Yeah... this things spot on....

OK so...... maybe answering stoopid questions while awake for 125 hrs. straight, isn't exactly the smartest thing I've ever done!

You are Death

Change, Transformation, Alteration.

People fear this card, but if you want to sleep sometime in your life, this is one of the
best indicators for it. Whatever happens, life will be different after some sleep. Yes, the Death card can signal a death in the right circumstances (a question about a very sick or old relative, for example), but unlike its dramatic presentation in the movies, the Death card is far more likely to mean that your theory of, "getting all the sleep I need when I'm dead," is more accurate than even you know! Scorpio, the sign of this card, has three forms: scorpion, serpent, eagle. The Death card indicates this transition from lower to higher to highest, and all of them sleep very little as well. This is a card of humility, and it may mean you have been brought low, but only so that you can then go higher than ever before. Death "humbles" all, but it also "exults." Always keep in mind that on this card of darkness there is featured a sunrise as well. The darkness leading into daylight, as another sleepless night passes. DUDE! You could really use some sleep.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

The end of motivational week....

Today's motivational thought is, try not to let yourself become judgemental. Sometimes no matter how things sound or appear at first, they can turn out to be a really good thing!


Of course you need to remember at all times, sometimes things are exactly as good as they look!


So there you have it. The struggle for all of mankind in a nutshell! Balancing natural human nature and it's propensity to cause us to judge, and allowing our eyes to send the decision making process to the brain on your behalf. It's a never ending struggle, I ensure you. There are a couple of tips that can help this decision making process go along just a little bit smoother though, so today I thought I'd share them with the masses.

1) Use all of you senses! Although 'touch' is often thought of as one of the key senses for this process, I highly recommend 'taste.' It'll do wonders to help I promise.

2) Sometimes you just have to start the process at, (or near) the bottom! I think this process should come naturally to most, but just in case. Definitely count on your sense of 'taste' here! Just don't take too big of a bite, it might get you in a lotta' crap!

3) Sometimes no matter what, you just have to think for yourself. Others will not always be that helpful!



I hope all of these little motivational tips this week have helped someone out there! I know reflecting back on all of this, I have actually come away with a new perspective on a few familiar things. I'll certainly never look at rainbows the same way again!



My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

Bam-Bam's After School Special....

Today's motivatial thought....... Be smart! Stay in School!


Yes kids, learnin' your readin' and writin' is so very important in this day and age. So make sure you give that crap all the attention it deserves! But Math! Well Math is something you really need to pay special attention to, to really bring out your inner poker playah!

Learnin' Math is how you'll come to know some very important things such as;

If you were rudely awoken at 4:00am Monday morning by a call from work and have not actually fallen asleep again since,

1) it had been 66 hrs. and 8 mins. without sleep, when you signed up for the mookie.
2) at 66 hrs. and 41 minutes without sleep, you just might throw "The Bammer" at this table.

3) it took you 67 hrs. and 34 mins. since you last slept, to get the chiplead in the mookie.

4) Busting out on the final table bubble in last nights mookie, means you finished in the top 20 percentile. (still a loser, but did better than some)
5) If it cost you $13 to enter the mookie and you bust out 6 other players at $2 a pop, you basically played for nearly three hours at a cost of $0.33 / HR.
6) If one of those you felted was the only break even player in the game, it was worth every friggin' penny!

and my personal favorites 'cause of all the Math involved......

7) Losing not one, not two, not three or even four.... but FIVE races in a row while getting your money in good, has a statistical probability of an amazing 239,616,000 to 1. Yet I tell you kids........ I did it! So, I bought a lottery ticket this morning on the way to work!
8) The odds of playing slightly tilted and sleepy at a five player table and running your 'sooted' A-8 into A-A...... 100%

So the lesson today kiddies, IS STAY IN SCHOOL and learn's ya' some Math! That way the game of poker will always make WAY more sense, and become a lot more fun!

Please do not think of this as a rant. I'm tired and I'm pissed off yes! But I had a great time last night! Despite my lack of ZZZZZZZZZZZ's, I'm glad I could make it out to the mookie! The mookie offers me so many different challenges besides just the time of night it's played. Which brings me to a second motivational thought...



There were an awful lot of Obstacles and hurdles thrown at me last night and I don't care what anyone say's, I think I handled them pretty well! As a matter of fact, I actually think I played some pretty damn good NLHE last night! Isn't THAT a scary thought! Lord knows, it's sending a chill down my spine just thinking about it.

OK..... last bit of Math for the day. In Math, forecasting by using a complex formula looks very difficult at first, I know. But it's really simple actually. You just need to write it out, talk it through and let the numbers do all the work for you. So don't let Math frighten you! You need Math all the time in every day life, so learn to love it! Hell! I even need Math right now!

