Neteller to FINALLY begin allowing withdrawals TODAY!

Today is the day we have been waiting for for 6+ months -- the day Neteller has allowed us to withdraw our money. Of course, with all the false starts in 2007, I will believe it when my money is actually safely back in my checking account.

For those of you who have not yet withdrawn, go to http://www.neteller.com/. Since phishing is a major concern, do not use any links, but type that little addy in yourself.

Of course, notice the disclaimer you have to abide by in order to get your remaining funds. As for me, I just want my money back and have the whole ordeal completed.

I withdrew my money this morning. I will update when I actually have the money back.

Update...

The money has been transferred to my checking account as of July 31 a.m. Will wonders never cease?

Best Places to Watch Sporting Events

Having just gotten back from a Chicago weekend trip, I began to think about the best atmospheres I have ever been in for sporting events. There are, I'm sure, literally hundred of great places in which to see a game or match. These, however, are my top three:

3) Fenway Park
I had the opportunity to see a Red Sox home game in the mid 1980's. What a great time. Fantastic buzz in the air and all that tradition in a real olde tyme ballpark. There did not appear to be too many sober people in the park, so the place was LOUD and rowdy. The highlight of the game was when a beautiful blonde in right field, wearing a thin white cotton gauze shirt over her bikini, kept standing up and opening the shirt, bringing out a tremendous howl from the largely male crowd. Unfortunately, as she kept teasing all the guys, several men rushed to her seating area and caused such a commotion that the police had to take the woman away for her own safety. As Harry Caray would say, "Ahh ... you can't beat fun at the ol' ballpark." And speaking of Harry ...

2) Wrigley Field
Although Sunday's game against Arizona was a snoozefest, going to Wrigley Field is just an experience in itself. A true old fashioned ballpark (no need for retro here) turns back the clock. I mean, in how many other places do you still get to pee in a trough? Daytime baseball is great, and Wrigley has loads of charm. Let's hope that whoever buys the Cubs does not even think of building a modern, money-making park to replace Wrigley Field.

1) Chicago Stadium
The greatest sporting experiences I have ever had (college or pro) were going to Chicago Blackhawk games when the Hawks were good, Chicago Stadium was packed, and the building seemed to move with fan excitement. It was a killer place when Michael Jordan began winning championships, but nothing ever approached, in my mind, the atmosphere when the Hawks were still relevant. Talk about a place filled with diehard, inebriated, passionate, loud fans. There was always a sense of danger present, and you hoped that no one would be so foolish as to wear the jersey of the opposing team. The Hawk games were always sold out and the season ticket holders had all the good seats, so I distinctly remember trudging up the seemingly endless, steep, narrow steps to the top level. Nirvana, in my younger years, was sitting in that top section, looking down on all the fans, and cheering My team -- the Hawks!

Chicago Stadium, sadly, has been gone for many years, having been replaced by the United Center. The United Center is actually a pretty comfortable place in which to watch a game, but the atmosphere is just not the same. The Blackhawks, who for years had not missed the playoffs, now rarely make it to post season. The fan base has deteriorated over the years from the lousy, curmudgeonly ownership of the Wirtz family. My hope is that someday I will once again be proud to wear my Hawks winter jacket.

Officially on the market ... and waiting for that very special buyer

Energy-efficient Solarium/Envelope, home built by Carl Hill. New paint, windows & doors & new carpet on the main floor. Newer kitchen, large fenced back yard w/fish pond. All appliances included, conveyed “as is.” This home is a gardener’s delight, with 400 SF 2-story solarium that offers expandable living space, located in popular subdivision, close to bus lines, convenient to shopping, schools, parks, dining and entertainment. Nice SE exposure.

I am doing some last-minute cleaning in the morning. Finally, after moving into our new house almost five weeks ago, the old one is ready to be sold. When I bought this house , I had a two-year-old daughter and a newborn son. Now ... I have a daughter taking drivers education and I am having heart palpitations as she practices on my baby -- my Mustang convertible. My son will be in high school in just over a year, and oh yeah ... there is also a third child, a daughter entering fifth grade. A lot has happened since 1994.

