Small Potatoes Poker and Sports Betting

Let Me Count The Bites

2012-03-10T22:04:00.002-06:00

Since we left our car at the Mirage the night before, Ms. Duck and I hoofed it there from the Venetian, grabbed our horseless carriage, and headed for Planet Ho.

We had a gift card to PF Changs, which is located in the Planet Ho casino, and opted for a couple egg rolls and a bowl of beef and chicken lo mein for lunch. Plus, we were able to watch some of the Baylor men's basketball game on the boob tube while we ate.

We hadn't walked the strip much, so we decided to take a stroll and see the sights. While walking, we stopped in Paris for about an hour and played, then headed back to our car at Planet Ho.

If you've walked the strip, you're aware of the actors that are dressed like famous movie characters. You might see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Storm Troopers and Darth Vader of Star Wars fame, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, etc. In fact, we saw Mickey and Minnie with their heads removed, sucking down a cold one! I know ol' Walt would appreciate that!

The funniest scene happened on one of the overpass crossovers. As is quite common, this particular crossover had a couple of men that were begging for money. One of them had a reasonably large dog with him, which was his pet. The pooch seemed to be mild mannered until Bert, Ernie, and the Count of Sesame Street fame came strolling along in full costume.

The dog went ballistic! Apparently, he wasn't a fan.

The dog owner was holding on for dear life, trying to keep his dog from having the "Sesame Trio" for dinner. As for Bert, Ernie, and the Count, let's just say they had a spring in their step!

Once we got back to the car, we drove to the Ellis Island Casino, only a couple blocks away, to enjoy their $7.99 steak dinner. For those of you that don't know about the special, for $7.99 you get a 10 ounce sirloin, potato, green beans, salad, and a beer. Good eats! But, it's not on the menu and you have to ask for the steak special.

After dinner, we headed back to the Venetian to pack for our morning flight to Dallas and then on to Waco. We opted for an earlier flight in order for me to make the monthly tournament of our local poker league, scheduled to start at seven.

Our plane left about 30 minutes late from Vegas, but we had a 90 minute layover in Big D, so I wasn't too concerned. We arrived about 15 minutes late, but then our flight to Waco was delayed for 25 minutes. Now I was concerned! Our flight was due to arrive in Waco at six, which gave me just a few minutes to spare. With the delay, we didn't land until 6:30, and then had to get our bag (assuming American hadn't lost it).

I knew I wasn't going to make it in time for the first hand, but as long as I was in my seat before the end of the third blind level, I would be allowed to play. As it turned out, I only missed one round of blinds. To make things even better, my first hand was A-K. I had two limpers in front of me, so I raised it 4x the BB. The Q-T-4 flop missed me. J-Dawg bet $30, which gave me good enough odds to draw to my two overs + gut shot. I called, and the rest of the field folded. A blank on the turn produced a check by J-Dawg, and I did likewise. I binked the river when the J completed my straight. J-Dawg checked and I bet $60, less than 1/2 pot, but didn't get the desired call. But I more than made up for my lost blinds and was in decent shape to make a run at a second consecutive tournament win.

I'll write a post on the rest of the tournament in the next day or two.

All in all, another great trip to Vegas! Time to start planning for the next one : )

Till next time, win the flips.

"Nothing Beats Alien Beaver"

2012-03-08T12:09:00.000-06:00

Ms. Duck and I drove down to the Gambler's General Store and dropped three benjamins for three blackjack felts and a few gaming accessories and then headed to the Cosmopolitan.

We visited the Cosmo on our last trip and liked the property, although I hadn't done too well money wise, but Ms. Duck had been pretty lucky. Also, lightning had suggested the Wicked Spoon buffett there, so we went there for a bite as soon as we arrived.

Boy, was he ever right! What a spread. I had small portions of several entrees, all of which were excellent, including the salted peanut ice cream. It was a little pricey at $22 a head, but I thought it was well worth the cost. Thanks lighting!

My lovely wife settled on a penny video slot machine called "Alien Cows From the Planet Moolah." I sat down next to her at another video slot, but I didn't see the name of the game on the screen, but there were some cartoon animals that looked like beavers. The theme was the same as the cows (aliens) as the beavers were in spaceships. (I promise I was sober when we were playing these machines. Besides. you can't just make this stuff up.)

"Nothing better than alien beaver!" I commented to Ms. Duck, which produced a classic eye roll : )

When I hit some kind of a bonus round, I learned that they were "Wombats from outer space," but I still liked the beaver line.

From the Cosmo we walked over to the Aria and played for a few minutes. I walked by a crowded poker room, but didn't play.

Later we drove to the Mirage and parked. Ms. Duck wanted to walk thru the Forum Shops at Caesars, but I opted to head over to the Flamingo for some poker.

There was a waiting list for the $1-2 NLHE cash game, so I took an immediate seat at the $2-4 limit hold'em table. A game I like to call "bingo poker." I liked the dealers sense of humor.

"Only eight players to see the flop this time."

There was one old codger that stayed pissed off. If he won a hand, the pot wasn't big enough, and if he lost, the opponent always got there on the river. So he said. I thought it was very amusing to see someone take a small wager game like this so seriously. One player did manage to hit a straight flush to the the king for a high hand jackpot (yes, they did shuffle the cards lighting), for a nice payout.

By the time a seat came open at the big kids table, I had enbibed on several adult beverages and thought I might save some money by staying put. By the end of the evenng I had dropped about $40 and hoofed it back to the Venetian.

Unfortunately, our car is still at the Mirage, so we'll have to go there first, then drive over to eat at PF Changs in the Planet Ho casino.

Heading home tomorrow. Our monthly "Vegas Or Bust Poker League" monthly tourney is tomorrow at seven, so I'm hoping we get back in time for me to participate. We're supposed to land in Waco at six, but our luck with American Airlines hasn't been too good this trip : (

Till next time, win the flips.

There's A Grrouchie In The Housie!

2012-03-07T10:59:00.000-06:00

With apologies to Dr. Suess for the headline.

Our trip to Vegas has been fun the last couple of days. We've made several shopping trips as we discover more items that we need. Items that were packed in the suitcase that American lost on Saturday. But, they continue to assure me that they are doing everything possible to locate our bag. Right. I feel better already.

Ms. Duck and I headed over to the Pinball Hall of Fame on Monday morning. I worked at an arcade to help pay for college years ago, so seeing some of the vintage machines again was like visiting an old friend. I couldn't get Ms. Duck to play any of them, but I blew thru $5 worth of quarters in a hurry!

From there we headed over to the Orleans to get a bite to eat and play a little video poker together. I was playing on a Bonus Poker penny progressive machine ($1 a hand) when I hit four aces with a queen kicker on the original deal. It was worth $170, but what was really exciting was that I could toss the Q and draw. If I drew a 2, 3, or 4, the payout jumped to over 800 big ones. The draw? A king.

Ms. Duck joined me and just a couple minutes in was dealt a full house, dueces full of tens. She was ready to take the $7 payout, but I stopped her and told her she should toss the tens and try for quad twos. The payout was $80, but if she hit quads with an A, 3, or 4 kicker, it jumped to over $400. She tossed the tens, and the first card out of the shoot was an ace. That's the kicker she needed. The second card? The fourth lucky duck! (See what I did there?) I knew the ducks wouldn't let me down! Because of her kicker, she won almost $420. Not bad for a penny machine.

A few minutes later, she got four aces with a 9 kicker for $160. Just like me, if she could have hit a 2, 3, or 4 on the draw, the win jumps to over $800. Unfortunately, she drew a Q. To help make up for it, she hit quad sixes a few minutes later for another 50 bucks.

From the Orleans, we headed over to Walgreens at the Venetian to pick up my meds (also lost by AA) and then headed over to Treasure Island to play some cards. I entered a $50 tourney with 18 runners and finished in sixth or seventh when I pushed K-Q from middle position for 5 1/2 BB. I ran into A-K and hit my Q on the river, but my opponent had already paired his ace, so I was drawing dead.

I had been in contact with grrouchie, who had agreed to come meet me and toss a few cards. He was already there when I busted from the tourney. but we had never met, so I didn't know what he looked like and sat down at the table next to his. He came over and introduced himself a few minutes later and I was able to get a table change, with the seat next to grrouchie open, so we had the opportunity to visit for a couple of hours while we were pitching cards.

I have to agree with Rob's take on grrouchie. He's anything but a grouch. A soft spoken, low key guy, we got along famously. The only fault I could find with him was the fact that he's a Steelers fan. Oh well, nobody's perfect!

I kept getting marginal hands for most of the session, K-4, J-5, A-3, etc, and spent most of the time mucking hands. I used my tight image to buy a small pot with 6-7 soooted. I open raised 3 1/2 x the BB and got two callers, both of which I had position on. Both opponents checked a king high flop and folded to my c-bet.

The big hand of the night involved myself, grrouchie, and one other player. I limped with 7h-8h and grrouchie popped it 6 x the BB to $18. When there was a call in front of me, I decided to take a look at the flop, hoping it would hit me hard. I checked the Ah-9h-8x flop and grrouchie c-bet $25, getting another call from the player to his left. This wasn't a surprise, as this particular player was pretty much your classic calling station. With my middle pair plus a flush draw, I thought my best play was to go ahead and shove my $125 stack. I figured I had 12 outs (9 hearts and three eights), so even if I got called, I still had a decent chance. Plus grrouchie might have K-K and just be throwing out a feeler bet. When he called, I knew he had paired his ace, but what I didn't know was that he had pocket rockets, and I only had half as many outs as I thought. The turn and river didn't hit for me and grrouchie collected a nice $300 pot. I always hate to lose big pots, but I'm glad it was to a fellow blogger.

BTW, my birthday is in October grouch :)

Yesterday, we drove out to the M Resort and played for a while and then spent the rest of the day at Planet Ho. I made back most of the $250 I dropped at TI the night before, walking away with a $170 profit in the $1-2 NLHE cash game.

I was the BB on my very first hand. The UTG player raised 5 x the BB to $10 and was 3 bet to $30 by the player to his left. It was folded around to me and I peeked down at A-K. Since I had no reads on the players, I mucked big slick and was rewarded when the UTG player shoved. UTG +1 showed pocket queens and folded, with UTG tabling K-K. Wow, what a start!

I picked up a nice pot when my pocket fours turned into a set on the flop. My opponent didn't show, but I have to assume he had two pair.

A little later, I checked my BB with 8-9 off. A 4-8-9 was just what the doctor ordered! There was a flush draw, so I placed a pot sized bet, hoping to discourage any fishing. Three of us saw another 8 on the turn. WHEEEE! I bet out again and both opponents stayed with me. The flush got there on the river and I value betted, but didn't get any customers, so I guess the other players were on straight draws, for which they paid a high price.

Heading out to the Gambler's General Store today to pick up three blackjack felts for our casino party company. Some of the felts we have are getting a little worn, so it's time for an upgrade. After that we'll probably either head downtown or out to one of the "locals" casinos off the strip. Hopefully, I'll have some big wins to report!

Till next time, win the flips.

AA Sucks

2012-03-04T17:57:00.000-06:00

No, not pocket aces. The airline.

Our plane from DFW to Vegas was grounded. Unfortunately, this happened after we had boarded, so we had to deplane and start over. We finally got to Vegas a couple hours late.

One of our bags did not.

In the bag were my scripts (not good), several shirts, my shaving kit, and all my underwear. So the Duck is going "cammando" on the strip! (TMI?)

A computer at American assured me that "they-were-doing-everything-possible" to find the bag. I don't know what makes me madder, the bag being lost or AA trying to blow sunshine up my skirt.

Anywoo, Ms. Duck and I are checked in at the Venetian for the remainder of the week. We had a good time at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and will make a trip to Walmart today and hit the "Fruit of the Loom" aisle.

I'll report anything that seems interesting this week. Maybe I'll have a story worthy of lightning's "Hooker Week!" After all, I am going cammando : )

Straight Flush Not Good Enough

2012-03-02T09:27:00.000-06:00

I've played poker on a regular basis for eight or nine years and have never seen as many big hands as I did last night at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza.

Ray-Ray started the festivities early by hitting a straight flush to the ten in the first half hour of play in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game. We all assumed he had the High Hand Jackpot wrapped up for the evening. But, as Lee Corso likes to say, "Not so fast my friend!"

A short while later, Farmer Harry hit quad tens in a hand of Omaha High, but it wasn't good enough to win the HHJ. Neither was Gentleman Jim's quad fives or Harry's quad fives. J-Dawg rivered a straight flush to the eight in another hand of Omaha, and as he tabled his winning hand said, "It sucks when a straight flush isn't good enough to win the High Hand Jackpot!"

