No Time

Dear Variance:

I don't have the fucking time to lose a hundred bucks over the course of a weekend. Right now, mindless bureacrat drones are codifying how to keep me from playing poker. I need to make those ends now, while I still can.

So, please stop with the dead decks and the dagger-in-the-heart rivers. And loosen up the tables at Full Tilt too, bitch.

FU
Chris

Checking in

I don't post as much as I used to, do I?

A few reasons for this: I don't want to post from work because of the past debacle. When I'm home, I'm watching flops and I'm not particularly interested in posting. So, less output.

Not much to say, either. I wasn't prolific with 'educational' posts anyway, and I'm at a point where I'm not to motivated to do any study, just practice. I kid myself by saying I'm improving in real world situations and there is some truth to that. I'm getting a feel for bluffing now. Overall, I think I bluff a lot, but it seems to be correct in that Full Tilt has a lot of wary players and few calling stations. I would say I win more hands by bluffing than I lose, at least for now.

But, really, I'm just not as interested at learning new skills at this point. This will change, I'm sure, as I'll get more into it again, especially if/when I move up in levels. I think I'll have to sharpen my game if I get up to 2/4.

"If" is the key word. I've adjusted my goal of moving up to 2/4 from 'intermediate' to 'long term.' Mainly because I think my play will be, at least, interrupted in the next few months, if not outright stopped. I'm going to cash out my bonus, rake back, and anything over 200BB's each month and make what I can while the cash cow is still breathing.

I'm definitely going to try to keep playing and investigate work arounds, but I'm going to be realistic. If I have to shell out caish for a shady dial-up or an offshore account just to access a poker site, I doubt I'm going to do it. There are some ideas that are interesting and free, though.

Nothing exciting in non-poker land, except that I get some free time this weekend, as I'm opting out of attending the York Halloween Parade. Woo-hoo!

Money, Finally

Had the homegame on Saturday, and actually had a pretty good showing-seven players- and I took second, which worked out to 2x's the buy-in.

Most of my success came from either being able to check crap hands in the BB and hitting the flop and from being able to complete in the small blind with suited hands and filling in my flushes. Ah, limpers! Have to love 'em.

I was fucking tired after being woken up at 6am that morning, taking the girls to gymnastics, going food shopping, and cleaning the house. I had a beer, which I don't usually do, and I think it had a synergistic effect with my happy pills, because kept losing track of the game and making moves out of position. What was worse is I kept doing it when I was in hands with the one guy who was a stranger to me. I kept apologizing, but he must've thought I was an ass.

Oh well, he won, so he can't complain too much, right?

Both girls have colds. The Little General was miserable today and took it out on her day care staff. From what I heard, she didn't want to take a nap, so she threw her bedding, pillow, stuffed animal, and shoes at her teacher. Part of me was embarrassed, another part feeling sorry for the LG, and a good chunk was laughing about the image of a two foot tall, 2.5 year old raising hell.

The LG continued her rampage at home and started chucking refridgerator magnets at her sister. The Mistress decided that the throwing of objects with intent to injure was going to stop (excluding when the Mistress throws stuff at me.)

It was a classic test of wills: the ominous furrowing of toddler brows and jutting of kewpie doll lips versus the devastating raised eye-brow, steely stare, and imperative commands of the all-powerful mother.

From my vantage point cowering under the kitchen table, I could feel the push and pull of emotional energy, thought I saw actual sparks fly back and forth between the combatants. Finally, the younger Amazon warrior, lacking in experience and technique, despite inheriting her mother's iron will (the foolish might call this "stubbornness"), huffed, stomped to the magnets and stuck them back onto the fridge.

"What the hell are you doing under there?" The Mistress said to me as I nervously unhid myself.

"Nothing, just practicing for the teen-age years."

ACLU Response

Since I'm a card carrying member of the ACLU (reserve my spot in a Halliburton concentration camp, please) I thought I'd find out what their stance on the UIGA is:

To whom it may concern;

I am writing today to express my concern about the possible reduction of my freedoms caused by the soon to be signed online gambling ban.

Clearly, this bill will limit my rights to choose how to spend my money on leisure activities of my choice.