Kudos to my wife for everything she has done on the old house. While her degenerate husband was busy playing online poker, chatting, selling things on eBay, and generally goofing off, this workhorse wife of mine was remodeling the kitchen, including taking a chainsaw and redoing a breakfast island; putting in a laminate floor; putting in two bathroom floors; putting in two toilets; digging out and creating a small fish pond; stripping wallpaper in most of the house and repainting most of the interior rooms -- you get the picture. In case you are interested, I might rent her out. And I haven't even told you how good the sex was!

So ... for my wife (and my kids), this place was really home. As for me, I haven't nearly the emotional attachment to the house that the others do. I barely went in the beautiful back yard in the past several years and tended to see things through the eyes of the guy who footed most of the bills, managed the financial aspects, and generally failed to stop and smell the flowers -- figuratively and literally. I hope that things will be a little different with our new house.

In the meantime ... I am getting ready for the financial shock that will come August 1, the first time when both mortgage payments will be due. I've already told friends at work that they need to work out a rotation for buying my lunch until the old house is sold. I have high hopes that the house won't be on the market too long. Uh ... feds ... can you lower the interest rates for just a few months? I really need a buyer!

Of course, certain priorities remain top priorities. I am going to Las Vegas with my brother September 2-5. Anyone else going out over Labor Day weekend? If so, let me know. We can always donk a tournament or two together. Fair warning: My last two tournaments at Caesars, I chopped first and second and first through fourth.

This is the way things have been going for me this past week. In this hand, I was on the bubble and hoping to double up against the chips leader. What a game!

Nothing like being sick and having work that needs to get done. I was a little under the weather today and left work early. However, I still needed to get a few things done on my old house in order to get it ready to hit on the market. Only a few things left and then it will be time to pray for a good, quick sell.

Never learned a lesson I thought I had down long ago: Don't play in tournaments when feeling sick. Wasted my time at the Mookie tonight and guessed wrong that someone was on a draw. Should have known better. When I am not feeling well or am over-tired, I lose my poker sense at the table and do stupid things. Maybe tonight is a night for an actual early bedtime...

I guess I should have been satisfied with all those second place finishes. Seeing as how I was running well, I played in a couple of tournaments with decent prizes at Poker.com -- the Summer Championship $25,000 event and the regular Sunday $20,000 Guaranteed event. The Sunday tournament is usually a good one in that the shortfall amount is sometimes staggering.

Sadly, there are no good stories or results of which to speak. A crucial hand determined where I would be regarding the bubble in the Summer Championship. There was a raise ahead of me, and I went all in with A-K suited. The raiser called me and showed pocket 3s. The board was all blanks and I was out. If I had caught an Ace or a King, I would probably have made the money and had a chance to go deeper. Such is life.

I ran into the wall in other tournaments on Sunday -- a buy in and a freeroll on Full Tilt and a Shark vet series game at Poker.com. Not a great day.

On Monday, I hoped to repeat a run to the final table at Mondays at the Hoy. I got great cards early on and chipped up, then hit a long spot of win a few, lose a few. I finally went out when I flopped a set of 6s. The flop also showed two diamonds. I put out a rather weak raise to entice RecessRampage to call. He re-raised me and I went all in. He was on a flush draw and had the chips to gamble. I was a 73.5% favorite. Unfortunately, a diamond came on the turn, and the river failed to pair the board, sending me to the rail. If I had won the hand, I would have gotten back in the game with a decent stack. Recess, who played a tremendous game, finished second. Dat's poker, I guess. Sometimes the poker gods pour you a beer. Sometimes they just piss in it.

The Week of Second Place Finishes

Final Hand - all in with my top pair vs his spade flush draw. The turn ... spade ...

Results from a CardsChat buy-in at Bodog today. Second banana again. In the money, at least.

Nice Cash at Poker.com

Another second place finish, but this time at a Poker.com freezeout tournament. The final table was as tough a table as I'd been in for some time. I was down 100,000 to 15,000 at heads up, and almost managed to cripple my opponent. Final hand: I had top pair (6's) good kicker (K) and second nut flush draw on a flop of 4c-5c-6c. Unfortunately, my opponent had pocket 10's. The turn and river were both Aces with neither a club. Nope - none of the 14 outs came after the flop.

