My Little Poker Blog

The Rooster Has Left The Building!!!

2009-05-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm off! Once again, thank you to all who have made these past years possible. For those of you who remember me when I came to NYC. Well this is the hat that I use to love to wear. I've kept it for all these years but today it is retired. Great memories that I will always hold close. I'm very-very excited about my new home, the move and my new life. I would hope you would be just as happy for me. I bid you a fond farewell friends and NYC.

Good Bye NYC!

2009-05-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2009

New York,

It is not easy to scribe you this letter, then again, saying good-bye has never been easy for me. I sit here in my Fifth Floor walk-up listening to John Coltrane’s famous song, In A Sentimental Mood. How appropriate…because when I’m in need of a New York moment I throw this song on. When Coltrane plays I’m quickly transported to your bustling streets, my quiet morning runs in central park, and to my rooftop overlooking Harlem. So as of today, New York, this is our song. Honestly, how can we not have a song after a 15 year relationship? Wink!

New York, saying good-bye after 15 years makes me rather pensive. You have taught me so much about life, the world, the arts, friendship, and me. Everyday you presented me with something new: a life lesson, a new restaurant, a new friend, an old lost friend, and of course a party for good measure. Yes, New York, you were everything they said you were in the brochures and more. I drank the New York City cool-aid and loved the flavor so much that I kept drinking it year after year.

People have tried to capture you in poems, books, and movies. But between you and me, New York, they never do you justice. The beat of the express train as it races downtown at high speeds to the hustle and bustle of Lower-Manhattan is something you can only understand and enjoy by riding a packed train during rush hour. The games one plays while on that train to pass the time are fun too! I like to play the game, What Stop? A simple game where you pick what stop you think a person is going to get off at. The Suit, he’s going to Wall St. The young 23 year old recent graduate who dresses in the latest fashions in Vogue, she’s going to 42nd Street, The Conde Nast Building.

Yet, New York, as great and fantastic as you have been the New York City experience couldn’t have been possible without my crew. And although this is a good-bye letter to you, New York, I feel I have to give them some shout outs!

Anita (Cucks),
You have been my best friend during this incredible run. To be honest, I never really had a best friend until you came into my life and I thank you for that experience. I lack the proper writing skills and vernacular to express my deepest love and appreciation for your friendship. In the end, what I can say is you have been my rock, my shoulder to lean on, and the one person who has always believed in me. Thank you, Cucks.

Rey (Mush),
Hey, Compadre. If there is someone who embraces the greatness that is New York City it is you. I remember the night we sat on the roof of the library and you pointed to the New York skyline and said, “This is why I came to Columbia…the world is here, Joaquin.” Church!!! You have been a true friend, a roommate, an ear when I’ve needed to vent, a fellow Cowboys fan, a boxing junkie like me, and of course a great person to grab “One Drink” with. Gracias por todo, Compa.

John (The General),
Juanito. Tell Sloan I said, what up? My crime partner in the city…I know you are an atheist and I respect that, bro. But I think my main man upstairs, JC, put you in my life for a reason. I can’t express to you how important your friendship has been to me all these years. You have a heart of gold and I’m always impressed how you are able to navigate between so many circles and to be loved by them all. If anyone ever asks you, Juanito, what is your best characteristic? Make sure to say this, “John Lee is a fiercely loyal friend.” Gracias por todo, General.

Danny (D)
Daniel, Un gran abrazo, Primo. To the man who has pushed me for years to get out of the city. I write to notify you, “I’m finally leaving.” You will of course respond with, “I need to see you on the plane first…send me a picture.” A photo will be sent. LOL! D, you have showed me that life can pass you by very fast and you have to love it everyday. “Sucking the marrow out of the bone of life one day at a time” best describes how you approach life. The last minute trips to Vegas, driving in vicious snowstorms to watch Mana and our famous Sunday margarita fiestas; you truly love life, Bro. I feel blessed to have learned this lesson from you and I’m putting that lesson into action now. Gracias.

Papa, Mami y Elena,
Being away from you three has not been easy. You are my blood and never does a day pass by that I don’t think of you three. And know that not a day passes that I don’t understand and fully appreciate all the sacrifices you three have made for me to be here. Gracias, Familia.

New York, some people have come with the idea that they will beat you, only to go back to their hometowns defeated and humbled. We have had our share of battles with one another along the way…I have won some and lost many. The battle scars inflicted on me by you I don’t see as scars of failure. On the contrary, I see them as scars of growth, resilience, and they’re scars which I needed to acquire in order to grow. It is on this little island that demons from my past have been killed and some have been born. New York, know I leave you fulfilled, happy, and in peace with no traces of bitterness.

