A Teddy Bear named Mohammed

Do you ever stop and think how lucky you are to live in a country that honors and values free speech? Short of yelling “Fire” in a movie theater, we are allowed to openly criticize our leaders and debate any issue in an open forum, as these posts attest.

Look at what the Muslim community abroad gets upset about. 54 year old Gillian Gibbons teaching kids in Sudan brought a teddy bear into her class. She asked her class of seven-year-olds to pick their favorite name for the new class mascot, which she was using to aid lessons about animals and their habitats. After considering the names Hassan and Abdullah, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of Muhammad — the first name of the most popular boy in the class. Unfortunately for Gibbons, it is also the name of the sacred Islam prophet.

Gibbons was arrested Sunday. The teacher was convicted of insulting religion but cleared of two other charges of inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs.

She could have faced a sentence of 40 lashes, a fine or jail term of up to a year. Hundreds of protesters brandishing ceremonial swords and sticks gathered outside Khartoum's presidential palace Friday to vent their anger. Some of the protesters demanded the teacher's execution. Some chanted: "No tolerance: Execution" and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Remember last year the Muslim outcry at what they found to be offensive cartoons of Mohammed. A French newspaper reproduced a set of Danish caricatures depicting Muhammad that caused outrage in the Muslim world. Muslim nations threatened boycotts and death threats made against Danish citizens traveling in the Middle East.

The ability of Muslims to threaten death, and to have mass demonstrations (1 million in Karachi) over something so trivial as illustrations or naming a teddy bear, yet retaining a total inability to condemn Muslim atrocities such as 9/11 and suicide bombings with such mass protests is atrocious.

What are the children learning from all of this? One mother, whose seven-year-old son was in Gibbons' class, said her family had not been offended by the name. "Our Prophet Muhammad tells us to be forgiving," she said. "So she should be released. She didn't mean any of this at all."

EDIT 12/3 - Gibbons released from Jail after Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir granted her a presidential pardon, apologized for any distress her actions may have caused.

Limit vs. No Limit

Why do I play limit? At this point it is mostly due to the size of my bankroll. They say you need between 200 - 300 big bets to play limit and about 15 buy ins to play no limit. So for a 3/6 limit game, you need about $1,200 bankroll. For a $300 1/2 no limit game you need about $4,500. I don't have 15 buy-ins to throw around and the people I would be playing with do. They are perfectly content to go all in with a buy in when they are a 55% favorite. I'm not there yet.

I am going to start with a bankroll to play 3/6 at my local casino in '08. I would love to be able to build it up to so I can sit down at the 15/30 game they have. So, I guess if I have a goal, it would be to grow my bankroll to $6,000. They said you should not play a tournament that has more than a 5% buy in for your bank roll. So I will choose my tournaments carefully, and try to play some bigger buy in tournaments once my bankroll goes up slightly. I'd imagine I'll be playing 90% ring game at 3/6. No online play.

I am going to work hard at trying to put people on hands. What story does the hand and their betting style tell and what hand can I put them on? I know in limit poker this is not as important as in no limit, but it is still important. Also, something to practise when you are not in a hand.

My style: TAG - tight aggressive. And I can loosen up some or change gears once the table has pegged me on a style. The key is to win one big bet an hour. As you can see from lower limits this is hardly worth your time. But it is a good gauge to use for your profitability rate. The important thing is the amount of money won and not the number of pots won. I am content winning one big pot an hour.

Where does the money come from?

The best book that I have read on lower stakes hold em is Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth. Unlike many other books about small stakes games, it teaches the aggressive and attacking style used by all professional players. However, it does not simply tell you to play aggressively; it shows you exactly how to make expert decisions through numerous clear and detailed examples. Anyone who is going to play poker seriously needs to read this book.

Every cent of your long term profit playing poker comes from exploiting your opponents errors and predictable tendencies. The bad beats do not cause you to lose in the long run. Playing passively does. If you do not win in the long run it is not because your opponents are making too many mistakes, it is because you are. Be glad your opponents refuse to fold; if they didn't you might go broke.