My tournament play has been strong this week. I've also won a token or two at Full Tilt, so I am waiting to try one of the $26 token donkfests. Should be interesting.

Las Vegas Trip Rescheduled

Since K9 Poker guru Shaggy seems to have fallen off the face of the earth and with some of the problems in getting my old house on the market, I decided to delay my Las Vegas trip from July until September. After going to Las Vegas four times last year, I will have only one trip under my belt through the first eight months of 2007. However, September is a nice time to be in Las Vegas -- not the blasted hot weather of July, and smaller crowds everywhere.

Happy 4th of July!

Close but no banana at Monday at the Hoy

Finished second at a small MATH earlier this evening. My play was solid throughout and my patience was rewarded when I became a card rack late at the final table. I had a big chip lead against lucko21, but then saw my lead peter out when we had both had middle pair and he had a better kicker. I was dominated the final hand (K-Q vs K-10) and had to settle for second.

Check out this final table nightmare which COULD have tilted me, but didn't:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836765953: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:25:08 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 1: BuddyDank (4,720)

Seat 2: lucko21 (13,972)

Seat 4: mookie99 (5,427)

Seat 6: lightning36 (15,877)

Seat 7: DDionysus (8,831)

Seat 9: fluxer (20,173)

BuddyDank antes 75

lucko21 antes 75

mookie99 antes 75

lightning36 antes 75

DDionysus antes 75

fluxer antes 75

lightning36 posts the small blind of 300

DDionysus posts the big blind of 600

The button is in seat #5

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Kh As]

fluxer folds

BuddyDank folds

lucko21 folds

mookie99 raises to 5,352, and is all in

lightning36 raises to 15,802, and is all in

mookie99: uh oh Damn straight "uh oh"

DDionysus folds

lightning36 shows [Kh As]

mookie99 shows [9d Ah]

Uncalled bet of 10,450 returned to lightning36

mookie99: oops

*** FLOP *** [6c 7c Qh]

*** TURN *** [6c 7c Qh] [3c] And, of course, we all knew what was coming next ...

*** RIVER *** [6c 7c Qh 3c] [9c] Ding: the three-outer FT loves to give on the river

lightning36 shows Ace King high

mookie99 shows a pair of Nines

mookie99 wins the pot (11,754) with a pair of Nines

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 11,754 Rake 0

Board: [6c 7c Qh 3c 9c]

Seat 1: BuddyDank folded before the Flop

Seat 2: lucko21 folded before the Flop

Seat 4: mookie99 showed [9d Ah] and won (11,754) with a pair of Nines

Seat 6: lightning36 (small blind) showed [Kh As] and lost with Ace King high

Seat 7: DDionysus (big blind) folded before the Flop

Seat 9: fluxer folded before the Flop

mookie99: uggh

lightning36: sdfgdfsngfojsdfnjdfngk

mookie99: grody Yep - but I still had enough chips to make a run

So a few hands later, the poker gods show some mercy:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836804402: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:29:12 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 1: BuddyDank (5,920)

Seat 2: lucko21 (12,277)

Seat 4: mookie99 (11,679)

Seat 6: lightning36 (10,375)

Seat 7: DDionysus (7,781)

Seat 9: fluxer (20,968)

BuddyDank antes 75

lucko21 antes 75

mookie99 antes 75

lightning36 antes 75

DDionysus antes 75

fluxer antes 75

fluxer posts the small blind of 300

BuddyDank posts the big blind of 600

The button is in seat #7

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Qh Qd]

lucko21 folds

mookie99 folds

fluxer: u had me

lightning36 raises to 2,550 Setting the trap ...

