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Saturday, April 30, 2011

MLB Picks, April 30th

Josh Johnson
Although my picks split yesterday (1-1), the right one won and I added a little ($7) to the 'ole bankroll.

Today there are three games of interest.

$10 on Oakland (Anderson) over Texas (Lewis), -1.5 @ +$145
Anderson is throwing great right now, with a 2-0 record and a 1.31 ERA in his last three starts. Lewis, on the other hand, has struggled with both velocity and command. He's been lit up recently, losing his last three starts with an ERA nearing 8.
$10 on Milwaukee (Wolf) over Houston (Rodriguez), -1.5 @ +$135
Wolf has been virtually unhittable lately, sporting an almost invisible 0.44 ERA in his last three trips to the bump, all wins. Rodriguez is having an up and down year, but usually pitches better at home. However, I don't think my Astros will be able to score enough to pull this one out. So sad.
$15 on Florida (Johnson) over Cincinnati (Volquez), -1.5 runs @ +$130
Johnson has been one of the top hurlers in the league for the last couple seasons. If he pitched in NY or Boston, instead of Florida, you would have heard of him. He's off to a great start again this season, sporting a 1.07 ERA thus far. Amazingly, that's more than double his ERA in his last three starts. Wow! Also, the Fish are hot, winning 11 of their last 14 games. The Reds, not so much.
Starting Bankroll  $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   7.75
Current BR           $1,507.75

Action is considered dead unless both listed pitchers start.

All picks are for entertainment purposes only, with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good Luck!

Friday, April 29, 2011

MLB Picks, April 29th

Yesterday was much better than the night before, with both the Red Sox and Redbirds winning and covering the run line. The $30.75 win puts me in the black for the season. Seventy-five cents to the good! Hey, I didn't name this blog "small potatoes" for no reason!

I only see two games on the docket tonight that are worth a look.

$10 on Tampa Bay (Price) over LA Angels (Santana) -1.5 runs @ +$150
Price is on the bump for the Rays and has won each of his last three starts, sporting a 2.28 ERA. Santana, on the other hand is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA in his last three. Plus, Tampa is riding a five game winning streak.
$15 on Milwaukee (Marcum) over Houston (Myers) -1.5 runs @ +$120
I hate to keep picking against my Lastros, but they're in last for a reason. The Brew Crew sends Marcum to the hill with a 1.89 ERA  in his last three starts. The Astros' Myers isn't pitching too bad lately, but his 4+ ERA in his last three trips to the mound is pretty pedestrian.
Starting Bankroll  $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   0.75
Current BR           $1,500.75

Action is considered dead unless both listed pitchers start.

All picks are for entertainment purposes only, with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good Luck!

Shrinkage


What does Lucki Duck's bankroll and the junk of a male member of the Polar Bear Club after a swim have in common?

Shrinkage.

I played my first meaningful poker in two weeks last night at J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza, and boy was it a disaster!

The evening began around the dinner table, with Farmer Harry providing three diferent kinds of pizza. Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and hamburger were on the menu, so we were all well fed and ready to pitch some cards!

I guess I was rusty, because I lost half of my $20 buy-in within 30 minutes in this dealer's choice, limit game. For one of the few times since I've played at J-Dawg's, I had to rebuy and finished the night with a $16 hicky to the old bankroll.

Shrinkage.

Ray-Ray was the big winner for the evening, walking away with a little over $50. Although Bobby Dee hit quad twos, Stamps took down the High Hand Jackpot with a straight flush to the king. Nice one Stamps! Riverboat J got off to a fast start, but ended up losing a little, Bobby Dee broke even, as did Ollie the Accountant and Cell. Dealer Larry won a little, with J-Dawg, Farmer Harry and I taking it on the chin.

Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney is tonite. I'll be looking to reedem myself.

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

I cashed in my account at Poker Stars earlier this week. Man, did that suck! Waiting on the check now and hoping that Full Tilt will follow suite soon, as that is where the bulk on my bankroll is illegally parked.

Till next time, win the flips.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

NFL Draft Tonight

Trying to decide whether to watch the NFL Draft or go outside and watch the grass grow, both equally exciting. It's a coin flip, but I'm leaning towards grass.

I just can't imagine why this interests anyone enough to sit and watch, unless maybe you're kin to one of the draftees.

