Crystal Gazing and Tea Leaves

Yea, you should have all seen this coming. There's no way that I would've had the commitment to be able to sit down and do this every day. I really do care about the playoffs in both leagues...but since I don't know if anybody else does, I have no motivation to do it everyday.

For today I'll just tell you a few games that I liked the most. I don't know the specific scores though.

The Nets won, which means my pick is headed in the right direction now.

The Cavs lost, which is both surprising and bad, since they are my pick.

And perhaps MOST DEPRESSINGLY...the Red Wings lost in double overtime to drop them 2-1 in the series. It'll be ridiculous if we lose to the Edmonton Oilers...seriously...

And the Pistons play tonight!! GO PISTONS!!

I think I'm going to make a return to the funny/random entries in just a bit. I need to do one to clear my head of all this useless information and humor.

I'm re-reading the entire Harry Potter series...just FYI.

NBA Day 3, NHL Day 4

It's HOT HOT HOT!!!

Like always, let's start with the NBA!!

My second favorite team, The LA Clippers, played tonight and I watched the entire game. So let's start at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

LA CLIPPERS vs DENVER NUGGETS

All that mountain air must have damaged the Nuggets' heads because they just can't take it in LA. The first game was fun, nail biting, and close as hell. The second game was fun but hardly nail biting and definitely not close. The Clippers took control right from the start and they never let go. Carmello played horribly. He missed his first 12 shots and had to sit down early in the game because of two quick penalties. He played far better in the second half, but not nearly well enough. He wasn't the only Nugget missing shots though, the entire Denver team played horrible, due in large part to some great Clipper defense.

LA CLIPPERS WIN 98-87 (LAC LEAD THE SERIES 2-0)


MIAMI HEAT vs CHICAGO BULLS

This game was oddly reminicent of game one between these two teams. Miami took control from the start, Chicago partly stayed with them. Near the end, Chicago made a great run and closed in on Miami, but couldn't complete the job. The thing that pissed me off in this game was at the end, there were 40 seconds to go, Chicago has dropped to 8 points behind, yet they were still fouling and taking time outs like they thought they could win. At that point you just have to give it up and move on to the next game.

MIAMI WINS 115-108 (MIA LEADS THE SERIES 2-0)


Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Over to the NHL we go!

DALLAS STARS vs COLORADO AVALANCHE

So this game started out pretty shitty for me, seeing as I picked the Stars to win it all. The Avs had a 3 point lead going into the 2nd period. The Stars, however, weren't going to take that crap lying down though. They scored FOUR goals in the 2nd period and kept that one point lead going into the 3rd. The Avs, however, scored one to send it into overtime. Then, in overtime, the game ended as shitty as it started when Joe Sakic (damn you Sakic!!) scored to put that Avs up 2-0 in the series. It's hard for any team to come back from a 2-0 defecit, so it's not looking so great for my pick.

COLORADO AVALANCE WIN 5-4 (COL LEADS THE SERIES 2-0)


NEW JERSEY DEVILS vs NEW YORK RANGERS

In brighter news, my pick in this matchup, the Devils, beat out the Rangers yet again. I'm not sure if picking the Devils to win was a no brainer, or if I'm just a genius. John Madden scored a hat trick (2 on a power play), to help the Devils win. There's not much to say here, The Rangers are the Devil's bitch, they have no chance.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS WIN 4-1 (NJD LEAD THE SERIES 2-0)


PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs BUFFALO SABRES

I think I may have made a very bad error here when I picked the Flyers to win this series. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just because the Sabres have already won twice, but they really just slapped the Flyers around today. The Flyers may just have well have left their goalie on the bench. How emabarrasing.

BUFFALO SABRES WIN 8-2 (BUF LEADS THE SERIES 2-0)


MOTREAL CANADIENS vs CAROLINA HURRICANES

When I picked Carolina to win this series, I never gave a second thought to the idea that Montreal could actually be competition for them. It's ridiculous to think that a team as great as Carolina has lost again to the Canadiens. I'm sure Montreal is a fine team, but Carolina is usually such a powerhouse. It was a close game (it went into double overtime), but, as the saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

MONTREAL CANADIENS WIN 6-5 2OT (MTL LEADS THE SERIES 2-0)


Okay, so today every team that played took their series up 2-0. Let's take a look at my record for today though:

NBA: 2-0
NHL: 1-3

Clearly I'm better at picking the NBA bracket than I am at the NHL bracket. Oh well, these are best of 7 series, they're far from over.