In closing, these tears I shed are tears of extreme happiness and of extreme sadness mixed together. I’m not too proud to state; it hurts me deeply to be leaving you and I’m thankful you have let me call you home for so long. Also, know that your are the reason that this boy who arrived 15 years ago on a Tower Air Flight with 100.00 bucks in his pocket has grown into a man who leaves with a wealth of experience in life. Thank you, New York and I will always love you.

Con respecto,
Joaquin Manuel Ochoa

Post Script – I will be having a going away/birthday party this Friday if you want to stop buy and have a drink with me before my departure.

Loreley Bar
7 Rivington Street
9:00pm – till the lights come on.

The Crew

No-Mas Street Cred in Question

2009-01-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

As an avid boxing fan one of the places I go to visit and get great color commentary on the fight game is NoMas. A blog/website based out of NYC. It brings you short films on the grit it takes to make it in boxing; both on the big stage and on the local scene. NoMas also follows some of the local fighters that I enjoy watching.

Yet, the one thing that I've always enjoyed about NoMas is their shirts. They have a great selection of shirts that not many people are wearing around the city. Not to mention, they have a lot of backhanded humor and their shirts also take me back to my childhood.

So I'm a little torn by seeing NoMas shirts at Bloomingdale's this past weekend. I swear I was there for a friend and his girlfriend who were shopping. In any case, I suppose I'm a bit sad that they have gone mainstream. It was bound to happen, they have bills to pay and need to expand their market, and as I said above, they put out a fantastic product. I guess I just enjoyed finding their shirts in small hip-hop boutiques around the city.

I'm not getting paid to pimp NoMas on this site. I know the writers there and they do a kick-ass job of covering the fight game, baseball, and for some reason Philly sports. But Bloomies? The Rooster is confused today.

For those of you that call The Rooster a liar....here is the proof:

Vegas Report

2009-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

I'm the last one to put up a Vegas report. There is so much to write about and of course my main man, Derek at at PiTW (Poker in The Weeds) hit the nail on the head again with his trip report.

Thus, for many of us who have been blogging and to these things a few times there are a few things you can count on. Bobby blowing his money at blackjack and trying to get it all back at the ponies.

There were a lot of memorable moments...met some really nice people this time around. I wanted to post all these neat things that happened on this trip. But for those of us who experienced it...Grubby got there late but was there in spirit...this sums up what this community is for me. A group of friends who met through poker thing and this thing called a blog...getting together to wish two of our own the best in their new life and husband and wife.

I wanted to put the picture where they were kissing but Iggy kept popping up in those pictures.

Other note....a new name for you bloggers with twitter accounts. You are now known as "Bl-Itter" people. Joe Speaker's girl thought of that.

Oh, I had to post this picture also. We made our way to Casa Fuente.

Last Post Before Vegas

2008-12-10T00:36:00.001-08:00

This will be my last post before Vegas. Where I will be defending my championship from last year. You know, just in case you didn't know.

I've been playing a lot of poker here at all the different Casinos in Az. Even the one where Granpa Drizz lives near. I'm not sure if he is the old man who checked raised me in the Omaha game.

In any case, got a feel for live play again and not missing the bet here and there. All in all poker can be a bit depressing when you see people playing every hand and they continue to take money out of their pocket. I got to chatting with a man who said he played with his pension check. I saw him go through 400 bucks in about an hour after playing EVERY SINGLE HAND for a while. He must have been about 80 years old it was sad...and yes, I checked raised him on the river.

I've had a fantastic time here in Arizona. But truth be told...I'm a bit bored here. Not in a bad way...just use to the pace of NYC. It is quiet here and cars drive by only once every hour. There are no one legged hookers standing on the corner and old ex-hypes asking me for a dollar at the corner bodega.

People are playing a lot of different tournaments over in Vegas.

Someone came up with the idea of me getting post-its and assigning people A,B,C,D lister blogger status. I will save some the pain from getting that bad report.

In closing, I'm excited to see all of you in a couple of days I can't lie. In some sick way you degenerates have become a constant reminder of what is odd in the world. For the first time attendees...I don't do autographs...sorry.

Poker in the Az.

