Beginner's Luck

It's been a long, stressful road but I accomplished my goal: I made the playoffs in fantasy football.
It was my first year to take part and my only hope was to not completely humiliate myself and to make the playoffs. I'm not sure how I did with the humiliation aspect of my goal, but at least I made the final rounds.
We will be drafting again Monday for new players who are on teams that are in the playoffs. My opponents are James, Justin and Linda. I eked out a great week when I needed it against Mike and John Bishop. John was making a spectacular run at the playoffs in the last couple of weeks scoring 90-100 points each week. He almost came from behind to snatch the final playoff spot from Mike and me.
Honestly, I could get blown away in the finals and I will be happy with what has happened. I wanted to show with a little luck and some committed learning a person with little knowledge of both football and fantasy leagues could be a factor. I think I have done that... with a little help from some friends.

A Casino Royale Christmas

As if my childish antics and refusal to grow up weren't enough to have many of you wondering what my true age was, one of my Christmas gifts this year will completely baffle you.
My mom bought me a remote control car (from Radio Shack no less) that was so perfect for me it's scary. You might be pondering why a 26-year-old would be so excited about a toy that most 15-year-olds would think they were too old for.
Well, first of all it is because I haven't owned a remote control car in years and I love them. But secondly, and more importantly, this model car is special. It is a 1:12-scale replica of the Aston Martin DBS from "Casino Royale."
When I unwrapped the paper off of the box and saw what it was my eyes lit up like a young boy finding a puppy underneath the Christmas tree or seeing his bicycle with a big red bow taped to the handle bars for the first time.
I had to charge the batteries last night and have not yet been able to get behind the wheel of my new vehicle, but I plan to today after work. I will most assuredly believe that as I move my furniture around to make room for a track that when I begin controlling James Bond's newest vehicle I will become the smooth spy with a heart like ice.
Make fun of me as much as you want, I don't care. I am really excited to make ramps and set up the scene where Vesper is in the roadway as Bond screams along the dark street toward her helpless, bound body.

Merry Christmas!

Another year has passed and it is time to give those special someones their gifts. I hope everyone got what they wanted. The stores weren't really all that bad this year. I went to the mall and Target a couple of time the last two weeks (once yesterday) and I didn't hate life like I have in the past.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from your friendly blogger.

Busting The Bubble

After the first few times of making my grand poker exits on the bubble (which is the highest finish a person can have without getting paid) we all thought it was cute and fun. IT'S NO LONGER CUTE AND IT'S NO LONGER FUN.
My goal for 2007 is one thing and one thing only: not going out on the bubble in a poker tournament. I don't care if I win or if I am first out, as long as I don't become the bubble boy again I will be happy.
I am going to tweak my game and fix a few things here and there in order to figure out what it is that's causing this recurring problem. Hopefully by fixing the leak in my game that causes my bubble exits I will begin to make the money more frequently, but only time will tell.

The Latest 10 Things I'm Out On List

Clint McWilliams began the "Ten Things I'm Out On" list, but here is my latest.

1. Children on leashes. Your kid is not a pet, so don't treat them like one. And especially don't put your kid on a cute leash that is decorated with fake lion fur. Just because you aren't using a metal chain to keep your kid within yanking distance doesn't mean you are any better of a parent.

2. People who wander aimlessly through the mall during Christmas. Have a flight plan and stick to it. I don't want to be stuck behind you while you are pondering your next move.

3. Passive drivers. If you are going to get over then step on the gas and come over. Don't make me slow down to be the nice person and then you contemplate if you can make the gap or not. Just go for it.

4. Those who stare at their cell phone while they are walking in a crowd. I don't care if you think you are the greatest texter on the planet, you are in my way and I want to move. Either walk to where you are going and then converse with your friends electronically or get out of my way.

5. This one I am guilty of so I will have to do something about this. People who own more shirts or other type of clothing for a university they didn't attend than one they did.

6. Tabloids. If you can't report the news accurately then don't report it at all. You give fanboys of whatever rumor you happen to be talking about hope of something that isn't going to happen.

7. People who walk in the middle of the path in a parking lot. Get to the side and let cars go on through.

8. Nicknames for couples: TomKat, Brangelina, Bennifer. Stop it!

9. Poker players who pay to draw for overs and then don't bet if they hit what they were looking for. If you're going to draw out on somebody, have the decency to make some money out of it.

10. Cancer. It's the 21st century's version of the plague. We will reach a point someday when the question isn't, "Will you get cancer?" but, "Will you survive your cancer?"

My Oklahoma Tournament Results

I doubt anyone reading this who cares about my results in the $30,000 Bounty Tournament that took place this past weekend in Oklahoma doesn't yet know what happened, but I will inform you anyway.
There were a total of 77 participants and the play was somewhat decent. A lot of players knew each other and seemed to have played together before. Besides James I didn't really recognize anybody. There was one player who I recognized his screen name from the Weston Poker forum.
The top 12 spots were paid with first place taking home $6,000. Ninth through twelfth place received $700 each. With 13 players left I was my table's chip leader and probably second in chips overall. My situation in the tournament was looking good and James was already making phone calls.
Well, no-limit can be a brutal game, as no more than 10 minutes went by and I went from chip leader to out in thirteenth place. That is right. Out on the bubble.
The hand that crippled me was when I flopped a set of sevens and a guy rivered a flush on me. It was a brutal beat that left me with $1,900 while the blinds were $800-1,600 with a $100 ante. I was gone two hands later with nothing to show for my day except memories of playing aces four times and winning with them every single time.
It was a good tournament that I will play in again if given the opportunity. Things got pretty hectic for about two rounds or so when nobody was getting knocked out and the blinds were starting to rise. If you had told me I was going to go out on the bubble I would have told you to bite your tongue, but come to find out that is how it happened.
Your's truly,
Matt "Bubble Boy" Cook

Due North

For those who haven't yet heard, James and I are taking the skills we have been honing for the last three years with the extra-long tournament and putting it to good use Sunday. A medium size tournament is taking place about three hours north in Oklahoma, about 40 miles south of Oklahoma City. It is a spectacular structure for a $365 tournament and approximately 100 people will be playing. I haven't really thought about the actual tournament much since deciding to play, but now I am starting to think about the drive, the tournament, the possibility of winning $9,000, the possibility of being bounced out really early and having to lower my head in poker shame. It's getting to me.
I will be walking out the door as the lights go down on our skit Sunday at church and jumping in the car to hit the road. And yes, I know how hypocritical it sounds to say I am leaving church to go play poker. Wish me luck and hopefully I will have a happy story for everyone on Monday.

Do you believe in Romo-mentum?

It is hard to deny that Tony Romo has not been a big factor in turning around this Dallas team. Before he took the field we were grumbling about how poor of a team we had and Bledsoe was killing us with his refusal to leave the pocket. Of course, a weak offensive line wasn't helping him very much either, but Romo sometimes has to deal with the same pressure Bledsoe did and he is able to scramble away and get a throw off. Too bad if the throw is to T.O. Owens there is a better than good chance he is going to drop the thing.
The Cowboys had a big day yesterday against the New York Football Giants and I am glad to see that our kicking game has given us some hope. That first wide right miss by Gramatica harkened back to the days of Vanderjagt - you know, a whole week ago.
Since the Cowboys had a good week, I of course had to have a bad week in the realm of fantasy football. A dismal failure on my selection process led to a 35-point finish, which my optimal lineup would have fetched 117 points. Quite a difference. I am not going to say that I am completely out of the playoffs yet, but its not too far fetched of an idea if I can't turn things around next week.

Silver Lining

Since American audiences are letting me down by letting those pesky penguins dance all over the box office for the last two weeks I have been looking for some kind of upside to the entire ordeal, and I think I found it.
Besides the United States, "Casino Royale" has been the number one movie in every International market since its release. And if that isn't enough, this last weekend in the UK, which was the second weekend of its release, Bond brought in more money than the other nine movies in the top ten ... combined. That relieves some of the stress of animated penguins making more money than a cold-blooded assassin working for her Majesty's government.

Blah!

I have become sick and I feel so tired that I can't think of anything to report. I'm hanging in there with fantasy football and "Casino Royale" is making a lot of money, but not as much as "Happy Feet." Stupid penguins.

