Tao of Poker

Call Me Dr. Pauly

"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan

The Poker Prof has an interesting post about the legality of online gambling called: On-line Poker, Is it Legal? Here's a bit:

The answer to the title question right now is a capital NO! It's not legal under federal law, meaning it's illegal in every state despite that state's laws (e.g. poker is legal in California and Nevada). Now, the question becomes why not? And an ancillary to the predicate is what can we do to make it legal? Before I go about trying to answer these questions some facts.

1. Almost every poker blogger plays on-line poker.

2. Quite a few people can and do make a living at on-line poker, especially during the economic downturn.

3. On-line poker sites have millions upon millions of registered accounts and each account is a voice.

I know I am skating on thin ice... and with so many off shore accounts that I have... it's a matter of time before I am flagged for National Security reasons, and the thugs at Homeland Security run me "downtown" and force me to put a plastic bag over my head and do the dreadful "butt pyramind" with other degenerate internet gamblers.

But I'm still free for the moment, considering a move to Iceland for legal reasons and tax loopholes. I always wanted to buy a farm and raise and breed reindeer.

Oh, Canada!

I know I have a few fans from Canada... and yes, I'm a hockey fan. (To clear up the rumors... I never played hockey professionally, semi-professionally, or even in the Olypmics... I played in high school). I am a NY Rangers fan which means I have no one to root for in the postseason. Every year I pick a new team to root for. Last year, it was the Minnesota Wild... this year, I put money on Calgary when I was in Las Vegas. So I'm pulling for the Flames! What a game last night, eh TP? Sudden death OT in hockey is one of the most thrilling aspects of professional sports.

Pauly Blows Chow

Expect to see me hurling in the streets of NYC sometime late Saturday night. Al Can't Hangover and his lovely wife, Mrs. Hang are coming to NYC to see to baseball games... both the Mets and the Yankees. I'll be tagging along for the Yanks game on Saturday, of course showing Al Can't Hang the coolest Yankees bar in the Bronx. Since we're not going to be playing poker... I can drink as much as I can handle.

Blogger Roundup

Mr. Decker has a hysterical post about a Nigerian email scam about a widow trying to con Mr. Decker out of all of his money/bankroll. Here's my favorite part of his repsonse:

By the way, do you play poker? Maybe after our transaction is completed we could go to Vegas together. We would certainly have the bankroll to play the highest limits. Since you have mentioned the possibility of marriage, I must inform you that Vegas has some very liberal views on marriage, and should we decide we are compatible, it would be very easy for us to wed. I feel obligated to tell you that I am a breast man, and my future wife MUST be well endowed. Can you tell me, how are your jugs? If they are not of adequate proportions, I am sure we can locate a plastic surgeon who could "enhance" them. I know of a Dr. Pauly McGrupp who is a specialist in the area of female anatomy and I am sure he would do a wonderful job on your melons. Are you open to this, Ms. Abacha?

Good job, Mr. Decker!

Chris Halverson just checked out The Gourds last night. He has a nice write up.

The boys from Up for Poker... CJ and Otis have some good write ups as well.

Best of luck to Mean Gene. I got the ax last February from JP Morgan, and I've been super happy ever since! Sure I make 1/8th of what I was pulling down in the trenches on Wall Street, but I don't have those "suicidal thoughts" anymore that I used to get seconds after my alarm clock went off every morning.

Felicia is out in California trying to win some tourneys at the Cali State Championships. Check out the latest post from Glenn.

Burt Fu is always highly entertaining. I must sometime soon meet up with some of the other area bloggers in AC... maybe later this summer!

Lord Geznikor has a wrap up of Week 17 as a poker pro. It's always a must read.

And yes, HDouble has been living in LA too long. Alas, here's another hilarious post: The Poker Wisdom of Rushmore.

Wait... How Have You Been Playing?

Pretty solid on Party Poker over this week. No complaints. I had a down session yesterday, but I didn't make any bonehead plays that I am prone to make from time to time. I got nailed on a few bad beats, but I got my money in pots when I had the best hand, and that's all you can ask for. I am shrugging off the bad beats with the ease and patience of a Buddhist monk. I focus on the bigger picture.

I have been flirting ith two tables at once... in addition to playing short handed NL ring games. I'm not 100% comfortable with playing multi-tables at the same time. I'm good, but not that good. I think it's easier to play 3 tables of Limit poker at once... than it is to play NL tables... because you really have to pay more attention to how people bet in NL. In limit, you either have the cards or you don't. No Limit is a different beast and I found it difficult to effectively play more than 2 tables at once.

OK, now go do some work!!