2008-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

This is a poker blog but I wanted to change the topic only for a few lines. My main man, Derek at Poker in The Weeds or PiTW emailed me about the state of the NYKnicks. Needless to say we have written many emails on this topic and we both still want Marcus "Cotton" Camby on the Knicks. In any case, the whole Starbury thing has been a hot button of discussion for us. Yet, this had to be the funniest line I've read in a long time. PiTW stated:

I'm waiting for Marbury to compare himself to Nelson Mandela . . . free Starbury damn it!!

For those of you following the whole Starbury drama. Well The Rooster and PiTW tend to disagree on this topic. I am of the school that from that start of the season the coach says, "You don't fit my plan for the team so you aren't going to play." Fine so Steph stays quiet and sits on the bench in street clothes because he is inactive. Then out of nowhere the trades take place which basically dump all the Knicks good players in hopes of landing L. James in 2010. Which I don't think is fair to the fans...but so be it. Then when they are short handed the coach says, "Steph, I need you to play tonight." What? Should Steph jump when the coach tells him to after annexing Steph before the season even starts. I think not. Steph is the best player on the team from the jump and he plays the run and gun style and you don't want him on your team and you coach the up and down game. In any case, before you jump on Steph's wagon...take note of this interview...guy is a trip. Video sent by PiTW:

CLICK HERE

Been playing at some of the poker rooms here in Arizona. The tables are a mix of rocks and aggressive players. Kind of depends who sits at the table and such. I've hit a few of my big draws and hit some big flops. Yet the person who impressed me the most was a 80 year old lady. Serious. She was a bit of a rock but when she bet she bet her draws hard and when she would hit her flops she would mix it up with slow plays and aggressive betting. We were at the 6/12 table and she walked away a rack and a half up. She even hit a Royal Flush and got an extra 50.00 bucks from the house. Then she got a little cocky when a young gun raised her on this hand. She re-raised and smiled. When she showed her Royal Flush she looked at the young gun and said: "Grandma flopped the nuts." Of course everyone at the table started laughing their asses off.

O.K. I'm off to help my Mom in the kitchen. Have fun and remember that you might be betting into a grandma who flopped the nuts.

Sign-up

2008-12-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't registered for the blogger tournament you should go and let Falstaff know you want to play.

Of course even if you are a reader you are more than welcome to come out and play.

On another note, for the last F'en time...there is no such thing as an A-List and B-List or Z-List amongst bloggers. I got an email asking me about the status of an A-Lister. Dear God. If you are wondering what list we are...how about the F'en Geek list...we are all geeks who write about poker and our boring lives. In the words of Iggy-Cakes: The Humanity.

Moving on. One word: Arsenal. Nuff said...no chirping from the PA.

In closing, not sure if you knew but that blogger tournament I mentioned above...well I'm the defending champion. Here is the trophy and take note of the little Mexican flag in the back. Nuff said:

A Quick Reminder

2008-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

I didn't write about it...but a few months ago this blog turned four years old. What can I say, it has been a ride where I have met some very unique people. I can go through all the personalities and what they have meant to me, but the truth is that there are too many characters to count. I am not too prolific via this blog but I just wanted to say thank you to all who have taken me in as a friend over the years.

With that being said, let me remind all you B-Listers of something from about this time last year.

Pauly Drama said it best when he wrote, I hadn't seen The Rooster that happy in a while. It was the truth, I was in a funky part of my life due to work and such. If you go to Pauly Drama's site you can hit his videos and see my falling apart after the all night bender where GCox was nice enough to take care of me.

But the truth is that I won the tournament. I am also the defending A-Lister Champion. Also, there is no real A-List or B-List. The reason being is that for there to be a list there needs to be more than one person...and I'm the only A-Lister. Nuff said. So going back to what my main man, Derek said, To be the man, you have to beat the man. And yes, I am the man.

Notable showings since the last WPBT Championship:

- Saturday's with Pauly Champion
- Final Table at The Bash
- Biggest Cash out at The Summit

On Another Note:

It is funny when people get to Vegas they are excited to see good friends, throw some cards and get caught up. Yet, for some of people the trip is a reflection of self over the year or years. You can see those people who wander off by themselves and are a bit quiet...I call that reflection time. These gatherings do that to some individuals...never take it personal those of you who haven't been to these things before...sometimes people just need some time to reflect. Those who have been bloggers, lurkers and/or both...know that we have seen some rough patches for people and they have written it on their blog for us to look at their pain, depression and sorrow...they have bled in public for us to lurk and for them to heal. Thus, I think sometimes these gatherings hit people a bit hard....the years kind of comes swarming back and lets be honest, these emotions can be a bit overwhelming for anyone. Sorry to be so gloom...it is just something that came to mind.

