Blogger Poker Tour - Season 2, Event 1 - Poker.com

Saturday was the first Blogger Poker Tour freeroll of the new season. I must say, I was surprised at some of the donkish play I saw. One blogger, who shall remain nameless, was a calling station with all kinds of junk hands. It was amazing how many times he hit, either crippling or knocking out good players.

As for me ... I was doing well initially, then slipped toward the second half of the group and was struggling for chips. I was in a blind and was heads up for the flop. The flop was three clubs, 10 high. I had K-10 in my hand, and checked. My opponent bet, as I hoped, and I sensed that he didn't like the club-heavy flop, so I went all in. He had me covered and called with 5-5. I don't believe that either of us had clubs, so all I had to do was not see a 5 come on the turn or river and I would double up. The bad news: the river was a 5, knocking me out in 50th place (out of 75). Dang two outer. It really sucks when you successfully trap and then get beat like that.

I was not expecting to be heading to the rail so soon. I was playing solid poker, but that doesn't matter when the poker gods are not with you.


Hollywoodland and George Reeves

Superman was always my main man. One of my mom's favorite pictures of me was from when I was about seven years old. I had on a white t-shirt with the Superman logo drawn on the front, and I had a blanket safety pinned to the back of the shirt, making my cape. I endlessly watched The Adventures of Superman and loved the cheesiness of the old show. I thought that George Reeves was fantastic. I mean, who else could put on a pair of glasses and not have investigative reporters realize that he was a superhero?

While in grad school, I took a day to peruse old newspapers to read about George Reeves's suicide. I had a copy of Superman: Serial to Cereal, and generally knew more about the old Superman series than most people.

Over time, I kept up with the questions about alternate versions of his death -- how he may have been murdered by one of three people. This was the basis of the movie Hollywoodland.

We'll most likely never know how Reeves really died, but Hollywoodland does an excellent job of presenting the three theories in an entertaining movie. Great acting performances by Ben Affleck as our charming hero, George, and Adrien Brody as Louis Simo, the low-rent private investigator hired by George Reeves's mother. There are plenty of familiar faces from old and new shows - Hill Street Blues, Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, and Prison Break. You could really believe that you were back in the late 1950's.

I left the theatre feeling very depressed, mostly because I was reminded that Reeves despised this body of work that was so influential to me when I was growing up. How sad that this man was so tortured by something that brought such joy to others.

I never had much interest in the old Kirk Allen serials or the Christopher Reeve movies. In my mind, there was only one Superman: George Reeves. A picture of him hangs in my office. The Man of Steel watches over me every day.