Saturday Freerolls & A Short Vacation

Played in two private freerolls today and spent waaaay too much time out of my day on them. The first was a CardsChat freeroll -- the usual Saturday nooner at Full Tilt -- and I snagged second place. I joked with my wife, who worked a few hours this afternoon, that I actually made more money than she did. And I did!

I then also played at the Global Gaming Events GGE vs UB Pros II at Ultimate Bet. I finished 22nd out of 1,397 runners when my A-Q lost to K-7 all in pre-flop. A King and a 7 on the flop and that was all she wrote.

I leave for Las Vegas in less than twelve hours. This should be a fun trip as I hope to meet some older and some newer friends. I plan to meet old buddies HyppieChyck and Jiggy from the Shark Poker Tour. I also plan to meet bloggers Lucki Duck and The Neophyte. I just may even get in some poker.

Catch ya on the flip side!

Sometimes It Is About The Winning, You See ...

Even though the the cashish won't get me far, you just can't beat the feeling of victory.

btw -- Check out the young stud in the profile picture!

Poker Forums to Consider

As I recover from the 2010 WPBT Winter Classic tournament and trip to Las Vegas, I thought I would list a few selected poker forums to consider in case you are bored with your current action or are looking to get in some discussions or tournaments with a new group of poker junkies.

An absolute monster forum is Cardschat, boasting a membership of over 75,000. Led by owner Nick and seemingly promoted 24 hours a day by dakota-xx, Cardschat hosts freerolls and small buy-in events while providing hand analysis, good poker citizenship, and friendly discussions. I have been a member for well over five years and have played numerous freerolls and tourneys. The play in the buy-in events is strong. There are few weak links among the regulars. Long-time members and others who have made exceptional contributions are invited to become loyalers, which opens the door to special freerolls and other perks. Cardschat hosts tournaments at Full Tilt, PokerStars, Bodog, and other popular sites.

Another great forum is the Shark Powered Network Forum, home of the Shark Poker Tour. I have been a member of this forum for over five years also and have played in countless private tournaments. The forum currently has over 7,700 members and provides a series of tournaments with great monthy prizes for the top players. Top shark David (FNG) works hard to provide a great poker environment. Regular tournaments are played at Ultimate Bet/Absolute Poker and Power Poker. You can often find me donking off my buy-in at the regular Thursday night "home game."

A newer and smaller forum that might be worth checking out is pokerology.com. I was recently alerted to this forum by one of my Euro poker buddies, DangerMouse. DM tells me that the site has a nice, friendly atmosphere with some good players and strategists. Information on the site states: "Pokerology means 'the study of poker' and it's our aim to provide the best free poker learning resource for poker players, from complete beginners to experienced poker professionals, and everyone in between." Sounds interesting. I see that the forum is having a Seven Card Stud tourney this weekend. Maybe I'll join and do a little teaching there myself!

Rooting Against Michael Vick -- For One Day Only and Friends Fighting Cancer

I know that everything has already been written about Michael Vick. No need to review his ascention to the top of the pro football world, his criminal and cruel behavior, his conviction and punishment, and his chance for redemption. Ahh ... but I must write a little.

Compared to other athletes in recent memory, Vick has received more punishment, suffered more loss, and dealt with more humiliation. Yes, his behavior was reprehensible, and although it may sounds like I am in some way condoning what he did, we have to face the fact that his crimes dealt with animals, not people.

He spent time in prison, lost virtually everything, and paid one heck of a price. But ... he has paid his debt, or more correctly, is still paying it. What more do people want?

Truth be told, I am almost always a guy who roots for the underdog. The fact that Michael Vick went through everything he did, got back into the NFL, and is now the best and most electric player in the game? What a story.

Unfortunately, Vick's Eagles are playing my Chicago Bears this Sunday. Although the Eagles are favorites and by reasonable thinking should win, I'll still believe in da Bears and predict a Bears victory this weekend.

As for Michael Vick? I'll root against him this weekend, for sure, but I'll be rooting for him the rest of the way.

Sad News About Friends Fighting Cancer

I joined a great online poker forum, Cardschat, in May 2005. One of the other members who joined in these early days was a guy named buckster436, a former truck driver who was always a big Cardschat supporter, a friendly guy at the tables, and a straight shooter in forum threads. You always knew where buck stood, and over the years he became one of the foundations of the forum.

Two weeks ago, buck posted that a colonoscopy showed he had a malignant tumor and he needed surgery. As buck continued to give updates, it became apparent that things were not going well. His doctors found that cancer had done major damage to his liver and buck seemed to be getting worse. The last report from buck's family was that it looks like the end is near. I will be praying for him tonight.

In my last post -- Revisiting the Old Neighborhood -- I gave an update of a co-worker who had been bravely fighting breast cancer. In fact, I wrote "The cancer has stopped spreading, and all her supporters are hoping that somehow she can make it through this."

Unfortunately, two days after I wrote this I received her latest CarePages update, which included this depressing news: "Due to increasing back pain over the past several weeks I requested a full body scan. I got the results which showed the main tumor in the breast is growing AND there is a new spot in my spine. What this means in layman's terms is the chemo I'm on isn't working anymore."

More terrible news for this Thanksgiving. So sad to have friends fighting for their life against cancer. More prayers tonight before I hit the sheets. More reminders of how precious life is.