The Horror, The Horror

Let me tell you what the most heart chilling declaration in a poker game is. Although, "I'll put you all in," and, "How much more do you have?" are scary, those are not it. It's not even, "I believe they call it the boat." The most dreadful statement in poker is, "Well, I'm tired and want to go home anyway. I'll call."
This kind of call is the worst one because it ruins any play you are trying to make. If you are bluffing then the person is not paying full attention to the hand and isn't laying down what he thinks is an inferior hand. If you want a call and you hear him say this, you now know you are going to be drawn out on.
This occurred to me the other night while playing in a light, fun game of ten people. I had been playing pretty well. For the first 45 minutes, the only hands I was able to play were pocket pairs, but they were good to me and I had quadrupled up after about two hours of playing. I had made a few bluffs on some people for some nice size pots. I was laying down good hands because of a few reads on people. Yet, it wasn't good enough because I started to dwindle when it diminished to six players. Then I received a wired pair of eights.
I raised it pre-flop to reduce the playing field and I got a few calls. The flop came with 9-4-2. A pretty good flop for my pair. I bet a little bit at it. Brent called me. The turn was a 2. I thought about how the hand was going and I looked at Brent. Don't ask me how I knew, but I was pretty sure I was winning the hand then. I said, "This might be a mistake, but I'm going to go all in." Brent thought about it for a little while and then he said it. He emitted the sound, "I'm tired. I'll call."
I lowered my head in shame and said, "Well, I'm beat." A guy asked if I was bluffing and I replied with, "No, I'm winning right now but I will be beaten by the end." Sure enough I was winning. Brent was holding K-4 offsuit. The river flipped over with a 4. I was beat by a full house. I believe they call that the boat.
Here is a tip for any new poker player. Never, no matter how tired you are, say, "I'm ready to go home. I'll call." It is bad etiquette.

Christmas Presents

It's Christmas now and I have received some of my presents. I got a few shirts, which at what age do people start to enjoy getting clothes? I got two books from my dad about the history of America (one is on the subject of the Indians). I'm excited to start those. I also got a board game called Scene It, but it is the Turner Classic Movies edition. Joanna gave me the original and now I want to get the 007 edition also.
However, all of these gifts are insignificant to the big one. You know the one. Everyone gets the big one. This year my big one is the Atari flashback console. I am a nostalgic man who loves the games of old. I can now play 20 classic games like Centipede, Breakout and Asteroids. I enjoy games that are simple and basic. Save the princess from Bowser without having to run in a 360 degree rotation while firing from two weapons and strafing with the R5 button. Just let me run, jump and dodge goombas. So now I get to play the classics all over again. But wait, there's more. Added onto my Atari, Santa (I KNOW HIM) gave me Frogger. I love Frogger. It's up there with Tetris and Duck Hunt.
I have had a great Christmas so far and I should get my Best Buy gift cards tomorrow when the Mangrem clan gets together to exchange gifts. I am really excited about this Christmas.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and time to kick off the holiday right by renewing an annual tradition I will be committing myself to for the third year now. I enjoy a viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This is the only tradition I have left because my family changes everything around. So, tonight it will be me and the Griswolds taking pleasure in our family traditions. I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Yet Another Milestone Is Reached

Despite many conflicts occurring on my blog I have reached the big 400 today. Yeah for me.

Nothing New

Not much has been going on since Christmas. I have been playing a lot of poker, but not much else. I just felt like I had to post something. So here it is. Nothin new going on but I will keep you updated.

It's A Girl...And A Boy!

After months of it being me and my crabs, Corby and Sonny, I have had a new addition to the family. For my birthday/Christmas gift, Cassidy bought me two goldfish. One is the typical orangish gold and the other is a silver fish with gold tips on the tail.
Joanna got me my first two crabs Talullah and Corby. Sadly Talullah has passed on and we replaced her with another crab who was murdered by Corby. Sonny was then placed in the death cage with Corby and has survived for a long time.
I now have two more bodies to be responsible for. They are named Tabatha Fish and Poolan Sanj Poolan Sang. They are very cute and swim around in their cove at the bottom of the tank.
I am proud to be the parent of both crabs and fish. However, because they are step-siblings from different mothers I hope they get along like the Brady family did. Here's the story, of a man named Matt...

The Change Is Here

The life changing experience I have listed in the ABOUT ME column to the right has come upon me. After certain events occurring over the last few days, I've decided to grow up. It sucks. I know. I'm not terribly excited about it, but it must be done.
During the catch up conversation with Stephanie in Nacogdoches, I realized I am rather pathetic. I have no job, I live with my mother and I have no hope for a real future. I was rather down about the whole realization, but not enough to do anything about it.
Next, I found out the place I was going to move into was being sold to finance the buying of another house. Although it sucks my house is being sold, I wouldn't be quite as mad except of who is screwing me. It is my own family who are making me homeless. However, when I say homeless I really mean I have to stay with my mom longer until James and I figure out what to do.
My cousin is wanting to move into a bigger home and to finance her new shelter my uncle is selling the house I was going to move into. Sucks pretty big, but by itself it's not enough to make me want to change anything about myself.
Yet, when the two single events occur in a time frame of less than five days it makes me realize a change is needed. If I happen to find a job before the house is sold, I could buy it and still move into my house. If I don't find a job in time, I can still find a good job and stop subbing and getting by paycheck to paycheck. It would be nice to start a little nestegg again. I had a respectable account built up before I graduated from dealing drugs to all the fraternities and rich kids of Nacogdoches, but it has dwindled to nothing after gambling and road trips. Just kidding about the dealing drugs part by the way.
So I now have to put some things together and figure out what I want to do. It was a nice run, but all things must come to an end. Things that were important to me before must be lowered on the list of priorities. When I am financially, mentally and emotionally balanced, I will then worry about the other aspects of life. However, until then I ask you to push me to find the perfect job that is waiting for me out there.

My Fourth Rant

I have blogged about the idiotic trend of putting up signs for presidential and other government nominees in your yard. I have also touched on my disdain for bumper stickers, especially for presidential and other government nominees. Let me tell you who the worst of the worst are though.
The ones who put a bumper sticker for Kerry/Edwards on their car and then don't take it off after the election is over. How pathetic is this? Your candidate lost and now you can't take off your stupid bumper sticker. Oh no, instead you have to prove to the country that if things had gone your way, it would be better.
We don't care who you voted for. We didn't care before and we certainly don't care after the election is over. Take the sticker off and move on with your life. Complain about how the government is going down the toilet because of our terrible president and remember to tell us everything bad about the guy, but fail to mention any flaws of the guy you were wanting to put in the oval office. Just please do one thing for me, take off your stupid bumper sticker. Thank you.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The last three days I have been in Nacogdoches. My friend Jesse called and told me the President's Christmas Reception was on Thursday night. When I was in college I attended the reception every year. I even had to get off work to go, which I worked for the company that catered the party. That was always an interesting challenge. Chad and I decided to go down and spend a few days in Nac and have some fun.
We arrived Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and the first thing we did was to go eat C13 at Peking. C13 is the label for General Tsao's Chicken. You may have had General Tsoa's Chicken before, but it is nothing like what Peking can do. It is the best Chinese food in the United States.
After lunch we went and played 36 holes of frisbee golf on the best frisbee golf course in Texas. I know I keep calling everything the best, but it really is. I have played on a few courses throughout the Lone Star State and not a single one compares to the beauty, the break up of simple and difficult holes or the distribution of trees. Some courses have no trees what-so-ever and some courses are surrounded by forests. Pecan Park is the perfect layout for a frisbee golf course. It is the Pebble Beach of frisbee golf (but without the beach). I won $15 on the golf course and then we moved on to poker.
The first night we played limit poker. It was a large game of eight of us. However, when you play 50 cent max bet and you start off with $5, it is hard to make moves to bluff or buy pots. It wasn't a lot of fun the first night. I lost about $10.
Thursday started off with the plan being to play some more frisbee golf and then go shooting pumpkins, books and other paraphernalia. That plan was shot when it rained all night. We went to the back-up plan. After making a bet with Chad during an episode of Saved By The Bell we went to go eat lunch.
Jesse reminded me of a new restaurant in Nacogdoches. It is called Kinfolks. The reason this establishment is special is because it is run by my old boss at catering. Her name is Sheryl. She and I didn't end our working relationship on the best foot. She is the last person who should be owning a business. The food was pretty good. Jesse says it is the best chicken fried steak in the world. Nacogdoches has a lot of hidden treasures. I think she was actually glad to see me. When she saw I was in town, she knew exactly why I had come. I asked if she was planning on attending the gala and she said probably not.
After lunch we went and played pot limit poker. I made some money off of that. The last pot put me up about $15. Then we decided to kill an hour playing spades. Chad and I were on a team. We smoked Jesse and his friend Kurt. We played to 500 and beat them by over 250 points. It was great.
Afterward, Chad, Jesse and I left to change for the President's reception. The shrimp was amazing as usual, the food was good and the decorations were below average. They decorated the Grand Ballroom as an ice castle. It wasn't great. It lacked the effort that had been put into previous parties. While dining on shrimp the size of a baseball, I ran into many old co-workers and other friends. I also ran into someone I was not expecting to see.
I saw my ex-girlfriend. Her name is Stephanie, but we call her Red. I saw her from behind and recognized the hair immediately. I had Jesse go scope the area for me and he called me over to talk to her. Okay, it was safe. We chit chatted for about 30 minutes and one thing led to another. Yada, yada, yada. I ended up at her place and boy am I tired today. Just kidding about the yada, yada, yada. Let me fill in the details.
She asked what we were doing after the reception and we told her we were going to play some pool at an old pool hall we used to go to. She asked if we minded if she went with us for old times sake. I didn't mind. The conversation was going well and there weren't too many ackward silences. Plus, Chad filled in the ackwardness well. We ran home to change, Chad and Jesse had some shots of rum, we picked up Stephanie from her dorm (she is the Hall Director of North) and grabbed some alcohol from Kroger's. The pool hall is BYOB and Chad wanted to get blitzed.
After about two hours of pool she asked if we wanted to go to her room and hang out. I didn't care and Chad and Jesse were too drunk to make any decisions. We went to her dorm and played phase ten until 2 in the morning. It was really nice talking to her and we had a good time.
Chad and I got up around 9:45 today and hit the road. On the way home, we had to deposit some pumpkins throughout East Texas. They exploded along highway 259. It was a great trip and I can't wait until next year for the next one.