Let's see if all goes perfectly according to plan and there is not a single glitch........ it should come to exactly 80 hrs. straight of wide-eyed and bushy tailed awakeness, when my head actually gets a chance to hit a pillow tonight. Carrying the 8 with a 3.16 over 1,000 quotient....... I'd say the probability of a Zombie like state of sleep at that moment...... runs at about 98.9%, or thereabouts.

I'll take those odds!

Last School lesson for the day, I promise!
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? THE OCTOBER TRUCKIN' IS OUT !!!!

Truckin' - October 2008, Vol. 7, Issue 10
Welcome back to another issue.

1. Maisy Wednesday by Paul McGuire
She always wore bright lipstick which brought out a little gleam in her lips. She frequently smiled, but never initiated any sort of conversation... More

2. Happy Anniversary by John 'Falstaff' Hartness
As we stood outside the courthouse in our newly wedded bliss (which also somewhat resembled the look of people who have just survived a tornado, as it happened much faster than we expected) we decided that since Suzy didn't have to be at work for another couple of hours, we'd go have lunch. So we scraped together a few bucks and trundled over to a nearby McDonald's... More

3. A Lock of Bonnie Parker's Hair by Johnny Hughes
They was real famous and in the newspapers and all robbing them banks, when banks were unpopular. I asked Bonnie for something to remember her by. We didn't have a pencil for an autograph. She pulled this little pair of scissors out of her purse and gave me this... a lock of her hair... More

4. Whiskey Kisses by Betty After Dark
Held apart by distance and circumstance, brought together in soft voices, the pieces of who we are fill the room with every drink we pour. The gaps in our lives slowly closing as the light from the window crept into the room. There was something unavoidable that connected us, but the details were never as clear as they were this night.... More

5. What I Knew? by Dusty Rhodes
Just walk up and ask her you idiot... You've been friends for four years... she doesn't have a date and either do you... Quit being a pussy and ask her... Christ dude... what are you nervous about... More


What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...
From the Editor's Laptop:

Thanks again for wasting your precious time with Truckin'. This month's issue features veteran Truckin' writers including the legendary Johnny Hughes with another Texas tale. Dusty Rhodes and John Hartness both make triumphant returns to the Truckin' roster. Betty After Dark will whip you in a deviant frenzy with her latest sultry tale. And I shared a new piece of fiction called Maisy Wednesday.

Please tell your friends about your favorite Truckin' stories. The writers definitely appreciate your support.

Also, if you know anyone who is interested in being added to the mailing list, well, please shoot me an e-mail.

Before I go... I can never thank the writers enough for writing for free and exposing their guts, blood, and soul to the universe. Their art and dedication inspires me and I hope it inspires you too.

Be good,
McG

---
Tao of Pauly --- http://mcgrupp.blogspot.com
Tao of Poker --- http://taopoker.com
Truckin' --- http://mcgtruckin.blogspot.com

And from me as always,

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

P is for Play....

A while back, I wrote up Bam-Bam's alphabet and I thought it was time to expand on the letter P.

The whole alphabet can be found HERE if you like.

So the theory is, Play a lot. It will always be the best part of your life! If you know anything about me at all, you'll know I hold this very near and dear to my heart. I firmly believe that entertaining the brain with play, helps keep the mind and heart young. So today's motivational topic, is Play!


I find that almost everyone gets confused and makes Play incredibly difficult by looking for something TO play! Folks, WHAT you play is not actually the point at all. The effect you're looking for is HOW you play, whatever you're playing!

Obviously, we all love Poker! Well OK! Sometimes we love the game, sometimes it's a brutal life sucking bitch from which there is no escape! But generally, we love to play the game. Give this some serious thought now, how do you best describe, how you PLAY the game?

Yesterday, I took a little flack for saying, "sometimes I just want to sling some chips and shoot the shit with friends." And from a few surprise sources I might add. It made me stop and ponder? Am I not getting the true intent of our pokery life style? Am I missing the point? Well I came to the conclusion that as of recently NO, I actually DO get it and I think others may be missing out on the truly spectacular side of the game. And THAT my friends, is what poker is...... A GAME! It is not a sport, despite the arguments of others out there. IT'S A GAME! A game we decide to put our hard earned cash up for grabs at sure, but a game none the less.

I think a refresher on the definition is in order here.

game [geym]
–noun
1. an amusement or pastime.
2. a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators.

Some will argue that there are in fact Poker Pro's, and I say that's a very valid point indeed! But does that describe us in general? Does that describe Joe A. Blogger to a tee? I think not. The mix within our group, is probably more eclectic than we'll ever know or likely even admit. Think about when you get the opportunity to meet someone that you've only ever had the pleasure of playing on-line poker with before. Are they ever exactly what you expected? (AlCantHang excepted of course!) Of course they're not! Just as we differ in age, sex, sexual preferences and skin tone, we must recognize that we also have a vast array of "Play" at the poker tables. For most of us, The Hammer has become widely accepted as one of the best things you can possibly do at a table of friends. A year ago, I thought you were all friggin' nuts! Seeing the value in the play however, has finally gotten through this thick skull of mine and I love it!

