Rude Bertha, Bad Card Charlie, and Me

I'm in Norman, Oklahoma for at least one more day. My plan is to drive to Albuquerque tomorrow. All things are open for discussion, however, so I won't make my final decision until tomorrow morning.

I made it the Riverwind just after 7 p.m. last night. In the poker room there was immediate seating available at the 3/6 limit, so I bought in for $80.

I knew things were going to be weird from the start. I took the 2-seat between a woman who had an “I’m losing all my rent money” look on her face and a guy who talked about every hand he had as if anyone would care. The woman was rude when I tried to squeeze into my seat. I had just enough room to sit down, stick one leg toward the table, and place my chip stack directly in front of me.

“Er, excuse me. I’m sorry for having to squeeze in here. I guess if I lost some weight it wouldn’t be so bad.” I was politely trying to communicate to the rude woman on my right. Shift your fat ass a few feet to the left so I can sit down.

She said nothing, and moved maybe six inches.

The guy on my right began to boil, folding a hand. “I can’t get any good cards,” he said while looking around the table, not bright enough to notice that everyone was ignoring him.

So I began my session between Rude Bertha and Bad Card Charlie ( the nicknames I quickly gave them). I sat there for a few hands and played nothing. After a while, the 4-seat opened when a fellow decided he couldn’t take the excitement any longer, loaded up his $120 or so and went to the cashier.

“I’m moving to seat 4 after the button,” I told the dealer. I took off my Maverick’s cap and placed it in the chair that was comfortably waiting for me in the 4-spot, where there was plenty of room; it was amazingly spacious. I’ll be able to sit with both legs under the table. Now I’ll have Rude Bertha on my right. Take that, Rude Bertha. See? I now have room to spread out just like you, you twit.

“I can’t believe that flop,” said Bad Card Charlie. “Man, I finally get a decent hand and it totally misses the flop!” No one cares. Get over it. This guy for some reason feels like he needs to comment on every action at the table. Put a sock in it!

I’ve been at the table maybe 5 minutes, have not played a hand, paid a big and small blind, and changed seats once. No action, no nothing. I was starting to believe this was a bad table. Already I was looking to change, but there was only one other 3/6 limit table available and it was full.

Three things happened almost simultaneously that told me I was threw with the table. First, two players decided to leave for a food or smoke break at the same time, shorting the table to 6 players (we were already short with only 8 players when I first sat down). Second, an obnoxious goon from a 1/2 no limit table decided he would share his poker prowess with us and sat down in a vacated seat. He immediately began to raise every hand and even straddled once. I don’t mind the aggression, but his arrogance and “I’m better than all you people” attitude was really annoying. I don’t like arrogance in any form, much less from a guy whom thinks he’s a “poker god” incarnate at night, and during the day is a mildly mannered mechanic at some garage in downtown Norman.

So far it’s not going my way. I’m sitting at a table that is shorted, and a maniac is trying to push players around with unfettered aggression and silly talk.

The third thing that happened, almost within seconds of the other two events, sent me to the cashier: an elderly woman brought her husband a cheeseburger and fries. I was sitting next to the man, his wife now suddenly standing behind me holding a Burger King sack. She appeared out of nowhere, stumbled behind my chair, stuffed the burger and fries on the food tray between me and her husband, and left in a cloud of dust. The old man began to eat like he’d been without food for months. Parts of the burger were hanging out of his mouth. He was handling chips with mustard on his hands. Not a pretty sight.

Here’s a suggestion: if you are so old you can’t eat a hamburger without food hanging from your mouth, try leaving the table for a meal break.

When I picked up my chips and left the table, I had played no hands, paid out two blinds, and was behind $8. It was the worst 15 minute session in my memory. (In fact, it’s the only 15 minute session in my memory.)

I walked out of the poker room with a feeling of resignation, knowing I made the right decision. The lesson is this: poker is more than just playing cards. It’s also playing a table. Some tables are going to be profitable and some are not. I am learning to discover, and quickly vacate, a table that will cost me money.