Indeed.

On the very last hand of the night I was UTG and peeked down at Qc-3c-Td-6d and decided to limp, only because it was the last hand. The flop was 7d-8d-9d.

Holy cow, a flopped straight flush!

The turn brought the 5d, so now I had a six card straight flush. I apologized to Ray-Ray as I tabled my hand, which meant he now was splitting the HHJ with moi. For some reason, I was happier about the split than he was. Go figure : )

I still managed to drop $3, even counting half the jackpot I won. Bobby Dee and Farmer Harry were the big winners, with both cashing out with$30+ profits. Ollie the Accountant and Stamps took the biggest hits, with both dropping north of 20 bucks on the evening. J-Dawg lost a little, as did Dealer Larry and Jim.

Tin Man's Tournament is tonight. Hopefully, we'll have a better turnout than we did last week.

Till next time, win the flips.

Countdown To Vegas

2012-03-01T13:22:00.000-06:00

As you can see by looking at the countdown clock to the right, my Vegas trip is less than two days away! Ms. Duck and I haven't been since early July, so we're really looking forward to our trip.

We are taking an EARLY flight out of Waco Saturday morning, which will require me to get out of bed around 4:30. Not good! From Waco we catch a connecting flight out of DFW, and should be on the ground in Vegas by 10:30 PST.

After we pick up our rental car, we'll drive over to Green Valley Ranch and spend our first night there. Sunday, we'll check in at the Venetian and stay there through Friday and head back to Wacko.

One issue with our return flight is the timing. We are scheduled to land in Waco at 6pm, and our monthly Vegas Or Bust League Tourney begins at 7. So it'll be tight, and if one of the flights is delayed, I'm screwed.

While in Vegas I'll be looking to play in some of the daily tournaments, so if any of you have suggestions for the best ones, let me know. I'll take a look at the AVP website for a schedule and work from it.

I'll be warming up for the trip by playing in J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza tonight and Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney tomorrow. I'll try to post a report on how they went before I leave for the desert.

From reading their blogs, it looks like MOJO, VJ, and Hoyazo will all be in Atlantic City this weekend, participating in a WSOP Circuit Tourney, so best of luck to all of you! Bring it home for your fellow bloggers : )

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy Birthday Ms. Duck!

2012-02-27T08:39:00.001-06:00

Today is Ms. Duck's birthday. I would mention her age, but it's too close to mine, so I think that info is best kept secret : )

We're heading to Vegas on Saturday to celebrate. Good times!

Anyhoo, join me in wishing my lovely redhead a Happy Birthday!

Easy Come, Easy Go

2012-02-26T22:43:00.000-06:00

Bobby Sherman

We only had five runners show for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney last Friday. Big Daddy was back from his trip to the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma where he dropped five benjamins playing three card poker. Philly Phanatic, Lil' Annie Okie, Tin Man, and I rounded out the field.

Philly was hot early, knocking out Big Daddy and winning the bounty side pot right off the bat. Lil' Annie Okie was his next victim, and he felted me shortly thereafter. At that point he and Tin Man chopped the prize money and we were off to play the $2 cash game.

Big Daddy was sitting on a horseshoe and sucked out time after time, mostly against Philly. I had him all-in twice and drawing to two outs only to see him hit his miracle card, twice. By the time we were finished, Big Daddy had won $12, Tin Man $6, with Philly dropping $14, and me $4.

So, after winning $10 at J-Dawg's on Thursday, I dropped ten on Friday. As Bobby Sherman once sang, "Easy Come, Easy Go!"

Bubblegum rock at it's best!

Till next time, win the flips.

J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza Coming To An End

2012-02-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

Well folks, it looks like the days are numbered for J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza. He has had his house on the market for a few months and has accepted an offer. Unless the deal falls thru, he and his girlfriend will have to be out by the end of next month. That means we'll have to move the game to one of our other player's homes. There's three of us that are centrally located, Dealer Larry, Ollie the Accountant and yours truly, so once we decide who will host, I'll need to come up with a new name for our weekly get togethers.

We had a light turnout last night, with only seven pulling up chairs to do battle in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game. Stamps smoked a brisket, which was tasty as always. A few chips on the side and homemade cookies for dessert made for a good meal.

Dealer Larry started fast, winning two of the first three hands, which were Mexican Sweat and Pai Gow. I was his victim in the Sweat hand, losing with fives full of fours to his aces full of jacks, both huge hands for this game. He managed to hold on to his winnings and finished with a $16 profit. Stamps won the High Hand Jackpot with quad kings in a hand of Omaha High, which saved him from being a loser for the evening. Ray-Ray took the hardest hit, dropping a little north of $20 on the night, with Bobby Dee and J-Dawg both losing around $15 each. I walked away with an extra Hamilton added to my bankroll.

**********

On the home front, it looks like Ms. Duck and I are going to have to shell out a few bucks and replace the garage doors at our house. We still have the original ones, which are circa mid 70s. They are the solid doors, meaning they don't "break" like the newer models, but swing straight out from the wall when opened. One of the spring attachments broke (for the second time), and because of noticeable metal fatigue, I'm concerned someone might get hurt if it was to let go of the spring again and hit someone.

One issue with having the old doors removed, is lead. Apparently, any door made before 1978 may have lead in it. So, we'll have them tested and if the test is positive (which would be a negative), they will need to be removed by a specialist. I'm sure that won't be too expensive, huh? But, I guess there's always pain involved when you have to "get the lead out!"

On the other hand, I guess if garage doors are my biggest problem, that means things are rolling along pretty smoothly at the Duck palace : )

Till next time, win the flips.

Mutual Orgasms

2012-02-21T08:43:00.000-06:00

Ms. Duck and I were looking at greeting cards last week and one stuck out.

There was an older couple on the outside of the card, much like the one you see in the picture to the right.

The wife asks, "Honey, do we have mutual orgasms?"

Open the card and the husband answers, "No dear, we have State Farm."

We both got a giggle out of it (mutual giggles?), but since Ms. Duck has worked for the aforementioned company for 30+ years, she was particularly amused : )

Carry on!

Ace Kicks King's Arse

2012-02-18T16:26:00.000-06:00

We had a light turnout for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney, with only six runners showing up. Each of us threw in our $6 ($1 for the bounty), and the cards were in the air a little after 8 o'clock.

Philly Phanatic's daughter, City Girl joined us for the first time in a year or more. She's a lot of fun to be around, has a great sense of humor, and is a damn fine poker player. It wasn't her night however, as her dad busted her in sixth place. Philly also felted Ranger Rick in fifth, and yours truly got toe-tagged in fourth by Lil' Annie Okie.

I made a couple of blunders that led to my early exit. Philly limped from UTG, as did Tin Man, and I raised 3x from the BB with K-Q. Philly mucked, but Tin Man called. We saw a Q high flop and Tin Man bet 1/3 pot and I called, thinking I was probably ahead in the hand. When he checked the turn, I was almost sure I had him. A harmless river card fell and I bet 1/2 pot, with Tin Man making the call.

"Queens," I said.

"Me too."

"King kicker."

"Not good enough," said Tin Man, exposing an ace.

That cost me over half my stack. When he called my river bet, I was afraid he had backed into two pair, but since he didn't raise preflop, I wasn't expecting A-Q.

My second mistake was open-pushing from the SB with 5 1/2 BB. My error was not knowing how few chips Ranger Rick had. Rick was the BB and had 3 BB in his stack, so obviously his calling range would be very wide. Sure enough, he called with K-4 and I timidly tabled my Q-2. I didn't improve and was severely short stacked (yeah, that's what she said), and was out a few minutes later.

Lil' Annie Okie and Tin Man chopped the prize money, and Tin Man won the bounty by knocking out Philly.

I did a little better in the $2 buy-in cash game, picking up pocket aces twice and getting paid both times. By the time we called it a night a little before midnight, I was up $5, netting me a $1 loss for the evening.

I guess that means my winning streak is over, but $1 is a bargain for an evening of poker with good friends : )

Till next time, win the flips.

Duck Rules The Roost

2012-02-16T10:05:00.000-06:00

We had 10 runners at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza last night. The menu included chicken with cream gravy as the main course. Health food.

I arrived a few minutes late, but didn't miss any hands as they were still passing out chips when I got there. Wednesday evenings are reserved for our family night out every week. Usually Ms, Duck and I take our kids to dinner, sometimes a movie, bowling, or an occasional sporting event. We call it "Family Night" and have been doing it for eight years. The "pick" rotates each week, so we all have a say on where we go each week. Last night my daughter wanted to go to dinner at "Mama Baris." which is a good (not great) Italian Restaurant. Although a little pricey at times, I've found that it certainly worth it as we have a fun time and it keeps our relationship tight. Next week is my pick. WHEEEE!

Needless to say, I didn't eat any chicken since I was already full of spaghetti, so I was at J-Dawg's strictly for the poker and smack talk.

Gentleman Jim got off to a quick start, winning four of the first five hands, but managed to fritter most of it away by the end of the evening. He did manage to win the High Hand Jackpot, beating J-Dawg's quad fives with a straight flush to the eight. Even with the jackpot (Usually around $15) he still lost a couple of dollars overall.

The big hand of the night in our $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game, was between myself, Glass Man, and Stamps. I was the big blind in an Omaha High hand and checked my 6-6-5-J holding. I led out when another six showed on a rainbow flop, with Glass Man and Stamps coming along for the ride. I boated on the turn when a five hit and bet out again with both villains calling. The river looked harmless, so I once again pitched $1 into the pot. Glass Man raised me and Stamps called the three bet. Of course, I four bet them both, with Glass Man calling and Stamps finally waving the white flag. Glass Man had pocket fives, which was good for a silver metal and I pulled in a $22 pot. SAH-WEET!

I finished with the biggest stack, booking a $45 win, with Bobby Dee on my heels with a $40 profit. Farmer Harry, Glass Man, and Ollie the Accountant all lost between $30-40 each, with J-Dawg and Stamps both winning a little. Ray-Ray broke even.

It looks like we'll get together again Thursday week. I hope my "run good" continues!

Till next time, win the flips.

The Wonderlic Test

2012-02-12T20:15:00.001-06:00

Are you familiar with the Wonderlic test? It's basically an IQ test for football players who are likely draft choices in the upcoming NFL draft. You'll hear it referenced often as draft day approaches.

Have you ever wondered how you stack up against current NFL players, and more importantly, Lucki Duck?

Well, this is your lucky day!

Click here to take an abbreviated version of the Wonderlic. After you complete the test you will instantly receive your score and also find out which players scored below you.

Of course, there's no way you can beat me!

You can also estimate your IQ by multiplying your Wonderlic score by two and then add 60 points. If you are unable to do this, you probably don't want to know anyway : )

Give it a shot and leave a comment with your score.

Who's the smartest blogger on the block?

Vegas Or Bust Poker League Update

2012-02-11T19:26:00.000-06:00

The ten members of the Vegas Or Bust Poker League met Friday night for the February tournament. For those of you who haven't been following along, you can "read all about it" here.

I had a third place finish in the inaugural tournament last month, so I was shooting for another top three finish in order to stay within striking distance of the top two spots in the league standings.

I got involved early when I was able to limp into a multi-way pot from the cut off position with 7-7. A 7-9-T flop hit me hard, but the 9 and tan were suited, so I bet a little over a pot sized bet in order to take down the pot . . . now! It worked, as everyone folded and I was off to a good start.

Just a few hands later I was able to limp into a three way pot with Josie's favorite hand (J-T) and hit Yahtzee with a 7-8-9 rainbow flop. I bet a little over 1/2 pot and gat a call from Dealer Larry, but he folded to another 1/2 pot bet after the turn.

I took another pot from Larry, who from out of position, called my 2.2x preflop bet. I was holding A-K and liked the king high flop. Larry slid out two black chips ($200) and I three bet to $450. Larry surprised me little when he called, and I was afraid he might have hit two pair. But he tabled K-T when the hand was over and my ace had him out kicked and I pulled in another nice pot.

With the blinds continuing to rise, we were down to four players after two hours of play, but the "final four" hung on for a long time. It seemed like each time a player was all-in, whether ahead or behind, they would come out on top and we would continue. I was finally able to felt Ollie the Accountant when my A-9 held up and beat his K-J.

Interestingly, the last three players for the second straight tourney were Philly Phanatic, J-Dawg, and yours truly, Lucki Duck. I had reached my goal of a top three finish, and now my goal was to win it outright.