It's the Play and there's just so much value in play! It keeps us laughing, keeps us entertained and therefore, it keeps us young. I personally will never see anything wrong with that. For someone with the lifelong attitude that I have always had about play, I'll never understand why it took me so damn long to understand The Hammer!

All of which brings me to a secondary motivational thought for the day.


So true isn't it? How you look at things can make such a huge impact on how and what your reaction to them will be. I've lost a little of that perspective lately, but the Bash a little over a week ago, and this past Monday night with friends, both helped steer me back in the right direction. Now that I'm back on track, I'm going to try and stick with the theme that got me here in the first place!

I'm gonna' Play more, in everything I do!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

Helping..... it's what friends do....

Let's start the day with a positive motivational thought, shall we?

So no big secret! Yesterday's post about The TuckFard games, was obviously a blatant attempt to get a few extra friends out for some fun and distraction. As I set up to start the first game last night, I realized I was indeed a very lucky man! Several good friends answered the call and made the night an absoloute blast!

Yeah I know! What's the sense in playing poker, if you're not there to try and win! But sometimes...... well sometimes I just want to sit around the table and sling some chips and shoot the shit with a good group of friends. No matter what the cost, the result in the end or the game being played, sometimes it's about friends more than anything else. If that makes me weak in the eyes of the great poker over-lords, so fuckin' be it.

I needed a mental massage(™Otis) last night and I got it. Call me crazy for saying so, but last night almost felt like we were all sitting around in brudder Carson's basement and enjoying a home game! It was as close to that feeling as I've ever felt while playing on-line. Now THAT my friends, that's good times!

As is almost always the case, the only one to register for last nights game before me was muhctim. No acronym required here. I actually laugh out loud every single time I go to register and there sits that singular lonely name. I've said it before and I'll say it again muhc, thanks for pimpin' our games and for being there with us every single week. We joke all the time about the "honourary" TuckFards I know but you sir, would 100% fit in to one of our homegames! I hope we can make that happen some day. I really do!

The beautiful Kat has been up to Bedrock for some pokery goodness and she's also been out to the "Carsino" for some fun as well. Seeing her there at the games last night just put a huge smile on this kids face. One of life's great mysteries will always be how someone as classy and clever as Kat, can just jump right in and be TuckFard! I honestly don't know how you do it, nore do I care why! I'm just really glad the you do Hun!

After last nights game and some very careful deliberation with both DonKaaa and brudder Carson, we've decided that a vote will be required on the "Honourary" TuckFard status of MemphisMojo. So if you stop by here from time to time, we'd appreciate your input! Just over to the top right there, you'll see our little poll on the issue. Although this will not be the ultimate and deciding factor in our decision, it will help guide us through all things TuckFardian.

As the TuckFard Open was just starting play last night, I see the chat box going berserk. Now that's fairly normal for our little game, so I sat back and watched for a bit. There was one line of text that seemed to fly by a little too fast for me to catch, but I was pretty sure it was directed at me. So a little scroll up and I read, "Bam-Bam! what's the pass-pass?" Now to be totally honest, there's not many bloggers out there that I enjoy typing and directing the word 'Donkey' to, other than AlCantHang. Apparently I'm not the only one either!

katitude: donkey
BamBamCan: donkey !
NutzCarson: donkey
muhctim: donkey
RedneckTuckFard: donkey
DonK_TuckFard: donkey !!!
BamBamCan: LOL Donnie 3x! hahahaha

Thanks for coming out last night Al! Whenever I need a little pick me up, you're always there throwing a massive over bet at me with the Hammer. Now THAT's GOLD !!! It's actually become very funny to me as of late. I read back to posts from a year ago and I see where I wrote things like, "why play that crap?" or "what's the big deal if a Donkey play's it?" Now I've come full circle and can't wait to see it happen. Just once though, I'd like to be holding "the Bammer" when it happens to me. Actually! I dream of a 3-way pot with The Hammer, the Bammer and the TuckFard Nutz gettin' all the chips in the center. Serious fireworks on that day! What a scream that would be.

We had another surprise guest last night in the Open, breeze81 made an appearance for our game. That was very much appreciated and a very pleasant surprise. I hope we get to see that happen more and more over the next few weeks! Always a pleasure to sit down at the virtual felt with you breeze!

I see brudder Carson won the NLHE TuckFard Open. I'll say congrats here... and move on. Put up a good post about it, so everyone can read all about your "mad skillz" HERE. ;) (nice win brudder!)