Casino Royale: An All-Time High

After the first viewing of “Casino Royale” my initial reaction was very clear: not only is it one of the best movies of the series, but also Daniel Craig steps into the role with ease and confidence.
I wasn’t sure how I would react to Bond’s first “00” mission, considering my nervousness was outweighing my anticipation. Instead of giving a broad overview of the film and my opinion of it I have decided to review elements of the film that make Bond movies what they are and explain how the producers either stuck to the formula or altered it in order to keep the franchise fresh.

Bond:
I have no problem admitting my reluctance with the choice of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond. The photograph almost every media publication used to announce his unveiling exhibited an almost unknown actor (which I liked) with a tired, worn face who looked uncomfortable in his suit (which I didn’t like). However, things have changed a bit since then. Craig put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role and his scenes in a bathing suit proves it. Besides having the body of a healthy, well-built spy, Craig spent countless hours rehearsing his fight scenes in order for it to look authentic, which it does.
Besides the look, Craig puts forth all of his acting efforts to show a different side of the secret agent we know. Craig was lucky enough to be given the chance to let audiences find out how Bond becomes the tough, womanizing, cold man he is in every other movie. But it isn’t all brooding and fight scenes for Craig. He is allowed to pull out a few zingers when it is necessary, but also when it is inappropriate. Sadly Craig’s timing isn’t as good as Pierce Brosnan’s or Connery’s.

Girls:
The two main Bond girls in “Casino Royale” are Caterina Murino and Eva Green. Murino is the norm when it comes to a Bond movie. She looks great in anything (or nothing) and makes a grand entrance, but ultimately is a passing fancy. Green is quite different though. Green was cast not to just turn heads while in an evening gown, but to also bring characterization to the film. Her relationship with Bond grows and drives the movie while action takes a back seat to gambling. One specific scene that exhibits Green’s talent best is in a shower scene (not that kind of talent pervert) with Bond that could easily have come off as cheesy, or even worse laughable.

Villain:
Mads Mikkelsen is terrorist financier Le Chiffre and does a first-rate job of playing the villain. He isn’t one of those evil megalomaniac types who are trying to take over the world or steal some nuclear weapons in order to hold the world for ransom. He simply wants money. The producers gave Le Chiffre a physical deformity that many Bond villains receive in order to make them memorable, but Mikkelsen doesn’t really need it. He doesn’t eat up the scenery around him and plays it low key when its necessary.

Allies:
The choice of leaving Judi Dench in the role of M completely screws up the timeline of the film series, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t welcomed. Her portrayal of Bond’s boss is one of respect and care for her employee but she doesn’t put up with his childish antics and arrogant attitude.
Moneypenny and Q are both absent from this film, but a reference to Moneypenny is made that will either bother or amuse the viewer.

Cars:
Bond cars have always been admired. Sometimes they even overshadow Bond himself. The producers were smart enough to shake things up with this movie’s idea to return to Bond’s roots, but they weren’t so dumb as to get rid of the classic Bond vehicle we all love. Craig drives the tasteful, refined Aston Martin DB5, which was featured for the first time in “Goldfinger” and has become known as the epitome of the Bond car. With the updating of the story, we are also given an update of the Aston Martin. Despite not having any true gadgets installed, the Aston Martin DBS becomes the newest Bond car. It is a machine that exhibits modern elegance along with the classic style the DB5 has.

Gadgets:
Besides a defibrillator and the use of computers, “Casino Royale” is practically void of all gadgetry. The producers want to get back to the basics and that meant ignoring laser watches, disguised suitcases and toothpaste plastic explosives.

Pre-title Sequence:
Since the beginning of “From Russia With Love” where we see Bond stalked in a lavish garden by an assassin for SPECTRE, the pre-title sequence has always been a highly awaited piece of the Bond formula. It usually unveils a small piece of the plot with Bond in the midst of danger and astonishing stunts. Like much of the movie itself, “Casino Royale” is completely different.
The first difference of this pre-title sequence is it’s shot in black and white. The second is it has everything to do with the storyline while at the same time it has nothing to do with the plot of the movie. It is rather low-key with crucial dialogue about Bond and his “00” status but has intense fight segments flashed before us. It is a great combination of plot and combat, however, the dialogue can be a bit confusing for anyone not familiar with the world of James Bond.
The one big upset for the ultimate fan during the pre-title sequence is the positioning of when the gun barrel shot takes place. This has always been the first thing the audience member sees is a small white dot moving across the screen and then opening up to show Bond in a suit or tuxedo. Bond walks back across and then flings himself around to shoot the sniper that has him in his sights. For “Casino Royale” they toy with this sequence and place it at the end of the pre-title sequence, which for me was not an improvement. I also thought the blood coming down the screen looked extremely animated and cartoon-like.

Title Sequence:
This was another element that was changed for the back to basics style. We usually get to see naked silhouettes of women set to a theme of the movie or displaying some trendy technology of the times, such as neon in the 80s, with the credits running in the foreground. “Casino Royale” has the silhouettes, but it doesn’t have the naked women. Instead it uses a theme of cards – go figure – that shows off Bond fighting and gunning his way around the screen. As you can tell, it’s not my favorite. Hopefully with more viewings it will grow on me, but my first response is going to be a big thumbs down.

Music:
David Arnold, who has composed every Bond movie since “Tomorrow Never Dies,” doesn’t really put much into this one. After leaving out any hint of the theme song from “Die Another Day” in the score, due to pretty much hating Madonna’s tune, he at least utilizes Chris Cornell’s theme song “You Know My Name.”
In the context of the movie, and especially the score when it is a slower instrumental version, it sounds great. Yet, that is almost the only memorable musical moment from the movie, not counting the final two minutes. Arnold ends the movie on a high note (no pun intended), but the other two hours and 10 minutes in between the theme songs of James Bond, nothing is recognizable or impressive for the film.

Overall Opinion:
I can’t say yet where in the rank it goes, but “Casino Royale” is going to be a classic in the series and is one of my top five favorites. The action isn’t over the top like in “Die Another Day” and the plot isn’t a replica like “Moonraker” or “A View to a Kill.”
For Craig’s first try at the role, and considering all the negative press he had to deal with during production, he does a remarkable job. I still think Connery is the ultimate James Bond, but Craig is going to always be considered one of the best by the general public.

I Can Taste The Vodka

In exactly 24 hours from now I will be seated in a dark theater with about eight of my close friends watching the most famous spy of cinema history drinking his legendary alcohol, bedding gorgeous and exotic women, killing without regret and being an all-around super cool British agent.
If you can't tell I am really excited about the upcoming "Casino Royale." I have only heard good things about this movie from the critics and from what I have seen in the previews it looks like they took the source material, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, very seriously.
I will most definetly post my initial reaction to the movie either late Friday night/early Saturday morning or sometime Saturday. I expect to be blown away, but I will try to be objective when reviewing it.

A Real American Haunting

The story I am about to share took place yesterday and it is one of the few times I have ever truly feared for my life.

We got a report from the scanner in our office of a trespassing and possible attempted burglary on a county road outside of Palmer, which is about five minutes north of Ennis. After copying down all the information the dispatcher and officer were sharing I got in my car and headed to the location of the crime. Supposedly two men had parked in a field next to this house and then began running toward the residence with crowbars and hammers in their hand and ski masks over their face.
When I arrived at the home I saw five cars sitting in front of the home at one end of the long driveway. I pulled in and parked near the grouping of cars. Before getting out I got my pad and pen out and thought through what I was going to ask the woman who phoned the police. While doing this I noticed two dogs laying on the ground not too concerned with my recent arrival.
I got out of the car and slowly made my way to the front door. I didn't want to spook the living security system in any way that would give them a reason to attack. I rang the doorbell a couple of times and knocked but nobody answered and I didn't hear anything rustling on the inside.
Making like the diligent reporter I should be I decided to snoop around a bit. Again not wanting to bother the dogs, I slowly began to walk around the side of the house. As I was approaching the rear of the home I found a swimming pool, large carport, trailer and two new dogs who were much more upset about my present than the first wave of canines.
The first dog I noticed was quickly up on his feet and had already made a few steps in my direction. I could tell he was not excited that I was there as his lips were snarled high enough that I could count each pointy instrument of death he was showing off so proudly like the day after a dentists visit. His growl was menacing and extremely threatening, but Little Caeser (that is what I have named him) was nothing compared to the monsterous creature I then saw staggering to his feet.
Zeus (again I have named the dog) was hands down the largest dog I have ever seen in my life. While standing on all four paws, his head easily came up to the top of my chest. I could turn his intestines into a roomy one-bedroom apartment with washer and dryer hookups. Zeus didn't bark much but when he did it began as a low rumble that shook the ground around him until he spewed a short, husky woof that couldn't be ignored.
Little Caeser didn't move much but Zeus was consistently making his way in my direction. At first I froze and forgot the reason I was there in the first place. I regained my wits and slowly started backing toward the front of the house. As I was I slinking to the car I noticed Zeus getting closer and his bark getting more frequent. I grabbed my phone in my left hand, prepared to call 911 in case the canines decided to take a hint from Hitchcock and turn on the humans and had my keys in the other hand repeatedly pushing the unlock button to make sure Mobyd would be ready at the slightest hint of trouble.
Well, since I am writing this I obviously made it back to the office unscathed. The woman I was looking for popped her head from around the side of the house and motioned that it was okay to come out. She and I spoke about the incident and I left moments later.
I have seen some large dogs in my time, one being my mom's boyfriend's rottweiler, but Zeus wins the prize for most horse-like canine.

