Erica Schoenberg

Sunday Funday

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:22:13 -0700

It's funny, even though I don't have a regular 9-5 job, I still hate Mondays. I think it's a combination of my usual weekend over indulgences catching up with me and a new week of reality setting in. Yesterday was no different, but I turned my case of the Mondays in to a funday! My friend Lisa biked with me to Venice for a little retail therapy, a late afternoon cheese plate and a bottle of white wine. The beautiful weather combined with a nice beachside cruise put me a better mood almost instantly. For those in LA, make sure you try Gjelina on Abbot Kinney for great food in a super chill Venice atmosphere.

On the slightly tipsy ride back, we stopped at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey for drinks with some friends. We arrived just as a young entrepreneurs conference was finishing with Sir Richard Branson. This is a perfect example of what I love about LA - a leisurely afternoon cruise can turn into a fun and sometimes fortunate networking opportunity. We had a blast chatting with some interesting go-getters and biked home for a nightcap at my Mom's. (I really should have skipped the nightcap and had a water at that point!) Somehow, I managed to get up at 7:00 for some beach volleyball in Santa Monica, but now I'm exhausted! (Cue the afternoon java fix please!) Now I'm supposed to make a pot of coffee and play online for few hours to be extraordinarily productive, but I have been somewhat sucked into "Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" as I've written this post. (I am, by the way...)

The Poor Man's Bahamas

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:20:54 -0700

I must apologize for a few things: 1. Not updating the site very regularly and my lack of responses to your comments. 2. The fact that I probably won't answer address any of them today, but there's always tomorrow! 3. This post may come off a bit like a traveler review, but I think I should share my opinions on hotels, restaurants, etc., since I travel so much. So, Aruba - The Poor Man's Bahamas...

Seriously, that's what my little brother and partner in crime on this trip dubbed Aruba within the first 24 hours. If you've ever been to the Caribbean you probably know that all the islands are somewhat similar looking with crystal blue water, white sand beaches, etc. However, there was something lacking in Aruba and I never really pinpointed it. Perhaps it was the dated architecture that somewhat ruined the vistas or the absence of a Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons or any other luxury resort. It just didn't feel very luxurious. Now, that being said, it did feel like a party - ALL THE TIME! I think that's the allure of Aruba: the neverending Aruba Arribbas (the island's signature drink containing 7 different alcohols) and the party vibe that is evident from the minute you step off the plane! People who vacation in Aruba come to party like rock stars and maybe play a little poker... So that's what I did!

Here are a few pics from the trip

Tat Blog

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:56:02 -0700

I've been ruminating on a couple of things for the past week and it's been keeping me up at night! (Hence, writing this at 7 am!) Things I'm pondering...

1. To fly or not to fly cross-country to the Borgata this weekend. I think it would be pretty crazy to travel so far for a $3500 tournament, but apparently they are guaranteeing two million in the prize pool! (Pretty good for a small tournament.) Additional justification for the trip is that I can swing through NYC for a day, see a few friends, do some shopping, and then just take the train to A.C. On the flip side, I can stop in Ohio and see my Grandma for her 90th birthday and my brother and his family. Seems like all signs point to go, but all that travel is pretty pricey when you factor in last minute flights and hotels. The truth is, I'm a complete homebody and since I'm going to Aruba in a few short weeks, I would really like to chillax at the beach with my sweet dingoes before I jet to the Caribbean for nine days. Hmmmmm....

2. Do I get another another tattoo? WHAT?!?! I'm not a "tat" person per se and I have just one little tattoo on my foot (resulting from my slightly wild college days), BUT...I have this strange urge to get another! I've always been glad I didn't go crazy with tattoos, however, for the first time in 13 years I'm thinking of getting another. The thing is, I have a scar on my right ankle that I suddenly want to cover. I actually went to a tattoo shop on Melrose yesterday with Hollywood Dave and I really liked this vine-like cherry blossom design or perhaps a tiger/liger (LOL) or maybe some sort of Aries Ram tattoo. (I've been somewhat into astrology lately!) Decisions, decisions! Well, if I go to Borgata I will be blogging and playing online on the flight, because I reserved a seat on Virgin America, which has wireless! (Too cool!) I'm open to suggestions on the "tat" front, so feedback would be appreciated!