I'm not sure how many more times I will post here before Vegas but I'm sure everyone will put up some past posts about how to prep for Vegas. Pauly, Al and Otis have a write-up on this stuff so read their old stuff. Also, might want to read about the solo rage...holla!

Searching For

2008-11-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

I will be in Vegas in a couple of weeks. If you kind readers can do me a favor...if you see this lady in Vegas please let me know. Thank you very much...Mrs. Tripjax is my hero.

Iggy Cakes Takes 8th in Costa Ricka

2008-11-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

My main man Iggy-Cakes and some of you know him as the blogfather took 8th place down in Costa Rica. Go give him a shout at his site.

Wow!

2008-11-20T13:43:00.001-08:00

It has been a long while since I posted. The odd thing is that I've been playing a lot of poker and just haven't posted results and such here.

I played in Saturdays with Pauly Drama. Who else better than Pauly Drama to recap my run.

The Rooster jumped out to an early lead and almost had 4K in chips in the first 20 minutes. He turned a Wheel against Chompy and doubled up. Ah, the Rooster would fade out before the first break. Ingoal got most of his chips with a boat over boat. The Rooster was eventually taken out by JPPhilly's Kings. The Rooster was nevermore in 16th place.

Since we are talking hand history and such here these days...cough!cough! This was the odd part...flop was 299. It was PLO so I know I'm a head with my pair of 2's. Ingoal bet and I raised POT. He came over the top with a re-pot. Now I know he has the 9's. He's a good player so I'm thinking he has 9,10,K,Q or something of the sorts. I didn't really put him on the nuts which was two 9's. So I re-pot and put myself all in...he instant called and the turn brought the 10 in his hand. That is poker my friends. But remember, The Rooster always goes in with the best of it.

In other news....The Bash. Some of you may have forgotten about it but I haven't written my report as of yet. Here are some photos which will recap some of it I hope and these are in no particular order. Oh, and I did make the final table...holla!

At the Bash Olympics there can only be one championship team in the Carbomb races. Nuff said. I love Drizz's outfit...see that ladies.

The Rooster flops a monster hand. Full-House over Full-House...read above for I had the Queens. Once again, The Rooster always always goes in ahead.

Dr. Chako and his wife showed up. Here is her blog for all the ladies who read this who love shoes The Wife.

Drizz and another one of his funny faces he makes for the pictures. For all the people in Minn...take note when Drizz is out of Minn he sports the green and yellow.

The Boys in Blue were there right on my arrival. I thought this was my ride and they got caught drinking and driving.

Of course I had to put the hurt on Dawn. On the rare occasion that I go in behind...I always catch up on by the River. Holla!

Me just chilling at the table.

Al, thanks for putting this together...free food, booze and poker...now please get in the back of the SUV.

Another picture of Al being the gracious host and sitting in the back of the truck.

I love food as you know. But this had to be the best stuff I have ever had. I don't remember the name of it...but it is fantastic...thank you Philly for this stuff. Too bad they don't serve it here in Manhattan.

Of course I wanted to thank the fine gent..AlCantHang for the great time. The band was rocking and rolling, man.

Post Script - BamBam can dance all night long...madman!

Tis Been A Long While

2008-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in post people. Since my last post a lot has happened and I hope to get you all caught up here in this post.

I spent some time with Pauly and Derek at the Borgata when Pauly was covering the Borgata Open. I can't say enough about these guys. Serious, Pauly was quick to give me a call when I sent them a text that The Rooster had arrived. He got my location and told me to call him upon my arrival at the Borgata. I got in a cab and my 20.00 bucks back at the cage (the bus is like 30 bucks but you get 20 bucks back upon arrival...they do this to try and keep you at their casino) and jumped in a cab and off to the Borgata.

Upon arrival at the Borgata I called Pauly and he was on his way down. I looked to my right and seen this lady putting in 100.00 dollar bills in to the slot machine like if it was raining 100.00's....I'm sure Grubby would have hit on her.

We head off to breakfast (because The Rooster wakes up before the sun comes up and gets on a bus for two hours and it is still breakfast) and of course...Pauly decides to pick up the bill...The Rooster is always in awe of how generous the Pauly Drama and PitW are. I can't tell you how many times they have picked up the tab at The Palms and that place ain't cheap.

