Even Steven

Despite dramatic Mood and Variance swings this weekend, I'm back to level.

First of all, the dear and patient wife was not really close to divorcing me. Sure, she was plenty pissed that she came home to find a drunk, laughing lunatic on the couch playing poker as it was possible I may have neglected to mention I'd be home a little early to play in the Wheaton Shindig (Strike 1). And sure, she may have been aghast that I continued to play poker straight thru the evening, because, well, I was on a bender. You've been there, right? I was enjoying myself a great deal at the blogger NL table, I was cruising in the $50 MTT, why stop? I knew I was in for it, but I figured I could salvage it with solid husband play over the rest of the weekend. There was a shade of doubt come Saturday morning when she actually uttered the words, "We need to talk," but that was still the sour residue of the evening previous and a rough start to her work day. By the time she got home Saturday evening, walking into a pristinely scrubbed home, complete with polished hardwood floors, and a chicken-rice-caesar salad extravaganza of a dinner, I was back in the good graces.

It's all give and take, people. I was definitely out of line on Friday and I will definitely be out of line again in the future. Good thing I'm so lovable. And a solid 85% of the time, fairly conscientious. Besides, after nearly 6 years in the LA sunshine, she' gonna divorce me and move back to Sweden? Ha. She pulls out the parka when it drops below 70.

Remove tongue from cheek. I'm a bastard. Her bad luck to love me.

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I asked nicely if I could play the $10K Guaranteed last night on FT and was granted my wish. I really had to step out of my comfort zone to stay alive as long as I did, what with the Coldest Deck of All Time reducing me to making plays at pots with 96o. It was kind of fun. Most of the players were tight once we got past the first half-hour and the Extreme Donks had gifted away their chips. I knew I'd be able to play at some of the weak-tighties remaining and managed to steal some pots. Alas, eventually never getting any pocket pairs above 77 took it's toll and I had to push late in Hour Two with QJo and a Harrington Factor deep in the Red. QJo, meet AA. AA, QJo. IGHN.

My favorite part of the tourney was when AJ walked up and noticed a new--to him--avatar at my table. "Daddy? I didn't know elephants could play Omaha."

Kid's gonna be a Star.

I am convinced those tourneys are more beatable than the ones at Stars. I think the play is a little more basic. I've been taking tons of notes on players, as it seems I run into a familiar face or 20 every time out. The smaller fields certainly contribute to that. There's also a nice marital harmony side-benefit since most of the FT tourneys are done inside 3 hours, as opposed to 5 or 6 with the larger fields at Stars. Thus, I wholeheartedly endorse Full Tilt!

Shameless.

That said, those 180-person tourneys on Stars are gonna get my attention in the very near future. Deep Stack? Probably not so much.

Speaking of Stars, who wouldn't want to spend a Saturday Afternoon in the Park with Pauly?

What: Saturdays with Dr. Pauly
Where: Poker Stars
When: Saturday November 5th at 1pm EST
Tournament Info: #14338880 (check under Private Tournament Tab)
Password: hiltons
Eligibility: Anyone with a Poker Stars account
Attire: Pants optional

Special Prizes: First place (weekly): Phil Gordon's Little Green Book
My Bounty (weekly): Free iTunes Gift Card (Bust me and get 15 free songs!!)
Grubby's Bounty: Visit the Poker Grub for more info

Saturday's with Dr. Pauly Champion...
Overall Winner: iPod Nano
Overall 2nd Place: DVD of the Big Lebowski
Overall 3rd Place: Daddy calls you on Christmas to wish you Happy Holidays

Saturdays with Dr. Pauly Tour Dates:

Tournament #1: Sat. November 5th at 1pm EST
Tournament #2: Sat. November 12th at 1pm EST
Tournament #3: Sat. November 19th at 1pm EST
Tournament #4: Sat. November 26th at 1pm EST

More details at Pauly's world-renowned Tao of Poker.

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Anyone who hasn't made a recent trip over to Res Ipsa Poker is missing out on some of the funniest stuff out there. Can we begin referring to him as the Gary Trudeau of Poker Bloggers?