Day Six In Europe

Had I found my passport a week ago, I would have been traveling through Europe with my roommate James. I have written a daily log about the trip I would have had. This is what would have happened on the sixth day of our trip.
We took the train back to Nice, which lasted half the day, and spent our final hours wandering Nice. Nothing of interest really occured in Nice. However, a moment worth noting did transpire aboard the train. This story might not be as interesting to you because you were not there to experience it (however, I wasn't either).
While James was sleeping, I decided to wander the train. I wanted to see the compartment rooms (like in James Bond and Harry Potter movies). I made my way through the dining car and into the area I was searching for. As I was going by a few of them, I noticed one had its door open. I peeked in as I strolled by and noticed no one in the room. I took a step inside and looked for any luggage. I didn't see any signs of a person occupying the room. I decided to get the feel of the room by sitting and looking out the window for a few minutes. That wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?
Little did I know it was time to check the tickets for this car's passengers. After about five minutes of dreaming I was a local European traveling by train in the early 20th century I was alarmed to hear a knock on the door and a word sounding like "billet." I opened the door to find a ticket checker holding a clipboard with a list of names. He asked something in French with the "billet" word in it. I tried to tell him I didn't speak French. I went to my basic French learning, which is from foreign films and other movies, and said, "Parlez-vous Ingles?"
I don't know the correct word for English in French. I only know the Spanish word for English. This is why I think it took him longer than usual to come back with a very snooty "NO." So what do I do now? I said, "I don't know what you are saying then." And he said something in French. Again I said, "I don't know what you are saying."
He then proceeded to show me the stub of a ticket. I then put it all together. I said, "Oh ticket, I have one of those." I searched my pockets for my ticket. Sadly, I realized I had left it in my bag in my seat. I tried to explain that I didn't belong in the compartment, and my ticket was in my bag.
This is probably how he heard the conversation. "Blah blah blah. Blah ticket blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah." I did use the correct word for "ticket" only because he said it about fifteen times trying to find mine. Well, he ended up calling for security on his walkie talkie and about two minutes later a very small moustached man with a stick and mace can showed up.
I started to worry. If this guy didn't speak English I would have some problems. I tried my Franish again. "Parlez-vous Ingles?" I was so happy to hear the response, "You Americans butcher every language you attempt." "You do speak English," was all I could respond with.
I then told him my story and he escorted me back to my chair. He then told me why people in my car don't go to other cars. I told him I would be still and read a book.
After that, the rest of the day was pretty quiet. I have enjoyed my fake trip and can't wait to really go to Europe someday. Although, I don't know if a real trip would be quite as fun as the one I have made up.

Day Four And Five In Europe

Sorry for such a late entry. Our train ride was pretty uneventful. It took half the day and then the rest of the day was filled with finding our way around the city and seeing the quick sites. We hit the big stuff on the fifth day.
We saw the Circus Maximus and Colosseum. I felt like I was in Ben-Hur or Gladiator. It was very cool. When we saw the Golden House of Nero, James morphed into history teacher and told me all about Nero and his barbaric reign. The Pantheon was interesting. Although the ancient architecture of Rome is awe inspiring, it was the treasures of antiquity at the Vatican Museum that interested me most. We also saw the Sistene Chapel.
We will be leaving for Nice tomorrow. Our last day will be there and then we will leave for the states. I have thoroughly enjoyed this fake trip and hope to someday actually attend some of these places and participate in some of these activities.

Day Three In Europe

How great is France? The stereotypes about the French are all wrong. They are the nicest people. We are having a bit of trouble with the language barrier, but the locals help James and me whenever we need it.
We didn't have time to see everything yesterday, like I knew would happen, so we finished up today. One thing we saw that I forgot to tell you about was the Aviatiors Club. The Aviators Club is a casino in Paris that is extremely prestigious. It is a members only club that produces some of the highest stakes poker in the world. It has been featured on the World Poker Tour.
Other than the one extra tourist spot, I believe we saw everything I mentioned. The food is good. A little too much for my tastes, but what are you going to do? We will be leaving for Rome tomorrow morning. It is a 14 hour train ride from Paris to Rome. I wanted to be in one of the rooms with a bed and bath, but those are very expensive and we couldn't afford something like that on this trip. I hope to some day travel in a compartment train. Well, until next time.
By the way, if you don't know yet I am not in Europe. My trip fell through. I am only living in Europe through my blog. This is what would be going on if I had only found my passport.

A Moment Of Bliss

Last night I had a dealing job in downtown Dallas. It was in the Empire Room which is on the 48th floor of one of the few skyscrapers in downtown. I was to deal Texas Hold'em. I arrived about 15 minutes early and decided to catch a glimpse of the view from the top of the city. It was amazing.
I walked into the Sapphire Room with the lights dimmed and a Christmas tree lit in the corner. Two walls were made of glass with the other walls having two red spotlights on the floor shooting straight up. I entered to find only one other person in the room and after a short exchange of hellos and heys I noticed Frank Sinatra playing over the speaker. It was his classic Luck Be A Lady. With the music playing, dressed in a tux shirt and dress pants and the sun beginning to set, I couldn't help but smile at the beauty of it all.
Although Dallas isn't known for a beautiful downtown, when all the elements come together like it did last night it can be a lovely thing. Standing on the 48th floor, listening to one of my favorite singers and watching the lights of Dallas begin to flicker on, I was emotionally moved and had one of the greatest moments of bliss I have ever felt before.

Day Two In Europe

Today's entry will be short because we have lots to do in Paris. We will obviously be ascending the magnificent Eiffel Tower. However, other attractions will be the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral (maybe I will see the hunchback), the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery and the Arc de Triomphe. I would also like to hit up the Luxembourg Gardens (which are the royal gardens that were only open to royalty before the French Revolution), the sewers and catacombs of Paris and the Pantheon. We have so much to do before the end of the day. I don't know if we'll have time to do it all. Oh, that's right. I'm not in Europe.

Day One In Europe

If I were in Europe right now, I'd be in Monte Carlo. I would've arrived five-and-a-half hours ago in Nice and James and I would've hitched a ride to Monte Carlo to do a little gambling European style, just like James Bond (I told you I was a freak). We would arrive in Monte Carlo and grab a bite to eat somewhere. After that we would walk along the waterfront until nightfall and then make our entrance into one of the most beautiful casinos in the world. We would gamble into the night and then find a hostel to stay in for the evening.
It would be about time for sunset over there right now. It would have been nice to dip my feet in the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea) and watch the sun dip below the European sky. For some reason, when you are in a different land everything is better. The sky is better. The water is cleaner. Even the weather is more bearable. It could be raining for four days straight with sleet and sludge falling, yet because you are in a new place for the first time it's like a summer's day in San Diego.
Well, I'm not in Europe, so none of this will happen. At least not anytime soon. Tomorrow we will be going to Paris. I will tell you all about it.

Would You Rather?

Would you rather plan a trip for many months, be excited about the upcoming departure and then have the trip revoked due to another's mistake or plan a trip at the last minute, throw the details together and be one step away from boarding the airplane but not be able to go due to your own blunder?
I ask this because the latter sucks and I want to tell you why. James has planned a trip to Europe with his friend Baron for the last couple of days. It was a thrown together trip, but not near as bad as the tale I'm about to tell you. During a few minor changes to the trip, Baron flaked out and came to America early (he lives in France). In fact, he was in America before James ever left the country. This left James backpacking for seven days in Europe (cool), alone (not so cool).
This is where I come into the picture. At 12:13 p.m. on Monday, December 6 I was telephoned. Sadly, I was subbing and did not receive the phone call, or the subsequent nine phone calls, until 3:18 p.m. I was asked by James if I was interested in leaving for Europe tomorrow for a week. I was a little apprehensive at first, however when I hung up the phone I was extremely interested. The following is the order of events that occurred:

3:19 p.m. - James called American Airlines about a ticket he discovered on the Internet for $695. This was an Internet price only and could not be reached due to my immediate departure.
3:26 p.m. - James searched other outlets for a ticket and I rushed home to change and meet James and my mom at their office.
3:41 p.m. - I arrive to bad news about the ticket. The cheapest available price is $1,800. I can't afford that and my mom was not willing to front the money for me. I don't blame her. I'm a college graduate with no real job or ambition. I wouldn't give me the money either.
3:56 p.m. - My mom called a friend of hers who knows a guy that is in the cheap airline travel business. After forty minutes on the phone (32 minutes of it being on hold with Christmas music... Do they know it's Christmas?), this door was closed.
4:46 p.m. - I am given permission to use my mom's American Express points to get a cheap ticket.
4:46:15 p.m. - James and I are on our way to my mom's house to find her American Express bill and investigate this prospect.
5:59 p.m. - I have a ticket booked and waiting for me at DFW Airport.

All I have to do now is get my mom to call American Express and transfer her points to Delta and find my passport. No problem. Oh wait, problem. My mom won't transfer the points you ask. No, I can't find my passport. After searching the obvious places like folders and boxes I move on to less obvious places.
Something you need to understand about me is I live in a fantasy world. In my mind, I am James Bond and the villain is always after me. I am in the middle of a spy world and must hide important documents (like a passport) from men who might break into my home, search my room and steal the for-your-eyes-only documents.
I looked behind pictures in picture frames, in-between books (both a book's pages and two books together), in board game boxes and throughout any other item that I could possibly hide a passport in. If I wasn't a freak about things like this, I would have found my passport and I would be on a plane for Europe right now.
By 10:51 p.m. I had given up the search and had to decide whether I wanted to risk sitting in the main office of the passport bureau and try to process a passport in four hours or give up on the trip and try again some other time. Needless to say, at 10:56 p.m. I chose to call and cancel the ticket. It's 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7 and I'm sitting at my mom's computer typing about the what if.
So you tell me, would you rather...

