Double Trouble with Prim and Harrier - Poker, Sports, Cooking, Gardening, Mixed Drinks and more

Well, the World Cup is over - congrats to Spain. Like I said the other day, it was mostly a positive experience for me. A nice distraction from the early summer heat, if nothing else.

I would have liked to share my final standings from the prediction contest that I was unable to play recently, but it seems like I can't even access the rankings anymore without agreeing to that other contest. Doesn't matter anyway, I finished far away from ITM, but I had fun.

The marathon training is meanwhile entering its hot phase. The next three weeks will be super tough, and this Sunday will already feature my 2nd most grueling run of the entire program, at 18 miles. If I make it through, however, things will be a lot more manageable until the final race.

I'm excited to get back into poker, though I didn't get to play today yet, as I had originally planned. I should also have up to two more appearances on TonyW4rriorz's stream this week - if all goes well, we will do the hanafuda stream tomorrow, and I heard Tony has something special planned for Thursday. Once again, I will link you guys to the stream when I will be going live.

Well, the World Cup is over - congrats to Spain. Like I said the other day, it was mostly a positive experience for me

That.. was.. a huge party. Every fan from both sides were drunk or something. It got a bit out of control here, small kids staying up till 1am witnessing the 115min heroism which was ended by a man named Torres. Lol I thought it was the older Torres. I am actually that old. 10 years off guess Fernand Ferran Ferdinand Ferrari Torreses

Originally posted by taavi1337
That.. was.. a huge party. Every fan from both sides were drunk or something. It got a bit out of control here, small kids staying up till 1am witnessing the 115min heroism which was ended by a man named Torres.

Sounds like a great time, how many people were gathered to watch that game?

Personally, I only had it on in the background while doing other stuff. From the commentary, it wasn't the most spectacular match, but quite thrilling thanks to its close score.

By the way, Tony has confirmed that the stream will take place as planned today. I will join some time after my four mile run, probably around 5:30 UK time, but Tony will probably stream some poker before that. Hope I can see some of you guys there, I will post the link shortly before I start calling.

how many people were gathered to watch that game?

I think all of them have left now on their separate ways... I really started to love playing soccer during this tournament, I think it's a great sportsgame with elements of both strategy and speed.

But yeah its completely over now. At peak times there were 5 people together watching this offshore sports from TV.

Originally posted by taavi1337
I think all of them have left now on their separate ways... I really started to love playing soccer during this tournament, I think it's a great sportsgame with elements of both strategy and speed.

I saw that video you linked on your blog. Did you ever play soccer at a club back in the day? I used to be a goalkeeper at the local level.

Also, sorry to say, guys, but the stream had to be canceled once again, Tony is still dealing with some health issues. The other stream that was intended for next Thursday will probably have to be put on hold until further notice too. I'm wishing Tony all the best, and a speedy recovery.

Maybe I will just play some poker myself in the meantime.

And to wrap up the World Cup posts, someone just sent me this video on Discord:

The Worst Hand You Can Hit...

...is the second best hand, as we all know. Hard to tell if I was ahead or behind before the draw, as my opponent could have had a two pair or higher trips, but hitting my full house is what made the hand costly.

PokerStars, $1.76 + $0.24 - 5 Card Draw Pot Limit - 25/50 (5 ante) - 6 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat

UTG: 1,050 (21 bb)
MP: 2,025 (41 bb)
CO: 1,505 (30 bb)
BU: 1,100 (22 bb)
SB: 1,335 (27 bb)
BB (Hero): 1,985 (40 bb)

Deal: (105) Hero is BB with 8♦ T♥ T♣ T♠ 3♠
UTG raises to 167, 4 players fold, Hero calls 117

Draw One: (389) T♥ T♣ T♠ 3♠ 3♦ (2 players)
BB (Hero) draws 8d, UTG draws 1
Hero checks, UTG bets 296, Hero raises to 1,277, UTG calls 582 (all-in)

Total pot: 2,145

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows T♥ T♣ T♠ 3♠ 3♦ (a full house, Tens full of Threes)
UTG shows 9♥ Q♥ 9♠ Q♣ Q♦ (a full house, Queens full of Nines)
UTG wins 2,145

Despite all that, I managed to ship the SNG in the end. Not only does this mean that all three games I played so far since the end of the break finished in 1st, it also marks the 100th SNG that has been played this year. I think this calls for some stats:

In no small part thanks to the last three games, my profit has exceeded $50 for the first time this year, with the average game earning about 51 cents, which is very passable for a quick SNG of that buy-in. ROI and average profit are about on par with the better years so far.

A nice development, but for the time being, quality will have to fill in for missing quantity.