Do not berate other players for poor play at the table. Regardless of the social etiquette of such remarks, it is simply bad business. The money comes from poor players who may poor calls with their mediocre cards and draws. Over time, you will be able to win money from them. Why make them feel uncomfortable, and potentially leave the table, by critiziscing their play? You want them to make mistakes.

To maximize your long term winnings, you must consistently choose plays that maximize your expected value (EV) of each situation. Will every session be a winner? No, natural variance will account for losing sessions. But if you follow the advice in SSHE you will have more winning sessions that losing ones.

Is online Poker legal?

The U.S. government has taken a stand against online poker and other forms of online gambling, based on an interpretation of the frequently cited "Wire Act" of 1961. This statute prohibits gambling over the telephone, and in the case of Jay Cohen, the Courts ruled that it does apply to online sports betting. Whether the Act applies to betting on a poker game, particularly when that game is operated from a foreign country, is still a matter of debate.

At the end of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was rammed through Congress by the Republican leadership in the final minutes before the election period recess. According to Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), no one on the Senate-House Conference Committee had even seen the final language of the bill. The new law does not apply to the players. The law addresses only the operators of online gambling businesses and financial institutions that transfer money into those businesses.

This law prohibits a business from receiving deposits for the purpose of unlawful online gambling. It also requires regulation of financial institutions. The Federal Reserve is directed to create new regulations within 270 days that will apply to financial institutions. The regulations will detail how financial institutions are to identify and block transactions from the US to unlawful online gambling businesses. Note that this does not include transactions to lawful online gambling businesses, nor does it include transcations in the other direction. Also, it specifically does not cover paper checks, due to practical difficulties in tracking them.

Key to this bill was the definitioin of what constitues a bet, which is risking something of value on the outcome of a game subject to chance. The many thousands of professionals who make their living playing poker will tell you that poker is a game of skill and not chance.

At a Wednesday hearing, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will debate the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. An Internet gambling bill sponsored by Representative Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican, was approved by the House Financial Services Committee March 15. The third bill is sponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican.

Some sites have decided to leave the US market. Party Poker is the largest such site. If you live in the US, you will not be able to play at these sites any longer. All of the sites have said they intend to honor existing account balances. Poker Stars, the largest online poker site, continues to service the US market.

Testimony of Annie Dukeon behalf of The Poker Players AllianceHouse Committee on the Judiciary"Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Internet Wagers"November 14, 2007

Played Poker Tuesday

So I played poker last Tuesday night and won $180. I actually went into the tank down a 100, so the good news is that I went on a streak of plus $280. I was catching great cards, and then led to a great table image.

I made a couple of bad mistakes. I was a little sick and tired, so didn't realize the 3rd club hit on the turn when I was holding 2 pair. I bet, and got raised. The guy who raised was a pretty tight and straight forward player, and it was obvious he had the nut flush. I wasted 3 bets, when I should have just checked, and had the opportunity to see 2 cards for 1 bet. Another time I made a poor overcall and the guy holding a baby flush raised us both. I was drawing to the nut flsuh but did not hit.

I was in Vegas in Oct. and won $330, so although I am not keeping records right now, I feel I am about even for the year. I am up $165 in my monthly home game.

First post

I believe in the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing AstroTurf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

These musings will mostly focus on poker. I'll be writing about my results, and what I have learned. I play fairly regularly at local casino's as well as in a monthly home game. In 2006 I kept pretty good records of sessions, hours, and results. In over 50 sessions, and over 300 hours of poker, I basically broke even. The good news is I did not lose my bankroll; the bad news is I want to do more than break even.

In the beginning of 2007, I got lazy in my record keeping. I ended up down in the first part of the year, but recent winning sessions have brought me to even. My goal for 2008 and beyond is to resume the record keeping to better understand my areas of weakness.