I visited the food court, drank some coffee, and decided to play Ultimate Texas Hold’em until later in the evening. I wanted the poker room to fill up with locals getting off work. They often won’t show up until 8 p.m. or later. Therefore, I was going to kill some time, revisit the poker room later on, and perhaps sit at a better table.

At the Ultimate Texas Hold’em table I quickly hit a run of good cards and won about six hands in a row. Before leaving, I had doubled my $80 buy-in and cashed out with $160. This was a great turn of events. Now I can return to the poker room and basically play on a free roll. I was willing to lose $40, if necessary, leaving me with a small $40 profit for the evening.

I sat at a much better table this time around: a full set of players and no one eating cheeseburgers. I congratulated myself on leaving a bad table and finally finding a good one. I played for an hour and was ahead by $23 before the table began to break up. With six players remaining, the nice woman in the 9 seat decided to leave and so I joined her.

I was happy to leave for the night with a $91 profit, after three hours of weirdness.

I’ve left out stories about the 7-foot, 300 pound monster at the Ultimate Texas Hold’em table I tried to avoid, the one-armed cowboy carrying his soft drink with his right nub, and the 400 pound man sitting in the food court wolfing down a double-meated sandwich of some kind. What is going on in this place tonight? There must be a circus in town!

Checking Out Albuquerque: Leg Two of My Trip

In GoogleMapping the next leg of my journey, the Googlewizards have said it is 563 miles from Norman to Albuquerque, and it will take me just over 8 hours to drive there. Amarillo seems to be about one half the way there. I figure $100 in gas should be sufficient, based on my car's performance thus far. It's costing me $15 to $18 for each 100 miles I travel.

In Amarillo I will get an oil change and general check up. I can't afford any serious car trouble. That's the gamble, here. Driving 1100 miles in a SUV that has 160,000 miles on it. Keep your fingers crossed with me that it will make the journey in good form.

I'm intrigued by the Sandia Casino and Resort in Albuquerque. Their web site proudly admits that their poker room is the largest in New Mexico. It covers a $4/$8 limit game, which is good, and higher limit games like $10/$20. The Sandia poker room will be my next destination and will complete the second leg of my Fall Adventure.

I'll also want to check out the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque. The poker room manager is legendary poker queen Barbara Fielder Prather. The Route 66 has a spacious poker room and offers limit games at various levels, plus the customary no limit variety. I also was glad to see they offer food comps!

When do I turn my car west and head down Interstate 40 toward the Sandia Casino? Check back. I'm not sure.

Viva Las Vegas! The Adventure Begins.

On Monday, August 13, I made the decision to hit the road and head west for Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. I tied up all loose ends in north Texas, turned the car north toward the Red River and began my Fall Adventure.

Here's the idea, as nutsy as it sounds: I'm going to work my way west toward southern Nevada, playing various poker rooms along the way, taking my time and enjoying the trip, with no plans other than to eventually arrive in Henderson before Winter sets in. I have no idea how long I'll be on the road. I'm in no hurry. If I run out of money along the way, I'll stop and find a temporary job.

I'm like the travelor of the early 1800s who packed up his wagon and ventured into the unknown, hoping to find a better life. If the wagon breaks down or you run out of food, you just settle down for a while. Then continue moving on westward, ever westward.

It's not the destination that makes life interesting, it's the journey.

So my Fall Adventure has begun. In planning for the trip, I Googled for casino and poker room information in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. I looked at GoogleMaps, checked out a route that would take me along Interstate 40 west, and attempted to find decent poker rooms between southern Oklahoma and southern Nevada. This was no easy task. Anyway, I think I have an idea of where I'm going.

The first leg of trip has taken me to the Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma. I drove the 107 miles north to the home of Sooners football and the University of Oklahoma. The Riverwind is only minutes south of downtown and is a nice facility with plenty of slot machines (that I never play) and a poker room that is only adequate--not great--just adequate.

I like Norman, however, and wouldn't mind just settling here. Just 17 miles south of Oklahoma city, Norman has the looks of an enormous college town with all the trappings (and restaurants) of a modern suburb. The Sooners Mall is anchored by Dillards and Sears, and with the Olive Garden nearby, what else does one need to be happy in this world?

