In Memory of Souls Lost....

I think Iced Earth said it best in this video. I get chills watching this.



I'm sure we all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing 6 years ago today.
I recall thinking, "We're going to war" and hoping my brother would somehow make it through another tour in the Middle East. He's a Cavalry Scout, so he's half nuts ;-) He fought in Desert Storm and spent another 18 months during "Shock and Awe" fighting with the 3rd Infantry Division and 101st Airborne. It looks like he may be deployed again after his Drill Sergeant gig is up early next year. God Speed, brother. And God Bless all our troops who sacrifice so much and receive so little in return. You are all heroes in my eyes.

A Great Guitarist

Michael Schenker is truly one of the greatest guitarists to ever play and this song, Captain Nemo, is one of his best. His playing style is easily recognized when you hear songs by the Scorpions or UFO.

Ozzy Osbourne wanted him to play in his band after Randy Rhoads passed away, and it is documented that Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones wanted him to join also. He is an absolute master in his craft who plays so fluidly it is jaw dropping.

It's Been a While

So, how's everyone doing? I haven't played much poker this month, so not much to talk about on that front. I've been messing around at Bodog a little, playing TheEnd79 some play chip HU just for shits and giggles.

I did play in their New player tournament once and qualified for a better than normal deposit bonus, a credit for their $10k guaranteed tournament and a subscription to Card Player, so I'll fart around there for a while. I only have $150 on the site so it looks like small buy-in games or Sit & Go's for the time being. The Sit & Go's seem pretty easy to beat . The skill level of players- as other people have said for a long time- is very different from Full Tilt. I've seen some pretty crazy play in my limited time there. I intend on clearing the bonus, profiting, and getting out, because I don't have rakeback (can anyone get me switched over?) and because of the litigation Bodog is facing right now. Has anyone read the latest blog entry from Bill Rini? Anyone believe in omens? Your thoughts about this issue?

I just got a new camera last week as a belated birthday gift. Thanks to George (check out the macro on the cicada) for giving me some info about this and taking the time to show me the ropes on macro shots. I'll be posting some pics on my flickr account very soon if you want to check them out. Still getting a feel for the camera so it may be later on next week, but this thing is awesome! I'll post a few of my 35 mm pics from vacation soon and give a link if anyone is interested.

I hope all of you are hitting your flops hard and getting those chips! I plan to be playing more in September. See you at the tables, good luck, and may the good cards hit your hand.....

Interesting conversation to start our vacation to Chicago with Mrs. whodatdare. It's 4:45 a.m. and we've just left Birmingham, AL.

me: Hey honey, how many bugs do you think will hit the windshield today?

Mrs. whodat: I don't know. Why?

me: What do you think the over/under will be?

Mrs. whodat: Um, 50!

me: I'll take the over. You're such a fish!

Mrs. whodat: I want to change it to 500.

me: I'll still take the over, fish!

Mrs. whodat: I hate this already!

1-1/2 hours later, getting ready to cross the Tennessee River....

Mrs. whodat: Did you remember to shut the garage door?

me: Um, I think, OH ****!

Mrs. whodat: Who's the fish now?

Randomness..... And Vacation Time!!!!

Haven't played much this month. I've had a lot of things going on like getting my alternator fixed, getting the wife's car tuned up for our trip to Chicago tomorrow, and today, on the hottest day the AC needed servicing . Have ever noticed how life happens when you're busy preparing for something else? It is so hot today. Birmingham set a new record today at 103 degrees. When I woke up at 6:00 this morning it was 80 degrees with the humidity at a comfortable 71%. Can you say "UGH!"

I managed to get in a very short session a few days ago. I played a little looser than normal, running at 25/18/4 which is way above what I'm used to playing. But after data mining I noticed this table was very passive. There was a point where I raised pre-flop 6 times in a row and never met resistance.

I had a few more ups and downs during this session but never felt the players would or could out play me. If I can find tables like this all the time I could really improve my bankroll and achieve my next goal of jumping up to the next level. Afer vacation I'm going to try out Sixth Sense to help with table selection. Thanks to Jared and Ryan for the info they give over at Poker Dynasty. They really run a great site.

In that light, I want to congratulate Flamm on his great run in the FTOPS event 1 last night (Aug. 8) He finished 54th out of over 4,000 people for a nice cash. It was fun railing and supporting you on your run. Hopefully I'll be in that position one day soon. Keep up with your efforts and great things will come to you.


