Opening Day!

"Opening Day is the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. It falls around the beginning of April, signaling such a generational feeling of rebirth for some that the writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins On Opening Day. Many feel that the occasion represents a newness or a chance to forget last season, in that the 30 major league clubs and their millions of fans begin with 0-0 records."- Anon.

For me, an Astros fan, it's quite likely the only day my team will share a portion of first place. But Opening Day signals the end of a long winter and the beginning of spring. It's 39 degrees in the Heart of Texas this morning, but will be in the 80's this afternoon. Springtime weather.

Summer's comin'!

Till next time, win the flips.


President Harry Truman preparing to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball
game between the Washington Senators and New York Yankees on Opening Day, 1951.



Hot, Hot, Hot!

The online heater continues for another day.

I played eight $6-18 man tourneys on Full Tilt yesterday and finished with three firsts and one second, booking a $110 profit. WHEEEEE!

I'm taking my own advice and winning the flips. I only remember one hand where I got it in bad and sucked out. We were down to four, all of us in the money. Blinds were up to $500-$1000 and I was on the button with A-K sooooted, sitting on three BB. The cut off pushed and I made the easy call, only to be shown pocket kings. But when your running good, you hit that three outer ace and go on to win the tourney!

It's been a nice run that has my Full Tilt bankroll at a new high. I know it will end, but I'm sure enjoying the ride right now.

Tii next time, win the flips.

Bowl Movements

We completed our winter bowling league last night, with our team winning the title. "Bowl Movements" was named by my daughter and teammate, with my other teammate, Sonny Boy concurring.

We led by three games starting the night, meaning we only needed to win one to take the trophy. Good thing, because one is all we won!

I finished with a 165 average, which is about ten above my normal average, so I was pleased with that result. I also managed a couple of 200+ games, which I haven't done in a while.

I imagine we'll take a few weeks off and then begin our spring league. Fun times!

Till next time, win the flips. And avoid the 7-10 split ;o)

The Royal Couple Goes Down In Flames

I had a long night at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza last week. In three hours of poker I won a grand total of two hands. As you have probably guessed, my draws never got there and my two pair and sets were shot down by miracle river cards. When the smoke had cleared, I had turned my $20 bill into three Georges. Yuk!

Dealer Larry won the High Hand Jackpot with quad fives, but still had a net loss for the night. Farmer Harry and Ray-Ray were the big winners, both cashing out north of $40. Although it was a tough night on the felt, I still had a good time with a fun bunch of runners.
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Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney went much better. I had the dealer button on the opening hand and looked down at a pair of black aces. I knew it was gonna be a really good night. Or a really bad one. I'm not real excited about getting involved in a big pot early, but A-A almost demands it.

There were several limpers in front, so I popped it 6X the BB ($12) to take out the trash. Bluffing Bev and Big Daddy both called. I knew Bev had a strong starting hand to call such a big raise, and there was no telling what Big Daddy had. The flop came 5-6-J unsuited. Bev and Big Daddy both checked, so I bet $25, figuring to take down the pot right now. Both Bev and Big Daddy called. Oops!

At this point, I'm putting Bev on a set or an overpair and Big Daddy could be as weak as second pair. Bev led with a small $12 bet on a dry turn card with Big Daddy folding. I called, but wasn't happy about it.

The river was another small, offsuit card and Bev checked. I really felt like I was behind and didn't want to invest any more in this hand and checked. Bev tabled Q-Q and I almost doubled my stack on the first hand. Whew.

There was an unusual amount of big pots played early in the tournament and the blinds were only to level four ($5-10) when Lil' Annie Okie and I got heads up. She had a small chip lead on me and we decided to chop the first place money, with Annie cashing for $23 and me for $22, so we could get over to the $2 buy-in cash game.

I got into a big three-way pot with Philly Phanatic and Debbie not long after joining the game. I had steadily built my stack since sitting down, and both of my opponents had me covered. I raisied 3 1/2X the BB with K-J offsuit and saw a nice board of K-J-A. Deb led out and both Philly and I called. The turn was a blank with Deb and I both checking. Philly slid out a pot-sized bet with Deb and I coming along for the ride.