Only Nine Days Left

Bond, James Bond.
Those immortal words so coolly uttered at a card table across from an intoxicating seductress in 1962’s “Dr. No” began a pop phenomenon that has manifested itself to the world as the James Bond movies.
Of all the movies I have seen, which add up to more than I could possibly imagine, my favorite series is the James Bond, or 007, films. That suave spy with the license to kill, who travels to exotic locations, beds ravishing women, drives the sleekest cars and operates futuristic gadgets, is the everyman’s hero. Several debonair men have portrayed 007, including Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, and beginning Nov. 17 a new Bond era will begin.
Daniel Craig, who you may recognize from recent films such as “Munich,” “Road to Perdition” or “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” has the demanding task of not only being the sixth official James Bond, but also portraying the character from his beginnings with the British secret service.
“Casino Royale,” opening in theaters this Friday, is the latest in a long series of movies – 21 to be exact – that has spanned more than four decades. Unsure of exactly what the newest movie is, “Casino Royale” is something of a prequel, reboot and retcon all in one.
Eon Productions, the handlers of the official James Bond series, have done this sort of thing in the past, but never to this great an extent. It is almost necessary when working with the same character for 45 years.
At the height of “Bondmania,” following “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball” and “You Only Live Twice,” the producers decided to scale things back a bit while breaking in a new actor for the role in 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Poor box office returns and an initial rejection of George Lazenby as the star resulted in audiences dismissing a small scale Bond movie. Since its release, time has been good to “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” along with the fans of the film, who now declare Lazenby’s only outing as 007 to be one of the highlights of the series.
Following the success of “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in 1977, the Bond producers decided to turn their spy into an astronaut with the filming of “Moonraker” in 1979. “Moonraker” was given the largest budget of any previous Bond movie and was a financial success, but the producers decided to come back down to earth with their next story.
“For Your Eyes Only” told the simple tale of a lost military encryption devise Bond must retrieve before it is sold to the Soviets. This time audiences were much more accepting of the simple, gadget-less Bond movie.
In the long run, Bond producers are two-for-two when it comes to changing up the formula that creates a Bond movie and reconstructing the series. “Casino Royale” will be their third attempt to do so. In it they will unveil a new lead actor, dismiss the principal characters of Miss Moneypenny and Q, avoid advanced technology such as invisible cars and laser watches and take the audience down the path of how James became Bond.

"Casino Royale" Update

A couple of things have taken place involving the upcoming 21st James Bond movie in the last few weeks.
First of all, the theme song is terrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbble. I own an Audio Slave album and think Chris Cornell, who sings the theme song titled "You Know My Name," is okay. He definitely has a distinctive voice and will be remembered, but he is not the best choice for a Bond song. I know that this Bond movie is different than anything to come before it and the song has to be the same, but the producers shouldn't have traded creativity for quality. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.
Secondly, some early reviews are coming in for the movie and most of them are very positive. I haven't read any of the narrative (mainly because I don't want anything that might surprise me to be revealed), but the ones that have rated the movie are mainly putting it at 4 out of 5 and 5 out of 5 stars. Very positive news.
The next topic of discussion should be the fact that the producers are already discussing Bond 22. News has been slipping about potential directors, singers and plots for a little while now, but Barbara Broccoli, one half of the family producing the Bond movies, has been very open about the direction the next movie will be taking. This is momentous news for the Bond fan considering the roller coaster event the last four years have been with the firing and hiring of a new Bond going along with the monumental fact that "Casino Royale" is finally being made into a serious Bond film, unlike the putrid specimen from 1967.
To coincide with the release of the 21st film in the series a new set of Bond movies has been released with more special features. Only 10 of the 20 movies were released today, but like a faithful fan I dispensed the $120 so I could own another set of my favorite film series.
The last bit of news, which is pretty amazing, is that I was propositioned today by my editor with a special press screening of "Casino Royale" on Thursday ... and I turned it down. I know this sounds like I am not a fan, but there were some good reasons for doing so. I want to make sure I see it on the best possible screen. I don't want to mess up my Bond marathon, which would only be at "Octopussy" by Thursday. I want to enjoy the experience of a new Bond and a new Bond movie with my friends and the rest of the audience, even though I am taking a risk with a close neighbor ruining the movie by talking during the film, which is becoming an increasing probability as I grow older.

What Am I Thinking?

What you are about to read is either going to send you into an outburst of "Ohhhh" and "How sweet" or you will use this as the final example in ousting my homosexuality.
Tonight at the Ennis Downtown Halloween Festival I will be playing the role of Dracula. You heard it right. I'm not covering the event, I'm in the event. They need a person to dress up as Dracula to spook the kids and I caved by saying I'd do it.
I figure it is for the kids and it will only take a couple of hours of standing near a cd player as it moans creepy music and a fog machine that lets loose a suffocating gas. This must be the ying to the yang of being allowed full access while walking around accident scenes and view dead bodies.

The Bubble Boy Strikes Again

Well, we had yet another poker tournament this weekend. What made this one different wasn’t that it was only for guys or it had a special name or gimmick, but that we started with the most chips we have ever had before.
We used a slow blind structure, too slow in fact, with the addition of antes while every person was given $25,000 in chips. This gave us a lot of room to play poker while taking out long-term luck as a factor.
I started out playing a lot of hands and quickly dipped down into the teens, which is normal for me. For some reason in these deep stack tournaments I am always throwing away a small portion of my chips and then I have to start rebuilding. If I would just play the way I would once I lose for the first hour then I would have an even larger lead once I start to get in the zone.
I had pocket aces three times and won the pot with them twice. The third and last time I got the mother of all starting hands I mucked it on the river when it turns out it was the best hand. There were four cards to a straight and three to a flush on the board and I had enough chips left that I felt confident I could still play normal and win, which almost worked out in the end.
We paid the top three spots out of 16 players and I finished in the worst spot of all: fourth place. I was the bubble boy, which has happened to me a lot in the last few years of poker. I seem to be making a trend of it, like losing a fourth of my starting chip amount at the beginning of a tournament.
With $400,000 in chips on the table my peak with four players left was $180,000. One would think there was no way I could be the first person out, but alas that is what took place. After doubling up my opponents I was left with a mere $20,000 stack and started making my moves for about three rounds of hands, since the blinds were at $2,000-4,000 with a $400 ante. My tournament ended when I pushed all in pre-flop with 4-5 offsuit and Mike (not Steed) called quickly with A-K, which got Nick to fold a pocket pair (sixes I think). I didn’t improve and he did, turning me into the bubble boy yet again.
The tournament ran too long but the increase in chips gave everyone plenty of room for errors. I hope everyone had a good time despite the aching backs we all went home with afterward.
By the way, Nick won the event with Mike Steed coming in third place. Brooke’s Mike took home the second place finish.

