It's either the latest promotion from Party Poker or somebody's goal in life.

Speaking of goals in life, one of mine is to continue to induce laughter, chuckles and the occasional guffaw by updating PokerComix once a week. Since today is Monday all day, that means it's time for another update.

This week we have a debut from Drizz, another outstanding comic from Heafy, DuggleBogey's latest poker comic, and one more go-round from myself. If you can't be artistic or funny at least you can be persistent, that's my motto.

I played exactly zero hands of poker yesterday. It may have been the first day of 2006 in which that was the case. I'm not sure about that, but it's likely. Due to scheduling, I was unable to be home to play in the Suckout on Leukemia tournament -- way to go to all who did. I hate never being able to take shots at Sunday tournaments.

Honestly, I was a little burned out yesterday after playing too much on Saturday -- I had decided to shake off some rust and trot out a round of tournament games. That started with the big $2,000 WSOP freeroll. 42 players were eligible. 16 showed up. SIXTEEN. Three places paid - $1,000, $600 and $400. Incredible.

Of course I managed to play horrendous (with a capital H) poker. I struggle short handed, and it was 4-6 man tables. It didn't help that I either got no action or whiffed completely when I got into a hand. Just brutal. I finished 12th. Followed that up by bombing out of a Full Tilt $6k guarantee when I took a coin flip way too early in the proceedings (AKs v QQ) and lost most of my stack.

Refocused and won two tokens via MPS satellites (in 3 attempts). Hit a $10 HORSE tournament and busted just short of the bubble. Shortstacked with K2/A in Razz, I pushed my couple hundred remaining chips out there ... and made a boat. Yeah.

One more time, this time the 14:00 Double Stack tournament. Played decently, but never accumulated a huge number of chips. Facing an "M" of about 4, I pushed with QQ UTG. Big blind woke up with KK. I get a Q on the flop. He gets a K on the turn. I don't hit my 5 outer on the river and IGHN.

I intended to play the $16k (or $19k or whatever it is) at Full Tilt later in the evening with my other token, especially since there were about a dozen bloggers playing, but I didn't. I'd had enough.


I thought I'd take tonight off too, but I just realized that I need to finish clearing another Crypto bonus by tomorrow evening, so I better get cracking on that since I still need 200 odd MPPs.

For that reason, I'm going to sign off here instead of posting other random crap, including musings as to why there was a whole fresh pineapple in the planter outside my office building and a cowboy boot stuck upside down on a stick in the parkway on a nearby street. It's just a working hypothesis, but could it be that the world is going to hell in a handbasket?

More cliches and badly written crap later.


Oh, one more thing... the Poker Champ has accepted the "Champ v. Chicks" challenge -- Wednesday on Pokerstars under private tourneys. If you are a chick or know any chicks with poker skillz, why not play and see if you have what it takes to bust the Champ? Password is 'blogsareghey', I believe. Please, chicks only, because as someone I know says, "chick's rule" (sic intentional). See Wes aka Boobie Lover for details.

If you aren't reading the PokerChamp, you're missing out.

Just read. You'll see why.

Playing with a passel of bloggers in the Full Tilt $16k Guaranteed last night, it was perhaps fittingly ironic that I busted out with TT against A7s.

F-ing tourists. Going all runner-runner on my ass.

LOLOL.

I can't complain, really, since I did make the money. And thanks to Drizz and some timely cards, I picked up a sizable chunk of change from some omatards playing $200 PLO8. I think Drizz might have won enough money himself to buy Wisconsin.

Off to do Saturday stuff.

Like any other sad poker addict, I harbor dreams of playing in the World Series of Poker. It would be quite a thrill to join thousands of other wishful thinkers in plunking down $10,000.00 for the outside shot at winning millions.

Thankfully, I am a realist. I have neither the cash nor the game to make this dream a reasonably forseeable possibility. I'd like to win tonight's $212 million lottery drawing too, but I'm not holding my breath.