DDionysus folds

lucko21: lol

fluxer: oh no well if you went all in

lucko21: nh

fluxer has 15 seconds left to act

fluxer: ty

fluxer folds

BuddyDank raises to 5,845, and is all in

lightning36 calls 3,295

BuddyDank shows [Qs Ac]

lightning36 shows [Qh Qd]

*** FLOP *** [8c Td 7h]

*** TURN *** [8c Td 7h] [8d]

*** RIVER *** [8c Td 7h 8d] [Th]

BuddyDank shows two pair, Tens and Eights

lightning36 shows two pair, Queens and Tens

lightning36 wins the pot (12,440) with two pair, Queens and Tens

lucko21: gg

BuddyDank stands up

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 12,440 Rake 0

Board: [8c Td 7h 8d Th]

Seat 1: BuddyDank (big blind) showed [Qs Ac] and lost with two pair, Tens and Eights

Seat 2: lucko21 folded before the Flop

Seat 4: mookie99 folded before the Flop

Seat 6: lightning36 showed [Qh Qd] and won (12,440) with two pair, Queens and Tens

Seat 7: DDionysus (button) folded before the Flop

Seat 9: fluxer (small blind) folded before the Flop

A bit later, I got tremendous back-to-back hands that put me in the drivers seat:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836936012: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:43:30 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 2: lucko21 (40,519)

Seat 6: lightning36 (13,521)

Seat 9: fluxer (14,960)

lucko21 antes 125

lightning36 antes 125

fluxer antes 125

fluxer posts the small blind of 500

lucko21 posts the big blind of 1,000

The button is in seat #6

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Qd Qc]

lightning36 calls 1,000 One of these guys is going to jump all over me, which was what I wanted

fluxer raises to 14,835, and is all in

lucko21 folds

lightning36 calls 12,396, and is all in

fluxer shows [4s 4d]

lightning36 shows [Qd Qc]

Uncalled bet of 1,439 returned to fluxer

*** FLOP *** [3s Jh 7s]

*** TURN *** [3s Jh 7s] [8h]

*** RIVER *** [3s Jh 7s 8h] [9s]

fluxer shows a pair of Fours

lightning36 shows a pair of Queens

lightning36 wins the pot (28,167) with a pair of Queens

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 28,167 Rake 0

Board: [3s Jh 7s 8h 9s]

Seat 2: lucko21 (big blind) folded before the Flop

Seat 6: lightning36 (button) showed [Qd Qc] and won (28,167) with a pair of Queens

Seat 9: fluxer (small blind) showed [4s 4d] and lost with a pair of Fours

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836938937: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:43:50 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 2: lucko21 (39,394)

Seat 6: lightning36 (28,167)

Seat 9: fluxer (1,439)

lucko21 antes 125

lightning36 antes 125

fluxer antes 125

lucko21 posts the small blind of 500

lightning36 posts the big blind of 1,000

The button is in seat #9

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Ks Kd]

fluxer raises to 1,314, and is all in

lucko21 raises to 39,269, and is all in

lightning36 calls 27,042, and is all in

lucko21 shows [Qc 5c]

lightning36 shows [Ks Kd]

fluxer shows [6h 9d]

Uncalled bet of 11,227 returned to lucko21

*** FLOP *** [7s 6s 6d]

*** TURN *** [7s 6s 6d] [Jc]

*** RIVER *** [7s 6s 6d Jc] [4c]

lucko21 shows a pair of Sixes

lightning36 shows two pair, Kings and Sixes

lightning36 wins the side pot (53,456) with two pair, Kings and Sixes

lucko21: lol

fluxer shows three of a kind, Sixes

fluxer wins the main pot (4,317) with three of a kind, Sixes

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 57,773 Main pot 4,317. Side pot 53,456. Rake 0

Board: [7s 6s 6d Jc 4c]

Seat 2: lucko21 (small blind) showed [Qc 5c] and lost with a pair of Sixes

Seat 6: lightning36 (big blind) showed [Ks Kd] and won (53,456) with two pair, Kings and Sixes

Seat 9: fluxer (button) showed [6h 9d] and won (4,317) with three of a kind, Sixes

A few hands later ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836955038: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:45:39 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 2: lucko21 (11,102)

Seat 6: lightning36 (52,889)

Seat 9: fluxer (5,009)

lucko21 antes 125

lightning36 antes 125

fluxer antes 125

fluxer posts the small blind of 500

lucko21 posts the big blind of 1,000

The button is in seat #6

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Kd Kc]

lightning36 calls 1,000 I was hoping to get them both all in and take it down right there

fluxer raises to 4,884, and is all in Got one in, at least

lucko21 folds Rats

lightning36 calls 3,884

fluxer shows [Js Jd]

lightning36 shows [Kd Kc]