Bloggity

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:48:07 -0700

One of my favorite moments in every day is first thing in the morning when I drink my coffee and watch/read the news. Thanks to Time Warner Cable, my morning routine has been seriously disrupted as my @#$%#^#$ cable is out again! I have had FOUR different cable guys at my house, all of which made feeble attempts to fix the problem, but they were obviously all incompetent, since I sit here in silence! So, in descending order of hatred, these are three companies that I believe are so terrible, they should burn in a fiery blaze that will billow the dark smoke of unscrupulous morals and outright thievery. (Perhaps that's a bit dramatic, but if this shit isn't fixed by Weeds tonight, heads are gonna roll...)

RANGE ROVER I had a flossy navy blue Range with the big rims, headrest DVDs, etc., but I never got to drive it because it was ALWAYS broken down. (And they don't even give you a loaner Rover so I was usually pushing a Corolla from Enterprise about once a month...)
TIME WARNER CABLE obv. I hate to hate them so much because my Mom actually works there, but even she can't deny how lousy their service is!

T mother F'n MOBILE. I have four phone lines with this god awful cell company and after a brutal two hour call about the undeniable RAPING of their customers, I tried to cancel... and failed! Because they want $200 per line to cancel the contract that they automatically renew every time you get a new phone! Basically, I have sold my soul to T-Mobile until May of 2010 when I will walk into one lucky location and burn all of my crappy phones and then let my dog take a big crap in the middle of their store. (Someone please bail me out, because I simply must seek some sort of retribution!)

Anyway, guess I have a case of the Mondays. I think the fact that most of LA is on fire has everyone a bit on edge. Usually, when I feel like this I do some retail therapy, but I've been trying a little replacement therapy; every time I want to go shopping I force myself to win the money online first. It had been going pretty well until my last two sessions, which were fairly brutal, but I'm still up overall. For this experiment, I mostly play two tables of 3-6 NL with an ante. I like the shorthanded, deepstack ante games, because I feel like it suites my cash game style (which I'm still developing) and it seems to play a little bigger with the ante. (Duh.) I've been solely a tournament player thus far in my poker career, but now I'm really focused on becoming a better cash game player, as I've realized that's truly how to make a consistent living. I LOVE tournaments and the strategy involved, but with the high buy-ins and variance involved, it's just too difficult to count on regular tournament winnings. I think my interest has been piqued somewhat by the guys from 2 Months 2 Million. I played a little bit with Ansky (Dani Stern) for the show and I was really interested in his cash game style. I think these episodes are coming up soon, so hopefully I don't look like a total spazz! In addition to playing more cash, I'm also committed to blogging more, so check back soon. By the end of the week I hope to have posted my first ever Vlog!

I am such a lazy blogger...

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:16:43 -0700

My explanation for this is that I have a limited amount of motivation and any extra mojo I find usually goes towards the poker. So, in an attempt to be more productive I've started bribing myself. The reward system seems to going fairly well, but I think there's been a bit of an imbalance. For example, I've been rewarding myself for rather mundane chores; i.e., the other day, I spent half an hour going through the mail/bills, and then gifted myself with three hours (and many, many dollars) of shopping. Guess I need to be a little more reasonable...

My WSOP was a complete failure this year. I had just one measly cash, but built a mountain of frustration. My plan is to relax and regroup before heading to Europe in September for the events in Cannes, Barcelona and then London. I really need to work hard online until then to win some sweet moolah for the trip. As always, come play with me at fulltiltpoker.net. LOL!

I'm not the most social being, but I have been trying to get out a little more lately. I went to birthday party last night for my publicist, Lara Miller, at the Poker Listings house. (Those guys are just awesome. They won me over long ago when I noticed in their tournament coverage they were referring to David as "Mr. Erica Schoenberg".) It was a good time and I was just buzzed enough to do a few backflips on the trampoline in the backyard! So, in the past few weeks not only did I karaoke at the Lederer BBQ, but I pulled a few tumbling moves out of retirement for a cool party trick. Yeah, I'm coming out of my shell a bit! Poker News

FYI - The reward for finally writing this blog is an hour of jet skiing at Lake Mead! Yahooooo!

I am such a lazy blogger

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:24:38 -0700

FYI - The reward for finally writing this blog is an hour of jet skiing at Lake Mead! Yahooooo!