Bonus hand: Punishing limpers, just for fun:

PokerStars, $1.76 + $0.24 - 5 Card Draw Pot Limit - 25/50 (5 ante) - 6 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat

UTG: 2,020 (40 bb)
MP: 1,670 (33 bb)
CO: 2,515 (50 bb)
BU: 1,300 (26 bb)
SB: 630 (13 bb)
BB (Hero): 865 (17 bb)

Deal: (105) Hero is BB with 8♣ 9♦ Q♠ 4♣ A♣
4 players fold, SB calls 25, Hero checks

Draw One: (130) Q♠ A♣ 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ (2 players)
SB draws 3, BB (Hero) draws 8c 9d 4c
SB checks, Hero bets 80, SB calls 80

Total pot: 290

Showdown:
BB (Hero) shows Q♠ A♣ 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ (three of a kind, Sevens)
SB mucks K♥ K♦ J♦ 5♥ 3♣ (a pair of Kings)
BB (Hero) wins 290

Did you ever play soccer at a club back in the day?

No, never, we were volleyball while there was soccer team for younger kids. I remember when I entered soccer game first time in school in grade 1 or something, i managed to score the goal for our team when the keeper jumped to the air horisontally but i hit the ball on the ground under him.. I liked that game in school classes, but never tried it more than that. Now with my kids they have really connected with the local community-oriented soccer club, and this game sometimes connects people well, ~the neighbors kid is a bit afraid but always gets really courageous/joyful in our small soccer games.... i have seen this with a bad-shape gambler also... he started to enjoy soccer game together with kids on the playground. All of that is the community-building of these sports club businesses, which many people really like.

I have no idea how I made it through the week, but I did.

It all culminated in an 18 miles run today, which should be the longest distance I ever ran. It's a huge step, and while I'm extremely exhausted right now, I think I got through it better than through my 16 miles run two weeks ago. There will be one even bigger run coming up in my training later, however. Here's the big picture:

I actually started bleeding from one of my nipples during today's run. It was probably caused by some chafing, possibly by the earbuds of my MP3 player. I didn't even notice it myself until it was pointed out to me - it was easily visible through my sweat-soaked white t-shirt. I noticed a chafing sensation during some of my previous runs, but no bleeding yet, that appears to be new. Maybe I should start looking for some proper running clothes, at least for the race.

Anyway, two more really tough weeks, then it's all downhill until race day.

Ah, and there has been some more poker this weekend too. Crypto poker, at least. I played one of Tony's Drawmaha home games on Friday, with a good start, but unfortunately a bubble finish. I won a free entry on the stream, however, so there was nothing to lose.

Pretty card dead at the final table again, but maybe I should have taken a few more risks. I was once even in a good situation to take the eventual winner out, who had a pat straight against my drawn full house - a deadly situation in Five Card Draw. This being Drawmaha, however, their straight hit the board, and it's a split pot. That's how the game works.

We should see more standard Five Card Draw SNGs next week, maybe even a few MTTs? There is also another game I should start getting back into, of course. Hint: It rhymes with 'Schmadugi'.

Originally posted by Harrier88
I have no idea how I made it through the week, but I did.

I might have been able to handle Monday and Friday 😁

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
I might have been able to handle Monday and Friday

Though it wasn't just the running, the week was a little crazy in general. I was pretty sleep-deprived throughout most of it, and we also had a family visit from Thursday to Sunday.

I actually wanted to grab some drinks again for once on Friday night, as I haven't done in months aside from the occasional meetup with Prim, but ended up falling asleep on the couch before that and woke up around 6 AM. I then had my alarm clock going off while I was getting ready for bed, because I didn't change it for the weekend. Good thing someone checked in on me around 1 PM then, or I might have ended up sleeping all day - I had a lot to regain on.

But yes, the running is what is currently getting to me the most, after that 18 mile beast yesterday. Luckily, I didn't have a lot of stairs to climb at work today.

I had a look online, looks like the irritated nipples are a somewhat common phenomenon in long distance running, to the point that it is sometimes dubbed runner's nipple. Actual bleeding like yesterday is not unheard of, but it's a pretty severe case of it.

In fact, the linked article recommends taking a break from running for a while in this situation, but acknowledges that some people are committed to a training schedule or have a race coming up, in which case there are some remedies. I already applied some antiseptic spray, and I will try putting on some bandages for the next week before running. Also, no more cotton undershirts during my runs, that's an important preventive step.

It even points out that for male runners, running shirtless is an option if the weather is warm enough. It probably is, and it's supposed to get a lot warmer during the week. It would mean no more MP3s, but it might be something to consider, at least on the shorter runs.

Originally posted by Harrier88
I had a look online, looks like the irritated nipples are a somewhat common phenomenon in long distance running, to the point that it is sometimes dubbed runner's nipple. Actual bleeding like yesterday is not unheard of, but it's a pretty severe case of it.

In high school I used to run shirtless for this reason. I never ran anything longer than 12km, but I ran that often (home from school). I was going to suggest bandages, but the link already covers a lot of things I never thought of. I thought that the irritation was due to my skin condition, but apparently others get it too. I never bled, though.

