Voting Rant

So as most of you already know I am 18 and this is my first time being able to vote. I am not a very political person, but I do believe it is our duty as citizens to choose the next leader(s) of the US.

Now I know that more people don't vote than those who do. And it is especially common among young people to not vote, but it does upset me how people look at voting.

Last couple weeks at work they have been having us hand out little stickers, pens, postcards or w/e to give to students with the slogan "Yes on 39" written on them. Issue 39 is a levy that will increase taxes by a measly $98 per year on average to keep our school as cheap as possible for the students. As the weeks ran on we began to run out of swag to hand out until we eventually had nothing last night. Now seeing as last night was the night before people had to go out and vote I figured I would do my best to try and remind people to vote, and to vote yes on 39.

As I was doing this, it really began to hit home how little people care. I got comments like "Yeah Right", "Like it matters", "Why should I waste my time", and "Oh, it will pass." When students were saying this it just pissed me off. Kids, my age not giving two shits about the future of the country, or even the school they go to for christ's sake. See, it upset me even more because, I live in a different county and cant vote for the levy because it isn't on my ballot, and students just want to blow it off and not vote because they don't care. THIS IS SOMETHING DIRECTLY AFFECTING THEM AND THEY DON'T CARE!!! Are they serious? I mean, I'm sure they will be bitching like there is no tomorrow when the cost of schooling goes up because they couldn't get off their lazy asses, click a few buttons, and make a difference.

The worst part, Is that 95% if not more of these students wont even be affected by the increase in taxes because they obviously don't own a home.

I mean, I know I can't do anything to change things other than go out and vote myself. Its just sick to know that we have the freedom to vote, a freedom that many others would die for AND HAVE DIED FOR, and these idiots don't even care.

/end rant

Live Tourney Report

WARNING WARNING WARNING

WAY LONG, DON'T READ


I'm gonna go ahead and post a whole update with all major hands I played. So I bought in, got my chips and took my assigned seat. I sat down next too a guy who I will call "Ipod" because of his rather annoying habit of having his Ipod on and not listening/following the action and us having to remind him. This is the discussion that followed.

Him: Bullshit, they allow the check and raise move here.
Me: Yea, So?
Him: Well it is normally a gentleman's agreement not to check and
raise, that is a dirty move.
Me: (Phil Ivey WTF Face) What?
Him: Yea, the check raise is dirty and uncalled for it can get you shot.
Me: It's part of poker.
Him: Not real poker sonny.
Me: LOL

He called me sonny, awesome, the old fart who thinks that real poker is played without check-raises just called me sonny.

So the game begins 40 players registered, 5 tables 8 each to start. My table is a very very loose passive table, lots of limp/calling and normally around 4-5 people see the flop! Most players who bet or raised would only bet or raise the minimum, I seriously for a minute was confused as to whether or not it was limit poker. There were only two semi-decent players at my table. Sweet I figure I'm gonna have an easy time here. First hand I play is about 10 hands in to the first level.

I get AKo UTG and make it 200 to go (25/50 Blinds).
UTG +1 Calls.
All Else Fold
Flop AK3 rainbow. I bet 375 into the 475 pot. He min raises to 750 and I shove. He only had 800 more and called with 33.
He holds up and I am down to 600 chips.

Now because it was still semi-early in the first blind level I didn't want to use my shove, have to use my rebuy and be stuck shortstacked when the blinds got pretty high before the break. I held on and grinded it out and got my stack back up to 1600 when the following hand came up. blinds 100/200. I am in middle position and it folds around to me. I shove from MP with AQand it folds around to the BB who also happens to be my mother. This wonderful conversation took place.

Mom: Honey you know I hate decisions like this.
Me: LOL
Mom: Ugh, such a tough decision
Me: LOL
Mom: Oh well, its too good to fold
Me: Oh Shi....

Now if you have ever played poker with my mom you would know she is way to tight especially in later stages, so when she called I assumed the worst. Luckily she had KQ and no miracle king for her and she was out. She tells me that she is disowning me because I knocked her out, yada yada yada.

Me: I love you mom, will you still cook me dinner?
Mom: (Already out of the building smoking a cigarette)

She only had 1200 in chips so I am sitting on 2900 and stay about there by picking up the blinds once every rotation. I'm chilling out waiting for a spot to double with about 5 minutes left till break.

Ipod limps utg and 3 other limpers. I wake up OTB with QQ completely content on taking the blinds and going into the break/add on period with 5k. Ipod gives a whole speech about how he hates his hand and he has played it (Insert ludicrous number here) times and never won with it. He eventually calls and flips AK.