One Of Those Awkward Moments

Saturday night was my first night to deal blackjack for my new job with Fabulous Casino Nights. James and I worked next to each other and we had a good time. Every time someone hit a blackjack at my table, I would scream out "BLACKJACK" like Bernie Mac does in Ocean's 11. Didn't make any tips, yet didn't plan on it either.
At the end of the night, while waiting for James to finish up with his area, I was encountered by a man with scotch on his breath who felt it necessary to explain to me the greatness of pay day. You see, I was looking at my check, because looking at a paycheck is a wonderful thing, and he sauntered up to me and the following is the exchange that took place:

Drunk Man: Pay day's a good day.
Matt: (surprised) Yeah.
Drunk Man: Got to love pay day.
Matt: (uncomfortable to be in this situation) Yeah.
Drunk Man: Christmas time coming up. Don't want to max out that credit card.
Matt: (slight pause) Yeah.
Drunk Man: You got to save some of that. Put it in the bank.
Matt: (slightly annoyed now) Yeah.
Drunk Man: You don't want to get old and not have any money. Look at me. I'm 50 years old. Don't have enought to retire yet. You've got to save.
Matt: (hysterically searching for James) Yeah.
Drunk Man: Money doesn't grow on Christmas trees. Isn't that right?
Matt: (relieved to see James walk up) Yeah. You ready to go?

I walked slightly faster than James on the way out of the hotel and was telling James to speed it up the whole way to the car. Why do I always end up talking to some drunk oaf. It happened to me in Las Vegas. It happens to me a lot. Oh well, it's usually funny afterward.

Another Milestone

Mark it! At 10:36 a.m. on December 6, 2004 I reached 300 visitors to my site. Again I don't need reminding that 300 visitors is minuscule to the population of the Internet, however it is a colossal amount to me. So don't ruin my day by commenting about how insignificant my website is. I don't see your website getting 50 hits a day.

My Second Posted Review

Well, now I can add two reviews to my resume for previous experience. Too bad they are both Bond movies. I'm just becoming a little Gene Siskel. Oh wait, he's dead. Then I'll be the fat one. Well, that doesn't really suit me either.
Anyway, if you would like to rejoice in my writing skills, as if you don't already by visiting my blog six times a day, then please go to the following site to read my review of the sixth James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/movies/ohmss_reviews.php3?t=ohmss&s=ohmss

Chad, This Blog Is For You

I took on the reluctant and arduous task of substituting for a high school theater teacher today. Don't worry about me though. I handled it well. The class plan was to watch a movie. Real difficult.
Yet, it was the type of movie we were going to watch that makes today's duty so tricky. I personally feel no ordinary human being could undertake the mission of watching what I have watched. However, if one could get through the film once without straightening paperclips into skewers and placing them an inch into your eyeballs, to watch it three times like I have would certainly send you to such a fate.
The film was Metropolis. It is a black and white, silent German film; one of my favorite types. I would own the movie on DVD, however I want to make sure I will get the best copy possible. You see, the original production is lost. When it was released in 1927, UFA, the German production company, pulled it back to rewrite and edit the film. Turner Classic Movies has tried its best to restore the movie from the negatives to its original version, yet parts are lost forever.
Foreign, silent, black and white films are one of my favorite kinds and Chad doesn't understand how I can enjoy something that isn't in color, can't speak our language or doesn't make a sound. Of course, he also didn't like the fact that I was watching The Office on the BBC America channel and Gitanas on the Spanish channel on his television.
Oh well, I liked it and watched the movie all three times. Chad, I recommend you peruse the classics section at your neighborhood video store and see what all the fuss is about.

National Treasure In Review

Last night, James and I saw the movie National Treasure. Without a doubt, it is the best movie about the Declaration of Independence I have ever seen. There was action, humor (although many times the writers were a little off with their jokes), a beautiful girl and lots of American history.
In fact, they can't do a sequel because they have used up all of our history. We are indeed a young country, only 228 years old which is like a teenager in civilization years, yet in a short two hours, Jerry Bruckheimer sums up the whole of our American history from colonization to 1850. The only thing we have left is the Civil War, Great Depression and World War II.
However, many films have been seen about World War II and with a right-on performance by the amazing Denzel Washington in Glory, that is all an audience needs for the Civil War. So would National Treasure II have a plot about the government hiding the country's funds from 1929 to the present and how Nicolas Cage will find it and restore our economy? What a script that would be.
The movie had an effective premise, a likable, eccentric hero in Cage, and some well staged action sequences that keep the violence to a kid-friendly level. Sean Bean played a good bad guy...again. Yet, despite appealing turns by Cage and co-star Justin Bartha, it lacks the colorful characters, dramatic suspense, and wit of Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy. Instead of Indiana Jones' globe trotting, Cage and the gang trot around America (but not even the complete America, just the thirteen colonies).
Except for Bartha's wisecracking assistant, the other characters are pretty bland. It's far from Bruckheimer's Pirates of the Carribbean: The Secret of the Black Pearl, which is full of personality, due to Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush.
I do recommend seeing the popcorn thriller if not for the entertainment, but to learn something about our Founding Fathers and our country. Also, Diane Kruger was extremely attractive.

My First Thanksgiving Outside Texas

After 24 years of living, I have now spent a Thanksgiving Day away from my family. Actually, this is partially true. I spent about six hours with my family on Thursday and then Joanna and I left for Arkansas about 4:30 that afternoon. The drive was fine, another road trip. I love those things. The days in Arkansas were fun. I learned a lot about the city. The people are called Arkansians (Ar-can-zee-ans), or Arkies for short. The city is named for its little rock on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the first rock seen when traveling up the river from the Gulf of Mexico. I will go into more detail later. However, I would like the record to show it was nothing like Deliverance and I really did enjoy myself.

Maybe OnStar Is The Way To Go

My dad made a funny comment the other day. It's funny, but quite dark.
My mom was telling a story about some health guy they knew who died in the mountains of Colorado. The story goes he got a flat tire in the mountains and got out to fix it. While outside, the altitude got to the man and he died of a heart attack on the side of the road.
My dad came back with the quip, "He should have had AAA. The thirty bucks could have saved his life."

What's So Extraordinary About The Word Extraordinary

Think about the word "extraordinary." What is so great about it? Is it supposed to be better than ordinary? If I say someone is extraordinary, am I complimenting them? I think not.
Let's break the word down. Extra. Okay, that means more. What about ordinary? Ordinary, according to dictionary.com, means usual or average. Well, wouldn't this mean extraordinary means more average? Extraaverage. You are extraordinary, which essentially means you are more normal than every other person in the world. What a sweet thing to say. When you do extraordinary events, you are not a special person because any average human being could do it.
It is comments like this and others, like "I could care less," that make no sense to me. Next time someone says you did an extraordinary thing, ask if they are trying to be nice, because they really are putting you down.

Poker Entry No. 6

November 21, 2004
Players: 42
Entry Fee: $30
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 18
Winnings: $0

In the new found tournament at No Frills Grill, I ran into quite a bad call last night. I was dealt pocket A's. The best hand possible. However, one should not play this hand too slow because I have seen it beaten many times (usually when Clint is holding them). In fact, we held a raffle for anyone who had their pocket A's drawn out on at the tournament we held a few weeks ago. Sadly, aces were holding up that night.
Back to the terrible call. I didn't want to get outdrawn with this hand so I raised it pretty big pre-flop. To be precise, I raised it about four times the big blind. I made it $150 to go. Blinds were $20-40. I had two guys call. I made the decision that no matter what fell on the flop, unless it was a pair of big cards or three to a flush or high straight, I was going to go all in on the flop with another $295.
The flop was Q-6-5 rainbow. It was checked to me. I moved all in like I had told myself I would do. The first guy didn't think too long to call. The second guy folded. I flipped over my Aces and he gave the "ooh, I'm beat" expression. He flips over 8-6 of clubs. Well of course you're beat. That's not a good hand to call a pre-flop raise with. It's also not a good hand to call an all in bet with middle pair and poor kicker. Oh well, I am beating him with a pair of Aces. He needs an 8 or 6. The turn is a 9. This gives him another out. A 7 gives him a straight. So nine outs are going to beat me. What does the river bring but a 6. His three six's beat my pocket rockets.
The worst part was the fact that the guys at the table were saying how bad of a beat it was. Well if the guy wouldn't call with crap we wouldn't have a bad beat. When a hand like that wins, it gives amateurs the idea they are good hands. They think hands that somehow defy the odds and win become excellent hands. Let me inform the public, they aren't good hands. You are a big underdog. Oh well, I got my money in when I had the best hand. That is what a good player does.

I Just Don't Understand

Lots of controversy has come over the intro to Monday Night Football's game. ABC released a skit promoting Desperate Housewives with Terrel Owens. The skit featured Nicolette Sherridan in nothing but a white towel and seducing T. O. Big deal I say. Are we mad because the ad was not appropriate for football viewers? What about showing the ad anytime during an ABC prime time line up? There is a similar ad featuring Teri Hatcher in a towel and having it ripped off by a car door. Is this too abrasive for the viewing audience? Should we raise our fists at the network over that advertisement? I think not. Why doesn't everyone just loosen up and stop puckering their butts everytime a little sexual innuendo is alluded to? Oh, because we are a bunch of tight asses who talk about freedom of speech yet shudder to think of what creative minds will come up with using said freedom.

Another Triumph

Tonight marks my 200th visitor. Woo-hoo. It makes me so happy that at least 200 people have shared my experiences with me.