Back To The Daily Grind

I just returned from visiting my dad in Minnesota. It was a fun, relaxing trip that didn't require rushing all day long to hit up tourist attractions. I did see the Mall of America and rode a cool rollercoaster inside the mall (I rode it in Steed's honor). I saw closer to where the Mississippi begins. We drove a few miles east to Wisconsin. That trip made me decide to list all the states I have set foot in.
So here we go:
Texas
Hawaii
California
Oregon
Idaho
Utah
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
Colorado
Kansas
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Arkansas
Missouri
Illinois
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Alabama
Georgia
Florida
Maryland
West Virginia
New York

I may have left some out due to not remembering a road trip as a kid or flying into a state for a stop over, but those are the ones that I definitely remember.

First Outie Open Over

Clint McWilliams bested the Weatherford gang again taking down a first place finish in tonight's First Annual Outie Open. Here are the final results.

1st - Clint McWilliams
2nd - Mike Steed
3rd - Larry Atkinson
4th - Jim Anderson
5th - Brent Stapleton
6th - Joey Manire
7th - Joe Lajone
8th - Jay Beavers
9th - Bob Carter
10th - Chad Latham
11th - James Miller
12th - Matt Cook

Going out first worked out because it gave me my full attention to deal the final table and speed the game up. I think it went very well outside of there only being 12 people playing.

I Guess I Got What Was Coming To Me

In the first annual Matt Cook's Outie Open I finished in an impressive last place. Less than 75 minutes into the tournament I was outside thinking over my mental state and then surfing the web for information I have yet to learn about any subject available.
I was unfortunate enough to have my Kings run into Aces after a seven-high flop and it was all in the middle after a bet, raise and re-raise all in. I maybe could have laid the hand down, but I had already lost two or three pots to the guy where he was holding hands that were not that stellar and I didn't figure him for a higher pocket pair than my cowboys. Oh well, there will be a cash game soon and maybe I will make up my money and then some afterward.

It Is Time For A New Curriculum

After reading a headline in the Ennis Daily News about North Korea recently testing an atomic bomb underground, it started the cogs in my mind moving as I recall all the countries, governments and radical factions who would love nothing better than to see our country disintegrated by means of a nuclear threat.
Not to discredit the American educational system, but while I was growing up, the farthest students ever made it in the history books was World War II. Every American history class would begin with the pre-Columbus Indians and end with the closing of the Second World War. I don’t ever remember studying the Korean War, Vietnam War or the Cold War. The only memories I have of Desert Storm are from newscasts and those memorable videos of missiles slamming into the heart of structures in the Middle East so wonderfully covered on CNN. It certainly wasn’t discussed in our Social Studies class the next morning.
History teachers never went into depth about the fact that we are the only country ever to use nuclear weapons in battle or that we always stick our noses in other people’s business where, sometimes, it does not belong and is not wanted. This led many youth to believe that everything was wonderful in the world and that nobody hated us. Youth today are sometimes under the same impression. How wrong that line of thinking is.
The list of countries that would like to see the fall of America isn’t endless, but it certainly isn’t short enough for a Post-It note. Currently, people from countries that wouldn’t mind seeing us fail miserably – whether it be our economy, society or military – include North Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, any other Muslim or Communist nation I might be unaware of and the many hundreds of terrorist groups throughout the world. This doesn’t even take into consideration those who proclaim publicly to be allies but not-so-secretly wish for our demise, which most certainly includes China.
I’m not up with politics and world affairs enough to go into great detail about why all of these people wish to see us wiped from the face of the earth, but what I can say from an observer’s point of view is that I don’t ever remember it being like this before. I’m not exactly sure when everyone in the world began to despise us, but it has to have taken place in the last 20 or so years.
Defenders of our country proclaim all of the good deeds America does for those around the world. We always send food and military aid to those in need. However, on the flip side of that there are misdeeds attributed to Americans that can’t be overlooked. For each country we say we are helping, there is another one we are attempting to aid in its overthrow for, our leaders say, the betterment of its people.
I don’t judge what our government does and how it validates all of the acts it allows, but I wonder if our approval rating as a nation is currently at an all-time low because of what we are presently doing throughout the world. Or is it, perhaps, a result of similar decisions made over the past 40-60 years of decisions.
Did the superpower reputation we were so proud of in the 1940s backfire on us? A variety of historians has identified our nation as a present day Roman Empire and just about everyone knows how that ended. The British also had a stranglehold on the world at one time, but it didn’t last.
With so much hatred in the world for the United States it makes me wonder whether it has always been like this and I just missed it, or if this is a recent development. The one thing I am sure of is that Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for history teachers to start teaching their students about the critical viewpoints of other nations toward America.
The days of others looking toward America as the beacon of hope for a happy future seem to be long gone and the next generation needs to be taught about what is in store for them.

Where Are We Going, And Why Are We In This Handbasket?

Somehow, and I haven't quite figured out how this happened yet, we have a poker champion who never won a poker game.
Linda is the latest TOC Champion, adding her name to the plaque along with Chad Boase, Josh Bishop and myself. She was able to scrounge up three second-place finishes and never did worse than seventh or eighth place, which is impressive but not so impressive she deserves a championship.
Her style of play, which is to fold almost everything pre-flop and the few hands she does play to a flop fold to any aggression, has obtained the highest honor our group can bestow upon someone without ever proving she could play the game.
Obviously I am bitter about this. I was in second place going into the night and played my usual game, which involves calling, raising and folding certain hands (something Linda wouldn't know how to do), and actually was playing really well. I made only one or two mistakes all night and that was because I was trying to knock Linda out to give me a better chance.
The hand that knocked me out was against Mike when he moved all in after my flop bet of almost half my stack and I called with a higher pocket pair than his. Mike could have had the decency to hit one of his nines to make a full house, but instead he went for the dreaded runner-runner flush to send me out sulking. I'm not mad at Mike at all. He made a play that he thought was best and he did so because he was tired of me pushing him off hands when he had the better holding. He had done this same move earlier with the best hand and I laid it down. This time I didn't and I got unlucky.
Despite my anger about not being the champion and Linda actually being the winner, without being the winner, I still don't think I should have taken home the championship. Honestly I think Slope played better than anyone during this TOC. He had a moment of relapse into old Slope during one of the games, but otherwise he was a strong contender. He won two games and had several respectable finishes. Also, his play was very decent for most of the weeks. I saw a major change in the way he played and it was for the better.
Well, something is going to have to give if we can have a system where a person wins the entire event without ever winning an individual game. I don't know what that change is going to be, but it will need to be significant in order to clear the blemish that will always be known as TOC IV.

TOC IV - Game Eight

Tonight's Game:
1st - Slope - 0 points
2nd - Mike II - 11 points
3rd - Wayne - 21 points
4th - Linda - 30 points
5th - Danny - 38 points
6th - Matt - 45 points
7th - Brian - 51 points
8th - James - 56 points
9th - Nick - 60 pints
12th - Brooke - 66 points
12th - Hector - 66 points
12th - Mike I - 66 points

Overall Standings:
1st - Linda - 230 points
2nd - Slope - 262 points
3rd - Mike - 262 points
4th - Matt - 266 points
5th - Danny - 312 points
6th - Nick - 328 points
7th - Wayne - 347 points
8th - Brooke - 364 points
9th - Brian - 400 points
10th - Hector - 406 points
11th - James - 421 points
12th - Mike I - 455 points

My Outgoing Address

I write this with only a little more than a day as the reigning TOC Champ. That is not to say I can’t be the champion again. I am currently in second place and there is a decent chance I can pull out another victory.
The past few months as champion have been nice. There were no red carpets rolled out or engaging fans attempting to touch me in order to obtain some luck for their own game, but it was always pleasant to look down at my championship bracelet for inspiration and keep on keeping on when my chip stack was dwindling.
Having my name on the plaque forever is probably the best thing about my championship. Whenever I feed my fish I glance at the plaque and think about the excellent run of cards I had during those eight games. I think about the great plays I made (usually in the form of folding weaker hands, but sometimes cracking another player’s dominating hand) and the horrible beats I took. It reminds me of a happy TOC, unlike the previous event where nothing seemed to go right.
If I pull out another win tomorrow night and take down the championship I will be extremely proud of myself and feel even more confident in my game, which could be either a good or bad thing.
One championship can be a stroke of luck, but two championships must be regarded as something being done right.

