Last Woman Standing
Posted on January 3, 2009 by Ching under Poker.
“I don’t want to jinx you,” Kristy came over and told me when we were down to the final two tables, “but you are the last woman standing.” That prompted a discussion of Tiffany Michelle at the 2008 WSOP and what everyone considered to be bad poker behavior on her part. As pretty as she is and as much as I love her, I really did not want to be compared to her because everyone (at least those discussing her at the table) thought she was a bitch. I don’t like being a bitch. I don’t want people to think that I’m a bitch. I want them to think of me as a nice, personable poker player.
Anyway, I did tend to get a little testy throughout the evening. I think the weirdness at my table and the weirdness of the evening in general started to get to me.
It was a huge night at Highlands. The turnout for the Blue Collar Poker Tournament was so great that they had to set up tables beyond the designated BCPT area. That normally is a bad sign for me. It means that a lot of non-regulars have come out to play. In the past some of these people have really irritated me because they don’t know when it’s their turn (acting out of turn once is forgivable but doing it a lot throughout the course of the game is really annoying) or when they are in the blinds or how much to bet/raise (sometimes not betting enough to cover the big blind, which is the minimum bet or not raising 2x the amount of the original bet) or not keeping the cut card at the bottom so everyone can see that the card you are pretending to have is not really in your had but at the bottom of the deck or discussing their hand while people are still playing… Those are just some of the things that bug me. I have some minor pet peeves that I don’t really get cranky about but also dislike nonetheless. I don’t like rabbit-hunting because it delays the game, pre-burning (I think this is one of Scott’s peeves, too), tossing the burn cards into the muck pile because it’s hard to tell if people are actually burning cards or if they’re burning more than one card (it’s just really weird, don’t do it), splashing the pot… I normally don’t say anything, but these things do bug me.
Last night was just really weird, though, so I was more outspoken than usual. People just get so confused about dead blinds and dealers, or when it is their turn to deal period. I wanted to maintain some semblance of order so I spoke up in order to keep people on track.
Early on in the game, when the blinds were still at $100-$200, one of the players threw out a $500 chip at the table without saying anything. Heather, because she is so nice, asked him if it was a call or a raise. He nodded yes. We allowed the raise but I had to comment that technically that action would have been considered a call. Then other people chimed in and explained what I meant and Rich, who was on my immediate left, pointed out that the best way is to announce the amount of the raise or simply say raise so that other players at the table do not misconstrue your intentions.
Later on the same guy tried to deal twice. I was like, “Didn’t you just deal that last hand?” He said yes and the guy to his left goes, “I was just small blind.” I said, “Okay. You were the small blind so this hand you get to be the dealer.”
I wasn’t being mean or anything, but I didn’t exercise my usual restraint either. I guess I was a little on the controlling side that night because the player across from me, who I had told to be the dealer previously, commented that I ought to play at a casino. He said it in a fun, joking way but I took it as a sign and laid off a little.
I think it was too late, though, because I had already established myself in the unpopular role of table captain. Throughout the rest of the tournament, other players (even those who just moved to our table from another table) would refer to me for guidance asking if it was their turn to be small/big blind. They didn’t do it sarcastically. Not that I could tell, anyway. It seemed to me like they really weren’t sure and honestly sought my response.
I did get somewhat crabby a couple of times during the tournament. Once was at my original table when we were still at the $200-$400 blind level. I looked down at a good hand, but someone acted out of turn so they were already back to the small blind before I could even act. I was so mad that I raised just to punish them for acting out of turn. I figured that if they had a good hand then they would have raised so I was counting on just picking up the pot. Everyone folds except for the guy who acted out of turn. He puts in an additional $1200 to match my raise. There was a pair on the flop, but they were all low cards. Newer players don’t realize that it is far wiser to fold pre-flop than to sink $1200 more to defend their $400, so I figured that he only called my raise because he was compelled to and that he had nothing and hit nothing. I was to act first so I bet again. I was a little nervous about this because I didn’t hit the flop either, but I figured that (a) I had better cards because mine were good enough to raise with (b) I would get away with it because I was playing against a weaker player. He folded just as I predicted.
The second time that I got cranky was when I moved over to the next table. Two guys had split the pot and there was an extra chip. One of the guys goes, “Do you want to high card for the extra chip?” No one else was paying attention so I felt like it was my responsibility to speak up. I told them that the extra chip goes to the player to the left of the dealer. Guy goes, “That’s fine if that’s how you want to do it.” That’s not how I want to do it, I thought to myself. That’s the rule. “The extra chip always goes to the player who is to the left of the dealer.” This time other players noticed, so they backed me up. Guy goes, “That’s fine. I’d just never heard of that before.” They might do it differently at other places and I realize that some people who are used to playing elsewhere might not know any better so I said, “That’s Blue Collar rules.” Another player goes, “Why don’t we ask the tournament director? He’s right there.” At this point, Dan had walked up to our table. Guy goes, “Don’t worry about it.” He still acted like he didn’t believe me, though. I hate it when Brian does that to me — when he agrees just so I will shut up, but really doesn’t believe me — and I never let him get away with it. Neither did this guy. “When there’s an extra chip on a split pot, the extra chip always goes to the player to the left of the dealer,” I said out loud so Dan would hear. Dan agreed and said the same thing for all the other players at the table to hear. “They,” nodding my head toward the doubtful guy, “are unfamiliar with Blue Collar rules so I just wanted to clarify.” I kind of said this in a condescending tone — like thank you for demonstrating your utter ignorance of the rules, you pathetic excuse for a poker player — but I don’t think anyone else picked up on it. Feeling vindicated, I was finally ready to let it go. And that is the end of that discussion.
