October 17, 2023

  • On a run

    These are my finishes during the previous season in my Monday night poker tournament.

    Week 1: 10th of 14, 4th to be knocked out, zero knock outs

    Week 2: 1st of 16, won it, 5 knock outs

    Week 3: 9th of 17, 9th to be knocked out, 1 knock out

    Week 4: 1st of 15, won it, 5 knock outs

    Week 5: 11th of 15, 5th to be knocked out, zer0 knock outs

    Jackpot Week: 1st of 19, won it, 5 knock outs

    I had the largest accumulated points (62) on the season, so I started with Jackpot week with the largest bonus chip stack. I managed to build a formidable stack by the time the tables condensed to one. But there was a the time during three-way action when I had less than the big blind left. Double up, then triple up, and after that, I was too strong to automatically buffalo. One of the best hands from the season was my A-K on the button. After four limped in, I put the price to play at around four times the big blind. I got four stubborn callers, the big blind and three of the limpers. I was not excited, until the flop dropped a 7-A-A. It checked around to me and I doubled my bet from before. Fold, fold, doubling raise, fold, to me. I was cursing my shitty luck for probably running into A-7, or more vexing, someone who called those raises with pocket sevens. Of course, I am not folding three Aces with a King kicker. At least not yet. Or fucking never, because fourth street was a big fat bastard of a King. Even better, my caller went All-in which I snap-called, picturing those three sevens finding their buddy on Fifth Street. My relief was immediate when I saw the opponent's A-Q hit the table. I was a big stack consuming another big stack and some juicy pre-flop calls. Rarely does a poker hand come together so completely.

    When it was all tallied up, I won the first place money for the Jackpot week, which was augmented by the weekly rake from the season, plus my high-loser (A-A-A-Q-Q) hand managed to hang on for four weeks, so I was paid out for that, plus I was the target of the knock out bounty for the week (having the most accumulated points up to that point of the season), so winning allowed me pocket the uncollected bounty on my head. All this happened on a season where the buy-in had been raised 33%. Inflation, don't you know. So, all-in-all, I finished last season on a great rush.

    Tonight, a new season started. I had no delusions of equaling my previous performance, however, I did stick with my commitment not to piss away chips when I knew better. I also doubled-down on my plan to over-bet consistently to punish the hanger-ons and pry their straight-and-flush-seeking hands from the cliff's edge. That reminds me: Tonight, on back-to-back hands, I took suited cards through a gauntlet of heavy-betting to suck out on the River. It was recklessly wonderful. When it was all said-and-done, I scooped another tourney win tonight. 1st of 13 with five knockouts. I will be the bounty again, next week. Hope to keep riding the wave.

    Cy, I will respond to the restaurant questions soon. I just haven't had the heart or time to rebuild the rant you set me on with those questions. I will say that I resurrected Hungry Howie's from the Never Again because I needed a change of pace (it has since been put in Siberia status, maybe to finally die forever). It had to have been over a year, and I bet more like three, since I telephoned the local Howie's. When I gave the guy my order, he asked, "Is this Cyrus?" Yes it is. Yes it is. I bet there are at least six pizza places in my vicinity that have my mobile number in their system under the name "Cyrus", no last name. For sure Palermo's and Jets. Peppino's and Lombardo's are highly likely, but I am not sure if they keep a database as such. Plus I rarely use their services, but more often than Howie's, so probably. There is a Cottage Inn in Southfield that has me in the book as "Cyrus". Marco's on Port Sheldon for sure. And whenever I am at franchise location, I never miss an opportunity to see a Starbucks employee's interpretation of the spelling of "Cyrus". Weirdest started with an "S", had a double "R", and put the "Y" where the "U" should have been. She had asked me how to spell it, and I responded, "With a 'Y'." I usually say, when asked, "Just like it sounds." That generates the bulk of my mirth.

    On an unrelated note, I went into the Cabella's Bass Pro only because I found out via telephone (having to re-dial five times to get answered by the relevant department) that they were in possession of a couple new FN 510 Tactical firearms at a reasonable price. That place is depressing like an Indian casino with no poker room. After standing at the counter for a few minutes, I assessed that the idiots at the counter ratio to the yokels milling about the floor was tilted against getting any quick resolution to my firearm buying urge. I then watched a guy shoot the QR code on a sign next to the counter. According to the sign, I had to shoot that with my phone to stand in line for service. Fuck QR codes generally, and theirs most specifically. I walked into the used section to find a Fudd that possibly would be anti-technology to assist me the old-fashioned way: by getting the fucking gun out of the vault and selling it to me. My hopes were squashed when the Fudd explained I had to sign in on some shit Apple pad and the line was something like 14 at the moment. Fuck YOU! I'll let the Mom-and-Pop take my order and then wait at home for them to call me when it arrives at the store before I sign up in your electronic queue behind a line of shit-sippers that want their new scope mounted to their deer gun. A goddam Friday evening and they cannot staff the place so a person trying to purchase a thousand dollars worth of bear-stopper doesn't have to stand waiting for an hour? Talk about restaurants on the Dead to Me list, fuck Bass Pro's Cabella's train wreck as a Dead to Me retailer. When will we get Amazon shipping same-day firearms? Don't get me started on the bullshit rule twisting the ATF has done with 80%ers.