I had lost some confidence in my hand, but the river brought another king. Deb checked and I pushed my remaining stack in. "I can't fold now'" Philly said as he called with A-9 and I pulled a nice $10-12 pot.

I slowly built my stack up to around $17 when the final hand of the night was pitched.  We were down to four players, with me in the BB. I peeked down at K-Q offsuit, the Royal Couple, and decided to check, just to mix things up a bit and possibly trap someone for a big pot. The flop was K-7-4 rainbow. I was going to lead out with a 1/2 pot bet, but I noticed that Big Daddy, who was on my left, reaching for chips. I decided to check and let him hang himself. He tossed in .70 cents, which was almost a pot-sized bet, with Philly Phanatic and Tin Man both folding. I smooth called.

The turn was a beautiful Q, giving me top two pair. I checked and smiled to myself as Big Daddy pushed out $1. Hee-hee, gotcha! Call.

Then came the river card. The seven of spades, which paired the board and was also the third spade.

Ugh! Just an awful card.

I had planned to bet enough to get Big Daddy's entire stack, but I changed gears and checked, fearing he might have hit trips. Big Daddy pushed for his last $2.50. Crap.

My initial read on him was that he wanted the call, but the longer I watched him the tighter he got. it's one of those situations that you really feel like you're beat, you just don't want to believe it. I hemmed and hawed for a few minutes before making the call, only to be shown 7-5.

I guess sometimes you can get too cute with your hands.

I still cashed out for a $10 profit, and combined with my tournament winnings, added $28 to the 'ole bankroll, more than making up for the J-Dawg fiasco the night before.
                          ******************************
My online heaters continues. I banked a $17 profit yesterday and another $24 tonight. Onward and upward!

Till next time, win the flips.

Road Trip

Kimbell Art Museum

Sonny Boy and I spent the day in Ft. Worth at two art museums. That's right, Lucki Duck is one of those "artsy-fartsy" types! In order to complete an assignment for his art appreciation course, my #1 son had to attend a museum that housed paintings created by some of the masters in the art world. He invited me because he knows I'm a dork that likes to walk thru art exhibitions.

We left for the Kimbell Art Museum around 8:30 this morning, stopping for breakfast on the way, and arrived a little after eleven. Neither of us had been to the Kimbell and we were both pleasantly surprised. On display were works by well known artists such as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Titian, Piccasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and quite a few more.

We weren't there more than five minutes when one of the security guards got on Sonny Boy for pointing at one of the paintings. "Please don't get too close. Please keep your hands at least 12 inches from the painting'" she said.

"Way to go'" I whispered, "Haven't hardly walked thru the door and you've already gotten us yelled at"!

As we were finishing our tour of the exhibition, I offered Sonny Boy five bucks to go up to the security guard and say, "I'll take that big one over there and the two in the corner. Could you wrap them up for me?" LOL!

He declined. Chicken.

When I was working on my BFA in Graphic Design many moons ago, part of my assignment on field trips like today, was to pick my favorite painting and explain what is going on in the scene. I thought it might be fun to do it again now.

My favorite piece was Caravaggio's "The Cardsharps."

In this work, completed in 1594, Caravaggio is illustrating a common scene for the time period and also for today. The woman on the left represents the common man or woman card player. The gentleman in the middle is Full Tilt Poker's central computer. As you can plainly see, he is signaling the woman's hand to the man on the far right, who represents Full Tilt's "random" number generator. Caravaggio hits the nail on the head (although 400 years early) by showing that the RNG is palming a card and also has several more behind him that he has ready to pull out of his butt if necessary to hit the one outer on the river and break the woman's (representing you and me) heart.

"Random" my foot! There's a reason they named the site "Full Tilt!" Duh.

I can't decide if I'm more impressed with Caravaggio's use of color, contrast, and composition in his work, or his uncanny ability to see into the future. Well played sir, well played indeed.

We had some time after we finished at the Kimbell, so we drove up the block to the Amon Carter Museum. The Carter features mostly American western art, with a focus on Remington and Russell. We both enjoyed walking thru this museum also. I'm sure we'll be going back to both in the future.