The first two months of this year have seen a significant increase in the number of sites I frequent. The primary reason, of course, is the pursuit of bonus money. I've had a little success, not a tremendous amount, but enough to keep the roll slowly headed upward. Which is a good thing, since there are things that I'll need money for coming up shortly.


I received an email today from one of the sites I've recently added to my rotation. It informed me that I'd qualified for a freeroll, one step in a journey toward a seat in the Main Event. Not bad. But then I started reading the details, and not bad got upgraded to a solid "whoa!".

This is a $2,000 freeroll and is capped at 42 players. The first five places also get an entry into a second freeroll, which looks to be capped at just over 60 players. First prize in that is the WSOP package. Five sixths of the qualifying entrants are cash game players.

You read that right. Not a cattle call. Cash prizes. WSOP seat.

Whoa.

Have I mentioned yet that I had no idea this promotion even existed? I mean I read the emails I get from the various sites and try to stay on top of their current bonuses, but I never had a clue that this was being offered. I just played to clear a bonus.

And to make this even more amusing, qualification was based on play. The top five cash game players each day qualify. I'm not one of those guys who 11 table the $15/$30 game. I play no higher than $2/$4, with an occasional table of $25 PLO. Two tables, three max. And yet I somehow snuck into the fifth and last place on whichever day I spent clearing my bonus.

I've won exactly nothing so far, and yet I'm oddly excited.

Good thing I didn't have other plans for tomorrow morning. Anyone got a luckbox I can borrow for a week or two?

I fell asleep at my desk today.

Twice.

Once this morning, once this afternoon. Between the two, I lost a good thirty or forty minutes. I'm pretty much at a loss as to why. I managed a pretty decent seven hours last night.

Could be anything, but I'm going to say the most likely cause is a deadly cocktail of boredom and ennui.

I wrote a lengthy post in my head earlier this evening while loading the dishwasher. It was all about how I've spending way too much time wandering around in my own head, the ongoing battle between good and evil being fought nearly every moment of my existence (evil is way ahead on points), how the biggest obstacle I have to success is myself, why I've been thinking much of the time about various doom scenarios, the feeling of being at an utter loss for purpose and meaning in life, that sort of thing.

When I sat down to commit it to virtual paper, I decided that nobody would really want to read it, and it would be better if I just let things go. Oddly enough, that decision made me feel better.

For the moment.

On the lighter, fluffier side of things, for some reason the idea of a Marshmallow Peep Diorama Contest amuses the hell out of me. The St. Paul Pioneer Press runs one, with entries due by April 3.



Here's one example. I had a link to a site with a bunch of photos from previous contests, but I lost it. Even Google is letting me down here, although it did find for me these people, who run a "peep off", including both dioramas and {shudder} a peep eating contest. And if you're into hot peep-on-peep action...

I don't know if I'll enter, but I killed a few minutes today coming up with a design, and I picked up a package of PEEPS at Meijer along with a frozen pizza on my way home. So I'm armed and dangerous. If I get bored, maybe this weekend.

Yay for Peeps (tm)!

This talk of Peeps must be a good thing, because while I was "writing" it, I won a single table Peep SnG. Had aces THREE times. WTF? That's like a week's worth in one little half hour tourney.

Now I just have to decide which $24+2 MTT torturefest I'm going to play. Maybe tomorrow night's $16k guaranteed?

Peeps, out.

Why is it that this retarded radio station I've been listening to will play The Boomtown Rats song "I Don't Like Mondays" six days a week and yet they refuse to play it on, well, Mondays?

That reminds me. It's Monday -- at least for the next 38 minutes -- and you know what that means: Time for another Pokercomix update. This week we have another great comic from Heafy, DuggleBogey's poker comics (two this week), and a new one from yours truly. Thanks for the submissions!

*

Not much else going on since my bumbling effots at playing live poker. I played about two orbits on a Crypto site yesterday. I was recognized by a reader (hey ZB) and attempted to chat, but I had to get up every other hand to go baste the chicken I was roasting for dinner. Finally gave up. Went back tonight and finished clearing the bonus. I really like the 25 GBP monthly bonuses and have had good luck at the Cryptos (with only one exception). I was running hot, but screwed up a couple hands and bled most of my gains back. Old story. I never quit when I should.

