Saddam Hussein Hangs

I saw on TV this morning that Saddam Hussein's Hanging was video taped. How long until the Saddam Hanging Video appears on You Tube? Maybe they are on vigilant watch for it so they can delete it when it appears. That's an opportunity for all those You Tube wannabe sites out there. Exclusive Saddam Execution...

I am actually anti-capital punishment, but not really for the reasons you'd think. It's just too expensive to kill someone because of this litigious environment in which we live. It costs more than ten times as much to put someone to death than it does to keep them alive in prison for the rest of their lives. If it were double maybe it would be worth it for revenge reasons. Deterrence is a myth. If you add to that the rate of failure and the obvious racial bias in the application of capital punishment, it adds up to a pretty easy conclusion for me.

I guess I understand why people feel Saddam had to be put to death. (That sounds better than "killed" but worse than "put to sleep.") I mean, you're not exactly going to prevent someone from becoming a brutal dictator because they are frightened of the death penalty, but in the case of a national leader who might someday return to power should the right combination of events occur, this certainly is the only sure-fire way to prevent that from happening.

Uncapped Limit Tables

I was wondering if Interpoker tables let you continue betting past the cap if you are down to heads up at a limit poker table, as most casinos will do but some online sites don't.

This was the best possible way to find out. (I wasn't afraid of QQ because this guy was a agresso monkey that would have definitely re-raised queens pre-flop.)

Hold'em FL ($3/$6) - 2006/12/28 - 19:16:48 (ET)
Table "East Side" Seat 4 is the button.
Seat 1: ($21.25 in chips)
Seat 2: ($188.56 in chips)
Seat 3: ($98.06 in chips)
Seat 4: Hero ($142.75 in chips)
Seat 5: ($108.25 in chips)
Seat 6: ($87 in chips)
Seat 5: posts small blind $1.50
Seat 6: posts big blind $3
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Hero [Ac Ad]
Seat 1: folds
Seat 2: calls $3
Seat 3: folds
Hero: raises $6
Seat 5: folds
Seat 6: calls $3
Seat 2: calls $3
----- FLOP ----- [8d As Qh]
Seat 6: checks
Seat 2: checks
Hero: bets $3
Seat 6: calls $3
Seat 2: calls $3
----- TURN ----- [8d As Qh][Jd]
Seat 6: checks
Seat 2: checks
Hero: bets $6
Seat 6: raises $12
Seat 2: folds
Hero: calls $6
----- RIVER ----- [8d As Qh Jd][Qd]
Seat 6: bets $6
Hero: raises $12
Seat 6: raises $12
Hero: raises $12
Seat 6: raises $12
Hero: raises $12
Seat 6: raises $12
Hero: raises $12
Seat 6: calls $6
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Hero: shows [Ac Ad] (A Full House, Aces full of Queens)
Seat 6: mucks hand [Qc Jh]
Hero collected $145.50 from Main pot
----- SUMMARY -----
Total pot $148.50 Main pot $145.50 Rake $3
Board [8d As Qh Jd Qd]
Seat 4: Hero (button) showed [Ac Ad] and won ($145.50) with A Full House, Aces full of Queens
Seat 6: Seat 6 (big blind) mucked [Qc Jh]

Site for USA Review

The following is a paid advertisement.

The UIGEA changed everything for Online Poker Players. There are a million different stories and interpretations about what the UIGEA means to US players. It's important to know where you stand with Online Gaming Sites and Online Money Deposit Sites.

CompatiblePoker.com's Poker Site for the USA compiles all the information available that US players need to know about the legal status of Online Poker in the USA. The site maintains a list of sites that remain open to US customers as well as a listing of the sites that have closed to the US. If you need to know where to go after your favorite poker site closed, you can find all your options here.

CompatiblePoker.com also maintains an updated list of methods for depositing funds from US players and the official announcements from those resources. There is also a countdown timer for the 270 day grace period that banks have to comply with the UIGEA.

While the site concentrates on poker sites, there is also information on the site for players in the US who are interested in Casino Gambling and Online Sports Betting.

The site has an "Archived Hourly Updates" section containing all the latest happenings in the world of online gaming, and a US Gambling Law FAQ that answers a lot of questions about how the UIGEA and state laws could affect you.

To keep yourself informed and up to date on the latest legal happenings in the Online Gaming world, check out Poker Site for the USA.

Cardroom Supply Review

The following is a paid review.

Now that I've moved away from legal casino poker, I'm interested in getting a home game going again. For my poker supplies, I'm turning to CardroomSupply.com. Why? I want the highest quality poker supplies to impress my new poker friends here in Tennessee. Plus I hate paying for shipping, and CardroomSupply.com has free shipping on all orders over $100.

This is especially important on most of their high end equipment, like this gorgeous Solid Oak Poker Table I am considering. It's also available in a Mahogany, Cherry and Ebony finishes, and the felt is available in numerous colors such as traditional green, blue, burgundy, black velveteen or cloth. Customized upholstery is also available.

It's also very handy that poker chips are available in sets or as individual chips so you can customize your own set. My favorite playing cards, Jumbo Style by Copag, are available, as well as Queen and Derby brand cards. One item I particularly like is the dealer button with the built in tournament timer. Cool and useful!

If you're in the market for poker supplies, please give CardroomSupply.com a try.

Poker Comic #116 sponsored by Free Poker Money

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

R.I.P. James Brown

One way of measuring the greatness of an entertainer is by how many nicknames he generates. James Brown has been called "The Godfather of Soul" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," but my favorite is "Soul Brother Number One."

He had such a profound impact on soul music that he spawned his own genre of R&B, called funk. He had more than a dozen top 10 R&B records before funk was co-opted and perverted into "disco."

Brown continued working hard and made a comeback in the 80's before being derailed by drugs and spousal abuse issues, once landing him a 6 year sentence in prison, of which he served two and a half years.

Rest in Peace.

Poker Comic #115

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

One last Poker Comic before I head down to Florida this afternoon. I know you all have a HUGE sense of humor about this, so enjoy!

I'll try to post from down there, but if I don't get the chance I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Year End Movie Reviews

I compiled a list of all the movies I watched on DVD this year (including TV Series) and ranked them into five categories. This is all the movies I WATCHED this year, not just movies that came out this year. It's obviously not my first viewing for many of these films, but I did watch them this year. There can be only one best, so that category 1 is Best Movie of the year. Without further ado...

Best Movie of the Year

Clerks 2

Other Good Movies

Amazon Women on the Moon
An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder
Baadasssss!
Blade Runner
Cinderella Man
Clerks: First Cut (Not Theatrical Version)
Donnie Darko: Director's Cut
Firefly: Disc 1 (4-Disc Series)
Four Brothers
Glory Road
Good Night, and Good Luck
Greg the Bunny: (2-Disc Series)
Lord of War
Red Dwarf: Series 8 (3-Disc Series)
Serenity
Sin City
Thank You for Smoking
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Great Raid
The Ice Harvest
Triumph of the Nerds
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Wedding Crashers
X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Movies Worth Watching

16 Blocks
Aeon Flux
Barnyard
Cars
Click
D.O.A.
Desperado
El Mariachi
Flightplan
Fun with Dick and Jane
King Kong
Lucky Number Slevin
Madagascar
Monster House
Munich
Must Love Dogs
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Over the Hedge
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Proof of Life
Solaris
Spy Game
The Aristocrats
The Brothers Grimm
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
The Da Vinci Code
The Family Stone
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Island
The Producers
The Weather Man
Two for the Money
Ultraviolet
Virtuosity
Waiting...
Zathura

Maybe If You're Bored

Bride of Re-Animator
Derailed
Femme Fatale
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Poseidon
Rumor Has It
Talladega Nights
The Break-Up
You, Me and Dupree

I Want Two Hours of My Life Back

Bee Season
Domino
Nacho Libre
The Devil Wears Prada

Craps Hero Review

The following is a paid review.