A nice day spent with my son. And we both learned a little bit. Good times!

Till next time, win the flips.

"Fat Ho" Burgers

Yes-sir-ree, we done got us a new burger joint here deep in the heart of Texas. "Fat Ho" Burgers had their grand opening Tuesday.

Come on down and join me. We can chow down on a "Supa Dupa Fly Ho" burger (two patties), or if you're not that hungry, how 'bout a "Supa Fly Ho," which is a single patty. If you're famished, try the "Bad Mamajama"! Weighing in with four patties, it's not for any "Skinny Ass Ho".

Yep, just stayin' classy here in the Lone Star State!

Till next time, win the flips.

"gg idiot"

I had another good night on the virtual felt. In eight games (four tabling x two) in the $6-18 man tourneys, I had two firsts and one second, for a $50+ profit. SAH-WEET!

In my final game of the evening I was heads up against DR BRUCE, who had a 4 1/2 to 1 chip lead on me. However, the blinds were $1-2k, which gave me a chance even though I only had 2 1/2 BB.

I won a race and doubled, then pushed pre-flop the next hand. DR BRUCE folded, which pretty much evened the match. I called DR BRUCE'S open shove and won another race, which left him with a little over 400 chips.

"gg idiot" pops up in the chat box. Why Dr, what a wonderful bedside manner you have!

I didn't reply, but just enjoyed watching the tilt monster working his magic. Until the RNG decided to screw with me!

The good doctor was all-in pre-flop on the next hand. Although he was drawing to 3 outs on the river, he hit his miracle card. He was AI again the next hand with K-J and I called him with A-J. Dominated again. Once again he binked his three outer on the river.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! appears in the chat box.

Then he won a race and suddenly he has a chance to come back and win. And there's nothing worse than losing to someone who is being an ass.

Fortunately, I was able to toe-tag him on the next hand. Although he had live cards on this one, he didn't improve and that was that.

Isn't it always just a little sweeter when you can felt an opponent that's being a jerk? It's almost like a $5 bonus :o)

Till next time, win the flips.

Upswing

Things are looking up for me on the virtual felt. After a decent downswing, due to both bad luck and bad play (a deadly combination), I took some time and reviewed my game for leaks.

I found that I had become too loose with my opening hand selection. Gary has a couple of posts describing the same problem. I also had gotten too loose with my shoves late in the tournament. I would shove any two if opening from the SB, and I have found that the calling ranges of my opponents have widened greatly over the last year or so. What worked last year doesn't work as well now.

In addition to tightening up my game, I have also started winning my share of flips. It seems like when you're running bad it doesn't matter if you get it in good, bad, or even, you're gonna lose. The only bad beat I can recall last night happened when I open-shoved 6-6 from the SB with 5BB left. The villian snap-called with A-3 and binked an ace on the turn, bubbling me in fifth place. But I ended the night with two first place finishes and one second in eight games in the $6-18 man sit-n gos, which made for a tidy profit.

I'll probably be at it again tonight, so if your playing on Full Tilt look me up and we'll pitch a few cards.

Till next time, win the flips.

Variance

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been invited to participate in a poker league. The good news is that first prize is a seat in the WSOP Main Event, plus $2,000 for travel expenses. Cost to play in the 10 man league is $1200, with a winner-take-all format.

I had two concerns with the league. First, the tournaments were on Mondays, which is my bowling night. Second, I didn't like the winner-take-all format because of the large variance it presents.

I was invited to play in a tournament at a local pool hall/bar yesterday. Some of the players in the tournament are also members of the league that I've been invited to join and they wanted to discuss the league with me and get an answer. I expressed the concerns I mentioned above, one of which was settled when they agreed to move the league tournaments to Tuesdays. However, they would not agree to changing the prize payout to three packages worth $4000 each. My reasoning was that $4k is plenty for a trip to Vegas and a buy-in to a WSOP preliminary event. It would also reduce the variance to a level I find acceptable.

Since we couldn't agree on my second concern, I declined the invitation and let them know how much I appreciate being invited, which I do.