*

Greetings also to DavidT, who commented on my last post and put in a link to grtexasholdem.com. They have information on a pretty good number of charitable poker tournaments in West Michigan, so if you're looking for a game, this might be worth a look.

This reminds me, the website for the outfit that ran last weekend's games at Great Lakes Downs is at all-in-entertainment.com. In addition to the weekly Thursday and Friday night cash games at the track, this week they're running a tournament and cash games on Saturday in Grand Haven to benefit the North Ottawa Rod and Gun Club.

I'm tenpted to go and try no limit 7 card stud, just for the hell of it. I wonder if $20 will be enough.

Ha.

*

Speaking of really good ideas, this is something you need to get behind: The quest to get PokerStars to add $0.10 rebuys.

Think about it. Ten cent REBUYS. PURE insanity. I'd probably rebuy at least 20 times in the first hour. Maybe fifty.

Low cost donkey poker goodness. This NEEDS to happen. Please join the email campaign.

New ways to lose, that is.

I lost a Sit-n-Go to the clock today.

I went back to the track today for a little more charitable donating. I played the first tournament (more on that in a moment), then on a whim decided to play one of the "Lightning" SnGs.

$10 buyin for T1800. Blinds started at 100/200 and increased every ten minutes. Retarded poker at its finest.

We're down to the final two, and thanks to some unusually solid play and timely hands I have the chip lead by about 2-1, maybe even a little better. We're on the last level of blinds, 800/1600. I have Jh 9h in the big blind. The smaller stack pushes and I call. He says "you got me. Total bluff".

He has 92o. Rrrrrr. I can't even look.

Naturally he turns a two and I don't catch a Jack.

He takes the chip lead.

And he manages to stall out the remaining 8 minutes of the level to win. These goofy SnGs are time limited to an hour. I push every hand, but can't pick up enough chips to retake the lead. The clock runs out and he wins by TKO.

At least I got my buy-in back.

Played a little 3/6 as well and went up and down, up and down. I once again couldn't get a big hand to hold up, going 0-1 each with aces, kings and AKo (I even flopped an ace). Ended up down when my flopped OESD missed for the millionth consecutive time. I did manage to tilt a guy when I raised with the hammer, turned a 7 and beat his A3o. Good times.

A lot of the same people were there again today, plus a good turnout for the tournaments. They had 80 for the first one, about the same for the second and I have no idea about the third. Plus the cash games and retard satellites.

The tournament structure was actually pretty decent. T4000 to start, blinds starting at 25/50 and pretty good levels. I lost most of my stack during level 2 on what turned out to be a bad read. Maybe you'd do better:

I have 52o in the big blind. Three limpers, the small blind folds.

Flop Ad 4d 3s. I check, EP limper bets out T500. Two folds. I think there's`a good chance the limper is playing an ace (of whatever strength). I call. Yeah, I know, this was a mistake.

Turn is the Kd. I check again, EP bets T500 again. I decide this means he likely has an ace, possibly with a diamond kicker, like AJo, ATo or A9o. If the river bricks, I can take him. I call. (Mistake #2).

River is a blank. I check. (Mistake #3). EP overbets the pot. I stick with my read, call and lose to 83d. (Mistake #4).

Misplayed on every street, although I still think the read made sense. For one, there was the leadout on the flop -- who leads at a pot with three players behind holding bottom pair and a weak flush draw? For another, you have both the Ad and Kd on the board. The small turn and large river bets could have every well been the sign of AK.

I'm not busted, but I am short. With a "M" of about 3, I push Q9s. Guy to my left wakes up with AA and I do not suck out.

I may hit the games up again some time, but I definitely suck at live poker. Too loose and decidedly unlucky -- two of my big hand losses today were to rivered gutshots, the third to river trips with bottom pair.