Board comes
2 5 7 J

Ipod: Ace Dealer

River: Ace

Ipod: Thank You, Sorry Kiddo.

Whatever I lost a race, it stung that it was on the river, but whatever. I get my rebuy of 2500 chips with about enough time for one or two more hands. To my excitement I wake up with Aces the very next hand, looking at a pot with two people already all in. I instacall, hold up against the Jacks and AK and the round ends with me sitting on 6700 in chips. I add on for 2500 more making my total stack 9200 with 300/600 blinds after the break. SWEET! I'm actually in pretty good position to do some damage after the break.

During the break I made the stupid fucking mistake of getting into a discussion of politics with the players at the table. The topic of discussion was Bill being Hillary's running mate if (won't happen) she wins the nomination. I as well as a few other players thought it was a very high probability. Then Ipod chimes in.

Ipod: Bill cant be elected as vice president.
Me: Yes he can.
Ipod: Constitution wont allow it, he has served two terms as
president
Me: Constitution says you cannot be elected as president of the
U.S. for more than two terms, it says nothing about being
president for two terms and then running again as a vice
presidential candidate.
Ipod: Well what if Hillary dies, what happens then? He cant be
elected president again can he.
Me: He wouldn't be getting elected as president again would he? No
he would be furfilling his role as vice president ASSUMING the
role as president of the U.S. if anything were ever to happen to
Hillary.
Ipod: Ha, you don't know anything, you are just a kid.

Now normally, someone calling me a kid, or sonny, or anything like that doesn't upset me. However, I become very upset when I am told that I don't know anything by and old fart who doesn't even know what the constitution of his united states says. At this point I actually had to walk outside before I started to get upset with the guy. See the event had a no swearing policy and when I get upset I tend to swear, so I didn't want to have to serve any penalties.

I come back as the next round is starting and take my place. Tables were condense so there are two new players at my table, but they suck just as much as the last two did. Lots of limping with 10 and less big blind stacks, you know expert plays, level infinity thinking. The following hand comes up.

I am in the BB with 8600 and my 600 blind in the pot. I have AQ
Ipod Limps from MP. Ipod has me covered.
Rest of table folds
I make it 1400 more, total of 2k.
Ipod calls.
Flop AQ9
I check, going for the extra dirty, check and raise play, hoping with every fiber of my being he doesn't think we are playing "real poker" and pull out a gun and shoot me.
Ipod Bets 600.
I laugh and shove my last 7200 in there, 6600 more to Ipod.

Ipod thinks for a while, asks 4 times how much it is. Counts out the chips. 3 times during this minute that he is thinking, he acts as if he is going to fold. At this point I know he is fairly weak and want him to call obv so I can be rich. I call a clock on him. Not only to try and tilt him into calling, but also because we are on short fucking levels and its live play. I cant have this fuck eating 1/5 of my whole level time limit while deciding if he wants to call with his mediocre holdings. He gives a little speech, really didn't pay much attention to what he said and he calls. I ask him what he has, he says he doesn't have to show and he doesn't
Turn J
River 5

I show my AQ and look at him, he sits there for 15 seconds, looks at his cards, my cards and the board. I go to scoop the pot as he hasn't showed any interest in it when he finally flips and shows JJ for three Jacks.

Now everything that has happened. Up until this point, and then the slowroll/suckout combo kinda got under my skin and let it get to me. The last thing I said before I left was "That wasn't fucking called for."

I just guess its good so that I didn't have any chips so that the Jesus crew couldn't give me a time out for swearing.

All in all I feel that I played excellent poker and just got very unlucky in the end. I feel that my player reading abilities have gotten much better as I was able to start to pick up on how weak/strong a player was by his gestures. It was an awesome experience and I thank everyone who gave me a shot and showed support. I'm just sorry I couldn't come home with some money to fill your pockets to show you how grateful I really am.

Update

My 75 cents into 1k journey was a very short and peaceful one. I realized very quickly that $24 isn't much of a bankroll and variance quickly got the better of me and I busted the last bit I had in my account. Since then I have been running stakes for CalifNaughti on TalkingPoker.com. I have been playing $5.50 45 man sit n gos on PokerStars. In my first two I cashed in one enough to return her stake back and turn a small profit. In the second one I went out early as my QQ ran into a set all in on the flop. I lost the small profit that I had made almost as quickly as I made it was again left with 0.00 in my account. Luckily Cali decided she would stake me for another round of two and I have begun playing those.

In live play news, I managed to sell 10 $12 shares to members on TalkingPoker to get enough to play in a local $50 buy in, one $50 rebuy and one $20 add on tournament which begins tomorrow at 11:30. Wish Me Luck!