MLB Picks, April 28th

Nothing quite like getting skunked on your first post. The Angels and Red Sox both lost straight up, but I thought I had one in the bag when the Cards had a 6-0 lead in the eighth over my anemic Astros. That was before the bullpen gave up five runs in the last two innings. St Louis still won, but didn't cover the 1.5 run spread. Thank guys, nice job.

They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result. I must qualify, because I'm going with the Red Sox and Cardinals again today.

$15 on Boston (Lester) over Balt (Bergesen) -1.5 runs @ -$115
Lester sports a 1.89 ERA in his last three starts and is an incredible 13-0 vs the O's.
$15 on St Louis (McClellan) over Houston (Figueroa) -1.5 runs @ +$120
McClellan has won his last three starts and has a 1.89 ERA in those starts. Figueroa is 0-2 in his last three, with an ERA of almost 8. Not good.
Starting Bankroll  $1,500.00
Profit/Loss             <$30.00>
Current BR           $1,470.00

Action is considered dead unless both listed pitchers start.

All picks are for entertainment purposes only, with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk.

Good Luck!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

MLB Picks, April 27th

Okay, let's give this a shot. You won't see me posting everyday, because there won't always be a pick I like well enough to bet, and like poker, there will be some days I just don't feel like messing with it. I'll list my bets for the day and put a brief note as to why I'm betting the game. I hope you enjoy these posts. Let me know either way.

$10 on Boston (Beckett)  over Balt. (Guthrie) -1.5 runs @ +$115
Beckett sports a 1.93 ERA and Balt is 0-8 vs Boston in Guthrie's last 8 starts against the Red Sox.
$10 on SL (Lohse) over Houston (Happ) -1.5 runs @ +$120
Lohse has a 2.01 ERA while Happ's is a robust 6.94. Houston is 1-8 in Happ's last 9 starts. I hate to bet against my favorite team, but this is business!
$10 on LA Angels (Haren) over Oakland (Ross) -1.5 runs @ +$130
Haren is 4-1 with a 1.46 ERA this season. Ross has a 6+ ERA in his last three starts. Oakland is 0-5 in their last five games at Anaheim.
All action is considered dead if either listed pitcher doesn't start.

You'll notice all of these are "run line" bets. I like this bet and you'll see a lot of them as we go thru the season.

These picks are for entertainment purposes only, with no guarantees implied. Any money wagered is at your own risk. That being said, good luck with your wagers this season!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Betting Major League Baseball

Since the amount of poker content has been stunted by Big Brother, I've been kicking around the possibility of publishing my MLB bets this season.

I've bet baseball for the past 6-7 years and never had a losing season. Two years ago I published my bets and results on a poker coaching site (SNGIcons) and had a pretty big following by the end of the season.

As with poker, my bets are "small potatoes" and are placed for two reasons, to help increase my poker roll, and to give me a reason to watch the Padres play the Brewers on a Wednesday night. Baseball ain't the most exciting sport to watch if you don't have something riding on it. Mind you, it's not as boring as soccer or hockey, but it can be tedious at times.

Anyhoo, let me know if there's any interest out there. I would like to keep this blog interesting and I don't know if there will be enough poker content to write about on a consistant basis. I need to add something. Is this it?

Till next time, win the flips.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

1st Anniversary

April 23, 2010, a day that will go down in infamy... or something like that. One year ago today "Small Potatoes Poker" was launched. If you're so inclined, here's a link to my first post.

I believe I had three hits my first day (thanks Honey, thanks Mom), but Very Josie added me to her blogroll and my traffic increased almost immediately. Thanks Josie! Before long I was getting comments from lightning, MOJO, G-Man and Wolfman on a regular basis. And of course, Josie. Occasionally waffles put put in his two cents worth, along with Neo.

Some of the coolest things about blogging has been the blogger tourneys and the freerolls provided by the poker sites. I guess those will only be a memory, at least for a while, although heffmike has come up with an interesting idea involving Paypal. We'll see.

Meeting lightning and the neophyte in Vegas last spring was certainly a highlight, one that never would have happened without this blog. Three guys with different backgrounds, from different parts of the country, but we spent our time together talking about what we had in common. Our families, our love/hate for the game of poker, and our blogs. Fun times!