NBA Day 2, NHL Day 3

I just want to do a quick update here because I'm tired and want to finish watching my movie (Kill Bill vol 2...which I've seen before...but, you know...)

So let's start with the NBA

My PISTONS did a great job in Game 1. There were some tense moments when it seemed the Pistons were slipping, but in true championship style, they fought like hell and kicked some serious ass. The Bucks aren't down and out though, I look forward to a great season.

DETROIT PISTONS WIN 92-74

After the Pistons game I proceeded to watch the Dallas/Memphis game. Dallas played just how I knew they could and they knocked the Grizzlies down a game. They snuck out a great win and I have confidence in them to win the series and make me look good.

DALLAS MAVERICKS WIN 103-93

The surprising matchup of the day was the Indiana Pacers vs the New Jersey Nets. It seemed like the Nets were going to win it and yet another of my picks would come out on top. Yet, surprisingly, the Pacers pulled off the upset in game one...IN THE FINAL SECOND. It pissed me off a little, but I don't think the Pacers will be able to do that every game. The Nets are a far better team and are definitely going to win this series...you heard me, DEFINITELY.

INDIANA PACERS WIN 90-88

And finally, LA Lakers versus the Phoenix Suns. I predicted an LA Laker victory in this series because I think Kobe can play amazing enough to pretty much carry his whole team past the Suns. Plus, he's not the only good player on that team, so when they're on form they can really shine. This isn't to say that Nash and the Suns aren't a great team, I just thought they'd be surprised and eventually upset by the Lakers. I predicted a tough series though, nothing easy for either team. Well so far my pick isn't looking so good as they fall a game to the Suns. But it WAS a tough game...so anything could happen.

PHOENIX SUNS WIN 107-102



Quickly let's jump over to the third day of the NHL playoffs.

My boys, the Red Wings, were the only dissapointing Detroit team today. I mean, hell, even the Detroit Tigers won (but they've been doing that lately...oddly enough). I didn't actually get to see the game because it was NOT on TV here at my university. I was a little pissed off...actually really pissed up. I watched th updates online though. It was a close, slow, game. In the end though, the Oilers apparently just played a better game and game out on top. I'll never lose faith in my Wings though, and we all know that they're still the better team. The series is now tied at one game a piece.

EDMONTON OILERS WIN 4-2

Turning to game 2 of San Jose versus Nashville, I was upset to see the scores pop up online again. Nashville won game one and I was looking like a genius. Like the Red Wings though, Nashville couldn't extended their series lead to two games. The Sharks win in a shutout and tie the series.

SAN JOSE SHARKS WIN 3-0

Continuing on with our depressing day of hockey, we move to the Ottawa Senators versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, I realize the Lightning are the reigning champs, but that was 2 years ago, before the lockout. I didn't think Tampa Bay had what took to hold their own with the Senators. Yet, my favorite to win the series, Ottawa, let Tampa Bay catch up with them and now the series is tied. Yet, I'm obviously going to stay with the Senators to win it all in the end.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING WIN 4-3

And finally, The Might Ducks of Anaheim versus the Calgary Flames. You would think the odds are that out of four games, at least ONE team would extended the series lead to 2-0 and, in the process, make me look good. All four teams that played today won their games two days ago and all four teams that won two days ago were my picks to win. Today, all of my picks to win, LOST...including the Calgary Flames. I may sound like a broken record today, but the Calgary Flames truly are a better team than the Ducks and nobody can argue with that...people from California may try, but the sun has fried their brains and they have no idea what they're talking about. After all, these are the people that actually like the LA Lakers.

ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS WIN 4-3



So, in conclusion, my hockey picks all lost today and my basketball picks didn't fare too well either. To be more specific: I went 0-4 in the NHL and 2-2 in the NBA. I hope nobody read my blog yesterday, saw how well I picked all my teams, and decided to go out and bet a lot of money on them for today. If that's the case, sorry, you just lost a lot of money. Stick with me though because, in the long run, I'll make you rich.

GO RED WINGS!! GO PISTONS!!

And on a lesser note... go miami heat, go new jersey nets, go cleveland cavaliers, go san antonio spurs, go la lakers, go la clippers, go dallas mavericks...go dallas stars, go calgary flames, go nashville predators, go ottawa senators, go carolina hurricanes, go new jersey devils, go philadelphia flyers!!

