It seems that Jim McManus, poker player and author, is writing a “poker journal” for the New York Times. His first entry, dated June 23, 4:31pm, appeared this morning. Perhaps this is the pot calling the kettle black, but man is it yawn-inducing. Yes, he’s writing for a broad audience that may not be as familiar with poker, tournament poker, and the World Series of Poker as the average poker blogger, but couldn’t he at least liven it up a little bit? He should take a nod from Nurse Pauly and provide some local color. I’m sure NYT readers would be quite interested in the urination habits of Vegas crack whores as opposed to, say, those found in the South Bronx.

Note to Jim: the photo of you throwing the ace, three and six of spades in the air is, in the vernacular of fifteen-year-olds everywhere, “super gay”.

Bag and Tag

Thought I’d sit down for the first time in a looooooooong time tonight for a $20 MTT on Party. First ten minutes, I lose my entire stack with a horrific misplay of AK from early position. I mean, just bloody awful. Tonight, I was a big fat Party Poker Fish, and I wish I could explain why.

Blinds 10/15, I open for 75 from early position with AKo. Two late position callers for a flop of 2-3-6, two clubs. Here’s the danger of AK out of position. I’ve missed, and in order to win this pot, I have to fire a round into the ether and hope nobody is willing to chase overs (entirely possible on this board) or has a wired pair.

One guy calls, so now I’m already in for 1/4 of my starting stack. I should have shut down when the turn came 9c. But no, I stubbornly have to try to buy it again, betting 300 and now putting over half my stack in – with nothing! Surprise, surprise, I get popped to 600. I have 0 folding equity, because he only has 120 behind the raise (this should have been another big fucking warning sign – the fact that he didn’t put his whole stack in). Since I held the Kc, I just shrugged and pushed. He called, turned over 66 for a flopped set and leaving my 8 outs, none of which hit on the river. I went out in the first ten minutes and I wanted to go slice open my wrists for such retarded play.

I’d like to think I’m better than that, but tonight, it seems, I wasn’t. Is it rust from not having played any MTTs in a while? Sheer stupidity? Who knows. Just call me Dead Money.