Some great birthday presents!

My 24th birthday was yesterday. I didn't do much from the norm. But I did receive a few awesome birthday presents.

#1- Number 1 definitely goes to my girlfriend Lisa. She really bought one of the best presents possible. For those of you who don't know, I'm a big Chicago Bears fan. (Sorry to you Saints fans for kicking your ass in the NFC Championship a few years ago). But when I'm not rooting for the Bears, I am rooting for the Saints. They're my two favorites. Well, my girlfriend bought us 2 unbelievably sweet tickets to the Bears v.s. Saints game on December 11th in Chicago! We're going to fly out there for a few days and catch the game. We have lower level, 50 yard line, heated seats. Along with that, she bought me a Bears jacket, and wool hat to wear to the game. Hopefully the Bears will still be in the playoff hunt at that time. I'm going to the Saints v.s. Packers game Monday night. So in addition to hoping the Saints win, I also really need the Packers to lose for Chicago's sake. Overall, she really outdid herself. I'm sooo pumped. Thanks Lisa

#2- Number 2 goes to Harrah's Casino. Since my 21st birthday 3 years ago, I have played poker on my birthday every year. On my 21st birthday(My first time allowed in a casino) I won $2400. Talk about hooking the fish. Well I've had a winning session every year on my birthday the last 3 years and pulled off another one last night to keep the streak going. Of course I seem to win less every year lol. From $2400 in 2005..... to $1200 in 2006...to $844 in 2007... to $645 in 2008. But I still picked up $645 nonetheless. I'll touch more on my session later.

#- Number 3 goes to Terreborne Parish Police Department. I was pulled over today on my way home from Harrah's. Multiple things on my car are expired. Including my driver's license!! I realized that yesterday when I went to Harrah's. When the guy checked my I.D., he told me it expires tomorrow. Shit! And what do you know, I get pulled over the very first day it's expired. I won't go into much detail, but after he found out that I have so much expired shit, a couple thousand dollars on me, and a handgun in the glove box.... he wanted to pat me down and search the car. I allowed him, as I have never done an illegal drug a day in my life. Upon finding nothing, they actually let me go without citing me! I have only been driving for 8 years, and I bet I have more tickets than anyone reading this thing. Sometimes for some very unnecessary shit. But I fully expected to get nailed for the expired stuff (as a should because I was too lazy to renew them). Anyway, thanks to the officers who let me go. I honestly fully intend to get that shit taken care of ASAP.

I received birthday gifts from others too. I appreciate them also. Thanks all.

Now onto my session. I have played a pretty good bit of poker over the last 5 years. And my two tables last night were 2 of the best tables I have ever sat at. The action was UNREAL. I first sat down at a 1-2 game and bought in for $400. And 5 minutes later, I'm called to the $2-$5 game. So I sat with my original $400. About an hour in, I caught K-K. Problem was the guy across the table who found A-A at the same time. All-in on the flop. Rebuy. So now I'm in the game for $900. Well our game is already pretty good. And then Marcos comes to our table. And REALLY livens it up. He's got the deadly combination. He's drunk, playing bad, and catching EVERYTHING. After a little while, he's up to about 4k. People are adding on like crazy, including me. I put another $200 on the game. I wasn't really getting involved much. Not in any big pots anyway. I raised preflop with A-K and won about $200 on an A-10-10-K-K board. He had A-Q.

I am in dream position, to Marco's left. But I can't catch anything against him. I keep mentioning Marco, but the table was full of action players;
Scott- who has now been allowed back into Harrahs. Welcome back.
Black Larry- I say black Larry only because there's white Larry who's a regular also. I'm not racist.
Ron or Rod- an action player with about 5k in front of him.
Mark- a big limit player who plays in Scott's big game.

So this table was great. BUT!!! It's a must move. And after a few of those guys move to the main game, I get moved too. Shit. But this main game is nearly as good. And now black Larry and Rod are there too. I'm still trying to catch even. I win a decent pot that I can't remember, to put my stuck only $100. Then I flop the nuts with Q-J on an A-K-10 board, 2 spades. I reraise a flop better who calls my raise. Long story short, she has K-5 of spades. Turn is Js. I lose about $300 on the hand, and I'm back stuck $400.