That's probably all the poker content (and whining, woo hoo) you'll get this week.

Great Lakes Downs is a racetrack located just south of Muskegon, Michigan. It's not a bad little track, not that I'm a horse racing expert or anything, but it's in Muskegon. Where it is currently thirteen degrees with a windchill of about twenty below among other shortcomings.

I went out to the track this evening to partake in a little live cash game poker. As I've mentioned once or twice this week, there was advertising of "live poker action" in our local newspapers. Since this is West Michigan, where gambling is generally seen as mile 33 on the nature trail to Hell, it's not true casino poker.

But it turned out to be surprisingly close.

Technically, any game like this is charity poker. In this instance, the game was for the benefit of the Lions Club of Hesperia. When I was a wee lad, I went to summer camp in the Hesperia area. I have some pleasant memories, and thus it was no problem to donate to the causes of the good folks of Hicksperia. Especially if someone else would end up paying for it.

I showed up about 8:00 or so. There were six tables going - 2 tables of 3/6 limit, 3 tables of 5/10 limit and one table of $1 ante 7 card stud with no obvious limits. There were four people ahead of me after I signed up for 3/6. This was a spur of the moment trip, and I didn't bring much cash.

{side note - this is severalmany more tables than you'll typically find going at the nearest legal poker room, the Little River Casino Resort and Beauty College. Possibly because it's not two hours away from anywhere.}

{additional side note - this little expedition meant that I missed the DADI Heads Up Championship. Oops. Bad, because I would have played to support my man TripJax and company, yet good because I suck at heads up play and would have just been donating $10. Next time, I'll write down the date.}

About fifteen minutes after I signed up, they brought out a seventh table and started another 3/6 game. We started with 6 players, eventually making it up to 8.

For the most part, the game was surprisingly well run. It was being put on by what appeared to be a professional outfit, meaning that they had dealers who actually knew a little something about dealing and a "floor" -- a pleasant middle-aged guy in a Party Poker hat. The rules were standard casino poker, with two notable exceptions. Check raising was not allowed, and there was a 3 bet cap. The setup was located in the bar area, conveniently located to, well, the bar. If you were a horse bettor, you could do that too. Lots of nearby tables for breaks and for
the smokers. Folding chairs, but sturdy and surprisingly comfortable given the lack of padding.

The competition was nothing short of astounding.

I sat with three young guys under 25, a middle-aged hispanic gentleman and a pleasant middle-aged woman. We'll call her "the nemesis". We were joined later by an 18 year old guy and a young woman. Most of them played almost every hand. There was virtually no preflop raising, except by me. The young woman had an amusing habit of folding when it just was checked to her.

Those of delicate constitution may want to skip down a few paragraphs. You call 'em bad beat stories, I call 'em illustrations of the level of play with no whining. Whatever.

I folded every hand the first two orbits, seeing nothing remotely worth playing, except I did split a pot with K6o in the big blind. My nemesis also had a king ... she had K6o as well. Nice hand to limp with. Mental note.

Third orbit, I'm UTG and find KK. I raise. There is immediate commentary from the kids that I hadn't played a hand yet, get out of the way. Nice table image. The hispanic gentleman and my nemesis call 2 cold and come along for the ride. The board comes AQxxQ. He folds on the flop, she rivers trips. I lose to Q3o.

Shortly thereafter, I find KK again in early position and raise. My nemesis calls two cold and we have about 5 to the flop, which is 543 with two clubs. Everyone folds except my nemesis. Turn is a blank. River an offsuit A. I wear a pained expression and make a crying call getting umpteen to 1. My nemesis has 92o for the one card wheel.

This does not bother me. I am surprisingly tilt-free.

I manage to have AA hold up when my nemesis folds on the river. I guess neither of her cards paired up. On the last hand of my evening, I hold 99 and see it go down to her 63o, meaning that I was 1 for 4 on hands that were 85/15 favorites or better. The table broke and I went home. Long week.