Scorsese Has Been Robbed

This is not a news story that just broke involving the legendary director having his home burglarized or car taken from him. This is about his lack of an Academy Award.
I am doing research into the man's past in preparation of a movie column for Monday. Since his new film, "The Departed," is being released this weekend I figured I would discuss his failure to enter the winner's circle at any Academy Awards presentation. During said research I have decided he was robbed of a statue in 2005 for "The Aviator."
You may disagree that "The Aviator" is not as good of a film as "Million Dollar Baby," which took home the Oscar, or the other nominees, including "Ray," "Sideways" or "Vera Drake." Well, you are wrong. Especially if you think "Vera Drake" should have won.
This goes against my original thinking at the time of the presentation that Eastwood deserved the win for Director and "The Aviator" should have won for Best Picture, but I have since changed my mind. Scorsese deserved both categories.
The only true opposition Scorsese had for the Best Director category was Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby." Although "Ray" and "Sideways" are good movies and shined in certain areas, such as acting and writing, they lacked in the other areas necessary for a Best Director win.
The same could be said for "Million Dollar Baby." Eastwood was able to pull out some great acting from this devastating story about a female boxer and her trainer, but besides the acting "Million Dollar Baby" couldn't produce any wins, besides the two most coveted categories of director and picture.
"The Aviator" was nominated in 11 categories and won for five of them. They were Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design and Film Editing. Where it lost was the aforementioned Director and Picture, along with Actor and Supporting Actor (which I would agree that those weren't the best in those categories, although Leonardo DiCaprio did a better than fine job with his performance), Sound Mixing and Original Screenplay.
The director is in charge of the entire production of the movie, from the acting and camera work to the lighting and costuming. Although Scorsese only produced one winner in the acting group, which Eastwood did for two of the three nominations he had in acting categories, it is my belief that he still got great performances out of DiCaprio and Alan Alda and the wins in five other categories should have made him the clear winner that year.
This is all my opinion of course and there is nothing that can be done now, but if Scorsese didn't win in 2005 for a clear winner then I don't think he will ever win. Hopefully "The Departed" will finally be his success, but I don't see how he can possibly do a better job than he did with "The Aviator."

Killers Slay On SNL (Not In A Good Way)

I have been a fan of the Las Vegas band known as The Killers since their debut album was released not too long ago, but have never really known too much about the group. In fact, I couldn't have even picked one of the members out of a line up, so I guess "fan" isn't the correct term to use. Let's say I was an advocate of their music. Well, now I can pick them out of a line up after their performance on Saturday Night Live's season premiere, and what a disappointment their show was.
First off, SNL has ceased to be funny. They go through phases and this is not one of the high points for them. Dane Cook started off poorly in the opening monologue and couldn't produce the laughs the show so desperately needed.
However, this is not about the show's disappointment. This is about The Killers disappointment. We will begin with this interesting tidbit of opinionated information. The lead singer of the group, Brandon Flowers, can't sing. I'm serious. He is bad. They must pull out some nifty gadgets to get his vocal chords in shape for an album.
Here is the second, and more important, part of my criticizing post. The band members all seem like caricatures of real people. During the first number Flowers seemed to be a Buddy Holly impersonator and then he transformed into Ferris Bueller performing at a bar mitzvah. The drummer was a dead ringer for Jason Lee's television personality Earl Hickey. Slash, from Guns N' Roses, was playing guitar accompanied by Kurt Cobain's clone. It's like this group is a tribute band to the player's favorite celebrities.
After a great freshman album, a cool new single currently being played on the radio and the band paying homage to a casino I won a poker tournament at with their new album title, I was all aboard for the return of The Killers. Tonight ruined all of that.

TOC IV - Game Seven

Tonight started off terrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiibbbbbbbly. My head was not in the game. I was just thinking about work and how long of a day I had due to a shady funeral home family and a sexual predator doctor that worked for the Ennis hospital.
I lost my head a couple of times and had to take a walk outside, thanks to the suggestion from Mike and Danny, in order to cool off from my bad play and bad luck (mostly bad play). Yet, it all worked out in the end, and it's about end results, right? Right? No? Oh dear.
I need to apologize again to the players at the red table. I lost my cool and took it out on the people around me. I am sorry about that. I need to give a special sorry to Brooke, who was on the receiving end of an aggravated thrust of the cards in her general direction. Oh no, not my two hole cards, the entire deck that I was preparing for the next hand. My bad.
Here are the results for tonight and the standings after seven weeks.

Tonight's game:
1st - Matt - 0 points
2nd - Hector - 11 points
3rd - Danny - 21 points
4th - Linda - 30 points
5th - Mike I - 38 points
6th - Nick - 45 points
7th - Wayne - 51 points
8th - Brooke - 56 points
9th - Mike II - 60 points
10th - Brian - 63 points
11th - Slope - 65 points
12th - James - 66 points

Overall standings:
1st - Linda - 200 points
2nd - Matt - 221 points
3rd - Mike II - 251 points
4th - Slope - 262 points
5th - Nick - 268 points
6th - Danny - 274 points
7th - Brooke - 298 points
8th - Wayne - 326 points
9th - Hector - 340 points
10th - Brian - 349 points
11th - James - 365 points
12th - Mike I - 389 points

Return Of The Slope

Not only is he alive, but he is here. He arrived in town by bus this morning and has made it the TOC with time to spare. He said he is tired and may not perform well, but at least he is here. It's good to have things back to normal.

The James Bond Challenge

For a few years now I have had the idea of watching a marathon of films that would seal my fate in the halls of dorkiness once and for all, but sadly somebody is beating me to the punch.
Empire magazine has announced it will have three writers attempt to watch all 20 “official” James Bond movies in one sitting during this weekend. The writers challenge other fans to watch along with them with a schedule they have put out, which include a few breaks for whatever (except sleep). They plan to do this during the upcoming weekend, and I just cannot take part in it due to the TOC messing with my sleep patterns the night before (maybe; depending on how good I do). The writers will spend the better part of two days watching 20 movies without sleep. They can eat and drink whatever they need in order to stay awake, just no sleeping is allowed.
Although I can’t fit this challenge into my schedule this weekend, I have decided to attempt it sometime soon. It may not happen this weekend, but it will happen before Nov. 17 (the date of the opening for "Casino Royale"). I will begin with "Dr. No" on a Saturday at 8 a.m. and the credits of "Die Another Day" should be rolling at approximately 2:02 a.m. on Monday morning if I take no breaks whatsoever.
I would like to see some of you join me in the challenge. I know nobody will stay up for all of them, but if you would like to take part in a few of the movies I will let you know what the schedule looks like. Wish me luck on my path to ultimate dorkdom.

"King's Men" Hindered By Great Talent

I once heard a saying about the art of filmmaking that explains a lot about movies today. That statement is, “Having all the right elements for a movie doesn’t assure a blockbuster, but having all the wrong ones guarantees a flop.”
With a popular novel from Robert Penn Warren, award-winning and highly regarded actors playing the parts and an Oscar winning writer, turned director at the controls it seems “All the King’s Men” has all the elements to be an interesting morality tale of idealism and political corruption. However, having all the right elements for a movie doesn’t assure a blockbuster.
Sean Penn’s most recent dramatic role – which apparently is all he will consider doing since his last comedic role, not including a brief stint on two episodes of “Friends,” was as slacker Jeff Spicoli in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” almost 25 years ago, which might be the last time he cracked a smile in front of the camera – comes in the form of Willie Stark, a Louisiana governor, loosely based on Governor Huey P. Long, who wants nothing more than to build a better state for his “hick” constituents. Yet, this passion for new roads, bridges, schools and an overall better life must come at a price for someone, but the cost may not be a monetary one.
Stark enters the governor’s race as an honest and loyal husband who neither drinks nor smokes and wants only the best for those around him. Somewhere between intense campaign speeches about his fellow “hicks” and nailing up the competition to winning the election and butting heads with all of the state senators Stark becomes a shadow of his former self. He begins drinking heavily, chasing so many women he needs an abacus to keep up with all the women he is with and takes a lesson in persuasion from Gandolfini’s more famous role on HBO’s “The Sopranos.”
“All the King’s Men” isn’t really just about the king though. This movie shows what takes place to the souls of the men and women underneath the king. These underlings, whom Stark uses like weapons in a game of chess, come in the form of some outstanding players who never really show what they are made of. They include Jude Law, James Gandolfini, Patricia Clarkson, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.
A star-studded cast and material that was previously used to win a best picture and best actor Oscar doesn’t come together after 120 minutes to really drum up any real emotional response from the audience. It ends, credits roll, audience gets up and nothing more is said.
Steven Zaillian undertook this project probably thinking he was on the road to another Academy Award, which he won for writing “Schindler’s List.” What Zaillian may have failed to take into account is Academy members have to actually make it through the entire film without getting so frustrated with the sluggish pace and meandering storylines they turn the movie off before it ends.
Zaillian’s choice to have Jude Law’s journalist, turned political right-hand man character, Jack Burden, play the narrator isn’t the problem. It is bringing in Burden’s personal problems of lost love and family turmoil that Zaillian starts to lose us. The movie strays from Stark’s battle with the senators attempt to impeach him, which is never really understood for what reason, to Burden’s battle between right and wrong that involves his godfather Judge Irwin, played by Hopkins.
Wonderful actors, a wonderful story and a wonderful director unfortunately don’t make a wonderful film. It’s not a bad film, just one that is easily avoided.