It's always easy to find the craps table in a busy casino, it's the one with all the people yelling and celebrating around it. One of the more popular posts I've written on this blog is an instructional article on Craps for some folks heading for Vegas who wanted to know more about the game. It's understandable as the craps table in a casino is obviously one of the more exciting experiences.

There's a good reason for the excitement surrounding craps tables. Gamblers know that craps offers some of the best bets in the casino, and you can turn a small investment into a large windfall if you bet correctly and get some lucky rolls.

CrapsHero.com is a site dedicated to learning to avoid the bad bets on a craps table to maximize your opportunity to win big. There are many crazy and confusing bets in craps, and the site can guide you to some of the ways to avoid giving too much advantage to the house.

CrapsHero.com offers a beginners guide to craps in their How to Play Craps section, along with a Craps Rules and Craps Odds section to give you overall knowledge of the game.

The site also offers information on the various forms of craps out there in Brick-and-Mortar casinos, as well as a list of sites were you can roll the virtual dice online.

If you've ever been interested in that loud crazy dice game in casinos and you've wanted to get in on the action and the fun, give CrapsHero.com a try.

Southern Hospitality

Southern Comfort was created by an Irish immigrant named Martin Wilkes Heron who came to the states in 1870 and worked at a saloon in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Blending the flavors of peach, orange, vanilla and cinnamon he came up with Southern Comfort in 1874 as an alternative to the harsh whiskeys of Mississippi and Kentucky.

Southern Comfort was first bottled in Memphis Tennessee in 1889, selling for the very high (at the time) price of $2.50 per bottle. By the turn of the century there were countless imitations of Southern Comfort, but the secret recipe was carefully guarded. In 1904 the distillery was moved to Missouri for the World's Fair in Saint Louis where it won the gold medal alongside Jack Daniels Sour Mash Whiskey.

Although the distilleries of Southern Comfort were halted during prohibition in the 1920s, the guarded recipe resumed production after the eighteenth amendment was repealed in 1933. Even today only ten people know the recipe to Southern Comfort, which is available in 60 countries worldwide and bottles 2.2 million cases of the drink per year.

While the liqueur is distilled and bottled in Saint Louis, Mo. it still remembers its roots in New Orleans and has set up the Southern Comfort Music Fund to help New Orleans Musicians get back on their feet after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Please drink responsibly. The preceding post was sponsored by Southern Comfort Company, Louisville Ky.

Poker Comic #114 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

Beautiful Day

Today was such a beautiful day. The temperature got above 70 degrees here in Middle Tennessee and I took the opportunity to stain my deck. It was simple mindless work, and I got to consider what was going on in the world.

It was just such a warm wonderful day where you get the feeling that nothing horrible ever happens in the world and if something unfortunate happens you will never be held personally responsible for it.

Such a nice warm wonderful place this world is. I'm so glad I get the pleasure of living in it. I hope I never wake up.

Bloggers and Alcohol

Sometimes I'm ashamed to be associated with poker bloggers. The personal attacks against Michael Craig for his concerned post about drunken bloggers are the type of thing that shame me.

Here is the post in question: PokerWorks

Mr. Craig doesn't use anyone's name. He is not intentionally trying to humiliate anyone. I don't even know who he is talking about. I didn't really care who it was until all these bloggers started attacking Michael about it. Now I'm curious who all these bloggers feel so protective about. She must be hot.

Let's face it. One person got so drunk she was actually discovered by paramedics passed out in the bathroom. Another surrendered her battle with sobriety so she could "drink with the bloggers." If you see that and just laugh it off without being concerned, I'm worried your humanity.

It is a well known fact that many people attend these blogger events for the sole purpose of drinking with friends. Some fully intend to drink to EXCESS. That's a scary thought. It's been said several times that if you are a gambler and you don't think about addiction, you are a fool. If you're a drinker, I think the same is true.

While I'm no tea totaler, I'm also not a very big drinker. I honestly think I am a bit too careful about alcohol, but I'd rather err on the side of caution.

But some of the drinking that goes along with the blogger events is EXTREME. It can make me feel uncomfortable reading about it. I totally understand Michael's unease in actually witnessing it.

Nobody is blaming bloggers for what a few people do when they're impaired. But bloggers definitely encourage people to drink, and I think that is something to be very careful with. Bloggers tend to glorify excessive drinking. A lot of it is creative license. But in reality, that's a very scary subject.

Craig is absolutely not making fun of anyone. He's showing concern about a serious issue. And if you try to get serious when bloggers are trying to have fun, get ready to be attacked.

My security comprimised? Or Full Tilt's?

Read this:

MathP

Same thing happened to him as happened to me, except he lost more. And he uses a Mac.

It could be a coincidence. Unless it's not.

F-Train's comment

There would be more guarantees for your money if you had better AV protection or didn't download pr0n and warez that are infected with keyloggers. I'm not sure why the risk that you might download a keylogger should be shifted to FTP.

They gave you the hand histories and the IP address. What more should they do?

You also don't address the fact that, as far as FTP is concerned, you could be trying to defraud them. How does Full Tilt know that you didn't ask a friend to login to your account from a different site and dump your chips?

Thanks F-Train, I was waiting for someone to make this argument.

#1 - FTP is convinced that chip dumping DID NOT occur. So how could I be defrauding them? If chip dumping did occur, they would take the money from the recipient and give it back to me. Where's the profit in that?

That suspicion goes both ways, doesn't it? What's to prevent FTP from taking my money, doctoring some hand histories and making up an IP? Absoultely nothing. I have no way to verify that those hands actually occurred. I don't think this, but I don't have a good argument to convince a more paranoid person that it's not the case.

#2 - It's the assumption that I have a keylogger or spyware on my computer that bothers me. What if I didn't? My Anti-Virus protection is up to date. I've run every scanner I could download, even paying for some so I could find out if my system had been infected. Other than tracking cookies, they have found absolutely nothing. This is a brand new laptop install with basically nothing but OS and poker rooms and Yahoo Instant Messenger installed. If I can prove that my security was not at fault, will that get me anywhere? NO. What's more frustrating is that since I couldn't find anything, I have no idea if I am safe RIGHT NOW. They're very quick to assume the problem is totally my fault, and I'm not convinced. Especially as more and more people contact me who have had similar problems.

Is there a virus out there stealing FTP passwords? Is there spyware going around that steals that information? What is is called? Where has it been sighted? How many people have been affected? What SPECIFICALLY should I be on the lookout for?

#3 - What more should they do? More awareness that this is a possibility might have been nice.

I was at the blogger event in July when Howard Lederer spoke about how much his company does to protect customers from being ripped off. I didn't hear him mention this possibility. I was laboring under the false assumption that if something like this happened, FTP would be there to protect me. I was wrong and I learned my lesson.

I'm certainly not saying that any other poker room would handle this any differently, or that another poker system is safer that FTP. I actually thought that FTP was different, somehow better than most places that would just say "you're screwed, we're sorry." I was DEAD WRONG. My bad.

Had I been more aware, I would have left much less money in my account. But FTP doesn't want the constant deposit/withdrawal process that might actually have kept my money safe, because that would affect their bottom line. But now I know better, and hopefully anyone that reads this knows better too.

