SEPTEMBER 11 CHANGED EVERYTHING


Kelso opens the list, free-form in no particular order, to his Floppers...beyond the death and maiming of 10,000s of Americans and 100,000s Iraqis:

[NB: As a special treat to loyal Floppers, Kelso is adding something for those who are more interested in the gambling than in the politics (for K, the two are intertwined)...Kelso has backed a young man in a portfolio of poker tournaments in Mississppi and Southern Cal. He did very well for Kelso last year, is a very bright guy and has been sending his backers elaborate e-mail updates. They are great for anyone interested in poker. The first three follow today's sign-off.]

1) The USA PATRIOT Act

2) The Department Of Homeland Security

3) Permanent Republican Governement with no benefit to Kelso

4) Not true...conflict alert: high price of oil velly good

5) COINTELPRO Redux

6) The Theory Of Intelligent Design

7) Establishment of The Tissue Of Lies and the Washington Post as Pravda 1 & 1A

8) The Katzenjammer Kikes of the Center Right: Thomas Friedman and Noah Feldman

9) A show like Barney Miller or a character like Murray The Cop of the Odd Couple will never be seen again.

10) Bob Woodward & Jeff "Gannon" Guckert: soulmates

11) Samuel Alito, Jr.

12) Bob Barr is now a legitimate hero of the progressive Left

13) The awful specter of the McCain/Hillary presidential contest

14) "Mike" Bloomberg

15) The Governator

16) Rudy Giuliani: "America's Mayor"

17) Habeus Corpus?

18) "People will need to watch what they say and watch what they do?" -- Baldheaded faggot Ari Fleisher

19) 50,000,000 White Southern Baptists are happy

20) $1 USD = 1.30 EU $1 USD = 1.70 Sterling

21) Cellphone infrastructure, technology and service better EVERYWHERE in the world than in USA

22) Abu Gharaib, Rendition, & John Negroponte

23) Adoring profile of John Bolton in Tissue Of Lies magazine

24) CONDOLEEZA RICE, intellectual

25) Eliot Spitzer, future Governor of New York

26) The New York Yankees, more properly known as Rudy Giuliani's Girls

27) The fabulous plans for Ground Zero

28) Airport hassle

29) Tunnel hassle

30) The cops got a lot of pussy in the fall of 2001

31) The very worst of all: "GOD BLESS AMERICA" DURING THE SEVENTH INNING STRETCH

Please add on.

Kelso's Nuts love you.

TAKE IT AWAY, ATHENS GEORGIA:

Hi, Here is the recap of my first event. We started with 1350 players, 1500 in chips, 25-25 blinds, and 50 minute levels. The structure is not bad for a 500$ event. The tricky part is getting enough chips to be a force when the antes kick in at level 5 ( 100-200 25 ante). Ideally, 3k to 5k would be nice. I observed the first 20 hands or so and then a player in middle position who had been pretty active made it 100 with 2 limpers. I had JQh in the small blind and called. One limper called. Flop Q85 two hearts. I checked and they both checked. Ace on turn and I bet 150 as a defensive bet to win the pot there if neither had an ace. I hoped even if one had an ace, that I could see the river cheaply. If I check a bet will give me bad odds for the flush draw and I might muck the best hand. The original raiser made it 400 so it was 250 to me with the pot at 850. I figured him for AK and thought I could win more if I improved. I hit a heart on the river, bet 400 and got paid off. The next hand I played I had aq in the small blind in a 3 way unraised pot. Flop Q103 two hearts. I bet out 75 into 150 pot. The limper raised it to 300. I did not give him anything better than aq. I had 2400 he had 1800. I raised him 600 so he would be charged to draw out but may call with a worse queen. He folded. I mucked 88 in the big blind to a player who made it 250 with blinds of 25-50. Blinds went to 50-100. I raised to 300 in 2nd position and won the blinds. The next hand I had 88. I didn't like raising twice in a row in early position so I limped. In retrospect a double raise may have been a better play. The button limped ( a very weak player ) and flop was 3 way. Flop 755, Blind checks and I bet 200. Button called and blind made it 700. I was almost sure I had the button beat and I had both players well covered. I figured the blind for a 7 or a 5 and I thought he would raise less or just call with a 5. He only had 1100 total so I put him all-in. He had the 5 and I was down to 1600. About 1 round later I was in the small blind with K5s and everyone folded. The big blind had been tight and I had raised his blind twice already in this spot. He only had 1000 and I knew If he reraised I had a legit call so I moved in. He had AQd and It held up. Now I was down to 550. I picked up the blinds a couple times and went to the 100-200 level with 675. I could have raised with 910off but I had been a little active and thought I could find a better spot. I was in the big blind with A2s and a weak player limped 1 off the button. The small blind called and I could either move in ( I figured the limper for two paints and thought the small blind would fold), or bet the flop with the 475 I had left unless it came horrible. I moved in so I could play heads-up with the probable best hand. The limper called w 910h and hit a 9 on the turn to knock me out. I am pretty pleased with my play except for the 88 hand. I hate putting chips in in that bad of a spot. I think I played it fine postflop but I should have charged the blind a little something since the table had been kinda tight. I am already registered for the 500 limit holdem tomorrow. I'm not to crazy with the poker room. Headphones are not allowed at the Grand Casino ( I think they are ok at the Gold Strike) , and the poker area is very noisy with slot machines nearby. I may consider playing some events at the Gold Strike ( all no-limit holdem with buy-ins of 500 to 3000) if the fields are decent over there. I will be playing the 500 7-Stud event Monday and that is the day of the Gold Strike's 1st event so I'll have a better idea then. Poker is becoming very corporate recently and I am not happy with some of the new tournament rules/structures. I hate the no headphones rule and I feel they are taking too big a percentage of the prize pool. The 500$ events used to have a 30$ fee and now it is 50$. On the other hand, I love being able to get a huge return on the entry fees. A tournament like today's Is probably worth 4 times my buy-in at least in mathematical expectation. Please excuse the long recaps. I am using these for a few reasons. I hope you enjoy the in-depth thinking that goes into playing hands. I also am writing these as a learning tool to improve my game, and possibly as the foundation for a book in the future.

