Nice hand." The she inanely added, "And you didn't have to worry because nobody could have a higher set of quads."

Um, whatever. She's right that there was no pair on the board other than the 4s. The day I have quads and start worrying about somebody having higher quads will be the day I take up tiddlywinks.


Image by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

Rumblings and grumblings

Above: An American flag reflects off the side of the Gold Strike Hotel & Casino.

I haven't played much poker lately, so was in the mood -- I played in the evening tournament at the Gold Strike Saturday at 7 p.m. The buy-in was $60 plus a $10 toke for the dealers. Paying $70 got 54 runners 10,000 in chips. Each level was 20 minutes.

I lasted until 10:30, Level 10, when there were 15 players left. I shoved with a suited ace and ran into two bigger aces -- both had A-Q. I bricked and was out, no biggie. The blinds were 1000/2000/300 (and about to go up), so you have to pick up pots to survive, standard tournament stuff.

Three times I had A-J and made three different bets, all during the first hour of play: 1. I raised, 2. I folded and 3. I went all in! The first time it folded to me in the cutoff seat. I raised and everybody folded. The second time I was UTG+1, and folded. The third time, I was in the SB. One guy limped and another guy meant to call, but accidentally raised. The dealer told him his chips would have to stay in the pot. I moved in to win the bloated pot uncontested, ha ha.

The Gold Strike dealers are usually superb, but tonight they made several errors. The Tournament Director made several standard announcements before play - they always do this. One announcment: no cell phones. If you use your phone, your hand is dead and you may incur a penalty. The VERY FIRST hand, the dealer dealt the cards. The guy in the five seat was on his phone. The dealer told him to get off the phone, but let him play the hand. W-R-O-N-G.

They also made an announcement that there is no soft play. If you are last to act on the river, and have the nuts, you must bet, or raise if it's bet into you. Around Level 3, two guys were betting. On the turn, the board was A-K-J-x. There was a bet and a call. The river was a 10, making the board A-K-J-10-x, rainbow. The first guy bet $1200, was raised to $2400, he called. The raiser turned over A-10 for two pair. The first guy turned over A-Q for the nut Broadway straight. According to the rules, he should be penalized, but the dealer said nothing. W-R-O-N-G.

When we were in Level 10, a guy wandered away from to table to talk to his buddy at another table. The dealer dealt all the cards. He wasn't there, so she reached over to take his cards and kill his hand. "Hey," he yells. "I'm right here." She lets him come back and play the deal. W-R-O-N-G. In tournaments, if you aren't in your seat when the second card is dealt to the button, your hand is dead.

Also, I took a look at the payouts. There was $2160 in prize money, seven places would get paid. I did some quick math - that's $40 per players. So we put in $70, and only $40 goes into the prize pool. That just seems like too much. And they call it a deep stack event because you start with $10K in chips. But they shoot the blinds up pretty fast. Deep stack implies you get more play, but it's probably only one more level.

I'm not much of a ca$h game player, but I love tournaments. Even so, I may have to rethink these cheapo ones.

When I left at 10:40 p.m., the temperature outside was still hot - 90 degrees Fahrenheit. When I took out my camera to shoot the photo below, my lens fogged up. Besides 90 degrees, it was muggy. If my lens was foggy, I wonder if the stuff inside the camera also had condensation? Not good.


Gold Strike: The automatic doors open, inviting gamers in.

Images by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

In my yard

I wanted to go out today and shoot some photos, something I haven't done for a while. Unfortunately, the temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so that was canceled. I'm a wuss, what can I say? One should be sensible, right?

I did manage to take a few without leaving home:


Above: A butterfly checks out one of my Japanese Holly shrubs.


My Knockout roses are doing great.


Two Bs, please -- begonia and butterfly.

Images by MOJO and all are right out of my camera (Canon 40D) with no processing.

Almost

The Very Josie was fun tonight. I went heads up against ratdee in a match that lasted forever. Congrats to him or her. (I would link, but I'm not sure who he or she is.)

Below is the busto hand. We were all in on the flop, but runner-runner clubs gave the villain a flush. That's poker.

Gimme a break

I got this in the mail today, ouch. I get a lot of junk mail geared towards my age group: Buy our insurance, join the AARP and so on.

But a scooter?

I'm an old fart guy, but a scooter?

What kind of junk mail do you get?

Odds and ends from New Orleans

Above: A Dixieland jazz band plays at the New Orleans airport.

I was in New Orleans for four days (Thursday through Sunday) working at the North American Bridge Championship. I did the Daily Bulletin for the Youth NABC part of it. You can see a sample of one here. The kids were awesome. Adult bridge players look like they've just had a root canal, but the kids look like they were having a ball.

**

Seen on a youngster's tee shirt:

Parents for sale
Buy one, get one free

**

The tournament was at the Marriott on Canal Street. They had something I've heard of, but never seen: smart elevators. When you approach the bank of seven elevators, there is a keypad, and you enter the floor you are going to. It dings, then tells you which elevator to take. When I got on, I kept trying to punch a button for my floor, but there were no buttons to push -- the elevator already knew where to take me.

Because the elevator traffic is controlled by software, it makes the system run more efficiently. Even though it's faster and better, the bridge players griped about it. Most of them swore it was slower. I say that shows something about how grumps approach life -- big negative.

**

I took a bunch of photos of the kids. Somebody told me there were some good ones. My reply: It's impossible to take a bad one. The kids are so cute.

**

The guy on the plane sitting next to me had an iPad. He gave me a demo, and it's pretty sharp. The display is beautiful with such vibrant colors. My regular computer is seven years old, and, when it conks out, I'll make my laptop my working computer. THEN I'll buy a tablet and use it to travel. Or maybe I'll give in and buy one anyway -- they are amazing. Any reader have one? How do you like it?

Image by MOJO and taken with my P&S.