I'm not blaming FTP for ripping me off. I'm not saying people shouldn't play at FTP. I'm just saying don't leave big piles of money there. Yes, that's a pain in the ass, but unless you want to take that risk, you should do it.

Disgusting Realization

I had a thought today that made me sick to my stomach.

The morons who sponsored the UIGEA were right. I still think the UIGEA was horribly wrong and will not do a single thing to address the situation. But in a way, this is exactly what they were talking about. Their attempt to fix it was lame and ridiculous, but things like this give them ammunition to enact these horrible laws.

I was operating under the fallacy that money kept in an account at someplace like Full Tilt Poker was safe. If something beyond my control happened to that money, I thought a respected site like Full Tilt Poker would do something to protect me and my funds.

I was wrong and the UIGEA folks were right. It is a totally unregulated industry that pretty much makes up its own rules on whether they want to protect your money or not. I am relegated to taking their word for the fact that my money was taken to the tables by some untraceable dirtbag and blown at the tables for absolutely no gain to him except the thrill of putting the screws to me. They've given me an IP address and a big text file of hand histories that show someone blowing my money to a few players over several hands.

There is no question that the player is not me. I played my final hands at the site, visited the Riverchasers tournament to chat with Al and Michael Craig for a few minutes, and the moment I logged off someone logged on from a completely different IP address and proceeded to ransack my bankroll.

Yet Full Tilt Poker, while not responsible for the disappearance of my money, certainly assisted in it's dispersal. There are no guarantees for your money. You are not putting it in a bank, you are not depositing it into a safe place. You are basically putting it in the hands of some foreign company, and hoping they have enough self-interest to protect your funds.

Again I remind you, do NOT keep your money on a poker site. It is not safe there, and if someone gets into your account you will not be protected in any way.

Your Money is NOT SAFE at Full Tilt Poker

I'm still a bit shocked about how this ended. There was very little doubt in my mind that Full Tilt Poker would make this right. I have heard so many good things from people who have had positive experiences with Full Tilt Poker's support, I didn't think this would happen.

But it is absolutely true. Your money is not safe at Full Tilt Poker. Do not keep any money in your account there. If you want to play, deposit when you play and withdraw when you exit. If you have money on Full Tilt Poker right now, log on and withdraw it. NOW. If you use Neteller, there is no fee for this procedure and it is instantaneous. Do not keep your money at the site, it is not safe. It may cost them to do so many transfers, but as long as it doesn't cost you, it is the only way to guarantee the safety of your money.

Don't ask me what to do about tournament tokens. Those will always be at risk, unless you play them immediately after winning them. Luckily they are basically worthless to a thief, since they can't be transferred or redeemed for cash.

Fortunately for me I do not keep a large portion of my bankroll at any one site, but I do (did!) leave money at different poker sites to make it easier to just log on and play. This will be especially difficult for sites that hold your cash hostage while you work on a deposit bonus.

Security

They are claiming, without proof, that the security of my system has been compromised. I guess I can claim the same thing, that their security has been compromised. I have the same amount of proof.

I would like to see Full Tilt Poker do more to protect your money, should you decide to leave it at the site. Something simple like having the option to prevent "foreign" IP addresses from accessing your account. Just a simple check box that says "Only allow US IP addresses."

Update:

Full Tilt Poker support gave me the hand histories. The guy didn't play $.50/$1 No Limit, he played $2/$4 No Limit. The hand histories are strange because many of they don't give the names and amounts of all the players in the hands. The money was dumped in about 70 hands. The bulk of my money went to the following players.

hustlaaa4life
HarriPotter
JeffreyAlan
poly_baller

Here's an example of the hands, notice how it doesn't give info on all the seated players?

FullTiltPoker Game #1366234086: Table Plumas (6 max) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 2006/12/07 - 0:00:56 ET

Seat 5: 39zonk ($491.80)
Seat 6: pokerPIMP_5 ($417.20)
poly_baller posts the small blind of $2
39zonk posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DuggleBogey [9c 8d]
pokerPIMP_5 folds
DuggleBogey calls $4
HarriPotter: huh?
HarriPotter calls $4
JeffreyAlan raises to $16
poly_baller calls $14
39zonk calls $12
DuggleBogey calls $12
HarriPotter calls $12
*** FLOP *** [5c Ks 7d]
poly_baller checks
39zonk checks
DuggleBogey bets $157.10, and is all in
HarriPotter folds
JeffreyAlan folds
poly_baller calls $157.10
39zonk folds
DuggleBogey shows [9c 8d]
poly_baller shows [Kc Jh]
*** TURN *** [5c Ks 7d] [3h]
*** RIVER *** [5c Ks 7d 3h] [As]
DuggleBogey shows Ace King high
poly_baller shows a pair of Kings
poly_baller wins the pot ($391.20) with a pair of Kings
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $394.20 | Rake $3
Board: [5c Ks 7d 3h As]
Seat 1: DuggleBogey showed [9c 8d] and lost with Ace King high
Seat 2: HarriPotter folded on the Flop
Seat 3: JeffreyAlan (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: poly_baller (small blind) showed [Kc Jh] and won ($391.20) with a pair of Kings
Seat 5: 39zonk (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: pokerPIMP_5 didn't bet (folded)

Here's the IP of the guy who used my account [[199.238.132.175 ]]

Thus Endeth My Relationship with Full Tilt Poker

Excerpted from Full Tilt Poker Support Email:

Upon review of your account, I have determined that your account was
logged in from a foreign IP address at approximately 21:53 ET.
Furthermore, it appears the individual who accessed your account sat at
the real money tables and proceeded to lose $582.45 playing $0.5/$1 No
Limit.

(Blah Blah Blah, it's probably some virus/spyware on your computer...)

Having said that, please realize that Full Tilt Poker can not be held
responsible for any funds lost under these circumstances. We apologize
that this is the case, and there is nothing more we can about your lost
funds.

Not only are they doing nothing about the person who stole my money, they are doing nothing to help me find them. I have no IP address, no ISP, nothing. There are no details about the person who received the chip dumps. They won't give me hand histories to see for myself.

They are completely and totally useless, and their site cannot be trusted.

Since that's about the amount I collected from them in blog ads, I figure it's a wash. I would not feel safe ever depositing money there again. There is no spyware/keylogger on my computer. I have no idea how this happened, so I have no idea if it will happen again.

I will miss the Mookie.

Poker Comic #113 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

Interpoker.com Site Review

After reading on several blogs about what a profitable poker site Interpoker.com is, I thought I'd check it out and do a little site review.

My first impression is that it is pretty much like every other poker site, but just a little bit better. Interpoker.com has many of the most popular features that most of the successful poker sites have, but they seem to have improved almost every detail.

Take your deposit bonus. You can get one at just about every site out there,
but Interpoker.com only requires a 5x clearance, rather than a 7x or even
10x clearance rates that are more common among the competition.

Interpoker.com also give all players a brand new deposit bonus every month,
giving you a $100 bonus to work toward each month. Instead of random deposit
bonus promotions that most poker sites have occasionally, you can count on
Interpoker.com every month.

Like many sites, Interpoker.com has bad beat jackpots, but unlike the
others, there is no jackpot drop added to the rake. The money for the
jackpot prize pool isn't taken from the players, it's contributed by the
site. They have back beat jackpots in Stud and Omaha too, not just Holdem.

Interpoker.com also has a very innovative "Get Paid to Play" system.
Everyone that signs up with Interpoker.com is eligible for the Prop Player
incentive promotion. If you are waiting for a game on a full table a message
may pop up offering you a cash incentive to go to a particular table and
start a game. Depending upon how many people there are in the poker room you
could see the prop message several times a day. Interpoker.com will pay up
to $30 per hour for any amount of time you play on that table.