*** FLOP *** [2d 5s 7h]

lucko21: wtf

*** TURN *** [2d 5s 7h] [Td]

*** RIVER *** [2d 5s 7h Td] [7d]

fluxer shows two pair, Jacks and Sevens

lightning36 shows two pair, Kings and Sevens

lightning36 wins the pot (11,143) with two pair, Kings and Sevens

lucko21: gg

fluxer stands up

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 11,143 Rake 0

Board: [2d 5s 7h Td 7d]

Seat 2: lucko21 (big blind) folded before the Flop

Seat 6: lightning36 (button) showed [Kd Kc] and won (11,143) with two pair, Kings and Sevens

Seat 9: fluxer (small blind) showed [Js Jd] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Sevens

I had a huge edge in chips over lucko21, but I should have known that it was time for the good cards to stop flowing. My next poket cards:

7h 8c

9d 2c

7d 3c

6h 3s

7c 8s

3h 7d

The next hand was crucial:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836966846: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:46:58 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 2: lucko21 (15,727)

Seat 6: lightning36 (53,273)

lucko21 antes 125

lightning36 antes 125

lucko21 posts the small blind of 500

lightning36 posts the big blind of 1,000

The button is in seat #2

*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to lightning36 [5h 4s]

lucko21 raises to 2,500

lightning36 calls 1,500

*** FLOP *** [2d 6h 4d]

lightning36 bets 50,648, and is all in

lucko21 calls 13,102, and is all in

lightning36 shows [5h 4s]

lucko21 shows [Qh 4h] Ut oh... need a 3 or 5 to win

Uncalled bet of 37,546 returned to lightning36

*** TURN *** [2d 6h 4d] [Th]

*** RIVER *** [2d 6h 4d Th] [6d]

lightning36 shows two pair, Sixes and Fours

lucko21 shows two pair, Sixes and Fours

lucko21 wins the pot (31,454) with two pair, Sixes and Fours

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 31,454 Rake 0

Board: [2d 6h 4d Th 6d]

Seat 2: lucko21 (small blind) showed [Qh 4h] and won (31,454) with two pair, Sixes and Fours

Seat 6: lightning36 (big blind) showed [5h 4s] and lost with two pair, Sixes and Fours

And the final hand ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #2836979045: Mondays at the Hoy (21375278), Table 1 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:48:20 ET - 2007/07/03

Seat 2: lucko21 (37,204)

Seat 6: lightning36 (31,796)

lucko21 antes 125

lightning36 antes 125

lightning36 posts the small blind of 500

lucko21 posts the big blind of 1,000

The button is in seat #6

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Kh Ts]

lightning36 calls 500

lucko21 raises to 4,000

lightning36 raises to 12,250

lucko21 raises to 37,079, and is all in

lightning36 calls 19,421, and is all in

lucko21 shows [Kc Qd]

lightning36 shows [Kh Ts]

Uncalled bet of 5,408 returned to lucko21

*** FLOP *** [9c 5c 6c]

*** TURN *** [9c 5c 6c] [8c]

*** RIVER *** [9c 5c 6c 8c] [5s]

lucko21 shows a flush, King high

lightning36 shows a pair of Fives

lucko21 wins the pot (63,592) with a flush, King high

lightning36: gg

lucko21: gg

csquard (Observer): gg

lightning36 stands up

lucko21 stands up

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 63,592 Rake 0

Board: [9c 5c 6c 8c 5s]

Seat 2: lucko21 (big blind) showed [Kc Qd] and won (63,592) with a flush, King high

Seat 6: lightning36 (small blind) showed [Kh Ts] and lost with a pair of Fives

Well ... what can you say? Guess 2nd place will have to do.

