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Poker Blog established in 2003 as the first stop for poker news, poker stories, and bad poker advice.

December 2, 2004

Priming the pump

by Otis

Warning: The following is mindless drivel that is not even worth reading. I just needed to get it out of my system for the morning

In Kansas City, Missouri, the autumn air can take on a bit of a dewy haze. Bright red brake lights on the noodly junction onto I-70 shoot through the dew droplets in millions of tiny prisms. It makes it hard to drive, especially if you're fighting to get back to a holiday you created. It makes it even harder if your libido is making it difficult for you to correctly turn the steering wheel.

Damn that woman, I thought, just two seconds after my front right tire slammed into a bridge.

It was the last weekend of October 1992.

***

That night was sort of a turning point in my life. The car survived, I made the trip back to Columbia, MO. I left the woman behind and proceeded to embark on a night of debauchery that I have matched few times in my young life.

The last weekend in October--back in those days--was Dionysian Weekend, a self-proclaimed holiday-ish event that took my friends through three straight days of silliness and rowdy-rambling.

I was ill-prepared for that first holiday weekend. It ended with me sprawled on a bathroom floor, speckled with grape-scented vomit, and a guy standing above me remarking, "You can still smell the grape!"

At some point in our lives, we all realize that while spontaneity is a virtue, preparation is no sin.

It was shortly after that weekend that I took to priming the pump for big events.

And as any reader knows, a big event sits on the all-too tantalizingly close horizon.

***

I'm like a little damned kid when it comes to stuff like the next week's WPBT conference. It's not all I think about, but it fills a goodly portion of my daydream musings. G-Rob and I can only take a certain portion of our workday to discuss the lack of sleep we expect to get before the Holiday Classic, our poor chances of lasting past the first break, and how we plan to maintain our composure over several long days in Vegas. We do have to do some work before then, after all.

And while Mrs. Otis has been quite a champ about the whole thing, I do my best not to overfill her head with my musings. After all, she's staying home to take care of L'il Otis while I go have fun.

Brief digression: Here's something fun about Mrs. Otis that I haven't shared yet. Thanksgiving night, after the in-laws had left the house, I retired to bed with the laptop and started playing a little NL. Eventually, Mrs. Otis snuggled in beside me, quizzing me on pot odds, implied odds, and the like. On one particular hand, I flopped an open-ended straight draw. My opponent underbet the pot, giving me the odds to call. I explained my play to Mrs. Otis, listing my outs and the likelihood that I would hit one of them. The turn gave me my straight, but I didn't say anything. I was pleased to hear a quick gasp from my wife. "Is that the nuts?" she asked. Bless that woman.

"Yes, baby, that's the nuts," I said. And then I promptly doubled up.

So, she humors me and I owe her the respect of not constantly jabbering about my Vegas plans.

So, that leaves me stuck inside my head, making mental lists of everything I want to do.

Oh, and of course, it leaves me with my prized space in Up For Poker. Which means if you accidentally read this far, you've become the unwitting victim of my safety ventihilation.

Sorry about that.

***

So, priming the pump.

There's only so much I can do to prime for this trip, but I'm doing my best.

Poker

In an attempt to ready myself for what cold be the longest poker binge of my short career, I have started playing online like I might at a B&M cardroom. That is, intead of mutli-tabling two NL games and one limit game at the same time, I've dialed back my online play to one table. Complete concentration rules the day.

In preparation for the Holiday Classic, I've taken to playing three-table tournaments. My results have been mixed so far. Out of five tournaments, I've cashed in two, including a first place finish last night. I don't like those results that much.

Rowdiness

This is an area where I need serious, emergency priming. Not since a fairly sober time in 1997-1998 have I spent so long as a level-headed, responsible human being. An ideal pump-priming would have called for three straight weeks of rowdiness leading up to Dec. 10-14. Instead, I've spent the past several months blissfully emmersed in fatherhood and concentrated poker play.

This coming Saturday is my birthday and should prove to be a good indicator of my stamina. You might see in the previous post that commenters are already setting the over/under on the number of full-fall stumbles I'll take during our trip out west. Obviously, there are those out there who are of little faith.

They may be right this time.

***

The Yonder Mountain String band would advise you, "If there's still ramblin' in the rambler', let him go."

I've got enough ramble left in me for the next several days. However, rather than bore you with all the other stuff that's slipping in and out of my noodle, I'll just ask two questions:

Am I the only one who is this excited?

If you're afflicted as I am, what mental/physical preps are you making?

| Otis' Thoughts