Poker Entry No. 5

November 14, 2004
Players: 48 and 36
Entry Fee: $40 and $30
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 8 and 19
Winnings: $0

Brent Hale turned us on to this tournament. It was held at No Frills Grill at 20 and 287 on Little Road. The sports bar held two tournaments. The first was a $40 buy-in with 48 entries. First place was awarded $900. The tournament had many similar features to the Sam's Town Casino tournament in Las Vegas. I finished in 8th place, which was two places out of the money. I've been doing that a lot lately. I had fun and played in the second tournament, which was a $30 buy-in with 36 people. I finished in 19th.
The most interesting thing that happened the entire night was an intoxicated, belligerent woman who entered the tournament. She was moved to our table about ten minutes before she was knocked out of the tournament, and she wasn't the short stack. In fact, she was probably the money leader in the entire tournament. She had a lot of chips and was ready to unload them on the many jackasses and dicks at the table. I was a dick. Actually, I was the leading dick. She was frustrated by my tasteless quips and rude comments.
I decided to berate her because of two main reasons. The first was she was rude and treated the players at the table with contempt. Jerome, a player on her immediate right, told her the action was on her and she snapped back with, "Well, give me a G** D*** minute." This sent me into my second reason to give her some lip. I was the short stack and almost out of the tournament. I had $275 left. I got A-Q offsuit. I was dealer and went all in pre-flop. When it went around to her again, after a couple of calls, she didn't understand why she had to pay more money. This was partly because she didn't know how to play and partly because she was a sniff of alcoholic scent away from either passing out or throwing up. She called the extra $75 dollars (blinds were $100-200). The flop came with 7-4-2. Well, I'm out. When she lashed out at Jerome again for rushing her when it was her turn, my time had come to speak up for the common man.
I don't know if it's my nature to get into fights with extremely drunk people, but I probably need to stop trying. I told her to do something and she called me a dick. It was on. I came back with, "Lady, you've been here for thirty seconds and already (counting each player at the table by pointing at them) one, two, three, four, five, six people hate you. Do something so we can move on." She didn't like that comment and unloaded on me. She called me everything under the sun. I ended up winning the hand and sticking around until the final table. Her cussing was a shock and very over the top, yet that isn't the biggest shocker. The bigger surprise is one of two things. Why don't you decide which is worse.
The next incident was after dumping about $6,500 to the table in three hands, she went all in when she was dealing with $50. I split the pots up so we could have the main pot and a side pot. This took me a few seconds and since it was me doing the work our lady, and I don't mean a courtesy title for the daughter of a gentleman, was put out by me taking so long to do this (45 seconds at the most). I looked at her and said it was her turn. She gave me a death stare for about five seconds. I again tried telling her it was her turn, however my tone was a bit more patronizing. She said she was just waiting on me. I then answered in the most belittling quality I could muster with, "By the words it's your turn, that means we're done and it's your turn." This comment induced her to the decision to not deal the cards. I was blown away. We had to call the tournament director over to deal the cards. This was one of the most appalling actions I have ever seen happen at a poker table.
The second event is just as bad. Near the end of her tournament play, her eight-year-old son came running up and asked if Mommy was winning. She brought her kid to a bar for a poker tournament. She's doing a good job of parenting. As a product of a child who was placed in bars every once in a while I will say she is not doing a service for this young boy. Can you believe this? She brought her son. What a lady (again not using it in the English lady manner).
The tournament was fun and we will be back next week. Hopefully, she will not be there. If she is, I will try to be on my best behavior and not get in any fights.

A Slight Contradiction

It has been announced today Michael Moore will be filming a sequel to Fahrenheit 9/11. He is quoted in Thursday's edition of Variety as saying:

"Fifty-one percent of the American people lacked information (in this election) and we want to educate and enlighten them. They weren't told the truth. We're communicators and it's up to us to start doing it now."

Considering it has been proven Moore changed certain details and altered newpaper headings for the first documentary, which won top honors at May's Cannes Film Festival and is being pushed for a nomination in the best film category for the upcoming Academy Awards, this is a slight misconstrued statement. Wouldn't making another film filled with lies about the war in Iraq and Bush's presidency be misinforming the American people? I would think so, but what do I know of politics. I don't even vote.

Trying To Live Out A Dream Can Really Hurt

Saturday night after the tournament James, Clint, Chad, Danny and I went to IHOP to celebrate the victories of our poker group. Four of us made the final table and three of us were in the top four. On our way home we were stopped by a passing train. I have a longing to jump on a train and ride it anywhere. This goal was going to be fulfilled that night.
Or maybe not. Instead, after several tries of running next to the speeding locamotive, I fell on the rocks that make up the incline to the railroad tracks and busted my other hip and leg. That's right. I will now have matching scars on both hips. One from falling out of a moving truck and one from falling down trying to hitch a ride on a train.
After falling on my face...again, I went home doctored myself up, with the advice from my nurse from the last time I fell on pavement at a high velocity, and went to bed with an incessant pain in my shoulder.
The sad thing is the train slowed down more after I fell on the ground. If I hadn't hurt myself, I could have easily made it on the train then. Oh well, I will have to try again some other day when I am fully healed and prepared for the journey down hobo lane.

1st Annual Getting Kicked In The Junk By Pocket Aces Tournament Results

The following are the results for 23 entrants in our tournament on November 6:
23 - Shaun Peach
22 - Joe
21 - Mike Steed
20 - Jim Anderson
19 - Brian Simmons
18 - Joey
17 - Ben
16 - Brent Hale
15 - Wayne
14 - Justin L.
13 - Cody Ragsdale
12 - Miguel
11 - Chad Boase (barely missed that final table)
10 - Josh Bishop (I suck, his words not mine)
9 - James Miller
8 - Clint H.
7 - Brad
6 - Jeff
5 - Jay Beavers
4 - Matt Cook (wheeeeee)
3 - Clint McWilliams (won $75)
2 - Justin (won $150)

And winning $350 and the first championship of Getting Kicked In The Junk By Pocket Aces is...
Danny Zumwalt

Congratulations Danny. The group is proud of you. Way to keep the championship within our circle of players.

Poker Entry No. 4

November 6, 2004
Players: 23
Entry Fee: $25
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 4
Winnings: $0

This poker night was the 1st Annual Getting Kicked In The Junk By Pocket Aces Tournament. I did very well, 4th to be exact, but didn't win any money. I really didn't make any mistakes either. I got pocket Q's once and Danny went all in with pocket 4's. He caught a 4 and this put me on a short stack for the rest of the tournament, however still finished 4th.
I did make one impressive call on a guy named Ben. I had pocket K's and raised pre-flop. Ben called. The flop was A-J-low card. I bet and he called. The turn was a J. We both checked. The last card was an A. I had two pair, but an A or J beat me. I checked and he bet a significant amount, about $4,000. I thought about what he would have, probably an A or J. I started to say "I fold," and I had my cards ready to throw into the middle when I noticed he cracked a small grin. Immediately I said call and he did not look pleased. He flipped over Q-10. I won with my higher two pair.
Other than these hands, no other was too great to remember. I played very well, but the Q's against the 4's hand hurt a lot and cost me being in the money. It was a fun tournament and I am proud of myself for the way I played in it, despite not winning any money.

I'm A New Man

That's right. I have taken one step closer to being a real man. I don't mean man as in turning 13 and Mazel Tov, I'm a man (I'm not Jewish by the way). I mean manhood. Opening beers with your teeth. Fixing the washer with your power tools. Macho macho man.
The degree to which my growth has stemmed is I changed the oil in my car yesterday by myself. I didn't pay Earl or Jose $35 to change it for me while I sat in the cold, odor-repelling stocked, yet still quite smelly, waiting room with the soccer moms and 16-year-olds. I got in the grunge clothes, crawled under my car and used tools to give my car life for another 3,000 miles. Here's to the high life.
I suggest all of society do this. It will only cost you $8 to buy the necessary equipment and another $27 to buy the oil filter and oil, however this oil is enough to get through two-and-a-half changes. So when broken down, it will only cost about $15-20 per oil change instead of $35. That is some big savings when you are poor like me. Well, until the next 3,000 miles I should be clean and oil free.

Small Town America

As some of you may know already, I love the road trip. I think it is one of the greatest things to do on a sunny afternoon. Get in the car and go somewhere you have never been before. It's an invigorating feeling. Roll the windows down, get a bag of sunflower seeds, put in some Pete Yorn (that was for you James) and let the good times roll.
I have made many great road trips in my lifetime. I enjoy seeing America and wish to see more of it before I die. A good road trip was driving my new (I use that term loosely) car back from California with my Dad. Another great one was going to Las Vegas for the 1st Annual Getting Kicked In The Junk By Vegas road trip. Yeah, that was a good one.
Well, I have come upon a new venture I would like to embark on. I will need some feedback from you, the reader, though. What I would like to do is find a tiny town in America, one that would remind you of Mayberry. I don't want any corporation or big business to have defiled the city limits of our quaint village. It should be filled with Mom and Pop stores. I wish to travel to this city and live there for at least one week. I want to experience small town America for seven days or more.
When I arrive in my new settlement, I want it to take about 13 minutes for every resident to know a stranger is in town. If you know of any city with this type of description, please let me know. I don't mind if it is far away. I am willing to make the road trip. That's half the adventure. Please respond with some sort of city I can look into. Actually, if I can't find a website about the city because it is so small, that might be better. Let me know what you think.

A Hundred Thousand Dollar Idea

I came up with a bumper sticker last night that would have made me many hundos. We've all heard, "Don't blame me. I voted for the other guy." Well, in Florida after the 2000 election I would have mass produced, "Don't blame me. I accidentally voted for him."

A Lesson Learned Is A Lesson Earned

Yesterday I substituted for a P.E. coach. I discovered it's a lot more fun to be in P.E. when you are the student than when you are the coach. I had forgotten a gym is one large echo chamber and when 80 kids are screaming and running around, it can get a little loud in there. It was not enjoyable and I have learned to stay away from P.E. classes.
Another lessoned I have learned is kids are liars. They will not necessarily lie but stretch the truth. The only plus about my job yesterday was I got to break up three different fights. With one fight, I restrained a child by pushing his neck. This act of aggresion was then passed along as I choked the child. The fib even grew to say I picked him up by his neck. This kid weighed 300 pounds easily, and it wasn't muscle.
Needless to say, I was not reprimanded for acting the way I did. In fact, the other coaches said I didn't need to worry at all. When they heard the story about me picking the kid up by his neck with one hand, they looked at me and decided to disregard the accusation. Good choice.
The kids were a little funny because the friends of the boy I supposedly picked up started asking what my name was and where I lived. They didn't get much out of me. I'm hard to crack.

