Now That's A Draft!

Found on Syracuse craigslist under gigs:

Girls Needed for Draft Board (Syracuse)

Hey Ladies, want to make some easy cash?!?

Here's the deal: Our fantasy football draft is Sunday night. We need 1 or 2 girls who would like to operate our draft board. All we ask is that you be over 21, have an IQ above 75, be pretty, don't weigh more than 140 lbs, and be topless. Is that too much too ask? If not, we'll pay you well for 3-4 hours of draft board work, and we'll throw in all the food and drink you want. Interested? Then reply to my note for more information. Can't wait to hear from you.


Location: Syracuse
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: Pay is negotiable, but minimum $100/girl.

Thoughts?

Pass The Tin Foil Hat

PokerStars Game #19957049666: 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2008/08/28 - 02:36:25 (ET)
Table 'Gliese' 8-max
Seat 1: draganer ($7.55 in chips)
Seat 2: deileon ($1.45 in chips)
Seat 3: pocket fins ($3.30 in chips)
Seat 4: megaman1973 ($35.45 in chips)
Seat 5: zingani ($9.05 in chips)
Seat 6: 66Buffalo66 ($9.55 in chips)
Seat 7: jnobrega ($13.35 in chips)
Seat 8: dirtybernie ($12.95 in chips)
draganer: posts the ante $0.05
deileon: posts the ante $0.05
pocket fins: posts the ante $0.05
megaman1973: posts the ante $0.05
zingani: posts the ante $0.05
66Buffalo66: posts the ante $0.05
jnobrega: posts the ante $0.05
dirtybernie: posts the ante $0.05
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to draganer [7h]
Dealt to deileon [9s]
Dealt to pocket fins [3h]
Dealt to megaman1973 [Kc]
Dealt to zingani [Jc]
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Qc Qh Qd]
Dealt to jnobrega [6s]
Dealt to dirtybernie [Js]
pocket fins: brings in for $0.10
megaman1973: calls $0.10
zingani: folds
66Buffalo66: calls $0.10
jnobrega: calls $0.10
dirtybernie: folds
draganer: folds
draganer is sitting out
deileon: folds
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to pocket fins [3h] [4d]
Dealt to megaman1973 [Kc] [2d]
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Qc Qh Qd] [8d]
Dealt to jnobrega [6s] [Th]
megaman1973: checks
66Buffalo66: bets $0.25
jnobrega: folds
pocket fins: calls $0.25
megaman1973: folds
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to pocket fins [3h 4d] [4s]
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Qc Qh Qd 8d] [8h]
66Buffalo66: bets $0.50
pocket fins: raises $0.50 to $1
66Buffalo66: raises $0.50 to $1.50
pocket fins: raises $0.50 to $2
Betting is capped
66Buffalo66: calls $0.50
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to pocket fins [3h 4d 4s] [Kd]
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Qc Qh Qd 8d 8h] [7d]
66Buffalo66: bets $0.50
pocket fins: raises $0.40 to $0.90 and is all-in
66Buffalo66: calls $0.40
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Qc Qh Qd 8d 8h 7d] [8s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
pocket fins: shows [4c 4h 3h 4d 4s Kd 5c] (HI: four of a kind, Fours)
66Buffalo66: shows [Qc Qh Qd 8d 8h 7d 8s] (HI: a full house, Queens full of Eights)
pocket fins collected $6.80 from pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $7.10 | Rake $0.30
Seat 1: draganer folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 2: deileon folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 3: pocket fins showed [4c 4h 3h 4d 4s Kd 5c] and won ($6.80) with HI: four of a kind, Fours
Seat 4: megaman1973 folded on the 4th Street
Seat 5: zingani folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 6: 66Buffalo66 showed [Qc Qh Qd 8d 8h 7d 8s] and lost with HI: a full house, Queens full of Eights
Seat 7: jnobrega folded on the 4th Street
Seat 8: dirtybernie folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)

I am so motherf*cking tilted right now. I cannot win.

