Thursday, July 31, 2014

Go West Coach

Good evening everyone.  I'm going to try a little bit longer post from my phone this time.  I have posted photos of the Strip from my new place in Las Vegas on my Twitter and Facebook accounts if you're interested in checking them out.  I'm staying in tonight, having slept for 6 hours on Tuesday night, and then staying awake for the next 31 to load my rental, drive from Austin to Las Vegas, and then unload and return my rental.  I would like to give my sincere appreciation to all of you who "liked' or commented on my Facebook and Twitter updates during my trip.  That can be a very lonely drive, but seeing the new feedback from y'all made the trip easier (along with the Sirius radio and the decked out Ford Escape that I rented)...  :) A sincere thanks goes out to Avis also, as their office in Austin was extremely helpful and courteous.  As I expressed my appreciation, I was actually given a discount which ended up making my Sirius radio and roadside assistance coverage free.  Be nice to people my friends...  ;)  Knowing that if I made the trip in my normal time, I would arrive before the office at my new place opened, I was able to relax and take my time when I gave y'all updates.  I also wasn't stressed when I encountered construction and rare summer storms on both sides of El Paso.  Hitting Phoenix at 1:30 a.m. was a blessing - EASILY the easiest time I've had navigating that city.  I am hoping to rest enough tonight that I can get out and start accumulating the necessary hours this weekend to get myself into several poker freeroll tournaments.  From the photos you can see that I don't live all that far from the Strip, so I'm going to try walking it.  If you aren't aware, I walked a mile to and from my job at UT, so it's not that much of a stretch.

Again, rhanks to all of you who gave me feedback yesterday.  I THINK that's the 13th time I've made that trip nonstop now, and it was the easiest that I can ever remember it being.  Have a good one and I'll see ya soon...  :)

Don't Try This At Home

Good morning everyone.  I've been awake just over 29 1/2 hours on 6 hours of sleep, but I am in Las Vegas...  :D  Also, I am going to sleep.  GOOD NIGHT!!  :D

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Catch Ya Later Texas

"The ONLY thing I'm consistent about is being inconsistent..." -Belyne Gonzalez-

"When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny..." -Bertice Berry- (via Erin Farias)

"You know you're outta shape when you get tired grating cheese..." -Jenny Davidson-

"The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately..." -via Tim Hawkins-



Good morning everyone.  Yes, early, VERY EARLY Sunday morning...  ;)  I should be packing right now, but I'm staying up late doing this one last post for you before I leave for Las Vegas. Although I won't be heading out until Wednesday, I have plenty of packing and last minute details to take care of.  Again, if you want to know how things are going on Wednesday, you can follow my progress on Twitter.  And yeah, that will be ALL DAY AND NIGHT on Wednesday...  I'll post every couple of hours on Twitter and Facebook, which basically means every time that I hit the next evidence of civilization along I-10 West.  I'll also be in San Marcos on Tuesday running last minute errands and will almost certainly end up on the Square if you want to stop by and give me a handshake, hug, high five, fist bump, or whatever the cool kids are doing nowadays...

As I promised you last time, I have some photos from my outgoing press conference at the University of Texas at Austin...





If it's not obvious from the pictures, I was getting more than a little agitated at the questions from the media as the presser wore on...


"Coach, didn't you already fail in Las Vegas?"

"Weren't you robbed the last time you tried this Coach?"

"Coach, why would you bet on sports?  Have you ever got a game right?"

"Don't the players in the poker room bait their hooks with worms when they see you coming Coach???"