If you feel the need for speed, Interpoker.com has special "Lightning Games"
listed in the lobby. In Lightning Games the time to act is only 12 seconds
instead of the normal 22 seconds. The games play much faster, but Lightning
Games are only Limit games.

Interpoker.com also has leagues and promotions that change every month.
There is a casino attached, with specialty games like Holdem Blackjack,
which you have to see for yourself.

If you're looking for a new poker room with innovative promotions that
really have the players in mind, give Interpoker.com a try.

The preceding was a paid advertisement.

Remove Party Poker Icon from Internet Explorer

I get a lot of search hits from people that are trying to remove the Party Poker Icon that appears in your toolbar after installing Party Poker. Other poker rooms do this as well, including Titan Poker, Bodog Poker, Absolute Poker and many others.



A lot of the searches hit me, but I don't really have instructions on how to do this, so I thought I would come up with something quick and dirty for those people who are desperate enough to take my advice. I've done this on my own computers and it works, but I don't guarantee you won't fuck your computer up if you do it wrong.

If you just want to remove the Icon from the toolbar so you don't have to look at it, the procedure is very easy. Just select "View" from the menu, select "Toolbars" and "Customize." You can then select the icons and click "Remove" to keep them from showing up in your Internet Explorer.



If you want to remove them from your system completely, it's a little more complicated. They are actually entries into your system registry, so you must edit this to remove them.

Start the registry editor by going to "Start" and typing "regedit" into the "Run" dialog and click "OK." Within the registry editor, expand the tree for "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" then "SOFTWARE" then "Microsoft" then "Internet Explorer" then "Extensions." Within that tree there are several folders, and each one of them represents an icon added to your Internet Explorer Toolbar. Find the one with titles in it that read "Party Poker." Right click the folder (in the left part of the Editor Interface) and select "Delete."



Repeat for whatever icons you want removed. The next time you start Internet Explorer, those Icons will be gone.

I hope this helped some people.

FTP Update

Full Tilt Poker Support has suspended my account so they can investigate what happened to my money. They say they will contact me and reopen my account when the investigation is over.

They replied to my email within an hour, and about an hour later they locked my account for the investigation. I will keep updating when I hear anything.

Bad Beat at Full Tilt

Edit: I got ripped off at Full Tilt Poker, and support did nothing to help me. Here's how I discovered it.

I read about the new mixed games at Full Tilt online and was eager to logon when I got home and try them out. I picked out a nice HOSE game, attempted to sit, and I got a message that I didn't have enough in my account, the minimum I must have is $2.50. A very odd message since I had hundreds of dollars in my account.

I clicked the cashier button, and it told me that my account held $.03 and two tournament tokens.

What The Fuck?

Has my account been hacked? There are no account transfers in my history, so either someone gained access to my account and blew my bankroll, or there are some serious accounting errors going on over at Full Tilt Poker.

I sent an email to FTP support asking them what happened to my cash. I'll update when I hear any news. This should be interesting.

Update: I got ripped off, and Full Tilt Poker is doing nothing about the scam. If you play at Full Tilt Poker, do not keep any money there, it is not safe. Deposit when you play, and withdraw when you finish.

Benny and the Jet

The federal government obviously feels, with legislation in effect like the UIGEA, that full grown adult Americans aren't responsible enough to decide what they can and cannot do with their own money.

So if they are going to stop people from gambling (in non-approved ways, of course) on the Internet, shouldn't they be stopping this?


Click picture to see the full con. (Normally I hate to link things like this, but I'm positive nobody that reads this will actually donate anything to this moron. Incidentally, doesn't the graphic at the top make you think they are HARVESTING SOULS! SOULS! SOULS!???)

Yes, Benny Hinn, universal scumbag evangelist, wants 6000 of his most faithful partners suckers to donate $1000 each so he can raise the six million dollars for a down payment on a FORTY MILLION DOLLAR LUXURY EXECUTIVE JET for himself.

This is not a joke or a hoax. This filthy con-man is trying to bilk people out of six million dollars so he can have his own personal jet to make it easier for him to fly around and con more people out of their money more efficiently.

If the federal government thinks it's appropriate to tell adults what they can and cannot spend their money on, this seems like an obvious thing to stop too, doesn't it? Anyone that donates to this obvious scam-artist is certainly not responsible enough to decide what they should be spending their money on, right? Federal government? Hello?

Poker Comic #112 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

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Fun with Picasa

If you're into digital photography, download Google's Picasa software. It's 100% free, and you can do pretty cool stuff like this:



Click pic to see full size.

Update: Here is the original photo I used to make this:

Week of Jealousy Begins...

Grubby's Theme

Now you swear and kick and beg us
That youre not a gamblin man
Then you find youre back in vegas
With a handle in your hand
Your black cards can make you money
So you hide them when youre able
In the land of milk and honey
You must put them on the table
You go back jack do it again
Wheel turnin round and round
You go back jack do it again

There has been a new addition to the Bogey Family!

Her name is Molli, it's a modified version of the Chinese word for magic. Get it? She's a Chinese Shar-Pei, and she's black....

Next Best Thing

I may not be going to Vegas (envy sucks!) but I am doing some traveling for the upcoming holidays so I thought I would get some reading material for the trip.

I got the pleasure of sitting next to Jay Greenspan at the last blogger event, and even though he was giving he helpful advice, it didn't stop me from pushing all my chips in the pot against a Royal Flush. I do appreciate his empathy when I showed him the second nut flush, while I'm pretty sure the rest of the table was thinking "moron!"

Everything about his book Hunting Fish seems like the perfect book for me. I love adventures, I love hearing about cultural differences, and I love hearing about someone taking huge pots off of fish. After talking with Jay and getting an idea of his sense of humor, I'm laying odds that this book will definitely entertain me.

I also ordered Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, The: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time by Michael Craig. Michael spoke at the blogger event and was very entertaining, so I expect the same from his book. I have heard a lot about it, and I'm sure it's a great read.

I tuned into Full Tilt too late to play in the Riverchasers Tournament last night. There were 98 Entries, (nobody brings em in like Al) including Mr. Craig himself. I dropped in for a few minutes and said hello, and he was entertaining the whole table with his stories, like the one about his chance to steal Clonie Gowan's underwear.

Ask him about it next time you see him at Full Tilt, he's there all the time!

Poker Comic #111 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

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Poker Comic #110 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

Dream a Little Dream of...

Did you ever have that nightmare where you went to school to take a test, and you hadn't studied a bit for it? That was my entire day of work today, without the being in your underwear part.

I was chatting away with someone on the phone this morning and the computer room air conditioner suddenly shut off, making the room eerily quiet. At first I thought a coworker who was near the AC just hit the switch so that he could hear himself think, but I looked that direction and he wasn't near the switch at all. My next thought was "Oh SHIT." Someone accidentally cut power to the computer room.

I am totally unfamiliar with the environment I've been dropped into, and I have very little motivation to dive deeply into it as it all disappears at the end of March and gets replaced with a system I am intimate with. So now when there are problems and people from all directions are asking questions like "Why is this broken and when will it be fixed because it's costing us a million dollars a minute and why are you just sitting there?!?" my only answer is "I'm trying to figure it out." That's not what they want to hear. They want to hear "The problem is X and it will be fixed when Y gets off his ass and does his job like he's supposed to." Only right now, I'm X and Y.

