THE PERSISTENT IRRITATION

A neat trick

Consider the following tournament scenario:

1. You are in middle position with a pretty good stack (which is to say, not short stacked)

2. You get a few limpers on your right

3. You have an Ace with a middle kicker or a suited King and middle kicker

A good strategy is to go all-in. This gives you a good opportunity to steal the blinds and all those bets that limped in before you. As for the people on your left, they'll want to steer clear because the pot odds don't make it worth it unless, of course, they have a high pair or big slick. When I am considering this play, I pay attention to the people on my left, to see if there are any indications that they have a hand worth keeping. 

Suppose I'm in the fifth seat, blinds are $5-10 and two people limp in in front of me. There's $35 in the pot. Suppose I have A-9 and a $175 stack and raise all-in. The action comes to you and you're holding 8-8. 

Do you want to make that call? Sure, you're a 3:2 favorite, but is that enough for you to risk your whole stack? And besides, what if I really have a higher pair, or someone else to your left has a better pair? Then you're really in trouble.

I used this play a few times during Game 11, much to the frustration of the people on my right. People knew I didn't have a made hand, but neither the blinds nor the limpers wanted to challenge it. It just wasn't worth it.

In fact, in one instance I did this with A-9 off-suit. The all-in bet pushed Jeff H. out of the hand, and he was on the button with A-10. So, when used correctly, the system works. Give it a shot next time you have th opportunity.

This is our moment. This is our time.

Courtesy of the Obama campaign:

Viva Pedro!

Sorry for the delay.... computer problems kept me from posting this earlier. Hats off to Pedro for a big win against eight others in Game 11 of the 2007-2008 season. This is the second time he's bested Jeff H. in heads up action.

Spiral Jetta - the novel

 

Here at the PI, not only do we play good poker; we also edit critically acclaimed documentaries, create music, solve the mysteries of the universe and occasionally perform comedy in international waters.

Although she has never joined us at the table (in her defense, I don't think she was ever invited), author Erin Hogan and friend of the PI deserves high praise for her upcoming book, set to be released in coming weeks.

Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West explores massive art installations that were created in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as smaller-scale but equally impressive neuroses that the author presumably developed around the same time.

In an age where people can't go to Target without using a GPS system, Hogan travels with only the vaguest idea of where she's going. Most of her destinations are far off the beaten path, with remarkably little written about how to get there. While some may rely on geological surveys to find their way, Hogan instead pursues the more urban approach of driving up and down the same stretch of road until the threat of rain makes it not worth the effort. Besides, it's getting late and there are cocktails to be had.

Despite her efforts, Hogan manages to find several impressive installations on her list, including Lightning Field in New Mexico, Double Negative in Nevada, and Spiral Jetty in Utah. An art historian by training, Hogan mixes scholarship and personal experience to describe these amazing and sometimes not-so-amazing pieces of work. Heavy on self-deprecation and light on pretension, Hogan makes western land art a worthwhile destination for anyone in need of a road trip.

Erin also uses this trip to conquer fears of solitude, the unknown, and general disorder that she has successfully avoided while living in the city. While she proves victorious (evidenced by her ability to navigate dirt roads, steal wi-fi from hotels, and chat up drunks), one imagines her returning home relatively unaffected by the adventure. Hogan buys the American myth of rugged individualism, but she's held onto the receipt so she can return it as soon as she gets home to civilization.

Check it out if you can.

At the Death House Door

Erstwhile player Aaron W. has a new project.

"At the Death House Door" premieres this weekend at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and will run on the Independent Film Channel later this month. From the Chicago Reader:

Few talking-head documentaries have glued me to my seat like this Kartemquin feature about the Reverend Carroll Pickett, who served as chaplain to 95 Texas inmates as they awaited execution by lethal injection. Pickett recorded his impressions of each inmate's last day on cassette tapes, excerpted here, and his interviews show a loving and thoughtful man's gradual transformation from advocate to vocal opponent of the death penalty. Directors Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Peter Gilbert (With All Deliberate Speed) also focus on inmate Carlos DeLuna, who was almost certainly innocent of the crime for which he was put to death in 1989 (suffering horribly in a botched procedure). The intersecting stories of Pickett and DeLuna show that capital punishment exacts a toll not only on its victims but on its perpetrators. 98 min. James and Gilbert will take part in a discussion after the Saturday screening. -- J.R. Jones

Check it out if you can.

And now we have Tom Hanks

Superdelegates take note:

 

The junior Jedi from Illinois

Holy crap is this excellent.

Watching for Pigs on the Wing

Roger Waters weighs in on the democratic primary during his performance at Coachella Music Festival. From the AP.

.. Waters' biggest prop was an inflatable pig the size of a school bus that emerged while he played a version of "Pigs" from 1977's capitalism critique, "Animals."

The pig, which was led above the crowd from lines held on the ground, displayed the words "Don't be led to the slaughter" and a cartoon of Uncle Sam wielding two bloody cleavers. The other side read "Fear builds walls."

The underside of the pig simply read "Obama" with a checked ballot box alongside.

 

Moving Day

Peter S. proved victorious at Game 10 of the the 2007-2008 poker season, winning $180 and moving into ninth place in the overall standings.  Brent C.'s second place finish bumped him up to the number three slot, ahead of Chris L. and just behind second seeded Ben M. Roderick D. rounded out the money winners in third.

More importantly, the whisky co-op is taking root, with Brent C. making the latest contribution. Hopefully others will add to the pot in coming weeks and months.

Recipe Gate hits home

Not a lot of time to post today, but I gotta get this out to the masses (which means all 11 of you who read this site).

From the Huffington Post:

This past Sunday, Lauren Handel, an eagle-eyed attorney from New York, was searching for a specific recipe from Giada DeLaurentis, a chef on the Food Network. Yet whenever she Googled the different ingredients in the recipe, the oddest thing happened: not only did the Food Network's site come up, as expected, but so did John McCain's campaign site.

Turns out she also pilfered a recipe from the wife of Jimmy S.