If you're in NYC tomorrow, Ron and Fez are kicking off their move to XM Satellite Radio with a happy hour at the BB King Blues Club (237 West 42nd Street, Times Square) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Open bar!
Guaranteed to be a good time. I looked into airfare for a quick trip, but I just can't do it.
On Monday, Ron and Fez start on XM 202 at 11 a.m. EST (right after Opie and Anthony). If there's a reason to get XM, this is it. You don't even need to get a receiver, you can subscribe online.
My favorite radio personalities of all time, R&F are singlehandedly (duohandedly?) keeping my spirits up during another cold streak on the online tables. (Someone smack me the next time I talk about chasing reload bonuses again.)
§Feel like playing online slots but don't want to put up money of your own? Try
Jackpot City. They'll deposit $25 into your account, no deposit required.
I don't know if they still allow it, but when signing up you can select your currency as pounds, which at a 1.8388 conversion, would make it a free $45.95.
The catch is that in order to cash out, you need to playthrough in slots (no blackjack or other games) at 10x, or $250. On slots, this is near impossible without hitting a big win or two. I would recommend going for the progressive slots -- particularly King Cashalot, which is over $1 million. Or go for one of the bonus slots and hope you hit the free spin bonus.
(Normally I'd recommend putting the whole $25 down on one bet in baccarat, blackjack, or roulette. Then doubling-down again. But even with $100, a $250 playthrough will make you go broke in slots.)
Zodiac Casino and
Virtual City Casino will also give you money to play with. Each is only $10 with a steeper 15x playthrough. You'll definitely see that $10 go -- for this one, try two $4.50 pulls in a bonus slot. You never know, you may get lucky and hit the bonus round, which is usually good for at least $100.
§Finished an ultra-slow
PokerRoom $200 reload. Wanted to do it sooner than later, because they're prepping to modify their player points to make it more difficult to clear the bonus in low-limits.
Then hopped to
Party's $150 reload, which went fast at 7x and only two tables. Did it in 3/6 and 100NL 6max and lost my ass.
(An aside: played a WSOP circuit satellite on Monday and sat next to a woman who said she had AKo tattooed on her ass... she showed me, and sure enough, there it was on her lower back... when I had AK and had to fold to her, I amused myself by saying, "I had your ass.")Still, what I'm down at Party is nothing compared to over £2 billion (that's about $4.4 billion to us Yankees) that PartyGaming lost on the London Stock Exchange a couple days ago. That values it at
less than its flotation price just a few months prior. Why is it that I see a 37 percent drop and think buy buy buy?
I'm halfway through Empire at 50NL. As some people on BonusWhores pointed out, nickel rakes aren't being counted. It seemed to me sometimes they were and sometimes they weren't. But they've definitely changed the rules on this one.
Because of my sad end result even after the bonuses, I don't plan to do any of Multi's reloads.
§Tuesday was the last day of a sale on Diet Coke ($2.50 per 12-pack) at Smith's. Using a newspaper coupon would make it an even better bargain at $2 each! Limit of 4.
I was at Sunset checking on my tournament time and table/seat for the big freeroll this Saturday, and planned to go directly to the store, but I had neither the coupon nor the club card on me, so I had to go home first and then back to the store.
They didn't have any lines open with real live people; just the self-serve aisles. Normally I like these touch screens because it gives me a chance to talk back at the machine and insert exact change, ridding me of all my dollar bills and pennies. Unfortunately, I was short by one penny and my change was 49 cents, filling up my pocket with coins again. The change, by the way, was given by the live cashier who stands watch to make sure no one attempts to sneak through a small item unscanned.
After some pricing confusion and constant messages to notify the cashier (I suspect the cashier rigs these on purpose to keep her job), I finally made it out to the car.
Only to realize I forgot to give the coupon, shorting myself of $2.
I was more irritated at losing $2 in coupon savings than I was at losing $1300 on Sunday.
§After the Sahara loss the previous weekend, I had painstakingly rebuilt my bankroll to make up the $1000 that I'd lost in two hours.
Then grubette and Doug flew in for a Vegas fix, and despite playing the -EV games (blackjack and slots), I found myself still doing well and adding cash to my wallet each day they were here. I had enough that I was planning to deposit a few hundred into my checking account.
And then Sunday came.