I'm here to tell you that you just have to keep your composure when you're in front of those microphones and the cameras start flashing and recording...  OR I was near the press room last week and we stopped and took a few photos on our way to lunch...  ;)  I actually had a very nice farewell at work on Friday.  My boss told me that I was welcome back if I return to Texas (he hopes that I succeed in Las Vegas, but if I do return to Austin, I'm more than welcome back)...  I told him that I appreciated it and that it was a very nice sentiment.  A group of us went to lunch nearby at a wing place called 'Pluckers' (figure it out...), and my friends Jordan and Brett picked up my tab (thanks again guys).  You should have seen my persistence, as I valiantly finished my lemon pepper wings and ice tea (I normally just ate a Clif Bar for lunch)...  :)  I worked with a good group of people, and the money that I saved up over the past year will enable me to survive in the desert for AT LEAST a week...  ;)  Hook 'Em!

I also enjoyed a very nice going away lunch today with my brother's family.  Talk about ramping things up from a Clif Bar...  Fried pickles, house salad with ranch dressing, sirloin steak, loaded baked potato, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and sweet tea.  There are preliminary rumors that my brother's family is considering a move to Las Vegas in the future, which would be AWESOME...  :D

As far as arriving in Las Vegas, the stars are already aligning themselves for a potentially outstanding Labor Day Weekend as Pete P. Peters and Rob (fellow poker bloggers) have plans to be in town, and now Lightning (another poker blogger) is also considering a quick trip to the desert...  Have I already mentioned that Labor Day Weekend kicks off the college football season???  :D

Speaking of Lightning, it wouldn't be right if I finished this post with "borrowing" from a friend (for the very first time ever, of course).  When I saw this photo earlier today (actually on Saturday, as it is now officially Sunday), I thought to myself:  "Wow, you're just BEGGING to be in the blog now Brittany!  A photo with the Spurs championship trophy, AND throwing in that it's your dad's birthday, just to clinch it???"



Outstanding photo, all the way around, and happy birthday Brittany's and Carrie's dad!  ;)  I don't recall campaigning this hard to be in the blog since the days of Alyssa, who told me that she's going to be attending graduate school in the fall (like that's an excuse not to make football predictions)...  :P  Although Alyssa will be doing homework and cheering on her Texans, Joey and I will have football picks for you here in about (let me check...)..., A MONTH?!  GOODNESS GRACIOUS...  :)

Thanks again to all of you who support this little blog, and I hope that you'll continue (or begin) to enjoy the journey as the scene changes to Las Vegas.  Have a great week and I'll touch base with you after I reach the desert...  :)






        













Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Where Are You Coach?

"Pay attention, are you listening?, hey, you're my favorite girl, excuse me for the moment, I'm in another world..." -The System- (Don't Disturb This Groove)

"On and on we rode the storm, the flame has died, and the fire is gone..."
-Def Leppard- (Foolin')

"There is just something extra special about playing "God Bless Texas" in someone else's state - ha ha ha..." -Francesca Welsh-

"You recognize my noise and you heard about the pit, been told to be afraid of everything that comes with it, we can talk about it later, but I think, you've given in, we can talk about it later, but I think, you've given in, I had a feeling you might..., bury the lie..." -Silversun Pickups- (The Pit)



Good evening everyone.  Sorry about the delay in posting.  I made my little (losing) golf bets on Sunday morning, and thought that I'd be back later in the day (and definitely sooner than this), but I'm getting ready to move if you haven't heard.  Things are getting real now, as at this time next week I won't even be a third of the way through a twenty-hour (ish) drive from the ATX (Austin, Texas - for you lay people) to Las Vegas, Nevada.  I go to work at the University of Texas at Austin tomorrow, and then I return for work on Friday, and then..., well..., I won't be working for the University of Texas at Austin anymore...  Don't worry, I'll be sure to share a photo or two from my outgoing presser (press conference - again, for you lay people)...  ;)  Doing the things that you have to do when it's time to move are never easy, but as you know, I've been ready to do this for SOOOOOO long (and I actually did it for a month a couple of years ago).  The important thing about making this move two years ago is that I did ALL of the moving away from Texas stuff (which included sorting through and getting rid of A LOT of my stuff), so that process hasn't been/won't be as tedious this time.  The eyes of Texas don't have to shed too many tears though - as we ALL KNOW, I'll come back to Texas (and more specifically, San Marcos).  Whether it's for vacations, or a result of going completely broke, or being wildly successful and having dual residences, the odds are pretty good that I'll be back...

