Sweating

Head on over to congratulate Jason on winning a WCOOP seat in a cash qualifier last night. In fact, you should be heading over there daily anyway for his reports from the WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica.

I had the pleasure of observing his play for most of the tourney and I must say he was ON POINT. He was reading the table perfectly and took nary a mis-step in the first three hours. A real treat to watch and discuss the hands as they were happening and in their aftermath. I've played with Jason plenty of times and have an abiding respect for his game, but I don't think I've seen him quite so damn good ever before. Very impressive.

Perhaps this isn't the type of behavior I had exactly in mind for my little poker break, but it was fun and instructive nonetheless. He and I (and drizz) also talked a bit about my hiatus. I hope it came across in the Monday post that I am very happy with the decision. Because I am. It's not a punishment. It's a positive step that I think will result in growth. Jason said it seemed like "my head was in the right place" and that's the way I feel too. And it's nice to have a support system, so thanks guys.

Plus Jason had some poker ego-boosting news for me and I always appreciate that kinda thing.

*****************************

The more I think about the state of my poker game, the more I think the biggest issue is psychological. My skill level has reached a certain plateau. Some things I've learned have been forgotten along the way. Plays need to be tightened and leaks filled. And there are other levels to surmount. That's not all gonna happen in a couple weeks. Basic maintenance in that regard should be sufficient.

But my attitude, my response to tilt, my reactions to bad luck and variance...those are areas where I need a great deal of attention. The most noticable--and poor--response to variance has been my propensity to become passive. Not betting the best hand for fear an unlikely better hand is out there. Calling instead of raising. That's the most obvious. There are plenty of more subtle effects as well, including sitting down with doubt about my game, not giving the play my full attention, acting without thinking, not showering during a three-day poker bender....

These are the areas where I will concentrate most. My brain feels remakably uncluttered right now. Just waiting of inspiration and knowledge to rush in.

******************************

If there's one song in the universe that is most likely to make me burst out singing on the train, it's "Dandelion" by Audioslave.

A few words about them. When I heard of the Cornell-Rage marriage, I was pretty excited. Because I think Chris Cornell and Tom Morello are two unique talents and I was intrigued by what they could come up with together. I don't know exactly what my expectations were, but they were not fulfilled by their first release. Seemed to me like they were not in synch. On the latest ablum, however, they seemed to have meshed. It's not earth-shattering, just a batch of solid rock songs that highlight their strengths. And Cornell's voice hasn't sounded this good in years (I heard he quit smoking).

Top 5 songs on my latest iPod playlist:

Blood and Thunder--Mastadon
Would?--Alice in Chains
Jesus of Suburbia--Green Day
Is It Luck?--Primus
Kingdom Come--Coldplay

*************************************

I, unlike some, don't get a lot of strange Google search hits. But occassionally...

free downloaded cheeses

I honestly have no desire to investigate further.

*************************************

Oh boy. The trip reports are amazing. And hysterical. Thanks for sharing. After reading them, I was wondering what would be an acceptable excuse for missing Brad-O-Ween.

I can't think of one. Is it too early to RSVP for next year?