Quick weekly recap: Handicapping = bad. Missed almost everything Thanksgiving weekend. I reverted back to scalping hoops, which equals good. HORSE on Stars = Juicy. Wow... if only they had rakeback. Sony Mylo = cool. It does everything I hoped it would. Surfs rather quickly for a teeny device. (When I say teeny, I mean teeny small and teeny - as in "for the teenyboppers".)
The holidays are approaching and they usually turn me into a stressful ball of.... well, stress. Perhaps the lack of snow has helped the holiday blues. According to Mr. Weatherman, that's about to change. Fire up the snowblower.
Review Me has decided to sponsor me again. My assignment is to check out the cardschat.com forums. Since I had never visited the forums before, I might as well get paid to check them out.
What hit me immediately when arriving at cardschat.com - The site is targeted for the beginning online player. Choosing the guide tab brings the following introduction: "This site is aimed virtually exclusively at the beginner poker player." This is not a bad thing - just not appealing to a seasoned player.
If you are a beginning player this site has an abundance of information. There are reviews of online poker rooms, strategy articles, game rules, a blog, and (of course) the cardschat forums. Simply put, the forums are where you'll find all of the action.
The general forum has the most activity. This where you'll find questions, polls, gossip, and tales of variance (good and bad). This is where I would go if I were looking for support from the cardschat community.
The strategy forum is what really caught my eye because I'm always looking for ways to improve my game. As a split-pot specialist, I was surprised to see two Omaha 8 threads on the first page, but I didn't see any Stud 8 threads on the first few pages.
One of the neatest features is the hand analysis forum. If you want feedback on a hand you played, just post the hand history for quick review from the community. Pretty smart idea - putting the beats in their own box.
If you feel the need to share (or belong), there are forums for photos, introductions, and suggestions. Cardschat also offers exclusive tourneys (including freerolls). Finally, there is a "top secret" loyal members forum. I didn't see enough elsewhere to make me join cardschat, so the secret forum will have to remain a secret.
All in all, a good place to steer novices for advice and strategy but not much more (unless you like to share pictures).
Football Lock of the Week: NCAA, Southern Miss. @ Houston (-4). C-USA will be the most lopsided of the conference championships. NFL, Vikings (+10) @ Bears. Big momentum will help the Vikes cover. [2006 Record 15-12]
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Giving Thanks
Hell yeah, I'm thankful.
First of all, I'm thankful for my family. They support me even though... well, I'm out there. They realize I will work hard in my endeavors, because it's my passion. They also understand I've made a lot of decisions this past year which put my family first. Keeping the family on course has been a drain on me, but as I tell my little sister, I'm building up my karma account. We could all stand to bank a little karma.
I'm thankful for Omaha Hi/Lo. All varieties. The game I never wanted to embrace turned out to be the key to unlocking my winning ways. It made me a better Hold 'Em player and a better Stud player. Even bad days at O8 are easily shrugged off - I usually make the right reads and the cards just didn't help me out. I still realize there's lots of room for improvement, although I'm getting better at adjusting to table conditions and not just nut peddling.
I'm thankful for the B.C. Lions (and the CFL), because they are BANK. Why more cappers don't play CFL, I'll never know. Anyway, thanks to the BC Lions and their Grey Cup, I now have a new Sony Mylo, complete with 12 months free T-Mobile hotspot WiFi. No more lugging my laptop around on trips.
Finally, I'm thankful that I'm real to myself. I have many flaws, but I still have a healthy amount of integrity. I've always blogged for myself and I'm happy to share my thoughts with anyone who wants to read. This site has always been a forum for self-expression above all else.
Now, I enjoy the perks of blogging, such as paid advertisers. I understand some people blog for money, or as a means to generate traffic for some financial benefit. But I'll never generate fake buzz on this blog to drive traffic here or anywhere else. I think that's -EV long term, even if you're a professional uber blogger.
Football Lock of The Week (Thanksgiving Edition): NCAA, Boston College (-4) @ Miami. Plain and simple, BC has more to play for. NFL, Dolphins @ Lions (+3). Neither team is consistent - I expect Harrington will hear footsteps in his return to Ford Field. [2006 Record 15-10]
First of all, I'm thankful for my family. They support me even though... well, I'm out there. They realize I will work hard in my endeavors, because it's my passion. They also understand I've made a lot of decisions this past year which put my family first. Keeping the family on course has been a drain on me, but as I tell my little sister, I'm building up my karma account. We could all stand to bank a little karma.
I'm thankful for Omaha Hi/Lo. All varieties. The game I never wanted to embrace turned out to be the key to unlocking my winning ways. It made me a better Hold 'Em player and a better Stud player. Even bad days at O8 are easily shrugged off - I usually make the right reads and the cards just didn't help me out. I still realize there's lots of room for improvement, although I'm getting better at adjusting to table conditions and not just nut peddling.