I'm still (finally) keeping up with the football scene.  As I type this, I'm currently watching (semi sort-of) a two-hour summer special on the CBS Sports Network called 'Inside College Football.' This network has also been showing a surprising amount of poker coverage by the way.  I've also been skimming through my football magazines (mostly when I'm doing my laundry).  I talked (facebook messaged) with my friend Joey last week, both about football and poker. Joey has once again agreed to submit weekly football picks for my blog.  I will also be giving you weekly predictions, and both of us will be doing so against the spread (or picking the over/under on games).  I think that our favorite Texans' fan Alyssa probably thinks that I somehow jinxed her hometown team (nonsense I tell ya) by including her picks here in the blog last year, but she already knows that she's welcome to contribute her two cents here anytime she likes...  :)  I might also let Joey weigh in on the Las Vegas poker scene if he chooses.  I discovered that we share many of the same opinions/views on playing cards in the desert.  As I told you last year, he's a ticket writer at the sportsbook at Palace Station, so feel free to stop by and say hi to him whenever you're in Vegas.  Oh, and in addition to my friends who already reside in Las Vegas, I've heard rumors that Pete P. Peters and Rob from Robvegaspoker (both in the list of blogs to the right) plan on visiting the desert over Labor Day Weekend.  #woohoo   As I told you recently, I'm very optimistic about the current state of the Vegas poker scene, as there are many available freeroll tournaments and poker room promotions for those of us who dabble in the game.  When I arrive in Las Vegas, I not only plan on ramping up the frequency of my blog posts, but I also intend to be more active on my Twitter account (about the poker rooms that I'm playing in, and probably my football picks also).  My Twitter handle is @coachatx if you're not a follower yet, and if you follow me, I'll follow you back.  ;)

That's all that I've got for you tonight my friends, but make it through the rest of the week and I'll have something for ya this weekend...  Have a good one!


       















Sunday, July 20, 2014

In Case There's A Meltdown

Good morning everyone.  I'll probably "complete" this entry later today, but I'd thought I'd throw some of my baby bets out there for you now.  Starting action at the British Open today, Rory McIlroy has a six shot lead.  This makes him a 1/8 favorite to win the tournament.  That being the case, I decided to bet on a few of the longshot underdogs ($1.00 each), just in case he has a meltdown (or someone behind him gets hot).  These are the players I bet on, with their odds of winning...

Rickie Fowler  12/1
Sergio Garcia  20/1
Dustin Johnson  25/1
Victor Dubuisson  90/1
Adam Scott  100/1

These are the five golfers who are closest to McIlroy on the leaderboard as action begins today. This is probably an excellent way to waste five bucks, but we'll see...  ;)  Enjoy your day, and I'll post some more here later on...


Monday, July 14, 2014

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

"Proud moment in life:  listening to my 9 year old sister sing almost every word and instrumental part of Bohemian Rhapsody..." -Domonique Gilbert-

"People never learn that people never learn..." -Matthew Ridgway-

"Be with someone who gives you the same feeling of when you see your food coming at a restaurant..." -via Alyssa Lesa-



Good evening everyone.  I just thought that I'd give you a little blog entry while I glance over at the MLB Home Run Derby.  Todd Frazier and Justin Morneau are on penalty kicks right now (as ESPN put it), and I actually seem to be doing more typing when pitches aren't being thrown...  Tick tock, tick tock.  So it seems that we're counting down to my move, and we're counting down to football season (always counting down as my friend Vicki would outrageously accuse me of doing)...  :) #greatread  I thought that I'd include a photo of myself in the blog tonight just because y'all are always clamoring for one...



Okay, that's not really me, but that's a great photo that my friend Yvonne shared on facebook, with a truly accurate statement, and since no one EVER requests photos of me, I thought that I'd put one up, JUST TO PUNISH YOU...