Well finally Marcos gets moved to our game. The players from the must-move game claim he took about $1400 off the table when he moved. He was forced to put it back on. So some kind of way, he still has like $4,600 in front of him. And he's still playing reckless as can be. I did pull off a very risky but successful bluff. I bluff $100 on the river into a $460 pot. I bluffed one guy with only $100 left, and black Larry. Usually not a good idea. But my read happened to be correct and I won a nice pot with 7 high. And after a while of not catching much of anything, my time finally comes. Or does it? Marcos is raising preflop very often. And usually to absurd amounts. Well he raises in early position to $75. The guy(a calling station) to my right calls. I have J-J. I'm sure I've got the best of it but I'm not raising to like $300 with J-J with the entire table left behind me. I call and 2 others call. We're 5 handed to a flop for $75. Flop is ten-high with a straight draw. Marcos fires $200. Guy to my left folds. I've still got 2 players behind me. One guy looks like he's gonna muck. Well I call. Guy behind me folds. But the other guy left calls. 3 handed to the turn. It's an off suit 3. Now this is scary, Marco fires $500. S.O.B.! I know he's been playing crazy. But he usually shows down with at least a little something. Almost never is he completely bluffing. Normally my J-J would hit the muck quickly. I'd put the guy on AA, KK, QQ, or 1010. But it's frickin' Marcos. This guy could have anything from an overpair, to a set, to 5-high. I look at the guy behind me and it looks like he wants to fold. I figure he was on some kind of straight draw that missed. Anyway, after a while of deliberating, I finally move in. I've only got about $175 more than the $500. The guy behind me folds. Marcos throws in the extra $175. The river pairs the board rag. I show J-J. Marcos just stares at his hand for a minute. Normally, this is a good sign. But Marcos is piss drunk and I'm waiting for this idiot to flip over top boat or something. But he shows 10-8 of clubs. Top pair. So I drag a $2200 pot with a barely overpair lol. Nice but tough.

So now I'm actually winning about $1100. I ended up giving almost half of that back. One hand I limp with 9s-7s. A few people limp and someone makes a ridiculous raise to $20, which everyone calls. The flop comes K-9-7, two diamonds. Some donkey who was playing terribly fires $75. He's only got $100 behind that. I call and the table folds. The turn is a black 3. And he puts his last $100 in. Shit, I call. Now this guy was called a few times earlier in night by like 3rd pair and he mucked. So he could have complete shit, or a real hand. My guess it like K-Q or diamonds. Now I'll play a game with you that I play with Joe sometimes. It's called, "What's the worst possible card?" Meaning consider my hand, 9-7. I think he either has a king, or diamonds. Now in the entire deck, what's the worst possible river card for me?! What you think? You got it? Well if you guessed the 3 of diamonds, you got it. And that's precisely what the river card was. It hit the board and I laughed out loud. I can't win now. See the 3 of diamonds is a terrible card for me. Because it completes the flush and now if he has a king, he has two better pair. Well sure enough he had both, the Kd-5d. Giving him the flush. I lost like $200 there.

Another hand I had As-7s in the BB. Someone raised to $25 preflop and most of the table called, as did I. the flop came A-Q-9. 1 spade. It checks around to some guy who bets $40 into a $200 pot. I usually fold here but it's the previously mentioned donkey. I'm hoping to pick up a spade on the turn. I call as does Scott. Well sure enough, the turn is a spade, giving me top pair, nut flush draw. I check and now Scott bets $125. The donkey folds and it's back to me. I know my implied odds would be pretty sweet with a backdoor flush here. I call. The river pairs the board queens. He fires a nice size bet and I decide to fold.

I gave back some and cashed out for a $645 win. Overall nice. The birthday streak continues. Well I'm out. Catch me on Full Tilt.