Blinds were up to $400-800, and with only $15k chips in play, none of us had many big blinds left. After 20 minutes of passing chips around the table, and with blinds at $500-1000, I open raised to $2,200 with A-T. Both Philly and J-Dawg called and we saw a flop of A-5-T rainbow. Philly was down to $1,600 and I thought he would probably push any flop that was checked to him, so that's what I did. Both Philly and J-Dawg checked behind. Oops! The turn was an 8 and I checked again, thinking surely he'll bet. This time he didn't disappoint, pushing his remaining chips into the center. JD folded and I insta-called with my top two pair. Philly threw his A-2 on their backs and was drawing dead.

Down to heads-up play, I held a 2-1 chip advantage over J-Dawg, but with the blinds so high it was anyones tournament to win. I open raised with A-J and JD three bet me with 9-T when he pitched his remaining chips into play. I called and we saw a flop of K-Q-6. J-Dawg thought he had a bingo when he hit his 10 on the turn, but then realized it had given me the broadway straight.

Game over!

After our first two league tournaments, J-Dawg, Philly, and I are all tied for first with 18 points each and have built a little bit of a lead over the rest of the field. Lil' Okie Annie, Stamps, and Ollie the Accountant are the closest players, all with 11 points. Click here for the complete standings.

It was nice to pick up the win, plus I also won $16 on a last longer bet, but gave back five of it in the cash game. I'm looking forward to next month's tourney already!

Till next time, win the flips.

J-Dawg And His Stack Of Many Colors

2012-02-10T08:57:00.002-06:00

We had seven runners show at J-Dawgs for the poker extravaganza and a little barbecue.

Bobby Dee brought the food, chopped brisket sandwiches, with some deer sausage links and a few chips on the side. Good stuff!

J-Dawg started fast and never looked back, finishing the night as the big winner. Sporting a large and colorful chip stack, he cashed out with a $43 profit in our $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game.

Due to my superior poker skills, I had managed to turn my $20 starting stack into $1 in the first 2 1/2 hours of play. Then I got hot! J-Dawg and I split a hand of Pai Gow, with JD winning the two card hand with ace high, and I won the five card hand with trip sixes. A couple hands later I won a nice pot in an Omaha High game, boating up on the turn (aces full of kings) and ended up winning the High Hand Jackpot, beating Bobby Dee's aces full of jacks. Nice.

I also split another hand of Pai Gow when I hit my flush to take down half the pot. Ray-Ray won the two card hand with a pair of threes.

Because of my rush of cards in the last half hour of play, I was able to get unstuck and walked away with a $1 profit, plus a piece of sausage for the road : ) I guess I'll need to get with the Neophyte for some advise on how to invest my windfall!

Ray-Ray won a little over $20, Stamps broke even, Ollie the Accountant lost about ten bucks, and both Bobby Dee and Dealer Larry took it on the chin for about $25 each.

Tonight is the second monthly tournament of our Vegas Or Bust Poker League, so expect a post on how it went this weekend.

Till next time, win the flips!

Vegas Trip Coming Together

2012-02-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

Got the car rented for the week.

Made the reservation at Green Valley Ranch for Saturday night (the strip is too expensive on Fridays and Saturdays). Made reservations at the Venetian for Sunday thru Friday.

Still need to make plane reservations.

Just a little over three weeks till lift off!

Another Profitable Season

2012-02-07T20:56:00.000-06:00

Another football season has come and gone and at the end of it I managed to add a little to the bankroll.

Once again, I was stronger with my college picks than with my NFL choices, but that's why I was willing to put a little more cash-ola on the NCAA games. There are simply bigger edges to take advantage of in the college game.

The Super Bowl was also profitable, winning both the over/under bet and the line bet for a $55 win. However, I gave $40 back on a prop bet (opening kickoff will be a touchback) for a $15 bump on the day, making my final net profit on the season $132.

Not enough to make a living, but I named this blog "Small Potatoes" for a reason : )

Super Bowl Thoughts

I didn't have a dog in this hunt, so I was rooting for an interesting game. It certainly was interesting, but I wish Brady had a little more time to work his magic on the last drive.

The ads were mostly disappointing, but I did enjoy both Doritos' ads and the Chevy pick up truck one. Also, the M&M's one was funny.

Being almost the same age as Madonna, I really appreciated all the dance moves. I got tired just watching her! I thought the act produced a lot of energy and the light show was excellent. And her exit off the stage was a nice touch. I give it a "thumbs up!"

The Dead Zone

So now we enter what I call the sporting world's "dead zone," the few weeks between the end of football season and the beginning of baseball season, where all that is available is basketball and hockey, neither of which interests me.

But pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona in a couple weeks. Spring training baby!

Super Bowl Picks

2012-02-04T23:19:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl 46 kicks off from Indianapolis tomorrow evening with the Patriots favored by three. I think the Giants will not only cover, but will win the game outright. Plus, there's a teaser bet that I think has some value.

$33 @ 11/10 on NY Giants (+3) over New England

New England had a pretty easy schedule this season, while the Giants had one of the toughest and have fought injuries most of the year. The Pats have no pass defense and Manning has had a solid year. Manning has been a road underdog in seven playoff games and is 7-0 against the spread, winning six of them straight up. The Giants were fighting injuries (Nicks and Bradshaw were out) and were a big underdog in week 9, but beat the Pats in New England. The G-Men are healthy now. How are the Pats going to stop the stellar New York receiving corps? But, the Pats do have Tom Terrific!

$20 on the UNDER (55 pts)

The Giants front four should put enough pressure on Brady to disrupt the timing patterns of the Pats. Plus, Gronkowski will not be at 100% with his bum ankle. New England will be able to score in the twenties, but I just don't see 55 points between these two teams. I'm thinking 48-51 range.

$40 @ -$200 that the opening kickoff will be a touchback.

If the Giants win the toss they will elect to receive, but the Pats quite often will defer. This means that the odds are that New England will kickoff to start the game and Stephen Gostkowski has a strong leg. Combine this with the fact that the game is indoors, in a stadium where 3 of every 4 kickoffs has resulted in a touchback, plus the adrenaline will be flowing and I think we have a +EV situation.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $117.00
Current Bankroll         $2,117.00

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

Good luck!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2012-02-04T00:42:00.000-06:00

We had another light turnout for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney, with only five runners making an appearance. The small field is getting to be a concern.

Big Daddy and Philly Phanatic got into a big hand early, which ended when Philly pushed all-in on the river with his pocket 10s. Big Daddy had hit top pair (jacks) on the turn and made the call, crippling Philly, who got felted by Tin Man shortly thereafter.

As the blinds increased, Tin Man became short stacked and pushed all-in for 2 BB and got calls from both Big Daddy and myself. Big Daddy turned a straight and bet out. I mucked immediately and Tin Man tabled pocket 9s and was drawing dead.

Not much later I felted Big Daddy when I turned a straight and was called by his second pair, and I was heads-up with Lil' Annie Okie. The very first hand I looked down at QQ and min raised. Annie three bet me by pushing all-in with QJ and was drawing thin. The flop brought three spades and Annie's J was a spade. I had her covered however, because one of my Q was a spade. The turn was a blank, but the river completed the flush for both of us and I took down the first place prize plus the bounty. Nice.

In the $2 buy-in cash game I was on fire. It was one of those times when it seemed like I was hitting every flop and all my draws were hitting. I felted Big Daddy on three occasions and walked away with a $16 profit. Added to my tourney win, I walked away with a $32 win. Gotta love that!

Next Friday is round two of our Vegas Or Bust Poker League and I think we are all looking forward to it. Hopefully, I'll have a post explaining how I won the tourney this month : )

Till next time, win the flips.

You Can Tell Your Team Sucks When . . .

2012-02-03T09:53:00.000-06:00

ESPN doesn't even mention them in their poll, but classifies them as "other".

Looks like it may be the "Lastros" again this year. Unless we can finish ahead of that "other" team!

Ducks Fly High

2012-02-02T23:38:00.000-06:00

We had eight runners show at J-Dawgs for pizza and cards. We actually started with seven because Dealer Larry got caught at work and arrived late.

From left to right in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game were J-Dawg, Ray-Ray, Stamps, Ollie the Accountant, Dealer Larry, Farmer Harry, Bobby Dee, and yours truly, Lucki Duck.

I lost the first hand I was involved in to Bobby Dee when he hit a full house on the river, beating my straight. Things improved for me later and I walked away a $6 winner on the night.

Bobby was the big winner for the evening, winning $23, including the High Hand Jackpot that he won with quad ducks. Seems like I'm the one who should win with the ducks :)

Although Dealer Larry was late to the dance, he managed to lose $27, more than anyone else at the table. Ray-Ray dropped $17, and Stamps lost $7. J-Dawg won $13 and Farmer Harry $10. The rest of the table was about even.

Till next time, win the flips.

Obama- A "One And Done" President

2012-01-31T21:53:00.001-06:00

This is not a political post, but rather a "sports bet" one, if you will.

Intrade is currently listing President Obama's chance of being re-elected as 54.1%. You can currently buy shares of the President at $5.41 each, or sell shares (short them) a $5.40. Intrade works just like the stock market, except each decision you make is proven completely correct or totally wrong. For example, if Obama is re-elected this November, each share will be worth $10 ($10 = 100%) or $0 if he loses. That doesn't happen in the stock market, unless a company goes out of business, so place your bets!

Are you familiar with the "Bread and Peace" Model? Formulated by Douglas Hibbs, it's an accurate predictor of the results of presidential elections in a two party contest. The model only looks at two areas, per capita real personal disposable income (RPDI) growth and the number of American military fatalities in foreign conflicts during the President's term.

Here's the equation:

Got it? Yeah, me neither : )

Using Hibbs' "Bread and Peace" formula as of October 2011, it looks like President Obama is in trouble, with only a 44% chance of re-election. In fact, PCRI growth must average at least 4% per year over the last four quarters of Obama's term for him to win another four years. And the odds that there will be a recovery that is strong enough? Here's Hibbs' take on it.

If the US economy gets into robust recovery mode, real income growth could be high enough to secure the President Obama’s re-election. However, the pace of recovery from the 2008 Great Recession remains sluggish, and the famous 2009 book This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by Reinhart and Rogoff documents that recoveries from contractions originating with the bursting of speculative financial bubbles are not V-shaped as in garden-variety recessions, but instead are typically prolonged U-shaped affairs lasting 5 to 6 years. The statistical properties of the time path of US per capita real disposable personal income indicate that the chances of year-long quarterly growth rates on the order of 4% or higher are no better than 1/7.

So we have an incumbent President with a 44% chance of re-election. The chances the economy will improve fast enough to save him are 1 in 7. Intrade has him at a 54-46 favorite to win.

I like those odds. It looks like a +EV play to "short" Obama's re-election stock!

Tourney Time At Tin Man's

2012-01-28T22:33:00.000-06:00

We had a light turnout for Tin Man's $5 buy-in NLHE Tourney, with only six runners making an appearance. Big Daddy brought his girlfriend Edie. Philly Phanatic also showed along with Lil' Annie Okie, Tin Man, and myself also pulling up a chair to the table.

I got off to a quick start on the first hand, picking up pocket sixes and hitting a set on the flop. Edie, who was playing for only the second time, had limped with pocket aces. The turn paired the board, giving me a boat and half of Edie's stack by the time the hand was over.

Not too long after that hand, I felted Big Daddy. I limped from middle position with Very Josie's favorite hand (J-T) and had an open ended straight draw after the flop. Big Daddy bet about half the pot and I flatted. The turn gave me the nuts and after Big Daddy bet it again, I raised him all-in. His top pair left him drawing dead and he was the first one out.

Philly KO'd Edie in fifth and I toe-tagged Lil' Annie Okie in fourth. Tin Man took care of Philly, and since our stacks were about even, we decided to chop the $30 prize money, plus the $6 bounty since one of us was the bounty. As it turned out, it was me.

Philly was the big winner in the $2 buy-in cash game, crushing the table. I lost $6, but still walked away with a $6 profit on the night. Hopefully, we'll have a bigger turnout next week.

Till next time, win the flips.

Duck Plucked

2012-01-26T23:38:00.000-06:00

We had nine runners for J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza. Seated to my left was Ray-Ray, followed by Stamps, Bobby Dee, Ollie the Accountant, J-Dawg, Farmer Harry, Glass Man, and Dealer Larry.

After downing some fried chicken, we started pitching cards in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game. The game moved along pretty slow because several of the players were distracted by the Baylor/ Oklahoma ladies basketball game on TV and had to be continually prompted that the action was on them.

I split a pot with Glass Man early in the evening, and find didn't pick up another pot for over an hour. I never could get over the hump and ended the night with a $14 loss.