From that time until now, almost nine hours later, I have been consumed by this problem, with barely enough time to empty my bladder. Now I sit and ponder whether I should leave. I feel like I could leave and that all the problems are solved, but I felt that way a couple of hours ago and I was DEAD WRONG as all hell started breaking loose again. I told myself I would stay at least another 15 minutes to make sure something else doesn't go haywire, but that was 30 minutes ago.

Limbo is apparently not just dancing under a low horizontal stick while inebriated.

Twaffic

Traffic was horrendous yesterday, especially through Atlanta and Chattanooga. When you watched the news yesterday and they told you about all the silly people on the roads yesterday, I was those silly people. A trip that should have taken less than 10 hours took more like 12 with detours and stop-and-go events.

Thusly I missed the HORSE blogger event last night, although if I had been home in time I don't know if I would have been in shape to play it. Tired, grumpy and staring at a ton of work to do around the house.

I did pick up some nice toys, although I wasn't brave enough to venture out to a shopping district on "Black Friday." Saturday had virtually the same sales opportunities with only "Murky Grey" type crowds. Anything I couldn't live without I got online while still in my pajamas. The poker bankroll sustained a hit as I got a great deal on a 20" LCD monitor to add to the array.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving went well and they bulked up for the Christmas Shopping Season that is now upon us in full force.

Life is Simple

Poker Comic #109 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

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Hello? Hello?

Update: Fuckin' Blogger...completely ate my post and wouldn't let me publish all day. Luckily I type my posts into another medium and copy it to Blogger's shitty interface. It still won't let me post from Firefox, I had to login via IE to get this posted. Anyone who has ideas on an easy transition to my own domain might get to be my best friend...

So there I was last night, sitting with my laptop in front of a roaring fire, playing 2-7 triple draw on Stars while waiting for the MATH tournament to start and talking on my Vonage telephone service as the PVR was dutifully recording "Heroes" for me. It was shaping up to be an entertaining evening.

Suddenly, the television was silent and the lights went out. I sat in my recliner seeing only the glow of my laptop and the fireplace. I stopped in mid-sentence of my telephone conversation to say "you're not there anymore, are you?"

Power outages suck when you're totally reliant on the internet and satellite TV for your entertainment. I played solitaire on the laptop until the battery gave out, then trudged off to bed. The power came one sometime during the night, and I checked to see how much of "Heroes" actually got recorded before the blackout. 43 minutes. I'll have to set up the Friday replay on Sci-Fi to record.

Mrs. Bogey is in Florida for her Grandmother's 90th birthday party, and was supposed to drive back yesterday, but I got a wild hair and bought a plane ticket to fly down Wednesday after work to enjoy Thanksgiving with her family, then drive her back myself on Sunday. She was happy because she didn't have to do all the driving herself, and her folks were happy that they got to spend Thanksgiving with their daughter, even if it means having me there. That's actually an exaggeration, they're happy to have me there too, I'll do some of the cooking. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because I love to cook a big Thanksgiving meal, and my in-laws always say how much they love my cooking, even sometimes when it is a total flop.

I was happy too, because I found a great deal on a plane ticket that I thought might cost me at least $500 at the last minute on the biggest travel day of the year. I'll be dragging my work laptop along (Yes, I have a work and a personal laptop now, thanks BG) so I might be able to update from Florida.

Poker Comic #108 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

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US AND INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS WELCOME!

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Update

I want to make it very clear that I am not accusing these guys of anything more than making a mistake in judgment. I don't think there are any reparations necessary. I was not at any time upset about what happened, as I said it just made me uncomfortable.

I was unhappy with Jordan's post because it seemed like he was saying "The reason I won had nothing to do with playing under Gary's name." This might even be true, but it impossible to say, and entirely beside the point.

I also want to point out that all three of these guys are REALLY GREAT GUYS. They are always fun to play poker with, and fun to chat with. I do not think that this incident is any reflection on their character. I do not think these guys are in any way dishonest. They are very genuine and candid guys. I feel privileged that they call me a friend. It never even occurred to me that this prank would do something to jeopardize those friendships. It's really not that big of a deal.

I was very shocked to read Jordan's "I apologize if you were offended" type post as it felt like a non-apology apology. I can only conclude that my post was perceived as an attack on him and his character, and he felt like he needed to defend himself and his play in the tournament. This was not my intention. I wanted to know if my concern was an overreaction. If I wanted to attack, it would have been pretty unmistakable. I think I've proven that I'm very capable of that.

Even now as I re-read Jordan's post, I see where he says "I don't think that Gary's screenname is accountable for 100% of my winnings." He is obviously admitting what I was looking for in his post. I definitely overlooked that when I first commented and posted about it.

Jordan has much more clearly stated his position, and my conclusion (that he didn't think he gained an advantage by using Gary's name) was incorrect. I want to thank him for tolerating my harsh responses to his post, and clearing that up for me.

I am completely happy with the resolution to this ugly incident.

Jordan Apologoizes

Jordan has posted an apology of sorts at his blog, High on Poker.

Needless to say I was not impressed by his apology. He seems to know that what he did was wrong, but some of his statements really don't seem to acknowledge that. Here are the parts I disagree with.

I came by my win honestly

No you did not. You absolutely gained an unfair advantage by this move. I'd like to see you admit that.

The bottom line is, I made some ballsy plays, based on my opponents' actions.

You even admit that you got someone to fold in a situation where it was close. THAT is the essence of why this is so wrong. The fact is it's easier to fold a hand to Gary's aggression than it is to yours. If it were three guys who basically played the same style game, it wouldn't be as important (it would still be wrong, however.) But because you and Gary have such different styles, it definitely affected the play of those around you.

Did Gary's image help me here? I don't think Lucko plays against him enough to know, but if it did, so be it.

So be it? So if you had an unfair advantage, you're okay with that?

Deception is part of the game, and in online poker, the anonymity of the Internet just adds to it.

There's a big difference in exploiting someone's prejudice against women or black people and actually posing as another player without telling people.

I am NOT calling Jordan a cheater. I don't think he intentionally tried to take anyone's money. I don't think there was any malice intended at all. I would call it more of a mistake in judgement. He obviously knows what he did was wrong, because he is offering to pay every player who played in the DADI $8.70.

I don't want $8.70. I just want him to admit that he had an advantage, what they did was wrong, and that something like this won't happen again.

Kosher?

Full Tilt Poker Game #1258569064: DADI X: Fight The Power (7953554), Table 1 - 80/160 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:23:33 ET - 2006/11/16
Seat 2: GCox25 (4,650)
Seat 3: DuggleBogey (4,850)
Seat 4: smokkee (2,930)
Seat 5: love_elf (6,970)
Seat 6: dbirider (885)
GCox25 posts the small blind of 80
DuggleBogey posts the big blind of 160
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DuggleBogey [Ac Qh]
smokkee raises to 480
love_elf folds
dbirider folds
GCox25 raises to 1,600
DuggleBogey folds
slb159 (Observer): jeebus...elf's r00ling
smokkee folds
Uncalled bet of 1,120 returned to GCox25
GCox25 mucks
GCox25 wins the pot (1,120)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,120 | Rake 0
Seat 2: GCox25 (small blind) collected (1,120), mucked
Seat 3: DuggleBogey (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: smokkee folded before the Flop
Seat 5: love_elf didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: dbirider (button) didn't bet (folded)
DuggleBogey: i folded AQ there
smokkee: ya i folded KK

If you've ever played with GCox25, you'd probably say "good fold." This was a very easy fold to a re-raise from GCox.