It Just Shouldn't Be This Hard

As the summer winds down, things aren't so pretty for old Buffalo here.

I've been playing poker regularly and losing regularly. This week I've been playing PLO8 ring games, trying anything to get out of this funk. Although I'm only down one buy-in over this week, the beats have been continually depressing. A one outer from last night is still fresh on my mind.

I'm mired in a six day losing streak playing fantasy. I've stuck to the multi-player contests, so I expect my win rate to drop off, but not like this. Far and away my worst month ever will close soon. Hopefully football (followed by hockey) will help me rebound back to winning ways.

There is no question I'm demoralized by all of this. I've tried to rationalize it as some materialistic karmic payback, but who really knows. I do know I'm not nearly as bad as recent results indicate.

I've also missed three straight football picks, but I will try again.

Football picks: CFL, Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan (-3). I'm going with the home & home trend I've bet against in the past. NCAA, Kentucky @ Louisville (-3.5). In a great rivalry game you must give the nod to the home squad. [2008 YTD 6-5.]

Frizzy!

It's the Frizzy dance:



Awesome, but not complete without the gold jacket.

Somedays I really miss Buffalo.

All Day Sucker, I Am...

(That's what Yoda would say in my shoes.)

Yes, I am a sucker for reloading on Stars. The doom switch has been on for a few weeks now. I had a couple good runs on the SNG's but have also had larger dry spells. I'm reduced to playing micro satellites unless I want to drop more in the well.

If you break down my play, I think it's gone rather well. My money usually gets in ahead. I always act deliberately in "big" hands, never rushing into any "life threatening" tourney decision.

In other words, I have played well but the results don't show it.

Playing tournament poker is like being the ugly kid in high school and asking all of the pretty girls to prom. You get shot down a bunch of times - but if you stick with it, eventually you end up with a beautiful, happy ending (drunken sex possibly included).

Fantasy is swingy as usual. Three days up then three days down this week. Typical.

I've only won 43% of my contests this month, which is an all time low. I usually take home the cheddar 55-59% of the time. Again, maybe I was due for this downswing. I'll know for sure when hockey rolls around.

In addition I've failed on my last 3 football picks. Those CFL home & home sets always seem to trip me up. NCAA starts this week, so I'll have a chance to double up.

Carry on.

"Time in."

Took a bit of a time out this weekend, I had a friend visiting while passing through town. He's a caddie on the Nationwide (PGA) tour. It's interesting how divergent our lives have become. We were roommates back in the 90's in Durham. Now he travels 10 months of the year and I haven't left town in about a year, save one weekend in Buffalo.

I may post about my IRL situation in the future. Sometimes I just write here for peace of mind.

I've posted back to back winning days (playing fantasy) for the first time this month. I don't think there is enough time left in August to turn this loser into a winner. However, I could make it much less painful.

I've been grinding SNG's on Stars with slightly above average results. There's no way I can reach my desired VIP level by 8/31. I did clear about 15% of my bonus this month. (Dear NLHE, some days I'm just not that into you.)

Football Pick: CFL, Saskatchewan (+3) @ Edmonton. First place undefeated on the road vs. last place undefeated at home. Expect the 6-1 Roughriders to keep it close. Take the points. [2008 YTD 6-4.]

Fantasy Funkytown

Officially in the midst of a "swong". A funk.

Only one winning day since the meltdown. I'm just too frustrated to play right now. Might take the weekend off. I've already signed up for the NASCAR multis, I'll play those.

Pre-season fantasy football is total bullshit. Everybody picked Big Ben last night, his offense was pretty much stuffed by the 1st string Buffalo defense.

So what happens? Steelers head coach sends his 1st string offense back out for some extra series against the Bills scrubs. Easy peasy TD. My team goes down in flames. (Losman also came crashing down to earth.) No more of that nonsense for me.

The more I think about the baseball situation, the more I think it's just variance as opposed to a specific leak. Just can't seem to get offense and pitching on the same day. I've been a victim of two late scratches this week as well. It's been a month or so where big players don't perform on the night I select them. Haren, Oliver Perez, Ortiz, Manny, Arod, Mauer, Morneau, Soriano, and JD Boo, just to name a few. (PS - I'm NEVER touching Hiroki Kuroda again.)