I think that I may have posted this one before, but since my move is getting so close, I changed this to my profile pic on facebook and twitter...  Our friend Memphis MOJO stated that I'm always surrounded by good looking women upon seeing this, and I guess my response would have to be that they have great taste...  :P  Since these young ladies were also working at the Riviera at the time, I'm sure that they felt contractually obligated or something...  :)  Here's a photo of my old stomping grounds (which no longer has a poker room)...  :(



Going back to the "tick tock" theme, I took a photo from the nearby Laundromat back in November.  I don't remember if I posted it here or not (I remember putting it on facebook), but this is the apartment housing that is going up a hop, skip, and a jump away from my place...



At the time, I was pretty impressed by the crane lifting the vehicle up onto the lower level shown in the photo.  However, as the months passed by, I found myself wondering if these apartments would be ready in time for next month (next month is August by the way, if you didn't already know)...  Well...



This is what the view from the same place looks like now...  It looks like they might actually make it, but just in time...  :)  Speaking of poker (okay, I really wasn't), I impressed myself a little over the weekend (although I have NO BUSINESS playing poker when my move is approaching so fast)...



The entry fee was $1.10, but I'll take 2nd out of 45 anytime (eat your heart out MOJO)...  :P  I was actually snooping around the Bravo Poker Live application earlier today, and I was pleased to learn that the poker rooms in Las Vegas are still offering plenty of opportunities to participate in freeroll tournaments (play a certain amount of hours in a specified time period - week/month/whatever- and you receive an entry into a free tournament).  There are also several other good promotions being offered in the rooms around town, and several of the rooms specified that these are new/fairly new promotions.  This little known series of poker tournaments in the city will be coming to an end shortly, and the poker rooms will really be competing for players again.  Things looks very promising for aspiring poker and sports betting professionals who write blogs...  Do we know anyone???  :D

And then you know how you can be in a pretty good mood, and somebody has to go and TOTALLY show you up???  :)  I mentioned here again recently how I love the water, but that I've never lived near it.



Carrie is my witness.  ;)  Carrie let me steal her wave photo in that recent entry (oh, NOW you remember it)...  :)  Well, Carrie is an innocent party in this story (other than owing us a Las Vegas photo), but as for Gabby, Yesenia, and Lil' Contreras..., not so much...



And that would be Lil' Contreras, Yesenia, and Gabby, pictured left to right (they can't even stand in the same order that I listed them above!!!)...  #punks  And I don't want to hear about how Lil' Contreras appears to be the tall one in this photo either...  Anyway, Gabby and her family are on the left coast, visiting to set up housing for Gabby as she prepares to begin grad school..., ALLEGEDLY...  You see, every time that a photo gets posted on facebook (and this would be..., OFTEN!!!),



You see them at a BEACH!  Wait..., okay..., that isn't them..., but...



THIS IS.  Okay, technically not a beach, but I bet you A DOLLAR that there's one nearby...  The thing that got me revved up was that it was invariably a DIFFERENT BEACH every time a photo went up...  :D  Of all the photos, this is probably my favorite...

  

This one was titled 'JAWS', and Yesenia is exhibiting PERFECT "running away from a killer shark" technique in the picture...  :D  As I've done several times here before (and very deservedly so), I'd like to extend my congratulations to Gabby for all of her accomplishments at Texas State, and to wish her the best of luck in Cali.  And Yesenia, thank you for all of the great photographs!  :) Yesenia deserves props for all of her achievements too, as she ALSO graduated from my alma mater (SO PROUD)...  :D  And Lil' Contreras..., well..., you better go to Texas State...  ;)

That's all for tonight my friends, and probably the last that you'll hear from me until this weekend, but have a great week and we'll see you soon!