I sat next to Gary for a lot of the tournament. I played in the same seat for the entire tournament, all the way through the final table. Gary got put next to me in round six. I've played a bit with Gary, and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how he plays.

Only it wasn't Gary. It was Jordan from High On Poker. Gary was using TripJax's account. Jax was HighonPoker.

I am 100% sure that the three hosts of the DADI tournament weren't trying to intentionally mislead people so that Jordan would have some kind of advantage. I absolutely think they thought it would be a fun thing to do. There was not a lot of money at stake here, as the total prize pool was only $912.

But Jordan got an awful lot of respect as Gary that he simply would not have gotten if he were playing under his own name. He did from me, and I acted immediately after him for the bulk of the tournament.

Jordan took a big lead into the heads up match, and eventually won the tournament. When he got heads up he admitted he was posing as Gary.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, other than uncomfortable. I'm very interested in your opinions. Please comment with your thoughts.

Site Review: Cardschat Poker Forum

While players can get a lot of information from reading poker blogs, one of the most valuable resources poker players have to increase their skill and their awareness of things going on in the poker community is web forums.

Like blogs, the best web forums have a community feel to them, but without the pressure of having to maintain a site or post frequently. On forums you can lurk around, read a lot, ask questions and participate as much or as little as you like.

Cardschat, one of my advertisers over on the right column, is a great place for someone looking for a place to talk poker and become part of an online community. The site is bulging with tips, strategies and hand analysis, along with the requisite space for venting your bad beats.

The hand analysis section of the Cardschat forum is a particularly useful resource. There are posting guidelines to help you post your questions in a format that will get you the most valuable responses. Once you have posted your hand, an entire discussion is likely to follow if your situation is interesting from a strategy standpoint. These discussions of real-world situations are the best setting for deeper learning about poker strategy.

Cardschat also hosts a gallery of poker room reviews that includes a growing guide on choosing a site to play on, how easy it is to deposit and withdraw your bankroll, tournament structures and whether sites accept US players. There is also a list of Poker Room deposit bonuses, but it is distinctly separate from the site reviews.

Other useful features on the Cardschat site include a poker odds calculator, online poker tournament listings and even a poker screensaver.

If you're looking for a place to learn about and discuss poker strategy, whether it be playing in tournaments and ring games or picking out a good poker room and bonus strategy, Cardschat is a great resource.

Poker Comic #107 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

US AND INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS WELCOME!

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RIP

Iggy needs to open up his comments section for his last post.

I guess it makes sense that "Party Poker Blog" would go away soon after Party Poker abandons the US market, seeing that Guinness and Poker is a US based blog.

I think it will be the responsibility of the rest of us to take up the slack for all the uber-posts that will be lacking as a result of this. I guess we all need to start combing RGP and 2+2 for inane or insightful comments. I'll take the insightful part, someone else work on the inane ones. I got that hundredth of a percent covered.

People will wonder why workplace productivity has risen so much after this. Some of us will know.

Free Day

Today's a holiday! I'm very lucky that my company has four holidays in the month of November alone, including Thanksgiving and the day after. Two straight four-day weeks followed by a three-day week will definitely have me spoiled. That first week in December will feel like forever. Of course I will be able to look forward to the five holidays in December...

I hope everyone had a great weekend! See ya tomorrow.

Poker Comic #106 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

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Helpful hint of the day

Don't show your ass when you get knocked out of a blogger tournament.

If you are going to criticize someone's play that knocked you out, you better be DAMN sure it was a horrible play. Not just questionable. You better have seen a history of poor plays from that player if you are going to call them a donkey.

The consequences? You are likely to see your name in a few blogs the next day.

I don't know who "Lucko21" is. I've seen him in a few blogger tournaments but I don't have any conclusions about his quality as a player.

I'm probably not remembering the situation exactly right, but he was a very short stack (under a thousand?) and went all in from middle position with A9s and I called from the big blind with 22. I was second in chips, around 5 or 6 thousand. He failed to improve, and he busted out.

Then he proceeded to give me shit for calling his all-in with only 22. I already had money in the pot and correctly read that I was a coin-toss to take a player out.

I gave him an opportunity to shut the fuck up and save face by saying something to the effect of, "I saw an opportunity to take out a good player with a coin toss." Maybe he mistook it as sarcasm. That says more about his opinion of himself if he did.

But he still couldn't keep his ass closed long enough to leave the table without giving me some more shit.

Maybe he was upset because of Waffles' comment "gg sucko" after he lost. Nice job Waffles, tilt players after they're gone. If so he shouldn't have tried to take it out on me. Especially when there was a genuine donkey at the table who was happily spewing from a big stack of chips.

Edit: I see he has a blog, and he calls himself "Sucko" in there, so Waffles was probably just being gracious. My mistake.

It's like the Mookie, only earlier.

Interesting hand from last night's Mookie. Very loose call pre-flop, but summer_babe got whacked for most of her chips on the previous hand when her KK went down to Gary's QQ which rivered a Q. AK is the worst possible hand Gary could play here so folding was the right play. I had it in my head to call as soon as summer_babe went all-in and Gary's call just made me think "better pot odds!" Don't get married to your hands, kids. There needs to be a constitutional amendment for it.


Full Tilt Poker Game #1216948421: The Mookie - Fish n Donks (8304316), Table 4 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:28:37 ET - 2006/11/08
Seat 1: summer_babe (1,430)
Seat 2: dnasty13 (3,350)
Seat 4: snake5970 (6,440)
Seat 5: GCox25 (3,140)
Seat 6: willwonka (1,480)
Seat 7: SirFWALGMan (1,575)
Seat 8: iam23skidoo (1,245)
Seat 9: DuggleBogey (5,675)
iam23skidoo posts the small blind of 100
DuggleBogey posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DuggleBogey [9h 8h]
DuggleBogey: shouldn't have tried it
summer_babe raises to 1,430, and is all in
dnasty13 folds
SirFWALGMan: Gary Never loses an All in
snake5970 folds
GCox25 calls 1,430
willwonka folds
SirFWALGMan folds
iam23skidoo folds
DuggleBogey calls 1,230
*** FLOP *** [As Td 7d]
DuggleBogey checks
GCox25 bets 1,710, and is all in
snake5970: wants the rest
DuggleBogey calls 1,710
GCox25 shows [Kc Ac]
DuggleBogey shows [9h 8h]
summer_babe shows [Kd Ad]
*** TURN *** [As Td 7d] [3d]
*** RIVER *** [As Td 7d 3d] [3h]
GCox25 shows two pair, Aces and Threes
DuggleBogey shows a pair of Threes
GCox25 wins the side pot (3,420) with two pair, Aces and Threes
summer_babe shows a flush, Ace high
summer_babe wins the main pot (4,390) with a flush, Ace high
DuggleBogey: ouch
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7,810 Main pot 4,390. Side pot 3,420. | Rake 0
Board: [As Td 7d 3d 3h]
Seat 1: summer_babe showed [Kd Ad] and won (4,390) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: dnasty13 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: snake5970 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: GCox25 showed [Kc Ac] and won (3,420) with two pair, Aces and Threes
Seat 6: willwonka didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: SirFWALGMan (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: iam23skidoo (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: DuggleBogey (big blind) showed [9h 8h] and lost with a pair of Threes

I still managed to outlast both Gary and summer_babe and took third. The tourney was thinner than normal because it started an hour earlier than scheduled. Only 36 played and four paid.

summer_babe went out two hands later when snake5970, who donked it up all night, min raised aces utg, got called in a zillion places but managed to river an ace to take a huge chip lead. snake5970 still had to suck out twice with dominated aces at the final table to take second place.