Twitter - The lazy person's micro blog

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:59:40 -0700

I must admit, I like Twitter. It's the perfect way for poker players
to provide accurate updates during tournaments and it's also a great
"hold me over" when someone is too lazy to write a full blog...(Guilty!)
So, I've been twittering like a maniac and neglecting the blog so I'm
attempting to string together all of my "tweets" into something longer
than 140 characters and hopefully more interesting!

My screen name on Twitter is "thehitwoman". I chose this new moniker
for a couple of reasons: 1. BadAssMofo was taken. (Just kidding.)
2. It's a little play on my former blackjack days, and now, my
newfound golf passion. (I used to hit soft seventeens, now I hit hard
drives...That's corny, but true!) 3. I have never liked being referred
to as "The Poker Babe". When I had my first big tournament result in
2006 they started calling me the Poker Babe and its been my nickname
ever since. Well, it's time for a new handle and a new attitude - a
fresh approach to my poker game, and life in general. I need to stop
being so nice and start being more BOLD! The website is in its
infancy, but thehitwoman.com will be walking and talking in short
order!

So, this was more than 140 characters (not much), but a little preview
of what's to come from the Hitwoman.

Feeling Like A Robot

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:39:00 -0700

Poker, golf, dogs, shopping, family, reading, TV, working out, sleeping, cooking. Lather, rinse, and repeat. (Not necessarily in that particular order.) Seriously, I'm starting to feel like a robot because if someone asked me at ANY point in my day "what are you doing, Erica" it's with 100% certainty I will say something in that lineup. (Which isn't such a bad thing, considering I truly enjoy all the activities on the aforementioned list, however, I feel like a need some excitement.) Perhaps I need a new hobby...Suggestions??? Poker Radio

I haven't been playing much poker lately, but that's all going to change tomorrow starting with the 2k at the Bellagio. I was going to play the first event today, but I need to get in a workout (SEE, it's an activity ON THE LIST) and my trainer only had time this afternoon. So, after making an appearance on the Fox MORE show tomorrow morning, I'll be heading to the Bellagio for some online poker.

I am contemplating attending the Country Music Awards this Sunday at the MGM. I really don't care for that genre of music, but one of my girlfriends dates the guitarist for Toby Keith. (It wasn't until she started seeing him that I even knew who Toby Keith was...sheesh). Anyhoo, I'm thinking that it could be a good time and something different from my usual Sunday night. (These days, the usual Sunday is generally cooking, while flipping between the NCAA and The Celebrity Apprentice. VERY exciting!)

-Erica

Doyle is TRUE Legend

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:06:25 -0700

Seriously, he is. I'm not easily impressed by celebrities (poker or otherwise), but Doyle Brunson is in a class all his own. Aside from being a true legend, he is really witty and incredibly sharp. I've witnessed Doyle's sense of humor firsthand, as I've been lucky enough to hang out with him both on the golf course AND at the poker table! (Being Mrs. B 2 U Son has a multitude of perks and getting to sweat the "Big Game" is in the top five!)

The other night I was sitting behind DB in Bobby's Room and Doyle said something that just made my day! First, it was hilarious; second, it was just plain AWESOME! He said he was reading one of my blogs and...wait...hold it right there! DOYLE BRUNSON reads my flippin blogs??? Holy shit, that made my day, month and year! OK, so I was smiling from ear to ear, when he then says, "You wrote that you either needed a sports car or to have an affair with a younger guy - what you NEED is an older man." LOL! I almost fell out of my chair! Poker News

Anyway, I'm on a serious upswing, as things seem to be going my way again! Doyle reads my blog, I've been winning and I'm working out & eating right. (Surely there's a correlation between these things.) I played three tournaments at the LAPC: $1000 NL, $1500 NL and the 10k main event. I final tabled the $1500 and got 37th in the main. I was pretty happy with that, considering I hadn't had a decent cash since the Festa Al Lago in December. I even played a couple SNG's and a little 25-50 NL on Full Tilt the other night and was two for two in the sit n go's and booked a win in the cash game! Yipee! As a reward, I am going to a Beerfest today for some empty calories and F U N!