Oh, well. Any other night, I would have stayed around and kept battling. Despite the steep rake (10% to $5), there was money to be made. I finished down only a few BBs, a couple of which I could have saved on the 99 hand. Another sign the time was right to go home. I prefer to leave before massive tilt hits. Plus there's always a chance that I'll recover my losses on Saturday by betting on TOODRUNKTOCALL.

The real news is that apparently this is going to be a regular thing -- they're going to have cash games all day tomorrow plus three tournaments, and in talking with Mr. Party Poker Hat on my way out, it seems that they've booked different charities to run poker every Thursday and Friday night until May.

Regular live poker? 15 minutes from my house?

Uh, oh.

I might have to assemble a bankroll. And learn how to play ... without being able to checkraise.

Scary.

na na na na na na na, THUNDER!

What a weird-ass day. Mother Nature threw just about everything at us. Rain, snow, freezing rain, wind. When I went back to work after lunch, it was busy thunder-sleeting with a heavy burst of hail. I barely resisted the temptation to step outside and a scream "where's the hot and dry stuff, you worthless old hag?!"

Until we got into the weather, I'd pretty much convinced myself to go check out the cash games for charity at the track. Scratched that idea, hit another Crypto instead. Discovered I got my first ever rakeback payment. $24 whole dollars, American. I feel like an utter tard for not having got on that sooner. Cleared a bonus, coming out barely ahead after a horrible run of suckout losses. I think I lost five huge pots in a row to opponents who had 8 or fewer outs. Oh, well. Still came out on the positive side.

Check out these stats from tonight:



No, this was not me. This was one of my opponents. He runs bad. Name censored to protect the unfortunate. At one point he went 15 bets on the turn (no cap on Cryptos when it's heads up) with 99 on a 44J7 board. Even another 4 on the river didn't save him from JJ -- not mine, alas.

I took a net 8 BBs off him, but only after he sucked out on me twice.

If I ever start playing like that at a level about $0.05/$0.10, you have my permission to shoot my laptop.

Now stop reading this boring tripe and hit up the man:

I've noticed from reading the local papers lately that the horse track just up the road (Great Lakes Downs) has been hosting quite a few weekend poker games lately. These are all "charitable gaming" productions, tournament style, and which typically have an insane amount of juice. I haven't been up to one to check it out.

This weekend is different. Not only are they running games Thursday, Friday and Saturday, they're advertising cash games. I didn't know you could do that under our state's draconian gaming regulations. 3/6 and 5/10 limit.

I still probably won't go, seeing as (a) I don't have much of a bankroll, and (b) the rake is 10% to $5. Ouch.

*

Good night at the tables. I reloaded a few bucks into Stars for the Wil Wheaton tournament and managed to finish 5th. Not a huge cash, but fun.

Did that while playing a few tables on InterPoker (plug), where I'm almost done with the $100 monthly bonus. I've made more money at Interpoker than anywhere else this year. Which isn't saying all that much since I don't play above $2/$4, but it's not insignificant either.

On that cheery note, it's way later than I planned to be awake, so I'm out of here.

Since it's Monday somewhere Steve Fossett has been lately, that must mean it's time for another Pokercomix update. This week we have DuggleBogey's latest and three new doodles from yours truly. Check 'em out.

*

Speaking of comix, I have been checking out some of the online sites that let you create comics without doing all the artwork. I was motivated to do this by an email from BG with a site that'll turn instant messaging exchanges into art form.

ChatFU

A few of the other comics submitted have also used comic creators. Nothing wrong with that (barring copyright issues) -- I probably should, since my drawing skillz rank well below those of most second graders.

Some of the other sites I've checked out so far:

• Stripcreator


• Wittycomics


• Stripgenerator


• Red Meat
• Readwritethink

This has potential for hours of fun.

*

On the subject of hours of fun, yeah, I got in a few hours at the tables this week. I cleared the Paradise reload and lost $25 in the process, thanks to having AA cracked by 92o, K-rag and some other random hand, all at a the one $2/$4 table I tried. Guess I should have stuck to the $1/$2. Oh, well.

