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I'm back to playing some tournaments. These cashout ones are right in my wheelhouse. I can play for as long as I'm enjoying it and then cashout with a small profit when the stakes start calling for the gamble. And, I avoid my boredom tilt. If I'm not firing on all cylinders, I can usually walk even earlier.

What is the worst thing that I've seen consistently? It is bet sizing. Second, would be mixing your play.

You need to play some form of low ball to last. But, I'm not talking about the push monkeys. They usually take care of each other. There's a large group of players that love to limp. Heck, I'm one. Then they think they hit something or just want to bluff and overbet. If you've a hand, you only overbet when you think you have a read. Good hands come only so often. You need to maximize your win and there are six ways from Sunday to do that depending on the table flavor. As to those bluffers, what they end up being is slow play candidates who'll do the betting for you. Is there anything more satisfying than being able to pop his last bet on the river?

If bet sizing were a school course, grading would be a bear. Even if it were pass-fail it'd still be that. We can do pass-fail on a single hand but, like variance, time is needed to understand things properly. The thing about it is that the same hand can be handled in almost any manner. And, assuming you win the hand, you are never sure you've maximized your profits. That disappointing but not as disappointing as going broke with it.

I'll relate a story here. It show my brilliance and no bushel baskets for this kid. I'm SB with 69H. There are limpers and the button pops it up 3x. Now the guy was grading out as decent and I put him on a decent pair. Actually was AA. He read the small ball article, I'm guessing and makes the 'proper' bet. Well, rules are for breaking. He should have potted to isolate more. All those folks behind me and I know the odds are right to call. He got the callers and the pot is now juicy. The flop nails my hand. I've the nut straight and a draw to the flush. Nobody in their right mind would be holding 69, right? Well, he priced in that hand.

Interesting bit of deja vu compliments of Daniel with this comment:

I later mention to Matusow that I lost a bunch of chips in a cooler, then I explain that I had the 6d 9d and he goes, "I love how he starts off telling me a cooler story by saying I have the 6d 9d LOL."

But, it gives some thinking that may or may not work in the tournaments I play. More often than not it is not.

Now, maintaining an attitude is the opposite of changing gears. Predictability is deadly and at the cheap tournaments I'm playing it is a constant. Players put big signs on their chest and are great candidates for a late play. They can have all the cheap blinds they want. It later that they are vulnerable for any number of plays against them. They are typically also married to min bets. I just can't understand what min betting accomplishes. They seem to think that picking up cheap pots makes them better than the rest when the opposite is true.

ADDENDUM:

Linda runs a little HORSE tournament and just moved it to Full Tilt. I use to play it when I still was on P*. She seems as unhappy with that site these days as I am. It is a fun little gathering with decent play. I registered. Stop by.

Our PokerWorks Family tourney is set for Full Tilt Poker, HORSE, password ‘donkeys’ tournament ID 145123245, this coming Sunday, March 14th at 22:30.  More harping on that later.

It's almost past my bed time so I'll probably crash and then crash again.  Come pick up my easy money.


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Well, the wife is back from the third world. Seems the BRIC trust remain areas that require folks like Hector or a very low profile. Then she gets home and almost needed him in a theater parking lot. File this one under cars. A recurring drama in those parts. But what got my attention was the blog before the link where Hector was the star. How in the hell, did Brazil beat out Chicago for the Olympics? Hell, you can get about in Chi-town with half the muscle.

Some jamoke down south played luckbox. Actually, he has been showing some pretty consistent play and proving even bridge players have male equipment to spare. While bridge seems gentile compared to poker, it is just a more subtle form of the Roman circus. They merely cover the blood in the sand with Belgium lace doilies.

Mike Sexton became the last man standing. In this instance it was with their 2010 predictions. Its an interesting read. The part that caught my eye was legislation. I've got a bit different take on it. While Europe struggles for homogeneity, the US seems headed towards a states' rights confrontation. That bit about “Congress making no laws that...” could really muddy the waters. Various state legislatures are whoring themselves trying to get out of the huge holes they've dug. Gambling is another sin tax issue that has attracted many. Will they do it and then will they let the Feds grab it back? I have a feeling that the mess will get messier before it gets better.