He's Alive! He's Alive!

We haven’t received many details, but Slope is alive and, according to him, doing very well. Mike received a u2u on the Fold For Free Forum from Dave41 (Slope’s username) that said he was sorry about leaving the way he did but he didn’t really want to go into details about where he was or why he left.
Now that we are absolutely positive he is alive we can begin to make jokes about his disappearance without feeling guilty. We made the jokes before we knew he wasn't dead, but we would have a weird feeling in the back of our minds that if we were wrong something really bad wasn't going to descend upon us very soon. There was always that five percent chance that he could have shown up decomposed in Mosier Valley and we would have not been able to forgive ourselves for the snide remarks during the past few days.
Obviously we were worried about his absence, but we felt strongly from the evidence left behind that he wasn’t dead, merely missing in action. However, we are positive now that he is among the living and has not made a permanent move to the afterlife.
Slope, good to hear you are okay. Drop us a line on the forum.

Gone But Not Forgotten

My friend Clint Hyslop, better known as Slope, has vanished on us for some unknown reason. Although at first we were all worried about Slope’s disappearance, going as far as calling local police departments and hospitals, a little Sam Spade detective work from Slope’s roommate Nick has shown that he might not have been abducted by aliens or accosted by a crazy cult at all. Our best guess is Slope decided to take what little money he had and make the jump to professional poker player in Las Vegas.
I say he didn’t have much money, but in reality he had a couple hundred bucks probably, which is fine for moving to another city and starting anew, but not a lot when you want to start out as a professional poker player. Slope has wanted to pull a Mike McDermott for some time now but has always been talked out of it by friends.
We don’t know for sure that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family has not kidnapped him or he has received amnesia after taking a spill on a motorcycle he purchased the day after we last saw him, but Slope is a resilient person who can survive in any environment. If he is out in the desert paradise known as Las Vegas then I wish him the best. Slope; make the Arlington crew proud.

TOC IV - Game Six

Not a good night for me.

Tonight's results:
1st - Nick - 0 points
2nd - Linda - 11 points
3rd - Mike II - 21 points
4th - Danny - 30 points
5th - Brian - 38 points
6th - Slope - 45 points
7th - Mike I - 51 points
8th - Brooke - 56 points
9th - Wayne - 60 points
10th - Hector - 63 points
11th - Matt - 65 points
12th - James - 66 points

Overall standings:
1st - Linda - 170 points
2nd - Mike II - 191 points
3rd - Slope - 197 points
4th - Matt - 221 points
5th - Nick - 223 points
6th - Brooke - 242 points
7th - Danny - 253 points
8th - Wayne - 275 points
9th - Brian - 286 points
10th - James - 299 points
11th - Hector - 329 points
12th - Mike I - 351 points

Fantasy Football Week One Results

I made it through my first week of fantasy football, and quite surprisingly I didn’t completely stink. In a league of nine I am sitting in fourth place.
Eli Manning had a decent game. Two mistakes in the second half cost me some precious points, but hit double digits and scored more than 12 points.
I got some good points from Warrick Dunn, but I would have been better off starting Reggie Bush, since he scored two more points than Dunn. I didn’t start Bush because I wasn’t sure in what capacity he would be used in New Orleans. I have decided to start him along with Larry Johnson. Johnson didn’t get as high of a rating as I thought he would have, but he was just shy of 10 points.
Terrell Owens did a fine job and would have scored better had two plays not been nullified due to offensive penalties, but he still hit 13 points and gave me a good boost. Alge Crumpler had a good night, raking in more than eight points, and Chris Chambers did well considering he didn’t get the ball too much. On one single drive he amassed most of the points he earned, which only equaled a little more than five.
Nate Burleson was a big flop for me, scoring only two points, but it was off of one single reception for 36 yards. I am going to give him another week since Seattle will be playing against Arizona and shouldn’t be in too much trouble.
I had to do a last minute replacement for Mike Vanderjagt after Bill Parcels decided not to take him to Florida. I recruited Nate Kaeding and was very pleased when he took me from sixth place on Sunday to fourth place on Monday after collecting 10 points.
I started out with the New York Giants defense, but after seeing that they were up against Indianapolis I decided to find an alternate. Philadelphia went against Houston and pulled in five more points than I would have received had I used the Giants, but they still only got six-and-a-half points overall. Better than what I would have had, so I can’t complain.
This coming week I have to either dump one of my defenses and find a new one or go with the Giants because Philadelphia and New York are playing each other and I don’t like my choices. If I go for Philadelphia’s defense then I am going against Manning as my quarterback. Tough decisions.
I am hoping to just have another good week and stay in the fray. My goal this year is to not suck, and so far that is working out for me.

TOC IV - Game Five

I really felt confident going into tonight's game and I thought there was no way I wouldn't win. Well, I was close. I finished second and came close to winning it had I made a call when I had a better pair against Mike, but I was ashamed of my kicker and didn't feel confident enough to make the call. Here are the standings for tonight and after five games.

Tonight:
1st - Mike II - 0 points
2nd - Matt - 11 points
3rd - Brooke - 21 points
4th - Linda - 30 points
5th - Nick - 38 points
6th - Wayne - 45 points
7th - Hector - 51 points
8th - Danny - 56 points
9th - Mike I - 60 points
10th - Slope - 63 points
11th - Brian - 65 points
12th - James - 66 points

Overall:
1st - Slope - 152 points
2nd - Matt - 156 points
3rd - Linda - 159 points
4th - Mike II - 170 points
5th - Brooke - 186 points
6th - Wayne - 215 points
7th - Danny - 223 points
8th - Nick - 223 points
9th - James - 233 points
10th - Brian - 248 points
11th - Hector - 266 points
12th - Mike I - 300 points

A Big Day For Me

I have a lot going on today. I was woken up early because of an 18-wheeler rear-ending a school bus with 34 kids on it. Everyone was okay. Later that morning I saw my fourth dead body since starting this job. A motorcycle fatality, my second, was a long ordeal with the state troopers. I think they forgot about me.
Tonight I will head to Grapevine, about a 90-minute drive with traffic, to see a press screening of “Gridiron Gang.” Not excited about that simply because I need a nap.
Following that is the kickoff, literally, of my first fantasy football season when Chris Chambers of the Miami Dolphins takes the field at Pittsburgh.
Finally, and the biggest news of the day, Moviefone will be premiering the newest “Casino Royale” preview online. I am extremely excited about this and will have to find a computer that can play it somewhere inside this electronic death zone of a building.

A Season Long Inside Joke

My friends have sucked me into the game of fantasy football... and I have to say that my team looks pretty good for somebody who knows very little about the game of football or its fanciful counterpart. I had a lot of help from James, but I must say my first three picks were pretty superb.
I had to use my final pick for a third quarterback due to my backup quarterback having the same bye week as my starter. I also have made an early trade because of scheduling conficts for my wide receivers. The trade is questionable to some, but it needed to be done.
This is what my roster looks like in order of where they were chosen. I had the second pick overall and we used a snake style draft:

1. Larry Johnson - RB
2. Eli Manning - QB
3. Terrell Owens - WR
4. Chris Chambers - WR
5. Warrick Dunn - RB
6. Alge Crumpler - TE
7. Reggie Bush - RB
8. Mike Vanderjagt - K
9. Terry Glenn - WR (This was my original pick and I was very upset to trade him to James for Nate Burleson - WR. However, it had to be done)
10. Ben Roethlisberger - QB (This was a big mistake simply because of his bye week being the same as Mannings)
11. NY Giants Defense
12. Ben Troupe - TE
13. Jerry Porter - WR
14. Aaron Brooks - QB

TOC IV - Game Four

Like the last three games I played on a short stack most of the night and survived. I got extremely lucky when my snowmen cracked Mike's Kings while I was all in and then I also got lucky in a hand with Hector when my three of a kind boated up to tie with Hector on a runner-runner turn and river. I knew I was beat when I called Hector's all in, but I would have had about $5,000 with blinds at $200-400 and I just didn't want to deal with that anymore. I took a chance and got lucky.

