No History Yet

I'm not at home, so I can't pour over the hand histories with a fine-toothed comb. That will come later, where I will regale people with my tales of luckboxery.

In the meantime, now that I've calmed down a bit, stopped yelling, and am not school-girl giddy over the Big Game win, I can post rationally.

First and foremost: I called it. Congrats to The Goat for taking down one of the two write-in spots for the TOC. Congrats to Fuel55 as well for the second seat, I'll assume my being busted with KK on the first hand in your tale was the point that put you over the top . Condolences to everyone else who didn't make it. Considering I didn't even get mine in due to the constant scrapping of it, I'm impressed by people even entering. Not that my opinion counts for anything.

It was a less than stellar week, as was pretty evident in the posts from at least one day. I didn't get enough sleep, I fell firmly into "friend" territory, and I found out I'd be getting paid 1/3 less than the previous year. It was a hell of a downer to come back from Vegas to. Mix in some other random bullshit, and poker on Sunday was a means of starting fresh. When that ten hit on the turn on the last hand of The Big Game, days of frustration and angst were released in one incredibly loud series of phrases... some of which aren't suitable for the children.

I believe Chad's comment when I turned the straight was, "that sums up the BBT right there." I'll take that phrase and twist it to my own uses. This increasingly less-little group we've got is about far more than poker. The BBT series takes a hobby we all love (and even if you're playing for a living, these Blogger games are a hobby), and raises the stakes. It brings us out of whatever rut we're falling into game-wise and gives us a reason to play harder. But through it all, there is still the underlying camaraderie. You can knock out someone and they'll turn around and cheer you on at the final table. People you respect offer their support and good luck. If you fail, there's no shortage of those to commiserate with. Sure, the BBT is about that Aussie Millions seat, but would any of us keep driving for that if it wasn't for the crowd we're running with down the stretch? I think THAT sums up the BBT right there.

Thanks as always go out to Al. He's once again taken the reigns and created a memorable and fantastic series. It's not over yet by a long shot, but he can't be recognized enough. Naturally, without Hoy, Mookie, and Don, there wouldn't be much of a tournament, so thanks go to them too for setting up some great games.

Which brings me to my next point. This was something Lucko brought up a few weeks back and I think now needs revisiting. There is essentially one vacant seat in the BBT with XxMagiciaNxX winning two events. This should be given to Al - an organizer's exemption if you will. I don't know how he feels about it, but I'm pretty sure that the majority of those in the TOC would support it. Let's make it happen.

Hands of interest will be posted tonight before the MATH. Non-BBToo, 6-handed NLHE. Nice.