Last, I caught the defrocked governor of Illinois on C-span last evening. He was the guest for a panel from Northwestern's schools of journalism and law. He really tore them a new one. The eggheads got themselves cracked and then scrambled. If I hadn't seen his original act and only heard his explanation, I'd figure the Pope would send in a beautification team to check him out for becoming Saint Blogo. He controlled the debate to the point of making Lincoln – Douglas into amateur night. The creep is amazing. It almost makes me willing to watch that Trump crap. The bookies must have him even money to win.

OK, enough with the link whoring. Back to my sloth based posting.

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I have a supposedly good doctor. Good reputation and serves a lot of nurses – oops, health care professionals, sorry. But, his staff's attention to detail is such that I'm questioning how well he's allowed to function. But, every quarter he does write on his scrip pad what I find is $400 worth of blood testing. (Retail price with insurance payments getting about a 500% discount.) I seem to have a lazy liver.

Anyway, this morning I decided to get the test performed. Up and out early with no breakfast. I get to the place and there is this women with a bluewhatever earbud that evidently is used to indicate ship's captains these days. Or teaching nun might be the job description but I didn't see the ruler.

I was being treated like a recalcitrant child. I was asked to do nothing; I was told to do everything. Now the day hadn't started off well. I had a run in with the tenant again parking me in and heard the lame excuses. This lady wasn't improving my outlook. So, I grabbed up the scrip and went down the street. They were more courteous. I filled out this silly form and she put it in the pile and said I could sit down. I waited about a half hour and then went to ask. No info; just go sit until we call you. So, I asked for it back yet again. It was still sitting there in the pile. This was no where near where the lab scheduled things. It was a receptionist that didn't see a need to rush.

Now, our local hospital in my youth was run by some nuns and there was this one about 4' tall and wizened that stop all talking within 50' as she walked the hall. But, for not much more than the price of a nice hotel room, you got taken care of by people that cared. You even got a back rub. That grumpy wife of Christ was the exception instead of the norm.

All this made me think about Cliff Larue. Well, who wouldn't, right? Cliff was a suit salesmen at Jack Fox and Sons. In that day, for the similar $400 I could have three nice Hart-Shafner&Marx suit and some shirts (w. the 36” sleeves I require) and some silk ties. But this isn't about the decline of the dollar. Cliff would call me when there was a sale and he had things in my size he thought I might like. When I bought a suit another nice fellow came out and discussed everything necessary for the alteration. It was chalked and pinned and then fitted the second time after alterations were done.  In all this, there were no forms or third degrees.


Cliff had these 3x5 cards. It showed what I'd bought over the years. So, when he called he did it with knowledge of my taste and buying patterns. He had the info he needed at hand every time he ever saw me. It was like he'd looked into my closet that morning.

When I get my quarterly blood test, it is the same new Xeroxing of my Medicare card and driver's license and assorted crap. It is filling in or answering the same questions I have answered there about 18 times since I went on Medicare. Now all this takes place on a SOTA (read expense no object) computer systems that has stored pictures and data of all that. The questions are all asked on the long-shot chance, I might have moved or whatever. Information can be verified simpler and easier for all. But, I'm guessing they wouldn't find it to be nearly as enjoyable or Fascist. I keep saying to the drone, “Believe me here. Nothing has changed since my last visit although the underwear has been washed.” and that's discounted – evidently in the name of hygiene and science – because there isn't a rational excuse for calling me a liar at that point.

Who's to blame? No! It is Walmart. Then, throw in you and me. Walmart is the last place you can find Jack Fox prices on suits. If you are cheap, you'll accept the imitation cloth, surly underpaid clerks, and, of course, lead and cadmium levels. You'll do this because you are cheap and willing to trade away respect. Others, like hospitals and labs see this and don't even have competition. The world is degentrified and you're now a number attached to a profit center that will keep cheapening the service as they drive up the price.