I played in the same seat the entire night and the table was fun from start to finish. I knew everyone at the starting table except one (Prophesy?) and all the fill-ins joined in the fun.

There, I posted a hand history, now JJ can read me again.

Poker Comic #105 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

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US Players are WELCOME!

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Felicia made me laugh so hard with this one that I had to steal it.

CJ misses another game by 48 points

Wow, CJ sucks at predictions.

Finally, this prediction: If Democrats win, they're supposed to, if Republicans win, the machines are broken. Count on it. Harold Ford will lose in Tennessee and he'll blame the machines. That's one bet I'll take to the bank!

He predicted that if Harold Ford loses, he'll blame the machines. I watched Harold Ford's concession speech and the machines weren't mentioned once. No mention of voter irregularity from anyone in his campaign. Not a peep.

HOWEVER! I did turn on Fox and Friends this morning and they were practically SCREAMING about the machines in Virginia. Where a Republican lost and a Democrat won.

So it seems like if the Republicans had won, they were supposed to (especially because the candidate had double digit leads in the polls a few months ago) but since a Democrat won, it was the machines!

Irony is so delicious.

Did You Vote?

I didn't.

I know what you're thinking, I bitch a lot for someone who didn't vote. But I can't vote in Tennessee yet because I haven't been a resident long enough, and I didn't go to the trouble of voting absentee in Oklahoma. Mostly because I have no idea what's going on in Oklahoma, since I haven't actually been there for more than three days in a row since February. Since I have repeatedly said "Don't just VOTE, educate yourself on the candidates and their stance on the issues and VOTE," I would be a hypocrite if I just rubber stamped someone in Oklahoma.

If I could have voted in Tennessee, I would have.

Although I still feel pretty gullible thinking that my vote actually counts. The party in power in this country has absolutely no compunction about lying, stealing, taking bribes, gerrymandering, push polling, covering up for each other's crimes, spending a trillion dollars they don't have, or sending innocent soldiers to die for no good reason. Do you really think they'd have a problem with rigging elections?

Railbird Fun

"If the Democrats are so good about being the party of the opposition, let's just keep them in the opposition" George W. Bush

Someone tell George that he's still president after Tuesday.

I didn't win my Tier 2 token for the Big Game yesterday, so I was relegated to the rail, but I had fun in the chat and playing some PLO8 with some new friends.

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

I love anyone who posts his football picks before the games occur. It takes balls to put yourself out there like that, because inevitably something like this is going to happen:

CJ's pick: Bears, by 30 (my lock of the week).

How painful is it to miss a game by FORTY-EIGHT points. He only missed it by Six Touchdowns and Two Field Goals!

Granted, nobody on earth had the undefeated Bears losing to the One crappy win (vs. the shitty Titans) Miami Dolphins. But that's a major league whiff.

Congress has Got to Go

I'm not deluded enough to think that the Senate is going to change from Republican to Democratic hands next Tuesday. As much as poker players would like to see all those assholes thrown out, it's just not going to happen. There are seven close races, and the Democrats would have to win six of them. Not impossible, but unlikely.

One of those "close" races is here in Tennessee, Harold Ford vs. Bob Corker. Ford is the Democrat, and if he was elected, he would be the first black senator ever elected by the people in the South. Corker has spent more money on television advertising than any other politician in the country, and that doesn't even include ads by the RNC, including one accused of being racist.

I asked a few of my fellow Tennesseans if they thought Ford had a shot of winning they said "No way." When I asked why, the answer was always the same. "Duh. He's black!"

But I don't know about the House of Representatives. Maybe there's a chance that the Republican dominance can be overturned in the House. It simply has to be. You think the last-minute addition of the UIGEA to the Port Security Act was sleazy? The fuckers in the house pulled an even sleazier move with the Iraq Anti-Corruption Investigation Agency.

The Republicans were very annoyed by this agency in Iraq that kept finding evidence of bribery, corruption and conspiracies on the part of companies like Halliburton and Parsons, as well as failures by the military to properly track weapons meant for Iraqi security forces.

What's a Republican congress to do? TERMINATE THE AGENCY. Of course.

How do they do it? Their favorite trick. Sneak it into some legislation at the last minute and get a vote done before anyone actually reads it.

This one stinks even worse than the UIGEA. Not only are those who voted it in unaware it was even in the legislation, NOBODY KNOWS WHEN IT WAS ADDED. Everybody is saying "It wasn't there when I read it."

These people have got to be stopped.

First Party Poker closes to the US, now THIS

World seafood supply could run out by 2048

Over and over again I hear stories of fish going away...

Poker Comic #104 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. US Players Welcome! No Deposit Required! No Credit Card Required! (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

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Free Poker Money Now Available to International Customers

Poker Source Online has always offered $100 in Free Poker Money to North American Customers, but now International customers are eligible.

If you live in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, UK, Canada or Mexico, you can click here and get $100 Free Money at Party Poker.

- You must be at least 18 years old to qualify for this promotion.
- You must be a first time real money player. If you have EVER had an active Party Poker REAL money account, you do not qualify.
- Your Party Poker email address and your Neteller email address must match. No exceptions!
- Only one account per person, per street address, per IP address. DO NOT sign up for anyone else.

There's already a ton of people who try to defraud PSO and Party Poker by trying to get the free money multiple times, or by lying about their address or age. Please don't be one of those guys, it makes me look bad. It's a great deal, don't go and screw it up for everyone else by trying to cheat the system.

US customers can get $100 Free Money at Absolute Poker by clicking here.

Poker Comic #103 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker! No Deposit Required! No Credit Card Required! US Players Welcome! (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

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Poker Comic #102 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

Search Rankings

I'm pretty astounded how many people find my blog via searches on Google. Here are some of the searches people do to find their way to my blog, and when I check the searches how far up I am on the list of URLs for them to click:

destructive criticism 5th
I did a post called "Destructive Criticism" where I listed what I don't like about all the blogs in my blogroll. It was HUGELY UNPOPULAR, as expected. Still a fun exercise. And the phrase seems pretty uncommon, so I score pretty high on searches for it.
shanna hiatt 15th
I haven't posted about Shanna in a long time, but I still get tons of hits from searches on her. This will probably pick up when she re-emerges as the preeminent poker diva on NBC's new poker show.
pichers of sharks 5th
I facetiously posted the word "pichers" when I posted some pictures, and ever since then I have gotten tons of hits from all the illiterati out there. Funny how misspelling words can get you hits, but do you really want those hits?
wpex connection problems 2nd
I seem to have a few "wpex" hits most every day, especially when it's somebody unhappy with them. I never get a "wpex is great!" search. Interesting.
limit vs no limit 4th
I have done a few limit vs. No limit posts, and this is a very popular search. I don't know if my post helps people with their inquiries. Maybe it does.
poker coins 5th
I did a small review of a site that sells poker card protectors called "poker coins" and have always gotten a few occasional hits ever since. I still use the ones I got and I love them.
fuck me running 3rd
I did a post titled "fuck me running" and have gotten hits on it ever since. I still love the phrase ever since I heard it from a guy in 1986 named Jeff VanBuren, one of the original VanBuren boys.
rude fuck 4th
I get a lot of hits on the word "rude" in general, like "rude jokes" or "rude comics" but this one is the most consistent. Maybe I overuse the word "fuck?"
free money from titan 4th
I like the free money hits, especially if I get a referral out of it, but I haven't picked up a single free money referral since that fateful Friday the 13th.
free poker money 6th
This is a biggie, I have made a lot of referral bucks off this one.
rake rebate 5th
I probably should post more about rake rebates, because I don't think I get a lot of referrals about this one either. I need a referral for a place that does rake rebate from Full Tilt Poker. I bet a lot of people are looking for that service now...
titan poker delete account 6th
This one makes me feel good. I had a bad experience with Titan poker and quit referring people there without explicitly denouncing the place. Now that they are rejecting US customers, I guess it's unnecessary.

