MLB Picks- May 27th

$19 on Pittsburgh (-190) over Miami

Cole toes the rubber for the Bucs, bringing a 6-2 record with a 2.25 ERA in his last 8 starts. The Fish send Hand to the bump for his first start of the season. Last year he was 3-8 with a 4.38 ERA. The Pirates are 9-2 in their last 11 versus the Marlins. Miami has dropped 10 of 12 and Pittsburgh has won 5 straight.

$17 on St. Louis (-165) over Arizona

The Cardinals send Lance Lynn to the mound. Lynn is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in his last 3 starts. Collmenter gets the nod for the Diamondbacks. He has struggled lately, posting a 0-2 record with a 10.29 ERA. St. Louis has a 7-1 record against Arizona in their last 8 meetings.  The Redbirds are 16-5 at home this year. Arizona has won 6 of their last 8 games.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                   $26.00
Current Bankroll                                       $1,526.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

MLB Picks, May 26th

Two games look interesting on today's docket.

$36 on NY Mets (-180) over Philadelphia

Jacob deGrom gets the nod for the Mets. deGrom is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his last four starts. The Phillies give the ball to Jerome Williams, who is 1-3 with a 7.91 ERA in his last four outings. The Mets have won 7 of the last 8 versus Philly. NY is 18-6 at home this season while Philadelphia is 7-18 on the highway. The Phils have dropped 4 of their last 6 games.

$15 on St. Louis (-150) over Arizona

The Cardinals send Jaime Garcia to the bump. Garcia is 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA in his last four starts. The D-Backs counter with Archie Bradley, who is 0-1with a 10.29 ERA in his last two outings. St. Louis has a 7-1 record against Arizona in their last 8 meetings. The Redbirds are 16-5 at home this year. Arizona has won 6 of their last 8 games.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                  ($4.00)
Current Bankroll                                       $1,496.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

MLB Picks, May 23rd

A couple games are worth a peek on today's menu.

$16 on Tampa Bay (-155) over Oakland

The Rays give the ball to Nathan Karns, who has a 2-0 record with a 2.12 ERA in his last three starts. The As send Kendall Graveman to the bump. Graveman is 1-2 with a 9.37 ERA in four starts. Tampa has won 5 straight home games. Oakland is 6-22 in their last 28 games.

$43 on Cleveland (-215) over Cincinnati

Ace Corey Kluber fires the horsehide for the Indians. Kluber has given up one earned run and struck out 30 hitters in his last 17 innings. A struggling Anthony DeSclafani toes the slab for the Reds. DeSclafani is 0-4 with a 7.88 ERA in his last 5 starts. Cleveland has won 6 of their last 8. Cincy has dropped 6 straight.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                  ($8.00)
Current Bankroll                                       $1,492.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

It's a Duck's Life

There's a lot going on in the Duck household, which has prevented me from posting anything recently. This one will be a hodgepodge of things that are worth a mention.

Earlier this week I booked our flight to Las Vegas. We fly out of Love Field in Dallas on June 27th and return July 4th. We use a Southwest Visa card for almost all of our purchases (groceries, gas, electric, health insurance, etc) and use our points to fly on their airline. We haven't paid cash for a flight in several years. Nice. I will play in the WSOP ($1,000 buy-in NLHE tournament) on Sunday the 28th.

My mother continues to battle lung cancer and got a good report from her oncologist last month. She still requires a fair amount of care to be able to stay at home. It puts a bit of pressure on both myself and my sister as we try to manage her care and keep our business running. But, Mom isn't cooling her heels in a care facility, so that's a good thing.

Ms. Duck's father was diagnosed with alzheimers three years ago. The disease has progressed enough that he had to be put in a care facility last month. We traveled to the facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where she visited him for the first time since he was moved there. It was very emotional, but I thought she handled it well. It's heartbreaking to look into someone's eyes that you've known all of your life and realize he doesn't have any idea who you are.

It was also strange to drive by all the casinos in Lake Charles and not go in for a few hands :)

We buried my father 16 years ago today. A long, sad day.

Daughter and Son

My daughter is engaged to a Captain in the Army. He's a good one and I hope it'll be a long and mutually fulfilling relationship for them both. She is scheduled to receive her Master's degree in December and they will marry next April.

My son is also walking the stage. He'll receive his Bachelor's in August. I'm very proud of both of them.

Ms. Duck is now working as a fiduciary for military veterans that are unable to handle their own affairs. She's able to work from home and although it doesn't pay nearly as much as she made with State Farm, it's nice to have the income...umm...incoming.

And of course, we had a little taste of the Old West in Waco this week. Obviously, we take our parking spots seriously in Texas. 

Well, that's enough for now.

Read through the material a couple of times, There will be an exam.

MLB Picks, May 14th

$19 on LA Dodgers (-190) over Colorado

Brett Anderson gets the start for the Dodgers. Anderson has only surrendered 1 run in his last two starts (11 innings). Chad Bettis gets his first start of the season for the Rockies. Last year he was 0-2 with a 9.12 ERA in 21 relief appearances. 