NBA Day 1, NHL Day 2

So for the next month or so this blog will be ALMOST entirely devoted to covering the playoffs in the NHL and the NBA.

If you read the post before this one (and I highly suggest it), then you'd be able to see all of my picks leading to the champions of both leagues. I may be a little biased, as I have the Detroit Red Wings winning in the NHL and the Detroit Pistons winning in the NBA...but then again, the Red Wings have proven they're the best team in the NHL and the same goes for the Pistons.

Anyway...last night, the Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers in game 1 of the series. It was a close game, going into double OT. I was at a party, so I really didn't catch much of that game or any game, but I did see the winning goal (despite being slightly intoxicated at the time). The Oilers put on a good show, but the Wings won in the end, so I'm still sticking with my prediction of the Red Wings winning in 6. If anything, the Wings will win in less than that because they actually win more on the road than they do at home. So if they take tomorrow's game too, then I think the Oilers just have no chance whatsoever.

Onto the first day of the NBA playoffs...TODAY. I saw about three and a half games today, wathcing ESPN almost all day. There were four games today:

San Antonio Spurs vs Sacramento Kings
My prediction for the series is that the Spurs will win in 4. I commented that there was nothing the Kings could do to stop them. Ron Artest highly disagreed with me, so much so that he predicted the Kings would win the first game and move on to the second round. Clearly he has no respect for the reigning champions. Only one of us could be correct though, and that person was me. Clearly, I know more about basketball than Ron Artest. Not only did the San Antonio Spurs win, they completely destroyed the Kings. It was embarrasing and slightly boring, which caused me to fall asleep near the end.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS WIN 122-88


Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
I woke up in the middle of the battle between these two teams. When I woke up, the Bulls were down by quite a bit, but as I started to watch, the Bulls started to battle back. If they had been playing like that since the beginning of the game I'm sure they would have been winning when I woke up. Shaq and Wade kept them at bay though and despite a great effort from the Bulls, they couldn't turn it into a win in the end. Despite losing, the Bulls showed everyone, me in particular, that they have the skill the wrestle with the Heat. I picked Miami to win in 5, saying the Bulls couldn't pull off this upset. I'm still sticking with my pick of Miami to win the series, but I wouldn't be all that dissapointed to see them lose in the end.
MIAMI HEAT 111-106


LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets
After the Bulls game was over and Shaq gave his usual senseless, repetitive, drivel comments to the press, ESPN moved on to the Clippers and Nuggets. I picked the Clippers in this series for many reasons. I see a lot of similarities between the Clippers team and the Pistons, but mostly, the Nuggets are just too inconsistent and Carmello can't do everything. It seems I was right. For most of the game it seemed like the Clippers would have no problem. Going into the 4th quarter, however, the Clippers really lost it. Denver went on some amazing runs and LA went through some horrible droughts. The Clippers won in the end, but just barely.
LA CLIPPERS 89-87


Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards
This is the one game of the day that I did not get to see. That's too bad too, as it sounds like it was an amazing game. I picked the Cavs in this series because I thought that King James had a lot to prove and had the talent to do it. He didn't let me down either. Not only did LeBron preform at an all-star level, he exploded out of the gate and finished with a triple double. He catapulted the Cavs over the Wizards. I think Washington is going to have a hard time containing him.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 97-86


So, at the end of the day, all of my picks won, making me look very good. Tomorrow my favorite team, the Detroit Pistons, start things off against the Milwaukee Bucks and The Detroit Red Wings look to take a 2-0 series advantage. I'll try to watch as many games in both leagues as I can, but I'm only one man.

I really enjoyed watcing the Clippers and Nuggets tonight and I look forward to watching the series progress. Close games are always more exciting than blow outs, so I don't think I'll find myself watching too much of the Spurs vs Kings matchup as I think the Spurs will take care of them rather quickly. Despite the fact I'm picking the Heat to win, I hate them, so I won't watch much of that series either. As for the Cavs and Wizards, I'm looking forward to seeing LeBron in action. He's the next Michael Jordan, he even has the number 23 jersey.

As for hockey, it's not going to be shown as much as the NBA playoffs. I won't miss a single Detroit game, but I can't promise I'll catch too many other games. There were some great games today, and some great surprises. In fact, all the respect I gained with my perfect NBA picks, I lost with my so-so NHL picks. Let's see...


Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens
I predicted that Carolina would have no problem whatsoever with this series. In fact, I predicted Carolina in 4 games. Not only did the Canes let me down, they made me look downright stupid. I can understand if they lost in a close game, but to get massacred like they did...well, it isn't good. I'm still predicting the Hurricanes will win, because they're a tough team and they'll come back with a vengance. Clearly they can't win in 4 games anymore, so I'm extending my prediction to 6 games.
MONTREAL CANADIENS 6-1


Colorado Avalance vs Dallas Stars
Again, my pick, the Dallas Stars, did not play up to the preformance that I expected. In fact, I was made to look like an idiot yet again. I know Colorado is a great team, but I KNOW that Dallas is a better team. It was sad to see them make so many mistakes and to see it destroy them in game 1. Well, there's more games to come, and I know they can do better.
COLORADO AVALANCE 5-2


Philadelphia Flyers vs Buffalo Sabres
I picked the Flyers to win this series, which is quite a risky choice, and I knew that going in. Despite their loss today, I still stand by their ability to win this series. It was a tough game that went into double overtime. The Flyers came out the victors in the end, but the Sabres aren't letting them walk away with this.
BUFFALO SABRES 3-2 2OT


New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers
Here is one game matchup that did play up to my expectations. Not only did New Jersey win, like I knew they could, they destroyed the Rangers. I predicted Devils in 5, but I might change that to Devils in 4 if Jagr is so injured that he's done for the season. Yes, you heard me, the Rangers lost both the game and their best player. Jagr threw out his shoulder making a lunging play. You hate to see anybody get hurt, but it happens. This is horrible news for an already overmatched New York Rangers team.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS 6-1


So on day two of the NHL playoffs, I'm 1 for 3 on my picks. I did much better on day one of the NHL playoffs yesterday when all of my picks won their games. Here's a quick review of yesterday's games: Detroit beat the Oilers 3-2 in double overtime, I picked Detroit to win in 6. Calgary Flames beat the Mighty Ducks 2-1 in overtime, I picked Calgary to win it in 5. Ottawa Senators beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, I picked Ottawa to win in 5. And finally, Nashville beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3, I picked Nashville to win in 4. I'm highly looking forward to day 3 of the NHL playoffs.

So, overall in the NHL, my picks are looking good, as I've gone 5-3.
I'm looking better in the NBA, as I'm currently going strong at 4-0.

Join me tomorrow night for NHL day 3 recap and NBA day 2. I hope to bring you the good news of a Piston victory.

Stop reading.

- Rian

P.S. Barry Bonds finally has a homerun for the season, he's 6 away from passing Babe Ruth

PLAYOFFS!!

Now if you've been reading along since I started last fall, then you'd know by now that I love poker, I love Christmas, elevators are uncomfortable, I Wiki-Surf (and I coined that phrase), I support the drinking habits of one Hermoine Granger (aka Emma Watson), I plan to become the King of England one day, I made up my own code to fool the CIA, I fought a vicious battle against the flu, and, most importantly, I'm the reason for Harry Potter's success. What you may not yet know is that I'm also a huge fan of both the NBA and the NHL.

I've always been a hockey fan. That's what happens when you grow up in Detroit in the mid-90s. I don't know many people who AREN'T hockey fans around here. I played hockey for a long time and I still enjoy it whenever I can. I'm proud to say I've never been a bandwagon Red Wings fan, and I've supported them for a long long time. As for basketball, well I kind of am a bandwagon fan, but I can tell you now, that even if the Pistons go on some God forbidden skid for the next decade, I'll still be supporting them.

This year, however, is a year of jubliation. The mighty Red Wings have gone against all the hushed whispers from so-called "analysts" and have shown their might this season. They're not just the league point leaders, they're so far ahead of everybody else that it's not fair. Everybody, the Wings included, should expect nothing less than victory this year. Our team is better than it has ever been. My favorite players are Brendan Shanahan and Henrik Zetterberg...just FYI.

As for the Pistons, they're a powerhouse this year as well. They also hold the best record in their league and have everybody else shaking in their boots. We got robbed last year of a repeat championship performance. This year, things will be different. San Antonio can't even touch us, no team can. Poor Shaq down in Miami, whining that they get no respect and that they'll see us in the conference finals. Well, if my picks are right, they won't get quite that far.