Farmer Harry won the High Hand Jackpot with quad kings in a hand of Omaha High. He also hit quad dueces a little later. Stamps was the big winner, cashing out with a $33 profit. Glass Man had a nice stack, walking away $25 to the good and Bobby Dee won $15. Ray-Ray was the biggest loser, dropping $27, with Ollie losing $18 and I was next in line with my $14 scalping.

Baylor won the game by the way. That's 20-0 for the women. Not too bad.

Till next time, win the flips.

23 And Counting

2012-01-25T20:29:00.001-06:00

Our family just got back from celebrating my daughter's 23rd birthday with a nice dinner. Her birthday isn't until Saturday, but she will be in Dallas with her boyfriend. I guess that means dear ol' Dad has dropped to #2 on her list.

Here's a picture of her from last Halloween.

She's a cutie huh? And the handsome lad in the picture that you've mistaken for Elvis? That would be your humble scribe : )

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Road Trip To The Dallas Gift Mart

2012-01-22T21:47:00.000-06:00

Ms. Duck and I took a road trip to the Dallas Market to look for some new gift items for our store. As I may (or may not) have mentioned in an earlier post, we have a small showroom in a local antique and gift store, which we opened about 15 years ago to help pay for our kid's college expenses. The Dallas Market actually consists of several buildings, including Market Hall and the World Trade Center, and is a massive cathedral to capitalism.

We drove up to "Big D" Friday morning, returning home late Saturday night and found a couple of new lines that we're excited about and feel could be big sellers for us. Being a baseball fan, one of my favorite items was a "classic look" tabletop baseball themed pinball game. It's solid wood, well made, and is a nice sized game. We'll probably shoot for a $100 price point on it.

We also added some new items to some of our established product lines,

like this music box by Mr Christmas, and this Magical Motion clock by Rhythm. I know Gary and Lightning are both big Beatles fans, so I don't know how they'll feel about having some of the Beatles' classic tunes played on a clock : )

"Timecracker"

We also bought a lot of home accessory items and a few small furniture pieces, including a tooled leather trunk and table set that are pretty unique. "Unique" doesn't always equal "sale" however, so we'll have to wait and see if other folks like it as well as Ms. Duck and I do.

Hopefully, we made some good decisions that will pay off. With both our young'uns in college, we can use the money!

NFL Picks- January 22nd

2012-01-22T00:40:00.002-06:00

Conference Championship Sunday. The Giants travel west to San Francisco in search of gold and a ticket to the Super Bowl. In the AFC, the Pats host the Ravens.

I think the NFC game basically comes down to Eli. Both teams have excellent defenses and decent running games. NY has better receivers, but the Niners are a little better on special teams. So it comes down to the quarterbacks and Manning is the better of the two QBs. Alex Smith has had an above average year, but Eli has been hotter than a $2 pistol lately. The rub is that you never know whet you're gonna get with Manning at the helm. He could throw three interceptions as easily as he could three touchdowns. So I think I'll pass on this one.

$11 @ 11/10 on New England (-6 1/2) over Baltimore

Brady versus Flacco. Who would you take. Yeah, the Raven defense is better, but New England's QB is light years ahead of Flacco. Plus, the Pats can see that window of opportunity closing and I don't think they'll allow anything to get between them and another Super Bowl. I got in early at 6 1/2, but I'd still take New England at 7 1/2.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $128.00
Current Bankroll          $2,128.00

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

Good luck!

Mid-Winter Cookout

2012-01-19T23:26:00.002-06:00

We had eight runners show at J-Dawgs to pitch a few cards. Bobby Dee threw a few burgers on the grill, a little unusual for mid January, even in the heart of Texas. We hit 80+ degrees today and this evening was perfect for a cookout. Go figure.

I got off to a good start, winning two of the first three hands in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game, and never looked back. After my quick start I went card dead for the better part of an hour, but picked up a few pots in the last hour of play.

The big pot of the night happened in a hand of Omaha High. I peeked down at double soooted kings and connected when I hit the set on a K-J-8 rainbow flop. Bobby Dee and Stamps both checked, I bet and Farmer Harry, Bobby, and Stamps all called. The turn was another J, giving me the boat. Bobby bet with Stamps calling. I slow-played my monster with Harry coming along for the ride. At this point, I put two of the three of them on jacks full of kings. Bobby started the betting after a blank hit the river and Stamps raised him. I three bet my kings full with Harry and Bobby both calling. Stamps folded his jacks full and Harry tabled a flush. Bobby had the case jack, but it wasn't good enough and I pulled in a nice $18 pot.

Ollie the Accountant won the High Hand Jackpot with aces full of kings. Even with the jackpot he only managed a $2 profit for the night. Ray-Ray and Bobby both lost around $15 on the night, with Farmer Harry, Dealer Larry, J-Dawg, and Stamps all breaking even. I was the big winner with a $34 profit. Sah-weet!

A fun time with good friends, plus I left with a little jingle in my pocket. There are worse ways to spend an evening.

Till next time, win the flips.

Porn Industry's "Erector Detector"

2012-01-18T20:58:00.000-06:00

I read that the Los Angeles city council had approved an ordinance by a 9-1 vote that requires actors in adult films to wear a condom.

I have a few questions.

First, how do you enforce this ordinance? Do you hire someone and if so, what would be their official title?

I'm thinking "Erector Detector" might work 8^)

Click here for the details.

Vegas Or Bust Poker League Inaugural Tourney

2012-01-15T17:50:00.001-06:00

The action was hot & heavy at the VOB Poker Tourney!

We had ten runners for the first tournament of our Vegas Or Bust Poker League. The league will have 16 monthly tourneys and will send two players to the 2013 WSOP in Las Vegas.

The league was my idea and combines players from both of the home games that I play. From J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza we have J-Dawg, Bobby Dee, Stamps, Ollie the Accountant, and Dealer Larry. The bunch that plays at Tin Man's were Tin Man, Lil' Annie Okie, Philly Phanatic, and Big Daddy.

I lost the first pot I played, which wasn't the start I was looking for. With blinds at $15-30 (we started with $1,500), I opened raised to $90 from the cut-off with A-J offsuit. Stamps called from the button and both blinds folded. The flop was all low cards and both of us checked. The turn was another brick and I checked again, ready to give up on the hand, but Stamps checked behind. The river was a 9, which was the highest card on the board and Stamps checked out of turn, leading me to believe I might be able to buy the pot. I bet $120 into the $200 pot and Stamps hemmed and hawed awhile before calling and tabling A-K.

I got things going against Big Daddy when I looked down at pocket rockets. With blinds at $40-80, Big Daddy had limped from UTG. It was folded to me in the cut-off and I raised to $200, hoping to get a little action. It worked with Big Daddy making the call. The flop was A-J-7 with two diamonds. Big Daddy checked and I bet $300. Big Daddy check-raised me to $600. Sah-weet! I smooth called and put him all-in on the turn. Big Daddy flipped over a J for second pair and was drawing dead to my top set.

A little later I was dealt black pocket kings . . . twice in a row! I got action both times and was able to build my stack to respectibility.

Down to seven players with blinds up to $150-300, I pushed J-J for $1700 from middle position. Philly Phanatic called with A-Q, but didn't improve. My double-up got my chip stack healthy and I was able to stay alive until we were down to three players.

My final hand was a J-5 soooted (clubs) which I pushed on an A-K-8 flop, all clubs! Both J-Dawg and Philly Phanatic called, so I was thinking about my upcoming triple-up when another club fell on the river. I wasn't too disturbed since I had the second nut flush, but when J-Dawg bet and Philly called, I knew I might be in trouble. J-Dawg checked the river, and Philly pushed all-in, putting J-Dawg to the test.

I read Philly better than any of the players at the table, and I could tell I was beat before he ever flipped his cards. Unfortunately for J-Dawg, he had never played with Philly and made the call. Philly tabled the queen of clubs, beating both my J and J-Dawgs 9 of clubs. Philly had us both covered, but J-Dawg had more chips than I did when the hand started, so he got second and I finished third.

It was a fun evening, but it felt a little strange having both the J-Dawg and Tin Man gangs playing together. Everyone seemed to mesh together well, so I 'm hopeful the league will be a big success.

Congratulations to Philly Phanatic for taking down our first tournament!

Philly celebrating his big win!

I was able to pad the ol' bankroll a little by winning eight bucks in the cash game we played after the tourney. I won a lot of it by busting Philly. As Ms. Duck says, "Paybacks are hell!"

Till next time, win the flips.

NFL Playoff Pick- Jan. 14th

2012-01-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

The NFL begins its second round of playoff action this weekend. Of the four games, the one I like the best is the Saints/ 49ers tilt.

$11 @ 11/10 on New Orleans (-3 1/2) over San Francisco

The Saints have been the hottest team in the league over the last few weeks and continued their run with a dismantling of a good Detroit team. Brees and company have also covered the spread in nine consecutive games. I think they'll move the ball well enough to win by at least a touchdown.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $139.00
Current Bankroll          $2,139.00

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

Good luck!

J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza

2012-01-12T23:54:00.001-06:00

We had eight runners at J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza. Gentleman Jim brought some tasty homemade chili, which was perfect for a cold night in the heart of Texas. The temperature was already below freezing when I got to J-Dawgs around seven o'clock and had dropped into the twenties by the time I headed home. I don't want to say it was as cold as some of you have it in the north, but I did count three dogs frozen to fire hydrants on my way home :)

From left to right on your radio dial in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game were J-Dawg, Ray-Ray, Bobby Dee, Stamps, Ollie the Accountant, Dealer Larry, Gentleman Jim and yours truly.

I got off to a good start when I took down the first hand with jacks over fives. I was winning the High Hand Jackpot with kings over fives when the following hand occurred. Bobby Dee was dealing a hand of Omaha High and tossed me 5-6-7-A, double suited. The flop was 4-5-K, with the 4 and 5 both popcorn (clubs). It just so happened my 6-7 were both popcorn, putting me on an open end straight flush draw. I bet my draw and got four customers. The turn was a blank, but I continued to bet on the come, building a nice pot with three callers. I hit Yahtzee on the river when the three of clubs made an appearance, completing my straight flush and giving me a tight grip on the HHJ.

I was the big winner on the night with a $29 profit. Gentleman Jim took the biggest hit, losing $35. Bobby Dee and Stamps both lost around $15, with Ray-Ray, Ollie, and Dealer Larry booking small wins.

Tomorrow is the first tournament in our Vegas Or Bust Poker League. There's quite a buzz about it among the players. I'm hoping to get off to a good start and finish in one of the top three positions. I'll write up a report sometime this weekend.

Till next time, win the flips.

Mouse Eats Blackjack Table

2012-01-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Ms. Duck and I had a gig for a New Years Eve casino party. What I didn't mention was that while grabbing a blackjack table for the party, I noticed that a mouse had chewed a large hole in the felt.

Not good.

Obviously, I couldn't use this one, so I loaded another and off we went.

I waited until the temperature warmed a little and since it got up into the low 70s yesterday I replaced the felt.

Much better, no?

The mouse? Lets just say that my blackjack table was his last meal.

TEBOvertime Shoots Down Steelers

2012-01-09T21:58:00.001-06:00

Overtime.

Now known as Tebovertime.

The Steelers had clawed back from a 20-6 deficit to tie the game late at 23-23.

Then lightning struck . . . well, lightning . . . and Vegas Vic.

On the first play of Tebovertime, Tebow did what he does, and 80 yards later the Steelers were done, as was lighting36 and Vegas Vic.

Congratulations to "Undercover," winner of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)!

Undercover went with the Saints, and although he had a sweat at halftime, New Orleans came out in the third quarter and took control of the game.

Your shirt is on the way sir!

Well done!

Thank you to everyone who participated. It was a lot of fun!

The Ups And Downs Of Poker

2012-01-07T22:46:00.000-06:00

Ahhh . . . the ups and downs of poker.

We had 11 runners assemble at the poker table last Thursday at J-Dawgs, the most we've had in a while. Bobby Dee smoked a brisket, which was awesome. Once everyone had their fill we started pitching cards.

It was an evening of big winners and losers in this $20 buy-in, dealer's choice limit game. Unfortunately, I was on the "loser" side of the equation, dropping $17 on the evening. Bobby Dee was the big winner, collecting a little north of $50, including the High Hand Jackpot that he won with quad aces. Gentleman Jim also cashed out for around $50, with Glass Man getting beat up to the tune of $45.

