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foxypham
Chicago, my kind of town!
by foxypham on 06/14/07
Location: Chicago, ILI last left you guys on the way to Myrtle Beach, SC. So we got there late last Friday night and decided to crash for the night to make it a full day on Saturday. Our campground was within walking distance of the beach so that was really nice. The beaches were full of high school seniors and college kids as I think schools had just let out in South Carolina. It was ridiculous to the amount of southern girls roaming around. This was great, but when I see girls on the street, they all seem they can be anywhere from 16 to 25. It seems like every girl you meet, you have to screen to make sure shes legal. That night we went to this club called Kryptonite, but it was nothing special. We were considering hitting up the Outer Banks in NC, but our campground neighbors recommended us to Chimney Rock, NC so we decided to go their instead. Chimney Rock was nature at its best with plenty of hiking, a 2250 ft waterfall, and scenic lake. We spent half a day their enjoying all the attractions. We were then on our way to Chicago to crash with Matthias' childhood friend Adrianna. The drive was too long from NC though, so we stopped by Lawernceburg, IN for a chance to get a rare poker session in.
The first night we got into Lawrenceburg, Matthias was sick so he decided to crash for the night. I headed over to the Argosy casino and they had one 2-5 NL table going. I decided to play 1-3 NL with a max buy-in of 300 while waiting for the 2-5 game. I was playing really reckless though, because I was antsy to play poker since the stakes were lower than I normally play and I also had not been in action for over a week now. On one hand, I had the 9d4d with 2 other players in a $150 pot on a board of 8hJh10d3d. I thought both players were weak so I decided to go AI for $200 in the dark before the river card came out just in case I missed my draw. A heart fell on the river and one of the players made a marginal call of my dark AI with the nut flush. I never make crazy plays like this and was disappointed with my lack of discipline in the session. I know to be successful at poker, you must play your best at all times and there was no excuse for my play. I finally got into the 2-5 NL game after a 3 hr. wait and ended the night down $500 (almost all the loss came from playing 1-3). The next day Matthias was feeling better so we both decided to get a few hours of poker in before we headed to Shy-town. I had a much better day and ended up taking down $800 in 4 hrs. in the 2-5 NL game. Matthias continued his sick run as he pocketed $640 in 4 hrs. at the 1-3 NL game. During the session, I would check in on Matthias periodically, and I saw he was making it $60 as his raise PF on certain occasions. What is this kid thinking!!?? When I asked him about the unusual PF raises, he just told me that the table was super-passive and people were playing poorly against him because he was making some unorthodox plays. I see his reasoning, but I don't think I would ever be opening up for 20X the BB in any NL cash game. For his first two ever cash game sessions, Matthias is crushing the game at $140/hr. Obviously, there NO way he can keep this up, but I'm still impressed at his play as a complete novice to the game. There are topics like implied odds, controlling pot size, and targeting weaker players that I would think would take some time to fully understand and apply, but Matthias claims to consider this facets of the game common sense.
Matthias crushing the $1/3 NL game
I ended up playing a total 11 hrs. for a profit of $300. I'm content considering how poorly I played at 1-3 NL. Overall, I thought the play at Argosy was extremely weak. People talked about their hands so much during play and gave away so much info about their hand. There were hardly any aggressive players to tangle with and made it a much easier time for me to run over the game. The first night playing 2-5 NL, I sat down with a guy who had over $5500 in front of him. I then saw him dwindle down to $500 within just a couple hrs. How freakin sick is that? This guy had no idea what he was doing and was consistently betting $500 into $100 pots on a regular basis. These tactics caught up to him though. The only thing I didn't like about Argosy was the $5 rake/pot plus a $1 deposit for the bad beat. I would definitely recommend anybody who is in the area to check out the games their as they are GREAT!!!