Los Angeles has beaten Colorado 8 straight times, including 3 this year, outscoring the Rockies 20-6. The Dodgers have won 5 of their last 6 while the Rockies have lost 11 straight.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                  $11.00
Current Bankroll                                       $1,511.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

MLB Picks- May 13th

$16 on LA Angels (-160) over Colorado

Lefty Hector Santiago takes the ball for the Halos. Santiago is 2-1 with a tidy 2.43 ERA in his last 5 trips to the bump. The Rockies send Jordan Lyles to the mound. Lyles is 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA in his last 4 starts. Los Angeles has won 5 of 7 and has won 8 of the last 9 versus the Rockies. Colorado has dropped 10 in a row.

Wynn- Las Vegas has the best line.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                  $1.00
Current Bankroll                                       $1,501.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

MLB Picks, May 12th

$36 on LA Angels (-180) over Colorado

Lefty CJ Wilson gets the nod for the Halos. Wilson has thrown the pill well lately, posting a 1.83 ERA in his last three outings. The Rockies counter with Kyle Kendrick, who has struggled as evidenced by his 1-4 record and 8.73 ERA so far this season.Los Angeles has won 4 of 6 while Colorado is in the throws of a 9 game losing streak.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                  ($19.00)
Current Bankroll                                        $1,481.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!

Straight Up

Since the lottery retirement plan isn't working out, I decided to go to plan B and try my hand in a $1-2 cash game.

My table was short-handed most of the evening, even getting down to four players on a couple of occasions. To my left were two aggressive players, both of whom liked to chase draws. One of them kept hitting and chipped up his $300 buy-in to over $1,000.

I had one of those nights where you wear out your wrist mucking cards. After an hour or so of play my $200 buy-in had dwindled down to $140. The few hands in which I was involved totally whiffed the flop and I would have to toss when one of the aggros' c-bet.

We were six-handed when I peeked down at 6-5 sooooted on the button. There was one limper in front of me, so I popped it to $8, figuring the two to my left would put me on a big hand since I had played so few. Of course, both called, but the limper folded and the three of us saw a flop of 3-4-T with two hearts. Naturally my cards were spades. Dang the luck!

Both opponents checked, so I tossed in three redbirds with both opponents calling.

The turn was the 7h, giving me the nuts, but also putting TWO flush draws on the board. The SB checked, but the BB overbet the pot (not unusual for him) by chucking $80 towards the middle of the table. I knew I was ahead and figured if he was gonna draw for a flush, he was gonna pay for the privilege and shoved my remaining chips.

I was surprised when the SB called, but not so much when the BB did also. The river was the Qd, completing the diamond flush-draw for one of them.

"Crap," I thought.

The SB checked and the BB shoved, putting the SB all-in. The BB flipped Q-7 for two pair and the SB folded. I've got no idea what he was thinking.

The BB won the side pot, but I was the big winner, tripling up on the hand.

I pretty much stayed even the rest of the time, cashing out for $418. Anytime you double your buy-in, it's a good night!

                                                                 ---------------

We begin the fourth season of our Vegas or Bust Poker League tonight, and I'm hoping for a quick start. Although I was able to win a seat last season, I felt my play wasn't as good as it could have been the second half. Hopefully, I'll get rolling again tonight!

Till next time, win the flips.

Texas Lottery Chronicles- Bingo Mania

Residence "jinx" expert, angerisagift demanded a lottery post in order to cancel a jinx I have placed on the Astros. It seems that my bragging about them in my previous post has brought forth this darkness. And when it comes to superstition etiquette, recreational drug quality control, and all things voodoo, anger is my "go to" guy.

So, here we go!

Todays entry is "Bingo Mania" and is a $3 ticket. As with any bingo game, we need to get five in a row, up, across, or diagonally. Also, an "X" pattern and four corners will bring some cashola. There is a "FREE" square on each board as well as a star, which is also a free square. Top prize is $50k and there's also a bonus game where we can win either ten or twenty-five dollars. Odds of a cash are 4-1 against.

Let's try the BONUS game first.

Dang. Lemon. Wrong fruit.

There are 24 "Caller's Numbers," so let's scratch off six at a time and see where we are.

So far it looks like card 4 is our best shot, with three numbers in the bank on the diagonal. If we complete it, a portrait of President Jackson will be ours.

Let's complete the first line of the "Callers Numbers."

We didn't really gain much with those six numbers. We do have three numbers to a line bingo on several cards now. Let's plow forward!

We picked up another number on card 4, so now all we need is "O-65" for the win!

Fingers crossed (anger said that would help) as we scratch off the final six numbers and learn our fate.

Close, but no cigar...or cash.

Dang, another loser. I may have to reconsider my retirement planning.

At least I know my Astros will win tonight. Right anger?


Tickets                      13
Winners                     3
Investment             $68.00
Winnings                $20.00
Net                        ($48.00)

Have You Noticed?

I haven't mentioned it, probably because I'm still in shock, but have you noticed my favorite baseball team has the best record in the American League? That they have run off 10 straight wins? That they are leading the AL West by SEVEN games? This is the same team that lost over 100 games three seasons in a row before improving to 70-92 last year.

Will it last? Probably not, but I'm gonna enjoy it while I can, it's been a LOOOONG time since the sun has shined on this dog's ass!

$19 @ -190 on Houston (Keuchel) over Texas (Detwiler)

Keuchel takes the horsehide for the Astros. The southpaw is 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA this season. The Rangers counter with Detwiler, who is 0-3 with an 8.66 ERA. The Astros have won 10 straight while the Rangers have dropped 10 of 13.

Starting Bankroll                                       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                                                     $0
Current Bankroll                                        $1,500.00

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 you own risk.

Good luck!