While waiting for a friend to proof this blog (yes, I now have someone give these silly blogs a quick look since I "occasionally" write something ignorant and offensive - LOL) I discovered two gems: 1. The latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher that features Sarah Silverman (my absolute favorite comedienne). Please watch immediately! 2. The combo of the irreverent Silverman and Maher, both of whom I admire, made me feel like NEVER editing my blogs. So what if I say something impious or offensive that could be taken the wrong way?? Maybe everyone needs to loosen up a bit. Maybe they should watch this video...http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823684

DISCLAIMER - Part Deux was NOT edited!

Eastbound and Down

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:33:06 -0700

I haven't had ANY extra time to sit down to scribe a proper blog, so here's a holdover paragraph! (It's because I've been taking care of my ninety year old Grandma since the LAPC and she is a HANDFUL!) I need a minimum of thirty minutes of "Erica time" to devote to my next blog, since so much has happened in the past month. Hopefully I'll be able to crack open a Fat Tire and chill-ax tonight after I take Grams to the airport...In the meantime, watch these clips from my newest favorite TV show - Eastbound and Down on HBO. The first clip is an excerpt from the main character's (Kenny Powers) audio book and the second is a hysterical dance scene. Poker Videos.

Mid-Life Crisis Blog...

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:14:13 -0800

Actually, it's more like a tertiary life crisis, unless I'm doomed to die before I get a senior discount on my auto insurance. Anyway, this blog is becoming a real PIA (pain in the ass) and I just haven't had the mojo to write. I haven't had the mojo to do much of anything (unless you count watching seasons one and two of Lost and drinking beer "doing something"). I have been in a real funk; I'm trying to attribute it to a massive flu I got immediately following New Year's Eve (NOT a hangover, but a nasty, bed confining flu) and since then I just haven't been myself. I'm like a "blah" version of myself; it's as if I've taken some heavy downers, but not. So, I needed to do something drastic and I did...

From what I've heard, to make it a legit mid life crisis, I needed to either have a tawdry affair with a much younger man, or get a ridiculously hot sports car. Luckily for David, I chose the latter and bought a BMW 6 series convertible yesterday! It was the most impulsive thing I've done in a loooong time and it felt OUTSTANDING! Bye bye sensible soccer mom Range Rover - HELLO sexy drop top 645! It was between that and a Porsche 911, but I couldn't get my clubs in the trunk so that was a deal breaker for that car. (Plus, I think a Porsche would have been a bit too contrived.) Buying this car seems to have been the perfect catalyst for me to get the train back on the tracks, as I finally felt like playing online poker again last night and even managed to book a little win. Yahoo! I'm back! Check out the bounce back playlist below, which I made to test the stereo in the new ride - it's bangin'!

Mother - by Danzig

Luchini - by Camp Lo

Day n Nite - by Kid Cudi

Frank Sinatra - by Cake

Simple Man - by Lynyrd Skynyrd (RIP keyboardist Billy Powell, who died a few days ago.)

Make You Feel That Way - by Blackalicious

Mack 10, Mack 10 - by Mack 10

Bitch Betta Have My Money - by AMG

Man in the Box - Alice In Chains

Cocaine - Eric Clapton

Poker Radio

Fine in 09!!!

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:14:33 -0800

Happy New Year! Over the holidays (Christmakkah, for my family) I have been completely unproductive and lazy! I played online poker twice (both losing sessions), however the chat portion was pretty animated, as I started gleefully referring to myself as the "Schoenburglar"! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little buzzed when I came up with that one...) In addition to enjoying tons of quality time with my four-year-old nephew, and eating loads of artery clogging meals, I spent a lot of time playing video games with my brothers (Gears, fyi) and surfing YouTube for entertaining vids. This one's a gem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mT4jnkPnwE

I wonder where Raymond is now?

Poker Radio

Five Diamond

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:32:15 -0800

I played in the WPT Five Diamond at the Bellagio yesterday and it was quite possibly the most painful day of online poker I've ever experienced! It was a miserable six hours of missed flops and cold decks. My table was certainly not a soft one, as I had Sorel Mizzi, David "The Dragon" Pham and Robert Mizrachi as opponents. I doubt it would have mattered who filled the seats at my table, though, as I was inevitably going to die a slow and painful death during this tournament. The bleeding started when I turned trip jacks on a 3-5-J-J board only to lose to Sorel's J-3. BOO! I followed that up with a rather unlucky flop of Q-J-2 while holding the doomed J-2 in the big blind, promptly losing half my stack to Robbie's Q-2. THEN, I raised with 10-10 only to find a rather nasty flop of A-K-2. Poker Videos