So Derek and me walk around the floor of the casino as Pauly Drama is working. We see Eskimo Clark and I say hello...he grumbles back at Derek and I...we can't understand what he's saying.

Good times and then AlCantHang showed up with Riggstad. Then the drinking started. I had to get back to the city and took off. I hear many good stories happened after my departure. I wasn't drinking so I escaped the wrath of Al.

Moving On...

I got an email from Bam-Bam about some of his friends that would be visiting from the North. I figured it was a good sign since Bam-Bam likes a bit of country music and most girls I know from Canada like to Grab Ass.

I want to tell you that if Bam-Bam asks you for a simple email to a friend or help for a friend...do not hesitate to do it. Serious, Sam and her boyfriend were all class. I'm being serious, I exchanged about 8 emails with Sam about places to visit when she came to NYC and such...I have to tell you she and her boyfriend were the kindest people you would ever want to meet. Not only that, they brought me a few gifts from Canada...they weren't needed but like I said, the folks from Canada have some class. I took some photos:

This had to be one of the coolest gifts of all. They put this Rooster on the top of a deck of cards. Just an awesome gift!!!

This is some real maple syrup made from Andrew's parents farm. I've had this a few times on my Eggo Waffles in the morning and it is delicious.

In closing, Bam-Bam you were right on when you said these people were good people. Glad to know that there are kind people in this world that make me believe in humanity again.

Next Post....THE BASH!!!

Bash!!!

2008-09-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a while. I'm off to The Bash. See if I come back alive and not in a body bag due to SoCo.

A.C. with PitW and Tao De Poker

2008-09-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was planning on making the trip down to AC this weekend then I got word that PitW was going to be visiting Tao of Poker for an uptown reunion of sorts over at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Since Pauly tends to felt me on my bluffs I figure that the 3-6 limit tables for an hour with the boys might be in order. Mostly I'm going to see if PitW and me can get Pauly Drama out for a drink or dinner.

Speaking of which, you can get all the good poker updates on what is going on at the Borgata here: Pauly Drama Blogs Borgata.

This was a great story about hitting the bad beat jackpot: HERE.

My main man Drizzy to da'Izzy is in the mix covering the biggest online tournament to date. Wish him luck.

In other news...go visit Al Can't Hang to see what is up for The Bash. I can't say that this is going to be the biggest and best, because that depends on who brings their A-Game and such. But I think that it is going to leave his little town red (on fire).

BadBlood broke his hand click here for pictures and sad stories. People, if I, The Rooster, have told you once...then I have probably told you twice, but here it is again: Roids makes one fragile and helps the aging process. Heal quick Blood...I have a strong feeling that Al might try and take you over the top like Stallone when he sees you at The Bash. Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy Rooster.

Joe Speaker will be listening to Country Music soon enough. I remember growing up we use to go every Friday night to the local dirt track in my home town. Click Here to check out the track. I know a lot of them boys that are running the cars now. Good local boys with a dream and maybe just want to do some racing as a hobby...but I suggest you support you local dirt track in your area for it is a dying sport. Everyone wants to run the asphalt now a days. But the smell of that red clay when the wet it down at the start and when packed in by the end of the night...ummm...brings back great memories of home.

Next post: Canada comes to NYC via a blogger friend.

Notes from AC

2008-08-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I jumped on the bus that made two stops in AC. First stop at Resorts and the other at the Showboat Casino. I took note that the Showboat moved the poker room downstairs. They were spreading 1-2 NL and 2/4 Limit…not my style as of yet.

The first person to help me at Showboat for my 20.00 dollar return was a Filipino. Grubby would be proud when out of nowhere I asked him if he played slots? He gave me the inner-circle smile.

I see the NO WHAMMIES slot machine. I text Grubby, No Whammies! No Whammies! Stop! I get a prompt response from Grubby (for the record, Grubby doesn’t email or text much), “Are you playing? That’s my voice on the game.” Sorry, The Rooster only plays poker.

Get my 12.00 dollar cab ride to the Borgata and sit at the 10/20 mixed game. Some of the regulars are there. Look down and find A2xx a few times with not much in the way of suited and such to go along with it. I play a few flops and don’t hit. I hit two big hands when I back into a full-house and a straight with the low in the Stud8 game. I’m up about 300 from pushing my hands on big draws and such. The Rooster loves this game because mixed games are easy. Two bad beats later and The Rooster collects his chips and walks away.

Off to the 3/6 game because the other games are a mile long and they aren’t opening up tables for them. I make a quick 100 when two of my flushes hit and I’m happy. Check raise the tourists who are calling stations and I’m good.

