1st Rule of Poker Blogging

The first rule of poker blogging, or any blogging for that matter is to post. The second rule of poker blogging is to pimp other bloggers. So here is the pimpage.

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from a blogger looking for traffic. I get them all the time. Usually it is for a site blogging about yak butter or some other non-poker related junk. This email was different. It was for a poker blog called 1st Rule Of Poker. The writer wanted to swap links with me. I went and looked at the site. There was actual poker content about brick and mortar play, general poker stuff, and as of a couple of days ago, pictures of a hat collection. I like his style. The donkey hat is great!

Hopefully in the days and weeks ahead I will be able to post as often and as well.

Go read 1st Rule Of Poker and enjoy the Pokery Goodness.

Book Review: "The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King"

In the past, I managed a bookstore. I can tell you that the best things that can happen to a book are:

1. Being featured on Oprah (even before her book club)
2. Good word-of-mouth
3. Good reviews

I bought the book because of one of the reasons (No, I am not Oprah) and am passing on the favor with a review.

For the few of you who have not yet read this book, please do. I found it a most enjoyable read. Yeah I know it has been around a while, but I finally had time to pick it up and read it last month. At 282 pages (Trade Paperback edition), it was a smooth and quick read.

The book chronicles a series of ultra(uber?)-high stakes poker games pitting the banker, Andy Beal, against a group of poker pros in mostly heads-up cash games.

I thought the book did a good job of fleshing out the poker pros. You can really feel their discomfort as the stakes are raised and raised again.

Given the stakes I currently play, it still amazes me to read of blinds as high as they were playing. Anytime the blinds get higher than the median US income, it seemed unbelievable.

I enjoyed reading about the gadgets Andy Beal had made to even up the advantage the pros had. Just reading about why he made the gadgets improved my game.

I know that the author, Michael Craig, has been to at least one of the WPBT (World Poker Blogger's Tour) Las Vegas get togethers, and was well received (at least by the bloggers who were at least semi-sober). Maybe some day I will be there.

Overall a very good book, especially if you like poker!

Comments? Questions?

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!

Funeral: Not my own

My family and I will be leaving in the morning to attend the funeral of my wife's Grandmother. She has been in stage 5 kidney failure for over a year. This past Saturday, Grandma Mildred decided she had had enough of dialysis and stopped treatment.

I did not know her as well as I wanted to. (Do we every know anyone as well as we want to?) But I do know she was a kind, giving, loving person. My wife is who she is today because of her. Growing up, my wife spent almost as much time at Grandma's house as she did at home. This was in the days before childcare, pre-school, and before-and-after-school care.

Words come hard to me sometimes, and I want to say this in a way that has some impact. Love your family and friends as much as you can now. Cherish them. Spend time with them. Sometimes you get caught up in life and you forget what is important - People not things.

mortal_who?

If you have been coming to this blog lately you may have noticed... nothing. No updates, no "Enjoy the Pokery Goodness", no WV Table Gaming Law news. I must apoligize to my 3 readers for that.

The fact is there has been a lot of things going on in my life in the last month. The least of which is poker. (Yes I have been playing some.) The bigger issues I have been facing have been: continued unemployment, slight depression, the cold from hell, and my wife's terminally ill grandmother. Throw in Thanksgiving with the in-laws and I have had very little time to write.

I am sorry if there are a couple of you out there who need to read my poor excuse for a poker blog on a more regular basis than I can post to it. But this blog has never been about readers, it has been about my journey in poker. Like everything in life, this blog has it's ups and downs, it's slow periods and periods of much activity.

I know I promised about a month ago to do a couple of book reviews. The first is almost completed and will be posted later this week. The second one will be posted sometime next week.

If you have any suggestions as to how to deal with my "bigger issues" that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Enjoy the Pokery Goodness!