I'm not sure how long I'll stay here. Again, I'm in no hurry. I may stay a few days, a week, a few months. I have no timetable, no real schedule. So I'll have time to check out the infamous OU college hangouts, including the Fat Sandwich shop and the historic Campus Corner on Boyd Street.

The next leg of my journey will be the drive west on Interstate 40 to Aluquerque, New Mexico. I'll be checking GoogleMaps for distance and drive time, etc. For all I know, I'll be driving there tomorrow. Or maybe not. Interstate 40 will take me as far as Kingman, Arizona, just a few miles south of Vegas. At Kingman, I'll turn north on Highway 93 north and I’m there.

To read about my poker play you can visit my poker blog at http://www.7seat.com/.

My First Visit to Norman and the Riverwind

Since my last post, I’ve embarked on my relocation trip to Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. My goal is to travel slowly, taking my time with no schedule, and playing poker at various poker rooms between north Texas and southern Nevada. You can read my blog and follow me on my trip at “1100 Miles to Vegas”.

The first leg of my journey finds me in Norman, Oklahoma, home of the University of Oklahoma and Sooner pride. The Riverwind Casino is just to the south of downtown off Interstate 35 at Highway 9.

I walked inside the Riverwind and was immediately impressed. More spacious than the Winstar, I liked the seating area and food court similar to what you would find in a shopping mall. Burger King has a counter front, along with some other junkies like Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.

The poker room is a little disappointing. It’s smaller than the Winstar’s new room, and only offered a $3/$6 limit game (which had not formed yet at midday) and the customary no limit games beginning with $1/$2 and $2/$5. They had a few blackjack tables, one 3-card poker table, and one Ultimate Texas Hold’em table running. Of course it was Monday at noon, not the busiest time for a poker room, so I was eager to see if the room was more active later in the day.

I went back to the casino around 7:30 p.m. I took with me $100 into the poker room. My goal was to risk $60, no more. I signed up for a $3/$6 limit game, and the “interest list” had about six names on it, so I had to wait for a new table to open. Once the table began and I took my seat it was 8 p.m.

I played well and the cards were fine, plus the table had its share of weak players, so I doubled my buy-in of $80 within 90 minutes of sitting down. I was happy to leave while ahead of the game. I left with $89 in profits once I decided to call it a night. It was 9:30 p.m. or so. Since I had been in the car all day, I was ready for some sleep.

Leaving the poker room I was starving. I had not eaten much all day, just a Carl Jr.’s cheeseburger. After checking out the food court, Burger King seemed the most reasonable choice so I ordered a chicken sandwich, no fries. I consumed it like a man on a deserted island. Needless to say I ate the whole thing, tomatoes and all.

I walked by the Ultimate Texas Hold’em Table on my way out. There was an open seat, so I sat down and bought in for $100. I was not going to risk more than $50. If I lost that amount I figured I would still be up for the night. After about 20 minutes of play, 10 hands, and a couple of nice wins I was up $30. I knew I was leaving there with a profit, which is always my goal. I played a couple of hands more and finished ahead $15. While this doesn’t sound like much, I think of it in terms of an hourly wage. I made $15 in less than hour.

A player to my right, obviously a rich kid who was attending OU on his parent’s bankroll, was betting $30 or more on each hand and playing the “Trips” option, which I rarely play. (The “Trips” is where the house makes their money and the edge is clearly in their favor so I stay away from it, to the amusement of other players around me…but let them laugh…I’ll walk away a winner most of the time using my highly designed system for minimizing the house’s edge. I know some will argue with me at this point, but I don't care.) Anyway, this kid was clearly a gambler, and probably will end up broke before midnight. He was winning and losing hundreds and was on the short end when I left. I told the ladies next to me, “I’ll take my small profit and call it a night.”

So, after is was all said and done, after two hours I left the Riverwind with $104 in profits. Not a bad night for a small stakes amateur.

Patrick Stewart Going to Mars

On August 4, NASA launched a Delta II Rocket carrying the Phoenix Mars Lander at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. In less than 90 minutes, the spacecraft had left Earth’s orbit headed for the Red Planet. It will take about 10 months for the Phoenix to get there.