Anyway, those are some of the ways folks are finding their way here. I hope they get some good info, or at least a smile or two from what they find.

And the winner for best referring link goes to:

RailBird Blog

Yes, it's a blog written in German, but it has a link to me. It may be the only blog out there that has a Go Be Rude link but doesn't have an Iggy link.

Poker Comic #101 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker! No Deposit Required! No Credit Card Required! (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive

Goodbye Referrals

Last week was the first time in over a year that I didn't collect any referral points from Poker Source Online. I don't expect to get anything this week either. The UIGEA has completey choked off all my referrals, mostly because of the withdrawl of Pussy (Party) Poker. Some folks were in the middle of promotions at places like Titanic (Titan) Poker too. I hate to see how it is killing the business over at PSO. All PSO did was make online poker, already a gold mine of fun and riches, into something better. In a situation where everybody wins, you have to expect the government to step in and FUCK EVERYTHING UP. Welcome to America.

I heard a comedian on the radio this morning who had a very good point.

"Are you more afraid of the terrorists, or your governemnt? Would you be more afraid if you got a letter from the Taliban, or the IRS?"

I've never gotten mail from a terrorist, but it can't be worse that some of the letters I've gotten from the IRS.

I cashed out all my PSO referral points into Amazon.com gift certificates and went on a spending spree for stuff for the new house. The goofier the item the better. Mrs. Bogey got a Roomba Hard Floor Cleaner for her birthday. She loves it, but the dogs don't seem really fond of it. The kitchen has gotten the most of the improvements, but of course I ordered a few fun gadgets for myself.

It was nice to be able to spend some (fake) money on craziness, since buying the new house before selling the old one in Oklahoma (I'll make you a great deal if you read this and are interested in the Oklahoma Real Estate Market) has basically reduced our savings and my bankroll to zip. A lot of the expenses kind of snuck up on me...500 gallon propane tank @ $1.40 per gallon? There's a $700 bill I wasn't expecting. New tags for three vehicles @ $87 each? $261...at least I can mail the Oklahoma ones back for a pro-rated rebate. I don't think I'll hold my breath though.

I still have some nice plans in my pocket for fun stuff in the future. Looks like I may have to hold off on my next vehicle purchase for a bit longer than I'd hoped...But it will happen. Mark my words.

Busy Busy Busy

I was finally reconnected to the internet and played two tournaments...two disconnects were concerning but it reconnected fairly quickly. It's still very nice to be able to get phone calls while playing, along with reading blogs. I did a few test downloads and the speed seems more than acceptable. I'm really disappointed with the local phone company's coverage so I may be Vonage bound.

Today we're having a propane tank installed, just in time as the temperature is supposed to drop to 30 degrees tonight. Also the exterminator is supposed to come today for our initial treatments and the satellite company is supposed to come and fix one of my recievers.

My doggy door is supposed to be delivered by FedEx and I'm going to install that this evening. My wife is concerned that our old doggy door was 8.5" wide and the new one is only 7", and the bigger dog might not be able to get her wide load through the smaller opening. Time for a doggy diet, I think.

I still need to find a contractor to put up the chain-link fence in the backyard and the ol' homestead will be shaping up nicely.

Miami Don's Big Game looks like it was a blast last night, I'm sorry I missed it. It conflicted with the PSO league game and I totally spaced that it went on at the same time. Hopefully I will be able to make the next one.

Congress and the UIGEA

I was exchanging emails with a friend (I know, you're shocked that I have friends) about politics yesterday. My friend is a republican (now you're even more shocked) and he considers himself a Christian Conservative (now you think I'm lying.) He started the exchange by emailing me the diatribe by Keith Obermann on MSNBC. He thought Olbermann was crazy. I had actually watched Olbermann on that broadcast and I agree with his commentary, that the government has gotten totally out of control.

He responded by asking me if I thought that everyone in Washington is "out of touch." Here was my response.

Take the UIGEA for example. That's the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that will try to stop me from playing poker online. I have talked to almost everyone I know about it, and I don't know one person who thinks its right. NOT ONE PERSON.

So why did it get passed? Easy. The administration has COMPLETELY failed the Christian right. The Christian Coalition are pissed off because they thought that when they had GW in office and a republican house and a republican senate, that all their dreams would come true. That abortion would be illegal. That gay marriage would be outlawed by the constitution. Basically that Christianity would be installed as the official religion of the United States. But they got none of that. NOTHING they wanted actually happened.

So desperate senators like Bill Frist had to try and do SOMETHING that might satisfy those folks, his base. He pushed us under a bus by sneaking it in at the 11th hour attached to a Port Security Bill that got nearly 100% of the votes in the house because if a representative voted against it they'd appear soft on terrorism. The President signed it last Friday and didn't even mention the gambling part of it. Never mind that a port security law is AT LEAST four years overdue.

Out of touch doesn't even begin to describe these morons. Olbermann is pissed off, and I'm pissed off too.

The entire Abramoff scandal took place under the guise of a "Christian" organization, when the whole thing was about bilking Indians out of their money to preserve their legal gambling status. The churches involved said they wouldn't even have gone NEAR the guy if he had told them his organization was based on money from Indian Casinos.

It all seems to be a bunch of people who will do anything to preserve their power. Even the Foley thing. The leadership knew what was going on, but rather than risk losing his vote, they let him do whatever he wanted, no matter how wrong it was. Anything to keep the majority, keep the votes, keep the power.

It's disgusting.

My friend, a self-proclaimed member of the "Christian Right," agreed 100%.

Edit: Here is the rant by Olbermann if you are interested...Keith Olbermann on MSNBC

Long Personal Nightmare

My Long Personal Nightmare is nearly over. Tomorrow I am having High Speed Internet installed!

I've played two tournaments using dial-up (like a caveman!) and while possible, it is certainly not the preferred way to play. I disconnected in the first one, and the panic over trying to reconnect possibly resulted in my misplaying of the next two hands, causing my early exit.

Both tournaments I've played via dial-up were for the PSO league. I missed the first three tournaments of the eight-game schedule. Your best five scores count, and I've exited early in both of them so the pressure is on for the final three. I still have a chance if I finish in the top three at least twice. Even if I didn't have a chance, I'd still play.

The overlay for the individual tournaments is incredible, and that doesn't even include the multitudes of bounties available. All PSO employees have bounties on them, and the top three players in the standings have bounties as well. I had two of the top three at my table in the first one, and boy they were donkalicious. Unfortunately I got moved from the table before I got a chance to K.O. either of them.

The prizes for winning the league start at around $1400 plus a couple hundred in tournament entries. This is for eight $5.50 tournaments.

KingLucky has two final tables and a 15th place finish so far, so he's in the top ten in standings even though he's only played four out of the five tourneys so far. I may be relegated to rooting him on if I don't place well in the next one.

Poker Comic #100 Sponsored by FREE POKER MONEY

Poker Comic brought to you by Free Poker Money at PokerSourceOnline.com!. Some places offer $25 Free Money. Some offer $50 or $75 Free Money. Poker Source Online gives $100 at Absolute Poker. No Deposit Required. No Credit Card Required. (New Players Only, Must be 21 or older.)

Click HERE to view the Comics Archive