fwiw, I always like hewitt, even though he comes across like an arrogant toss, but I'm like that with all my sports stars. imo sports ppl aren't role models, they're fkn sports stars. Anthony Mundine is my hero... not really, but you get the idea.

bump to welcome ozi back from the dark side...

why you playing limit again?

basically I want to play poker but I want to play it when relaxing after a hard days work/play. Plus I want to win - not because I need the money but because its the principle of it - in poker and life I avoid -EV spots where I can. And I don't want to have to spend ours and hours of study to do it and I'm not interested in learning any more new games because to do so i'll have to use more brain cells than i care to. As I said, I play for the enjoyment of it and its good to be back at the limit cos i can do that because thats been my bread and butter game so I can walk back in and play competently.

PLO is fun but its also crack....basically I'm not a winner in that game because no matter how well I played when I was in my zone , when I had a bad run of cards + tilt I blew it all. I like to play poker on a weekend at nighttime whilst having a few drinks and to be honest, I lost ALOT (of big blinds at nano stakes) playing PLO whilst drinking. I could knuckle down, be totally serious about and i'd do way better but that seems like a lot of hard work when I just want to play to relax and blow off a bit of steam You can get away with some lack of judgment in limit but in PLO just a few bad plays cost you big time. It constantly amazed me how often even the biggest tards would have the nuts when the money went in or would make a better lucky hand. Not saying its rigged, just saying that apparently I lacked judgement and clarity in big spots. What sealed the deal was when the whole PS rake changes highlighted the fact that they absolutely pillage you to the tune of 20bb/100 or thereabouts with rake at low stakes PLO - AND they obviously feel its justified as even after the IOM visits stars has shown little regard for PS low/microstakes PLO players wrt rake. I Thus they have lost my patronage for the time being as its a good opportunity to seek out softer games elsewhere - thats what ultimately will decide where i play as game quality is going to be more significant to my BR than anything else. I'm also fortunate to be in a position where I can happily walk away from PS (and back if i want) without losing out financially due to being SNE or whatever. Its good to be able to 'reset' and start afresh at a new site.

For most of last year poker for me was an 'entertainment expense' - it is what it is, 2012 will not be an entertainment expense. I was pretty jaded and unfocused last year. 2012 will not be 2011 for me. well that's the plan anyway....

I do somewhat regret focusing on FR LHE for so long...its 6max all the way now.

From a quick glance at the changes, micros LHE rake on Stars is now favorable. Have you considered coming back to LHE?

Also, since you now play both big bet games in 8 game, you know LHE, and I think you used to play 0/8, have you considered mixed games? It seems like you've invested in breadth, it seems natural to take advantage of that.

When you talk about trying other sites, I assume you're avoiding US facing ones. Is that correct? If not, what do you consider the risk to be of playing on a site that the American DOJ may come after at any point?

I haven't been following your own political stuff closely, but I see the occasional blurb. I recall you even had a meeting with your own MP. Any update on your own struggles with legislative oppression?

Any Esimonk sightings?

I'll come back to stars eventually, mostly likely when they offer a reload...or I get sick of playing elsewhere.

to be honest, at this point I prefer to use my braincells playing a game I already know so i cbf learning new games

I can't play on some of the US facing sites and from what i heard, why would I bother? (I heard that they are tough games with few fish as fish). Since I'm playing 6max now I have more choices....not heaps but enough to try out for a while. First stop party poker.

Despite being doomswitched for the last 2 weeks (was up nearly 600BB after initial boomswitch now down 150BB in total so thats 700BB dropped in about 5k hands - some sick variance correction**sadface**, there's alot of suboptimal play but lots of lolstandard beatdowns but still at least a decent sizes dswong - but don't worry, somehow I'm still close to breakeven thanks to bonuses etc) the games seem better there and the fish are in a smaller pool which simplifies things.

Im preferring not having a bazillion games in teh lobby to pick from because at Stars I found people clambering to chase the fish as they jumped tables but at party they cant do that as there arent that many tables running. Say there's six tables and Im at 4-6 of them I'm basically going to get a crack at the bad players as they sit. And if the tables happen to be bad when I want to play then I just go play Battlefield3 on the PS3 or COD:MW3. Good free fun when there isnt a good batch of tables - sure beats playing 5 generic run good wannabe eurotags that float around at party like bad smells no matter if its 2pm on a wednesday and there isn't a guppy in sight.

our govt is terrible. they were a minority govt, no one likes them except their 'baseline' diehards and they will be obliterated at the next election. Why? Because they and the PM made some blatant lies (eg preelection said 'there will be no carbon tax under a government I lead' only to flip and say 'actually, we are selling our soul to a minor party so here you go CARBON TAX! And other horrible choices like selling out the independents who put them in power. The usually lolbad stuff that politicians do but they do it with suprising consistency. Anyway, with the online filter they wanted they did what govts do when they want to shelve something but can't admit it....fund a year long 'research' period . that is due to end sometime this year but honestly, even if they try it on I doubt it will get past the senate. so i have no need to meet with my local MP again.

no eskimo sightings, he's the next state over so not really close.

What would you say about the psychological profile of someone who looks forward to songs he hates coming up on Pandora so he can thumbs down them in wonder as to where the genome project will take him next?

Meh, I spend my Pandora time trying to link unrelated songs through "More like this" in as few jumps as possible. I once got from Metallica to a bluegrass band in 4 jumps.

how many metallica songs has said bluegrass band covered?

ozi,

how old do you hope your eldest is the first time he sneaks some beers with his mates? first time he gets laid?

how old were you for these milestones?

Zeldark, 'what u talkin about Willis?' aka different strokes. u been smoking the whacky tobaccy?

TC,
1. no idea. not into metallica at all
2. 18 (legal drinking age here) ldo and won't be sneaking i'd assume. if he gets a in when he's 17 then that would be a win as far as im concerned
3. hmmm. well it better not be underage and in my house ldo. the later the better with in reason, yeah I'll go with that.
4. had my first beer at 16 I think and I wont be answering the 2nd part on an internet forum

my oldest boy is 8. I take comfort in the fact that having to actually deal with those sorts of things is still quite a long way off. I tend to be overprotective of my kids.