Kaiser continues to do decent, although he isn't dominating (from the contests I've seen). Congrats to him for running so well.

I'll probably play regular season football and of course I'll play hockey AMAP. The college contests are an unknown at this point. NBA multis are probably all I will play, if any.

In other realms, poker is grinding slowly along. I don't know if I'll get the volume in this month, but the results are decent.

Don't forget to check out my twitter page for more frequent updates during the week.

Quick Interlude (Football Pick)

I'll post more on FSL and my fantasy strategy in a day or two.

I've been grinding SNG's on Stars and it is beat down city as usual. I'm doing OK, experiencing the normal variance, but some of the beats have been the "soul crushing" variety. It just wears you down mentally so you have to take breaks.

I just keep telling myself that I'm a winning player who's getting it in at the right time. Playing good sometimes has to be its own reward.

I'm happy to report that Full Tilt did finally respond to me and resolved our issue. Please click the banner to the right if you want to play poker on their site.

Football Pick: CFL, Hamilton (+3.5) @ Winnipeg . A battle for the basement, basically a pick 'em game, so take the points with the Ti-Cats (who have much better stats). [2008 YTD 6-3.]

An Interesting Week With Devastating Results

(Note: If you want cliff notes to this post, scroll down to the bottom.)

A lot has happened this past weekend. Not sure where I should start. Okay, start with Friday.

The day started off with the 12:30 PLO8 on Stars. Usual size field, almost always between 450-550. Chipped up slowly, in the money at 2nd break, about 24 left at 3rd break. About 15 minutes into the 4th hour, 11th of 20 left, busted on this hand:

*********** # 211 **************
PokerStars Game #19462505491: Tournament #99188747, $2.00+$0.20 Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit - Level XV (1000/2000) - 2008/08/08 - 16:25:38 (ET)
Table '99188747 22' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: fasteddie969 (31778 in chips)
Seat 2: SKIPPYM (62172 in chips)
Seat 3: 66Buffalo66 (26530 in chips) <---- Hero
Seat 4: momneedhouse (3898 in chips)
Seat 5: uk-Heller (53763 in chips)
Seat 7: pacerookie (41983 in chips)
Seat 9: LEAPFROG1357 (16700 in chips)
pacerookie: posts small blind 1000
LEAPFROG1357: posts big blind 2000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to 66Buffalo66 [Ac 5h 3c 9s]
fasteddie969: calls 2000
SKIPPYM: folds
66Buffalo66: calls 2000
momneedhouse: folds
uk-Heller: calls 2000
pacerookie: calls 1000
LEAPFROG1357: checks
*** FLOP *** [8d 9c As] <---- Top 2 pair, medium/strong low draw.
pacerookie: checks
LEAPFROG1357: checks
fasteddie969: checks
66Buffalo66: bets 8000
uk-Heller: folds
pacerookie: folds
LEAPFROG1357: folds
fasteddie969: raises 21778 to 29778 and is all-in <---- Goes in the tank, then raises.
66Buffalo66: calls 16530 and is all-in <---- Hero calls
Uncalled bet (5248) returned to fasteddie969
*** TURN *** [8d 9c As] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [8d 9c As Th] [Td] <---- Runner runner tens gives him better kicker.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
fasteddie969: shows [Js 3d 5s Ad] (HI: two pair, Aces and Tens) <---- Same low draw, he was behind when money went in.
66Buffalo66: shows [Ac 5h 3c 9s] (HI: two pair, Aces and Tens - lower kicker) <---- I put my money in as a 67/33 favorite. I scoop/quarter him 203 of 298 times there.
fasteddie969 collected 59060 from pot
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 59060 | Rake 0
Board [8d 9c As Th Td]
Seat 1: fasteddie969 showed [Js 3d 5s Ad] and won (59060) with HI: two pair, Aces and Tens
Seat 2: SKIPPYM folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: 66Buffalo66 showed [Ac 5h 3c 9s] and lost with HI: two pair, Aces and Tens
Seat 4: momneedhouse folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: uk-Heller (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: pacerookie (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: LEAPFROG1357 (big blind) folded on the Flop

So for 3.25 hours work, I cashed for a whopping $6.42 on a bad beat.