It began oh-so-innocently on a dark and air-conditioned late afternoon.
I was staying at Silverton and had salvaged $300 of the $450 freeplay they'd given me after 1x playthrough. Wanting to go through it as fast as possible, I'd picked a bank of Mr. Cashman slots, deposited $50 into each, and played $1.25 per spin.
Went to Harrah's to sweat grubette in the 11 a.m. tourney. We'd played it on Saturday and both busted within the second hour (later at 8 p.m., we played a $50+10 SnG and also busted early). It's actually one of the better low-limit tournaments in Vegas, with a $40 buy-in for T1500 chips (one optional $40 rebuy for T1500), 20 minute rounds and blinds beginning T25/50. The only drawback is inexperienced dealers and a maximum of nine tables (with alternates, it caps out at about 120 people). Harrah's now joins my other favorite tourneys to play: Sahara, The Orleans, The Plaza, Binion's, and Golden Nugget. Tourneys
not to play: Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Circus Circus.
The 1/2 NL cash game at Harrah's is even better, with a good mix of locals and tourists. There's something to be said for playing in a casino that has no jackpot drop and no comps per hour -- less locals to be found. That's where I sat while waiting for grubette.
Guy to my left was passed out asleep. They had to wake him so he'd move a little bit when I sat down. He'd come to, look at his cards, then pass out again.
Guy to my right kept coloring up racks for black chips. He had $2500 in front of him, that he said was going to be advance payment for his student loan.
I was in a perfect position, because if he raised, I folded. If he limped, it would be a cheap flop. If he folded, I could play normally.
Once the sleepy guy awoke, his playing became extremely aggressive. Play resumed normally once he busted.
Made a really dopey play that I'm embarrassed to admit especially since I had done so well the previous night. But this blog is all about honesty, so here's the hand.
I have K

10

in MP and UTG (who liked to bluff) raises $10. That seemed to be the typical raise, as not many flops were being seen for cheap.
A couple people called, and I threw in my two reds to see a flop of two

s with a Jack.
UTG bets $55, which drops everyone but me. A really good bet, one that gave me no odds.
I only have two options at this point: fold and fold.
Or raise all-in. He had about $60 left and if I'm going for my draw, I could make a play and hope he would fold AQ or a pair under a Jack. (Though I've played many people where I have that pair of Jacks and push here or the turn, only to find them calling with AK or AQ -- and hitting.)
But I should fold.
Instead, I call.
Turn gives me more outs with a double-gut straight draw.
He bets the rest of his stack, minus his $1 chips.
Now the pot was big enough that it warranted a call. Let's forget for the moment that it was big enough because half of it contained my chips.
I call.
River gives a harmless deuce of nothing.
He throws in $4 more and with my King high, I call just to see his cards. He has pocket 10s and I don't show my hand.
Just an abominable play by me, one that I rarely make these days.
Afterwards, I try to make up for it by playing better:
I raise preflop with KQs and toss out a big bet on the Ace-high flop with none of my suit and end up taking it. As the flop cards fall, I consciously look at my chipstack, hoping my heads-up caller notices.
I set a trap with AA by making a risky limp from UTG, but no one falls for it. Luckily I take the pot on the flop.
When the paired flop is checked and someone bets the turn, I check-raise with nothing and take it.
With five limpers, I raise 5x from the BB and steal.
I fold a flopped top two pair to the chip leader's check-raise of $300. I'd noticed he rarely made a move like that unless he had it. Besides, it was too expensive a call anyway. I fold and he shows his flopped straight. I tell him I was on a draw.
It was such a good table (as were the two tables and 10 hours I'd played Saturday night) that I knew I could at least double up against the big stack, but I had to go.
I jokingly ask to lock the seat for four hours and color up, down $102.
Meet up with grubette and Doug and head to Hard Rock. No poker at Hard Rock yet. I drop $200 in blackjack. The first $100 is at a table where two guys warn me not to sit down. I do anyway and they give me 3 minutes. I last 5 before leaving to another table where I recover and then some, then lose it all on a bad run.
grubette plays craps and loses as much as she did for the whole Thursday-Saturday weekend. Doug keeps his winnings intact and stays steady playing Super Jackpot Party.