The Easiest Day Ever

Today was a great day. I went to sub at a high school for a basketball coach this morning at 6:45. I'm talking in the a.m. for those of you who don't know me. I don't do 6:45 a.m. unless it's when I'm returning from a poker game somewhere in Arlington. The reason it was great is because I only had to be there for the first class and then I was sent home. His conference period was during second block and his last two classes were basketball practice. Needless to say, they didn't need me for that. So, I went home. I was home by 9:30. Again, this is all in the a.m.
Next, my friend Chad spent the night because his air conditioning was out at his newly built home. Hope he kept the receipt. My roommate James, Chad and I decided to play some PartyPoker.com. We played two tournaments and placed third in the first tourney and fourth in the final tourney. After lunch at Capt. Billy Wizzbang's Hamburgers, which is practically an Arlington landmark, I went back to my mom's computer to finish up some work and decided to play in one more tournament. This one I finished first in. Oh happy day.
I'm now going to go home and do some laundry and watch a movie. I'll probably watch Frankenstein. I love that movie.

Oh Happy Day

Weeeeeee! I have hit 100 visitors. What a wonderful day. Share in the joy with me.

Thank God For The Blessings

Since becoming a substitute, I have been around many types of kids. The tries-too-hard-to-be-cool kid is very popular. The tries-too-hard-to-be-different kid is now into cutting, which is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. It's not even attempting suicide, which is a cry for attention in itself. Cutting is the biggest scream you can belt out.
While looking at some of these kids work, I have learned three things. The first is my heart goes out to the kids who don't understand their work but still try as hard as they can to do their best. What an arousing feat this child does to not have any clue what the answer is and have to ask for help four times, but he/she still tries. That's very encouraging.
The second thing I've learned is kids are too dramatic today. I don't remember being so sensational in high school and junior high. Was I? Did I write poems about how the only true peace is eternal sleep which I'm looking forward to someday? No, I didn't. I was normal.
The final thing I have learned is most students, while some resist this stereotype, are stupid. I mean they are really dumb. They can't add. They can't write a coherent sentence. I want to write this blog to God and thank Him for making me smart. I'm not trying to sound conceited, but I know I am not stupid. I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. I can edit a poorly written sentence. I can learn to do just about anything, except chemistry. The sciences are my Achilles' heel.
I had a class the other day with 14 kids. You know how many could write out 6,347,592.019. Zero. They couldn't figure out where the commas or hyphens went or how to spell forty. The answer is six million, three hundred forty-seven thousand, five hundred ninety-two and nineteen thousandths for the 15-year-olds who didn't know that. Is it really so hard to spell this, especially when 75% of the words are on the chalkboard or walls of the classroom.
I would just like You to know I am grateful for everything You have given me. Thank you for the blessings I have in my life.

Happy Birthday Cassidy

I wanted to wish you a happy birthday on my blog.

A Touching Story

As I was browsing the blogs, I came across this story. I have a fascination with Asian culture and find their history and stories extremely interesting. If I had normal emotions like a regular human being I would say this story moves me, however it doesn't. I just thought others might like it.

The Butterfly Lovers [Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Tai]
In feudal China when women were confined to their homes and love by choice results in condemnation, there was a girl from a wealthy family who seeked to defy the norms of society. Her name is Zhu Ying Tai. With a desire to be educated, she took on a male identity and set off for Hang Zhou.
It was there where Zhu Ying Tai met Liang Shan Bo, a fellow schoolmate. They soon became close friends and were enjoying each other’s company, and Liang Shan Bo all the while oblivious to Zhu Ying Tai true gender.
However upon completion of their studies, it was time for the two of them to depart. Zhu Ying Tai, hiding her love for Liang Shan Bo all the while, thought of a plan so that she can see Liang Shan Bo again. She offered “his” sister’s hand for marriage, and urged Liang Shan Bo to visit “his” parents soon to raise the marriage issue. Liang Shan Bo promptly agreed.
A year passed and Liang Shan Bo finally arrived at Zhu Ying Tai residence. He was overwhelmed with joy as he realized Zhu Ying Tai real identity, and also that Zhu Ying Tai was deeply in love with him. The couple’s happiness was short lived, as they learnt that Zhu Ying Tai father had already betrothed Zhu Ying Tai to a rich man.
Liang Shan Bo returns, devastated. He grieved upon the misfortune that had befallen on him and Zhu Ying Tai, and alas, died on his way back home. Zhu Yin Tai, upon learning the died of Liang Shan Bo, made up her mind that since she was not fated to unite with Liang Shan Bo in mortal world, she would do so in the nether world. She pretended to agree to the marriage, given that the marriage procession must pass by Liang Shan Bo grave.
Her request was granted and ill-fated Zhu Ying Tai weeped grievously before Liang Shan Bo grave. Dark clouds gathered and a strong wind began to blow. And as if heaven was abiding by Zhu Ying Tai wish, a stroke of lightning flashed across the sky and the grave cracked open Zhu Ying Tai jumped into the opened grave.
The sky cleared and the gusts of wind ceased. Emerged from the grave were two beautiful butterflies, dancing freely and happily side by side. Once again Liang Shan Bo and Zhu Ying Tai were reunited and never to be separated again.

Observation Of The Day

I have recently been clicking the "next blog" icon to browse other people's blog. I have learned three new things about the world around me.
1. Most blogs are run by free-spirited, youthful, idiotic teenagers or college kids. However, I somewhat knew that before today.
2. It is about the time for midterms throughout universities of America. Man, I don't miss those things, not that I really spent a lot of time studying for them in the first place. I usually ended up playing online poker or pass the pigs instead.
3. If a blog isn't run by an under-aged political advisor, it is run by an equally misinformed voter. I should go through random blogs and see who is voting for whom and check in November to see if that person wins the election. Hmmmm.
This is the observation for the day.

Book Recommendation

I recently finished The Case for Christ. I thought the book was great. It raised many questions that a doubting person may have about Jesus Christ and whether he really did everything the Bible says he did. I was enthralled by the explanations the specific experts gave about Jesus and I am now reading The Case for Faith. I read 60 pages today at work (it was a slow day at T. A. Howard Middle School) and I can't wait to read more of it.
This book is asking eight questions about how we can trust and rely on our faith in God. Lee Strobel, the author of both works, does an excellent job of asking the questions I have asked all my life. I recommend the books to anyone who wishes to learn more about their religious beliefs in Jesus Christ and Christianity or is doubting the validity of Christianity and God.

A Restless Night

I didn't sleep very well last night. I woke up around 3:00 a.m. and couldn't go back to bed. I then found myself waking up at 5:22 a.m. I didn't even know I had fallen asleep. It was that kind of night. Then I woke up again about 6:00 a.m. and had to decide whether to go back to bed for twenty minutes before I had to get up to go to work (ha, it's still funny to use that word) and risk oversleeping or get up and start getting ready. I decided to gamble and wouldn't you know it, the house won. I slept in until 7:08 a.m. I had to rush and get ready to be at the school I was subbing at by 7:30. Luckily I'm a boy and can do that kind of thing.
I have had a headache all day and the kindergarteners aren't helping it. They aren't being bad, they just are disruptive. I would never be a kindergarten teacher. I don't think I would like teaching any elementary grade. They just aren't learning stuff I would be interested in teaching. I want to teach English or history. Maybe even geography and teach about different cultures from around the world. That would be nice.
I watched a movie yesterday that inspired me a little more to want to teach. The name of the movie is Blackboard Jungle. It is an earlier version of Dangerous Minds. I liked the movie a lot. It was made in 1955 and starred a young Sidney Poitier. It was also the first movie to use rock and roll in it. It was a great film that inspired me to want to be a mentor to young adults.
However, being published recently also has stirred me to write again. This blog has always been an outlet for me but it sometimes seems I am writing about nothing. I'll admit, poker stories aren't really great literature. Yet some of the things I have written have been entertaining and thought provoking. Maybe not. Well, hopefully my kids won't be too rambunctious when they get back. I could use a small break from them.

I'm A Real Author

Since graduating in May of 2003 with a journalism degree, I have used my knowledge and ability to write very seldomly. I have edited a few papers for friends and I wrote a remembrance for both of my grandmothers when they died. Other than this, I haven't really expressed myself in the art of writing.
However, a couple of weeks ago I decided to do a film review on one of the many sites I look at for news about my hero James Bond. I critiqued You Only Live Twice, which is the fifth movie in the series. The website told readers they could review the film and if the analysis was good enough they would post it on the film's review page.
I didn't think much of it. I really just wanted to do a little writing and didn't plan on having it published. Yet, as of yesterday, the publishers of mi6.co.uk have printed my review. I am now a published author. Sure, it's a dorky website for Bond fanatics, but I still have a review published on a site based out of England. How cool is that.
Oh yeah, well I don't care what you say. I'm proud of myself. I won't be disgraced by your lack of respect for my accomplishment.
If you would like to read the review here is the link: http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/movies/yolt_reviews.php3?t=yolt&s=yolt.
I have decided to complete a critique for the next movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Hopefully I can get this one published also. Wish me luck.

1st Annual Getting Kicked In The Junk With Pocket Aces Poker Tournament

The following are all rules and information you will need for the tournament James, my roommate, and I are hosting.
The price is $25 and the tournament will begin at 3:00 p.m. Let me repeat that. We will begin at 3:00 p.m. and if you do not arrive on time you will not be in the tournament unless you have already paid your fee to either James, Chad, Clint or myself. If you have a gauranteed seat we will pull your blinds until you arrive.
The payout structure will pay one person for every ten entrants, and paying at least three winners (even if only 29 people show), with first winning about 50% of the pot.
You will begin with $25,000 in chips and the following is the blind structure:
3:00-4:00: $100-200
4:00-5:00: $200-400
5:00-5:10: Break
5:10-6:10: $300-600
6:10-7:10: $400-800
7:10-7:20: Break
7:20-7:50: $500-1,000
7:50-8:20: $600-1,200
8:20-8:50: $700-1,400
8:50-9:20: $800-1,600
9:20-9:30: Break
9:30-10:00: $900-1,800
10:00-10:30: $1,000-2,000
10:30-11:00: $1,500-3,000
11:00-11:30: $2,000-4,000
11:30-11:40: Break
11:40-12:10: $2,500-5,000 with a $200 ante
12:10-12:40: $3,000-6,000 with a $300 ante
12:40-1:10: $3,500-7,000 with a $300 ante
1:10-1:40: $4,000-8,000 with a $400 ante
1:40-1:50: Break
1:50-2:20: $4,500-9,000 with a $400 ante
2:20-2:50: $5,000-10,000 with a $500 ante
2:50-3:20: $6,000-12,000 with a $600 ante
3:20-3:50: $7,000-14,000 with a $700 ante

As people are knocked out of the tournament, we will always have tables with as equal numbers as possible and blinds will only be skipped when necessary. The blinds will either skip or be skipped, depending on the situation. If you would like an explanation of how this works all you have to do is ask and I will tell you.
If you are interested in this tournament, please comment on this blog with your name, phone number and how you heard about this tournament or e-mail James at jamesu2@aol.com. If you would like to gaurantee a seat, let me know so we can get your money and have a place ready for you at the tournament.