Saturday, July 12, 2014

Poker For A Change

Good afternoon everyone.  I had told my friend Rob a while back that he had written a blog post that had started some wheels turning in my head, and that I would address that fact in a blog entry of my own.  Well, wouldn't you know it, I let the time get away from me (it's rumored that I'm going to be moving soon), and now Rob has posted a second entry with poker content (I should try that sometime) that is responsible for what will be an actual poker post of my own today (so blame him).  Rob's blog can be found here robvegaspoker.blogspot.com/ July 10, 2014 - the specific post that I'm responding to is titled 'To Slow Play Or Not To Slow Play.....'

First I'm going to do a little bit of friendly needling concerning the hand that Rob discusses first in his post, and then we'll get to the hand that Rob sought input/had several questions about.  Deuce-four is a hand that has gained some popularity among the poker blogging community (the blogs that I read).  Rob has even mentioned specific instances where he has raised this hand before in cash games (maybe tournaments too?).  In his 'To Slow Play Or Not To Slow Play" entry,  Rob begins by writing about his disbelief in a hand which started with him looking down at pocket kings (which BY FAR is NOT his favorite hand, and one that he has addressed several times in his writing).  After raising to $12 preflop (in a 1/2 NL game I presume), Rob saw a flop of Q 3 2 with a pair of other players, and after leading out for $20 and seeing a fold, he was re-raised to $40.  A blank came on the turn, and the raiser bet another $40 after Rob checked, and when a third club hit the river, both players checked.  Rob was pretty surprised when his opponent flipped over 3 2 (suited) after the hand was finished.  All that I have to say is that if you're going to be raising 4 2 pre, don't be too shocked when other players flip over 3 2...  :P  And in all honesty, as far as I'm concerned, if other players are willing to put their chips in the pot, they can play any hand they want, whether it's raising 4 2 preflop, or calling a raise with 3 2, whatever.  I know for a fact that certain players choose to play hands of this type SPECIFICALLY to stack others if their own hands hit the flop hard.

Okay, now we'll get to the main part of Rob's entry, and the several questions that he posed, which will be followed by my answers (opinions), and then some hedging (wishy-washiness) on my part. Rob writes this up much better then I do, but basically, he played K 9 and saw a rainbow flop of 9 9 K.  Another played led out with a $2 bet into a 10-12 dollar pot, after both the flop and the turn. Rob called the bet on the flop, but after he raised to $10 on the turn, a pair of other players and the 2-buck bettor folded.  This sparked some serious soul-searching for Rob, as he wondered out loud for about half a blog post (which is a LONG TIME if you haven't read his blog before) whether it's better to slow play these hands or to play them fast.  Much like Rob did, I will play these hands slow, hoping that someone will catch up (catch a flush, etc...).  Rob asks specifically about flopping quads, which I DEFINITELY play slow.  My response at a table once when seeing someone flop quads sums up my line of thinking here perfectly - - - the player flopped quads, bet, everyone folded, and then he turned his hand over in disgust, bemoaning the fact that he didn't get any action.  I was like, "Well what do you expect?  You have all the aces..."  (Or it could have been 10's, or 3's, or whatever - that part really doesn't matter too much).  It's really hard for another player to have too much of the board if you've flopped quads.

There are exceptions of course, and this is where I get a little wishy-washy maybe, although I'm being honest with you in my opinion (and this is the crux of where my "wheels getting turned" after Rob's older blog entry comes into play also).  I see so many of my poker blogging friends (and this happens often face-to-face also, with my other poker playing friends) asking about hands, and what to do in certain situations.  I think that it's great (vital actually) to work on your game, and to try to make improvements, but there aren't many situations in poker where the correct answers are set in stone.  One of the exceptions to my opinion of slow playing the quads flop (for example) might be if you flopped quad queens and an ace and a flush draw (which also brings a possible straight draw) also came on the flop.  Like I said though, all of this is situational, and it depends on how yourself and the other players at the table have been playing.  If you're a loose aggressive player, you'll likely get action betting most flops.  If you're a rock, and you even start reaching for your chips on the quads flop, you probably won't win an extra chip.  What I'm getting at is that you have to do your best to decipher all of the information that you have at the time (and PAY ATTENTION at the poker table, even when (especially when) you're not involved in hands).  As much as we'd like to, it's almost impossible to convey everything that was happening and everything that we were thinking at the table when we try to relay hands to our readers for advice.