I hit a PLO8 MTT on Full Tilt last night with Chad, Drizz and Mourn. Despite playing almost no hands and successfully sucking out twice in the first hour just to stay alive, I ended up finishing 6th, busting (predictably) on a donkeyesque battle of the blinds. Especially considering that the buyin was my last six bucks on FT, I was happy to win something for my five hour time investment.

Lots of bonus chasing yet to do this month. I've gotten started on the first Crypto of the month (scratch that, 2nd, forgot I did Will Hill), and have a couple hundred hands to go. Several more cryptos and then who knows what. Guess I should play more.

*

On the subject of playing more, I've been giving some thought lately to playing more MTTs. I've been playing mostly limit ring games since the first of the year, mostly due to the quest to clear bonuses and build up some kind of a bankroll. I've been modestly successful, but no really big wins. Looking back at the last year, most of my bankroll growth was the result of nice tournament scores, the ring game play was pretty close to break-even. Which isn't good enough.

We'll see if this thinking goes anywhere. $5 HORSE SnGs are a pleasant diversion, but they don't exactly grow the roll quickly.

And with that, this unnecessarily long post comes to an end and the dread of Monday can begin.

I sure could use a vacation. Since I don't have one coming up anytime in the forseeable future, here's a look back at the last one to help keep my mind off things ...



My favorite Vegas picture -- this was the Poker Prof's dessert at 3950. No, that's not an actual fruit.

This gentleman was enjoying the "duelling pianos" show at a bar in New York, New York

The Strip, 3:50 a.m.

I stopped by the hospital last night and visited briefly with the Boy Genius.

He's doing (in my unprofessional opinion) amazingly well for someone who had major surgery on Monday -- he was up and about a little bit, in good spirits, and mentioned that he'd talked to some of y'all by telephone.

If he can find a way to get an internet connection working (no luck last night), I suspect he'll be back online real soon.

One of those nights last night.

You know, the kind that you'd just like to forget about. Three HORSE SnGs, three consecutive 4th places (3 pay). Two limit tables, two buyins completely dropped. Pretty much nothing went right. I did get to play one of the SnGs with -EV and managed to scoop one large O8 pot, but those were all the highlights.

Thankfully there was little to no tilt involved, and the dollar amounts weren't exactly large -- we're talking $5 SnGs and short buyins of 10-15 BBs on both limit tables.

I'm thinking it might be a good idea to take tonight off, do some other stuff, maybe get caught up on archiving things to Pokercomix. We'll see.

It's Monday (in about ten minutes), which means that yes, it's time for another Pokercomix update. This week we have a new comic from yours truly, as well as DuggleBogey's latest. Check 'em out.

I think I'll celebrate "No Bad Beat Stories Week". That should make somebody happy. And it means that I won't have to tell you about the donkey who rivered a low in 7 Stud hi/lo to stay alive and ultimately win a HORSE SnG.

I will say that I experienced an absurdly long heads-up match with that same opponent -- it took 40 minutes once we got down to two players. He had me 8-1 in chips, I came back all the way to eventually putting him all in, he came back and finally sucked out to win. Crazy. Love them HORSE SnGs. I'm getting a nice return on investment -- too bad the investment is only five bucks a crack.

Regretting the fact that it's Monday again. I'm not the least bit ashamed to say that I revel in the comparative freedom of the weekend, where I'm not a slave to the deadline and the evil, evil telephone. I need to win the lottery or something.

Anyhow, good luck to the Boy Genius as he gets a little plumbing work done, and join me in sending positive vibes to some of our fellow bloggers (yeah, for me, I'm using that term loosely) who have been kicked in the figurative junk lately. Hang in there folks.

Edited to add for your amusement the last batch of search engine queries that have sent people to Pokercomix:
1. instant bankroll 2
2. bobby bracelet 1
3. online poker is rigged shills 1
4. donkeypuncher.com 1
5. prima poker rigged 1
6. pattern mapper poker 1
7. rigged poker pdf 1
8. how to beat rigged pokerstars

Glad to know that at at least I'm indexed under "rigged poker" if nothing else!