I'm thankful for the B.C. Lions (and the CFL), because they are BANK. Why more cappers don't play CFL, I'll never know. Anyway, thanks to the BC Lions and their Grey Cup, I now have a new Sony Mylo, complete with 12 months free T-Mobile hotspot WiFi. No more lugging my laptop around on trips.
Finally, I'm thankful that I'm real to myself. I have many flaws, but I still have a healthy amount of integrity. I've always blogged for myself and I'm happy to share my thoughts with anyone who wants to read. This site has always been a forum for self-expression above all else.
Now, I enjoy the perks of blogging, such as paid advertisers. I understand some people blog for money, or as a means to generate traffic for some financial benefit. But I'll never generate fake buzz on this blog to drive traffic here or anywhere else. I think that's -EV long term, even if you're a professional uber blogger.
Football Lock of The Week (Thanksgiving Edition): NCAA, Boston College (-4) @ Miami. Plain and simple, BC has more to play for. NFL, Dolphins @ Lions (+3). Neither team is consistent - I expect Harrington will hear footsteps in his return to Ford Field. [2006 Record 15-10]
Friday, November 17, 2006
I Get It... But I Don't Get It.
Which can sum up my view of this here pokerbloggershpere thingy. As the online poker world starts to settle a bit, it seems some of the bigger bloggers have become unsettled.
First Dr. Pauly had his blog hijacked by an AP affiliate. While this sucked, it hardly deserved the outcry it received from the community. Pauly is a good dude and I know first hand it is a frustrating experience. At least he got Blogger to respond to his emails and resurrect his address. When my original blog was hijacked during Blogger maintenance all I got was a canned response and NO help. (I guess I should take it as a compliment that my blog is worth hijacking.)
All bloggers should learn from this. Your virtual garden of words and NSFW pics can be zapped in a nanosecond. Protect what you cannot afford to lose.
Now Blogfather Iggy has promised a big announcement for about two weeks. His most recent posts indicate a "definite hiatus". Color me stupid, but is that the big announcement? Perhaps the reason for his hiatus is the big announcement and we haven't heard it yet? Again, Iggy is a MVP of this community and his retirement is worthy of a celebration. Your pimpage helped many folks in many ways, whether you realize it or not. Thank you. But... enough... with... the... tease... already.
Speaking of pimpage, I took a flyer on Review Me. It's a rather novel concept: Bloggers register on the site, and are paid to review stuff when advertisers choose their blog. To entice more signups Review Me offers bloggers some cash to review it's own site! It seems like they're real about getting this puppy off the ground. While I think the idea is neat it remains to be seen if serious money will invest in bloggers.
I have to admit that I didn't care to give up as much personal info as I did (I left the SSN# field blank). Even Blogger doesn't require as much signup information. I did learn that Review Me claims to keep all personal details private and won't sell any information.
Once you're registered, the site is easy to maneuver. Click on advertisers if you want to see which blogs are registered under specific keywords. Looking at all of the poker bloggers already listed, I ended up dead last. I'm either the cheapest date out there or I'm the last to sell out (traffic wise). However, I'm the only blog listed for chicken wings. Frank's Red Hot, I'm waiting!
Even though Review Me is sponsoring this post, I have to give a word of caution to anyone thinking of using it. Is giving up your personal information worth possible compensation? If you didn't answer "Yes!" right away, then consider waiting until it becomes more established.
Football Lock of The Week: NCAA, Illinois (-2.5) @ Northwestern. Better coach equals better team. NFL, Colts (-1) @ Cowboys. Dwight Freeney should get some sacks. CFL Grey Cup, Montreal vs. BC Lions (-7.5). I like this much better at (-7) but BC (in Winnipeg) is hard to fade. I'll pass on the Nelly Furtado halftime spectacular. [2006 Record 14-8]
First Dr. Pauly had his blog hijacked by an AP affiliate. While this sucked, it hardly deserved the outcry it received from the community. Pauly is a good dude and I know first hand it is a frustrating experience. At least he got Blogger to respond to his emails and resurrect his address. When my original blog was hijacked during Blogger maintenance all I got was a canned response and NO help. (I guess I should take it as a compliment that my blog is worth hijacking.)
All bloggers should learn from this. Your virtual garden of words and NSFW pics can be zapped in a nanosecond. Protect what you cannot afford to lose.
Now Blogfather Iggy has promised a big announcement for about two weeks. His most recent posts indicate a "definite hiatus". Color me stupid, but is that the big announcement? Perhaps the reason for his hiatus is the big announcement and we haven't heard it yet? Again, Iggy is a MVP of this community and his retirement is worthy of a celebration. Your pimpage helped many folks in many ways, whether you realize it or not. Thank you. But... enough... with... the... tease... already.
Speaking of pimpage, I took a flyer on Review Me. It's a rather novel concept: Bloggers register on the site, and are paid to review stuff when advertisers choose their blog. To entice more signups Review Me offers bloggers some cash to review it's own site! It seems like they're real about getting this puppy off the ground. While I think the idea is neat it remains to be seen if serious money will invest in bloggers.
