Dead Money w/ Dan Arfin

After being issued one of the most devastating psychological the day before and sleeping very little the ensuing night, I still wanted some Halloween action. So I played some 1/3 at the Aria...great idea.

But I at least did have the honor of fulfilling the request and meeting a couple of fans who were in town for the weekend.

We expect the fish to do fishy things. We seethe when it works out for them, but we also remember we depend on them doing the fishy things that they did. So we're still glad they did it. What tilts me like no other is when a REG does something fishy, but thinks it's correct. And remains oblivious as to just how bad they played.

These are the hand history highlights from the last couple days. I've been getting to the end of my rope more and more these last few months, and it's just been more of the same. Has the straw finally broken the camel's back???

With the Bellagio offering double comp rates between 2 and 10 AM, thus putting me just a few hours away from having enough comp dollars to go get the brunch buffet in the morning, I showed up just to fulfill the time I needed at 1/3. Never particularly shockingly during these ungodly hours, when I showed up, it was slow moving, chaotic, and drunken. But the young woman on my right appeared coherent. And then I thought maybe she liked me. Then I figured out she probably doesn't. But I still chose to proceed as if she did...since...just in case...well, either way it's a story.

Some interesting hands to talk about from this session. Including me FINALLY giving in and playing a few double board PLO bomb pots.

Since I haven't played a lot since the end of June, this current downswing feels a hell of a lot longer than it's actually been. For example, playing 200 hours over 6 months will not feel anywhere close to the same if it was only 2 months. Of course, losing is part of why I'm playing so little of late anyway. It's dejecting, and who the hell wants to play poker when you're just down on how things have been running? I've always been the type who plays a lot when he's winning. There's water in the well, so I keep going back. But when the well dries up, it tends to take me longer to get through it all because I start playing less. Which obviously means there are more days where you wake up and remember that poker isn't so much fun at present. So it's a bit of a double edged sword. But I prefer to take my time when poker is being unkind. Trying to rush yourself out of a losing spell leaves you highly susceptible to compounding how poorly things are already going, and that type of risk just isn't worth it to me. Here are the hand history highlights from the previous week...

The Wynn was the last major strip poker room to fall and has recently implemented the double board PLO bomb pots on every dealer change. Most people are down to play, but I am not. Much to the chagrin of one obnoxious reg. And then there was that dealer taking not getting tipped quite personally by short pitching the cards on the next hand...beautiful...

Recap this week's hand history highlights as well as touching on some spiritual concepts....

This a special edition podcast of Dead Money. No poker this time, strictly about baseball. As a bloodhound fan for decades, I have been screaming my head off for years praying for the day that Major League Baseball EVER wakes up and stops letting fans sit right on top of both the outfield fences, and along the rails going down the left and right field lines. They are in a prime position to interfere with the game, and that has no place in any sporting event no matter what level it's being played at. There's a rule called Fan Interference....except the question is not, "What is Fan Interference?" The question is, why do we need a rule for fans interfering with the game in the first place????

It's a rare golden opportunity when you get to play with a guy that doesn't fold pre flop ever. You start to get spoiled by it and want to start demanding someone do this every day. But nothing is free. And nothing is ever easy in poker. Adjusting to someone playing this way is also going to be a bit difficult just by virtue of the fact you're so rarely in this situation. And if you don't do it properly, you can end up playing just as badly as the whale. Highlights from other recent 2/5 sessions as well...

Bizarre sleep patterns led to an early morning arrival at the Wynn, followed by an all morning disaster requiring swift resilience to try and fight out of the hole all afternoon. All sorts of argumentative characters were on hand. And they were all fellow New Yorkers...

In the midst of what has been a recent brutal run, I decide to close out year 6 since my return to poker with a mere few hours of 1/3. I was met with one of the most vicious roller coasters of a session I've ever had in terms of big blinds. But that wasn't enough. Along the way, I had to listen to Forrest Gump level analysis of hands, and was even questioned by a spectator as to what I was doing with my phone...god oh mighty...

Played an impulsive session Monday afternoon when the Wynn 2/5 was surprisingly busy. These are the hand history highlights as the struggle continues. That doesn't necessarily mean I lost money...but my goodness...no matter how many years you've been playing, you really wonder sometimes just what the hell does it take to go a couple days, or god forbid even a couple HOURS without the deck completely violating you?