Friday night was much better for me. Lil' Annie Okie and I got heads up in Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney, with Annie holding an 8-1 chip advantage. I hit a good run of cards and was able to pull even and we ended up chopping the prize money.

The $2 buy-in cash game was also profitable. The biggest pot I was involved in was with Big Daddy and Philly Phanatic. Philly had raised 2.5X the big blind and I called with Q-T soooted from the BB. Big Daddy also came along for the ride. The flop had two of my suit, one a king, so I was drawing to the second nut flush draw. I checked, as did Big Daddy, and Philly tossed in a 1/3 pot bet. Both Big Daddy and myself called.

The turn brought an ace, which completed my flush and I was sitting on the nuts at this point. I checked my monster, counting on Philly to do the heavy lifting for me. Big Daddy checked behind. Philly didn't disappoint, pushing in his remaining chips.

SAH-WEET!

I hem-hawed for a minute, hoping to get Big Daddy to stay in. I called as did Big Daddy, sliding his remaining chips forward. Philly tabled A-K for top two pair, and Big Daddy showed K-J. The river was harmless and I raked in a nice $10 pot.

I walked away with an extra $29 in my pocket, giving me a $12 profit for the week.

Next week begins our Vegas Or Bust Poker League, so you can expect an upcoming report.

Till next time, win the flips.

NFL Picks Contest - Playoff Picks

2012-01-07T01:03:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks of the three players left in the Small Potatoes NFL Picks (Part Duex) Contest.

Good luck everyone!

Vegas Vic- Pittsburgh
Undercover - New Orleans
lightning36 - Pittsburgh

NFL Picks Contest (Playoffs)- Picks Due Friday

2012-01-05T08:22:00.001-06:00

We still have three players left in the Small Potatoes NFL Picks (Part Duex) Contest.

As the playoffs begin, the slates are wiped clean and the players can pick from any of the remaining teams . . . once. Just like the regular season, once you pick a team, that team is "off the board" for you and can't be picked again.

My advice is to pick a playoff team :)

Please send your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com by midnight (CST) Friday.

Good luck everyone!

Vegas Vic
Undercover
lightning36

"Five-O" by BSO

2012-01-04T09:10:00.001-06:00

Grange95 and Poker Grump challenged each other to come up with the 25 best TV theme songs to have passed thru those old tinny Philco speakers over the years.

Grange originally went with "Hawaii Five-O", but moved "Cheers" ahead of it on his final list. Poker Grump listed "Five-O" at number one. Since the ringtone on my phone has been "Five-O" for several years, I guess I'd have to put it at the top of my list too. Plus it gives me a chance to listen and share a cover of it by one of my favorite bands, the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Enjoy!

New Years Eve Casino Party!

2012-01-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

As you may or may not know, Ms. Duck and I have a side business to help pay for our youngins' college education. We got a last minute gig for a small casino party on Saturday night. It was actually a combination party, as the client was celebrating both New Years Eve and a 30th birthday party. The birthday cake, made by a local cake designer was really cool, with a lighted sign on the top, similar to the "Las Vegas" sign we are all familiar with.


Cool, huh?

We only had two blackjack tables, and the client wanted to separate the girls from the boys, with the girl and guy with the most chips at the end of the party winning a nice door prize.

Being the gentleman I am, I immediately volunteered to deal to the girls.

Lucki Duck's Table!

I know . . . it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Till next time, win the flips.

A Gift For Very Josie

2012-01-02T22:16:00.001-06:00

Josie mentioned in her blog that she was waiting on a couple of drawings from Waffle's son. She also said that she would like to have a drawing of a Red Sox player or maybe the Sox logo.

Always one who's out to please, it just so happens that I did a portrait of a Red Sox player a few years ago and thought it would give Josie something to enjoy until Waffle's offspring comes thru with the goods.

Enjoy VJ!

Well, it's a former Red Sox player ;^)

Maybe she would like to make it her screensaver!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 7 Picks

2011-12-31T15:04:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Only three left. Who will win the shirt?

Good luck everyone!

Vegas Vic- San Francisco
Undercover- Philadelphia
lightning36- New England

NFL Picks Contest- Picks Due Tomorrow

2011-12-30T19:05:00.000-06:00

Don't forget that this weeks picks are due by Saturday at midnight (CST). Teams listed below are off the board for you and cannot be picked this week.

Good luck everyone!

Vegas Vic- (GB, Atl, N Eng, Balt, N Orl, Carolina)

Undercover- (N Eng, NY Jets, San Fran, Pitts, Atl, Balt)

lightning36- (Det, Atl, San Fran, Pitts, N Orl, Balt)

This-N-That

2011-12-29T15:58:00.000-06:00

Ms. Duck and I celebrated our 31st Anniversary with a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant. We were both working our way through college when we met. I worked at a gameroom in the local mall and she worked in a kiosk in front of the gameroom. During slow times I would walk over to Ms. Bojangles (a costume jewelry kiosk) and talk with my future wife. She had (and has) a great sense of humor, was (and is) easy on the eyes, and our outlooks on life were similar, so we ended up playing the dating game.

Our first date was to a restaurant/bar called the Handlebar and then on to see "The Muppet Movie." Romantic huh? We hit it off from the start and I feel blessed to report that it has been smooth sailing ever since. Oh, there were the problems all couples have, mainly kids.

We were married eight years before our daughter was born. She was diagnosed with ADD in second grade and was hell on wheels as a teenager. She turns 23 next month and has settled down, currently working towards a BS and Masters in psychology. Her brother has the opposite personality, very low key. He's also in college (undecided major), and has a passion for history, be it art, military, American, or biblical. I think he'll end up heading in that direction, but what his specialization will be is still up in the air. His years as a teenager will end in February, so he has some big decisions coming up.

Our anniversary dinner was the most I've eaten in awhile. I've had blood pressure issues for quite a while, but seemed to have it under control with medication. However, last summer I noticed it was creeping up into an area I wasn't comfortable with. I cut out caffeine and salt, but it still stayed north of the 140/80 level, which is not acceptable to me. I knew I had gained some weight, which was probably the problem, but it was also the hardest to fix. My body seems to be its healthiest (BP, blood glucose, cholesterol, etc.) when my weight is between 165-170 pounds. When I stepped on the scales in early November it read 184. Not good. Two weeks before Thanksgiving is not when you want to start a diet, but start it I did. I'm too old to follow any of the "fad" diets, so I went old school and started counting calories, trying to limit my daily intake to 1,000-1,200. I also increased my jogging frequency. Cutting calories meant cutting back on red meat, any type of fried food, and sweets, not an easy thing to do this time of year. Although the bovine population is safer, the poultry family is in danger, especially turkeys and chickens. I'm happy to report that I've dropped 12 pounds so far, and rewarded myself by consuming some pasta with my sweetie. Although I haven't had any blood work done and can't update my blood sugar or cholesterol levels, I'm happy to report my BP has dropped down to the 120/60 level. Gotta love that :^)

On the job front, business has slowed some in the past few months. I have taken on a large project to try to increase sales by redesigning our company website. We have had a site for years, but it was limited. We had specifications for our products online, "Something to make an engineer happy," I said, but customers were unable to order thru our site. That has been corrected now. The updating process probably would have gone a lot faster if I were more knowledgeable about website design. Due to my limited skill, the update took several months, but has been completed. Click here if you want to take a look. Now we are working on an SEO program to help get our name out.

On the poker front, we will begin our "Vegas Or Bust Poker League" in a couple weeks, with two seats to the WSOP on the line, so I'm looking forward to that. You'll see updates after each monthly tournament.

I think that about wraps up the "goings on" in the heart of Texas. Wishing each one of you a Happy and Healthy 2012!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 6 Results

2011-12-27T20:48:00.000-06:00

All three of our remaining contestants lived to play another week in the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

This weeks picks are due by Saturday at midnight (CST). Teams listed below are off the board for you and cannot be picked this week.

Good luck everyone!

Vegas Vic- (GB, Atl, N Eng, Balt, N Orl, Carolina)

Undercover- (N Eng, NY Jets, San Fran, Pitts, Atl, Balt)

lightning36- (Det, Atl, San Fran, Pitts, N Orl, Balt)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T09:04:00.000-06:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

I hope you enjoy our local Waco boy performing my favorite Christmas hymn.

"O Holy Night"- David Phelps

Be careful on the roads this weekend.

Las Vegas MACCO Bowl Pick

2011-12-22T18:44:00.000-06:00

So far this bowl season, exactly zero favorites have covered. Of course that means I'm taking the favorite in tonight's Boise State / Arizona State match-up. Law of Averages, right?

$11 @ 11/10 on Boise St. (-14) over Arizona St.

The Broncos are averaging a little over 43 points a game and their margin of victory is 25 points. They are also 6-0 on the highway this season. The Sun Devils have dropped four straight and are 1-4 on the road. They're also playing for a lame-duck coach tonight.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $129.00
Current Bankroll          $2,129.00

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

Good luck!

Straight Flush On The First Hand!

2011-12-21T21:44:00.002-06:00

We had nine runners show last night at J-Dawgs for some fried chicken and cards. From left to right on your radio dial were Farmer Harry, Gentleman Jim, Stamps, Ray-Ray, J-Dawg, Bobby Dee, Dealer Larry, Ollie the Accountant, and Lucki Duck.

We got off to a fast start when Ollie rivered a straight flush to the K on the very first hand of the night to wrap up the High Hand Jackpot early. The small blind goes into the HHJ each hand, so we were basically just putting money in Ollie's piggy bank every hand. He didn't seem to mind too much!

My start wasn't nearly as fast as Ollie's, and I found myself down a few dollars early in this $20 buy-in, dealers choice limit game. I had decided to tighten my opening range and muck any hands that missed the flop. And that's exactly what happened thru the first two laps around the table.

Things picked up for me on the third round and I was able to pick up a nice pot when Dealer Larry raised with K-K and I reraised with A-A. We had two callers, but were able to shake them with flop bets. Larry check-called my turn and river bets, with neither of us improving, but my pocket-rockets were good enough.

I rivered a full house the very next hand to win another pot and faster than a cat can lick his azz, I was up about $10 and ended the night with a $17 profit.

Bobby Dee and Ray-Ray led the pack, with both winning a little north of $20. J-Dawg, Gentleman Jim, and Farmer Harry took it on the chin, with Stamps walking away a little bruised up himself.

There's no poker at Tin Man's this week, as everyone is scattered for the Christmas weekend. We should be back to our regular Friday game next week.

Till next time, win the flips!

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Picks

2011-12-21T21:20:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Down to three. Who will bring home the shirt?

Good luck everyone!
Vegas Vic- Carolina
Undercover- Baltimore
lightning36- Baltimore

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Picks Due Wednesday!

2011-12-20T09:07:00.001-06:00

It's almost time for your picks for Week 6 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex). E mail your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com.

Last week was a tough one, with all but three players eliminated.

Vegas Vic- (GB, Atl, N Eng, Balt, N Orl)

Undercover- (N Eng, NY Jets, San Fran, Pitts, Atl)

lightning36- (Det, Atl, San Fran, Pitts, N Orl)

The Pack Is Crap!

2011-12-19T09:04:00.000-06:00

It was "Black Sunday" for most of the players in the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex). With the Chiefs upsetting Green Bay, we lost all but three players.

Wow!

Vegas Vic, Undercover, and lightning36 live to fight on. Who will bring home the prize? We'll know soon. Only two weeks left in the regular season, then the playoffs start. That's when things really get interesting!

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 5 Picks

2011-12-15T18:44:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Looks like the "Pack is Back!"

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go-
Memphis MOJO- Green Bay
Neophyte- Green Bay
Music City Momma- Green Bay
Vegas Vic- New Orleans
Two Minute Warning- Green Bay

Undercover- Atlanta
Captain Crunch- Green Bay
bungbert-
lightning36- New Orleans
Grange95- Green Bay
Very Josie- Green Bay

Full Tilt Sell Moving Forward

2011-12-15T13:40:00.001-06:00

The Full Tilt saga has moved a little closer to conclusion with Full Tilt agreeing to have its assets transferred to Groupe Bernard Tapie.

From the Subject: Poker website:

This was the next step in the complicated process of transferring Full Tilt assets (by way of the US Department of Justice) to Groupe Bernard Tapie. It follows the November 17th agreement between DOJ and GBT that allows GBT to purchase forfeited FTP assets from the DOJ, likely via the, Asset Forfieture Fund for an agreed-upon price of $80 million. In return, GBT also agrees to repay or otherwise make whole non-US players, who are owed over $150 million. When the forfeiture of the assets is complete, the DOJ has agreed to dismiss the civil complaints for forfeiture against the FTP companies. The DOJ would also be responsible for Full Tilt’s liability to US players, which is also estimated to be about $150 million.