The Planetary Society provided part of the mission payload. A mini-DVD on the spacecraft contains personal greetings form space visionaries, plus 80 stories and articles by leading writers and scientists. A collection of Mars artwork and classic radio shows narrated by Patrick Stewart is also included.

Phoenix will land on the northern plains of Mars looking for evidence of past life.

...................................................................................................

I came across a web site that generates pictures like the one's below. Go there and amuse yourself like I did.

NYT Online, Writer's Block, Randomness

The New York Times will no longer charge readers for online access to its Op-Ed columnists and other content, says The New York Post. As a Times reader, I'm glad to know it. I've never paid for the service and always thought the Times would come around and offer free content online.

Times executives - including publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. - made the decision to end the subscription-only TimesSelect service but have yet to make an official announcement. Apparently an internal debate has been waging for months over ending the service. The timing of when TimesSelect will shut down hinges on resolving software issues associated with making the switch to a free service, sources say.

The Times took the controversial approach in 2005 by charging for access to well-known writers, including Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and Thomas L. Friedman. Other online publications were abandoning subscriptions and relying on advertising. I'm not sure I like the intrusive advertising any better, but at least I can shut banner ads off or weed my way through the junk to find my news for the day.

Some of the paper's columnists have been complaining that the service limited their Web readership. Leave it to a bunch of columnists to state the obvious.

In July, The Post reported that insiders were lobbying to shut down the service. After two years, however, the move to do away with TimesSelect may have more to do with growth than grumbling inside the paper. The number of Web-only subscribers who pay $7.95 a month or $49.95 a year fell to just over 221,000 in June, down from more than 224,000 in April.

................................................................................................................

Forcing the brain to be creative on demand never seems to work. It's like the brain is free to think of things when left alone. Writer's block is often the result of coercion: we hold a gun to our brain's head until something profound comes forth.

I often find it difficult to generate creative ideas or thoughts when I'm writing. What will I write about today? When you sit down to write for a few hours, your brain often will say, "Not so fast...I'm busy right now...get back to me later."

But a writer must write.

In a recent blog post, Bob Farley admits disappointment that ideas to be written come to him at times when he's not writing. Farley says, "I'm one of those who goes through the day and in places where I have no possibility of writing down or remembering what I'm thinking, I think about things that need written. Wonderful imaginary conversations between characters take place while I'm walking through the aisles at the grocery, waiting for the dogs to poop, or editing business stories for work...if those ideas and thoughts come to me almost regularly at those times, why can I not train them to come when I want them to?"

All writers face the problem. It's nothing new. The ideas, thoughts, imaginations, characters, voices, conversations, wonderful moments of life that need to be reflected upon are often forgotten with our next breath. We get a glimpse of something profound or thought-provoking and say to ourselves, "That's a great idea for a story." But then the thought vanishes into the netherworld.

So the writer has a problem. How do we schedule daily writing sessions when the ideas and thoughts we write about occur randomly, without warning or context, in the imagination of our day? Our brains are not on any schedule; creative thoughts are independent contractors.

How would a chef create a menu for his restaurant guests if the food arrived randomly, or not at all? How would a used car dealer make a living if he had no cars on the lot?

One thing I can do is take notes. I need to be aware when ideas come along that inspire the writer in me, and find some way to write them down before I lose them.

"Finger" of the Week: August 6

French President Nicolas Sarkozy wins our Finger of the Week award for August 6. He lost his temper with two American news photographers covering his vacation Sunday, August 5, jumping onto their boat and scolding them loudly in French.

The confrontation came Sunday afternoon as Sarkozy and companions were headed for open water in a boat on Lake Winnipesaukee when he spotted Associated Press photographer Jim Cole and freelancer Vince DeWitt aboard Cole's boat, which was outside a buoy barrier monitored by the New Hampshire Marine Patrol.

"He was happy and smiling and he waved at the security people as he was coming out," Cole said of the president. "And then he noticed us taking pictures and his happy demeanor diminished immediately."