K9 Money and Free/Incentive Tour Finals

Played in the K9 Poker Tour Money and Free/Incentive Tour finals on Sunday. The Free/Incentive Tour final was first, and I swear that I have never seen so many great hands lose on draws. At least you knew that if you were behind, you would probably win the hand. The blinds increased quickly, so part of both tournaments was a crap shoot anyway. I butted heads with murrythecat repeatedly in the Free game, besting his Queens with a King kicker to my Queens with an Ace kicker. Then, just when he was on the ropes, he re-raised my A-Q hand and went all in with 7-7. I didn't pair the board, and mur doubled up while I lost a good portion of my chips -- which I'd mostly just won from him! Final hand: I was in the small blind with a garbage hand and called the big blind. He checked, and I hit top pair on the flop. We were both short stacked and I knew I had him beat, so I went all in. He called with middle pair. As you might guess, he hit a second pair of the turn, and that was all she wrote.

Money Tour - I was down to only a few chips and had to play push monkey out of desperation. As luck would have it, people were folding to me or I hit some lucky cards. Some astute playing got me back in the middle of the pack, and I actually ended up finishing in 4th place. At the end, the blinds were huge, and someone in front of me raised. With A-10d being the best hand I'd seen in a few orbits and with my chip stack low, I went all in. My opponent, who had two or three times as many chips as I did, called with 9-9. I lost this 50/50 also, and settled for 4th place.

Results: The Big Game

The final points event in the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments was The Big Game, a monthly $75 buy-in event. I had "tokened up" at Full Tilt several weeks ago and saved a $75 token for the game.

I chipped up early with a few good hands, then eeked out a nice win against one of the better bloggers:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2826039931: Blogger Big Game (19471102), Table 2 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:47:49 ET - 2007/07/01

Seat 1: Rake Feeder (3,000)

Seat 2: pvanharibo (938)

Seat 3: kaellinn18 (4,070)

Seat 4: oossuuu754 (2,730)

Seat 5: Zeem (2,926)

Seat 6: sellthekids (3,710)

Seat 7: columbo (3,240)

Seat 8: lightning36 (3,566)

Seat 9: smizmiatch (2,820)

kaellinn18 posts the small blind of 20

oossuuu754 posts the big blind of 40

The button is in seat #2

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Ac 3c]

Zeem folds

sellthekids folds

columbo folds

lightning36 calls 40

smizmiatch folds

Rake Feeder folds

pvanharibo folds

kaellinn18 folds

columbo: talk about a volitile ride...

oossuuu754 raises to 140

lightning36 calls 100 I have some chips to play with. Let's see the flop.

*** FLOP *** [3h Kc 4c] Nut flush draw and bottom pair

oossuuu754 bets 300

lightning36 raises to 600 osu is a very aggressive player. Let's see what he does when I re-raise.

oossuuu754 raises to 900

lightning36 calls 300 Ut oh...

*** TURN *** [3h Kc 4c] [9s]

oossuuu754 bets 520

lightning36 calls 520 He bet about 1/4 the pot? Smells like weakness to me. Go with my gut.

*** RIVER *** [3h Kc 4c 9s] [7s]

oossuuu754 checks

lightning36 checks He must be weak with no bet. A big bet might get him to fold, but I don't want to donk off more chips in case I am wrong. He may have a pair, so I'd better just call.

*** SHOW DOWN ***

oossuuu754 shows [Ad Qd] Ace King high

lightning36 shows [Ac 3c] a pair of Threes

lightning36 wins the pot (3,140) with a pair of Threes Either I'm getting better at this or I am too much of a donk to realize it.

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 3,140 Rake 0

Board: [3h Kc 4c 9s 7s]

Seat 1: Rake Feeder didn't bet (folded)

Seat 2: pvanharibo (button) didn't bet (folded)

Seat 3: kaellinn18 (small blind) folded before the Flop

Seat 4: oossuuu754 (big blind) showed [Ad Qd] and lost with Ace King high

Seat 5: Zeem didn't bet (folded)

Seat 6: sellthekids didn't bet (folded)

Seat 7: columbo didn't bet (folded)

Seat 8: lightning36 showed [Ac 3c] and won (3,140) with a pair of Threes

Seat 9: smizmiatch didn't bet (folded)

oossuuu754: OMG

I felt like I was playing well, I was getting a few good cards, and I could see myself making a deep run in this tournament. Then, everything came crashing down on one hand:

Full Tilt Poker Game #2826146604: Blogger Big Game (19471102), Table 2 - 25/50 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:58:22 ET - 2007/07/01

Seat 1: Rake Feeder (2,925)

Seat 2: pvanharibo (788)

Seat 3: kaellinn18 (2,055)

Seat 4: oossuuu754 (2,680)

Seat 5: Zeem (2,826)

Seat 6: sellthekids (3,635)

Seat 8: lightning36 (5,066)

Seat 9: smizmiatch (2,635)

lightning36 posts the small blind of 25

smizmiatch posts the big blind of 50

The button is in seat #6

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to lightning36 [Tc Ts]

Rake Feeder folds

pvanharibo folds

kaellinn18 folds

oossuuu754 foldsZeem folds

sellthekids raises to 150

lightning36 calls 125 Should I have re-raised? I hated to commit more chips here since it was likely that aces or paint would show up on the flop.

smizmiatch folds

*** FLOP *** [9d Td 5s]

lightning36 has 15 seconds left to act

lightning36 bets 300 Pot-sized bet. Don't know this player. Two diamonds on the board.

sellthekids calls 300

*** TURN *** [9d Td 5s] [8s]

lightning36 bets 900

sellthekids raises to 1,800 What could he have? I must have the better hand. I didn't put him on anything like Q-J suited.

lightning36 raises to 4,616, and is all I don't know what he has, but I am almost sure I have the better hand. Let's see if he calls and I send him to the rail.

sellthekids calls 1,385, and is all in

lightning36 shows [Tc Ts]

sellthekids shows [7h 9c] He raised and then went all in on a straight draw with middle pair??? With an overcard on the board? With a possible flush draw for me??

Uncalled bet of 1,431 returned to lightning36

*** RIVER *** [9d Td 5s 8s] [Jh] Fucking figures.

lightning36 shows three of a kind, Tens

sellthekids shows a straight, Jack high

sellthekids wins the pot (7,320) with a straight, Jack high

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 7,320 Rake 0

Board: [9d Td 5s 8s Jh]

Seat 1: Rake Feeder didn't bet (folded)

Seat 2: pvanharibo didn't bet (folded)

Seat 3: kaellinn18 didn't bet (folded)

Seat 4: oossuuu754 didn't bet (folded)

Seat 5: Zeem didn't bet (folded)

Seat 6: sellthekids (button) showed [7h 9c] and won (7,320) with a straight, Jack high

Seat 8: lightning36 (small blind) showed [Tc Ts] and lost with three of a kind, Tens

Seat 9: smizmiatch (big blind) folded before the Flop

lightning36: &@!& lol

sellthekids: pls excuse my ugliness I can't believe he risked his tournament on that play.

Instead of jousting at the top of the leaderboard, I was crippled. I battled to stay in for some time, but finally was taken down when I went all in with 8-8 and was called with A-9. I lost that 50/50, and I was out.

It hurts when you make a donkey play and hit the rail. It hurts when your opponent outplays you and you hit the rail. It tears your heart out when your opponent risks his tournament life with a straight draw and hits it, crippling you. At least I only paid $8.70 for the token.

Houses Update

Since my life has largely been focused on the old house and the new house, I am discovering why people say "never again" after moving a family that had been entrenched for many years in a house. Just when we thought the old house was ready to go on the market, an old roof leak of which we'd forgotten (only leaks during monsoon-type rains -- which we just had) had to be fixed. Then, our downstairs carpeting would not lose an odor or some stains, meaning it has to be replaced (cha-ching), delaying the listing for about a week. We hope to finally get the house on the market next week as soon as the new carpeting is put in.

If the house sells rather quickly and anywhere near our asking price, we will come out okay. If, however, it takes some time to sell or the market dictates lowering the asking price, we may have some tricky times ahead. However, I have always been a frugal-type guy and we have money to cover our butts even if things don't work out like we planned.

It is interesting to note that the "wiggle room" money in our savings which keeps my anxiety level down came from my 2006 poker winnings, both from Las Vegas and online. Who would have guessed that my poker addiction would fund part of our safety net in moving?