Click here for the full story.

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Picks Due Today!

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000-06:00

It's time for your picks for Week 5 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex). E mail your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com.

Thru four weeks we haven't lost a player yet. Too bad we're not in Vegas!

There is a game Thursday, so I need to have your pick in no later than midnight (CST) Wednesday. Be sure to get your pick in on time!

The teams listed next to your name are off the board for you and cannot be picked again.

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- (Detroit, Cincy, New England, Pittsburgh)
Memphis MOJO- (New England, Cincy, San Fran, NY Jets)
Neophyte- (New England, Pittsburgh, San Fran, NY Jets)
Music City Momma- (Dallas, Pittsburgh, New England, Baltimore)
Vegas Vic- (Green Bay, Atlanta, New England, Baltimore)
Two Minute Warning- (San Francisco, Cincy, New England, Pittsburgh)

Undercover- (New England, NY Jets, San Fran, Pittsburgh)
Captain Crunch- (Dallas, Cincy, New England, Baltimore)
bungbert- (New England, Pittsburgh, San Fran, Baltimore)
lightning36- (Detroit, Atlanta, San Fran, Pittsburgh)
Grange95- (San Fran, Atlanta, New England, Baltimore)
Very Josie- (San Fran, Atlanta, New England, Baltimore)

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Picks Due Wednesday

2011-12-13T09:17:00.001-06:00

It's almost time for your picks for Week 5 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex). E mail your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com.

Thru four weeks we haven't lost a player yet. Too bad we're not in Vegas!

NFL Picks- December 11th

2011-12-10T22:06:00.000-06:00

Three games on the docket today that are worth a look.

$11 @ 11/10 on Denver (-3 1/2) over Chicago

The Broncos have peeled off five wins in a row. Da Beeears have dropped their last two to Oakland and Kansas City. Plus Denver has Tebow. Nuff said.

$11 @ 11/10 on New England (-8) over Washington

The Pats have won four straight by an average of 19 points per game. The Skins have dropped 7 of 8.

$11 @ 11/10 on Green Bay (-11) over Oakland

The Pack is 12-0. The Raiders lost to Miami by 20 points last week.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                   $129.00
Current Bankroll         $2,129.00

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

Good luck!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-12-10T21:54:00.001-06:00

photo courtesy AP

Congratulations to Robert Griffin III and Baylor University for winning the Heisman Trophy. A great accomplisment for a program that hasn't had many of late.

RG3- Heisman Hopeful

2011-12-09T19:39:00.002-06:00

The city of Waco is buzzing about one of our own in the running for this years Heisman Trophy. Baylor University's Robert Griffin III (RG3 around these parts) is only the second player in Baylor history to be a finalist.

The local sports talk show asked if RG3 was the best football player in the history of the school. There were a lot of votes for Mike Singletary, who went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears. Who could forget those wild eyes staring down the quarterback? For my money though, RG3 is the best to ever wear the green and gold.

Four games into the season, he had more touchdown passes than incompletions. Think about that for a minute.

In 109 seasons, Baylor had a total of five games in which they gained over 600 yards.

They had six this season!

I think the Heisman is a two man race between Griffin and Andrew Luck of Stanford. Looking at the stats of the two players, Griffin has a slight edge in the passing game, but where he really stands out is in his running game. He runs circles around Luck.

I don't think it would be close if RG3 played for a top football program. Playing in Waco kept him under the radar for much of the season, while Andrew Luck was all the rage for most of the season.

I know who I would rather have on my team!

Good luck Mr. Griffin. I hope you win, you deserve it!

Pai Gow With A Twist

2011-12-08T22:08:00.001-06:00

We had seven runners at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza Tuesday night, eager to pitch a few cards. After consuming several slices of pizza, we were off and running.

From left to right on your radio dial were Ollie the Accountant, Bobby Dee, Cell, Farmer Harry, J-Dawg, Stamps, and yours truly.

Bobby Dee won the High Hand Jackpot in this $20 buy-in, dealers choice limit game, with quad 9's, netting him a $15 pot. I had a good night, getting more than my share of playable hands. Even better, I was connecting with the board and having my hands hold up. Amazing!

I introduced a new game to the table a few weeks ago and it has turned out to be pretty popular. It's played like Pai Gow, but the twist is that you are playing against each other, not just the dealer.

Each player is dealt two hole cards and have a round of betting. After the first round of betting is completed, the remaining players are dealt three more hole cards, followed by another round of betting. Another hole card, followed by another round of betting, then a final card, followed by the last round of betting.

The remaining players then split their cards into two hands, a two card hand that is played "up front" and a five card hand played behind. One stipulation of Pai Gow is that the five card hand must be of a higher value than the two card hand. After the hand has been split, each player places his hands face down. The two card hands are exposed first, with the highest hand winning half the pot. The five card hands are then laid on their backs with the high hand winning the other half.

It's a lot of fun! Try it at your next game and let me know what you think.

I left with an extra $32 in my pocket. Not bad for a $20 buy-in. I wish my investments would do half as well!

Till next time, win the flips!

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Week 4 Picks

2011-12-08T09:30:00.002-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Steelers, Jets, and Ravens seem to be the soup of the day.

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- Pittsburgh
Memphis MOJO- NY Jets
Neophyte- NY Jets
Music City Momma- Baltimore
Vegas Vic- Baltimore
Two Minute Warning- Pittsburgh

Undercover- Pittsburgh
Captain Crunch- Baltimore
bungbert- Baltimore
lightning36- Baltimore
Grange95- Baltimore
Very Josie- Baltimore

NFL Picks Contest- Picks Due Today!

2011-12-06T09:06:00.001-06:00

It's already time for your picks for Week 4 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Last week was pretty much a cakewalk for everyone, with both the Niners and Pats winning handily.

There is a game Thursday, so I need to have your pick in no later than midnight (CST) Wednesday. There will be no reprieves this week, so be sure to get your pick in today!

The teams listed next to your name are off the board for you and cannot be picked again.

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- (Detroit, Cincy, New England)
Memphis MOJO- (New England, Cincy, San Fran)
Neophyte- (New England, Pittsburgh, San Fran)
Music City Momma- (Dallas, Pittsburgh, New England)
Vegas Vic- (Green Bay, Atlanta, New England)
Two Minute Warning- (San Francisco, Cincy, New England)

Undercover- (New England, NY Jets, San Fran)
Captain Crunch- (Dallas, Cincy, New England)
bungbert- (New England, Pittsburgh, San Fran)
lightning36- (Detroit, Atlanta, San Fran)
Grange95- (San Fran, Atlanta, New England)
Very Josie- (San Fran, Atlanta, New England)

Vegas Or Bust Poker League

2011-12-05T23:09:00.000-06:00

As you may (or not) remember, I won a seat to the 2010 WSOP by winning an online poker league at FloatTheTurn.com. We had six tournaments over a six month period, with 30-35 players per tournament.

It was a lot of fun and I started thinking about hosting a league and inviting the runners I play with at the two home games I attend. Several weeks ago I began asking the players at both games to gauge interest. To make a long story short, I had nine commit to form a poker league!

Last Friday was our first meeting and we formed some guidelines for our league. The general outline is for us to play a monthly tournament for 16 months with a $30 buy-in per tournament. This will result in a $4,800 prize pool. The prize pool will be divided equally between the top two finishers in the league standings. Both winners are then required to enter one tournament in the 2013 WSOP in Las Vegas. Should one of our league winners cash in the WSOP, they will keep 50% of the cash amount (after taxes), with the other 50% shared equally by the other league members.

Sounds fun, huh?

Participants are Bobby Dee, Philly Phanatic, Big Daddy, Ollie the Accountant, Dealer Larry, Stamps, J-Dawg, Tin Man, Lil' Annie Okie, and your humble scribe, Lucki Duck.

If you would like to see the complete list of rules, you can click here.

The name of our league?

"Vegas or Bust" of course!

Week 3 Picks- NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)

2011-12-03T23:23:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Looks like if the Niners or Pats lose, it will be a disaster!

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- New England
Memphis MOJO- San Francisco
Neophyte- San Francisco
Music City Momma- New England
Vegas Vic- New England
Two Minute Warning- New England

Undercover- San Francisco
Captain Crunch- New England
bungbert- San Francisco
lightning36- San Francisco
Grange95- New England
Very Josie- New England

NFL Picks Contest- Reprieve!

2011-11-30T20:59:00.001-06:00

Since no one picked tonight's game between the Iggles and Seahawks in our Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest, I have decided to extend the deadline for this weeks picks until midnight (CST) on Saturday. This will allow ohcowboy12go, Neophyte, and bungbert to get their picks in. I hate to see anyone get eliminated because they didn't get their picks in, so here's your reprieve guys. E-mail your picks to nfl.picks@ymail.com.

Don't miss out again!

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Picks Due Wednesday!

2011-11-28T08:34:00.001-06:00

Week 3 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex) is upon us already.

Although everyone made it thru the first two weeks, there were several picks that looked like they were in trouble. But the Bengals, Steelers, and Jets all held on for wins.

There is a game Thursday, so I need to have your pick in no later than midnight (CST) Wednesday.

The teams listed next to your name are off the board for you and cannot be picked again.

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- (Detroit, Cincy)
Memphis MOJO- (New England, Cincy)
Neophyte- (New England, Pittsburgh)
Music City Momma- (Dallas, Pittsburgh)
Vegas Vic- (Green Bay, Atlanta)
Two Minute Warning- (San Francisco, Cincy)

Undercover- (New England, NY Jets)
Captain Crunch- (Dallas, Cincy)
bungbert- (New England, Pittsburgh)
lightning36- (Detroit, Atlanta)
Grange95- (San Francisco, Atlanta)
Very Josie- (San Francisco, Atlanta)

NFL Picks Contest-(Part Duex)

2011-11-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Happy Thanksgiving and good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- Cincinnati
Memphis MOJO- Cincinnati
Neophyte- Pittsburgh
Music City Momma- Pittsburgh
Vegas Vic- Atlanta
Two Minute Warning- Cincinnati

Undercover- NY Jets
Captain Crunch- Cincinnati
bungbert- Pittsburgh
lightning36- Atlanta
Grange95- Atlanta
Very Josie- Atlanta

NFL Pick- November 24th

2011-11-23T19:32:00.000-06:00

Only one game on the Turkey Day lineup that's worth a look.

$11 @ 11/10 on Detroit (+7) over Green Bay

The old adage is to always take the home underdog in divisional games. The Lions are a touchdown dog at home, so why not? The Lions are the last team to knock off the Pack by getting pressure on Rodgers. Plus they should be able to move the ball against a pedestrian Green Bay defense. I'll take the points at home.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $140.00
Current Bankroll          $2,140.00

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

Good luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T08:33:00.001-06:00

Just a moment to wish all of you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Ms. Lucki Duck and I will take our kids and dog on a five hour journey tomorrow to see Ms. Duck's family. A little turkey and dressing and then sit down in front of the boob tube to see if my Cowboys can get by the Fish. I think it will be a close one.

I'll drive over to the Houston area on Friday to visit my older sister and her family, then head back home Saturday. That's a lot of windshield time :)

Be careful on the roads my friends. I'm not worried about your driving . . . it's ta other guy ya gotta watch out fer!

NFL Picks Contest-Week 2 (Picks Due Tomorrow)

2011-11-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

Week 2 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex) is upon us already.

Although everyone made it thru the first week, those who picked Dallas and Detroit had a bit of a sweat.

There are three games Thanksgiving Day, so I need to have your pick in no later than midnight (CST) Wednesday.

The team listed next to your name is off the board for you and cannot be picked again.

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- (Detroit)
Memphis MOJO- (New England)
Neophyte- (New England)
Music City Momma- (Dallas)
Vegas Vic- (Green Bay)
Two Minute Warning- (San Francisco)

Undercover- (New England)
Captain Crunch- (Dallas)
bungbert- (New England)
lightning36- (Detroit)
Grange95- (San Francisco)
Very Josie- (San Francisco)

NFL Picks Contest- (Part Duex)

2011-11-20T00:28:00.001-06:00

Here are the picks for the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex).

Josie gets her pick in just under the wire and promises to show cleavage. Whether it's hers or not, she didn't say :)

Good luck everyone!

ohcowboy12go- Detroit
Memphis MOJO- New England
Neophyte- New England
Music City Momma- Dallas
Vegas Vic- Green Bay
Two Minute Warning- San Francisco

Undercover- New England
Captain Crunch- Dallas
bungbert- New England
lightning36- Detroit
Grange95- San Francisco
Very Josie- San Francisco

NFL Picks- November 20th

2011-11-20T00:11:00.001-06:00

Two games worth dropping a few coins on today.