So with the Open out of the way, (read I bombed out in 12th!) I was really looking forward to our little HORSE game. I can't begin to tell you how surprised I was, when I saw the entrants to this one!

A friend I was really hoping I was going to run into at the BASH, but it just didn't work out this time, was The Poker Enthusiast. Having P.E. show up at a table I'm playing on, always makes it so much better than it was. Thanks for coming out last night P.E.! It meant a lot and definately put a pretty big, (albeit, prolly goofy) grin on my face!

The next surprise that caught me off gaurd, was OhCaptian! What a treat having you come out to one of our games Sir! Hopefully, this was not a one time occurence. I don't think I've ever seen anyone, (live or virtually) fit into the Tuckfard mode faster! Thanks for being there!

Honourary Tuckfard cem, slipped up a bit and missed the first game! There was much discussion about this phenomenon, but all was forgiven once we realized that he may actually have a life and work or family came ahead of us! ;) Great to see you out as always cem! For those of you not aware, cem runs The Skillz series on FullTilt Tuesday nights. I believe tonight is Limit Hold'Em and if all goes according to plan, I hope to join you at the game this evening.

The HORSE winner was muhctim and I see brudder Carson joined him in 'double-dipping' into the TuckFard cash, by finishing third in this game as well. Well done gents!

I flamed out in 6th. in this game. I got into a spot with a pretty amazing looking board in STUD, only to continue betting it to the end where someone couldn't let go of a pair of 5's. How's that go again? Oh yeah! "If you give two Donkey's some chips and a deck of cards".... LMAO !

Thanks for coming out for the fun and making it such a great night for me everyone!

and....

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

If it's Monday....

It must be Tuckfard time !

And don't forget! The TuckFard II HORSE game also starts at 8:00pm EST! Same Tilt station, same Tilt password! I know that brudder carson, DonKaaa, RedneckTuckFard, Suzy_Q, Queen_K and all the others, hope to see you there. I'll be looking to see the honourary Tucks, muhc and cem, as well as the latest to push the honourary boundries, Memphis Mojo! I hear he's got a bad case of TuckFard fever! Oh and by the way! If you haven't been by to congratulate Memphis on his big win over at Tunica's Harrah's Casino, you can stop by and do so HERE.

Well, I managed to make it out for The Brit Bloggerment as I'd hoped! That didn't go so well. I was accused of trying to make too many steal attempts, which I thought was pretty funny! Starting hands I had to let go included, 10-10, J-J, Q-Q etc.... I made several different types of pre-flop raises with each of them, only to have at least two others come along for the flop. Flops which did nothing to improve my holdings, but rather had a look of danger instead. In three of the cases where I was last to act, there had been a bet and a re-raise ahead of me. So in a nutshell, I was betting my stack out and missing every single time. This made me the very short stack and slowly got me to push-and-pray mode. I pushed A-9 into K-K and didn't improve. Sometimes it just happens I guess. The players were active as always, (at least every time I've played) and typically, if I could have gotten a few of my starting hands to hit, these are the players that will get my stack built up in no time. Ah well! Least I out lasted Cloud! ;)

And finally! Here's my motivational thought for the day!

For some reason, it just makes me smile!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

Poker two day's in a row?....

Although PLO is NOT a game I play regularily, I'd been giving Pauly one excuse after another, why I couldn't play in Saturday's with Dr. Pauly on PokerSatrs. Usually legit and related to Golf or Family activities. But in my book, they were excuses just the same. So when I realized that I had nothing on for 4:20 pm. yesterday afternoon, I couldn't think of a better way to kill a little time, or some of the $ I'd just made at the tables. Saturday with Dr. Pauly.... here I come!

What a great decision! 26 runners that included of course Pauly, Derek, Tan Orpheus, STB and special surprise guest's, Wil Wheaton and John Katkin! (of Murder's Row fame)

Although my results were not exactly what I'd hoped for, I wasn't terribly dissapointed with finishing up in just better than mid-pack. 12th. of 26 runners and PLO is NOT my game. (did I mention that?) I did get really lucky on one hand with three-way action. This built my stack up so I could float around the top five in chips for the first hour. My opponents were both on the same flush draw, while I'd already boated up. It was a shame that the flush never came! That would've given me a monster stack and made me a force to be reckoned with for certain. Ah well!

Here's a shot of "our Wil" joining in on my table.

And finally, here's the way this Saturday with Dr. Pauly ended up.


Today at 4:00pm EST, The Brit Bloggament runs on Stars as well. All of the information can be found at either Clouds place or at the home of the Little Acorn Man. I hope to make it out, as these folks are just plain fun to hang around! Even though it's only virtually from a few thousand miles away!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....