George Orwell was an optimist.

ADDENDUM:

Otis might find it interesting that the first place had a big sign up on the wall disclaiming responsibility etc. for anesthesiologists, radiologist, ER physicians and a host of doctoring trades.

They tell you to expect being billed by others and to take any discrepancies up with them and not your warm and caring hospital.  P.S.  Prez Obama please ship us all the mobney.


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Yeah, the Fuzz went out of their way to threaten the enjoyment of some old folks who were just having a good time play a little $20 buy-in poker tournament at the local senior center each Friday. Now that is dumb.

However, there is a ray of sunshine here. The article in the local paper notes the Governor has proposed legislation to stop such stupidity. Wow, a government responsive to the inequities their laws engender. Hope it is contagious.

ADDENDUM:

Still exchanging emails with FT over what I see as a serious bug. They keep telling me their Musical Chairs Algorithm is doing just what the standards call for. At this point, FT support has become every bit as annoying as the bug.

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On the first table I got involved in the first hand. I played the first hand and played it stupid. It was a cheap pot and I had Q high on the river and still called him down with an underpair. This is a double stack tournament so you can do some strange things with a purpose. Unfortunately, I was move a few hands later. I was then moved; I played a few hands at the next table; I was moved again.

Now, Tilt has a little bug/feature. It often doesn't close the window after the move. I ended up with 4 windows open here. Oh, and on the last one I did just play one hand as I was tilted by the musical chairs. I think I may be the first to recognize that form of tilt.

Now, looking at the first three windows:

• All tables continued to play as full tables
• I was moved to fill tables that had a missing player
• It appears a player was moved to make room for me

I have to think of this as an arbitrary move that caused damage to my potential to play well. I was moved and then another replaced me with no impact on the other participants.

This has happened to me on several occasions and it sucks. My question to the group is:

Have you seen or experienced this situation? I have watched others get moved in very early play and suspect there move may have been similar.

ADDENDUM:

BTW, here is the response from their support people:

Hello James,

Thank you for contacting Full Tilt Poker Support.

As players are eliminated from multi-table tournaments, the tables are balanced or broken to keep the number of players at each table as even and fair as possible. If a table loses two or more players at any point in a tournament, play is stopped while a table balance or break occurs to even out the players at the tables.

Table balancing occurs when there are an unequal number of players at each table in a multi-table event due to players being eliminated at different times. When this happens, some players are selected by our random number generator and assigned a new seat based on their relative position to the blind at their previous table, which remains open.

Table breaking occurs when the remaining players can fit on a smaller number of tables. When a table breaks, it is closed and all players from the broken table are assigned random seats at other tables. As it is completely random, this may result in a player being moved closer to or further from the blinds.

Players are moved in multi-table events as fairly as possible. If you are on a table that breaks, you have just as much chance of being placed into an advantageous position as you do a less favorable position. 

For more information, please refer to our Tournament Rules #20 and #21 at: http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/tourRules.php

Good luck at the tables, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Regards,

Shane
Poker Specialist
Full Tilt Poker Support

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please remember never to give out your password or enter
account details over the Internet. Full Tilt Poker staff will
never ask you for your password. For your security, always
keep this information a secret.

Learn, Chat, and Play with the Pros at Full Tilt Poker
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Original Message Follows: ------------------------ 

This balancing or I should say overbalancing has been happening too often.  I'd say 30-50% of the time I run into this early.  If I can avoid it at the start, it stops doing it. 

The stats show I was in just 9 hand instead of what is shown.   All of the tables I was moved from had a player moved there to take my place!!!!! Not one of the tables was close to populate other tables. 

This is totally unacceptable.  I was so disgusted I just busted out and came to the mail program to complain.   A major part of play is evaluating competition.  When I get thrown from table to table, it is no longer poker.   I might as well go play the slots. 