I am writing this at 4 am after 14 grueling but rewarding hours of poker. I am down to the final 18 out of about 450 entrants. This will be a fun report when I get to write it as a lot of interesting things happened today. I played with a player who played almost every hand in the dark, The tournament was stopped for 30 minutes when a player collapsed. I think he almost died but one of the poker players was a paramedic who revived him after several minutes. I resume at 2 P.M. tomorrow with 30,500 in chips and 2k-4k blinds. Average stack is 45k. If I can get over the early hump ( to about 80k ) the blinds increase more slowly and I will have more weapons at my disposal. Because this is only a 500 buy-in, I have only locked up 1500$ but 1st is 65k and a 10k seat in the main event. Certainly this is a great start to 2006.

Ouch, I'm going through the rough feeling of getting knocked out of a tournament. I finished 14th which paid 1,916. However, I am pleased with my play and know that the nature of tournaments is such that only winning or at least a top 5 finish would be satisfying. I'll give you the blow by blow. Bret Jungblut ( a member of the former Crew) sat down about 15 minutes into the first level of 25-50 limit with 25-25 blinds. He put in a blind raise which in a live cash game would be a straddle. This caused a chain reaction. With the tournament stating on a Sunday there were quite a few players on short or no sleep and stuck a lot of money for the weekend. So another player blind raised and won the pot. This player stated and followed through with blind raising or reraising for the next hour. I knew I would have to adapt to this. I am very familiar with this type of limit holdem game from playing a 15-30 game in Hogansville Georgia that had a number of loose crazy players. The adjustments are to see lots of flops with hands that want volume pots. Hands like small pairs and suited connecters have big implied odds. Also, If you can isolate the blind raiser with hands that have showdown value like ace high that is very profitable. I took advantage of this situation and caught a few hands. I ran my 1500 starting stack into 4600 by the end of level 2 which is unheard of in limit poker. I won a couple pots with ace high and won a huge pot with the 45c. I limped in late position when 3 players had already limped and as expected the maniac raised ( by the way he had a ball giving his 500 away ). The flop was 2s3c9s. I called a bet. The turn was Kc. With so many outs I was trying to find a way to win the pot without completing my draw. Bret had the same idea and he raised the maniac. I decided to call and mabye bluff if the spades got there. I caught a 6 and Bret play with Q5 ( a very good play on his part ) lost out. One funny note. There was an older man to my left who was a constant complainer. He got so frustrated after losing a couple pots to the blind raiser he Quit. He had about 400 left and tried to give it to the dealer =). He was blinded off. Level 3 was very cold for me. and I bled away to 3500 which was still fine. Then a man at the table next to ours collapsed. Bret was very alert and rushed to his aid. There was a player who was a paramedic who came over quickly. The tournament area was cleared for the next 30 minutes or so. Thankfully the man was revived after 13 minuted. Sounds like it was a close call. I won a nice pot with jj and a flopped set against Chris Gregorian ( The Armenian Express ). Then a key sequence came up. I raised in second posistion with KJh and won the blinds. The next hand I had 910d and was unsure what to do. Normally I might raise ( I had a tight image ). I decided I had enough chips to play a speculative hand. A tight player raised and fortunately two others called. Flop J8c3c and I checked. The raiser bet and got 1 caller. I called and knew If I made my hand it would be hidden and I could trap the third player. Turn Q. I checked the raiser bet and the other called. I raised and got reraised. Now I was fairly sure he had a set. He had 900 left and I could just call his 600 and save 300 if he filled. I wanted to go ahead and get all his money in with the best hand. He had QQ and did not fill and I won a huge pot to go to 15k. I treaded water for a while until a horrible sequence hit. We had a couple new players moved in and the table became very loose. I lost 4 pots in a row: 55 vs JJ who was shortstacked, QQ in a very big pot when a Lady made a straight on the river, Q9s to QJ with Q high flop ( I kept this loss small though because I had posisition). The last one really stung. I had 77 in the big blind. There were two late position limpers and the small blind. I checked. Flop K53. I bet out 400 and was called in one spot. He had 1500 left. Turn was a blank and I bet 800 he raised 700 allin and with how loose he was I had an easy call although I might be beaten. He had A5 and 5 