Michael Craig's Journal

It’s high noon on Wednesday in Scottsdale. I promised Jo Anne and myself that I’d do no work today, even though I am starting to freak out over having to submit a 150,000-word manuscript in 40 days. She allowed me to make an exception for this blog entry.

Yesterday was an eventful day. It started early, at 6 AM, after less than five hours of sleep. (One of my chief Call Girls, Amy Calistri, actually wrote a blog entry about my sleep habits yesterday or today.) My buddy Robin Leach took me up on my offer to write a pair of entries in his blog, Luxe Life. That’s very exciting because it will get THIS blog exposed to his gigantic audience. On the other hand, I need additional writing assignments like I need pocket queens (see below for pissing-and-moaning reference).

I was still seriously behind on my work for the Full Tilt book and tried to spend the morning working on the Stud Eight-or-Better chapter, which Ted Forrest and I are putting together. It’s mostly done but I just couldn’t finish it up. Between trying to focus on the very specific advice he offered from our three prior interviews on the subject, phone calls, packing, and writing another blog entry, it was time to play in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold ‘Em before I knew it.

CardPlayer.com, PokerWire.com, and some other places have told the tale so I’ll be brief: I got hit by the deck so hard it’s a wonder I didn’t get whiplash. (See repeated pissing-and-moaning reference below.) A bunch of players limped on my blind and my pocket fives (”Presto”) turned into a set on the flop and quads on the turn. I managed to keep one opponent around for a bet on the river. In another blind hand, a guy with pocket tens raised too little and I called with 7-6 (”Philly”). I made two-pair on the flop and a full house on the turn, by which time he put in all his chips.

During the break, I ran into Pauly - everybody knows Pauly, right? He writes Tao of Poker, one of the best and most widely read of the poker blogs. As I mentioned previously, we made a $1 last-longer bet during Monday’s PLO. He signed the buck, but not in dark enough ink for my satisfaction. When I saw him on Tuesday, he obligingly re-signed in a marker.

Pauly: “I’m impressed you still have it.”

Me: “I was going to use it to tip a cocktail waitress but I busted before one came by.”

He signed the back, nice and bold, “Fuck you! Pauly 7-16-06″. I’m going to save this bill forever, or until I need a buck for something. When I’m reunited with my camera in Vegas and learn how to post photos, I’ll share a pic.

I was toward the top of the heap at the first break, lost some chips during level 3. (I learned some valuable lessons about playing that stage of the tournament - it was the first time in five events I made it that far.) On the first hand of level 4, the first player to act raised the 100-200 blinds to 550. He was an active player with a lot of chips and I thought he was taking advantage, despite his bad position. I had pocket queens and raised to 2,050. Definitely a mistake. I had 3,500 in chips and this pot-committed me. I should have bet less - I actually thought I was betting 1,500 total and forgot until I put the chips in that I already put in the 550 to call - or moved all-in.

Perry Friedman, a Tiltboy/Full Tilt pro who I had met just a few days ago and was having a nice time with (until now) - we were discussing math and programming in shuffle-tracking and chip-shuffling, and unusual hand names - rereraised with all his chips, over 4,000.

There was a good chance he had aces but I called. It was 1,500 more to win 6,400. He had aces and I was eliminated.

On the way out, I passed by Clonie Gowen’s table and she was nice and chatty. I love Clonie, though I wonder if this was some kind of conscious or unconscious payback for my numerous “How’s it going, Clonie?” gaffes in moments after she had been eliminated.

In the Full Tilt suite, I discussed the hand with Andy Bloch and Andy Black and they had a pretty lengthy argument over which was a mistake (or a bigger mistake): raising to 2,050 or calling the all-in with my last 1,500 if I knew he had aces. BlochBlack were in agreement on only one thing: I made a mistake in there someplace.

But, again, I learned some significant lessons. I have played a lot of tournaments online - fewer in casinos. I understand the differences but there are rhythms to a poker tournament that I am very comfortable with online but have yet to experience in casino tournaments.

I picked up some valuable lessons that I hope I can make pay off. How about starting Sunday, July 30, at Table 105, Seat 8?

Because I had chips early and CardPlayer.com had been reporting it, a lot of people were asking about what happened. Of course, I had to reproduce the tale in all its glory (gory?), but that didn’t make me feel better. Nor did the six mini-pizza quiches I wolfed down in the Full Tilt suite.

As I pulled out of the Rio, a car made a U-turn into my lane, so I had to slow down. I was rear-ended by a truck with the vanity plate ALL IN. Then I drove 300 miles home.

OK? I didn’t write about how I almost got a friend fired from his job, about some guy sleeping and farting in one of the online poker hospitality suites, about trying to arrange a meeting with Ted Forrest and Huck Seed to talk about Razz before Saturday’s event despite Ted losing his phone (again), and a couple other things.

But I’m taking the day off, a plan to increase my writing productivity that’s so foolhardy that it just might work. I return to Vegas on Friday the 20th. I’m meeting with Robin Leach for a cigar, and Ted Forrest (and maybe Huck Seed) for a Razz lesson. Reports, I promise, to follow!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 at 2:38 pm and is filed under My favourites:.