Looking at site referrals, I see quite a few from Two Plus Two, but not too many other sites (other than blogs, for which I thank you). Guess I should try and get the word out to more places.

As pointed out by CJ, everybody's favorite gelding Too Drunk To Call is running today. 7th race at Aqueduct.

The morning line is only 6-1 (this race is for "For Four Year Olds and Upward NY-Bred Which Have Never Won A Race Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Or Starter or Which Have Never Won Two Races"), but when you know about a stud* like TDTC, that's like a gift.

Please keep in mind that I know exactly zero about horse racing. For actual knowledge, please go visit Random Thoughts and Thoroughbred Selections.


* yeah, yeah, I know that a gelding can't technically be a stud. Shut up.

Dr. Pauly Appreciation Month rolls on... I don't have anything better to do, so I'm going to be live blogging a $5 HORSE sit n go on Full Tilt.

But this isn't just any SnG -- it features internet celebrity Al Can't Hang live from the bar, plus Boobie Lover, and, go figure, professional player Richard "Quiet Lion" Brodie!

8:18 pm ... I'm late getting started, so we just switched to the first round of Razz. Al, Boobie Lover and the Quiet Lion are about even in chips.

8:19 p.m. ... The Quiet Lion takes the lead with a nice Razz win. Al reveals that he's at the bar.

8:21 p.m. ... The backstory: Apparently Al was chatting with the Quiet Lion and talked him into playing ... he ended up in one that I was in, but Al didn't get in. Doh! The Lion put on an excellent display of donkeration and was first out. Fire up SnG #2, this time with the whole gang!

8:24 p.m. ... I learn that Boobie Lover is also live blogging this. I'm having a hard time keeping up with two SnGs (4 left in SnG #1) and the live blogging. Below 1000 chips in SnG #2 with nothing worth playing. We're up to E.

8:30 p.m. ... Sucking badly at Stud. I'm almost looking forward to H.

8:35 p.m. ... The game has switched back to H. Al is hurting with T500, Boobs is sitting good with T2106, I have T1126 after winning the last hand of E. We've lost one donkey so far.

8:36 p.m. ... UTG with the hammer. RAISE! Takes the blinds.

8:39 p.m. ... We're in the money in SnG#1, 3 left with abut equal stacks. I went 2 for 3 last night, bubbling in my third try. Safe to say that I likes them HORSE SnGs.

8:41 pm. ... Further proof that I suck at short-handed hold 'em. Getting owned at H in SnG #1. The Quiet Lion's stack has dipped a bit, and he's now middle of the pack.

8:42 pm ... Al all in -- SCOOP against Boobs.

8:45 pm ... This is hard. I'm the short stack, we're up to O.

8:50 pm ... Razz means comeback. Just busted Al. Sorry, Al. I hate bricks as much as you do. T1691.

8:51 pm ... I bust the Quiet Lion after we go heads up each with a pair.

8:58 pm ... Finish 3rd in SnG#1, and promptly get Boobie Lover all in in SnG#2. Stud high - I have a pair of aces, he catches trip tens, I catch a third ace, he hits quads on sixth. I hate stud.

9:04 pm ... A series of great starting hands in E followed by bricks has put the hurt on. down to T600. For those of you who track such things, I have an M of about 0.3.

9:06 pm ... Blogger goes down until 9:45 pm ...

9:07 pm ... All with A5, holds up against 86o.

9:09 pm .. All in with KcJc, loses to 5c4c when a 5 hits the river. I am Bubble Boy. Time for Boobie Lover to come back from short stackedness and win this thing.

9:23 pm ... Boobie Lover finishes 2nd. Blogger still down.

Final thought: Quiet Lion's confused avatar is very cool.

Man, this live blogging stuff is hard. Much respect to Pauly, Jason and whomever else I'm forgetting who does it for real. I'm giving it up and going back to playing.