Obligatory poker content: Played three SnGs yesterday, cashed in one, was card-dead in one, was brain-dead in another. On the flip side, I’m over $100 and profitable at three different sites, playing at least three different types of games. The $1K check from Pacific/Empire (via Neteller) also assuaged wifey’s fears that I’m gonna lose the farm playing online poker, so it bought me some Peace and Quiet equity.

Had a great time for my birthday this past weekend. No parties or gifts or any of that goofy shit for me… We went up to Lake Tahoe on Friday right after work. Granted, a wildfire on the main road to South Lake Tahoe screwed things up a little bit since we had to drive to Northshore, then circle back down. The roads were hazy and smoky, and there was the persistent smell of burning pine. Imagine what your house would be like if fired up a couple of Duraflames and forgot to open the flue, and you’ll get the general idea. We went horseback riding on Saturday, then went to do touristy stuff around the Southshore casinos, including the kiddie arcades and souvenir shops. We finished the weekend with a paddleboat brunch cruise yesterday in the rain. The food was good, the company was great, and the rain actually helped by dispelling much of the smoke.

Wifey was actually encouraging me to find the poker room, but I really wanted to spend the weekend as “family time”. That and my B&M confidence was badly shaken at the Lucky Chances fiasco a couple of months ago. Harvey’s had about five $3/6 tables of Hold’Em running, but no other games or tournaments, so I passed on those. One big difference between Tahoe and the Bay Area (besides the no-smoking cardrooms) is the ethnic mix at the poker tables… The tables I saw in Harvey’s were populated primarily by Caucasians… and oddly, very few Asians. Not sure of the reason… I looked in some gamblers’ guides for local tournaments, but there wasn’t a single one in Tahoe over the weekend! I guess the tournament poker craze hasn’t reached the slot-happy folks who vacation in Tahoe. Figures…

My home game gets off the ground on Saturday. Thanks to all who submitted ideas and suggestions for making the home game a success. Since I’ve been pretty restrictive about the guest list, it should be a good time for all. Hopefully, this will start a neighborhood groundswell of testosterone bonding through poker to counter the estrogen-laden Bunco groups pervading the area.