F*@% This Game!

I just played in the worst poker game ever. The blind structure was terrible. The players were worse. It was set in the basement of a church. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. The only problem with this game was that I showed up to it. The lesson learned is never go again.

Principles And Principals Complete

As of 11:26 p.m. on October 13, 2004, I am now back in the system at Duff Elementary. Chad and I placed my cement block with handprints and signature in the ground. It looks beautiful and I will go up there at least once a week to observe its graceful presence along the sidewalk. I hope to have a picture taken and place it on this site, but we will see. Hope you can visit my legacy someday.
On a side note, Chad threw me out of a moving vehicle last night. I ripped up my hip and knee but I will live. Chad sped up a hill as I was grabbing some Kerry/Edwards signs and when I jumped in the bed of the truck, some boards I was sitting on began to slide out. I decided jumping and trying to run was better than falling on the boards. I wasn't able to run fast enough and I fell on my face. Luckily my hands took most of the blow. I'll be okay, but I have a slight limp. It was worth it however, because thinking about Clint coming out to look at a Kerry/Edwards sign is extremely funny to me.

Will A Sign In Your Yard Really Change My Political View?

I don't understand why people put presidential ads in their yards. Is it just to let me know you are voting for Bush or am I supposed to jump on your bandwagon? I don't put signs in my front yard except for Yard Sale signs. No one cares.
I really hate the Jones Tax signs. Whether you're for or against a stadium in Arlington is your own business. Nobody cares. Go vote and if someone asks which way you went, then tell them. Otherwise don't share it with anyone.
In my opinion, the only dumber idea than the presidential yard sign is the presidential bumper sticker. Especially the "Don't blame me. I voted for the other guy." Those are just idiotic.
Although I hate those signs as much as I do, Chad and I are going to take Kerry/Edwards signs and start putting them in Clint's yard. We want to see how long this can go until he figures out it is us and threatens to kick our ass. Of course, if Clint still reads my blog then he will find out before we ever put one in his lawn. Oh well, it will be funny to us.

Principles And Principals Update

Back in May I made a special stop at my old elementary school and noticed I had a very unique piece of memorabilia taken away from me. After discussing the situation with administration, I was given permission to replace the specific article with a new one that would be homemade. Well, the time has come.
I believe Chad and I will be breaking ground tonight. We built the formation for my handprint block and layed the cement on Sunday. Other than a shallow "A" in MATT, it looks great. We plan on traveling to the school tonight and digging the hole to plant the cement. If all goes well, I will have my legacy back by tomorrow morning.
If you haven't heard about this story, please go under the May 2004 link to the right and find the title Principles and Principals. It is a funny story and will bring you up to speed about where we are today. Also let me assure everyone I don't necessarily feel that a block of cement is this important. It's that I wasn't told I would no longer be remembered at the school that bothers me so. No letter, no call, no fax to my office (oh, wait). What's up with that? Couldn't I at least get a heads up before I took my little cousin to brag about my legacy.
Oh well, I have been compensated fully and am grateful to the Arlington Independent School District for being extremely understanding and thoughtful, and for giving me a job as a substitute. Thank you AISD!

Poker Entry No. 3

October 9, 2004
Players: 17
Entry Fee: $25
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 3
Winnings: $50

This was an extremely fun game. It was in Weatherford and the guys who played in it were a lot of fun, however not that good. Clint, Chad and I entered the tournament and if Clint hadn't had his pocket A's taken down by A-K it would have been Clint, Chad and myself in the final three.
I made two mistakes, however I salvaged the mistakes by winning one hand and keeping the other mistake to a minimal loss.
First mistake: I limped in with K-5 suited to see a flop. I had about $110 and to limp was $2. I hit two spades on the flop with the highest card on the board being a 9. The first guy, Barry, bet $5. The second guy, named Chad (not our Chad), went all in with another $31. I should have thrown away the hand right there, however I said to myself, I can manage a $36 loss with these guys and be okay. So I decided I wanted to call Chad's bet, however I had Barry behind me. I thought if I go all in also, Barry probably won't call. Nobody, unless they had a great hand would call two all ins. So I pushed all my chips in after thinking about all this in about two minutes time. Barry asked how much more it was to call. Not a good sign. I said $72. He called almost immediately. Well, I'm beat. My tournament is over.
Barry flipped his cards over and said he had an open-ended straight draw. He called two all ins on a straight draw. Wow. Yet I can't complain too much because I called an allin with a flush draw. Chad had A-J of diamonds. He had nothing, yet he was winning at the time. I needed a spade badly. The turn came with a K. Now I'm in the lead with a pair of kings. Chad needed an A that wasn't a spade and Barry needed a Q or a 6, again not a spade. I was happy with my winning hand but I wanted a spade to be sure. The last card was a red 2. I won the hand. It sent me to $250.
Lesson #1: That hand was a miracle for me. It's also what got me to the final table, however I shouldn't have called Chad's all in for that much on a flush draw.
Second mistake: I was dealt pocket J's. The table had four of us at it (and one of those was Chad, our Chad). I raised $25, with blinds being $5-10. One guy, named Joe, just called and the second, Smiley, raised another $20. Not a legal raise, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I raised another $25. Joe called both bets and Smiley called. I'm beat right now by one of them and the other probably has overs (I'm guessing A-K). The flop came with a Q and two under-cards. I'm second to act. Smiley bet $20. I should fold, however now I have pot odds. I call and Joe calls. The next card is a blank. There is no flush draw or feasible straight draw. Smiley bets another $20. Again, I should fold but I called for the pot odds of hitting a Jack or winning the hand, which I'm pretty sure I wouldn't without the third Jack. Joe also called. The last card was another blank. Smiley checked. I knew better than to bet. I checked also. Joe checked out of fear I suppose. I flip over my Jacks not too confidently. Smiley proudly and loudly yells Kings. He had the pocket pair. Joe confidently turns over his Aces and said, "Yes, Aces." Another pocket pair.
Lesson #2: I shouldn't have re-raised. I didn't drive the point I wanted with these guys. They just don't have the skills to understand what a re-raise means. However in hindsight, I wouldn't fold with pocket A's or K's either.
Except for these two mistakes I played very well. The tight, but aggresive play is doing very well for me.

Poker Entry No. 2

October 2, 2004
Players: 13
Entry Fee: $10
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 5
Winnings: $0

This game was at Mike Steed's house. I enjoyed playing with them and had a good time. There were a couple of incredibly stupid people, however we will keep names to ourselves. I only made two mistakes at this game. One was an incredibly stupid mistake. We will start with the second and more crushing mistake.
Second mistake: Two hands before my exit I had very little money and tried bluffing at someone who was a call station. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. I had limped in to see the flop with A-6 offsuit. I didn't hit anything and we both checked it on the flop. I decided to try and win the pot on the turn and he called my bet. I only had $14 left, with blinds being $4-8. I decided to fold when he bet on the river and I went all in two hands later when I was the big blind.
Lesson #1: I shouldn't have bluffed the guy. I knew he would call me.
First mistake: My first mistake was a miscalculated judgment. I had K-J suited and raised $8 when blinds were $1-2. Mike went all in for another $9.50. I didn't want to call and I should have folded it, but I already put $10 in the pot and didn't want to see it go away so easily. In addition, I was the chip leader at our table and could lose another $9 without it being terribly hard hitting.
Lesson #2: I shouldn't have raised so much and I could have gotten away from the hand easier.

Poker Entry No. 1

September 25, 2004
Players: 30
Entry Fee: $30
Rebuys: N/A
Place: 17
Winnings: $0

I played great in this game. I was playing tight, but aggresive. I hadn't lost a showdown for two hours. After a while, I had a lot of table respect. However, I made one mistake that led to two more mistakes.
First mistake: I had 7-8 suited. I had limped in to see a flop. The flop was 5, 6, 10. There were two spades on the board. I didn't have spades. The big blind checked it. I checked. The old man behind me checked. The turn was a Q. Big blind checks. I started to think about my options. I could check and hope to see a free card, however if I didn't get the straight, I was probably going to lose. As I was thinking, the old man behind me wasn't paying attention and thought it was on him. He said check. The dealer asked if he could proceed. I said I hadn't decided what to do. I chose to take a stab at taking the pot down right there. I bet $4,000. This was about four times the amount of the big blind. It also left me with about $15,000. The old man called. I put him on a flush draw. The big blind folded. The last card was a blank. It helped neither of us, if I was correct on his flush draw. I knew he hadn't made his hand, but I was too scared to bet half of my stack, which is about how much it would take to get the guy out if I was correct. I went against my better judgment and didn't bet. He checked also and flipped over A-8 of spades. He was on the flush draw, just like I thought. This burned me up that I went against my first thought.
Lesson #1: Trust your judgement. Your first thought is usually the right move.
Second mistake: I got J-10 offsuit. I usually limp with this hand, but the blinds were $1,000-2,000 and I only had $15,000 left. I also was steaming a bit from the previous hand. I wanted to play it so bad, but I went against my first thought and threw it away. A pair of J would have taken the pot. I was not as upset about this mistake as I was about the first.
Lesson #2: Don't let past hands affect your playing on a new hand.
Third mistake: My final mistake sent me out of the tournament. The guy after the big blind went all in pre-flop. I had a feeling he was pretty confident with his hand. I looked at my cards and saw pocket J's. Usually I am fairly excited when I have pocket J's. It is a good hand and mostly has to be outdrawn with a Q, K or A to be beaten. However, for some unknown reason I wasn't too thrilled about having it. I pondered the call, because the guy went all in with more chips than me (about $7,000) more. I had a feeling I was beat, yet against my better judgment I called. The guy flipped over K's. I had to outdraw the guy and I didn't.
Lesson #3: If you know your beat, and you don't have many outs, fold the hand.
Three times I knew I should do something and I went against that feeling. That is why I lost the tournament.

