Empty Pockets

Running Bad

earache — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:11:07 +0000

The last few days in Vegas have been a seriously rough and humbling journey. My ass has been kicked, my face rubbed in a giant pile of humility, my ego dented beyond recognition. I am running bad. I could regale you with some fairly dazzling bad beat stories – but we’ve heard them all before anyways. [...]

Filthy Dirty

earache — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:33:50 +0000

I wish I could take a bath in Purell™. I’m standing on the end of a two day session of filthy dirt in the mecca of degenerates- Atlantic City – and still trying to make sense of it all. We’re on the Atlantic City Expressway when the AC skyline comes to view over the horizon. Half [...]

Gotham City Sessions I

earache — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:20:59 +0000

It’s a quarter to ten and I’m standing in the dingy vestibule of an old brownstone somewhere in soho. The routine is always the same. I ring the buzzer, the intercom crackles and I’m asked my name and told to stand in front of the camera. I oblige, telling them my name for the 10th time [...]

Empty Pocket Tee’s and Panties

earache — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:59:41 +0000

New stuff in the store:

What’s your most memorable hand?

dongkhee — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:18:37 +0000

For most players, there’s a turnaround hand that launches him or her down the path of poker for life. It’s something like an epiphany where a sudden clarity of purpose, a meaning to it all, a reason for waking up, breathing and buckling your belt, lands on top of your head like a milky gob [...]

The Power of Negative Thinking

earache — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:04:04 +0000

I should have known that writing an article about sliding into the gutter was a signal that today in Atlantic City was going to be a total wreck. In some ways it actually worked out well for me – if you look beyond the $800 hit to my bankroll – because it put me right in [...]

Preparing for Disasters

earache — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:04:42 +0000

If there is one universal truth, it is this: All good things will eventually come to an end.

Anyone who has played for awhile can tell you of long barren stretches of ice cold cards, stabbing turns, demolishing rivers and degree all-in moments that - upon their conclusion - have you waving goodbye to everyone at the table as you slump off to some corner to weep like a baby. Jesus, is there anything worse than standing up from a table empty handed?

Lesson One: You are not as good as you think (Part 1)

flushednuts — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:27:10 +0000

So you can wreck your home game. And when you hit the local card room, by playing super tight against the degenerates, you can scrape out a buck or two. But what happens when you sit at a table and can't find the fish? Do you stubbornly sit there trying to beat the game or will your ego let you admit YOU are the fish that these sharks have been waiting for? A big, big, HUGE part of poker is game selection. It's probably the second thing you need to learn after hand selection. So what are some tell-tale signs that you might be in over your head?

Flying Solo

earache — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:47:29 +0000

Dave had to head back to San Francisco, leaving me to fend for myself. I was initially hesitant, playing with a buddy is really the best way to go. You can protect each other in multi-way action, you can do some sick post game analysis and just sounding ideas on betting, constructing table image and what not always push the game to that next level.

Upping The Game

earache — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:46:54 +0000

I fell in love today. Her name is 2/5 No Limit Hold 'Em and she is beautiful. I had always been sheepish around her. Flirtive glances here and there; always considering her beauty from afar. I'd often daydream of the time when we'd finally meet, but - to be honest - I always thought I wasn't good enough for her. I always thought she required more than I could give. She also seemed a little bit like a gold digger, and I wasn't sure my ATM card could carry the weight.