$11 @ 11/10 on Green Bay (-14) over Tampa Bay
I'm riding the wave in this one. The Packers are ringing the bell to the tune of 35 points a game. The Bucs have dropped three straight and 4 of 5.

$11 @ 11/10 on New England (-14) over Kansas City
The Chiefs have dropped their last two games... to Miami and Denver. Not exactly the cream of the crop. The Pats don't lose at home.
Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                    $141.00
Current Bankroll        $2,141.00

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

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex). Last Day To Sign Up!

2011-11-19T00:51:00.002-06:00

So far we have ten signed up to play, Neo, KenP, Music City Momma, GreenBeans, Vegas Vic, Two Minute Warning, Undercover, Captain Crunch, MOJO, and ohcowboy12go.

Today is the last day to sign up! Don't miss out.

Send me your picks by midnight CST tonight if you haven't already done so.

*****

Since our NFL Picks Contest ended so early (which means our prognositcating skills are on par with our poker skills), I thought it might be fun to give it another go and do it again!

This contest is open to any and all who stop by to read this blog. There is no entry fee, and you can enter by e-mailing me @ nfl.picks@ymail.com or commenting below. Jump in, there's nothing to lose and you might win a shirt!

The winner receives a tee shirt or sweat shirt (your choice) with the logo of your favorite NFL team. If there is a tie at the end of the season, all remaining contestants will receive a shirt.

Here are the rules.

Each week I need your pick BEFORE the first game. No point spread just an out right winner. If that team wins you advance. That simple. If there is a tie or your team loses, you are out. Each week the amount of players dwindle until the last man, woman, or child, is standing.

You are allowed to pick a certain team only once. If you pick the Dolphins this week, they are off the board for you for the rest of the contest. The next week you pick the Bears and they are off the board for the rest of the contest and so on until the end of the regular season. When the playoffs begin, the board will be wiped clean and you may pick any of the playoff teams, even if you picked them during the regular season. However, once you pick them in the playoffs, they are off the board for you and cannot be picked again the remainder of the season. Whoever is left at the end will receive a shirt.

Each week you must email your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com before the first game starts for the week playing . And remember, there are a few Thursday night games during the season. If you have questions, please e-mail me at nfl.picks@ymail.com.

I am not going to count the Thursday night game this week so everyone who wants to sign up has time. You will need to be registered and have your picks to me by this Saturday at midnight CST to be eligible.

Let's have some fun! Good luck!

College Football Picks- November 19th

2011-11-19T00:44:00.000-06:00

Four games on tap today that are worth a look.

$22 @ 11/10 on Houston (-20) over SMU

Look for a track meet in this one with a combined score nearing 100 points.

$11 @ 11/10 on Oklahoma (-14) over Baylor

Track meet #2. Two good offenses, one bad defense and one horrible defense match up in Waco.

$11 @ 11/10 on Rice (-13) over Tulane

The Owls are 3-1 at home. Tulane is surrendering 40 points a game and has lost eight straight games.

$11 @ 11/10 on Arkansas (-13) over Mississippi St.

The Razorbacks' only loss this season was a road loss at Alabama.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                   $133.00
Current Bankroll        $2,133.00

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

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Sign Up Today!

2011-11-18T08:22:00.000-06:00

Win a cool NFL shirt from Lucki Duck!

So far we have eight signed up to play, Neo, KenP, Music City Momma, GreenBeans, Vegas Vic, Two Minute Warning, Undercover, and Captain Crunch.

Sign up today!

*****

Since our NFL Picks Contest ended so early (which means our prognositcating skills are on par with our poker skills), I thought it might be fun to give it another go and do it again!

Let's have some fun! Good luck!

Astros Moving to AL West

2011-11-17T08:52:00.001-06:00

I'm a little disapointed to see my Astros kicked to the curb and sent off to the AL West. Hell, we're gettin' our azz kicked in the NL, I can't see it getting any better in the junior circuit. Why not send the Brewers back from whence they came?

Austin Swafford has a nice post on the move that pretty much illustrates my feelings, especially the extortion, so I'll give my keyboard a rest and just send you to his blog.

(Bumped) Free NFL Picks Contest (Part Duex)- Sign Up Today!

2011-11-16T08:41:00.003-06:00

Win a cool NFL shirt from Lucki Duck!

So far we have six signed up to play, Neo, KenP, Music City Momma, GreenBeans, Vegas Vic, and Two Minute Warning.

Sign up today!

*****

Since our NFL Picks Contest ended so early (which means our prognositcating skills are on par with our poker skills), I thought it might be fun to give it another go and do it again!

Let's have some fun! Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest- We Have A Winner(s)

2011-11-16T08:18:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Ironman and Inside Man for winning the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest!

Inside Man picked the Chargers last week and lost, which meant all Ironman needed was for the Ravens to beat a bad Seattle team for him to win all the marbles. Unfortunately, Baltimore couldn't pull it off, which means we have a tie.

As I stated at the beginning of the contest, if there is a tie, all remaining players will receive a tee shirt or sweatshirt with their favorite team's logo. So, if both of the winners will e-mail me your favorite NFL team (my guess is that Ironman's isn't the Ravens), shirt size, whether you prefer a tee shirt or sweatshirt, and your mailing address, I'll send you your shirt. My e-mail is nfl.picks@ymail.com.

Congratulations!

Back In The Saddle Again

2011-11-14T21:16:00.001-06:00

We had eight runners show for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney last Friday. It was the first time in several weeks that we had enough players to actually have a tournament, so it was nice to get back on the horse.

One of our regulars, Bluffin' Bev hadn't come in almost a month, so I called her last week to see what was up. Her husband answered and said that Bev had bypass surgery on one of her legs. It seems the dialysis she requires had caused a calcium buildup that caused the blockage in her groin area. The surgery was successful, but she's currently in rehab in the Austin area. So good thoughts, positive vibes, and prayers for you Ms Bev. Get well soon!

Seated from left to right on your radio dial were Big Daddy, Josh, Ranger Rick, Philly Phanatic, Lil' Annie Okie, Tin Man, Joseph, and yours truly.

Tin Man was hot early, getting several big pocket pairs to take down a few pots and took out Big Daddy and Ranger Rick on the same hand when his A-K hit the flop. A few hands later I felted Joseph when I raised UTG with K-K and Joseph pushed for 10BB with pocket fives. The flop was K-5-Q, giving us both sets. The case 5 didn't come for him and we were down to five players.

Annie lost a decent pot to Philly Phantic, which made her the short stack. She pushed four straight hands, losing the fourth one to her hubby, Tin Man. I imagine he'll be paying for that one for a while :)

Tin Man took out Josh and I toe-tagged Philly. Down to heads-up, Tin Man and I decided to chop the tourney, and since the bounty hadn't been collected, we also chopped it (which happened to be me).

Only five stayed for the $2 buy-in cash game. The most interesting hand was between Philly and myself. I had pocket eights and opened the pot for a 3X raise. Philly and Annie called and the 6-8-6 flop hit me right between the eyes. Annie checked and I bet half the pot with Philly commenting that I was "full of crap" as he called. Philly always thinks I'm bluffing, so I thought I had a good chance of getting paid off in this hand. Annie folded and it was just Philly and I.

There was a possible flush draw on the flop, and I was hoping it would get there on the turn. I put Philly on the draw or two big cards. The turn was an off suit A, which I hoped hit him. I bet half pot again and Philly followed along.

The river was a Q and it also completed the flush. WHEEEE! I bet 3/4 pot, but Philly mucked without showing his cards. Maybe he was on a straight draw, because he would have called with top pair. I guess I'll never know, but I still won a sizeable pot and ended the night with a $7 profit in the cash game.

It was nice to be able to pitch a few cards again. Padding the 'ol bankroll doesn't hurt either!

Till next time, win the flips.

College Football Picks, November 12th

2011-11-11T19:24:00.000-06:00

Three games on tap today that look profitable.

$44 @ 11/10 on SMU (-7) over Navy

The Ponies are 4-0 at home, winning by an average of 21 points a game. Navy has lost 5 of their last 6 games.

$22 @ 11/10 on Wisconsin (-27) over Minnesota

Wisconsin has beaten opponents by an average of almost 40 points in their six home wins. Minnesota has lost 5 of 6 and is 0-4 on the highway this season.

$11 @11/10 on Southern Mississippi (-10) over Central Florida

Southern Miss is 4-0 at home. UCF is 0-5 on the road. Guess where this one is being played?

Starting Bankroll       $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $177.00
Current Bankroll          $2,177.00

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

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 10

2011-11-10T09:17:00.000-06:00

Week 10 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is upon us and we are down to heads-up play!

The shirt is on the line.

Picks are below.

Good luck!

Ironman - Baltimore
Inside Man - San Diego

Weekend Football Picks

2011-11-09T13:07:00.000-06:00

Another rough week betting the pigskin, taking it on the chin to the tune of $25. That's two weeks in a row, following a nice winning streak.

The Packers held on to cover on Sunday, while Kansas City got steamrolled 38-3 by a previously winless Miami team. Who could see that one coming? Not me.

On the college level, my only win was the Houston Cougars. None of my other picks covered, with all three of them losing outright, including my Nebraska Cornhuskers. How they could lose at home to Northwestern is beyond me, but it happened.

Guess I'll get back on the horse and try it again next weekend :)

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                    $177.00
Current Bankroll          $2,177.00

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

Good luck!

Road Trip To JerryWorld!

2011-11-07T21:45:00.001-06:00

Sonny Boy and I took a road trip to Arlington Sunday to see the Cowboys/Seahawks match-up. I hadn't taken him to a game since the Cowboys vacated Texas Stadium and moved in to JerryWorld a few years ago.

We had seen a high school playoff game at the new stadium, but this was our first time to see the Pokes play there, and it was quite a scene to behold.

If you watch many NFL games, you are aware of the extrodinary amount of downtime dedicated to selling beer and pick up trucks. Jerry has that covered with his 60 yard long TV screen (HD of course) to entertain you during the three and a half hours you spend there watching 60 minutes of football.

The game itself wasn't too bad... or too good. The Dallas offense moved at will between the twenties, but then bogged down in the red zone and settled for field goals. Nothing new there. But, they managed to get the ball in the endzone in the second half a couple times to add one in the left hand column.

Tavarius Jackson is as bad as advertised. Bad reads, bad throws, interceptions, he ran the gammit. Seattle will have to find a QB before they will be much of a threat in this league.

The highlight of the game for me was the halftime ceremony that admitted Drew Pearson, Larry Allen, and Charles Haley into the Cowboys Ring of Honor. All three players seemed genuinely touched at being accepted into this fraternity. Plus, it was exciting to see some of the old Cowboys such as Staubach, Dorsett, Randy White, Emmitt, Mel Renfro, etc.

Speaking of Drew Pearson, remember this one Vikings fans?

Heh.

Sonny Boy and I had a great time, sharing some conversation over breakfast at Cracker Barrel, followed by sharing our passion for the Cowboys at the game and then some more discussion on the two hour drive home.

Hopefully, he'll look back on these trips as fondly as I remember my trips to the Cotton Bowl with my Dad to see Meredith, Hayes, Perkins, Lilly, and Landry under the lights almost every Thanksgiving.

Full circle.

NFL Picks Contest- Week 9 Results

2011-11-07T19:59:00.002-06:00

And then there were two.

We're down to heads-up play after Kansas City laid a big ol' turd against the Fish, sending Grange95 to the rail after Week 9 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest.

It's the Ironman versus the Inside Man for all the marbles! May the best "man" win!

Good luck gentlemen.

NFL Picks Contest- Week 9

2011-11-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

Week 9 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is here for our three survivors. The shirt is so close you can taste it!

Picks are below.

Good luck!

Ironman - Houston
Grange95 - Kansas City
Inside Man - Dallas

NFL Picks, November 6th

2011-11-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

There are a couple games that look promising on todays schedule.

$11 @ 11/10 on Kansas City (-5) over Miami

The Chiefs started slow, but have won 4 straight. Miami can't win on the road. Miami can't win at home. Perhaps they should find somewhere else to play?

$11 @ 11/10 on Green Bay (-6) over San Diego

I'll take the Packers -6 against anyone, anywhere right now. The Chargers aren't playing well enough to prevent Green Bay from winning their 14th in a row.

