100,000

Lightning Strikes reached 100,000 page views today. In my mind it is kind of amazing that I started this blog in the first place and that it has continued on through thick and thin.

Back when online poker was in its heyday, I posted mostly poker content, including some hand analyses. I sometimes wrote posts that had nothing to do with poker. Over the years, and especially since Black Friday, the blog has focused on many disparate topics. I have posted less frequently -- usually due to my busy life. A challenging job and  three kids will do that to you.

Thanks for looking. The next 100,000 views have begun!

First MLB Game of the Season For Me Monday Night

I will be leaving work  a little early Monday afternoon to head to Chicago with a co-worker to catch game one of the White Sox - Red Sox series at U.S. Cellular Field. It certainly looks like a mismatch on paper: Boston 27-17 vs. Chicago 19-23. It gets worse when you look at the pitching match-up: Jon Lester: 6-0, 2.72 ERA vs Dylan Axelrod: 1-3, 4.27 ERA.

Scattered thunderstorms are predicted for the Chicago area. At least the seats were cheap.

It's Prom Night

My youngest daughter, who is 16, will be going to her first prom tonight. Based on a number of factors, I am guessing that tonight will turn out to be less than a stellar evening. However, we hope for the best. Here is a cute picture taken in my front yard.

Update: My daughter came home and reported that she had a great time. I was also happy to hear that her date, Theo -- a good friend -- also had a great evening. Sometimes things just work out for the best!

I did not attend my first prom until I was ... 34 years old! My date was my wife, a teacher at the high school sponsoring the prom. She was almost nine months pregnant at the time. Needless to say, wild dancing was at a minimum.

When I was a junior in high school none of my "backwards" friends were prom material. Not many junior guys went to prom anyway unless forced by their girlfriends. My friends and I spent the evening on the roof of my garage, throwing a basketball through the hoop attached to the garage. Frankly, it was an excellent time.

My plan for senior year was to ask the girl of my dreams to prom. She was my first "real" date after I turned 16 and could drive. Unfortunately, four months before prom she started her year as a foreign exchange student in New Zealand. I was crushed. I had little desire to go to prom. I was asked by a girl at my school but declined. I considered asking a few more but decided not to. I was also asked to prom by a girl who lived about 250 miles away. Nah -- just not worth it.

Two of my friends went while I spied all the goings on with a another friend. We ended up having the better time. The two guys who went got blown off by their dates the next day. The term "used" comes to mind.

I was asked one final time -- when I was a 22 year-old college senior. It's a long complicated story, but I was dating a senior at that time ... a high school senior. I asked her what we would do after the prom. She said "Everybody will be going down to the Mississippi River and drinking." Right -- just 22 year-old me and a bunch of underage kids drinking together. Why didn't I just slap the handcuffs on myself? I declined.

Tomorrow the same daughter and I will be going to Anime Central just outside Chicago. I know that she will be have a great time there. Me -- I hope to sneak out to a local casino ...

Thinking Back To My High School Days

Happy Mothers Day!

I consider myself fortunate to still have my Mom around. Although her health situations can sometimes be tricky, she is still alive and ticking and will turn 88 this fall.

Being the thoughtful planner I have always been, part of my criteria in looking for a wife was that the woman also needed to be a great mother. I certainly hit 100% on that account as my wife is a fantastic, loving mother to three kids. Today will be a lazy day for her, which is in contrast to her regular schedule of being busy, busy, busy-- even though I sometimes chide her that her busyness oftentimes includes watching television, posting on Facebook, or playing games like Candy Crush Saga!

If you haven't done so already, do something special for any mothers who have a special place in your life, be it even something as simple as making a telephone call.

The sun is shining and summer is almost upon us. Have a great day!

Misc Poker Musings

Ultimate Poker

The first week of unquestioned legal online poker (Ultimate Poker) in Nevada seems to have brought to light many problems and issues. People using Verizon are not able to access the online system. People close to the Nevada border seem to also be having issues. Although a sweet in-person deposit and cash out system has been set up in the Las Vegas Station Casinos, it just seems like this first effort is sort of like baby steps. Things will obviously get better. This is just the start.