Heading towards Chicago, we got pulled over again by a local cop in Lawrenceburg. We apparently made an illegal U-turn and the cop was convinced he smelled alcohol on Matthias. Luckily, Matthias had not been drinking at the casino so we had nothing to worry about. The cop searched our car for alcohol and gave Matthias FOUR sobriety tests ending in a breath-a-lyzer came up .0 for BAL. He finally released us and Matthias claims that the smell of alcohol surfaces whenever he is sick. I am now putting the over/under of us getting pulled over at 2.5. Do I have any takers on this prop? We finally got to Chicago a couple days ago and did so much here. We visited the Sears Tower, got Matthias a much needed haircut, got 1 hr. massages at a local institute for just $30, had Chicago style pizza, and went to Navy Pier (shopping, dining, and tours on the lake). My favorite part of Chicago though was Millennium Park. It was in the heart of downtown with a waterfall with a TV screen as the wall. Check it out...
The park also had this huge bean that was 50 ft high and you could see your reflection on it at many crazy ass angles. There was a lawn concert hall and were able to catch a couple pieces from a local orchestra. A highway was right by the concert hall, but they built a steel bridge that was able to block off the noise of the traffic on the highway. Words cannot do this park justice so if you're ever in Chicago just check it out! I really enjoyed Chicago as it had parks everywhere within the city, the people were dressed casual considering the size of the city, and there seems to be so much to do. Chicago definitely has been my favorite stop thus far. We are preparing on a long drive to South Dakota (I've heard so many great things about this state) so I am excited to get there!!
Key West to Atlanta non-stop
by foxypham on 06/09/07
Location: Atlanta, GA
Hey guys, how is everybody doing? I left you guys from my last entry in Key West. Key West was obviously beautiful with its Carribean-esque beaches. The only night we were there Matthias and I went out to eat for the first time on trip (We’re trying to keep expenses low by eating out as little as possible). We went to this Jamaican restaurant and had the local delicacies fried conch and key lime pie. All the food there was good, but the key lime pie was amazing!!!! Key limes are like regular limes but super limier so the taste is much more intense. After dinner, we walked Duval St. (where most Key West bars are located), but not too many people were out. It must not be tourist season yet in Florida, because all the destinations we hit up are lacking people. I guess everybody is out at Vegas for the WSOP . The next day we left Key West to head towards South Beach, At that point, we were really in a rush as our trip is only suppose to be 5 weeks, but its taken 1 week just to go through Florida. South Beach was really scenic with its beaches and women. The women there remind me of those music shows on Telemmundo. Just HOT Latin women everywhere!! We didn’t even spend the night in South Beach (in our rush) and headed to Jacksonville to crash for the night.
The next morning while driving we stumbled by the Anheuser-Busch plant in J-ville. Matthias and I decided to take one of their free tours. The tour was cool, but the guides kept repeating the same facts over and over again. It was propaganda as its worst. They might as well have chanted “Drink Bud” over the speakers. They did have a bar in the plant at the end of the tour where everyone got two free drinks. The bar was awesome as there were barely any people, leather seats, a fireplace, and play hockey table game. The tour guide told me that sometimes people hang out there all day. I normally don’t drink, but with free samples I couldn’t pass up the offer. We then headed to Atlanta to stay with two of Matthias’ friends from South Alabama. On the way, we got pulled over for “drifting through lanes” and the cop was convinced we had narcotics. He asked up about narcotics like four times during the stop. Eventually, he just let us go with a warning, but I think we shouldn’t of got pulled over in the first place. We arrive into the ATL that night and went out to Buckhead, a strip in Atlanta with a lot of bars. We didn’t know exactly where to go in Buckhead as Matthias’ friends are new to the area and end up at this Latin club. I consider myself an OK dancer, but these guys were the real deal. The next day we went to the Georgia state aquarium and then drank at the house for the night. Now we are on our way to Myrtle Beach. We are going to continue up the coast to Virginia and then head out towards Chicago.
