I Believe

I am a simple creature. I believe fall mornings are God’s most perfect creation with Spring evenings following close behind. I believe scotch is man’s 43^rd best creation (but it’s number one intoxicant). I believe beer should occasionally be taken with breakfast unless you have a problem. I believe The Live Adventures of the Waterboys is the most evocative live recording I’ve ever heard and best makes me recall my time as a band manager more than any music of any of the bands with which I worked. I believe The Fat Guy would be the coolest older brother ever (and mine is pretty damn great). I believe, except for a few tracks off of the Black Album, post Master Metallica is virtually unlistenable. I believe Bruce Dickinson is much more of a Renaissance Man than Sting could ever hope to be. I believe in more cowbell. I believe Chuck D has the greatest voice in rock and that Roger Daltry is the best singer. I believe the South is truly the most polite place on Earth but would move out West given the proper opportunity. I believe one-issue candidates have no business getting elected but should be in the process as they help drive the debate. I believe in voter imposed term limits. I believe in a citizen legislature, not a professional legislator legislature. I believe Human Head’s head may actually be slightly larger than mine. I believe I should not get so much pleasure from Grubby’s travails. I believe Catherine Deneuve is still beautiful. I believe my parents weren’t hard enough on me. I believe everybody should see Brian Regan. I believe the low country of South Carolina may be the most beautiful place on earth (and I’ve been to the Grand Canyon). I believe every drummer and guitar player should learn side 2 of Back in Black as it would help them learn the interaction of the two instruments no matter what type music they normally played. I believe every drummer overestimates the importance of drums to the song and hits too hard (except Kenny Dale Johnson). I believe witnesses on legal documents should be required to print their name under their signature. I believe the three best days of my life were April 2, 2003, August 16, 2004, and September 6, 2006 (with special reference to January 23, 1983).

But most of all, I believe that a standard raise from the button at a short table with no limpers is a steal and that I am completely justified in pushing the button all-in from the small blind with 99, especially if the button is the short stack. Unfortunately for me, the button was holding TT and I was crippled. I got my last 2k or so in with two faces against Byron and his two faces but his eventually matched two on the board versus my one measly match and I was out in fourth. My belief in the simple solution leads me to usually treat button raises as steal attempts at a short table. When it comes down to it, that is probably a correct assumption. I actually give more credence to a raise from the button at a full table. There, I am always suspicious of cutoff or cutoff +1 steal attempts. It is not an exact science, just a working theory. Please, feel free to exploit me it. Congrats to the winners and especially to Byron, who wins this week’s Pirate’s Plunder. As always, the Hoy was chock-full of good players and many a lesson was waiting to be learned. If you are not playing, you are wasting an opportunity (unless your too good already and, if that is the case, please don’t play as it is difficult enough).