It’s official, I’m done playing poker online. There are three reasons for this:

1. I may be running bad, Full Tilt may be fucking with me, but either way, I’m tired of losing to one, two and three outers. KK vs A3? I don’t stand a chance. QQ vs 22? No chance in hell. I’m sure I sound like every other poker blogger you’ve read, but it’s not worth my time. If you claim FT is legit, then feel free to claim I couldn’t hack it in poker. I’m not getting anything (financially or entertainment-wise) out of the game anymore.
2. My time is simply better spent elsewhere. With a new job and too many hobbies, I’d like to get my life back. In terms of financial investment, I’m never going to make any money in poker. If I spent half the time working (outside of work) that I did playing poker, I’d probably be making 10-15% more right now. Working on Wall Street, that is way more than the peanuts I was playing for online.
3. I’m bored. I tire quickly of things, and I think I’ve burnt out on poker. This may be (although I don’t actually believe it) why I’m running bad right now, but if nothing else I’m lacking energy and enthusiasm for the game. Maybe all I need is some time off, but with my personality I think I’m going to drain my account to be sure there is no more enticement from FT.

I’ve read this same story on so many sites, but I never really believed my day would come. I guess I was wrong. My only upside is that my rent check doesn’t rely on this game. If it did, I can’t even imagine what would be going through my head. Instead, however, I get to go back to my cushy lifestyle, get more sleep, read more books, cook more and spend more time with my girlfriend. It’s a sad end, but an end indeed.

Here’s my final hand:

Full Tilt Poker Game: $100 + $9 Sit & Go - No Limit Hold’em
gee-dubs posts the small blind of 50
SlmPickens posts the big blind of 100
Dealt to gee-dubs [Kd Kc]
gee-dubs raises to 885, and is all in
SlmPickens calls 785
gee-dubs shows [Kd Kc]
SlmPickens shows [As 3c]
*** FLOP *** [4c Th Ac]
*** TURN *** [4c Th Ac] [Ah]
*** RIVER *** [4c Th Ac Ah] [Js]
gee-dubs shows two pair, Aces and Kings
SlmPickens shows three of a kind, Aces
SlmPickens wins the pot (1,770) with three of a kind, Aces
gee-dubs: unreal
gee-dubs stands up

Adios.

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Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. The new job thing has taken up most of my time lately, but I’ve been getting a little poker in. This was a brutal pair of back-to-back hands that, luckily, I wasn’t involved in. Just goes to show that bad is good and good is bad sometimes…

Hand #1:

Full Tilt Poker Game: $20 + $2 Sit & Go - No Limit Hold’em
Gimeallurchips raises to 60
biglar6 calls 60
jackblack73 raises to 200
shark anglr calls 170
Gimeallurchips folds
biglar6 folds
*** FLOP *** [6d Th Kh]
shark anglr checks
jackblack73 bets 300
shark anglr raises to 600
jackblack73 raises to 1,255, and is all in
shark anglr calls 655
jackblack73 shows [Ah Ac]
shark anglr shows [Ks Kd]
*** TURN *** [6d Th Kh] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [6d Th Kh 3s] [4d]
jackblack73 shows a pair of Aces
shark anglr shows three of a kind, Kings

Ouch, tough flop. Then, the very next hand:

Full Tilt Poker Game: $20 + $2 Sit & Go - No Limit Hold’em
Gimeallurchips raises to 60
nmstriker raises to 120
Gimeallurchips raises to 360
nmstriker calls 240
*** FLOP *** [Qh Qc 4c]
Gimeallurchips checks
nmstriker checks
*** TURN *** [Qh Qc 4c] [Jd]
Gimeallurchips bets 735, and is all in
nmstriker calls 735
Gimeallurchips shows [As Ad]
nmstriker shows [Qs Ah]
*** RIVER *** [Qh Qc 4c Jd] [Td]
Gimeallurchips shows two pair, Aces and Queens
nmstriker wins the pot (2,235) with three of a kind, Queens

WOW. Rough two hands, just glad it wasn’t me :)

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Many years ago, when I started out cooking for myself, my mother bought me several Cutco knives. While far from professional grade, they have held up fairly well and do a reasonable job in the kitchen. With frequent sharpening, the chef’s knife handles most meat and vegetable duties adequately. One thing got to me though - when slicing hard vegetables like carrots, the knife blows out the bottom quarter of the product. This not only wastes food, but detracts from the presentation (and leaves little carrot bits all over my kitchen!).

Now that I’m cooking for myself most nights of the week and chopping endlessly to get through my shipments from Urban Organic, I made the move to a professional chef’s knife. After much research and fondling, I decided to go with the Global 8 Inch Chef’s Knife. This goes through just about everything like butter, including butternut squash (which I have nearly lost fingers trying to cut in the past). It’s well-balanced but light, so I use a pinch grip to maintain control of the blade. Chopping has literally gone from a chore to something I look forward to!