This brings us to the point in this post where I share for you my predictions for the playoffs of both the NBA and the NHL. Read on.

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First...the NBA EAST

First round: Detroit vs Milwauke
This is a joke, Detroit will win it in 6.

First round: Miami vs Bulls
I don't think the Bulls can pull off this upset, they're just too overmatched. Miami in 5.

First round: New Jersey vs Indiana
I'm surprised Indiana even made the playoffs. There's no way they can compete with the Nets. New Jersey in 5.

First round: Cleveland vs Washington
LeBron wants it bad, so bad that I don't think the Wizards won't be able to stop him. Cleveland will be pulling out all the stops. Cleveland in 7.

Second round: Detroit vs Cleveland
As much as LeBron wants it, the Pistons defense is just too good. If we can shut down Kobe, LeBron has no chance. I like the kid, but it's not going to happen this year. Detroit in 5.

Second round: New Jersey vs Miami
Shaq isn't exactly young anymore. New Jersey just has too much hustle in them and only Wade can keep up. Unfortunately, Wade won't be enough to keep Miami going. Nets in 7.

Conference Finals: Detroit vs New Jersey
New Jersey is a tough team and it will be a tough series. However, I think Detroit wants it more. If on form, Detroit will push New Jersey aside like a little kid. Detroit in 6.


Now...the NBA WEST

Round one: San Antonio vs Sacramento
Poor Sacramento, no amount of prepration or prayer will save them. Spurs in 4.

Round one: Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers
As great as Steve Nash is and as far as he's taken this team, I think Kobe and Smush will really prove a challenge. In fact, Lakers in 6.

Round one: Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers
I find the Nuggets to be far too inconsistent. Elton Brand will really rally his team past them on this one. I don't really consider this an upset. Clippers in 6.

Round one: Dallas vs Memphis
Despite the fact it's number four seed versus number five seed, I think the skill level between these two teams is a mile apart. Dallas in 5.

Round two: San Antonio vs Dallas
This is one I thought about for a long time. I think this will be a hard matchup for both teams. In the end though, I think Dallas will come out victorious. Dallas in 7.

Round two: LA Clippers vs LA Lakers
California is going to love this if I'm right. Still, this is a no brainer...Clippers...Lakers...I think we all agree, even if we don't like it. Lakers in 5.

Conference Finals: Dallas vs LA Lakers
Kobe is good, but I don't think he's this good. I think I'm being gracious to even predict the Lakers making it this far. They're outmatched, period. Dallas in 6.


AND NOW...NBA FINALS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

DETROIT PISTONS VS DALLAS MAVERICKS
Now honestly, do you really think Dallas can beat the Pistons? Now I know I'm biased, but Dallas has no chance. The only reason they got this far is because of the seeding in the West. Pistons in 4.


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And now...the NHL WEST

Round one: Detroit vs Edmonton
Seriously? The Oilers? Detroit in 6.

Round one: Dallas vs Colorado
Now I may hate the Avalance (like any good Wings fan) but that's not why I'm picking them to lose. The Stars are just too good this year. Dallas in 6.

Round one: Calgary vs Anaheim
Really? The Ducks made it without Kariya? Just kidding, they're a good team...just not good enough. Calgary in 5.

Round one: Nashville vs San Jose
No contest here. Nashville in 4.

Round two: Detroit vs Nashville
What a storied season these two teams have had against each other. It's not going to be easy. Detroit in 7.

Round two: Flames vs Dallas
Oh this is going to be good, I almost want to see this more than Wings versus Predators (almost). Dallas in 7.

Conference Finals: Detroit vs Dallas
Dallas is a great team. Detroit is better. Detroit in 6.


And now...the NHL EAST

Round one: Ottawa vs Tampa Bay
Not only will the Lightning fail to hold their title, they'll go down hard. Ottawa in 5.

Round one: Carolina vs Montreal
Oh sure, the Canadian teams are all good, but Carolina is always a force to be recokned with. Carolina in 4. Sorry chaps.

Round one: New Jersey vs NY Rangers
Jersey versus New York huh? That's interesting. In the end though, the Rangers will not be able to live up to the days of Messier. Devils in 5.

Round one: Buffalo vs Philadelphia
I love the Flyers, but they suck. Fortunately for them, the Sabres suck worse. Flyers in 7.

Round two: Ottawa vs Philadelphia
The Flyers have no chance against a team like the Senators. Ottawa in 4.

