Finally made it out to Mike's house because it was Cassiopeia's 8th birthday in a day and ended up pretty much buying her an ice cream cake since I didn't bring a gift. Geez, they get big. Remember her when she was the size of a football. Now she's jammin' out to her new iPod-she's a Green Day fan she tells me. She's in the 2nd grade. Wow.

OK, if you haven't figured it out already, I pretty much play exclusively online at FCP. Sat down tonight after watching 24 at a $1/2 NL HE table with $80. AJ finally hits a J high flop. Call a super-aggressive player who raises the button w/TT, flop 989, check-raise, blank on turn, shoot, check 8 river, button bets, call down JT 'cause I can't see the pair, bringing me past $130. Raise it to $10 from the SB w/AK, 1 caller, flop all rag spades, hold 2nd nut flush draw, put the caller all-in, call, turn K, river pairs the board for a $100 pot. Decide that +$100 in 45 minutes is good enough and split, turning my focus towards the Midnight Oil for $20 that has me dwindled down to a little below 1K in chips in the 3rd round already. Back to starting when my AJs holds against KQs but then down again when I can't release an AK. Balls out with a 45 on a 36J flop from UTG, and w/99 very next hand, shutting down both pots. Getting to be double up or die time after the break for me. Almost attempt a steal play from early position w/46 but decide against it only to see a 6xx6 board. In the BB w/1260 and 100-200 blinds and opt to fold K9 then 47 and take an AT at 3-1 on my money but finish in 61st when I outflop AQ and AK but can't outrun JJ.

Have decided that I am a much better tournament poker player than a cash one. The finite-ness of the tourney structure allows the shrewd Jewish Ben to tighten up my game and focus over the usual gambling Asian Ben. Kinda hoping softball gets rained out again because every time something gets cancelled (softball last week, going to Vegas this past weekend), I make back-to-back final table appearances for some solid cash.