NumbBono cashes in HORSE at the WSOP; Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks

A big congratulations to NumbBono for placing 56th in the 2011 WSOP Event #17 HORSE tournament. Numb had been crushing some of the low buy-in HORSE events at Full Tilt Poker over the past year or so. It is certainly no surprise to me that he went so deep (963 entrants) in his first WSOP event. Great job, Numb!

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks, winners of their first NBA title. I am not a Mavs fan, but they seem to be a classy team -- unlike their opponent, the Heat. I'll write more about the Heat when things in my life slow down a bit, but suffice it to say that LeBron and Wade didn't live up to their own hype. Actually, Chris Bosh was pretty good throughout the playoffs, but he didn't get the help he needed from the other stars on the team.

Only four more days of work until I get some much needed vacation time. Las Vegas is now less than a week away. Ahhhh ...

A Hope for Online Poker Beyond Spring 2011

Now that online poker players in the United States and across the globe have had almost a week to absorb the fallout of the DOJ indictments against principals of the three largest internet poker companies doing business in the U.S., we will be starting to focus on what the future holds for us. Yes, it is scary, but history has shown that adversity often is the wellspring for opportunity.

Back in the good old days before the US government decided to clamp down on online poker, the landscape was littered with different poker options. Like many players, I cut my teeth on Party Poker, the big kahuna of online poker. Yes, I , and probably some of the people who read this blog, were part of the ocean of fresh fishies playing timidly or stupidly in the play money games, honing our skills as we got ready to plunk real money down on the virtual felt. Will we get Party Poker back? How about other sites?

What influence will the big gambling corporations have? How far are they already in crafting a product that will compete for our online mobney, given the likelihood that the US government will finally wake up and see that the smart thing to do will be to regulate and tax online poker?

Will poker in social networking sites or other entities a non-techie guy like me can't even imagine take over the poker world? Could another poker boom be on the horizon? If I was part of the Moneymaker Generation, what will we call the next generation of players?

I am perturbed that the timing of this government intervention came just as I and other bloggers were anticipating competing in the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments VI and getting a chance to win WSOP packages. However, my hope is that things will progress more rapidly that most of us imagine and we will soon be back playing our favorite games at the virtual tables.

Anyone want to place any bets on when everything gets resolved? Oops -- just kidding. You don't think  the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York could be reading this, do you?

lightning C strikes again!

This guy is running hot this week as he chops for over second place money in the Twitter Nightly. The chop involved four people and it seemed like an okay deal to me.

I was hoping to play in the WSOP Circuit Event in St. Louis, but that did not work out. I will probably miss a chance to try to satty the current Heartland Poker Tour main event in northern Indiana also. Timing is everything some months. Work and life just gets in the way ...

Good News Today & Off To Texas

Scholastic Bowl State Finals

Today had an air of excitement since my son's Scholastic Bowl team, in only its second season, competed at the state tournament. They were one of eight teams in their division that qualified for state.

Expectations were high as the team won a squeaker in the first game in its bracket. However, the next game was against a special high school that was designed to recruit the best science and math students in the state. Sheesh, were they tough! Needless to say, the brainiacs took the rookies to town. They eventually won the tournament.

The final game was against an experienced team from a wealthy suburban Chicago school that was three times the size of my son's school. Another lesson for the rookie team. This team only lost one game -- to the braniac team, of course!

We were pretty proud of my son and his team. My kids were never interested in sports, so getting to go to the state finals of Scholastic Bowl competition was a thrill.

What ... a job????

Finally, after almost two years spent searching for a professional job, my wife finally got a job offer! The position is currently half time with the possibility of it moving to full time. This works well for now as it gets her back doing what she has come to love -- training students and staff in computer software applications -- while allowing her to keep her part-time job assisting with the religious education and the administration of the local temple. She is very excited, as the tough job market and her lack of success in landing a job had begun to wear on her.

Off to Texas

In the morning we are hitting the road to fetch my daughter home from Texas. She just was not ready to move that far from home yet and had a terrible string of things happen to her. I am not sure how her return will work out, but it was certainly terrible for us to see how unhappy she has been these past couple of months. Unfortunately, this was an expensive lesson for both her and us. However, she is doing excellent work in her online classes, so at least her education is progressing.

Las Vegas calling lightning36 ...

Reservations are now set for my next trip to Las Vegas -- June 19-24. I will be staying at Bally's the length of the trip. I'll bet The Neophyte and Lucki Duck are surprised to hear this! Anyone else going to Las Vegas that week? I am not sure what tournaments I might play -- maybe WSOP donkathon, Venetian Deep Stack, the summer series at Binions or the Golden Nugget -- who knows?

I am taking my laptop with me to hopefully post on the road these next few days. It looks like it is time to experience part of America one mile at a time.

Till next time ...

Lunchtime Gab

This is one of the busiest times of the year at work for me, so time is a bit precious. A few things on my mind ...

2010 WSOP

Thanks to ESPN3 for the live streaming of the WSOP final table. No extra charge? Amazing. I cannot wait to view the new episode Tuesday night. What an exciting final table. No matter how much skill is involved, the river can still crush dreams. If you have been keeping uninformed to make the viewing fresh, I will not spoil it for you. But know that I am rooting for the underdog when heads up begins.

That lightning boy ...

I occasionally get asked how my son is doing. He had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic today. Things continue to look good. There is no sign of any return of the cancer and, outside of making these visits to Mayo every three months, life proceeds normally. His local doctor is fantastic, so we really are blessed to be receiving the best care for him in town and at Mayo. He is already six months past his operation. We are soooo thankful.

Instead of donking off money in online poker, ...

Things have otherwise continued to be busy as I have been spending time preparing my talk and PowerPoint presentation to the board of trustees at my school, a requirement for those who have had sabbaticals. I also have to make a presentation to the school's senate. Finally, I have to file a written report by the end of the year. Yeah, this stuff is a pain, but I am so fortunate to be employed by a school that provides these opportunities to its employees.

So ... it may be a Monday, but things are good in my corner of the world. Not perfect, of course, but pretty damn good.

So ... how is your life looking?