Round two: New Jersey vs Carolina
Again, the Hurricanes are just too good to be slowed up by the Devils. Carolina in 5.

Conference Finals: Ottawa vs Carolina
I can't wait to watch how this unfolds. Really I have no idea who will come out victorious in this one, they're both top quality teams. Since I have to pick though...Carolina in 6.


AND NOW...LORD STANLEY AWAITS THE NHL FINALS

DETROIT RED WINGS VS CAROLINA HURRICANES
A rematch!! I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's not going to happen this year Carolina. You just can't stop the powerhouse that is the Detroit Red Wings. Yzerman is going out with BANG! Red Wings in 6.

Poker

So I was in a $20 buy-in poker tournament earlier today (Saturday). It started at 3:00 p.m. with 16 people and I walked out later at just after 7:00 p.m. after a great game.

I started out playing pretty tight, but I was getting some pretty bad cards too. Then I got pocket aces, which was nice obviously. I got a little bit of action from it and took down a medium sized pot. I took a few more small ones before my biggest pot yet.

I looked down at Kh 4s in the small blind. Things got around to me and I decided to see the cheap flop. The flop came down 4 10 A. I check, the under the gun player bets out 50 (twice the big blind). The other two players in the hand fold. I think about it a second and decide to reraise him to see where I stood in the hand. He was a fairly loose player, but a good one too. I doubled his bet, and he hesitantly called. The turn card was another ace...I check, he checks. The river card is a 7. I bet out 100. He takes a ridiculously long amount of time to make a decision. He calls and I'm just thinking "Well I lost." I turn over my 4, showing my two-pair, Aces and Fours. He yells out "FUCK" and mucks his hand away. Later he exclaims that he had pocket 3s and thought I was bluffing with nothing. I was bluffing of course, but apparently with the best hand. So I got a little lucky there, but I still think I played it perfect. Considering I was out of position and going against the chip leader at the table, I took some risks. But I also had that nice tight table image which I hoped would help me (even though it didn't really).

The next hand right after I was the dealer button and I look down at 4 5 of spades. I decide to make the call and there's 5 people in the hand. The flop comes down 5 5 A. A bunch of checks come around to the guy on my right and he bets out the big blind. I make the call. The next card is like a 6 or something. He checks, I check. The next card is an 8 or some other pointless card. He bets out twice the big blind. I reraise him about twice that. He thinks about it for a short amount of time and makes the call. He has two-pair Aces and Fives, which, of course, loses to my set of 5s. A nice follow up hand to my big win.

The next good hand, even though it wasn't a big win, was humorous. I was in the small blind and everyone folded around to me. I looked down at 2 4 off suit. I decided to double p the big blind which was up to 50 by then (so a raise to 100). He thinks about it (like he does with every decision hand). He throws it down, exclaiming, "As much as I'd like to defend my big blind..." and then he throws up his 2 4 off suit. Normally I wouldn't show any hand, let alone a bluff, but I knew the psychological blow it would do to him would be better. So I flipped up my 2 4 off suit. Everyone had a good laugh about it.

I don't make any more huge moves after this, taking down some blinds here and there with both bad hands and good ones. I'm not doing anything too rash and we get down to the final 8 people and consolidate into one table.

Here's where I probably made a few mistakes. I think I should've tightened back up like I did in the beginning of the game. As it was I played a little loose. I was 2nd in chips going in to the final table and hope to use my chip lead to my advantage. It didn't work out so well and I soon found myself as the short stack as the blinds continued to increase every 20 minutes. Eventually I was down to just 125 in chips with the big blind staring me in the face. I was getting some really shitty cards, so I put all my hopes in the big blind hand. By this time we had already lost one guy and so were down to seven people. I threw in my big blind, leaving me with only 25 in chips. Clearly I was going to be all in no matter what my cards, but you never want to act out of turn. A few folds go through and another short stack goes all in. Eventually it's just down to me and I'm all in, of course.

So, my all in, tournament life on the life. My Q of hearts and 4 of hearts vs his J of spades and 10 of clubs. The flop doesn't pair anybody, but it does give me two hearts. The turn isn't helpful to anybody. He needs to improve his hand to win, I don't. The river is a heart and I double up off a queen high flush.