I don’t expect to play poker until Indiana and I am really itching to play. The past few months I’ve been running well in poker and my confidence is at an all time high. I’m ready to start playing in bigger games and take my poker playing to the next level. As for this trip, I’m really worried about not having enough time. I want to be able to enjoy the places we get to, but the driving we’re doing has been ridiculous. This county is so big and with so much stuff to do, I don’t know if 5 weeks will be enough to cover all the places we want to hit up. I’m trying not to worry about the time constraints and make the best of our current situation. Between driving, camping, going out, teaching Matthias, and playing poker it has been a hectic journey thus far.
Hey guys, how is everybody doing? I left you guys from my last entry in Key West. Key West was obviously beautiful with its Carribean-esque beaches. The only night we were there Matthias and I went out to eat for the first time on trip (We’re trying to keep expenses low by eating out as little as possible). We went to this Jamaican restaurant and had the local delicacies fried conch and key lime pie. All the food there was good, but the key lime pie was amazing!!!! Key limes are like regular limes but super limier so the taste is much more intense. After dinner, we walked Duval St. (where most Key West bars are located), but not too many people were out. It must not be tourist season yet in Florida, because all the destinations we hit up are lacking people. I guess everybody is out at Vegas for the WSOP . The next day we left Key West to head towards South Beach, At that point, we were really in a rush as our trip is only suppose to be 5 weeks, but its taken 1 week just to go through Florida. South Beach was really scenic with its beaches and women. The women there remind me of those music shows on Telemmundo. Just HOT Latin women everywhere!! We didn’t even spend the night in South Beach (in our rush) and headed to Jacksonville to crash for the night.
The next morning while driving we stumbled by the Anheuser-Busch plant in J-ville. Matthias and I decided to take one of their free tours. The tour was cool, but the guides kept repeating the same facts over and over again. It was propaganda as its worst. They might as well have chanted “Drink Bud” over the speakers. They did have a bar in the plant at the end of the tour where everyone got two free drinks. The bar was awesome as there were barely any people, leather seats, a fireplace, and play hockey table game. The tour guide told me that sometimes people hang out there all day. I normally don’t drink, but with free samples I couldn’t pass up the offer. We then headed to Atlanta to stay with two of Matthias’ friends from South Alabama. On the way, we got pulled over for “drifting through lanes” and the cop was convinced we had narcotics. He asked up about narcotics like four times during the stop. Eventually, he just let us go with a warning, but I think we shouldn’t of got pulled over in the first place. We arrive into the ATL that night and went out to Buckhead, a strip in Atlanta with a lot of bars. We didn’t know exactly where to go in Buckhead as Matthias’ friends are new to the area and end up at this Latin club. I consider myself an OK dancer, but these guys were the real deal. The next day we went to the Georgia state aquarium and then drank at the house for the night. Now we are on our way to Myrtle Beach. We are going to continue up the coast to Virginia and then head out towards Chicago.
I don’t expect to play poker until Indiana and I am really itching to play. The past few months I’ve been running well in poker and my confidence is at an all time high. I’m ready to start playing in bigger games and take my poker playing to the next level. As for this trip, I’m really worried about not having enough time. I want to be able to enjoy the places we get to, but the driving we’re doing has been ridiculous. This county is so big and with so much stuff to do, I don’t know if 5 weeks will be enough to cover all the places we want to hit up. I’m trying not to worry about the time constraints and make the best of our current situation. Between driving, camping, going out, teaching Matthias, and playing poker it has been a hectic journey thus far.