The aforementioned hands are just a small sampling of the disastrous moments I endured. My day ended quite fittingly, as I picked up aces for the first time in the tournament (albeit with a whopping six big blinds left) and got it all in against David Pham's jacks. The flop? J-10-9. But wait...they were all hearts and I had the ace of hearts! Just as I started to use all my willpower to summon a heart, David hit the fourth jack on the turn, crushing my hopes for an amazing comeback! This was the point in the tournament that I REALLY wanted to pick up my chair and throw it across the room! Instead, I settled on a handshake from David (who truly is a super nice guy and a great player) before I scurried out of the Fontana Room. One of these days, though, I might just say F it, and have a foul- mouthed, chair- tossing, temper tantrum! People often comment on how well I take my beats and handle myself at the table, but I'm usually just imaging myself giving everyone the finger as I leave the room with a string of expletives flowing from my mouth...This scenario will probably (hopefully) never happen, but if it does, it will be infinitely cooler if I have a bitchin Firebird to make my exit in!

Mexico

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:33:56 -0800

Hola, from Mexico! I'm typing this blog with a green lizard (a gecko, I believe; not unlike my old Full Tilt avatar) on my right and a hummingbird in a flower on my left AND the Sea of Cortez directly in front of me! Pure heaven!

It's been an awesome trip thus far, starting with the shellacking I put on David in Chinese online poker on the flight here! He runs sooooo badly against me in Chinese - it's truly bizarre. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the rules, it's basically 13 cards for each hand, in which you set your best five card hand on the bottom, the next best five card hand in the middle, and the best three cards on top.) You can earn extra points, or royalties, for making certain hands, such as quads or straight flushes, which is where I routinely CRUSH David! He never has royalties against me and this session was not entirely different. As our plane was landing we had time for one last deal and David finally made a straight flush in one of his hands, but alas, I had quads in BOTH of my hands! I'm up 39 points, but I suppose he could make a comeback on the return flight, as I'm sure he'll want to kick up the stakes a bit! :)

I have to recommend a great book that I had time to finish, called Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen. I typically read crime novels and other thrillers, but a girlfriend raved about this comedic fiction bestseller so I gave it a try. HYSTERICAL! I laughed out loud repeatedly while finishing up by the pool (much to the chagrin of the stuffy crowd at my hotel) and actually found a phrase that was very apropos to an incident I had earlier in the trip. My Mom and I were wading around in the Sea of Cortez when we came upon a young boy and his father. The boy had a bucket of sea urchins which he had caught, one of which looked to be dying on a rock. My Mom said, "You're going to put those back, right?" and they informed us that the fish like to eat them so they were killing the urchins and putting them back in the shallow water to watch the schools of fish swarm the dead urchin. Gasp! It took all my self restraint not to snatch the bucket from the kid and empty the poor urchins back into the sea, and then smack his ignorant father over the head with it! (One more margarita and I quite possibly might have!) The 'father of the year' then went on to confirm what a dim-witted yokel he was when he said that he saw some "oriental guy" come down and catch one of the sea urchins and take it back to the resort where the staff cooked it for him. I think he was trying to defend the senseless killing he and his son were partaking in, but what he didn't realize is that killing for food is so much less offensive to me. Being the tree hugging hippie I am at heart, I don't exactly embrace slaughtering anything. But (and here's where I found the awesome line in my book) "If it dies, it fries"!

Poker Radio

My New Ride - Brand New Macbook!

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:54:34 -0800

I'm writing this from my new Macbook, which is like a spaceship, it's so foreign to me. After a lifetime of using only PC's this is a pretty big switch. Speaking of big switches, I'm not only trading up on my laptop, but am contemplating getting a new ride...

I've been a car person since I was twelve and would look at Auto Trader and other car magazines with my Dad. (It's one of the many random 'hobbies' I've picked up thanks to dear ol' Dad: horse racing, cars, blackjack, etc.) While my bankroll has fluctuated over the years, my interest in cars has remained strong. Regardless of my financial status, I've always tried to pick a car that reflects my style - which has resulted in more than a few lemons! Here's just a sampling of the jalopies I've had over the years.