In the next hand I probably made another mistake, but in the long run it wasn't such a big deal. I was still a short stack of course...not THE short stack, but still pretty far down there with only 250 in chips (back to what I started the tournament with). I looked down at Q 10 off suit on the button. Everyone had folded around to me. I had just barely stayed alive in this thing and even though the blinds were short stacks too, I threw the cards away. The small blind folded, giving the big blind the free cards. I probably could've moved all-in with the Q 10 and seen both blinds fold. Since we know the small blind would have folded, the big blind is the only mystery. 250 chips would've left him with like 50 or 75 in chips and so chances are he would have folded and I would've taken down another 150 off the blinds. But I didn't do that and we move on.

Things go around for a while and then I look down at A 8 off suit. I move all in. Everyone folds around to the guy on my right who just recently put himself back into contention by knocking out another player leaving us with 6 people. He doesn't know what to do and takes advice from his friend who's already out of the game. He calls my all in. I flip over my A 8 off suit and he flips over his K 8 off suit. He takes the time to curse out his friend and we start seeing some cards. Neither of us pair anything and I take it down with my ace.

I'm not back up to 2nd or 3rd in chips and can breathe a nice sigh of relief. A few hands go around and then I look down at pocket 6s. I raise it 100, to 200 total (I have 600 in chips). I see a bunch of folds and then we're back to that guy on my right. He reraises me another 200, leaving me with only 200 if I call. I take my fair share amount of time to think about it and finally decide to go all in. I'm still not sure if this was a mistake or not. I could've just folded and been left with 400 and waited for a better situation. Of course, with only 600 in chips and the blinds being at 50/100, I'm still not in the best shape (even if I am second in chips). Of course, there were a lot of short stacks at the table, which were getting shorter and shorter. I probably could've just sat back and waited for them to bust themselves and tried to get in to one of the 4 places that pay out money. As I said though, I didn't do that, I went all in.

So I make him flip over his cards first, as he's first to the left of the dealer anyhow. He flips over A J of clubs, I flip over my pocket 6s and stand up to watch the cards come down. I'm a slight favorite, but only at 51.5% against 48.5%. The flop doesn't pair anybody, but it does bring down two clubs for him. At this point he turns in to about a 53% favorite against me. The turn brings him a straight draw too, but I turn back into the favorite at about 61% or so. I'm not happy though because he just has a ridiculous amount of outs (17 actually). He needs any ace or any jack (for a better pair), any 10 (for an ace high straight), or any club (for the flush). I just need to avoid any of that. The river comes down a 10 of hearts and my hopes are dashed as he makes his straight. I go out in 6th place out of 16 people.

It was depressing. I played very well, made good bluffs, got great value for my winning hands, made good laydowns. In the end though, it came down to the luck of the draw and I didn't come out on top. I don't so much care about the $20 I lost, more that I didn't finish in the money...more as a respect thing, validation, for all this poker I've been playing and practicing at.

I played a few good game though. I played next to perfect. My only real mistake was playing too loosely at the start of the final table. There's obviously places I can improve. There's playing perfect (making no mistakes with the hands you play) and playing extraordinary (making all the right moves, right calls, right laydowns, and the right reads). Once I learn to read people a little bit better, then I can learn how to really make them make hard decisions with their hands (and not just when I have the winning hand).

In the end though, it all basically came down to a coin toss, pocket 6s against A J suited. I didn't HAVE to make such a strong move right then, but everyone at the table was a short stack (technically) except for the chip leader. She wasn't the massive chip leader going in to the table, but she had a healthy lead. She used his chip lead well and bullied the table. She won a few key pots too and eventually was the massive chip leader. The guy I lost to though got my money and then soon followed it up with taking all the money of the guy who had been to my left. When the blinds went up to 100/200, he couldn't have been much more than a few hundred behind her. I didn't stay to see who won, just to see who made it in to the final four.

The payout went like this:
1st) $160
2nd) $90
3rd) $50
4th) $20
TOTAL: $320

In all, it was a really fun time and a great way to spend a Saturday. It was nice to play with a larger field of people, people I never met before, and some good players to boot. I found a few places to improve me game and, at the same time, learned that I'm a pretty strong player. The best compliment I got was after I doubled up from 125 to 250 at the end. One of the players said, "Don't give him chips, he's dangerous with them." That was the best thing to hear. Even the best players don't win all the time. I have no regrets.

Thanks for listening, stop reading.

- Rian

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I FOUND NEMO!!!!