OKAY..., with all of that being said, I will almost always slow play quads and monsters Rob, so don't beat yourself up.  In addition to giving others a chance to hit SOMETHING, you also give them a chance to bluff (your checking makes you look weak, and like you're possibly drawing yourself)...  You can certainly bet and try to get money in the pot, but I think that your only hopes of being called are if you've been splashing chips around all along, or if they caught a big draw. Sometimes you might be able to lure in the preflop raiser holding aces or kings (who just doesn't want to believe you hit 'trips'), but yeah, I'll "usually" (lots of help, I know) slow play my big hands... ;)

Okay, that's enough poker for one day (and you'll be seeing PLENTY of it from me soon)...  :D  I still need to make myself do something productive (along the lines of moving), so have a great day and I'll see you soon!
        



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Get Comfortable

"My son will do any and everything with me, acting so brave...except get in a wave pool!  Lol poor baby..." -Belyne Gonzalez-

"Spoiled has no age limit..." -Yvonne Gonzales-

"You know you're a fat kid and have a pizza addiction when you challenge yourself to a pizza eating contest and eat a large pan pizza in one sitting.  HAHAHAHAH!!!!" -Francesca Welsh-

"I think I just set a record for the most times anyone gambling has been ID'd within a span of thirty minutes.  Even my dad was impressed..." -Brittany Flores-

-How did we meet?/Let's see if you remember facebook image...-
"Doing 'Tootsie Roll' at skating rink..." -via Valerie Saenz & Linda Mendoza-

"Just saw a black dog on 3353 between 1979 & Dreibrodt.  Has a chain hanging from a "collar" - seems timid.  If you know who it belongs to I can try to catch it..." -Kelley Senn Leeds-



Good evening everyone.  Yeah, grab a snack and something to drink.  This one's going to take a minute to read...  First we're going to quickly recap tonight's opening section because it's a little different.  Belyne's tweet is actually pretty self-explanatory, and she deserves some type of award for as often as I raid her twitter account.  Thanks Belyne...  :D  Yvonne's quote is not derogatory in any way (not using the word 'spoiled' as an insult), but was instead referring to how her mom always thinks of her when shopping (it was actually a hashtag to a facebook status that I decided to steal - SHOCKING)...  Thanks Yvonne...  ;)  Francesca (of 'Francesca and Leanne', who REALLY NEED TO reopen the doors at their 'Training Truths' page) pitched pizza earlier last week on facebook, and then was talking up some drink that I really wasn't too excited about (at which point I informed her that I was completely on board back when she had been touting the PIZZA)... Okay, well I just looked back and couldn't track down the drink, but it was something healthy and most likely tastes horrible.  The quote that Francesca gave above was accompanied by this photo...



I still can't believe that Francesca sucked a WHOLE PAN PIZZA out of the edge of the pizza box, but she's a trooper...  ;)  Speaking of Francesca (who already knew that she was going to be in tonight's blog post for the pizza), well, she decided to share this gem as I was typing this entry, and I don't even have to retype it...



