THE PERSISTENT IRRITATION

God and roulette

Having re-read the chapter on gambling, I’m reminded of a joke.

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After a week of bad bets in Las Vegas, Peter is down thousands of dollars. Weeping as he goes to bed, he prays to God for a miracle. Later, fast asleep, he is awakened by a voice.

“Peter, It’s God. I’ve come to help you."

Peter jumps from his bed. “Thank you, Lord! You’ve answered my prayers. What should I do?"

“Gather all the money you have.”

Peter grabs his coat and rushes out his hotel room and finds an ATM. He withdraws everything from his account, right down to the last nickel. He asks God what to do next.

“Go to the casino.”

Peter rushes to the casino. When he arrives, God tells him:

“Go to the roulette table."

Peter approaches the first roulette table he sees.

“Put all of the money on number 14.”

Peter puts all of the money on the number. The dealer looks at Peter, then spins the wheel. The ball circles around and finally lands. “35, black,” calls the dealer.

“F**k.”

Bootsy Collins, Rocco Prestia and... Peter S.?

Peter S. has an amusing blog entry (and even more amusing video) of life in the rhythm section.

For those who don't know, Peter has also added "best-selling author" to his list of achievements. "The Book of Vice" is his exploration into indulgence, deceit, and pay-to-play nudity. Think of it as life in the fast lane from the perspective of a courteous driver.

Check it out when you get the chance.

999,999 plus you

Senator Obama is just a few people shy of having one million supporters. Now is your chance to get in on the ground floor before this campaign really takes off. From an email I received from the campaign earlier today:

Christopher --

We learned something extraordinary since I wrote to you last night.

We've crunched all the numbers and discovered that we are within striking distance of something historic: one million people donating to this campaign.

Think about that ... nearly one million people taking ownership of this movement, five dollars or twenty-five dollars at a time.

We're already more than 900,000 strong, including over half-a-million donating so far this year. This unprecedented foundation of support has built a campaign that has shaken the status quo and proven that ordinary people can compete in a political process too often dominated by special interests.

Unlike Senator Clinton or Senator McCain, we haven't taken a dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. Our campaign is responsible to no one but the people.

One million donors would be a remarkable feat -- something that's never been done before in a presidential primary and something no one ever thought would be possible for us. And your generosity made it possible.

But it's going to take an incredible organizing effort to bring in 100,000 new donors before March 4th.

If you haven't already done so, please donate via my Obama fundraising website, listed on the links on the left side of this site or by clicking here.

It doesn't take much... $25, $10, even $5 will work. C'mon, you know you want to.

Bring back our democracy?

I don't know if this was campaign-endorsed. Let me know if you can watch it without squirming.

Rules in review II

Jeff H. brings up a good question:

Rules are good. What about raises? The topic comes up, but to my knowledge has never been straightened out. Is there a minimum raise, and if so, when and how much?

Many of the Ranckle Poker League rules come from to Robert's Rules of Poker which states:

6. Any wager must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise in that round, unless a player is going all-in.

Historically, RPL officials have referred to a modified rule that requires that the initial raise be equal to or greater than the initial bet. After that, bets of any amount are allowed.

The intent of the rule is to speed up the game. After all, a $1 raise on a $5 bet isn't going to shake anyone out;  it simply delays flipping the next community card.

I like this modified rule because it is easy to enforce while achieving the desired effect. All in favor or making this law (and enforcing it), please weigh in accordingly.

Rules in review

We live in a society. And with society comes rules. Lots and lots of rules. And when it comes to the Ranckle Poker League, we need even more.

A quick review of some of the house rules by which we should all be abiding.

1. Players must keep visible their high denomination chips. This is a standard casino regulation. Until otherwise noted, we'll call this the Pedro amendment.
2. No more re-buys after the dollar game. We  just  instituted this rule last week and I think it worked out  well. Let me know if you disagree. Until otherwise noted, we'll call this the Steve-O amendment.
3. Try  not to chat about the cards when you're not in the hand. This is to say, no discussion
on what's out on the table or speculation on what hands could be made from it. We've been pretty good with this one lately, but it always bears repeating. Until otherwise noted, we'll call this the Peter S. amendment.

As you know, these rules are for your safety and for the safety of those around you. Thank you for your compliance.

Just pick one

In Wisconsin, Obama tells it as it is.

Barack Obama is no Packers fan, even in G.B.

by John McCormick

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In political theater, it was as predictable as the sun coming up -- an equally predictable analogy.

Within two minutes of taking the stage here this evening at the Kress Center arena, Sen. Barack Obama (of Chicago) made a Bears-Packers joke, as he made note of Green Bay Packer Brady Poppinga in the audience as a supporter.

"It is hard for a Packer to support a Bears fan," the Illinois Democrat said, triggering some boos. "But you would not want some guy to come up here and say he was a Packers fan, when he's a Bear's fan….You gotta stick with your team, even when they don't break 500, even when they don't make the playoffs, even when they make you tear your hair out."

Contrast this to Hillary's response to a similar situation.

Mrs. Clinton Takes Middle Ground: She Roots for Subway Series

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Published: October 14, 1999

The Mets were battling for the National League pennant in Atlanta. The Yankees were going up against the Red Sox in the Bronx. And Hillary Rodham Clinton was here in Westchester County today for a news conference devoted to epidemiology, when what is arguably the most difficult question any candidate in New York could confront this fall whizzed toward her head:

The Yankees or the Mets?

The answer, it seems, is both.

''I am for a Subway Series!'' the First Lady, who is a probable candidate for the United States Senate, declared. ''I can state that without fear of any contradiction. I think it would be great for New York and hope it comes to pass.''

When I was knocking on doors for Obama in Iowa, I used this Mets/Yankees story to illustrate why Clinton will say anything to get elected. Had she gone with the Mets, she would have been praised by their fan base and scorned by Yanks fans. Same thing if she would have gone with the Yanks. Either way, she would have been appreciated for taking a position.

I suspect the real truth is that she doesn't follow baseball at all. And hey, that would have been fine, too. But  c'mon, political strategy shouldn't dictate your  every move. The middle ground gets you nowhere.

 

Re raised

Jim McManus is the latest to investigate Obama's tendencies toward poker. But fans of the P.I. know that I stole it first.

Ben M. wins, Jeff H. remains on top

Ben M. eliminated eight opponents to take victory in Friday's tournament, while Jeff H.'s second place finish kept him on top of the leaderboard. Brent C. rounded out the money winners in third.

Ben played a superb end game, keeping a low profile and striking hard when he had the opportunity. When it finally got down to heads up action, Ben M. had a slight lead over Jeff H., who was fresh off a big win in Las Vegas the weekend before.

A few rounds of back and forth and it came down to this flop:

Jeff checks with As7h so Ben hides in the weeds with KhQc. Fourth street hits 6s and Jeff thinks his ace will take it. He goes all; Ben calls immediately. The river brings junk and Ben brings it on home with two pair.

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While Jeff H. continues to dominate the league with 25 percent of gross earnings, a look at the numbers shows that the league has become increasingly more competitive since last year.

There have been six different winners in the first six games of the season. Nine out of sixteen players have finished in the money. Both Brent C. (#2) and Josh A. (#3) are a win away from overtaking Jeff H., and seven players are less than $300 behind the leader.

Ben won without a re-buy to take home $180, the second largest payout this year. The league's record payout of $192 was won by Brent C. in October. To date, pots have averaged slightly more than $250 per game.

Yes we can