I did okay in the tournament, finishing fourth out of around 15 players. I was in the SB with 9BB left. The action was folded to me and I looked down at Q-8. The BB was down to 5BB and since I had her covered, I decided to push, knowing that she had to have a big hand to call me. Unfortuneately, A-K soooted is a big hand and I was insta-called. I didn't improve and was down to 4BB. My very next hand was A-J, so it was an easy push. The same lady called with K-Q, hitting a Q on the flop and another on the river for good measure and I was toe-tagged.

Overall, it was a good night, but I'm a little bummed we couldn't come to an agreement on my joining the league.

Till next time, win the flips.

Lightning's Texas Music Lesson

If you saw lightning's post today, you know that he and Ms. Lightning are headed to my part of the country... Texas. We have tried to arrange to meet for a drink or a meal, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Since we can't get together, I thought the least I can do is introduce him to a couple of Texas music legends.

Ray Wylie Hubbard and Jerry Jeff Walker have been a part of the Texas music scene since the '70s. Of course, two first names is a requirement to play in Texas (see Stevie Ray Vaughn), and Texas music is an acquired taste. One which I certainly have acquired!

So, without any further adu, here's Ray Wylie and Jerry Jeff.

Ray Wylie Hubbard- "Snake Farm"

                 Jerry Jeff Walker- "Pickup Truck Song"

Enjoy y'all!

Till next time, win the flips.

Be Like Mike!

Good guy and Poker Ambassador Mike Sexton has made the final table of a WPT open event. Gotta love that! Although he's the short stack and a long shot to win it, it would be great to see him pull it off.

Good luck Mike!

For the first time ever, World Poker Tour (WPT) host Mike Sexton reached the final table of an open event. Sexton will headline the Bay 101 Shooting Star final six today, although he is the low man on the totem pole entering the finale at 363,000 in chips, or just 18 big blinds.
Sexton acknowledged to WPT Executive Tournament Director Matt Savage that he had a long road ahead: “It’s always fun getting there, but when you’re there on the extreme short stack like I am, chances are I’ll be the first one out. But, you never know what might happen.”

Hat tip to pokerdailynews.com.

Till next time, win the flips... especially you Mr. Sexton!

Pocket Rockets and Sloppy Joes

I had a good nite on the felt at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza. Farmer Harry brought some Sloppy Joes he had made. Throw in some chips and a chocolate and coconut cake and you have the makings of a pretty tasty meal.

We had ten runners throw in $20 each in this dealer's choice limit game. I won a couple of small pots early and managed to stay in the black the rest of the night.

The final hand of the night produced the biggest pot. J-Dawg picked Omaha High and dealt me pocket aces with a couple of trash cards. The flop brought another ace and the river ten filled my boat. Cell kept betting into me and I kept raising him. Dealer Larry came along with his straight, which cost him a lot of money in the end. Cell tabled nines full, which lost to my aces full and brought me a $15 pot. Nice!

Bobby Dee won the High Hand Jackpot with quad twos and I was the big winner on the evening, cashing out for a little over $45, which more than makes up for my loss last week.

I'll be heading over to Tin Mans tomorrow night to play in his tourney and then the cash game. Hopefully, I can keep my streak going.

Till next time, win the flips.

"There's A Sucker Born Every Minute"

                                           **Sigh**

Till next time, win the flips.

Windfall!

The Texas Department of Transportation has decided to expand Interstate 35 thru our part of the country. Ms. Lucki Duck and I purchased 5 acres of land along the freeway about 12 years ago as an investment and TxDOT  notified us last October that they needed part of our property for the expansion. We met with their appraiser last fall and have been waiting for an offer since then.

We were both a little apprehensive about the offer because we really don't have much of a say in the deal. The state makes an offer, you make one counter offer, and they either accept your counter or condemn your property and give you the original offer price. Oh, they don't put it quite so bluntly, but the bottom line is that we have very little  (if any) leverage in this situation.

Taking the county's appraised value of our property, multiplying the percentage of the property the state was interested in, and adding a small "nuisance fee," we came up with a figure of approximately $6,500 as an acceptable offer.

Yesterday, a representative for TxDOT met with us and made an offer of ... $12,650.

In the words of our friend Charlie Sheeh, "WIN!"