Despite having my patience tested all evening, I made it to the final table. My patience had worn thin at that point, though. I was bored and tired and feeling impatient. That combined with being short-stacked tends to make a poker player suicidal. I went all in with AJ off and got called by AK, which held up. I was knocked out of the tournament in 9th place just like that. And that is the conclusion of one very weird evening at Highlands.
It was an out-of-body experience as I felt completely unlike my usual self. I took down the title of “Last Woman Standing” that night, though, so that is a pretty good accomplishment. Next time we’re going for the “Last Playing Standing” title…
5 Comments
Hairy Legs
Posted on January 3, 2009 by Ching under Moblog.
Brian and I went to meet his parents and grandparents at The Diner for brunch yesterday. The weather was so nice that I decided to wear a skirt sans tights. When I stepped out of the car and into the sunlight I caught a glimpse of my very hairy, super gross legs. That’s what happens when you don’t shave for two months. LOL.
I loathe shaving so I hadn’t shaved my legs since my last full body waxing right before the cruise. I figure that I can hold out until spring when I can get another full body waxing. I mean, I rarely every wear shorts or skirts in the winter anyway. I didn’t expect my legs to look super gross the way they did yesterday.
I had to take a picture just to show how gross they were. Except, much to my disappointment, the leg hairs didn’t really show up well in the picture so you guys aren’t getting the full extent of the grossness. Oh, well. Maybe no one will notice if I don’t shave my legs for another two months. Brian doesn’t seem to mind it. =P
Comment on This
Significant Moments of 2008
Posted on January 2, 2009 by Ching under Life.
This is the obligatory end of year recap.
- Tweetups. We had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people via Twitter.
- Completing the remodel of spare bedroom number 1. It only took a year because we kept procrastinating.
- Going on the 2008 WPTAPL Halloween poker cruise. You can preview our photobook here, and purchase a copy here.
- Manny Pacquiao defeats Oscar de la Hoya. Just had to add that to the list. Pinoy pride, pare!
- Ching’s first time voting. Ching was naturalized a few years ago, but voted for the very first time in the 2008 elections. Brian still refuses to exercise his rights.
- Cory and April’s Vegas wedding. Brian and Ching take a trip to Sin City to witness the nuptials. It is Brian’s first time in Vegas and he decided that he hates it.
- Eddy’s bungles an oil change and almost kills Bebot.
- Ching got to shoot some guns at the KMMH open house in August, and has videos to prove it.
- Memorial weekend in Kansas City. There will be no more pleasure trips (business trips will still continue, unfortunately) for a while until the home remodel is finished.
- Ching completed her MBA. There will be no more school for a while either.
- Ching is inducted to Beta Gamma Sigma. This is a big deal because she did not get invited as an undergrad. Now she’s a member. Go, Ching!
- Ching tears up the Western sales region’s poker tournament at Viega’s national sales meeting. The only woman in the tournament got second place and almost took down the whole tournament. The men were not pleased. Ching’s winnings were donated to the Relay for Life fundraising cause at Viega.
- Brian left LSI and moved on to greener pastures. He started his first day at Viega by going to the airport and flying to their office in New Hampshire.
2 Comments
Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal
Posted on January 1, 2009 by Ching under Movies, News.
Brian was nice and let me watch Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, it’s a Lifetime made-for-TV movie. It originally aired back in August but they had just re-run it yesterday so it was available on demand. Brian found it for me so I could watch it. My initial reaction was shock. “Does this stuff really happen in real life?” I wondered and then quickly realized that this movie is based on a true story. This stuff actually happened over a year ago. Watch the clip below for more info.
2 Comments
Vacation is Over, Back to Work Tomorrow
Posted on January 1, 2009 by Ching under Life.
Time just flew by. I can’t believe it’s time to go back to work again. I was just getting the hang of being on vacation. Ugh.
Brian and I were actually pretty productive at the beginning of our vacation. We completed the chocolate room and had carpet laid and everything. After Christmas, however, all sense of productivity went down the tubes. We just could not stay motivated.
I think part of it is that we could not find good bedroom furniture that we could afford. It really sucks to be poor. =P
Anyway, here’s a photo of Brian demonstrating the use of the multi-screwdriver torch tool — my Christmas gift to him that only cost me $10.
Comment on This
