It was a sad weekend in grub manor, as I continue to throw away stuff daily to lighten the grubload. How is it that as much as I get rid of, there seems to still be more growing in the backs of closets?

It's mind-boggling how much junk I've managed to packrat away over the years in the guise of "research" for writing (and to be sure, I do have dozens of reference books on writing). Three entire walls lined with floor-to-ceiling, overstuffed bookcases of books and magazines, scripts and journals, laserdiscs and videotapes and DVDs. Oh my.

Ideally I would turn my apartment into a big closet. Or get those makeover people to come in and experience their first failure. But my funds are limited, so out goes anything that I haven't looked at in, oh, 10 years.

This weekend it was time to say goodbye to all my Playboy and Penthouse magazines... over 15 years' worth since I started subscribing, and then some. A tough toss because there were many, um, articles I hadn't read. Hopefully it will make whoever discovers them in the dumpster a happy guy. Wonder if the apartment anthropologists will think some guy's wife made him get rid of his porn.

I did rescue the Maud Adams pictorial (advertising her cult classic flick Tattoo) from the October 1981 Playboy (yeah, I had a thing for Ms. Adams since Octopussy). But even that will probably be tossed as well. Or turned into a prize for the grublog tourney -- ha!

To prevent the dumpster from being a complete den of impropriety amongst real trash (your mileage may vary), I also threw out my collection (minus first editions and signed copies) of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Barker. Most of their later books I hadn't even cracked open. All three were early inspirations for my wanting to become a writer. I didn't feel too bad because they can always be replaced thanks to eBay.

Added to the porn and horror, I placed a Merriam-Webster (with a tiny arach dot on the foreword page upon which I scribbled with an arrow, "mashed spider"), a couple textbooks on Phonology, some works of Shakespeare, and related Cliffs Notes.

Who said dumpster diving can't be educational?

§

I can throw away good porn but occasionally I can't throw away bad cards.

Usually of the suited-connector or one-gap variety.

Such was the case with Hand of the Week #23.

No one guessed I would've possibly played 3 5, and rightly so because it's the sort of hand I wouldn't want to be caught dead with.

Sure, I was the BB but that's no reason to call a 3bet.

Looking closer, however, I hadn't noticed I was in a limit SnG. Seeing not just one but two minimum raises screamed of weakness to me, so I happily called T30 (raised to T15 and 3bet T30 before it got to me). Had I known it was a limit SnG, this would've been an easy muck.

That's my one defense. It's not a good one, especially since the river saved me because SB had A 10 for the turned flush.

Not a good hand to be involved in, and no wonder you should just fold the crap.

Early in an SnG I'll make similar calls if they're cheap, not just to see the flop, but sometimes on a 4outer if many people have limped.

For instance:


Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) converter

grubby le poisson (t960)
UTG+2 (t1000)
MP1 (t1900)
MP2 (t320)
MP3 (t1135)
CO (t915)
Button (t1130)
SB (t655)
BB (t1000)
UTG (t985)

Preflop: grubby le poisson is UTG+1 with 9 J
1 fold, grubby le poisson calls t15, UTG+2 calls t15, MP1 calls t15, MP2 calls t15, MP3 calls t15, CO calls t15, 1 fold, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t120) 8 A 7 (8 players)
SB checks, BB checks, grubby le poisson checks, UTG+2 bets t60, MP1 calls t60, MP2 calls t60, MP3 calls t60, CO folds, SB calls t60, BB folds, grubby le poisson calls t60.

Turn: (t480) T (6 players)
SB checks, grubby le poisson checks, UTG+2 bets t300, MP1 calls t300, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, SB folds, grubby le poisson calls t300.

River: (t1380) 4 (3 players)
grubby le poisson checks, UTG+2 bets t400, MP1 folds, grubby le poisson raises to t585 (All-In), UTG+2 calls t185.

Final Pot: t2550
Main Pot: t2550 (t2550), between grubby le poisson and UTG+2. Pot won by grubby le poisson (t2550).

grubby le poisson has 9 J (straight, jack high).
UTG+2 has 8 A (two pair, aces and eights).
Outcome: grubby le poisson wins t2550.


Calling the flop, okay. Arguably enough pot odds to justify. And a miracle on the turn.

But what am I doing calling preflop UTG+1 with junk to begin with...? Shame, shame. I have no excuse, your honor.

So two questionable plays that you'd have a right to take me to task with... and that happened to work out in my favor. These are the very fish calls that I would fly into a rage with, "How could you have called with that?" (never said aloud, just grumbled to myself). Sometimes if I think through their play enough, I can possibly gather a reason why they stuck around for that one card that could help them.

But just sometimes.

Okay, so keeping all of the above in mind, we move onto the next HoW which is now $5 richer...


Grubby's Hand of the Week #24
for Monday, November 8, 2004

Prize: $35

The first person to correctly guess my hand before next Monday wins. Suits may or may not matter. One guess per person, please. Winner will be declared here that Monday. If there's no winner, $5 will be added to the prize pool.

This week's HoW is sponsored by PokerNow, the latest Party skin. Sign up through that link and get a 20 percent bonus on your first deposit (up to $100). Then once you clear that, play more raked hands to get a couple decks of KEM cards and a jacket with the bonus code KEM. Click here for all the info. In addition, if your guess is the first correct one, the prize is tripled for you.

Leave your guess in the comments section below. You can be Anonymous without registering through Blogger, but do include your name so I know whose guess is whose.

If you don't include contact info and you're the winner, email me after the quiz is over.

Good luck and good skills,

---

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) converter

grubby (t1000)
MP3 (t1000)
CO (t1015)
Button (t970)
SB (t985)
BB (t1000)
UTG (t1000)
UTG+1 (t1030)
UTG+2 (t1000)
MP1 (t1000)

Preflop: grubby is MP2 with ????
UTG raises to t30, 1 fold, UTG+2 raises to t45, 1 fold, grubby calls t45, 4 folds, BB calls t30, UTG raises to t60, UTG+2 raises to t75, grubby calls t30, BB calls t30, UTG calls t15.

Flop: (t310) 4 3 3 (4 players)
BB checks, UTG bets t200, UTG+2 calls t200, grubby calls t200, BB raises to t400, UTG folds, UTG+2 calls t200, grubby calls t200.

Turn: (t1710) 9 (3 players)
BB bets t525 (All-In), UTG+2 calls t525 (All-In), grubby calls t525 (All-In).

River: (t3285) 7 (3 players, 3 all-in)

Final Pot: t3285
Main Pot: t3285 (t3285), between grubby, BB and UTG+2.


Early in a 50+5 SnG again. Did I get lucky again? Was I too pot committed to let go? My only hint to you is to recall what I think about minimum raises in NL SnGs (and a quick check will show that this time, I'm in the right place and it is indeed a no-limit SnG).

For $35 and the win, and now knowing what cards I'm apt to play early, what did grubby have?