I don't know exactly how old Francesca is, but she's wise beyond her years...  ;)  And yeah, she's PROBABLY just kissing the pizza and not sucking it through the edge of the box in its entirety.  I would SOOOO kiss a pizza right now...  Okay, back to work.  Thanks Francesca...  :)  Brittany shared that awesome quote during her family's recent trip to Las Vegas (yes, if I was on top of things, I would've posted the quote WITH the photo of her on Las Vegas Boulevard - shoot me)... The 'Tootsie Roll...'  :)  Usually I'm not a big fan of the facebook questions ("How did we meet?," whatever), but I started reading the responses to Valerie's status, and I LOVED Linda's reply.  You will not cross paths with many on this planet who can honestly say that they ever met any other person while doing the 'Tootsie Roll' at a skating rink...  "Cotton candy, sweet and low, let me see that tootsie roll..." -69 Boyz-  Yeah, you're officially old if you remember that song...  Thanks ladies...  :)  And then Kelley...  :)  I met Kelley (coincidentally, doing the 'Tootsie Roll' at the skating rink)...  ;)  No..., I met Kelley at a really frustrating point in my life (right up there with moving to Las Vegas, having my place broken into, and moving right back to San Marcos frustrating), and she's just really cool.  It's awesome to have a friend who would type that facebook status, and (of course), on her summer vacation from teaching (and every day of that is valuable, trust me), she totally tried to catch the dog.  Like I told her earlier, stay awesome Kelley...  :)

And that leads us right into tonight's post (and there will be all kinds and types and sorts of segues and back references in your near future, so be prepared)...  As the countdown toward Las Vegas starts to SPEED BY now, I have to remember to have patience regarding the coming fall in the desert (this is where we reference Leanne of 'Leanne and Francesca' and bring Memphis MOJO into the fray)...

            

And again, thank goodness for the birth of facebook, so that I can keep track of all of my friends and former students...  I told Leanne after she posted this yesterday that all of these selfies are basically fitness poster quality, and that I'm extremely proud of her and impressed by all of the hard work that she's put into achieving her goals (and I really could stand to lose weight, but that's another blog post)...  ;)  The point is, when I reach the desert, with the sports betting and the poker, I KNOW that I'm going to want to be successful, EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, RIGHT NOW!!  I just have to remind myself (like with Leanne), that it's going to take a lot of hard work, and discipline, and TIME.  I'm going to want to be MOJO and final tabling World Series events and taking down over a quarter-million dollars YESTERDAY, but homework, and dedication, and PATIENCE...



You can't just wish yourself into shape, and you can't just start bagging chips for the next day of competition at World Series events without working at it.  And MOJO, I'm betting that somebody had some idea as to who you were at the Main Event, unlike when they were wrongly posting your home state throughout the duration of the Seniors Event, eh???  ;)  For those of you who may have missed it, MOJO turned a $1,000.00 entry fee into a little over $279,000.00...  So yeah, Leanne..., MOJO..., keep doing what you're doing - it's inspiring...  :)

As far as all of that goes, the funny thing is that, even without a job, I've figured out that I could survive out in the desert if I could find a way to win as little as $40.00 a day (or I could get a job)... Among the SEVERAL advantages to not having to work, the more poker you play, the better you get (allegedly), and I'd have much more time for studying sports also.  I could probably get by on even less than $40.00 a day with the right living situation.  Regardless, the content of my blog will change substantially within the next month, as my facebook friends find their statuses being pillaged and plundered less frequently, and you start reading a lot more about my poker and sports whining (journey)...  ;)  Even back as far as 2006 (when I was dealing at the Riviera), I knew that poker was a game that could be mastered.  When our casino hosted the pool players twice a year for their big tournaments (and I'm talking about televised on the likes of ESPN tournaments), we had a gentleman from Louisiana who would show up to play poker when they were in town (the pool players like to gamble).  This polite, good-tipping (by the way) Louisiana poker grinder would CONSISTENTLY beat the table (and I'm talking pretty much on a nightly basis) at 1/2 and 2/5 no-limit hold 'em (maybe you remember him Joey, Brian, Maly, Scott???).  Well anyway, the dream is alive and kicking...  ;)

And speaking of dreams (and of Carrie still owing us a Las Vegas photo), I've mentioned here before how I've always loved the water, but have never lived near it (and I'm not talking about the San Marcos River here)...  I've also mentioned that although I lived in Vegas for two years the first time around, I've still never seen the Pacific Ocean in person, although I lived within driving distance (if you drive for 5 or 6 hours)...  Carrie hasn't posted her Vegas photos yet (SLACKER), but she did let me steal her cover photo...