This is where the trip gets interesting:

As tradition dictates, The Rooster heads over to NOW (noodles of the world) to get some food in before I start my long second session. Low and behold The Rooster sees this nice little Asian girl sitting alone at the noodle bar. Waiter! The Rooster shouts: Lock Up Seat 4.

I take my seat and try to get a read. She looks tight-aggressive so it is going to take small talk...yes, The Rooster has got a hand to break a hand. Finally we get into chatter about poker, law, and of course all things NYC.

We chat for about 40 minutes and we complete our meal. She mentions that she wants to play Blackjack and if I want to join her. I mention that Bobby Bracelet thinks I’m bad luck. She tells me that I’m her good luck charm and come see her play. I’m thinking, sure twist my arm to see you blow through $100.00 bucks.

So we hit the Blackjack area and I take note that she knows what table she wants to sit at. Then I look and see the limits are 1,000 – 6,000 at that table. I’m like, Sweetie, I’m not staking you. She pulls out a wad of 100.00 notes and the guy counts out 10K. I was somewhat in shock but decided to play it cool. This is how her hands played out.

First Hand: 1K down and she wins.
Second Hand: 2K down and she wins.
Third Hand: PUSH
Fourth Hand: 4K down and dealer busts and she wins.

She grabs her chips and says, “Lets go, I have my shopping money for tomorrow.” The dealer looks up and cracks a smile at me. Just like that, within five minutes she won 7K. The scary part is that it was her shopping money. Did I mention that she was a pretty girl...o.k. I lie, she was fine! Holla! Nuff said...ABC.

But serious, I’ve seen guys go on some runs at the craps table but thye are building up to that size of bet. Her...she just put the foot to the gas and wasn't taking it off. Kudos to her but she made me question my masculinity.

In closing, I ended up only 180.00 bucks after dinner, bus ride and two mochas (one for me and one for my female friend...cough!cough!). As Bobby Bracelet would state: KA KAWWWW!

What Up?

2008-08-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

AC here I come!

So today is the start of some new poker goals. I had taken some time off because my head wasn't right for poker but now I'm ready get back in the mix. I tend to play cash games but I will play a bit online to get the blood flowing again. I like to play tournaments just to play a lot of hands on multiple tables.

So lets get started with some news shall we.

One, you have to go visit my main man DerekatPitW and his write-up about his time in LA. I'm a bit pissed still but I've learned to let cooler heads prevail. But if I'm ever in Bakersfield...look out! Also, I give props to Derek, he took the punch and smiled.

As we all know, Joe Speaker put his blog in the grave. What can I say, just keep visiting here and there he will pop up again. As I like to say about him and Otis, they like to cut their wrist with rusted fish hooks.

Speaking of Otis and the G-Vegas Crew (well not all of them are in G-Vegas anymore) they are back and posting daily!!!Click Here they have long been one of my favorite spots to visit when it comes to poker and they have funny stuff over there. G-Rob's and CJ are on a roll also in contributing which makes this Mexican happy.

Can anyone please tell me what happened to Helixx? Al, can we have a Helixx update?

If you want to get into the day to day aspect of poker and really getting into the whole mind/mental aspect of it...I say you go visit F-Train. He has a good way of looking at his game and it might give you some ways to break your game down.

In closing, I wanted to give big shouts to some people on my blogroll in no particular order.

BG - Congrats on the new gig.
Human Head - Congrats on the new gig and being back on the grid (more pictures of the kid)
Drizz - Congrats on the new gig...remember, The Rooster knows all.
Reslpsa - Poor-Poor Reslpsa...bad beat on the ticket situation.
AlCan'tHang - Can we get some pictures of the ladies please. Thank you!

In closing, donde esta Maudie?

AC This Weekend

2008-08-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

I will be leaving to AC this Friday. Not sure as to where I will be playing but I'm thinking the Taj (I love the dirty chips there) or Borgata.

Starting to play again which I'm a bit confused about. I tend not to play when not feeling good about my game but I need to get back in there and start to get back in the groove. I know, I know, everyone talks about not playing when your aren't feeling it and I totally agree. But I've started to read my books again and go over some hand history of pots I've felt really out played in and such.

In any case, if any of you are around this weekend at any of those casinos hit me up and maybe we will do dinner or lunch.