And it's been a good year of poker for me, with my crowning achievement winning an online poker league against a tough field, about half of them pros and one of them a recent WPT Player of the Year. First place was a seat at the WSOP (event 54) where I finished around 450th out of almost 3900 players.

I've learned that you can never tell how people will react to your posts and which subject will be the most popular. "McFelted" and "Super Bowl XXX" received the most hits. Who knew? Although the "XXX" might have been the result of a search for porn :)

Anyhoo, thanks to all of you that continue to read my drivel, I appreciate it. And a special thank you to my seven "followers." I hope you'll all stick with me for another year.

Till next time, win the flips.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Poker League Put To Bed

I informed the local WSOP Poker League that I would not be joining. As I explained in an earlier post, the $1800 buy-in is enough to get to Vegas, stay a few nights and enter a $1000 WSOP event. Seemed like an easy decision.

I don't think I hurt anyone's feelings, but I wish we could have worked something out, especially now that on-line poker is in the rear-view mirror.

I've been playing a little in the play money games on Full Tilt. I had forgotten how horrible the play is when there's no money on the line. I guess the good news is that I'm up over $17k in play money this week. Big woot :(

Till next time, win the flips.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Full Tilt and Pokerstars To Refund Money?

Full Tilt Employee Counting Lucki Duck's Refund
Although it's not a "done deal'" it looks like an avenue has been opened for US poker players to be able to withdraw their money from both Full Tilt and Pokerstars.

Dan Cypra at Poker News Daily has the by-line. Click here for the complete article.

"A Department of Justice press release read in part, “This office expects the companies to return the money that U.S. players entrusted to them, and we will work with the poker companies to facilitate the return of funds to players, as today’s agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker demonstrate.”

Returning the funds doesn’t appear to be an open and shut case. Within minutes of the Department of Justice announcing the deal, Full Tilt Poker commented in a press release obtained by Poker News Daily, “As a result of the recent enforcement action, there exists no authorized U.S. payment channel through which to make refunds; Full Tilt Poker has no accounting of the millions of dollars of player funds that were seized by the government; and the government has not agreed to permit any of the seized player funds to be returned to the players.”
Let's hope the poker sites step up and ship the loot.

Till next time, win the flips.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

My first dip in the play money pool was a big success! I parlayed my 250 chip buy-in into 1800 when I shipped an 18 man tourney on FullTilt.net!

That's right, my play money account is up to $354K. Bow to the master!

Till next time, win the flips.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Full Tilt and Poker Stars Rapidly Losing Market Share

Victory Poker Abandons US Market
Things aren't looking good for the "Big Three" as they continue to lose players to those sites still accepting US business.

The latest report from Pokerscout.com shows PokerStars’ traffic down 25% since Friday, with Full Tilt  dropping by 48% and Absolute down by 39%. Bodog and Cake Poker are still servicing US customers and have shown increases of 26% and 19% respectively.

In a related story, Victory Poker announced earlier today that they were pulling the plug on American poker players, stating that they  "Don’t want to mess with the U.S. government, they’re angry at the ‘Big Three’ for a reason.”

Makes you wonder if Bodog and Cake are in it for the long haul. The next few months should be interesting.

Till next time, win the flips.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

And the Beat Goes On

Since Big Brother decided to protect me from myself and cut off my nasty on-line poker habit, I'm forced to feed my habit with LIVE poker. I'm sure the powers that be will be looking for a way to send me to a "camp" soon and convince me to fall in line with the rest of the sheeple. But, for now I'm livin' on the edge!

J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza last week was profitable. Bobby Dee grilled some mighty tasty burgers and combine them with some chips and cookies for dessert, and you have a gormet meal, Texas style.

We had 10 runners sit down at this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice game. Farmer Harry won the High Hand Jackpot with quad sixs, but still left with a small loss. No one suffered a big loss, as the chips seemed to rotate around the table all night. I think I was the big winner, but I only won $16. Riverboat J made an appearance after missing the last 3-4 weeks while he attended a car theft seminar as part of his job with the DPS and ended the evening as the biggest loser, coming in second in quite a few hands. If my truck comes up missing, I'll know who to look for!

Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney on Friday was a disaster. I was the first man out, and boy did I deserve it! I got into a big hand with Flyboy fairly early in the tournament. I limped with Josie's favorite hand, J-T, and saw a board of K-Q-6, rainbow. The turn brought the magical A, giving me the nuts and I bet 1/2 pot. Flyboy called. The ace was a spade, which put a possible flush draw on the board. The river was an off-suit brick and now I had to figure out how to get as much value as possible from my nut straight. I bet 1/3 pot, hoping Flyboy might have enough of a hand to call. I was surprised when he raised me, but I assumed he probably also had J-T and we were going to chop the pot. I stacked my remaining chips, preparing to push all-in, just in case we didn't have the same hand. I checked the board one final time and noticed the 6 of clubs had magically changed into the 6 of spades, putting a possible flush on the board.

It's been a long time since I've misread a board, but there it was, bigger than Dallas. So, with 75% of my stack already in the middle, I... folded. Face up. Flyboy was kind enough to show his Q high flush.

Stupid mistake.

I hung around a while before Flyboy knocked me out when he hit a two-outer on the turn, but I can't whine. If I hadn't made the earlier mistake, I wouldn't have been in a position where I had to play for my entire stack.

Ms. Lucki Duck joined me and once again, outlasted me. Lil' Annie Okie made a point to mention this fact, which got a nice laugh from the table.

Ouch!

The $2 buy-in cash game went much better for me, as I cashed out with an $11 profit. My big hand of the night was flopping trip sevens with my favorite non-premium hand, 6-7 soooted. Philly Phanatic had pocket aces and pushed for $3+ after the flop, but didn't improve and I raked a nice sized pot.

I also lost a decent pot against Lil' Debbie when she rivered a full-house, beating my straight, but it was her birthday, so I guess I'll let it go and just wish her a Happy Birthday. Big Daddy, Lil' Debbie, and Tin Man all cashed out for a profit, Bluffin' Bev broke even, and Flyboy and Ms. Duck took it on the chin.

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

I'm curious as to what everyone is doing for their online poker fix these days. Are you playing real money games on different sites and if so, were you able to deposit funds on the site? Or maybe you're settling for play money on Full Tilt or Poker Stars? Just wondering.

Whether live or online, the beat goes on.

Till next time, win the flips.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

I Feel Better Now

 Whew. I was worried there for a minute. Much better now!

**tongue firmly planted in cheek**

From the Full Tilt website.
“All players who were affected by the current situation have had their funds returned to their accounts and all new withdrawal requests are processing normally. We assure all players on Full Tilt Poker that your online playing experience will not change and that you will be able to both deposit and withdraw funds as needed. Your money remains safe, secure, and accessible at all times.”
So, what's everyone gonna do with their extra time?

Till next time, win the... oh, never mind.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Poker Sites Rivered By G-Men!

WOW! Just wow!

Here's a link to Poker News Daily for the latest updates on the day the music died.

I can't begin to express how much this sucks.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Poker League Decision...Again

I attended the pre-season meeting of a local poker league that offers a first prize of a seat at the WSOP Main Event and $2k spending money while you're in Vegas. There was no second place.

Now there is.

Second place is a buy-in to a $1,500 event at the WSOP and $1,100 spending money. In addition, if you don't finish in the top two spots, the remaining eight league players play one tournament for the exact prize package as the second place finisher.

What I had hoped for was prizes for the top three finishers, perhaps three $4,000 packages, or $5k for first, $4k for second, and $3k for third. At least they addressed that option to a point.

The league will play every other Tuesday for a year (26 tournaments), with first place in each tourney receiving 12 points, second 10, third 9, fourth 7, fifth 6, etc. The player with the most points at the end wins the Main Event seat.

However, to structure the prize pool the way they have decided, buy-in for the league is $1,776. My thinking is that for that much money I can buy-in to a $1K event at the WSOP and still have enough to pay for my room and meals. And there's a 100% chance of going! I don't really know what I'm going to do, but I'm leaning towards passing.

Comments and opinions are welcomed.

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

Poker on the virtual felt has gone well the last couple of nights. I only played one set of four tournamnents ($6-18 man) both nights, but have two firsts, a second and a fourth to show for it. That adds up to ~$65 profit. Hopefully, I can keep my streak going!

Till next time, win the flips.

Monday, April 11, 2011

WSOP Poker League Revisited

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been invited to participate in a poker league with the league champion receiving a seat to the WSOP Main Event and $2000 in spending money. I had two concerns, one of which was satisfied, but we couldn't come to an agreement on splitting up the $12k prize into three prizes of $4000 each, so I respectfully declined.