I used to have a lot of problems with chafed thighs too, but that hasn't been an issue for years. Back then, I got some kind of ointment as a prevention, maybe it will also help with the runner's nipple.

And the bleeding may have been the last straw in my case, because the irritations have been a problem for a few weeks before that, but I simply ignored them until it apparently got too much.

18miles only running is a lot. I wouldnt be too worried to allow some walking in the 42km run. I have walked like 30km recently easily, by walking a human can easily cross that distance. But i understand you want a better time result.

Originally posted by taavi1337
18miles only running is a lot. I wouldnt be too worried to allow some walking in the 42km run. I have walked like 30km recently easily, by walking a human can easily cross that distance. But i understand you want a better time result.

I definitely plan to run the whole thing, I feel like there is no point in signing up for a marathon race if you have to resort to walking - though I have seen people doing it, even other 10K runners in my last race.

Btw, I noticed that I wasn't even wearing cotton undershirts last Sunday when my nipples started bleeding, it was a synthetic undershirt. This makes me worry a little, because I figured that changing that shirt would do the trick, at least for prevention. Now it seems like it's a constant risk during the longer runs.

Originally posted by Harrier88
I definitely plan to run the whole thing, I feel like there is no point in signing up for a marathon race if you have to resort to walking - though I have seen people doing it, even other 10K runners in my last race.

I used to do a mixed-pace thing where I would jog 10 paces then walk 10 paces. It wasn't a race though.

What is most important is not to hurt yourself by over-stamina efforts. I think you need to know your limits quite well to run 18miles in a row. I know some nlhe now but this doesnt mean i play a €100 tournament for 7 hours, my family nervously waiting by my side for the tournament to end faster.

Originally posted by taavi1337
What is most important is not to hurt yourself by over-stamina efforts. I think you need to know your limits quite well to run 18miles in a row.

Safety is always the most important thing, but that's why I'm following an appropriate training schedule to keep pushing my limits a little to reach my goals, without ever overdoing it.

Taking a look at the plan further above, you can see that it keeps a consistent workout of sustainable runs on weekdays, while following a pattern for the long distance Sunday runs, along the lines of "new limit -> a little less -> new limit -> a little less -> new limit -> okay, you're ready, let's dial it back a bit before the race".

Like I said last Sunday, aside from the bleeding, the 18 mile run already felt a little better than the 16 mile run from two weeks ago, stamina-wise, so it seems like I'm making progress.

Since all the running and bleeding and all still left little time for poker - I tried to get a late 5CD SNG going last evening, but didn't get it to fill up at those hours - here's some news from my many side projects: I guess I can now officially be considered a Xiangqi player, because I decided to create an account on Xiangqi.com today.

What's Xiangqi? Chinese chess. Maybe some of you remember my first ever Troll Challenge with Prim, where we played that game live at home.

That avatar pic is from some anime I'm only vaguely aware of, but I wanted to stick with the squirrel theme while getting something with a bit of an Asian look to it - couldn't find any directly Xiangqi-related pictures. Plus, I liked the character's clueless expression, seems fitting for my current level in this game.

Actually, though, I was kind of feeling confident when I was asked about my experience:

I mean... technically, I have played, though only against people who had to learn the rules from me.

Anyway, it should be fun, I'm mostly there for the strategy lessons, to keep track of my progress there. Maybe I will eventually feel ready for real games against real people too (I already challenged some bots).

Better than nothing, there was some crypto poker tonight. I noticed that a Badacey freeroll just started as I logged on, and I couldn't resist that one - even though I questioned the wisdom of regging it when I realized that it was Fixed Limit, causing it to drag on quite a bit, especially with it being a split pot game too.

We did pick up some good hands, though:

Actually, forget about that one... take a look at this hand later on instead. It's nothing else but the stone cold nuts in this game.

So there were some spectacular hands, but what about the results? They were good, we finished 1st:

However: Notice the payouts. As usual in these freerolls, they were negligible, at µBTC 3.40, so the win was more for bragging rights than anything else.

What's more, I lost a much, much higher amount playing OFC on the side, which I haven't done in a while. My opponent did not play well at all (notice that I censored their name), but they sure could hit when it mattered. Not that I couldn't, like on this draw:

Even that one, however, ended up being inconsequential:

And check out this situation... my opponent wasn't even in Fantasyland, and they just casually hit a monster like this.

In the end, it was another big rollercoaster session, as it often is in OFC, and while I had a nice lead at times, I finished about µBTC 140 down. And while my opponent may have had luck on their side, I will admit that I got some lucky draws too, in addition to the one above, and sure, I also made some mistakes.

So yeah, nice placement in the freeroll, but still a pretty big losing session. Either way, it was nice to be back at the tables again, picking up some sick hands to post about.

Let's get back to the real deal on Pokerstars soon, these are only side games here.