Friday night I was grinding some SNG's on Stars. Signed up for a NLHE turbo, and much to my surprise Victor Ramdin is sitting two seats to my right.



Even though this was a micro donk SNG, there were plenty of rail birds watching. On the 4th or 5th hand, VR goes all in pre-flop UTG with TT! Of course he gets a call with over cards and it holds up. I'm still flummoxed that this can be considered a good play under any circumstances. (Even if you are a sponsored pro.)

The SNG was uneventful for me, I lost 2 races w/ KK and finished 5th. Didn't stick around to see if VR won.

Finally, I played fantasy sports all weekend. Friday was a mild loser, nothing unusual. However, Saturday was 0-23 and Sunday was 0-12, which pretty much crushed my bankroll on FSL. I played Kaiseroll13 on Saturday pretty heavy and he ran like God. I believe he had the highest scoring player that day at 7 of the 9 positions. That is running goot, my friend.

I spread the games out (cap wise) and varied the rosters a little but it was no dice. There were no other opponents available to play against. As I have stated before, he cock blocked me in the lobby, leaving only himself as an option in HU play.

I'll write more about this later, but a few thoughts about going on a big losing bender (pretty much exclusively against one opponent.):

-I might have been due. I had 10 winning months and one losing month. Hell, I might get lucky and salvage August. It's still early.
-After losing 95% of my bankroll last weekend, I'm still playing with house money, as they say. Even with the swings, FSL has still made me money.
-It seems that multi-player contests are the way to go given the circumstances. It's the only way I can face the softer opponents regularly. Unfortunately, multis cannot be played for volume.

So here's hoping I have a better week. More thoughts to follow.

SYNOPSIS: I went deep in a PLO8 tournament. Went out on a bad beat. I played against a Poker Stars pro in a SNG. I thought he played bad even though he did better than myself. I went 0-35 in fantasy contests this weekend and lost almost all of my fantasy bankroll. Regrouping as I type this. More later.

Update w/ Football Pick

I played Dr. Pauly's tourney on Tuesday. Finished 204th, AJ vs. 44. I was really card dead for almost an hour (30-90 minutes in).

I've been grinding Stars as time permits. I need to mix up the games. The NLHE beats have been pretty severe lately. I think a razz MTT is in order.

Arch-Nemesis update: Kaiser has extended his win lead by about 7 contests. I was slightly ahead on money won, but as of today he has taken his own slight lead. (FWIW, the leaderboard is worthless, which I'll explain later.)

Football pick: CFL, Toronto (-2.5) @ Hamilton. All indications suggest these teams are very similar to last year's versions. [2008 YTD 6-2.]

Apparently, I have an Arch-Nemesis

Kaiseroll13 must be threatened by the prospects of me catching him on the FSL leaderboard.



He's finally decided to attack. Out of nowhere he has started playing volume higher stakes - usually against me.

I have to admit, the last two days he has been on the winning side. He has run pretty good lately. (In my defense, I did pick blind on Sunday, when I had family functions. I didn't get to make any last minute tweaks.)

A quick google search shows that he is probably getting his intel from accuscore. I also see he's played baseball on fantasy911.

Funny thing is, up to now we've never really faced off in anything significant. When I signed up for FSL, he was strictly a basketball player, occasionally playing a $1 hockey multi. He's never been in NASCAR contests, I've never played him in football and except for a week in April, usually just the multis in baseball.

So why now? Why target me? His aggressiveness in the signup lobby has scared away almost all of the fish, leaving just him and me. The much softer opponents have been playing less and less with each day.

Thanks for drying up the pond.

Don't worry kraut, I'll give you the action. I'd love for you to return the favor come hockey season.