Campfire Stories

The Great 2008 Road Trip, Days 5-8

1867.4 Miles Into the Trip... Wow this has been a fun journey. I am finally at the point in a long road trip, or long anything really, where the days melt into each other and the distractions of daily life fade into forgetfulness. We are on a journey, much like life, that never has a fixed destination. We're not going somewhere on this trip, the trip is where we're going. It's a beautiful feeling and the state of mind that I wish to live the rest of my life like. Living for the moment, living for now, and thus thoroughly enjoying the beautiful details of every moment of these nameless days I am living.

Besides that, I've been grinding. A lot. I averaged about 10 hours a day for the last four days while Tiffany has been riding, but really I shoulda stuck to writing these last four days. I was super psyched for Sunday and even brought my laptop to breakfast to make sure I was in time for the 100r and Brawl at 11am Western time. Well, before I even made it out of breakfast I busted with JJ on an AJx flop vs. the big blind that check/called a 3/4 pot bet on the flop and then did the same on the 9 turn and then check-jammed the K river which I obviously fist-pump snap-called only to be shocked that the chips were going that way to his QTo. Whatever. I had the worst Sunday I have ever head until about 5pm when I started rolling in the FTP 750k, Mulligan, Stars 2nd Chance, and the 100r. I had huge chip stacks in all of those tourneys but ended up getting effed in all three losing pots as 3-1 favorites for top 5 chipstacks. I only made the money in the 750k taking like 106th, but the day still cost me $2500 plus $1500 cash where I got horribly unlucky also.

Monday... Sweet! FTP 1k! Nope. 10 mins in playing 10-20 a dude opens for 70, I flat right behind him with JJ, heads up flop of QJx and we go bust to QQ. Oh, but to not despair. In three other tourneys I busted getting it in with the nuts of top set vs flush draws, and then I got it in with an open-ended straight flush draw with two overs vs top pair (QJcc on Tc9cX vs AT) and couldn't hit. Whatevs... I know there's nothing I can do about it, but it is very very very frustrating and as y'all know it's been this way for a long time.

That night we went to a local bar and I had a couple of interesting conversations. Tiffany asked, "Why don't you talk about what you do in places like this?" Cause I really don't unless there's a reason to. I was trying to explain to her how often it's a general pain in the ass as 80% of the people are going to hear the words coming out of my mouth and immediately do something to piss me off. It might be the judgemental type that believes that gambling is wrong, the skeptical type that says it's all luck, the know it all who plays poker and immediately thinks they're better than you, or just the quiet person that instantly puts some stereotype label on your forehead. It's just not worth it really. I make up something about what I do when I'm talking to some random person that I'm probably never going to see again, and then only if they really press and want to know what I do. I often go with the wilderness guide since I have done that, sometimes I'll make up something wacky like Eel Farmer, and I've even signed Danny Masterson autographs. The other 20% of the people are either people like most of you who understand the game of poker and the theory of it being a profession or just plain cool non-judgemental pepole. I suppose I could use talking about poker as a correlation to personalities for friendship, but meh. I've just argued "long run" and "skill game" too much and every time I get in that discussion I feel like I would be more fulfulled talking to potatoes.

Enter Laura. She meets Tiffany outside smoking, Tiffany talks about us and what we're doing and Laura brings up poker somehow and Tiff says I'm a pro and blah blah blah. So, I shake hands with Laura, and she says, "So, you're a pro, huh?" I do my best to dodge questions cause I really don't want to talk to this random drunk chick that is obviously already skeptical about me. Eventually the conversation gets to the point where she says, "So, have you found any games in town?" This is after she challenged me to heads up for $3 and then talked crap when I politely declined. I mentioned that I play online mostly, she said online's a joke and went into this tirade about reading people and looking into their eyes and all this hollywood crap, and apparently this sent Tiffany into defensive girlfriend mode, and Tiff says, "So have YOU found any games in town??"

Nope.

I am going to become an accountant to make my bar going experiences easier.

The bartender, however, was right up my alley. His name is Dave Fish (seriously). He is married with a kid, spends his winters in Bend, Oregon bartending at this lodge, and spends his summers in Alaska running a Fishing Guide service that he owns. So sweet. We had good ol talks about many things and I thoroughly enjoyed his conversation.

So the next morning we left to head north into Washington. We settled in Naches, WA, which is somewhere in the middle. LOL. This town was hilarious. It felt like something out of the 50's movies. Like, seriously. Everything down to the traffic lights looked like they had not been altered in 50 years. I loved it.

Tuesday poker: same flavor. Don't wanna talk about this.

Wednesday was a good day however. I went back and watched a few PXF videos, read deeper into some threads, did some thinking, and reviewed some of my hand histories and found a couple leaks that I thought might help. I also brought some of my live tricks into the online game, and the results showed. I played 16 tournaments yesterday, took 4th/800 and change in one, 11th/1600+ in another, and 18/270 in a third. Furthermore I got screwed deep in three that I really should have cashed in. I don't think there was anything I could have done to get further in the one I finished 4th, I made a marginal mistake in the 11th, and I got effed in the 18th. I played very well making only a couple of marginal mistakes all day. I also won $1k in the cash games.

That reminds me. I finally had a couple of revenge suckouts yesterday. Twice I got it in with aces, once vs KK and once vs. QQ. The queens flopped top set and we went running clubs for the nut flush, and the kings flopped KQQ and we rivered an A. Those made me feel much better about life.

Last night after working we walked across the street to the bar. This place was the perfect downtown locals bar in a small town. There was a lady who looked 65 hanging out knowing everybody with a kitten walking around her shoulders and nooooobody cared. Then I met her mother. She looked 40. I still can't figure it out. So, apparently this cat was very friendly, I know this because the cat lady told me so as she insisted that this cat goes walking around my shoulders. I watched this dude shoot a sick game of pool - with a kitten on his shoulders that was not owned by him. Add that to the list of random shit I've seen in my lifetime...

So, today's Thursday and we just arrived in Leavenworth, Washington. Apparently this is some Bavarian town and this weekend is the ice festival so everything was booked up. I called the Chamber of Commerce, they gave me three hotel names, the first one didn't have any availability Saturday, and the second is where I am at right now. I got on the phone with this lady named Helen. She gave me the usual greeting, I responded, "Hi Helen, how are you?!?"

Pause. "Well, to tell ya the truth I have a damn cold."

I like this lady already. We chat about rooms, rates, and she's trying to figure out a way to give us a discount. Nice. "Well, what the hell ya do? AAA? AARP? Senior Citizen? Student? Military? Ride a Harley? What?"

"Uhhhhh... well, I work for myself. Ahem.. I'm self employed."

"C'mon, what the hell ya do?"

"Well......... I'm a professional poker player actually."

"REALLY?!?!? Ya know last week I went up der to dat Casino and I done won myself darn near four hunned dollas." She just could not stop talking about gambling, getting married in Vegas, not being able to get a room so sleeping in their car on their honeymoon in Vegas, her brother in law who is a professional gambler, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on............ She was absolutely hilarious. Racist as all hell, sweet as sugar, quick wit and humor, and after chatting on the phone and in person, she gives us this sick room for $55 a night through the holiday weekend. The rate she quoted first was $55, $99, $149, $99 for the next four nights. NICE! So, I'm done writing, and I am going to go check out this Bavarian town.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

posted by Devo @ 6:24 PM |