Suited Trash

2004-04-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

Can anyone tell me what happend to Anistropy's blog?

For two days, I've gotten this message on blogspot.com:

"The following Blog*Spot page was not found."

2004-04-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's pathetic, but I'm stoked!

I just won my first tournament ever, a $10 + $1 7 stud one at Party. I don't play .50/$1 stud at Party because the antes are disproportionately huge, and Lizzie Tight here has no idea how to loosen up her play accordingly. (So I play at Paradise, where the competiition is tough, but the antes are zero for .50-$1.) But the Party tourney was the cheapest one I could find this evening. First prize: $40.

For the record, I've only played two tournaments before, one online, probably hold 'em, didn't make the money; and one stud 8 at the Tropicana, where I made it to about the top third, no money. Since then, I've read that there is rampant cheating and team play by sleazebag locals at the Trop tournaments, so I have not been inclined to try again.

For my winning experience at Party, I'd had several glasses of Courvoisier, so maybe that helped my ability to "read their souls" [tm that wanker Phil Hellmuth].

I wonder what playing poker with Napoleon, the patron of Courvoisier, would have been like. I never gave a rat's ass about Napoleon until I read a wonderful book called The Emperor's Last Island by Julia Blackburn. It's not so much about history and politics as it is about loss and depression, two of my favorite subjects. Highly recommended, 5 stars on the Suited Trash rating system, same as Iggy's blog.

2004-04-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Back from the sick and despairing, if not the dead, here.

When I came back from AC, my low state of mind caused by winning small and losing big was followed the longest-lasting flu/cold/whatever I've ever had. Then I was quite depressed over everything in general, and poker in particular.

I've been playing no-ante stud (on Paradise, since Party's low-limit stud structure has insanely high antes) and doing well. I'm getting ready to go back to AC, less because I want to play there but because there's stuff in our apartment I must organize and move back to NYC.

Anyway, for now, I'm changing the theory of this blog. Instead of keeping tabs on all poker blogs, I'm only going to note the ones that really send me (although I will try to keep a complete list of links going to the right).

I'll talk about my own attempt to consistently make a profit playing stud. (Are any other bloggers at all playing stud, or is the poker blogosphere a hold-'em-only deal?)

I find hold-'em, which at low limits is filled with gangs of obnoxious young guys capping every street, too much like bingo on crack. It's hard to see where the skill is. I also don't enjoy the company of the little knit hat and sunglasses-wearing weasels.

I've done better in Omaha, but the Omaha players in AC are such a pack of unpleasant, dealer-abusing and possibly colluding regulars that the small profit isn't worth it. Not that the stud players are delightful; they're just less horrible than their Omaha counterparts.

2004-02-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Wednesday (Feb. 18)/Thursday (Feb. 19) poker-content updates:

Anistropy

Cardplayer's Journal

Chris Halverson thoughtfully provides the text for a brief Forbes article, so we don't have to register (hate that shit).

The Daily Grind

Fish With a Pole

plays in AC (Trop and Sands).

From Guppy to Shark, I beg you to change your color scheme; small white type on a black background is difficult to read.

Guinness and Poker offers another day's worth of excellence, including an interchange between Daniel Negreanu, that germy-looking, bleached-blonde weasel, and Erik Seidel, who has the quiet tall guy thing going on that I so admire (other notable quiet tall guys: Gary Cooper, James Taylor, my husband).

Intrepid Card Player

Livejournal Poker Community

Love and Casino War

Mean Gene is funny about Phil Hellmuth's writing "style."

A Poker Odyssey

Rhymes With Joker

Rick Blaine gets current and retroactive credit for new content,

Vagaries of an online poker player

Vegan Poker

2004-02-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

Back from AC, and not feeling well.

I won small and lost big (by my low-limit standards). The small wins were nearly all playing no-ante $1-$3 and $1-$5 stud. The big losses were playing $2-$4 hold 'em (incredibly aggravating, as usual, watching the likes of unsuited k3 take down $100 pots) and trying $5-$10 Omaha 8 and $5-$10 stud.

I did meet Gigi, who lives near New York City, at the $2-$4 Omaha table, and her extreme love of poker was inspiring. I didn't ask her age, but she has kids in their 40s, so I guess that makes her at least 60.

When I lose more than $200, I think about quitting poker forever. Gigi says she doesn't mind losing (although she would never play $5-$10, as she thinks that's risking too much), and that as long as she's playing, she's happy. This was a stunning concept to me. If I lose more than $50, I'm miserable until I win again.

Tuesday (Feb. 17) poker-content updates:

Livejournal Poker Community

Rants of a Young Mind

Vagaries of an online poker player

Vegan Poker

Random Thoughts and Thoroughbred Selections

2004-02-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

Atlantic City update: staying here through Presidents Day weekend, and have no computer. Updates to resume next week.

2004-02-06T04:53:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Atlantic City for the weekend, so no updates through the weekend.

2004-02-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Mean Gene, I'm trying $25 buy-in pot-limit hold 'em on Party. I just chickened out and folded the hammer to a $3 preflop raise.

* = especially recommended

Thursday (Feb. 5, 2004) update:

Diary of an Online Poker Player

(minimal update)

The Intrepid Card Player

2004-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

9.15 p.m. I'm watching the "preview" episode of the new World Poker Tour season, and it's tremendously diverting. I hadn't seen Phil "The Unabomber" Laak in action before. Or that smug fuck, Paul Phillips, either.

Iggy, my man, you must get cable (and Tivo, to make the cable maximally cost-effective). This is priceless entertainment.

* = especially recommended

Wednesday (Feb. 4, 2004) update:

Anistropy

Brian's Poker

Cards Speak

goes heads up with Grubby of PokerGrub on Choice Poker

Fish With a Pole

* Guinness and Poker

explains why bloggers play better poker

Garro

Love and Casino War

Mean Gene plays pot limit

Paulsburbon

Poker Penguin

Rhymes With Joker

quits his job to go pro

Vagaries of an online poker player returns

Tuesday (Feb. 3, 2004) updates:

Chris Halverson

provides a recap on learning at low limits

The Daily Grind

Design by Fire

Diary of an Online Poker Player

The Fat Guy

shares my admiration for the music of Hank Williams III

From Guppy to Shark

The Intrepid Card Player

Livejournal Poker Community

Openers

Rants of a Young Mind

Rhymes With Joker

thinks about going pro on Party

Table Tango

2004-02-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

There can never be too many poker blogs. Although there are enough lately that they're hard to keep track of. Which is why I want this one to keep tabs on the others.

I play online and in Atlantic City.

I live with my husband in Yorkville, the far Upper East Side of Manhattan. (I'm looking for a home game.)

I used to be a restaurant critic and magazine editor (talk about suited trash).

The updates start tomorrow; I've got my hands full with getting the links up today.