The league is having their pre-season meeting to set the rules tomorrow night and have asked me to attend, so I don't know if they have changed their minds or are going to try to convince me to see things their way.

I hope I don't wake up with a horsehead in my bed!

I'll update the result of the meeting as soon as a decision is made.

Till next time, win the flips.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Virgin Poker Player

Ms. Lucki Duck at Lake Tahoe
Lil' Okie Annie belongs to the same community service organization, called Sertoma, as Ms. Lucki Duck and I. After each meeting, she has invited my wife to come pitch some cards at Tin Man's NLHE Tourney. I about fell out when Ms. Duck accepted yesterday!

She was a little nervous about interacting with the other players, a few which she knew. She is a video poker player, so she knows hand rankings, but had never sat in a live poker game before. Her apprehension was caused by her lack of knowledge of the mechanics of the game. When to post blinds, how much to bet, how to deal, etc. She caught on pretty quick and we were off and running.

My only advice to her beforehand was to play tight and to fold any hands that had a card lower than a jack. If she didn't hit at least top pair on the flop, fold to any bets. I figured this would keep her in the tourney awhile so she could get into the flow of the game.

"What's a flop?" she asked.

Uh-oh, this could take a little time. I also explained how to calculate the number of BB in your stack and that you needed to get very aggressive with your hands when you get below 10BB.

She limped from UTG on the first hand. She check/called all the way to the river and took down her first pot with 4th pair. WHEEEE! Her hole cards were K-3 offsuit, with her pairing the crab on the flop. So much for playing tight.

"I thought you were only going to play hands that didn't have a card below a jack," I whispered to her.

"Oh, I forgot."

Early in the tourney I got into a good sized pot with Lil' Okie Annie. I raisied 3X from UTG with A-K offsuit, with three callers. The flop brought a king, giving me TPTK, so I bet $25, which was a little less than a pot sized bet. Lil'Annie was my only caller. The turn brought a third heart and I decided to slow down and checked. Annie checked behind, leading me to believe she hadn't hit the flush. Thr river was a blank, but Annie is pretty sneaky and will slow play a big hand. I wanted to keep the pot small, so I checked. Annie bet $20 into an $80+ pot, which I determined was a "please call me" bet. I tanked for a little bit and decided to disappoint her and folded my hand face up. Lil' Annie Okie tabled her made flush.

Nice fold Duck.

Ms. Duck got involved in a second hand when she limped with pocket kings from early position. Of course, she had several callers that saw a jack high flop. She checked, along with everyone else, until Flyboy tossed in a $10 bet. We all knew he was in trouble when Ms. Duck called. The turn and river were checked, with Ms. Duck winning her second pot.

"Hey, I have more chips than you, don't I!" she said to me, which got a round of horse laughs from the table. Sometimes the truth hurts.

She outlasted me in the tourney, as I went out in eighth when I pushed for 4 1/2 BB with K-J soooted. Flyboy called with A-T, hitting his 10 on the flop and an ace on the river and I was a goner. Ms. Duck finished fifth.

In the $2 cash game, she got A-A on her first hand, and like in the tournament, won the first hand she was dealt.

Overall, it was a tough night for both of us, as we both dropped $12 each. But, it was fun having her join us and I hope she'll do it again. Maybe she'll feel comfortable enough at the table to play a little $2-4 limit on our next trip to Vegas. We shall see.

Till next time, win the flips.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

A Small Win and A Big Loss

Woody
I mentioned in a post last week that my friend and fellow player Woody was gravely ill. Last Monday, his family made the difficult decision of removing his life support and Woody died shortly thereafter.

Woody worked for the Social Security Administration for many years before retiring and opening a real estate business. He was definitely a "people person" and had a multitude of friends.

At the visitation last night, someone put a poker chip in the casket. His son Joe asked me if I had done it. "Naw Joe, it wasn't me. I always tried to TAKE chips from Woody, not give 'em to him!" We had a laugh over that and then I proceeded to blame it on Bobby Dee and Stamps.

We'll be playing tonight at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza and will honor Woody in some way. Perhaps something as simple as an empty chair at the table, but he will be remembered. And missed.

Please keep Woody's family in your thoughs and prayers. Especially around 1:30 CDT today when his funeral begins.

