This is not a man with a blog.

Things that amaze me

By Shabbir | May 11, 2006 |

As any live poker aficianado knows, it’s a good time to be a no limit hold’em player, an okay time to be a limit hold’em player, and a rough time to be an Omaha/Stud/Razz player.  These games are just hard to find in a casino.  When I was last in Vegas the various regulars I…

It’s much like a yo-yo

By Shabbir | May 10, 2006 |

I was reminded today of the volatility of no limit poker as I dragged a $200 pot in my new favorite No Limit Omaha/8 game.  It’s a beautiful thing, but you’d have to be crazy to think that a weekly paycheck based on poker winnings wouldn’t be emotionally trying.  In the last World Poker Tour…

Shuffling off this mortal coil

By Shabbir | May 9, 2006 | Comments Off on Shuffling off this mortal coil

As I hit my statistical hump day of midlife, there’s a bunch of stuff I have to do.  I’m not talking about buying a Porsche, but all the other stuff that hits.  Suddenly there’s a bunch of medical screening I’ll have to go through in another year for diseases that don’t kill, "young men".  And…

More tales from the Big Game

By Shabbir | May 8, 2006 | Comments Off on More tales from the Big Game

So there I am, sitting at the Big Game last week, playing the lowest no limit they have ($1/$2).  I’ve seen them starts lists for $5/$10 no limit with a $2,500 maximum buyin, but that’s a tale for another time. I’ve just spent an hour bullying the table for $200 and I look down in…

Finally, someone gave me the business end of the statistical firehose.

By Shabbir | May 7, 2006 | Comments Off on Finally, someone gave me the business end of the statistical firehose.

I finally took a statistical downswing at the Big Game. But wait, don’t you want to regale with tales from this session?  Isn’t there something pithy to say?  Not really, I got crappy cards and overplayed them.  Exactly what the players with better cards needed to make money off me.  I’m not broken up about…

A problem I’ve never had.

By Shabbir | May 5, 2006 | Comments Off on A problem I’ve never had.

I’ve never been good enough at live poker to have a cash management problem.  But today, after several sessions where I bought in at the Big Game with hundreds and then got cashed out in twenties, I’m having a currency storage problem.   I went to the bank and asked to color up my bills and…

The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn

By Shabbir | May 5, 2006 |

wow, amazingly good advice even for a company as big as us.  And though people would say we’re not a startup, lots of things we do still feel like it.  (like the little Manhattan Project I’m coding right now) Link: The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn.

Another couple hours, another $100+ profit

By Shabbir | May 4, 2006 | Comments Off on Another couple hours, another $100+ profit

Honestly, this is getting a little silly.  I played at the Big Game again tonight and counted four chip dumpers around me at a table of 7 people, myself included.  Avoiding the players will real card selection skills, I was still in a target rich environment. I bullied the table all evening and finally got…

I’m not quite that old yet…

By Shabbir | May 4, 2006 | Comments Off on I’m not quite that old yet…

I turn 39 this month, and I’m clearly behind in all the stuff I have to do before I turn 40.  I only have 12 months to get my act together, buy a Porsche, start dating a 20 year old, and join EST (now called ‘The Forum’) and ‘find myself’. That’s a lot of ironic…

Why is my hourly rate in the positive three digit range?

By Shabbir | May 2, 2006 |

For a guy that plays low stakes, I’ve been running a little hot.  Last night I hit an online $1/$2 Omaha/8 No LIMIT game and relieved folks of over $200 in a little over an hour.  I am a decent Omaha/8 player, but I’m not that good.  Omaha’s a pretty complex game, with enough potential…