I would like to know what the Pa. ACLU's stance on this legislation is and what, if any, actions yours or the national ACLU organization (of which I'm a member) is planning to address this issue.

Thank you
Chris Russo

Their response:


Gambling
The ACLU is opposed to gambling laws which prohibit an individual from risking property in a game of chance as an unconstitutional intrusion by the government into the sphere of personal privacy, morality and conscience.
In order to enforce such laws, the police resort frequently to invasions of personal privacy so as to obtain evidence of violations. The legalization of gambling may serve to reduce the occasions when law enforcement officials engage in such unconstitutional practices as entrapment, harassment, wiretapping, and electronic surveillance.
In some states which provide for certain forms of public gambling but prohibit private games of chance, anti-gambling laws may be unconstitutional on additional grounds.
While the ACLU is opposed to laws that prohibit gambling entirely, it recognizes that, if properly administered, there is no constitutional objection to state or federal licensing or other regulation of commercial gambling. [Board Minutes, September 27-28, 1975.]

Okay, they're against it in theory, but they don't seem particularly, how should I say it, ENGAGED in this issue. Have to give them a pass, though. They're fighting bigger battles, now that we're a nascent totalitarian regime.

I haven't talked poker in a while, so let me sum up my play the last two days: I'm like that big-boobied girl we all knew in college that you and all your friends talked into bed week after week: I keep falling for that same old lie.

Bush Signs Torture Freedom Act

Welcome to the United States of Torture.

1. Pick up your Bible.

2. Drop off your habeas corpus.

3. Shut the fuck up.

Proof

Just some proof that I'm a 'writer.' I keep saying I'm going to put some links up to my work and I will...someday. (When I'm not lazy.)

Criminal

So, Party blocked US residents. I wonder how many 2+2 ass-talkers are just flabbergasted. You mean, all those 'connected' posters really don't know what they're talking about? Shocking.

So, welcome to the criminal world of online poker. Ah well, it was fun. At least I can still participate in Jesus-approved gambling like fantasy football. More inportantly, Leach, Goodlatte, and Frist approve of it, so it must be holy.

I would never play for money online anymore, but, if I did, I might pull my money out of Stars and play on Full Tilt, because of the raketherake.com deal and FT's 100 percent sign up bonus.

Hypothetically, if I were to do that, I might find that the software is really cool and blows Stars and Party away.

I also may realize that there are few fish at FT, and much harder to earn dem dollas. I might, in theory, have lost 30 odd bucks at 1/2 yesterday.

Just speculation, of course.

Cashing Out

I'm trying to jump through all the hoops necessary to get my money out of Party tonight. I've had a Neteller account for about a year, but never did anything with it, so I had to deposit money, get the phone call, yada yada yada.

Then, I couldn't transfer out of Party because I hadn't deposited into Party from Neteller, so I've got to do that tonight. I don't know what kind of turn around it will take to get this done tonight.

I'm a bit worried about having to cash out tomorrow. I'm not so worried about a run on Party and them not having enough cash to pay out (they're supposed to have segregated accounts, right? RIGHT?!) I'm more worried about getting access to my account. Well, we'll see.

I've done quite well over the past week. I'm playing 1/2 limit out of a 'fuck-it' attitude and I've won about 130 bucks. My secret? Get lucky and stop while I'm ahead. It's a 'work' attitude, instead of a 'play' attitude. Up twenty bucks? Stop. Don't let variance stick it to you.

Not playing too well tonight, so I'm going to try to stop when I get ahead. (Okay, that didn't work, I'm in the hole again.) Okay, this time I'm going to stop...

I don't care what 'Stars says, I don't trust them to be around once the regulations are written. Oh well, that could be nine months from now, and that might be delayed.

I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating. All those suckers at 2+2 don't know what they're talking about: It doesn't matter if NeTeller this, or electric fund transfer that. The thing that matters is whether or not the Fed makes ISP's block poker sites. Who, besides the pros, is going to pay extra money for a dial-up connection to some fly-by night operation that could be shut down at any time? Who's going to pay for software to mask their identity or rent space on a server in Europe?

Not me buddy. Good luck with that.