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

I had a decent night on the virtual felt last night. I was four tabling, with three $6-18 man turbos going along with the Very Josie Tourney. I finished my first set and when I looked closely at the Josie, VJ had over $12k! Wow.

"How did VJ get all those chips?" I asked. The only reply was from Waffles. "Chip dump." I think he was kidding, but with Waffles you never know.

It seems like every time I'm at a table with Josie she has a big stack of chips in front of her. I've read some of the other bloggers call her a "card rack," but it's gotta be more than that. I know she values position highly. You seldom see her playing a big pot out of position. She'll 3 bet hands more than most players and will C-bet almost 100%. If she fires a second bullet, you're probably behind.

I think I'll probably just single table the next Very Josie tournament and pay a little more attention to VJ's game. Plus it will allow me to join in the banter with the rest of the crew.

Apparently the banter got a little out of hand on the other table, with Bam-Bam posting the he is tiring of it. I don't know what happened, but geez folks, we're there to have a good time. We've all heard Matasow's line, "Kiddie game's down the street." Well, this IS the kiddie game he's referring to. Relax and enjoy.

I wasn't able to win a tourney last night, but got a couple of second places and a chop, finishing the evening with a $25 profit. Nothing earth shattering, just a small win, but I'll take it.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Termites

Again. We had termites a year ago and had Ladybug Pest Control come out, pull our carpet up in the infested area, drill a couple holes in the foundation, and pour the poison on 'em.

Apparently, it just pissed them off.

So round two is scheduled this week. Hopefully, it will be a KO this time and not just a standing eight count.

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

Finally got back on the virtual felt after not playing for a few days. I played 13 tourneys of the $6-18 man variety and final tabled 12 of them. Unfortunately, I only cashed in four and ended the evening a $7 loser. Meh.

One interesting hand happened in my final set. One opponent, obviously a graduate of lightning's "Donkey Man Coaching" school, open pushed UTG for 50BB ($1500 at the $15-30 level). He did it again a couple hands later and I was holding A-K soooted. I don't usually play for all my chips this early, but he had already proven he was a wild card. I figured at worst I was flipping, and more than likely I was ahead, possibly even had him dominated. If I didn't take his chips, someone else would. And soon.

This product of lightning's school tables pocket sevens. Crap, flipping for my tourney life five hands in. Brick, brick, brick on the flop. Turn, brick. River, brick.

GG sir.

Till next time, win the flips.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Happy Birthday Mom

Ms. Lucki Duck, myself and our kids are taking my mom out to dinner tonight to celebrate her 82nd birthday. She still comes into work five days a week, pays the company bills and answers the phone, all while watching Dr. Oz and Millionaire. A true renaissance woman!

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Friday, April 1, 2011

High Hand Bonanza

It was a night of big hands and big pots at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza last night. We had 9 runners show for a meal and cards. Bobby Dee brought a nice selection of deli meats, (turkey, pastrami, roast beef, etc) plus a couple flavors of cheese, and it was "build your own sandwich night." Add in some chips plus some cookies for desert, and we were ready to start pitching cards in this $20 buy-in dealer's choice limit game.

I've never seen as many big hands in three hours of poker as I witnessed last night. And it lasted to the very last hand, when J-Dawg won a big pot with quad fours. Was that good enough to win the High Hand Jackpot? Not even close.

Fifteen minutes earlier J-Dawg had hit four 7's, taking another big pot over Jimbo's and Stamps' full houses. Good enough for the HHJ? Nope.

About midway through the evening, I rivered a miracle five of clubs, giving me a straight flush to the nine! Nice pot, but amazingly, not the high hand of the night.

Bobby Dee won the HHJ with a straight flush to the king about an hour into the game. Wow!

I walked away with an extra $15 added to my bankroll, with J-Dawg pocketing the biggest profit with a $43 win.

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

I have mentioned my friend and fellow poker player "Woody" in many of my previous blogs. Woody plays with us at J-Dawgs on Thursdays and recently turned 80. He came down with a bad cold that turned into pnuemonia and it seems to be getting the best of him. Woody has been in ICU on a ventilator for a week now, and has slipped into a coma. His doctors don't give him much of a chance to survive at this point. My request is to keep Woody and his family in your thoughts and prayers as they go thru this battle. Thanks.