Tis Been A While

2008-08-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Of course I feel like an ass for missing Pauly's Tournament yesterday but the computer was acting up. I took it in to get fixed and it wasn't done on time for the tournament which sucked. I heard a lot of people showed and it is just a testament to Pauly's wide audience which I consider myself an old school reader. No, that is not an attempt to say that I'm better or more interesting than you, it just means that I have been reading Pauly's blog since the start. I was a lurker for a while reading about his days on Wall Street and remembering mine. Wow...was it that long ago?

In other news. AlCan'tHang is throwing the bash soon enough and I can't wait. Serious, it seems like last year that I mooched a lift from the McGuire brothers to The Bash. We did AC for a bit and then we went to The Bash.

Side Note: This is when the Sore Loser was noticed.

Good times had by all...there were even a few Italian Girls with Hairy Arms that were cute according to Bobby. I do hope that some people who are on the fence about coming can make it. Serious, it is going to be fun and I'm even taking a day off to get the lay of the golf course the day before. Rumor has it that Drizz will be riding around with the beer girls on the course...ladies, don't let Drizzy drive after Captain and Coke...let's just say I seen him try to steer a wheelchair down the Vegas Strip...by the way, that should rank as a Top 5 Blogger Moments.

Viva Brett Farve!!! Free Brett Farve! Free Brett Farve!

Pauly Drama!!

2008-07-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Vegas has me as the odds on favorite to win this tournament. I hope you can all join in this tournament that has been presented to Pauly's Blog for all the hard work he's done over the last five years. I remember reading Pauly's blog when most of you were still sucking your thumbs. I do think this is going to be an old school mega tournament and hopefully a few of the old school guys will come out of the woodwork for this one.

A few people The Rooster would like to see in this tournament:

1. Cuban Links
2. Urgarte
3. GCox (just so I can raise him)
4. Daddy (just to type Chorizo in the comments)
5. Some of the the G-Vegas Boys

What's In The Name?

2008-07-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

There are times when someone's blog name (Runner-Runner Rebuy) hits them in the face.

With that being said, The Rooster brings you this example and the second bad beat in many postings by none other than, Vinny.

I'm not sure what to say here but your blog name discribes this one and this one hurt my junk so much I'm not going to ask you for the dollar in December. Poor-Poor Vinny...does a great job of waiting to trap and BOOM! Runner-Runner.

A Few Pictures From The Weekend!

2008-07-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

A few of you have been wondering about the prop bet that I took part in. This by far wasn't the worst prop that I have won. Yet, you can read about it HERE! I did this without even flinching, because The Rooster doesn't flinch.

I need not even get into this conversation people.

Beer and Wingman Stuff!!

2008-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I’m starting to come down from my weekend Chicago energy high. There are some points that might have not been mentioned in other posts.

The boys from Minn brought some good beer. Of course they were trying to represent their state well and the beer was quite good. It got a little out of hand when Drizz said that a few of those beers could be auctioned on EBAY for a couple of hundred but I let him run with the story. Chad tried to back him up on this claim but I think they had this pre-planned…unless I see the link where the beer sales for that much. But the Brown Can was much better than the Red Can.

One thing that I took note is that all these guys love beer of different types. Everyone was willing to try everything DP threw at them. What really surprised me is that Drizz liked Belgium Beer. I always put him on Old Milwaukee or PBR. I know that StB loves to try every beer on tap so I knew he would have some new beers to suggest.

The best home brew of the two was Baily’s Special. I really liked the taste but I was trying to mix it up a bit and I was in Chicago so I had to have a lot of Goose Island.

Once we got to the stadium it was Old Town for the Rooster. I think I had about 7 of them give or take a few. Drizz drank the most at 10 but I’m sure StB had just as many but he wasn’t keeping count. I’m sure StB would say that keeping count is for Rookies who just came up to the bigs.

After the game I went to HB brew house and had one of the big boys there. Oh, and I did get a Summer Ale from Goose Island which was nice. DP had these mugs at his pad and I would pour two beers into them and drink.

Grubby and I took off and went to his hood for a beer. Every time I visit Grubby’s hood I like it more and more for they have a good mix of micro-brews and drinking bars.

Speaking of Grubby he is a great wing man. He was willing to go up with me to talk to any of the fine ladies of Chicago.

I think Chad would be a great wing-man also but he’s a bit too blunt. I seen you making the move to talk to that girl, Rooster…she sucked. Yes, yes she did fine Sir…twas like pulling teeth talking to her.

As for Bobby Bracelet…well depends how many beers he has drank for the night. He has too much backhanded humor for many girls to understand. For instance, “you aren’t fat like all the other girls The Rooster talks to.” Nice.

