A Night On The Couch

I’m barely able to move my neck today so bear with me on misspellings, bad grammar, and assorted Engrish hackings.

Oh wait, that’s normal for me, carry on.

Add in a couple of disappointing finishes on my tournament night and I took in enough bad karma for the Twins to come back in a kick ass game that actually has me excited to watch baseball again, even when I’m not taking easy money prop bets from Pauly and Speaker. The nail-bitter 9th inning with no outs, base-loaded; Morneau decides to work on his short game with a Phil Mickelson-worthy flop shot to the third baseman. Bastista stepped up to the plate, and inflates the Dome with hot air after wildly waving at some nasty breaking balls from Francisco Rodriguez.

Then it was Lew time.

No, my friends across the pond, not time to relieve your bladder, but time for Lew Ford to step up with a great at-bat and draw a walk for the game tying run. Not exactly the most exciting way to tie up a game, but it definitely got me to miss a few hands of the tournaments I was playing.

Then Nathan came in dominated the top half of the inning, or in 2+2-speak… standard.

With a runner on 3rd and 2 outs, Michael Cuddyer stepped up with a two-run blast that should happen more often from him and put the game away for good. Well done sirs, you have restored my love for watching the game, at least for now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Per the usual Wednesday night WPT viewing (was that a record amount of all-in bets by a single player for a WPT final table? Oy) I played in three tourneys with smallish buy ins (pussy poker rules!).

- Party Poker $5 NLHE, my 9s were chased down by someone who just couldn’t find it in his heart to lay down KTo, well played sir. I didn’t make it past 15 minutes in that one, and feel cheated that a McDonald’s Happy Meal would have been a better entertainment value for five bucks.

- PokerStars Dollah LO8, its limit, I enjoyed the junk kicking thankyouverymuch, but managed to scratch out a couple of wins when those people playing 5679-type hands and didn’t hit their straights. I took in bottom-feeder money due to card death but at least it wasn’t a bunch of beats. Yes, third pair is GOLD. If players were this bad, I’d have no reservation about playing the $50 tourney that went on at the same time.

- Full Tilt $10 PLO8, I’m still on tilt about this one. If there’s ANY tournament on the internet that I feel I have a chance every night to win, its this nightly one. Its just a matter of not getting unlucky. Of course I got unlucky at the wrong time, again. Down to two tables and in the money I called a raise, from a luckbox that would make CJ look like Bill Buckner trying to get a beer at a Boston pub the night after game 6 of the ’86 World Series. With three people in the hand and me having both of them covered this was my chance to acquire a significant lead…

… or lose like usual

http://twodimes.net/h/?z=1672595
pokenum -o8 ad 2d 4c jh - kh ks qd 8c - ac 4h 5s 7h -- 5d td js
Omaha Hi/Low 8-or-better: 666 enumerated boards containing Js Td 5d
cards scoop HIwin HIlos HItie LOwin LOlos LOtie EV
4c Ad 2d Jh 283 322 335 9 129 0 42 0.516
Ks 8c Qd Kh 214 246 420 0 0 0 0 0.345
5s Ac 7h 4h 58 89 568 9 12 117 42 0.139

Standard? (I hold the top hand)

If I fold I have 11K behind and still hold an above par stack and would still make the final table, but perhaps not in healthy enough shape to make a run at first place.

If I call and lose, I’m down to a shave and a haircut and would have to push on any four cards.

If I call and win, I’m up to 30K and would most likely not suck at the final table, maybe even snag my first MTT win in almost 2 years.

I called, trip 5s on the turn and a blank on the river gives the main pot to the worst hand, and the big side pot to the mouth breather with the Kings. And I’m left with yet another episode of “why me”. Mix that in with a pissed off pregnant wife forcing me to sleep on the couch and my forced smile this morning is one of pain from a pinched nerve in my neck.

Not to mention my pinched psyche of yet another disappointing finish.

Thanks for dropping by, now go check out Mr. Gleeman’s blog if you’re a Twins fan, heck if you’re a baseball fan you should have his blog at the top of your reading list.