chillin in the sunshine state
by foxypham on 06/04/07
Location: Key West, Florida
Hey guys! Well I'm 5 days into my trip and there so much to talk about. Our first stop was in Panama City (known for wild spring breaks). Of course when we get there, the town is pretty much dead. Matthias and I hung out on the beach during the day and went to the famous Club La Vela at night. It's the biggest night club in the USA, but the night we went there was like only 30 people total!!!!!! Way too much space for so few of us. Nothing eventful happened to say the least. The next day we headed to Orlando "the place where dreams come true". Sorry just had to throw that in there. We ended up at Sea World which was ok but nothing spectacular. That night we headed to Pleasure Island. Its where all the night clubs are in downtown Disney and each club has a different theme. There's a club for hip-hop, 70's and 80's joint, and beach club etc... So the first night at Disney, we end up at a Top 40 club Motion. I really only like dancing to hip hop, but they were playing mostly techno so it was a challenge for me to shake my moneymaker. We met some cute girls from Conn. and danced with them at the club. The one girl Joseline seemed really into me so we got the girl's numbers to hang out the next night. So the night after we ended up at club called Mannequin. This spot was hot b/c it had a rotating dance floor. Matthias and I met up w/ the girls there, but Joseline seemed out of it the whole night. I ended up finding out she was into extra curricular activities and since she was sober was not herself. Nothing really transpired w/ the girls :(, but the trip is still young!!!
Some random guy, the girls we met and me (on the right) at Pleasure Island
Mannequin dance club
After leaving Orlando, Matthias and I finally had a chance to play some poker for the first time on the trip. There are some weird laws in Florida that prohibit NL cash games, but I found a cruise ship sailing off of Palm Beach that spread 2-5 NL cash games. The cruise ship sails for 4 hrs. so there would be a limited time we could play. I was nervous for Matthias as I am staking him for the trip and he has no casino poker experience. So we get there and the 2-5 NL game has a cap buy-in of $300. This means no real poker will be played and you just have to sit back for hands and hopefully get paid off. The average stack at the table was $200 so it was an uneventful session w/ no interesting hands. I ended up $300 after 4 hrs., which I thought was good considering how small the game played. Matthias watched me play for the first couple hrs. to pick up the basics and then I decided to put him into the game. He ran really well and was up $215 after 2 hrs. Not bad for his first cash game session of poker ever! I've talked to Matthias about poker strategy and since he's a really smart guy, I believe he will be a winning player very quickly. We just arrived in Key West and are about to go out for the night. This place better be the bomb, b/c we are driving so out of the way just to hit up this spot. I don't expect to play any poker until we get to Chicago (no card rooms from Georgia to Illinois) boo to that!!! Later everyone!!
PS
On a side note, does anyone camp anymore!? Every campground we stop by, there are just RVs and we end up being the only idiots camping for real. I guess nobody camps b/c motel rates and camp fees can be really close at some locations.
Hey guys! Well I'm 5 days into my trip and there so much to talk about. Our first stop was in Panama City (known for wild spring breaks). Of course when we get there, the town is pretty much dead. Matthias and I hung out on the beach during the day and went to the famous Club La Vela at night. It's the biggest night club in the USA, but the night we went there was like only 30 people total!!!!!! Way too much space for so few of us. Nothing eventful happened to say the least. The next day we headed to Orlando "the place where dreams come true". Sorry just had to throw that in there. We ended up at Sea World which was ok but nothing spectacular. That night we headed to Pleasure Island. Its where all the night clubs are in downtown Disney and each club has a different theme. There's a club for hip-hop, 70's and 80's joint, and beach club etc... So the first night at Disney, we end up at a Top 40 club Motion. I really only like dancing to hip hop, but they were playing mostly techno so it was a challenge for me to shake my moneymaker. We met some cute girls from Conn. and danced with them at the club. The one girl Joseline seemed really into me so we got the girl's numbers to hang out the next night. So the night after we ended up at club called Mannequin. This spot was hot b/c it had a rotating dance floor. Matthias and I met up w/ the girls there, but Joseline seemed out of it the whole night. I ended up finding out she was into extra curricular activities and since she was sober was not herself. Nothing really transpired w/ the girls :(, but the trip is still young!!!