My Own Personal Poker Notebook

I've decided to keep a journal about my poker tournaments and cash games. However, instead of writing it all down in a notebook, I will put it in here. It will save space and I can just click on the page I am looking for instead of flipping through pages to find some entry I put six months ago.
I would also like to add, this is really for me, so you could possibly be bored. If you aren't into poker, then you might not want to read any entry that has the title "Poker Entry No. __." Yet if you like hearing about my interesting tales at the tables, then I welcome you to read and add any input you may have. But I don't want to begin fights. Don't be an a-hole with your comments.

I've Come About With A Change Of Heart

In the past I have said a few unnecessary and rude comments about George Lucas. I even launched an investigation into how I could bring the man (just the man, not "the Man") down. However, due to recent events I have decided to give the guy a break. Let me explain why.
I believe films are a style of artwork and piece of history. I have blogged about this subject before. While some movies are more beautiful and inspiring pieces of artwork, all deserve to be recorded in books and reference guides for future generations to use as a tool to understand our social views and misunderstood shortcomings.
With that I will also say I am more than moderately passionate about the Star Wars films. These movies established a new genre of film. It was the beginning of the sci-fi action movie. We had sci-fi films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Day the Earth Stood Still, but nothing had been seen like Episode IV: A New Hope. George Lucas had created a stunning world full of both humans and aliens living together a long time ago in a supposed galaxy far, far away. His vision was accepted with open arms and has created a cult following rivaled only by Trekkies and newly rediscovered Hobbits.
I have always complained about wanting the original versions of the first three Star Wars movies (Episode IV, V and VI). I still want this. I am not giving up on the vision of owning the original masterpieces on DVD someday, however I have a new hope (see what I did there) that others will come to understand George Lucas' attitude about his films.
This is the first reason for my retraction. They are his films. He can do whatever he wants to them that he pleases. I recently read an interview concerning Lucas and his films at the following website: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/ap/20040915/109528362999.html. It basically says the originals were not perfect. He envisioned a much greater film with much more special effects and graphics. He now has the ability to transform his films to what he originally wanted. However, this is going to bother the majority of the public because we feel he is ruining a masterpiece. What he adds to the films are both impressive and cheesy. The scenes connecting small areas in a city to a grand aerial view of the metropolis are impressive. Yet, then he cancels it out by adding an abominable camel-like creature that looks as if an eight year old stumbled onto the computer and discovered Adobe Illustrator for the first time. George, a CG panoramic view of Mos Eisley, good. A CG Ton Ton, bad.
Although I am still a little bitter about the computer graphics, I really am glad the old movies are finally on DVD. Which leads me to the next reason for my retraction on George Lucas. I bought the four disc DVD pack at Fry's Electronics for $36.99. Best Buy had it for $41.99, as did Amazon.com. Most executives who owned the rights to the most anticipated trilogy DVD pack would list a retail price of at least $59.99. Lucas, however, has shown me he doesn't necessarily care about the money. He wants his vision to be perfect, not a jillion more dollars. He has shown a token of good faith and I will accept it as a peace offering.
George Lucas, I will bow out and let you live in peace. However, if Episode III sucks, like many think it will, I will strike back (I did it again, did you catch it). I hope to someday see the Star Wars originals on DVD, but I will settle for the tainted, but still visually stunning, releases I have recently purchased.

When Will Reality TV Be Realistic?

As a rule of thumb, I try not to watch reality television. I don't believe in it. Personally, I think Ed McMahon going to a person's door is more like reality tv than any survivor or Joe somebody show.
I never really got into The Real World either as a kid. I kind of liked Road Rules, but I still didn't glue myself to the television when it aired. I can never contribute any opinion in a conversation about how kicking Puck out of the house during the San Francisco season changed the show forever.
There are three reasons I don't believe any reality show. The first being they are very far from reality. In The Real World, they are given amazing jobs, an incredible home and no other responsibility. They don't pay rent or bills. They can screw up at their job and won't get fired. Where is this reality? I am close to living this good of a life, but I still have far to go to be like these guys and girls. I would need to move in with a gay guy, a troublemaker, an innocent girl next door who will get laid in the next three months, a girl who is experimenting with her sexuality and a can-do-no-wrong guy with dimples as deep as the Mariana Trench.
How about Survivor? The people who win those shows would never really survive on a deserted island in the South Pacific or the Outback. The winners should be the ex-Navy guys and outdoorsmen (by the way, women can fall under these guy and men examples). Also, when a team runs out of food, is it realistic that a crate of rice just happens to wash up on shore. Come on, where is the reality in this? Tom Hanks got a port-a-potty, not a crate with a gps satelite, flare gun and some food. Don't misundrstand me, I realize Cast Away is not realistic either, but it is much closer than this show.
The second reason I don't like reality television is because the producers lead you in the direction they want you to go. I've learned enough about film and broadcasting to know the editors of shows like Survivor and The Bachelor are cutting and splicing the show for the best possible ratings, not the most accurate display of reality.
In my opinion, a director is not needed for reality tv. A director's responsibility is to provide us with the vision we should see. He begins the cameras rolling and controls the environment for the audience. Reality television shouldn't need any of this. The editor splices the film to manipulate our attitude about Omarosa and her work ethic. In reality television, the cameras should be rolling constantly and the environment is supposed to be natural and not tampered with in any way.
The third and final reason I don't like reality television is because of The Donald. Yes, Mr. Donald Trump has pushed it too far. I haven't been totally honest so far. I have watched a full season of two different reality shows. The first was Joe Millionaire. I wanted to see what the reaction of these women would be when they found out he wasn't rich. I can admit, I was sucked in after the first few episodes, however I never watched the second season and will never watch another season if they ever try that gimmick again. The second show was The Apprentice. I was a huge fan of Troy. I still believe in my heart he should have been given the job.
With only two full seasons and a couple of forced viewings of other shows here and there like The Bachelor and American Idol, I can say with full confidence that Trump has pushed me to never watch reality tv ever again. If anyone watched last weeks task and firing, they will agree that Bradford being fired was the poorest decision making ever executed since Napoleon deciding not to rest for the winter of 1812 on his march through Russia.
Although Bradford did choose unwisely to renege on his exemption, he didn't belong in the board room. If he had been available to choose before the exemption, Ivana wouldn't have even considered the thought of taking him in to be criticized. He had done an exceptional job on both tasks. However, Ivana was stupid and chose him as a possible contestant for firing. Okay, so Ivana made a mistake and Bradford was put in the board room, forgivable. Trump should have given him a pass. He should have said, "Learn from your mistake and lead these women to a win next week." Instead, for ratings and money, he chose to make a spectacle of Bradford. Well, I'm not going to fall for it. I will not continue to watch the circus that Trump is leading and I hope others will join me in this peaceful boycott of The Apprentice.
Although I hate reality tv and will not watch anymore, I understand reality tv is where American television is headed. Everything will soon be reality tv. I would bet sitcoms become reality tv. When will we have great shows like I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Honeymooners and Alf again?

I'm Back Baby!

It's official. I now work for the man again. Last Monday I started a three day subbing gig at Williams Elementary in Arlington. My first day was very overwhelming but it was because I had no time to prepare. The second and third days were great. I had everything ready to go and I had gone over the lesson plan in my head the day before.
Except for making one kid named Treyvon cry, I think I did a pretty good job. I am upset to be under the man's thumb again, but I am happy to be a part of society again. If I have learned anything in the last three days, it is this: show respect to those who deserve it, display obedience and ask permission to do certain activities.
I showed my newfound outlook at my home group last night. When my leader asked someone to read, I would raise my hand to get permission to do so. Brandy, a friend of mine who stayed in the singles home group even though she and Danny recently got married, was utterly speechless when she saw how behaved I was being. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
I can't wait to get another sub job and mold the children's mind, head and brain. It was a great honor to be their teacher.

News Flash: Matt Breaks Down For Dr. Pepper

We all knew I wouldn't make it a week. I was out to eat last night, a Dr. Pepper was ordered for me and I couldn't turn it down. After chugging half of the tall glass of sweet sugar cane, I was completely satisfied with my choice to break down and get back on the hard stuff.
On the up side, my headache is gone and my twitch has subsided. Just kidding about having a twitch. I'm not that bad. Oh well, it's good to be back where I was three days ago.

I'm An Addict

As of yesterday, I decided to clean out the system and get off of Dr. Pepper for a week. I try doing this every so often. Usually it doesn't make it past three days. However, this time I am sticking to my plan. I can beat Dr. Pepper. I can kick the habit.
Yet, I am noticing small side-effects to my state of mind since I got off the hard stuff. I have become more grumpy than usually. I've had a headache and this morning I woke up with a sore throat. This could all be attributed to something else, yet it makes me think without Dr. Pepper, Matt gets angry. Should I break down and go back to the juice or stick to it and fight through the hard times? I hear the first 48 hours are the worst. If I can just make it through the next day I should be okay. We will see. I will let you know how I come out of this.
What I do know is the first sip of a Dr. Pepper on Wednesday will be the sweetest thing I have ever tasted.

Peace Is The Answer

I am assuming my friends have made peace since the Battle of the Blog was a bust. I am hoping everything is okay and we can be the bosom buddies we always have been.
Bosom buddies...what is that supposed to mean? Are we breast friends? Oh well, I am glad we might be back to normal.

Battle Of The Blog

I have recently discovered there is about to be a war on my blog. Chad is going to respond to James' comment and I decided to open this entry up to the Battle of the Blog. I ask only for three things: keep the cussing to a minimum, the nudity to a maximum and only take clean shots.
I want my readers to enjoy what is about to go down, however you guys keep to the topic. Try not to stray to personal matters. Keep it to poker and all that encompasses. Say whatever you like but don't make me censor. I don't want to have to do that.
So without further ado, lets get it on...