While I think this is a great knife, it might not be for everyone. It’s important to actually hold - and try, if possible - a knife before you buy it because ‘feel’ is so important in the kitchen. For example, this is a light knife, which some may not be accustomed to. Further, the blade is thinner than most European-style knives, which might also take some getting used to. An excellent comparison of chef’s knives can be found over at Cooking For Engineers. If you don’t like the Global, try one of the other at the top of the list.

No matter which you choose, if you spend any appreciable amount of time in the kitchen, a solid chef’s knife will make the experience that much more enjoyable. Not to mention safer! Consider upgrading to a beauty like the Global, you won’t be disappointed.

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When I hosted a Superbowl party a few weeks back, I knew food was going to be a big part of it. There’s nothing I hate worse than a hungry guest, so I went over the top. I also wanted to use the party as an excuse to break out my new crock pot, which is conveniently big enough to feed a small crowd. I’m sure you could reproduce this using a 4 or 6 quart pot on your stove too, although you might need to cut back on the ingredients:

3 packages of keilbasa
6 skinless chicken breasts
1 package (or can) cocktail weiners (substitue any small sausages)
1.5 bottles (~25oz) BBQ sauce
1 medium can cubed pineapple in its own juice
1 large onion, sliced
2 peppers, sliced (either rings or spears)

Layer the onion on the bottom of the crock pot. Cut the chicken and the keilbasa into large (~3 inch) chunks. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then add keilbasa. Brown on all sides for about 10 minutes, remove and set aside. Leave as much juice in the skillet as possible (add a touch of olive oil if needed). Turn heat to medium-high, wait a few minutes, and brown chicken (searing it to keep in the juices, 5-7 minutes).

Pour the chicken and juices on top of the onions in the crock pot. Add the keilbasa on top of the chicken. Pour in the BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup of the pineapple juice. Stir slightly to make sure all pieces are coated. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Add in the cocktail weiners, the peppers and the pineapple and cook until the weiners are warm (1-2 hours). About half way through, stir to mix up the ingredients some. Sitr once again just before serving.

Serve with bread or over rice. This will feed at least 6, more if you have other things to go with it. The chicken comes out incredibly tender and the keilbasa - what dreams are made of…

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Whilst checking my MegaMillions numbers (yes, I’m a degenerate in all forms), I was shocked and bewildered to discover that one can buy NY Lotto tickets online! Further, you can do so on a recurring basis and 18 is the minumum age to buy:

When you purchase a LOTTO subscription, you choose how many weeks you want to participate and how many games you want to play in each drawing. You can play your regular numbers, choose a Quick Pick or both – it’s all up to you. Simply decide how you want to play and we’ll do the rest. You’re automatically entered in every drawing for as long as you subscribe. And, subscribers get a discount from the retail price!

So while the United States government is busy confiscating its citizen’s money as “evidence”, any kid in NYC can blow all the cash he wants on lottery tickets. A game of skill vs unimaginably terrible odds in favor of the house. I’m beginning to think we live in dismal times my friends.

I would really like to see someone go broke (well, broker - how come scratch off lottery tickets are so popular with people who look like they can barely keep clothes on thier backs?) playing the lottery, then sign up a Johnnie Cochran lawyer and sue the Gaming Commission. I wonder how that would work out?

Finally, here’s another article I stumbled upon that attempts to articulate ways your rights are being crushed by the government of this great nation. I haven’t checked out all the references yet, and it probably just sounds right because I want to be angry at the moment, but hopefully it’s still worth the read.

Sorry if this is ranty, but the situation seems to be spiraling out of control…

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I really wish this hadn’t happened to me:

Full Tilt Poker Game: $20 + $2 Sit & Go - No Limit Hold’em
NotOnTheRugMan posts the small blind of 15
gee-dubs posts the big blind of 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to gee-dubs [Kh As]
DKC444 raises to 90
Repartee calls 90
gee-dubs calls 60
*** FLOP *** [3s 7s 6d]
gee-dubs checks
DKC444 checks
Repartee bets 185
gee-dubs calls 185
DKC444 folds
*** TURN *** [3s 7s 6d] [Kd]
gee-dubs checks
Repartee bets 480
gee-dubs raises to 1,225, and is all in
Repartee calls 745, and is all in
gee-dubs shows [Kh As]
Repartee shows [6c 6h]
*** RIVER *** [3s 7s 6d Kd] [6s]
gee-dubs shows two pair, Kings and Sixes
Repartee shows four of a kind, Sixes
Repartee wins the pot (3,105) with four of a kind, Sixes
gee-dubs stands up

Was the fourth six really necessary? Not only am I a donkey, but that was the fastest $22 I’ve ever spent. Christ.