  

Actually, this picture is A LOT like Las Vegas, except for the fact that the desert has NO WATER...  Thanks Carrie...  VENICE BEACH, VENICE BEACH, VENICE BEACH!!!  ;)

Okay, that's probably all of me that you're going to see until at least the weekend, so have a great week and I'll see ya next time!












Sunday, July 6, 2014

SLEEP

"It was the most perfect day I could have ever imagined..." -Julie Ozuna-



Good evening everyone.  I thought that I might possibly give you three posts over the weekend, but you got lucky.  I had this big holiday weekend to get so much accomplished, and I pretty much did one thing, but I did it well.  I slept for 10-12 hours a day over the last 3 days, and I even took a nap this afternoon, just to put an exclamation point on it...  :P  It's not like I don't have things to do, as I'll be back in Las Vegas this time next month, but I slept, slept, and then slept some more.  I feel that it's appropriate at this time to thank Amanda and Julie again for letting me share their joy in my last entry (ladies, you've been carrying the blog for a whole week know)...  :D  I gave Julie a little grief after I did that post because in conversation she gave me the quote above..., AFTER I did the blog entry...  :)  I'm so happy for the brides and their new families...  :D

Okay, now it's time to do a little catching up...  First, I hope that all of you had a very safe and happy holiday weekend.  This is a photo of the Taj Mahal at Randolph Air Force Base that my friend Steve posted on facebook...



Some blog writer very near and dear to you might have been a sixth grader (and a seventh grader for about six weeks) on this base.  It seems that an annoyingly high number of my friends traveled over the long weekend.  This is a great photo that my friend Cristal took from her flight...



Cristal made me pay for my sleep and laziness over the weekend by posting about another FIFTY PHOTOS that I had to sift through to get back to this one tonight (teach me to save stuff the first time that I see it)...  :P  Thanks Cristal...  ;)

And now it's time for this week's edition of 'Who do I know that's in Las Vegas?' (in addition to the people that live there)...  Memphis MOJO (after finishing 3rd and cashing for over a cool quarter-million dollars in the Seniors event) is back in town for the Main Event of the World Series of Poker.  I believe that I saw a photo of MOJO...



(Photo of MOJO courtesy of me stealing it from MOJO's blog)  Now I was about to say that MOJO is making new friends in the desert, but this could be his wife for all that I know.  Whoever she is MOJO, I did get the 'royal flush' reference in your blog, and she is a 'ten...'  :)  Good luck in the Main MOJO!  Also exploring the city before I arrive is our blogging friend Lightning.  I am disappointed to say that I have no current photos or material to steal from Lightning's blog.  I guess that means that I'll have to pick on and steal from Brittany and Carrie again.  The sisters that never sleep are also in the desert right now (surely to scope it out for me), and Brittany posted a photo earlier with a 'Coach' bag (I'm famous you know), but it was a little blurry, so I told her that I'd use this one instead...

  

(Great photo by the way Carrie, no matter what Brittany says about your photographic skills)  ;) This is Brittany posing in front of the Las Vegas Boulevard (that would be 'The Strip' to you lay people)...  ;)  If CARRIE would ever upload any of HER photos, then you'd see one of her also...  :P Brittany deflected my attempt to criticize her own photographic talent...  :) 

And so you have it.  I slept a lot this weekend, and played too much poker on Bovada considering the moving preparations that I still have ahead of me.  I finished 9th out of 72 this morning in an Omaha tourney while watching the men's final at Wimbledon (yeah, there's TONS on t.v. at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning).  Not a bad match actually - went the full five sets.  My longshots in the World Cup have been eliminated (thanks for asking), with Germany at 11/2 my highest-paying bet remaining.  

I guess that's it for tonight ladies and gentlemen.  We'll see how much luck I have getting back to sleep...  :P  Have a good one and I'll see you soon!