Online Poker in Illinois

My home state, Illinois, recently proposed some online poker legislation that would help to right our failing state employee pension system. Unfortunately, in the Land of Lincoln -- backwards and politically corrupt -- gambling laws have traditionally been put aside as the pols fight over the rights to gambling in Chicago. Instead of having a top rate poker room in Chicago, Illinois residents are forced to go to Hammond, Indiana.

Although online poker was part on one of the latest bills being proposed, it was axed for fear that it would make almost any progress negligible. But ... at least this was a step in the right direction.

My Home Game

Although I had thoughts of making a road trip and playing some poker in Peoria, Joliet, or Hammond the past few weeks, it was just so much easier to slide back into my home game for a time. As I noted in a previous pot, the blinds have been increased and the aggression has been ramped up. Sometimes the hands resemble bingo more than poker.

I have notched profits the past three weeks despite a run of terrible cards for 2 1/2 of the three sessions. Because of the low number of hands I played (certainly compared to some of the aggro guys), I have gained a reputation as Senior Rock. I have used that rep to my advantage, however, and now have some of the players not being able to figure out when I have the goods and when I don't. This is exactly the sweet spot I like to hit.

First Time for Staking

I have always avoided staking other players, preferring to just use my poker money for myself. However, I dipped my toes in the water on a deal I could not pass up. I made some money with blog advertising and then used the money to stake one of the people who brought some advertising to my blog, thus I am freerolling in my mind. The player has a good track record of cashing in Las Vegas tournaments and will be playing in a number of tournaments this summer. I could make a respectable profit for a small investment, or at worst just lose money I got from advertising. In either case, it will make for some fun weeks as I follow the progress of my horse.

Have a great week!

Las Vegas "Friends Trip" Five Weeks Away

As things in the latest cycle at work are winding to a close, I am beginning to anticipate my next trip to Las Vegas, which will begin five weeks from today. This is trip number ... uhhh ... I don't know, maybe 80-something?

When I began going to Las Vegas many moons ago, the trips were primarily a way for me to get away from a job that is customer oriented and communication intensive. I have had trips where I spoke to noone outside of waiters and waitresses. I used to play slots, roulette, mini-baccarat, even a little craps -- long before I even thought of playing poker. I would walk past the poker rooms and see what appeared to be crusty-looking sad people. Of course, this was years before anyone ever heard of Chris Moneymaker.

Somewhere along the line, things changed. When my brother, the former King of Komps (I think he has lost his title to me!) moved back to the United States, he and I started taking trips to Las Vegas together. I started playing poker. Las Vegas, in my mind, changed from a trip of solitude to one of socialization. I attended some WPBT (World Poker Blogger Tournament) weekends and started meeting some of my fellow online poker players. I happened to meet a few others when vacation trips to Las Vegas matched up. A year ago a private tournament was held for friends and supporters of Tony Bigcharles, and I met some news friends then along with a new cast of blogger characters.

Well, this next trip should be a gas as several of my friends will have time in Las Vegas that will overlap with mine. I hope to meet in person two bloggers I have gotten to know over the past few years, Spot and Linda Lou. I first met Spot, I believe, when he railed me in a PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker Pot Limit Omaha tournament we were both in. I final tabled the event, taking fourth place when my flopped full house lost to a bigger flopped full house. Yeah -- a tad of the bitter taste remains over three years later! (Update: Spot is out for June). As for Linda Lou -- I think I started reading her blog when it showed up on th blogroll of some other bloggers.

I hope to cross paths with a few other visitors during my trip. Lucki Duck will be playing in a WSOP event (big congrats on playing your way in via your home game season!) and Memphis MOJO will no doubt be looking to take the World Series of Poker Senior Event crown. Rob, who commutes to Las Vegas more than anyone I know, will be there during my trip.

My trips usually include spending a little time with locals Tony Bigcharles (unless he decides to go on one of his famous road trips in search of an illusive perfect gambling Mecca -- as if Las Vegas was not good enough) and Man In Black, with whom I have deep discussions about stuff I don't usually discuss in this blog. You usually have to read Rob' blog for those kind of tawdry stories! I hope to play some poker with Ron, who is one of the excellent dealers at my version of BSC (Rob - ha ha!).

So ... if grrouchie is up for any poker, if seattle irish and Poker Johnny are around, or if any of the AP dudes at Roughing the Punter are around Jean or Las Vegas, let me know.

I can't wait!