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I’m glad this didn’t happen to me:

Full Tilt Poker Game: $20 + $2 Sit & Go - No Limit Hold’em
Seat 5: mjamesp (1,110)
Seat 7: JayJay083 (2,100)
thesubwaydiet posts the small blind of 60
mjamesp posts the big blind of 120
JayJay083 raises to 380
mjamesp raises to 1,110, and is all in
JayJay083 calls 730
mjamesp shows [Qd Ah]
JayJay083 shows [Ac Qc]
*** FLOP *** [Jc Kc 8s]
*** TURN *** [Jc Kc 8s] [Qs]
*** RIVER *** [Jc Kc 8s Qs] [Tc]
mjamesp shows a straight, Ace high
JayJay083 shows a Royal Flush
JayJay083 wins the pot (2,280) with a Royal Flush
mjamesp stands up

I’ve seen at least 4 straight flushes at my tables since I started playing online last August, and now a Royal to boot. That seems like a lot to me. I need to run the math on how many actual hands I’ve seen to be sure though. Oh well, it didn’t knock me out, and it was cool to watch it go by…

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You can read a lot of wine magazines, get to know grapes, study regions and get to know the lingo - and when you’ve got to pull the trigger over dinner, you’ll be able to pick a solid wine. If, on the other hand, you’re just an average Joe like myself, you really don’t have time for all that noise. You just want to pick a solid wine and get back to talking about how you lost in Fantasy Football when your QB went down in the 8th week.

At times like these, I like to call on my Go-To Vineyards. These are wine producers that I believe put out consistent wines year after year, which I can call on in a pinch to deliver me a winner. Generally speaking, these are value wines, meaning you probably aren’t going to break the bank (even with the *sigh* markup). Sure, you’re not likely to get the greatest choice on the wine list, but you’ll save yourself from picking a dud.

Who’s on my list? This weekend I turned to a Ramsay, from Ron Berger. I was first introduced to the Ramsay Pinot Noir by my SF friends (Bern maybe?) and I’ve had enough variations to know I like what Ron puts out. This weekend was the first time I tried their Cabernet, but I had faith it was going to be a solid selection. It didn’t disappoint. A little to much fruit, but a hit with everyone at the table.

Another of my other favorite Go-To’s is Chateau Ste. Michelle. The nice about this vineyard is that Washington State isn’t a well known wine spot, so you get some bonus points for looking like you can pick a winner from somewhere that isn’t Napa. I mostly know their whites, but the sampling I’ve done of their reds tells me that they are a safe bet as well.

Whatever you’re in to, you can find some Go-To Vineyards of your own. Keep them in the back of your head. Next time you’re stuck starting at the wine list and coming up empty, you’ll have some options you know you can rely on to satisfy the crowd.

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I don’t actually know if this was the fifteenth cookoff or not, but I’ve got to start counting again and that’s where I’m starting. For those that don’t know, myself, my girlfriend Sarah and our friends Chad and Cybele get together every month or so in an attempt to one-up each other in the arena of food and drink. One person makes the entree, along with an appetizer and/or side dishes as they see fit. The other person makes the dessert, with the remaining two freeloading for the week. Then it rotates, as does the ethnicity of the food. Good times.

Since everything is going so well for us overseas these days, we decided a tribute to the Middle East was in order. I was up on the main dish/appetizer and Chad was lined up for dessert. I started off with a lamb kofte soup, which was lamb/dill/parsely meatballs in a beef broth/wine/lemon juice soup. This was probably the best thing I made. I paired it with a 2004 Carpe Diem Pinot Noir. Its earthy, old-world style worked very well with the lamb and complimented the dill quite nicely.

For the entree, I consulted with my local Iranian friend, Mike Davis (no really, he’s Persian). He gave me several options to look into, and his advice led me to Khoresht Anaar Aveej. This is chicken that is cooked with herbs, spices, ground walnuts and pomegranate juice until it is falling off the bone and served over rice. I’ve really never tasted anything like it, it came out with this sweet, smokey flavor that is difficult to describe. It went really well with the salted onion and parsley condiment I whipped up. On the side, I had zucchini with onion, dill and mint, oh yeah. I chose the 2005 Clark-Claudon Wild Iris Sauvignon Blanc to go along, as its bright crispness matched many of the ingredients.

Finally Chad took us home with a staple dessert in the region, baklava. If you’ve never made baklava, then you have no appreciation for the level of effort involved - calling it painstaking is an understatement! Chad varied the recipe by using both walnuts and pistachios to goey, sweet success that complimented the rest of the meal perfectly. I cracked open a small bottle of port that I bought from a small vineyard in California whilst attending a wedding there several years back, and the four of us drifted off into fat, drunken happyness…

Check out all the pics over at Chad’s site.

Full menu:

Lamb Kofte Soup
Khoresht Anaar Aveej
Zucchini with Dill and Mint
Onion-Parsley Condiment
Basmati Rice
Baklava

2004 Carpe Diem Pinot Noir
2005 Clark-Claudon Wild Iris Sauvignon Blanc
Guglielmo Winery Port

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