It's the first time I've dealt with any form of government where I didn't feel like I needed a jar of vaseline.

So, although I didn't win it at the poker table, it was a good day for the Duck household.

Till next time, win the flips.

A Win Is A Win

We had a lite turnout for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tournament with only seven showing to play. We added an extra dimension to the game that I really like. A bounty.

Each player picked a card (I think they were Rook cards) and placed them under their chips without looking at the card. All but one of the cards had a red face. The player that had picked the green faced card was the bounty, but no one knew who it was. This kept everyone from gunning for the bounty. When you got knocked out of the tourney, you flip your card up for all to see. If it's the green one, whomever knocked the player out wins the entire bounty pot, which is $1 per player.

And guess who was the first player knocked out? That's right, yours truly! Lil' Okie Annie took almost half my chips early when she flopped a set of threes. My A-Q whiffed the flop, but I C-bet it and Okie smooth called. The flop had a lot of chemistry, with both straight and flush draws, so I put her on a draw.

Smart huh?

The turn was a dry card, so I bet heavy, hoping to push Okie off her draw, or at least make her pay for the opportunity to draw out.

Call.

The river was also a safe card with Okie checking once again. I didn't think there was any way she would call my river bet unless my ace high was beaten, so I checked behind. At least I didn't fire a third barrel!

Big Daddy felted me a little later with a turned full house and I was out early. Deb was next, followed by Philly Phanatic, who was the bounty. Tin Man not only won the $7 bounty, but also chopped first place with Lil' Okie Annie. At least she put my chips to good use.

The $2 buy-in cash game started slow for me and I had to re-buy when Deb rivered a flush and beat my two pair. Things turned around for me and I was able to take a couple of large pots off of Big Daddy. Sweet revenge!

Overall I lost $6 in the tournament and won $7 in the cash game. A $1 net profit bay-bee!

Hey, a win is a win.

Till next time, win the flips!

J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza

"Texas" Cheeseburger!

I played my first session of live poker last night at J-Dawgs. We had 10 runners show up for some food and fun.

Bobby Dee grilled some burgers which were quite tasty. I topped mine with some jalapeno cheese to give it a little kick. As Andy Griffith used to say on the Ritz cracker commercial, "Mmmmmm, mmmmm." A few Lay's barbecue chips, Girl Scout cookies for dessert, and we were ready to put some cards in the air.

I won a decent pot in the first hand I played in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game. I rivered my straight playing hold 'em, adding around $6-7 to my coffer. Unfortunately, that was the high point of my evening, as I finished with a $15 loss. Fifteen bucks isn't a lot of money, but it's a pretty good hickey for this game. Oh well.

Riverboat J was the big winner again. The guy was just a card rack, hitting draws left and right. No doubt he's one of the better players at the table, but he's really been runnin' goot lately! Farmer Harry also had a big night, cashing in a little north of $50. J-Dawg won the High Hand Jackpot with a full boat, aces over threes. Ray Ray was on the receiving end of the beat down last night, coming in second time after time and walking away almost $40 lighter. Ouch!

Poker at Tin Man's tonight. Hopefully I can make up some of my losses from last night.



                                ***********************************

The blackjack covers I ordered from the Gamblers General Store came in the other day, so I have a weekend project. Saturday I have to work at the antique/gift store where Ms Lucki Duck and I display our merchandise, so it will be Sunday before I tackle it. But, the weather is suppose to be nice, with temperature in the 70s, so I'll probably set up in the garage and knock it out.

Till next time, win the flips.

Poker League Invitation

I've been invited to participate in a local poker league. Beginning in April, ten players will meet the first and third Monday of each month for the next year. First prize is a seat to the WSOP Main Event plus travel expenses. There is no second place.

My dilemma is two fold. First, the buy-in is $1200, not exactly "small potatoes." Second, Monday night is a problem, as I currently bowl in a league on Mondays. My poker bankroll has grown large enough to handle the buy-in, but the larger problem is the conflict with bowling. I really enjoy rolling the rock!

Plus, I'm already playing live poker two nights a week. A third might be too much and cause me to burn out on the game.

I don't know.