I have to admit that I didn't care to give up as much personal info as I did (I left the SSN# field blank). Even Blogger doesn't require as much signup information. I did learn that Review Me claims to keep all personal details private and won't sell any information.
Once you're registered, the site is easy to maneuver. Click on advertisers if you want to see which blogs are registered under specific keywords. Looking at all of the poker bloggers already listed, I ended up dead last. I'm either the cheapest date out there or I'm the last to sell out (traffic wise). However, I'm the only blog listed for chicken wings. Frank's Red Hot, I'm waiting!
Even though Review Me is sponsoring this post, I have to give a word of caution to anyone thinking of using it. Is giving up your personal information worth possible compensation? If you didn't answer "Yes!" right away, then consider waiting until it becomes more established.
Football Lock of The Week: NCAA, Illinois (-2.5) @ Northwestern. Better coach equals better team. NFL, Colts (-1) @ Cowboys. Dwight Freeney should get some sacks. CFL Grey Cup, Montreal vs. BC Lions (-7.5). I like this much better at (-7) but BC (in Winnipeg) is hard to fade. I'll pass on the Nelly Furtado halftime spectacular. [2006 Record 14-8]
Friday, November 10, 2006
Starbucks & Red Bull vs. The Grind
Gotta love the dollar store. Cases of coffee drinks and sugar free energy drinks for $5 each. I accept my caffeine addiction, I don't combat it.
When we all got shut out of Paradise I wondered where most of those terrible O8 players would resurface. I found out this week - the O8 fishtank is full on Bodog. All I can say is, "omfg yes" and "tyvm". See for yourself.
Life is status quo: Grinding away bonuses and rakeback, scalping hoops like a madman and maintaining sanity while living in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, no novel writing here.
Football Lock of the Week: NCAA, Wisconsin (-2) @ Iowa. QB issues for both teams makes the line closer than it should be. NFL, Chargers (-1) @ Bengals. Two teams going in different directions. CFL, Roughriders @ BC Lions (-6.5). BC has given me no reasons to bet against them all year. [2006 Record 11-8]
When we all got shut out of Paradise I wondered where most of those terrible O8 players would resurface. I found out this week - the O8 fishtank is full on Bodog. All I can say is, "omfg yes" and "tyvm". See for yourself.
Life is status quo: Grinding away bonuses and rakeback, scalping hoops like a madman and maintaining sanity while living in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, no novel writing here.
Football Lock of the Week: NCAA, Wisconsin (-2) @ Iowa. QB issues for both teams makes the line closer than it should be. NFL, Chargers (-1) @ Bengals. Two teams going in different directions. CFL, Roughriders @ BC Lions (-6.5). BC has given me no reasons to bet against them all year. [2006 Record 11-8]
Friday, November 03, 2006
Renewed Faith
I loaded up on Absolute's Halloween bonus and I remembered why I liked playing there. The LO8 players are not very good. It's a shame there are no PLO8 games on that site but I was able to grind out a good week with bonus and rakeback on top.
I'm beginning to see signs that the dormant poker scene might make a comeback. Some sites are running 2007 WSOP satellites. Folks are blogging about the upcoming WPBT gathering. And even though it's NaNoWriMo (or something like that), some bloggers are still writing about poker. Amen to that.
The dust is starting to settle. Once the e-wallet issues are worked out, the green light will come back on and a lot of players will jump in the pool. I'm choosing to be on top of my game rather than rusty and out of practice.
Football Lock of the Week: NCAA, Louisiana Tech (+2) @ North Texas. Rarely do I get a decent chance to wager on my alma mater, so look for the Bulldogs to repeat a win over the Mean Green. NFL, Chiefs @ Rams (-2.5). KC barely got by a decimated Seahawks team at home. CFL, Winnipeg @ Toronto (-3.5). The Argos just missed the conference crown and should cruise in the opening round of the playoffs. [2006 Record 9-7]
I'm beginning to see signs that the dormant poker scene might make a comeback. Some sites are running 2007 WSOP satellites. Folks are blogging about the upcoming WPBT gathering. And even though it's NaNoWriMo (or something like that), some bloggers are still writing about poker. Amen to that.
The dust is starting to settle. Once the e-wallet issues are worked out, the green light will come back on and a lot of players will jump in the pool. I'm choosing to be on top of my game rather than rusty and out of practice.
Football Lock of the Week: NCAA, Louisiana Tech (+2) @ North Texas. Rarely do I get a decent chance to wager on my alma mater, so look for the Bulldogs to repeat a win over the Mean Green. NFL, Chiefs @ Rams (-2.5). KC barely got by a decimated Seahawks team at home. CFL, Winnipeg @ Toronto (-3.5). The Argos just missed the conference crown and should cruise in the opening round of the playoffs. [2006 Record 9-7]
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