Here are the current standings for both last night and the overall tournament:
Game Four:
1st - Danny - 0 points
2nd - Brooke - 11 points
3rd - Hector - 21 points
4th - Slope - 30 points
5th - Matt - 38 points
6th - Mike II - 45 points
7th - Brian - 51 points
8th - Linda - 56 points
9th - Wayne - 60 points
10th - Mike - 63 points
11th - Nick - 65 points
12th - James - 66 points

Overall:
1st - Slope - 89 points
2nd - Linda - 129 points
3rd - Matt - 145 points
4th - Brooke - 165 points
5th - James - 167 points
6th - Danny - 167 points
7th - Wayne - 170 points
8th - Mike II - 170 points
9th - Brian - 183 points
10th - Nick - 185 points
11th - Hector - 215 points
12th - Mike I - 240 points

An Upcoming Poker Tournament

My utter disgust with the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour pampering the women of poker has led me to stage a coo in the tournament scene. I will be holding "The First Annual Outie Open" this October 14. I might even change the name to "The First Annual October Outie Open." Yeah, that sounds nice. It rolls off the tongue like "Mayor Goldie Wilson." I like the sound of that.
It will be an open tournament to anyone who wishes to play, except women. I'm not gay, just fed up with equality not being quite equal enough. I don't see any "Men's Only" tournaments at the WSOP or WPT.
Sure, I understand what they are trying to do. The men in poker tournaments vastly outnumber the women, but that doesn't mean a single female player is at a disadvantage due to the uneven numbers. It is not like basketball or wrestling where a guy has a clear advantage over a woman because of his size, strength or masculinity.
If women want to be treated fairly then they need to ditch things like ladies events. Wanting to be treated fairly means not holding events that are only for you, unless men do the same thing, such as fraternities and sororities.
If there is a "Men's Only" event, whether it is in golf, basketball, chess or whatever, then by all means there should be a "Women's Only" event. There isn't such a thing in poker, so I stand by my "Outie Open."

“Snakes” A Perfect Example Of “So Bad It's Good”

A title like “Snakes on a Plane” harkens back to the black-and-white days of cinema when there were B-titles like “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die,” “Attack of the Giant Leeches” and “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” I’m not making these movies up; they are real.
Why would anyone want to watch snakes attacking people on an airplane for two hours? It is simple: harmless fun.
“Snakes on a Plane” is the most enjoyment you will have in a movie theater this entire year. It is so absurd, so preposterous and so clichéd you can’t help but smile and cringe at every turn of the silly plot. Just sit back, buy the big tub of popcorn and enjoy the two-hours of snakes, Samuel L. Jackson and gratuitous sex, violence and mature content.
Although set up as a genuine story about a villain attempting to murder a witness with hundreds of poisonous snakes on a plane bound from Hawaii to Los Angeles, the movie never really takes itself seriously. Director David R. Ellis plugs in every stereotype he can come up with, including the feminine male flight attendant, the good cop/bad cop tough as nails FBI agents, the plucky female flight attendant on her last flight before a career change, the Paris Hilton-type princess and the smooth-talking rapper who is hated by those who really know him.
Jackson plays Neville Flynn, one of the FBI agents, who is escorting the witness and has to keep the injured alive, the plane in the air and the witness away from the snakes all while trying to figure out what kind of snakes are on the plane and how they got there in the first place. You shouldn’t be trying to figure these things out yourself because it will just take away from the enjoyment that is right in front of you.
Julianna Margulies, of “ER” fame, is the brave flight attendant that helps Jackson calm the passengers and save the day.
With a quick storyline, lots of action and unintentional comedy – the best kind – “Snakes on a Plane” shouldn’t be missed before it falls into the depths of nameless B-movies, which will likely occur a few months after its release to DVD.
“Snakes on a Plane” has been out for several weeks now and although it didn’t have the opening, or staying power, that most anticipated from this sleeper hit, the dramatic anticipation from fans building up to the release was enough entertainment for America without the need of the movie actually being seen.
Reportedly, the only reason this movie was talked about among Hollywood colleagues was because they were trying to one-up each other after work one day during happy hour with the most awful pitch for a movie. The story goes Producer Craig Berenson, who worked for DreamWorks at the time, gave his pitch for this movie based on a script called “Venom.”
Once given the green light and a title change, Jackson instantly pursued a part in the movie after hearing the title, according to interviews. Jackson said the only reason he worked on the movie was because of the title “Snakes on a Plane.”
Once filming began, computerized word-of-mouth began to spread and a cult following formed before anything but a teaser poster was ever seen from the public. As the hype built, New Line Cinema decided to re-shoot scenes for five days in order to push the movie from a PG-13 to an R rating. Among these additions is the highly anticipated line delivered from Jackson about his feelings toward the snakes on the plane, which was added after haring it on an anticipatory Internet parody of the movie.
Then the advertising department came up with a brilliant idea. Jackson was brought in to record several names and occupational fields for a phone recording. Then a website was set up that allowed a person to fill out some general information and plug in a phone number. The number would be called and a voice mail would be recorded with Jackson leaving the listener a message advertising “Snakes on a Plane.”
The publicity and anticipation that built for this movie created a buzz among moviegoers for weeks, but the film’s release failed to generate the money that was expected.
Forget about rationalizing the ludicrous story. Ignore the countless typecasts. Pay no attention to the computerized snakes. Just relax and remember that it could a whole lot worse. You could be watching “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”

TOC IV - Game Three

Another solid game sent me another place closer to the championship tonight. I received a third place finish, but Linda, the player who was in third place, got second. However, I did gain some ground on Slope and James. I also passed Mike, since he had to drive out of town tonight and was playing to either win it or be out in less than four hours.
I misplayed a big hand against Wayne when I flopped three of a kind. I knew Wayne had a better kicker than me, but I got stubborn and thought I could get him off of it. I should have shut down after I check-raised Nick on the flop and he smooth called after checking it behind me. I know better than that.
Other than that I played pretty solid. I knocked out slope who held 10-10 to my A-7. Tens are not holding up against me in this TOC. I also doubled up through Mike early when I turned a straight with a flush draw. He was trying to win quickly and I used that to get a lot of his chips. However, that backfired a few times when I held some questionable hands that I couldn't play pre-flop because he was acting extremely aggressive and careless.

Here are the current standings for both tonight and the overall tournament:
Tonight:
1st - Wayne - 0 points
2nd - Linda - 11 points
3rd - Matt - 21 points
4th - Nick - 30 points
5th - Slope - 38 points
6th - Brian - 45 points
7th - Mike II - 51 points
8th - Danny - 56 points
9th - Brooke - 60 points
10th - James - 63 points
Mike Sr. and Hector were both no shows. They should be receiving 12th place finishes and 66 points each, but it isn't finalized yet.

