Saturday

Waking up was easy. Al was still passed out when I got up, so I went and took care of some business. Coffe shop, phone calls and some other stuff that fell into the "work" category.

Bam called or text at around noon and said, the afternoon shift is waiting. I mentioned that to Al and he sprang out of bed like it was Christmas morning. Very Good Stuff.

We met Bam and Carson in their room and headed to the Rail. We picked a spot in the corner across from the stage, and quickly ordered our first round. Sotch, (of course) for Bam and I, Carson had a beer, and, well, Al of course was shipped his soco neat with water back.

We must have gone through 4 or 5 rounds all the while chatting back and forth. Every now and then, there would be one or two less of us because 3 of the 4 suckers got their nicotine fix from cigarettes. I of course sat neatly and comfortably in my chair all the while chewing on a little Skoal. One of the dancers told me that it was hot that I was chewing tobacco. It was before I gave her any money as well, so it had to be true!

A dance here and a dance there, and in between some cool conversations. We left and headed to the Hotel for a change and the trip to Astins for dinner. On the way I realized it was a little cool so we ventured into an Army navy type store. Al tried to get me into a 20's style leather bomber, but I was not having it. The middle eastern store clerk pegged us as HOLLYWOOD!! as we walked in and I asked him for a fleece. He walked me over, showed me a jacket, and I said sold. $127 canadien, and we were out of there...

We shipped over to Astins and met everyone else including a few new people we hadn't seen yet.

The whole tuckfard crew was in full form, as well as poker tart, looking all glowing, and partner in crime there, Mr. Bankwell, who said all of three words at dinner but opened up graciously at the tournament. Dinner was awesome with guitar hero in the foreground, and CK just mezmerized with being able to conquer the game! You could see it in her eyes that she just wanted to pwn that damn thing.

After dinner it was off to the tourny. I bubbled the bubble going out in 5th place finally deciding that i wasn't going to wait for a hand and hope it held up, or have to call a jam and hoped that held up. It was basically push pre and hope you dont run into a monster. So after amassing probably third in chips by stealing and such, I shoved QT from the cut off. Mr. Big stack, (about a third more than my stack, maybe a little more) insta calls with AJ and I go home. Well, to the cash table.

Bankwell, tart, astin, Joanna, and eventually Kat got there as well. It wasn't too much fun blasting off to each other but some other dude shows up and I run bottom set into top set.

The dude had started short and tripled in 3 hands. I didn't say anything but started to watch the dealer after that hand. Just a little odd to me, but no worries. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary and almmost got it all back when I shoved my last 41 into a $10 raise and a caller.
I river the nuts, Astin takes the side pot, and I scoop the main.

I was getting very tired and decided to catch a cab back to the hotel.

The whole day/ night was awesome. hangin' with some very cool friends, and just having a great time.

Two observations I wanted to make about my poker playing friends.

The same observation about two different people.

Both are machines. Every action is predetermined. how they wait for their cards, how they look at them, how they act. Both are robots. This is what I dig about playing live, so much more than I do online.

the mannerisms, the patience, you can really tell who contemplates about the game as a whole. their strategy throughout the game. Its a beautiful thing.

Both Ck and pebbles were the two that impressed me the most. Both were very methodical in their approach on every hand and I would find it difficult for anyone to spot a physical tell on either of them. Both waiting patiently for the action to come to them before they looked at their cards, and both looking at their cards in the same manner every time.

It would be difficult to get a read on either of them. Well played.

A quick story.. ck and I were discussing women in the poker room on the impossible trip through NY and she had mentioned how she rarely got any credit from the aggro guys at the Borg, or any poker room really because she was a female. I agreed with her, noticing on several occasions during my live sessions some poor fool dusitng off to a non-male with absolutely nothing because he thought he could get her to fold...

On sunday at the Niagra poker room, some dumptruck showed up and bluffed $100 into an action pot with flush and broadway draws. Took it down and showed 42off. Ck got into it with him and called him all the way down with second pair to a 3 spaded board and a straighty board

He puts it all in, she calls, and wins.... The guy was next to me and I whispered to him as he grimaced.. "only a stupid woman makes that call" :)