Oh yeah, here's a hand to peruse while I'm on vacation. I'll be back in about a week. Comments are welcome and encouraged.


Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.10/$0.25 Blinds - 6 Players - (LegoPoker Hand History Converter)



whodatdare (SB): $26.70

BB: $24.85

UTG: $15.80

MP: $25.00

CO: $14.55

BTN: $49.70



Preflop: whodatdare is dealt 7 T (6 Players)

2 folds, CO calls $0.25, BTN folds, whodatdare calls $0.15, BB checks



Flop: ($0.75) 9 3 A (3 Players)

whodatdare checks, BB checks, CO bets $0.75, whodatdare calls $0.75, BB folds



Turn: ($2.25) 8 (2 Players)

whodatdare checks, CO bets $3.50, whodatdare raises to $12.75, CO calls $9.25



River: ($27.75) 6 (2 Players)

whodatdare bets $0.80, CO calls all-in for $0.80



Pot Size: $29.35 ($29.35 Rake)





whodatdare had 7 T ([7c Tc] a flush, Ace high) and WON ($14.55)

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Not the one you're thinking of from the chant. The original Jerry. I've seen him, and the Grateful Dead more than any other band in my life. His guitar playing is extremely under-rated by the public, but he was truly phenomenal to see live. I hope you enjoy this song. It's called Peggy-O and this is one of the best versions I've ever heard.




Happy birthday, Jerry, on what would've been your 65th. You are sorely missed but still revered for the indelible mark you left on my soul.

This Looks Fun.....

I found a nice vid of the descent down my favorite mountain stage. This was filmed with a steady cam mounted on the handle bars.This is part one and lasts about 6 minutes. The descent is about 9 miles long, so he is probably hitting speeds of 55 mph or higher. If you like roller coasters I think you will love this.

Pyrenees Mountains....

The Pyrenees Mountain stages start tomorrow and are famous for very steep climbs -some of the steepest in the Tour- and blisteringly fast descents with speeds reacing over 55mph.

The top picture is a descent down Plateau-De-Beille. You think there is any room for error? They won't have to worry about that, as this is the mountain top finish fpr tomorrow's stage.

The bottom picture is part of the climb up Plateau-De-Beille and gives you a sense of how close the crowds are and what the riders experience during all this. They get so close that at times riders cannot see the road ahead.

These photos are copied from pezcycling.com (top) and steephilltv.com

I added thickbox to my pictures so you can click the thumbnail for a larger image. Many thanks to Terry for all his help. If you like what you see why not stop by his site and add it to your blog? Thanks for reading.

My Favorite Stage in the Tour De France

Alpe d'Huez is the most famous mountain climb in the Tour De France. While the tour route varies from year to year, l'Alpe d'Huez has hosted a stage finish almost every year since 1976. The Tour de France first finished a stage on l'Alpe d'Huez in 1952. That stage was won by the Italian Fausto Coppi. The climb up Alpe d'Huez is 13.8 km at an average gradient of 8.1% with 21 hairpin bends marked with panels honoring the winners of each stage that has finished there. Having finished there for the 22nd time in 2001 the authorities have had to start again at the bottom with a double panel honoring Fausto Coppi and Lance Armstrong..
As the most legendary climb in recent Tour history, the Alpe has been the scene of chaotic crowds in the past 10 years. In 1999 Giuseppe Guerini won the stage despite being knocked off his bike by an over-enthusiastic spectator who stepped into his path to take a photograph (the photographer later sought out Guerini to apologize). The 2004 Tour De France route featured an individual time trial up Alpe d'Huez, which became a chaotic scene crowded with nearly a million fans, some of whom could not resist pushing their favorite rider toward the top. Armstrong won the stage and his time was only 1 second slower than the official record set by the late Marco Pantani of 37 minutes, 35 seconds.

Unfortunately this stage is not on the Tour this year. Usually after the descent from Galibier the riders climb Alpe D'huez, but this year they veer their way into Briancon for the finish.

Le Tour De France just finished the Alp mountain stages with a climb of Col Du Galibier, which is one of the toughest this year.

Taken from wikipedia:

The Col du Galibier (el. 2645m, over 9000 ft) is a high mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphine Alps near Grenoble. It is often the highest point in the Tour De France. It was first used in 1911.

The climb to the summit in today’s stage is 18.1 km (about 10 miles) long at an average of 6.9% (height gain: 1245m). The maximum is 10.1% at the summit.


To watch these riders climb these is absolutely amazing. And to think they have the Pyrennes on the horizon.