Overall:
1st - Slope - 59 points
2nd - Linda - 73 points
3rd - James - 101 points
4th - Matt - 107 points
5th - Wayne - 110 points
6th - Nick - 120 points
7th - Mike II - 125 points
8th - Brian - 132 points
9th - Brooke - 154 points
10th - Danny - 167 points
11th - Mike I - 177 points
12th - Hector - 194 points

Sin City Is The Place For Me

I had a lot of fun in Las Vegas this past weekend. Had I only played poker I would be up for the trip, however, I am a gambling fiend and can't resist other games when around them for more than a few hours... or minutes. James did very well at poker. Left with about $350 and came back with more than $1,000.
I went three for four on poker wins. The one session I did lose I still played well but I lost it when a guy (who was killing time before he went to bed and had collected about $600-700 off a $200 buy-in) caught a straight on the river after I had bet pretty hard on every street. As I said, still played well during the session until that point, and then I went nuts and lost the rest of my remaining buy-in. I did make a good lay down with bottom two pair before I lost it though. That made me feel good when he flipped over top two pair on the turn to show I made a good lay down, but it still stung.
The last game I played in was at the hotel we were staying at (Monte Carlo) and I tried to push a guy off a hand pre-flop, but who knew 9-2 suited was such a favorite among Las Vegas poker players. He re-raised it to $30 after I made it $10 to go. I moved all in for about $140. That put him all in, but only by about $25, and he called pretty quick. I only had A-10 offsuit, but it was good on a board of Q-5-2-Q-5. I got lucky there when he caught the two on the flop, but in my defense I made the right play. There are few people who would call all of their money on 9-2 suited.
The poker play in Vegas is soooooooooo much better than WinStar or Shreveport. It is older guys and girls who like to play every street without moving everything they have in pre-flop or on the flop. Caeser's Palace has the nicest card room and the best game I have I ever played in. It was small pot poker the entire time. Greatness.
We saw Phil Gordon at the Venetian poker room, along with Jim Anderson, of the Weston group. Overall the trip was great. Had a very good time and only lost about $170 for the trip after gambling, food and other expenses. Had I not played any other game than poker I would have been up for the trip.
One other exciting thing was that I turned $10 in video blackjack into $110, netting myself a $100 profit (which made up for the $98 I lost at craps 10 minutes before that). I did the same thing the next day with $4, turning it into $104, but that was not for $100 in profits. I only got $4 in profits since I bought in with $100. Still, pretty impressive. I am thinking about giving up poker and turning into a professional video blackjack player.

Another Trip To Vegas

I am making my fourth trip since turning 21 to Las Vegas today. Originally it began as a birthday trip with James, Clint and Kristyn, Danny and Brandy, Joanna and my mom going. My brother and Angelina were going to meet us out there. However, some changes were made and now it is just my mom, James and his dad going with me and Bart and Angelina meeting us out there.
We will be returning Monday and I am really glad to be getting this vacation. A day off from work and time in the city I love. What could be better?
I hope to play in at least one tournament while I am out there, even if it is a rinky-dink one like Sam's Town. I will have updates when I get back.

Advertising And Poker

My frustration today is in the commercialization of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP has been going on for decades – three to be more precise – without any recognition or public annoyance. It was gradually growing in popularity with appearances by Amarillo Slim on the Tonight Show and the $10,000 buy-in becoming easier to come by as the years progressed, but it was still a poker tournament controlled by the pros and it meant something to win the Main Event.
Yet, in the new millennium and the emergence of the ideal that “Anyone can win” following Chris Moneymaker’s triumph, amateurs and Internet qualifiers have swarmed the playing field creating a minefield of bad players that is almost impossible to get through unscathed.
The event is becoming comical in its size, which leads to advertisers wanting in on the popularity. It is impossible to avoid new wave ideas such as the “All-in moment brought to you by Degree.” That is just something we will have to get used to. Someday everything will be sponsored. In football, the replay will be sponsored by Budweiser, the play clock will be sponsored by ESPN and even the tackle will be sponsored by something like Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Back to poker. This kind of advertising is already there and we can’t avoid it, however, I have noticed a new physical feature making its identity known on the felt. Besides having the casino’s logo plastered on the green fabric for constant exposure during a tournament, other sponsors are getting in on the action.
Certain advertisers are having their logo painted on the felt during tournaments so that every community card will be purposefully placed right below, giving the company endless publicity without ever needing a creative commercial or page design for a magazine.
I don’t remember exactly which tournament I saw this at, but it is a beating. I will equate this to having the outfield wall in a baseball stadium covered in advertising billboards. I know some of you agree that this lowers the park's respectability to a minor league level.
I am a purist when it comes to the game and I always want to see a professional poker player win the Main Event. With that said I also don’t want to see advertising on the table, people jump around like idiots after winning a pot or sunglasses worn inside. These are just opinions but they are my opinions, which makes them more notable.

TOC IV - Game Two

I played much better this week. I took my time with each hand and thought out what the best option was before ever acting. Before betting or calling a bet I would calculate what was in the pot to know how much I should bet.
My biggest three mistakes were as follows:
#1: It was five-handed early in the tournament and I had K-9 offsuit one from the button. I raised it up and it folded around to Brooke who was the big blind. She called the raise. The flop came out King high and two spades. She bet $300 when there was about $750 in the pot. I raised it to $1,200. She called. The turn was another spade. She checked and I thought briefly and bet another $1,200. I should have checked here because I felt the spade helped her and slowing down would have been the smart play. The river came with another King and Brooke bet out $2,500. This put $6,000 in the pot. My hand had just increased to three of a kind. I am only beat by a higher kicker, a full house or the flush. Out of frustration, knowing I was beat, I made the call. She had A-3 of spades. Had I checked the turn she would not have bet so much on the river and I could have lost less when I called it down.
#2: I raised with A-10 offsuit and Nick re-raised right behind me. It folded around to me and I went all in. He called with 10-10 and I got lucky with a runner-runner flush that also paired my Ace on the river. It was stupid to move all in pre-flop. Nick had not been playing goofy like he does and I should have known he had a big hand.
#3: The final mistake knocked me out of the tournament in fourth place. I raised with A-2 and Slope called behind me. The flop came Q-J-2. I bet out and he moved all in. Without a moment's hesitation I called. He had a Jack and I didn't improve. I had been patient all night and thought out my plays. This hand I didn't do that and I deserved what I got.

Here are the standings from last night and the overall leader board:
Game Two:
1st - Slope - 0 points
2nd - Linda - 11 points
3rd - Brian - 21 points
4th - Matt - 30 points
5th - James - 38 points
6th - Wayne - 45 points
7th - Danny - 51 points
8th - Brooke - 56 points
9th - Nick - 60 points
10th - Mike II - 63 points
11th - Hector - 65 points
12th - Mike I - 66 points

Overall Standings:
1st - Slope - 21 points
2nd - James - 38 points
3rd - Linda - 62 points
4th - Mike II - 74 points
5th - Matt - 86 points
6th - Brian - 87 points
7th - Nick - 90 points
8th - Brooke - 94 points
9th - Wayne - 110 points
10th - Mike I - 111 points
11th - Danny - 111 points
12th - Hector - 128 points

I'm 26 Today!

I am celebrating my 26th birthday today. Not a lot is going on. I will go to Danny and Brandy's house and watch a movie. It is our Wednesday night ritual. I have gotten a ton of phone calls from friends and family, but no presents. We will see if anyone gets me anything.

A New Discovery

I have found a computer here at work that has the capability of bringing up Blogger, which means I can now update during the week. Nothing new has happened. I came in second in a six-man tournament we had on Saturday, giving me a $15 profit for the night. It went well with my $100 I made in 15 minutes that day as well. Internet poker has been very good to me lately. I don't know why. I am not playing any differently than I ever have. Just good luck I guess.
My birthday is on Wednesday. I will be turning 26. Officially reaching my late 20s. A little scary, but not too bad. I am still one of the younger ones of our group. Danny is the youngest though.
My editor is going to be out of town for a week starting Wednesday. Things will be hectic around the office with her gone, but relaxed at the same time.
Still not much to talk about. Guess I will update later.

TOC IV - Game One

Here are the results from last night. I was lucky to end up where I did since I was short stacked about 20 minutes into the tournament.

1st - James - 0 points
2nd - Mike II - 11 points
3rd - Slope - 21 points
4th - Nick - 30 points
5th - Brooke - 38 points
6th - Mike II - 45 points
7th - Linda - 51 points
8th - Matt - 56 points
9th - Danny - 60 points
10th - Hector - 63 points
11th - Wayne - 65 points
12th - Brian - 66 points

Time For A New Beginning

I have made a momentous decision (with a little push from a friend). The old blog is being revitalized just in time to talk about the Tournament of Champions, otherwise known as TOC IV.
The TOC is a creation from the minds of a few Arlingtonites that wanted to create a tournament series that would find the best player in the group. I won the last TOC and would like to go for back-to-back wins.
I will be throwing up the standings as we go along, but I can only update from a computer that isn't at work (they are Macs and can't handle the simple task of blogging). Keep in touch and I will post later.