Adding to our dismal bankroll and mood, we had to pass through all the good-looking 21-year-old bathing-suited hardbodies in line for Rehab at the pool.
After grubette and Doug left, I go back to Silverton. Technically, I thought, I was still up for the day. I could use the $300 I gleaned from Silverton and call Sunday a wash.
But, see, there was the little problem of staying at Silverton an extra day.
And despite them putting me in a room with a view of a brick wall (I peeked at their roster and found I'm a Comp Level 3, which must mean brick wall), I really like their pillowtop bed and Bath & Body Works soap and shampoo. There are only four floors of rooms, and I can park in back like a motel and sneak in the side entrance like Marilyn Monroe visiting Mr. President.
Each morning I began the day with a visit to the high-limit slot area. Not to play, but to pick up a bottled water, orange juice, chips, fruit, and granola bar. A tip if you're ever at Silverton -- walk in like you belong, snag some free snacks, and walk right out. No tipping necessary.
So I enjoy staying at Silverton, but in order to keep receiving the free offers, I need to play. And burning them with the minimum play and absconding with $300 and a $25 food comp just wasn't going to say come on back, we missed you.
When I checked in on Friday, my mailbox had a birthday offer from them for September: two free nights, $100 in slotplay, and a luggage set. I'm thinking I'll piggyback this offer along with The Plaza and The Palms for a whole week of free rooms.
Now Silverton does have poker, but casino hosts discount that. I'm turned off to blackjack.
That left slots.
Five hundred-dollar bills later, I go back to poker.
It's bad for me to have cash in my wallet, plunked down in a slot-filled casino.
The poker room was hopping with a rowdy 2/5 NL game.
Some hands:
I raise in early position with KK. Two callers.
Flop is 8-9-4 (two

s).
Checked to me, I bet the pot. Someone calls, another raises 2.5x.
I go all-in.
First hand they've seen me play, I don't want to be seen as bullyable.
If they have 8-9, so be it, but I'd think they'd wait for the turn to make a move.
The raiser instantly calls.
Turn is 6. River is 9.
I show my cowboys expecting to lose to a 9, but he shows 10-10 and I win a big pot.
Even better, he rebuys.
Next hand I get AKo and call a min-raise. I let it go when the flop is 10-3-J and the guy who had 10-10 bets the pot.
A few hands later I raise with AQ and a few limpers. A King on the flop, and I take it down with an 85 percent pot-sized bet.
An orbit later I again have AQ and flop a straight. Another guy calls down with A4s to get a runner flush. We're heads-up and I bet 2x the pot on the turn and he still calls. At least he let me off easy by betting out 1/2 the pot on the river, which I would've called the pot.
Another hand I'm in MP with AA. A couple limpers and I raise 3x the blinds. Guy next to me reraises 2x. Someone cold calls the 3bet. I push.
The reraiser thinks for a bit and then calls.
We're heads-up and I only feel good when the flop gives an Ace. Then I feel better when the turn is another Ace. (He had QQ.)
I would like to be the type of NL player who can make this move without AA or KK, knowing people will pick up on a limp-reraise all-in and fold QQ and below. But I can't at these levels, because people will call anyway.
My final hand of the night that kicks me out the door (how's that for foreshadowing), I get QQ in the BB.
SB is the guy who lost against me with 10-10. It's folded to him and he raises to $50.
I reraise all-in. Probably too aggressive, but I didn't want to risk seeing an Ace or King on the flop. My hope was to grab that $50 uncontested. But if he were to call, I still had a decent hand.
He removes his sunglasses and stares at me for a long time. He says,
"I'm not trying to steal. What do you have?"I say,
"I'll show if you call."He thinks some more and then just when I think he's about to fold, he calls and says,
"Gonna be a coin-flip."The flop gives a King and the river gives an Ace. He flips over 22 and I'm about to show my QQ when I see the flop also has a 2.
He gets his money back and I go to bed.
And that's how I lost $1300 on Sunday.
§My highly symbolic dream that night is of someone cutting off my dick. I tried reattaching it but couldn't seem to get it connected right. It would stick but not function, and I was afraid it would blacken and fall off.
And I had to go to the bathroom.
I left it on the kitchen counter when I should've put it in the freezer or in a bucket of ice.
Thankfully, I awoke without having wet the bed.
And with my dick still intact.
I think.