I'm taking Sonny Boy to see the Cowboys today. Hopefully, our presence will be enough to get them back on track after a dismal performance last week.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                    $202.00
Current Bankroll          $2,202.00

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

Good luck!

College Football Picks, November 5th

2011-11-04T18:24:00.000-05:00

Four games on the docket today that are worth a look.

$22 @ 11/10 on Houston (-27 1/2) over UAB

The Cougars are averaging over 59 points a game in their last 5 games. UAB gave up 59 to Marshall last week and are 1-7 on the season.

$22 @ 11/10 on Nebraska (-17 1/2) over Northwestern

The Husker defense seems to be getting better with each game. Nebraska is 5-0 at home. Northwestern has lost 5 of their last 6.

$11 @ 11/10 on West Virginia (-13) over Louisville

The Mountain Men have outscored their opponents 98-26 in their last two home games. The Cards have only won once on the highway this season.

$11 @ 11/10 on Michigan (-4 1/2) over Iowa

Michigan is 7-1 this year. Iowa is 2-2 in their last four games and lost last week to a 1-6 Minnesota team.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                   $202.00
Current Bankroll          $2,202.00

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

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 9

2011-11-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

Week 9 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is just around the bend with only three survivors. The team listed next to your name is the team that is off the board for you and cannot be picked for the remainder of the contest. Please get your picks to me at nfl.picks@ymail.com by midnight (CDT) Saturday.

Good luck!

Ironman - (NY Giants)
Grange95 - (NY Giants)
Inside Man - (Houston)

Weekend Football Results

2011-11-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

I guess winning streaks don't go on forever. Last weekend's 2-4 record shaved $24 off ye olde bankroll and was my first losing weekend in several weeks.

Hopefully, I can start another winning streak this weekend :)

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                   $202.00
Current Bankroll         $2,202.00

Good luck!

Good News! Full Tilt Sale Moving Forward

2011-11-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Subject: Poker is claiming that Groupe Bernard Tapie and the DOJ have an agreement that will allow Tapie to purchase Full Tilt Poker. Current shareholders of FTP will have to agree to sell their shares to the Tapie Groupe. If that happens, then the Tapie Groupe will pay the players outside of the United States the monies owed them by Full Tilt. The DOJ will pay players in the US.

So it looks like we're one step closer to seeing some cash.

***fingers crossed***

Here's the statement from Ray Bitar to the Tiltware shareholders:

Dear Members,

I am pleased to announce that today the Department of Justice and Groupe Bernard Tapie have reached an agreement in principle regarding the acquisition of the companies comprising FullTiltPoker. My understanding is the deal provides that in exchange for an agreed upon payment by GBT, and a GBT commitment to assume responsibility for payment of ROW players, DoJ will reimburse US players and settle the outstanding civil litigation with the companies comprising FTP. Beyond these conditions, issues like the time frame and process for repayment of players remain unclear at this point and time.

With DoJ’s consent now in hand, GBT may now proceed to finalize an agreement to acquire the companies or assets that comprise FTP. That agreement will very likely address the status of your shares or interests in the successor company. When I receive that agreement, I will coordinate with our attorneys to ensure the terms of that proposed agreement will be shared with the membership and voted on.

-Ray

Read the full story at Subject: Poker.

NFL Contest- Week 8

2011-10-31T23:17:00.000-05:00

Week 8 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is done with two casualties.

The Saints came marching in and stomped on Very Josie and lightning36's hearts. How do you lose to the Rams for goodness sake? I guess a huge horseshoe was surrounding the St. Louis sports teams this week.

We're down to just three. Good luck to the trio!

Ironman
Grange95
Inside Man

MLB Picks- Season Wrap-Up

2011-10-31T08:32:00.000-05:00

Another MLB season is in the books, with the Cardinals coming out of no where on the final turn and nosing out the Rangers at the wire to take the title.

As heartbreaking as it was to watch my second favorite team get within a strike (twice) of winning it all (gotta catch those fly balls Nellie), the news that my favorite team, the Astros, have announced that they are bringing the entire coaching staff back next year just blows. I guess 50 games under .500 is considered an acceptable season in Houston. Plus they'll be moving to the AL West within two years. Book it.

After a rough start on my picks, I was able to recover from an early $200 deficit and finish in the black to the tune of $145. That's close to a 10% ROI, which as Neo will tell you, beats a lot of stock picks over the last 6 months. Plus I kept my winning streak going for one more season.

Below is the final tally.

Starting Bankroll         $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   $144.55
Current Bankroll         $1,644.55

I hope you enjoyed following along. Thanks for reading.

Don't despair, spring training starts in four months!

NFL Picks, October 30th

2011-10-29T23:33:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of games on the schedule today that are worth a look.

$11 @ 11/10 on New Orleans (-13) over St. Louis
The Rams have been outscored 58-10 in their last two games. The Saints have won 5 of their last 6 games, including a 62-7 beat down of the Colts last week.

$11 @ 11/10 on Detroit (-3) over Denver

The Lions are 3-0 on the highway this season. The Broncos have lost 3 of their last 4, with their only win over a bad Miami team. And they were lucky to win that one.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $203.00
Current Bankroll          $2,203.00

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

Good luck!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 8

2011-10-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

Week 8 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is here! Picks are below.

Good luck!

lightning36 - New Orleans
Ironman - NY Giants
Grange95 - NY Giants
Very Josie - New Orleans
Inside Man - Houston

College Football Picks, October 29th

2011-10-29T01:22:00.000-05:00

There are a few games on the menu today that look promising.

$11 @ 11/10 on Oklahoma State (-14) over Baylor

I hate to go against the home town team here, but the Cowboys are averaging almost 49 points a game and Baylor hasn't been able to slow down, much less stop, a quality opponent the last two seasons. They surrendered 55 to Texas A&M in their last game. With Robert Griffen at the helm for the Bears, this could be a real track meet.

$11 @ 11/10 on Texas Tech (-15) over Iowa State

Texas Tech is averaging over 43 points a game. Iowa State gives up 36 a game. Plus the Cyclones QB, Jared Barnett is making his first start, so you can expect a turnover or two.

$11 @ 11/10 on Arkansas (-10) over Vanderbilt

The Hogs are 2-0 versus ranked teams and are averaging almost 38 points a game with their high octane passing attack. Vandy has lost three conference game in a row by an average of 19 points.

$11 @ 11/10 on Wisconsin (-7) over Ohio State

The Badgers arrive fresh off a crushing loss to Michigan State last week, and boy are they pissed! Wisconsin is averaging 47 points a game and only gives up 13. Ohio State has lost two of their last three games.

Starting Bankroll         $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                     $226.00
Current Bankroll          $2,226.00

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

Good luck!

World Series Game 7 Pick

2011-10-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals!

A little premature you say? Maybe, but I don't think so.

Last night's Game 6 was certainly entertaining and exciting. It wasn't great baseball (one blog I read commented that it looked like something you would see in a Dominican Summer League game), with dropped pop ups, booted ground balls, bad throws, base running errors, etc. But, in the end, the Rangers were within one strike of winning the title and couldn't close the deal.

It was a devastating loss. Can you imagine the feeling in the Texas clubhouse as they walked in to see the plastic sheeting being torn down and the Ginger Ale put away?

D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-N-G.

It reminds me of the Red Sox loss to the Mets in the '86 World Series (Buckner). That was also a Game 6, but you knew there was no way Boston was going to win Game 7. And they didn't. The emotional baggage Texas carries in to tonight's match, plus the favorable pitching match-up, gives the Birds a decided advantage.

LaRussa will start his ace, Chris Carpenter on short rest. Carpenter hasn't been overpowering in his two starts, but he has thrown the pill well and held the Rangers at bay. Washington shot all his bullets last night and is stuck with Matt Harrison for the most important game of the season. Harrison couldn't get me out right now. Remember the 16-7 lambasting the Cards laid on the Rangers in Game 3? Guess who started that game?

Does all this mean it's impossible for the Rangers to win tonight? Not at all.

The '75 Reds came back to win Game 7 over Boston after Carlton Fisk's walk off homer in Game 6, so it could happen.

But, don't bet on it!

$10 on St. Louis (Carpenter) over Texas (Harrison), -1.5 @ +$155

Carpenter is 1-0, 2.77 ERA in the Series. Harrison is 0-1, 7.36 ERA, and only lasted 3 2/3 innings in his start in Game 3. The home plate umpire tonight is Layne. The Rangers are 1-6 in games Layne has called and the Cardinals are 7-1. The home team has won the last eight Game 7s, with the 1979 Pirates the last team to win on the highway.

Starting Bankroll       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   $129.05
Current Bankroll         $1,629.05

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!

NFL Picks Contest- Week 8

2011-10-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Week 8 of the Small Potatoes NFL Picks Contest is just around the corner, so be sure to get your pick in by Saturday at midnight (CDT). E-mail your pick to nfl.picks@ymail.com.

As I mentioned earlier, the rules change a little in Week 8. You can still pick from any of the teams, but you can only pick that team one time for the rest of the season. For example, if you pick Green Bay this week, they are "off the board" for you and you can't pick them again. I'll post which teams you have picked each week to keep someone from picking the same team twice and getting eliminated.

The contest ends when there is only one man or woman left. If there is more than one contestant left after Week 17, all survivors will recieve a tee shirt or sweatshirt with your favorite team's logo.

Good luck! Thanks for playing!

lightning36
Ironman
Grange95
Very Josie
Inside Man

54 And Counting

2011-10-27T13:33:00.000-05:00

As of today, I've spent fifty-four years on this rock.

It's been a good run thus far. Happy wife, happy kids, happy life!

We're going to a local Italian restaurant and will be joined by my younger sister and her family, plus my mother and uncle will be there. Should be a good time :)

Hope the next 54 go as well!

World Series Game 6 Pick

2011-10-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

It's expected to be a rainy night in ~~Georgia~~ St. Louis tonight when the Rangers and Cardinals meet for Game 6 of the World Series. A rainout would benefit the Cardinals, as they could pitch Chris Carpenter in Game 7 on short rest, instead of Lohse, who has struggled lately.

$10 on Texas (Lewis) over St. Louis (Garcia) @ +$105

Both pitchers have thrown well in the postseason, with Colby Lewis sporting a 1-1 record, with a 2.95 ERA, and Jaime Garcia at 0-2, witha 3.97 ERA. Garcia has been particularly tough at home, posting a 1.93 playoff ERA.

Lewis allowed only 1 run in 6+ innings against the Birds in Game 2, but was bested by Garcia, who threw 7 innings of shutout ball before the Rangers rallied for two runs in the ninth to steal a win.

Texas is 11-4 in their last 15 games on the highway and St. Louis is 13-5 in their last 18 at Busch. The home plate umpire tonight is Cederstroms, who is pitcher friendly. The UNDER is 14-3-1 in the last 18 games he has called. The Rangers are 20-6 with Cederstrom behind the plate, and the Cards are 3-7.

Add it all up and what you have is a close, low scoring game. Thus far, the Rangers have found a way to win the close ones. The Cardinals, not so much. If the trend (and the weather) holds, Texas should be hoisting the championship trophy tonight.

Starting Bankroll         $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   $139.05
Current Bankroll          $1,639.05

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!

Internet Poker Bill Discussed By Congressman Barton Of Texas

2011-10-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

Congressman Joe Barton of Texas discussing the Internet Poker Bill earlier today.

Weekend Football Picks

2011-10-25T08:21:00.000-05:00

Another nice weekend of picks. Stanford, Clemson, Houston, Kansas State and the Jets all won and covered, and although Green Bay beat the Vikings, they didn't cover the 8 point spread.

All in all though, 5-1 is a good week. And it added $49 to the ol' bankroll :)

Starting Bankroll          $2,000.00
Profit/Loss                      $226.00
Current Bankroll           $2,226.00

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

World Series Game 5 Pick

2011-10-24T13:21:00.000-05:00

One of the main reasons I bet on baseball games is to make them more interesting to watch. Since I have a dog in this hunt (Rangers), I am enjoying the games regardless of whether or not I have any money riding on it.

That being said, I think the Cardinals should win Game 5 tonight. St. Louis is 8-1 in Carpenter's last 9 trips to the bump. CJ Wilson has not fared as well, posting a hefty 7.17 ERA in the playoffs. But, because I'm rooting for Texas, I would be torn if I bet against them and wouldn't be able to enjoy the game as much as I would by just sitting on the sidelines. So, I'm going to pass on tonight's game, but if I wasn't a Rangers fan, I would bet a few coins on the Birds.

I sure hope I'm wrong :)

Starting Bankroll       $1,500.00
Profit/Loss                   $139.05
Current Bankroll        $1,639.05

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!