1. 1987 Toyota Corolla SR5. This was my beloved first car; a 4 cylinder, manual transmission coupe. I bought a hot (directly off the back of a truck - hot) Kenwood CD player that a friend installed which, consequently, would only play certain CD's.

2. 1986 VW Cabrio. It was red with a black cloth top and would only go 65 mph before it started to shudder. This was the first car I actually paid for myself (OK, half) and was a total P.O.S. (Piece of S**t) I learned an invaluable lesson upon purchasing this clunker and that was to never, ever buy a car from a lot that is adjacent to the "Private Dancer" lounge. A good rule of thumb is to avoid, if possible, all used car lots - especially ones within spitting distance of a nudie bar!

3. 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The ironic thing about this car is that my parents got one that was the same model, but a year older and theirs ran for 200k miles - mine broke down every month. Probably because they bought theirs from a preacher and I got mine at lot near another topless bar. Just kidding, but I did buy it from a strange older gentleman who claimed to be a professional waterskier.

Those were just a few of the beaters I've had over the years, but, fortunately, I've been lucky enough to upgrade. I recently sold my Mercedes SL500 as a favor to Mr. B. David doesn't much care for my driving and was concerned with how "aggressively" I drove the SL. LOL! It wasn't a big deal, as I always felt like a bit of a "cougar" in that car anyways. Still, I miss it every day:-( Now I have a Range Rover Sport, which is OK, but it's definitely not fun to drive - I feel like a soccer mom. I think the answer is I need something fun I can drive on the weekend. I've been giving it a LOT of thought and I'm pretty sure I know what I want. Behold, the 1979 Pontiac Firebird!!! Poker TV

I've never been much for older cars and certainly not Firebirds, Camaros, etc., but the idea of tooling through my neighborhood (which is sooooo very Stepford), T-top open with some Leonard Skynard blaring has me positively GIDDY. Picture me rollin...

Went to a UFC and a Fight Broke Out!

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:38:42 -0800

I had floor seats at the Couture/Lesnar fight, but it wouldn't have mattered if I was in the rafters, since there was NOTHING to see at these fights! This was the most boring and uneventful UFC I had been to, ever! Usually I have to turn my head away at some point during a good fight, but these fights were so tame I was screaming for more blood and gore.

The coolest part of the evening was when my brother (a loud, drunk and rowdy 22 year old) started trash talking at the beginning of the Kenny Florian/Joe Stevenson contest. Unbeknownst to us, Kenny's cousin and friend were seated directly in front of us, a fact we found out when Alex called Florian something that rhymes with "maggot". Oops! The two Florian fans immediately turned around with a WTF and a proposition for a fight of their own.

My brother is a definitely a brawler and rather than back down he continued to goad the K Flo contingency by saying things like Florian is a bitch, he looks like Zoolander, etc...

Blue Steel

Alex really hit the ball out of the park when during the fight, Kenny's supporters yelled something about the Boston Tea Party Massacre (since Boston is Kenny's hometown) and my brother adjusted that by saying it was really the "Boston Tea-BAG Party"...People were laughing at that one eight rows up! Game over! Poker Radio

Now, a more refined Erica is off to play golf with David, Patrik and Mikko. I doubt the trash talking will get as colorful as my brother's, but I am known to try and meddle with the boys heads! Trip report to follow..

Rat-tail Shootout

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:10:13 -0800

I played in an 18 person 10k tournament at the Hard Rock this past weekend, with the likes of Nelly, Hevad Khan, Barry Greenstein, Grinder and a few other pros. It was a shootout formation where the winner of each table got 50k and the runner up got his/her buy-in back. I put a pretty sick beat on Nelly when I rivered a straight to crack his aces. (I had to fight the urge to say "It's getting hot in herrrrrre..." I'm really glad I elected to say nothing.) After that double up I was pretty sure I would win the table, but alas, I got third, which paid zippo! Poker can be so brutal - it's the third time I've bubbled a tournament in the last few months.