Currently I'm playing on Fridays with two of the league players, Tin Man and RandomOrder. They're both accomplished players whom I respect, but I feel my game is on par with theirs, so I feel like I could be competitive in the league.

I told them that I would give them an answer Friday, so I guess I have some cyferin' to do between now and then.

Till next time, win the flips.

There's No Place Like Home

Ms. Lucki Duck and I pulled into our driveway last night around 11. Our flight from Vegas to Houston arrived 20 minutes early, unheard of on our return trips in the past. We then boarded a "puddle jumper" and landed in the Heart of Texas right on time.

We knew we were "back to reality" as my new friend lightning36 likes to say. Dirty dishes in the sink, clothes in the hamper, plus one pissed-off cat. "I dare you leave me here" she hissed.

Then there was the dirty laundry still to be unpacked and thrown on the pile.

But, all in all, it's good to be back. As Dorothy will attest, "There's no place like home."

How long till we can go again?

Till next time, win the flips.

Lucki Duck Leaves Vegas On A Winning Note

I headed over to Treasure Island after lunch today to play some $1-3 NL, but there was a waiting list. Rather than waiting, I took the tram over to the Mirage, but ran into the same thing. I was off again, this time across the street to Harrahs. There was a waiting list there also, but the hostess said the $60 tourney had just started if I wanted to play. I agreed and was seated immediately.

I was the BB in my first hand and looked down at A-K. Wow, an actual hand.

Maybe today is my day!

I wiffed the flop and although I had raised 3.5X, I had four callers behind me. I checked, the player to my left bet 2/3 pot and was raised. I did the prudent thing and folded.

Maybe today is not my day.

I did get my share of playable hands and was able to build a healthy stack heading into the final table. Players started dropping pretty quickly as the antes and blinds climbed and before you knew it we were down to five players. That's when I got on my first rush of the trip! I won four hands in a row with starting hands of A-J, A-K, A-K sooooted, and A-T. I knocked out two players and was about even in chips with an older woman. The third player was down to 5BB and looking for a place to push. Both remaining players were playing too tight three-handed. The SS was able to double thru the lady a couple of times, which gave me the chip lead. Both of my adversaries now had equal stacks, so it was the perfect time to get aggressive and start stealing pots.

I was the BB with K-4 when the older lady completed her SB after the button folded. She pushed her remaining stack on a K-9-8 board. I insta-called with my top pair and she tabled Q-9 for second pair. The turn and river didn't help her and I was heads-up with a huge chip lead.

A few hands ;ater my opponent pushed for 3BB with K-9 sooooted and I called with A-J. An ace on the turn wrapped it up for me.

WHEEEEE!

I'll still go home with a small loss for the week, but the payout from winning the tourney kept it from being a rough week money wise. Also, knocking out the final four players was kind of cool too.

And it's nice to head home on a winning note!

Till next time, win the flips.

Bloggers Unite!

Yesterday was a fun one in the gaming capitol of the world. I received a text from lightning36 and we agreed to meet at Ballys poker room.

Neophyte, Video Poker Queen, lightning36, and Lucki Duck.

Ms. Lucki Duck and I arrived around 11 local time. She went to play some video poker and I found lightning at a $1-2 no limit table. He was able to get a table change and we were able to sit next to each other and visit between hands. We played for an hour or so, found Ms.Lucki Duck, and headed to one of the casino restaurants for some grub. While we were playing, Neophyte showed up at the poker room. There weren't any open seats at our table (probably because everyone wanted to play with a celebrity,,, lightning), so he was seated at another $1-2 game. He did join us for lunch, with his wife, Video Poker Queen (VPQ) also coming.

It was a great visit, with all of us mostly talking about our kids and the joys and challenges associated with raising a family. Since all of us have children that are similar ages, it was interesting to hear what other parents are facing and I definitely recognized the pride lightning and neo had for their kiddos. It will probably go down as the highlight of the trip, unless I hit a progressive today!

I had another rough day in the casinos. I dropped a few sheckles at Ballys, then a little more when Ms. Lucki Duck and I walked over to the Paris casino. I did get to see a woman sitting at the video poker machine next to me hit for 5,000 with a straight flush. Even more amazing is that it was a pat hand, with the woman not drawing any cards.