I've had it

It's not bad enough that kids can't even go to school without someone trying to screw or kill them, but then this happens.

Whatever faith I had in humanity is gone. Most 'people' are animals who you can't and shouldn't turn your back on for a minute.

One thing I do know is that there can't be a God who pays attention to us. If there was, he'd take us collectively out into the street and shoot us like a rabid dog.

Enough

Alright, I'm fucking spent. I can't keep raving about the online poker ban. Listening to everyone talk out their asses (myself included) is driving me nuts. Things are going to have to run their course.

Let me just sum up my feelings in a few lines:

• I think getting money to a site is not going to be a problem. The issue is whether ISP's block the sites or not. If they do, game over, online poker's an early 21st century fad.
• The United States is slowly becoming a 'holy' nation of suspects.

My plan:

Play Party until they cut off US citizens. Cash out and go to Pokerstars. When they pull out (they're only going to stay in long enough to get some rake off of the people leaving Party. Once the law gets close to implementation, they're out quick) I'll try truepoker.com or another site deemed worthy.

I have relatives in Canada. I'm probably going up there to visit this summer. Might check out the local banks (wink, wink.)

Second Letter

Representative Platts:

I am writing today on the eve of the signing into law a bill that would effectively end online poker in the United States.

This is an issue that strikes at the very heart of freedom of choice and personal responsibility. While I understand the risks inherent in playing poker online, I also believe that it should be an individual's choice to do so.

There are many things that are potentially dangerous to individuals and affect the culture as a whole.

Alcohol, tobacco, firearms, even automobile use cause billions of dollars of damage and take away millions of lives each year. Yet, the decision to use these products are considered to be the choice of all free adult Americans.

Their potential for harm is understood, and therefore heavily regulated. Indeed, the government recoups some of the cost associated with the downside of these activities through taxes.

Indeed, the government both sanctions and supports other forms of gambling such as lotteries and slots parlors.

All of this you already know.

What I'm asking today is for you to consider and support any future legislation either giving online poker the same exempted status as horse racing and lotteries, or legalizing online poker in a very regulated and taxed form.

Thank you for your consideration.

I've been sending this letter to every Democratic Representative that will accept my e-mail. Probably, the only thing it will do is help me to feel better. As I understand it, the Treasury will write the regulations regarding the online gambling laws. How do we lobby the Treasury to exempt poker, or is that even worth the effort, since Bush will make it clear he won't accept that?

Hey, Thanks

Senator Frist,

Let me start by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for saving me from myself and the demon internet poker. As an adult, a professional, a father, and the head of a household, you can't imagine the relief I feel now that you have taken the decision-making process concerning personal matters away from me.

Furthermore, as a non-believer in Christianity or any other form of man-made religion, it's exhilarating to be prohibited from doing something you personally consider immoral.

It will take a while to realize my new found safety. Instead of playing for dangerously seductive "penny ante" stakes in my home, I will get to go to casinos or illegal poker rooms and have to play for much higher stakes.

However, this is not a letter of praise. Instead, it's a chance for me to demand action on other, serious matters that are, as you put it, "fraying the fabric of society."

First, I'm known to have a beer or two on the weekend. I realize that this behavior is not harming anyone and is usually a matter of personal choice. In light of the billions of dollars lost and millions of lives ruined by people who do abuse alcohol, however, I clearly can't be trusted to make my own decision in this regard. I think the Volstead act should be again be the law of the land, especially considering its earlier success.

Even more important than alcohol, though, is this simple fact: I am overweight. In fact, obesity is a growing crisis nationwide and I'm stating for the record that I, for one, can not handle making decisions about food for myself. I need government laws forcing restaurants and supermarkets to monitor my eating habits and restrict my ability to buy the food of my choice.

Let me close by saying this: While it was God who gave us free will eight thousand years ago in the Garden of Eden, it's strong conservatives, patriots...Christians... like yourself who must decide when the rest of us can exercise it.

Sincerely,

Christopher Russo


I'm sending this out to Frist and Kyl, at least. Feel free to copy it and do the same. I know it's not going to do a bit of good, but it will make me feel better for the low, low price of a stamp.