In a completely unrelated, but funny story, I have to describe the pool repair guy who's at my house right now. David and I have a gigantic "Pirates of the Caribbean" themed pool in our back yard. And while it's very cool, it is also a complete money pit - there's always something wrong with it. Like now, there's a leak somewhere that my normal pool guy couldn't find so referred me to a 'leak detection' company. After contacting Leak Pro, this guy shows up at my house today with not only with a rattail*, but a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He continued to revolt me when he started looking at the pool and bent down right in front of me with a stained tee shirt that was too, too short thus revealing about 5 inches of 'leak detection' asscrack. I threw up in my mouth a bit. It was pretty sweet that he kept calling me "young lady" as if he was actually quite refined, despite the repugnant exterior. I'm not buying it...Anyway, this young lady is playing the FTOPS on Full Tilt in a few hours, so I'm going to try and erase that image from my head and play some good online poker!

*rattail - a hairstyle that is a hybrid of the mullet, characterized by a long 'tail' of hair growing from the back of the head. It's hysterical. See photo below. Poker News

Happy Halloween!

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:13:34 -0700

Happy Halloween! Here's me - a bee!

Here are my sidekicks - Superdog Mundo and Jerry the Rapper!

We've been enjoying screwdrivers and Snickers all night (which will surely haunt me later) while passing out candy to the ridiculously cute kids in my neighborhood! (I'm not sure their parents appreciate the booze on my breath!) David and I were invited to a few parties in town, but I think I'll barely make it to 10 o'clock! I tried to get David to dress up, but in the end he went as a tilted professional online poker player... Poker Videos

20th is the New 1st

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:07:54 -0700

20th is the new 1st. Ok, not really, but it's the place I finished in the Bellagio's Festa Al Lago tournament. I was disappointed I didn't make it deeper, but still pretty happy with my play for the most part. I really enjoyed this tournament and was much more relaxed at the table than usual. Day one was fun and interesting with Mr. B sitting to my right for most of the five levels. He managed to embarrass me a couple of times, but I still enjoyed having him at the table.

I just got home from playing a quick nine at Bear's Best with David, Patrik and Patrik's friend Mikko. It was a great time, and I played fairly decent - I even managed to beat the boys on the 6th hole! This is no small feat, since they are all much better golfers than I. Mikko is a complete beast who drives the ball 320 yards and Patrik is not exactly a slouch, either! And while Mr. B is a bit out of shape, he is still an all around great athlete and will soon be taking all their money on the course! (That will be tough, however, if Patrik continues to make shots like the 90 yard pitch he sank on the 9th hole!) Poker Radio.

I'm going keep this short because I want to relax before playing in tomorrow's event at Caesar's. However, before I sign off, I would like to issue a warning to the faithful readers of this blog - If you're movie person, like me, avoid Max Payne at all cost! I went to see this "film" last night and could not have been more disappointed! It was without a doubt the biggest piece of garbage I've seen in a while. Mark Wahlberg should have stuck it out with the Funky Bunch. (But I do love me some Entourage!)

Top 5 things I miss about the U.S.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:10:16 -0700

After spending almost two months in Europe I was soooo homesick that I spent a fair amount of time ruminating on what I missed most about the U.S. I found this list on a napkin from a brasserie in Paris where I spent over an hour downing Kir Royales and pining for home.

5. Target. (Pronounced "Tar-jay", of course.) Europe doesn't have anything remotely close to my favorite discount superstore which means +1 for America. Where else can you get mascara, a power drill and a box of Swiss Cake Rolls at 9 p.m. on a Sunday?

4. Speaking English. Even though my French is fairly decent, I occasionally make mistakes that can be rather embarrassing. Like the time I tried to tell a friend of David's father that he didn't look his age (69) and instead I asked him if he liked to 69...

3. Golf. Holy cow, I can't imagine how much my swing has suffered these past few months. I didn't swing a club ONCE the entire time I was over there and I missed playing SO much. It's amazing how much nine holes of golf just a couple times a week enriches my life. (That's corny, but true.) Golfing allows me to spend time with my Mom, Dad and David all at once doing something we all love. (Not to mention it's also totally acceptable to drink heavily while playing which can certainly up the fun factor.)

2. Showtime. I missed the last two episodes of Weeds and the season premieres of both Dexter and Californication, which was terribly sad for me. This is my trifecta of TV viewing pleasure and it was seriously missed. (On the plus side, I have so much good material tivoed right now that it'll take me at least a month to catch up!)

1. Family. I missed my folks and brothers dearly, but I absolutely ached for my dogs! I mean, look at these guys...

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