Captions only

Some scenes from my corner of the world. No narrative -- no words needed.

Above: Park closed -- when your one-horse town becomes no horse. Avon Park FL is in Highlands County (along with Sebring and Lake Placid). So far 35 cases of Covid-19. 34 are local residents, 21 men and 14 women, two deaths, 10 hospitalizations. How does this compare with where you live?

Above: Methodist Church was still open for Sunday Service according to another sign I saw. Perhaps God would be more likely to protect them if the congregation was willing to help themselves. Just sayin'.

Above: Most businesses are closed. I was surprised this Chinese restaurant wasn't open for carry-out.

Above: But Walmart, of course, was open and plenty of cars in the parking lot.

Above: But no toilet paper. What is it with TP?

Above: Walmart offered hand sanitizer when I left. You'd think I should get it before I entered as well. Notice the lady in background -- she counted customers as they entered and left. Signs everywhere to stay 6 feet apart, but some ignored that. Why am I not surprised?

Above: Is this your favorite MOJO man or is it a dangerous bandido? "Put your hands up. Give me your money!" Yeah, I thought so.

Did you know that in the newspaper printing business, captions were called cut lines? If you are really bored from staying home, check this out here.

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, April 8: 44 cases, one non-resident, 27 men and 17 women, 4 deaths, 14 hospitalizations. Hospitalization means that a person was hospitalized at some point in their illness and may not be in a hospital now.

Why all the shootings?

Above: How often do you see an almost empty parking lot at a WalMart? Notice the yellow police tape.

I've been at my Memphis area home for a few days and my air conditioner wasn't working. When the repairman got here this morning, he apologized for being late.

"Did you hear about the shooting at WalMart?" he asked. "The traffic was backed up when I went by there," he explained.

No, I had not heard about it, but a quick internet check showed a disgruntled former employee had shown up and killed two people. When officers arrived, he fired on one of them before being shot himself.

Why are we having so many shootings the last few years? People didn't used to be like this. When I grew up, we didn't lock our home at night. It was safe to hitchhike. Now shootings seem to happen all the time. I find it particularly sad when school children die.

Has the world gone crazy?

Photo taken with my iPhone 7.

Mighty deuce-four strikes again

Above: The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is the venue for the Tampa Poker Classic now being played.

If you read poker blogs or are an experienced player, you probably know that the deuce-four is the strongest starting hand in poker. Cyber-friend Bob Wooley, also known as The Poker Grump, has espoused its magical powers for many years, so we affectionately call the deuce-four The Grump.

Yesterday, I played in Day 1E of the Tampa Poker Classic. Out of 1128 runners, 179 of us advanced to Day 2, being played later today. First place pays $58,835, so worth shooting for. I have 124,000 chips where the big blind is about to go to 2000/4000 with 4000 big-blind ante, so sitting in the middle of the field.

I won my largest pot during the qualification yesterday with, you guessed it, The Grump. The big blind was 1000 and there were three limpers to me on the button. I looked down to see ♠4 ♣2. I could have raised, but decided to slow play and just called. Both blinds came along and the pot was 7000 (big blind was 1000).

The flop was ♣3 ♥3 ♦5. A player bet 4000, one player called and I just called. The turn was the ♦A -- was there ever any doubt? The same player bet 6000, the second player folded and I sprang my trap by raising to 13,500. The villain called and the river was the ♠10. Villain checked and I bet 15,500. The villain went into the tank. This was the last hand before the break, so others left the table. Finally he called and I tabled my hand.

Besides winning a huge pot, the look on his face was priceless. Obviously, he hasn't heard about the power the The Grump. I went to the bathroom, and came back to the table. The villain was sitting there with a dazed look on his face, like he'd just been run over by a Mack truck that he didn't see coming. Maybe he'll learn, but perhaps not.

Info on the tournament can be found here. Prize pool info here. Chip stack sizes here.

UPDATE: Finished 20th for $2593, See here. I had hopes for better. Why does winning money not feel good?

New event starts today (Monday and Tuesday are four Day 1s, reconvene Wednesday at 12 noon if you bag chips).

Main Event wrap-up

Above: The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is the venue for the World Series of Poker.

Now that I'm home, it's time to look back at the WSOP Main Event. Most tournaments are ho-hum, but there's something about the Main that gets your blood pumping. I'm hoping to play again next year to atone for some of this year's sins.

Do you have a fitness band? I wear a Fitbit Charge 2, a toy/gizmos I enjoy. It displays my pulse, and I have a low one (in the 62-66 range). While playing in the main, I noticed it was often 72ish. After one big hand where the villain (unsuccessfully) bluffed me, I noticed it was 85.

My fitness band also records my sleep. I noticed the three nights before I played, I only slept 6+ hours. The nights in-between, I slept 8 hours. Sleep is important. What can I do next year to improve on this? I also noticed late in Day 1 and Day 2, I lost chips. Was I tired and not playing as well?

I did eat properly. When I play, I see guys on their dinner break with plates piled high. You will find me eating a salad.

What else can I do to maximize my chances next time?

Above: Bring money. There are plenty of things to buy if you have coin of the realm.

Above: The Masquerade Tower is part of the Rio. I think it's for the high rollers. Guess what? I've never stayed there.