Please Help

Help is needed. As we all know, I love playing poker. I play in live games at least twice a week. I'm usually pretty good, but sometimes I go through slumps. Although there are probably more flaws with my game than I realize, one problem I know I have is I go on tilt and lose my composure. Tilt is when you let a bad beat or any other bad thing that happens at a poker game affect your game.
My tilt factor is phenomenal. I can go on tilt for five minutes and lose over half my stack of chips. In the last three card games I have played in, I was the chip leader until it came to heads up play with my cousin Clint, who then proceeded to pound on my beaten and broken self. He has killed me three times in a row. I'm not saying he shouldn't have. Clint is a good player who has improved greatly since reading some of the poker books. However, I do think in three games, I should have won at least one of those games. This is where my tilt problem comes into play.
What I would like is for you to help me figure out how to solve my anger management problem. What should I do to fix my tilt? I can't just sit at the table and not think about it. It drives me nuts when I am the chip leader and then ten minutes later, I have dumped half my chips to the other players. Then I get more mad because of what I've done in the last ten minutes and it never ends after that. What can I do?
Send me comments that will give me advice on how to improve my game. If your advice works, you will be compensated. I promise.

Top Ten Poker Players

I've completed a list of my favorite movies. I will now make a list of my other passion. Poker is not a game of luck. It takes a great amount of skill and obedience. A good poker player must know his opponent and can't take a bad beat personally. The following are, in my opinion, the best or my favorite poker players in the world.

10. Sam Farha:
Many will find this choice a little odd. Let me explain why I have chosen Farha as one of the top ten players. First of all, he is only number ten. He barely made the cut. I think he is a good player but their are a lot of other better players. Although, this is a list of my favorite players, not necessarily the greatest. Secondly, he is an aggressive player who likes to play a lot of hands. He should have won the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP), however luck played a factor and Chris Moneymaker stole the title away from Farha. Finally, he is the coolest looking player on Earth. He is a stylish dresser, he is so calm during interviews and he started the greatest trend with the hanging, unlit cigarette. Farha may not win a lot of tournaments but he looks so good playing in them.

9. Amarillo Slim:
Considered to be the greatest proposition bettor there is, he is also a heck of a card player. Amarillo Slim Preston won the 1972 WSOP and has won more money in Pot Limit Omaha and Hold'em games and No-Limit Hold'em. However, where Slim gets most credit is in his crazy and outlandish bets like taking on Bobby Riggs, Wimbeldon champ, in a ping pong game. Yet, Slim got to choose the paddles. He showed up with frying pans and beat the champion. Another peculiar, but profitable, bet was he could drive a golf ball over a mile. He won by hitting it over a frozen lake. My friends and I love making proposition bets and in honor of that, I decided to include Amarillo Slim in this list.

8. Jennifer Harman:
My next claim will probably make a lot of people mad, but I'm going to say it anyway. You don't have too many great female poker players. There are exceptions to this claim, but on the whole they just don't have the same amount of interest or the endurance for it. Jennifer Harman is one of these exceptions. She has learned how to play from experience and she has taught many others how to play through playing a better game than her adversary. Harman is one of the money leaders among women at the WSOP. Like many poker players who make a lot of money but keep a lower profile, she is a cash game specialist and she can regularly be found playing in the biggest live-action game in the world at Bellagio in Las Vegas where she plays up to $3,000-$6,000. Her competitiveness gives her the drive to be one of the best and I predict she will be the first female ever to win the World Series Main Event.

7. Phil Ivey:
Finishing in the top four for three World Poker Tour (WPT) events started Phil Ivey's career off to a sensational start. He finished fourth at Foxwoods, second at Binion's World Poker Open and third at the Bellagio WPT Championship. Ivey, called the Tiger Woods of Poker (probably because he's the only black guy to be seen by anyone at a final table), doesn't think he has reached the pinnacle of his game...yet. He has a great way of reading his opponents and considers each move with the same amount of planning. It is always a shame to see Ivey knocked out because he is the rare young player who has respect for the game, unlike insolent hacks who involve themselves with groups like The Crew.

6. Johnny Chan:
Sometimes I wonder if Johnny Chan really does play poker. Outside of Rounders, a casual poker viewer wouldn't know who Johnny Chan was. He is never at a final table. However, he has recently been put on the Fox Sports Net Poker of Champions. Chan is tied for most WSOP bracelets with an outstanding nine. He achieved back-to-back wins at the WSOP Main Event in 1987 and 1988. I don't necessarily like Johnny Chan, but I can't deny him of a spot on the top ten poker players either.

5. T. J. Cloutier:
Cloutier is a long time player. He has the most tournament wins of every player in the game. He has won over fifty tournaments with a $500 or more buy-in. Cloutier has four WSOP bracelets for wins in 1987, 1994 and 1998. Tom McEvoy has teamed up with Cloutier to write four books. I own Championship No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em. Their other books include Championship Hold'em, Championship Omaha and Championship Tournament Practice Hands. Cloutier has stated, "I might not recognize your name, but if I've played with you before I will remember your face and how you play." This is what makes Cloutier the player he is. He has a great memory for how a person will play certain hands and he pays attention to everything that is happening at the table.

4. Phil Hellmuth Jr.:
I complain a lot about this guy, but I have to admit he is a phenomenal player. Hellmuth is called the Poker Brat because he is to poker what John Mcenroe is to tennis. Like Johnny Chan, he holds nine WSOP bracelets. Yet, he has created a scene at every single event he has entered. He is the youngest player to win the WSOP main event. He accomplished this feat at 24. Hellmuth creates drama to the sport. People love to see him blow up and throw a tantrum about some amateur who shouldn't have stayed in with top pair and great kicker. He is so interesting, ESPN has done two features on him during the 2003 and 2004 World Series of Poker. Hellmuth will continue to win and continue to lose. The question is will he do so like a gentleman or like Phil Hellmuth?

3. Daniel Negreanu:
This is the fastest growing poker pro in 2004. Viewers will remember him winning the U.S. Poker Open in 1999, and any poker enthusiast can see Negreanu is a tremendous player with great skill. He placed third at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament, second at the PartyPoker Million and has created quite a scene at the 2004 WSOP with his many final table appearances. Negreanu has moved up many places in my book and will stay at the top for a while if he keeps up his great playing.

2. Howard Lederer:
The Professor is actually my favorite, however he will be second on this list. This guy is methodical and meticulous. He combines high intellect with extreme competitiveness to produce one of the most revered games in the sport. Lederer won two World Poker Tour titles in 2003 and placed third at the WPT Battle of Champions. Lederer began as a chess master and made the successful switch to poker. What also makes Howard Lederer my favorite poker player is his gentlemanly demeanor. He never whines about how a guy played a hand or if he is outdrawn on the river. He gives respect to the game and I admire him for it.

1. Doyle Brunson:
The man who wrote Super Systems, considered to be the Bible of poker, has to be put as number one. You can't really deny Doyle "Dolly" Brunson the title of best poker player. He has nine WSOP titles (tied with Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth Jr.). Two of those titles are from the main events in 1976 and 1977. He was the first to win a million dollars in a tournament. He is the father of poker. One might argue Brunson hasn't made it to a final table in quite a while, however the guy has been playing and winning at poker for over forty years. He is a legend and will always be number one.

I would like to add one last thing. If I was older or I had been into poker at a younger age, I probably would have added Stu Unger to this list. The little I know about Unger I like. He sounds like he was an amazing player who just couldn't handle himself with his money and other bad habits. He holds the record for most World Series of Poker Main Event titles with three. Two of the titles were won back-to-back. I wish I could have seen Unger play today against the young players of the day.
Also, this list would change as players abilities change so don't hold me to this down the road.

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

I watched Braveheart the other night and after viewing the stirring conclusion with Wallace screaming out "freedom," I was touched. I began to ponder whether we still produce men and women comparable to Wallace. Men used to fight for what they believed in. World War II exhibited teenagers lying about their age so they could fight. Martin Luther King Jr. fought to the death for blacks rights. Where are these men today?
Sure, you have your firefighters and police officers who are newfound heroes after 9/11 and soldiers who risked their lives in the sequel to the Gulf War, but what about those who buck the system to battle the individuals in charge for what they feel is right and virtuous.
Does the hero mentality still exist? Did it end with the Vietnam War? This was a turning point in American history. Not only was it the first war that men stopped volunteering for, but it was vastly rejected by the population. Men didn't want to go fight for something they didn't understand and this mindset has been passed down to their sons. These sons, guys like me, have openly said if the draft was reinstated we would make a run for Canada or Mexico. What a bunch of cowards we are.
Therefore, this leads me to ask again, "Where have all the heroes gone?" Is Michael Moore a hero of the times? Please don't get me wrong, I hate Michael Moore just like you do. Yet, I hate him for different reasons than most. I am upset about his political speech during the 2003 Academy Awards. The Oscars are not a political podium for one to give sermons about our country and its leaders. It is a prestigious awards show. Stick to film speeches. Thank those who got you where you are and get off stage before the music begins to play.
Now back to Moore possibly being a hero. He is a liar and fights dirty, however he is fighting for what he believes in. The target just happens to be our country's leader. You can't praise the man for hard hitting documentaries like Roger and Me and Bowling for Columbine and then ostracize him for Fahrenheit 9/11. I think his tactics are low and his purpose is not heroic, but he believes Bush has acted poorly in office and he has done something about it.
Moore is merely trying to sway the presidential vote in November with his propaganda, but I applaud him for it. No one else had thought to make feature films about presidential candidates until now.
So, is Michael Moore a hero? I doubt it. Yet, if Moore is not a hero, then who is? Who will have movies made about them years from now like William Wallace, King Arthur and Wyatt Earp, making the public aware of their contributions to history and society?
I hope the youth of America will get their act together and stop wasting their time with ridiculous "reality" shows like The Ashlee Simpson Show and The Bachelor and understand they only have one shot to be great and make a difference. Otherwise, life will pass them by and they will realize they missed the most important lesson in life. School isn't about memorizing facts and dates. It is about teaching you to use your brain and think for yourself instead of letting people like Michael Moore spoon feed you what you think you need to know. You have so much information at your fingertips and you are wasting it by looking at porn and MTV all day. Fight for what you believe in and become a hero.