Some random guy, the girls we met and me (on the right) at Pleasure Island
Mannequin dance club
After leaving Orlando, Matthias and I finally had a chance to play some poker for the first time on the trip. There are some weird laws in Florida that prohibit NL cash games, but I found a cruise ship sailing off of Palm Beach that spread 2-5 NL cash games. The cruise ship sails for 4 hrs. so there would be a limited time we could play. I was nervous for Matthias as I am staking him for the trip and he has no casino poker experience. So we get there and the 2-5 NL game has a cap buy-in of $300. This means no real poker will be played and you just have to sit back for hands and hopefully get paid off. The average stack at the table was $200 so it was an uneventful session w/ no interesting hands. I ended up $300 after 4 hrs., which I thought was good considering how small the game played. Matthias watched me play for the first couple hrs. to pick up the basics and then I decided to put him into the game. He ran really well and was up $215 after 2 hrs. Not bad for his first cash game session of poker ever! I've talked to Matthias about poker strategy and since he's a really smart guy, I believe he will be a winning player very quickly. We just arrived in Key West and are about to go out for the night. This place better be the bomb, b/c we are driving so out of the way just to hit up this spot. I don't expect to play any poker until we get to Chicago (no card rooms from Georgia to Illinois) boo to that!!! Later everyone!!
PS
On a side note, does anyone camp anymore!? Every campground we stop by, there are just RVs and we end up being the only idiots camping for real. I guess nobody camps b/c motel rates and camp fees can be really close at some locations.
The journey begins....
by foxypham on 06/01/07
5/30/07
Location: Mobile, AL
Hey everyone and welcome to my blog! I am in a unique position of having the freedom to travel the country for the next 5 weeks spanning over 7000 miles to explore this great land and play poker of course. I have been playing poker as my sole income for the past 6 months. My friend Matthias just graduated with his Masters from University of South Alabama. His poker experience is limited to $5 buy-in home games and I will guide him to becoming a winning casino poker player. I am just fresh off of a weekly tournament win at the Borgata in AC and usually play 2-5 NL cash games. I plan to stopping at 10 to 15 casinos during our trip to negate the expenses through poker. This will all culminate when we head to Las Vegas and the WSOP!
Frankly, I am quite nervous about this trip. I expect to encounter the unexpected and I plan on rising to the challenges that await me. We are driving Matthias' 88' Subaru station wagon with 150K miles on it. We are praying the car holds up for the duration of the trip. To keep the trip low budget, we are primarily camping and occasionally crashing at friend's places. I have ZERO camping experience so this should be an adventure for me. Luckily, Matthias was an eagle scout for 10 years and will be able to show me the ropes. My life has been all poker the last year and I've taken this journey to step beyond my horizons to hopefully new and greater things. I hope everyone enjoys my adventures!
foxypham
Location: Mobile, AL
Hey everyone and welcome to my blog! I am in a unique position of having the freedom to travel the country for the next 5 weeks spanning over 7000 miles to explore this great land and play poker of course. I have been playing poker as my sole income for the past 6 months. My friend Matthias just graduated with his Masters from University of South Alabama. His poker experience is limited to $5 buy-in home games and I will guide him to becoming a winning casino poker player. I am just fresh off of a weekly tournament win at the Borgata in AC and usually play 2-5 NL cash games. I plan to stopping at 10 to 15 casinos during our trip to negate the expenses through poker. This will all culminate when we head to Las Vegas and the WSOP!
Frankly, I am quite nervous about this trip. I expect to encounter the unexpected and I plan on rising to the challenges that await me. We are driving Matthias' 88' Subaru station wagon with 150K miles on it. We are praying the car holds up for the duration of the trip. To keep the trip low budget, we are primarily camping and occasionally crashing at friend's places. I have ZERO camping experience so this should be an adventure for me. Luckily, Matthias was an eagle scout for 10 years and will be able to show me the ropes. My life has been all poker the last year and I've taken this journey to step beyond my horizons to hopefully new and greater things. I hope everyone enjoys my adventures!
foxypham
