Back to School!

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the USC Trojans football game at the Coliseum. This was my first taste of a major college football game (no, Aztec games do not count) and boy was I impressed! I have been to many pro football games, but even those pale in comparison to overall experience you get when attending a big-time college game.

To steal from the Padres pre-game radio show, I give you my THREE UP and THREE DOWN from my Saturday spent at USC.

Divorced ‘Til February?

This must be how my wife feels this time of year. Sundays become about church and football. I am an admitted sports fanatic and no sport is more exciting than football. Maybe it is the short 16 week season and the importance that goes along with each game. Maybe it is the game itself; fast-paced and hard-hitting. But most likely it is the coinciding fantasy football season that seperates this time of year from any other.

Fantasy football makes me smile….and my wife cringe. It puts me, the fan, in the driver seat of a football franchise, allowing me to draft my own team, make trades, set my lineup for optimal performance and watch my team crush the competition each and every Sunday. All this is done in place of the precious family time I no longer have room for. Why would I let something like this come between my family and I? Well here is why!

H.O.R.S.E. Poker Tournament August 25th 2007(DATE CHANGED)

Hello All,
 
I am planning a poker tournament for Saturday night 8-25-07 at 6:30PM
 
Let me know if you can make it. Here are the details:

Practice! We Talkin Bout Practice!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Chargers training camp session. As big a Charger fan as I am, this was my first time actually attending their training camp. I had always been sceptical about the event, always thinking it would be boring, not much to see, etc… However, I must say I was pleasantly suprised and had a great time and it did well to get me very excited about the upcoming season.

For those out there who are debating whether they should spend an afternoon watching football players practice, I give you my top 4 observations from my time at Chargers training camp.

Man vs. Machine

Phil “The Unabomber” Laak and Ali Eslami (poker pros) recently took on a sophisticated poker software program in an interesting test match.

You can read the article here.

The poker pros managed to eek out a slim victory this time around, but everyone seems to think the time is coming when computer programs will be able to consistenly “outsmart” us humans.

The point of the excercise was to create more intellegent software that could aid the human thought process in the future but at what cost?

You paid $20 for What!

ESPN is broadcasting the final table of the WSOP this year live on pay-per-view for $19.95. This may seem like a lot of money to pay to watch poker. I would agree.  I mean, you could watch it for free in a few months anyway, right? Well a loyal reader got me thinking, is this the worst way to spend $20? If not, what are the 5 worst things to do with $20?  So off the beaten poker path we go and without further adieu, I give to you my TOP 5 WORST THINGS TO DO WITH $20….

Sticky Situations at The Ranch

I played a long session last night (sleep deprived as usual) and it definitely had its share of very interesting situations as table was action oriented. I am going to pick a few key hands that came up and let the loyal readers make their decisions before I share the decisions I made.

The WSOP Main Event is Here!

This week thousands have gathered in Las Vegas for the chance to take home millions in prize money and the coveted gold bracelet. Last year’s winner, Jaime Gold, took home 12 million for his first place finish.

 You say, why do I care about a bunch of guys and girls I have never heard of, from places I have never heard of, playing a game I do not understand?

Bluff the River?

                                      Setting:

Ocean’s Eleven Casino, Oceanside

Game:

$2\$3 No-Limit Hold ‘Em $300 max buy-in

Pertinent stack sizes:

The villain- slighty over $300, myself- around $200

Scenario:

I am in the Big Blind the action is folded around to the button who raises to $15. I defend my blind and make the call with QsJs.

WHY?

Poker is NOT gambling.

 Just wanted to get that out of the way first. This site is not about gambling, but about a game of skill in which the score is kept with money.