Still Ill

[peterbirks]

That's "ill" as in "sick", not III as in "Rambo Three". I started feeling a sore throat on Monday. By yesterday morning I momentarily considered not going in, but then realized that the cleaner was coming, so it would have been a bit complicated if I was working from home. Last night I, foolishly, played online, and promptly set fire to nearluy $300. I reckon that $150 of that was avoidable, although one of the hands was interesting in retrospect.

By 9pm I gave up and went to bed.

By this morning there was no question of me going into work. Sore throat, cough, headache, runny nose, the full panoply. I've just had my fourth Lemsip in 16 hours, and I'm spending short times out of bed before giving up, going back to lie down and, truth be told, feeling fucking sorry for myself. Being sick is no fun, while being sick on your own is doubly no fun. The only thing which is worse (trebly no fun) is being sick when a young child needs looking after and "wants to play".

I got the newsletter out this morning by sheer force of will, but when I just got up (again) I seriously considered phoning Sarah to ask her to fill in for me tomorrow. That would be the first day in five years that I hadn't got the newsletter out when I was scheduled so to do.

However, I thnk I'll manage it, in bits and bobs for the rest of today and a final push tomorrow morning, before collapsing into bed again.

Playing poker when you aren't well is plain stupid -- although I still managed to win a few bucks on 888, which perhaps shows how much less of a strain that site is on the brain. Playing poker on Pokerstars when you are ill, when you don't even need to is certifiable. My newly acquired Platinum status is good until the end of July and any VPPs I gain this month are relatively unimportant.

++++++++++++

If it's a choice between the truth and the legend, print the legend. Thus it is with the corporate poker sites these days. The LasVegasLasVegas poker blog, which long ago threw out any critical faculties whatsoever, reported the WSOP Championship Invitiational -- basically the only way that ESPN could guarantee some footage of recognizable faces playing No Limit Hold'em.

" Every table was a table of death with this high powered group. "

Indeed. So much so that Tom McEvoy won it and Robert Varkonyi came second.

Tom McEvoy said about the event, "This is the toughest field I have ever played against," possibly the poker understatement of the year.

Hmm.

And Tom's prize, apart from much needed TV exposure? A second-hand car. Or, to put it less bluntly,

The rare American sports car (a 1970 Corvette) has a 454 ci engine and has been completely restored with zero miles on the odometer.

So, a second-hand car that's had the clock put back.

+++++++++++++++++

Whoops, I forgot the interesting hand.


I got Ad Ks in the big blind. We both have $100.

Passed round to button who raises to $4.

I reraise to $14.

I expect a fold about 70% of the time here. If I get called I'm CBing any flop for $22.

Opponent calls. $28 in pot.

Flop 9c 8c 7s

I bet $22. Opponent calls.

Turn Ac.


I bet $64 all-in. Opponent calls. Turns over 77 for a set.



Initially I cursed myself for throwing money away (I'd idly thought opponent might have TT or JJ) but in retrospect I'm not that unhappy.

It's not in the flop or turn play where there's any debate (although you could argue that my all-in bet has chances against weak-tight opponents -- but not really on Stars, to be frank) because I should take thatline no matter what.

Why? Because opponent will fold to my continuation bet if he fails to hit a set. That means that he has made his mistake pre-flop when he puts in 10% of his stack.

Now, we can play around with this stat. Suppose, for example, he also calls my CB with a 6-high board or with a Qxx or Jxx board? Things get a bit complicated here, although it's possible to run through all the numbers (my range, btw, is AK, AQs, AA KK QQ, and we can assume for the purposes of this exercise that he knows that) I'll just stick with my gut instinct for now that any call of a raise more than $7 to $11 is negative EV.

So, got stacked off, but don't feel so bad about it.

_____________________

Comments

[jellymillion.livejournal.com]

There's been a virus going around - it lasted about 4 days when I (and then Pam) had it. I just about managed to function at work, although I'd have called in sick if I hadn't been desperate to finish something. It may or may not have been swine flu - I'd put it in the heavy cold/mild flu part of the spectrum, but they won't test you unless you've been to Mexico recently or exchanged bodily fluids with someone who has.

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting one, isn't it? Because it would, by definition, lead to an underestimate of the transmittability of the disease.

"Yes, nearly all the people who tested positive for Swine Flu had either been to Mexico or had been close to someone who had been to Mexico".

"And you tested whom?"

"People who had been to Mexico or who had been close to someone who had been to Mexico."

PJ

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

BTW, when will my thumping headache go away?

PJ

[(Anonymous)]

Two years ago I got the worst cold that I've ever had. The sore throat pain was unbearable, I could barely bring myself to swallow. After wasting time and money on Strepsils, I discovered Strefen. It's made by the same people and looks the same but has anti-inflammatory properties (ibuprofen I think). Just mentioning it because I wouldn't want you to suffer what I had.

DY

Solo mankyness

[geoffchall.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear you're laid up. I'd give you the advice I give other people (but fail to follow myself), that you should cry off doing the newsletter for once - it will help your position within the firm if they have to crank the thing out themselves. There might be greater appreciation of what you're doing. There's also a lot of proverbs about indispensible people in the graveyard.

But then I don't follow this advice. Unless I'm physically unable to go in I generally shamble in and just work in a half-hearted manner. Half of this is that I want the staff to see me suffering (when in truth I'm more content by being in work than lying at home in bed). Half of it is just denial.

I actually had a couple of days off a couple of months back with genuine fever (halucinations) from an infection and it was hell - incapable of doing anything beyond watching DVDs that I was always going to get round to but was always able to find something better. Without anyone else to whinge at, it just becomes a time-passing exercise whilst the body gets on with getting itself right.

Oh and you can always alternate Ibuprofen with Lemsips so as to hit the pain relief every couple of hourse.

Re: Solo mankyness

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

Ibuprofen in flow! Listened to the John Le Carre radio play from Saturday -- god bless Iplayer and I hope that they decide to televise these productions. Many thanks to the people responding to my online whingeing and to Mr Young in particular for taking the trouble to phone me up. It is appreciated.

PJ

Re: Solo mankyness

[(Anonymous)]

I had something similar about a week ago. After a feverish night of shivering and aching I spent pretty much the whole of the next day in bed. The following day I felt weak, but well enough to go to work. I did wonder whether it was swine flu, but couldn't be bothered with the hassle of getting it tested and didn't fancy the prospect of being quarantined. The headache lasted about three days for me.