DP…well after all his Rooster-Blocking I got him back and clean. Needless to say, it was such a bomb that the girl told him, you will never get laid with this guy around. I pointed to his ring and said, his wife is much hotter than you and he’s only talking to you for community service hours he owes! Boooooom-Chaka-Laka.

Spreaker, Drizz and StB…well they just shake their head and walk away when they know where I’m going with my comments. Where is the love for The Rooster? No Homo.

Day 1 TILT!!

2008-07-14T09:57:00.001-07:00

TILT - My routine of staying up all night and catching an early flight backfired on me. I missed my flight. What should I do? I call those with more experience flying to see what they thought. They were all calm while I was flipping out but the consensus seemed to be that I should hit the airport and see what they could do for me on the spot.

TILT - I land in Chicago pretty much off tilt. I then proceed to get a cab driver from hell...re-tilt. I needed a beer by this point and this guy is slowing down at every corner looking at property that is for sale.

TILT - We pull out the cards and start drinking. Good smokes and life is good because at the poker table The Rooster doesn't TILT. Yes, I'm at home on the felt. Felt STB and DP. Yes, life is good. I even called DP with a middle pair of 3 to beat his pair of 2. Good hands to push all-in on. Misdeal on a hand I was behind and caught Chad on the turn...but misdeal and I would have felted all but Drizz. I notice I can't push Drizz off a hand and he has all my redbirds before I know it...TILT!! But I didn't show it.

TILT - Lose every prop bet we have going.

TILT - Tango Sur see an old friend of mine from undergrad that I hadn't seen in 10 years. Ouch!

TILT - Said friend tries to set me up with her sister.

TILT - Try to meet up with everyone at bar after spending some time with old friend. Everyone had gone home.

Viva El Senor Iggy-Cakes and Other News

2008-07-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Iggy is currently at about 90K in chips going into day three.

As you know, The Rooster doesn't like to pimp people sites besides THIS SITE. Go read a tribute to why you should be rooting for everyone's favorite Little Man by clicking HERE

This is a funny story about everyone's favorite numbers guy Vinney. Read the one about the worse beat....haha! TILT!!

I wanted to apologize to Derek over at Poker in the Weeds. I had been giving his site capitol letters: PITW. But I was corrected via email when I seen that Derek abbreviates his site: PitW. In any case, Derek put up a picture of his girlfriend HERE.

GCox is over in Okie Vegas with Maudie for the 3rd annual Okie Vegas.

Human Head is back on the grid and moving to the city. No kidding. He will be very establishment again. I wonder if he will be doing a write-up on Naz's new album?

In closing, I don't even know where to start with this last link. Let me just say that people thought Waffles without a shirt was the scariest thing ever posted by a blogger. Now we have THIS!!. Hey, Cochino...go comb your hair and put some pants on.

Page Rank and File

2008-07-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Sending the Little Man Iggy-Cakes good vibes for his Wed. Day 2 of the WSOP.

Page-Rank? Sorry...I'm not sure why everyone is all concerned about their page-rank. Serious, in the big scheme of things does one's page-rank really matter? Maybe I'm missing something about one's page-rank and why it matters. This is my take: You blog because you have something to say or write, not because you want a high page-rank. Yes, even the hand-history people have something to say and I wonder if they care about their page-rank. I think in the end you just love to write and chat about cards or what ever it be. But in all honesty, why do you care what page-rank your blog is? Serious...I'm sitting here laughing at this page-rank non-sense. Page-Rank? Did you say Page-Rank? Write for the love of writing and getting your voice out there...not page-rank! Serious, page-rank? I don't get it. There are people all around the world that are dying for messed up causes and all you can think about is page-rank and that you don't show up on the WWW. I thought people here wrote because of the love, not page-rank. I've always said, The Rooster doesn't shill on his site because he loves being a hack and giving the poeple what they want to read. If I cared about page-rank I would have done some gimmick on my site and sold space. Not me, I write for the purity of it. To shill is to sell out to the man. Plus, all of you are second page-rank to me anyways.

In other news...I'm getting thin and hope to lose another 15 lbs.

I won another home tournament...but then again, what else is new.

Allen Iverson is my friend and he doesn't even Practice...reminds me of The Rooster he just goes out and plays power poker like the greatest player from Indiana taught The Rooster. He said, Rooster, it is all about Power Poker, Baby! Viva Poker Champ!