From there we headed over to Treasure Island where I played a tourney there while Ms. Lucki Duck headed next door to the mall to do some damage. My streak of poor starting hands continued and I only played three hands in the tournament. I don't know how many 9-4, 8-3, 7-4, 6-4, etc hands I have gotten out here this week, but it's been an amazing run. I was the BB and checked my K-Q of hearts. The flop was all diamonds, with no K or Q. I checked, one player bet, one raise, two calls and I folded the only hand I was involved in for the first hour of the tournament.

My busto hand was the infamous A-Q. The big stack had been bullying the table and min raised from UTG. There was one caller, who had been playing loose/passive, so I pushed for my final 8BB. The only hands that scared me were

A) A-A
B) K-K
C) Q-Q
D) A-K

So, which do you think it was? If you said "D", you are a winner! Oh well, I feel like I played the hand the only way I could, it just didn't work out like I hoped.

On my way out of the casino, I saw a penny slot called "Ducks In A Row." I figured it was a sign, there was no way a duck machine would let Lucki Duck down! I sat down and played for about 30 minutes and each time I hit something the machine would tell me what a Lucky Duck I was. However, the bottom line is that I left $17 lighter. Not so lucky.

Today's our last full day in Vegas, let's hope Lady Luck comes a callin'!

Till next time, win the flips.

Food, Poker, and Fun

Yesterday was quite an improvement over the day before. Ms. Lucki Duck was feeling much better, so we headed to Planet Hollywood for an early lunch at PF Changs.





We both really like Changs and since we don't have one where we live, we always try to have at least one meal there when we're in Vegas. We opted for the beef lo mein and a couple of egg rolls. We weren't disappointed as the meal was as good as expected.

PF Changs at Planet Hollywood

We played a little video poker before we left and donated $25 to the Planet Ho cause before walking the mall. One store had an impressive display of autographs of all the Presidents from Washington to Obama. For only $200K, you could take this bad boy home! I passed.

Monte Carlo

From there we drove to the Monte Carlo. They have a real nice poker room and I try to spend a little time there each trip. The dealers are fun and the drink service is excellent. Comfortable chairs, nice tables and several flat screen TVs make it a very pleasurable experience. Except for the cards.

I dropped a benji there in about three hours of play. My last hand was indicative of my day there. I flopped bottom two pair and got it all -in against the table calling station, who tabled ace high. Of course, runner-runner hearts for his flush and I was done. Well played sir, well played.

Gambler's General Store

I knew it wasn't my day, so I cut my losses, found Ms. Lucki Duck and headed for the Gambler's General Store to pick up a couple of blackjack table covers for our casino party business, It's time to re-cover the tables, so I have a project waiting as soon as they arrive.

Pawn Stars Store

From there we drove over the the pawn shop where "Pawn Stars" is filmed. It was a madhouse, so we just waved hello as we drove by,

All in all a good day in Sin City. I just hope Lady Luck decides to shine on me before we leave Friday.

I'm heading down to Ballys this morning to meet lightning36, then we'll have to see what the rest of the day brings. Should be a fun day!

Till next time, win the flips.

Rough Day In Vegas

Yesterday was a rough one. Ms. Lucki Duck finished her shower and sat down to start stage two, make-up and hair.

"I don't feel too good," she said. "I'm nauseated and feel like I've been drugged. I can hardly keep my eyes open."

Uh oh.

She went back to bed and slept for a couple hours, but tossed her cookies when she woke up. Back to bed for a few more hours and she said she felt a little better when she awoke this time. She decided she felt well enough to go down to the casino and give it a try.

We walked over to the Wynn and played a little video poker. She was able to win another $80 on the night, even though she wasn't feeling 100%. The girl was still on fire in the casino!

I dropped a benjamin there, $50 at video poker and another $50 at an Egyptian themed slot. I don't remember the name of the machine, but it played the old Bangles song "Walk Like An Egyptian" when you hit something. I like the song, just not $50 worth.

Ms. Lucki Duck is up and around and feeling much better this morning, so we should be able to get out and see the city today. Should be a lot of fun!

Till next time, win the flips.