Seoul

I'm leaving Las Vegas and scrounging for the paperwork to get a visa for a stay in Seoul. It's the capital of South Korea and, with the exception of Tokyo, the most populous metropolitan area in the world.

The city just opened a poker room in a foreigners-only casino. You can also find underground live games throughout the city every night of the week with the citizens.

My focus won't be on poker while I'm in Korea. I'll be working in the afternoons, for one thing. I also am going to finish my writing project or complete the first draft as an expatriate. Now having said that, I will build a poker bankroll to play whatever level I want, since I won't be paying rent.

The key that's changed is poker won't be necessary to support myself. My poker goals won't be as much about making money as about moving up in levels. Kind of like a video game concept where you fight your way through a bunch of opponents and then beat the boss of that level and move to the next level.

Don't expect updates for a while as I sell my stuff on Craigslist, maneuver through bureaucracies, and settle into a totally foreign environment, what a well-traveled Australian recently told me was "the least Western country" he'd ever encountered. But check this site again in a few months. I'll report on my online poker exploits, the casino games at Walker Hill, and the underground live games.

Live PLO: Good, My Month Overall: Bad

Last week they ran live $1-2 Pot Limit Omaha games at Planet Hollywood four nights in a row. I really enjoy playing PLO, more than I like playing NLH at the moment. One night I won a sick pot that broke the game around 5 am and I cashed out close to $1,300.

But in NLH I've run terrible this month. When it comes to holdem, this is honestly the worst run of cards I've ever had. I am getting it in with the nuts and feeling awful about it because I'm just waiting for my opponents' outs to come, and sure enough they do. Earlier tonight I got it all in on the turn with the nut straight vs a mediocre two pair for 300 bb, and I'm just shaking my head when I see his hand on the turn because I know he's going to fill up. Unless things turn around this will be my first losing month at poker. And things have to turn around in the next couple days, because while they say luck evens out in the long run, that makes no difference if you go busto in the short run. Is Highwaytime going to have to find a J-O-B? Let's not think such cruel thoughts just yet.

Sylar is Back

Hey, what's up. I just took two of my shattered Excedrin pills and am in too much pain to play cards or go out. Let me tell you guys what's been going on.

I have two months left in my Vegas lease. I will probably leave the city at the end of January unless I have a bankroll to start playing $2-5 NL live games, which for me means about $10K. Looking over my records, I notice that I've never played 200 hours of poker in one month, so that's my goal this month and hopefully it will go a long way towards reaching $10K in disposable poker capital by late January. So far this month I'm running like the plague and am only up like $100, but I still have over 170 hours to go.

Sylar got his powers back on the last episode of Heroes, so that bodes well for me. Looking back, I ran good for most of the first season and started running bad right after the final episode of season 1 where he was defeated. I don't know about you but I thought last season's episodes were better, overall.

Possible LA poker trip later this month or early next month with the crew (Carolina John and Todd). I think I can promise John there are Ukrainian girls there.

Then a Colorado ski trip late January, for which I am already equipped against the weather with a new goatee.

Like what I've got down in my other writing project, almost want to say excited about it, but it's going to take months to finish. Still in its infancy.

Thanksgiving Sidebet Challenge, Final Results

Opponent Knockout Tally
Highwaytime: 21
Carolina John: 20
Patrick: 0

Biggest Chip Stack
Carolina John: $1,245
Highwaytime: $1,103
Patrick: $320

So I split the sidebet challenge with daytrader John. I am in Virginia for Thanksgiving weekend at the moment. John is still in Vegas and texted me a half hour ago that he just broke the $2,300 mark in a $200-cap $1-2 NL game at Planet Hollywood (confirmed by Steve aka the Gambling Duke, who is also in the game). But since the sidebet challenge is over, this feat does not go in the records and if not for this generous note would be condemned to oblivion.

On Wednesday, Steve came out to play for the first time in months. The poker room changed since the last time he played. Planet Hollywood held a BET poker tournament last weekend and spruced up the room. Photo portraits on the wall of Dennis Rodman, Steve Martin and Michael Caine in their Dirty Rotten Scoundrels toast, and of Michael Madsen at a urinal. Electronic board showing jackpot hand payouts. Flat screen TVs actually showing sporting events as opposed to running casino promos like before. Steve was having a nice short session, up about $150 over a couple hours, when he looked at the clock on his cell phone and told me he was going to leave in two minutes. It should be obvious to any experienced poker player what happened next. He was a victim of the Curse of the Last Hand. He lost a big pot right away and then he stayed and lost about $500 over the next half hour. My advice, and sorry if it sounds like a zen puzzle, is to never play the last hand.

Quick Update

Thanksgiving Sidebet Challenge, Days 1-3

Opponent Knockouts
Highwaytime: 10
Carolina John: 5

Biggest Chip Stack
Highwaytime: $1,103

Todd couldn't make it to Vegas, and Patrick has been MIA so far.

Thanksgiving Week Sidebet Challenge

To commence Friday the 17th of November

The Actors' Names

Highwaytime, inaugural sidebet champion
Carolina John, defending sidebet champion
Todd S, a villain
Patrick, a famous drunkard

Junior, a volleyball champion
Steve J, Ombudsman

The Duke of Serutan, and courtiers

Kenny, a motorcyclist, leader of "The 411"
Marco, a Kindergarten teacher

Nurse to Todd S

Citizens of Nevada; several Gentlemen and Gentlewomen; Torch-bearers, Strippers, Real Estate Agents, and Futures Traders.

Scene: Planet Hollywood poker room

Quick hits

Playing on Stars. Making some moneys.

On Friday players coming in from across the country. Live action poker. Another sidebet challenge. Patrick wants in.

Threw an Excedrin bottle against the wall after getting sucked out on. Lid flew open and capsules, mostly cracked in half, all over. Impact such that some capsules powderized and settled into carpet.

John has thousands of hits on his blog since he started it late last month. Lost over $120K trading last week. He told me he wants to win it back in $1-2 NL when he's here T-giving week.

Personally watching almost no TV these days but want to catch HSP on Monday to see if Patrick Antonius stacks Jamie Gold for a million dollar pot, or vice versa.

bitterness and denial aren't
realistic ways
to deal
with something that happens again and again
never to know exactly when
but that the only stop is not to play.
but to play
that's the thing.
shut up and deal

"Shut Up and Deal" -Jesse May