Learn something new

I got my ass handed to me at my first Texas Hold'em tournament tonight. Wasn't the first out, but I lasted all of 70 minutes. I won one all-in hand, but that was it. I played waaaayy too aggressively. Think maybe I should stick to free online poker and the occasional home game? Yeah, me too. That was way too expensive for slightly more than a hour of play.

There's a pretty big difference between cash games and tournaments. In a cash game, you can walk away with whatever you currently have. In a tournament, it's winner takes all. Therefore, it's far more prudent to play slowly. All you have to do is last until the end. It doesn't really matter how much you have at any given point.

Well, that's not entirely true. You want enough to be able to knock other players out, but you could let the other players do that for you.

So I'm planning on having a game at my place next weekend. I'll have to have chairs by then. Or borrow from work. Which is probably what I'll do. My poker table top fits pretty nicely on my rectangular table, but I may have to set up in the living room.

It'll only be a $5 buy in, $15 max re-buy. Super cheap. I would actually play with no money, but it doesn't make for a very interesting game. People play dumb if nothing's on the line. I limit the re-buy because I've had friends that start losing and dumping money into a social game. Not much fun for the rest of us. Makes things pretty uncomfortable.

Did I write this stuff already? I feel like I'm repeating myself. Must be getting old.

I promised you guys a picture, huh?


Here's my living room. Ginormous, huh? Shoulda put my shoes away... I was standing in the kitchen/dining room to take the picture. That striped recliner used to belong to my paternal grandparents. My brother dragged it out of a barn 10 or 11 years ago. They had it recovered a couple of times before they gave it to us. We made the mistake of having it recovered by a very inexperienced company. I think the guy hired cheap help and let them 'figure it out'. I don't think it'll ever be the same. It just doesn't work right anymore.

The rocking chair was given to my mom by her dad when I was born. I need to get the arm fixed on it, but I'm a little hesitant to let anyone else mess with it. I'm thinking I should just do it myself.

I haven't got it all set it up yet, but the fisherman quilt on the wall has a story. My grandma sent me a painting done by her, made from a photograph of my grandfather in that same setting. Him standing in the river, fly fishing, trees around him, and a mountain in the distance. So my mom made this quilt you see. Then later, I had a photo taken of me of that same exact setting. Different place, but same thing. Me standing in a river, fly fishing, trees around me, a mountain in the distance. Soon I'll have all the different mediums displayed in that corner.

I didn't really know my maternal grandfather. My grandmother is still well. She lives just a couple hours away. I met my grandfather when I was very young, but all I remember is him sitting in a chair and on oxygen. He was a carpenter and smoked most of his life. I'm not really a carpenter, closer to a framer I suppose, but he did that too. (I don't smoke.)

I'm afraid my grandfather wouldn't think much of me right now. My mom would probably disagree, but if he's up there watching, I think he probably knows my heart better than she does.

I'm playing an online poker game as I'm writing this. It's a free game and no one is really playing. They're all just checking. Whatever. I'll start pushing the bet a little.

Aaaand I just lost. Ha!

G'nite.