I don't know who the genius programmer was that designed the algorithm.  But, he needs to go back to school and be replaced.  The fact that this is occurring should be seen as a major embarassment by FT. 

I would like this forwarded to the heads of security and software.  I am not expecting or accepting a Level 1 support response. 

Linda, would you please forward this to Howard.  It really affect the quality of the site in a way I'm sure he'll want to know about.

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I was shocked (no, I wasn't really) to find that F-Train got F-bombed over at PokerRoad. It happened on a show called the B-Team. How appropriate.

A young man who has had past issues with perceived fairness called F-train out with the idea he'd trashed his 'bud' and the opinion expressed by F-Train seems to somewhat bear that out. In support, it seems that this opinion was shared by others.

Now the description above references “positions of power” and poker players understand that from both sides. That's a fair description of the game. We might even use gamesmanship to enhance that. Sometimes that goes beyond the pale and becomes angle shooting. That seems to be what happened in the broadcast. Get the facts wrong and you look like character assassins. Well, actually, you are character assassins.


While I don't listen to PokerRoad very often these days, I do respect the effort. And, I respect the basic morality that has come across at times. It is a media site that has attracted a certain demographic and the B-team seems to pander to that group. By the same token, the talent there includes folks that crossed over into the real demographic of broadcast standards.

Internet standards are far from the real world. Like poker it seems to have a connection. In many respects they can enhance our life experience. But, they aren't life. In life we are immediately responsible for our actions. That includes physical, business, relationships and so on. When we screw up, we pay up. Poker and some poker players ignore that and think their rebuy can cover the situation. That ain't the real world.

PokerRoad should issue a strong apology. This isn't over who was right or wrong in a hand or three. It is about going beyond the bounds of courtesy and fairness. In life and at the tables, angle shooting has to be called out. That is especially true when it attacks someone's workplace.

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Bill's article may not seem part of the same offer made by P* but it is. Sites are in a state of flux. Bill referenced the dotcom era and it is an appropriate comparison. Bill discusses the nuts and bolts that few of us bother to see. Haley is another insider that adds to the discussion.  Jordan also understands a bit of what is happening.


The 'cheap' offer of a ticket for a lot of SEO graft and the sites reducing the graft of affiliate marketing are two pages from the same book. I don't know who came up with the concept of affiliate marketing but in today's climate, they'd lynch him. It hearkens back to the time when money came hand over fist for modest effort.

Why is all this happening now? It'd seem the UIGEA days were more fraught with danger to online sites. Well, the idea now is that the UIGEA is history and the sites can go back to getting their IPO's ready. Harrah is on that bandwagon and others will follow. The current US facing sites and those listed on the London exchange are going to clean up their Income Sheets to maximize their IPO.

As players we can look forward to massive changes. All the current stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. Will it work to our advantage? In modest ways, probably. Overall, we're just being set up one more time. That's how it operated in the past and always will. I'm not knocking that. It is the way the world operates.

Now, I've played poker for fun. And that describes most of us. My efforts in maximizing profits happened more on luck that skill. But, that doesn't describe the sites methods. It is all about maximizing their business plan – as they should.

There isn't much you or I have in the way of choices. It is pretty much the same as selecting Target or Walmart. Over the years, businesses come and go. Many of those were substantial business that were eaten by market change. Video rentals is a recent example of what is playing out. I had a buddy that made a very nice chunk of change when it was in its infancy. That has fallen by the wayside. He saw what was coming and got out but the big players can't pull that off.

What all this is called is “consolidation” and that is both good and bad. The banks consolidated a few years ago and you know what that got us. It is looking like the poker boom is in the process of going the way of the dotcom boom. Poker has gotten to the Chinese Curse phase: May you live in interesting times.

ADDENDUM:

I see that one of the “related posts” assigned was a bit of payola for your’s truly.  That wasn’t the original.  That was lost when I moved to WordPress.   Do they notice their link is missing?  Damn right!  I got a note asking why their link had gone away.  If you think they aren’t sophisticated and don’t know just what they’re getting and what it costs, think again.