outs. 5 on the river and I was down. to 5600. I took a little walk and reminded myself that I was still in action and was fortunate to have had enough chips to lose 4 pots and still be alive. I was moved to what appeared to be a tighter table. I prefer to not get real involved at a new table until I can get a read on my opponents. However my chipstack did not favor this strategy. I won a few sets of blinds. The limits went to 400-800 blinds and 800-1600 limit with 55 players left and 45 spots paid. I was trying to get enough chips to be agressive when whe reached the money bubble. I raised with AQc and the player to my left who had previously 3 bet me and I had to muck post flop 3 bet me again. I had him pegged as a good agressive pro and he had plenty of chips. I called. Flop 679 one club. I checked and he bet 800. I only had 2500 and a close decision. I figured 6 outs and a backdoor flush draw plus a small chance AQ may be good. I was getting about 7-1 from the pot and decided to call. Turn 10h and I check folded. Three hands later I got 44 and raised with both blinds calling. I bet my last 100 on a 236 flop. 8 on turn and a pretty 4 on the river. The 4's were good but my opponents had 12 outs combined. Then I got 55 and It held up vs a shorter stack with A2. Now I got KK and was three bet by a fairly tight player. I just called to see if an ace came since I did not have a lot of chips. Flop J56 and I checkraised. He called and only had 1000 left. Ace on turn which was ugly but I was committed and put him allin. He showed 99 and now I was back to 15k =). I won a huge pot from a new player to our table. He limped in 1st position and seemed weak so I raised with ATd. Flop 5d6d7s. I bet he called. Turn 3d =). he check and I decided to check to ensure a river bet and perhaps let him hang himself on the river. River 9c and he bet 2k. I raised he reraised and I reraised to put his last 1k in. He had A8 and said he did not see the flush. Now I took advantage of some tight bubble play along with picking up Kings again and got to 33k. We redrew for the last 1 1/2 hours of play for the night at 27 players. I wanted to take advantage of the tight play from players trying to move up the pay scale and make it to day 2. The problem was we had a VERY loose player with a ton of chips. I lost a small pot to him with 99 when he called my raise from the small blind with A2. I picked up no hands for a while and was down to 23k. I did manage to get the blinds twice at the very end of the day and went into Day 2 with 18 players and 30,500. Today our table started out tight as could be expected. I had a few short stacks but had a good young player to my left with 100k. He had seen me do all the folding last night and I'm sure he thought he could move me. I picked up the blinds with 910h and went to the next level of 2k-3k blinds and 3k-6k limit with 31k. I folded KQ in the big blind to an early position raise from an unknown player who is a protege' of Men the Master. Two players were eliminated and we were 7 handed. I had AdKh in my big blind and the big stack to my left raised. I thought he had a fairly decent hand but he could be picking on my blind plus the shorthanded situation. I just called for deception. Flop 9dTdTs. I check raised to represent a 9 or a pocet pair or a big draw. He called. I bet out when the 5s fell on the turn and he raised and I had to muck. He could have a draw here but I did not think so. I had made a big commitment and he seemed to be able to make the first move at a pot but not a big bluff. I folded. I could have played the hand in a different and cheaper way by just calling him down but I did not want to give him the initive in this key pot and possibly a free card to beat me. After the end of my play he told me he had a Ten. Now I only had 11k. I decided I would pick out a target to attack his blind unless I picked up a hand. If I paid one more 5k set of blinds I would get automatically called. There was an older man with only 18k who appeared very tight. After 3 folds it was his big blind and my big blind was in 2 more hands. I planned to raise with anything reasonable unlees I got a tell from him. He looked ready to fold and I raised with Q8. The button 3 bet me. He had been shortstacked and kinda tight but had just won a pot or two. I had only 5k left and I was getting 5-1 for my last 5k and was compelled to call. I saved my last 2k to bet the flop in case he decided to make a silly fold. Flop J36 and I bet the 2k. He called showing KQ which suprised me. I guess he correctly figured me for desperation. Ten on turn and blank on river. Out in 14th. I was of course disappointed but I am pleased with my play. I used all the experience I have gained in both limit holdem cash games and tournaments and confirmed how good a spot limit holdem tournaments are for me. I will play the 500$ pot-limit holdem tomorrow.