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The indication is that this apologetic, little Japanese guy who's family was named after an automobile is actually the antichrist. Well, I remember when Toyota built funny looking car that rusted out in two year. Of course Detroit at the time was building battleships that rusted out in four years.

Over the intervening years, cars got better. Along that route there were cruise control recalls and tires shedding rubber. People died. The Feds had hearing and lambasted the evil corporations. The same ones they just bailed out.

Now, our elected representatives have another dog and pony show that will result in additional laws. This will add cost. We'll pay more for cars. The car folks will look for added efficiency. Added efficiency comes from cheapening components and eliminating jobs. That shouldn't be the goal at this or any time.

A couple of things come to mind:

• Enforce existing laws that penalized these companies in the past.
• Make the bureaucracy do their job instead of creating interpretations of law that distort the original intent. And put them in jail when they stray too far.

• Think about whether or not it will be smart to buy one of these new cars that's computer will supposedly slow you down automagically to avoid accidents and the like.

The Laws are there.  What is missing is efficient and productive government.  And, those don't make for great 6 o'clock sound bites.  Congress doesn't like being the cause of the problem and when caught always blame the other guy.  This Toyota thing would have been solved several years ago if government had done the job we overpay them to do.


Today's cars have hard drives and greater computer power than PC's from just a few years ago. We've all seen a blue screen of death. That translates worse to a car on the freeway. I'm not saying be a Luddite and go looking for a car you need to start with a hand crank. But avoid the new wiz-bang features until they install Control-Alt-Delete buttons on your steering wheel.

ADDENDUM:

Naming some folks after cars is a tradition and we shouldn't knock the poor Japs.  After all, Henry Ford did it when he named one offspring Edsel.

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When P* (note intentionally not even using name.) did that Freeroll and everybody put their logo/link on their site, they got far more benefit than the dumb ass bloggers. I linked Party in an old blog and they sent me $25. Other's want them fresh with complimentary content and paid me $75.

I was a paid blogger. I earned 4-figures a month. Yes, I was also stupid in burning out in a glorious fashion. Linda thought I was nuts and was probably right. PokerWorks was as savvy as the best about SEO land. Here's an anecdote.

The site added a bunch of bloggers and then decided it wasn't going to work. It included Iggy, Grubby, Amy, and Change100. The very first day Change100 did the normal thing. She worked her tail off and built links like you see to your right here. There were a ton of them. The management went bonkers and the next day they were gone. The links diluted the links that promoted the house's operation. Google has a formula. Each link waters down how profitable that is in determining their PageRank. PageRank comes from either a limited number on very high value sites or a ton of cheap ones that have lower page hits and/or too many links.

If I were playing the SEO game here, all the links to the sites shown on the right would have NOFOLLOW added. That tells Google they are unimportant links that should not get credit. That'd also make any paid links more valuable.

Sure, I read a lot of those sites every day when I was blogging for bucks. My links to all those folks were few and far between. When could do them, they were in context to content. The house rule was that normally I shouldn't have any links. That's the way profitable sites operate.

P* figured out you folks are fish. That became very obvious when they got their freeroll results afterward. They figured you were so gullible they could give you a cheap $22 ticket for FIVE links. Why can they pull this off? Well, it is the old joke about the two-bit whore. You know the one with the punch line: We've established your occupation. Now, we're just arguing over price.

Like Letterman would say, “Dumber than a box of rocks.”

What P* has done is called being a Black Hat in SEO parlance. It is on the level of Nigerian spam in ethics.   Think about it if you plan to take them up on this “generous” offer or the next blogger freeroll.   Wasn’t it pretty obvious that they had no standard when a bazillion pseudo-bloggers showed up to play?

ADDENDUM:

Every day I get alerts for my blog on links Google sees.  Here’s today’s collection and it is based on the stuff you see at the right (pimpage) or because I left a comment.  See what I mean?

Google Web Alert for: poker perambulation

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